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.