The Manchester United team that contained both Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona is, for me, the defining side of this club. It had a mix of grit and flair, youth and experience; it also had a fair mount of character. Mark Hughes, the player, remains one of my all time favourites and, despite his terrible alignment with Manchester City a few years ago, I am still a huge fan.
Hughesie himself was no admirer of the officialdom at Old Trafford at the weekend. The referee was alarmingly quick to reach for the red card but it was the linesman’s decision that really buried QPR. Ashley Young was fouled after all. The whole thing felt like watching a traffic accident, it happened so fast. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a bad refereeing decision that scored for Arsenal in London, and it wasn't poor officiating that has made City collapse over the last four weeks.
But it is still too early to celebrate, and United will still make us suffer. Recently, Aston Villa got a decent result against us for the first time in aeons, Wigan Athletic’s time will come. Obviously I hope it is not this week, but our run of form against the local side cannot go on forever.
Besides, if you care to glance at the league table over in Spain this morning, you will see compelling evidence that points advantages can be clawed back. Real Madrid will be genuinely feeling the heat right now. A few weeks ago the scribes were talking as if the title were already won, just as they are now in England. Things can become precarious awfully quickly.
It is inherently risky for people in the ‘all time great’ category to come out of retirement, but Paul Scholes has broken the mould again. A great deal will written about how the maestro has turned our fortunes around and there are some telling statistics that tell the story. United now have the highest passing completion rate in the division. Before he returned we were sixth. On Sunday, he ran the game. In truth, he has run the last few for us.
The Easter connection between chocolate eggs, rabbits and Jesus is lost on me, I just don’t understand. From a young age, the Easter holiday was all about cramming football fixtures together for me. The clubs used to play on Good Friday and again on Easter Sunday, I am not sure why that tradition has stopped. United being eight points clear at Easter however, is a tradition I am happy to embrace.
Follow Mark on twitter.com/markjpayne
Comments
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Posted by felix on 04/09/2012
man utd aahh alwayz real.
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Posted by ken on 04/09/2012
Mark let's not make excuses here. Young is a talented footballer but he needs to cut out that diving stuff. I hated it when Ronaldo used to do it and I hate it now. Felt a bit empty winning yesterday, because we could have done it comfortably still, without Young's theatrics.
That said, the officials really need to get their act together. The linesman could have saved us all this hullabaloo if he'd flagged.
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Posted by FireRed95 on 04/09/2012
United got the 3 point while city dont do so. We have to continue to make sure the title may wrap up before the Manchester Derby to prevent some 'miracle' to happen. As for city, as i said before, they have crumbled. Ballotelli 4 red cards in two season, only cattermole has more than him. And rumuor that ballotelli could be out of Mc, well not a thing to be concern of. Wigan up next, Up come Aston Villa and Everton before the Manchester Derby. If we can win these 3 matches, where city only get 1 points in their two fixtures(Vs West Brom, Vs Norwich), then we will be confrim of winning the Premier League before the titantic match. Let hope the match against Wigan can be the decisive one for us. For City, the match against West Brom, Mc obviously are the favourite, but remember Sunderland draw them 3-3.I really dont think Mc can win easily. The match might end up 1-1. Whatever, glory glory Man United, race for the 20th Title.
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Posted by timmy red devil on 04/09/2012
As a football fan I was very dissapointed in ashley young.against blackburn he played so well then he go nd dive the next match!we definately deserved the win but 2 get it in that manner was really appauling.anyway 3 points in the bag nd 8 points clear hopefully wigan wil b another sculp nd with scholes in top form I don't think we will have 2 worry about city any more!!!!!just one last point its good 2 c kenny dalglish falling from grace if he can stay on @ anfield we will soon c liverpool fighting relegation glory glory man united!
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Posted by Ife duyile on 04/09/2012
Hi Mark,
All's well that ends well!. We got d 3 points we needed and d 8 points gap we craved, an absolutely fantastic weekend for us.However, I prefer a clean win, bereft of unnecessary controversies that tend to trail our home games. Twas a shocking official decision even for me as a United fan, talkess of d neutrals and rival fans.I believe we would have still won d game without that blot.
Knowing United, I still expect some slippery spot where points will be dropped, I just keep hoping it doesn't occur in each next game. The 8 point cushion however lends a measure of ease. It's obviously not yet over, still have 6 games left. Still have to take each as a cup final.
Kudos to Scholes , he's surpassed my expectation,churning out a performance that supercedes those of the previous years, and that makes a joke of his age.
Glory glory Man United.
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Posted by Steve_86 on 04/09/2012
Young was definitely offside but it wasn't a dive. Ashley Young is a willowy lad. Derry's much bigger , just look at the difference in the size of their forearms. Not much of a shove? Why don't you detractors try taking one to your ribs while running?
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Posted by Aegean1985 on 04/09/2012
Quite astonishing. Last season ended with Utd beating Chelsea 80 to 71 points.
This season, there are 6 games left and it's mathematically not over.
SAF really is a master of the domestic league. He just knows how to up the ante regardless of the opponent.
GGMU
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Posted by Mike on 04/09/2012
ha ha, Steve_86, give me a break, watch the spring in his jump like he was about to do a handspring. The defender didn't do himself any favors by raising his hands like "no way! I didn't foul!" like someone who got caught w/ their hand in the cookie jar, I'm always amused when people do that.
These young kids picked it up somewhere, Ashley Young, Gareth Bale, Adam Johnson are all dive machines and all wingers, it must be in the job description..?
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Posted by Urmstonian on 04/09/2012
It's a funny thing, this diving debate. Is a dive the same thing as an overreaction? Yes of course it was a really bad decision for the linesman to miss the offside, but Young was fouled, actually. He could probably have stayed on his feet, so he was dishonest in going down, but a foul is a foul even when the fouled player overreacts. And it doesn't take much to knock a striker off balance in the split second between him passing the last defender and pulling the trigger, but that little pull on the shirt or that tiny push can make the difference between back of the net and Row Z. Is a striker really going to go down and get a penalty (and the Roonster misses quite a few) when he knows he could score? And, incidentally, Mr S P R K Hughes has form for overreacting when wearing the immortal red shirt. 19th March 1991, away to Montpellier in the Cup Winners Cup for any other middle-aged old saddos out there. But basically I agree with the majority. We're Man United, we don't dive.
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Posted by Aaron Mark Hendrix on 04/10/2012
I didnt think that I'd be commenting here with 6 games left and a 8 point lead after we got smashed 1 - 6 at home,but I never believed Citeh would win the league either.It has well and truly arrived for them I guess, all at the wrong time.Injuries,decisions going & not going your way,suspensions etc all come your way somewhere along the season,but as cliche as it sounds,good teams make their own luck.I aint got time to comment on the "dive' etc,we'll never get it sorted anyway,and there's no doubt in my mind,that if we win the league,it cant be due to one "dive","false"penalty given,bad refereeing decision etc.Strangely though,I feel this is the "worst" United team in recent memory,so that makes it all the more enjoyable and glorious.Just goes to show that while we rely on talented individuals(and their performances)as would any other team,the difference,unlike most teams,is that no one is bigger than the club,and that our team spirit is excellent.6 games till we lift the 20th then..
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Posted by Aaron Mark Hendrix on 04/10/2012
So how'd we do it?In my opinion,here are the factors that have propelled us back to the summit of the league.It's in no particular order,as I dont feel there has been one sole factor that has helped us,rather , a cumulative of many.Citeh imploding has certainly helped.I always knew it'd happen to be honest,But to see it unfold by the week really made me surprised.I'd even say that if our gaffer was their's,they'd be home and dry by now.What they lack is someone who would command not only respect,but who would have an iron grip on the squad.Mancini has also tactically been found wanting in a couple of games.So yeah,Citeh have handed it to us,as much as I'd like to say we climbed the steps ourselves.We've also had the benefit of decisions going our way,though,I'm not sure that we didnt have some NOT go our way,but the point here is we've been lucky,but as I always say,we always make our own luck.It's NOT like we cheated to win every other game like some people would have us believe..
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Posted by Aaron Mark Hendrix on 04/10/2012
Then we have the Old Guard,literally speaking some might say.Guys like Giggs and Scholes wont be around for long,but they've certainly been around long enough.Say what You want,but there's no doubt that both have provided stability,wisdom,experience and also MOTM performances this season.Carrow Road was witness to the evidence that Ryan Giggs has been tearing you apart since 1991 and that Paul Scholes still scores goals.And what a goal it was too,the rifled shot low beyond Paddy Kenny who up till then had made it seem still "to play for' for Rangers.We'll never find guys like them,but by golly I hope they never retire.And of coz,the Gaffer can not be ommited.He makes mistakes,like anyone else would,but I'm amazed at how he manages to churn out performaces from individuals with the same spirit,hunger and desire of before.If there ever is anyone who might bring doubt to the validity of the "No one is bigger than the club" line,then the Gaffer certainly is the outstanding candidate..
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Posted by Aaron Mark Hendrix on 04/10/2012
Personally I cant decide,but I'm leaning towards someone doing us a favour and we winning our next three games so that Citeh willhave to give us the Guard of Honour when we arrive for the derby at the end on the month.But I'd even take us both winning our next 3 games and then we not losing at Citeh to seal the deal at their home ground.That'd be sweet too to be celebrating amongst all those fans who thought money would make them Champions overnight.We've always had money and bought big names too no doubt,But a lot of the money we earned by winning throphies I believe.We never had no one walk in, throw a blank cheque book and say 'have your pick son, it's all on me'.But I do wonder sometimes who we'd buy if we had that kind of money,but I know,without a shadow of a doubt,that even without that,we're still capable of giving the rest a good fight,and now and then winning league titles.Here's to a great end of the season to us all,number 20 and maybe being presented the trophy at Citeh..
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Posted by aussiered on 04/10/2012
In a couple of weeks, this will be forgotten,in much the same way the control that this particular side has had in recent games. Without playing well they have operated effectively as a unit and maybe why the current team has been judged as being poor is because there has not been a Eric, Ronnie or Becks who will entertain the masses. The next three games delivers 9 points, and then the wastelands game will be a party.
Believe in United.
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Posted by Matt on 04/11/2012
are you kidding me..? your honestly saying that Young didn't dive? he should have stacked it during the handshakes if that's the type of balance this fool has got. Let me get this straight.. in an offside position, as much contact as a light breeze.. a whistle before Young has even thrown his cheating hands up in the air.. an EIGHTH penalty for Manchester United this season. just to put that into context - Chelsea and Spurs have had 3, Newcastle 2, Liverpool and Arsenal 1. United had had 1 red card for and 6 against. These are facts.. United are as shoddy as a Balinese rolex.
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Posted by Kop Go Cry on 04/11/2012
You can moan, whine, grumble, debate (whatever term you're calling it) all season long, but unless you're God, it won't change the fact that we are 8 points clear and City & Liverpool share the title "Garbage".. that is fact and fact is hard to be grasped by fools..
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Posted by Sooky Sooky La La on 04/11/2012
Matt that is so funny... Ask yourself a very simple qtn ... Who is more likely to get burnt in a fire... A fireman... Or a bank teller.... Or perhaps ask yourself who is more likely to go to hurt their back..a golfer or a desk jockey?
The reason united get more penalties is simple ....even if your math is actually incorrect.. We spend more time in the opponents box than other teams.. And that my son... Is a fact...if you are in the box more often you will win more penalties... Quite simply... Look at the for and againsts for the top two teams compared to others, the reason so few penalties against is you simply don't get in our box.. Hence why rio went the entire last season with 1 yellow card..stop whinging and get faster and better players that can get into those positions at pace... Mind you it was not a penalty
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Posted by Gawaya Tegulle on 04/11/2012
Hi Mark,
I think Steve_86 has the right analysis about what actually happened with Ashley Young. Very offside yes, but certainly fouled. When a player is in full flow, it doesn't take earth moving equipment to bring him down. The slightest touch in the right area will bring an elephant down in such circumstances. That however, like you rightly say, should not stop Man City, Liverpool or Arsenal from winning their games...and minding their own business.
The 2010 premiership was one by a Drogba offside goal at Old Trafford!!! Does anybody remember that? Chelsea overtook us then and won the title. Mourinho and Porto won at Old Trafford after Scholes' perfectly legit goal was ruled out for offside!! The so-called 'special one' was helped to the champion's league trophy by a refereeing decision. Instead of whining, the others should win their games. Give us a break!!
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Posted by Gawaya Tegulle on 04/11/2012
Mark,
off the ball, just curious. There are some two or so Indian gentlemen who are an eternal presence at Manchester United games. They wear Singh-style headbands, and they are always near Sir Alex. Many folks around here (Uganda) have also noticed these guys and remarked about their regularity. Who are they?
Mark response:
Do you expect me to know all 80,000?
I haven't met them but assume that they're local fans if they show up regularly.
Keep the red flag flying high!
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Posted by kola on 04/11/2012
well everybody with there own opinon we could recall dezko penalty against sunderland wasnt a penalty,also ivanoic goal against wigan was pure offeside also the last goal thougth d ball hit the pole but mata was offside nobody say anything about that.but when it comes to manchester united that is when people start talking is it a crime to be winning trophy every season?let people stop envying man united is a great club no doubt about that
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Posted by maxitaxi on 04/13/2012
Hi Mark
I feel a conspiracy coming on! Although our performance against Wigan was woeful and they deserved their win, I just want to ask if you feel the FA really don’t want United to win the league again.
To watch Balotelli's disgraceful performance on Sunday and the FA only ban him for three matches, which nicely makes him available for the derby.
Then Mancini, who's as sincere as a soggy chip, swears blind he will not play him again this season, now where have we heard that before, seconds later says he will play in the derby.
How the FA decides that career ending challenge on Song was noticed by an official so they cannot extend the ban is absurd. If an official noticed it, then why was the referee not notified?
This smacks of that idiot Bernstein who mixes with the faceless top bods of the FA and a once City chairman, when they refused to shorten Rooney’s ban so he couldn't play against City in the FA Cup.
Come on Reds, win this one for the decent ones among us.
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Posted by cas cas on 04/13/2012
Come you reds we are almost there so do not drop the ball just before the finishing line. We believe in you always so not disapoint where it matters most.
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Posted by Gawaya Tegulle on 04/14/2012
"But it is still too early to celebrate, and United will still make us suffer. Recently, Aston Villa got a decent result against us for the first time in aeons, Wigan Athletic’s time will come. Obviously I hope it is not this week, but our run of form against the local side cannot go on forever."
See what you did to us Mark???!!!! Well, certainly not your fault, but I has a sneaky suspicion you were going to be proved right when we took on Wigan.
Haven't eaten food since then.
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Posted by cas cas on 04/15/2012
Well done guys that was a well deserved victory over villa and i must say the players really wanted this one more than ever. Can you imagine if we were playing like this at least every week throughout the whole season....who knows maybe we would be still in champions league. Good game and good result. Scholesy the evergreen player,what a perfomance. Thank you so much now i can finish my beer.,. Cheers.
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Posted by Mike Collier on 04/16/2012
This is my question. Why does Wellbeck get so many starts. He consistantly fails under the pressure in front of the goal and you have two other strikers in Berbatov and Chicharito who perform when called upon. How much further in the lead could we be with that trio of strikers minus welbeck leading the way? Nothing against the kid but maybe a sizable loan fee and some growing up time on someone else's payroll for a couple of years and use the available talent!
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Posted by Kaori on 07/24/2012
I would agree with your thoughts on the ManU/Arse game. Very bnirog and Arsenal never sent more than 2 men into the box on runs which very effectively proved to be inadequate. Biggest issue I saw was with Fletcher, the jackwad should have been sent off for running after Webb and then pushing him. Chelsea played with some heart and fire in the 2nd half finally. We might have found a lineup that works and maybe, just maybe someone has lit the fire. The old comment, I don't know but I think is redundant, sorry Russell. At least we have talent on our team. As for Bale, outstanding player but I did'nt see fear from our backline, in fact he was neutralized quite effectively I thought.Man City, honestly the best they have looked all year. They finally played as a team. They were so much better without the troglodyte in the lineup. Balotelli is the possibly the best young player I have seen in such a long time, but he is the biggest immature and classless player that needs an attitude adjustment. He is never going to reach his potential if he doesn't grow up quickly. Finally Liverpool, again I do not know why you rag on Hodgson. He has done nothing but make your team better and improve them with the shite for a roster he was left with. Rafa is one of the worst coaches I have seen and with the kool aide that has been drunk so heavily with all the scousers, I would think this will be another Waco or Jim Jones incident. One day we will all awake to see all the scousers lying dead from suicide sitting neatly upright packed into Anfield. .. God what a glorious sight that would be!
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Mark Payne writes about football for a variety of media outlets. He reported on the 2010 World Cup for Australia’s ABC network and worked at one of the FIFA fan sites. He has been ESPN’s Manchester United correspondent for four years. His writing attracts a worldwide following and in 2011 this blog was nominated for an award. To contact Mark for football discussion e-mail him on markpayne.editor@hotmail.com at any time. He wears lucky socks on match days.
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