I suppose I did, but to be honest I don’t regret them - while I am glad Rooney is staying because overall, I believe in his footballing ability, I will never be able to feel the same way about him. He doesn’t get any slack from now on.
Personally I think SAF has been telling the truth all along and Rooney is just an idiot, but I wouldn’t discount this theory - SAF is certainly clever enough to do it, but I doubt Rooney is without fucking it up.
Revival of this thread is long overdue, with some interesting results in the last 7 days. Excellent win by Sunderland shows that the title race is far from over, as some (including myself) were predicting. A pity the Reds couldn’t really capitalise but coming back from two down to draw at Villa Park has to be counted as a good result, a clean sheet against Man City is not too bad either. Just shows how competitive the league is compared with a few years ago, IMO.
It is a bit disappointing to look at the table and see more draws than wins, but on the other hand I hadn’t realised we were the only unbeaten team. It’s very unlike how we used to go about winning league titles - win most games, but melt down in a few of them and end up with something like P38 W29 D3 L6. I always felt that that was the secret of our success, because of couse one win and one loss is much better than 2 draws in terms of points. So shaping up to be a very interesting season. I will make the following (not very bold) prediction - the team at the top of the table on January 1st 2011 will not be champions!
No-one else? I’m getting more excited about United’s prospects by the day! Maybe that’s why I’m on my own here…
I get you’re a fan, but if United continue like this and win it will be a truly forgettable season. For the last two seasons it seems 98% of their games come under the header: ‘they were not at their best, but you need to win the games you play badly to become champion’.
I believe this is true and certainly a good quality to have as a team, but when it is all the team does, I really start hoping for others to do better.
On that note: Tottenham for the PL! With 180 goals scored and 110 conceded at the end of the season.
I think that’s all fair comment, and I’m not exactly happy with it myself, but once you’re a fan of a team, that’s it - you can’t just change to another team because they happen to be playing prettier football. Of course, I know that you know all this, it just needed saying. Perhaps this is why I don’t follow football as closely as I used to. I never describe myself as a true fan, more of a casual follower of certain teams. And perhaps you’re right in your implication that that is why this thread is attracting less comment.
On the other hand, I think it is a good thing that literally every team in the league has a realistic chance of taking points from any other team, home or away it seems. A few years ago, that simply wasn’t the case - upsets were much rarer than they are now, and I think that does make the league more exciting overall. The flip-side is that the reason for this is probably that the top teams are not performing as well or as consistently as before.
Personally I’m just happy to see Liverpool finally pulling themselves out of their slump. I didn’t see the west ham game, but Torres finally started playing real football again for the first time in recent memory in the Chelsea game. Hopefully this trend will continue
At the moment I am disappointed with my under performing team… They should be winning the league not just 5th! 
Just out of interest, what are your aspirations for Bolton? I’m interested in how this works for such a team - is it just a desire to stay in the top division as long as possible and have some good cup runs, or is there a genuine belief that winning trophies and/or getting into Europe is possible? I don’t mean this to come across as patronising, I am genuinely interested.
In other news, Man United have qualified for the KO of the Champions League by virtue of the fact that Rangers and Valencia cannot both score enough points to overtake them. I don’t understand why Rangers cannot still overtake Valencia in theory, though in practice it would require Bursaspor to beat Valencia, so perhaps that is why they were reported as being condemned to the Europa League. Tottenham still performing well, too!
Getting into the Europa league is possible - we have done it twice in recent years. Champions league is more of a pipe dream, tho Everton managed it.
Trophies are also possible if not likely- we made the final of the league cup a few years ago, but lost to Middlesbrough
A good season is one where there is no sniff of a relegation battle and you are pushing for Europa qualification. Cup runs are a bonus. This season is the best one for ages, also due to the style of football we are playing.
I’ve already given up on this season - just can’t get excited by it as a L’pool fan.
If they don’t get a Top 4 place this season I think Torres and Gerrard will be off to other clubs, and then we’re really snookered.
Well, you could yet be saved by the fact that in the legaue, it’s always better to start badly rather than finish badly. Doesn’t work quite so well in cup competitions, of course :).
Amazing play for United yesterday! Rooney and Berbatov with their 1-2 1-2 1-2 interplay was incredible. Top of the table heading into December!
ugh, perish the thought. And here torres has just started picking his game back up. If both of them leave for other teams it might be awhile before l’pool does anything worth watching =/
United is back on top and Federer beat Nadal! What a great weekend it was!!
Indeed, nice timing as well given some of the comments upthread about what dull football we have been producing! Perhaps I should start hoping that this prediction from less than two weeks ago:
turns out to be wrong!
We Are The One And Only Wanderers!
I find myself wanting Chelski to win, to leave us in 5th! At this stage of the season!
Come on you Whites!
United sure are sitting…well, not pretty, based on the play, but are in very good shape right now. Yesterday’s results couldn’t have gone better with Arsenal-City playing a scoreless draw, and Spurs, Chelsea, and Liverpool all losing. If United win their game in hand and they match each’s performance the up to their match at Stamford Bridge, a United win there would mean Chelsea would be 15 points back. Do the same with City (2 games in hand) and win the derby at Old Trafford, and City would be 11 points back. Amazing.
Have to tip the hat to Ferguson - supreme man manager. He seems to get the best out of the role players in the side. It’s not like you need 11 class players to win the league, you probably need more like 6-8, but what the other 3-5 are doing is still really important. Ferguson gives the Fletchers and Nevilles of the world supreme confidence to compete, whereas in other teams these players often hide.
Liverpool are fucked. Like proper fucked. Total rebuilding job needed from top to bottom, on and off the pitch. Be interesting to see if NESV have the appetite for this - can easily see them appointing a Martin O’Neil character and privately writing off the title, just settle for top 6 performance and try and contest fourth place each season.
Their fuckedness is of Biblical proportions.
See post #245 for a passage in the Good Book that seems to have escaped my attention when I was at school.
That link doesn’t seem to work.