Clash of the Legends

Keano.
Captain. Fighter. Legend.

Recent verbal wars have all but confirmed that what relationship Sir Alex had with Keano is now over. Keane said some harsh things about United after the Champions League exit, and rightly so, given his position as a pundit. Sir Alex wrote an underhanded remark about Roy in his matchday programme notes, and Keane being Keane, went ballistic.

My dad always said, you have to be balanced, but flexible. Too bendy and people will mold you into whatever shape they want, but be too rigid, and you will snap in two. Keane is a stick. You’re either with him, or you are his enemy forever. I think its this trait that helped him drag lagging United squads from the brink of a loss to turning in a heroic win. But its also resulted in countless fall outs with various managers, players, and friends. Who can forget the disaster of Saipan? He just refuses to go any road except his own, and its probably for this reason that he hasn’t been as great a manager than he was a player.

His comments on Ferguson ultimately come down to what is his only point in that Sir Alex has a selfish side. I don’t argue with that. Sir Alex has had a shady record when it comes to his dealings, and he does tend to be very petty when it comes to certain things. Thanks to Keano, we had to rehash the Rock of Gilbratar (when will talk about that stupid horse die already), but that comment seemed neither here nor there. Sir Alex simply expressed his disappointment that Keano shouldn’t have blasted the United team. And then Keano took it way too far in response, and in way too many directions. I will say this, Keano was right to bash the United team. A pundit is a pundit, whether ex-United, ex-Chelsea, ex-Arsenal, or ex-Liverpool. Unless your name is Ian Darke and you think the United States should be world champions, you should really stay objective simply by job description. Keano was just doing his job and Sir Alex can’t really blame him for that.

The truth is, Keane was peeved even before all of this. He was still butt hurt about his exit from United. Being Keane, to his perspective, his obvious lack of form and fitness had nothing to do with him being axed. Instead, it was everyone other United player’s fault, and in typical fashion, he berated them publicly for it. As one of the two players that had been able to do his own thing under Sir Alex (the King being the other), he had been a straight up ass to Sir Alex for 12 and half years, so the gaffer took great pleasure in telling him to piss off. So tensions were high as it stood.

Its sad to see two titans of United lose their relationship. Unfortunately, both are extremely stubborn, and both find it hard to forgive others. That is why they were unstoppable when on the same side. Roy Keane was Sir Alex embodied in a player, in terms of that never-die, never give in United attitude. Now that they are on opposing ends, it will be a never ending feud. And unfortunately, even if Roy Keane does love Manchester United, he will not be able to return so long as Sir Alex lives.

In other news –

Luis “Scumbag Racist” Suarez has been banned for eight matches and fined 40,000 for yelling negrito repeatedly at Evra. Liverpool is in for a very cold December and January. Dalglish might be forced to cough up some cash for one of the Napoli forwards, or better yet, perhaps herald the return of a well-known Spaniard. Or, their appeal will be successful and eight will be reduced a much more palatable number. Time will tell.

 

Dzenan Radoncic

Dzenan Radoncic. 28 years of age, Montenegrin by birth and upbringing, 6’4″, striker, 45 goals in 150 odd games for Incheon and Seongnam. Currently plays for Suwon Bluewings.

He announced yesterday that he wants to get naturalized and play for South Korea. It looks like the first step, naturalization is going to happen. But what comes after has been a topic of contention.

I am against it. Player ability notwithstanding, I believe an international should be representative of his country, in ethnicity and in cultural mentality. Otherwise, international football would have the potential to turn into club football. Dzenan does not represent the Korean people, despite having lived 8 years in this country. If he was second generation, the question becomes more complicated. From a human standpoint, it’s hard to tell a mentally Korean person that they can’t pull on the shirt because of the color of their skin.

This debate has been slightly easier because at the end of the day, Randoncic does not make the grade for the Korean national team. Attack is one area where Korean talents are widespread in Europe. It’s possible, though remote, that if were a defender, that the Koreans would be more receptive. For now however, I’m afraid he’s out of luck.

 

Champions League Exit

Its shaping out to be one of the most difficult seasons in recent years for Manchester United.

We lost, and exited group stage deservedly. All analysis aside, United just wasn’t good enough. Awful finishing, inconsistent defense, no creative spark. Injuries definitely played a part, but even so – the lineups we fielded against our opponents should have been more than enough. While Madrid and Barcelona are consistently beating group stage opponents by multiple goals, we scraped by on a couple penalties against Otelul Galati. The hard, but clearly evident truth is that we simply are not playing at their level at this moment in time. And that is unacceptable for this club.

The only perceivable consolation is that City didn’t advance, but even that isn’t really a consolation because it looks bad for the EPL. Credit goes to David Silva who scored a beautiful curler. He deserves to show his talents in the Champions League, and its a damn shame that City didn’t play so well earlier on.

We have points to make up against City between now and the end of the season, and perhaps it would be wiser to invest the squad’s time and training in the domestic arena. Europa league is Europa league. I wouldn’t be devastated if we exited this competition soon. I’d find it a lot more appealing to focus on domestic exploits this season, and maybe aiming for a domestic double with the league title and the FA cup. Its a good opportunity for Sir Alex to take a hard look at the midfield, and think about his options. I still maintain that United does NOT need a new center midfielder, as I think we have a great asset in Tom Cleverley. His rapid, expansive passing has changed our game and we have missed him very very much. I’d rather take the time to invest and develop in our academy player than buy from outside, even if its means we sacrifice a trophy or two this year.

El Clasico is upon us!

I said at the start of the season that Madrid will win the league title this year. And I maintain that. I think Mourinho has truly decreased the gap in gameplay between the two sides with tweaks in his tactics and having Ronaldo noticeably change his game. Even if Madrid loses both clasicos, they will win that league because they are more ruthless than Barca against the other 18 teams in La Liga. Its going to be a fantastic clasico, and I just hope Barca keeps diving to a minimum, and Madrid keeps elbowing to a minimum. Both sides are guilty of displaying poor sportsmanship in different ways, and its better for all of us if they make a concerted effort to make it more about the game than about trying to lure the ref to their side for 90 minutes.

I want to make a late tribute to Gary Speed, who passed away two weeks ago. For as long as I’ve watched the EPL, Gary Speed was playing. To me, he was always that old guy, that 30 something year old that’s still going strong. I always make it a point of mine to not comment on players I don’t watch, so I won’t comment on his game. Gary Speed played regularly at a time when I watched only United and rarely anybody else, but the one thing I can recall from distant memory is that no one ever said a bad word about Gary Speed – a truly remarkable achievement in a footballing environment such as England. From what I remember, he was a fair player, a versatile team player, and had a certain charisma that all the managers praised. I think it speaks volumes of a man when the fans of every stadium in England sing his song without hesitation. I saw him more as a manager, and Wales has lost the leader that inspired them from the hopelessness that they were to one of the most exciting up-and-coming international sides in current times. Rest in peace Gary Speed, and may generations of footballers learn from your fine example.

The footballing world on Gary Speed (Source: BBC UK)

“Gary Speed was one of the nicest men in football and someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and friend.” – Giggsy

“My first PL game game was against him, he showed me in that game what British football is about.” – Xabi Alonso

“He was an excellent servant to the club, the ultimate professional, and an exceptional role model for younger players.” – Newcastle United