This should have been done much much earlier, before the NBA finals and Euro 08 started, both of which have taken up most of my time (and sleep) nowdays. I already had in mind what to write about after winning the Champions League, but in the midst of the celebrations, I accidentally deleted the spreadsheet which held all my passwords, hence haven't been able to log onto Blogger.com.
Anyway excuses aside...ahem, does anyone feel that the euphoria of winning the Champions League this season pales in comparison to 99? I know at that moment when Van der Sar made the save from Anelka, I was ecstatic and probably in cloud nine for the next couple of days, but that feeling quickly subsided. It was totally different in 99. I can remember being giddy for months on end, reliving that magical moment Ole swipe the ball into the Bayern Munich net over and over again.
Maybe it's the way we won it this time round. I mean winning on penalties doesn't conclusively mean that we're a better team than Chelsea, even though throughout the season, we outran and outlasted them twice, in the league and in Europe. Still the level of satisfaction seems wanting. Maybe it's Ronaldo's reluctance to commit in the near future. Maybe it's because we know Ferguson wouldn't be with us in 3 years. Or just maybe it's because we know we've arrived.
That all said and speculated upon, we've done tremedously well this season. We all know it's an uphill task to retain the Premiership title. Ask Wenger. Despite going thru an entire season undefeated, Arsenal hasn't been able to do so in recent history.
We've also captured the Champions League, something that has previously occurred only twice in our resume. For a club of our history, stature and size, it's quite unbelievable, although we've taken measures to rectify this year.
Edwin Van der Sar (Grade B)
I can't really complain about him this season, even though the same weaknesses still surface in his game. As the season came to a close, he's play got increasingly more nervious. He still flaps way too often on crosses and corners, although the steady play of Vidic and Rio negates it mostly. Still you wonder how much longer he can go on playing at this level.
Tomas Kuszczak (Grade B)
Didn't really bathe himself in glory whenever he got the chance to deputise Van der Sar. That said, he didn't do too badly either. I know many would have put the blame on our FA Cup exit on him, but I felt there was little he could do in that situation. Moreover the sending off was scandalous to say the least.
Nemanja Vidic (Grade A+)
The rock in defense. Without him, this battleship would have sunk a long time ago. He made everyone look good in defense. Even Drogba's knee couldn't prevent him from seeing the season out. That's how tough he is.
Rio Ferdinand (Grade A+)
Very possibly had the best season for United, even though for the brief the moment Vidic was out, he looked like utter shit. With that little titbit out of the way, he's almost as important as Vidic this season. He was a calming influence, as captain, for everyone around him. It's rare that I praise Rio, so lap it up for what it's worth. Having typed that, he looks likely to hold on to that armband for the foreseeable future. It's not exactly what I'm looking forward to, given his penchant for leaving his brain up his arse when he's not on the pitch.
Wes Brown (Grade A+)
Without Neville, Brown's made the right-back position his own. He has been brilliant this year, not only in keeping the opponents away from our flanks but being injury-free as well. Done really well this season as part of the meanest defense in the EPL.
Patrice Evra (Grade A+)
I take back every mean thing I've written and said about Evra. Please forgive me. I haven't seen such a huge turnaround by a player. After a couple of...well....not too pleasant years, he's blossomed into possibly the best left-back in the world. How in the hell Abidal is playing left-back for the French national team ahead of him is simply beyond me. Evra's been brilliant going forward, often acting as a second winger. His defense is still shaky at times, but he's so fast, he usually gets in a second challenge, and not many survivor that second bite. Not to mention, he's been at the end of some bone-crunching tackles this season, and still tough enough to carry on with the game.
John O'Shea (Grade B)
Honestly cannot remember anyting noteworthy he did this season but he didn't do much wrong either. He's still our best utility player.
Owen Hargreaves (Grade A)
You know, I was not a fan when he was first signed, but I'm pretty much a convert now. He's not the flashy sort, nor the most imaginative on the pitch. But what he brings is determination and a sense of doggedness that simply cannot be underestimated. On the occasions he cameos at right-back, he does so wonderfully, nicking at the opponents without really fouling them, an art that seems lost on alot of our players. When he plays on the right wing, he provides a unique attacking option, going into positions none of our wingers are able to. That's possibly because the opponents think little of him as an attacker in the first place. Most importantly, he brings an added variation to our freekick repertoire.
Paul Scholes (B)
I am tempted to give him a C, but his strong performances at the end of the season made me change my mind. He's best days are possibly over, but towards the end, he reminded us of what a special player he is.
Michael Carrick (Grade C)
Damn, that invisibleman act, while novel last season, is wearing dangerously thin. We signed him for his famous killer passes, but we've seen little of it this season. For most parts, all we're seeing are diagonal passes. United could've signed me to do that for alot cheaper. Hell, they could've gotten me for free! In his second year with us, you would've expected alot more, but what we've been shown is a lot less.
Darren Flectcher (Grade B)
With the new signings and stars in midfield, he's not been featured much this season. But he's still getting a solid B from me coz I simply love him, not in a gay way.
Park Ji Sung (Grade B)
He was injured for most parts of the season, but what a hardworking player. Nothing flashy about him, but he can be relied on not to fuck things up. By far our most industrious player. Of course by 'industrious', it means he's really not a very exceptional player, but we just want to say something nice about him.
Anderson (Grade A)
Absolutely no fear in the kid. When we first signed him, 95% of the United world was just asking....WHO? Now everyone knows he's the future of our midfield. He stood toe to toe with Frabegras, eyeballed Gerrard and kicked the living shit out of anyone foolish enough to come close to him. His talent is enormous and never in doubt. What would be intersting is how year two in the EPL would be. We all know the second year is the hardest to come to terms to, and next season, we would see if Anderson has it in him to justify our faith.
Nani (Grade C)
I'm going to refrain saying too many bad things about Nani. He came along with Anderson, with a higher expectation, but fell way short of it. His first season reminds us alot of Ronaldo, the eagerness to show off his skills and the desire to please the fans. It also showed us alot of immaturity associated with youth. I suppose, I'm making provisions fo him right now, seeing how Ronaldo has blossomed as a player.
Ronaldo (Grade A++)
The best player in the world bar none. He's the sole reason why we retained our title and won the Champions League. 42 goals from a winger in the modern day of football is almost unheard of. Unfortunately for all his achievements with us, his heart is still set on Real Madrid. Someone needs to let him know that it's a freaking downgrade.
Ryan Giggs (Grade C)
Unlike Scholes, his best playing days are definitely over. For a huge part of the season, we've been carrying his deadweight around. Thankfully as the season closed, Ferguson finally came to his senses and took him off the starting 11, giving him a bit-part role on the bench, limiting the damage, at the same time allowing Giggs to shine when everyone is tired and playing at his pace. Of course the grade doesn't mean that I don't love Giggs. I still do. He's been a loyal servant to the club and a huge huge part of our lore, it's just that he isn't that good as a player anymore.
Louis Saha (Grade C)
Tissueboy was a huge disappointment. I was expecting him to play a major part this season, but he constantly got injured. He still managed to score 5 goals despite his limited appearances. In anycase, it seems unlikely he would be hanging around next season. For his own sake, I hope he doesn't hurt himself on his way out.
Wayne Rooney (Grade B+)
18 goals this season. Didn't really have a spectacular season by his standards I'm sure. Alot was expected of him this season, and he didn't really rise to the occasion. At least he kept his temperament in check. Didn't really go into Berserker mode too much. And alot of that was because we didn't go behind very much.
Carlos Tevez (Grade A)
Exceptionally industrious player. Note that 'industrious' here has a wholely different meaning from Park's 'industrious'. His toughness and perseverance won over many fans, not to mention his late goals have saved us on numerous occasions. Alot would be expected from him next season. Not to mention he struck up a wonderful partnership with Rooney in the middle of the season which seemed to fade away towards the end.
The Forgotten Men
Gary Neville
Suffered from an injury last season and played only one game this season in the Champions League. With Brown doing so well and signing a new contract, you'd wonder if Neville would still be an automatic selection at right-back next season, especially when you consider his age.
Mikeal Silvestre
Injury robbed him this season. When he did return, he's played well. The question is, did he play well enough to be in the squad next season? Chances are he wouldn't be hanging around. If that is the case, we would need someone as a replacement left-back for Evra.
Ben Foster
Played a grand total of one league game. He's touted to be our future no.1, but to date, he's not been given a chance to play. You'd wonder how long it is before we get a chance to see him first hand in action.
Chris Eagle
The truely forgotten man amongst the forgotten men. Started a couple of games in the beginning of the season and a handful of substitute appearances. I can't remember him doing anything to warrant his relegation to Ferguson's scrapeheap. I bet a bunch of you even remembered he was with the team.
Gerrard Pique
He's gone back to Barcelona. Never really given a chance to shine here, despite the high praise for him. We seem to be losing our good young players like Rossi and Pique. Kinda sad, given the fact they have not been given the opportunity to play an extended number of games for us.
Alex Ferguson (Grade B+)
Last but not least, it's Ferguson's turn to get his grades. Right even after retaining the Premiership title and winning the Champions League, he falls short of a distinction. The main reason is that we still play scared in the Europe. More often than not, we play not to lose instead of playing to win. Tevez's late goal against Lyon and Barcelona's inability to score saved us this season. With the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool improving and Bayern Munich returning to the fray, we might be in for a tough time in Europe next season. We gotta start playing like we belong to the elites.
