Sorry for my ridiculous absence on here lately. The guys here at the The Offside know the reason and have been great guys, seriously. But I thought the fitting time for me to return to the Man Utd blog was now.

After a fairly poor (okay, terrible) first half performance against Bolton from the boys in red, they pulled out all the stops and…wait…What? Bad second half performance too? Are you sure? Really? Okay.

So we sucked pretty much in the second half too, but the main reason we are considered the favourites for the title is that although we played very badly we still came away with an incredibly important victory against a tough bottom-half team. Watch a tape of the match Rafa, that’s why you put your best team out, no EPL game is easy.

Did Fergie leave Berba and Tevez on the bench in favour of Danny Wellbeck? No. He knew what was at stake and put his best team out. Saying that, he was about to sub Carlitos just before he set up Berba’s goal.

But as the title of this post suggests, we are now back on top of the EPL, the first time we’ve been there since the end of last season. A long time, no doubt, but it’s all about who’s there at the end, not at the beginning. All hats off to Bolton who were very good today. They stood strong and put the game to Vidic and co., but as they did against Arsenal, they stepped back in the last 10 minutes and paid the ultimate price. Once again, Jonny Evans was incredible and the guy really looks like not only one for the future, but one for right now.

So, back on the summit. Noses are dry. Sure the air is less dense up here, but United are used to that. Vidic doesn’t even need oxygen to live.

So, it seems fitting that our current number 7, Cristiano Ronaldo, should return from his injury in the month named after his number. It looks like he has gotten over his painful yet wonderfully named ‘Os Trigonum Syndrome‘. It is a bony prominence in his ankle not, as first feared, an addiction to hair gel and glamour models. Worryingly for United, it is yet to be made clear as to whether he is well on his way to becoming a legend or well on his way out of Old Trafford.

If it’s games he needs, it’s games he will get, as the rest of September chock-full of huge and intriguing fixtures. The Champion’s League defence will begin with a visit from the unsettled Villarreal followed by a daren’t lose fixture away to Chelsea in London. Two of United’s bogey teams follow in the league with the ever improving Boro and physical and awkward Bolton.

To be able to call September a success I would think that Fergie will not be happy unless he wins all of them possibly excepting the trip to Chelsea where a draw would be acceptable. The gaining of momentum is essential for this part for the season so as not to rely on our usual post Christmas purple patch. There are too many banana skins and potential upsets out there at the present and the sooner we find that rhythm again the better. The big question is, can the forwards gain the space they need without Ronaldo? So far, evidence his shown only flashes of brilliance rather than the usual feeling of menace at every attack.

Those fixtures in full for September:
Wednesday 17th vs. Villareal (h)
Sunday 21st vs. Chelsea (a)
Tuesday 23rd vs. Middlesborough (h)
Saturday 27th vs. Bolton (h)
Tuesday 30th vs. Aalborg (a)

I will gush forth more news, previews and reports as often as I can. Keep the debate going.

In truth, Liverpool were well worth their win. Make sure you head on over to the Liverpool Offside to offer your congratulations, CSD is doing a fine job over there by the looks of it. They battled hard and were strong in the tackle, they closed down space quickly and harried United in possession. And United didn’t like it on little bit. It was the first time I have seen United physically rattled in a long time. A leader was very much lacking on the day and the 4-3-3 formation did not work when Liverpool worked out that the front three could be harried into losing ball and the back four and midfield were hell-bent on self destruction from 30 minutes onwards. Although Liverpool deserved their win, it had to be Babel, a wide player (Rafa take note), that scuffed in from a mistake to crown a pig of a day. To cap it all, Vidic deserved to go as it was a dangerous lunge, I don’t expect him to start against Villarreal.

However, I do expect one Cristiano Ronaldo to play some part in the first game of our Champion’s League defence. Will he be the same? Will he have one eye on the transfer window? How will the fans react? Will they still love him? All these questions answered and more on Wednesday, which, thank the lord, is another day.

PS Thanks for all the comments from my last post, it’s good to be here, let me know how you want me to retort!

*Rio the latest to make the inevitable comparison between Nani and United’s number seven…

*Nani himself reveals his personal delight at being Sir Alex’s player…

*Fergie deems the conduct of others over Gabriel Heinze to be a little bit suspect…

*United seem to own a squad capable of putting out four starting elevens…

*Giggs’ new contract will afford him the chance to enter United’s record books…

Oh wait, they have only existed in their current incarnation since 2004, so that would make them less than storied really. Especially as they are a dreaded franchise, formerly known as the Anyang LG Cheetahs. I doubt the fans in Anyang were particularly pleased with the move. Call it a hunch. Then again, they were originally based in Seoul, which is far too complicated for me to care about anymore. See what happens when teams move in the first place? Just ask an original Oakland Raiders fan.

As I write this, FC Seoul lie an unspectacular eighth in the K-League, having managed a none too impressive three wins in thirteen games. They’ve only lost twice however, so they don’t seem to be completely without hope. Odds are on a draw from this one.

The match will be contested at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the same stadium in which Senegal shocked France in the first match of the 2002 World Cup. As seems to be the norm when United partake in these money grabbing highly beneficial pre-season tours, all tickets (65,000) sold out in under six hours. It’s not every day you get Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Darren Fletcher in your home town.

[note: the happiness index of Seoul's citizens is 6.42. Really.]

*The presence of United in Asia comes under a little scrutiny…

*Conducting an interview with Sir Alex can often become a bit of a mine field…

*The old man is mindful of resisting the urge to pull out the pipe and slippers…

*New signings probably won’t make their debuts for a few more days…

*United help light up the future for non-league Bishop Auckland FC…

I hardly reckon I’m the only United fan on planet Earth who’s tired of the delay in all of this — plus just a tad skeptical about Tevez’s original deal with West Ham to begin with. Sheffield United should have gone down my arse.

Meanwhile, if he does eventually pull on the red shirt — a former, and current player simply can’t wait, it would seem.