Bolt from the blue as City surprise us twice

TWO things I never thought I would live to see happening on one day — City fans behaving like old school gents, and the Blues winning at Old Trafford.

I was at infant school last time they did it, just months before signing up to the Red cause, and thus on that scale should be well into my pensionables by the time they do it again. They deserved it though: no bitterness from this quarter.

City were the better team for starters. And one might almost go so far as to say the Berties deserved the win in light of their unexpectedly good behaviour, and after several years of increasing unluckiness in these OT derbies, not least the 1-1 draw a few years back when Andy Cole missed a last-gasp chance to end the hoodoo.

Almost but not quite, of course. And the scoreline still looked like a misprint, no matter how many times one read it in the Monday papers. As unsettlingly bizarre as often seeing City’s name in the top four table slots this season, or reading them being linked to the purchases of players valued in eight figures.

But as the PL announcement last week of a planned overseas round reminded us, these are strange days. Weird scenes inside the goldmine indeed: you may recall I predicted the obscenity of United playing Chelsea in the Bangkok Burgerdrome one day back in a September column. Clearly there is no pit into which United and the other mercenaries will not descend in order to extract more bullion.

That the news emerged to dominate the agenda during Munich’s 50th week was typically distasteful, although it did at least give us the opportunity to reflect ruefully on the change in the moral climate since the Babes’ era which Scudamore’s venture had highlighted.

Then again, perhaps there were those back in 1956 who painted the brave decision of Busby to defy the authorities and go into the European Cup in similarly apocalyptic colours. That said, I think it is safe to say that history will eventually satisfyingly demonstrate the difference between the innovative flair of United’s ‘56approach and the corrosive grubbiness of the PL’s buck-hunting.

All told, it is not something I am relishing saying ‘I told you so’ about, this triumph of arrogant deracinated branding-imperialism: the well-meaning UEFA boss Michel Platini called it a joke, but few match-going fans are laughing.

Another grumpy told-you-so: what was that I was saying about Rooney’s centrality last week being grosslyunder-rated?

He was absent on Sunday and we lost — and every single defeat we have suffered this season has been in part due to missing Wayne from the line-up. His unpredictability, energy and commitment still work for us even when his skill level is not at its best.

Ronaldo has largely played better than Wayne this season, of course, but he somehow doesn’t quite have that all-weather quality: when he is poor, he stinks the room out — full stop.

Still, at least at the time of writing anyway, no-one has yet blamed any emotional impact of Munich’s 50th for Sunday’s abject failure, although I noticed the BBC tried to get Ryan Giggs to do so after the match.

Given that the ‘58 lads were actually IN the crash and yet were beating opponents against all odds within a fortnight, eventually to get to Wembley, any such whingeing now should be stamped upon heavily.

Carlos The Jackass instead lived up to his name by blaming the midweek internationals, in which seven “tired” players were involved. How utterly pathetic: City had four involved themselves, yet seemed to cope fine. Besides, they were only friendlies, Carlos: moreover, weren’t you and Fergie the ones dragging the players out on a 17-hour round trip midweek for an international friendly of your own volition only three weeks ago?

We’ll have to wait for this weekend’s match programme notes to find out whether Fergie shares that absurd view too, since he huffily stomped off to South Africa on yet another jolly without a word, straight after the game.

A bizarre choice of preparatory behaviour, considering the magnitude of the squad’s task this coming weekend, and in Europe next week, you might think. Unless, as I keep suggesting, Carlos truly is the de facto manager of Manchester United these days? Gulp.

— Richard Kurt’s Red Army Years is only available via [e-mail]