Watching CL highlights last night without knowing the score, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Man U would score in the last ten minutes. It's all so sadly predictable isn't it?

Which got me thinking - they do this all the time, don't they? Score late goals I mean. While no-one ever seems to do it against them. Maybe LR can comment, or someone with a sad stat database, but I wonder how often in the last three or four years Manure have scored in the dying minutes of a game and how that compares to the average. Equally, how often has an opposing team scored in the last ten against them? Subtract from that consolation goals - ie leave only those which have actually affected the outcome - and I bet it's virtually nil.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Answers

Scholes' goal was something else though, little tosser!

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

There was that time when a number 7 was running through on the ManUre pen area late on with a certain goal the outcome.....little Norwegian B@st@rd.

Would it be down to fitness then?

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I wonder if it's psychological - teams getting overly jumpy when they think they're about to get a result against Man U, so they throw it away. Because it happens so often, I suppose there's an element of self-fulfilling prophecy, authors of their own destruction blah blah.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

When Liverpool were winning in Europe they also scored an awful lot of late goals.
"Keep on going 'till the end Lads!"
"It only takes 10 seconds to score a goal."
... and other mottos.

or as we are now...
"OK they've equalised. Let's try and close it up"
"Ok they've scored again and there's only 10 mins left.... we're doomed"
... or when playing Liverpool...
"It only takes 10 seconds to concede a goal Lads"

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Nothing to do with the fact that Manure stretched the greeks all over the park before Scholes chiiped the keeper from the edge of the box. Their movement was an example of using the total width of the pitch.

Until we do the same then nobody will be saying, "How come Newcastle always seem to score late goals?"

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

man u are a fabulous team. scholeses goal was great

lets just admit it

determination skill fitness

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Yer a realist b@st@rd, swifty.

And as such you are out of place and not welcome on this BBS.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Probably making up for twice missing an open goal on Saturday. Was Barthez still giving away corners by kicking the ball over the line when there was no one near him?

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Kia.....let me tell you about The Gaul in the Goal...we KNOW he's gonna get lobbed...we KNOW he's gonna have the ball taken around him...we KNOW he's gonna give away corners but we accept it. Ya know why...cos he's BETTER than Rudolph at distribution.....and when he distributes as quickly as he does to say Giggs or Beckham then the opposition are stretched......which induces tirdeness as they race back...which pulls 'em ALL OVER the park....which allows us to score right up to the death.

BTW..Liverpool ALWAYS did it when they were top-dogs.

Great prawns last night BTW.....hear us?

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Swifty / De B-

I don't disagree with yr assessment of their qualities, but determination, skill, ability to stretch the play...surely these all apply over 90 minutes? I'm not just talking about last night, remember. There have been plenty of league games - often when Manure haven't even played that well - when they've seemingly inevitably grabbed a late goal. I can see that fitness could make a difference, but there shouldn't be a vast difference in stamina between Man U and other Premiership / European squads, should there? Unless they're all on nandrolone.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I had no idea there was any football on last night.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

So LR you went to the European game but didn't bother to go to the Manchester Derby???? Thousand Island dressing on your prawns? ;0)

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Dan,

I was using it as an attempt to show why we can't score goals in the last minutes or even earlier.

You're right I reckon they're on drugs too.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I've done plenty of ticketless games DB....but Little Siddy on Saturday just didn't seem worth it.

Hey Jonno......nice one :-).......but I know you watched it :-)

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000