Manchester United vs West Ham United Trip by Shane Kelly @shanekels
Being a teacher in Ireland it costs you money, a lot of time and a college certificate for the right to take three days off during the school year (poor teachers and our few holidays). Being a thirty something with friends dropping left, right and centre these days are held on for that special day (or stag). Well that was the idea but then United's fixture with West Ham got moved to midweek game, obviously I had to use the two to follow the boys. I will make the wedding afters, those masses are as routine as Liverpool at home.
For some time while building up to this fixture I thought we would be either:
a) Been champions or b) Would become champions on the night.
Things may have not gone to plan of late though. The team have been winded since that result against Real Madrid in the Champions League a couple of months back. People may say we are Man United that's no excuse but these players have been looking on at Madrid team beat a poor Galatasaray team and then draw a good, but beatable Dortmund in a semi-final; That's got to hurt. The league was wrapped up a long time ago and they had eyes on the bigger prize. This fixture has now become a must win game for a different reason, we can now win the league at the Emirates and revenge for Wiltord in 01/02. If we can knock Arsenal out of the top four it would be a bonus, longer term they are a bigger threat than Spurs or Everton. A year out of the Champions League would make them less of a threat.
Stoke at the weekend while routine was also efficient. They ball retention was impressive and we may have seen glimpses of the future with Wayne Rooney in the middle. Three points in the bag and the threat of Stoke's physical game stifled by dictating the pace of the game, more of the same will be needed again against West Ham. The form of our wingers is worrying. I think it may lead to Ferguson to shift in strategy for next season. Kagawa will be more influential. Zaha while a winger can also come inside and his interplay is impressive. For me he is a mix between Nani and Welbeck, hopefully he can make the step up to the Premiership. Next season I can see us playing similar to a Dortmund, more freedom with our midfielders and front men. Playing between the lines with interchangeable players. Gotze, Reus and Lewandowski pop up all over the pitch, it doesn't effect there goals or and assists. On Kagawa I believe Ferguson has minded him at times, but to put him out of position against Stoke was strange. I believe we have signed a gem and must find the best way to use him. I also hope he starts tomorrow night.
On the game tomorrow, when your facing a striker who's has banged in 24 Premiership goals and cost £30 million pounds you know it's not going to be an easy game. Then you realise it's 24 career goals and its Andy Carroll. The Boleyn ground/Upton park is usually an eventful place for United to visit. The pain of '95 when it just wouldn't go in, on another day Andy Cole could have bagged a hat trick. More recently I was in the crowd two seasons ago when a guy called Demba Ba (don't know where he ended up) gave us hell for 45 mins but then Hernandez came off the bench and ran them ragged and Wayne bagged a hat-trick with some "choice language" thrown in. Then the FA cup this season with that ball from Giggs and then that finish from RVP..WOW. Hopefully tomorrows is as eventful. I'm going to try and read Fergie's mind before I hit the hay and get ready for flight AB48PI Dublin to London.
Tomorrow's team. DDG, Jones, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs, Rooney, RVP and Welbeck.
You've got to love when a RyanAir flight arrives on time and then they leave you standing in an aisle for a good twenty minutes. Bit of a rush across the city but we made it for kick off. First things first there's no point trying to read Fergie's mind. It was a line up I didn't expect or understand.
I don't like second guessing Sir Alex as he has achieved so much but Phil Jones is not a central midfielder. He can do a job when we play against a Ronaldo or a Bale but we were playing West Ham, managed by Big Sam. They were going to bypass midfield all day so the need for a ball winner in the middle was nil. We needed players in there that play with there heads up. I've got no doubt Phil Jones is going to be a top, top defender for us. I think starting Cleverley, Giggs or even the same line up as the Stoke game would have been more beneficial.
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2-2 was probably a fair result but it was a frustrating one. A game I feel that if we needed to win we would have won but the team has lacked motivation since the league was a one horse race, and then that Madrid result. Andy Carroll got man of the match, whoever picked that ignored the fact he should have been red carded, the fact his passing was off, Vidic coped with him in the air and was generally useless. We got into the box holders bar through a friend after the game where a hammers fan told us "Carroll gets MOTM every home game no matter what, just like Parker used to". I hope he goes back to Liverpool, it would be another sign of there demise. Of West Ham's players Diame was there best and Collins is a good defender. For United I was again impressed by Rafael and I thought Kagawa played well again (out of position). Rafael could be our number one right back for the next ten years. The second goal was an example of what Kagawa can do in tight spaces behind a front man. It was good to see RVP on the score sheet yet again. We were at times sloppy and some of the decision making at times was poor. Valencia although scoring played within himself again which is so frustrating to watch. Rooney has a big summer ahead of him. If he's to stay, I believe he will and hope he does, he need to work on his fitness. He looked jaded early on in the game.
The sooner we wrap up the title, and we will, the better. The team seemed to be playing with the handbrake on. Three points against Villa and then win it at the Emirates. Then they can relax and enjoy the remaining games.
Fans from other clubs and even some within talk of "a poor Unted team" but we are closing in on the 5th title in 7 years, which would have been 6 in 7 if QPR had any heart..I won't start. That's as impressive a period domestically as we have ever had. As fans we always wait on the summer market with expectation and hope of wholesale world class signings, ever the optimists. We are the dominant team in England and this summer should be spent finding the missing links in Europe. I can see Nani leaving, if I spent a season watching Valencia start ahead of me I'd go, Anderson will probably leave and we will sign one or maybe two players. Defensively I think we are covered for next year and for years beyond that. There's always talk of box to box midfielders but if you look at the Bayern, Barcelona, Madrid etc its players that play and press further up the field that are making the difference in Europe. I'm sure we will sign a midfielder, but who it is? Anyone's guess. Have I thought that every year for past 5 years? Yes. Upfront we are well stocked but if Falcao wants to come then he's more than welcome.
Home in Dublin again after an entertaining 24 hour visit of London. No regrets apart from the 3 Euro bottle of water purchased on the flight home. I won't fly with RyanAir dehydrated again! Hats off to the guys hopping on coaches back to Manchester at 10 last night. You guys are the heartbeat of the greatest club in the world.
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