United Road Take Me Home

Starting point

There was a point towards the end of last season – before the Liverpool/Fulham wobble obviously - as United breezed past opponents and a bench stuffed full of precocious talent chomped eagerly at the bit waiting to join in, that I didn’t just think last season’s title was in the bag, but this season’s as well. And probably the one after. In fact I could see a glittering line of trophies all the way from Old Trafford to the crack of doom. So why now does it seem to peter out before it’s even made it to the temple of doom? Is the gaping void left by Ronaldo really that huge?
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One of the stock cliché’s of pre-season has been that United have replaced big-names before. Players come, players go; that’s football. We were here before Ronnie and we didn’t seem to have much bother winning baubles then; it’ll be no different after he’s gone. All fair points of course. But there is one difference. Never before have we sold the current World Player of the Year. Aside from all the petulance and the pouting, he was simply a sensational footballer. Just think back to Highbury last season and the aura of brilliance that surrounded United that night.
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And of course you could argue that he was just as complicit in Rome on the night that aura was thoroughly demolished by Barcelona. But his positives are far in excess of his negatives. Which isn’t to say selling him wasn’t the correct thing to do; it was clearly right for all concerned. So we move on without him, but it’s where we’re moving to that troubles me.
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As obvious as Ronnie’s talent, is the fact that anyone is going to suffer by comparison. Ferguson could have stumped up the exorbitant amount that Bayern want for Ribery – or he could if the Glazer’s hadn’t trousered the Ronnie windfall - but you can guarantee that his first duff cross would herald an outbreak of mutterings about him not being up to Ronaldo’s standard. Much in the way the first dropped point under Fergie’s eventual successor will lead to an intensification of the question of whether he’s the right man for the job. But that’s another post for another day.
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What worried me yesterday, apart from the sudden plague that’s wiped out the defence – and let’s face up to the fact we won’t see much of Rio this season and when we do he’ll have an eye on South Africa and the brand-building potential it entails – was just how blindingly ordinary we looked. Valencia might have the power and the pace, but poise looked in short supply. How many times did he get into or near the box and not have a clue what to do with the ball? But he’ll get better. Hopefully.
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Positives? Fletcher was outstanding; busy as ever, breaking up play, bombing forward when necessary, shame he didn’t crown the move of the match with a goal. Rooney was as ace as ever, and Ryan simply defies the ageing process and gets more freakishly brilliant every season. And Foster, after the wobbles at Wembley, went some way to redeeming himself and proving that Ferguson isn’t winding everyone up about him being the best English keeper at present.
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And that is that.

posted by Royton Red @ 2:49 PM