Manchester Derby Day Passions.

Manchester Passions Run High, Or Do They?

The 170th Manchester Derby could be one of the most interesting and closest clashes between the clubs in years as both teams are sitting pretty at the summit of the Premier League and whoever comes out on top on Sunday will not only have local, and worldwide, bragging rights but will also get their noses in front in the league race.

Here's why it should be interesting as both sides, it has to be said, have had an indifferent start to the season, especially when it comes to certain player's performances, but somehow even playing below par both teams have piled up the points. They have both been humbled in matches and even in victories neither side has hit top gear yet on a consistent basis.

Both sides have individual match winners and City will be buzzing after their last minute winner against Sevilla scored by De Bruyne probably their most dangerous player in the absence of Aguero and Silva, but having said that United have one main advantage going into the match in the shape of French striker Anthony Martial, who has greatly impressed since his arrival at Old Trafford, you can't beat scoring against Liverpool on your debut but a late winner on Sunday will go a long way towards matching it.

United lead the way with 70 wins compared to City's 49 and with the home advantage you would have to put the Red Devils down as slight favourites in a game where league form counts for nothing, or does it?

It used to be true that in a derby league form went out of the window as it was all about local passion and that is still true for the fans, but for the players it is just another big game of many in the league calendar. This has to be put down to the fact that most of the them involved in this weekend's match are foreigners with no one, with the possible exception of Lingard, who was born in Warrington, from anywhere close to the Manchester area.

Gone are the days when we had the likes of the Neville brothers, Scholes, and Butt, who were all Greater Manchester lads and fully understood the importance of the local rivalry as they were players but also fans and they didn't need to be reminded how big a match the derby was. There is no doubt that Ryan Giggs has tried to install in the new recruits how big a deal this is for the club, but even captain Rooney, an Evertonian at heart, must consider the Liverpool clashes more important than playing City.

Will the passion of old ever return? It's highly unlikely as even the new young talent are being shipped in from foreign shores. It's not the players fault as it stems from the modern day football ideal which is built on money and sponsorship deals where the players kissing of a badge means little to the fans these days.

Footballers nowadays are wrapped in cotton wool and protected from the outside world, however, they only have to check social media to gauge the fans' feelings towards the derby and maybe then they could understand how the narrow margins the highs and lows of victory or defeat mean to the supporters who are not so immune to the virals. As hard as they try to understand the deep lying resentment between both sets of fans it's understandable that the players don't have the same emotion going into the match.

One other thing that has been noticed are the rival player's bromances before matches and the images of the opposing Spanish players greeting each other in the tunnel before United's defeat at Arsenal is something that we will be seeing more of, but something that would not have been imaginable in the strict match focused days of Fergie and Keane. A handshake or a nod was all that the players exchanged before they took the field, or in Keane's case a threat, but now it's all hugs and kisses, which surely detracts from the confrontation ahead. Hopefully, Rojo and Otamendi won't be sharing a warm embrace before the derby.

Enjoy the game, passionately.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Manchester United Season Review 2014-15

Well, he did it the Dutch maestro delivered on his promise of a top four finish.

In his first press conference as the new manager of United Louis van Gaal arrived straight from the World Cup and promised that his target was to guide the team into a Champions League qualifying place.

The season was an improvement on the previous one which wasn't exactly difficult, but to be honest it has been a season of ups and downs that left us sweating on that top four finish.

Of course, there were times when the team excelled by beating rivals that had embarrassed us last year. The outstanding results included beating Arsenal away the home victories over Man City and Spurs and the display at Stamford Bridge even though it ended in defeat, but the highlight had to be doing the double over Liverpool.

In the middle of the season, there was a run of eleven games undefeated in league and cup which showed signs of a move in the right direction.

These positives were tempered by the woeful displays against supposedly weaker teams. Defeat at home to Swansea, West Brom and Southampton add to those the poor away performances at Leicester, Swansea and especially Everton, which had to go down as our worst away match of the season. These games seriously dented our ambitions of ending higher than fourth.

It looked like United would go on a good run in the FA Cup, their only real chance of silverware, but that was halted by old boy Danny Welbeck in the quarter-final at Old Trafford. It pained me to see him score the winner as I wholeheartedly agreed with the manager that he was not good enough for his team and apart from that goal the manager was proved to be correct.

David de Gea performed heroics between the sticks for United as on countless occasions he somehow managed to get a fingertip, a toe, a leg in fact almost every part of his body to the ball to rescue valuable points for the team.

His stand out match among many had to be the victory over Everton at Old Trafford in which not only did he become the first keeper to save a Leighton Baines penalty in the league but his last minute save at full stretch to deny a certain goal was truly world class.

The latter part of the season was marred by the continued speculation that Real Madrid, as they do every season, wanted the Spaniard to return to his hometown to be their number one. United have offered De Gea a substantial pay increase to try and lure him to stay so the ball is firmly in his court. I hope his head is not swayed and with the uncertainty of who will manage the Madrid side he could decide to stay at a club where he is loved by the fans.

The fact that De Gea was chosen as the player of the year for the second season running tells you how terrible our defence was for most of the season. Due to a combination of injuries and poor performances the team never really had a stable look about them.

The player worst hit by injury had to be Luke Shaw who had a wretched time in his debut season. In the beginning, he was deemed to not be match fit by van Gaal and had to wait for his chance.

However, when he was fit he proved exactly what a talent he is with some outstanding link up play with Ashley Young on the left wing.

Another of the new signings blighted by time on the treatment table was Marcos Rojo but like Shaw became a crowd favourite with his all-out style of play.

Through necessity rather than choice, we saw the introductions of a couple of reserve talents in defence Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair. To their credit, they can hold their heads up high within the team but without an experienced player to guide them they seemed to lose a little confidence towards the end of the season.

At the start of the season Louis van Gaal experimented with three centre-backs usually a combination of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones but they were like the teams very own 'Bermuda Triangle' as strange events would take place when they were together.

Evans seems to have blown his chance under van Gaal and could depart for pastures new, Jones is still battling with confidence and decision making in his game.

To be fair to Smalling he pulled his game together and scored some important goals and when he was made captain for the Arsenal match that was a great endorsement from the manager following his contract extension.

In that system, Ashley Young was used as a wing back which totally limited his potential to create any forward momentum that resulted in a lack of assists. The same could be said of Antonio Valencia who filled in at right back all season, not his favoured spot.

The side looked distinctly more comfortable and balanced once the system had reverted to the more traditional flat four at the back and gave players like Young the licence to attack the wings which provided the much-needed outlet of goals that had been lacking.

The team is crying out for new blood at the back with experienced players to help guide the youngsters and provide that all important defensive partnership that United have been used to in the past. Many have been linked including Alves, Otamendi and Hummels so it will be interesting to see who comes.

Ander Herrera and Juan Mata were both a breath of fresh air in the middle, but it took the manager a while to blend them into his system but when they did great things happened.

Herrera's brace against Aston Villa and Mata's double at Anfield, his second winning him the goal of the season, were the icing on the cake for both of the Spanish amigos.

Their guile and skill combined with an eye for the killer pass should benefit the team more next season with the right forwards to get on the end of their creativity.

Michael Carrick started the season late and ended it early due to injuries, but when he did play the team looked more stable. At his age, he will not play a whole season which is all the more reason to buy a midfielder who can help him carry the workload.

It was a positive debut season for Daley Blind who was asked on many occasions to play in different positions including right-back, central defence and holding midfield. In fact, I was waiting for him to play in goal in the last match of the season.

He is a good utility player but the energy and work rate he put in over the season began to show in his legs towards the end.

Now, what about the bushy haired Belgian who had endured a horrible time under Moyes at United last season, what a transformation Fellaini was this term. He was a totally different player, a player who was used intelligently by the manager which paid off big time in some important games.

Used for his height he became unmarkable in attack but that wasn't the whole story he actually showed that he can play football and scored some crucial goals. A player who seemed to enjoy his game after the ridicule of last year. I'm turning a blind eye to his GBH attack on Paul McShane and subsequent red card.

After a bright start to his Old Trafford career record signing, Angel Di Maria became the enigma in the side. His poor season has produced a huge debate to exactly what went wrong. Was it an early season injury, loss of confidence or the manager not being able to find his best position?

Maybe it was all of them but it will be interesting to see how van Gaal manages the situation. I think it was a case of the right player at the wrong time as he was not suited to United's transitional period hopefully he will get a second season to repay the money spent.

Newly appointed captain Wayne Rooney flourished after his move back to his favoured position as the main striker after being wasted in midfield earlier on in the season. Once he returned there the goals quickly came with the two best being the winner away at Arsenal and the volley on the turn at home to Villa.

Robin van Persie has had a season to forget and found it hard to get into his normally lethal stride not helped with time spent on the sidelines.

I believe that like Blind his fitness was affected by the long run in the World Cup. I admire van Persie as a player and will be forever grateful for what he achieved in his debut season but with his age and injury concerns maybe it's time for a new younger version to spearhead the attack.

Lastly, is the Colombian Radamel Falcao. I for one had high expectations when he came last summer perhaps like everybody too high. He came to United on the back of a lengthy knee injury that in hindsight proved to be his downfall.

Undoubtedly talented and charismatic he seemed a perfect fit for the reds but sometimes who have to bite the bullet, shake hands and say thanks but no thanks. Exactly what the manager has done.

Fringe players like Januzaj, Wilson and Pereira still need time to develop at United so maybe going out on loan for a season will give them a confidence boost and important game time. It didn't do any harm to the likes of David Beckham in the past.

The manager and his assistant Ryan Giggs seem to have gelled over the season if the head slaps dished out by van Gaal are anything to go by.

Louis van Gaal has built up a rapport and respect from the fans after his no-nonsense press conferences along with the willingness to change his system when there were clear indications it wasn't working.

His end of season speech at the Player of the Season awards also showed his lighter, less stern side.

My opinion is that the season, on the whole, can be qualified as a success. As with everything time is a great healer and van Gaal seems more than capable of taking the team further.

I feel that with new additions to the team we can compete next season with a squad that has cover in all positions both at home and in Europe. I'm excited about the possibilities after van Gaal's bedding in season has come to an end.

Enjoy the summer break and thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

To Hull and Back.

Hull City 0 Manchester United 0

"The Hull coach is a child of Manchester United, but we will be fair to the Premier League and Newcastle." Words which were spoken by Louis van Gaal in his press conference on Friday before the last match of this season.

A Premier League match that had far more importance for the Tigers than the Red Devils.

Hull desperately needed a win to have any chance of avoiding relegation and hope that Newcastle would come unstuck.

On the other hand, United had a very slim chance of finishing third but that would have depended on Arsenal losing and United scoring a hatful of goals.

So after an uninspiring away season, which United would turn up for this match? The one that won at the Emirates and Anfield or the side that lost at Goodison Park and the King Power Stadium. The answer was most definitely the latter.

Here was the final starting XI of the season: Valdes, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Blind, Mata, Herrera, Di Maria, Young and Rooney.

Subs: Januzaj, Lindegaard, van Persie, Fellaini, McNair, Blackett and Wilson.

Wayne Rooney returned to spearhead the attack and Victor Valdes made his first start for the team in place of the still injured David de Gea. Angel Di Maria made a rare start for the side as Fellaini took his place on the bench. There was no place in the squad for Falcao who had played his last part for the team last week.

United kicked off their final match in the change strip of all white.

Tha atmosphere, as expected, was nervous from the home crowd, but the away fans were in typically fine voice with their special tribute to George Best who would have celebrated his birthday this week.

Hull started on the front foot and in the first minute Valdes was called into action to save a header on his line. One minute later Rooney nearly opened the scoring at the other end but fired over the bar after a pass from Rojo.

6 minutes in and a there was a slight hesitation by Valdes in goal as Hull attacked that nearly let the hosts in with a chance. To be fair to Valdes, he must be short of match timing after a lack of games due to the form all season of De Gea. Then Di Maria went to ground after a collision on the half way line which left him winded.

The first ten minutes and it was all the home side as they peppered the visitors box with crosses from corners and free kicks which were haphazardly handled by the United defence.

United struggled to get into any type of rhythm this was not helped by the fact that Young was used more in the middle to accommodate Di Maria on the left.

In the 17th  minute Hull thought they had scored after the ball was bundled over the line after Valdes fumbled a cross, but the linesman had raised his flag for offside. Straight away, Valdes redeemed himself by making a world class save down low to his left post following a chance from Elmohamady. From the following corner, the ball was in United's net once again but for the second time offside was the ruling.

On 21 minutes Louis van Gaal was forced into a change as the hugely disappointing Di Maria came off to be replaced by Adnan Januzaj.

Without the reliable De Gea behind them the away defence seemed jittery with everything Hull were throwing at them.

On the half hour it had been a lacklustre performance by United who had not created anything since the Rooney effort at the start of the half and honestly looked like they were just going through the motions as news had come through that Arsenal were up 3-0 so fourth position would be the best United could finish.

The captain showed his frustration five minutes before half-time as he lost the ball near the corner flag and as the defender cleared his lines Rooney had a sly kick at him that was luckily ignored by referee Lee Probert.

United had an opportunity to break the deadlock however Herrera couldn't get on the end of the cross from Young. Good vision again by Ashley Young who was back in his preferred position on the left wing.

Half-time 0-0 and a poor first 45 minutes from United and not the season ending high the fans were expecting. Although Valdes pulled off a brilliant save he and the back four looked on edge as Hull tried their hardest to bully them into mistakes a tactic that almost paid off.

Di Maria didn't last long in his first start for ages and with him in the side the team looked so unbalanced and without any imagination, moreover, Young must have been displeased having to move from his favoured left wing spot to make room for the Argentinian after the excellent season he has had.

The second half started with end to end football but with no penetration. Herrera had a strike blocked followed by a Hull counter attack with Meyler wasting a chance.

Ten minutes into the half and Hull won a free-kick after Blind was adjudged to have committed a foul right on the edge of the box which came to nothing.

56 minutes and Herrera broke forward in so much space but couldn't pick out the killer pass to one of his teammates. One minute later Mata played a wonderful ball over the top aimed at Rooney, but the captain just couldn't reach the ball.

Two minutes later there was a second change of the day as Fellaini came on for Young. Following the change the lively Herrera had another chance with a right-footed strike from inside the area which flew slightly wide of the post.

Hull was almost gifted a goal from another Valdes mistake as he missed the ball with a punch and Blind cleared off the line. Former red Paul McShane almost got his toe on a cross from the corner. At this time in the match, Hull was edging closer and closer to opening the scoring.

68 minutes United were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous spot after a mazy run by Januzaj but once again the chance was wasted.

Then in the 70th Valdez proved his class as he was more alert this time saving comfortably from a deflected shot on goal.

The third and last change for United came in the 72nd minute as youngster James Wilson replaced Juan Mata. Following the change Valdes made another excellent stop low to his left. The keeper showed glimpses of his former self with two world class saves but also showed his fallible side when dealing with crosses.

There were two moments of madness in the last twenty minutes, the first when Hull were lucky to not have been reduced to ten men after Abel Hernandez clearly punched Phil Jones in the stomach in the United area, but the referee waved play on.

Then to rub salt into the wounds, Fellaini was given his marching orders after following through on McShane which the refereee decided was dangerous play and issued a straight red card to the Belgian. McShane needed stitches in a leg wound and a head bandage.

After a lengthy stoppage time, Hull attacked and again Valdes was alert enough to parry a shot in a crowded penalty area.

The pressure was building in the stadium as news filtered through that Newcastle were leading by two in their match. Attack as they might it looked to be all over for the Tigers as the match entered the last five minutes.

With 90 minutes on the clock there was a late chance for United to take all the points as Januzaj won a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Rooney took the responsibility and fired over the wall, but the keeper Harper tipped it over.

The referees assistant showed an extra seven minutes to be played which evoked memories of when Steve Bruce was the hero all those years ago at Old Trafford when United beat Sheffield Wednesday to all but win the league with a similar amount of added time in his United days. Unfortunately for him and his team it wasn't to be as good today.

Full time and United's last match of the season ended goalless which meant they had finished the season in fourth and Hull City were relegated. Try as they might Hull couldn't find the breakthrough needed. As for United, it was a typical end of season display with nothing really to play for. The biggest disappointment being the ridiculous challenge by Fellaini which earned him a deserved red card and blighted a fine season for the Belgian.

In a week that saw, as expected, David De Gea win both the players' and fans' player of the year awards speculation continued about the keepers future along with a number of other players. The manager promised that all would be resolved after the last game of the season and he reiterated his stance that he felt De Gea would remain at the club.

Louis van Gaal has delivered on his promise of a top four finish and I look forward to him strengthening the squad as that was the biggest problem this season, a lack of depth. We desperately need a couple of defenders, a holding midfielder and at least two forwards as I can see him clearing the decks of players who do not match his renowned philosophy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who took the time to read my blogs throughout the season and I really appreciate all the feedback and kind words that you gave to me. I write about United because the club is my passion and has been for a long time but it's the fans who make it all worthwhile and without them United would be nothing.

I look forward to next season and sharing my thoughts on the new campaign which I hope will be another step closer to the return of past glories.

Thanks as always for reading.

Miles Dunton.