Manchester United Blog & Man United News | Stretford End Arising

By Thomas Doyle 1) Kagawa is a real find Despite the defeat to David Moyes’ impressive Everton side, Sir Alex Ferguson will take real optimism from Shinji Kagawa’s debut Premier League appearance. If the likes of Wayne Rooney, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck were on top form, the 23-year-old could have had a hat-trick of assists, and he finished the [...]

By Richard Evans After a comfortable 2-0 win over Stoke in midweek, Manchester United travelled to Stamford Bridge, knowing neighbours City had stretched the gap at the top of the table to 3 points, meaning a draw at least was of utmost importance. In the back of their minds would also be the lack of [...]

By Thomas Doyle. 1. Rafael stated his credentials for a run at right-back While he may have picked up his customary yellow card in the tie against Liverpool, Rafael performed admirably throughout, capping off a fine performance with a great assist for Park Ji Sung. The young Brazilian has (like his twin Fabio) struggled with [...]

By Jason Freeman. 1) Wing play – Key to success this season (as always) Wing play has been key at Manchester United for many years and nothing has changed in that aspect, against Arsenal we saw 2 wingers looking threatening every time they got the ball and it is no surprise that both goals came [...]

By Thomas Doyle. 1)  Carrick and Jones can be a potent combination in the middle With injuries to Anderson, Tom Cleverley and now Darren Fletcher taking their toll on the squad, many (including myself) have been calling out for Sir Alex Ferguson to sign another central midfielder. However, while another player may well still be [...]

By Thomas Doyle. 1. The defence has become a liability After Chris Smalling’s fine form last season the purchase of Phil Jones in the summer, many fans and pundits agreed that Manchester United possessed an extremely strong defence for the 2011/12 season. However, recent form suggests that Sir Alex Ferguson can no longer rely on [...]

By Matt Wrafter. 1. Hernandez is a poacher, but not much more We all know how important Hernandez can be. He does the single most important thing in football: he puts the ball into the back of the net. But in today’s modern game, does an Owen-esque player offer enough to the team? In the [...]

By Barry McEvoy. 1. Something’s Up With Valencia We’ve always known that he has trouble using his left peg, but he usually manages to counter-act that by taking the ball down the line. Not this game. He seemed afraid to take his man on, which is completely unlike him. He was determined to cut inside [...]

By Nathan Thomas. 1. Stoke reassert their presence as one of the league’s toughest away days In fairness it didn’t really need reasserting but for those who have been living in solitary confinement for the past three years or any remaining Stoke sceptics the Potters proved that they are tough nut to crack. Their football [...]

Welcome to the Stretford End Arising’s Player Ratings. Patrice Evra (his first goal since the 7-1 romp against Roma) and Javier Hernandez (now Man United’s equal leading goal scorer) grabbed the goals in a relatively comfortable victory over local rivals Wigan Athletic. Saturday was a cracking afternoon for Sir Alex and his team with close [...]