Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham

At last a win, but this was the least impressive display so far this season. We are really missing an out and out centre forward at the moment. When I heard the team announced yesterday and then saw the formation they were going to play in, i feared the worst. With Tevez as the front man and Scholes just behind and Giggs and Tevez each side, I feared that as usual this season there would be loads of possession and pretty football but not much penetration. You would have to say that Tottenhams own poor start to the season helped our cause because we were there for the taking yesterday. I am glad there are still four weeks before we play Chelsea because there is no way we we would get a result with the team and the performances we are seeing at the moment. Obviously losing first Rooney and then Ronaldo was a massive blow, but it has been really alarming how toothless we have been up front without those two.
When this season started I looked at our squad and thought it was probably the strongest squad I have seen at United, but it's took two injuries to make me wonder just how strong it really is. Why was Eagles on the bench yesterday, I have still seen nothing from him unfortunately, to change my opinion that he is too lightweight. Why was Dong substitute in front of Campbell, if Campbell was injured, I suppose that would be some excuse, but I would never have Dong on the bench, he just isn't good enough full stop. I still can't believe we sold Rossi, especially as that leaves you relying on sicknote Saha, and the only thing you can rely on him for, is to be injured.
Watching Berbatov playing for them has made me even more sure that he would look just perfect in a red shirt. He is definitely a class act, but i can't see us getting him, not this season anyway.
The way we played yesterday it was always going to take something special to break the deadlock and Nani's shot was certainly special. From what we have seen of him so far, his shooting has been his strongest asset, you can see he has got great skill, but I am not too sure he knows how best to use it. He still has a lot to learn, he always tries to take on one man too many at the moment. But to be fair we knew he wasn't the finished product when we got him, and he is playing regularly way ahead of schedule. I am not too sure why people seem to be so surprised at how good a player Hargreaves is. Everybody has seen him playing for England, by the end of the last world cup he had become easily Englands best player and I can remember him marking Giggs out of a game for Bayern playing at right back. Good as the other two signings may turn out to be, he was the signing that we really needed, right here and now to try and improve the team.
As to the penalty appeal, when i saw it live, I thought it was a penalty to be honest, but having seen it on the box now, it obviously wasn't. I am glad it happened at Old Trafford though, if that had happened away it may well have been given.
So our first win is now on the board and we are up and running, but performance wise we still have a long way to go.
James Lawton wrote a fair piece in the independent
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2898386.ece

A good piece on the observers website by Will Hutton, about the financial turmoil currently besetting the money markets.http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2156370,00.html