How does one characterise Manchester United’s season to date? After all Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lies second in the Premier League after 18 games, with only goal difference separating the Reds from cross town title rivals Manchester City. Despite an ever lengthening injury list, the American owners’ parsimonious attitude to the transfer market, and City’s sovereign wealth, United will surely head into 2012 favourites to take the Premier League title. All rosy then except, of course, for United’s disaster in Europe, where the Reds were knocked out fair and square by FC Basel and Benfica over six games. Neither are the continent’s leading lights. If United’s benchmark for success is Europe’s premier competition then group stage exit is surely a regression from last season’s run to the final. Add to that an embarrassing Carling Cup exit to Crystal Palace and the season begins to look far less successful. In the Premier League Ferguson’s side began the season in blistering form, scoring...

I've always said give Jose Mourinho a season in spain and he'll get u a trophy, give him two and he'll get you the league. With El Clásico number 164 fast approaching at the Santiago Bernabéu a lot would agree a win tonight for the home side would go a long way in a achieving that. Madrid boast a three point lead at the summit having played a game less than their spanish counterparts which would make this a nine pointer instead of the usual six. Mourinho's men have won their last 10 La Liga games, 15 in all competitions and as assistant coach Aitor Karanka said at the press conference: "We are in good shape. It is just one more game and we will not change our way of doing things". Barcalona on the other hand have lost only one of their 11 meetings since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2008 (7 wins) and have never lost under his stewardship at the Bernabeu. Though their league form hasn't been that impressive this term as they have managed two wins in ...

So hell has frozen over & the humble pie is being served by the boat-load, but is this the worst thing in the world? Below are some silver-lining/tongue-in-cheek points suggesting that this might be worth the effort: 1. MUFC have never won the EUROPA/UEFA/Thursday Cup: So there is a trophy still out there for SAF to bring home!! Happy days!! In fact, even Ipswich Town have a UEFA Cup in their cabinet. EPL 2nd, 3rd & 4th spot is important & cool, but you can’t parade it from a bus & it doesn’t count as a trophy. Let’s bring this thing home & add another trophy to our (already) packed cabinet. ALSO, since the EUROPA Cup is only 3 years old, only 2 other teams have won it in this format….therefore making this The Most Exclusive Cup in Europe. You didn’t see that one coming did you? 2. Gametime free-for-all: This tournament does provide a perfect platform for our youth & bench to get 1st team experience. Berbatov, Owen, Macheda, Gibbo, Ravel, Pogba….an endless...

"UNITED RANT MONTHLTY" is out.  I've posted this one article but you can go onto his website http://www.unitedrant.co.uk/latest/rant-monthly-issue-5-december-2011/ and read the rest of the magazine. In partnership with the EA Sports Player Performance Index, Rant Monthly uncovers the data behind Manchester United’s strong start to the 2011/12 campaign. The EA Sports PPI covers Premier League performance based on a mathematical model developed Dr Ian McHale (a Liverpool fan) and Professor Phil Scarf (a United fan). The index provides objective ratings for players’ performances in a match, and over a season, enabling comparisons across positions, and over time, by identifying how much a player genuinely contributes to a team’s success. Players are allocated points based on set criteria, including matches won by the team, specific actions during a match, time on the pitch, goals, assists and clean sheets. McHale and Scart have analysed hundreds of matches since the Premi...

5.Leon Britton and Joe Allen They love a pass, do Swansea. Loads of them. But more importantly these passes are incredibly accurate. With an 85% passing success rate over the season, only two teams are more accurate than Brendan Rodgers' boys (Chelsea and Manchester City) and only two have a higher possession percentage (Chelsea again and, inevitably, Arsenal) with 56%. They're almost always short passes too - 84%, since you ask. Central to this are the midfield trio, but for this list we've picked out Allen and Britton, simply because they have made the most appearances this season. Kemy Agustien and Mark Gower also deserve a good deal of credit, but since we're in a statty mood, let's just take a moment for the pass success rates of Allen and Britton - 90% and 94% respectively. That, friends, is phenomenal. Obviously it helps that most of these are short balls, but even so, you have to applaud the consistency. And applaud it we will. Some worldly advice for you:...

This post was taken from United Rant (http://www.unitedrant.co.uk/latest/one-nil-to-united/) Written by Ed. There have been times in Sir Alex Ferguson’s management of Manchester United over the past 25 years that the Scot’s side has been forced back to basics; when the necessity to grind out results overcomes the need to entertain. Think back to United’s campaign in 1996, for example, when Ferguson’s side chased down Newcastle United with seven single goal victories in the league post New Year. That the Scot’s outfit had lost 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day underlined the gritty nature of the club’s campaign. Few of those times have come so early in the new season though, with United’s 1-0 victory at Swansea City on Saturday the third such result since Manchester City’s heavy victory at Old Trafford in October. Indeed, five clean sheets in a row since that derby day loss point to a renewed determination to grind out results. Moreover, Ferguson’s side has rarely in that p...

In my opinion the greatest player to grace a tennis court and his record justifies my belief, as the world number four (yes unbelievably) Roger Federer registered the 800th win of his career as he overcame Juan Monaco 6-3 7-5 in their Paris Masters quarter-final. He is only the seventh man in history to surpass the 800-win mark. Federer said: "It's nice. It's just another win, but it's a special one nevertheless, because 800 is definitely a big number." He will now play Tomas Berdych, who defeated Andy Murray to end the Scot's 17-match unbeaten run. THE 800 CLUB Continue reading the main story Jimmy Connors 1242 career wins Ivan Lendl 1071 Guillermo Vilas 923 John McEnroe 875 Andre Agassi 870 Stefan Edberg 806 Roger Federer 800 Federer suffered an early break of serve but won five straight games to recover from 3-1 behind and take the opening set. Monaco matched the 16-times Grand Slam winner for most of the second set but surrendered his se...

Welcome 6 November 1986 Alex Ferguson leaves Aberdeen after a hugely successful spell, to replace Ron Atkinson at Manchester United. 'Ta-ra' December 1989 It is widely reported that Ferguson is close to being sacked after a dismal start to his fourth season. A banner is unveiled at Old Trafford saying: "Three years of excuses and it's still crap ... ta-ra Fergie". "Forest were on a high - they were up for it, we were going to the City ground and the game was on TV. The knives were being sharpened" Robins 7 January 1990 United beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground in the FA Cup third round, with a goal from Mark Robins. The win is believed to have saved Ferguson's job. In May, United win the Cup. Giggs 2 March 1991 Ryan Giggs makes his league debut in a 2-0 defeat by Everton. The Welshman will break Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 756 appearances for the club. Cantona 26 November 1992 In a conversation instigated by the ...

The second most beautiful trophy in Rugby, not to mention the oldest provincial tournament in the world is up for grabs this Saturday. What makes this years final interesting is there will be no Blue it's Red and Black and the top two teams in this years tournament. The Blue Bulls never even made the Semi-Finals and a Springbok laden Western Province was comprehensively beaten last weekend by the Lions. These two have 55 Currie Cup Trophies between them (4 shared each) so its a rarity to not have at least one of them in the final. I think the favourites for Saturdays contest is the Golden Lions. Maybe not on paper because yes the Sharks have 7 current Springboks but as WP found out last week its continuity not Springboks that win you matches and though the Sharks have had an extra week to work on their continuity and the fact that they will be in Johannesburg not Durban I still see them tagged underdogs. Let's have a short look at statistics the Lions and Sharks have pla...

New Zealand media are branding this final as "in the bag" or the French "don't stand a chance". I even read that the bookies have given them 6-1 odds. A word of warning is that well in sport nothing is a given. When the Rugby World Cup draw took place on the 1st December 2008 I remember saying if France is in our pool we can only get them in our pool and in the Rugby World Cup Final. Never, to be honest, did I believe they would make the final. Especially after having lost two matches already in the tournament. Some say they don't deserve to be in the final having played one good match against England and not playing much against the Welsh and still winning so there hasn't been anything to talk about, besides their problems in the camp. Much like in 1987 this World Cup's last four was also France, Australia, Wales and New Zealand only France played Australia in the semi final and All Blacks (ABs) played Wales. The ABs also had their big "inj...

An interesting read I just had to post. The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently revised a few rules governing the One-Day game. These rules came into effect starting with the ongoing India-England ODI series, and will be applicable to every international match in the future. Here's a list of these changes: This article was written by  Harsh Kalan from the website www.guylife.com   - Two new balls will be used in every innings, i.e., a new ball will be introduced at either end. So both opening bowlers will now have the opportunity to bowl with a brand new ball. This will lead to lesser wear and tear of the ball. This works in favour of the batsmen as the ball would be more visible even during the death overs. Also, this move could mean reverse swing--which typically requires a 30 to 35-over-old ball--could become a thing of the past in ODIs. - A batsman will be given out if he obstructs the field. In other words, an umpire can declare a batsman out if he thinks ...

New Zealand and Australia would be relishing the opportunity to take on France in the Rugby World Cup (RWC) Final, but they first have to concern themselves with there neighbours. Xola Ntshinga said "These two know each other intimately" and I couldn't agree more. Its number 1 vs number 2 in what some dub as the RWC final one week in advance. Australia will take cognisance that they have never lost in a RWC semi final against their illustrious host and are the last team to beat the All Blacks (ABs) in the Tri Nations Decider. The ABs though are another type of animal in New Zealand having last lost to Australia at Eden Park 25 years ago. I could run through other stats like games played and points difference but I'm afraid that will have little barring on the out come of today's match. The loss of Millsy & Slade have somewhat strengthened the ABs and dropping utility back (Greame Henry referred to as a super sub) Sonny Bill Williams is I think genius. On th...

The first and only time the Welsh played in a Rugby World Cup Semi-Final was in 1987 and they lost out to the same team they meet today. France would love history to repeat itself, and since then they have reached two more finals. Wales have a terrible record against the French having lost 10 of the last 13. The two have played each other 88 times and the points difference is just 2, with Wales scoring 1,297 points in their 43 wins and France 1,295, in their 42 wins and 3 draws, talk about tight. The french have beaten the Welsh on three occasions in three consecutive test and currently sit on a three game streak. Another interesting fact I dug out is the team that went into half time has won 5 of the last 6 meetings and its been 3 years since the Welsh have beaten Les Bleus. The France squad have experience over the young welsh outfit, and would argue they have hit top form and pulled together as a team at the right time. I'm sure the pack that dominates will see their team int...

The fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the most significant sporting rivalries in football, sometimes referred to as the North West derby. The clubs are also the two most successful teams in England; between them they have won 118 honours: 60 for Manchester United and 58 for Liverpool. The rivalry between the two clubs has become so intense that since the 1964 transfer of Phil Chrisnall from United to Liverpool, no player has been transferred directly between the two clubs. Though Paul Ince, Peter Beardsley and more recently Micheal Owen have played for both clubs but played for another team in between. Manchester United go to Liverpool this weekend having not won there since December 2007, something the defending champions would like to change. The last ten fixtures at Anfield make better reading though with 5 United wins, 4 Liverpool and a solitary goalless draw. One draw in 10 fixtures shows that t...