Hammered

Sorry, I just couldn't resist with the title. What a strange day.

Watching United games from the dead-center of North America, I'm accustomed to the cold and snow, but not watching it flying around Upton Park in November. Newcastle or Sunderland, maybe, but not London. Snow falling outside. Snow falling on TV.

Watching United games on the DVR, hours after the result's complete with a personal media blackout in effect, always adds to the strange alchemy here, especially if things turn sour.

Speaking of turning sour: enter from stage-left one Jonathan Spector. Fellow Yank. Former United player.

Now central midfielder and goal-scoring machine?!

After scoring one goal at Derby – a dubious one at that – thus far in his career, Mr. Spector was a close off-sides call away from a hat-trick by halftime. Which then naturally leads the Upton Park faithful fans to start chants of “going down, going down, going down” aimed at Fergie's men.

Are you kidding me?!

Oh East-ender, karma's a bitch, mate. The bubbles might flow tonight, but you've got the real dogfight on your hands.

Next up Chicharito and Fabio get clattered and clobbered, while some good chances fall to Bebe, whose touch lets him down due to his “rough edges” and we break for half down 2-0.

Adding to the overall surrealness of this viewing, I'm watching it off Fox Soccer PLUS, which has just one announcer for the match and absolutely no commentary or analysis at half. Grrrrrr.

Instead what do we get? Countless adverts for Ligue 1, Premier League, and the League-formerly-known-as-the-Coca-Cola Championship. Etcetera, etcetera.

After the commercial montage is complete, next up is a short, promo-like-documentary-highlight-reel-job about the Gerry Francis era at QPR. Nothing against Gerry Francis, but WTF?

Simply add in a predatory lending commercial promising to take care of all your debt needs without a background check. Now your evening is complete. (BTW, other typical commercials on this network could involve products like male enhancement pills, Hair Club for [bald] Men, and acne cream. Just the target demographic you always wanted to be, right?)

Such is life watching footy a continent away from the action in a culture that largely doesn't appreciate the beautiful game. AT LEAST I could get the game. That's still how I view it.

Or, at least that's how I saw it prior to watching the second half, which started brightly, with Macheda on for Bebe and some good early pressure coming off of Fabio's overlapping runs down the right flank. Maybe there's a comeback in the offering.

Think again.

Against the run of play, United switch off at the back and Carleton Cole heads the Hammers on top 3-0 – bad, bad Jonny Evans.

Astonishing.

Now comes the part I'm not too proud to admit: I fast-forward the DVR to watch to see if the scoreline changes... It does, but in the wrong direction.

Now it's 4-0. Game. Set. Match.

We all knew the streak would end sometime, with the Carling Cup being a fairly ideal place for a blip in the road. Thankfully, this match is already history.

As Minnesotans, we take perverse pleasure in thriving during our long, icy winters, which makes it hilarious to listen to the Brits complain about minimal snow fall – oh, THE cold. On some level, it also makes it even harder to watch United get hammered and taunted in the snow.

As a famous former Beatle once said, “Strange days indeed, strange days indeed.”

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Back at you after the Blackpool match. Cheers.

Hungry For More

I'll leave all the “Five Star” performance titles to others in the blogosphere and media. Today was all about appetite.

Midway through the second half, speculation began about if history were in the making with a 6-0 lead and 27 minutes remaining. Would United's 9-0 victory over Ipswich Town be beaten? How many would Berbatov score?

Ultimately, history held in a 7-1 victory, taking United's unbeaten run to ten over Blackburn, as Berbatov joins Cole, Defoe, and Shearer as the fourth player to score five goals in a Premier League match. Bestie's six goal tally against Northampton would remain safe as well today, but just barely, as Berba's screaming header was tipped over by Robinson with something like five minutes remaining.

The adjectives from today's performance run from clinical to sublime, ruthless to superb, as I can't think of a single United player who didn't play well, with the only blip being Jonny Evans getting pushed too easily aside by Samba to nod home Rovers' only goal.

Going a plus-six in one match certainly does wonders for United's goal-differential, as we're now tied with Chelsea at plus-nineteen ahead of their match against Newcastle tomorrow.

Upon reflection, three things really stood out for me from this match.

First, United, including Rooney, looked remarkably famished immediately from the first whistle, which is wonderful to see, given the up-and-down performances through the season's first third. Everyone looked dangerous going forward, as the movement off the ball and first-touch passing were delightful to watch. United cut Rovers apart for a full 90 minutes. The front pair, Park, Nani, Anderson, Evra and Rafael deserve full praise for their almost telepathic understanding of each other at times – truly United at its most lethal attack all season. It should be noted that Rooney made nice strides from the midweek match against Rangers, as his movement, passing, and first-touch demonstrate he's enjoying and regaining control over his football again.

Second, while some may get caught up in United's performance, it absolutely must be acknowledged that Blackburn were atrocious, which played a huge part in today's proceedings. Giving up a goal 72 seconds into the match threw Big Sam's game plan right out the window. No nil-nil draw today. And not much later, Chimbonda's horrendous back-pass – or early Christmas present – for Berbatov's second clearly gutted Rovers. Down 3-0 inside 30 minutes against a free-flowing United side caused Rovers to labor the rest of the afternoon. Hard to play well against a committed opponent knowing the result is pre-determined no matter the effort.

Foremost and finally, all credit in the world to the Man of the Match, one Dimitar Berbatov, on his exquisite five goal tally. Certainly Fergie's pre-match comments about making too many changes in the side, which led to a dip in Berba's form, seemed incredibly apt after the match.

Berbatov and Rooney looked as though they've played together uninterrupted all season long, with both players unselfishly looking for the extra pass to each other much of the afternoon. The chemistry was down-right amazing for anyone who's seen enough of United to know the frustrations these two can have getting on the same page. Berba looked rejuvenated playing along side a fit and focused Rooney.

Given the deservedly harsh criticism of the past few weeks, the Bulgarian's finishing abilities shined with the attack coming from all angles. Today's match rewarded Berba's poaching instincts with abundance. Yet, there was a strange, ironic twist with the fifth goal coming only after Berba's initial cross to Rooney got blocked straight back to the Number 9 to slot-home a tight angle, side-foot effort into the open goal. Others couldn't buy Rooney a goal from open play, even today, which in some way seemed a kind of karmic justice for the Number 10 who so openly flirted with aspirations elsewhere.

While the crowd craved for Rooney to get a goal from open play, in retrospect, not getting one could pay dividends in the near future. You can only expect Wazza's remarkable improvement in form to continue from game to game, leaving the lad and United hungry for more.
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Back at you after the West Ham match. Cheers.

Just Enough

Rooo-ney! Rooo-ney! Rooo-ney!

Can you just feel the love?

Admittedly, Wazza was merely a side-story in the outcome of this match, as the value of Scholes and Chicharito to United were evident yet again today.

Interestingly the Stretford End chose to sing Scholes' praise when both players entered the game simultaneously, while Rooney's reception was positive, overall, with a few boos mixed in with the ubiquitious “Rooo-ney!” repeated around the ground.

The irony for Wigan, who historically get battered at Old Trafford, is they lost 2-0 while playing a large stretch of the match down to nine men and defended brilliantly. Previous scorelines of 4-0 typify such encounters. Not today though.

United did just enough, which provides some measure of satisfaction, given the numerous draws this year and that the Red Devils' three points came without firing on all cylinders, as the five-man midfield lacked guile and synchronization with the lone striker, Macheda, as well as with each other for the first 56 minutes of the match.

All too often this campaign we've seen United struggle to gain fluency and the sharp edge required by champions around goal. Fergie's men regain pole position, with Arsenal and Chelsea losing, without looking anywhere near the finished product. Amazing.

We all know there's far too much quality in this side to believe the dry patches around goal will continue or get worse, without a major injury crisis.

We've also witnessed flashes of brilliance from Berba, Chicharito, Nani, and Park, along with minutes for other young players. Vidic and Rio appear very soild again, while Scholes continues to prove his master class this campaign, as Sir Alex adroitly picks and chooses his minutes.

Yet, there are no obvious replacements for Scholes, who demonstrated in less that five minutes how his range of passing opens up play, especially by getting wide players involved with his long, raking passes after coming on as a substitute. United's attacking character changed immediately.

World-class midfield graft is incredibly difficult to develop, expensive to purchase and possibly troublesome to assimilate for anyone that remembers the on-again, off-again Veron.

This remains a huge concern for United.

And, while we've witnessed flashes of brilliance from Nani, it's troubling to watch a player who maybe doesn't have the physical strength of Ronaldo but possesses every bit of skill and trickery as the former number seven, hit crosses to nowhere repeatedly.

Despite everything though – the late draws, inconsistency, and poor finishing – United draw level with Chelsea for top spot after game number fourteen. Amazing.

Just enough won't win you a title, but it'll do just fine today, especially after a first third of the season marked by numerous injuries.

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Back at you after the Blackburn match. Cheers.

Not Good Enough

Well, what do you say after today?

I was fully prepared to acknowledge Villa's supremecy and bemoan United's tired and lethargic performance today. Tight possession. No Red Devil shots on target in the first half. Berba and Nani frustratingly off. No cutting edge with a derby hangover. Sad to say we need the White Pele.

Or, do we?

I'll return to Macheda's and Obertan's strong performance in a minute, but first, two critical questions beg asking.

How is United contained by a weakened Villa side with two kids in the center of midfield?

How do Villa display more width and dynamism than United for 79 minutes?

The commentators were right with their repetitive quips that John Carew probably would have Villa ahead due to the quality and quantity of crossing through the first half.

In the second, Aston Villa must have felt hard-done, especially after hitting the woodwork twice inside of two minutes. Then, it all went pear-shaped for Sir Alex's men, as they fell prey to Villa's pacey counter-attack, not once but several times.

First, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young combined nicely to carve apart the United defense, leaving Wes Brown to clattered Ashley Young into Rio for a sandwich-penalty in the 72nd minute. One-nil Villa in front of the Holte End – a much overdue lead.

Second, as the Red Devils pressed forward without Berbatov and Hernandez, getting used to Macheda and Obertan upfront, the two central midfielders get caught flat moving too far forward and it's another beautifully executed counter-attack. It's 2-0 in the 76th minute.

Would the cliché hold true, that two-nil is the most dangerous lead in football? How would Villa's kids respond to the inevitable pressure to come?

A few minutes after the second goal, United's attack gained an edge, with Macheda leading the line, Obertan in the hole, and midfielders alternating runs at goal from various angles.

A Macheda laser-job from the top of the box makes it 2-1 in the 81st minute. Game on, as United now have momentum against a young-and-exhausted side.

Pressure begets more pressure, eventually leading to a brilliant cross by Nani that finds a diving Captain Vidic on the far post and it's 2-2 right in front of the away supporters, who now feel obliged to taunt Villa supporters for the manner which they lost the lead.

Now it's only a question of will United win or will Villa hold?

Ultimately Villa deserved a point from this match. They played well no matter what Sir Alex thought of their tackling, as the United midfield never adjusted to the refereeing being offered on the day.

What's so troubling is the wild swing in United's ability to generate an attacking edge. Certain games during the season become difficult for one reason or another, whether it's an injury crisis or the opposition plays out of their minds.

Today was not one of them.

Sure, Villa played well, but United showed how easily the inexperienced side would crumble at the feet of a quality attack. Literally, you felt that one goal would douse the Villan's confidence and composure.

Too bad that chance came to Berbatov in the 16th minute, as Chicharito played the striker in alone on goal where, instead of a first-time shot with his right boot from ten yards, he dragged the ball to the left which allowed Friedel time to close the angle as he shot wide from five yards out. A sure sign of a striker lacking confidence.

This was THE moment to stick the knife in an immature side. This was THE moment United paid huge sums of money for clinical finishing. This was THE critical chance missed.

You simply must wonder what the other United players think of Nani's and Berba's road-to-nowhere dribbling and inconsistent form.

This frustrating habit kills the attacking verve of the side, as you never know what each will do with the ball. Once players start thinking too much during their attacking play, thoughts like “Why didn't you pass it to me?!” after making a well-timed run, or worse, hesitency creeps in with a “Should I or shouldn't I make that run?!” It all breaks down as we observed today.

Sure, United must be tired given the midweek derby, injuries and the flu-bug that's gone round. Sure, Villa played well.

But any team with real title aspirations would have killed off this undermanned Villa side inside of 30 minutes with a goal. One quality strike and the house of cards would have fallen. A splendid opportunity missed.

Through the first third of the season, the verdict is clear: United are not good enough to win the title, as evidenced by this smash-and-grab point for the seventh draw from first thriteen games. The lack of clinical, well-timed finishing to put away the opposition haunts United. Oh, what we'd give for Cantona's edge right now.

Thank God for Kiko's and Obertan's inspired play today, as without it, United were sunk. They've certainly earned more minutes at the expense of Park or Nani and Berbatov during our home match versus Wigan next weekend.

Hmmm... "Oooh-aaahh Maa-che-daaa (Maˈkɛːda)" has certain ring to it, don't ya think?!

Back at you next weekend. Cheers.

Welcome Back, Twelfth Man

How do you explain Spurs' record at Old Trafford?

Never have the North London lads beaten the Red Devils away in the Premier League, including a dubious non-goal thanks to a Roy Carroll butter-job. Or, as an Arsenal supporter next to me said, with both joy over Spurs' failings and bewilderment that Nani's goal stood, “must have been the twelfth man.”

Fair enough, as the bizarre goal will cause so much controversy in the media.

Too bad, though, as United played some excellent football within a pulsating match, one worthy of the longer-term tradition between the two clubs, with fewer goals scored but several well-worked chances nonetheless for both sides.

United closed down the opposition in the game's waning moments and never looked likely to concede an equalizer, despite Spurs' firepower and one Vidic deflection off a Pavlyuechenko long-range effort.

So, let's delight in the take-aways from this match for Sir Alex's men.

First, starting in the midfield with Carrick and Fletcher together central while resting Scholes until the 64th-minute paid handsome dividends. Carrick still looks off his form from two years ago, but managed to cover his ground and play disciplined footy against the five-man Spurs midfield. Fletch was typical Fletch; seemingly everywhere, winning balls, and pushing forward.

Both central midfielders reaped the rewards of playing with Three-Lung Park, as he tracked back superbly while maintaining the energy to push forward as well. Park's effort was reminiscent of his best days when he compensated for Ronaldo's constant runs up the pitch.

Subbing in Scholes' ability to maintain calm possession might become a blueprint for SAF moving forward. United looked remarkably unnerved by Spurs' threat and exceedingly composed with the ginger-haired assassin pulling the strings with fresh legs.

As I've mentioned repeatedly, sometimes Scholes looks off the pace in the final 10-15 minutes within a four-man midfield, resulting in spaces and some critical turnovers that contribute to United's inability to finish off games. Today's lineup alchemy worked perfectly.

Second, it's delightful see Vidic and Rio's partnership calm down the shaky back-line play of earlier this season, along with Captain Vidic's emphatic header to put United ahead one to the good. Barring any injury, a solid defensive run seems likely for Fergie's men.

And last, United's attack without Rooney and Valencia looks entirely capable, unlike conditions last year. Nani and Chicharito provide an electric charge moving forward, an ever-present mismatch for defenders especially on the counter-attack.

Chicharito is a flat-out poacher that can fly, while Nani looks capable of dribbling through anybody one-on-one and hitting Ronaldo-like rockets past the keeper. Combine Berbatov, Park and Fletcher moving into space, with a defender over-lapping, and it's pick-your-poison time.

Chicharito's earned his minutes, plus his team-first attitude provides a stark contrast to Wazza's me-first week of near-betrayal.

Football's a funny game.

One moment Spurs think there's a dead ball and gift possession to Nani for a hugely controversial goal, one that reminds us all to play until the whistle.

Then there's another moment, one where you realize someone's taking your job, one that reminds you that you could be the odd-man out.

You just never know where the twelfth man, odd-man will come from, even if he just signed a five-year deal. Here's to Wazza's apology, then watching him earn his place back in the team. Cheers.

Statement Delivered

Would Rooney's contract resolution cure the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) finishes?

Not exactly.

Entering the second half with a 1-0 lead through a remarkable Chicharito header, the match set up perfectly for another nervy finish, unfortunately, even through Stoke showed nothing moving forward, outside of the ever-dangerous Delap throw-ins and their usual prowess with set pieces.

Ultimately, elder statesmen from both squads would ensure more drama.

Watching Neville be wholly unable to cope with Etherington on the flank and, uncharacteristically, Scholes concede possession going backwards at least three times, I'm reminded of the Little Feat song, Old Folks Boogie, whose lyrics tell us:

“And you know that you're over the hill
When your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill.”

Clearly, Neville's pace illustrates this point, while Scholesy – you still gotta love him – makes more mistakes and covers less and less ground consistently in the final 15 minutes of matches. The shine fades and cries out for being substituted around the 70- to 75-minute mark.

Thankfully, United were not left to pay for Scholes' ridiculous turnover and subsequent clinical finish from the Turkish talisman, Tuncay, with Stoke's first goal EVER against United in the Premier League. A horrible sign, one duly noted by Premiere League competitors Chelsea watching the lunchtime kickoff at home.

And it all seemed sooo comfortable, with Evra being denied a stone-cold penalty and Chicharito's lunging volley whizzing just wide of the post. You felt United had another goal in them.

So comfortable the United lead that the away supporters dug into the older collection of songs to amuse themselves, including “Viva Ronaldo”, “Ohhh-aaah Cantona”, and “Who's that man from Argentina?!” (version 2.0).

A comfortable 1-0 victory away from home felt like the perfect tonic to exorcise and cleanse United from their recent history, until Stoke leveled in the 81st minute.

Then, up steps Chicharito.

Astute United observers recognized immediately this player's special gift, not only for tormenting defenses with his pace, touch, and finish, but his remarkable predatory instincts.

Honestly, the player will be hailed by everyone for two strikes, yet he missed at least two more excellent chances as well. Four goals were fully within his reach today.

Just how would Mr. Wayne Mark Rooney feel watching the match at home had Javier Hernandez converted a hat-trick? Would Roo be delighted or jealous while celebrating his 25th birthday?!

You suspect delight, but with some bittersweet tones as well. Consider Chicharito could run off an impressive goal scoring streak before Wazza even hits the training ground again to improve upon his horrific form. Certainly the thought has crossed his mind.

You never win titles before Boxing Day, but you can lose them by Christmas.

The victory keeps United within range of Chelsea and sets-up next week's match against City nicely, as the Blue Moon were thumped by Arsenal 3-0 today, providing United the opportunity to seriously dent the noisy neighbors title hopes in October.

This turnaround win is a massive statement of intent at the Britannia Stadium. Everyone felt the dropped points were in the bag, but it was not to be thanks to “the little pea.” (Sorry, couldn't resist the cheese.)

Today's post will close with some choice words from today's Man of the Match from ESPN's Soccernet.com:

“We were very happy with the result. We know about Stoke's style and are delighted. I'm working a lot because I want to stay here a long time and win a lot of tournaments.”

On the first goal: “I jumped and saw the ball behind me and tried to head it towards the goal. I don't remember doing it in training. It's a good goal but the most important thing is the result. Here there are no heroes, it is about the team.

My team-mates trust in me and all the staff too. It's an unbelievable opportunity for me to play with the biggest team in the world.”

Statement delivered.

Are you listening Wazza? Are you listening City?

Back at you after the Manchester derby. Cheers.

Wayne's World

Suppose, for a moment, you'd been on vacation to some remote cabin, with the whole point being getting back to nature and unplugging yourself from our 24/7 connected lifestyle. No iPhone, computer, TV or internet access – thank you very much. Time to fish, hike, cook, read, and chill out. Quality time in the outdoors with the spouse.

Now imagine returning home today, October 23rd, from the wilderness and turning on your iPhone. First, the text messages start from your mates going off on Rooney.

What?!

Next, in your bewilderment, you surf to The Guardian to learn exactly happened. He did sign, good, but what the hell happened this week? Why would he need to apologize? City?! He said what?! When?! WTF?!

How could you explain let alone comprehend it all in one fell-swoop moment. One week felt like one year to the hurting United faithful.

It's like the writers of East Enders took control for a moment and created “North Westerners” or “As the Ball Turns”, a soap-opera specializing in the world of modern footballers from the likes of United, City, Everton, Pool, Wigan, etc. Previous episodes included Gerarrd's about-face transfer saga with Chelsea, City getting rich like Jed Clampett, and Ronaldo rumors running non-stop for an entire summer. You get the picture.

Even so, the writers, even at the apex of their creativity, could never have come up with what's transpired this past week. Truth stranger than fiction.

How do you go from proclaiming you'll stay at United forever to claiming that the Red Devils no longer match your ambition in six months?

Consider Paul Stretford, Football Agent.

First, this is in no way, shape, or form an out for Wazza. Rooney is culpable, as he showed tremendous nerve in challenging United's ambitions, especially after playing shite football for six months.

But, you wonder, what happened in the Rooney camp that led to this?

Personally, I'm living my own flashbacks, as I've got an eerily-similar feeling, here, between Rooney's contract negotiations and Kevin Garnett's situation with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in the 90's.

In this tale, the 20- or 21-year old Garnett, at the time, turned down a $104M six-year contract extension, only to have the club capitulate during the final negotiating hour on a much-improved $126M deal. Here, too, real power lay with the player, not the club. The Timberwolves couldn't afford to lose him at any cost.

Sound familiar?

At the contract press conference, a young Garnett, who seemingly had been brainwashed by his agent, Eric Fleisher, proclaimed “it wasn't about the money”, hinting it was more about respect. Like an extra $22M had nothing to do with it. Give me a break. Mr. 15% just made himself an additional $3+M with that ploy alone. Damn the implications on the league, the team, and the player – the agent got his.

The agent probably told the young Garnett something like: “Kevin, you need to 'earn' your respect with management, so regardless, we'll turn down the first offer no matter what they put on the table. It's a principle. You can't let them think they can walk all over you. You must be a “man” in contract negotiations and not set a bad precedent for other players. It's not just about you. What you get impacts what others get. You feel me?”

Thus, we get the ridiculous sound-bite.

I make no claim to know what really happened between Mr. Garnett and Mr. Fleisher, nor Mr. Stretford and Mr. Rooney. Rumors abound. Exact details will likely remain a mystery to all except those involed.

What matters is the power is in the players’ camp, subject to the persuasions, or dare I say, manipulations of the agent's self-interest in getting the best financial deal possible regardless of how it's achieved.

What might you do to earn an extra £1M or $3M?!

Now, knowing that Rooney's incredibly ambitious, given his willingness to leave Everton – his boyhood heroes – for an arch rival, and also understanding that United's current soft-spot is it's current debt structure's implications on signing transfer targets, THE argument to make, should you want to manipulate the player, is that:

“Wayne, you're a world-class player, mate, but debt won't allow United to bring in world-class players anymore. Look at who's left. Look at last summer's purchases. Nice lads, but will they cut it? You've got to ask yourself these questions, Wayne, my boy. Look at what's happened to Liverpool with crazy, football-ignorant, American owners. They nearly went into administration and still face a possible relegation battle. You don't want to play in the Championship, now do you Wayne?! Of course not.”

Our fictitious conversation continues:

“It's my job, Wayne, to know the real truth and United faces the same fate. Have I ever steered you wrong?! I know you're loyal to United. I know you respect Sir Alex immensely – he's top drawer, real class that man – a one-off genius, credit to football. But, how long till the gaffer retires? Do you want to be front-and-center of a sinking ship?”

After Rooney nods tentatively, lets say, Mr. 15% continues:

“So, here's what we'll do: call their bluff. If things are so rosy with the Glazers, let's ask them to spend, say, the Ronaldo transfer fee on players this summer. If they agree, you can sign on and I'm mistaken. Full credit to United. But, if they balk and won't budge, then you've got your answer now, haven't you? Why does everyone hate the Glazers sooo much?! It's common sense, mate. Are you in? Do you want to find out the truth? It's in your best interest to know now than later, when it's too late.”

And there we have it.

A simple, straightforward strategy bound to reveal the “truth” to Wayne as well as anger and put off the United simultaneously. A manufactured and manipulated set-up ready to blow-up, one based on the real and large debts, which is as likely an explanation this past week as any.

Everyone knows THE issue is the power the player holds over the club and THE power agents hold over their young-and-cocooned players.

While we'll never really know what happened, and surely, Sir Alex's power of persuasion played an immense role here, one thing's clear from watching Rooney's post-signing interview on MUTV:

“Yea, it's been difficult for me and I'm sure for the club as well. But, … for me... I felt I had to get my point across and we finally come to an agreement, which I think is the best for the two of us, me and the club. I've spoken to the manager, David Gill, and the Glazers – all of them have confirmed for me that this is the right club to be at and the club's going to be successful and continue winning things.”

Hmmm...“getting my point across” followed by a sweetened offer for an extra £30K per week over 5 years, an extra £7.8M by my calculation, then a signature.

Really, it wasn't about the money. Indeed.

Notice that there's only a mere acknowledgement of how difficult it's been, primarily from his perspective. All the while, Rooney must know how central he's to United's post-Fergie plan and how many supporters place United as a central priority of their life. For the club, fans and die-hard supporters alike, no apology required, evidently.

Looking back, maybe there's something Wayne Mark Rooney can learn from Garnett, nearly a decade his senior and from a similar situation.

Not terribly long into his mega-contract, Garnett fired his agent, Fleisher, as he watched the implications of his contract on everything he loved: the NBA owners locked-out the players, a talented teammate demanded a trade, as he could never make as much as Garnett in the post-lockout world, and the public turned it's admiration, for an equally-hard working player, into disdain. Many viewed Garnett as a naïve at best, or more likely, as a greedy and spoilt athlete – a poster-child for what's wrong with sports and society.

Yet, Garnett didn't let the contract impact his play, as he emerged into the best all-around player in the NBA, bar none. Eventually, his ever-improving skills, intensity, and love for the game won over much of the public. He displayed open affection for his fans, his city, his club, and his game.

Much later, to his credit, he only reluctantly accepted a trade, when it made total sense for all involved, with many Timberwolves supporters keeping loyalty to the player and openly rejoicing when he finally won his first championship with the Celtics. Truly, Garnett is a Hall of Famer and one of the 50 all-time NBA greats.

Please, Wayne, learn from Mr. Garnett. Open up just once and make a heartfelt apology to your teammates and United supporters everywhere. Accept responsibility for the mess you've created.

Yes, you've made your point, but at what cost?

Ponder that, would you please, as I'm sure the Men In Black ringing at your door provided a chillingly clear glimpse into one version of the extreme hurt you caused.

And, after all apologies, do what's natural for you, put everything you've got into your game and the rest will become history, young Skywalker. The football force is strong with you. Simply use it as your guide.

Oh, and if you fired your agent, we, the United bretheren, wouldn't hold that against you. Not for a nanosecond.

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Back at you with reflections after the Stoke match. Cheers.