Rooney is the one to watch

It is difficult to understand how a footballer must feel when his mate receives so many plaudits in one season when you yourself have outstripped previous seasons with a better scoring record (22 and counting), including goals like this

Rooney has had a very good season. He has done everything asked of him, when more has been asked of him, particularly in the big games. And he has delivered. Fergie calls this past of growing up and feels we are seeing a more mature Rooney this season. Who am I to argue with that? United were robbed of Rooney at Stamford Bridge last season and were robbed of his influence as he got too distracted by incidents in games. I think having Ronaldo in such fine form has made Rooney better. He is part of a team that continues to push their limits and he is relishing the positive approach of Ronaldo Scholes, Carrick and Giggs in particular. Quite simply, I reckon he is having fun. It shows in his body language, his movement and his goals.

While we all marvelled at the art that was Paul Scholes’ chip against AC Milan, only one person reacted differently, only one person anticipated it, collected it and gave that pass the finish it deserved. And if you watch the end of the clip you will see him go back to the centre circle and you will see what it means to him and you will also see him call to his team mates to make it their night - something David Beckham used to do time and time again at Old Trafford. Then, after great work from Giggs, Rooney took it upon himself to win the game for United. Look at the burst of pace and the movement to get in behind his marker and look at that finish.

Rooney is obviously special but now right now he is lethal too. I have a feeling he can't wait for the games. And next up for Rooney is a trip to Everton…

ROY KEANE: A PREMIERSHIP MANAGER

For those of you that have been keeping an eye on the race to the Premiership or been reading any well written newspapers recently, you too will no doubt be thinking about...

ROY KEANE: A PREMIERSHIP MANAGER

When any new manager enters the Premiership, you can’t help but rank them against those there already. When Watford went up Boothroyd was billed as one England’s most promising young managers. In truth, he ultimately proved to be entertaining but limited. Yes he didn’t have the resources available to him in comparison to others but you only have to look at Reading to question whether that is really a mitigating factor or not. He has some promise but he is more of a character than a serious candidate for a bigger job in the future. He certainly provided good copy but now faces a real test next season, when he will be expected to repeat the success of before.
With Watford came Sheffield United and Reading. Both managers have a great deal of experience and have tasted the ‘big time’ before. Neil Warnock ensures his team give as good as they get and are always a difficult team to beat, particularly at Bramall Lane. Steve Coppell is an experienced manager who has already made Reading look at home in the Premiership, rather like Curbishley did with Charlton for so many seasons. However, neither Coppell nor Warnock have the aura of Keane. So where will Keane rank?

You have to say that Fergie, Mourinho, Benitez and Wenger are at the top of the order. Then I would argue you have Mark Hughes, David Moyes, Martin O’Neil and Sam Allardyce. Moyes doesn’t enjoy the best of win averages at Everton (38.6%) but like Hughes has lifted Everton from being relegation contenders to European challengers, which when you consider the finances at their disposal is very impressive. Particularly Mark Hughes, when you think he got McCarthy for £2m and Ryan Nelson for free, showing a cuteness in the transfer market and perhaps demonstrating what such players think of him by signing. Both Hughes and Moyes have the gravitas that makes you wonder what they will go on to achieve later on in their careers.

Spurs fans will no doubt be crying out that Martin Jol should be further up my list than now but I have to say, he hasn’t progressed Spurs as much as he should and at times seems a little out of his depth tactically. Under Jol, Spurs have finished 9th, 5th and are currently 9th again this season. And despite being a big spender in the transfer windows over the last few seasons they have failed to sort out their defence and currently have a goal difference of minus 1, which is ridiculous when you consider they have the talent of Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Lennon. Yes Jol has taken Spurs to the semi final of the Carling Cup and the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup but these flirtations with success have really been just that. For me, Spurs all to often give the impression of a pig in make-up, flattering to deceive.

It is worth noting that Allardyce, Hughes and Jol all have a win average of just over 40%, Moyes just under and O’Neil’s at Villa is 28% (although at Celtic it was at an impressive 75%). You can read what you like in to such statistics and we can’t ignore the context, such as how long they have been at the club, how much money they have had to spend, the players they inherited etc. However, the bottom line is always about whether you win, lose or draw. Roy Keane’s win average is currently a very impressive 61.53%.

Worth noting that Benitez’s win average at Liverpool is 57.47%, Ferguson’s 57.63, Mourinho’s 69.59% and Wenger’s 52.2%

Okay Fergie has been at Old Trafford for 20 years now, Wenger 10 years at Arsenal, Benitez 3 years at Liverpool and Mourinho nearly 3 years at Chelsea. But do you really doubt Keane’s will ever be anything else than impressive? I don’t. And when you compare him to Roeder, Sanchez, Pardew, Curbishley, Southgate, Jewell and Pearce well as the character English Bob once said, it is a bit like comparing a King to a President…
“If you were to try to assassinate a king, sir, the…how shall I say it? The aura of royalty would cause you to miss. But the president…I mean, why not shoot the president?”

Why the quote. Well if you haven’t worked it out for yourselves, consider this. Roy Keane – the manager of Sunderland further enhances his reputation and CV with a decent opening season in the Premiership and you are the owners of a Premiership club such as Man City, Middlesbrough or Newcastle etc and were to compare Roy Keane to your manager, well I think you may view your incumbent manager rather like a President…

Sette punti a cielo

Was it just me, or, did you pinch yourself this morning too? Part of me still finds the score line from last night’s game difficult to comprehend. After all, aren’t English teams supposed to huff and puff their way to a result against the technically superior teams from the continent? Aren’t English clubs generally meant to live up to the reputation for falling short in Europe? Even in the wonder that was 1999, Manchester United arguably stole the trophy right at the death in that oh so memorable final. They did not dictate the game against Bayern and cannot claim to have outclassed their opponents in the manner that took place last night.

Lets get this straight, Roma were serious opponents and having already knocked out the formidable Lyon no doubt fancied themselves to win last night. They started the game at Old Trafford with intent in the first 10 minutes, taking shots and building play in a way that for a brief moment suggested United would find the night difficult. In Totti and De Rossi they have two players of the highest quality in key positions. We knew from the start these two would prove a handful for our changed midfield and defence. Without Scholes and without Vidic could Fletcher and Brown cope? And what of the decision to start Alan Smith and use Rooney out left? Could O’Shea cope with the trickery of Mancini? Could Carrick control things without Scholes? Would Ronaldo be shackled by good old Italian defending?

Well all doubt, all concern and all caution was cast aside last night in a way that had all the hallmarks of a great performance. In Rooney, Ronaldo and Giggs United have a holy trinity worthy of praise from Best, Charlton and Law. In Carrick we have the closest thing I have seen to an English Riquelme and finally he was rewarded in the media for his role in the team. Even the Guardian gave him a 9/10 – my god, what a night it was!

And the man the Stretford End normally refers to as the ‘Scottish’ player (a jocular take on saying his true name, like that “Scottish” play) revelled in the responsibility placed on him. For me it was his best game since the FA Cup final against Millwall and is a sign of what we can get from him when used in central midfield. He will hopefully now been taken more seriously as a dependable and useful squad player.

Wes Brown was composed and strong when called upon, getting turned once or twice early on but threw himself in front of shots and was strong in the tackle against Totti. And then there was Alan Smith….

Now, I have been critical of Alan Smith in the past and still feel there are better strikers out there. However, I have to hold my hand up and say that last night Alan Smith was fantastic. He was so every inch the player that helped Leeds get to the semi-finals of the Champions League. His physical presence and ability to link play was top drawer. Rooney, Carrick, Giggs and Ronaldo didn’t think twice about passing to him. His speed is there now and as a result he looked every part a trusted player in the team. His performance and finish was vintage Hughes. More must follow but I am beginning to rethink my logic about selling him in the summer.

Finally, I would like to pay homage to Sir Alex Ferguson and to Carlos Queiroz for having the strength of mind and tenacity to push through the changes in recent times – both in terms of personnel and formations. For to score 7 goals in the Champions League without seeing the name Van Nistelrooy flash up on the screen is nothing short of incredible. And to see Manchester United set up as 4-2-3-1 in the QF of the Champions League and be that fluent and ruthless in attack just goes to show Fergie was spot on when he said, “tactics don’t win games, men do”.

Whatever happens now, this season has already surpassed expectations – not just because of results but also because of the football on display. Last night was breathtaking, bold and beautiful – it was vintage Manchester United.