Still Following the Trawler

...or '10 reasons why our season is back on track' . 1. Fluency and understanding . Two words that have been massively absent in United's style of play this season. Yet two words that defined our performance on Saturday (along with 'shit load of goals', of course). I don't think I'm alone in feeling rather surprised at how we've managed to find ourselves in our current league position, as all 14 games prior to Blackburn's embarrassing visit had displayed one of two things: we have a lot of work to do if we are to retain this title; or we are simply content with our 'Champions League place' form that has seen our unimpressive record so far read: won seven, drawn seven. But if Saturday was a turning of a new leaf; a game to show that we are really ready to kick start our season, then as some journalists put it yesterday, United may run away with it. 2. Unbeaten . Every week I'm making this point and every week its addition is sweeter and ...

Here's my second post for the Telegraph . Similar to the one I wrote about sh*tty Inter the other day , here is another timeline, of the Scottish referee scandle: Scottish Referees' Strike Timeline - by Pos Lambrianides

Mark Ogden,  the Daily Telegraph "Wayne Rooney resisted the temptation to kiss the Manchester United badge after converting an 86th minute penalty to secure victory against Rangers, but relief was clearly bursting out of the 25-year-old as he sprinted towards the supporters who no longer chant his name. "...Actions, rather than words, are what will repair the bridges broken by Rooney’s stand-off with his employers, but his Ibrox penalty may ultimately prove to be the foundation stone in his new relationship with the club and its supporters." Ian Ladyman, the Daily Mail "It may only have been a penalty in a game United didn't have to win but the bear hug and the kiss on the cheek he received from the supporter who reached him first by the corner flag suggested forgiveness is nigh for a player who almost left a little over a month ago. "In yet another TV interview ahead of last night's game, Rooney conceded that it may take a while before every United fan...

Good. General thoughts… Th ought we played a lot better than we did on the weekend against a similarly tepid side (no offence to either Wigan or Rangers – as I’m not entirely sure which team this would offend – but I reckon they’re fairly evenly matched opponents). The movement on and off the ball at times was pretty good, and although we provided very little in the form of finishing product, our 63% possession against a side reasonably strong in all areas of the field was impressive. Easy progression into the next phase as well, without ever really being tested, has been good. But in general, its worth remembering that we’re still finding our feat and easing crucial back to form and fitness So any victory, as unglamorous as the performance might be, is just splendid. Old look United. It was great to see Rooney and Berbatov together again, as well as Giggs and Scholes starting in the midfield. There was something a spot nostalgic and very reassuring about seeing all four of them i...

(I've just noticed how dramatic that headline sounds!! So immediate apologies for anyone expecting an epic essay about the fall of the European Champions!) I just wanted to redirect you to a little time-line piece I've written for the Telegraph about Inter's awful decline. Given my utter distain for their fact-friendly manager, I probably wasn't the best person to write the piece. But I soon realised that the newspaper world isn't quite the same as the blogger world. So needless to say its content is toned down a notch. Inter Milan manager Rafael Benítez on the brink - by Pos Lambrianides

United target, and long-term potential replacement for van der Sar, David de Gea  has denied rumours linking him to our club and reassured the fans that he'll remain with Atletico Madrid for as long as possible. "The fans can be assured that I am staying here. This club has given me everything. I am delighted and very happy at Atletico and I will stay here." This is the player who you'll remember was deemed so good by Sir Alex that he couldn't simply allow his scouts to report back to him with news of how good a goal-keeper he is. He had to go and check him out for himself, missing United's 5-2 Carling Cup victory over Scunthorpe in the process . Only the third game he's missed in the 24 years he's been a United manager. The gaffer will no doubt remain hopeful of getting his he'll get his man - especially with the looming prospect of our current 40 year old number 1 retiring - so I suppose watch this space. But for now, the Spanish 'keeper had...

Mark Ogden in The Telegraph discusses the title race so far. A couple of interesting, comprehensive reads on the Payment In Kind (PIK) loan and the Glazer's promise that the £220million loan will be payed off without nipping into United's own funds: The Telegraph , The Guardian Jim White's take on Rooney's return, and what he needs to do now to win over fans. RoM looks at the very modern debate of regional power-shift in the league. Who'll come out top? North or South?? 

The big news is the return to the first team lineup for Wazza . Ferguson’s said he’ll start Berbatov on the bench again , as he did against Wigan in the League on Saturday, with Hernandez likely to partner Rooney. Neither Ferdinand or Vidic will make the trip to Glasgow, with Fergie looking ahead to Blackburn at home on Saturday. So that paves the way for Smalling and Jonny Evans to take their place in the centre of our defence.

STORY: The Telegraph , 23rd November. The question mark at the end suggests it is all very much speculation – with Ferguson himself speaking out and saying its rubbish. But we’ve been here before with Berbatov. And you feel the worse his form gets (which lets face it, is currently at a shocking low), the more realistic these whispers become. The big problem, as the report states, are the resources we possess and therefore our genuine inability to let any of our strikers depart. We are still unsure of how Rooney will recover and bounce back from everything, and Owen’s form/fitness is even more unreliable, so that technically leaves us with Hernandez and Macheda. I don’t think the prospect of such a weak forward line will leave Ferguson with the reassurance he needs to regain the title somehow. So unless the rumours of Berbs leaving are coupled with those of us bringing in a worthy replacement, again it won’t be happening. But they never are. The story is about Juventus – and Bayern and...

Good. Best. Weekend. Ever! (part II).  I exclaimed rather excitedly, after the first week of November served up a juicy dose of awesomeness , that it was in footballing terms the best ever (Chelsea lost, Arsenal lost and we won thanks to Park's injury time winner, in case you've forgotten). But clearly, thanks to the falling standards of football that our once ultra competitive League is producing (harsh, but what else can explain it?) perhaps a weekend where our rivals drop points shouldn't be deemed so unrealistic. For Chelsea to lose two on the trot - or win 3 points from a possible 12...whatever gives you a bigger hard-on! - was once a thing of wonderment and impossibility. But now, maybe it's really not as big a surprise as we think. Maybe we just think 'shock' results are shocking because we accept them as such, based on expectations, and the quality levels of the past. ...But either way, WE'RE JOINT TOP!!! Rooney's return. I debated whether to pu...

I seemed to already analyse the Villa game in my previous post...well, I say analyse, more acknowledged the fat that we drew against Aston Villa at Villa Park last Saturday. But after much deliberation over a game that showed the best and worst of United – and with another weekend and another tricky encounter against one of the token bogey teams of the league (its Wigan tomorrow for those who didn’t realise) – what better way to look ahead than to reflect? So here are the top 10 things the Villa game highlighted (and why we need to address them before Wigan ’s visit): Poor show on the left. There was a lot of talk about the weakness of our attackers, but how often were either Park or his full-back Evra caught out? Young is a decent winger, but our cover on the left was awful. In summary: we miss Giggs and Valencia . Why am I nitpicking? The whole midfield was poor. Again the injuries on the wing don’t help, but we need to learn to control the game...

Well HELLOOOO my bloggy-woggy-followers! My oh my it HAS been a while. Classic token old chestnut of an excuse, but lits no computer has been at my disposal. But alas, I’ve still had my eager peepers planted firmly on the world that we are all so devotedly encapsulated by. So what has happened over the week, according to United? Well… On Wednesday 10th, we were scheduled to take on the mighty ones at wastelands. It didn’t happen. Weird, cos it was scheduled and everyone was there - waiting for something to happen. But it didn’t. Weird, again, because aren’t massive citeh supposed to have come into a bit of money recently? And haven't they done ever so well with it? Unlike a team who have never had money and don’t know what to do with it, they’ve heartily invested it into hundreds of millions of pounds worth of striking talent who’ve been banging the goals in all season…...oh. But just to f**k things up, Raf annihilated the twat from Argentina. So the shocking 0-0 no-show aside, th...

Match Review. Massive opponents. 7 home games. 7 goals. Tevez + Adebayor + Jo + Balotelli + Silva = £ 150 million worth of strikers. One Memorable Moment. ...Tevez, you got schooled BITCH!

I was all geared up to write a hearty old rambling, zero-structure piece. You know, in the 10,000 word theses that used to define every single one of my blog posts (from random news articles to even the most insignificant draws), and thus allowing the lazy 'Good' and 'Bad' format that I have adopted this season. But, ironically (actually I dunno if this is the right use of that ridiculously overused/misunderstood word), this weekend was entirely the epitome of a Good and Bad weekend for United. Good. Invincibles! The first time we've gone the first 11 games without losing in 472 seasons. Harah! Never, ever say die. On the exact day of his 24th Anniversary as United boss, what better way to mark victory than by displaying the unique, proud spirit that has been an integral part to every one of Sir Alex's sides? Park's 94th minute winner - a brilliantly architected dribble fromm the right flank that beat four Wolves defenders and was finished with his w...

As above... Best Weekend EVER!! Less shit reaction from the weekend and, more specifically, the Wolves game, coming soon. But for now, it's time to face the music!!! (i.e. X-Factor*). So a big thank you to Andy Carroll, Liverpool's new signing Fernando Torres, settling well to life in the Premier League, and our very own Park Ji-Sung/Park Ji-Sung for making me actually look forward to bopping into work tomorrow and parading my entitled sense of arrogance. Thank you all. It's been a blast. * Vote Wagner!!

Rochdale 2 - 3 FC United of Manchester. Unbelieeeevable scenes last night as FC United - of the Northern Premier League Premier Division - beat Rochdale - League One - in the FA cup First Round ; with Michael Norton scoring an Ole-esque winner in the fourth minute of injury time! Just a quick one this to say a HUGE congratulations to the FC United boys, who are showing everyone, the world over, how to run a club. All the hard-work, determination and dedication to do what they have done in-light of the Glazer takeover in 2005 has come to this. Their passion and love of football has prevailed and we hope for more success in the future. And who knows...Manchester United vs FC United in the 3rd Round??

A few decent Match Previews ahead of our game at home to Wolves tomorrow afternoon: Football Fanhouse Daily Mail Sporting Preview The Manchester Evening News look at Fergie the record breaker. An interesting story here by the Stretty Ender... Some good questions asked, and answered, by  the Telegraph after revelations that Rooney's heading to Nike's complex in America to treat his ankle .

So that's it, he's out of the derby on November 10th . Ermm...not too sure where else to go from here...? I guess I'll just reminisce with you guys about Rooney's last great contribution against City. Not when we beat them 4-3 at home with a last minute goal by Owen, provided by a defence splitting through-ball by Giggs; and NOT when Scholesy headed home the winner in the final 17 seconds at Eastlands (WOW just remembered how good those games against em last season!). But in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Old Trafford. What a night... VIEW: United vs city. 3-1

United have sent Wazza to the US to recover from the ankle injury that has kept him out for the majority of the season. He's gonna seek the wise and worldly medical advice of Nike's centre in Oregon. A bit weird I reckon, seeing as Carrington's apparently a bit good at this sort of thing. But at least this way he'll be out of the limelight and away from the unholy temptations surrounding him in Manchester as he embarks upon a secret destination in a small, subtle and unknown country where the word 'temptation' is unheard of. Oh wait...

Fergie said had an ankle injury. He said he didn't have an ankle injury. The Sun said he was going to leave. The Mirror said he was going to leave. The NotW said he was going to leave. Even Fergie said he was going to leave. And, unlike his denial of the injury, he  said he was going to leave. So after the consequent strop, powerful proclamations about United's ambitions...and the little matter of a renewed double-your-money contract...the case closed after he committed himself to the club for a further three years. But is that really the end of the matter? Has it all simply been a ploy to bulk up his value and let him go to the highest bidders in the Summer? And now, thanks to his prolonged state of injury (ya know, the one he said never existed?), does that mean that he'll never play for United again? Thoughts below please...

Van der Sar 6 .   Little to do other than save Evra's arse in the first half after he gave the ball away and piled the pressure on Edwin, who - as you would expect - kept his ground and saved well. Rafael 6 . Did well to keep his place after a fairly average display against Spurs at the weekend. Still, I suppose if he was able to contain the quite good Bale at the weekend (something that his countryman and the world’s best right-back, Maicon, clearly couldn’t do), then why not play him against a strike force that had scored a mighty zero goals in three Champions League games this season? Smalling 7 . After 5 starts already this season, I struggle to find a negative aspect of his game. Solid at the back and confident coming out of defence…sounds a bit like Rio. Vidic 6 . Rock solid as usual. The perfect mentor for Mr. Smalling. He's been involved in three of our four Champions League games this season, and with no goals conceded so far in the competition, it's no su...

This is my response to Brian Woolnough's rather shocking, sloppy and completely unnecessary personal attack on Nani (one of the player's of the season) after he had...the cheek to score a goal... Re: What on EARTH have I just read!!? Was your article in yesterday's Daily Star a joke? Or have you simply been mistakenly divulging yourself into the videos of Nani over the last few seasons instead of any footage from Saturday vs. Spurs? Seriously, I kept having to check the date on the top of the paper...whether it was really written in 2010. Nani is by FAR our United's most pivotal - let alone our most improved - player this season. Everything goes through him. And as for his work rate? Whereas some inevitable Ronaldo comparisons are made relating to skill and shooting ability, the effort that Nani puts into every performance is something he possesses over the great (but often lazy) Ronaldo. Nani is the epitome of the talented, yet sometimes petulant, boy who has ...