Manchester United 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

I suppose the way we have started the season, we should be expecting the unexpected, but I'll be honest i didn't see this result coming. West Brom have been a decent team over the last couple of seasons, bracket them amongst the hard to beat team catgory. And the last season the loan signing of Lukaku gave them a bit more of a cutting edge going forward. They had made a solid start this season, but nothing to make you think Saturday was on the cards.
Of course United's woeful defending helped their cause, but they came to Old trafford and after a cautious opening half an hour, really took it to us. I'm not sure you could say they got their just desserts, United probably created enough to have deserved a point, but fortune favours the brave I suppose.
As for United, for all the talk of, a hole in the middle, no goals from open play since the opening day of the season, wide men that never get crosses in, all that counts for nothing if you defend as shabbily as yesterday and against City. The shakiness at the back ripples through the team, it wasn't really until the last ten minutes when United had to go for it, that United really got going as an attacking force. I've said that I have been unconvinced by United's central defensive displays this season. The lack of mobility, pace and authority shown so far this season by Ferdinand leads me to believe, maybe he should have gone with Fergie. He hasn't really had a half decent game yet this season. It also didn't help that Jonny Evans reverted to the Evans of a couple of seasons ago that was too easily intimidated by strong centre forwards. I'll go easy on Evans, it was only his second game of the season and he played well against the scouse on Wednesday.
Buttner has come in for some stick for his performance, but i didn't think he was that bad myself. That's not to say he's the answer, he's never a United player in a million years. More disturbing for me was the performance from Jones at right back. We all know his best position is centre half, but when he first arrived he could do at job at right back. Every time he's played their this season, he's been poor, his defending has been shaky and his crossing has been non existant. I would love Jones to be given a run at centre half alongside Evans or Smalling, but given his poor form at right back, it would be a risk.
Our forward play was actually as good as we've seen at times this season, not consistently enough though. I thought Rooney had a quiet game, he had a couple of great chances from Nani crosses in the first half and should have found the net with at least one of them. For me, he didn't influence things enough in the second half, what Nani was doing at the end, was what he should have been doing, if he was the player the press and Moyes and board try and tell us he is. When was the last time he went past a couple of men and either got a shot in or fed somebody else on goal. Hernandez had the kind of game I always expect him to have. If it doesn't happen for him in the box, and it didn't, he becomes annonymous.
The stick Nani got, was unbelievable, off the scale and fucking ridiculous. He put three or four superb crosses in for Rooney and Herandez in the first half, the type we have been crying out for, and we should have converted at least one of them. He went off the boil, and made a couple of mistakes, early in the second half, but when they took the lead, he was the one man that went looking for the ball, demanding it, and what's more doing something with it. He was easily our best player as far as I'm concerned, and it's not as if I've always been his biggest fan.
Kagawa, what to say there, he wasn't great, but you still got a couple of moments of magic that lead me to believe, that there is a very good player in there, but United just don't know how to get the best out of him. The reason I wanted Rooney out in the summer, apart from his decline in form and attitude was that I wanted to see more of Kagawa in the middle, but politics meant Rooney stayed and we have this big effort on behalf of Moyes and the Glazer's to make Rooney believe he's the main man at United. Unless Rooney goes next summer, that's still on the cards of course, it's hard to see Kagawa being still at the club for a third season.
I'd loved to have seen Kagawa and Januzaj on the pich together in the second half, not Januzaj replacing Kagawa. I assumed there must have been something wrong with Kagawa, but apparently not. Whilst januzaj's first touch of the game was a howler, i thought he did reasonably well after that, and just don't believe those match reports that described him as ineffectual. He wasn't given the ball enough, but I suppose, hope, that will come as his team mates get to know his game. He came nearest to equalising right at the death with a great run and in curling shot.
Lastly central midfield, Anderson, was well, Anderson. Carrick has started the season strangely, he's not been poor, but he hasn't shown the same form as he has for the last couple of season. I suppose it doesn't help playing alongside somebody different every game or playing in fornt of a shaky central defence. I've started to wonder whether I was too hasty in thinking Fellaini might be a better player than I thought he was. Against City and during the time he was on the picth on Sunday, he looked pretty pedestrian. Early days though, what is obvious, is that he'll only good enough as United player as defensive midfield type.
The response of the crowd at the end, didn't really surprise me, we're kidding ourselves if we think our support is a cut above any more. I've absolutely no doubt that if the worst happened this season and we missed out on a top four spot, the reaction of our numptier fan base would lead to the gimps sacking Moyes, six year contract or not.
I've actually been impressed by Moyes off the pitch so far, honest about our performance's and about lack of world class talent in the squad. Obviously that counts for nothing if he can't turn it around, on the pitch. I would probably be easier to please than others on that front. If he was bringing youngsters through, we came top four and had a good cup run, I wouldn't be too disappointed with that for a first season. The way the results have gone in the league overall, so far this season, I'm loathe to predict anything though.

Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool

It wasn't pretty, but but a 1-0 victory, given the circumstances, was job done as far as I'm concerned. Moyes completely reshuffled the team, which was good to see on more than one level. Smalling stayed in the team, but was moved into his proper position at centre half alongside Jonny Evans and gave a pretty solid display. It was nice to see Evans back in the action, it was his first game of the season, i think, so his was an even more creditable performance. I'll admit i was worried when i saw the teamsheet, the inclusion of Buttner, always scares the shit out of me, but for once he didn't look totally out of his depth in a red shirt. It was nice to see Rafael back in the starting eleven and he performed as if he'd never been away.
The central two was a bit of a surprise, Jones and Giggs, but they did a reasonable job. Jones was excellent, he's obviously not really the answe in the middle of the park, centre half is definitely his best position, but it must be a manager's dream to have a defender who can do a job like that out of psoition. Giggs did the job you expect from him, and probably have no right to expect. We weren't particularly creative, again, but it probably wasn't a night for that.
Young and Valencia were thankfully removed from the flanks, and though neither Kagawa particularly shined, they weren't woeful either. Rooney and Hernandez worked hard without really ever hurting the scouse back line, though Rooney hit a couple of excellent long range efforts. Yet again, our goal came from a dead ball situation.
I liked Moyes bringing Januzaj on for the last quarter of an hour, even on such an important occasion, he seems to have plenty of confidence in the lad. Quite rightly so in fact, as yet again he didn't look out of place I'd love him to get a run of two or three games together, I'm certain it would bring his game on, would definitely help United and top of the bill, would be exciting to watch,
It will be interesting to see the team selected for Saturday, we really need to get a run of victories under our belt. But the Evans, Jones and such like need games. Just as long as Young doesn't get near the pitch. Some will make a case for Zaha, but from what I saw of pre-season, he's exciting, but maybe a touch too erratic for regular first team football yet. Still if he doesn't get a game over the next few weeks, it would seem as if maybe a loan spell for him would have been a good idea.

Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United

There's no getting away from it, that was a fucking shambles. I read Some red who was there, say it was worse than the 6-1 and the 5-1, as the scorline in those games slightly flattered City, whilst if anything, yesterday's flattered us, fair comment I'd say. They stopped playing really when it was 4-1, thank fuck for that, god knows what score it would have ended up otherwise.
Ahead of the game I had been reasonably confident, they have started the season even more indifferently than we have. When I saw their team, I was surprised that Pelligrini started with so many of his Summer signings, another encouraging sign, so I thought. The confidence evaporated a little when I saw our team, I still can't fathom the selection of Young and I wasn't enamoured with the selection of Smalling at right back.
The problem with Smalling at right back isthat he gets a nosed bleed when he advances over the half way line. It's a completely negative selection and in my opinion hands the oppostion the initiative down the right hand side, especially when you have the fragile confidence of Valencia in front of him. I'm afraid it looks like Valencia's good showing during the final half an hour of the Leverkeusen game was a flash in the pan. As bad as Young was, and he was dire, Valencia was no better. So basically Moyes gifted the flanks to City, not really a wise move when you're playing 4-4-2.  Admittedly City had stopped playing really by this time, but the only time United ever gained any ascendency in the game was when Moyes switched it to 4-3-3.
But as much as for me, the flanks were the main problem, it's not really as if we were any better anywhere else. We started sluggishly, the defence was shaky, I've not been taken by all this talk of us looking more solid at the back, Rio once again looked his age, his legs aren't really there any more for games at this level. But yesterday Vidic wasn't really much better, I thought Evans was our most consistent centre half last season and it must be time now to introduce him back into the starting eleven. When he's fit I would like to see Jones start to make more regular appearances in his best position as well.
For years we have had the regular assertion that United haven't got enough presence in midfield. Well we had it yesterday, so what happened? The game completely passed Fellaini by, I had liked the look of him during the game against Leverkeusen, so I'm not going to be too harsh on him, but when Moyes pushed him further up, he definitely showed his limitations. Maybe Moyes limitations as well, that was an attrocious tactical move, Luddite, no other word for it. My fears about the signing of Fellaini was that, in times of need Moyes would stick him further up, so that was not what i wanted to see. We had Nani and Kagawa on the bench and instead he sticks Fellaini further forward. The manager will lose me if that's the limit of of his in game tactical nous.
Welbeck has come in for some stick on message boards and in the press, I'm not saying he played well, but when he went to the left he was more threatning than Valnecia or Young. Some have said Hernandez should have started ahead of him. I'm sorry I just don't get that, what possible difference to proceedings would that have made. That would have been like playing with ten and half men, if we haven't got the ball, Hernandez becomes annonymous. The only player to be able to hold his head up high was Rooney, ironically the man the doesn't really want to be here. But even there, Kompany had him in his pocket for most of the game.
I usually try and look to take some kind of positive thought from a game, but I am fucked if i can find any from yesterday, oh wait, here's one, start bringing the kids through. I mean it's not as if they could be any worse than that is it.

Operation keep Rooney sweet!

Given Fergie's reported words on MUTV tonight, it would seem that United are really pushing the boat out in a bid to persuade him that leaving would be the wrong move. In which case it will be interesting to see how Rooney fares in his upcoming book, if that's soft soaped, I'm not sure it will be a must read book. Not that I ever expected it to be, now an updated Michael Crick biography of Ferguson, then we'd be talking.
Despite his improved performance on Tuesday, I'm not convinced he's worth it, I mean given his fitness issues, professionalism issues and age, why would you be thinking of giving him an improved contract. And that is what he will be after.

In two minds on the Lingard loan move to Birmingham, I was hoping to see him take some part in next weeks league cup tie against the dippers, I'm wondering just how many youngsters will get a look in next Wednesday. But he needs to take the step up from reserve team football, he's nothing to prove at that level. Once again on Monday night he was excellent during the 4-1 victory over Bolton, with two more goals to his name. But is a struggling Birmingham team the right club, i suppose it will test whether his slight frame will be able to cope with physical side of first team football, if nothing else.
The story was that Lingard and Michael Keane would be going out on loan, now Keane is definitely in need of first team football. I have had a feeling he hasn't really pushed on since he came back to our under 21's from his successful loan spell at Leicester last season. In fact during the 4-2 defeat to Liverpool at Salford last month, he was pretty poor. It will be interesting to see whether he will be championship bound or whether a premier league club will take a chance on him.


Music

Benga - Chapter II: I loved his debut album, but this doesn't really do much for me. There are some decent tunes on it, but where the debut was at times dark and moody, this is fluffy and veers to far for my tastes towards a chart friendly commercial sound.

Jon Hopkins - Immunity: His last album, the collaboration with King Creosote was pretty good, but i'd take this over it. That was more a adventurous album, but there isn't a weak track on this, even if it's far more coventional.

Lee Fields - Let's talk it over: I haven't heard his albums over the last couple of years, but if they are anywhere near as good as this little heard debut from the late 70's, I'll have to search them out. Classic funk/soul, it's superb.

Oblivians - Desperation: I never heard this this US garage rock band first time around in the 90's, but this re-union album is excellent. It's loud rip roaring dirty rockn roll.

Thee Oh Sees - Floating coffin: This isn't a million miles away from the Oblivians album, loud scuzzy garage rock. A bit of a departure from their last effort, but it hits the spot. 

These New Puritans - Field of reeds: Their albums are usually growers, and this was no different. It's an excellent album, but i wouldn't begin to know how to describe it. It's almost owes more to avant-garde classical than experimental electronica, at times it even starts to sound like brass band music.
 

Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace

From a red perspective, a totally forgettable game of football, but the Ashley Young diving debate, it would have been for the rest of the footballing world.
As for that "incident", the first was an obvious dive and deserved the yellow and I wasn't even sure the penalty that was given, wasn't a dive. I was in a great position to see that and it wasn't the clearest cut penalty, that's for sure. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned in the world of the punditocracy but if the ref had decided Young had dived for the second offence, surely it would have been him that would have walked. Young makes it hard for anybody to love him, it's pretty obvious by now he's not up to United standard and is fast catching Anderson up in the unpopularity stakes amongst clued up reds. And now he's again battling it with Suarez for title of the biggest diver in the premier league.
As to the game, it was pretty awful, the first half was a real non event. We threatened their goal a grand total of twice i think. Those two efforts were great moves, completely out of place in this game. The pass of Van Persie to Rooney was the pass of the match and the Dutchman should probably have scored once he had controlled it with his chest. Despite Rooney providing the pass of the match and scoring the free kick in the second half, it was another lacklustre performance. Unfortunately it has to be said, on the day, Van Perise wasn't much better, which with the eleven selected wasn't good news.
I feared the worst when i saw the team, a team including Anderson, Young and an out of form Valencia doesn't inspire confidence. The outlook brightened a little when i saw the bench included Januzaj, Zaha and Hernandez. Not really a great state of affairs when your more excited by the subs bench than the team selected.
Unsurprisingly, to me anyway, we saw the best, most fluent football of the day when Januzaj came on. Of course it was only Crystal Palace and they were down to ten men, but the Belgian showed enough to show that he belongs at this level. I don;t expect him to be starting every week, but I hope that he will get the odd game from now on. He was a definite improvement on Young when he came on, some might say that wasn't that hard.
I was pleased to see Fabio start at right back, and I thought he gave us the best performance we have seen from the right back position this season, it's just such a pity Valencia is so badly out of form. Of course it will probably be a totlally different eleven in the week, with the City game coming up next Sunday. It would be nice to see Evans and Jones start to challenge Vidic and Ferdinand for the centre back berth, I've not been entirely convinced by either of those two this season so far.
We couldn't have asked much more from the other results, Chelsea showed that just because they have got Mourinho back, all their old faults haven't totally disappeared. As for City, if our form at the start of this season hasn't been what we'd hoped for, what's to be said about them. If we were in form, next Sunday would have been a great time to be going there. Saying that I'd still gladly take a point from next Sunday's match

Transfer fallout

All Summer long some of us have wondered whether the new regime had a clue what it was doing, journalists have tended to give them the benefit of the doubt. That all changed at 11 PM deadline day, as the full scale of their ineptitude was laid bare for the whole of the football world to see.
I mean where do you start, to put your first bid in for Fabregas a couple of days after Barca had announced the departure of Thiago, whom they hadn't want to lose. You have to believe that Fabregas and his agent did flutter their eyelashes at United's people, but if that was so, why did United not try and push the issue before or at the same time as the Thiago saga was going on. And once we decided to go after Fabregas, why was the initial offer so low.
I always thought that we would get Fellaini, and thought he was possibly Moyes number one wanted signing, unless Ronaldo or Bales became possible. But after the shambles of deadline day, I'm not so sure anymore. If we really bid £40 million for Khedira it's hard to believe he was. I wasn't mad on Fellaini's signature, but I am ready to be proved wrong, but I can't believe we offered £40 million for Khedira. The German is a good player and would have improved our squad, just not at £40 million and at the same time as Fellaini.
The less said about the shambles that the Herrara debacle became, the better, though I'm afraid I can't take United's excuses for that situation seriously at all, they fucked up. In fact even the denials showed the lack of class that has characterised our transfer dealings all Summer long.
Before the Summer, I would have been happy to see one defensive central midfield addition and a left back, a left winger would be great, but Bale apart, where are they. So I am not that disheartened by the lack of addition's, especially if it means that Moyes starts to give Januzaj, Zaha and maybe Lingard a go. For me it was just the amateurish way we went about things during the Summer, which eventually brought almost Cityesque humilation on deadline night.
The anti-Glazer movement has started to rumble again, which was surely the last thing that the Glazer's and Woodward wanted to see. Yet it would probably have never reared it's head if the gimps hadn't raised expectations so high. The post Ferguson, all Glazer era is not off to the best of starts.

Music

Black Sabbath - 13: Much awaited recording reunion, minus drummer Bill Ward of course didn't move the Earth for me. It's decent, there's no complete duds on it, but it never hits the heights either. The first track sums it up, all the trademark Sabbath sounds are on it, the guitar riffs, Butlers bass and the change of tempo's. It's good, but it doesn't live with them at their best in the early years.

Daft Punk - Random Acces Memories: It was beneficial all round getting Niles Rodgers involved on their latest album. It brought renewed recognition for Rodgers career, with Chic and as a producer and it gave Daft Punk possibly their biggest hit with Get Lucky with Pharrel Williams. It's very Chic at times, but there's enough Daft Punk around for the French band to share the accolades for an excellent album.

Femi Kuti - No place for my dream: I think I'm right in saying that Femi is the more political of Fela's two sons to carry on his musical tradition. The afrobeat sound is excellent as ever and he sounds as angry as ever.

Follakzoid - II: A good album of Hawkwind type psych/rock mixed with a driving Krautrock beat that seems to be a popular mixture with a fair few bands at the moment. It's very similar to Mugstar, who i would have to say, do it that litle bit better.

Hooded Fang -  Gravez: A very good piece of indie rock from the Canadian outfit, the sound is varied, it's not bog standard indie, varying from indie pop to more experimental fare.

Kid Congo and Pink Monkey birds - Haunted heat: I love the raw garage rock, dirty rock n roll sound of their debut album, and this follows the same path, you can definitely hear The Cramps in their, one of guitarist Brian Tristan former bands, that can only ever be a good thing.

Laura Mvula - Sing to the moon: Her debut album, this is hard to categorise, genre wise, but the quality of the record isn't, it is excellent. It isn't pop or R n B, but it's not really singer/songwriter fare. What it has are excellent songs with unusual arrangements.

Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United

New manager, same old United performance at Anfield, and another bad day. When was the last time we actually put in a solid display there, even when we took the three points last season, we didn't perform at all. It was too soon to expect Moyes to alter our aproach to this fixture three games into his first season, but it's surely obvious that new thinking is needed the next time we go there.
I'll admit I don't have a clue what that approach would be, but just going there with a 4-4-2 set up, getting out fought all over the pitch and hoping that they tire themselves out, allowing us to play our game, hasn't been entirely successful. Six defeats in the last seven trips there, is not the kind of record we're used to, and given the relative success of the the two clubs during that time, not really good enough.
I'm not a spoilt bastard, I know we will lose there from time to time, but to be second best all over the pitch, almost every time we go there in recent years, isn't acceptable. They don't play better football than us at Anfield and didn't again yesterday, but their players seem to win the battles that matter.
We were poor from defence to attack yesterday, I don't think there was one player who could hold his hand up and say he played to his potential.
Once again our central midfield will get the lions share of the blame, and i'm not pretending they had great games, Carrick wasn't really at his best and I'm afraid Cleverley just doesn't stamp his authority on these games at all. But yet again what did we have coming from out wide. Young was picked ahead of the out of form Valencia, and just proved that neither of them at present pose much of a threat to opposing defence's. Giggs was included, after Rooney's training ground mishap, but played on the right, cutting in to try and aid the midfield. I wasn't thrilled to see Kagawa not even included on the subs bench, but presumed he was really match fit. To hear Moyes confirm afterwards, that he was at about the same level of fitness as Nani, was not music to my ears.
It would seem that Moyes and his coaching staff, do indeed have a problem with Kagawa, he should have started instead of Giggs, even if he couldn't have done the ninety minutes. I presume they thought he wouldn't cope with the pace and power of this particular fixture, if they don't start picking him in them, he never will.
Apart from the early goal, which was a comedy of errors, defensively we coped reasonably well, but looked very shaky on the ball when put under pressure. Gary Neville said at one point that we were too slow at bringing the ball out of defence,and that was bang on the money. You wonder whether the lack of mobility of Ferdinand at any rate was a factor in that. This didn't help our central midfield two as by the time they got the ball, the opposition were ready and set and we never really moved the ball around fast enough to create the space to get in behind them.
I suppose Hernandez should be given a little credit as when he came on, we looked a little more alive and his through ball for Van Persie created our best chance of the match. You really knew it was going to be one of those days when the Dutchman didn't even test the goalie with his shot.
Moyes said after the game that we had missed Rooney, I'm sorry I don't buy that. He has been involved in most of our lacklustre performances there over the last few seasons, I'm not sure exactly what he would have changed. The comment smelt of politics, is he going to be stroking Rooney's ego all season.
This defeat has put pressure on us to get some kind of result at City, no easy task obviously. They haven't really started the season any better than us, performance wise, but will know they could put a bit of daylight between themselves and us if they take the three points on derby day. That's going to be some occasion.