Stop Making Sense

(Image from here)

I always figured that it was the football fans' job to make biased arguments that pay little attention to reality in defence of their club or in attacking other clubs, while the job of the football writer was to see through this and offer reasoned arguments about football. Even if (and this is the basic premise of this blog) the arguments themselves are from a biased perspective I still expect some sort of logic to be used, some consistent argument. Is that too much to ask?
Matt Dickinson in The Times today argues that we won't win the Champions League this season because our midfield isn't strong enough. This being the same midfield (Ronaldo played up front for the most part in the final stages of the Champions League last season) that fell just a little short last season. Here's what he says:

I have taken all the names, juggled them, switched them around, chopped and changed but, whichever way you line them up, I cannot see a United midfield that wins the Champions League this season.

The Barclays Premier League? Quite possibly, but Ferguson has 11 of those pots already. It is the greatest European prize, and immortality, that he craves in these final few years. Rewriting the record books with a third, perhaps an unprecedented fourth, Champions League success. His very own plinth in the pantheon of great managers.

Is he going to achieve that, truly, from being reliant on a partnership of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick? From trusting Nani and Antonio Valencia on the wings and from hoping that Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes can continue to turn back time?

First off, note how he writes off winning the Premier League. This would be an unprecedented 4th straight victory, and yet he talks about history and immortality only in the context of the Champions League. He goes on:

This part of the team was lacking even before Barcelona exposed the fragility at the heart of the United midfield in the Champions League final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in May, when Carrick and Anderson were bypassed like sleeping sentries. And it will become even more evident against the best opponents now that Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez have departed.

The resultant fanning out of the team this season into 4-4-2 may serve Wayne Rooney very well in allowing him to play through the middle, but it emphasises the lack of stature in the centre that was well disguised when the team were packed into 4-3-3.

The formation draws attention to the fact that the most effective, most dominant central midfield players in the Premier League — Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Mascherano, Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fàbregas — all play for United’s rivals. Perhaps you might add Gareth Barry.

To take the two aspects together - our midfield was lacking last season; all these great midfielders play for other clubs - is the point not really obvious? Could Matt Dickinson not have read this back and put in a qualifier to his argument? The point? We went the furthest of the Premier league clubs in the Champions League last season. He can name all the midfields of all the other clubs as long as he likes but the facts actually tell us that we reached the Champions League final, they didn't. Indeed we absolutely outplayed the beloved Arsenal over 2 legs, even with our rubbish midfield. I'm actually wondering why Matt Dickinson didn't write the exact same article but about Liverpool. If this article was about Liverpool, who have actually lost a central midfielder and whose bench on Sunday looked weak to say the least, then the article might have actually made sense (one last petty point, "you might add Gareth Barry," but why would you do that in an article talking about winning the Champions League? Are we going to meet Man City there?). And none of the other English clubs in the Champions League have added much to their squads, so he could have written this more sensibly about anyone but us.

A few quotes from Ben Foster:

"This is my big chance now and I've just got to give it all I've got really because Edwin has suffered a bad injury and will be out for a period of time.

"I just have to do what I can in the time that he's out and, hopefully, when he comes back, I'll have done enough to stay where I am.

"I was happy with my contribution against Birmingham on Sunday, especially after last week in the Community Shield when I was disappointed with my personal performance.

"It was good to bounce back and keep a clean sheet. The important thing was three points, but to keep a clean sheet and do fairly well was great."

And from Rooney:

“I’m enjoying my football. Thankfully the manager has come out and said he’s going to play me up front all season. I’m looking forward to that.

“That’s two goals in two games and hopefully that’ll continue.

“If we can win the league this season it will set myself and the other England lads up nicely for the World Cup.”

And The Telegraph give us a history lesson on Michael Knighton's attempted takeover 20 years ago this week:

An intensive study undertaken by Knighton before his move for United highlighted the huge scope to exploit the emotional attachment of the club's supporters through merchandising and television revenues.

It was a visionary plan, one which has now been adopted by football clubs across the globe, but the showman overshadowed the business brain and Knighton lived to regret his theatrical performance before the 1989-90 season opener at home to Arsenal, which resulted in a 4-1 United victory.

The day, and the headlines, should have belonged to Neil Webb, United's £1.5 million summer signing from Nottingham Forest who marked his league debut with a stunning volley against the defending league champions.

But Webb was instead forced to read back pages about Knighton rather than his own memorable arrival on the Old Trafford scene.