Evans and Smalling to start

Smaling and Evans to start in tonight's European tie against Rangers.This will be interesting to watch, the possible future of United at centre half. I think most people think that Evans has fallen behind Smalling in the United pecking order. Whilst that may well prove to be right, Smalling definitely has more potential, Evans is the one that has the bigger premier league experience so far. I would like to see Smalling start one or two league games this season, but with the tightness of the title race at the moment, injuries apart i can't see it happening. I suppose every game that Rio can be rested will be thankfully taken by Fergie, but as far as the league campaign goes i expect Evans to continue to deputise for him.

Rooney rubbishes the rumours that he will be leaving at the end of the season, he states he will be at United for the long term. I actually believe him despite my generaly cynical take on these matters, but a cynic would notice that he didn't say for the rest of his career this time. I would take that as a realistic take on his future.
I wish the media would stop banging on about this apology that the fans are expecting, because for this fan anyway, i'm not waiting for an apology, i'm waiting for him to start doing the busines on the pitch. That's far more important than some crappy PR exercise to me.

Fergie tells the players to wake up, let's get this started. He admires the resillience that we have shown in recent results against Wolves and Villa but we have to start playing better to stop us getting in those positions. What have Wolves done since and Villa went straight onto a defeat at Ewood park.

Danny welbeck has started to play his way into the sights of the national press with his recent outstanding displays for the mackems. I actually think he hasn't really been doing much different, it's more a case of Sunderland starting to use him properly combined with a surge in confidence from realising the rest of the team are now on the same wavelength as him. I don't believe for a minute he actually intends to stay at Sunderand, he will be back at United next season alright. And he will get his fair share of games as well. I'll predict that Berbatov will be released and United won't sign anybody, Welbeck will be his direct replacement.
Not good news for the Bulgarian and probably why we have started to hear transfer title tatle involving his agent and the press. I had hoped he had finally found his feet at United after his early season form, but his recent lapse back into general ineffectivness will probably convince Fergie that he is just one of those players that just can't hack it at old trafford.

Is another United misfit about to hit the exit button as reports surface of Anderson leaving in the mid season break. If that coincides with the arrival of Cleverley from Wigan back from his loan, i would be more than happy with that news. I'm still not sure what position Anderson was brought to the club to fill, but wherever he has been tried, it has never worked. As we have seen before just because it says Brazillian on your passsport, it doesn't always guarantee that the player will always possess what we have come to expect from that country. His passing accuracy is abysmal, he must have the lowest completion record of any of our central midfield over the last couple of years. Defensively he is just as poor and the less said about his goalscoring record the better.It's hard to see him shaking any trees anywhere else in his career and i don't for one minute think we will regret letting him go, if the reports are correct, that is. He seems to have one hell of a lot a last chances.

Cantona's bank call understandable but wrong claims Deborah Hargreaves in the Guardian. I may be wrong but i thought his reasoning was to show the banks that whilst we may indeed need them to function in everyday life, it's a two way street, as they also need us. So to show them that their behaviour past and present is unacceptable, big gestures that they understand must be made.

Gavin Hewitt, the Beebs European editor argues the Irish bailout is a firfighting measure and that the underlying symptom has still not been treated. He asks a good question though, will the firefighting even work.
As Iain Martin tells us in this column, there is an alternative and it looks like it has worked. Iceland shows that there is another way.If you look at history, eschewing the prevailing orthodoxy is usually a good bet. And it must look even better when the prevailing orthodoxy itself is part of the problem and should be on it's wat to the dustbin of history.
Hamish McRae a man still wedded to the onld orthodoxies, in my opinion, thinks that this crisis will change Europe forever. He thinks he is on the optimistic side believing that the Euro will survive this crisis, but will be destroyed by the next one, whereas a lot of people he admires don't think it will make it through this crisis.
Jeremy Warner belives the Irish crisis has shown that the banking stress tests laid on by the European authorities weren't worth the paper they were written on, which would be much like the toxic debt that the financial sector left us with to put us in this situation.
The Economist's Bagehot column wonders which economic planet the tories Euro sceptics are living on. Obviously it's the one where everything that goes wrong is the fault of somebody else, especially if they speak a foreign tongue. I can't exactly say, it reassures me that we have got Osborne in charge at another poosible crucial moment in the global economic crisis we are currently living in.

The FBI has launched a major probe into insider dealing between major US hedge funds, big business and Wall street. Now that could never, be could it.
Daniel Korski believes that the current crisis may mean the end of US foreign policy being seen through the eyes of Wall street as the idea that what is good for Wall street isn't neccessarily good for the US state and it's peoplefinally hits home.

Bemusement in the world's chancellories as North Korea attacks its Southern neighbour. The Economists Cassandra column speculates that it may have something to do with a succession struggle as Kim Jong Un tries a show of strength to show the countries military he wiill be up to the task of leader.
Iain Martin thinks it's problem that the US authorities are unsure of how to deal with as almost every strategy that they have tried so far has proved to be a failure. Good point, just how do you deal with a paranoid nuclear armed state. At least if Iran acquired them we would have some idea as to what their foreign policy would be, but North Korea?

Michael Vaughan writes a fairly predictable piece claiming that whoever wins the first test and even the first session will win the series. I think he's wrong, when the Aussies thrashed us in the last series they had a great side at the top of their game and against a woefully undercooked England team who didn't have three of the greatest players to have ever played the game in their side. This series will be tight and nobody seems to have mntioned the possibilty of a drawn series, they do happen, and quite often. I'm making no predictions except it will be tight. So that's a walkover for one of them.
Strauus and Flower seem to have their heads screwed on with Strauss keen to remind people that there are five tests and the series will not be won in the first test in Brisbane. That is definitely the right way to approach things. Bowling will be the key to the series for me, will England's pace attack take enough wickets to take the pressure of Swann, who cannot be expected to win it on his own. I have to admit to worrying about Anderson on Australian wickets, his stats outside England are appallling.
Angus Fraser takes the chance to name his first choive England ashes eleven against his first choive Aussie eleven. It would be a fair contest but you would have to think that the Aussies would be too strong. I will miss reading what Athers has to say in the Times about the series but the paywall prevents me from doing so.

Music

Autechre - Incunabula: A group who i never followed but after listening to this the debut album, i will have to go back and go through their discography. The group they remind me of most from that era would be Underworld i think, but an Underworld without Karl Hyde. Very 90's, but i loved 90's techno.

Ceephax acid crew -  United acid emirates: More techno but this time from this decade. An excellent album that's more on the dance side of techno than most of the stuff i listen to.

Everything everything - Man alive: One of the more hyped debut's of the year, but justly so i would say after listening to it. A more pop based rock sound, it will be interesting where thet can take it onthe follow up. They have a fairly unique sound which can be a good thing or ar worst bad as you get pigeon holed.

Grinderman - Grinderman 2: Another quality offering from Nick Cave and fellow bad seeds. Not quite as good as the debut album but that was one of the best albums of that year.

Robert Hood - Minimal nation: One of the founding fathers of the minimalist techno school from the home of techno, Detroit. Another classic from the 90's that i'd never heard. It's class alright

The gaslight anthem - American slang: A tremendous album showing obvious influences from the boss himself Springsteen. Every track's a winner. The Hold steady are one of the most critically acclaimed US rock groups of the present time but this is an album to rank alongside their efforts.