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.