Manchester United 2-2 Aalborg

A disappointing result, but i can't say it came from totally out of the blue. With changes made and not a great deal to play for, whatever Fergie said about finishing top of the group, United never really hit top gear. Though you wouldn't have thought that after the first 15 minutes as United could have been 2 or 3 goals to the good.
I couldn't really agree with or even understand the starting line up, there were a couple of positional changes that didn't make much sense to me. I don't know a single United fan who goes regularly or even watches them on the box who thinks that Kuszczak is ever going to be good enough to be the next number 1 at old trafford. So why let everybody including Foster himself presumably think that he was going to start and then start with the Pole. It's time Fergie stopped trying to keep 3 goalies happy, if Foster is thought of as the goalie that will eventually replace the big Dutchman then it should be him and him alone who plays in these cup games. The other decision was to play Gibson on the right hand flank again. His true position i would say is as a defensive midfielder and sadly i am pretty certain that he won't be good enough for United in central midfield so can't see what purpose there was playing him there. And to make matters for him he had Gary Neville behind him. I am not knocking Gary Neville because he has had a magnificent career at United but he can't really get up and down the flanks to overlap his wide man any more. So it meant that United didn't have too much attacking threat coming from the right hand side in the first half.
But the way United started none of that seemed like it was going to matter. A neat passage of passes saw Rooney and Giggs combine to send Tevez through and he made no mistake to give United the lead after just 3 minutes. Minutes later another fine piece of play saw Rooney put the ball on a plate for the Argentine but somehow Tevez managed to put it wide. United were in total control of the game and Jonny Evans also came close during United's domination of the game at this point.
But as can always happen and sometimes does if you don't take your chances and on the half hour Aalborg scored completely out of the blue as a free kick from the right was headed home to make it all square. Kuszczak seemed to be wrong footed, though he did seem to make his mind up a bit too early. Just when we thought we would have to settle for United going in at half time all square when at one time it looked like it might be a cricket score, the unthinkable happened and Aalborg took the lead. A cross from the left found Curth at the back post in acres of space and he took his chance superbly heading into the far corner giving Kuszczak no chance.
The second half saw Giggswho hadn't been at his best, though no worse than Anderson i thought, and Gibson come off. The replacements Scholes and Park gave United a far better balance and United immediately took the game to the opponents. After seven minutes of the half Anderson finally made one of his passes from midfield pay as he he found the great run made by Rooney who finished it off no mistake with a low hard drive to make it 2-2. I like Anderson but i saw an interview with captain marvel a bit ago where he said he had his improve his passing and i would have to agree. He had a much better second period with Scholes next to him. But once again when Scholes comes on you see what you have been missing as he kept it simple and then next minute would spray inch perfect passes out wide to spread the play out.
United had enough chances during the rest of the game to have won it, but it seemed to be one of those nights where it wasn't going to happen. Though Rooney got involved in a bit of a physical scape with Aalborg's defence he still found time to remind us what we are going to miss on Saturday at White hart lane. One fantastic pass that was superbly brought down first touch by Neville looked sure to bring the winning goal but Neville could only shoot straight at the goaliewho put it round for a corner. Tevez had another great chance to give United the lead but after doing the hard part of taking it round the goalie he blasted it wide instead of rolling into the empty net.
But with Villareal unsurprisingly getting beat at Celtic, well they had already got through, United still managed to end the night as group winners. The record isn't that great though 2 wins and 4 draws, still it's getting through that matters and he has been able to rotate the squad during the group stages. I just wish we would have been able to see a bit more of Foster and the unlucky Welbeck who seems to be a bit injury prone at this stage of his career.

Aalborg unhappy with Rooney
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7776630.stm

Fergie not worried about Tevez contract delay
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ferguson-relaxed-over-tevez-contract-1058972.html

United not hapy about Evra ban
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ferguson-stunned-by-evra-ban-1058919.html
What a joke, let's hope the appeal gets some reward as we saw last night O'Shea may be able to do a job at left back but he isn't a replacement.

Schuster goes as Real Madrid are in turmoil, Ramos steps in until the end of the season
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/dec/09/juande-ramos-madrid-bernd-schuster
It couldn't happen to a nicer club, will Ronaldo still see them as his dream club. It doesn't look like he would be winning Ballon d'or's any time soon there, especially with my idea of the best player in the world turning it on at Barca.

Sid Lowe on the weekend's shenanigans that led to the departure of the German
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/dec/08/realmadrid-laligafootball

Robert Peston puts the credit crunch into historical perspective
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5309917.ece

Bad and getting worse in the States
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article5309718.ece

Larry Elliot on the solutions and the time and patience needed to remedy our economic woes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/08/global-economy-credit-crunch-banks

Matthew Norman on the disgrace that is New Labour's ( old Thatcherites ) welfare reforms
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-it-takes-a-rich-man-to-pour-such-scorn-on-the-poor-1061132.html
And the timing of it, after we have been told for how many years that the tax dogging fithy rich were the price we had to pay for our countries financial well being. Well it's a price a lot of people that this bill will affect are definitely going to have to pay. And so will the rest of us in one way or another. How will history treat new labour?

The first but not the last famous name to go down thanks to the credit crunch and how many of it's workforce will be hit through those welfare reforms through no good fault of their own.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/woolies-the-sale-of-a-century-1061266.html

Mugabe on fantasy island still
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/11/zimbabwe-cholera-crisis-mugabe

Blur to reform, i hope they do something up here, i always liked them and think Graham Coxon is a tremendous guitarist.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/blur-to-reunite-for-gig-in-the-park-1058879.html