United Corner (August 26 2012)

And just like that, we have got through the first week of the new football season and you can hear those fans that are disappointed, those that are satisfied and those that have been given new hope as to how this year will develop for their club.

In my first 'United Corner' last week, I wrote that I was looking forward to the new season after the signing of Robin Van Persie, but I still have some concerns about the engine room of the side and whether we have enough in the midfield area to really make progress.

However, I was also of the belief that the options we have in that area were going to be good enough for the Premier League, but perhaps see us come short in Europe. I also thought a 4 point return from the first two games of the season would have been a good start to build upon.


The game at Everton on Monday night was largely disappointing for United in that we never seemed to get into the game and really sit out to control the tempo. We had a couple of half chances here and there, but there was always the fear that Everton were going to be the ones to get the breakthrough and they did look the better team on the night.

Injuries obviously played a big part in the team selection, but it looked a side that was going to need a bit of luck to get away with a win although I still believed it was going to be strong enough to avoid defeat.

To be honest, that may have been the 'opening game' positives spreading through the heart which eventually blocked any thoughts in the mind that Everton were a good enough side to take advantage and go on and win the game.

At the end of the day, losing a game at Goodison Park which is due to start in the evening can happen (read Citeh losing there last season on a Wednesday night), but the manner of the loss is what will determine the mood and feelings I take from it.

On this occasion, I was vastly disappointed with the performance and felt there were too many lacklustre performers in the team that needed to question themselves and truly ask if they had given enough.

One of those was Nani, a player that seems to divide the United faithful into two camps that think he is good enough and those that think he isn't... I can't really fit into either category with any conviction, although I will fully admit to tearing my hair out when watching him play. Nani continues to be frustratingly inconsistent, and he doesn't seem to have any middle ground in his performances- he will either give you an 8.5/10 or a 1.5 but never a game where he is between those numbers.

Unfortunately for us, we saw one of his 1.5 games on Monday night when he can't cross the ball (how many times did he hit the first defender in open play and from set pieces?!), makes the wrong decision when he is in a promising position and generally looks like someone who wouldn't be out of place in a Non-League side.

Some of this could be down to him really wanting to prove himself in the light that he hasn't been offered a contract extension despite seemingly want to commit his future to the club, but it's not the first time he has been a let-down for United and his inconsistencies mean it surely won't be the last (unless sold in the transfer window as some suggest).

Another who didn't impress on Monday night was Wayne Rooney, so often a match winner for United but a player who continued in the fashion that I have become accustomed to in the last twelve months. There hasn't been much competition for Rooney in the starting line up in that time and while the goals have kept coming, there has been a lack of energy (for want of a better word) in his play and almost a lethargic attitude.

It's almost like Rooney had fallen into a comfort zone knowing he would be playing in all the important matches and perhaps he even began thinking that he was 'too good' to be dropped with the lack of competition for him (these are just theories on my part and I have no concrete evidence to suggest they are true). With the introductions of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa, there is now some real options to bring into the side and, as it turned out, Rooney can now be given a 'rest' when the performances are not quite up to scratch.

It wasn't all doom and gloom at Goodison though, with Kagawa looking like a neat and tidy player that will be a positive to what we already had in the squad. With Fergie so often playing a 4-3-3 in the big games, Kagawa will be an upgrade to the position that Ji Sung Park so often took up for United and he looks a player much more comfortable on the ball and a little cleverer with the passes he plays.


Despite all the disappointment of the defeat at Goodison Park, I was still pretty positive about United's chances this season (how many other teams are going to win at Everton after all was the thinking) and the only surprise from the United team sheet on Saturday was the fact that I had predicted all but one of the players- try playing that game every week and guess the team Fergie will start and see how many times you get it right this season(!)

It was great to see Van Persie and Kagawa both get off the mark in their Old Trafford careers, especially the former as you just know the media were itching to get on a 'witch hunt' like the one they enjoyed when Torres couldn't hit a cow's backside with a banjo in his early Chelsea career.

However, I am a glass half empty kind of guy and the sloppiness of the two goals we conceded against Fulham were disappointing, while we were kind of hanging on at the end for the three points. The injury to Rooney will be a big miss, especially if he is missing for the game at Anfield on September 23, while I still have big reservations about a midfield that can't get a grip on a match.

I know a lot of United fans are high on Tom Cleverley and what he can do for our team, but I just can't see it... He played pretty well when we got in front and he was happy to have the ball at 3-1, but before that (OK fine it was only ten minutes) and after Fulham made it 3-2, he no longer demanded the ball, he was careless in possession and he refused to get forward with the ball.

He gained a lot of respect for his early season form last year, but I don't think he is the solution to the problems we have had for over four years now. As I say, he does do the little things well, but he doesn't do enough for me when we need a midfielder to take the ball on.

I barely noticed him at Goodison Park and I really wasn't that impressed with him yesterday- it's far too easy to want a ball when you're leading by a couple of goals, but it's a different story when you need someone to take the ball and get some composure in the side by leading possession.

In the second half, Cleverley and Anderson (I can't be the only one that thinks he has put on the pounds since he was last in action for us) both allowed too much space for the Fulham midfield to exploit and that leads me to the impressive Moussa Dembele.

Dembele has been linked with United in the transfer window and he looked like a player that would really bring some much needed dynamism into our midfield- he was comfortable bringing the ball forward through the midfield and linking up with the forward men, while he could also beat players with his quick feet. There were at least three occasions he beat a couple of men in the middle of the park and had United on the back foot and would give Fergie a different look in that area of the pitch.

We just don't have a player that is comfortable driving with the ball and forcing defenders to make decisions whether to go to the man or track the run of the forward players and we have even fewer players that can actually beat a man- even the likes of Ashley Young have been almost scared to try and take their man on in a dribble and these are all elements that could improve our side in my opinion, elements that Dembele would bring.

Do I think we will get him? Probably not at this late stage, but you can't blame me for believing that someone will see that we need to bring in someone into the midfield.


Finally, the strangest thing I have head all week about United is that Fergie has been banning hacks for getting a news story RIGHT- huh? Three journalists have been banned from future press conferences because they had written Rio Ferdinand would be missing at Everton and it just continues to see the press conferences becoming a bunch of 'Fergie cronies' that won't dare to ask anything of interest in fear of not being invited back.

Personally I don't see how this to the interest of the fans who are keen to hear about some of the bigger issues at Old Trafford (not related to Glazers who are clearly off the agenda), but I am guessing the 'real fans' are the only ones invited.

United Corner 2012-13 (Pre-Season)

This is a new 'corner' I have added to the blog that will be devoted to my first passion in life, Manchester United. I will publish this, on most occasions, on a Sunday evening where I will look back at the previous week, giving my take on results and upcoming fixtures.

All views expressed will be my own.


It has been a long Summer as the heartbreak of May 13th has lingered on- it hasn't helped that SkySports have been advertising the coming season by showing clips of those final, fateful, moments on that Sunday afternoon, but now the new season is upon us and there is a sense that Manchester United can earn some redemption by reclaiming the Premier League title from those lot up the road.

While the memories of the last day of the season have been in the back of the mind, the bigger issues this Summer were about the off-field activities of the club as the debt the Glazers accumulated when they bought the club continues to spiral out of control.

The latest method of floating the club on the New York Stock Exchange has many critics- I, for one, cannot understand why anyone would seriously invest in these 'shares' considering the lack of influence they actually provide, but they are seemingly holding their value at the moment (although far less than what the owners actually thought the club was going to be worth).

The issue continues to divide the club's supporters, something that wasn't helped with Sir Alex Ferguson's 'real fans' comments during the pre-season games. I have total respect for the way Fergie has turned around this club from the one that had failed to win a League title in 26 years, but the comments about 'real fans' have only increased the fracture between individual fans with some believing he needs full backing, while others believe he should do more in highlighting how his hands have been tied in the Glazer-era.

A lot of 'smoke and mirrors' are being used by the owners to claim there hasn't been an issue with the early exit from the Champions League last season, but the announcement of a new shirt sponsor a year before the current deal is expiring seems a touch strange (particularly considering AON were told to pay a lump sum in advance and I am assuming Chevrolet have had to do the same thing) and will only make sure the financial figures they release do not show the negative impact last season's relative lack of success may have had.


On the field matters have seen United purchase the likes of Nick Powell and Shinji Kagawa, while Robin Van Persie is due for his medical before the new season starts and should be in the squad come Monday night when United travel to Goodison Park.

The signings do look decent on paper, but I can't help but wonder why a centre midfielder has not been purchased, especially considering Darren Fletcher is coming off a debilitating illness, while Anderson has also been far too injury-prone over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley will be expected to run the show in the engine room and I do think we now have a squad that is capable of being very good in the Premier League, but lacking the mobility and strength to really compete in the latter stages of the Champions League.

The attacking options available to United now could provide an effective 'band-aid' for the centre midfield, especially if Van Persie and Rooney can spark an effective partnership. I just hope Antonio Valencia is not going to be used as a permanent right back, a position he is expected to start the season.

I actually have felt the signing of Van Persie shows that Fergie may not have too long left in the job- it is almost like he has put all his eggs in one basket of trying to win the title back from Manchester City so he can end his time in charge of the club on a high. United have had a policy of buying players with a 'sell on' value in recent seasons, but this goes against that grain and strengthens the rumours that there are only one or two seasons left for Fergie as the man in charge at Old Trafford.


We did miss signing Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo, but I haven't seen enough of the lad to know whether that's a good or bad decision. He is still young and so we will see in a few seasons whether he was a miss or not, but the price was remarkably high for someone who wasn't even a regular in the Brazil Under-23 team at the London Olympics.

I was still amused that Fergie thought 'when somebody's paying 45 million euros (£35m) for a 19 year old boy you have to say the game's gone mad'... After all, he did spend £25.6 million on an 18 year old boy in Wayne Rooney back in 2004 (I would guess with the inflation in transfer fees, that price is actually more than what PSG spent on Moura).

Granted Rooney was a lot more established having just terrorised teams at the European Championships that Summer, but the comments from Fergie just seemed a little strange considering he opened the doors to the big-priced teenage signing, although most journalists are too scared to say that to him in fear of being banned from the weekly press conferences as has been the situation for some who challenged him over the last few years.


Nemanja Vidic's return is great news for the defence as United now have the added experience of Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, two players that had to fill in in the Captain's absence, while Phil Jones has had a year at the club and should have improved from the experiences.

Rumours are running that the likes of Nani and Javier Hernandez will be sold off to 'balance the books' with the latter apparently requesting a transfer now that he is behind three other players for what could be one position. With Dimitar Berbatov set to stay for another year, and the likes of Valencia, Kagawa and Ashley Young in line to play in the wide positions, these two players do look the biggest 'assets' that can be let go, but I would be sad to see the back of Nani.

Despite being very inconsistent, Nani does possess that bit of magic that can turn a game and you can never have enough of those players, especially in the big matches when a single piece of genius can turn a game in favour of one team. However, his contract is running down (2 years left), with a new one yet to be agreed, and he would bring in a decent transfer fee from a foreign club so his future at the club may be in a little bit of danger.

It does look like the squad is going to be capable of pushing Manchester City all the way in the title race again, but I still think they will be a little short when coming up against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Europe.


Winning the title has become more possible with the signings made in the Summer, but thinking it was simply down to a lack of goals/lack of clean sheets last season that we failed to take the title seems far too simplistic has far as I am concerned.

Manchester City, despite the huge transfer fees paid, were inexperienced in many ways in terms of winning top level titles. Take out Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli and there were plenty of big name players that hadn't won a big European League title nor a Champions League (not including Carlos Tevez who missed much of last season).

Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri had come in from Arsenal, a side that hadn't won anything since 2005, David Silva had been part of the Spanish World Cup winning team, but had been dropped after one game in that tournament, Sergio Aguero had helped Atletico Madrid win the Europa League, but not the League.

Roberto Mancini would also have been feeling the pressure with rumours surrounding his future in the job if they did not win the Premier League and all of this would have contributed to their collapse towards the end of the season.

Older Manchester United fans will remember the collapse in the League title race of 1992 as the team fell apart down the stretch and allowed Leeds United to steal the title. A year later, United did manage to control their nerves, although the turning point in terms of 'belief' came in the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday thanks to two late, late Steve Bruce goals.

Those two seasons saw a very nervous United side blow one title, and just about control themselves to take another and it goes to show what can happen when the inexperience of being in that position affects the squad. After winning the title, there was a new found swagger in the United approach that saw them win the Double in 1994 with fabulous attacking football and I fear City, despite the lack of investment this Summer, may have acquired that swagger now.

They have plenty of goals in their side and lots of attacking options, while their midfield gives them an edge over most of the teams in the League.

Of course there are other factors to consider that may swing the momentum one way or the other this season- injuries will always play a factor and you have to keep your fingers crossed that the key men can survive the rigours of a full season (see the absence of Nemanja Vidic last season, especially when the Captain could have settled the side holding a 4-2 lead over Everton at Old Trafford).

The other factor is which of these teams goes deeper in the Champions League and has their squad stretched by being involved in the latter stages of that competition.

Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa have helped close the gap on City this season, and they have me believing we can take the title back... But I think City are perhaps being under-estimated in terms of the continuity and experience they have built in the last 12 months and I still think they are the right favourites to win the Premier League at this moment in time.

The Week Ahead

Monday 20th August: Everton (a): This is a tough start to the season for United, although I am glad to get the game out of the way early with Everton being notoriously slow starters.

Over the last couple of seasons, United have dropped 4 points against Everton courtesy of blowing 2 goal leads so I won't be sitting tight in this one until the final whistle goes.

It would be a surprise to me if Fergie decides to start any of his new signings in this one considering the tough atmosphere generated at Goodison Park and I would look for a side that will all be well aware of what the rest of the starting line up are doing.

Three points would be a huge bonus from this, one of the tougher away grounds in the Premier League, but a point would not be the end of the World either if I am honest.

Predicted Starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Young, Rooney and Welbeck; Subs: Lindegaard, Jones, Rafael, Cleverley, Kagawa, Anderson and Van Persie

Saturday 25th August: Fulham (h): The first home game of the season is when I think Robin Van Persie will make his debut for United as it has all the ingredients of a match in which to blood a new signing- Fulham are a good team, but they will likely give United plenty of the possession and attacking momentum at Old Trafford and that should help Van Persie blend into the side, rather than pitching him in at a raucous Goodison Park in an evening game five days earlier.

Anything less than three points from this game would be a big disappointment for United, and hopefully they won't be as tense as they were the last time they faced Fulham here when we won 1-0, but were fortunate not to concede a penalty in the last five minutes of that game.

This early in the season, the pressure of staying ahead of Manchester City will not be as great as it is/was in March/April and I would expect a comfortable enough home win.

Predicted Starting XI: De Gea, Rafael, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Carrick, Cleverley, Valencia, Young, Rooney and Van Persie; Subs: Lindegaard, Jones, Scholes, Anderson, Nani, Kagawa and Welbeck

Overlooking Nani for the Player of the Year Award is a disgrace bourne out of dislike

It is almost the end of the 2010-11 season and as the football reaches a crescendo, it is also the time to begin nominations for the Player of the Year Award as well as the Young Player of the Year.

Only there was a glaring omission in the Player of the Year category- Nani.

The Portuguese winger has been a regular figure for Manchester United this season, leading the team and the League in terms of assists and also chipping in with 10 goals. These figures do not compare with a former Portuguese winger that used to ply his trade at Old Trafford, but they are very solid numbers.

Add to the fact that it is Nani who has been the source of inspiration in attacking moves for United all season, even more so than Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, and it really rankles with me that he has been completely overlooked from the shortlist of 7 players.

Nani is disliked, there is no question about that- he is disliked by opposition fans and he is disliked by the media for being dishonest... Sounds a lot like Cristiano Ronaldo really doesnt it? The big difference is Ronaldo had banged in 40 + goals for United in their Champions League/Premier League double winning season and could NOT be overlooked, no matter how much people did not like him.

A recent piece in the Mirror by Oliver Holt sums up the feeling in the media against Nani... But this seems wrong to me in so many ways.

Holt says while many of Nani's traits are similar to Ronaldo's, he wouldnt vote for the former because the latter was braver, and twice the player. There is this common misconception that Nani dives EVERY time he is on the ball- take a look at the first goal United scored against Fulham this weekend... Nani is kicked so many times, yet rides the tackles and eventually sets up the opener.

He has matured a lot in the last 14 months when it was expected that Nani will be leaving Old Trafford in the January window, and since then he has become an integral part of the United attacking line up.

Displays against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium used to be a once-in-a-blue-moon performances, but Nani has become much more consistent since then, and regularly is the influential piece in the United team that can create something from a moment of magic.

Nani has also been criticised for THAT goal against Tottenham earlier this season, but I think the referee was more to blame than the player. Holt criticises the winger for handballing and still getting up to score when there was confusion- how many other players have admitted to handball in games? And how many players are told to put the ball in the net until the whistle blows?

I think Nani just took advantage of a situation. It is less of an act of sportsmanship than a player diving for a penalty, or waving imaginary cards at the referee, or even rolling around in agony to ensure a player is carded and jumping up on your feet and running a 10.01 100 metre dash seconds later...

It is just completely wrong that a player is judged for how he acts rather than the ability and consistency they have shown all season. Nani has been the best attacking player for the team that is top of the Premier League by 7 points.

He has been far more consistent than Rafael Van der Vaart who has come off the boil with injuries and form in the last 3 months, whereas the likes of Gareth Bale have had some really exceptional performances but have missed chunks of the season. Scott Parker has been absolutely brilliant as a leader at Upton Park, but West Ham have seriously underachieved for all their ability and that should have worked against him compared with Nani.

I didn't think Nani was going to win the award this year, personally I would vote for Nemanja Vidic who has been the one rock at the heart of the United defence in the absence of Rio Ferdinand... But to overlook Nani for the top 7 players this season, because 'we dont like him', is seriously poor form.