89 Points
Football blog alert. As a Manchester United fan who has seen his team surrender an 8 point lead with 5 games of the season to go, I was expecting a routine home victory for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers, enough to give them the title on goal difference. What transpired was the single most devastating, even cruel finale to a league season that I've ever witnessed. United completed a fairly comfortable (if tense) 1-0 victory against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (my second team, whose slump in form has been troubling). Entering injury time, City were 2-1 down. Four minutes later, they had won 3-2 against the 10 man QPR. I turned over just in time to see Aguero score the winner.
The first thing you are taught when you are playing in goal as a child is to cover your near post. It seemed incredible to me therefore that the QPR goalkeeper Paddy Kenny had left a space at his near post that you could park a car in. I'm also more than a little suspicious about the fact that both Manchester City's goals came after QPR were aware that Bolton had drawn at Stoke, thereby preserving their Premier League status. But maybe that's just sour grapes.
The demise of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United has been predicted many times before. At some point in the not too distant future I imagine it shall come to pass. Nothing lasts forever. Long term, I envisage United struggling after Ferguson's retirement, possibly with a fall from grace not too dissimilar to the one experienced by Liverpool at the moment. But not yet. When the dust settles, questions will be asked about the squad, the problems in central midfield and the worrying capitulation in Europe. But ultimately they lost the title on goal difference, becoming the only team in Premier League history to fail to win the title with 89 points and were up against one of the most expensive football teams ever assembled.
United will bounce back. But for now, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I've thought on several occasions about not watching football anymore but my reaction to today's events proves I'm too far gone to turn back. The reds will go marching on. And so will I.
The first thing you are taught when you are playing in goal as a child is to cover your near post. It seemed incredible to me therefore that the QPR goalkeeper Paddy Kenny had left a space at his near post that you could park a car in. I'm also more than a little suspicious about the fact that both Manchester City's goals came after QPR were aware that Bolton had drawn at Stoke, thereby preserving their Premier League status. But maybe that's just sour grapes.
The demise of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United has been predicted many times before. At some point in the not too distant future I imagine it shall come to pass. Nothing lasts forever. Long term, I envisage United struggling after Ferguson's retirement, possibly with a fall from grace not too dissimilar to the one experienced by Liverpool at the moment. But not yet. When the dust settles, questions will be asked about the squad, the problems in central midfield and the worrying capitulation in Europe. But ultimately they lost the title on goal difference, becoming the only team in Premier League history to fail to win the title with 89 points and were up against one of the most expensive football teams ever assembled.
United will bounce back. But for now, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I've thought on several occasions about not watching football anymore but my reaction to today's events proves I'm too far gone to turn back. The reds will go marching on. And so will I.
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