Birmingham city 1-1 Manchester United

We really needed to win this one, but we came away with a hard earned point that you can't really argue against. In normal times i would have been happy with a point as Birmingham seems to be a harder place to go and get a result since McLeish took over. But with Arsenal dropping points at home to Everton with a last minute equaliser they scarcely deserved, now was the time to start picking up some points. We keep reading that United get stronger in the second half of the season and this was the time to prove it.
I can't really say i was that confident before the game, we just aren't very convincing at the moment. But United started the game well and completely bossed the first half with a strong looking line up including Scholes , Carrick and Fletcher in the middle of the park. I was a bit non plussed why Park started in front of Giggs in a game we neeeded to win and no game in midweek. But nonetheless United were playing decent stuff and controlling the game. Valencia and Rooney looked the most likely avenue for a goal to come and they combined for the best chance of the first half. Valencia won the ball on the right and spotted Rooney's run through to the box and found him with an inch perfect ball. Rooney controlled it excellently first time but his shot was superbly smothered by the advancing Hart. We had other chances but there always seemed to be a home defender putting his body on the line. Then on 38 minutes Birmingham won a corner and for the first time in the half actually got bodies in the United penalty area. And from nowhere United were 1-0 down as Evans who should have done better on the line cleared straight to the feet of Jerome who couldn't and didn't miss the chance to put the home side one up.
So United went in at half time a goal down after totally dominating the game. Unbelievable really, United hadn't been brilliant but had totally dominated the game. Chris Waddle had said on the commentary that United didn't have the player to play the killer pass and in his opinion hadn't all season. I can't argue with that. I knew we would miss Ronaldo when he left but i have to admit how disappointed i am at how much we have missed Tevez. Rooney was his usual self and Valencia played well until Fergie for some bizarre reason played him on the left and Giggs on the right late in the game. But that was it as far as creativity went. Scholes played well but he was too deep to create anything. Park was Park, so no creativity there and nobody else really stepped up.
The second half was a more even affair and Birmingham had an opportunity early in the half to extend their lead. Fortunately for United Benitez chose the wrong option and the chance was gone. Twenty minutes into the half United finally got a deserved equaliser though we had to see referee Clattenburg overule the linesman to give the goal. It says something when there are some reds who would argue that Evra was one of our best attacking players. But count me in on that i would have to agree, it is one of the reasons we were so bad against Leeds with Evra rested. And it was Evra that created the opening and it would have been Rooney who would have converted it had Dann not put through his own goal. Now we hoped United would go on and wrap the game up, but it didn't really happen. Giggs came on for the ineffective Park but bizarreley went onto the right hand side whilst Valencia switched to the left. It didn't really work as United struggled to open them up. Fletcher who was on a yellow card gambled and lost as he brought Jerome down and United's hopes of three points went with it.
This season just isn't happening for us, we really do seem to be suffering from a lack of quality. It seems from the press reports that Fergie may have given up on Berbatov. We keep hearing that he has a knee injury but it isn't noticeable when he plays. We really needed him to come good this season. When Fergie talked about the debt not being a problem ( yeah right ) he did admit that if we lost Rooney we would be in a problem. We have a problem even if he doesn't as he can't carry the team on his own. Those rumours about Spanish suitors aint going to go away if this state of affairs continues.

Paul Hayward in the Observer with a fair assessment of the game
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/jan/09/manchester-united-alex-ferguson-birmingham

Ferguson claims his hands are not tied by the Glazer debt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/08/sir-alex-ferguson-glazers-manchester-united
If he really belives that, which i cannot belive, he must be on his own.

United make a profit?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6965908/Manchester-United-announce-48.2-million-profit.html
More like a £30 million loss, and after winning the league, getting to the champions league final, an FA cup semi final and winning the League cup. Great business model that is.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/manchester-united-profits-cristiano-ronaldo

After doing their best to totally screw the world economy are the financial institutions now going to sign United's death warrant.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6965083/Manchester-United-aim-to-raise-500m-in-bond-sale-in-bid-to-reduce-mounting-debt.html
If a successful season like last year produces a loss, which it was if you take the Ronaldo money away then we are in trouble. Rooney apart we haven't got £80 million assets dropping off trees. By 2017 when they will presumably try to renegotiate the debt again there will almost certainly be no Ferguson, the best football manager the country has ever seen to paper over the cracks. What quality players do come through or gems that we can pick up will be sold to pay off the debt. Seeing as though what is laughably called a business model needs us to be challenging on all fronts just to service the debt. It is hard to see how this financial situation can possibly be sustainable.

Reading this latest article form the Financial times it looks exactly like the kind of wheeling and dealing that brought the economy to its knees. It would seem from this that they are going to use United to pay off their personal PIK debt. It makes me sick.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b4fa4e7e-fea9-11de-91d7-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1

Jackie Ashley's column on this countries lack of leadership, very apt.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/10/leadership-despair-positioning-public-weary

Robert Peston on the bonus culture in finance
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2010/01/the_bonus_questions.html