DARKSIDE CHRONICLES: Edition 002

Let me start off this week by saying that originally I was planning to offer up a different article that dealt with other problems regarding Manchester United. But due to the big game and glorious comeback that the lads fashioned on the weekend, I think I should stick to the match and all the talking points.

Let me start by going against the grain and congratulate Fergie and the club on a great comeback under testing conditions and adversity. It’s never easy to come back from 0-3 down yet alone against Chelsea at the Bridge, so we must all bow our heads and praise the lads for showing a lot of heart to fight back and steal a point. That Chelsea club is a shadow of itself also but still, they were at home and we had not won there in ten years. I honestly felt that despite our troubles, this game was the game for us to win if ever we were to end the Sdtamford Bridge jinx. Well we didn’t win but the draw feels almost as good as a win now doesn’t it?

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THE DARK SIDE CHRONICLES: Edition 001

Hello to all friends and foes in the Red Rantiverse.  Yes I’m back and I must say that returning to Red Rants is as much a shock to me as it is to you.  When I left some moths ago, I was determined to stay away for good as it had become quite clear to me that many of you had grown tired of my rants and the truth.  A few months have passed and to be honest I never really missed the place.  Insults and abuse tend to do that but still, RedRants has always been and still is a part of my DNA.  I feel that I am one of the people who helped define this blog and who instilled to it a specific personality and voice unlike other United sites on the blogosphere.  Still, it was not my intention to return but a funny thing happened on my way to the forum.  Ian dropped me another line asking for my presence.  After much consideration and trepidation, I return with a weekly column.

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Well let me start by getting the lone positive from the game out. We won. Yup, that’s it folks, we won. And if that’s all it takes to make many of you all wet and warm and fuzzy in your nether regions then may I offer some advice after you check yourselves for a pulse. Get a life. Seriously, if that’s all it takes to please many of you, you seriously need to get out more and start experiencing life.

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Never in my wildest nightmares, never ever did I expect this. And yet it happened. Last night I played a match between Manchester United and Manchester City with FIFA 12 on my XBOX 360 as a precursor to the real deal which would be happening just 12 hours later UK time. I like to play our upcoming opponents as a tradition just before the real match just to get a visual feeling for what to expect. The result in my game made me laugh because I thought the chances of that score line happening was a million to one. United won 5-1 and totally humiliated City from the kickoff. What do you expect from a freaking video game anyway, realism?

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Well it wasn’t a classic that’s for sure. These days it has become apparent to me that waking up at 4:30 Pacific Standard Time to watch my beloved Manchester United is the action of stupid man not interested in his health and sleeping pattern. Frankly, the past few years has taught me to expect a Ferguson game plan and squad selection that would leave me cold and disappointed.

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Today was one of those rare days at Old Trafford where I would have liked to be in the dressing room at halftime to watch for the hairdryer.  After all, for 45 minutes Fergie had sat on his hands through what has to be one of the dullest and most uninspiring home performances in recent memory.  The lads hardly created a chance and showed even less passion and hunger for the opening half and so Fergie would have had a legitimate right to go off on them at halftime.

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I woke up this morning eager as a beaver and highly anticipating the event as the day had finally come.  No I am not talking about our big match with FC Basel.  Nope, I’m talking about the release date in North America for my favorite addiction, FIFA 12.  My life, my love and the reason I won’t be leaving my house for at least a month.

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I must say that when I was asked if I would like to write an article whereby I get to select Manchester United’s top ten all time right sided midfielders, I jumped at the opportunity with great pleasure and enthusiasm. As a historically powerful juggernaut United have made it easy to pick top tens for all positions. The club goes back a long time but it also has such a rich and successful history that it’s been blessed with incredibly talented players who have plied their trade at Old Trafford. Nowhere is that more obvious than the position of Right Midfielder/Right Wing. The list of greatness to have occupied that part of the field is simply so awe inspiring one would have to dig deep to find another club in world football that can match or beat this top ten list for class and skill.

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Well, it seemed like another day ‘out back of wood shed’ with Chelsea being the latest victim fed to the wood chipper. Sounds better than another day in the office or walk in the park I think.  Manchester United took care of business and disposed of Chelsea in what must go down as one of the most exciting end-to-end matches between the sides.  This game had a bit of everything and it could easily have ended up in a 5-5 draw.  Both teams played well offensively and both had numerous scoring chances but in the end the difference was our width and our touch of class when it comes to finishing off our chances even though we were wasteful today and oh so very sloppy.

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Haven’t we seen this before?  I knew it wouldn’t last. I mean Fergie could never let things just be. It was asking too much for us to carry our youth movement, scintillating pace and form over the Channel and into the continent and expect a similar starting squad and the tactics that have wowed us for last month. Instead Fergie called on the old guard and decided to go back to his proven cautious and pragmatic approach, which mixes one part boredom, one part sloth-like pace, and two parts cowardice into a cocktail that chokes the lifeblood out of all Manchester United supporters.

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Well all I can say is this is really a fun start to the season. It may be very unrealistic to expect this young Manchester United team to maintain this kind of torrid scoring pace and incredible form for an entire season but we can dream can’t we? Today’s contest was truly another massacre in which we imposed our will like lions feeding on Christians. Once again our big guns came, saw and conquered. I love the killer instinct this club is showing and although they went into a bit of a lull midway through the contest, they still managed to create chances a 3/4 speed. I prefer them playing 90 minutes in ramming speed but I am also realistic.

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Well I hope everyone enjoyed my first foray at top tens with my list of United’s all time best center forwards. Now I have been granted the privilege of offering you my take at the top ten strikers to have played for our illustrious Red Devils.  Let me start by saying that there is a difference in my mind between center forward and striker. CF’s play deeper and also imitate midfielders in an attacking way. Usually they are better passers, have greater patience and vision and are just smarter footballers all round. That is not to say strikers are not smart, they are, but CF’s for me just have more versatility, a larger skill set and a little more genius in their overall make-up.

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What madness, what a feeding frenzy the transfer deadline has become in the world of football and especially in the English Premier League.  Personally, I will never understand the last minute strategy being used to acquire players.  Sure

Some teams will sell at a lower price as they are desperate to unload a high priced player that no longer suits their needs and sure some teams hope to get top dollar for players because of the needs of contending teams to fill their requirements.  Still, the procrastination and last second dramatics seems all so unnecessary to me.

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August 28^th, 2011.  A day that will live in infamy…..for Arsenal fans at least.  But more importantly, a day where two long time rivals met at the crossroads of their careers do establish their paths for the future.

 “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” as the song goes, truly is an apt title for what took place at Old Trafford this fateful day.  Two fierce and proud rivals collided, and by the end of the day only, one was left standing while the other literally had to be picked up piece-by-piece and placed in a series of body bags after a slaughter that forced me to think of Old Trafford as the second coming of other hallowed grounds such as Hastings, Agincourt and dare I say it, Waterloo.

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