MUFC - Given to Score

Thanks for reading GtS for what is going to be our third season. We’re taking a break right now so that MoultyMedia can relocate from Merseyside to Lancashire and back closer to the home fires and a certain Manchester United football team.

To celebrate Given to Score’s homecoming we are getting ready to launch our new banner. We don’t aim to change the banner too often, namely only when a player leaves the club. We’ve been working with new people and we’re ecstatic with the results and cannot wait for the new image to be up there.

It’s always difficult to change the accepted view of something, but we felt that with certain players enduring something of a fall from grace in the summer (even if they don’t leave), it was the perfect chance to give centre stage of Given to Score to something else that the club represents, history. It’s not all about which players are big at any given time, it’s about standing the test of time and saluting the important things, and knowing where your roots are.

That’s why it’s nice that the updated banner’s new image was taken by my Dad, Stuart Moult.

Given to Score is extremely proud of its new image and we are extremely thankful to Ralph David for his work on this.

PLEASE PLEASE let us know what you think of the new image.

email giventoscore@gmail.com

Have a good summer and see you in August.

WE’VE DONE THIS DANCE BEFORE.  Another summer and yet more speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo and the future he may have at Real Madrid. GTS has been reluctant to write on this topic because in the early days it seemed like a bit of a non story.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s repeated comments about happiness at Old Trafford, and reaffirming his desire to ‘one day’ play in the Spain was absolutely nothing new. United had heard that before. In interviews we heard the question continue to be asked and Ronaldo again would state his dream to play in Spain in the future.

The story was quickly brought into focus as soon as United had won the European Cup, Ronaldo was away from the club and with Portugal preparing for the European Championships, these are times that worry fans because when players are away from the secure environment of their domestic club sometimes comments can be made to alert potential buyers.

“He still has four years on his contract. Real Madrid think they can ride roughshod over everyone, they are not going to do it with us.”  - SIR ALEX FERGUSON, MAY 2008

We all remember when Ronaldo was made public enemy number one after the World Cup incident with Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to speak to the player amid speculation that he would have to play his domestic football away from England because of the incident. Sir Alex spoke then about how hard it was to get to players when they were with International squads and admitted that he feared his player was ignoring him and planned to move. As it turned out, Sir Alex had Ronaldo’s old mobile number and they did speak in the end, we know now that it ended happily

This is all just a case of history repeating. David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have both had their images made into dartboards by newspapers, after each being cast as the evilest of all evil characters for actions on International playing fields. Both players have been welcomed back by their home fans while the rest of the league hated them, both returned to play the season of their lives after these hard times.

Ronaldo continues to display his best. Breaking records, winning individual awards and being a key player in Manchester United’s success is presicely why Madrid want the boy.

The day after Manchester United’s European Cup victory, Sir Alex Ferguson showed the kind of defiance that the fans would have hoped for. His comments about Madrid favouring underhand tactics to unsettle players that are under contract was spot on but the story would not die. Cue Real Madrid suggesting that they had done nothing underhand, one could not fail to notice the suggestion that any ‘issues’ of unrest were between the player and Manchester United and not the fault of Real.

This really is sounding more and more like Shakespeare, perhaps Othello. After all, the character of Iago creates issues and paranoia for Othello about his wife, purely on the basis of his words. In reality, nothing underhand occured but a few wisely chosen words to the right people and everything crumbled.

Real Madrid appear to accept defeat, believing that you cannot buy a player who is not for sale. For anyone else that would be the end of the issue but not Real Madrid, as they have reminded us before now, signed players like Beckham, Zidane and Figo precisely when they were told not to bother. The time Real Madrid admit defeat is when you should be most on your guard.

Newspapers on Sunday happily wrote inches about how Ronaldo has now won everything possible for Manchester United and that there may be only small delight in repeating this success with the same club. Well, as repetitive as it may sound, it has been good enough for Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and others. If it is too repetitive and mundane for Ronaldo and the hunger to repeat the success has turned into boredom then perhaps Ronaldo will leave.

 
“Their attitude is, ‘to hell with them’. They’d sit a player in the stand, I’m telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people.” - SIR ALEX FERGUSON, SPEAKING ABOUT THE GLAZERS, JUNE 2008.

The right things are being said, but words at this stage are meaningless. It is proving to be the biggest story of the summer so far, perhaps keeping hold of Ronaldo will be a challenge but Sir Alex Ferguson is the man to send into battle under the banner of Manchester United.

The GTS team should consider themselves on alert - we may be removing a player from our logo very soon.

HISTORY is something you cannot buy. It occurs; it is not created in the wallets of billionaire owners signing chequebooks with a stamp for quickness. It is about the ups and the downs and acknowledging them both equally.

‘No one else had the ball when Bestie was nearby’ – Denis Law speaking about the statue.   

Sometimes you know when you have witnessed history in the making; Peter Schmiechel captaining United to the European Cup victory in 1999 in his last appearance for the club, Ryan Giggs breaking records and lifting the same cup this month, Bobby Charlton leading the present team up this year just as he did forty years ago at Wembley after the United team defeated Benfica. Of course in acknowledging that first European victory, it is natural to take the step ten years before to the Munich disaster.

History is about ups and downs, and acknowledging them both equally.

29^th May 1968, Manchester United win the European Cup. 29^th May 2008 it was the time to remember.

Eight days after Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea in Moscow to win the European Cup for the third time, an event was held to introduce the world to the club’s acknowledgement of another part of its history. It was the unveiling of the sculpture to commemorate the United Trinity; George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton and I am privileged to say I was there.

It was impossible not to be in awe. This was an event to mark the 40^th anniversary of the first European Cup victory but it was more than that because it was a salute to three of the greatest players ever to play in the United red, three winners of the European Footballer of the year award. In a coincidence that was designed by the Gods this gathering was also the first Manchester United function since our most recent victory in Europe, so by beautiful accident the players of 1968 were talking about winning the European Cup while that very piece of silverware sat in the room.

Things really do come full circle but in that room sat listening to those gentlemen; David Sadler, Brian Kidd, Pat Crerand, Alex Stepney, and Sir Bobby Charlton it’s easy to appreciate their history, which in turn makes you all the more appreciative that another man present at the unveiling, Sir Alex Ferguson, has been able to bring us modern day moments to treasure.

My Dad and I both admitted that we would have loved to record their stories but we didn’t think that fast so a lot of the finer details have already been lost. I will say that it as utterly spellbinding, listening to their jokes, stories about digs, memories of unexpected players finding themselves in scoring positions and finding the net, the players from the modern era they liked and the question of how Sir Matt would fair in the company of today’s top managers. The consensus was that he would more than hold his own in the company of Wenger, Mourinho and whoever else you care to mention.

All Photographs © Stuart Moult 2008

And so past and present combined to make sure that the future generations of Manchester United fans would be able to see the United Trinity of Best, Law and Charlton, notably now as in their playing days, Sir Matt Busby watches over them from the front of the stadium

The heroes were welcomed home.

CHEAP  shot? Never let it be said that Given to Score is above taking the low ground when it isn’t appropriate, necessary or at the very least, really really funny.

When John ‘Mr Chelsea’ Terry strode forward to take the penalty to win the Champions’ League for his team. Who truly expected him to miss in such spectacular fashion? I certainly didn’t. He should have hit the back of the net, the first European Cup victory should have been delivered by the man who bleeds blue and white.

Something did strike me as odd on the run up for the Stamford Bridge captain. Watch the footage again and you will see on his way to the penalty area, he’s looking determined, his chest is puffed out and he’s pushing his captains’ armband into full view. Moving it round to the front so that the watching world are in absolutely no uncertainty as to who is about to achieve history for this club. He believed it, and he wanted everyone else to believe it as well.

Confidence in taking a penalty and believing you will score is one thing. Hyping up the moment yourself is a dangerous game to play because there is every chance that in such circumstance, a person can be hoisted by their own petard.

The armband thing is easy to miss and easy to read into but if you believe in karma as much as we do, you can argue that this outward show of bravado missed the penalty. John Terry’s outward arrogance cost him the victory as much as Nicholas Anelka’s outward lack of belief did.

John Terry may have kept his side in the final with a key clearance, but arguably his karma lost them it when he believed he had it won.

Maybe this is wrong, maybe the not so cleverly hidden spitting at Carlos Tevez and the armband issue were not key points, maybe karma does not exist and maybe this whole article is flawed because of it. After all, it was a terribly rainy night and so many other players had trouble in the slippery conditions of that penalty spot. Oh wait, no they hadn’t. It’s just John Terry then.

John Terry, England captain. Having to stand there during ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’ while you watch your conquerors collect the trophy that YOU told everyone was yours? Harsh indeed but maybe next time he will step up and put the ball in the net and he will celebrate when the job is done, NOT when he wants everyone to THINK it is.

John Terry, England Captain.

SILVERWARE should not be the reason someone follows a team. It is accepted that it is the reason some players join a club but at the most basic and important level, that of supporters, it should be something deeper. Make no mistake, however, silverware is the chocolate sprinkles on the icing on the cake.

That thought occurred to me as I cringed watching John Terry stride forward to take a penalty to win the European Cup for Chelsea. He was going to win it, I was hearing as much from my brother who could not have cared less about the result and barely even remembered there was a game for some sort of cup. My brother was whispering that belief as I turned away. So I had to rationalise it in my head. It is not life or death, it really is more important to fans. At that moment I was trying to find something that I could cling to in defeat, and there was nothing. It was about to hurt.

I remembered the tears I cried when Aston Villa beat us to win the Coca Cola Cup final, the one where Les Sealey played in goal for us and Kanchelskis got sent off for a hand ball. That was some third rate cup domestically, THIS was the European Cup for crying out loud. It was going to hurt – no-one should ever believe that football support was rational.

Just as John Terry strode forward I noticed his confidence and I thought to myself that it would be very funny if, given his outward stride, he completely bumbled his effort. Luckily he did and we were still in it. Cut to Nicolas Anelka and completely the opposite happened, he didn’t look confident at all and as Edwin flew across the goal to make the save I jumped the highest on the bed as my Dad and brother sat next to me. I got some major height and I punched the air because we had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Mine was a glorious leap; in slow motion at the end of Sky Sports coverage it would have looked brilliant. Unfortunately I wasn’t on Sky Sports and I came crashing down though the bed. So fine is the line between success and failure that if we had lost, my parents probably would have still had a spare bed. But we won, and now it lies broken in the loft.

The champagne lasted a long time; we got the best bottles, the ones that my Dad doesn’t like to use often. I think if the Pope came round even he would only get the normal champagne, loft champagne is far too good. All that and there was my mum asking if we could open another bottle.

Yes my mum and brother thought it was hilarious that they were both whispering support for Chelsea to wind us up. Yes it would have been pure hell for my Dad and I if we had lost that match.

We know the hell because we have lived it before, all true fans have. It is precisely that which gives us the allowance to go completely mental when your team wins.

United do get a few fair-weather fans, as do most of the big clubs these days. I watched seats empty at Old Trafford with five minutes to go in the European Semi Final against Barcelona and it made me sick. Supporting a football club isn’t about leaving early to beat the traffic, it’s not about concealing disappointment and moving off the spare bed to watch the news and make a brew. Supporting a football club is about going from the absolute belief that you have lost, to the complete knowledge that you have won. It is about falling through the spare bed because your team are the European Champions.

Anyone that sees football as twenty two men and a ball of air has my deepest sympathy because they probably were able to watch that European Cup Final and have no real idea who they wanted to win. That seems alien to me.

What you learn in defeat makes days of victory all the more enjoyable and our boys have sampled victory at the highest heights this season. We have every right to be proud of those boys, because at the moment they ran to embrace our keeper it was not about money, it was not about contracts, it was not about being in the shop windows. They will have those in the months that follow I am sure, but at that moment they were on the same level as the fans.

That was their leap on their spare bed, but they didn’t break theirs.