Wayne Rooney admits " I was wrong "

Well i asked in my last post that i wondered how he felt about handing in his transfer request earlier in the season, it didn't take long to get an answer. The thing is, with modern football and modern footballers and their advisors, do we know if he really means it. I hope i'm right in thinking that he probably does mean it and is glad that he has stayed. He certainly seems to look like he is enjoying his football at the moment. Mind you if you couldn't enjoy it now when could you enjoy it.
The partnership with Hernandez has really caught fire, i'd agree with those who think Fergie basically forgetting about Berbatov, especially away from home and going with this partnership with Rooney dropping deep has transformed our season and our hopes of silverware. Is this one of Fergie's lucky discoveries, ala Cole and York.

Kevin McCarra blogs that whilst United " may lack glamour, the beauty is in the collective ". Whilst i can go along with that i wouldn't mind a bit more glamour myself, hopefully we will get a little more in the seasons to come as some of our youngsters hopefully start to blossom. Duncan White looks at United's uncanny knack of scoring last gasp winners and Javier Hernandez's unexpected contribution to United's season and his increasing importance to the team. I can't wait for next season when i think we will be more exciting still going forward, with the return of Danny Welbeck hopefully giving us an extra dimension.
United's Brailian midfielder Anderson is interviewed in the Indy and is positive he will prove a success at United, he seems full of confidence, i can't say i think it's justified, but wouldn't mind him proving me wrong. He will he have to be quick in proving it with the young lads about to be breathing down his neck over the next couple of years.
After watching Real Madrid and Barca the other night and then reading the Ronaldo quotes, i definitely think we have as good a chance in the probable final against Barca at Wembley. We will certainly be more of a team on the night, of that, i'm sure, nor Ronaldo and his gigantic ego, trying to win the game on his own this time.
Andy Mitten writes of the great atmosphere of a proper football club as he salutes an on song United on Tuesday night. Whilst Alan Hansen contrasts the fortunes of Fergie and Wenger ahead of Sunday's Emirates clash, he is a bit too sanguine about Arsenal's future to me, as surely Fabregas will depart the club this summer. Wilshere and Ramsey are two great prospects but it's asking a lot to place the midfield in their hands for next season.

Mark Ogden thinks United still have a chance to poach Manuel Neuer from the grip of Bayern Munich, though when you read on further, it's pretty obvious he doesn't really. It was a brilliant performance and he is obviously going to be a great goalie, but i would go along with whoever Van Der Sar suggests, and if likes Stekelenburg, that would be enough for me.

Ahead of last nights Bobby Charlton documentary John Motson saluted the footballing meastro in this BBC piece. A great footballer but a very complex man, i'll leave it there.

Alan Smith believes United whilst only really needing a draw tomorrow will never the less go on the offensive tomorrow trying to take advantage of Arsenal's defensive deficiencies.

City legend Colin Bell tells the clubs fans the Munich chants have gone on long enough, it's truly out of order and it must stop.

El Classico didn't or maybe it did live up to it's billing on Wednesday night. I know most reds wanted Real to win because they didn't fancy our chances against Barca, but up until Tuesday i was ambivalent. But when i read Mourinho's comments it immediately made me realise that i can live with being beaten by Barca, a great club and a brillaint football team. Could i really say that about Real Madrid and Mourinho, no and no again.
I have never been a fan of Mourinho succeeding Fergie, though i have wavered from time to time, but those comments plus his negative tactics once again and the ludicrous comments after have made me realise i never want him near managing our football club. Mind you, given our owners, it's probably already signed, sealed and delivered, they are made for each other.
Will Ronaldo still be there next season ? 

The ONS conference announced a quarterly growth rate of 0.5 %, not a great result for boy George. Sean O'Grady suggests the dreaded S word may be in store for the British economy, and whilst Jeremy Warner also thinks we may indeed be heading for Japanese style stagflation he still thinks Osborne's startegy to be the correct one. How defeated is that, i don't know what happened to him when he moved to the Torygraph, he never seemed to be that far inclined to the right whilst at the Indy.
Heather Stewart argues that if George Osborne thinks this is the road to recovery, he needs a new satnav. Economic commentator and blogger Duncan Weldon warns that it is time to heed the word of GOD, Gus O'Donnell, that is and get that plan B dusted down. I can't see it happening, the good ship British economy is going to go down with Osborne, come what may.
Faisal Islam defends Channel 4's reporting of theGDP figures and their grilling of the chief secretary of the treasury. Will Danny Alexander escape the Lib dem fall out when the party is forced to pick up the pieces whenever the coalition's time expires.
Danny Blanchflower describes the GDP figures as disastrous but is convinced that it means that at least we won't be having an interest rate rise any time soon. Frasier Nelson of the Spectator reckons Blanchflower has got it wrong, Nelson hasn't exactly got a A+ for his economic forecasting over the last year or so though has he. I didn't take Blanchflower long to respond.

The author of a new book about Goldman Sachs, William Cohan thinks the bank will take years to restore its battered reputation.


On a day that makes me embarrassed to be English, The Clash

Schalke 04 0-2 Manchester United

A magnificent display, even if the opposition were never really up to much, it was still the semi finals of the champions league. You can only beat what is put in front of you and United did that and more last night. The freshness of the squad as Fergie has said has given us a great chance of another champions league and premier league double. Being able to chop and change the squad has been a big plus, Anderson and Gibson in central midfield on Saturday wasn't pretty but it meant Carrick was fresh and fit for last night.
From one to eleven, in old parlance the team was on fire, i don't know if Fabio would have played if O'Shea had been fit but i have been very impressed with him recently and wasn't surprised that he was so impressive. I though that Ferdinand might not make last night's line as he didn't look 100% fit to me on Saturday but he was on top form last night too, not that he was called upon too much. Everybody chipped in but Rooney seems to be on fire, the pairing with Hernandez and the deeper role seems to have transformed him. As Jonathan Wilson pointed out before last night's game he has been as influential if not more influential from his deeper role than he was when scroing a hatful of games last season. Is now the time to wonder whether he is glad he stayed at the club and is his long term future still at the club.
I would expect a fairly similar team to last night's for Sunday's trip to the Emirates with big changes for the second leg with Scholes and a few others coming back into that side. The defeat to City and last night's result has made the end of season run in far more manageable, though knowing now what i know now, i would still have took the victory over City to the victory over Chelsea. If we did manage the double of league title and champions league victory, that outlook would look unbelievably small time, but i can't get away from it.
We shouldn't get too carried away but two away goals with no reply must mean we are guaranteed to be at Wembley at May and for the big one itself, the champions league final. Of course Real would be a big hurdle and if Barca won we would almost certainly have to give our performance of the season, but it will be a one off game and anything can happen.
We shouldn't have been totally surprised by the easy manner of last night's victory i suppose, it's easy to forget that was our fourth semi final in five years, of course it should have been five in five, but we won't go into that and that if we complete the job next week, it will be a third final in five years. That was what we hoped would happen after 1999, better late than never. Fergie had been quoted as saying that he was a little envious of the the record of our competitors champions league victories and that he would like United to climb that ladder. We have given ourselves a great chance.

Fergie euloguises over Ryan Giggs and is quoted as wishing he could go on for years as he wonders when his career will finally peak. He also showered praise in Schalke goalie Neuer, the Bayern bound goalie who United were purportedly interested who had an absolute stormer last night making some aboslutely stunning saves.
He wouldn't be a like for like replacement for Van Der Sar a goalie who makes real the Dutch ideal of total football by having a goalie good enough with his feet to have been an oufield player. And such an organiser of the defence he would never have to make as many saves as Neuer was called into making last night. Of course it hepls to have Ferdinand and Vidic in front of him, but it is a fair argument.

The accolades come in thick and fast for Rooney and United in the press this morning with Graham Taylor arguing you rarely see as one sided a game in such a high profile fixture as last night, picking out Carrick and Rooney for special praise. James Lawton has to bring Rooney's England career into the mix arguing that he helped erase the memory of his last appearance at Gelsenkirchen.
Martin Keown thinks Rooney was that good that his performance reminded him of Michel Platini, high praise indeed.

Daniel Taylor argues that Fabio's performance last night showed he has come of age and is now a Manchester United player in his five things we learned from last night article. I have to admit that whilst both brothers excited me when they first arrived that last season i started to have doubts about both of them. Not now though, neither is the finished article, but they are both going to be terrific players. Whenever we have to chase a game one or both of the pair have to be on the pitch, that is for sure. I thought Fergie should have brought him on sooner against City, he made on great run, where he unfortunately found himself offside at the crucial moment. But it was the kind of run nobody else was making. My only worry is that i'm not sure Fabio is really the answer on the left, they are both going to be great right backs though.

Th Indy reports how Ian Hislop and private eye hounded Andrew Marr into his embarrassing volte face in the Daily Mail yesterday.

Robert Fisk wonders whether Syria and President Assad are on the brink of civil war.

The economy stood still with this mornings growth rate announced as 0.5 %. George Eaton argues this means Osborne's economic plan isn't working. Most economists see the figure as disappointing and think an interest rise just got further away. Apart from inflation nutter Andrew Sentence, that is, who seems to have a death wish for the British economy, he is like an old fashioned Marxist ideologue.

Manchester United 1-0 Everton

 This was one of those grind them out days that win titles, not pretty, but three points at the end of the day. Despite the changes, all five of them, including the suprise inclusion of Jonny Evans for Vidic this was a pretty strong team. Of course central midfield was the exception, Anderson and Gibson won't be striking fear into the hearts of any side any time soon. Though to give him his due Anderson had a fair game yesterday, it would be kinder to Gibson to skate over his performance. All i'll say about him, is he surely won't still be here next season, for his sake, as well as ours.
Once again our tempo was too slow and once more the whole team seemed leggy, if we do go on to lift the title, the way we are playing at the moment, we will crawl to the title. Saying that, this was never going to be an easy game, Everton were on a decent run and they always seem to raise their game against the top teams. They weren't very adventurous though, and during those last twenty minutes i was glad of that. If they had decided to have a real go at us after Rodwell forced Van Der Sar into a brilliant save i'm not sure what the outcome would have been. Ferdinand certainly didn't look fully fit to me, it will be interesting to see if he travels to Germany.
United certainly seemed to have picked a bad time to start missing sitters, Berbatov against City, Rooney and Giggs against the barcodes and the whole front line seemed to want too much time in front of goal yesterday, especially in the first half. The most comical miss being Nani's effort that hit a prostrated Hernandez. Nani had another indifferent game yesterday, it's not the best time to misplace your best form.
As well as Everton defended yesterday and as ponderous as United were at times, for some strange reason i always fancied us to score. I just felt that the chance would come and we would stick it away. I'm glad the chance, when ti came to Hernandez though, as Linekar and Shearer said last night it was a great header, down and with pace giving Howard no chance.
So another game can be ticked off, if and it's a big if we gain the three points at the Emirates next Sunday, that 19th title will be as good as ours. There is just the small matter of a champions league semi final to think about now. I can't say i know much about Schalke except that Raul is there, and they are having a very average time of it in the Bundesliga. I won't be taking anything for granted though with our record of champions league semi finals against German opposition.

Fergie thinks United could wrap the title up in the next couple of weeks and sees no reason why we can't beat both Arsenal and Chelsea. It's been a weird season, so i won't be predicting anythingexcept i hope we lose the goal shyness we seem to have picked up in the last three games. It sounds like he expects Chelsea to come second, he isn't the only one. I'm not sure about the line describing Arsenal as better footballers, but Chelsea as the better team, i'd have Chelsea as both.

Paul Wilson talks up the champions league woth of Park Ji Sung to Manchester United, he is a decent player whose work rate allows others to play. His record in the champions league is excellent, even at PSV he had two superb games in their close semi final defeat to AC Milan. But it has to be said that he didn't have a great night in Rome, but in fairness to him, who did.
Mark Ogden talks about the rising worth of Hernandez and how he has turned Berbatov into a bit part player at Manchester United.

Nemanja Vidic sings the praises of Michael Carrick claiming that over the years he has done that dirty job well. 

Raul is enjoying his time in Germany at Schalke as he tells Sid Lowe in this interview in the Guardian. Ferguson admits that there was contact with his agent in the summer and that if we hadn't have had Michael Owen at the club, he may well have bought him. He was a top top player in his prime.
Henry Winter looks the rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Pepe Guardiola as the El Classic reaches it's biggest stage with the champions league semi final beginning on Wednesday. Real warmed up nicely last night with the demolition of Valencia in their second game at the Mestalla in three days. Paddy Crerand is dreaming of a United Real Madrid final he tells Steve Tongue.
Hansen writes in the Telegraph that had Ferguson been in charge of any of the other teams in the top four, they would have gone on to have won the title. And claims that this would be his biggest achievement as this is a poor relation of the 99 and 2008 teams. Fans of the 1994 double winning squad might take exception to the omission of that side from his greatest teams. I won't argue with the theory that if he had have been in charge of any of the other top four clubs they would have been likely champions, but can you really place that higher than the treble, not for me.  

There have been a whole raft of stories linking Carlos Tevez with a move at the end of the season, according to Twitter, there is definitely something behind them. Not exactly a surprise, i always felt that all they did was call a truce until the end of the season. They will need to replace him, not sure with whom though.

Nick Clegg rages against Cameron lies, but is it all to late to stop him going down with the ship as rumours of a leadership battle rumble in the undergrowth. James Forsyth reports that the AV referndum is beginning to shake the coalition with even the Cameron-Clegg partnership under strain. Alistair Campbell asks what that Liberal titan Lloyd George would have made of Nick Clegg and the modern inheritors of the liberal flame.
Jackie Ashley joins the growing group of commentators who see an election later on in the year becoming increasingly likely. She feels Cameron has shown a surprisingly sure touch and has trapped Clegg and the Lib Dems.

Anne Applebaum tries to make sense of the Russian political scene as she asks is Russia's puppet president ready to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
Will Hutton claims that the United States if facing its biggest crisis since the great depression. Stephen King agrees, claiming that the credit ratings agencies may have got things badly wrong before the credit crunch, but its action towards US fiscal inaction seems absolutely right.

Philip Aldrick asks if George Osborne can turn it around, i wouldn't put my money on it would you. This is the man who has got almost every big call on the great economic events of the last decade wrong.

FA youth cup semi United 4-0 Chelsea

I thought United had been the better team in the first leg and had wondered how they had managed to come off the pitch, the losing team. I'm glad to see they more than put things right in the second leg on Wednesday night putting Chelsea to the sword 4-0. Despite the William Keane's hatrick most of the plaudits once again went to the midfield trio of Morrison, Tunnicliffe and Pogba.
I suppose the question is which will get a crack in the first team and who will be sent out on loan, if indeed any of the trio are sent out to gain first team experience. They must have a great chance to etch their names alongside that long list of great players to have won the FA youth cup with Manchester United. I'm not sure why the Chelsea games had to be all ticket but i hope the two legged final against Sheffield United are pay on the gate. The future looks in pretty good shape, on the pitch at least. At least some commentators seem to be onto the fact that these could be the future of Manchester United and is the real reason is quite content to leave the midfield well alone and will be one area where the Glazer's will not be badgered for funds to replenish the squad.

The Mail reckon that Berbatov is a doubt for tomorrow, which is a worry for United. I'll say it is, i think that Rooney will be on the bench tomorrow with the semi finals and Arsenal away on Fergie's mind and that the last thing he would have wanted was to have to play Rooney against his former club tomorrow.

MUST launch an e-mail appeal,  asking the Glazer's to cut ticket prices at Old trafford just like they have in Florida with their other " franchise " the Tampa bay bucanners. It seems like a decent move, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly for them, they will have to contend with unwanted publicity and unwanted press coverage.

Fergie admits the draw wasn't what United were looking for, but he was happy enough with the teams response to the semi final defeat. Michael Carrick  reminds everybody that United are in control of their own destiny, just i case people forget what an excellent position the team are in.
I suppose the thing that nags at some of us is the way the wheels came off last year, where the squad didn't handle the pressure of the title run as well as we have in the past. And the fact that we are still in Europe means the squad is going to be tested to the maximum again. Still if you had given me this scenario at the beginning of the season i would have bitten your hand off.
O'Shea remembers United throwing away a 3-1 lead at Goodison at the start of the season and promises that United won't slip up again. That was a bad day, how often do we conceed late goals, never mind two, but it was a pointer to the away form which was to follow. 

Jim White previews Sunday nights BBC screening of a new drama about the Busby babes. I don't know how good it will be, this type of thing isn't usually my cup of tea, sporting drama's don't really work for me. But if White is right and the film extols the role that Jimmy Murphy played in the aftermath of the crash then it will have a big thumbs up from me. His role in the history of the club has been criminally under written and the way he was treated by the club in his later years was pretty apalling really.
I thin we all heard the Munich chants, taunts and gestures last week, though some may have wished they had kept they had kept their gobs shut. It will be interesting the next time we play City at Wembley that's for sure.

James Lawton writes that love him or loathe him, the latest chapter of the Mourinho saga shows him to be in a class of his own. The problem with this article is we are only half way through the four meeting between Real and Barca. If Barca were to vanquish Real over the two legs of the champions league final leaving Barca in another Champions league final and champions of Spain elect, where would that leave the special ones reputation.
I'm not saying that Mourinho's Real Madrid can't or won't triumph in that semi, i think that will be a pretty tight affair, just, it's far too soon to be lauding him as a success in Spain. And if Barca do manage to knock them out, Di Stefano and co will not be backwards in coming forwards to say i told you so.

With just a week to go before royal madness hits the country, Steve Richards writes of our Republican conspiracy of silence. At least the silence won't be the whisper of the last big royal wedding, this is a different generation. The Bagehot column of the Economist wants to set the royal family free and calls for a compassionate republicanism.

Peter Oborne detects the Labour oppostion settling back into a more Euro sceptic stance as Ed Balls calls the anti Euro shots. Is that Ed Balls who looked to the Clintonian US economic model whilst Brown's right hand man during the last government. The administration that saw the repeal of the Glass-Steagal act and set the course for the credit crunch every bit as much as it's incompetent successors.
Europe may be one great disaster zone at the moment, but isn't the German economic model what even Osborne sees as the way to go, not the Anglo saxon free market economic city loving model. How does standing aside from a disaster on the Eurozone, our biggest market don't forget, going to be in any way shape or form good for our economy or for British jobs.
As this fellow Torygraph article points out the hoped for manufacuring revival isnt happening, as if the Thatcherite assault on the manufacturing base can be turned around in a couple of years. Let's face it if the city isn't tackled and brought down to size, and can you see that happening any time soon, under either tories or labour, it may well never happen.

David Blanchflower, one of Balls main cheerleaders, claims it's official we're not all in this together. The Economists Buttonwood notebook looks at the US credit downgrade and ends the piece by stating the obvious, the world economy is just in the process of rearranging the debt incurred by the credit crunch of 2008. And until the problem of how that debt is dealt we will jus stumble from one crisis to another. And that is what's happening in Europe at the monent, the Peripheral countries people are being asked to take the hit for the bankers of Germany, France and Britain. Which is what i don't hear being addressed from euro sceptics from such as Oborne or even Balls. Although Balls may just be opportunistic in opposition, who knows.
Richard Wolff declares S & P's judgement on US debt substandard and poor and argues there are only two respones threat to downgrade US credit rating, laughter and a yawn.

Alistair Campbell writes that Coulson's deparure was dambuster part 1 and that News international adnission of liability could well be dambuster part 2

Newacsatle United 0-0 Manchester United

Not really the bounce back from Saturday that i was hoping for, but i suppose a point away from home isn't a bad result. With the return of Rooney and Hernandez up front i was hoping we would have too much firepower for a team that isn't the greatest at the back. It was to be expected that they would have a go at us on their own patch, but once United had weathered that i was hoping we would make our class tell.
I suppose that they did up to a point, they certainly made enough chances to have taken away the three points. Maybe Berbatov wil feel better after watching from the stands and seeing Rooney, Hernandez and Giggs all miss presentable chances. The Giggs chance  in the second half where he was supplied by Evra, who for once delivered a pin point cross, was the chance of the match. Maybe that was the moment when once again we wondered whether it was going to be one of those nights.
At least we ended the game in total control and had made enough chances to have won the game on another night. But what a glorious chance to put the maximum amount of pressure ahead of their trip to White hart lane tonight.
Fergie was critical of the Hernandez booking whilst Pardew thought he dived and it was deserved. I don't think he dived but i can see why he didn't give it.

Mark Ogden explains how United could sell Berbatov and make it a good piece of business. Unfortuantely you buy players to do the business on the pitch not do good business of the field if you want to win things. This is obviously in the good old days pre Glazers when we were a proper football club.

Some snippets of an old Ruud Van Nistelroy interview from this Dutch reds blog, glad to hear he regrets the way he left United and that he has such fond memories of the club. Though it is obviuos in retrospect that Fergie sold him at the right time i was always sda that he left in such a manner. He would be the centre forward in my all time United team, it's just a pity for him and for United that he was the club at the wrong time.

Lancashire CCC are to go ahead demolishing one of their main stands as they forge ahead with their revamp plands despite Derwent's plans to appeal.

Duncan Weldon wonders if right wing economics operates in a " mirror universe ".
Irish commentators have been comparing their economic woes with the very different experience of the Icelandic state with increasingly envious eyes. It should be clear to anybody with half a brain that whatever the so called economic orthodoxy says you should do, then the experience of the last fifteen years or so suggests you do the opposite, Argentina, south east Asia and now Iceland.

Robert Fisk asks if Syria's president Assad can cleanse his regime or is it finished.

Andrew M Brown tells us why the Florida murders remind Brits of America's divided society that the free market right hold up as the model to emulate. He will have the home counties spluttering with rage remarking most Brits would be uncomfortable with that model.

Terry Eagleton in praise of Marx thinks Marx might be back on the agenda as capitalism still hasn't worked itself through the upheavals of 2008 and the old order still thinks it can go back to business as ussual.

Frank Zappa

Now for that 19th

Stuart Mathieson reckons Fergie got it wrong on Saturday and it cost us the chance of a treble. I'm not sure i would blame Fergie for his original selection. I would have started with Berbatov as well, when Hernandez started against a big powerful back four a few weeks back he struggled and was taken off at half time. With no Rooney to partner the Mexican and with City strong at the back and in the middle, i thought playing the Bulgarian was the right call.
Of course the misses and limp display from Berbatov make the decision look poor but it was entirely logical. I'm not blaming Berbatov for the defeat but i can't help feeling that the players do not have total confidence in him for the big games. It was alarming to watch Scholes and Carrick look for him to make runs in the behind the City defence all game to try and stretch them only for Berba to either stay static wanting the ball to feet ot even come back for the ball.
Whe Welbeck comes back next season at least we will have more options, but will Scholes still be here to be pinging those passes into the corner or through the middle for him to run onto, Scholes has been one of my all time favourite players but will Saturday be the game that makes his mind up that this season will be his last, Jim White thinks so. I hope not he still has plenty to offer, but it can't be denied that the team around him has to make up for his age nowadays. I can't help thinking that we missed Fletcher badly on Saturday.
I can understand why Fergie tried Park in the middle on Saturday but it was always on the cards that City's midfield would brush him aside and leave us struggling in the middle of the park leaving Scholes and Carrick overrun. It was obviously not Carrick's finest afternoon, but mistake apart i didn't think he deserved some of the stick he has had for his performance. But he has come up with a disastrous mistake in a big game once again. Will his confidence take another hit or will he shrug it off.

United were unhappy with Balotelli's actions after the game. There are two ways to rectify that, the correct way which would be to gain revenge next season or there is the Keano way, and i know which i would prefer.
Van Der Sar, one of nine United starters on Saturday without an FA cup winners medal admitted defeat was harder to take because City were the opposition but warns United will take stock as usual and start again at St. James park.

Martin Amiss attacks the royal family as philistines and laments the decay of the country in a new book entitled The state of England. Jackie Ashley argues that Britain mus tend its love affair the world stage and adapt to its lesser status in the world. That is absolutely nowhere near happening and as long as politicians pander to the Murdoch's and the Mail it won't happen. Mary Ann Sieghart warns of Cameron's betrayal of the middle class.

Will Hutton bemoans the missed opportunity of the Vickers independent commission on banking interim report and warns reformers that they have to fight in the last ditch to rein in the bankers.

Music
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi: One of the hot new things of 2010 critics were acclaiming her before this debut even came out. She has been compared to PJ Harvey and Patti Smith and those comparisons are valid, though i get some Jeff Buckley coming through as well. A very good album though maybe not quite as good as claimed.
Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs evil: Another excellent album from the Californian indie outfit, left field and yet full of pop hooks.
Elbow - Build a rocket boys: Bury's finest come up with the good again on their fifth album. Though the critics praised this offering i know quite a few listeners haven't been as impressed. I can't see why, if you have followed them from the beginning, it's another terrific listen with top tune after top tune.
Field Music - Field music: One of the best things to come out of Sunderland in recent years, Field Music's latest carries on the good work of previous efforts. They seem to have added some 70's US guitar licks to their Beatles/beach boys influences. It's on the longish side and perhaps doesn't quite sustain the excellence all the way through.
Fujiya and Miyagi - Ventrioquizzin: A British electro indie act despite the Japanese name, this is a fair album though similar to a few other acts around at the moment.
Jonny - Jonny: Norman Blake of Teenage fanclub joined ex Gorky's zygotic mynci man Euro Childs to release this side project. It's a decent listen without really reaching the heights of either mans output. There are two or three classic indie pop tunes on there though, so definitely worth a listen.

Voice of the seven thunders - Voice of the seven thunders: His last album Voice of the seven woods was a bit of a classic and this is no follows in it's predecessors footsteps. This time it delves into more of a pyschedelic rock wig out as opposed to Voice of the seven woods psych folk, but if anything it's even better.

Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United

I couldn't put it any better than the bloke stood next to me when he said with five minutes to go, this is my worst nightmare come true. I really fancied us for this game but i suppose i should have remembered how much Tuesday night would take out of us. Saying that we had that chances during that first 45 minutes and if one of those had gone in and they would have had to chase the game and it could have been all so different.
I have tried to not read too much in the press and from what little i have seen mainly from journalists on Twitter it's going to stay that way. To say that City totally outplayed us is total bollocks, we were the better team in the first half and they were the better team in the second half. They took their one gold plated chance, put on a plate for them by us, and we didn't. Once they took the lead i feared the worst. And as for the praise being heaped on their fans, i never heard a peep from them during that first half whilst we were bossing the game. United fans were singing where i was in the cheap seats in the top tier behind the goals but i could see there wasn't much singing anywhere else. I'm not pretending out fans were great, just that they weren't either.
The way we started everything seemed to be going to plan as we dominated the game totally and looked dangerous. I thought the we could live to rue the first Berbatov miss but after the second i wondered whether this was going to be one of those days. You have got wonder whether it was ever meant to be for Berbatov at United, he just doesn't seem to deliver the goods when it matters at the end of the season. You just can't miss two chances of that magnitude in the big games where you know that it's going to be tight.
And as it it turned out we couldn't afford to miss them, because when we conspired to present Toure with their great chance he didn't fail to put away. At that point all the talk of this squad being good enough to replicate the 99 squad's treble were shown up for the wishful thinking it was.
Let's be realistic at the beginning of the season how many of us thought we had much chance of a 19th title or even get to the semi finals of the champions league, never mind the final. When we had to chase the game, there was nothing there, and there wasn't really anything on the bench that you really felt confident about changing the flow of the game. Hernandez could have come on earlier and maybe Scholes should have been substituted before he was sent off, but i doubt either would have changed the game much. The option of Rooney and Hernandez being paired up together up front if Rooney hadn't been banned was the only game changer that might have made a diiference. We had nothing to bring on in the middle of the park or on the wings that was going to make much of a difference. Nani was unlucky to see his shot tipped onto the bar by Hart and had a decent game but we never really looked like getting an equaliser if truth be told. I wouldn't pick out any of our players disappointing performances, though some were obviously worse than others, the team as whole just weren't at the races after we gifted them their winner
I'll be honest as much as it's totally irrational, because the champions league is a far more prestigious trophy than the FA cup these days, yesterday mattered more to me than Tuesday. The 19th title has to be the priority now but how nice would it be to go back to Wembley and pick up a fourth champions league victory after yesterdays events.

That has also got to be the worst trip i have ever made to Wembley, we should have started of from OT at 9.30 but didn't get going until 9.45 and didn't get off the coach at Wembley until 4.15 just an hour before kick off, a nightmare. The coach had to go down the Harrow road where all the City boozers were ensuring plenty of Munich waving and cans htiing the coach. Getting off that coach if i wasn't up for it already i was now. And then we have to watch that, the day just went from bad to worse.
One last gripe, how come when they built the new Wembley they didn't have the brains to put at coach park for the opposing teams fans at either side of the stadium. Putting all the coaches together is a recipe for trouble, it was threatning to kick off after the game unsurprisingly. Yesterday was as moody as i have ever seen Wembley, no huge surprise. If we ever get them there again, which would seem likely, i am aboslutely certain it will be worse.

The build up begins

The Telegraph has begun its build up towards semi final weekend with a couple of pieces on United. Rio comments on the togetherness of United's players as he underlines the fact that United are in the position they are through a squad effort where there are no cliques and everybody pulls together, Mark Ogden points out the contrast with a team not that far down the road. There will be some truth in that but after Rooney's early season outburst it can't be the whole truth. As the treble squad showed with Sheringham and Cole's dislike of each other as long as they do the business on the pitch it doesn't matter. Trust in the manager is all and that is where you feel City are falling down, who will follow Mancini is almost more important than any more big name signings City make in the summer.

Paul Hayward looks the at influence of Ryan Giggs inside Manchester United football club after yet another match winning performance this time from the centre of midfield. He considers him the custodian of the Manchester United way, on and off the pitch. He looks like he has got it in him to go past next season to me.
Also in the Guardian Daniel Taylor talks with Paul Scholes who admits that this could be his last Manchester derby as he still hasn't made his mind up whether he will retire or not. It's a surprise that he will be having a testimonial at the beginning of next season, but it's one i don't want to miss. He is funny when he talks about City.

Mark Ogden believes that Javier Hernandez is one of the big differences between United at the end of the last campaign and the crunch part of this. He puts the rediscovered form of Rooney and Carrick down to the Mexican's ability to play on the last man find space and leave space to enable Rooney to play in. Fair point and it's frightning to think the best may be two or three years down the line. And even more frightning for opposition to think that Welbeck will be back from his loan spell next season to link up with what could be as good as set of forwards as we have had in a while.

Martin Wolf looks at the radical right and the US state and sees a glorious chance for Obama to seize the opportunity their half baked plans present him. Hopefully by following sensible policies for the future of the US and the global economy not just trimming to the centre to win a second term.

Stephen King looks at one Gordon Brown and Ed Balls lest we forget economic innovations, inflation targeting and concludes that it is time we admitted that it has failed and that we ditch it. There was a debate on Newsnight where somebody argued this point against Ann DeJulius that seemed to leave without much of a defence. And that's because it has failed and we all know the MPC committe and the chancellor are happily ignoring it at the moment and rightly so.

Contrasting views on the Vickers report from Paul Mason who argues the report has left the door open to the government to enact a Glass-Steagal act if it concludes it is necessary to make sure 2008 never happens again and from John Kay who argues it is both too radical and too weak. Whilst Faisal Islam seems to be underwhelmed but agrees with Mason that the report has left the tough decisions with coalition government.
Will the coalition government last long enough to get round to that decision and could they come to an agreement any way.

Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea

The dream is still alive, another fine performance and deserved win. I don't know why i had such a good feeling about this tie after doubting the quality of the squad for the most of the season, but we were definitely the better side over two legs. If Ancelotti hadn't had one hand tied behind his back by Abramovitch may be it would have been different, but Torres played again and did nothing again. I was surprised Valencia didn't play but Fergie got it right again, Tony will be back on Saturday, who will get the nod on the other side.
Two superb goals on such a big night showed that those two set backs at Stamford bridge and Anfield didn't knock any of the self belief out of the side. Rooney and Hernandez seem to be forming a great partnership, i suppose the only question is whether Rooney will be here next season to continue the double act. Alan Hansen thinks Berbatov, talented though he undoubtedly is, has under achieved at Old trafford as Fergie's habit of keeping him on the bench in the big matches shows. Well i hope he doesn't underachieve on Saturday because i'm pretty sure he will be starting at Wembley. With no Rooney we are going to need somebody up front to hold the ball up and as superb as Hernandez has been that's not part of his game as yet.
Monday night was a disaster in more ways than one from the comedy half of the city. A dismal performance, a defeat that has given Liverpool a sniff of the fourth champions league spot and with nothing else left to play for and almost as disastrously it looks like they have lost Tevez for the semi final at Wembley. As much as they want to beat us on Saturday, and we want to beat them obviously, that fourth spot will seal Mancini's fate. If City are pipped to it again the premier league will almost certainly be losing both of its Italian managers leaving Capello hanging on in the national job.

Everybody is getting giddy, how can't you, but it's as well to remember our past record in semi finals against German teams in semi finals where we all really fancied oursleves to get through to the final. The Leverkeusen games were unreal, the last minute at their place in particular, but the games against Dortmund were worse. We played well enough over there, Nicky Butt was unlucky to see a fine run and shot strike the post and then they scored from a fortunately deflected shot. But the 1-0 defeat at our place has to be the most one sided 1-0 defeat i have ever seen, as Andy Mitten has tweeted let's hope it's third time lucky.
So Fergie was right to remind journo's before yesterdays encounter that this competition is as much of an obsession for Manchester United as it is for the rent boys under their oligarch owner.

I suppose it was ironic that Mark Ogden wrote this piece about Fergie's prayers being answered with the return of Ferdinand for the double header against Chelsea that we now await as to whether he will be fit for the semi final on Saturday against the bitters. If Tevez doesn't play i wouldn't be too concerned if Smalling has to deputise once more as he was outstanding against them at our place in the 2-1 victory.
We will miss Rooney but hopefully our back up Berbatov or Hernadez or a combination of both will prove that they are a class above the two £20 odd million buys Ballotelli and Dzeko who i have never believed was as good as some have suggested. After his poor start as the boo camp i am happy to stay with that view. Rooney spole to Talk sport today to admit he was wrong to swear to the camera and says he now accepts his punishment but hopes that the lads do him proud on Saturday. I'd rather United just kept quiet about it to be honest. But i don't doubt that he wants the boys to win on Saturday, as apart from Giggs and Scholes the only medal missing for the vast majority of our squad is an FA cup winners medal. We will be desperate to win on Saturday.

United fan Thomas McKenna brands United as bullies as he fights the case launched against him for publishing a leaked list of corporate clients. Go to this site if you want to donate to his court costs to fight the good fight.

Manchester United 2-0 Fulham

It would have been nice to have seen a performance that matched the weather on the nicest and hottest Manchester day of year so far, but the most important objective of the day was three points, so with them safely in the bag i'm not going to moan. United never really hit top gear, in fact if Fulham had made the most of their good start it could have been a totally different game.
The visitors had a couple of decent early efforts but then Zamorra was given a very presentable chance the he skewed horribly wide. And from that moment on it was pretty much all United. Nani and Valencia were both on their game and the chances started to come. The first goal was the result of some excellent football involving some fine interplay between Anderson, Nani and Berbatov that ended with the Bulgarian cooly curling it past Schwarzer's right hand. TV replays apparently showed that he was offside, it would have been a shame to see such a fine goal chalked out.
More chances came including one put on a plate for Anderson by Berbatov that he made a right old mess of. He is never going to be a goalscorer at United, it's just not meant to be. Nani was again involved for the second as his run and shot fell to the head of Valencia who couldn't miss and you felt that at 2-0 it was probably game over and how many more would we get.
But it never really happened, the afternoon just fizzled out as United didn't show enough energy and Fulham were probably happy to go away conceding just the two goals. But it was game won, three points and job done and with two enormous games to come on Tuesday and next Saturday that was the most important thing.

Sparky thinks that United's experience means that the treble is on. It obviously is, though i never really believed the treble was truly on last time until we had got through both of those memorable semi finals. So yes it is on, but i'm not getting too giddy just yet.
Andy Cole would be more than happy with two trophies and has a go at Harry Redknapp for Aaron Lennon debacle. That was one odd episode.

Jim White discusses Fergie " the man for all seasons " as his tactical victory over Ancelotti demonstrates that tactics are not the supposed weak link that some commentators and even fans attribute to him.

Rob Kelly thinks the decision to not even nominate Nani for the footballer of year is " baffling and farcical ", unfortunately it's probably a sign of the unpopularity of man with his opponents. Even yesterday Fulham players were taking him to task for milking challenges, and as well as he played and has been playing, i can't say i blame them.
Still the PFA player of the year is about your contribution on the pitch, it's not supposed to be a popularity contest, and without doubt he has easily been one of the top 6 player in the premier league this season.

Gary Neville, Sky's latest acquisition blasts the inconsistent FA over Wayne Rooney's two match ban. He makes some great points, they are making things up as they go along.
Dutch legend Marco Van Basten thinks Rooney " is the man " but thinks the FA were right to ban him. Now he was a great player, i like his description of United as a more dynamic football team than Chelsea.

I watched the first leg of the FA youth cup semi final first leg between Chelsea and United earlier and it was an excellent game and a great advert for youth football. But even though i'm biased as hell how did United lose that. Still they have got come to our place and if United play as well as that again especially in the second half they must have a great chance of getting through to the final.
Paul Pogba looked on a different planet to everybody on the pitch, i'm not sure that he is a player that will have to go out on loan . He looks ready to make the step up to the first team squad next season. And hopefully he can get 10 15 first team games next year in the league cup and maybe a couple of earlier champions league games as well as a few league games at home.

Now that Johnny Morris has past away there is only Jack Crompton left of the great 1948 FA cup winning team left, Ivan Ponting looks back at the career at possibly the first man to fall out with Busby and suffer the consequences.

Polly Toynbee argues that David Cameron's well oiled winning machine is now a car crash. The article is fair enough except for the little matter of what well oiled winning machine is that, he didn't win the last election and that's where all his problems stem from.

Peter Capaldi interviewed in yesterday's indy tells Gerard Gilbert that some people don't ask for his autograph they ask him to tell them to fuck off, Malcom Tucker style, and that he does and that some times he means it.

Paul Mason looks at the Euro, Europe and the fact that the two Europe's north and south are diverging after the ECB decision to raise interest rates last week. He describes the current situation as a fiasco. Paul Krugman is equally astonished at the mess that Europe is getting itself into in his New York Times blog.
Peter Oborne argues that George Osborne must act before Europe sucks Britain into its whirlpool, but is alarmed that he doesn't appear to have any policies to keep us out of any fall out.

Ian Burrell talks of a disturbing day for News international, Robert Peston tries to make sense of events in the Murdoch empire, wondering if the widespread assumption that James Murdoch's move to New York is the promotion that many commentators view it as. The Independent wonder if the unreserved apology and damages payout fund will placate the Murdoch empire's enemies.
Henry Porter gets to the heart of the matter that the Murdoch empire is dangerous to the workings of our democracy.

The Independent blogs on the new face of Manchester fashion.

Classic

Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United

A magnificent result, but i'm trying to not get too carried away. The job is still only half done, but a 1-0 defeat at home in a two legged tie is a horrible result for Chelsea as United know after being on the receiving end to Bayern and AC Milan in the early eighties. Still if the rent boys score first at Old trafford it would be game on again.
It was nice to see United finally get the rub of the game at Stamford bridge, as Fergie said why should we feel guilty in getting a decsion go our way after the decisions we have suffered down there over recent years. As ever it was a tight game between the two teams but this time, and when it mattered most, to us and them, we did the business.
Daniel Taylor describes the games as Wayne Rooney's way of reminding Chelsea and the watching football world which of the F-words he is really about. Martin Samuel goes a tad over the top claiming which ever side had got Rooney in their side would have come out on top.

Rio Ferdinand argues that the demonising of Wayne Rooney has got to stop, as the FA uhold their two match ban which puts him out of the semi final. I suppose the best way to get them back for that is to go and win that game and stick two fingers up at the bastards. Rooney himself feels victimised, claiming the punishment didn't fit the crime. Ian Herbert thinks that the FA punished Rooney to boost its flagging respect campaign, that sounds reasonable and makes the case that they used Rooney for their won ends even stronger.

Fergie comes out with a classic about " some wee guy, in the midlands ".

Mark Ogden thinks Owen Hargreaves may have the opportunity to extend his Manchester United career beyond this summer, i really can't believe that.

Ancelotti fumes over the referee and the penalty that wasn't, pressure telling? if we do finish the job he will be out of a job come the summer. Which would be scandalous, but that is the Chelsea way under Abramovitch and long may it continue.
James Olley tells Ancelloti he got it wrong tactically in a reasonably fair assesment of recent United Chelsea history, though i wouldn't say they have had the sign over us, almost every game could have gone either way, we do struggle against them physically. 

Bennedict Brogan looks at Cameron's big problem, which is that he knows and his back benchers know is that he isn't a winner. He also makes the point, correctly, that this is also part of Clegg's problems, the lib dems did not get the result that they should have done at the last election.
Simon Jenkins describes the problems that lie in the way of Clegg and Cameron's drive against social mobility. How they expect to alter that one jot following their economic policies is beyond me.

Jon Snow looks at the problem with Britain's charming arms deals, that just seem to go on and on whoever is in power.

Is the Berlusconi roadshow finally reaching it's end game or is that wishful thinking.

Peter Foster wonders if the detension of Ai Weiwei suggests bad old days are returning to China. Th Economist looks at the biggest state crackdown for years against reformers and dissidents.

The economist Stephen King accuses Krugman, Blanchflower and co of being more Keynesian than Keynes and argues for them to admit that the country does face hard choices. Larry Elliott asks whether George Osborne is fit to run the economy or to ruin it. It's a fair point, has he got any of the big decisions right over the last 3 to 4 years. In answer to King Keynesians have not made things worse, that's for sure.
Martin Wolf looks at the great economic rebalancing that will have to come, and he thinks that it will but that it will bumpy and there will be a fair bit of pain. Roger Bootle argues that whether you approved of Thatcher or not the country needs someone with her level of radicalism to fundamentally reform the British economy.

Hs judgement day for the Euro got closer as Portugal finally admit that they will have to seek a financial bailout. On the same day the European central bank has decided to raise interest rates, co-ordinated policy? The Telegraph look at why they have taken this decision. At least the UK has retained its sanity and left it interest rate alone.
David Blanchflower is interviewed about the ECB interest rate rise.

Johann Hari doesn't trust the west's motives in Libya. I can see where he is coming from, and i would accept that the response is probably far from totally altruistic, but to me it looks too shambolic a response to be as deliberate and co-ordinated as he supposes.
John Pilger thinks only the naive would disagree with Hari's analysis, whilst Mick Hume of Spiked tends to the chaos theory.

ABUism part 999

I couldn't quite believe my ears when i heard that Rooney had been given a two match ban and just a day to appeal. A two match ban for that, it would be comical if it weren't so serious. Some United fans are back in the worlds against us mode, but i usually steer away from that view. We are targeted, i wouldn't dispute that, but we do get the rub of the green from time to time as when Rooney escaped a ban for his elbow at Wigan. But that was because the rules are the rules and with the ref not reporting it, there wasn't much the FA could do about it.
But this is either a case of the suits revenge on Rooney and United or, and more likely for me, it's a case of a weak and inconsistent FA. Not that it will help our case but if they could trawl through the video vaults they would almost certainly find mountains of evidence of other players committing similar offences.
He surely has to appeal, he does not deserve to miss a semi final appearance at Wembley because of Saturday's outburst. I don't believe there is a serious chance of getting a three match ban, and if the did increase it, at least we would then know that they have got it in for us. So as the old song goes, you can stick your fucking England up your arse.

Just when did Harry Redknapp become the arbiter of sporting morality by the way, a man under investigation from her majesties police force. Of course Bobby Charlton didn't have a sky camera or microphone stuck in his face after scoring a vital goal.
Kevin McCarra gets to the crux of the matter, the influence of Sky's financial input into the sport, and the carte blanche given to them from our footballing authorities.

Ian Herbert seems to think Chelsea head into tomorrow's champions league quarter final as favourites. They may have beat us in the last three encounters down there, but we have had no luck in any of them and we always manage to score a goal. I would take a 2-1 defeat and an away goal on the night but i really fancy us to get a result. I suppose i should await team selection before getting too confident but i just really fancy us tomorrow.

Back to Saturday as David Pleat describes a victory that favoured the brave and was the performance of champions.

Steve Richards compares Lansley's NHS proposals to the poll tax legislation introduced under Thatcher and asks whether cameron forgotten that experience. Peter Oborne is impressed with Milliband's performance so far as the leader of the opposition as Milliband had a mixed week amonst the commentariat. In the Economist the blighty column asks whether the labour party know what it stands for when money is tight and do they think pre credit crunch public spending was sustainable.

AC Grayling on why you can't be a militant aetheist

Lynyrd Skynyrd

West ham United 2-4 Manchester United

The return of the real Manchester United, this was one of those days that only United do and make us all love them all the more. I actually thought that we played well all 90 minutes, first half included, i certainly didn't recognise the match Hansen watched in which he described United as abysmal in the first half. Compared to some of our away performances away from old trafford this season the first half saw us play some pretty good stuff only to be let down by two pieces of abysmal defending.
Evra didn't cover himself in glory on the first West Ham goal, letting Cole get clear through and giving away a penalty when he had seemed to retrieve the situation. And Vidic had one of those games that he seems to have every now and then. If he was going to bring Cole down he shouldn't have waited until he was almost stood in the penalty area. And another referee may well have sent him off when he had one of those moments and brought down Ba after another long punt caught the big Serb out. The worrying thing about the first half performance was out of a defence made up of Fabio, Smalling, Vidic and Evra it was the two more experienced defenders who had me worrying.
Going forward though, United were looking good with Valencia on the right hand side reminding us of just what we have been missing since the injury sustained against Rangers. He was giving Wayne Bridge all kinds of problems and put in a series of crosses inviting a finishing touch, but West ham defended pretty well with Green in good form when United did manage to create the chances that their play deserved, making decent saves from Smalling and an excellent save from Park. I thought the 2-0 half time scoreline was a travesty, but saying that if you gift the opposition two soft penalties you can't really complain.
I actually thought that Fergie should have brought Berbatov on for Park at half time but he came up trumps again with a half time substitution that completely changed the game. Evra can't have been happy to have been took off at half time to see Giggs move back to left back but he couldn't have much complaint after his poor first half showing. With Hernandez giving the home team a problem with his pace United started to take a total grip on the game.
The first goal took it's time in coming but when it did through a superb dead ball strike from Rooney you just knew the three points were there for the taking still. With 25 minutes still to go there was still plenty of time and just 8 minutes later it was Rooney again who after rediscovering his first touch hit low and hard to level the score. The penalty that Fabio then won was harsh on the home team, i would have been gutted if that had been gutted if it had been gutted if it had been given against us, but when Rooney sent Green the wrong way to make it 3-2 and seal his hatrick that was the last thing on my mind.
Berbatov's introduction really took our game onto a different plane with Rooney nominally going out to the left but with license to roam the home team were under pressure on all fronts. The fourth was the icing on the cake as Rooney drove forward to feed Berbatov who delivered to Giggs and Hernandez made no mistake tucking away Giggs driven cross. The results later in the day have once again put the title into our own hands. As much as i am not one for saying it's all over, the fact that it's Arsenal with the only realistic chance of now catching us means we really have now got an outstanding chance of making it 19.

Fergie was a happy man after the game, lauding the performance as the display of champions.

Press outrage as Rooney uses industrial language after his hatrick goal, the press just love to have something to moan at. It's not often Shearer is the man to get it right, but he did last night as he said , he he was wrong and has aplogised, now let's move on. Shaun Custis appears to think he is a psychologist, well he aint much of a journalist as he opines on Rooney's state of mind.

United fan Jim White takes his biased hat off for a minute to make the case for a one game ban for hatrick hero Rooney.  

Yet another Berbatov article, this time from Daniel Taylor of the Guardian, i can see the story but the fact seems to be that he is happy to be part of the squad. There doesn't seem to be any sulking, and every time he has been brought on lately he has delivered the goods.

Liam Collins goes over Fergie's least glorious hour with a rehashing of the rock of Gibraltar saga. Painful reading, he was totally out of his depth and how it has cost the club, and us as fans, how it has hit us in the pocket and in so many other painful ways.

Matthew D'ancona argues that Nick Clegg is ready to use shock and awe tactics as he aims to make Britain a more equal society. He will have to take on entrenched interests and not just in the tory party.

Another article looking at Nicholas Shaxon's influential book about tax avoidance Treasure island. Joseph Stiglitz warns that Americans will come to regret leeting the 1% of the US population own 25% of the nations wealth in article titled " of the 1%, by the 1% for the 1% ".
Liam Halligan is not impressed by the so called recovery of the US economy and warns that it is little more than an economic sugar rush. Ben Chu blogs that the banks really did cause tthe deficit, and we shouldn't forget it.

The Indy interview Fleet foxes Robin Pecknold ahead of their new album Helplessness blues, whilst the Telegraph looks at the recent folk revival.


Stuart Jeffries travels to Copenhagen to find out more about the show everyone was talking about, the killing.

Morphine

Wembley chaos

Fergie spoke for most United fans when he talked of the chaos that will ensue for the semi final weekend at Wembley and puts the traditionalist case for semi finals to be held at neutral venues. I'm totally behind that, though it would be nice if we had a stadium in the midlands or the north that held more than 60,000 apart frpm old trafford, for semi final purposes anyway. Maybe the Arabs supposed plans for enlarging the boo camp will have a purpose, to always be full when United visit, for derbies and semi finals, just like the old days.
The late England call up for Danny Welbeck showed that Fergie was on the right lines when he said he thought that Welbeck would be a late call up for last years world cup. Maybe he should have gone out on loan last season. When Welbeck comes back, which i'm absolutely sure he will, it will be interesting to see what fergie does with Josh King who looked a top prospect last season. After his injury curtailed spell at Deepdale will he be headed to a premier league club next season. Would Sunderland want to take another promising United youngster or would it be nearer home. A loan spell would seem to be the way to go, anyway.

Mark Ogden and his Telegraph headline writer don't seem to be in synch in this article about Fergie's summer spending strategy. A spending spree, but Fergie insists that United will persevere with their focus on youth. That doesn't sound like it's going to have City and Chelsea worrying their little heads off.
I can go along with this as long as we have identified a solution to our worryingly average midfield. Cleverley could be a part of the answer, but if Scholes were to retire, it would be far too soon to heap all the creative needs of the squad onto his young shoulders. If Scholes retired i would definitely like to see us in the market for an experienced creative midfield player.

Ferdinand is still battling to regain match fitness after supposedly being upset with Fergie for writing him off for the season. Will he be here next season still after fergie's comments and with United being linked with Cahill and even Jack Rodwell who may well end up at centre half.

During his midweek visit to the States Fergie spoke of his relief that Antonio Valencia had returned to the squad and how much we had missed him. Can't argue with any of that, i can't wait for him and Nani to exploit City's injury problems at full back in the forthcoming semi finals. Valencia certainly seemed to enjoy the Wembley experience with a superb display against Villa in last years League cup final victory. His pace and physicality will be much needed against the rent boys in those three vital encounters stiil to come.

Mark Ogden wonders if Wayne Rooney has really turned the corner in his bid to regain the form that people talking about a possible European player of the year award nomination during the second half of last season before the night everything feel apart in Munich. Will he even be the same player ever again, good question? His first touch has never been aboslutely first touch but even though he seems to have come out of that early season trough it is still miles away from where it needs to be judged alongside the very best players in world football.
David Sadler believes we still aren't seeing the explosive Wayne Rooney of old who could change games. I suppose you could argue that the goals against City and at stamford bridge show that it hasn't totally disappeared, but his overall performances are still a bit too in and out for me as well.

Andy Cole warns people to stop talking about treble's and waxes lyrical about Hernandez who he warns will get better and better and who will score a lot more goals for Manchester United.

Fergie is being victimised by the FA accroding to Graham Bean, he is being punished because of his profile, not because of his crime.

Paul Mason looks at the Euro and writes " one currency, two souls " as he contemplates a testing forthcoming few weeks, which could see it tested to destruction.  Peter Oborne talks of the divergent histories of the European continents economies and why some European countries are in the habit of going bankrupt. Spaniard Migel Boyer reminded north European critics that Spain entered monetary union having complied with the Maastricht requirements which neither France of Germany did. He thinks and is surely right that the ECB has to be concerned with more than just inflation. Albert Marcet writes that Spain is not Portugal and their economies are not the same.
Faisal Islam thinks the missing elements of the Irish bank deal show that the Eurozone zone itself is under severe stress. Robert Peston asks if the Irish banking sector could be any more bust and answers himself in the affirmitive. Larry Elliott predicts that Ireland is a dead cert for default after being saddled with unpayable debts from the banks which is grotesque and economically stupid. Whilst Peston also thinks time is up for Portugal and that it is only a matter of time before it seeks a bailout from the EU but not before it has a new government.

Adam Posen of the MPC talks of the decisions that keep him awake at night as he defnds his stance that inflation will come down to 1.5 % next year and talks of resigning if he is wrong, but is sure that he won't have to.
After last weeks " budget for growth " economist Stephen King looks at why rebalancing the British economy will be easier to talk about than actually achieve. Roger Bootle uses his Telegraph column to look at the same problem and seems equally pessimistic about rebalancing our economy. He doesn't seem too impressed by Osborne's budgetary growth measures either by the sounds of it. Governments can bring about growth but never through quick fixes, he can't be talking about Osborne can he.
Faisal Islam must have been reading up on some economic history from the 50's as he coins up the phrase OsBallsim to pitch the theory that the government an poosition's economic policies, ie cuts strategy are nearer than they would have you believe.

Joseph Stiglitz harks back to Keynes and Bretton woods to suggest a new global reserve currency to kick start the urgent reform that the international economic system needs to help avoid another 2008. Nicholas Shaxon wonders whether Jeffrey Sachs has been reading his book Treasure island about tax havens and tax avoidance. He uses an article in the FT to argue against a race to the botton on corporate tax. He is too late in this country. Sunny Hundal has just read and counts it the most important book this century so far. He claims that tax avoidance is amongst the biggest issues of our generation, no arguments from me there. Sounds like a must read book.
I would argue the reform and even the role of auditors wouldn't be far behind. If the banks and the financial industry was basically corrupt in the run up to 2008 as inside job claims, and i would totally agree can't the same claim be made for the Auditing giants and their role in the crunch. It would be nice if it had been a commons committee instead of an unelected lords committee that had called for an inquiry.

Lance Price reveals just how obsessed with Rupert Murdoch Gordon Brown actually was as he argues in a new book that argues the scrapping of the 10p tax band was done to win the support of the US Aussie. And to think that his minnions, Balls being one of them don't forget tried to represent Brown as a real Labour friend of the left whilst Blair had the premiership.
John Kampfner looks at Lib dem hints that they would like to shift the burden of tax from income to property and warns that a mansion tax wouldn't just hurt the super rich. Steve Richards looks at Lib dem influence in the coalition and dismisses claims that they are irrelevant. Of course this influence is the kind of thing that us supporters of PR always thought might happen. What we weren't to know was the Lib dems would be taken over by fellow travellers of the free market small state orange bookers. And although i support tax simplification, lib dem policies aren't always as progressive as they look.
Bennedict Brogan worries that the weak and the lame will put Cameron's strenght to the test as the government prepare to crackdown on incapacity benefit. This always makes me laugh, anybody with the slightest bit of historical knowledge know it was the Thacther administration who encouraged people to go on incapacity in the 80's to make the unemployment figures look less horrific. In other words they are trying to clear up their own mess.
Martin Kettle suggests that a yes to AV vote could make the Greens a force to be reckoned with. I would go along with that and it's another worry for the future of the Lib dems or for those Lib dem supporters like me who hail from the Lloyd George Keynes tradition. With the orange bookers dominant in the party the greens could mop up the anti labour left of centre vote which would leave the Lib dems as a free market German FDP rump. Which to me would mean they would eventually split with the orange bookers going to the tories and those on the left splitting between labour and the greens.

Barry Adamson