Reserves win and more importantly play well

I caught the second half of their 2-0 win over Sunderland and what an improvement from the dire performance away to Wigan in the last match. The passing was much more like we are used to seeing from our youngsters. If they had took their chances they, it could have been a cricket score. Poor finishing and an inspired display from the mackems goalie Carson kept the scoreline down to just the two, with United only sealing it in the last minute. I was impressed with Brandy who was always a danger, and held the ball well all night. Needless to say he didn't have much support with Dong up front along side him. Evans display was a bit concerning though, the lack of games seemed to show, and i should think Keano, who was there wouldn't have recognised him from the player who helped them get promotion last season.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=511613
No Gary Neville again though.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/11/30/fears-grow-over-neville-89520-20183348/

Harris fears for United, Glazers only in it for the money
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/22580/The-Glazers-have-no-love-of-football-I-fear-for-United/
Don't we all

Hicks wants out of scouseland
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;jsessionid=4OO4MGKLOC03RQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/sport/2007/11/30/ufnliverpool130.xml
I am not sure if that's good news or bad

Would you trust this man,
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3209820.ece
Diamond geezer or dodgy geezer



Democracy Putin style
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2219492,00.html
His heart must surely have definitely been on the side of the plotters in 1991. Speaking of which the man picked by Gorbachev to head the KGB, not one of his better decisions i think gets an obituary in the guardian as democrats the world over say good riddance
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2219454,00.html



Surely time to nationalise
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/30/northernrock.creditcrunch

Boys of 12 using anabolic steroids to get girls
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/30/northernrock.creditcrunch
I found this passage alarming, "They do it because they want to be in boy bands and get girls," he said. Do heterosexual boys really want to be in boy bands to get girls, i must be getting old. And this bit of sarcasm amusing, Those who used anabolic steroids were often oblivious of the risks, which included acne, breast enlargement, sterility, liver tumours and hepatitis, the council chairman, Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, said. He added: "It can also make the testicles wither - which is probably not what the users want."

Humour from Richard Herring
http://www.newstatesman.com/200711270004

Manchester United 2-1 Sporting Lisbon

Not the greatest game to be honest. The intensity of the performance was bound to drop, once qualification was achieved, and drop it duly did. Apparently Sporting haven't been in the best of form in the Portugese league, but they didn't play too badly last night. Saying that with United not really firing on all cylinders, and Kuszczak gifting them a goal that gave them something to protect, it wasn't the hardest of nights for them.
The first half was a bit of a non event from Uniteds point of view, as there was no spark or urgency. Anderson was probably our best player, but with no Tevez, there wasn't much creativity on show. Ronaldo tried hard, but i still don't think it is quite happening for him at the moment. Saha did alright , but didn't look totally fit to me, and in the second half he seemed to really tire. In fact the biggest attacking threat in the first half and maybe all night was Evra, who is really on fire at the moment. The biggest disappointment on the night was the performance of Nani, who had a bit of a mare. The longer the first half went on the more his confidence seemed to drop.
It wasn't a massive surprise when Fergie made changes at half time, bringing on Tevez and Giggs for Fletcher and Nani. I thought that was a bit harsh on Fletcher who didn't do anything wrong, and needs the games more than Carrick who wasn't any better than him in the first half. But the substitutions definitely changed the game, especially Tevez. When there is no Rooney in the team it looks essential to me that Tevez must start, he really makes things happen. It still took a fluke to get us back in the game as Ronaldo's shot cum cross took two deflections before from our angle seeming to dribble over the line. Now the chances started to come, but United seemed unable to take any of them, that is until Ronaldo's last minute corker. I have to admit i was hoping that Ronaldo would leave it to Hargreaves, but he didn't and aren't we all glad. What a shot, like a tracer bullet right into the corner of the net. I suppose we just about deserved the win, and it will certainly helps us to rest a couple of players before the biggie against Liverpool.



More led zeppelin, this time in rolling stone
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17448308/the_return_of_led_zeppelin?source=music_news_rssfeed
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17448380/the_durable_led_zeppelin?source=music_news_rssfeed

Ouch Brown is compared to Mr Brown
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,2218392,00.html
he must love Vince Cable, thats twice he has really floored him at question time.

Is the sun setting on the wests financial model
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/hamish_mcrae/article3201541.ece

Robert Fisk on the gloomy situation in Lebanon and the middle east in general
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article3191532.ece

Simon Jenkins on the Labour party and money
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2218210,00.html

Football: Premier League warns Platini to 'mind his own business' | News | Guardian Unlimited Football

Football: Premier League warns Platini to 'mind his own business' | News | Guardian Unlimited Football
The last paragraph is the most telling aspect of this story. Although it is common sense surely to suggest that a manchester united fan wants to see lads from manchester in the team, and the same for the scousers.
GM food safer than normal food?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,,2217712,00.html
I was against this, but i am slowly changing my mind. I am still not totally convinced it is 100% safe yet, but if they can prove that it will be, then i think i will have to come down in favour of allowing GM crops. If we are going to have climate change, and whatever the reasons for it, then it is obviously going to affect food production. And as usual if this happens it will be the worst off that are affected. So if it means allowing GM crops, there would only be one option for me, providing it is proved to be safe of course

PFI as costly as it's critics have pointed out it will end up being
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2217576,00.html
I think the problem here is with new labour not being the natural party of business, but trying to prove that they are without the first hint of knowledge of how it actually works. They have just been took for the suckers that they are, at the taxpayers expense.

ID cards what are they good for, absolutely nothing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2217559,00.html

Another new labour failiure, managing to build less social housing than the tories under Thatcher managed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2217572,00.html

After wanting Blair to quit for all this time, it seems a bit unfair that he is managing to escape any blame for Labours recent travails. I know Northern rock is not really anything to do with him, but this payment scandal is yet another grubby financial scapade that has his tenure written all over it. I didn't watch the Aranovitch interview, but apparently it was a bad as could be expected. For an organisation that got shafted by him, the amount of time the Beeb has given over to him since he left office is quite staggering
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robert_fox/2007/11/the_blair_fears.html

Jumpers for goalposts at Carrington, as United's kids are being taught the right way,
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/11/25/there-is-hope-98487-20158004/

More shared values, with those upholders of civilised values Saudi Arabia,
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/mai_yamani/2007/11/punishing_the_victim.html

I haven't read that the Saudis are influential in Pakistan before, oh dear, nuclear bomb and all
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2217076,00.html

Minister leads the push for faster broadband,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/26/telecoms.internet
I wish i could believe they were serious, or that if they are, that anything will come out of it.

Where death by water is part of daily life, Larry Elliot paints a grim picture of the sanitary conditions of Bangladesh. I watched a documentary about corruption in Kenya a while ago, and the reporter was based in a shanty town in Nairobi. When he walked out of his hut he was literally walking on shit, it looked absolutely horrendous. Of course if we took back in time to the last century or even longer, the smell would probably makes us heave almost straight away. It's terrible to think there are still places in the world where conditions are still that bad.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/26/economics.naturaldisasters

The yanks show us up over BAE http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/26/economics.naturaldisasters
This is eventually going to be another massive embarrassment to hit our hapless government

Oxford union debate controversy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2217115,00.html
Free speech is free speech to me, and repugnant views should be out in the open to take apart and ridiculed by rational argument.

Bolton 1-0 Manchester United

I can't deny it, i thought this was going to be an easy win and three points, and although i wasn't that thrilled with the team selected, i was still fairly confident. It took about 5 minutes to realise we were going to be in for a tough afternoon. Although we didn't play well at all, i don't think we really deserved to get beat. Then again if you have as few attempts on goal as we managed yesterday, it only takes one mistake. And unfortunately that's what happened as Pique made a bit of a horlicks of Campo's centre to leave Anelka free to stab home the resultant loose ball.
Even with the shock of conceding that goal right out of the blue, we seemed to be unable to rise to the occasion. We just never really seemed to get hold of the game at all in the midfield. I was worried about the midfield duo from the start, neither one is really a player that likes to get forward, and it has to be said that Carrick has had a poor season so far. I know he has been injured, but even before the elbow injury he wasn't having a great season. He seems to be unable to impose himself on the game. We only really started to boss the game when Anderson came on, and on the evidence of the season so far, Anderson must have moved above him in the pecking order. Although we obviously missed Rooney and Ronaldo yesterday, i can't lay any blame at the feet of the front men. I thought Saha and Tevez did alright, but they didn't get much service, and especially in the first half they got no support.
I don't think it was a coincidence that Davies was all over Evra in the first half, it seemed like they have been watching us, and noticed that Evra is given carte blanche to get forward, whilst Brown either through orders or more likely instinct is less likely to get forward. So through Davies continuing fouling of the left back, Browns more conservative instinct to not get forward and our central midfield's lack of creativity, we just never got going at all in the first half.
For the first couple of minutes in the second half i noticed an upping of the tempo and attempt to try to force the game a bit more than in the first half. But it soon settled back into the familiar pattern of the first 45 minutes. The game only changed when Anderson was brought on for Pique. It was an afternoon to forget for Pique, but it's all part of the learning process, he won't be the last centre half to not have a great afternoon at the Reebok.
Now for the first time we got almost complete control of the game, and it was just a backs to the wall operation now for the men in white. Anderson is fast becoming a player that demands to an automatic first choice, especially with no Scholes available, he provides industry, guile and he seems to be able to drive the team forward himself. Within minutes of coming on he was hitting the passes that Carrick had been unable to or unwilling to try. Giggs gets a lot of stick in games likes these for his slack passing, but at least he was trying to hit the defence splitting passes that have to be attempted to break open the packed defence. Alright he didn't manage to do it successfully, but if he had have took the Carrick route of just playing the easy pass the first 60 minutes would have been even more dire with us reverting to one of those games last season where we had almost 90 minutes possession and ended up getting beat 1-0.
Then came the decisive moment in the game, a super cross from Evra, that Tevez was unable to slot home. Evra, despite the attentions of Davies, was superb again yesterday, so far this season he would be the equal of any of our players. It was a terrible miss though, it's hard to know why he tried to glance it, all he had to do was just get a decent contact and it was in. He isn't really a natural finisher, i have noticed before that when he is put through on goal he tends to just hit it, rather than aiming for the corner a la Ruud. I am absolutely certain if we had scored then we would have gone on to win, it would have totally deflated them and enabled us to step up a gear. But instead when he missed that, i think they realised it was going to be their day, and it was them throwing themselves around trying to stop us playing.
We had one more really good chance, but unfortunately with Evra going through on the left, he didn't lift his head up and see a totally unmarked Louis Saha arriving late in the box and he blazed it wildly over the bar. That is pretty unusual for Evra, he usually has a good appreciation of what is going on a round him. I suppose there was one up side to Ronaldo not playing, we got to see a couple of decent efforts on goal from free kicks outside the box from Hargreaves. Jaaskeleinen's save from the first effort was absolutely top draw. But that was how to take a free kick from outside the box, getting it to dip at the last minute.Well at least we have got this poor performance out of the way before the visit to Anfield.
If there is a scrap of comfort to be taken from yesterday, it is that none of the other top four teams are going to relish going there. Let's hope some of our title challengers drop vital points there, on yesterdays evidence i think they probably will.

Tevez to sign permanently says Ferguson http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=645473.html?cid=rssfeed&att=
No mention of a fee

Mourinho: Come and get me England
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,,2216755,00.html
According to the observer, that would be a turn up for the books for me, anyway.


Benitez renews attack on owners
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7108721.stm
It is pretty obvious Benitez is in the right, but do the yanks understand football ( sorry soccer ) or do they not have the money.

Will hutton on rediscovering social democracy
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2216711,00.html
or not as the case may be

Nice to see the Aussies ditch Howard, and in such a humilating way
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2216549,00.html

A mass movement is needed to tackle the states snoopers, says Henry Porter
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2216588,00.html



A site for anybody interested in the construction of the new BBC site in salford quays
http://www.mawhitfield.com/holidays/bbcmediacityukweb2007q3n/index11.html



Led Zep hit by old classics problem,
http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/32724
They were obviously never going to just pick up where they left off after the death of John Bonham, but i hope they are still to be good enough to remind us why they sold all those records. One of my all time favourite groups, if not the favourite.

James Lawton in the indie on the blazers in charge of English football
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/comment/article3191559.ece

Capello interested in the England job,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2933676.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7109777.stm
I actually think he would be a good choice, i wouldn'w want him as a United manager, he is far too negative in his tactics. But let's face it, what the FA cares about most is qualifying for the major tournaments and i am pretty sure he would be able to do that. He has managed far bigger talents than England can currently call upon also, and is unafraid to call the shots. There would be no ego's under him.

More on the Benitez press conference
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A29449326
Altogether now USA USA

The guardian's 100 albums to hear before you die
http://music.guardian.co.uk/1000albums/0,,2211598,00.html
I watched Jools Holland last night and finally heard west African band orchestra baobob, they were excellent.

Unhappy at anfield

Benitez that is
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article3187052.ece
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2216143,00.html

Keano gets sbragia to join him at sunderland
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/11/23/keane-appoints-ricky-sbragia-89520-20150189/

Sir Bobby Charlton wants O'Neill for England
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3187053.ece
But i suspect O'Neil doesn't want the job.

Graeme Le Saux writes a reasonable article, as Keano said though, too many ego's, so who is going to do the shouting. I can see fat fwank bursting into tears if anybody has a go at him.
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3187063.ece

A decent article on the growing divide between our pampered football stars and the fans
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3187055.ece
From a United perspective the end of it was a bit rum though. The reason and i and a fair few others were glad when Beckham went was because we thought he saved himself for England not the other way round. And who started the whole celebrity footballer thing, another reason i was glad to see him go.

I watched the soviet union's last stand the other night on BBC4 and after it i wondered what Putin was doing at the time, it's hard not to think that he must have sympathised with the plotters attempts at restoring the parties grip on power. It is what he seems to be doing now, only more effectively than the plotters managed, for the moment anyway.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/11/a_singular_vision.html
It was a cracking programme, where the good guys triumphed, unlike the programme that preceded it, the Russian newspaper murders. The world needs plenty more brave people ready to stand up and be counted like the journalists that it followed. When you watch something like that it always makes me wonder how many of us in our comparatively cushy pampered lives would put our lives on the line in order to do the right thing. When you see Putin strutting on the world stage, and you see the reality of a Russia that seems to resemble a banana republic, you wonder what planet he is living on.

An article by Linda Colley on the unreality of our foreign policy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2215889,00.html

More crisis in credit markets
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/article3187168.ece

Last year i did some work on my family tree, which was very rewarding, and pretty enlightening. Anyway a family from Canada sent me an e-mail asking for any information of a ancestor of theirs who had married one of my ancestors. So this afternoon i have been doing a bit of researching . The further back in the nineteenth century you go the more likely your relatives would have worked the land in little villages you have never heard of. One thing that always occurs to me is how the intellectuals of the day despised the new industrial towns, and extolled the virtues of the rural life. Yet when you look how they must have lived in the countryside, you realise that whilst the dark satanic mills were obviously no paradise, the countryside was no better. If a family were agricultural labourers as a lot obviously were, the chances are that if they had 6 children and they all survived ( and that's a big enough if ) they would all be born in a different village, as the parents travelled around looking for work. No wonder there was a mass exodus to the cities. And that is another thing i have discovered the younger members of a family would nearly always head towards Manchester, London or wherever the nearest city was. That's not to mention those who emigrated, which is what one member of their family did, leaving sunny Salford for snowy Canada.The movement shows how bad things must have been at times. Their family was originally from the rural countryside of Lincolnshire, then moved to Hull where one of them married one of my ancestors and together with with his brother and his sister in law and my ancestors brother, who my family line descends from, they next moved to Salford. ( followed that? ) Then in the next generation her grandad got married and decided to move to Canada. That's lincolnshire to hull, Hull to Salford and Salford to Canada in little over 40 years. I am pretty sure i have ancestors who emigrated around the turn of the century, but that will have to wait until i have got the money to really pursue that. I love doing the family research though, it is really fascinating

England get what they deserve

When they have everybody fit, then i would say they are amongst the top ten teams in Europe, but what this group has proved to me is that there is absolutely no strength in depth. Even the first choice eleven is only average, it is nowhere near the golden generation that it was laughingly referred to as a while back. There are loads of things wrong with English football, one of the first is kids football, this article by Martin Samuels explores some of the deficiencies in the way our kids are taught football
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article2910642.ece
This is not a new problem though, when players like Lampard are made out to be world beaters that shows you part of the problem. There is no way he would get any where near getting into that Croatian team last night. The way they kept the ball with superb technique, neat passing triangles, a great first touch and never a thought to just hoofing it at the first hint of trouble is a complete anathema to the way our players are taught to play. And to be fair most of the fans in this country don't really appreciate this style of play either, how many times at a match or in a pub will you hear somebody shout, just hit it, put it in row z, get rid or what are you doing if there team try to pass the ball out from the back. How many times do you hear, just get it up there and launch it. In any other country they would have thought it mad to have put Paul Scholes on the left hand side leaving the technically inferior Lampard and Gerrard in central midfield. Yet with not even a murmur of disapproval that is what Ericsson did in the last European championships in Portugal. In fact that is what the majority of our press and sheep like public wanted. I do like Gerrard as a player but it is laughable to class either him or Lampard as world class, there technique is just no where near that level. Look at the players who you would put at that level, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Messi and maybe Henry and Ronaldo over recent years. These are players who seemed to have the ball glued to their feet at times, does anybody really think that any England players are up to that level. Rooney is the only one who has got it in him to get up to that level, and he has got miles more chance of showing that at United surrounded by similarly talented players.
I would support quotas on foreign players, although for me that would not be about helping the national team, but if it is going to stay the national sport, youngsters have to have some encouragement to take part in the sport and if they are any good have a future in the sport.
It was great watching that FA press conference this morning, apart from Gill ( and that isn't a biased United thing as i don't have much time for someone who is doing the glazer's dirty work for them ) they all reeked of second division amateurishness, none more than that scouse blob of lard Barwick. A nice quiet summer for United's England men then, pity a few others didn't make it.

Music
Nightmares on Wax - In a space outta sound : Good album, with a lot of dub influences to the trip hop
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor :More out there music from the jazz bassist drum 'n' bass man. There are a few tracks a bit too experimental for me, but the majority of is as good as usual.
The Pipettes - We are The Pipettes : 60's girl group pop meets indie, sounds good and is. Not earth shattering but pleasant enough.
World psychadelic classics 3, the funky fuzzy sounds of west Africa - Various artists: I really like this, lots of great guitar playing, but the best tracks usually have the brass section bursting over the top of it.
Liars - Drums not dead :It has it's moments but not enough for me to keep wanting to put it back on to be honest. For an album that tries to be percussion based as the title implies, there is no real kick to it.

Tevez sent off

In the 24Th minute as Argentina were beaten by Columbia 2-1
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=509396
That news surprises me, as one of the things that has surprised me since he came to United is as hard as he works and puts himself about, and as much as he gets fouled every now and then, he never seems to even think about retaliating. Maybe he just hasn't been provoked enough yet.

Well somebody has said what i was thinking, partly anyway. Northern Rock was down to decisions that he made in his first couple of years as chancellor, and this Revenue and customs shambles is probably down as much to Gordon Brown getting Treasuryitis and wanting to cut costs all over the shop, as it is to an individual cock up.
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/hamish_mcrae/article3179606.ece
This episode has confirmed a lot of my beliefs. Far from us being an over regulated country that just needs to get rid of all the red tape and bureaucracy, and set business free, bla bla as the Thatcherites and their New Labour acolytes would have it, the opposite is the case. One of the main problems in this country is that a lot of our bureaucracy is either understaffed and incompetent, or just incompetent. Anybody who has to deal with the civil service will know how infuriating it is to deal with them. They don't seem to have got too many things right New labour, the minimum wage will be their one real lasting legacy, Tax Credits might have been if they had been made easier to understand and administrate, maybe that was down to under staffing, who knows.
But now when we see how slipshod our civil service is, and maybe how understaffed it is, what is New Labour trying to bring in. I.D cards that's what, A monstrously expensive amount of money to spend on unproven technology, and that hasn't got the best of records over the course of this government has it. Cards that if they are brought in will almost certainly not stop any terrorists, will almost certainly be abused by government and police alike( history shows us it will, whatever well intentioned people say now ) and may prove to be this governments poll tax moment, when people realise what they will have to shell out for them. For anybody progressive or vaguely left of centre the last ten years have been a massive let down

With the the amount of money to be made, and the low chances of getting caught, how much longer will the ludicrous war on drugs continue.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/21/drugsandalcohol.homeaffairs

The most damning aspect of this story is it has happened under a Labour government.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2214477,00.html

They really haven't learnt the lessons of the cold war, The Russian state may be stronger now under Putin, but it is only on the back of it's natural resources, the underlying bankruptcy of the state hasn't changed. Once the oil and gas disappear, or alternate sources of energy are found so will this illusion of strength. Democracy doesn't appear to come naturally to Russians,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2214799,00.html

Rooney rapid recovery

Great news, he may be ready for the Sporting Lisbon game next week,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/20/sfnroo120.xml

Thaksin uses City for domestic Thai politics shocker,
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/20/how_sven_brought_a_load_of_bag.html
A decent football related article from Richard Williams, off the pitch though. Now the democratic party of Thailand is getting involved with Everton, barmy,
http://football.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7089723,00.html

Gregory dies
http://sport.independent.co.uk/rugby_league/article3177036.ece
Words don't really do this justice, one fly bite in Australia and then four years later your dead.

More calls to nationalise National rock
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2213858,00.html
It's a pity Vince Cable didn't stand for the leadership of the lib Dem's, he has done an excellent job as stand in. I can't believe the Guardian went for Nick Clegg, Huhne has been a lot more impressive.

Severe headaches may cause other pains, I've never suffered from them thankfully
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/20/health.medicalresearch

This from the man who once said Paul Scholes was overrated,
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/19/a_brave_front_for_the_future_w.html
They are all promising players but none have done anything in the game yet, which suggests they are capable being England regulars, never mind pushing Rooney and Gerrard, England's best two players now Scholes is retired, onto the subs bench. I have never read an article by him on football, that suggests why he is allowed to comment on a game he seems to know so little about.

A dangerous business,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,,2213131,00.html

Irwin Stelzer, Murdoch's representative on earth, and the 51st state,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2213089,00.html

Charlie Brooker, always good for a laugh
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2213278,00.html

Interview with the new Lancashire captain Stuart Law
http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=1711
He was the obvious choice really, i just hope he steers clear of injury this summer. He was a legend for Queensland, and if he can bring the county championship back to Old Trafford he will be here too.

O'Shea to sign

John O'Shea set to sign a new contract that will see him stay at United until his 30's
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1024836_oshea_set_to_sign

Frasier Campbell doing well at Hull city,
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1024706_its_working_out_for_campbell
I am not surprised, every time he has been given a new challenge, he has risen to it. It must be harder to be a centre forward going out on loan from united, as they will probably be expected to score. And yet he scored loads in the youth team and reserve team, admittedly with a lot of help from Rossi. Then he went out to Antwerp, and this time with no Rossi feeding him, but he still found the net regularly making a big impression on the Belgians. Now he has stepped up another level, and he has started to make a big impression again. I think he has a chance at United, but if he doesn't make it here, i am pretty sure he is going to have a good career in football.

The Indie goes big on the decline of the dollar
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3169638.ece
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3169654.ece

The illiberal liberals by Mick Hume
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/mick_hume/article2879515.ece

Foster getting frustrated

Fosters frustrations
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1024580_fosters_frustrations

Arsenal bondholders feel the subprime pinch
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d9bfeb00-93e5-11dc-acd0-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

I am not one, who thinks all politicians lie or in the words of one journalist who interviews them, why is this lying bastard lying to me. Sure most of them don't tell the whole truth, but that's the way our political system and the media we live with is, making it impossible most of the time to tell the whole truth. But there is a difference between telling a half truth and out out lying, especially when it used as a justification to take our country to war. When i read histories of the second world war, i always laugh when i read that when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, Hitler told the German people that Poland had invaded Germany first. Of course when the empire was in full throttle a lot lies were told, when Britain annexed another part of the world to turn it red on the maps of the worlds of the time. And Suez was a terrible blot on our post war history, but thankfully that went disastrously wrong for Eden, who had to resign in shame.
But this government has got away with murder with it's reasons for taking us into the debacle that is Iraq. Most people still don't realise how shamelessly that they have been lied to over this issue. Chris Ames is an investigative journalist who has been exposing the lies they have told, and this is a short film by him, exposing what he has found out.

My Film, "Who wrote the Iraq Dossier?", is now viewable online. It includes a cracking interview with Andrew Gilligan who has a piece in the Press Gazette today arguing that journalists are still getting the story wrong on Iraq.

Thaksin plays politics with football
http://football.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7082173,00.html

More Saudi prince frolics, party girls, whatever does that mean,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,,2212067,00.html

Reserves win but don't impress

I managed to see this game on MUTV, and it has to be said they were very poor. After saying in a recent post that i didn't think it was all gloom and doom on the youngsters front, it was a bit of a slap round the chops. Still though, with a lot of the better youngsters out on loan, and persevering with the hapless Dong up front, i can't be too harsh on them. But i can't see playing that standard of football doing much to bring on the career of Brandy, and i am surprised that Keiron Lee didn't go out on loan at the beginning of the season. I have always thought he looked like a proper player, i think he may be too lightweight for united, but thought he had a decent future in football. But last night it has to be said he was pretty poor. Brian McClair wasn't happy anyway,
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=507500

City to become bigger than massive, as eriksson goes to Thailand
http://football.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7079430,00.html

Olympics cost exponential?
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/london2012/story/0,,2211204,00.html
What a surprise, it better be London that ends up paying for this and not the rest of the country. But of course it won't be, you would think all those candidates running against Livingstone would make something of this, as he was behind the bid in a big way. Very left wing.

Big brother the fight back starts here, well we can only wish. The ID card does have the potential to be the Labour parties version of the poll tax though.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2211272,00.html

Sounds like an interesting book about the US reaction to 9/11
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2210382,00.html

This really stinks, more northern rock
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/15/northernrock.banking
Hard times ahead according to Larry Elliot
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2211152,00.html

Fergies best ever squad

There were a couple of columns dealing with Fergies post match assertion that this is the best ever squad that Fergie has put together during his twenty one years at the club. But they all focused on the first teams we have had during that time. On that basis they would be right that the present team still has a bit to prove. But Fergie was on about the squad, the pool of players he regards as good enough to play for the first team. On that basis, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he is 100% right.
Goalkeeper is probably the one position where it is debatable we are as strong as we have been. There is no question that Peter Schmeical is the best goalkeeper in Uniteds history, and van Der Gouw was a decent back up. But Van Der Sar is easily the most consistent keeper we have had since then, and if Foster lives up to expectations, then we have the next number one sorted out.
Look at the defence when everybody is fit, right back Neville with Wes Brown and Simpson as cover. At centre back Ferdinand and Vidic, then as cover Wes Brown again, the very promising Pique, Johnny Evans, although i think he is in desperate need of some first team football and i wouldn't be surprised to see him go out on loan in the new year, especially if Gary Neville can get some competitive matches in before Christmas.Left back one of our players of the year so far Evra, with Silvestre for cover when he is fit and John O'shea to be going on with.
We are spoilt rotten in central midfield, the ginger prince Scholes, Carrick who is probably worried about his starting place after whats happened since he has been out injured, Hargreaves who has been one of the candidates for man of the match virtually every time he has played, and now it looks like we have found another potential world class central midfield player in Anderson, who could just be the man to replace the irreplacable Scholes and lastly Fletcher who whilst not being in the same class as the first four always does a useful job when brought in. If you add in John O'Shea as utility cover, the defence and especially central midfield has never been as strong as is it is at present.
I will group the wide men in with the forwards, as when we play 4-3-3 it's all so interchangeable as makes no difference, the world class Ronaldo, the world class Giggs, The world class Rooney, i wasn't sure about Tevez, i have to be honest but he is looking to be another potential world class player. Then you have Saha when he is fit who is good as it gets at holding the ball up, good in the air and fast if not really the deadliest of finishers. Nani who is improving all the time, his final ball is very good, he has two great shooting feet and looks another class act for the future. And don't forget Park to come back in the new year, though it is hard to see him getting too many games this season to be honest.
So we are better or at least as strong in every position at the present time as we have been in the twenty one years of Fergies reign. And who knows what youngsters are yet to come through, i don't go along with all the doom and gloom merchants regarding our youth set up.
Here is the Kevin McCarra column in the guardian,
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/13/fergusons_finest_squad_lets_no.html
More in the Indie
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3157742.ece

Just what United didn't need more fan violence in Italy as a spectator is shot, and then fans around the country react.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/12/fan_tragedy_sends_the_fight_ag.html

The Manchester Science and Industry is to get an extension and make over to show Manchester can still lead the way in innovation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/image_galleries/141107_revolution_mosi_gallery.shtml


I visited it a few years ago now, and it was a fascinating way to spend the afternoon, i like the way they are emphasising improving the impact Manchester has had on the world we live in today.

Bye Bye Belgium,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2209988,00.html
It probably won't survive, but i don't see it collapsing just yet

Oily fish is even more a source of brain food than was thought
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/nov/13/medicalresearch.sciencenews

More Robert Fisk on the Armenian genocide of the first world war, and it's ongoing ramifications in the way the white house deals with modern Turkey.
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article3146418.ece

A good overview of the sub prime market debacle from the Beeb
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7086909.stm
And Simon Jenkins has a go at politicians cowardice over council tax
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2210597,00.html

Manchester United 2-0 Blackburn rovers

A decent performance, and three welcome points against a pretty useful Blackburn outfit, who are definitely one of the better teams fighting it out for the UEFA cup spots. After the game Fergie was lauding this present squad as the best he has had at united in his 21 years at the club, and when you look at a performance like this , i can't argue with that. Can you imagine if we had gone into a game like this last season with no Scholes and no Rooney. There is no way i would have been as confident as i was yesterday that though we would be in for a hard game, we would eventually come out of the game with the points in the bag.
You have to admire the job that Sparky has done at Blackburn, and it wasn't hard to see why none of the other top three have defeated them so far this season. They were never scared of United, and even when they went down to ten men after the harsh sending off of Dunn, they didn't alter their approach to the game. There was no leaving one man forward and getting bodies behind the ball and settling for the 2-0 defeat, they kept trying to play football and tried to get men forward when they could. When they went down to ten men, i felt we could be in for another four goal haul, but it didn't happen and they wouldn't have deserved it.
I was glad, but surprised to see Saha start, and wondered how he would pair up with Tevez. As Fergie has said good players can always play together, and the good news is they looked a good partnership. As long as Saha can stay fit ( big ask i know ) it's another good option, amongst the embarrassment of riches that we have in the squad right now. Anderson and Hargreaves were excellent in midfield again, when Scholes is fit we really are spoilt for choice in central midfield. Hargreaves looked that little bit fitter than he did last week against Arsenal, when you think how well he has played in the small amount of games he has played so far this season, it's frightening to think how much stronger the defensive aspect of our midfield will be when he is really fit and firing on all cylinders.
The two goals came at a nice time in the match, just when it was looking like we might struggle to open them up. I suppose Blackburn will be really disappointed, to have defended as well as they had, to then concede a soft goal from their point of view. How did ronaldo end up being unmarked in the penalty area from a corner, he is a big lad and good with his head. It was an even better header than his effort in Kiev, he had to get the power into it that he did, or else the man on the line would have cleared it. Then to score another just a couple of minutes later, was a bit of a killer for them, though to be fair their heads did not go down. And the second was probably the best piece of football in the match. Great passing and movement combined in a lightning quick counter attack, to see Ronaldo finish a move that deserved to be a goal and he made no mistake. The two passes from Saha and Tevez during the build up, showed encouraging signs of them building up a partnership as good as Rooney and Tevez.
When you can bring players as good as Carrick and Nani on in the second half and barely miss players of the calibre of Scholes and Rooney, then the future looks too good to be true. Evra was magnificent again but man of the match had to be Ryan giggs who was absolutely outstanding, making several mazy runs in the second half as if he was 18 again. It's a pity that we have another round of internationals coming up, who wants to watch England when you see the brilliant football being served up by the boys in red. I hope Scotland win though, if they did get through that group, which was miles harder than England's, that would really highlight the incompetence of both the English international set up and English FA.

Fergie hails greatest squad
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7089910.stm

Patient pique

I always thought he had a chance at United, but that spell at Zaragoza did him the world of good. He is definitely going to be a big part of the future at Old Trafford.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article2836560.ece

SHITE NEWS ALERT, ROONEY OUT FOR A MONTH
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=506034

How China is eating the world
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/article3143288.ece

One of the best sketches in the life of Brian is the piss take of far left politics, the peoples front of Judea, no the Judean peoples front, splitter. The latest shenanigans in the Respect party show that leopards don't change their spots. Marxists and trots, don't you just love 'em.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3143277.ece

More subsidies to the wealthy, this time surprisingly from Europe.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3143253.ece

ID card cost goes up again, your own personal poll tax,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/idcards/story/0,,2208157,00.html
What a total waste of money, and we all know that there is not a cat in hells chance that it is going to stop or deter any terrorists.

Robert Fox on the underfunding of the armed fores
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robert_fox/2007/11/the_wheels_are_coming_off.html
It should be added that the ministry of defence's procurement programme has wasted millions if not billions, and the fault for that lies with the military, civil servants and politicians. I agree that our armed forces are underfunded, but do we want our taxpayers moneys spent on foreign peace keeping operations. I would support it as long as it's not on illegal wars, but i am not sure a majority of the population would agree.

How to win friends and influence people.... not
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2208039,00.html
Manchester is about as divided as most other cities, and if Manchester is failing what does it say about the rest of the nations cities. And as for the cheek of the Tory party to comment on this, the party that under Thatcher did it's best to consign the part of England north of the Watford gap to the scrapheap. I can only say, may you rot in opposition for as long as possible. In fact yet one more argument for proportional representation is that we would never have right wing crazies who just couldn't give a shit about that part of the population who didn't vote for them again.

Manchester United 4-0 Dynamo Kiev

Four goals again, and it could have been double that, entertaining football seems to be back on tap at Old Trafford. It has to be said though, Kiev are a very poor team. Before we all get carried away with thoughts of champions league glory again, we will have to be teams far far tougher than Dynamo Kiev. It doesn't seem that many years ago that we nearly played them in the nou camp and not Bayern Munich, how far have they fallen. I was hoping he would take this opportunity to blood some of our youngsters as this was a better chance to blood a couple together than the next two games. As it was , he took the chance to really freshen things up, bringing in Simpson at right back, Pique to partner Vidic at centre back, Carrick and Fletcher into central midfield and Nani on the flank.
For the first half it was a bit of struggle to be honest, Kiev showed absolutely no ambition, leaving one man up front with no support coming from midfield at all leaving him totally stranded. Almost total domination of possession ensued for United, but the cutting edge of recent weeks seemed to be missing. Eventually the goal that was needed to bring the game to life was scored on the half hour. The ball eventually reaching the head of Pique following a couple of deflections from a Ronaldo free kick, he still had a bit to do, and towering over his opponent with a great leap he powered it into the corner of the net. The second goal followed Tevez recovering the ball on the half way line, running forward towards the area and after playing a neat one two with Rooney blasting it into the back of the net, the goalie only managing to get a touch when it seemed he probably should have saved it.
The second half was a totally different game, Kiev brought on two attacking players and decided to give it a go. This led to a more open entertaining spectacle. In fact Kiev managed to get the first decent chance, with Rincon forcing substitute Kuszczak into making the first save of the second half. Shots from Nani and Simpson both decent chances followed, before eventually United forced the third goal. A superb cross from Nani found Rooney on the edge of the six yard box, and he made no mistake. United now became a bit guilty of trying to walk the ball in the net, i don't mind that as long as the game is already wrapped up. It was like exhibition football really, With Evra in particular weaving one superb piece of magic on the edge of the box, that screamed out for him to provide the coup de grace, but instead he squared it to Tevez and the goalie saved it. Tevez made way for Saha, and though he played reasonably well, i did notice that he never threatened to run flat out, which would have been interesting the way the game became stretched. I don't know whether he was just taking it easy, but he won't be half the player he was, if we don't see that burst of pace that he possesses ( possessed ?). Just before the final whistle Ronaldo finally received a pass that his runs had bee meriting for the last ten minutes, and he beautifully cut inside the defender and struck a low hard shot into the corner of the net to make it four, and put a smile back on his face. It had been another one of those games for him, he had nearly fell over the ball a couple of times trying his tricks in the first half. The TV had shown some of the crowd laughing, but he wasn't, it was a sign he still hasn't regained the majestic form of last season and he knows it.
With Roma equalising in the last minute in Lisbon, qualification is now assured, so i would like to see one or more of Pique Simpson or Evans given another opportunity in the next two games.

The Guardians take on last night
http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,,2207140,00.html


Nemanja signs new deal, and gets a big pay rise. Great news, when you think how he and Evra started at United and look at them now. It reminds us, you always have to give new players time, which was something i always followed myself, but i have to admit i seemed to forget that earlier in the season, not giving Tevez and Nani enough time to adapt to a new club.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/08/uvidic108.xml

Ferguson may regret his bleating
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/08/sfnhen108.xml
Somehow i doubt it, it wouldn't exactly be in character would it. Don't get me wrong he does overdo the complaining at times. I could do without the ongoing feud with the BBC as well. As much as he may be right about the BBC being up it's own arse, the subject matter of the documentary into football agents and his son was fair enough, he isn't one now is he. Still that's what makes him the winner that he is.

Fletcher blows his chance of a job in county cricket,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/counties/article2827407.ece
Good, the guy is a two faced plonker with a massively over inflated opinion of himself, mainly living of that 2005 ashes triumph. And to my mind as much credit for that should go to Troy Cooley and that brilliant four man pace attack.


Hamish McRae continues his column on the changing world economy
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/article3138392.ece

Now it's good to be a little bit overweight, what will the next report say.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3138352.ece
Does anybody take any notice of these any more, if one report tells you that something you like eating is bad for you, you only have to wait for the next report to tell you that it is good again.
The main thing is surely to exercise reasonably regularly, and don't eat loads of junk food.

Nearly men

Don't be nearly men, says Fergie,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article2821048.ece

David Conn digs the dirt on Bolton, Megson and his agent,
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/07/twenty_questions_for_bolton_ma.html

United fans in high places
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/northernirelandassembly/story/0,,2206446,00.html

The indie goes big on the forthcoming economic downturn or will it be meltdown,
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article3135372.ece
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/hamish_mcrae/article3135357.ece
More on tax havens, i don't think they are going to get away with this sort of thing in the future, unless they fancy making their bases in china. Which of course is entirely possible.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2206479,00.html

Whistle blowers get sacked whilst incompetent bosses get bonuses for poor performance, Britain in 2007

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ally_fogg/2007/11/

An interesting piece on the victims of Franco,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,,2206246,00.html

More religious secular divide this time in Israel
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2007/11/a_scar_on_the_nation.html

Music
Current 93 - Black ships ate the sky : Not to every one's taste this me thinks, a biblical concept album based around one song sung by about 8 different vocalists, Marc Almond and Antony from Antony and the Johnsons amongst them. I like it, but it is about twenty minutes too long and starts to get very monotonous for that last twenty minutes.
Bright Eyes - Cassagda : Good stuff, the folkish country tracks worked best for me, plenty of good fiddle playing.
Jimmy Edgar - Color Strip :Techno that seemed to hark back to the 80's for inspiration. From Detroit and seems to have been influenced by the early detroit techno innovators. Good.
Roy Harper - Stormcock : The Roy Harper as name checked by Led Zep. I really liked this, i had expected him to be an excellent guitarist, but for the songs to be just average. He is an excellent guitarist and his songs ain't half bad.
Coco Rosie - La maison de mon reve : I had read a review of their latest album, but decide to go and listen to an older album. Described as a lovely indie folk- tronic duo on the all music website. I'll go with that as i can't describe their music except to say i love it, the vocals might not be to every body's taste but i like the off the wall nature of it.

Fergie supports foreign quotas

Fergie supports limit on foreign players
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7080436.stm
I don't think there is any chance it will happen, too many people have a financial stake in maintaining the status quo. It's not so much about the national team as far as i am concerned, it's more about giving home grown youngsters the incentive to play football when they are young. The way some teams are going homegrown players will become rarer and rarer, and the likes of arsenal playing with an all foreign team will become the norm. I have always liked to see a few Mancunians in the team when we play the likes of Liverpool and City, because they know what it means to the fans.

Gary Neville still not quite ready, apparently another niggling calf strain, but Saha might figure tomorrow,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/06/ufnmanutd106.xml

21 years today, Fergie, force of nature
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/comment/article3132449.ece
I suppose we will realise how spoilt we have been when he finishes

Governor defends bank over northern rock
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2206071,00.html
Banks in trouble
http://business.guardian.co.uk/markets/story/0,,2205998,00.html
Echoes of the potato famine, putting trade before feeding the people. This time in Swaziland
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2205948,00.html
Tax havens and the multinationals
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2205843,00.html

Has American foreign policy ever been more inept
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/11/duff_diplomacy.html

The troubles may have come to an end, but sectarianism will take far far longer to end. Loyalist ex terrorists are selling ecstasy pills called loyalist blues, what do they sell on the falls road, nationalist tricolors
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2205735,00.html

Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United

A last minute goal against us again at the emirates, at least this time we came away with a point instead of nothing. It was a decent game, although not as good as everybody tried to make out afterwards, the entertaining second half making up for a tactical war of attrition in the first half. Even though in the main, our tactics which we seem to have employed for the last three to four seasons to stop Arsenal playing their usual passing game against us, worked, i am not particularly enamoured of them. It just goes against the grain for me, to see United, trying to stop the opposition playing, and trying to sneak one at the other end, as if we were Chelsea or Liverpool. I recognise that with the players available yesterday, that this was possibly the best use of our resources. But this is how we play against all the top teams now, regardless of how we are playing or the opposition are playing. I would love us to really believe in ourselves and go out there and play our normal game and impose it on the opposition. I believe that we are a better team and definitely have better individual players than Arsenal, especially when Van Persie is not playing, so i don't really understand our obsession with stopping them playing, at the expense of us playing our own attacking free flowing football. It is here to stay by the looks of it, so i will try not to mention it again this season, no promises though.
The first ten minutes saw Arsenal start the better, although not creating anything . they seemed to be finding their passing game better than United, but i thought once United got through they managed to strangle Arsenal from creating anything in the final third. This was in the main due to Hargreaves and Anderson snuffing out anything, before it got to our penalty area. This tactical style meant that whilst we were snuffing out virtually all Arsenals attacking threat we were not having as much possession, and were relying on an individual piece of magic from one of our front three, with Giggs occasionally getting forward to support them. So whilst Arsenal were having more possession United looked and were far more dangerous in the final third when we did get up there. I have to say i wasn't that impressed with Arsenal's defence, and i would have loved to have seen two in form wingers running at them. At which point it has to be said, Ronaldo had another quiet game. You can't argue with the substitutions that were made in the last twenty minutes, but if Ronaldo had been took off, he could have had no complaints. Rooney on the other hand was superb again, they seem to have swapped form from last season, when it was Rooney playing in fits and starts, this season it seems to be Ronaldo who can find no consistency in his game. Fortunately, even when not at his best he still manages to find the back of the net regularly, not a bad habit to have.
The game seemed to be petering out to goalless stalemate at half time when a mix of good play and good fortune saw rooney find the back of the net via gallas's arm, after good play from Brown down the right. After being critical of his attacking prowess in recent weeks, it has got to be admitted we have actually scored quite a few goals form his crosses in recent weeks. Obviously it will be great to have Gary Neville back, but considering i don't consider him a natural right back Wes Brown has done a more than useful job for us at right back. And it has to be noted that the last minute equaliser came down the right hand flank after he had gone off. I think the beginning of the second half, and the equaliser was the catalyst for the games improvement as a spectacle. I believe if they hadn't got off to that flying start, united would have slowly strangled the game tactically again, and gone on to win one or two nil. But the goal gave Arsenal some self belief, and for the next quarter of an hour they had their best spell of the game, as United seeming a bit shell shocked to have conceded, struggled to get the game plan back together again. Then all of a sudden with about twenty minutes to go United seemed to me anyway to get the upper hand, and then with the substitutions, freshened things up bringing the forgotten man Saha on. And he soon showed us what he is capable of, when he is actually on a football field, when he fed a super ball through for Evra who had made a brilliant run and then crossed the ball past the goalie for Ronaldo to pass it into empty net. So with eight minutes to go, United were now 2-1 up, and were playing as well as they had done in the match. I couldn't see us letting this slip, and for the remainder of normal time Arsenal didn't look like they had a goal in them. So where that equaliser came from i don't know, United just seemed to switch off. And even that came after an almighty goalmouth struggle, when i thought we had managed to clear the danger, only to realise the linesman had given the goal as it had crossed the line.
So one point instead of three and Arsenal celebrating as though they had won. Fair enough we all know equalising in the last minute feels like winning, and conceding feels like losing, but i thought Arsenals celebrations were way over the top. One last thing as well as Hargreaves and Anderson played still we missed Paul Scholes badly, we just don't keep the ball as well without him.

Ferguson's fire burns bright

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article2800660.ece
It did yesterday, he was really giving it some on the touchline, Keano has obviously decided to model himself on Clough not Ferguson.

Let's hope premier league managers are taking note
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/04/sfnbar104.xml
The only thing is, we have been a bit vulnerable in the air at the back recently too.

Targets can seriously damage your health
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2204757,00.html
I couldn't agree more, since the death of ideology or rather since the triumph of the free market. This seems to be politicians answer to everything. We can run such a service better than you, set some targets, reach them whatever they are, and say everything is better, even when things are obviously just the same.
And they wonder people don't believe the statistics that they are being fed.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2204756,00.html

Britain thrash New Zealand
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/04/sorugl104.xml
I wasn't surprised they won, but can't believe they won by such a margin, and managed to nil them as well.

Why are Tax havens even legal is what i would like to know. It is absolutely obvious they are full of funny money. I think the so called war on drugs is a ludicrous waste of money, but the fact that money launderers can hide their flit their ill gotten gains through these places make even more of a mockery of it as far as i am concerned. That's without the likes of Murdoch telling us to go to war through his papers. Whilst he and his organisation's pay no tax to the countries that conduct these wars, and whom the majority of their populations didn't agree with the invasion in the first place or staying there, now have to finance it. What was it Baldwin said of the press barons of his day, exercising power without responsibility
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2204734,00.html

We are suppose to worry about the Iranians building a bomb, this lot already has one
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2801658.ece

Wages obscene

sports minister brands John Terry's wages obscene
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article2786375.ece
he is right of course, although it's not really fair picking one player out to be honest, however much of a tosser he is.

Met found guilty over De Menzes shooting
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3119228.ece
and rightly so, but will anyone actually take responsibility for such a shambolic operation. I know you have to have some sympathy for them as at the time, it was a chaotic situation in London, but you had to follow the trial in the papers to know this was a mistake that should never have happened.

UAE Sheik to stand trial
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2202437,00.html
i know he wasn't a Saudi prince, but we all know that is the type of life that some of them lead. Not the gay aspect of the story, more the jet set lifestyle, champagne, rich hotels and call girls on the side, not exactly Wahhabi.

Having read a fair few books about Spanish and Italian history over the last couple of years, the difference the church has played in the politics and history of the Latin countries and i would probably include France in that, compared to the part played by the church in northern europe, or should i say religion is pretty striking. The catholic church was violently reactionary in Spain during the last century, Italy was used as a bulwark by the Americans along with the mafia to counter the communists and socialists after the second world war, and Vichy France was a continuum of the anti Dreyfus catholic military establishment. In other words the church has always been conservative and on the side of reaction.
Yet in the north of Europe, it has been in the main apolitical or slightly left of centre. Think of the nonconformists who started out as the bulwark of the Liberal party but then mainly transferred allegiance to the Labour party in the UK. Germany , the low countries and Scandinavia have all benefited from having churches that in the main have stayed out of the political arena. This is a tremendous article that shows that the Vatican never seems to learn in Spain.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ac_grayling/2007/11/rome_playing_politics.html
Thankfully the Spanish left is up for the challenge, and reason will always eventually triumph over tradition and superstition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,,2202877,00.html

The Chinese aim for space
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2202402,00.html
The era of American hegemony is going to come to an end over the next twenty years or so. As much as we all slag them off, we may wish it back again in the future, although not the neocon version of it. Actually the era of the neocons has almost certainly shortened their period of dominance, ironic really, the whole point of their ideology was to continue it for as long as they could. George W. Bush will surely go down in American history as one of the worst presidents they have ever had.