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From
wonderful against Bolton to woeful in Copenhagen, dazzling against
Portsmouth to disastrous versus Southend. Would the real United please
stand up? One week we are beginning to feel as though the title is a
realistic option, by the following week we are seeing the backbone of
the same team defeated by a side at the bottom of the Championship.
The
recent results have again showed our startling lack of depth, and
whether it’s lack of quality or lack of motivation, some of the players
stepping into the shoes of the first team regulars are clearly not up
for the job.
The
break for internationals didn’t appear to have affected United, and
despite giving Wigan their customary early goal, Saha and Solskjaer
responded as a second half fightback saw United grab a vital 3-1 win to
stay an inch ahead of Chelsea.
Liverpool came to Old Trafford the following Sunday on the back of a
disastrous away record, with United having the added incentive of
putting Rafa Benitez’s side eleven points off the top and effectively
out of the title race with a win.
After last month’s surprise defeat to Arsenal though, there was no place
for complacency, and this was reflected in the United display, a hungry
performance with Fletcher and Scholes setting the tempo in midfield, the
Scotsman challenging for every ball whilst the ginger maestro pulled the
strings in setting up the attacks.
It
was only fitting then that it should be Scholes who was the man to open
the deadlock, finding space to fire home from Giggs’ cross. Liverpool
rarely threatened the United defence, and although United were always in
control, there was a tangible sense of relief all over when Rio (that’s
right, Rio) hit a wonderful striker’s goal. The touch, the technique,
perfect. Will Rio now get an extended run up front? I doubt it, but our
much maligned centre back is beginning to win over United fans with
goals like this against Liverpool, with a line finally being drawn under
the problems created by the controversy over his new contract a few
seasons back.
In
the Champions League, a double header against Copenhagen was seen as the
opportunity to seal qualification before we had barely got into
November. A comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford had everyone believing
that qualification was simply a matter of time, with a victory in
Denmark apparently a foregone conclusion. Ferguson’s approach baffled, a
weak midfield with O’Shea and Fletcher a little more defensive than it
really should have been against a relatively poor Copenhagen side. With
United sitting off the Danes for a large part of the game, and failing
to kill the game off early on, Aston Villa misfit Marcus Allback struck
to earn the home side their first ever Champions League win. A year
after the defeat to Lille, and with those with memories encompassing
Wolves amongst others, this loss ranks up there with the worst. United
really don’t do things by halfs, do they?
A
result all the more confusing as in the Premiership, the story couldn’t
be any different, with the momentum after the Liverpool win showing no
signs of stopping. Third placed Bolton were clinically dispatched on
their home patch just four days before the Copenhagen debacle, with
Rooney showing a welcome return to form with a superb hat-trick in a 4-0
win.
And
as Ferguson celebrated 20 years in charge, the side responded with a
performance to match. Portsmouth, themselves also flying high, were
outclassed 3-0 at Old Trafford, with Scholes and Giggs standing out once
again. Fluid, attacking football saw Portsmouth barely get a shot on
target in the opening half an hour. Indeed even Gary Neville nearly got
in on the act, having two opportunities to score past David James, but
that in itself is a tough feat these days. And Ronaldo scored a
wonderful free-kick – miracles do happen…..
It
is ironic that for a man who engenders so much debate and criticism, and
who has puzzled United fans at various points over the past three
seasons, is the man who is having the last laugh this week as he looks
back on two decades in charge, back on top of the Premiership in 2006.
However the defeat to Southend should point out to Ferguson that there
are players not fit to wear that red shirt, for whatever reason. The
likes of Kieran Richardson and Mikael Silvestre are hardly going to be
cut out for the thrust of a tight Premiership race with Chelsea if they
are struggling to put together an adequate display against the
Championship’s bottom club. These players have had enough time to prove
themselves at the top level, and they have not made the sufficient
impact.
The
relationship between Ferguson and the fans could best be described as
having cooled over the past few seasons. His comments about the Glazers
coupled with questionable transfer decisions have left Reds wondering
whether he is the right man for the job.
In
spite of whatever qualms we may have as regards to Ferguson, and I’m
sure everyone of us has questioned his decisions down through the years,
there is a track record though that as he has done before, in the long
run Ferguson will be proved right. Let’s hope that’s the case come May
in reviving his United side in what would be one of his most impressive
achievements to date – knocking Chelsea right off their perch, to quote
(loosely!) the man himself.
Until next month,
Keep
the red flag flying high,
John
Monaghan |