I haven't been feeling very good of late.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
You know that old friend you see after a very long time and you are in the moment very excited to re-connect with? You both suddenly recall that you reside in the same locale, still share some common friends and even engage in similar hobbies. "So why haven't we been hanging out all this while?", you wonder. You fix a date to hang out and do as intended. And then at day's end, you remember with a wry smile and droplets of regret why you haven't seen this fellow all this while. I wasn't unintentional.
I have over the past couple of weeks several times imagined a sit-down with Jose Mourinho. None of these conversations ended well. He called me an ingrate. I called him soulless. He called me a poet. I retorted that he was vile. He taunted me with evidence of his exemplary track record of success. I reminded him of how much he had spent to buy that success over his career. 'Judas is still number 1', he said. Judas ended up hanging himself at the Field of Blood, I advised. He preached pragmatism. I sermonised on joy. He referred me to the upward trend of results and captured silverware since he took over. I reminded him of his often cantankerous and poisonous 3-year expiry date (Not 'Best Before'. Expiry. Rotten. Gone Bad. Irreconcilable differences). He boasted that his clout attracts big players and gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an example. I agreed but also painted the nightmarish picture of Romelu Lukaku trying to dribble past Victor Lindelof during training sessions.
All in all, I believe we both made fairly good points and settled on agreeing to disagree. No love lost. He maintains his position that football and competitive sport is all about winning. I have come to the conclusion that my spirit aggressively doesn't agree with that assertion however logically valid. Maybe I've been spoilt by Sir Alex. Maybe the Brazilian squads of the 90s, and early noughties did same. Federer, Sampras, Guardiola's Barcelona, pre and prime Galactico Real Madrid, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, Muhammad Ali, 90s Milan, teams and individuals who have shown that sport can be about glory and entertainment. So I know this is possible and achievable. There's, for me, a mandatory feel-good factor required from the greatest/best sporting performances and teams. The rabid safety-first sterilised approach just doesn't cut it for me.
Isn't it funny that Tottenham Hotspurs, a team United recently beat, behind us on the league table (by goal difference), who has won approximately zilch in the last decade, is celebrated as a team on the up and a 'stronger' team than we are? In contrast, former landlords of London, Arsenal, who have won 3 F.A. Cups in the last 4 years, are currently regarded as a failed project and somewhat inferior to Spurs. Why is this? Which set of fans do you think are happier? Or is it because Spurs are regarded as having a lower expectation ceiling and so their contemporary 'achievements' (Read 'final league placing') are worth celebrating? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Chelsea lost 2-3 to Burnley on the opening day of the season but it was a (eventual) performance that scared the bejeezus of me. With 9 men against Burnley's 11 in the last 15 minutes or so, only one side attacked with verve and had assumed full control. It was not the 11 men. If there were 5 extra minutes at the end of 90, Chelsea would have won that match. Not drawn. Won. The Watford and Spurs comeback performances were impressive but this was a display that foretold or rather re-enforced (They are defending champions after-all) the notion that they remained a team to be reckoned with. A good number of their fans were optimistic about their chances for the season after that match. Remember again, that it ended in a loss.
Another one is Liverpool. Their attacking play has fans on the edge of their seats with their pulses racing even faster than Mane and Salah's feet (so does their abject defending but that's another story...). Still, Merseyside Red does not look any closer to winning any trophy. Klopp's job has been rumoured to be on the line after some damaging defeats but for every such performance comes a devastatingly lethal attacking display which quietens such rumours. The trick is that he has infused the fans, and by extension the team, with a feverish passion for the game. It may be romantic but there is a given expectation every time his team steps on the field. You never know whether it would be Mr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde showing up for lunch but at least you have something to look forward to.
So am I simply advocating for playing pretty or gung-ho without results? Facade over structure? Mind over matter? Particularly in football? Certainly not. But there is something about a positive performance, W, L or D that offers the promise of hope, excitement, continuity and belief for the supporters. A stifling 1-0 or clinical counter-attacking 4-0 win has its uses but should not be the main course. The undulation of emotions constitutes a major part of the game. '99 is forever cherished for this reason. It's okay to concede as long as you score more. How many times did Sir Alex's United come back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to win a game? Even West Ham's Moyes (SMH) did so with United in the Champions League against Fenerbache. In comparison, Mourinho has never won a game in his coaching career when losing by 2 goals or more. That is not a freak statistic. There's a very clear reason why.
I would have taken solace in the fact that this is a relatively new team and there is an ongoing rebuilding process but I know for certain this isn't some sort of transition - this is the reality. This is how Mourinho prefers to play the game and he is content with his tried and tested method. A key factor of what his mandate has been at all the clubs he has managed has been the need to break some sort of settled hegemony and win at all cost. Porto. Chelsea. Inter Milan. Real Madrid. In all cases, the destination superseded the journey and he delivered. United too engaged his services for something similar.
I'll be the first to admit that I favourably considered Mourinho as the leading option in our managerial search after Van Gaal's confusing (Jones was taking corner kicks at a time) and miserable tenure. See, I was desperate...I knew he would deliver a title or two and rankle a couple of now emboldened managers along the way. I, like millions of others, needed something to be able to again brag about. So did the United Board apparently. And so I think we sold our soul for some pottage. Heroin may get you uplifted for a short period but it is always eventually destructive. Drugs don't work...
My high has worn off. I've been cold turkey for the last couple of weeks and intend to stay sober (and woke) till whenever this contract ends. I have accepted that Ashley Young is our starting left back and that RedRom cost upwards $90 million. I have accepted that this United team is much better (or should I say 'functional'?) with a Marouane Fellaini in it. Yes, Chris Smalling remains our vice-captain. I know Shaw would be sold January as "his fitness is no where near the level it should be". It's safety first and entertainment a distant second. I know and understand. I did sign up for this after-all...Refer to ♫ Snoop Dogg's 'Murder Was The Case' and DMX's 'Damien' for a better understanding.
I just pine for the days when winning a title was more a cause for celebration than for relief.
Next Up: Manchester United will attempt to wriggle its way past Newcastle's two barricades of 4 at Old Trafford on Saturday, 15th November, 2017. GMT 5.30pm.
Signing Out,
B.L.
Your Answers Are...
* The Internationally retired Gianluigi Buffon. 175 caps. Most capped Italian player. 1 World Cup. A UEFA European Championship Runners-Up Medal. Is Gigi the greatest European goalkeeper ever?
* Is there currently a better midfielder in the world than Kevin De Bruyne?
* Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic going to unretire and grace the World Cup for one last time...to the possible detriment of his team?
* Not a question but a fact - Ben Simmons is already the NBA Rookie of the Year.
* Who can stop Lewis Hamilton apart from Lewis Hamilton next season?
* Would anyone who saw the Germany v France friendly believe that International Friendly football is dead?
* Who actually believes Life-President Robert Mugabe is just "under house arrest"?
Isn't it funny that Tottenham Hotspurs, a team United recently beat, behind us on the league table (by goal difference), who has won approximately zilch in the last decade, is celebrated as a team on the up and a 'stronger' team than we are? In contrast, former landlords of London, Arsenal, who have won 3 F.A. Cups in the last 4 years, are currently regarded as a failed project and somewhat inferior to Spurs. Why is this? Which set of fans do you think are happier? Or is it because Spurs are regarded as having a lower expectation ceiling and so their contemporary 'achievements' (Read 'final league placing') are worth celebrating? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Chelsea lost 2-3 to Burnley on the opening day of the season but it was a (eventual) performance that scared the bejeezus of me. With 9 men against Burnley's 11 in the last 15 minutes or so, only one side attacked with verve and had assumed full control. It was not the 11 men. If there were 5 extra minutes at the end of 90, Chelsea would have won that match. Not drawn. Won. The Watford and Spurs comeback performances were impressive but this was a display that foretold or rather re-enforced (They are defending champions after-all) the notion that they remained a team to be reckoned with. A good number of their fans were optimistic about their chances for the season after that match. Remember again, that it ended in a loss.
Another one is Liverpool. Their attacking play has fans on the edge of their seats with their pulses racing even faster than Mane and Salah's feet (so does their abject defending but that's another story...). Still, Merseyside Red does not look any closer to winning any trophy. Klopp's job has been rumoured to be on the line after some damaging defeats but for every such performance comes a devastatingly lethal attacking display which quietens such rumours. The trick is that he has infused the fans, and by extension the team, with a feverish passion for the game. It may be romantic but there is a given expectation every time his team steps on the field. You never know whether it would be Mr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde showing up for lunch but at least you have something to look forward to.
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
C.S. Lewis So am I simply advocating for playing pretty or gung-ho without results? Facade over structure? Mind over matter? Particularly in football? Certainly not. But there is something about a positive performance, W, L or D that offers the promise of hope, excitement, continuity and belief for the supporters. A stifling 1-0 or clinical counter-attacking 4-0 win has its uses but should not be the main course. The undulation of emotions constitutes a major part of the game. '99 is forever cherished for this reason. It's okay to concede as long as you score more. How many times did Sir Alex's United come back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to win a game? Even West Ham's Moyes (SMH) did so with United in the Champions League against Fenerbache. In comparison, Mourinho has never won a game in his coaching career when losing by 2 goals or more. That is not a freak statistic. There's a very clear reason why.
I would have taken solace in the fact that this is a relatively new team and there is an ongoing rebuilding process but I know for certain this isn't some sort of transition - this is the reality. This is how Mourinho prefers to play the game and he is content with his tried and tested method. A key factor of what his mandate has been at all the clubs he has managed has been the need to break some sort of settled hegemony and win at all cost. Porto. Chelsea. Inter Milan. Real Madrid. In all cases, the destination superseded the journey and he delivered. United too engaged his services for something similar.
I'll be the first to admit that I favourably considered Mourinho as the leading option in our managerial search after Van Gaal's confusing (Jones was taking corner kicks at a time) and miserable tenure. See, I was desperate...I knew he would deliver a title or two and rankle a couple of now emboldened managers along the way. I, like millions of others, needed something to be able to again brag about. So did the United Board apparently. And so I think we sold our soul for some pottage. Heroin may get you uplifted for a short period but it is always eventually destructive. Drugs don't work...
My high has worn off. I've been cold turkey for the last couple of weeks and intend to stay sober (and woke) till whenever this contract ends. I have accepted that Ashley Young is our starting left back and that RedRom cost upwards $90 million. I have accepted that this United team is much better (or should I say 'functional'?) with a Marouane Fellaini in it. Yes, Chris Smalling remains our vice-captain. I know Shaw would be sold January as "his fitness is no where near the level it should be". It's safety first and entertainment a distant second. I know and understand. I did sign up for this after-all...Refer to ♫ Snoop Dogg's 'Murder Was The Case' and DMX's 'Damien' for a better understanding.
I just pine for the days when winning a title was more a cause for celebration than for relief.
Next Up: Manchester United will attempt to wriggle its way past Newcastle's two barricades of 4 at Old Trafford on Saturday, 15th November, 2017. GMT 5.30pm.
Signing Out,
B.L.
Your Answers Are...
* The Internationally retired Gianluigi Buffon. 175 caps. Most capped Italian player. 1 World Cup. A UEFA European Championship Runners-Up Medal. Is Gigi the greatest European goalkeeper ever?
* Is there currently a better midfielder in the world than Kevin De Bruyne?
* Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic going to unretire and grace the World Cup for one last time...to the possible detriment of his team?
* Not a question but a fact - Ben Simmons is already the NBA Rookie of the Year.
* Who can stop Lewis Hamilton apart from Lewis Hamilton next season?
* Would anyone who saw the Germany v France friendly believe that International Friendly football is dead?
* Who actually believes Life-President Robert Mugabe is just "under house arrest"?
