No big intro today, other than to highlight the fact that Rooney and Chicharito being back probably has us all scrambling to figure out how to align our teams to get as many United players as possible into our line-ups against Norwich.
Showing posts with label Wayne Rooney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wayne Rooney. Show all posts
Rooney could miss 'weeks'
Sir Alex Ferguson: Wayne Rooney could miss 'weeks' - ESPN Soccernet
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Wayne Rooney could miss "a few weeks" of Manchester United's season.More on these injuries as we find out the details.
United served up a surprise at Stoke on Saturday, as they arrived at the Britannia Stadium without their star man. Ferguson told ESPN after the 1-1 draw that the club had endured a "nightmare" training session on Friday. And it appears Rooney was one of the casualties with a hamstring injury.
"Rooney's is not a serious injury, but it was enough to keep him out today, and I think maybe for a few weeks," Ferguson said.
United lost Jonny Evans in the warm-up, while Javier Hernandez lasted less than 10 minutes before limping off.
The Week Ahead, Part Two - Player Picks
Sometimes we, and by we I mean the blog, pay the price for this not being a full time job. There are times when the job that pays the bills takes precedence over the enjoyment of bringing you blog posts so long that your bosses, significant others, non-fantasy-playing friends, and children complain about the time spent on them on occasion. I enjoy writing them as much as (I hope) you enjoy reading them. Unfortunately, Wednesday and yesterday found me focused from dawn until dusk on my day job and with only enough energy to write part 1 of The Week Ahead. Because I'm guessing you'd rather have the player picks as soon as I can get them to you versus waiting until I come up with a good-sized rant to open the column, I'll dispense with the usual prelude and get right to the picks.
Week 6 Barn Door Team
It's all change at the back for me as Kieran Gibbs seems to have lost his place to Andre Santos. Who knows what is going on at Arsenal but the Brazilian did but up good points against Rovers, and gets Bolton at home this week. Another flying (former) Arsenal fullback, Armand Traore, gets the nod too. I was hoping to get him last week but didn't like the way he limped out of the Newcastle match previously. My loss as he even got an assist. Queens Park Rangers host Aston Villa, which isn't a great matchup, but I do like the option.
Another QPR new boy, Shaun Wright-Phillips, remains a bright spot in my otherwise run-of-the-mill lineup. He continued his good form in an advanced midfield role, and at 4 and change is becoming an indispensable player.
Maybe not as indispensable as David SIlva, however. This was Silva's worst week to date, but he's still putting up points with the promise of continued returns. Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero round out the Manchester City contingent. Hosting Everton isn't an ideal matchup, but I dare anyone to start dropping these players.
That being said, I did move former Gunner Nasri out for current Gunner Mikel Arteta. "Who knows what is going on at Arsenal" but Arteta scored a goal and was taking corner kicks. His price jumped as a result and it was worth getting him in the team before that happened.
The final midfield spot is a bit of an enabler. Yohan Cabaye is becoming the almost man for Newcastle, striking the bar against Aston Villa on a lovely snap shot from range. However, I like that he's shooting and taking kicks. Newcastle also host Rovers on Sunday and that seems to pay off. I was origianlly looking at Gabriel Obertan as a true enabler, but picking Dedryck Boyata in defence allowed me to move off someone whom I'm taking to calling "The Invisible Man". I just never see him on the pitch. Sometimes I do see him, but I've yet to see him make an impactful play. Until then, I'll keep my distance.
Of course, all this movement is to afford Wayne Rooney. I didn't keep him against Chelsea and I almost paid a very heavy price. He ended the day with a respectable 9.5 points, but missed a penalty, hit the post on another shot, and had Dimitar Berbatov skew what would have been a assist off target. Manchester United are at Stoke this week, and as we know that's a tough place to play. In fact I originally had Javier Hernandez in the team, but with his potential injury layoff combined with Rooney's irresistible form at the moment, I don't want to take the chance of missing out.
Who's on your barn door team this morning?
Hernandez out for a "few weeks"
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
UPDATE: ManUtd.com is reporting that Welbeck is available for the Red Devils' League Cup match against Leeds United.
Danny Welbeck has revealed he is feeling fit again after returning to training and is ready to make a comeback when called upon by Sir Alex.
The striker started the season in superb form but pulled up with a hamstring problem after scoring in the win against Arsenal at Old Trafford. After making a speedy recovery, the exciting England international is delighted to be pushing for selection again.
"I trained late last week and had a little rest on Sunday before coming back in again on Monday," he told ManUtd.com. "I'm feeling good.
"I don't know the squad yet for Leeds but, if I'm called upon, I'm always prepared to be there as I feel ready. I wouldn't be training if I wasn't."
UPDATE: Seemingly we did indeed over-react. Y!Eurosport reports a statement from Chicharito's agent.
"Nothing, it's just a bump, nothing more," said Eduardo Hernandez. "It looked like (his absence) was longer, they were looking for a fracture, that's why they ran those tests on him. "I expect him to be training without incident on Wednesday."
from The Guardian
"We will have to see what the damage is in the morning but his [Javier Hernández's] leg is very numb and he could be out for a couple of weeks."As Sir Alex says, we'll see. He was pretty critical of his own players, including Wayne Rooney, in the interview and seemed to be reaching a bit to keep the motivation high. I would expect Hernandez to be back sooner rather than later, but we'll see.
The Week Ahead: Part 2 - Player Picks
"Fleet Street says you're shit!" is the new tea cups.
It was interesting reading the reaction to Manchester City's Champions League debut this morning. My take after reading in a few places was that the media as a group were disappointed by City's results. I was at work yesterday and didn't get a chance to watch the match live but after spending some time watching the replay, I was struck by the incongruity between the media reaction I'd read and the match I saw.
I saw a City team that played very well and could easily have scored 3 or 4 goals. They were unlucky to hit the post (flush on one occasion and the inside on another) and not have the ball go in. I will also say that they could easily have conceded more than the one that did go in - there was a crucial goalline clearance after Hart was beaten. Still, if you total the chances that were THIS close to going in for each side, City had a decided advantage and if they had all gone in City would have won comfortably. That this was achieved without the benefit of a true holding midfielder in Nigel de Jong's absence makes it a pretty reasonable Champions League debut against a pretty strong attacking team.
Perhaps the negative reaction in the press was due to the nature of City's impressive early season start in the league. Perhaps the talent available - many with Champions League experience elsewhere - the expectation was dramatically different than say Spurs similar debut last season. Maybe it was the fact that Napoli, regardless of the talent currently on their roster, isn't one of the glamour teams in Europe while people are penciling City into that category due to their assembled talent and the depth of their bank account. Maybe it was concern over the overall quality of City's group. Whatever the reason, I think City will progress to the knock-out stages and gain momentum as the group stage evolves and they become more and more familiar with their new players.
With that relatively brief rant off my chest, we'll move on to the player picks for this week:
Eleven Things We Learned: Week 4
Never let it be said that I'm not happy to bow to the will of the audience. You asked for 11 things that we learned instead of 10 and, never one to turn down the opportunity to write more rather than less, I'm in. I have to admit that I was on the road returning from vacation all day on Saturday. I followed the matches online as they happened, I watched the replay of the Arsenal match, and I saw most of both Sunday matches. Not as much as I'd like to have see as the basis for this column but enough, when combined with highlights and fantasy results, to make for a strong column (or so I'd like to think).
10 Things We Learned: Week 3
What an incredible weekend. It started with a forward who scored one goal all of last season scoring a brace and ended with three of the more remarkable fantasy performances we are likely to see all season - one from a forward who himself only scored twice in the league last season (admittedly in limited opportunity over only 15 matches).
[NOTE: Yup, I'm still tweaking the format for this Monday/Matchweek Wrap-up column. If you have any suggestions, I'm happy to hear them. The content is the content but I'm trying to come up with a nice wrapper/theme to pull it all together]
[NOTE: Yup, I'm still tweaking the format for this Monday/Matchweek Wrap-up column. If you have any suggestions, I'm happy to hear them. The content is the content but I'm trying to come up with a nice wrapper/theme to pull it all together]
Community Shield "Live" Blog
As I did with the Valerenga/Liverpool pre-season match, I'm going to "live" blog the Community Shield. Even though it happened this morning, I'm just now getting a chance to watch. But don't worry, I've been under the Cone of Silence all day so my reactions will be genuine.
And my first reaction is "WTF!?!?!?!" Kolarov starts over Clichy? I thought the one nailed on spot was going to be Clichy as the starting left-back for Citeh. If there's going to be rotation there... and it seems like there is now... I'm not so sure I want to gamble on either player starting against Swansea next week. Looks like I'm going to spend a similar amount of money on the real sure thing - Kompany.
So neither defence is as expected with Smalling lining up at right back. Maybe that's temporary as Rafael was injured but does make the bench. However, we saw Phil Jones line-up wide right last week and now Smalling. Is Sir Alex just exploring all his options or does he have Smalling on a short-list for the position?
Further forward, Welbeck lines up with Rooney while Berbatov continues to be a £30 million squad player. It will be interesting to see how Welbeck and Rooney dove-tail. Is the "Rooney needs to be a lead striker" argument over and replaced with the recently popular "he's more natural and effective playing behind the striker(s)"?
On to kickoff...
Season Preview - Manchester United
Quick Reminder, Real Life
A record breaking 19th league title and a Champions League Final appearance. Sort of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? These are even more impressive accomplishments since a lot of neutral observers would agree that it happened in something of a transition year for United. Their central midfield lacked an above-average talent (which Barca made abundantly clear in the Champions League final) and they featured a lot of very young (Rafael, Fabio, Smalling, and Chicharito) and very old players (Scholes, Giggs, and EvdS) all over the pitch in regular roles. The breakout star of the season and likely the difference between winning the title and not, was Mexican forward Javier Hernandez. Chicharito’s gift for efficient scoring saw him displace Dimitar Berbatov, the league’s joint top-scorer, as a starter. The only downside other than the loss in the final to Barca was a frustrating and non-Ferguson-like tendency to lose leads late on the road. “Fergie Time” just wasn’t quite the same when the Red Devils left Old Trafford last season. Still, with the title in the bag, that’s really just nitpicking isn’t it?
Quick Reminder, Fantasy
Nani was a fantasy stud for the first half of the season but ended it as only a part-time starter. Berbatov had matches where he was incredible followed by long barren stretches that caused fantasy managers to pull out the hair Rooney ultimately had transplanted in. Vidic was excellent but expensive. Park was incredibly effective for the price in limited duty. After a disasterous first half of the season, Rooney came back and had at least a pretty good second half (although still not up to his standards or price). Chris Smalling had a very nice run of production for a cheap price as injuries sidelined Ferdinand.
Summer Changes
Weekend Notes
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| Pre-season Grinds On |
Before we get to the reason for the post, I'll also take a moment to bask in the excitement of the incredible weekend in Philadelphia sports. The Phillies (baseball for those who aren't into the American sports) started the weekend with the best record in baseball. The Eagles (American football) one-upped the Phillies by acquiring a ton of defensive talent as the season gets ready to start which firmly entrenches them as one of the top contenders for the Super Bowl title. The Phillies, not to be outdone, also made a strong acquisition to fill one of the few gaps in their line-up as they prepare for their playoffs in October. Oh, and on the field the Phillies have won both of their games thus far this weekend. Good weekend to be a Philly sports fan.
So, aside from writing and basking in the glow of being a Philly sports fan in 2011, I also got to watch a decent amount of pre-season action. For those who had better things to do with their time, here are some observations from the Emirates Cup and a few Manchester United pre-season friendlies.
Emirates Cup
All the Attention Going to his Head
Is it just me being out of the loop, or is Wayne Rooney's hair plugs not getting the attention it deserves?
Good for him for defusing the situation by being open and honest about it. But "Ew" and "Really?".
Good for him for defusing the situation by being open and honest about it. But "Ew" and "Really?".
Arsenal vs. ManYoo: A Look Ahead
Welcome to March. That time of the year when we can expect crazy weather here on the East Coast of the United States that varies from snow to torrential rain to sunny and 70 degrees. What else do we expect from March? Spring Training in baseball. One amazing college basketball tournament. Heavy squad rotation and injuries that throw our fantasy EPL line-ups into massive chaos. And...most importantly for this particular post, March is about the time each year when we learn what combination of injuries, tragic mistakes, and bad luck will take Arsenal from "competing on four fronts" to "long shot for the league and booted out of the other tournaments".
Is this year going to be any different for Arsenal? Tomorrow will tell. As far as I see it, the season can go two ways:
Is this year going to be any different for Arsenal? Tomorrow will tell. As far as I see it, the season can go two ways:
Rooney avoids FA charge
Photograph: Newspics Ltd/BBC. Courtesy Guardian.co.uk
Rooney avoids FA charge - Yahoo! Eurosport
Wayne Rooney has avoided punishment for catching Wigan's James McCarthy with his elbow despite referee Mark Clattenburg having only a peripheral view of the incident.Imagine a just universe where Rooney is sent off and takes a minus-6 for his double game week and I feel SO GOOD about not gutting my fantasy team to buy him. And then remember that we live a cruel, harsh reality where justice is dead and Rooney is on 18pts for the week with a game in hand. :-(
The Football Association have been told by Clattenburg that he feels he administered the appropriate action, which leaves the governing body powerless to launch disciplinary proceedings against the 25-year-old.
Wayne Rooney's Bicycle Kick Goal
Photo courtesy: @BryanAGraham
The best part of the photo are the looks on the other's faces. Kompany and Toure in fear, and Scholes in hope.
And the video:
"Wayne Rooney... what a goal!"
Great moment.
Rooney set for longer injury lay-off
Premier League - Rooney set for longer injury lay-off - Yahoo! Eurosport
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has confirmed that striker Wayne Rooney's ankle injury is worse than first thought.
Rooney was originally expected to be out of action until the second week of November with the injury, which has restricted him to just six appearances and one goal for his club so far this term.
However, speaking at United's press conference ahead of Saturday's home clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Ferguson revealed that the England striker is set for a longer lay-off, effectively ruling him out of the Manchester derby at Eastlands on November 10.How do you say Little Pea in Spanish?
The Week Ahead - Vacation Edition
Artists rendering
If ever there were a great reason to become a writer fulltime, this is it. Rather than my usual deskchair in Northern Virginia, I'm writing this week's version of TWA from the balcony of my hotel room in St. Thomas. I'd add a picture but I'm also doing this on my iPhone so the blog editor is somewhat limited.
My current surroundings got me thinking about the notion of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence - or Manchester. Thinking back on a few recent high profile cases, I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. Henry left Arsenal and continues to win but had to do so as a secondary player rather than as the star. Combine the trophies with living in a more beautiful climate and I can see why you might make the choice. Ronaldo made a similar choice presumably for the money and I'm sure he's got more of that for his time in Madrid despite the lack of any actual success. Hard to see him having spent any, ahem, quality time with Kim Kardashian in Manchester - there are some places even reality stars won't go.
So, what does Wayne Rooney want? Who knows? But a wise man once said, when in doubt, follow the money. I can't pretend to know why anyone would care about making the next million when they already have more than they could spend in multiple lifetimes. On the otherhand, maybe that lack of competitiveness on my part (and insufficient footspeed) is why I'm not playing professionally somewhere. Maybe part of being THAT competitive is needing to make the most money.
One final thought on a storyline that I haven't seen written yet. What happens if Rooney is reunited with one of his former strike partners in either Madrid on the other side of Manchester? The Rooney/Ronaldo partnership relegated Rooney to being an excellent supporting player in the drama while CRon became a World Player of the Year
OK, on to the week to come:
Rooney wants to leave United
Ferguson says Rooney wants to leave United - - SI.com
Wayne Rooney's desire to walk out on Manchester United has left the Premier League club facing the loss of a third world-class attacker in two years and its bewildered manager Alex Ferguson in a state of shock.There's so much to this story that is being parsed elsewhere, so I'll try to take a fantasy manager's approach to this first.
Ferguson said he was "dumbfounded'' at Rooney's decision not to enter into negotiations about extending his contract beyond the summer of 2012.
"We just don't know what's changed the boy's mind... I was shocked,'' said Ferguson. "I had a meeting with the boy and he reiterated what his agent had said. He wanted to go.'"
Wayne Rooney set to miss three weeks
Wayne Rooney set to miss England's Euro qualifier against Montenegro | Football | guardian.co.uk
Scholes too...
And of course Giggs as well...
Wayne Rooney looks certain to miss England's Euro 2012 qualifier at home to Montenegro next month after Sir Alex Ferguson said the striker would be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury.
Rooney did not travel today with Manchester United to Valencia for tomorrow's Champions League game because of the problem, which he aggravated at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday. He will also not feature in United's Premier League game at Sunderland this weekend.
Scholes too...
United will also be without Paul Scholes until after the international break. The midfielder also misses tomorrow's game, because of a calf injury, and Ferguson said the former England player would be out for 10 days.
And of course Giggs as well...
Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs faces a spell out of the first team after picking up a hamstring injury.SAF's team starts to pick itself, doesn't it? Park. Carrick? Owen or Chicharito?
Giggs had to be taken off in the 53rd minute during the 2-2 draw against Bolton Wanderers. The club will assess Giggs' injury over the next few days but manager Sir Alex Ferguson says it's likely he'll be out for at least two weeks.
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