The Devil In Me

Having come through an incredibly challenging run with flying colours, we now face an even more daunting series of fixtures that will shape how our season will finish. United’s defence, as is widely reported, has reached record-breaking levels of accomplishment in the period between November and February. But, if we are to keep in the running for major prizes then matchwinners need to start appearing further up the pitch.

In the next month United will play twice a week, every week, including a cup final, two games against Inter, the next round of the FA Cup and culminating in the showdown at Old Trafford with Liverpool. When you put it like that, the bookmakers who have paid out on the domestic treble already start to look a touch on the zealous side. This is a major task.

To put it mildly, having six defenders injured this week is about as timely as a fart in a yoga class. Mourinho will know all about our problems at the back and he will do his damnedest to target this weakness. Traditionally his teams will pick on an oppenents frailty and try to tear it into an open wound. In the San Siro on Tuesday they will push as far up the pitch as they can and lob ball after ball over the top to try and hit some part of Adriano or Ibrahimavic’s bodies. Frankly it could get ugly.

Fergie knows this and has already mentioned being ‘very, very short in defence’. Mourinho’s record over us is not one United fans tend to shout about and we may not be improve it much this week. However, we all know what the best form of defence is don;’t we? That’s right, attack.

We have managed to bulldoze ourselves through a treacle of fixtures so far but to keep it going, and we can keep it going, we have to do what we do best. Play the Manchester United way. If Inter spend the game trying to score against us then we will reply in kind. I expect Fletcher to start without question, whether or not he is in defence or midfield is irrelevant, we need his blood and guts. Fletcher and O’Shea never let us down and I will be happy if either start. The big performances are going to have to be all over the park though, especially from the guys up front.

Rooney and Ronaldo both scored at the weekend and that is very encouraging. Sure, this won’t be easy but this team should have plenty in it to survive a slugging contest with anybody. This is a time for heroes to rise, I am confident that we have them.

Clint Eastwood is grumbling across our cinema screens at the moment drawling “get off my lawn” in the slightly overrated Gran Torino. Here at Old Trafford this slightly overrated Manchester United team served up a helping of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The good came in the fairly ugly shape of Wayne Rooney, who’s second goal in his second game back is fantastic news all around. Ronaldo’s impudent free-kick to win the match was the equal of any I have seen, Robinson did not even have the chance to move.

But it is the bad news of reality that hangs around after this result. We should not be up in arms about finally conceding a goal, whilst Ferdinand was a little lax in defending at the time, one should take their hat off to the assured manner of Santa Cruz’s finish, he is a helluva player when he wants to be. The defence was not shielded as it should have been in the build up play and I think we can expect Fletcher to start against Inter midweek to guard against this sort of thing happening again.

It was the difference in the defence after Vidic was brought on in the second half that really stood out. This was a well-organised and aggressive Blackburn team, and in that sense, almost perfect preparation for the Serie A leaders. We were forced to defend right into the last minute of injury time and it was Vidic’s two vital clearing headers in the dying seconds that really highlighted how much we are going to miss this guy in the next game.

United played a slightly scrappy game today, for all of Ronaldo’s wonderfulness he does give the ball away an awful lot, I thought to myself in the first half. He, of course, shut me up very effectively by scoring that free kick but an inordinate number of our passes went astray in this game and our delivery into the box left a lot to be desired too. We will need to be considerably better on Tuesday to get a result against Mourinho’s men, or we too could face the kind of noble, yet needless and contrived end Eastwood’s character meets in this season’s European Cup.

I was recently asked by a City fan to shed some light on Beckham’s departure from United. Here is my reply, let me know if I have got anything wrong.

I can make assumptions about why Beckham left United in the first place, and whilst I think that my opinion is informed, I should state clearly that it will largely be based around heresy and asides that have been made to the press by Fergie, Becks and the all-powerful Mrs. Beckham.

Firstly, we were gutted when he left. Every United fan loved him and we could not understand why we had just sold a player who had set up so very many goals for us. It mildly rocked the club too, and we were without a league championship until Ronaldo came of age four years later. Beckham was on the receiving end of a deafening standing ovation when he returned last year for an all-star game; and a campaign to resign him when things were grim at Madrid gained some hearty support. But we knew we never had a chance. Why? Sir Alex Ferguson.

It is widely assumed that Alex is not a big fan of Victoria and vice versa. Ferguson has spoken at great length about the need for players to be focused on the game and not to succumb to the distractions many modern footballers can do. It seems to be a great source of consternation to him and he absolutely will not be meddled with on this one. Victoria, some have argued, has a rather different opinion of the limelight. With a personal fortune of nearly £100 million she probably also has a point.

Central to this need for discipline in the United camp was David, a hard training, diligent and gifted footballer desperate to please the manager and mentor he had known since he was twelve. And, of course, trying to keep the missus happy too. An ‘agree to disagree’ scenario had developed and we got on with the footy and won the league in 2003, but, during the course of that year two significant things happened.

Firstly, Beckham’s post World Cup star had risen to an unbelievable height. He was easily the most recognisable athlete on the planet and, despite putting United through a victorious league campaign and getting them to within touching distance of another European Cup final, Fergie kept being asked about his No.7. It obviously rankled with him. Ferguson is a club man and the United faithful are well drilled with the mantle “no one player is bigger than the club.” This is also why plenty were happy to say ‘ciao’ to Ronaldo last summer.

Then, the Camel’s back broke. United were outclassed by Arsenal in the FA cup and Sir Alex destroyed enough crockery in the dressing room to cater for an Ambassadorial reception. During the ‘discussion’ the manager became a pinpoint specialist himself by kicking out at a boot, which found its way across the room before brutally scarring David’s beautiful face. Our friends in the fourth estate wet themselves. More coverage was given to the two-stitch scar above Bekham’s right eye than the ensuing war in Iraq. Fergie had had enough.

No sooner had we placed our empty, celebratory pint glasses back on the bar than United had accepted a bid from Barcelona. Becks eventually balked at it but was sufficiently hurt that when Madrid put in an offer he decided if he wasn’t wanted he may as well go. United followed the “no one player is bigger than the club” line (which is utterly correct) and Beckham managed to get another set of fans to fall in love with him. And the Madrid fans I know really do love him.

Beckham has made significant amounts of money through his image rights for all of the clubs he has played for, there is utterly no point in denying it. But this week’s rich list has Real Madrid and Manchester United in its top two positions and Beckham plays for neither of them now. He is a determined character Mr. Beckham and his ability to pull himself back off the ropes and prove others wrong is reminiscent of his former manager. I should imagine Alex even permits himself a wry smile every time Becks proves someone wrong, at least I hope so. Recently, Ferguson has begun speaking relatively warmly about (although probably not to) Beckham with regards to his arrangement with Milan. Significantly, he didn’t seem annoyed at having the questions posed to him. Perhaps there is enough water under the bridge now.

Beckham has gone on to be adored wherever he has played and could well be in line for another great hurrah at club and international level. Ferguson is still rewriting the history books as if they were worthless in the first place. One thing is for sure, you would be mad to write either them off.

The article below is from Daniel Harris and is essential reading for any United fan:

In England, more than in any other country, there is a tradition of supporters travelling en masse to away games.

Those football fans who regularly follow their team away from home will be familiar with the concept of a “face”; a person you regularly see but rarely know, someone you nod at without saying hello to who reminds you that you’re in the right place.

Occasionally you may even give them a name, so in my group of Manchester United matchgoers, we silently greet Dowie, The Ghost, Napalm Death and Mr Milky Milky. There’ll be those within United’s support who recognise the people I mean, others who won’t and some who’ll know them by another name entirely – maybe even the one their parents gave them. But one person who everyone could identify – usually by his surname only – was Mike Dobbin.

Dobbin died on January 29 at the age of 61, but in those years he crammed in more United games than seems humanly possible. Born in Prestwich, Manchester in 1947, he began going to Old Trafford as a child and over the course of his life his remarkable devotion to the red cause has cemented him into United folklore.

There are numerous anecdotes and statistics that illustrate Dobbin’s loyalty, so here are a few. Despite moving to London to pursue a career in accountancy, he attended every single first-team game – competitive and friendly – from October 1991 until Boxing Day 2008. In all, he watched United on close to 2000 occasions and in 44 different countries, not missing a Euro away from 1965 onwards. On last summer’s tour, to get to Nigeria from South Africa he flew via London, claiming it was cheaper that way, but few who knew him were surprised when he showed up at a reserve game at Oxford in between.

Most impressive of all, though, and certainly my favourite piece of Dobbin-related trivia, is that in the Fergie era he has attended more United games than the man himself, Sir Alex having missed a few occasions for family reasons, part-timer that he is.

Dobbin’s loyalty wasn’t just to the boys on the pitch. As travel secretary of United’s London Fan Club, he spent a ridiculous number of hours arranging transport and tickets for those based in the area. He was particularly active during the “Red Army” years of the 70s and 80s when United would take thousands from the capital to every game, even though he didn’t agree with the slightly mischievous philosophy of many of its members.

Some may think that this is of no relevance to anyone who isnt a match-going United fan, but they’d be wrong. Every club has its Dobbin, people who encapsulate everything that football was once about, and still is for those with eyes to see.

When Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, it wasn’t as a business or a brand, but a group of mates kicking a ball around for fun, just the same as nearly every other institution in both the professional and amateur game. That’s why the league comprises football clubs and not football teams; the point was that they should be groups of like-minded individuals gathered together for a unified purpose, of which the men selected to take the field were but a constituent part.

Those on the pitch are merely transient, just passing through; incidental to the whole shebang when compared to those who were there before they arrived and will be there long after they’ve left. United supporters refer affectionately to the team as “the shirts” because ultimately it doesn’t matter a stuff who’s wearing them as long as they do so with honour and pride; what’s important is the people and place it represents. Which is why Mike Dobbin is a mark one, bona fide red legend, woven into the fabric of the club every bit as much, if not more, than Edwards, Best, Law and Cantona.

The shame is that those playing and running the game continually fail to realise this. Players become ever more remote, content to milk the adulation of the crowd for the duration of the 90 minutes, before insulating themselves from its members the rest of the time behind minders, gates and VIP areas.
Meanwhile clubs have effectively taken on the mantle of the local drug dealer, treating pathetically-addicted supporters like the worst kind of crackhead, while hopelessly in hock to wholesaling television companies whom the FA are entirely unable or unwilling to police.

All this means that any notion of accountability is exactly that – a notion – with the blame for exhorbitant pricing and inconvenient kick-off times passed around the little circle like a Chinese whisper. Nonetheless its members would do well to remember that ultimately there will be a price; not all supporters have the limitless loyalty of Mike Dobbin.

With number of hairs on Homer Simpson’s head outnumbering the amount of points separating key parts of the league this year the January transfer window could be more influential than ever. Of course, other factors, such as fixture congestion and injuries, will have their say on where the trophies and places in Europe go but it would be nice to think that the fresh impact of new signings could be crucial too. Having a look at the business done by the teams at the top indicates that the second half of the season will do anything but mirror the first few months.

Manchester United could well become victims of their own success this year. I hope I am wrong but the Herculean number of fixtures they are required to play would finish off a team of Russian coal miners. Despite saying there would be no new signings in the window Fergie has, in fact, smuggled in several young players who are currently jogging around the same snow-covered training pitch as the first team. Some people would call these guys signings Alex. I think Fergie saw the level expectation placed on the shoulders of Nani and Anderson from the get-go and decided he just doesn’t want the undue attention this time. None are likely to win a regular starting berth this term anyway. United’s squad and set-up do look the strongest but, the phrase ‘injuries permitting’ is all important when assessing their chances. Many of us will also remember 1992 when we had to play four games in eight days, collected two points and missed out on the league.

Villa have moved adroitly. Could there have been a smarter buy than Heskey this January, anywhere? He comes at a reasonable price, he does exactly the job the team needs him to do and he is on old-back-slapping terms with his new manager. Villa do, I am afraid, have the weakest squad of the teams at the top – but £10 on them to pip the others to the title does not look a bad bet right now. I expect them to finish the season strongly.

Liverpool of course, have kicked out Robbie Keane. It is difficult to find a word more flattering than ‘debacle’ to describe how the Irishman has been handled. Hocking him back to Spurs put visions in my head of a sweaty Benitez in the refunds queue at Marks & Spencers with an unwanted Christmas jumper, “it’s the wrong style,” he shrieks, the rest of the customers stare blankly at their shoes. Benitez leaves the store and shivers in the cold, he is in need of a jumper. That said, Liverpool have started winning again now that he has departed. I still fail to see how this improves their squad though.

Chelsea are in a bit of trouble at the moment. The crucial area in which they needed to improve was in the position of first team coach. Steve Clarke’s influence seems to have been slightly forgotten by their hierarchy, and their players, stupendously gifted as they are, look a little lazy of late. Quaresma, whilst very decent, has looked like a man with his confidence shot to bits in recent months. I highly doubt he will make an immediate and positive impact. They could drop extremely low if Everton continue to march onwards and upwards.

Arsenal are a team capable of beating anybody, and with some panache too, but they are a little short on consistency and a ruthless influence at times in the final third. Enter the amusingly named Mr. Arshavin. He is, I feel, a player touched by genius and could have a major effect on how the London club play for their remaining games. Coming from Russia he should be a fairly hardy fellow and not be bogged down in the ‘adapting to the Premier League’ tribulations many have to go through. I also believe that Wenger is a good enough manager to handle his suspected prima donna tendencies. Arsenal are a team to watch out for at the moment.

On the basis of the transfers done, we can expect to see the biggest improvement from the teams at the Emirates and Villa Park. Arsene Wenger and Martin O’Neill will also feel they still have a lot of damage to do this season. The problem for both of them is that the title is now, very much, in Manchester United’s hands.

I was not confident going into this fixture at all. There is absolutely no way United will finish the league season having lost only two games and our recent record against West Ham has been dismal. Added to this, we have only won once in our last eleven visits to London and the Hammers were in a pretty rich vein of form.

But they did it again. Our team selection of old heads and former West Ham players was utterly inspired and whilst United were more dogged than dazzling we still had a proper go at attacking the game. Giggs’s goal was just reward for some lovely play from Scholes and Carrick is starting to quietly boss games in an unshowy and highly effective manner. We may look back on this as one of the major results of the season.