What a contrast in fortunes playing out at Old Trafford today: Blackpool with everything on the line, while United with nothing outside of professional pride involved here.
Certainly the Red Devils want to keep their unbeaten home record in tact, with a goal for Berba to win the golden boot and an important run-out for Evra, Park, and Fletcher.
All party results aside, surly many a United supporter wouldn’t be overly disappointed with a draw against the Ian Holloway’s men, if it kept the Tangerine dream up for another season.
The Seasiders punched well above their weight to get this far, why not keep them up for another season, or so the reasoning goes, as they’ve shocked the pundits that had them on 10 points for the season.
Which leads me to the strange alchemy of emotions today.
Yes, you want United to win, Berba to score, and even VDS to keep a clean sheet in his final Old Trafford match.
But…
You want Blackpool up, Holloway to entertain next year, and even Charlie Adam to possibly stay in tangerine versus second-fiddle red on Merseyside.
In my heart-of-hearts, no result would make me entirely happy today, nor was I THAT invested in any result, really, which feels surreal given the tension felt by the bottom six or seven clubs headed into this final day.
Contrast the relaxed mode within the Red Devil camp with the tension we’ll all feel straightaway at kickoff next Saturday: we’re truly in the eye of the pre-Champions League Final storm immediately after the final whistle.
Adding a Dadaesque quality today, in Minneapolis, I lost 3-5 minutes of the match due to heavy thunderstorms blocking out the satellite feed right when United scored the equalizer. Our weather matched the tension felt by some an ocean away.
Strange days indeed. Most peculiar momma.
All Lennon quotes aside; tension and excitement are building already, and oh, how much would another Champions League trophy mean?
Four closing in on the Scouse five; VDS exiting stage left at the highest of heights; Sir Alex gaining another European Championship that he so richly deserves, especially after all that hath transpired this year, a rebuilding season spent on top of the league with the opportunity for the most memorable of doubles.
Yet, on this day, when the EPL trophy wears red, white, and black yet again, there’s a subdued quality to the celebrations after a marvelous side fell just short of an epic achievement.
A very, very special side went down today, and this United blogger salutes you, your panache and your industry this season, a Premiership-version of a classic Greek tragedy.
Never did we expect you to come so far. Never did we expect we’d feel the loss when you went down.
Cheers to you, Seasiders.
May your journeys be filled with much wonder and successful EPL aspirations. Spend your parachute payment money wisely. We’d welcome you back in the Premiership any year.
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Back at you possibly just before and certainly well after the Champions League Final. Oh, the anticipation… Cheers.
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