What a result! I can’t believe this result, it really is poor. I know the Carling Cup is the least important of cups, but I don’t think we really gave this fixture enough respect. Coventry are only a league below us, they would have been up for it. Ian Dowie would have motivated his players, he would have told them to enjoy playing at Old Trafford, made them think about playing in the Premiership and playing at venues like Old Trafford on a regular basis.

What did we do? We fielded the reserves…. A team where the only real first team player was Nani (based on starts this season), who had no idea what Coventry would be like. You could argue there were other “senior” players in the team, such as John O’Shea, Anderson and arguably Kruzsach (spelling?), but the rest were a long way off being genuine first team contenders, some of them I’ve never even heard of!

What’s worse, all the season ticket holders had to buy a ticket for this game, I’m glad I’m only a member of the club and not a season ticket holder, meaning I can cherry pick the games I want to go to. Admittedly, its also because I live in Bristol and the trip up to Old Trafford takes about 4 hours each way and a tank of petrol, so its not cheap! But if I did have a season ticket and had to go and watch the youngsters lose to Coventry I would have been a little cheesed off.

I don’t see why we couldn’t have fielded a more balanced side with a few more established players in the team. Ok, give the veterans like Giggs, Scholes, Van de Sar a rest. Maybe let Ferdinand and Vidic have a night off, but players like Rooney and Ronaldo would have been chomping at the bit to play. Rooney having just come back from injury and Ronaldo having missed 3 games through suspension would have appreciated another chance to play. I’m sure that Tevez would probably have enjoyed a run out too.

Oh well, I’m sure at the end of the season if we’ve won another treble we’ll all be praising Sir Alex, however, unless we do, I’m going to be demanding Ferguson takes the Carling Cup more seriously, it was after all my favourite lager as a student!

What a result! Great stuff! There really is nothing better than to see Chelsea being beaten, especially when they are realistically the only real threat in the Premiership. I don’t care what people say, Liverpool and Arsenal will not be challenging for the Premiership crown this season.

Liverpool got off to an impressive start, but have since drawn their last two matches, matches that really they could have won, had they played Torres! Why does Benitez not play him? I don’t mind, if he wants to chuck points away, as a Man United fan, I’m not going to complain, but I just don’t understand the rational. Torres is possibly one of the best finishers in the Premiership and he’s not started the last two matches.

Arsenal’s kids will lose their way at some point this season, even if they are now officially the richest club in the country thanks to their new stadium and prudent approach to buying and selling players. But I don’t see them winning it this season. Too inexperienced, and not a lot of strength in depth.

That leaves Man United and Chelsea. Well, when you lose one of the best managers in the country, one who’s respected by the players, you really can’t expect to challenge. No disrespect to Avram Grant, but I can’t see that he’s going to inspire the players the same way Mourinho did. They may get another manager in sooner rather than later, but by then I think the damage will be done. If they don’t start winning matches, they could find themselves 10 points or so adrift by christmas, which although not an impossible mountain to climb it is a very hard one.

So that means Man United will win the Prem 2007-2008. Excellent. You heard it here first!