Hull City 0-1 Manchester United

Even though i wanted Newcastle to go down, i still wanted United to win, just so there could be no moaning from the barcodes. So yesterday was a pretty satisfying day all round. As i had expected, our reserve come youth team was still too good for the Yorkshire outfit who were pretty terrible it has to be said. They are lucky there were still three teams worse than them, they are not a premierleague oufit. They will need to wheel and deal in the transfer market in the summer if they are to stay up next season.
It took ten minutes or so for the young lads to find their feet but when they did they took complete control of the game and there never seemed much danger of us not getting the three points once we took the lead. And what a goal it was, the one thing Gibson has going for him is his shooting ability. When i watched him in the youth team he always had a great shot. And i am glad to say when he has been given the chance to play in the first team this season he has not been shy in having a dip. If he doesn't make it at United i am absolutely certain that he will make a premiership player as a goalscoring midfielder will be worth his weight in gold. How Hull could have done with someone like him as they were totally toothless up front and all over the pitch in fact. I thought Welbeck had a good game and he showed how good a player he will become with a couple of mazy runs where he beat three or four men. It was nice to see Wes Brown back, will he be on the bench on Wednesday. If O'Shea was to have a hard game i could think of worse things than Brown coming on to replace him. Rafael is going to be a top player but his defensive work is still coming on, he is not there yet.
I would be a worried man if i was Nani, the fact he strated yesterday makes me think he might not make the bench on Wednesday. Though he will probably pick him just in case it goes to penalties. Once again though, he was a pretty annonymous figure on the pitch.
What gets me about the Newcastle debacle is how everybody still goes on about them be great fans. When to my mind they are part of the problem up there. They have never given any manager a chance, not even Bobby Robson. They had a good team in the fifties and a good team for a couple of years under Keegan and yet they demand that the team be a mixture of Brazil and Barcelona from the moment a manager takes charge. We all know football doesn't work like that. You have to build your team up from the back, make yourself hard to beat and then start to add the flair. Unfortunately it looks like the owners of City have took that on board and are going to let Hughes do it the right way.

An interview with Charlton from Saturady's independent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/charlton-alex-the-old-man-and-me-1689688.html

And with Scholes from the Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/may/24/manchester-united-barcelona-paul-scholes

Carrick the unsung hero, he is vitally important to us, i would have to agree.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6349573.ece

Hugh McIlvanney seeems to favour United on Wednesday
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/hugh_mcilvanney/article6349778.ece

Mourinho thinks it will be a good final.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/championsleague/5374409/Jose-Mourinho-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-can-become-the-greatest-in-Rome.html

It looks like all the injury doubts for Wednesday's big night will be alright on the night.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8060878.stm

Better late than never i suppose, Johnson urges electoral reform referendum
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/25/alan-johnson-proportional-representation-call

Larry Elliot on the economy, we have got to start to living within it means.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/may/24/economic-policy-political-crisis