Such a nice boy

Because there wasn't quite enough anticipation for tomorrow's match at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney had a go at Liverpool the other day, saying he "hates" the red half of his hometown. (For more, see every mainstream football news site on the Internet.)

The comments were posted on the official Manchester United Web site, then taken down, but Fergie defended the remarks and said it's OK for Rooney to say something like that. Honestly, I agree with him. Whatever, like people should be surprised Rooney would "hate" Liverpool. Jeez, ya think?

What's more telling is that Fergie stood up and said what he did. What does he have to worry about? It seems lately Ferguson almost can't believe how good his team has become. I don't think he'd mind it if Rio Ferdinand laid out a couple of bumps on a Liverpool away shirt, blew those suckers back with a £100 note and then set the kit on fire and took a dump on it. "Whatever," he'd likely say. "When's the next match?"

It's clear United wants to kill – not merely just beat, mind you – their guests on Saturday. And their confidence is just an expression of the side's form. I'll still argue with anyone over a pint or six that last year's United was better than this season's edition. But United 2008-09 is what it is: a devastating team. They crush the opposition's hope. Most of the matches are over just by Fergie rolling 11 red shirts out there. That's fine.

Let's play the match, boys.