Wednesday, April 14, 2010

United left relying on the likes of Spurs and the fitness of Torres: How did it come to this?

Any honest United supporter will tell you we don't really deserve to win the title this season; but just a couple of weeks ago, Chelsea fans would probably have told you the same thing about their club (that's on the assumption you can find an honest Chelsea fan). But as we head into the final few games of what has been a very strange season and with Chelsea beating Bolton last night, it looks like the West London club will win back the title they lost to United four seasons ago.

Despite the title race now looking like a foregone conclusion, there's still a lot to play for. The battle for 4th place is intriguing to say the least. This coming weekend United will take on City in the Manchester derby. City are the in-form team in the division and the champions look anything but. City could inflict a heavy defeat on United in a worst case scenario. However, Manchester's second club are the favourites to win that coveted fourth place spot and they just need a win, any win, no matter what the final score, to ensure they stay ahead of Liverpool and Spurs.

For their part, Spurs take on Arsenal in the North London derby tonight (Question: does the fixture calendar need looking at? Because, surely we shouldn't be playing games of this magnitude so close to the Champions League finals). United fans will no doubt be rooting for Tottenham tonight, but it will be in hope rather than expectation.

By the time Tottenham's weekend fixture with Chelsea comes around, Spurs hopes of winning the battle for fourth could be effectively over if they go on to lose tonight and City win the Manchester derby earlier on Saturday. Chelsea travel to White Hart Lane, for what yet could prove to be one of the most important games of the season in a game that kicks off at 5.15pm on Saturday.

Looking forward to the Manchester derby, we have to hope the boys in red win it and Spurs win their next two games, because then the title race could be very much back on.

The perfect end of season scenario goes like this; Spurs win their next two games, United win the derby, in which Tevez receives his marching orders and the winning goal is deflected off the back of Craig Bellamy's head in the last few minutes. The events at Eastlands sends the Red Army into raptures while City's hopes of Champions League qualification are dented. Liverpool then go on to beat Chelsea, in so doing they hand the title to United and what a delicious irony that would be. We can but dream...

18 comments:

  1. If you're relying on us to beat The scum you must be desperate.

    No chance. We will lose tonight, lose on Saturday and do our annual roll over at OT the following week.

    City will beat us too.

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  2. Scott,

    That's exactly right, yes, we are desperate.

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  3. I could like to let Chelsea take the title. Not because i dont want to win but because this will send a message to Fergie that we are short in quality and he will buy some quality players. He must see and not think we will make it. He has always improve the squad in the past for every season but this season we have only improve as players like Rooney, Valencia and Nani. We never improve on team play. I can say we never move forward and never look a goal threat to the opposition when Rooney is injured.

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  4. KK,

    TO be honest I'm sure Fergie knows what the problems are. Let's face it, he's doing a difficult job with little room to manouvre with no money to spend. But what really annoyed me was Fergie's failure to make a move for say Sneijder when we were talking to Madrid about Ronaldo, that was a perfect opportunity, so at times like that it is difficult to defend him...

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  5. James on an earlier post we exchanged some comments about a Mr. Hargreaves. I assume you have saw the latest news about him and SAF questioning whether he would be used.

    I just wonder what you make of that? I for one cannot see how it does not spell the end. SAF specifically said, I had him penciled in for the Chelsea match. Then he did not explain the omission.

    SAF has further said that he has alternatives in the midfield and then pointed to Gibson as an example of someone who has grabbed six goals. It all seems fishy to me, if that was the case that Gibson represented an alternative, why hasn't he played more?

    I believe there are two possibilities: (1) Hargreaves is finished and he does not want to let the cat out of the bag and be held hostage when he searches for a replacement; or, (2) Hargreaves is fit, but SAF does not want to risk him going to the WC and not coming back fit to us.

    What say ye?

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  6. 619,

    I haven't seen those comments about Hargreaves, so you're one up on me. However, it sounds like Fergie is a bit pissed off with the player, because he doesn't usually talk like that in public about one of his own unless there's good reason...

    My prediction is United will take the insurance money any time soon, certainly before the end of the season.

    Fergie might well say he's got plenty of "options", but he forgot to add the word "makeweight".

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  7. James:

    Just wanted to clarify, the comments don't seem exactly negative. He does say he is training well.

    I just do not understand, we have a player who was great for us briefly, our midfield struggles, but you suggest you have other alternatives.

    While you suggest they will just take the insurance money, I find that a difficult road to pass. What if he can play, but sucks? Do you think that the insurance will insure against that? I don't. Consider for example, Eduardo, he was a solid player, but hasn't looked the same since he broke his leg.

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  8. James:

    On another note, with what is increasingly looking like the loss of Hargreaves, who do you think we should replace him with?

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  9. 619,

    We are both confused now. I didn't suggest we have other alterntives, but of course we do, the problem is they aren't brilliant...

    Fergie appears to be sending out mixed messages via the media; some of them sound like he's being positive about the outcome, but others sound like a warning to Hargreaves. My money is all on the club taking the insurance money and very soon.

    Knee injuries are completely different to leg breaks. They can mend a broken leg much easier than a serious knee problem and of course Hargreaves injuries are said to be the worst that the surgeon had ever seen....

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  10. 619,

    Regarding who I'd sign. Obviously, I'm not paid to know who to sign, if I was you can be sure I have every emerging / top player on my radar.
    Added to which, I'm not spending a great deal of time studying other leagues around Europe right now so my knowledge is limited to what I've seen in the Champions League.

    There aren't a lot of obvious options and without raking over the mistakes with Pique, Lucio and Sneijder I'm not sure at present.

    What I will say is this; if Mourinho came to Old Trafford and it's a big IF, he'd know who to sign you can be sure of that. IMO, Fergie doesn't have his finger on the pulse regarding targets and his judgement has been clouded by sentimentality regarding our older players.

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  11. What annoying me is the way he said he had the money and he is happy with the squad and there is no need to buy any players. I know he keeps everything to himself but the way he say he had the money and not spend it. Or he say he had the money but actually he dont have. More fans know he dont have the money and it's sad. I do hope we can sort our the future of the club in the summer.

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  12. KK,

    Here's a thought; maybe Fergie is keeping the money back for the new manager? Somehow, I doubt that far fetched scenario...

    I actually believe Fergie doesn't have his eye on the ball with regards to who he should sign.

    Further to which the fact that he allowed Pique to slip through his fingertips should concern us all because the lad has developed into the best defender in Europe - but would that have happened if he'd stayed at United? I doubt it. Here again we should be concerned, because ask yourself why that is so? Perhaps it is something to do with Barcelona's philosophy of retaining the ball and keeping it on the deck and not playing speculative long to mid range "holywood balls".

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  13. I dont think he could think so far ahead. It's very obvious he dont have the money. Just like today interview, he mention he will sign 2 player the most, but he say he like to sign young player and he is good at that. Oh my. When is the young player he sign playing in the first team other than Rafael? Maybe he mean a few years later they could become one of the best, but that is future and no one knows for sure.

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  14. James:

    Maybe we are wrong, I guess Hargreaves is in the traveling squad for the derby.

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  15. KK,

    If it's true we have NO or little to money to spend, then Fergie is a bigger yes man that I'd thought.

    Fergie should be making noises about lack of transfer funds and stop being the Glazers lapdog.

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  16. Let's see who he buy in the summer and we know for sure whether he had the money. It's frustrating when we came so close to win the champions league last season and this season he mention he know where is going wrong and he could like to challenge them again but from what i seen, we got weaker than last season. Barcelona is the club to beat and it's frightening to see them play while we are so predictable and short on attack depending on Rooney.

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