The final weekend, and another title won or lost for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. The drama, so those in charge of TV schedules tell us, couldn’t be greater, with the Premier League decided at the 38th game of another unpredictable season. Yet, for many Manchester United fans it is a campaign ending in an altogether more underwhelming fashion. Not so much last day glory, as after the lord mayor’s show. After all, bar a truly shocking result at Eastlands on Sunday, the Premier League title will head to Manchester City for the first time in 44 years.
City host relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, while United travel to Martin O’Neil’s Sunderland, and the Blues’ superior goal difference will separate Reds and Blues should points remain equal at 5pm Sunday afternoon.
If City does claim the Premier League as expected then few can begrudge Roberto Mancini’s outfit the glory, with the men in Blue having proven the more durable side during the last month of the campaign. Words not often spoken during Ferguson’s 25-year reign at Old Trafford. It is the least that Abu Dhabi could expect for its £930 million investment in club and players. And, many will argue, the inevitable outcome of six years under-investment by the Glazer family at Old Trafford.
Not that many offers of congratulations will cross the great Manchester divide whatever Sunday’s results. Nine months, 76 games, 178 goals, and 172 points later – and one half of the city is sure to head home disappointed.
The weekend’s fixtures mean that more than one eye will be on City’s game back in Manchester while United take on Sunderland, although the hope that Mark Hughes’ QPR side will pull off a shock result will be rendered meaningless if United do not win at the Stadium of Light.
Indeed, claiming three points on Wearside could still pose a challenge, with O’Neil’s side having finished the season strongly enough to avoid relegation under Norther Irishman’s stewardship.
“It’s not going to be easy for us up there and we know that,” said Ferguson on Friday.
“We’re going there with a chance of winning the league and you know it’ll never be easy. These last-day games where have a chance of winning the league, three times we’ve won it and once we lost it at West Ham. They’re not easy.
“It doesn’t matter if Bolton win, QPR still have to get a point. Can it really transmit itself to players if other teams are losing? If they’re down with five minutes to go or something like that, but I don’t think it works that way.
“I think the disappointment of City losing the game would be unbelievable and untold at this moment in time [as regards] what effect it could have on them. QPR are at the other end of the spectrum, some players could be put on the transfer list, salaries halved and things like that. Relegation would have a dramatic effect on the club. There’s two ends of the spectrum but, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if we don’t win. We have to focus on that – that’s our job.”
“I think we can think about that after the events and analyse it properly,” adds the 70-year-old, who has won 12 Premier League titles in 19 seasons.
“There’s no point doing it now as nothing’s been decided and it’s the last game of the season, which is fantastic for the neutral and the media but agony for both clubs. We do tend to get there in the end but it looks like we’re going to miss out this season.
“We’re not looking as though it’s the end of an era for us. In many ways, it’s the start of one for us. The challenge will be really obvious to them [the players] now. If they lose the league, as we did with Chelsea a couple of years ago, we did something about it. Hopefully, we can do so again.”
Ferguson will have to shuffle his pack once again, with injuries ruling out Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck. It has been the story of the campaign – Anderson, Darren Fletcher, Nemanja Vidić and Michael Owen will all still be missing from Ferguson’s first team squad for the trip to Wearside.
Injuries mean the Scot may have to pair Rio Ferdinand with Phil Jones in central defence, while Rafael or Fabio da Silva will start at right-back. Javier Hernández is likely to keep his place along side Wayne Rooney in attack in what will be Dimitar Berbatov’s last game for the club. Michael Owen, also out of contract this summer, is unlikely to make the match day squad.
Whatever the selection for Sunday’s match Ferguson faces the challenge of raising his team’s spirits after the flat performance against Swansea last weekend. United beat the Welsh side 2-0 at Old Trafford having already seen City dispatch Newcastle in the north east. Indeed, if the mood in United’s camp has been downcast this week it will come as little surprise. But there is little point in self pity – after all Ferguson’s side has blown the eight point lead it held barely a month ago.
“At the beginning of the week, the team was really down,” said United captain Patrice Evra admitted.
“And we were really down before the game against Swansea last weekend because we expected a little miracle from Newcastle. But it didn’t happen. Now we just believe. We’re level on points going into the final day.
“Maybe people will say I’m crazy or that I’m only saying this because I’m a Manchester United player, but I still believe we can win this title. I know the destiny of the title is not in our hands, but we will just make sure we start the game well against Sunderland.
“It’s not an easy place to go but I think we will win in front of all their fans. We have no choice but to believe. If we want to keep believing in the miracle we have to beat Sunderland. If we score first, maybe the City fans in the stadium will start to be nervous. When you are nervous, you rush things and you don’t do the things you want to do. That’s why I still believe, but we must make sure we are ready against Sunderland.”
Meanwhile, Sunderland manager O’Neil has injury concerns of his own heading into the game. Former United players Wes Brown and Kieron Richardson miss the tie through injury, while Seb Larsson is also out. However, fit again Titus Bramble should start for the Black Cats.
Whatever O’Neil’s selection, United need to run out winners. The omens are good – the home side has little to play for, chasing neither a European place, nor threatened by relegation – and United’s four victories in the past five matches at the Stadium of Light bode well. Meanwhile, Sunderland has drawn five of the side’s last seven Premier League matches, and won only two in the last 12, while United has lost only twice in 17.
Pressure can tell though, with United folding under it in recent weeks, and City thriving much against the Blues’ typecast. But it’s the pressure that Evra and his United players hope brings out the worst in Mancini’s City side over at Eastlands Sunday afternoon.
The odds look slim, but as Evra concludes, all that is left now is belief.
Match Facts
Sunderland versus Manchester United, Premier League, Stadium of Light, 13 May 2012, 3pm.
Likely Line-ups
Sunderland (4-4-2): Mignolet; Bardsley, Turner, Bramble, O’Shea; Cattermole, Gardner, Colback, McClean; Sessegnon, Ji Dong-Won. Subs from: Westwood, Kilgallon, Bridge, Meyler, Elmohamady, Campbell, Bendtner.
United: (4-4-1-1): De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Jones, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Young; Rooney; Hernández. Subs from: Amos, Lindegaard, Fabio, Fryers, Cleverley, Giggs, Park, Nani, Berbatov, Owen.
Form
Sunderland: DLDDDL
United: WLWLDW
Match Stats
- Swansea worked the United midfield hard last weekend with Michael Carrick covering the most distance individually from either team at 7.39 miles;
- Compared against other Premier League strikers Wayne Rooney is ranked fifth for distance covered this season at 191.7 miles in total this season. Fulham’s Clint Dempsey has covered the most ground of any striker;
- Rooney is ranked second overall in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index having scored 26 league goals this season – he is the highest scoring Englishman this season, four behind Robin van Persie;
- Rooney has picked up just the one yellow card this season;
- Patrice Evra is the highest ranked player in the Index to have not scored a goal this season. The United captain has however completed 73.2 per cent of all the tackles he attempted;
- Lee Cattermole has been one of Sunderland’s hardest players to beat this season, having completed 68.6 per cent of all tackles attempted – he has won 72 tackles this season;
- Cattermole’s best game this season came against West Bromwich Albion on the 1 October 2011 – when the midfielder attempted 22 tackles, completing 16 at 72.27 per cent won;
- Ahmed Elmohamady is the only Egyptian player in the Premier League this season and has managed just three shots on target, scoring one goal in the process.
Officials
Referee: Howard Webb (Rotherham)
Assistants: P Kirkup, M Mullarkey
Fourth Official: L Probert
2-0 if he plays a proper team
0-1 if he decides this game requires ‘experience’
Possibly the most annoying thing about losing this title on goal difference would be the fact that it was caused by our abject and unprofessional showing in the 6-1 thrashing at home. If the experienced players in the team had kept their heads towards the end of that game we wouldn’t find ourselves 8 goals behind these arseholes today.
Just a fanciful proposal…
What would the conspiracy mongers make of it, if United went completely bat shit, and stuffed Sunderland 10/12 nil… to win the title on goal difference?
Won’t happen of course… but the rending of flesh, and gnashing of teeth, around Liverpool, and Blue Manchester would be deafening… fuckin brilliant, it would be.
Would h@ve been even funnier if Bruce h@d been in ch@rge.
Sorry, but my keybord if fucked.
niall quinn would probably kill himself on commentary
“Ferguson claims that the development of United’s youngsters mean that this is less the ‘end of an empire’, but a season of transition.”
Carrick, ferdinand, vidic and evra the wrong side of 30.
Scholes and giggs the wrong side of 40.
Nani, the twins inconstant.
Park, anderson crap.
Berbatov and owen off.
Cracking transition that.
one of the few times in my united years where i will not be listening on the radio/tv or text
just will switch on at 5pm and whatever will be, will be
even if this title is won, it would not be as sweet as united winning it with points above man city and i dont possibly think the players would not fell that great winning it perharps it will branded as stupidiest season i have ever seen
city leading,,,,,,,, unoted level on points,,,,,,,,,,united 8 pionts clear,,,,,,,,,,,city beats united to fire top of pl on goal difference,,,,,,,,,,,,,,city lose/draw to qpr/united win,,,win title funniest case scnario. no hard feelings the lads have tried their best to became 2nd place except for the injuries and some silly result we just need to buy some good ballholding players tp patch things up united we say.
There’s all this hype for the last day – there will no drama at the top of the league where 1st-5th will stay as is. Bolton might just pip QPR though.
I’m watching in Australia and under normal circumstances would be up til 2 in the morning to flick between all the games, but tonight… Fuck it I’ll be in bed.
if sweet pea starts this match, it’s clear that SAF doesn’t give a hoot about the game – clearly he is not half as good as coming on as sub
and if it is berba’s last game for us, let the bulgarian start alongside rooney
fucking bollox to this afternoon – i’m going to bugger the lawn
Just the fact that it’s City taking the title makes it all the worse for me. I don’t begrudge them their success – they bought some top players and they’ve deserved to win the league because it meant more to their players than it did ours. We weren’t professional enough and fucked it all up for ourselves.
The inevitability of them winning the league today has made this a long week.
I just want this day over with.
Yeah then we can look forward to next season…oh shit.
I’ve always liked Patrice Evra, as he went from that useless tiny guy we bought to the best left back in the world, which he maintained for years on end. He also loves the club, a rare commodity in modern day football. But ever since Ronaldo left, he’s been a downward spiral, with his attacking prowess becoming less potent, and his defensive ability becoming laughably (or cryingly) bad.
What I just can’t understand is how he is captain, and has been all season since Vidic got injured? Why isn’t Rio captain? Or even Rooney? To me, we’ve missed a leader this season in Vidic’s absence, and that was the difference (especially against Everton and City game where we didnt respond on the pitch). It’s sad, but his time is done for me at United, if we could get £5m for him and put it into buying Baines (plus another £10m probably) I’d be delighted – see no point in keeping him if he’s not going to play first choice.
Same can be said of Park, who is no longer a big game player, because he’s not match fit, and so always off the pace in those games. His inclusion in the first 11 against City was one of Fergie’s all time selection errors, he hadnt played since coming on as a sub for 10mins against Spurs in March! If we got rid of him for £3-4m, and replaced him for with Kagawa, who has more quality and about 8 years youth on him, that would be a good trade.
Experience is key, and maybe that was a difference as well, where O’Shea or Wes Brown probably wouldnt have been caught out like Rafael was against Everton – but quality has to be paramount, and I dont think either Park or Evra have got it anymore.
Yeah I agree Tom. Unfortunately I think they’ll both be here next season. We all want the best for our club but we may have to lower our expectations in the next few seasons.
Carricked missed a couple of days training
Hopefully he’s alright otherwise you know what’s coming… Giggs… or Park ffs
We’ve got shit lo@ds of injuries @g@in. Sums up our ses@on.
Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Scholes, Valencia, Giggs, Young, Rooney. Subs: Amos, Owen, Berbatov, Park, Hernandez, Nani, Rafael Da Silva.
Fucking hell.
Fuck off Ferguson you cunt.
Why doesn’t Nani play much anymore
‘experience’
Were not gong for it them.
does taggart blame nani for the city game or summat
Well he doesn’t bl@me Scholes n C@rrick…
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2012/May/sir-alex-ferguson-will-not-sign-a-holding-midfielder.aspx
I’m telling you he does this to cement his own @uthority. Only fucking expl@n@tion.
UNLESS he’s experimenting for 4-5-1 next se@son with Rooney up top…. you’re right. He’s just being @ cunt.
No Cleverley at all
Owen, Berbatov, Park on the bench… farewell appearances from those 3, hopefully
at least two will go.
Don’t know what you lot are complaining about.
It looks to me, like Ferguson is going for goals.
Nani has been his old selfish arse-head lately… and Chico/Welbeck have been shit.
Here we go. Expect the worst but hope for the best.
Come on you fuckers… score early, and often… 0-4 by half time… give the Bitters the shits, and who knows.
any good links?
Not for you.
Try here Mate…
http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links/
We desperately need early breakthrough.
cheers mate,
Has berba run over fergies dog or something? Why the fuck would he not be starting today? Giggs starting is ridiculous.
stoke 1-0 bolton
We need the former players to help out here.
Get in!
Come on!!!!!!!!!!!
Rooney 0-1
Huge goal.
Fucks sake campbell. Take it easy.
City looking pedestrian.
Wayne… ffs!!!
City score. Fuck.
Shit goal it was as well. Paddy kenny punched ball into his own net. Fat useless bastard.
stoke 1-2 bolton, come on now Qpr.
After Rooney spannered that sitter Sunderland started playing and should have scored
I cannot believe QPRs keeper gave such a bad goal away. Amateurish.
Apparently Toure has gone off injured… that’ll hurt.
Shit one for QPR to concede.
Inevitble though I suppose.
We should be 4nil up by now…
ok i couldn’t stand not knowing the scores
so fuck it
im here and praying for the next 45 mins
come on united
Hi Han, here’s hoping you bring us luck.
cheers
but the only thing i’ll bring is a rash…
1-1
cissssssssssssssssseeeeeeeee
HA!
1-1 with the Bitters!!!
1-1 at wastelands.
Fuck off…. should be winning 5-0 by now.
fair play to the old cunts, we’ve played alright
we need to muller sunderland
come on reds
fucking hell… QPR hve score@@@@@
Now they’ll really miss Toure.
We need another goal.
Fucking step it up you cunts.
someone should tell the players the score at the dickhead stadium
Barton has been sent off. Stupid fucking twat.
Barton off with a red card!
You fuckin dumb cunt!
total prat.
Joey Brton sent off…
fucking cunt.
once a city cunt, always a cunt
You never know… that might help… QPR will put everyone behind the ball and defend for their lives now.
what a horrible footballer jones is
Can we hold out though? We have not been clinical enough.
Just saw the replay… Barton really lost it… even after the red card… he went for Aguero… lol…
barton fuckwit.. scouser cunt, should be hung for that
what did he do for the red though?
from bbc
Joey Barton has lost it here in a major way. After he is shown a red card, Barton knees Sergio Aguero in the back of the leg, that sparks a major melee, he tries to headbutt Vincent Kompany before tangling with Manchester City substitute Mario Balotelli. Madness! At least three red cards for Barton in that lot.
city seige now ffs.. not gonna hold out for 30 mins..
come on united
score another ffs
QPR have taken the lead!!!!!!
HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy Fucking Shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s agony to look at the score updates
QPR!!!!!!!
this is unreal… come on
gET THE CUNT IN FFS
Professional display by United so far. CONCENTRATE!!!!!
What the fuck are you on about… he’s doing fine.
Fuck me I can’t watch… This is torture
I feel fucking sick w@tching this….
I just wnt it to be over. Now.
Gill looks manic… lol…
the agony of this is unbearable….
I get a loud ping on my score tracker everytime a goal is scored in some match. Every time I hear it, I fear who has scored. Its been like this 90 mins.
Come on Tel… lol… this is the best day, I’ve had for years… this is what it’s all about… absolute sports drama!
Awesome!
im scared to believe it alfy.. this cant be right
Giggs should’ve taken that.
into fergie time we go
fuck
Oh fuck… 2-2
With 5 minutes left.
2-2 4 mins to go…
They did it… fuck me… unbelievable.
Devastated.
heart breaking, but we had it coming
Wow… that is amazing… can’t begrudge them the win after that.
I feel numb.
3 minutes
fucking 3 minutes
Fair play to em.
What a fucking day.
im absolutely distraught after those 2 goals
i feel like crying
They were always going to win that game…
it was the fucking hope that killed me off
3 minutes to the title
faith can only take you so far.
wouldve prferred they won fucking 5-0
Me too. This is too much to fucking t@ke.
This must be how Byern Munich felt in 99.
Fuck me… Haven’t felt so dead inside for a long time.. Took me this long just to be able to post
I was so nervous that I took the car out for a spin with half an hour of our game left.
Absolutely fucking gutted.
too right
I didn’t watch none of the games today, couldn’t take it
I came home and followed on twitter with 5 mins to go I thought we’d done it and put the TV on….
They have deserved it though and they finished the game like a United team of old!
wow thought we pulled off a miracle but wasn’t to be. We only have ourselves to blame.
credit to qpr
they at least scored 2 goals against the cunts
1 more than we managed over two games
fuck me SAF looks drained on tv
Just thinking how the pressure would be effecting him with 5 minutes to go. He is 70, lest we forget.
once the 2nd goal went in you knew they’d get the 3rd – back to the drawing board for us now
My thoughts too. When they s@id it w@s 2-2 I just fucking knew wh@t w@s coming.
that Aguero goal will haunt me
United paid the price for playing Jones over the season. Anderson was injured, thank God.
i think he will call it a day
he has done us proud
to lose it today has probably convinced him he needs to step aside
i love the man but would rather see him say farewell whilst he still has some years left and not die in the job
that fa cup win last year was the platform for this win i still believe that
and having those american cocksuckers leeching half a billion gives me a real mare every time i think of it
we need some fucking quality to compete
some camel shagging oil rich cunts need to buy us to compete with those quatari whores
by the way did Tevez dive for the Barton sending off? didnt look like he did much on the replay
If there is a silver lining, I just hope that the disappointment of today will spur us on next season. No more complacency when we’re winning and a renewed determination to get some quality in the side would be a good start.
The players and manager will be hurting. For so long, we thought the title was won which is why we let slip an 8 point lead.
Let City enjoy their moment, they’ve had 20 odd years of us lording it over them and I have enjoyed every single minute of it.
fucking cruel way to lose this title
that is the long and short of it for me
I feel like Fergie will step aside or give it one last go and play hardball with the owners to get talent in.
Too much to hope for, but I want to be entertained when I watch United next season.
we didn’t give up when we chased them down from january and yet after their loss at arsenal, we took it for granted which is something that SAF really needs to look at himself too
crazy team selections, nonsense tactics and michael phelan – this hurts just as much as 1995
devastated but we will be back, we have won so much the last 20 years, some times luck is against you, hope we have a clear out now, we need new players, let them enjoy it, after all it is 19-3 to us lol.
se ya next season.
aye mad red
but remember 18-7?
history shows that every dog has its day…
Mancini is no Alex Ferguson.
Wow. City finished like the Utd of old. What an end to the season. Hope taken away in the space of a couple of minutes. Football. Bloody hell.
but he will have unlimited wealth to buy who he wants and pay whatever they demand
Money can motivate you only for so long.
If there is 1 crumb of comfort, it is that we have taken on a side with £500m spent on it and only lost out on goal difference – a huge achievement when you consider how we are massively hindered with our finances.
As much as I have criticised Fergie for his strange recruitment decisions, personnel selections and tactics, I take my hat off to him for at least getting us this close.
We will be stronger next season. Maybe we needed something like this to kick us up the arse. It’s been a shit season but we will hopefully learn.
Liverpool supporters will be ecstatic tonight though. When in fact the trophy is going to Manchester anyway.
LOL, what a sorry bunch. I hope Dalglish stays as their manager.
aye sheesh
well put
cheers guys and uncle – feel like shit but there’s always the summer to recharge
Weirdly, I was less concerned with us winning it today more looking forward to watching city mess it up. We didn’t deserve it by our standards (I’d have taken it though) and whilst everyone is writing United off I’m still hopeful that we can line up 3 players over the summer if we do we should be in reasonable shape.
Whats so gutting is th@t this season, City were such favourites ‘n we had so much to contend with it would have been so heroic if we’d won.
Well Glazers had it their own way after all.
Whatever will be, will be; but i feel extremely sorry for SAF.. because of his age, and all those laughing bitters.
cause they’d better laugh at Joey Barton’s face
yeah, when you put it in perspective, we’ve done well in the league this season. i just hope the losses to city, the european exits (basel and bilbao) and the draw against everton hurt the players just as much as they hurt the fans. if the team learns from this, and fergie strengthens the team over the summer (and just as importantly, lets underperformers leave), i’ll be happy with that. can’t wait for the fucking euros to start so there will be some football to watch.
I think we all forgetting whose fault this really is. Not Fergie, Glazers etc., but FRED DONE. (the betfred guy)
“Back in 1998 Fergie told me to never pay out early again but Sir Alex need not worry, I’ve not got it wrong this time, United are past the post for a record twentieth Premier League title.”
What a bastard. Think i’m right in saying the only thing we won that year was the Community shield as well and we all remember what happened in ’99. Let’s hope history repeats itself. Again.
naah Barton elbowed him. Legit red card. How Barton can do that with the stakes so high for QPR is atrocious. Hughes pretty much agreed.
he is an ex-city player after all. hates United as much as any ABU.
that bastard also paid out early in the seasons when we did win so its a tad unfair to put the blame only on him… still he is a cunt still
Of all our good luck over the last 25+ years it’s only fair we get fucked over like today but still feel numb. I didn’t expect us to win the league but with 3 mins to go and we were getting ready to celebrate! I’m trying to think positive, like City having to put up with all our success rubbed in their faces for £25+ years blah blah blah..
Fergie better get us playing attractive football again at least this feeling would be worth it.
This must be one of the worse seasons we’ve had for a number of years.
City winning the league.
Liverpool winning the FA cup.
(Chelsea winning the Champs league ??)
Anyway…that’s it from me….till we meet again.
QPR, another professional team that does not know how to defend in the closing stages of a game when you are ahead.
They should have been relagated. Most fans around the world on talk shows are saying we lost the EPL because of the off and on days of goalkeeper David DeGea. They say how horrible he was in the first half of the season and in the game against Everton in the 4-4 draw. I don’t know whats your take on these comments, but thats all I’m hearing. I guarantee you now that the Glazers will make enough money available to get the team back on track.
aye herbie
i have to agree with your last point
it will take 1 almighty fucking anus of a yank not to see that this is the golden goose in their portfolio of businesses
if they don’t feed it enough, it just ain’t going to produce the eggs
feed it enough dross and dregs and you’ll end up with sub standard shite
so come on you yank fucks, put some decent money in SAF’s hands so he can really spunk it on some quality that will be the difference next season
qpr conceded the 3rd goal after their fans started to celebrate the final whistle going at stoke to ensure their safety
someone shoot that ugly motherfucking toad barton in his head
disgusting despicable effort of a professional footballer
btw
what have huddersfield and city have in common?
they have both won 3 league titles.
Bollocks!!!
Only a thick cunt would say that mancini was a shit manager
He has learned from his mistakes brought back tevez when people thought it was a shit move
His mind games fucked up fergie while he was at the four seasons
Sad seeing the sheer arrogance of united fans being exposed especially those who thought Mancini is a shit manager a mr average
Even funnier those who predicted he would be sacked. Arrogance and jealousy personified. Utter cunts.
And for fergie to bang abou history fuck off just be gracious and congratulate them. End of, we’ve been beaten fair and square and admit it that a young gun from Italy has just like mourinho outgunned you and in terms of mind games out played you.
Well done united too, only lost on gd and still a very good points haul and considering Vidic was out and we have a new goal keeper and we have a manager intent on not buying because of his on stubborn notions of value, we have done well.
i dont think SAF doesnt want to buy because of what u say danni
its more like the gimps have tied his hands and publicly he has to say that bollox
its not as though he hasn’t spent money last season, just that to get the quality in the right departments is going to come with more than 20 million to spend
and he did congratulate them when he was interviewed afterwards
mancini is not a shit manager but lets face it, he had an unlimited war chest and did more u turns than a london taxi driver and still only won the title in the last 3 minutes of the season on goal difference
yes it feels like crap tonight but we have all felt this was lost 7 months ago so to have come this far was a fantastic achievement
jonesy was great today
I agree, but Dozer was slagging him large.
Danni, United didn’t lose the title because of Mancini’s mind games. They had been playing in first or second gear for much of the season and that is largely because they were complacent. I go to the home games and have seen how they have been playing. This is why they got knocked out of the Champions League. Their performances at home were dire.
In terms of the domestic league, they got caught out by their complacency during the run-in when they should have re-doubled their focus to get us over the finish line.
Mancini’s mind games were amateurish.
We lost the league title on goal difference, a goal difference that we could have more than made up in our home games against West Brom, Fulham, Villa and QPR. Swansea at home is another example. We only did the bare minimum to win the matches. In the end, that proved to be a failing which stopped us winning the league.
As for being gracious, you should have seen Fergie’s post-match interview.
Don’t you ever take a day off, talking shit?
you and i don’t agree on a lot but i guess i have come round to your take on the complacency that infected the team with 2 months to go and especially in the last 5 weeks
but let’s also agree that some of SAF’s decisions and tactics were bizarre especially his insistence on berba keeping the bench warm most of the matches where he would have opened up the opposition and instead made hernandez and welbeck start
I really don’t know why the Glazers would be waiting to sell the club for 1.5-2 billion. No idiot is going to spend that much on a football club, however retarded/soaked in blood money they are.
It is a much safer investment to buy a previously small club like Chelsea/Man City and then pump in hundreds of millions rather than spend billions to just buy the club, forget about the yearly investment needed later.
Clubs the size of United just cannot be handled by one owner alone. It should have stayed a public company or restructured to have a system like Real Madrid’s or Barcelona’s.
To be honest, I don’t know what the Glazers are waiting for. Their best bet is to sell their shares to different people rather than one single bidder.
/(stating the obvious)
This is totally wrong… United is one of only a small group of clubs, along with Real and Barcelona, that can compete at the highest level, on the strength of their own finances.
United is the most valuable club in the sports for a very good reason… it makes more money than any other… except for Real and Barcelona, who have the unfair advantage of owning their own television rights… if United negotiated their own telly deals, they’s take in over £500 mill a year.
Without the debt the Glazers have lumped on the club, United could reduce matchday costs to the fans, and still compete with anyone, including city for the best players.
In the period of time that the Bitters have spent £500mill on players, United have pissed away £500mill on Glazer costs, and STILL managed to maintain a competitive team.
Any proper football fan, who just happens to have a spare couple billion sitting around, could do no better than buy Manchester United… your money is safe, as the club will never depreciate, and it can carry it’s own load… Abramovic, and the 40 Thieves of Etihad, will never see the money they’ve spent again…
I don’t doubt United’s ability to be in the green every year on its own. But who would spend 2 bill of their own money on a football club? In 7 years no one has stepped forward. Clearly there is no ‘rich and benevolent football fan’ around.
How do you know?
It’s well known that the Glazers have had several approaches, but have said in no uncertain terms… not for sale…
Maybe not because the offer isn’t right… but because there is still too much debt… if they keep hold of United long enough, not only will they get a huge offer, like £2billion… but they’ll get to keep more of it as well, because the fans will have paid off most of the debt… and in the meantime, they can take out a few million every year for themselves in various fees and payments.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
But the debt is tied to the club. Even if they sell, they get to walk away unscathed.
Atleast, that’s what I understand.
Its not so much about spending 500 million on players. Its the style of football that you play. Look how Bilbao, a team made up of youngsters outplayed us twice! No expensive players there, but their style of football killed us. With all that money that Man.City spent, they could only tie us for first place. We don’t need to be that concerned even if they spend another 500 million on players. You know the old saying, “money can’t buy you love”. All we need to do is fix our midfield problems, bring in two experienced defenders and if Berbatov goes, bring in a striker for him. Man.City have their moment now but if they keep spending like drunken sailors and don’t advance in the Champions league, they will end up another Chelsea.
That’s what I was saying in another thread. If Fergie does not want to spend on players, spend on the backroom staff to atleast vary the way we play. I was very happy with the way United were playing at the start of the season and with a little more tactical nous and by shoring up the perennial injury crisis at Old Trafford, the team could have kept the momentum long enough to have won it by now.
I saw the Blackburn and Fulham matches at home and United really were so one-dimensional and thoroughly devoid of ideas. I took people along who had never seen United play and they really must have been wondering what the fuss was all about.
Ya Ya Toure ,Silva, Kompany, Aguerro were immense all season.
There are cheaper versions of these players , just have to find them and sign them I think we’ve seen similar younger players who play for Bilboa.
I’d recommend us staying away from that crooked cnunt George Mendez this summer as all he seems to do is hike up prices and pocket the excess.
With Rooney and the right central midfielders we could be a decent team.
Well… I would imagine that would be negotiated, wouldn’t it?
You wouldn’t spend £1.5billion on a club, without knowing who has to pay for its debts, would you?
Barton lets rip at Shearer…
“Controversial midfielder Joey Barton took exception to Alan Shearer’s criticism of his very public meltdown against Manchester City yesterday.
The QPR player was sent off as his club battled against relegation for an off-the-ball elbow on Carlos Tevez before kicking Sergio Aguero to the ground and squaring up to both Vincent Kompany and Mario Balotelli as he left the field.
Barton’s former manager at Newcastle Alan Shearer rightly condemned the player on Match of the Day 2 for his actions but the unrepentant midfielder took to Twitter to give his side of the view before engaging in a lengthy rant against the England legend, which went something like this…
Shearers still on my case…”I know I f*cked up Alan, thanks for stating the obvious.”
Whilst were both stating the obvious about each other, can I just say for the record what a great player u were. Well better me…
But I have a better hair(which is not hard), wear well better shirts on TV and have a personality(something u lack).
I really don’t like that prick, in fact I honestly despise him… Goodnight.
I’d take it off Hansen and GaryLineker but not from that bell, same fella that stamped on Neil Lennon,then threatened FA if they banned him
…That he would retire from international football. No sorry, not having him, never have. Selfish, boring man him. He can do one…
My favourite memory of him though is when he dropped his spuds when Keano put it on him. Goodnight Al, sleep well matey…
With that my shearerrant is over… Goodnight all xxxxxx”
two fucking gobshite cunts
shearers always been clever about his cuntishness though, savvy cunt prick
LKHF
faffing
To be fair… when you’re as good as Shearer was, you can get away with being a cunt… at least, more than Barton can.
He was a diving wimpy cunt, Shearer, whose knees would somehow collapse whenever he felt a hand on his shoulder.
It’s cheating, it’s diving, it’s being a cunt, it’s proper centre forward play.
I just wish he got as much shit as Drogba does when he does it. But then Shearer was Mr England and he had a lot of time for the press.
What an awful day yesterday was. Overall, objectively, super exciting, but jebus h simpson what an awful ending. Fairly deflated.
If I see Fergie next season field a midfield combination that includes Giggs and Park then I am going to fly all the way to Manchester and make him swallow a nuclear device.