An interesting interview in the Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bruces-record-gives-united-lightweights-reason-to-fret-825438.html
I would have to agree with some of Brucey's quotes from that interview. The 94 team were definitely stronger probably both mentally and physically. They were never bullied out of a game that's for sure. I still don't have total confidence in the present team that when things are going wrong for them away from home they can turn things around. The game at the Reebok stands out in that regard. In fact Chelsea's away record is better than ours this season, our saving grace is our magnificent home form ( the aberration that was the derby aside of course ).
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Man Utd | 37 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 15 | 56 | 84 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 37 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 13 | 39 | 84 |
Jim White on the last day of the season in the Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/05/10/sfnjim110.xml
Don Howe picks United to pick up the silverware on Sunday, predicting United and Chelsea to both pick up victories. I can't argue with that.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/05/10/sfnhow110.xml
There won't be another group of players like the class of 1992 predicts Brian choccy McClair in an interview in the Independent on the state of youth football.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/brian-mcclair-we-wont-produce-a-group-like-beckham-butt-and-scholes-again-825440.html
I hope that at some stage in the not too distant future he is wrong. Who would have predicted that Scholes, Giggs, the Neville's, Butt and Beckham would arrive so long after the Busby babes and the George Best youth team of the sixties. To me that was the perfect team for a United fan to watch, a group of mostly local talent and with the cockney Beckham all big United fans as well, it was no surprise we won so much.
James Lawton on Wenger's fading dream team
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-will-wenger-salvage-the-building-blocks-of-survival-from-ruins-of-his-dream-team-825513.html
It does get tiresome reading about the great Arsene Wenger, good manager, whose teams play very attractive football yes, but great manager no, the trophies won during his time tell you that. The best of his Arsenal teams is still undoubtedly for me anyway, his first, the one with the all English back four and Seaman in goal, bequeathed to him by George Graham. He has never replaced that defence, that for one puts a question mark about how good a manager he is. Whilst as a United fan i want to see attacking football, you have still got to have defenders that can actually defend and stand up to the pressure when the occasion demands. That they do play some tremendous football at times nobody can argue against, they have been the best football exponents of the flat track bully phenomenon, saving their best performances for the cannon fodder of the division. I haven't looked at the statistics but i would imagine that Arsenal's record in the bigger matches under him, haven't been that much to write home about. He may argue that he has never been able to find any local talent, but i am not a fan of scouting almost exclusively foreign talent.It's not great for English football and ultimately it hasn't put any spine into the Arsenal side over the last few seasons when they have really needed it. And to my mind what he has done with his youth programme cannot be compared with what happened at United with the class of 92, and i won't begin to compare it to the Celtic Champions league winning team of 67 the Lisbon lions. Of course it can be argued he has never had the money of his rivals, but that has only really applied since Abramovitch and his ill gotten roubles appeared and the Glazers started buying players on the never never with borrowed money, something that obviously isn't going to last ( worryingly for us of course ). I don't think anybody is going to be putting any money on the Arse being any nearer the title next season. For that matter Liverpool look in even worse shape as we look towards next season unless their ownership struggle is resolved and by that i mean the Yanks selling out. If either of them does gain control, we can look forward to another 3 or 4 years of no league titles on Merseyside, happy days. It looks like a United, Chelsea 1-2 again next season, even looking at it from this early stage. I would have to agree with Kevin Keegan that this is not a very healthy position for English football to be in.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article3882824.ece
Mike Atherton thinks Flintoff should be made to wait until his batting starts to catch up with his early season bowling form.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article3889443.ece
A somebody who tried to bowl fast in his youth i would have to disagree, i would be siding with Justin Langers guardian column where he picked him as the best fast bowler in the world when fit and he reckoned he was fit having just faced him for Somerset. He said he would pick him as a number 11 if it meant getting him into the team. I do recognise the merit in Atherton's argument, that the 2005 ashes side didn't respond in a very professional manner once the series had been won.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7393646.stm
The decision has now been taken for them as he now has a side injury.
The Burmese junta stay absolutely true to form, barbaric, but no surprises there then.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/10/cyclonenargis.burma
Foreign office minister has an interesting take on Chinese involvement in Africa towards the end of this interview in the Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/10/unitednations.development
Excessive testing comes under pressure from all sides.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2279269,00.html
Is the era of low cost budget airline finished
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3904607.ece
Three and out, yet another dreadful British comedy.
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2278596,00.html
I suppose it doesn't help that the best of British TV comedy isn't usually ratings friendly, so when they try to make films that appeal to a mass market, they aren't making the type of product that they are very good at.
The Guardian guide to guitar, a new series has an interview with Johnny Marr in it.
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/playingguitar/0,,2277580,00.html
Last night's peep show was fucking genius, the last series wasn't up to the high standards of the first three series for me, but two episodes in it is back to form with avengeance.
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