all hail the prince

It came down to a moment that distilled a career’s frustrations and majesty. A loose ball, a first touch and the Ginger Prince of Old Trafford applied the type of swerving finish that re-defined a career.

It was the kind of spectacular finish that home fans may have been dreading for in truth, that Paul Scholes thirty yarder was the first time United had got into Catalan territory. From the off Barca settled into a steady rhythm as United, clearly stunned by the absence of totems Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney, watched in awe as their opponents set about the game in the manner they had ended the first leg.

Yet Scholes’ timely touch and sublime swerving effort suddenly brought belief back to a side only recently denied by title rivals Chelsea, with many pundits predicting a sour end to an otherwise glorious season. Make no mistake, that moment at a stroke saved United’s season and brought the defining moment to a club legend’s long career.

United’s consistent failure to reach the final (this was the reds 10th semi – that’s more than Liverpool you know) had weighed heavily in the run-up and the team news didn’t help, yet from that moment, with a goal lead to defend, United were an entirely different proposition. By fiercely closing down Barca attacks before they had really gained momentum United were allowed a larger share of possession as Nani and Park went close.

Barca regained momentum as the half closed with Deco smacking a couple of shots narrowly wide. Yet the second half rarely saw the Catalans get in behind United’s defence, the exception Messi’s driven cross and Bojan’s brief sight of goal before the excellent Wes Brown snuffed out the chance.

By that time however United, after a close thing involving Tevez and some quality possession play from the front four, were down to time-wasting tactics, hoofed clearances and hope. As Fergie’s death defying leap from his seat at the whistle confirmed United’s trip to Moscow – all thoughts turned to the man who missed out so cruelly last time round.

Paul Scholes was so happy with life that he made his excuses to the ITV cameras and was probably home and showered in time to watch his effort on News At Ten. Yet the man whose glorious career had hitherto failed to provide a truly defining moment, now had it.

All Hail The Ginger Prince of Old Trafford.

“Away and write your shite”

Sir Alex Ferguson is either playing a long-winded game of brinksmanship as he battles on two fronts for the double or he is judging both campaigns to perfection as he did in 1999.

In a run reminiscent of the treble season, United have stuttered at the crucial moment, dropping seven points out of the last 12. Fergie’s ultra defensive approach to the first leg in Barcelona has been widely criticised, a scoring draw will put Barca through tonight.

And yet… I keep coming back to that last magical spring of the twentieth century when Fergie judged United’s efforts perfectly across three competitions – as it turned out he judged the effort required down to the last second.

Quite often in ‘99, United seemed down and out in games yet did just enough to keep progressing on all fronts. At no time did we dominate the opposition, except maybe in the one sided FA Cup final against Newcastle. The run-in featured come from behind wins, a two goal lead squandered, another regained and a miracle escape when we were a man short in extra-time.

The similarities with this year’s run-in are striking. Leaving aside the fact that they are only fighting on two fronts now, United have still had to play ‘run-in’ style football for nearly two months now. Along the way the ‘Double Express’ cam off the rails sometime in the first half against Middlesbrough. A defeat that seemed to convince Ferguson that 4-4-2 left us too wide open without Vidic. In the five and a half games since we’ve won two drawn three and lost one scoring just six and conceding the same number. 

Parallels are being drawn with Arsenal’s failure to last the pace, if anything United’s collapse looks all the more extra-ordinary as just a fortnight ago both titles seemed comfortably within this team’s reach. Injuries, bizarre tactical decisions and a guarded approach to games seem to have contributed to United’s downfall. Those with memories stretching back to 1999 have bemoaned Fergie’s conservative approach, claiming that in that exalted year Fergie threw off the shackles and scooped the lot as a result.

But this is to forget that quite often United were forced to fight back from a goal or even two goals down and, with the likes of Solksjaer and Sheringham on the bench, that team specialised in the late comeback. Fast forward 9 years and there are similarities in the fightbacks at Blackburn, Boro, Spurs, Lyon and even the unsuccessful second-half rally at Chelsea (which included two late clearances from under Cech’s bar) that indicate that the current team have a similar bouncebackability.

To read the reports after the Chelsea game, you could be forgiven for believing that United were hammered when in fact they beat Cech on three occasions in the second half alone, the Pensioners needing last-ditch clearances from a full-back and a centre-forward. Van der Sar hardly had a save to make all half until the linesman (!) gave the kind of penalty that I’ve seen waved away at least four times in the games I’ve watched since. 

The papers have been searching for signs that Fergie is losing it. Having grown tired of goading Grant they now want to splash Fergie’s Fury over the back pages. There is also another agenda: the press would love it if Fergie failed – he has treated the majority of them with haughty derision for years. A significant number have been irked by the Scot’s regular press conference salutation – judging from the headlines over the past few days he’s not far wrong.

RMS

There have been plenty of noises off at Anfield this year, in fact we’ve heard pretty much nothing else since the American owners fell out before Christmas. But I’m yet to hear anything from any of the parties that made quite as much sense as Tom Hicks blasting of Rick Parry. “We should have 20 sponsors, not three” said the Texan and it was hard to disagree. Hicks’ manner may be a problem but his business brain is spot on – by turning their backs on commercial opportunities Liverpool have left found themselves in direct competition with the likes of Villa and City, rather than the big three.

Now sharp observers will note that i am no LFC apologist, but it seems that the day Dalglish resigned in February 1991 was the day LFC ceased to be a competitive force in English football. Now they may have won three FA Cups, a UEFA Cup, a pair of League Cups and the fabled 2005 travesty in Istanbul but to all intents and purposes they relinquished their seat at the top of football’s highest table the day the Scot walked out following a cup defeat to Everton.

At the time most people thought Souness would carry on the Evil Empire pretty much as before with average players slotting in to a ready-made championship team as and when neccessary as had been the case for the previous 15-20 years. Fortunately Manchester United and Alex Ferguson raised the bar sufficiently to prevent this from happening and within a few seasons Liverpool were left trailing in the dust on and off the pitch as United badges turned up on everything from bedspreads to condoms.

As a result of a decade of doing things the ‘Liverpool Way’ ie. not speaking out of school and dealing with club politics ‘internally’, the scousers descended from their accustomed spot on the summit of Olympus unaware of the impact the Premier League was having on English football. In the meantime the team, ground and brand were allowed to wither on the vine. Poignantly, when United drew 2-2 there during the 1999 championship run-in, scousers celebrated as if they had won the league. Instead LFC finished seventh and United won the treble – the turnaround was complete, from Princes to Paupers in 8 short years.

Since Rafa’s arrival, in particular since the 2005 Istanbul travesty, Liverpool fans have rallied round, believing the rafalution will return them to pre-eminence. Yet this case has become harder and harder to make with each subsequent failure. 2006 saw Liverpool touted as Chelsea’s main challengers but United were the only club to push them in Mourinho’s quest for back-to-back titles. Last season they were puffed as Chelsea’s main rivals again only to fall out of contention before the leaves had fallen from the trees with three successive away defeats. This season a 0-0 draw at home to Birmingham in September from which Torres was rested as part of Rafa’s rotation policy, signalled the beginning of the end of another title bash.

Yet the in-fighting has allowed Rafa to escape all criticism since late last year when it emerged that Hicks and Gillette disagreed about the club’s future. LFC fans’ groups have been keeping their powder dry until the season is over (next Wednesday perhaps) while the media typically couch Liverpool’s season as a success ‘in spite of the on-going boardroom dissension’ forgetting of course that Benitez’s failures in the Premier League kicked it all off in the first place.

Last night’s semi-final was a chance for the Kremlinologists among the assembled journos to wonder at the proximity of Hicks, Parry, Gillette and the DIC rep. In truth, the speculation about Liverpool’s future ownership is becoming smokescreen that obscures Benitez’s failing as manager. An exit to Chelsea next week and his real record may finally get the close examination it deserves from both owners and fans.

death by football

I got a bit of stick for claiming that Chelsea were uninteresting (see below) but I think last night proved that the Pensioners are really not up to it - Chelsea’s draw with Wigan was without doubt the most boring game I’ve ever watched. 

Why anyone would want to part with £50 to watch that lot, I don’t know. It didn’t look like Chelsea were even trying to win the game let alone entertain. The Setanta commentators, normally ready to fawn over the top teams, were stunned into criticism.  Oh and it has since emerged that Abramovitch has stopped watching his team because he is becoming bored with the game…

Unfortunately this doesn’t augur well for the Champions League semi-finals. The contrast will be vivid however: an Anfield in ecstasy for the first leg and Stamford Bridge on Mogadon for the second – nevertheless I’d be amazed if the scousers didn’t win that tie comfortably now on last night’s evidence.

As for United… there are too many who think Barca are there for the taking for my liking. The wealth of talent at Rijkaard’s disposal and the opportunity to save his reputation with a second European Cup in three seasons should not be underestimated. And, despite last night’s result, the game with Chelsea will still be a ‘live’ one meaning that sending out a shadow side for the league game in between the two legs isn’t really an option. Add in a shaky first 50 minutes against an Arsenal still traumatised by defeat on Merseyside and you have the recipe for a shock.

Having said all that the final in Moscow should see the north-west rivals face each other… Liverpool have hit form, have finally found a striker worth the name and it seems that Benitez has cunningly used the ongoing American Civil War to galvanise his squad.

Unlike many others who think the prospect of scousers and mancs mingling on foreign soil will be a disaster and call for the game to be moved to Wembley or Cardiff, I actually think Moscow is the best place for the final, whoever it’s between. Supporters will either be put off attending because of the cost and adminstrative complication or they’ll be so unsure as to how the local security forces will react that they’ll modify their behaviour. Add in a chilly Russian climate and perhaps a restriction on alcohol sales and you have the recipe for some kind of detente between the warring factions…

Either that or there’ll be an overcrowded Gulags throughout Siberia come summer time.

the chelsea title challenge mystery

Resilience, consistency, squad depth. If Chelsea win the league these are the attributes which will be trotted out in the media to explain how they pooped the Arsenal/United love-in. A (very small) part of me admires their audacity for staying in the race at all. Humbled by Barnsley, Spurs and Fenerbahce this is clearly a team lacking some fairly basic requirements of champions. They don’t thrill, they regularly fail to perform, but they’re still ‘there or thereabouts’ as Lawro might say. I’m stumped as to how though.

From back to front they’ve been nothing special. Cudicini has deputised for Cech but the Czech was error-strewn when he was in the team so that’s been no loss, the Italian has looked sketchy on occasion but not fatally so. The full-backs Belletti and Cole/Bridge are pretty good but neither bomb on like Evra or Clichy. In central defence Terry,Alex and Carvalho have been steady and surprisingly dependable considering that at least one of them seems to have been injured for the duration of the season but they are all prone to throw the toys out of the pram too quickly.

It’s central midfield where Chelsea should have an advantage with Ballack, Lampard, Essien, Makalele and Obi Mikel rotating as and when. Again too many defensive midfielders for my taste but when you aim to grind things out I suppose this is acceptable. Out wide Wright-Phillips and Malouda have been poor, the former has no end product the latter is still sulking after Mourinho’s departure. Going forward Joe Cole has been the sole quality player (his mystifying absence against Spurs in the Carling Cup still held against Grant) while Anelka (2 goals since he signed) and Drogba (clearly wanting away) have struggled.

So how the hell are they not down among the dead men scrapping for fourth with Liverpool?

They’ve done all this despite a manager who has been universally derided since he took over. The cup defeats have been laid at his feet, proof that he hasn’t a clue tactically. Add in the fact that the players treat him with disdain (and worse) and he’s seen as the owner’s placeman and it sounds like a recipe for disaster. When the home record finally goes – which it has to sooner or later – then maybe he will disappear with it.

Then there are the odious characters in this Chelsea side, the Terrys and Coles of this world. The latter has spent most of this season cheating on his (beautiful) wife, being injured and ignoring referees yet he might just end it with an historic haul of Premiership and CL winners medals. As for Terry, his attempts to physically prevent referees from showing his team-mates red cards should have resulted in longer suspensions than those dished out to the likes Mascherano and Alliadiere recently. He has also been passed over as England captain by the new England manager which should tell you something. Oh and he’s been injured more often than not as well.

Off the pitch Peter Kenyon’s rather laughable attempts to ‘turn the world blue’ saw just 200 fans make the recent trip to Turkey while the self-righteous indignation forthcoming from the Chelsea hierarchy following the movement of the Everton fixture to a Thursday night smacked of a desperate attempt to engender some togetherness with fans who have clearly given up on supporting a billionaire’s plaything.

So in conclusion: Chelsea are a poor uninspiring team, they pay inflated wages to a set of players with about as much charm as a forceful colonic irrigation and a manager who would struggle to get a job at any other professional football league club. Furthermore they are supported by fans who either have no conscience about the future of football and continue to support a billionaire’s plaything or have one and are leaving the club faster the rats and metaphorical ship. In the words of Bill Shankly, ‘if they were playing in your back garden you’d draw the curtains’.

Dearie me, United if we lose this one we’ll have some explaining to do…

shock and awe

 

Perhaps the most revealing comment last night came in Fergie’s post-match interview on ITV.

“I should have changed it sooner” said the Scot with a slightly rueful smile.

“Well you scored almost straight away” added the helpful interviewer, “Ay” responded the United manager, a shaken look on his face.

Many United watchers have jumped on this exchange as an admission from the great man that he got it wrong in Europe. Some have speculated that he wouldn’t have admitted such had we lost the lead as a result of his procrastination. But I take a different tack.

I don’t think Fergie realised how good this United vintage were until last night and having waited 9 years for a proper crack at the big one I think the Scot was still collecting his thoughts on the match when he had a microphone stuck up his nose and made the admission. Remember also that Fergie’s dying wish is to win one more European Cup, an aim he also shares with Messrs Giggs, Scholes and Neville, a reason some have said, for us ‘trying too hard’ in the tournament over recent years.

Yet there have been doubts about the reds winning the tournament, as there always are, because Fergie is regarded as a dunce as far as European tactics are concerned. “We have the team but not the manager” has been the general thrust of opinion since we last won it. Incredible really when you think that Fergie has still won more European trophies than Benitez despite the claims of the Spaniard’s genius.

Last night the look on Fergie’s face, one of shock to be honest, told its own story. United went into a bear pit of a stadium to face a team that had just knocked out Real Madrid and his team played them off the park. That wasn’t concern on his face after all, it was the realisation that after nearly a decade in the European wilderness he had finally seen a United team transfer their league form onto the latter stages of the European Cup.

Of course the plaudits have gone to Ronaldo for his spectacular header. On TV it looked reminiscent of the way Carlos Alberto appears stage right for the famous last goal scored by Brazil in 1970. As Scholes chips it, it looks like he’s missed everybody…

But the real heroes were the ever excellent Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes who, at thirtysomething, looks like he could play at this level until he’s fortysomething. Both showed the nouse needed on occasions like this, Rio organised and reacted brilliantly, the Ginger Prince prompted those around him to keep the ball and, besides executing the exquisite cross that changed the tie, set the tone for an authoratative performance.

I have to concur with the experts when they say United are the best team in Europe – for once the hyperbole was matched by a quietly magnificent performance from two of the finest players in Europe. Perhaps the Babes will get the tribute they richly deserve this May.