The first real test......bring on Chelsea!

With United ( aside from the opening day 2-1 ) walking past opposition with style and flair these past few games its safe to say that this weekends visit of Chelsea will be the first real test of the season for Ferguson's new army.

But first up is tomorrow's match in the Champions League against Benfica. Will be interesting to see how Fergie lines up the team as in the past he has chosen to play one striker up front on his own, especially in away fixtures. But with the way the team is playing right now in a free flowing attacking system it would be hard to imagine he would want to change that, epecially against a team like Benfica who should not give us too much problem.

Rooney's form to start the season is something that simply can not be ignored, 8 goals in 4 league and not just the goals but his overall play has been sublime. If he can keep this going on a fairly consitant basis, and his partnership with Chicharito continues to grow.......well....we can only dream!

For all my fellow Reds in the Toronto area make sure you get yourself down to Main Event tomorrow at 2:45pm as well on Sunday for the big Chelsea clash ( get there early the place fills up fast ) at 11am, if your not in the Toronto area check out www.muscc.net to find a pub in your area.

Keep the red flag flying high......

Keep the red flag flying high...

On a weekend that started with the excitement and anticipation of the Champions League final ended tonight with tears and my heart filled with pride for a team I can only love no matter what. Tear?! I'm sure your all thinking that seems a bit on...shouldn't the tears been on Saturday with the loss of the final? The simple answer no! We were beaten by the better team on the day, Barcelona were brilliant! We had our moments and the goal by Rooney was pure class, but over 90 minutes its safe to say we were soundly beaten. And although I was gutted on the day, it was Sunday evening that brought the tears. Having nothing to do I decided to watch BBC's movie United. And over the course of the 1 hour 35 min movie most were spend in tears, some smiles, but mostly tears. Seeing the Munich air disaster and it's effects in a cinematic way really hit me, like the first time I walked down Munich tunnel at Old Trafford, but this time in a much more real way. It made the loss of the Champions League final very insignificant, in the big picture, and also reminded me that this club will never say die! Our club and our badge are more than just a football club, more than hobby, more that something we watch on the weekends. It is something that, as a true Manchester United supporter, you feel with every fibre of your being, every kick of the ball, every near chance, every missed opportunity, and every time the ball hits the back of the net. It is part of who we are.

Keep the red flag flying high.......cause Man United never die!!!

Never Say Die!!

The past few weeks have been full of surprises for Manchester United and it's supporters! Starting with tongue and cheek chants of " We're shit, and we're top of the league" and a 0-0 draw at Spurs to a 5-0 demolition of Birmingham and on to today's heroic comeback against Blackpool.

Being 2-0 down to the Seasiders away from home with 20 minutes on the clock you could forgive the neutral for rubbing their hands with glee, fully believing United had dropped all 3 points with their game in hand. But as an United supporters knows....you never leave until the final whistle is blown as our beloved reds are always up for a fight! A Berbatov brace and Chicharito's great run behind the defense and finish we rallied to take all 3 points in a very important game in hand, putting us firmly atop the table with a 5 point lead on the pretenders to our throne. On a sour note from what was an otherwise great day, Rafael suffered a head injury and went to hospital for scans, a concussion is what is believed to be the outcome, shame the boy is really coming along this season, hoping for a speedy recovery! Rooney did not have the best of matches, granted he was stuck out wide for most of the match, but even with that being said he just seems to be off his game still, perhaps lacking confidence.

This coming weekend we return to FA Cup football with a match against Southampton, I really hope we play a good side against them and get through to the next round with ease, this is a trophy I would like the boys to win this season and the 8 year drought is too long for United. Well until next time...Keep the red flag flying high, cause Man United Never Die!!!!

Cheers

What will the New Year bring....

Well the new year is upon us, and after a busy Christmas schedule United are top of the league with a game in hand ( 2 on City ). The season so far has had ups and downs of all kinds, but here we are going into the New Year on top and still undefeated! Our title rivals must be concerned as the team have, with out question, not hit top form this season, and when we do....we could easily pull ahead by some margin.
With the Rooney saga behind us and his form improving, Rio playing the longest stretch of games that I can recall in the past few years, Berba really hitting his stride, Valencia still to return ( althought ulikely this campaign ), a question worth asking is, who will we go for in January, and if not January in the summer, what is United's biggest need? For me it is an attacking/creative midfielder, with Scholes and Giggs soon to hang up their boots I don't think Anderson and Nani will fully fill them when they are gone. Who is a question that is harder to answer as Fergie rarely buys the finished product, he prefers to buy raw talent and shape it the United way....and based on the evidence you can't say he's wrong!
I have been absent from the blog simply due to a very hectic period that should be over now, so expect lots of posts ( and rants ) in the future! To all my fellow United fans ( a little late but better late than never ) Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a safe and Happy New Year! Until Next time....C'MON YOU REDS!!!!

Seasons change....

It's been a while since my last post, I've spent it contemplating the season so far and the season that lies ahead. United, for the most part, have had and indifferent start to the season. Still undefeated, with some luck, sitting in 3rd place behind City. We have seemed to have trouble closing out games and holding on to leads late in the game, both traits you would never have associated with United in previous seasons. And now with more finacial turmoil coming out in the press and Anti-Glazer pressure rising, and Rooney still seemingly unsettled and still having not signed his contract, where is this season heading? I don't believe in my heart of hearts there is anything to worry about with Rooney....he will find his form again ( perhaps not the form of last season, but at least the Rooney of previous season ) and I have a hard time seeing him leaving the club or playing for another club in England, but stranger things...right. Currently I see promise and frailty with United, and although my preferance is to see them play cavalier football and win every match, there is something exciting about the unpredictablity....and not just at United but with the league as a whole this season. So let's strap in for the return of the league this weekend against West Brom and watch our beloved Reds put on a show. As for the blog....going forward I should be back after the weekends events!

Cheers!

Keep the red flag flying high.....

Well after an indifferent few matches in the Premiership, a Champions League draw that on paper looked easy and our star man being on the front ( and back ) pages for all of the wrong reasons, the Champions League resumed with uninspiring results.

United huffed and puffed but simply could not blow down Rangers house. With possession, chances and pretty much everything else in our favor we could not get the all important win at home. Now I stress there is no need to panic but one does have to wonder just where this young season is headed. The real lose this evening was Valencia....not the 2 points. He is a reliable and fairly consistent performer and has proven to be a big part of out team, and will be sorely missed.

I feel as though we are currently experiencing a large case of "if's" at the moment, if Rooney can battle through his personal issues and re-find his form, if Rio can stay health and become a consistent member of the back four again, if Berbatov and Scholes can keep up this early season form, if Chicharito can continue to develop and impress, etc we have a real chance of competing on all fronts...but what if it all goes wrong? We can only watch with batted breath...so to finish this piece off where it began......cause Man United never die!!!!

Cheers

Slow starts...or early warning signs?

After a good start beating Chelsea in the Community Shield and easily taking all 3 points from Newcastle at home we headed to London in highs spirits. It's no secret that Craven Cottage has not been a happy hunting ground for us these past few seasons but surely that would not continue, with a managerial change and the lose of their number one, or could it? United came out of the box guns blazing, depite Rooney's absense due to stomach flu, Berba and Chicharito were up front and looked good early on. And although we had lots of possession, and took the game to Fulham, we didn't really threaten their goal in the way we should have given our domination. Even at 1-0 through a great strike from Scholes, we never looked certain or assured. Now I had seen this in United last season, when Rooney was not on the field at times we lookes...at a loss for real direction. Berbatov played fairly well and looke confident on the ball while Chicharito ( who some supporters, I believe, expect too much of too soon ) was a none factor, but he is still finding his feet and I am sure will come good. After Fulham tied the game again we took hold and pressured, forcing an own goal, but almost immediately gave up the lead with poor marking in the box leaving us with one point on the day.

So is this just another case of a slow start, or early warning signs that our squad is not strong enough, or is it simply that the Premier League is becoming a more competitive league and no game is easy? Whatever it is we need get to forget this result and move on, with Chelsea off of to the start they've had we can't afford to have a slow start.

Cheers