Author: Stretford_End

Wayne Rooney is now 4th in the all time Manchester United goalscoring charts following his brace against Everton in the 4-4 draw today. He is now behind Jack Rowley, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton respectfully. He overtook United legends George Best and Dennis Viollett. Rooney still has way to go to match the 249 goals notched up by Sir Bobby, however he could well catch Jack Rowley next season – who has 211 goals.

Below is a list of United’s top ten all time top goalscorers:

1. Bobby Charlton – 249
2. Denis Law – 237
3. Jack Rowley – 211
4. Wayne Rooney – 180
5. George Best – 179
6. Dennis Viollett – 179
7. Joe Spence – 168
8. Ryan Giggs – 163
9. Mark Hughes – 163
10. Paul Scholes – 153

Author: Stretford_End

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Manchester United legend and former captain Bryan Robson believes that his former side have the edge over neighbours Manchester City – and cited Sir Alex Ferguson’s zero-tolerance approach towards ill-disciplined players as the main reason between the two sides. Patrick Vieira spoke in the week about Paul Scholes and claimed that it was a ‘weakness’ on behalf of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United for the midfielder’s return to the first team – overlooking the return of Carlos Tevez, who Roberto Mancini vowed would never play for the club again. Is it this type of ill-discipline that could prove the difference in the title run in?

Robson was quoted as saying:

“The Tevez saga, stories of Balotelli’s nights outs, Ferguson doesn’t allow it to happen in his club. He does man-management really well. That could be the biggest difference. You look at certain managers and you wonder, would they have left Rooney out? Ferguson had millions of injuries for that game – he was fielding a depleted team – but he still decided to leave Wayne out. The boss has shown that it doesn’t matter how good you are, you are not going to get away with it.”

He brings up some very good points. Rooney was dropped on New Year’s Eve for the fixture against Blackburn Rovers, where United were beaten 3-2. It is easy to state that Sir Alex should have included Rooney within the squad for a fixture that might have been different had United’s top goalscorer been on the field, however the bigger picture (and not to mention history) shows that all the players of any club need to know who the boss is, otherwise there are no boundaries – something that Robson is claiming Mancini fails to do with Balotelli and Tevez.

Ferguson has spoken before about “The manager being the most important person at a football club”, a quote that some might construe as arrogance. However, he is 100% correct – if there isn’t a commanding leader, someone in charge to state what is acceptable and what isn’t, then ‘your club is dead’, to quote Ferguson. I have no idea what Mancini’s management style is close up with players, whereas Ferguson’s has been documented in many books and documentaries. We saw Carlos Tevez cup his ears in celebrating a goal against West Ham at the end of the 2008/09 season, apparently aimed at the directors – something that Sir Alex laughed off, as he probably knew what was coming in the summer.

So is Robson right? Does Mancini have to be tougher with his players? Do Manchester United have the edge due to the way that Sir Alex deals with unruly players? Your thoughts are, as always most welcome in the comments box.

Author: Stretford_End

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Franco Baresi once said of the legendary Diego Maradona “We had to be very well organised; put pressure on him, doubling up, tripling up even to limit his talents. Because if it was one-on-one, you’d lose.”. Now, I’m not comparing the brilliance of Antonio Valencia to the unquantifiable genius of the Argentinean World Cup winner – but in recent months, the surging Ecuadorian is a sorry sight for any retreating left back who simply can’t deal with the pace of United’s number 25. His signing in 2009 may have not be met with the same hysteria that greeted Ronaldo’s arrival at the Bernabeu, however his qualities have been there for all to see since signing from Wigan for £18million. Here we look at Valencia’s season so far and what he brings to United’s play.

Despite breaking his leg against Rangers early in his second full season at the club, Valencia went on to play a significant role in United’s nineteenth title triumph – dislodging the excellent Nani, on the right handside, towards the end of the campaign.

The Ecuadorian featured in his first European Cup final at Wembley, where United were soundly beaten 3-1 by the excellent Barcelona. Valencia had a poor game, however it was mainly down to Barcelona’s movement that pulled United players all out of position, rather than him simply ‘not being up for it’. Valencia is United’s leading assist maker in the Premier League with 11 in total, notching up another two against Wolves on Sunday.

Bricki put together an excellent post in the January of last year, that foresaw the impact Valencia would have in the title race, labelling the winger United’s “Ace in the pack”.

Comparison with Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis was one of my all time favourite players. He would roast opposing full backs through sheer pace as oppose to the trickery many reds were accustomed to in recent years through Ronaldo and Nani. Kanchelskis scored some amazing solo goals, with the goal in the 94 semi-final replay against Oldham at Maine Road as his stand out goal for me. Valencia will most often than not attempt to go on the outside of the left back, where as Nani will start out in a wide area and cut in side onto his other foot. Kanchelskis was the same as Valencia, bursting down the right hand side and delivering a cross to be headed home or getting to the byline to tap a low pass across the six yard box.

Despite his swift exit, I think many reds remember the Ukrainian’s stint at Old Trafford as being very successful indeed. His hattrick in the 5-0 drumming of Manchester City on cold November evening will always remain as our fondest memory, but he was a proper old school winger – much like Valencia. They both give United great width with blistering pace – two key components to launch a counter attack. Those early years in the 90s when Andrei was at the club were magical and he was a big part of it all the success, especially in the double winning season.

It was disappointing how it all ended in the summer of 1995, with some crazy stories branded around as to why he had to go. I assume that Hughes was always going to be surplus to requirements, with the purchase of Andy Cole the January previous and the emerging Paul Scholes – who at the time was more of a frontman than a midfield visionary that he later developed into. Paul Ince was excellent in the 94/95 season, but as we’ve found out from Fergie over the years – if someone believes they’re bigger than the club, then out they go. The lure of the lira from Internazionale was no doubt a very tempting factor to one of England’s better midfielders at the time – so it worked out well for both parties, with Roy Keane stepping out of the shadows of Robson (who left the season previous) and the self proclaimed ‘Guvnor’. Kanchelskis left for Goodison and then got injured against United, following a challenge with Lee Sharpe if I remember rightly, and never recaptured that magical form he found at Old Trafford.

Valencia could be even better
In football its very common for players to be ‘flavour of the month’. For instance, it was quite laughable to assume that United didn’t need Wesley Sneijder, you know World Cup finalist, European Cup winner and one of Europe’s finest playmakers – as we had a ready made youngster waiting to step up in Tom Cleverley – a ‘compliment’ that a youngster breaking through doesn’t need. There is a lot of fuss over Valencia of late based upon his excellent performances – however, I have always been a fan of the former Wigan man. Looking back at old blog posts, the 2010 League Cup final saw an excellent performance from Valencia, where I first compared him to the Ukrainian and touched upon his versatility.

In a number of matches, Sir Alex has deployed Valencia as a right back – with Nani playing in front of him. No doubt this is an attacking tactic when United are chasing a match, but it is credit to Valencia that is gets his head down and does exactly what the manager asks of him. First priority is to defend, but modern day full backs are required to get up and down so much more, especially with wingers drifting inside as Nani does (someone must provide the width). His pace and movement can also help to prevent opposing sides using their fullbacks as an attacking outlet. For example, Valencia didn’t give Cole a kick in the 2009/10 clash at Stamford Bridge, pressing him so far back Cole couldn’t get out of his half. Again, some players might not be up for the task of having to focus on ‘stopping someone else playing’ rather than playing yourself – but not Valencia, he plays for the team.

‘Unplayable’ is a strong word in football. It means your opponent doesn’t stand a chance. With Maradona’s technical, physical and mental strength – he was ‘unplayable’ for many years and as Baresi said, “you would lose in a one on one”. Valencia is obviously nowhere near the class of Argentina’s legendary number ten, however when he is up against a left back, any left back, I now fully expect him to leave him for dead on the outside. Valencia has been one of Ferguson’s most astute signings. Ridiculous comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo were left for people outside the club to mention, anyone that has seen Valencia play in the past two and a half years will know the quality the lad has.

Author: Stretford_End

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he would like to ‘move upstairs’ in two or three years time when his legendary reign as boss comes to an end. Ferguson revealed in a radio interview that he also had the chance to sign Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was playing for Shrewsbury back in 2006. Many believe that current Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will become the next United manager – but how would the Portuguese feel in having Sir Alex still at the club?

I’m not going to spout nonsense about the fact that many United managers saw Sir Matt Busby’s presence as a hindrance (considering I wasn’t there), however it has been well documented that the likes of Frank O’Farrell and Wilf McGuiness never entirely comfortable with Sir Matt remaining at the club following stepping down as United boss in the early 70s. Sir Alex never saw it as a hinderance and used to speak about visiting Sir Matt for a chat and advise.

If Sir Alex remains at the club in some capacity, will this be a hinderance to his successor? There is no doubt that Ferguson is aiming to leave United in a better state of affairs than Busby did when he stepped down in 1969, only to take over from Wilf Mcguinness in the 1970-71 season, but do you think that his presence will hinder the next manager (whoever he may be) or do you think he can aid the next Manchester United boss with his experience and knowledge?

For the record, Sir Alex Ferguson is – for me – the greatest manager that has ever graced this earth. He has evolved with the times, creating great side after great side and instilling belief in his players that anything is possible, most noticeably in the recent 3-3 draw with Chelsea, when United found themselves three goals down.

Rinus Michels may have set out to create a footballing philosophy that manipulated the space on a football field and set a blueprint that Barcelona still use today, but for me Sir Alex is a one off and there will not be another one like him. Having said that, when his time is up as manager – do you think he should leave all together or remain in an ambassadorial role at the club?

You can hear the interview tonight at 7pm on BBC Radio five live.

Author: Doron

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Despite being just 20 years old, Federico Macheda is being written off as a potential United footballer in many quarters. His loan move to QPR is widely considered to be a good move for him but has he played his last game in a United shirt?

In many ways, that goal has almost been a curse on Macheda. Andy Gray in commentary said, “a star is born” – in truth, his star has never shone quite as expected since then.

In his first season with the club he struck a good partnership with Danny Welbeck for the U18s. Danny’s a year older than Kiko who aged 16 scored 12 goals in 21 games, ending 2007/08 as the Academy’s top scorer. He even got a chance in the Reserves that year and managed to score two goals in his four appearances.

His second year at the club would become famous for goals in the first team against Villa and Sunderland but they came off the back of yet more impressive returns – 8 goals in 15 Academy games; he quickly outgrew the Academy and as a second year scholar, aged 17 he was fully fledged in the Reserves, making 19 appearances and scoring 11 goals. He ended the season as the Reserve’s top scorer; his tally included a hat-trick against Newcastle at St James’ Park. For his 21 goals across the various levels, he won the club’s young player of the year award.

His third season at the club kick-started not so much a spiral of decline but a slow down of his progression. Up until this point Kiko had excelled not because he was quick or strong (there were plenty of quicker and stronger players) but because he was a lethal instinctive striker. It may come as a surprise to many but his touch back then was superb and certainly not half as donkey-like as it is now! As with many young footballers though, Kiko started to get niggles related to his growth and 2009/10 was very stop-start; he never really had any rhythm or consistency – he only made 8 Reserve appearances but still scored four times.

The league cup and ‘easier’ Champions League games were a good chance for Kiko to get games but he rarely stood out. He was often played up front on his own – something that has never really suited him because he’s not the fastest nor the strongest. Macheda’s also odd in that instead of standing out in a weaker side, he just fades; his best performances tend to come when he’s surrounded by better players. This was seen when he got his fitness back towards the end of the 2009/10 season when cameo appearances off the bench were often game-changing. One in particular that stands out was the 3-1 win over Spurs – his link-up play was excellent and he assisted the final goal in the game. In general his ability on the ball is somewhat underrated; he’s a much cleverer player than he often lets on. Unfortunately rustiness has seen him lose that sharpness he most definitely once had.

It’s amazing to think that when Kiko shone on the 2010 summer tour to America he was still only 18. The biggest problem he faces is that expectations are sky high because of what he did against Villa. Once again he got minutes in the team in the first half of the 2010/11 season but they continued to come in weakened or rotated XIs where he’d have minimal service and then rush the one chance that would come his way.

There was something of an arrogance or swagger about Macheda. Maybe he felt he’d already ‘made it’ or believed he was better than he was – either way he needed regular minutes, ideally in the Premier League. They came in the form of a doomed loan spell to Sampdoria. He got regular playing time but often from the bench and only scored one goal in 16 appearances. His problem was that the coach who’d signed him was sacked soon after he joined and the new coach didn’t fancy playing him much. With his playing time diminishing and his confidence low, he returned to United at the end of the season having regressed if anything. The football in Italy didn’t suit him, it was so much slower than in England and he joined a team playing badly and in decline.

Once again, this summer he did well on tour, impressing with the minutes he got and scoring goals. His biggest issue was however the fact he’d now become at best, 5th choice after Welbeck’s amazing progress at Sunderland. That full year loan at a PL side is exactly what Macheda needed this season but despite links to WBA it didn’t happen. Instead he’s had to make do with minutes in the Reserves and fleeting first team appearances, often out on the left hand side – great for the development of someone like Welbeck who does have that versatility, but Macheda’s very much a striker and will never be a winger so playing him there is pointless.

His form this year has been poor – his injuries in 2009/10 can’t be overlooked and last year was awful for him, the chain of events have massively hindered his progress. He needs a fresh start to re-kick-start his career and this loan to QPR could well be it.

In the grand scheme of football he’s still so young but at United he has players ahead of him and those behind him are pushing hard now too. First team football in England is invaluable and at QPR he’ll have plenty of chances created for him but they’re a hard-working team too, it’ll teach him to get stuck in and do his bit. Once again though, it’s so infuriating it’s not a full season loan. Five months is ok but he’ll need time to settle and get used to how QPR play, yet the fans will all expect instant results from him.

Looking ahead, he’s contracted until 2014 and Fergie has lots of faith in him. Next season he’ll turn 21 and with a bit of luck he’ll get a full year loan. Not all players develop early, for some it can take a while to mature – Cleverley is the perfect example, he was 21 when he went on loan to Wigan. There’s no reason why Macheda can’t get his confidence back and with that, some form. He’s still a talent, you don’t lose that natural ability that he once so regularly showed (of course, plenty do well in the Reserves and don’t make it but he was clearly a cut above).

His loan move is expected to be announced on Monday and will no doubt cue plenty to write him off and say we’ll never see him in a United shirt again; I’d recommend that conclusion isn’t reached so hastily.

Author: Doron

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I like to think that it’s not often that this blog moans or grumbles but two stories circling in the media today are worthy of a rare controlled outburst! The topics are the UEFA Champions League and Paul Scholes…

Champions League reinstatement

The BBC’s homepage has the headline: “Man Utd given European lifeline”. The story has been published across most media outlets and can be read here.

In short, United may get an opportunity to play in the Champions League knock-out stages after all. FC Sion fielded ineligible players in the Europa League earlier this season and were thrown out the competition. If the Swiss FA take no action by the 13th January then Swiss football may be punished with their clubs thrown out of European competitions. This would see Basel removed from the Champions League and it’s been suggested that United could come back in to face Bayern Munich.

Sounds like a horrible idea to me. For starters, I think if Basel are thrown out then Bayern should just be given a bye to the quarter finals rather than United brought back in – what does that mean for Ajax and that clearly shows one competition favoured over another by UEFA.

More importantly, it would be incredibly embarrassing for United. We weren’t good enough in the group stages and were fairly knocked out of the competition. We don’t deserve to be there. Many fans have already booked flights and hotels for Amsterdam too; many would I imagine be non-refundable. Hopefully Basel will be allowed to play, they came second in our group and shouldn’t be punished as a result of another team’s errors. One can only hope that United would turn down a return to the CL if it was offered to them.

Paul Scholes return

This story can be found in various tabloids, here’s The Sun’s version.

To summarise, papers are claiming that United players want and are urging Paul Scholes to come out of retirement and play for United again in the second half of the season. This story comes at a convenient time – United are short of central midfielders; Scholes coaches at the club; United are looking for ‘value’ again; and Fergie was asked about it yesterday.

Fergie’s response to being asked about whether Scholes was considering coming out of retirement was to laugh the story off. No doubt the current United players have a joke around with him but I somehow doubt there is something of a ‘Scholes to return campaign’ within the club as suggested by the press.

Let’s not forget, Scholes retired as he wanted to play every week at the top level and he felt he could no longer do so – 7 months later I somehow doubt that’s changed. Few would be surprised if he’s still got all the technical ability he had, if he can still ping accurate balls 50 yards; but Scholes not only required a 4-5-1 last year but also found some games just passing him by.

He’s not the answer to our midfield problems at all. Whilst the idea is nice it’s wrong. Scholes and the club have moved on and have to continue to do so, there’s no point taking a step backwards. The club should be looking to buy someone and should have bought someone a while ago – a Scholes return would smack of total desperation.

I’d rather see a youngster given a chance, and if we have to go 18 months without winning the league, so be it. We have a new generation of young midfielders, many of whom have the quality to potentially play regularly for the club but we have to have some patience. Going out to Basel in the Champions League just reiterated that the club are ready to turn a new chapter and move on, not go back.

It’s not to say than an older player isn’t an option. Henrik Larsson’s loan in 2007 was an inspired move by Fergie, he provided added experience and rejuvenated the dressing room. As a short term thing, it worked and something similar could work again; but it needs to be a player currently playing.

Scholes will always be remembered as one of the greatest midfielders the club had – he won’t want to tarnish his legacy and as fans we should hope the club take steps forwards not one back.

Both stories in their own way are embarrassing. United even being considered for CL reinstatement is horrific – we got knocked out fair and square. The story’s not of our own doing but would be embarrassing for the club if it were to happen. The Scholes story is embarrassing in that it sums up what our midfield has become; through injuries and through lack of quality. He’s not the answer.

Author: Doron

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Paul Pogba’s been linked with a move away from the club recently with Inter, Man City and Arsenal all being named as admirers. It’s thought his contract ends this summer and his agent is keen for him to get a large pay rise. However, new quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson suggest this isn’t the case, yet.

Paul Pogba’s tricky contract situation seems a little clear tonight. Fergie has confirmed that the club have the option to extend his current deal by one year, taking him through to June 2013. This would mean that if it is invoked then foreign clubs wouldn’t be able to offer Pogba a contract this January and English clubs wouldn’t be able to speak to him in June.

Fergie has confirmed that ideally the club want to tie him down to a new deal altogether however admits that his agent is proving tricky to work with.

There’s little doubt that Pogba enjoys being at the club and along with the other FA Youth Cup winners last year, he’s part of a very talented generation. He’s already played three first team games at a younger age (18 years, 9 months) than Gibson, Fletcher, Scholes, Butt or Beckham did. His talent is unquestionable but he’ll have to remain patient too. His physique is coming along nicely as is his technical and attacking ability; it’s his defensive side that maybe lets him down at the moment as well as moments of casualness.

Time is on his side but with the current midfield crisis he may well get a chance soon and could be in the squad to face QPR this weekend.

Quotes from Fergie today:

“You don’t need to chase money at a club like Manchester United, it will eventually find you. He’s got an agent who’s obviously become a bit difficult but we’re negotiating with this agent and we want the boy to stay. But it’s down to the individual also. Matt Busby summed it up perfectly, that you don’t need to chase money at a club like Manchester United, it will eventually find you.

If you’re good enough, you will earn money and become rich playing for us, there’s no doubt about it. You hope he gets the right advice. All the young players who remain here always do well. It’s one of these situations that they can chase the money early in their career but at the end it’s not the same as if they’d stayed here. It’s the decision the player has to take himself, no matter who he is, about where they think their best future will be. He just needs to look round about him to realise that. But if he wants to go, there is nothing we can do about it.

We have an option on Paul’s contract that takes us into a year-and-a-half away so in that respect there’s not a great emergency about it. But we’d like the boy to sign a contract and if he’d like to be a Manchester United player then he knows what to do.

There will be chances here. We’ve got players capable of wearing the red jersey and, and they’ll wear it with complete confidence they can do well. I think it’s how you handle the situation. We’re not panicking. We’ve got enough experience in the staff to cope with these things. We know it happens and there’s no point crying about it. You just get on with it, there’s nothing else you can do. You’ve got injuries, deal with it.

You’re always tempted to buy if you feel the right player comes along, you have to be. But they’re not there, so what do you do? It is one of these situations that unless a player we have been interested in for a while appears and we can get him, then there is not much point brining in an individual in just because it gives you another number.

Pogba is a possibility because he is a big strong lad, he’s a good athlete, he is improving, he is developing well. In terms of the FA Youth Cup winning team of last season, he, physically, is better than the rest of that group, maybe apart from Zeki Fryers who is a very good athlete.”

This story and all the quotes come from The Mirror and manutd.com.

It is being reported that Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament, which will rule him out for the remainder of the 2011/12 season. The news will come as a massive blow to Sir Alex Ferguson who saw his Manchester United side dumped of the Champions League by Swiss side FC Basel. United have suffered a number of injuries to defenders this season, with Vidic and Ferdinand picking up injuries on the opening day of the season against WBA.

The comments about Vidic’s injury were released by his agent Silvano Martina, however Manchester United are yet to comment on these reports. Martina was speaking to an Italian football website (calciomercato.com) about a possible move to Juventus for the Serbian defender, however he quickly moved to defuse any discussion of a move – citing Vidic’s injury as the main reason:

“It seems inappropriate to talk about that because unfortunately he has suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament,”

He was then asked whether or not the injury would rule his client out for a long period, and replied:

“Unfortunately so, yes. So even if it was true [about Juventus], right now there would be no sense in talking about it.”

Nemanja Vidic fouled Marco Streller just on the stroke of half time, but fell awkwardly and his right leg got caught underneath the Basel frontman’s body. He was immediately stretchered off and replaced by Johny Evans. Sir Alex Ferguson had hoped that his skipper would be out potentially for only four months, however recovery time from a cruciate ligament injury is around nine months – meaning he will miss the rest of the season.

Author: Doron

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With the 25th anniversary of Sir Fergie coming up many pundits are having their say on the great man and his reign. Alan Hansen has chosen to focus on his now infamous comment on Match of the Day in 1995, “You can’t win anything with kids”.

His column in the main is rather fair, full of praise and respect for the boss but one paragraph irked me:

“Alex has never said it but I think he might have agreed with me to a certain extent – and some people have told me he used to say “you’ll win nothing with kids” to his players to inspire them. So I suppose you could say I played my part in their success”.

Tongue-in-cheek it might have been but one gets the impression that Hansen probably does mean this on some level otherwise why include it?

It’s very possible that Fergie may have laughed at Hansen’s comment, maybe even used it in the odd team talk or team meeting to motivate his players but let’s face it, it had little impact on United’s success – the seeds to which were already sown.

Fergie’s decision to place his faith in youth was already made up and the likes of Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, Gary and Phil Neville were already making impressions in the A and B teams – their talent was already known about and they were already on the right path to having successful careers.

So Mr Hansen, a little joke it may have been but let’s be clear… no United fans will be thanking you when we celebrate 25 years of Fergie. Only one man and his loyal staff are responsible for 25 years of success and glory.

Author: Stretford_End

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Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton has revealed that he is ‘stunned’ by United’s best start to a league campaign. United have picked up maximum points in their opening five games, scoring twenty one goals in the process. United have recorded victories over London clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham – whilst beating Bolton and WBA on their travels. Sir Bobby admits that it is a fantastic, if unusual, start for the Champions. We’ve looked back at the previous twenty seasons and documented the number of points United have obtained within their first five games.

Below are Sir Bobby’s comments from earlier today, including praise for the Premier League’s top goal scorer Wayne Rooney:

You never know at the start what’s going to happen but United have got off to a flier. It’s a very unusual start for Manchester United but it’s fantastic. The fans are enjoying it and even those who are just general football fans because of the way we play. Even the goals we are scoring are dramatic. He is (Rooney) a marvellous player. You can tell he is very happy at the moment and he will score a lot more goals this season and beyond.

The following chart highlight United’s total point accumulation from the opening five fixtures in the league over the past twenty years (click to enlarge):

United’s amazing start has been reflected in Sir Bobby’s comments, however I believe the manner that the results were achieved has been most pleasing. United have swept aside a Tottenham side (who played Liverpool off the park at the weekend), humiliated a decimated Arsenal and beat last season’s runners up (Chelsea) 3-1, having missed a penalty and hit the post/bar in a thoroughly entertaining fixture. United’s ball retention and one touch passing has been exceptional at times, with Wayne Rooney being the obvious star performing, scoring nine goals in those five fixtures.

Looking at the history books, United’s worst start to a season was in the 2004/05 (in which United ended the season trophy less), losing to Chelsea on the opening day of the season. The second worst start of a season was in 92/93, when United lifted the league title for the first time since 1967. United lost the opening game to Sheffield United and then went down 3-0 at home to Everton. Many fans may also have forgotten the slow start United got off to in the 98/99 treble winning season , which included a 3-0 hammering at rivals Arsenal in the September (which saw Nicky Butt getting a red card).

Although no one should be complaining about United’s unbelievable start to the season, including the style of football United are playing at the moment, any levelled headed fan will appreciate that nothing is won in September – something that was reiterated by Sir Alex in his pre-match comments against Chelsea. United started the 1997/98 season with four wins and a draw, only to go and squander a the league title to Arsenal. In the two European Cup winning seasons of the past twelve years, United obtained eight points – seven less than this season. As I mentioned previously, the football has been first class and Ferguson’s men have stepped it up a notch from last term. The signings of Jones and Young look to be superb business, whilst the maturing of Anderson, Smalling, Welbeck and Cleverley have been pivotal in this fantastic start. United travel next to Stoke City, can the Champions make it six out of six?