Manchester United 2012/2013 Premier League Season (+ CC & FA Cup)

dammit!! Cisse scores! 2-1.

unlucky cheech, hits the bar.

Rooney is playing really well. Looks sharp.

Newcastle looking very threatening tho since the intro' of cisse.

wooow what a goal that would have been by cisse. off the bar.

Powell did well once he came on for rooney, Rooney looked like a man amongst boys out there completely bossed whole time he was out there. unlucky for hernandez, he was making some lovely runs tho off the ball

FT. Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle

good win.

Rooney was MOTM. Such a great WC player when he is on form. Rooney and RVP, if it clicks, could form a devastating attack.

---------------------------

We've been drawn against Chelsea at SB next round.

Rooney was amazing,Iniesta-esque performance

Tom Cleverley’s goal proved to be the winner, as Manchester United beat Newcastle 2-1 at Old Trafford. Most of the talk was about Darren Fletcher’s inclusion in the squad. He played the full ninety minutes and, whilst it was evident that he lacks match fitness and that extra edge he once used to possess, it is great to witness him in action, after such an unlucky time out of action. He is the player that was missing in the games against Athletic Bilbao, one that hustles the opposition and is one of the few players in the squad that is more than capable of adding intensive pressure.

Marnick Vermijl and Scott Wootton made their official débuts for United. The former was not particularly impressive at the back – a big occasion for the Belgian, he looked nervous and not composed, and was responsible for allowing Shane Ferguson the time to cross the ball into the path of Papiss Cissé, who does not miss chances that fall onto his head. It is great to see the youngster start, his performances for the reserves merited a start in a low-key. However, not the best way to start, although with time he will most probably improve.

Alexander Büttner also featured, in what was a solid, comfortable game for the energetic left back, apart from a couple of tentative moments against former United player, Gabriel Obertan. Again, the attacking flair was on show but a more reserved and professional performance showed that he is willing to improve. Positive signs, surely he is not far off Patrice Evra now? It may be two games, but the Frenchman can now be displaced; he finally has competition.

Anderson opened the scoring in the forty-fourth minute, with a vicious strike that was too much for Robert Elliot. The Brazilian was one of the best midfielders on the pitch for large spells of the game, showing that he is not the finished article. Injuries have stalled his progress for substantial periods of his Manchester United career thus far, but last season he more than proved that he does require the quality to play a pivotal role within the squad. Self-discipline seems to be an attribute he has cleaned up on, although he is yet to perfect his defensive duties completely.

The Brazilian’s partner, Cleverley, also produced another promising display. It is very hard to fault Cleverley for much, since he came into the equation against Tottenham last year (in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford). He missed a glorious chance to open his United account, having been freed by Javier Hernandéz. Far too often, talk has been about how poor his finishing is – a myth, considering that he scored some beautiful goals for Watford – and how he needs to score his first senior goal, or else he will feel the excessive pressure. Score his first professional club for the club he loves the most he did. The celebration encapsulated the passion and the relief present in his system. His goal was a precise finish into the bottom right corner of the net, after Danny Welbeck fed him with the ball.

It is clearly visible to see what the pair offer to United. More fluidity, attractive football, enthusiasm, and a strong overall relationship balances pretty well when a holding midfielder (even though Fletcher struggled for obvious reasons) is behind them, covering their tracks. That is no certainty just yet, as they did a lot of running for Scotsman. Talk of replacing Paul Scoles has emerged more frequently this season, but with Anderson and Cleverley present in the squad, it is easy to understand why Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to not spend excessively on a renowned play maker.

The return of Rooney brought about assurance in midfield. He dropped back and made quite a number of beautiful balls, one of which was a 50-yard ”Hollywood” ball, which landed to Welbeck, whose shot was saved by Elliot. He controlled the game, with a point to prove, after an anonymous display against Everton. The injury has allowed him the time to think about his performances: inconsistent for a while. But, no doubt, that with more performances like the one against Newcastle, Shinji Kagawa, who is yet to hit top form, will have tough competition. Credit to Wazza for the beautiful performance – “more of the same please.”

Nervy moments were present: the visitors came close to an equaliser late on when Cissé cleverly improvised an acrobatic move inside the box, surrounded by two players, with David de Gea beaten but the crossbar blocked his path to a sensational goal. Neither side dominated, but Newcastle seemed to have more of a cutting edge to them when the Senegalese born striker was introduced in the second half.

In the other end, Hernandéz struggled with his first-touch. One week, he has a decent first-touch; the next it can be completely abysmal. What has improved to his credit, though, is his ability to contribute more to attacks outside the box, instead of looking like an isolated figure. Welbeck played on the left wing and, for a change, did not have to endure pain, playing out of position. His touch and control were immaculate – and is making a name for himself. Once the finishing is added to his attributes, we will see a great striker.

Ryan Tunnicliffe’s début, coming off the bench to replace Vermijl, earned his father £10,000. It was a good performance by all the players involved and signs that the younger generation are capable of handling physical players.

My post match article: http://insidesiralexfergusonstand.com/2012/09/27/manchester-united-open-capital-one-cup-campaign-with-a-win/

MUFC v Spurs
Old Trafford
Kick Off 17:30 (bst)

lol0-1 down already.

y the hell is rooney not playing.

what a goal. well done bale. 0-2 spurs! we cou;d be in for a beating.

well deserved for spurs!!

I blame no one but SAF for this shambles of a team. Consisitently neglecting our mf and keeps faith on soft and old players. We have been completely dominated by every team this season.

that averagness was gonna bite us eventually. we can't rely on luck and pens to bail us out .

I've been underwhlemed with kagawa tbh.

spurs by far the better team so far. (how many times have i said that about the opposition team this season).

0-2. HT.

We need major changes to turn this around. Get the inneffective Kagawa off and out rooney in his place!!!

Come on Spurs, don't collapse now!!

Like seriously, how soft is our midfield tho !! Thats what we get for fielding a 30, 37 & 38 year old against a young energetic midfield.

cmon lads. 2-1...nani!! what an assist by rooney.

i cant believe what im seeing here. 1-3!!

bloody hell. shet shet defending

no one to blame but fergie for this!! that6 team selection for the 1st half was pure shet.

united 2-3 spurs.

well deserved and long overdue win for spurs!.

only turned up for the 2nd half...by then it was too late. we're just not good enough to compete for the title this season i feel.

I've been saying for a while that time is up for SAF and I am proven right again.

re evaluation!! that 2nd half perfromance was brilliant, we completely dominated them. Rooney completely changed our team.

we're unlucky really to lose that game, because we completely tore spurs a new one after the break.

I am sure saf will learn from that fck up of a starting line up, and we'll improve drastically!

1st half cost us the game. had rooney been starting, and giggs not playing, we would have beaten spuds.

scholes was incredible too.

we'll bounce back. that defeat will do us a world of good. Spurs were due a win over us anyways. their last win was in 2001

AVB is a ............ tho'

An awful first half, our worst this season, cost us dearly. Nani, Carrick, and Ferdinand all went sleeping for the first goal, so it's hard to put blame on one player, especially in a half that we were extremely poor in. Dembele ran the show and Sandro recycled possession well, Lennon looked to conjure up attacks and did so well with Evra struggling to deal with two players (the other being Walker) because of Giggs' inability to track back. On paper, we were meant to be playing with two wingers, but Nani had to do most of the work in the first half, while Giggs was running all over the place. When is he going to retire? I respect him on the pitch a lot, but it is visible that he is past his best and is hindering the side with his erratic ability these days.

The second goal was not even that precise or pacey for Lindegaard not to deal with, I was disappointed with the Dane - his reflexes are not as good as De Gea's and that was evident again when Dempsey scored. I am all for dropping goalkeeper's when they have made genuine mistakes, but going back to why he was dropped: not enough composure, which lead to Vidic's own goal and put us under pressure. That, however, is not the case. He was impeded by Petric and, even since then, he has been fairly solid.

The second half was the best football I have seen the team play, since the early stages of last season. High pressure, Scholes at his best, Ferdinand dealing with the danger, Nani terrorising Vertonghen, who was shaky throughout, Kagawa embodying intelligence, and Rooney looking at his best, what more can you ask for? Maybe for Fergie to implement a system that will suit these players, so we do not see zombie-like football, where we struggle to make two passes. Midfield deficiencies would mean nothing, if this is achieved. I quite like Kagawa on the left - he is in the same mould as Silva, but is in better form currently. Taking him off was the wrong option, another sign that it is a bit too much for Fergie.

A draw would have been a fair result, but the difference is Tottenham scored a goal when they were on the receiving end; we did not. The defending by Gallas, might I add, was great and Friedel should remain number one. We should have had at least a penalty, but decisions go for and against you, so I do not really get fussed over such decisions. Well done to AVB. The project he has set up looks promising, a young adventurous and ambitious manager who could propel Tottenham to fourth.

Lindegaard was crap, 2nd and 3rd goal should not go in...give me De Gea every day of the week.