Soccer: Is ‘Sheasey’ suffering from second season syndrome?

WRITING as I do on a Monday afternoon, I cast this anxious question forward into the future to you, dear reader, as you peruse this on a Wednesday: is my beloved Manchester still standing?

Or does it lie in smouldering ruins, with bloodied kilted warriors dancing atop its fiery graves?

I only ask because one might conclude, from the pre-Rangers hype this past weekend, that the apocalypse is coming down to Old Trafford.

"Ten thousand Huns will take over every one of your stands and then trash your city centre afterwards," warns a Celt by email.

"We're coming for you, your daughters and your pets," suggests a Ger, with unexpected comic effect. My OT insider tells me there will have been a "ring of steel" around the ground, part of "the biggest security operation here in years."

Ho-hum. I have no doubt that there will have been argybargy a-plenty last night both in and out of the ground. But as long as nothing so serious as to risk a UEFA ban has occurred, I couldn't care less.

The only 'ring of steel' that concerns me is the one that will need to be mounted outside our penalty area both last night and for next Sunday at Liverpool; in particular, my worry regards the roles of Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea in keeping that ring's metallic content high.

O'Shea or 'Sheasey', as his horrendous OT nickname has it is suffering from both early-autumn overweight and 'second season syndrome' but one has no doubts that he will overcome both of these. He remains formidably popular in the stands and the goodwill flows around him.

The same cannot necessarily be said of Rio Ferdinand, who was utterly awful on Saturday against an unlucky but insufficiently adventurous Portsmouth.

Many of those Reds who publicly defend Rio nonetheless seethe in private about his continued shortcomings both on and off the pitch. Certainly there is no one left on the planet bar Messrs Zihavi and Kenyon who would dare argue that United paid a fair price for him.

I am reliably informed that there are more skeletons in the closet yet to emerge and that therefore we cannot expect finally to close the chapter on Rio's troubles on the day the FA imposes its ban.

Of course, we also continue to be worried about the other end of the pitch.

That we should have been labouring so sweatily with 10 minutes to go on Saturday was an indictment of our current offensive resources. Thank goodness for Roy, whose finish was surely the best seen at the ground this season and typical of his unmatchable class.

We miss Scholes and Solskjaer so badly; Forlan's three goals in a week proved nothing for his overall account beyond the fact that stats can be made to demonstrate anything, bar the truth. The current jibe is that Diego and Ruud appear to have temporarily swapped boots and it is naturally deeply troubling that Ruud has hit a wall.

Fingers are being pointed at his Dutch team problems but surely part of it must be the pain of having to shoulder so much of the United team's attacking burden virtually alone or that when it is shared, he has to put up with such lightweights as Forlan or Bellion flitting about alongside him.

Watching Ruud and Diego's body language together, one is inescapably reminded of the unhappier days that Andy Cole and Eric Cantona shared upfront, when the latter could barely suppress his rage at the fact that the former was so often not up to the task.

Yet Cole now appears to be a footballing giant in comparison to Bellion and Forlan. To think I used to moan about Andy only putting away one-in-three of his chances! At Leeds last week, Forlan had TEN official attempts at goal and only scored one, via an easy tap-in.

Sod's Law dictates that you will probably be reading this after Diego scores a hat-trick against Rangers but I will stick to my guns: I cannot see him ever becoming a United legend.

Sad to report, too, that the ageing, slowing Nicky Butt is beginning to run out of supporters in the stands. There is a feeling that Djemba Djemba and, perhaps, Kleberson will have entirely eased him out of the first team picture come May.

Certainly, in a squad absurdly over-populated by 'holding' midfielders, someone will have to give way once and for all.

The atmosphere was dreadful again on Saturday, further spoiled by the horrid din made by the Pompey Chimes.

However, I trust there'll have been a right old racket created last night. Sunday should be mental too; as Anfield's home support declines in quality, travelling Reds have increasingly enjoyed rubbing it in by producing top-notch vocal performances at Bindipper Central.

And as badly as we have played this season, there are stirrings in the undergrowth to be pleased about, not least the displays of Messrs Eagles and Fletcher at Leeds last week.

Add to that the reports that we are going in for Dutch duo Van Der Vaart and Robben in January, players who I can reveal here were in Manchester last week, drinking with an acquaintance of mine at the Living Room on their way to see 'people' at Old Trafford.

United always come alive for the New Year and this grotty autumn can soon be forgotten but we will surely need new blood if we are to resurrect this limp campaign."