It is not Fergie time anymore, Moyes' then?

It has been 7 games now since the season kick started and though it is still at infancy, I don’t recollect a season when you could not incline to bet on one of United/Chelsea/City topping the table. Instead we have Arsenal, Liverpool hogging the limelight. As said earlier, it is still premature to declare anybody a favourite but something tells me this season is going to a firecracker unlike the previous one where United romped home in April. Personally I am not happy with the situation as we are mopping up the last positions at the top half of the table. You will have to go all the way back to Fergie’s initial years to find United struggling like this in the early stages. However, I am not going to lose sleep on this as we in for a long season.

I could come up with a list of reasons as to why United have not started well this season but foremost is the retirement of the LEGEND. There are many who have not known United without SAF being on the bench and it is a bitter truth we need to grasp. You could actually see a SAF figure sized hole if you made it to the dressing room, so enormous was his presence that it instilled fear in opposition players and referees. Moyes, his successor, though has not won anything in his career seems to be a sane choice, least him being British. And it takes some time for him to acclimatize to the new job, probably the toughest if you ask me, which is not going to be Everton’ish in scale (no disrespect to the toffees).  He is coming to grips with managing the champions and making them play like one. Then, we had one of the worst transfer window anybody could imagine. The management failed to walk the talk about supporting the manager with a huge kitty and the gaffer was left high and dry. Ed, only if that t**t was to sighted someplace. Add to this a minor hiccup in the form of Wayne Rooney’s future with the club. It is hence not a surprise that United are limping after all these hurdles. Still, the team needs to pull its weight just because we are UNITED and the bar is high.

Looking back at the transfer window, our hopes were raised sky high about snaring the who’s who of the midfield stars from the Iberian nations to ze germans. Thiago was so close to joining us before moving to Bayern, Ronaldo flirted with us before committing his future to Madrid, Fabregas was openly wooed. When the window closed, we bought only one – the Belgian with an afro, funnily paying 4 mil more than his price if bought before August, and barely before the deadline at that. How sorely David Gill and his business acumen was missed. Till then it was only SAF being missed but the terrible business concluded in the summer just highlighted Gill’s worth to the club, an able ally to the manager lost (resigned to take over the chair in UEFA). When Ed returned from down under even before the game against the all stars, I was more or less convinced that one of the above mentioned scheming midfielders would be moving to Salford. Little did I realize how pathetic he was at his new role, signing one deal after the other in generating revenues but penny pinching when it came to invest it back on the players. Well it has to be lessons learnt and perform better in the subsequent transfer windows but I am still skeptical about Ed doing justice in adding strength to the team. When the deadline crossed, the major coup for us was retaining the services of Rooney which I was not keen though during early summer.

The season’s fixture list when rolled out had me thinking if it was designed specifically for United to compensate for the way we finished the last season, playing Liverpool, Chelsea and City in the first 5 games. We lost 2 games and drew one, thanks to cautious approach by Mourinho back in charge for the blues and derby was particularly humiliating. But, now that we have seen the back of these games, the players should take initiative to relieve some pressure from Moyes and deliver results. By Christmas, if we are in the top 4 then we can be confident of making the cut when the season ends. I have no hopes of winning the league or any cup this season as the new manager needs time to get his ideas across and have everybody on the same page. For the neutrals, the season could not have started in a better way as the London clubs are hugging the top table with Liverpool being in the mix. It is now 6 teams vying for 4 CL spots, a mouth watering prospect when we near the ‘sqeaky bum time’ with no clear favourites.

The Chosen One

Fergie asked the fans to get behind the new manager during his farewell at Old Trafford and that is enough for me not to gun for Moyes’ head even if we perform poorly now. I have convinced myself to be patient for at least 2 years and not doubt the new manager’s ability hoping the wise elder’s words come true. Manchester United inherited by Fergie is not the same as one now with Moyes. The great scot has seen to that the mechanizations are in place and all that is expected from the successor is to play the brand of football epitomized by Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. History will be made.

“So come on David Moyes!

Play like Fergie’s boys!

We’ll go wild, wild, wild!”

Victory parade; POTY; The final bow from Fergie and Scholes

Alright, with the trophy presentation done and dusted and covered in our last post, we had an eventful week culminating in the end of season with a 10 goal thriller at Hawthorns and the MANAGER bidding adieu to the game he so dominated. Before we go in to the game, let us look at the highlights of the week and rightfully to start from the open top bus parade for the champions. As I mentioned in the last post, I was so eager to catch the action Live and to be frank, it was a nice experience too and enjoyed the celebration. This being the last season for Sir Alex, no doubt the city of Manchester was in full attendance to say goodbye. The streets looked like they were given a fresh paint in red.

Manchester is RED

MUTV were covering the event Live and they were pulling aside the players for their comments on the season, triumph and of course on their thoughts on Sir Alex’s retirement. The younger players were overwhelmed with the occasion and why not, having tasted the league triumph for the first time after agonisingly losing to Man City in 2012. Rio and Ashley were the leaders in the pack belting out one song after the other for the fans to pitch in and sing along. It wasn’t surprising to hear a lot of “oh Robin van Persie..” or “He scores goals galore”. At the end of the parade, Fergie addressed the gathering and pretty much covered the same points that he gave out at the last home game. There was one point however that Scholesy and Fergie kept repeating – “I thought that ’99 could not be beaten, but I think this was better than that”. We know the reason behind an unprecedented crowd swelling up the streets of Manchester largely due to the manager’s decision to retire from the game.

                Couple of days later, it was the team’s end of the year party where the POTY and other awards are dished out to the deserving. When it was time to announce the awardees, I was right on 4 of the major awards. Adnan Januzaj was announced as the winner of the “Reserves player of the year” and this was hardly a surprise if one was following the reserve team in action for the last few months. Goal of the season – who else could it be if not for RVP having fired 25+ goals. He bagged the award for scoring a peach of a goal against Aston Villa, yes the game that mathematically confirmed us to be the winners of the league. “Sir Matt Busby Player of the year” is given to the player chosen through fans’ voting. Since it was RVP who grabbed the headlines for all the right reasons and completed the United puzzle, also becoming a crowd favourite instantly, garnered most number of votes to pocket this trophy as well.  I was a little bit disappointed as I had voted for Michael Carrick. L The last but the most important of the personal awards is the “Player’s player of the year” and I don’t recollect if there had been a unanimous choice for this in the last 10-15 years. Sitting deep and dictating the game for the whole season and being the heartbeat of the team, Carrick was more than deserved in receiving the award from Sir Alex. It has taken quite a few seasons for many people to acknowledge the talent that he is, rightfully the successor for Scholes.

MU awards

                On Sunday, the season came to an end with United travelling to West Brom, an occasion that would also mark an end to the careers of Paul Scholes and Sir Alex Ferguson. Giggs and Scholes started from the bench while Rooney was given a leave of absence to be with his wife at her bedside as she went into labour. It was a young and untested eleven that was fielded to mark 1500^th game of Sir Alex as a manager for Manchester United. To mark the occasion, both the set of players gave a guard of honour for Sir Alex. It was also unheard off that a club dedicates 40 pages in the match day programme to the visiting club or its manager which underlines the respect and adoration that Fergie commands across the whole of Britain. Thanks to the West Brom club, its manager and especially their fans who were equally applauding and saluting Fergie when he walked into the pitch, they made it special.

When the teams headed into the tunnel at half time and the score reading 1-3, it was like the players had planned for a great send off to the gaffer. I was imagining us winning by a goal difference of 5 or more. This being the last game for the gaffer, I knew there would be room for some sentiment. Giggs and Scholes (his last game as well) made entry into the game in the second half as substitutes. I was delighted to see Adnan in the bench and was expecting him to make an appearance as well. However, things took a turn at Hawthorns as home team took the game to the United players and they in turn were least bothered about their defensive duties. Anders was not afforded any protection by United’s defenders and I felt bad for him. With United leading 5-2 when Scholes came in, were trying to save some grace in the last moments of the match after Lukaku scored a second half hat trick to bring the score line to 5-5. I guess this was the reason, Adnan was not sent in and Rio was pushed instead to shore up the defence.

Bowing out

When the final whistle was blown, the away fans let out a collective sigh of relief for not losing game and embarrassing the outgoing manager. This was a game that we should have put to bed very early but the players slackened a bit and never looked to play like the champions that they are. End of the day, Fergie was not left embarrassing, but still it was a good send off with a 10 goal thriller. A thriller it was, that had come to define the manager’s reign at Manchester United. A goal in the “Fergie time” so fervently hoped by many fans including yours faithfully never came but it was still a wonderful game that I enjoyed (only because we had won the league already). Fergie took to the field and applauded the visiting fans for their support over the last 27 years. It was again a teary eyed moment for me reminding me that this giant will not be in the bench next year plotting for more glory.

We will look at the U21 action that happened this week and a review of how the season was in our next post. Until then....

Swansong for Scholes and Fergie; The trophy heads back home

An emotional day it was yesterday and Sir Alex who has been dominating the headlines from Tokyo to New York the whole week received a fitting reception and result for what was his last appearance at the theatre of dreams as a manager. Ever since he announced his decision to abdicate his throne, the highly anticipated weekend when the champions were to lift the trophy went up a notch in frenzy. I was all positioned before my television a good 10 minutes before the pre-game show and fidgeting around. Though it was all about Sir Alex, I didn't forget this was the last time our ginger prince would also weave his magic at Old Trafford. Now why would this not be emotional?

When the teams were announced, I was surprised to not find Rooney in the bench let alone the starting eleven. This confirmed the rumour that was also doing the rounds last week on his alleged request for transfer. However it was the neither the time nor the day to spare a thought for that cunning ba****d as it was all about the God of Manchester, God of Football. Given the occasion, Fergie fielded the best eleven with Scholes starting beside Carrick. Further, the gaffer was given a guard of honour by both the set of players, a deserving one or should I say it was the duty carried out. The crowd was in ebullient mood having secured the 20^th title and the fans created a mosaic featuring “20 CHAMPIONS 13”. All the fans were given a red flag to wave and the entire stadium was covered in red specks. MUFC were however thoughtful to provide the away supporters with white flags to celebrate their League cup win.

Guard of Honour

Once the game started, it was back to business for the Manager chewing gum and chatting with the assistant coach. Players in the field were all pumped up for the occasion and United were harassing the away team with continuous bombardment from all directions. If there was any occasional counter attack launched, they were swiftly hacked down. The reds were putting on a classy display to send off their manager on a high. And the home team was rewarded for their efforts with Chicarito doing what he does best – poaching a deflected ball from a free kick and slotting home a goal. It sent the rapturous crowd to their feet and Sir Alex was all gleeful. When the teams went in at half time, the tone was set for the game. Paul Scholes was the man pulling the strings in the middle of the park creating chance after chance and even came close to scoring one last time. Carrick was playing a second fiddle to the midfield magician who was constantly reminding us what we would be missing from the next season.

Rio Screamer

After the last half time talk by Fergie in OT, I was expecting United to pile on misery and carve Swansea out and scoring more goals. Unfortunately, it was the away team who started the half with intent to crash Fergie’s party and soon they were rewarded with an equalizer from none other than Michu. Was it complacency or being overwhelmed by the occasion, United started to lose the plot and were chasing the game in the second half. After an hour mark, as I expected, Sir Alex substituted Scholesy with Ando and the ovation given by the OT faithful was hair-raising. It was the gaffer’s way of thanking the genius for his contribution for the last 2 decades. It was also when Giggs was brought in to replace Welbeck – to soothe the nerves and create chances for United to win the game. It was not until 3 minutes from stoppage time that the matters were put to rest. Fergie found a saviour for his party in an unlikely source – Rio Ferdinand who latched to a poor clearance from a corner and thundered a volley in to the net. Yet another late goal from United that had come to define Fergie’s reign and the goal sent the OT crowd to delirium. We could also see Fergie doing his daddy dance, clearly delighted with the outcome after some nervy moments. On the whole, even if United slackened a bit in the second half, I could count everybody chipping in with their effort yesterday. There was a marvellous tackle from Scholesy without conceding a foul and winning the possession back. Kagawa was making some intelligent runs and showed glimpse of what he could offer the next season, RVP was determined to star in a play maker role, Jones deputizing for Rafael in RB hacking down any counter attack and Vidic and Ferdinand offering a composed back line. This was Fergie’s 1499^th game as a United manager!

Thanks to Star Sports for not thrusting any commercial breaks after the game as I was eager to follow the happenings in the pitch. But I guess that was because the manager was about to make a speech. Though he said he might ramble on without any prepared script, his oratorical side was at exhibition again as he made a heartfelt speech and requested everybody to support our new manager without naming him J. Of course we will be behind him the next season but today is about you. When it was time for the trophy presentation, it was Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson, ex captains of the United team who carried the trophy to the podium. Soon the gaffer and the team followed to collect their winner’s medals. As the trophy was presented to Vidic and Evra, captains of the season they chose to hand it over to the Manager who lifted it for the 13^th time in his career.

Not 20 forever?

As luck would have it, MUTV were providing a free link to follow further celebrations in the pitch and a lap of honour. The gaffer was accompanied by his eleven grandchildren, so cute, wearing a jersey that said “Granddad 20”. Awesome. It was another 30 minutes of celebration in the pitch which I did enjoy and that is when the gaffer opened up on when he decided to retire and on Rooney. He proved a point even at the end of his career by dropping the fat man and showing nobody is bigger than the club. I should however say, I didn't enjoy the studio setup of MUTV with Lou Macari and Ron Atkinson sharing their pearls of wisdom. Thank god, I was saved with some coverage of the dressing room where the players were enjoying posing with trophy and pulling other’s legs. David Gill and Malcolm Glazer were blindsided when the young kids opened the champagne on them who had joined the staff and the players in the title celebration. You could also spot Giggs and Scholes in the corner soaking in the mood in the room and happy for the ones winning their first medal. I guess that is what you expect when somebody wins for 13^th and 11^th time respectively. I could not write this up yesterday as it was well past midnight when MUTV stopped the telecast (well at least for free users LOL). I have whipped up this post now as quickly as possible to make it in time to catch the parade, again MUTV bringing it to us... J.

He scores goals galore; He scores goals.

Like how all good things have to come to an end, yesterday was perhaps an end of 2 glorious chapters in the history of Manchester United. You are never going to find another Paul Scholes. It was a shame he retired early from his international career – courtesy Erikson. The national team’s loss was the club’s gain I believe. Likewise, repeating a Ferguson is an impossible task and going by the present trend, if a manager could stay with the same club for more than few years the same will be celebrated – funny but possible.

           Let me sign off for the week with some piece of my mind.

• Thanks to Sir Alex Ferguson again for making an impossible dream made possible.
• Thanks to Paul Scholes for pure, unadulterated entertainment all these years.
• The little boy after all gets his flavour of ice cream, the one he wanted at the end of last season.
• For what it is worth, let us dump that twat to PSG or any oil sheikh bankrolled club outside PL. He is a piece of work, but if his heart is set elsewhere, why hold on to him and allow him to keep insulting us. What if Sir Alex will not be around, he deems Moyes fit to carry on with the work. So let us trust him to carry us for further seasons drenched with more glory.

          Another emotional weekend awaits, until then.

A Legend retires; An era ends; The game will never be the same

Fergie, give us a wave, Fergie, Fergie, give us a wave...

”An end of an era” is something people casually cough up but if these words are to be used in an occasion that actually demands it, there is no better time than now as Sir Alex has decided to walk down the sunset in football management career that spanned 4 decades of which 27 years being at the helm of Manchester United. A sad day for football and specifically for me indeed for I have always known that Manchester United is Sir Alex Ferguson. His retirement though inevitable was something that was pushed back to a corner in my mind thinking it will never happen for few more years filled with glory. This being the 10^th season since I started following football and the MUFC could not comprehend a possibility of seeing another bloke taking the reins over from our beloved Scot. Though not going into details, I can say my productivity at work was impacted today post noon when the news tricked down.

What is left for me to talk about this wonderful person who has continuously pushed himself against all challenges to deliver success and enthrall everyone with his brand of football? The sheer length of his duration at the club of this magnitude deserves respect and is now a rarity with a hire & fire policy being the mantra at all clubs. Only Arsene Wenger and David Moyes in Britain can boast of longevity at a particular club. It will be left to Arsene to carry the torch alone from next season as the rumours suggest the Evertonian might replace SAF. Let me refrain from talking on who can replace SAF anymore as I am yet to recover from the shock dealt today. How could you ever do this to us Fergie? I thought you still had 10 more years to go on in you and pit your wits with the then new crop of managers, possibly ones from the current first team.

All day I have been recollecting his duels in the past with the usual rivals and Arsene in particular for the reason I have been ranting incessantly all along and how he had come out on top. The most famous quotes of Sir Alex I guess would be “I ll knock them off their perch” when unveiled as the manager in 1986 on Liverpool’s dominance. I bet except for him and a few in the club hierarchy who knew what they had in possession would have discarded those words as gibberish. He did knock them off their perch in 2011 and kept his word. Now we can all agree he actually meant them way back then. If there was a season when we did not win, it spurred him and he made sure we were back to the pole the next season, latest victory being an example. Now I feel he may have planned to retire last year but City made sure he had to put his plans on hold to let them know who the boss is at Manchester! Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the greatness he has achieved and the service he has rendered to football. He was not an ambassador just for MUFC but for the Barclays Premier League and football in general as well.

What has amazed me over the years is how he handles player egos under his roof. To sell David Beckham at his prime who was a youth product could have been possible only for SAF. He sent his messages loud and clear. Toe the line or head to exit ASAP. He was lucky to have a team of people working for him and the owners who made things possible if he requested for. As a corollary, you could also say that his vision and achievements made his requests a no-brainer for the above said group to comply with his requests.

Sir Alex’s trust in youth development has been a major contributor towards constant success at the club. When the other clubs went out to pay over the odds to usher in stars, he was steadily setting up a supply chain of young players who could excel in the top league. How else do you explain the 2012-13 league win with a couple of stars and a whole bunch of kids in their early 20s. Even if I were not around following football in the 90s, I am aware of the “Fergie Fledgings” in the same mould as “Busby babes” comprising Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville brothers who made Alan Hansen eat his words “You can’t win with kids”. That is a mark of a genius. He always championed for a good youth academy and an organised scouting system to be set up in the club and he has seen them reap dividends and the national team have also been a beneficiary in this instance. He knows the recipe for success and reinvents himself to adjust to the present climate to sustain successes.

In his 27 years of association with the club, he has also seen a number of star signings and couple of them at a bargain price. I hear Cantona’s transfer originated from a chance enquiry on his availability from Leeds and when he received a positive response, we all know what followed. He also oversaw the signings of Peter Schmeichel, Andrei Kanchelskis, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam to name a few who had a proven record. He knew how to blend youth with experience to extract the maximum potential from the group. He could convince players he felt would contribute to the club to join him at United if they were uncertain of their future. He always launched a passionate defence for his players if he felt were targeted and was protective of them like a family. David Beckham in his tribute today had acknowledged this virtue by saying he may not have become a person he is if not for Sir Alex.

13 league titles, 5 FA cups, 2 European cups in a span of 27 years, 38 in total with Manchester United should be a massive record of sorts. Given the present scenario of how the clubs are run, I do not see a manager in the future who can achieve the same with one club. I do believe it is possible at MUFC but could we unearth the next Ferguson? We can painfully remember how long we took to find Fergie since Matt Busby moved on to become the director at the club. We had to even face relegation in 74’ironically pushed to by a goal from Denis Law for City. One note of satisfaction is the club during those days are far cry from how it is being run now. With the present set up, I think we are safe for few more years to be competing for top honours in England and in Europe. That too is a vision of the Glaswegian to make sure the team did not suffer from his exit.

For the last few years there has always been a legend retiring from the ranks to bring us fans to a standstill and then let us celebrate them for their achievements. I still remember when Scholes revealed his retirement right after losing the CL in 2011 but having won the PL. I have been a huge fan of his that I was thinking along on the lines of who could be brought to replace him in the midfield. Though he was irreplaceable as a legend of MU, there were still a handful of equally brilliant players in his position who could have made his departure less painful. That was because we still had Sir Alex and I trusted if he waved his wand, the gap may be filled. When the magician himself makes an exit, who do we look up to? That is why it is more disheartening to witness the manager bid goodbye.

Fergie time - open for extra 5 minutes today - cashing in on the occasion

I am going to miss the gaffer constantly chewing the gum from the bench while plotting his next strategy to gain an upper hand in the game. I am going to miss his antics at the touchline when the game heads to some nervy moments and his jibes at the fourth officials. I am going to miss the” Fergie time” when we are trailing after 90 minutes. I am going to miss him as manager with youthful enthusiasm in celebrating goals. Overall he leaves a gaping hole in the club that is not going to be filled anytime soon. I can only hope for a Matt Busby reborn in this era to take over the club again.

His statue at the entrance of Sir Alex Ferguson Stand

Thank you Sir Alex, thank you for entertaining us all these years. To me Manchester United will always be you. You define Manchester United. Take a bow. A tribute from one of the millions of Manchester United fans across the globe.

Oh, every single one of us,

Loves Alex Ferguson,

Loves Alex Ferguson,

Loves Alex Ferguson...

Title hangover continues, also covering week 36 updates

          If you were expecting a game review here, I am sorry to disappoint you guys because it will be a 3rd review of games against Chelsea in my 9th post. Having said that, I should not have waited till the game to write this as I am still hurting from the way we lost the game to the blues. I don’t give a shite if we have won the league and the team just needs to go through the motions. When we play the big 4 it is always an important game and let me tell you how I get these losses out of my system. Play the victors in FIFA PC game and hammer them in the professional level for a minimum of 3 games. Of course it doesn’t make any difference to the outside world, but that is how I make peace with the result.

          Alright, let us look at the news for the week since the last post. To start with the game at Emirates – everybody showed a generous dose of hangover from a weeklong partying. I can live with it for the guys had delivered the Holy Grail for the season. However it was a marked improvement in the second half when the lads put the gunners to their places though the finishing in the last third was left wanting. As mentioned earlier, I would have loved to see us win against Arsenal but had to contend with a point. A special mention here about RVP who kept his cool in the charged up atmosphere to slot in the penalty past the gunner’s custodian.

          On the personnel front, did anybody miss Cleverley? I sure did, that lad sure has talent and with a bit of application can nail down a permanent CM position. But what goes through Sir Alex’s mind is impossible to decipher. The Basingstoke born lad had been a revelation in the first half of the season and was the first name in the team sheet when on international duty. So why he has been MIA is beyond me. Now that the league is all wrapped up, it would be nice to see the kid play again. He did play today’s game but I still wanted to write on his absence as this had been nagging me the whole week. Probably you can choose to assume this post was written before today’s game. :P

          Along with the quarterly revenue announcements midweek shared by Ed Woodward who is set to take over from David Gill as Fergie’s boss, he spoke about how the team doesn’t need retooling citing the depth the squad has. Guess he is trying to set the tone of his regime or the anti-united would like to believe that the picture is not going to be rosy with the manager as it had been in the last 26 years. pooh pooh. Fergie’s sentiments echoed the same even if he dropped a hint on possibility of couple of marquee signings. This has been a change from his earlier days when the transfer targets were secretly guarded. Robert Lewandowski? Radamel Falcao? CR7?

Sir Alex with the outgoing Chief Executive David Gill

         Another news that popped up last week was that of the op that the gaffer had to undergo before the next season starts. I guess the timing coincides with the community shield against City and he may miss the season opener. However, the op being scheduled after the pre-season tour and not immediately after this season gets over suggests it may not be a major surgery. I am not sure if his age of 71 should be factored into despite his boyish enthusiasm when I opine on the severity. As expected, his retirement was brought in to discussion again with Jurgen Klopp being mooted as a replacement. Though the German is a good tactician, I sincerely hope our good old Scot continues to oversee many more triumphs.

        Van Persie knows how to win the fans over. (Has he not already at Manchester?) Since the Bulgarian Berbatov’s departure last season the no 9 has not been allocated to anybody. Does his role fit the jersey #, of course yes. But he has chosen not to switch from his #20 because the fans will have to fork out extra quids. Wow! And he gets to enjoy another year with the title #20. The little boy in him should have advised him on the jersey number. Since we are on this topic, let me get something else out. Valencia deserved to wear 7 after last season’s performance. Editing this season’s highlights for United, he may resemble a shadow of himself and to think of the legends who have donned the jersey – Best, Robson, Cantona, Beckham and Ronaldo oh my god.

Making Busquets proud?

       Though I decided not to write a review of the game against Chelsea, let us glance over some salient points of note. The team line up screamed only one message – give a run in for players with less time on pitch so far. Despite this, the team boasted of RVP, Jones and Rafael who have been standout this season for the team. I started writing this post immediately after the game and I was boiling at how the game ended. I so hoped for us to do the double on the blues shite but they trumped us clearly a CL spot being a motivation. We were so lacking on that, lads didn’t know what they were playing for except probably Jones who does wear his heart on his sleeve. I agree with the gaffer that he is destined for greatness at Old Trafford. To make matters worse, Rafael went bonkers revealing his petulant side in fouling David Luiz to see a red. He may have deserved the card, but to see that twat laughing at the sidelines feigning injury, I wish Rafael caused him serious injury. Let me stop now as I may tip over thinking about the game again and again. It is time to kick Rafa’s arse in my FIFA game - AGAIN.

Until next week.....

League Title #20, visit to the Emirates

                Since the last post which was a fortnight ago, there are a lot of topics that we could cover on, not the least title no 20 wrapped up and safe in the kitty. Man oh man, what a season this has been for United coming back with vengeance in taking back what was rightfully ours – the league title that was so painfully yanked out under our noses in the injury time by Aguero. It feels sweet now to have exacted revenge with four games to spare. Come on you devils.

                The plans have already been made for an open bus parade and it starts from Old Trafford and ends at the city centre on Monday, the 12^th of May and the fans get to rejoice and celebrate with the team and the technical staff – a day after City plays Wigan in the FA cup final... cheeky. Rewinding to the start of the season, when United started off disastrously by losing to Everton, nobody would have forecast us to win the title with 4 games to spare. The game was followed by a lot of victories most of which were snatched from the jaws of defeat. I guess we sort of created a record for most number of comebacks in a season. But it was the holiday fixtures that set the tone for a dominating display from United crushing the opposition one after the other while the competitors were slipping away. On paper, this team may not be the best in Britain, but with Fergie spearheading the flock, you never write off Manchester United (remember Alan Hansen).

Celebration at OT after 3-0 win against Aston Villa

Alright, now after the Stoke game, we travelled to East London and returned with a point which was great given the rough treatment our boys received. When the shitty blues failed to overhaul the spurs, United needed a victory at home against the Villans to win the big prize. 2 minutes in to the game, RVP set the tone and polished them off in the first half, only waiting for the formalities to be completed in the second half. It is always special to win before your home crowd and I wish I could have been at the theatre of dreams on Monday. I have since watched the pitch and the dressing room celebrations innumerable times. Every time I end up smiling and it will be sometime before I move on from these videos. J I know I have not mentioned anything about the wonder strike from the Dutchman that has been dubbed as the goal of the century by Sir Alex but do not want to make this post a lengthy one which may be the case. Thank goodness he chose red over blue.

With this league triumph, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs have won a phenomenal 13 winner’s medals. Only Manchester United and Liverpool have more league wins than these gentlemen. What a way to compare their achievements. To top this, Giggs and Arsenal, both have won the title 13 times LOL. On the medals to be given out, looks like there is no more minimum number of matches to be played to collect a winner’s medal. So Anders Lindegaard and Alex Buttner would collect one as well, their first! They aren’t the only ones who have won the league for the first time. It is a huge list – Phil Jones, De Gea, Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Shinji Kagawa have all won for the first time. It was intentional that I missed to add another illustrious name to the above list, the man who made it possible to win the title no 20 – Robin van Persie. What an impact he has created since donning the jersey of Manchester United. It would not be far from truth if I say it is second to King Eric in terms of driving the team to win the league. Now would he reach the great heights of Cantona remains to be seen but his technique and class is never in doubt. He could one day, you never know. Fingers crossed.

Champ20ns of England - for the 20th time

The gaffer has set the target of collecting the maximum points in the last 4 games to set a league record of points accumulated (96) with the current record being 95 set by Chelsea under Mourinho. To put this to test, United first play their erstwhile rivals tomorrow. Yes I did say erstwhile as the meetings have lost its steam after the north London club became more of a feeder club for bigger vultures by selling their top talents. Of course RVP falls under that bracket but then the players who left before him – Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Song (with him) and Henry even if he was on the wrong side of 30s has come to bite them in the rear. All said, this fixture is still a top billing for all football fans. The gunners still play a beautiful game they are known for but as long as they don’t win against us, I am happy to concede this particular title to them.

With United visiting them right after winning the league means they are obliged to extend a guard of honour when the devils walk on to the pitch. To know Arsene mention that not performing the formality was never in question is an appreciable gesture. The gunners will do so with no qualms but with a tinge of disappointment which may drive them to extract the maximum points once the referee waves play, the same cannot be said about the fans. They still see RVP as a betrayer who failed them by stalling to extend his contract and to add insult to injury joined their old rivals. They may take a while to forgive him or probably never given the sentiments I have been seeing from the die-hard Gooners. He is in for a hot reception and as a professional he will not mind them. But it will still be bitter for him to be booed by a 50000+ Gooners who cheered him not long time ago. He may still be having some pleasant memories of his stay there. The fans have their right to boo him or give him the stick; after all he was their darling and captain last season. They had patiently waited for him to overcome a series of injuries to perform consistently and they felt being backstabbed with his announcement to join the Manchester club. From RVP’s perspective, was he right in swapping London for Manchester? Yes, I think so, if not he would still be waiting for his first league winner’s medal.

But hey, f**k them as I don’t give a damn about how a Gooner feels for I started following PL during the Invincibles’ reign. With absolute no knowledge of football, I used to watch those games and support United because that was the first team I got to know and when they were rolled over by Henry and co, I developed a hatred for them. Though the sentiment has mellowed, deep down I still carry a grudge against them. Add City, Chelsea and the Kops to that list and that would hold good for any fan from other teams to have the same sentiment against others. If you ask me how I would feel if a United player swaps his jersey for one of our rivals, I will be pissed of course but till then I will always say “Once a red, always a red”. OK, Denis Law probably is an exception.

Moving on to the game in hand, it may be expected that the manager will rotate his squad and give a chance to fringe players, I still expect to see a strong line up as 3 points against Arsenal is a must. Since they are involved in a CL spot scramble, we can expect a tough game. Evans and Carrick may sit out of this game with the injuries along with Young and Scholes. Nani, could make a return I guess or not sure if he has already played his last game for United (?). For Arsenal, even with Giroud serving the ban and Wilshere having not completely recovered from his injury, they do possess intelligent players in their roster who can cause damage. Santi Cazorla especially will try to dictate the game and we will need a strong midfield to overcome him + their passing game. I see United scoring, hitting them on the break which we do best but will have to be vigilant for the 90 minutes to keep them at bay.

My prediction for the game is a United win with the scoreline 1-2. And Robin van Persie to get his name on the score sheet.

In other news,

Arsene Wenger is supposed to have snubbed RVP by saying Carrick deserves the PFA award more than the dutchman. I don’t see that as a snub as I feel strongly that it should be Carrick to win and not RVP. It is by no way belittling RVP’s contribution this season but it has always been the case where only strikers are felicitated and the linchpins of the teams are ignored. Carrick’s contribution to Manchester United has been as good as RVP if not more and it is time FA stops being stereotypic.

A deserving PFA 2013 nominee - Michael Carrick

United ease past Stoke City with a routine win

After 2 successive losses, a victory was badly in need for the reds. Now, if the losses were followed by a trip to Stoke, it could be an intimidating prospect but never a cakewalk. Stoke are known for the physicality and Sir Alex had to get the team right to match them in muscle. Vidic, back from injury and Ferdinand pairing at the centre and Jones manning the right back is the best you could ask for from the available defenders who can withstand the onslaught - physical. Kagawa made the cut as well but again was played in the left wing. Glancing at the eleven and looking at Rooney, RVP and Chicarito in the line up, I was thinking on a three pronged attack strategized by the manager. What followed took me completely by surprise as Rooney started in the middle with Carrick at his left. Is Rooney really going to be moulded in to a midfielder with the wealth of attacking options up front? How would Roy Hodgson respond?

                Once the game commenced, United started passing the ball between themselves slowly building the play up before earning a corner in the third minute. The resulting RVP’s corner kick was received by Phil Jones who could not connect and the ball fell at Carrick’s legs who toe poked it to the corner scoring his first of the season. The last time he scored was against Bolton some 15 months ago! If I thought the goal set the tempo for the game, I was wrong. United played like they cared for nothing and probably were kicking around at Carrington complex. A mention on the away supporters is a must as they were louder than the home support and kept singing one chant after the other cheering the team throughout.

United’s game plan was to have them carry the ball on the wings and cross them in to the box. This however applied only to Valencia as when I noticed Kagawa playing in LW, I knew we will not have the wing play on the left. He was drifting in more often positioning himself between Rooney and Carrick, not that I complain (yet). On the other hand, Stoke clearly didn’t have a plan in place to contain United and I guess they resorted to their usual style of long balls to the box from anywhere in the field. With no accuracy or a player running across to meet the ball, their attempts ended futile. With United dominating the lion’s share of possession, they could not find an incisive pass to the forwards to try shooting at the target. I was astounded to see Chicarito seeing very little or no action at one end (unhappy) and the same experienced by De Gea at the other (happy). This is where I blame Kagawa, for he was playing behind the strikers but could not carve the opposition at will. He was carrying the ball well and making simple passes which is commendable but then I don’t expect the basics from him. I would have wanted to see him being imaginative and creating chances rather than being a carrier.

Playing Stoke, one must always be on guard against the set pieces for that is where they thrive on. First half didn’t have any clear chances for them to take a shot at and anything thrown deep were easily cleared up by the United defence. As I was brooding on how come there has not been one rough challenge, Shawcross answered my virtual question immediately by bringing down Chicarito with a rough tackle few minutes before the end of the half. The game was played at a relaxed pace and United didn’t seem to score again. As the half came to an end, RVP looked like he may extend his unwarranted record for not scoring goals since “X” minutes and being compared with the blue's flop. To his credit however, the servicing from the midfield had deteriorated in the last few games and he was not being played into which means he had to create his own chances. But he was sharpish and was making the right runs except the right ball never came to him.

Goal scorers

As the second half unfolded, Stoke wanted to make amends to the scorecard and attacked United with zest. However, there was one part of their play which made me sick as well as laugh at the irony. For the muscular build their players possess, they were going down to the ground far too easily at the faintest of touches. Eight minutes in to the half, Chicarito picked out RVP with a wonderful pass and the Dutchman could only muster a rattling of the side netting. The angle was very acute though, if there was one, so it was a well tried attempt. This was immediately followed by some action in De Gea’s box where Jonathan Walters lashed a strike over the crossbar. With the long balls notwithstanding, Charlie Adam kept shooting from 40 yards and beyond which were powerful but well collected by the Spanish GK.

Emotional celebration - picture perfect

There was one other virtual question of mine which was answered immediately when posed. After an hour of game play, I was wondering if it was really a match with Stoke playing as the cards stayed put in the referee’s pocket. No sooner had I thought, Valencia was booked for a foul and saw a yellow. I didn’t expect United player to be the first being booked LOL. Two minutes later, RVP was tackled in the box by Andy Wilkinson and the referee wasted less than a second in pointing to the spot. It was a no brainer on who would take the penalty as RVP volunteered (?) and deposited the ball to the right corner. The drought was finally over and I could sense Arsenal fans across the globe simmering. Sir Alex was at the touchline when the goals ticker flicked to 2 and RVP rushed on towards the gaffer and crushed him with a tight embrace. It was one of those moments to be snapped away and could well be on its way to the front cover of sports magazines J. One goal lead is never safe as bellowed out by Martin Tyler in all the versions of FIFA (till 11 as I have not seen the last 2 versions) and the penalty took United to an unassailable position.

Barely tested De Gea was brought into play in the last 20 minutes with him making 2 stupendous saves especially the viciously curling free kick from Charlie Adam almost going into the far corner only to be denied by his outstretched hands. With twelve minutes remaining, both the teams made substitutions by Welbeck replacing Chicarito and Michael Owen coming on for Jonathan Walters. It was nice to see him getting a standing ovation from both the sets of fans, and United fans would have had the derby decider goal in their mind. Stoke switched to a 4-3-3 once Crouch made it to the field but could not muster any further shots on target as the devils played some keep-ball to wind down the remaining minutes and tighten their grip on a twentieth league title.

Takeaway from the game:

• Kagawa is miles behind in terms of the improvement he has to show if he needs to stake an automatic selection to the team.
• Rooney fitted to a T in the central midfield and his ball distribution was astute - MOM performance.
• RVP’s miserable 751 minutes on the field was brought to an end even if it was not from an open play.
• United have moved fifteen points ahead of their nearest rivals City who have one game in hand but we are more or less destined to lift the trophy at West Brom this may.

Manchester Derby - Red or Blue?

Come Monday night, the pride of Manchester is what is at stake. Or so what I hear from the city fans (whose number was on the rise last year but has been on check so far this year...LOL) while devils like me though would like to entertain the thought, is nothing more than a taunt to mask the present state of affairs in the BPL standings. I agree the games between the Manchester sides are always pulsating and bound to invoke high emotion. I have ended up watching the dying moments of the last few derbies standing/restless with bated breath silently pleading the referee to bring the curtains down if United were up or allow extra seconds for a comeback if they were down. Now, having decided against watching late kickoffs (disadvantages of being 5:30 hours ahead of GMT), I have rather resigned myself to write on some pre-game analysis this time around than a match report.

My guess for the team for derby is below but you can never pick Sir Alex’s brain with the headache he has getting the selection right with the arsenal at his disposal...no pun intended.

Starting XI: De Gea, Rafael, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra, Young, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, van Persie

Substitutes: Lindegaard, Smalling, Buttner, Valencia, Kagawa, Cleverley, Welbeck, Hernandez

I have gone for a 4-4-1-1 formation that has been used predominantly this season against an expected 4-2-3-1 from the citizens. I don’t think Mancini would try his 3-5-2 against United given the returns they have seen when used this season.

Looking at the figure below, it is clear as a sky that I want the attack to originate from the right wing where you can count on Rafael and Nani hoping they are at their marauding best. Rooney to play a No. 10 role behind RVP but could interchange as the game proceeds. I have my reasons for not having Cleverley or Kagawa in the team sheet. The former to avoid a stronger blue midfield running circles around him while the latter for his physical build or the lack of it and not to be swatted around by Yaya like a fly. Carrick being a certain starter for the games this season needs no explanation. Giggs on the other hand has the experience to cope up with talent he would come up against and weave some brilliance of his own though not venturing forward as often.

Phil Jones vs Kun Aguero:

                Jones has been singled out for praise by Ferguson describing him animal for football. The lad has shown tremendous improvement from his days in Rovers where he was a standout performer making United to knock on his doors. He made his reputation for big killings marking the star men out of the game and most recently against Ronaldo still fresh in our memory (actually making Ronaldo switch flanks). Jones, if picked will try to contain the diminutive Argentinean centre forward – Aguero. The striker is astute in reading the game and an exponent of breaking offside trap. His strength and agility are his advantages when playing off the last defender. We will never forget him for the heartache he caused last season by whisking away the league trophy from United’s grasp with virtually the final kick of the season. I have to admit though he may want to run into Ferdinand who can be an easy prey for Kun (well given his age and speed) and Jones will have to double up. Having said this, Aguero will not be the only threat United defence will come up against as they have a Spanish magician Silva, another Argentinean Carlos Mercenary and the bull dog Yaya Toure.

Wayne Rooney vs Gareth Barry:

                Hoping Wazza makes a comeback from his injury and starts the game, will give a much needed fillip as the linkup between the forward line and midfield that has been missing in the last few games. Slotted behind RVP, he can counter City’s midfield stranglehold and is already developing a telepathic understanding with RVP. As shown in the figure above, Rooney can combine with Nani on the right to target Clichy who is the weakest in the otherwise strong backline thereby drawing Nastasic before cutting back into the box to score or supply the ball to RVP. To negate this effect would be Barry’s objective deployed as a holding midfielder who goes about doing his business with minimal fuss. In Barry, City has a right foil for Toure who can cover both ends of the field in attack and in defence. Though teammates in the national setup, this will never comes across Barry’s mind on Monday as his thoughts would only on how to disrupt United’s rhythm and initiate counter attacks.

Robin Van Persie vs Vincent Kompany:

                It has been 9 games since RVP scored and the forward as well as the fans alike would like the barren run to stop in this intense game. RVP endeared himself to the fans pretty quick in the first season that saw his name being chanted. A finisher of highest quality who is adept at playing a No. 10 will be a marked man on Monday (and him being a marksmanJ). He brought in a fresh breath of air to the team when he broke ranks with the Gunners in search of glory. If we end up winning the league which we are at a touching distance, the Dutchman will have been a major reason. He possesses a great vision and passing/dribbling skills that he can create goals too. Allow him time and space at your peril and this is where Kompany fits in with ease. City’s defence was never the same without their captain out with injury. Turning up for his country couple of weeks back had his manager fuming for risking his participation in club’s remaining matches. Such is the trust placed on him who is a classic centre back, not frightened diving into tackles and nullifying any threat. He has a commanding presence in the field and will be tasked to deter RVP from taking any shot on the goal.

               To conclude, the game is going to be a mouth watering clash and feel sad for missing this out. If the game did live up to the billing, I might catch a replay or decide to watch highlights if the game fizzles out as other hyped games have been this season. Let us wait and watch how I had fared in second guessing both Sir Alex’s and Roberto’s tactics. I have a very low expectation to be honest. J

My Prediction: 2-2

Domestic double up in flames

                The mood is distressful having watched United bow out of FA yet again, losing to Chelsea in a QF replay. To catch this game Live, I had taken the post lunch session off from work. In retrospect, I feel I could have been at work after all L. Now I pull myself to whip up a post after disappointing my blog’s solitary follower by not sharing my views on the Sunderland game.

                Now enough of prattling, let us look at the first surprise for the game – Wayne Rooney not to be seen in the matchday squad, 2 games in a row. However, the fears were allayed ironically with news on groin injury that was picked up while at Internationals. The second surprise was watching Jones taking the centre midfield when he was expected to fill for Rafael and compounded by Valencia deployed at RB, Nani in the right (this is not a surprise) and Cleverley starting on the left wing (this clearly is).

                The Chelsea supporters for a change, instead of booing at Rafa, booed Ferdinand every time he touched the ball. It took some time for both the teams to find rhythm and start making some statements of intent. Welbeck who was paired with Chicarito to lead the frontline showed immense skill on the ball and could have had a chance if not for the veteran Ivanovic who shoved him to steal the ball in the initial minutes. Nani on the wing looked rustic after not having featured regularly this season kept losing possession with no pressure on him. His crosses were awry and passes erratic to say the least. Carrick, as ever was Mr Dependable breaking Chelsea’s attack and distributing the ball well.

                Seventeen minutes in to play, Ashley Cole pulled a hamstring while trying to fend Welbeck off signalling immediately for replacement. As the camera panned to the bench, there was JT adorning a mask of sadness since he was not a favourite with the interim and hence denied a starting berth by default. I reckon he is still the best defender in the blues rank. For United, Smalling was revelling in the CB role that he so covets but accommodates for the team to play out of position often. He was excellent in blocking and shackling the blue shirts while Ferdinand on the other hand tasked to mark Ba was looking ragged. Both the teams were playing a high backline with the offside trap.

There were 2 attempts at goal in the first half, one on either direction where De Gea’s was a regulation save except that he had started parrying away with his legs more often while Cech flicked the ball with his legs at the last moment to save a Chicarito’s long range shot. Towards the end of the first half, there was a shout for penalty when Nani and Bertrand tangled in the box but Phil Dowd waved to play. A fodder for endless argument today if that was a penalty denied or Nani just trying to act his way into getting a spot kick.

                The second half started the same way with affair being drab and suddenly four minutes into the half, Mata, the pocket dynamo floated a pass over towards United’s box where Ba caught Ferdinand napping and volleyed in a over De Gea who was rooted to the spot. If it was anybody’s fault the fingers should be pointing at Ferdinand as the United custodian could do nothing but gape at his fort getting breached. Ten minutes later when United seemed to exact revenge on their opponents, Welbeck crossed from the right for Chicarito and the Mexican did what he does best, making sure the ball was goal bound only for Cech’s heroics to play spoils. A top notch save it was and no wonder he is the best in business.

Ba volleys

                Fergie in necessity to pull a rabbit from his hat hauled off Cleverley who was ineffective and RVP was thrown in. Ryan Giggs came in for Nani few minutes later. The positions were reshuffled with Jones moving to RB and Valencia RW. However, it was Chelsea who came close to scoring AGAIN, with Hazard dragging the ball wide. It was proving difficult for United to penetrate Chelsea’s defence as their strong midfield dictated the proceeding. The team clearly lacked a player of Hazard/Oscar/Mata calibre to achieve the above. Shinji needs more time I guess. Soon the tiring Welbeck was replaced with Young with ten more minutes in the clock. The comebacks United are known for could still have been achieved if not for RVP skyrocketing from 12 yards. I guess I should contend myself with watching those epics in Youtube and never Live*. Into the injury time, RVP missed a difficult header from a perfect Young cross to score thereby enabling Opta to duly note that he had not scored in the last 9 games. L

                The result though thoroughly deserving for Chelsea left me brooding on what was happening to my team hunting for 3 trophies not long ago. I guess it will have to be just the BPL unless we miraculously squander a 15 point advantage with 8 more games to go and end trophyless.

*-Of course there have been comebacks this season, but would have loved to see them in knockout games.

Roundup:

1. The “Interim” made sure he shook hands with Sir Alex before the kick off as well as after securing a victory to emphasise he has an educated background. LOL
2. Screw you Phil Dowd for sowing seeds of imagination when I looked at you having a laugh with Sir Alex on the way out from the tunnel before the second half. How I wish the United haters’ remarks on you being in United’s payroll were true.
3. On a serious note, the academy graduate Welbeck's display was full of potential that can be tapped  but needs to improve on his finishing.
4. The Easter fixture was a total letdown for the fans as the play was uninspiring.

Is it the WAY'ne out for Rooney

                It has been 3 weeks since the second leg of R16 between United and Real Madrid when Rooney was benched and the tongues have not stopped wagging about his possible departure from Old Trafford. With international break kicking in, I thought why not share my views on this speculation. He has been one of the finest talents the empire has ever produced and I guess that is a given. Revisiting the Madrid game, I tend to agree with the gaffer’s reason for not starting Wazza a tactical one and it proved damn right despite the contentious decision by the Turkish referee and the subsequent result.

                Rooney has been United’s talisman for quite a while now and his ego would have taken a dent for not starting this particular match. Now, this incident in isolation could not have triggered the rumours or for that matter this post would not have seen the light. We have seen a lot of star departures from Old Trafford for crossing the line with Fergie and Rooney has had few run ins of his own with 2010 drama still fresh in our memories.

Allegedly, Fergie is the one who doesn’t forget the troubles caused by a player in the past and rumoured to wield the axe when you don’t have a faintest of idea. Wazza has always been hot headed and never intimidated easily but you don’t show attitude to your manager. When Rooney handed in the transfer request in October 2010 claiming the club has shown no ambition to compete with big money spenders Chelsea and Manchester City, David Gill was taken in by surprise. And so was Fergie when Rooney followed up on his agent’s call that he wasn’t going to renegotiate for a new contract with the then contract expiring in 2012 summer. Though he made a U turn in a couple of days, he had scarred the faithful and I should say though he has clawed back some goodwill, not everybody has made peace with him for the stunt. Eventually United went on to win the league and lose out to all conquering Barcelona in the Champions League in Wembley.

Reverting to the topic under dissection, let us look at what the options are. Definitely as a player, he still has a lot to offer and the club will benefit with him in the roster. This season he has proved how versatile he is with playing in multiple positions – left and right wings, attacking midfield in a diamond formation apart from his striker role. But it has been made abundantly clear that he has his task cut out for a striker’s role to compete with RVP, Chicarito and Welbeck. However he brings a lot of energy in the field and can drop deep to link the midfield and the forwards which the above 3 cannot match. Further, he has demonstrated his defensive skills as well this season tracking back to cover Evra (suspectful at times) when deployed in the left wing. He is still in his twenties and could be a top player for the next 2-3 years at the least.

On the downside, selling him this summer could ease the burden on the club’s financials from a £ 250,000 on weekly wages. With RVP established as the main point man, he has to fight off a talented Welbeck and “Ole” in the making Chicarito for another berth if Fergie goes with 2 strikers. To operate behind a lone man, Kagawa advertises to be apt choice and thus shunning an automatic selection for Rooney. Does it augur well for the club then to have a utility player who commands a hefty wage?  The more disconcerting of all is how easily Rooney can gain extra pounds during off season/injury lay off given his unhindered diet programme. It gets trickier to get him get going post break as he needs 2 to 3 games to regain match fitness. With another rumour floating around on CR7’s possible return, it would serve purpose in United offloading Wazza if the above indeed happens as CR7 has license to wander anywhere in the field. J.

So far I have not mentioned if I want him to stay or leave but just listing the essential points to deliberate, discuss, argue and what else you may want to. From Rooney’s perspective, will he relish a role that is not a top billing? Will his ego give way to play second fiddle to Welbeck, Chicarito and Kagawa? During his transfer request fiasco, he cited the club’s inability to bring in top talents losing to the new rich clubs. Little did he know that it may pinch him later when Fergie shocked everybody by grabbing RVP from the Gunners and Kagawa from Borussia (Champions at that time). Taking stock at the moment, there was no settling down time if at all for RVP as he slotted perfectly within the team scoring 19 goals so far. Kagawa,  though failing to lit the league with fire is expected to come to terms with the physicality of the game here in England. Further, if he decides to leave, there aren’t many clubs that can match his current wage and a shot at trophies every season. Barcelona and Madrid, though in the same league as United in terms of grandeur, are not going to treat him as royalty. I could see only Chelsea or City being realistic destinations though he would be loathe to join the blue side of Manchester.

Personally I would like to see Rooney ply his trade here in United for 2 more years as a striker after which he can mould himself into a midfielder and dictate the games. But if all the talk of his future does arise in the summer and he ultimately decides to extend his contract (current contract ends in 2015), he may have to climb down from the high horse and the negotiation would be at Fergie’s terms with a pay cut. Seems to be the only course forward, again only if he decides to don the red jersey and heed the fans’ wish.