Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle United

Not a great game of football, but an excellent experience for our reserve back four, who acquitted themselves reasonably well. The midfield and attack was actually pretty strong, i can only presume, to give the back four a bit more protection. I was disappointed that Nick Powell didn't start, when he did come on near the end, he gave us a little cameo of what might have been, showing good energy, good use of the ball and was a constant threat to the oppostion's defence.
I wasn't suprised to see Rooney play, he obviously needs games and i'm fairly sure he will play regularly for the next couple of months. He actually did pretty well, he looked miles sharper than he did against Everton that's for sure, he lost possession too easily a couple of times, but played a couple of Scholesesque cross field balls. I thought Cleverley was probably our stand out player, he should have scored in the first half, thankfully he put it right in the second half after finishing off a fine move when supplied by Welbeck.
I have read a few reds arguing Anderson's performance should bring him into contention for run in the first team. I can't go along with that at all, he started well against hardly the toughest opponents, then as usual totally disappeared from the game, before another burst in the last five minutes that led to the fine run and for once he actually finished it off with a fine shot and goal. At beginning off the second half i said watch how many times he touches the ball compared to Cleverley or Rooney even, needless to say it didn't average well, before he had another surge before the obligatory complete running out of steam that would have seen him substituted in the premier league.
I will hold my hands up on Fletcher though, he did far better than i had expected, i couldn't see him playing regular first team football again. If he can get a run of games together and get his touch back, that would be a huge boost to the squad. He seemed to play a little deeper than usual, but even that could turn out to be handy, giving us more options.
Given the injury crisis it was always going to be a young and inexperienced back line, but boy did Fergie put trust in the young lads. I thought Wooton and Keane did pretty well, i've never really seen Wooton as first team material, so he really did far better than i expected. Keane did well, though i thought the game showed he really needs to go out on loan and get some real first team experience. With our defensive injury crisis, he probably won't get it. Vermijl started off reasonably well before nerves seemed to take hold of him, he probably should have been subbed a bit earlier as they were getting a lot of joy down that flank of the pitch.
So not a bad night, though it would have been a better night, at the kind of prices our closest rivals were charging for the competition. I doubt the club will be in any kind of hurry to bring pices down, Glazernomics at work.

Fergie was happy with Rooney's return to the fray, although it seems Cleverley got a verbal volley at half time for his first half miss. He got one from me at the match, i had the bastard for first goal. I still haven't picked a first goal scoreryet this season, though i did have Van persie for a hatrick at Southampton, so i'm not down too much.

The news about Vidic was both unbelievable and yet you had a feeling there was some nasty news coming as to why he was really left out of the Anfield clash. We really have to start worrying if we will ever see the pre-cruciate era Vidic ever again, the news that he's had an operation on the same knee is very unwelcome
You would have to think that Ferdinand will be getting a new contract offer fairly shortly with this news, the annoying aspect to this news is this was when you would be hoping Jones and Smalling would be playing and gaining experience. Our injury situation is almost beyond a joke now.

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United

I had been hoping and expecting United to go to Anfield and put a performance in this season, not neccessarily to get the three points, but to give themselves a chance of doing. Well we got the three points, but it was a shocking performance really, even when they were down to ten men, they possibly did enough to have deserved a draw. Don't get me wrong i loved going there and winning, but it would be nice if we could go there and actually put a performance in.
I started to worry as soon as i saw the teamsheet, no Vidic at the back, and Giggs in central midfield, but no Cleverley or Scholes. I've been a big fan of Ryan Giggs down the years, but i have said it before, i don't think Fergie can just drop him into such a big game, when he hasn't been playing regularly. Giggs was poor yesterday, he wasn't on his own admittedly, but surely Cleverley's energy would have preferable in a midfield contest that we seem to lose season after season, and whilst it was eleven v eleven yesterday, we lost out in once more.
The first half, was a total shambles of a display really, i don't think the importance of the day to them yesterday comes into it, our performance, was akin to our last three or four at their place, in fact that first half was probably as bad as we have been there. I was amazed when i saw Nani's name on the teamsheet, after what i've read recently i thought Fergie had long lost faith in him. He has never put even a half decent display at Anfield and it was no suprise to see him not reappear at the start of the second half after an abject 45 minutes. To be fair to him, Valencia was no better, the South American's only meaningful contribution  was the run that led to the penalty. I can't recall the right winger having two such poor back to back games for us, pretty worrying really. When we have nothing happening on our flanks, we are generally in trouble.
Van Persie didn't do much, but he had such poor service it's hard to judge him, the pace of there game seemed to unsettle him in the first half, but as i said he had so little of the ball it must have been hard for him to find his feet in the game. Kagawa likewise never really got into it, after a good start he seems to be finding the pace of English football a problem. I was suprised to see him named in the team after his last couple of games, i wouldn't have minded seeing him on the left yesterday, he couldn't have been any worse than Nani.
The sending off obviously changed the game, i don't think there can be much argument that the ref got that right, though obviously the scouse will argue otherwise. United managed to get a foothold in the game after that, even if we never actually got our game together.
The news that Scholes was replacing Nani gave hope at the beginning of the second half, only for our defence, the only department of the team to actually do it's job in the first half, to fall asleep at the beginning of the second to allow Gerrard the time and space to put them a goal up. I'll admit that i feared the worst after that, the way we were playing it was hard to see a goal coming. But it did, and it was a bit of a cracker from Rafael, who had a pretty good game all told. If only he could play like that every week. On the other side Evra was in and out, making some good challnges and interceptions, but going missing in action at others. Hats off to Evans and Ferdinand, i was worried when the news that Vidic was out, but they did their job.
It may not have been a stonewall penalty, but a penalty it was, i didn't think we'd get that kind of decision there though, so full marks to the officials. Despite the goalie getting his hands to the ball, the power it was hit with ensured it ended up in the back of the net. So a poor performance, but three points and with Arsenal going to City and getting a deserved point it ended up being a pretty good day.

Pressure on players !

From the beginning of the season, i have been looking forward to this game, believing for the first time in a few years we could actually go there and give a performance, not just get a result. Then they decide to produce the Hillsbrough report, meaning we will be the first team to play there since it was published, the onus for the disaster was brought squarely where it's always been obvious it should reside, on South Yorkshire police force and the British establishment.
I hope we respect the silence, but i'm not having all this respect bollocks, there a lot more skeleton's in Liverpool fans past, that the press, seem to either ignore or conveniently forget. They will always be the enemy to me and most of my generation of reds, City will never touch them on that score. Growing up seeing Munich 58 in the middle of the kop on football highlights, never mentioned on TV or in the press at the time and then being old enough to go there and hearing all the Munich taunts and the arm plane waving, well, you just don't forget it. United fans may not be angels, well in the past anyway, but we're a cut above them, then again who isn't.
Reports like this are what do your head in, the rivalry has become unique since the power drifted to this side of the east lands road in the early 90's. What a complete load of dross, where were these clowns in the late seventies and eighties, when United v Liverpool games were a battle on the pitch and even more so off it. The atmosphere may be charged when we play them nowadays, but it is absolutely nothing like it used to be.
Fergie has claimed there is enough pressure on the players and has likened the game to the 50th anniversary of Munich when United put in such an abysmal performance in losing to City. I wish he hadn't brought that up, it was only by actually winning the champions league in Moscow that May, that i was able to forgive and forget that day. It wasn't the defeat that rankled but the performance, especially when you remembered the Everton game after Busby had passed away, which saw us put in a display worthy of the occasion, even if the scoreline that day, didn't reflect that.

I suppose the news that Ashley Young will not be returning to the squad any time, means Nani's return to favour will continue in the coming weeks, though i 'll be amazed if he is in the starting eleven at Anfield on Sunday.

Advance base - A shut in's prayer: Not a bad album, it's full of quirky tunes, a six out of ten job.


Christian Scott - Christian atunde adjuah: I read glowing reviews for this, and after a few listens, i do like it. I'm not sure it's quite as good as some of the reviews, but i am sure it's too long, clocking in at almost two hours.


Ladyhawke - Anxiety: Her first album was critically aclaimed, and whilst it had it's moments it was bit too tee for me. This is a big advance to my mind, full of cracking hooks but with a lot more balls than her debut.


Pavement - Wowee zowee: I never took any notice of these first time around in the 90's but since is started to go through their release's i've found out what a mistake that was. One of the best indie/rock/guitar bands of the 90's, so many cracking tracks on this their third album.


Soft Machine - Third: Another cracking album from the late sixties, early eventies, jazz/rock meets progressive meets psychedelia and i love it, not for the pop pickers amongst you though.

The congos - Dub feast: A lovely slice of dub from one of the genre's classic acts, i haven't heard the reggae version, i'd probably prefer this verssion anyway.


THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE: Leftfield hip hop that really hits the mark, an excellent album.