Jaded United look battle weary against dire Blackburn ...

It should have finished up 5-0 to the Champions, the fact that it didn't was down to one thing - poor finishing. Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney eventually got their names on the score-sheet with two fine second-half goals against a workmen-like Blackburn Rovers side that looked short of ideas. Right from the kick-off it seemed as though the visitors were playing for a draw. Blackburn showed too little ambition throughout what turned out to be a one-sided contest - at least it was after the dreadful opening thirty minutes.

Saturday's early evening clash at Old Trafford wasn't a classic, that’s an understatement, but it takes two teams to make a proper football match and sadly for Blackburn supporters, they were dire.

For our part, United didn't play well. Worryingly, Wayne Rooney looked lethargic and off the pace and slow off the mark, his wonderfully taken goal was in marked contrast to the rest of his game. Berbatov had earlier missed a great chance to score with an easy header on 29 minutes, the Bulgarian had the simplest of tasks from just six yards out, but instead he only headed downwards and right at Robinson in the visitors goal. Berbatov made amends for his first-half miss with a skillfully taken goal after he controlled a Patrice Evra shot on 55 minutes. But like his strike partner, he can do a lot better than he did against a struggling for form Blackburn team.

Embarrassingly for him, Gabriel Obertan missed another sitter, the French youngster was making his Old Trafford debut after replacing the once again hugely disappointing Nani who barely did anything of note. Obertan didn't fare much better than his Portuguese counter-part, quite how he managed to completely miss the target with an open goal at his mercy will no doubt haunt him for quite some time. Michael Owen missed another easy looking chance after being put through by Atonio Valencia. Owen had replaced Berbatov on 78 minutes and even though he continues to miss good goal scoring opportunities he continues to get into good positions - it is to be hoped he eventually rediscovers his finishing touch – but will he?

Blackburn substitute Kalinic had a goal disallowed for offside in the 90th minute which left Rovers boss Big Sam Allardyce berating the linesman. Allardyce claimed his team had been denied what they'd deserved. Sam, you got what you deserved that is precisely nothing.

As bad as Blackburn undoubtedly were, this United team looks ordinary too, apart from brief glimpses of brilliance from Rooney and Berbatov the champions look like a team that is going nowhere fast. With injuries to key defensive stars like Vidic and the once solid, but now rapidly turning to jelly Rio Ferdiand the prospect of facing an in-form Chelsea next weekend will rightly be giving concern to the Red Army.

Before that United take on another rag-bag outfit when CSKA Moscow are the visitors to Old Trafford in midweek. Champions League qualification looks certain and only an unmitigated disaster will stop the champions progressing into the knockout phase of the competition.

Fergie will likely ring the changes in midweek, but right now there isn't a lot to shout about in the 'stiffs', the best we the fans can look forward to is the da Silva brothers turning on the style - at least it is going off what we have seen so far from the likes of Macheda this season. The jury is out on Macheda and Danny Welbeck and so it comes as no great surprise that Fergie is being linked to some big names from around Europe. Let us pray the Glazers’ back the manager to spend, and if needs be spend big in January.

The sporting highlight of the coming week could be the Scousers near certain elimination from the Champions League. Even for a die-hard United fan, that is quite sad, nonetheless, I'll drink to it if it happens.