We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep or cows...
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."
"Leisure" W.H. Davies.
Another untidy performance but yet another significant progress made. The FA Cup 5th Round. Blackburn Rovers 1 Manchester United 2. Ahh...sometimes, it is important to just savour the satisfying result without conducting a post-mortem or professorial analysis into what could have been done better or improved, 'sometimes' being the operative word. It is all the more an exercise in futility when the spots of bother are well known and as obvious as keys to Khaled. We by now know that Matteo Darmian has no business in this team. Smalling and Young, so aptly named, should not be starters and at least one should be looking at departing the club come summer. Herrara needs a rest and Lingard is not good enough. (What exactly does 'squad player' mean? I was of the opinion that it meant a player who while not exactly good enough to be included in the 1st team, could deputise or fill in reasonably well when called upon. I don't think Lingard has consistently shown that. Ever grateful for No. 12 though...).
There really is no need going into all of that.
So instead I'll kick my feet up, fingers interlocked behind my head and reflect on the scarcely believable fact that this work-in-progress has lost just once since the 6th of November, 2016 (and in an academic and controversial game against Hull) in all competitions and has found ways, all kinds of ways, to grind out result after result. There have been those niggling draws along the way but rather a point than none, right? If we can't win, we make sure we do not lose. Fair policy even if we are in no doubt as to what is at stake.
There have been games where we resurrected from the dead (Stoke. Rooney 250, Liverpool), games where, ahem *cough* the ball just refused to go in (West Ham {November} and Hull in the league), games where we got late winners (Middlesbrough and Palace) and games where we bludgeoned the opposition (Reading, Wigan and Leicester).
In all of this, there have been two major personalities who, hate it or love it, have arguably been largely responsible for this remarkable run.
I recognise that football is a performing art and the players always bear the primary responsibility for what transpires on the pitch. The coach may come up with bad tactics and/or formations but he (or she) cannot be responsible for the inability of a professional footballer to pass accurately to his team mate, pass the ball into the net from 6 yards or punt the ball up-field when under pressure. No, Sir, managers can't be responsible for these. Common sense is also aware of this which is why there's almost always a sandstorm over who wins the Balon D'or rather than the FIFA Manager of the Year. Except in our exceptional case where our manager is as box office as the players, nobody really shells out a fortune to go to the stadium to see David Moyes debut his new hairstyle or check out Arsene Wenger's new parka.
With this in mind, I shall start with the self-proclaimed Indiana Jones, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swede giant who continues to write himself into the history books and Manchester United folklore. 24 goals in 36 appearances so far. Crucial goals too and not in, using basketball parlance, 'garbage-time'/cherry-on-the-top goals. Our Mr-Fix-It. He's 35 years old. He, like Henrik Larsson before him (coincidentally a Swede too. Must be something in their water), has shown that if you have talent and take care of your body, you can go on at the highest level for quite a while. No pun intended but no sub. We also know all about the longevity of our legends Giggs and Scholes.
The pace has gone a bit and he can be a passenger at times (I've criticised him several times for this) but he almost always still scores. It's that plain and simple - Zlatan scores goals. He misses a hatful of chances per game but he still scores. Somehow, he just does it. And he has done it everywhere he has played. A current career total of 416 goals in 713 games is nothing to be sniffed at and this attests to incredible efficiency and durability. And he wins things along the way. A league title every where he has played. There are two ways of looking at it: He has only been very fortunate in playing with some of the biggest teams in the world at the time of their domestic dominance (He's still yet to win the UCL. Oddly) or he's simply a very fine player. I lean on the side of the latter.
There are players who it is seems the ball is just magnetically attracted to. In a melee in the 6/18 yard box, the ball somehow always ends up at their feet/body part. Gerd Muller was one of those. Romario. Lineker. Filipo Inzaghi. Ruud van Nistelrooy. Poachers. You can't teach it. It's innate. Except for Romario on this list, what Zlatan had over these other fellows is that, in his prime, he combined that poacher's ability with technique that meant he could even conveniently play as a 10. Combined with his size and athleticism, you had a deadly Swede army knife. Certainly only his infamous arrogance, which sometimes bordered on aloof in the biggest games, prevented him from being at least a perennial Balon D'or contender.
United is currently enjoying the benefits of this great and it is imperative that the young guns milk as much as they can from him as long as they can. The big man is at the twilight of his career and I still believe that the team should be gradually weaned from relying on him to rescue them every time. It would be one of Mourinho's major assignments this summer. Speaking of which...
Jose Mourinho. Jose Mario dos Santos Mourinho Felix. A vile man. Anti-football. A cancer to the game. All in his former life, of course. A serial winner. Unarguably one of the most successful managers in the history of the game. It may not be pretty, it may leave you feeling short-changed or even cheated but he wins. For him, end of. Funny enough, same could be seemingly said about our not-so-dearly departed Louis van Gaal. He has indeed won a title/trophy in every league he has managed but while he employed a certain 'philosophy' in pursuit of his achievements, Mourinho is as methodical as they come. If LvG is the lullaby to get you to sleep, Mourinho is the valium. A pragmatist to the core, he is ready to leave every spectator deeply dissatisfied as long as he accomplishes his singular aim, which is 'to win'. He may utilise ultra-defensive tactics, be reactionary rather than pro-active, instruct his players to waste time and generally nestle in the ear of the 4th official but any way that would produce the desired result is a viable way for Mr. Mourinho.
But do not for a second think this is a simple as it sounds. If it were, Tony Pulis would be on the cusp of his 6th consecutive UCL Quarter-finals. There is an effective tactical nous which ensures that his teams are at the top or always thereabouts when its reward season. This is not coincidence. His resume speaks for itself. He is at a new phase in his career where he has to adapt to the culture of the football team he is managing rather than impose his instinctive will on team. It has been gradual and still infuriating at times but slowly and hopefully surely, he will get 'there'.
This is also the first time Mourinho has embarked on a campaign without playing a settled XI ,injuries permitting. He is now more willing to experiment maybe because of his immediate past experience where he discovered the amazing consequences of absolute player-power. A separation of powers as it were, has become necessary.
All in all, he has led the club to its most impressive run since the days of Sir Alex. On Sunday, he will hopefully lead the club to its first (or second, depending on who you ask. The Community Shield counts.) title of the season. We can argue and complain about the sometimes tenuous road which has led to this path but give the man his due, he has that thing that always puts him in a position to win. And for that alone, I celebrate him today.
The prayer continues to be that our two serial winners enjoy good health and sound mind (x 2) while shepherding the team to victory after victory. That's all I can ask for now.
So we got Chelsea in the FA Cup next. Je m'en fiche. We'll take it as it comes.
Next up - St. Etienne away in the 2nd Leg of the Europa League Cup (a.k.a Alternate Route) Round of 32. We hold a 3-0 first leg advantage. Bonne chance.
Signing Out,
B.L...
In Other News:
* Anybody that can provoke Carlo Ancelloti to flip the bird is a dangerous person. Arrest him.
*The (Other) Jarrius Robertson Story of the Weekend - Pescara in the Serie A. Yet to win a game this season before the weekend's fixtures. Rock bottom, of course. Sacked their coach and employed the services of Znedek Zeman, a one-time Roma coach. Thrashed Genoa 5 - 0. Easy peasy. There's some life in the old dog yet.
*Playlist for winners:
1. Easy - The Commodores
2. Overcome - Tye Tribbett
3. Alright - Kendrick Lamar
4. Chardonnay Music - Falz
5. Dreams and Nightmares (Intro) - Meek Mill
6. I'm Hot (Gbono Feli Feli Remix) - M.I
7. Holding On - L.T.D
8. Love Is The Seventh Wave - Sting
9. Mortal Combat - Big Daddy Kane
10. Every Kinda People - Robert Palmer
There really is no need going into all of that.
So instead I'll kick my feet up, fingers interlocked behind my head and reflect on the scarcely believable fact that this work-in-progress has lost just once since the 6th of November, 2016 (and in an academic and controversial game against Hull) in all competitions and has found ways, all kinds of ways, to grind out result after result. There have been those niggling draws along the way but rather a point than none, right? If we can't win, we make sure we do not lose. Fair policy even if we are in no doubt as to what is at stake.
There have been games where we resurrected from the dead (Stoke. Rooney 250, Liverpool), games where, ahem *cough* the ball just refused to go in (West Ham {November} and Hull in the league), games where we got late winners (Middlesbrough and Palace) and games where we bludgeoned the opposition (Reading, Wigan and Leicester).
In all of this, there have been two major personalities who, hate it or love it, have arguably been largely responsible for this remarkable run.
I recognise that football is a performing art and the players always bear the primary responsibility for what transpires on the pitch. The coach may come up with bad tactics and/or formations but he (or she) cannot be responsible for the inability of a professional footballer to pass accurately to his team mate, pass the ball into the net from 6 yards or punt the ball up-field when under pressure. No, Sir, managers can't be responsible for these. Common sense is also aware of this which is why there's almost always a sandstorm over who wins the Balon D'or rather than the FIFA Manager of the Year. Except in our exceptional case where our manager is as box office as the players, nobody really shells out a fortune to go to the stadium to see David Moyes debut his new hairstyle or check out Arsene Wenger's new parka.
With this in mind, I shall start with the self-proclaimed Indiana Jones, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swede giant who continues to write himself into the history books and Manchester United folklore. 24 goals in 36 appearances so far. Crucial goals too and not in, using basketball parlance, 'garbage-time'/cherry-on-the-top goals. Our Mr-Fix-It. He's 35 years old. He, like Henrik Larsson before him (coincidentally a Swede too. Must be something in their water), has shown that if you have talent and take care of your body, you can go on at the highest level for quite a while. No pun intended but no sub. We also know all about the longevity of our legends Giggs and Scholes.
The pace has gone a bit and he can be a passenger at times (I've criticised him several times for this) but he almost always still scores. It's that plain and simple - Zlatan scores goals. He misses a hatful of chances per game but he still scores. Somehow, he just does it. And he has done it everywhere he has played. A current career total of 416 goals in 713 games is nothing to be sniffed at and this attests to incredible efficiency and durability. And he wins things along the way. A league title every where he has played. There are two ways of looking at it: He has only been very fortunate in playing with some of the biggest teams in the world at the time of their domestic dominance (He's still yet to win the UCL. Oddly) or he's simply a very fine player. I lean on the side of the latter.
There are players who it is seems the ball is just magnetically attracted to. In a melee in the 6/18 yard box, the ball somehow always ends up at their feet/body part. Gerd Muller was one of those. Romario. Lineker. Filipo Inzaghi. Ruud van Nistelrooy. Poachers. You can't teach it. It's innate. Except for Romario on this list, what Zlatan had over these other fellows is that, in his prime, he combined that poacher's ability with technique that meant he could even conveniently play as a 10. Combined with his size and athleticism, you had a deadly Swede army knife. Certainly only his infamous arrogance, which sometimes bordered on aloof in the biggest games, prevented him from being at least a perennial Balon D'or contender.
United is currently enjoying the benefits of this great and it is imperative that the young guns milk as much as they can from him as long as they can. The big man is at the twilight of his career and I still believe that the team should be gradually weaned from relying on him to rescue them every time. It would be one of Mourinho's major assignments this summer. Speaking of which...
Jose Mourinho. Jose Mario dos Santos Mourinho Felix. A vile man. Anti-football. A cancer to the game. All in his former life, of course. A serial winner. Unarguably one of the most successful managers in the history of the game. It may not be pretty, it may leave you feeling short-changed or even cheated but he wins. For him, end of. Funny enough, same could be seemingly said about our not-so-dearly departed Louis van Gaal. He has indeed won a title/trophy in every league he has managed but while he employed a certain 'philosophy' in pursuit of his achievements, Mourinho is as methodical as they come. If LvG is the lullaby to get you to sleep, Mourinho is the valium. A pragmatist to the core, he is ready to leave every spectator deeply dissatisfied as long as he accomplishes his singular aim, which is 'to win'. He may utilise ultra-defensive tactics, be reactionary rather than pro-active, instruct his players to waste time and generally nestle in the ear of the 4th official but any way that would produce the desired result is a viable way for Mr. Mourinho.
But do not for a second think this is a simple as it sounds. If it were, Tony Pulis would be on the cusp of his 6th consecutive UCL Quarter-finals. There is an effective tactical nous which ensures that his teams are at the top or always thereabouts when its reward season. This is not coincidence. His resume speaks for itself. He is at a new phase in his career where he has to adapt to the culture of the football team he is managing rather than impose his instinctive will on team. It has been gradual and still infuriating at times but slowly and hopefully surely, he will get 'there'.
This is also the first time Mourinho has embarked on a campaign without playing a settled XI ,injuries permitting. He is now more willing to experiment maybe because of his immediate past experience where he discovered the amazing consequences of absolute player-power. A separation of powers as it were, has become necessary.
All in all, he has led the club to its most impressive run since the days of Sir Alex. On Sunday, he will hopefully lead the club to its first (or second, depending on who you ask. The Community Shield counts.) title of the season. We can argue and complain about the sometimes tenuous road which has led to this path but give the man his due, he has that thing that always puts him in a position to win. And for that alone, I celebrate him today.
The prayer continues to be that our two serial winners enjoy good health and sound mind (x 2) while shepherding the team to victory after victory. That's all I can ask for now.
So we got Chelsea in the FA Cup next. Je m'en fiche. We'll take it as it comes.
Next up - St. Etienne away in the 2nd Leg of the Europa League Cup (a.k.a Alternate Route) Round of 32. We hold a 3-0 first leg advantage. Bonne chance.
Signing Out,
B.L...
In Other News:
* Anybody that can provoke Carlo Ancelloti to flip the bird is a dangerous person. Arrest him.
*The (Other) Jarrius Robertson Story of the Weekend - Pescara in the Serie A. Yet to win a game this season before the weekend's fixtures. Rock bottom, of course. Sacked their coach and employed the services of Znedek Zeman, a one-time Roma coach. Thrashed Genoa 5 - 0. Easy peasy. There's some life in the old dog yet.
*Playlist for winners:
1. Easy - The Commodores
2. Overcome - Tye Tribbett
3. Alright - Kendrick Lamar
4. Chardonnay Music - Falz
5. Dreams and Nightmares (Intro) - Meek Mill
6. I'm Hot (Gbono Feli Feli Remix) - M.I
7. Holding On - L.T.D
8. Love Is The Seventh Wave - Sting
9. Mortal Combat - Big Daddy Kane
10. Every Kinda People - Robert Palmer
Jeez! Except for a few song songs on that list, I haven't heard quite some (I won't hear the Meek Mill one mos def).
ReplyDeleteI wish Jose luck. U know I love the vile man, always wanted him to coach united, now I just need him to conquer his demons and be the best damn coach the world has ever seen. It's possible
Wow!!! That W.H Davies piece brought back memories. We all had to learn that in my JSS 1 at FGC Warri. Memories... Now back to Man Utd. What can I say? Amen to your prayer for these two great personalities. Let's just keep winning. By the way,this your playlist for winners sha. Nice
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Delete