If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Thing is, when Luis Suarez decided to bite Branislav Ivanovic, he wasn't exactly on my list of favourite footballers. Even before his impression of a petulant toddler that hasn't been allowed a biscuit, he was already a deplorable human being.
The fact is that the titles won since 1993 are devalued by the steep slope in Man U's favour of the playing field on which all have to compete. Liverpool were dominant in an even competition for the best part of two decades up to the 90s; it is now 23 years since they were champions, but their overall record remains formidable.
It is quite likely over the rest of the season the inability of Manchester United's keeper to deal with corners and the attendant publicity will lead to free-kicks, yellow cards and possibly worse going against West Ham by referees routinely cowed by the bigger clubs.
If Rooney doesn't stake his claim for a starting berth further forward it wouldn't be outlandish to suggest that now is the time, for him as much as the team, given his age and subsequent value to continue the process of finding himself in different colours.
At last, a Premier League football manager has gone public and given voice to a dark suspicion that thousands of us fans have harboured for a long time now. Roberto Mancini, may his name be blessed, says that teams facing the Mighty Manchester United are infected with a fatal lack of belief which amounts a lot of the time to actual fear.
It was late October in 1863 when Ebenezer Cobb Morley and his contemporaries gathered together in London's Freemason's Tavern, near to where Holborn tube station is today, to establish a code of rules for the regulation of football. Fast forward to today and the modern game is unrecognisable from those humble beginnings. Its global audience has never been bigger with interest in the English game growing year-on-year. With this comes huge expectation, from fans, players, managers and the media...
Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has endured a torrid season by his impeccably high standards, seeing his side spend the majority of the season over ten points adrift from their great rivals Barcelona. With it looking increasingly certain that this season will be Mourinho's last at the Bernabéu, the speculation is already rife as to where he'll be starting next season.
The popularity of the women's game has grown remarkably over the past 10 years, demonstrating a change in attitude and culture around the female version of the game. This is backed up by findings revealed this month that shows the number of registered girls' football teams has grown in the past decade by 15% in England.
Owen could, perhaps should, have been the finest of his generation. Ronaldo instead takes that honour despite also being afflicted by injuries and having issues with stimulating himself on a football pitch. The difference between the pair is Ronaldo is synonymous with greatness whereas Owen just flirted with it.
As Jose Mourinho so rightly predicted, the world did stop to watch as Real Madrid cruelly dumped Manchester United out of the Champions League on 5 March, at the theatre of dreams. The one individual though who would not have expected to be watching was the once untouchable Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney.
Recent events, on top of a long history of prominent stories figuring the controversy and fuss that attend one football club above all others, might lead us to ask a somewhat wider version of the same question. Why is it always Manchester United?
Whatever the route, reds were flocking to the Spanish capital in numbers many reckoned hadn't been matched since the semi-final against Milan in 2005. It's not hard to see why. As Jose Mourinho put it, it was the tie the whole world was waiting for. Laden with sub-plot, it pitched together the world's most glamorous clubs, and its two best managers.
This was the match everyone was eager to see and it didn't disappoint. Enthralling in the first half thanks to Real Madrid's endeavour, intensity and quality with the ball, it became a more intriguing tactical battle after the break, and although Manchester United will be delighted with the result and an away goal, there were more than enough promising signs from the Spaniards to fill them with confidence ahead of the return leg.
United fans of any generation saw things you people wouldn't believe. The counter-attack versus Bolton, the free-kick against Portsmouth, the Exocet away at Porto, the destruction of Arsenal... Cristiano Ronaldo was the best since Best.
Torino AC, the club so devastated by the Superga Disaster all those years ago, did not place the same emphasis on the continual commemoration and reminiscing employed by Manchester United and its fans worldwide. Perhaps this is why they struggled for so long to regain any sort of pre-eminence.
Aged nine, I discovered the legacy of the 1958 Munich air disaster. I was vaguely aware of the tragedy but despite being a walking United almanac I was not well versed in it. That swiftly changed and suddenly I was able to reel off the names Byrne, Whelan, Pegg, Colman, Bent, Jones, Taylor and Edwards.
