Manchester Strong

“Come gather ‘round, people,

Wherever you roam/

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown/

And accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone/

If your time to you is worth saving,

Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like as stone,

For the times they are a-changin’…”                                       - Bob Dylan 

Finally, the league season is over and it's time to review the happenings of the last 9 months.

Not so fast perhaps. There’s still the small matter today of that UEFA Champions League launching pad, the Europa League Cup final, to attend to before appraising holistically.

However domestically speaking, it has been 38 games, 18 wins, 15 draws (league leading. And by ‘league-leading’, I mean European league-leading), 5 losses (same as Champions, Chelsea), 54 goals scored (4 more than Sunday’s opponents, 14^th place Crystal Palace), 29 goals conceded (2^nd best in the league after Spurs), there have been highs (Chelsea (H)), lows (Chelsea (A)), good consistency (25-game unbeaten run), bad consistency (6^th position for an eternity), moments of brilliance (Mkhitaryan’s stinger, Zlatan’s winners), moments of bone-headedness (Fellaini's Goodison Park cameo, Smalling on the pitch), vintage Mourinho (the badge-thumping sneer, tactical lock-down of opponents) and 'vintage' Mourinho (touchline ban, the negative persona).

Final position? 6th. 

24 points behind the 1st team, 7 points away from the 4th.

In paradoxically keeping with both the manager's approach to the last couple of games and Manchester United's youth traditions, the club fielded its youngest ever side in the Premier League era (average age of 22) in Sunday's finale at home against Crystal Palace granting full debuts to goalkeeper Joel Pereira, left-back Demi Mitchell, midfielder Scott McTominay and goal-scorer Josh Harrop (Whatever happened to James Wilson??). Axel Tuanzebe, who also only recently made his first-team debut, continued his run in the team with another fine performance while the bereaved Pogba brought some relative maturity into the midfield.

Thankfully, in spite of Jose Mourinho's ill-considered pre-match comments (“It’s frustrating for me. I hope you don’t kill me when you see my team. I hope the fans at Old Trafford support the team, they forgive some naivety, they forgive some lack of confidence. And I hope that Big Sam shows he’s a good friend and he goes slow. He tells to Zaha to go slow, he leaves Benteke at home. I hope he goes soft on us"), Palace manager, Sam Allardyce fielded the strongest possible team at his disposal and at least tried to make a game of it.

Well-taken first half goals from Harrop and Pogba meant that the second half ended up being a procession. I only wish the youngins' had been gradually introduced all through the season rather than collectively rolled out like some valedictory Ringling Bros. acts. 

A post-mortem shall be carried out on the league much later. Right now... 

THERE'S BIGGER FISH TO FRY

The die is cast. 7.45pm GMT. Today. Stockholm, Sweden. The Europa League Cup final. Manchester United v Ajax. Experience v Youth. Pressure v Permission. Consequence v Care-free. 

We know what is at stake. This has been put into even sharper context with the comments and events of the last couple of weeks. 

Winner takes it all. Take me 'Holm. The difference between an annus horribilis and an 'accomplished' , even if not 'progressive' year.

For many reasons, condemnation swords would be sheathed on this day. Management and players must stand up and be counted. More power to you, Darmian.💪 Go and get yours, Phil.👍 Master your full height, Marouane.👤 Let your football be as colourful and flamboyant as your haircut and dabs, Paul. There's a reason you cost more than any footballer in history. Pepper dem.💃 Jesse, I've always known you were made for critical cup finals. Give our captain a befitting send-off. 👏Mikkkkkkkyyyyy! This is your favourite competition...you know how we do. 👌

Jose...3 European Cup finals, 3 wins. Make it 4. The legacy continues.

See y'all on the other side of the celebrations...Cheers!

Signing Out,

B.L... 

In (the only) Other News (worthy for today):

Football is Football. Life is Life. There may sometimes be an intersection in the sets of both dealings but they are ultimately mutually exclusive.

The local community of Manchester was rocked by a terrorist bomb blast on Monday night after an Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena. So far 22 people are dead and several others injured to varying degrees. 

It is almost inevitable that a Manchester local, Red or Blue, would have had a loved one at least traumatised by the incident. My sincere condolences go out to the Manchester populace and like it says in Tony Walsh's poem, 'This Is The Place':

"...Because this is a place that has been through some hard times: oppressions, recessions, depressions, and dark times.

But we keep fighting back with Greater Manchester spirit. Northern grit, Northern wit, and Greater Manchester’s lyrics.

And these hard times again, in these streets of our city, but we won’t take defeat and we don’t want your pity.

Because this is a place where we stand strong together, with a smile on our face, greater Manchester forever."

Stay strong. #ManchesterStrong