This Country's Negative Reaction To Best Team In The World... Surprisingly

Before a football was kicked by a United player in Japan, I asked the readers of RoM what they made of this FIFA World Club Cup. 56% of you said you wanted to win it, but not at the cost of the league. 34% of you were really keen on it, enjoying the fact no other English team had managed it before. Just 10% couldn’t give a shit less about it.

Whilst I’d imagine most reds would rate the Premiership title, the European Cup and the FA Cup ahead of this competition, we’re not in the business of shunning opportunities for silverware at this club, meaning we had to take the FIFA World Club Cup seriously to a certain degree.

Unsurprisingly, this country didn’t share our sentiments.

‘The Best Team in the World’ is a title I’d like to see us use a lot this year, why not? Like a lot of things we do at this club, we enjoy pissing people off. We enjoy riling the likes of West Ham with our anti-England songs, we get a laugh out of winding up pretty much every team in our support of Cristiano ‘winker’ Ronaldo, we get a buzz out of telling the nobodies in the away end that this is their cup final. It’s funny. Hearing the protests when we claim ourselves to be the proven best team in the World will be funny.

I had a look on the official site today to have a look at today’s news. They went with an usually sarcastic headline, which pleased me. ‘The press lead lead on the negative fall-out from United’s joy in Japan. Shock.’ ‘ Yeh what a shock eh? This country doesn’t like the title of Manchester United being named the best in the World.

Stan YSB Collymore – The Mirror – Taking a time out from beating up his bird to travel to Japan to watch United play. What a man.

Manchester United’s 1-0 triumph in the FIFA Club World Cup over Ecuador’s LDU Quito must go down as a hollow victory. For apart from Manchester United, the competition has featured second-rate teams. I did Channel Five co-commentary for United’s opening win over mighty Gamba Osaka. But what people want to see is the likes of Boca Juniors, River Plate and AC Milan in action.

So although the notion of being world champions is prestigious, I don’t think it is going to be important in this decade or the next.

Hatchet Man – The Daily Mail – The best paid BBC 606 WUM

Despite all the public relations blather from some of the players, the competition is a meaningless marketing exercise and to lose a key defender for up to three Champions League matches as a result of poor discipline in it is ridiculous. The fatigue from travel and games is bad enough but this rubbed salt into those wounds.

The focus was all on Nemanja Vidic rather than the fact United had just become ‘Champions of the World’. Christ, how bitter has this place become? Nit-picking and criticising. Had Liverpool won this competition it would be a moment for national pride, but when United are lifting the trophy, it is a pointless exercise.

Oh well, fuck em all, I have no time for losers, cos we are the Champions… of the World!