Giggs to make it 600 not out?

If he plays tomorrow it will be his 600th league appearances for the club, the stuff of dreams for a United fan. And all those trophies to boot, i can't see anybody getting near that triphy haul in the future. I don't like to second guess the tinkerman, but i find it hard to believe that he won't start tomorrow. At the very least if he is on the bench i can't see him staying on it for the ninety minutes.
This match will undoubtedly be our hardest test of the season, so i suppose there imust be a chance that Fergie will go with a 4-3-3 line up. I have to say i hope that won't be the case as it would probably mean either Berbatov being left on the bench or Rooney moving out to the left. Whilst i don't mind that line up, judging from the West Brom and Birmingham performances, Rooney does mind, i'd like to think he won't mind playing there occasionally for the cause.
Giggs talks to the indies Ian Herbert about his yoga DVD.
There is still no mention of Scholes, i would feel a lot better about our chances if were in the starting line up tomorrow. Surely this summer finding a creative midfield player must be top of the transfer dealing priorities.
Tottenham's player of the season is one that got away according to Fergie, who reminds the press that he tried to buy the young Welshman. It's funny how the ones that got away always seem to land in north London, Charlie Nicholas, Gazza and now Gareth Bale. He is a top player, there is no doubt, who would be a big addition to any squad in Europe. It is fuuny however how everybody seems to forget his early struggles at Spurs. If he had been at Europe and had perfomed like that there would have beeen plenty of the usual suspects questioning Fergie's judgement.

Corry Evans, younger brother of Jonny has joined Hull City on loan for the rest of the season, making it three United players on the books, two on loan and James Chester having signed for the humberside club. If i'm honest i have never seen anything in Evans that leads me to think he will have a future at United despite some of the flattering press he has received whilst at the club. In fact the championship might well be his level,
Meanwhile Hull manager Nigel Pearson reveals that he would like to take all three of the United youngsters to the KC stadium eventually if they all work hard and prove themselves. Apparently Cameron Stewart has been a big hit there, surprisingly after his dissappointing loan spell at Yeovil town.

Kuszczak tells united that he is the man to replace Van Der Sar when the big Dutchman hangs up his boots. I think we all know that he isn't, full stop. I can't believe the rumours that he his being given first chance to claim the number one jersey. He has been hear long enough and played more than enough games for any half decent judge to know that to be the case. In fact if he is in goal again tomorrow, as usual i will be that little bit less confident than normal.

United's captain Nemaja Vidic thinks that the new year will see United peak in their bid to capture that historic 19th title. There is along way to go yet, though the way our rivals have faltered we have got to be in with a big chance. One bad injury though, and it could all change just like that, as we saw last season.
One good consequence of a defeat tomorrow would be that we can stop listening to pundits claiming that United can go through the campaign unbeaten. I would rather see us play great football and win the vast majority of games to win the title than go through it unbeaten and draw twelve as Arsenal's invincibles did that season. Of course it would help if the defeats were to the Tottenhams of this world, rather than the scoue and City.

Ferguson blames the influx of foreign owners for the sharp rsie in managerial casualties, this was before this mornings news that Martin O'Neill is likely to replace Avram Grant as the manager of West Ham after todays game. How much time does he think the Glazer's will give his replacement at United if he has a dissappointing first season, which must be an evens bet if they are still owners of our club. I can imagine that we would smell the whiff of panic in their investment if that happens.

Sid Lowe agrees that Messi is the best footballer on the planet but belives that Xavi should have been the player to receive Ballon d'OR. I can live without the politics of the award, the best player of any sport should be a mixture of talent and influence. So going of that criteria last years winner should have been between Xavi and Sneijder, and for me Xavi would just have edged it.
Lowe makes a good pint about Xavi's ability to get other players to perorm to their best, it has to be said that Messi is a shadow of the player for Argentina that he is for the Catalan giants.

Ha-Joon Chang challenges the prevailing orthodoxy, hopefully an orthodoxy in it's dying days, that bankers are untouchable as he questions whether it would be such a bad thing if the curbing of bankers bonuses led to some of them upping sticks and leaving the country.
Paul Mason in a sarky dig at parliament's slect committee system, is amazed to find that the treasury select committee lands a punch on Barcalys new boss Bob Diamond at their session with him on Tuesday.
Ben Chu was another observer less than impressed with Diamonds performance as he questions the truth of some of his answers to committee.

Steve Richards compares the prevailing political and economic free market orthodoxy to the dying throes of the corporate state of seventies Britain and ends by claiming it will end the same way. But will lead the way. If the lib dems hadn't elected Clegg and gone down the orange book route they could have had a once in a generation opportunity. But the party of Keynes, Lloyd George and Beveridge fucked up big time.
I find myself without a party at the moment, I regard myself as a left wing liberal, nut the Lib dems are currently to the right of Ted Heath as far as i can see. Labour are still pretty much new labour as far as i can see and anybody on the left will always be anti tory. So i couldn't get worked up one way or the other about Thursday's Oldham and Saddleworth by election.
Iain Martin wonders how well thought through the tories by election strategy was for their long term hopes of winning a outright majority at the next election. How well thought out is any parties strategy at the moment.
Faisal Islam wonders about the credibilty of Nick Clegg's claims about Lib dems victories over economic fairness. I'm not sure how orange book liberals can talk about economic fairness when they believe in the primacy of markets and adhere to the neo liberal dogmas almost as much as the tories and even more than new labour.

Has Manchester's new labour links come back to haunt it as the upcoming round of local government cuts are going to hit the city very hard.
Polly Toynbee predicts that the cuts are uniting all parties of local government against the coalition and are accusing it of worse inteference than new labour. So much for lib dem influence. The tories do have form in this area, for all the small sate mantra of theThatcher administration they were always tring to micro manage everything.

The Chinese military unveiled their own version of a stealth fighter during the visit of US defence secretary Robert Gates visit last week.

As the Tunisian president flees to Saudi Arabia, i wonder why tyrants always seem to feel safe in that part of the world, the country faces more rioting and strife. Patrick Cockburn warns that troubles like this are brewing all over the middle east. I suppose the question is will it lead to a version of Glasnost or will it go the other way.

Brian Eno