Shak

I'd say no.

Me too, be worried he'd get kicked around in the Premiership a bit though. I mean that literally. He likes to draw people in and then use his quick feet to nick the ball away from him at the last second quite a lot, I'd be worried some clumsy. overly aggressive Phil Stamp-esque character would cripple him.

I'd go along with a lot of that but I think Rooney plays better as one of a partnership upfront. Put him out on the left hand side of an attacking 3 and he can cut inside and get a shot away but that means he can't go on the outside and whip a cross in. Swings and roundabouts? I'd have him playing just behind a moblie, pacy centre forward who is ablr to find space and finish well. His partner would also attract defenders which would enable Rooney that little bit of space and time to create things for himself. All things considered, Rooney is a cracking player who's going to get better and better. Drogba has really pushed on this season and is one of the best strikers in Europe but I think if you put him in Boro's team - he'd flop, whereas Rooney would still impress. Drogba needs the service - Rooney IS the service. I'd agree that Rooney is ideally suited to playing as one of a partnership, but do you think he ultimately will end up doing so? I'm not so sure, as it's in Man U's best interests to keep Ronaldo playing high up the pitch as well so a 4-3-3 may make the most sense. Don't agree with the part about Drogba needing service at all if I'm honest. To me his best feature is that he creates so much for his teammates out of what are often aimless balls forward. He gets his head on almost everything that comes near him, and he's quality with his back to goal. Led the league in assists last season I believe.

I'd go with all that, but then you look around and see all the Barca shirts on fat Englishmen and it puts you right off. Hardly Barca's fault though is it? I'm sure the marketing guys at Barca would claim differently You implying I'm fat like? :lol: You snore like a fat man tbh.

Berbatov anyone?? Nah, he's shite tbh...

Agree regarding Gerrard, though I'd be tempted to take Drogba ahead of Rooney at this moment in time if we were talking about taking any two players for Newcastle. Mostly because I think he'd be just the player Allardyce would want as the focal point of his attack, he's like Kevin Davies only he can play with the ball at his feet so much better. For me the most complete striker in the game. Interested to see how Rooney develops in the coming years. With Ronaldo at the club it'll be to Man U's benefit to play a 4-3-3 to release him from his defensive duties. So I think Rooney will have to get used to playing from the left hand side, and I think once he gets properly accustomed to it it'll suit him down to the ground.

I can't see Madrid having any problems with either of their home games. If they win in Zaragoza, they'll take it tbh. Is Capello still being sacked during the summer regardless, has he gone already? Really hate Madrid these days, they're so much worse than Man U or any other team for thinking they have a God given right to win everything.

I'd agree, and I think adding Hargreaves will help him even more. Carrick isn't your all-action ballwinner type, and that's what they've lacked in midfield. It was particularly shown up in the Milan game where they desperately needed someone in there to throw themselves about and disrupt Milan's play. One of my Man U fan friends was getting a bit on Carrick's back about that game, saying that as the holding midfielder it's his job to get stuck in. Never seen that as been his game tbh, he's more the Pirlo of the CM. With Hargreaves to do the Gattusso job now I'd expect Man U to be very strong in midfield.

Fairly blatantly looking at a 4-3-3 tbh, they've abandoned the 4-4-2 for a while now. ---------Carrick---Hargreaves---------- --------------Scholes Ronaldo-----------------Rooney --------------New CF Get themselves a good focal point center forward ala Drogba and they'll be scary next season tbh. Hargreaves and Carrick will provide a solid engine room, while Scholes will be the man expected to get forward from CM and do the majority of the creating. Ronaldo will get at teams down the wing, while Rooney can drift in off the left and will benefit hugely from having a proper center forward to play off and take the burden of scoring goals off him, allowing him to play a bit deeper. Still have Giggs on the bench who can provide cover for nearly anyone in that attacking 6. The defence looks very good as well, and that Foster isn't bad at all. Replace Scholes with Kaka in 2 years and we may as well all top ourselves tbh.

Much depends on Berbatov himself. If he wants to go, he'll be off. To his credit though, it seems he's happy to stay and that can only be a good thing for English football in general, much as I dislike Spurs. Long term, the spending power of Chelsea and Man U (and possibly Liverpool shortly) is very, very worrying though. I strongly believe that the best thing that can happen long term is a salary cap of some sort. It's the only way you can really stop teams from building teams full of big name, high wage players. Doing it will be extremely difficult though, with the way the league and transfer system is at present.

Giggs is quality to be fair. Wasn't great today, but nobody was really. As evidenced by the fact that you declared a keeper who didn't really make any saves to be MOTM.

Drogba legs it after the whistle.

Least we (and by we I mean I, with my big contingent of Man U fan friends) won't have to listen to Man U going on about the double if Chelsea do win it.

They'll all be at the game tbh.

Well he lobbed it, albeit very subtely. And it went over the goalkeeper. tbh

Drogba = Legend

Here he comes to save the day, Thank goodness John O'Shea is on his way!

If he hit the target it would have been a goal. The ball was by him, would have taken a brilliant effort to somehow hook it back enough to get it on target.

No he didn't.

MY GOD!! SOMETHING HAPPENED!! Awful miss though tbh.

"It's slowed right down" according to Motson. Did I miss the end-to-end stuff earlier then?

I'll be really pissed off if we don't get penalties now. At least then there's some form of intrigue to the afternoon. If someone scores now it'll be more like 'Hmmm, fancy that?' rather than any sort of excitement that they've scored.

You can only really blame Hellski for that. Tedious Mourinho. Sorry but Man Utd aren't going for it any more than they are. Went for it in the second half. Moreso than Chelsea, yes. But they've hardly really gone for it tbh, still basicallly played with 5 in the middle and Rooney up top by himself. Hardly 'going for it' tbh.

Looking a good bet so far.

Ronaldo is becoming the new Roberto Carlos on free-kicks. Completely wastes really good positions by blasting the ball into the wall/over the bar hundreds of times every season, just for the one good one that swerves like ~!CRAZY~! and finds the net.