I get a lot of stick on the blog, from our own fans and rivals unlike, because of my unwavering optimism. If we have a dreadful game, I will take it on board, but try and find the silver lining, however difficult that may be. There are optimists and pessimists (or realists as they would probably refer to themselves) within every fan base and of course neither one is better than the other.
But during our dreadful patch, when Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick were playing in the centre of defence, on the occasions when even Park Ji-Sung was called upon to play at right back, I wasn’t alone in defending the team, because it had to be done. We were absolutely crippled by defensive injuries, with the meek Tomasz Kuszczak behind our out of position players. It shouldn’t have come as any surprise that we weren’t going to play well. Not only because we had no defenders and therefore inexperienced midfielders filling their shoes, but because our players were being taken from their most effective positions. How is Fletch supposed to hassle our opponent’s creative midfielder from right back? How is Carrick supposed to play a great ball through to the strikers from the centre of defence?
In the 3-0 defeat against Fulham, we played Kuszczak in goal, De Laet at right back, Carrick and Fletcher in the centre of defence, and Evra at left back. Just one of our back five was a player we wouldn’t consider unusual to start in the league. It was a dreadful game of football and a dreadful performance from our perspective, but what can you expect? How would Chelsea get on with Turnball in goal, Sam Hutchinson at right back, Ballack and Lampard in the centre of defence, and Ashley Cole at left back?
Things have to get worse before they can better though and that defeat to Leeds was about as bad as it can get. Getting knocked out of the Cup by a team you hate is bad enough, let alone when they’re two divisions below you and the team you put out is relatively strong. Everyone has a bad day at the office but it was the lack of effort and commitment that hurt as much as the result. If our players couldn’t work themselves up for a cup tie against Leeds, what was going to get their fires burning?
But since then, we’ve got better and better. I’d like to think some of this was down to the disappointment of the Leeds game, but more obviously, the returning players.
Looking at the games that followed, at Birmingham, we played: Kus, Rafael, Brown, Evans and Evra (2 out of our best 5), at Burnley: VDS, Nev, Brown, Evans and Evra (3 out of our first choice 5), at Hull: VDS, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans and Evra (3 out of our first choice 5) and at Arsenal: VDS, Rafael, Evans, Brown and Evra (3 out of our first choice 5). Whilst still not there, this is a big improvement than the one first choice player in defence we saw at Fulham. Rio and Vidic, our first choice central defensive pairing, haven’t played together since October. Is it any wonder we’ve conceded double the number of goals we had at this point last season?
But having Van der Sar back in goal has made the world of difference. Not just because he’s bold enough to come and claim balls that Kuszczak and Foster probably wouldn’t, but because of his ability to organise and settle our defence. He tells them where to go, gives them a bollocking when they mess up and settles their nerves. Since he’s returned, we’ve won 3-0, 4-0 and 3-1 in the league, the only goal conceded a deflection at the Emirates. You have to hope the manager can say all the right things to keep him playing beyond this season.
Vidic was expected back against Arsenal but now we’re left hoping he will be back for Portsmouth. Hopefully it will be Jonny Evans who partners him in the centre of defence, whilst Rio Ferdinand serves his ridiculous ban, with Wes at right back. Evra, who has been consistently excellent, playing in every single league game this season, will of course take up his position on the left flank.
Our midfield put in an excellent shift against Arsenal and did the job against City. Whilst people ignorantly refer to us as a one man team, it is interesting to see where the goals have come from recently.
Taking in to consideration the games against Arsenal, both legs against City, Hull and Burnley, Rooney has scored 7, midfielders have scored 5 (including the goal against Arsenal, which was made by Nani and would have been tapped in by Park) and Berbatov and Diouf have 1 each. There’s no denying what a massively important player Rooney is for us, whether he’s scoring goals or otherwise, but his team mates have been pulling their weight too.
This isn’t a big fat I told you so, it’s far too early for that, but it’s reassuring to see that when we do have something that resembles a proper team available to play, we do pick up good results. We’ve never beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in the league and to do it so emphatically at the weekend, when the pressure was on and we were still without our best central defenders, says an awful lot about what this team is capable of.
Look at things plainly, Chelsea should win the league this season. The only major injury they’ve had to deal with is Michael Essien, but he’s still only missed 9 league games. Rio has missed 18 league games, Van der Sar has missed 16 and Vidic has missed 11. Drogba has been at the ACoN but only missed 3 league games because of it and is back for Hull tonight.
For United to win the league this season would see us achieve something no English club ever has before, winning the title four seasons in a row. Are we right for that to be the minimum expectation for us? I don’t think so. What are our expectations? To win the league every year? Football doesn’t work like that, not in this country at least.
If Chelsea don’t win the league this season, serious questions should be asked of them. If we don’t win the league this season, we can point to the weeks when we didn’t have a defence, the fact we had just sold The Best Player in the World (TM), and the reality that a fourth title is unprecedented.
Not winning the league this season wouldn’t mean we were dead buried. If we can push Chelsea to the end then we have to be proud of that and look forward to the following season. New signings like Valencia and Obertan will be a year further in to their United careers, Rooney is only 24-years-old, Evans and the da Silvas are coming through in defence, Nani might actually turn out to be brilliant, and whatever the issue with the Glazers, we will be given funds to buy (although I’d rather not think about where that money is coming from!). Chelsea are banned in the transfer market and if we are able to get anywhere near them come May, they will have to be terrified for the season ahead, when a defensive injury crisis is unlikely to strike again.
As it is, unsurprisingly, I still think we will win the league this season, because we have a team of winners who believe we can do it. We have a captain who sticks his finger up at the man we hate and celebrates with all the passion in the world in front of our biggest rivals, not a captain who shags his team mates’ birds. We have a striker who every team in the world wishes they had. We have a solid base of players who have been with us since they were children and put their heart and sould in to every match. We have been there and done it all before. We have a history of going where no team has gone before, from the European Cup, to the first Premiership title, to the Treble. So can we win a fourth title on the trot? It’s too early to say I told you so and we definitely will, but honestly, I don’t see why we can’t.
mike phelans comments are legendary, the penny has finally dropped for nani brilliant.
Could anyone confirm that it was a phone call from Quieroz telling Sir Alex to play Nani on the right due to his man of the match performances for Portugal that led to Sir Alex playing him on the right. If so, I’m extremely grateful that we continue to share solid links with Quieroz!
it made me wonder if united continue to go from strength to strength, someone said gary cooks comments and shittys arogance has woken the monster within united. does anyone else think shitty has wound united up because since the 2 semi final games united seem to be on a mission.
One question everyone, can you remember any part of any season where Nani had 3 consecutive good games? We always knew he had talent, of which he showed flashes, but I can’t remember any consistent run of games from him. Am I naive to think that might be a turning point?
Good for you not letting the doom and gloomers/ knee jerkers get to you after every bad result.
Great debate on the best back 4, vds goes without saying in goal. I wud go with, if all fit and on form wes rio vida evra, but rafael and jonny evans are knocking on the door.
@rooney the new king
“mike phelans comments are legendary, the penny has finally dropped for nani brilliant.”
Anyone can tell me what he means? He means the coins drop? Money fall which means Nani had no value in him?
@Che Guevarist
I’m not sure really. But 3 of the matches, you can say he is behind Rooney for Man of the Match. Arsenal game is definitely man of the match. A moment of magic change the game. I thought second half he was poor but everyone remember the magic he produced.
kel – you serious it basically means nani is finaly starting to realise his potiental and he has taken his final chance if he did not he was hinting united would have let nani go in the summer.
I think john terry needs to pick up that penny mickey phelans talking about.
HULL JUST SCORED !!!!!
BOLLOCKS !!!!!!
HULL 1
RENT BOYS 1
“Lampard flapping around like a cunt, goes down under no pressure whatsoever and wins a free kick on the edge of the box. You already know what happened next – Drogba puts it away. 1-1. typical theiving best mate’s girlfirend fucking inbred cunty bollock bastards that they are. see this is what I mean, Chelsea play shit football all day long.
Playing for free kicks against Hull, hardly the stuff of champions is it ?
I f***ing hate Chelsea.
Half time at the KC Stadium, Hull 1 Rentboys 1.
Over to you Andy…..”
from the looks of things, unless Chelsea start collapsing around the 18 yard box Hull should hold on for a draw. But you KNOW what these sneaky no good bastards are like, you turn around to make a sandwich and they’re busy trying to fuck your missus…. speaking of which, Terry’s picked up a yellow.
HANG ON HULL !!!!!!
ok its official, the referees a wanker.
In other news,
Welbecks on the score sheet once again for Preston.
well done lad keep it up.
Well the title is now ours to win, with Chelsea still to come to OT.
Get in.
YES HULL DRAW
HAHAHAHAHA !!!!!
WHO THE FUCK ARE CHELSEA !!!!!! ??????
NO it is not……
Hull 1 chelsea 1….:)
Scott, there you were saying your cup was always half-full, and then you turned it upside-down (a bit) when you mentioned Kuszczak.
I know that Kuszczak’s not VDS, but he came in for a total of 8 games, conceding only 4 behind a Bassett’s Allsorts of a back four. (That’s 0.5 of a goal a game, substantially better than our 0.833 goal a game average so far this season). During that run he made some outstanding saves that have kept us in the chase. As an ex-keeper, I know only too well the value of having a regular pair of centre-halves in front of you. Kuszczak’s had none of that.
I know that he hasn’t got VDS’s confidence outside of the 6 yard box, but IMHO he’s a good way ahead of Foster.
Anyway, to be honest I am getting a bit teed off with some of the muppets around me, who are always getting on Kuszczak’s back when in reality the boy done good. Anyway, at least one of my local morons is still slagging Fletcher off!
Jig3000 @ 18:12 – I completely agree with your assessment of Michael Carrick’s strengths and weaknesses. Others might not be sympathetic to your viewpoint but you have at least one who is – and I suppose Don Fabio would agree, too.
King Eric @ 16:25: “denton – It would appear that Paul Parker backs me up with the Rentboys performances. Don’t know which team you have watched to say they were superb early season.”
I’d like to be able to be more specific but I just don’t have those details at the tip of my fingertips – they did batter Bolton away, four nil, just before playing UTD at Stamford Bridge, but that is the last result my search came up with. I do recall, however and in the most general terms, that they were pretty dominant in September and October but that I noted they had been pretty dominant in September and October the previous season, under the “leadership” of BigPhilScolari. I seem to recall writing on this blog that even though they were provided with a referee-aided victory at Stamford Bridge, they were not getting any younger and that it’s a long, long season. So, while Paul Parker might back up your sense that the RentBoyz have been shite-on-a-stick this season, I have a different recollection but hardly a precise and accurate one.
I like the fact that Scott’s blog provides us with the opportunity to “compare notes” with fellow UTD-fanatics. Living in Toronto, I don’t have much opportunity to do so in the flesh, as it were. My only fellow-traveller is my son’s former nursery-school playmate who has grown up to be a RightManc. Elliott comes by early almost every Saturday/Sunday morning so that we can do the high-fives and celebrate together. Otherwise, RepublikOfMancunia is my only respite from living so far from FergyWonderland. I know that you and I have agreed-to-disagree on a number of topics – and that’s a good thing. Disagreements of a mutually-respecting form make me reconsider my prejudices and question my opinions – and that, too, is a good thing. BUT knowing that we are both in agreement about the possibility of the glorious # 19 is an even better thing. Cheers, mate.
Scott, I borrowed your quotes on our captain, Neville.
Anyway, spot on the article. I felt the same way. Chelsea should be miles ahead. Differences only 2 points now and if we keep on our form and BATTERED them at OT, Champs for sure!
Carricks still wank
Great Article Mate.. Really inspirational and reflects on the spirit our team showed in the weekend. We just need our players like Nani, Berba etc. to believe in themselves and in the team. The ability is there, just need some more application.
Great articel Scott…as it turns out, I’m a “realist”. At the beginning of the season, I thought we had a good chance to win the PL, but was convinced we would find it difficult in the CL. Well. I could still turn out to be right, but the recent form has made me believe that anything is possible! True – I lost hope after Fulham and Sunderland, but fuck me, what do I know! What upset me in those games, was not that we lost (and trust me, I have no issue if we win fuckall for a couple of years, but just go out and play like fighters), but the manner in which we played. But seems like SAF has got it figured out now, so keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3-4 games!!
I am really not worried if we win or not but I want the race to going down to the wire.
denton davey Said,February 2nd, 2010 @15:07 Schmadmir @ 14:38: “Imagine if Berbatov hits top form and Rio and Vidic return to bolster the defence? I would even start believing in another European Cup final!”
Based on previous evidence, SAF wouldn’t pick Berbatov for an important match !!
————————————-
That’s true, but if he doesn’t get a consistent run in the team, how can he deliver the goods from the top shelf? I think he’s a wonderful player, but we’ve done well without him, so who knows?
The most important thing is that we win the league, regardless of the line-ups to come.
denton – Thanks mate. Yes we do differ on some points but by the same token I agree with a hell of a lot you say. Even if you don’t agree with my views you always give reasons as to why and not just say “I disagree”. It would be boring if we all thought the same denton. Your posts are some of the best on here and always very articulate. Keep it up. Cheers!!
Damn, that chelski have got their transfer ban removed! What’s that all about? Another case of money talking or were they really not guilty? Who can tell!
The problem is Scott your posts don’t recognise the idea that both optimists and pessimists can be right because they judge the team on different criteria. Even that may be too much of a generalisation. Though I doubt I have posted frequently enough to consider myself the subject of your topic, or indeed that I have said anything terribly negative I still stick up for the fact that you have no right to intimate an ‘I told you so’.
The reason for this is people rarely define what they are talking about in a discussion. You’ve done numerous posts favorably comparing this season to last season but as it stands we are out of the FA Cup whereas last season we got to the semi final. We have to win the league cup to equal last season in that competition- win the league- in which case we are second at present and get to the final of the champions league.
So it is my belief that your comments are often not consistent because in this topic you are intimating and ‘I told you so’ in a season where we are destined to be less successful than last year- but in other topics/statements creating the pretense that things are better.
If that’s not enough you often hold up last year as a comparision when in reality no one thought 68 goals was a good landmark. Finally your stated belief that Ronaldo scoring 9 goals in his last 18 games (which united won last season), scoring in 6 individual matches, making a matchwinning contribution on at least 5 of those ocassions was to paraphrase you- ‘not all that’ means that most people should take your views with a pinch of salt.