How it all started...

 

Rooney: Imagine this mate, you and me in one team.
RvP: And me up front.
Mata: Wow!!
Cole: Guys, that's playing dirty.
Evra: Back off Ashley.



Ready or Not: Hull City

This will be the 25th match between United and Hull City. United as expected enjoys an overall good record with 16 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses and a +26 goal difference. Our trip will not be easy at all, we have managed only six wins from twelve games with a 0 goal different while travelling to Hull City.

Hull City are on a draw streak with three consecutive draws that came after beating Liverpool 3-1 and enjoy an almost perfect home record with only one loss this season. To neutralize this, United can boost four consecutive wins which incude three clean sheets and have scored nine goals while allowing only one! And don't forget, December is usually United's favorite month. Evidence? Since 1990 United have played on every boxing day expect for 1995 and 2009 recording only one loss and two draws the rest were ALL wins.

Ready or Not: Spurs

Manchester United will play 9 matches between December 1st and December 28th. That is an average of one match after every three days. This will exhaust the players but the holidays season could not be any better! At least I will not complain about how much Tv subscription costs me!

Task at hand, a trip to White Hart Lane. This will be the 179th meeting between the two clubs, even though United enjoys an overall positive record of 84 wins from 178 matches, trips to Spurs are not as impressive as we have suffered 31 losses from 86 matches.

Bragging Points: Since year 2000, we have faced Spurs a total of 31 times, lost 2, drew 7 and won 22! One of those two losses was self inflicted as Evans scored an own goal in a 2-3 loss at Old Trafford.

As easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

5 words for this picture: FIVE ASSISTS AND A CAPTAIN.

Don't let that title fool you. Easy ends at three, you don't agree? Well, let's see how many Nos you will have for these questions;

1. Can you count one to five in five different languages?
2. Can you write Welbz's five names without checking on Wikipedia?
3. Can you name the five Reds who made their debuts on this date (November 28th)?
4. Can you name five celebrities that Rio hasn't met?
5. Can you name five UCL records that Man United are yet to break?

Ready or Not: Cardiff City

The last time we played Cardiff it was a 4-0 win and most of us can only read about that. The match was played in 1975! As for the history books, we have won more games away to Cardiff than we have hosting them at Old Trafford. The overall record is not that impressive, +10 goal difference, 13 wins and 7 loses. For any other club that would be good news, but we have different standards. We want a goal difference in three digits, like Arsenal's +106.

Cardiff have kept 7 points from their five home games while United have collected 9 from away games. As we seek our 10th unbeaten match in all competitions, Cardiff will come with confidence too as they managed three points from Noisy Neighbors in a 3-2 home win and another 3 from Swansea.

Cardiff allowed 13 goals in the league while United's back four have the weight of 15 goals. Looking at stats, this game might be decided by forwards where United have scored a double of Cardiff's 9.

After today, the best we can do is second position while the worst is tenth. As for the teams above us, things will not be easy either. Arsenal (top of the league) will host Southampton (3rd place), Liverpool will travel to Everton and Chelsea to West Ham while Man City will host Spurs. Of all the teams in the top 8, only United and Chelsea will play teams out of the top 8.
Translation: Points will be dropped, guaranteed.

van Persie has scored in each of our past four league games adding two assist just for fun while Rooney has assisted once in every one of our past four league games adding two goals just to keep things balanced.

Glory Glory Man United!

Here and There

De Gea did an interview with Bwin and of the things he spoke about were his admiration for Giggs.

"I would like to have the skills of Giggs. I would like to repeat everything he has done in his career and have his skills."

Well, we get it, DDG would really love to have Giggs' skills.

And his favorite athletes that are non-footballers he kept it home with Rafa Nadal and he kept it United with Usain Bolt.

He also took part in the corner kick challenge and dedicated it to Anderson. Anderson took his a few week ago. Who scored the most points? Watch these two videos.

Ready or Not: Arsenal

No better way to start this post than with that photo of van Persie!

Arsenal are facing United for the 217th time. They have enjoyed only 17 wins of the 103 matches at the Theatre of Their Nightmares Dreams scoring 87 goals and conceded 192. That is an impressive +105 goal difference!

After this match, the best we can do is second place while the worst is tenth place. Well, coming from the bottom half just a few weeks ago that says a lot about our current form.

Arsenal should not be taken lightly though. Top of the league while leaving second placed Chelsea five points behind says enough about their Ozil form.

Ready or Not: Real Sociedad



Off to Spain, well, they have already arrived but you get the idea. And tonight for the second time ever Man United will face Real Sociedad. Our last meeting at Old Trafford ended with a UTD win and a clean sheet.

 

As for the clean sheet, it's a home coming for the flying Spaniard. While every other UTD player will be playing for the first time at the home of Sociedad this will not be a first visit for DDG. 

De Gea;

"It’s always a good experience to go back to Spain and, of course, doing so wearing the Manchester United shirt makes me very proud."

Ready or Not: Fulham

A few hours from now Man United will be facing Fulham. This is the first away game for United since Oct 5th. The Champions will step into this determined to keep the unbeaten run going. So far, we haven't lost any of our past six matches in all competitions, and we have played all completions; Champions League, Capital One and the league.

Questions, Troubled Kind Evra

A group photo that managed to represent every United fan's reaction after that Saints' goal. Jones for those who couldn't watch it, Evra looks angry, that guy who couldn't believe that we conceded and had to stand and take a closer look, Rafael is hiding, De Gea looks confused and beat, that woman holding her face is definitely crying. Look closer and you'll see your reaction represented here. Kudos to manutd.com photographers for capturing this moment.

 

 

Well, at least we have Januzaj for the next five years and looks like he is on the right track. The kid was voted Man of the match against Southampton which is his second in a row! Moyes and Ed, while we are still into signatures how about getting Rooney to putting one down?

Robin is back into scoring! We can all drink to that.

Robson to Bruno Gomes and everything in between

Captain Robson and his team landed in Kilimanjaro yesterday and as of this morning he is starting doing what brought him and his team to the beautiful land of Tanzania; climbing the greatest Mount Kilimanjaro. I wish I was a tour guide, a help or just a fly in that team but being towns away from Moshi (that's where Mt. Kilimanjaro is) I will just have to settle for stalking following the action through Twitter.

Some accounts that you can follow and keep up with the #KiliTrek: @MU_Foundation, @ThomasCasserlys, @miss_larrisab and the official trek photographer and videographer @j_lester. And of course @ManUtd and @MUFCTanzania for the #Kilitrek and for Man United issues.

And in supporting Robson, manutd.com have dedicated this week to the Captain. For some of us who did not get to see him play, this is a good chance to get to know the longest serving Captain in the history of Manchester United/Newton Heath.

From last night.

Reds marching to Brazil

Until 19th we will just have to be satisfied with seeing the team in pieces as they represent their countries.

Here is who to watch and when:

 

 

Luis Nani - Portugal are a point behind Russia in their group but have one advantage: They play their next two matches at home. Portugal hosts Israel on 11th and Luxemburg on 15th.

Januzaj! Januzaj! Januzaj!

That is all I can say about the match! ADNAN JANUZAJ!

I understand it was just one match, but if last season with Reserves is any indication or 2013 MU Tour was an introduction, we are in for the ride of our lives! I loved absolute everything about his performance and without the slightest of doubts, he is man of the match.

An 18 years old scores a few minutes after he was booked. Then runs to pick the ball and quickly start the game. That was like saying, 'I am too good to celebrate an equalizer.' I was so scared that the media would say he was not happy at OT because he did not celebrate! Second goal was a beauty! Three shots on target, two goals and three points. Isn't that a dream debut?

Sunderland to CR7 and everything in between

Nani's backflip, long time no see!

Sunderland  lost five of their six league games this season and drew one. They have only one point with the weight of all 19 team on top of them at the BPL table. In addition to that, they have conceded 3 goals in every one of their last four matches. They have seen the back of the nets of their opponents only four times and never twice in a single match.

So far this season Manchester United have scored sixteen goals and fifteen of them are from forwards, van Persie (6), Rooney (5), Welbeck (3) and Chicharito (1). Valencia scored one too. Defenders are yet to put their names on the score sheet.

All our forwards, except for Chicharito have already recorded a double, who will take it a step further and score the first hat-trick of the season?

Shakhtar Donetsk: A cold point

Picture perfect.

We would all have loved 3 points but a point is not so  bad. As group standings, we are second to Shakhtar but we have same points and same goal difference. On 23rd this month we will host Real Sociedad and Shakhtar will host Bayer Leverkusen.

Our next opponents are yet to win a match. They suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Shakhtar and lost 1-0 to Leverkusen. Bring on Real Sociedad.

Rooney picked another injury during training! It doesn't seem to be serious as Moyes planned to use him as a sub but decided against it as to not risk any further complications. Moyes also promised that Rooney will be ready for a trip to Sunderland this week end. And this time it was Welbeck. Does Welbz have a magic touch like Jones? Only time will tell....

WBA: The Aftermath

Majanga!

Rooney, Evans and Januzaj doing the walk of defeat as Big Dave looks so small!

If I thought the derby was something I needed to forget, I had second thoughts after that shocking unpredictable loss to West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. And that what makes it even worse, it was at our very own home and it was West Brom! I don't know what hurts more, losing at home to a team that we have been beating back and forth for years or loosing at OT. The combination is killing me!

It started with Robin's injury. Then followed a number of missed chances. Then a very disappointing Rio. Is age catching up with Rio or was he just having a bad day? We don't expect him to be as quick as when he was in his mid 20s but that was one disappointing (sorry, I don't know what other word to use here) show from him.

A Derby To Forget

It will get better.

There is absolute nothing I want to remember about yesterday. Rooney's goal was a beauty but if I have to go through four very painful events to get to it, then No thank you, I'll pass.

I wish I could call Damon the vampire and he could do that vampire thing he does to make people forget.

But I will just have to live with it. Besides, If I forget that bad experience I will not fully appreciate and celebrate the better days that are surely coming.

Rio's Tour Diary 2013: Episode 3

Rio's Tour Diary 2013: Episode 2

Rio's tour diary 2013: Episode 1