Manchester United 4-1 Wolves

What a weird week, the disaster on Wednesday showed up our deficiencies in midfield once and for all and yet yesterday i left the ground thinking we may have found a like for like replacement for Roy Keane at last. Phil Jones was bought as a centre half but after watching his sensational performance yesterday i can't help thinking that would be wasting half of what he has to offer. Alright i might be going over the top, it was only Wolves after all, but with our current resources, i would be sticking with him in midfield for the rest of the season
Just like a Robson or a Keane he was as effective in his own half as he was in the opposition half, the driving runs he made in the second half were something we haven't witnessed in a red shirt for years. In fact they were more reminscent of Robson at his peak than Keane. I have a feeling we will eventually revert to a 4-3-3 in the not too distant future but as long as we stick with a 4-4-2 Jones is just what we need, a dominant figure in the middle of the park. He was helped yesterday by having Carrick alongside him, but i would like to see Fergie give him an extended run in midfield.
As for the game we were slightly better than in recent weeks, the midfield looked better as i have mentioned. Up front, Rooney started to look a bit like his old self, helped no doubt by having Welbeck next to him. It was good to see them link up so well, we can only hope that Welbeck manages to avoid injury to get his stop start season really going.
Nani had a pretty good game, though as usual he had his frustrating moments. It was good to see Valencia get back to something near his best, not just taking his man on, but getting telling crosse in as well. It was no accident that Rooney was back on the scoreboard and could and but for Macheda he would have had a hatrick. Rooney thrives on the service from Valencia. I think the time has come for an extended run for the Ecuadorian, even if it means a period on the sidelines for summer signing Ashley Young.
Thr real difference bewtween yesterday and recent performances was that we actually managed to convert more than one of the many chances created. It was good to see Nani and Rooney regaining their shooting boots. I did wonder if it was going to be a case of here we go again when they got one back almost straight after the break as Wolves started to target Evra at the back post but the third goal gave us a nice cushion. As usual when we play Wolves the left winger Jarvis had an excellent game, how he is still at Wolves i really don't know. I'd gladly have him in a red shirt, he gave Smalling a torrid time in that second half. It was nice to claw a few goals back on the goals different front, but i don't think we will be troubling City on that front unfortunately.

There was a load of media attention for United's exit from the champions league, amongst the doom and gloom ti was at least nice to see the Glazer's getting it in the neck. Daniel Taylor claimed the financial restrictions are hindering United even if Fergie won't admit it, the omerta line was pretty good. It's not as if we all don't know this to be the case, but it's nice to see it make the sports headlines none the less.
Mark Ogden reported that Gill was to lead an immediate financial review to assess the ramifications of United's early champions league exit. I mean, really, have they even thought about what will happen when Fergie is no longer here and this could potentially be the norm. The latest issue of Red iss details our financial woes in pretty stark terms.
James Lawton thinks Keano has identified United's central flaw, the central midfield and the lack of funds needed to address it. Whilst that is obviously true i'm still not convinced that Sneijder was the man to rectify that, i would have preffered Nasri, which makes watching him warming the bench most of the time at the boo camp pretty painful. Morrison could prove to be better than either, of course.
Paul Hayward thinks that the shoot from the hip Keano got his target wrong, the kids weren't to blame the experienced players were the ones who failed to perform.

The news on Vidic seems to get worse by the day first it was a few months, then the season and now he may be out for a year. Maybe another reason why getting knocked out of the champions league now was for the best, can you imagine us going to the camp nou or the Bernabeu with our midfield and no Vidic.
Paul Parker thinks Fergie will have to spend to replace Vidic if we are to stay in contention of silverware, as if, Fergie has already come out and said he will not be replaced.


The ripples haven't turned into waves yet, but it could well be only a matter of time before the fallout from Cameron's veto are fully felt. Gary Gibbon reports that years of UK blackmail could be at an end, that source isn't French by any chance.
The Economist was really scathing of Cameron and his negotiating stance and the Eurosceptic argument. Bagehot was equally unimpressed and wondered if we do end up quitting the EU for the sake of the City of London those financial interests will just end up walking away anyway. That would be the ultimate irony. If i was Arthur Scargill i would be laughing, this all makes a real socialist republic emminently achievable.
Jon Snow wonders just how comfortable David Cameron is in his newly defined position. John Kampfner wondered why the Lib dems went along with this, i'm not sure that we have the whole story on this yet. WilL Hutton writes that Vince Cable is seriously considering his position, i can't believe he is on his own in this. This seriously goes to the heart of what are the Lib dems actually for.
Robert peston writes that Cable won't resign, but is not happy, whilst business leaders he has spoken too are worried over Cameron's veto and the loss of Britain's influence.
Faisal Islam is totally nonplussed at the events of last week.

Ahead of the summit Larry Elliott wondered what happened to rebalancing the economy as David Cameron supposedly went tinto battle on behalf of the city. Nicholas Faith argues that the selfish city won't repay a national scarifice and lists a history of its shortcomings.