Swagga Like Us

I got a huge shock when looking through the papers today - Graham Poll actually has something of interest to say! I really never thought I'd see the day, but here it is:

After Steve Bennett’s refusal to see Steven Taylor’s challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo as a red card I can understand the reluctance on the FA’s part to leave the review in the referee’s hands, and would not be surprised to see this aspect of the disciplinary procedure changed so that the FA can charge players without a referee’s agreement but with solid video evidence.

On Wednesday evening Taylor struck Ronaldo with his arm and while the Portugal winger’s reaction did not appear consistent with the offence, he was still struck. Remember the Jeremy Aliadiere tap on Javier Mascherano’s cheek last season for which he was dismissed and you cannot justify anything but a red card for Taylor.

The FA compliance department, alerted by a report from the referee observer, Alan Wilkie, who was convinced that Taylor had a case to answer, asked Bennett to look at the video.

Bennett said that Taylor’s offence was only worthy of a yellow card and so, under the current system, he could not charge Taylor. I wonder what Mark Hughes and Shaun Wright-Phillips must be thinking after the Manchester City midfielder was charged for a petulant flick at Rory Delap after he had been felled by the Stoke man?

Back to the red side of Manchester and United are frequently accused by the vast majority of football watchers of getting favourable treatment from referees and the FA.

A couple of weeks ago Blackburn did not get what looked like a clear penalty late in the game at Old Trafford and Ronaldo got away with his ‘Wright-Phillips’ type of kicking out.

However, compare those with Jonny Evans’ clean goal being disallowed, Ronaldo being denied a clear penalty in last week’s Carling Cup Final and no charge for Taylor for striking the World Player of the Year and you can see that United have certainly not had it all their own way despite beliefs to the contrary.

It's not just that I agree with him, how Steve Bennett can describe it as as a yellow card offence is still beyond me, that I'm praising this piece, but it's not full of the usual banality and fence sitting which usual make up Poll's pieces. Normal service will no doubt be resumed on Monday.
There is one thing that is bothering me in today's papers about the Steven Taylor challenge. In several of the papers today we get the impression that the incident between Taylor and Ronaldo was somehow mutual, instead of Taylor assaulting Ronaldo we get it described as "the spat between the two". Whether or not something was said in the tunnel at half time this is still just a way to try and somehow blame Ronaldo for it, and many reports join reporting on this incident with Wenger's comments about arrogance, as if Taylor's assault can be justified by that. This article from Ian Herbert in The Independent is the worst offender:

It certainly might be easier to view Ronaldo's tunnel spat with Steven Taylor at St James' Park on Wednesday with a little more sympathy had it not come in a season when the Portugal winger squared up to Emanuel Pogatetz during United's 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in December and had he not been fortunate to avoid censure for kicking out at Celtic's Scott Brown, Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, and Andy Wilkinson, of Stoke City.

Firstly, it is still an "alleged" tunnel spat. Secondly, who is asking for sympathy for Ronaldo for the "spat"? So the only reading one can take here is that Ronaldo doesn't deserve any sympathy for the challenge by Taylor. And this reading is reinforced by the fact that he mentions these other incidents, implying he somehow deserves payback. Although equating the little petulant kicks that Ronaldo generally does with the "tackle" from Taylor stretches the bounds of credibilty as far as I'm concerned.
I like Sir Alex's response to the lack of action taken against Taylor, from The Mirror:

"In actual fact we did not want the boy suspended because now he can play against Chelsea and Arsenal.

"In Newcastle's position, with the injuries they have at the moment, it would have been devastating for them to lose that player. I am not really upset about it at all."

Sir Alex also deals pretty well with the Wenger comment, from The Telegraph:

"I don't see why I should restrain him. That's just the way he plays and I'm enjoying watching it. Christ, that's what I paid to watch. I understand what Arsène means when he says it appears as arrogance, but that's different from saying Cristiano is arrogant.

"All the great players have the courage to want the ball and express themselves. That's Cristiano's great asset. It's not that he's prepared to do what they do, it's that they have the courage to do it. All the great players have a touch of what you can call nice arrogance, a belief in themselves. It didn't matter who they were playing against, they wanted the ball and they wanted to play.

"That is a vein that courses through all the great players you can name and it is something that means they get treatment from defenders. George Best got it when he was playing. Johan Cruyff got it, if you remember the tackles the Brazilian defenders gave him in the 1974 World Cup.

"Diego Maradona and Pele had it. That's what great players do. They express themselves, and that frustrates defenders. They don't enjoy it when a player expresses himself in such an entertaining way."

The rest of what Sir Alex says has been left out of most reports, leaving it at this, The Guardian continues it though:

"You can understand Ronaldo lashing out when he keeps getting kicked and nothing happens. If you are not getting the protection, sometimes you can lose your temper. The times Cristiano has shown flashes of temper have been over 'nothing' incidents but the press have made a big issue of it. That's what he has to live with. He accepts that the media are going to give him more attention than other footballers. But Maradona and Pele could stick up for themselves as well – there was no question of that."

Ian Herbert should maybe have had this quote in his article, put his comments about Ronaldo being petulant into the context of the kicks Ronaldo has to constantly face, rather than just making him out to be petualant.
There's some quotes from an interview Sir Alex did with L'Equipe in The Guardian, he talks of retiring but the bit I'll quote is this on how he inspires players:

Ferguson explained how he helps to bring out the best from his players and keep them hungry for success in an era of huge salaries. "I like to remind them of their roots, so they remember where their parents and grandparents come from," he said. "I want them to think of the history of their family. To carry the values of their class. Being from the working-class today is facing a world full of technology and comfort that you can't afford. The players can afford everything but I make sure they keep an ethos. And that starts by working hard. I try to touch the players in their heart. I tell them that nobody will knock on their door to offer them a trophy. That only work and solidarity will reward them.

A similar theme is touched upon in The Mail's interview with Darren Fletcher, who talks about how, before they collected the Champions League trophy, "Ryan Giggs stuck his head into the huddle of players":

‘He said, “Lads, this is what it’s all about — let’s have it next year as well”,’ Fletcher recalls. ‘And we were looking at this trophy, which hadn’t even been presented to us, and there was Ryan already talking about next year. It brought home to me what this club is about.

‘Later, we were sitting in the dressing room and there were so many players already talking about winning it again. Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand marching around telling everybody, “I like this feeling, let’s keep it going”. That is why the club gets stronger and stronger.'

He also has some interesting things to say on Roy Keane's influence at the club:

According to Fletcher, Keane is the unsung hero behind Manchester United’s present dominance.

The playing squad still adheres to his rules, his discipline, still remembers the monsterings he would give players who failed to conform to his exacting standards. Fletcher was a favourite target, apparently, although he bears no grudges, or nervous ticks, as a result.

‘Roy was probably the biggest influence on my career,’ he says. ‘He would come down hard on me if I ever did anything wrong but he made me realise what it meant to be a Manchester United player.

‘I can remember coming in from training one day and checking my mobile phone for text messages. Well, that was it. He absolutely hammered me, all the way into the gym.

‘It was a shame the way it ended for him here. It’s hard to talk about the criticism and what he said, because we all looked up to him so much, he was respected by everybody.

‘We all just wish it hadn’t happened. He was our captain, he was our leader and he left a mark: where we are now is down to him, our dedication comes from the standards he set. The rules about time-keeping, about getting in a half-hour early, they were his instructions back in the day and those traditions continue.

Finally, let's not forget about Manucho, who scored Hull's late winner against Fulham midweek and who, The Daily Star report, is looking to the future with us:

Now Manucho wants to help the Tigers beat the drop to increase his chances of a long-term future at Old Trafford.

He said: "I just want to do the best I can for Hull and see what happens after that. If I can score some more goals it will be good for everyone.

"The plan is to go back and take it from there.

"If I can make the most of this chance at Hull, then who knows?"