Manchester United 3-2- Wolves

I suppose it turned into an exciting game for the neutral on the TV but for those of us who shelled out to see the game it just added more credence to Rooney's supposed worries about the squad. The team selected was fairly interesting with Smalling partnering Evans in what could be a glimpse of the future. The goalies shirt was given to local youngster Ben Amos who gave us an encouraging performance. Carrick partnered Gibson in the centre of the park whilst Bebe was handed his first full start on the right. Up front Obertan was picked in the hole in behind Macheda in a partnership that didn't really work with the pair showing no understanding at all. The longer the night went on the more painful it got for Obertan as his confidence dipped and by the end he could braely do anything right. Macheda wasn't as bad but it wasn't that encouraging either, one thing i did notice last night was how comprehensively he was beaten to everything in the air all night.
The first half was a total non event as United played like the set of strangers that they largely were. Wolves were no better and it was weird that it took United scoring to spark them into life. I have noticed the press seem to have given Bebe a good press this morning, that just tells me how bad it was. To me he looked what he is, very very raw, he gets a good cross in now and then, he is fast yes, but how much of a football brain has he got. One big disappointment of the first half was the performance of Park. I'm not his biggest fan but in a team like that he should have been setting an example. He looked like he wasn't interested in that first period, thankfully he improved in the second half because we needed him to.
The second half was far better with both sides creating chances, i wouldn't say the standard of football was that much better, but it was at least entertainment unlike the first half. The first goal took everybody by surprise where i was sitting, nobody could understand how it had ended up in the net. It wasn't until we saw a replay in the Tollgate after the game that we saw the big deflection. I suppose Bebe will be credited with the goal, it was one hell of a fluke though. It didn't take Wolves long to equalise with Elokobi heading home too easily from a header just five minutes later. Park put us back in front with a good finish with twenty minutes to go and it looked like we might be going through. But Gibson capped another poor performance needlesly giving the ball away in the middle of the park which ended with Foley getting an equaliser with quarter of an hour to go.
Both sides continued to create chances but i could see extra time and penalties the way the game was going. Thankfully Fergie brought Hernandez on for Bebe and for the first time on the night we saw some genuine class. His movement, first touch and passing were all comfortably above anything that had preceeded his involvment.The move for the last goal was possibly the best of the night and the way Hernandez took it showed once again what a natural goalscorer we have found ourself. So we are through to the next round and draw permitting nearer to a third consecutive league cup final. I wouldn't mind an FA cup final myself, it's a few years since we have won that.

Ravel Morrison was described as the "most gifted teenager in the country" by Brian Marwood in the telegraph on Saturday. So it was interesting to see him given a squad number and given a brief taste of the big stage last night. I wonder whether he will be sent out on loan next season.

Michael Owen will be out for a few more weeks with another muscle injury. I can't see how he will be retained this summer especially with Welbeck hopefully coming back from a successful loan spell at Sunderland. In fact i wouldn't be waiting until summer i'd let him go in the winter transfer window if anyboldy will come in for him. When Welbeck does come back i would then send Macheda out on loan because he badly needs to be playing regular football.

Rooney is looking to be back for the derby at the boo camp in a couple of weeks time. Will he get in the starting line up though, and if he does, what position will he play. I still think there is a good argument for playing him on the left until he regains his form. Unless it is going to miraculously return straight away. Gill fools nobody as he he toes the party line, declaring that United will not alter the wage structure as they face increasing competition from our oil rich neighbours. David Conn explains why City face big problems on the wages front when Uefa rules due to be enforced from 2001-2012 and also wonders how on earth City could have took Rooney to City without completely ruining their chances of being within those rules. Did Gill and the Glazer's understand that or has Conn got it wrong.
Fergie told the press that it took all his experience for him to be handle last weeks situation and argues it proves that whoever succeeds him will have to be experienced. It is no club for a young manager.

Nobby Stiles will be a happy man as his world cup winners and European cup winners medal has fetched £200,000 after United surprisingly did the right thing in buying the pair.

FC United have hit the big time with a FA cup first round tie live on ESPN against Rochdale next week. That is a magnificent achievement and has come at a pretty aposite time.

Supposedly Keane was under pressure going into last nights cup tie against the giant killers Northampton. It's hard to work out whether he has the makings of a good manager or not. But he does always seem to have problems working with chairman, which unfortunately won't help.

Steve Richards argues that the cuts are ideological just as the were in the eighties,he intriguingly tells us that he told his social democrat colleagues in his party that the social democrat experiment had failed before the election. It has took the coalition government for them to realise that he meant it. I would argue he told them that just when it should have been clear social democracies time should have come again as the neo liberal experiment has just exploded in our faces. It wasn't social democracy that caused the credit crunch, was it. Polly Toynbee warns us of a housing time bomb that the spending review will unleash in the years to come. One unamed tory minister recently described part of the policy as the " Highland clearances"

David Lloyd interviews Andy Flower, the man with a plan to bring the ashes back home from Australia for the first time since 86-87.

Tracey Corrigan explains how business steered us through the storm after yesterdays surprise economic growth figures. Whilst Frasier Nelson explains why living costs are the real threat to the governments economic strategy

Mervyn King gave a speech in New York setting out his version for a future for banking that doesn't imperil the next generation. Robert Peston explains how potentially radical his ideas were. Paul Mason describes his vision as the end of the banking system as we have known it. Have we got the politicians with the radical instincts and political skill to see this through against the howls of outrage that the banking and financial interest will throw up.

David Prosser wonders just how business friendly the coalition government really is as he examines two decisions that at least put a question mark against the business friendly credentials. I suppose that might smack a bit too much of social democracy. Ingrid Smith tries to get to the bottom of the debate between the private sector and liberal left definitions of fairness. Nils Pratley thinks Vince Cable is asking the right questions with his new review on the problems of short termism but argues unless he looks at our present tax system he won't get very far. Rober Skidelsky tries to explain the difference between Keynesian proposals to tackle the debt and the neo liberal spending review approach which so far the coalition is the only major government to be attempting.

Mary Riddell goes against the recent trend by telling Ed Miliband that he can do without a plan but must forensically examine the cuts and their consequences.

Paul Mason examines the end of the American dream as the end of easy credit destroys the end of expensive lifestyles on low wages. This Economist column explores the so called war of elites and concludes by telling us this shows who the real elite are and why they are winning all the arguments. George Monibot wonders when the Tea parties supporters will realise are being taken for a ride by that very same elite and are supporting a cause inimical their own interests.