Still Following the Trawler

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...

With March’s anticlimactic encounter still fairly fresh in the memory, and bearing the Scouser’s continued levels of shitness in mind – continuing where it left off from last season, only to add the worsening ability of their one truly world class player to their sorry state – I thought we would undoubtedly win it. 5 points in 4 games read the Liverpool form guide going into the game; however my apparent confidence (some call it arrogance?) so nearly neglected our own apparent lack of quality. We had an absolute shitter against Rangers in the Champions League earlier in the week, and more importantly, our last league game, against Liverpool ’s bezzie mates down the road, was 100 times worse; producing one of the biggest shocks I have ever experienced from a United display in reason years. So although 5 in 4 reads worse than our 8 points in 4, those empty stats said very little about our current lack of confidence and depressing inability to hold on to a lead. Still, we started brigh...

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...

United’s goal of the season – scored by Valencia and created by Gibson, Scholes and the genius of Berbatov – rounded off a more than comfortable evening at Old Trafford last night, as United ran away with a 3-0 victory that made us level on points (if only for 24 hours) and nicely pumped up our goal-difference. Wolves looked determined in the first half, even though they  were playing their reserves; as McCarthy made 10 changes to the side that beat Tottenham a few days ago. Y et, once Rooney converted his penalty after Zubar   pointlessly handballed from Gibo’s corner and Vidic scored one of his trademark yet, nowadays, rather rare header (his first goal of the season), you knew there would be no coming back for enthusiastic Wolves. Whatever McCarthy’s point was in his team selection, it failed miserably. His side were effectively battered by half-time, even though the Champions gave yet another  lacklustre performance, and the travelling fans – who chanted ‘we want ou...

News emerged yesterday in The Times suggesting that Ferguson will not spend money in January on another striker; choosing instead to place his faith in the goalscoring of Berbatov to complement Rooney’s. The article was quick to pounce on Ferguson’s rationale; highlighting ignorant yet pivitol stats about Dimitar’s goalscoring: ‘18 goals in 58 games and just five in his past 28 matches for the club.’ They also contradicted their statement by highlighting United’s interest in Ajax’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, again throwing those unavoidable goalscoring stats in an attempt to whet our apetites – 70 goals in 104 appearances – alongside a suggested, cool £45million price tag. It made for interesting and very thoughtful reading, and although I hate to say it, you have to agree that a new striker in the upcoming transfer window, especially a 22-year-old with such an impressive scoring rate, appears to be nothing less than a necesity for our often goalshy side. It is not however a matte...