Frustrations of a Manchester United fan
Manchester United will not win the Premiership by playing beautiful football this season - first they need to find their tough attitude, their fighting spirit and most importantly, their desire to win at any cost.
We can always play pretty later.
The media’s image of Manchester United’s glory years is a fabricated social memory of the 99′ team.
A crack midfield manned by Giggs, Keane, Scholes and Beckham, with Cole and Yorke the consummate strikers topping up the 4-4-2 and a fluid, counter-attacking, never-say-die approach to the game that shook everyone out of their sleep in the Premiership.
Those four midfielders, at their peak, were four of the best players Manchester United has ever seen and truly, United were great then.
But time mellows memories and helps us remember only the overall plot - our success rubs off on our incomplete memories and fills in the gaps, making a talented but arguably limited midfield into giants and heroes.
I don’t remember an all-conquering, all-powerful Manchester United.
The Manchester United I remember were always playing better than they were supposed to - a team that was moderately skilled but played with a drive and hunger that helped it overhaul more talented sides. This drive was imbued in the team by Ferguson and displayed on the pitch by Keane, Beckham, Giggs, Neville, Scholes, Butt and co.
Yes, they were really good players. But their success on this pitch came from playing fantastically well as a unit, and in adapting that ‘pack of hunting dogs’ mentality in attack and defence that Ferguson preached and asked for. Manchester United defended in numbers, attacked in droves, fought for the ball on every inch of the pitch and from start to finish were pushing the opposition to the limit.
It was a side that played out of their skins, better than they were expected to, better than they had a right to, better than they were able to (if that makes sense).
And it is this memory that makes today’s Manchester United all the more painful to watch.
We still have the talent - In Saha and Rooney Manchester United have a top-notch front-line, our defence is strong and at full strength the midfield of Carrick, Scholes, Giggs and Ronaldo is pretty good.
In Rooney and Ronaldo we still have the ability to change the game in a matter of seconds, and with the new Giggs-Saha-Ronaldo axis we can control games at will.
But there’s something missing from today’s United. Our self-belief is shaken, and as a result, the team can be shaken and then beaten (as Arsenal were able to do). And the Benfica game was a perfect example of this lack of self-belief.
Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney had bad, bad games on Tuesday. In between mishit passes and some decent defensive work, you saw an appalling lack of desire to chase the ball down. Coming from two of United’s most trusted personnel it was shameful, and at one time it seemed as if Ferguson would cross the touchline and knock Rooney in the head.
Against Benfica United needed a general to bark at the players and get them motivated. Neville is an able leader but if he wants to win another Premiership title he will need to lead on the pitch and that doesn’t mean just putting in the tackles, it also means dressing down the non-performing players and getting to play well again.
Karl had this to say about the game:
Last night as I was watching the ManU game (that shitty first half), I had a realisation…
“This is all we have. It might not be much, but its ALL we have. These guys might not be everyone’s ideal summer recruits, but you have to admit, they are TRYING VERY HARD.�
I could actually see determination on the faces (did you notice Ronaldo and Heinze were the only 2 players that were actually smilling, other than Saha - just after his magnificent goal).
Karl’s made one very good, and another not so good point:
This really is all that we have.
Absolutely right. There’s no point bitching about transfers not made - we have to make do with what we have right now and complaining that we didn’t buy strikers in the past absolves the current playing staff of their responsibility to score goals. It’s up to Rooney to perform, if he doesn’t, he should be kicked and beaten till he does. Or motivated, whatever.
The players, on the most part, are trying really hard.
I’m sorry, but mishitting passes throughout a 90-minute stretch and not even bothering to chase a 50-50 ball (Scholes) is not hard work. Saha was being muscled off the ball with ridiculous ease and Rooney was more content dropping back to cover Heinze than go on runs down the left himself. Ronaldo, for all his brilliance, wasn’t tracking back to defend (although we’ll forgive him that because of his role in the match). Carrick is still finding his way, but that’s no excuse for being anonymous in midfield.
United fans love Alan Smith because of his attitude and drive for the game - he goes into every tackle, every 50-50 ball, chases down all the lost causes. Rooney is usually the same, but he had lost it against Benfica. So had Scholes.
Wenger’s side won the 2003/2004 Premiership by believing that they were the best. Mourinho’s done the same with Chelsea.
It’s not just a battle that’s won on the pitch - it’s a dressing room thing, it’s something drilled into the heads of players throughout training.
United is not the most talented side. Quite honestly, we never were.
But we have always been the side that fought the hardest. He who fights hardest usually wins, and United need that spirit back.
Mr Ferguson, are you listening? In that case…
Also Read:
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- Ferdinand kicks ball, ball hits and hurts Manchester United fan (video)
- Why Manchester United Are The Best Club In The World
- Live Commentary: Manchester United vs Chelsea
Discussion - 9 Responses
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We were poor. We were as bad as we were V Arsenal. My biggest criticism on both occasions was this:
Despite being often full of stars United have always had an awesome work ethic. We give nobody time on the ball. Our closing down during both of the aforementioned games was half hearted at best.
Fergy didn’t help by playing silly billy’s with the formation but the fundamentals remain the same whatever formation you play. Give the man with the ball no time or space with which to think and construct a move to damage you.
In short - Take the F Ball off him!
Class is no substitute for work ethic and I fear that the new calmer fergy is not driving this point home with the determination that he once did.
Straight from the heart stuff…
Felt the same, but the problem with us lies in our inability to break attacks..Every single attack is dealt by sitting deep inside the box.And challenge not put in, till it is too late.That has its impact on the attacking half of the midfield and their self belief.
Scholes was never a gr8 tackler,ronaldo won’t track back either.they want to go fwd and score goals..we must let them do so..
There has to be someone standing right before our defence like keano and say, come near me and i’ll kill you.
Smith was looking like a soln, but we lack strikers and he will be used up front. lets c what sir alex has in his mind..coz none of our inputs are gonna matter and he is the one who always has the last laugh.hoping once again, tht he continues to do so…
This article brought back a lot of nostalgia. Your statements about the “old” United are so true. No one in the team was really brilliant (personal exception of Ryan Giggs of course) but together they were exceptional.
I don’t want to critisize the team or SAF but if “Mr. Ferguson is listening…” I want to use the opportunity to say that part of what I feel is wrong is SAF’s predictability. It is this predictability that allows a young team like Arsenal to overwhelm us. The same predictability allowed Benfica to dominate and frustrate us the way they did.
Keep in mind that the bad games are not not all United’s fault. The opposing team/managers also do their part in the game. Benfica’s approach was clear… Congest the midfield and in that way frustrate United by not allowing them to play “their” football. I feel that for the way Benfica approached the game and played that the UNITED TEAM DESERVE CREDIT for not leaking any goals. Benfica’s game plan surely worked because United were frustrated.
SAF should become less conservative and more creative again. I can remember a FA cup game against Crystal Pallace once (can’t remember when exactly) where United were frustrated by Palace (their defensive line was superb and United just could not break through. They kept on moving up as a United causing a lot of United off-sides). The game ended in a 0-0 draw. With the midweek replay, both teams appeared to play the same strategy BUT for one exception… the team were “obviously” instructed to draw the Palace defence line and then chip the ball over them (as opposed to trying to go through them). I can recall it working like magic. United won the game. Something small, yet creative and effective.
Sorry for the long comment. Last point. Did anyone notice the “change in spirit” after the goal was scored? To me it seemed like they played with a bit more belief… I might be wrong but it sure looked that way.
I disagree with the theory that Man United’s players were individually poorer than other sides in the premiership.
Man United were the best because they had the best manager with the best players.
I think that, actually, Man United had the best players in the league, and by a long way. The problem is that these same players are being judged by today’s premiership standards. It is irrefutable that the average premiership player today is of a higher quality, and a better calibre, than the average player of ‘yesteryear’, and no better proof exists of this than the fact that players such as David May and Jesper Blomqvist, both distinctly average, made a large contribution to Man Utd’s treble-winning season. Even the poorer clubs in the league are now able to attract european class players. It is very much a different game.
Why not posting for the post of MANAGER of United from your say, we should have the best MANAGER of the premiership.
United will win fuck all because their squad is the worst ive seen in a decade. Even liverpools is now superior. Only rooney, ronaldo and ferdinand would make it into a liverpool starting eleven. There, ive said it now…
You are right that lack of belief has cost United in the premiership and Europe for a few years now. However you are a bit hard on some of the players. Especially Carrick, Scholes and Rooney who’s pre season was ruined by injury and suspension respectively. Their bad form will disipate once they all get back to peak fitness. And if they keep within 5 points of Chlesea come January, when their true form sets in. They can and will win the premiership because United under Sir Alex can always over haul a 5 point lead easily. And for these pathetic scousers who think their squad is better than United’s: Remember punks! United won a treble with a squad worse than Chelsea’s current assemblage. Why? Because they have Sir alex and no one else does!
Its sad that article is so true. What people dont often realise is that Keane’s job wasnt only to put in the crunching tackles but to shout, abuse and motivate into raising thier gave to a level where the passion felt by players was so much more than their oppositions. Arsenal dont have a tough tackling midfielder but yet their passion for winning lifts them. I recently saw a replay of an old Unied vs. City FA cup match. Tackles were flying in from Keane, Butt, Scholes, Yourke. It looked like they wanted to win. It didnt look like that against Benfica. The problem is we pay 30-40 thousand pounds a week to the like of Fletcher and O’Shea when its sickening to see they dont give thier 100%. The clubs success and name has been built on the never say, never give up attitude and somewhere along the line it has been lost. I dont think Neville is a true leader and captain. I think he was only given captaincy because he is the only member of the old gaurd who is slightly aggresive (unlike giggs or scholes). The sad truth is that we really dont have a leader. You always see Terry, Gerrard and Parker screaming at people, telling them to get in, you never see Neville doing that. We need a leader, be it a defender or a midfielder. We need a Captain.