Carling Cup: Chicharito & Bebe impressed to sink Wolves

Little Pea is scoring freely at the moment. Came in as substitute (replaced goal-scoring-debutant Bebe) to net the winner against Wolves in the 4th Round Carling Cup match.

Park JS scored a stunning second.

Is Rooney going to get any game time when he returns with Javier's goal scoring form?

Lack to Talents? Just watch Chicharito!

With a flick of the back of his head, Javier Hernandez put Manchester United on their way to victory at Stoke on Sunday and left fans and pundits alike purring at his ingenuity.

Two great goals. A genius. Absolutely brilliant.

First away win of the season. Now, get to the race.

Iain Dowie: "It was certainly deliberate. It looks to me like Sir Alex Ferguson has found a new Ole Gunnar Solskjaer."

Now Rooney is Staying!

This is a little bit hard to digest... Sensational drama in the last couple of days.

One thing for sure, Sir Alex Ferguson is the best manager in the world, and probably in the history of football. The way he handles the whole situation and turns it around is simple outstanding.

United really do have a superb manager.

And that stupid fella, Wayne, is the most stupid yet talented player. What is next now for him? How is he going to win back the supporters' trust? It is an interesting turn on event and we are in for an exciting season now!

Football, bloody hell.

Nani Cracker won it against Bursaspor

There was a Champions League football match at Old Trafford last night but even for those who paid the admission price to witness Manchester United secure three more points, the focus was elsewhere.

It was on Wayne Rooney, and on the team, and the squad, he now considers to be beneath him. On the players he seems to think are no longer good enough to keep him here at Old Trafford. What was that Sir Alex Ferguson said about a lack of respect?

Nani revealed the players are not distracted by the ongoing saga, however, insisting it is business as usual with his team-mates determined to put performances right on the pitch following an indifferent start to the season.

'The situation has not affected us,' he told MUTV.

'He [Wayne Rooney] is an important player for us but we know what is more important for the club and that is to win games and make the fans happy.'

Defender Chris Smalling also declared that Rooney's situation has not unsettled the squad and their hard-fought win over the Turkish outfit was proof spirit remains high.

He said: 'There's been a great team spirit all week, everybody was focused after a good training session going into the game and I think that showed on the pitch.'

The Rooney Saga

January 31: Rooney scores his 100th league goal at the Emirates as United beat Arsenal 3-1.

February 6: Rooney is "the best player in the world" says Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti.

February 16: Two headers against Milan help United to a 3-2 away win.

February 28: Rooney continues to benefit from his improved heading (and some excellent crossing from his teammates) as he scores his fifth headed goal in a row in United's Carling Cup final victory over Aston Villa.

March 2: Rooney is "the best in the world" says England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

March 10: "Rooney is the best player in the world," says Milan's David Beckham, after Rooney scores twice - taking his tally to 30 for the season - in United's 4-0 victory over Milan.

March 11: Rooney is "the best player in the world," along with Lionel Messi, says Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini.

March 17: "On current form, Wayne Rooney is the best in the world," says pundit Mark Lawrenson confidently, sealing Rooney's fate...

March 30: Rooney twists an ankle after scoring in the second minute as United lose to Mayern Munich in the away leg of their Champions League quarter-final. He's ruled out for three weeks, and won't score again until late August.

April 7: Rooney returns ahead of schedule for the return leg - and promptly injures the same ankle. United go 3-0 up but concede twice and exit the competition on away goals. Had Rooney made a miraculous recovery, or was Alex Ferguson risking his striker's fitness because he suspected his side lacked a plan B?

May 4: Rooney is named PFA Player of the Year. But Chelsea go on to win the league by a point as Didier Drogba finishes as the league's top scorer.

June 18: The low point of a dismal World Cup campaign for a striker who was supposed to use the tournament to cement his world-class status. Rooney attacks England fans after England draw with Algeria. "Nice to see your home fans booing you, that's loyal supporters."

August 28: Rooney scores a penalty as United beat West Ham 3-0. It's the striker's first goal in more than 18 and a half hours of competitive football. But any hopes that Rooney will get back to scoring ways are soon dashed.

September 5: The News of the World alleges that Rooney had been sleeping with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant. Could his personal strife be the cause of his sporting woes?
September 11: Sir Alex Ferguson leaves Rooney out of the squad for United's game against Everton, claiming that he didn't want to expose his striker to the vindictive taunts of his old crowd. United draw 3-3.

September 19: Rooney turns in a decent performance as United beat Liverpool 3-2, but is overshadowed by a new hero: Dimitar Berbatov stakes his claim to the central striker's position with a brilliant hat-trick.

September 30: Rooney is left out of the side as United beat Valencia 1-0 in the Champions League - this time Ferguson claims that a niggling ankle injury was the cause of the problem. The manager gives the same reason when Rooney doesn't play as United play Sunderland away three days later.

October 13: After playing the full 90 minutes in England's goalless draw with Montenegro Rooney publicly denies having an ankle problem.

“I’ve had no problems with my ankle all season,” Rooney said. “I’ve been training for the last two months and I haven’t missed a training session so there’s no problem with my fitness.”

Asked why Ferguson had said that he did have an ankle injury, Rooney replied: “Don’t know.”

Rooney in Danger of United Exit

FERGUSON FALL-OUTS

Sir Alex Ferguson has fallen out with some high-profile figures at Old Trafford. We pick out some of the major bust-ups from his career.

JAAP STAM
The Dutch defender was considered to be one of the best centre-backs in the world when Sir Alex sold him to Lazio in 2001. Stam had angered his manager by releasing a warts-and-all autobiography, Head to Head, in which he gave his opinion on several of his United team-mates and claimed Sir Alex made an illegal approach to sign him from PSV Eindhoven. Sir Alex later admitted selling Stam was a mistake.

PAUL INCE
Rarely one to leave a club in anything other than acrimonious circumstance, Ince moved to Old Trafford from West Ham United after being pictured in United shirt before signing. The England midfielder got too big for his boots at United and he was sold to Inter Milan in 1995. Sir Alex branded Ince as a "bottler" and a "big-time Charlie".

DAVID BECKHAM
Beckham's love of the media spotlight had long riled Sir Alex, believing that his star winger was spending too much time lapping up the attention of the paparazzi with his pop star girlfriend. It all reached a head in February 2003 when, after an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex kicked a boot across the changing room which hit Beckham above the eye. Beckham made sure the whole world saw that he required stitches and at the end of the season he was sold to Real Madrid.

GABRIEL HEINZE
Heinze suffered an amazing fall from grace at United, from wearing the captain's armband for the last two games of the 2006-07 season to pleading to join arch-rivals Liverpool in a £6.8 million deal just two months later. He never played for United again and was sold to Real Madrid.

ROY KEANE
Few players at United get away with public criticism of the team, and talismanic midfielder Keane was not exempt. Granted, his star may have waned by the time he began slagging of the likes of Darren Fletcher in 2005, along with facilities on the club's pre-season tour. Within a few months he was out of the club as, in November, they mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY
Van Nistelrooy's time at Old Trafford came to an end at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season after an alleged training ground fight with Cristiano Ronaldo led to the striker being benched for the remaining six games of the season. Sir Alex's view on the affair was clear as Van Nistelrooy was sold in the summer.

THE BBC
Sir Alex will still not give any interviews to the broadcaster, which holds the Premier League rights in the UK, after a documentary made accusations against his son. Despite the Premier League introducing a new rule for this season to force managers to speak after games, Sir Alex still refuses to face their cameras. Just what those in power can do to Sir Alex to make him speak is unclear.

JOHN MAGNIER
Once one of Sir Alex's best friends and business partner in the ownership of the highly-successful racehorse Rock of Gibraltar, they fell out in 2004 over stud returns in the region of £75 million. John Magnier and his partner JP McManus, through their company Cubic Expressions, owned 25% of United at the time and tried to force a rolling one-year contract on Ferguson and an investigation into how the club was being run.

The Story of Wayne Rooney

Any other week and it would have been headline-grabbing stuff but, amid the legal wreckage of the Liverpool affair, it took almost 24 hours for the news agenda to swing in the direction of Wayne Rooney.

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Wayne Rooney: Spoke out after lacklustre showings against Montennegro

Delivered in the aftermath of a decidedly low-quality England performance against Montenegro, Rooney attempted to shift the focus away from his poor form and instead chose to open a can of worms. "I've had no problems with my ankle all season," Rooney said. "I've been training for the last two months and I haven't missed a training session so there's no problem with my fitness." Asked why Sir Alex Ferguson had said that he did have an ankle injury, Rooney replied: "Don't know." Cue frenzied talk of a rift and reports that new contract talks are on the rocks.

The football media loves nothing better than a Fergie feud, and especially when it is with a leading player. Rooney's declaration flew in the face of his manager's statement that his striker would miss the trip to Valencia and a visit to Sunderland because of a need to recover from the putative injury. It also acted against TV evidence of his being treated with an ice-pack at Bolton, and photographic evidence of his leaving a hospital after a reported scan.

"I think Wayne will be two to three weeks," Sir Alex Ferguson had said before going on that attacking form of defence familiar to those who brave his press conferences. "It is a straightforward ankle injury. Nobody likes to be injured but he is. There is nothing you can do about it. What do you want me to say? Do you want me to describe every ligament? Christ."

Could this be the beginning of one of those long goodbyes that have littered the Fergie years? Is Rooney to follow the likes of Strachan, Leighton, Ince, Beckham, Keane and Van Nistelrooy in a gradual cold-shouldering that leads to an exit in which it is agreed by all parties, though really Ferguson, that it really was time to move on?

The warnings signs are there, and Rooney may have already broken a golden rule in lifting the lid on his manager's machinations. But then, perhaps Rooney is different to such predecessors. Is he of the elite group of players that Ferguson will indulge? That list contains Robson, Schmeichel, Cantona and, latterly, Ronaldo. Keane was of that number until that bitter end, while both Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have also escaped the black spot when becoming embroiled in run-ins with the boss.

Blunder-Sar!

Man Utd gave up a comfortable 2 goals lead yet again and have to settle for one point against WBA at home! This is totally unacceptable and certainly doesn't look like a champions material in any way.

The midfield is a nightmare. Anderson and Carrick are struggling in form and never able to gain control in the midfield against West Borm. Evan is out of sort since the World Cup, Rafael is always out of position, and Rooney is not effective at all this season.

The attack play was great. Nani, Berbatov and Chicharito are playing very well so far this season, and they are the ones who carry United through at the moment, and the efforts are certainly not enough. The other players need to step up and step up fast. We are in the danger of dropping out of the top four, let alone challenging for the title, with the way the team is performing at the moment.

Shocking.

Roof Falls at Sunderland (0-0)

Another away draw. Another 2 points dropped.

This was the day the roof fell in on Manchester United.

And though a burst sewage pipe which caused the ceiling to collapse and left a nasty smell in the United dressing-room at the Stadium of Light can be repaired, the repercussions of another away draw - their fourth in as many games this season - could last longer.

Sir Alex Ferguson knows he has to find a cure for his team's travel sickness before they leak more crucial points.

How Popular is the iPhone?

Yabba Dabba doodle!

Google celebrates the 50th anniversary of Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty and the rest of the Bedrock gang yesterday (Sept 30) by showing this cool Google doodle on its website.

All I can say is, Yabba Dabba doodle!