Villareal 0-0 Manchester United

The fourth scoreless draw in a row against the Spaniards didn't really come as much of a shock did it. Both teams needed just the point to be sure of going through to the next round. For Villareal that was crucial as if Celtic had won in Denmark as they had every chance of doing that would left them with an unenviable trip to Glasgow where they would have had to get a point. I think they would have done that but you can't blame them for wanting to make sure last night. As for us we have got a derby coming up on sunday where our players might actually put in as much effort as their lot usually do. I know i see Liverpool as a bigger game than the Derby but it is still a massive game! This season with them doing the double over us last year and now having untold riches i think we can expect our lot to treat it with the respect it warrants. Besides all that we have to get on a winning streak and soon because we still don't seem to have clicked this season.
I have to admit being surprised by the starting line up, i wasn't that surprised that Nani started but i expected it to be at the expense of Ronaldo not Tevez. Fergie said Ronaldo was desperate to play, well it's not too hard to guess why. This is after all the country where he had his heart set on in the summer. I think we can safely say he might have wanted to remind Real he is still out there should they want next season, which of course they do whatever they say.
As for the game the first half was a complete damp squib as they got everybody behind the ball and although United had a lot of possession it took until the last couple of minutes for them to create a really worth while chance. A great ball from Anderson found Rooney in the middle just outside the penalty area who touched it expertly into the path of Ronaldo who let rip first time and hit a venomous shot that took a slight deflection forcing the goalie into a fingertip save forcing it onto the cross bar. Just before half time A free kick from just ouside the area saw another fine strike from Ronaldo which brought out another impressive save from their number 1 Lopez.
The second hald was a better specatcle and saw United really gain control of the match and this time create more chances. But we couldn't really open them up and we didn't really create any guilt edge chances to be honest. Carrick and Fletcher bossed the midfield, Rooney tried hard to create room up front, Evra tried to get forward with negligible help from Nani who once again was very disappointing, not so much as he played badly as being anonnymous. Jonny Evans partnered Ferdinand and had a decent game though to be fair he didn't have too much to do. By the 65th minute they had lost both Senna and Pires and after that they rarely ventured over the half way line. It was disappointing to see Rooney stoop to some of Ronaldo's lesser traits though i have to admit i was willing the ref to give a penalty as that would have netted me a tidy sum even though i knew he hadn't beeen touched.
Rooney was involved in most of our best moments in the second half with a chip that he rushed a fine first time left foot volley that unfortunately straight at the goalie and lastly a run and centre that was almost deflected into the back of the net. I'm not a fan of the amount of times Ronaldo goes to ground but the Villareal defender Capdevila can have no complaints about the red card as it was a nasty foul that would have wrecked.
So through to the next round, it maybe a bit presumptious but it will be surely as group winners with Aalborg at home in the last game. Now for the game of the week.

Rooney says sorry
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/26/manchester-united-villarreal-champions-league1

MP backs MUST's campaign against United's price ticketing policy, the more supporters the better.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1081788_mp_backs_ticket_campaign

The credit crunch even affecting Dubai apparently
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article5233280.ece

The economy still going from bad to worse, the tactic of having Gordon Brown being the supposed hero saving thw world's economies might not look too clever when the jobs really start to go, as it looks like they are staring to
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article5236433.ece
Woolies to go into administration
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/woolworths-stores-set-for-administration-1035497.html

Fergie satisfied with draw

So was I
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/3507772/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-unruffled-by-points-dropped-against-Aston-Villa-Football.html

Ronaldo travels to Spain, though he may not start according to some reports
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/ronaldo-heads-to-spain-despite-injury-worries-1033051.html
Villreal got spnaked 3-0 at home at the weekend, preparing for the visit of the European champions?

The past counts for nothing in German football.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/nov/24/bundesliga-stuttgart-armin-veh
There is something to be said for that, but does that mean you don't clebrate the great players of the past, that's going too far.

Deflation seeems to be a bigger threat all of a sudden
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article5219293.ece
I am starting to think the pessimistic stance is the more realistic one myself, after all everything else has turned out to be worse than evreybody predicted.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/stephen-king/stephen-king-if-interest-rate-cuts-cannot-solve-the-money-shortage-turn-on-the-printing-press-1032363.html

Germany in economic trouble also according to Hamish McRae. But they always bounce back, to be in the financial position they were before the credit crunch after taking on East Germany was one hell of an achievement. They are in a better position than us that's for sure.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-nobody-does-it-better--so-the-signs-are-bad-if-even-germany-is-in-the-mire-1030825.html

Larry Elliot on the woes of the British economy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/24/pre-budget-report-uk-economy
and Max Hastings on leadership
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/24/gordon-brown-economic-crisis

Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester United

Well our record at Villa park had to come to an end sometime, at least it didn't end with us losing. This wasn't the greatest of games with Villa sitting back and making it hard for us, chances were thin on the ground. It was a pity Fletcher was injured as i am pretty sure he would have featured in this game.
United were the better team and bossed the posession but found it hard to really make that penetrating final pass. Ronaldo made one good run that saw him hit a fierce drive but Friedal had no problem parrying it out for a corner.Tevez and Rooney worked hard as usual but the only other real chances fell to Park and Vidic in the first half. Park looked to have been put through clean on goal but a brilliant late tackle from Young stole the ball away from him at the last minute. A couple of minutes later he was inches away from converting a cross from Rooney. Vidic went close from a dead ball from Giggs but 0-0 at half time was probably a fair scoreline.
The second half followed a similar pattern with United having most of the possession but struggling to convert the posesssion into chances. Probably the best chance of the match fell to Rooney after Carrick had cleverly lobbed a pass over the Villa defence to give Rooney a chance with a right foot volley but he only managed to put it into the top tier of the north stand. Tevez was replaced by Nani and shook his head in disappointment. I can't see the Argentine being here next season, it will be interesting if Campbell does come back as i think next season would see two products of the youth team in the first team pool.
Villa had a shout for a penalty on the hour after Vidic tangled with Agbonlahor but the ref didn't give it. A foul outside the area would have been the correct decision but he didn't give anything. With Liverpool and Chelsea but having disappointing results some might think that this was chance missed. In a way obviously it was, but i would have took a draw before the game so i am not too disappointed. It looks like Arsenal are in freefall after their thumping at the boo camp, it wasn't just the result but more the performance. Gallas has opened up a right can of worms there.

The Observer match report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/23/aston-villa-manchester-united

Campbell could return, says Fergie
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7743233.stm

Rossi the one that got away
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article5212782.ece
I had a lot of time for him, he was a really good player.

Keynes biographer Robert Skidelsky on what the great man would have done faced with todays situation
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/robert-skidelsky-what-would-keynes-have-done-1029916.html

An article on the artist Rodriguez and his great lost album Cold Fact. I have been listening to this recently and it is a classic, amazing that it never sold.
http://www.djouls.com/index.php/rodriguez-cold-fact