United Till I Die, No Lie

Liverpool 2 - 1 United

2012-01-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

De Gea

Rafael Smalling Evans Evra

Valencia Carrick Scholes(Chicharito) Park Giggs(Berbatov)

Welbeck

Centre of Attention. His error ultimately cost us the game.

A late goal by Kuyt knocked us out of the FA Cup. Had we scored such a goal, that late, the scousers would probably be blabbering about how lucky we are.....buuuut I ain't complaining. We could have easily won but two errors cost us the game and that's the harsh truth of today's tie. De Gea was as confident as a bullied child facing his aggressors while Evra went to sleep and let Kuyt get the winner. Park scored a very good goal during a first half which we dominated but then we looked tired during the final 20 minutes of the game and I guess Liverpool were simply better than us during that period.

I'm not sure whether anyone will agree with me but I feel that as soon as Scholes was subbed off, we lost control of the game. Depending so much on a player on the wrong side of the 30's isn't good news but anyway we had quite a few players out injured and I guess we did quite well in Liverpool's backyard. Kenny is doing a Rafa Benitez i.e. turning Liverpool into a cup team. They did well in the Carling Cup and they're through to the 5th round of the FA Cup. I still don't think they're as good as they think they are. I know it's no use crying over spilt milk but had there been the likes of Roo, Jones and Nani, I'm pretty confident we would be looking at a different scoreline. They'd probably argue that had there been Suarez, they would have scored more. Fair point but I'd laugh it off.

Overall, I'm not displeased about the performance. I thought our defence did well. Smalling and Evans were solid and Rafael was immense. Man of the match in my opinion. Scholes and Carrick carried proceedings in the midfield area while Valencia was his usual self. Giggsy was as calm as ever with the ball while Welbeck had a hell of a tough time up front. He worked hard though. The biggest surprise of the game was produced by Chicharito though. 15 minutes on the pitch and he didn't manage an offside. Well done lad!

And now in the words of every Liverpool supporter, who are probably celebrating by preparing a fine dish of pasta with rat sauce, as far as the Fa cup is concerned "next year will be our year." Meanwhile I'll be at Old Trafford to witness our revenge on the scousers on the 11th February. I'm off. Study Time.

Arsenal 1 - 2 United

2012-01-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Jones(Rafael(Park)) Smalling Evans Evra

Valencia Carrick Giggs Nani(Scholes)

Rooney Welbeck

Welbeck Scored The Winner

It was a deserved victory against a team vying for revenge. Arsenal were nowhere near us during the first half but they did produce a handful of decent chances during the second. In fact, Van Persie could have easily had a couple of goals to his name. In the end, a good header by Valencia and an emphatic finish by Welbeck decided the issue.

United were head and shoulders better than Arsenal during the first half. However, the final ball was pathetic at best on most occasions. Nani was magnificent running rings around Djorou(I'm not sure how you spell his name!), in fact he got the Frenchman subbed off during half time, but his final ball was feeble. Had he been more effective, Arsenal would have never got themselves back in the game during the second half and I would have watched the game at ease without having my heart skip a few beats every now and then.

Very Good Performance By Eva

Our defence did very well today. Evra was my man of the match. Apparently he was SKY's too. He barely put a foot wrong. Maybe there's time for him to win me over again! Smalling and Evans were solid. It's a pity though that Evans' reputation of being an error prone defender often makes most of us overlook his contribution. He headed away most dangers today. I also thought Rafael played his part well so I guess him getting subbed off was just to put an attack minded player on. Fergie was proven right as the winning goal was the product of a fine build up by Valenca and Park. The difference between our manager and Arsenal's was evident today. Fergie did something that won us the game while Arsene killed off his team's chances by withdrawing Chamberlain (I finally saw what the hype was all about, excellent prospect.) just when they had the momentum. Awful decision that but I won't complain.

Another Impressive Performance By Valencia

The midfield battle was won by our side. Arsenal's didn't hold a candle to ours and that's the reason why our team emerged victorious. Giggs rolled down the years with a fine assist and some decent runs while Carrick distributed the ball majestically. Valencia dragged his recent form into this game and at the front Rooney was a bit off beat but worked hard while Welbeck ran his socks off, scored and maybe could have had another goal or two to his name.

Over and above all it was a good game. It's a shame that Ledley King couldn't keep his leg out of that tackle that won City the game. Football is a funny old game, we're just 3 points behind and I guess we're doing quite well to put pressure on City. Liverpool next. Honestly, given the difficult upcoming games, I'd sacrifice this game for the Premier League. Our players are getting injured too easily and we cannot afford to lose another one! We'll wait and see what happens, until that game I've got two exams to sit for so I'm off to study!

"Happy 91st Opa, We Only Lost By The Odd Goal Of Three"

United 3 - 0 Bolton

2012-01-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Rafael Evans Rio Evra

Valencia Carrick Scholes(Giggs) Nani(Park)

Rooney Welbeck(Chicharito)

He Scored Goals Galore

Although we only scored the killer second goal late in the game, I thought the three points today were never in question. United were much better than Bolton. The latter defended really well and had their goalie perform a couple of miracle saves. It was a frustrating first half, Rooney missed another penalty, although there wasn't anything wrong with the shot itself, while we made far too many wrong decision in the final quarter. However, at the end of the day it was a good day at the office scoring three and keeping a cleansheet.

Welbeck and Carrick scored two good goals but the goal of the match, although not in terms of beauty, was Scholes'. 7 odd months ago, when I saw Scholes leave the Old Trafford pitch for the 'last time', I never expected to see him in the red shirt again, let alone score. His goal was what ultimately won us the game. Bolton had been resolute in their defence and, knowing from my playing experience, going down to a goal just before half time just kills you. So I have to take back what I said last week that Scholes doesn't have enough left in him to help us. He helped us today with his goal, even though his long range passes are a far cry from what they used to be. There's room for improvement...I can't believe I'm writing this about a 37 year old Paul Scholes.

My man of the match

My man of the match was Valencia. He was terrific today. That's what we missed vs Blackburn when Fergie was forced to play Tony at right back. He doesn't do much wrong at right back but the opportunity cost is huge...and the result showed. I can't really pick up anyone who didn't do well today although I was quite pissed off with Nani's efficiency. He's such a skillful player and he can do much much better than that! Evans and Rio were solid and young Rafa did a pretty good job at right back. When I dislike someone, I don't appreciate his work even if he does something right and that is what's happening with Evra. I just don't like him and his blabbering mouth anymore and I'm not sure how he played today. Carrick was good once again and scored a great goal. At the front Rooney and Welbeck worked really hard but it clearly wasn't Roo's day.

Good win. A very tough hurdle awaits next Sunday at the Emirates, let's hope for a win.

City 2 - 3 United

2012-01-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Smalling Jones Rio Evra

Valencia Carrick Giggs Nani(Scholes)

Rooney Welbeck(Anderson)

Loved Rooney's Celebration Today and what a Goal he scored!

We never do it the easy way! Two sublime goals which sandwiched a reckless challenge by Kompany, paved way to today's victory. Rooney's header and Welbeck's finish were great goals. Rooney then scored the third and that's when I thought the game was over. I was very wrong. City fought back with character and made the game interesting for any neutrals watching and managed to shave a couple of years off my life. How I wish this was a Premier League game.

We should have never let City get back in the game. Their first goal was excellent but the second was the result of a bit of a gaffe by our keeper. We destroyed them during the first half but complacency obviously played a huge part in the second period. 3-2 wins are sweet but not if you had been 3 nil in front with a one man advantage.

Sublime Volley By Danny

Enough with the mumbling and grumbling, looking at the first half performance, we played the way United should play. Valencia ran rings around Kolarov while Giggsy and Carrick controlled the midfield. I dare say that City are weak without their formidable Yaya Toure and even weaker without Kompany. I'm now looking forward to see how City will deal with the loss of Kompany on suspension added to the loss of their African players and the couple of injuries they have finally sustained. Knowing City, they'll probably buy their way out of this situation by splashing the cash on a January acquisition.

Our defence had a couple of shaky moments, especially Jones who seems to have gone off the boil. Smalling had a good game and Rio was so and so. The best thing Rio did was give Evra a deserved telling off. I just can't figure out why Evra is our captain. Anyway, at the other end of the field we had two strikers who worked their socks off and therefore I'm pretty pleased with their input.

Now, I will obviously say something about Scholesy. I loved him as a player and I like him as a person who always had Manchester United at heart. But I'm not too keen on the idea of him returning. His decrease in form during the past couple of seasons was almost tangible so I'm not sure whether he's able to help us. This move is a desperate one. It suggests either that Fergie believes so much in young Cleverley that he thinks it's not worth making a permanent move for a player or that we're skint. I'd like to think that the reason is the former. Although the odd sight of Scholes sporing the number 22 did put a bit of a smile on my face, I don't think it is a good move. I'd love to be proven wrong but I don't think Scholes has enough in him to change the outcome of our season. We'll wait and see.

After reading the comments posted by the anti-United brigade on facebook, I cannot help but feel annoyed. Remarks such as "the ref is red", "penalties, red cards - why always in favour of United?" etc etc, make me feel like punching through bricks. The red card was a double footed challenge, nowadays that's a no-no. If Nani didn't jump, he could have had a foot broken. The penalty was as plain as day. BUT the foul which lead to City's first goal should have never been a freekick to City. Richards fouled Evra, so City get the freekick. Very logical indeed. Valencia was fouled midway through the second-half in the box but the Ref waved play on. I might have red tinted glasses but I'd change the specs these idiots(anti-united) wear before they're run over by a bus. Although, if I'm honest, I like the idea of it.

Roy Keane, who has been a right pain in the ass lately, summed up today perfectly with this sentence: "You can give City all the credit you like, but they're out of the cup."

Finally something sensible came out of our former captain's mouth. Bolton next.

Newcastle 3 - 0 United

2012-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Valencia Rio Jones Evra

Nani Carrick Park(Chicharito) Giggs

Rooney(Anderson) Berbatov(Welbeck)

Word-Class Goal by BA

So the start to 2012 turned out to be identical to the ending of 2011. 1-0 at half time, 2-0 just after the break and then a killer goal just before the final whistle. Last week we had the character to come back from 2 down but today we were totally outmuscled. Newcastle have got themselves two great players in Ba and Tiote. They might turn out to be one season wonders but their play today impressed me. On the other hand, we looked weak, tired and even disinterested at times. Maybe the "scary" flight our players endured yesterday had taken its toll. Anyhow, nothing can hide the fact that our players failed to turn up today. Our most influential players were as silent as the grave.

Lindegaard didn't stand a chance in any of the goals. The first two were sublime strikes while the third one was a mishit by the usually irrepressible Jones. You know there's something wrong when Jones has a bad day. I'm not sure whether our players should be criticized for failing to put Newcastle under any real pressure or whether Newcastle's players should be praised for their perfect performance. Our central midfielders were simply brushed aside. We only had two decent shots, one was cleared off the line and the other hit the post. That pretty much summed up our night.

An inform Berba could do little vs their strong defence

I'm pretty calm after this match and I was quite relaxed throughout it. Reason? I expected a tough game today. I would have put a tenner, a month ago, on us beating Blackburn comfortably and then dropping points today. The three points we lost on Saturday should have been won because we could - SHOULD - have played better against a team as mediocre as Blackburn. Meanwhile we all know that Newcastle are a tough nut to crack at St James Park, sorry, I mean The Sports something Arena. I believe in Fergie and rarely question his judgment but maybe we really do need to make some sort of acquisition during this transfer window. I know, I know, I was full of praise last week after the demolition of Wigan and Fulham, but losing vs Blackburn and losing today without putting in a fight has worried me. Man Utd never succumb without a real fight.

City next. Winning vs City after back to back defeats would be sweet, losing our 3rd game in a row is almost unheard of. I cannot remember when such a thing happened but judging by the last two matches, a 3rd loss in a row is now highly possible. We'll never die.

United 2 - 3 Blackburn

2011-12-31T07:50:00.000-08:00

de Gea

Rafael(Keane) Carrick Jones Evra

Valencia Park Nani Welbeck

Berbatov Hernandez(Anderson)

United have been scoring goals for fun lately so if I'm honest I'd have to admit that I expected a big win today. When I looked at the starting line-up, although I was disappointed Rooney wasn't in the squad, I didn't see any reasons why we shouldn't come out of this fixture with the three points. We started brightly but a needless penalty by Berbatov after a needless foul by Evra, made life difficult for ourselves. Blackburn parked a 9 man bus in their area and anything that we put their way, was either saved or blocked easily. Life was made even harder when Yakubu scored another goal and I thought that was it.

We played very well for 15 minutes and Berbatov managed to bring us level with two fine goals which, in some way, made up for his poor defending that lead to the penalty. I've got that feeling that if Blackburn didn't get that early goal, we wouldn't have lost today. But anyway, I'm not blaming Berbatov for today's loss, definitely not, but I've got to put some degree of fault on our goalie. I have always defended de Gea, even when he committed stupid mistakes, but you just cannot defend his goalkeeping in the action that lead to the 3rd goal. What on earth was he thinking? I expect a high quality goalie to be confident enough to punch or clutch the ball in that area. Poor goalkeeping. Lindegaard has showed great promise in the games he played and I think he should be picked for the forthcoming games. If anything it should teach de Gea a lesson; you don't perform, we've got a very good goalie on the bench waiting to get his chance. I must also stress out my increasing dislike towards Evra. He's not performing and today he put one wayward pass after the other, one of which eventually resulted in the penalty.

Unfortunate Berba had his Brace Forgotten

Nani worked very hard but his contribution yielded very little while Valencia was probably our best player on the pitch. Our central midfielders were inexistent simply because they are not central midfielders. At one point we had Rafael as a central midfielder. Bloody hell. The introduction of a half fit Anderson showed what difference a proper midfielder does to our side. Berbatov scored two while Welbeck showed glimpses of potential and Chichartio did nothing. The defence was terrible today. Jones and Carrick were given a very hard time by Yakubu and the goalie, well, he could have saved 2 of the 3 goals.

Now I NEVER, or let's say rarely, doubt Fergie but his decision to leave Rooney out of the squad backfired spectacularly. He did so to preserve Roo's fitness so we have a better chance of beating Newcastle and City in the upcoming games but in doing so he sacrificed three points that should have been won easily. Rooney is the fulcrum of our side. Even the constant rotation of the goalies might be doing some harm. Blackburn only had 3 shots on target and they scored every shot, so they were anything but brilliant. Resolute, yes, but definitely not brilliant.

We've covered so much ground to get to where we are and then we throw away 3 points just like that. That was very disappointing and although the mounting injury problems have cornered Fergie, I believe that he has to take a bit of the blame for today's loss. Obviously this is just my opinion. I still believe he's the best manager to have walked the face of earth and nothing will make me change my mind! A home loss to a side anchored at the bottom of the table is hard to take but we'll never die and we'll come back stronger vs Newcastle.

Oh, and I hope you have a happy new year, if you're a United fan may it be as red as possible and if you're not I pray that you see the light.

United 5 - 0 Wigan

2011-12-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Valencia Carrick Evans(Fryers) Evra

Nani(Rooney) Gibson Giggs(Macheda) Park

Chicharito Berbatov

United scored another 5 nil win to make up for that dreaded Oct-Nov period. Our goal difference has suddenly surged by 15 goals in four games. Park started the rout, Berbatov got an excellent hat-trick and Valencia capped a good performance with a powerful strike. Outstanding stuff.

Sammon, or whatever he's called, was unjustly sent off

I try to be as forthright as possible when writing these posts so I've got to admit that Wigan should have never been reduced to 10 men. Then again, Phil Dowd should have given us another two penalties so things must have evened themselves out throughout the game, kind of. Anyway, I don't think we would have dropped any points today had Wigan played with eleven men. Maybe the scoreline would have been a tad different but the 3 points would have stayed at OT. We were in total control when they had 11 players.

I'm pleased with all our players albeit I expected better from Gibson and to some extent Chicharito. The former failed to stamp his authority against an average side lying in the bottom three and who were only made to look good, recently, by Liverpool and Chelsea. Gibbo didn't do too much wrong but he didn't do an awful lot right either and that's why I wasn't too impressed. Must try harder. At the back all players did well, especially Carrick who looked so composed even though that is not his natural position. Valencia was another player who stood out today.

Man of The Match Performance by Berba

I'm dedicating the penultimate paragraph to the unforeseen resurgence of Berbatov. Some of this blog's readers must be over the moon. He scored two excellent goals and then slotted home one of the most casual looking penalties I've ever seen. It was such a pleasant sight to see him smiling again after a strained start to the season. With Roo and Welbeck in scoring form, it's always great to have another player join them. All Fergie needs is to have Chicharito find his scoring touch as well. It's been a month since he scored that fortuitous goal vs Newcastle.

Chelsea and Liverpool dropped points so, while the latter were never in the title race, the former have virtually dropped out of the reckoning for the title. The battle is between us and City who dropped two precious points away to Albion. We are now joint leaders of the Premier League after putting FIVE past a premier league side while having TEN players missing. Who said Fergie has lost his touch of genius? Bring on Blackburn.

Fulham 0 - 5 United

2011-12-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Jones(Young)(Park) Smalling Evans Evra

Valencia Carrick Giggs Nani

Welbeck(Berbatov) Rooney

Excellent Team Display

We asked for the three points and our players gave us an excellent performance to feast our eyes upon and 5 goals. Our most influential players looked like they were getting back in form during matches vs Newcastle and Villa. The Basel game questioned that but the games that followed proofed that the likes of Nani and Valecia, amongst others, are finally back in shape. The wing show that we witnessed today was truly amazing with Nani scoring and providing two assists while Valencia created countless of opportunities. Welbeck scored an early goal, which was a reward for the performance that followed, Giggsy kept his goal every Premier League season record, Rooney scored a belter while Berbatov got in on the act with a finish that oozed class. Couldn't have asked for more!

Our Danny Started the Rout

We were excellent during the first half. Fulham were put to the sword and there was no way back into the game for the Londoners. It was a matter of how many goals United were going to score. However, our players were a tad complacent after the half time break and Lindegaard showed his worth with some fine saves. We only got out of our second gear late into the game when Roo scored that beauty and Berba completed the icing on the christmas cake.

Every player put in a minimum of a 7 out of 10 performance. Carrick and Giggsy controlled the midfield imperiously. Giggs was probably my man of the match today. Smalling and Evans at the back looked solid as well while our strikers did what strikers are paid to do. I ain't complaining about no one :)

Berba's 50th United Goal Oozed Class

The negatives that came out of this game were obviously the injuries to Jones and Young. With the latter struggling to find his feet, this injury will stop his progress towards regaining his form. We all know Young could do better than what he's been doing during the past couple of months. Joners should be OK by boxing day.

This is the United I grew to love. Destroying football teams with excellent and exciting football. This is the football I missed during that barren(goal wise) spell we had from October till late November. Let's hope this form is here to stay! Although at the end of the day scoring 1, 3 or 8 goals will still yield the same amount of points, we watch United not just because we love this club but also because we love to be entertained by our excellent footballers nurtured by the great Sir Alex. More of the same please! Wigan next on boxing day, until then

HAVE A HAPPY CHRISTMAS

QPR 0 - 2 United

2011-12-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

DeGea

Smalling Rio Evans Evra

Valencia Carrick Jones Nani(Young)

Welbeck(Chicharito) Rooney(Giggs)

Roo. Scored and Delivered Exquisite Passes

After last weekend's good performance, our boys kept the momentum with a fine win and an excellent performance. Most players didn't put a foot wrong with Nani, Rooney, Valencia, Carrick and Jones excelling in their respective position. Rooney scored inside the first minute and Carrick scored a goal of a player brimming with confidence.

Rooney scored a fine header but Carrick's goal, his first in nearly 2 years, was the pick of the goals. He stole the ball, dribbled past a couple of defenders and placed the ball behind the excellent QPR keeper. Carrick's return to form has been a huge boost to our team and Cleverley's imminent return should never put our number 16 out of the side. The Carrick-Jones combination looks like its working wonders and young Cleverley will find it extremely difficult to get back in this side. Just what Fergie must've wanted!

Another excellent performance by Carrick

Our defence had a good game as well, the only time it was troubled was on the 75th minute when DJ Campbell missed a sitter. Rio and Evans dealt with everything that came their way while Smalling and Evra, especially the former, bombarded up field with very good overlaps. Valencia looks like he has regained that form that humiliated Ashley Cole last year while Nani on the left was his usual self. Very good display from our wingers yet again. Rooney was great but our other striker was a tad too quiet. I expect more from Welbeck, he's such a talented young player!

This win put us on top of the table for a few hours but City managed to beat Arsenal and they regained that position. However, that momentary shift in position shows us how close we are to City who have been praised on countless of occasions. We've been criticized continuously but we're still within touching distance of our neighbors. Fergie said he wants top spot by the end of the year...that would be a perfect christmas present! Fulham next. It's never an easy game at Craven Cottage so COME ON UNITED!

United 4 - 1 Wolves

2011-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

De Gea

Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra(Fryers)

Valencia, Carrick, Jones, Nani(Young)

Rooney, Welbeck(Macheda)

Excellent Performance by Nani

Finally! We've scored more than one goal in the premier league! Rooney and Nani got a brace each. It was so good to see Nani back in form, terrorizing Wolves' defenders and scoring in the process. Definitely my man of the match, followed closely by Jones. The last time United scored more than once in the PL was back in October(1st Oct) when we defeated Norwich 2-0. Since then we've gone on a run of 7 league games scoring just one goal in each game but accumulating a total of 14 points from a possible 21. Not that bad, in my opinion.

When our midfielders put in a good performance, we can destroy most Premier League sides and that is what happened today. Jones and Carrick in midfield were excellent and on the flanks Nani and Valencia had possibly their best performance of the season. I must not get carried away, we only defeated Wolves, but we've been struggling to beat average sides lately and this win is a massive boost for our players as well as the fans. I felt relaxed during the game, possibly the first time in about 2 months! Even the Carling Cup quarter final managed to make my heart skip a few beats!

Roo's Second Was A Beauty

We did let Wolves get into the game early on in the second half but that only lasted for ten minutes. Rooney scored the best goal of the game with a fine volley and that spelled game over for Wolves. We were quite comfortable throughout and deserved every goal we scored and, dare I say, more. Every player did his job superbly with the exception of young Smalling who, at times, couldn't keep up with the excellent Jarvis.

Anyway, we're now only 2 points away from our neighbors. If Chelsea show up on Monday, they could do us a huge huge favor. All the 'big' teams won today so the pressure is now on both teams playing this Monday. Let's hope the Londoners and their ladyboy emerge victorious! Come On United!

Basel 2 - 1 United

2011-12-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

De Gea,

Smalling, Vidic(Evans), Ferdinand, Evra,

Nani, Park(Macheda), Jones, Giggs, Young(Welbeck)

Rooney

Frustrating Night in Basel

For all those who checked my blog after the game, didn't see any posts, and thought I might have committed suicide, then you were wrong. To all those who thought that I only post updates to my blog during easy times, then you were wrong too. I had a birthday party and headed straight to a restaurant after the game. I have just arrived home and, as I logged on to Facebook, I was welcomed by a couple of Arsenal, Liverpool and Italian fans celebrating our apparent demise. So let me set this clear, Arsenal will be wiped out of the CL and will extend their trophyless run by another year, Liverpool aren't even in Europe and I don't even check their Premier League results anymore and neither of the Italian teams will win the Champions League. Harsh reality but that's the truth, so put your party hats back in the closet.

I Expect More From Roo

What about United? We weren't good enough today, we weren't good enough from day one of the Champions League. Am I glad we're out? Of course not! We could do with some cash from Champions League matches but I've got to be honest, we are miles away from the level set by Barca and Real. Harsh truth but I accept it. I'm more than sure we'll be better next year but we've got half a season to look forward to before setting our sights on next year. Liverpool are the ones who start blabbering about the following year as early as December. We've got the Premier League, the Fa Cup and now the Europa League to look forward to. But if I ask myself whether I'm absolutely gutted United are out, I'd say NO. Reasons? I'm not too sure but such a loss might indicate to Fergie that he needs to buy a player who could make a difference, because let's face it, we DO NEED some kind of playmaker in midfield. Mind you, we've got one, but he seems to be made of glass.

Ouch! Vidic Will Be Out Of Action For Quite Some Time

What went wrong? I don't know. Our best available XI started today and I thought we had a fair shot at passing through to the next round. What hurts mosts is that we were defeated by an average team because our stars performed on the verge of average. Some of our players are vividly out of form and we cannot afford to have such a big number of players playing below par. Rooney should have put us in the second round but failed to score with an open goal at his mercy. If Carrick had done that, most of you would be calling for his head. With a weekly wage of €250,000, I expect more from our Roo. Nani was the only player who looked willing to spare our blushes. He put in a couple of decent crosses and tried to take on the Basel fullback. What worries me is that we failed to seriously threaten Basel throughout the game. The engine room of any football team is the midfield and when looking at today's midfield players I cannot help but feel that they're too uninspiring at the moment. Young is playing astonishingly dreadful, Giggsy is a year too old, Park runs around like a headless chicken, Nani blows hot and cold and the great Phil Jones is just a makeshift midfielder. We need someone to make things work, on the other hand I hope there won't be any panic buys in January.

I'll Keep My Faith In Our Boys

This season could still be a good one yet it could turn out to be one of the shittiest seasons we've had in quite some time. Do I care? Of course I do, I love Manchester United and want the name of this great club to be on top but having a shit season won't stop me from watching United week in and week out. Those who are disgusted with our team can just find another one to follow. We don't need shit fans. I'll be supporting the reds in their quest to win the Europa League. It might be a Mickey mouse trophy, but a trophy is a trophy and I hope our boys will make the most out of this experience without jeopardizing their PL campaign. Better get used to Thursday night football... I could do with a second hand europa league manual from a scouser. United till I die.

Huge marketing strategies attracted shit fans like the above. We could do without such idiots.

Aston Villa 0 - 1 United

2011-12-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Smalling Vida Rio(Giggs) Evra

Nani Carrick Jones Young(Welbeck)

Chicharito(Valencia) Rooney

A superb goal by Jones proved to be the winner as United emerged victorious by a single goal. United's play was quite good during the first half and it's a shame we couldn't translate our vivid grip hold of the game into chances and goals.

The biggest negative out of the game was Chicharito's ankle twist. He'll be out of action for more than a month. Ferdinand was withdrawn deep into the second half and I just hope it was just a precautionary substitution. With Rio back in shape and Vida in top form, we look rock solid at the back once again. We only conceded 1 goal(a penalty) in the last 4 premier league games! Each of our defenders put in a 7/8 out of 10 performance today, with Smalling being my man of the match. Another performance worth crediting is Lindegaard's. He looked assured in goal and I can say that we've got two very good goalies at our club.

Our title challengers all banged in the goals today while we won by the solitary goal. I don't really mind winning such games without really punishing our opponents. As I stated time and time again, a 1-0 win is equivalent to a 5-0 win in terms of points. However, I'd love to see the United we saw earlier this season again. We used to criticize Mourinho's Chelsea 4 years ago for failing to entertain with goals but it seems we're doing the same thing. Anyway, if all these 1-0 wins will eventually help us retain the title, then I won't complain! Massive week ahead.

United 1 - 2 Crystal Palace

2011-11-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

Amos,

Rafael(Pogba) Evans Smalling Fabio(Fryers)

Valencia, Gibson Park Diouf

Macheda, Berba(Morrison)

I never thought United would bow out today

Ah well, we're out of the Carling Cup. Fergie fielded a team that should have had more than enough in its locker room to beat a championship side. However, the players failed to perform once again. Palace's first goal was sublime, Macheda scored a penalty and Palace scored once again in extra time. The Londoners were excellent when defending and their sheer determination to hang on to their lead in extra time was exemplary. Our players had another stinker with Gibson(apparently, I'm the only one who thinks Gibbo did well tonight!) being one of our only players playing well(the others being Smalling and Valencia).

This was a second string side but it wasn't a weak side. Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Fabio, Valencia, Park and Berbatov are all first teamers. We should have strolled past this championship club. Morrison and Pogba failed to live up to the expectations while most of the other players failed to show that they are first team material. Diouf is not Man Utd standard and I highly doubt whether Macheda is. The latter is still quite young but the former won't make it at OT and you can print that.

With this loss we gave Liverpool and City a bigger chance to win a trophy. One of the two sides will win it, surely neither of the championship sides left can stun a big gun again. We'll have to do much better in the Premier League if we intend to win it and that, including the FA Cup, are our real chance of silverware this season. The standard set by Real Madrid and Barca in the Champions League is beyond us. The last time we bowed out of the Carling Cup at Old Trafford was 4 years ago vs another championship side (Coventry). Since then the side learned a lesson and won the cup twice. Lets hope this defeat serves our players a lesson while we bear the smirk on most anti United people wishing this is the first step towards our downfall. The Carling Cup is the least important of the four competitions we're in but it's an important competition nonetheless. No excuses, we just failed to perform for the umpteenth time this season. We never die, we'll come back stronger.

United 1 - 1 Newcastle

2011-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

De Gea

Fabio(Smalling) Vidic Rio Evra(Macheda)

Nani Carrick Giggs Young

Chicharito Rooney

An Appalling Refereeing Decision Cost Us 2 Points

After a frustratingly abysmal first half, United upped the tempo and played much better during the second. However, the second period turned out to be equally as frustrating. Chicharito got his customary lucky goal and that's when I thought that luck was on our side. But in comes the spastic linesman, who must have gotten bored because Newcastle barely set foot in our territory during the second 45 minutes, and awarded Newcastle a penalty while I was still applauding Rio for an excellent tackle. 76,000 people thought it was a great sliding challenge from Rio, heck even Ben Arfa didn't look like he was asking for a penalty, but the linesman saw something which the world failed to see. Well done for fucking our day Mr Linesman.

To add insult to injury everything that we sent towards Newcastle's goal was superbly saved by their keeper and then the post got in on the act and denied Ashley Young (who was poor today) a goal. Chicharito late on in the game had a good header cleared off the line by former red Simpson and the evening got even more pathetic as Chicharito scored what I thought was the winner...which was flagged offside. I'm not sure on that decision either.

Evra did well against former red who was willing to impress

I believe in every single player we've got. If Fergie thinks they're good, then they are. We've seen Michael Carrick's situation. Our own fans keep getting on his back but Fergie keeps believing in him and he has been our best player in the last 3 games. However when players are due some criticism, then I'm willing to do that. Young, Chicharito and Nani were very poor today. I lost count of the amount of misplaced passes by the trio. Chicharito is very very good inside the box, but God he's so poor in build ups. His movement is excellent, but his passing and crossing? Appalling. Young and Nani were inexistent during the first half. In fact, while Nani had the ball during the final quarter of the first half, my friend asked "Oh, Nani is playing?" He never got involved in the game and don't get me wrong, I love Nani. I think he's a brilliant footballer but he's been well below par recently. If we intend to win the league, we need to have our wingers performing to their best and currently none of them is.

I thought the stage was set for us to win the upcoming games and for City to slip up vs Liverpool and Chelsea. If City win tomorrow they'll be a good 7 points clear and they could be unreachable. Even with United's long history of coming back from the dead summed up to the history of City's ability to fuck things up and being the laughing stock of the world, I still think that they'll be very tough to overtake if they win tomorrow.

United 2 - 2 Benfica

2011-11-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

De Gea

Fabio(Smalling) Jones Ferdinand Evra

Valencia(Chicharito) Fletcher Carrick Nani

Berbatov Young

Berbatov Gave Plenty of Reasons Why Fergie Should Start Him

Contrary to what most people made of the match, I thought that United played well. However, two mistakes and some poor finishing meant that we dropped two precious points and its now highly difficult to top the group. We need Otelul to pick up their first points vs Benfica to have a chance of topping the group and that is highly unlikely. Berbatov marked his return to the first team with a good headed goal while Fletcher scored the second and put United ahead, only to be cancelled abruptly by Benfica a couple of minutes later.

Fletcher Put United Ahead...

The two players who get a lot of stick from the United fans, namely Berbatov and Carrick, were the best performers todays. Berbatov had an excellent first half while Carrick was composed throughout and barely misplaced a pass. Again, Carrick was my man of the match. I was a tad dissapointed with the service our strikers got from the wings. Nani was on a one man mission to impress his fellow countrymen...and on most occasions failed while Valencia only took on their fullback during the second half. Ashley Young, who played as a second striker, had a stinker. He got caught offside one time too many and missed a very good chance. It's not his natural position so I won't complain.

...Only to Have His Goal Cancelled a Minute Later

We are in a very difficult position but luckily 2 results out of 3 will satisfy United in the upcoming CL match. A draw and a win will put United through. In my opinion we can forget about finishing first. The price we'll pay for the complacency shown vs Basel and indeed today just after we scored could be a hefty one, especially if we fail to get through to the second round. Something that should have been a formality.

Anyway, for a change I'm pleased with the performance but disappointed with the result. Next time we win 1-0 and perform poorly, I won't be complaining! Newcastle next.

Swansea 0 - 1 United

2011-11-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

DeGea

Jones Vidic Rio Evra(Fabio)

Nani Carrick Park Giggs(Fletcher)

Rooney Chicharito(Valencia)

Yet Another Important Goals Scored By Chicho

Another good result comes our way and Chicharito was our hero yet again. His early strike was what decided the match as we defended excellently throughout the 90 minutes. It is our 5th successive clean sheet after getting hammered by City. Our defence must have learned its lesson.

International Football Must Have Taken Its Toll On Nani

Attacking-wise we weren’t really menacing. Apart from the goal, we only really troubled Swansea’s keeper during the final 10 minutes and that was as soon as Valencia entered the field of play. We looked a tad better with Antonio on the right so I expect him to start on Tuesday. Carrick put in a very good performance as well. His pocket passes were a breath of fresh and he protected our defence quite well. Meanwhile at the back, our central defenders barely put a foot wrong in front of the excellent De Gea. Our young Spaniard was up to the task yet again. Well done to the Nostradamuses who wrote our goalie off in August. Jones wasn’t so impressive during the first half but played much better during the second. He came agonisingly close to scoring late in the game. On the other side, Evra was given a torrid time by Swansea’s fast winger. I forgot his name though!

Giggsy played some decent passes and was at times our only creative player and, given his age, that is a tad worrying. Nani was anonymous and Rooney wasn’t at his usual best. Chicharito who keeps scoring very very important goals was caught offside quite often, which is quite annoying….and let me not mention his heavy touches at times! My man of the match? Carrick

We couldn’t buy an away game last year but we’re doing quite well away from home this year so I’m not complaining. 1-0’s ,6-0’s all yield 3 points and that is what we wanted. Bring on Benfica!

Some stats for ya

We only won 5 away games last season. We’ve already won 4 this year.
This was Swansea’s first loss at the Liberty Stadium this season.
Our goal was the first goal they conceded at the Liberty Stadium (2^nd actually, the other being an own goal)

United 1 - 0 Sunderland

2011-11-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Lindegaard

Jones Vidic Rio Evra

Nani Fletcher(Fabio) Rooney Park(Carrick)

Chicharito Welbeck(Berbatov)

Wesley Brown. Once a Red, Always a Red.

I must not kid myself. This wasn't even a good Manchester United performance, it was just on the verge of decent. An abysmal first half performance was followed by an acceptable shift during the second half. Our own Wesley Brown, in the colors of Sunderland, headed past his own keeper to give us the 3 points. I do think we deserved to win because we had a couple of decent chances during the second half, but that's just about it.

Three points are what we needed and we got them. That's what matters in football and thankfully we have become experts in scraping 1 nil wins. Our strikers had very little joy up front, Sunderland defended exceptionally. Our defenders didn't do that badly either. Vidic and Jones were immense, once again. On the other side, Rio and Evra defended carelessly at times but thankfully Sunderland didn't capitalise on that. In midfield Fletch and Ji did reasonably well but lacked creativity while Nani only got going when the game was 15 minutes shy of the final whistle. He was frustrating before that. Wayne was again deployed at midfield and he did quite well. He sprayed passes for fun, a performance reminiscent of a young Scholesy.

The North Stand was Rightly Renamed After Sir Alex

At the end of the day I'm pleased with the 3 points but I'd love to see United with more attacking intent at Old Trafford. Fergie was given a nice anniversary gift by one of the players he nurtured. I missed the emotional guard of honour towards our great manager because my stupid friend only arrived with our satellite card at 4pm. I'll wait for MOTD to watch that great moment when our great club revealed that the North stand will be renamed after Sir Alex Ferguson. He deserves it. Thank You Sir Alex!

The Guard of Honor Amid Tears From Some United Diehards

Sir Alex. Number One. Legend.

United 2 - 0 Otelul

2011-11-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

DeGea

Jones Ferdinand Evans(Fryers) Fabio

Valencia Rooney Anderson(Park) Nani

Owen(Chicharito) Berbatov

Valencia congratulated after opening the score

Another stuttering display which yielded 3 points, so I don't have much to complain about. BUT that performance was not worthy of champions to be. If we're aiming to win the Champions League, we need to perform much much better than that. Apart from the goals by Valencia and Rooney, there weren't much positives during this game.

I'm not sure what's happening but something is not clicking. We've performed below par for the last 7 games (in champions league & premier league). We need to get out of this poor form as soon as possible because we just can't slip in the upcoming winnable games. We'll be facing Sunderland, Swansea and Newcastle during this month and any average performance could cost us the three points against the likes of Newcastle, who are still unbeaten.

At least our main rivals, Benfica, drew against Basel today and that means that now we're joint leaders in our group. We should progress towards the second stage of this year's champions league but then again, there shouldn't have been any doubts about our qualification. That game vs Basel should have been won easily but complacency cost us 3 precious points. Anyway, its no use crying over spilt milk. We'll have to look forward and hope that we recapture our August form and destroy anything that comes our way. I believe we have got the squad to do so. Come on United!

Everton 0 - 1 United

2011-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Jones Vidic Evans Evra

Park Fletcher Cleverley(Nani) Welbeck(Valencia)

Chicharito(Berbatov) Rooney

Chicarito Scored The All Important Goal

The last time we won at Everton, VDS, Silvestre, Brown, Scholes, Ronaldo and Tevez were in our starting line-up, so that shows how long it has been since we last emerged victorious at Goodison Park. Even though our team performed drably, today's win was a big one. Winning at Everton is no easy task and after last week's dismal performance, a win to get back on track was a must. Chicharito scored the winning goal with an easy tap in after a fine cross by Evra.

Cleverley Succumbed to Another Injury

Although we might have ridden our luck today, I'm pretty pleased with our defensive performance. Vidic showed us what we've been missing during the past two months or so. He was immense. My man of the match. Evans, who had a nightmare last week, played decently but was still prone to his customary error. Jones, once again, and Evra had a good game in their positions. Cleverley started the game brightly but had to be subbed off because of another injury. I hope nothing's too serious because his build up play is a joy to watch and we'll need him in the upcoming very winnable games. Fletcher was everywhere and so was Park. They ran their socks off and won a lot of balls in the middle of the field. Rooney played in a midfield position but was a tad disappointing today. He worked very hard, as usual, but never really had any influence on the game. At the front Chicharito got caught in numerous offside positions but capped a pretty anonymous display with a match winning goal.

I'm pleased with todays result and delighted our nearest trailing rivals Chelsea slumped to an amazing defeat vs the Gunners. What a game that was! Otelul next. Must win.

Aldershot 0 - 3 United

2011-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Amos

Fabio Jones Vidic Fryers(Keane)

Valencia Cleverly(Pogba) Park Diouf(Morrison)

Owen Berbatov

Our Tony Scored a Belter

After last Sunday's tension and ultimately hurt, it was nice to watch such a match with no real pressure whatsoever. When I saw the line-up I knew this was going to be an easy game and, well, it was. Berbatov was my man of the match with some glimpses of genius, very good runs and a goal. He did miss a sitter but Berbatov wouldn't be Berbatov without being a tad frustrating. Owen and Valencia scored the other goals with the latter scoring a beauty.

Morrison - So Much Potential

It was a thoroughly enjoyable game and it was such a relief to see Vida and Cleverley back. Vidic is still a bit clumsy in his tackling but lets hope these 90 minutes do him the world of good in his mission to get back to full fitness. We desperately need our captain. It was also a joy to watch a handful of youngsters playing some part in this game. Fryers had a good game. In my opinion we really need another left-back because Evra has been very poor in recent games. Obviously Fryers won't replace Evra but Fabio is fit again and hopefully his fitness and eagerness to play will keep Evra on his toes. Pogba was brought on with 30 minutes to play and he did quite well. His composure and awareness amazed me. Plenty of room for improvement but I'm sure he'll grow to be a world class midfielder....just give him some time. Morrison, another player who Fergie rates highly, was given a 20 minute run out and his eagerness to get involved in the game was a joy to watch. He also made a couple of cheeky moves which went down well with the United faithful. I'm soooo excited about Paul and Ravel, lets hope they reach their potential. Fergie is building another team and they will surely be featured in the near future.

With regards to the more experienced players, Park had a good game, Valencia scored a wonderful goal but was erratic at times and Diouf was anonymous throughout the whole game. Owen always scores when he starts a carling cup game while Jones was very solid at the other end. Our goalie was only called into action once and he responded with a very fine save.

This was a good game to pick up the pieces after last Sunday. Now lets go to Goodison Park and bring back the 3 points. I know we are capable of winning the league again this year and if we don't, well, with players like Cleverley, Pogba, Morrison and Jones on board, I know trophies will keep heading our way in the future, no matter how much others spend. C'mon United!

United 1 - 6 City

2011-10-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Smalling Rio Evans(s/o) Evra

Nani(Jones) Fletcher Anderson(Chicharito) Young

Rooney Welbeck

Kudos to Fletcher for scoring a stunning goal, but he was very poor at the centre.

Ouch that one hurts. It'll take some time to nurse the hangover after this game! Our team performed reasonably well during the first 45 minutes but then all hell broke loose. Evans' stupid red card precipitated the most humiliating defeat I have ever witnessed. Barcelona's 3-1 at Wembley doesn't even hold a candle to this. This was a battle for the City, a battle between the current best clubs in England and we lost it...and how.

Rooney was the only player on the field who looked like wanting to win after Evans' red card. I'm not too bothered to comment about the game. Everyone who watched it knows want went wrong and all our players must have (should have) been subjected to one of Fergie's worst hairdryer moments. I wouldn't want to be any of our players...for once.

Where was the battle won and lost? The midfield. Our midfield is too poor compared to City's. Fletcher and Ando couldn't keep up with City. That's the harsh reality. We needed a commanding central midfielder but failed to get one and with Cleverley missing, we'll keep struggling against good teams. This defeat has been coming since that game vs Basle. We've only performed averagely ever since.

We'll need to take this game on the chin. Shit happens in life, shit happens in football and I'm sure we'll bounce back. I am confident this is just a one-off, just as it was the case when Liverpool humiliated us(4-1) 2 years ago at Old Trafford. City are rising but talking of power shift is absolute bananas. We've won the league twice since that game vs Liverpool and I'm sure we can look forward to another successful campaign, even though we were trashed today. Until then we'll have to accept that City hold the bragging rights and that 75% of the world's population is laughing at us... let's hope we have the last laugh. United till I die!

Otelul 0 - 2 United

2011-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Lindegaard

Fabio Smalling Vidic(s/o) Evra

Valencia Carrick Anderson Nani

Rooney Chicharito

Roo converting the first penalty

I didn't watch this game live because I had a footy tournament. I was kept updated by a teammate and have since watched the highlights. United fielded the strongest line up possible but still failed to cruise to a comfortable victory against a team which I had never heard of before the UEFA draw. This game highlights our current slump in form and I just hope that our players are up for the challenge that will be posed by a high flying City side this Sunday.

Rooney scored the goals from the spot after the ref awarded two stonewall penalties. On the other side, just after we scored the first goal, Vidic made a tackle which was too 'premier leagy' for a continental referee's liking and was therefore sent off. Harsh sending off, in my opinion.

Not much to say about the game. I'm already looking ahead to this Sunday's titanic clash with our neighbours. A win is a must and I expect our boys to perform. Goodnight.

Liverpool 1 - 1 United

2011-10-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Smalling Rio Evans Evra

Park Fletcher Jones Young

Welbeck Giggs

Chicharito was our hero today

I didn't have a good feeling about this game and the starting line-up didn't really do anything to bolster up my hopes. Nani, Roo, Chicharito and Anderson were on the bench. It was a gamble Fergie took and NOW I think it was well worth the risk. A draw at Anfield is a good result given that this is "SURELY Liverpool's year".

The first half was drab but the second half lived up to all the hype. Liverpool, admittedly, had the best chances during the game but our goalie was superb and he was, in my opinion, our man of the match. So here's my big fat "in your face!" to the idiots who laughed at him at the start of the season. Well done lad!

Our back four had the best game of the season. Smalling improved as the game grew older, Rio used his experience well while Evans and Evra barely put a foot wrong. Our midfield was a tad disappointing, maybe because they were too defensive minded. Young didn't do anything impressive, Park looked weak, Fletcher didn't get a grip hold of the game while Jones was OK on his first midfield appearance in the red of United. Giggs played much better during the final 20 minutes. Welbeck at the front ran his socks off and I salute him for that. His ball control was excellent and he handled Liverpool's pressure superbly. Well done Danny!

Now, about the ref's performance. I'm going to be as honest and unbiased as possible. Liverpool had a stonewall penalty but on the other side a player of theirs handled the ball, so we could have had a penalty as well although it would have been a tad harsh on the scousers. However, that freekick they scored was never a freekick. Adams dived on that occasion and so did that dirty git Suarez on a number of occasions. Thankfully that goal was eventually cancelled by our little pea, who headed in a corner....yes a corner. Thank god for Chicha!

All in all im happy. We're still unbeaten and although City will probably be at the top of the table in an hours time, I'm still delighted we managed get a point at Anfield without even playing our best XI. Well done United!

United 2 - 0 Norwich

2011-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lindegaard

Valencia Jones Evans Evra

Nani(Giggs) Fletcher Anderson(Ferdinand) Park

Chciharito(Welbeck) Rooney

Ando paved the way to victory but was poor throughout the game

A game full of misplaced passes, heavy touches and missed chances ended our way. We didn’t deserve to win this game but thankfully lady luck was smiling at us. Anderson scored the first goal while Welbeck put the game to bed and helped me heave a huge sigh of relief.

I started this post grumbling and I intend to keep on complaining about today’s abysmal performance. Our midfield was completely inexistent and only looked like creating something once Giggsy entered the field of play. Park, Nani and Anderson were very poor while Fletch didn’t provide much protection to our defence. Valencia and Evra were poor as well but I cannot really blame our Tony because that right back berth just ain’t his position. Evans was shaky but Jones was massive once again. He put in some excellent tackles that saved us from certain goals. We also have to thank Norwich’s erratic finishes and the woodwork, the two factors combining to spare our blushes and help us avoid dropping 2 or more ‘easy’ points.

On a positive note, apart from Jones’ excellent performance, Welbeck looked really lively while Rooney made some great passes but tried to be cheeky on a couple of occasions, something that cost us a goal or two. The goal difference might play a huge role this season given the fact that City are scoring for fun on the other side of Manchester. Lindegaard was also one of the few positives in this game.

Overall I’m delighted with the result but hugely displeased with the performance. It was a game quite reminiscent of most of our games last season. Our next game is a massive one at a ground where we didn’t have much joy recently. We will be welcoming back Vida, Cleverley and Smalling for that game. Come on United!

United 3 - 3 Basel

2011-09-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

DeGea

Fabio(Nani) Jones Rio Evra

Valencia Carrick Anderson(Berbatov) Young

Giggs(Park) Welbeck

Evra attacked but was caught upfield a couple of times by Basel's fast counter attacks

After the first 20 minutes, I never expected to be writing the above scoreline. We gave away a two goal advantage and that just ain't the Manchester United way. Welbeck scored two in quick succession but Basel stunned us with 3 goals in the second half. Thankfully Young headed home to spare our blushes.

To be honest with you I expected a win, a large win to be precise. However, most of the players simply switched off after the second goal and Basel looked very threatening when attacking.

Our players deserve a hairdryer treatment from Fergie because such results are not acceptable. If I'm not mistaking, during last season's Champions League campaign, before the final, we conceded less goals than this year. That says a lot. Anyway, a draw isn't as chaotic as the loss which was looming large. I'm sure we'll be much better once all our injured players are back but lets be thankful we faced the minnows of Basel tonight rather than a stronger team. Our impressive unbeaten run at home would have come to an abrupt end. Next Norwich. I expect a big win.

Stoke 1 - 1 United

2011-09-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Valencia Jones Ferdinand Evra

Nani Fletcher Anderson Young(Giggs)

Chicharito(Owen) Berbatov(Welbeck)

So, as I predicted yesterday, we dropped our first points of the season. I didn't watch the game because I had a match with my local football team but I have watched the highlights. It looked like Stoke put us under a lot of pressure and De Gea pulled off some stunning saves. Nani scored a beauty but his goal was eventually cancelled by Crouch. Giggs should have won us the game late on but it wasn't to be.

Playing against Stoke at the Brittania is always difficult so I'm not too displeased with the result. I'm just disappointed we lost our 100% record. I cannot really comment on the match because I haven't seen enough so that's all for today. Let's hope we bounce back during the week with a win against Basel.

Come on United!

Games vs Benfica, Chelsea & Leeds

2011-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

So as I told you in my most recent post, I was going to be abroad for the fore-mentioned games...so here's a recap of what I thought about the games.

vs Benfica

I was in Amsterdam when this game was being played. Luckily there are a lot of sport pubs in this city but unfortunately Ajax were playing Lyon at the same time as United. Therefore all pubs were airing this game instead of United's. However, I did manage to find a bar which showed United's game but only found this bar when the game was 10 minutes shy of the final whistle. I have watched the highlights and loved Giggsy's super goal. All in all an away draw at Benfica is not a bad result.

vs Chelsea

I watched this game at a pub in Berlin. I'm not so sure whether we played that well during this game. Chelsea were very wasteful in front of goal and had they taken their chances, the game could have well ended in a draw or a loss for us. But that didn't happen and a 3-1 result is an excellent result. Nani scored an absolute scorcher while Smalling and Rooney scored the other two. We're still unbeaten in the league while the other big guns slipped in some way or another. Excellent weekend.

vs Leeds

No pub in Berlin aired this game so I had to make do with mobile updates from my friend's dad. I have since watched the highlights. Owen's goals were superbly taken and Giggsy rolled back the years with another good goal. There were a couple of youngsters who were given their first senior start and that's always a good sign. As the SKY commentator said after the game, the future looks very bright for United! I'd also like to condemn the irresponsible behavior of a few idiots who took an 'Istanbul' banner at Elland Road. May they be banned for life.

Looking Forward

Our next game is away to Stoke. It will be a difficult match and I've got a tingly feeling that we might drop our first points this weekend. I won't be watching the game live since I have other priorities with my local football team, however, I will be updating this blog very shortly after the game. United till I die!

Bolton 0 - 5 United

2011-09-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Jones Rio Evans(Smalling) Evra

Nani Cleverley(Carrick) Anderson Young(Giggs)

Rooney Chicharito

Our team performed superbly once again

After the highs of the game vs Arsenal a fortnight ago, I expected a very tough match vs a combative Bolton side. However, our play was so good that we made the game look ridiculously easy. Rooney bagged another hat-trick and Chicharito returned to this side with last season's red hot form. Once again, I was pleased with every player on the field but Rooney and Jones stood out today. Rooney was his usual self while Jones played superbly at right back and ran his socks off for 90 minutes. What a buy!

The only downside from this game was Cleverley's injury. He had a cast covering his leg by the end of the game and that signals bad news. On the other hand, all the players put in a professional performance and De Gea showed the world his shot stopping skills as well as his ball delivery skills. He'll commit the odd mistake or two in the future but with every game that passes, he's looking more and more confident. Well done David!

Right now we look unstoppable but the biggest test so far lies ahead. We'll be welcoming Chelsea at OT next week and a win will send out a clear message that we mean business. Before the Chelsea game we also have the 'little matter' of facing Benfica away from home but given that we're expected to top that group easily, the Chelsea game is overshadowing our midweek fixture. I won't be updating this blog after the upcoming two games because I'll be in Holland for a week. I'll do my utmost to find a pub and watch the games there and make sure I keep following my beloved reds wherever I am.

Come on United!

United 8 - 2 Arsenal

2011-08-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Smalling Jones Evans Evra

Nani(Giggs) Cleverley Anderson(Park) Young

Rooney Welbeck(Chicharito)

Excellent Display

An incredible match with an eye-brow raising scoreline. United were simply awesome today and even the most ardent Liverpool fan would excuse me for sounding this excited. Arsenal are weak, true, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and we did that with aplomb. I've already seen some pathetic excuses that Arsenal had 5 players injured/suspended but then again, Rio, Vidic, Rafael, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia and Berba weren't in our starting line up. So no excuses from that part dear Gunners, you have to have depth in squad to win the premier league!

Welbeck on the scoresheet again! Will be out for some weeks though

Earlier today I was impressed by a very good performance by our noisy neighbors and before every anti-united pundit started orgasming over City's good display of attacking football we scored 8 goals. That was the perfect reply. Rooney got a hat-trick with 2 fine freekicks and a well taken penalty. Young scored two beauties...goals which I can only envision on FIFA11. These players had a 5 star performance while the others had a 4 star game. Nani, who was a tad frustrating during the game, scored an outrageously audacious chip while Park and Welbeck got their names on the scoresheet as well. The only negatives from this game was probably Welbeck's apparent hamstring injury and Evans' clumsy challenge to give away a penalty. De Gea had a very good game today, he saved a penalty shot and made 3 other excellent saves. Could have done better to keep out Arsenal's first goal, in my opinion. Still, those saves should do him the world of good.

I'm not in the mood to keep writing. I'm just eager to go on a website and re-watch those stunning goals. What City can do, we can do it better....without spending ridiculous sums of money. Well done United, you were immense! Boring international break next and then a tricky encounter with Bolton. I'm off. We EIGHT Arsenal.

United 3 - 0 Tottenham

2011-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

De Gea

Smalling Jones Evans Evra

Nani Cleverley(Giggs) Anderson Young(Park)

Welbeck(Chicharito) Rooney

After his goal, Welbeck really impressed me.

United's play was so eye pleasing today that I wished the game never ended. The first half was a keenly contested affair, with United enjoying slight superiority over the Spurs. The second half was a masterclass of attacking football. And I'm not exaggerating. There were quite a handful of players who impressed me today. Let's start with Danny Welbeck. He was a tad quiet up until the 60th minute but as soon as we scored that all important first goal, our Welbeck was 5 times the player he was during the first half. Talk about what a goal could do to a player's confidence! He managed to score a goal and produce a stunning assist. Even his celebration was a class act. It showed his joy at finally making it at Old Trafford... probably his lifelong dream.

Jones - Impressive

Another player who impressed me today was Jones. He was immense at the back. The other youngsters forming part of our inexperienced back four did quite well as well and De Gea managed to keep his first clean sheet for United, albeit with a few tense moments. Cleverley had a decent game as well. He came agonisingly close to scoring and managed to assist Welbeck for our first goal. However, my man of the match has got to go to Anderson. His passing and movement was first class and he managed to score a really good goal. I'm not too convinced about his dancing though! Ando looks like he's enjoying playing football again and he has managed to find his scoring boots as well. He scored some goals at the end of last season and started this season with a fine goal. More of the same please! Rooney, who's looking really lively this season, put the final nail in Tottenham's coffin with a fine header.

Overall I'm delighted. This is the way I want United to play football. We managed to rip apart a decent Tottenham team with a bunch of youngsters(very talented youngsters!). The class of '11 is looking good, indeed, the kids are alright!

WBA 1 - 2 United

2011-08-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

DeGea

Smalling Rio(Jones) Vidic(Evans) Fabio

Nani Cleverley Anderson Young

Rooney Welbeck(Berbatov)

Outstanding contribution on the left by Young

So the first away game is out of the way and thankfully we came out on top. Considering that last season we waited until the 23rd of October to grind out a win away from home, this result is more than just welcome. We blew hot and cold but in the end we deserved our win. Rooney scored a very good goal and worked hard for the team but my man of the match was Young who had a say in both of our goals. However, he still needs to work hard on his crosses and needs to realise that he's more than capable of taking defenders on. Our second goal ended in the back of the net after two deflections but we were the better team on the day and I guess the win was well merited.

I'm not going to be disillusioned and say that there was nothing wrong today. Besides the injuries to Rio and Vida, there were a couple of worrying things. First is De Gea. If VDS was in goal WBA's goal would have never happened. He should have done better there but as I said last week, we need to give the young Spaniard some time. The other thing that worried me is that we seem like we'll be experiencing last year's away performances again. Our team is miles ahead of WBA but didn't look like it today. Last year we missed a lot of chances away from home and today Nani missed two easy chances which could have ultimately cost us the game. We need to be more clinical in front of goal and hopefully eliminate the heart stopping games we witnessed last season.

Overall I'm delighted we managed to grind out a result but we need to improve and maybe show last week's exceptional play if we want to beat the much stronger sides away from home. Do we need another signing before the end of the transfer window? I still think that we need an influential central midfielder. Cleverly and Anderson were both outmuscled too often for my liking today. We'll wait and see what happens...In Fergie we trust! Come on United!

United 3 - 2 City

2011-08-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

DeGea

Smalling Rio(Jones) Vidic(Evans) Evra(Rafael)

Nani Carrick(Cleverley) Anderson Young

Rooney Welbeck(Berbatov)

Nani first goal had class written all over it. Excellent team goal.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Two goals in the space of 8 minutes gave City some false hope but United hit back with a breathtaking second half performance. Don't get me wrong, we were better than City during the first half but there was a gulf in class during the second. To be honest, I think the score flatters City. They didn't deserve a goal, let alone two. City defended and defended and hoped for something from a set piece. That was their way of play. Meanwhile we looked adventurous and ran City ragged.

Every player played his part today but Nani and Young, on the wings, were phenomenal. Youngsters Jones, Evans, Smalling, Welbeck and Cleverley played like they have been playing at the top level for years. Judging by their performance today as well as during the pre-season games, I really think that the future looks very bright. Rio should "stand on his feet" and do his best this season if he doesn't want to see either Jones or Smalling take his place in the team.

However, as always, there were some worrying things. First is Evra's play. He started well and kind of lost his head after the half hour mark and then shook his head and looked frustrated when he got subbed off. Not the right attitude...unless his body language was the result of his performance. The second worrying point is the cheap goals we conceded. Now I know De Gea was thrown into a very tough match but he should have done better with both goals. We'll probably have to see more of those mistakes quite often until we see the finished product so patience will be needed when it come to our young Spaniard. Anyway, overall I'm extremely delighted. Great game to kickstart the season and I honestly cannot wait until the next match day. Come on United!

Excellent start to the new season

Raring To Go!

2011-08-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

I like the new home shirt

Finally! The wait is nearly over and United are due to start this year’s campaign this Sunday vs Etihad FC. The charity shield is usually a game with no real meaning. I never gave a rat’s ass about this game, if we won I’d be delighted and if not I didn’t really mind. However, this year’s curtain raiser has taken a whole new meaning. If City beat us, then it would be a huge psychological boost for them and we’d have to hear the excessive talk of how the blue moon is on the rise. It is therefore important that we win on Sunday. I don’t want to see City pose with another piece of silverware anytime soon… especially if that piece of silverware is won at our expense.

What do I think about the preseason games?

The Performance vs Barcelona was Encouraging

Well, we didn’t lose a game so that’s always good. Beating a strong Barcelona side was another positive even though, I believe, if we play them in a competitive match tomorrow they’d probably beat us. I’m really excited to see how Welbeck and Cleverley fare during the upcoming season. Their pre-season performances were excellent. Rooney looked sharp in front of goal and hopefully, he'll hit the ground running this season. We scored 20 goals and only conceded a mere 3 during these friendly games. If there was one thing that concerned me was that Jones looks a tad slow. Maybe Fergie could sort that out.

What do I think about our squad?

Can't wait to see Wel & Clev in the Premier League!

First of all, it's kind of strange to look at our complete squad and not see Neville, VDS, Scholes, Brown and O'Shea listed down. But the future does look bright and I honestly think we have improved on last year as a squad. Cleverley and Welbeck have blended well into the first team while Young, Jones and De Gea are all very talented players. What we lacked last year was an influential central midfielder and we still lack this particular player. The central midfield is the only area that is worrying me. We have the best defence and attack in the Premier League. We also have very good wingers but we still need a central midfielder. A lot of papers are tipping United to buy Sneijder and I do believe that there has been some kind of contact with the player. Overall we have a very good squad, I just believe that a central midfielder would be the final piece in the jigsaw.

What do I think about other teams?

We had the best squad in the Premier League last season and we still have. Some teams have virtually stayed the same, such as Arsenal and Chelsea, while others have improved drastically. Liverpool is the team that springs to mind when I think of improvement. Having seen their pre-season results, they certainly didn’t improve in the way they play but they now have a couple more quality players in their squad. I’m not sure whether they can be serious title contenders but they’ll surely prove to be a tough hurdle to get past. If City keep Tevez, then they’ll have a fearsome striking quartet. Tevez and Aguero are exceptional talents while Balotelli and Dzeko can also get the job done. Chelsea have a new manager but I don’t think they have improved as a team while Arsenal haven’t lost any major players….yet. If they lose Nasri and Fabregas, then I don’t even think they’ll end in the top 4.

4 Years On

This blog is 4 years old!

My First Post, Back in August 2007

Fours years have passed since I started this blog. I never tire of writing about Man Utd. I have neglected this blog during the summer months mainly because I only watched one pre-season friendly due to the combination of kick-offs during the early hours of the day and me having to go to work. Normal service will now be resumed once the season kicks off and I promise to update this site with my biased opinions after every Man Utd game. During the past year my blog has registered more than 6,000 hits from 100+ different states and countries from around the world. It’s always a pleasure to see that people actually care about my opinion on our beloved football club. So here I am, 3 Premier Leagues, 1 Champions league, 2 Carling Cups, 1 Club World Cup, 3 Charity Shields and 326 articles later…itching for the new season. Keep logging onto this blog and spread the word. United till I die!

People from 100+ countries/states have visited this blog during the past year

Brown and O'Shea leave United

2011-07-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sad sad day as we wave goodbye to two loyal players who did everything for the United cause. I always held both Brown and O'Shea in high regard. They did their best when summoned by the Gaffer and never really grumbled to the media when Fergie overlooked them. They enjoyed playing for United. I knew Brown was on his way out after, allegedly, calling Sir Alex a cunt. Nobody messes with the Gaffer, even though Brown was probably fooling about. O'Shea's exit came to me as a big surprise though. He was heavily involved in last season's title winning campaign. We only received a miserable 4 million for the big Irishman but Fergie was probably looking to ease the wage bill when selling Sheasy. Fergie is probably preparing for a big money signing and I bet we'll soon announce the signing of a player who's demanding a huge wage(just guess who that player is). Brown and O'Shea, especially the latter, were sacrificed so that our club could afford the wage our target is demanding. While I'd welcome a signing of a high calibre central midfielder, I'm absolutely gutted to see O'Shea and Brown leave. The time was probably right, both players are in their 30's, but it's always hard to say goodbye to such players. However, we've been here before. We had to bear the sickening image of Butt, Phil, Becks, and Keano playing with another club and we'll probably see a handful more 'switching' allegiances.

I've seen some photos of Wesley and Sheasy posing in a Sunderland strip and it just doesn't look right. We'll never forget that cross to Ronaldo in the CL final 2008, Brown, and we'll never forget your goal vs the Scousers and that chip vs the Gunners, John. Good luck!

Transfers and Rumours

2011-06-14T05:06:00.001-07:00

Its been almost 3 weeks since the last United game. I’m handling the lack of United games quite well, probably because I’m busy studying for my University exams. I’m done with 66% of my exams and the next one is in a weeks’ time so I’ve got enough time to post something and resuscitate this blog.

Any avid football fan, during these boring football-less days, tries to ease the pain of not having any football to look forward to by focusing on the transfer market. Up till now no silly money has been spent on players. By silly I mean that amount of money Real paid for Ronaldo a couple of years ago and that ridiculous sum Chelsea paid for Torres. However, I am of the opinion the amounts paid by Liverpool and United for Henderson and Jones respectively are a tad too much. I know, they are both excellent prospects and they are English, but 20 mil? No 20 year old is worth that kind of moolah. To be honest, I’m happy Fergie was able to spend 20mil on a youngster. This shows that, as the Gaffer stated time and time again, he really has got funds available(I used to doubt that).

What do I think of Jones?

I never really gave a rat’s ass about this guy before. In fact, when the name Phil Jones was being linked with our Club I had to YouTube him. He seems to be a good defender, agile and able to play in a midfield role. The YouTube footage of him is quite limited so I’ll have to wait until I see him play in the United shirt before I pass any judgements. A lot of managers have heaped praise on our new recruit and that shows that this player is the real deal. Fergie thinks he’s good enough for our side and I shall not doubt the great Scot because he’s almost infallible. Although, to be honest, I was a tad right when I thought that Bebe is shite, even though some told me that if Fergie summoned him to our club, he ought to be good. Jones is already partnering our Smalling with the under-21 England team and I guess we’ve got our defence sorted to the upcoming decade or so. Welcome on board JONES!

Our Future Central Defenders

Other Prospective Transfers

Future team mates? - De Gea Closing In On Our Welbeck

Many are saying that the De Gea deal has been done and we’ll unveil the Spanish keeper after the under-21 championships. As with Jones, I’ve seen precious little of this goalie. There are a couple of good compilations on YouTube but that’s just about it. Therefore I’m not entirely sure what to think if this transfer goes through. The problem is that he’s still very young and does not have the required experience to perform on the big stage. Our scouts surely see something special in this young lad but another thing that is bothering me is his reluctance to admit that he’s United bound. Some will call that professionalism for concentrating on his under-21 duties but he seems to be too disinclined for my liking. And by the way, yes I've seen his facebook account in which he states he joined United but that's probably a fake account.

Ashley Young is also rumoured to be on his way to OT. I’ve always liked this lad but, I believe, recruiting him will only add to the depth of the squad. I’m not sure whether it will add quality though, because Nani can do what Young does and, dare I say, better. However if Young is signed by United I will be delighted.

These signings would be good signings but we NEED a central midfielder. Someone in the mould of Modric or even Diarra. Sneijder has also been heavily linked with a move to OT but he passed on the opportunity to join us and chose Real some time ago so I don’t think he deserves to wear the red of United. Fergie will surely have to splash the cash because signing a good central midfielder is of monumental importance if we intend to keep the premier league trophy and go toe-to-toe with Barca in the CL.

Departures

Would Be Gutted If Neither Of The Three Stayed

Gibson, Brown and O’Shea have been highly tipped to leave Old Trafford during the summer. While I understand Gibson and Brown’s case, I don’t really understand the logic if O’Shea leaves. He’s been a brilliant squad player and Fergie should keep hold of him. I also like Gibson but he underperfomed far too often last season. He'll be a good signing by Sunderland though and I’ll miss his thundering shot! You readers should know by now that I also really like Brown. He’s a good defender and seems to be a down-to-earth lad with ample sense of humour. However, I learned that he had a rift with Fergie last summer and that was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. While I hope they stay, I wish them luck if they seek pastures new.

To all those students who bothered read up to this point, I wish you luck in your exams. To the others, good luck with whatever you’re doing. That’s it, I’m off to get some sleep. TATA.

Farewell to Scholesy

2011-05-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

Legend

I woke up today to the terrible news that one of our own was hanging up his boots. I've been expecting this day for the past couple of years and I feel down now that it is upon us. Any of my friends would tell you that I'm a big admirer of pinpoint passes and thunderous shots and Scholes had both of those techniques in his locker. The accuracy of his passes was a joy to behold. Although I regret to admit that he had become a tad less effective to our team in the past year, he was still spraying passes all around the pitch for fun.

The brilliant Scholes strikes vs Bradford, Aston Villa and Barcelona still play at the back of my mind. Those goals are a testament to the other skill Paul possessed. Shooting. The power and technique at which he hit a ball had the best players in the world sit back and watch with awe. Indeed our Scholes was adulated by the likes of Zidane, Xavi, Davids and the great George Best.

His only downside was tackling.

Replacing Scholes is an almost impossible task. We should look to get a player with other qualities rather than similar qualities to Scholes's because whoever comes, we'll know he'll be a far cry from the Scholes we all love. Manchester United has lost a stalwart footballing genius.

However, as much as I'm saddened at his retirement, I think the time was right for Scholes to call it a day. Thanks for the memories Paul, you have been immense.

Honours won:

Premier League (10): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
FA Cup (3): 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
Football League Cup (2): 2008–09, 2009–10
FA Community Shield (5): 1996, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2010
UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Barcelona 3 - 1 United

2011-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

VDS

Fabio(Nani) Rio Vidic Evra

Valencia Carrick(Scholes) Giggs Park

Rooney Chicharito

Just like two years ago, we were beaten fair and square by a superior side. Barcelona are in a class of their own, especially if given a lot of space. At least, unlike 2 years ago, we were able to mount a reply to their goal but it wasn't enough. The 3-1 scoreline may not give a fair reflection of the game but the match stats show how the game unfolded. Just like in 2009 we started brightly but faded when Barcelona kicked into gear. About 20 attempts on target to our 5 shows how superior they were...and let's not mention the possession.

We expected that superiority. Our hope of winning this game lied on the odd counter attack. The plan was to have a solid defence and then leave Chicho and Roo to work their magic up front. Unfortunately Messi and co were too good for our defenders (especially Evra) while Chicharito at the front didn't have any impact at all. Our best player on the pitch was Wayne Rooney who epitomised the spirit of Manchester United, refusing to give up until the final whistle. He scored a good goal as well, a goal that sent me into an ecstasy of joy. I told my friends that the team scoring the second goal, after the half time break, was going to win the game. Barca scored that all important goal and it was game over for our side. Evra & Valencia didn't show up today. It's either that or Barcelona's excellence meant that the duo's involvement in the game was kept to a minimum.

What went wrong? Nothing. Barca are too good. They are the best team in the world and we're the second best team. Had we met any other European side tonight, we would have beaten them but Barcelona are just too good. I'm still proud of the boys. This was a great season and let's not forget that Manchester United are the greatest football team in England. Let's not forget that we are the English Champions and let's not forget that we've achieved our 19th title by brushing aside challenges from Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City & Arsenal. Their supporters are over the moon because we lost tonight and yet their team has won nothing. We're the greatest club in the world but on the day we got beaten fair and square by the best TEAM in the world. Well done Barca, well done United.

United till I die.

We'll bounce back.

By the way! I almost forgot. Thank you Van der Sar for your excellent service. It's a pity you bowed out of the game with a loss. We'll miss you.

Yes we were outplayed by a far better team, but to the bitter City fans, how many trophies have you won in the last 20 years? To all the bitter Chelsea fans, we knocked you out of the champions league this year and beat you to the league by 9 points, to all the bitter Liverpool fans, when did you last win a trophy? And 19 - 18 FACT. To all the bitter Arsenal fans wanting stats, heres a stat for you, trophyless for 6 years, lost to Birmingham in Carling Cup final, fourth in the league, no challenge to us, you're going down the same route as Liverpool did, so before you question the second best team in Europe and the best team in England, look at your own sorry selves. UNITED

United - Barca CL Stats 2011

2011-05-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

Park scoring vs Chelsea at OT

The excitement of Saturday's game is well and truly kicking in. I already had two nightmares last night about the game but I guess losing 10-0 won't happen this Saturday so I shouldn't worry about that. Realistically speaking, Barca's side is better than ours but football is a funny old game that often comes up with that odd surprise or two. I've got enough faith in Fergie and the players to think that our side could spring a surprise this Saturday. The world is writing us off but looking at the following stats I have gathered I learned that Barca haven't really been setting the world alight in the CL this season.

AWAY FORM

Barcelona Away

Played - 6
Won - 3
Drew - 2
Lost - 1
GF - 9

GA - 4

Points - 11

Man Utd Away

Played - 6

Won - 5

Drew - 1

Lost - 0

GF - 8

GA - 0

Points - 16

Neither of the teams will be playing at their stadium. Barcelona have been frightening whilst playing at their colossal Nou Camp but our away form has been better. We still haven't conceded a single goal on the road and have scored only one goal less than this much acclaimed Barca side. I also believe that the sides we faced during the group stages were slightly better than those Barca faced. Rangers & Valencia are better than Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan & Panathinaikos. We also had Bursaspor in our group whose quality is probably in the same region as the quality of the sides which faced Barca in the group stages. In the latter stages, however, Barcelona faced more challenging teams. We tackled Marseille, Chelsea and Schalke while the Catalans overcame the challenges posed by Arsenal, Shaktar and Real Madrid.

Giggsy scoring vs Schalke Away

HOME FORM

Barcelona Home

Played - 6

Won - 5

Drew - 1

Lost - 0

GF - 18

GA - 4

Points - 16

Man Utd Home

Played - 6

Won - 4

Drew - 2

Lost - 0

GF - 10

GA - 4

Points - 14

Barca have been slightly better than us at home. Backed by their fans they are truly an unstoppable side but at Wembley United will probably have the backing of the majority. Just as Arsenal have proven, this Barca side is not an unbeatable one. They have also been stopped by the minnows of Rubin Kazan & Copenhagen in the group stages and a lot of football experts are suggesting that Barcelona have looked a tad tired during the final quarter of the season. Whilst I scrolled through the Catalan's league results, I noticed that the 4-0 & 5-0 scorelines, visible during the first half of the season, have dispersed during the second half. On their day Barca are capable of putting to shame anyone but we're Manchester United and I believe our team could beat any team in the world and yes, that includes the mighty Barcelona.

Anything can happen but one thing is for sure, Whatever happens we'll never die! Whatever happens, We'll keep the Red flag flying high!

COME ON UNITED!

United 4 - 2 Blackpool

2011-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

VDS

Rafael(Smalling) Evans Vidic(Rooney) Evra

Park(Owen) Fletcher Scholes Anderson Nani

Berbatov

After trailing Blackpool at one point, the United players showed enough pride to bounce back and win the final match at the Theatre of Dreams. Park, Anderon(yes, Anderson) and Owen scored the goals. This was Van Der Sar's final game at Old Trafford and I guess the lads gave him a fitting send off with this result. It would have been ideal if he kept a clean sheet but let's hope Blackpool's second goal was the last goal VDS conceded in his career.

I'm gutted for Hargreaves

The one disappointment during the game today was Berbatov not getting a goal to leapfrog the Argentine twat and win the golden boot. In reality our Bulgarian should have scored a couple of goals but he couldn't find the net. The other disappointment I woke up to this morning was the release of Owen Hargreaves. I know, he has barely played a whole match in the last three years but somehow I loved the guy. When he played he showed true grit and determination and seemed to wear the red shirt with pride. I hope he can resurrect his career elsewhere.

It's been a weird season. Away from home we weren't up to the task but at home we were superb. Old Trafford won us this 19th title. I really can't decide who has been the best player for us during this season and that means that this was truly a team effort.

It was a joy to watch our players enjoy themselves celebrating our 19th title. The biggest roar came when Owen lifted the trophy!

6 days to go to the Wembley final. The United players have the opportunity to turn this season from a great one to a memorable one. Of course, there is the little inconvenience of Barcelona but football is the greatest sport because it always holds surprises...

Thank You Lads!

STAND UP FOR THE CHAMPIONS

Premier League > Champions League

2011-05-21T09:36:00.001-07:00

The PL is enough for me

Halfway through the season the following question always prevails over the others: “Which competition do you want your team to win?” The answer is simple: “ALL OF THEM!” However winning all competitions is a tad difficult, even for a team of United’s calibre.

By January, a month when a certain club starts to yell that the following year will be their year, we’re usually still in 3 or 4 competitions. Since the age of 12 I have ALWAYS prioritized the Premier League over any other competition.

Scholes vs Juve in '97

Before that, during my primary school days, the Champions League used to be aired on Malta’s national TV station. This was the channel that made me fall in love with United back in 1997. I watched a United Champions League match and that was it, I got hooked. My innocence back then meant that I actually believed God would answer my prayers and help United get the needed results. I used to go to church and pray so that United win their games, especially if United were facing Juventus. Those were Juventus’s heydays and, since my school was infested with ‘Juventini’, winning against them was more important to me than winning against any other club. That is the sole reason why I believed that the Champions League was the most important competition. Another reason was that my Dad never really wanted to subscribe to a sports channel and that meant that I couldn’t follow the Premier League. I used to learn the Premier League results via teletext or the evening news.

Nowadays I believe that the Premier League is the most important competition for Manchester United and indeed for every other English club. The Champions League is a very attractive competition but I guess it is maybe a more important competition for the casual fans and for Roman Abramovich.

This is why if we lose the final on Saturday, I’ll still be extremely delighted with our season and if we win, then I’d go bonkers.

Blackburn 1 - 1 United

2011-05-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Kuz

Fabio(Scholes) Ferdinand Vidic Evans

Valencia Carrick Giggs Nani(Berbatov)

Rooney Chicharito

KINGS OF ENGLAND

We have finally won our 19th title. A title that makes us the most successful club in England. We made the game difficult for ourselves(what's new???) by missing decent chances and letting Blackburn get their noses in front. Rooney scored the all important goal from the spot, a goal that crowned us Kings of England.

It was a decent performance by the players but at the back we were a tad too hesitant. The game was another real heart test for me even though I promised myself, as well as my friends who watched the game with me, that I was going to sit, relax and enjoy the game. Enjoy the game??! What the heck was I thinking??! The goalie had a horror show between the posts and our fullbacks weren't at their best. This guaranteed some heart beat skipping. It was evident that some players couldn't handle the pressure. Thankfully, the pressure didn't really affect Rooney when taking the penalty. In my opinion there wasn't a player who stood out today.

While the blue noses are celebrating a 10cm rise from their blue moon, we are jubilant after yet another title. We are now the best in England and no one shall deny it! I AM SO HAPPY!


Were you watching Merseyside??

CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND

...and that's a fact!

Final whistle at the Manchester United Supporters Club Gozo, where I watch most of United's games.

Dethroning Liverpool

2011-05-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

So here we are, only one point away from achieving our ultimate aim. We still have the Champions League final to worry about but it’s the Premier League I really craved for. Historically winning this year’s PL means a lot. We get to surpass our archrivals and thus win England’s bragging rights. Domestically, Liverpool’s team didn’t hold a candle to ours for the past two decades but they were still blabbering about themselves being the best on the land because of their league titles. Those bragging rights will soon be passed over to the red side of Manchester.

Up until a few years ago I didn’t really understand the rivalry between United and the scousers. In fact back in 2005 when Liverpool met Milan in Istanbul, I sided with the scousers(shameful, I know, but I was just 14) who, admittedly, completed a remarkable comeback. I was happy for them mainly because they had just defeated an Italian side and anybody who knows me, knows my repugnance towards any team hailing from my homeland’s (Malta) neighbouring country. I honestly never regarded Liverpool as being our main enemies up to that point. In fact, I always thought that Arsenal and the newly Russian financed powerhouse were our main rivals.

"...and you can print that"

It was only a couple of seasons after that when I really realised the hatred between the two clubs. Mind you, Liverpool is a great club unlike the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea who have got no history, and that’s what makes our rivalry even stronger. I remember every time United lost the league or a cup final, I had to bear the smirk on the face of some local Liverpool fans as if they had just won the Treble(the real one, not the plastic one). I remember last year, when they lost to Chelsea and virtually ended our title bid, these ‘proud’ scousers littered Facebook with joyous comments. I have good social relationships with local Liverpool fans(I prefer Liverpool fans to ABUs to be honest… at least they side with a team – although most Liverpool fans turn into ABUs by December, the month when their title bid gets killed every year), but when it comes to football their jealousy and bitterness is almost laughable. I guess next season they’ll do everything within their power to try and knock us off OUR perch but, given the might possessed by Arsenal, Chelsea and - I hate to say it but here it goes - Manchester City they’ll probably struggle to get into the top 4 again (although I’d rather see Liverpool in Europe instead of City). We might have dethroned Liverpool a couple of seasons ago with our 18^th title but we need the 19^th title to be crowned as kings of England and I’m pretty confident that we’ll get the one point needed.

In less than 24 hours time we will be cheering our boys in red while they create history. We are truly on the verge of something special, something SIR Alex Ferguson prophesized twenty odd years ago. COME ON UNITED!

United 2 - 1 Chelsea

2011-05-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

VDS

Fabio Rio Vidic O'Shea(Evans)

Valencia Carrick Park Giggs

Rooney Chicharito

Take a Bow

Woah!! I'm ecstatic. We are only one point away from being crowned CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND for the 19th time. Fellow red devils had been taunted during the late 80's by the scousers but now it's us who will be sitting on 'their' perch.... very very soon. Thank you SIR ALEX!

We couldn't have started the game on a better note. Chicharito, aka the bargain of the century, scored after just 40 seconds and then, 20 minutes later, Vidic came up with a captain's goal. We could have scored 4 more goals today but Mr Rooney and Hernandez decided to test my coronary system by missing some decent chances. In reality it should have been a bigger win today but you know United, they never do it the easy way! Howard Webb, labeled by some idiots as one of us, could have awarded at least one penalty to our team but no, he's too big a United fan to award us a clear penalty!

The players were brilliant today. Bar the missed chances, Chicho and Roo caused Chelsea all sorts of trouble. Valencia played well throughout the 90 minutes, humiliating Ashley Cole in the process. Park ran his socks off while Giggsy and Carrick controlled the midfield with aplomb. Even Evans, on for the injured O'Shea, put in an excellent shift at left back! The other defenders were their usual self and Van Der Sar saved us on a couple of occasions. Well done lads!

Mission Accomplished!

We are one small step away from being crowed kings of England and then it will be us who will be holding England's bragging rights. Our loss vs the Gunners last week led to a proliferation of the so called prophets of doom, some even deeming our team as too weak to be crowned champions. The ABU's(anyone but United) must have had one huge boner when we lost vs Arsenal and today when Lampard scored...I hope they tune in to their TV sets in two weeks time to see us lift the trophy! Well done UNITED!

United 4 - 1 Schalke

2011-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

VDS

Rafael(Evra) Smalling Evans O'Shea

Valencia Scholes(Fletcher) Gibson Anderson Nani

Berbatov(Owen)

The starting line up may have raised a few eyebrows but it was obvious that Fergie was going to prioritise Sunday's crunch game vs Chelsea. I was, as usual, a tad worried when I saw Evans's name in the starting line up but I guess he did well tonight. Valencia and Gibson scored the first half goals and then Anderson doubled his Man Utd career goal tally with two fine strikes.

Good Performance By Gibbo

I'm not sure whether Champions League semi finals should be this easy but I'm pleased I was able to enjoy a semi final in which United were involved. The back four did well today. Smalling is increasingly showing signs that he could become one of the best defenders in England(albeit he could have done better before Schalke scored their goal). Evans wasn't his usual calamitous self and the full-backs did well as well. Gibson proved to his Twitter bullies that he's able of performing on the big stage. He was immense during the first half. Rio twitted(or is it twittered?) "If Iniesta had passed that ball people would be salivating! Great ball gibson for the goal." Indeed he couldn't have worded it better! I'm happy for our Irishman. Well done Gibbo!

On the flanks Valencia had another good game while Nani was his usual self, showing good skills and making bad decisions. I watched today's game at home with my friend Derek. He said that Anderson has a weak strike and laughed at his goal tally...fast forward 10 minutes later and Mr. Anderson had scored a brace! C'mon Derek laugh at Vidic's, Rio's, Carrick's & Evra's goal scoring abilities...maybe they'll score a brace vs Chelsea! Anyway, well done Ando!

Jaw-Dropping Stuff - Anderson Scored TWO!

Today, with a relatively weak team, we've beaten a side which destroyed Inter. Most of today's players won't play on Sunday but I guess there are two or three players who deserve a place in Sunday's starting line-up. VDS is a dead cert and I guess Valencia, Anderson and Nani should feature at a stage or another.

We'll be facing Barca at Wembley on the 28th May. We both won our first Champions League under the shades of the twin towers. I wonder who'll emerge victorious under the new Wembley arch. Meanwhile the title decider vs Chelsea is looming large... COME ON UNITED!

P.S. We are now the second highest scorers in the CL's history with 303 goals.

Arsenal 1 - 0 United

2011-05-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

VDS

Fabio Rio Vida Evra

Nani Carrick(Owen) Anderson(Valencia) Park

Rooney Chicharito(Berbatov)

Roo didn't have the best of games today

After experiencing the highs of a majestic Champions League display, we had to witness another abysmal Premier League away game. We created a maximum of two decent chances and only have ourselves to blame. Arsenal weren't excellent, in fact I think they were very beatable today, but we never really got going. They deserved their win.

Refereeing blunders have been the highlight of this weekend's PL matches. The men in black won Chelsea the game vs Tottenham and today the ref should have awarded at least 2 penalties. The first was a clear hand ball by Vidic and then, late in the 2nd half, I firmly believe that Owen was fouled inside the box. I'm not complaining about the former though!

We have made it extremely difficult for ourselves. Only a win will do on Saturday and I have a tingly feeling that Chelsea will rise for the occasion. The question is whether we'll match their desire and get ourselves those precious 3 points. If we lose again, goal difference will come into play and things on that part aren't looking promising either!

Schalke will be coming to Old Trafford on Wednesday but, given the circumstances, I honestly don't care about the Champions League. All I want is that 19th league title. COME ON UNITED, DON'T LET US DOWN!

Schalke 0 - 2 United

2011-04-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

VDS

Fabio Rio Vidic Evra

Valencia Carrick Giggs Park(Scholes)

Chicharito(Anderson) Rooney(Nani)

Giggsy tearing the Germans apart

This was United's best away performance this season. Schalke were totally outclassed today. Their team looked a far cry from the team which beat Inter a fortnight ago. If it wasn't for their excellent goalie Neuer, we would have beaten the Germans by a larger margin. Giggsy and Rooney scored the all important away goals. I guess it is safe to say that after today's game we have put one foot in the final.

From the first whistle up until the final one, our players barely put a foot wrong. The only regret I've got is that we were a tad too wasteful in front of goal. The tie should have been put to bed by half time but hey, United never do it the easy way! Our defence was rock solid and the midfielders bossed the game. Having 65% of the possession in an away game is no easy feat and that speaks heaps of United's performance today.

It was a perfect performance from all the players but I have to single out Michael Carrick who was immense today. His composure and passing was superb.

It is also important to point out that we haven't conceded a goal away from home during this year's CL campaign! Well done United!

Arsenal next...

United 1 - 0 Everton

2011-04-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

VDS

Fabio Rio Evans O'Shea(Evra)

Valencia Gibson(Giggs) Anderson Nani(Owen)

Rooney Chicharito

Neville and Roo smiling after Chichi's goal

I wasn't very confident when I saw the starting line up mainly because O'Shea & Evans have calamity spelt all over them and at the centre, Gibson has been below-par all season. The two defenders managed to put in a decent performance but Gibson was really poor. I don't think that it is a coincidence that when he was subbed off we scored. It's a pity really because we all know that Gibbo is capable of playing well in the mid but it just ain't happening for him this year!

We were all over Everton. They had one decent, almost heart stopping, chance that was well saved by VDS. Other than that chance it was all about United. What happened during the game would have made even the most faithful fan think that it wasn't going to be our day. Chicharito blocked a certain goal, Anderson(my man of the match) concluded poorly from a good position, Gibson was misfiring, Nani turned into the player of 2 years ago and then, to put the icing on the cake, Owen hit the post!

Anderson was Superb

However the stage was set for our new hero, little pea, to come up with the big winner. United's 100th goal this season. At the club, where I was watching the game, everybody went mental! Scoring the winning goal late in the game makes a victory even more sweeter. I'd pay to see the reaction of the Arsenal and Chelsea fans when Chichi scored the winner!

All the huffing and puffing finally paid its dividend - 3 precious points against a very defensive Everton side. We are now a step closer to winning our 19th title and realise Fergie's dream of knocking Liverpool off their effin perch. "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" but the fat lady has done her vocal warm-up and is now on stage. All that is left for her to do is SING!

A mammoth week lies ahead...

Newcastle 0 - 0 United

2011-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't watch this game because I was camping with my friends on Comino. Just a little information for the foreigners who bother read my blog. Comino is a small island near Malta and Gozo. There are about 2 houses on it and a hotel. As far as I know, there are 3 permanent inhabitants. An influx of tourists during June, July, August and September means that the island is quite busy during the summer months but during the other seasons it is a haven of tranquility.

The only place where I could have watched yesterday's game was at the hotel. However, I only got to know that the hotel wasn't airing the game when I was in Comino so I had to endure 90 long minutes waiting for my sister, who was watching the game, to send me SMS updates. It was the first game I missed this season and I learned that following a United game through message updates is one heck of a frustrating experience.

I have just returned home and watched yesterday's highlights. Giggs missed a sitter and the ref could have easily given us a penalty. It's been 180 minutes since we last scored a goal so we need to find a our scoring touch again to avoid messing up another promising season.

Come on UNITED!

United 0 - 1 City

2011-04-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

VDS

O"Shea(Fabio) Ferdinand Vidic Evra

Valencia(Chicharito) Scholes(s/o) Carrick Nani

Park Berbatov(Anderson)

I'm really disappointed. I'm also livid because we let City get back in the game after destroying them in the first 30 minutes.

Berbatov turned out to be the culprit today. He had two glorious chances in front of goal and missed both. I guess there's something wrong when Berbatov plays in an FA Cup semi final at Wembley. He missed a penalty 3(or was it 2?) years ago when Everton defeated us. However, I concede that players commit mistakes. Rooney has missed sitters, Giggsy missed a good opportunity on Tuesday and it was Berbatov's turn today to miss his chances. What is the most frustrating thing is the fact that these missed chances came back to haunt us.

To add insult to injury, their goal was scored after two mistakes by VDS and Carrick. Therefore I think that their goal could have easily been avoided. With 20 minutes left to play, Scholes was justly sent off and that was it, United were never going to get back into the game against a well disciplined City side. I knew that if we were to win this game, we had to score first. Defensively City were really good.

So there goes our dream of another Treble. To be honest I never expected us to achieve that amazing feat again but it was worth a try! City will probably win their first major trophy after a 35 year barren run and I guess it was inevitable really, given the millions they have spent. It must hurt to be a red living in Manchester in the coming weeks. However when we'll, hopefully, lift the Premier League trophy, this game will be forgotten. So COME ON UNITED!!!

p.s I'm off to Comino tomorrow for a 4 day camp so I won't be blogging after the Newcastle game. I'll be lucky if I get to watch it!

UTD TILL I DIE

United 2 - 1 Chelsea

2011-04-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

VDS

O'Shea Ferdinand Vidic Evra

Park Carrick Giggs Nani(Valencia)

Chicharito Rooney

Phew! We're through to the semi finals! What is most rewarding about our qualification is that we got through to the semis at the expense of Terry & co. I felt quite relaxed before the game because United, at Old Trafford, rarely let us down. Goals by Chicharito and Park sandwiched a goal by Drogba which gave us United faithful an uneasy feeling for about 20 seconds.

Giggsy Was Excellent Throughout

I heard a lot of blabbering about how Chelsea should have had a penalty last week but I didn't hear a single word from these same people about how Chicharito's cancelled goal was NEVER an offside. But yes, United are always lucky, the refs always favour United and probably God sides with United. As I said over and over again in football you need that slice of luck but all the ABU's make it seem as if lady luck only smiles at United. Oh and Terry shouldn't have ended today's match on the field of play.

Anyway we're through and that is what matters. All players put in a brilliant performance and all in all it was a deserved victory, even though Chelsea were much better than us during the first 20 minutes or so. A player who stood out for me today was Park. He was a constant nuisance to the Chelsea defence and also defended very well during the final 30 minutes. Well done Parky! Rooney was terrific again today with a couple of decent shots on goal and a handful of Scholes-esque passes. He'll be missed on Sat.


The Best Three Players On The Pitch

All in all I'm absolutely delighted. Our team managed to reach the 4th semi final in 5 seasons. Surely, Fergie must be doing something right! Speaking of Fergie, I finally found a place where I can watch United without having to endure 90 minutes listening to people who think they are the gaffer himself. Today I went to Malta's Manchester United supporters club for the first time and I enjoyed the experience. As all of my friends know, I don't tolerate anti Manchester United people near me during our matches and therefore, since I don't have cable TV at my apartment, I find it quite difficult to find a place that meets my never ending demands! This club, obviously, won't have any anti United people and most people support the team rather than bemoan every mistake made. Just about ticks everything I ask for.

City are next. Tough match against the massive club. I hope they make it in time to Wembley. Finding their way to the national stadium might prove to be a very difficult task indeed. Might as well follow our coach. COME ON UNITED!

United 2 - 0 Fulham

2011-04-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Kuz

O'Shea Smalling Vidic Evra

Valencia(Fabio) Gibson Scholes Anderson(Owen) Nani(Carrick)

Berbatov

We made another step towards securing our 19th title with a good performance vs an ordinary Fulham side. We dominated the first half with Berbatov and Valencia scoring the goals that gave us the 3 points. My man of the match was Nani who terrorised the Fulham defence and made two assists, even though the second didn't look intentional.

Good Day At The Office

We looked very comfortable up until half time but I did fear that complacency, from our side, could put Fulham back in the game. Remember what happened vs WBA some months ago? I bet you do. In fact, I thought that Fulham were better than us during the second period and had some decent scoring opportunities. However our defenders and our goalie, who confirmed he will be leaving United during this summer, did well to keep a clean sheet.

I was also quite surprised to see Berbatov starting alone up front. I thought Chicharito would start this game but I guess this move shows that Fergie intends to heavily involve our young Mexican this Tuesday. Gibson & Scholes did their job while Anderson showed some delightful touches and showed that he couldn't score, even if his life depended on it. Valencia did well on the right flank and I have already heaped my praise on Nani who was excellent.

The substitutions made today definitely give us a clear indication of who's starting and who's not on Tuesday. However, I'm not having a go at predicting our starting XI vs Chelsea because Fergie always manages to outfox me.

COME ON UNITED!

Chelsea 0 - 1 United

2011-04-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

VDS

Rafael(Nani) Ferdinand Vidic Evra

Valencia Park Carrick Giggs

Chicharito(Berbatov) Rooney

So we have finally won at Stamford Bridge after a combative performance against Chelsea. Rooney scored the winning goal after an sublime cross-field ball by Carrick and a brilliant run and pass by Giggsy. This win away from home is nothing but a bonus, I honestly didn't expect United to win it.

The referee had an impeccable game apart from a decision he took late on. Evra felled Ramires and I admit that it was a penalty but hey, a ref fucked up 3 of our recent games vs Chelsea so I guess we're now almost even. Torres tried to cheat twice during the game but his cheating was properly addressed by Vidic and Ferdinand who made sure he doesn't do it again. Scouse bastard.

Chelsea, just like in our recent PL game, were outplayed during the first half but came back stronger during the second. However, our defence was exceptional. Earlier today I said that I don't mind Smalling playing instead of Ferdinand but I think Rio was excellent today. VDS had another great game and made a couple of world class saves that kept United in a good position. Chicharito was a tad quiet up front but Rooney was everywhere attacking and even defending. Anyway all in all I'm pleased with every player who played a part today.

What?! Fuckin' What?!

A 1-0 win is a good away result but it is still a dangerous one. Chelsea will now come to Old Trafford all out for a win so we need to put in another good performance at Old Trafford and hope we extend our winning streak at the Theatre of Dreams. We are still unbeaten at home in all competitions but as we have learned today, statistics really don't mean anything in football.

I am now relieved. I have passed yet another daunting heart test. Our next game is vs Fulham and I expect a smoother ride, even though nothing seems to be easy when United are concerned. It's been a while since I have watched a United game without any pressure whatsoever. Anyway, WELL DONE UNITED!

United vs Chelsea Preview

2011-04-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

A Very Brave Slip By Terry

I haven't eaten anything and eating is definitely not on my agenda today yet my tummy aches like hell and I really don't feel like doing anything. My apartment has also been subject to a lot of unpleasant sounds (sorry for the extra details). All of this suggests that maybe I'm down with a virus but this is not the case. In 6 hours time I will be watching my beloved reds take on a side which was almost non existent on the footballing map up until they found a sugar daddy willing to spend his way to the top. Chelsea have now become a force and there's nothing their Russian crook wants more than the Champions League. They came really close 3 years ago but Mr Braveheart, John Terry, slipped while taking his penalty and gave us the cup (and a new chant to sing at OT). Chelsea will therefore be looking for revenge tonight and that may be one reason for my uncomfortable feelings about this game.

Premier League - Champions League - Fa Cup. In That Order.

To be honest with you, I really didn't give two flying fucks about the Champions League this season. I really really want United to win the Premier League and I considered other competitions as a bonus. However, when we got drawn vs Chelsea, my feelings towards this year's Champion League changed abruptly and now I really don't want Chelsea to get a chance of winning the cup at our expense. I just don't want to see that John Terry smirking at Old Trafford next week and then having the English media blabbering about how brave the Chelsea captain was during the game.

We have played Chelsea twice this season. We ran them off the pitch during the Charity Shield game and they have beaten us during a recent Premier League game (albeit with a lot of help from the ref). The stats, if they're anything to go by, are all against United. Manchester United last won a game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April 2002. Since then the we've been unable to win any of our 10 visits, losing six. Carlo Ancelotti has won seven and lost only three of his 11 games against Sir Alex Ferguson in all competitions.

Both managers and both sets of players know each other very well and I predict a very tight game, even though both teams will go out to score (I can almost hear a "no shit, Sherlock" from you lot). Fergie will most probably field a 4-5-1 formation but knowing that we need to score and that their most important acquisition, Luiz, won't feature tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if Fergie fielded a 4-4-2 formation. Rooney is a dead cert but then Fergie will have to decide on whether to play Chicharito or Berbatov. Berbatov is probably one of the best players in world when holding the ball but Chicharito's pace would definitely trouble Terry and Ivanovic and that's why I would give him the nod to start if Fergie fields a 4-4-2 formation. At this point in the tournament United need an away goal because both teams are capable of winning either away or home.

With Ferdinand Fit, I Still Don't Mind Smalling Starting Tonight

Ferdinand could feature tonight but I honestly don't mind Smalling starting at centre back. Drogba, Anelka and the lady boy didn't really trouble our Londoner last month. I'm not sure if Rafael is fit but if he is then he'll probably start at right back. Nani, Valencia and Carrick will probably feature in our midfield and then Fergie will have the headache of selecting another midfielder from the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Park, Anderson and Fletch(I'm not sure if he's fit though).

I'm not predicting any scorelines, I'm really not good at it, but a scoring draw would be just fine.

It will definitely be an entertaining game for the neutral but for me, well, it will probably be a ride through hell.

COME ON UNITED!

West Ham 2 - 4 United

2011-04-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Kuz

Fabio Smalling Vidic Evra(Chicharito)

Valencia Park(Berbatov) Gibson Carrick Giggs

Rooney(Nani)

What a football game! Once again we were trailing by two goals before half time after conceding two penalties. The first penalty was a dead cert but the second wasn't a penalty. We were unfortunate on that part, however we were lucky Vidic wasn't sent off during the game. I was watching this game at a local pub and most United fans seemed to have given up. Not me though! During half time I told my girlfriend, who thinks United's manager is called Ferrari (at least she got the first 3 letters right), that we were going to win this game. She laughed at me so I recounted the games vs Tottenham a couple of seasons ago, the game vs Blackpool and the '99 final.

Half Time. 2-0 Trailing. Down and Out? Fat Chance

Up until half time I honestly thought that we weren't doing that bad. West Ham scored two penalties but rarely troubled our goalie. Maybe this was one of the reasons why I still believed that United were going to win it. Our midfield did well today. Valencia had an excellent first half and Park did OK. Carrick had a good game... it's been a while since I've written so! Gibson must have forgotten his scoring boots at home but he broke up a lot of West Ham attacks. Giggsy had an OK first half but excelled when he was put in the left-back position during the second. He did a lot of overlapping and assisted Chico for our 4th goal.

Both Evra and Vidic were disappointing today but Smalling gave us more reasons to feel confident in him by putting in another good performance. Fabio did what he had to do and earned us a penalty. At the front, Rooney was too isolated during the first half but got a hat trick in a matter of 15 minutes during the second half when he had Chicarito and Berbatov helping him. So, in my opinion, Fergie got his tactics wrong today but still managed to turn the game around with a couple of good substitutions and a change of formation.

Rooney's Curler was a Beauty

My man of the match has got to be Rooney. When he's not scoring the media criticises him and now that he's scored three, the Mirror claimed that Berbatov inspired United. Everybody played his part but it was Rooney's day today with two magnificent goals and a well taken penalty. It's been a while since we had last celebrated a goal from a free-kick!

2 nil trailing up until half time and we still won...."football, BLOODY HELL!!"

United 1 - 0 Bolton

2011-03-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

VDS

Brown(Fabio) Smalling Evans(s/o) Evra

Valencia Carrick Giggs Nani

Rooney Chicharito(Berbatov)

A goal late in the game, when we were a man down, gave us the much needed three points. My legs still ache after all the frantic jumping I performed when we scored the winning goal. I haven't shouted so much in ages!

It wasn't the best of performances but at this stage(actually, at any stage) it's the points that count and we got what we wanted. Bolton's defence was a tough nut to crack and their strikers did their utmost to trouble our inexperienced centre backs. Brown, Smalling, Evra and Fabio did well but Evans had a miserable game. He failed to win a header and was sent off for a very clumsy challenge.

Today's Hero Berbatov

I was foaming over the prospect of seeing both Nani and Valencia tear Bolton apart but they both failed to live up to the pre-match hype. Don't get me wrong, they did OK but I expect better from a player of Nani's calibre. Valencia, on the other hand, needs more time to get back to his former best. Carrick and Giggs did well to help our defence but weren't really creative when it came to attacking. As my friend pointed out, Carrick rarely passes to players in a more advanced position. At the front, Rooney had another good game. He could have scored a beauty and was the only threatening player from our side, especially during the first half. Our Mexican starlet had an unusually quiet game and was withdrawn during the half time break as Sir Alex, watching the game from the stands, summoned Berbatov who scored the winning goal.

All in all it was an OK performance but we are more than able of playing better than that. However, to be fair, our work was cut out by a disciplined Bolton side, a side which deserves the 7th place it is currently occupying. They could have scored on a couple of occasions but we were unlucky not to be awarded a clear penalty, so lady luck turned her back on both teams today!

Meanwhile, the gunners failed to beat WBA and that has put us in a more comfortable position but it ain't over till the fat lady sings. 8 steps to go...

United 2 - 1 Marseille

2011-03-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

VDS

O'Shea(Rafael(Fabio)) Smalling Brown Evra

Nani(Valencia) Scholes Carrick Giggs

Rooney Chicharito

Chicharito: Excellent Movement, Bargain of the Year!

So we are through to the quarter finals after a decent performance against a very physical team. We scored early in the game and looked miles ahead of Marseille during the first 30 minutes or so. I even had the audacity to think that we were going to stuff the French champions. However, United had to wait until the 75th minute to put the game to bed (that's what I thought at the time) and let me enjoy the game(just for 7 minutes). Alas, with the final whistle looming large, Brown committed an own goal and this guaranteed 10 tense minutes for the United faithful.

As I mentioned earlier we started brightly but faded out. This may be because our team consisted of Giggsy and Scholes who are on the wrong side of the 30's and may not have 90 minutes in them anymore. They did well and covered more than 10km each but looked really tired late on. Rooney had a very good first half but faded out as the game progressed. The other striker, Chicharito, had another terrific game scoring a brace and showing how excellent his movement is. I have seen a lot of strikers at United since '97 and I honestly think that Chicharito's movement is the best I have ever seen along with that of Solskjaer and Ruud. However, he cannot dribble and his touches are often poor so he needs to improve that side of his game.

Nani Disappointed Me

Nani disappointed me today. He failed to beat his man and never really got going. Meanwhile Valencia put in another good shift and his involvement was of great importance because he was part of the buildup that led to the second goal. Well done Antonio! Carrick and Scholes, although not brilliant, did well today. Carrick covered a lot of ground and that was good to see.

At the back Smalling and Brown looked a bit shaky. Brown committed an own goal but put in some decent hard tackles. However, there doesn't seem to be any kind of communication between the two and this was shown on a couple of times. Our right back players, O'Shea and Rafael, had to be withdrawn after they both suffered a hamstring injury. I guess Vidic will be fit for our next game therefore Brown will be played in that right back berth... his rightful place in my opinion.

So we'll see on Friday who we'll meet next. However, we must perform better if we want to get through to the semis. To be honest with you I'd rather see us win the league and being realistic, I don't think that we'll win the Champions League this year especially if we keep losing players to injuries. Winning the domestic double would do though ;) Come on UNITED!

United 2 - 0 Arsenal

2011-03-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

VDS

Brown Smalling Vidic Evra(Scholes)

Rafael(Giggs) O'Shea Gibson Fabio(Valencia)

Rooney Chicharito

Fabio did well but ran out of steam after 45 minutes

I'm not going to lie, the line up raised both of my eyebrows. I thought that Fergie was sacrificing this game for Tuesday's crunch match vs Marseille. I also thought that Fergie had just admitted that we were close to being down to the bare bones. But I never learn to never ever in a million billion years question Sir Alex. Tomorrow I'm printing a placard with the words 'never doubt Fergie' and I'm going to glue it to my forehead. He never sends out a team that is not capable of winning the game.

Hands up if you think Fabio will score

The visitors started brightly but our players showed enough grit to overcome a nearly full strength Arsenal side. Fabio and Rafael ran their socks off with the former scoring the opening goal. At the back, Smalling and Vidic were exceptional. I've almost grown tired of saying, over and over again, that Vidic is a phenomenal defender but the rapid progress Smalling is showing is surprising me every time he plays. He didn't have a very good game last week, true, but with that game aside, he has barely put a foot wrong in his recent outings. I also thought that Brown had a good game. I'm not really confident in Brown when he plays as a centre back but when he plays as a full back he's a very good player. He's been getting a decent amount of game time recently and I'd love it if he stays with us. I like Brown and I also really like his chant! It's being sung a lot at the games and if you spend 2 hours with me you'll probably hear me sing it!

Gibson and O'Shea, our central midfielders, did what they had to do. They contained Arsenal with the help of the excellent Wayne Rooney. He scored one and had a say in the other. His play today was brilliant. Chicharito had a decent game and could have scored a goal late in the game. At the other end VDS pulled off two stunning saves that really made me ask 'Why on earth is he retiring??' He could easily play for another two years!

It's good to see Valencia back. Very good comeback as well.

I obviously have to say a word about Valencia. His play today was simply a teaser of what we have missed during the past 6 months. Power, agility, crossing, you name it, he's got it (except for a good left foot that is). We missed him dearly and his return will be a massive boost for us. He played for 45 minutes and played extremely well. Welcome back Antonio!!!

Arsenal's supporters were blabbering about winning the quadruple a mere two weeks ago. Fast forward to Saturday 12th March and they have only one competition to play for. They laughed at us when we lost vs Liverpool and Chelsea but maybe it's our time to laugh at them for failing to beat us with O'Shea, Gibson, Rafael & Fabio playing in the middle. No wonder they couldn't muster one shot at goal vs the likes of Xavi and Iniesta.

Liverpool 3 - 1 United

2011-03-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

VDS

Rafael(O'Shea) Smalling Brown Evra

Nani(Chicharito) Scholes Carrick Giggsy

Rooney Berbatov

Just looking at that scoreline hurts, it hurts an awful lot. However, I believe that Liverpool deserve the three points because they were better than us, much better than us, and saying that hurts even more. Our away performances this season have been below par but we reached a new low today with a performance that is not Manchester United worthy...heck that wasn't even Wigan worthy.

The ref had a good game today but should have sent both Carragher and Rafael off. We've only got ourselves to blame after that disastrous first half performance. We didn't do an awful lot during the second half either but we started brightly only to have our hopes diffused by another Liverpool goal. Chicharito scored our goal but it was just too little too late. Their player Suarez is a handful. Very very good buy.

Another tough fixture has now been played and it looks like the game at the Emirates will decide the title. It will be a roller coaster of a run in and I just hope I survive it. Overall we were beaten fair and square and I honestly don't mind it. What pisses me off are games like that vs Chelsea. Anyhow, Liverpool fans will surely do their best so I don't forget today's game soon. They're laughing at us but hey, I know a certain idiom that says "he who laughs last, laughs longest" COME ON UNITED!

Chelsea 2 - 1 United

2011-03-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Smalling Vidic(s/o) Evra(Fabio)

Fletcher Carrick Scholes(Giggs) Nani

Chicharito(Berbatov) Rooney

So we were unable to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yet again. It's been 8 years now since our last victory! I thought we played quite well during the first half but Chelsea were evidently better than us during the second. Rooney scored another good goal but in the end it was not enough to give us the 3 points. The referee made some wrong decisions today that ultimately put the final nail in our coffin. Luiz should have been sent off and Smalling didn't move his leg in the penalty incident. Therefore I don't think it was a penalty! Honest, I'm not wearing my red tinted glasses.

I had a very good feeling about this game when Rooney scored that wonderful goal. I thought Chelsea where there for the taking and that our defenders could handle the ineffective ladyboy and the French git. But things went downhill during the second half with Chelsea dominating possession. Chelsea's strikers were still clueless but their midfielders got a grip on the game. Luiz scored a good goal but he should have been sent off later for a second bookable offense. With him, definitely their best player, getting sent off, the outcome of the game would have been much different. But then again, if Rooney had been justly sent off last week we might have lost to Wigan and he wouldn't have been on the pitch today. So basically that's how football works, lady luck decides who she smiles at.

Our lead at the top will probably be cut to 1 point, but Arsenal usually bottle things so I'm keeping my faith in their unique ability. Today's result will mean that only one result will do on Saturday. Vidic will miss the Liverpool game after being sent off today and I guess that will mean that if Ferdinand isn't fit by Saturday, Evans will accompany Smalling. God forbid. I'm not feeling very confident about Saturday's game but heck I must believe in our boys(even in Evans). So COME ON UNITED! Till then I'll keep the red flag flying high!

P.S. I'd also like to congratulate Chelsea on getting into the top 4. Massive massive achievement. Something to shout about at the library, er sorry, I mean stamford bridge.

Wigan 0 - 4 United

2011-02-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Smalling Vidic Evra

Fletcher Carrick Scholes(Gibson) Nani(Fabio)

Chicharito(Berbatov) Rooney

So at the end of the day we ended with a comfortable victory but, during the first 20 minutes or so, Wigan battered us. We were still in with a shout thanks to the brilliant VDS. I can only recall two decent United attacks during the first half. We scored one and rattled the woodwork on the other occasion. During the second half we were much better but we never seriously troubled the goalie until the 75th minute. That's when Chicho scored the second after being set up by Rooney. I thought Rooney was average today but he still had a say in three of the goals scored. So, yes, the guy, even though never really hitting top form and probably won't, is pivotal in our title winning ambitions.

Chicharito :- Mexican for clinical finishes

After the second goal Wigan gave up. Rooney got the simplest of goals when Berba did the right thing and set him up on the counter. Fabio got in on the act with a fine finish and it was just a joy to see his jubilant reaction after the goal!

Nani was a tad frustrating today. He possesses great skill but seems to forget that he plays in a team sometimes. He's got a load of assists this year but that tally could easily be twice the number it is if he passes the ball more often. I think that and his shameful dives keep him back from being truly world class. Our other midfielders Fletcher and Carrick did really well today, much much better than last Wednesday and Scholes had a good game apart from an error early on which nearly cost us a goal.

The coming week will make or break our season. I'd be happy with 3 points or 4 points from a possible 6. Winning both games will settle the title issue and losing both games will put us in a difficult position. But I BELIEVE! Bring on the scum in blue led by the overpriced ladyboy and the "brave men" Terry and Lampard. COME ON UNITED!

Marseille 0 - 0 United

2011-02-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Smalling Vidic Evra

Nani Fletcher Gibson(Scholes) Carrick

Rooney Berbatov

A very poor game of football with both teams defending extremely well the odd attack. A 0-0 result is never a safe one but this draw is, in my opinion, a pretty decent result. Neither side deserved to win this game so the result is only fair on both teams.

Smalling was excellent

United's midfielders and strikers were really poor today but our defense did well and neutralized most of Marseille's chances. Smalling, in my opinion, excelled yet again. However, Gibson, Carrick, Rooney and Berbatov were abysmal. Nani, who looked like the only player capable of creating something, started many promising attacks but never really delivered a decent ball in the box while Fletcher did most of the running but lacked quality. I like Gibbo, he delivers mouthwatering long balls and has a potent shot but his passing is shocking sometimes. There's plenty of room for improvement if he wants to make it at United!

Something's still seems to be wrong with Rooney. He worked hard but he was outpaced and showed that even Evra could dribble more than him. C'mon ROO!

Evra with the Judas who wanted to join Liverpool 3 years ago

I'm quite confident we'll get the win at Old Trafford but we need to be much better than today. Wigan next...

United 1 - 0 Crawley

2011-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

Rafael(Smalling) O'Shea Brown Fabio(Fletcher)

Bebe Carrick Gibson Anderson(Rooney)

Chicharito

This game was a pain to watch. I pity the people who made the trip to Old Trafford and had to see our players play with no determination at all.

Brown was the stand out player this evening. He scored a goal and made some clean tackles. Meanwhile our central midfielders failed to control the midfield play and our wingers were atrocious. Their performance would have been almost acceptable if we were playing another PL side but we were playing a non league club! At the front Chicharito was too isolated and failed to shoot in the right moments. He also managed to get caught offside twice in a minute. Some feat that is! Rooney was given a 45 minute run out and managed to misplace a couple of passes and lose his head.

Crawley almost leveled the score late in the second half but thankfully the bar came to our rescue. Obertan then summed up today's mediocre performance with a comical slip that broke down a rare second half United attack. Overall it was a very poor performance but I hope the youngsters will learn that football is a funny old game that pulls the occasional shock every now and then. Thankfully, that shock did not materialize today. Credit should go to the Crawley players. They deserve to be applauded and our players should learn from the grit and determination the Crawley players showed today.

It's not all gloomy though, we are through to the next round of the FA Cup! Another step towards Wembley.

United 2 - 1 Man City

2011-02-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Smalling Vidic Evra

Nani Scholes(Carrick) Fletcher Anderson(Berbatov) Giggs

Rooney

You Beauty!

A professional performance gave United the important 3 points against Manchester City. I was at Old Trafford for this game and the atmosphere inside the stadium was just unbelievable. Nani scored a very good goal just in front of the Stretford End, where I was seated, and then, on the other side of the stadium, Rooney popped up with an immaculate overhead kick that sent the OT faithful into raptures of joy. I saw that goal in front of my very own eyes but had to replay it over and over again when I arrived back home. I am proud to have witnessed a goal that "defies description".

Photo taken after the start of the 2nd half from the Stretford End

It was a very good derby game, much much better than the derby at Eastlands earlier this season. Both teams had precautionary formations, fielding just one striker, but the game was an enjoyable one. City did give me a few life threatening scares, especially when Silva missed the target after just three minutes. I wasn't particularly pleased when I learned that O'Shea was in the starting line up but he had a very good game. Smalling had City's 'massive' strikers in his back pocket and Vidic was his usual immense self. He gives his all for the United cause and I salute him for that! I saw him, in front of my naked eyes, save a certain goal with a diving header. The guy is simply exceptional.

Celebrating with my friends after the game

Rooney worked really hard throughout the game and then scored that gem of a goal. This was his answer to City's supporters singing that "he's just a fat granny shagger". He may have had a turbulent season but that goal had World Class written all over it. Well done ROO!

Overall I enjoyed my day at Old Trafford. The city fans kept singing that Manchester is Blue but hey I couldn't see one person sporting their gear in the city centre neither before nor after the game. They also sang "are you from Manchester?" No I'm not, but I'm damn proud I support the boys in red.

Another step towards the 19th title while City's microscopic chances of lifting our trophy vanish in thin air. Just what I asked for.

Lest We Forget

2011-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Wolves 2 - 1 United

2011-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

VDS

Rafael Evans(Smalling) Vidic Evra

Nani Fletcher Carrick(Scholes) Giggs

Rooney Berbatov(Chicharito)

So finally the unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt halt by Wolves. I never expected United to complete a season without losing one game but to be honest I never really imagined that bottom side Wolves were going to hand us our first defeat of the season. We have now lost 3 precious point which will bring Chelsea and City back with a chance.

Nani scored inside three minutes and Rooney could(should) have made it two a few seconds later. However, it wasn't to be. Normally I don't like blaming players for our misfortunes but Evans was piss poor today. He fouled every time he went up for the ball and let a Wolves player get a free header for the second goal. I think Smalling would have been more adequate for today's game. United were also denied a dead cert penalty in the second half but hey, "United always get it their way." But to be honest, the simple reason for our defeat today was that no body really showed up after Nani's goal and Wolves played with tremendous determination. So well done to Wolves.

Thankfully Arsenal failed to win their game and let's hope the clowns from Liverpool do us a favour tomorrow but UNITED will never die, so roll on next weekend and let's beat the bitters! I love United.

Gary Neville Retires

2011-02-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

A picture that really speaks a thousand words

So Gary Neville decided that his playing days are over. I thought that his retirement was only imminent, especially after his recent performances. He has been a great player for this club but it was also evident that his performances have waned during the past couple of seasons and when he played this season he just couldn't keep up with the pace of the opponents. Therefore I think that calling it a day was the right move by Neville.

He spent almost 20 years at our glorious club. He wasn't just a player, he was one of us. He gave Tevez the finger, teased Man City and Liverpool fans when we scored and kissed Paul Scholes. Now, who(United fans) wouldn't do that?!!! His performances were brilliant especially when he was still in his late 20's. Fergie has even called him the greatest English left back of his generation and I can't argue with that!

He wasn't a player who liked the spotlight. In fact casual United fans, who jubilate whenever Rooney or Park touch the ball while wearing proudly their AON shirt, might not even appreciate who this player is. The die hards obviously know that Gary Neville is Mr. Manchester United. His will to fight for United has endeared him to everyone who loves United. Because of United, he might have made a billion enemy but, as long as Manchester United's name remains on top, he won't give two flying fucks. That is what made us love him.

So one of the 3 precious jewels we have in our squad has now retired. A loyal player who gave his all for the United cause. A legend. Gary Neville we salute you!

Honours

Premier League: 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2006/07, 2008/09

FA Cup: 1995/96, 1998/99, 2003/04

League Cup: 2005/06, 2009/10

Comm Shield: 1996, 1997, 2008

UEFA Champions League: 1998/99

Intercontinental Cup: 1999

FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Eat your heart out Gerrard, Terry and Torres!!

United 3 - 1 Aston Villa

2011-02-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Rio Vidic Evra

Nani Carrick Fletcher(Anderson) Giggs

Berbatov Rooney

Another good victory at Old Trafford thanks to two Wayne Rooney goals and another scored by Vidic. It was an entertaining game and we could have easily won the match by a wider margin but Brad Friedel was at his best tonight.

My man of the match was Nani. He terrorised Villa's defence and they could only stop our Portuguese by fouling him. He got an assist after delivering a peach of a cross to Rooney and was really unlucky not to score one himself. I'm also very glad for Rooney. He took his goals well and was a tad unfortunate not to get a hat trick today. His ferocious shot at the end of the match was brilliantly saved by Villa's keeper. More of the same please Wayne!

At half time we were in a better position than we are right now, but unfortunately Chelsea and Arsenal managed to turn their score around. We're still at the top but a lot of difficult games are coming our way! Wolves away won't be easy and then we'll have to deal with Man City who are brimming with confidence after managing to draw vs the mighty Notts County....HA!

Anyway I've got a very important exam tomorrow so I'm not really in a mood to write anything else. We'll meet again after the Wolves match when, hopefully, we will be celebrating another win....oh and I will be finished from my exams. Then I'm heading to Manchester but unfortunately my friends and I didn't manage to find a ticket for the derby game so it will be a bit of a useless trip. OH WELL!

Southampton 1 - 2 United

2011-01-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Lindegaard

O'Shea Smalling Evans Fabio(Brown)

Obertan Scholes Anderson(Nani) Gibson(Giggs)

Chicharito Owen

I expected this starting line up today. It was quite a strong starting XI, strong enough to face a League 1 club I thought. But I was terribly wrong! Southampton did 'a Blackpool.' They were excellent during the first half but faded out during the second. Owen and Chico spared our blushes today but it was all thanks to the introduction of Nani and Giggsy.

United were awful during the first period. The amount of misplaced passes by our midfielders was simply jaw dropping. Gibson and Anderson seemed to have forgotten the basics of passing. They gave the ball away cheaply and were rightly substituted. At that time bringing on Berba and Rooney seemed to be more appealing but Fergie opted to stick with the starting strikers and replace the under performing midfielders. Obertan, in my opinion, was lucky to escape being withdrawn. He was very poor just until the 60th minute, when the determined Nani and Giggsy were introduced to this game and sparked United into life. Suddenly the passing was perfect again while the pace had noticeably quickened. Obertan managed to look threatening on the right and even created a goal. Still, he has to do much much more to win me over!

Chico might have been caught offside far too often but his movement and finishing is really good. Owen looked really determined today. I find his run, just like Obertan's, ridiculously funny but his goal instict is still there. He had a good chance during the first half and a cross of his even hit the woodwork! Could prove to be really handy during the upcoming second half of the season but I'm not too sure about that. At the back captain O'Shea had a good game while Evans and Smalling were OK. Fabio did his best and might have picked up an injury. It was good to see Wes Brown back though! He might have been prone to that odd howler in the past but I still like the lad. We did terrifically well when he got through a season without any injuries. What about Lindegaard? The first positive thing is that we have a backup keeper whose name I can spell. The second positive thing is that he looks confident in goal and passes the ball well even when under pressure, however, he wasn't really tested today and he couldn't do much about the goal.

I heard(maybe I misheard it) the Red Army singing the Ronaldo chants during the game. It was quite emotional, those chants still send shivers down my spine!

"...running down the wing, hear United sing...Viva Ronaldo"

Blackpool 2 - 3 United

2011-01-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

VDS

Rafael(Anderson) Smalling Vidic Evra

Nani Fletcher Scholes Gibson(Giggs) Rooney(Chicharito)

Berbatov

The term 'a game of two halves' might have been invented for this match. United were totally outclassed by a plucky Blackpool side during the first half. 2 nil down and most thought this was going to be our first defeat of the season. However, during the interval, I had that tiny feeling(the feeling you always get when United are trailing) that something big was going to happen. In comes 37 year old Giggsy for the below par Gibson and the game was completely changed. We were finally attacking and making their goalie work. All the huffing and puffing finally paid its dividends as we got the 3 points out of nowhere. Chico (who could have scored 3!!!) scored a good goal while Berbatov scored two, with the second after a sublime finish.

My man of the match has got to be Giggs. He tore Blackpool apart with mazy runs, pin point passing and good crosses. Chico and Berbatov were also close candidates. The former got himself into excellent goal scoring positions while the latter scored 2 goals and worked hard for the team(even though I think he should have been marking Cathart when our former player scored). He's finally making a difference to this United side and thank God for that! With Rooney looking like he lost his scoring boots, we badly need Berbatov and Chico.

Every player did his best during the second half, so credit goes to every Red who battled hard to keep United's name on top. Maybe in May we'll look back and say that the league was won after this game!

I still feel pumped up, maybe I should use this spare energy to get back on track with my studies ;) Good night!

UNITED NEVER DIE!
n.b. Get well soon young Rafael!!

United 5 - 0 Birmingham

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Smalling Vidic Evra(Fabio)

Nani Carrick(Gibson) Anderson Giggs(Owen)

Berbatov Rooney

United were outstanding today and have finally won another game without putting my heart to test. Berbatov got his third hat-trick of the season and I guess this game epitomised what a good season he is having. He was definitely my man of the match, and believe me, I never thought I would be writing this last year! Giggsy scored the third while Nani scored another excellent goal.

Berbatov. Man of the match.

My only disappointment was that Rooney didn't score. He was very good in build ups (his link up with Berbatov for Giggsy's goal was outstanding) but missed an absolute sitter. Right now he can't score even if his life depended on it, and believe me, I never thought I'd be writing these words this time last year! He badly needs a goal and I hope he gets it soon. We will be needing his goals!

At the back we were never really tested. Van der Sar was a virtual spectator while our striking force bombarded Foster with about 23 shots at goal. Giggs did really well once again, while on the other flank Nani was his usual self. He was wasteful at times, delivered good crosses on others and scored a very good goal. That's Nani alright! Gibson and Anderson won the midfield battle. To be honest Birmingham's midfield was awful. Even O'Shea had a good game today and that really speaks volumes of Birmingham's effort.

If this display isn't champions standard, then I don't know what is! All I know is that I'm proud of our players and if we emulate this performance in the coming matches then I'm confident the league title will come our way. Well done UNITED!

Excellent footballer, excellent human being

Blackpool next...could be a tricky game.

Tottenham 0 - 0 United

2011-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

VDS

Rafael(s/o) Rio Vidic Evra

Nani(Anderson) Fletcher Carrick Giggs

Rooney Berbatov(Chicharito)

This was a match with lots of attacking endeavour from both sides but no-one seemed capable of creating the breakthrough. I saw the game through my red tinted glasses but I think that even some Tottenham fans would agree when I say that United created the most threatening chances. In fact, Rooney should have opened the score in the first 2 minutes and had another two shots superbly saved by Gomez. Meanwhile I cannot recall one decent shot that VDS had to save. However, he neutralised a lot of crosses.

Man of the Match Vidic.

Rafael was sent off on the 75th minute. He had a very good first half but was clumsy when he floored Van der Vaart during the second half(even though it didn't seem to be intentional). It was a challenge that earned him his second yellow card. He did the same thing vs Bayern Munich but I guess he'll learn with time. This was also our first red card of the season if I'm not mistaking.

There were quite a few players who had a poor game today. Berbatov, Fletcher, Nani, Carrck, Giggsy & Evra did not play up to their usual standard. Rooney started the game brightly but faded out while our central backs had a very good game. Vidic was phenomenal. He was a beast at the back and had Crouch in his back pocket all afternoon. My man of the match.

Sky keeps repeating that point week in week out

Something that keeps pissing me off is the fact that skysports always presents as a talking point, after each and every United game, identical words to the following:- "Can United play this badly and still go through the rest of the season unbeaten?" I mean wtf? When City defended, Vs Arsenal, for about 90 minutes without one single decent attack, these pundits said that City had a great match and that they were very brave. Today we had our fair share of chances and defended brilliantly, yet these football 'experts' keep saying how badly United are playing. Yes, I do agree that we're not setting the world alight this year but we scored the most goals, conceded the fewest and are on top of the table. So check the table, check the stats and before you start jizzing over Arsenal and City put your glasses on and get your facts right. Fuckin ABU's. They're against us, but we'll never die! A draw against such an improved Tottenham was a good result. C'mon UNITED!

Our Pole in Goal

2011-01-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

I've got my exams coming up, I'm way behind schedule, I tried to read my economics book but I couldn't understand one fuckin word. So I thought I should just blog about something that was all over the papers today. No, I won't blog about Dalglish's continuous whining about the 'injustice' they suffered, but I will write something about our Pole in goal.

He debuted in September 2006 in the defeat at the hands of the Gunners. He brilliantly saved a penalty though!

Some people argue that our 2nd goalie, Kus-something, isn’t up to United’s standards. Even the manager thinks so since has been busy sending scouts all over Europe to try and spot another stopper. We have already bought a young Danish keeper and according to the rumours we are looking for another.

So what’s exactly wrong with our Pole in goal?

Personally, I like Kuszczak(Yep, I searched his name on google to make sure I spell it right). He is a very good shot stopper and very good at defending crosses and corners. But that seems to be just about it. The very essence of being a good goalie is communication with your fellow team mates and Kus lacks this. I never really gave two flying fucks about his communication skills until it was brought to my attention by my good friend Androo during one of our long Manchester United conversations.

Recently Thomas Kus has been given a run of games and he has performed quite well. However, I have noticed that he barely speaks to the defence and most of us supporters don’t really trust him. Yes we can praise his stops and all but our level of trust in him is proven whenever one of our defenders passes the ball to him. Personally, my heart skips a beat whenever this happens! With him in goal I don’t feel the level of safety I feel whenever VDS is playing. He also seems to be indecisive when to get out of goal and when not, and that is all down to the low level of communication with the back four. That must be one reason why he has played a mere 58 games in 5 years! Obviously there's also the really small matter of having a brilliant keeper, in the form of VDS, in front of him.

He has recently claimed that he wants the number one jersey but that will be one mammoth of a task for him. First of all he needs to convince Sir Alex that he’s worthy of the number 1 jersey. That seems highly unlikely given that Sir Alex has already bought a new goalie and is rumoured to be in the market for another. Second he needs to raise our, and the defence’s, level of trust in him, and third, he needs to start opening his damn mouth and talk to our defence!

Won't be wearing the number 1 shirt next year, IMO.

Once again, I like Thomas. He’s a brilliant reflex goalie but I don’t really trust him with most of the other tasks. He will not be our number one and I doubt if he’ll be at the club next year, however, he’s a very good backup keeper who’s willing to sit on the bench week in week out and play the odd game or two.

Testing

2011-01-10T15:11:00.003-08:00

Just testing the new facebook widgets.

As you can see I have added a like button widget that will appear after each post on this blog. In order to like a post you'll obviously have to be logged in on Facebook. I did this so as to get some kind of feedback on the posts I post.

- edit - The widget on Safari browsers works perfectly well but there seems to be a problem when pressing the like button using the Firefox browser. Anyone using a Firefox please inform me if the widget is working well. Thanks.

United 1 - 0 Liverpool

2011-01-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Kuz

Rafael Rio Evans(Smalling) Evra
Nani Carrick Fletcher(Anderson) Giggs
Berbatov Chicharito(Owen)

So we're through to the 4th round after beating a spirited Liverpool side. We went ahead after just 2 minutes when Berbatov was fouled in the box and the ref awarded a penalty. Giggsy made no mistake from the spot. Liverpool were later reduced to 10 men and to be honest I think we should have beaten this side with greater ease.

The Liverpool fans are blaming Howard Webb for their loss, so I'll analyse the big decisions taken by Mr Webb. The penalty - It was dubious. There surely was a touch but I think Berbatov made a meal of it and he got what he asked for. A goal that early in the game does damage the morale of the players of the team on the receiving end. However, sometimes conceding a goal that early could spur you on. Liverpool had 88 minutes to do something but instead kept whining and hitting, with their highly inaccurate shots, people seated in the highest tiers at Old Trafford. The Red Card - It was a dead cert red. Anyone saying that it wasn't should pay a visit to the nearest specs shop as soon as possible. A two footed challenge is a straight red, we've seen players getting sent off in the past for that kind of challenge and we'll keep seeing players get sent off in the future for identical challenges. Other penalty claims - United had two other penalty claims and I think one of them, when Evans was bullied off the ball, was quite valid.

Anyway a win is a win and winning against Liverpool is always special. As I browse through some Liverpool supporter's Facebook profiles I cannot help but laugh at their pathetic claims that Webb won us the game. We didn't do anything spectacular, true, but we were the better team on the pitch. Only the post and a couple of excellent saves by Reina have kept the margin on the scoreline to a minimum of 1 goal. Oh and by the way, that Brazilian kid Rafael had another excellent game. Well played Rafa, well done United!

Spurs next. Expecting a very difficult game, therefore a draw would be just fine while a win would be great!

Just a random post

2011-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

I predict that Sir Alex Ferguson will get the sack - Avram Grant will be his replacement. Ray Wilkins becomes number 2 at Man City and they take the title, with Spurs, Bolton and Blackpool coming, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Man City beat Man Utd 7-6 with Neville getting all 6 of Man Utd's goals - no luck, eh! Owen Coyle twins Bolton and Burnley and manages both clubs - Burnley get promoted. The new England manager is announced as Rafa Benitez with Big Sam as his number 2. Lee Cattermole doesn't get booked in 2011 nor does Simon Davies. West Ham decide they don't need a manager and easily escape relegation. Wenger goes anti-English and sells all his English players - all 3 of them and sign Davie Weir from Glasgow Rangers to strengthen his defence. Chelsea have no money to buy new players so Ancelotti decides he should ask the ones he has got to start playing instead. Gareth Bale moves to Swansea who get promoted with Cardiff. Fellaini gets a haircut. Beckham and Ronaldo sign for Blackpool, with Messi and Iniesta signing for Sunderland. Liverpool get relegated - no ignore that one, it might just happen.

United 2 - 1 Stoke

2011-01-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Kuz

Rafael Smalling Vidic Evra

Nani Gibson(Carrick) Fletcher Giggs

Berbatov Chicharito(Owen)

It was a deserved victory but we were too kind with Stoke. With the amount of possesion we had, United should have finished off Stoke by half time. Instead, we let Stoke get back into the match and this brought about a very nervy finish to the game. How many times have we said that this season?!

Fergie decided to give VDS another breather and Smalling started instead of the exhausted Rio. There were no surprise starters in midfield and at the front, given that Rooney failed a fitness test, there were only two players who were going to start this game. Two superb finishes by Chichartio and Nani were enough for us to get the much needed three points and stay at the top of the table. I can now enjoy a good game of football tomorrow that will result, hopefully, in a draw.

We were quite poor on the left flank. Evra seems to be tired and Giggsy played well at times but tried too many fancy flicks and tricks which was a tad too much to be honest. He should know that before killing off an opponent no one should have the audacity to try those kind of passes. Anyway the right flank proved to be our livewire once again. Nani made an assist and scored while Rafael was excellent in defending and attacked well. In the middle of the pitch, Fletcher made a couple of fantastic tackles and Gibbo did his job without being spectacular. At the front Berbatov had a quiet game while Chicho scored and set one up for Nani.

The goal we conceded was, in my opinion, the fault of our two centre backs. Smalling, who had a good game, was caught out of position and Vidic left Whitehead unmarked. It was the only shot on target from Stoke and Kuzschack(sorry but I still cannot spell his name!) couldn't do anything about it.

At this rate, if we continue to fail to finish off opponents we will defenitely pay the penalty come the end of the season with more points dropped and a couple of supporters' hearts crumbling under the pressure of the final tense minutes. For the sake of our health and of course the quest to clinch that 19th title, please, United, start killing off opponents!!! Meanwhile the Liverpool game looms large

WBA 1 - 2 United

2011-01-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Kuz

Neville(Fabio) Rio Vida Evra
Fletcher Carrick Anderson Obertan(Gibson)
Rooney Berbatov(Chicharito)

So Chicharito saved another away game with another headed goal. Rooney scored the first but it was soon cancelled out by a Morrison gem.

I must admit we rode our luck today. Neville made a clumsy, yet goal saving, tackle in the box which should have been a penalty and an automatic red card for our former skipper. The referee, who had a shocker of a game, decided to wave play on. Then WBA were justly awarded a penalty but their striker put the ball wide, with our Pole in goal beaten. That was the turning point of the game as from then on United started doing something. We were also a tadunlucky not to be awarded a penalty but I guess the ref wanted to even things out. Still, the ref had an absolute horror show! He awarded far too many freekicks against United in 50-50 challenges.

When I saw the starting line up I was gobsmacked. I mean, what on earth was Fergie thinking? Neville at right back? We have a winger crisis so the inclusion of a very poor Obertan was understandable, but starting Gary Neville was almost suicidal. He has become too slow for the premier league and, since on our travels we've been so poor, I really can't phatom why Fergie started him. He has been a great servant to the club but I think his role in this team should be solely to motivate our youngsters and maybe play that odd home game against a so called minor team. Gary's love towards our Club is undeniable but I think that his time as a professional football with United is up.

Meanwhile November's villain, Rooney, should have won back the fans who turned their backs on him. He scored a goal but the highlight of the game was when he limped off the field, and when he saw five minutes of added time he sprinted back on even with an injured ankle. That is what made me love Wayne Rooney in the past and that is what will make it more comfortable for me to sing his name again. He was also my man of the match.

Just like Fergie said, this is a massive massive result. We could have been dead and buried by the 60th minute but we managed to get the 3 points. We didn't play well but we snatched the needed points and that is the hallmark of champions. COME ON UNITED!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T04:44:00.000-08:00

The time is ticking on the year 2010. Football-wise, it was one heck of a roller coaster for us United die hards. We won the League Cup and have added another Charity Shield to our glittering trophy cabinet. However, during this year, the trophies we yearned for have eluded us. We were one point away from clinching that historic 19th(and 4 in a row) league title. We also bowed out of the Champions League after destroying Bayern Munich in a breath taking first half and then surrendering in the second period to an Arjen Robben el-Twatski inspired Bayern. We got kicked out of the FA Cup, normally 3rd in our demanding wishlist, after a defeat to Leeds. Getting kicked out of this competition having played just one game is difficult for us, but to get kicked out by Leeds added insult to injury.

We had to cope with the void left by the departure of the great Ronaldo and witnessed Rooney's emergence from the shadows of the Portuguese. We sang Wayne's name and supported him in every single move he made, we applauded every goal he made, we were happy because our Rooney was suddenly untouchable. In the same year he turned from hero to villain. We stood by him through his injuries and his nightmare at the World Cup but he chose to betray us and demand a move away from this club. We had to bear the image of a broken Ferguson admitting Rooney will leave in January and then, just a couple of days later, we were happy because ManUtd.com confirmed Rooney was staying.

Berbatov, whose touch & control I never questioned, managed to force some curse words out of my mouth during the beginning of 2010 but has since been on song scoring goals for fun and winning most of his doubters and that includes me.

New players came in, with the arrival of a young Mexican, who performed so well during the 2010 World Cup, sparking the most interest. Chicharito stole our hearts and is now one of our most loved players. Meanwhile our senior players were ever present in our side during the past year. VDS was immense, Giggs and Neville inspired our young side with diligent talks and setting an example at the club while Scholes delivered one pin point pass after the other. We aslo had to wave Solskjaer goodbye for good. The revival of Anderson was another highlight of the final few months of 2010. He escaped the clutches of death last Summer and forced his way into the side with a string of some excellent performances. The young Brazilian is finally looking like the player we paid 18million for. Nani also had a great year. He's still a far cry from Ronaldo but he's proving to be of great importance to this side.

On a personal note, I didn't go to Old Trafford in 2010. The last time I've been there was in December 2009. I will however go to Manchester this February and hopefully see the derby game. Speaking of derbies, 2010 has now added another digit to that ticker at Old Trafford! We managed to beat Man City, the self proclaimed massive club, in the League Cup semi final and in their own back yard in a league match. 2010 also marked the epic fall of Liverpool from the highs of Champions League football to the lowly depths of the Europa League. In 2011 we might have the opportunity of not seeing Liverpool in any euro competitions at all! Our other rivals Chelsea started 2010 on a high but have ended it on a low. The team that most pundits tagged as "unbeatable" has now drowned in off field and on field crisis. Arsenal have become one year older but their team still plays like, in the words of Evra, "boys".

The 4-0 drubbing of Milan, our win over the same team at the San Siro, our 3-2 win over Liverpool, the 7-1 trashing of Blackburn, the win at Eastlands, the League Cup semi final win over shitty, the 3-1 win over the Gunners at the Emirates and a host of other games will surely remain in our minds. The image of a grinning John Terry holding our trophy is however something I long to forget from the past year.

2010 wasn't a great year but I think it was a good year. Here's hoping 2011 will see United getting that 19th League title and do well in(hopefully win) the other competitions. Fasten your seat belts, this could be another great ride!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Birmingham 1 - 1 United

2010-12-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

Van Der Sar,

Rafael Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Gibson Carrick Anderson Giggs
Rooney Berbatov

We were very near a precious win away from home, but once again, we conceded late in the game. Bowyer, in an offside position, managed to level the score on the 90 minute mark. I'm not sure if the ball came off a United defender before going to Bowyer's feet, but if it came off a Birmingham player, then it was a clear offside.

I thought we played quite well. Berbatov scored another good goal and we also hit the post twice. We were better than Birmingham but the blues managed to absorb our play quite well and were rewarded with an undeserved equaliser. Foster pulled off a stunning save from a Vidic header and managed to save everything that came his way except, of course, for Berbatov's goal.

Anyway we are still leading the table, albeit on level point with our neighbours City. I knew this game was going to be difficult but I expected us to win it. We need to be more careful away from home. From 8 games we have only won 1 game, and we still need to face Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham on away grounds! But still, we are on top and unbeaten. That unbeaten record will come to a halt someday, I just hope that we won't rue the games we could have won but thrown away at the end i.e. Everton, WBA, Fulham and today vs Birmingham. COME ON UNITED bring back OUR trophy!

United 2 - 0 Sunderland

2010-12-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

VDS
Rafael Rio Vida Evra
Park Carrick Anderson(Gibson) Giggs(Macheda)
Berbatov(Chicharito) Rooney

So United gave us the perfect Christmas present with a very good performance and the three points. The football we played during the first 30 minutes was simply a joy to watch and I think that we were a tad unlucky not to have scored 3 more goals during that period. We were bullying the black cat's defence and they were all over the place. Berbatov got a boxing day brace with two fine finishes. He was unlucky not to get his 3rd hat-trick of the season when he hit a fierce shot which rebounded off the post. He also had another terrific and acrobatic attempt well saved by the Sunderland keeper.

Despite a stellar performance from the Bulgarian, I still think that Anderson was the man of the match. The Brazilian, according to the papers, was sick of being at United and sought a move away from Old Trafford a couple of months ago. Roll on today and he has been our best performer during the past month or so. He managed to engineer his way into a team which was playing well and his performances have been a boost to our quest for our 19th league title. He was substituted and although he didn't seem particularly pleased about it, that move was a clear sign from Fergie that he intends to start Ando again in our difficult upcoming match. Well done Ando!!

All midfielders played well. Carrick had another good performances which suggests that he's nearing his full potential while Park and Giggsy started brightly but faded out as the game grew older. I knew Giggs didn't have more than an hour in his legs and he was rightly substituted on the 60 minute mark. Our defence played well once again. Vidic and Rio were an absolute rock at the back while Rafael and Evra defended and attacked with real intent. VDS was a spectator today. He was called into action only once with a fine shot by Zenden, evertyhing else that came his way was cleared by the titanic duo in front of him.

This festive period is pivotal in determining who wins the league. Getting maximum points out of the upcoming matches would put us in an excellent position. We will face Birmingham, West Brom and Stoke in quick succession and I believe we have the capability, with some squad rotation, to beat all three of them. So come on United!!!!!

United 1 - 0 Arsenal

2010-12-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

VDS

Rafael Rio Vidic Evra
Nani Fletcher Carrick Anderson(Giggs) Park
Rooney

An excellent improvised header by Park decided this much awaited game. Some might argue that the game was well balanced but I honestly think that we were the better team and therefore we deserved the win, simply because we created much more chances than the Gunners. Arsenal's only decent chance was when their French striker's tap in was superbly cleared off the line by the fantastic Vidic. Our captain was my man of the match.

I'm delighted with today's result and pretty pleased with our lads' performance. The defence was exceptional. Vidic and Rio were colossal while Rafael and Evra looked really solid today. I think that Rafael has finally come of age. He never rushed to his opponents, attacked wisely and defended brilliantly. His improvement from last season, and indeed from previous seasons, is almost tangible. Well done Rafael.

Meanwhile our midfield had a mixed game. Park scored the goal and worked his socks off, Nani gave Clichy all sorts of trouble with his pace but made a lot of wrong decisions. Fletcher was determined and Anderson keeps putting in a good performance after the other. He was also unlucky not to score, amazingly, his second goal in a week. Carrick was on and off, he's been like that all season.

At the front, Rooney had a good game. He was isolated but caused havoc in the Arsenal defence. However, his performance will be put in the shade of his awful penalty take. Reporters will undoubtly talk about that miss but in reality his cross field passes today were exquisite and he also nearly scored a wonder goal but the Arsenal goalie saved. He's been putting in very good performances since his return from injury but I do wish Rooney gets back to his scoring prowess. Missing that penalty, which I think was a tad unfair on the Arsenal defender(I still fail to understand what is considered as accidental and what is not), won't do his confidence in front of goal any good.

We are now on top of the league. If we win the next game we will be in a very comfortable position, however, a loss won't be the end of the world. I have been saying over and over again that the league could be decided in the coming weeks. I may have said that naively but I will hold on to my belief that if Chelsea fail to win any of their upcoming two huge games, they will be kicked out of the title race. COME ON UNITED!