Fulham 0-4 Manchester United

I expected us to win this but i didn't really expect the demolition that it ended up being. Fulham started reasonably well but as soon as United took the lead the game completely changed as United took complete control of the game and by the end it could have been 6 or 7 . Ronaldo was rested with the two crucial games ahead of us and Berbatov was left on the bench with Tevez partnering Rooney on the bench. Fletcher played on the right, not his favourite position but he did a fair enough job. Anderson came into central midfield alongside Carrick, it will be inertesting to see what who will be in central midfield on Wedneday. I thought Evans might have got a game with either Ferdinand or Vidic rested but Fergie picked the stongest available back four with O'Shea continuing at right back.
The first 20 minutes were fairly even with United proving a threat up front with Rooney and Tevez looking on form. There were a couple of scares at our end with Johnson nearly catching Van Der Sar out but Vidic got back to clear it off the line. The opening goal was a bit of a gift with Rooney heading on a corner and Tevez heading it at the back post unchallenged. Rooney then had two great chances one which hit the post when it seemed easier to score. He also had a goal ruled out for offside but TV replays showed it should have stood, it seemed like it was going to be one of those days for him in front of goal.The second goal was a superb solo effort from Tevez running at the heart of the home sides defence and then unleashing a thunderbolt that curled past Schwarzer in the corner of the net. The one downside of the half was the injury to Ferdinand that eventually saw him subbed at half time.
The second half was more of the same with United in complete control and it just seemed like a matter of time before they scored. And come it did and this time it was Rooney's turn to score a cracker. Collecting the ball on the left hand side edge of the box he took a couple of steps inside and placed a curling shot right into the opposite corner of the net beating the Aussies oustretched hand. Rooney was then taken off as a precaution after a untidy tangle with Dempsey. Tevez had a couple of chances to get his Hatrick but it never quite happened for him. It was left to Park to get the last goal as he ran at the opposing defence and curled his shot into the lfet hand corner of the net. It was just about as perfect a warm up to Wednesday's biggie against Inter as you could get, the Ferdinand injury apart.

The Telegraph's match report
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/facup/4954557/Wayne-Rooney-and-Carlos-Tevez-keep-Manchester-United-in-honours-hunt.html

United are awaiting a report on Ferdinad before they know whether he will be available for the Inter tie
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7899577.stm

A piece in the times on Fletcher
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article5741098.ece






Nick Cohen on the housing market and the the disaster the credit crunch will be for it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/08/housing-market-credit-crunch

Will Hutton the latest economic moves by the bank
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/08/will-hutton-recession-money

Iain Martin on the special relationship
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/iainmartin/4954361/The-special-relationship-is-a-joke-and-it-isnt-funny.html

Leaked report shows we still don't really know what we are doing in Afghanistan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/06/us-intelligence-afghanistan

Newcastle 1-2 Manchester United

Another game, another win, and three more points nearer the title. Although United weren't at their best, this was yet another very mightily impressive performance. Most of the big guns came back in after Sunday's carling cup final and United took the field with arguably ther strongest team at the moment. O'Shea stayed at right back, and with the injury front as it is he might well be getting a long rub there. Carrick and Fletcher made up central midfield and Rooney returned to partner Berbatov up front.
It was a bit of a surprise to see the state of the pitch as Newcastle had a taste of snow before the game and there was still some on the ground as the teams kicked off. I thought United had started reasonably well after a couple of minutes stroking it around quite nicely. But soon the barcodes started to get about United fairly aggressively. Added to that they seemed to have a game plan of trying to play on the break counter attacking at speed catching United on the hop as they obviously were not expecting it. Saying that the goal when it came was really the result of a Van Der Sar blunder. After 9 minutes Gutierrez cut in from the left and hit a right foot shot that wasn't that hard but bounced just before it reached Van Der Sar who didn't collect dropping it straight to the feet of Lovenkrands who tapped it home to put the Geordies 1-0 up. There followed an anxious 5 minutes where Newcastle really took the game to us in which Vidic was booked after being completely beaten by Martins, just outside the box fortunately.
At this point United picked the perfect moment to produce a superb move that saw a one two deliver O'Shea into space and he picked out Rooney with a perfectly waited pass which Rooney let go across him and then swivel and hit a left foot shot that took a slight deflection but which the goalie would have had no chance with anyway. Now United started to gain some control of the match, not domination but they started to control the tempo of the game better and Newcastle's counter attacks virtually stopped. Vidic had a difficult chance from a corner but couldn't keep a bouncing ball down with his header. Just before half time Taylor who has been a bit naughty against us before had a go at first Ronaldo and and then Carrick and at least deserved the yellow card that he received.
The second half saw United start to really boss the game and a dangerous pass from Rooney intended for Park on the left was cut out by Taylor only for him to stumble to let in Park who touched it across the face of the goal for Berbatov to slot home the winner. Whilst the reds took a stranglehold of the game they didn't really create that many great chances. The best or most spectacular at any raate that was a sweetly struck shot from Berbatov that was touched over the bar by Harper. So the gap goes back to 7 points and any encouragement our pursuers took from the night before was dashed. Fulham is of course a biggish game but the two after that, well that is the real stuff. Beat Liverpool and that is the end of them for good, what an incentive.

Handbags in the tunnel at half time apparently
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tempers-flare-as-united-strengthen-grip-on-title-1637852.html

Calls for inquiry into Leeds United
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/mar/04/david-conn-ken-bates-leeds-ownership
Despite detesting Leeds United and not having much time for Ken Bates who is about as near to corrupt as you can get, i don't know if i want this to happen. Let them crawl along in the filth they created for themselves.

Great to see it is still as much of a pantomine off the field as it on the pitch at Loonypool
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/4944524/Liverpool-talks-going-really-badly-say-Kuwaitis.html

Anatole Kaletsky with a column on rethinking how we run the country
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/anatole_kaletsky/article5847630.ece

Vernon Bogdanor on a lib-lab pact
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5847594.ece
It won't happen and as far as the libreals are concerened i can't really see what they would get out of propping up a discredited new labour government. I have just read a book about the 1929 - 1931 government and i agree with the view shared by many others on the centre left that it was a disaster that the left split into two and left the the 20th century to be the tory century. But the labour party will be getting what it deserves if it is demolished at the next general election. They have had 12 years to reform the voting system but as long as it suited them they wouldn't change it. If it comes back to bite them big time, well some might see that as poetic justice. Of course that doesn't mean i want a Tory government. But 4 years of a weak Tory government that will have to do things that will infuriate its own backbenchers might be fun to watch.

Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham hotspur

It wasn't really the performance we were looking for, but it's yet another piece of silverware coming to Old Trafford under the stewardship of Ferguson. He kept his promise of playing the youngsters as Welbeck, Gibson and Evans all started. Of the three Evans had the best match as he put in yet another top class performance. Gibson had a decent game without shaking any trees whilst unfortunately Welbeck struggled to impose himself on the game at all. The virus that meant that Rooney didn't play was probably bad news for Welbeck as i think he may well have started on the right with Rooney playing through the middle with Tevez. Welbeck doesn't really seem the have the physique to cope with top premiership defenders yet.
United started the game well and dominated the opening 20 minutes. Gibson saw an excellent long range effort go inches wide and Nani forced Gomes in to a near post save. Ferdinand almost popped up with a goal after a magnificent shot sailed just over the ball. But the goal our play had promised didnt come and Spurs eventually started to creep back into the game. Mainly through the speed of Lennon who started to give Evra a bit of a chasing for the rest of the half. We have not seen that very often recently but fortunately Lennon' achilles heel has always beeen his crossing and yesterday was to be no different as he wasted all the good situations he engineered for himself.
The second half was 10 minutes old when Fergie decided to take Welbeck off and replace him with the back to full fitness Anderson. The game continued in the same vein with neither side really looking like scoring. Tevez came close with a far post back heel that went just wide. At the other end Foster was called into action to make a tremendous save from Lennon. Apart from one bad decision tin the first half Foster gad a good game and the one thing he seems to have going for him is a real presence and a belief in himself that is sadly lacking from Kuszczak. Ronaldo should have been awarded a penalty as a fine run ended with King bringing him down in the area but instead of getting a penalty he was awarded a yellow card. His reputation is working against him as far as getting penalties go this season.
With the final whistle only moments away Ronald again cut inside and unleashed a shot that hit the inside of a post and came out to Nani who couldn't finish off the rebound so extra time it was. Extra time wasn't choc full of incident as both teams seemed to have a back four on top form. Foster again had to make a fine save this time from Bent whilst Evra had United's best chance but couldn't convert.
The way that United obviously fancy themselves in a penalty shoot out nowadays is pretty unbelievable when you used to virtually expect us to lose once it went to a penalty shoot out. Foster made a great save from O'hara and after that it just seemed certain that United would win and it was left to Anderson to hit the winning spot kick with no hint of nerves at all. Fergie was right to point out that we could have done without the extra time with Wednesday night's clash against the geordies to come. It was another good weekend for us though, one more trophy lifted the scousers losing and even better putting in another terrible performance.

Stepney tips Foster to succeed Van Der Sar as United number 1
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/4927721/Manchester-Uniteds-Ben-Foster-can-succeed-Edwin-van-der-Sar-says-Alex-Stepney.html

An Observer piece on Park Ji Sung
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/mar/01/park-ji-sung-manchester-united

Transfer specualtion in the Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/manchester-united-line-up-ribery-to-replace-ronaldo-1635550.html

More financial turmoil as AIG makes record corporate loss
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/02/aig-insurance-loss

Larry Elliot on the fall out in eastern Europe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/02/eastern-europe-1997-asian-crisis

Anatole Kaletsky is worried
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/anatole_kaletsky/article5827901.ece