Manchester United 3-3 Basel

Another mad game at Old trafford saw what looked like an easy victory turn into a last minute scraped draw. All in all it was a fair result. Whilst United were building themselves a 2-0 half time lead we were so open at the back it wasn't true. I'm not really sure how we ended two goals up because they probably had more chances than us and they were good chances too. This was how the Chelsea game could have gone.
I have always thought that whilst new defenders are bedded in we would ship more goals and i actually think that somewhere along the line we may get spanked for a few. This game showed why that could well be the case. Some will look to Jones, who as much as i love his style of play isn't the finished article. But though he made a mistake or two i would be looking at Ferdinand. He played the last twenty minutes of last night actually holding his back at times. He obviously wouldn't have played last night but for injuries and in retrospect it's obvious Jones shouldn't have been making his forward runs with the crocked Rio as a partner. I thought Fabio had a poor game and once again went off after being involved in a strong challenge. The twins really seem to be made of plastercine, eventually this will be a bar to their progress at the top level.
When i saw the team selected i thought Young had been picked to partner Welbeck up front, but as the teams lined up Giggs had been picked in a deep lying role with Young and Valencia out wide. You can't say it didn't work as United went in at half time two goals up, but i presume the formation was chosen to try and dominate possession and by that measure, you have to say it didn't work.
I wish i could say that their three goals were a suprise, but they weren't really. How quickly the game changed was a suprise, but when the Swiss team got the second it was all they deserved really. The defending wasn't the best for any of the goals, and i mean defending as a team as much as individual errors, though of course there was plenty of the latter. I couldn't tell wether it was a penaly from my view but from the lack of protests i guess there wasn't much argument.
The fortunate thing was they were as bad as we were at the back and an equaliser was always on. Some around me were thinking that the three points were still on. Fat chance, on a night like this, salvaging a point was the limit of my imagination. And thankfully in the last minute, the slightly disappointing Young popped up in the middle to head home. Substitue Berbatov had a great chance in injury time when he shot into the side netting when he should have squared to Nani, but i'm afarid whilst he a player of his stature is getting so little time on the pitch, it's not a suprise they take the wrong option.
Two points from two games wasn't the start we envisaged, but it's a fair reflection of the two games so far. This international though infuriating for us fans that don't have much time for international football has actually come at a pretty good time for us. Maybe that two week break will allow us to get some defenders back fit, Vidic can't get back quick enough.
On the plus side Welbeck looks good again, a proper United player and took his two goals well and was whisker away from a hatrick. De Gea once more made impressive progress making a couple of great stops. I'm not complaing about last night, it's alearning curve and at least it was an excting, entertaing learning curve, not a broing 0-0 draw.

Paul Hayward looks at Phil Jones and fairly says he is not the finished article, though i would argue that the partnership with Rio didn't work was as much down to Rio's crocked back as Jones inability to know when and when not to make his forays up front.

Fergie wasn't happy with the performance, labelling the display as careless, he thinks our defence has been inconsistent and isn't happy with it. He must know the reason why and know that chopping and changing, enforced obviously, is a big part of the problem. It was careless, but if we are to make mistakes in the competition now is the time to make them. I thought our problems stemmed from the way we seemingly took an easy two goal lead whilst they were creating but missing chances for fun in the firts half. It seemed to breed the thought in our players that this was going to be another walk in the park. Truth be told it wasn't that different a game from the Chelski affair except they didn't have a £50 million flop up front. Chelsea created plenty of chances but just didn't take them.

Paul Mason describes the Euro as a loose canon on the deck of the world. Simon Jenkins argues that without a growth plan Euope is facing a financial Waterloo, and Britain with it. EU comission president Barroso backs Tobin plan after earlier in the week Bill Gates seemingly also backed the idea. The EU look set to get tough on auditing, about time, will our banker friendly tory ked government follow suit.
George Eaton thinks Ed Balls pulled it off in his conference speech on the economy. I'm not so sure, he said a lot of the right things but his past is still there, i'm not sure he is a real Keynesian, more an opportunist. As this Torygraph argues he ran deficits throughout the biggest boom in history, which is obviously the antithesis of Keynes teachings.


The extended Fergie interview with BBC north west's Gordon Burn was a pretty decent interview. Interesting that he namechecked Pogba, Tunnicliffe and Will Keane and not Ravel Morrison.

I actually thought City would get something from the encounter in Munich last night, so last night's result was some consolation. Daniel Taylor argues that the club must back the manager over Tevez's refusal to come on in the second half. Of course he is right but let's hope they don't listen.

Stoke city 1-1 Manchester United

The bubble had to burst some time and this was the type of place it was always likely to happen. A draw at Stoke isn't the worst result in the world, i can't say i'm that suprised that we couldn't replicate our early season form. They set the tone for the evening in the first ten minutes chopping down anything in a United shirt that moved.
After losing Rooney to a supposed hamstring injury picked up in training the day before, the last thing we needed was to discover Jonny Evans in the pre match warm up. Maybe the Rooney injury was a blessing in disguise, fuck knows how he would have reacted to Stoke's strong arm tactics.
We had a double blow early in the game as Woodgate was lucky not to give away a penalty but in his attempt to stop Hernandez he bundled the Mexican straight into the goalie and though he managed to get back onto the pitch eventually he didn't last long and was eventually replaced by Michael Owen.
This wasn't really the game for a Berbatov Owen partnership up front and they never really threatened the home sides back four. In fact with Anderson once more reverting to type, Berbatov ended up dropping deep trying to help us keep the ball. It took United a while to fashion any kind of domination onto the game, but when we did start to look dangerous it was through last weeks man of the match Nani to start to worry the Stoke back four.
Even so his goal, which was a real beauty did come a touch out of the blue. Jones started at centre half after Evans dropped out with Valencia coming in at right back. And once again he was mightily impressive making two brilliant surges forward that ecliped anything Anderson or Fletcher could manage. He really is some player. Saying that, I'm not criticising Fletcher who looked somewhere near back to his best rarely giving the ball away even though under intense pressure. We didn't have much penetration on the day though.
When we got to half time a goal to the good i really thought we would come away with the spoils. But it wasn't to be, as the freak himself Crouch actually managed to break his duck against us with a header from a corner that was a soft goal for us to have given away. He showed how much our chants must get under his skin with his reaction to the goal. In fact you wonder if he got a bit too giddy as not long after he had a glorious chance to put Stoke into the lead but couldn't beat De Gea and whilst it was a great stop, the lanky git should have buried it.
Eventually United managed to get a grip on the game and it looked like we might lay siege to their goal. But Fergie brought on Welbeck for Berbatov and Giggs for Young and for some reason we couldn't keep the pressure on. Truth be told i thought Berba should have stayed on and Owen took off, but i suppose Fergie was never going to do that.
But deep in injury time Giggs had a glorious chance which he couldn't hit the target with and that was that. Still top of the table then but the pack has come back to us then.

It's a good chance we have got the squad we now have because we are being hit with injury after injury, it looks like Rooney will be out longer than we had first been led to believe.

Mark Ogden thinks Saturday was the day that David De Gea came of age in a Manchester United shirt, he had a fair game but there are probably more wobbly games to come as he settles into a different football culture.

The press couldn't help getting themselves into a lather over the Elland road trip the other night. The Telegraph talk of a baying mob outside of United's hotel, whilst Andy Cole reminiscses over his appearances at Leeds United with United.

Owen Hargreaves has a pop at United's medical staff, according to the press, though some at United feel he was misquoted apparently. Fergie was having none of it, praising his medical staff 100%.

James Lawton thinks Michael Owen was a scorer of great goals who fell short of greatness. His first touch was never anywhere near good enough to be bracketed as great as Jaap Stam wrote in that infamous book.

Glenn Chapple tells the Indy he was determined not to cry, he thought i'm not going down that route. He has been a magnificent servant o the county. As has Gary Keedy the other Yorkie playing for the red rose and who signed a new deal for the club last week.

Craig Murray points out the double standards and immorality of US foreign policy in central Asia.

Nick Robinson blogs of a small announcement from Ed Miliband and the Labour party, but a big idea. And the big idea seems to be remembering what the Labour party is supposed to be for, with Miliband moving to the left.
Ed Hodges thinks it's a bold, brave strategy and suicidal. What would the Blairites actually do if he actually won an election positioning the party to the left, would any of them actually defect. I mean to the tories as well not the Lib dems, and if there was a coalition with the Lib dems how many of the orange bookers would stay in that party, interesting times indeed.
Bennedict Brogan thinks that the Labour party needs a truth and reconciliation movement to escape the shadow of the Blair/Brown years. Martin Kettle argues that Labour remains in denial about its economic record in office and that this applies to bothe left and the right of the party.

Steve Richards wonders how Cameron responds to the Lib dems claiming to be the progressive element of the coalition as his strategy was to show the tories had changed into a progressive modern one nation party. That is a very good point, that seems to have been forgotten by most commentators.
The FT's Westminster blog points out that though Tim Farron may be in the dog house with Clegg and orange book leadership of the Lib dems these days he may be positioning himslef very astutely with the party membership come the next election. I hope he is right, i still don't know whether i will be able to vote for them come the next election, as far away as that is. Bagehot explains why the Lib dems party conference was a relatively upbeat affair.
Mary Anne Sieghart wonders whether Ed Balls and the Labour party can escape their past and more importantly earn the electorate's trust on the economy.

Ben Chu of the Indy asks if the IMF have forgotten there part in the wrong headed policy prescription followed by most of the developed world. As with the credit agencies, the ECB et al, the IMf are part of the problem, not the solution.
Larry Elliott argues that it could be 2008 all over again, only worse. I do have some time for Peter Oborne, but not for his grasp of economics. Today he argued that things coan only get worse but George Osborne musn't lose his nerve. That was bad enough but to describe Osborne as a strong chancellor with genuine credibilty in the city of London shows that he doesn't seem to understand that the city of London is at the root of our problems. We need a city of London that doesn't call the shots and a chancellor in thrall to them.
When Samuel Brittan argues that the government should use the UK states bank holdings to speed a recovery and lament that the world has a less than adult attitude to budget deficits.
Paul Krugman looks at the origins of the Eurozone crisis and highlights a fascinating article from Kash Mansori.

Nicholas Shaxon argues that the British and German sordid tax deals with the Swiss authorities is doomed to failure. As Richard Murphy has argued on his blog everything about this deal stinks.

Ian Duncan Smith's new universal credit is now top of George Osborne's to do tray, what a suprsie that the IT system is the problem.

It was a bit of suprise that REM anounced they are to split up, as this Indy piece says they brought out some great albums. Actually i have thought their last two albums were pretty good, maybe that was good time to go out.

Leeds United 0-3 Manchester United

I was working last night so i have only seen 15 minute highlights so i can can hardly review the match. One thing i will say though, was when i saw the team i, along with plenty of others, no doubt, thought that this could be one of those nights. Leeds must have been poor because that was an unblanaced line up to say the least.
The first eye popper was the defence, Valencia at right back, Carrick at centre half, partnered by the one youngster given a debut Fryers and Fabio at back. It was surely a gamble to go into this game with that central defensive partnership. You would have thought you'd want to give Fryers his debut next to a Vidic or a Rio. Nevertheless it came off or we got away with, not having seen the game i can't say. Playing Macheda and Diouf isn't really something i'd like to see replicated in the next round either. Thankfully the class of Owen, Berba and Owen saw us through the tie remarkably easily.
The first goal was a nice move if the finish was a touch scrappy from Owen, but the second was absolutely superb. And then Giggs completely put the tie to bed in the last minute of the half with another sensational goal beating his man like a seventeen year old not a thirty seven year old.
It was nice to see Pogba get a good run out in the second half, it was a shame Fergie couldn't have picked a team allowing him a full game, maybe he will get that in the next round. I have been told that Macheda was poor, but as much as i think his career is going nowhere as he should have gone out on loan, he can't play out wide so i would forget this performance.
An easy win, squad players got game time, three youngsters got a debut with Cole coming on as well and no injuries, a perfect night really.

Mark Ogden isn't impressed by the hatred as he reports after the pantomine opening the real venom and hatred take centre stage. Whilst Paddy Crerand was impressed with the performance he was not taken with the chants of Istanbul. As he says we should be better and rise above that kind of thing, it's not going to happen though, i'm afraid.

Paul Pogba won't be going on loan according to Fergie, though it might be an option next year. The riches we have in our forward line are as formidable as they have ever been. Fergie hailed Michael Owen after last night and admitted he is not getting the games he deserves, and let's face it, he probably isn't going to.
It doesn't look as though Hernandez will be out for as long as feared, good news for him, bad for the rest? foregetting Rooney of course. Actually i have been more impressed by our form when Welbeck has partnered Rooney as he is more of a footballer if less of a finisher.

The Glazer's seem to be finding it hard to convince investors that they are a good bet, it's possibly a good time for a bit of market uncertainty as far as they are concerned.

As if we didn't know the global economy is going down the shoot, now the IMF is signaling tha alarm bells. This isn't really what Osborne was hoping for, when he supported Lagarde for the IMF role. Larry Elliott writes that the IMF have warned the Eurozone to grow up and behave like adults, it's up to the Germans in reality though isn't it.
Martin Wolf of the FT argues that a Euro exit from either Greece or Germany would be disastous and that Europe brought the Eurozone into being and if it wants to avoid a disaster that would spread around the globe it will have to proceed with an aggressive economic expansion at its core. A touch of Keynes in other words, the Germans have never been Keynesians though and it's hard to see them biting the bullet, especially with Merkel in charge.
David Blanchflower tells Osborne how to prevent another meltdown, it's gone beyond Osborne as well though, we need global economic co-ordination and that looks as far away as ever.
Richard Murphy accuses HMRC's Dave Hartnett of doing dodgy deals, no doubt prodded on by Cameron, Osborne and chums. I am totally with Murphy in what the response should be, but i couldn't see that happening even with a Labour government. Balls and his party have a bit of history with the City of London.

Time to leave the EU asks Frasier Nelson, Political betting's Mike Smithson thinks the tory Euro sceptics would be on to a loser in any referendum.

Simon Jenkins argues that Clegg has done better than he predicted in keeping the coalition together but wonders what the Lib dems have to show for the pain they have suffered.

A blast from the past, Manchester's World of twist who Mark Riley talks about in last months Mojo

Manchester united 5 - 0 Chelsea

This was some game that we could just as easily have lost 3 - 1 as we did actually win by. I suppose as good as Jones and Smalling are we will have games like this as they gain in experience and big match know how. To be fair to them they didn't really have much protection in front of them.
Fletcher needs a lot of games to get back to where he was and i have never really rated Anderson and haven't really bought into the idea that he has suddenly come of age. I was suprised Giggs didn't come on for him yesterday we didn't really keep the ball as well as we should have done in the second half as Chelsea started to boss the possession.
Chelsea came to attack us and for once this wasn't the dour tense tussle they often are. Fortunately for us this left holes at the back and this United attack doesn't need any second invitations to get forward. They will probably not be too chuffed about their defending, all three goals were poor from their point of view. Smalling's goal was simple, Young's cross, Smalling's head and bang we were one up. Chelsea were creating chances at the other end and De Gea made two excellent saves to keep United on top. The second goal was the moment of the match as Nani ran in from the right and hit an unstoppable shot that Cech could only watch fly past him.
The third saw yet another brilliant run from Jones who excites me more every time he plays, and Rooney get his obligatory goal this season. In fact Rooney didn't have one of his better games and should still have scored a hatrick. We didn't really deserve to be three up at half time, but we took our chances and they didn't.
That changed in the second half as Chelsea attacked and United played on the counter. Torres got one back in the first minute of the second half, but that was as good as it got for him as he then proceeded to miss two gold plated chances, the second of which he had actually gone round the goalie only to blast it wide. United had chances as well, Nani hitting the bar and Rooney missing the resultant penalty, doing a passable imitation of John Terry in Moscow. Rooney then hit the post when he should have buried it and then Berbatov having been forced wider than he should have been by Rooney's over hit cross had his shot cleared off the line.
It's hard to imagine us getting any dull games at Old trafford, every game so far has been something special. I suppose European games could be different, but i'm not sure about to be honest.
Cole's tackle on Hernandez should have seen him get a red, it will be interesting to see how long it's put the Mexican out for. I would have liked to have seen a raft of youngsters line up at Elland road tomorrow night, but with the amount of players such as Berbatov and Owen needing time on the picth i can't see too many getting an outing. Hopefully Pogba will get an outing, with Cleverley injured we look short of real class in the centre of the park, we really need a couple of the youngsters to start break through in this part of the squad and he looks the nearest to the first team.
Mark Ogden looks at the rivalry between United and Lids. As for his tweet to United fans asking where Leeds come on the list of rivalries, for me they would be behind the mickies and either level with City or just behind, i'm not sure. We hardly played them in the eighties and since they went down again we have hardly thought about them.

Daniel Taylor's five things we learned column states that Nani is his own man. He certainly is, it seems funny how so far this season when Young has been Outstanding, Nani has been comparitively quiet and When Nani has been outstanding Young has been quiet. I can't wait for the game when they are both on fire, that could be day when Ipswich 9-0 scoreline gets challenged. Jim White also looks at the Portugese wingers dreams of becoming one of the best players in the world. Villa-Boas gets a going over from Alan Hansen in the Telegraph.

The latest Red News has an interview with the ginger prince in, the Mirror carried some titbits in where he calls England's players "mollycoddled". I got it yesterday, and will be reading it tomorrow.
Gary Neville's book is used to show there is more to Fergie than the hairdrier treatment.

The Glazer's are looking at delaying the Singapore IPO according to Friday's Independent. It seems to be getting more and more negative comment in Singapore itself if you go to the MUST site. Meanwhile the Express report that the Glazer's will only be able to use a third of any money raised from the IPO to pay off the debt according to the terms of their loans.I wonder what they will use the rest of it for then.

Flat Jack applauds the county championship triumph calling it a great day for generation of Lancashire players. Andy Wilson talks of once in a lifetime achievement delivered without once setting foot on the Old trafford turf, oh the irony.
Michael Vaughan believes that whilst the county game has its flaws but it has become the best in the world. I never thought i'd dear anybody arguing that case. The best part of the Lancashire success is the lack of start foreign players and the reliance of home grown talent.

Real Madrid's Perez blocks La Liga's financial revolution.

Robert Harris has a new novel out based in the world of high finance and talks to the Telegraph. A man in demand, the Tinker tailor soldire spy author John Le Carre is profiled in the Indy.

Jon Snow asks when is a banker responsible after the latest UBS bank rogue trader scandal.

Paul Mason looks at the Eurozone and claims Greece is at a decision point.

Shaun Ryder has a new book to plug and is interviewed in the Guardian.

Benfica 1-1 Manchester United

A draw would have been a respectable result anyway, but given the team picked i was more than happy with it. I expected a few changes and for Fergie t o go for more experience, but i didn't expect so many changes.
The changes to the midfield were pedictable, but i hadn't read Valencia was anywhere near first team contension, so that was a bit of a turn up. The formation was our predictable 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 shape away from home in Europe, again not a suprise Fergie went for that against one of the better European clubs. It will be interesting to see whether that's always the case. I was suprised he made so many changes at the back. Our brilliant away record has been based on an generally unchanged back four with Vidic and Ferdinand at the heart of that defence, so there had to be changes, but i didn't think he would change the goalie or bring Fabio in at right back.
I thought United started the game quite well enjoying a fair amount of possession. But we weren't really threatening, one run from Valencia apart we never really looked like we had a goal in us. Benfica then got into the game and we came under pressure for the first time in the match. I thought we coped reasonably well given the changed nature of the back four. Evans has come in for a bit of stick for the goal, but i thought it was a great goal myself.
United responded well to the setback, which was a good sign for the season to come, but to be honest the equalising goal came from nowhere. But what a blinder it was as Giggs rolled back the years with a run and shot of the highest quality. I thought the half time scoreline was a fair reflection of the game, others didn't, i'm not sure why, Benfica didn't trouble Lindegaard that much.
The second half started similarly to the first with United enjoying a fair amount of possession without looking too threatening. The game into it's own with about twenty minutes as both sides decided to really go for it and the game became end to end. Hernandez came on but didn't really get into the game and Lindegaard made his second excellent save of the match.
I thought the scoreline was a probably the right one and was a pretty creditable result. As for performances, Lindegaard had a fairly eyecatching game, Ge Gea has serious competition for the number one spot. I love the onfidence, arrogance even that he brings with his game. I can't see him hanging around if he doesn't get a serious chance to claim the number one spot. As for the others Smalling grew into the game, this is part of his learning curve and the midfield looked what it was rusty with none of them having started a game so far this season. The debate over Carrick seemingly rages on, i was in the boozer watching the game and the amount of stick he got was unreal. I thought he did ok, i was bit more worried about Fletcher who looks like he needs plenty of game time, but can we afford to give it him.
I'm sure the changes will be rung again on Sunday for the visit of the rent boys, Young is sure to come back in, but who else and what formation we will play i haven't a clue. I'm looking forward to it though.

Lindegaard isn't here to pick his nose, that was a fucking great answer to a seriously stupid question. Fergie isn't very happy to be continually questioned over the goalkeeping position, though i think snap is a bit over the top.
Fergie reassures Berbatov that he will get games this season, he must be wondering when. I thought he would have been the more suitable substitution last night to be honest. I hope Fergie doesn't mean next weeks encounter at Leeds, i would have thought Owen would be the man to get picked there. I wonder whether he is thinking of starting him on Sunday, Chelsea won't be expecting that.

David Hopps looks at the mistakes that has seen one of the pre season favourites for the county championship, Yorkshire, relegated and leaderless.


John Kay argues in this Prospect piece that the last financial collapse of 2008 was a good crisis gone to waste. On a similar theme former MPC member professor Charles Goodhart warns MP's that Britain does not have the tools to cope with the potential fallout of a Euro crisis. Jeremy Warner warns that Europe's banks are staring into the abyss, the focus now is on French banks.
Paul Mason writes that behind the scene, the German establishment is starting to understand the seriousness of the current Eurozone situation and the devastating consequences for Germany, never mind the rest of Europe and wonders whether there could be " German Marshall plan for Europe ". If they have they had better get their finger out. Geitner urges Europe to act decisively on debt crisis, the yanks are beginning to panic now. The Eonomist argues that the Eurozone faces a fight for life and finsihes by remembering "In 2008 free-market Americans swallowed their misgivings to rescue Wall Street. Inflation-phobic Germans now face a similar choice". The Economist's Charlemagne column looks at Germany's Euro question, what do the Germans really want and argues nobody, not even the Germans themselves knows the answer. It does seem to chime with the idea put forward by Paul Mason that the terms of the debate within Germany itself are changing though.

MPC member Adam Posen calls on the government to intervene by starting up a state bank to help small business as he berates the " policy defeatism " of those in charge. David Blanchflower claims things are going to get worse as unemployment rises. Larry Elliott claims that the coalition's economic rebalancing strategy is delivering the downside but not the up.
Ha-Joon Chang argues Britain's political parties should wake up to reality and shed it's reliance on the city of London and rebuild its manufacturing base.

I have read one account of the siege of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury, but that was written during the Soviet era, so this new book by Anna Reid, reviewed here in the Spectator sounds like a must read book.

Rooney looking good

Wayne Rooney wants to make it a year to remember, after last years messed up season he is back to his best. And what a difference it has made, he did get better as last season wore on and arguably had his best game in the final match of the season against the best side in Europe at Wembley.
But right from the first pre-season friendly he has looked 100% fit, his first touch has been there and they seem to me to be the bellweather for him. When they are present, the the opposition better watch out. The injection of youth, both from within through Welbeck an Cleverley and from outside in Jones and in particular Ashley Young seems to have got his mojo working as well.

New recruit and whisper it quietly the man who is really getting older reds off their seats and comparing him to past United greats, Phil Jones reckons stopping Rooney and Hernandez can be impossible at times, the movement is just so good. Jones hopes to be able to continue his run in the team tonight as Europe is one of the reasons he came to United to test himself against the best. I have a feeeling the best he can hope for tonight will be the bench as i expected and Fergie has confirmed he wants a bit more experience in the side tonight.
Scrap that thought i think this news means that he will play.It will be interesting to see him take a step up though who will partner Evans at centre half, the slightly more experienced Smalling or Jones, Smalling has more big game experience at centre half and that would be how i approach the decision.
Though with Fergie talking about Benfica playing thre in the middle it's possible that he could be used as a defensive midfield player. The tactics will be the fascinating aspect of tomorrow nights game for me. Our brilliant start to the season has been based on a fluid 4-4-2. But would he dare go with that in Europe as our superb record in Europe has been achieved with a 4-5-1 4-3-3 formation based around possession of the ball. I'd love to see us let rip in Europe, but i suppose that's being unrealistic to expect.

Fergie wasn't happy with the Kevin Davies challenge that led to Cleverley's early exit from Saturday's encounter. Thankfully it isn't the break that the player and club had feared and he will only be out for a month or so.
As ever with Capello, his timing is all to cock as he announces that now England are all but booked into the European nations cup or whatever it's called nowadays he has told the press that he will be looking to blood youngsters such as Jones and Cleverley. It's a big pity for Cleverley he has picked up that injury now as it would have been good for him and for United if he had been given a start against the Spanish national side.

Hansen argues that though the Mancunian clubs look like they may dominate the title chase this season both are still behind top dogs Barca. The point for me is, though we are almost certainly still behind them, we are not as far behind them as we proved to be on that night in May. How we would approach a game with them now is where the fascination of a future encounters lie. How would we counteract that magnificent midfield, would we go 4-4-2 or match them with a 4-3-3, let's hope that we find out in Munich in May 2012.
Barca's draw after being two goals up at thw weekend was a bit of a turn up, but if i remember they had a bit of a shocker at the beginning last season with that 3-0 defeat.

The reserves took on Fulham last night at Moss lane and triumphed 2-1 with a fair performance if the comments on Twitter are anything to go by. Macheda got a thums down, with Pogba and Diouf getting the plaudits. I still can't understand why Macheda didn't go out on loan, as things stand he has got no chance of making it our club. Even a championship loan would be better than a season in the reserves.
Looking forward to seeing Pogba hopefully getting a chance next week at Elland road, i wonder which other youngster which get a chance with him?

The Vickers report finally came out yesterday and seems to have been broadly welcomed by parliament and the press, not back by the bankers which must be a good sign. Paul Mason looks at the present political situation as Osborne says he accepts it in full but will phase it in as suggested in the report.
Mary Ann Sieghart worries that Cameron has been caught by the banking lobby, well that wouldn't exactly be a suprise, he if rom a banking family isn't he. Will Hutton thinks that the Vickers report will lead to a healthier banking sector but is worried that the tories will try to weasel out the proposals. He also praises Vince Cable's role in the outcome, as Paul Mason tweeted this morning, on Cable's big two policy fights, this and Murdoch, Cable seems to have won.
How do these allegations affect the chancellor and are there any more revelations to come, it sounds more than plausible, though there doesn't appear to be any smoking gun.
Jon Snow asks why no banker has ever been brought to book for the 2008 crisis when everybody knows that there was criminality going on. It contrasts sharply with the swift justice for the looters who as Snow says never threatened the future of the British state as the wrongdoings of the financial elite certainly did. Mehdi Hasan of the New statesman joins in the puzzlement, i think we all know the answer really, don't we.

Stephen King argues that saving the Euro will get more difficult by the day as the politicians fail to reassure the markets.

George Monibot is not impressed with what he argues is the governments total abandonment of the countires planning laws.

Is Lancashire spinner Paul Kerrigan destined for the top, a lot of decent judges think he certainly has a chance. Pity about yesterday's days play, still there are three games to do. If they do miss out on that elusive title, those two defeats to bottom placed Hampshire and Worcestershire will have cost them badly.

Sharon Horgan writer and actress of the brilliant Pulling tells Simon Hattenstone that she likes making men cry. Why that was pulled after two series is beyond me, The peep show is still going and still as good after how many series, if she had wanted to keep writing that was the sort of programme that could have gone on and on.

It would seem from recent reviews the film version of Tinker tailor soldier spy is on a par with the TV adaptation, if that is really true, that makes it a must watch. Gary Oldman's performance as Smiley has been favourably compared to Alec Guiness, i like Gary Oldman but couldn't really see him as George Smiley so another reason to watch.

Music
Bon Iver - Bon Iver: The follow up to his excellent debut hits the mark again, i wasn't sure that it was quite as good at first but it has won me round. I'm still not sure about the last track Bet -rest though, it sounds like it could be a theme tune to some naff eighties big budget movie.

John Coltrane - Meditations: There is out there jazz and then there is this, the first track, the father son and the holy ghost is an assault on the ears. I'm not sure like it is the word, but it does seem to work with the rest of the album. I like the album but oddly the piano led tracks would be my favourite parts of the album.

Matthew Halsall - On the go: Another fine album from the Manchester based trumpeter, this is far more chilled out jazz, i can see why Giles Peterson would be giving him air time on his late night radio 1 show.

Miles Kane - Colour of the trap: The now solo Kane brings out a pretty good piece of indie pop/rock. His The last shadow puppets project with Arctic monkeys front man Alex Turner was pretty good and this kind of follows on from that.

Paris suit yourself - My main shitstain: Hard to categorise French groups debut album is quirkily listenable. The follow up will be interesting to listen to as this veers all over the place, sung in English and French, sometimes in the same song.

Paul Simon - So beautiful or so what: One of the greats of modern music doesn't let us down with this album that fuses different parts of his solo career together. Some cracking tunes on it.

Tame impala - Innerspeaker: This Australian sixties influenced group have been namechecked in a few interviews i have read by various musicians and i can see why as this is very good. All sorts of psychedelic influences and a Beatles vocal influence permeate the album, it's an album i know i'll never get bored off.

Bolton 0 - 5 manchester united

I was as excited as i can remember before the season began, and just four games in, it would seem my confidence wasn't misplaced. If anything United are even exceeding my pre season expectations, the last two performances have been something else.
After the cakewalk that was the destruction of Arsenal i was expecting a much sterner test at the Reebok. But it was anything but, once Hernandez, in for the unfortunate Welbeck had converted Nani' inviting cross the writing was on the wall for the hosts.
Bolton were woeful really, a couple of the goals were on the soft side and United didn't really have to hit the heights of their performance against the gooners to demolish the home side. The one downpoint of the day was the injury to Cleverley,which it seems might be serious.
The positives were Chicarito showing us what a goal machine he is, another masterclass from the masjestic Rooney and a performance from Jones at right back that shows me he probably really could play anywhere. His run that led to Rooney'second goal was magnificent a winger would have been proud of that run.
I thought United easeed off slightly in the second half, which i wasn't too thrilled about, loathing Bolton as i do, but with Benfica away on Wednesday it was to be expected i suppose. It will be interesting to see if how our domestic form translates onto the European stage. Benfica away should be a stern test, over recent seasons our brilliant away record has been around a solid defence and an excellent possession game. Truth be told whilst we have been brilliant so far this season, the defence has not been quite as watertight as in previous seasons, which is quite understandable with injuries and new players bedding in. So can United dazzle Europe as well as England.
I can't wait for the next game, i have a feeling that won't the last time i type that.

Ashley Young thinks his link up with Wayne Rooney at club and international level can only help improve with time. I thought he had his quietitst game for us yesterday, which given the result was probably a good thing for the home side.

Jonny Evans knows that this is a big season for him and admits that another season like last years would probably be the end for him at Old trafford. He has started this season pretty well, which is just as well with the competition for places at the back at the moment.

There was talk that De Gea might not start yesterday, thankfully Fergie left him in. I don't think it would have done much for his confidence for him to have been left out due to Bolton's physical approach. He accepts the criticism but is still confident in his own ability to nail down the number one shirt as his own.

Andy Mitten discusses the Glazer's arguing that unfortunately most reds don't care who owns United and never have.
Football finance blogger, The Swiss rambler looks at Manchester United - The brand, an in depth look at United's financial results. Whilst Reuter looks at the Glazer's two tier IPO plan that risks an investor yellow card for favouring the current owners. I can't imagine why anybody would want to buy a share that allows them no say in the company.

Everton are club seemingly going nowhere fast, this blogger looks at fans concerns. I have a grudging respect for that club, scouse bastards obviously, but a real football club. Daniel Taylor looks at Wayne Bridge and asks is he happy to just pick up the money as he enters the non playing football club.

Sid Lowe looks at thr relationship between the big two of Spanish football and the rest. Surely it is only a matter of time before they see sense, i just don't see a European league working.

What a fantastic performance that was from Lancy yesterday, the dream is still alive. And what an achievement from Simon Kerrigan, nine wickets and when it mattered too. The amount of times Lancashire have come second over the new century, will their luck change, i hope so. I have liked the way they have gone with youth and local talent to boot, and to think, pundits were predicting relegation, not silverware at the beginning of the season.

Israel must be feeling more threatened than ever after yesterday's events in Egypt and the deterioration in relations with Turkey.

Faisal Islam describes recent financial results and forecasts as a deeply perilous moment for coalition economic policy. With the supposed disagreement over the response to the Vickers banking report this really is a crunch time for the coalition.
Larry Elliott looks to the bank of England to act whilst Osborne sticks to his gunsor fiddles whilst Rome burns, take your pick.
Was last week the moment when we really did return to the thirties, the Swiss intervention in the currency markets certainly looked like it. Larry Elliott thinks the move will not succeed in the long term, but can see why they have attempted to do something to protect their currency.
Jeremy Warner asks if the west is doomed to suffer another depression but argues that Osborne is right to stick to his guns with plan A. Simon Jenkins argues once more that instead of quantitive easing being used to rebalance banks it should be used to help consumers get the economy back on its feet.
Barry Eichengreen blogs that Europe is on the verge of a political breakdown.

Richard Fletcher asks if the tax trap is closing in on Amazon, E-Bay and Google, i wouldn't bank on it with Osborne in charge. Richard Murphy argues that the twenty economists letter to the FT demanding the end demand in a cut to the 50p tax rate have got it wrong and wonders where the evidence is to support their claims.

Steve Richards looks at the fallout from the latest memoirs of the new Labour years from Alistair Darling and reckons Miliband should be concerned. How long can Brown go without responding to the criticisms of his premiership?

Smalling on the up

Ahead of Friday's England international in Bulgaria all the press intrusion had been on new signing Phil Jones, which was understandable because he has been a revelation. But Smalling has been just as impressive and his improvement, adaptibility and good form won him plaudits in Saturday morning's press.
He still sees himself as a future Manchester United centre half and presumably he hopes an England one too, as do i, but he is doing a fine job and is gaining invaluable experience.

I suppose it turned out to be a bit of a suprise that Cleverley and Jones played no part on Frdiay night as most of the press had thought that Jones and Cleverley had given Capello food for thought. It's obviously just a matter of time for Jones, Cleverley has more of a fight, but i'm sure he will get there in the end.
Rooney is more relaxed and is looking forward to every game, he was England's star performer even without the two goals in Sofia. His understanding with Ashley Young for England before he came to United must have helped the former Villa man to have settled in so easily at Old trafford. He is looking like a man Capello will find it hard to drop from now on and has given United another dimension. When Valencia gets back into first team contension United will have an embarrassment of riches on the flanks. It will be ineteresting to see whether Fergie plays down the middle at any times during the course of the season even if it is just the latter part of matches.

Gary Neville looks back at his England career in his new book with brutal honesty, claiming that they were good but not quite good enough to get to tournament finals or even to win them, even if Fergie had been their manager they wouldn't have won any. But he has more faith in the future as he reckons the new breed of players coming through understand how important ball retension is at the very top level.

The BBC report on the financial results for the year announced by United on Friday. Andersred Disects Q4 and the full year results for Manchester United and sees a well run money making machine needlessly losing half their profit to paying of the Glazer's debt incurred in buying our club.

The Telegraph ran a piece on Lancashire's former England coach Peter Moores ahead of last week's crunch game against bottom side Worcestershire as the county championship nears its climax. Unfortnately Lancashire's brittle batting line up finally cost them big time as they collapsed twice to get beat by ten wickets.
That was a poor poor performance, the top five or six have been letting them down for too long. I can't see how they can possibly end up gaining that historic title whilst the top order keeps on collapsing game after game.
I heard Moores being interviewed after the game and he said the players knew they hadn't performed and would learn from it. But it's been happening game after game, but this time the bowlers weren't able to rescue them. That's twice the bottom team has beaten them when the crunch has been on, it's hard to be confident for the final games. The weather forecast for this week doesn't look great either.

As time seemingly runs out for Gaddafi, the close relationship Blair's government had with the dictators regime see the light of day as Tripoli is free of Gadaffi but not yet totally under the control of rebel forces. It truly stinks how little value new labour put on human rights, liberal values or any kind of acceptable morality.
Adrian Hamilton looks at the grubby reality of the wests supposedly enlightened intervention in Libya and argues it is never simply humanitarian. The liberal riposte to Charles Moore's Telegraph column, the weekend revelation's must put the grubby deals under danger.
Andy Becket wonders why as our Military capablity shrinks British governments are still alarmingly prone to launching quick wars.

After the serialisation of Alistair Darling's memoirs, John Kampfner thinks Ed Miliband needs to d more than just "move on". Jackie Ashley argues that the memoirs shows that we have to change our culture of lionising strong leaders and stand up to the bullies.

Paul Krugman argues that Martin Wolf "gets it", after the FT columnist ferociously laid into President Obama's political strategy. Paul Harris argues that Democrats complacently looking at the nonentities that the Republicans may end up with as their Presidential candidate may be in for a nasty shock if Obama doesn't get his act together it will be his to lose.
Twelve big banks are to be sued by a Federal government agency over their misrepresentation of the quality of mortage securities the assembled and sold ahead of 2008's credit crunch.

Jonathan Portes, former economics advisor to David Cameron argues that there is a common sense alternative to the governments economic strategy.
Tory Frasier Nelson warns about the dangers of home ownership, yet these people still lionise Thatcher and her time as premier, as one after the other of her flagship policies turn out to have been unmitigated disasters for this country and its economy.
Steve Richards looks at why too much money is as bad for bankers as it is for footballers, the two last bastions of the free market lightly regulated policies that have landed the country in the mess that it is in.

One of my all time favourite songs