Written by BigRaddy
The words Old Trafford always brings a shiver down the spine because Man Utd are the biggest club in football. Perhaps Barca and Real could dispute their crown but MU play in a competitive league which they have dominated for quarter of a century. I always get excited by this fixture, it is one of the glamour games of the year and when both teams are on form almost guarantees an enthralling spectacle – however neither side is on form at present and I fear the worldwide audience will be disappointed if they expect a feast of football akin to the recent Barca v Real game.
Speaking to Arsenal fans at the Emirates and my Goonermates worldwide, there is a strong sense of foreboding – they expect us to lose tonight, which I find perplexing. I know United have only lost 2 points at home this season but we have very good away form. We are scoring freely on the road and MU are trying to incorporate a damaged goods Rooney. We are top of the League and United are not.
The positives for us are the wonderful form of Nasri and the mercurial Arshavin. Should they both play well we can and will win. We need to adopt an aggressive policy from the start and retain ball possession. The defence has to stay solid and be aware thet United do not play route one but attack at speed down the flanks – Clichy will need to be fully concentrated.
There is rumour that Fabianski is injured and that Chesney may start? If true then what better way to start your PL career with a clean sheet at OT?
Then there is the question of Cesc . Should we play him if he is back to fitness? In my opinion he has to start if fully fit, this is not a player who needs to be nursed through with warm up games, he is too important and too good. That said, this is just 3 points in a long season and should he be anything less than 100% he must be rested, playing a 20 minute cameo should we be losing by a single goal at 70 mins.
The team almost picks itself:
We all know about United, their problems and strengths are highlighted all over the media.
Tonight’s game is being watched by football fans all over the world, there will be hundreds of millions of viewers and the match will require a strong referee who will neither be influenced by the spite of Sir Alex nor attempt to be the centre of attraction. Tonight’s referee is Howard Webb, who by any standards has had a fantastic year; to ref the 2 biggest games in World football and then be handed the honour of tonight’s game is a huge accolade. He is not a favourite at Old Trafford because (so far) he hasn’t given the expected home decisions. Should he stamp down on Nani and Rooney’s diving plus Fletcher and Scholes savagery, we will have a chance. If not, it could be a long night.
At some point our team has to gel again. We have played wonderful football at times this season and the dreaded November has passed – we can and will win this game unless Lady Luck fortunes Man Utd (as usual!).
COYRRG
Arsenal News 24/7
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COYRRR
Hi gnarley
What a day, top of the league and a chance to go points clear. Thanks to the tots for keeping the chavs off the top and not being good enough to beat them 😀
Great post Raddy – phew we’re really up for this one aren’t we 😆
The Arsenal has blown a number of chances @ The Title this season, yet it goes into an away game with Manchester United top of the league & with a chance to go 4 points clear.
Everybody outside of The Arsenal don’t fancy us, & expect United to go back to the top because thats how it is. The only thing is, this time The Arsenal won’t blow its chances. I’ve got a feeling………
G’Day peaches 😎
We have so many players that the manks have to watch out for – Jack, Samir, Arsh – they’ve really got their work cut out tonight.
I reckon we’ll just play our game and not bother about any of their players – that seems to be the Arsene way
Good Post Raddy, Personally I would play Theo in place of AA who is likely to be marked out of the game by Fletcher/Scholes. For the same reason Cesc should also not play unless he is 100% fit.
In the final analysis it is still only three points and sod the bragging rights if it is going to put back Cesc’s return to full fitness.
Having said that I expect us not to lose.Though whether that is without injury is debatable
Morning all,
BR, Great post as always.
Dandan, Agree about the risk to Cesc, although as we know, he can pop on second half, score one, set one up, then pop off again. Having spent the other day banging on about playing Theo down the left, I would still start with AA, but certainly any signs that he was thinking about other matters, and he would be straight off, with Theo given plenty of time down that left flank.
Morning All
I’m edgy already !!!
Has Mickey posted his ‘def con’ scale anyhwere on here…?? I feel like I’m gonna need it.
Excellent read as ever BR.
I felt a bit sorry for you when I read that you had come over for the Partizan game, the first game in a while if I understand things correctly. It was as I am sure you realised a game that Wenger used to do a bit of experimentation, I suppose the up side was the goals and qualification is never a bad thing but it was poor fare.
Tonight, well it all seems to be about Cesc as it always is when there is a possibility he could return from injury, although, perhaps there is a slight difference tonight and that is we have been playing very well without him and so probably for the first time in five years it doesn’t seem to be quite as important.
I know there is a goal keeping issue to be resolved but they are not exactly poles apart are they?
Ok I will take the yellow for that one.
I also respectfully agree with Raddy and Gnarley.
Tonights our night !!!
Yellow..?? Straight red for that London.
Lets hope that Fletcher and Vidic are next to see red.
Sharkey,
It is not a DEFCON system! It is my Pre Match Level scale of alertness.
And yes, I posted yesterday:
The DEFCON system is totally the opposite of the Micky system. DEFCON is a defensive state of readiness, and mine is very much the offensive, which is also why I have the inverted number system. DEFCON 1 is the highest, my Level 1 is the lowest, and I move steadily towards LEVEL 5 as we approach kick off.
Oh God, just remembered my dream. We tool up to OT tonight and instead of the whole Plan A type football, we “Did The Bus Royale”.
……………..Fab
Sag Ebo Kos Squil JD Den Song Gibbs Clichy
………………Theo
😆 Micky – how often do your dreams come true?
the problem with us is that we are only focussing on our strong points, yes we have nasri, arshavin, charmak, theo and welshire too bt there team is built on there defence which no doubt is really good and very expirienced in big games too. Lets focuss a bit on their strengths forward and how our defence will cope with it and one VERY VERY important factor that everyone and the media is ignoring is there shrek WAYNE LOONEY no is talking about him its excactly what fergie wants no wonder he sent out his pawns to say crap and take the focuss off rooney, i have a bad feeling he will be the diffrence.. Lets watch him cautiously…
Micky, shouldn’t TA be in there too?
Love him of course, but I wouldn’t go with Arshavin tonight, too much of a passenger in the last few games. Van Persie on that side for me.
Should be good tonight….. or not.
OK feedbaQ, United are strong going forward, and Shrek is getting back to form, but for me their side will be about the performances of Nani and Fletcher. We can’t let Nani have such an easy ride again, and with so many forward thinking players (i.e. three of the midfielders plus both full backs, as well as the front two), a lot will come down to Fletcher. If we can pull him out of position regularly, and exploit spaces Rafael and Evra are likely to leave, we can get our chances on goal. But vice versa, they’ll be putting plenty of pressure on us.
Two very well matched sides. And a real chance for our players to show what they can do.
Morning all, well at least in Canada.
Oh boy! today’s the day.
Frankly I will watch the game in unbearable agony, wondering just when they will get their obligatory “home” penalty. It seems that there is always something controversial that turns the game in Man U’s favour.
Man U get away with a lot of dirty tackles, the likes of Fletcher are only on the field to break up plays in whatever manner works and he gets away with blue murder, and not yellow cards!
Paul Scholes , as great a player as he is, is one of the dirtiest in the PL. The, pro united (as if the where any other type) commentators characterize Scholes tackles as being either “late” or “clumsy” it drives me crazy as he is a dirty git, nothing more nothing less!
Will Granny lover dive? The answer is simple – every chance he can get.
Will Nani dive and play dead, and be amazingly resurrected within seconds? Well why would he change a well honed practice?
Will Howard Webb be the the most visible person on the pitch? Well he knows no other way.
Am I jaundiced after watching this rivalry for over 60 years? Well I guess I don’t need to answer that question, do I?
Regardless I hope the REAL gunners show up today and put on a display that cannot be beaten by controversy.
Here’s to a 4 point lead at 10:00 pm.
@26may… shrek is the one that links nani through and the long balls too his dangerous now that our main focus is nani his going to have a lot of space in front of our defence and when he links up his play properly with the sulky berbatov i dont fancy our central defence to come out on top in one situations with either shrek or berbatov… And fletcher is not an issue if we play our one touch football he thrives on players who hold on to the ball too long e.g song, i can see him losing balls in the midfeild.. Plus nasri will be double teamed on by park and evra i suggest wenger puts him on the left against rafeal.. I dont want to see a dejavu of what happend to nasri agianst gallas.
Peaches,
The really really good one’s….never!
Taking defensive blunders out of the equation, I think a large part of the outcome will be determined by tactics employed, and the ability of the respective managers to change things on the pitch as the situation dictates. On the tactics side, I give Red Nose the advantage, while on the strength of the benches, I give us a massive advantage.
The problem with substitutes, however good, is that invariably the outcome is determined by the 70th minute. So my Anfieldesque prediction is this: all square at the fifty two minute mark, and we will win.
I will take that Micky
By the way, nice write up Raddy. It’s too bad you had to see a stinker at the Emirates, but I’m sure that a win today will erase that visit from your memory banks real quick.
Off out to clean the latest two feet of ice and snow off of my car. brrrr.
Hi BR,
Sorry I missed you at the Fulham game, and could not get to Partizan. Another time, I hope.
It is very odd for me, but the nerves have not even begun to surface.
You know, when I was younger, I used to think that if I was a good boy, on the day of important games, God would reward me by making sure Arsenal won! 🙂
But it did not always work out that way and I figured out that my mindset was not quite right.
As a kid, I asked God for a bike, but I soon realised He did not work that way, so I nicked the bike and then asked for forgiveness.
Works much better that way!!! 🙂
I have no nerves going into tonight. If we play well and Webb doesn’t screw us , we will win. Why? Because we are the better team. We threw away 3 points on our last visit to OT, Diaby’s amazing OG and a Rooney dive costing us the points. It was the game when AW was banished to the stands and suffered appalling abuse from the MU scum fans, something that SAF deplored but has done nothing about.
Should we play as well again we will win.
RA. I wondered who nicked my bike. It was a family heirloom and I will be looking to you for compensation, both for the bicycle and the mental anguish.
Prepare your legal defence
RA,
You must be a Catholic!!
Red Arse:
My limited understanding of religion is that you can get forgiveness right at the end. So I continue to sin, and frankly it’s kinda enjoyable knowing that I can get away with all sorts of evil and still be forgiven.
We CAN be the better team, BR. Lets hope its the real Arsenal who turn up tonight.
We don’t need God on our side if we have Jesus in midfield.
Rip-roaring write up Raddy.
The clock is moving so slowly….
Raddy, re your bike, my conscience is clear, although I have often found that is the result of a bad memory! 🙂
Anyway, long ago I realised that the voices in my head may not be real, but they do have some good ideas!! 🙂
Afternoon all,
A match preview written tense fingers I perceive Raddy. My gut instinct is seldom wrong (I knew we were going to lose to the Toon and we will get Real Madrid in the CL 😉 ) so I shall put my head on the block and say, Cesc won’t start, and we’ll win 2:1 …. simples
BTW Raddy, I’ve seen Red Arse peddling round Islington on your bike – he’s still got the stabilisers on.
GN5, re your 3:16, I like your logic, no doubt born out of life’s experiences. 🙂
For myself, I long ago learned to borrow money only from a pessimist because he never expected to get it back!! 🙂
Rasp: 🙂 Apparently BR’s bike had a broken saddle, which is how RA came to get his name in the first place.
Not many people know that.
😆 Rocky
Guys, I will ‘fess up. I had three reasons for doling out my quips.
a) I sensed a certain pre-match tension, & thought my crap humour might help.
b) London said some days ago he liked my humour, so I thought I would “larn him bedder”! and
c) I wanted to prove to myself that your collective humourous responses were as bad as mine. I’m pleased to say, you haven’t let me down!! 🙂
Rocky, now you know where our famous war cry “Up the Arse” emanated from! 🙂
RA – so it’s all BR’s fault really.
OK: back to the tension: In a riposte to Micky’s vrilliantly named “Bus Royale” (ten defenders and one attacker) I would respectfully suggest we put out a team capable of blowing them away. Think of it as the “Supersized Cavalier” eleven:
Pole (1 or 2)
Song
Walcott, Nasri, Fabregas, Wilshere, Chamakh, Bendtner, VanPersie, Rosicky, Arsh
RA,
You are on top form 🙂
And Song has a roaming role.
Rocky,
“Supersized Cavalier” requires a goalkeeper?
Chicken!
Well “Bus Royale” had a striker….
I’ll ditch my keeper if you ditch your striker.
Redders, keep ’em coming. I’m starting to feel a bit of tension in the shoulders and neck, so a mirth massage is very welcome.
Game on!
My ten year old son is staying up to watch the game with me tonight, and he certainly adds a different dimension. He is by far and away the worlds’ worst loser, and talk about blinkered. The things he thinks he sees are something I only wish I could behold!
We have nothing to fear but fear itself….
If we go at them from the first we will win. No tension.
Agreed Mr Radders.
Rocky: “And Song has a roaming role.” – Lol !!!
I must still be 10 ! Because I always think the referees are biased against us and never give us the rub of the green and I remain convinced we will be Champions until it proves mathematically impossible
Rocky, re your 3:51, I would never say “it” was Raddy’s fault, but I would happily join in and blame him anyway, that’s a different bottle of ketchup. 🙂
In truth, when I wake on the morning of matchdays, my relationship with Arsenal is a metamorph of a very personal nature.
It is like the feeling of gently pressing my face against the skin of a woman to inhale her fragrance, and wanting to cry out with joy.
[I suddenly realise I cannot continue this train of thought because it might sound porny, and it is!] 🙂
My dad who was a fount of cryptic wisdom, once told me, after I had been in a scrap with a large, hairy-arsed Spurs fan who had bad mothed Arsenal, “you don’t need a parachute to skydive; you only need one to skydive twice”! To which I felt forced to reply, “thanks dad, it just shows you are never too old to learn something stupid!”
And I got away with it! 🙂
RA. Brilliant. Wish my Dad was so profound.
RA,
“you don’t need a parachute to skydive; you only need one to skydive twice”! A similar, and true story, is a line that came from one of the SAS guys, during the Falkands War. A never before attempted parachute drop was to be made from terrifyingly low altitude (avoiding radar) into the South Atlantic. He came up with: “Never paractice something you can only f..k up once”.
I wish I could get my mind properly focused on the game, because it certainly is not on my work. Utterly hopeless day. Must start moving up the levels.
BR, my earlier response seems to have not been received by AA, so I hope I am not repeating my bon mot unnecessarily.
re your 4:29, — I think my dad had a side job writing fortune cookie slips!
Lol, Fat Sam sacked, that’ll teach you to let your team get torn a new one by bacon face’s mob. You won’t be missed you hoof ball hooligan.
Good write-up BigRaddy… I take my California weather, but wish I were watching this game with you… having just moved, I have to try out a new viewing spot, and have no idea if I’ll find friend or foe, or what the atmosphere will be like. The game, however, will be a cracker. I’m quite sure of that.
Rumour has it CharyB, that the merry-go-round is agoing around.
Apparently, betting odds have been slashed on Avram Grant being given the boot, with Fat Sam to be the new Wham boss.
Tough for Fat Sam. No doubt he will be expecting a call from Barcelona as Guardiola goes to Inter 😉
Also in the news today. Tevez is unhappy with some “executives”. The same executives who pay him €286k a week. Poor boy. It is enough to make any football fans blood boil
Evening CG. Yeah, a night in the Southern Cross downing a few beers or ciders with the Danish Gooners would be the way to go….
I reckon Hughton is a possibility too as I don’t think the Hammers will take to hoof ball tactics RedA.
Real Madrid must be moving for Sam sooner than we thought! 🙂
BR,
The Tevez stuff is vomit inducing. I bet our old agent friend Joorabchian is behind this.
More snout in the trough, I expect.
I heard that the chicken farmers who own Blackbum just could not stomach Fat Sam’s chewing like a cement mixer.
CharyB, I care less about Wham, but if I were them, Chris Hughton would be my choice!
Anyway, the fat boy is taking his pick of the England job, Real Madrid, Man Utd or Chelsea. [In his dreams].
This Joorabchavian fella is exactly what is wrong with modern football. String him up is my call…… I bet Mancini and WHU feel the same. It is no doubt why SAF allowed Tevez to leave MU.
He cost WHU €20m that they paid to Sheff Utd – and that wouldn’t have helped their financial plight.
Snout in trough indeed.
Statics. Jose must be worried for his job 😀
I actually think that Fat Sam would make a good England manager. In the recent past, including Capello, there has been a starry-eyed attempt in football terms to make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear; far better to have a pig farmer dealing with the bog standard job of bog standard football.
London. No No and thrice No….
Mr Redknapp should take the poisoned chalice. Thereby reducing the efficiency of THFC and at the same time providing some comedy moments for followers of the England national team.
Could he be the first man to manage the National team from prison?
I have entered the Hot Pickled Onion jar, and that means Pre Match Level 4 is upon me.
Any rumblings from the dressing room? Cesc? I would start with a 75% fit Cesc, as otherwise I think we may lack creative options from the middle. Utd will target Sami for sure.
I’ve got to respectfully disagree MDI. Cesc on the bench for me, only to be used in an emergency.
We have enough quality to get by without playing unfit players, even players as good as Cesc.
Arshavin and SuperSammi to terrorise united tonight.
Can’t wait to see the teamsheet !! Wilshere, Denilson, Rosicky, RVP. Who’s getting the nod tonight.
I’d happily see Nasri in Cesc’s position, with Theo and Arsh on the wings. Maybe even RVP in place of Theo.
Confused and excited !!!
United going 4-5-1 according to Beeb. Rooney up front on his own. We should put red lights and mobility scooters by each corner flag as a distraction
Fab on bench !!!
Chezzer starts !!!
Sharkey,
I too am confused and excited. For the first time I have not posted my team.
Chezzer, Sag, Squil, Kos, Clichy, Ros, Song, JW, Nasri, Cham, AA.
Looks like TR7 is gonna be Cesc’s warm up man tonight Mickey.
I pretty muvh never post ateam, but figured it simply was a toss up between Denilson and LJW.
How times change though, eh? Could any of you have imagined having a fit RVP and him only getting a seat on the bench when we’re away at the Old Toilet !!
Cesc, RvP and Theo on the bench. Very useful.
Wont be commenting during the game, as there will be no split screen tonight. Its the full screen for this one.
Have to say that I would have played RvP up top in place of Chamakh, but I din’t think I would have made many friends!
Right ! I’ve got my old gold(??) and blue 98 away shirt on for this one. For years I always wore a shirt to watch matches at home, but I’ve never worn one to a match.
Anyway, I’ve revived my ‘shirt on at home’ tonight, so that I can kiss the (PROPER !!!) badge after every goal. I’ll be very happy to end the evening with badly chafed lips!!
COYRRG !!!!!
My son is changing into his full Arsenal pyjama outfit! Slippers, dressing gown, the works.
Morning all
Now is the time!!!!!!!!!!
MDI89
I’m wearing my 1971 home strip with number 9 on the back 🙂 Its the 1st time since I got it a couple of months back from Toffs. I hope its lucky.
Morning Gnarley.
I am most worried about Rosicky. Lets hope he plays a blinder. Some of that early season magic.
Right, I’m off to make a cuppa tea & settle in for the BIG ONE!!!!!
Good luck everyone
Mozart!!!!
Nice touch GG. Before the Fulham game, I was in the Arsenal shop at Finsbury Park waiting for Rasp, Peaches and Chary, and did see those shirts. They may be on Santa’s list. Nice. Cannon, no mickey mouse crest or Emirates on it.
Here we go, enjoy the game everyone x
Go Go Gunners.
Come on you Yellows.
Catch you half time.
I got the team spot on – 3rd time this season. Must be a lucky sign
COYRRG
20 years difference betwen the two GK’s !
Song’s passes going astray again ……
No pattern to the game as yet. We need to get Nasri in the game
I detest Evra. A despicable man.
Song is doing his square peg job again. He has broken up several of our attacks
Bugger. Lady Luck just turned away again
Deflected cros, back header that hits the post and goes in …. just bad luck. And now Nani is crying wolf again
First half report. We created nothing. Distance too far between Chamakh and the attacking MF. Nasri needs to swap aound with AA. JW playing OK but needs to get stuck in more. Song playing well.
Chesney no chance with the goal which came off the only chance of the half.
A scappy game which fits MU and in particular Fletcher well,
We need to attack Rafael and thus get AA in the game more, nhe has only had a couple of runs
Manchester United aren’t much. I reckon they are there for the taking, but its not going to happen with Song orchestrating the forward moves 🙂 Its Cesc & RVP time
Park did well with that header, and perhaps United deserve to be up. But both sides have been playing frantic football, giving up possession too easily. Nani’s definitely been their danger man. Wilshere, Sagna and Rosicky have all looked good I reckon. If we can calm the game down a bit, we could take more control, but a big half coming up.
Not the worst half in the world. We seem a little nervous.
Nothing to lose now, so we’ll open up and go for it. 3-1 to the good guys.
GG. It is TR who needs to up his game – he has been anonymous, and right now JW is out of his depth.
We need both CF and Diaby for a game like this
Wilshere’s been amazing for an 18yr old !!
Capello must have a right tent in his trousers watching him. Bet he sends Pearce or Baldini to bring him his half time cuppa
LOL 26/5 We disagree …..
Maybe I should watch that half again 🙂
Mozarts been ok. I would say that AW has played to the old be in it till half time then we will unleash the beasts in the 2nd half, i.e RVP & Cesc 😈
Raddy, which disagreement did you mean, Park’s header or whether Tommy R’s doing well or not??
Off we go – bloody hell, we can’t give Nani space like that.
Sounds about right Gnarly.
Early start for you by the way.
Never, never, never a penalty!
Justice!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now use that Gunners.
Once again we are cheated at OT. No surprise there ……
Lovely pen from Rooney
I don’t understand. We played 15 superb minutes at the start of the second half. AW puts on Cesc and our tempo has slowed. He is making poor passes and is trying too hard, but he is a genius and something will make something happen..
He’s been poor. no doubt about it, but he’s done that in the past and still managed one moment of genius that delivers what we need.
The linesman is having a mare – must be a Manc. Not a penalty, Rooney offside and no call.
Come on Arsenal – we are the better team
Amazing MU park the bus at OT and use time wasting tactics.
We’re getting beaten by energy.
Pigging bollocks.
DD. Now do you believe that MU are the luckiest side in the PL ?
Son in bed. Now I can swear. Nite
Bum
I feel flat now 😦
Same stupid mistake again – a defensive error.
I do hope Howard Webb meets a terrible end and suffers misery – the dopey bollix deserves it. More Manc bias tonight – never a penalty, offsides going in Utd’s favour, that ugly mug Ferdinand kung fu kicking Sagna, that equally ugly fucker Fletcher shouldering Webb and getting left off…
Fuck I hate them Manc bastards so much …
Just a final comment. It was reported here that university fees have trebled in England, because it is a cost measure to help sort out the state of the economy. Yet Wayne Rooney who is already on a kings ransom gets a pay rise to perform like a burnt out slob.
I half apologise for my colorful language – I needed to get the anger out.
26may1989 says:
December 13, 2010 at 9:52 pm
We’re getting beaten by energy.
Thats it in a nutshell for me.
Its not easy to play the Scum at OT with their five man midfield with its energy and will power, BUT, I do expect us to expend more energy in pursuit of them.
Appeal for goal kick on 80+ minutes which ids given. Kozzer runs away and leaves the ball. He needs to go and grab it and hurl it to Chesney, and set the right tone for the final onslaught.
92mins. Free kick deep in our half. Cesc passes to Chesney. Chesney passes it to Clichy?. Why oh why is Chesney not launching that into the Man U area..??
Neither team played that well, but I just think tht we didn’t quite bust a gut to make the difference, they did. Amazing header from Park, but he’d bust a gut to get in there in the first place !!
Spot on 26. ENERGY !!!!!
All is forgiven sister 🙂
Thanks GG9 🙂
on the bright side – chavs beat Mancs, we beat Stoke, we’re back top of the league. Funny old game eh?!
Im not onefor slating players, so I’ll keep it really short. I just don’t know what Tomas did in his 62mins tonight.
Replays for the goal show him strolling along instead of getting closer to Fletcher(?0 allowing Wilshere to move closer to Clichy.
I thought Song’s passing was overall poor tonight. But I do commend him for his efforts in defence and trying to keep us going forward.
I just asked a friend if, in hindsight, Denilson could have been a better bet than Tomas. Den is always available for a pass and he helps you retain possession. He would also have freed up Song a bit more. Song has been involved in a fair few of our goals of late.
the only advantages ManU ha over us was ‘Lady Luck’.. we dominated the game and it was a hard fought lose.. now somebody please get working on some Vodoo or something! or just give the lady some orgasm to make her smile at us again..
I thought the Mancs outplayed us first half, no doubt. But in the second half Jack Wilshire started things ticking and we took over in midfield. Denilson instead of Rosicky? I wouldn’t have done that. Clearly we needed Cesc from the beginning.
… and thanks to the granny in the crowd for distracting Rooney on the “that never was” a penalty.
Oh dear, but quiet predictable that lady
luck would shine on the Manx and not us.
I know we lost and I should be really, really pissed off but frankly a smile comes to my face every time I think about Rooney’s penalty.
On of the commentators on the channel I watched was Steve McManaman and he described Song’s lucky back flip off of the post as a BRILLIANT header!
Dear on Dear on Dear!
Best thing of the night…..Rooney’s miss
Second best thing……..we have a goal keeper at last
Third best thing….I am about to go to bed.
Bollacks.
Ah London… it is many hours until bedtime here… I think defeat will hurt for a while. However, I agree on points one and two and add three: Koscielny is a really top defender.
So can I assume from point 3 that London is unlike New York the city that never sleeps.
Morning all,
Slept on it, and you know what, the wider picture is still pretty rosy. Come the half way point in the season, we could easily be top having played Utd, Chelsea and City away.
Also, it is most unlikely that we will do anything other than get better in the second half of the season.
Now for some positive criticism.
Clichy is not as good as Gibbs.
Rosicky is nowhere like good enough to play that role. Here’s why. When you play a system deploying two holding midfielders, the guy in front has probably the most privileged roles in the game. Not only must he pull the strings, but he is the one that will control the tempo. My biggest criticism of last night is that we only have one gear.
Utd, like old Arsenal, can sit and defend, then counter at speed. We cannot. How many times was Nani one on one with Clichy at speed. We do make our lives very difficult as inevitably we have to find our way through massed defences. Eye needle stuff.
Rosicky is simply not good enough to orchistrate. Think of the Gerrard of a few years ago in front of our two. Wow. Vision, thrust and very quick gear changer!
Anyway, chins upwards. The second half of the season will be a stroll.
Yep Micky things are on the up in an overall sense.
So much for my lucky shirt 😉
Gnarley,
Imagine the score had you not been wearing it! And evening to you.
MDI89
😉 I’ll take your word on that.
I must admit the boy in goals (can’t spell his name yet) looks confident. The save of Andersons shot was bloody good.
If someone said before the game that United would win by 1 goal that would be a looping header from a set piece by Park, I’d have said they were having a laugh.
We make life very easy for reasonable defences. How many shots on target did we manage?
I said before the game, that I would have started with a 75% fit Cesc, as I did not believe Rosicky was good nough for that role. I will now go further. Nasri, RvP or even AA would have been better options.
Can we assume there are “Wenger Out” moves from other blog zones?
Micky. What you write about TR is sadly true, but on the positive side, he was only playing due to the injury to Cesc. When Cesc is back and firing (he was well off the pace in his cameo last night) we will be a force to reckon with and are certainly in the title race.
What became clear to me last night was that we really should have signed YaYa Toure. He is superb for MC and would have given us the drive and power lacking in midfield.
But, and I will await todays post before going into too much depth, we were the better team in the second half, in particular the first 15 mins.
We started to push Evra and Rafael, play at a higher tempo and looked threatening
BR,
Good call on YaYa. Don’t agree about the second half though, as they easily contained us. Again, how many shots?
Off out for for a while.
Did they contain us or did we push them back? No difference – at the final whistle – no points.
Sign Yaya when Mr Radders..?? And at what cost and what wages..?? Once he left Russia for Barca h ewas lway sout of our reach. Plus he’s a greedy mercenary
Agree completely re Cesc’s cameo. I really didn’t want him starting, but even I would not have predicted that he’d give the ball away time after time when he came on.
Morning all
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