The body is willing but the flesh is weak: United's missing aura

Back in August, when the days stretched long into the evening and the temperature left only short sleeves as a viable option on ones torso, Manchester United found themselves 2-0 down. It was Wembley, it mattered not that only the Community Shield was at stake, Manchester City were about to re-assert their dominance.

Chris Smalling pulled a goal back shortly after the resumption and all who were watching on knew that an equaliser would only be a matter of time – it took six minutes.

London police will launch full investigation into Terry race row

London Metropolitan Police will launch a full investigation into the allegation of racism against, Chelsea and England captain, John Terry.

The police announced this morning that they would review the evidence, widely circulated on YouTube last week, after several members of the public made complaints against Terry in the aftermath of Chelsea’s ill-tempered defeat at the hands of QPR on October 23^rd. The Met have now come to the decision that the matter deserves their attention.

Anton Ferdinand, the man whom Terry is said to have abused, tentatively broke his silence on the subject yesterday saying that he has “strong feelings” on the matter despite the Chelsea skipper’s protestations that he had spoken and reconciled with Ferdinand following the game.

The QPR defender (a brother of Manchester United defender and deposed England captain, Rio) also recently revealed that he has been targeted by racist abuse on his Twitter account. Newcastle United’s Sammy Ameobi and, former Liverpool striker, Stan Collymore have also re-tweeted racist messages directed at them.

The police are expected to formally interview all the parties involved over the coming days and their investigation will run concurrently with the FA’s own look into the controversy, one of two currently on their books after Patrice Evra accused Liverpool's Luis Suarez of calling him n****r "at least 10 times" on October 15th.

Terry is currently in Belgium where he and his Chelsea teammates will take on Genk in the Champions League tonight (Tuesday) but he will begin the game on the bench.

Yet another South African joins Ulster

The South African influx at Ulster continuea unabated as they have been granted permission to sign 36 year old utility back Stefan Terblanche on a short term deal.

The province had already recruited the maximum of five overseas players in their squad but special dispensation has been allowed owing to the injury to Jared Payne, who ruptured his Achilles in the embarrassing 12 -23 defeat to Treviso at Ravenhill on October 7^th.

Terblanche has been capped 37 times by the Springboks and is winding down his career after playing his final game for the Natal Sharks in Saturday’s Currie Cup defeat to the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.

Can Mancini keep up City's relentless attack

Ok, hands up who remembers or cares about the Community Shield result? Thought not.

To jog ye olde memory; Manchester United beat Manchester City by three goals to two. United were flowing and entertaining, City; slow and methodical but nothing could separate the sides after 90 minutes.

Roberto Mancini had opted not to introduce Kun Aguero off the bench, feeling that it was more important to have some big boys on the field to defend set-pieces, City lost. Vincent Kompany made a rare mistake in stoppage time allowing Nani a free run from halfway to secure the meaningless plate for his club.

Yesterday morning in Salford, Cheshire and the red half of Carrington the bright days of August must feel like an awful long time ago. A 1 -6 defeat at home: If it happened to an International football team there would be cries questioning the merits of their involvement at the ‘top level.’ A promoted team would be installed as favourites for relegation and be relieved of the manager who promoted them.

So what happens now for Manchester United? Many will leap to herald this as a new era, United apologists will say ‘Fergie will make the players bounce back’. It is hard to argue with either. For years, the more trigger happy pundits have been keen to be the first to announce the beginning end for Sir Alex Ferguson but he keeps coming back.

Yet, for all the praise of his grit and ‘never say die’ attitude, for the style of football he encourages – though he scolded Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra for continuing that cavalier attitude – and for his legendary mind games, Ferguson does have a weakness. It has long been ignored, because he is so quick to cover his tracks and his results make you feel foolish for thinking it. But it is ingrained there, and it seeps down through his squad every season.

The fatal flaw of Ferguson is his complacency. A United supporting friend of In the Final Minute once lamented Arsenal’s 2003/4 league triumph, the unbeaten season – my friend reckoned this was the most painful time United failed to win the Premier League because “that should have been our record.”

But under Ferguson, United will never manage such a feat. There is a distinct pattern from his side over the years and it stems from the manager and his famous adage that the reaction to a loss is more important than the loss itself.

It is a time honoured tradition: United will play well, play brilliantly and then keep winning regardless of form, chiselling out results where they shouldn’t. Then, just when all expect them to march on, they are surprised and they implode.

Ferguson calls it a blip, he refocuses his team, pulling up the socks he let slide and the Red Devils graft their way back into form. They graft, they play well, they play brilliantly until eventually they collapse again.

This has been their most successful start to a season, is it any wonder it was ended by their ‘worst ever day.’

The league is not over however, and at 2/1 United are good value if you are betting on the title. City will drop points and United will have a tangible incentive when they visit Eastlands on April 28^th. City’s task now is to cope as more than a mere celebrity, a circus freak of a club for others to come poke and feel good about themselves for containing. Now they are the top dog and they must now deal with every opponent raising their game to appease the fans who will throng through otherwise cobwebbed gates to see City, the champions in waiting.

hmmm, who to chose

So far this season Roberto Mancini has been a leopard changing his spots. From a painstaking adherence to conservatism he now presides over the smoothest, dreamiest team in the land. You only have to compare the attractiveness of their poster-boy of recent seasons (Carlos Tevez) with the suave new man grabbing all the goals.

Mancini has done exceedingly well by changing his habits, from the man who wouldn’t risk putting on Aguero with the game level at two apiece, to a man with enough trust in his troops to play his strongest front three at Old Trafford. He reaped the rewards for that decision, but England’s pitches will get softer and there will be plenty of clubs looking for their scalp.

Will Mancini keep attacking when protecting a five point lead? His job only gets harder from here on in.

Negative victories and positive defeats: The difference between Ireland's '07 and present World Cup hopes

Now this is exciting! The past two weeks have seen Declan Kidney pick international teams for tricky away fixtures. The goal – despite Kidney's protests – was to get those finely tuned motors up and running. A slow and sure warm up before we click into gear on these, the last two laps of our test run before New Zealand.

First up was the damp squib of a game against Scotland, do we expect anything more from a trip to Edinburgh? Much more heartening was last weekend's jaunt to Bordeaux. Another loss, yes, but the performance was only a decent set-piece away from a win deep in French rugby country.

Galway romp to victory over sorry Clare

Joe Canning amassed a score of 1-9

Clare may not have had too far to travel to Pearse Park, but the quality Galway exhibited was a world away from their limits and they were duly crushed by a score-line of 4-25 to 0-20.

Despite the rout, the pessimism that has engulfed Galway hurling since exiting the Leinster Championship was evident throughout the 70 minutes.

Support for the home side was incidental, as if many in the crowd had just stopped by in the midst of their evening stroll in the sunshine. By the end, that is exactly what it was for the Tribesmen as Joe Canning, Ger Farragher and Damien Hayes made the game look easy.

Great line from Sean Moran in Irish Times today

Sense in a world gone mad.

 

"In an ideal world a referee should be regarded in the same manner as a goalpost or a crossbar, an influence whose caprice you just have to put up with. Giving out about officials is about as availing as complaining that the woodwork isn't up to standard, that it favoured the opposition and wasn't consistent."

Conway continues to dazzle despite Irish defeat

If Ireland can take nothing away from this under 20 World Championship then they will still have Andrew Conway emerging as a true International quality winger.

The Blackrock boy was once again the sharpest weapon in Ireland’s arsenal, scoring two tries as they fell to a 42-26 defeat against South Africa.

The Springboks were a vastly superior outfit. That Ireland clocked up a healthy 26 points was down to a mix of some Conway brilliance and Bokke indiscipline which provided 12 points for James McKinney, three of which were from inside the 22 meter mark.

South Africa made a full raft of 11 changes following the win over Scotland. The four men retained were key figures here and at least two of them must surely be in line to make a mark in the senior side before the 2015 World Cup comes around.

Miller heads south for Glory

Liam Miller will play his football in Australia next year after signing a two-year deal with Hyundai A-league side Perth Glory.

AIL previews

I caught up with Phil Werahiko and Frank Cogan ahead of the AIL final at Donnybrook