Eight Minutes of Heaven: Manchester United 3 - QPR 1

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o So let us get this one straight: Harry Redknapp was able to attend the game, but not able to manage the team on the pitch. Does anyone doubt Harry would have taken charge yesterday if the game hadn't been away at Old Trafford?

o Shaun Derry had to be thanking his lucky stars that Referee Lee Probert was in a giving mood on Saturday. Having been sent off the pitch on his last visit to Old Trafford, Derry was fortunate not to have given away a penalty after bundling over Paul Scholes in the box near the 15 minute mark.

o By the half hour mark, United fans were beginning to ask questions -- like not only where all the goals had gone lately, but where the chances has gone, as well. Thirty minutes in, and Julio Cesar with very little work to do.

o Although Wayne Rooney attempted to turn up the offensive heat, it was QPR who were first to put the ball into the net. Fortunately for United Jamie Mackie, the Rangers' would be scorer, was correctly adjudged to be offside.

o 45 minutes gone and United were scoreless -- again. When was the last time the Red Devils failed to score in five consecutive halves...?

The Return: Manchester United 2 - Newcastle United 1

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It was a young and inexperienced Manchester United side that welcomed Newcastle to Old Trafford for the Capitol One Cup on Wednesday night, albeit one significantly buttressed by the return of forward and team talisman Wayne Rooney, as well as heavyweight Brazilian midfielder Anderson. For their part, the visitors featured a young side as well, one that included ex-United man Gabriel Obertan among others. On a night featuring several notable returns, however, none was more celebrated than Darren Fletcher's inclusion in the United starting lineup after a ten month absence for health reasons. And so it was in a rather spirited mood that the game's kick off was greeted despite the fair number of empty seats which oversaw the players on the pitch below.

If the game began in spirited style, once the action was underway things quickly became rather more subdued. Anderson had the home side's best opportunity in the contest's opening twenty minutes but somehow contrived to miss his opportunity, as if to remind the Old Trafford crowd that he was still in need of regular games to shake off any rust resulting from his long-term layoff. For their part, the visitors' first half attacking efforts were led by Shola Ameobi, with Alan Pardew's decision to omit both Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse from the starting lineup in advance of the weekend's League contest telling you all you really needed to know about the Magpies' true commitment to the League Cup.

Tom Cleverly should certainly have scored prior to the break after Javier Hernandez single-handedly carved his way through the Newcastle defense with a scything run, but the Englishman's shot fell inches wide of its intended target. If Cleverley's effort was close, Anderson did him one better just a few minutes later, curling his effort In between the Newcastle keeper's outstretched arm and the post to give the home side a deserved 1-nil advantage heading into the break.  Watching from the Directors' Box, Sir Alex would have been pleased not only with his team's lead, but even more so with the tempo control that his midfield trio of Fletcher, Anderson and Cleverley managed to impose on the evening's affair.

Game Day Beer Review: Florida Beer Company Swamp Ape Imperial IPA

photo by Robert S. Donovan	via PhotoRee

Beer: Swamp Ape Imperial IPA

Style: American Double / Imperial IPA

Brewery: Florida Beer Company, Melbourne, FL 

ABV: 9.50%

Reviewer: James

Look 4.0   Smell 3.0   Taste 1.0    Feel 1.5   Overall 1.0

To say this beer sucks could be an insult to suckiness.  I picked this up with no prior research at the craft beer store while on a recent vacation in Florida (every time I do that it seems to backfire).  It had a cool label, I liked the name, and figured I could sample first hand one of the up and coming Florida craft brewers I had been hearing about.  

Really, I have no idea what this was.  It's billed as a double IPA, but there were barely any hops in smell or taste; not much malt, fruit or really anything else of note, except for alcohol, which one tastes throughout.  

The good news, if any, is that at 9.50% ABV, after you down two of these you really don't care much about quality.  But, in all honesty, one might be able to accomplish as much with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and orange food coloring.  Avoid. 

Fleeting Thoughts

photo by Andrew Mason	via PhotoRee

o I'm getting sick of the Wesley Sneijder / Samir Nasri / Luka Modric transfer saga.   It's been dragging on forever and a day, and I can't take much more "will he" or "won't he" speculation.  It does look as if Old Wes is going to end up at Old Trafford, but please let's get it over with so we can all just move on.  It's also looking likely that Luka is headed to Stamford Bridge, and my best current guess is that Samir stays put at the Emirates.

o I write above that I still believe Sneijder is headed to Manchester because I can't help but believe that Fergie still has not completed his summer shopping spree yet.  After all, if you're Fergie -- and I obviously don't presume to be, but I will presume to make some educated guesses here -- you're probably thinking you've got 3-5 years left in the hot seat.  And that's not alot of time to knock Barcelona off their fricking perch.  So you'd better get busy now, and no amount of words are ever going to convince me or anyone else that Ando is the permanent answer in midfield.  He may be part of the equation, but he's not the answer.