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by Tom Kell , 20 April 2009
There’s Marmite and there’s Manchester United. Whether you were born within spitting distance of the Stretford End or a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool fan, everyone, for one reason or another, either loves or hates United. There is no inbetween, no half measures – they are your team or they are the one team you wish to see lose more than any other.
The most recent batch of United-haters are those groomed in the 90s, the ones who grew up in an age when Sir Alex Ferguson started a period of dominance so great that it virtually rendered irrelevant anyone else’s club.
Nobody suddenly wakes up and realises that Marmite on toast is the way forward so, in much the same way, views on United are so entrenched that swaying them one way or another is next to impossible. The heart will always rule the head. But, watching United against Everton on Sunday, I suddenly found that - for the first time I can remember - not every fibre of my body wanted them to lose. It was a worrying sensation.
One of the most common threads of condemnation aimed United’s way is that they are lucky…..everyone hates the way they always score in the last minute. First things first, that’s not luck. Golf legend Gary Player hit the nail on the head when he said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
Ignore that if you wish but we shouldn’t we all be busy hating Liverpool now? They’re the ones with this newfound ability to score when the clock has already ticked past 90. Remember Benayoun at Fulham, Gerrard at home to Middlesbrough, Torres at Portsmouth and at home to Chelsea? All just this season but the list goes on.
Another of the most oft-used forms of ammunition is that United get special treatment. Nobody gets a penalty at Old Trafford, right? This might be the case but not because Old Trafford affects referees any more than Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Emirates Stadium?
Off the field United are the favourites of the authorities, aren't they? The eight-month ban imposed on Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test when Manchester City's Christian Negouai, guilty of the same offence, escaped with a £2,000 fine, would seem to suggest otherwise.
What of the manager? Ferguson has often been the source of many people’s disenchantment at the red half of Manchester…but why? Don’t people hate the Scot for what he was rather than what he is?
I find it difficult to believe that even the most fervent of United bashers cannot find it within themselves to respect a man who has single-handedly transformed the face of British football. Liking a man who can still appear smarmy, arrogant and above the law is one thing but finding RESPECT for a 67-year-old with such unerring passion is surely the least he deserves.
Somewhere amidst all that firmly embedded prejudice floating around must be an appreciation that Ferguson has mellowed out.
He is also one of the more reasonable managers when it comes to letting his international stars head off to play for their countries without grumbling. Examples to the contrary are, of course, bound to surface but, as a whole, Ferguson does not tend to kick up such a fuss as messers Benitez and Wenger. Those who remember the way Ryan Giggs' international career fizzled out might beg to differ.
Finding reasons NOT to hate United is, unexpectedly enough, much trickier than pinpointing why we can actually LIKE them.
One of the biggest gripes that every football fan has is that the deluge of foreigners in The Premier League is ruining our game.Ferguson is inevitably guilty of contributing to that but how many teams can boast more of a regular England representation than Foster, Ferdinand, Neville, Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes and Rooney? How many players elsewhere in the British Isles can Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool rub together? United have Giggs, Fletcher, Evans and O’Shea – the complete set.
All this, and no mention of the way Ferguson’s teams play. Arsenal might argue but is there a better team to watch? Is there a more adventurous side? Is there a manager – again Arsenal fans can rightly take issue – that places such faith in young talent? Whether he was right or wrong to do so, picking a team like that which he did against Everton is the perfect example.
It is intrinsic to football that love and hatred are bred into the average fan so a change in standpoint takes some doing. If we can somehow locate that one thing that no supporter likes to find – a degree of rationality – can we really still hate United?
There’s Marmite and there’s Manchester United. Whether you were born within spitting distance of the Stretford End or a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool fan, everyone, for one reason or another, either loves or hates United. There is no inbetween, no half measures – they are your team or they are the one team you wish to see lose more than any other.
The most recent batch of United-haters are those groomed in the 90s, the ones who grew up in an age when Sir Alex Ferguson started a period of dominance so great that it virtually rendered irrelevant anyone else’s club.
Nobody suddenly wakes up and realises that Marmite on toast is the way forward so, in much the same way, views on United are so entrenched that swaying them one way or another is next to impossible. The heart will always rule the head. But, watching United against Everton on Sunday, I suddenly found that - for the first time I can remember - not every fibre of my body wanted them to lose. It was a worrying sensation.
One of the most common threads of condemnation aimed United’s way is that they are lucky…..everyone hates the way they always score in the last minute. First things first, that’s not luck. Golf legend Gary Player hit the nail on the head when he said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
Ignore that if you wish but we shouldn’t we all be busy hating Liverpool now? They’re the ones with this newfound ability to score when the clock has already ticked past 90. Remember Benayoun at Fulham, Gerrard at home to Middlesbrough, Torres at Portsmouth and at home to Chelsea? All just this season but the list goes on.
Another of the most oft-used forms of ammunition is that United get special treatment. Nobody gets a penalty at Old Trafford, right? This might be the case but not because Old Trafford affects referees any more than Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Emirates Stadium?
Off the field United are the favourites of the authorities, aren't they? The eight-month ban imposed on Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test when Manchester City's Christian Negouai, guilty of the same offence, escaped with a £2,000 fine, would seem to suggest otherwise.
What of the manager? Ferguson has often been the source of many people’s disenchantment at the red half of Manchester…but why? Don’t people hate the Scot for what he was rather than what he is?
I find it difficult to believe that even the most fervent of United bashers cannot find it within themselves to respect a man who has single-handedly transformed the face of British football. Liking a man who can still appear smarmy, arrogant and above the law is one thing but finding RESPECT for a 67-year-old with such unerring passion is surely the least he deserves.
Somewhere amidst all that firmly embedded prejudice floating around must be an appreciation that Ferguson has mellowed out.
He is also one of the more reasonable managers when it comes to letting his international stars head off to play for their countries without grumbling. Examples to the contrary are, of course, bound to surface but, as a whole, Ferguson does not tend to kick up such a fuss as messers Benitez and Wenger. Those who remember the way Ryan Giggs' international career fizzled out might beg to differ.
Finding reasons NOT to hate United is, unexpectedly enough, much trickier than pinpointing why we can actually LIKE them.
One of the biggest gripes that every football fan has is that the deluge of foreigners in The Premier League is ruining our game.Ferguson is inevitably guilty of contributing to that but how many teams can boast more of a regular England representation than Foster, Ferdinand, Neville, Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes and Rooney? How many players elsewhere in the British Isles can Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool rub together? United have Giggs, Fletcher, Evans and O’Shea – the complete set.
All this, and no mention of the way Ferguson’s teams play. Arsenal might argue but is there a better team to watch? Is there a more adventurous side? Is there a manager – again Arsenal fans can rightly take issue – that places such faith in young talent? Whether he was right or wrong to do so, picking a team like that which he did against Everton is the perfect example.
It is intrinsic to football that love and hatred are bred into the average fan so a change in standpoint takes some doing. If we can somehow locate that one thing that no supporter likes to find – a degree of rationality – can we really still hate United?
http://www.setanta.com//uk/Blogs/Tom...o-hate-United/
There’s Marmite and there’s Manchester United. Whether you were born within spitting distance of the Stretford End or a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool fan, everyone, for one reason or another, either loves or hates United. There is no inbetween, no half measures – they are your team or they are the one team you wish to see lose more than any other.
The most recent batch of United-haters are those groomed in the 90s, the ones who grew up in an age when Sir Alex Ferguson started a period of dominance so great that it virtually rendered irrelevant anyone else’s club.
Nobody suddenly wakes up and realises that Marmite on toast is the way forward so, in much the same way, views on United are so entrenched that swaying them one way or another is next to impossible. The heart will always rule the head. But, watching United against Everton on Sunday, I suddenly found that - for the first time I can remember - not every fibre of my body wanted them to lose. It was a worrying sensation.
One of the most common threads of condemnation aimed United’s way is that they are lucky…..everyone hates the way they always score in the last minute. First things first, that’s not luck. Golf legend Gary Player hit the nail on the head when he said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
Ignore that if you wish but we shouldn’t we all be busy hating Liverpool now? They’re the ones with this newfound ability to score when the clock has already ticked past 90. Remember Benayoun at Fulham, Gerrard at home to Middlesbrough, Torres at Portsmouth and at home to Chelsea? All just this season but the list goes on.
Another of the most oft-used forms of ammunition is that United get special treatment. Nobody gets a penalty at Old Trafford, right? This might be the case but not because Old Trafford affects referees any more than Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Emirates Stadium?
Off the field United are the favourites of the authorities, aren't they? The eight-month ban imposed on Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test when Manchester City's Christian Negouai, guilty of the same offence, escaped with a £2,000 fine, would seem to suggest otherwise.
What of the manager? Ferguson has often been the source of many people’s disenchantment at the red half of Manchester…but why? Don’t people hate the Scot for what he was rather than what he is?
I find it difficult to believe that even the most fervent of United bashers cannot find it within themselves to respect a man who has single-handedly transformed the face of British football. Liking a man who can still appear smarmy, arrogant and above the law is one thing but finding RESPECT for a 67-year-old with such unerring passion is surely the least he deserves.
Somewhere amidst all that firmly embedded prejudice floating around must be an appreciation that Ferguson has mellowed out.
He is also one of the more reasonable managers when it comes to letting his international stars head off to play for their countries without grumbling. Examples to the contrary are, of course, bound to surface but, as a whole, Ferguson does not tend to kick up such a fuss as messers Benitez and Wenger. Those who remember the way Ryan Giggs' international career fizzled out might beg to differ.
Finding reasons NOT to hate United is, unexpectedly enough, much trickier than pinpointing why we can actually LIKE them.
One of the biggest gripes that every football fan has is that the deluge of foreigners in The Premier League is ruining our game.Ferguson is inevitably guilty of contributing to that but how many teams can boast more of a regular England representation than Foster, Ferdinand, Neville, Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes and Rooney? How many players elsewhere in the British Isles can Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool rub together? United have Giggs, Fletcher, Evans and O’Shea – the complete set.
All this, and no mention of the way Ferguson’s teams play. Arsenal might argue but is there a better team to watch? Is there a more adventurous side? Is there a manager – again Arsenal fans can rightly take issue – that places such faith in young talent? Whether he was right or wrong to do so, picking a team like that which he did against Everton is the perfect example.
It is intrinsic to football that love and hatred are bred into the average fan so a change in standpoint takes some doing. If we can somehow locate that one thing that no supporter likes to find – a degree of rationality – can we really still hate United?
There’s Marmite and there’s Manchester United. Whether you were born within spitting distance of the Stretford End or a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool fan, everyone, for one reason or another, either loves or hates United. There is no inbetween, no half measures – they are your team or they are the one team you wish to see lose more than any other.
The most recent batch of United-haters are those groomed in the 90s, the ones who grew up in an age when Sir Alex Ferguson started a period of dominance so great that it virtually rendered irrelevant anyone else’s club.
Nobody suddenly wakes up and realises that Marmite on toast is the way forward so, in much the same way, views on United are so entrenched that swaying them one way or another is next to impossible. The heart will always rule the head. But, watching United against Everton on Sunday, I suddenly found that - for the first time I can remember - not every fibre of my body wanted them to lose. It was a worrying sensation.
One of the most common threads of condemnation aimed United’s way is that they are lucky…..everyone hates the way they always score in the last minute. First things first, that’s not luck. Golf legend Gary Player hit the nail on the head when he said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
Ignore that if you wish but we shouldn’t we all be busy hating Liverpool now? They’re the ones with this newfound ability to score when the clock has already ticked past 90. Remember Benayoun at Fulham, Gerrard at home to Middlesbrough, Torres at Portsmouth and at home to Chelsea? All just this season but the list goes on.
Another of the most oft-used forms of ammunition is that United get special treatment. Nobody gets a penalty at Old Trafford, right? This might be the case but not because Old Trafford affects referees any more than Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Emirates Stadium?
Off the field United are the favourites of the authorities, aren't they? The eight-month ban imposed on Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test when Manchester City's Christian Negouai, guilty of the same offence, escaped with a £2,000 fine, would seem to suggest otherwise.
What of the manager? Ferguson has often been the source of many people’s disenchantment at the red half of Manchester…but why? Don’t people hate the Scot for what he was rather than what he is?
I find it difficult to believe that even the most fervent of United bashers cannot find it within themselves to respect a man who has single-handedly transformed the face of British football. Liking a man who can still appear smarmy, arrogant and above the law is one thing but finding RESPECT for a 67-year-old with such unerring passion is surely the least he deserves.
Somewhere amidst all that firmly embedded prejudice floating around must be an appreciation that Ferguson has mellowed out.
He is also one of the more reasonable managers when it comes to letting his international stars head off to play for their countries without grumbling. Examples to the contrary are, of course, bound to surface but, as a whole, Ferguson does not tend to kick up such a fuss as messers Benitez and Wenger. Those who remember the way Ryan Giggs' international career fizzled out might beg to differ.
Finding reasons NOT to hate United is, unexpectedly enough, much trickier than pinpointing why we can actually LIKE them.
One of the biggest gripes that every football fan has is that the deluge of foreigners in The Premier League is ruining our game.Ferguson is inevitably guilty of contributing to that but how many teams can boast more of a regular England representation than Foster, Ferdinand, Neville, Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes and Rooney? How many players elsewhere in the British Isles can Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool rub together? United have Giggs, Fletcher, Evans and O’Shea – the complete set.
All this, and no mention of the way Ferguson’s teams play. Arsenal might argue but is there a better team to watch? Is there a more adventurous side? Is there a manager – again Arsenal fans can rightly take issue – that places such faith in young talent? Whether he was right or wrong to do so, picking a team like that which he did against Everton is the perfect example.
It is intrinsic to football that love and hatred are bred into the average fan so a change in standpoint takes some doing. If we can somehow locate that one thing that no supporter likes to find – a degree of rationality – can we really still hate United?
http://www.setanta.com//uk/Blogs/Tom...o-hate-United/
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