DECEMBER 2010 FOOTBAL ROUND UP

 

Well, a tough web design software trraining placement left me without much time to do stuff on this site. In the meantime though, both MUFC and football in general have been pretty damn busy, So, I might as well give this a go, a ramble covering six competitions of varying degrees of interest and though MUFC are the main team covered, three other sides get a quick check up on as well. Here goes.

First up, the Champions League where United faced Valencia at Old Trafford in Group C. United needed a draw to top the group but didn't field the strongest of lineups and our La Liga opposition took advantage by taking the lead through Pablo before half time. United were in no mood to bow down though and grabbed an equaliser thanks to Anderson. After that United were on top for a while but Valencia were getting big ideas near the end. The Reds came out on top though. As a result United topped the group, finishing three points ahead of Valenica. This group campaign didn't have the best of starts but we were still able to do the business in the end.

The draw for the first knockout round has already been made and United find themselves up against Marseille with the 1st leg at the Stade Velodrome. They're currently gaffered by Didier Deschamps and aren't exactly having a vintage season domestically but Chelsea still came away from their place empty handed in the group stages. Amongst other things, it'll be a return to Old Trafford for former United defender Gabriel Heinze. Other than that though I can't say many names in their squad really get my attention. OM weren't the easiest side in the draw but we could still have done a lot worse. United should reach the quarter finals reasonably smoothly this year.

Next order of business is the Carling Cup quarter final against West Ham at Upton Park. Well last time around we beat Spurs at Old Trafford at this stage of the competition. This time around well...former United midfielder Johnathon Spector opened the scoring for the Hammers and grabbed a second before half time. The Hammers provided no mercy for the Reds after half time either as Carlton Cole grabbed their third and fourth goals and Fergie's crew just had no response. Basically, it was MUFC's worst defeat in any competition for the best part of a decade and means that the Carling Cup will change hands in the most gutting way possible.

In the meantime though, the competition goes on and the semi finals draw has been made. First up West Ham(first League Cup semi since 1989/90) will face Birmingham(first League Cup semi since 00/01) with the first leg at Upton Park. Certainly an interesting tie and I'm thinking that Alex McLeish's crew might have the edge. The other semi sees Championship Ipswich(first League Cup semi since 00/01) face Arsenal(first League Cup semi since 07/08) with the 1st leg at Portman Road. Surely Arsenal as the only remaining Champions League side left will win that one. That would set up a final between Arsenal and Birmingham at Wembley and the Gunners would surely be the safe bet to lift the trophy.

As for the bread and butter, yep United have certainly been busy in the Premiership as well. First up Wigan came to Old Trafford and were beaten 2-0. Then the Reds were due to play Blackpool at Bloomfield Road but that match got postponed due to the heavy snow that hit that weekend. Next up, Blackburn swung into Old Trafford and were anhiliated to the tune of 7-1 - not only MUFC's biggest win of the season by far but their biggest since the 1999/2000 season! And finally, one of the major do or dies of the season, Arsenal at Old Trafford. United took care of business, winning 1-0, That puts them top of the Premiership going into this weekend, two points ahead of second placed Arsenal and with a game in hand.

Elsewhere, FC United of Manchester faced L1 Brighton in the FA Cup 2nd round. The two sides drew 1-1 at the Withdeam Stadium, an awesome result for FC who probably hadn't played a competititive game that far from home before. That allowed them to take Brighton back to their adopted home of Gigg Lane for a replay but there came the reality check. Gus Poyet's crew hammered the non-Leaguers 4-0 and FCUMs valiant campaign was over. Neither the players nor the fans really have much to complain about though. FCUM had already had to go through three preliminary rounds just to reach the competition proper and it is surely not the last we've heard of them.

However, the third round draw has now been made and this is where MUFC join the party. And we've wound up involved in what has to be the tie of the round. Not only an all-Premiership tie but...Liverpool at Old Trafford, what can I say? Well amongst other things, it's a rematch of the '96 final which we won but we'll never go down as a classic. Both sides are going to be seriously up for this one though but I am more confident than I might be for a match against the Scousers. For starters, it's at OT. Secondly, the Anfield crew haven't exactly been having a vintage season so far. Surely the safe bet here is to say MUFC will go through to the next round.

North of the border, things have gone from bad to worse in Aberdeens SPL campaign. First up came a 1-0 defeat to St Johnstone at Pittodrie. Then came a 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park reffed by an Israeli after a farcial strike by Scottish refs. That led to Mark McGhee getting fired and Neale Cooper taking temporary charge at Pittodrie. In the meantime, the Dons were due to face Celtic at Pittodrie but that match got postponed due to snow. Therefore Copper's first match in charge proved to be a 5-0 hammering by Hearts at Tynecastle. That means that they've dropped to the bottom of the SPL and are on course to be relegated. They're level on points with Hamilton and survival but with a -3 goal difference deficit and the Accies have a game in hand. Not good.

Further afield, and the Club World Championship is underway in the UAE with Inter representing UEFA as the Champions League winners. They were given a bye into the semi finals where they faced South Korean K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa at Zayed Sports City. This turned out to be a pretty smoth run for the Serie A side with Dejan Stankovic and Javier Zanetti hitting the net before half time. The Asian Champions League winners were then finished off with a Diego Milito strike in the second half. That means that Inter head for the final where they will face TP Mazembe of the Congolese Linafoot league, also at Zayed Sports City after the African Champpions League winners beat Internacional 2-0 in their semi at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium.

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