Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City

It would have felt horrible to have lost at home for the first time since 74 to City at any time, but to have managed the feat yesterday of all days was absolutely nauseating. To see the papers giving their fans all the credit for not interrupting the minute's silence was just a bit too much as well. Fair enough, give their team credit for beating us fair and square, and reading that's hard enough to stomach, but it's a bit over the top for them to be praised for behaving like normal human beings, and respecting what should have been respected anyway.
I had been secretly dreading this fixture, our record over the last three or four seasons against this lot isn't very good. They treat it like their biggest game of the season which of course it is, whilst we seem to think we can regard it as just another game. Our recent record against them shows what a mistake that is. We have been too too complacent, and i suppose yesterday's result against them at old trafford has been coming.
Quiroz blamed the international fixtures for our poor performance and inability to pick our game up after conceding the two goals before half time. How about having a go at our owners who decided a trip to Saudi for £1 million to subtract from the clubs debt was a good idea. Add that to the last weeks internationals and it seems an even more idiotic decision than it did at the time. Once the game started, City were bigger and stronger as usual, but United weren't able to make their footballing superiority count for anything at all. Apart from the first ten minutes, United just didn't turn up at all. In fact the longer the game went on the more embarrassing it became, as they just had us in their back pockets. It is hard to pick a single player who did himself justice, Anderson played OK, and Tevez struggled manfully, although he was caught offside too often. But too many players didn't just have an off day, they produced their worst performance of the season and for such an important day of the season. I won't pick out anybody because that would be unfair when they were all so bad.
I thought the referee might have given a penalty for the push on Ronaldo in the first half, i haven't been able to stomach watching it again on TV so i don't know if he was right or not. The pompey game apart, since United got back from Saudi, our form seems to have completely deserted us. We were lucky in both games against Spurs, and were dreadful yesterday. I am glad Rooney is back next week, our record of four defeats when he hasn't played tells it's own story. I think that the beginning of next season is the right time for him to be made captain, whilst Gary Neville is out anyway. We are rudderless and leaderless when he doesn't play, Capello was right to pick out on his inspiration qualities for England last week. I think the most worrying aspect of yesterday was the way United were absolutely unable to create any pressure in the last 15 minutes. I mean if that was against Arsenal, Chelsea or AC Milan and they were 2-0 up then i could understand it a bit more, but even then not totally, but against City, very worrying.
The tribute was as good as could have been hoped for, although i still don't know what those loud bangs were, though i have heard some of the rumours. I actually wore the scarf, the first time since i was kid in the seventies i have worn one. It won't be happening again any time soon.

James Lawton in the indy on yesterday's non performance
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-moving-tribute-marred-by-uniteds-inept-display-780801.html

Priorities all wrong, i can't imagine Wenger being told or agreeing to do this
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2255571,00.html

Capitalism Russian style
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/11/russia

Larry Elliot asks which central bank governor will come out of the upcoming downturn with their reputation still intact
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/11/economics.bankofenglandgovernor

Anatole Kaletsky in the times doesn't seem to think the British Treasury's reputation is to going to remain unscathed
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3346344.ece

Interesting piece on Sarkozy and the wests reaction to the economic upsurge of the east
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/11/france.china

Roy Scheider has died aged 75, in all the reports he has been associated with the film Jaws, it's a good film. But i will remember him best in The French connection myself, an absolutely cracking film.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/news/jaws-star-roy-scheider-dies-aged-75-780784.html