Mancs V Scousers

[glasfryn]

that will be worth watching on MOTD tonight

 

[Trigger]

Alan Wiley, absolute top class reffing all game, how many other refs would have bottled out of sending Vidic off at Old Trafford, how Wiley is not this countries top ref is beyond me, the likes of Styles, Bennett & Riley should watch Wiley and take notes on how to ref properly.

 

[Simon Morgan]

Quality performance from Liverpool. On their day, Torres and Gerrard are as good as anyone in the world in their positions.

PD: 'not a patch on Berbatov'?!?! He actually runs a bit, that alone makes him better

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

knobheads wearing Manure and Cheaterpool tops were causing trouble in Grimsby town centre this afternoon after the game finished and they all rolled out of the pubs. The missus decided to cut short her shopping trip around the precinct.

 

[Jam The Man]

LFC were grateful for the quality team talk from Rooney ahead of the game!

 

[Slough Seagull]

LFC were grateful for the quality team talk from Rooney ahead of the game!

or reading sycophantic shite like this from Oliver Holt...

I felt guilty last Saturday evening. Because Manchester United played a few miles away from where I live and I didn't go to watch them.

I listened to the commentary of their FA Cup tie against Fulham at Craven Cottage on the radio as I drove my daughter to a swimming pool in north London. The pangs got worse.

The commentators were raving about United. They were ransacking their minds for new superlatives. It sounded as if they were watching football poetry by the Thames.

Not that it's anything particularly new praising United. Sir Alex Ferguson's sides have dominated the game here for the last 15 years.

There have been great teams to watch, filled with great players. Too many to mention, really. A cast of stars.

But it feels as though there's something special about Ferguson's latest creation, as though what he has built at Old Trafford has taken another step forward in its evolution.

The way this United team play football, you want to take your kids to a game so that in years to come, they can say they saw them play.

Whoever they grow up to support, they can say they saw a United side that was chasing five trophies.

They can say they saw Ryan Giggs in his glorious autumn, Wayne Rooney growing into his prime, Cristiano Ronaldo in his pomp, the fiery majesty of Paul Scholes, the breathtaking passing of Michael Carrick and one of the best English club defences there has ever been.

And they can say they saw Ferguson (below) himself, standing watchfully over his charges in his Old Trafford perch, gazing down at his final achievement and the one that we may yet remember him by.

For all those reasons, it will feel like a privilege to watch United take on Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League second round tie this evening.

Seeing them take on Liverpool, the pretenders to their throne, on Saturday afternoon will be equally unmissable.

It's possible, of course, that Inter will spoil this script by beating United tonight. How typical of their boss, Jose Mourinho, it would be to conjure a result like that.

But the evidence we have seen so far suggests that won't happen. The evidence we have seen so far suggests that Inter, like most other teams, are simply not in United's league. United were so much better than Inter in the first half of the first leg at the San Siro that the gulf was embarrassing. Inter were lumpen. United were brilliant.

Apart from all the individual talents the team possess, what is so striking about this United team is its technical accomplishment.

There is nothing traditionally English about their style at all. They have travelled a million miles, too, from the 4-4-2 orthodoxy that ruled their fantastic Treble-winning side of 1999.

They are fluid now. So fluid they slip through your fingers. So fluid they're close to perfecting Total Football. Very close.

Their close control is fantastic. They play the ball into feet at pace into tight areas. They keep possession. They pass the opposition to death.

Their movement is like quicksilver. Players such as Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, dropping deep, pulling wide, are unmarkable.

Their speed of passing and their speed of thought is reminiscent of the Spain team that outplayed England so comprehensively last month in Seville. And compliments don't come much higher than that.

So I hope United wipe the floor with Inter tonight. Not because they're English and Inter are Italian.

But because this United team represents everything that is good about the game and Inter don't. And because their quest for five trophies is something to be marvelled at, even if, sooner or later, it may come unstuck.

If you can get a ticket for anything in sport, get a ticket to watch this United play.

 

[Spider]

A rare clash between the Big 4 that is actually as exciting as it ought to be. Grear result for Liverpool but this would have been fantastic if it actually meant anything - all it will do is slightly reduce Man U's massive points advantage at the end of the season. Must be so frustrating to be a Liverpool fan this season - they have looked brilliant in some big games then fail to beat teams like Stoke and Middlesborough.

 

[footychick]

All I could say after watching that was "OH MY GOD".
How I laughed.

 

[Common as Mook]

"It is a hard one to take because I thought we were the better team and the score does not reflect that,"

 

[Screaming J]

Not a patch on Berbatov. The is possibly the most boring game of football I've ever seen. Why It's still on I will never know. Come on United!

I think you must have been watching this through cockerel tinted spectacles. Probably the Premiership gam of the season IMHO.

And I don't usually bother with this sort of thing. But I watched it in a pub in Waterloo (the Volunteer Canteen; anyone ?) with a load of Liverpool fans; great lunchtime entertainment.

 

[Gazwag]

If Liverpool win I'll set myself on fire in celebration

 

[Tricky Dicky]

It was only a few seasons ago that any of the matches between the so-called big 4 were effectively stalemates, with boring, defensive play. These games seem to be so open now, they are terrific to watch. That was a fantastic game, although I'm a little biased towards l'pool so happy with the result. United will win the title though ,and deserve to as they have the best squad, and man-for-man the best players.

 

[Common as Mook]

It was only a few seasons ago that any of the matches between the so-called big 4 were effectively stalemates, with boring, defensive play. These games seem to be so open now, they are terrific to watch. That was a fantastic game, although I'm a little biased towards l'pool so happy with the result. United will win the title though ,and deserve to as they have the best squad, and man-for-man the best players.

Or the most over-rated squad man for man.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Or the most over-rated squad man for man.

Really ? Do you actually believe that ? Do you not think that virtually every United first choice player would get in any team in the world. Then look at their bench. Nobody has that much strength in depth - unfortunately even the L'pool bench is really quite poor by comparison (how Lucas gets on the pitch is beyond me, he does not look like a liverpool player at all to me).

However, I have a sneaking feeling L'pool might win the champions league though.

 

[Common as Mook]

Really ? Do you actually believe that ? Do you not think that virtually every United first choice player would get in any team in the world. Then look at their bench. Nobody has that much strength in depth - unfortunately even the L'pool bench is really quite poor by comparison (how Lucas gets on the pitch is beyond me, he does not look like a liverpool player at all to me).

However, I have a sneaking feeling L'pool might win the champions league though.

There is no doubting they are a class act. I just think that this season has been one long Man Utd wank-off in the press. They are only four points ahead of a greatly improved Liverpool side and a Chelsea that is apparently in crisis. They have blown away opposition they are supposed to and been shaky against the better teams (losing to Liverpool twice, Arsenal and being quite lucky IMO against Inter).

For me, Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Terry, Bosingwa and Essien would all get into a Man Utd starting 11.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

There is no doubting they are a class act. I just think that this season has been one long Man Utd wank-off in the press. They are only four points ahead of a greatly improved Liverpool side and a Chelsea that is apparently in crisis. They have blown away opposition they are supposed to and been shaky against the better teams (losing to Liverpool twice, Arsenal and being quite lucky IMO against Inter).

For me, Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Terry, Bosingwa and Essien would all get into a Man Utd starting 11.

Reina and Terry? Nah.

(still crying after Saturday...obviously )

 

[Common as Mook]

Reina and Terry? Nah.

(still crying after Saturday...obviously )

Terry wouldn't have been as embarrassed as Vidic was - TWICE.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Terry wouldn't have been as embarrassed as Vidic was - TWICE.

Consider that that was the only shocker Vidic (probable player of the year) has had in about 2 years though, and that Van Der Sar has just broken records galore for clean sheets?

 

[Acker79]

Consider that that was the only shocker Vidic (probable player of the year) has had in about 2 years though, and that Van Der Sar has just broken records galore for clean sheets?

According to the commentators on sky, Vidic had a bad game against inter midweek, too. He was sent off against liverpool at anfield, so he couldn't have played fantastically well (though, admittedly I don't really remember that game, so may be wrong) And Van Der Saar only broke records if you ignore the world club cup, as far as I'm aware.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

There is no doubting they are a class act. I just think that this season has been one long Man Utd wank-off in the press. They are only four points ahead of a greatly improved Liverpool side and a Chelsea that is apparently in crisis. They have blown away opposition they are supposed to and been shaky against the better teams (losing to Liverpool twice, Arsenal and being quite lucky IMO against Inter).

For me, Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Terry, Bosingwa and Essien would all get into a Man Utd starting 11.

All reasonable points, though with the world club championshaip that they managed to fit in, they have had the worse schedule. Not makeing excuses for them.

Liverpool rather blew it against oppo that they should have put away easily. Arsenal for me are too lightweight to last the entire season. Chelsea are aging quite a lot now with not much youth coming through except Mancienne.