WHAT in the blazes of Glazer financed hell has been going on recently? Predictions are being thrown about, we lost on home turf and Patrice Evra is being… Patrice Evra.
Anyone who watches Manchester United on a regular basis will probably agree that last year we were lucky to be winning the challenge for the League title for as long as we were. At few times last year were we the team that struck fear in the hearts of rival teams. At some points we were turned over, and at other points it looked like we were more confident scoring ‘one more’ goal than the other team after their seemingly inevitable goal, than we were keeping them out at all costs and doing the business. Luck ran out and the title went somewhere else, lost on goal difference. When Sir Alex Ferguson tells the word that such a thing would never happen again, we believe and we go into the new season excited and ready.
September’s gone now and that allows us to say it’s not very evident that the hangover has yet left us. Clearly there is an epic case of beer shits still in our system from the ‘last night’ that finished up with us in tears in Sunderland.
Everton caught us cold, put in a good shift and beat us. We did just enough against Fulham and Southampton and we mullered Wigan but there was enough in all of those performances to suggest that Saturday’s result against Tottenham was going to happen at some point. Glass half full types can point out that it’s better to have happened now than at the business end of the season, but Spurts was the second time in two months and if it happens many more times we won’t need to worry about the business end of the season because we won’t be involved in it.
Against Liverpool, Manchester United’s good will went further than releasing balloons, they donated the entire first half to the Scousers
Brendan Rodgers can say the better team lost, he was probably correct but Liverpool would do well not to blame the referee and instead look at the home team’s inability to capitalise on what was a hugely dominant period for them. They should have sent us in a goal down at half time. At times it looked like all we were doing was clearing bouncing balls, and giving away possession; when we got into positions to hurt Liverpool the United first touch was heavier than Christmas dinner and it didn’t go anywhere. Sure as eggs is eggs it took a goal to spark us into life and the leveller from Rafael was beautiful, there’s something instantly forgivable about Rafael attacking that doesn’t apply to Patrice Evra when he makes the same choice. He hardly covered himself in glory with his play, he gave the ball away a few times and was robbed (no jokes) of the ball at least once whilst in possession. Sir Alex was right to point out our possession increased in the second half, as it should have, when they were a man down. Victory in Liverpool is always satisfying but other than the virtual hug the game was before it started, it didn’t make much of a statement.
There is a firm belief in our office (booth 26 at the downstairs pub) that Nemanja Vidic’s long hair is the reason for his start to the season and for the defender to return to his scary ass, no one shalt pass, form he needed the army clipper treatment on his head. We are now willing to concede the possibility that injury may also have played a part. His departure from our side for some time does leave us scratching our heads.
We got our arses handed to us by Spurs and although we did find the spark eventually, it was too late, we should have been better and we ran out of time to fix it.
It makes sense, and it may be working but Sir Alex is setting up a distant elephant with the goalkeeping issue
The media seem to think the boss is not consistent when it comes to the goalkeeper but it looks pretty consistent to us. Lindegaard is confident domestically, de Gea is more at home on foreign soil, so play to both of their strengths and build them both up that way. The League is United’s bread and butter, so Anders having the nod there suggests confidence in him from Sir Alex, but Fergie wants to conquer Europe again and to do so he puts his trust in a team which includes David so wherever you look there is balance to the ‘no number one’ policy. While Anders’ line may be that they are both number one in different competitions, Ferguson has also said he hasn’t made his mind up, yet, which you can read as ‘one of them will fuck up and then we’ll switch’, which isn’t ideal either. It’s something of a distant elephant, it’s nothing right now because the problem is far off, but at some point it will be here, crushing everything. He doesn’t have to make a choice right now, and he can pray that this decision is made very easy for him by a foul up of epic proportions but when he gets what he is looking for lets hope he can make a number one and stick to it. For good.
At times last night we just didn’t have a Cluj
David de Gea impressed last night, it’s no longer a case of punishment via benching. Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra were lead a merry dance, it’s not the first time Evra has been left for dead when danger calls. Our midfield looked creative, but it was goal scorers who saved us. In the final analysis we got the win, scored the goals and got the points but it does remind us of a cricket comment made after a woeful England performance from the past…
“England have only three major problems. They can’t bat, they can’t bowl and they can’t field.”
Manchester United have a number one who is number two, left backs and right backs who are addicted to going forward, a few injured centre backs and one whose lost more than a yard of pace. United have got Michael Jackson on the wing who tries to be all thriller but is often times just plain bad, the least Brazilianny Brazilian footballer player ever, a couple of young midfielders with something to prove and a couple of older ones with nothing at all to prove, a Geordie no-one ever credits and a Scotsman they finally do. But upfront, ah upfront, we have the most glamorous and world beating of plasters to stick on all these open wounds, an RVP, a little pea and a Wayne Rooney. Let’s not forget Danny.
We’re bringing Silvestre back as cover but its okay because we’re playing for mid table anyway, all our chances of winning the league or victory in Europe went home with Nemanja’s injury, it’s all been decided, by Fat Mickey Quinn and Bald Alan Shearer… we have been foretold of doom.
Cry, Nostradamus, cry!
In a bit. GTS
Given to Score 