An ode to fandom

As a football fan I'm easily susceptible to goading from fans of other clubs. I do it all the time with good success. Goad other fans in to defending their useless teams that is.


Supporting Man United means you're more likely to hear hate toward your team than any other English team. Fortunately the only team that has managed as much success or acclaim as United has failed to win even a single league title in the Premier league era. That makes it easy to dish out "abuse" to the lesser clubs. Arsenal, Chelsea and now Manchester City have had dominant spells in the league but none have enjoyed the type of  absolute dominance United did. Indeed, as I type this the last team to win back-to-back league titles remains Manchester United. Man United have won more league titles than any other English team, while they have the second most FA cup and Champions league trophies in her majesty's rainy kingdom.


And so back to the goading. Lately I have come across much belittling of the most successful English team (and certainly biggest by way of stature) in the professional era. Liverpool and Arsenal fans have all offered their expert opinions on the fortunes of United in the future. Liverpool fans seem to understand the six points their team has amassed after two games to be akin to a league championship, while Arsenal who sit fourth from bottom continue to be boisterous in spite of an indifferent start to the league under a new regime.
The goading from fans of these clubs has been relentless and if I didn't support a club with an honors roll the type mine does, I might be holed up in a corner wondering why I support this club.


What's most annoying though is the football pundits and their views. Some scribes have taken to writing proverbial obituaries of Jose Mourinho's career as well as Man Uniteds future. This is all after two games. Some journalists have become experts on body language, and facial expressions. Mourinho, it is said walks around with a scowl on his face and doesn't get on with Paul Pogba. Column inches are filled with this narrative and it is not likely to stop until Mourinho losses his job or United go on a run that makes them serious title contenders. Which ever comes first.
And so back to being goaded... The thing about defending your clubs honour is you have to attack the other clubs lack thereof. Attack is the best form of defense in this case, as in the Champions League final.


I was told once that Man United fans are the most obnoxious. I am not so sure they are. Football fanatics are all pretty obnoxious. The thing is, you're only as obnoxious as your team allows you to be. United fans were allowed to be obnoxious for a long time, all you need to do is think back to Arsenals invincible season, and how obnoxious those guys were... So, in closing I wish the fans of the lesser clubs success similar to that of mine...

Square pegs. Round holes.. A Manchester tale

Against my better judgment I'm once again adding my voice to the myriad of those spewing opinions with regard to Manchester United.
This time though, my invective is aimed at fellow Man United fans.
I frequently come across opinions on social media that seek to vilify the board and the Glazers while offering Jose Mourinho leeway. I think it's possible to make a case both ways. I'm going to make mine against Jose...


Let me start by saying, I think Jose Mourinho was a fantastic manager. When he declared himself "the special one" he wasn't blowing smoke up his own rear end, he really was special. Even beyond that, he went on to achieve major honours in a very special way! To argue that he doesn't have great pedigree, or a fantastic legacy is to show him grave disrespect. I have no intention of doing such.


I enjoyed Jose through both his reigns at Chelsea. He brought something new, something different to the Premiership. It was great to see his verbal jousts with the "specialist in failure" Arsene Wenger, and it was equally great to see his tactical sparring with the greatest British manager of all time Sir Alex Ferguson. Even if Sir Alex was consistently bested by the impetuous, fresh faced Portuguese. 


All of that contributed to my excitement when Ed Woodward announced that the helter skelter Van Gaal era was to be succeeded by a new Mourinean dawn! The quiet voice at the back of my mind that wondered about drab one nil draws at Chelsea was drowned out by the cacophony of honours he brought with him! He's won everything I told myself, as I grinned like a Cheshire cat.


In the interest of time I'm going to cut straight through to present day to suggest why he is the square peg in the round hole rather than the Glazers.
Many fans who lament the Glazers ownership of United seem to understand the owners to be leeches sucking the lifeblood out of the team with ne'ery a care in the world for results. This doesn't seem congruent with the success Sir Alex was able to achieve even with the Glazers at the helm and saddled with the massive debt they brought along with them. In his book, Sir Alex mentions having no problems and more importantly no hindrances from them. The Newton Heath brigade though, never let up.


Post Sir Alex, and realising that a new path was required, the Glazers through their executive VP Woodward sanctioned the spending of big money. That Woodward was unable to spend the money wisely is mainly down to his lack of granular football understanding. He acquiesced to José's every whim just about. On Mourinho's request Lindelof and Bailly  were brought in on big money, Schweinsteiger was moved on, to be replaced by transfer record breaking Paul Pogba. Subsequent to that Lukaku was brought in for top dollar, so too Alexis Sanchez. In this transfer window where Jose felt hard done by, Dalot and Fred have come in. Fred on big bucks and Dalot on potential.

The idea that the board or the Glazers haven't backed José is unfair at best,or  downright ludicrous at worst.
José has failed in my opinion to appreciate "the United way". A club with an affinity for the finer things in life. 6-1 victories against the club second on the log (that's right Arsenal). 7-1 victories on grand European nights, and come from behind EPICS that have left even the most faithful of fans in a state of disbelief. His pragmatism doesn't allow for it. There's nothing Woodward nor the Glazers can do about that.


My view is, we ought to let José manage the turn around of what has been a poor start to the season. Hopefully we manage to finish in the Champions league spots again, but in the mean time try to find a manager that will better suit the "Theatre of Dreams".