International breaks... perhaps a blessing this time?

I seem to remember me cursing the international breaks a lot last season, why should we interrupt the flow of our all conquerring United team to watch a mediocre England team eek out a 1-0 victory against a country with little over 500 people? This time last year we were sitting pretty at the top of the league and every time internationals came around, the following couple of couple of games we seemed to spend trying to find our form again.

Why is it any different this year i hear you ask? Well our strength and depth is greater now. We have cover in almost all postitions, meaning we don't need to worry so much about one of ourt key men getting injured (although I can't help it). The other more important reason, is it gives Rooney and Hargreaves time to recover from their injuries.

I know we beat Blackburn quite convincingly last week with the absense of Rooney, but it seemed as though we lacked that killer edge. ROoney is the kind of player that brings others into the game. He makes the link between midfield and attack, he draws players into an attack, relaeasing them at just the right moment. Sure we have enough firepower to cope without him, but with him we have the confidence that we wll score 4 instead odf 2.

So as we endure another week of dull internationals, let's look forward. We have a run of fairly easy games, before the big one against Liverpool. We all know how important this game is. We are at Anfield and nothing other than a win will do. We win and we put distance between us and them... we lose and they are hot on our heels. Anyone for a John O'shea last minute special?

Internationals bring injuries!

Internationals say one thing to me. Injuries and boy we could do without any more of those at the moment. It's not been long since Rooney returned from yet another broken foot and I for one would hate to see him pick up another injury. Having said that I think that we are better placed to cope this season than this time last year.

Let's have a quick look at the injury list. Carrick is out with a broken elbow, John O'shea has a strained hamstring, Louis Saha has yet another knee injury, Wes Brown has a knee injury, Owen Hargreaves has tendonitis, Van Der Sar has a dodgy ankle/foot and Park, Fost and Silvestre are out for the long term. For many other squads this would represent a crisis but Fergie has built a squad with real depth and strength, our first team still looks strong.

But what if we lose Ronaldo and Rooney? We all know how the results went when these guys were out and we cannot afford for this to happen again. These two add a new dynamic to the attacking line, they provide the movement and pace that we remember so well from last year and most of all they bring a desire to win.

Rooney's desire to play as well as he possibly can was demonstrated aptly on Saturday against Estonia. It was evident that he was a player desperate for a goal and lacking a little confidence. Some players would shy away from fully committing themselves, but not Rooney. He stayed late in training and practiced in a solitary fashion, testament to his drive to reach the top of his game. Then during the match I remember him giving the ball away with a sloppy pass, he ran all of 60 yards to put in a tackle to win the ball back. I remember thinking to myself, "that is Rooney all over" and of course his efforts were rewarded with a goal.

So onto the fixtures tonight, I hope our boys perform well, but more importantly I hope that that don't get injured. For there are more important battles to be faced in the weeks to come! Roll on the Premiership.

The Man Utd blog is back, read it now!

After a long break I thought I would post again. Sorry that I have been ever so elusive over these past few months, I've been so busy with work that I've let the blog slip. I will try and update on a weekly basis from now on, more if I have the time. I have also noticed that the forum is offline.. I'll see if I can get that fixed and up and running as there was some pretty good discussions going on in there last season.

Well back onto our beloved united. After a stumbling start (our worst in 18 years or something ridiculous) we are sitting second in the table, second only to a bunch of kids from the Emirates stadium who are yet to play any of the top 4. Despite our stuttering start we find ourselves ready to pressure the gunners all the way to the end and boy am I excited about that. It seems like the clock has rolled back five years and we are about to witness yet another season of Fergie Wenger mind games as the season draws closer to its ever exciting climax.

What about the whole Mourinho affair. It seems the Russian sugar daddy had finally had enough with the "special Ones" demand for absolute power and decided to do away with one of the worlds greatest coaches. Never mind hey… at least he has Grant, the big man from Israel, who's achievements I can count on one limb, to take Chelsea to Champions league glory.

I think more of this post needs to be dedicated to United and not Chelsea. Let's look at the team. We had problems early on trying to find goals. Rooney was injured in the first game and Ronaldo decided to take out one of Portsmouth's players with a head butt, resulting in a 3 match ban. We were solid at the back, controlled much of the possession, but lacked that killer edge.

I think much of this was down to the lack of experience of playing together. We need to remember that Anderson, Tevez, Nani and Hargreaves had never played together before and it will take time for them to understand each others game. Against Wigan we saw glimpses of what this team is capable of, but I think the best is very much yet to come. What do you guys think?

One last thing that I am keen to find out is… who do you think our best player has been so far? For me it has to be Vidic, he has been solid and consistent and has even scored rescuing some vital points for us. Well that's it from me today. I look forward to reading your comments, if there is anyone left reading this blog!

Can Tevez fill Rooney's boots?

Can Tevez fill Rooney's boots? That is the question on most United fans lips today as we face the prospect of being without our star man for 2 months, possibly longer. There was a lot of talk before Tevez signed for us that he was too similar to Rooney and that there was no way that they could play together. Now that is not a statement that I agree with, but if there was ever to be a time for Tevez to endear himself to the United fans, now would most definitely be it.

Tevez has vowed to win over the United fans hearts and minds, he is the kind of player who is easily adored. At West Ham last season, he took the burden of a relegation threat upon his shoulders and made it his personal crusade the club from impending disaster. Now he must do the same, take over the mantle from Rooney and keep the front line alive and well & truly kicking. We have faith in you Carlos, we know that you can do it.

It seems that Tevez will make his debut against Portsmouth tomorrow night, earlier than Ferguson had anticipated. It promises to be a fiery encounter, where nothing less than victory will suffice. Can Carlos Tevez carry on where Rooney left off, let me know here?

Mirror mirror on the wall, what's the greatest lineup of them all?

I'll keep my post quite brief today. Thanks to everyone who posted their line-ups on the blog and please keep them coming in. I think I have a winner so far and that goes to Andy W with the following lineup:

VDS
Neville Ferdinand Vidic Heinze

Hargreaves
Ronaldo Nani
Anderson

Tevez Rooney

You will notice that most of the experienced heads are missing and for good reason. Do you remember when Ferguson got rid of Hughes Ince and the other old heads? Everybody thought he was crazy, with a certain commentator stating "you'll never win anything with kids". The rest is history.

This team represents the future of United. It's a team that has the potential to rule domestic and European football for years to come and that is why I believe this is Fergies best eleven. The only person I would maybe change would be VDS, replacing him with Foster. We should be looking to the future and it with a team like that, it really is a bright one.

Amey Nevrekar couldn't see why I omitted Solskjaer from both starting line-ups and he does have a point. At 33 he was still instrumental in helping us salvage valuable points last season, there is no doubt that the baby face assassin still has that killer edge. But I see him as no more than a bit player this season. As much as I respect him as a player, it is now time for the likes of Rossi and Dong to step up to the plate and show what they can do. Solskjaer will always be in our hearts, but now it's time for the kids to shine!

On a side note, I'm thinking of starting up the fantasy football league again. If anyone has some good suggestions for a free one that we can use, please let me know.

What will United's 2nd eleven be?

Good morning United fans and thanks for all your opinions on the formation I picked for United yesterday. It seems that 2 controversial points were picked out in the comments yesterday so I would like to talk through them at more length today. It seems that this season we have a very palatable problem, in that we too many good players in the squad, just who is going to play?

The first thing that I was picked up on was that people favoured Giggs over Anderson on the left. This is a fair point, Giggs was truly immense in a number of games last season, anyone remember Benfica home? But I think that this year is going to be all about pace and movement. I expect Giggs to be saved for the big games like Liverpool and Chelsea, as he has the experience to pull the others through. Anderson will be more exciting bringing pace and dynamism to the team. I expect to see the Brazilian pitted against lower ranked teams to begin with to ease him into English football.

Up front Amey Nevrekar prefers to go with Tevez over Rooney, based on his chance conversion ratio. I think this will be Rooney's season. He spent a lot of last season out of the limelight with Ronaldo stealing the show. I think this has given him time to mature and grow his game. He has also had chance to recuperate over the summer with no games being played. This will do Rooney the world of good in my opinion. Expect to see a fresher revitalised Rooney this season.

I would like to present our alternative selection today. This would be the team that we play when we are resting key men before the big ones:

Foster

Brown, Pique, Silvestre/O'shea, Heinze

Park, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani

Tevez, Saha


Subs: Kuszczak, O'shea, Eagles, Rossi, Hargreaves

I have tried to ommit as many first team players as possible to make way for the squad players. Of course we know that Fergie always packs his bench full of stars just in case we come unstuck.

Again it's over to you now. You can have a lot more fun with this one and please feel free to continue commenting on my first team suggestion.

Fergies first eleven. What is it going to be?

It seems that Tevez is now prepared to force a move through to United by writing to FIFA expressing his concerns. It seems that this has the potential to run and run, especially if the courts get involved. I wouldn't count on him being here when the season kicks off in less than 30 days time.

This has been one of the hardest summers I can remember. Yes it's great that we have signed all these fantastic players, but boy I can't wait for the games to start. It will be great to see Fergie showcase all his new talent, especially as we are by far the strongest team in the league.

Liverpool have spent big on Torres, but to be honest I never really rated him in the first place. He's a good player but in all honesty I would take Tevez Rooney or Anderson over him any day.

This year it will be vitally important that we come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. We know that Chelsea will be strong, we know it will be tough. Liverpool I'm sure believe that they are also in with a chance, That is until they go through their usually dodgy spell before Christmas and spend the rest pf the season playing catchup.

Thanks to everyone who commented on their dream formation, it makes really interesting reading. I am going to stick my neck out and put forward my best 11. Please feel free to rip it to shreds!

VDS

Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra

Hargreaves, Carrick,

Ronaldo Scholes Anderson

Rooney

Subs: Foster, Heinze, Nani, Giggs, Tevez

Scholes to pus forward and drop back as required, he would be rested and Tevez to replace him. Rooney and Tevez to interchange being the hole player linking midfield to attack.

Anderson on the right in the mould of Ronaldinho. I see him breaking on the left and cutting inside creating space for Rooney. Scholes would also play those clever balls into space for Anderson and Rooney to terrorize the wingbacks. Nani and Giggs can replace Anderson as required. Note Anderson will not play the majority of games but I think he will shine when he plays.

The key to Ferguson's success this season is how the team interchanges positions. We saw it last season, where each player up front changes positions throughout the game. This makes it virtually impossible for the opposition to man mark any of our attackers. Adding the likes of Nani, Anderson and Tevez only strengthens this style of play.

Now it's over to you. Am I talking rubbish, or is this the team to lead us to the quadruple? You decide.

Pre season update, United now the most feared in Europe!!!

Yet again it's been a long while since I posted on the blog. There has been so much going on what with the Tevez saga continuing. It now seems that West Ham are refusing to let him go, whilst the Premier league are insisting that all transfer money goes to West Ham rather than to Joorabchian.

Ferguson has come out to the press and said that he is confident that a deal can be concluded and to be honest that is good enough for me. Ferguson has always had his doubters, but we United fans know that he always get his man. Fergie is building yet another dynasty, with Tevez completing the jigsaw.

Today was a historic day. Ferguson unveiled both Hargreaves and Nani to the press. This year United fans have been living in dreamland. Nobody has bought better than United this summer, with the likes of Anderson, Nani, Hargreaves and now Tevez seemingly on his way. The thought of watching these players grace the field in 2007/2008 is simply mouth watering.

I overheard 2 Arsenal fans talking in the pub the other day, it made for quite interesting listening. They were saying that United and Barcelona are a cut above any other team in Europe and I have to say I agree with them. No other team in the Premiership can match the flair of United up front. Lets look at it for a second. We have Nani and Ronaldo on the wings, with Giggs as backup. In the centre we have the battling Hargreaves and the creative Carrick pulling the strings and for attacking prowess how does Rooney, Tevez and Anderson sit with you? Of course we still have the ginger warrior that is Scholesy boy. I feel that this year we have a truly devastating combination of youthful vengeance coupled with experience.

One last thing before I sign off. Is it me or does it seem that every star in the world is queuing up to play for United? It seemed that only last year nobody wanted to join us, we were a team in decline, Chelsea were the new force to be reckoned with. This year it's all different, we are back where we belong, at the top of the tree and long may it continue. Teams of England and Europe be afraid, be very afraid.

One last thing, I would love to hear your thoughts on formations with all our new signings, so please comment on what you think our line-ups will be!

Manchester United transfer rumours 30/05/2007

Good morning people, apologies for not posting in a while, it’s been a hectic week and surprisingly not many transfer rumours about. The latest news is that Hargreaves will join up with United at the start of next week. It will be great when one of the longest transfer sagas in history finally winds up. We are hoping that this is just the start.

What was going on with Bale? So many people have said that this kid is going to be special. We were in the hunt for him and then all of asudden, Tottenham unveil him for £5 million, possibly £10 million. Let’s just hope that we don’t end up paying over the odds for him in 2 years time. I honestly feel that we’ve missed a great opportunity there.

Then there is Nani. This is a player who we have been tracking for a couple of years now. All of a sudden Totttenham are in Portugal looking to do a quick deal. I think the Man Utd scouts need to wake up a little and sign the players that we actually earmark.

Anyway rant over. The news in the oh so reliable Daily star reports that Sir Alex is making his move for both Eto and Huntelaar. These are old stories and I know we need to keep our transfers quiet for fear of being priced out of the market, but let’s have some fresh developments!

I think we should also be focussing on wingers. As it stands we have Giggs, Ronaldo, Park and Richardson. This needs bolstering this summer if we are to avoid being caught thin on the ground next season. Who do you think we should sign other than Nani?

Finally Ryan Giggs is to announce his retirement from international football today. He is quoted as saying that he would like to prolong his playing career at United! Good man! I’m sure you will all join with me in congratulating Giggsy on a fantastic international career!

Manchester United the rollercoaster!

Good morning fellow United fans and what a great morning it is too. Is the premiership the best league in the world or what? At one point we were 2-0 down, with Chelsea leading 2-1 and we were going to have to play Chelsea at the bridge for the title. Then Our boys pulled yet another performance out of the bag, Chelsea conceded a goal and it’s 4-2 to us, Chelsea draw and we are 5 points clear with 3 games to go.

It’s at this point of the season that more emotion is spilled than any other. I think it’s partly because we all know that the season is drawing near, it’s been a long hard road and suddenly it’s make or break for everything. Of course winning the silverware is important, we’ve smelt it for so long but it’s so close now that you can almost taste it.

At the back of my mind I know that this summer will be long with no football to watch. My hope is that we are celebrating a host of trophies under our illustrious manager. When the dust settles and we are kicking our heals, this blog will resort back to the Man Utd transfer rumour blog reporting every little bit of gossip I can get my hands on, remember the Carrick and Van Nistelrooy saga?

But let’s not think about that now, we still have a few games left of this season, one of the most important being Wednesday’s visit to Milan. Vidic will have a scan today that will determine whether or not he can play in the game, oh how we need him. Ferguson said that he was trying his best to get Rio back, perhaps the gap in the Premiership will give him a little breathing space to make that decision.

We hold a 3-2 lead. That second away goal is the crucial one for them. A 1-0 result would send Milan through and us going home wondering what might have been! However this season seems different. Could you imagine this team coming back from 2-0 down away from home last season? Could you picture us driving on from 2-1 down against a team like Milan and then scoring a winner in injury time?

Wednesday will be tough, but we have shown time and time again this season that no matter how up against it we are, we can mix it with the best. This season promises many more ups and downs before Man Utd rollercoaster pulls into the station!

Ronaldo signs new 5 year deal!

Ronaldo today committed his future to Manchester United, extending his contract until 2012. Ronaldo announced
"I am delighted. I spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson about my future and everyone knew that I wanted to stay, "
I am very happy at the club and I want to win trophies and hopefully we will do that this season."

This could not have come at a better time for us as the season hots up with United still on for the treble. It will allow the team to focus and build a squad around key players such as Rooney and Ronaldo.

At least it gives the papers one less player to talk about. What do you have to say about that Madrid?

Manchester United injury crisis..or not?

Fixture pileups and injury threaten to ruin all the hard work that United have put in throughout the season. But do we have faith in our glorious manager? Of course we do. As the days progress things look more and more bleak, but if there is one man to pull us through it is Ferguson.

Let’s take a look at who is out. Van Der Sar looks a doubt for Saturday’s game. The man who has rallied the defence in recent weeks, could be a key loss for us on Saturday. I am sure that we would not be facing a replay against Middlesbrough, had he been between the posts on Saturday.

Next up is the defensive pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand. Both face a race to be fit for Saturday. Ferdinand in particular pulled up quite sharply at the weekend, let’s hope it’s nothing serious. I think without those 2 at the back we look particularly vulnerable, especially against the more physical sides.

Then there is Evra and Silvestre. Evra has had a fantastic season and it is a shame to see him pick-up another strain as the season reaches a crucial point. Silvestre has been a fringe player this time around, however his ability to fill in at the back has provided welcome cover for the centre backs at crucial moments of the season when united face fixture pileups. The one saving grace we have is Heinze. His stirling performance at the weekend was nothing short of breath taking. He is a class defender that offers so much going forward and even more defensively. If there was ever a time for a player to reclaim his place in the starting eleven, now would be it.

The midfield is missing Scholes through suspension and Fletcher through injury. Scholes will now be back to face Blackburn and Fletcher’s injury is not as bad as first thought. We hope that, Giggs, Ronaldo, Park, O’Shea and Carrick can hold the fort in the coming weeks.

Up front is where things look decidedly thin. Saha is out until the end of March with a thigh strain and Solskjaer has had an operation on his knee. That leaves us with Rooney, Smith and Dong, the latter two are decidedly lacking in first team experience this season. It is now more than ever that we will rely on Ronaldo and Giggs for attacking support..

Ferguson has been particularly brave about the situation. Unlike Mourinho, you don’t hear him whinging to the press about the terrible time his squad are having and how the opposition are lucky etc etc. Instead what Ferguson does better than any other manager is he supports his entire squad. If one player gets injured he assures the world that another can aptly fill in. He rallies and Marshals his men, giving them a hunger, desire and more importantly a belief that anything and everything is possible, you just need to believe in yourself. Does anybody remember the Champions league final of 99?

So as the season approaches the final stages, I have no doubt that our manager is the man to keep the campaign alive on three fronts. He is a master at man management and I am sure we will see his vast array of skills on show in the coming weeks. Roll on another treble!

The Forum and Ronaldo

Hey guys, before i continued i just wanted to let you all know that we are swapping the forum onto a new server, so please bear with us whilst we do so. We are working hard to bring you a new site and the plan is to eventually migrate the blog over too. It's all very exciting and I wish I could tell you more, but we will be offering loads more info on our favourite team/s!

Right now that I have made that announcement lets talk United. It was another convincing win for the reds this weekend. Some said that it was rather a disjointed performance, but I have to disagree. With a number of key players out I thought the team played well and were consistent in their pressure on Charlton. You can't play amazingly and score 4 goals every game, but you can win every game and that is exactly what United are doing at the moment.

The champions league is about to recommence and I for one am very excited! I really feel that this year we have every chance of beating any team in the competition. Yes Barcelona have Eto, Ronaldinho and Messi, but I think we sometimes forget that other fans are just as fearful of the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs and Scholes. All are a t the top of their game and could quite easily make the difference in what promises to be a truly exciting run-in.

As we all expected the rumours are still rife about Ronaldo. The will he won't he stay saga promises to be a s drawn out as the Hargreaves affair. I have come to the conclusion that if Ferguson wants him to stay... then he will stay. I couldn’t think of anything worse than asking the Scot for a transfer request! I think we also need to remember what Ferguson has done for Ronaldo. After the world cup he faced a barrage of criticism, but it was Ferguson who defended his player to the hilt. Ronaldo will surely repay with his loyalty to the club.

So we march on, still with one eye on the treble. This season promises to be one of the most exciting in a very long time. Come on you Reds!

Smith richardson and Beckham.. what's going on?

I couldn’t start today’s post without a mention of Beckham. He has been a firm favourite of mine throughout his United career and I still have a huge admiration for him today. It seems he is struggling to find friends and form at the moment and I can understand why he won’t sign a new contract. Real only want him for the shirts he sells and would be quite content in having him sit on the bench for another 2 years to do so. He is still a great footballer with bags of talent, a team like Tottenham would be great for him. Of course I would love him back at United, but I know many disagree, someone has said this on the blog before… “the heart says yes, but the head says no.”

An anonymous poster left a great synopsis on Larsson yesterday, if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you do so. It has made me realise even more so how lucky we are to have such a player even at 35. I say it again, if only we had him 10 years ago!

In other news it seems that Richardson is determined to make his mark at Man Utd. Many people on the forum have taken a real dislike to him. They believe he is a little to big for his boots, which I can see, the thing is he doesn’t get games and games are what will turn him into the player I truly believe he could be. Perhaps a loan spell would help him out!

Smith is another player I haven’t heard much of in recent weeks. He was supposedly on an extreme fitness regime to bring him up to speed. That should surely be coming to fruition now, yet we don’t even see him on the bench! How so? Smudger is a great player and I think he would suit our forward line perfectly in certain situations. When we are playing the physical teams with hard back lines.. eg Chelsea he has this great ability to get stuck in and ruffle big players feathers, pulling them out of position for others to exploit. The last thing we want to be is like Arsenal, a team that can only play one way.

Right enough from me for today, please let me know your thoughts with some excellent comments!

For those of you who have not seen the Everton goals, here they are, a big thankyou to Insanelogic in the forum for digging these out!




I was thinking to myself this morning that it will be really good to have Rossi back at United. The lack of opportunities at Newcastle must have been frustrating at best. What’s more I think there could be a real opportunity for him to progress in the team during the run in of the season. Of course it all depends who comes in during the January window!

Is anybody else getting a little tired of Mourinho telling the world that his team will be top soon? They beat Bolton 1-0, so what? We beat them 4-0. It’s great to see the pressure on the £multi-billion squad and I hope it continues until the end of the season. We may not have the depth, but I was really impressed with the attitude and performance of our squad players on Wednesday. They showed real character and answered their critics (me included) with a great result.

The question is….? Do we continue to rest key players for Saturday’s away trip to Middlesbourgh? The game against Benfica is crucial and we cannot afford any injuries prior to that game. I certainly feel that Fletcher can cover and even Richardson had a useful game on Wednesday. We must not drop points however, for if we do, Mourinho will have his way and his Chelsea boys will close the gap!

I hope to see Park and Solskjaer back in action soon. They have started training with the first team and will provide fresh options to Ferguson in the New Year. With a couple of additions in January we could have a very healthy squad come February, a time when we traditionally have a good run. Come on the mighty REDS!

Manchester United squad, do we have the depth?

This weekend sees us take on Sheffield United, a game we must win before a gruelling schedule that will see us take on the likes of Celtic, Chelsea and Everton. These are not easy fixtures, with the results of these games defining the rest of the season. They say that the premiership is won and lost on a few games. With the premiership more competitive than it has ever been, that statement rings more true now than ever before.

Alex Ferguson faces a dilemma. With a key game on Tuesday against Celtic and a seemingly easier game against Sheffield United on Saturday, does Ferguson rest his key players in an attempt to keep them fresh for the champion’s league clash? Although in theory this seems like a good plan, it is one that has not paid off in recent encounters. Take the clash with Copenhagen and Southend as examples, we fielded under strength teams and never looked convincing. The result… 1-0 defeats.

So maybe we should play a full strength team against Sheffield? This could prove to be a risky strategy as well. Giggs, Neville and Scholes are all the wrong side of 30, the simple fact of the matter is they can no longer charge up and down the football field three time per week. Granted they are still extremely fit players, but are much more prone to injury, Gary Neville a case in hand! All it would take is for Giggs to do his hamstring and Scholes to have a recurrence of his eye problem and we would face the prospect of playing a number of games with a similar side that lost to Copenhagen a few weeks ago.

I am not saying let’s wrap our ageing stars in cotton wool, more we should use them sparingly and not push them to the extremes. The games against Chelsea and Celtic will be tough physical encounters and will really take it out of the players and the game against Sheffield should be an opportunity for the squad players to make their mark.

The fact that many fans do not have confidence in the squad players reiterates the problem that Ferguson has. We lack a depth in quality that means a few injuries could ruin our championship campaign. We need to strengthen in January, starting with a midfielder and striker at the very least. Until then we need to prey that our key players stay fit and healthy.

Man Utd first team squad depth and Smith transfer to Aston Villa!

Tonight sees us take on Copenhagen in Denmark. With Chelsea and Liverpool all but through, we must go out there and seal our qualification to send a message out to the other competitors. We will be without Neville, Giggs and Saha, but this should not worry us, rather give some of the other players a chance to shine!

I was watching the Chelsea Barcelona game last night and was thinking to myself.. Chelsea have so much depth in class in their team, can we really compete? Then I thought to myself of course we can! Players like Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown and Ole Solskjaer are massively under-rated by other clubs. We have fantastic squad players and backup for our first 11. Ok it may not be quite so star studded as Chelsea, but they can do what’s important and play football.

Many of our youth team are developing at such a phenomenal rate. Fletcher in particular has proved many of his critics wrong with some fantastic performances this season. We have players like Ritchie Jones, Pique and Rossi to come through and I for one am excited about them. We don’t need an endless bank balance to perform, instead we buy a few key players and mix them in with young talent that has potential. That’s the way we have always done it and long may it continue!

Tonight I hope to see Smith get a chance. There were rumours on theMan Utd news forum yesterday that Aston Villa were poised to make a £6 million bid for the Yorkshireman (Thanks insane logic for the news). Sorry but firstly this is no way near enough for a player of Smith’s Calibre and secondly he is an essential squad player recovering from injury. He needs a chance to really play at United!

Last but not least Quatermiler found this rather hilarious commentary from the Liverpool game. Watch it and laugh!

Post your line-ups for tonight and score predictions here on in theMan Utd news forum . If you haven’t joined yet pop on over and join the conversation!