The day is not far off after yesterday's news, when we will finally start to find out what a #UnitedafterFergie is actually going to feel like. I'll have to admit when i saw the headlines suggesting big money had gone in to back Moyes to be the next manager of Manchester United, i just took it to be the usual bookie searching for free advertising bollocks. But then on Tuesday night, when the rumbles first started on the old Twattersphere, it dawned on me, why not, it had to happen sometime, and there's been rumblings in all three fanzines during the course of the season.
When the retirement story first appeared on the Telegraph website and there was no comment from United, i could see it probably really was happening. I don't know why, but when the rumblings first surfaced, my first reaction was oh shit, but as i gradually began to sense that the retirement was really upon us, i felt a kind of release, relief, i don't know how to describe it. It's the moment we've been dreading, as much for the dreaded moment coming as much as what will happen once he's gone, i think.
Maybe part of that was because i have never been a fan of the Mourinho to United school, or of the latest trendy European coach that's been around for five seconds being linked to the job. So for me, and i may turn out to be wildly wrong about Fergie's fellow Scot being the right man, Moyes turning out to be the seeming choice to succeed was a relief.
The reasons given out in the Moyes appointment statement today ticked off all the right boxes for me, tradition, continuity and giving youth it's head are all what i wanted to hear. I suppose if we come third next season, and don't come out of the season with even a cup competition in the bag, we'll hear a load of told you so's. But if that happens, it would just show that for all the talk of United fans being different from the rest, we wouldn't be very different at all I'm afraid.
Who knows where we'll end up next season, summer signings, in and out at United, City and Chelsea will go some way to determining that. Mourinho going back to Chelsea, makes them a serious contender again, as even Abramovitch isn't going to dismiss him part way through his first season back, though you wouldn't put any money on that. As for City, do they finally push Mancini out, i don't think they will now that Fergie has retired. So if all that happens then who will the mega bucks attract to our two main challengers?
As for us, who goes out as well as who comes in, takes on even more significance. Moyes takes over on first of July, but surely even if it's behind the scenes, he must have to pick up the reigns over transfer dealings. Even if no big name signings are to come in over the summer, there are surely players who have now long past their sell out date, Nani, Anderson to name two. As of today i presume we can add Rooney to that list. I suppose a slight worry, is were we to find out the Glazer's are going to be doing the signing and selling from now on as happens on the continent, make that a big worry, I suppose we can't rule that out.
As for Fergie what can you say, we've had our ups and downs, there have been moments where we've disagreed with him and feel he has let us down terribly, obviously I'm talking about every aspect of the Glazer saga there. But what memories, oh what fucking sweet memories he has left us with. When ever my time is up on this Earth, I'll know it was enriched tenfold by his decision to leave Aberdeen and take over my football club.
I had some great times watching United before he came down, and no doubt, there'll be great times to come, but we'll surely never have as many and as often as we have got used to during his twenty seven years in charge. I know that whatever else happens in my life, nothing, nothing, can ever beat that night in Barcelona on 26.05.99, it was just so fucking perfect, at the end of an almost dreamlike ten days that saw the treble achieved in such a glorious manner.
Though the football hasn't been as good as we would have liked over the last three or four years, we have seen some glorious football and some vintage United teams during that period. The team that won the first championship and a double in scintillating style the season after. The kids propelled by Schmeichel and Eric to the double in 96, making a monkey out of Keegan live on TV in the process.
The treble wining squad that never knew when it was beaten and produced games during the second half of the season that will live in the memory for ever. Liverpool in the cup and Ole's last minute winner. Arsenal at Villa Park in the last ever FA cup semi final replay and "that" goal from Giggs to send us to Wembley. Going down to two early goals in Turin against the mighty Juve and thinking we were jinxed in the champions league, especially after getting knocked out by Dortmund two years previously after outplaying them over both legs. Yet led by Keane at the peak of his power coming back to win it, again in the last minute, even if we were going through on the away goals. And then the game to end all games at the Camp Nou. I don't actually think we played the best football of the Fergie era during that season, but it's easily the most memorable.
The 2002-03 season always brings a warm glow inside me, the way we overhauled Arsenal during the final couple of months, with both Scholes and Ruud Van Nistelroy playing as well as they ever did in a red shirt.
But for the best and most exciting football played during the Feguson era i would have to point to the 2006-07 season. The year Ronaldo turned himself from potentially a very good player into the best player in the world, for a couple of seasons at least. He didn't have a bad support cast either did he, Scholes in particular re-inventing himself in a deeper central midfield role.
Even as that two or three year period finally fizzled out with the not unexpected departure of Ronaldo, and when we weren't wining, we were usually there abouts, being that against the Nouvelle riches of either Chelsea or City. Last season was a classic example of Fergie's genius, after the debacle of the Old trafford derby, he still managed to almost guide us to another league title, only to be denied in the last minute, of the last day of the season, and we all know that City were far superior to us last season and should have won that title comfortably.
And yet who could forsee any of that at the end of that dismal 88-89 season or even half way through the next season that saw us lift the first piece of silverware at Wembley in a FA cup final replay against Palace. During that winter, that expensively assembled, for the time, side, couldn't buy three points. For the ups of the next couple of season,Rotterdam being the most glorious, there was the unbelievable low, that was the final couple of weeks of the 91-92 season, that had more than a few reds thinking that we'd never win the title in our lifetimes after we proceeded to throw it away. In fact, in my own family, there was an argument over we would ever win the title with Fergie as manager, I'm glad to say i made the right call, and i wasn't the one to miss that never to be forgotten night against Blackburn at Old trafford when we finally glimpsed that long lost holy grail, the league title.
After the defeat against Chelsea last week, i have to admit, spoiled bastard that i am, i couldn't wait to get the next two games out of the way, trophy celebrations were always a bit of an anti climax to me, even those cup wins during the lean years of the 70's and 80's, the final whistle is the moment when i really let it all hang out. There was every chance i would have sneaked back out to the Tollgate for a quiet pint before the queue's set in, but i don't think that will be happening now. That trophy parade on Monday night, i think that really could be something else, what a fucking shame that wasn't on a bank holiday. So finally as the song goes, every single one of us loves you Alex Ferguson.
Music
Charles Mingus - The clown: The more albums of Mingus, the more i come to think he was almost as much of a genius as Miles Davis. This is absolutely fantastic jazz, that moves the genre forward as much as Davis and others were doing at thee same time.
Everything Everything - Arc: The second album from the Manchester indie pop combo, as with the first album, it's decent, but i can't get away from the fact, that i'm not mad on the vocalists voice.
Four Tet - 0181: A compilation of stuff from the early part of his career as Four tet, it could have brought out as new album, it's excellent, ambient post/rock is as good a label as any to pin on it.
I am Kloot - Let it all in: One of the very best UK bands going at the moment, never mind Manchester, it's another slow burner of memorable tunes that you never tire of playing. In a more just world they would be far bigger than they currently are.
Low - The invisible way: They've quietened it down, from their last couple of albums, and slowed the tempo back to their early days, but the quality remains the same.
Mugstar - Axis: Based down the east Lancs road, this lot are the dogs bollocks, a cross between Hawkwind and the more guitar based Krautrock, it's brilliant driving space rock.
Pantha du prince and the bell laboratory -Elements of light: If you don't like the sound of bells, you aint liking this. A kind of techno minimalist album based around bells, there's 5 different tracks on it, though they meld into each other as one. It works for me, though i don't think you could make another like it.
When the retirement story first appeared on the Telegraph website and there was no comment from United, i could see it probably really was happening. I don't know why, but when the rumblings first surfaced, my first reaction was oh shit, but as i gradually began to sense that the retirement was really upon us, i felt a kind of release, relief, i don't know how to describe it. It's the moment we've been dreading, as much for the dreaded moment coming as much as what will happen once he's gone, i think.
Maybe part of that was because i have never been a fan of the Mourinho to United school, or of the latest trendy European coach that's been around for five seconds being linked to the job. So for me, and i may turn out to be wildly wrong about Fergie's fellow Scot being the right man, Moyes turning out to be the seeming choice to succeed was a relief.
The reasons given out in the Moyes appointment statement today ticked off all the right boxes for me, tradition, continuity and giving youth it's head are all what i wanted to hear. I suppose if we come third next season, and don't come out of the season with even a cup competition in the bag, we'll hear a load of told you so's. But if that happens, it would just show that for all the talk of United fans being different from the rest, we wouldn't be very different at all I'm afraid.
Who knows where we'll end up next season, summer signings, in and out at United, City and Chelsea will go some way to determining that. Mourinho going back to Chelsea, makes them a serious contender again, as even Abramovitch isn't going to dismiss him part way through his first season back, though you wouldn't put any money on that. As for City, do they finally push Mancini out, i don't think they will now that Fergie has retired. So if all that happens then who will the mega bucks attract to our two main challengers?
As for us, who goes out as well as who comes in, takes on even more significance. Moyes takes over on first of July, but surely even if it's behind the scenes, he must have to pick up the reigns over transfer dealings. Even if no big name signings are to come in over the summer, there are surely players who have now long past their sell out date, Nani, Anderson to name two. As of today i presume we can add Rooney to that list. I suppose a slight worry, is were we to find out the Glazer's are going to be doing the signing and selling from now on as happens on the continent, make that a big worry, I suppose we can't rule that out.
As for Fergie what can you say, we've had our ups and downs, there have been moments where we've disagreed with him and feel he has let us down terribly, obviously I'm talking about every aspect of the Glazer saga there. But what memories, oh what fucking sweet memories he has left us with. When ever my time is up on this Earth, I'll know it was enriched tenfold by his decision to leave Aberdeen and take over my football club.
I had some great times watching United before he came down, and no doubt, there'll be great times to come, but we'll surely never have as many and as often as we have got used to during his twenty seven years in charge. I know that whatever else happens in my life, nothing, nothing, can ever beat that night in Barcelona on 26.05.99, it was just so fucking perfect, at the end of an almost dreamlike ten days that saw the treble achieved in such a glorious manner.
Though the football hasn't been as good as we would have liked over the last three or four years, we have seen some glorious football and some vintage United teams during that period. The team that won the first championship and a double in scintillating style the season after. The kids propelled by Schmeichel and Eric to the double in 96, making a monkey out of Keegan live on TV in the process.
The treble wining squad that never knew when it was beaten and produced games during the second half of the season that will live in the memory for ever. Liverpool in the cup and Ole's last minute winner. Arsenal at Villa Park in the last ever FA cup semi final replay and "that" goal from Giggs to send us to Wembley. Going down to two early goals in Turin against the mighty Juve and thinking we were jinxed in the champions league, especially after getting knocked out by Dortmund two years previously after outplaying them over both legs. Yet led by Keane at the peak of his power coming back to win it, again in the last minute, even if we were going through on the away goals. And then the game to end all games at the Camp Nou. I don't actually think we played the best football of the Fergie era during that season, but it's easily the most memorable.
The 2002-03 season always brings a warm glow inside me, the way we overhauled Arsenal during the final couple of months, with both Scholes and Ruud Van Nistelroy playing as well as they ever did in a red shirt.
But for the best and most exciting football played during the Feguson era i would have to point to the 2006-07 season. The year Ronaldo turned himself from potentially a very good player into the best player in the world, for a couple of seasons at least. He didn't have a bad support cast either did he, Scholes in particular re-inventing himself in a deeper central midfield role.
Even as that two or three year period finally fizzled out with the not unexpected departure of Ronaldo, and when we weren't wining, we were usually there abouts, being that against the Nouvelle riches of either Chelsea or City. Last season was a classic example of Fergie's genius, after the debacle of the Old trafford derby, he still managed to almost guide us to another league title, only to be denied in the last minute, of the last day of the season, and we all know that City were far superior to us last season and should have won that title comfortably.
And yet who could forsee any of that at the end of that dismal 88-89 season or even half way through the next season that saw us lift the first piece of silverware at Wembley in a FA cup final replay against Palace. During that winter, that expensively assembled, for the time, side, couldn't buy three points. For the ups of the next couple of season,Rotterdam being the most glorious, there was the unbelievable low, that was the final couple of weeks of the 91-92 season, that had more than a few reds thinking that we'd never win the title in our lifetimes after we proceeded to throw it away. In fact, in my own family, there was an argument over we would ever win the title with Fergie as manager, I'm glad to say i made the right call, and i wasn't the one to miss that never to be forgotten night against Blackburn at Old trafford when we finally glimpsed that long lost holy grail, the league title.
After the defeat against Chelsea last week, i have to admit, spoiled bastard that i am, i couldn't wait to get the next two games out of the way, trophy celebrations were always a bit of an anti climax to me, even those cup wins during the lean years of the 70's and 80's, the final whistle is the moment when i really let it all hang out. There was every chance i would have sneaked back out to the Tollgate for a quiet pint before the queue's set in, but i don't think that will be happening now. That trophy parade on Monday night, i think that really could be something else, what a fucking shame that wasn't on a bank holiday. So finally as the song goes, every single one of us loves you Alex Ferguson.
Music
Charles Mingus - The clown: The more albums of Mingus, the more i come to think he was almost as much of a genius as Miles Davis. This is absolutely fantastic jazz, that moves the genre forward as much as Davis and others were doing at thee same time.
Everything Everything - Arc: The second album from the Manchester indie pop combo, as with the first album, it's decent, but i can't get away from the fact, that i'm not mad on the vocalists voice.
Four Tet - 0181: A compilation of stuff from the early part of his career as Four tet, it could have brought out as new album, it's excellent, ambient post/rock is as good a label as any to pin on it.
I am Kloot - Let it all in: One of the very best UK bands going at the moment, never mind Manchester, it's another slow burner of memorable tunes that you never tire of playing. In a more just world they would be far bigger than they currently are.
Low - The invisible way: They've quietened it down, from their last couple of albums, and slowed the tempo back to their early days, but the quality remains the same.
Mugstar - Axis: Based down the east Lancs road, this lot are the dogs bollocks, a cross between Hawkwind and the more guitar based Krautrock, it's brilliant driving space rock.
Pantha du prince and the bell laboratory -Elements of light: If you don't like the sound of bells, you aint liking this. A kind of techno minimalist album based around bells, there's 5 different tracks on it, though they meld into each other as one. It works for me, though i don't think you could make another like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment