Just have some faith

We all know the result and I know that nobody can believe that we have scored just 2 points from our first three games. Our worst start since the 1992 season but don’t forget we won that season. How can fans be criticising Man United so early in the season. The season has just begun and it starts with 114 points up for grabs. United have dropped 9 points in total which leaves 107. I’m not saying that we will get 107 points but here is a quick reminder, last year we dropped 25 points in total. I’ve been listening to the BBC 606 podcast and have heard United supporters say “United have thrown away the league” and that makes my stomach churn to hear them speaking like that.

Having said that I do believe that SAF has to really think deeply about what he is going to do. We have dominated the midfield in first games and we are not putting the ball into the back of the net. No Rooney, Saha and Solsjaer. Yes Tevez is world class but it has become very clear now that he needs more game time to get fit and he needs support up front. Should SAF splash on a striker? Would the glazers allow this? Will it be a waste of money? I don’t know the answer to these questions but I do have faith in SAF and believe that the team will come right sooner than later.

On Thursday 606’s Tim Lovejoy said that he believes that the `Big 4` will drop more points in this season than any other that has passed and I agree with him after watching the first 3 game weeks. A lot of money has been put into the FAPL and the mid table teams are getting better at closing down individual players e.g. Carlos Tevez. Every time he got the ball three City Players closed him down and removed him from the game. Mid table teams have started off the season well and with players they have brought in they are better capable of getting that crucial draw with the top teams.

UWS.

A brief history of the Manchester Derby

The first derby was played on the 12th of November 1881 when United were Newton Heath and City were West Gorton. Newton won the game 3-0. The first league game was played in the 1894/1895 Season and Newton Heath beat Manchester City 5-2.

Up until the Second World War fans frequently used to go watch a City game one week and the next week go watch United. After the war supporting both teams became uncommon.

The dirty 70’s Derby’s.
December 1970 - George Best broke Glyn Pardoe’s leg in harsh tackle and the defender almost lost his leg due to the injury.
November 1974 – George Best and Francis Lee spent most of the Game blaming each other for diving.
March 1974 - Mike Doyle (United) and Lou Macari (City) both got red cards and refused to get off the field. The Referee had to take the teams back to the change rooms and play resumed when both players accepted their dismissals.

"The day Denis Law back-heeled United into the Second Division".

April 27, 1974 – Denis Laws was playing for City (after 11 years at United) and scored a goal against United at OT in the 81st minute when the game was 0-0. Lee passed the ball to Law and while his back was facing the goal, he instinctively back healed the ball past Alex Stepney scoring for City. When his team mates were running towards him to congratulate him, Law walked straight off the pitch with his head down after realizing that that was the goal that would send Manchester United down to the Second Division. He was substituted and that was the last league game he played. He later said "I have seldom felt so depressed in my life as I did that weekend. After 19 years of giving everything I had to score goals, I had finally scored one which I almost wished I hadn't."


City Failed to Beat United once in the 90’s. This era sparked a long lasting feud between Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland. In 1998, Keane was clean through to goal and Halland (then playing for leads) was chasing him and tackled him. As Keane was laying on the ground Haaland accused him of faking. The tackle actually that meant Keane would miss a few games as he suffered crutiate ligament injury. Three years later when Haaland was the Captain of City, Keane came in with a knee high tackle for which he was sent off. Haaland suffered with knee problems from then on and retired from football in 1992. He said that it was not due to the challenge but medics say it aggravated a previous knee problem. Keane was fined £150,000 and received a five match ban because in his autobiography he admitted the tackle was premeditated.

Today Old Trafford has a banner on Stretford End with a reference to the last time City have won a Major Trophy – 31 years. Each year this gets updated at the start of the season.

Last year we beat City home (3-1) and away (1-0) with Ronaldo scoring once in each and Rooney scoring at home with Saha. In total we have played city in 148 competitive matches, won 60 lost 29. In the FAPL we have played 20, won 12 and lost 3 (all away). A total of 57 goals in the FAPL averaging 2.85 goals per game.

We will be without any of our goal scorers from last year and we will be without Park, Solskjaer , Neville and Foster.

Like I said in a previous post this is more than just about local pride now, its about showing what we are all about.

Prediction: Man City 0-2 Manchester United.

This post will be updated if there is more news on injury’s and I find any other team news.

Update.
Seems Like this is the team :Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, Simpson, Bardsley, Pique, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, O'Shea, Fletcher, Eagles, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Tevez, Nani.

Hargeave and Anderson are both Injured no expected return date for them.

Porstmouth V Manchester United

Well its going to be an interesting game considering Pompeys good record against us at Fratton Park. We've only won once there in the FAPL and lost 3 times. Played 67 Competitive matches won 39 and lost 19 with 12 of them being away. That's means we've won less than half our games against them. Last year saw us leave Fratton park 2-1 losers with Mr Versatility (O'Shea) scoring.

Statistics out the way, let me tell you how I feel about this game. With Rooney injured and Teves coming into play earlier than expected, I think he has something to prove and that is that United are not dependent on any one player. I was at Fratton park in 2006 and we came away 3-1 winners. Since that was the only time I have seen United in England I will always have a positive feeling about the game. Also considering we drew on the weekend we have to win just to keep the critics quiet and to shut up my annoying friends (Sergio) from Liverpool .

To recap on the games I have watched up until now, I have to say that the best goals ive seen have been Gerrard's free kick and Kapo's goal against Chelski. Best Football I've seen so far is Arsenal in the second half of their match against Fulham (That's not taking United's dominant possession without scoring performance against Reading into account). Most Shocking team till now has to be Spurs. 35 million upfront, apparently the best strike force in the FAPL and 2 terrible games.

GGMU

Two Friendlies 7 Goals.

Tonight we played two friendlies one in Scotland and one in Belfast. But have a look at the teams we took. Goals scored in brackets.

Dunfermline: Van der Sar, Kuszczak; Brown, Bardsley, Pique, Silvestre, Eckersley; Hargreaves, Fletcher, Scholes, S Evans, Eikrem, Eagles(1); Giggs(1), Rooney(2).

Glentoran: Heaton; Simpson, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra(1), Lea; Carrick, O'Shea, Gibson, Martin, Nani(1), Anderson; Dong, Campbell(1).

Now we still missing Saha, Solskjaer, Neville, Park and Foster. Split those five into the above two teams and we are looking good to have two teams in the EPL haha, ok maybe not to win it every year but at least to get into Europe. Hats off to SAF for committing to two friendlies in one night and also been able to entertain both capacity crowds with good football, big names and lots of goals. Ronaldo didn't play tonight because he has a slight ankle injury and it was a precautionary measure to leave it at home so we can have him fit and hungry for Sundays game. Good to see Scholes back aswell. Well now that we know who is fit and who is not its up to the administrators to make sure that we have Tevez for Sundays game, even without him I think we will be victorious.

Heinze the traitor.

Heinze (or "the flying elbow" as a friend mine named Harry calls him) has come out and said he wants to leave the club. This is a clear indication that he doesn't think he has what it takes to fight Evra for a first team place. If a Player wants to leave the Premiership Champions it must mean that something has obviously gone stale somewhere. What has caused him to want to go to our rivals? He said that they are the only ones that have tabled an offer! Did his agent approach them? I don't think they would have put in an offer for him out the blue, they must have gotten word that he was for sale from his agent and that means that the agent did approach Liverpool knowing that Gill told him that Heinze would not be sold to a rival. I think the panel will vote in Uniteds Favour. That cult following that Heinze got while he was at our club has now dissolved, he is a traitor.

Yesterday was great the first "real" game of football since the close of the season. We are ready for the new season and according to Ryan Giggs, Tevez fits into the team very well and he cant wait to be playing with him. Tevez's contract should get signed this week and if all goes well he should play on Sunday. I'm just as excited as Rooney for the EPL and I agree that winning the Community Shield will give the team the confidence they need to get off to a flying start this season. Last year we won the first four and losing the fifth to Arsenal on 17 September after that we drew 1-1 to this weekends opposition Reading.

The Commentators during yesterdays game said that if we win the Champions League this year there is a good possibility of SAF retiring. Never, there is a great possibility of United winning the Champions league because we got the depth which we were lacking at the end of the season. I think SAF wont retire until there is a suitable replacement in line.

Ronaldo said today "It is always difficult to win the Premier League but we have bought four great players so we don't just want to win the league, we want the Champions League as well."

Lets see what the outcome of SAF and Heize's first meeting will be. I want him to stay because like I said last week we need a strong defender to keep the rest on their toes and just in case we get a injury.

What happened today in the history of Manchester United 1994
United field a weakened side and lose 1-0 to Rangers to finish in third place in the Glasgow Rangers four-team tournament. Eric comes on at half-time but is sent off after two bookings in the space of a couple of minutes.

Man United 1 - 2 Inter Milan

Scorers for Man United Rooney. Scorers for Inter David Suazo(2), Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
I didn't get to watch the game because the broadcasters didn't show it because of live local football(South Africa). What I have read though is that our defense needs to tighten up. Rooney showed that he is in fine form and Evra needs to stop attacking so often. Ferdinand missed a sitter at the end apparently but what more can you expect from a defender.

Hargreaves and Anderson to get some game time this weekend.
"Owen Hargreaves and Anderson will be involved over the next couple of games." said SAF.
Now this kid I wanna see play, I'll post the clip of him from Youtube. He looks very promising but lets just see, he is young and needs to show that he can make it in the EPL.
Hargreaves was England's best player of last years World Cup so there is not much to say about him except that we have a world class defensive midfielder.

Heinze recons that the he will know which club he will be playing for by the end of the week. This could be a bad thing not because he might be going to Liverpool because that will never happen, but because after Evras performance last night ( Again what I've read as I didn't watch the game) we might need Heinze to fight for position and lift Evra's game.

Big Sam says that Newcastle have agreed a fee for Smith. I hope this is not true. I want to be assured that we WILL have Tevez in the squad before any commitments to other clubs are made. Its going to be hard to see him go after all he had a great attitude when he returned from injury and played like a legend against Roma. Passionate players like Smith are a real commodity to a squad.

What happened today in the history of Manchester United 1954
Sammy McIlroy is born. Sammy’s 418 appearances included three FA Cup final appearances. He also won a Second Division winners’ medal in 1975.