Liverpool - beach balls need not apply..

Well, the first real nerve jangler of the year is almost here in what is the biggest game in British and probably world football.

I made my second trip of the season to Old Trafford last week for what turned out to be a fairly routine outing against Bolton, last ten minutes aside. Standing on the concourse watching the Villa match started off a great footballing weekend and getting a text just after 3pm telling me that a beach ball had just put Sunderland ahead added the icing to the cake after our rather fortuitous opener.

The train home seemed much more satisfying that evening, in stark contrast to the same trip last March when I hurried away from the ground after witnessing our 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the enemy. It seemed to take forever as I lay slumped against the window as the train snail-paced the entire way.

Will there be similar feelings tomorrow?

Well all signs point to no but what does form mean when this game comes rolling around?

The midweek game on the pinball pitch seems to have taken little toll on the squad except for Fabio cramping up far earlier than a professional should, showing his lack of match exposure of late. He won't feature tomorrow, so even that can be forgotten.

There's no doubt that we look better with VDS back in nets but we are still leaking goals (as are everyone at the moment as the Premier League average three goals a game at present) and maximum concentration will be needed tomorrow as surely even the boo boys at Anfield will get behind their ailing team and give them a much needed lift.

My team for tomorrow would be :

VDS
Neville (playing like the Neville of old at present)
Evra
Ferdinand
Vidic (given his form though, I'd not be sad at all to see Jonny Evans start)
Valencia
Giggs
Fletcher
Carrick (Ferguson hates him, fully expect Scholes to start)
Rooney/Owen (the romance of Owen playing would be fantastic but Rooney is our best player)
Berbatov


Ferguson MUST resist the temptation to go Berbatov alone up top if Rooney doesn't make it, we are toothless with him playing as a sole striker. I can see us going three across the middle with Valencia on the bench. He played the full 90 in Moscow and I feel that may indicate his being dropped for this game.

Liverpool's injury worries are well documented this week. Personally I hope Glen Johnson plays, the space he leaves could see Evra and Giggs having a field day down the left. Gerrard normally does very little against us (watch that come back to bite me in the ass) so if he starts at anything less than total fitness, I won't lose any sleep. Torres looks to have made it back and we'll need Rio to have a blinder to keep him under control as Vidic seems like a rabbit in the headlights when the Spaniard gets him in his sights.

So am I confident? Well yes, as much as I can be for this game I guess. On paper, we should win but the old clichés ring true in games like this.

I hear Eric Cantona is sitting in the Anfield Road End tomorrow, in many different seats.

Oooh ahh.

Whatever happens, there will be Strongbow. And vodka.

In celebration, hopefully.

The day after the night before

Sigh. Did anyone not see that coming after the team was announced?

Giggs rested before an international week he won't take part in?

Ditto for Ferdinand?

Danny Welbeck starts on the right?

Nani starts at all? (Yes, I've gotten over my hope from his preseason form)

No striker on the bench?

Whatever has happened between Ferguson and Carrick needs to be resolved. Our best player at picking a pass and retaining possession and he's reduced to the role of bit part player.

Despite one media outlet deciding we were "out thought and out fought" I didn't think we were outplayed to any great degree. I actually thought both teams were wasteful in midfield and as such play broke down time and time again.

Bent's goal was a great turn and hit but a limited player like Cattermole shouldn't be finding that much time and space in our half of the pitch. Jones' was always winning that header, such is Foster's form at present.

Berbatov again looks the part, holding the ball up well but with no one to play off him last night as Rooney had a rare bad showing.

Scholes' attitude at the moment is pathetic. Every game is now guaranteed to see at least one of those trademark tackles and his inability to control himself is costing the team. In a night when he was flanked by younger, lesser players he needed to keep his head and disappointed once again. Losing the ability to pass the ball five yards wasn't ideal either.

The biggest groan has to be with Ferguson. His team selection insulted the fans, the players and Sunderland and we got exactly what we deserved for his pre-match dismissal of the Mackems.

On a day where we should have taken advantage of at least one of Chelsea and Liverpool dropping points, we stumbled to a barely earned draw and allowed the rest of the league to see our soft underbelly.

Super fan? Me? If you say so.

It’s been a long time since I updated. I got lazy. I'm getting older and possibly trying to be oh-so middle class as I find myself playing golf as often as possible. I even did the unthinkable recently and didn’t watch the Wigan match because I wanted to play golf instead. I did have my mobile with me (a big golfing faux- pas)and was checking the score so technically I’m still a super fan.

Super fan. What a weird term. On one of the forums I use, I am routinely referred to as a super fan and it isn’t meant in a good way. Why? I’m not totally sure, there certainly isn’t a logical reason behind it.

One of the reasons seems to be that I question the club and don’t accept everything that the club (and specifically Ferguson) does as perfect. This always seems to be fellow Man Utd fans who follow this line and often those who don’t go to matches. Why? I can only assume they personally feel inferior because they don't go. I’ll clarify my stance on that one right away: people who go to the match are NOT by virtue of their attendance better (and better is an entirely subjective term here in any case) fans and I would NEVER try to use the fact that I get to some games as furthering my point, although very many people do. On the contrary, I seldom voice opinions on any games I’ve been to in detail until I’ve seen the entire game back on TV. Only then can you really dissect the game and see things up close. I actually hate people who try and say you see more if you’re at the game. Simple fact is that you don’t and that’s pathetic football snobbery at its worst. Anyway, it’s strange that people use this against me, I’ve only started going in the past couple of years when it become financially viable and I’ve only been to one game so far this year because it’s become largely unviable again. Life responsibilities, eh? Getting too old.

Another reason I get called it is that I’m not shy in voicing my views and stating them as fact. There’s a horrible little trend online of people suffixing almost everything with “in my opinion”. Things aren’t always opinions. When Tevez was shocking for us for the majority of last year, that wasn’t an opinion, that’s fact. Saying that Mascherano isn’t as good as Fletcher isn’t an opinion, it’s fact. Saying that we aren’t better in any shape or form for Ronaldo leaving isn’t an opinion, it’s as stone cold true as a fact can be!

People are so slow to change their minds in football and they let big names go to their head. How can Darren Fletcher be better than Mascherano? One’s Scottish and was crap about five years ago, the other’s the Argentinean captain, cost multi-million pounds and is continually linked to big clubs. Well then, we’re sorted. No need to watch them actually play the bloody game, we can easily state Mascherano’s the better player without needing to see so much as a highlight reel!

I had a online “discussion” with an avid Argentina supporter who fails to accept that Tevez was rubbish last season and, by virtue of being a Chelsea supporter, he also claimed that Mikel is a better player than Fletcher. Given that Mikel is barely even a football player, it’s safe to say that certain people can’t see past their bias, eh?

So yea, I’m a super fan. You know people are struggling for arguments when they feel the need to say “No point discussing it with him, sure he’s always right” in that fun little way that they do. If I’m lucky, they’ll tack on one of those eye-rolling smilies for good measure. Sometimes people need to walk away from their keyboards, it’s clear they are getting worked up over what they read. You can tell when they’ve reached critical mass as the profanity starts to fly thick and fast. Or asterisks if the particular forum is pleasant like that. Would these same people, frantically smashing away at their keyboard in anger, get so testy if they were down the pub chatting about the game and someone stuck hard and true to their opinion? Nah, course not. Or at least I’d hope not. This is the internet though. Best to get wound up first and figure out if there was any need to later.

“Why… this guy has said a different thing than I felt and has worded it strongly… I can’t possibly not call him a colourful metaphor!”

That’s a great expression, colourful metaphor. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Go watch it, you’ll be a better person for doing it.

In all honesty though, once I see someone get wound up I tend to let them run with that particular stick. It’s good to sit back and watch the fall out.

Sunderland this weekend. It’s an evening game, so my golf won’t impact on that. To leave Darren Bent in my Fantasy League team or not? Ah, decisions, decisions.

Captain, there be cider here!

I return from Manchester triumphant!

Not always the result that looked on the cards but for the second time in a row I return from this fixture having seen us come from behind in a less than convincing display to win 2-1. I’ve never seen us do anything but win against Arsenal, actually. I’m bad luck sometimes but when it comes to Arsenal, you want me to be there.

The match really isn’t that important, something much more important came to light on Saturday. The only bloody sell cider in Old Trafford now! GTFI. The team sheets rolling across the screen on the concourse couldn’t distract me from those beautiful bottles adorning the fridges. Yes, the fridges. THEY WERE COLD! No more warm, disgusting Bud in the ground.

So the game. Arsenal should’ve had a penalty, Foster’s really worrying at times, Rooney’s was a stonewall penalty, Eboue’s a funny character, Van Persie has enough talent to stop rolling around on the deck whenever he feels a breeze, Fletcher’s retained his great form for a third season, Ferguson’s a moron for playing one up top at home, Vermaelen is a very good player.

I should apologise to the three kids sat in front of me for swearing so much, though they did seem to find it funny at the time… that’s assuming they weren’t just amused by my drunken slur of a voice.

The burgers outside OT aren’t the best, are they? Oh well. Can't have everything.

No big transfers for us. Shame, means Anderson’s still at the club. *sad face*

Better or worse than last season?

What a strange first week we’ve had. In losing to Burnley, we’ve encountered a disaster but come out the other side with more points than this stage last season. We always start slowly, don’t we? A loss to a newly promoted team at this stage isn’t the worst thing that could happen, they seem to have a knack of hitting the ground running (before spluttering out later in the campaign). The performances have been worrying at times though.

Liverpool are also having a torrid time as they were convincingly out-played by Spurs last weekend and devoid of ideas against a plucky Villa on Monday just past. Their squad really does look paper thin. If you believe some rumours, they want Michael Carrick to replace the departed Xabi Alonso. Even if the rumours are true regarding Ferguson having a bust-up with the Gatesheadian (not a word) I can’t see us selling one of our best midfielders to help a bitter rival strengthen.

The Modric rumours are equally scary. It’s cry time if we swap Carrick and money for the decidedly uninspiring little Croat. He’s no Boban. What a player he was. The 1998 World Cup was really won by Croatia, in spirit if not in reality. I never could forgive Laurent Blanc for his actions in that game. Anyhoo…

Chelsea. Ominous. Arsenal. Surprising. Spurs. Solid.

Interesting season ahead. We need to up our game massively this weekend when Arsenal roll into Manchester (as do I for my first attendance of the season) if we don’t want to be mugged in our own backyard. A draw would do the Gunners very nicely whereas I think we need a win to restore a bit of confidence that we can compete this year.

My prediction: cider on the train, cider in the street, warm Bud in OT (do they ever actually have a chance to get chilled?) and cider afterwards in a nice little pub in Manchester. TV21 makes a good venue, I find.

Berty Mee said to Matt Busby...

Man Utd 1 - 0 Brum

We won the first match of the season. Crazy happenings.

It was great to see an officiating performance of such a high standard. They only missed a blatant red card on Carr early doors when he was all over Berbatov when the Bulgarian was clean through. Then they let Carr stand on Berbatov's foot in the box, no penalty given. To top things off, they ruled out a perfectly good Owen goal for offside. Ok, to the every day watcher it's offside but when the replay is shown you can see that the Birmingham defender has his leg extended beyond Owen's.

Oh well. Ferguson will get on the blower and fill the FA in. We should get those rewarded back to us against better teams.

Good points? Valencia being very direct. He'll be a star. Rooney looking sharp. Fletcher giving players hell in midfield, snapping into tackles and making himself known. Berbatov holding the ball up and bringing the midfield into play.

Bad points? Giggs and Scholes. Woeful, especially Giggs. Couldn't do a thing right.

Hopefully we'll get some defenders fit at some point this season.

Still... three points out of three. How strange.

Here at least, life can go back on hold.

...and I sort of wish it wasn't.

I woke up at 6.30am yesterday, I had a round of golf booked for the morning and I can never sleep when I'm looking forward to something like that. I took the time to cast my eye over my Fantasy league team, agonised over the inclusions and then decided to leave it well alone (much to my later chagrin as Drogba bagged a brace).

So I finished up at the 18th halfway through the Chelsea game and the first thing I did was run into the bar to see the score. 1-1 at that point. Gerrin. Next stop was the golf shop as my brother pondered new clubs. I was supposed to be moral support as he spent more money than he should on "shiny metal sticks" but I found myself dandering around the shop, eyes glued to the internet on my mobile and generally being a moving obstacle for all other patrons in said shop, checking all the scores. Bent for Sunderland? More points for me.

So we get home about 4.30pm, just in time to put on Soccer Saturday and see the full times rolling in. Then the Everton v Arsenal game comes on (Arshavin, Neville, Cahill. POINTS! Or not, as it turned out.) so I watch most of that.

I was tired last night, so I didn't watch Match of the Day in the end. So I got up this morning to watch it. Wasn't it funny seeing Tevez start on the bench and then City play fairly poorly? Ireland scored though. Didn't pick him this year. Amateurish mistake.

Now it's 9am and I've got a few hours before the game starts. Might go to the driving range in a bit to kill some time. I'll be thinking about the game the whole time though. Sigh.

I'm not going today. I've scudded them on the last two opening days to lacklustre draws so at least I'm out of the equation. My first game this season isn't until we play Arsenal. Didn't they look poor yesterday?

So yea. Football's back and it will dominate everything for another ten months. My mobile bill will surely rise as I can't not know scores when I'm out.

Why do we do this? Why do women put up with this? I don't know. I really hate it, I think. Probably not in all honesty. I wouldn't change it though, not for a second. I was at the Middlesbrough - Sheffield United game last Friday night. The home fans soon got stuck into a rendition of "One Bobby Robson". I must admit, I felt a tear in my eye. I met the big man at Newcastle train station a while back. He took a few minutes to stop and talk to us. Absolute gent of a man. He shared something with many of us. He loved football. Certain things transcend rivalries and bring everyone together. Football is one of them. For example, I hate Liverpool but I can't imagine a world without them and they'd surely admit the same.

So. Where to from here? Ranting, elation, despair, ridiculous outflow of money and then a two month break (World Cup season though!) before we do it all again.

One game at a time though, eh?