1) Welcome to winter. Traditionally
a time of comfort for United fans. Maybe we’re masochists and like the cold. Or
maybe we’re used to watching our team pick up points and climb the table. But now
as November begins in earnest we find ourselves in unchartered territory. Put it like this: if we
are to go on a run it’ll have to be a good one. Since I last wrote we drew in Dhonestk,
beat Sunderland, had a torturous international break, threw away points against
Southampton, beat stoke (somehow), progressed in the league cup and beat an
anaemic Fulham side at Craven Cottage. It’s been a head scratching time. Signs
of a turnaround are there but two questions remain: 1) what has the huge dip in
form been all about and 2) are we really on the rise? To answer the first
question is to go over old ground. Point 2 is what we all really want to know.
And with games against Sociedad and Arsenal and trips to Cardiff and Leverkusen
to come in November we’ll get our answer soon enough.
2) I’m going to
contradict myself now. Anyone expecting performances to come before results is
misguided. Think back to dark times and remember how we came through them. We
lost 5-0 at Newcastle, 6-3 at Southampton then 2-1 home to Chelsea in 1996. It
was the first time we’d ever lost three Prem games on the bounce. How did we
react? With a 1-0 win over arsenal (Winterburn og). What about the 6-1 defeat
to City in 2011? Did we respond with swashbuckling, cavalier football? Er no. 1-0 at Everton, 1-0 at Swansea, 2-0
at QPR, 1-0 at Villa – it was painful at times. But we went back to basics to
get the results that gave way to more expansive performances. What about the
autumn of 2001 having lost famously to Bolton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle
and Chelsea (BLANC – but then west ham ruined it with Defoe scoring the only
goal in a 1-0 win at OT)? How did we end up top of the league in January? 1-0
at Middlesborough, 2-0 at Everton etc etc. At Man United we are obsessed with
attacking football. Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie will always get the
headlines. But unless you can keep a clean sheet, defend as if your lives
depend on it, the front players will never get a chance to shine. Rooney’s
consolation goal and performance at City prove that. It’s all for nothing if
you cannot grind out a 1-0 forgettable win at home to Southampton. Those
victories were as much a part of the ferguson era as the last minute comebacks
we all loved so much. Dire victories when the team didn’t get out of first gear
- but nor did it have to. This season we haven’t had any of them. We’re working
very hard for our rewards. The win at Stoke was miraculous given the nature of
our defending. The back four was too deep, the midfield was too high, unable to
press and the ball was played into our box at will. We got lucky. Against
Southampton we paid a heavy price for not killing the game off. But in reality
that should have been another dull 1-0 win we’d all have forgotten about the
second we left the pub.
3) So the
contradiction. Based on the above logic, our past few results should indicate
that a significant upturn in form is just around the corner, yes? Results are
there, form is next surely? Right? Sorry to be miserable but not just yet. We
have big problems at home. The players don’t know how to defend and the back
four looks like they’ve never met before. I’d argue Arsenal on Sunday has come
at the worst time. When Ferguson retired, the club was always going to go into shock.
And it’s going to take a lot more than our annual win at Fulham to convince me
that the famous Man United are back.
4) I couldn’t quote
any of what Ferguson said on Friday night. Not because I wouldn’t do it justice
(I wouldn’t) but because it all washed over me with the warmth of the sun’s
rays. It was nice. Pleasing. I enjoyed it. The book itself is entirely
uncontroversial with nothing we haven’t heard before. The pickle Liverpool FC
and the press got themselves in made me laugh. It amuses me how the most
successful manager says something and the world rushes to disagree with him. It
was too obvious. The churlish remarks from the press who always seem to think
they know better and that it’s all very silly really – isn’t Ferguson just a
little senile – were inevitable. In this country anyone with a differing
opinion is an idiot. But are there not countless examples of genius who pushed
back on accepted wisdom and created something beautiful out of a grand old
mess? Didn’t Ferguson make a career of this? Yet the proof of his unparalleled
and quite astonishing success was deemed irrelevant. What mattered was what
they thought. Anyone who dared to insist on a different narrative to one that
had steven gerrard as one of the best ever players was a lunatic. Maybe
ferguson is wrong (he admitted he was in a minority) but isn’t it instructive
the way he’s looking at the game? Instead of trotting out generic truths he is
looking, analysing, making his own mind up, with a clear vision of how he
wanted his teams to play and what sort of player was required to achieve that.
In this country players like Gerrard and Rooney are feted for their moments of
brilliance while the sheer monotony of Scholes’ casual brilliance is a cause
for debate. Gerrard’s highlights reel is as good as any to have played in this
country. But he hasn’t won the trophies of other top players – yet it’s
blasphemy to criticise. In the book Ferguson clearly explains that he may not
always have been right, but he was always sure of his own mind and, most
importantly, was never afraid to act. It was about management, control, vision
and leadership. It was not about agreeing with everyone, pleasing anyone and
conforming to accepted norms. Those are not the qualities of a winner. And when
the fat lady sung, there was only one person who ended on top.
5) Normally, right
about now, at this point, here just here we’d talk about Shinji. We might
wonder at the injustice of life that a player so good can play so little part
in his side’s fortunes. Or we’d say that it’s all very well what you did at
Dortmund but there’s been no hint of that form since signing for United
whatever anyone wants to believe. But we’re not going into that – because it’s sort
of all become strangely irrelevant. Because now we’re going to talk about
Adnan. Fulham was the first time I’d seen him up close and personal. He is
wonderful. It’s unhelpful to compare him with the greats after five games but I
cannot resist marvelling at his balance just as we did with Giggs all those
years ago. He doesn’t have Giggs pace and I’m loath to place him on a pedestal
just yet (I call it the O’Shambles Effect – it’s chronic and once contracted a
young player has no chance. Symptoms are inability to jump or tackle but have a
disproportionately wonderful song) but he’s got it. And as sorry as I am for
Shinji (lovely player) he just doesn’t stand a chance. Adnan is just so
exciting.
6) It was clear from
the first that Marouane was a little short (on quality). But I today I
understand for the first time why Moyes panicked and bought him. (No not
because Adnan needs a bodyguard.) Marouane is part of a numbers game. Tonight
we face Sociedad and, without Evans and Carrick we’re struggling for players.
Vida won’t play twice in 3 days and with Rafael injured jones and smalling will
play in the back four. That leaves us literally with no one in midfield. With
scholes retiring, Fletcher not returning and Anderson frozen out our only
options without marouane are carrick cleverly and jones. At 11pm on transfer
deadline day having had a bid for every other midfielder in Europe rejected
Moyes was left with a stark choice. To Marouane or not to Marouane? That was
the question.
7) There’s talk that
ORVP isn’t happy. That’s he’s not electric anymore. The smile has gone! He misses Fergie! Well don’t we all? Don’t
let them get in your heads. The enemy is planting seeds of doubts – waiting for
us to implode. I absolutely refuse to believe that Moyes has antagonised his
best player and now RVP wants out. Here is a man that worked hard to secure a
move to MUFC. Is he really going to turn his back on a dream move (he could
have gone to any club in Europe last summer don’t forget) because of a training
session here or there? He is not that guy. As for body language – do not think
you know him. For years United fans thought that Giggs didn’t care and that
Heinze would die in a United shirt. You don’t know what you don’t know. All
strikers are the same. When they’re not scoring, when they’re not winning and
when other players are hogging the headlines they’re not happy. Would we want
it any other way?
8) It’s a funny old
league this year. I tried not to laugh too hard at Chelsea losing or Joe Hart’s
brain freeze, because we’re just as hilarious. The Stoke game has haunted me.
The defending for Southampton’s corner – the horror, the horror! The league is
like a snow dome, shaken but not yet settled. With Ferguson retiring and both
City and Chelsea changing managers it’s no surprise. What’s more, the new
television deal and FFP are starting to have an effect (though long term
remains questionable). In previous years any team that had a want away star
player would have to sell. Not this summer. Everyone is rich. But because of
FFP (and incompetence on our part) the top clubs were unable to sign the
world’s best. With other teams flush with cash and signing the next best things
the gap between the top 4 and the rest shrank. It’s really no surprise to see
Everton up there – they have a very good team (built by Moyes whatever revisionist
Everton fans want you to believe) and an actual squad. Five years ago they
could have never afforded that. The result is a league table that reads like
1985. It will take a while. I wouldn’t get carried away with United beating
Norwich and Fulham – I think there are more lowlights to come. But I do think
that if any team gets close to thirty points from their last ten games they
will win the league. In 93 we won our last 7 and it was enough. This time
around absolutely anyone can win it but as with all great comedy, it’s all
about the timing.
9) There’s a myth.
Namely that in this league there are big games and there are small(er) games. Note
the pundits queuing up to remind us that Arsenal haven’t played any big games
yet. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong. There are 38 big games with 3 points at stake in
each. The team that gets towards 90 points is likely to win the league. Rocket
science! Arsenal could lose home and away to united and Chelsea but win the
league by ten points. It’s a complete nonsense to stress greater importance on
games between ‘big clubs’. It’s important to go on a run of victories, to treat
every game as a chance for three vital points. This is where Moyes comes under
scrutiny. Everton were renowned for following a tremendous result at home with
an inexplicable and illogical loss to Villa or West Brom (no idea if that
actually happened). One step forward, two steps back. David Moyes needs to
understand that the league is won over thirty eight long weeks of Premiership
football – not games against Arsenal and Chelsea alone. We won’t go back over squad
mismanagement but moving forward form players must play and the squad trusted
to do its job. There is no such thing as a small game.
10) I actually think
he’s going to go hell for leather in the January window. Whatever happens the
club cannot afford to not spend, mis-spend or over-spend in another transfer
window. Too much damage was done this summer to think we can go through it all again.
11) Is Ryan Giggs –
and that Sociedad performance was wonderful. But for the first time we have a
young player who may actually take his place. I’m trying so hard to keep my
knickers on but, Adnan, I do like you.
