Post by Scott on Sept 29, 2007 23:19:54 GMT
Welcome to the 16th edition of Republik of Mancunia: The Paper. On the back of yet another 1-0 win, we’re left with little to complain about as we remain second in the league. Gradually, we’re seeing a bit of the flair and style creep back in to the team, and whilst we’re seeing the chances being created, we don’t seem to have the deadly finish down just yet. Another clean sheet is notched up though, even though reserve keeper Kusczack was brought in to fill for an injured Van der Sar at half time. He made a blinding save as Rio’s deflected header was goalbound.
On August 29th, John Terry attempted to intimidate the reds, saying, "I would have expected United to have started a bit better. Five points is a hell of a gap to have this early on. It's going to be difficult for United." Just a month later, our roles are reversed, and United now have five points on Chelsea, with their situation going from bad to worse following more dropped points today, and Drogba’s return spoilt with a red card. Chelsea are now the only team in the top twelve with negative goal difference, and their situation isn’t likely to improve with the away games they have to face. So Terry, shut your pie hole.
Now let us begin:
Member of the Month
This month’s winner goes to a member who has been with us since February this year, and who has made a positive contribution ever since. A good example of a member who puts forward sensible, thoughtful comments, and someone who must be congratulated on taking the piss out of the dipper’s beanpole in his sig. So, I’m sure you’ll all join me in congratulating Chris83 as this month’s winner.
Interview
Time for the member interview. Gav is a good friend of mine, and has kindly taken the time to give us a bit of insight on himself, through the medium of “shout”.
Real name:
GAVIN MAXWELL
Where are you from:
BEBINGTON ON THE WIRRAL - THE POSH SIDE OF THE RIVER MERSEY
Who is your biggest inspiration:
FOR FOOTBALL ITS ALWAYS BRYAN ROBSON / GORDON HILL, AND FOR LIFE IT IS MY FAMILY& FRIENDS
What would you like to be better at:
I WOULD LIKE TO BE MORE PATIENT – BUT SOME TIMES FIND IT VERY HARD TO BE…
If you could ask anyone, living or dead, a question, who and what would it be?
BLOODY HELL TALK ABOUT A TOUGH QUESTION! I THINK I WOULD ASK MY DAD HOW HE IS DOING, AND HAS HE SEEN HIS GRANDSON YET? MY DAD DIED IN OCTOBER 2000 AND AARON WAS BORN IN 2004.
What is your all time favourite film?
HGHLANDER (1) AND ALIENS (2)
If you won the lottery, how would you spend it?
ON MY FAMILY AND ANYONE WHO I THOUGHT DESERVED BETTER, AS LONG AS THEY HAVE TRIED TO DO THINGS FOR THEMSELVES FIRST!
One job in the world, what would it be?
WORKING MUSICIAN – RECORDING AND SELLING MY OWN STUFF – CHECK OUT ‘thebrownandmaxwellproject’ ON MY SPACE.
What’s your biggest ambition in life?
TO ENJOY EVERYTHING I DO – EVEN IF I HATE IT – LIFE IS FAR TOO SHORT! YOU NEVER KNOW WHATS NEXT
What’s your greatest ever achievement?
GETTING TO 40! AND I'M STILL GOING!
What’s your biggest regret?
HAVING TO GIVE UP PLAYING ‘PROPER’ FOOTBALL WHEN I WAS 18 (I GOT INJURED AND REALLY LOST INTEREST) AS I BELIEVED I WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL - MAY HAVE BEEN TRUE BUT I WILL NEVER KNOW?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
10 YEARS OLDER - BUT WITH THE BODY OF A 50 YEAR OLD BUT STILL WITH THE MIND OF A 20 SOMETHING YEAR OLD
Who do you hate most: City/Liverpool/Leeds/Arsenal/Other
I WOULD SAY LIVERPOOL COZ I LIVE NEAR IT, BUT IF IM HONEST IT’S ANYONE WHO IS ANTI UTD! SO THATS EVERYONE ELSE THEN!
How did you celebrate us winning the title?
BY DRINKING COPIOUS AMMOUNTS OF JACK DANIELS AND RINGING MY LIVERPOOL FAN FRIEND – ALL NIGHT… LIKE HE DID TO ME WHEN THEY WON THE C/L IN 2005… THE TWAT!
Which new signing are you most excited about?
NANI – I LIKE THE WAY HE LOOKS FULL OF CONFIDENCE AND HE SEEMS TO BE ADAPTING TO THE PREM VERY QUICKLY
Whats the best game you've ever been too?
UTD V WEST BROM IN THE 70’S AS IT WAS MY FIRST EVER GAME - BRYAN ROBBO WAS PLAYING FOR THEM!
Who's your favourite member on the forum?
RED YANK – ALWAYS SEEMS TO TALK SENSE & OF COURSE SCOTT THE RED COZ WITHOUT HIM NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE! A BIT LIKE ME TYPING THIS AND IM THINKING OF MY PARENTS!
Anything else you want to tell us?
I REALLY ENJOY THE FORUM AND ONLY WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO COME ON IT AND THAT I COULD GET TO EVERY GAME (ONE WOULD BE NICE AT THE MO!)
I LOVE LIFE, FAMILY, FOOTY, MUSIC, AND THINK LIFE IS FAR TOO SHORT – THERE ARENT ENOUGH DAYS FOR THE HOURS - BUT HEY THAT’S LIFE! LOL! MAKE MINE A JD…ACTUALLY MAKE IT A DOUBLE...
CHECK OUT THE MY SPACE ‘thebrownandmaxwellproject’ HONESTY AND CRITICISM NEVER HURT ANYONE!
COME ON YOU REDS!
THANKS FOR THE CHANCE TO DO THIS.
How The Worst Start Shows Our Best
This month’s article is by the lovely MrsRepublik.
Starting this season with two draws and a loss, losing Rooney to injury and Ronnie to a red card saw our brand new signings having a go and carrying the weight of our destiny on their shoulders. It was a hard thing to swallow and it seemed that our champion celebration was being ruined with bad luck and
disadvantage that was out of our control.
Being a self-admitted newer supporter of United, I had never had to see them through the rough times before. I had the fortune of seeing them blaze to the top. Now I had to watch and hold on to see where this seemingly rough start would take us. With a series of 1-0 wins… I have a near heart attack and a beer every weekend. The win over Chelsea seemed to be larger than any 2-0 in the past has been.
But today’s Birmingham match was different.
Yes, we still won 1-0, but as I walked back to my car – I felt something was different. We’re a new United this year. We play differently than we did just last season. And while some would wish us back to that playing style we had last year, I am looking forward to see what this new way will mean. Our Tevez is finally starting to look like a part of the club. I feel a rush of excitement when O’Shea goes on because I know something will happen when he’s out there (sorry, what? It’s only against Liverpool he scores injury time winners?) We had VDS leave the first half with an injury and I was shitting it because with going in nil nil at half time, I wasn’t looking forward to Kuszczak having to prove himself so early in the season. I will be shedding tears in my beer when VDS leaves us, but today showed Kuszczak to be more than I have given him credit for. He stepped up with some solid saves. And Rio (wonky deflection sending Kuszczak diving aside) put on the captain’s armband and stepped up. His energy gave us energy. And it made me excited.
We’re finding strength in new places this season. We’re getting excited about old faces we haven’t felt the fever over in a while. We’re seeing a new United take shape out there.. and while it’s not the goal-scoring machine of a United we’re used to, it’s speaking a world about the legend that Sir Alex has created, and with every match, we’re moving closer and closer to a United performance we’re more familiar with. An explosion has to occur soon, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be a fan of the opposition team who have to play us when it clicks.
A squad that in lineup doesn’t look so different from the champions of last year, are still providing a new twist to this season. We’re not as predictable anymore. Our opponents don’t know what to expect from this season’s club. To be honest, I think the supporters don’t know what to expect either. But I do know what we rally for. And I do know what will be delivered. This new United shows we’re constantly changing to fit what’s next. We’re exciting in our ability to metamorphozize into a new kind of winning. And through it all, we maintain a pride and class that no other club or supporters can claim.
I think this year shows United at its best – not its best goal scoring record, or best start – sure. But this year’s United is keeping everyone on their toes, our own players included. This year’s United scares all the top clubs – as we should. This year’s United finds love in the faces of our many ex-players who are managing in our league. I feel more excited in this year’s start because it’s the kind of football that makes you scream and shout and fight – wake up early to see every minute of it – and hug and cheer when we take home another win.
That’s United at its best, our new best. And I just look forward to next weekend, as I have every weekend, to see what this new United will come off with next.
Match of the Month
This month’s write up is by JohnBoy14.
This month has been anything but spectacular but with the struggles in front of goal and head scratching from our fellow reds over the decision not to purchase another striker. 5 wins in a row is probably the best answer and response from the players. My match of the month highlights our home match with Chelsea of course.
A couple of weeks ago this looked a difficult task but with the apparent implosion of Chelsea made us clear favourites for this game. I felt very more pessimistic because it was still Chelsea and we all know about that new manager syndrome that players suffer from. Claudio Ranieri started his reign with a 3-3 draw at old Trafford and West ham mugged us last year in Alan Curbishley’s first game.
Again I was disappointed not to see Saha start the match because I am a massive fan of what the guy brings to the team. He’s very much in the shape of Andy Cole, very quick, strong and runs that line really well when teamed with Rooney up front. I was a lot more confident when I saw that Rooney had a partner up front. I firmly believe that playing Rooney up front alone is a waste and stifles his obvious brilliance. Chelsea were missing Lampard and Drogba which was truthfully said by various pundits as 40% of there goals in the previous two seasons.
The match seemed to start at a million miles per hour with a wonderful shot from Rooney after skinning Ben Haim. His wonderful effort was brilliantly saved by the excellent Petr Cech. The rest of the half though was quite cagey both teams having the ball for periods but no real penetration from both sides.
The whole game and possibly Chelsea’s season changed on 32 minutes when United reject Mikel attempted to kick Evra into orbit. When watching it I was surprised he saw Red but couldn’t help break out my rare smile to the fact it was Obi Mikel. A couple of wonderful balls from Carrick to the Giggs were starting to stretch Chelsea’s back line but they held firm until the 47th minute when an excellent cross with the outside of Giggs foot gave the chance to Carlos Tevez to open his scoring for the club and he duly obliged. I just want to say despite Giggs criticisms from some quarters I was glad he started today because the guy oozes class and I don’t think Nani has shown me enough to replace the welsh wizard just yet.
The second half I was expecting Chelsea to come and have a go but they seemed to accept that they were going to lose and most looked happy with that. Last season as an example when faced with similar circumstances at Arsenal with ten men they showed awesome fighting spirit and in the end should of beat Arsenal. John Terry who I rate highly showed very little inspiration to his players and Essien was very Subdue for some reason, usually he’s all action and gives you the idea he has an extra lung.
The second half was clearly from our point of view a training exercise because we never looked like wanting to score. Only when Saha came on did we start to looking threatening again. The match was wrapped up on 90 minutes when Ben Heim fouled Saha in the area winning a penalty and he duly dispatched to end a very satisfying result. The performance was solid not spectacular mainly because Chelsea didn’t ask any questions. Carrick had his best game this season and looks more accustomed in a 442. I am a big critic at times of Michael Carrick, I feel as fans we make to many excuses for him and I will not deny he is talented but that question mark remains. Having Saha and Rooney back makes a big difference to our team but it will be a few weeks yet before there flowing and contributing to the team properly.
If we have learned anything from the match it’s that Chelsea for the first time in 5 season’s will not challenge for this league title. Without Mourinho’s tactical and motivational skills plus the aftermath of what clearly was a special relationship with his players, Chelsea are showing a soft centre at last. Liverpool and Arsenal look like they will challenge but constant rotation and pissing about by Benitez will only make it easier for us and Arsenal. Having Saha and Rooney back makes a big difference to our team but it will be a few weeks yet before there flowing and contributing to the team properly.
A big positive of this season so far is without doubt our defence which is brilliantly marshalled but vVdic. We have tightened up defensively which is great considering our chances in the league and Champions League.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Tevez (Saha 79), Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Nani, Pique, O'Shea.
Booked: Rooney, Brown.
Goals: Tevez 45, Saha 90 pen.
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Makelele, Essien, Obi, Joe Cole (Pizarro 76), Shevchenko (Kalou 59), Malouda (Wright-Phillips 69).
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Alex.
Sent Off: Obi (32).
Booked: Joe Cole, Terry.
Att: 75,663
Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).
Player of the Month
This month’s write up is by Raisnhell
It is the end of September and the beginning of October, so everyone say it with me, YAYY BEER!!!!! It’s Oktoberfest time!!!!!!! CHUG!! CHUG!! CHUG!! Well, it is also the time we bring out our judging hats and decide who deserves the Player of the Month award. We got the following nominees:
a) Louis Saha, for coming out of injury pool at a time when we needed him the most and help us win.
b) Michael Carrick, for being one of the main reason why our attacks at the opposition never stopped.
c) Nemanja Vidic, for being the wall of death in our defensive line-up and helping keeping us out of danger.
d) Van der Sar, our last line of defence, for the ultra-fantastic saves and keeping our sheets clean.
We all have been through a tough start and have only now started to gather speed and momentum. We are not yet the same side that we were last season, but while we scramble to find that form, we had games to win. Van der Saar made sure that even if we don’t win the game, we didn’t loose them and atleast get 1 point. And this past month, he’s done just that!! The same can be said about Vidic, who not only made sure that the opposition strikers don’t get much of a chance to shoot the ball, but also scored for us against Everton. To further stress his contribution, after scoring the lone goal of the game, he went back up to try and score another one. The man is relentless and just doesn’t settle down!!
Let go up the pitch a bit now, we got Ronaldo, with a brilliant performance against Sporting Lisbon, and Carrick with his continued long-balls feeding the attacks. But Carrick outshines Ronaldo due his consistency and thus gets the nomination.
Since the beginning of the season, we’ve been short of strikers. Tevez has not as yet been fully gelled into our playing style and got really hammered upfront. The lack of conversion of attack into points found us looking at our injured strikers and Saha was the closest to fully recovery, but he was not completely there yet. Being put into action with pre-mature recovery, Saha had a daunting task of delivering at least one goal and turn around our dismal start. And he did just that!! A wonderful strike against Sunderland ensured our win and our turn-around. Some might say that it was Nani against Tottenham that started it all, but I disagree, as Nani was not the answer or the consistent solution to our striker vows. He is a midfielder, who still has a lot to learn and a long way to go before being a 100% reliable player.
This being the first player of the month for this season, I also have to look at the month of August. And, I see the strikers missing and our defense and midfield doing all the work. We needed goals desperately, and until recently they didn’t come from the strike-force. In this month however, the situation is different and we seem to have regained our winning form. So even though I wish I could give two player-of-the-month awards, I have to choose only one. So the one player I feel really out-shined this month is…………………………………………………………………….
NEMANJA VIDIC!!
My choice was actually between Carrick and Vidic, but Vidic out shines in the defense that we HAD to keep up at all times. Attack and Defence are the two components of a team always have to be balanced. With the lack of one, we will have a complete imbalance in the team play. And, for the team’s ability to perform to its usual standards, the lack of performance of one component has to be picked up by the other. We had that situation. Lack of offence means, extra work for the defence to absof**kinglutely block all attack on its goal! Our defence did that and more, it also won us an important game!!
However, for me, personally, I feel that all four nominees did a fantastic job this month and they all deserve awards!! No one person deserves it. We are brave warriors, who even in front of almost utter destruction, don’t lose faith and fight like heroes. So ladies and gentlemen, clap with me, clap for these warriors!!
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I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of The Paper. Any comments about it please leave in the comments thread on this board
Editor: Scott
