Trailing Thoughts

An Appropriately Named Trail for Correspondent Scott to Blaze
photo by TroyMason	via PhotoRee

Scott's post should be entitled "Deluded Thoughts":

o When I look at the talent on Manchester City and Chelsea compared to Manchester United, I can’t help but conclude that Sir Alex’s departure will also mean the end of United’s dominance in the BPL.  No offence to David Moyes, but Darth Ferguson’s success is nearly inconceivable; how he managed to just keep winning with different players is inarguably impressive.  Finally admitting his penchant for bullying referees aside,  his ability to instill belief in his players was second to none.  Maybe Moyes has the same mojo and only needs a bigger budget to weave his magic at the top of the table.  Maybe.  But I think United will bounce around the top half of the table a little more from now on instead of perennially winning or showing.

o Liverpool finished 7^th.  That’s a spot above last year, a spot below 2011 and the same spot as 2010.  No real movement in 4 years.  Of course, Brendan Rodgers will take heart in the slight improvement over last year.  And he should.  When you look at the team and assess their potential for success next year, you can’t help but be optimistic.  While the earliest Rodgers additions of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini have not yet been successful, his more recent acquisitions of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho have been brilliant.  The two January signings have not only lifted the team up a few pegs in terms of quality, they also more than adequately filled the very large, teething shoes of one Luis Suarez.  With Steven Gerrard continuing his renaissance, Raheem Sterling continuing his development, Lucas Leiva continuing his journey back to form and both Luis Enrique and Glen Johnson continuing to raid down the flanks, Liverpool has the makings of a quality starting XI.  Still, a little defensive shoring up is in order as well as a patient search for depth across the field.  We’re behind you Brendan.

The Final Curtain Call: Manchester United 5 - West Bromwich Albion 5

Photo by Trinity on Flickr

Manchester United said goodbye to Sir Alex Ferguson after one of the wildest games of the season, a contest in which the Champions twice saw three goal leads pegged back by the home side.  While the Reds will regret not sending out their Manager a winner on a sunny day at the Hawthorne's, the ten goal tribute to the legendary Manager was a day which United fans and neutrals alike will long remember.

If the pre-match atmosphere inside the stadium was rousing, the opening ten minutes of football was equal to the occasion: Shinji Kagawa heading a Chicharito cross into the net to give United an early 1-0 lead on the afternoon.  Although the combination play occurred in the opposite order that most observers would have expected, Kagawa headed the ball down and past West Brom 'keeper Ben Foster like an old pro.

Five minutes later and the lead was 2-0 after Jonas Olsson deflected Antonio Valencia's cross into his own net. The wing play was the type United fans wished they had seen more of this season, with the Ecuadorian beating his man before driving the ball low and hard toward goal.

After the initial rush, played inevitably slowed down, although Chicharito should have punished West Brom once more in the 24th minute when he missed a delicious opportunity to head United to a third score on the afternoon.   Alexander Buttner didn't miss his opportunity, through, and the third goal arrived before the half hour mark, with Tom Cleverley feeding in the left back at the top of the six yard box. Beating Foster was easy enough from that point, and the disgusted West Brom 'keeper was forced to pluck the ball from the back of his net once again.

As if finally awakening from a pre-game nap, the third goal caused West Brom to snap into action -- with James Morrison slotting home in front of Phil Jones to pull one third of the deficit back five minutes before half time. While Javier Hermandez continued to bedevil the West Brom defense, Foster's acrobatics at one end and Jonny Evans challenge on Shane Long at the other kept the scoreline at 3-1 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

The Trouble With Wazza

I forgive people. It's what I do. It's how I was raised. And it explains in part why I find it so difficult to understand all the venom that's been spewed in the direction of Wayne Rooney lately by so many Manchester United fans. 

I get the feeling of guttural disappointment. I get it. But just as two wrongs don't make a right, meeting Rooney's transfer request with vile name calling and ill wishes upon the player and his family doesn't feel to me like the right reaction to the striker's current situation. And to read Twitter lately is to understand how out of control that situation has become. 

This is not a piece to defend Rooney in any way. Regular raiders of this blog may remember our severe disappointment at the Englishman's first request to leave United. For many of us, it's when the bloom first came off the rose in our relationship with Wazza.  While we never engaged in the "Roo-nay" "Roo-nay" idol worship that greeted his every appearance on the pitch three years ago, we understood his talismanic relationship with the fans. We understood the appreciation for his tremendous work rate, his willingness to run down every ball, and to hustle back and forth to the ends of the pitch. 

And despite forgiving Rooney for his first request -- we blame his advisor, Paul Stretford, more than the player for putting the Englishman in a virtually untenable position -- we gradually overcame our disappointment. The goals and the drive certainly helped. Gradually, the disappointment seemed just to seep into the background, a part of Rooney's history to be sure, but no longer a defining part of his history. No, we'd rather remember THAT goal against City, and the season of 30+ goals in which he appeared to develop a telepathic relationship with Antonio Valencia, a partnership that applied salve to the still fresh wound created by the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. 

And just as we put the issue behind us, so did Rooney. He went about and did his work. He let his feet do the talking on the pitch.  He scored goals -- lots of them. Maybe not so many as in years past, but no one can question his work rate or desire to win, or his impact on our team. 

Swan Song: Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 1

Overseeing a development he had witnessed dozens of times in his illustrious managerial career, Sir Alex Ferguson saw his side notch a late winner to overcome a determined visiting side at Old Trafford, defeating Swansea City 2-1 on an 87th minute Rio Ferdinand goal.  The defender's score capped off a day filled with raucous celebrations in Manchester and all over the globe, a day marking not only the Champions' 13th Premier League title, but -- perhaps more sentimentally -- the end of the most remarkable managerial career world football has ever known.

If both the spectators and the players began the match with lumps in their throats, the players for both sides soon put their game faces on: Chicharito hit the underside of the bar to get the action underway, and with Phil Jones losing his footing at an inopportune moment, it was only lady luck that denied the Red Devils a lead within the first five minutes.

Nine minutes later and Swansea defender Chico Flores' used his body to keep Hernandez from testing the Swans' 'keeper yet again, as United continued to exert pressure on the visitors.  Paul Scholes -- as he has been so often in his career -- was once again at the center of United's movement, but by the 25 minute mark there was still no joy for the home side.

United were denied a decent penalty shout in the 32nd minute as Shinji Kagawa was felled in the box by Neil Taylor, but referee John Moss wasn't convinced -- even as Sir Alex looked on expectantly from the sideline.

It was Hernandez, though, who always looked the most likely, and he finally slotted the home side in front shortly before halftime, pouncing on a loose ball in the box as he has so often, the ball finding its way to the Mexican's feet as if by magic after a Robin van Persie free kick bounced fortuitously around in the Swansea end.

The Evil Emperor: Perspective from a Liverpool Fan

Scott in happier days....
photo by scragz	via PhotoRee

At least Correspondent Scott has never claimed to be unbiased. Here are this Liverpool fan's thoughts on Sir Alex' departure, and the appointment of David Moyes as his successor at Manchester United:

Darth Ferguson’s Evil MU Empire is coming to an end.  I have mixed emotions.  On the one hand, I can’t imagine another manager having the same success he has had over the past 26 years, so his departure should bode well for Liverpool and all the other Premier League teams.  On the other hand, after two 2-1 losses (fraught with burglary and buggery) to his Evil Empire this season, it is excruciating never to have another shot at putting the red-faced Scot in his place.  I feel like Lucy not only moved the football for the umpteenth time, but then up and walked home with it leaving me alone to stew in my zig-zaggy shirt.  Curse you, Darth Ferguson!

Even more curses upon the appointment of David Moyes to succeed the Dark Lord.  Despite the requisite Liverpudlian rivalry, I respect, admire and, yes, even like the Evertonian Scot who has consistently punched above his budget for a decade-plus in the Premier League.  Yet, sadly, it is inevitable that, like young Anakin, Moyes will be seduced by the Dark Side and I will have the happy literary license of consonant alliteration when I forevermore (until he is replaced) refer to him as Darth David.

This is farlieonfootie for May 10. 

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

 

 

We thought about showing a Manchester United flag on our website, and playing martial music as if we were a communist country that had just lost its Dear Leader, but we rejected that. Fergie always said the club is bigger than any one person, and we're about to see if it's true. Like Sir Matt before him, Sir Alex Ferguson is leaving the building, and no one is quite sure what will come next.

Instead of writing something mawkish and dreary, lamenting our loss, we at farlieonfootie would rather focus on celebrating what we had -- how good it has been during the 'Alex Ferguson era' at Manchester United. So we're re-publishing something we wrote two seasons ago, in full.

Because we still can't say it any better:

In anticipation of the game Sunday, I was reading a piece by Daniel Taylor in The Guardian yesterday in which he alluded to an interview conducted recently with Kenny Dalglish. While talking about the bitter rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, the Anfield head man admitted to a sense of regret over United's ascendancy in recent years:

"I never considered they would catch us," [Dalglish] admitted.  "You take greater satisfaction from when your own team is successful, and [Manchester United have] been more successful than Liverpool over the past 20 years."

The quote got me to thinking.  Nothing in life is guaranteed, and those of us fortunate enough to be fans of Manchester United have had it pretty good of  late: 11 League titles, five FA Cup trophies, two European Champions League titles and a bunch of other awards and honors (35 in total) during Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge alone.   That's quite a haul by any stretch of the imagination.  Laissez le bon temps rouler, as they'll be saying next week in Louisiana.

And it's tempting to think it'll go on forever.  I'm certain it must have felt that way to Liverpool supporters in the '70s and '80s, good times continually abounding, the League title coming back to Anfield 11 times in that 20 year span, and the next one seemingly always right around the corner.  But nothing lasts forever.

Which is why I'm sitting back and really enjoying this season.  Appreciating it not only for what it is, but for what it may still become.  Because one day it'll be gone.  This is not meant to be a work of doom and gloom, a piece to make all United fans sad -- "Remember, man, you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  We'll save that particular downer for Ash Wednesday next week.

No, this is rather more of a "Stop and smell the roses" piece, thanking the heavens above for Sir Alex and the current crop of Reds.  We have the best team in England -- fact.  We've won the European Cup twice in the past decade, and expect to challenge for it every year, including the present one -- fact.  We expect (not hope) to win every game we play, and are bitterly disappointed when it doesn't happen -- fact.  Not many fans of many teams in any sport the entire world over can state the truisms that we as the United faithful can.

Absolutely Electric: Manchester United 3 - Aston Villa 0

photo by bere	via PhotoRee

Manchester United celebrated their 20th Premier League title in entertaining style Monday night, thumping Aston Villa 3-0 in front of  home crowd of nearly 76,000 rapturous spectators. Any lingering suspense in the contest disappeared early, and the final score was the result of a barrage of first half goals from none other than United's main man of the season, Dutch forward Robin Van Persie.  The win capped off yet another fine season for the home side with four games still left to play -- and only a record League point haul now left to aim for.

If the mood was celebratory before kickoff, it was ratcheted up another level right at the very outset, as United found themselves on the board with less than two minutes gone: Robin Van Persie finding the back of the net after beautiful interplay involving Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, and Ryan Giggs -- the ball journeying from side to side before ending up in the back of the net. Despite falling behind so quickly, the visitors could have considered themselves fortunate not to be two in the hole when the Dutchman fired just over the bar a minute later, the United attack in full gear, and the atmosphere inside Old Trafford resembling the energy of the team: absolutely electric.

Rafael banged the post in yet another just-miss attack from the soon-to-be-champions, the stadium absolutely buzzing now, as if the home fans had saved up several weeks of frustration and decided to vent it all on their relegation threatened opponents.

Christian Benteke came close to leveling after 11 minutes, reminding those watching of the Villans' ability to counterattack to semi-devastating effect. But any sense the result was somehow hanging in the balance was completely snuffed out in the 13th minute, when Van Persie unloaded a left-footed cannon on the Villa goal in one of the must-see moments of the season: the over-the-shoulder ball coming at Van Persie as he hit the top of the 18 yard box, a picture perfect offering from Wazza that was topped only by the outstanding quality of the Dutchman's finish.

Scraping Bottom

photo by CottonCandy	via PhotoRee

o OK, we've joked about it before on these pages, but clearly it's no laughing matter.  Three drivers on the same team banned from getting behind the wheel of a car?   Something tells us it's either time for a full-time Drivers Ed instructor at the Etihad, or else these people need to hire RedCap.  ASAP.

o Criticize Sir Alex if you'd like, but on this issue he's spot on.  The international friendlies disrupt the rhythm of the season, injure star players, and most importantly, play havoc with our fantasy football team selections.  Stop them now, FIFA!

o Are there ever any new hires made in football, or is it just one big game of Musical Chairs...?  We've got nothing against Brian McDermott, but seriously.  He was just fired, and as soon as a club needs a manager he gets the call?  Was there no one else capable of coaching Leeds other than Reading's castaway?

o And on the other side of the FA Cup Semi-final:  Zzzzzz.....

o We can't afford to pay: Times are indeed tough at Reading, despite the fact they're owned by a Billionaire.  Hey!  You think he got rich by paying people well?

o Who says Arsenal hasn't won any trophys?  Oh, those were in women's soccer?  Never mind....

 

This is farlieonfootie for April 13.

Heart-less: Manchester City 2 - Manchester United 1

Photo by haven't the slightest on Flickr

 

Manchester United continued their late spring swoon, falling at home for only the second time this season in a 2-1 derby day loss to cross-town rivals Manchester City.  Although the Citizens' win moved them three points closer to the top-of-the-table Reds, more concerning for Sir Alex will be the heartless display turned in by his side, who have been seemingly unable to recover from the defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal over a month ago.  Although United showed a brief bit of fighting spirit to pull back level early in the game's second half, the home side  were largely complacent for much of the contest, and few of those watching will deny that City produced much of the game's attacking thrust and -- on the balance of play -- deserved the three points. City's most spectacular effort came from one of the game's smallest combatants, as Sergio Aguero's late wonder strike sealed the derby victory.

 

United began the game with a makeshift defensive lineup, and were almost made to pay for it in the game's early going, but both David Silva's and Carlos Tevez's early efforts were blocked before they were able to inflict permanent damage. It was a wild and wooly opening five minutes, with both teams bursting forward in a veritable track meet of a football match.

Robin Van Persie pulled just wide after being fed the ball by Wayne Rooney inside the box, as the home signaled their own attacking intent. Fifteen minutes in and the scoreboard showed each side with 50% possession -- an accurate indication of the evenhanded nature of the proceedings to that point in time, but one that quickly began to change.

It was City looking the more fluid of the Manchester clubs after the game's first quarter hour, and they were unlucky not to grab the lead near the 20 minute mark, when only Phil Jones' last ditch sliding clearance saved the home side's blushes. The Citizens had their ears -- not to mention the United defense -- pinned back as they pinged the ball around and through the home side's 18 YTD box on multiple occasions, gaining loads of joy on the left hand side of the pitch and looking for a goal to complement their growing advantage in possession -- but while Samir Nasri's shot sailed wide, James Milner's effort contained little venom and was handled easily by United 'keeper David De Gea.

While City maintained possession, it was Silva who caused the most problems with his jitterbugging style of attack. For their part, the home side relied on relatively infrequent opportunities to spring the counterattack during a first half in which they were unable to create any real opportunities -- bar a late Rafael toe poke which clanged off the goal's upper corner. What the game lacked in scoring as the teams went to the locker rooms, though, it made up for in intensity, as referee Mike Dean was forced to go frequently to his pocket -- showing a yellow card to Silva, Rooney, Giggs and Kompany -- during a feisty 45 minutes of action.

AVB and Me

When Ed Thinks, it's Kind of Like a Nuclear Explosion
photo by Candida.Performa (on vacation)	via PhotoRee

Ed on football, and no, he's not kidding:

On Spurs

I'm starting to think that AVB is reading my posts.

This week against Swansea, after seeing Emmanuel Adebayor miss an easy chance of a great pass from Moussa Dembele, and thereafter create absolutely no chances of his own, he finally pulled him for Jermaine Defoe.  Defoe is ice cold right now, but at least he moves and can control the ball well, and at least he doesn't miss easy sitters.  No player on the team has been more of a disappointment this year than Adebayor.  He's become Spurs' Fernando Torres.  It's time for him to be benched.

Gareth Bale, however, continues to grow and carry the team while playing in the number 10 spot.  His first pass this week to Jan Vertonghen was perfect, as was Vertonghen's control and finish.  Vertonghen is far an away the best Spurs' signing this season, and one wonders if he will be kept away from the top teams in the off season.  Also note to players -- learning to juggle allows for just such control as Vertonghen showed not hat goal.

But returning to Bale, it was nice to see him play passes like that and to distribute so well from the position.  He's clearly capable of doing so, and now he's showing how to do it.  And note to Spurs fans:  it's okay to be carried by a star player.  See, e.g. Manchester United.  Without RVP, they might be mid-table.  Sir Alex's "genius" in this League seems to be getting four top tier strikers and rotating through the one who's the hottest.  How he keeps the ego's in check is the secret -- perhaps his is so big all others wilt in its presence.

Bale's goal was also terrific, where he stole a page from Jermaine Defoe and quick-footed it past Michel Vorm before the keeper knew he was even taking a shot.  The big windup, while self-satisfying and often allowing for a hard shot, is overrated.  The quick release is king for true goal scorers.

Notes From the Road

Correspondent Ed Catching a Cat Nap
photo by malias	via PhotoRee

o Brian McDermott out, Nidel Adkins in.  We think highly of the former Saints' Manager, but this move strikes us as just another shuffling of the deck chairs on the S.S. Reading....

o If Fergie is really hiring private jets to bring back his stars in order to keep them fresh for the weekend, we hope there's one being sent to Mexico City -- where Chelsea-killer Chicharito faced off in  an important hexagonal match against the U.S last night.

o We'll be in Washington, DC for the Craft Brewers Conference -- expect some amazing beer reviews over the next couple of days as our staff seeks out the very best the US beer world has to offer.

This is farlieonfootie for March 27.

Fight Another Day: Manchester United 1 - Real Madrid 1

photo by Claudio Gennari ..."Cogli l'attimo ferma il tempo"	via PhotoRee

Without much exaggeration it was called the tie of the season, as Manchester United entered the lion's den Wednesday to face Real Madrid at the Santiago Beenabeu in an epic first leg clash of the Champions League knockout round. The pre game storylines were enough to make one's head whip around on a swivel: Cristiano Ronaldo's return, Jose Mourinho vs Sir Alex, Madrid vs Manchester and many more in the days and weeks leading up to the contest. But at 8:45pm on a Wednesday night in Madrid all the old stories were laid to rest and a new one waited to be written as the game kicked off.

It was all Madrid in the early going: the home side with the first threats of the night, but both Sammy Khedira and Angel Di Maria fired significantly wide of the mark. Fabio Coentrao was much closer to target as he banged it off the post and was unlucky not to open his account near the five minute mark -- surely creating early cause for concern on the visitors' bench. Also creating concern were the acres of space United left open on the pitch for the Madrillenos to run into -- all the better from which to menace David De Gea's goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely terrorized his ex-teammates in the early going, all fancy stop and go, move and shake, hit and run, reminding them who currently holds the title of the world's second best player. United were unable to keep the ball for more than a couple of passes, and were hard pressed to get the ball out of their own end, so dominant was the home side in the game's early going.

But against all odds it was United who struck first on the evening: Danny Welbeck with a shock glancing header, entirely against the run of play, and on only the Reds' second shot of the evening. Flicking free of Sergio Ramos as Wayne Rooney swung the ball in from the corner, Welbeck rose higher than anyone else and handed the visitors a much hoped for road goal near the game's 20 minute mark. If the goal was expected to shift the course of the contest, it didn't: although rattled, Los Blancos picked right back up where they left off and set out again on the attack.

And again it was Ronaldo at his menacing best, who looked the most real (and Real) threat. When his free kick slammed into none other than Robin Van Persie near the half hour make, it told all those fortunate enough to be at the Bernabeu all they needed to know about the visitors' defensive commitment for the evening. Committed or not, though, by the half hour mark the game was back on level terms: Ronaldo switching sides, and nodding his team back into the contest as he hung high over Patrice Evra for the equalizer.

Welbeck almost doubled his side's joy on 35 minutes, with only a timely intervention from Madrid 'keeper Diego Lopez stopping the Englishman's attempted toe poke from putting the visitors back into the lead. A free kick given away by Rafael on the edge of the box created yet another concern for the visitors' defense, and only a good non-call on a Phil Jones shoulder barge on Di Maria sustained the scoreline as Madrid swaggered forward near the interval.

Some of the News That's Fit to Print

photo by bere	via PhotoRee

Time for a check of the weekend's newspaper headlines:

o Fergie Fined $12,000 for His Rant Against Simon Beck:  This non-headline should have been replaced by the following: "FA Goes Light on Fergie As It's Obvious He's Correct".  Remember the good old days when the FA would banish a Manager to the stands?  So he could phone in his instructions to the Assistant Manager?  Apparently the FA didn't like that approach, either, so they've gone for the small fine -- roughly equivalent to one day's pay for the Manager.  We don't think Fergie's losing much sleep about that.

o Is He or Isn't He:  Is Super8Frank negotiating with Chelsea?  It depends on who you ask....  Although the word out of Cobham is that Roman has made the executive decision (are there any other kind of decisions made by Chelsea?) to bring Frank back, Super8's representatives say no such negotiations are happening....  We tend to believe management -- even THIS management team -- over agents any day of the week.  Wethinks its entirely possible that Chelsea leaked the information to tamp down the market for competing offers for the free-scoring midfielder.....

o World's Most Expensive Parking Ticket:  Peter Odemwingie's fine for parking his car in the QPR lot equaled £80,000.  That's more than even Mario Balotelli managed to rack up during his stint in Manchester.

A Few Things...

Inside the Mind of Correspondent Ed

 ...from inside the mind of Correspondent Ed:

Much has been written on this site about the Manchester United versus Spurs game this weekend, but a few points are beingmissed.  First, in light of how many goals have been given up by United this year, it is possible to say -- as someone did -- that United without RVP might very well be a mid-table team?  They simply are not very good in the back as Vidic is not near his form (and seems to have lost a few steps), Evra seems pretty mediocre against tough competition, and Ferdinand also appears a bit long in the tooth.  Only one of the most annoying players in football -- Rafael -- is having a good season.

FOF is half right regarding  David De Gea.  Half because he is correct that he was in a tough position for that first punch.  Incorrect because those first two saves were largely good fortune.  The first being a ricochet that was going to hit him in the feet regardless of what he did; the second, a shot by Dempsey, was poor and pretty much right where he was standing before he jumped the wrong way.

Most telling about United was their setup: triple up on Bale, cede possession, and hope for a counter.  This against a team that United shouldn't consider at their level -- this is not Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.  The fact that it almost worked for United was largely the result of good fortune, as United could've and probably should've been down big in this one considering the enormous advantages in possession (60%) and shots on goal (15 to 4).  In particular, the midfield of Moussa Dembele and Scott Parker simply outclassed their opponents.  Strange days at United and not, as Sir Alex has said, one of his best teams.  I suspect if things don't change the table will, and soon.

#    #    #

Well, everyone loves an underdog, and it was exciting to see League Two's Bradford City get past Aston Villa (after getting past Arsenal) to get to the Capital One Cup Final.  They didn't look that good at times, but it does prove that the levels down to the fourth division are not always that different, and that in a one or two game series virtually everyone has a chance to win.  Hope BC come to play in the finals….

A View from Liverpool on Sir Alex's Week That Was

photo by Ben Sutherland	via PhotoRee

As a Liverpool supporter, Scott feels entitled to comment on the Sir Alex situation -- proving only that Liverpool supporters will pick on someone even if it's their birthday....:

I'm not even going to write about Liverpool's slump to Stoke City on Boxing Day. In fact, I didn't even watch it. Having duly recorded it for later viewing, I promptly bumped into the score and, after choking back a bit of vomit in my mouth, resolved to delete the offensive footage unseen. The Premier League Review show provided all the lowlights I needed to want to put that debacle in the rear view mirror and drive on to Loftus Road.

In such a state, it should not be surprising that my attentions turned to the hullabaloo surrounding Darth Ferguson and his on-pitch berating of referee Mike Dean and the subsequent war of words with Alan Pardew.

As with most things in life, nobody is blameless nor totally at fault. Coaches should have a right to question calls and hear why a ref did or did not make one. So the fact that Ferguson approached Dean does not trouble me. Nor does the fact that the former was, to put it politely, animated when expressing his views. Dean had a right to sanction Ferguson on the spot if he felt the exchange was inappropriate. He chose not to do that - I understand I was not privy to the actual conversation and respect his interpretation and decision. And if that decision, and the one not to report the incident in his Match Report, was influenced by Ferguson's seniority, then I begrudgingly congratulate the old knight for lasting so long in the toughest league around.

But then Darth Ferguson showed his dark side of the force after Pardew had the audacity to suggest, politely, that the Man United man had received preferential treatment since his antics brought no consequence. The Newcastle manager's comments were no doubt influenced by the two-match ban he received for a similar incident, although in his case a slight push was involved.

Marginal at Best

Ed types all of his pieces on a Royal KMM Magic Margin Typewriter
photo by Twylo	via PhotoRee

Ed has a point -- for once:

Watching Manchester United play Manchester City this weekend reinforced the value of intangibles in the game. When City were down by 2, you just knew David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and the rest would force some goals to put the game back in reach. In fact, before each goal you could literally see it coming. 

But then there's United. They began the game with two terrific goals by Wayne Rooney. Then they spent the second half like a boxer against the ropes, being dominated and bullied by City. But in the end when Robin Van Persie lined up that free kick you just knew it was trouble for City. Again, you could literally see that goal coming.

So what is it? What is it about United that enables them to squeak by time and time again? Part of it is in the margins. Everyone is pretty good in the EPL, and the top teams have roughly equivalent talent. But United's talent is also just that much better with RVP. But also, United must simply believe it more. I'm not sure what else it could be. The same thing happens so many times with them, it seems that being a tight place makes them focus all the more.

 

I've quoted NFL coach Bill Parcells before in this column, and I'll paraphrase him here again. His philosophy was that every player reacts to pressure, it was just a matter of how they did so. His mission was always to find those players -- even if they weren't always the most talented -- who seemed to get better when the pressure was on.

Is that Sir Alex's philosophy? Is that the type of player he's looking for? Or is it the coach that inspires the players to act that way under pressure?

Let's contrast that with Tottenham Hotspur's tough loss against Everton. For most of the game Everton was the better team for sure, but when Clint Dempsey scored on a deflection (you can't score if you don't shoot!) it seemed they had the game won. But then Everton turned it on and Spurs seemed, as is almost always the case in these situations, to get worse.

Turn the Lights Out, the Party's Over: Manchester United 3 - FC Braga 1

photo by Steve Punter	via PhotoRee

Q. Did Sir Alex rotate his line up for the Braga match?

A. And how: he sent out a team that included Antonio Valencia at right back, featured a return for long-term absentee Chris Smalling in central defense, and used Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra to round out David De Gea's defense. The midfield was a crazy quilt of several underutilized players: Nani, Anderson, Giggs, with Wazza thrown in for good measure, while upfront it was Manchester homeboy Danny Welbeck combining with the Red Devils' Player of the Month, Javier Hernandez.

Q. What did you notice about the game's first ten minutes?

A. That Wayne Rooney was playing deeper than Anderson. It was very strange....

Q. Was that the strangest thing you saw?

A. No. That would have been Ryan Giggs playing central defense while the physios were attending to a dizzy Chris Smalling.

Q. Anything else stand out in your mind during the first 45?

A. Not really. It was a fairly typical European night: cautious, cagey, real chances at a minimum and not much true goalmouth action at either end. Not vintage stuff from either side, by any means.

Q. Quiet start to the second half, as well?

A. Not after Braga buried a dubious penalty less than five minutes after the re-start.

Q. And then the lights went out for the home side?

A. Yes. Literally.

Q. Seriously?

Five Things We Learned While Watching Manchester United vs. Galatasaray

Photo by Woodleywonderworks on Flickr

o There Are No Easy Champions League Games: Sure, there are some Champions League matchups that are easier than others -- would you rather play Galatasaray or Barcelona? -- but there is no such thing as an easy night in Europe these days. The teams -- yes, even the Turkish ones -- have too many international players, and the contests are too cagey to lead to many 5-nil romps, even for a team with the quality of Manchester United. Last night's game was a perfect example: for much of the game the Turks held the ball, gave as good as they got, and were unlucky not to have scored on at least two occasions.  After a fast opening by the home side, the contest quickly turned into a nerve-wracking affair, with one key difference: this time the home side managed to find a way hold on. Which just goes to show....

o A Narrow Win is Still a Win: United open the Group Stage with three points this year -- they now likely need only seven more from their next five games to move into the knockout stage of the competition. With two more home games, United would now appear very likely to better last year's effort. In the end, it will not long be remembered that last night's victory was ugly in spots, that United spurned multiple scoring opportunities, and that the home side looked vulnerable on defense.  Instead, the United faithful will remember a game that counted as a win -- hopefully one in a series of them in this year's Champions League -- and that the home side banked all three points.  Which they got because....

o Sir Alex is Not Fooling Around: Take a gander at Wednesday's starting lineup: Robin Van Persie, Shinji Kagawa, Antonio Valencia, and Nemanja Vidic, among others, graced the pitch for the men in Red.  The only "big name" players missing from a squad which might start a Champions League Final were Wayne Rooney (injured) and Rio Ferdinand (rested). Gone is the conservative, rest-the-stars approach used to such ill effect last season. Names such as Bebe, Gibbo and Pogba stood no chance of seeing the light of day this time around, and not only because most of them have moved on -- but because the Boss is not so ill-informed as to realize he vastly underestimated the competitiveness of last year's competition. And Fergie could have been forgiven for taking a chance on this particular game, especially with the Liverpool derby coming up on the weekend.  But he didn't, and we knew Sir Alex was serious last night, because....

o When the Black Coat and Sweater Come Out, Things Are Starting to Get Real: Everyone knows the sun shines in Manchester about as often as it snows in Miami, but there's something special about Old Trafford when the weather turns cooler, and there's nothing like a European Night to bring it out. And when Fergie busts out the Marks & Spencer jacket with the zip-up sweater underneath it can only mean one thing: the weather's begun to turn, and real English football is on display. Save the sunny day games for the pre-season and August. This time of year we want the real thing -- raw, cold, dark and hard hitting -- with only one exception....

Berba on the Bench: A Love Story

 

 

(With Apologies to Ernest Thayer)

 

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Champions that day:
The score stood two to three, with just minutes left to play.
And then when Giggsy missed a shot, and Scholesy did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the many patrons of the game.

 

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Berbatov could get upon the pitch -
We'd put up even money, now, with Berba we'd be rich.

 

But Welbz preceded Berbatov, as did Chico, too,
And the former was a homeboy and the latter quick-a-roo;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Berba's getting off the mat.

 

But Roo let fly a tackle, to the wonderment of all,
In doing so, the talisman turned ankle over ball;
And when the dust had lifted, the crowd became all warm,
For the linesman was a-whistling, and a-raising his own arm.

 

Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It disappointed many, as Macheda was revealed,
And Berba, artful Berba, was nowhere near the field.

 

There was languid ease in Dimi's manner as he sat upon the bench;
There was pride in Dimi's bearing, though Dimi's teeth did clench.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly coiffed his hair,
No one could deny that Berba Love was in the air.

 

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he fiddled with his phone;
Five thousand tongues applauded him as from the bench his aura shone.
Then as the crowd watched him rub his his hands into his hip,
Longing gleamed in Berba's eye, but placid was his lip.

 

And while the leather-covered sphere kept hurtling through the air,
Berba sat a-watching it in languid splendor there.
Close by the United bench the ball unheeded sped-
"Put me in Coach, please," said Berba. "Not now," the Gaffer said.

 

One Mo', Possibly Two: The Next Manchester United Signing

Photo by Wonker on Flickr

Manchester United held a press conference on Thursday to introduce the club's two newest signings, midfielders Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell.  Kagawa joins United after having recently been crowned as the inaugural Bundesliga Player of the Year.  The Japanese international's arrival at Old Trafford has generated a fair bit of excitement among the United faithful, who hope Kagawa can repeat his exploits while deployed in a forward midfield position for the Reds.  The club's other signing, Powell, arrives with a bit less fanfare but lots of raised hopes, with the promising work for his hometown club, Crewe Alexandra, offering Sir Alex and his staff a glimpse of the 18 year old's prodigious talents.

After introducing both new players, Sir Alex fielded some additional questions from the press, which inevitably asked if this year's transfer work was over.  In his response, the Scotsman let it be known that there may be one or -- breathe easy, United fans -- two more names still to join prior to the closing of the transfer window.  Although he would have preferred to have his transfer business done and dusted by this point, due largely to the European Championship this summer United's dealings have been delayed.

"There will possibly be one more. We have always done well in terms of getting players in at the end of the season. That is the right time.
But always in a European Championship or World Cup year, there is a delay in the transfer industry. That is over now and we are still trying to get one more in."
-- Sir Alex Ferguson, July 12, 2012

Although rumors are swirling fast and furiously that the one additional signing may be Lucas Moura or Leighton Baines, the club has also been linked lately with everyone from Robin Van Persie to Luka Modric and several players in between.  So what do the staff at farlieonfootie think of the various prospects?  Worry no further, dear readers -- our thoughts are shown below:

Robin Van Persie: Not a prayer.  Robin will be wearing the butt-ugly kit of our cross-town rivals in about five weeks' time -- after dominating the back page of the British tabloids for the next month and a half.