It brought back memories Manchester United 2 Chelsea 1 Premier League Saturday 18th January 2003
It was one of those Sheffield Wednesday type performances. You remember - back in �93 when Brucie scored in the six hundred and fifty first minute of injury time to keep United in the title hunt. Another such game, or so I heard, was the one against Sunderland on New Year�s Day. We were all over in the US at the time and I had phoned my Dad to wish them a Happy New Year. It was early morning where we were and we were about to set off 200 or so miles further south. My Dad told me that there were 10 minutes to go and United were a goal down. I had thought he meant 10 minutes before half-time and suggested we�d be fine. He obviously thought I was just the same old over confident bastard and audibly shrugged his shoulders as another chance was spectacularly saved. About three and a half hours later we reached our destination and the phone rang. It was my Dad who had found it difficult waiting to give us the news of an injury time victory, and confirmation of my reasons for being ever optimistic. So, this was my first game back after a mid season break in the (mainly) sunshine. My first game for a month and an early kick-off. And, as I have said before I don�t mind these because travelling is so much easier. So much easier in fact that you may wonder why we chose to leave later for a 3 o�clock kick-off. I�ll have to think about that one! I picked up big Rich at 9am and we were parked in Salford Quays before 11 just in time for the pubs to open! And we were in the nearest one drinking a pint of Boddies within minutes. Then a leisurely stroll down to the ground to meet up with Steve. It�s a funny thing about Chelsea, but I have never been able to stand them - or their fans. �60,000 mappets� they kept singing, but look to yourselves you sad bastards and come to terms with the fact that it�s you who are the muppets. It surprised me when I took Eliza to her first game against Chelsea. She was very young and hadn�t been going for very long and suddenly she comes out with, �I hate this lot�. I was shocked. How did she come to hate them when surely she had never seen them before? Had I genetically transferred hate genes, and if so, who else did she hate. Apparently Liverpool and Leeds were the prime hate subjects. So it was true - hate genes can be passed on to children! It largely felt good to be back. When United are in your blood, Old Trafford is always going to be your second home. But it also felt slightly weird and the first half didn�t help. It was dominated mostly by Chelsea. United�s passing was woeful and uninventive. Uninspiring stuff and not a surprise when Gudjohnsen scored with a neat flick over Barthez. Only after that did United play with any real conviction. It woke them up and suddenly it wasn�t just Keane and Phil Nev who were snarling in midfield - the others did too. A goal still looked highly unlikely. Well, highly unlikely until Cudicini kindly gifted the ball to Becks on the right wing. His cross was absolute perfection. From where we sit we could plainly see the arc of the ball as it made it�s way over everyone and landed exquisitely on Scholesy's bonce, who headed past the keeper at his near post. Chelsea, and their nauseating following, were stunned. It was Scholesy's fifth successive scoring game. Not a great first half, but United were out of jail. The defence had looked vulnerable and the midfield congested. The Lawman appeared on the pitch at half-time to a resounding ovation. Sometimes you wonder with there being so many new fans at the grounds these days whether any of them know who these legends are, but at least some of them stand the test of time. And one of them is thankfully Denis Law, one of the greatest players ever to pull on the red shirt. I had the pleasure of meeting the original King a couple of years ago at an evening in memory of Dennis Viollet and was delighted when the man lived up to every expectation I ever had of a hero. I went below to pay my customary visit and stood in line behind a lad who had already been to the bar and was supping his pint while pointing at the pissoire. A juggling act of acrobatic proportions! Back up top just as they kicked off, Giggs had come on for Phil Nev. Unfortunate for Nev as I thought he had had a decent first half apart from allowing Petit to pick his pocket which lead to the Chelsea goal. But United were crying out for more width. Giggs did well and was given the sort of encouragement you would expect. There were no jeers - only cheers. The game had picked up and so had the atmosphere, and for the first 20 minutes United were almost camped at the Stretford End. Things looked far more promising and even Chelsea�s introduction of Enrique Inglesias, or Julio Inglesias, or Enrique de Lucas, or J Lo, or whoever it was didn�t alter anything apart from the singing. United poured (not pawed) all over the rent boys. The passes were hitting the targets and the shots too.Cudicini made more than one superb save. Ole beat Desailly and hit the post. And Ruud and Scholesy went close. With 20 minutes to go Diego came on for Ruud. Many have expressed surprise, but it wasn�t to me. Ruud had just had his best effort miraculously saved by Cudicini, but wasn�t quite firing. Diego brought new life as Giggs had done before. Chelsea had visibly retreated, obviously settling for the draw. United wanted only one thing - the win. Not that chances didn�t come their way. Lampard should have reached a header, and probably would have scored if he had. And Zola missed an absolute sitter. He seemed more surprised than anyone when Zenden�s pass found him in acres of space with only Barthez barring his way to victory and completely fluffed the opportunity. The fact it was right in front of where we sit made it worse. Or, on the other hand, better - after he�d missed! With five minutes to go Veron came on. Silvestre was the man to give way. It hadn�t been one of his better games. United took the option of a 3 man defence with Giggs and Becks as wing backs. Chris said, �He may not even get to touch the ball in five minutes.� True enough, but he may only have to touch it once to make the telling pass I thought. A couple of minutes later Chris got up to leave. �I hope you miss a goal� I said. �I hope I miss one too� he replied and made his way down the gangway. When the game went into injury time and three minutes were announced it always brings back memories of that day on 26th of May. The Stretford End half of the pitch was jammed. Only Barthez remained at our end. United continued to pile forward and with seconds left the whole place literally erupted. All we saw was that the ball flew into the top of the Stretford net. We only knew it was Diego when he tore off his shirt! The celebrations were as they had been back in �93. And there was plenty of space to celebrate in because so many had already left. How they can leave when they know what United are capable of in those last few minutes is completely beyond me. But, they have always been the losers as those are the defining moments. If anyone ever questions the validity of making the effort to actually watch a game live, those moments are all you have to point to. They are moments of absolute bliss. The irony was that it had been Veron who made the telling pass threading the ball through an almost impossible gap. Who would dare to criticise him now? And - oh those rent boys don�t like it up �em - or do they?!! There will never be a better time to score the winner than in the last seconds. There is nothing to compare to it. You only have to remember last year�s defeat and the half empty ground at the end of the game to understand how much this victory meant. And the whole team celebrated together. Even Barthez ran the length of the pitch to join in. At the final whistle the ground was still rocking. No-one else left until the team had disappeared down the tunnel. Under the stands the singing continued and out in the streets too. �Di-e-go oh oh oh oh, Di-e-go oh oh oh oh - he came from Uruguay and made the rent boys cry�. Diego is a cult figure. He�s not yet an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but if he continues in this vein he will be, but he�ll have to work out a way of getting his shirt back on without enlisting the help from the kit man! -- Copyright Paul Windridge 2003: http://www.Red11.org -- *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! 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