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As a Man Utd fan I obviously want Rooney to start against Croatia, but there are now calls for him t be dropped because of his loss of form. What do fans think? Being objective, should Rooney make way for someone like Defoe or Bent? Or is Rooney just 1 step away from being prolific again?

As I watched Rooney at the weekend it was apparent to me that Rooney’s work rate was second to none. No matter how he is playing he will always give 110%. He is a battler and wants to win more than anyone else on the pitch. It is this trait that is proving to be his downfall.

The more Rooney tries to rectify his loss of confidence, the harder he tries. The harder he tries, the more frustrated he becomes. The more frustrated he becomes the more things don’t come off for him and the cycle continues. We all know that Rooney is one goal away from finding his feet again, but when will that goal come? For United and England fans, it can’t come soon enough.

Rio Ferdinand is set to return to the setup. I think this is a good thing. It will give him 90 minutes before the game against Wigan this weekend. Looking forward to that game I hope that Heinze is back and that his injury is not too serious. I heard rumours that he was looking at 3 weeks so I am guessing he will be doubtful.

Giggs must have been out for nearly three weeks now so I believe that it is high time that the prolific Welshman returned to the scene. He brings a swagger back to the team that only experience can bring. Why is it we seemed to be so badly cursed with injuries?

On the Nani front. I found some videos on U-tube, so please let me know what you think of him.
Nani Goal
Nani Goal 2
Nani goal 3
Nani goal 4

Looks ok to me!

International performances from the boys

Well it was another international fixtures weekend and well it was great for the Scott’s it was fairly miserable for the English. We put in an under par performance with no players really excelling. Rooney for all his effort still lacked the edge and instinctive side to his game. Carrick started quietly, but showed some of his brilliance with some great cross field passing, we just need to see more of that for United now! Neville as always played excellently, although that dire miss arguably cost us the 3 points. Rio was out with a back spasm and we hope he recovers soon.

I know we aren’t here to talk about England and there are many readers of this blog who are not English, but I would love to know what your thoughts are on David Beckham both at Real Madrid and for England. I believe that he has been treated harshly particularly by Mcclaren. I don’t know what went on in the England camp before he took over but to drop him completely seems a rather obscure move. I think that Beckham could play Carrick’s role in the England setup more effectively. His days as a winger are over though, he simply does not have the pace any more.

I may get a strong opposing view here, but I would love to see Becks back at United. Not as a first team proposition, but as a squad player. He would fit in beautifully in the centre of our midfield, filling in when required. It would also mean we had someone decent to take free-kicks for us. People say he is past it, but I do not! He is a worker and he loves United and the United fans love him! Is it a step in the wrong direction?

Finally I know we are only in October, but let’s keep the speculation going as to who we should sign in January. Who has impressed you in the premiership so far? And who deserves to wear our beloved red Jersey? I think Hargreaves may have to wait until the Summer as he would not pass a medical, so what are your thoughts of bringing in Mascherano? Is there too much unrest surrounding him? Has he been given the opportunity to shine at West-Ham and could he get those opportunities at Man Utd?

Let's talk man utd transfer rumours!

With news emanating from the Newspapers that United have placed a down payment for Fernando Torres, do United fans think this is a good thing? Can we accommodate him into our system and more importantly will he settle?

Okay before I go any further with this article, I know that it is the Star reporting this, so I am not going to get too excited as yet. But it does raise the more fundamental question of who are we going to get to replace Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Saha has been amazing so far this season, but were he to get injured, we would be left with Alan Smith and Solskjaer. Whilst bith are great players, Ole is 33 and Alan is recovering from a broken leg, an injury that can take over a year to completely recover from.

We should have a lot of money to spend over the next year. As far as I am aware we are now net gainers in the transfer market and so some much needed investment is required. I will be happy for another midfielder to come in as well as a striker. Torres would be great for our striking option, whilst Hargreaves would be ideal for the centre of our midfield.

The Hargreaves issue is a contentious one. If we were to buy him in January I think he would be unavailable for Champions league games, which would reduce his value to us. I think it would make more sense to bring him here in the summer, when he has recovered more fully from his broken leg and will be eligible to play in all competitions for us, but hey what do I know?

If that were to be the case then we need a midfielder this Christmas. I would recommend an experienced player that can really do the business. I’m not sure who, but that’s why I have you guys to make suggestions. Answers on a postcard please.

Man Utd injury overview.

I have found out that Heinze has an injury to his hamstring, although how long he will be out for I am not sure. We really need Heinze fit for this campaign, he is a commanding left back and will charge forward at every opportunity creating the overlaps providing space for our wingers. He also has a mean cross on him and with Saha on the form that he is, that could prove to be a huge factor.

Saha has niggles to both his hamstring and groin and has not been able to train since he played at Benfica last week. I hope he is not rushed back for international fixtures, because he is proving fundamental to our campaign this year. Ole proved that he can step up to the mark which is great news, but Saha is showing a form which warranted his £11 million price tag at the moment and it must continue.

Park has torn his ankle ligaments and targets a December return. This is a big blow for him. Hew needed a run of a few games to really let him settle into life in the premiership. Many fans see him as a untility player and nothing more, however I firmly believe that he has the potential to become a great player for us. He has so much pace and has excellent dribbling abilities. He reminds me of Freddy Ljungberg in his style and build.

Silvestre is out for six weeks with a broken metatarsal. I think that before Heinze got injured we could cope with the lost of Silvestre. Now we look a little weak in the left back position with only Evra to choose from. Evra has had a great start to the season don’t get me wrong, but we have no backup should anything happen to him.

The illustrious Giggs is pencilled in to return on 14th October. He is another player that we must endeavour to keep fit over the coming season. He is the wise head on the field now. He gives the team the direction we so badly crave as a young squad. Luckily it was his right hamstring and he has never injured that before. Here’s to hoping he will be fine.

We must now hope that the internationals don’t bring up any more injury worries for us. Could you imagine Fergies outcry if Rooney broke his leg for England this weekend? The situation would be made worse by the fact that Rooney is struggling to find his form. Do you think we can cope with the injuries that we have? Who do we miss most and more importantly who do we need back?

Finally to cheer you up at work (if any of you do any), a song about utd for you to listen too, it's a slideshow on youtube, but listen with sound the song is brilliant, although if you are at work I would advise using headphones. The language is a bit colourful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hZ2T4WrM_A

A synopses of our performances so far

With a number of games under our belt and a few big ones coming up I thought I would take this opportunity to analyse our start to the season. We go into the international break top of the table getting close to our best, but are we there yet and can we improve further?

The first game against Fulham was simply brilliant. The team came out of the traps firing on all cylinders. We followed that up with another wonderful win against Charlton. It seemed we would be able to cope with the suspension of Rooney and Scholes after all. Giggs was in scintillating form and Ronaldo seemed unfazed by the antics at the world cup. We then scraped a win at Watford and then we began to stutter.

An utterly unconvincing 1-0 win against Tottenham ensured we continued our unbeaten run. But then came Celtic. On paper it was a game that we should have won easily, but we all too easily gave possession away and were punished by a well organised Celtic side. Fortunately Saha was on hand to rescue us and provide us with the points even if we did lose Giggs to injury in the process.

The return of Scholes and Rooney against Arsenal meant that we were almost back to full strength. We were playing the gooners at a time when they were struggling and most United fans predicted a win for the red devils. Sadly it was not to be. Our midfield lacked the grit and ball winning capabilities that we so badly need against the big teams and Scholes had to be replaced from fatigue midway through the second half. Rooney too looked off the pace and out of touch, something that has continued in recent games.

Next came the draw with Reading. This saw Rooney deployed up front as a lone striker, again he failed to shine and Ronaldo managed to salvage a point for us. Then we travelled away to Benfica. This was the very place where we were knocked out of the champions league last season. Ronaldo seemed determined to make up for that terrible night, spending most of the time tormenting the Benfica defence. Another piece of individual brilliance from Saha ensured we got the points, but it was a poor performance from United until the goal went in. Once we scored we looked like a different team and the confidence came flooding back.

On to Sunday when we played Newcastle. To be honest they never really turned up and expected a pummelling. It could have been 5-0 but we didn’t take our chances. Ronaldo yet again showed what a great talent he is, hitting the post twice in the game. More worryingly Rooney still looked off the pace and lacking in self-belief. It will surely take just one goal for him to find it again and I am sure Fergie has him training overtime. Perhaps the internationals will provide him with that confidence boost he so badly requires right now.

So how does everyone else think that we are performing? Do we need any signings in January? And what are our strengths and weaknesses? P.S I’m second in the fantasy football league, TKK you seemed to have improved over the past 2 weeks!

Another win, tribute to Ron and baby face

Well guys, what a weekend. Chelsea drew, the scousers lost and we won. You couldn’t ask for much more really. It was a convincing performance from the majority of the team and we started to see that confidence return after the midweek win against Benfica.

Ronaldo was yet again the catalyst of the majority of United’s attacking play. He has matured from a show pony into a war horse and has carried United through this period where our confidence has been knocked. Such is his attacking prowess that defenders and managers alike admit that the only way to stop him is by fouling him.

He has endured a torrid time in England over recent years. His father passing away last year must have been very difficult. Then there was the false rape allegation. The bust up with Ruud Van Nistelrooy cannot have been easy, Ruud was an older wiser player and could have done much to make the youngster feel isolated. Then there was the world cup and the Rooney incident. Most of you will know that I believe that Ronaldo did nothing wrong, but many England fans would disagree. He answers the boos by letting his football do the talking. When he gets jeered at, he simply skins their defender and either scores or sets up a goal, brilliant. One thing I cannot understand is why he is taking the free-kicks, is it written in his contract? Let’s be honest he doesn’t always get them on target.

Rooney yet again struggled to get into the game, his dip in form and confidence should return as the team grows in their belief. The problem with Rooney is that he is thinking about his game too much. He is doubting his ability and that makes him take that extra split second for the pass, by which time an opposition player has had chance to pick that killer ball out. Rooney knows he must train harder than he normally does to make sure that he is sharper than ever. It will come back as he is an outstanding talent. He just needs that little bit of luck.

Heinze’s injury is a worry. He is the best left-back in the world and we do miss him. That is not to say that Evra is a week link. He has blossomed this season and can do the job no problem, but Heinze is an authority figure. He oozes strength and confidence in the back line and we need him for the campaign. Does anyone know what his injury is and how long he will be out for?

We have another international break now. I can’t stand them to be honest. They break up the squad and change the dynamics and team spirit. I only hope that we can pick up from where we left off in a couple of weeks time. At least we are top of the league, right where we should be!