What is wrong at Manchester United
What is going on at Manchester United?

So Manchester United lost at home to Fulham. The defeat was comperhensive and now people are wondering if the "Imperial Empire" are up to the task this season. After all they have sold Beckham and Veron and replaced them with no bodies. The defence is wobbling as it has for a number of years now. Van Nistleroy carries all the scoring threat.

All teams lose unexpectedly during the season and United made so many changes to the team for the match against the underestimated, resurgent Fulham team they were always asking for trouble. If the team didn't settle and hang tough then they were in trouble. That is how it turns out. These lapses at United are of course yearly but usually have one thing in common, Roy Keane doesn't play. Keane brings something that United don't have else where, leadership. It has been this way for a while. This also links to the defensive failalties where United have very good defensive players but they lack organisation under pressure at times. Manchester have a great defensive record in the both domestic and European competition but they do have a bad habit of collapsing rather than simply leaking the odd goal.

The solution could of course be to play Keane at center back where he is very effective, can organise the defense and doesn't have to run as much so doesn't have to be rested as much as when he plays in mid-field.



Any team would miss Ruud if he doesn't play. Take the toop stricker out of any other top side in Europe and there is the same effect as losing Ruud on United. On the subject of Beckham, he did not play enough last season (though fit) to have his lose be detremental to the team's production. Veron on the other hand did and is missed as he supplied something different than available now. However Ole Gunnar and Kleiberson will return soon from injury. Djemba-Djemba, Ronaldo and Fletcher will all settle and find consistancy and all this talk of a weakened Manchester may turn out to be wishful thinkning from the opposition.

England vs Samoa
Well done Samoa. What a force they would be if they had all their players back from the Aussies and New Zealand and a bit of money to spend on getting the squad together (a disgrace the IRB don't help them more). How talented are they and how far could they go with a bit of official backing.

England are strong but vunerable it seems still. However unlike previous years when they have been ambushed without their leader Martin Johnston this time they regrouped and fought back to win. I thought that was much more impressive than any expected low out. hey have strength were England fail in mos sports, mentally. They will be stronger for this game. I think this makes them hotter favourites not less though they are far from unbeatable.

Ireland vs Argentina
Sport can't be good for you. At least watching sport like this isn't. This was savage rugby in the best possible way.

Argentina are one of the best sides in the world. They proved that today but then Ireland, who already arrived in this game with just such a reputation, proved that they can tough it out. They can win games that aren't theirs, stylistically and in momentum.

Ireland Selection

Argentina have a strong pack and Ireland received more than a little criticism for picking a back row of Costello, Easterby and Quinlan. This was a back row picked for sheer size and weight, physicality as it is often called. This left the press favourite Keith Gleeson of Leinster off the match squad and fellow Leinster man Eric Millar on the bench, providing cover 'physicality'. This we were told was a mistake, playing into the strengths of the aggressive Argentineans. Ireland would be surrendering the initative; they would miss Gleeson's great mobility and speed in the loose and risk being drawn into tight battle of strength. Ireland had it in their interests to play it quick, recycle, snipe in the loose and spin it wide. All this was at least from one point of view true. It was however wrong.

Eddie O'Sullivan had correctly identified that Gleeson, for all his speed would be over powered in the loose and a non entity in the tight. Gleeson is technically good but the awesome power of the Argentinean's pack was not overstated. People appear to be deceived by the glamour of the score line in the RWC opening game forgetting that Argentina froze to a large and obvious degree yet still would have been neck and neck with Austrialia had Comteponi, the fly-half chosen unwisely to move a static and still statuesque back line, had been able to fulfil his anointed mission or even manage to kick numerous easy penalties.
In the first half the size of the Irish back row made no difference. They were brushed aside by the Argentineans. Ireland seemed a little disjointed often out of place and missing in action at the break down as they could not get any possession. Ireland were even more disappointing at the line out. For the whole first half Ireland appeared upset at the line restart that Argentina managed to throw the ball straight. Perhaps it never occurred to them to pressure the jumpers and force the opposition hooker to make his throws darts rather than allowing him to simply toss it over to his man.

The Ireland Fly Half Position

Second half Ireland tried to up the tempo, tried to push it wide as planned tried to use speed and organisation to remove the physical advantage. To this end they dispensed with the tactical kicking game. This kicking game been working but simply not effective. Argentina kicked as well and as tactically as Ireland and had such comfort on their own throw in as to make the excellent kicking of Humpheries irrelevant. The kicking was like punching a brick wall and its lack of effect was hurting Ireland just like Humph's raking end to end clearances can raise a team when they are suffering on a good day. O'Gara came on and tried to spin it wide. Again the Argentinean's raised their game as well. The effort was tiring them now but they tackled furiously all over the pitch, still in twos and threes. The Irish were much better at holding on to the ball away from the tight confined rucks and mauls where the physicality of the Puma forwards had continually turned over the ball and appeared to unnerve the Irish causing them to be too careful on recycling the ball and thus make errors and cause turnovers. Scrum-half Stringer also sped up his passing, releasing the ball much earlier or earlier at least than before.

The Summary

The final whistle went and it appeared despite the narrow gap, Ireland had managed to subdue the worst the Argentinean's could throw at them and were now on top. The physical back row, with Millar replacing the try scoring and fast starting but unfortunately injured Quinlan, had raised their work rate in the critical second half period as heat rose and tempers frayed. The Puma's did not get their reward for dominating most of the game. Ireland defended heroically and did not get dragged down by the aggression of the Argentinean all over the field. They played their game, raised it where and when necessary and changed it as required. Marcus Horan even came on to no great detriment in the pressurized scrum and carried the ball well in the loose. They didn't play particularly well and it may be the Puma's played better in a way but Ireland hung tough in a mental sense.
Ireland in reflection mentally braved it out, tactically adjusted to disrupt the flow of the Argentineans and won because they had a truly World Class player, Keith Wood, who turned up, did a trademark sniping job on a broken lineout and set up the try. All the players on show were good. Many of them very good but Wood, truly amongst the best in the world proved that class is the difference by helping Ireland to the seven pointer that won the game. He is a game winner and that is why such players who may do nothing much else for seventy-nine minutes in a match are so highly rated. In one moment Wood was the difference between to good, evenly matched teams.

The Argentineans

They have a right to feel aggrieved at the draw that had them playing Ireland and not say Wales or Scotland or even dare we say it South Africa. They were also the seeds yet had a less helpful build up game plan with having to play the physical Romanians. Ultimately this was no consequence to the end result but the margin of defeat was painfully small. They deserved a bit better luck or treatment. They have perhaps the best pack in world rugby but they are going home because the Irish just had a tiny bit of brilliance to break the deadlock. Maybe they missed a trick under performing in the opening game against Australia and simply accepting a winner takes all match-up against the best Irish team for more than one generation. However Argentina are not the best of the second rate rugby nations they are amongst the best of the second tier of the rugby countries. So are Ireland. At least until next week when they get the chance to dine at the top table.