Republik Of Mancunia: A Manchester United Blog
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Advertise
  • Live
  • About
    • Privacy
  • App
  • Shop
  1. Home
  2. Live blog

LIVE BLOG: Stoke 0 - 2 United

  • September 26, 2009

Scott Patterson

Scott is the editor of RoM and has a season ticket at Old Trafford. He started The Republik of Mancunia in March 2006. Follow @R_o_M on Twitter or @R_o_M7 on Instagram.

Can’t Watch Stoke Game?
Stoke Fans, Where’s Your Famous Atmosphere?

27 Comments

ash September 26, 2009
united to win by scoring 2 goals.valencia should have scored.
  • Log in to Reply
andsolskjærhaswonit... September 26, 2009
I wonder if Valencia used his left foot even once in the match, so far, but should hav scored.

P.S Scholesy was magnificent.
  • Log in to Reply
Ed September 26, 2009
andsolskjærhaswonit...,

You're right, Scholes is the maestro today
  • Log in to Reply
vishnu September 26, 2009
how come i can't make any more comments on the live feed scott?
  • Log in to Reply
vishnu September 26, 2009
berba!!!!!
1st goal of the season!!
  • Log in to Reply
Jack September 26, 2009
vishnu...he scored v wigan
  • Log in to Reply
bettson September 26, 2009
Giggs will tear you apart again!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yTIpcwBTTs&feature=related
  • Log in to Reply
MUFC the Religion September 26, 2009
Berbs, O'shea. DONE.
  • Log in to Reply
willierednut September 26, 2009
ryan giggs supastar nuff said.
  • Log in to Reply
TonyBee September 26, 2009
Easy peasy today....Nani is getting worse....
Arise Sir Ryan........ both Giggs and Scholes are doing wonders
  • Log in to Reply
Mes September 26, 2009
GET IN WIGAN!!!
  • Log in to Reply
willierednut September 26, 2009
Top of the league, fanx wigan.
  • Log in to Reply
sanj September 26, 2009
nani is useless. where are the scholes slaggers now? he was absolutely magnificent today. giggs is a legend- he looks like he can play for another 5 years! top of the league and that's a fact!
  • Log in to Reply
Corea September 26, 2009
I wonder if Carlo will repeat Scolari's fortune.. Scolari also strated well.
  • Log in to Reply
willierednut September 26, 2009
We are struggling this season, were only top on goal difference lol.
  • Log in to Reply
Corea September 26, 2009
Nani played well i think. Scholes marvelous, Giggs player of the game.
  • Log in to Reply
Sketch September 26, 2009
Nani is a very good player. He just needs to work on his decision making. Foster had a good game. Scholes controlled the midfield . His pass to Giggs before he was substituted was amazing. Giggs should of scored. Other than that he was excellent too. Getting 2 assists after coming off the bench. Wow.
The Champions are back where they belong!
  • Log in to Reply
Costas September 26, 2009
Seriously, how old is Giggsy? Maybe he was born in 83 and he has been lying to us this whole time,lol?
  • Log in to Reply
Datnana September 26, 2009
Oh fletcher! So tactically disciplined. Keep it up. Please leave nani alone. He'll come better. Our best ever start in 10 years i suppose.united all the way.
  • Log in to Reply
andsolskjærhaswonit... September 26, 2009
Giggsy now has 7 assists n a goal in the last 4 premier league games. Respect.
  • Log in to Reply
denton davey September 26, 2009
Scholes might have controlled the midfield BUT he was never really pressed for time/space - it was his sort of game 'cos Stoke gave him plenty of time on the ball which was tantamount to asking for trouble. BUT it was not Scholes but Fletcherinho who created the goal - his ball to Giggs was inch-perfect and gave Giggs the time/space to do what he did.

Once again, Valencia and Berbatov were passengers; Nani, at least, worked at it but was wasteful. He should have run directly at Huth after the big guy got the yellow card because he is awkward and slow on the turn. Rooney was damned-near invisible as the in effective long-ball/high-ball tactics marginalized him. So, a very odd game because UTD's front four were pretty much off the pace yet UTD completely controlled the game. For that, credit has to go to Scholes/Fletcher and Evra who provided most of the thrust for TheLads.

Foster had just about nothing to do and did it OK - I did notice that he is reluctant to come out of goal when the ball is played behind the defenders which is why they have much more to do (with their backs to the opposition) when he is in goal. He needs to become more "commanding" - he does next-to-nothing in organizing his defence.

My only other point about the game is that I was screaming for SAF to take Scholes off as soon as the first goal went in. He was lucky to escape a second yellow for his hand ball adventure a few minutes later.
  • Log in to Reply
fooart9 September 26, 2009
denton davey...
i glad you r not ferguson...half of the team will be sold by january if you are..

stop slating our player...pls sometime can u look at the glass half full instead of half empty...
we play at brittania...it always hard to get 3 point there...we got two goal today...its great...
but realistically speaking...nani and valencia not having a good game against stoke..they need to try harder...and i would love to see nani and valencia switch position more often
  • Log in to Reply
denton davey September 26, 2009
Fooart - I'm not being unduly critical of the players; just giving my opinion from my vantage point (on the couch, in front of the telly). Our expectations of UTD are that they will be a trophy-team, that means TheLads have a certain standard-of-performance to meet. What's the matter with telling it like it is - when player A or player B has a less than half-full glass ?

And, I would object to your point about selling half the players by January, since I doubt SAF would sell anyone during the season but, realistically, IF Berbatov and Carrick don't raise the level of their performances then you'll see them get less and less playing time and then - after the season - be considered for replacement.

No player at UTD is guaranteed anything except their weekly pay cheque - and that won't continue for long if he doesn't produce results. This kind of "payment by results" management has been a hallmark of SAF's reign; once he figures he's seen a guy's best-by date then that guy is as good as gone. He's absolutely ruthless when it comes to cutting-and-running. And he should be - these guys are paid vast sums of money to produce; they're not his children, they're his assistants and if they can't do the job then he'll find someone else who can.

So, don't be too romantic about "our players" - these guys play in "our shirt" but if there's more money elsewhere then they're likely to be out the door just like Carlitos. When push-comes-to-shove, fans put "our shirt" first but very, very few players have the team/club-loyalty of someone like Paul Scholes who doesn't even have an agent. Even the great Keane-o (and Sir Davey Becks and Rio, too) hardballed UTD in negotiations. It's a business to them, too, and their shelf lives are short.

I don't disagree with your last paragraph about Nani/Valencia switching positions but that's probably not in the team's strategic plan and they don't devise team strategy. Both of them are not playing up to their potential - neither glass is half-full but I do think that they both have a lot more to offer. SAF will persist with them for a while but not forever. Saying that, I'm not "slating our players" just looking at the situation with clear glasses - as opposed to rosy-tinted ones.

But I do disagree with your opinion that the Brittania stadium is a hard place to visit. Stoke hardly ventured across the half-way line; they defended-in-depth and packed the box with ten men. Their game-plan was to hope to squeeze a point. IF Valencia had scored in the 8th or 9th minute then they would have still stuck to PlanA; Pulis had no PlanB. This is the same "strategy" that Bolton, Blackburn, and most of the other non-contenders employ whenever they face a Top4 team away and at home. Stoke do it better than most but it is misguided to say that they are "hard to play against" - they might be "difficult to score against" but they really don't try to play at all.
  • Log in to Reply
fooart9 September 26, 2009
denton davey...

well said mate...
the carrick part...with inclusion of ljajic and emergence of gibson...and petrucci continue developing i do fear that carrick time in utd shirt is almost nearing the end...unless he show the form in his first season...

got to agree about berbatov though...man utd really playing well when berbatov play...yeah he not going to be nistelroy but he was not having a bad game at all this season...just unlucky not score a few easy chance...
  • Log in to Reply
fooart9 September 26, 2009
got to disagree about berbatov though...actually
  • Log in to Reply
King Eric September 27, 2009
denton - Good evening mate. I think you are being too harsh on Valencia. He has only played a handful of games so far and needs time to fully settle in to the United way and express himself. I don't think he should be judged till he has played a full season which is what we said we would allow Berba. So far in his second season I have to say I have seen a marked improvement. Having said that I actually thought he had a "reasonably good" first season.



Stoke have a very good home record at the Britannia and don't think they have been beat there for some months.
  • Log in to Reply
asite September 27, 2009
manchester united is just so great.
  • Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Log in with your Facebook or Twitter account:
Facebook Google Twitter
As featured on NewsNow: Manchester United newsMan Utd News 24/7

Categories

Recommended Sites

  • Football Blog
  • Football Today
  • Kissed The Badge
  • Man Utd News
  • Manchester United t-shirts
  • Old Trafford Faithful
  • Red Matters
  • Soccer Index
  • Soccer News
  • Sports Today
  • The Faithful MUFC




Related Posts

RoM’s Manchester United 2017-18 season preview

  • July 21, 2017

Weghorst: I’m proud and happy to be here

  • March 18, 2023

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: Real Betis vs United

  • March 16, 2023

Ten Hag’s training regime giving Manchester United a new edge

  • March 16, 2023

RoM’s Manchester United 2016-17 season preview

  • July 29, 2016

Ten Hag: Pellistri played with belief

  • March 16, 2023

Ten Hag: Injuries provide opportunities for other players

  • March 16, 2023

Remembering the Last Time Manchester United Won The Premier League 

  • March 13, 2023

TRANSCRIPT: Ten Hag’s Fulham press conference in full – Martial’s future, Rashford’s goal and Pereira leaving

  • March 18, 2023

Maguire: I want to start more games

  • March 16, 2023

Martinez: I feel at home here

  • March 16, 2023
×Close