FULHAM DROWNED BY FRESH RED WAVE

 

(taken from Manutd.com)

 

It's the start of another Premiership season! And what can be said about it so far? Well, from a United perspective, we paid over the odds to bring in Michael Carrick from Spurs while bunging the Ruud boy to Real on the relative cheap. While not signing any quality strikers to replace the Dutch assassin. In the meantime, the Cocky One added more egos to his crew. Could this be the year when the allstars collapse under their own weight?

United's first task was to see off Fulham at Old Trafford. Three points in the bank surely. The main headline line up wise was Scholesy alongside O'Shea in central midfield, good to see the ginger haired one back after missing most of last season with an eye problem. Evra at left back with Rooney and Saha a predictable strike force.

Our defense looked a bit nervy at the start but in the 7th minute we made our intentions known. A Giggsy cross, a Saha header and the Fulham defence was nowhere! Then in the 15th minute it was Ronaldo's cross and Rooney's presence forced Fulham defender Ian Pearce into the panic of an own goal before the England star claimed a goal of his own in the 16th after a goalmouth scramble. Wayne then set up the Portuguese winger with a classic cross and it was 4-0. In the 19th minute. This was a 20 minute demo session where 'demo' could have been short for 'demonstration' or 'demolition'. Still want to leave OT Cristiano? From there on in United admittedly took their foot off the gas and when Rio nudged Fulham striker Heidar Helguson's shot into his own net in the 40th minute I was slightly dissapointed but then again, Fulham were never threatening anyway!

Given that situation, well of course the second half was going to be slower. We'd done what we needed to do and Fulham had white flagged though there was a worry that the half would be remembered for a niggle between Giggsy and ex-United man Michael Brown. Instead, Wes Brown set up Rooney with an open goal in the 64th minute. 5-1 and no one could seriously grumble when the Reds just passed it around for the last few minutes, Solksjaer even getting a run out at the end.

That leaves United top of the Premiership with three points and a +4 goal difference after the first weekend with Chelsea our nearest challengers after a 3-0 win over Man City. Portsmouth, West Ham, Reading(the just promoted side beating Middlesborough 3-2) Everton and Newcastle also won.

North of the border...well the SPL's been running for a month already. So far Aberdeen have put themselves in seventh after a 1-1 draw with Hibs at Easter Road, another 1-1 draw with Inverness Caley at Pittodrie, a 2-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park and a 1-1 draw with St Mirren at St Mirren Park. So far...OK though they should have beaten St Mirren.

If the Cocky One wants his guys to match our performance against Fulham then they're going to have to do better then what they did in the Charity Shield against Liverpool in the Millenium Stadium. John Arne Riise opened the scoring for the Scousers and though Chelsea's new assassin Andrei Shevchenko equalised, it was Peter Crouch how hit a late winner was the Scousers to lift the silverware.

There's also been action in Europe already. In the Champions League Hearts beat Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg 3-0 on aggregate in the second prelimiary round but have now run into trouble in the third preliminary round after getting beaten 2-1 by AEK Athens at Murrayfield which probably ends their run at this level. Liverpool are looking iffy as well, having only beaten Maccabi Haifa 2-1 at Anfield in their third round second leg. Arsenal have no such worries though - even a weak looking Gunners side were able to beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in the Maksimir Stadium.

There's also been UEFA Cup action with Newcastle beating Latvian side FK Ventspils in Riga which does notgarunntee the Geordies anything but gives them an away goal advantage at least. The idea of a side like Scottish D1 Gretna competing in Europe was always going to be a laugh though. Even so, getting hammered 5-1 at Fir Park by Derry City can't have been what they had in mind!

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