ANGEL DI MARIA made his Manchester United debut at Turf Moor this lunchtime and we went minute-by-minute. Email adrian@thescore.ie, tweet us @thescore_ie, find us on Facebook or leave a comment below.
Gather around friends, and look at the new guy.
Angel Di Maria makes his first start for Manchester United this afternoon with a very tricky looking trip to Lancashire rivals Burnley.
Louis van Gaal will know he’ll do well to not sign autographs after the final whistle if the Premier League heavyweights fail to atone for their defeat at MK Dons in midweek.
How do you see this one going?
Here’s the team that LVG can get his season back on track.
He’s sticking with the ol’ 3-5-2 then.
The players have emerged from the tunnel to a mixture of Arcade Fire’s Wake Up and the Turf Moor crowd’s loud roar. This is gonna be a real welcome for new signing Angel di Maria from Real Madrid.
This is not the Bernabeu.
Oh my days! Burnley are inches from going ahead!
David Jones — a former United youth star — lashes a free-kick off the crossbar after Phil Jones typically gives away a stupid free kick with a barge.
Moments later a shaky-looking Jonny Evans puts De Gea under massive pressure with an under-hit back pass while under zero pressure.
One United fan’s HD stream offer on Twitter made us chuckle:
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Di Maria’s been bright enough so far, showing some nice touches from deep. And he just showed exactly what he’ll bring to the party, playing in Robin van Persie with a lovely direct ball from the centre circle.
The Dutch striker took it on his chest and got a crisp shot away but the Burnley keeper Heaton got a strong hand to it.
Don’t take my word for it; here’s that Di Maria pass to RVP:
He’s been great so far.
‘You win nothing with kids.’ Michael Carrick’s in the stands with United’s fresh-faced new signing.
Interesting comment from one reader Sean Flanagan:
“I have a wee theory about to United’s poor start to the season so far, which I have yet to see written anywhere (I’m open to correction).
Players who have been at United for years appear to be lacking in confidence, particularly central midfielders and defenders. I reckon that boasting about having so much to spend on new players was bad enough, but the worst idea was identifying areas we need to strengthen and then not having them strengthened by the start of the season!
Everybody knows we need a proper central defensive midfielder like Keane was. Hence all the hype about Vidal. Everybody also knows the likes of Evans and Jones are prone to being rubbish so we need to strengthen there too, hence the hype about Blind, Rojo, and Shaw. Our wingers have been singled out as blunt instruments, hence the long running saga over DiMaria.
Such speculation must have an impact on the egos of the existing players. Imagine playing in any of these positions over these past few weeks, knowing that the club are actively trying to find a better player in your position! Your confidence would be shot, especially when you’re (by association) being partly blamed for the worst season United have had in ages!! Most of us agree that there is a lot of dead wood still at United, but I’m sure they know who they are too.
I reckon these kinds of big transfers should ideally be completed before the season starts and leave the time between gameweek 1 and Deadline Day to strengthen the squad!”
What do you reckon?
Manchester United have had 63% of the possession but Burnley have looked like the side most likely to score in the past few moments.
First, Valencia plays a loose pass down the right which is intercepted; Jutkiewicz dinks a clever ball into the box and Arfield — between two centre halves — heads just over.
Moments later, De Gea has his palms stung by a long range shot that looked dangerous. Half an hour now elapsed.
The newly-appointed England skipper looks a right mug here:
Ashley Young went down in the penalty box but the referee waves play on. The dive-prone United winger didn’t make a meal of the slight coming together and quickly picked himself up.
So what’s Dutch for hairdryer treatment?
We’ve had our half-time cuppa, the players are back out on the pitch and we’re under way.
That coat was a brave choice, Sir Bobby:
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As we approach the hour mark, Di Maria’s recorded his first shot on goal as a United player.
The Argentine arrives on the end of a Rooney pass to the edge of the D but his effort is deflected behind for a corner that comes to nothing. More importantly, Lovejoy is here:
“I’m not too sure what position he is going to play in. I don’t think he is strong enough for a left-back in England. And the only place we can seem to get him into the team in central midfield. He’s a very good footballer but is he the answer? We will wait and see.”
- Paul Scholes wasn’t impressed on BT earlier when talking about new signing Daley Blind.
Meanwhile, Danny Welbeck is on in place of Van Persie. Almost 75 minutes elapsed now.
What a chance for Wayne Rooney to at last break the deadlock. A corner arrives at the back post and the England captain completely mistimes his jump and nods tamely wide.
This isn’t great.
This is your five-minute warning. With 85 minutes elapsed, United are in possession and are going sideline to sideline in front of the Burnley back four without ever really threatening.
Juan Mata is off and Adnan Januzaj is on for United. Stephen Reid looks to be getting ready to come on too for the hosts.
Massive penalty shout. Ashley Young’s shot on goal travels a long way before striking Ashley Barnes’ stretched-out arm. That should probably have been a spotter right?
Former Ireland international Reid is now in fact on the pitch for his Burnley debut.
How’ya gettin’ on there, Fergie?
What deya think about that Kieran Donaghy???
Haha brill. Kerry got dirty and roughed up Donegal Armagh-style. Their foul count was incredibly lop-sided. They played puke football.
But now it’s claimed that it’s just because it’s win at all costs. Well if Kerry were in ulster then they’d be playing that way all season and if not then they’d have a very long route through the qualifiers, not parachuted into the quarters via Munster.
Kerry- welcome to our world!
All that aside – Donaghy brought this retort on Kerry himself. Can you imagine Murphy saying the same to Spillane when he won man of the match in the 2012 decider? No – cos that’s not classy.
Foul count:
1st: Kerry 10, Donegal 1
2nd: Kerry 7, Donegal 14
Final: Kerry 17, Donegal 15 – very lopsided.
“Hammer the hammer” eh?
That set the tone for the game. I remember hearing on radio 1 at the time Murphy was getting elbows into the back etc etc Armagh style. Dermot Early the Kildare star was sat beside me and couldn’t believe it.
Donegal are well able to get stuck in. They are no shrinking violets .
Joe Brolly wrote them off and they won the All Ireland. He is a mouthpiece that craves attention. Give it a rest Joe, nobody cares.
He’s hardly the only one who wrote Kerry off this year, most Kerry people did the same earlier in the year.
Including Spillane.
He has a point. Kerry were definitely infected by the puke football virus last Sunday.
Look, Kerry did what they had to to win the match, playing within the rules. No, it wasn’t a pretty final, but finals are for winning.
If Brolly had said what he did in reference to Pat Spillane’s post-game comments, fair enough, as Spillane was pretty blinkered, as is his wont. But the Kerry camp haven’t come out with any of the haughty comments he seems to attribute to them (unlike in 2004, for instance, when their county chairman claimed that they had restored the “honour” to gaelic football, following their All-Ireland win, which was a clear dig at Armagh and Tyrone).
Brolly makes a lot of personalised comments about amateur sportspeople, who give up their time in persuit of a very noble ambition. He should stick to analysing the game rather than indulging in these theatrics.
The kerry players who won there first all ireland have the same number as joe .
Kerry played football against cork. Footbal against Galway and had 2 amazing open high scoring games against maybe that all including brolly enjoyed. Then kerry play 1 game of this puke football invented by Northern teams over 10 years ago and all of a sudden they are the girl from the exorcist???? Kerry will never play this way again until they meet someone who does. Fight fire with fire. They did what they had to do. Brolly had to write this rubbish because he just had to respond somehow to donaghy. We need some new young fellas in.
U obv didn’t see the 12 men they played with behind ball against cork and mayo can’t comment for Galway didn’t watch Galway game live , tacti all yr was play with jod and 1 other in full forward line
They got a high score against cork alright but they definitely approached the game with a defensive mindset. They had alot of men back behind the ball for most of the game leaving a two man full forward line. Naivety on corks part led to a mountain of open space in between the 20-45 where kerrys superior kick passing came into play.
Donegal played defensively against Dublin and still managed to score 3-14. Kerry kicked some truly woeful wides, especially in the twenty minutes or so after half-time. It was a really poor game, and Kerry played their part in it.
But who cares? I’m sure Fitzmaurice and Donaghy aren’t going to be calling emergency meetings this week to attempt to overhaul their tactics on time for the league. They did what they had to do, and any county supporter would accept that, if the ends justify the means. Kerry are the All-Ireland Champions.
Hopefully the Dubs return to the fore next year mind, with their attacking and creative flare ;)
The cork back line must be fair shite if kerry played 12 men in their own half and still kicked 24 points.
Those rose tinted glasses must be great! Kerry played this year the way they had to plenty of cynical stuff in with the football any team that wants to win an all Ireland have to do it to be fair both teams in the final were guilty of some terrible shooting which made for a terrible match I didn’t feel there was the usual sense of urgency in the match that is typical of finals maybe both teams were guilty of not playing their best football. Maybe the kerry fans should take brolly comment with a pinch of salt and maybe Spillane shouldn’t speak just leave the room quietly when the rest of them aren’t looking
Joe Brolly, the king of bullshit.
Kerry done what was required to win. Fight Puke with Puke(a well known quote).
Something brolly says himself.
What brolly is saying. Don’t get all high and mighty – if u were in Ulster Kerry would be playing that way day in day out. It’s what makes ulster football interesting tactically.
I’m not saying I like it. There are days when it looks amazing (Dublin game) and days when it looks dire.
But u look at Kerry v Mayo – their foul count was huge and they should’ve been black carded more than once. Their foul count was also huge against Donegal. 14-2 at one stage. Trying to rough up Donegal Armagh style.
Suck it up Kerry – you’re down in the mud now.
Fact of the matter is Peter, Kerry are not in Ulster. You do know the Kerry Mayo match went to extra time hence more frees being given. But like you said we’re down in the mud now, if only we had something to console ourselves, like another All-Ireland
There were far more frees. And I seriously don’t mind that if that’s a strategy – but Kerry can’t throw the cynical mud at us just cos we’re in ulster when the game their semi was marred with controversy, dragging and outbreaks of handbags.
Kerry had a gameplan to give frees away out the field and slow the game down against Mayo. It’s a simple strategy that worked.
Agreed. And just like Armagh they overstepped the mark a few times and should’ve got black carded. But hey we all know that ref had a stinker.
I think the boys and girls at RTE have adopted a ‘give him enough rope’ policy when it comes to brolly. His analysis and ott opinions, both positive and negative, are good for ratings as he gets people talking by provocation. He’ll say something eventually that they will have to distance themselves from in order to maintain any credibility with viewers and that’s when he’ll get the boot. A clowns only good for paying if he’s entertaining people……
Brolly is a pointless pundit. He offers no balance in his views and veers from lauding systems to puke football often within minutes. RTE needs a full clearout of some of the relics like Brolly and even Spillane and replace them with more current recently retired players who will have much more insight to offer. They have done it with hurling very successfully with fast eddie and donal og and football with tomas o se in fairness but they need to really move it on now.
Who would you suggest? Eoin Mulligan? or that other bearded tyrone man (can’t remember his name)
When Brolly is on TV people complain and whenever someone else is on the evening show they complain as well
The only thing that needs to be done is to get rid of Mr O’Rourke who sounds like a 90 year old preist and bring in Anthony Tohill again along with Brolly.
He should have his own talk show where he just argues! He amuses me to no end!
Did Joe not say at half time that Kerry were using the correct tactics?
Here is another column by the mighty Joe after Donegal’s excellent win against the Dubs – with the last line “As the Dubs have discovered, and Kerry are about to, he gets inside your head.”
http://gaeliclife.com/2014/09/joe-brolly-nobody-out-smarts-jim-mcguinness/
Ignore him he is only looking for a reaction to keep the muppet in the media spot light
There s no dirt down here, just a shiny canister we ll enjoy the sight off for the winter while drinking a few pints
Why can’t people let it go Kerry are the champs this year they won fair and square they fought puke with puke but people seem to forget the games they gave us before the final tactically they were right in there style of football you have to do what you have to do to win well done Kerry and joe brolly get off your high horse and retire
Totally agree
Bring back ‘Mailbag’ so we can send our letters into Arthur Murphy to complain about Joe Brolly!!
What is brolly implying here? should kerry have tried be noble, attack and leave space for Donegal to exploit on the break, as is the only tooth in their head? why play into their hands, let them attack for once! Liverpool tried playing the right way against chelsea last year and lost the league because Chelsea did what they always do, and what donegal do; counter attack when space opens! no one praising Liverpool…Sometimes fire must be met with Fire! If Kerry played this way all year Id be worried, but we got the best of mayo in two shoot outs!!..think he’s upset because Kerry now have another string to their bow! No more naivety! Cant wait for Tommy Walsh and The gooch to bolster the ranks next year! Ciarrai abu!!
I am not Dublin fan but they would have made light work of this Kerry side if they were in the final
First, Donaghy’s childish swipe in a live interview on international TV and now this from Brolly.
These guys ought to act their age and cop on to themselves.
And if my aunt had balls Mick. ……
Joe brolly get a life
Cynicism is running amok in football and hurling has become the more entertaining sport hence I understand why Brolly would get upset considering he is a man who loves football more than his wife and children.