Weekend Outlook (29 Jan 2006)

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United

"...manager is none other than the idiotic Glenn Hoddle... lost all respect for him..." - Jaywalk, 29 Jan 2006

Call it the workaholic in me but I couldn't stay away from writing my Weekend Outlook as we look to ManUtd's Fourth Round encounter against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ahh... Wolves and Andy Gray springs to mind during the latter's heydays in the old First Division and squaring up shoulder to shoulder against the likes of Liverpool and ManUtd.

The Wolves of today ply their trade in the lower Nationwide Championship league under the captaincy of ManUtd old boy Paul Ince. It would be good to see him again. Their manager is none other than the idiotic Glenn Hoddle. Don't get me wrong but I have the utmost respect to Hoddle as a midfielder during his Spurs glory days but as a ex-manager of the England national team who brought in faith healers (and spoon benders), I lost all respect for him. Then again, Sven Eriksson isn't exactly doing very well for himself of late anyway.

ManUtd recently returned from their triumphant victory over Blackburn Rovers to book a place in Cardiff in the League Cup final. With Wigan scalping Arsenal in the other semi-final, it looks like the League Cup is in the bag and heading for Old Trafford already. So with one cup in the bag (almost), is FA Cup going to be the next? Granted that ManUtd has traditionally done well in the FA Cup, I can't really say with much confidence that they will be strolling past Wolves today.

JayWalk The Talk: The main problem here is two-folds. The first is the depleting squad with particular emphasis in the midfield department. Park, Scholes, Fortune and Giggs are out on top of O'Shea, Heinze and Evra.

The second is that ManUtd need to look a step ahead this coming midweek for their EPL game against Blackburn again. Not that we would have trouble against lowly Wolves without these players but Blackburn has always been a difficult team for ManUtd to beat and this time round it would be even more difficult as ManUtd will be traveling to Ewood Park.

Ronaldo will be making a comeback today and Fergie would be expecting him to hit the ground running. Hopefully, Ronaldo's contribution would be enough to get us through.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies give Wolves a 1-ball handicap and the decimal odds strongly favours the visitors. My main worry is that with the Blackburn game hovering over them like a dark cloud, will Fergie play his best team out? Or would he rather conserve all the energy, aim for a draw, beat Blackburn in midweek then lure Wolves back to Old Trafford for the slaughter? I'm afraid so and some pundits are predicting a draw here. ManUtd has always been able to score more than the odd goal when traveling but without a solid midfield, I'm am worried that the carpet may be proverbially pulled from under Messrs. Van Nistelrooy, Saha and Rooney due to a lack of midfielder ammunition.

Stay away.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Happy Lunar New Year!

From all of us at The Red Half of Manchester, we wish all our Chinese readers a very happy and prosperous Lunar New Year! Huat ah! As for our non-Chinese readers, we wish you an ultra-relaxing public holiday!

Unfortunately, due to spring-cleaning, reunions, and visiting duties, Jaywalk and I will not be updating this Sunday's match (come on, we need a break too). Business will resume as per normal for the next midweek match.

Once again, Happy Chinese New Year, and thank you all of you for your support!



Sheena and Jaywalk

Midweek Preview: 25th January 2006

Manchester United VS Blackburn Rovers (Carling Cup Semi-Final Second Leg)


"Please lah. You really think Man Utd will die without Paul Scholes and John O' Shea, is it?" - Sheena, upon hearing dire proclamations of Man Utd's dearth of midfielders


I made that above statement as Manchester United head into the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, with the tie stalemated at a 1 - 1 draw at Ewood Park.

Arrogant? Yes. Confident? Undoubtedly so. But true? Very, very possible.

Yes, we may currently be without a whole host of first-team midfielders. Alan Smith, our midfield hardman, may not be match fit for this match despite just recovering from his ankle injury. Park Ji-Sung is still nursing a knee problem. Cristiano Ronaldo is serving the last of a 3-match suspension today. John O' Shea is out for six weeks with fractured ribs. And Paul Scholes, after slowly clawing himself back to form, is out for the rest of the season with his mysterious eye ailment.

That is a scary injury list, no doubt. But at the same time, there are positives to look forward to.

Without Paul Scholes, Fergie can field Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy up front together, with Wayne Rooney withdrawn into Scholes' role in the hole behind the strikers (though this season Scholes has been playing in a deeper position). Saha and van Nistelrooy's budding partnership was cut short by a dreadful run of injuries for Saha, but it showed promise then; and Saha, in his appearances since he returned, has shown clear signs of the ability that made Fergie splash out 12 million pounds for him. Plus, with Rooney playing in the position well-known as his favourite and best position, our wonderkid can unleash the true and complete fury of his inspiration, brilliance and creativity. The three-pronged attack will be a fearsome one.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be out for only one more game, and subsequently the team can enjoy his services again. For this game Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be deployed on the right wing, where he played for an entire season after the departure of Beckham. He may not have the pace, technique, or upbringing of a winger, but he brings with him crucial League Cup experience. Darren Fletcher can then be played in the centre, where he is most effective, as seen in the Man Utd - Liverpool match where his play and contribution increased significantly after he was pushed from the right wing back into centre, in the second half.

So, Scholes being out isn't all that bad. It might even turn out a blessing in disguise for the Red Devils if Rooney gets to play behind van Nistelrooy and Saha for the rest of the season, and allowed license to roam. It's not so bad too, about Alan Smith and John O' Shea; Fletcher is not really a defensive player, but he does a good enough job in the middle of the park holding the defence and midfield together, and if given a run of games in the right position he could very well show his detractors what he's capable of.

Going purely by statistics, however, Blackburn head into this match on a better run of form than Man Utd, with 4 wins and a draw in the last 5 games compared to Man Utd's 3 wins and 2 draws. Furthermore, Blackburn is fast becoming a sort of weird anti-team for Man Utd, beating them at Old Trafford earlier in the season and holding them to a draw for the first leg of the League Cup. To cap it all, they have Morten-Gamst Pedersen, a man I'm getting heartily sick of, as he seems to regard scoring against my team as his main goal in life.

The only good things I can pluck from this fixture is that Blackburn are facing a striker shortage, with Paul Dickov injured and on-form Craig Bellamy racing to get fit in time. And Man Utd have an away goal advantage. Keep a clean sheet - not unlikely given the recent performances of Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar - and we're free and clear. But Fergie might choose to blood new defender Nemanja Vidic today, breaking up the well-built up partnership of Brown and Ferdinand, and in that case a clean sheet may not be a given, if Vidic is suffering from nerves, a lack of match sharpness, or an inability to communicate with his teammates.

What I foresee in this match is: Forget about the (possible new-look) defence. Forget about the (depleted) midfield. Our attack is what will win this match for us. Everything hinges on Rooney's spark, Saha maintaining his free-scoring streak in this competition, and van Nistelrooy hopefully finding his scoring boots again.


Stuff which I still don't understand: Manchester United have a one ball advantage in this fixture. Some people might feel that they might not want to risk it and sit back tightly for a draw - they'd still go through anyway. However, at Old Trafford, the fans will be baying for Blackburn's blood after the earlier humiliation, and morale is sky-high following the win over the Merseysiders, so I expect Man Utd to be firing on all cylinders. And like I said, you can't expect to field a strikeforce of Saha and van Nistelrooy with Rooney running free behind and not have some goals. I would expect Man Utd to win comfortably, with the one goal margin not a problem. It could even be two or three (at least, I hope).


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Reds by a Blue.

Hi all, a little bit of introduction myself, I am Andy, Sheena's boyfriend and am volunteering to guest blog for the Man U - Liverpool match.

As many would have known by now, yes, I am a Chelsea fan of almost a decade.
Well, I nearly became a Man U fan, and almost became a Liverpool fan ten years back.
You see, in 1997, the title was down to Man U and Liverpool during the last few weeks of the 96-97 season. Half of my class are Man U supporters and the other half Liverpool supporters.
For me, I have always only watched the Italian Serie A from young and Supported AC Milan since Marco Van Basten days and have not heard much about EPL( except that year when Blackburn shocked everyone by winning the title with Alan Shearer).
I would be a Man U fan now, if not for that fateful FA Cup final in 97, Chelsea VS Middlesborough.
I was fishing for a team to support in EPL and could not decide on which red(Arsenal was nowhere then)

That night, the live telecast, I was on the phone with one of my good friend Jonathan(who is a die hard Man U fan) and he was the one who told me to watch out for Chelsea and Boro.
Then, there was Juninho, Ravanelli, Emerson etc for Boro, who were relegated from EPL due to a 3 point deduction because they refused to turn up for an EPL match due to injuries to their squad. Their only hope was the FA Cup.

Chelsea, on the other hand, had Roberto Di Matteo, Gianluca Vialli, old Man U fav Mark Hughes, Frank Sinclair(the own goal king), Dan Petrescu, Dennis Wise, Ed De Goey and Ruud Gullit as their manager.

It took only 45 seconds for me to become a Chelsea fan.
The fastest goal in FA Cup history.
By Roberto Di Matteo.
The rest is history for me......

Ever since I watched EPL, any match between Man U and Liverpool has always been electrifying.
Sadly in the last few seasons, it has been second best to Man U - Arsenal as Liverpool has under-performed season in, season out.

This fixture was not going to disappoint again, as I predicted and surely it didn't!
Liverpool have done well this season and despite the on-going "should Fergie go" and "has Fergie lost it" saga, Man U have actually done very well this season too!
Beating Chelsea, Arsenal and now, its time for Liverpool.

Before the match, Sheena warned me not to bet on Man U as it will cause them to lose blah blah blah
Well, I couldn't anyway under her super heavy supervision......

With Richardson in midfield with O'Shea, I told Sheena that Fergie might just wanna hold out for a draw as they do not have their usual midfield of Ronaldo, Scholes, Park and Smith available.
Too defensive.
Liverpool on the other hand fielded what could be their best team possible.
But I singled out Rooney as the player who will make a difference to the match.

True to my gut feelings, Man U absorbed waves and waves of attack from Liverpool in the first half. And they were lucky to remain in a 0 - 0 draw after the first 45 minutes.

When Saha came on the for the second half, I could see it was time for Man U to attack, counter attack. As Liverpool would have done.

Instead of Liverpool wearing down the Man U defense and hoping Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand would commit the mistake that would give them the break they were looking for, the England pair went from strength to strength and instead, it was Liverpool who are breaking down.
They got desperate.
Harry Kewell, showing glimpses of his old self, when he was feared by all right defenders in that Leeds jersey, looked likely to be the man who would once again give Liverpool the win, but it was not to be.
By the time two-thirds of the match passed, he was looking more like the flop of the kop again, due the the good work of the best right defender in the world at the moment, Gary Neville.
I told Sheena if by 70th minute Liverpool still don't get a goal, sure "pun chek" one.
It turned out to be true again, and Lady Luck shone on Man U as the man who kept them out the whole night got a hand to Ferdinand's header but still could not prevent the Goal.

I would say that Man U have done extremely well in completing the Hat Trick of ending Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool's unbeaten runs.
But they have to maintain that form.

Hmmm, the match aside, as Sheena requested, a Chelsea fan's point of view towards Manchester United and their fans.

Personally, I have nothing against Manchester United or their fans, their true fans I mean.
I mean, I was cheering for Man U on that historic night in 1999 when I witnessed that 2 goals which gave them the treble, nearly 5 am in the morning.
And many of my friends are Man U fans and yes, I own a Man U jersey.
(eh... Peter Schmeichel's)

But what I really dislike are the fair weather Man U fans.
1 example, my JC schoolmate, a girl.
(no prejudice there, Sheena's a girl too)
She didn't even know that Gary Neville is a defender...
(She thought he's a forward)
Of coz, her fav player is Beckham.
Another is this IRC friend of mine, whose fav player in Man U is Michael Owen!
(Ok, that happened years ago, it just cannot get off me)

I believe the same is happening to Chelsea right now, too many fair weather fans.
Then I would be the only idiot wearing an Autoglass jersey walking among all the Sharp and Carlsberg Jerseys, now, you'll see Samsung everywhere.
Thats why I never bothered to get a Samsung shirt.
I had every season's till Fly Emirates.

Like those who claim they die hard Man U but doesn't even know who Karel Poborsky, Andrei Kanchelski, Brian McClair and Gary Pallister are, not to mention names of those great players before them, I equally dislike a self proclaimed Chelsea fan of years who doesn't even know who Gavin Peacock, Kevin Hitchcock, Frank Sinclair, Tore Andre Flo, Franck Leboeuf and Terry Phelan are.
Its a disgrace to be a fair weather and claim to be a decade long die hard, to both the club and the fans.

Anyway, even though Sheena and I support rival clubs in the EPL, life goes on la.
Eh, she don't play for Man U, I don't play for Chelsea, so whats the big deal?
Actually the whole point of football is to watch and enjoy.
There's always a winner and a loser in the end.
After fighting for almost a year, we simply gave up and just enjoy the match.
(though she still sulks when Man U lost to Chelsea and gloats when Chelsea lost and yet claim I do... haha)

Once again, congratulations to Man U for beating Liverpool.
Shall end it here because I think I'm just gonna type some more nonsense if I go on.
Long day at work and its time to sleep.
So long, everybody.

Andy (damnpissedwithlogin.blogspot.com - dun bother reading, have not updated for a month. hehe)

Match Review: Manchester United 1 - 0 Liverpool

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

I really should stop watching live matches or I'll drop dead of a heart attack one of these days.

Manchester United against Liverpool, for me, has always been the major fixture of the season. Even the Manchester derby doesn't match up, because in terms of history, tradition, and trophies won, to be brutally honest, City isn't anywhere near Liverpool. When I first started following the English Premier League at the age of 10, Liverpool were our closest and fiercest rivals. Even now, with the emergence of Arsenal and Chelsea, the rivalry doesn't come close to that of Liverpool's. The tradition, the rich history, is just not there.

I spent the whole of yesterday begging the Chelsea fan Andy not to bet on Man Utd or they'd lose, and thank God he didn't. We went to a kopitiam near his place for the match, since he doesn't have cable at home, and to my secret delight we were just in time to see Chelsea drop 2 points against Charlton in a 1 - 1 draw. Andy's face was as black as pitch, but he very sportingly sat down and cheered on Man Utd with me when the match began. Which team would be able to capitalise on the Chelsea draw? Or would it end up a draw?

I got a jolt though, when I saw the starting lineup for United. Kieran Richardson and John O'Shea in central midfield with Fletcher on the right? Granted, Park Ji-Sung has a knee problem and Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended which puts our two right wingers out of commission (yes yes, I know that Park is not a true winger but rather an attacking midfielder; he can play wide on the right though), and Alan Smith, our hero of the last big match against Chelsea, apparently hadn't recovered from his flu. But that starting lineup was scary, man. Pitting a very small-sized Richardson against Liverpool's talismanic Steven Gerrard and twice-Richardson's-size Xabi Alonso was not the way I'd have chosen to start this crucial match.

Add to that the fact that Liverpool have been on a 10-match unbeaten run and morale in their camp is sky-high, and the inconsistency of Man Utd plus their 3 - 1 drubbing at the hands of their bitter derby rivals last week, everything about this match screamed Draw or Liverpool Win. But Man Utd have a habit of ending runs and rising to big occasions (can anyone say Arsenal and Chelsea?), and though Liverpool started strongly enough, within 10 minutes Man Utd had gotten a nice flowy rhythm and began countering on the break.

The first half was uneventful enough except for one or two good saves from Edwin van der Sar and Jose Reina on both ends. Steven Gerrard tried a few long range shots that went sadly wide, Rooney and Richardson combined to send the Liverpool defence into a scramble, and Wes Brown, steady and composed as always, made a fantastic interception to deny Liverpool a chance at opening the scoring. He has struck up a very good partnership with Rio Ferdinand, and brings a sense of stability to the concentration-challenged Ferdinand, and on the strength of their defenseive partnership, they should be able to consign Nemanja Vidic to the status of bench-warmer for quite a while.

Patrice Evra, quite far from his unspectacular debut in the ill-fated Manchester derby, performed impressively last night. Though he does not have the aggressiveness of Gabriel Heinze, who doesn't hesitate to scythe down luckless opposing right wingers, Evra is a stylish defender in the mould of Rio Ferdiand, lightning-quick, good at overlapping and delivering crosses, yet does not have a tendency to leave his position exposed. A few more matches, a better grasp of English, and Evra would give Heinze a run for his money.

The second half started with a surprise: Louis Saha thrown into the fray at the expense of John O' Shea, and Rooney withdrawn to the right. There were mutters and murmurs of surprise all around, but it wasn't 5 minutes before we realised how tactically astute Sir Alex is, and how his introduction of Saha really exploited the chink in the armour of the unflappable Liverpool central defence pairing of Sami Hyppia and Jamie Carragher: Pace.

The combined speed of Giggs, Rooney, Saha and Richardson ran the Liverpool defence ragged. Rooney, as always, was everywhere on the pitch - left, right, centre, even back in defence, running amok, much to the chagrin of the Scousers. Time and again the three of them broke through the defence, only to be denied by the offside flag, or to have Ruud van Nistelrooy's first touch, normally lethal, let him down. I knew a goal would come; it was just a matter of when.

And a goal did come. It just came late, in the 91st minute, and from a completely unexpected source - latest goal machine Rio Ferdinand.

Giggs floated in a free kick a few yards behind the corner of the box, and Rio rose magnificently to the occasion to nod home the ball powerfully, which Reina managed to get a hand to but couldn't keep out. After a drought of 140 games, it is now 3 goals in 8 games for Ferdinand, and with his much-improved defending he will continue to pose problems for defences and attackers alike.


Manchester United verdict: Why don't they play like this all the time, dammit?! The Man Utd yesterday was an absolute joy to watch - smooth-flowing. confident, entertaining. Seriously, I would have been happy to watch the match even if it had ended up goalless, it was so entertaining. The only disappointment was the relative anonymity of our usual lethal goal-poacher van Nistelrooy.

Player to watch: Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown. Now I can't mention one without the other. A superb goalline clearance from Ferdinand kept the match open, and at the other end of the pitch he won the match for the team, while Brown kept Gerrard and Cisse in particular at bay with almost scary ease.


Liverpool verdict: The soft-spoken Spaniard Rafael Benitez commands hell of a lot more respect from me than does the whinger Mourinho, and just for that I tip my hat off to him. It took him time, but he has managed to mould Liverpool into a team based on teamwork and not just a one-man show over-reliant on their captain, persuaded the sulky Djibril Cisse to stay at Anfield and coaxed the petulant Harry Kewell back to his best. I'm over the moon that Man Utd won, and they did deserve their win, but Liverpool worked their socks off and a draw would still have been fair.

Player to watch: Harry Kewell. After 3 indifferent seasons at Liverpool, dogged by injuries, the Australian is back to the scintillating form that made him so coveted when he was at Leeds. He was a thorn in Man Utd's defence throughout the whole first half, all the more so since Gerrard was effectively shackled, and though Gary Neville did an admirable job of containing him he still had his hands full with Kewell's moments of individual brilliance.


Miscellaneous observation: What in the name of fuck is Djibril Cisse trying to achieve with his new hairstyle? He looks like he stuck a penis down the middle of his bald head. Wouldn't it interfere with his heading accuracy?

Weekend Outlook (22 Jan 2006)

Manchester United vs Liverpool

"The deliverance of ManUtd's 3 points, this weekend, lies on one man's shoulders. Alan Smith." - JayWalk, 22 Jan 2006

I think this blog is quite unique in the sense that while we are discussing football, I am also giving a little brief introduction to the World of Art. We had Van Gogh in the last weekend outlook and this time round, if I may humbly introduce to you Edvard Munch. The artist who painted The Scream (which incidently was stolen two years ago.). Yup, that was my expression when we went down 1-3 to the Citizens. NB.....

Whoever says that this is the game that would decide the Runner-Up spot is still in denial. The Runner-Up spot is signed, sealed and delivered to Anfield already. Well, 99% anyway. Liverpool with 2 games-in-hand, has got enough to overtake ManUtd with a 2-point buffer, even after they were to lose this game.

Right now, Liverpool is on an unstoppable momentum. They are riding the groove of the rhythmn. This spiral concept can go both ways. It can push you through an unbeaten streak or it can drag you down towards the relegation zone with consecutive losses. With 9 wins out of the last 10, this momentum concept is clearly in play. Perhaps it is day-dream on our part to bet on that 1% of hope that we are able to start that domino effect of Liverpool dropping points. What better timing then now, ahead of Liverpool's games against Chelsea and Arsenal, followed by the crazy schedules of the Champions League second round against Benfica, all in the month of February. Let us also not forget the 2 game-in-hand to add to Liverpool's already jam-packed schedule. If Liverpool depth of squad cannot handle the volume traffic, then we are looking at a spectacular collapse of an worthy adversary. The death of a supernova (evolving into a neutron star or a black hole) would be the perfect analogy.

JayWalk The Talk: Alonso says that as long as they are able to lock down Rooney and Van Nistelrooy, they will win ManUtd. Tsk, tsk, such naivety! Can anybody lock down Rooney, if at all? Rooney has not equal as far as opponents are concerned. Rooney's biggest enemy is perhaps himself. Liverpool can only hope that Rooney has an off-day today for there is nothing Liverpool can throw at the boy-wonder to beat him. They can only wish for a self-implosion.

ManUtd is probably going through what Arsenal has been, adjusting to the absence of Viera. An empty midfield, straining the defence and failing the forward. Clearly Liverpool has the upper hand here with Steven Gerrard playing the Joan of Arc role. To make matters worse, Ronaldo, Scholes and Fortune are out of action to contribute to the depletion of ManUtd's midfield. Who can step up to the plate and assuming the Command-In-Chief role? Fletcher and Giggs are wingers so that rules them out. Park is not 100% match fit. Richardson is too inexperienced. That leaves us with Smith who was Keane's understudy when Fergie converted the young lad's role from attack to midfield.

The deliverance of ManUtd's 3 points, this weekend, lies on one man's shoulders. Alan Smith. It won't be an easy task against Gerrard and Kewell in the middle and Crouch and Morientes up front.

JayWalk The Walk: It's a bleak and gloomy picture ahead but I would like to bring your attention back the the hard numbers. ManUtd only lost once at Old Trafford this season against Blackburn and it must be said that Blackburn is a attacking team in contrast to the defence-centric Liverpool. ManUtd never had a problem with defensive teams and that is the one factor that would count in favour of ManUtd who also, if I may add, has home ground advantage.

Bookies are giving 1/4 ball to Liverpool and decimal odds are against ManUtd beating that 1/4 ball handicap. Here's the deal, ManUtd needs to win in order to keep that 1% of hope that they can finish as Runner-Up. Liverpool only needs a draw to bury that 1% hope. Draw comes easier to defensive teams.

I am inclined to take Liverpool and accept the 1/4 ball handicap as both teams looked headed to do a Picasso. Now who says there is no culture in football?

p.s. I think bringing Diarra from Lyon is a bad idea. The Mali midfielder is a defensive midfielder which does nothing for an attacking outfit. Besides, there is also the headache of the African Nations' Cup which means losing him at critical time on a regular basis.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Random Wayne Rooney Stuff

Some conversations I've had with a few football-loving buddies lately...


Friend 1: Hey you heard? Real Madrid got Antonio Cassano!
Me: Yeah. For a bargain price too.
Friend 1: He's damn good. If only Man U got him huh?
Me: Why would we need him? We've got Wayne Rooney.
Friend 1: Got point.


Me: Arsenal bid 12 million pounds for Theo Walcott [Southampton 16-year-old striker].
Friend 2: I'm not surprised. I heard he's damn good for his age. Chelsea were trying to get him also.
Me: But 12 million pounds for an unproven 16-year-old???
Friend 2: Er, Man U paid 30 million for a 19-year-old.
Me: Yeah... but that 19-year-old is Wayne Rooney leh.
Friend 2: Imagine if Man U got him. Walcott in partnership with Rossi!
Me: What for? We have Rooney. Imagine Rooney in partnership with Rossi!
Friend 2: ...


Friend 3: Oei, this weekend Liverpool - Man U leh! What you think?
Me: Ok loh. What can they do?
Friend 3: Liverpool are on a good run now leh. And they're very confident. Risse, Morientes and Henchoz have been putting Man U down in the news.
Me: So? Let them say whatever they want.
Friend 3: Wah. You're also very confident.
Me: Hello, we have Wayne Rooney.
Friend 3: ...


Friend 4: Petr Cech has been voted the best goalkeeper in the world.
Me: Oh yeah he's good. And young. Chelsea were smart to grab him.
Friend 4: Wah lau Chelsea got all the "world-bests". Lampard, Terry, Makalele, now Cech... Do you think anyone can actually put a ball past Petr Cech?
Me: Yeah, Darren Fletcher.
Friend 4: [laughs] Yeah, good one there.
Me: And Wayne Rooney.
Friend 4: Since when has he scored against Cech?
Me: Never. But he will.
Friend 4: I wouldn't be surprised.

Midweek Outlook (18 Jan 2006)

Manchester United vs Burton Albion

"ManUtd will never be scalped. Period." - JayWalk, 18 Jan 2006

Welcome to the Third Round Replay of the FA Cup where nobody gives a shit about.

Just received this cartoon from my cousin. It may be funny initially but thinking deeper, it might just very well happen. Then we will see who is laughing then. Anyway, it seemed that nobody gives a rat's ass about the replays. As for the ManUtd vs Burton match, it was lagi eerily quiet on the media front. The only news that comes out was probably the alleged bust-up between Ronaldo and van Nistelrooy. Great... just the type of news that we need to hear right now. Great... just f*cking great.

JayWalk The Talk: Fortune is out. Heinze is out. Now Rooney, Ronaldo and Park are out. Nobody cares about the squad health on the visitor side. ManUtd will never be scalped. Period.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies are offering ManUtd to give 3 balls. ManUtd will win. That is without question. A 1-0, 2-0 or even 3-0 victory would ensure ManUtd's passage to the next stage but you need 4-0 just to win money. I think better to just go to bed and read the scores in the morning lah.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Weekend Outlook (14 Jan 2006)

Manchester City vs Manchester United

"...The team of ManUtd is like Van Gogh...

...they both draw a lot..."

- JayWalk, 13 Jan 2006

The team of ManUtd is like Van Gogh (or Claude Monet or even Picasso). Unfortunately, I wasn't refering to their common artistry in their respective crafts. It's just that they both draw a lot. At the level that they are playing, even a draw is not acceptable. It has to be all 3 points in the bag each game, even if it meant winning ugly goal-mouth-scrambling 1-0 victories. Football is a merciless game where even a draw is considered a loss. Back in the old days when only 2 points were awarded for a win, teams were more than contented to shoot for a draw sometimes, as it was merely dropping a single-easily-recoverable point. Not so much for the current format where 3 full points proved to be the right size for a good carrot to worth going after at all expense.

Anyway, welcome to the Manchester Derby this weekend and it is a 12 noon kick-off. Expect a full house today at the City of Manchester stadium. ManUtd has had a busy week drawing both with Burton Albion last weekend and Blackburn Rovers in midweek. It is a worrying time for despite dominating both matches for most of the time, they couldn't deliver the victory. What essentially means is two additional gruelling fixtures in their already very tight schedule. Fortunately, ManUtd does have quite a bit of squad depth to tahan. Had it been any other team (sans Chelsea), they would have started to crumbled by now. Don't believe? Just watch Wigan over the next few weeks.

ManCity's form is terrible of late, with only a single win in their last 5 league games. Sure people would be pointing out at me their FA Cup 3rd round success over Scunthorpe United. After trailing 0-1, Fowler bounced back with a hattrick to seal the game 3-1.

I was about to dismiss that with a nonchalant snort, citing that ANY premiership team would be able to put 3 past the Nationwide League 1 outfit when I remembered how ManUtd couldn't break the duck against an even-lower Burton Albion in the same round. *Hides in shame*

JayWalk The Talk: Squad-wise, it is a peachy picture for ManUtd with a relatively full squad. No injuries picked up from the League Cup semis against Blackburn but exhaustion from midweek? Hope not! Paul Scholes look unlikely to feature today, along with long term injury candidates of Fortune and Heinze. Good news, is that Fergie may take this game to showcase one or two of the new signings today. If we get in the goals early, we may even see them get a chance to get onto the pitch for a run-about.

The sky blue side don't look so sunny as Claudio Reyna is out injured. For those who bet on the number of yellow/red cards, go for low as Danny Mills is also out.

So, as far as fire power is concerned, there is the hattrick hero Fowler representing the home side but he would be up against the dynamic duo of Rooney and van Nistelrooy, whom together chalked up 25 league goals in total. ManUtd is the only team with 2 players in the Top 6 of the leading scorer list to-date. While Fowler may be scoring lesser than Joey Barton and Andy Cole, expect gaffer Stuart Pearce to put him ahead of the 2 in the starting lineup.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies gave 1/2 ball handicap against ManUtd and a decimal odds favouring the Red Devils to beat it. Hmm... deja vu? Wasn't that the same odds with Blackburn Rover just a few days earlier? What did we learn from that lesson?

Granted that statistics-wise, ManUtd is way superior than ManCity in every aspect but it must be said that this is a local derby and there is a kind of an unexplainable magic in it that makes it so unpredictable and exciting to watch. I think ManUtd will do another Van Gogh here but at the same time, I don't feel quite comfortable betting on ManCity. Verdict? Stay away.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Midweek Preview: 11th January 2006

Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United (Carling Cup Semi-Final)

"Bloody Man U. When I buy them, they lose. When I don't buy them, they win." - Andy, Chelsea fan and addicted football punter


A Chelsea fan who bets regularly on Manchester United is coming up with his own version of why Manchester United loses. You can't find a better way to illustrate Man Utd's frustrating inconsistency.

Just 3 days after a potentially disastrous draw against non-league Burton Albion in the FA Cup, Man Utd are up against Blackburn Rovers, the team who shocked them at Old Trafford with a 2 - 1 Premiership win back in September, for the Carling Cup semi-final. And remember, in order for Man Utd to avoid total humiliation for this season, these are two trophies the team absolutely has to win.

I would love to say that Man Utd would be able to walk over Blackburn without much difficulty, but Blackburn has won 4 out of their last 5 home games, whereas Man Utd have won 3 and drawn 2 of their last 5 away games. Going by these statistics, and factoring in their horrible playing in the last match and their Premiership loss to Rovers, this will not be a stroll in the park. Fergie will have to field a strong squad.

Man Utd are without Park Ji-Sung, who has a knee problem, but Alan Smith has recovered from his chest infection. The gaffer might want to play him to get him back to full match fitness, which means Darren Fletcher might have to give up the central midfield place that he has done so well in for the last few Premiership matches, or Cristiano Ronaldo gets dumped back to the bench (as Fergie seems to like to do nowadays) and Fletcher gets shifted out to the right.

Blackburn, on the other hand, have Craig Bellamy in good scoring form and the ever-reliable Paul Dickov. Complicating things a little for Manchester United is the presence of the aggressive Robbie Savage and Tugay. Without a combative midfield enforcer in Roy Keane, Savage and Tugay are competent enough to boss the middle of the park, since most of Man Utd's midfielders do not have that aggressive edge and the physical strength and presence. The likelihood of Fletcher, rather than Ronaldo, making way for Smith is greater, as Fergie will be hoping that Smithy's hard tackling and hard work ethic will neutralise the twin threats - or at least be up to it.

This battle will be won or lost in the middle of the park tomorrow night. Expect lots of flying tackles, tempers flaring, a rain of yellow cards and maybe even a red. But if that happens, I'm putting my bet - and my hopes - on Savage being the one getting the red.

Stuff which I don't really understand but which Jaywalk taught me: Bookies are giving Rovers a 1/2 ball advantage, but they seem to think Man Utd can beat the handicap by giving lower decimal odds - whatever that means (all info from Jaywalk). I would say, stay far away from this game, but that's mainly because I'm not a bettor and this is my first instinct. But to be serious, Man Utd have been far too unpredictable lately. However, winning Rovers by a single goal, considering the kind of firepower the team has, is not an impossible task. In fact, on paper, it looks more than very achievable.

All I know is, the aforementioned Chelsea fan is staying away from the match. Which, according to him, means Man Utd will win.


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Burton Albion 0 - 0 Manchester United

When I watched the match last night I felt as if I was watching a Reserves match.

That was what the lineup looked like, with Sir Alex fielding Ritchie Jones, Phil Bardsley, Gerard Pique, Giuseppe Rossi, and Kieran Richardson. Mikael Silvestre and Tim Howard made first-team returns (and I hope this is Silvestre's LAST first-team match because he quite simply sucked), Wes Brown and John O' Shea were the token members of Man Utd's normal first eleven, and perennial substitutes Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were given a runout.

I was pleased to see Solskjaer on his first start after more than 18 months out, and glad to see that he'd been given the captaincy as he was by far the most senior player on the pitch (though I must admit I don't think he'd make a good captain; too silent), but the next moment I was horrified to see that Sir Alex was deploying him on the right flank. So what, are we converting strikers to wingers now? I know Ole was used as a right winger for a while after Beckham's departure, but he never excelled at it. As a consequence, he hardly had a touch on ball all night last night.

So, despite Sir Alex's assurances that he'd field a strong side to avoid any chance of a repeat of that embarrassing draw with Exeter last season, this was the very youthful team that trooped out onto the Burton pitch. However, I was still rather confident. After all, Burton are 104 places below us, with a team put together for just 202,000 pounds and consisting of truck drivers and delivery men. They wouldn't stand a chance against our young pros. Plus the pitch wasn't as bad as earlier reports had suggested it would be - it certainly didn't look like the Stamford Beach Bolton had to play on 2 seasons ago, at least.

But from the very first whistle, Burton, buoyed by their ecstatic and enthusiastic 6000-plus supporters, took the game by the neck while Man Utd was still trying to find their footing and some sort of footing on the sandy ground. It took Silvestre 2 minutes to make his first mistake and lose the ball on the edge of the area to Burton right winger I-don't-know-who, but fortunately Brown was on hand to make an interception before things could get worse.

It was 25 minutes of steady, relentless pounding from the Burton side, who especially terrorised the inexperienced Gerard Pique and the shaky Silvestre with large centre-back Darren Tinson, quick striker Shaun Harrad, and outstanding left winger Jon Shaw. Phil Bardsley had already made an incredible clearance off the line, Tim Howard was alert to gather 2 powerful shots, and Wes Brown had held back a Tinson header. It was not till then that Man Utd got their first sniff on goal: a Louis Saha effort that 22-year-old Burton keeper Saul Deeney did well to save.

The rest of the half looked more familiar with Man Utd pressing forward and attacking, but Burton proved as adept at holding the fort as they were in piling pressure on Howard's goal, with Deeney making at least 2 good saves from Saha. Still no goal as the half-time whistle sounded. Kieran Richardson had been responsible for losing possession much too easily, and Rossi deserved a good kick in his butt for missing a perfect cross from Phil Bardsley.

The second half started in like manner to the first, with Burton looking very lively and dangerous - Bardsley was the hero again with another goal-line clearance. It seemed a matter of time before Sir Alex would bring on his 2 young prodigies Rooney and Ronaldo, and bring them on he did in the 59th minute for the ineffective Rossi and Solskjaer.

They made an almost immediate impact, Rooney trying a delicious overhead kick in front of goal with practically his first touch, and Ronaldo crossing for Saha, who just managed to get his head on it but was ruled offside. But Burton captain Tinson held his defence together firmly, and Deeney's heroics denied Man Utd time and time again. Burton held on till the final whistle to claim a dream trip worth about 500,000 pounds to them to Old Trafford.

What have I learnt from this match? Never underestimate minnows.


Burton verdict: They played much, much better than expected. Skill and technique they may not have in abundance, but their hard work ethic and team spirit carried them far last night. Our overpaid stars could pick up a thing or two from them.

Player to watch: Left winger Jon Shaw and goalkeeper Saul Deeney. Shaw was a thorn in our defence all night, running rings around our players, and Deeney pulled off several reflex stops which van der Sar or Howard themselves would have been proud of. And at Old Trafford, with 68,000 people in the stands and the match globally televised, there is no better time or place to showcase their talents and hope a manager from one of the four leagues above them plucks them from obscurity.

Manchester United verdict: Disappointing on the whole, and worrying as well: Can we not score or create without the services of Ronaldo and Rooney? But one or two bright sparks can be fished out. Firstly, an assured performance from Tim Howard, who showed no signs of lack of match sharpness; a slow recovering of the form that made Wes Brown one of the most admired defenders in the country before his injuries; and an outstanding performance from Phil Bardsley. The others were either bad or nonexistent; Man Utd could easily have been knocked out if not for these 3 players. Oh, and Louis Saha deserves a mention for getting our best chances of the night and working his socks off.

Player to watch: Phil Bardsley. If he continues this way - defending well and confidently, while not being afraid to run up and overlap and help out in the attack, we have another Gary Neville on our hands. As I recall, he performed admirably as well during the worst of the injury period when he was drafted in for Premiership games.

Weekend Outlook (08 Jan 2006)

Burton Albion vs Manchester United

"...Siang is Burton Albino?..." - Some idiot, 07 Jan 2006

You know, it's kinda hard to write a preview when you have absolutely no information on the subject team. Anyone heard of Burton Albion? The closest I ever come is probably Tim Burton, the genius film director of works like Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas and the recent Corpse Bride. Yup, that is as close as I can get as far a Burton is concerned.

Some idiot came to me and asked, "Siang is Burton Albino?"

To which I answered dryly, "A very white ang moh. Orang Lagi-Putih."

Sigh...

Well, in this particular case, no info is good info for ManUtd as an leisurely stroll in the park is in the cards.

ManUtd is second in the Premiership while Burton Albion is 13th in the Nationwide Conference. Do the math and you will realised that they are 102 places apart. ManUtd has been beaten just once in their last 10 games while Burton Albion too, has a respectable 6-3-1 to boot. However, this is without factoring the calibre of their respective opponents. Before incurring the cardinal sin of being arrogantly over-confident, let us be reminded of the 0-2 scalp at the hands of Bournemouth at Old Trafford back in 1984. We were ironically plucked by the Cherries (pun intended) that dreadful day.

JayWalk The Talk: With the two teams so far apart, the current squad condition is pretty irrelevant as the weakest of the ManUtd reserves would still be stronger than the best of Burton Albion. Even the U-16 youth team would be able to put up a credible fight against them.

JayWalk The Walk: Victory is never in doubt. Only question is by how many goals? Bookies put ManUtd to give 2-1/2 balls (WTF?) which means that Fergie may lose his job, if ManUtd scrape through by the odd goal. With Europe and the Premiership titles out of reach, I doubt if Fergie wants to take this cup tournament lightly as per previous years. The very same sentiment is reflected by Arsene Wenger who promises a strong core squad coming into their FA Cup fixture. On one hand, ManUtd need to win this. On the other hand, they could use this relative easy fixture to rest the players ahead of the Carling Cup semi-final clash (which one is more important har?) against Blackburn Rovers. May I remind all, that Blackburn beat us 2-1 at Old Trafford back in September. All hands on deck!!

2-1/2 ball handicap is certainly very tricky as there is a very high chance that once ManUtd go 2-0 up, they will start to pull out their star players to rest them and put in youngsters and/or defenders to run the clock down. Under that circumstances, you will be a happy fan that ManUtd advances to the next round and a sad fan at the same time since you have no money to buy the next round of beer. The bookies will be drinking your beer.

So I say, leave this one alone. There are so many other matches to bet on. Why this one? Preston Northend vs Crewe Alexander or Southampton vs Milton-Keynes Dons look like better bets with more sensible odds. Take a look at them instead.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Latest Transfers

Here at Red Half of Manchester, we welcome new signings for the club. More than just to shore up our numbers or improve the team, new signings are always a novelty. We, as fans, relish the opportunity to watch new players run out for the club, evaluate their performances, and anxiously wait to see if the new players will lead the club to glory (Wayne Rooney, Gabriel Heinze, Ruud van Nistelrooy) or, well, crash and burn (Juan Sebastian Veron, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Liam Miller).

Which is why we welcome with glee the news of new signing Nemanja Vidic. Signed on the 5th of January 2006 for an undisclosed fee believed to be about 7 million pounds, the central defender, whom Fergie describes as "quick, athletic, aggressive", has sterling credentials at just 24 years of age.

He was part of Serbia & Montenegro's Famous Four defence that conceded only one goal in the World Cup Qualifiers, and shone in them, which Fergie admitted made him sit up and take notice of him. At Red Star Belgrade, he won the league championship twice in a row before being signed by Spartak Moscow. In a total of 106 games for both clubs, he has scored 16 goals, an amazing statistic for any centre-back, much less our own Rio Ferdinand.

He will hopefully add a new dimension to our leaky defence, as well as being a solid partner for Ferdinand, who, after having a confirmed partner without anymore chopping and changing, will settle down and begin performing up to scratch. Vidic will wear the No. 15 shirt, though Sir Alex has just confirmed that he will not be playing in the FA Cup tie with Burton Albion as he is still undergoing endurance training.

And just today, it has been revealed that Manchester United have also signed left-back Patrice Evra from Monaco (subject to a medical), for a fee believed to be about 4 million pounds, beating off competition from Inter Milan to land the highly-rated 24-year-old. He will fill in for long-term medical room lodger Heinze for the rest of the season, after which he will be a useful cover.

Some info on Vidic from the Manchester United official website here. I'll put up bios and more info on Evra when I get them.

I have just one question: No midfielders yet?!

However the latest rumour is that Fergie is looking to bring Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa to Old Trafford. Watch this space.

Midweek Outlook (03 Jan 2006)

Arsenal vs Manchester United

"...If ManUtd were to take them lightly, it will be their own funeral..."

- JayWalk, 03 Jan 2006

Finally the big game is ON! This will be the last game between the two giants at Highbury, afterwhich will be at the new ground of Ashburton Grove.

The smell of bookie trap is strong in the air today. Arsenal stumbled to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park earlier while ManUtd romped to a 4-1 victory over the Trotters, stretching their unbeaten record to 10 straight games. Doesn't that give you the impression that this game will be a bit lopsided? You think?

Sure, they are leaking news that Ljungberg and van Persie are injured leaving only Henry up front with Gilberto having a faint chance of making the starting sheet. Sure they are blaring about ManUtd strikers in top form with Solksjaer and Saha available but only good enough for the bench. Scholes is doubtful along with Smith while Fortune and Heinze are long term pai kar pai choo candidates.

As dismal as Arsenal may appear, I can assure you that they won't be pushovers tonight. If ManUtd were to take them lightly, it will be their own funeral.

Seriously, the title race is effectively over with Liverpool screwing up over Bolton yesterday. This Arsenal vs ManUtd game is particularly important not because it may decide who gets to be runner-up but more rather, how the League and FA Cups were to be decided should both meet. Trust me, the answer would be damn bladdy likely. As it is right now, Arsenal looked destined to fight ManUtd for the League Cup while it's either semi-final or final for the FA Cup depending on Chelsea's performance in the tournament.

This time round, I don't think the game will be as fiery as before since both Viera and Keane have since departed. Last time, it was a case of who have the better midfield while now is more of a case of who have the less empty midfield liao. As it is, I think ManUtd have a slight edge. Should Park plays, it will be a very enriching experience for him. Arsenal will have trouble here since they have not encountered this prolific Korean yet.

JayWalk The Talk: Squad-wise, ManUtd have the edge. Form-wise, ManUtd again. Past-Encounter-wise, still ManUtd. However, Highbury-wise, it's Arsenal. I think scoring form, ManUtd would be able to put at least 2 goals past any team. Problem is that they have trouble keeping a clean sheet. Van der Saar is a good goalie but can still kena sabo-ed if the defenders are idiots. Sadly, ManUtd have quite a number of these clowns now.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies have no choice but to offer Even-ball here as a skew to either side would mean scaring away punters. However, at Even-ball, the Arsenal gets the nod at 1.85 while ManUtd, being the away team, gets 2.05. In English, it means the bookies are looking to a draw with a slight tilt towards Arsenal. Like I said, probable bookie trap here. I am staying away as I have said earlier. Besides, watching the game itself is entertaining enough.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.