United slipping down the greasy pole.

Get well soon son.No one likes to see a fellow human being suffer. Well only if they are idiot MP's who fill their gardens with ducks at the taxpayers expense, so the news that Darren Fletcher is out for the rest of the season is bad news for the lad and bad news for United.

Putting all joking aside for a minute the condition Fletcher is suffering from Ulcerative Colitis is  a particularly debillitating disease and he will do well to play again. According to most reports I've read there is no cure so the prognosis is not good. This article at the BBC by Mark Ogden gives you the info.

All the best and let's hope for a speedy recovery for you Darren.

United's squad is starting to look a bit thin around the edges. I'm not saying Giggsy is finished yet but he was definitely looking off the pace against Basle and along with the retirement of Scholes and Neville, injuries to Vidic and Sir will be looking a bit harder in the January transfer window.

The Champions league loss highlighted the deficiencies in United's midfield. They are missing the bite of Keane, The energy of Robson. It would be premature to talk of Fletcher as being in such exulted company but he was certainly a massively improving player and a big influence in midfield.

Maybe Fletcher's namesake Gibson will be given a last opportunity to show his mettle in United's midfield. He has the tools for the trade though not the managers confidence it seems. Rooney is another option with Wellbeck and hernandez upfront. And has the lost man Owen got a last hurrah in him?

We've written United off before and they've come back stronger but I see a much stronger Academy at Liverpool than United (witness the 2-1 victory for the reserves last week) and players like Macheda still do not look like regular first team material. Sports betting fans should look at backing City for the title.

I don't see them catching their noisey Neighbours.