Every summer that there’s a major international tournament, a large volume of transfer that normally wouldn’t go through turn into done deals quite quickly. This is compounded by the nearly 50 million pounds shelled out just in the past week or two on just three players- Jose Boswinga for Chelsea, Luka Modric at Spurs and Arsenal’s soon-to-sign Samir Nasri (who is supposed to be the business, but a bit of a diver).
For me, Man United should really be doing better to put Chelsea off from Robinho. I think he’d be a good addition to the side and he would give us that out and out finisher that we currently lack, along with the ability to fit into our fast-paced style of play. He also fits in with this Portuguese contingent that is being instilled in our squad. Robinho hasn’t really developed as an outstanding finisher in Spain, but I think he would be well-suited to the Premier League. Pace and tricks in abundance, I think he would be able to link up much better with our crew than the crap they’ve got going on down at Chelsea.
A lot of people are floating the idea of Luis Fabiano of Sevilla. While there is no doubting the Brazilian’s ability, he doesn’t have a demonstrated track record of success. His stays in French and Portuguese football were both nothing to write home about. However, when he was at Sao Paolo a few years ago he had a real tendency to get involved in scraps and brawls as he really seemed to enjoy winding up opponents. Might fit in well at Chelsea, but I think that he may detract from our style of play a bit. Either way, I’d like to see more of the guy. I would take Robinho over Fabiano though, at this point in time.
Klaas Jan Huntelaar remains a name perpetually linked with United. What else can you say about the Dutchmaster? A slick finisher and a real poacher of goals. He can run at a defense as well, but I can see Fergie wanting to start him off as an impact substitute and then somehow embedding him into the Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez consortium. With three or four different contrasting styles of football running at a defense all at the same time I think we may very well have teams from up and down the English countryside cleaning Hershey-squirts out of their Nike shorts.
Either way, I expect only two signings this summer. One high-profile and the other an emerging player.
Euro 2008 could always offer up another heroic set of performances from players you’ve never heard of before.
Seeing as though I’m significantly more sober than I was the last time I posted about our epic Champions League win, I guess now I can actually offer some insight on the story-lines that unfolded last evening in the Russian rain.
RONALDO
Who doesn’t show up in the big games? Well, he kinda shows up. Ronaldo scoring the opener was massive and he was the architect of the Tevez/Carrick attempt that should have put us 2-0 up and pretty much sealed the deal. While we could go on and on about his penalty miss, I won’t because it’s already been done. I personally think it was just a lousy shot, and if you bang in as many as he does you’re bound to miss a few. I don’t have a problem with the stutter step, I just don’t think he got ahold of the ball the way he wanted to. Either way, the most telling plotline of the evening was Ronaldo’s reaction after Van Der Sar made that save (simultaneously solidifying his place as this game’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer).
You’ll notice that when the save was made, the team all start yelling and running forward, Ronaldo takes two steps and then collapses in a sobbing, predictable heap around the 30 yard line. Tears of joy and vindication with a realization that he can’t really leave now and that’s what I think he was sobbing about. Think about it, why would he leave United? Because he would feel as though he became bigger than the team this year and required a new challenge. If he had of hit his penalty, that may very well have been the case… But he missed it, and he dropped the ball- big time. A ball drop so big that many players careers simply wouldn’t recover from an epic miss like that (Mr. Terry, looking in your direction) but what happened instead was a little piece of Manchester United voodoo. Ronaldo screwed up, but his team picked up the slack and spared him the blame we all knew would be coming. He came through for us all season and when he couldn’t perform last night, we stepped up for him. You can tell from his body language during the shoot-out that he realized that maybe he doesn’t have it all figured out and he’s still a young guy in his early 20s playing under one of the greatest managers in the game for one of the most storied sports clubs in the history of the human race. He will stay. Mark my words.
Anderson & Nani
These two played a much bigger role during the shootout than anybody thought they would. They were brought on in the late stages of extra time with seemingly one thing in mind- penalties. These two youngsters, the highest profile young signings to arrive at the club since Rooney & Ronaldo, proved their worth and class on the biggest stage in football. First off, regular readers will know my thoughts on Nani, in the closing games of the season I thought we got a glimpse of Nani’s darker side. Petulance, showboating and ball-hogging were his defining traits during the season’s denouement but when he hammered home the fifth penalty (the one that Terry couldn’t take) he proved his mettle and showed guile that I haven’t seen from the kid yet. He stepped up and took his chance better than his Sporting compatriot. Next year is his breakout year.
Anderson scored his first “goal” for United by converting that oh-so-necessary penalty that swung momentum back in our favor and put the Chavs back under the gun. He powered it almost straight at the keeper and showed such verve that he sprinted after the ball and fired it back in for good measure. His war cry galvanized the crowd and the players. This kid and his ridiculous dancing are hallmarks of the future of this United team. This kid is the total package at such a young age and he adds such an interesting element to the side whenever he plays. I truly think he’s a joy to watch.
These kids took penalties that millions of us can only dream about taking and they converted. The biggest stage saw their best performance and that’s the calling card of a world-class footballer.
Chelsea are the masters of winning ugly (and petulantly) but we proved last night that you can buy pretty much anything in football, but the cruel mistress that our sport calls penalties knows the value of no currency. Abramovich is figuring that out finally.
By the way, nobody else seems to have mentioned it yet, but somewhere a man named Jose Mourinho can’t stop smiling.
The end of the season always means a flurry of new lists and commentary where people try to talk up their choices for the best goal of the season. It seems like this year, there hasn’t been much debate about it. Ronaldo’s incredible freekick against Portsmouth encapsulates the brilliance that CR7 has banged out consistently this season. Observe.
#1
You listen to the announcers chuckling and that’s when you realize… that’s all you can really do. Better than Beckham. Here’s what he had to say about it.
#2
While some may not agree, I think that this next one here was the definition of why United won the title: free-flowing football and lethal finishing. Watch this combination from Rooney and Tevez. I would say that their partnership is one of the most interesting and dynamic in the world. After this one, there was no doubt that these two would thrive alongside each other.
#3
Speaking of Tevez, here’s another gem from his performance against Birmingham. The pass from Cristiano Ronaldo is testament to how every attacking player on our team can score and pass at a world-class level.
#4
No goals of the season list would be complete without Wayne Rooney. In off the post for his first of the season.
#5
So now we’ve got Hargreaves against Arsenal. Everybody thought this was coming from Ronaldo, but Hargreaves pops up to score one of the most important goals of the season.
#6
Here’s another Ronaldo free-kick and this one comes against his boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon. Notice how he doesn’t celebrate, a true professional, he doesn’t forget his roots.
#7
Here we’ve got Scholesy’s magic strike to make the difference in the Barcelona tie. We did what needed to be done and ground out a tough, Chelsea-like victory over three hours of high-energy football. Magic stuff.
#8
Nani’s first wonderstrike. A sign of things to come once he sorts out his temperment.
#9
Nani’s second wonderstrike.
#10
Ronaldo knocks the wind out of himself with this one, but this was definitely the header of the season. Incredible stuff.
With David Gill confirming to all media parties today that Fergie will be provided with whatever funds he needs to strengthen to squad, the time has come to start the silly stuff- transfer speculation. The Andrewisahater blog was founded on transfer speculation (and leaked jersey photos) so its something we take pretty seriously around here.
Last season saw us purchase a dearth of midfield talent alongside the rights to Carlos Tevez. This year, an out and out goalscorer and defensive reinforcements seem to be the immediate priority. Currently, the names being touted are all (relatively) proven commodities with the odd surprise thrown in along the way.
MICHAEL OWEN
To be honest, I think that Michael Owen is the oddest selection up there. Presumably we have already made a bid for him, and I know he’s keen for a move away from St. James Park. However, we would effectively be purchasing him as a replacement for Louis Saha- a striker who has seen his better days and is incredibly injury prone. Sound like somebody else you know? To be honest, I think Owen would likely be spending the entire season about two feet away from being ruled offside. Our team is about dropping deep, assuming positions and then executing precision movements. Owen seems somebody who is good at banging the ball into the net, but not much else. I am unconvinced that he would add an element to the team. However, if he was content to be used as an impact substitute, I think he may be worth a punt for under 10 million.
MICAH RICHARDS
I think that Richards is a long-term successor to Gary Neville and I think he would be the perfect compliment to Evra on the opposite flank. Both can get forward, score goals and create them; while offering up effective defending options at the same time. My only problem with the pursuit of Richards is that his appearance (and subsequent drop directly into the first team) would probably unsettle Wes Brown, who has been immense in the latter part of the season. His price tag will be high, but this player is quickly becoming an established England International and he would continue our tradition of fostering English talent. It would also put a smile on my face to snake Man City’s best player right out from under their noses.
KLAAS JAN HUNTELAAR
He has been linked with us for the past few summers and while the hideous Dutchman is a proven goal-threat, I am unsure whether he is up to our quality and whether he would actually compliment our existing squad. A different type of player to Rooney and Tevez, Huntelaar would offer some new options going forward, but I’m unconvinced at the end of the day about whether he would be worth the money.
DIMITAR BERBATOV
This guy will not be playing for Spurs next summer, that much is true. However, I’m also not sure whether he’ll wind up at Old Trafford or not. I don’t really know if, mentally and personality-wise, he would be able to fit in with the rest of the dressing room. He seems prone to sulking and disappearing acts, however, his goal threat can’t be underestimated. He is a classy player at his best and an irritating sod at his worst. I think he is a similar player to Anelka- somebody I am extremely happy we didn’t sign last year. Berbatov’s approach to goalscoring is effective, but I don’t know if it exudes the confidence and class that I expect from a Man U player.
Anyways, I’ll be sure to keep my eyes and ears peeled and if any movement happens, we will be among the first places to get it online. Guaranteed.
The buzz from my Boddington’s is building to a crescendo, whilst the sun shines brightly on a beautiful Pacific afternoon, and this translates into the best time to write up my full Manchester United Season In Review. Let me just crack open another one here.
I am adamant that if last year’s Manchester United would have remained unchanged, we would likely have finished 2nd or even 3rd. The real shining success from this season is a tough thing to pinpoint precisely, but I think Fergie’s astute signings are the main talking point of the season, despite the incredible emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo as a genuine contender for best player in the world. More on him later, but first, let me explain my hypothesis.
Our early 2000’s team blew pretty hard despite the presence of some bigger names and some success on and off the field. The Van Nistelrooy years stand out to me as an era of poor signings that, while they may have been skilled players, didn’t fit into the United system and the likes of Seba Veron, Kleberson, Djemba X 2, Diego Forlan and Liam Miller all proved to be floppish. While I’m not doubting the ability of some of them (namely Forlan and Veron, Miller is still shite though, Djemba has dropped off the face of the earth) these were the wrong types of signings.
The players that Fergie picked up this year all added a different element to the team, without detracting from our overall style of play. Each of the players are extremely dynamic and while regular readers will know my thoughts on Nani (who I think needs more composure to compete at the highest level) each of these four have played a key part in United’s campaign, thus far. While I’m on the topic of Nani, he did singlehandedly deliver three points early on in the season for us in the match against Middlesbrough. While his actions the other week against West Ham were not the type of football I like to see played at United, the lad obviously has the skills to pay the bills. He needs to spend more time soaking up advice from top pro’s like Giggs, Scholesy and Ronaldo in order to reach that level of maturity and composure necessary to compete in the big games. Look at what happened to Rooney this year, Nani needs a dose of that. But watch this video as testament to Nani’s gamebreaking ability.
Oliveira Anderson has provided something unique for United this year- an element of the unexpected. In retrospect, he was our mystery player this year- nobody knew much about him coming in. People had seen a bit of Nani and people more or less knew what to expect from him. Anderson was a different deal altogether. I expected the young Brazilian to come in and act like, as one of my readers predicted, “THE creative midfielder.” Anderson adapted quickly to the pace and hard-hitting nature of the EPL and he shined as a box-to-box midfielder with vision and guile. Like Tevez, he possesses a low center of gravity and this makes him hard to knock off the ball and also gives him the ability to creep up on opposing players and quickly snake the ball from him. He was much more defensive and mentally aware than any of us predicted at the start of the season. While he finished goalless, his contribution was telling in that other teams still haven’t quite figured out how to deal with Anderson. He will wear a United shirt for many many years.
Somebody’s put together a little Anderson tribute here. I think it’s fitting. Give it a look.
As a Canadian, seeing Owen Hargreaves take to the pitch in a United uniform always fills me with pride. Watching this good old boy from Calgary AB out there kicking ass in the name of Man United is one of the greatest pleasures I have. I admire the man’s commitment and professionalism and while he grew up playing for Bayern, he brings the grit and get’er-done mentality that Canadians bring to everything they do. He is our ambassador to England and the Premier League and I think he is an excellent example of the type of versatility Man U have lacked in previous seasons. He is Phil Neville times three. All the versatility and ability to slot in basically anywhere, but he brings free-kicks and hard, lazer-guided tackles to the fore whenever he steps over the white lines. Hargreaves delivered the points at Arsenal and while he was hampered by injury all year, Hargreaves stepped up when he was called upon. Something that can do every Canadian proud.
This will go down as one of the greatest United freekicks of all time. I was shitting myself when he scored this one. These three points made the difference and Hargreaves fucking delivers.
And now, we’ve got Tevez. What more can you ask for from a player? While he isn’t a 30 goal a season man in the vein of Torres, old Michael Owen or Ronaldo, him and Man United formed a symbiotic relationship this year. Manchester United has brought out the best in Carlos Tevez and Carlos Tevez has helped Manchester United get better. Everybody said that him and Rooney were too similar to succeed and that turned out to be one of the talking points of the season. Him and Rooney are similar, and contrary to predictions, it made them a better strike force. They can track each others runs expertly and both can drop deep, while both can play as out and out strikers. Tevez’s versatility is one of the things that allows Man United to play the free-flowing attacking game that we all know and love. He is short, stout, and has the heart of a lion. It’s an honor to watch this man go to work in the service of our team. He is on course to be a Man United legend and I have a feeling that he’s a favourite in the dressing room.
He has a habit of scoring important goals. Case in point:
Now that I’ve addressed my four reasons why we won the title, let’s get to the season’s other main talking point- THE EMERGENCE OF CRISTIANO RONALDO AS THE BEST FOOTBALLER IN THE WORLD. I will argue it with anybody. Nobody plays the game like this guy and what he accomplished this season helped him break the bank, win the the title and shock the world. Over 40 goals from a right-winger is absolutely unprecedented in English football and I will also defend my theory that Ronaldo is blurring the lines between midfielder and striker. He alternates a Jeckyll and Hyde-style double-bill as a winger and old-fashioned center forward, scoring goals for fun and making opponents trip all over themselves. Always labeled as a one-trick pony thirty seconds away from a shampoo commercial, Ronaldo grabbed the team by the scruff of the neck and delivered the goods. This guy is the one who will sell “soccer” to America, not David Beckham. People in North America want to see goals and they want to see exciting stuff. Ronaldo plays football from another planet and the Glazier’s know that he is their best chance at selling the game to the North American audience once and for all. That is why this guy is going nowhere.
Here’s a few highlights from this season to whet your whistle. I’ll have a full bio and review on him coming up in a few days.
The other main point worth mentioning is our defense. The central partnership of Rio and Vidic has been absolutely unparalleled in recent memory and the two will be operating in tandem for almost a decade, they’re flanked by Wes Brown, who finally emerged as the top player we all knew he was (particularly in the second leg against Barca), and Patrice Evra- a more complete version of Roberto Carlos. These guys and Van Der Sar are the unsung heroes of the season. Like they always say- offense wins games, defense wins championships.
And that’s exactly what our boys did today. Ryan Giggs scoring to put the icing on the cake as he matched the all-time appearance record for the team is a story that you just can’t make up. I think you can’t forget how important it was that Chelsea slipped up against Bolton when it mattered most. That gives us the big mo’ going into the Champions League Final.
Drink up United fans- it’s been a long season and we’ve delivered the goods.
Well, it’s done and dusted. I hereby declare this the greatest season in the history of the English Premier League. And appropriately enough, United have come out on top. Excuse me for a second here….
FOR BEST RESULTS, START THE FIRST VIDEO AND THEN FIRE UP THE SECOND.
EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD- COME ON!
*shaky dance*
I really can’t express my pleasure at knowing Chelsea couldn’t finish the job at Bolton. How many times have the chavs allowed last second goals to demote wins to draws? I would say at least five times this season and that, my friends, is why Ronaldo & Co. hoisted the trophy and wore ridiculous chapeau’s.
I’m gonna be back later on to write up a full season in review and then in the build up to the Champions League Final I’m going to be putting together some lengthy run downs on individual players.
We did it. We are the best. Not on goal difference, but points.
Well, it’s about an hour and a half until kick-off and this is about as nervous as I’ve been all season. I really think this is our season-defining match coming up here and this is my reason why- we’re in the middle of our shittiest run of form of the entire season. In the past few weeks we’ve dropped more points and put in some of the worst performances I’ve seen since the Van Nistelrooy era. Granted, there has been some unbelievably dodgy referring in the past while, but it can’t be the only excuse. The team has failed to put points on the board when it mattered. As of now, our season peaked when Hargreaves put us ahead against Arsenal. It’s been pretty much downhill from there.
Rooney and Vidic are two big question marks. Vidic’s absence has shown just how important he has become to our team. Ferdinand gets most of the credit, but Nemanja seems to be the one that makes the real difference. He isn’t as error prone as Rio and knowledge that he is guarding the backline seems to give players like Ronaldo, Rooney and Hargreaves the ability to get forward and create scoring chances. That’s been our biggest problem the past few games. If United can go out tonight and create 15 really good scoring opportunities, we will convert two of them and win the game. United have to attack and not leave it to the second half.
The optimal scenario, for me anyway, is for us to snake an early goal and then draw Barcelona onto us, but we will need somebody up front to hold up the ball and wait for the defenders. Barcelona play a real pressure-cooker style of defense with men closing you down on the ball as soon as you get it. In terms of positional sense and man-marking Barca aren’t as good, but they close down well and it seemed to affect us in the last game. Barca will definitely be up for this one, the Champions League is really all they have left at this point.
Ronaldo shouldn’t start up front, he needs to come in off the wing. I think Tevez can really be the game-breaker today. He is the footballing equivalent of a power forward in basketball (albeit he’s about 5″ 8). His presence can upset defenders and draw them out of position. Additionally, he boasts the best ability in the league to go from top speed to a complete stop and he uses this to his advantage in games when he sets the tone. Tevez can Barca a new asshole with his runs and ability to hold up the ball. Working closely in tandem with Anderson, whose battling presence will be required to stifle Barca’s midfield, Tevez will create opportunity for Ronaldo to arrive late in danger areas and play the crucial ball at the crucial moment. At least that’s how I see it anyway.
I don’t see it going to extra time. Worst case scenario is Barca scoring early and then parking 10 men behind the ball. Don’t know if they’d be able to hold that, but I’m also unsure whether we could score two. An early goal will set the tone tonight. I just hope we’re the ones that get it.
Well, this is it. I would say that this is quite arguably United’s biggest game of the season. While many will argue that this weekend’s encounter with the chav’s is more urgent to us retaining the Premier League, I think that this game could very well provide an accurate barometer as to whether this current Man United team rate up there with the all-time greats. Fergie has been throwing around the word’s “Hall of Fame” with resounding frequency as of late and you know that he wouldn’t be disparaging the great history of the club by throwing those comments around. This is a serious team and tonight’s game is serious business.
I don’t think Vidic will start tonight. That seems to be the big narrative on the way in and, frankly, it’s not a bad one to have. Barcelona are in veritable free-fall as of late and they have lost some games in La Liga against some mediocre opposition. If Man United are on song, I am confident that we can carry a 2-0 or even 3-1 lead back to Old Trafford.
Look for Hargreaves to be dispatched in his newfound attacking role, although I have a feeling he will be doing some tracking back to help nullify Barcelona’s central midfield. Anderson will also be deployed in the center of the pitch and his combative nature, combined with just how difficult he is to knock off the ball, looks like it could cause Barca some serious problems. Evra will be lined up with Leo Messi so watch for a more defensive option on the left side of midfield.
Rio will be tracking Henry, mark my words. These two have tangled before on numerous occasions and I think that Henry will be looking to this game as a way of reviving his goalscoring form (the logic being familiar opposition) but I’m confident that Rio will come out on top. This Man United team is much different than the ones that Henry played against. The experience of Gary Neville will also be extremely important. Look for Silvestre to fill in for Vidic as Brown is injured. Pique should be on the bench.
I think Barca’s shaky defense, exacerbated by Puyol’s absence, will prove their undoing.
If Ronaldo wants to put that big games bullshit to rest, tonight is the night to do it. Watch for a Man of the Match performance flying out of the right hand side of midfield.
I just finished watching what was arguably our most gutsy performance of the year. I’ve been in Whistler at the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival this week and for some reason, I was having a bitch of a time getting the game over Sopcast or TVUPlayer… None of the hotels digital cable channels seemed to be showing it, until I found the live broadcast from The Score HD… You guys saved me this week and I really do have to give respect to all the people behind the scenes at Canada’s best sports network. Thanks for having the foresight to show a good game (I’m talking to you Sportsnet, Fulham-Reading…. captivating…)
Anyways, I have to be honest, I thought for some time that Arsenal are an embarrassment to our league and it was effectively validated today. The amount of diving, gamesmanship, shirt-pulling and out-and-out cheating was so obvious that I think any Arsenal fan needs to have a long look in the mirror and ask themselves why, or even how, they could support such a petulant team. Your goal shouldn’t have counted, Adebayor was cheating and he knew it. Luckily for them, Arsenal had a 12th man today in the referee who was giving every single borderline call Arsenal’s way and in many cases allowed Arsenal to basically dictate the call. My example was the corner that was given midway through the second half. The referee had effectively ruled a goal kick and then every Arsenal player threw up their arms and shouted and the referee REVERSED HIS CALL. That is unacceptable. I don’t care if the referee was wrong, if they made the call, they shouldn’t be allowed to reverse it. When a team can plead with the referee and get the calls they want, it throws the credibility of the game into question. Adebayor should also have been given a straight red for his dangerous and cynical tackle on Anderson. It was from behind, it was late, it was two footed and studs were showing. He hooked his feet around Anderson and put both boots directly into Anderson’s right ankle. That was a deliberate attempt to injure a fellow professional and the referee only gave a yellow, no wonder Hargreaves was furious. How can Arsenal fans continue to support this? They are a truly pathetic bunch and deserved exactly what their mark asses got today.
However, even with all the cheating and soft calls, Arsenal were beaten by a much better team. I will acknowledge that Arsenal have skill and they have some quality players, they have their own attacking style but their accomplishments there are undermined by their cynicism and petulance. They are an embarrassment to football and a stain on the credibility of the English Premier League. Wow they beat a Milan side with an average age of 65. Good for them. They couldn’t even beat Liverpool.
And what of Hargreaves? Absolutely unfucking believable what he pulled today. I think that was a vintage Manchester United goal and Hargreaves took the shot so well. We were all waiting for a shot from Ronaldo (doubtlessly, Jens Lehmann was) and Hargreaves just hooked it over the wall and into the left side of the goal. His celebration capped his greatest week in his career. While he always possessed defensive solidity, his attacking prowess and sheer technical ability are above and beyond most of the players in England. He is the definition of a complete player and he is a better player than David Beckham ever was (except for England against Greece) and I will argue that with anybody. If a team is going to win the title these days, in the climactic stage of the season, they need their middling players to step up and become outstanding players. Hargreaves is a future United legend. Observe.
Van Der Sar was the man of the match. Our defense looked shaky and I don’t think Pique is ready yet after watching him today. I think Silvestre is a better, more experienced option at this vital stage of the season.
VDS came up with some huge saves (some of which were from our own team) and he showed safe hands all the way. He deserves a Champions League and Premier League double and he is an absolute rock for us. Why oh why did Fergie sign Barthez over Van Der Sar back around the turn of the century?
And Ronaldo. What to say of him? His penalty was so cheeky and full of confidence that you know Jens Lehmann will never forget the look on Ronaldo’s face. That stutter step and complete stop… A penalty so nice, he took it twice. Lehmann even guessed right both times and couldn’t keep the ball out of the net. I will acknowledge that Lehmann is better than Almunia… Kind of, anyway.
Chelsea will beat Wigan tomorrow and it all comes down to April 26 now. If we win all of our games from here on out, we’re set. If we beat Chelsea, it’s over. Even if we lose or draw, we are still ahead on goal difference. How cool would it be for us to meet them in the Champions League Final as well?
United ensured that we remained in the drivers seat today with a performance that wasn’t perfect, but was effective. Arsenal got their just desserts.
Posted by andrewisahater 
Posted by andrewisahater 
Posted by andrewisahater 