Darren Fletcher has given his thoughts on that red card, being the only Scot in the squad, life after Ronaldo, beating Wigan and Michael Owen.
“I try not to think about it,” Fletcher said when asked about missing out on the Champions League final. “Obviously it’s happened but what’s done is done. I felt at the time it was a wrong decision and then the TV replays confirmed it. A lot of people said I should have just let him score but that’s not in my nature. I play from the first minute to the last minute. I dunno if that’s naive or what, but that’s how I play. It was my job to match Fabregas’ run and stop him from scoring. I feel I did that rightly and the referee gave me a red card. But that’s in the past now and I just need to look forward to this season and try and get myself in another Champions League final.”
Fletcher was then asked to describe himself as a football player, something which he initially found hard to do.
“Someone who gives 100% every match,” he said. “Someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater of the team, someone who enjoyed his football, and enjoys being at Manchester United.”
Being the only Scot in the team, Fletcher was asked whether he gets accused of being picked because of the manager’s favouritism.
“I’ve had that my whole career,” Fletcher said with a smile. “It’s water off a ducks back now. It’s something I’ve learn to get used to. I’ve learnt it doesn’t matter what nationality you are, the manager will pick the best team. So yeh, I’ve had a bit of stick over that, but I don’t hold back in giving that stick back!”
Every United player who is interviewed is asked what impact Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit has had on the team but I’d say Darren answers it better than anyone else has so far.
“Nothing has changed because it’s still the same group of lads,” he said. “We feel like we’re the same team. We won the league as a team, we reached the Champions league final as a team. We’ve lost a top class player but as much as Ronaldo gave to us as a fantastic player, we gave to him as well, we sacrificed ourselves for him. That’s what goes on in a team. Hopefully now we can be more solid, we’ll be 4-4-2, but you’ll see Manchester United, same old, same old going out to win games, please the fans and attack the opposition.”
After losing 1-0 to Burnley, United came back to beat Wigan 5-0 in their next game. Fletcher was asked what training was like in the days between those games.
“There was disappointment after Burnley, don’t get me wrong, because we’re not used to losing games and nobody likes to lose games,” he continued. “But nothing drastically changes, we speak about the defeat and what went wrong, and we learn from that. We get that bit more determination to get it right in the next game.”
Michael Owen got his first goal for United in that 5-0 win and Fletcher reckons the goals will start flowing now.
“I think you could see by the reaction from the player, from the fans, from the bench, from the staff, everyone was so pleased for him,” he said. “He’s shown great determination and enthusiasm. He really wants to prove people wrong. He’s at Manchester United, a great club, and he’s going to get plenty of chances and hopefully that first goal will kick-start him scoring plenty of goals for us.”
Speaking to the BBC.
Man Utd News 24/7
Top man Fletch…. has changed my opinion of him from previous years…. got to be a regular first teamer now
He just keeps growing and growing as a United man, confirming all my hopes for him from way back. He’s measured and thoughtful in his words, with a hint of steel, which is like his play.
A great example of what one can achieve when you persevere.
Good man, now go give it to those gooners!
A lesson for all United players, especially the “dearly departed”
“Someone who gives 100% every match,” he said. “Someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater of the team, someone who enjoyed his football, and enjoys being at Manchester United.”
Get that translated into Portuguese someone!
he’s the man… let hime score a hat trick today… i’ll be much more pleaseddd… CMONNN YOU REDSSSS
Really really pleased for him, he is a true warrior.he has the typical scotish enthusiasm , he tell us the philosophy of being a player at manchester united.gloooooooooooory man united
“Someone who gives 100% every match,” he said. “Someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater of the team, someone who enjoyed his football, and enjoys being at Manchester United.”
These are not just words but they have been translated into action.
keep it up son! A keano in the making. Thats the right spirit and we adore you for that!
At the age of 20,Fletch never had the same potential as Obi mikel,Fabregas, a young essien or gerrard.This shows that a young player may have tremendous potential but to fulfill that potential, achieve progress and be a top player like where Fletcher is now you need to train hard,have full commitment,passion and love for the team you play!
Potential alone is not enough to succeed at Man utd.
Wow another Man utd youth system product!
Damn straight, I would have expected more sportsmanship from Arsenal in that semi-final. I mean they were never going to win it. The fact that they didn’t come down on the side of Fletcher means they are a spiteful team.
FLETCH ME THE TREBLE…
redjoe10 – what is the point for Arsenal to come to Fletcher’s side???
Man U played well in that game, fullstop. Stop this “Arsenal are spiteful ” nonsense. I really hope we beat you today, you too cocky.
i love fletcher. great interview, and everything he said is spot on.
Fletcher did what he felt he had to do in that game. I will never blame him for losing the cup in Rome. WHat i will say, is that we missed him dearly in that game! But he can’t change his nature and it’s that very nature that has made him a fan favorite in the past 12 months.
If there was ever a case when “SAF knows best”, the career of Darren Fletcherinho is it. For years and years, so-called UTD fans were on the manager’s case about playing “TheScottishPlayer” – always carping about what he didn’t do and overlooking what he did do, even if the glass was four-fifths full, as it were. NOW, the glass is damned=near 100% full and so, finally, Fletcherinho is getting praise all around.
It’s been the same sorry squaking about John O’Shea’s contribution to the team and lately about Nani. In all these cases, it’s clear with anyone with eyes to see that SAF does, indeed, know best. The manager knows these guys, evaluates their talent AND their character, and watches them on a daily basis – fans see only the tip of the iceberg and are waaaay too quick to make an evaluation based on limited evidence. Last year, I couldn’t see what future Darron Gibson had with the first-team but he has come on gang-busters and proved that my view – like all of yours – is partial and blinkered.
Right now, I would argue that Fletcherinho is the key to the UTD midfield. He’s more important than Michael Carrick, Anderson, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs. He needs to add some guile to his game but you see that in flashes and patches, too. Perhaps, when Owen Hargreaves comes back to full fitness, Fletcherinho’s status might be revised to “1-A” but he sure looks like being a cornerstone of this NewUTD for another half-dozen years.
For the past three years, UTD won the EPL title with a whirligig front-three. Now it looks like the team’s shape is going to be a 4-4-2 for a while before it morphs again into something quite different with a much more fluid midfield in which Fletcherinho and Anderson are the key components. A lot of this evolution will turn on Macheda’s ability to turn his extraordinary promise into reality – and Anderson’s ability to do the same. Rooney (playing as a free-floating # 10) and Fletcherinho (as the box-to-box midfielder) will be cornerstones of the NextUTD.
1 nill bolton
i hold my hands up to not seeing wat fletch brought to the squad at the time. Always support players who play for utd but didn’t see fletch’s worth. Well done fletch for keeping faith in yourself and proof if ever needed to keep faith in fergie
@Brr-gooner
you got your ass whopped tt nite ya! not just spiteful, cheating as well!!
the whole world now knows what brand of football u gooners dish out!
be prepared tonite cos fergie’s warriors gonna getcha!!
2-1 bolton
I wasnt too fond of Fletcher a few years ago. But always believed that he will come good. He is our most effective midfielder, and whilst before i use to sometimes curse when his name was on the squad sheet now i look for his name and feel a lot more confident when he is playing. He has the right attitude and gives 100% he is a united great in the making.
Liverfool face a 10 man team again…that was a very harsh red card…
Anybody see the ref send of Sean Davis against Pool? Its a facad I tell you!
how do they always get somone sent off against them, when they’re losing.
it happened loads last year n they come back and win!
davis was only off the pitchj n the ladyboy scores!
Yep….that was completely unfair…he barely touched Lucas.
That didnt even warrant a free kick, never mind a card!
Now they play like a champion contender against a 10 man team.
Would have been real nice, if they lost!
I agree…Muamba was running the midfield before the send off. Now everything changed. Hopefully Bolton will defend well to the final whistle
foster
oshea brown vidic evra
valenica giggs flecther carrick nani
rooney
10 more minutes! Anyways, im out, have to go break fast!
Crap! Gerrard!
Where is Berbatov?
I hope the bloody papers really castigate that ref for an appalling decision! I have never heard a more bias commentator as well! Anybody know his name?
Stevie Me scored always scores against 10 man opponent!!!
Good squad! But i think Berba should start, but then again Fergie knows best.
Stevie-Self defence-G!! The cheating C*&#!!!!
Has our match started already?I don’t think it has,but Rooney and Evra have got a point each in my Fantasy Premierleague team.WTF?!?
the starting line today http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/matchcentre/index.html#date=2009/08/29league=1035match=200008539
His playing 5 across midfield! What a dumb decision! Why are we afraid? We are the champions of England!
ooh ahh cantona.berba on the bench.too early in the season.no manager wants to be oueradventurous.draw wnt be too bad.fletch and carrick wil do the running i guess.giggsy wil try and thread them into wazza
Well 5 men midfield against 5 men midfield. Very cautious approach by both manager. Was hoping for a cracking match…I guess Giggs will play Berbatov role but deeper. Hopefully Giggs at his best and Nani pleaseeeee perform, when you perform we always win
Its not a “dumb decision”. giggs will probably play just behind rooney.
giggs showed more creative play in his last few games than most players.
why the 4-5-1 formation? i don’t understand>
Too cautious for my liking! We should instigate the attacking.
No sexy football from both team today I guess…
Yes…Excuse my overreaction, i retract my statement. But, not happy with 5man midfield.
boogeyman 9 45 in india
There we go again. Loserpool FC win again with the help of the ref!!!!!!!!
I know that,aig,but if you play FPL,check your points if you have Rooney and Evra.They would’ve got points for playing 1 minute.Oh wait,maybe it’s because they are guaranteed starters.It’s ok,carry on as normal.
PS:I’m getting nervous.
Had he let Cesc score,then Sir Alex would probably have given him a bollocking.
GO GO Manchester!
boogeyman.same here .very nervous its saturday.i cant even watch the match.parents wtchin movie.but i wil be checking on this site and may get to wtch the 2nd half
united to win 2day.
What about streaming,aig?
@ aig alex is god
Give nkora.net a try.
Did I mention how much I love Wazza?
the giggs instead of berba thing might well be to fluster arsenal’s new formation. berba will get some minutes today i’m sure…especially if we go down a goal
boogeyman,rax.thanks but my net is down from last 2 days .i m acessing net frm my mobile.
Giggs is really not having a good game!
giggs and carrick are a bit careless there!!!
Bla bla bla!!!!!! Argh!!!
Don’t give that ball to Giggsy!!!!!!!!!
I am almost crying.
Fletcher the man of the game so far.
Get giggs OFF! He can’t keep up with these kids
oh nooo
we need to start playing 442 again and the game is ours…
FUCK!!!
OMFG! Whats with that defending, no one blocking the shot!
Take off Giggsy and bring on Berba.
what the fuck????
Burnley all over again. We’re not trying to win the match, we’re trying to stop Arsenal from scoring. And it’s not fucking working. We need to attack!
why Berba ? he slows the game down
foster is shit. that’s a fact.
carrick is too for that matter, i’m way more comfortable w/ fletcher on the ball..can’t ever dream of saying that really until now. even though it may have been a penalty on fletch in the box.
giggs needs to come out as well, he’s not up for the pace of it.
corea – as opposed to has giggs has looked this half? no one is coming up. wayne’s all alone. that “he slows the game down” talk is ridiculous.
Giggs is shit when forward runs..Bad formation with awful miss by the keeper
hahahaahaha
you oppose 90% of the people here ????? hahahah
ok. i am calm
corea – do you watch most of the games or do you just read what other people say about it? if he was there “slowing the game down” today…they’re might actually be players making runs into space instead of wayne being up there all alone while giggs or carrick flub a pass or lose the ball. again…are your eyes actually on this game?
Corea,don’t worry.Sir Alex will know what to do.It’s only one game.
you are so very sensible my friend.
read between the lines. i like today’s performance from Giggsy just like you do.
Fletcher seems much harsh in his tackles..First of all play man.
We are not playing well at all. The passing is awful. Carrick is just lost. Rooney needs help. Berba should come on for giggs. i cant help but think of was it Evra or Nani who crossed the ball into the box and there was only rooney there.If Berba was there im sure he would of scored. We need Berba on. But What a goal by Arshavin.
switch back to 442, bring ando and berba on.
@ theboogeyman
yeah mate. i don’t dare to question The Boss. Only he knows what he thought before the game.
mdubya,Corea,leave it.Just trust Sir Alex.
fletcher and valencia have been the best players so far. maybe nani too.
Guys, we are crossing the ball on the head of single Wayne Rooney for the past 2 seasons. I don’t know why exactly.
Very interesting second half.
now fergie needs to realise giggs isnt same. he has been awful. y is fergie experimenting too much every game he changes the line up. i thought fergie would learn after the barca game than rooney as a lone stricker is a flop idea but he is continuing the same.
I think Fergie was intimidated by Arsenal today. Wayne is at his best when he’s playing off another striker. So why the hell is he up front alone?
With some attacking changes at the half I think we can still get three points.
mdubya
I actually quite agree with you. We need someone who can slow down the game and start passing the ball properly we are getting carried away, attempting to throw ball the ball to Rooney. Thats not going to happen if he has 2 defenders on him.
All of you might disagree with me but Fergie make a mistake again with his line-up today but I think he just want to keep all the players satisfied esp. Carrick. Although he has all the experience but he still a human being which is never perfect. Anyway, in Fergie we trust… I’m expecting a better display in the 2nd half… No more Turf Moor Shit please!!!
@ sketch
that’s what i’m sayin! although i think fergie expected alot more out of carrick today, we all did. he’s been just as bad as giggs or foster in my book today.
Don’t dare to question Saf’s choice. You think about the ONE game, he thinks in advance.
I think Fergie wont go for this formation in future games with a lone striker..
Evra, Rooney, Valencia and Fletcher were the only ones trying. And maybe Vidic who should of scored. The rest better play better in the second half or we might be in for a spanking.
The way we’re squandering chances. You need a guy like berbs who can trap the ball on a dime. Giggs just isn’t right for the job. Midfield hasn’t been too flash either
@corea
no one is questioning fergie but we always cant defend fergie. he hast been picking the right team. yeah i know still we can win this game but tha t wont mean this line up is good.
Ok. I’ll be back after the final whistle. Too many intelligent people here for my liking.
dissappointed with giggs performance…
against younger squad giggs seem to have a bad day…
bring berbatov or anderson…rooney not functioning well as a lone striker…
Is there any rule that all have to pass to Rooney and he’ll shoot..Everytime i see people trying to set not for going..Its the place where we lag
corea – it’s not so much the choice as it is the players is what i’m really playing at. he doesn’t really have a choice, it’s foster or the pole and he chose foster to breed his confidence etc. that’s fine, but he’s not good enough…he knows he’s not good enough. we’re just waiting for vds to return.
carrick, he probably thought he’d show up for the game today. you can guarantee he’s getting a tongue lashing right now. he’s been atrocious.
giggs, he’s trying to go with the safe option who can still make a play. again it’s a good choice but he has shown he’s not up to it today.
he’s going to make a halftime change no shock.
No change
Foster panicing, Carrick is rubbish and no Berba. I’m getting dizzy with SAF’s rotation of players. Too many changes with no continuity. Poor bloody Rooney one week he has support everywhere next game there is none.
What the fuck is going on…….Get your fucking act together for fucks sake. Yopu are showing the gooners way too much respect …get in amongst the fuckers and start kicking some arse.
yet another game where SAF has started the wrong team……come on boss stop letting players dictate what goes on …. YOU fucking tell them to get their fingers out, use the bloody hairdryer if you have to but get them motivated…….
i hate to keep being kind of negative but really? no change?
arsenal are dangerous on the break.it looks difficult nw.what can fergie do.replace giggs wid berba and then brìng owen.that wil give arsenal more space.this is just nt our season.with the fixtures we have cming up it looks very difficult.
@tonybee
exaccccccccccctly.
Give the starters fifteen minutes tops then make changes.
@aig alex
come on man it’s the fourth game.
WAY TO SHOW UP BEN!!!
Fucking hell what a save.
mdubya.i knw mate but we really are lacking this season.injuries too have affected.no way vds wud have allowed dat to go in.our midfield is struggling nearly every game.we need rebuilding and that takes time.so i m ready to be patient even if we go trophyless for a few seasons
i like how they keep panning to eduardo. lol
Bring on Berba, let’s kill it off now.
Wayne, my GOD!
this is amazing.
diaby just shit himself!!
HAHAHHAHAHA ARSENAL ARE A JOKE!!
The fucking hairdryer at half time worked then…..
COME ON YOU FUCKING REDS
my heart is beating a million times a minute….this game is getting so scrappy!!!!!!!! anything could happen
2 goals and counying come on you fucking reds
we need another goal badlyy
eboue booked for diving. HA HA.
Cheating diving gooner bastards
this is really feeling like the old days of ’99 ….when the games of united and arsenal were bloodbaths
Holy crap. They take drama class at Arsene’s?
a drunken hello from inside old trafford iphone is all i have to say is fuck me darren fletch is as good if not better than roy keane ii fthink i love the guy. ROM rules. my rom friends hello. fuck john terry
Errrrrr…what exactly does John o Shea do?
wouldn’t want to fuck him GHTT lol not even with yours…lol
manchuchu @ he kicks lumps ouut gooners thats what he does
GHTT I envy you!
the gooners always get a last minute goal against us… Hope the players can keep their focus until the final whistle… watch out for that Gallas cunt…
what a player Rooney tackling the cunts with his head…. tremendous
FIVE FUCKING MINUTES???!?!?!
Extra time?
how did berba miss that????
Anyone else think Fletcher should be the face of Fifa 10? lol
Nani and Berba shouldve scored :/
Phew!
OH MY GOD….THIS GAME IS KILLING ME…ive had about 6 heart attacks
fuck opff Wenger hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahahahah
What a game…….. not only beat the bastrds but Wenger got sent off too . hahahahah
i knew those fuckers were going to score….thank GOD it was offside….wenger was embarrassed, kicked off…arsenal own goal, penalty…dont remember the last time there was this much drama!!! not even the aston villa game
c’mon you red devils! very funny ending to the game i must say, arsene wenger comedy genius!
WOW! Guys we have to be VERY grateful to Diaby. He just saved us. HAHA. Wenger needs to calm down rofl.
Nani and Berba should of both scored.
BOW DOWN TO THE REAL CHAMPIONS !
on be still my beating heart …… think i need to go and lie down for a bit…..lol still laughing about Wenger getting fucked off the pitch….. THE CUNT !!
GHTT IS GONNA HAVE ORGASMS OVER THIS GAME…..
We were lucky. We were lucky.
I feel sorry for the Arsenal fans.
And what da fuck was Rooney doing in the 95th minure. He thought the game was over ?
yesss. LUCKY though, very lucky! i agree the line up was no good!
My poor coffee table,it suffered great beatings from my hand….for nothing
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
but dispite the pain in HAPPY FUCKING HAPPY
Quick question:
I havent seen the reply but was that really offside?
the best part was the united fans mocking him….esp that one big fellow right behind….a new united hero!!!!
im sorting out the squad numbers
rooney 10
fletcher 8
valencia 7
lads tooo much inhouse bud and out house stella but giiaggs was excellent wayne rooney is the best player ihavee ever seen . rooney on tattoo mem think. and i got a new chant going feels to be city with arsemals names ha ha ha love the site scott whos not there why did he get sent off. but i love rooney and fletcher for captain. back on the bus now ha
Fletcher is fucking MAGIC. WOW.. HE REALLY IS THAT GOOD. HE TOOK NO SHIT FROM ARSENAL and KEPT BUZZING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE.
Still a bit shocked about Berba’s and Nani’s miss. It should have been 4-1 hahah.
Sketch yes indeed it was offside,the fourth official got it SPOT ON
United fans can call Wenger a ‘paedophile’, but we can’t sing chants about Munich?
Get real.
Mike Dean’s decision making is shocking.
We escaped from the jail today thanks to Almunia and Diaby. We need to improve immensely. Our game was too flat.
Ya definitely offside.
Excellent save by Foster gave us the 3 points!!! That was one incredible save! Terrible miss by Berba again!!!
FLETCHER MOTM
Sketch: yes it was, the flag was up way before van persie shot it
love it when the old giggs prove me wrong…
carrick disappointing…
Darren “Keane” Fletcher is awesome…
I am the one who used to criticised him couple years ago…
But as tonight show…we cannot play next game without Fletcher…
Thanks. Just my brother who supports Arsenal keeps going on about it. He look very daft when he started jumping around cursing united after the goal only to be ruled offside after. SHAME !
Hahah. Wengers face PRICELESS !!
very pooooor performance. formation was bad, fergie didn’t pick the best team. we were just sooo lucky. haha wenger was soo funny, feel sorry for arsenal now. i love fletcher, he was the best player today. and diaby.
Berba came on 4 minutes before 90 minutes. What do you expect from him ? Come on!
Rooney started to fall down before Almunia caught him. He earned us the chance to win the game just like Ronny always did. He is a true manс and i respect him for that. But sometimes he dives and that’s a fact.
Second goal – pure comedy.
We are not on a high but we are during the stage of building the team and these 3 points are very importnat especially before the games against Tottenham and City.
But i am slightly ashamed.
Phew! Rooney’s carelessness in the 95th nearly cost us the game, clear offside though, poor game by our standards, especially for Carrick, Valencia and Brown, Giggs was atrocious in the first half, and Foster didn’t look too assured, although he had one world class save to keep us in the game. Despite all this, we manage to win against a shit hot gooner team, excellent day, although not so good for my health…… COME ON UNITED!!
agree with you Corea, he should’ve came on second half, would’ve made a difference. oh well, at least we got the 3 points. that’s the most important thing. fergie should now know that playing rooney as a lone striker will just not work.
Pete Burns,get the fuck out.And you say one disrespectful about Munich and you see what you get in return.
im off now sing on bus,can someone do me a favour can they youtube darren fletcher football genius and post emilys link on rom please its what i would do and after that game it needs to be done
as many people as possible
WHOOSSSSSSSSS THAT LYING ON THE RUNWAY
WHO’S THAT LYING IN THE SNOW
IT’S MATT BUSBY AND HIS BOYS
THEY’RE NOT MAKING ANY NOISE
COZ THEY CANT GET THEIR AEROPLANE TO GO
Gutted, gutted, gutted. Congrats mancs, free 3 points for you. Didnt even have to work for it.
Im off to the pub to get drunk.
@Pete Burns – The best thing would obviously be that neither thing happened, but the fact that you think a disgusting form of humor by United fans somehow should give you a free pass to sing chants celebrating the death of young men is disturbing and says a lot about your personality….
Pete Burns, you’re a fucking disgrace, and I’m an Arsenal fan.
Tale of 2 halfs really…
First half we were quite poor. Giggs and Valencia in particular. Foster should have done better with that save as well.
Second half Giggs came out and played some lovely balls. Rooney was excellent and Fletcher looked immense. Fosters save was vital for the win.
Make no mistake about it. We were second best for most parts of the game and still won which reveals why we are champions.
Some Negatives…
Valencia…oh dear, where to start. completely ineffective for me.
Carrick…long passes weren’t great and were it not for Fletcher he would have been exposed. I have always doubted if Carrick can dominate in the big games and after today i’m still left wondering.
Giggs….thank god for the second half because in the first he was atrocious.
———————————
Got away with it this time, but i wish SAF thinks about dipping into the transfer market. We don’t look great, and the squad could do with some more quality.
@Pete Burns – Oh wow mate, if I had known you were such a waste of skin I wouldn’t have bothered with a reply, DIAGF you POS
rooney as lone striker could work if giggs could complete one pass to him!!! he didn’t get the ball in the first half
Off topic, Ronnie just scored a peno, well done lad, best of luck
Ahhh piss off.
What gives United fans the right to sing stuff like that about Wenger?
Exactly. So it means we can sing songs about Munich?!
No it doesn’t.
I’m just showing you how hypocritical some of your fans are.
I don’t condone any Wenger pedophile jokes, but the difference is that Wenger is CLEARLY NOT a pedophile! Munich was real, people died; forget the fact that they were football players, they were real human beings with families.
Some people are just sick fucks and rather than get upset with them, I pity them. Because to live your life so careless of heartless of other people is such a sad way to live. What a waste of life you are PETE BURNS.
Pete Burns
Get the hell out you moron. Singing about people death is not acceptable.
You are rude and obnoxious, i don’t like you and appareantly no1 else does.
Kindly be eaten by a lion. Good day.
MOTM – King Fletcher!!!
Fletcher out-fucking-standing… carrick needs to fuck off!!! rubbish again!!!… Rooney the hero yet again… Giggsy good as always
off topic RM are playing some super stuff…
Valencia is one-footed player. But stop for a second. He has just started for us and what you expect ? Give him time. Today sometimes he didn’t know what to do on the field. Giggs’s passes? I have seen none of it. Misjudging every single pass.
SAF stil wants to play with lone striker on the big games. This looks pretty boring. Lone striker in Rooney. Poor Wayne.
Pete Burns was obviously named after the pain his mom felt when she shat him out her womb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HRT-O4Acw
Emily is so correct about this…
You motherfucking son of a bitch,Pete Burns.I hope you die a painful fucking death along with every fucking thing you love,you dirty fucking son of a whore.Your mother/sister/cousin/grandmother must all be very of proud of you,you sick pathetic bastard.You know that you can’t argue about football so you give us Munich chants.I hope you rot in hell,mother/sister/cousin/grandmotherfucker.
Considering this post from Scott was about Fletch I’m gonna comment about Fletch. If not for him Fletch today Arsenal would’ve passed us to death. His pressure in midfield is the only reason why they didn’t monopolise possession and launch wave after wave of attacks against us.
Carrick was AWOL and Giggsy, though ultimately his vision and cross got us the vital goals, didn’t come alive until 30 odd minutes to the end and even then he wasn’t completley consistent.
Fletch today was the thin red line between us and a repeat of Rome vs Barcelona when Xavi and Iniesta went to town against Carrick and co. Scholesy should keep his spot until anyone else proves they deserve to play alongside Fletch.
Maybe Owen Hargreaves should go to Lourdes? Cos we sure need a miracle healing of his tendons. We cant rely on Fletch to carry the centre of the park game after game! That being said Hargo and Fletch can be our new Ince and Keane and wouldn’t that be nice?
I was stating a fact, obviously I don’t agree with those chants.
I fully agree with Corea. Giggs did nothing right except that pass to Rooney which lead to a penalty.
Foster- Could of done better with Arshavins goal but made one outstanding save that kept us in the game.
Vida- Played well
Brown- too many sloppy passes, made things difficult for himself.
Oshea- Surprisingly had a good game, and marked Arshavin well.
Evra- Excellent going forward. Got a little tired towards the ending.
Nani- Covered well for Evra and kept bombing forward.
Carrick- Misplaced alot of passes, lost possession. But put in crucial tackles.
Fletcher- Wow. Just pure class.
Giggs-Awful first half. Okay first half
Rooney- Did okay on his own. Gave their defence a lot of trouble, and more importantly can actually SCORE from a penalty.
thanky youfUnKy AlLiGuNkY
i can copy an dpaste it
but if you like fletcher stick this link in your comment cause as i press send know 50 people on this bus will bee sing ing it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HRT-O4Acw
F U pete burns, you posted that disgusting chant in a United forum and expected a reasonable discussion about the merits of the Wenger chants vs. the Munich chants? Yeah right, GTFO & GFY
So why the fuck did you post it?
DARREN FLETCHER IS A FOOTBALL GENIUS! (CLAP CLAP, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP, CLAP CLAP)
pete burns THERES A FUCKING DIFFRENCE BETWEEN PEDOPHILE AND DEAD PEOPLE YOU FUCKIN TWAT!
Awful. Our attacks almost never took off. The crosses kept going into the Arsenal defenders. We look shite in the air. Nani is almost always outmuscled by Gallas or Sagna. Had to depend on a peno and an OG to win. C’mon! Why didn’t SAF started Berba? What was Rooney thinking at the end there? Easily dispossessed in the dying minutes. If that wasn’t an offside I’d be pulling my hair out!
@ GHTT…No probs mate
Hey guys. I finally got my connection back. First of all, we were shit. Second of all, even like that, Arsenal fail miserably against us.Fletcher was IMMENSE. The best player of the game.
I hope this game was a lesson for Fergie. He showed Arsenal way too much respect. And why? Giggsy should be used in better circumstances. He didn’t play well in a 3 man midfield in Rome and he wasn’t better today. Anyway, i am pleased for the win and i hope the perfomance teaches a lesson to all of us.
Told you in my previous comments, Foster is crappy GK…. I hope that SAF will give Kuszczak a chance now… because the rivalry is not fair, Foster is making silly mistakes and he is still in the goal.. He will never be a top class keeper, so I also hope that at some point they will buy someone like VDS… ehh
Uh, Foster did well to save RVP’s shot.
This fucking sucks. Played you lot off the park like everyone with a brain knew we would. Your midfield really needs reinforcements. If a midfield without Cesc and Rosicky takes you apart, what would happen if they played?
Good 3 pts. for you lot.
It was a penalty, but its fairly obvious Rooney played for it. So please, stop the hypocrisy.
@ Costas
Spot on. So very true and very intelligent.
hurr, Foster was lucky there. That was a tough shot for RVP and it was only going to go in that area.
It was a penalty.End of.Doesn’t matter if you play for it,as long as it’s a foul.Eduardo dived.Get over it.
Carrick is much better than what we`ve seen today.He displayed a lack of confidence which explains his poor performance.
Brown needed some minutes and will be better for our next match.
But what the hell was Giggs doing in the first half?????? He was very poor with so many unaccurate passes and lost possession loads of times..
But hey!! Roy Fletcher was always there! 3 points bagged against a top 4 side ..a reason to be very happy!
Why is Foster getting stick today? Even VDS couldn’t save Arshavin’s shot and he did keep us n the game with that brilliant reflex save. Kuszczak isn’t any better in the air or on the ground. Just my opinion.
@Pat: I actually felt sorry for your team. It’s amazing how Arsenal can self destruct at certain times. You did at OT again 2 years ago. Your midfield did overun ours(apart from Fletch), and i keep wondering what has happened to the real Michael Carrick. Nonetheless, it was a priceless win that will hopefully not cover up some mistakes that we did today.
@Corea: Thanks. It was a lucky escape today and i hope it’s the last time we will rely on luck to do our work. I feel bad for Berba. He could have buried that shot. Never mind. He will do so next time.
Costas, we didn’t implode because we still kept playing really well after that. It was an individual mistake.
Boogeyman, playing for something is considered simulation and is the same thing as diving. Back in the day you wouldn’t see players going down in those situations. Almunia’s arms were flat against the ground ffs! Apparently Rooney doesn’t lift his feet when he runs?!?!
Its still considered simulation. Please stop the bias. Not to mention he didn’t have control of the ball.
Hope we vent our frustration against City. Rosicky and Cesc will be back for that one.
in the interview when wenger was asked why foul on arshavin in first half was not a penalty and foul on rooney was a penalty,he said,”its better if u ask refree,and we all know u always get these types of decision in OT”.
I have to agree. Rooney pen was controversial. Arshavin was stone wall.
costas i know you’ll paste the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HRT-O4Acw link but ill 100% agree with you. i havent seen the seen the peno fowl but i can say it was a peno but also from what i couldsee letcher penoed the arseshaven . why did the arse get sent off . learned a new park chant today emiy will be on iot in the next day or so but darren fletcher football gemius copy and paste the link if you belibe it . now ove r to tommy t and he says …… roooooney also james is pissed also fletcher was unreal
According to the most recent FIFA Laws of the Game, simulation is defined as any action where the player “attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled.
There you go,Pat.
doesnt stop fucking eboue from diving does it….pah gooners
fergie said,”foul on arshavin was never a penalty”. Unbelievable.
I’m off to drown my sorrows. Such a downer. Only positive is if we play like this, we can challenge for the league. Maybe even get some luck and win it.
Fletch was the only good player for United today.
elblanco, Rooney dives just as much as Eboue. In fact, there is probably more video evidence of Rooney diving than Eboue.
boogeyman, but Almunia was already laid out on the ground and Rooney convenintly tripped over his arms. He wasn’t even looking at the ball, only where Almunia’s arms were.
Thats simulation. If Eduardo gets punished, so should Rooney. SImple as that. The degree of simulation does not matter. It is what it is.
Pat,where is the reply to me?
@Pat: The sefl destruct comment had to do with the fact that 1)Almunia diven in at a moment he didn’t have to and gave Rooney the chance to make the most of it and 2) Diaby put us ahead. Of course you kept going at us after that, but the game had slipped your fingers. I still can’t understand how we won that game, but i won’t dwell on it for too long.
Rooney’s was a penalty more than Eduardo’s if that makes sense, but penalties are given a bit easily nowdays. It was about the same penalty that Arsenal had at Old Trafford 3 years ago and which Kuszczak saved. I will say on final thing. Dean was being a clown in the end. Wenger didn’t murder anyone. Are refs becoming a bit big headed these days?
I think arshavin was a penalty, and was a little relieved when he scored right after
lol Sorry.Slow net connection.Read the rules.He went looking for it,maybe,but according to the rules,it’snot simulation.
Costas: Wenger kicked a water bottle onto the field, thats why he was sent off.
Hi GHTT. He definitely is a football genius! He was playing for Carrick and Giggs today. I think Dean didn’t give the penalty to Arshavin because Fletcher got the ball in the end. Don’t ask me if it’s unfair, i think it’s how referees view these things.
Breakning news.
Arsenal has offered to give Manchester United 10million pounds to sign Abou Diaby. ManUtd rejected the offer. Should have taken it. =/
Berba and Nani shouldn’t bottled their chances then we wouldn’t get this lolol peno dive og lolol!!11
ahhhhhh this game had it all, comeback, goals, yellow cards, a red card, a penalty, an own goal, wenger’s antics hahaha
True Costas. Its only 1 game. United won the league with an awful record against the top 4 so its not all gone to shit.
I just hope the lads aren’t affected by it psychologically.
Anyone else think Arsenal is going to develop a serious rep for diving?? That one by Eboue was almost as bad as Eduardo’s.
@Jessie: I know he did, but isn’t this becoming a bit ridiculous? The emotion factor has to come into play in these instances. That’s my view on it anyway. Dean might have been right by the interpration of the law, but i would like to know how he reacts when his emotions are sky high.
Anyway, it’s nothing to dwell on for too long. I just hate it when referees try to become the bosses in a game.
boogeyman, football doesn’t go by the rules of the book. You should know better. The sport is very complex. The book is there for a simple outline. Plenty is based on common knowledge and that was simulation and if Eduardo gets punished it’ll be unjust if Rooney doesn’t.
Its very simple really.
I though RVP tied it up at the end and Gallas would have had another crucial impact but it wasn’t to be.
for the love of god
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00878/01_roo_682x400_878047a.jpg
CLEARLY GRABBING ROONEY
I agree, and Wenger can rant and holler all he wants but to kick a bottle on the field? If a fan did that they would be banned for life for throwing missiles.
Arsenal, in my opinion have always been a petulant team. This cleraly comes from the manager.
Eboue has always been a diver jessie. Arsenal fans boo him when he does it, usually, and rightly so. Eduardo isn’t and I’m still in shock as to why he did. He’s a very honest player. Moment of madness from him.
I admit I didn’t know better.I’m only 15,cut me some slack
.I admitted it was simulation,but the ref goes by the book.
@ costas
“I still can’t understand how we won that game, but i won’t dwell on it for too long.”
that’s classic. after 4th title in a arrow and some victories over Chelsea, Liverpool we’ll forget this game and “they” will forget it. But unfotunately we are far away from this. But i respect Fergie for sticking with legends till the end. He is a true knight while doing these. Some would say it is stupid but i respect him for that.
And i hope you, costas, are here for many many years.
Good night.
theboogeyman Please look at my link above.Rooney’s Position of his legs showed they were together.Hard to do that on a dive
so in my opinion penalty.
Good night,Corea.
Its a bit strange Jessie. I ALWAYS see manager throw or kick a water bottle but they never get punished.
Usually, they’re punished for ranting. Ridiculous decision.
In all honesty, the referees in England are incompetent compared to european refs.
Also Jessie, talking about petulance. Rooney shouldn’t even have been playing today. He should have had a red against Burnley.
It was a penalty for me as well.I said if you play for a penalty and are fouled,it’s simulation in practice but not legally simulation.
Unbelievable that someone is claiming that the Rooney and Eduardo thing is the same…. Almunia clearly takes him down, the fact that Rooney plays for the contact doesn’tchange the fact that there is contact which takes him down in the penalty area = Penalty, plain and simple, Eduardo wasn’t touched but went down anyway, big difference. The Arshavin incident was most likely a penalty in my opinion, and the Eboue dive was despicable, worse than Eduardo’s. That being said, I can understand why Arsenal are livid over this ban thing, I mean, if the most punishment you can get for a dive on the field is a yellow card, how can it be punishable with suspension after the fact? Just idiotic IMHO. If this had been Zlatan or Ronnie diving in a CL game for Barca or the virus it would never be an issue.
Did you see Ovrebo,Pat?
One down
Also, how the hell did Rooney get MOtM today. he was shut down.
Pat you’ve got SOME nerve comming here when you know what happened when we slaughtered you at the emirates!!
Pat: As a United fan, I’m a little biased. I think Ronaldo and Rooney have both shown bad sportsmanship in several incidents the last couple of seasons. I think that whole situation with Van Nistelrooy and Keown and Lauren is permanently ingrained in my head, and even though none of those players are there anymore, their behaviour that day has permanently affected the way I think about Arsenal.
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_02/keownDM1502_468x363.jpg
Add to that Eduardo’s dive against Celtic, it just infuriated me. It’s one thing to exagerrate contact, but to COMPLETELY fake it and make it up, esp in the penalty box, just pisses me off. Rooney did it before, and I was just as bothered then. It reflects badly on the player and the team.
(on decisions by the referee i mean.)
Simulation is simulation. Playing for a pen is considered simulation. SImulation is considered cheating. Some people really are thick.
SAF, the thickest one of all, saying Fletcher foul was not a pen.
The Fletcher one doesn’t affect the game at all innit as Arshavin scored seconds later? Imagine if the peno was given and your player bottled it, how’d that make you feel?
Some people are thick, that much is true, the people comparing Eduardo’s blatant pathetic dive to Almunia’s foul on Rooney. Rooney is an experienced striker, and he put himself in a position to be fouled in the box and Rutger Hauer kindly obliged, easy decision – Penalty. I’m afraid you, Pat are the thick one.
What does that game have to do with today’s game Macheda? Grow up and get on topic. mature a bit and maybe then I’ll have a discussion with you. Jessie sounds more mature and he’s a 15 yr. old.
Jessie is a she.I’m 15.
Icelandic, you are the thick one, unfortunately. I never compared the 2. I said simulation is simulation. Its a very simple rule. All I said is that if Eduardo gets punished, so should Rooney. The degree of the infringement does not matter one bit.
Thickest bloke around today is SAF though. Fletch got all ball! haha
Hurr, RVP doesn’t miss penalties mate.
Eduardo and Rooney’s penalty decisions are totally different- but similar in one way. Both players went down EXPECTING contact. Both players went down before they were touched. The difference is Almunia brushed Rooney’s foot as he was already going down. Boruc didn’t touch Eduardo. Will the media present it as such? No, Rooney is ‘clever’, he’s ‘drawing the foul’. They’ll gloss over the fact he went down before the contact, they’ll gloss over the fact that his strong touch put the ball straight out of play. Both were very soft penalties.
The media do this all the time. They target the big name foreigners. Anyone catch Villa-Rapid Vienna the other day? Ashley Young dived shamelessly to win Villa a penalty. Will UEFA charge him? Will UEFA react? Will they fuck. Will the media pin up Young as an example, like they did with Eduardo, put him on the back pages and label him a cheat? Of course they won’t.
Thanks boogeyman, and sorry Jessie!!
Everytime we play you lot at OT, there is controversy. Okay, Ade scored with his hand, I think, but you got a dodgy 50-50 pen and then Evra swan dived for that Hargo free kick 2 seasons ago.
Its getting fucking ridiculous that every iffy decision favors United.
I agree with you Jonny- the media does single out the foreigners. Take World Cup 2006 for example: three out of four of the English players MISS their penalties (only one to score was a United player- Owen), Rooney stamped on Carvalho (did not deserve a red), yet it was RONALDO’S fault????????? Such bullshit.
And the fact that Gerrard is king of diving and no one says anything. Eduardo dives was blatant and and he really just embarrassed himself, but unless UEFA charges everyone than it’s not really fair.
Whats even more annoying is that the pen wasn’t even a goal-scoring opportunity, while Eduardo’s was. The ball went out of play as soon as Rooney touched it. It’d be a lot less debatable if he actually had a chance to score, but he had virtually no chance
Pat- no problem! The fact that I live in Canada and am a girl means none of my friends are into soccer (football)
Pat – Adebayor scored with his hand the season before last. A couple of seasons before when we beat you 2-0, Eboue saved on the line with BOTH his hands, no pen given.
The penalty wasn’t 50-50. Almunia didn’t complain – don’t you think he knows better than you?
Don’t be such a victim. Point your finger at Diaby, he won us the game, not the ref.
You, along with the other bitter Gooners, are making this victory all the sweeter.
“This is how it feels to be City, this is how it feels to be small, this is how it feels when you’re team wins nothing at all, NOTHING at all…” Ha ha.
Nice chatting with the level-headed United fans. Have a good day you lucky bastards! lol
Lots of positives to take from this match though.
UEFA won’t charge anyone except the big four English clubs. Platini detests us and is too populist to realise that charging players retrospectively for diving means that every singble refereeing decision can now be challenged, by any club in any UEFA competition. One of the fundamental rules of football you will find at any level is that the referee’s decisions are final. Well not anymore!
@Pat – So you are not comparing the two, but still think Rooney should be punished forwhat exactly? If you think the two incidents merit the same response, surely that is the same as comparing the two? Sorry mate, but you came off as a reasonable Arsenal fan (a true rarity) at first but you are starting to sound like a F***ing prick….
Scott,now you’re here,please remove Pete Burns Munich comment.
we were very lucky today.
We lacked any creativity during game, apart from giggs pass and near the end with berba and nani chances. Only because arsenal were chasing the match.
Games like this make or break a season thankfully 3 points are secured.
icelandic, I really have to get going, but simulation is simulation.
I’m against it no matter what the degree of it is. It deserves the same punishment cause it serves the same purpose, to gain an advantage somehow.
Rooney is a known diver. Don’t pretend he isn’t. He’s also adored by the refs and rarely gets yellows for saying fuck off to the refs. Not to mention that awful tackle against Burnley where he should have been sent off.
Sagna didn’t even swear (judging by camera view/ lip-reading) to the ref and got a yellow ffs.
Alright, I’m off for sure now. How the fuck are Spurs top?! What a bad day
Fletcher is key for us this season.
pat two word for you…abou diaby
fergie needs to get Fletch to beef up a bit in the gym, get the boy on steaks and guiness, Fletch will become our modern day Bryan Robson…
I love Fletcherinho. He is class, and a true, honest footballer. He’s attitude is what we all wanna see from our players. Well done, lad.
A truly underated player, someone who gets stuck in, we badly missed him in the final.