Poor Avram Grant must be thinking of ways to get the penalty mark removed from the field of play. Eighteen months ago, John Terry slipped on the spot that cost Grant his job at Chelsea. Last night, Wayne Rooney showed how to stay on your feet not once but twice when taking a penalty to steer Manchester United to a comfortable victory at the once impregnable Fratton Park.

United’s formation, based around Rooney’s power play as a sole striker together with Antonio’s Valencia’s speed and Ryan Giggs’ imaginative darts and flicks, were a thorn in the Portsmouth side. There was the usual poor first half performance from the Red Devils, which was understandable when they looked over to their bench and did not see the calming, gum-chewing influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.

United created numerous openings with the forward players’ movement, helped by a Portsmouth defence which makes Burnley’s look water-tight. Sir Alex may have found a role that fits Paul Scholes in his final few years as the deep-lying playmaker. The gingerhead looked much more comfortable with Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher combing the middle in front of him. They gave him time and space to distribute the ball as only he knows how.

Tomasz Kuszczak reassured United fans that there is life after Edwin Van der Sar with a faultless performance in goal. He was already better than Ben Foster because he could actually kick the ball. Three brilliant saves last night makes him a serious contender for the future number one spot. But it won’t stop fan forums from continually mentioning the names of Igor Akinfeev and Manuel Neuer.

The game could have gone all wrong for United had they allowed yet another unfathomable refereeing decision affect them. Referee Mike Dean was all ready to blow for a foul on Kuszczak when he got a message in his earpiece from his assistant, who somehow spotted an infringement by Nemanja Vidic 50 yards away. Sometimes, you wonder whether these people just want to get on the back pages of the newspapers, a sure-fire way to a book publishing deal in the future.

Thankfully, while my frustration was taken out on a pillow which I almost threw out the window, United focused their efforts on regaining the lead and after the interval, started to show why they had those champions badges on their jerseys. The manner in which Rooney tucked in his second goal from a trademark Giggs flick harkened back to the days of Eric Cantona, the nonchalant finisher extraordinaire.

Rooney’s hat-trick was sealed with his second penalty of the day and another to be added to the list of dubious refereeing calls in the match. Frederic Piquionne was clumsy in trying to win the ball back from Giggs but there was minimal contact between them. Dean probably used this opportunity to make things right and prevent Sir Alex from calling him bald or ugly after the game.

Giggs, who becomes 36 years young this weekend, turned it into an impromptu birthday party with a splendid free-kick just before the end. This Welsh man is the greatest Manchester United player in history. His commitment to the United cause since he was a schoolboy is a dying breed in a time when players’ loyalty to their clubs is determined by the numbers on their pay cheque. There will never be another Ryan Giggs so cherish every minute that he spends in a red jersey.

This performance may be over-stated against the bottom dwellers of the league but seeing his side win comfortably and put some pressure on Chelsea must have brought a smile to Sir Alex’s face, along with the fact that he didn’t have to sit on the bench in monsoon weather conditions.

As for Portsmouth, it’s going to be a struggle till May for them to save their top flight status. I salute the half naked lunatic fan who kept ringing his bell throughout the ninety minutes. If only his team showed just as much commitment and consistency.

Soooo…  I trust you’ve all done your part for the economy… nay… the country, by rising at 3 A.M. and shuffling off to your local national chain to purchase oodles of brand name merchandise at low-low prices, yes? By now you should be comfortably standing in a line somewhere, behind that old lady paying for everything with a check that she hasn’t written out beforehand and that family of 24 (23 of them children) and that gaggle of gossipy gals getting goods one… by one… by one… am I right? Of course I am. And it goes without saying (except that, well, I’m saying it right now), that you’ll take that iPhone of yours, or that Blackberry of yours, or, for the more gadget-conscious, that Droid of yours, and pull up edhoncho.com to see what kind of knowledge I’m dropping today. I mean really, who wouldn’t? Look around, see all those other people looking at their phones with sly smiles on their faces? With a look that probably says, without bragging, “I’m better than everyone here”? Yeah, they’re here too.

And you picked a good day tune in… just like yesterday, and the day before that, and tomorrow, and the day after that. All good days to tune in… but especially today, cause it’s today. I’m in the moment people. Come join me.

So, on the topic of today, I would like to make a couple of proposals. First, it should be a national holiday. I mean, we beat around the bush with Christmas and Halloween and Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, pretending they’re about something other than super-consumerism, why not just have a day where we admit to ourselves “that’s right, you heard us, we have a holiday that’s solely about buying stuff”? I mean, this is America, right? Could there possibly be a more American holiday? And let’s be honest readers, we’re not the country that passively avoids international disdain. We’re just not that country. We’re the country that says “here’s what we’re doing. Don’t like it? Suck our giant balls.” Right? I mean, isn’t that just so us? And of course, before you know it, every country in the world will have their own version of Black Friday, because we’re the popular kid… everyone hates us, but they all want to be just like us.

Which brings me to my second point… why such a bleak name for such a wonderful day? I know, I know… “in the black”… I never said I didn’t understand it… of course I understand it… it’s just that, well, I think we can do better. I’ve conducted a brainstorming session with some of the brightest minds around (myself), and here are some suggestions:

• Consumption Day – Simple, understandable, and more to the point, to the point.
• Buy Something Day – OK, sure, this is a reaction, possibly childish, to Adbusters proposal to make today “Buy Nothing Day“. Are they trying to ruin our country?
• Recession Avoidance Day – Really, can we afford to roll the dice with the future of the world?
• Thanksgiving, the Sequel – Also thought about going with Thanksgiving II: Return of the California King. Really, who better to thank than the wonderful men and women that provide us with goods and services that we clearly can’t live without?
• Christmas – Let’s be honest. Today is the first day of Christmas. This would extend Christmas and make it more like Hannukah, except instead of eight days celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, we’ve got 25-32 days celebrating shopping.

Surely, from amongst these pretty-much-transcendent ideas, we can come to a consensus on the new name for our wonderful holiday.

Now, what kind of adviser of men would I be if I didn’t offer some wonderful suggestions to you and yours on what to get your sports-loving loved one (or, you know, yourself)? Not a very good one, that’s for sure, and as you all know, those are words that simply aren’t used to describe yours truly (well, except “good”… oh, and “very good”… but not “not very good”… in conjunction with one another, all three, they aren’t associated with yours tru… oh, forget it, let’s just move on).

A replica, full-sized, of the video screen at Cowboys Stadium. Let’s be honest… hosting parties and get-togethers with today’s standard sized 205 inch televisions just isn’t cutting it. You can barely tell how many days facial-hair-growth Edwin van der Sar is working on, let alone make out DeShawn Stevenson’s neck tattoos. This is unacceptable, of course. Suggested hint drop: (while watching the Cowboys play at home) “You know honey, that thing could fit in here if we knocked all the walls out, and bought the neighbor’s house and knocked all their walls out, and connected the two homes. I’m just sayin’.”

The INADA i.2A Massage Chair. You’re going to need a respectable place to sit while watching your new VS (video screen), and while the old lazy-boy might be comfortable and worn-in… it’s time has come. You simply cannot watch the new VS from a lazy-boy… it’d be like wearing your Ralph Lauren loafers with that new K-50 Kiton suit. It just lacks class. An upgrade to the VS requires… demands… a corresponding upgrade to your seat. Lucky for you, the family Inada has your back (and your ass, and upper legs, if we’re technical). Suggested hint drop: “My back! It’s killing me from looking up at this thing all day. Oh God, the pain!”

Michael Jordan Fantasy Camp. Sure, it’s getting harder and harder to pull off that killer crossover you’re known for, and maybe you’ve lost a few feet off your set shot, and maybe, just maybe, that patented running hook shot has been missing the rim a little more than it used to… but’s it’s nothing a few days with his Airness can’t fix. Plus, you get a real chance to back up all those claims you made during the 1998 NBA Finals about taking Jordan to the hole. What’s to lose? Suggested hint drop: “I’m telling you, I could take that guy to the hole.”

The Pontiac Silverdome. Because you can afford it. Suggested hint drop: “You know, honey, I know we’ve been talking about that efficiency flat in San Francisco… but how ’bout the former home of the Detroit Lions? We save money on the deal, and the new VS will easily fit.”

That’ll have to do it for now, readers. I’ve just made it to the front of the line I’ve been waiting in, and apparently it’s rude to be on your notebook whilst checking out. Stupid cultural norms. I’ll have to address these when our new holiday comes to pass. Until then, spend like the wind!

What you missed while the Boston Aquarium was teaching kids to operate on squid (it’s not quite jellyfish, but we’re gonna use that tag anyways)…

• Your Champions League results: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Dynamo Kiev, Debreceni 0 – 1 Liverpool, Fiorentina 1 – 0 Lyon, Barcelona 2 – 0 Inter Milan, Rangers 0 – 2 Stuttgart, AZ Alkmaar 0 – 0 Olympiakos, Arsenal 2 – 0 Standard Liege, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 0 Sevilla
• Paul Hart’s been sacked by Portsmouth for not being able to win very many games after the team sold all of his players to pay the electric bill; early candidates for replacement are Darren Ferguson and Avram Grant. Hart may still accept a job with Portsmouth as technical director.
• Kieran Gibbs suffered a “horror foul” against Standard Liege, fracturing his metatarsal and leaving him sidelined for up to three months.
• Everton manager David Moyes (along with, presumably, ever other Premier League manager) doesn’t think Phil Brown should be sacked.
• Congratulations to Gamba Osaka midfielder Endo on winning the Asian Player of the Year award.
• The Dutch national team would like Edwin van der Sar to consider playing for them in the 2010 World Cup.
• Ajax has signed on to help coach the Chinese Football Association’s youth program.
• After numerous ankle injuries, DC United midfielder Ben Olsen retired yesterday. His kid presumably did not wear a Beckham jersey to the press conference.
• Celtic winger Aiden McGeady says that he wouldn’t pay to watch Celtic play.
• Bayern Munich have suspended Luca Toni after making comments critical of Louis van Gaal. That’ll help ‘em win more games, right?
• The Chicago Fire have sacked manager Denis Hamlett for…getting them to the semifinals?

Liga Premier

Manchester United goleo 3-0 al Everton

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal

Chelsea le puso una goliza al Wolverhampton 4 goles a cero.

Liverpool empata a dos goles contra el Manchester City

Hull City 3-3 West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur MASACRA al Wigan Atlhetic 9 goles a 1

Birmingham City 1-0 Fullham

5 points off the pace from the top of the table. Feels bad. And yet again we are done in by the referee. Feels real bad. This, despite playing some fantastic football and keeping the likes of Drogba, Essien, Lampard and Anelka silent. Feels like frikkin Arsenal. So what if the referee made an unfair decision against Chelsea, too?

Giving a yellow to Drogba for a Johny Evans foul seems like a license for Chelsea supporters to say that their United counterparts are overdoing the “ref did us in” debate.

Really?

Had Chelsea lost the game to some poor decisions, Well… We know the story. For refereeing mistakes such as in this game, its either the fans of one side who protest, or the other. All sane discussion goes out the window.

The equation is simple. Equip the referees, damn it! Get them aids (no pun intended) to help them make fair and balanced decisions. I’m not saying the refs are out to get us, or conspiring against us.

But why can’t anyone have the right to protest wrong decisions? For all the fuss made about the RESPECT campaign, there can be no faith, let alone respect, for referees who influence games toward unfair outcomes.

After letting the Darren bent balloon goal stand against Liverpool, the ref was demoted to refereeing in the championship. Does that make up for the mistake and points lost? No, Absolutely not.

It is a matter of highest concern, and the colours of protesting fans can only keep changing with passing games. It was blue in start of may after Barcelona qualified for the Finals of Champions League, Red yesterday, and who knows what tomorrow.

On a more encouraging note, United had a nice game yesterday, refereeing atrocities apart. Our performance was awesome and we outperformed and outclassed Chelsea left, right and centre. So taking heart from the performance is the wisest thing to do.

Critics of United, Beware. For, there can be no bigger disregard to the Premier League than underestimate Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. Liverpool showed us off in the 90’s for our lack of titles compared to their 18. We stand on level ground now. We were written off several times last season owing to a bad start and the accompanying fixture pile-up. Ditto this time ’round, minus the fixture congestion and that can only be better for us. You can’t do us a bigger favour than underestimate United. Therein lies our strength, and your weakness.

Ściągnij osiemdziesiąty piąty odcinek

Nowy trener – selekcjoner, jego brat i akwarium. Kosowski tak, Smolarek nie. Kombinacje Boenischa. Teorie nadtrenera Piechniczka objawione po raz kolejny. Wysoki wyczyn wyniszcza organizm. Trener Baryła rozdaje materiały, a wychowankowie Barcelony kryją się przed polską myślą szkoleniową. 4-7-12 plus niedzielna chłosta. Przestój piłkarza Korzyma. Dezorientacja kota przy użyciu Agnieszki Olejkowskiej. Bydło na Łazienkowskiej, bydło w Kielcach. Koniec kariery Radolsky’ego w Polonii. Mecze Ligi Mistrzów rozgrywane na biegunie. Alcorcon zlał Real. Problemy Manchesteru z bramkarzami. Zaobrączkowany skandalista Onyszko i pamiętnikarz Agassi. Turniej tenisowy kobiet rozgrywany na wytrzymałość. Larsson kończy karierę. Ze skarbnicy mądrości Georga Besta. Kuriozalny turniej w piłce ręcznej. Kończymy krótką wizytą na Służewcu.

What you missed while taking giant jellyfish, grinding them up, and turning them into candy for astronauts…

• Chelsea’s transfer ban was lifted pending appeal, meaning that they’re going to buy <insert every name you can think of> in the January transfer window.
• Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Tomasz Kuszczak’s comments on his relationship with Edwin van der Sar were just his “Polish humor”.
• Fulham were reduced to nine men and beaten in Rome; Jamie Carragher and Philip Degen feel their pain. Meanwhile, in Merseyside: Everton 0 – 2 Benfica…meaning Everton was outscored 7-0 over two legs.
• In spite of the fact that he’s facing surgery if he doesn’t get a three week rest, Fernando Torres still wants to play in Spain’s friendly with Argentina next Saturday. This possibly proves that Fernando Torres is an idiot.
• Portsmouth captain Aaron Mokoena ignores the lessons of Newcastle’s 2008-09 season and says that Portsmouth is “too good to go down”.
• Columbus centerback Chad Marshall was named MLS Defender of the Year right before Columbus crapped out of the playoffs to Real Salt Lake by losing 4-2 on aggregate.
• Cristiano Ronaldo will miss at least two more weeks with an ankle injury, which is really bad news for Portugal.
• Frank Lampard says he’s his own worst critic. Translation: Frank Lampard doesn’t read many blogs.

Manchester United booked its passage to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League in dramatic and somewhat embarrassing fashion. If a side like CSKA Moscow can come to Old Trafford and score goals in the manner they did, I don’t think the Special One at Inter Milan or Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola will be having sleepless nights worrying about United’s threat to their title hopes.

It seemed that Wayne Rooney was not the only one suffering from insomnia in the last few days. He had a legitimate excuse with the birth of his son and future England international Kai Rooney. On the other hand, United’s backline, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans in particular, were time and again caught napping by a fluid Russian offence.

United really made heavy weather of a game that with better defending ought to have been a stroll in the park. The opening goal from bright prospect Alan Dzagoev was a case of Evans being outdone by the youngster’s pace. The Northern Ireland international should have got closer to him and Edwin Van der Sar’s lame attempt at a save would have seen him being slaughtered in the media if his name was Ben Foster instead.

Michael Owen’s equaliser a few minutes later seemed to restore normality to the proceedings. A flick from Nani, intentional or not, preceded a cool side-footed finish from Owen, whose predatory instincts kicked in. He once again displayed his positional awareness by staying onside, although the CSKA defence did help in part by playing a deep line.

Milos Krasic, who has now turned in two commendable displays against United in this campaign, gave Fabio da Silva such a torrid time that I wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson subbed in his twin brother Rafael without anyone knowing during the break to give him a rest. Krasic’s goal was well-taken as he breezed past Evans and took it around Van der Sar for the tap-in. Darren Fletcher should have done better to track Krasic’s run as he ran onto Dzagoev’s pass.

But the goal that has got Carlo Ancelotti brimming with confidence going into Sunday’s crunch encounter was Berezutski’s header just after the break. Ferguson described the marking, or the lack of, at the back post for the set-piece as “unbelievable”. As he rightly points out, they will be slaughtered if they carry on defending in this manner at Stamford Bridge.

Federico Macheda, who was making his first European start, was quick to point the blame at others when the ball went into the net but the Italian was the one caught flat footed as the cross came in. The Italian could learn from watching Chelsea ace Didier Drogba in defending set-pieces. He will get a chance to watch it up close this weekend and I hope Drogba will be a useless teacher and score an own goal!

CSKA were probably too embarrassed to be leading by two goals at the Theatre of Dreams. The Russians added to the “How not to defend set-pieces” instructional DVD by giving Paul Scholes the freedom of Manchester to head the ball in from a Gary Beckham, I mean, Neville free-kick.

And that is why I love this club so much because inspiration is found from somewhere to not only get a goal back but also make you believe that all three points are a possibility. Antonio Valencia, who is the complete opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo by passing too much and not shooting enough, finally decided to have an attempt that was heading for row Z in the Stretford End before the law of physics decided to intervene.

There was not enough Fergie time to get all three points but the Ecuadorian’s deflected equaliser showed that if you don’t buy the ticket, you won’t win the lottery.

So I suggest you keep buying your 4D and Toto tickets. And if you win, please don’t forget to make out a cheque to yours truly.

Qualification is secured, United’s eight-year unbeaten Champions League home record is still intact and the Red Devils will top the group with a win over Besiktas in the penultimate group match.

United fans have probably become accustomed to the team playing in fits and starts this season. I just hope key players like Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs are FIT to play against Chelsea this weekend and United can START to play like the champions they are.

Obecnie w bramce Manchesteru United numerem jeden bezapelacyjnie jest Edwin van der Sar. Jednak ma on już swoje lata. Niedawno, bo 29 października wychowanek FC Foreholte obchodził 39. urodziny. W żadnym innym klubie z najwyższej półki nie ma tak dojrzałego bramkarza, który jest podstawowym bramkarzem swojej drużyny…

Już dwa lata temu nie było wiadomo, czy Edwin po ówczesnym sezonie będzie kontynuował karierę. Ostatecznie przedłużył swój kontrakt o kolejne dwa lata, czyli do końca bieżącego sezonu. Czy w czerwcu odejdzie na zasłużoną emeryturę? Tego dowiemy się najprawdopodobniej w grudniu, gdyż van der Sar zapowiedział, że decyzję o swojej przyszłości podejmie w święta.

Gdy z Old Trafford w 1999 roku odszedł Peter Schmeichel, wszyscy zastanawiali się, kto będzie w stanie zastąpić świetnego Duńczyka, który w barwach Czerwonych Diabłów grał aż 8 lat. Sir Alex Ferguson szukał godnego następcy, jednak niewiele z tego wychodziło. „Nowych Schmeichelów” było wielu, jednak nikt z nich nie był wystarczająco dobry. I tak między słupkami United mogliśmy oglądać m. in. Roya Carolla, Tima Howarda, Ricardo czy Fabiena Bartheza. Ten ostatni rozegrał w barwach Man Utd aż 94 mecze, jednak w tym czasie po wielu jego interwencjach kibice łapali się z niedowierzaniem za głowę. W końcu Fergusona zainteresowała gra bramkarza Fulham, Edwina van der Sara. Zainteresowała do tego stopnia, że szkocki manager postanowił ściągnąć go do swojego zespołu. Holender szybko stał się podstawowym bramkarzem zespołu z Old Trafford.

Co, jeśli van der Sar zdecyduje się na zakończenie kariery po sezonie 2009/2010? Po odejściu Schmeichela Ferguson przez lata miał problemy ze znalezieniem odpowiedniego zastępcy. Czy podobnie będzie z przypadkiem holendra? Miejmy nadzieję, że nie.

Wybiegnijmy troszkę w przyszłość i przenieśmy się do czerwca 2010 roku. Załóżmy, że Edwin van der Sar w wywiadzie właśnie poinformował, że odwiesza buty piłkarskie na kołek i chce od tego momentu poświęcić się rodzinie. W klubie i wśród kibiców nerwowa atmosfera: kto teraz dostanie bluzę z numerem 1? Kto na nią zasługuje? Kogo będziemy teraz oglądać między słupkami? Bena Fostera czy Tomasza Kuszczaka? A może trzeba sięgnąć do klubowego portfela i pozyskać nowego golkipera? Jeśli Ferguson postawi na kogoś dwójki Foster – Kuszczak, możemy się domyślać, że wybór padnie na tego pierwszego. SAF zawsze wolał tego Anglika. A może lepiej kupić kogoś nowego? Tylko kogo?

Może Igora Akinfiejewa?

Ten urodzony w 1986 roku rosyjski bramkarz byłby na pewno dobrą alternatywą dla van der Sara. Jest godny uwagi, to na pewno. Gdy miał 20 lat interesowała się nim sama Chelsea Londyn, jednak on wolał zostać w ojczyźnie. Później wielokrotnie udowadniał, że jest godzien grania w najlepszych klubach Europy.

A może poszukajmy jeszcze gdzie indziej? Osobiście bardzo chciałbym między słupkami Manchesteru zobaczyć Steve’a Mandandę. Wg mnie ten chłopak z Marsylii ma papiery na świetną grę, i jest w stanie bronić dla najlepszych klubów Europy.

Najlepiej będzie, jeśli odstawimy spekulacje na bok i poczekamy na rozwój sytuacji. Co się wydarzy, zobaczymy w czerwcu.

Autor: damianS10

Séamus John James “Shay” Given is misschien niet de beste keeper, maar zeer waarschijnlijk wel de beste ballenstopper ter wereld. Dat leggen we uit. Het reactievermogen van Shay is zonder weerga, ’s mans reflexen zijn, niet alleen volgens Alan Hansen, unbelievable. Komt iemand alleen op hem af, dan dwingt hij deze tot de eerste actie. Want Shay weet als geen ander het geduld op te brengen om zo lang mogelijk te blijven staan. ‘In de lucht’ moet hij echter in zowel collega’s als tegenstanders soms zijn meerderen erkennen. En ook het ‘meevoetballen’ is niet given by god.

Naar de huidige maatstaven is onze Sar dus wellicht een betere, meer complete keeper. De overeenkomst tussen beiden is dat ze het niet van hun uitstraling moeten hebben. Hoewel Edwin de laatste jaren behoorlijk  is ge-restyled, zijn de oren toch altijd het imponerendst geweest aan zijn verschijning. De lengte even daargelaten. Ook Shay oogt bepaald niet als een beest in zijn kooi en is daarbij ook nog eens een koppie kleiner. Ofschoon inmiddels 33 lentes oud, zou hij niet opvallen tussen de Wiener Sängerknaben, maar des te meer op de set van The Unforgiven. A babyface without a trace.

De tragiek van deze ideale-clean-sheat-zoon is te zijn geboren in het verkeerde land. Een recordaantal caps, maar geen EK- of WK-finale. Bovendien had hij bijna zijn leven gegeven voor Newcastle United. Nu heeft hij zijn hart geschonken aan poenclub Man City. Het kan weleens hun beste  en zeker niet duurste aankoop zijn. Maar misschien is de tragiek van verkeerde afkomst en clubkeuzes tegelijkertijd wel Shay’s peace of resistance. Want nu krijgt hij bergen werk te verrichten en staat hij volop in the picture. Toch gunnen wij deze van talent vergeven Ier nog een echte topclub. Heeft Petr Cech zijn beste tijd niet gehad? Van The Sky Blues naar The Bues. Een blauwtje kan hij in elk geval niet lopen.

For the last three seasons United’s success (including three consecutive PL-titles) has to a large extent been built on the solid foundation of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. This season the partnership has looked rather more shaky.  But I have felt that even though this was perhaps not as insignificant as a “blip” it would still sort itself out before long. Until now. After the defeat at Anfield I now believe that central defence is turning into a long term problem.

Throughout his career Rio Ferdinand has been accused of occasionally going to sleep and lacking concentration, but this problem largely disappeared a few years ago. Lately his focus might have suffered more from all kinds of off-field activities that seem to occupy his mind. This stretches from becoming a father to editing his own magazine, involving himself in a restaurant venture and producing movies. Still the most serious problem is probably his fitness. He needs continous physiotherapy for his recurring back spasms and hasn’t been able to fully join in training for most of the season. My impression is that the doctors don’t know the root of the problem and are just treating the symptoms.

In previous seasons Nemanja Vidic has occasionally looked vulnerable to pace. This was most obvious when he was humiliated by Torres at Old Trafford last season. Three successive red cards against Liverpool/Torres is not a coincidence.  This season he seems to be in trouble more often. One example is that he was lucky not to be sent off against Wolfsburg, when he found it difficult to handle Dzeko and Grafite. Meanwhile rumours continue to surface that Vidic (or his wife) is tired of England and would prefer to live in Spain or Italy. It’s also very likely that Barcelona will be in the market for a central defender next summer.

Perhaps I’m wrong in describing our defensive rock as a partnership, when in fact Edwin van der Sar has been very much a part of it. The fact that Van der Sar has been injured for a large part of this season, and that Ben Foster has looked out of his depth has made it more difficult for Vidic and Ferdinand. It would be so much easier to ease in a new keeper if the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership was in perfect shape.

I fear that we might in fact be moving towards a scenario where Van der Sar retires, Vidic leaves for Spain and Ferdinand struggles even more with injuries. This would leave Ferguson with a major rebuilding challenge in a key area. Thank heavens for Jonny Evans.

Thank god for that.

I’ve complained that I’ve been nervous before every game this season, so I don’t really need to tell you how I was feeling before this one.  Last night, I had a dream in which Rafa had picked a completely new starting 11 from the reserves, and knowing Mr Benitez, there was always a remote chance that this might happen.  Luckily it didn’t, and the return of Torres and Johnson made up slightly for the loss of Gerrard.

I’m not going to be able to give you a blow-by-blow account of the game, not because I didn’t watch it, but because I was far too nervous.  Suffice to say, it was all as frantic as you would imagine.  The first half ended goalless and fairly evenly, with Liverpool possibly having the better chances.  The Manchester United players remonstrated with the referee on the stroke of half time as they felt that some decisions hadn’t gone their way.  No further comment necessary.

Things really heated up in the second half and the breakthrough for Liverpool came on 64 minutes; an exquisite through ball from Yossi Benayoun was threaded to Torres who smashed it home.  From that point on, I felt totally sick with nerves.

United managed to create some pressure towards the end of the match and Jamie Carragher could have been sent off for a professional foul on Michael Owen.  It wasn’t entirely clear cut as Owen was headed away from goal and there were other players present, but you wouldn’t have been shocked if he has received a red card instead of yellow.  A few minutes later, Vidic received a second yellow card for bringing down a quickly breaking Kuyt, and, incredibly, it was the third league game in a row against Liverpool in which he’s been dismissed.  Mascherano also saw red after a second booking for a sliding tackle on Van Der Sar.  The game was settled five and a half minutes in to injury time when Kuyt and Lucas broke and slid Ngog in for a good goal.

I feel like I’ve just gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson, so I’m not going to make any in depth judgements about what this result meant.  The main thing, other than the result, was that the team put in a performance and every man played his part.

It was another scintillating weekend of twists and turns at the top of the Barclays Premier League as Aston Villa inflicted a second successive away defeat on Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea. Martin O’Neill has been astute with his summer signings and two of his defensive arrivals Richard Dunne and James Collins scored the goals to heap more misery on Didier Drogba and co. Collins’ winner was his first goal for Villa and it was a double celebration as he was week nine’s biggest scorer with 48 points. That saw Collins make the Actim Team of Week alongside Dunne and also move up 42 places into 16th. There was some consolation for Drogba though as the Ivorian scored against Villa to remain top of the index with 231 points.

Liverpool fans decided to stage their very own October beach party at the Stadium of Light but there was little to celebrate as Sunderland grabbed a 1-0 win courtesy of Darren Bent’s goal via a massive deflection off a beach ball. Sadly the beach ball did not make it into the team of the week but Bent moved up four places into third in the overall standings. Team-mate Craig Gordon also made it into the Actim Team of the Week following his fine display between the sticks for the Black Cats.

Down at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal capitalised to make up ground on their rivals with a comfortable 3-1 win over Birmingham. Abou Diaby has come in for much criticism during his time with the Gunners but his goal saw him take home a 36-point haul to be named in the Actim Team of the Week. Diaby moved up 37 places to 32nd in the index, while team-mate Robin van Persie broke into the top 20 after his goal saw him move into 18th place. However, captain Cesc Fabregas remains Arsenal’s highest points scorer with 219 and is still chasing Drogba in second.

Sir Alex Ferguson has found the boots of Cristiano Ronaldo difficult to fill this season, but summer signing Antonio Valencia did his bit by grabbing his first goal for Manchester United in the 2-1 victory against plucky Bolton. Valencia earned 44 points in week nine, earning himself a place in the Actim Team of the Week alongside Blackburn’s David Dunn who produced another fine display in their thrilling 3-2 derby win over rivals Burnley. Dunn’s haul of 42 points also saw him move into the top 50, in 47th place.

While Dunn made a big move up the index, his leap was not a patch on team-mate Morten Gamst Pedersen who climbed an astonishing 158 places into 315th. Other big moves this week included Tottenham’s Ledley King. The injury-prone centre-back notched his first goal of the season in the win over poor Portsmouth to move up 100 places in the index to 86th and earn a place in the Team of the Week. Fulham striker Bobby Zamora also moved up 100 places and was the week’s top striker with 43 points following a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win over Hull.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel may have committed a howler in allowing Didier Drogba’s shot to bounce past him but it mattered not as the American leapfrogged Manchester United’s Ben Foster to become the Actim Index’s top goalkeeper with 122 points. Foster is not far behind on 114 points, but with the return of veteran stopper Edwin van der Sar, the England goalkeeper could see opportunities limited in the coming weeks.

As with everything in life there are winners and losers and the Actim Index is no difference. We’ve talked about your winners this week, your Bents, Fabregas’, Zamoras and even your beach balls. But let’s dedicate a little time to this week’s biggest loser…………..step forward Liverpool’s Fabio Aurelio. The Brazilian has that sinking feeling as he dropped 118 places to 481st in the Actim Index. It summed up a poor week for Liverpool’s defenders after being outdone by an inflatable toy.

View the latest Actim Index >

October 6th 2009, 7pm
Halton Stadium, Widnes

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Everton Reserves	0-1	Manchester United Reserves

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Macheda 56

 
Much of the focus at Widnes’ rain-lashed Halton Stadium this evening was on the return of Edwin van der Sar from injury, but on a night when neither keeper really had to break sweat, it was Kiko Macheda who stole the headlines and plaudits with a second-half winner that sent United’s Reserves three points clear at the top of the Premier Reserve League North.

After a first half that saw neither side manage to register a shot on target, Macheda made the crucial breakthrough ten minutes after the interval after Everton’s well-marshalled defence was finally prised open by the excellent Magnus Eikrem. With the returning van der Sar largely a spectator, that solitary strike was enough to hand the Reds a fourth win out of five games and an outright lead at the top of the table.

After last week’s terrific team display against Sunderland there were never going to be mass changes to the lineup, and Solskjaer made just the three changes. Two of those were enforced, with Ritchie de Laet and Zoran Tošić headed off on international duty – replacements came in the form of Matt James, back from England’s desperate U20 World Cup campaign, and Robbie Brady, with skipper Corry Evans moving back to centre-half to accomodate the former.

The other change was of course in goal, with van der Sar getting his first outing since breaking his hand in the Audi Cup at the end of July. Amusingly, the last time the veteran Dutch keeper made a reserve appearance, Will Keane – one of United’s subs – wasn’t even born! Joining Keane on the bench was Febian Brandy, who like James was once again available after England duty. Everton meanwhile included the experienced Carlo Nash in goal, regular first-teamer Dan Gosling and promising Jose Baxter, who had been the subject of news stories all day relating to his arrest in connection with drugs-related offences. Three of the Toffees’ starting XI also featured against United’s U18s at the weekend.

Kiko Macheda - on hand with the winning goal once again

As with the meeting of these two sides at academy level on Saturday, the conditions had a big part to play, although in this instance it was near-torrential rain that affected proceedings. As a result, the first-half wasn’t much of a spectacle, with van der Sar and Nash having little to do other than take goal-kicks and pluck the occasional cross out of the air. The few half-chances that were created were fashioned by those in red shirts, Thursday’s two-goal hero Joshua King blazing over from a tricky angle before linking with the other two-goal hero from last week, Magnus Eikrem, to set up James for a sidefoot effort from the edge of the area that had Nash scrambling but went narrowly wide of the right-hand post.

The second half could really only get better and, thankfully, it did, helped in no small part by conditions significantly improving. United immediately looked more dangerous after the break, with Eikrem and Ollie Norwood threatening from distance and Macheda calling Nash into action for the first time with what was ultimately a tame header.

The young Italian was far more clinical minutes later however as a flowing Reds move finally saw the deadlock broken. Joe Dudgeon burst forward from his left-back station and played a one-two with Macheda before laying the ball off to Eikrem about 30 yards from goal. The Norwegian playmaker drifted across the edge of the box before threading an exquisitely disguised pass between two Everton defenders into the path of Macheda, who had ghosted into the box from the left flank. As is generally the case when Kiko is presented with a clear sight of goal from 12 yards out, the 18 year-old coolly found the net.

In a game of so few chances, the opening goal was always going to be a vital one. While United continued to probe for further opportunities and Everton broke out of their defensive mindset in an attempt to find an equaliser, neither side really looked like altering the scoreline as the last half-hour played out. The Reds went closest through Macheda again while van der Sar was finally called into action to deal with a couple of testing low crosses, but no-one was particularly surprised when the game ended with just the one entry on the scoresheet, the most interesting action of the closing stages coming when Solskjaer introduced the 16 year-old Keane from the bench for a reserve debut.

A hard-earned three points then, three points that move United away from Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table, temporarily at least. The Reds will return to Premier Reserve League action in just over a fortnight when Blackburn visit Moss Lane, but in the meantime attentions will turn to next week’s Manchester Senior Cup clash with Oldham and an intriguing friendly with Scottish Second Division outfit Clyde.

Star Man: Federico Macheda – United’s young Roman marksman has looked somewhat out-of-sorts in recent weeks but was back to something approaching his best form here, working hard and linking well from an unfamiliar left-sided role and bagging the all-important winning goal in typically clinical fashion.

 
UNITED
1. Edwin van der Sar
2. Fábio da Silva
3. Joe Dudgeon
4. Corry Evans (c)
5. Oliver Gill
6. Matt James
7. Oliver Norwood (14. Febian Brandy 62)
8. Federico Macheda
9. Joshua King (15. Will Keane 89)
10. Magnus Eikrem (12. Scott Wootton 90)
11. Robbie Brady

Ref: D S Bond

Attendance: 1200

Everton: Nash, Coleman (Thompson 82), Bidwell, Peterlin, Nsiala, McCarten, Forshaw, Akpan, Agard, Gosling, Baxter (McAleny 61).
Unused: Davies, Kinsella, Arnoux.

What a disappointing night for the champions Saturday was. I don’t even know where to start. Danny Welbeck and Johny Evans started the game and the opening minutes were utterly disappointing for us, not that they are to be singled out for it. The midfield failed to click, everyone tried to outdo the other in losing the ball and Sunderland were bang into it. We failed to break down their defence, let alone terrorise it. The defence was about the only thing that looked comparatively in shape, though significantly below our usual standards. Don’t think I need to say much about anything, but hope we don’t repeat such performances.

After the game, Sir Alex Ferguson made no bones of admitting the fact that we were pathetic, before ranting about the referee being pathetic too. It doesn’t mean he blamed the ref for losing, but he really was pathetic in the game. Bardsley received a booking the third time he committed a foul, which he should have received on his first itself. Ref took ages to book players and was nowhere near the United box when Jones elbowed Foster to head that second goal. But he went on to book a protesting Darren Fletcher. Pathetic. The FA has asked Sir Alex to explain his comments today, and he faces a touchline ban if they don’t find it convincing enough, which I doubt they will.

Amid all the criticism as well as encouragement for giving Foster his much deserved match experience, our No. 1 has been picked for the reserves’ game against Everton tonight and this comes as great news for all the fans. Not so good news for Big Ben, though, who has iterated repeatedly that this is his most important season. I think the situation is tricky here. To be fair, he needs some match experience and 8 premier league games is not exactly enough. But then again, this is the top level and we can’t afford mistakes being made and concede goals. Whatever it is, Sir Alex is the perfect guy to decide how things should work and he will surely not let us down. To Van Der Sar!!

What you missed while snakes were growing legs (and yes, there’s a picture)…

• Fiorentina chairman Andrea Della Valle has resigned from his position; this follows fan protests over the club’s inactive transfer window, where Felipe Melo was sold to Juventus without any reinforcement being brought in.
• Edwin van der Sar will decide whether or not this is his last season in December.
• If Kevin Keegan wins his compensation suit against Newcastle, the club may be forced into administration.
• Is Freddy Adu soccer’s version of Benjamin Button?
• Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t understand how injury time is allotted at Old Trafford and plans to keep playing his second string team in the Carling Cup. So there. Incidentally, does that make Michael Owen and Nani second stringers?
• The Bundesliga’s most expensive signing ever, Bayern’s Mario Gomez, is tired of being subbed out of the game all the time.
• Chivas beat Chivas 2-0 in a friendly at the Rose Bowl.
• Stephen Ireland, who was subbed off in the 73′ of Man City’s Carling Cup tie with Fulham with dizziness, was taken to a hospital and later released.

Edwin van der Sar says he could yet be convinced to stay on at Manchester United for another season. The 38-year-old, who has yet to play this season because of a hand injury, insists he is in good enough shape to continue and will make a decision in December whether this season will be his last. Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson said last year that he did not expect his Dutch No 1 to continue beyond 2010, but may be less than impressed at Ben Foster’s performances start to the campaign.

Top stopper: Van der Sar has excelled at United

Van der Sar said: ‘I’ve said for a few years that it sometimes may be my last season. Six months before my contract with Manchester United ended in December 2006, we extended for one year and so far it has been the same every time. ‘I wait each season to see how where I stand, if everyone is happy and if I can still get motivated. But I know, because I always get older, it is increasingly likely that this will be my last season. ‘In December, it will be clear how it goes. By then, I’ll have clarity. It is a horrible dilemma. On the one hand I do not oversleep, I feel as good as a few years ago.’

Dailymail

Razem z innymi redaktorami postanowiliśmy zorganizować na naszym blogu mały plebiscyt. Mianowicie chcemy, by czytelnicy Concordes wybrali najlepszą jedenastkę złożoną z obecnie grających zawodników w angielskiej lidze.

W każdym wpisie wybierzemy inną pozycję na boisku, przedstawimy Wam nasze propozycje, a do was będzie należał wybór.

Dzisiaj postaramy się obsadzić pozycję bramkarza. Tak więc, drodzy czytelnicy, zapraszam do lektury!

1. Jose Reina (Liverpool FC)

Naszą pierwszą propozycją jest osoba Jose Reiny. Ten sympatyczny Hiszpan na co dzień brobi barw zespołu z miasta Beatlesów – Liverpoolu FC.

Pepe urodził się 31 sierpnia 1982 roku w stolicy Hiszpanii, Madrycie. No i właśnie. Jest ze stolicy, a przygodę z futbolem zaczynał, można rzec, na zupełnie innym biegunie. Dlaczego? Bo te dwa miasta, jeśli chodzi o futbol, grzecznie mówiąc nie przepadają za sobą. Pepe zaczynał w FC Barcelonie.

W latach 2002 – 2005 grał w „Żółtej łodzi podwodnej”, czyli zespole Villarreal FC. Zaraz po przybyciu do The Reds został pierwszym bramkarzem zespołu wysyłając Jerzego Dudka na ławkę. W reprezentacji zagrał na razie 13 razy. Był między innymi w kadrze Hiszpanii na Mistrzostwa Europy 2008 w Austrii i Szwajcarii.

2. Petr Cech (Chelsea Londyn FC)

Kolejna pozycja na naszej liście to czeski golkiper Petr Cech. Jest on pierwszym bramkarzem londyńskiej Chelsea. Gra także w reprezentacji Czech. Petr urodził się 20 maja 1982 roku w Plzen. Jego wcześniejsze kluby to Viktoria Plzen, Chmel Blsany, Sparta Praga oraz francuskie Rennes. Petr mierzy 196 cm wzrostu. W sezonie 2004/2005 został wybrany najlepszym bramkarzem Ligi Mistrzów. 14 października 2006 roku spotkała go wielka katastrofa. W meczu z Reading FC przy wyjściu do piłki zderzył się ze Stephenem Huntem, dostał kolanem w głowę. Natychmiast trafił do szpitala, gdzie przeszedł skomplikowaną operację czaszki. Cech wrócił wtedy do gry stosunkowo szybko, bo w styczniu 2007 roku. „Pamiątkę” z tamtego zdarzenia Petr ma do dziś – w każdym meczu gra w kasku chroniącym czaszkę.

3. Manuel Almunia (Arsenal Londyn FC)

Kolejny w naszym zestawieniu bramkarz z Hiszpanii. Kolejny bramkarz z klubu z Londynu. Tym razem mówimy o blondynie z kanonierów, czyli Manuelu Almunii.Urodził się on 19 maja 1977 roku w Pampelunie. Tam też zaczynał z futbolem, konkretniej – w miejscowej Osasunie. Później grał między innymi w Celta Vigo czy Eibar, a do Arsenalu trafił w 2004 roku. Początkowo był rezerwowym, jednak po odejściu Jensa Lehmanna Manuel otrzymał bluzę z numerem 1 i został pierwszym bramkarzem Arsenalu. Almunia nie wystąpił w żadnym meczu reprezentacji, i otwarcie mówi, że

kiedyś chciałby grać w bramce „Synów Albionu”. Jego żona jest Angielką, więc ma spore szanse na otrzymanie brytyjskiego obywatelstwa.

4. Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United)

Najlepszy od kilku lat bramkarz Manchesteru United. Holender ten urodził się dnia 29 października 1970 roku w Voorhoout. Ma 197 cm wzrostu. Swoją karierę piłkarską rozpoczął w zespole Foreholt grając… na obronie. Trafił do Noorwijk, gdzie przekwalifikował się na bramkarza. W wieku 20 lat przeszedł do

amsterdamskiego Ajaxu. Później grał w Juventusie i Fulham Londyn, lecz jego kariera nie była wybitna. W 2005 roku trafił do zespołu Czerwonych Diabłów, które od momentu zakończenia kariery przez Petera Schmeichela nie mogły znaleźć dobrego bramkarza. Kibice uważali, że Edwin będzie kolejnym od kilku lat przeciętnym golkiperem. Jednak „Latający Holender” zachwycił wszystkich. Obecnie jest pierwszym golkiperem ManUnited (we wrześniu nie gra z powodu kontuzji). Kibice już teraz zamartwiają się, kto zastąpi Edwina po odejściu na emeryturę. Wszak za miesiąc van der Sar kończy 39 lat. W reprezentacji zagrał 130 razy, co w Holandii jest rekordem.

5. Shay Given (Manchester City)

Długo zastanawialiśmy się, kto wybrać jako kolejnego kandydata. Shaya Givena czy może Davida Jamesa z Portsmouth? Zdecydowaliśmy w końcu, że ostatnią kandydaturą w naszym głosowaniu będzie Irlandczyk. Seamus John James Given urodził się 20 kwietnia 1976 roku w Lifford. Obecnie jest graczem Manchesteru City, wcześniej grał w Celticu, Blackburn (gdzie był wypożyczany do Swindon i Sunderlandu) i Newcastle. U Srok grał przez 12

lat i zagrał 354 mecze. Do The Citizens przeszedł pierwszego dnia tego roku, a zadebiutował 7 lutego w meczu z ekipą Middlesbrough. W reprezentacji rozegrał 98 meczy.

PS Jeśli masz pomysł, kogo możemy wybrać w kolejnym głosowaniu swoje kandydatury możesz wysyłać na e-mail: concordes@o2.pl. Swoje propozycje możecie także przedstawiać w komentarzach. W najbliższym głosowaniu będziemy wybierać najlepszego lewego obrońcę!

autor: damians10