Manchester United

Not as big of one as you.

So, most of the time we're playing mostly shite football; we can't seem to score first, we've got constant injury issues and SAF doesn't seem to know what his best team is.....and yet we're top of the league.

 If we play like that against City next week, we could well concede 5 or 6. Probably the worst performance this season.

Also could have a midfield problem with Anderson out with a hamstring.

"6" - don't say that word Leggy!

The Cluj game will be one for the youngsters and hopefully old guard too.

Anderson out would be a blow. He played well on the weekend and gives us some incisive passing in the front third and he looks to have found his scoring boots at last. In contrast I thought Jones looked a long way off being ready. Good to see Smalling back but he won't provide the width option that Rafffael does. Hard lesson by the way: team down and silly yellow card gets you dragged. Hopefully he'll learn from it. Johnny Evans' poor defensive heading/marking led to 2 goals so the sooner Vidic, Smalling and Jones gets some games under their belts the better.

Win v City will see us go 2 x 3 points clear of them!

 A top game and one City probably deserved a point from. At 2-0 I was still not confident of the 3 points and had the third goal not been offside the game would have been over. City are truly an outstanding team with some great players but let themselves down with basic poor defending.

The wall should have had at least 4 in it and to take one out was madness, as they found to their cost.

The coin incident was a disgrace and if they can get the offender then a stint in jail is what he deserves.

Very happy with the win but still  think  City will win the EPL.

Yeah, United fans would never resort to such stupidity....

Stop being a fuckwit  Buff. For a start I never mentioned that a Utd fan would not resort to that sort of thing, and secondly I don't care who did it-we don't need it, and they should be put in the slammer.

Let's be fair: that is Craig Bellamy isn't it...

Any fan who does that is a tosser and should be tossed out of football grounds for life. 

Obviously very happy with 3 points as we started poorly again - didn't touch the ball in first 15 mins and Rooney's goal was completely against run of play. But such is football and momentum shifts are part of the game. We took advantage. Raffael's attacking value proved yet again.  I really worry about Valencia - ALWAYS coming to a standstill if path blocked and so predictably going to his right foot. Hopefully Nani back soon. I'm constantly amazed how players make this level with one foot (Evra another prime example). Tevez was a handful when he came on and he ran rings around Carrick and Evans. Lucky for us Yaya Toure came off as he was barely challenged through the centre at times. 

Great chance to consolidate the lead if we take max. points from next 3 games: home to Sunderland, away to Swansea and Boxing Day home game v Newcastle.

All the crap going on makes you wonder  if Arsenal or NZ cricket are the biggest losers?

Swans away. banana skin?

 A point was about all we deserved for this one. Rooney had the worst game I have seen him play. Did hit the crossbar twice but allowed their midfield too much room.

We are still top so can't complain, even though the ones that are more than 12 points behind still think they can win the league.LOL

Heart in mouth stuff this morning. 7 points clear of 2nd now though

Yes, but Newcastle will be gutted to have got nothing out of this game. If one was a neutral then it was exciting but as a MU fan had we lost then AF would have to take the blame for a poor team selection. They were woeful in the first half.

Poor team selection forced by Injuries I'd have thought?

Who would you of had in?

Thought Jonny Evans had a shocker of a first half!

I would have had  Cleverley in before Giggs. Don't know why Jones was not on the bench.Rooney was injured,Welbeck was ill.Young was injured.Nani, Anderson and Rafael  all injured. They had Tunnicliffe and Wootten and Vidic on the bench. Anyone is better than Rio, and the young players should be given the chance over Scholes/ Giggs. Especially when the weather was so bad and the going gets heavy.
Evans is either great or shocking.

Fair enough. Do you think vidic was being rested? Seems odd to have him on the bench otherwise. At the end of the day, 7 points clear is a good result!

Giggs in midfield combination with scholes just doesn't work anymore. Giggs just does not defend and for the odd delightful ball there are a hell of a lot of incomplete passes. Too many for me but obviously not for SAF. Given injury and squad rotation issues thought Fletch would have been better option. Valencia is getting on my nerve as a predictable waster of chances. Thank goodness evra and Evans have scored a few because a midfield of carrick giggs scholes valencia wont score many. Carrick is getting the assists but I think the other 3 should be on the bench. By the way Swansea,as predicted, did turn out to be a banana skin. West brom on Saturday. Reckon Vidic cleverley fletch will all start. 

Another 3 points but not really a performance that did much for me. West Brom played a  lot better in the second half and we were lucky that a header from a corner with only a few min. to go crashed off the bar.Van P's goal was class but today players like Young, Smalling  Evans and Cleverley did not perform.

"I'm disappointed in Tottenham.  The Premier League should look into it and I think they should stop the registration until they examine it. There will be a trail, mobile phone [records] or something. It is obvious to me [what has happened]."

Guess he doesn't he recall how many players has he tapped up over the years...

Surely this is nothing more than what every club does these days, isn't it?  

"If you liked it you should've put a ring on it" springs to mind.

 The first half was as good as I've seen Utd this season. For once the midfield was outstanding. Carrick had one of his best games and waited for the 2nd half to let himself down again.

It could have easily been 3-0 at halftime and I feel that when Utd scored the second they just stopped playing. Liverpool certainly played a lot better and when they scored I felt that it was only a question of time before they got another. Rio under pressure looks very poor and he is just too slow.

Young looked like he had not played for a month, and at the moment he does not deserve a start.

dont usually read about your lot but came across this piece - surprised me initially but it does seem logical

http://www.football365.com/news/3016/8389048/Sir-Alex-should-sell-Rooney-this-summer

I guess that is one way to look at it, but as I have said for a couple of years now I think that Rooney will become a midfield player and one of great quality.

 Another game that Utd were lucky to come away with anything. The first 20 mins they looked quite good and RVP's goal was excellent.

The second half Spurs played them off the park and if it had not been for De Gea it could have been a different story. They way Spurs played today they deserve to finish in the top four.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/the-manchester-united-column-fergies-the-master-1549499 

January window:

Wil Zaha. I haven't seen much of him but the reports are promising. I'll keep an eye on Palace's run in the Championship.

Also loans:

Macheda to Stutgart. Interesting. Good move I think. I reckon we'll see more business with the Bundesligue in the future.

Michael Keane doing well at the Foxes. Gotta be good experience if he continues getting the game time in their run-in to the playoffs.

Luke Cunningham, another young Academy defender loaned to league 2 Cheltenham

Done & dusted for January?

 Thank heavens AF was not stupid enough to go for Mario B. Am also glad that he will not be playing in the UK.

Just brain dead.

That was never on. If we are spending big it will be for a  playmaking midfielder (unless Rooney's career path heads that way).

I love Mario. He's got silky skills when he's 'on' but just doesn't seem to understand the so-called professional environment he is in. He adds much needed character to the boring charter-less machines that so many players seem to be these days. I'm sure accountants and managers must pull their hair out, but as a fan you never know what's going to happen when Mario is on the pitch - and that's one of the great things about football. What he does need is a mentor. I thought Mancini actually did a reasonable job with him. Hopefully he grows up in the next year or so. He can still be a class player if someone can help him mature as a young man.

 Can be a cruel game football. Played off the park and yet gets 3 points. Very lucky today. Smalling and Carrick were the worst two players on the park today, but there were a few not far behind. The frustrating part is that at times they looked like they would win by 5.

9 point lead with 13 games to go. Squeaky bum time awaits.

Good to see Nani's creativity back vs Fulham and quality finish from Rooney. We hit the post a few times but to be fair so did they and RVP and Rafael both cleared off the line from corners. The Cottagers learned from their FA Cup drubbing and had Sacwarzer back in goal too. Happy with 3 away points in the end. 

Depth of squad about to be tested and I'm not sure what injury status is at present. What do you reckon SAF thinking will be for next 2 games - Everton at home next weekend, Real Madrid away midweek; followed by Reading at home. I can see the speed of CR carving us up at the back; as well as being out-gunned in the middle of the park.

Don't think AF will be too worried about Madrid as he most probably knows that we won't get past them and will be going for Everton and Reading.. If we can get 6 points there then I will be a little more relaxed.
Against Fulham  we played a lot better than the previous couple of games and yes we did clear a few off the line but the score line could have been 5-3. Just have to keep winning, as simple as that.
Nani was the best this season but still at about 80%

That's a big call Leggy - Sir Alex has always harboured bigger European dreams - and I don't think he's ready to give up on them just yet - no matter what logic tells you about the quality of Real's football and squad compared to some of ours at present. Of course 3 points against Everton will be the first priority - and no easy task! I still think he'll put out a quality squad for the Real game with the main aim of still being in the tie by the 2nd half of the 2nd leg. The Reading game is FA Cup and I think that will be the game where he'll think "whatever happens happens".

 Did not even check the draw, just went with you there for Reading. It is QPR away and then Norwich at home. Need to win both.

I think if AF had to choose to win Champions league or EPL he might go for the EPL just to stick it to City. I agree that he will go for both but I doubt any UK team will win CL.

Lets hope were are saving our best for the City game. The 3 points were OK but we were not that convincing. Did play well in patches but still a long way to go.

Hopefully by the time the City games comes around it's well nigh impossible for them to catch us! Consistently putting 3 points in the bank every week is the key and we did that v Everton. I see SAF changed his game squad when he saw the Saints result. How good was it to see Vidic back playing like that? Right, can we stay close to Real on Thursday am? 

 Playing away I doubt we will get close. Some newpapers in the UK are picking United but I think they are dreaming.

As mentioned before, the other UK teams (including us) are just not good enough.