March 2009

[El Gordo]

Indeed, a gracious step backwards, well done. I wish I could do that sometimes.

I think the Liverpool defeat, far from being a precursor to a collapse, will be just the jolt that ManU need. They perhaps had started to believe the hype, and allowed a little complacency to creep in. That result will get them back on track. The Prem title is a nailed-on cert for me, though I don't see how it's possible for anyone to declare confidence in the cups. Depends on the draw in the CL, and who knows what might happen in one-off games against Everton and (Arsenal or Chelsea) in the FA Cup? There are 7 games to be won to take both those trophies, and every one of those games will be hard. The probability is that it won't happen, though it's still eminently possible.

My only gripe about the 5-trophy thing is this World Club champion nonsense. Hang on, wasn't that just a TV exhibition match against some South American side that no one had heard of? (Can't even recall the country they came from.) Surely the idea of that casual Sunday morning kickabout in Japan or wherever was to sell replica shirts and TV subscriptions in Asia? Now suddenly we're supposed to regard it as the pinnacle of some exhausting global cup competition. Bah!

I would also love to see Arsenal win the CL. I used to hate Arsenal. Crikey, I even remember the days when they were genuine rivals to QPR. I spent many a Saturday afternoon at Highbury in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, seeing them pitched against the Hoops, bored to tears. But the Wenger regime has made me a fan. Despite his much-mentioned Specsavers problem, I love the statesmanlike, cerebral approach he brings to the game, and the astonishingly beautiful patterns woven by his teams. I suspect these things, as much as a lump of phlegm -- real or illusory -- is what got up Phil Brown's nose. As it were.

But best not reopen that one again. Arsenal, ManU, Liverpool -- I'd be happy to see any of them lift the Big Cup. Just not Chelsea, please.

Please.