A week is a very short time in the mad world of football, and just a few days ago many fans were asking questions about new £18m summer signing Anderson. The worry was that just perhaps Fergie had dropped another big transfer bollock, the spectre of Kleberson and Djemba Djemba must still haunt the United manager.
What led to the speculation was Anderson's lack of first team outings thus far. In the games prior Wigan on Saturday, the Brazilian had been barely used and when he was on duty, like on his league debut against Sunderland he just did not look the part.
In the week that followed a report in the Guardian claimed that Fergie had told his backroom team that it might be twelve months before Anderson was ready for the first team, whether or not that report was true, it was an incredulous claim, but one which only added to the debate about the Brazilian.
Coming on the back of a first-class display by Anderson against Wigan on Saturday, there's yet more speculation with the Sunday Mirror claiming that the player is unhappy and wants to return to his former club Porto on-loan because he's not been able to break into the first-team.
You do wonder if this is another case of tabloid mischief-making on one of those quiet Sunday's given that there was so few games on Saturday in the Premier League. It wouldn't be the first time that a tabloid newspaper has made something up and it certainly wont be the last.
Perhaps Fergie needs to read out the riot-act again to our 'gentlemen of the press' - don't they know the rules by now though?
Showing posts with label anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anderson. Show all posts
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Shell shocked Wigan blown away 4-0 as the Reds finally get into the groove...
The Red Devils went into this league fixture on the back of many in the media asking questions about the lack of goals so far this season. Ferguson had an overnight central midfield selection headache due to injuries to Hargreaves and Carrick, as if to compound matters Saha then picked up an injury prior to kick-off in the warm-up so he missed the game.
In the end Ferguson opted to start with John O'Shea in midfield. However early in the first half Vidic sustained a head injury after colliding with Paul Scharner who later had another similar clash of heads with Patrice Evra. After much discussion the United manager eventually took off Vidic and replaced him with O'Shea, with Anderson coming on to shore up the midfield alongside Scholes.
Not long after the reshuffle O'Shea picked up an injury and he too was taken off and replaced by Danny Simpson, with Gerard Pique who'd started at rightback moving to the centre of the defence with Rio Ferdinand.
The net result of the re-shuffle and all of the changes was that United who'd started the game brightly enough became a bit disjointed and with Wigan parking their proverbial pie stall on the edge of their penalty area in a bid not to get beaten heavily the first half ended without too much goal action, though the recalled and on the day much improved Ryan Giggs created one great chance for Tevez to score only for the Argentine's effort to be blocked.
The Reds also had a decent shout for a penalty turned down when Brown made no attempt to play the ball when bundling over Ronaldo early in the game but ref Mike Riley seemed to be giving the visitors a little too much benefit of the doubt on the decisions.
As an attacking force Wigan did not offer that much, but the visitors nearly had a great chance to score when Paul Scharner was found lurking beyond Evra at the far post from a raking crossfield ball, but the Frenchman atoned for his positional error by making an unbelievable last-ditch chest-high recovery tackle clearance.
The second period started much like the first with United starting to pass the ball about with plenty of control. Giggs hit the crossbar with a good effort after being found at the far post. New boy Anderson at last started to show us the fans exactly why Fergie had paid a kings ransom to acquire him.
The little Brazilian looked much more at home than in any of his previous, albeit limited appearances so far, his passing was quick and incisive and he hit both long and short accurate passes. When the former Porto star lost the ball, which wasn't often, he was quick to try and win it back and he was nearly always there when the Reds needed him when defending.
When the breakthrough finally came it was a goal of the highest quality. Rooney received the ball just over the halfway line and his quick pass inside found the on rushing Anderson who dissected the Wigan back four with a lovely ball down United's right which found the feet of Tevez who raced in behind a defender, the Argentine held off the attentions of two defenders before he rounded keeper Chris Kirkland, only then could he fire home into the corner. It really was a fabulous opening goal.
It wasn't long before Ronaldo made it two-nil, Ryan Giggs crossed the ball from a short corner only for Wigan defender to deflect a header goalwards, Kirkland saved it initially but Ronaldo pounced to score with relative ease at the far post.
The Reds were starting to look rampant and Anderson, Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo all scented blood as they upped the tempo in a bid to end any further questions about the Reds ability to score goals. Wigan for their part didn't have a lot to offer, apart from when substitute Valencia brought out the very best in stand-in keeper Tomas Kuszczak when he made a great one handed save diving low to his right and then pushing the ball to relative safety.
United kept the visitors on the rack and deservedly scored another well worked goal, this time defender Gerard Pique played a lovely ball down United's left flank for Rooney to run onto and in turn his cutback found Ronaldo who hammered home his shot giving the keeper no chance to make it three-nil.
Rooney who'd worked hard all game long finally got the goal that he deserved when fullback Danny Simpson's beautifully weighed cross found the England striker unmarked inside the box and the former Everton man's powerful bullet headed finish did not disappoint the adoring Stretford End.
Ferguson will be especially delighted with Anderson and Tevez who worked like Trojans and really started to look at home at the club. There was other big plus points, Pique and Simpson did very well too. The fans and the media will talk about the goals, but importantly now Fergie knows he has plenty of genuine options regarding his squad, because much has been made about the lack of quality strength in depth at United. The revisionists are going to be busy says I in the weeks that lie ahead.
In the end Ferguson opted to start with John O'Shea in midfield. However early in the first half Vidic sustained a head injury after colliding with Paul Scharner who later had another similar clash of heads with Patrice Evra. After much discussion the United manager eventually took off Vidic and replaced him with O'Shea, with Anderson coming on to shore up the midfield alongside Scholes.
Not long after the reshuffle O'Shea picked up an injury and he too was taken off and replaced by Danny Simpson, with Gerard Pique who'd started at rightback moving to the centre of the defence with Rio Ferdinand.
The net result of the re-shuffle and all of the changes was that United who'd started the game brightly enough became a bit disjointed and with Wigan parking their proverbial pie stall on the edge of their penalty area in a bid not to get beaten heavily the first half ended without too much goal action, though the recalled and on the day much improved Ryan Giggs created one great chance for Tevez to score only for the Argentine's effort to be blocked.
The Reds also had a decent shout for a penalty turned down when Brown made no attempt to play the ball when bundling over Ronaldo early in the game but ref Mike Riley seemed to be giving the visitors a little too much benefit of the doubt on the decisions.
As an attacking force Wigan did not offer that much, but the visitors nearly had a great chance to score when Paul Scharner was found lurking beyond Evra at the far post from a raking crossfield ball, but the Frenchman atoned for his positional error by making an unbelievable last-ditch chest-high recovery tackle clearance.
The second period started much like the first with United starting to pass the ball about with plenty of control. Giggs hit the crossbar with a good effort after being found at the far post. New boy Anderson at last started to show us the fans exactly why Fergie had paid a kings ransom to acquire him.
The little Brazilian looked much more at home than in any of his previous, albeit limited appearances so far, his passing was quick and incisive and he hit both long and short accurate passes. When the former Porto star lost the ball, which wasn't often, he was quick to try and win it back and he was nearly always there when the Reds needed him when defending.
When the breakthrough finally came it was a goal of the highest quality. Rooney received the ball just over the halfway line and his quick pass inside found the on rushing Anderson who dissected the Wigan back four with a lovely ball down United's right which found the feet of Tevez who raced in behind a defender, the Argentine held off the attentions of two defenders before he rounded keeper Chris Kirkland, only then could he fire home into the corner. It really was a fabulous opening goal.
It wasn't long before Ronaldo made it two-nil, Ryan Giggs crossed the ball from a short corner only for Wigan defender to deflect a header goalwards, Kirkland saved it initially but Ronaldo pounced to score with relative ease at the far post.
The Reds were starting to look rampant and Anderson, Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo all scented blood as they upped the tempo in a bid to end any further questions about the Reds ability to score goals. Wigan for their part didn't have a lot to offer, apart from when substitute Valencia brought out the very best in stand-in keeper Tomas Kuszczak when he made a great one handed save diving low to his right and then pushing the ball to relative safety.
United kept the visitors on the rack and deservedly scored another well worked goal, this time defender Gerard Pique played a lovely ball down United's left flank for Rooney to run onto and in turn his cutback found Ronaldo who hammered home his shot giving the keeper no chance to make it three-nil.
Rooney who'd worked hard all game long finally got the goal that he deserved when fullback Danny Simpson's beautifully weighed cross found the England striker unmarked inside the box and the former Everton man's powerful bullet headed finish did not disappoint the adoring Stretford End.
Ferguson will be especially delighted with Anderson and Tevez who worked like Trojans and really started to look at home at the club. There was other big plus points, Pique and Simpson did very well too. The fans and the media will talk about the goals, but importantly now Fergie knows he has plenty of genuine options regarding his squad, because much has been made about the lack of quality strength in depth at United. The revisionists are going to be busy says I in the weeks that lie ahead.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Carrick injury leaves Ferguson with a selection headache..
Injuries to Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves have given Ferguson a massive selection dilemma ahead of the visit of Wigan Athletic on Saturday. The worry for the United manager is that Carrick could be out of action with a fractured elbow for up to six weeks. To compound matters for Fergie, Owen Hagreaves continues to be the source of frustration because of his run of niggling injuries. The net result is the Reds Devils have no recognised anchormen central midfield players to select from. Granted the manager can call upon John O'Shea, Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra or new boy Anderson. But none of that lot would appear to an obvious choice.
John O'Shea is a utility player, but his passing isn't of the highest quality and he can be slow on the turn. Giggs who has been axed of late due to his poor form isn't the right man to play in front of the back four, neither is Evra.
That leaves Anderson and the jury is very much out on him. No disrespect, but Ferguson should be selecting the Brazilian because if he cannot do it against Wigan, what hope is there for him? So for I hope Anderson does start the game because I want to see what he's made of and I want to see exactly why the club shelled out £18m to buy him.
John O'Shea is a utility player, but his passing isn't of the highest quality and he can be slow on the turn. Giggs who has been axed of late due to his poor form isn't the right man to play in front of the back four, neither is Evra.
That leaves Anderson and the jury is very much out on him. No disrespect, but Ferguson should be selecting the Brazilian because if he cannot do it against Wigan, what hope is there for him? So for I hope Anderson does start the game because I want to see what he's made of and I want to see exactly why the club shelled out £18m to buy him.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Reds fans silver lining to Carling Cup exit...
Much will be made of United's shock Carling Cup exit after Coventry City dumped the Reds out of the competition on Wednesday after Maltese star Mifsud scored in either half in front of a reported crowd of 74,055 fans.
After the game Ferguson said that he was 'flabbergasted' and everyone is 'shocked'. The manager doesn't believe in publicly blaming individual players and last night was no different.
However, Ferguson did hint that he was disappointed with his young players. Defender Phil Bardsley was taken off at half-time and much talked about Jonny Evans was then switched to leftback, as Wes Brown was introduced to shore up the back four but it didn't stop the visitors scoring a killer goal on 70 minutes. Coventry's goal hero Mifsud should have scored a hatrick, as he hit the woodwork and missed a sitter when Tomasz Kuszczak the United keeper pushed the ball into his path late on, but he somehow failed to find the target.
There is undoubtedly cause for concern about this defeat as United splashed out £36m in the summer to sign Nani and Anderson and they did not impress on the night. Nani's passing and final ball was woeful. There is concern about the lack of strength in depth in the striking department at the club from the first team to down to the reserves. Dong simply doesn't look like he's going to make it at United, and Fraser Campbell is another who doesn't look as though he has a long term future at a club where the expectations are so high.
In the bigger picture though, despite the defeat and the concerns over the performances of young and new players alike. United's first team squad despite lacking quality striking options in depth is as good as any in division, but playing in four competitions would have stretched Fergie's playing resources to their limit and so if United can do well in the league and the Champions League by winning either or both, the we the fans can look back at the Coventry defeat and say they did us a favour. That may or may not turn out to be a forlorn hope, time will tell.
On another disappointing night on the pitch there something of an ironic bonus for United's cash-strapped fans. Clubs around Europe will no doubt look at last night's attendance figure at Old Trafford in total bewilderment. Here we have the Carling Cup, aka the Mickey Mouse Cup, yet the Reds attracted a crowd of approaching 75,000, albeit 11,000 of them were following the visitors.
What the figures do not tell you is that many of the 63,000 or so Reds fans didn't even want to be there as this season the club has forced season ticket holders to join United's much maligned automatic cup scheme, which stipulates that fans have to buy tickets for all first home games including the Carling Cup.
At least those fans who cannot really afford it wont have to fork out any more cash this season for Carling Cup tickets - so there is a silver lining to that defeat for many home fans.
After the game Ferguson said that he was 'flabbergasted' and everyone is 'shocked'. The manager doesn't believe in publicly blaming individual players and last night was no different.
However, Ferguson did hint that he was disappointed with his young players. Defender Phil Bardsley was taken off at half-time and much talked about Jonny Evans was then switched to leftback, as Wes Brown was introduced to shore up the back four but it didn't stop the visitors scoring a killer goal on 70 minutes. Coventry's goal hero Mifsud should have scored a hatrick, as he hit the woodwork and missed a sitter when Tomasz Kuszczak the United keeper pushed the ball into his path late on, but he somehow failed to find the target.
There is undoubtedly cause for concern about this defeat as United splashed out £36m in the summer to sign Nani and Anderson and they did not impress on the night. Nani's passing and final ball was woeful. There is concern about the lack of strength in depth in the striking department at the club from the first team to down to the reserves. Dong simply doesn't look like he's going to make it at United, and Fraser Campbell is another who doesn't look as though he has a long term future at a club where the expectations are so high.
In the bigger picture though, despite the defeat and the concerns over the performances of young and new players alike. United's first team squad despite lacking quality striking options in depth is as good as any in division, but playing in four competitions would have stretched Fergie's playing resources to their limit and so if United can do well in the league and the Champions League by winning either or both, the we the fans can look back at the Coventry defeat and say they did us a favour. That may or may not turn out to be a forlorn hope, time will tell.
On another disappointing night on the pitch there something of an ironic bonus for United's cash-strapped fans. Clubs around Europe will no doubt look at last night's attendance figure at Old Trafford in total bewilderment. Here we have the Carling Cup, aka the Mickey Mouse Cup, yet the Reds attracted a crowd of approaching 75,000, albeit 11,000 of them were following the visitors.
What the figures do not tell you is that many of the 63,000 or so Reds fans didn't even want to be there as this season the club has forced season ticket holders to join United's much maligned automatic cup scheme, which stipulates that fans have to buy tickets for all first home games including the Carling Cup.
At least those fans who cannot really afford it wont have to fork out any more cash this season for Carling Cup tickets - so there is a silver lining to that defeat for many home fans.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Anderson, the new Scholes or the new Kleberson?
Hands up all those Reds that thought Anderson was going to be the new Paul Scholes. At least that is what this Red was expecting to see, but somewhat worringly eight games into the season and so far Anderson has started only one game in which he was dragged off at half-time after what only be descrided as a very poor performance against Sunderland.
The Brazilian then came off the bench to replace Giggs against Sporting Lisbon, in both games, the former Porto player looked anything but a samba star in the making, his passing was dreadful, especially against Sunderland.
It is very early days as far as Anderson is concerned, he's had the relative luxury of being able to bed-in while Nani, another new recruit, was pressed into action pretty much from the off when United were down to the bare bones of the squad. The fans might have expected Fergie to send his new recruit into battle sooner that he'd have liked. But that did not happen.
The slight concern is that just perhaps having looked closely at the £18m man in training, maybe Anderson isn't quite living up to expectations. Hence his limited appearances for the club so far. It isn't that long ago that Kleberson another Brazilian arrived at the club for a fee of around £6m only for him to leave the club without making any impact at all. The Brazilian's exit led to suggestions that United bought 'the wrong one' due to scouting report error - which is a totally ridiculous suggestion if ever there was one and cannot be taken seriously.
Anderson has cost an awful lot more than Kleberson and so there should be absolutely no doubt about his ability, but there's more to it than just playing football. At least that is what we've been told countless times about new arrivals - they need to settle in - then there's the language problem to overcome and of course everyone is different...and so it goes.
However, you do wonder if Fergie has been casting a slightly envious eye over Elano at rivals Man City. He too is Brazilian and looks as though he could turn out to be one of the buys of the season, he was bought for a fraction of the fee United shelled out for Anderson. Elano is a superb play-maker, he would have been perfect for United and dare I say could have replaced Scholes.
United fans and Fergie will be hoping that Anderson isn't the next Kleberson. The Reds take on Coventry City in the Carling Cup this evening, perhaps the Brazilian will get his chance to show us the fans why we agreed a fee of £18m to bring him to Old Trafford. Jonny Evans the highly-rated young Northern Ireland defender will start the game, so it should be worth tuning-in.
The Brazilian then came off the bench to replace Giggs against Sporting Lisbon, in both games, the former Porto player looked anything but a samba star in the making, his passing was dreadful, especially against Sunderland.
It is very early days as far as Anderson is concerned, he's had the relative luxury of being able to bed-in while Nani, another new recruit, was pressed into action pretty much from the off when United were down to the bare bones of the squad. The fans might have expected Fergie to send his new recruit into battle sooner that he'd have liked. But that did not happen.
The slight concern is that just perhaps having looked closely at the £18m man in training, maybe Anderson isn't quite living up to expectations. Hence his limited appearances for the club so far. It isn't that long ago that Kleberson another Brazilian arrived at the club for a fee of around £6m only for him to leave the club without making any impact at all. The Brazilian's exit led to suggestions that United bought 'the wrong one' due to scouting report error - which is a totally ridiculous suggestion if ever there was one and cannot be taken seriously.
Anderson has cost an awful lot more than Kleberson and so there should be absolutely no doubt about his ability, but there's more to it than just playing football. At least that is what we've been told countless times about new arrivals - they need to settle in - then there's the language problem to overcome and of course everyone is different...and so it goes.
However, you do wonder if Fergie has been casting a slightly envious eye over Elano at rivals Man City. He too is Brazilian and looks as though he could turn out to be one of the buys of the season, he was bought for a fraction of the fee United shelled out for Anderson. Elano is a superb play-maker, he would have been perfect for United and dare I say could have replaced Scholes.
United fans and Fergie will be hoping that Anderson isn't the next Kleberson. The Reds take on Coventry City in the Carling Cup this evening, perhaps the Brazilian will get his chance to show us the fans why we agreed a fee of £18m to bring him to Old Trafford. Jonny Evans the highly-rated young Northern Ireland defender will start the game, so it should be worth tuning-in.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Stunning Red's double transfer swoop...
Great news for United fans because the Red's have made a stunning double transfer swoop to sign 19 year old Brazilian playmaker Anderson from Porto plus 20 year old Portuguese wonder boy Nani from Sporting Lisbon. United released the news via the clubs official website, the fees have apparently been agreed in principle. Added to which the club will complete the signing of Hargreaves next week. Looking good.
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