Old Trafford Lounge

While most supporters were familiar with him because of his days at Chelsea, United had come across him before. In 2010, they were drawn in the same Champions League group as Valencia and faced a 22-year-old Mata in Spain.

Before their trip to the Mestalla Stadium, Mata learned that his idol, Ryan Giggs, had been ruled out of the game through injury. Nine years earlier Mata had watched Giggs play in a 0-0 against Valencia at the same ground.

"That year saw I many games in the Champions League when Hector Cuper's Valencia reached the final in Milan, and remember talking a lot with my friends in class about Giggs," said Mata. "I remember him being left-footed like me and I paid special attention to his movement.

"It's a pity Giggs is not playing, because I would have liked to swap shirts with him. It's going to be beautiful game, the kind that forces you to be better player. You dream of playing in such games as a child."

Is this even legal?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2930111/Man-United-tell-season-ticket-holders-splash-50-Cambridge-FA-Cup-replay-banned-Sunderland-game.html

That's good news for you

Looks like Darren Fletcher is off to West Ham.

75k pw for 3 years or something, absolutely ridiculous.

“I shall say to the players that it is very disappointing but, in the process of the development of our play, then it was a very good match,” the Dutchman added. “To play like this, so dominant, creating so many chances, you can hardly improve apart from scoring goals, but that is also a bit of luck."

If that was David Moyes people would be absolutely slaughtering him.

1. We didn't create many chances.
2. A bit of luck to score goals? Fuck sake!!

1. We actually did create chances yesterday, for all the games where not creating has been a legitimate criticism yesterday was not one of them.

2. Their goal came from a huge deflection off basically the only shot they had in the entire second half.

3. We actually played well yesterday for the most part. I'm much more encouraged to see the manager admit that he got a good performance out of a team he's been reluctant to play rather than scrap everything and go back to the drawing board with a knee-jerk reaction just because we happened to lose.

Still don't think United have justified themselves this season, Van Gaal especially. He's spent around £200m, with £60m on one player and a £6m loan player whose on ridiculous wages. And in the end the most effective way of playing is a hoof to Fellaini. Gives Moyes that amount of spending power and he wouldn't be doing a lot worse.