The defence

A look at how i thought our players fared this season.

Rafael - I have to admit there have been times where i wondered whether he would cut the mustard in a red shirt. He has always had the ability, going forward he has always been superb, as has been Fabio, but you always worried about him at the back. Not so much in the big games, he's always done reasonably well against Bale et al, but his concentration didn't always last the 90 minutes.
He still isn't the finished article, but he has come on in leaps and bounds this season. His concentration has improved, the mistakes have been few and far between and i love the way at times during the season he has got stronger during games where others have started to wilt. He has the position sewn up for the time being.

Evra - A return to form of sorts, he's not the player he was for the first 4-5 years at the club, but thankfully he hasn't been the defensive disaster waiting to happen he has been, since his travails in South Africa with the French national team. He's even chipped in with a few goals, one of the plus points from the season has been goals from all of our back four. Evra, Rafael, Evans and even Buttner.
Of course father time is catching up with him and i would think he only has one more season in him at the very top level. Full backs have so much running to do in their career, they don't seem to get to the mid thirties without dropping standards more than other positions. Of course with Moyes taking over, all eyes will be on Leighton Baines this summer.

Buttner - I'm not a fan I'm afraid, i still can't really fathom the reason for his purchase. I suppose Fabio's departure on loan to QPR saw a vacancy for a back up left back, but i thought Evans could have done that.
As for the Dutchman, it's simple, he's just nowhere near United standard. His defending is an accident waiting to happen, the roasting he took in the first half at Stamford bridge in that thrilling league cup tie said it all. He looked like a nervous wreck, i wondered what that was all about, as it didn't seem to faze Michael Keane or Scott Wooton. He's erratically decent going forward, but what use is that when a left back can't defend.

Phil Jones - I have got a lot of time for this lad, he started like a house on fire last season before injuries started to hit him during the second half of the season. Unfortunately that carried on into the first half of this season. It was only from the new year on that his season really got going.
Whether at full back, central midfield or centre half he has done a job and more. As with last season you wonder what his best position will be. He was tremendous doing a defensive job in central midfield at Tottenham and in Madrid, but the position he really stands out in has got to be centre half, his performance during the disappointing defeat at home in the derby was about the only good thing to come out of that night. For me the question, long term is who will be his central defensive partner, and there is some competition there.

Chris Smalling - Another to have suffered an injury ravaged season, but unlike Jones when he has got onto the pitch he hasn't really looked the player that he suggested he could be earlier in his time at the club.
Of course it could be just the injuries and playing games at right back where he never looks entirely at home, he's not at home overlapping his wide man. It's hard to really see him getting many more games at centre half next season with the revival of Vidic and Ferdinand, which probably isn't the greatest news for his career.

Jonny Evans - During the first half of the season when our defence was the cause of so many problems, he was one of the few shining lights. In fact, it's hard to remember now, but until Christmas he was looking far more solid than Ferdinand at times.
Inujuries and the return of Vidic have limited his appearances during the second half of the season. Worryingly his form took a bit of a down turn during the last couple of months of the season when he did get into the team. Some players need to be playing week in, week out and it will be interesting to see how the new manager handles this next season.
Squad rotation was never really on the agenda at Goodison and for all the jibes of Tinkerbell aimed at Fergie's feet, he was the master of squad rotation, keeping the squad fresh and players happy.

Vidic - I have to admit i wondered whether we had seen the best of him during that first half of the season, firstly when he struggled to find his best form and then spent another couple of months on the sidelines to another knee problem.
As the season went on he got better and better, even starting consecutive games, though only once or twice. Ferdinand and Vidic together are not what they were, but they can still do it at the top level.

Ferdinand - Another to struggle every now and then during the first couple of months, when he found his form, he was sensational, not relying on pace anymore, when he was against Bale, we saw the consequences, his reading of the game, always superb, generally makes up for his lack of mobility.
I'm not sure how many more seasons he has got left in him, but I'm glad Moyes will have him in his first season at the club.

Michael Keane - I know he didn't really figure as such for United, but his performances during the league cup games, especially at Chelsea when he was outstanding and during his loan spell at leicester City suggest to me, that if he keeps on improving he could well be the man to partner Phil Jones long term at centre back.
Of course we'll have to see what happens to him next season, another big decision for the new manager. Personally i would like to see him go back out on loan, but this time to a premier league club. Given the United connections and the paucity of their squad, Hull City would seem a great destination for him, as you'd like to think he will get plenty of games there, even if it's at right back.


Music

Atoms for peace - Amok: It's not supposed to be a Tom Yorke solo project, but it sounds most like that to this listener. If you don't like Kid A era Radiohead, you aren't going to be liking this, as for me, it's a grower, not a Kid A class grower though.

Endless Boogie - Long Island: The name of the group tells you everything about the group's sound, if you like your rock heavy and guitar orientated, rather than song orientated, they're for you. I have to admit for the first few listens, whilst i liked the sound, i found the album far too long for the material. But it's really grown on me and whilst I'd like a couple of shorter snappier tunes, i grew to love it.

Frightened Rabbit -  Pedestrian verse: The first album from the north of the border indie combo that I've heard and it's a winner. There's nothing earth shattering about them, but they can play their instruments and can bang out a memorable tune. Four earlier albums to try and get around to listening to.

Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces of a man: The first studio album from the late US visionary, is an absolutely classic album, packed with brilliant tunes, styles ranging from soul/funk to jazz mean it's never threatens to become run of the mill.

Johhny Marr - The messenger: I have to admit i never heard his first album after seeing some so so reviews, so this was a bit of a surprise. It's pretty darned good, guitar excellent as ever, but he's got a fair singing voice as well. It's a pretty bog standard Indie/rock sound, with faint echoes of his former band, but the tunes are excellent for the most part.

Kraftwerk - Kraftwerk 2: I'm slowly making my way through the German masters very early stuff and this doesn't make that much of a departure from the first, not exactly rock, but there are still guitars on there, going away from Krautock though. Side one's only track, Kling Klang is excellent.

Pissed Jeans - Honey's: Back to guitars for this one, i don't know what you'd class this noisy US guitar group as punk, hardcore, for me they sound almost grunge at times, there's some Nirvana in there for sure. It's pretty good, angry young men make pretty good loud guitar rock.

Various artists - The story of Trojan records: I have slowly been making my way through this 5 disc reggae box set, it was well worth it, absolutely superb. Disc 1 for all time classic hits and there's some brilliant stuff on the other four discs as well.

West Brom 5-5 Manchester United

I'll admit i wasn't really expecting much from the match yesterday, you could see last week that the players had lost that 5% that really matters, but that game being at home, we just about sneaked home. West Brom have had a pretty good season, and nobody has really took them apart on their own manor. So when the third goal went in, i had to tear up the script in my head i had expected, a low scoring tight match.
Fergie picked a reasonably attacking side, unfortunately Anderson and Buttner both made an appearance, and Lindegaard was picked between the sticks for possibly his last appearance at the club. Given his performance, i would be more than happy for that to be the case, i have long thought Amos to be a better number two and i hope he is given a choice to prove it next season.
United started the game a bit demob happy with Carrick hitting one brilliant if dangerous cross field at the back that I'm fairly certain would not have been tried a couple of months ago. The first goal was totally unexpected as Hernandez turned creator with a superb cross from the right for Kagawa to make no mistake heading home. Not long after Valencia starting at right back, crossed hard and low and the ball was turned past goalie Foster by the home teams own centre half Olsson. It seemed as if the script was being written for Fergie to go out on a real high. When Buttner added a third on the half hour it seemed as if he was going to go out on an almost perfect note.
The goal pulled back with five minutes to go pulled us back from that fantasy island scenario, it was a bit soft, but to be fair we looked vulnerable at the back all afternoon. Buttner may be decent going forward, but he can't defend to save his life, and i always think sticking Lindegaard in goal affects the men in front of him as they really don't seem to have much confidence in him. As the second half was to show that's a pretty good assessment of his capability in goal.
The home team got the second after just five minutes of the second half as a fairly tame shot from outside the box still managed to beat Lindegaard's outstretched hand. With the substitutions that Fergie was bound to make on an emotional day, i thought West Brom might then come on strong at us. But it was United who went  back to the other end and took the score to five with Van Persie and Hernandez adding the goals.
You couldn't really see West Brom coming back from that, but i'm afraid United just fell apart at the back for the remaining ten minutes, the home team scoring two in a minute, how often does that happen to us ? The equaliser was the most disappointing goal to give away, that was almost comic, thankfully it didn't really matter, five five wasn't a bad way to go out for Fergie and Scholes. Scholes made sure he didn't go through his last thirty minutes of professional football without picking up an obligatory yellow card, some things never change.
So that is that, the last we see of the ginger prince, who will not be replaced, not like for like anyway, and of Fergie, they'll never be another Fergie either. I have to admit i'm in the school that's excited by the thought of next season, but I'm sure that first game of the season with David Moyes in the dugout will still feel strange as fuck at first.

One last time

So the final weekend of the reign of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United is here and Fergie is talking of making changes, no change there then. No I've no problem with that, of course you'd want to go out with a bang and the three points, but it doesn't work like that, we all know that. It's professional football and it's West Brom's final home game of the season and they will want to leave their fans on a high for the summer as Fergie acknowledged this morning.
So I'll have to wait until i see the team, but i probably wouldn't be too unhappy with a point from the afternoon. I would like to see one or two of the reserve team squad get a place on the bench, but with the under 21's final at Old trafford, it probably won't happen. I have a feeling that a few of the players that will be on their way in the summer will find their way onto the pitch on Sunday. That's not really what i want to see, but i suppose it will be that kind of day. Saying that, with a new manager to come in, maybe we haven't seen the last of Nani, Anderson, Lindegaard, hopefully they have already decided they want to move on.
No doubt transfer speculation goes into over drive on Monday morning, I'll admit i have no idea who we'll be after this summer. I really can't see the Ronaldo speculation, i can see him sticking around for at least one more season in Madrid now the ego has left. My gut feeling is that Rooney will go, Ive felt that as much as Rooney has been unhappy at United for a while, Fergie has been even more unhappy with him and was almost trying to force him out. And for all this talk of a new start under a new manager, he's not a new manager for Rooney is he. I may be wrong, maybe the paucity of suitors will persuade him to sit tight, we'll see.
I'm hoping that Powell and Januzaj start to see a little more first team action next season, let's not forget Will Keane coming back into the fold, I'm sure Moyes knows all about him. Will brother Michael come back to the club, or spend another season on loan, given Ferdinand getting one more year, i expect him to spend a full season out on loan, maybe at Hull City, given the United links. Anyway that's next season, let's hopefully enjoy Sunday first.


Music

Darkstar - Music from nowhere: The second album from the UK electronica/indie pop trio doesn't quite live up to the promise of their debut. It's a reasonable listen, but there aren't enough memorable moments to make want to put it on again and again.

Dutch uncles - Cadenza: I missed this when it first came out, so with them having a new album out, i decided i better give it a listen. A wise move, because i quite like this, the XTC and post punk influences are pretty obvious and whilst they have a way to go before they get anywhere near XTC, it's an enjoyable listen.

Fionn Regan - The Bunkhouse vol.1:Anchor black tattoo: This guy is a serious artist, i was late to get around to him, but each new release will be a must listen for me. Even more of an acoustic sound than his last album, it's just as good a listen.

Foals - Holy fire: I think this is the best album that they have produced so far, the math rock sound is still there at times, but there's much balls and a even a bit of a groove at times. A couple of stand out tracks don't harm matters.

Josephine - Portrait: Another album from last year that was well received that i've only just got around to listening to. For all Manchester's musical heritage, female artists haven't really figured that much, but now after Ren Hervieu it's found another gem. It veers mostly towards soul/pop, but i'd categorise her more as a singer/songwriter.

Nick Cave and the bad seeds - Push the sky away: They have dropped the loud guitars of the last album Dig Lazarus dig, but not the cracking songs that they're renowned for. It reminds me a little of Tindersticks for some reason at times, no harm there as that's another group i love. It's just you couldn't have compared Lazarus to Tindersticks.

Manchester Unied 2-1 Swansea City

The weather wasn't kind, but at least we got a decent game of football to celebrate and bid farewell to two of the giants of Manchester United's footballing history. Swansea contributed greatly, in fact i was mightily impressed by their performance, there was a period of about ten minutes where they were almost taking the piss out of United. Of course with the league done and an almost carnival atmosphere, it was the kind of day where the result didn't really matter that much.
The news of Fergie's retirement overshadowed the rumblings around Wayne Rooney, but i was glad Fergie left him out of the picture altogether yesterday, it was a day that belonged to Fergie and Paul Scholes. Of course we found out, to no one's great surprise, after the game that Rooney has in fact asked to leave the club for the second time. Fergie has said the club refused, surely only a bargaining tactic, if he goes, he goes where United want, unless United get top dollar, a top dollar that he probably isn't worth.
United started the game pretty well, put couldn't find the back of the net, Hernandez being the most profligate before taking advantage of a sloppy free kick that somehow found its way to his feet, and this time he may no mistake.
Swansea were always a threat going forward and as usual were well organised and passed the ball around well. But they really stepped it up during the second half and the fine vollied goal from Michu was well deserved. It was interesting to watch Van Persie and Hernandez during that second half, there didn't seem too much of an understanding there. That surprised me because when Van Persie has played behind him before they always seemed to click reasonably well. I have to say if, when even, Rooney goes, I'm hoping that Welbeck plays through the middle more next season. I have thought all season that Welbeck and Van Persie was our best combination up front.
I couldn't see United getting a winner, so it was a very pleasant surprise when Ferdinand popped up to smash the winner home, and boy didn't he milk the celebrations. As usual the celebrations, or should i say the trophy presentation went on far too long, they irritate the fuck out of me. Fergie's speech was probably the best he has given, a great touch to warn the crowd that Moyes will need time and that the support should give him their full backing. Of course yesterday's result made the day that much sweeter, we could almost forget last May ever happened, almost.
Scholes treated the game in his usual inimitable way, a couple of glorious passes, a couple of moments where in in days of yore he would probably have ended with at least one goal and a couple of crunching tackles, he never did "friendlies". I have said a million times he's been my favourite footballer, but this was definitely the right time to bid farewell, with a new manager coming in and who knows, maybe money being spent finally on central midfield in the summer. I hope he gets some minutes on the pitch next week, though i suppose he may not be that bothered, it would be nice to see him one more time.

Ta ra Fergie, thanks for the memories.

The day is not far off after yesterday's news, when we will finally start to find out what a #UnitedafterFergie is actually going to feel like. I'll have to admit when i saw the headlines suggesting big money had gone in to back Moyes to be the next manager of Manchester United, i just took it to be the usual bookie searching for free advertising bollocks. But then on Tuesday night, when the rumbles first started on the old Twattersphere, it dawned on me, why not, it had to happen sometime, and there's been rumblings in all three fanzines during the course of the season.
When the retirement story first appeared on the Telegraph website and there was no comment from United, i could see it probably really was happening. I don't know why, but when the rumblings first surfaced, my first reaction was oh shit, but as i gradually began to sense that the retirement was really upon us, i felt a kind of release, relief, i don't know how to describe it. It's the moment we've been dreading, as much for the dreaded moment coming as much as what will happen once he's gone, i think.
Maybe part of that was because i have never been a fan of the Mourinho to United school, or of the latest trendy European coach that's been around for five seconds being linked to the job. So for me, and i may turn out to be wildly wrong about Fergie's fellow Scot being the right man, Moyes turning out to be the seeming choice to succeed was a relief.
The reasons given out in the Moyes appointment statement today ticked off all the right boxes for me, tradition, continuity and giving youth it's head are all what i wanted to hear. I suppose if we come third next season, and don't come out of the season with even a cup competition in the bag, we'll hear a load of told you so's. But if that happens, it would just show that for all the talk of United fans being different from the rest, we wouldn't be very different at all I'm afraid.
Who knows where we'll end up next season, summer signings, in and out at United, City and Chelsea will go some way to determining that. Mourinho going back to Chelsea, makes them a serious contender again, as even Abramovitch isn't going to dismiss him part way through his first season back, though you wouldn't put any money on that. As for City, do they finally push Mancini out, i don't think they will now that Fergie has retired. So if all that happens then who will the mega bucks attract to our two main challengers?
As for us, who goes out as well as who comes in, takes on even more significance. Moyes takes over on first of July, but surely even if it's behind the scenes, he must have to pick up the reigns over transfer dealings. Even if no big name signings are to come in over the summer, there are surely players who have now long past their sell out date, Nani, Anderson to name two. As of today i presume we can add Rooney to that list. I suppose a slight worry, is were we to find out the Glazer's are going to be doing the signing and selling from now on as happens on the continent, make that a big worry, I suppose we can't rule that out.

As for Fergie what can you say, we've had our ups and downs, there have been moments where we've disagreed with him and feel he has let us down terribly, obviously I'm talking about every aspect of the Glazer saga there. But what memories, oh what fucking sweet memories he has left us with. When ever my time is up on this Earth, I'll know it was enriched tenfold by his decision to leave Aberdeen and take over my football club.
I had some great times watching United before he came down, and no doubt, there'll be great times to come, but we'll surely never have as many and as often as we have got used to during his twenty seven years in charge. I know that whatever else happens in my life, nothing, nothing, can ever beat that night in Barcelona on 26.05.99, it was just so fucking perfect, at the end of an almost dreamlike ten days that saw the treble achieved in such a glorious manner.
Though the football hasn't been as good as we would have liked over the last three or four years, we have seen some glorious football and some vintage United teams during that period. The team that won the first championship and a double in scintillating style the season after. The kids propelled by Schmeichel and Eric to the double in 96, making a monkey out of Keegan live on TV in the process.
The treble wining squad that never knew when it was beaten and produced games during the second half of the season that will live in the memory for ever. Liverpool in the cup and Ole's last minute winner. Arsenal at Villa Park in the last ever FA cup semi final replay and "that" goal from Giggs to send us to Wembley. Going down to two early goals in Turin against the mighty Juve and thinking we were jinxed in the champions league, especially after getting knocked out by Dortmund two years previously after outplaying them over both legs. Yet led by Keane at the peak of his power coming back to win it, again in the last minute, even if we were going through on the away goals. And then the game to end all games at the Camp Nou. I don't actually think we played the best football of the Fergie era during that season, but it's easily the most memorable.
The 2002-03 season always brings a warm glow inside me, the way we overhauled Arsenal during the final couple of months, with both Scholes and Ruud Van Nistelroy playing as well as they ever did in a red shirt.
But for the best and most exciting football played during the Feguson era i would have to point to the 2006-07 season. The year Ronaldo turned himself from potentially a very good player into the best player in the world, for a couple of seasons at least. He didn't have a bad support cast either did he, Scholes in particular re-inventing himself in a deeper central midfield role.
Even as that two or three year period finally fizzled out with the not unexpected departure of Ronaldo, and when we weren't wining, we were usually there abouts, being that against the Nouvelle riches of either Chelsea or City. Last season was a classic example of Fergie's genius, after the debacle of the Old trafford derby, he still managed to almost guide us to another league title, only to be denied in the last minute, of the last day of the season, and we all know that City were far superior to us last season and should have won that title comfortably.
And yet who could forsee any of that at the end of that dismal 88-89 season or even half way through the next season that saw us lift the first piece of silverware at Wembley in a FA cup final replay against Palace. During that winter, that expensively assembled, for the time, side, couldn't buy three points. For the ups of the next couple of season,Rotterdam being the most glorious, there was the unbelievable low, that was the final couple of weeks of the 91-92 season, that had more than a few reds thinking that we'd never win the title in our lifetimes after we proceeded to throw it away. In fact, in my own family, there was an argument over we would ever win the title with Fergie as manager, I'm glad to say i made the right call, and i wasn't the one to miss that never to be forgotten night against Blackburn at Old trafford when we finally glimpsed that long lost holy grail, the league title.
After the defeat against Chelsea last week, i have to admit, spoiled bastard that i am, i couldn't wait to get the next two games out of the way, trophy celebrations were always a bit of an anti climax to me, even those cup wins during the lean years of the 70's and 80's, the final whistle is the moment when i really let it all hang out. There was every chance i would have sneaked back out to the Tollgate for a quiet pint before the queue's set in, but i don't think that will be happening now. That trophy parade on Monday night, i think that really could be something else, what a fucking shame that wasn't on a bank holiday. So finally as the song goes, every single one of us loves you Alex Ferguson.


Music

Charles Mingus - The clown: The more albums of Mingus, the more i come to think he was almost as much of a genius as Miles Davis. This is absolutely fantastic jazz, that moves the genre forward as much as Davis and others were doing at thee same time.

Everything Everything -  Arc: The second album from the Manchester indie pop combo, as with the first album, it's decent, but i can't get away from the fact, that i'm not mad on the vocalists voice.

Four Tet - 0181: A compilation of stuff from the early part of his career as Four tet, it could have brought out as new album, it's excellent, ambient post/rock is as good a label as any to pin on it.

I am Kloot - Let it all in: One of the very best UK bands going at the moment, never mind Manchester, it's another slow burner of memorable tunes that you never tire of playing. In a more just world they would be far bigger than they currently are.

Low - The invisible way: They've quietened it down, from their last couple of albums, and slowed the tempo back to their early days, but the quality remains the same.

Mugstar - Axis: Based down the east Lancs road, this lot are the dogs bollocks, a cross between Hawkwind and the more guitar based Krautrock, it's brilliant driving space rock.

Pantha du prince and the bell laboratory -Elements of light: If you don't like the sound of bells, you aint liking this. A kind of techno minimalist album based around bells, there's 5 different tracks on it, though they meld into each other as one. It works for me, though i don't think you could make another like it.

Manchester United 0-1 Chelsea

The less said about yesterday the better really. That was as frustrated as i've been watching United this season. Once the title is won, we all know performance levels drop, but i had hoped they would have took yesterday a bit more serious. I haven't got much time for Chelsea, so this was the only game i really gave a shit about, right from the moment we beat Villa to make it twenty. So i wasn't thrilled when i saw the starting line up, and even more fucking annoyed by the substitutions. I would have bit your hand off for the 0-0 draw when we entered the last ten minutes, because there was only one team going to win that game.
Saying that, how bad were they, it was frustrating but perhaps understandable that United treated the game as almost a friendly, what was their excuse. As comically lethargic as United were during that first half, we actually created the best chances. I'm not going to single out any players for stick yesterday, lets just say players out of form, are still out of form and players who shouldn't still be at the club, are still there, hopefully after this summer, they won't be.
What is happening with our substitutions this season, they have grown more bizarre as the season has gone on. If he had to bring Buttner on, he should have took Evra off, his form has gone right over the edge since the title was recaptured. Of course i would sooner have not seen Buttner on the pitch at all, but to put him on the left side of midfield was just taking the piss.
Rafael had a rush of blood, but my only criticism would be if you're going make a challenge that's almost certainly going to get you a red card, then hit the fucking recipient , not thin air. It's hard to see the last couple of games being that much better, i just hope that Powell and maybe Januzaj get a glimpse of the acton, and we get one last ninety minutes from the ginger prince and maybe even a goal to bow out on, if it is indeed his last game at Old trafford.
I'll be honest it's cricket season now as far as i'm concerned, transfer activity,both in and just as importantly out, are more important than anything that happens during the last two games. Whinge over.