Echoes from Old Trafford - March 2021

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 48- Issue 2, March 2021

“I hope I can score plenty, and I’ll be working hard towards doing that.”

Edinson Cavani

Manchester United Supporters’ Club-Malta Founded 1959, is officially recognized by the Manchester United Football Club.

In this issue  EDITORIAL ENGLISH................................................................................

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 EDITORJAL BIL-MALTI..............................................................................

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 CLUB NEWS.............................................................................................

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 WAYNE ROONEY - FROM RECORD GOALSCORER TO MANAGER.............

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 TEDDY’S CORNER.................................................................................

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 DARREN FLETCHER...............................................................................

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 Y&Z PERSPECTIVES..............................................................................

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 SCOTT McTOMINAY - FUTURE CAPTAIN IN THE MAKING......................

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 FT BUSINESS OF FOOTBALL SUMMIT...................................................

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 FAREWELL.............................................................................................

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 SOLSKJAER’S BEST XI.........................................................................

editorial team Clint Camilleri · Braden Galea · Dr. Michael Calleja advertising executive Glenn Lucas contributors

Dr. Michael Calleja Clint Camilleri

Julian Tabone Jude Cauchi

Braden Galea Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

Robert Mizzi Kevin, Justyn and Wayne Tabone

Iain McCartney Silvio Scicluna

Kenneth Abela Martin Calleja Urry

Alex Dudley Daniel Cuschieri

Alan Abela -Wadge Stefan Attard

printing Progress Press patron Sir Alex Ferguson

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 ANTHONY MARTIAL - HAS HE REALISED HIS POTENTIAL....................  CITY AND LIVERPOOL HOW OUR RIVALS COMPARE TO PRIOR SEASONS....................................  BRUNO FERNANDES - HOW HE HAS TRANSFORMED UNITED.............

club founder John Calleja

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club president Joseph Tedesco club committee Joseph Tedesco

President, Match Tickets Coordinator

Joe Catania

Vice President, Souvenir Shop Manager

Clint Camilleri

Secretary, Media Coordinator

Braden Galea

Assistant Secretary, Publishing Coordinator

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Kevin Tabone

Treasurer, Public Relations Officer

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Robert Mizzi

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Glenn Lucas

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 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG........................  THE MANCHESTER UNITED GRAVES SOCIETY ...................................

Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta

 PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE 2012-13 .........................................................  POGBA’S REVIVAL ...............................................................................

Egidio Sciberras

Assistant Treasurer Membership Secretary

Matthew Portelli O’Toole

Club Manager Advertising Executive

Robert Muscat Nathaniel Jones

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Quarries Square Street, Msida MSD 1101 Malta.

Telephone: +356 21223531 E‑mail: info@manutd‑malta.com Website: www.manutd‑malta.com Based in Msida, Malta, we are a non‑profit organization designed to bring the Manchester United experience to United fans here in Malta. We are the only Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club on the Maltese Islands. We are also the oldest Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World.

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Tours Coordinator Social Activities Coordinator

United Club Gozo Archbishop Pietru Pace Street, Victoria, Gozo.

E‑mail: gozobranch@manutd‑malta.com Telephone: +356 99825090 translator Braden Galea

business partners

THE VIEWS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE CLUB. VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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w w w. m a n u t d - m a l t a . c o m

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VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

Editorial ‘ALL WE NEED IS A BIT OF MATURITY’ T

he old adage that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ is particularly relevant to Manchester United’s current predicament. Bundled out of the Carling Cup semi-final and with a rampant Manchester City running away with the league, the long, hard and painful wait for a more positive domestic season will ostensibly have to wait.

Yet despite the lack of consistency in the league and the ignominy of an early Champions League exit, there is still plenty to look forward to as a top-four finish is certainly not guaranteed and there is plenty to play for! Moreover, our recent foray in the Europa League has been very positive and there is ‘that’ small matter of trying to win the FA Cup. Truth be told, despite Manchester United leading the Premier League table at a point in time, most fans knew that the thought of genuinely winning the championship was merely ephemeral in nature. Inasmuch as a resurgent Paul Pogba has made a difference, there are problems with the back four that demand immediate rectification. Strikers win you games, but defenders win you championships – yet goalkeeping mistakes and simple errors at the back have already cost United dear. Up and until the centre-back issue is fully resolved, it will take a while for United to genuinely mount a serious assault on the league championship. Successful United sides always boasted a feared partnership with fans certainly reminiscing the days of Bruce & Pallister, Stam and Johnsen and more recently, Ferdinand and Vidic.

Moreover, considering the team is relatively young - inconsistency becomes an issue and the odd shock result (Sheffield United at home for starters) is bound to occur - especially when an inexperienced squad finds itself in unfamiliar waters. Nevertheless, this is all part of the learning process and being able to lead the table at a point in time will do wonders for most of the young players coming through.

Compounding everything is the fact that Pep Guardiola managed to rekindle a misfiring

Manchester City with the Blues achieving an insurmountable run of results leaving everyone in their wake. Give credit where credit is due – and City are right on course to achieve a third title within four seasons.

What is certainly pleasing is the added impetus that Edinson Cavani has added to the squad. Here is a perennial winner who has managed to blend in quite nicely - with touches of exquisiteness and quality oozing across the Old Trafford pitch. Cavani’s addition has proven to be most welcome at a time when United needed that added ‘panache’ up front - considering Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are still finding their feet and Anthony Martial is known to be consistently inconsistent. Give Cavani some space and watch him work wonders as his mere presence alone already galvanises the squad.

The two fixtures against Liverpool in January showed how far United had come and the confrontations reflected an improvement on the club’s mental attitude and fortitude - something that hadn’t been seen in a considerably long time. The game at Anfield should have seen United emerge with all three points with Paul Pogba literally ruing a missed opportunity to edge himself in the history books. However, the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford was doubly pleasing and a joy to watch.

Despite Liverpool offering stiff resilience, the manner in which United won re-emphasized the fact that we are certainly no longer pushovers.

Bruno Fernandes’s exquisitely taken free kick summed up a 90 minutes where (barring a short spell of dominance from the Scousers) Manchester United looked like the Red Devils of old...hungry on the ball, aggressive, physical and more importantly- never giving in. One can only hope that Ole’s man can carry on this good run of form in the cup all the way to the final stages of the competition!

Another major plus point was Manchester United’s away performance vs Real Sociedad (despite the fact that the game was played

at a neutral venue). Spanish opposition are notoriously difficult to play against and the club’s record against Iberian clubs is far from pleasing - nonetheless, considering Real Sociedad’s run of form in La Liga and boasting the likes of Adnan Januzaj and David Silva in their ranks, Ole’s men ran riot on a night where the Reds displayed a mental and tactical acumen which hadn’t been witnessed away from home since the days of Sir Alex.

United’s positive transitions and counter attacks left the Spaniards in their wake as four well taken goals ensured that United’s passage to the round of 16 was all but booked.

A tie which had ‘banana skin’ written all over it proved to be all but over before the Reds even touched base in Manchester - yet another testament to United’s maturity and quality.

March will certainly prove a make-or-break season for the club. Some feisty encounters are to be played out and there are old scores to settle at the Manchester Derby when the Reds visit the Etihad on the 7th of March. The gruelling run of fixtures is expected to take its toll on the players, but this is where squadrotation will play a critical role. Barring the odd injury here and there, it is expected that the full squad will be contributing accordingly to make sure the Red Devils finish the season on a strong note.

Finally, it is impossible to end this editorial without mentioning United’s fabled philosophy – so beautifully captured when Amad Diallo and Shola Shoretire made their debuts for the Red Devils. Despite a club in transition and with constant pressure to win a league championship, senior management are still working hard to introduce very talented youngsters within the group and for both Diallo and Shoretire, the future is certainly bright.

One can only hope the positivity and alacrity generated by youth is constantly complemented by a robustness and maturity that is imbued within players such Cavani, Fernandes and Pogba. Surely, United can only get better if this philosophy and roadmap is maintained!

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MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

The Echoes Editorial Board & the Committee f the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta o would like to wish you and your families

a Happy Easter.

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Editorjal

KULL MA NEĦTIEĠU HI FTIT MATURITÀ

Il‑qawl jgħid li Ruma ma nbnietx f ’ ġurnata, u dan hu partikularment relevanti għas‑sitwazzjoni kurrenti li jinsabu fiha Manchester United.

Maqlugħin mill‑Carling Cup u b’ Manchester City rampantament jiġru bil‑lig, l‑istennija twila u iebsa għal staġun domestiku iktar pożittiv apparentement se jkollha tistenna.

Madankollu, minkejja n‑nuqqas ta’ konsistenza fil‑lig u l‑ignominija ta’ ħruġ kmieni mill‑UEFA Champions League, hemm ħafna x’ wieħed jistenna minħabba li pożizzjoni mal‑ewwel erbgħa għadha ċertament mhux garantita u fadal għal xiex nilagħbu. Hemm ukoll il‑wirja pjuttost pożittiva fl‑Europa League u li nippruvaw nerbħu l‑FA Cup. Fil‑verità, minkejja li Manchester United kienu fil‑quċċata tal‑Premier League f ’ punt matul dan l‑istaġun, ħafna mis‑sapporters kienu jemmnu li l‑ħsieb li ġenwinament nerbħu l‑kampjonat kien effimeru. Il‑qawmien mill‑ġdid fil‑forma ta’ Paul Pogba għamel differenza, madankollu hemm problemi fid‑difiża li jeħtieġu attenzjoni immedjata. L‑attakkanti jrebbħuk il‑logħbiet, imma d‑difensuri jrebbħuk il‑kampjonati – madankollu żbalji tal‑gowler u żbalji sempliċi fuq wara swew qares lil Manchester United.

Sakemm is‑sitwazzjoni tad‑difensuri ċentrali tkun riżolta fl‑intir, Manchester United ma jistgħux jagħmlu assalt ġenwin fuq il‑kampjonat. Timijiet passati tal‑United kollha kellhom par difensuri b’ saħħithom li jwerwru timijiet opposti fuq wara, bil‑fans ċertament jiftakru fis‑snin passati ta’ Bruce u Pallister, Stam u Johnsen u riċentement Ferdinand u Vidic.

Ukoll, meta wieħed jikkunsidra li t‑tim hu relattivament żagħżugħ, l‑inkonsistenza tiġi problematika, u riżultati mhux mistennija jseħħu bħal leħħa ta’ berqa (bħal dak kontra Sheffield United f ’ Old Trafford per eżempju), speċjalment meta skwadra bla esperjenza ssib ruħha f ’ sitwazzjoni mhux familjari. Minkejja dan, din hi kollha parti minn proċess ta’ tagħlim u li konna fil‑quċċata f ’ punt f ’ dan l‑istaġun tagħmel il‑mirakli għal ħafna mill‑plejers iż‑żgħar

li telgħin. Fuq kollox hemm il‑fatt li Pep Guardiola rnexxielu jqajjem mill‑ġdid lil Manchester City, bil‑Blues jiġru b’ riżultati li ħallew lil kulħadd warajhom. Tifħir fejn mistħoqq – u Manchester City qedin fit‑triq li jerbħu t‑tielet kampjonat tagħhom f ’ erbgħa staġuni.

Li hu ċertament ta’ pjaċir huwa l‑impetu li żied Edinson Cavani fl‑iskwadra. Huwa rebbieħ perenni li rnexxielu jintegra b’ mod tajjeb – plejer ta’ kwalità li tintwera biċ‑ċar fuq il‑grawnd t’ Old Trafford. L‑addizzjoni ta’ Cavani kienet ferm bżonnjuża fi żmien meta l‑United kellhom bżonn aktar ‘panache’ fuq quddiem – meta tikkunsidra li Marcus Rashford u Mason Greenwood għadhom qed isibu saqajhom u Anthony Martial hu magħruf għall‑inkonsistenza. Nagħtu ftit spazju lil Cavani u narawh jagħmel il‑mirakli fejn il‑preżenza tiegħu biss ukoll tiggalvanizza l‑iskwadra.

Iż‑żewġ logħbiet kontra Liverpool f ’ Jannar urew kemm imxew ‘il quddiem il‑United u l‑konfronti irriflettew it‑titjib fl‑attitudni mentali u saħħa determinata – elementi li kien ilna ma narawhom fit‑tim tagħna għal żmien konsiderevoli. Il‑logħba f ’ Old Trafford kellha tara lil United joħorġu bi tliet punti, b’ Paul Pogba litteralment jarmi ċans li jikteb ismu fil‑kotba tal‑istorja. Madankollu, il‑logħba tal‑FA Cup f ’ Old Trafford kienet doppjament ta’ gost għal min segwiha.

Minkejja li Liverpool offrew reżistenza, il‑manjiera li United rebħu biha emfasizzat il‑fatt li m’ aħniex tim inferjuri li tarmih. Il‑free kick mogħti brillantament minn Bruno Fernandes kien riflessjoni ta’ disgħin minuta fejn (apparti mument qasir ta’ dominanza mill‑iScousers) Manchester United dehru qishom ir‑Red Devils tal‑antik...bi grinta fuq il‑ballun, aggressivi, fiżiċi u l‑aktar importanti, qatt ma jaqtgħu qalbhom.

Wieħed jittama li t‑tim ta’ Ole jista’ jżomm din il‑forma fit‑tazza sabiex jilħaq l‑aħħar fażi tal‑kompetizzjoni!

Punt ieħor tajjeb kien il‑wirja barra minn darhom li taw United kontra Real Sociedad (minkejja

li din intlagħbet fi grawnd newtrali). Timijiet opposti Spanjoli huma notorjament diffiċli biex tilgħab kontrihom u r‑rekord tal‑United kontra klabbs mi‑reġjun tal‑Iberja mhu tajjeb xejn – minkejja dan, meta wieħed jikkunsidra l‑forma li għaddejjin minnha Real Sociedad fil‑lig Spanjol u bi plejers bhal Adnan Januzaj u David Silva fit‑tim, il‑plejers t’ Ole ħarbtuhom kemm mentalment u tattikament – xi ħaġa li kien ilna ma naraw barra minn darna minn żmien Sir Alex Ferguson.

It‑transizzjoni pożittiva u kontrattakki taw vantaġġ ta’ erbgħa gowls u żguraw li United jgħaddu għal ma’ l‑aħħar sittax. Logħba li faċilment stajna niżolqu fiha spiċċat intemmet qabel biss ir‑Reds lagħbu l‑logħba ta’ ritorn f ’ Manchester – li juri l‑maturita’ u kwalità tat‑tim.

Marzu ċertament se jħoll u jorbot għall‑istaġun tal‑klabb. Għandna inkontri li wieħed iħares ‘il quddiem għalihom forsi anki b’ element ta’ tpattija speċjalment fil‑konfront kontra Manchester City fil‑Manchester Derby meta l‑United jilagħbu fl‑Etihad fis‑7 ta’ Marzu. Is‑sekwenza ta’ logħob mistenija jkollha effett fuq il‑kundizzjoni fiżika tal‑plejers, imma dan hu fejn ir‑rotazzjoni tilgħab parti kritika. Apparti xi korriment ‘l hemm u ‘l hawn, nistennew li l‑iskwadra sħiħa tikontribwixxi sabiex il‑United jispiċċaw l‑istaġun fuq nota tajba.

Finalment, huwa impossibli li nispiċċa dan l‑editorjal mingħajr ma’ nsemmi l‑famuża filosofija ta’ Manchester United – riflessa b’ mod sabiħ meta Amad Diallo u Shola Shoretire għamlu id‑debut tagħhom mar‑Red Devils. Minkejja li l‑klabb jinsab fi transizzjoni u għandu pressjoni sabiex jerbaħ il‑kampjonat, it‑tmexxija tal‑klabb xorta taħdem biex tintroduċi żgħażagħ promettenti fil‑grupp ta’ plejers, u għal Diallo u Shoretire, il‑futur hu ċertament sabiħ. Wieħed jispera li l‑pożittività u ħeġġa ġenerata bl‑elementi żgħażagħ tiġi konstantament komplimentata bir‑robustezza u maturità ta’ plejers bħal Cavani, Fernandes u Pogba. United jistgħu biss jitjiebu jekk din il‑filosofija u dan il‑pjan jinżammu dejjem fuq quddiem!

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Thank you VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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CLUBNEWS

by Clint Camilleri

L

ast December, as our Club was still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MUSC Malta had to cancel all Christmas events for the first time. The committee thought outside the box and came up with the brilliant idea to record a short Christmas video message in Maltese and send it to all members via email. This way, we felt that we could remain close to our members. We have posted another Christmas Message, this time in English, and posted it on Facebook. This video was a massive success with over 11,500 views.

25 Years Consecutive Members.

During the recording of these Christmas Video Messages, we have invited the members who had been members of MUSC Malta for 25 & 50 consecutive years to present them with a special memento. Here is the list of the 17 members: 25 Years: • James Handyside • Jesmond Baldacchino • David J. Brisley • Simon Buhagiar • Richard Bullock • Richard Caruana • Adrian Attard • Stephen Gusman • George Agius • Alexander Muscat • Maurice Muscat • Anthony Pace • Alfred Xuereb • George Grech • Walter Debono • Henry Fenech

50 Year Consecutive Member Presentation Mr. Gaetano Magri.

St Rita Home in Tarxien.

• Bella’s Bake • Buhagiar & Sons • Emanuel Delicata Winemaker • Fair Dale • Firm Victor Gauci & Sons • First of May • Lamb Brand • Nectar Group • Nestle Malta • Pemix • Smart Supermarket • S-Trek • Ta Doughnuts - Qormi

50 Year: • Gaetano Magri Every Christmas, we organize the Children’s Christmas Party for which we also invite children from various children’s homes.

Members always help us with this initiative by sponsoring children for the party. Since this year we were not able to organize this party, we decided to take an alternative initiative and picked Ursuline Sisters Angela House in Pieta and St Rita Home in Tarxien as our beneficiaries, thanks to these sponsors:

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On Sunday 27th December 2020, MUSC Malta organized a trip for children from St Rita Home in Tarxien to the Magical Illuminated Trail – Drive-Thru Edition at Gianpula Fields thanks to: Ursuline Sisters Angela House in Pieta.

• Illuminated Trail Malta • The Notebook Centre • J Joy • Leelor Minibus Service

Committee members & Joseph Glanville on the day of the Munich Air Crash Video recording.

Malaika Group donation presentation.

It’s so rewarding to see these little angels enjoying themselves.

MUSC Malta also presented the Malaika Group with a cheque of 500 euros from the donations received through the Christmas lottery. We donated the cheque to ex-Club Secretary for many years and Club stalwart Furtu Caruana who, together with Ms Joan Gabriele, are doing unique projects down in Tanzania.

For the 63rd Munich Crash Anniversary, MUSC Malta had recorded a 304 seconds video named 304 seconds to remember at 3:04pm, Munich, February 6th, 1958 which was published on our Facebook Page at exactly 3:04 pm, the time of the crash. This video was also a massive success, with over 6,500 views and 128 shares.

For all those who wish to view the video, it’s on our YouTube Channel named MUSC Malta.

This video was also shown on TV during the program Kick-Off, which also had an extensive interview with Joseph Glanville and Pat Burns, who leads the Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation (MMMF).

On the 7th February 2021, we organized the Munich Memorial Mass. MUSC Malta felt that the pandemic would not stop us from celebrating the mass as it has been celebrated for 62 consecutive years.

Last but not least, MUSC Malta would like to thank Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante for his service towards our Supporters’ Club as he has recently resigned from the position of Club Chaplain due to personal reasons. Thank you!

Clint Camilleri Secretary

The Munich Memorial Mass.

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Wayne Rooney from record goalscorer to manager

by Julian Tabone

N

ews last January that Wayne Rooney was appointed manager at Championship side Derby County on a two-and-a-half year contract should have come as no surprise to us all.

He had already been appointed as interim coach in November following the dismissal of Philip Cocu and before that, he had also taken over the role of player-coach.

Wayne Rooney is England’s and Manchester United’s all-time top scorer.

A bit of a look back at where it all started from for Wayne Rooney shows you all you need to know about the man.

Now that he is officially a full-time manager, however, he will soon realize the tough job that is.

– is always raving about the uniqueness of our club and is always reminiscing of the glory days and to the benchmark at Manchester United that is always a bit above everyone else’s. He gives you the impression he is always trying to replicate Sir Alex Ferguson. Even some of the soundbites he throws every now and then remind you of Sir Alex and I wouldn’t bet he does not give Sir Alex the occasional phone call for advice.

I am not saying Wayne Rooney should do the same but the experience he has had whilst playing at Manchester United will certainly be of great help albeit not a guarantee of success once in a dug-out.

The pressure at Manchester United is incomparable. That can make or break you. And Wayne Rooney lived in that kind of atmosphere for about 13 years.

He has had a glittering playing career.

Made 559 appearances and scored a record 253 goals. Won 5 Premiership titles, 1 FA Cup, 3 League Cups, 4 Community Shields, 1 Champions League, I Europa League, 1 Club World Cup and countless of individual awards.

In the eyes of most of us, he is a legend.

Yet, as it is only normal, he had his lows as well.

And, if he wants to last long in a managerial role, he would also do well to look back and reflect at some of the major events that characterised his own career at Man United and the ways the club managed those situations.

To be a successful manager, you need character.

Amongst various other attributes, you need to be a leader, you need to be ruthless and you need a good dose of man-management.

Those are not qualities that every great player has any right to possess.

I feel though that Manchester United players are always at an advantage. The education a player is given at Manchester United is exceptional. Just look at our current manager.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – another former Manchester United player turned into Manager

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To start with, Alex Ferguson’s treatment when Rooney himself first wanted to leave United

remains to me a masterclass in managerial football.

In October 2010, during a pre-Champions League press conference, SAF shocked everyone when he said that Rooney had asked to leave United. In typical Ferguson fashion, he said he was as bemused as anyone but that the door would always remain open for Wayne to change his mind. To date, I have never ever seen anything like it. At the time, Rooney had even tried to engineer the move by driving the fans against the manager by suggesting there was a rift and all that. Ferguson went on the offensive and clarified the whole situation there and then. The rest of course, is history.

At Derby, he probably won’t have to deal with players who get sent off in a World Cup quarterfinal.

At Derby, he won’t be expected to win every single game. And he won’t be expected to win the league either.

But he will have his fair share of pressure as well. Derby County currently sit in 17th place in the Championship. The least he’ll be expected to do is to guide them safe from relegation. If he does that, he may start looking at further heights and at boosting his managerial CV and, who knows, he may start attracting Premier League clubs as well.

Ultimately, Wayne Rooney follows in the footsteps of so many other United greats who have also moved on to management following a successful playing career at Old Trafford.

Being a great player at a big club however, does not gurantee you will be a great manager though.

At Derby, he probably won’t have to deal with players who get sent off for sarcastically clapping the referee in a Champions League match (as he did in 2005 against Villareal) or if he does, he won’t have the whole world watching.

Indeed, the list of former Manchester United players who went into management is quite a long one, but only a handful can say they have had success. The likes of Gordon Strachan, Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes, Steve Coppell, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson and Lou Macari have all had good stints at various clubs but even so, none of them has ever managed a top-six side.

Others such as Paul Ince, Brian Kidd and even the great Bobby Charlton, Gary Neville and to a certain extent Ryan Giggs have failed.

So in that respect, whilst we certainly wish him the best of luck, the odds are all stacked up against Rooney.

Perhaps however, the story of the greatest former-Manchester United-player-turnedmanager is still to be written, or maybe ....it is currently being written. And, if I have to be really honest, I do not want that to be Rooney’s!

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TEDDY’S corner

Dear All Those who usually read my articles know that I am rather positive and forward looking.

I throw criticism when due and try to build realistic arguments. No need to say that my followers know I hate Liverpool FC so here I am enjoying myself, watching the worst defense ever to a Premier League title. The tone of my last article was mainly doom and gloom.

It was full of frustration coming from what I still believe was an unplanned, risky transfer market campaign headed by personnel who are not football savvy. However, I am proud of the constant faith I have always shown in our current manager.

Here we are today, on day of writing sitting in second place in the Premier League, 10 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, 9 points above those who have been described by some last year as the greatest Premier League team ever (?), with the highest number of goals scored but with a worrying number of goals conceded. We have a mouth-watering Europa League last 16 draw against the once mighty AC Milan in the pipe line and an FA Cup quarter final clash with in form Leicester City, currently joint-second with us in the league but with an inferior goal difference, to look forward to. Being in the Europa League is not the status this football Club should be in, but we do not deserve any better following some shambolic performances in that Champions League group. The dream start, beating PSG away and thrashing RB Leipzig at home, instilled so much hope which unfortunately eventually faded away in Leipzig with one of

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the most uncharacteristic performances we ever had in European football in my opinion.

At the time United were gaining some momentum after a disastrous start to the season, part of the blame surely being attributable to the lack of pre-season preparation. The elimination from Europe’s top competition seemed to be the final straw for Ole. The jury was out in full voice. Not just the ABUs but also Man Utd fans. The majority of the latter, I believe, are so called fans who can only remember the Alex Ferguson era…or maybe that era minus the first 4 years. These Playstation games nowadays tend to make believe that what can be done with a joystick can happen in real life. Unfortunately, when our team lose or have an under-par performance, they will then leave the joystick and jump to

have your say on info@manutd‑malta.com

their keyboards and mobiles to give us lessons on football management. Get a life please!

Honestly, I am in a state today where I believe that there are so called Man United fans, even experienced ones I am sorry to say, hoping the team lose so they can go on social media and type ‘Ole Out’! ‘Told You, Ole is rubbish!’

I strongly believe this!

The blow of the Champions League was actually a turning point. For me, the way Ole managed to drive the team from that low point and take them to where they are today, under immense pressure, says something about his quality and ability. In January, we had to face Manchester City for the second year running in the League Cup semifinal. Our noisy neighbors also had a poor start to the league campaign but they improved big time

and when we played them, this time in a one legged tie, when they were starting to peak. We matched them in the first half, failed to take our chances like we often do and they were surely the better team in that second half. It was their 5th win out of an amazing 20 consecutive wins in all competitions so far (number bound to increase). I am hoping though that by the time you will be reading my article here, this great run would have been halted by a red win in the next Manchester derby. The defeat in that semi final will keep putting pressure on our manager and players since it is the 4th consecutive defeat at a semifinal stage and that will mount more pressure as it seems our players get a mind block whenever they reach this stage.

Hopefully we get there in Europa League and FA Cup this season and finally jump this hurdle.

Not only but we obviously hope to win the first trophy under Ole! Last season we had the 3rd best defensive record of the Premier League campaign with 36 goals conceded. Our defenders have not changed (apart from the addition of full back Telles) but this season they have already conceded 4 less than what they conceded in the whole of last season, with 13 games still to go. During the last transfer market window fans were all somehow expecting new faces to strengthen our defense department, which mathematically wasn’t that bad after all, but nothing materialised. Hence, given the number of goals conceded this year (32 so far with 11 being conceded in the first 3 games), there is no surprise that the ones regularly under the

spotlight are our defenders, especially the central ones, namely Maguire and Lindelöf. I personally think they are both good defenders but they are not consistent and they can have their devastating off days. In my eyes (and I am sure most of you agree), Bailly seems the most reliable but when all 3 are fit, the manager always seem to opt for Maguire and Lindelöf. Tuanzebe had a remarkable

split opinions about his future at the Club. The Spaniard has been our best player since SAF retired and only now with Bruno Fernandes is there someone in our team who has taken his scepter. I have a lot of faith in Henderson as well, so I presume this will not be an easy decision for anyone. In my opinion, eventually, this will not be a decision based on football but on contractual obligations.

One final note about Ole doing things the Man Utd way. It’s been sometime since we have seen so much potential in the younger ranks. One must acknowledge as well that there has been a lot of background work to scout young talented players from all over the globe. Whether these players will make it to the first team or not is always a question mark but Ole’s recent introduction of the exciting Shola Shoretire and Amad Diallo surely brings more hope for academy starlets such as Hannibal Mejbri, Teden Mengi, Ethan Galbraith and Facundo Pellistri. Fingers crossed!

performance marking Mbappe when United played PSG in Paris earlier this season but has not been convincing since, whenever he has been given the chance. Getting a top-notch central defender will not be easy but then again, when Man Utd signed Vidic he was not the Koulibaly of today. He was the result of shrewd scouting. I am hoping that our scouts can excavate a Vidic from somewhere during the forthcoming transfer market. Otherwise our defense will remain our weakest link. De Gea has not been at his best this season. There are

The next magazine will be out when the season is over so here are my predictions for this season – City will win the league (no question about that). United will finish second, Chelsea third and Leicester fourth. City will win the League Cup. Chelsea will win the FA Cup. United will win the Europa League and Bayern Munich will win the Champions League. I won’t complain with that.

Yours United Teddy

VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

11

Darren Fletcher

by Jude Cauchi

R

esearch shows that for any organisation to be successful, amongst other variables, it needs to have an identity which differentiates it from its competitors. People will wonder, what has this got to do with Manchester United? The answer is simple: in the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United centred the values of the club around ‘professionalism’,

‘passion’, ‘loyalty’, ‘hard work’, ‘family’ and building for the long-term rather than the short-term. This type of strategy worked for United for so many years as this signified that no matter who represented Manchester United on the pitch, the culture and standards of the club dictated that each stakeholder associated with the Red Devils should give everything for the club.

They say that one should never change a winning formula. However, after a longspell of unprecedented success, different managers and coaches arrived at the club and tried to do things their own way.

Hence, without analysing the long-term repercussions of such appointments, the club was gradually moving away from that foundation with the hope that the club could still be successful in the short-term.

Consequently, although both Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho delivered trophies for Manchester United, it is difficult to argue against the fact that both failed to fulfil the expectations at the club.

Fast forward in 2021, United have someone in charge who appreciates

12 VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

what the club is all about. Manchester United have finally someone who loves the club, has been there as a player for many years, has learned from the best and understands that in order to be successful, the club needs to have a solid foundation that people representing the club can relate to. Additionally, to assist him with the long-term project at the club, Solskjaer appointed coaches who despite their different technical skills, have common ground together due to being part of the previous United regime. Whilst, Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick accompanied Ole from the first day he was appointed interim manager, recently Darren Fletcher also joined the coaching staff as first team coach at Carrington.

While bringing ex-players to the club won’t necessary guarantee success especially if the competencies of the people appointed are not aligned with the profile of the job, one cannot ignore the positive impact that such personnel are likely to have at the club. In fact, nowadays, the environment at the club seems to transmit much more positivity and gives the impression that it is a happier place than it was during the last couple of years.

Manchester United is very famous for its academy and the quality of players that are nurtured from it. As a matter of fact, no football fan can ever forget that players like Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Butt, Rashford and

Greenwood were all academy products. While Darren Fletcher is not as naturally gifted as some of the names mentioned in United’s folklore, he is also a lad who came through the Academy and experienced all the highs and lows both in his career as well as his personal life. In fact, the former midfielder faced a ver y difficult spell in his early days in the first team in view of his lack of creativity, lack of tactical awareness and tendencies to give the ball away ver y often.

Such a poor start led to a lot of fans and critics to question whether the former Scotland international had the necessary competencies to succeed at United.

However through his hard work and dedication, Fletcher proved to be a key player for the Red Devils for so many years and on most occasions, similar to other players which include Ji-Sung Park, Darren was an unsung hero at the club. Up until today, people still question what a difference he could have made to United had he not been suspended for the Champions League Final against Barcelona in Rome.

During his career, Fletcher won a total of five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the League Cup. Additionally, he also served as a vice-captain under Louis Van Gaal.

In terms of his strengths, Darren Fletcher was

Premier League with Stoke Cit y, he also had the unfor tunate experience of suffering from an inflammator y illness which hindered his career. On the bright side of life, the principle of ‘’what does not kill you makes you stronger’’ certainly applies to this man as he aims to utilise such life-skills as well as the lessons learned during his career in order to transmit them to the players at Manchester United.

utilised at United as a box-to-box midfielder due to his work-rate, energy, intelligence in reading the game as well his tackling and marking abilities. The Scotsman also scored some very important goals in United’s history in addition to other invaluable contributions.

Furthermore, representing your country on an international level is a dream that every footballer aspires to. Luckily for Darren, in addition to having a positive career with Scotland, he was also the youngest Scottish captain since John Lambie. Moreover, as his career progressed, Darren Fletcher was eventually named Scotland captain in November 2009. Surely such experiences in developing his leadership skills can only help in his new role at Manchester United.

On the other hand, in addition to all the challenges that Darren had to face in his career including relegation from the

As we approach the business end of the season, while many supporters will always demand more from the team especially since the Red Devils currently trail Manchester City by 10 points, Manchester United are currently in second position in the table and few people would have predicted that the team could be in such a strong position given the shocking start of the season. On the other hand, there is still much to play for this season and the team must guard against complacency since the top four places are still up for grabs. From United’s perspective, anything other than a comfortable top four finish will surely be considered a disappointment.

Hopefully with personnel like Darren Fletcher around the club, combined with the support that the club desperately needs from the top, United can start to seriously challenge at the top in the coming years. Unless this changes, the likelihood is that Manchester supporters will be experiencing ‘more of the same’.

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Y & Z United Perspectives

by Kevin, Justyn & Wayne Tabone

W

ith the Supporters’ Club’s doors closed, the Tabone boys are now missing going to the club big time.

With the current state of affairs, one can only wish that the day when we would be able to make this trip together again will return soon. We hope that if United manage to get to the level of winning trophies, we would to be able to celebrate winning trophies together again at the club.

Shaw isn’t certain that he will be in the starting 11 and has to work harder.

In midfield the improvement of Scott McTominay made a huge difference as he is an affective player both in attacking and even defensively. Ole even thought about the experience needed for younger players therefore bought Edinson Cavani, apart from also adding a quality player.

Ole has now also taught the players how to play true football with his new tactics.

What were the factors in your opinion that transformed Manchester United from a team lingering above the relegation zone at the beginning of the season to a team sitting at the top of the Premier League table?

Justyn: At the beginning of the season,

I think that Manchester United really suffered from the fact that the team had no pre-season. The team didn’t have a lengthy break due to being in the Europa League. So it was always going to be the case that the team would start slowly.

Having said this, after a few games the team started picking up points and game by game the team starting taking shape and have some sort of fluidity. Moreover, other teams in around us started dropping points which helped our cause. As the season developed, Manchester United were finding different ways to win albeit most of the time, especially away from home, coming from behind. One might say that this is a coincidence however, the players really showed perseverance and belief. I think these two qualities have been a big part of Manchester United’s turnaround.

Kevin: I refuse to look at the league table

Wayne: I think that the introduction of new

signings made the difference. Alex Telles was a great signing not only directly but also indirectly, in the sense that Luke

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until match-week 10 is played. This is something which I’ve done for quite a long time. This aside, one also has to consider what has happened this season, with the pandemic. Surely this made

season 2020/21 even more particular than any other season. You had teams playing less games than others, you had teams playing more regularly and you also had stadiums with no supporters, which meant that home and away matches were no different from one other. Having said all this, I could see there was an improvement as the season wore on. The one factor which I would point towards, would be that Ole now has a squad that are fighting to be in the starting XI. This ensures that whoever is playing keeps himself on his toes to perform, knowing that the ones on the bench are eager to take their place.

The classical example explaining what I’m saying would be the left back position – Alex Telles’ arrival surely had an effect on Luke Shaw’s performances.

This Premier League season surely has a record of surprise results. Do you think that the fact that there are no supporters in the stadium is one of the reasons behind some of these very unpredictable, crazy results we witnessed this season so far? Are there any more factors you can think about?

Wayne: In my opinion, I think that

supporters play a huge part in the game and even more for such a big club I think that this affects us as a team both in a bad way but also as a good way. The bad thing is that players might experience lack of support but this will also happen to other clubs therefore the opposition might have lack of confidence. Other factors might be that maybe because there are many games that are squashed into each other, some players may lack stamina to maintain their levels.

Justyn: I do think that the fact there are

no fans in the stadium has contributed to some shock results. The fans boost the home side when they are in a difficult moment during the game. Fans give that extra push and are indeed the 12th man on the pitch. However, I do not think that this is the only reason for these shock results to occur. Another reason for this in my opinion is the fact that teams are having to play so many games in so little period of time. Players are facing a very hectic schedule and that will take its toll on the players’ body and mental strength. Moreover, I think that teams are experiencing more injuries than normal because of this and surely doesn’t help the clubs’ cause.

Kevin: Definitely! I used to have so many

discussions on this point with both Justyn & Wayne. They both used to tell me that the home factor is not as effective as I make it out to be. Well, now we have the proof. As can be seen in the below table showing the statistics for the last 3 seasons, there has been quite a drop in the home wins and also an increase in the away wins.

Season

Home

Draw

Away

2020/21

37%

23%

40%

45%

24%

31%

47%

19%

34%

(up to Gameweek 23)

2019/20 (Full Season)

2018/19 (Full Season)

Another factor would also have to be the number of games played in such a short space of time. Managers have to rotate, not only to replace injured players, but also to keep the team as fresh as possible. The intensity with which the game is played today means that a player is not just a player but also an athlete. And an athlete would only be able to perform if his muscles are given the proper rest time.

Notwithstanding the hype when we signed him and the unquestionable quality of Donny Van de Beek, he does not seem to be able to cement a first team place. Why do you think he is being left so often on the bench?

Wayne: I think that Donny Van de Beek

is a great player but like most players, I think he needs time to adapt to the intensity of how the games are played in England. This same thing also happened to Fred where in the beginning he was struggling but this season he has been phenomenal. The Netherlands player is also used to a club playing very simple football and not to the style that Ole wants his team to play and so I think that this must have affected him. Also, in his position there are very

good players such as Paul Pogba as well as Bruno Fernandes.

Justyn: Donny Van de Beek is undoubtably

one of the hottest midfield prospects in the world and he has shown what he can do at Ajax both in the Champions League and in the league. I do not think that Manchester United bought him out of desperation and the club does see a future for him in a Manchester United shirt. However, at the moment he hasn’t been able to show his capabilities. When he has played, he didn’t really do enough to merit his place in the starting XI. One of the reasons why he is not playing much is that Solskjaer seems to see him as a number 10. Obviously Bruno at the moment is irreplaceable and Solskjaer doesn’t seem to want to play him in the middle of the park. This could be because he doesn’t really trust his defenders as much. Solskjaer always seems to play two defensive midfielders there at the moment, however that has been one of the downfalls the team has had during the season. We do not have that creative spark from the midfield and in Pogba’s absence I think that Van de Beek is more than capable to fill his role.

Kevin: I have no doubt in Donny’s abilities

though when we had signed him I had originally questioned his positional play. He seems to be able to find space out of nowhere but the problem I see is that when he’s on the ball he plays the simplest of balls, more often than not, to the same player he would have received the pass from. I am no technical expert and in my humble opinion I would put this down to a completely different system he used to play in the Ajax team. Also, having to sit so many times on the bench does not make life easier to Donny. Performing is not like a switch which you can turn on and off whenever you like. There are players who would want a run of consecutive games before hitting good form. Maybe this is what Donny needs, though with Bruno’s form this is going to be difficult.

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Scott McTominay Future Captain in the Making

by Alan Abela-Wadge

T

here’s no denying that if there’s one name that the Manchester United fans love to see on the team sheet, it’s their new homegrown hero Scott McTominay. Born in Lancaster, England but to a Scottish father, Scotty could have represented either England or Scotland but deep in his heart, he was always set on representing Scotland. Having Sir Alex Ferguson adding to the controversy and affirming that he would love to see McTominay for Scotland surely added to his conviction.

Lately the Scotland international has grown into a true leader at Old Trafford and is a key component of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team.

When Manchester United fans first set their eyes on Scott McTominay, the word “monster” was probably not what came to mind.

Yet, just over three-and-a-half years on, there was barely a raised eyebrow when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to describe a player who has

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gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months. What a year it has been for our Scottish lad!

He has become a trusted member of Solskjaer’s best team, having played a key role in our revival in the past year. Driven on by a love for the club that was perfectly illustrated by the picture he shared of himself as teenage alongside Sir Alex Ferguson in the hours after leading his boyhood club out at the Theatre of Dreams, Scott McTominay has now established himself as one of Solskjaer’s trusted enforcers.

Yet the future wasn’t always set in stone for Scotty. Back when he was 15 years old, McTominay was far from the “monster” that United coaches and fans have come to love.

He had a slight frame and stood at around 5’7” for much of his teens before he grew eight inches over the course of the 2016-17 campaign. Rarely singled out as a future star, it needed the support of academy staff such as Brian McClair and Paul McGuinness to ensure that McTominay was even kept within the club’s youth ranks. During his final two seasons in the Under-18s, he played just under two hours of competitive football, while during his first year with the U21s, he made just two starts as he largely had to make do with a role coming off the bench.

As such, it was only after his growth spurt that he began to start regularly, and having caught the eye of first-team manager Jose Mourinho, he made his senior debut in the closing weeks of the 2016-17 season. McTominay’s work rate, willingness to follow instructions and overall character endeared him to Mourinho, and over the course of the 2017-18 campaign, he began to earn more and more opportunities within the first-team. His inclusion was met with some derision, though, as fans and pundits alike questioned whether this admittedly limited youngster was really the answer to United’s midfield problems, when at the same time, Paul Pogba was being left on the bench.

McTominay was labelled something of a ‘teacher’s pet’ under Mourinho, and that was only exacerbated after the Portuguese’s lastminute decision to reward his young charge

at the club’s end-of-season awards ceremony.

Much to the surprise of everyone in the room, Mourinho awarded McTominay with his own ‘Manager’s Player of the Year’ prize, though the trophy the Lancaster-born starlet received was actually one of the table decorations from the black-tie dinner, rather than anything nice and shiny! But hey, that’s Mourinho for you.

Fast forward a few years and here we are talking about Scott McTominay and his potential to be a future Manchester United captain. In fact it’s not just journalists and us fans that believe this, even Manchester United former #9 and much loved Dimitar Berbatov shares the same view. When Scott McTominay was awarded with a new contract in 2020 the Bulgarian said: “I think it is a perfect time to extend Scott McTominay’s contract. I think he is developing in the right way, playing regularly and I hope they give him more time. It certainly shows that United have faith in him as a player and the club are making a statement that they are going to depend on him in the future. He’s still young and in his early 20s, so for him to see that the club are trusting him and rewarding him with a contract extension is a great day for him to celebrate.”

“He now needs to put t h o s e celebrations aside and prove why the club have given him an extension, he needs to be even better t h a n before, and

he needs to put even more effort into his game so that he can show that he can be a regular starter.”

“He definitely deserves a new contract, he has great confidence in the way he moves around the pitch and the way he looks for the ball.”

Definitely a strong statement by an ex-United alumnus and someone who knows what it means to be a United legend.

There’s no doubt that if Scott McTominay keeps up this style of football, keeps up the hunger and shows this energy, one day he might be considered as our next new captain. The fans love nothing better than a homegrown player blossoming into a superstar and if McTominay evolves into the player we all know he can be and actually becomes our captain, the fans will surely be pleased with the choice.

The run-in to this season should be an important one for Scotty. With Pogba injured for a few weeks with a strained thigh, Scotty will be seeing more games for sure and it means that Solskjaer will depend more on Scott McTominay’s hunger in the middle of the ground. Together with Fred and with the Portuguese Magnifico Bruno Fernandes slightly above them, the three players will surely lead the surge for United’s goals; finishing as high as possible in the Premier League table and challenging for the two remaining trophies: the FA Cup and the Europa League. One can’t forget Matic as well, but the way the gaffer has been playing lately it seems that Matic will be playing in key games where we need his footballing brain more than we need McTominay or Fred’s hunger.

I’m certainly one of many who will be surely be looking forward to see McTominay’s development over the next few years and will gladly chant his name as our captain should that come to pass!

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Salient points from the

FT Business of Football Summit

by Robert Mizzi

tournament. Richard Masters, the English Premier League’s chief executive, said he would not make concessions that would allow for more money-spinning European ties, for example, by reducing the number of teams in English football’s top division. It does not happen often, but I seem to be in agreement with Masters on this one.

T

he FT Business of Football Summit returned for its third iteration on the 17-18 February, this time in digital format. One of the main objectives of this summit was to explore how business models within football are adapting in these challenging times.

In this article I will focus on what, in my opinion, were the salient points from the perspective of football fans.

Proponents of Super League under fire, but an expanded Champions League isn’t a done deal

project. Amongst these, Christian Seifert, the chief executive of Germany’s Bundesliga, who launched a two-footed tackle on the project’s proponents. Not mincing his words, Seifert pointed out what he describes as the brutal truth: “a few of these so-called super clubs are in fact poorly-managed, cash-burning machines that were not able, in a decade of incredible growth, to come close to a somehow sustainable business model. If I was an investor, I’d ask if they are the right partners.”

I would tend to agree despite the fact our beloved team is one of the “elite clubs” pushing this proposal forward. On the other hand, Manchester United seem to have a sustainable business model and would not, in my opinion, classify as a cash burning machine (many of us true football supporters are in fact annoyed that this seems to be the main priority for our club in recent years).

When the UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL), was born in 1992, taking over from the European Cup, many of us supporters did not like the idea at first. The idea that the club winning the Champions League might have finished second or third, or even fourth in the domestic league in the previous season seemed somewhat inconsistent with the idea of a league for champions. Twenty years down the line, everyone seems to have taken this on board. The point is that whatever changes will happen – and financial reasons will probably dictate these changes, we supporters will have to adapt.

Broadcasting rights Read this carefully. Clubs in Europe’s five big leagues — England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France — earned a combined €17bn in revenues last season, primarily through TV contracts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for all football clubs financially, but the huge losses suffered by the so called “elite clubs” have led to new talks about reshaping European football.

However, following the pandemic, growth in football broadcast rights may be set to end.

Or maybe not!

Spain’s Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are among those discussing a $6bn JPMorganbacked plan to launch a breakaway European “Super League”. We all know that this “Super League” has been discussed for a few years now, but the current scenario has seen a new impetus to push this on the agenda once again.

Those united in their opposition to the super league are, however, divided on reforming existing club competitions, such as the Champions League.

There are, as expected, many top people in the footballing world who oppose such a

UEFA, European football’s governing body, is proposing an expansion of the current

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Lars Christer-Ollson, head of European Leagues, the body that represents national divisions, said he wants any extra Champions League places to be awarded to teams in smaller countries, such as the champions of Scotland or Denmark, and not the sixth place team in England or Spain. That idea is anathema to top clubs who want greater guarantees of playing continental football every season.

There have been significant reductions in the value of TV contracts in Italy and France this year. If this trend is somehow transposed into the EPL, it would be a huge blow for the Premier League clubs. It is worth noting here that the EPL will start the auction for the 2022-2025 broadcasting rights later this year.

Sam Johnstone that if he was old enough to vote, he was old enough to make his own decision on the contract. It is also reported that the negotiations which led to Pogba joining Juventus made Sir Alex call Raiola a ‘s***bag’. It would be hard to contradict Sir Alex on that one!

During the summit, Richard Masters of the Premier League commented that recently conducted deals with Nent in Scandinavia and beIN Sport in the Middle East have been at similar or higher values than before the pandemic. This augurs well for the forthcoming auction. We’ll just have to wait and see if the EPL is still the most lucrative football league in the world, I guess.

FIFA versus player’s agents – a storm is brewing Players’ agents, who fight for a slice of the $5.6bn transfer market, are kicking up a storm over plans by FIFA, to cap commissions and impose stricter standards on the way players are bought and sold.

Jonathan Barnett, executive chairman of ICM Stellar Sports, which represents star players such as Gareth Bale and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, commented that the proposed rules are “against most laws in most countries . . . if we don’t hear from FIFA, we are going to be in court in about 30 different countries.”

Footballers have become athlete activists Marcus Rashford has faced attacks by rightwing politicians and commentators for his campaigning on eradicating child food poverty. It won’t stop him attempting to hold the UK government to account though. “I already understood that somebody in my shoes is already a target anyway,” he commented during the summit. Rashford was also quoted as saying that “there is a lot of negative stuff on social media and people like to highlight that all the time, but when there is something positive about social media it should be highlighted more and more people would use it for that way.”

Wilfried Zaha made headlines by vocalising an unwillingness to join anti-racism gestures before matches, saying they were no replacement for progress on systemic changes to prevent abuse. “I feel taking the knee is degrading,” said Zaha. “My parents taught me to be proud to be black. I think we should stand tall.”

Barnett accused FIFA of failing to properly consult agents over the changes but James Kitching, FIFA’s regulatory chief, contradicted Barnett’s accusations. “Consulting doesn’t mean getting your own way” Kitching, rather cheekily retorted.

The footballing world has changed and as supporters have to accept that modern football stars now have a very strong following on social media. It is a reality, and players have to find the right balance between focusing on their career’s and becoming social media activists.

Having said that, social media policies exist at most workplaces and I am sure football clubs have them as well.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s dislike for agents is well documented. He has been quoted as telling

Why football is more than a financial game A couple of stories that remind us that football

clubs aren’t necessarily run like typical companies.

For 25 years, Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones have been the majority owners of Norwich City. Despite offers to sell, the pair see themselves as “caretakers” of a local institution. “We want to try and do it a different way from an Arab Sheikh or a Russian oligarch,” said Smith, whose side sit atop the Championship with a team built on youth players. “A lot of supporters are very, very regretful at having rich owners” Smith commented. Now, why does this comment ring a bell, I keep asking myself!

Another story. Maggie Murphy is general manager of Lewes FC, a lower league English side that nearly went bust after the 2008 financial crisis. It has since turned itself into a fan- owned club that pays its male and female players at similar levels. Lewes just signed up Lyle & Scott, making the clothing brand its biggest sponsor to date. “They like our equality stance,” said Murphy, “That’s why they’re with us.” Heartwarming, in my opinion.

A rising star…

On the pitch, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland lit up the Champions League with a couple of superb goals against Spain’s Sevilla in a recent UCL match. Data suggests the Norwegian striker is easily outscoring peers like Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

Not only that, he is on course to overtake the past decade’s superstars: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he can maintain this high striking rate. All eyes on Haaland, who I am sure will make a big move soon – his agent will dictate so!

This article is based and borrows from a recent report published in the FT entitled ‘10 takeaways from the FT Business of Football Summit.’

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“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

Farewell

Blessed Mother Teresa

E

verything must come to an end, but at the same time, every ending is nothing more than a new beginning. Nothing great will last forever. This idiom, which may be used as a term of regret, warning, or resigned acceptance, is a wise reminder that all good things are temporary. We never want or deign to think that what is deemed nice, like life itself, eventually comes to an end;· everything that one is fond off comes to an end. Happiness and sadness are the two sides of the same coin and they keep on making their guest appearances in our lives. So, like every dawn there is a dusk. Every sunset promises a new sunrise. Similarly, all good things must come to an end, and give way to another set of experiences and their effects - good or bad.

It is with a heavy heart that on the 6th of February, I forwarded my resignation from my status as Chaplain. It was acknowledged and duly accepted. I write today as the outgoing chaplain of our great MUSC. It has been some years of, hopefully, some good service and above all, I must admit, also some significant learning. There is a saying that you are as good as those you share your work with. I have had some good feedback from some individuals who appreciated my efforts all along. For all that, I feel both grateful and satisfied. All I can honestly say is that all I did or tried to do in my ministry was for the benefit of one and all. However, from an insider perspective, I believe that there’s so much more which can be achieved with more understanding and a united front. I am rather optimistic that the change being brought about by my resignation will help my successor in all that we are and care for as human beings with a material body and a spiritual soul. I cannot talk about the success of my tenure without giving accolades to the members who had faith in my limited ministry, from the beginning till the end of my tenure.

by Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

My only regret is that I was not allowed the opportunity to do just a little bit more! On my being given permission by my Superior to accept the posting as Chaplain to the Supporters’ Club, I asked the committee at the time to allow for some new items to be introduced in my ministry...just a few.

Then, the only religious service rendered had been the annual event relating to the Munich disaster. To my mind, it seemed to amount only to having somebody available for that, year in year out. I was given the go ahead to officiate again close to the 2nd November, and to contribute an article in every issue of our magazine, Echoes, with the proviso that it was not to deal with religion. I had proposed two other small but important items which were rejected on the grounds that MUSC Malta was not “a religious institution”...as if! Beggars cannot be choosers...like Oliver Twist I had asked for more, not for my benefit, but like the poor Oliver I was only hit on the head with the metaphorical ladle. However, I tried to fulfil my duties as best I could. Referring to my contributions to Echoes. I held back my tongue, or rather my writing, to accommodate the obvious demand. Yet, I tried to be subtle but clear enough to the buon intenditor... if anybody just went through my articles by

“reading” them, they might have seemed to be quite ordinary. On the other hand, if one read intently the content, he could have noticed that in between the lines, there were lessons in morality. If only one reader managed that, then I am happy and grateful. The support extended from some quarters helped to shape me even further also as a human being, in the sense that you have no idea how much your compassionate support makes a difference in duties to be fulfilled. I have seen how that support has helped me try to give my best in the execution of my duty as chaplain.

Since this is my last contribution, I salute every single one of you. Thank you for your support and for what you did for me, for the respect extended, for appreciating my ministry and my presence. I wish all the best to you in all your endeavours. Be always U N I T E D.... Whilst asking you to remember me in your prayers, I promise my own humble prayers for you and your families. God’s blessings be with you always.

Farewell Red Devils brothers and sisters.

Thank you all and I wish everyone all the best in all your endeavours.

C/O Attrans, Mdina Road, Żebbuġ. Malta.

Email: gymstarsmalta@gmail.com Tel: +356 21461444 +356 77153025 +356 99164245 VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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SOLSKJAER’s

by Silvio Scicluna

I

t has now been over two years since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over the reins as Manchester United manager. In this time he has analysed the players he had at his disposal when he first took over, bought new players in transfer windows as well as moved a few players on that were not in his future plans.

Throughout this time, fans and pundits alike have debated as to what the manager’s best XI is and I feel that now, two years plus into the job, a line-up which one can say with a degree of confidence that is Solskjaer’s best XI is clearly beginning to emerge.

When settling on a final best XI, first and foremost a manger has to ultimately decide on what the best tactical shape he wants his team to play in. Solskjaer has tried various formations throughout his tenure but the majority of matches are played in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. We have seen other tactical deployments such as the 3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2 with three central defenders, mostly used against the big six in England or against top teams in Europe. There were also instances when we have seen a diamond midfield in a 4-4-2 formation. Both these setups have been fairly successful when used but, as

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Solskjaer himself recently admitted, they were used mainly as an adaptation to limit our opponent’s strengths rather than focusing on our threats and expressing how we want to play. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with adopting a ‘horses for courses’ selection at times. For sure it manifests a manager’s tactical adaptability. But, as we have been seeing in United’s recent run of good form (at the time of writing we are second in the league, within reasonable distance of the leaders), when the team plays in a 4-2-3-1 setup, it tends to favour our players’ strengths to the maximum. And sure enough we are now seeing a more consistent selection of players that seems to indicate that the boss is slowly discovering his best XI. From what we are seeing, the following are Solskjaer’s current favourites: Goalkeeper: David De Gea For the first time in his career at United, De Gea now has serious competition in Dean Henderson. The latter had a stellar season on loan at Sheffield United last campaign. He has broken into the England squad and is not short of confidence. De Gea is still in possession of the no.1 jersey but if Deano stays patient

and professional, a permanent changing of the guard might not be too far away.

Defence: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw Most will agree with me that Wan-Bissaka, Maguire and Shaw are nailed on first choices.

Probably the biggest debate is Lindelöf. There have been instances lately when he came into the side that Eric Bailly has shone and there are some who will argue that he is better than Lindelöf. He is however very injury prone and that seems to work against him. Lindelöf, on the other hand tends to suffer against tall strong target men and gets bullied at times.

But as things stand, if Lindelöf manages to shake off his chronic back problems, he seems to be Solskjaer’s preferred partner to Maguire and Ole tends to prefer a settled centre back partnership.

As for the full backs, Wan-Bissaka doesn’t seem to have any serious competition at the moment. Dalot has gone out on loan and FosuMensah has left so his understudy is Brandon Williams. Some might argue that United should go out and buy another right back to offer stiffer competition to Aaron and force him to up his

BEST

game, ostensibly when going forward and not defensively since he is considered to be the best tackler in the league. If they do, it will not be dissimilar to what the signing of left back Alex Telles has done to Shaw’s evolution. It’s fair to say Luke is playing the best football of his career at the moment and Telles’s arrival has had a lot to do with that.

Defensive midfield: Scott McTominay, Fred The use of a double pivot in front of the defence seems to be Solskjaer’s preference and going on what we have seen, McTominay and Fred have played the majority of the matches this season. In these two, the boss sees stability and security first and foremost. They are both energetic and dynamic type of players, best suited when teams press against us. They can beat the press, win back possession, and allow United to play their favoured counter attacking game with pace. As an added bonus McTominay is also chipping in with his fair share of goals. However, against teams that play with a low block, Solskjaer sometimes goes with a double pivot of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, when the onus is more of trying to build from the base with probing passes rather than stifle the opposition.

XI

Attacking Midfield: Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford Talk about making the best out of a bad situation! When Mino Raiola came out with the ill-timed bombshell that his client Pogba will not renew his contract with United (on the eve of an important CL clash with Leipzig no less!), many feared that this would have complicated the French star’s relationship with Solskjaer. However, the opposite seems to have happened as both player and manager have made the best out of the situation by putting the team’s interest first. Both men love Manchester United and want the best for the club and the team. Now Pogba is in the form of his life and Ole cannot keep him out of the side. The right sided attacking midfield position might not be the best suited to Pogba’s attributes but it’s working. He’s playing well and scoring goals.

What more can one say about Bruno Fernandes? We have run out of superlatives for our Portuguese magnifico. In the year he’s been at the club, he has been an absolute revelation in the number 10 role. Goals, assists, penalties, free kicks, leadership, inspiration.

You name it, he’s provided it.

As for Rashford, many will agree that his best position and where he is most effective is as an outside left attacking midfielder. From there he loves to cut in on his preferred right foot and do some damage. Although also good enough in my opinion to play up top, this works best for Marcus when he plays, for instance, in a 3-5-2 with split strikers off the sides.

Central striker: Edinson Cavani When Cavani joined United in the summer, there were many sceptics who thought that this was a questionable transfer at best. How could United be planning for the future by buying a 33 year old on a free transfer, they opined. Those who argued in this manner were not considering the fact that in Cavani, United were acquiring a proven striker of international pedigree. But did he still have it in him? From what we have seen so far, Cavani has not only provided goals but his general demeanour both on and off the pitch has been impressive. His professionalism is without question and he is proving to be quite the mentor for the likes of Mason Greenwood et al.

So there you have it, Solskjaer’s best XI, at least in my eyes!

VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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Keep yourself, your family and friends safe from COVID-19 1

STAY SAFE – avoid going out unnecessarily.

2

Keep a distance of at least 2 metres from another person if you have to go out.

3

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

4

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

5

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. DISCARD IMMEDIATELY.

6

DO NOT spread fake news.

7

Wear a face mask or visor when outside your residence both when going to an indoor place and outdoors.

8

Follow guidance from health authorities.

9

CALL 111 if you develop any symptoms.

10

Take care of your mental health, CALL 1770 if you feel anxious about the current situation. WE CAN HELP!

VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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Anthony Martial

by Kenneth Abela

Has he realized his potential?

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“

anchester United fans, I’ve not heard them cheer as loud as that - I know it’s against Liverpool but there was a huge relief around the stadium. It was a big, big moment for a player making his debut. He’d been written off, almost, in some quarters in the last couple of weeks, before he’d started.”

So had commented Gary Neville following Anthony Martial’s marvellous debut versus Liverpool in 2015. Of course, any goal against Liverpool is worth a double celebration. But this was the world’s most expensive teenager coming on as a second half substitute and scoring with his first shot. A 19-year-old from Monaco with only 11 league goals to his name prior to that match.

Born on the 5th December 1995, on the 1st September 2015 Anthony Jordan Martial completed a move to Manchester United from AS Monaco for £36 million, potentially rising to £58 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year. This made him the world’s most expensive teenager, breaking

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the previous record of £27 million United had paid for Luke Shaw a year earlier.

Many had raised their eyebrows when the transfer was completed, considering also that reportedly United will have to stump up another €10m (£7.6m) if Martial scores 25 league goals, €10m if he wins 25 caps for France and €10m if he is nominated for the Ballon d’Or award. That could total upwards of £60m. It also details that if United sell Martial for more than €60m (£45m), then Monaco will get half of the capital gains as part of the deal.

Anthony Marial had shown from an early age that he has bucketful of talent, even as being able to run in a straight line to the goal. Says Aziz Benaaddane, one of Martial’s coaches at Les Ulis, in 2015: “We’ve got 400 youngsters playing for us but a talent like that arrives only once every five or six years. We felt it, we saw the potential and we pushed him”.

Mahamadou Niakite, another coach, reports that Martial was always put in higher age group due to his ability. While at around the age of 12–13 he was already focused on becoming a professional!

According to journalist Philippe Auclair, Martial plays in a style similar to former French international Thierry Henry, with speed and technical ability both in wide positions and up front. Many thus labelled Martial as the new Henry. Henry himself praised Martial after his goal scoring debut, while Martial himself refuted the comparison, saying “I don’t think we have the same type of game – he was very quick whereas I rely more on power and technique. But it’s always good to be compared to great players”.

In the aftermath of France’s 2–1 win over Denmark in October 2015, Fenerbahçe defender Simon Kjær was repor tedly stunned after playing against him to learn that Martial was just 19. He told French newspaper L’Équipe, “He’s really good for 19. I didn’t know him when I was in France.

He’s very, very hard to mark because he knows how to do a lot of things. Not only is he quick, but he’s also technically good.”

has taken with both hands. So questions began to be asked. Have we already seen the best of Anthony Martial? Martial’s position was certainly not improved when on the 4 October 2020 he received the first red card of his career for hitting out at Erik Lamela during United’s 1–6 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. He was later banned for three domestic games. Martial scored his first goal of the season, in the UEFA Champions League group stage match against RB Leipzig on the 28 October, slotting home United’s fourth goal in a 5–0 win. He only scored his first league goal of the season on the 17 December 2020 in a 3–2 away win against Sheffield United.

To conclude: When Louis Vaan Gaal brought Anthony Martial to Old Trafford at the end of 2015, he was still practically an unknown. The Press had even sent the cameras to his Paris suburb and interviewed his old coaches. Critics were calculating how many world-class players one could have bought in exchange for that hefty fee for his services. His Liverpool debut showed the world what he was all about.

Goals followed, Martial scoring 23 goals to end last season as United’s top goalscorer Thus it felt like he was on his way to proving himself as the Club’s No 1 centre forward.

However this season things have turned out diferently, with Martial’s United future being uncertain. United can play both Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood as centre forwards. We had the summer arrival of Edinson Cavani on a free transfer. This has inadvertently highlighted what Martial doesn’t offer United in the centre forward role, and what he may never be able to offer. Cavani may be eight years Martial’s senior but he is a more energetic presence as the fulcrum of this attack as well as a more consistent goalscorer.

Both have seven goals this season but while Cavani’s are coming at a rate of 0.53 per 90 minutes, Martial’s are arriving at 0.33 per 90.

Nobody plays 250 games for Manchester United without being a good player, but there is still a question as to how Martial fits into the long-term development of this squad.

The Centre-Forward Position In 2019, Christopher Simpson of Bleacher Report noted that Martial “...has pace to burn and the dribbling skills to accompany it, making him very difficult to defend against, and he’s a composed finisher in front of goal too.” Martial has said that he plays best and contributes most when playing up front; however “if the coach puts me on the wing then that means it is better for the team and for me that is the most important thing.” Thus although he has indeed been used as a centre-forward, he primarily plays on the left flank .

This season Martial has made a slow and disappointing start and his absence of goals has forced the boss to prefer to play Edison Cavani forward, an opportunity that the latter

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City and Liverpool

How Our Title Rivals Compare to Prior Seasons

by Martin Calleja Urry

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n one of the most exciting, unpredictable seasons the Premier League has witnessed for decades, the top spot has been shared by Liverpool, Leicester, Everton, Tottenham and even Southampton. Meanwhile, United and City have also reached the peak in what constitutes the first real battle between the two for the Premier League since we last won the title in 2012/2013.

and Matip dropped out not long after, with Jota, Thiago, Milner and others joining on the sideline, Liverpool really did have their backs against the wall. Generally, Klopp seems to manage their sidelined players with relative ease, but the back room staff seemed swamped this season, and perhaps the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager’s highflying style is to blame.

With Covid-19 looming over the season like a rain cloud ready to explode, the campaign began with somewhat of a whimper, as many big teams failed to live up to expectations.

Liverpool began the season decently enough, brushing aside most teams, but red flags were raised when they lost 7-2 to Aston Villa, a result which would have never happened in years past.

Klopp’s style does get results, but it’s not without its consequences. Football is an incredibly taxing activity on the lower body and muscle injuries are ver y common, particularly for the more explosive players that get the most miles in and sprint regularly.

It’s not unusual for managers to lean towards one style of play, but his over reliance on this ideology is possibly what’s landed him in hot water this season. It’s easy to say with hindsight, but one cannot expect players to perform at the same intensity with games being within 3 days of each other and after having spent the last few years at full speed.

His lack of adaptability and over reliance on

Slowly but surely, the chinks in their armour began to reveal themselves, and shortly after Everton’s Pickford ended Van Dijk’s season with a crunching tackle, things started going from bad to worse. As Gomez

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one approach has signified the first time in recent history that Klopp’s castle is beginning to crumble.

Attempts to deploy the likes of Henderson and Fabinho in the centre-back positions proved to be an effective but tempor ar y bandage for Liverpool’s deep wounds. Struggling to keep their heads above water

and severely lacking in the defensive department, Liverpool’s more recent form is more likely what would one expect to see having 3 first choice centre backs missing.

Initially, the world-class efforts of Salah, Mane and company were enough to keep them at the forefront, but Klopp can’t exactly be commended for the way he slowly let the situation on the other side of the pitch deteriorate.

On the 20th of February, Everton trounced Liverpool 2-0 to shatter a record held for 22 years and to make it 4 successive league defeats, an embarrassing statistic for a team that was simply on another level before their injury woes. Now they may even struggle to maintain a top four spot, as Leicester remain consistent and Chelsea seem to be on the ascent. Realistically, the best they can hope for now is a strong Champions League display, and if their dressing room troubles settle down a bit, perhaps they can challenge for a place in Europe.

While it has been a thrilling campaign so far, the 2020/2021 season will always be remembered for the wrong reasons, which are self-explanatory at this point. It might sound cliché, but losing the 12th man is another contributing factor to Liverpool’s decline, as their fans really go the extra mile

to fire up the team and intimidate the opponents.

City on the other hand began the first half of the season as a dark horse, slowly building momentum in the shadows while other teams battled it out at the top. Normally they hit the ground running and batter any lesser team in their path, but this time, they played the long game. Uncharacteristically, they scored way fewer goals than in seasons past but began to create a rock-solid defensive foundation with the likes of Garcia and Stones stepping up to the plate. Previously, their focus on attack always left gaps at the back, a style of play Guardiola had effectively used to outscore opponents with superior firepower.

Nowadays he seems to have found the perfect balance between offense and defence, while most of his top performers continue to impress. The likes of Silva and Kompany are long gone, but there are plenty of other thorns in our side replacing them. De Bruyne has more than a dozen assists alone and is widely recognized as the best player in the Premier League, while Foden has began to show why he’s the only player Pep claims to never want to sell at any cost. Gundogan has added plenty of goals to his game from midfield and the Spaniards Garcia and Torres have also excelled. Their striker troubles with Aguero

out injured slowed them down tremendously early on, but Sterling and Jesus combined well enough to get them through a slight goal drought, the pair scoring around 20 goals throughout the course of the season.

What will it take for us to pip Pep and the Citizens to their 5th title in 10 years? On the bright side, City’s schedule isn’t exactly a walk in the park, as they still have to play against many of the top teams while simultaneously battling to win the only trophy that was so far eluded them, the Champions League. Pundits seem to believe we’re well off, with odds greatly favouring the Sky Blues, however, hope is certainly not lost.

They currently occupy the first place with a certain amount of confidence, but United are more than capable of catching up with them.

A couple of games could change the entire outlook of the season and smaller clubs seem to be affecting the top half more than ever before. Furthermore, the critical battle between the Manchester teams on the 7th March may prove to be a defining moment.

Even if we don’t clinch the title for the first time since the departure of the one and only Ferguson, we can finally throw our hat in the ring with the big boys again and build our way up to securing England’s most prestigious trophy.

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VOL 48 - ISSUE 2 - MARCH 2021

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Bruno Fernandes How Has The Portuguese Transformed United

by Alex Dudley

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hen Manchester United announced the signing of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon over 12 months ago, not many could have foreseen the impact that he would have on a team that had struggled for so long at both ends of the field. Indeed, United were signing a player with proven quality, as players don’t typically score 48 goals in 83 games across one and a half seasons without being tremendously talented at what they do.

Still, there was scepticism when United agreed to pay the £67.5 million asking price with two days left remaining of the January transfer window in 2020. Some claimed was a panic buy after a poor run of results, while others continued to trust the process and believe that what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was doing was right by the club. Those that were in the latter category have been proven emphatically right over the past year or so.

Immediate Impression On United Fans didn’t have to wait long to see what Fernandes could bring to the table, as he was at the forefront of everything positive that United did in a 0-0 draw against Wolves at the beginning of February. It would be another three weeks before he broke his United duck, but that first goal was just the first of many. His first against Watford was quickly followed up with an equaliser at Everton before he played a pivotal role in the Manchester derby win against City before the break in play was imposed following the COVID-19 pandemic.

After just a few months, it was clear that United hadn’t just signed a player that was going to perform consistently at the highest level, but one that could be built around for years to come. His impression on teammates was almost as overpowering as his individual performances, as the levels of players around him reached heights that not many could have foreseen. His work-rate needed to be matched by those around him, as there was a feeling

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that he set the bar, just as Roy Keane did throughout his legendary time at Old Trafford.

isn’t the one wearing the armband, he is the one that leads by example.

Taking United To The Next Level If United fans weren’t excited about the future when Fernandes first walked through the door, then they would have at the end of the 2019-20 season. The Portuguese, and his influence on the team, led the Red Devils from seventh up to third, as well as two semi-final appearances in the Europa League and FA Cup. Fernandes’ eight Premier League goals between February and July saw him named as the club’s player of the season, and the expectancy only rose ahead of the 2020-21 season.

United’s run to the top of the league was littered with contributions from the midfielder, as he set up goals in wins against Sheffield United and Fulham, while also scoring a famous late winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round. He has turned into the man for the big occasion, and players look to him for creativity or a moment of magic to break down the opposing defence. It isn’t any great surprise that his ability to always rise to the action has already seen his impression linked to the one that Eric Cantona made when he arrived at Old Trafford in 1992.

Like any season for United, this latest campaign has had its highs and its lows, but it’s clear as day to see that something is growing at United.

The figurehead behind that is Fernandes. He is the talisman that everything revolves around, every move in the attacking third has the Portuguese’s prints on, and his impression is undeniable. Fernandes was awarded a recordbreaking fourth, and final Player of the Month award in December, just days before United topped the league table at the latest point of the season since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Winning Mentality There is no denying that Fernandes’ will to win a game is greater than that of any other player in the United team at present, he will run for every ball and be the vocal presence on the pitch that the club needs at important periods.

His importance to the club as Solskjaer looks to build a title-winning side has been evident throughout the campaign, through his words and actions. After United’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City earlier in the campaign, he was optimistic about the club’s fortunes moving forward as they were so deflated after conceding a late equaliser, and reminded teammates that this is not a feeling that they should forget about. He is the captain that United need a lot of the time, and while he

Fernandes Pivotal For United’s Title Aspirations United fans know that the title isn’t going to be coming back to Old Trafford this season, but the building blocks of the next great side are there.

Fernandes is at the base of those plans, and if he can continue his excellent form, then there is no guessing what this side can achieve. The 26-year-old has averaged a goal involvement every 70.4 minutes since arriving at United, which is only bettered by Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. That is the calibre of player that United have at their disposal in Fernandes, and filling in the missing pieces of the jigsaw are all that is required by the club over the summer transfer window.

Something changed at United when the Portuguese star walked through the door; there was once again the never-say-die attitude that epitomised every title-winning side that has shaped the history of this great club. His mentality is everything that is required from a United player, as he gives everything for the shirt, and doesn’t stop running until his legs can no longer carry him. That is the level that we have come to know under Fernandes, and if his teammates can match his desire, quality and temperament over the coming years, then the comparisons to King Eric may be closer than many of us could have ever believed.

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Champions League - Where did it all go wrong?

by Stefan Attard

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anchester United looked to be heading upwards when they qualified for the Champions League following a strong end to the 2019/20 season. Fast-forward three months and after a bad start in the domestic league, United enjoyed a fantastic start to their Champions League group stage. The Champions League had provided a welcome distraction from domestic difficulties for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, but, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, their shortcomings were exposed in an abject defeat on the banks of the Bosphorus on Wednesday evening. The embarrassing defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir put their qualification hopes in jeopardy.

Many United fans expected that the team would build on that late surge which secured a top-four finish on the final day; however, the Reds made their worst start to a Premier League campaign since the David Moyes era, and the worst start at Old Trafford in almost half a century. After all the promise, how did we end up here?

A missed opportunity over the summer?

Did complacency seep into Old Trafford following their surge to qualify for the Champions League? Three months on, remarks

by Gary Neville immediately after United joined Chelsea in securing a top-four finish on the final day of last season make for sobering reading. “What Manchester United and Chelsea need now is to not think this is OK,” Neville said. “The big mistake these two clubs could make would be to think they are going to catch Manchester City and Liverpool. They won’t if they don’t improve by another 10-15 per cent.”

“Solskjaer needs to spend money, but not recklessly. There needs to be a right winger, there needs to be a challenge at centre-forward, at left-back, definitely at goalkeeper and they need a centre-back, a top centre-back who can bring that level of domination to a defence like Virgil van Dijk does at Liverpool.”

Sound advice, good advice. Problem was, only Chelsea listened.

Whereas United, prior to a frantic Deadline Day, only signed a midfielder (the one position

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Neville did not list as requiring strengthening), Chelsea did everything that Neville said United needed to do - signing a new centre-forward (Timo Werner), a left-back (Ben Chilwell), a right winger (Kai Havertz), a goalkeeper (Edouard Mendy) and a ‘top’ centre-back (Thiago Silva).

As Neville then had to ruefully note in early September when Tottenham won 6-1 at Old Trafford, those critical months of inaction over the summer were when “they grabbed defeat from victory”. The failure to land Sancho in the transfer market once again seems to have highlighted United’s incompetence when it comes to signing players.

With hindsight, it is ironic that since then, Chelsea sacked their club legend following a string of disappointing results. Perhaps simply buying a lot of superstars and putting them in a team is not the answer to success. At the time of writing, United are second with City seemingly destined to claim the domestic title.

The delayed return to the Premier League United returned to Premier League action just 34 days after losing to Sevilla in the Europa League with a laboured, heavy-legged defeat at home to a Crystal Palace side which had enjoyed a longer break and returned to action the week before. United’s poor display that afternoon was hardly out of keeping with those of Wolves, Chelsea and Man City in early September, all of whom also struggled on their return following a late Premier League restart.

But the problem for United is the impression they are still playing catch-up. Perhaps their delayed start paid dividends further down the line. But the defeat to Palace has set a tone which United are still cursing now: their momentum punctured and their confidence plunged.

The failed pursuit of Jadon Sancho Opportunities arrive in a time of crisis, and Manchester United were one of a select group of football clubs with shoulders broad enough not only to weather the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but to actually come out the other side stronger.

As leagues across Europe were being suspended and - in some cases - cancelled,

revenue streams dried up and suddenly, the value of some of the best talent in European football plummeted. It prompted Solskjaer to declare Manchester United could “exploit” the transfer market back in April, and the prospect of luring long-term target Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund at a reduced rate made for fascinating reading. But United’s unwillingness to meet Dortmund’s valuation saw indecision haunt yet another transfer window. Their top target stayed put, Solskjaer was forced to backtrack on his initial comments, and a flurry of Deadline Day signings did little to appease calls for reinforcements. With the arrival of Amad Diallo, I do not see United pursuing Sancho in the next transfer window.

The lack of pace in defence As far as former United ca p ta i n N e ville was concerned, the pursuit of Sancho was way down on the list of priorities Solskjaer had to address in the summer. Despite keeping nine clean sheets during an unbeaten final 14-game run in the Premier League, establishing a defensive unit fit to shoulder a title challenge remained the ultimate objective.

And the first 90-minute performance and many others to follow from Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof only emboldened Neville’s claim. “We can talk about Sancho all we like but until Manchester United get a centre-back who can run and defend one-on-ones, they are never going to win the league,” he said after the 3-1 opening-day defeat to Crystal Palace. “They are never going to win the Premier League with that centre-back pairing.”

When Solskjaer listened to calls to inject some pace into his backline after it was given the run-around at Brighton, Maguire and new centre-back partner Eric Bailly shipped six goals against Tottenham in a shambolic, jointheaviest home defeat in Premier League history.

United looked to have turned the corner with back-to-back clean sheets against Chelsea and RB Leipzig after Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were nullified in a morale-boosting victory at

...And a lack of leadership?

The accusation United lack leadership is something that many United fans agree on. “I don’t see any leaders out there,” Roy Keane told Sky Sports on Sunday after the 1-0 loss to Arsenal. “There’s a real lack of quality. There’s a long way back for this club.” While Maguire has bristled at the description, United’s extraordinary concession to Demba Ba in Turkey, when the entire United team were situated in the final 30 yards of the pitch, has inevitably raised more questions about the type of players that Solskjaer has at his disposal.

There seems to be one man who seems more fitting of a United captain who keeps dragging Manchester United over the finish line – Bruno Fernandes.

Paris Saint-Germain, but defeat to Arsenal and the calamitous setback in Istanbul undid that progress and left Solskjaer wondering who to entrust in defence.

This season has highlighted United’s fragilities at centre back positions. While Lindelof and Maguire are both good defenders, they seem not to complement each other as both seem to lack pace. In fact, when Bailly partners Maguire, United seem to be better at the back. The problem with Bailly is that he can’t seem to stay fit.

Inconsistency There is no denying that United have overall improved from last season; however, the team still remains unpredictable. The pendulum seems to swing from sheer quality and brilliant performances to poor and blunt outings. This was reflected countless times this season with brilliant performances in the first encounters versus PSG and RB Leipzig to losing against Besiktas and Sheffield United – the latter seemingly staring at relegation barring a miraculous comeback.

Throughout the season United made a habit of conceding before coming into life with this scenario happening in many games.

Unfortunately, despite many United fans expecting United to come back against Leipzig, they conceded another two.

After the goal, there was a wildness about United’s defiance, they ran on hope and adrenaline towards the end, but their lack of cohesion and savvy earlier on and their inability to do the basics, was decisive. They will lament the shock defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir as the moment when the tide turned in this difficult group. It seemed costly at the time and it has come to feel more and more so. That was the night when they were exposed.

In my opinion, despite the early exit from the Champions League, we are certainly closer to the Manchester United us fans enjoyed watching during the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Being a young team led by a former Manchester United player who knows everything about the Man Utd DNA, I can see the Reds learning from their mistakes and move forward. Without too much fanfare and big money signings, the manager is moulding a team for the future and despite the inconsistencies, it wouldn’t come at a surprise if the Reds go all the way to clinch the Europa League trophy.

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THE MANCHESTER UNITED GRAVES SOCIETY

by Iain McCartney

F

irstly, please do not be put off by the heading, it is far from being as morbid as it looks.

huge, enthusiastic help and without her I would not have found quite a few of the 280 or so that have been discovered to date.

I was always aware of where the lads who sadly died in the Munich Air Disaster were buried, plus the likes of Sir Matt Busby and Billy Meredith, but while involved with writing ‘The United Tour of Manchester’ book, one or two more came to light – Charlie Roberts for one, and having always been interested in any aspect of United’s history, I decided to form the above mentioned ‘Society’ and see how many resting places of former players and officials I could find. No player, no matter if he played one game, or one hundred, should be forgotten. He was, and always will be a United, or Newton Heath player.

Locating those resting places, or if a player/ official was cremated, is as mentioned, rewarding, but it can also be somewhat sad.

Many of the players, and one manager, lie in unmarked graves, a patch of overgrown grass, others lie in graves that are in need of some tender-loving-care and restoration.

So, the search began.

Believe me, the task was not an easy one, although it was to prove immensely rewarding, and continues to be so, as I search for those resting places of former players in a manner that your much respected Sir Joseph Glanville searches for his missing programmes!

One huge bonus in those early days back in what must have been 2019 was coming into contact with a Blackley lady by the name of Catherine Mills. A United supporter and also keen on genealogy, Catherine has been a

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The latter was certainly the case when a friend pointed me in the direction of the grave of Ernest Mangnall in Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool. It did need a tidy up, but also the stone cross that formed part of the headstone lay broken and had done so for some considerable time. Mangnall was the manager of the first United team to win a trophy, the F.A. Cup in 1909, and deserved better.

I therefore made contact with the local authorities and asked if there was any problem in restoring the grave to its former condition.

Thankfully there wasn’t, so it was all systems go. Knowing a United supporting Manchester based stone mason, he was approached to give me a price for doing the work required and when that was received, it was then a case of raising funds. This proved not to be overly difficult thanks to Steve Donoghue and the

lads at Stretford Enders Wordwide and also Irish Red Keith Norris, who obtained a signed shirt from the United Foundation to raffle. We were up and running.

Covid19 put the restoration on hold, but it eventually happened and it is hopefully the first of many.

I say ‘hopefully’ as not everything is straight forward. Another United manager, Herbert Bamlett lies in an unmarked grave in Stretford Cemetery, a half hour walk from Old Trafford, a cemeter y where another manager, Jack Robson, former secretary/ manager Walter Crickmer, and players Jack Mew, John Hanlon and Maurice Setters also lie. Where there is no headstone, a grave marker stone, showing the ‘United Graves Society’ crest – a remake of the old United club badge, has been designed, but in order to lay this, permission is required by the grave owner. In Bamlett’s case that w as his wife, but she died, so it passed to their daughter, who cannot be traced, so …..

Of the 280 or so found, some are Newton Heath players who played only one friendly, but at least their resting place is now known, although more often unmarked, which is sad.

Others are scattered the length and breadth of the UK, in Canada, America, South Africa and Australia. I even have one less than half an

hour from my home, with sixties goal machine David Herd buried in a small village cemetery, with his father, who also played one game for United, buried a mere throw in from him.

David’s grave wasn’t hard to find, as I went to his funeral. The only non-family member there, but that’s another story.

Thankfully, with interest in the ‘Graves Society’ gathering momentum United supporters who live near to a grave are visiting them and making sure that they are neat and tidy. Respect to them who do this.

Another plus point regarding the ‘Society’ came

from a mention I put on a Facebook site which saw the formation of a similar one for Chelsea players. A supporter of the Stamford Bridge club got in touch, asked me what I did etc and he was so taken in by it all, he set up the Chelsea one.

This had the additional benefit of him being able to locate a couple of players involved with both sides. He also went out of his way to get me a photo of Laurie Cunningham’s grave.

That photo, like countless others goes onto a database, where I log the individuals, birth/ death details, along with a small or at times, large biography. To date all that stretches to over 450 pages – and I still have about a dozen players to enter.

The club are now aware of the ‘Society’ and will hopefully be of help when required in the future. There are still many to be found, probably another 280, but the they will be searched for until every possible avenue has been exhausted.

Sadly, there are none in Malta or I would have you looking, but next time you are in Manchester and the weather is nice, perhaps a visit to Stretford Cemetery can be arranged in order to pay your respects to a few former United men.

So, there we have it: ‘The Manchester United Graves Society’ – ‘Gone But Not Forgotten.’

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Premier League Champions 2012-13

by Dr. Michael Calleja

W

hilst it may seem like eons ago, the club’s last title win in 2012-2013 will forever be remembered as the final season in charge of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. For context’s sake, it is worth mentioning what occurred during the previous campaign - although this will be fleeting and at best ephemeral due to obvious (painful!) reasons.

By April of 2012, the season seemed done and dusted. United, seemingly invincible, were marching towards their 20th title in typical relentless fashion. By the time the Red Devils had travelled to Wigan, Sir Alex’s men were on a winning streak of eight straight victories.

Unfortunately, disaster struck as United surprisingly lost 0-1 before the now notorious game vs Everton took place two weeks later, wherein United were held to a fatal 4-4 draw.

These damaging results paved the way for Manchester City to claw themselves back into the race and their credentials were all-but confirmed when they defeated the Red Devils 1-0 thanks to a Vincent Kompany header at the Etihad.

What happened next is still too painful for most United fans so I will spare the details and simply state that some final-day drama ensured the Premier League trophy ended up being paraded at the Etihad rather than at Old Trafford. It is

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within this context that Manchester United’s 2012-13 season needs to be analysed…and appreciated. All was set for the gaffer to pull out one final ace before a last hurrah!

Having snapped up Shinji Kagawa from

Borussia Dortmund for an undisclosed fee on the 17th of August, it seemed like manna from heaven when against all expectations, Sir Alex (after some careful and shrewd negotiations with Arsene Wenger) managed to secure the signing of the great Dutchman Robin Van

Persie. Out went fans’ favourite Park Ji-Sung, Dimitar Berbatov joined Fulham and Michael Owen was released.

Nonetheless, buoyed by their latest marquee signing, the team seemed strong and with a certain element of panache in it. David De Gea was in goal and was about to take part in his second full season at the club. At the back, Fergie could rely on the tried and tested partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic, with Evans deputising on an ‘ad hoc’ basis. Patrice Evra and Rafael fitted in nicely as full backs.

In the middle of the park, Carrick, Scholes and Cleverley would muster enough pace and energy to keep the midfield engine fluid whilst the ever dependable Ryan Giggs still patrolled the left flank. Nani, Valencia and Young also provided width, speed and guile when necessary. Rooney and Van Persie combined to form a lethal front-line which would power United to a 20th league title.

In typical United fashion, Sir Alex Ferguson’s mantra of ‘always making it hard for ourselves’ would come to ‘haunt’ us fans once again as the Red Devils stumbled to a 0-1 loss on the opening day of the season courtesy of future United midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Despite faltering, United managed to steer the ship and recorded four good wins (Fulham, Southampton, Wigan and Liverpool) before losing once again – this time to a Gareth Baleinspired Tottenham.

On the 28th of October 2012, United managed to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – a ground

notorious for the Red Devils’ erratic results and less than glamorous performances.

However, on this particular day and with ‘Lady Luck’ smiling on United, the Red Devils won 3-2 (courtesy of an own goal, Van Persie’s thunderous shot and a controversial goal by Javier Hernandez). Not the best of games played but the three points would prove to be vital – particularly when fellow Londoners Arsenal were also beaten 2-1 in the following week at Old Trafford. The game will forever be remember for Van Persie’s early strike after a mere three minutes with the enigmatic Dutchman choosing not to celebrate his welltaken goal out of respect for the travelling Arsenal fans.

What ostensibly ensured United’s road to victory was the exceptional run of form the club embarked on from November 2012 all the way up to April of 2013. Having suffered a blip against Norwich City at Carrow Road (0-1 loss), the Red Devils comprehensively won 16 games and drew only twice as their title credentials were realistically never in jeopardy. Manchester City were experiencing a tumultuous season and their campaign would end with the sacking of Roberto Mancini after a surprising 0-1 defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup Final.

However, it goes without saying that United played some absolute crackers along the way.

First was a pulsating 4-3 away win vs Reading followed by a last minute goal by Robin Van Persie at the Etihad in a tumultuous Manchester Derby (3-2!). Boxing day of 2012 also served up another classic with a very late Hernandez goal sparking a delirium of ecstasy

as United just about edged the encounter 4-3 once again. On the 13th of January 2013, Liverpool were defeated by two goals to one (Van Persie once again and Nemanja Vidic) before wins against Everton (2-0), Norwich City (4-0), Reading (1-0) and Sunderland (1-0) confirmed that no matter what happened in the next encounter vs Manchester City, this would have little, to no effect, on the title.

Despite the 1-2 loss at home, United recovered (as they always did under Sir Alex) with a 2-0 win away to Stoke when Van Persie’s celebration almost toppled the manager!

All was set for a crucial encounter at home against Aston Villa. At stake was the Premiership itself with a win needed to secure the title. As was characteristic of the season, Robin Van Persie (who else?) stepped up to score a magnificent hat trick in the first half an hour to ensure United reached the pantheon of world football with an astonishing 20 league titles.

The season would reach a forlorn conclusion when Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement from the game. Though the future seemed bright at the time, it’s been eight long seasons since United last won the league with the club nowhere close to mounting a serious challenge to the league title. One can only hope, and pray, that the legacy Sir Alex Ferguson left behind (albeit it being daunting & challenging) may serve as an inspiration to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United’s current young team – as the Red Devils seek to wrestle the Premier League away from Merseyside and the Blue-half of the city and back to its rightful home at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

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still tribal, however due to marketing and the knock-on effects from it, football has changed from tribal to monetary. Whilst fans today are still loyal to clubs, some have shifted to having loyalty to individual players.

Paul and I believe his agent continuously continue to play the game with both the media and negotiation traits to get better contracts with the club and sponsors. An example would be that before an important game, the PR marketing machine launch a phone app for his fans.

Some would say, its not him, but his PR team, others would argue that he would have given consent and if he were in control of such team, instruct them to do so during a period which is not critical to the team. Some forget that he left under a cloud or sense of being a spoilt brat who agreed terms with Juventus under the noses of Sir Alex and David Gill, his behaviour was not helping the situation through media interviews and also comments from his agent.

Once the internal issue with Mourinho continued to escalate, one would question if Mourinho was at fault or whether it was Pogba’s attitude. Even this matter was raised by pundits during a game, as to whether Pogba was agreeing to these comments by his agent and if such comments were a direct reflection of his performances.

Pogba’s Revival

by Daniel Cuschieri

S

ince Paul’s return to Old Trafford, his return has been surrounded by continuous speculation about his form, attitude, and future. Leaving under unfavourable terms for the club left a bad taste in the fans’ mouths and management at the club due to the high expectations from Paul due to enormous talent.

His move to Juventus did wonders for Paul as he came of age and played blinding games and scored several goals including some stunners.

constant rumours of ill-discipline behaviour seemed to seep out to the media and the scouse brigade on Sky Sports had a field day, who even on a bad pundit day seemed to always find fault with Paul and blame him for one thing or another. Some criticism was justified as fans would expect better from him both off and on the field. A lot believe that football is

Once Mourinho left the club and was replaced

by Ole, the team’s playing pattern changed and Pogba’s form improved drastically. One factor could be the changed of management and playing position. During Ole’s fantastic start, Pogba’s form was heralded, and fans were starting to see some form of consistency from him and hopefully lasting a stretch of games.

Having Ole managing him as a youth could have been a factor of having a manager that understood his playing style and behaviour.

The club has been in transition since Sir Alex left and Pogba was seen as one of the pieces to bring back success to the club. The club paid ransom for him due to the belief in his talents.

Ole’s continuous upheaval of the club’s playing

While some resented Paul for carrying out such a move to Juventus and returning for a world record fee, other would understand that such a move was for his own benefit. Upon his return, the marketing machine at Old Trafford pumped up his return, and with such a fee comes the undisputed expectation of performing to the highest levels on a consistent basis, week in and week out.

During Paul’s first season, I believe he had a good season having several good performances, contributing to a number of goals and assists. I personally believe that the fact Zlatan was in the team, demanding performances of the highest standards, did not allow him to slack. During his second season he started to blow hot and cold, due to lack of form, injuries and also the beginning of the internal war with Mourinho which didn’t aid the situation and

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has been one of those years where the fans’ optimism is back.

staff has helped the quality around him and helped him improve his form and the team’s revival. Whilst the team is still inexperienced in certain positions, Paul is one of the senior heads in the team which has practically won every footballing honour which is there to win.

Paul appears to have resettled since the com-

ments from Raiola. Injuries are not helping him but as many should and will notice, Paul has been accustomed to disappearing during games, his good games standing out.

Fans are behind the team, and getting the best out of Paul will help the team in its quest to restore themselves as a top team. This year

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The manager’s continuous support for Paul is apparent and is central in the team’s plans for the long term. Whether Paul will be at the club for the coming years remains to seen as the continuous speculation will not go away. Paul is a major talent and having him at the club is a sign of intent for winning honours. He is viewed as a complete midfielder able to play in several positions. He is well appreciated and the club and the footballing world is aware if his talent, but consistency is what is being asked of him.

He is still a human being which like everyone has his good and bad days. Strong indication shows that Paul is an individual who needs to feel loved and under this manager and playing staff, this is being affected and being shown in his attitude and also it in his performances, and an indicator is that he is smiling. One other factor is that Pogba became a father and like everything that comes with it, fatigue could have played a part. As his son grows, such changes to his personal life may have played a part in his upheaval.

Paul’s contract is up for renewal shortly. Hopefully he will renew and be part of the quest for regaining top spot in England and a becoming a major force in Europe once again. Next season, everyone will be anticipating a strong challenge for the title and a strong run in Europe.

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