Meat Balls

Santiago Muñez signs for Man United!!!!!

2010-04-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Remember Santiago Muñez?

This one. :D

On Man United.com Chicharito hails 'dream' move

Firstly, Javier, how does it feel to have signed for United?
It’s a dream and I feel so happy. I’ve really enjoyed my week in Manchester – the stadium, the atmosphere at the club and the history are incredible and I want to do great things here.

You were at the Bayern game – what did you make of the experience?
I felt a lot of things and, as I said, I’m living a dream. The atmosphere was incredible with all the fans singing. It was fantastic to see.

What sort of player are you?
I just like to enjoy myself. I want to win every day and I hope I can do great things.

You’ve met Sir Alex – what were your impressions of the manager?
He is a great person and probably the best coach of all time. All my impressions of the team, the club and the city are incredible.

Your family must be very excited at the prospect of you playing for the Reds…
Yes, they are. My family are my biggest supporters and have been there with me through the good and the bad times and they have supported me a lot, so they’re very pleased.

United will play in Mexico this summer – what reception can the team expect?
The best. In our country Manchester United are the top team and the reception they will get will be fabulous.

And this is how Chicharitio looks like.

Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2

2010-04-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

There were chatter that Wayne Rooney was doing a full work out on a bicycle and it was said he played in a practice match with the youth team at Carrington.

I knew Rooney would want to play and I knew Sir Alex would most likely start Rooney given the dismal team performance for the last 2 matches. Losing tonight would most likely be the end of the season. We needed a lift and the senior players had been urging the crowd to be in full support all week.

And when Rooney was named in the starting eleven, and Old Trafford was truly buzzing.

Sir Alex made 3 changes.

Rafeal for Neville. Valencia, Carrick, Fletcher, Gibson and Nani in the midfield and Rooney upfront.

And the changes made were a stroke of masterpiece from Sir Alex.

Rafael drives forward, lays the ball squarely to Rooney who immediately lays the ball to Darron Gibson. Perhaps Bayern were unaware of Gibson's long range shooting abilities and Darron was given the time and space to open the scoring.

3 minutes. 1-0. United got the goal they wanted.

United doubled its lead 3 minutes later. Rooney sends a long, beautiful cross field pass to Valencia. Valencia attacked the flank and sends a cross to a totally unmark Nani who scores with a neat flick!

2-0 inside 8 minutes. Old Trafford was rocking and Bayern was rocked by United.

And in 41 st minute, Valencia sets up Nani's second. 3-0. United is in dream land. I thought I was dreaming.

Two minutes later, Olic pulls one back for Bayern. 3-1. 4-3 on aggregate. Still ok.

Then trouble came.

50th minute. Rafael gets the red card after getting his second booking. Sigh!

Sir Alex takes out Rooney and brings on John O'Shea.

Bayern smelt blood and they went for the kill. In the 74th minute, Ribbery sends corner to the far side of goal to Robben and Robben sends an incredible volley past Van der Sar.

Oh no!

United leads 3-2 for the night but is down on away goal.

Argh!

At 3-0, we had a 2 goal lead for the tie and yet we blew it.

Sigh!

Man United 1 Chelsea 2

2010-04-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. To allow Drogba goal to stand when he was clearly offside was hard to stomach, reminds me about the poor referee decisions at Stamford Bridge earlier decision. Would things have changed if the goal was not allowed?

Doesn't matter now and make no mistake, we deserved to lose.

We were simply out of depth in the first half. Shape of the team was wrong but we shockingly laced the desire, the determination and the effort to want to win the match.

It was exactly watching that Bayern Munich horror show all over again but this time our opponents, Chelsea hit us early in the first half and we never did look like scoring.

Yes, we did played with greater purpose in the second half but that was not good enough.

We have now lost our lead in the league.

Could we still win the league? It's clearly out of our hands now. It's for Chelsea to lose.

Match Review: Manchester United Vs Chelsea

2010-04-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Big clash against Chelsea tomorrow and a bigger clash against Bayern Munich next week.

And no Wayne Rooney.

Good point is both matches will be played at Old Trafford.

And good point is we have Sir Alex.

I honestly never expected Man United to win the title this season, not so soon after selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and only bringing in Valencia and Micheal Owen. From day one, I thought Chelsea had the edge.

And this is where Sir Alex has done so well this season.

Let me count out, just in case.

He's got Wayne Rooney playing much better, yes? He's got Nani back again. And even the older players, like Scholes and Neville has performed great this season. Even Ji Sung is playing much better and lately, especially in the Bolton match, I have to admit, even Berbatov had shown more determination. And it all boils down to Sir Alex, yes?

First thing, how would Sir Alex handle this two match? According to the tables, a draw against Chelsea is not a bad result but we have to beat Bayern Munich. So would he favour and place more importance in the Champions League match next week?

Me? I don't think so.

Sir Alex will want to win this year.

We are simply to close to the finish line to throw it away, and more importantly, it would mean, United has won more league titles than Liverpool and I know Sir Alex would love to have that. No buts to that!

And this is why I feel United will go all out against Chelsea this weekend.

Having said that is easy. Sure easy. Talk is cheap but can United beat Chelsea who suddenly is playing so hot?

Firstly, Portsmouth was a gifted match - thanks to Daivd James's air kicking skills again - what a blunder, what a blooper! Portsmouth was so poor. I am not going to read much about that. Villa match. Chelsea were good but Villa really collapsed in the second half and having seen the match again, I felt that they playing without Drogba was a plus. Their game became for fluid. Now don't get me wrong. It's not that Drogba is no good but it's different. Drogba needs someone really strong midfielder in the team, someone like Essien. With Essien powering up the middle, Drogba is simply more deadlier. That's how I see it and Essien is missing. And this is why I feel that Chelsea had struggled recently. Essien is really the the star.

Before Rooney's injury, I was very confident. United is having a real strong run at home and I was so confident that United will win tomorrow.

But now there's no Rooney.

I still don't think Chelsea can beat United. Certainly not at Old Trafford. Question for me is can United beat Chelsea?

Firstly, United needs to bounce back from their absolute shitty performance last Tuesday.

That was a shocker.

Yeah, I know, there's no Rooney but most of the players already knew that Rooney would be out right after the match and they were already focusing on Chelsea already.

Can Berbatov do it alone? Yes, Berbatov needs to have a big match. Nani and Valencia too! And we need the energy from Ji Sung and Fletcher.

How?

At this moment, I feel United can get at least a draw and let me say it, I won't be surprise to United win. Let me take a wild guess, 2-0 too! Fletcher and Ryan Giggs to be the scorers!

Hehe.. yeah.. a wild, wild guess from me.

Come on United!

Rooney Update

2010-03-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

It supposed to be a big week for MU. Bayern away, Chelsea home and then Bayern home.

And boy did we start badly.

A lost to Bayern despite being gifted an early goal and then Rooney.

Early reports suggests he could be out between 2 to 4 weeks.

Sigh

On Skysports:

Wayne Rooney is facing between two and four weeks on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, Sky Sports News understands.

The Manchester United and England talisman had the nation holding their breath as he crumpled in a heap on the turf at the Allianz Arena in the closing seconds of the 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich.

Rooney, who had bagged his 34th goal of an astonishing season with just 64 seconds on the clock in the quarter-final first leg meeting, had to be helped from the field and later left the stadium on crutches.

Replays of the incident showed he had turned his right ankle when he landed awkwardly, causing immediate concern for Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson and England counterpart Fabio Capello.

The fears of the national team appear to be have been alleviated by the initial prognosis, but the Red Devils will be without their attacking ace for a significant spell during the title run-in.

Ferguson's men, who head the Premier League by one point from Chelsea, play host to their title rivals at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime in what could well prove to be a pivotal moment in the season.

The return leg of their European showdown with Bayern follows next Wednesday when United know they must score if they are to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Rooney can expect to miss the trip to Blackburn on 11th April and may also struggle to be involved in the Manchester derby with City at Eastlands the following weekend and the home meeting with Spurs on 24th April.

That would leave the 24-year-old with just the Premier League encounters against Sunderland and Stoke to regain match sharpness in domestic action before attention turns to England's World Cup bid in South Africa.

On the UK Sun

Wednesday

1.05pm: Early reports suggest it is a sprain that will keep Rooney out of action for the next two to three weeks. This is prior to his medical examination which is due this afternoon.

12.40pm: Darren Fletcher says United should be able to cope with Rooney's absence. "He scored again for us last night and he is quite obviously one of the best players in the world. But we have other good players. If Wayne isn't available, we will rally round."

11.20am: It is confirmed that Rooney will return to England this afternoon and be taken for a fuller medical examination.

9.25am: Bookmakers William Hill announce they have lengthened England's World Cup odds from 5/1 to 6/1. Spokesman Graham Sharpe says: "If there is the slightest chance of Rooney being absent it definitely affects England's chances in the minds of punters."

8.30am: Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Saar is already contenplating playing on without Rooney. He says: "You always want your best players available but we know the players coming in can also do a good job."

Tuesday

10.40pm: Rooney leaves Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena on crutches with his right ankle strapped into a surgical boot.

10.05pm: Sir Alex Ferguson confirms: "He's got a kick in the ankle, we'll just have to wait and see tomorrow. Hopefully it's not too serious. He may be doubtful for Saturday but it's too early to say."

9.45pm: The verdict is a suspected twisted ankle. Talk focuses on Rooney's bad luck ahead of big tournaments and the broken metatarsal he suffered in his foot in the build up to the 2006 World Cup.

9.30pm: Rooney turns over his right ankle while trying to tackle Mario Gomez. As Bayern sweep forward to score their winner, Rooney is left sprawled on the turf. Rooney eventually limps from the pitch with his right boot off.

Read more: here

Bayern Munich 2 Manchester United 1

2010-03-30T17:14:00.001-07:00

A ball to Nani on the right wing. A bizarre and the silliest of foul by Demichelis. Nani send the free kick in, and yes I was sure there was a slight of deflection, Rooney checked his run, Demichelis slipped, and Rooney had the easiest of goal in a champions league.

Incredible!

Bayern Munich 0 Manchester United 1.

What a free gift!

That unfortunately became the turning point or rather the pivotal point of the match.

That goal simply blinded Man United and United turned in one of the most abysmal and disappointing Champions League match ever. I am pretty sure United were thinking that it's their divine right to progress to the semis. Rooney, their inspirational star forward, had scored yet another goal and he scored in less than a minute too. This is going to be an easy peasy match. A walk in the park.

Sadly, that gifted goal simply inspired Bayern Munich. No, they were not going to be thrashed in front of their own fans, no, they are not going to let the opportunity of avening their 1999 Champions League defeat slip just like that. After the goal, they were so pumped up, so fired up.

And judging by the way Bayern was playing and more importantly, how below average United was playing, I knew the lead was not going to last. We be lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw. I be happy.

Half time came.

Surprise, surprise... United was still leading 1-0.

Ok, I then thought, maybe Sir Alex can see how poorly we are playing. Maybe he will get his tactics right at half time and maybe United will once again put in a sterling second half performance.

Boy, was I wrong.

We did not play much better and Bayern came out even more aggressive in their play. Perhaps they sense that this was it. Man United is playing way below par tonight.

And luck rewarded them. Nah, I should not use the word luck. Luck has nothing to do with it. Bayern created their own luck and in the 76 minute, Ribbery, who had a really excellent game, drove in a free kick. Ball hit Rooney's bum if I am not mistaken and left Van der Sar stranded. 1-1. Game on.

Yeah.. we did hit the post twice in the match. From a Giggs corner, Vidic drove in an extremely powerful header against the post. And early on, Nani hit the post with an extremely optimistic cross/shot. That was it.

And how ironically that Bayern scored in the very last minute.

Fate eh?

What comes around, goes around.

Champions League Preview: Bayern Munich Vs Manchester United

2010-03-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

It's gonna be one very interesting match.

The Germans have been saying this and that about Wayne Rooney. They said they are afraid.

Me?

I am not buying it and neither will Sir Alex.

Bayern Munich will be ready for battle tonight.

Robben did not play in the weekend. Ribbery made a brief appearance. I won't be surprised if both of them start for Bayern Munich tonight.

Which will make it superbly interesting? Whose set of wingers is better? Mine or yours?

Of course, I would say United should have the advantage because Valencia and Nani have been fit and playing regularly recently. With Bayern, yes there is no doubt that both Robben and Ribbery are immensely talented but they have not been playing regularly, so it's obvious that Manchester United have the slightest of advantage here.

Despite Berbatov playing extremely well against Bolton during the weekend, I doubt he will start. Sir Alex will most likely use his 4-5-1 formation again.

Van de Sar in goal, Neville, Rio, Vidic and Evra in the back four, Valencia and Nani on the wings, Carrick to be in the holding role, while Fletcher and Ji Sung in the more advanced position. Rooney will be the lone striker.

How would I call this match?

I strongly feel United would get a result in this match. LOL! A biased view point maybe but I just don't see United losing.

Bolton 0 Man United 4

2010-03-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was rather confident that Arsenal couldn't get all 3 points versus Birmingham because Birmingham has a rather strong home form ( Preview: Birmingham City Vs Arsenal )and I was confident that Chelsea should beat Aston Villa at home. However, I was in awe to see them blast 7 goals past Villa. They looked determined and eager to make right the recent dismal form. They moved the ball around much faster and the hunger in their play was so evident. Then after 56 minutes, Chelsea tore Villa apart. 5 more goals were scored in the last half hour. What an incredible performance and Villa didn't play too bad. If one had watched the first half, Villa were only trailing 2-1 and did not looked like a team that was going to be thrashed 7-1.

Then I saw the line-up Sir Alex put up against Bolton. No Rio, no Rooney, no Park and no Carrick. Berbatov lines up as the lone striker. Scholes, Giiggs and Neville starts.

And Bolton was tough and they hurried United players right from the start. Play was scrappy and very physical and it seriously looked like a very long day.

And that Jack Wilshire was indeed a pest.

Got lucky when our opponents scored for us yet again. Eleven own goals scored for United. Must be one lucky season. Oh yeah, United's second best striker struck once more.

And the save Van de Sar made from Muamba was incredible.

One nil at half time didn't looked mighty unconvincing and not when Bolton looked like they could score but once again United proved themselves to be an extremely strong second half team. Berbatov scored a brace and Darron Dibson added the fourth despite being on late in the match.

Some comments on players.

Fletcher was superb again.

Van de Saar, he's back isn't it? Made couple of great saves.

Vidic. Totally commanding in the air. Best game from him in a long time.

Berbatov. I thought he had a really decent game and I was even surprised with his work rate and hunger for the ball. He's my MOM!

As a whole, this is a great result. And for a 4-0 score line, United didn't really dominate. How could they be when the fact the game was so physical.

Fantasy Premier League: Game week 32

2010-03-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Do you have a team in http://fantasy.premierleague.com/?

I am pretty lousy and I have constantly and randomly hassled and beaten each week. :P

Here's my team line up for this game week.

Givens

Baines, Ridgewell and Evra

Kranjcar, Valencia, Malousa, Arteta

Teves, Rooney (C), Pavlyuchenko

Think I can lose to you this game week?

Preview: Birmingham City Vs Arsenal

2010-03-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

This will be a massive weekend for Arsenal.

Everyone will be talking about the fact that Birmingham has not been hot recently. They are now in 9th place and 7 points out of their last 6 does not make them a tough time compared to Arsenal who have won their last 6.

However, Birmingham is not an easy place for visiting teams this season and the stats shows how tough they are. They last lost a home game was on 26th Sept, against Bolton. They lost 2-1 on that day. Since then they are unbeaten at home.

Here are the recent league matches..

Birmingham 2 Everton 2
Birmingham 1 Wigan 0
Birmingham 2 Wolverhampton 1
Birmingham 1 Tottenham 1
Birmingham 1 Man Utd 1
Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0
Birmingham 2 Blackburn 1
Birmingham 1 West Ham 0
Birmingham 1 Fulham 0
Birmingham 0 Man City 0
Birmingham 2 Sunderland 1

Saturday 26 September
Birmingham 1 Bolton 2

Chelsea, Man United and Man City have all failed to win. Everton was 2-0 up but Birmingham came back to level the match.

I don't think Arsenal could be perfect for the rest of the season and this match is one of the matches that I think Arsenal could come unstuck.

Yes, I strongly reckon that Birmingham could get a result at home against Arsenal. A draw is very much possible.

Another Step For Owen

2010-03-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

"Owen won't play for the Reserves tonight," the boss told ManUtd.com on Thursday morning.

"He’s going to be training with the first team and we’ll see where that takes him. We’re keen to get him back involved because he’s an experienced player and will be a valuable addition for us in the run-in, when having a strong, fit squad is vital."

Remember this goal?

Gimme The Ball

2010-03-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Man City lost to Everton 2-0.

Most noteable talking point was the squabble.

Here's the report on the Uk Media. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2906618/Roberto-gets-a-roughing-up.html

And here's the action!

See how these two fight over the ball!

LOL! No joke... just gimme the ball!

ps: Won't it be an absolute howler if it was Sir Alex and Rafa?!

Scholes Wants The Four Bagger!

2010-03-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

Scholes targets historic title

This is the business end of the season. Do you enjoy the pressure that comes with the need to pick up points?
Yeah, the title run-in is always exciting and it’s obviously better if you’re one of the teams involved. And this season we’re definitely in with a shout. We always say it’s important to put yourselves in a position where you’re in with a chance of winning the league, even if you’re not leading from the front. If you can be there or thereabouts then that’s good enough because anything can happen in the run-in. We’re in that position, so now it’s a case of kicking on and winning games.

Nobody’s ever won four league titles in a row. Does the opportunity to make history appeal to you?
It would be great. Three in a row was a big achievement and now we want to go one step further. But the chance to make history doesn’t drive me – that’s not what’s in the back of my mind when I walk out onto the pitch. I just want to win every game and hopefully win every trophy, whether it’s the first time I’ve won it or the 10th time. The aim each year is to win the league. If that means making history then terrific – if not, so be it.

What gives United the edge over other teams in the title race?
I’d like to think we’ve got the right players, ones who have been there before and know how tough it is to win the league. The game against Chelsea is going to be massive and we know we need to win that one. But that’s not the only important game. If we want to win the league we’re going to have to win every game. It’s going to be tough but I’m sure we can do it.

United have done well against Chelsea at home over recent years. Can you put your finger on why?
I’m not sure, no. You’re right, though: for whatever reason, we’ve had some good results against Chelsea at Old Trafford in recent seasons. Away from home we’ve struggled a little at Stamford Bridge but with the United fans behind us we’ve managed to get the better of them. This match is going to be crucial because there’s such a big prize up for grabs and this could have a big impact on the title race. But every game’s important – the teams at the bottom are fighting for survival and we need to make sure we beat them as well.

All the talk has been about United and Chelsea, but what about Arsenal?
You can’t rule out Arsenal, especially with the run-in they’ve got. They’ve played all the top teams twice already, so they’ll be confident of putting together a good run of results. But the bottom line is that if we win all our matches we’ll win the league.

One of those games is against Manchester City in April. How do this season’s derbies rank in terms of dramatic matches and atmospheres you’ve experienced?
That first one, the 4-3 at Old Trafford, was unbelievable. I think City only had three shots and scored three goals. Meanwhile, we had about 25 chances but only ended up winning the game in the last minute of injury time. That was an amazing game, and the Carling Cup semi-final wasn’t too bad either. We all enjoyed that win a lot – when you’re playing your local rivals it’s always nice to win, but it was also the semi-final of the Carling Cup and there was a spot at Wembley up for grabs. As for the game in April, it’s definitely going to be difficult, especially given we lost there in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final, but we believe we’re strong enough to go there and get all three points.

Can City now be considered genuine trophy challengers?
Well, they weren’t far off in the Carling Cup – they got to the semi-final – and it looks like they might be fighting for fourth place in the league. That’s definitely an improvement for them and if they continue to spend money at the rate they have done then I think in the next few years they’ll definitely start challenging for trophies.

The United squad contains players who have won the title on numerous occasions. How much will experience come into it?
To be honest, it can work both ways. If you’ve never won the league then you’re desperate to win it. On the flip side, once you start winning trophies you don’t want to stop. And maybe that experience will help us, maybe we know what it takes to win the league. But every season’s different and throws up new twists and new challenges – all we can do is hope we react to those challenges in the right way.

How would you assess your own season?
It’s difficult for me to say… you go through spells when you’re playing a lot and then you have periods when you’re in and out of the side. It can be difficult to build up momentum but that’s something we’ve all had to get used to in recent years. Every players wants to play every week and it certainly helps you if you have a little run in the side, but that’s not always possible. You just have to make sure you’re ready to play when the manager calls upon you.

Is there any part of you that wishes you’d had the opportunity to test yourself in another league?
Not at all. I’ve achieved everything I could have wanted by playing at Manchester United. And I’ve always viewed playing at United as a fantastic achievement for me. Growing up I never imagined I could play for Manchester United, but thankfully I was lucky enough to do it. I’m also lucky that I’ve played in good teams over the years that have won trophies. I’ve never seen a reason to change any of that.

When other United players are asked to name their favourite trainers, your name is inevitably top of the list. But who gets your vote?
I’d have to say Ryan Giggs. He does something every day in training that takes your breath away, whether it’s scoring a goal or taking somebody on. He’s great to watch and great to play with.

Ryan’s longevity is often attributed to the yoga classes he takes. What’s your secret?
I don’t think there is a secret. I just try to live as healthily as I can, eat the right things, make sure I’m training hard at the right time and also resting at the right time. The coaches here at United are great and they often let you dictate how much you do in training. If it’s a day or two after a big game and you’re feeling a little stiff then you might take things a little easier. As you get older you get to know what’s best for your own body so you have a good idea of when you need to work hard and when you need to rest.

Have you ever joined Ryan for a yoga class?
No [laughs]. I don’t think that’s for me.

Source: here

You Dirty Roo!

2010-03-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

ROFLMAO!

This is absolutely brilliant capture!

Yeah I am always a fan of Youtube!

Worrying News On Rooney

2010-03-22T17:39:00.001-07:00

Rooney, 24, limped heavily as he left Old Trafford four hours after Sunday's 2-1 Prem win over Liverpool, having scored United goal No 33 this term.

He received treatment and is now expected to miss heavy training this week ahead of Saturday's trip to Bolton.

The situation is being closely monitored but is a huge worry for club and country.

When the situation first flared up three weeks ago, Rooney was told it would be gone in a month. But it seems to be getting worse.

The problem first arose ahead of the Carling Cup final and boss Alex Ferguson left him on the bench to give him a rest.

But he had to come on after 30 minutes when Michael Owen got injured.

Rooney played on the heavy Wembley pitch days later for England, much to Fergie's annoyance.

Read more: here

Chievo 1 Catania 1: Was It Fixed? Judge Yourslf!

2010-03-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

Posted earlier: Soccer betting: It's All A Big Scam! It's The Italian Job

Found the video clip!

Look at them misses!

1st goal not offside?

2:55 of the clip. Look at the penalty! Now Rafa, that's a dive!

See the following two postings: Even odder and Very odd.

Soccer betting: It's All A Big Scam! It's The Italian Job

2010-03-21T23:43:00.001-07:00

That draw was fixed!!!!

It's all fixed!!!! Footie is all fixed!

And the following doesn't help either.

A TOP footie match which British bookies feared had been fixed to be a draw - ended in a draw yesterday.

A massive £2million was staked with online giant Betfair on Italian clubs Chievo and Catania finishing level - with a further £217,000 on 1-1.

It followed a flood of bets with High Street bookies after talk of a sting first emerged.

Seven firms suspended betting by last Thursday. They had to pay out on bets placed beforehand.

David Williams, from Ladbrokes, said: "We saw a lot of money for the draw and decided to pull the plug."

A Victor Chandler spokesman said: "We feel vindicated."

One UK professional gambler said: "As early as last Wednesday a lot of people were very confident this game would be a draw - talk about The Italian Job!

"The amount of money was unbelievably high for two teams in their position. Neither is exactly a household name here and the game wasn't even televised."

Chievo, from Verona, scored first in the 13th minute before Sicilians Catania equalised with a penalty in the 73rd minute in the Serie A match. Betfair confirmed it was a "heavily-backed draw".

Rafa Accuses Valencia To Be A Diver!

2010-03-21T19:24:00.001-07:00

Valencia is a diver????

LOL! How delusional can Rafa get???

Rafa is getting really pathetic. He is trying to hide his lack of managerial skills and he's trying to divert attention from how badly his team played.

Look at how he forced Xavi Alonso out of his team.

Look at his recent debacle involving the purchase and disposal of Robbie Keane.

Look at the Albert Reira situation.

Babel was once deemed one with a great prospect. Look at Babel now since joining Liverpool.

Look at Aquilani.

Diabolical.

Asked if he thought Valencia had dived, Benitez said: "Yes I think so. There is maybe a contact but the way he fell down was strange.

"I've seen three replays and the last one was very suspicious.

"See the replay and how he fell to the ground.

"The penalty made a big, big difference. One situation changed everything."

The decision sparked a confrontation between Benitez and United boss Alex Ferguson, who thought Mascherano should have been sent off as last man, not just booked.

Benitez said: "When you have different opinions you have to express different opinions. He has his own opinion about everything. Jamie Carragher was coming across."

But Ferguson said: "I thought for the penalty kick it was a red card.

"There was no way Carragher could have got across to stop Valencia from shooting, absolutely no way. He's too quick for Carragher to get across.

"It was a penalty but you have seen it time and time again - the law of the game is that if you stop a player from a goalscoring opportunity, it's a red card. But not today it wasn't.

"He tugged him and obviously I think the referee is right. He was right through on goal, he did bring him down, it wasn't until he was inside the box that he brought him down."

Fergie complained ahead of the game that Steven Gerrard had not been banned for yesterday's encounter after catching Portsmouth's Michael Brown with his forearm in a match on Monday.

Benitez said: "He said this just on Friday? Which Friday? This Friday or every Friday? I'm really surprised when you talk about these things. The refs are professional.

"We know about the influence of Sir Alex in everything but these referees are very professional." (Source: here )

Omigoshhhhhh!

Wasn't Valencia tugged in the arm? Wasn't he bundled over????

How could that not be a penalty!

LOL! LOL!

Rafa, you just made everyone laughed out loud on your comments!

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1

2010-03-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

It wasn't a fantastic match but it was redemption!

Man United carried the pain and suffering the past year. Three successive losses against our fiercest rivals was too much to stomach. Last night victory was so sweat and coupled with Chelsea's failure to win at Ewood Park and in this stage of the season, it was a superb result!

I knew Blackburn would get a result - refer this posting Champions League; Chelsea 0 Inter Milan 1 ), it meant we would still be top of the league in regardless of Chelsea's performance away to Portsmouth. Love the Portsmouth brilliant recovery against Hull City on Saturday. Could Chelsea have yet another away blues? Would love to see Pompey get a result too!

Like Drogba, Torres opened the scoring for United on the 6th minute.

That was one horrible piece of defending. The entire defense turned ball watchers. Neville and Vidic stood and watched as Torres found acres of real estate right in the middle of United's penalty box! Well, Gary Neville had been guilty of this during his career but I did not expect Vidic not to pick up Torres. That was plain sinful.

Suddenly, I got the shivers. Flashback of the painful losses recently. Thank goodness United did not give up. The minute Rooney equalised from the rebound of his saved penalty, I had no doubt at all that United would come out winners.

Here are a couple of fun stats held last night. United has not lost a match with Nani started this season. United has won all their matches this season when Rooney scores. ( Charity shield not counted).

Some after thoughts.

Fletcher was the best player last night. He was superb! Well done Fletchino!

Except for Torres goal, Rio is back, isn't it?

Vidic's form was rather below average.

Carrick was strong, wasn't he? He played the holding midfield position well last night.

Rooney was all over the park. Not that he was poor but despite him contributing a lot his goal scoring threat wasn't there simply because he wasn't there. He was all over to be effective.

Ji was't just a Football Player, yes? Fergie played Ji in the middle of the park and Ji actually turned in a great performance.

It’s the stuff of dreams for millions of Reds around the world, and the Korean, who turned in a potential Man of the Match-winning performance on Sunday, was delighted to make it reality.

”It was a great feeling,” Ji told MUTV. “Derby matches are very important games, so to score the winner in a derby is a fantastic feeling.

”Doing it in front of the Stretford End was unbelievable as well because you’re right next to the fans’ reaction. I was very happy [celebrating in front of them].”

Park was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Paul Scholes late on in the match, and he says he hopes to impress the United faithful in the future with plenty more goalscoring displays.

”I want to score more goals for United and it doesn’t matter who they are against,” he said, referring to the fact that his last three goals have come against Liverpool, Milan and Arsenal.

“I know I should score more goals. I feel good scoring against the big teams like Arsenal, Milan and Liverpool, but I want to score more goals, hopefully I experience it more often.

Park has been hugely effective when deployed as a search-and-destroy central midfielder against Milan and, most recently, Liverpool. It’s a role he relishes, but insists it’s not entirely alien to him.

”I enjoy playing in the middle of midfield. I have experience playing there before for PSV Eindhoven and for the Korean national team. So, for me, it doesn’t matter playing in the middle or

”It was very important that we got over losing 1-0,” he said. “We did that and won in the end, it’s a big boost for the rest of the season. There are seven league games left and if we win them all then we will win the title. So we need to concentrate and keep up our performance levels.

"We don’t need to worry about Arsenal or Chelsea, because if we win our games then we will be champions. So that’s why we need to concentrate on our performances and our games.” ( Source: here )

Some comments on Liverpool.

Glenn Johnson. I was surprised that he did not push up. With Johnson not attacking United flanks, there was no threat from Liverpool at all. Containing Liverpool was simply too easy.

Torres. You got lucky. A gifted goal. You got lucky not being booked for kicking out the turf from the penalty spot. That was shocking behaviour. And yes United got lucky when you missed a sitter near the end of the match. Gunners fans would be left bewildered how you miss that.

Gerrard. Were you playing? Yes, you had a hand in creating the goal but where were you last night?

Rafa. Omigosh! What are you thinking? Seriously, why did you bother bringing Aquilani into the match, only to play from the back? I simply could not comprehend. You paid 20 million pounds for him and you don not use him much and when you do, you play him Torres.

Oh, that away outfit you wore was ghastly! Black with gold shorts? It looked as if the whole team wasn't any shorts from far. :P

Big Match Mind Games

2010-03-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ahead of the big match tomorrow... we have the mind games and wind-ups.

First we have comments from the enemy.

Rafa insist that he would not swap Torres for Rooney. (Neither would I want to see United swap Rooney for Torres but if Torres wants to joun United, lol, I would be happy!).

Benitez said: "For us, Fernando is very important. If he had been fit all season the gap to the top would have been smaller.

"If Fernando is fit he'd score in a lot of games, so it is very simple. It would have been a different season for us if he had been injury-free and played more.

"Would I swap him for Rooney? Not really. Fernando is a fantastic player and there's no doubt Rooney is very, very good.

"But Fernando is our player, the fans love him and we want to keep him."

Liverpool are looking for a FOURTH straight win over United.

And with United threatening to move ahead of Liverpool with 19 league titles, Kop fans are desperate to derail their rivals.

Read more: here

Insua says Liverpool has recovered theor style week by week. (Err... come on.. Portsmouth is Portsmouth and Lille has a poor away form. Never mind, two good matches is still two good matches. What was the previous match? Away to Wigan. How did Liverpool fared? They lost 1-0. Yeah, I think they will be pretty fired up for this match)

"To play United after our good result against Lille in the Europa League is good for us.

"Week by week we have recovered our style and become forceful in attack so that now our rivals fear us again. It's perfect for us as we reach the decisive stage of the season.

"Yes, United have Wayne Rooney but we have Fernando Torres. He's over his injury and is in perfect form for this match.

"It is our match of the season and we must concede nothing to our greatest rivals. Our objective is not a draw - we want the win."

Read more: here

Reina:

"It is always a different class of game and you cannot trust statistics.

"At the end of the day it is one of the best games in the world. It is always tough to beat them, and for them to beat us.

"Anything can happen. At the moment they're favourites as they are at home and fighting for the title but it won't be easy for them.

"As long as the three points is the margin that helps us get fourth place, that will be okay."

Read more: here

And from the home corner... we have double shot from Fergie.

Fergie outs pressure on the refs and the FA following the What A Forearm Smash From Steven Gerrard incident. ( Well the comments is spot on, yes? That the FA chose to hide behind the ref's decision not to punish Gerrard any further has only made themselves look might silly!)

"I didn't expect him (Gerrard) to be charged simply because it is a dysfunctional unit at the FA.

"I don't think they know what they are doing. You just scratch your head at some of these decisions, there is no consistency.

"But I certainly think if it was a Manchester United player he would have been done - as was the case with Rio Ferdinand."

Gerrard's let-off means Liverpool's skipper is free to face United in tomorrow's showdown.

Read more: here

And the winner comes from..... Nani. LOL!

"I do not know about the intentions of Steven Gerrard this summer but it is normal that a player with his quality desires to win titles and if this doesn't happen in Liverpool he could think about leaving."

In-form Nani, 23, says Gerrard will have nothing to celebrate tomorrow, either, with United ready to slap Liverpool back down after the Merseysiders' morale-boosting Europa League victory over Lille.

Nani said: "I bet we do not lose one match at Old Trafford until the end of season."

Read more: here

Preview: Man United Vs Liverpool

2010-03-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

It just can't get any better than this.

One team wants salvation. Their season has gone horribly wrong and by beating their fiercest rival, it boosts their next season's Champions League qualification and most importantly it puts a serious dent in their rival's hopes of a record 4th successive league title and a record 19th league title.

The other team wants redemption. Last season, they were thrashed badly. They lost 4-1 in fron of their home crowd. Such stuff should never ever happen. They let themselves badly down. They let the home crowd badly down. They want to make it correct. And most of all, a win would boost their hopes for another title.

It's Manchester United versus Liverpool at Old Trafford.

And the match up just got better. With Liverpool winning 3-0 at hime, both teams now face each other on the back of impressive wins. and with Torres scoring a brace again after Monday's night double against bottom club, Portsmouth, both team's star strikers are on absolute fire.

It's Wayne Rooney versus Fernando Torres.

I strongly tip United to keep a clean sheet and also I strongly tip a home win.

How's that for being positive. :D

The stats will back me on this.

Liverpool has been awful away from home. Their last 6 away matches saw them record a W-D-D-L-D-L. 29th December 2009 was the last time Liverpool won away from home in the league. They beat Aston Villa 1-0 that day.

How ironic. Aston Villa was the last team to score a goal at Old Trafford. That was 12th December 2009, when Man United lost to Aston Villa 1-0 at home. Since then, United has won every game and they have not let in a single goal too!

Yup, United has won their last 7 matches at home. Scoring 26, letting in 0! Have a look at United's matches since that defeat to Aston Villa at home.

Man Utd 3 Wolverhampton 0
Man Utd 5 Wigan 0
Man Utd 3 Burnley 0
Man Utd 4 Hull 0
Man Utd 5 Portsmouth 0
Man Utd 3 West Ham 0
Man Utd 3 Fulham 0

Ah, the critics would argue those teams weren't strong. True but it's still a very impressive home form and it gives the home team confidence. Footie is very much a game of confidence, yes?

And one very important issue to point out is that United will have a strong defence back. VDS will be back in goal and Evra, Rio and Vidic will be back together in the back four. The unknown issue is the right back slot. The main defence is back after a season of injuries.

Ok, Torres is only just returning and the last two games, he is looking extremely sharp. 4 goals in the last two games certainly would boost his confidence. But Rooney is also on fire! He too has banged in 4 goals in his last 2 matches! What a dream match-up.

But that's about it where Liverpool matches with United. I thought it was a huge mistake selling Xavi Alonso and it's all Rafa's fault. I do not blame Alonso for leaving at all. In fact, I thought it was amazing that he stayed the previous season after learning that his boss was trying to sell him! Without Alonso, Liverpool had been extremely dreadful to watch this season and worst still, Rafa played a lot matches with Mascherano and Lucas. That team simply lacked creativity. Summer signing Aquilani is still a question mark and to compound matters worse, there is still no news if he has recovered from his virus attack. And Maxi Rodriguez hasn't impressed in a Liverpool jersey.

And in the back four, Mr. Liverpool, Jamie Carragher isn't having a great season. The back four has been weak. Ok, young Insua have impressed in certain matches but he's young. So comparing the attack versus defense between both teams, I favour United more and I believe that if Fergie plays both Nani and Valencia, Liverpool would have a tough time trying to contain United's wingers.

All said.... I strongly tip United to win!

Yeah babe. Comeon Rooney... hit another brace, ok? :D

Fulham 4 Juventus 1

2010-03-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Fulham 4 Juventus 1!!!!!

What a shocker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now this is what I call a thrashing!

What a superb chip from Clinton Dempsey!

Ugly Side From Some Man United Supporters

2010-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is totally wrong. Just totally wrong. Really.

Protesting against the Glazer is one thing and I have to say that I am in full support - LUHG! - but to target Oliver Gil is plain wrong.

Comeon, let's see class from you fans out there. Booing Oliver is plain classes.

On the UK Guardian: Oliver Gill the new target of Manchester United protesters' wrath

• Chief executive's son booed before Fulham match
• Fans see Gill Jr as a way of getting at his father

David Gill's increasingly fragile relationship with Manchester United's supporters has led to concerns within Old Trafford that the bad feeling could have a negative impact on his son's breakthrough into the first-team squad.

Oliver Gill, a 19-year-old centre-half, was on the bench when United returned to the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat of Fulham on Sunday but his name was booed when it was read out before kick-off.

The teenager has also been verbally abused during some of United's reserve matches and conducted one post-match interview on the in-house TV station while supporters in the background responded by singing a song to denigrate Malcolm Glazer's ownership of the club.

United are hoping the crowd's reaction last Sunday was a one-off during a highly sensitive timeat Old Trafford with Gill, the club's £1.8m-a-year chief executive, facing heavy criticism for aligning himself with the Glazers having previously sided with the protesters when he tried to talk down the takeover in 2005. Several banners have appeared at matches, one accusing him of "protecting his salary not the club". Security has subsequently been tightened, with the club employing bouncer-style minders in and around the directors' area .

The targeting of Gill's son, albeit by a minority, is the first time that an element have gone against Sir Alex Ferguson's request to ensure that the protests do not affect the team. On the fans' websites many have objected to one of the club's up-and-coming players being made a scapegoat. Equally, others have talked openly about targeting the player as a way of getting at his father.

Gill signed his first professional contract last July and the Surrey-born defender has impressed Ferguson with his performances for the reserve team. The manager and the rest of the coaching staff are aware of the booing and Ferguson is understood to be disappointed. Other officials have insisted it is not a serious cause for concern but acknowledged that it goes against the manager's request for everyone to get behind the team.

United's supporters usually pride themselves on not turning against their own players but this has not always been the case, as Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson could testify – or, indeed, Rio Ferdinand after he was photographed dining with Chelsea's then chief executive Peter Kenyon when he was in dispute about the terms of a proposed new contract.

Even Ryan Giggs has been targeted, with ironic cheers when he was substituted during one poor patch, but this is the first time a player has been targeted because of his surname.

Gill was promoted to the squad on Sunday because of injuries to Wes Brown, Rafael da Silva, Jonny Evans and John O'Shea. He is now expected to return to the reserves, with Evans and Rafael expected to be fit for Sunday's game against Liverpool, and it has become apparent to United's coaching staff that he may need strength of character, as well as ability, to continue his progress.

Owen On The Comeback Trail

2010-03-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Owen Hargreaves finally made his return in a 45 minute cameo for Man United reserves!

Yeah babe! This is great news!

Article on the Daily Mail: Owen Hargreaves finally makes his comeback for United reserves

Owen speaking to MUTV's Mark Sullivan

Owen, finally you got onto the pitch... how did it feel?
It was lovely to be back in a team environment. It's been about 16 months, I think, while I've been having surgery and individual rehab, so having team-mates around you, getting used to playing on a bigger pitch and having opponents was great. It's been a very long time and it was great to do that first step.

It's the first step on the road to recovery, but an important one psychologically to get out on the pitch and play in a competitive match...
Absolutely. I don't think I could have anticipated the rehab and the whole thing taking as long as it has. It's been incredibly frustrating but I guess you just have to deal with it, take it step by step, try to be patient and and try to do what's best. Sometimes you can't force things. Today was the first step and hopefully I can kick on from here.

There's a lot of work you have to do in your rehab, isn't there? A lot of training on your own, lot of fitness work and this hard work is starting to pay off now... can you see light at the end of the tunnel?
Well it's been an incredibly long 16 months! I've invested a lot of time and so have a lot of people who have become very close to me as well. They've helped me a lot. But it has been a lot more time than I potentially would have expected just to be available for the squad, so I'm looking forward to getting back into a more normal training pattern and hopefully get back to playing some games.

And you can see by the number of fans that have turned up here tonight how much they want to see you back in a United shirt. That's got to be pleasing for you, to see them?
Well the reception has been fantastic. It's been disappointing for me, really. I came and we had a good first season and I came back early to do some training to hopefully be fit for the start of my second season and it just didn't work; it had an adverse affect to it and it just snowballed from there. The fans have been great. Always when they see me they ask when I'm going to be playing and tell me they want to see me play. I've been doing my utmost to be able to play, so I look forward to being able to run out on Old Trafford again in front of the fans and being able to repay the faith the fans have shown.

So what's the next step for you now?
Well I think I'm doing some injections, actually, which is part of my training and part of the whole protocol, so I think we'll try and get as much training in me as possible with this treatment and just continue on as I have. Obviously this was the first step and from here we should try to progress and go further. That's the plan.

And do you think first team football between now and the end of the season is a possibility for you?
I would like to think so, absolutely. That's what I'm aiming for. I'm not coming back just to be back, I want to come back and have just as much of an impact as I did in my first season. It means a lot to me, so those are my targets and it will happen when time's ready.

First and foremost we want to see you in a red shirt, but there's a World Cup at the end of the season - is that a realistic possiblity?
A lot of people talk about it and it's obviously a topic. You know... we'll just see. I just have to take it day by day. In a perfect world, obviously I'd love to be a part, but I have to do what's best for me, best for Man United and then England. Then we'll see. Obviously it's something I would like to be able to do and I'll just see how I progress in the next month. ( Source: here )

Giggsy: Let's Make It Right

2010-03-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

Quote:

"We didn't play well here last year against Liverpool and they deserved the victory. Hopefully that won't be the same this week.

"It's a massive game, purely because it is Liverpool. It is towards the end of the season so there is so much riding on it.

"No matter how the teams are doing, it is just a massive rivalry because of the history between the two teams, they are two successful teams.

"There is lots of quality on the pitch so you know need to perform whether you are at Anfield or Old Trafford.

"We let ourselves down last year. Hopefully that won't be the case. We are in good form and scoring goals."

Source: here