It Takes Three (Points)

Another game, another slim margin, another tired display. Only the most optimistic of Manchester United supporters would argue that the game against Aston Villa was a palatable display of brilliant football. Sloppy passing, fading forces and questionable decisions led to, at best, an unmemorable day. People have been complaining about the state of football that plagues the Red Devils. However, three points is still three points, and here’s why it’s not all doom and gloom – scrappy wins nevertheless have their purpose and place.

The most important thing is that we have six points from two games. That’s five more than we had this time last season, and that in itself is a marked improvement. Not necessarily in how United are playing, but in cold, hard-hearted statistical terms. Yes, football is a spectacle, and of course everybody wants to see their team play beautiful, flowing passes, and score mind-blowingly brilliant goals. But if flair and style were all that mattered then Arsenal would have long ended their title drought. More than anything football is a game of numbers – we see that proved to us every day with sites like Opta and Squawka, with punditry like Monday Night Football, breaking things down into percentages and niggly details. And points are that which matter in the quest for the title. I’m not saying that United fans should be happy with how the team played – far from it. What I’m saying is that no one has to be happy with how they played or how the game was won, but be happy that the game was in fact won in the first place. Playing beautifully and losing would have been far, far worse.

It’s not even that all hope is lost – although it was by no means a dazzling display, there were individual flashes of brilliance and the full backs were certainly players to watch. I feel like the reason people are getting so worked up over our lack of flair is because they’re comparing it to the image that United has built up for itself over the past twenty years, even though it might not necessarily ring true. As with all long runs of success, people begin to have particular memories of Sir Alex Ferguson’s era – the flashness of Ryan Giggs’s FA Cup semi-final goal, the gorgeous steamrollering of Ipswich (9-0) or even Arsenal (8-2). And it’s true – we did play a lot nicer in the old days. We were far more creative, dominant, all round magical to watch. But there are two things you have to remember in order to put these memories aside. The first is that, simply speaking, the calibre of players has changed. Not only do we not have Cantona in our side anymore, opponents such as Manchester City have added much firepower since they were last relegated in (as recently as) 2001. It’s simply not as easy to dominate in a much more evened out landscape, the acumen of signing players notwithstanding.

The second thing you have to remember is that Alex Ferguson’s sides were never flash first thing. Matt Busby, perhaps, concentrated on free-flowing, attacking football, but I feel that Ferguson’s sides concentrated on winning first, style second. It’s just that we were lucky to see so much style flourish during his time (and he never did anything to stymie it, for which we must also be grateful). People forget how scrappy the Bayern Munich-Manchester United final of 1999 actually was in favour of the last three minutes. Gone are the memories of the 95/96 title, which was won by a string of Cantona 1-0 wins. United has never been afraid to get scrappy when it’s necessary, and that is an important attribute of any title-winning side. It is the win that counts. It has always been the win that counts.

In fact, wins are even more important for this team because of how easily rattled their confidence is. We’ve seen this time and again; a winning streak will turn into a losing one because they cannot sustain a mentality that allows them to grind out results. The moment they lose, they collapse. This string of results is imperative, therefore, in restoring the shaken confidence (in large part introduced by Moyes). Manchester United need to get it into their heads that they can play badly and still win. The moment they restore that perpetual comeback mentality, then much of the road from here on out is eased. Perhaps the lack of confidence comes from the trophy drought (if two years can be considered a drought) – and, of course, it brings us back to the original method of winning trophies. Points.

Playing pretty will come in time. No one can or has the right to expect for our new signings to bed in easily, for a team that is almost completely overhauled to gel immediately. To play with a connection and flow you need to know and understand each other, and understanding comes with time. One of the reasons why Ferguson’s sides were so successful was because at the core of that team were players who’d known each other for years, and who throughout the 90s and early 00s proved that relationship on the pitch. Gary Neville always knew what David Beckham wanted. Paul Scholes would place balls within an inch of where Ryan Giggs was. You can’t expect players from what, four different leagues to have that fantastic a relationship from the start.

I’ve said before that big premier league teams always get stick for doing what mid-table teams are praised for: grinding out results. People should acknowledge that this is no mean feat, and it’s a hugely valuable asset that has time and time again been important in helping to win trophies. There is no shame in winning scrappily. There is a huge difference, however, between this and winning dirtily, and I think that’s what trips a lot of people up. Digging your heels in and not giving up is not something to be ashamed of. Playing ugly is different from playing dirty, and I consider it a true show of (as Brendan Rodgers would delightedly say) character and mental fortitude to do the former.

Yes, of course we need to improve. Yes, of course we need to guarantee wins. Yes, I miss our 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 games when we were simply in complete control. Who doesn’t? But there are so many factors and so much instability in the squad right now that we can’t possibly expect anything of the sort soon. We’ve got new players, we’ve got a new manager. The Fergie era is over and anyone who hopes for a return is only kidding themselves. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be playing prettily, only that it shouldn’t be our number one priority. I’m not saying that some things really, really need to be relooked, only that we should not let this get us entirely down. I’d rather have six points from two games and questions to be answered than two points from six games and still questions to be answered. Hopefully one day this team will be playing beautiful football the Louis van Gaal way. But for now what is the most important is for Manchester United to set its sights on what it’s always been good at doing, whether gorgeous or ugly. Win.

Hello, Hello, Hey!

Five reasons why we should, as Louis van Gaal so eloquently puts it, ‘pay attention to the manager’.

It’s been just over a year since the pain also known as David Moyes left United, and yet aspiring to be City couldn’t be further from anyone’s minds (especially because aspiring to be a team you’ve beaten 4-2 seems even more ridiculous). A large part of this is due to the man from Oranje, whose philosophising and drunken antics have largely erased the ink blots of his predecessor.

A lot of post-season will unnecessarily, but nevertheless, be spent in reflection on whether 2014/15 was a success for Manchester United, and whether van Gaal has done a good job. In honour of this mass hysteria, here are five reasons why I think our man with the (self professed) Golden Balls has not only succeeded, but has to stay at the very least until the end of his contract.

He’s entertaining. A part of Sir Alex that many people seem to forget is how much of a character he was. The incomprehensible Scottish brogue, ‘squeaky bum time’ catchphrases and love affair with watches all made him someone impossible to ignore, the way most people could tune out Moyes. Van Gaal is someone in the same mould. There’s never a dull moment: someone who dares to slap Ryan Giggs rarely has any. His quotes include the tribute-like ‘twitchy ass’, ‘Queens Park Raisins’ and the childish delight of ‘we have only one player injured…can you believe that?’ My personal favourite is when he interrupted Gary Neville on live TV to congratulate ‘his team’ after the Liverpool win, demonstrating both his…quirkiness, and commitment to the club. And of course, his plaudit winning end of season awards speech should have had an entirely new Oscar category for it.

He’s got balls. How many managers you know would bench the most expensive players if he felt they weren’t performing? And how many managers would have a penalty kick system so rigid that even the most preeminent choices would be dropped if they didn’t deliver? Whatever else can be said about him, Louis van Gaal is a man unafraid of sticking to his own mind and choices. His philosophy is the stuff of legend. Stubbornness has its drawbacks, and for a while I was afraid van Gaal would be too stubborn and refuse to adapt, but he managed to prove me wrong. It took a while for him to realise just how useless 3-5-2 was, but once he got that down, he was smart enough to make the transition of ‘philosophy’ go almost unnoticed. We ended up with a few good runs and van Gaal ended up with his stubbornness still intact. It’s a refreshing change from the dithering Moyes who seemed to go with whoever was the loudest counsel at the time.

(One thing I’ll add, however, is that the drawback to this that he still hasn’t fixed is his incomprehensible need to play players in the wrong positions. Hopefully that will be fixed by next season – we don’t need to see another woeful Rooney display from midfield.)

He delivers. No one’s going to forget 3-0 / 2-1 Liverpool, 4-2 City, or 3-0 a Harry Kane-led Spurs in a hurry. These were exceptional results topped with a cherry – the revitalising of players previously considered surplus, namely Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini. Van Gaal has to take credit for these remarkable turnarounds (even though the same, sadly, cannot be said about Jonny Evans). He promised he would get us into fourth place, and that he has done entirely. There were even a couple of scrappy, last-minute win games reminiscent of the Ferguson era. Of course there’ve been let-downs (games against Leicester and Everton that will go unmentioned). But there are shocks and disappointments every season, and I think the sentiment is admirably summed up in this MUFC facebook post.

He doesn’t settle. The difference between us and Arsenal is this: fourth place is not a trophy. The fans know that, the players know that, and he knows that. There were some accusations of ‘overcelebrating’ (remind you of any point of the season?) but people associated with United know far better – absolutely no one is satisfied. The aim of fourth place was Champions League qualification, and a setting-back onto the path of proper glory. Van Gaal’s real aim is to win the league, as well as other things, during his time here. And you can be sure we’ll be listening to an English version of the victory speech very soon.

We have to. Manchester United are a club known for its two longest-serving managers. Granted, the in-between years are not a similar story, but between them Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson handled an astonishing 50 of United’s 112 years (137 if you count Newton Heath). Even the shorter-term managers are long staying compared to the lifespan of many a Premier League chief. To sack van Gaal for no brazenly clear reason, and coming on the tail of an already mishandled discharge, would be ridiculous. Even if you don’t like van Gaal, he’s been more than adequate. Who knows what next season might bring? Take the words of Sir Alex to heart: your job is to stand by your new manager. The manager will do his job – we will do ours.

A Study in Elevenses

I hate it when people ask the question “if you had to choose your all-time starting XI, who would they be?” Whenever you watch videos of people asking football stars that, you can usually see, or at least imagine, the same reaction – a sharp intake of breath, a teeth-gnashing ‘I don’t know’, and a worried sigh. Likewise when you ask a fan. After we watched Peter Schmeichel choose his first eleven, my friend asked me, and prompted an intense flurry of pen on paper, arrows poking around formations, and a dozen different tabs all in some variation of “Manchester United best eleven”. As a one-club supporter I already had too many answers to be considered; I can’t imagine what it’s like for someone who follows multiple clubs across multiple eras.

It’s a ridiculous question because there are always different things to consider. First of all, obviously, you have talent – something already questionable in and of itself. Secondly, you’ve got to factor in how they play together in a team. There are things like a player’s personality, how they’d do against different teams, players across eras and styles of play (how do you reconcile Matt Busby’s five-forward system with present-day formations?). And, of course, choosing from one team like United is bad enough – choosing if you’ve got more than one team must be an absolute nightmare.

I’ve spent a long time thinking about it and I’ve come up with six formations based on different things – believe me, I spent much more time doing this than I should’ve had, and twenty tabs of “Manchester United’s best XI” is evidence of that – and I just thought it’d be an interesting study to think of what my favourite starting elevens are. And also that it’d be pretty damn useful in case anyone ever asks me this question again.

1. Talent

As I said, talent is such a subjective term: you just have to consider the endless Ronaldo-Messi debate. But I suppose these are the players who strike me as the most talented and at the top of their game when they were playing. Look at Schmeichel – an absolute beast in the goal, the sort of player you’d have in your five-a-side because he’s almost an outfield player. No one can argue with Roger Byrne and Duncan Edwards, widely considered to be two of the best English talents anyone had ever seen, until the tragic events of Munich. Stam must be the only player Alex Ferguson regrets selling, which means he must be kind of decent, mustn’t he? I wouldn’t say Gary Neville is the most talented, but he’s the best right-back I can think of. Bobby Charlton is an absolutely amazing icon and Paul Scholes is his favourite player. No one can argue with the magic that Ryan Giggs, George Best and Cristiano Ronaldo bring to the fore, and Cantona of course was simply alarming and astounding.

2. Partnerships 

The thing about football is that it’s not an individual game, but a team one, and some teams are made because of the connection that different players have with each other. There’s no way you can split up Yorke and Cole, who were the most fearsome strike force in their day. Vidic and Ferdinand are of course obvious choices (their partnership cuts Bruce’s and Pallister’s to shreds, surprisingly). Roy Keane and Paul Scholes worked in perfect tandem, yin and yang, while David Beckham and Gary Neville forged a wonderful overlapping-run partnership. Although there’s no real ‘connection’ the way the others work, Irwin and Giggs I feel could probably play with everyone, as could van der Sar.

For a pre-Premier League XI, it’s difficult not to include a lot of the Busby Babes. The statue of Best, Law and Charlton that stands in front of Old Trafford speaks more than enough for their claim to fame. Edwards was simply phenomenal, and I think I would have liked Byrne a lot had I had the chance to get to know him. Both Stepney and Foulkes also came out from Munich stronger and better than ever. I’ve heard Buchan was really solid, as were Crerand and Stiles, although there’s always Whiteside and Colman. Cafu played for ages for Brazil, and that’s top notch.

Of course the Premier League XI sees familiar names – I’ll skim over the new trinity of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville because they feature in pretty much all of my dream teams – but a side like this I think would be amazing, packing punch with consistency, solidity with finesse, and even a flash of the flamboyant in Cantona. Just hope that he doesn’t go around kicking people.

*SHAMELESS FAVOURITISM* The first thing you’ll probably notice is that all 6 of the class of ’92 feature here, something I will not apologise for. This is after all my biased players list. I love every single character that’s on this pitch, from the nervous Nevilles to the unstoppable Beckham, the happy go lucky Butty, Giggsy of course amazing, Scholesy one of my two most favourites; I’ve been lucky enough to meet Schmeichel and Pallister, and they were both really nice. O’Shea also strikes me as an excellent person, plus he played goalie once! Solskjaer, of course, is sunshine. And while I’ve had problems with Rooney, I believe he is a wonderful character and I think he is someone I would like to believe in.

So what do you have at the end of it? I tried to think of all of these things and put them together into one XI, and this is it. Most of it will be pretty self explanatory, considering what a lineup this is; the three Invincibles, and I’ve switched Ronaldo out because I feel Becks and Gaz line up much better together. While Vidic and Ferdinand are great, one can’t help but remember how Vidic left while Ferdinand was always a bit of a twat (who I love, but twatty nevertheless!). I absolutely love Denis Irwin and I’m so chuffed I’m going to get to see him play the legends game. And finally, replacing Keane with Robson because I am – well – not the fondest of Roy Keane, given his…difficult personality. I feel Robson embodied all the ideals Keane did, but did it with much better attitude and character.

So there you have it – six answers to the age old question. I’ll probably change my mind in the next few years as players like Mata and Herrera settle down and become properly good, but we’ll see. For now, let this serve as a fun mind exercise / vanity project / procrastination tool.

World Cup Posters

Fancy a print, a t-shirt or even a…pillow to support your favourite team at the World Cup this June? Well, now you can! I’ve designed 32 minimalist posters for each and every country that’s going to be playing in Brazil. They’re available in a variety of formats and the smaller stuff especially isn’t too expensive. You can get them here!