SBNation.com User Blog: SilentRed

David Moyes appointed as Manchester United manager

SilentRed — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:33:20 -0000

A statement from the club sees the Scot given a 6 year deal.

It's a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United. I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done and for the football club. I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn't something that comes around very often and I'm really looking forward to taking up the post next season."

Well, you can't say this wasn't coming. Ever since news broke of Sir Alex's retirement, even The Sullen One has had to wait in the shadow of the severe-looking, mad-eyed, ramrod-straight phenom of Goodison Park. Not anymore. David Moyes has been appointed Manchester United's second manager in 27 years.

"The King is dead - Long live the King!"

As Gene and a number of you in the community have pointed out, this is no straight fix. Moyes will have to adapt to the rarefied air of the European Top Table, and the factory of trophies at Old Trafford may just slow down, or even stop for a bit. One hopes that the team that Sir Alex has in place will allow Moyesey, as the blue 'scouse call him, settle down and stamp his identity on the club. The intriguing part of the tale, however, is the similarity between our old Gaffer and the new one. Both Scots, Glaswegian no less, and both have a penchant for youth development, support the labor party and have interests in racehorses. Moyes apparently goes into work at 5 every day - something that's admittedly shared by a number of managers (Andres Villas Boas sleeping at the training ground comes to mind) but yet something that drove Phil Neville to once say, "They're not all that different. They can both give you a earful when you deserve it!".

A Statement

Gary Neville remarked that Moyes' appointment would bring the sanity back in football. United have certainly gone for it here - a six-year deal is reportedly signed that starts on the 1st of July. One imagines that after 11 years, Moyes needs some time to make the handover at Everton as smooth as possible - his integrity would certainly demand that of him. Still, in the higher echelons of modern football, a six year deal for player or manager is unusual. The statement is unmistakable - this is our man, he's here for the long run, he has our blessings. Everyone get behind him, or get out. As always, our club may make the wrong decision but it makes them with devastating style.

Some quotable quotes

"In David Moyes, we have someone who understands the things that make this such a special club. We have secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now. Stability breeds success. ... I am delighted he has accepted and I'm looking forward to working with him."

-Sir Bobby Charlton

"In David Moyes, we have secured the services of an outstanding manager who has all the skills to build on the phenomenal legacy in place today. I have no doubt that he will bring an energy and commitment to deliver winning football that is part of the fabric of this club."

-Ed Woodward

"When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes. David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I've admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here. He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club."

-Sir Alex Ferguson

There have been some excellent pieces in both the Telegraph and the Guardian on our new manager. I particularly recommend this one by (who else) Michael Cox. United's official site has crashed - seems like the 639 million really were quite anxious. 48 hours back, we were wondering about our performances in the last few games, fretting about adding a couple in the transfer market. Now, that title seems quite sweet, and infinitely more precious. This is no doomsday prediction - this is perspective. We have been far too lucky for far too long. To quote another memorable line, "S**t just got serious."

Welcome to Old Trafford, David Moyes. May you orchestrate many lovely memories at the Theatre of Dreams. Yet one thing I already know about you, sir. You are a very brave man.

David Moyes is Manchester United manager

SilentRed — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:28:34 -0000

It's a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United. I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done and for the football club. I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn't something that comes around very often and I'm really looking forward to taking up the post next season."

"The King is dead - Long live the King!"

A Statement

Some quotable quotes

"In David Moyes, we have someone who understands the things that make this such a special club. We have secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now. Stability breeds success. ... I am delighted he has accepted and I'm looking forward to working with him."

-Sir Bobby Charlton

"In David Moyes, we have secured the services of an outstanding manager who has all the skills to build on the phenomenal legacy in place today. I have no doubt that he will bring an energy and commitment to deliver winning football that is part of the fabric of this club."

-Ed Woodward

"When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes. David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I've admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here. He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club."

-Sir Alex Ferguson

Welcome to Old Trafford, David Moyes. May you orchestrate many lovely memories at the Theatre of Dreams. Yet one thing I already know about you, sir. You are a very brave man.

Who's next for the club?

SilentRed — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:02:59 -0000

First, I felt it would be disrespectful to talk of replacements. Then I realized, that's not the nature of the club, like Sir Alex would say. The nature of the club is to go on, to move and get stronger. So while there can't be any replacements for that huge, Fergie sized hole in the club, there can be a successor.

So, who would it be?

Jose Mourinho is the most obvious choice for many. He is fighting to quit Real Madrid, where his position has well and truly become untenable. He has also shown an admirable maturity in a number of his dealings with the club - definitely more than at Chelsea, Inter or Porto before that. Let's put it this way - the Mourinho of ten years ago could not have dealt with the Madrid media this way. This has been the biggest issue United's board have supposedly had against him - that and his tendency to buy big.

David Moyes is a candidate who's leaped to the front of the pack over the last year. Scottish, severe and motivated, he carries more than a passing resemblance to the Knight of Old Trafford. His lack of big-budget experience and Europe, though, are major drawbacks in the eyes of many. Moyes is one of the gentlemen in the game, and believes in doing things the right way. There are theories that he can succeed at a big club, but without proof they are just theories. Will the board take the risk? The bookies think so - they slashed odds on Moyes the beginning of the week, much before any sound of retirement came out of Old Trafford. Clearly, they knew something we didn't.

The Fergie Alumini have been touted more than once. Ole Gunnar, Ryan Giggs, and the like. However, they would represent significant risks as none of them have both the required experience (in Ole or Ryan's cases), nor the success (Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson etc), to warrant a call up.

Manuel Pellegrini, Jupp Heynckes and Jurgen Klopp have all been mentioned over the last week in the media. How reliable these reports are, well, nobody really knows.

What do you think - who will take up the most attractive, yet impossible task of Manchester United in the post-Ferguson era?

Poll

Who do you want as the next Manchester United manager?

Sir Alex Retires

SilentRed — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:32:12 -0000

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/May/sir-alex-ferguson-to-retire-as-manchester-united-manager.aspx

This was not supposed to happen. There are many, like me, who feel there is no club without Sir Alex, and no Sir Alex without the club. However, life (and Manchester United) is much more than that. Life will go on, and so will the club, even without the most breathtakingly brilliant, purple-faced, warm and adamant man the world has possibly seen screaming for success from the sidelines.

Suddenly, all talk of players and central midfielders is useless. The biggest transfer need is clear. But let us not go there for now. For now, let us not think of numbers like 49 or 13, the titles he has won. Nor even those that are too small, like 3. Let us think of numbers like 1986 and 2013. 26 seasons he has given us, Twenty Six. There are many fans (and players) who are used to the sight of him at every press conference, in the box chewing his gum, and screaming at the referee. He was the one who always had your back, the fan of the club who cared more than any of us knew we could. This will change our club. This is United's greatest challenge of the age - and it is one that cannot really be overcome. Thank you, Sir.

Every Single One Of Us, Loves Sir Alex Ferguson.

Edit: The above was a reference to the amazing love fans showed him when he decided to retire the first time. They(we) sung this for 60 minutes, non-stop.

Edit: To save you guys the trouble, I've decided to close this post for comments. Please carry on with Gene's post on the same here - http://www.thebusbybabe.com/2013/5/8/4311432/sir-alex-ferguson-the-greatest-football-manager-of-all-time-retires. Cheers!

Fergie namedrops Januzaj

SilentRed — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:17:23 -0000

"Older players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand may be coming towards the end of their careers, but these younger players are the foundation for the next five or six years, irrespective of the players breaking through, like Adnan Januzaj, the Belgian boy, who's really looking very good.

There has been talk lately of this young footballer. Aged just 18, Januzaj has been given the squad number 44 for the run in, and is widely expected to feature at some point. Sir Alex no doubt wished to give the young lad some exposure - be it first team training, from the bench on match days, or perhaps even some game time. From Michael Keane, William Keane, Davide Petrucci, Jesse Lingard and Scott Wooton, the noises from Carrington have shifted to this wiry Belgian teenager. So, who is he?

Januzaj was signed from Anderlecht, the Belgian club, in 2011. At his previous club, the youngster was fast-tracked to make the senior team. However, when United went calling, he couldn't turn them down. Since, he has recovered from an injury lay-off (the first of his career, he says) to make 15 appearances for the U-21 and Reserves, with 1 goal and 5 assists. He plays a floating role on the right side of midfield, sometimes tucking in and sometimes as a winger proper. Despite the injury layoff, Adnan has been nominated for the Reserves Player of the Year award - clearly his performances are held in high regard by the management.

It is expected that the young Belgian will play on the wing as he first enters the team - indeed the demands and responsibilities of central midfield may yet prove too much for an untested debutant. With our well documented winger situation, this may be a chance for a breakthrough.

If anyone has seen/heard of this guy, let us know in the comments section!

United and Arsenal share the spoils on RvP's return

SilentRed — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:24:59 -0000

After a shockingly lax performance for a majority of the first half, Manchester United recovered to control the match for large parts of the second which ended with both teams going for the win. As it ended, though, a 2nd minute Theo Walcott strike (which was probably a yard offside) was cancelled out by a Robin Van Persie penalty just before the break.

Without mincing words, United were quite terrible for the first 30 minutes or so. Phil Jones in particular could not cope with the pressing from Aaron Ramsey and co, with heavy touches and forced lumps up the field. Ramsey had a good game - in the absence of Wilshire, he provided industry and class and chipped in with some nice through balls as well. Thomas Rosicky was on form as well, picking out the pass that led to Walcott's opener. The assist may as well have gone to Patrice Evra, however, who had quite a bad outing. The skipper was slow and unaware of runs in behind him, and had a general lack of desire for a large part of the game (defensively). Arsenal's attacking impetus for the majority of the match was down to Santi Carzola - the little spaniard flitting between the lines. Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand, with the rock that is Michael Carrick, kept the Arsenal men largely at bay.

The first half started with 4 yellow cards in under 30 minutes, with the United players late to almost every ball. The play passed Jones by, with Carrick as usual overrun and in the limelight. After the half hour mark, however, United recovered. Rio Ferdinand provided a masterclass in defensive organization and composure, often helping Carrick build attacks while Jones drew a midfielder forward with bombing runs. Despite Arsenal's early dominance, United ended the half level on terms and arguably the better chances - a point blank save from an RvP header after some great wing play by Luis Nani comes to mind.

The second half, expectedly, saw a different United. Carrick was more authoritative, Arsenal's pressing went down and as a result we really got stuck into the game. Nani and Rooney had really good games thereafter, while RvP was consistently decent. Antonio Valencia hit a decent run of form, but his crosses really left something to be desired. Again, United had the better chances, mostly on the break from an increasingly reckless Gunners side. Aside from poor decision making by Valencia and one heavy touch from Ryan Giggs (on for Nani), United may well have clinched all 3 points.

It went from a terribly sloppy performance to quite a good one. Despite their early dominance, Arsenal never had any gilt edged chances as such and were fortunate with that early lead. United for their part were fortunate with Bacaray Sagna's generous back pass leading to the penalty, conceded by the fullback. However, the greater chances undoubtedly fell to United. The points record is out of reach now, and on the balance of the first half, that is deserved.

Weigh in with your thoughts on the MotM, and other things, in the comments section...

Poll

Who was your MotM against Arsenal?

Wayne Rooney

3 votes

Robin Van Persie

8 votes

Luis Nani

6 votes

Michael Carrick

6 votes

Rio Ferdinand

18 votes

Others (mention who in the comments!)

2 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

MUFC Team News: Carrick and Evans likely out

SilentRed — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:38:43 -0000

Sir Alex's first press conference after Manchester United were crowned kings of England (again) was typically business-like. With the season winding down, the gaffer was already looking forward to next season though.

"A lot of the younger players have been on the fringes for the last few weeks, and I desperately want them to feel their contribution has been big. Chicharito, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Nani - I think it's important to get them involved in the last few weeks."

"Giggs and Rio, the old codgers, can still carry on! Hopefully, we will have Paul Scholes fit in the next couple of weeks because he deserves to play in the last few games."

It's likely that in the Ginger Prince's case, Sir Alex wants to give him a dose of playing time to keep him hooked for just a year longer. With Anderson-who did not receive a mention-likely going out, and Darren Fletcher unavailable, Scholesy would be an invaluable option to mentor and provide back up for a younger option, conceivably Nick Powell.

The major news, however, revolved around something fans suspected in the previous game - injuries to Jonny Evans (whose name I finally learned to spell right) and Michael "Midfield Maestro Not Named Scholes" Carrick.

"Two of the players played with an injury throughout the [Villa] game," Sir Alex told MUTV. "Jonny Evans and Michael Carrick. Next week, I should have Vida and Rio back. I can put Jones into the middle of the pitch and play Vida and Rio together and we'll get the experience going to Arsenal."

That leaves us with a central pivot of Tom Cleverly and Phil Jones screening a defensive line of Rafael, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra. With the league done, however, it is possible that Chris Smalling or Alex Buttner fill in at the full back places. A run of games should do both a world of good.

Going back to the mentions of the "fringe players", it seems the Gaffer is looking to play Danny Welbeck on the wing, with Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney or Shinji Kagawa filling into the playmaker role and Chicarito playing as striker. Luis Nani could receive a run-out at right wing as well. This, in any case, is the only way all of his hints could work out. As every United fan knows, however, that is no assurance. It may seem clever to protect RvP from needless vitriol from the Arsenal fans - our No. 20 could always come on later to save the game.

I'm excited about the next few games for different reasons - I'm really looking forward to see Powell get some games, as well as Welbeck. Precious competitive game minutes will do these two a world of good (in Danny's case, some goals as well!)

De Gea, Chica, transfers and more goodies

SilentRed — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:39:07 -0000

What a manager. We're so used to it that we don't realize that when most managers are battling for champions league places and against relegation, or complaining about how their team is better but doesn't win (looking at you, Mancini), Sir Alex Ferguson is already planning the long term future of the club. Here, he gives us his thoughts on the futures of David De Gea, Javier Hernandez and Rio Ferdinand. Some excerpts...

The improvement is the physical part as he's put on nearly a stone now in terms of muscle. He's much stronger and dealing with the physical part [of the game] much, much better.

For our readers around the world, 1 stone = 6.35 kg = 14 pounds. Eh. What have they been feeding the poor guy?

"I don't think you can prepare for it in training. Steeley does a lot of crossing with the three keepers but you can't prepare for the real thing. We don't want players crashing into one another in training!"

Patience is the name of the game - as we all suspected Sir Alex never considered dropping De Gea, he was just easing him in. I highly recommend the full article - you get a sense that the Gaffer feels De Gea has turned a corner in his career and speaks freely about the recent past. There's even a part where he refers to The Great Dane as, well, a dying pig!

On the topic of transfers, the Scot was unfortunately interested when Robert Lewandowski was mentioned, although he had previously said the he had enough headaches with the existing crop of forwards:

"We'll just have to wait and see where we are in terms of if we win the league. Maybe then we'll view it differently."

He also talked about not making a big name signing, Danny Welbeck's poor return in front of goal and signed off on the topic with a tantalizing hint that you couldn't be sure he wouldn't splash the cash.

When it came to the Little Pea and Rio, who have both been tremendous this season, there was no doubt what he wanted - stay.

[On Chica] "We hope he feels as though he has made a contribution. He has scored 16 goals. When he came on the other night [at West Ham] his movement was terrific. He created a lot of openings for us.

[On Rio] "We want him to stay and obviously I'm sure his representatives will be discussing things with David Gill. I wouldn't imagine that [moving abroad] would be the best thing for him."

The full articles can be found on the ManUtd site:

David De Gea's Growth

Transfer Plans

On Chica and Rio

There is also a very nice one about Tom Cleverly speaking about Michael Carrick.

In all, a very good series of articles for you guys. Give your reactions here - do you think the Little Mexican will leave? And do you think the Gaffer is going to get a big name signing in?

Is the trophy coming home on Monday?

SilentRed — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:21:56 -0000

With all the talk of winning the title at the Emirates, the altogether sweeter prospect of winning it at home is now very real for Manchester United. With Tottenham Hotspurs winning an absolute cracker of a game against the Blue side of Manchester, the number is 3 points - 3 points separate United from regaining their title, and become Champions again.

Aston Villa, of course, merit mention. They are an exciting young team with the sensational Christian Benteke playing up front, and are in a fight for their lives at the other end of the table. With problems against Andy Carroll, the United defense may just find the big Belgian an altogether smoother beast. One feels he will be a key player for the visitors. Another of their mercurial players, Gabriel Agbonlahor is in a fight to be fit for the tie. Villa are an exciting team, but an inconsistent one - both qualities down to the youth of their first team. All things said, they will be up against it when United come out at home gunning for that title so cruelly lost last year.

From United's perspective, the opposition is immaterial. They will want that win, want that title. It's been a long campaign for the standout Michael Carrick and Robin Van Persie, as seen last time out against West Ham, but one expects them to be refreshed for the occasion. Sir Alex would no doubt have planned to rest at least one of Wayne Rooney and Van Persie - and he still could. One feels, however, that the result from White Hart Lane might just affect his team selection. Expect the strongest line-up United can field, with maybe just a couple changes up front.

Against the energetic Londoners, Tom Cleverly might be in line for a recall after some time out . The defense is due a shake-up with Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand playing back-to-back games last week - expect Phil Jones to step back or a return to action for Jonny Evans and/or Chris Smalling.

To be completely honest, my mind isn't working. All I can think about is winning the title tomorrow - emphatically. Feel free to sound off about the day's result here. Here's to singing Championes come Monday night!

PFA Player of the Year shortlist - Have your say!

SilentRed — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:02:22 -0000

The PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year shortlists are out, and Robin Van Persie, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck have been nominated. The former two are just about older than the cut-off of 23 for the junior award, while Danny-boy will be hassling and harrying his way through the kiddies section. The full list is as follows...

PFA Player of the Year

Gareth Bale, Michael Carrick, Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Luis Suárez and Robin van Persie

PFA Young Player of the Year

Gareth Bale, Christian Benteke, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere

Apologies to any from the fairer sex - I am not familiar with Women's football so didn't cover that shortlist...

Welbeck, for me, is a surprising choice. He has hardly been the most impressive youngster at the club - Rafael da Silva and David De Gea battle it out for that spot - while his overall game, though impressive, still lacks a certain quality that most forwards have - finishing.

Carrick, of course, has been phenomenal. As discussed on this forum in the first half of the season, he is arguably the most indispensable player on the squad. United teams over the last few years have been built around him while appearing to center around other people, which is the case again this year as we come to our next nominee...

Robin Van Persie. I could probably say his name and stop, and that would be enough. A goal drought this year has reduced his stock in the eyes of many, but his overall game never suffered. There are valid arguments that he fluffed his chances against Madrid and Chelsea in the cups, but that would have been him dragging us over the line when we weren't going to get past it. Great if it had happened, but this is still a phenomenal season for the Dutchman.

Personally, I wouldn't mind either Carrick or RvP winning it, but it would be hugely surprising if neither of them did. Which one of them do win depends on if the judges are in "Oh, we are beyond the average fan, we'll look at subtle Michael" or "Close your eyes and go Dutch" mode. What I am really interested in is who you guys think should win the young player award, and who has been our most impressive young player this year. Let your thoughts be heard!

Poll

Who has been Manchester United's Young Player of the Year?

David De Gea

55 votes

Rafael Da Silva

39 votes

Chris Smalling

0 votes

Phil Jones

2 votes

Tom Cleverly

1 votes

Shinji Kagawa

7 votes

Danny Welbeck

0 votes

Ryan Giggs..err... Others (Mention who in the comments)

2 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed

MUFC Team News : Young is out for the season

SilentRed — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:44:44 -0000

Not once but twice, Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he made a mistake. The first was when admitting that ~~his~~ the medical team's initial assessments were off, and that Ashley Young would miss the remainder of the season due to injury - the ankle he crocked in the recent Manchester Derby.

The other concerned Shinji Kagawa. Knowing our adorable little playmaker, this latest presser would have put a huge smile on Shinji-kun's face. The first concerned Shinji's rival for the spot and one-time (?) talisman, Wayne Rooney.

Attempts at Japanese honorifics are based off Bleach and Naruto mangas. All you -donos, -sans, -kuns and -chans please excuse.

"As far as taking him off the other night, it was simple: he wasn't playing as well as Shinji Kagawa was," he said. "In so many games Wayne Rooney is better than most players. But on the night Shinji was playing so well."

When it was gently put to the boss that that makes as much sense as having Andy Carroll on the field for 90 minutes, as he proceeded to sub Shinji off as well, the unthinkable happened...

"The ironic thing was, when we were chasing a goal with 14 minutes left, I decided to put Chicharito on and Shinji made the second goal. I'd already given the fourth official the card, Chicha was standing on the touchline and then we scored the second goal. I think if I'd have changed my decision then we would have won it.

"Shinji was doing really well but unfortunately he came off."

The diminutive Kagawa has been growing from strength to strength, and this performance in difficult conditions, where he turned and wriggled expertly in a manner not seen by Reds fans in years, can well be put down as a marker in his career. Early season doubts have begun to ebb - this guy looks the real deal (and for our team as well)!

In other news, the Gaffer also praised the team for coming through the bruising game away to West Ham with pride, and commented on the PFA Player of the Year shortlists... we'll have that up for you ~~motely crew~~ fine gentlemen to fight over shortly!

West Ham United vs Manchester United : Live Thread

SilentRed — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:50:53 -0000

KO: 7:45pm GMT, 1:45pm EST | Upton Park

LIVE TV: Sky Sports (U.K.), ESPN2(U.S.)

WEATHER: London, England

MATCH PREVIEW: The Busby Babe

REFEREE: Lee Probert

Preview: West Ham United vs Manchester United

SilentRed — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:38:00 -0000

MANCHESTER UNITED

Form Guide: The magic number is 7 - and Sir Alex's boys will be eager to get them quickly to wrap up the title at old friend Arsne Wenger's Emirates stadium on the 28th of April. United were on a wretched run of form, performance wise, since the Champions League disaster but the performance at Stoke suggests they are back on the upswing. The formbook shows only two losses over 18 games for the club. Against the Hammers, United have won 1-0 at home in the league, drawn 2-2 away thanks to that goal in the FA Cup, and won 1-0 at home in the replay. The games, however, have been generally drab affairs.

Team News: Sir Alex Ferguson has reported no new injury concerns for the trip to London. Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Danny Welbeck and Nani are all hoping for a recall but Ashley Young (ankle) and Paul Scholes (knee) remain sidelined. The Red Devils require seven more points to seal a 20th league title.

Squad: De Gea, Lindegaard, Rafael, Smalling, Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Buttner, Nani, Valencia, Powell, Carrick, Anderson, Cleverley, Giggs, Kagawa, Van Persie, Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck.

WEST HAM UNITED

Form Guide: Big Sam's Hammers sit 12th, with 38 points that sees them 7 clear of the relegation zone. They've had a chequered record in the league of late, with a brace of wins, draws and losses each in their last 6. With Wigan Athletic and Reading to visit, West Ham shouldn't be in danger of elimination, but away games against Manchester City and Everton ensure they have an exciting run-in.

Team News: Defender James Tomkins (calf) is a doubt while Winston Reid (hip) and George McCartney (knee) are also struggling for fitness, so Emanuel Pogatetz is ready to stand in. Midfielder Mark Noble (shoulder) is close to a return, but Joe Cole (hamstring) remains a doubt.

Squad: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Tomkins, Pogatetz, Collins, Vaz Te, Taylor, Jarvis, Collison, Diame, Nolan, O'Neil, Carroll, Henderson, Potts, C Cole, Wellington, Noble, Spence.

PROJECTING UNITED'S LINEUP

United: David de Gea will probably start, but given the Anders Lindegaard hasn't seen action for a long while now, the manager could swap them anytime. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand started the weekend against Stoke City, as did Phil Jones at right-back and Patrice Evra at left-back. Given the depth of his thankfully injury-free defense, we could see wholesale changes. Expect Rafael to come home to his right-back spot, with Alex Buttner having an outside chance at starting too. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones may be given an outing as the central-defender duo, but the noises from Carrington last week suggest that Jonny Evans will take up one of those spots. The other could be filled by Rio/Vida too, if the gaffers wants to put some experience in there. It's worth noting that the Hammers are strong aerially, and scored two beautiful headed goals in the 2-2 draw.

In central-midfield, any of Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Anderson, or Ryan Giggs are possible. A surprise addition to this list is Wayne Rooney - the management may well be experimenting with him in a midfield role with the title within reach. Carrick is our marathon man and will probably start every week till the title is won, but Cleverly is due a game and might well partner him. Giggs and Anderson are unlikely - there simply is no fixture pile-up for the former, and the latter seems on his way out this summer.

United's wealth of attacking talent is well-documented, and it's almost impossible to predict which attackers will start. The mercurial Nani is possile on either wing, while Valencia is a possibility on the right. Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa could also play on the left as interios, while up top Robin Van Persie will be battling with Chicarito and Rooney for a spot. With his goal against Stoke, it is likely RvP starts up top to get another glut of goals, with Rooney or Kagawa playing in the hole. This could lead to a 4-2-3-1 type of formation, with Welbeck narrow and Valencia wide, Rooney/Kagawa and Cleverly scheming between the lines.

via this11.com

We could also see a more conventional 4-4-2 with Nani out wide on the left. Giggsy was incredible in the FA Cup Draw against the hammers, with moments of pure class - this makes him an outside chance for width on the left if Nani is preferred to Valencia on the right.

via this11.com

This could be a good time to experiment with our attack to see who stays, and who goes. Predicting this is going to give United fans a lot of fodder for conversation in the coming weeks.

KO: 7:45pm GMT, 1:45pm EST | Old Trafford

Live TV: SkySports (U.K.), ESPN2 (U.S.)

Referee: Lee Probert

Source: PremierLeague.com

Post Match Reaction : Stoke City vs Manchester United

SilentRed — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:29:16 -0000

Not many teams win at the Britannia, and even fewer win beautifully against the tough Potters. Manchester United did both, to varying degrees.

Make no mistake - this wasn't a vintage performance with those rampaging wingers nor those periods of ceaseless pressure. However, it was a fluid performance with four of United's attackers in Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Shinji Kagawa and Javier Chicarito Hernandez on the pitch at the same time. The surprise package, of course, was Rooney in midfield - a fascinating subplot for next season. United's attackers showed promise and effort, and saw out a quite comfortable victory sealed by, finally, an RvP goal!

The Potters have been "dropping like a stone", to borrow an abused adage, and this was never going to be a particularly tricky game. That said, the Britannia is a slaughterhouse for the meek, and an early Michael Carrick goal from some woeful corner defending settled quite a few nerves. For the rest of the half, United were comfortable, while not lacking in effort - the attackers eg.Kagawa and the defenders eg. Vidic, playing alongside long-time partner Rio Ferdinand, were equally fierce attacking the ball. Despite a period of pressure around the middle of the half, there was not much to write home about (except number of slips and falls by all and sundry).

The second was, well, more of the first. Scrappy stuff, with a Rooney free kick coming close before his through ball on a break led to an elegant cutback from RvP, who was brought down for a penalty. Under gusty conditions, the dutchman scored his first goal for the club since February, an absolutely beautiful low shot that gave the keeper no chance. Cue mad celebrations - something I personally have been wanting for a while - a Fergie bear hug, hifi's with Alex Buttner (?) and what not. Relief was writ large on his face, and almost immediately the cutting edge was back!

A good day - we were better than most of our recent performances for sure, against tough if not great opponents, and RvP on the scoresheet. 15 points clear with City not playing this week, and the magic number is down to 7.

Apologies guys - Technical difficulties delayed the PMR, and my part in the Live Thread.

Stoke City vs Manchester United : Live Thread

SilentRed — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:05:56 -0000

KO: 1:05pm GMT, 9:05am EST | Britannia Stadium

LIVE TV: Sky Sports 2 (U.K.), Fox Soccer(U.S.)

WEATHER: Stoke, England

MATCH PREVIEW: The Busby Babe

REFEREE: Jon Moss

ODDS: Stoke City 5/1, Draw 14/5, Manchester United 8/13

MUFC Team News for Stoke City

SilentRed — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:32:58 -0000

Sir Alex Ferguson, in his weekly press conference, gave the welcome news that Jonny Evans was fit to face Stoke City on Sunday, while Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling both have outside chances of making the team. It is expected that at least one of them will make the squad for the always bruising encounter at the Britannia.

"Jonny Evans has trained this week, which is better news than we had building up to Monday's game. Ashley Young is out - he got a sore whack on his ankle and is maybe out for two weeks. Other than that, we're in good shape in terms of player availability."

This means that a trio of fit center halves in Rio Ferdinand, Funny-Face-Phil Jones and Evans will be in the frame to start, with possibly Smalling on the bench.

Ashley Young being injured ~~scuppers United's plans proper~~ is not a huge loss - with Stoke being the physical team that they are, it might be better to play through them with quick combinations rather than hoof the ball into the box. Danny Welbeck, Luis Nani and Shinji Kagawa could all serve this purpose by starting on the left.

The Boss had further news about forgotten ~~man~~ prince Paul Scholes. The creaky-kneed midfielder not named Anderson will get a few games in during the run it, from the looks of things. While hailing the veteran's footballing intelligence, Sir Alex quite funnily proceeded to indicate that he needed a bit of training to understand the team again.

"Paul Scholes will start training with the first-team on Monday. He's done a fair bit in the last week or so and it will be a terrific boost to get his football intelligence back in the squad. He's been out for a few weeks now so he'll need a good bit of training with us.

Okay, not to put too fine a point on it, but it is pretty much a 4-4-1-1 and who are we fooling with that?!!

Jousting before the Derby

SilentRed — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:22:11 -0000

In a dramatic turn of events, both Manchester United and Manchester City's skippers provided their views on the Derby game on Monday. I've always liked Vincent Kompany, especially since it's wicked that he spells it with a K - I've found him to be quite similar to Nemanja Vidic with his no-nonsense tackling, leadership and aerial prowess. However, Vinnie K seemed quite the deluded kid next to the Serbanator at his press conference...

"A derby is a derby. I don't think we could care less about the league in that game. It is about who is going to be champions of Manchester."

Wait.

..."champions of Manchester."

Okay. So THAT's why they got that bucket-load of internationals. To win a Derby game.

That said, the Belgian was quite sensible for the rest of his press meet, and probably did much better than a particular Frenchmen would have.

On the other hand, Vida was as Vida is. Scary.

"I never speak with an opponent before a game. I am good friends with Kolarov and Nastasic. But I don't like to talk. I like to go there and do it. On game day I think about the game, I don't waste energy before the game starts, otherwise you end up tired."

The most surprising part of the conference was knowing that Vida was actually friends with them. The rest of it was par for the course. Efficient killing machine, anyone?

It's amazed me that in a team full of stars in attack, Kompany's presence + Vida's absence last year was the single most important reason for the title being decked in sky blue. Turning that around, despite City's good defensive record, Kompany has been out for a major chunk this season while stability has returned to our defense with Vida stepping in to partner/alternate with Rio.

That said, how much do you love this guy? He loves the club, loves his game and has the most kick-ass cool chant Old Trafford has made up for a long, long time. I'm a big Vidic fan, and hope he stays with us till the end.

MUFC Team News: Squad Close to 100% Fitness

SilentRed — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:35:09 -0000

Injuries - the one thing you hate these international breaks for. Thankfully, it's been a good one for Manchester United - none of the 14 internationals who were called up for their countries last week suffered any injury. This is, of course, assuming a twenty hour trip across the Atlantic did not cause any birdies to fly around in Chicarito or Antonio Valencia's heads. The South America duo were the last to get in to Carrington, and seem least likely to make an appearance against Sunderland. The Little Mexican, additionally, was a minor injury scare after being treated for cramps in his country's first qualifier, and looking off the boil in the second at home to the USA.

Even better for all United fans, it looks like Luis Nani, Paul Scholes and Phil Jones are all ready to return. With two games in three days, the news should come as a welcome boost, even if all three were expected back sometime now. This is what Sir Alex Ferguson had to say:

“Nani, Jones and Scholes are all doing a little bit of training, which is encouraging, Hopefully it will give us a good strong squad to approach the two games on Saturday and Monday. We'll try and keep the momentum going with he run we're in at the moment. If we do that, Monday will take care of itself.”

The momentum he is referring to, of course, is one that has seen the Red Devils open up a 15-point lead over their noisy neighbors. Over the week, the gaffer was even quoted by some newspapers as saying he expected more of a fight from the Citizens, almost admitting the current lead came without trying too much. He also expressed his hope that the current crop equal Jose Mourinho's record-setting 95 point haul in their unstoppable 2004-05 season.

Apart from the lack of injury over the break, Sir Alex was particularly pleased with Dutch superstar Robin Van Persie's trio of goals, one against Estonia and a brace (including a beautiful header) against Romania:

"He got the three goals for Holland. It's the same with all strikers. When they hit that little dry spell, they're hoping to get out of it as quickly as they can. Hopefully, those goals for Holland will help him to do that. His form has not changed, that's the most important thing, but the goals will certainly help and there's no question about that."

There's no denying that RvP looked his early-season unstoppable self in highlights of his headed goal. It is still to be seen, however, if the general tiredness that seemed to bother him before the break has been banished by some lively discussions on ~~Impressionist Art~~ football with his fellow Oranje maestros. Sunderland were the team he scored his first Manchester United hat-trick against earlier this season, with three goals of undeniable class. Let's hope for a reprise on Saturday.

Antonio Valencia admits to disappointing season

SilentRed — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:48:24 -0000

It's no news that Antonio Valencia has struggled for form this season. While an unconventional choice for the legendary No. 7 jersey at the start of the season, most Manchester United fans recognized his amazing talent and work ethic, not to mention his impact on games last season. However, it is almost typically "Tony" that he should say as much in an interview to United Review, before the game against Reading.

When asked how he rated his season so far, the no-nonsense reply was:

It's not been quite the season I would have hoped for on a personal front. I think the injuries I've had have held me back a bit. I still get the odd twinge from the last injury I had to my leg and that has perhaps affected my progress slightly. That isn't to say I haven't enjoyed the season because I have very much.

This is surprising - Tony has not suffered from major injury since his horrific ankle a couple years back. He was, of course, great last season which was post this injury. It's possible he's referring to his hip-flexor tweak, something Sir Alex alluded to earlier in the season. Valencia tried to play through it, but was finally rested for close to a month.

However, our flying winger was certainly bullish about the remaining games:
I hope so. I hope I get the chance to be involved in as many games as possible and if I'm picked I'm determined to grab my opportunities and do my best for my team-mates, the manager and the fans.

Tony's game, of course, is that dying style of the traditional touchline-hugging winger. Without great variety, he depends on strength and pace to get past his opponent in a straight dash down to the corner flag. It is entirely possible, then, that a game so based on physical attributes might suffer with a nagging injury. While he has been using his left leg of late, notably for the assist for Shinji Kagawa's first goal against Norwich, it's safe to say that's not why he's in the squad.

Our No. 7 is unconventional simply because he is almost the anti-thesis of the legendary George Best. Without being too disrespectful, he has little natural skill for an elite player, and more of a bulldog-like determination to succeed. While we may be doing quite well in the league, the inconsistent form of our wingers means that we need the ever-consistent Valencia more than ever, especially with some big decisions coming up in the summer transfer window. Hopefully, he'll give us some cheer against his bunny Ashley Cole in the FA Cup Quarterfinal Replay, and beyond.

MUFC Team News for Reading: Nani and Jones will not feature

SilentRed — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:50:39 -0000

After hints to the contrary, Sir Alex Ferguson was true to form, disclosing that neither Phil Jones's ankle nor Luis Nani's hamstring were feeling up to facing Reading at Old Trafford on Saturday.

There were hints that Nani's hamstring injury that forced him off against Chelsea last week was not a serious one. However, it looks like things got worse for the unlucky winger, although it still fell under 'slight' for Sir Alex:

"We will keep him out for a couple of weeks. We thought it could have been another bad hamstring injury. It is a slight one. He won't be ready for Sunderland but certainly the game after that."

That game, of course, comes on the 1st of April - the replay of the FA Cup Quaterfinal at Stamford Bridge. Still, thanks to the international break, the tricky winger misses only two premier league games.

The only other player mentioned was Phil Jones. He, however, looks likely to feature at some stage against the Black Cats next week:

"Jones should start training next week. He is coming on."

Initially forced off against the Royals (again, in the FA Cup at home) Jones has since missed a number of games. The combative youngster has struggled with injuries this season, so given his style of play (read: Zest/Craziness/Passion) it seems a good idea to ease him back, particularly given the immense recent form of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Johnny Evans. This is in obvious contrast to Nani's case - he has consistently looked the most lively of our wing-men, while Antonio Valencia has struggled - and his ability to provide width and trickery may be missed against teams that set their stall out to defend deep.

Conspicuous by his absence, however, was Paul Scholes. The veteran had been missing for the past month or two due to a knee injury suffered in training, so this is welcome news. One feels that an extended time out may have dampened his enthusiasm to continue next season. As it stands, his ability to close games out will be vital in the run-in.

All things considered, these should not really inconvenience us against our relegation-threatened opponents. The squad is deep enough to deal with these injuries, and hey - it's (yet) another opportunity to see if Valencia can play himself into form!

FA Cup QF Replay Scheduled for 1st April

SilentRed — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:34:54 -0000

The replay for the QuarterFinal clash between Manchester United and Chelsea will take place at Stamford bridge on 1st April (Easter Monday). This is just two days after the Reds visit the Stadium of Light (one of the coolest sounding venues ever) for a usually combative clash with Martin O'Neill's Sunderland.

Chelsea will also play Southampton, also away and on the same day. In fact, the two matches are scheduled to kick-off simultaneously, so neither side can really complain.

I don't think there should be any great concern - the two games come off the back of the international break, and the next league game is another London visit to West Ham United on 17th April. If we get through to the Semi Finals, however, we'll have a Wembley Date on 13th/14th April with the previously noisy but now quite calm neighbours, Manchester City.

On the balance of things, it looks like we might be better off in this tie. Stamford Bridge has not been friendly to Rafa Benitez's Chelsea, and they astoundingly have a better record away than at home this season. Further, our squad depth is excellent, probably the best in the league, while Chelsea are not as comfortable. Another cause for concern for our friends over at WAGNH is that Chelsea lead Arsenal by a mere 5 points, with 10 games and a head-to-head 6 pointer to go. Rafa Benitez cannot afford to slip up against the relegation battling Saints, who have already scalped Manchester City at home.

Source: ManUtd.com

Don't Panic* - Why the Chelsea game was not so bad after all

SilentRed — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:38:14 -0000

*Happy B'day Douglas Adams!

Let's look at some of the reasons thrown up to describe the midweek loss, and what a re-watching of the game threw up. But before that, let us accept - the team, as a whole, had a disappointing game. There is not running away from that. With the exception of David De Gea, Rio Ferdinand and one other player lauded below, we were quite average.

The popular perception goes thus: Ramires and Mikel's introduction overran our midfield. Michael Carrick is average, and cannot deal with pressure. We gifted Chelsea the game.

United did not lose the ball in midfield an abnormal number of times - where abnormal is Barcelona@Wembley, or Bilbao@Old Trafford. Indeed, we broadly lost the ball in three ways:

Bad clearances from exhausted fullbacks Rafael Da Silva and Patrice Evra
Some shockers from Tom Cleverly and Antonio Valencia
Passes played into our forwards which were cut out or went awry

Taken individually, the first and third points are symptomatic of a bad day, a day when things don't quite click. It was the second primarily that almost cost the game for us.

Tony may not be coming back to form anytime soon

Tony initially looked solid against Ashley Cole, however his is a vital role as an outlet when we are under pressure. This was most evident in the games against Manchester City at the Ethiad, and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, when we lined up in a counterattacking 4-4-1-1. On Sunday, Tony had his head down. He dribbled himself into trouble. He received the ball square more often than not, and moved away from goal. His lack of vision was the killer though - when shown inside by Cole, and under pressure from Cole's wingman (Oscar and at times Hazard), his right-foot dribbles into the midfield were just interceptions waiting to happen. Sadly, there's one instance where Luiz uses this against Tony on the half-way line to snuff out a counterattack.

Chelsea were quite excellent after their changes

It is important to realize that part of the result is that Chelsea were really, really good. That part of the equation is somewhat unfairly ignored. To say we gifted Chelsea the game is true only because we failed to protect a two-goal lead. As far as performances go, Chelsea had some standouts in Juan Mata, David Luiz, Ramires, John-Obi Mikel and Eden Hazard.

Michael Carrick had a blinder

To blame Michael Carrick for what happened is equally unfair. A number of fans were asking for the more direct and powerful Anderson to combat the pressing - what was amazing was that Carrick indeed had a number of dribbles and quick one-twos to beat his man. He was the only player who actually wanted the ball (looking at you, Tom Cleverly) and one would be hard pressed to pick out something he could have done better. He did, however, tire towards the end - this was best shown by a lazy backpass that Evra scrambled to, but he realized this and conciously played more conservatively. What happened, however, was that Carrick had no outlets.

This brings us to another player who had a shocker - Cleverly.

Who are you, and what did you do with Tom Cleverly?

It was puzzling just how unlike Tom this performance was - he seemed tired, dull and static. He probably had more square and back passes than forward ones, and when pressed hurried into making passes that put his teammates into a spot of bother. This was fairly evident on the left flank, when Evra and Rooney were both getting into positions, but Tom hurried on the pass only to get the eyes from Roon-dog. Worse, he moved away from the ball, not being available for Carrick and generally positioning himself quite shockingly. There is a play in the 70th minute where he just stand there and asks Carrick to play the ball into space - Carrick however sees Ramires rushing at Tom, and declines the pass. This was an appalling performance - Tom's engine, vision and positioning were all off. This is also encouraging - he'll hopefully never have a game like this again. Which in turn brings us to our forwards.

Kagawa - not bad, but not good either

With Tom and Tony having shockers, the onus was on our forwards in Shinji Kagawa, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez to provide Carrick with outlets. Of the three, two were game - Kagawa frequently dropped in to provide cover and relieve pressure on Carrick (interesting that this saw Cleverly hare off to the left flank to provide 'width' - he would have been better served staying in midfield since we couldn't get the ball to the forwards anyway) and Hernandez made inward runs to get the ball played into him. However, Shinji had mixed success - by no means did he have a bad game, but he was average and did not seize the moment as he could have. Hernandez was anonymous for the most part until his substitution, but that is unfair on the Little Pea. He was just out-muscled in the air by David Luiz who had a great game stepping up and nicking the ball from our outlets. It makes the decision to bring on Robin Van Persie a no-brainer - we badly needed hold up play, and Luiz was considerably wary of the Dutchman's talent at rolling off defenders.

Wayne Rooney, where art thou?

Ah, Wayne Rooney. As Gene has pointed out, it's not been the best of weeks for Wayne. However, one hoped that the fortuitous goal was the start of the turnaround - not to be. He went missing in the second half - defensively he was between poor and average, while offensively he never dropped to recieve the ball. It is astounding that while Kagawa dropped from the wings to help, Rooney literally did not come out of his 'hole'. It explains the decision to move Kagawa (and later, Danny Welbeck) into the hole when RvP came on - clearly Rooney wasn't doing his job. That said, he was not to blame for either goal, and made fair attempts to defend and maintain shape on both. It was quite disappointing though as quite a few expected him to rise to the proverbial challenge thrown down by the Gaffer. In short, he didn't.

Why this must make you feel better

So in summary, our midfield wasn't overrun, although Tom had a bad game. It is testament to Carrick's form and class that he more than held his own against a trio of hard pressers in Ramires, Mikel and Oscar. However, he had no outlets, and had to make ambitious passes which the excellent Luiz mopped up. At times, it looked like Carrick on his own against 3 very very good performing Chelsea players. In fact, the game was fairly balanced for a large part - the period between the first goal and the second was the only part when Chelsea were truly dominant. If either one of Tony, Tom or Rooney had had an average game, we'd likely be looking forward to the semi-final against Manchester City while gently admonishing the team. As it stands, we travel to Stamford Bridge for the return leg - however, we can rest assured that these set of circumstances will not likely repeat.

Manchester United Team News for The FA Cup Quaterfinals: Jones has not recovered but United will, promises Fergie

SilentRed — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:44:20 -0000

In his weekly press conference and before the FA Cup Quater Final tie against Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Phil Jones will miss the game recovering from his ankle injury against Reading. Jones will be out for another week, likely making his comeback against the same team in the league, while Ryan Giggs will be rested.

"Giggs won't play because he was the best player on the pitch on Tuesday. He's done his bit for us this week. Now we'll rest him and prepare him for next week."

It's safe to say there are no arguments there. It's unlikely that Giggs was going to play in two knockout games in a row, and this was likely planned in advance. Such was Giggsy's age-defying performance that prepping him for the Real Madrid game was probably documented as a case study for sports science.

Earlier, the Gaffer was off to a flyer, laying into the press for the Wayne Rooney exit rumors. Rooney was benched for the ultra-important home tie against Madrid, leading to some speculation that he might be offloaded this summer.

"The Wayne Rooney issue first? Or do you want to talk sense?"

Sir Alex continued, explaining that all was well between him and his ~~hot-blooded~~ tepid-to-warm-blooded striker.

"He understood the reasons for not playing him and that was completely tactical. And I think I was right. We don't always get it right but I think we did get it right"

What was most interesting, however, was what followed:

"Danny Welbeck is the best player we have in terms of operating in a double role. We had to choke Xabi Alonso's ability to control the game, which Danny did."

Rooney was probably the best in the world at playing a combative, box-to-box type of #10 role a couple of seasons back. However, the management clearly sees Rooney now as an out-and-out striker, something this community has alluded to given his decreasingly effective defensive performances since that fateful night in Wembley in 2011. It is entirely possible that Rooney may well be deployed as a second striker when paired with Chicarito or Robin Van Persie - however what this tells us is that he will not be expected to make those lung-bursting efforts to close down oppositions. Still, this is interesting news as it confirms many fans' fears that Rooney and RvP may be stepping on each other toes a little bit. How their talents will be managed is a fascinating developing story.

While confirming that Rooney will feature against Chelsea, the Gaffer also indicated that Shinji Kagawa may start, by remarking that his was the more surprising omission in the midweek game.

"I left out Shinji Kagawa who scored a hat-trick and nobody mentioned that. I thought I might get more criticism for that. "

In a ~~surprising~~ expected response to the midweek setback, Sir Alex was at his combative best, promising the fans a response against Chelsea, a team he remarked had an outstanding record in this competition in the recent past.

"It is my job to galvanise the troops, who were fantastic on Tuesday and so were the fans. We owe them a good performance on Sunday. One thing we don't do is give in. We'll get up off our backsides and make sure we're ready for Sunday. A big game's probably the best thing for us and a home tie as well."

It's clear that as is the United way, the Boss has taken the defeat in his stride and looking at the positives from it. He alluded to the squad depth too - something that may be vitally important as we contemplate going for the double.

Seeing Double

SilentRed — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:20:27 -0000

When Wayne Rooney unveiled a moment of class to create a goal out of nowhere and get Manchester United the 3 points at Craven Cottage in the beginning of February, parallels were drawn with that strike. Indeed, the (erstwhile?) talisman remarked that he hoped his goal had the same effect on the 2012/13 title race as the latter did on the 2008/09 one. There was talk of moments that define a season, of grinding out wins and of the mental toughness.

While a cynic might have rubbished those as PR nonsense, truth is that since then United have gone from strength to strength. The return of Nemanja Vidic in mid-December has coincided with a remarkable improvement in defensive health - after the remarkable Boxing Day game against Newcastle, United have fallen behind to goals just twice, against Southampton in a game that ultimately finished 2-1 in United's favour, and against ~~Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir~~ Spanish giants Real Madrid earlier this week. Since the game against Fulham, United have not just maintained but extended the lead at the top of the league by a further two points, navigating tricky fixtures against Everton and relegation threatened duo QPR and Reading. The treatment room has cleared up fairly solidly, with only Phil Jones and Paul Scholes currently unavailable1. The days of Marouane Fellaini terrorizing poor Michael Carrick seem long gone. United's goal difference in the league from February onwards stands at +10 - the team has not let in more than one goal for eleven games (when 11 v 11) in all competitions now. This is a far cry from the heart-stopping one-goal thrillers that were the staple of the season's beginning.

The other side, of course, is the incredible depth and breadth of attacking talent now available at the Gaffer's disposal. There were flashes earlier, of course, of our attackers - Shinji Kagawa was a lone light in the first couple of games, while Robin Van Persie was the player of the first half of the season, undoubtedly. Ashley Young and Luis Nani both flickered and faded with injury. Danny Welbeck was (and remains) at his mercurial best. Chicarito has been predictably excellent at scoring goals. Rooney, by all popular accounts suffering from some sort of mid-career crisis, has scored or assisted 20 goals this season - bettered only by Luis Suarez with 25 and Robin Van Persie with 27. The problem, however, was that dominant performances were too few and far between. Regular readers will recall the harrowing games against Liverpool, Tottenham, Reading and Southampton. There was something fundamentally flawed with the team, went the widely held view. This United team was below par, a mockery of the great sides gone by. They were riding on the (undeniable) class of their shiny new toy. The midfield was broken. The old ones were past it. The young ones didn't cut it.

It may be time for them to change the tune a wee bit. As pointed out on this site earlier, February has seen our most derided players rise against the narrative. Interestingly, the rise to form of a few key players in Nani, Kagawa, and Johnny Evans and to a lesser extent Antonio Valencia has been supplemented by consistency from the established names like Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Robin Van Persie2. What this means is that the squad is looking scarily close to full form and hurting from ~~grave injustice~~ an unfortunate decision. In all, something fans joked about earlier in the season looks quite likely - the double may well be on. A rudimentary, albeit slightly nervous 1-0 win against Norwich ended 4-0, with goals of such irresistible class from hat-trick hero Kagawa and Rooney. There was, suddenly, fantasy on the Old Trafford pitch again. If the attacking performances of early-season were born of need, this one was born of skill and expression. After a long while, too long, United went up a gear when they didn't need to. In each game since the turn of the year, United have had a different Man of the Match, frequently two. Wee bit? May be time to chuck the tune altogether.

United play Chelsea on Sunday at Old Trafford in those most glamorous of domestic trophies, the FA Cup. While our performances in the cup in recent years have not been noteworthy - indeed we almost forget the day the Ginger Prince came back against Manchester City last year - the noises coming from Carrington point to a serious push for the crown. When we played Chelsea earlier this season, there was palpable fear of what the Trio of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata might do to our frail defense. While each of them are delightful players, and complement each other well, a defense that has played Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid will be far more assured this time around. Among the fan base, there is no fear - just expectation. You can be sure that a squad managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, that master of motivation, will be raring to go on Sunday. Old Trafford bayed for blood on Tuesday - the return of hated rivals and a former Scouse manager will do little to soothe their anger. Wrongs are to be righted, and come Sunday we well may see catharsis on the pitch.

1Darren Fletcher is out for the rest of the season with a long-term condition.

2This author believes RvP's influence exists outside of goals, far more than in his years with Arsenal. Anyone expecting him to maintain that unbelievable record form earlier this season are expecting too much.

The Era of Ryan Giggs

SilentRed — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:25:03 -0000

There was a time, a few months back, when quite a few Manchester United fans were questioning Ryan Giggs. For some, it was a case of a relic, past his prime, piggybacking on the gaffer's relationship with him. For others, it was a case of sadness, to see what once was so good and grand reduced to a pittance. Either way, many wanted him to go. When Ryan Giggs came on for Shinji Kagawa in the 64th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu a fortnight back, the respectful applause that rang through the stadium must have put a lot of us in place, and lent a bit of perspective. In our frenetic desire to mould the next big team, we sometimes forget to celebrate greatness in our midst.

Not all United fans have seen Giggsy in his pomp - I for one know him only from grainy old videos. But as he nears his 1000th competitive appearance, it is important to look back not to say what he's entitled to, but to realize that his greatness lies in how he has tweaked and turned his game around.

When George Best expresses his fear that he'll be known as 'another Ryan Giggs', you know you're on to something. Giggs burst onto the scene in 91/92, only his second professional year, with 38 appearances in the league. His was an electrifying talent - skill on the ball, explosive pace and otherworldly balance. His confidence was no less astounding, and the goals became more and more outrageous. Imagine doing this to a defender, and this to a defense. To put it in short, Giggs dribbled like Messi before anyone knew what to call it. Yet, with two doubles and a treble, and having been part of two of the three greatest teams in the premier league era, the wheels seemed to be coming off for Ryan in the 02/03 season. With talks of a transfer looming, he went on, typically, to have one of his most prolific seasons, scoring 14 goals including a brace against the Old Lady at Old Trafford.

However Giggs' role was changing. The verve of youth had ebbed and in its stead had come an ice-cool temperament (which, to be fair, he always had) and an aura, in only his late twenties, of a granddad of the team. He became more functional, running tirelessly up and down the wing as always, but providing width more often than not, and complementing the rising talent of Cristiano Ronaldo - yeah, that guy. He still used his footballing intelligence to beat players, but around this time was when he saved his pace for a pinch, and thus was born "Turbo Mode", or Giggs turning on the afterburners. With Nani and Anderson coming into the first team setup in 07/08, Sir Alex moved Giggsy into a rotation for the first time since he took over from Lee Sharpe in late '91. The era, it seemed, was coming to a close. With the European triumph of '08 Giggsy broke Sir Bobby's European appearance record - he had broken the all-time appearance record only a fortnight earlier.

Our Gaffer, who knew a thing or two about longevity, had other plans. With a view of squeezing the best out of Giggs, he was moved into central midfield. Always having an eye for the spectacular pass, this allowed him, when paired with energetic runners like Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung, to play incisive balls forward for the terrific attack of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov. This pairing was a great success - United reached the finals of the Champions League, but a combination of poor finishing and erratic possession led to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of an ascendant Barcelona. Nevertheless, this was a role Giggs was used in increasingly in big games over the years, even in a two man midfield when Park, typically, would man the right wing to provide extra legs (or in his case, lungs). Famously, the run in of 2011 and the romantic title #19 saw Giggs become an increasingly effective presence from midfield.

With a number of stalwarts retiring and some moving on, Giggs started the 2011/12 season as someone very much on the way out. After the team’s shaky defensive start, owing to a lack of discipline in midfield, that culminated in *that* derby, and a run of injuries in midfield, Giggs was most frequently deployed in the same role as the previous season. However, the results were far from passable – he looked off form with passes going astray, and he was selling his partner (usually Carrick) down the river quite often. With Paul Scholes’ surprise return, Giggs was finally freed of what was a fan’s hell. The rest of the season saw him deployed as a winger against lesser opponents, but it is fair to say that the only highlight of his season was this winner in his 900^th appearance for United. This season, the trend continued – most of us groaned every time Giggsy’s name showed up on the team sheet. His performances were laboured, lacked quality and generally looked like an old man’s. However, as the season has progressed, we’ve seen resurgence in form and impact. Not even his harshest critic can deny that.

This is not a fluke – one of Ryan’s greatest attributes has been his consistency in a tricky position (just ask Nani). His lack of ‘form’, one can safely assume, was also due to being deployed in a role he couldn’t play anymore. The turnaround has been accompanied by a subtle shift in our team tactics. One, he has started fewer games and has definitely seen better impact as a substitute – this points to, sadly, age creeping up quicker than in years gone by, but also to an acceptance by the Gaffer that he can still be an impact sub. Second, and more importantly, there is an understanding that Giggs can’t defend. While that may sound harsh, it is the truth in an increasingly physical game. He can still pull off the patented slide-tackle-collection-dribble routine, but he’s just not in the right places any more. So when he comes on, our attackers take it among themselves to track back more. This leads us to the third point – Ryan is actually playing higher up the pitch than in previous CM outings. When he comes on as either a winger or a midfielder, he is tasked with making play happen, being a creative outlet and providing vertical thrust. The Everton game was a case in point – Giggs was the most advanced United player in the final 20 minutes or so, and he sure wasn’t trying to beat the offside trap.

Understanding his role in the team now is crucial to understanding his performance. We shall still see him give away possession a few times, but in less dangerous areas than last season. We will also see him in the box and whereabouts, with a freedom that was not afforded in that position before. What is most joyous though is that we shall see him provide those small touches of brilliance that Best alluded to so many years ago. The responsibility having been lifted from his shoulders, this roaming role suits the Welshman. Once again, the Gaffer and Giggsy have conspired to cheat Father Time of his prize, if only for another 3 months or 15. The man caressed by genius is showing us one last trick - enjoy it while it lasts.

Statistics that hint at the nature of the Derby

SilentRed — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:18:21 -0000

I went over to Whoscored.com and saw some interesting stats that might point at City's playing style this season, our own, and how the Derby might probably pan out. Mind this may be redundant for those of you familiar with both teams this season. If you're like me, however, and ignorant to the sky blues' game of late, this should be fun.

Note that all stats are restricted to United Away and CIty Home.

Data

Defense

Shots conceded per game

City: 9.5 (Lowest in league) (Up from 8.8 last year)

United: 12.1 (Down from 13.9 last year)

Fouls conceded per game

City: 12.1 (Up from 10.4 last year)

United: 9.4 (League lowest) (Down from 9.9 last year)

Tackles

City: 19.9 (Up from 17.8 last year)

Interceptions

City: 14.1 (Down from 17 last year)

Attack

Goals scored (OP, CA, SP, P, OG)

City: 9 1 6 3 0 (Scored a total of 10 from SP last year)

United: 10 0 4 2 2

Through Balls Per Game

City: 6 (Down from 9 last year)

Utd: 2

Crosses attempted per game

City: 24

United: 26 (Up from 22 last year)

Attacking Zones (R M L)

City: 36% 27% 37% (Marginally (3%) more through the center than last year, at the expense of the right)

United: 31% 30% 38%

Note: City take more shots inside 18 yard box than any other team. 65% * 18.5 shots per game = approximately 12 shots on goal from inside the 18 yard box

Inferences

On the attacking side of things, the biggest changes are undoubtedly City's sudden surge in number of goals from set pieces, and drop in number of through balls per game. This, coupled with the small shift in attack away from the right, seems to suggest that for all practical purposes, the 'playmaker' on the right has been in poor form. In any case, the attack isn't quite firing for the Citizens at the moment, and they've had to rely on set pieces to compensate. Of course, this bodes ill for United, who have been conceding left, right and center from set pieces.

A surprising stat from the United side has been an increase in number of crosses attempted - one would think that since our wingers are in woeful form (Even TonyVal has been so-so) we'd be funelling through the center more. However, it seems that we're stuck in our habits, and our wing play has deteriorated in quality but increased in quantity. This is worrying, especially since a bad cross could lead to a counter attack, which we are woeful at defending.

On the defensive side, surprises galore. United have, against our intuition, not deteriorated much as compared to their form last year. Considering that those stats include the 1-0ers in the aftermath of the derby drubbing, we could go as far as to as we have improved our defensive performance from when we let a poor David De Gea get peppered with shots. Hope persists, as with a better Evra and a more mature Rafael/Smalling, our major worry has been set pieces. That should be comparatively easy to iron out.

Probably the story of the data is the marked decline in City's (still impressive) defensive form. Allowing an average of a shot more this season than last, the Ethiad as a fortress may be breached more likely this season than last. A worrying statistic for Mancini is the shift from a proactive (and safer) defense to one that seems likelier to sit back and tackle reactively - there is an opposite trend between tackles and interceptions per game. While this in itself may not be conclusive, the associated increase in fouls conceded definitely points to a less set, more shaky set-up at the back for City.

Note that all stats are restricted to United Away and CIty Home.

Data

Defense

Shots conceded per game

City: 9.5 (Lowest in league) (Up from 8.8 last year)

United: 12.1 (Down from 13.9 last year)

Fouls conceded per game

City: 12.1 (Up from 10.4 last year)

United: 9.4 (League lowest) (Down from 9.9 last year)

Tackles

City: 19.9 (Up from 17.8 last year)

Interceptions

City: 14.1 (Down from 17 last year)

Attack

Goals scored (OP, CA, SP, P, OG)

City: 9 1 6 3 0 (Scored a total of 10 from SP last year)

United: 10 0 4 2 2

Through Balls Per Game

City: 6 (Down from 9 last year)

Utd: 2

Crosses attempted per game

City: 24

United: 26 (Up from 22 last year)

Attacking Zones (R M L)

City: 36% 27% 37% (Marginally (3%) more through the center than last year, at the expense of the right)

United: 31% 30% 38%

Note: City take more shots inside 18 yard box than any other team. 65% * 18.5 shots per game = approximately 12 shots on goal from inside the 18 yard box

Inferences

You can't be serious!?!

SilentRed — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:05:44 -0000

You can't be serious!?!

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: United come from behind to win | Zonal Marking

SilentRed — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:56:32 -0000

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: United come from behind to win | Zonal Marking

The analysis by Micheal Cox doesn't really address most of our concerns in the live thread and post-match, but it does make a distinction between Kagawa and Rooney, which should give us a hint of how each will be used in the hole.

Also, clearly points out the frustrating long balls were a tactic, not us clearing our lines. However, their inaccuracy was because we didn't have people to dribble out and play better balls.

Enjoy!