It appeared to us an act of desperation – the very last resort, Plan B (or, more
appropriately, Plan Z), or any well-worn cliché – and it, well, was. For Manchester United,
bringing back Paul Scholes seemed a step back. Truth is, it's gone better than we'd envisaged back
then, ever since it was revealed ahead of the FA Cup 3rd round tie against Manchester City back in
January.
"Who can follow a man like you as manager of United?" asked a journalist looking for a sound
bite that he could relay across England. "Oh I don't know about that," replied Sir Matt Busby in a
thick Scottish accent with a proud smile across his face.
The year was 1969.
It's understandable why it's forgotten even amongst the staunchest Manchester United
supporters.
They think they're experts. They think we think we're the experts. "He's rubbish!" they say. And
us, the good ones we think to ourselves are summoned by our blind loyalty rational
thinking to reply: "but he's good ... give him time." And we repeat this until we get
exhausted.
They think they're experts. They think we think we're the experts. "He's rubbish!" they say. And
us, the good ones we think to ourselves are summoned by our blind loyalty rational
thinking to reply: "but he's good ... give him time." And we repeat this until we get
exhausted.
They say that the Premier League is no country for old men, that its dash and intensity are too
much for the over-30s.
The year is still in its infancy, but already 2012 has proved the nay-sayers wrong. With the
broad shouldered Phil Jones losing impulsive cult followers with every passing game, English
football is turning to tried and tested players.
They say that the Premier League is no country for old men, that its dash and intensity are too
much for the over-30s.
The year is still in its infancy, but already 2012 has proved the nay-sayers wrong. With the
broad shouldered Phil Jones losing impulsive cult followers with every passing game, English
football is turning to tried and tested players.
Roy Keane's departure an anecdote
iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. Formerly known as 'Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park'.
The destination for myself and the future Mrs Pattison on a scorching hot Sunday in November. It
was the final stop on our whirlwind three day safari before returning to our Charity project in Kwa
Zulu-Natal.
Roy Keane's departure an anecdote
iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. Formerly known as 'Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park'.
The destination for myself and the future Mrs Pattison on a scorching hot Sunday in November. It
was the final stop on our whirlwind three day safari before returning to our Charity project in Kwa
Zulu-Natal.
Sandwiched in between the utter naivety of the first seven or eight years of your life and the
predictable yawn of teenage anxiety, there's a golden age in childhood. It's that age when climbing
trees, skimming stones and dressing as a one-eyed buccaneer is not only immensely enjoyable, but
also immensely important.
Sandwiched in between the utter naivety of the first seven or eight years of your life and the
predictable yawn of teenage anxiety, there's a golden age in childhood. It's that age when climbing
trees, skimming stones and dressing as a one-eyed buccaneer is not only immensely enjoyable, but
also immensely important.
In sport, reputation can be crystallised or destroyed in one match. Claudio Gentile was
unfairly recognised as a hard-man outside Italy for his savage treatment of Diego Maradona (and
then Zico in the next game) in the 1982 World Cup but here was a player who was fantastically more
all-rounded than that one game made him.
In sport, reputation can be crystallised or destroyed in one match. Claudio Gentile was
unfairly recognised as a hard-man outside Italy for his savage treatment of Diego Maradona (and
then Zico in the next game) in the 1982 World Cup but here was a player who was fantastically more
all-rounded than that one game made him.
There's a moment in every superhero story where the protagonist momentarily loses his power. In
the 1986 relaunch of DC Comic's Superman series, John Byrne revised the superhero's abilities so
that it would be easier to for writers to come up with suitable challenges. Last night, Newcastle
United was such a challenge for Manchester United's Phil Jones.
Newcastle United 3-0 Manchester United: Ba 33, Cabaye 47, Jones (og) 90+0
There's a moment in every superhero story where the protagonist momentarily loses his power. In
the 1986 relaunch of DC Comic's Superman series, John Byrne revised the superhero's abilities so
that it would be easier to for writers to come up with suitable challenges.
If we are to believe the lovely Mayans, the bearers of good news, then, sometime in 2012, the
year we've just entered of course, the beautiful human race – and also Luis Suarez – will be
wiped out by some sort of terrible catastrophe. Oh well. Thankfully however, there are a bunch of
cool, slick wordsmiths who are considerably more optimistic than the Mayans and see this year as
one, not of doom and gloom, but of happiness – in particular, for Manchester
United.
