Knocked Off Their F**cking Perch.

Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool
(78') Wayne Rooney

In quite possibly the biggest match in English football, it was Manchester United who stood victorious. This fixture has been one of the more fiery occasions in the past, with the result often deciding who won the title. But these are different times. They are times when United and Liverpool aren't even in the title race. That being said, in this game, the only thing that matters is the result. Not the performance or even the behavior on the pitch. Just the result.

For majority of the match, it seemed as though it would be Liverpool's day. They bombed forward and put relentless on the United goal. If not for wonderful performances from David DeGea and Chris Smalling, it could have been very different. But as the old football cliche goes; "if you don't let the other team score, you have every chance of winning, no matter how shite you're playing"! To be fair, 'shite' is putting it lightly because we were abysmal. With 15 minutes left, most United supporters would be thrilled with a nil nil draw. But in the 78th minute, the captain and leader of men; Wayne Rooney volleyed in the rebound after big Fellaini headed off the crossbar.

"My greatest challenge is not what's happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch. And you can print that." -Sir Alex Ferguson

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MglP_JY3MsY

Oh So Close...

The vultures were truly circling after a hapless performance against Sheffield United. It seemed as though it was Van Gaal's last chance at getting things right. As Manchester United lined up to play Newcastle, there was a certain amount of angst. The match started poorly for United, Newcastle dominated the play and looked threatening. It seemed as though Newcastle would take the lead until, Fellaini headed the ball off of Mbemba's arm and earned a penalty for United. Rooney stepped up and slid the ball into the bottom right corner. 1 nil United. At this point the game shifted for United. We started to play better and took control of the game. Not long later, Rooney set up Jesse Lingard who stroked the ball into the Newcastle goal. 2 nil United. For much of the first half, United continued to dominate. Then, just before the interval, Wijnaldum broke into United's box and scored to bring the score to 2-1. The referee blew the whistle for halftime and most United fan's found themselves pleased with an exciting performance. The second half was very much like the first, United controlled the game and held Newcastle at arms length. Then, in the 66th min, Newcastle United were awarded a dodgy penalty that Aleksandar Mitrovic consequently dispatched. 2-2. With 15 minutes left, the match looked like it was decided. Until, Captain Fantastic Wayne Rooney rifled a goal into the top left corner from 25 yards. 3-2 United!!! United then went on the extend their lead. Memphis Depay was brought on from the bench and set up Fellaini with a stunning cross, but the big Belgium could only head the ball straight at Newcastle's keeper. As time winded down, Newcastle started to put serious pressure on the defending United. Crosses filled United's box and we were fairly sure that we could hold on for the three points. Then. It. Happened. In the 90th minute with seconds left, the Newcastle full back, Paul Dummet, struck a shot from the edge of the box that ended up in the top corner via a deflection. We then watched in dismay as Newcastle experienced pure ecstasy. The referee blew his whistle and the match ended in a 3-3 draw. Utter Dismay.

We're Into The 4th Round........Just About

Manchester United 1-0 Sheffield United

93' Wayne Rooney [PEN]

Ah the FA cup, the oldest cup competition in footballing history. Some say it's magical and some say it's a commercial wank-fest. Whatever you think, it has come around once again on England's sporting calendar. On January 9th, Manchester United lined up against the league one side, Sheffield United. It was truly sharks vs minnows. In many ways, it eclipsed everything that the FA Cup stands for. Everything, except the football. It was quite possibly the drabbest match I've watched in my 9 years of supporting Manchester United. That being said, it wasn't for want of trying. We attacked the Sheffield United goal for the entirety of the match, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was how slow our passing was. We weren't able to stretch the Sheffield United team who had come to Old Trafford to be resilient and hard to break down. It looked as the though, the match would peter out to a hapless 0-0 draw until Dean Hammond recklessly slid into Memphis Depay who consequently won us a penalty. Captain Fantastic, Wayne Rooney stood up to the spot and clinically scored, ensuring us a place in the FA Cup 4th round.

Highlights of Match:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxrSCc_rK78

LVG: Stay or Go

It was the summer of 2014 and the World Cup had just ended. Louis Van Gaal was on his way to Manchester for his official unveiling. Everything was in place for a successful tenure.

Skip ahead 18 months and nothing could be further from the truth.

It's hard to know where things went wrong, maybe it was our ponderous style of play or even crashing out of the Champions League. Who Knows? One thing is for certain though, Van Gaal's future is in doubt.

Currently, majority of United supporters want to ax the manager and bring in someone else. But that doesn't represent the theme of 'longevity' at Manchester United. With decisions to be made, I can only hope that the board sticks by our manager.

Over the weekend, Manchester United drew [1-1] with Leicester City. However, it was a match massively overshadowed by the success of Jamie Vardy. It was in this match that he scored his eleventh goal in eleven consecutive games, thus breaking the previous record of ten. This level of performance would be glorified for the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, but Vardy was playing non-league football only five years ago. His success cannot be undermined.

Getting a piece of your work published is the pinnacle of writing success. Whether its a short story or a three hundred page dossier, being published is what you want.

In this post, I will provide you with a great way to be published. How? By getting your name out there. We live in an age where the internet is a terrible hindrance, but also a massive help. There are literally hundreds of websites that let you publish work free of charge. Your work is then on the internet for anyone to read. I have used this option before, when it was an option for extra credit. The website I used was: Ezine Articles.

ENJOY!

Link to my piece:
(http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Will-Lift-the-Premier-League-Trophy-Next-Season?&id=9074591)

-Patrick McToal 

I sit here staring at the screen. Seconds go by that build up to wasted minutes. I don't know what to write. I don't know what to say. Maybe this, this blog, will help.

-Patrick McToal