Atson Villa 0-1 Manchester United

Not a game that will live long in the memory, but a welcome three points after last weeks disappointment. If you took Chris Waddle's word for it United were excellent yesterday evening, but i thought we were a little above average against a woeful Aston Villa who hardly managed a meaningful attack all game.
Fergie didn't tinker too much with the team after last week's welcome return to form. I would have put money on him playing Lindgaard, i don't know why, he seems to put him in when least expected. More of a suprise to me was the inclusion of Jones in midfield, some are unconvinced about playing the ex Blackburn man in midfield. I'm quite happy for him to play there myself, i still think centre half will be his long term position but he is good enough to do a job for us there.
He did more than a job for us yesterday, linking up well with Carrick and even scoring the only goal of the game, and it wasn't just his first goal for United, it was his first ever league goal. Having seen him this season for us, i really do find that hard to credit. Still you do have to pinch yourself to remember he is only 19. It seems to me that Fergie rates him so much he is just happy to play him anywhere to give him game time and to gain all the experience he can.
United grabbed the game almost from the kick off, dominating possession for the vast majority of the game. United lost yet another player to injury when Hernandez went down with no one near him. Replays showed he had gone over on his ankle, the press are speculating that he will be out for up to 4 weeks. That sounds optimistic to me, if it's as bad as it looked it could be from 6 weeks to a couple of months out. I wasn't perturbed that Fergie stuck Nani into the middle and brought Valencia on the right as i think that Nani offers something different in the middle. I remember the game where Bayern knocked us out of the champions league a couple of seasons ago, in which he had to play up front on his own after Rooney was substituted and Rafael sent off, and i thought did very well.
My problem with out performance was for all the possession and the nice link up play the final ball was so often lacking. I know Vila were sticking everybody behind the ball in a home performance so negative it was untrue, but we should have been creating more. The last 8 minutes of first half injury time were unbelievable, Villa the team at home, just stuck everybody behind the ball and played to go in one down at the interval.
The second half was just more of the same, Villa showed a little bit more, but not much more. A Heskey header, where he possibly should have done better was the only real scare for Lindgaard until late in the game Collins saw his header tipped over the bar by the big Dane. The rest of the half was dominated again by United, though for all the possession, once more we didn't create enough chances. It was nice to see Welbeck back and the day almost ended on a high whith Rooney almost finishing off a fine move with a brilliant goal, but it flew just over the bar. I would have took a 1-0 scoreline before the start, so i can't complain too much. Now for the game that we didn't expect to matter as much in Basel on Wednesday night.

Fergie told match of the day that he was happy with our rhythm after yesterday's game.

James Lawton writes in the Irish Independent that Fergie should be apologising for his failure to bring in a quality midfield signing in the summer rather than the pitiful showing we saw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. I know where he is coming from, but the performance of Morrison showed me that we have got the answer in our ranks, the quality is there, that was there for all to see. It doesn't take long to see when somebody has really got it, he has got it. It's just whether he can get his head screwed on right, that is the problem.
In fact for all the talk of the talent to come through last years youth squad, it has to be said none of them are guarenteed to make it at United. Yet again Pogba has made the headlines this morning with the People claimning he has turned down a contract of £15 ,000 a year. First thing to say is that this is the People, and they have quite possibly just read the rumours on Red iss last week that City are offering him 5 times what United are and have made this up.
If it's true that he has turned that offer down though, and it's entirely possible with all the reports and rumours swirling around him at the moment, i would saying bye bye, this is a guy who anywhere near our best reserve team player we are talking about. He is nowhere near the first team yet and to be turning down a contract of that size is just taking the piss. I would be saying thanks but no thanks to him, even if it means losing him to City, which is where i'm sure he will end up if he does go.

The Sunday Times and the National report that Fergie will go for revolution not evolution in the summer by letting both Ferdinand and Vidic leave the club. I think that's fairly believable, Ferdinand must be a cert to be off and the speculation around Vidic sounds plausible.
That would leave us short on experience at the back though. I'm not sure i can see Fergie being happy with just Smalling, Jones and Evans. There was speculation in the Italian press about Gary Cahill's future and Inter's chairman claimed that United had him in their sights, if he is letting Vidic go that that seems a good move if there is anything in it.

Andy Mitten reports on the issue of atmosphere at football matches and how Europe leaves us for dead. I'm sitting this watching Feyenoord at home to PSV and the atmosphere is second to none, i notive almost everybody is standing in an all seater stadium. I've watched a bit of Bundesliga football recently and have been impressed with the crowds there as well. Dortmund against Schalke in the recent derby was reminiscent of the old United liverpool games, helped by having a standing end.
I'm afraid i can't see us ever getting those days back, the people in charge of our game aren't interested in atmosphere, they are enthusiastic for the prawn sandwich brigade so rightly mocked by Roy Keane.

They don't make footballers like this any more, in fact they have never made footballers like this in these islands, I suppose Eric is the nearest thing to Socrates the Brazil footballing legend who has died aged 57. As with many others old enough to have seen that 1982 national side, they were one of the best teams i have seen and absolutely fantastic to watch. The 3-2 defeat to Italy is probably one of the all time great games of football.

The New statesman report that David Milliband gave a brilliant speech in the Autumn statement debate taking apart Osborne's shattered economic strategy. I didn't see the speech so i can't say much about it, i was never really sold on him, i have to admit, but would have been better than his brother, who knows. The one thing that is certain is that he would have had solid support throughout the party and his position would have been much more solid than Ed's currently is. Uber Blairite John Rentoul ponders brother's Ed's parlous position as leader of the party in his Sunday column. There are one or two too many what ifs in that for may to take it seriously, especially what if our economy has hit the bottom and might bounce back.
The green benches website argues that Labour wouldn't have added single penny to public debt if tax evasion had not occured. I can well believe that to be the case, but i would have to ask what was the labour government actually trying to about tax evasion. In the words of Peter Mandelson, it seems to me they were entirely relaxed about it.

Who would have guessed anybody connected in any way whatsoever would an ounce of atste in them as Manchester Confidential talks to ex corrie actor Graeme Hawley about Radio Republic, the new online Manchester radio station. I have listened to a bit of it and it's pretty good, although i'm not overstruck on the webstreaming platform.

Will Hutton writes that George Osborne has no idea how to revive the British economy but wonders who has, we are at a turning point and if we dont find some visionaries this country will see decline turn to rout.

A bit of a twangy guitar fest