Never In Three Months Of Saturdays

AS the year comes to a close and the 07 part of season 07-08 ends, we must agree that it did get better.At the last review in September, United had just beaten Sunderland and Everton and were in the habit of one nil score lines. In the months that followed we definitely found the net and we went from a few one nil scores, to a few four goal hauls. Aston Villa, Wigan, Middlesbrough and Dynamo in Europe all met United on top form.Arsenal were emerging as the main challengers to our title and the game against the Gooners at the Emirates would come in November, although it actually proved that there was little between the teams. United took the lead twice, Ronaldo on target the second time before the Gooners eventually scrambled the ball over the line for a point. Ronaldo would score both goals against Blackburn in the next game and it soon became clear that the winger going to into the final weeks of the year in a strong vein of form.November was not without its disappointments however and it seemed gift giving season had come early when Bolton nicked a victory and Gary Megson got his first victory as boss following the departure of Sammy Lee. It was fair to say that Gary Megson was maybe not the first choice of the Bolton fans but its amazing what victory over Manchester United will do for you.

We ended the Champions League first stage with a draw in Rome and a very good performance considering the fact that many so called ‘big names’ were absent. No perfect record in Europe then but still more than enough to be happy with on that front.

December gave us cold weather, a team growing in confidence and return fixtures with Everton and Sunderland, while we are always guaranteed a hard game against Everton it was a shame to see Sunderland roll over and play dead especially considering the battle they had given us at Old Trafford.

The Upton Park result means that we don’t end the year on top of the league but the cliché of being there or thereabouts can be used here.

On 45 points, we should at least be safe from relegation!

Here’s to all the parties for new year, and all the games and points to come in the year ahead. Take our advice, don’t party as hard as the United squad and we’ll all meet back here on New Years Day because the football never stops spinning!

WHAT WE SAID THEN 

 “This season was originally about seeing what we could do, how close we could get to the Chavs from London. Look at what it’s turning into. Jose sees it as a big joke, something to keep the football world laughing while he comes up with the punch line and steals the laugher and the silverware in May.”  GIVEN TO SCORE, DECEMBER 31 2006  

We all know what eventually happened in terms of the title and how deliciously silent it has been from those London Chavs of late.  Yes indeed, our old pal Arsene is back in the hunt and there is a strange sense of familiarity in the league tussle. It would be very unwise to count out Chelsea but it’s nice to have the Alex v Arsene battle back on as we go into 2008.  People can say that the African Nations may be an issue and that Arsenal will fade but the truth of the matter is that if Manchester United aren’t on full power, it wont matter whether they will fade or not. We have to focus on ourselves, it’s what we did last year when no one was watching and it is what we must do now, twelve months later. We reclaimed our title and now the eyes of the league are on us to see if we can do it again.
 

 

I Have An Irrational Hatred For West Ham United

I HATE West Ham United. I hate the fact that there fans seem to think they have a divine right to stay in the Premiership and I hate the fact that when we had the chance to put them out of it last season, we played like our boots were made out of treacle. I hate them because whatever their season is like up to the time they play us, if they have a chance to trip us up they will take it.They like to think they have a voodoo over us and who can argue, after all the dents have given us along the way. Kenny Brown’s goal and one moment of glory for the relegated team that suddenly turned into Brazil for the game against us, 1995, last year, take your pick. Last year really didn’t hurt us that much, it would have been nice to relegate them for all that they had done to us, but we did pinch their one and only decent player so call that even. They think they won the world cup, they think their academy is a dynasty and their style of play is essential to the Premier League.

If it were all one the line in one game, the opponents were West Ham, the venue was Upton Park and we had to collect a win to be crowned the best team in the Universe, you can bet a fair wedge that West Ham would play their best performance ever and crow about how they screwed us over once again. Sir Alex said as much a few years ago about Leeds, that for some teams you’d think it was more important to get a result against United to stop them winning the league, than anything else. West Ham United is one of those teams.

“When that happens, particularly when the team is motivated against you, you are going to get a hard day, and we had a hard day.” 
SIR ALEX FERGUSON YESTERDAY

Yet friends the United of Old Trafford is made of stern stuff. Defeat is never terminal, success is never permanent. We will not finish the year on top of the league like we would have wanted to but the damage is only minor and this defeat has come at a time in the season where form can be recovered. We just have to play better, dear God we must play better.So as you see I do have an irrational hatred of West Ham United, but it is based rationally on a set of circumstances and results that really stick in the throat both when they happened and now. I make no apologies for raking over the West Ham subject once again because you can bet the bubble blowers will be dining out on yesterdays result for some time.

Winning in a Winter Sunderland

ROY Keane knows that what lies in front of him as he heads into 2008 is one heck of a challenge.

We knew that Sunderland shouldn’t have been much of a challenge for United today but whenever us fans think it will be a walk in the park, it’s usually when we get tripped up. On the evidence of Boxing Day we need not have worried. We did not over run Sunderland, we didn’t run through the gears, we simply didn’t get the test. We didn’t need to dominate them, we looked at times as if we were not trying too hard to score all those goals, it just happened and occurred with less than half the effort than we would have expected to give against a team managed by Roy Keane.

As a result I found myself thinking that it was job done, both for us and our title hopes and for his team and their chances of staying in the top league also. I’ve never wanted to show mercy in football, the points are their and we’ll kill any bar stewards that get in our way, we are the Pride of all Europe…However, I would have gladly given them only a 45 minute game on Boxing day because Sunderland were just poor and Roy Keane didn’t deserve the feeling he must have had watching them try and keep up with Ronaldo and our boys. When we played Sunderland at Old Trafford earlier this season they actually tried to play. At times they kicked us all over the park but they were really up for it, on Boxing day we played a team that seemed to have already accepted its fate of playing in the fizzy league next season.Keano doesn’t deserve that and it’s going to be hard watching him being connected to that team if it happens but he would have known that there was a chance of relegation in their first season back.

Before you think that we are showing a little too much peace and love to our former midfielder in the spirit of the season, I will point out that some of the players he famously ranted about during his last few weeks with Manchester United, were on the winning side on Boxing day. I’m not the biggest fan of Darren Fletcher but he did well, and Rio Ferdinand isn’t everyone’s cup of tea either but he could have had a cigar on the go during this game for all that they challenged.

“The younger players have been let down by some of the more experienced players. They are just not leading. There is a shortage of characters in this team.”

That was part of Roy’s rant against his below par Manchester United team mates, for MUTV, although I swear the same could be said for Sunderland at this point in time. He cannot work miracles and he isn’t working alongside the same quality of players he was with at Old Trafford, by the looks of it his players are not even up to the ‘lower quality’ United players he watched in his last few months with us.

His rant, as ill advised as it was, was spot on at the time, right on the money and it provided a spark of reaction that may be something to do with where we are now. Maybe what Roy Keane needs is Dwight Yorke to turn up on Sunderland Tonight and blast his team mates the same way – in my opinion all of them besides Michael Chopra would deserve it.

The red’s go marching on, while Boxing Day showed that we may have extinguished what little fight there was left in the Sunderland dog, although I hope not.