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Aye, he was always known as Tony McCoy until the past few years, when its always now reported as AP McCoy.  Is McCoys height and weight not unusual for a jockey WeeDonns?

Some good pictures Abbeysider.  Th eone I hate more than any other though is that McGeeney one from the 2005 Ulster Replay.  How egostistical does he appear in this picture?  It came back to haunt him later that summer thpugh.

Why not merge them all , create a super club and to give them a chance of catching up on the Northwest's 8 European Cups/Champions Leagues 

Good one.

Ferdinand doing a Terry and whinging at the ref. Take it like a man you cheating ****.

No mention of the Munich players constantly complaining, they basically forced the ref to give Rafael the second yellow.

Does the fact that the Bayern players whinged mean that it shouldn't have been a second yellow card? Ribery was away from him and got dragged back, a blatant yellow card. Because it was the second, that makes it a fair dismissal, no?

Stop moaning about Bayern players and the ref and try to be objective about it.

I was simply highlighting your selective criticism of a United player.  Why were you not as critical of the Bayern players?  I wasn't moaning about the Bayern players, simply pointing out your bias.

I said it before... I think Carrick is over rated and is not Utd midfield player standard. He was very disappointing last night especially for the first goal. I would expect him to be sold in the summer but the fact he is English might keep him there.

Agreed.  See some interesting stats the other day on Carrick for the year, and was surprised as he has only around 3 assists and 2 goals.  I knew he hadn't many goals, therefore I expected more assists to his name but when I think back to most games he is still as reluctant as ever to take a risk going forward.

with the emotion of a defeat in champions league and with all the indicators pointing to a runners up position in league its easy to get caught up in individual moments and hype them to extremes,

Yes Rafael did commit TWO yellow cards offences and so was technically correct to be sent off, but i agree with seanie, two fairly minor yellows and while niave on his part he would have gotten away with it in the vast majority of games i've watched.

But the big thing for me was lack of real substance in midfield, either playmaking or getting about them with real menace.  Fletcher is a decent player, Carrick is decent, Giggs & Scholes are pale shadows of themselves and struggle to get the consistency they once had.  Nani and Valencia look like raw prospects still in need of guiding (would have good hope for valencia though)

berbatov hasn't been as poor as has been cited but still a dissapointment.

Alternatives needed therefore

Goalkeeper - lloris (Lyon)
Centre Mid - Hargreaves ()
Centre Mid - Arteta (everton)/Joe cole (chelsea)
Winger - di Maria (Benfica)
Striker - Benzema (real)/Krasnic (CSKA)

Good post MaxPower, It has been obvious that United have lacked a playmaker since last seasons Champions League final, but they are few and far between.  Arteta is someone who never crossed my mind, but now you have got me thinking.  He would be a great buy and someone who could be persuaded to move. 

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/08042010/58/premier-league-keys-gray-caught-slating-walcott.html

elbow shove

classic

Just telling how it was.

As I said earlier, why did Van Bommel not receive a second yellow for his elbow shove in Fletchers back?  The only thing that frustrates me in football is inconsistencies, and to be honest I think refereeing standards is as poor as ever.  The United Chelsea game last week, as well as the Stamford Bridge game, were both decided by incorrect refereeing/linesman decisions.  Last night, if the referee was consistent in his decisions then either it would have been 11 v 11 or 10 v 10, as long as he is fair.

As for Valencia, I think its slightly different remonstrating with the referee if you have been on the end of potentially career-ending lunges from defenders.

[that Nani is too inconsistent,]

I think their analysis of the actual game was correct - United aren't good enough compared to the standard needed to win the Champions League and have too many "average" players e.g. Carrick, Gibson, Fletcher in the midfield aren't up to the top level needed. They are right when they say Fergie doesn't trust Berba, that Nani is too inconsistent, that Rio is past is best, that Evra has been poor recently. Also Giles dismissed the comparison of Bayern to Barca and he's right, but remember he also said that Barca aren't a great team yet because of their defensive weaknesses so that that's the standards he's judging them by.

They were all fulsome in their praise for Fergie and his achievements and said as well as being one of the all time greats he has made mistakes - "like all great managers do". They questioned his decision over Tevez/Berba and said that in the current climate without finance it's impossible to build a new team. Whether or not you believe it's the end of an era is up to you but with their great players like Scholes, Giggs, etc coming to the end and no natural replacements and if they are depending on the players above I can see how they can come to that conclusion. It'll be interesting to see what happens during the summer.

Behind Dunphy's obvious bluster he can make some valid points and Giles actual analysis of what happens during the games is the best by a country mile. You mightn't like it but when he says United never "controlled" the game despite being 3 nil up he was correct. They also said that the goal at the end of the first half was crucial and that if it wasn't scored Utd could probably have hung on despite the sending off.   

If Rooney is out again it's hard to see them winning the Premier league

Dunphy didn't say Nani was inconsistent. Dunphy said he was rubbish despite scoring 2 goals and being the most dangerous forward player on the pitch in a Champions League q/final. That says it all about Dunphy's level of analysis.

Dunphy also reckons Man City and Spurs will dominate the Premiership in the coming years.

Great performance from Bayern last night that should have earned them at least a draw on the night. Just like Messi the previous night, I though Ribery was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.

Good one TF, although you must have been watching a different match as Ribery was nowhere near the best player on the pitch.  Rafael had him in his back pocket until he was sent-off.  Just shows you how crazy the football world has got when the like of Ribery is mentioned as being worth 40 or 50 million.  But then again, if Berbabov is worth 30 million...

Our boy's done well. Great deserved victory over the 2 legs.

Who are your boy's?  Are Bayern the team you supported before you bought your first Man City top in 2008?

Ferdinand doing a Terry and whinging at the ref. Take it like a man you cheating ****.

No mention of the Munich players constantly complaining, they basically forced the ref to give Rafael the second yellow.

Dunphy "United are finished. The fat lady has sung. Only one team in Manchester and they wear blue"

Dunphy is some tool alright.  Constantly comes out with crap and yet he still actually has a role on RTE to spout more crap.  For years he went on about how Ronaldo was a terrible footballer, and because of his stance he could never admit that he was actually a great player.  This year he started by saying United would not win a trophy for years, yet they won one a few months later and were in the hunt for the 2 big ones until yesterday.  He has a real fascination with Man City since their Sheikh came in, and he never refrains from praising them when in reality the Man City team comprises of a bunch of mercenaries. 

I have no real argument with the sending-off, I just think that in that situation the ref could have gave him a warning as it was not the worst challenge ever seen or was not denying Ribery a serious chance.  There were a few other incidents where Bayern players were more fortunate with regards to the ref's actions, namely the incident with Van Bommel (already on a yellow) when he blatantly pushed his elbow into Fletchers back knocking him to the ground when he was already on a yellow card. 

I think their analysis of the actual game was correct - United aren't good enough compared to the standard needed to win the Champions League and have too many "average" players e.g. Carrick, Gibson, Fletcher in the midfield aren't up to the top level needed. They are right when they say Fergie doesn't trust Berba, that Nani is too inconsistent, that Rio is past is best, that Evra has been poor recently. Also Giles dismissed the comparison of Bayern to Barca and he's right, but remember he also said that Barca aren't a great team yet because of their defensive weaknesses so that that's the standards he's judging them by.

What a load of dung.  How are United not up to the level needed?  They were the better team last night until the sending off, and what level is needed?  Two finals in a row would suggest that United are at the required level.  As for too many average players, Fletcher is not an average player.  He is a top central midfielder who has been key to United success over the past few years; it's just a case that he goes about his business in a quiet fashion.  As for Gibson, he is basically a rookie and its too early to determine what kind of career he is going to have, but so far the signs seem good with him.  Good physical player with a lethal strike of the ball, scoring quite a few times in his short professional career for United from midfield.

As for Fergies comments at the end of the match, since when has calling a team 'Typical Germans' been an offence worthy of the reaction on here? 

Paranormal Activity is scary.