Can We Play You Every Week?

By: MoonPig | March 15th, 2008

Derby County 0 - 1 Manchester United

The thing with Manchester United is that you have to accept they are one of the best teams in the world and if you’re going to avoid an old fashioned shoeing you need to more than match them for effort and determination and not let them play their game. Derby County did just that.

The first 15 minutes was a footballing MasterClass, with Ronaldo and Rooney showing the way but as the chances were wasted, you could see our confidence growing and Manchester United becoming increasingly aware that we were a threat and perhaps it wasn’t going to be an easy day.

Once again, the referee proved that there are two sets of rules. One for Manchester United and one for everyone else… (Except maybe Martin Atkinson forgot those when they played Portsmouth!). Paul Jewell’s favourite referee sycophantically bowed to united’s Shrek and twinkle toes (you know who I mean) giving every 50-50 tackle to them and booking Derby players on their say so. I thought players waiving invisible yellow cards was a bookable offence, but not if you’re a Manchester United player…

At one point Dowd even stopped a Derby attack on the edge of their box to ‘have a word’ with Rooney 60 yards away about a complaint he had… how thoughtful. And there’s me thinking that rule existed only at Old Trafford.

A comment about Ronaldo… difficult to name a more skillful player than him, but as my dad says, he’d fall over if you opened the fridge door. Bit of a weird analogy but you get what he means. Good thing it wasn’t windy or else the poor little mite would have blown over, up and out of the stadium. Shame. Shame also that a player as skillful as him has that element in their game.

Back to the Super Rams; I only have two questions now. 1. Why haven’t we played like that all season and 2. What’s changed since the kicking we took at Chelsea on Wednesday? If we keep playing like this, we’ll break that 15 point barrier. And that may not sound like much to you but Sunderland fan’s will know what I’m on about.

Man of the Match: Difficult to pick just one player, but Robbie Savage finally has started to make a difference in the Derby midfield.

Roll on Boro……………