Still Following the Trawler

Reports today in the national press have suggestion Antonio Valencia, who picked up an injury in the Manchester City game at Old Trafford 18 days ago, will be out for around five months as a result of an operation he has had on his injured foot. Now, whether I have just been completely oblivious to the extent of the injury or the club have massively held back reports of it's seriousness, the amount of time he is now being forced to sit out has come as a HUGE surprise to me! Regarding the impact to the side however, thankfully Matteo Darmian will be back in contention for the Watford game next Saturday following his one game ban that kept him out of the West Brom win, while Ashley Young (not a natural right-back by any means) has filled in well during the absence of both Darmian and Valencia. Still, a big loss and of course I wish him all the best in his recovery. The United winger/right-back has given this reassuring message to the fans on his Twitter page: Thank God came out well...

Uneventful, mistake-ridden, awful in the final third and can’t finish to save our lives. Just another game in United’s below-par season! Good . Top of the group . Ludicrously harsh opening statement there, of course. We got the job done with the point we needed and cleared the group with an impressive 14 points, and that’s all that matters. So what does that mean? No Barca, Real or Bayern in the next round. However let’s not forget that the likes of Lyon, AC and holders Inter are hardly going to give us an easy ride. Anderson . He was influential as he was against Blackburn, and nowhere near as wasteful or lazy as he was against West Ham. The sporadic nature of his form proves that he is still a way off full fitness. He played nearly the entire game yesterday (subbed for Fletcher late on) but after 60 minutes was panting as wildly as Benitez after climbing the seven stairs to the Old Trafford dugout. Either way, he played brilliantly yesterday; pinging the ball in the fashion of his me...

After a long and tortuously dull game at the Mestalla that saw little chances created by either side, far less by the away team, it was left to young Hernandez and (even younger Macheda) to come on and win us the game. Chicharito’s second meaningful contribution of the game, after hitting the post soon after coming on in the 77 th  minute, was to latch onto Kiko’s clever pass, cut inside the Valencia defence and bury it into the far corner. What a goal, but also, what a brilliant, innovative piece of management by Fergie. All the pressing issues regarding team selection occurred before the game. No Giggs, Scholes and, most notably, Rooney. How were United to cope while three of our most influential players were still back in Manchester ? Against the team top of La Liga? Even before the potentially desperate, final-roll-of-the-dice decisions were made to replace Anderson and Berbatov with Hernandez and Macheda respectively, SAF showed his typical blend of bravery and intelligence; s...

A great loss at such an early stage of the season. Here's hoping for a swift and full recovery. Get well soon Tony!

Opening Champions League night against Rangers. From the moment the anthem plays, feelings of excitement and expectation overpowers Old Trafford. And the team selection confirms those emotions, as Ferguson  bravely drops all but one of our Goodison Park flop... a controversial yet in no way detrimental move . Rooney’s back, but is almost inevitably overpowered by the occasion. Chances come and go, with positive passages of attacking play and long periods of possession dominating our game. But there is zero end product. 0-0 is how it ended. Resilient Rangers prevail and a point for both teams in the first game in Group C is fair and just. But unfortunately the night was anything but fair and just. Unfortunately, the sound of the Champions League anthem and the presence of Wayne Rooney back on the field – as well as European debutants Smalling and Hernandez – could not disguise the true tragedy of the night. For the result pales into insignificance after the game’s – potentially our...

The best thing about being pessimistic in football, or realistic as I would obviously call it, is that if you’re right, then you’re right; but if you’re wrong, then, well, you’re right! Last night United casually saw off Wigan in a brilliantly convincing manner, knocking 3 past Kirkland in the first-half and 2 past Pollitt in the second, as we performed with the nostalgic excellence of old. From the start, the passing, movement, ambition and finishing was superb; a rare and dangerously fading sight from the majority of United’s performances this season.  I have previously lambasted nearly every United display - regardless of whether we leave the match with 3 points or not, as was the case with the last match against Hull - as sloppy and generally, for the overall talent and potential still well and truly inert in our team, well below par...so when we DO play with a modicum of perfection, I am all open to 'I told you so'-style criticism, as above all, I f**king love my tea...

It’s not even 1pm and I’m just about to head off to Old Trafford for tonight’s game against Wigan …ahh the joys of being a London red. But before I set of for the marvellous 5 hour journey through the snowy midlands, I thought I’d try and highlight a few pointers of how we can, and inevitably should, improve from the Hull game a couple of days ago. Midfield pairing. Ferguson opted for Fletcher and Carrick on Sunday, which was obviously refreshing after seeing those two stuck annoyingly in defence for the 4 games previous (including away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League); however with Anderson presumably fully fit, why was he overlooked as a partner to Fletcher? Carrick’s main strength is his passing, of which is generally impeccable, however I feel Fletcher can also adequately pass the ball, thus allowing Anderson’s pace and resolute, mildly aggressive spirit – traits not entirely shared by Carrick – to develop and strengthen us in the centre. Berbatov. The problem with Berbatov i...