Easy Peasy

How disheartening it must be for title chasers to watch United purr around the pitch, stinging together passes, possession, and penetration at-will against a side playing 10 behind the ball. United’s attacking verve gets better by the day, so it’s becoming less a matter of if they’ll win, but rather, by how much. All the while, United successfully rotate in and out a host of players, and, oh yeah, there’s that little thing about 14 straight clean sheets. Eat your heart out Rafa.

Fergie maintains an almost psychic ability to judge form and know exactly when to insert a player in the line-up. At Pride Park, it was another masterful performance by Giggs, as Nani, Gibson, and Wellbeck took full advantage of their minutes as well. Today, it was Scholes’ turn to shine.

He was utterly brilliant, as he pinged together a whole collection of precise passes, from delicate chips just over defenders to 50-yard cross-field-diagonal passes to Ronaldo in-stride, not to mention his hammer-volley for his 97th Premier League goal. He makes the game look way, way too easy and was Man of the Match, hands down.

What an incredibly sad day it will be when Giggs and Scholes hangs up their boots. Both players haven’t received nearly enough headlines for their performances, unlike players such as Cantona or Keane.

That’s precisely what makes all of recent accolades for Giggsy so sweet.

After the West Ham match, La Gazzette Dello Sport made the Welshman one of 35 candidates for their weekly Europe’s Best XI, as they described the veteran as "class personified" and he wound up being voted in as a starting winger. Exactly a week later, Alan Hansen argued in his BBC column that Ryan Giggs ought to be footballer of the year, after extolling his performance overall this year and as a central striker in the FA Cup match at Derby.

Much like an aging actor who receives his first Oscar as much for his body of work than for the film in question, Giggs might just pip his own teammates for player of the year honors. And why not?! His performances have been magnificent, his versatility superb.

So, here’s to the future footballer of the year, Sir Ryan Giggs. Cheers!

At a Loss for Words

What else is there left to say?! Thirteen clean sheets and nine one-nil victories leaves me all tapped out, creativity-wise.

The Yogi Berra quote, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Check: already used.

The Talking Heads refrain “Same as it ever was…” Check again.

Referencing a fictitious Groundhog Day 2 movie starring a confused, traveling United supporter. Check yet again.

Hummm… I haven’t made any reference to Punxsutawney Phil, but his skill-set involves weather forecasting, not footy predictions, plus the 6 more weeks of winter sound like a piece of cake to us, Minnesotans, as we take perverse pride functioning in our artic conditions. Skip that.

Not even the dinner play list from our wedding looping in the background sparks any original ideas here. Thanks, but no thanks, Aretha Franklin, Belle and Sebastian, Ray Charles, and REM. By the way, don’t go back to Rockville or say any little prayers for anyone.

All that’s left is to reflect directly on today’s decisive moment.

Lucky number 13 brings us the improbable: a right-footed match-winner from the Welsh Wizard. How many time have we seen Giggsy – God bless him – try the outside of the left boot when the right would work immeasurably better?

That’s the brilliance here. With any other player headed to a more central, better angle at goal, you feel that the Hammers may have closed-down the inevitable shot better, but the remaining defenders and Robert Green all seemed too focused on the cut-that-never-came, as the good-but-savable shot moved under and within the outstretched left arm of Green. Giggs has now scored in every single Premier League season since inception, yet another impressive record to for the team stat-bag.

After non-descript first half performances, both Scholes and Giggs combine to provide that magic, guile, and inspiration which won the match, as a certain Bob Marley’s song echos in the background, a truly impressive Upton Park Redemption Song.