Refs Decision Has Not Handed United Title

Many people are voicing their opinion that a decision by referee Michael Oliver, not to award Fulham a penalty at Old Trafford when Danny Murphy went down in the penalty area in the final minute, following a challenge by Manchester United's Michael Carrick, as the main turning point in the title race, and the reason why United will turn 19 into 20 league title wins, Why ?

Will it not have anything to do with the fact United have taken six points off Tottenham and Arsenal, and four points off Chelsea and Liverpool? Will it not be United's ability to win when not playing well? Will it not be because of moments like the Ryan Giggs injury time winner against Norwich? Will fighting back from three goals down at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea to earn a valuable point, not be a contributing factor?

I suppose rival supporters who despise United with a passion, can use this incident as a kind of scapegoat, if the reds, as the bookmakers currently believe, go on to clinch the Premier League crown from under the noses of their Manchester rivals.

I am not totally blind to the fact, United seem to have had decision's at Old Trafford go their way that they might not have got at another stadium, but the decision against Fulham was not a conspiracy as many other supporters would like to believe. Its quite simply a decision that could not be made because the referee was not 100% sure about it. Could anybody hand on heart say that they were sure it was a penalty from the moment they seen it? When I first seen the incident in real time, I thought it looked a close call, but the fact the ball had changed direction, made me believe that Carrick had touched the ball and I therefore thought that Murphy had dived.

So when I then had the facility to watch the incident back in slow motion and from different angles, it became very clear that it should have actually been a penalty and a sending off for Carrick. The decision not to award the penalty basically strengthens the call for video technology in football. If teams had three calls a half each, to dispute a refereeing decision, or an incident, then Martin Jol could have disputed it, and with a quick glance at a pitch side monitor, could have clearly seen the incident again and acted upon it. Video technology is a debate for another day, but lets not forget the referee does have a linesman who could have flagged for a penalty, but he failed to do so strengthening the claim that in real time motion it was a tough call to be sure of.

So why has this incident handed the title to United? I am of the opinion that over the season the best team who deserves the trophy will lift it in May? The table does not lie does it? If the penalty had been given, there was no guarantee Fulham would have dispatched the resulting spot kick, but the odds would have been in their favour. If they had scored, and the match ended 1-1, United would be top by a point and probably missing Michael Carrick for three matches. Both teams would know winning their remaining fixtures would guarantee success.

Many will subscribe to the fact that what goes around, comes around. Its swings and roundabouts, and I agree. If you look back at a perfectly well timed and good challenge by Rio Ferdinand at Old Trafford this season against Newcastle, then the penalty claim the other night has evened itself out. United drew the match against Newcastle and lost two points due to an outrageous call be the referee, rival supporters seem to forget incidents like this.

The destiny of the Premier League trophy is still controlled by what both Manchester clubs do in their final games. The match at the Ethihad Stadium next month could go a long way to deciding which team will be crowned champions, whoever wins the title, will fully deserve it.

Singing Section Could Revive Old Trafford Atmosphere

Supporter clubs and fanzines of Manchester United, are currently in negotiations with the Old Trafford hierarchy to try and implement a singing section into the stadium to improve the match day atmosphere, that has sadly been on a worrying decline for the last ten years.

It's news that I am sure will be backed and welcomed by the majority of United supporters who want to try and help recapture the atmosphere that has at times, been disgracefully subdued over recent years, even in the so called "big games".

I am surprised it has taken so long for this proposal to be put forward to the club, but it seems that finally supporters of United have go together to voice their opinions on the matter, and have proceeded to put the wheels in motion. Singing sections have generally been introduced to clubs, that have in recent years moved to a new stadium like Manchester City. It doesn't really come as any surprise to me that United are open to the idea that supporter clubs are currently discussing with them.

Its a no brainier in my opinion and something that should have been looked at years ago. The proposal will see the singing section implemented into the East Lower – Blocks EL133, 134, 135, 136, 137 and 138. East Lower is currently one of the more vocal areas within Old Trafford, its the stand where the away supporters currently take up their ticket allocation. This would see away supporters moved into tier three of the Sir Alex Ferguson stand. This will be tested for the first time in United's Premier League home clash against Aston Villa on Sunday April the 15th.
 

I can't see many supporters looking at this negatively. Away supporters have always taken up what I consider to be one of the best views at Old Trafford. Think about how other away teams treat United with regards to ticket allocations and prices, the away supporters section at Newcastle United's stadium springs to mind, stuck up in the gods where you can't be heard and the home support can drown you out easily. The current away support at Old Trafford can generate a lot of noise as they are pitch side, they can have the effect of an extra man and lift their team.

My only concern, if you could call it a concern, would be that moving the away supporters so far away from the home crowd, would almost instantly kill the banter that fans have had being sat so close to each other. Supporters who I know that sit near the away fans are a bit apprehensive and sceptical of the proposal because they enjoy the banter so much on match days.

The match day atmosphere at Old Trafford has been killed by the corporate seats, and the day-trippers reluctance to sing and join in with people who want to create an atmosphere. By offering supporters the chance to switch seats to a singing section will ensure they can sing, and not be told to sit down by the person behind them at times of attacking play or flash points in the game. I have even heard stories of United fans, being told to sit down by fellow supporters sat behind them, so that they can see the players celebrating the goal that has just been scored!

The singing section is an interesting idea and proposal that I hope to see implemented so that we can see if it can function and be a Sucess. I imagine that demand for seats in it will be high, as die hard reds will be able to almost experience an away day atmosphere at Old Trafford, at every home match.

Further information and updates regarding the news of this proposal, including the actual proposal itself, can be found at www.stretfordendflags.com .

Rooney Considering Man City Move Is Unforgivable

In October 2010 Wayne Rooney stunned Manchester United and it's supporters by officially handing in a written transfer request. Within a few days Rooney made a spectacular U-turn on his decision to leave Old Trafford and signed a new contract with the reds that put speculation regarding his future to bed.

Just over a year ago since that transfer request and I find myself asking United supporters, have you forgiven and forgotten about what Wayne Rooney was actually preparing to do when he tried to engineer a move away from the club and swap the red of Manchester United for the Blue of Manchester City?

His transfer request rocked the foundations that Manchester United was built upon, more so because we all know the team that he was preparing to join. Look at it this way, it would be like your wife or partner sitting you down and telling you that she is leaving you for your noisy next door neighbour who has recently won the lottery.

This is the neighbour that you have never really seen eye to eye with, but your other half is ready to throw everything away that she has with you to be with him, because she thinks the grass is greener on the other side. Then a couple of days later she tells you she wants to stay with you. Would you ever look at her or trust her the same as you did before?

Any United supporter who believes that Rooney was not considering a move to the blue half of Manchester is deluded and clearly trying to distance themselves from entertaining the thought. A deal was in place with his agent to take him to Manchester City which would have made him the worlds highest paid player.

Many supporters and manager Sir Alex Ferguson pointed the finger at Rooney's agent Paul Stretford for his sudden bombshell request to leave United, but lets not forget that it takes two to tango. Rooney carefully choose his parting words in a statement that was read out to the worlds media which indicated his reasons for wanting to leave arguably the worlds biggest football club.

As Rooney's statement was read out, Sir Alex Ferguson must have felt like a son of his was piercing a dagger through his heart. Rooney stated that his reasons for leaving were that the squad at the time was not strong enough to be challenging for honours, which was basically questioning the managers squad of players that he had assembled. After the comments he made at the time, I never imagined I would see Rooney pull on the red shirt again and represent the club.

Many will say that a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and that everybody deserves a second chance. The thing that worries me about Rooney is that this could easily be a situation that occurs again in the not so distant future if he decides to climb up onto his high horse again.

Rooney was quick to walk away from Everton who he claims to be his "boyhood team". He once even revealed a t-shirt with the slogan "once a blue always a blue" when celebrating a goal while playing for them. I know since that move the Everton supporters have given him stick, but Rooney has responded to his fellow Evertonian's by kissing the United badge in front of them. Its something I have never quite fully understood about Rooney.

If I left the club I was brought up and supported all my life, I would not disrespect that club by kissing another club crest when playing against them. I know football is a fickle and the majority of the people who support football clubs are, but if Rooney had of made the switch to Manchester City, I guarantee he would have responded to the taunts from furious United supporters by doing the same thing, kissing the badge.

I know quite a few people who support United, but not Wayne Rooney because of the way he disrespected the club, the manager and the supporters. I know that still to this day they find it difficult to chant and sing his name on the terraces, like me they think that Rooney even considering a switch to Manchester City is unforgivable.

Rooney remains the talismanic figure at Old Trafford that he was the day he stunned United with his request to leave the club. It still remains though, that some supporters including myself have not forgiven him or forgotten what he was trying to instigate in October 2010.


@KevinAshford7

The Curious Case of Phil Jones

All aboard the Phil Jones bandwagon. The fare is free and its easy to climb aboard, good luck trying to locate a seat. Once aboard you will happily engage in conversation with other Manchester United supporters about how Phil Jones is the new Duncan Edwards, or the new Bryan Robson. Somebody will even go as far as to say that Jones is without doubt the future England and United captain,

Before long, you too will be a fully subscribed member to the most hyped up footballer in years.

Does any of this sound familiar to you ?

This is the curious case of Phil Jones, a player who is supposedly "that good" Sir Alex Ferguson does not even know where to play him, because apparently he can play anywhere! There is no doubting that he has potential, and at only 20 could develop into a good player, but I found the hype surrounding his switch to Old Trafford pretty baffling to be honest.

I am not comfortable with so many United fans agreeing with the media's perception of him, that he is the new Duncan Edwards or the new Bryan Robson. It's uncertain what the player makes of the comparisons that are being made, I imagine he is quietly flattered by them and maybe even embarrassed.

I don't think it's fair to create so much hype and put huge expectation on a young player who before signing for United, had actually only made 35 professional first team appearances for his previous club Blackburn Rovers. I must admit I had not heard much about Jones before he moved to United, but after signing him for a fee believed to be around £16million, and reading the kind and encouraging words the English press had to say about him, like many supporters I was excited.

Any player that is talked about and speculated as being a mixture of Duncan Edwards and Bryan Robson must be an amazing talent right?

The comparisons with the two United greats can only be compared with a few attributes Phil Jones has in my opinion. He has the physical presence and strength of a Duncan Edwards, and we have seen him make a few powerful, driving runs with the ball from deep inside his own half, something that Bryan Robson did so often for the reds, but I am afraid that they are the only things I have witnessed that would cause somebody to compare him to the two.

Jones has been tried and tested in a few positions already in his United career, and like many including Sir Alex Ferguson who brought him to the club, I am actually unsure and confused as to what  his best and strongest position in the side is.

He has looked shaky and lacking in confidence when playing in central defence, which is supposedly his preferred position, not very convincing at right back, and I do not see his long term place in the team being in the centre of midfield. So suddenly the best young English talent this country has to offer, does not actually have a position that he and the manager are confident of him excelling in.

We have all heard of players being hyped up in the past, and it seems to be predominately English players. Why? Because English players carry the weight and expectation for the national side who have continually failed at international level.

Not since Wayne Rooney have I heard of an English player being hyped up and speculated about so much. I remember the English press once labelled Joe Cole "The new Paul Gascoigne", Cole is currently playing in France on loan trying to revive his career after a disastrous spell at Liverpool, following the decision by Chelsea to let the player leave Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. This is a clear example of the English media putting too much pressure on a young player, this can stifle a players promise and potential especially if that individual starts to believe his own hype. 

It's impossible to predict if Phil Jones will live up to all the hype that currently surrounds him. If he becomes anything like the players he has been compared to, he will retire a Manchester United legend.

I still believe that Edwards plus Robson does not equal Phil Jones, he carries the weight of expectation for both his club and his country on his shoulders and seems like a big enough personality to carry it. For the time being though, I remain apprehensive and slightly sceptical about a player who's best position in the team remains uncertain, and for that reason I will not be joining the large number of supporters who are already on the Phil Jones bandwagon.

@KevinAshford7

Player Power And Agents Are Causing Clubs Big Problems

There is no questioning the fact that the game of football has evolved over the years, some will argue for better, some for worse. The game today is played at a faster pace and involves more skill and tactics than in previous years, footballers are now athletes. The days when players would take to the field of play after a fry-up and still under the influence of alchohol from the previous evenings drinking session are way behind us.

Sadly, as football has become more popular it has become a wealthy business playground, and with this wealth we have seen the ever increasing problems of player power and agents causing clubs big problems. It's not a coincidence that the rise of football has seen the rapid fall of player loyalty towards the clubs they represent and general respect within the game.

So where did it all go wrong? The start of the Premier League era and the mega TV deal with Sky meant that simply a clubs status in the top flight would be rewarded handsomely financially, clubs reinvested their prize money in better players, the majority who come from over seas and arguably most of them were attracted by the wages the English clubs could offer them. The so called "Big clubs" then became obsessed with trying to attract the best young talent, even if it meant paying over £1million for a footballer who had not even played a professional top flight game for his team.

This in itself has bread a horrible, vulgar beast in our game, the modern day footballer. Now I am not suggesting that all our top flight footballers are pampered, spoilt, vain, individuals, who have no sense of what it feels like not knowing if you will have enough money in your bank to pay your monthly mortgage payment, but a high majority of today's footballers fall into this category. Many live the life of a pop star, they feed and crave attention, they must feel they are almost untouchable.

So if a player who has not even turned eighteen yet or played a first team game for his club, is driving around in a Bentley, what would motivate him? I suspect the majority of lads like this would believe that they had already made it. They have the flash car, the air head WAG complete with expensive designed bag and miniature dog sat inside it, and no mortgage or money issues. Its an issue that Roy Keane touched upon when playing for Manchester United, comments that cost him his United career, but he was correct to question certain younger fringe players who were driving flash cars without really putting in the performances on the field of play.

Its been rumoured that Manchester United youngster Paul Pogba (18) who has made one appearance as a substitute for the first team, is looking to renew his contract with the reds if he is paid £40,000 per week. I am absolutely staggered that a player that has made one appearance as a substitute could command a wage like that.

Obviously the player's agent has had a big say in these demands, knowing that while Pogba stalls on a new deal, he is publicly drumming up interest for his client that will eventually see him go to the club who will pay him the most money. Its just another worrying sign of how things have changed in our game. I very much doubt that Pogba was scraping the Old Trafford turf from the bottom of Paul Scholes's football boots the day he decided he would ask for these obscene wage demands. Cleaning the boots of Senior players is something that a young Scholes would have grown up doing when he was a youth team player at United, learning discipline and respect, I think you will agree that players like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs will never come through a youth setup again.

Chaos, money and unrest are all words you will find in the job description of a football agent. We have even got to the point now, that if a player wants to leave a club he will simply refuse to play to push through a transfer, take a bow Pierre van Hooijdonk & Carlos Tevez. When Tevez eventually leaves Manchester City this summer, both these players will have been successful in pushing through a transfer showing just how strong player and agent power can be. It seems that a contract does not account for much these days, its a safe guard for a club to receive a fee if a player wants to move. Even then the player holds all the aces, because clubs have to offer players contracts a couple of years before the expiry date in fear of losing their asset on a free transfer to another club.

Manchester United supporters witnessed a mixture of player and agent power, when in 2010 it seemed almost over night that Wayne Rooney decided that he wanted to leave Old Trafford by issuing a written transfer request. Rooney's agent Paul Stetford was obviously pivotal in his clients decision to suddenly want to leave, obviously Rooney himself is not immune from criticism in all this, but at the end of the day he is not a die hard Mancunian who was brought up as a United fan, so his loyalty could be tested at anytime.

It's something that the player and the agent instigated after the agent was sounded out about a move to city rivals Manchester City that would have made the player the highest paid player in the world. Needless to say, Rooney for some reason had a sudden change of heart, and the club rewarded his disrespect of the club & it's supporters by offering him an improved contract. Clearly the player and agent both won this battle, a situation that was a win-win for them from the moment the interest and financial offer from City was discussed and put to them.

All football clubs want the best young players, and today £1million is not even viewed or frowned upon as a hefty fee for a teenager, who has never played a professional game before. Clubs have even been reported as going head to head over players who have not even left primary school yet.

Its something that is not going to change in the world of football, player power and agents rule our game and there is not really much that can be done about it. Even if you did away with agents, players would become the new agents and would still be out to negotiate the best individual deal for themselves. A Footballers career is short compared to that of a working class person, its just a shame that the majority of modern day footballers are motivated by bank balances rather than the clubs crest that they ware on their chest every week.

Mancini Prepares To Put Toys Back In Tevez's Pram

It's Seems that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is prepared to put the toys and dummy back into the pram that Carlos Tevez so childishly threw out last September, when in a Champions League game against Bayern Munich, he refused to warm up after being told he was to be introduced to the game as a substitute.

Tevez has spent much of his time since, driving balls down the golf fairways in Argentina, whilst in Manchester, he has been driving the City supporters and the club mad with his erratic behaviour.

Tevez, 28, is sensationally expected back at Manchester City's Carrington training complex this week, after claiming that he is ready to return and help City to win their first ever Premier League title. Developments over the weekend suggested that Tevez and his agent Kia Joorabchian, met City officials and that talks had "progressed well" between the two parties regarding the Argentine returning to the club that he is still contracted to.

Since Tevez's refusal to take to the pitch against Bayern Munich in September of  last year, the club have fined & stopped paying the players wages, it's believed the player has missed out on nearly £10million for his disrespectful, childish & arrogant behaviour.

I am very sceptical about Tevez's motives and decission to return, why has he had a sudden change of heart? Why is he now ready to return to Manchester, a City that he has publicly disrespected in the past? It's obvious that our two City centre restaurants are not the reason that he is coming back !

Could it be that Tevez and his advisers have simply decided that he has to return to City, to ensure the that his payroll number is reactivated again, and that a Mr Tevez is paid so handsomely once again? Not that the Argentine will be worrying about next months mortgage payment or phone bill! There are also noises coming out of City that the club were actually preparing to sue the player for breach of his contractual terms, so he had no option but to return.

This is a player who is clearly motivated by money, after being left stranded after the January transfer window past without a move away from Manchester, it would seem that Tevez has clearly been advised that he must return to Manchester to save his career. It's actually a win-win situation for the Argentine, he returns to the club that employ him, builds up his fitness levels, is paid wages again as he is not in breach of his contract, and puts himself in the shop window for the summer for potential buyers. After all, one thing is for sure, Tevez will not be at Manchester City next season.

City have conducted themselves respectively throughout the Tevez saga, the eyes of the football world were firmly on them to see how they reacted and dealt with this, and they have been firm and aggressive by not allowing the Argentine his wish to leave on the cheap, or on loan. It would have been easy for the richest club in the world to give in to the players wishes and maybe even release him. Tevez and his advisors could have then negotiated a deal with another club, another big payday for the player and his team.

It will be interesting to see how the City fans react to Tevez if he is called upon to represent the team, these supporters have had so many highs and lows with him. This is a player who has now twice handed in a transfer request in his time with the blues, and has been AWOL for nearly five months.

One thing is for sure, Tevez will give the team 100% on the field, and if he makes any kind of positive contribution towards Manchester City winning the Premier League, then It will be looked at as a masterstroke by Mancini for managing to bring back the player and man manage him. It could also spectacularly backfire, Tevez could bring unrest and derail  a team that seems to have just achieved a good team spirit and winning mentality.

At a time when City's strikers are misfiring, Tevez could make an Impact at City and could be the difference between success and failure. One thing is for sure, this looks like it will be the final chapter in the Carlos Tevez story at Manchester City.

Suarez Keeps Racial Flame Burning

The latest Northwest derby between Manchester United & Liverpool ended with the Mancunian team taking the three points in a 2-1 victory, but it was the refusal of Luis Suarez before the game, to shake the hand that Patrice Evra offered him, that will make all the headlines.

His refusal to shake Evra's hand simply stoked the flames of a fire that has been intensively burning since October last year, a decision that will only intensify the hatred & rivalry between the two clubs.

Luis Suarez is dragging the so called good name of Liverpool Football Club through the mud, & it's time that they realised this and acted upon it. This is a player that the club stood by, despite being found convicted of racially abusing Patrice Evra in the teams Premier League game at Anfield in October last year, the FA hit Suarez with an eight match ban after a guilty verdict.

Prior to today's game, the cameras were focused and ready for the first time the two players had featured in a starting eleven against each other since that game in October, & the refusal of Suarez to shake the hand that Evra quite clearly, but maybe reluctantly offered him, was a sour gesture that will make all the headlines & overshadow what was a huge result for Manchester United in their pursuit of retaining the Premier League trophy.

As the final whistle was blown, Evra proceeded to stamp around the Old Trafford turf like a Bear triumphant in defeat of a rival,  beating his chest. The home crowd, like the Frenchman  enjoyed every moment of this, & tempers got heated as Liverpool players tried to intervene as Evra jumped around Suarez in front of a jubilant Stretford End. 

What was even more baffling was Kenny Dalglish's post match interview, in which he said that he did not know that Suarez refused the offer of Evra's handshake before the match, surly a blatant lie, & an attempt to deflect the players shocking & distasteful antics. It seems there will be no kind of closure on this chapter in the battle between the two clubs, what is worrying for Liverpool is that the respect of the football world for the Anfield club has changed dramatically, but not in their favour. 

Suarez could have gone a long way to easing tensions between the two players  & clubs today by shaking Evra's hand, by refusing, he simply kept the racial flame burning instead of attempting to try & blow it out.

Valencia Is United's Unsung Hero

In the summer of 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo departed Old Trafford for a switch to his boyhood team Real Madrid in a world record £80million transfer. The media and many supporters viewed the signing of Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic that same summer, as the legendary Portuguese's replacement. Many footballers would have woken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat at the thought of trying to replace a player who left for pastures new, as arguably the best player ever to play for the club, but Antonio Valencia has gone about his job silently and very effectively. 

Valencia's first task when he joined United, was to quickly talk down any kind of comparisons with Ronaldo, he was quick to point out they were actually two very different kind of players with individual personalities. It was an intelligent piece of public relations work by Valencia, he instantly distanced himself from being touted as "The New Ronaldo", a tag that the Ecuadorian would have been embarrassed about and could have possibly effected his game physiologically.

What we have seen from Valencia in the years since Ronaldo has departed, is a total breath of fresh air, a winger who is not afraid to attack, but is equally conscious of conceding possession needlessly. His work rate, strength and versatility have made him unplayable in a system that compliments the attributes that he offers the team. His decision making, range of passing and final ball have contributed to much of United's success this season, particularly the start of this year, he has even added the odd goal here and there to his game.

There will never be another Ronaldo, he was a one off and an absolute joy to watch, we have great memories of the Portuguese genius that we can look back fondly upon. Antonio Valencia had the daunting task of trying to replace the position Ronaldo had vacated and had so much success in, I personally believe he has been a triumph and a success as he continues to improve every season, he is currently the unsung hero at Old Trafford.

Is Hernández Suffering Second Season Syndrome?

On the 28th of May last year at Wembley Stadium, Javier Hernández was one of the first names on Sir Alex Ferguson's team sheet for the biggest club game in the world against Barcelona in the Champions League Final.

Hernández made an instant and unforgettable impact in his first season following his move to Manchester United in 2010. His goals were a contributing factor in United winning a record 19th league title, but did he peak too early in his Old Trafford career? Or is he suffering the dreaded "Second Season Syndrome"?

In the defence of  Hernández, you could argue he has had an injury setback this season that has resulted in the Mexican being denied a run of games, But I actually think you can look into this deeper and it is not second season syndrome that he is suffering from, it's his style of play that is affecting his place in the United starting eleven.

Hernández is an out and out goal scorer, there is no doubting that he knows where the net is, he is your old fashioned centre forward, the "fox in the box", who can be anonymous for 89 minutes of a match and pop up to score the winning goal. Today's game has changed dramatically, teams no longer have a place in their team for a player who only offers goals, I know that sounds stupid, but Hernández currently finds himself fourth choice striker out of five, and the player under him is the injury prone Michael Owen.

So the players ahead of him in the striking department queue are? Well Rooney in the team is a not really a debate or argument when fully fit, so that leaves Danny Welbeck and Dimitar Berbatov ahead of Hernández when it comes to being picked in the starting eleven at this present moment of the season, and it's easy to see why. Welbeck has been in sensational form recently, and it's his all-round game that is so impressive and making him almost impossible to leave out of the team at the moment. Sir Alex can also call on Dimitar Bebatov who will offer him a better all-round game, so it seems it is Hernández's game and style of play that is letting him down.

If you wanted to be highly critical of the Mexican, you would say that Hernández does not have the greatest first touch, does not yet know how to time his runs properly, is not great with his hold up play and offers no effective defencive work when tracking back into his own half. Teams now require players who have the full package and have variety to their play, and this is something that Hernández is falling short on. 

In his first season It was said that Hernández had a very similar game to that of Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and if this is the case then the Mexican will find himself watching the majority of Uniteds game from the comfort of the dugout, assessing games and waiting to be called on when United need something out of a match, or to offer a rest for Rooney, Welbeck or Berbatov.

It's Hernández's all-round game that is letting him down, and the future partnership seems to be Rooney and Welbeck, but there is no doubting that when called on, Hernández will offer the team something different and maybe a goal out of nothing when United need it most, he will be our impact player.

Scholes Comeback A Masterstroke, Or Desperation?

Scholes Celebrates His Goal Against Bolton

I was as surprised as anybody last weekend when I was informed prior to the Manchester Derby FA cup clash that Paul Scholes was named on the bench for Manchester United following a dramatic retirement U-turn.

It's a decision that got me thinking, is this a Masterstroke from Sir Alex Ferguson or a desperate attempt to paper over the cracks in the midfield department at Old Trafford ?

Its obvious that the news of Scholes's inclusion in the team at the Ethidad Stadium gave the players & supporters a major lift prior to the kickoff in what was a big game for United following back to back defeats in the Premier League. Part of me then thought, are things really that bad that United have to turn to a thirty Seven year old retired player? United have been unlucky with Injuries this season, and it seems that Darren Fletcher being ruled out through illness was the key moment in this move. 

Scholes made a cameo appearance in the FA cup clash with noisy neighbours Manchester City when United were 3-0 up. Scholes did not look like a player who was playing his first competitive game for more than seven months, but I did note that a failed pass lead to City scoring in a game United held on to win 3-2. 

A week on from the FA Cup victory and United hosted Bolton at Old Trafford, Sir Alex decided to play Scholes from the start and he scored the opening goal in a 3-0 victory and secured all the back page headlines on the Sunday morning. Many of the papers forgot to mention that after just thirty minutes into the game he was gasping for air and gave the ball away on a number of occasions unlike the Scholes of old.

Scholes offers United and Sir Alex something he could not have purchased in the January transfer window. He is a player who knows what playing for United is all about, knows the manager, the players, the supporters, and how to win a Premier League. People will bring his age into this argument, but at thirty Seven years old he brings experience into the squad that we need.

I think when you try to sum up this move it is simply a no brainier, and the minute Paul Scholes informed Sir Alex that he wanted to come back I am sure it did not need any thinking about or a night to sleep on it. Many supporters have been sceptical of the signing believing that Sir Alex is not being backed in the transfer market and that funds are not available to bring in the showpiece midfielder the squad is crying out for.

My argument against this would be, do you seriously think Sir Alex would still be manger of Manchester United if the Glazers were restricting him in the transfer market by telling him there are no funds available? I personally do not think so. From what I have seen the Glazers have backed Sir Alex in the transfer market and have continued to invest in United's squad despite the crippling loan repayments they took out to complete the purchase of the club, but that's another debate for another day !

So is this move a Masterstroke or a desperate move to paper over the cracks? I think both sides of the argument evenly outweigh each other. Its a masterstroke in the sense that Scholes has cost United nothing in a transfer fee and he brings experience that money could not have bought. At the same time it is definitely paper over the cracks in a position where competition is not as strong as it has been in previous years . Scholes will not play every game from now until the end of the season, but what a player to have at your disposal and to have in the dressing room giving out advice to United's youngsters.

It's possible that United, who will definitely need a central midfielder next season, see Scholes as an experienced stop gap player to help them out until the summer, when Sir Alex will eventually sign the player he wants but cannot currently sign. I would not be surprised to see Tottenham's Luka Modric making the move to Old Trafford this summer, as Scholes retires for the second time in his United career after enhancing his legendary status at the club.