United thrash West Ham and move closer to the top

Couldn’t have asked for a better weekend now could we? That was the thought that went through my head on Saturday night, after seeing United take care of West Ham away from home, while the scousers dropped points yet again (not to mention Steven Gerrard tarnishing his 500^th appearance for Liverpool by that embarrassing dive), we were treated to an improbably delightful surprise, as Man City finally decided to get their shit together and gave a strong effort against league leaders Chelsea, winning 2-1, and reducing the gap at the top to just two points. This has blown the title race wide open again, as Chelsea are now one draw away from possibly surrendering their monopoly over first place in the rankings table.

As the afternoon started, United supporters were given some bad news, as our backline that was to feature against West Ham was missing almost every first choice center back. Vidic was out with the flu, Evans and O’shea had yet to recover from their respective injuries, Rio Ferdinand remains a long term absentee with his back injury ruling him out until the new year. That meant a make shift defense consisting of Darren Fletcher, Gary Neville, Wes Brown, and Evra had to be deployed, with a five man midfield sitting in front of them to pack the middle, and Rooney leading the line up front.

As the game progressed in the first half, United mostly dominated possession but were struggling to get that elusive first goal, while West Ham created a few chances as well.  It looked as if we were going into the break tied with the home side, when Paul Scholes conjured one of his trade mark rocket shots from just outside the box, as opposition keeper Green got a hand on it but could not prevent it from entering the net. That goal proved to be very decisive, as it handed it us a much needed boost heading into the second half, and relaxed us a bit.

In the second half, United completely ran the show, as Scholes orchestrating play from the middle like only our ginger maestro can, while Anderson and Gibson were industrial and lively as well. Giggs and Valencia patrolled the wings mercilessly, while Wayne Rooney did what he can with what little support he received alone up front. We didn’t take to long to put the game out of reach, as Darren Gibson received the ball from Giggs on the right, and fired a cannon ball into the roof of the net, leaving Green helpless yet again. This kid Gibson has been on fire lately!! With three goals from the last two games, he appears to be working his way into our first team rapidly. Look for him to start against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

Rooney and Valencia sealed the win with two uncontested goals, as United tore the Hammer’s weak defense apart. Rooney tops the scorers table while Valencia registers his third in the league thus far (he scored three goals in two years for Wigan!!).

All that was left was to hope that our neighbors Man City would do us a favor and beat Chelsea, and they didn’t disappoint!! Despite going a goal down in the first half, they recovered in time to score two goals (thank you Tevez, but you’re still a cunt), and Frank Lampard missed a penalty late, that meant that Chelsea dropped three points. We’re now within touching distance of the summit, and with the African Cup set to soon deprive Chelsea of four vital African players (Drogba, Essien, Mikel, Kalou), United now have a chance to restore their title aspirations if they can put a decent run of wins together. However with a tough test against Aston Villa at Old Trafford next week, and our injury woes in defense, we should hold the celebrations.

Until next week, enjoy the highlights of United’s four nil thrashing of the Hammers:

Fans grow suspicious as the club aborts deal for Serbian wunderkind Lajijic

Is it really over? Has a year’s worth of waiting and anticipating been flushed down the toilet?! Did we watch all those Youtube videos of this eighteen year old kid, who had such promising talent that he was nicknamed “little Kaka”, for nothing!?!? It appears to be the case now, as Manchester United have finally released an official statement declaring that they’ve backed out of the deal they had agreed with Partisan Belgrade almost a year ago, which would’ve sent talented youngster Adam Lajijic to United this January in exchange for the sum of 10 million euros. The dream of seeing this young Serbian dazzler showing off his skills in a red shirt is now officially dead.

When I first heard this news yesterday, I was utterly shocked, mainly because this news suddenly came out of the blue, with no prior rumors preparing us to face the harsh reality that was about to unfold. Worst of all was that we had to learn about this crap from some bloody newspaper, which split opinions between those who immediately believed the news, and others (like myself), who thought that this was just an inaccurate rumor created to sell papers. Wait until the club confirm it, I told myself. Surely there must be a misunderstanding I thought. Then a few hours later, the club’s official website confirmed what we had all feared, the rumor was actually true. However, if this wasn’t bad enough, the quotes attributed to Partisan’s president made matters much much worse. Accordingly, the club president blamed the collapse of the deal on the two words united fans have come to have the most since the Glazer’s family takeover in 2005, “financial crisis”.  The club immediately rubbished such claims, with an unnamed spokesperson for the club claiming that United’s scouts have not seen the expected development from the youngster since they signed him several months ago, and saw it wise to back out of the deal and put the money to better use.

As I’m sure many of you would agree, this justification is complete bullshit. Hasn’t progressed well? Sir Alex was giddy about this kid joining our team just a couple of months ago, what could’ve changed in terms of football matters in that time?!?! The kid has received rave reviews so far this season, and has moved up from the youth team to first team in Partisan scoring five goals thus far!! It’s hard to believe that our scouts what exactly it is that our scouts saw wrong in this kid all of a sudden, after he was paraded around at Old Trafford last year with a United shirt leading fans to celebrate the arrival of a future prodigy in the making. Another unconvincing attempt by the club to explain this debacle occurred today, when Sir Alex Ferguson avoided his usual Friday afternoon press conference ahead of weekend fixtures for “personal reasons”, and assistant coach Mike Phelan appeared in his stead to proclaim the reason that United aborted the deal was because they couldn’t a work permit for Lajijic. Oh really?? The boy currently plays for the Serbia’s U-21s, and has become a regular first teamer for his current club. Would you really have us believe that getting him a work permit based on him being a “special talent” is really a problem? It hasn’t been an issue for us before!! Phelan insisted that even if they were to keep pursuing getting him a work permit now it wouldn’t arrive in time for the lad’s move in January, but seriously why did they wait until now to begin doing the procedures for the permit? They had his signature wrapped up for almost a year now, so why the delay?

As such we are left to assume that either one of two reasons is the real cause behind the termination of this transfer: a) United might actually be aiming enter the transfers market in January seeking a big name player that can help our quest for silverware this season, or b) we really are in trouble financially.

In the first case, it would be hard to imagine united have suddenly had a change of heart after Sir Alex proclaimed time and again that his dealings in the winter will be very limited. Could the availability of the David Villa, who recently proclaimed he’s now interested in a move to England, have suddenly changed Sir Alex’s mind? Could the increased interest from rival clubs in highly rated Danish defender Simon Kjaer have influenced the club to act quickly and secure his signing before they lose him to another team with more cash? Could assistant coach Mike Phelan’s recent admission that management is interested in Wolfsburg’s Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko have anything to do with this? At this point all of this talk could only be considered as more wishful thinking than logical analysis, as there’s no evidence to back it up, and we can only wait till January to find out.

The alternative, which I hope isn’t really the case here, is that we’re really facing financial troubles. After all the signs have been ominous thus far: the ever increasing ticket prices, choosing not reinvest the Ronaldo transfer fee in the summer (although I still believe that those we did get have been master strokes thus far), and deciding to focus more on youths development than competing with rival clubs for highly priced targets with established reputations (while seemingly a very wise approach, not something we’ve grown accustomed to from our club over the years), and more recently the decision taken to delay giving top players in our team much deserved contract extensions that would ensure they’re committed to the club and settled in Manchester for years to come (e.g. Vidic, who’s contract runs out in 2012, and is currently being courted by Barcelona). With debts in the region of six hundred and fifty billion and rising, it’s easy to believe that with the current economic crisis our financial burdens have finally started to take a toll on our transfer activities.  A united supporter’s group known as MUST agrees that real reason behind this incident could be financial, as an official spokesperson of the group recently stated that the club’s owners continue to alienate loyal fans by constantly raising ticket prices, while seemingly defaulting on their promise to reinvest the fee gained from Ronaldo’s sale in the team, instead of using it to service the debt they brought on us when they acquired the club in the first place.

Since this news has been released late last week, the issue has died down a bit, as fans were buoyed by the team’s emphatic four nil victory away to West Ham on Saturday, with young players such as Anderson and Gibson (amazing goal) staring in the impressive performance by the red devils, While league leaders Chelsea lost away to Man City, cutting the deficit back to two points, as the title race has become wide open again. As the team continues to display good performances and make up ground against opponents, fans will undoubtedly be placated by our lack of transfer activities so far. However should this mishap come back to haunt us in the near or distant future, perhaps with Lajijic signing for a rival club and proving that he was worth the hype, fans will surely rue the day we botched this deal, and will rightfully blame this on the Glazers. As for yours truly, I can sum up my opinion with four simple words, “in Fergie we trust”.

How much has Ancelotti’s arrival affected Chelsea’s title credentials?

I know what you’re all thinking as you read the title of this article, giving up already? Conceding that the title is going back to Stamford Bridge after three years in Old Trafford? No way. Like the clichéd saying goes “it ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings”, and as such I won’t ever lose hope before it has become mathematically impossible for us to retain our EPL title.

As a long time United fan, I’ve seen my beloved red devils come back from much bigger deficits and defy many times over the supposedly insurmountable odds, to overthrow other contenders and claim the EPL title. So for me to start giving up already is laughable. However, there’s no shame in admitting that in the currently Ancelotti-lead Chelsea team, we face our toughest challenger for the title since the “Invincibles” of Arsene Wenger last won it in 2004 without losing a single league game.  You might point your fingers towards Mourinho’s Chelsea team which had won the title for two straight years before we eventually dethroned them in 2007, but trust me when I say that this current Chelsea team is a completely different monster. For starters, Mourinho’s “untouchables” won their titles on the back of their manager’s highly defensive, substance-over-style tactics, empowered by Roman Abramovich’s endless supply of cash which enriched their squad with every money hungry talent available in the land. Meanwhile challengers like us, Liverpool, and Arsenal lacked the spending power, the durability, or the winning mentality needed to put forth a genuine title challenge.  Eventually Mourinho’s dull tactics became all too predictable, and Roman Abramovich grew disinterested in pouring cash into the hands of a coaching staff which seemed to squander it away uselessly (spending huge amounts of money on turkeys like Khalid Bulhrouz, Jon Obi Mikel, and an over thirty pair of Michael Ballack & Andrei Shevchenko) and impatiently chase away young promising talents like Glen Johnson & Carlton Cole, While United’s faith in youngsters such as Rooney, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Vidic, & Evra  paid off, as it paved the way for another golden era with three straight domestic titles won, and back to back appearances in the European final, and we capitalized our return to dominance by defeating the presumably fading Chelsea in that unforgettable penalty kick shootout in 2008 (Easily my happiest memory to date).

After three years, with as many managers being changed, Chelsea seem to have finally found the right man to lead them back to the top. Not only that, but Ancelotti seems to have found a way to finally produce the type of stylish football which Roman Abramovich has been whining about the lack of since he bought this team. Where Mourinho simply took the players he was provided with and achieved what was merely expected of him through unimaginative tactics, Ancelotti seems to have improved his already world class squad with the application of his famed Diamond formation. Accordingly, this formation has brought out the best in many facets of Chelsea’s playing style, as he finally found a way to get Drogba and Anelka to form an effective striking partnership, enhanced Frank Lampard’s effectiveness by playing him on the edge of the diamond in midfield, and turned an underachiever like Florent Malouda into currently one of the best winger’s in Europe. Where the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, & Luiz Felipe Scolari before him failed to find a combination of stylish and effective football Ancelotti had succeeded, and what’s more, he managed to surpass the high expectations generated by the successful short stint Dutch tactician Guus Hiddink spent in charge of the club last spring.

However, if there’s one thing Ancelotti’s team haven’t achieved yet, it is “Invincible” status.  After their demolition of an underachieving Arsenal team on Sunday, many have found themselves left wandering whether anybody could stop Chelsea this year. All of them believe that the Blues have already bested the Premiership’s most powerful sides, and as such have the title wrapped up. However those deluded many seem to be ignoring the fact that the competition in the league this year is much weaker than years past.  Liverpool are having one of their worst season’s in club history this year, and Arsenal obviously lack a mature experienced team, devoid of much needed big name signings to lead the way, and United have had to restructure the team following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez over the summer, and have looked barely average on defense after a series of never ending injuries to key players seem to have blighted our once impregnable backline. Man City have proven that all the hype around their supposed top four challenge was anything but deserved, as their strong start to the season has faded away, and made way for a stagnant run of seven straight domestics draws. Despite all of this, the “mighty” blues are only five points ahead of us in the rankings table, two points less than the deficit we faced against Liverpool exactly a year ago, and with many more games to come, it’s safe to say it’s far from over. We’ve proven that we’re head above shoulders still superior to this Chelsea team, as our team deprived of key defenders Vidic and Ferdinand, and in form striker Dimitar Berbatov, went to Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago and undeservedly lost thanks to shit decisions from referees, after dominating possession and attacking play throughout the game.

Should United get things together by January and go on an unbeaten run of wins, Chelsea should find the pressure to keep the gap hard to live with, as they will be losing key players like Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salmon Kalou, and Jon Obi Mikel to the month long African Cup in that month, meaning their dependence on the performances of Drogba upfront, and the commanding impact of Essien in the middle of the park will be sorely missed. Further more, a visit to Old Trafford still looms in the return leg, as United will look to take points off the current table leaders in the Theater of Dreams.  Even still, should Chelsea keep their current pace, and avoid losing points in the next two or three critical months, the possibility of them winning the title is something we’re going to have to brace ourselves for. After all nobody stays on top forever, and the true test of champions isn’t how good they are when they’re winning, but rather how quickly they can get back up when they’ve fallen down. Championship or no championship, this United team is built to keep winning titles, so long as the evergreen Sir Alex Ferguson continues to keep his faith in his young players, and keeps employing a system that’s been tried and tested for over two decades. In the end, challengers have come and gone over the years, Mourinho’s untouchables, Wenger’s Invincibles, Benetiz’s pretenders, and Sir Alex has bested them all over time. What will we do when he retires? Don’t ask him that question, he seems to be convinced that day will never come, and hopefully it never will. Until then, let’s enjoy the rivalry that will develop between him and Ancelotti over the coming year(s),  as regardless to who’s going to win, it will definitely be one to enjoy.

United victorious away to stubborn Pompey

As the referee blew his whistle to conclude a bizarre game that ended 4-1 in favor of the visitors, I started thinking about the different factors that will make this a memorable game when we look back at this season.  It may be remembered first of all as yet another debut for Israeli manager Avram Grant with a new club in which he faced the unfortunate task of playing Man United in his first game in charge (losing both so far).  It will also be remembered, infamously, for all those penalty kicks referee Mike Dean awarded, not least of which was that extremely confusing penalty given to Portsmouth in the first half!! However, as far as the history books are concerned, this game will be remembered for Wayne Rooney’s third career hat-trick (giving him ten goals so far this season! Ronaldo who?), and it will most certainly be remembered as the day Ryan Giggs reached yet another hallmark in his thus far glorious career, when he scored his 100^th goal in the English Premier League (joining an elite group of accomplished goal scorers), with a beauty of a free kick. Happy Birthday Sir Ryan, thirty six? Feels more like twenty six!!

As for the game in general, well I’ll be the first to admit that the score-line flatters to deceive. Four goals scored, only one goal conceded, in a hostile environment against a team with nothing to lose, and United didn’t even play at their best to win it!! Some might even say Portsmouth deserved more from this game, as they pressured our backline and produced chance after chance, but couldn’t find the target (except through a crooked penalty kick decision!!), part of which was down to their poor finishing (somebody give Dindane a pair of glasses), and the other part mainly thanks to the heroic display from our keeper Tomas Kuzcak, who’s impressive performance was overshadowed by the those of Rooney and Giggs. Indeed the Pole In Goal (as some united supporters like to refer to him), staked his claim for the number one keeper spot, as he repelled shot after shot (how about that block in the 90^th minute!!), and as such, he’s surely forced the manager to reconsider giving him some more matches, as the unconvincing Foster has yet to solidify himself as Van Der Sar’s natural successor.

As the game progressed in the first half, it was obvious that the Portsmouth players came into this game with the right mentality to attack from the onset, unlike our team, which seemed to be clueless in the first half, as our midfield surrendered possession easily, and our defense looked shaky at best. The 4-5-1 formation, employed by the assistant manager -as Sir Alex was made to watch this game from the stands as he served the first of a two game ban for his no infamous rant- didn’t seem to be doing us any favors, as Rooney was left isolated upfront, while our midfield of Scholes, Carrick & Fletcher couldn’t string a single good pass between them! Eventually, united woke up, as Scholes launched a pair of trademark rocket shots from just outside pompey’s area, which came agonizingly close, and then Antonio Valencia went on a blazing run from his own half, which ended with a pass to Rooney inside the opposition’s area,  the latter was clearly fouled by Heriedersson, PENALTY!! Rooney stepped up and buried it into the right corner, 1-0 united. A few moments later, a free kick for pompey was cleared by our keeper, only for the linesman to flag for a penalty against us!! The referee, clueless to the incident, awarded the penalty to Portsmouth, and United players were enraged as replay after replay showed no foul worth punishing!! Even more shockingly, not a single pompey player called for a penalty to be awarded, and as it turns out, it was a harmless tug on the shirt on a Portsmouth player from Nemenja Vidic that prompted the linesman to waive for a foul, since when do they give those as fucking penalties!! As the penalty taker proceeded to shoot the ball into the net (Kuzcak barely missed saving it), I was thinking, here we are yet again being screwed by these idiots that call themselves referees, what a shame.

As the second half kicked off, with the score leveled at 1-1, United looked more determined to take control of this game, as Fletcher started to the control the midfield as only he can do for us, Scholes and Valencia began moving further up the field to pressure the opposition’s defense, and Giggs was playing in a more advanced forward role, in support of the previously isolated Rooney. This improvement in attacking play immediately paid dividends, as a great pass from Fletcher allowed Giggs to break free on the right, and with only one defender separating him from the on-rushing Rooney, Giggs played a classy pass with his left foot that evaded the defender and found Rooney, who comfortably scored his second of the game. 2-1, we’re back in control!! A couple of minutes later, another moment of class from Giggs allowed United to effectively end the game, as the Welshman seemed to be cornered on the left, only for him to turn past the defender and dribble into the box, when the defender decided to body check him, right in front of the ref, who dared not fuck up this decision, rightfully awarding another penalty for us. Rooney stepped up yet again, and scored his third of the game, with another effectively taken spot kick, 3-1 united, game over. To add insult to injury, Portsmouth conceded a free kick late into the game, and with Giggs needing one more goal to reach the century mark, Rooney unselfishly left it for Giggs, who proceeded to curl the ball into the left corner. 4-1, perfect birthday gift for the greatest player in the history of the EPL, take a bow son, you deserve it.

As I write this article today, Arsenal have failed to take any points off Chelsea, as I expected, in their clash yesterday at the Emirates, as the gap between us and the Blues is restored to five points. Now we are left hoping that our hated neighbors, Manchester City, manage to get a result against Chelsea when the face off in Manchester next week, but a word to the wise, don’t hold your breaths, as City will come into this game having drawn their last seven games in the premier league, and predictably Mark Hughes seems to be on the hot seat, as he’s failed to live up to the expectations that came with those highly inflated signings he made in the summer. Regardless of the outcome, there’s still a long way to go until the championship is won, and despite Chelsea’s irresistible form lately, a lot could happen from now until May, so keep the faith up.

Enjoy the video highlights, including Rooney’s hat-trick, Giggs’ 100^th goal, and that dubious penalty that was awarded to pompey:

The latest transfer rumors

It’s been a quiet week so far. There’s Nothing much to write about other than United’s somewhat disappointing home loss o Besiktas in a Champions league match yesterday. It was an interesting game to watch albeit, as the manager chose to start an experimental side consistent of promising youth players and reserves, with the likes of Kiko Macheda, Gabriel Obertan, Dany Welbeck, Darren Gibson, and the Da Silva brothers starting.  Although we lost due to a deflected goal that caught Ben Foster by surprise, the promising performances of Obertan and Macheda further showed why Sir Alex chose to avoid big name transfers this summer.

However, our team continues to show a need for certain players in certain areas, as a glaring number of costly errors continue to be committed game after game. This statement is especially true in the case of our backline his year. Known for getting us through days when our attack looked weak and impotent, our defense this year seems to nothing like the one we’ve gotten used to over the last three years. As many critics and pundits rushed to claim that our team would suffer this season due to our inability to replace the departed Cristiano Ronaldo, United have done enough to suggest that such claims are rubbish, yet it has been our inconsistent defense which has seen us fall behind the pack. It is as such that our latest transfer rumors are concentrated mainly on defenders and goalkeepers.

The story that’s been doing the rounds lately is that Nemanja Vidic is getting unsettled with life in Manchester. The Serbian defender recently gave an interview in which he sounded non-committal about his future at Old Trafford, and rumor has it that Sir Alex is fighting a losing battle in trying to convince him to stay beyond next season, at which point his contract with the team ends. Add that to the growing concerns over the often injured Rio Ferdinand -who’s currently sidelined until the New Year with a variety of nagging injuries- and you’ll see where concerns over the current state of our once impregnable defense are coming from. As such, it seems very likely that Sir Alex will opt for at least one defensive signing in the winter, to shore up the defense, and the most likely targets will be Palermo’s Danish sensation Simon Kjaer, and Everton’s young English defender Jack Rodwell, with players being highly tipped to make a switch to Old Trafford soon.

Rodwell, whom I spoke about a week ago, seems to have impressed United scouts, who’ve been monitoring his progress for over a year. Although he started out as a defensive midfielder, Rodwell has been called upon to play as a central defender this season due to Everton’s long list of injured players, and he has excelled at the back. Everton are adamant that they will not sell their promising youngster right now, and have slapped an eighteen million price tag over his head to ward off suitors. Currently, United are tipped as favorites to eventually land the eighteen year old star, and Sir Alex may opt to wait for the summer to make a move for him, pending a resolution of the concerning issue that is Vidic’s rumored desire to leave England. If Fergie decides to cash in on Vidic, expect Rodwell to be his likely successor.

As for Kjaer, it seems that the Dane has attracted interested from various big clubs in the form of Liverpool, and Juventus, with his commanding performances thus far this season. As such, it’s highly likely that Sir Alex will look to snap up the defender before he’s forced into a bidding war with other interested clubs. At the price tag of twelve million, Kjaer represents a shrewd bargain of a defender that will help contain our defensive mishaps of late, and it would seem wise of Sir Alex to wrap up a deal for him with his current club Palermo as soon as possible.

Recent rumors suggest that Dutch side FC Twente’s manager Steve Mclaren is interested in taking our Serbian winger Zoran Tosic on-loan for the remainder of the current season in the upcoming transfer window. Tosic recently stated that he’s become frustrated with the lack of first team appearances, and his need for considerable playing time to guarantee his place in the Serbian national team for the upcoming world cup. I myself find this to be a bit of good news, as the winger has dazzled week in week out for the reserves, and still shockingly hasn’t gotten a chance to play for the first team so far. He was even excluded from the squad that was named for the Champions League group stages, with Sir Alex continues citing the youngster’s weak frame as something that needs improvement before he can involve him against elite competition. With that in mind, I think leaving the boy to rot in the reserves isn’t the answer either, as he continues to show that he’s a class above everyone at that level, as evidenced by the video at the end of this article which shows Zoran’s latest two goal performance that won his team against Hull City’s reserves team. Maybe a brief stint on-loan would give this kid much needed experience, and convince Sir Alex to give him a chance, as we all remember how Guiessepe Rossi rose through the ranks for us, but never got the chance he deserved to be part of the first team, and eventually left for Villarreal where he’s currently blossoming into Italy’s next big striker, what a shame we lacked the patience to reap the rewards of developing his talents as a teenager.

Finally, another unwelcome rumor has been doing the rounds lately, as former red devil Ruud Van Nistelrooy is being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in the winter transfer window, as he has failed to re-establish himself with his current team Real Madrid. Such a move screams of controversy, as despite leaving Old Trafford on bad terms after falling out with Sir Alex, Ruud achieved near legendary status in his four years with the club, scoring goals for fun and leading the line admirably. As we continue to laugh at the misery we’ve put Liverpool fans through when we recently signed a former KOP hero Michael Owen for free, how ironic would it be if Van Nistelrooy made the switch to Anfield? It’s not the effect he’d have on what remains of their miserable campaign that I’m wary of, as he’s all washed up now, and Liverpool will be struggling to finish fourth this year thanks to their embarrassing start. It’s giving the Liverpool supporters a chance for payback with one of ours, who once claimed that he still loved the club despite leaving for Madrid, joining their ranks. With the Dutch striker desperate for playing time to regain his place in the Dutch national team in time for this year’s world cup, and Liverpool desperate for someone to take the scoring pressure off the often injured Torres, it seems this move is very likely to happen. Brace yourselves for some mockery from Liverpool supporters if this move materializes, after all it’s all they have left to cheer them up after yet another failed title campaign.

As promised, here’s the video of Tosic’s two goals against Hull. Witness his amazing solo effort for the first goal, and then the game winning goal, simply amazing!!

United respond in fashion against Everton

We asked for a response, and last night we sure got one!! Granted Everton were missing vital players through injury, and weren’t in the best form coming into this game, but it was the manner in which our lads outclassed the Merseysiders that has United supporters all over the world feeling giddy today. I can’t seriously think of one player who put a foot wrong throughout the entire 90 minutes yesterday.

The defense was solid, led by Nemenja Vidic who successfully returned from injury, and Wes Brown who’s done well to make himself a regular starter in our team recently in light of Rio Ferdinand’s injury & fitness struggles. The full backs were amazing as well, as Patrice Evra put in another exquisite showing at left back, performing his defensive duties diligently as well as bombarding up and down the pitch, menacing Everton’s defense with his attacking play on the left flank. The strike force of Rooney and Owen was superb as well, creating a few chances between them that would’ve been sure goals against any other side whose goalkeeper wasn’t the stubbornly defiant Tim Howard.  Fergie chose to rest Berbatov, who had played for Bulgaria in a friendly game against Malta last Wednesday.

The Story of the game however, was the excellent performance from our midfielders.  Michael Carrick, who seems to be slowly but surely returning to the form that made him a permanent fixture in our starting lineup last season, had a lively performance, with a well taken goal making it arguably his best performance in a red shirt this season. Antonio Valencia, who also seems to have finally settled in at Old Trafford after his recent summer transfer from Wigan, had another impressive performance to add to his strong showings of late, and he too scored a goal (albeit through a deflected shot), making it three goals in the last five games. Ryan Giggs, who had an uncharacteristic off night against Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, made up for it last night with the kind of  majestic performance we’ve come to expect from our living legend. The player of the game however, was non-other than Darren Fletcher. The midfield dynamo hasn’t just been our best player this season, but he’s arguably been the best midfielder in England so far, with his electrifying performances and seemingly bottomless reserves of energy he displays every game. In addition to bossing the midfield throughout the game, the Scot scored a goal worthy of consideration for goal of the season so far, as he volleyed the ball just outside Everton’s area, into the top left corner of the goal, giving the keeper no chance whatsoever!! The goal was reminiscent of Zidane’s masterpiece in the Champions League final in 2002. You can watch a video of the Fletcher’s goal at the end of the article.

So United are back on track with a commanding three nil victory, and to make matters even better, Arsenal slipped up against Sunderland yesterday, losing by one goal courtesy of Darren Bent, making us second in the rankings once again. Now it’s time to go on that elusive winning streak that we’ve come to expect from our lads every year around this time, as we attempt to reduce the five point deficit at the top against Chelsea. Our cause will surely be helped by the upcoming fixture list, as our next five games features a bunch of bottom to mid table opponents, with only Aston Villa’s visit to Old Trafford on December 12^th being a tough game for us, where as Chelsea have to travel to the Emirates to play Arsenal, and then take on Manchester City a few weeks later. Hopefully by New Years, the gap between us and Chelsea will be reduced to three points or less, and then we’ll be in touching distance of the summit.

As promised, here’s Darren’s Fletcher amazing goal, enjoy:

Previewing today’s game against Everton

The International break is finally over, and now premier league action can finally resume. Why so anxious you ask? What United fan wouldn’t be!! After the controversial manner in which our last game away to Chelsea ended a couple of weeks ago, the fans and players alike must’ve been dying for a quick response to that frustrating result. As a matter of fact, the international break couldn’t have come at a worse time for us, as a quick game right after that painful loss would’ve served to cheer us up and would’ve given the players a chance to vent their frustrations after being screwed by the referee in a game they should’ve at least drawn. As it stands, we’ve had to be patient and wait, as the boring international games took place, and now we finally resume our mission: reducing that fucking five point gap against Chelsea!!

The international break however, has served us in a couple of ways, as it provided our injured defender Nemanja Vidic with a chance to slowly make his comeback and regain his fitness, as he returns to the team this week ready to start again. It couldn’t have come at a better time, as we find ourselves decimated by injuries right now, with both John O’shea & Johnny Evans doubtful for the clash against Everton, Fabio Da Silva also injured, and Rio Ferdinand out of action with a calf injury until at least New Years. Furthermore, star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who’d been injured for our game against Chelsea a few weeks back, found himself a great platform to regain his fitness, when Bulgaria took on international lightweights Malta in midweek, and berba proceeded to announce his return from injury with two goals that made him his country’s all-time scorer with forty-eight goals to his name. Surely the confidence boost he gained from this great achievement should carry over into his club performances for United, as we desperately seek to find our goal scoring touch and kick into fifth gear as we attempt to close the deficit with Chelsea at the summit. The international break has also provided a chance for weary veterans Paul Scholes, Gary Neville (suspended for this game), and Ryan Giggs, to rest and increase their fitness in training, Anderson wasn’t called up for Brazil as well, and the upside of Michael Owen not getting a call up to play for England, is that he’s ready, fresh, and still very much motivated to prove his doubters wrong, which is nothing short of great news for us. French winger Gabriel Obertan should be nearing full fitness by now, so expect him to at least be on the bench for this game, as he continues his quest to compete with Nani for the starting spot on the left wing.

Everton on the other hand are a team struggling to find their rhythm, as they’ve had a shaky start to this season, and have fallen below their usual expectations, as they used to pressure the top four teams year in year out, threatening to break the big four monopoly (they actually did that in the 2004-2005 season). This season they’ve been decimated by injuries to key players, and with teams like City and Aston Villa on the rise, they’ve struggled to keep pace with the league’s elite. They enter Saturday’s game against us missing their Russian international Diniyar Bilyaletdinov through suspension, and their midfield trio of Phil Neville, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar are all expected to miss out with various injuries. However, it’s never a good idea to underestimate a team like Everton, built around players with a fighting mentality and team spirit, so don’t expect them to roll over for us; this will be a tough game.

With the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea having easy games this week, we can ill-afford to drop points today, and I’d say the player to watch out for would Wayne Rooney, who’s relationship with Everton fans has been nothing short of controversial lately, which should give him an extra motivation to bring his A-game today.

Remember this? I bet Wazza does!! Bring on the Toffees.

The latest transfer rumors

The international break is finally over, with the conclusion of the world cup qualifiers reached with little surprises, as the big countries such as France, Portugal, etc. qualified thanks to favorable draws against weaker nations. Now we can resume club football action, as the English clubs get set to resume the battle for supremacy this weekend. Seeing as that’s another day away, I’d like to discuss some of the transfer rumors we’ve been linked with lately to pass the time. I’ll start with the credible ones, and then move along to the ones that smack of tabloid trash hypocrisy.

The hottest rumor that’s been doing the rounds lately has been united’s interest in Palermo’s Danish defender Simon Kjaer, who’s also being courted by the likes of Liverpool, Man City, and Juventus. Seeing as how our defense has suffered through injuries to various players (Rio’s back, calf injuries, Vidic’s lack of fitness thanks to missing training camp, and a recent calf injury, and Evan’s recurring ankle injuries), it would seem sensible for the manager to shore up the defense by adding Kjaer, whose price tag is 12 million, as stated by Palermo’s president, who’s trying desperately to keep hold of him at least until the summer. Kjaer who’s professed that he’d be eager to sign for the Red Devils, has been spoken highly of by various scouts across Europe, and with the slight possibility of Nemenja Vidic being tempted with a move to Barcelona next summer still remaining, it would be wise to move for this kid quickly before other big clubs compete with us for his signature.

The other hot rumor floating around surrounding a defender is the one about United’s interest in Everton’s youth product Jack Rodwell. The eighteen year old prodigy has caught the eye of Sir Alex, as he was promoted to the first team from the youth ranks last year, and subsequently signed a five year contract last February. This year, he has featured in almost every game for Everton, albeit in a new position, as defensive midfielder, and he has excelled at it thus far. With both Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves becoming injury prone lately, getting Rodwell would be like hitting two birds with one stone. However it should be noted that the eighteen year old commands a price tag of twenty million, and Chelsea are viciously competing with us over his signature. Furthermore, Everton will be reluctant to sell him to us after the controversial Wayne Rooney transfer between the two clubs in 2004. Still, with rumors refusing to go away about Sir Alex’s interest in the young Englishman, it seems more likely than not that a move might materialize in the upcoming transfer window, if the Rodwell continues to shine for his current side.

Another sought after player in Europe has become Angel Di Maria, the Argentinean winger currently plying his trade in Portugal’s Benfica.  The pacy winger, whose qualities are similar to those of the recently departed Cristiano Ronaldo, would find himself useful on the left side of our midfield, which has yet to find a constant choice, as Giggs’ age meaning he can’t always play, Nani’s inconsistency limiting his chances, and Obertan’s lack of fitness due to a spinal injury that had kept him out of action for the last 4 months (although he’s shown great promise in a few cameo appearances lately, but the jury’s still out on him).  As it currently stands, Benfica have admitted that they’re open to selling their prized asset, and have placed a thirty five million price tag over his head, with the competition for his signature likely to turn nasty, as the Chelsea and Man City are competing for us to acquire him.  There’s no doubt about Di Maria’s ability, as the rave reviews he’s been getting across Europe lately isn’t down to a couple of Youtube videos, seeing as how the lad destroyed Everton in both legs of their match up against Benfica in he Europa League. However, seeing as how Sir Alex has stated he’s not interested in acquiring any players with huge price tags in the winter transfer window (fucking Glazers probably spent all the money already!!), it seems unlikely that we’ll make a move for Di Maria in the coming months, and in my opinion, for the price tag he commands we should wait and see how he fares in the world cup this summer before committing that kind of money for his signature.

Another rumor I’ve heard lately is Villereal’s reported search for a new keeper, as they prepare to lose their current custodian Diego Lopez in the next transfer market, with united reportedly registering the biggest interest in him. This rumor has been on again off again for the last two years, as Lopez has been linked as Van Der Sar’s replacement quite a few times already, yet nothing materializes, and I doubt that will change any time soon. Accordingly, Sir Alex seems to have faith in Ben Foster’s abilities, despite a shaky and less than convincing few matches at the beginning of this season when he was assigned the tough task of filling then injured Van Der Sar’s spot between the goal posts. Foster has voiced his frustrations at the lack of starts lately, yet has refused to give up on his dream to become our number one, and seeing as how Sir Alex always praises the young Englishman’s quality, I doubt he’d risk having him demand a transfer, by acquiring another keeper with whom he’d have to compete for the starting spot.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a transfer rumors section if we weren’t linked with a move for Spanish striker David Villa yet again, as the tabloids will not let this one go, after Villa reportedly announced that he’s now open to move to England, after he’d insisted he wanted to stay in Spain this summer. Villa, who failed to make a move to either one of the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer, recently fired his agent for reportedly being unable to get him his desired transfer, and allegedly United and Chelsea are now on red alert for Valencia’s prized asset.  In addition, Valencia are reportedly no longer able to hold on to quality players like Villa in their team any more as their financial problems need to be adressed.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Villa’s abilities, and when Ronaldo was sold in the summer, I’d hoped he’d be the first to arrive at Old Trafford with the new found transfer budget we’d gained from selling CR7.  A free transfer for Michael Owen, and a couple months later, my desire for him has cooled down a bit, as it seems Sir Alex is intent on giving Owen and Berbatov the chance to prove themselves this year (with the desired results yet to be realized, but promising performances by the pair have somewhat validated the manager’s trust in their abilities). Furthermore, as prior stated in this article, Sir Alex doesn’t seem to be in the mood to negotiate big transfer deals in the winter, as he looks for bargain signings instead. Villa who has a clause in his contract with Valencia that states he’s free to go to any side that offers no less than forty five million for his services, would surely demand an even greater price now that Chelsea are hovering around for his signature, and I don’t think Fergie is ready to do battle against Roman Abramovich’s deep pockets of millions, so don’t expect the Spanish star to sign for us any time soon.

I leave you with a video showcasing Di Maria’s amazing skill, he’s definetly one to look out for, enjoy:

 

Was Fergie’s ban fair?

With the international fixtures of the world cup qualifiers taking place currently, there’s little club football news to talk about until premier league action resumes on Saturday when United host last year’s FA Cup finalists Everton at Old Trafford. However one issue that’s been on my mind since the players departed to their respective teams to serve their international duties, was the touchline ban handed to our manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, last Monday. Accordingly Fergie, was banned for our next two premier league games, in addition to a considerable fine, for his rant against referee Alan Wiley after the draw to Sunderland a few weeks ago. The punishment also entailed an additional two games ban that will remain suspended, only to be implemented if Sir Alex makes the same mistake again. One has to wonder whether such a punishment against one of English football’s greatest managers of all-time, was a deserved one, considering all he did was criticize the ref’s performance, or was it just another case of the FA making an example out of us again!!

If that last statement puzzled you, then I kindly refer you to the numerous incidents in which the FA have exhibited double standards when dealing with our indiscretions versus when they do so against other teams. First and foremost is the now famous eight months ban Rio Ferdinand received in 2004 for failing to show up for a drug test. Ferdinand until today insists that he simply forgot that he had to report for drug testing that day, and he took another drug test later that showed he had nothing to hide, but the FA wouldn’t hear any of it, and decided to slap our player with a huge fine and a long ban that cost him his place in the England team in Euro 2004. A year later, Adrian Mutu, who was playing for Chelsea at the time, tested positive for cocaine, and subsequently received a lesser fine than Ferdinand and was only banned for seven months!!! How is forgetting to take the test (which was later proved to be the case considering Rio took another one), worse than testing positive for Cocaine? If you still don’t believe me, then I will remind you of Gary Neville’s case several years ago, when during a game against Liverpool at Anfield, he proceeded to celebrate United’s goal in front of the KOP by kissing our badge on his shirt, and was consequently banned for a number of games for what the FA believed to be enraging the opposition crowd. Only a week before that incident, Manchester City’s Robbie Fowler celebrated a goal scored against United by running towards Stretford End and raising five fingers to the crowd, to indicate Liverpool’s five European titles, as opposed to only two for us at the time. How many games was he banned? Zero!! Oh there’s more yet!! Remember Patrice Evra’s four game ban last year, because of the “alleged” punch he threw towards a Chelsea FC steward during an incident that took place after the game against Chelsea? Video evidence showed that no punch had taken place, but the Chelsea steward, who’d reportedly said something racist to provoke Evra in the first place, said that he was punched, and the FA took his word for it despite there being no evidence to back it up. A couple of months ago, when United defeated Man City at home 4-3, a United supporter from the crowd entered the pitch and was detained by the stewards with two hands behind his back, at which point Craig Bellamy cowardly comes over and slaps a defenseless man right in front of millions of viewers around the world. What does the FA do? A measly warning!!

So you see, the FA has a long history of using double standards when dealing with us, and why should Fergie’s ban be considered any different? After all, this kind of ban has never been given to any manager in the history of the EPL, and I’m sure a lot worse has been said about the men in black and white by various managers over that period. After all Sir Alex was a high profile manager who referees have come to hate for his fearlessness in telling it like it is. Take into consideration that the FA’s priority here was to uphold the RESPECT campaign, which was created to send a message to all players and managers plying their trade in England, to watch what they say to referees. However do these referees deserve any respect? The same referees who screw up week in week out, not just against us, but against all the teams in the league, who proceed to rightfully complain that such stupid decisions by these refs cost hem valuable points. As the complaints mount, and the embarrassing mistakes become glaringly obvious for all to see, have the FA once attempted to fix this situation? Wouldn’t it be in the best interests of those who claim that the English league is the best in the world, to make sure the refereeing system implemented doesn’t compromise the competition’s integrity? Those in charge in the FA obviously don’t think so!! They’d rather make a scapegoat out of a man who’s brought success and fame to this league by managing arguably the most successful team of the last two decades and gaining international recognition to the pedigree of the EPL by being the representative for the best the English game has had to offer in various competitions, be it the Club World Cup last year, or the three Champions League finals he’s appeared in winning twice, or the countless other competitions he’s won for this club that have received worldwide acclaim. Indeed when you see the so-called experienced referees allowing goals that obviously shouldn’t count (the Chelsea game), or failing to send off a last defender for a professional foul (the Liverpool game), you‘d understand where Sir Alex is coming from when he launches tirade after tirade at these imbeciles. Respect? As far as I know respect is earned, not given!!

Discussing the highly controversial loss to Chelsea

As I begin to write this article, I realize what you all will be thinking as you eventually read this, “a bit late isn’t it!!”.  Well it’s not as simple as it seems, while other United and non United blogs and websites set out to post their thoughts on last Sunday’s showdown between Man United and Chelsea as soon as the game concluded, I decided to wait. Such was my anger and disbelief at what had transpired during that game, that I knew that I needed time to get things into perspective, and cool down a bit before I vent my frustrations on this blog in what would’ve been a series of profanity laced words directed towards the referee and the Chelsea players.

 

First and foremost, I feel the need to reveal that prior to this game, my expectations were pretty low of what our team was capable of achieving, as I made it clear in my previous post that with respect to the injuries to several key players, our defensive problems, and our current form as opposed to Chelsea’s, we were entering this game as underdogs and would face a very tough battle if we had hoped to take anything from this game. Before going into details of what had happened that night, I feel the need to congratulate the lads and the manager on a job well done, and apologize for ever doubting them.  No I’m not delusional. I know we didn’t win against Chelsea, or for that matter even draw, but such was the dominance of our team over their’s on Sunday-at their so-called fortress of Stamford Bridge mind you!!- that I feel our team had well and truly redeemed themselves from some shambolic outings in previous games this season, and have finally turned a corner and are ready to perform up to the usual standards that we’ve come to expect from fergie’s teams year in year out.

 

Now onto the game itself, there I was on Sunday, as the game started, heart beating rapidly, nervous as I saw our starting line-up. My anxiety turned into disbelief as I saw Brown and Evans as our starting center backs, with Vidic on the bench unable to fully recover from a calf injury in time for this game, and Rooney all alone up front, with Owen left on the bench, and Berbatov missing the game all together. Perfect!! As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with a fully healthy squad heading into this game!! My Chelsea supporting mate sitting right next to me as we watched the game, took one look at our line up and let out a confident statement: “you’re screwed!!”;  After all how could we compete with the double headed attacking monster of Drogba & Anelka with our third and fourth choice center backs starting?? How did we plan to break down the dominant Chelsea back line, which had only conceded a goal only once at home so far in this young season, with only Wayne Rooney isolated up front?? Little did I know that this game would mostly be won or lost in midfield, and that’s where Sir Alex came prepared, as he chose to go with a tactical 4-3-3 formation, with Fletcher, Anderson, & Carrick in the middle to counter Chelsea’s so-far successful Diamond formation. Fergie you fucking genius!!

 

After all, Chelsea’s Diamond midfield formation has been the focal point of their success so far in this campaign, & was the main talking point of many football pundits who were jumping onboard the Chelsea bandwagon all of a sudden. “How is United’s inconsistent midfield going to stop Chelsea’s dominant Diamond formation?!” shouted many so-called “experts”, when making their predictions for this game in favor of the blues.  As he always does Sir Alex Ferguson summoned his years (or should I say decades!!) of knowledge and experience, and he decided to field a three man midfield of Darren Fletcher, Anderson, and Michael Carrick, With Valencia and Ryan Giggs patrolling the wings and Rooney leading the line upfront. The philosophy was simple, OUTWORK THEM.  Indeed, the manager’s tactics were spot on, as our players, motivated by the challenge of proving to the world that even without Cristiano Ronaldo, and playing with our second choice backline, against a rival team boasting a daunting home record, we were still the superior team, did us proud. Over the course of 90 minutes played plus extra time of five added minutes, United dominated possession, took more shots on target (hard to believe with our so-called defensive strategy and one man strike force, but don’t let that stop you from saying we played negative football Chelsea fans!!). Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia kept Chelsea’s defense on their toes with nonstop attacking, Anderson and Fletcher completely dominated Chelsea’s midfield, and our 3^rd and 4^th choice center backs kept Anelka and Drogba silent throughout the game. Had it not been for a series of retarded mistakes by the referee (forgive me if I fail to remember his name, as I was primarily referring to him as “you Fucking Asshole!!” throughout the game) and his assistant, we would’ve come away from Stamford Bridge with a deserved victory, or in the very least a draw.

 

I usually try my best to stay away from blaming referees for our bad results, because in the end they’re only human and can make an error in judgment. However when the referee’s assistant calls a wrong offside on Wayne Rooney, who was sent through on goal as Ashley Cole had clearly broken the offside trap, followed by John “Tiny Tears” Terry pulling Valencia down in Chelsea’s area only for the ref to ignore valid penalty claims from our players, you get the feeling that the men in stripes have got some diabolical scheme in the works!! Sour grapes you say?? Wait there’s more!! How did Chelsea score their goal you ask?? Well it’s a really funny incident (although admittedly I wasn’t laughing when it occurred).  Firstly Darren Fletcher, just outside our penalty area, steals the ball through a clean tackle on Ashley Cole, when suddenly the latter decides to tumble to the ground as if he’d been hit by a sniper’s bullet, and the ref blows for a foul!! All the while the referee was poorly positioned to make the call in the first place, as he was standing BEHIND a Chelsea player!! Oh Wait there’s more!! Next Frank Lampard takes the free kick which John Terry proceeds to head into our goal. Only something doesn’t seem right with this incident (apart from the fact that the foul shouldn’t have been given in the first place genius!!). Indeed replays show that Didier Drogba had fouled Wes Brown, who was properly positioned to clear Terry’s attempt, while a clearly offside Nicholas Anelka did just enough to influence the keeper to go the other way, and possibly touched the ball. There you go, three different violations that prove the goal shouldn’t have counted, and yet neither the referee nor his assistant lift a finger!! Brilliant, just brilliant, all our hard work is flushed down the toilet thanks to the faulty decision making of a referee and his linesman, and you wonder why Sir Alex complains so much!! You know where to can shove your RESPECT!!

 

In the end, Wayne Rooney left the pitch and uttered the two words that were on every United supporter’s mind, “12^th man”.