Manchester United 4-0 West Brom

Four goals without being anywhere near your best is a pretty good habit to have and that was the case yesterday. As i feared we are really going to miss Scholes especially with Carrick out as well, i hope that Carrick is nearly back to full fitness because we are going to need him whilst the ginger prince is out. After reading in the press on Friday that Hargreaves was going to be a certain starter i put a couple of quid on him to score the first goal. But what do you know you get to the ground and the team is announced and there is no Hargreaves, not even on the bench. It looks like we seemed destined to have at least one player in the squad who prefers the treatment table to the football pitch, with Hargreaves taking on balsa wood man Saha's place. Good news for Fletcher it would seem, he looks destined to get quite a run of games under his belt as all our other central midfield men are out of action.
Da Silva started at right back with Giggs pairing Fletcher in central midfield which at the moment is probably the best central midfield we can put out. I think Giggs does a pretty good job there, and i always like to have someone in central midfield with a bit of imagination. Berbatov was partnered by Rooney, Tevez wasn't even on the bench i don't know if that had anything to do with travel or not.
Although Rooney is absolutely on fire at the moment i had expected Tevez to be in the line up. The first half was a pretty lacklustre affair with United unable to open up the visitors defence. That said the one time they were opened up Rooney had a perfectly fair goal wiped out for the slightest of touches on his opponent just before he dispatched the ball in the corner of the net. But at half time we were all thinking how Fergie could change things. Losing Evra on the half hour mark didn't help matters as O'Shea obviously isn't as good going forward.
But we needn't have worried as after the break things started to improve. The first goal saw a nicely weighted ball from Berbatov put Rooney through on the left. Running towards goal he cut inside and hit the ball into the right hand side of the net giving the goalie no chance. It was only what he deserved as once again he was easily United's best player. The second goal saw Rooney turn provider as he beautifully controlled and then hit an inch perfect pass into the path of Ronaldo who proceeded to thump the ball into the back of the net with his left foot. The third took everybody by surprise as a cross from substitute Nani seemed to evade everybody to arrive at the unmarked Berbatov in the six yard box who promptly stuck out his right foot and put into the back of the net. He was so alone i at first thought he must have been offside but no he wasn't and the goal stood. United were now all over the baggies and another great move ended with a peach of a cross from Rooney which found Nani at the back post who made no mistake.
Gary Neville came on for Da Silva and showed there is still life in the old legs yet. I thought Da Silva showed he still has a bit to learn yet, i wouldn't want to be starting him against the likes of the big four just yet. It was oviously important to win after all our competitors had won earlier and i thought it was important that we scored a few goals as well especially after the rentboys drubbing of Middlesbrough so it was a good evenings work.

The match report from the Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/3216954/Manchester-United-v-West-Bromwich-Albion-Football.html

Patrice Evra interviewed in the Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/oct/19/manchesterunited

Football and the credit crunch
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/3223897/Premier-Leagues-conservatism-must-be-broken-Football.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brianmoore/3211495/It-is-the-Premier-League-clubs-not-Triesman-who-are-naive.html

Andrew Rawnsley on the economic summersaults performed by messrs Brown and Cameron
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/19/gordonbrown-davidcameron-economic-policy

Wiiliam Keegan on the economy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/oct/19/gordonbrown-banking

Will Hutton wants real leadership
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/12/marketturmoil-creditcrunch

So long suckers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/18/banking-useconomy

Cuba discovers reserves of oil, nothings going right for the neocons is it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/18/cuban-oil

Charlie Brooker on his new Zombie series
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/oct/18/horror-channel4