Fletch is back!

Derrain Fletcher is set to return to action in Scotland's crucial Euro qualifier against Georgia.

Alex McLeish spoke to Sir Alex following Scotland's 3-1 win over the Ukraine on Saturday regaurding Scotland's multiple injuries and suspensions. Sir Alex informed him that Fletcher was planned to play on Saturday against Villa, and thus was availiable for a call-up. Fletcher immediately flew to join the Scotland camp.

With France and Italy a point and two points behind respectively, Scotland must either secure four points from their next two games or win at Hampden against Italy to qualify for the finals in 2008.

This is fantastic news for United ahead of Saturday's match-up with Aston Villa. With Carrick and Hargreaves still out, Fletch is set to recieve a rare start against the Villans.

Wigan Review

I didn't see or listen to the match, as I was playing in my own match at the time, so I do not feel qualified to comment. Apparently, it looked close for the first 45', but United hit their scoring form in the second as Rooney, Ronaldo, and Tevez all fired home.

The game was not without consequences as several United players, including Centre Half Nemanja Vidic, who recieved a minor concussion, left the field with injuries.

A seventh straight clean sheet for the Red Devils means that they are one clean shet from tying United's all time record of consecutive games without conceding.

It's good to see the old United back.

Central Midfield Crisis

Michael Carrick has joined Owen, Fletcher, Silvestre, Neville, Ji-Sung Park, and Van der Sarr on United's injury list after breaking his elbow during a challenge on Mancini. Usually, this wouldn't be a major problem, as United have Scholes, Carrick, Hargreaves, and Fletcher who are all quite adept in the central midfield position. But injuries have certainly taken their toll on United's squad list.

A look at the fixture list however makes the problem seem a little less worrisome. The massive two week international break will give United a chance to get back on its feet. If neccessary, Giggs, Anderson, Ronaldo, O'Shea, or even Tevez could fill in in the middle.

United have a very talented squad, Sir Alex should be able to find someone to fill in until Hargreaves, Fletch, or Carrick is back to full fitness.

Hargreaves should only miss the matches against, Wigan, Villa, Dynamo Kiev, and Middlesbrough.

Another 1-0 Victory

United defeated Roma 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a lovely second half strike from Wayne Rooney. Roma probably deserved a point, but despite numerous opportunities and several open goals, Roma failed to find the back of the net.

United started the game with O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, and Evra at the back, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, and Nani in midfield, Rooney slotting in as a Centre Forward with Saha ahead of him in a more traditional striking role.

Many were surprised to see Nani starting in the place of long-time red Ryan Giggs, but the Portuguese winger put himself about well and set up the winning goal. Hargreaves was expected to make his return, but failed to pass a late fitness test, he has received an injection which will hopefully solve his tendinitis problems permanently. He will, however, be out for 3-4 weeks for recovery.

United looked decent in the first half, Rooney came close with a lovely volley midway through the first half. Roma also had chances, but Kuszack, in for the injured Van der Sarr managed to hold them at bay.

Saha's poor run of form continued from the weekend, his touch looked poor and he contributed little. No one could have argued with Sir Alex's decision to bring on Tevez later in the match.

The second half looked much the same until Rooney took the ball on the bounce from a lovely diagonal ball from Nani and turned it off the far post and into the back of the net. United dominated for the next 15-20 minutes. Tevez came on to replace Saha, and Giggs came on for Nani. The welshman didn't do much for United, but Tevez looked threatening from the moment he touched the pitch.

Tevez slid deep and sat just ahead of the midfielders while Rooney stepped into Saha's vacant spot. Tevez even got back to help out in defence on several occasions, tackling well and then bringing the ball forward out of defense.

Ronaldo took an elbow to the face, near 80' and united played the rest of the match with ten men, as they had already used all of their substitutions.

Oh Cristiano, what have you done?

Cristiano Ronaldo is probably one of the most targeted wingers in the world. He's got pace, moves, and a certain cockiness that causes defenders to want nothing more than to break his legs. So why would he want more attention?

In his recently released autobiography, which I pray wasn't originally written in English, Ronaldo states that, "When we were already winning 6-0 one of their players said 'don't do any more dribbles, you're already winning by six', almost begging. Obviously I won't reveal his name, as these are comments brought about by occurrences in the game. But these comments are worthless, for I keep playing exactly the same way."

Now I want to break his legs. Ronaldo was the scourge of every Champions League defense last term, until Gattuso got his hands, or shall we say his studs on him. Everyone learned a lot about how to deal with the Portugese winger once Gattuso shut him completely out of the match.

Roma, while probably not the greatest team in the world, are at least well managed enough to realize that it is imperative to shut Ronaldo, the only United attacking player firing on all cylinders at the moment, out of the match. Early crunching tackles on Ronaldo are going to be enough to force United to find other ways around the Roma defence. And right now, those aren't looking too good.

I know Ronaldo enjoys being booed, but how about beaten, clobbered, and stoned. It's what he's asking for.

Weekend Round Up and Roma Preview

Manchester United got another 1-0 victory this weekend, defeating Birmingham City thanks to Ronaldo. Birmingham City showed great determination as they closed United down well in the first half. City tackled well and kept United from getting the ball rolling offensively. Steve Bruce's side was well drilled and effective, but Ronaldo broke through in the second half thanks to a mistake in the defensive area and dribbled round the keeper to slot home from inside the 6 yard box.

The victory left United with a few problems, however, as Edwin Van der Sarr severly damaged his foot and Vidic and Brown both picked up knocks. This is troubling ahead of United's midweek clash against AS Roma.

United played with the forward pairing of Tevez and Rooney for most of the match. Tevez looked good, but the two failed to link up well. Questions continue to be raised as to wether the two world-class strikers play to similarly to form an effective partnership. Saha came on late in the half but looked completely out of form. He didn't have a decent touch on the ball the entire time he was on the pitch.

Tuesday's clash with Roma looks slightly more promising thanks to Roma's poor form as of late. They were crushed 4-1 against Internazional, and dropped points due to draws despite leading early on in both of their previous two matches.

It is doubtful that there will be a repeat of last years 7-1 shocker on Tuesday, as United have not scored more than two goals since their preseason friendlies, however, if Vida and Brown can recover in time for Tuesday's match, United will at least look solid enough at the back.

With Silvestre injured and Heinze sold to Real Madrid, United's back line looks rather thin. Youngster Gerard Pique would be likely to join Ferdinand at Centre half. He was one of United's only bright spots against Coventry last week in the Carling Cup, and was named as one of the three youngsters that Sir Alex did not plan to send out on loan.

Another alternative for United would be to play with three at the back use John O'Shea on the right and slot Hargreaves in behind Carrick and Scholes in the midfield.

And now I shall eat my words

Not only did Chelsea and Avram Grant utterly route footballing powerhouse Hull, but United's youngsters (the irony in my Anderson Nani comment is amazing,) captained by Irish international John O'Shea were well beaten by Coventry. It's not all bad news though...

Pique, in my opinion was quite good. He did well bringing the ball forward out of defence and while I wouldn't play him in the centre in the premier league, I would feel comfortable playing him wide in defence. I like him. Anderson was a bit poor, as was Nani. O'Shea should never be played in the centre midfield, it's wasteful. Eagles wasn't his usual self. Dong was a waste of money.

Secondly, it's only the Carling Cup. Frankly, who cares. The only reason to push for the Carling Cup would be a four trophy sweep. Other than that, United have the Premier League, Champions League, and the FA cup to worry about. The Carling Cup in their to would only cause unneccessary stress and fatigue for the team. What next? Focus up and go into the next two matches guns blazing, Saturday against Birmingham, and Wednesday against Roma. Those actually matter.

Well done to Avram Grant. He actually seems like a genuine and likeable guy. I loved the quote in his post match interview, "I need to work. Other people, their job is to write. I do not want to replace them, maybe some of them want to replace me. But this is my job... They can say whatever they want. It's fine with me." I would hate to actually like Chelsea's manager, but this guy is Jose's polar opposite.

Carling Cup Preview

Not to be anti-Chelsea, but I will be cheering my heart out for Hull tonight. I was watching an interview with Avram Grant. I know his English is brilliant, but he started to say, "It is horrible that this has been done to Jose." but he stopped and corrected himself after "done."

In slightly more important news however, United squares off with Coventry. Let's face it it shouldn't be a problem as Coventry hasn't beaten United since 1989, at which time Anderson and Nani couldn't even walk.

Great Win For United

United snatched second place on Saturday with a 2-0 victory of a Jose Mourinho-less Chelsea. Sir Alex avenged his former rival by tactically crushing his replacement, Avram Grant. John Obi Mikel was sent off midway through the first half due to a late tackle on Evra. In first half stoppage time, Carlos Tevez opened his Manchester United scoring career with a lovely diving header.

Grant went into his first team talk a man and a goal down. He changed tactics and swamped the midfield in an attempt to keep the United attackers at bay. This failed when Ben Haim caught Louis Saha from behind in the penalty area at the end of the second half. The French striker slammed the resulting penalty home for his second goal in three appearances.

"Well it's a Win, But That Was a Narrow Win"

United got away with murder yesterday thanks to Ronaldo's diving header. United looked uninspired for most of the match. We started time wasting in the seventieth minute.

Let's face it, Sporting Lisbon isn't Real Madrid, but they're not Leyton Orient either. Van Der Sarr (even though I think he's old and washed up) played out of his skin. Ronaldo also played brilliantly. Other than that, United were mediocre.

United's next group opponents, Roma, on the other hand were on fire, attacking well on their way to their third successive clean sheet in all competitions. Totti in particular looked quite good, as last years Serie A runners up beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0.

United have lately been sitting back on 1-0 victories, but that won't cut it against the likes of Roma, Chelsea, Liverpool, or Arsenal. We cannot sit back and let Ronaldo be the only player giving any effort. We did that against AC Milan, and were punished by Gattuso. United have got to attack more effectively and we have to finish our chances.

Rooney got in 70 minutes, which will certainly be good for his match fitness. Hopefully he will be fully fit for Saturday's match against Chelsea.

Owen is a 'No" for Lisbon, And Speaking of Owen...

Owen Hargreaves did not travel with the Manchester United squad for Wednesday's match against Sporting Lisbon. He has not fully recovered from his thigh strain and Sir Alex no doubt felt Carrick would suffice for this match.


Carrick has been left out of most starting 11's throughout the season despite his impressive form in the Premiership winning campaign. He certainly lived up to his multimillion pd. transfer fee last year, however a certain chemistry has been developed between Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves and they have become somewhat of a first choice for Sir Alex.

Fletcher has also been promising as of late, but he picked up a knock in Scotland's stunning victory over World Cup Finalist's France during Euro 2008 qualification. He like Hargreaves prefers to play a more defensive, holding role, much like former United Legend Roy Keane.


Speaking of Roy Keane, this isn't the first time that Sir Alex has spent big on a midfielder following a title-winning campaign. Remember in the mid-ninties, when Sir Alex stole Keano right from under Blackburn's noses? It was a long drawn out affair but in the end, Sir Alex got his man from Forest. And in his first games for United, Keano made huge impacts and became an almost instant fan favorite.


I'm not saying Hargreaves is the next Roy Keane, after all, "THERE'S ONLY ONE KEANO." But the similarities are striking. In Keane's autobiography he quotes Sir Alex as saying when in negotiations with Keane, "We will win the league with or without you, but with you, we can win Europe." This predicition came true when United won the treble in 1999.

Sporting Lisbon Preview

United face probably their second toughest opponents in Wednesday's clash with Sporting Lisbon. Some might even consider Sporting the dark horses to pip a qualification spot for the knock-out stages. Sir Alex will certainly not take them lightly as he knows the sort of talent the Portugese club has produced, (i.e. Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Nani.)

Rooney is likely to feature as is Saha. United go into the draw with an almost full strength side, with Owen also set to make his return. Gary Neville may feature, but is labeled as doubtful.

United will most likely start with Rooney and Saha up top, Owen and Scholes in the midfield, Giggs and Cristiano on the wings, Vidic and Ferdinand in the center of defense , Evra and Brown on the flanks, and Van der Sarr in goal.

Lisbon play with the "Big man, Small man" strike partnership of Liedson and Milan Purovic. If United can keep a handle on this dynamic partnership, there shouldn't really be a problem.

Saved by Vida

United won 1-0 in a hard fought game against the blue half of Merseyside on Saturday thanks to a late goal by Serbian Centre-half Nemanja Vidic. Vidic has proved to be not only one of the best , but also one of the most consistent goal scoring centre halfs in the league.

Rooney, while on the bench, did not make an appearance but Sir Alex has announced the former Everton striker will most likely feature in United's Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.

Mikel Silvestre suffered a torn cruciate ligament late on and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. He made his first appearance of the season for united at left back, with Evra, slotted in ahead of him on the wing.

Liverpool and Chelsea dropped points which allowed united to draw level with Liverpool and Chelsea. Liverpool are third on goal differential with +9, United fourth with +2, and Chelsea fifth with +1. Arsenal and City hold the top two spots, the gooners with 13 points and the citizens with 12.

It's great to have you back, Ronaldo.

Rooney Set for Bench Spot Against Everton

England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been out of action since United's opening day fixture against Reading. The England striker limped off with a fractured metatarsal, an injury sustained during an attempted challenge on Reading's Michael Duberry. United and England have had to do without the striker recently named among the 10 best footballers in the world by 4-4-2 magazine.

However Rooney has been included on the team sheet to face his former club, Everton. It is unlikely that Rooney will start, however he could possibly play a role as a substitute late on to test his match fitness.

Attacking Crisis Over?

Louis Saha marked his return last week with a neatly taken header to down Keano's Black Cats. It was lovely to have a goal scoring striker back on the pitch, as Tevez has yet to score in a United shirt. It showed a massive difference from the previous matches without an out and out attacking player. King Louis saw his chance and put it home, not beatiful, but effective.

But with Solskjaer announcing his retirement and Rooney out injured, it has become apparent how thin United's forward line is. Summer departures of Alan Smith (Newcastle) and Rossi (Villareal) have left United with only three attacking options, Rooney, Saha, and Tevez.

In my opinion, and I hope I am forced to eat these words, a strike partnership pairing Carlito and Wazza will be ineffective. Why? Look at the way these two play, both like to run onto balls played through and both like to sit deeper than the usual striker. While this is all well and good for creating goals, United are going to need someone to knock them in. I can very easily see us going down the same route Arsenal did last season, lots of beautiful play and possession, but nothing to show for it.

This puts a lot of pressure on Louis to score goals. He's a brilliant player and he can live up to these expectations, if he stays fit, which, let's face it, isn't likely. Louis is at the most cursed, and at the least unlucky. Everytime he hits scoring form for United he gets injured. I feel he would be rated among the ten best strikers in Europe if he'd stay in the team. You wouldn't put all your eggs in a broken basket, so why in a striker that has shown a propencity for picking up injuries?

Everytime anyone goes in for a challenge, I'll be whincing, knowing he's the only proper (not to say good, but traditional) striker that we have.

In other news Ronaldo is also set to play on Saturday after serving a ban for a Zidane impersonation. It'll be great to see the Portugese winger running down the flanks again, let's just hope there is someone for him to send the ball in to.

UEFA Champions League Preview

United certainly not in the easiest group of the British clubs, but certianly not the most difficult. Arsenal got lucky with Sevilla, Slavia Praha, and Bucharest. Rangers on the other hand face Olympique Lyon, Barca, and VfB Stuttgart (imagine Lyon at Barcelona... mouthwatering.)

United got a middle of the road group, a return to Roma (fun for hooligans from both clubs) along with a homecoming for our two Portugese wingers.

Let's face it, qualifaction for the knockout stages shouldn't be difficult, and United are heavy favorites to top the group after downing Roma 7-1 last year. All six ties will be relatively tricky as all four sides have quality and offer at least a significant threat.


My favorites to advance

A: Liverpool, Marseille

B: Chelsea, Schlake

C: Real Madrid, Lazio

D: Barcelona, Lyon

E: Milan, Celtic

F: Manchester United, Roma

G: Inter, PSV

H: Arsenal, Sevilla

Gary Neville Return?

Gary Neville looks set to make his return to the United 11.

Wes Brown is a decent Centre-half, but in my opinion, he doesn't have the pace, skill, or guile to compete with the new breed of premier league winger (Lennon, Malouda...) Neville may not be the most pacy defender in the world, but he has loads of experience which more than make up for that.

I'd say it's been rough without the skipper, but I think we've missed his experience more than his leadership. Giggs, Scholes, Rio, or Van der Sarr are just as capable of captaining the side as Gary, but we don't have a right sided defender other than Gary.

So return to the starting eleven at United? No problem, but Micah Richards may have something to say about Neville picking his England shirt back up. While Gary's been out injured, Richards has been slotting into his position. And let's face it, he's done quite a good job.

Richards is quicker, bigger, and more physical than Gary Neville. And let's be honest, Gary is getting old. Richards is the future, and while Neville is still a brilliant player, he, like Beckham, is not the way forward for England.

Isn't about time for Neville to retire internationally anyway? Giggs and Scholes are both about the same age as Gary, and both of them have retired from international play. It would keep the strength in his legs longer and maybe United can get another four or five years out of him.

International Round-up

I'm going to skip over the less interesting results, such as Finland 0- Poland 0 (sorry all you Finns and Poles) and focus on the more intersting ones.

Scotland 1 - France 0


An amazing result, Scotland pips France for all three points in Paris. That puts Scotland top of the "group of death," over France, Italy, and the Ukraine. Didn't get to see the match, unfortunately.

James McFaddon scored the winner on 64' to put the Scots ahead. Craig Gordon (Sunderland, and so worth the cash, wouldn't you say Keano?) sent a long goal kick to McFaddon (Everton) who swiveled and put an effort on target from 30 yards. Landreau, France's keeper, couldn't handle it and knocked it into his own net.



Scotland were under the kosh for most of the match, but stayed solid and took their chance when it came. Typically tough Scotland performance against the team I rate as the best in the world.

Man of the match, Craig Gordon.



England 3 - Russia 0



About bloody time, McClaren. Despite heavy pressure, McClaren held out and named a team unchanged from Saturday's 3-0 trouncing of Israel. Shocking that ever since Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Steven Gerrard's (Liverpool) useless midfield partnership was replaced with one that actually worked, (Gerrard and Barry ((Aston Villa))) England has looked quite dominate in midfield and won two straight matches comfortably.



Quite a win for McClaren, pulling it out over Guus Hiddink, former manager of Australia, S.
Korea, Netherlands, Real Madrid, and PSV, as well as the 2006 summer favorite for the England job. Two goals from in-form Michael Owen (Newcastle) and one from Rio Ferdinand (United) gave England a comfortable victory over arguably the strongest side in the group.



Things are certainly looking up for England, 2nd from top with only a few games left. The real test however will be against Russia in Moskow, on an atificial pitch.

Man of the match, Lampard (because he didn't come on and ruin everything)

Both the Republic and Northern Ireland lost narrowly. This all but ends the Republic's hopes, and certainly makes it tougher for the lads up north.

The Republic's loss to Iceland ended Wales' hopes of qualifying, despite Wales destroying the Slovaks 5-2.

Italy managed a win over the Ukraine. (2-1)

The Netherlands squeeked a win over the mighty Albanians (1-0).

Spain beat Latvia 2-0.

And Ronaldo's Portugal allowed Serbia to fight back to a 1-1 draw.

No huge suprises here, except England - Russia, and Scotland - France.