WHY SAY ANYTHING?

As regular readers will be aware, this little old publication is, ostensibly, dedicated to Manchester United with a reasonable amount of due deference given to that other club in the city, City!

There are also mentions for other teams from time to time as we like to spout forth on many aspects of top Premier League life but it is mainly United to which we dedicate our pages.

As a Mancunian, it has always been a source of surprise and, sometimes, dismay to hear the way the two sets of supporters go on about the other club. There are City fans who hate United and there are United fans who feel the same about City.

They are both Manchester clubs and, although a United fan since birth, this does not make me wish any ill on City. As I have said, many times, the perfect situation is United winning absolutely everything and beating City into second place in the process. A Manchester one and two with United always on top! What is wrong with that?

Yet some of the fans want to see the other Manchester club beaten by teams from Liverpool or London or anywhere else, for that matter. Where is the logic in that?

There is none and, when one team is left in a competition after the other is knocked out, it would make far more sense for ALL the supporters to get behind the one remaining team from their city.

Unfortunately, due to the mindset of supposedly intelligent people who turn into some form of alien life when supporting their football team, this is unlikely to happen.

So how can you tell if you, or a friend or relative, is a genuine supporter of their club or has just recently jumped on the bandwagon?

Well, it’s really quite simple. Ask them who they would support if their current team wasn’t doing so well. If they come up with a different team then they are just glory-hunters either with no real team or one who they are embarrassed to admit their support for.

Any true supporter will stick with their team through thick and thin.

I have been reading many remarks and comments on social media recently about Manchester United and José Mourinho. There seem to be many people who will be switching allegiance to another club if Mourinho is still there next season or if the club doesn’t improve it’s football or if the new kit isn’t to their liking! It’s totally ridiculous!

These “fans” should just clear off to another club NOW. They are not wanted or welcome by genuine United supporters.

Those real fans who have supported the club all of their lives can’t just switch off. They can’t just decide to support somebody else because it isn’t going that well at their club!

How many times over the years have I thought what a waste of time and money it was to support United? Lots of times but, as a born red, it isn’t that simple. It’s a bit like deciding that you’re fed up being English so want to be French. It will not happen, not if you are a genuine fan. You support YOUR club and YOUR club cannot change.

As Eric Cantona once said, “You can change your wife, your politics, even your religion but never, never, can you change your favourite football team”.

So, to all those thinking of supporting another team because a cup semi-final and second place in the Premier League isn’t good enough after a season where only three trophies were won, goodbye and good riddance, your services are no longer required.

And finally…..

Awards on top of very rich rewards

It’s getting to the time of year again when vastly overpaid footballers who have had a decidedly average season are further rewarded by being awarded silly little trophies in recognition of how their average performances have been slightly better than some of the others.

It’s a pretty pathetic western habit we have whereby we insist on further increasing the size of already bloated egos by telling them how good they have been, even if they haven’t! As if the money isn’t enough!

In the case of David De Gea at Manchester United, the pointless award of “Player of the Year” usually goes to him. This is, unfortunately, a double-edged sword. Yes, it means he has been the stand-out player of the season but it also covers up other facts such as:

1 – The Manchester United defence is not very good

2 – Because De Gea is so good, everybody thinks the United defence IS very good

3 – If De Gea wasn’t so good United would have to buy some real defenders and stop playing old men out of position

4 – If De Gea wasn’t so good he wouldn’t be there!

How’s that for a catch 22?