manurejournal (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} manurejournal) wrote,@ 2005-10-02 20:47:00 |
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19 - Fulham 2 United 3 / Martin at Bangor
Tonight's entry reckons that Professor Stephen Hawking likes playing Operation Wolf on that computer of his.
Ahh, the trusty old 4-4-1-1 formation. See, Fergie, works a charm. Kamikaze defending, brilliant attack = win, in more ways than one.
As Andy Gray rightly pointed out on The Last Word this evening, it's all about Wayne Rooney's starting position. Plonked out on the wing means 50% less efficiency, one less player in the box when a cross comes in, and just less crosses full stop because we're playing one less winger. Absolutely splendid match, particularly from Park Ji-Sung who surely now has shown everyone that he deserves a starting berth in matches where Fergie isn't just 'resting' someone else. He's direct, he's quick, he's got a fantastic stamina, and he can pass. Bloody hell, this boy can PASS. Oh aye.
As brilliant as the attacking play was from him and Rooney in particular, it was slightly overshadowed by the defending. Just what the fuck is Rio Ferdinand's problem? Occasionally he'll have a match where he does absolutely nothing right, and there have been far too many of those recently. Whilst Silvestre, who I've never rated, is another stroller who looks half-asleep all the time. WAKEY WAKEY, YOU IDIOTS. JENSEN'S FUCKING CROSSING IT. Oh nice one, Rio. Did you think a sudden gust of wind was going to take it wide?
Another issue to come out of this game is that United really should be chasing Papa Bouba Diop as well as Michael Ballack. Now THAT would be a midfield. Isn't going to happen, of course, but that's the second year running that Diop has bossed the midfield against us, and Smith was really outplayed by him. Positionally he just doesn't have it, his tackling is still striker's class, and whilst his passing is fine, it really isn't good enough, and Essien and Lampard are going to piss all over him when we play the Rent Boys.
Sort the defence and midfield out though and it's looking far better. Imagine if we'd played 4-5-1 yesterday defending like that. 2-0 to Fulham and title race over.
*******************
After my round-up of recent ex-United players recently, I was delighted to hear that Lee Martin had come out of retirement and is now playing for Bangor City alongside another United old boy, Clayton 'Sunbed' Blackmore.
A very interesting part of this article is the part that claims that United still pay his wages. This is especially interesting when you consider this story from over three and a half years ago which revealed Martin's benefits fraud whilst he was a pundit for MUTV. It says there that he was living on £150 a week. Now apparently he's having his wages paid by United all of a sudden. Hmm, most intriguing.
That pass by Neil Webb in the 1990 cup final replay to him was just ridiculously good though, wasn't it? doubly so when you consider it was NEIL WEBB.
I'm off to count how many times Van Nistelrooy has been meant to be moving to Real Madrid now. 1008....1009....1010....
Tonight's entry reckons that Professor Stephen Hawking likes playing Operation Wolf on that computer of his.
Ahh, the trusty old 4-4-1-1 formation. See, Fergie, works a charm. Kamikaze defending, brilliant attack = win, in more ways than one.
As Andy Gray rightly pointed out on The Last Word this evening, it's all about Wayne Rooney's starting position. Plonked out on the wing means 50% less efficiency, one less player in the box when a cross comes in, and just less crosses full stop because we're playing one less winger. Absolutely splendid match, particularly from Park Ji-Sung who surely now has shown everyone that he deserves a starting berth in matches where Fergie isn't just 'resting' someone else. He's direct, he's quick, he's got a fantastic stamina, and he can pass. Bloody hell, this boy can PASS. Oh aye.
As brilliant as the attacking play was from him and Rooney in particular, it was slightly overshadowed by the defending. Just what the fuck is Rio Ferdinand's problem? Occasionally he'll have a match where he does absolutely nothing right, and there have been far too many of those recently. Whilst Silvestre, who I've never rated, is another stroller who looks half-asleep all the time. WAKEY WAKEY, YOU IDIOTS. JENSEN'S FUCKING CROSSING IT. Oh nice one, Rio. Did you think a sudden gust of wind was going to take it wide?
Another issue to come out of this game is that United really should be chasing Papa Bouba Diop as well as Michael Ballack. Now THAT would be a midfield. Isn't going to happen, of course, but that's the second year running that Diop has bossed the midfield against us, and Smith was really outplayed by him. Positionally he just doesn't have it, his tackling is still striker's class, and whilst his passing is fine, it really isn't good enough, and Essien and Lampard are going to piss all over him when we play the Rent Boys.
Sort the defence and midfield out though and it's looking far better. Imagine if we'd played 4-5-1 yesterday defending like that. 2-0 to Fulham and title race over.
After my round-up of recent ex-United players recently, I was delighted to hear that Lee Martin had come out of retirement and is now playing for Bangor City alongside another United old boy, Clayton 'Sunbed' Blackmore.
A very interesting part of this article is the part that claims that United still pay his wages. This is especially interesting when you consider this story from over three and a half years ago which revealed Martin's benefits fraud whilst he was a pundit for MUTV. It says there that he was living on £150 a week. Now apparently he's having his wages paid by United all of a sudden. Hmm, most intriguing.
That pass by Neil Webb in the 1990 cup final replay to him was just ridiculously good though, wasn't it? doubly so when you consider it was NEIL WEBB.
I'm off to count how many times Van Nistelrooy has been meant to be moving to Real Madrid now. 1008....1009....1010....
