We the Mancunians

Blackpool 2 - 3 MU: 25th Jan, 2011

2011-01-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

United were 2-0 down at the break. But there was no doubt in my mind that they would at least put up a strong fight. And they did, in style even!

A lot has been said about Giggs' and Scholes' longevity. Nevertheless, we must pause once again to take a close look at them. Scholes first - His deadly passes were chiefly responsible for some of the goals. Other than that, quite often he created something just by accurate passing. For me, there lies the beauty of football. It is quite great to see Messi dribble past 4 defenders, but when you see Scholes make cross-field passes with pin-point accuracy, it is another thing. I loved him best when he played just behind the striker during the 2002-03 season. He is not flamboyant like a Kaka or a Rivaldo, he has a simplistic approach and does everything with ease. It is quite elevating to watch him on the ball.

What can we say about Giggs - Him running faster and much more than the others did not surprise me, he has been doing that for years now. My Giggs moment of the match was when he tackled and won the ball near the left back position. I will still say that he is marginally short of the top-footballers-ever league. However, it is humbling to watch a 37 year old footballer tackle like that, and that is why I adore him. He really does not need to. Manchester United fans will revere him irrespective of what he does. The drive to go on and do well even in a not-very-big game is phenomenal. I bow to him.

It has been a long while since I saw a Manchester United football match. I am glad I chose this one. I would be lying if I said that I did not care about the invincible record. But beating Liverpool's haul is far more important. Fingers crossed...

Happy New Year

2011-01-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

A very Happy New Year to all Manchester United fans. God bless you all!

The past 4 months have been pretty good; doing well in the Premier League, Champions League and all. Most of the players are getting some time on the pitch. Things seem fine overall.

Quite obviously, we are entering the crucial time of the season now. Things will only get more and more interesting. Lets hope we end the year with our head held high.

The image I have put up is just to protect the team from evil eyes.

Letter to Rooney

2010-10-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Wayne,

Before you make the next move in this game of chess being played out with the media, think carefully.
Think about whether you really want to leave Manchester United.
We’re reading that “behind closed doors” you’re telling your team mates that you want to join City. Money is undoubtedly a factor, but the instigator is supposedly the breakdown in your relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.
What has really caused this breakdown? Is it anything Sir Alex himself did, or is it his reaction to your own actions? If so, maybe, turning 25 this week should perhaps knock a bit of sense into you. You’re no longer able to blame your stubbornness on the belligerence of youth. Supporters can’t defend your indiscretions citing immaturity. And it’s because of this inability to defend you anymore that you seemingly are turning not only against the club but against the one person who has gone beyond the call of duty and at times sacrificed his own reputation to defend you.
You need to take responsibility one way or the other. Come out and say you want to stay, or that you want to leave.
We, the fans, will not only respect you a lot more, but we will know what’s going on, then. If you want to stay, then great. United supporters have a great tradition of rallying around heroes who have supposedly fallen off of their pedestal. Eric Cantona for Selhurst. Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand for their contract “negotiation tactics”. You yourself, and Cristiano Ronaldo, in 2006 after the World Cup. Remember the way we took you both back in and supported you. We’re ready to back you.
If you want to leave, then be honest and say so, but a word of warning. Be honest with yourself. Blaming Sir Alex is putting the blame where it is least deserved. Even after your actions, he stood by you, and was giving you a break to sort out your life. He did that for your own good, for the benefit of your personal life, despite the effect your absence might have on the team. Attributing blame to anyone else is pure cowardice. If you want more money, if you really think being able to make a million pounds in a few weeks is not enough, when most of the world can only dream of that sum in a lifetime, then at least be honest enough to admit it. Don’t put the blame onto someone who has done everything to protect you and has helped you, sometimes in spite of yourself, achieve things in the game you could not have achieved anywhere else. You owe him so much, but the least you owe him is to not make him the villain in the piece. You owe it to him to publically state he has done everything to help you, but you want to leave.
But before you do that, think further still. Think of how you have done yourself no favours, and who else would go to such lengths to protect you. Who else would show the faith in you to come good. If you need an example, look at Paul Gascoigne. A player with the hopes and dreams of the country on his back, who struggled to cope, and whose career, then life, went to waste. A player who openly regrets turning his back on Sir Alex and United when he had the opportunity. Look at what happened to him without the right guidance and advice, and wonder if you really want to turn your back on all that you currently have? What good is money if your life goes to pot?
If you get your wish and you leave United, who will be there to help you next time – and, if this is your chosen path, and you’re absolving yourself of responsibility, then there will be a next time – you hit on hard times? There is no-one in any place that you think you will be able to go that will be able to protect you as much as Sir Alex does. And what effect will that have on your family? Once you leave the protection of United, you will be truly putting yourself in the goldfish bowl. Sure, you’ll be flavour of the month again for a short time. But when the initial furore wanes, and you find yourself in trouble again, the knives will be out, but you will have alienated those that matter in the game.
No-one at United wants you to leave. You’re part of the family. Even when Cristiano was getting the plaudits in 2007/08 and scoring the goals, we still recognised you as the heartbeat of the team. It was fitting that you scored the goal to crown us as World Champions. When you were booed by England fans and when the press panned you after South Africa and Germany, who were the fans backing you? After all your recent problems, who were the supporters still chanting your name for 70 minutes on Saturday, wanting your introduction, despite there clearly being something not right? We were. We stood by you, even though most of us disagreed with a passion with what you did. It went against what we believed as people, but we stood by you. Think about what you are doing to that relationship.
What happens to players after they leave United? Those who choose not to sign for us when they get the chance? Those who go on to bigger and better things are in a minority. Beckham? No. Ruud? No. Stam? No. Keane? No. Even Cristiano? Not at this stage. He’s learning the grass isn’t always greener, that other supporters aren’t quite as faithful or loyal as United supporters.
After all this, you still have a chance to put it right. You have two months before January, to put the rumours to rest. You can make a statement publically. You can do your talking on the pitch. Take that chance. Look at Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Look at Sir Bobby Charlton. Your chance to sit alongside them, to smash the goalscoring records, to notch this chapter as a minor hiccup, is in your hands. What does it matter, when you make as much money as you do, for an extra million here or there, when there is a chance of real footballing history? Stay at United and you will undoubtedly become our top scorer of all time. The top scorer of all time for the biggest club in the world? Surely that was one of things running through your mind in the playground?
If you come out now and state your desire to remain at United for the rest of your career – like you have in the past – then you will retain hero status before the press manage to wrestle it away from you in your silence.
But make no mistake, Wayne. United will move on with or without you. If you do move, it will be you who lives to regret it.

Berbatov

2010-09-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am happy Berba got his first hat-trick at MU. Not that it really matters, but it is good that he got it out of his way.

I believe he is the classiest player alive today. By classiest, I do not mean best/most-effective, I mean he is the most pleasing to watch. The most pleasing I have ever watched in my life is Zidane. I put Berbatov at #2.

In most professions, statistics are the only thing people base their judgments on. Not that statistics are unimportant, it is just that it is nice if one could acknowledge the people who are awesome in a different way. During his time at MU, Berba has probably not been extra-ordinarily influential to the team. However, watching him makes you believe that football can indeed be an art.

Some say that science is an art. Einstein said that beauty is one of the ideas that lighted his way. We primarily watch football for the excitement it offers, and not because there is science in how a player kicks a ball. But seeing beautiful play once in a while is extremely pleasing and even liberating to a certain extent. Berba's play, sometimes, makes you forget about winning and losing and takes you to a world where you see and seek nothing but finesse, class and perfection in football play. It almost makes the scoreline inconsequential.

In all fields, ideals like perfection, finesse and class are never really nurtured. We are taught to satisfy what the world needs - strong statistics. I am thankful that players like Berba still exist, who exhibit beauty in their play and not just concentrate on being top statistically. When you watch them touch the ball, you say to yourself - God! Football is a beautiful game and not I love Manchester United. I hope every generation has its Berbatov and Zidane.

Too many strikers spoil the broth

2010-08-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

The current list - Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Macheda, Welbeck, Obertan, Diouf, Hernandez. Now this new guy Bebe. Whats the point? Yes, it is good to catch them early and temper their skills. But 8 is one too many.

Why not throw on Welbeck and Macheda a bit more and turn them into an Andy Cole or Yorke. They are not going to remain on the sidelines forever. Sooner or later, they will go the Foster way. Enough, I say.

Having 8 strikers does give you confidence that you can always have someone who is performing well. But this ruins it for some players. This will prompt Fergie to change strikers even if they don't perform for 1 or 2 matches. That way no one will ever get an extended run. Could be very harmful for the team as well as the players!

Trophy Cabinet Count 2010-11 = 1

2010-08-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

Ha! What a start!

The joy of watching your team standing on the podium is something which can only be related to and not explained. The moment they start jumping and the champagne bottles come out, you have only one thing going through your mind. "Wish I was there".

Given it was a long time since United won anything even though they were 'close' (just for my satisfaction) everywhere last season, it was extra special.

Community Shield is a tournament with quite a bit of history associated with it. It started in 1898-99 and has evolved since. I don't know why it ain't considered in the elite class like others, but I like to watch the game just cause you get to see two very good teams (usually) playing after three football barren months and one of them has been United for most of the past few years.

The Match!

Both teams started without much of an ado. But the buzz about the United frontline is amazing. Chicharito just plants fear in the heart of the opposition's defense given his speed. And we have the ever classy Berbatov providing him beautiful through balls. Rooney is needed like all those previous seasons, but I hope we start depending less on him. There is no striker who is as hardworking. Owen, I do not know what to say. The first goal was thanks to Valencia's run. I agree Scholes and Rooney played their part but it was Valencia's foresight which resulted in the goal. Clinical finish.

He scored a goal in his debut game for the club, yes. But for me, this was his real debut. And he delivered again, in a freakish way though. Berba's cross was really good and he could have finished it any which way he wanted to but chose this. Even though it's too early to comment, I daresay he fits the current United structure well (Who doesn't?). Welcome aboard, Javier Hernandez.

Chelsea played some good football in the middle and did a good job to pull one back. Van der Sar was impregnable except for that occasion. If not for him, the scoreline would be much different. Essien and Lampard are that team's soul and troubled United the most.

The third goal! It stands right up there. Only that man has the audacity to showcase sheer class with such ease. Dimitar Berbatov, take a bow! He's not played for United at his best. I just hope it happens this season. I hope he gets the Spurs days back, where he was at his peak. I think we did a great job by not selling him away.

All in all, a great game for the Red Devils. The plus: Many of them getting to play. The main show begins this weekend. Week in and week out of clapping and shouting and ruining missed chances. The fear of having a heart attack anytime. The fun of having arguments and laughing at others (One of the advantages of supporting Manchester United). The quest to overtake Liverpool. It's a long wait to see them jumping on the podium again. I shall wait, but. Wait, for the joy it gives you is worth every bit of it.

Go United!

Welcome Season 2010/11

2010-08-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

With 3 months of summer wasted in not so exciting things in life, the excitement is back again with the beginning of the new season of EPL. I always think these 3 months of the year as the most dull months, with no football across the world, no rumors, no tactics, no fight with friends on facebook or orkut communities. Sure, there was the world cup this summer, but for me, no major championship excites as the club competition does, be it the EPL, La Liga, Champs League or even FA cup for that matter.

Anyways, after 3 hard months of waiting, the wait is finally over! The new season starts this weekend with United playing Newcastle on monday. But the best match over the weekend is the big one, Arsenal vs Liverpool, what a match to start of the new season!

United have done a couple of signing, both before the end of last season. One being, the tall, young england defender in Chris Smalling, and the other termed as the wonder kid from mexico, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. Oh boy, he is a wonder kid alright, by what i have seen him in the world cup and the pre-season.

United had a good pre-season in US,Mexico, Ireland and the Community Shield. Too bad they didn't come to New York, atleast i could have gone to New York to watch them play. Apart from a very bad display against Philadelphia and Kansas city, in which they lost, they were pretty good in all other games. Watching the last 3 matches of pre-season, i believe the title will be coming back to the place where it belongs. They were marvelous against the MLS all stars, the ireland team and against chelsea in community shield, apart from 82nd minute to 90th minute they were fabulous.

Lets see what United have got for the season, apart from those 2 signings the squad is pretty much the same as last year, but the young players are more matured than last season. Evans can command the defence now in the absence of Vida and Rio. Valencia has jelled more into the team, a constant threat on the flanks and will not hesitate to shoot this season. Da silva brothers, macheda, cleverly are all a season into the big league now and experienced. If we can read anything from the squad that played against Chelsea in the community shield, we have plenty of players to choose from for each position and no need of new signings. I just hope we will stay away from injuries this season and berba makes this season as one of his best.

If we give support to Rooney in scoring goals, which i think valencia, nani, chicharito and berba are gonna do this time, we dont have to worry about the EPL title coming back to 'The Theatre of Dreams'. With that hope and desire, lets welcome the new exciting season of Football.

PS: I hope this blog will be more active than it was last season.

Recent Matches and Preview to Champions League

2010-03-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Its been a long time since anything was posted. Let me tell the jist of whats been happening with United.

Clash with Liverpool at OT:

I dint watch the match, but saw highlights. Not the usual nerve cracking game between these two but the winner was fabulous. Great decieving run by neville, superb cross by fletcher and an amazing header by Park. Liverpool were the bogey team for couple of years now and the jinx is gone, at a crucial time! Nice to put one over your most hated rivals and one step closer to the record breaking title.

Clash with Bolton at reebok:

Saw the match. Never a doubt that united would win it and so they did. Convincing performance w/o rooney and rio, and to score 4, actually 3, one was OG, shows that united have goal scorers throughout the squad and we are not a one man team. Good to see berba score a brace, good for his confidence. He played really well in this game and we need that in the absence of rooney. Another game down and the countdown to the title reduces. Next up in PL, Chelsea at OT.

Preview to game with Bayern at Munich:

When the draw was made and we get bayern in quarters and a french team in semis, and with the way we are playing right now, every united fan has the feeling that its an easy path to the final at Madrid. I hope its an easy path. No qualms against bayern or lyon/bordeaux, I just feel United have too much quality in them to get through to the finals.

Bayern have a great team. Klose, schwiensteiger, robben, ribery, van bommel, all quality players. They are quite an attacking side and can score goals as they showed against florentina. But what they also showed is their weakness, defense. They let florentina score 4 and got through on away goals rule.

If we are solid at the back and not allow robben and ribery to create chances, then no doubt that united will score in munich and come with an away win probably. An away goal is very crucial in champions league and as we did against Milan, if we win away then we are 90% through to semis and the game at OT is a formality :)

Thinking of clashes with bayern, the first one which comes to every United fan is the memorable and dramatic champions league final at Nou Camp in 1999. I cherish watching this video time and time again and wonder, will there be a dramatic final than this ever?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWelmqZkrGE

Man United Vs AC Milan March 10th 2010

2010-03-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

Never really thought Milan will score 2 goals at OT with no response from Rooney and co. And, that never happened. Its unfair to say that it was a one-sided game seeing a 4-0 scoreline for the Reds. Milan were good at times and they had lot of chances to atleast score one. An interesting fair challenge over the two legs, but the aggregate of 7-2 for the Reds will never say the same.

United totally romped Milan over two legs, both at san siro and at OT. Its fair to say Milan are not the defensive powerhouse they used to be 2 years ago. Aged defense and midfield can't win you a place in a quarters against the young and energetic strike force of United.

United played 4-5-1 as a caution, but any formation doesn't matter when you have Mr. Rooney in your side. Man, he is unstoppable. What a cross from neville and what a powerful header! That goal killed any hopes Milan had about coming back into the tie and then on, it was all about seeing out the time. But, not for united though. Right after the restart, wonderful pass from nani, saw rooney go one on one with Abbiati and a easy tap-in by rooney standards. By the way, that was the only good contribution by nani in the game. I was so frustrated by nani during the match for his lazy plays. I think SAF would have replaced him if we were chasing the game. He needs to get a goal to get his confidence back on track.

The man of the match for me was Park. What a performance! He has been serving well for the side whenever he has played. Never lets the team down. All others had quite a good game and defense was solid with rio and vida back at the center.

An otherwise dull match after goals from united was lit up when one and only David Beckham came on. What a reception he got from the fans! Amazing. Never seen a opposition player get such a reception at OT. Mainly to do with what he has done for this club for 10 years or so. Wish he was still at united. Maybe we would have won few more trophies with him. And as a banner said in OT, "Thanks for Everything Becks".

Also, watched Lyon vs Madrid. Poor madrid should have put the game to bed in the first half with the amount of chances they had, but they paid the price for not taking their chances. Lyon scored an away goal and with it the place in quarters.

I thought United will draw Madrid in quarters and there will be another reunion with ronaldo, but not to be. Should wait another year for that. Eagerly waiting for the quarters/semis draw on 19th march. With this kind of form and rooney in such incredible goal scoring touch, we shouldn't care much, should we?

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United: (0 - 1) 6th March, 2010

2010-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Lucky to come away with 3 points. Could easily have been 0, let alone 1. Good that it happened though. Would have been a final killing move to our hopes of the title.

Liked the fact that the team played without Rooney. Yes, they lacked the cutting edge, but that was more because of the wonderful pressure Wolves played with. Berbatov, although he did carry Tottenham on his shoulders, does not seem to be able to deliver when alone. He is fantastic when playing with someone else. His deft flicks and touches almost always result in scoring opportunities. However, he seems to have lost the confidence to be alone up front. However, I do believe his confidence will come back. He just needs to play often.

Nani should have done a little better. He was good, but was not very effective with his final acts sometimes. I am sure he will catch up, given that he too gets continuous play time on the pitch.

Very happy for Scholes. Although he does not command the game as much as he used to say 6-8 years ago, but does have an impact on the game. Valencia did well, everyone did well in fact. Wolves really deserve credit for having kept ManUtd at bay for so long.

Eagerly await the second leg of the Champions League encounter. Hope Becks has a great time at OT - Good enough so that he goes back home with fond memories, not so good that he goes back victorious. It is said that Rooney is doubtful for the game, I am not really bothered. I am sure United can play without him. Diouf was just unlucky today. He is sure to come good.

Aston Villa vs Manchester United; Feb 28 2010 (Carling Cup Final)

2010-03-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

Even though I got the same birthday gift last year, I am as happy as I was last year. A warning to all Manchester United players. You have raised my expectations w.r.t. birthday presents, so you will have to maintain the same level forever.

Forgive me for the megalomaniacal first para. I just could not help it. I am delighted to see ManUtd win. Though I watched only parts of it, I must say the passing and the movement is getting better and better. And this is what ManUtd are best at.

However, one thing peeves me no end! Why is all the attention going to Rooney? Yes, it was a good header. However, lines like "Rooney inspires ManUtd to Carling Cup Victory" or "Rooney comes off the bench to guide ..." give a totally wrong impression. Rooney is truly world class and has always been, the only difference nowadays is that he is scoring more goals and that is good for him as well as the team. However dubbing ManUtd as a one man team is ridiculous.

I will go ahead and make a strong claim. Rooney is probably the most effective player in ManUtd today. However, I feel Berbatov is classier. And in fact, the star and the man of yesterday's match was Berbatov. Both goals were offsprings of heavenly passes from him. And though as usual he looked his usual bored and lax self (which I just think is his style, not his true picture), he made the best passes in the game. He is a true master and a class act. Going by how rarely he plays, there is a good chance he might go the Veron way. I sincerely hope that does not happen with him.

Over the past few days, Rooney is being credited with everything good ManUtd does. I am extremely happy for him, but it does not do justice to the team. The media has a tendency to make an individual either a complete hero or a complete villain. That is just not fair to anybody. Same was the case with Nani. He performed well quite a few times this season. In spite of that, he was always blamed. And with the arsenal game, in which he made just one great move, they dubbed it his performance every in a United shirt. I think he has had far better games than that. Of course the result was big, but there have been games where he did more than just one brilliant thing.

Rooney is doing great and I could not be happier. I have felt that he has been the best player at ManUtd, not just this season, but for quite a while now. However giving him all the attention will be harmful to both him as well as the team.

Coming back to more pleasurable things - hope we continue the form and rock everyone. Good that Chelsea lost to Man City. We now have a chance to get ahead of them. However we have to play City too; apart from them, we have Chelsea + Liverpool. Hope all goes well.

Everton Vs ManUtd Feb 20 2010

2010-02-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

Be sure what you wish for, it may come back and haunt you!

Thats what happened this weekend at everton. Last week, i had wished everton to beat chelsea and help us in the title race, but what i forgot was that we have to goto everton too.

Final score: 3-1

What a disappointing performance! Absolutely ridiculous! The first half was lively, with nice quick plays and we got the lead through berba, but they got level through a wonderful strike i must admit. But, the second half was lackluster. Why don't valencia play the full 90 minutes with the same vigor and enthusiasm? He was absolute waste in second half and was not getting in the play to feed berba or rooney. Then the second everton goal came in 76th minute i guess. Again valencia the culprit. He was sleeping without marking the run of pienaar and a cross across the goal was met by Dosling.

United made substitution with berba being substituted by obertan. For gods sake why go to 4-5-1 when you are chasing the game and with valencia having a horrible game. WE NEED A STRIKER to help rooney in his attempt to get us the title. No, Owen is not the one! Berba is cool but with his niggling injury problems he cant play whole 90 minutes and wont start many matches. Rooney can play upfront on his own if he gets good service from others, but that doesn't happen in a consistent manner. One day you play the best game of your life, next week you lose miserably. Same players, same formation but different results.

The defense was so weak today. They were running through the center of our defense dribbling. I felt as if we are playing a man short in midfield. I dont understand what carrick was doing the whole game. Apart from a shot on goal and a corner i never saw him in the game. We need rio and vidic very badly in defense if we have to go on a continuous run of wins and with any hope of winning the title.

I sometimes feel Rooney is the only one in the team who plays to win. Ok even fletcher too. But others are just so impassionate about united and the desire to win. United means winning. If you dont play to win, then better dont play for united. Thats my call for the united players who played today. Playing well and losing is better than playing to lose.

MILAN MADNESS

2010-02-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Marilyn Monroe said that, although it may well have been Sir Alex Ferguson after Tuesday's see-sawing battle at San Siro.

The Reds went behind via a deflection, then levelled courtesy of a gigantico slice of fortune before the break (not since Giggsy's contribution late in the 1999 Champions League final has a United mis-kick been quite so effective). Then Wayne Rooney scored two headers – the second of which he could have brought down and taken three touches before backheeling into the net, such was the lax Milan marking – and United, in the manager’s words, were “coasting”.

Five minutes from time, however, the Reds allowed Clarence Seedorf to steal in and pull a goal back with an outrageous flick. Milan were back in the tie. Oh yes, and there was still time for Michael Carrick to be sent off for the most petty of crimes.

Exciting? Sure. Football at its finest? Yes… and no. The match ebbed and flowed, the pendulum of power swinging from Milan to Manchester and back again more times than the master puppeteer Ronaldinho went to ground looking for a free-kick. But the excitement – the nail-biting drama and tension football fans only feel a few times a season – was only possible thanks to football’s imperfections.

PS: Was extracted from ManUtd website.

Preview to AC Milan vs ManUTD

2010-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Just cannot wait to see Becks in action. He will always remain one of my most favourite players. I hope that Fergie gets him back to OT for maybe just an year before he retires. How awesome would that be :)

ManUtd haven't really done well at the San Siro in the recent past. However, I believe they have just been unlucky. They are no less than teams like Milan, Madrid, etc. It somehow just has never worked out against them. I really believe they can do it this time. In fact, they should be able to win both legs, that too with ease.

Irrespective of what happens, I want Becks to score a free kick at OT. It would be amazing to see the OT fans cheer him. I am sure that it will be a moment he will cherish forever.

Hope Nani plays. Hope both Rooney and Berbatov/Owen play. Hope Scholesy does not play! We should be fine then :). I eagerly await the match.

Manchester United Vs Aston Villa : FEB 10 2010

2010-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

The day when united potentially had a very good chance of going top went begging. It was a 1-1 draw in the end, with united playing for over an hour with ten men. I guess the image tells you who saw RED.

Yes, it was Nani, the most unlikely of players. United started the away game shakily as they always do. Went a goal behind through some uncertain defending in the penalty box. Then, the men in Red (Actually blue tonight) started showing their true colors as if they were waiting for a disaster to happen to wake them up and the goal came soon after. Giggs shot turned in by collins, an own goal. Uniteds 10th own goal of the campaign, the second highest goal scorer :P

United were in the ascendancy and in search of the second, when nani's two footed challenge on petrov changed the game plan. Nani saw red and rooney was left to do more than what he usually does (which by other footballers standard is more). But, united kept attacking and were solid at the back.

United were so attacking, it was hard to say who were playing with ten men. It can be proved by the number of shots each team had on goal after the dismissal. I dint see van der sar make any save in the second half, but friedel had to be at his best to keep out rooney twice. I feel if it wasn't for friedel, united would have won this game easily.

The defense was at its best today. Rafael played with maturity, brown and evans were solid, apart from some mistakes by evans which went unnoticed. I feel we are good in defense for some more years to come. No vida or rio, no worries.

Chelsea lost today to everton, as i expected but united failed to win. I see it as a very good point earned rather than 2 points dropped, taking into consideration we played with 10 men for an hour. The gap is just a point now! I feel we are on our way to fourth title in a row :)

Preview to the MidWeek Game

2010-02-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

The MidWeek matches of the top 2 this week, i think are crucial in the title run because both teams are playing away and both have difficult opponents. Man United play Villa at villa park and Chelsea play Everton at Goodison.

ManUnited have not lost at Villa since 1999, the Omens are good and we are the heroes for the villains. But, remember the villa game at Old Trafford this season where we were beaten with ease by united standards. Nothing can be taken away from villa, they are a top 6 team now, looking for champions league spot. They have a very good team with Agbonlahor, young, heskey in attack.

But, we are United. We are on a roll for the past few weeks and I don't see the villains stopping us from being the heroes again. I see a tough match with united coming up on top in the end with ease.

Chelsea have a tough match against Everton at Goodison. Everton are the most inconsistent team i have seen this season. But, they are good at home, they have a very good team with many players coming back from injuries, most importantly Mikel Arteta. If they play like they played againt Man City, i feel we are going to go top this week. But, this is chelsea, they are not invincibles but they are good. They have got players back from African Nations and stronger than they looked 2 weeks back. I will be supporting everton in this match (As Expected) if not to batter chelsea, atleast to scrape a victory in the end.

Another Interesting match this midweek is Arsenal vs Liverpool. I wont talk much about them. But, I hope for another 4-4 match. Atleast the highlights will be good to watch :)

So, by the end of Wednesday evening, I see united winning and hoping everton to beat chelsea, to see united roaring to the top. I wish for an easy game for united without any nailbiters like last season game against villa at OT where 'Fredrico Macheda' scored this amazing goal, which i feel was the turning point for the title last season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1pgPFmXjC8&feature=related

Vision for this blog

2010-02-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Readers/Followers of the blog would have noticed we now have 4 authors, and I hope the number keeps increasing. We have a vision to make this blog a popular one with lots of activity. All those who are interested to contribute to this blog are welcome. It is not necessary that you are a Manchester United fan, you are allowed to hate them. But your posts will have to be MU related. You are allowed to say that we are a bunch of cheaters who don't know how to play, as long as the language is civil and your arguments are constructive. A blanket ban on debate is never good as it helps sharpen the mind and is always healthy.

Comment on this post and I will grant you author privileges, if you are interested that is. Thank you.

Manchester United Vs Arsenal and Portsmouth

2010-02-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

what do we get to see on a nice lazy Sunday supposedly rated as the most awaited match because of the form Arsenal was in 10 matches undefeated streak. Manchester United start the game bit slowly. Everybody doubted SAF's choice to play NANI in the big match and what do we get to see No 17 comes up with the most matured and fabulous performance beating 2 people and creating a chance for the highest goal scorer in BPL ROONEY and he finishes it of easily. it does not end there rooney this time creates for nani by opening arsenal defence and he nets it in. No wonder MANUTD r the champions and will be champions.

Today's match Manutd vs Portsmouth
Right from 00:00 they were attacking and having possession with them. they created a lot of chances the best of all the lot was berbatov's chance where valencia gave a brilliant pass to charging neville, neville passes it to berbatov who is in the 3 yard box but he misses an easy chance. fletcher who has been the star performer this season apart from rooney comes up a brilliant cross and the ball finds no. 10 to just net it in wat a brilliant game play by united. Once MANUTD score a goal they dun stop there they went on to score the second time though it was a deflection but NANI showed y he is rated very highly....

Hopefully there are to come in this game....

We are anything but ManU

2010-01-31T20:56:00.000-08:00

This is a very common mistake made by all supporters. Even I used to do it.

ManU is a term used by our retractors. All the chantings use the term ManU including the Munich one. We are ManUnited, MUFC, United. Anything will do.

My two cents,

Sharma

WEMBLEY!!!: ManU vs ManCity: 27 Jan 2010 (Carling Cup SF)

2010-01-27T17:07:00.001-08:00

Very happy. God bless everyone.

Manchester United are irresistible when they do the zip-zip passing. I am sure no defence in the world can track them when they do that. And Paul Scholes' best position is when he plays in the hole behind the striker. It is amazing that him and Giggs can put in 90 minutes even today. I bow to them.

Very happy that Nani played again. He did well today too. I think him on the left and Valencia on the right is the best. Everyone had a good game. Very happy.

Even then, I think it is time to stop playing Giggs and Scholes. Not that they can't get the job done, it is just that if they are overused, ManU will be lost when they finally do leave. Fergie will then end up overspending on an average player. We have a wonderful young team who can definitely carry on the legacy. We are lucky that we still have some of the seniors. However, the transition must be smooth otherwise disaster will ensue. Moreover, Fergie might quit in sometime too, so we really need to be careful.

Manchester United vs Hull City: 23rd Jan 2010

2010-01-24T18:49:00.001-08:00

Saw highlights. I still wish Fergie should try Owen and Rooney for a minimum of 3 matches at a stretch.

Very happy that Nani put in a good performance. He SHOULD play the next few matches. Only then he can come good. And he should be allowed to play badly for a few matches too. For someone who has not had much time on the field for more than a year and a half, his low confidence might result in a few bad performances and he should be allowed to get those out of his system.

Though Rooney's goals were nothing extraordinary, I am happy for him. He is finally coming good and if he continues, Real Madrid might poach him for more than 100 million.

Happy Rafael played too. Good going.

Possible Center-Back: Per Mertesacker

2010-01-19T14:12:00.001-08:00

He could be ManU's Jaap Stam. He is tall! I am sure he can be paired with either Vidic or Ferdinand. So that will ensure we have four regular center-backs. He could be turned into a defensive midfielder too.

Manchester City vs Manchester United: 19th January 2010

2010-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

2-1: The image should tell you a lot. It was a fantastic match. I watched only the second half but the atmosphere was unbelievable. Congrats to Manchester City. Tevez was good.

The highlight for me was Wayne Rooney. Though he did not score, his play was amazing. The ball control was amazing. Giggs, Evra, etc were good too. A little better finishing would have got us an equaliser.

Team Selection woes once again: Why just one striker? Why not two? And why no Nani? Why can't Owen and Rooney play together? I have a feeling that both of them together will turn into a Yorke-Cole partnership. The most unlikely pairings often turn out to be the best. I remember people saying Rooney and Tevez cannot play together. That turned out great too. I am sure this one will. Fergie, are you listening.

And no consistency in selection once again. Rafael had a bad game, I am sure he won't play for a long time now. I wish he does. Gary Neville learned by messing up, Rafael will too. Scholes seems a waste of space nowadays. Enough of him. Giggs is amazing but how long can he go? We will need someone to replace him. Nani is there; please do not buy anyone else. Also, Obertan, Diouf, Macheda, Welbeck, etc need to play full matches. At least 3-4 at a stretch, full 90 mins. Only then can we see their true colours. Not just 20 mins towards the ending when ManU are down. Apart from the FA Cup semi final, Macheda has never got an extended run. If Fergie is not careful, he will lose many gems.

Foster = YES YES YES; Neuer = NO NO NO

2010-01-18T16:39:00.001-08:00

If the rumours are true, then I am disappointed. Why the hell is ManU launching a bid for Neuer?!?! Hey may be fantastic, but I believe that Foster is magnificent too.

Let us do a bit of analysis. Van Der Sar did not become as good as he is now in just an year! He messed up many times, made lots of mistakes, played a lot of big games and he is now what he is. Foster cannot be as good as he is after just playing 2-3 matches against sides like Tottenham, Fulham or whatever. He will need an extended run, he will need to play big big matches, he will need to face the best strikers and only then will he get good. Spending money unnecessarily will not help anyone. Foster is a great prospect for ManU. He needs to be developed and used.

I hope he gets more playing time. It is ok if he messes up. He must learn. He has great ability and is very quick. The 1% inspiration is already there. The 99% perspiration is just upto ManU. Buying someone else will not help.

P.S. - They should try Vicenzo Fiorillo.

Manchester United vs Burnley: Sat 16 Jan 2010; Berbatov

2010-01-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Nice game! Very very very happy. I loved the tempo of the game; the speed of passing and the movement. And oh God! , I am falling in love with Berbatov more and more. Once again I say, he reminds me of Zidane. So calm and cool and classy. Hope he comes back stronger after the operation. He is doing well!

About Rooney; the fake just before he scored the second goal was awesome. 26 million odd was a huge investment for a teenager, but it seems totally worth it now. God bless him.

Hope Fergie gets Jose Baxter too. Everton do seem to have a good academy.

About Diouf; I hope Fergie's team rotation does not turn him into one of those million ManU players who have scored on their debut and then faded away (so many over the past few years). If he has to turn into a Solksjaer, he has to play as much! He has to play the big games, not just come on after 60 mins during small games and also play useless matches in the FA Cup, Carling Cup etc. Same with the other youngsters. Giggs, Scholes, etc did not become what they are just like that. They played the big games, messed up and learned! The youngsters are great. Hope they have a great future. I am happy :)

Random transfer options

2010-01-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

Fergie could try some of these players. Instead of chasing overpriced people, these guys would come cheap. Worst case throw them out if they don't perform.

Vicenzo Fiorillo

Cesar Villaluz

Jose Baxter

Miralem Pjanic

Get Philipp Lahm!

2010-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Gary Neville does not have long to go, so we would need a replacement. I say get Philipp Lahm. Though Rafael and Fabio are excellent having a steady man might help.

Birmingham vs Manchester United:10th January 2010

2010-01-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

Dissapointing! We could very well trail Chelsea badly once again :(. Fergie please get the team selection right! Do not keep making the same mistakes. All your players are good. Just be regular with the team selection. Try the same team for a while. It is irritating seeing this everytime grrrrr....

And about this article, I say thank God he is not, otherwise we would need Real Madrid to help us get rid of him again! He is different and much better. We are grateful for that.

FA CUP Manchester United vs Leeds United: 3rd January 2010

2010-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

Though I don't really care about the FA cup, once again the side was not well-balanced. You cannot expect to throw a random combination of players and hope that they will gel and produce the goods. It happens against the weak sides. Leeds is not that great, but still they played with a lot of determination and resolve. And NANI! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET HIM ON and make him play at least 10 matches at a stretch. Same thing with Owen. Suddenly throwing him in the middle will not help him get the best out of himself. He had not got a change for a month before he was thrown on to the field. Fergie, please learn from your mistakes.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T20:13:00.001-08:00

Things are looking good once again. Cannot wait for Becks to return to OT. He is one of my favourite MU players ever. Love him! I have a strange vision of him scoring a beautiful free kick and OT erupting in applause. I wish that happens, even at the cost of MU's chances!

Rooney is doing great. Hope he continues. I am very happy that @$$ CR7 left. Even though Rooney always has been the best footballer at ManU, people acknowledge that fact now. Hope we win the Premier League, and I think we will. It will be historic to have won 4 in a row. And I seriously think SAF should leave now. Not because he is getting old, but because he should not leave when things are in a mess. I would like to borrow Navjot Singh Sidhu's words - "...it is better to leave when people are saying "why" rather than "why not"...".

Hope ManU has a great 2010!!! Cheers :)

Manchester United vs Aston Villa: December 12 2009

2009-12-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Sad! We could have overtaken Chelsea, but its ok. I did not watch the match again. But I did see the highlights. Wish Giggs was better with his ball control when he was free. Also, wish the regular strikers had played! Once again!!! TOO MUCH ROTATION! We must have regulars. We cannot have jack of all trade kind of footballers. It works with weak teams, but not with teams that have a definite structure to their play! I wish Fergie stops doing that. It is only going to screw everything up. It is nice to have a big squad with everyone prepared to play. But it does dilute the effectiveness of the team on the field. After all, at a given time we cannot have more than 11 players on the field! Anyways, I am sure we will be back.

Wolfsburg vs Manchester United: Wednesday 9 December 2009

2009-12-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

Happy they won. Very happy Owen got a hat-trick too. He deserves it. A thing about Fergie's selection policies. I know it seems crazy to criticize something that the entire world has always looked upon as great. However, I do feel he makes some glaring mistakes with his rotation policy. And this has been happening a lot over the past 2 years. Mixing up the teams is good. Having all rounders who can play anywhere is good. However, I do believe you must have a fixed best-team lineup. Having people who can play in many positions in good only in crisis situations. But everyone must have a "special" place, where they are trained to fit in that role. And even the formation.

Look at what happened in the final against Barcelona. Anderson and Carrick played together. For quite a few matches before that, I don't think they every played together. Then how can one expect them to bond and gel all of a sudden. You don't experiment during a final. You do all the experimentation before the final. And during the final, you send out your best team possible.

Often, I feel he does the rotation simply to keep all players satisfied. However, he is losing out on players like Nani because of this. Nani needs a run of at least 10 matches. Where he plays close to 90 minutes everytime! And most people need that anyway. Chopping and changing in the name of squad rotation is just not optimal I would say.

And I seriously wish Fergie gets both Fabio and Rafael to play! Otherwise both of them are just going to leave! It is not good to shield them from the big matches. They will learn only when they play in the big matches and maybe even mess up once or twice. I have a feeling that Fergie will keep shielding them and when Neville finally retires (I may be dead by then), he will eventually end up over-paying for a defender from somewhere else.

Manchester United vs West Ham: Sat 05 Dec 2009

2009-12-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Nice performance. Did not watch the match myself but saw the highlights. Giggs is evergreen. Don't know who can ever replace him. Still wish Berbatov/Owen had played though. Nani too. I think he should get a lot more games. He is really a fantastic player, needs more confidence! What about Fabio and Rafael??? Unless they play in the big games, they are never going to get experience. Finally Fergie will end up over-spending on some right back! Hope the youngsters do not get lost!