United Till I Die, No Lie

Chelsea 1 - 0 United

2009-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

VDS

O'Shea Brown Evans Evra
Valencia Fletcher Carrick Anderson Giggs
Rooney

I expected this defeat. I'm not really confident when United play a big side anymore, especially in the Premier League. However, I didn't expect United to play so well and that's the reason I'm disappointed our lads didn't get at least a point from this clash. We spurned a couple of good chances and at the end that's what contributed to our downfall(with a little help from the ref).

Fergie's 4-5-1 formation seemed to have worked against Chelsea's diamond midfield and at times I thought we were playing better than them. The only problem we have, which is reflected in the match stats, is that we don't have any deadly finishers. We managed a few shots but only 2 were on target. Our midfielders aren't contributing enough when it comes to goals Whenever they get in an ideal position they seem to try and search for Rooney. We depend too much on Wayne and I think that's the reason why Fergie needs to spend some cash and buy a decent striker in January, not a striker with a lot of flair, we have that in our squad. We want a striker who's deadly in front of goal, a van Nistelrooy type of striker.

Chelsea's goal was the result of an inexistent foul. Fletcher took the ball fair and square but I guess the ref wanted to compensate for an earlier event where he unjustly booked Drogba. When the goal was scored, Drogba, who had fouled Brown, was in an offside position and he was clearly an obstruction for VDS. So the goal could have been ruled out for 2 other reasons but the goal stood and Chelsea completed their daylight robbery.

Anyway, we are now 5 points adrift of Chelsea but I still believe we are in a good position. Chelsea still have to play at Anfield, the Emirates and of course Old Trafford. We got a few tough away matches out of the way so I'd say keep the faith coz United never die!

United 3 - 3 CSKA

2009-11-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

VDS

Neville Brown Evans Fabio(Evra)

Valencia Fletcher Scholes Nani(Rooney)

Macheda(Obertan) Owen

What an entertaining match! Fergie clearly prioritized this weekend's game vs Chelsea and named a second string line up. Bearing in mind the lack of experience in our starting XI I sensed that this will be a tough match and indeed it was! United defended horrendously at times and that lead to CSKA scoring 3 goals. Thankfully a goal from Owen and two late strikes by Scholes and Valencia proved to be enough for United to get through to the next round.

The match clearly ignited when Rooney was introduced, that's when we were 3-1 down and seemed to be chasing shadows. After his introduction we tried to do something and if it wasn't for a brilliant Akenfeev we would have beat this side easily. Macheda was also unlucky when his attempt hit the post while Fletcher was yellow carded for being fouled in the box, it should have been a penalty. It looked like it wasn't United's day but the grit and determination showed during the late stages of this game rewarded our players with a deserved point. Thanks to this result we preserved our unbeaten home record in Europe. United have last lost to a European side at Old Trafford some 5 years ago vs Milan.

One last note....Obertan, who played for 10 minutes, played well today. He was involved in most of our attacking moves. I'll have to take back what I said last week about this guy. I hope he keeps improving because he has the potential to be someone special. Meanwhile our Valencia put in a man of the match performance. His performances lately have been quite good.

United 2 - 0 Blackburn

2009-10-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

VDS

O'Shea Brown Evans Evra
Valencia Anderson Carrick Nani(Obertan)
Berbatov(Owen) Rooney

It was a frustrating match but United still managed to get the much needed 3 points. Berbatov and Rooney scored the only two goals during the second half but in reality United should have won by a wider margin. Berbatov's goal was beautifully executed while Rooney's goal was the result of a well timed run by the Englishman and a pin point cross by the impressive Anderson.

I think that it was a good performance by United, we played some marvelous football at times but we're not really deadly at the front. Although both strikers were on target, Berbatov should have scored at least a hat trick today but I guess his brilliant goal makes up for the missed chances.

Meanwhile we've finally seen Obertan play in the Premier League. What do I think about him? Well it wasn't the best of debuts. His first 'contribution' was to carry the ball out of touch, he also missed a sitter and showed some poor touches. In my opinion he's not yet ready to play for United against Premier League teams. He will get his chances in cup matches.

My question is.....When on earth will we see United play the United way? When will we start battering teams we totally outplay? Blackburn didn't improve on last week's performance vs Chelsea so why on earth didn't we stuff them with 5 goals? I think our problem is our attack. We need that lethal finisher, a finisher who's deadly in front of goal, unlike Rooney, Berbatov and Owen who missed another good opportunity late on. I think Fergie might have to buy someone come January.

Next match is vs CSKA, a draw will see us through to the last 16.

Some thoughts...

2009-10-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

While I was searching for some kind of time killer I stumbled upon a couple of football related websites bearing the header 'Tottenham interested in Rio'.

While Rio's performances this year have been quite poor I still believe he has what it takes to make our starting XI. Writing him off for a couple of off days is pure stupidity given the fact that he's been one of the best centre backs in Europe for a handful of seasons. I do expect him to improve and reach last year's heights, both him and Vidic have yet to reach the standard set last year. There again the standard set last year was so high that reaching it is sometimes unthinkable. I really can't imagine United going on that unbeaten run again. However, I believe that in a couple of weeks time, when both central defenders shrug off the niggling injuries they've been carrying for quite a while now, we will see the old fruitful partnership in central defense as our super centre backs answer the critics. C'mon RIO & VIDA!
Our next match is vs Blackburn and, as I stated on my previous post, I expect nothing but a win. However we do have some players who will probably miss the match. Our injury list is quite worrying. Giggs, Fletcher, Park, Welbeck, Ferdinand and Vidic are all doubtful for the Rovers clash at OT. Meanwhile Neville is suspended after his straight red card on Tuesday. While I don't rate Park anymore, Giggs's absence will certainly be felt. He has been our best player so far while Fletcher is also a player we will certainly miss. However I do expect United's quality and depth in squad to make up for these absences and help in getting a much needed boost before the two crunch matches vs CSKA and Chelsea.Meanwhile United are reported to be interested in Everton's young defender Jack Rodwell. I hope this is true. He's a great player with a lot of potential. I've always stressed that I want United to be English or at the very least British. I hate looking at United and realize that we have more Portuguese speaking players than English speaking, I think Liverpool fans get a worse feeling when they look at their squad. We do have our fair share of British players though unlike most Premier League clubs. If the 6 home grown players rule is put into practice I think United is the only English club in Europe who won't face any kind of problem.

And finally...... a note before I end this post, which suggests that I have plenty of time on my hands, I'd like to confirm that 5 of my friends and I will be heading to Manchester in December, on boxing day, to watch the Man Utd vs Wigan match :) This will be the second time I will be visiting Old Trafford and believe me, I'm as excited as if it's my first time!

Barnsley 0 - 2 United

2009-10-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Foster
Neville(s/o) Brown Evans Fabio
Obertan Rafael Anderson Welbeck(Tosic)
Macheda Owen(de Laet)

United won this match thanks to 2 fine finishes by Welbeck and Owen. I only watched the final 30 minutes, just after Neville was sent off. At that time Barnsley were having their chances in front of our goal while our back four were running like headless chickens. However an excellent save by Foster and some poor finishes by the Barnsley players proved to be Barnsley's downfall and United duly hung on for the 2-0 win.

This match speaks heaps of United's squad improvements. 2 to 3 years ago we used to field our reseves and lose such matches. The first match that comes to mind was that 2-0 defeat to Coventry. Winning these matches by fielding a team mostly made up of our reserves shows our depth in our squad.

Our next match is vs B'Burn. I have seen them play vs Chelsea, only a win will do against such a poor side.

Liverpool 2 - 0 United

2009-10-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

VDS
Oshea Rio Vida(s/o) Evra
Valencia Carrick Scholes Giggs
Rooney Berba

Well, what can I say? I never expected United to get out of Anfield with the 3 points. Liverpool were never going to succumb to their 5th defeat in a row, a defeat which would have virtually ended Liverpool's title bid. With this win they are back with the challengers; it was too early to rule them out anyway.

As much as I hate Liverpool I've got to admit that they deserved their win. They won the midfield battle and at the front they managed to uncover a few cracks in our defence. Rio was very poor when he had faced Torres one on one with the latter scoring a cracking goal while Vidic who was OK managed to get himself sent off for two bookable challenges. The second challenge merited a straight red but the ref showed some mercy on the Serb international.

Carragher should have been sent off late in the game when he fouled Owen who could have scored from the resulting action but the ref, who dismissed Mascherano 2 minutes from time, wasn't interested in sending Carra off. Anyway nothing could excuse our poor performance today. Well done to Liverpool, now I expect to pick ourselves up and start thinking about the next couple of matches starting with Barnsley on Wednesday. C'mon United.

CSKA 0 - 1 United

2009-10-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

VDS
Neville Rio(Brown) Vida Fabio(Carrick)
Valencia Scholes(Owen) O'Shea Anderson Nani
Bebratov

The starting line up might have raised a few eyebrows but with our ever increasing injury list Fergie had no other option. We got used to Fergie's infamous Champions League 4-5-1 away formation so there were no surprises there. All in all the United players had a good second half performance after a drab and monotonous first half. Valencia who was anonymous during the first half managed to set the world alight with some fine dribbling skills, a thunderous shot that rattled the crossbar and of course a well taken goal.

Both Fabio and Neville had a great match. Neville's last couple of matches showed that he's still a valid member of our squad. Nani was poor. Although unlucky not to score, his final pass was awful once again. It was nice to see Brown back in action and VDS keeping a clean sheet. Unless something catastrophic happens United are through to the next stage of the Champions League!

Our next match is vs Liverpool. At Anfield you can expect two things, either a United side willing to beat Liverpool in their own back yard or a spirited Liverpool side eager to bounce back from their recent disappointments backed by their fans. Whatever happens we'll keep the red flag flying high!

Come on United

United 2 - 1 Bolton

2009-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

VDS

Neville Rio Evans Evra(O'Shea)
Valencia Anderson(Scholes) Carrick Giggs
Berbatov Owen(Welbeck)

Whoa that was a close one! United scored after a few minutes thanks to an own goal by Knight and then Valencia scored his first competitive goal for United after a neat one-two with Neville. However this comfortable 2 goal lead was seriously threatened by Bolton who managed to score late in the second half and could have easily equalised in the final moments of the match.

United were poor once again and I don't think we can keep on winning with such a form. Rooney was badly missed and at the back we looked terrible especially when defending crosses. Thankfully the return of VDS made me feel more comfortable whenever a ball was swung from the sides. I liked Berbatov's contribution, he could have scored two beauties and managed to get his team mates in ideal positions, however, Owen's performance was poor. He looked slow and spurned a couple of good chances. Anderson and Carrick played quite well while Giggs and Valencia both had their ups and downs.

United are back on top of the league though! Chelsea's loss to Villa means we are now a point clear off the Blues. Our next match is away to CSKA. I don't really know what to expect but I hope United improve!

United 2 - 2 Sunderland

2009-10-04T08:52:00.001-07:00

Foster
O'Shea Evans Vida Evra
Nani Fletcher Scholes Welbeck
Rooney Berbatov

I predicted a 3 nil scoreline and thus this result was a bit of a shock for me. I couldn't watch the whole match, I just watched about 40mins from the 1st half and I have now seen the highlights. From what I've seen United had an off day and only tried to score during the last few minutes of the game. Foster showed why we are eager for Van der Sar's return. He was poor and his mistake cost us the two points.

Berbatov scored an amazing goal today. A goal of that calibre should be a crowning moment for a winning side but thanks to Foster the technique of that goal may have been forgotten, especially by the media. The other goal was scored by Ferdinand. No, not Rio but his younger brother.

Anyway I can't realy comment on this match since I didn't see an awful lot. Maybe the upcoming international break will refresh our players. I hope so! We already dropped 5 points against 'minor' teams. I hope we're not turning into last year's Liverpool side which managed to win against top 4 teams and squander points againt lower teams.

United 2 - 1 Wolfsburg

2009-09-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Kuz

O'Shea Rio Vidic Evra
Valencia(Fletcher) Carrick Anderson Giggs
Owen(Berbatov) Rooney

United won their second match of this years' Champions League thanks to a fightback lead, once again, by the evergreen Giggs. United dominated the game and played eye pleasing football throughout the whole match especially after Berbatov's introduction. However Wolfsburg managed to get their noses in front with a good goal by a 6foot fiver who was challenged, in the air, by our Evra. It is needless to say that Dzeko had no competition at all to get to the ball.

This goal seemed to have triggered the United side and a couple of minutes after Wolfsburg's goal, Giggsy saw his deflected freekick get to the back of the net. It was all about United from now on and a beautifully built attack lead to United's second goal scored by Carrick. Giggs was the assist to this goal! I was really getting worried about Carrick lately. His morale seemed to have hit rock bottom and only a good performance could re-boost his confidence. Luckily he had a good game today and scored a great goal. Just what he needed!

While Rooney had a game off today, Berbatov was on fire. His moves were jaw dropping while his first time football was nothing short of world class. I usually criticize our Bulgarian but he didn't put a foot wrong today. Meanwhile Owen got injured and I hope it's nothing serious because we desperately need a back up striker.

All in all I'm pleased with today's match. Although United spurned a couple of chances, I'm pleased with our player's response to Wolfsburg's goal. Next Sunderland. 3-0 is my prediction.

Stoke 0 - 2 United

2009-09-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

Foster
O'Shea Rio Vidic Evra
Valencia Fletcher Scholes(Carrick) Nani(Giggs)
Rooney(Owen) Berbatov

Another Giggs inspired United managed to win against a team who's main priority was not to concede a goal. The first half was very frustrating for United who attacked and attacked without getting any real reward for their labour. However, on the 55th minute Fergie brought on the Welsh wizard who managed to assist both Berbatov and O'Shea who scored without much effort. Giggs was also unlucky not to score a goal himself when he missed the target from an ideal position. He managed to change the game and his genius unlocked the stubborn Stoke defence. Definitely my man of the match.

It was a good performance by the team altogether although I was a tad disappointed with Valencia's contribution as well as Nani's. They seem to hold the ball for too long and the final pass is not always good. Valencia could have and should have scored early in the first half but his chip shot was weak, while Nani, who had a good effort saved, didn't cross the ball well enough and his main aim seemed to be to show off his ineffective skills. There's room for improvement.

At the end of the day we managed to get 3 points at a very difficult ground, while Chelsea managed to lose a 'very winnable' fixture. We're on top of the league again. Order has been restored :)

United 1 - 0 Wolves

2009-09-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Kuz

Neville Evans Brown Fabio(s/o)
Nani Gibson Carrick Welbeck(King)
Macheda(De Laet) Owen(Valencia)

United are through to the fourth round of the Carling Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Wolves. Welbeck scored the decisive goal after a dazzling one-two with last Sunday's hero Owen.

Considering that we played for an hour with 10 men, I think this was a good performance by the boys. It was nice to see Kuzchak back in goal, VDS and the recent rise of Foster have limited our Pole's appearances in a United shirt. However, I strongly believe that Kuz is better than Foster in some departments and not playing him is pretty harsh. Brown also had a good match and so did Gibson. I always liked Gibson, he's a no nonsense midfielder with an eye for goal. His shooting is pin point and he's scored some fabulous goals last year. I'd like to see more of the Irishman.

The 17 year old debutant, Joshua King, seems to be an interesting young striker. He had a decent debut in which he could have scored after dribbling past the Wolves defense. Another young lad to keep an eye on.

Our next match is away to Stoke. It will be a tough test but I expect United to win it by the odd goal. C'mon you reds!

United 4 - 3 Man City

2009-09-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Foster

O'Shea Rio Vida Evra
Park(Valencia) Anderson(Carrick) Fletcher Giggs
Rooney Berbatov(Owen)
Welcome to the real Manchester

Wow, what a match! During the second half United performed superbly but could have ruined the show with a late blunder by Rio. Thankfully we didn't rue that mistake as well as Foster's thanks to Rooney, a brace by Fletcher and a 96 minute winner by Owen. Tevez was welcomed to Manchester with a Champions performance by the champions of England and although I'm disappointed at how we conceded the 3 goals I'm over the moon with our attackers who destroyed City during the second half.

United scored first and although it is definitely a morale booster to score so early, I argued with my mates that scoring an early goal could only trigger the opposition and that's what happened in the first half. City were better although not that threatening at the front. During the second half it was a different story. United attacked relentlessly but Given was performing miracles in the City goal meanwhile the blues attacked the United goal twice and scored two.

Anyway, all players played well. Fletcher and Anderson were untouchable in midfield while Giggs was immense on the left flank. Rooney scored and did his best while Berbatov had a good game and could have scored 2 if it wasn't for Given's saves. Owen played for 10 minutes and did his job when he scored. Valencia played quite well when he came on while the back four were quite shaky at times except for Evra who ran throughout the match like a maniac.

I'm still breathless. Another 3 years chopped off my life time? Maybe. But it was worth it.

Tevez, that's how it feels to be at City :)
Welcome to Manchester Owen!

Besiktas 0 - 1 United

2009-09-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

Foster

Neville Evans Vidic Evra
Valencia(Park) Carrick(Berbatov) Anderson Scholes Nani

Rooney(Owen)A win on Turkish soil is never easy so I'm quite happy with today's result. United's only goal was headed in by Scholes, probably the shortest player on the field. Although the Turks rarely threatened Foster's goal they managed to contain United and that's what made this match a difficult one for United.

The game wasn't really fun to watch mainly due to the fact that both sets of players defended well and our attacking threat was poor because Rooney was too isolated up front. We looked much more adventurous when Berbatov and Owen entered the field of play. This is a vivid reason why Fergie must play with a 4-4-2 formation rather than 4-5-1, we looked much better with two attackers rather than Rooney isolated up front and running his socks off to no avail.

My man of the match was Patrice Evra who was everywhere on the field. He attacked and defended superbly. On the other hand I am really disappointed with Valencia who was very poor today. He rarely passed past the Besiktas full back and when he did, his final pass was poor. Valencia needs to improve drastically.

I'm also pleased with Berbatov's performance today. He held the ball superbly while Owen worked hard and even started the move that ended with Scholes scoring the winner.

There's no need telling you who United will face this weekend. My view? I really don't know what to expect. But with Adebayor, clearly City's best player so far, Tevez and Robinho not taking any part in the match, I think United might just edge it.

Tottenham 1 - 3 United

2009-09-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Foster
O'Shea Rio Vida Evra
Fletcher Scholes(s/o) Anderson(Nani) Giggs
Berbatov(Carrick) Rooney

What a game by United! It was an excellent comeback by the lads after conceding a goal just after 52 seconds. After that goal it was all about United. Giggs scored a spectacular freekick. Anderson scored another beauty which means that he's off the mark in competitive matches and Rooney, well, he scored a goal that had class written all over it and ran his socks off during the match. My man of the match was definitely Rooney but Anderson was excellent too.

I feared the worst just after 1 minute. Tottenham who had won all their previous matches scored a nice goal and I thought that they were going to run riot. But United responded just like champions should do and outplayed the Spurs in every department. Rio and Vida were a rock at the back, Evra never stopped running, our midfield was exceptional except for Scholes who got sent off after 2 stupid challenges. At 2-1 he could have ruined our party but United kept going and going and crowned the performance with the third goal. Rooney is, in my opinion, the best player in the Premier League. Period.

Our next match is vs Besiktas away from home. It could be a tricky match but United have enough power to defuse the Turks. Bring 'em on!

United 2 - 1 Arsenal

2009-08-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Foster
O'Shea Brown Vidic Evra
Valencia(Park) Carrick Fletcher Giggs(Berbatov) Nani
Rooney

Although Sir Alex got his tactics horribly wrong, United still managed to win this tough game against a team which has been on fire since the start of the season. A goal from Rooney from the spot and a gift from Diaby were enough to overhaul Arsenal's first half lead. Foster who may have been at fault for Arsenal's first goal managed to pull a miraculous save on van Persie which kept United in the match and gave the necessary boost to his team mates who managed to play quite well during the final 30 minutes of the match.

It was a very bizarre match. The own goal by Diaby was very unusual, he seemed like he actually wanted to put the ball in the back of his keeper's net. The game also had quite a handful of yellow cards while Rooney managed to make a sliding tackle with his head! Yep you heard that right! At the end of the match Berbatov fluffed a very good chance to make it 3-1 and Arsenal managed to equalize thanks to van Persie but the assistant ref flagged for offside. Arsene Wenger who was still cheering his side's equalizer kicked a water bottle at the linesman when he realised the goal had been canceled and the ref sent Arsene Wenger off. Wenger, however, tried to stay in our lovely stadium by standing in the stands without having a seat (see picture below) but the ref kept insisting that the Gunners manager's ass wasn't allowed anywhere near the pitch. The scenes at the end of the match were quite hilarious to say the least!

Our man of the match was without any shadow of a doubt Darren Fletcher. The scot was everywhere! He really has improved during the last couple of seasons and today's performance was a proof of his improvement. Outstanding performance by Fletcher :)

All in all it was a 50/50 match, any team could have won and fortunately United were the team who got out of this fixture on top. My main concert is Chelsea. They seem to be too good to drop points while Liverpool have been dropping points for fun. Next: Tottenham. Tough fixture. I'd settle for a draw.

We gunned down the Gunners :) Well, actually, they gunned themselves down :P

Wigan 0 - 5 United

2009-08-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Foster

Neville Vidic Evans(O'Shea) Evra

Valencia Scholes(Gibson) Fletcher Nani

Rooney(Owen) Berbatov

After a disappointing first half, in which we spurned a couple of decent chances, United's attackers stuffed Wigan with 5 goals and ensured I spend my evening smiling. The second half was a goal festival I have been longing for quite a while. We won too many games by a goal last season so such a scoreline is always welcome :) Rooney scored his 100th(a header; he's getting really good at headers) goal for the club shortly before starting his route to the 200 goal mark with another fine goal. Berbatov scored a nice goal and so did Nani and Owen.

I'm pretty pleased with today's performance. During the second half our players were excellent and Vidic's return was another big boost. Finally Owen scored his first competitive goal for United and it was a well taken goal. 4 goals to go and he equals the lying cunt's (Tevez) Premier League goal tally for last year. Nani had another positive match by scoring and setting up Owen en route while Berbatov showed some fine moves and cleverly scored United's 2nd. Foster made a couple of good saves and finally I'm seeing the real Ben who's so highly rated by Fergie. All in all I'm pretty pleased and I hope United emulate or even better today's performance in the upcoming matches :)

Next match is vs Arsenal. In my opinion they have been the surprise package for this season. With Adebayor and Eboue leaving the club, I really thought the club was in shambles but they managed to prove me wrong. I expect a win. I'm sure we're better than them but we must prove it next Saturday! C'mon United!

Burnley 1 - 0 United

2009-08-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Foster

Brown(Neville) Evans OShea Evra

Park Carrick Anderson(Valencia) Giggs

Owen(Berbatov) Rooney

So we have lost our 2nd game of the season and to be honest with you all, we didn't deserve to win because we didn't try to win. It was an awful performance and at the end Burnley were rewarded for working their socks off.

It's true that we always start the season a tad too slow but we shouldn't be losing such games against a club which was outclassed by Stoke last weekend. Anyway it just wasn't United's day. Carrick missed a penalty, Rooney lost his head, Park was absolutely crap, Fergie's tactics were laughable(how on earth can you win a game by putting a slow Gary Neville on the playing field instead of Brown?), Owen was poor and the rest of the players really didn't look like they wanted to win except for Giggs who tried to hurry United's play but to no avail.

Our next is away vs Wigan. A tough hurdle, I know, but we should win it. I still believe in our boys!

Bleak Day for Black United

United 1 - 0 Birmingham

2009-08-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Foster

Fabio Evans(Brown) O'Shea Evra
Valencia Scholes Fletcher Nani(Giggs)
Berbatov(Owen) Rooney

I had been waiting for this match for quite a while now. I was excited and as I browsed through a couple of Man Utd related blogs and websites to get some info regarding today's match, my computer suddenly turned off and I realised that there was a power cut! It was about 2pm local time and I went to a nearby pub in hope that they will show United's game, but alas they didn't have a generator! Time was running out and my friends and I sought a club which had a generator and hence could show United's match live. Luckily the Universal bar provided just that and I was in time(well only 2mins late) to watch my beloved heroes start their title defence.

I expected a comfortable result but United only won thanks to a Rooney goal. In my opinion Rooney was the only player who really troubled Birmingham. He scored a good goal, had a couple of shots off target while goalie Hart saved 2 beautifully executed Rooney shots. He was our main man and I really have no idea how United could possibly cope should Rooney get injured, something that happens too often for my likeing.

United is not just about Rooney so let's talk about the other players. Foster, in my opinion, was excellent today. He made a couple of good interceptions and really looked like a man brimming with confidence. The back for, in the absence of Vida and Rio, did quite well. Valencia was OK while both Scholes and Fletcher played the ball well. Nani managed to assist Rooney but had to be replaced after half time. Berbatov tried to do something but failed. Owen who played for like 15 minutes could have scored a goal but fluffed his chance. Mind you, that fella does have potential, he managed to run clear of the back four twice in 15 minutes.

Anyway we managed to win the opener, something we didn't do for the last couple of years. Next match is vs Burnley. I expect a win. A 2-0 scoreline will do just fine :)

NB. Does anyone know why Carrick did not play today??

United 2 - 2 Chelsea (1-4 after penalties)

2009-08-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Foster

O'Shea(Fabio) Ferdinand Evans Evra

Park(Giggs) Carrick Fletcher(Scholes) Nani(Valencia)

Berbatov(Owen) Rooney

So United started the 2009-2010 season on a sour note after losing yet another penalty shootout. Nani, who played quite well, scored a beautiful goal but Chelsea managed to overhaul the one goal defecit by scoring 2 goals. Rooney scored deep in injury time to send the game into penalties which was the third time in a row the Charity Shield ended on penalties.

The thing that really pissed me off was their second goal. Ballack, in front of the ref's eyes, elbowed Evra who was knocked down. Seconds earlier the ref had blown the whistle because he thought that Ballack, who was on the ground, had suffered a serious injury. But the ref didn't blow the whistle this time even though Evra was clutching his face on the ground. Chelsea, who had all the right to play on since that dummy of a ref didn't blow the freakin whistle, didn't put the ball out of play and from the resulting action, Lampard, who made the most of Evra's absence, scored Chelsea's second goal. Rules state that the official must stop play for a head injury and Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Evra all protested to Mr.Foy after the goal.

Anyway the game looked destined to finish 2-1 for Chelsea but Rooney scored a good goal after receiving a terrific pass from Giggs. The penalty shootout was a total disaster as Carrick was the only United player to score while Foster didn't even mark a single penalty shot. All in all I'm pretty disappointed United didn't finish Chelsea off when we had some decent chances and another thing that bothered me was Foster's horrific shooting. We'll have to get used to it since VDS is out for about 10 weeks.

On another note I'm pretty pleased another season of football has kicked off. It will be full of ups and downs, mostly ups, I hope and at the end of it I hope we win yet another Premier League trophy! It should be a great season, Chelsea look solid while you can never write neither Arsenal nor Liverpoll off although they both look a tad weaker compared to last season. Man City have built a decent squad while Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham will all be doing their best to ensure they play European Football next season. The likes of Westham, Portsmouth and Fulham are always a tough nut to crack while the so called 'small' clubs will do anything to avoid relegation. It should be a cracker of a season! Enjoy the ride.

C'Mon United!

United 2 - 0 Valencia

2009-08-05T15:25:00.001-07:00

United won today vs Valencia in the last pre season game. Rooney and Cleverley scored the goals with Valencia providing the assist. I didn't watch the match since I had to go to a BBQ.

Rooney's goal was quite good while Cleverly kept his cool to put the ball at the back of the net. The next match is that vs Chelsea the real business starts now.

C'MON UNITED!!!!!!!!!!

This Blog is Two Years Old!

2009-08-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

So another year has passed and I'm still not bored of updating this blog week in week out. In fact I like expressing my opinions about my favourite football club and that's what is keeping this blog alive!

Blogs do need a certain level of commitment and that's why most people start blogging but get bored after a couple of weeks. The secret to creating a blog that actually lasts is to blog about something that you truly love and can't get enough of. That's why this blog has been a success! I just love United and even though I watch about 60 matches per year, I just can't get enough of them!

I'd like to thank all those who bother read my thoughts on this blog and even though my English may be quite poor at times I really appreciate that most readers have kept visiting this blog on a weekly basis to see what good old Oli has to say.

The new season is just round the corner and I do hope you keep visiting this blog during the course of the season. The Club is facing some exciting times. With Ronaldo gone will Valencia prove to be an able replacement? Will Owen answer his critics? Is Obertan another gem found by Sir Alex? Will Macheda get his place in the first team? Will Foster be able to replace VDS? Will Fergie's patience on Berba finally pay off? Is Welbeck ready to play for the first team? After living in Ronaldo's shadows for some years, will Rooney get his chance to shine? How will Nani fare this season? There are hundreds of questions which can only be answered during the oncoming season.

United is not just a football club, it's a Religion. So let us pray!

Just like last year I gathered some interesting statistics about this site... enjoy.

Date of creation : Saturday, August 4th, 2007

First Article header : Welcome to My Blog ( A brief description about the objective of this blog)Posts since creation: 170
Most Comments to an article: 21. (Article: Champions Of England! May 11th 2008)
Blog Hits : 8,271. Average of 11.33 hits per day (increase of 1.90 hits from last year)
Unique Visitors : 956
Matches Covered since creation of blog: 76(PremierLeague), 26(Champions League), 9(Fa Cup), 7(Carling Cup), 2(FA Community Shield), 12 ( Friendly matches) 2(World Club Cup) 1 (Uefa Super Cup). Total: 135 matches.

Major Arrivals since the blog's begining : Tevez, Manucho, Berbatov, Obertan, Owen, Valencia

Major Departures since the blog's begining : Smith, Pique, Manucho, Ronaldo, Tevez
Major Cups Won : 7 (2Premier Leagues, Champions League, 2 Community Shields, Carling Cup, World Club Cup)
Total Goals scored since blogs' start (inc Friendlies) : 263 Goals

Bayern Munich 0 - 0 United (7-6pens)

2009-07-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

van der Sar;

Fletcher, Ferdinand (Cathcart 69), Evans, Evra;

Gibson, (Valencia 63), Scholes, Giggs, Nani;

Owen (Rooney 78), Berbatov (Anderson 78)

United lost the 'massive' Audi Cup final to Byern on penalties. It wasn't the best of matches and United never really got going.

Berbatov managed to hit the bar but so did Bayern Munich. Valencia looked promising and Owen gave me a heck of a fright when he ended on the ground clutching his feet in pain. In the end Evra and Evans missed the penalties while Van der Sar could only save one and hence the Audi Cup was handed to Bayern.

I won't really give too much attention to today's performance since Fergie didn't field the best team from the start and the lads were obviously tired after yesterday's match, but then again, so were Bayern! Anyway we do need to improve if we want to emulate and better last year's results.

United 2 - 1 Boca Juniors

2009-07-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Kuszczak;

O'Shea, Cathcart, Brown (Ferdinand 37), Fabio (Evra 77);

Valencia (Nani 68), Anderson (Fletcher 77), Carrick (Scholes 77), Park (Giggs 68);

Rooney, Macheda (Berbatov 68)

In my last blog I claimed that Anderson will never score and here I am looking like a complete jackass once again. Anderson scored his first goal in a United shirt and it was an absolute beauty! New boy Valencia put in an excellent performance and scored in the process. If he plays like he did today I expect him to bag at least 10 goals during the course of the season. I was highly impressed by Fabio, Antonio and debut boy Cathcart. Anderson and Carrick ran the show in midfield while Macheda and Rooney didn't have the best of games. This match supports my opinion that Macheda is not yet ready to face the 'big' teams. Kuszczak showed that he's a good goalie but cannot kick a ball without sending it in the side stands while Wes Brown got injured. I hope it's nothing too serious.

The first half was a joy to watch but the second half was a different story. United never really reached the level and tempo of the first 45 minutes. Maybe the long journey from Asia has had it's effects on the players because some looked exhausted after the break.

All in all it was a good match were we got to play against a decent team rather than the poor teams we played in Asia. United will play the Audi Cup final tomorrow vs either Milan or Byern. It's just a friendly tournament but it's a great chance to start the season with a moral boosting tournament win and prove to all the doubters that there is life after Ronaldo.

Gangzhou 2 - 8 United

2009-07-26T12:44:00.001-07:00

Van der Sar (Foster, 45);

Fabio, Evans, Ferdinand (Brown, 59), Evra;

Nani, Scholes (Anderson, 59), Fletcher (Giggs, 59), Tosic (Park, 59);

Berbatov (Gibson, 70), Owen (Rooney, 45).

The final game of the Asia Tour proved to be a really entertaining match. United’s 8 goals were scored by Giggs who scored a hat trick, Owen who scored 2 while Nani, Tosic and Berbatov scored the rest. United scored some amazing goals, and I’m obviously happy with the result but I’m disappointed with the goals we conceded.

Berbatov looked very sharp and made some mouth watering passes, two delightful assists and scored a good goal. Nani had another excellent game; I said it time and time again, he’ll shine this season. Owen scored a brace with the second being an absolute eye pleaser and Giggs came off the bench to score a hat trick. Van der Sar wasn’t troubled but our future number 1, Foster, conceded two goals and was at fault for the first one. Rooney had a frustrating match while Anderson hit the woodwork and fired wide from an ideal position. He’ll never score.

I’m certainly delighted today with the result but winning a match against a team I can hardly pronounce is not such a massive achievement. It was a good warm up to the Audi cup though!