The Man United Football Blog
The votes are in and have been counted and verified. No dodgy ITV telephone scams here, and I can reveal the results. 75% of you think that Arsenal will be our main challengers for the title this season. Only 25% think Chelsea despite the signing of Anelka and the fact they are just 4 points behind us.
People think that Liverpool have as much chance as Derby of winning the league this season as they polls precisely no votes. More bad news for Rafa to deal with.
Popularity: 21% [?]
50 years ago, the very thought of interrupting a minute’s silence would have been abhorrent to football fans, but a lot has changed since the Munich air disaster.
The pleas this week for United to hold a minute’s applause instead of silence have been turned down, and rightly so, but the fact that some people could think to disrupt such an event is just wrong. It would be like some men shouting “F*&k off grandads” during a Remembrance Service.
The Munich chants are wrong. The Hillsborough chants are wrong. The Arsene Wenger chants are wrong. Let us not blame Manchester City, or their fans when it goes wrong. Let us blame all football fans and the culture we live in.
However, something could be done. In today’s CCTV driven culture, it would be easy to find out who was not observing the minute’s silence. There will only be 3000 fans going. Would a threat of a life ban from City and football have any effect of them ?
Today, the very thought of interrupting a minute’s silence is abhorrent to football fans, but do you let the bloke next to you doing it get away with it?
Popularity: 10% [?]
Fergie has put his fatherly arm around right back Danny Simpson :-
It didn’t go too well against Everton but the manager just told me to learn from it,” said Simpson. “In that kind of situation, you can either hide or worker harder to prove you are a Manchester United player.
I’ve got to admit he had a poor game against Everton and was replaced by John O’Shea at half time. With Wes Brown suspended, O’Shea was again called on to fill in at right back. Club captain Gary Neville had played 45 minutes of football in a reserve game and wasn’t risked.
It is clear however that Wes Brown’s days at the club are numbered. He hasn’t signed the contact he has been offered, and obviously the club do not feel that he is worth as much as he thinks he is.
The long term plan appears to be clear. Gary Neville will resume right back duties once he recovers from his injury and when he retires or his level of performance has eventually gone, Simpson will be the new right back for United.
In his 25 minute cameo against a poor Newcastle side, Simpson had little defending to do. However, his forward play looked very good and he could or should have scored. Is this a natural balance to Patrice Evra or do two attacking fullbacks risk being exposed to the counter attack?
Has Brown been harshly treated, or should United go for the future in Simpson?
Popularity: 12% [?]
I suppose it is easy for me to say, supporting a team with unparalleled success over the last 15 years, but I think a manager at any club should be given at least 5 seasons to produce to goods, whatever those goods should be for the size and history of the club in question.
Clearly, I speak from experience as it is part of history that Manchester United stood by Alex Ferguson through some rather dodgy seasons, until he eventually produced said goods, that being the Premiership title.
Not for Newcastle, the patient approach to success. Oh no, why give a manager five years when you can give him five months? Big Sam left Newcastle by “mutual consent” on Wednesday and the footballing world looked at Newcastle, pointed and said “Ha! Ha!”.
Newcastle have two problems. Firstly, they think they are bigger than they really are. Sure, they have good support that are passionate and fervent, but they are not a big four team, and only came close to challenging for the title for a few seasons in the 90s (successfully fought off by you know who). Keegan and Newcastle were a match made in footballing heaven and neither manager nor club have had any success since. Producing the goods at Newcastle should be a european spot and a possible cup success. Allerdyce’s Newcastle were not far from this, and it was precisely this goal that he achieved at Bolton, where he over-achieved for the club. Newcastle fans think that the goods are the title, but they are living in cloud cookoo land, not magpie land in the current situation in the league. Sad, but true.
Newcastle’s second problem is now who they can get to be a manager, given how they treat their manager’s. Who in their right mind would want the job? Instant success or out in 6 months.
I hope Alan Shearer gets the job as it will get him off Match of the Day, and I’d love to see him come up against Keano in the Newcastle Sunderland game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Will Ronaldo ever get a hat-trick for United? Another two goals for the best player in the Premiership and a great chance to get a third denied by Niemi coming out and attempting to bring Ronaldo down only for Rob Styles to book Ronaldo for diving. Watch the video below [via Man Utd Clips where you can find links to all the goals and a fantastic save by Niemi] and pay special attention to Niemi’s left arm as Ronaldo goes over. In the end it is totally outstretched and up in the air. How could he be going for the ball? And if Ronaldo was evading Niemi, how does this earn him a booking? He was in fact doing exactly what the Chelsea fans and Mourhino said Stephen Hunt should have done when he collided with Petr Cech.
The Republik of Mancunia makes a very valid point that this is a case of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. In the early days, Ronaldo was a diver, there is no denying it. He has now (starting from the beginning of last season) learnt how not to. Now, he is paying for his earlier mistakes because he has cleaned up his act. As I cautioned after the Arsenal game, Anderson needs to change quickly before he is tarred with the same brush.But it is not just this. There is a real problem with the influence of the media and manager’s outspoken comments through the media. This influence seems to affect referees decisions.
Examine these media facts.
Media Fact 1 United always get penalties at Old Trafford. A myth. Made fact through fans and Jose Mourhino’s comments in the media. This media fact now translates to United being denied stone wall penalties (such as against Wigan and Chelsea)
Media Fact 2 Ronaldo still dives. Made fact by Middlesbrough wailing last season. This media fact translates to Ronaldo being booked for diving.
Media Fact 3 Only Arsenal play beautiful football. This is just snobbery in the media. Not even Arsenal fans (well most) believe this. It is true that Arsenal play good football, but so do many other teams.
It is unlikely that we’ll be getting any new signing in January as the BBC reports :-
United have been linked with strikers Nicolas Anelka and Dimitar Berbatov but Ferguson told Inside United magazine: “I think the squad is good enough.”
He added: “We do not always get great joy in January. It takes time for players to settle in.
He has a point there which is why the transfer window is really annoying. With Solskjaer having retired, we could have bought a new striker in October or November. By February or March the new player could have become settled and been ready for the 2nd half of the season. Our new players from the summer are only now just beginning to settle in.
Popularity: 6% [?]