Terrace Talk

Ok, maybe it’s just me but does anyone else think that Anderson plays a bit like Jesus (of Nazareth) would? After watching the last 120 minutes of him in a United shirt, I simply can’t help but feel oodles of confidence for the future. Let’s face it, United played absolute crap against Bolton in the first half on Saturday and followed that up with an equally yawn-inducing display in the first 45 today against Sporting. But the shining light through all that is i haven’t seen Anderson misplace a pass yet. Well…..maybe a few, but hey for a 19 year old who’s only just getting regular starting births in top level football, he’s certainly packing the punch.

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You have a crucial qualifier coming up as your last match in qualification. Do you:

a) Schedule and play a friendly 5 days before, using starters which you plan to use against your crucial qualifier?

or

b) Field players which you won’t be starting/playing in your crucial qualifier?
You are given a week to prepare for a crucial qualifer where you know that all you need to progess is a draw. Do you:

a) Field a 4-5-1 formation and play for a draw?

or

b) Field a 4-4-2 formation and go for the win?
You are playing a crucial qualifer. Do you:

a) Start Shaun Wright-Phillips?

or

b) Start David Beckham?

Lastly, you are playing a qualifier that decides whether you progress to Euro 08. Do you:

a) Pair Gerrard and Lampard in central midfield?

or

b) Pair either Gerrard/Lampard with Barry/Hargreaves in central midfield?

These questions had to cross Mclaren’s mind before he made his decisions. In my mind, he chose incorrectly on all of them.

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Sports brands, regardless of which land mass they play their ball, are locked into the same general formula for success. One part smart management, another part legendary players, and a dash of luck, quickly yields silverware and high priced television contracts. However, the focus today isn’t on the formula for success – I’ll leave that job for my other Unitedzone colleagues to ponder. Instead, I’m more concerned with the byproduct of this sporting concoction and in particular, the way the fans have reacted to dominance.
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There’s been much talk about quota systems and the sort, with Liverpool and England (stand-in) captain Steven Gerrard joining the debate this week. On many a Liverpool fan forum, he was slated for having his priorities twisted, in his comments which to some fans suggested he put playing for England ahead of playing for Liverpool. I often wonder how UTD fans feel about this - if Cristiano Ronaldo played through injury for his country and UTD suffered as a result, would there be hell to pay? I personally understand a player’s ambition to succeed for his country, and I feel both goals ought to be attainable. Fortunately, Liverpool haven’t had any Ghanaian players, as it would only be then that I’d really have to get off the fence on the club vs country debate.

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By now most of us have heard the supposed statistics of Rafa’s rotation policy - “99 straight rotations”, or so the story goes. I’ve often wondered exactly how these “99 straight rotations” were tallied. Were injuries taken into account? Changes to and from the team for mid-week mickey-mouse cup matches counted? What exactly went into the mysterious statistics that apparently show that Rafa rotates so much more than any other manager in the premiership?

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That famous banner held high by the UTD fans in November of 1989 after a frustrating 3 years under Alex Ferguson is now the stuff of folklore. On hindsight, the impatience demonstrated by UTD’s fans in those lean years seems quite foolish given the glory years that followed.

Substitute Rafa for Fergie, and you capture the same sort of sentiment that in recent times has been whispered among Liverpool fans clamouring for a return to our own glory days. Apparently Rafa’s steady progress isn’t happening quick enough for a few amongst the faithful. It’s unfortunate that some amongst us are leaning towards the same precipice that our arch enemies the UTD fans were saved from jumping over when the UTD board wisely kept faith in Fergie’s long term plan.

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Come back in time with me to the 2003/04 season. Manchester United have Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Deigo Forlan and David Bellion as their strikeforce, United were in need of a goal scorer since Forlan wasn’t realizing his full potential. The goal scorer Manchester United turned their eyes to was Louis Saha. Highly impressed by Sir Alex Ferguson with 15 goals for Fulham he joined Manchester United January 23rd 2004 on a 12.8 million pounds transfer. 7 goals in his first 10 starting appearances, it looked like Sir Alex had made a great signing.

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Flashback to 2^nd October 2007 at Old Trafford, as Manchester United host Roma in what is seemingly becoming a regular fixture. As United stutter to yet another 1-0 victory (their fifth in the last 7 victories) and the fans begin to wonder what happened to that juggernaut of an attacking force they were so used to seeing plunder goal after breathtaking goal, Michael Carrick injures his elbow to the point where Fergie is informed by the physios that the 18 million pound man is to sit out the next 5 weeks. The situation demanded the questions: a) How was a troubled elbow supposed to keep a professional footballer on the sidelines for that long a period of time? But worse, b) With Owen Hargreaves still nursing a knee injury, how were United to cope without yet another senior midfielder while still battle the curse of the never-ending one-nils? Enter Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira.

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