So Manchester United have all but wrapped up title number 19; our record is 1 point away from lying in tatters and we’re mere weeks away from a Champions League final which, if won by United, will signal the beginning of a summer during which there will be no end to the bleating; the headlines about Liverpool officially having been knocked off their apparent perch (the perch which, let’s be honest, Ferguson put us on himself) and the documentaries charting ‘how it was won’.
It’ll certainly be a tedious and slightly painful summer but I think we should look for the one big positive we can take from this record being broken: history no longer hangs around the clubs neck like a 20-ton weight, crippling each and every assembled playing squad, with ex-players; multiple title-winners and 2 and 3 time European Champions berating the players every time they dare to have a bad game or for not having the title wrapped up by the end of December every year. It may, in fact, be a godsend.
With a bad season behind us and a series of positive performances helping us see out the season on a high-note, we have the chance to regroup in the summer like never before. New signings will no longer be coming to the most successful league club in the country, we’ll be the second and with that, comes a different type of expectancy and a different challenge; next season, the aim should be to knock Ferguson and United off their bloody perches!
As the weekend drew to a close and Liverpool moved toward their 36th League match of the season, we’re still clueless as to who will be leading the club into the new season. There have been any number of reasons given for why it hasn’t been made official yet and there have been countless other leading managers linked with the club, from Jose Mourinho to his ‘protégé’ Andre Villa-Boas but at the moment, nothing could keep the club on cloud 9 quite like the announcement that Kenny Dalglish has been given the job on a permanent basis. From taking over the club in freefall to guiding us up to 5th (with the slightest possibility of 4th) in the league, ahead of Tottenham, with a string of memorable wins and great performances to remember the last 5 months by.
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i dont see the maxi bashers around these days…players like lucas, spearing, kuyt and maxi have proved their critics wrong this season..
agree. it must be down to posative coaching dirk,lucas and miereles look like different players. maxi has really taken his chance i believe hes done enough to stay with us next year. im not worried about the kenny situation as his position gets stronger with every game and the kids have been great. stevie g looked pretty excited last nite on tv and i think if any players know whats in the kity it would be him. roll on the summer
agree….MAXI has proven me wrong. before he was given a chance to play i put on him on the list of dead wood to be sold in the summer.HE HAS turned around and did a wonderful job. i say he should stay.Joe cole is yet to impress i would sell him if i was kenny, he does not seem to have a natuaral position. hopefully we wont sell aquilami…i see potential in him. we need a strong distributor and a winger for the next season… charlie n ashley will add to “the versatile one” SUAREZ….. now the glory days will be back!!
Nope, I’m still a Maxi basher and I WILL use that totally valid line that a handful of good games don’t make up for the crap that he’s consistently been serving up for two years. I think you’ll also find plenty of ppl aside from myself offering their own interpration of how to improve the squad without breaking the bank all over the net…
I’ll admit that Spearing has outperformed my expectations, but Maxi (and even Kuyt too if I had my way)? Too little, too late.
Btw, I for one have never said that I expect the team to be full of world class players. I did say that I expect the regular starters on big money to justify their standing more often than not though, and that the squad/fringe players should be youngsters with the potential to improve over time. Spearing & Lucas fit that bill, Maxi & Kuyt do not…