Hilfe » not just in the waning minutes -- and

ESPN raised some eyebrows recently when, attempting to find the best modern day side of the Champions League era, they ranked Manchester Uniteds 1999 side higher than the 2008 winners. United fans have little to do during the week at the moment, being out of Europe for the first time in 25 years, so this topic certainly got a lot of their attention as they debated the merits of both sides. Why not, right? It was certainly more fun than picking the bones out of a 4-0 loss to Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup or a recent 0-0 draw at Burnley. United fans have been doing a lot of looking back recently. They regularly cast their minds back to the Sir Alex Ferguson era and wonder if any of the current issues existed then. They are regularly reminded of the short David Moyes era where they became forlorn, former giants of the domestic game, forcing the clubs upper management to shop on a different street in the transfer market and finally bring back some expensive class home that can make a difference. Yet this season was supposed to be a new dawn. A new era away from Fergies 2012-13 and the Moyes nightmare of 2013-14 where they can draw a line under the past and move forward. If any comparing of recent eras were to take place, United fans simply hoped it would be in comical fashion referring to how poor they were last year compared to this. That ambitious leap looks far too premature at the moment after their most recent defeat, a 5-3 loss to Leicester City, in which they were massacred in the second half by a club who was playing in the Championship last season. After taking one step forward in their 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers, they took another two steps back in humiliating fashion at the King Power Stadium on Sunday losing the last 30 minutes of the match 4-0, after being ahead 3-1 after an hour. Captain Wayne Rooney ended the game with a foul-mouthed rant in the face of the officials, believing referee Mark Clattenburg had gotten two major decisions wrong that led to two of Leicesters goals. There was no question that Jamie Vardy fouled both Rafael and Tyler Blackett on the buildup to the penalties being awarded but United will be naive and completely missing the point if they lay this loss at the hands of the officials. The simple truth is United were poor enough to allow the officials to be an excuse. Louis Van Gaal is known to be a coach of great details. He carries around a giant folder to each match and this week he gave us a glimpse of what kind of information was in it. “I have analysed them (Leicester) three times,” he said. “I prepare all my matches very thoroughly. I know all about the games they have played already and the game they lost to a minor team [Shrewsbury] in the Capital One Cup. I know everything about the team, about individuals, substitutes, what the atmosphere will be like in the stadium, how they take free-kicks, everything. My staff check all that out and then we send it to the players. Ryan Giggs gives them a presentation, then we simulate our opponents in training.” Whoever simulated Leicester in training this week got it wrong. Very wrong. They failed to show that two men would press Daley Blind whenever he received the ball, ensuring he made less than half of the passes he attempted last week against QPR. They failed to simulate Leonardo Ulloas instincts in the box shown when he scored a crucial header, not tracked, at 2-0. They failed to simulate the tempo that Leicester played with, even when they were down 3-1, something Van Gaal will never have experienced from a promoted team when coaching the likes of Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Above all, they certainly failed to test an embarrassingly open team that showed no backbone, belief and leadership when faced with adversity. In parts United were breathtaking, looking nothing like their former selves, when Radamel Falcaos brilliant cross found the head of Robin van Persie and when Angel Di Maria dribbled his way into the box and lobbed Kasper Schmeichel soon after, but in many ways it is those moments that makes Uniteds second half performance even more alarming. The Premier League has a video library of all of their past matches and inside that library is a list of what they call ‘EPL Classics. These are offered at a price to their broadcast partners around the world. United feature heavily in many of these games and most of them they win. Even when they didnt always play well such classics showed Uniteds incredible resolve and recovery abilities to come from behind and win matches, like the famous 5-3 victory at Tottenham in September, 2001. Sir Alex Ferguson called that one of his most memorable victories and talked in his book about the belief the team had down 3-0 at half-time. He wrote: “As they traipsed into the dressing room, three goals down, the players were braced for a rollicking. Instead I sat down and said: ‘Right, Ill tell you what were going to do. Were going to score the first goal in this second half and see where it takes us. We get at them right away, and we get the first goal. ” It was a 5-3 that said everything about that United team. The moment they scored the first goal the entire ground wondered about a comeback. Sundays 5-3 loss to Leicester said everything about this current United team. Up 3-1 they should have seen it out but they left too many attacking players on the field and crumbled, losing a Premier League match, after being up two goals, for the first time ever. At 3-3, with 25 minutes left for them to still go on and win, they walked back to the centre-circle with their heads down. The only one whose head was up was captain Rooney who screamed at his United teammates. It is not all Rooneys fault but it was hardly the image of leadership and it speaks volumes that there is no better option than the Englishman to wear the captains armband. A team that once had incredible leadership and characters relied upon individual brilliance to insert their dominance over Leicester but when the going got tough they disappeared. Some blame falls at the feet of Van Gaal, of course, and it is clear his folder needs more chapters, and the profile of a world class centre-back wouldnt hurt either, but the capitulation falls on the players. There is no hiding behind an inadequate manager anymore. The Premier League has a new game to place inside their classic library. It is up to the current crop of United players to now ensure its a match that doesnt define this era. Wholesale Mens Shoes China . This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up. Cheap China Shoes Wholesale . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. http://www.wholesaleshoesfashion.com/. 2015 Oscar nomination pending. Here is an open letter from Steven Stamkos to his fans: When I shot this final Moment Zero film last August, it was a fun few days on set with Coke Zero and Jordan Eberle in my hometown of Markham. Wholesale Fashion Shoes Free Shipping . -- Byron Scott is taking over the Los Angeles Lakers with the vocal support of his fellow Showtime greats. Cheap Fashion Shoes Wholesale . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. MELBOURNE, Australia -- Norways Suzann Pettersen birdied her last three holes in a 6-under 66 on Thursday to lead the womens Australian Open by a shot after the first round at the Victoria Golf Club. Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Shes in position to take the No. 1 spot in the world from Inbee Park with a victory or a solo second-place finish. "In the first round of the year youre always anxious to get started," Pettersen said. "It took me a while to get really comfortable, to trust what Ive been working on. "In the end the trust was stronger than the rest. I hit a lot of great shots but I also have to say I left a lot of shots out there. I three-putted a lot of greens, stupid three-putts really, but I also felt like I played good and gave myself a lot of birdie channces.ddddddddddddquot; Ricordeau, who had eight birdies, a bogey and a double bogey, briefly drew level with Pettersen before finishing among a group of four players with rounds of 67. Tied in second place were Park Hee-young of South Korea and Americans Jaclyn Sweeney and Jessica Korda, daughter of former tennis star Petr Korda and already a tournament winner this year. World No. 4 Lydia Ko of New Zealand was among a larger group at 4-under after a mixed opening round. The 16-year-old was one-under after her opening nine but came home with five birdies and two bogeys, including birdies at her last two holes. Australias Karrie Webb, a record four-time winner of the event, opened with a 71. The Hall of Famer had another brush with rules officials after being disqualified last week at Royal Pines for signing an incorrect scorecard after the second round. Webb started her round on the 10th tee Thursday and was told she had teed up fractionally in front of the tee marker. She was allowed to replace her ball without incurring a two-shot penalty. ' ' '