Dominant Display (Charlton 0 - Manchester United 3)

Finally managed to help Kentona get the live feeds for this game, and boy was it worth it! We spent the entire game chatting via YIM.

We started the game scrappily, which was understandable, considering we lost Neville to injury and both Rooney and Scholes to some anal suspension by the FA.

The FA has never been a friend to us. They have never supported us and has always tried their best to put obstacles in our way since the mid 90s. I'll briefly chronicle what the bastards at the FA have done to us.

1. Cantona in 95. After the kungfu kick, the club had already suspended Cantona for the entire season, but the FA banned him for part of the next season as well. Perhaps just as well, it showed him how much we loved him and he repaid our affection with the double.

2. David Beckham in 98. The entire country (England) was out for his blood and the FA did not lift a finger. Only United and the fans stood by Becks.

3. FA Cup in 2000. Under the insistence of the FA, we were forced to play in some stupid World Club competition in Brazil and had to forego our defence of the FA Cup. It brought all sorts of negative criticism, but the FA chose to keep silent, despite it entirely being their fault.

4. Philip Neville in 2000. Again a Manchester United player becomes the scapegoat for England's exit in a major tournament. And again the FA chooses not to defend our player, leaving it to the club and the fans.

5. Rio. Rio misses a drug test and is banned for 9 months. Whereas someone who was caught taking forbidden substances got a lighter sentence (Rio was tested clean when he took the retest).

6. Ronaldo and Rooney 06. Once again, a couple of United players are blamed for England's exit. I don't even understand why our English players want to play for their country, when everytime they do, they get blamed for giving their all.

7. Rooney and Scholes banned 3 games. I don't understand why they should be banned 3 games for getting sent off in a friendly. Even if the ban is enforced, shouldn't they only be banned 2 games since they had already served one in the second Ajax tourney game? Moreover, a couple of year back, Liverpool also had 2 players sent off in the same tourney but were not given a warning, let alone a ban. The FA has always had one rule for United and another for everyone else. No wonder United fans have always hated the FA.

Anyway, let's not have the depressing stuff take away what's a great day for us. After a scrappy 15 minutes or so, we turned on the style. Some of our forward play was simply breathtaking. There was plenty of movement upfront but somehow we were not able to put the ball into the net. Giggs and Ronaldo were unlucky to hit the woodwork.

In beginning of the second half, Fletcher made the best of a defender's mistake and coolly put the ball into the net. I have to admit that it was one of the coolest goals I've ever seen. And it was the only time I actually took notice of Fletcher the entire game. He's exactly like the type of woman I like, doing the dirty work in the background and popping up only when it matters.

Saha scored in the 80th to put Charlton away and supersub, Ole, put the result beyond doubt in the dying minutes. It could've been so many more had we been more clinical finishing the opponents off.

I'm trying not to get overly excited right now, since it's still very early in the season, and we all know how prone to screwing up we are. It's even harder to keep from being excited when Chelski lost to Boro today.

Today's display would've been perfect if not for Evra playing the role of a party pooper. He's absolutely useless. I don't think there was anything he did well today. Everytime he did something marginally good, he went on to screw it up the next minute by doing something absolutely shit. Thankfully most of the play was in the Charlton half, where the worst he could do was to give possession away. I'm really running out of patience with him.

Well, let's hope Fergie has seen enough and decides to take him off in the weekend when we face Watford.