There the season goes, again......
Not a bad result to end your season with. A 1-1 draw with the champions didn't seem to be a bad result. But the final league standings shows an appalling 14th place finish. Didn't reflect to good on the season does it. The match was as good as a pre-season outing with chelsea intend on not going out of first gear while we were playing for pride or not to finish lower than 13th. I'm not sure if those were on the players minds. As usual, the team started with a bunch of youngsters who didn't do too badly either. Even the start of the game was bizarre, Jose Mourinho grabbing his former left-back Celestine Babayaro and insisting that the Nigerian international join the Chelsea ranks when United clapped them on to the field.
As for the game itself, United finally scored a home Premiership goal for the first time since Robert's free-kick against Liverpool on March 5 - a total of 323 minutes of football ago. United's lead came courtesy of an own goal, Geremi robbing Titus Bramble of his first Premiership goal for the club by knocking in an Alan Shearer flick-on from Charles N'Zogbia's corner kick. The players were even embarrased to celebrate the goal. Like the same failings througout the season, we again succumbed to concending a goal when we take the lead. Only this time it came from a penalty. Unfortunately, Babayaro gave the Chelsea fans something to be grateful to him for when he got the wrong side of Eidur Gudjohnsen to give acting skipper Frank Lampard the chance to equalise from the penalty spot within a couple of minutes of United's opener.
Another game with the headlines grabbed by the referee. Fussy Yorkshire referee Howard Webb managed to book no fewer than eight players - four from each side - in a low-key match. Another referee who is trying to hard to be hated by us. Then there is Laurent Robert. The Frenchman got the biggest cheer of the day when, at the end of the game, he climbed off the substitutes bench and threw his shirt top, vest, boots, socks and shorts into the crowd. And what about Patrick Kluivert? The Dutchman ended up with 13 goals in his first - and last - season in a black-and-white shirt. Yet every fan in that stadium yesterday must have known that had he applied himself to the talents he has then Kluivert would surely have bagged twice as many goals.
So in the end, we found out that Birmingham City had moved above us by beating Arsenal in the last minute and Fulham did likewise because they scored six against Norwich City. Unbelievable. Talk about running out of luck. However, at least we did not lose, thanks mainly to another breathtaking save from Shay Given six minutes from time. And once again youngsters N'Zogbia and James Milner showed that they can live with the champions.
But at the end of the season there are 51 points between United and Chelsea and everyone of us will be hoping to see four or five top-quality signings(or perhaps more) in the summer to get us challenging for a Champions League place next season. Bring on the summer.....
Toon Players Ratings vs Chelsea
As for the game itself, United finally scored a home Premiership goal for the first time since Robert's free-kick against Liverpool on March 5 - a total of 323 minutes of football ago. United's lead came courtesy of an own goal, Geremi robbing Titus Bramble of his first Premiership goal for the club by knocking in an Alan Shearer flick-on from Charles N'Zogbia's corner kick. The players were even embarrased to celebrate the goal. Like the same failings througout the season, we again succumbed to concending a goal when we take the lead. Only this time it came from a penalty. Unfortunately, Babayaro gave the Chelsea fans something to be grateful to him for when he got the wrong side of Eidur Gudjohnsen to give acting skipper Frank Lampard the chance to equalise from the penalty spot within a couple of minutes of United's opener.
Another game with the headlines grabbed by the referee. Fussy Yorkshire referee Howard Webb managed to book no fewer than eight players - four from each side - in a low-key match. Another referee who is trying to hard to be hated by us. Then there is Laurent Robert. The Frenchman got the biggest cheer of the day when, at the end of the game, he climbed off the substitutes bench and threw his shirt top, vest, boots, socks and shorts into the crowd. And what about Patrick Kluivert? The Dutchman ended up with 13 goals in his first - and last - season in a black-and-white shirt. Yet every fan in that stadium yesterday must have known that had he applied himself to the talents he has then Kluivert would surely have bagged twice as many goals.
So in the end, we found out that Birmingham City had moved above us by beating Arsenal in the last minute and Fulham did likewise because they scored six against Norwich City. Unbelievable. Talk about running out of luck. However, at least we did not lose, thanks mainly to another breathtaking save from Shay Given six minutes from time. And once again youngsters N'Zogbia and James Milner showed that they can live with the champions.
But at the end of the season there are 51 points between United and Chelsea and everyone of us will be hoping to see four or five top-quality signings(or perhaps more) in the summer to get us challenging for a Champions League place next season. Bring on the summer.....
Toon Players Ratings vs Chelsea
posted by Sher at 7:21 AM
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