A Tale of Two Wingers - United in Turkey

Well the Champions League is back, and it felt rather good! The tension is so different to a Prem game..it is almost like a different sport!

Anyhow, every game seems to be throwing up interesting debatable issues with concerns with the team. The manager is definitely leaning toward a formation which compliments our game with out and out wingers, something we copyrighted in the 90s. And it seems that his initial faith is in Valencia and Nani to fill these rolls

Last night explained many things about these two players, and most of these facts are already on the table

Valencia showed great promise. He got to the bye-line on numerous occasions. His pace and strength are fantastic attributes, but his crossing leaves alot to be desired. You can see that he has genuine intent..not a show pony in any sense

And talking of show ponies lets talk about the left side

We are only but a handful of games into the season and i want to shoot Nani! The boy has an obvious gift. Pace to burn and a blistering shot. However, he has an addiction to running down dark alleyways he cant get out of. His decision making isn't as so much poor, but non existent. When he doesn't know when to pass or shoot, he merely tries a step-over and then loses possession. I bet Sir Alex does his nut everytime.

I know its probably unfair on the boy a bit..for i am impatient. But i know the game (as we all do!!) If he does not magically sort his brain out, which results in him becoming a totally different player, i think his goose is cooked in a United shirt. I so want him to do well, but he totally does my head in every match. He gives me KieranRichardsonitise. Painful.

At least with Valencia i can see the simple things he needs to improve on, which with time he will. They are not fundamental changes in his football like Nani. I can see Nani going off to a Villareal, like Forlan or Rossi, and doing really well...a place where the pressure is off and his flair will drive everything. He can lose the ball as much as he likes, as long as he gives their fans something to sing about once in a while. They will love his backflips. But in our team, every mistake is under a microscope. It wont be written about but his woefully bad decision not to pass to Evra on a counter attack in the last minute of the match nearly cost us dearly, as Besiktas exploited our left back position and whipped in a ball that no one converted in-spite of out foxing Vidic. I wanted to punch the plasma at that point.

Im not starting a witch hunt on this. I want the kid to do well. But i don't want us to suffer because of it. I do not see Nani driving us to any silverware anytime soon. He is our Ryan Babel. If Fergie does not fancy Zoran Tosic either, i hope the chequebook comes out in January for Alexi Sanchez. He is the answer for the left hand side for me..

...he's better than Kleberson

The one singular thing that pleased me most about yesterdays win at the Spurs of Hot was the goal and subsequent performance of the boy Anderson

Many Manc eyebrows were raised when United paid near on £20m for the Brazilian youngster from Porto, but it excited me. Id had a taste of player via some crap Eurosport programme that season before and liked what i saw. A dynamic bustling player..part Edgar Davids, part Paul Scholes. Progressive and cunning. I felt that maybe he could be the flair player we needed in the middle and that he could succeed where Juan Veron had failed.

We all know he has had some great performances in the Number 8 shirt in the past two years, but we all feel he needs to step up this season. No goals for a "player with an eye for goal" is not good enough. We know there's been some rumblings behind the scenes, with Anderson throwing a strop after being left out of the Community Shield team, and alleged fall outs with the Boss, but its all storms in very small tea cups really

His performance yesterday wasn't flawless, but it suggested enough to re-light that confidence i felt in him the previous 2 years. I still feel that by the time he is 23 he may well be the best central midfielder in the world. I hope I'm not jinxing him!! The goal was significant. His technique is such that he should be working the keeper more. Anyone that watches the warm up before games at Old Trafford (yes i am a sad case) will know that his shooting practicing is quite spectacular. Displays of power and an amazing ability to curl the ball, dictate that this boy has a special talent..he nails the ball past Van Der Sar, Foster and Kuszczak more times than any other player before a match..including Wazza. If he somehow manages to transfer this pre-game form into real situations, he will get double figures this season.

So, its a good first showing from our Samba dancing boy wonder. Lets hope he really does sh%t on Fabragas this season, as his song goes that we sing at Old Trafford, from the top of Tier 3

Club Versus Country - The True English Disease

word:

dis·ease (d-zz)
n.
1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
3. Obsolete Lack of ease; trouble.

I would love England to win the World Cup as much as the next man. To see Rooney dance around a South African pitch with that little golden trophy would be a delight. The feel good factor in England would be immeasurable and we would party like its 1999 (as Prince once sang about)

Us Manchester United fans have been accused of many things in the past. Arrogance correctly being one of those. The one you hear most is how we do not care about the England team (as we used to sing about Ronaldo "making England look shite!"). And in part, this is also true. The river runs deep when it comes to cheering on players that almost every day of the week you wouldn't throw your bottle of Evian on if they were on fire across the street.

That may sound harsh, but it is a huge part of what is the "real" English disease.

And that disease is named 'Apathy'

When England play i always want them to win. But i do not have the same gusto in the lead up to the game as i do with United. There is no silly superstitions. No having to sit in a certain place, wear a certain shirt and pants combo. No nerves. No expectations. As we know England have let us all down on far too many occasions to list here, but the important thing is that those defeats are not the reason for this apathy [towards the national side]

I live my life, like many others, wanting to see the failure of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, et al.(Its called competitiveness!) So therefore I have zero love for Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, and erm...cant think of an Arsenal Englishman...oh! Walcott! Therefore it is difficult to cheer them on even for the National Team. Yes i want them to score. I have been known to say "Great goal Stevie G" or the like, and clapped my hands like an enthusiastic seal (The animal, not the Kiss From a Rose singer)

As i said, i want England to do well.

The problem is passion. For both fans and the players.

It irks me so, when i see players like Steven Gerrard play so casually for England. Why does he not reproduce his Liverpool superhero form for the country? It is probably because he is human, and like the supporters like me..also alleged humans, it is just so hard to get 100% enthused by the English side.

Another symptom of the disease is the way people bemoan the national side. It is painful. If England were an animal, the RSPCA would be brought in due to reasons of cruelty. If the national team were to win the World Cup, Nobel Peace Prize and Grand National all in one year, all people would want to talk about (in this country) would be Becks' new tattoo or about some WAG's new hairstyle. This is another part of the disease. Winning just isn't enough for the English..we love a good ol'soap opera..the ups and the many downs. It is "Eastenders Culture"... If it doesn't taste bad, we get suspicious. If there isn't a villain, its just not pantomime enough for us.

In part i blame the FA and Premier League football for this apathy. The focus in this country is all about club football. We play too many club games. If we had a 32 game season we could actually have time for the England side. The players could have more time together..the same as other national sides do (See South America for examples) We do not nurture and encourage this togetherness. For as we know, any sort of nationalism is frowned upon in today's society, as idiots think it fosters racism or the like. But money is king. So we will continue to play a billion league and cup games a season, and that is where all the excitement will lay.

And being brutally honest i do not mind! I have part of that disease..

I support United. I have never "loved" another team. I liked the way Juve played back in my youth, and also had a fascination with Martin Vasquez of Real Madrid when i was 12, but it was always just one team for me. I had no leanings towards Crystal Palace when i lived in the area, just as i have no love for Lincoln, where i live now. I travel from where ever i am in the country back to my Old Trafford Mecca, come hell or high waters. It is the only football that really matters to me (tho i would watch River Vs Boca, or Barca Vs Madrid, or Torquay Vs Exeter, happily if it were on the telly)

So i will always want England to win.

ALWAYS!

Just don't ask me to care too much.

Im Too Sexy For My Seat..

Amazon have dropped a Manchester United album full of terrace chants after an official complaint from Arsenal FC

The song they are directly referring to is the "Sit Down You Paedophile" song, lovingly sang by United fans, too the touchline on visits from the North London crybabies giants, or on the rare occasion that Graham Rix (former Chelsea coach) visits Old Trafford. Arsenal claim the song on the 'Fat Willy: Manchester United Chants' album is "defamatory" against Mr Wenger, despite the chant not actually mentioning any names, or being directly referred to the Frenchman.

"The club will actively pursue getting content removed when it is brought to our attention and will take it on a case by case basis," said a spokesman for the club. It is also thought that Manchester United have also contacted Amazon to give their opinion on the matter.

Amazon commented "Arsenal Football Club has provided us with formal notice that content within the album 'Manchester United Chants' is defamatory in nature and we have, therefore, removed this title from our website. We would not remove a product from our site because some, or many, people find it to be distasteful or otherwise objectionable. We believe it is censorship to make a product unavailable for those reasons."

The man behind the album, Will Robinson, quoted "We would certainly keep it up there because there is nothing defamatory. That track you are talking about is not directed at anybody," Robinson is also a music agent who represents acts such as Tony Christie and the Cheeky Girls. He is also planning to release a Volume 2 of the popular album in the near future. Fat Willy Records has released a number of United inspired tracks in the past.

I could have been one of Fergie's Fledglings...

"The Year is 1989 and i am 12

All the big clubs in England want to sign me and a scrap for my signature begins"

Well...a boy can dream. I was lucky enough to meet the whole United team at their hotel in Selsdon, Croydon when they played against Charlton at Selhurst Park. How my parents swung it i will never know. I had my pictures taken with most of the squad that day, and Bobby Charlton who said that he had the same tracksuit that i was wearing (hopefully a few sizes bigger than mine)

I had cultured a double chin over the previous year due to one too many cans of coke, and had hoped that Fergie would mistake me for a young Paul Gascoinge and sign me, but alas, I couldn't down 6 pints of Newcastle Brown in half an hour, so my disguise failed.

It was an amazing day, and the two people i most enjoyed meeting were my hero Bryan Robson, and Sir Alex (then known as just 'Alex') In spite of the having a game that day they spent some quality time with me..something i will never forget. Robbo asked if we had tickets for the game, pulled out a wad of them from his pocket and handed us three. They had stamped "Guest of Bryan Robson" on them...i still have them to this day.

I was also offered a seat on the team coach to travel with the players to the match, but my mum said we had the car with us..if i had been the sort of kid to kick and scream it was at this point i would have done so..but i did as i was told and travelled in our Mini Metro to Selhurst Park!

A once in a lifetime opportunity missed..but so so lucky to have this day etched into my memory. Only down side: Charlton beat us 1-0.

The Next Ryan Giggs...

After the much maligned tag of "The New George Best" which has dogged many a young player at Old Trafford for light year after light year, the new tag we will have to get used to is "Player X is the new Ryan Giggs" It is inevitable.

And I have our very first candidate

This Christmas, Mr Santa will deliver a young Serbian to our Carrington training complex, holding the hand of his brother elf Zoran Tosic and his big Papa Vidic.

That young man is named Adem Ljajic

Hailed in Serbia as the best thing since sliced Croatian, "Little Kaka" as he is dubbed is similar in style to..erm...Kaka. A midfielder who likes to attack, both wide and centrally, Ljajic has tremendous balance and pace. At only 17, he is considered one of the hottest prospects at Under 18 level. And at six foot tall, has the potential to develop into a bit of a beast.

Now i got a little excited previously when i saw Manucho at the African Nations Cup and thought he was going to be a diamond for us..so naturally i want to be cautious here. United have many great youngsters coming through at the moment and Adem will join this band of merry young men soon. I hope i do not jinx him by giving him article space this early on before he has even kicked a ball in English football but he looks genuinely exciting

So good luck young buck! Welcome to England.

Feared By The Blues, Loved By The Reds...

I can sense that with all but 4 games burned in the Premier League calender, that footballing obituaries are being started to be written for the end of a certain players career.

Alas, the modern day hero we call Ryan Giggs is coming to the end of his shelf life, breathing his final breaths as a player, before he embarks on a journey into management, sitting on the Match of the Day sofa with Alan Hansen, and lowering his golf handicap to scratch.

We cannot expect him to go on forever.

Giggsy has already astounded me with his longevity. I remember sitting in the stands at Old Trafford 4 years ago witnessing what i thought was his last stand. Pace gone. Passing awkward. Petrol tank empty. And yet somehow, he manages to find a filling station, re-energise and play an important part for the club. Even at half time this last weekend against Arsenal, I and many others, were crying for the manager to substitute the old war horse at half time...not quick enough to support Rooney up front and getting mugged off at every opportunity by Diaby and Denilson...Then what does he do? He plays a sublime pass forward for the penalty, and grabs a further assist by bouncing the ball off Diaby's bonce. Magic stuff.

To be truthful, probably Scholes and Neville are the prime candidates for passing into United Legend this season, but I think the Lord Ryan will be close behind them, if not holding their hands, skipping off together to that big Sky Sports News centre in the sky. All have been amazing servants to this club, in an age where loyalty means jack to the businessman footballer.

But Giggs will be the one remembered the most fondly. More fondly than Keane. More fondly than Ronaldo. And right up there with Cantona, Robson and Best. Its amazing to think that in the very early Nineties that all our faith lay in a young lad called Lee Sharpe, England International at the age of 19, and creator of many an interesting goal celebration (Remember the Lee Sharpe Shuffle? The Elvis cornerflag routine?) It was felt that he was the real deal, and that Giggs would be a brilliant understudy. Funny how things turn out.(Lee Sharpe can now be found on a fantasy love island near you)

The man is a legend. And for that reason alone i will enjoy watching him in these last games for the club..he may only grace Old Trafford another 20 times this season and with rotation will probably play a lot less that this!

So its thank you Ryan Giggs.

Grown men and women will cry tears of respect and mourn his passing. For a player that never once shamed his club and only bestowed glory. A player that never felt compelled to go out dressed in a sarong and marry a pop star. A player that never felt the need to go out and kick someones head in with his drunken ape-like hangers on. A player who was never caught up in a sex and drugs scandal. A player who won more trophies than any other in history. A player that danced through the Arsenal team in 1999 to score the greatest United goal I ever saw. A player who forever more will own the Number Eleven and our hearts.

Lets hope that maybe his last act is lifting the European Cup above his head in Madrid in 2010..for that's how fairytales are supposed to end.