United couldn’t have wished for a better start, when right back Kevin Alstone was too casual on a pass, that allowed Macheda to run past the defence and coolly finish past the All-Star keeper, after just 23 seconds. Things got better 12 minutes better, when Nani’s corner was headed into the far corner of the net, once again by Macheda, who rose well against the All-Star defence. Things seemed to be going well beyond expectations, and the important thing now was to not lose focus. The All-Stars almost pulled a goal back minutes later, when former Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel forced a great save from Edwin van der Sar with his 20-yard freekick.

Gabriel Obertan, who was looking dangerous with his pace, had to go off because of an injury, and was replaced by Tom Cleverley. United then had a chance to go three up, after Nani and Fletcher played a neat one-two, but Fletcher was unlucky when his drive smashed against the crossbar. Macheda created a few problems for the All-Star defence, which clearly looked like one that had never played together before. As the referee blew for half time, United looked comfortably in control and good value for their two goal lead.

At the start of the second half, the MLS All-Stars began playing with a lot more conviction, and nearly pulled a goal back, but van der Sar saved well from Chad Marshall’s close-range header. And then, the moment that everybody had been waiting for arrived, as Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez took to the field. The large Mexican population in Texas provided a great reception for United’s new frontman. So understandably there was a feeling of an anticlimax when veteran striker Brian Ching, who came on as a substitute, scored with a near post header. Soon after, Chicharito had his chance to make an immediate impact, after Cleverley’s dangerous cross was met with an on-the-run left-footed volley from the Mexico, but at his near post, the goalkeeper was able to smother it.

United however did score after that moment. Chicharito did well to close down the All-Star centre back, and running through on goal, was brought down 20 yards from goal. Darron Gibson took the freekick and certainly didn’t disappoint, curling his shot above the ball and into the top corner of goalkeeper Rimando’s goal. The game was more or less sealed moments after, and some goal it was too. Fletcher played a clever flicked-pass to Cleverley, who flicked it over the head of his marker and volleyed home on the turn. The goal showed some great facets of the young midfielder — his determination to get forward, and skill when it is required.

Almost everything above became immaterial on 84 minutes. Fletcher hit a pass over the defence, and Chicharito’s pace and timing of the run found him in acres of space. The Mexican saw the goalkeeper way off his line, so he lobbed the keeper from 18 yards to make the score 5-1. A terrific goal, showing both Hernandez’s pace and finishing ability. There was a late consolation for the All-Stars, when substitute De Rosario latched onto a mistake by Wes Brown, and finished past van der Sar. At full-time, the scoreboard read Manchester United 5-2 MLS All-Stars. A historic result of sorts for United, and a great performance overall to boot. Tom Cleverley, the twins, Welbeck and Macheda were particularly impressive, and the whole day was made better with Chicharito netting on his debut.

Best Moment: Hernandez’s debut goal

Worst Moment: Obertan’s injury

Man of the Match: Frederico Macheda

Written by Sownak27

Kansas City started brightly, and their players showed the movement and passing ability that midseason match fitness brings along. United were sluggish in possession, with De Laet and Gibson finding it hard to find their intended targets with their passing. Kei Kamara, the Kansas City right winger caused a lot of problems with his pace, as did Ryan Smith down the left. United uncharacteristically had the lesser of the possession, and Kansas deservedly got the opening goal after 23 minutes. Kamara broke down the right and fed Kansas captain Davy Arnaud, who slotted coolly past a helpless Ben Amos. They had a chance to double their lead almost straight after, but thankfully for United,

Nani showed flashes of his brilliance from the end of last season, when he ran past the challenges of a couple of Kansas City players, but his shot was saved well by Nielsen in goal. United did eventually get back into the game, after Berbatov was brought down in the box by Jimmy Conrad, who was shown a straight red card for his efforts. This was a decision that fans on both sides felt was harsh for a friendly match, but it certainly provided a way back for United. Berbatov duly converted his penalty. Just as there was a positive, Kansas showed great bottle to regain their lead, when Kamara headed home from a corner kick. A controversial goal too, but replays were not convincing enough to prove whether the entirety of the ball had crossed the line or not (ahem, Sepp). At half time, the home team went in with a 2-1 lead, and more importantly, a superior performance on the whole.

No changes at half time, and there was no change in the direction of play either. The tempo of the game continued as before, with United unable to hold the ball for more than 5 passes at a time. Credit where its due — the Kansas City players did very well to close down Scholes and Gibson in midfield. The positive from this half however was that United started to create a few more chances. The introductions of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck brought some real impetus to the attacking edge to United’s play, and the pair seemed to do more in 5 minutes than a number of starters had done so far in the entire game. Macheda had a wonderful chance to equalise from 3 yards, after Welbeck crossed beautifully, but the Italian could only direct his close-range header straight at the keeper.

Despite all the chances created by the team towards the end of the match, there was no goal in sight, and the 10 men of Kansas City managed to hold on and get their deserved victory. Although it wasn’t exactly United’s first choice squad, it was a historic result for the MLS outfit nonetheless. It wasn’t so much the result that was disappointing to the fans, but rather the performance of the some of the youngsters that many believe can make an impact in the upcoming season. Macheda, Diouf and De Laet were particularly disappointing, but it is only preseason, and once they return to full fitness, we can perhaps hope to see more confident performances. Welbeck and Cleverley were the standout performers, along with Ryan Giggs, who completed another 90 minutes.

United are scheduled to play the MLS All-Stars on the 29th of July, a team that a Premier League side is yet to defeat. And of course — this should be the first appearance of Javier Hernandez in red, lets hope it can be a memorable day all-round!

Written by Sownak27

United began with some spark, when Macheda found the darting run of Obertan past the Union fullback, but the Frenchman was unable to hit the target beyond the first defender. This was to become a recurring theme throughout the game. Having survived this early scare, the MLS side began to grow in confidence, and Danny Mwanga created the first chance by feeding striker Moreno, whose scuffed shot was gathered easily by Kuszczak. Apart from a few other speculative efforts from distance, there wasn’t much else created. Danny Welbeck continued to be United’s best attacking option on the night. The striker had a couple of efforts on target saved by the Union goalkeeper, but nothing too much to concern him. By half time, neither side was able to impose themselves in the game though the Philadelphia dressing room must have definitely been the happier one.

With the second half underway, similarity ensued. This time however, Union seemed much the brighter side, and the substitutes brought on by the manager almost had an immediate impact, and midfielder Nick Zimmerman forced a smart save from Kuszczak. As the game started to stagnate in midfield, Sir Alex brought on his set of substitutes, by bringing on Fletcher, Corry Evans, Smalling, Rafael and last game’s man of the match, Dimitar Berbatov. The changes seemed to have a positive influence on the team, and United began to create a lot more chances. Rafael provided some much needed offence down the right, and his linking up with Obertan started to create some problems.

The next big chance of the game, somewhat against the momentary run of play, came for Philadelphia Union, but Kuszczak managed to make a great save against Danny Califf’s header. United did finally get their goal just after this however, when an error from the Union defender allowed Welbeck to run at the defence, and his perfectly weighted pass found Obertan’s bursting run into the box, who showed good feet and composure to place his shot past the goalkeeper. Some relief then for all those in red.

Berbatov’s inclusion seemed to add a new dimension to United’s attacking play, and he almost showed the added class he brought to the game when his spinning shot thundered against the crossbar. There was a chance of a second when Giggs was brought down in the box, but the referee waved play on. Replays showed afterwards, however, that it should have been given. The game started to reach a frantic conclusion, as Union pushed for an equaliser, which inevitably left a gap at the back. Substitute Richie De Laet found himself in unfamiliar territory, one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot was well closed down by the same. The game therefore ended 1-0, and it was a deserved victory at the end.

A lot of positives can be drawn from this game, despite the fact that this was a team that should have been beaten more easily. It was a good workout for the team under testing conditions, against a side that United would have known next to nothing about. For the likes of Cleverley, Welbeck and Macheda, this would have been an invaluable experience to show that there are no “easy” wins in football, even when you are Manchester United.

Best Moment: Obertan’s first goal for the club

Worst Moment: When Le Toux almost scored right at the end

Man of the Match: Danny Welbeck

Written by Sownak27

But this was not so. As the game commenced, United began to dominate possession. Paul Scholes and Fletcher dictated play through the middle, and up front Berbatov’s skill and Diouf’s pace were causing the Celtic defenders a lot of problems. Obertan kept breaking through the sides, and looked a lot stronger on the ball than last season. This eventually turned into the first goal of the game. Obertan carried the ball to the opposite wing, finding Diouf, whose cross was controlled brilliantly by Berbatov. With his second touch, he finished spectacularly on the spin, helping United to a 1-0 lead. Good start to preseason for Berbatov then.

The rest of the half was dominated by United, though Celtic had a good chance through left back Mulgrew, who smashed a fizzing shot against the outside of Edwin van der Sar’s post. A slight scare, but United went into half time in the lead, and in relative control of the game.

Keeping true to the nature of preseason friendly matches, Sir Alex rung out the changes at half time, bringing on the likes of Gibson, O’Shea, Brown and Cleverley. The number of changes seemed to cause some disruption in the flow to United’s passing game, and for some time, Celtic were on top. Their substitute Samaras was the one to make this difference, and he eventually brought the score to parity. A slight loss of concentration from Smalling saw him concede a penalty, after bringing down Joe Ledley in the box. Samaras coolly slotted away the penalty, and hence gave Celtic a deserved equaliser. The pressure from the Bhoys continued for some time, but van der Sar was equal to the task and denied Marc-Antoine Fortune on a couple of occasions.

Just when people were expecting to see a penalty shootout, United regained the lead on 79 minutes. Berbatov burst into the box and found Welbeck with a neat pass, who slid his finish into the net. Moments later, substitute Macheda hit a lovely curling effort, destined for the corner of the net, but Zaluska the Celtic goalkeeper matched it with a fine save. He had no chance for United’s third though, when Cleverley’s deflected effort sent him the wrong way, and nestled into the goal. 3-1, and there was no catching up now.

This was probably meant to be the hardest effort of the tour, and it certainly made the team work hard for the team, but considering the lack of first-teamers in the squad, it was a good performance, especially from the still brilliant Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov. Smalling looked impressive on his debut, and although his inexperience showed in the giving-away of the penalty, he looked pretty solid at the back and confident on the ball. The next match should see the likes of Nani on the bench, and more importantly, more game time for the youngsters of the squad.

Best Moment: Berbatov’s opener

Worst Moment: The conceded penalty

Man of the Match: Dimitar Berbatov

Written by Sownak27

He is all limousines and sports cars, Ray Bans and Ralph Lauren. He has his own designer ranges with his name on the clothes in case he forgets who he is. He demands and gets red carpet treatment wherever he goes and the girls melt in his presence.

He is everything any man would love to be and then some. But my God, he is the best footballer on the planet and has been for three years now.

I don’t care a jot what all the organisations say, the ones who dish out the FIFA World Player awards and all that nonsense. There is too much politics involved with them. FACT: Cristiano Ronaldo has now spent three years as the worlds best and is not ready to step down yet.

Despite all his faults and all his tantrums at United where he stamped his feet when he demanded a transfer, he never once stopped trying his utmost to win for United.

Many said that he would leave 12 months earlier than he did. Ferguson was not ready to let him go and I for one thought Ronaldo would be an asshole because someone said no to him and overuled his wishes. It did Ronaldo the world of good and it kept him pretty high in my estimations of him.

Did he try his best in that last season once his move had already been arranged?

I think his one man demolition of Arsenal in the semi final of the Champions League pays testament to the man. Add that to a long list of amazing performances that year and yes, no one can possibly doubt that he did what comes naturally to him. He busted a gut to see the job got done.

Would I welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo?

I’d welcome back the footballer they call Ronaldo without a shadow of a doubt. He’s the best I’ve seen since Cantona, maybe even better. He is the best dead ball specialist in the world, no question about that. He is mesmerising in full flight with the ball stuck on his foot. He can ghost past players like they don’t exist. He is one of the quickest and can out accelerate a Bugatti Veyron. He can play midfield, right wing, left wing or up front and he’ll score a mountain of goals wherever you put him. He can also outjump most players he comes up against when going for a ball in the air. He is probably the most complete footballer I have seen in 40 years!

Would I welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo the man?

Probably not. He is an immense talent that you will see but once in a lifetime. Unfortunately he is a character that is narcisistic and self centred. He will do what he can for your cause, I have never doubted that. But his ultimate target is all about himself and what he wants and not for the good of the team.

He had his time with United and I will take those memories to my grave with a smile on my face. But there is nothing he can now do for Manchester United and there is not much Manchester United can do for him to be honest.

Written by EDPC

I can see where they are coming from. It’s always a big boost for the fans to see a Berbatov or a Rooney pitch up at the front door of Old Trafford and don a United shirt, but it’s not vital.

Since the end of World War Two right up until the present day, United have been famous for their youngsters. In 1945 Sir Matt turned up and began his building of the club after the ground was levelled during the war.

Busby relied on home grown talent. Not just English lads but Manchester boys born and bred.

For 26 years Busby stuck to that policy and now the term “Busby Babes” is famous world wide for various reasons. He built his success on youth.

Sir Alex turned up and followed a similar system but using youngsters from all over along with a lot from Manchester too. Scholes, Giggs, the Neville brothers, Butt to name but a few.

“But how can you win the league unless you spend, spend, spend?”

Sir Alex is well aware of how to do this, he is, after all, the only guy to win The Premier League without spending a penny the summer before. In fact, Fergie won the DOUBLE, spending no cash and making a profit in the transfer market while he was at it.

Cast your minds back to the 1995-1996 season. Mark Hughes left, Paul Ince left and so did Andrei Kanchelskis. They were sacrificed to make way for Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes.

Having lost the very first game of the season 3-1 to Aston Villa Alan Hansen declared “You can’t win anything with kids”. The rest, as they say, is history.

Later that very same season, Kevin Keegan followed it up with his equally famous “I’ll love it if we beat them” rant when United overturned a 12-point deficit to catch Newcastle and win the league!

He had also won the league in 1992-1993 while spending just £1.1m on Pat McGibbon and Dion Dublin.

He then went on to win it in 1999-2000 with a spend of just £1.5m on Quinton Fortune.

In 1993-1994 a league title came with a cost of just £3.75m on Roy Keane that summer.

There’s a pattern developing here I’m sure you have noticed and if you take time to run through the reserve team we have right now and the academy players that are coming through, maybe Fergie feels no need to buy any players simply because he has faith. Faith in the youth players which has worked for Manchester United for the past 65 years and will continue working for the next 65 years!

Written by EDPC

Since losing Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Robson feels united have not adequately replaced their goal threat and believes that a goalscoring midfielder in the mould of Frank Lampard would add a lot to United’s squad.

“I would like to see us bring in a goalscoring midfielder,” he told manutd.com. “You look at the likes of Gerrard and Lampard who contribute so many goals to their teams. I think that’s an area we need to improve on,” Robson said.

“Having lost Ronaldo and Tevez last year I think one more striker would be a good addition too although Hernandez certainly looked promising at the World Cup,” he added.

Bwin stats suggest United are not favourites for the title this year, but that could change if Sir Alex Ferguson added an attack minded presence in midfield.

Robson also believes United could do with an extra forward, but has been impressed with what he has seen of new signing Javier Hernandez.

The Mexican striker made impressive performances from the bench at the World Cup, which included a goal against France who were knocked out at the group stage.

“Although he didn’t get a lot of time on the pitch, he looks like he’s got some good movement, nice touches and an eye for goal. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs on the tour,” Robson added.

The striker failed to find the net in four appearances for England in South Africa and never looked like producing the kind of form he produced at Old Trafford last season.

“There was such expectation on him, talk he was going to be the player of the tournament,” Ferguson said.

“That was the prelude to the whole thing. You wait, in four years’ time you’ll see a different player.”

“Rooney was going to be the star, he was going to outshine them all -  Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo. So that level of expectation comes into it.”

“And he’s not got great experience of playing in the World Cup really,” he added.

Sir Alex also admitted he had no explanation for England’s poor showing at the World Cup. After finishing second in their group, they were than thrashed 4-1 by the high flying Germans in the first knockout stage, and Sir Alex admits England’s performances “baffled” him.

“That is going to be one of the imponderables – what has really happened and why are they not getting better form.”

“I watched their games and was baffled by what I saw. Expectation was a big thing. They qualified from a group which you’d have to say was a million to one they wouldn’t qualify from. So it was an easy passage into the finals.

“Maybe it would have been better if England had been in a tougher  group. They’d have earned the right to be one of the favourites and it would have helped that they’d played good teams before they got there.”

The season came to crunch time, and no better game to serve to this title than a meeting at the top between the top two sides, United and Chelsea. United needed to win this game to sit more comfortably in the title race. A home game, too, so fans expected a performance from the team especially after the defeat to Bayern. But as fate would have it — it was yet another mistake by an official that was spell disaster for the team, and eventually, for the title itself. Joe Cole gave the visitors the lead after just 19 minutes, with Chelsea starting much the brighter side in the first half. None of the passing for the team in red seemed to be going right, and passes that one would expect the likes of Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher, failed to find their intended target. In the second half, and presumably after a rollocking from the gaffer, United began much more brightly and really began to pile the pressure on Chelsea. Alas, Drogba came off the bench to seal the winner for Chelsea, though replays should that the striker was comfortably offside when the ball was played to him. A late goal from substitute Frederico Macheda gave United some late hope, but there was none to be had. Wayne Rooney was unavailable for this match following his injury against Bayern. The result meant a huge blow to United’s 4th league title in a row.

Could there be some sort of reprieve then, just 4 days after? In another home game, United faced Bayern Munich for the 2nd leg, trailing by 1-2 in the first. Just a goal would seal it on away goals. The surprise inclusion of Rooney in the starting lineup so soon after his injury brought new life into the team. The night began in unimaginable fashion for all United fans after Darron Gibson netted only 3 minutes in with a characteristic effort from outside the box. Nani added a quick second with a sublime backheel inside the 6 yard box, and then third with a curling effort from just inside the 18 yard box. 3-0 up — surely this was going to be our night? But no. Rafael, who replaced Neville at right back earned a second yellow card, and hence a red, under furious protests from the Bayern team — “typical German behaviour” as Sir Alex called it. This was the start of a spectacular collapse. Menace of the last leg, Ivica Olic snatched a goal just at the end of the first half that sent concern through Old Trafford’s collective spine. The ten men of United defended bravely throughout the second half, but ultimately succumbed to a spectacular volley from Robben that consequently put the Germans through to the next round on away goals. And Manchester United were knocked out of the European Cup.

The misery was set to continue again 4 days later, after a dull 0-0 draw with Blackburn saw United fall further behind Chelsea in the title race. Rooney was injured again for this game, so Berbatov started up front on his own. The best chance of the game fell to Antonio Valencia, who was put through on goal by Berbatov, but when faced with the one-on-one situation, the Ecuadorian winger hit his shot straight at Paul Robinson in the Blackburn goal. Chances were few and far between, and truth be told, the performance didn’t warrant 3 points. Berbatov, having failed to score yet again, came under immense criticism from a lot of United fans. Failure to score yet again without Rooney in the team — were United really a one man show?

New life was breathed into the title race the next weekend. United faced City in the City of Manchester stadium in the most important encounter between the two for both sides in a long time. City chasing a top 4 finish needed a win, and United of course, needed a win anyway. In an incident filled game, Rooney and Giggs had the best chances in the first half. City’s best chance came through Bellamy, but his selfishness ultimately cost his side. Paul Scholes then maintained the theme of the season’s Manchester derbies. In the 92nd minute, from a Patrice Evra cross, the midfielder made a late run of old and coolly headed into the net to seal a last-minute winner and keep the title hopes alive. And of course, more sweetly, deflate the hopes of the noisy neighbours. Chelsea’s shock defeat to Tottenham later that afternoon meant that United were only a point behind.

An inform Spurs side visited Old Trafford the next weekend, in a hope to keep their 4th place finish in sight. Ryan Giggs scored with two excellently taken penalties, but it was Nani who found the winner after Ledley King’s goal, when he supremely shipped Gomes to put United ahead after 81 minutes. There was still hope — but was it too late?

MAY

The next two games against Sunderland (A) and Stoke (H) both resulted in wins for United, but were ultimately without fruit, because other results did not go in our favour. Chelsea ended off the season in champion-like fashion knocking 8 goals past a hapless Wigan. It was a brave fight from United, but in the end, we have to be objective and admit that over the course of the season, it was a very average showing from the squad. One might dwell on the fact that if Rooney had not been injured against Bayern, we might have gone on to win both the European Cup and the Premiership. But its not worth dealing in hypotheticals.

Let’s hope that in the new season, with new arrivals like Javier Hernandez, and the imminent return of Owen Hargreaves might guide us onto further success. Let’s hope that the standout performers of last season like Rooney, Fletcher, Nani and Evra can continue to bring world class performances, and let’s hope that the likes of Berbatov, Carrick and Anderson can show their true form. Let’s hope that the Reds can go Marching ON ON ON!!

Written by Sownak27

The Sevilla forward has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this Summer after declaring his adoration for he club and the style of football they play, but his agent says he will either be joining AC Milan or staying at Sevilla for another twelve months.

“Either Fabiano joins Milan straight away or he will stay at Sevilla for another year,” said Luis Fuentes.

This hasn’t swayed the odds though. Manchester United are still joint favourites alongside Real Madrid at free bets UK to land the prolific striker’s signature.

The Brazilian has been in fine form at the World Cup, scoring three goals to help his country reach the quarter finals in South Africa, and his form has seen him linked with a number of clubs including Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Milan.