Written by Mark Payne
What we have seen at Old Trafford this year, and all around the world, was not really the United we have come to know and love. With the exception of Macheda’s goals I can think of very few moments from the past season when I sat on my chair and thought “this is United, this is why I follow”.
We had the look of a dogged team, there were a few flashes of extravagance, mainly from Ronaldo, but nowhere near enough bravado to stand comparison to the heroes of yesteryear. I felt at times this United team was a can of spam compared to the Sunday roasts we have been raised on. It is churlish to complain of course when you are winning trophies, but something is missing.
In particular with the Carling Cup and the Club World Cup, it was almost as if we were collecting them rather than winning them. The spending in recent seasons has put our squad out of sight of even Chelsea in the quest to challenge for honours but there is something amiss in team spirit.
It is a United tradition, stretcing way back to the days of Billy Meredith, to have at the core of the side a maverick. A divinely gifted player who riles the opposition, outclasses them and has a bond with the supporters borne of having a “roll-your-sleeves-up” attitude and a touch of arrogance.
Although not arrogant in any way, Robson’s sleeves were so far rolled up they met in the middle and the guy would have died for the shirt. Cantona and latterly Keane were heirs to Meredith’s tralblazing. During the sixties Denis Law’s attitude to authority made Marlon Brando look like a convent nun.
Where is that player now? We have the supremely gifted Ronaldo, but he seems to wind us up as much as the opposition, although he always, always wins me over with his football. Rooney is the closest I suppose but the x-factor is not quite there. Tevez’s dispute with the club breaks my heart as he could be the true talisman of the team.
What is without question is that we currently lack a character, somebody mildly psychotic, to fire them up in the heat of battle. We were slaughtered in Rome, absolutely murdered and I couldn’t see anywhere on the park where it was going to turn around. How I longed to see Norman Whiteside trot on, a la Anfield 88, and start making things even.
He is not there, in fact, there are no Big Norms at the moment. The problem, I think, is because we are getting the players so young now they are indoctrinated into the United mythology before maverick tendencies can develop.
I would suggest we missed a trick here. If Ballack had come he would have been a hero for us, nobody really likes him but he is brilliant- a perfect fit for United, shame he didn’t. Looking around world football I cannot see that attitude too obviously anywhere. It is that attitude that I crave to see again on the pitch. For all of the merits of the current heroes, there is something slightly lacking in charisma.
Nonetheless, our shortcomings are far less yawning than those of our rivals and major surgery is not required over the summer months. I do, however, expect changes we may not see coming. Ronaldo, Tevez and Ribery will occupy most of the column inches over the next 10 weeks but be ready for something you don’t expect. The one maverick we definitely do still have is the manager, and he still has a few tricks left up his sleeve.
