Owen Hargreaves in Sir Alex’s Words
By: Taylor Rockwell |
3 Comments
I promise that this will be my last(ish) post on Owen Hargreaves for a good little while. Yesterday, the midfielder was dropped from United’s Champions League roster. Obviously, that was depressing news for a lot of fans who have been praying for his return for the better part of a year. Today, Sir Alex Ferguson felt compelled to justify Hargo’s absence from the Manchester United squad list.
“It would be nice think we could get to the European Cup Final and have Owen Hargreaves available,” said the gum-chewing boss. “But we’re not in the cup final; we’ve got AC Milan in 10 days’ time and really we need to win that tie… If I were to choose Owen, I would have to leave out another important player and that important player could be the one I need in the AC Milan game.”
A valid argument, to be certain. Aside from the Citeh match-up in the Carling Cup Semi-Final, I don’t think any match will be as important to Sir Alex Ferguson as the coming ties against AC Milan. The chance to beat David Beckham and feel further vindicated for selling him on? To get revenge on a side that knocked us out of the Champions League Semi-Finals in 2007? To show up a side that were only recently linked with a move for Nemanja Vidic? How could he not relish that one? So, yes, excluding Hargo makes sense in that regard. But for fans of the player, it all sounds a bit too familiar. Have a look for yourself… Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester United
Did We Say 3 Weeks Away? We Meant Owen Hargreaves is 3 Years Away.
By: Taylor Rockwell | 4 Comments
On Wednesday, February 3, the internet was buzzing with speculation that Owen Hargreaves was nearing a return to the Manchester United starting lineup. Sir Alex Ferguson stated his desire to have Hargo back in the United ranks, stating, “I would like to seem him make the squad for the Champions League fixtures against AC Milan, but we won’t rush him.” And then, perhaps more notably, he added, “We are being patient with the rehabilitation following his knee operations and he is alternating his training with the reserve and first-team squads, working for two days and then resting a day. It’s a matter of him regaining his confidence and, when he is able to train every day, that will be the moment for him to return to match play.”
But that was all the way back on… well… yesterday… so imagine my surprise when I opened up the Soccernet homepage to find that Hargo had been dropped from the United squad for the Champions League knockout stages. Ritchie De Laet will most likely take his spot on the squad list (which will be officially announced later today). There is some hope that Mame Biram Diouf will also be included, although I believe there are some issues with residency, experience, and the like. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedThe Red Devils’ Offside Podcast – Episode The Second
By: Taylor Rockwell | 4 Comments
Apologies for the brief hiatus… I’m still recovering from the after effects of my celebrations following last week’s defeat of Arsenal. But that didn’t stop me from recording another podcast with ever-depressed Liverpool fans Josh and Albert. This week, it’s United, United, and United… as well as Nani 2.0, match predictions, and the transfer window (in England and elsewhere). Give it a listen… your cubicle will be happier if you do…
Category: Manchester UnitedArsenal v United: Match Preview and Predictions
By: Taylor Rockwell | 38 Comments
Who: Arsenal vs. Manchester United
What: English Premier League – Matchday 24
Where: The Emirates, London, England
When: Sunday, January 31 – 16:00 GMT (11:00 AM EST)
Why: Because the timing is right for United to take the Gunners at home and set up an even more heated title race. The Reds have been playing well as of late, with Wayne Rooney doing his best to push this team to the next level (despite his statements to the contrary).
Recent Results – United (last five matches: 3-1-1 with 12 goals for and 4 against)
Wednesday, January 27 – United 3 – Manchester City 1 @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Saturday, January 23 – United 4 – Hull City 0 @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Tuesday, January 19 – City 2 – Manchester United 1 @ City of Manchester Stadium (Carling Cup)
Saturday, January 16 – Manchester United 3 – 0 Burnley @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Saturday, January 9 – Birmingham 1 – 1 Manchester United @ St. Andrews Stadium
Recent Results – Arsenal (last five matches: 2-2-1 with 9 goals for and 7 against)
Wednesday, January 27 – Aston Villa 0 – 0 Arsenal @ Villa Park (EPL)
Sunday, January 24 – Stoke City 3 – 1 Arsenal @ Brittania Stadium (FA Cup)
Wednesday, January 20 – Arsenal 4 – 2 Bolton Wanderers @ The Emirates
Sunday, January 17 – Bolton Wanderers 0 – 2 Arsenal @ The Reebok
Saturday, January 9 – Arsenal 2 – 2 Everton @ The Emirates
Points to Ponder
1 – Brazilians made headlines this week. First, Robinho does a runner and demands a loan to Santos, which Man Citeh grant (not exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him up for £32 million). Then, as I’m sure you all have no doubt heard, four-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, Marta, of Brazil, is set to join the Atlanta Beat of the Women’s Professional Soccer league. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for this blog, Anderson fled chilly Carrington for sunny Rio, where he allegedly met with officials from CR Vasco da Gama and trained with the club. Couple that with reports today that United are interested in loaning him to French club Lyon, and one can’t help but entertain the theory that our seldom goal scoring, oft-dancing central midfielder will probably not be with United much longer. With Fergie seemingly increasingly concerned about players’ focus ahead of this tie, my guess is that Ando doesn’t feature against the Gooners. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedRed Devils Offside: Our New Podcast!
By: Taylor Rockwell | 4 Comments
So, I’ve decided to follow the example of my favorite sportswriter Bill Simmons: why write 4000 words on something when you can just record yourself talking about it for an hour? In hopes of broadening our readership (and now, I suppose, listenership), I’m going to start doing weekly-ish podcasts generally focused around Manchester United.
For our first episode, I brought in two Liverpool supporters (Albert and Josh) to discuss a plethora of topics (United, Liverpool, the EPL in general, where we think the league will end up, why South Americans stuggle, and the US National Team). Obviously, it’s pretty rough/basic, and doesn’t feature a whole lot of luxury items (editing, advertisements, music, etc).
Hopefully, over the next couple of shows, we’ll get it all looking/sounding a bit more polished. For now, download it and have a listen. As always, your feedback is welcome… and yes, I rant about Hargreaves for a good solid 4-5 minutes. You can listen below by clicking the big play button or by clicking here. Hopefully, this will be up on iTunes in the near future, and then the whole process will be a lot smoother. Until then, have a listen and (hopefully) enjoy!
Category: Manchester UnitedUnited 3 – City 1: Match Highlights
By: Taylor Rockwell | 2 Comments
So, can we all just agree now that Wayne Rooney will be the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year this season? I know there’s a lot of time left, but the voting comes up soon and, as pointed out in The Guardian Podcast this week, it’s a World Cup year and I’m sure the voters would like nothing more than to award an English player their highest honor.
Is that crazy homerism? Maybe… but after today, I don’t really care… Today, we needed a spark… And Rooney provided it… Carrick and Scholes may have slotted home the first two goals, but it was Rooney who was clearly willing to sacrifice every drop of energy to ensure United progressed to the final.
Obviously, this isn’t the most (or even slightly) detailed match review. Too happy and too tired to really think… So until the next post, enjoy the highlights!!!
United 1 – City 0 (52′ – Scholes)
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedUnited v Citeh – Preview and Predictions
By: Taylor Rockwell | 29 Comments
Apologies for the delayed posting and for the somewhat abbreviated match preview to follow. I will be out of the office for most of the day, but I wanted to make sure to give you all the basic reminders when cheering on United this afternoon/evening/night. So enjoy the preview and, hopefully, the match to follow. As things stand, United are 2-1 down on aggregate and will need a strong showing if they hope to proceed to the final against Aston Villla.
Who: Manchester United vs. Manchester City
What: Carling Cup Semi-Final (second leg: 1 – 2 agg score)
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
When: Wednesday, January 27 – 20:00 GMT (3:00 PM EST)
Why: Really? Is that even a question?
Recent Results – United (last five matches: 2-1-2 with 9 goals for and 4 against)
Saturday, January 23 – United 4 – Hull City 0 @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Tuesday, January 19 – City 2 – Manchester United 1 @ City of Manchester Stadium (Carling Cup)
Saturday, January 16 – Manchester United 3 – 0 Burnley @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Saturday, January 9 – Birmingham 1 – 1 Manchester United @ St. Andrews Stadium
Sunday, January 3 – Manchester United 0 – 1 Leeds United @ Old Trafford (FA Cup)
Recent Results – Citeh (last five matches: 4-1 with 13 goals for and 6 against)
Sunday, January 24 – City 4 – Scunthorpe United @ Glanford Park (FA Cup)
Tuesday, January 19 – City 2 – United 1 @ City of Manchester Stadium (Carling Cup)
Saturday, January 16 – Everton 2 – 0 Manchester City @ Goodison Park (EPL)
Monday, January 11 – Manchester City 4 – 1 Blackburn Rovers @ City of Manchester Stadium (EPL)
Monday, December 28 – Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 – 3 Manchester City @ Molineux Stadium (EPL)
Notable Reminders
If you’re a United fan, than here are the few things you must keep in mind for today’s match against Citeh… In the almighty and immortal words of “Half Baked”…. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedWelbeck Loaned; Frazier Campbell 2.0?
By: Taylor Rockwell | 8 Comments
Manchester United have confirmed that striker Danny Welbeck has been loaned to Preston North End for the remainder of the season. The 19 year old Manchester native will move to Coca-Cola Championship side, and is expected to figure prominently in new manager Darren Ferguson’s plans for the campaign (he’s been given the #18 shirt and will travel with the team for their Tuesday evening match against Peterborough.
As reported be Reuters, “Welbeck has made 11 appearances for the English champions this season and joins a Preston side lying 17th in their league, six points off the relegation zone.” The teenager has showed potential at multiple points in his senior career (just ask Stoke last season), but hasn’t had a huge impact this year. With the incorporation of Diouf in the senior team, Welbeck appeared to have fallen to fifth in the pecking order, so a loan move was only logical. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedUnited 4 – Hull City 0: Match Highlights
By: Taylor Rockwell | 1 Comment
So, just to reiterate, Wayne Rooney is good. Very good. Four goals good. The English striker continued to carry the team on his shoulders, as his double brace (yeah, that’s what I’m calling it) secured a full three points and helped with that little goal differential issue.
And with that, United return to the top of the table. Even though that time on top is destined to be brief (Arsenal have a game in hand and Chelsea have two), at least it gives United fans greater hope that the dream of four in four remains alive.
The question as to whether or not Michael Owen belongs in that dream remains to be seen. The striker played decently for United, but lacked the killer instinct that Rooney so clearly displayed. The fact that three of the four goals came after he had been replaced in favor of Dimitar Berbatov won’t help disarm the situation. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester UnitedUnited v Hull City – Match Preview and Predictions
By: Taylor Rockwell | 8 Comments
Who: Manchester United vs. Hull City
What: English Premier League – Match Day 23
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
When: Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 15:00 GMT (10:00 EST)
Why: Because I haven’t gotten a chance to see Phil Brown’s fake tan and awesome microphone in almost a month… and because we desperately need a solid win…
Recent Results – United (last six matches: 2-1-2 with 13 goals for and 5 against)
Tuesday, January 19 – City 2 – Manchester United 1 @ City of Manchester Stadium (Carling Cup)
Saturday, January 16 – Manchester United 3 – 0 Burnley @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Saturday, January 9 – Birmingham 1 – 1 Manchester United @ St. Andrews Stadium
Sunday, January 3 – Manchester United 0 – 1 Leeds United @ Old Trafford (FA Cup)
Wednesday, December 30 – Manchester United 5 – 0 Wigan Athletic @ Old Trafford (EPL)
Sunday, December 27 – Hull City 1 – 3 Manchester United @ The KC Stadium (EPL)
Recent Results – Hull City (last six matches: 0-3-3 with 4 goals for and 12 against)
Saturday, January 16 – Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 0 Hull City @ White Hart Lane (EPL)
Saturday, January 2 – Wigan Athletic 4 – 1 Hull City @ The JJB Stadium (FA Cup)
Tuesday, December 29 – Bolton Wanderers 2 – 2 Hull City @ The Reebok (EPL)
Sunday, December 27 – Hull City 1 – 3 Manchester United @ KC Stadium (EPL)
Saturday, December 19 – Arsenal 3 – 0 Hull City @ The Emirates (EPL)
Saturday, December 12 – Hull City 0 – 0 Blackburn Rovers @ KC Stadium (EPL)
Points to Ponder:
1 – Hull are struggling… to say the least. Phil Brown’s Tigers haven’t won a match since their 3-2 victory over Everton on November 25 (that was eight games ago), and are currently 18th in the Premiership with 19 points. To be fair, the table is tight enough that a victory for Hull could potentially send them to 14th in table. However, the side continues to struggle, with some heroics from goalkeeper Boaz Myhill being the only thing preventing a scoreless draw with Spurs from turning into a slaughter. Brown will no doubt be hoping that newly signed Egypt international Amr Zaki (on loan from Zamalek FC) will inject some life into the side. However, if a player that caused Steve Bruce to admit that, “I can honestly say that in all my time in football I have never worked with someone as unprofessional,” then your team may be in a spot of trouble.
2 – Old Trafford may be the last place Hull want to travel. If Viggo Mortenson’s new film has taught us anything, it’s that the road is a harsh and terrible place to exist. Hull City are doing their best to conform to that statement. The Tigers have played eleven away matches, and have managed a grand total of just four points (0 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses), along with a -19 goal differential. United, on the other hand, have earned 28 points at home (9 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) with a goal differential of +19. The Red Devils haven’t been the most consistent side, but they can always take solace in their home form. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Manchester United
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