Yea but we will be winning and in control...
Owen Hargreaves | 2009/10 Performances
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Yea but we will be winning and in control...
Time to sing.
Oh Owen Hargreaves
You are the love of my life
Oh Owen Hargreaves
I'd let you shag my wife
Oh Owen Hargreaves
I want curly hair tooooooooooo
Breaking News. Hargreaves has been injured while shagging my wife and curling my hair. He'll be back in 3 weeks.
Oh Owen Hargreaves
You are the love of my life
Oh Owen Hargreaves
I'd let you shag my wife
Oh Owen Hargreaves
I want curly hair tooooooooooo
Breaking News. Hargreaves has been injured while shagging my wife and curling my hair. He'll be back in 3 weeks.
We don't need to be in control, whilst he may not be match fit, he can add another bit of protection in the midfield should it be 1-0 or something in the last 10 minutes. I'd rather have him come on to tighten up the midfield than Gibson.
or as a penalty taker late on, now Rooney isn't around who will take the penalties should we get any? Hargreaves is as good as anyone.
Excellent. Two brand new signings this week for the run in.
Giggs without question, not in a million years will SAF let someone who hasn't played for 18 months come as a substitute in a such potential league influencing game and take a peno..... do you really think Hargreaves head is in the right place for that right now?
He won't bring him on just for that no way, however if he's on the pitch at the time, he has to be considered. I wouldn't be too sure on Giggs taking one either. Yes, he's taken a couple in shoot-outs, but he hasn't taken many in his career, Berbatov may step forward, but after that one against Everton would you bet your house on him scoring? Perhaps Nani or Valencia? I don't know, but let's hope we don't need to find out and we score the goals from open play.
I don't mean he would bring him on as I sub just to take a penalty, I'm assuming he will not start and if there was any way he would be on the field it would be as a sub, thats what I meant by coming on as a sub then taking a penalty..... won't happen
Don't forget Carrick. I know he missed that one in the first week or so of the season but I wouldn't be surprised if he were to step up as well.
Carrick has scored at least 2 penalties against Chelsea.
He cost us points against Burnley with a diabolical penalty. Berbatov and Nani would be better options.
The same Berbatov that passed the ball to Howard last season's FA Cup semi?
By that token you could say Berbatov cost us the FA Cup with his diabolical penalty. Carrick in turn has scored for us already two or three times from the spot and at least one occasion under immense pressure.
I can understand why people would choose Berbatov given he is a striker and you would your striker can score from 12 yards and it's also best if they take them too boost their goalscoring charts. But Nani has to be the clear option for me.
But scored one in cool fashion at Wembley in a Cup final?
So has Carrick in fairness.
It'll be Carrick.
At least Carrick has scored them in the past (i think). He's only missed 1. Berbatov has taken 1, missed 1 and it was one of the worst i've seen.
Berbatov has taken more in his career than Carrick. Plus, if Carrick continues playing as he has, he won't be on the pitch for that long/
What do you mean you think?! He's taken one in a high intense pressure in Moscow. As well as a couple in Wembley.
Having said that I reckon he asked not to take them anymore after the Burnley match (or at least stop being the first choice). Reckon both himself and Berbatov have a somewhat fragile confidence. So if we do get a pen tomorrow, it will be Nani who will step up.
Nani has taken some also.
Forgot about that actually.
The only pens i actually remember from that night in Moscow are Tevez's, Ronaldo's, Terry's (
) and Giggs'.
Nani is really a brilliant penalty taker and would probably no. 1 if Rooney wouldnt hunt so crazy for goals
Beyond helping Hargreaves break through a mental barrier in finally being part of a first team match day squad after 19 months, I don't really see the benefit of having him on the bench. If we're chasing the game, you wouldn't think he'd come on and if we're looking to defend a lead, then bringing him in would be massively risky.
The only thing that I can think is that he may be useful for a 10-15 minute cameo for his set pieces.
The only thing that I can think is that he may be useful for a 10-15 minute cameo for his set pieces.
What other midfield option from the bench will help us hold onto a lead?(assuming Scholes starts)
My thinking was more along the lines of it being a mammoth risk to throw a fella who hasn't played professional football for 19 months into the fray of what could potentially be a title decider.
Of course, I don't know how capable he is of coming in and doing a job for 20 minutes or whatever, but I'm assuming that he will be rusty as hell. It would be a risk, surely...
In a way, I'd like Berbatov to take a really important penalty, so he can exorcise those FA Cup demons. I can't help thinking that missed penalty is haunting him still, which is why his confidence has been so surprisingly fragile.
Would love to see him get on tomorrow, hell of a game to make a comeback in.
If his confidence is that fragile, then it's unlikely that he'd put himself forward.
I was thinking about this earlier, there's no one who we have who stands out as a penalty taker in the absence of Rooney. I know Nani took a scorcher in pre season, but it was hardly a pressure kick.
I don't think Hargreaves will be on the bench tomorrow.
He's only played one reserve match after being out for 19 months and Fergie's press conference seems to indicate one of JOS or Hargreaves will be sub tomorrow.
I could easily see JOS getting the nod and also getting some playing time as Evra is badly in need of a rest. In fact, if JOS is as fit as Fergie is making out I'd guess he could well be back for Blackburn away.
We have plenty of centre midfield cover on the bench tomorrow so Hargreaves is not that imperative. Take your pick from Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Park and Gibson for the starting three and subs tomorrow.
He's only played one reserve match after being out for 19 months and Fergie's press conference seems to indicate one of JOS or Hargreaves will be sub tomorrow.
I could easily see JOS getting the nod and also getting some playing time as Evra is badly in need of a rest. In fact, if JOS is as fit as Fergie is making out I'd guess he could well be back for Blackburn away.
We have plenty of centre midfield cover on the bench tomorrow so Hargreaves is not that imperative. Take your pick from Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Park and Gibson for the starting three and subs tomorrow.
If Fergie really wants to play Hargo at some point it, other than for 5 mins at the end, it might be better to throw him on at the start, that way if there are any problems he can be subbed. Cause us more problems if he comes on as a sub and then for some reaon has to be subbed off.
Going off his 45 mins in the reserve match though he looked in fine fettle.
Yep, and if O'Shea is as fit as is made out by Fergie, then I reckon at this stage that he'd be a better option to bring into a midfield late on to try and close things up, than Hargreaves.
It really is tough to come into a game of such magnitude when you haven't kicked a ball in anger for over a year and a half.
Yeah, but in fairness, the level of a reserve team match and Manchester United v Chelsea isn't even comparable. I didn't see the game, but I imagine that Hargreaves was keeping things nice and simple and not overly exerting himself. He's going to be hugely rusty, not just in terms of his fitness levels, but also in terms of his touch. There is no chance in hell that he'll start.
As I've said above, if Ferguson wanted to bring a player in for the last 10 minutes to shore things up, then at this stage, O'Shea would be the better bet.
There is no way Hargreaves is ready to start such a big match IMO and this game is too big to allow him to break a personal mental barrier.
I don't know who will play in midfield tomorrow other than Fletcher is a cert and we will play 3 in the middle. I fancy Park and Carrick to make up the numbers but either of Giggs(freshness) or Scholes(genuinally been very good most of the season) are realistic options.
It's funny how the psychology can change in such a short space of time. Before the Bayern game, I was banging on about midfield selection headaches, such was the stellar form of everyone. I think Carrick is in the firing line at the moment. Ultimately, he'll likely retain his place because of the balance he brings to the side. I think both Giggs and Park will play, as will Fletcher. That means you take your pick between Nani and Valencia. I think he'll go with Nani because he'll drift from wing to wing more.
Well Nani has took the most high pressure penalty in Moscow and I'll be honest I didn't have much faith in him when he stepped up. He also took a penalty against Southampton last season ahead of Berbatov who was on the field at the same time. I remember he grabbed the ball instantaneously once the ref called the penalty which shows he's the got the confidence to really step up when the obvious penalty taker at the time would have been Berbatov.
If we get a penalty tomorrow, I reckon Nani will call for it straight away and for me stands out as the obvious choice.
Yes, it was a pressure penno in Moscow of course - not the greatest take, but it got the job done. But as you say, that still took some bottle as a young lad in his first season at the club. I forgot about the one against Saints last season.
I suppose he's the most obvious taker in what is quite an undistinguished bunch.
I take your points, this is a defining match, but I do wonder if perhaps the mental barrier was broken as soon as he managed to play in the reserve match. He was sharp and his passing was good so that may have helped a lot. Much will depend though on how he felt, both mentally and physically, after that match.
Each match from now on is absolutely crucial to us so there are no easy games to play him in. We have got to play him at some point before the season ends though and it can't be a CL match. Better sooner than later.
Can't really see Fergie wanting to play him tomorrow, but you never know, I live in hope.
Each match from now on is absolutely crucial to us so there are no easy games to play him in. We have got to play him at some point before the season ends though and it can't be a CL match. Better sooner than later.
Can't really see Fergie wanting to play him tomorrow, but you never know, I live in hope.
It would be nice for us to get a different type of Owen(own) goal!
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