Tag: Manchester United F.C.

Max Brenner, St Michael’s, Manchester Superiority and Majan


Tress and I started going to Max Brenner’s about a month and a half ago. We never thought of going to this place, until we heard of how rubbish groups like Socialist Alternative and Justice for Palestinians started spouting anti-Semitic thrash. See this story.

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What a night of north England showing London how to play football. After Manchester City rolled Spurs over with a 5-1 thrashing, which I watched just the first half, it was great to wake up to an 8-2 victory over a troubled Arsenal. Newcastle got into the act as well, beating Fulham.

This is unusual for me to say but I feel sorry for Arsenal and Wenger at this point in time. Their stable has been raided and the players Wenger nurtured into brilliant play makers are now happy to deliver their services elsewhere for a range of reasons, not least money.

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Yesterday Tress and I went to a hairdresser down the street from our home. Majan Mahani had done Kiddo’s hair less than a couple of months ago (for her formal) and I needed a hairie badly so we (especially I) decided to go with Majan. She is a lovely Iranian, described herself as Persian, and was a bit more talkative than other who have worked on my hair before. It was the first time I ever had any Persian person work on my hair. She was also very polite. When she was done with me, she held up a mirror behind my head and asked me if I was happy. I asked if I looked like Tom Cruise now and she went all quiet. She must have struggled between being polite and being honest but Tress rescued her by letting a loud burst of laughter and Majan acquitted herself by saying most of her (surely middle aged) clients preferred to look like George Clooney.

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Sat we drove Kiddo to St Michael’s Grammar School in St Kilda East. For the entire ride to and from the school, which was easily half an hour each way, she and her friend Charlotte spoke in what sounded like Greek but was surely English. Their dissertation of various English Literature themes and writers thrilled me. At some point, I wanted to interject and ask “Which character did Brad Pitt play?”, but decided to stay silent and look a little more sophisticated. The VCE English Literature lectures there was from 9-3 and in between, I went to the MST library, did some shopping, took Tress to Madam Kwong’s in Box Hill and …

It was that sort of weekend…

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Noisy Neighbours Near but United Shows Class


And we’re off… this morning’s game was really good to watch, especially since I only watched it from the second half on. Wellbeck, Anderson (his especially) and Rooney all finished really good moves. After City’s impressive display a day earlier, it was good to lay the markers down for the red side of Manchester. Apparently Spurs have now come to Old Trafford without a win for 22 years. Long may they remain in the Premier League… 🙂

Another year, another season. After last year’s less than expectant start, it is really good to start, albeit uncharacteristically, on a really bright note. Looks like a fantastic season ahead.

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Fergie Rebuilding


The transfer market in the English Premier League is sounding really busy. United has apparently picked up central defender Phil Jones from Blackburn. I’ve noticed him before and thought he’s a quite an all action attack-the-ball kind of player. Sort of like Vida himself. Experts think he’s a John Terry in the making but Phil Jones will be his own man. He’ll be better than Terry because apparently he can hold his own as a defensive midfielder as well. I reckon it won’t be long before he overtakes Johnny Evans in the pecking order and I like to think Chris Smalling and Phil Jones will step into the shoes of Ferdinand and Vidic. A colleague (a United man of course) was just saying to me Fergie is thinking of selling Wes Brown, O’Shea and Gibson all to Sunderland. Apparently the collective price is only 12m – surely Brucie is not that great a mate to SAF? These are good squad players to have so I hope Fergie has a good backup plan. Maybe some youngsters are coming through the ranks. O’Shea has been reported however, to want to stay and fight for his place. It would be a crowded defensive squad he has to fight in and talent wise, he’d had to work pretty hard but hats off to him for wanting to have a go. Fergie is rebuilding – again.

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This is it – the run in games


With the wedding of Will and Kate out of the way, it’s back to real life – the run in games for United, Chelsea and Arsenal look as follows:

Man Utd Run In
1-May Arsenal Away
8-May Chelsea Home
14-May Blackburn Away
22-May Blackpool Home
Chelsea Run In
30-Apr Spurs Home
8-May United Away
15-May Newcastle Home
22-May Everton Away
Arsenal Run In
1-May United Home
8-May Stoke Away
15-May Villa Home
22-May Fulham Away

It looks like anything can happen, although purely on paper Chelsea looks solid, on current form Arsenal looks most vulnerable and United has to do all the work to stay ahead. What a season finish this is shaping up to be.
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ECL Ole!


United’s practically there – Wembley’s almost sealed for 28 May. What was really good this morning though were the following:

  • Giggsy and Raul exchanging shirts after the game. Two veterans who never say die and are near perfect ambassadors for the game. One is the oldest person ever to score in a Champions League game and the other is the highest ever scorer.
  • Sir Alex going up to Neuer after the game with a quiet word. He looked like he was seeking out the man who saved Schalke from embarrassment tonight, hopefully with a cajolling word to get him to Old Trafford next season.
  • Finally there were footage showing the delivery of the Champions League Trophy to Boris Johnson. Graeme Le Seux was there as an ambassador of the UEFA Wembley 2011. What a credit Le Seux has turned out to be. I remember his spat with Robbie Fowler during his Chelsea playing days and the classless Fowler was with Liverpool. Where is Fowler now? Le Seux is respected and has a place in the game still. Fowler is instead probably still sniffling white powder and ribbing those who have earned their places in society.

Great morning for the ECL!

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1994 was a Great Year


Last night we went to a local hotel for some pub food. It was kiddo’s birthday and I think we have stuck to keeping things simple and pub food is still a night out after recent battles the family has had to mount to cope with my cooking.

We went to the Mitcham Hotel and kiddo and Tress ordered from the board – roast for kiddo and a fish for Tress. I asked for a steak from the regular menu.

I then took kiddo to the bar and ordered a white wine for her – yeah, it is that sort of joint, where no maitre d came around with a wine list. I asked for a sweet Riesling (a Lindeman’s I think) and I had a house red myself. At 17, she was allowed alcohol when dining with the family and having a full meal. She mentioned the vodka cruisers and I explained to her why those beverages are drinks for losers, sort of (I’m sorry if you like that sort of thing). We also shared a chocolate flourless cake.

She appeared to handle the wine ok. She is 17 now. It didn’t feel like it was 17 years ago when after watching United beat Oldham Athletic (I think it was them) in an FA Cup Semi Final we went to the Subang Medical Centre and waited a number of hours before she finally arrived in the arvo. Everyday for the next few days, I’d stop by the hospital on the way to work and peek through the glass windows of the nursery. She was the most beautiful baby in that nursery, often the only one awake, eyes wide open.

1994 was a great year – Kiddo was born. And United won the double after going on to thrash pre-Roman Chelsea in the final.

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Glory Glory? Not quite there… Yet


An Englishman, a Mexican and a Korean. When you have a common purpose, no differences matter.

United is now in the semi finals of the Champions Leage and FA Cup, and sits atop the domestic league with a 7 point cushion, albeit having played a game more than the team just below them. Not and for a team which isn’t quite the strongest huh?

In 99 we saw the great Dane retiring and the treble sewn up. In 2011 we have a great Dutchman in VDS retiring. Dare we dream another treble in the works? I must start a lookout for tickets to Wembley…

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Kroenke makes it 10 in the English League


Another yank has yanked English ownership out of another English club. With Stan Kroenke‘s takeover of Arsenal, the Premier League now has 10 clubs which are foreign owned. There are 19 teams in the league, so more than half are foreign owned. Of the top 5 clubs in the league as they now stand, only Tottenham remains English owned. Everton is the next highest ranking club (7th) which is English owned but Bill Kenwright and Co has large bank borrowings with guys like Bear Stearns and it would not be a big step for the Americans to gain a foothold through them. The next big club on the ladder, Newcastle United, has been on the market for some time. Mike Ashley lost out to Manchester City in selling to the Sheikhs so the Zebras too, are likely to be sold to foreigners in the not too distant future. Manchester United may want the Glazers out but the Green and Gold campaign has some work to do yet.

The EPL is the biggest earner amongst all domestic leagues. The “E” is in name only as the English-ness is fast disappearing. That is of course no surprise. Yet here we are in Australia, warding off SGX in its propose merger with the ASX, with a loud protestor shouting in the name of national interests. That is so 90’s…  if the most sacred of English working class institutions can become foreign controlled, why do we belly-ache over the proposed merger?

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Ides of March


The Ides of March was a few days ago I think. But I wake up today feeling perhaps today is closer to that traditionally ominous day. Maybe it is the UN led attack on Libya – the French warplanes have bombed Libyan air defence sites overnight – but despite a beautiful sunny morning here in Melbourne and a 1-0 win by Manchester United over Bolton and Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against West Brom, it feels sombre this morning.

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Scholesy Classic


No pile driver this time but his inate ability for really bad tackles. Bad tackles are part of Scholesy’s classics. Came on in the last 10 minutes in the FA Cup quarterfinal against Arsenal and earn a yellow card. It looks like the master would never master this part of the game. I wonder if this will galvanise the Gunners for a concentrated assault on the League title or would they wilt away, having crashed out of 3 major competition in a space of 2 weeks?