As I See It

Off The Rails...

2009-03-23T13:21:00.002Z

What a difference a couple of weeks can make in the world of football. After dispatching Fulham with ease in the F.A. Cup, things couldn't have looked brighter for United- the forthcoming visit of our scouse 'friends' to Old Trafford was viewed as the opportunity to end their league season in mid-March; the Cup draw gave us the easiest tie available in Everton.... how could things go wrong....?!

Well, they have. A drubbing at the hands of our bitterest rivals, at home, was very difficult to digest because it was such a shock. The fact that none of our players looked 'up' for a game against Liverpool is unforgivable. Sir Alex's team selection and tactics also were troubling.

So, another trip to Craven Cottage should have been the perfect tonic- a team we had beaten easily just a few weeks previous. But no. Once again 'tinkerman' Ferguson has returned, to the detriment of a stablised team set-up.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that Dimitar Berbatov and Ronaldo should not be forming any sort of partnership up front, especially away from home- who puts the work in to pressurise the opposition defence? Tevez or Rooney would at least attempt to close down space.

I haven't time to comment further right now, suffice to say that a good performance and three points at home to Aston Villa in two weeks time is now vital to our league season.

Sublime

2009-03-07T22:00:00.004Z

It's a great feeling watching United in action these days. You just know that you're watching one of the great sides in football history, YOUR team, as they set records and win trophies. Don't let these moments just pass you by!

Remember days like today. Yes, it wasn't Juventus or Barcelona in a European Cup Final, it was Roy Hodgson's Fulham, a mid-table Premiership side. However, they are a team who've forged a reputation this year as a solid, hard-to-beat side, particularly at Craven Cottage. Frankly, they may as well have been the local pub team from 'The Fox and Hound'...

United, without the talismanic figure of the World Player of the Year (Ronny was left at home in Manchester, not even making the journey down to West London), simply blew Fulham away. Despite having a few nervy moments early on, when Rio's casual manner almost cost us dearly, referee Mike Dean could have saved Fulham a lot of heartache by blowing up after Carlos Tevez had embarrassed Paul Konchesky by beating the defender to a Rooney flick-on to open the scoring on 20 minutes. By the time Park was placing no. 4 past the hapless Mark Schwarzer, Fulham had been reduced to little more than schoolboys asked to take part in a World Cup training session.

Once again, young players like Evans, Welbeck and Eckersley stepped into the side and showed they have the ability and temperament required to become top-class players for the Club in years to come- it's little wonder than Sir Alex is openly admitting that he'll find it almost impossible to retire from his post when the time comes to hand the reins to someone else!

One of the drawbacks of competing for so many prizes is the sheer number of games and the lack of time to catch breath between them. So, this week we welcome Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan to Old Trafford for the decisive tie in the European Cup last 16 fixture, quickly followed by another huge game against Liverpool, one in which defeat for the Merseysiders would surely spell the end for their fading hopes of winning the Premiership title.

It must be a great comfort for Sir Alex to know that he has virtually two great players for every position on the park, though fit right-backs are 'short on the ground' just now. His ability to constantly rotate the squad, with little effect on team performance, has been a key component of our current run of form in all competitions.

Mourinho will have been bemused to learn that the likes of Ronaldo, Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes played no part whatsoever this evening and will be fresh and raring to go against the Italian champions. It should be another memorable European night at Old Trafford and though you discount the threat of an outfit like Inter at your cost, I will be gutted if we don't win the game with some degree of comfort. It would be a terrible slight on this team to finish this season with out making it all the way to Rome in May.

Top Trumps

2009-02-18T23:31:00.003Z

A convincing display from the mighty Red Devils tonight saw United extend our lead at the top of the Premier League to 5 points. Goals from Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov and the returning Wayne Rooney gave United a 3-0 success over mid-table Fulham. Yet another clean sheet for the defence sees United extend the British record for 'shut outs' to 14 matches, which is simply awesome.

With a spate of matches to come in the next month, it was useful to have a reasonably stress-free victory tonight, with no reports of any injuries to any of the lads. Next up are Sam Allardyce's Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday- another we'll be expected to win, but Sam's men won't give up the points without a fight, so I'd expect a tougher game than we had tonight.

Ram Jam

2009-02-16T20:51:00.003Z

This season is shaping up very nicely right now, as far as any Red is concerned. We're top of the Premier League, face Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan at the San Siro in the European Cup QF 1st Leg next Tuesday night and have a trip to Wembley for the Carling Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur to look forward to.
In the F.A. Cup, a tough trip to Pride Park was made to look like a 'walk in the park' yesterday, as Nigel Clough's Derby County were swept aside in majestic fashion by a United side that had a few more 'unusual' faces. That the likes of Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck can take their places in the 1st team and fit in so seemlessly is testament not only to the lads concerned but to the amazing coaching set-up the Club have now at Old Trafford. Sir Alex knows that these lads are 'busting' to get an opportunity to show what they can do at the top level and has little fear about giving them their chance.
The subsequent draw for the QF has seen United penciled in to travel to the victors of the Swansea City/Fulham tie- not easy, but better than a trip to the Emirates or Stamford Bridge.
In the meantime, it's back to Premier League business on Wednesday evening with the visit of Roy Hodgson's Fulham to Old Trafford- one we will be expected to win, but therefore a potential banana skin- a home win is essential to maintain the pressure on our title rivals.

Comings and Goings

2009-02-13T23:37:00.003Z

It's been quite a week for comings and goings in the Premier League managerial hotseats.

The dismissal of Tony Adams at Portsmouth was hardly a shock- the man, despite being a great defender in his hey-day at Arsenal, has never struck me as being 'nasty' enough to be a top manager and when you couple that with being saddled with a job where you have no money to spend and are guaranteed to lose your top midfielder and striker, it doesn't take a genius to foresee the outcome. Actually the fact that the current Portsmouth owner DIDN'T have the foresight to see this inevitable outcome would make me very wary of investing in the Fratton Park outfit, if I were a wealthy foreign investor looking to buy into Premier League football.

I guess I was a little surprised by the haste at which Abramovich dispensed with Luis Scolari's services at Chelsea. Perhaps it underlines more clearly than ever how vital qualification for the Champions League is viewed by the top clubs' hierarchy these days. With Chelsea seeming to be in danger of fading out of the title race, the Russian has taken decisive action now and given temporary replacement Guus Hiddink a decent chance of keeping (at least) their Champions League qualification hopes alive. Personally, I think it would be very foolish of anyone to rule the Stamford Bridge outfit out of the title race just yet, and Hiddink certainly has an impressive CV in terms of getting the most from the players at his disposal.

Joe Kinnear must have ran over a few black cats in his time- the man has nothing but bad luck and misery as company. No sooner has he got a chance to re-establish himself in top-flight football again than it's snatched away by a 'dodgy ticker'. Given their perilous state near the foot of the table, it's unlikely that Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley will be willing to wait around for Joe to make a full recovery from his triple heart by-pass surgery to take the reins again. Much more likely is a quiet 'thanks but we can't wait' to Kinnear and another face in the hotseat at St. James' Park. The rumours that that face could belong to Bryan Robson should have every Geordie reaching for their atlas to search out routes to the likes of Barnsley and Plymouth for next season....

Meanwhile, the World and European (oh, and English) Champions face a quick return to Pride Park to face Derby County in the F.A. Cup 5th Round on Sunday afternoon, having recently overcome the same opposition in the Carling Cup semi-finals. Whilst not to be taken for granted (as they proved in the 1st leg of the Carling Cup semi-final), this Derby side are not really any better than they were last year, when they finished their Premier League campaign with a feeble 11 points. Obviously a lot will depend on the strength of side that Sir Alex puts out on the pitch, but you'd hope that ANY United side comprising of 1st team squad members would have too much for a Championship side over 90 minutes. Guess we'll soon find out!

Hammer & Tongs

2009-02-09T13:49:00.007Z

There's an old saying about how a little time can make a huge difference... and Gianfranco Zola's West Ham United are currently a textbook example of that particular adage!

I last witnessed the Hammers 'live' just before Christmas when they entertained a Tottenham side which was at that time 'riding the crest' of the Redknapp wave of enthusiasm. That Monday evening, the gulf in class between the two sides was frightening (at least, it should have been very scary for the young Italian manager in his 'rookie' season). Tottenham were as majestic in possession and overall control of the game as West Ham were abject. They couldn't have strung two passes together that evening, much less put the comedic Brazilian keeper Gomes under any sustained pressure.

Wind the clock forward a little under two months and the change at Upton Park is little short of miraculous. Yesterday, the Hammers subjected United to as tough an examination of our domestic title credentials as any side we've faced this season- indeed had the otherwise excellent Carlton Cole chosen power over precision with his best chance of the afternoon, United may not have been back on top of the Premier League this morning.

For their part, United played no better than 'decent'. Sir Alex baffled everyone with a fluid 4-3-3 formation, with Giggs on the right of a midfield three containing former Hammer Michael Carrick and veteran Paul Scholes. Ronaldo, on the left, flitted between left-midfield (minus any ideas of actually tracking back to assist O'Shea at left-back) and left-sided forward. The industrious Tevez spent as much time in the midfield area as he did up alongside Dimitar Berbatov.

It was a game played at 100mph, but not lacking any quality for that. West Ham were snappy in the tackles, with Mark Noble and Scott Parker quick to close any space in the centre. Consequently, much of the United threat emanated from the wings, Ronaldo usually providing an outlet for the defence since he hadn't bothered to cover back during the previous West Ham raid. Behrami, the Swiss international, had a pretty decent game for the home side, doubling up to counter the threat of our Portuguese winger.

In the end, the midfield stalemate was broken only by a sublime finish from Ryan Giggs. The Welsh wizard received a diagonal pass from Scholes, fained to cross twice with his favoured left foot (thereby taking two home players out of the game) before cutting inside on his right and sending a lovely shot across the unsighted Rob Green into the far corner of the goal.

It says much for our record-holding defence that, despite some heavy West Ham pressure late on in search of an equaliser, the most notable talking-point after Giggsy's goal was the refusal of referee Phil Dowd to point to the spot after Ronaldo was blantantly tripped in the area by Lucas Neill. There's little doubt that Ron's reputation for 'losing his feet' is costing him (and us) penalties that are clearly warranted these days.

So, a narrow hard-fought victory in the East End, where we've often been 'found wanting' in recent years, sees United return to the summit, with only lucky Liverpool for close company. Just how much more luck the Merseysiders are going to get this year is anyone's guess, but Rafa's bizarre decision to leave both his available strikers, Kuyt and Torres, on the bench in a Premier League game almost came back to haunt him. Indeed, were it anyone else but the hopelessly inept Portsmouth as opposition, they may indeed have regretted such a strange team selection. As it was, the reason Tony Adams has since lost his job at Fratton Park was there for all to see as his side contrived to turn a 2-1 lead into a 2-3 defeat in the last five minutes of the game, with former Liverpool striker Crouch particularly culpable for a hideous back-pass which led indirectly to the opening goal for the Anfield side.

Elsewhere, 'Big Phil' Scolari's stay at the Bridge looks increasingly in jeopardy as his side tamely drew 0-0 with Hull City, with John Terry making a claim for this year's 'Miss of the Season', volleying over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

The North London derby ended in goal-less stalemate as well, with Wenger's well-known blindness making a return, the Frenchman claiming not to have seen Emmanuel Eboue's ridiculous kick at Modric for which Eboue rightly received his second yellow card of the afternoon. Of course, he has since made a miraculous recovery and is now moaning that the referee wrongly chalked off Eboue's earlier 'goal', in the build-up to which the Arsenal player quite blantantly shoved Jonathan Woodgate in the back. I guess some things never change...

Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa increasingly look like a side which could become a permanent fixture in the fabled 'top four'. Villa completely dominated in the 2-0 victory at Ewood Park against a rejuvenated Blackburn Rovers, and must wonder how they only scored twice. Everton also had another excellent result, winning 3-0 at home to Bolton despite their heavy toils of mid-week in the F.A. Cup win over Liverpool.

The Flowers of Manchester- Never Forgotten

2009-02-06T22:44:00.004Z

6th February, 1958- a date forever tinged with sadness for all Reds, and indeed for all decent football followers around the world.

The story is well known to anyone with even a passing interest in Manchester United. If you wish to read more go to http://www.munich58.co.uk/.

By the end of that fateful day, 21 people were dead, 7 of them young men cut down in the prime of their lives. Two more, the captain of the aircraft, and star player Duncan Edwards, died later from their injuries. Two others, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry would never play football again.

The United lads who perished were: Geoff Bent, team captain Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan.

On this day, we remember them and their families. No-one could have foreseen the terrible fate that overtook them; we who come after them recognise the price they paid to play a game of football for our Club.

Cheeky Charlie

2009-01-31T14:34:00.004Z

It's a story which sums up what's wrong with modern 'professional' football. The 'story' in question is the 'dummy spitting' tantrum apparently thrown by Newcastle United's French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia as a result of his manager's 'insult' to him.

So how exactly did big, bad Joe Kinnear insult poor Charlie?? Did he question the player's parentage? Did he call his partner 'ugly' or 'slapper'? Did he question N'Zogbia's commitment to the club?

Er, no (though the last one above could be viewed as an accurate 'concern'). Joe's 'crime' was attempting to pronounce Charlie's surname in a public interview and getting it wrong twice before reverting to calling him by his first name.... YES, that's correct! This is the 'sin' which has Charlie 'gurning' to the media about insults, and as Joe has correctly since surmised, looking for a way out of St. James' Park.

I'll tell you what.. if I was Kinnear, N'Zogbia wouldn't be still looking for a way out- I'D HAVE KICKED HIS POWDERED ARSE OUT THE DOOR PRONTO!! In these days of ordinary people suffering the hardships of an unprecidented economic recession, with hard-working men & women losing their jobs on a seemingly daily basis, such panty-pissing prima-donna antics from rich, arrogant Premier League footballers make me want to puke.

I have no love for Newcastle United. At worst, they have numerous 'supporters' who deserve nothing but contempt for their unashamed play-acting to the media as long-suffering, loyal, fervent fans who 'live for their club' when the reality was attendances in the low-to-mid teens of thousands in their nadir of the 1980s.... the chant 'Where were you when you were shite?' could have been made up for them (though it suits the vast number of 'Johnny-come-latelys' who make up the crowd at Stamford Bridge much better these days). If you wish to see REAL loyal, long-suffering fans, go visit Goodison Park. Everton's attendance figures, at around 40,000 for every home game, is testament to genuine football fans who haven't seen their club win anything of note in the last 15 years.

That said, I have nothing but sympathy for Joe Kinnear- the man has had nothing but ill-fortune and bad luck since he took over at Newcastle, culminating in an injury crisis which is overshadowed in number only by our own bunch of 'crocks' at Old Trafford. The latest additions in the shape of Michael Owen and the loathsome Joey Barton are experienced pros that he would have been pinning survival hopes on. The arrival of the combatant Kevin Nolan from Bolton Wanderers is a huge boost, but it's going to be a tough run-in for Kinnear.

Tomorrow sees the visit of their arch-rivals, Ricky Sbragia's Sunderland, to 'bar-code central'. If the visitors leave with all the points, Joe will once again see at first-hand how 'England's best supporters' react to defeat..... if they want a better target for their abuse, they should look no further than one Charles N'Zogbia. Now there's a REAL villain of the peace...

The Threat

2009-01-25T20:12:00.005Z

Well, overall it's been a good weekend for the mighty Red Devils.

A more-convincing-than-it-sounds 2-1 victory over Tottenham in the F.A. Cup 4th Round was complimented by today's 1-1 draw at Anfield which leaves 'Bluffer Benitez' with a tricky extra fixture across Stanley Park.

In fact, United's biggest threat right now stems from an ever growing injury list which sees youngsters Fabio and Danny Welbeck become the latest 'crocks' after limping out of the Spurs tie, Welback with an ankle knock, the impressive Fabio with a calf problem.

United now have as many as 10 first team squad members sidelined, something which is giving Sir Alex cause for concern, particularly as we are fast running out of full-backs. A trip to the West Midlands to face West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night was going to be a potential banana skin anyway, now it is definitely going to be a searching examination of our supposed 'strength in depth'...

On a happier note, Saturday's game gave us a first look at Rafael's twin brother Fabio- I think we can now start getting excited about how good these two young Brazilians are going to become for us! Sure, they still have a lot to learn (particularly on the defensive side of a full-back's responsibilities) but they both show an ability to read and react to the game at this high level tremendously well already.

I was also very impressed by young Welbeck, especially since he was playing out of position at right-midfield- the lad has bags of enthusiasm and a very good touch on the ball, and with a touch more luck could have bagged himself his first F.A. Cup goal.

Carlos Tevez continues to 'break my heart'. I'd so much like to see the little man get his just reward of a 5 year full-time contract at Old Trafford, but his owners' asking price of £30+m is just too much to justify in my opinion. That said, Berbatov ended up costing us a similar fee, but it may be that Dimi's arrival at M16 for such a large fee spells the end of Carlito as a United player this summer- hopefully something can be worked out to prolong the Argentinian's stay, as the little man sweats blood for the cause every time he pulls on the red shirt.

It was nice to get a draw against non-Premier League opposition, be it Derby County or Nottingham Forest, in the 5th Round. At this stage of the competition, you either want a home draw or a draw against lower league opposition. Assuming the injury situation doesn't worsen, we should have too much firepower for either of the East Midlands clubs. Personally, I hope we end up travelling to Forest- a club with a great tradition of playing attractive passing football- it would make for a very good tie.

Anyway, speak to you later.

For Once Roy Was Wrong...

2009-01-22T20:27:00.005Z

From the outset, let me say that I'm an unrepentant fan of one Roy Maurice Keane. The man was one of the best all-round midfield players I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and the fact that he's a month younger than me and a fellow Irishman (albeit he's from the far South and I the far North) only made me admire his drive, will-to-win and his many achievements all the more.

What's more, Roy usually had a forthright opinion on any given topic in the world of football (his autobiography is a superbly entertaining read, particularly in these days of published 'banal nonsense' from players who have yet to achieve anything of note in the game...) and I very, very rarely found myself disagreeing with his views on many varied subjects.

It is therefore with a degree of surprise that I can happily declare that in my opinion Roy has been proven wrong in his voiced analysis of one particular player- Darren Fletcher.

The Edinburgh lad has certainly taken his time making his mark at Old Trafford, and many United fans would have gleefully 'sold him on' several years ago (myself included). However, such has been the stellar rise of the current Scotland captain over the past 9 months that I can honestly say that Darren would be one of the first names on my teamsheet every week. Indeed I'd be as disappointed as he would if he isn't anchoring our midfield next month against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side in the European Cup games.

His all-action style, covering every blade of grass in his enthusiasm to 'get a foot in' or play a telling pass, has been complimented this season with a few important goals- crucial strikes against the likes of Portsmouth and Everton have assisted greatly in keeping United's momentum going in the attempt to add a third successive Premier League title to our Honours List.

So, let's hope young Fletch can keep things going in this upward trajectory. I recall the oft maligned Phil Neville occasionally putting in a fantastic midfield display during his time at Old Trafford (a game against Arsenal springs to mind), but in the end his inability to repeat such performances on a regular basis led to a premature departure to Merseyside (where he has cemented his reputation as a very worthwhile player to have around, as many Evertonians would be quick to attest to).

As for Roy, well you can't be right all of the time lad!

Top of the tree....

2009-01-17T20:39:00.001Z

nice, very nice... but it's only January. Unlike our 'friends' down the other end of the East Lancs Road, there's no need for any 'panty pissing' just yet. As all Reds know, there'll be a few twists and turns yet before May comes around. However, it's good to see our lads proving that we can still claim the points (and ultimately, hopefully, the prizes) despite having a few of the 'big' names unavailable through injury right now.

Dimitar Berbatov hasn't exactly cut a hugely popular figure with all Reds yet, but the guy is a quality player (do you honestly think Sir Alex would track him for so long, and shell out £30m in the end for him if he wasn't going to be 'top dollar'...??!!), and his goal at the Reebok today could go a long way to repaying his substantial transfer fee.

Elsewhere, it's more than heart-warming to see our own Jonny Evans slotting so comfortably into Rio's shirt that we've hardly missed a man who is possibly the best centre-back in the world right now. The lad has shown maturity and a calm authority way beyond his tender years, and I'll bet he's now relieved he turned down Roy Keane's offer of a return to Sunderland in the summer to stay and stake his claim for a 1st team shirt at Old Trafford!!

Speaking of transfer fees.... I doubt I'll be alone in having a 'lessened' view of Brazilian superstar Kaka if he 'takes the money' and leaves a true European giant in AC Milan to join the latest 'rich boy's play-thing' at the Boo Camp. The lad certainly doesn't need the £500k per week wage he's supposedly been offered, and unlike Robinho, he KNOWS ahead of time that it's not United in Manchester who he's in talks with, but a team more likely to be involved in a relegation battle.

Whilst the 'bitters' may be loving their 15 minutes in the world football 'limelight', the longer term effect that the Arabs' money may have on transfer structures could be profound. Despite what the song said, money CAN buy you everything (at least everything that has a price), so if city are interested in any player, they can effectively price any other club in the world out of the running- in the interests of competitive sport, FIFA have got to come up with some sort of system that 'caps' both transfer fees and players' wages- the figures bandied about for both structures are nothing short of obscene in these days of 'credit crunch' for everyone else in the 'real world'- (oh, and this isn't the rant of a Red worried that city may become the new force in English and indeed European football, it's someone whose genuinely concerned for the long term future of our game...)

Speaking of concerns, we don't seem to be having much of a change of luck with FA Cup 'draws'- yet another Premier League club as opposition in the 4th round (albeit we will have home advantage to Tottenham Hotspur). I was half expecting another trip to face Aston Villa at our 'second' home- still, that's probably where we'll end up in Round 5 if we can safely 'see off' Harry's boys.

It would be amiss of me to leave you without a passing mention of Senor Benitez.... Until his recent outburst, I had quite a lot of time for the man, indeed I'd have gone as far as saying I quite liked him as a person (if not actually rated him as a manager). However, his calculated attempt at stirring up trouble for United has left me with nothing but contempt for the man. It's easy to see what he was attempting to 'gain' through his error-strewn diatribe- the overwhelming support of and an almost 'worship-like' status amongst Liverpool supporters. To be fair, if he didn't already have it, the easiest target to pick on to achieve it with that lot has to be their most hated enemy, Sir Alex.

However, why would he want their support at this particular time...? "Putting pressure on United" I hear you say, "starting the 'mind games' with Sir Alex early", others say. Maybe. My take is somewhat different.

Rafa is currently embroiled in contract negotiations with Liverpool as regards his OWN contract, and these aren't going smoothly. It's supposedly not the money that's the 'problem', more the amount of interference in 'football decisions' at the club from the likes of CEO Rick Parry.

So, if you're involved in a power struggle at a football club, who better to get on 'your side' than the club's supporters. Their support makes things very tricky for the board. They dare not try to offload you for another manager (eh, Jurgen?) unless they want to face the wrath of disgruntled supporters, and it strengthens your hand in negotiations, even if only psychologically.

Thing is, Rafa's been a tad silly. Given that he has the dippers in genuine contention for a league title AFTER Christmas for the first time in about 15 years, he was automatically going to be popular with that lot, so much so that their board wouldn't dream of letting him leave, at least not before summer. Indeed, all his little rant has done is make him appear paranoid, and (contrary to what he claims about Sir Alex) very afraid of the Champions of Europe (oh, and England... :->)

And you know what Rafa... YOU'D BE RIGHT TO BE VERY AFRAID!! Let's see how YOU cope under some real pressure from a Knight of the Realm and his men...

Happy New Year...

2009-01-01T23:23:00.000Z

So, the January transfer window opens... and Sir Alex has already indicated that, for us, it may as well not be. A bad stance to take?

Well, let's see. Big Eddy still looks as good a keeper as anyone else around- his confidence can take dips, but his ability is unquestionable. I simply don't trust the Pole as his understudy, and poor Ben Foster seems injured on a fairly permanent basis. We could do with another young keeper...

The defence, despite a bit more 'mixing and matching' this season, has generally appeared as solid and reliable as ever. When fit, we have Nev, Wes and Rafael to call upon at right-back, Patrice Evra is ably deputised by O'Shea on the left, and young Jonny Evans really has settled in well as cover for Vidic and/or Rio when necessary, which is good news for N.Ireland as well. Enough depth for the remiander of the year? Not sure. Nemanja Vidic is apparently suspended for the Inter Milan European Cup ties in February. If so, and if either Evans or Rio got a knock between now and then, we'd be relying on big O'Shea to cover the centre- not a comfortable thought for the San Siro trip or any subsequent European ties. So, I'd definitely be looking around for a centre-half, possibly an experienced player on a short-term loan.

Midfield, with the wonderfully gifted Michael Carrick firing passes around for fun, is looking increasingly able as the season progresses. The return of the Ginger Prince (even if only in a more 'bit part' role than in days of yore) is simply wonderful news- the lad is rightly regarded by many Reds as one of our all-time great attacking midfielders, and it will be a sad day when Paul has to finally 'call it a day'- hopefully there are a couple more 'Moscow' nights left for him and Giggsy yet. Young Fletcher has come on 'leaps and bounds' in ability this past few years, such that I would have no worries about pitching him in against anyone in Europe right now- what little he lacks in ability he more than makes up for in effort. Park, though willing to run all day, doesn't convince me to the same degree. Anderson is a great competitor, and I find the rumours that we'd even consider loaning him to Arsenal to be preposterous, unless Sir Alex is sure we can bring him back on an hour's notice, should we get hit with an injury crisis.

Out wide, Ronaldo continues to both delight and infuriate in equal measures. The lad is untouchable when he wants to be, but his mind isn't as focused on doing his best for Manchester United as you would expect a player of Sir Alex's to be. Quite simply, if he is still with us in February (and not in Madrid), I'd expect and hope that he'd settle into a strong run of form, one which will hopefully go a long way to seeing us retain our European crown.

On the other side, Nani is far from the player I'd hoped he'd become by now. Poor decisions, opting for personal glory over team success, have characterised his play more often than not. That's fine if it's 'coming off' but it's not. Despite having been at the club for quite some time now, he's still not ahead of the aging Giggs in my team selections. Giggsy may not have the legs for 90 minutes at the top level anymore, but his football brain and experience are invaluable. Quite honestly, I'd defintely be considering a bid for a top class left midfielder, one with the ability to perform as an out-and-out winger if needed.

Up front, we have the powerhouse that is Rooney, ably assisted by either Berbatov or Tevez. Which to go with should depend on the nature of the opposition, in my opinion. The Bulgarian is a master at unlocking tight defences with a deft pass or piece of trickery (West Ham at home springs to mind), but his effort off the ball is non-existant. He's very much a 'luxury' player. Carlos endears himself to most with his willingness to sweat blood for the cause- he's a great player to have if you need someone to drop into the 'hole' and virtually play as another midfielder- useful away from home, where the rapid counter-attack can be most effective.

We loaned young Campbell to Spurs for the season as part of the Berbatov deal (he seems to be doing ok there), so another striker (even on loan) wouldn't be a bad idea, but where do you find one with enough ability who isn't 'cup tied' for Europe??

Guess that why Sir Alex and his staff are on a sizable wage....

Anyway, Happy New Year to all reading. Hope 2009 turns out to be as 'Mancunian red' as 2008!

Welcome!!

2008-12-21T11:52:00.000Z

Welcome to my blog, where I shall 'wax lyrical' on anything that may be travelling through the vacuum between my ears...

Right now, I'm lying here recovering from the annual mistake which is the work Christmas Party... really, why do we do this to ourselves every year?

We get dressed up and go out for the evening- don't get me wrong, the food is usually fine (anything being paid for by someone else usually tastes better....) but then you have to endure either: sitting at a table of people who may not have much in common, and look as utterly dejected to be there as you are, or: watching people from the neighbouring tables, well the worse for drink, making absolute idiots of themselves in front of their colleagues and everyone else.

For instance, last night we were treated to the spectacle of a girl who was so drunk by 8pm (yes, we'd only just sat down for the dinner) that she was literally falling out of her seat, legs n butt everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I've no problem with people having a few drinks and enjoying themselves, but what's the point in getting so blitzed that you have to be carried out after only an hour??

Anyway, enough of that. Manchester United will hopefully be well on the way to being crowned 'World Champions' as I type this.... not that winning this particular tournament will live that long in the memory. It may be big news in Japan and other parts of Asia, but in Europe it counts for diddly squat. Give me 3 points in our next Premier League game over any silly FIFA titles any day.

Right, enough for now- I hope you're having a good day wherever you may be reading this at. Will speak to you later.

Cainess