… at reserve team level that is, with Manchester United’s second string overcoming cross-town neighbours 3-1 in the Manchester Senior Cup. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side sported six internationals and a similar number of Under-21s in arguably the strongest reserve outfit in memory, including returning Brazilian midfielder Anderson.
Federico Macheda struck twice and Tom Cleverley scored United’s other goal as the Reds eased to victory in the first derby of the season, against Manchester City’s preposterously named “Elite Development Squad”. The work of Gary Cook, no doubt.
The presence of so many internationals helped of course, with Anderson and Rafael da Silva each featuring for an hour, while Michael Carrick, Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Chris Smalling and Darron Gibson all played at Hyde United’s Ewen Fields.
One notable scorer, Cleverley, continues to have high hopes for the season despite not featuring in either of United’s Premier League games to date this season.
“All I can do is keep playing to my top performance level when I play, whether it’s for the Reserves or the first team,” he told MUTV tonight.
“As long as I keep doing that, hopefully the manager will see I’m doing well and I’ll get a couple of chances here and there.”
“Any game against City is a big one, but in our squad tonight I think we had six internationals and six under-21 internationals or something silly like that, so there was added pressure there,” he said. “It was one of the strongest Reserve teams ever.
“We didn’t start badly, then they got the goal and we lost our momentum a little bit. But we got one in the first half, kicked on in the second, got a couple of good goals, and it’s a good victory.”
Meanwhile, striker Mame Biram Diouf scored a hat-trick on his full Blackburn Rovers debut against Norwich City in the Carling Cup last night. The Senegalese player has made two substitute appearances for Rovers in the Premier League.
United reserves: Amos; Neville, Smalling, Brown, Rafael (Dudgeon 60); Gibson, Carrick (Gill 73), Anderson (W Keane 60); Eikrem, Cleverley; Macheda. Subs not used: Devlin, Norwood.
not shocked we beat that joke of a “youth development” as man c always havè ad always will be the laughing stock of manchester and the world of football. the worlds biggest and most famous football club Manchester United will always be better than little small ol’ man c and I find it hilarious that they think their going places, funny stuff. the Treble this year for us and they can enjoy 6th at best.
Good to see our youngsters beating the bitters but AJ come down from your high horse we are not going to do the treble this year and City like it or not will finish better than last year.
now you’ve done it Robbo
for the love of God play Cleverly, fergus, FFS
robbo, I believe we have everything at the club to pull off another Treble winning season and why will man c do better? spending your owners money does not mean you will succeed – blackburn got 1 lge title then relgated 3yr later, newcastle won nothing, leeds won nothing then ended up in ruins and relegated – and I for one will never believe that little club from wastelands can do anything nomatter how much they spend (400m+ in 4yrs) as they àre a joke club with average players and a clueless “manager”.
AJ with the team at disposal we will not win the Treble why ?
1. The attitude of the team
When the team goes a goal up they switch off invariably making it harder for themselves, this was happening last season and appears to have carried on.
2. Quality of the team, you cannot take a Cristiano Ronaldo or to an extent a Carlos Tevez out of the team and expect it to play the same football unless you replace with similar quality and this has not been done.
3. All major teams in the Champions League have improved there teams by adding new players, Barcelona showed us up in the CL final two years ago things will not have improved in the mean time.
To Manchester City why will they improve.
1. At some point the amounts of money that they are giving out will be enough to win them the league and who knows what else, this has been proved when Abrahmovich bought Chelsea.
2. Some of the players they now have, you can call proven quality in other leagues and under normal circumstances at some point they should come good.
3. Whilst the teams you mentioned may have had problems my point regarding Chelsea makes yours a moot point.
4. Maybe they are a joke club but they have better than average players, those who you could class as average such as Stephen Ireland etc are now being phased out and with unlimited money they can basically buy who they want if the players main interest is money.
Aj – Absolute Joke
AJ mate – they don’t have average players most if not all are internationals and not just squad rabbits either and Mancunti is not a joke manager, he’s won a title in Italy so he knows what it takes to win – am not saying that it means he automatically qualifies to win the EPL but Ancelloti has shown his class by transferring his winning mentality to the Chaves
We hate Citeh as much as the next cunt but like Robbo you lead to be realistic.
Tevez and Given, and at least 5 others are not an average players.
United reserves: Amos; Neville, Smalling, Brown, Rafael (Dudgeon 60); Gibson, Carrick (Gill 73), Anderson (W Keane 60); Eikrem, Cleverley; Macheda. Subs not used: Devlin, Norwood.
anderson???
is he fit enough for reserve games? it’d be a major boost to have him back.
mandeep, robbo – fair enough, I just dont believe the bitters will achieve a thing ad dont want those losers at wastelands to. captain-fletcher, your right as your are an absolute joke, thanks for telling me.
United to do the treble? I’ve heard it all now.. I’d take an FA Cup if offered, right now.
i take carling cup tbf…..
Your have your opinion but they will something major in the near future maybe not this season but in the near future whether we want it or not they will win either the League, Champions League or one of the domestic cups at some point the quality of there team will make it possible and unfortunately in this day and age money is where its at.
NEVER will that bitter toxic waste spill from wastelands ever BUY the Champions Lge……or BUY a substained amount of glory, maybe a Lge òr FA cup in the future, but I doubt it very much. this is how it will pan out for the bitters: spend sugardaddy cash – 2012 fair play rule kicks in as they fail in attempt to buy trophies and cant spend nomore – mercenaries struggle into midtable finish – Arabs get bored by 2014 and leave – bitters struggle financially and goes into administration – Relegated in 2015.
defo can and will win a domestic trophy.
CL is more about the best manager and the best squad and the luck. That’s why Moany and Fergus have won it twice both have been lucky but were the best managers each season they won it too – although they may not have had the best squad.
Inter Barca was a classic example, Moany had a shitter squad but is the better manager.
Can Mancunty take his squad to a Euro level – against Anchovy, Moany, SAF, Guardiolia – not yet I’m afraid. He needs to first win an EPL before he can win the UCL.