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This is from the website of that bastion of remarkably accurate sports stories, The Sun.
Do you agree or disagree?
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JUST five games into the Premiership and Patrick Vieira, poor boy, is already shattered.
Up at Anfield a defence that conceded only 30 goals last season has similar problems lasting a full 90 minutes.
But this is as nothing compared to the goings-on at Old Trafford.
For Manchester United look knackered in every department. And there are precious few straws left for United fans to clutch at.
One could be that they started their Treble season in exactly the same way they have commenced this - two wins, two draws and a defeat - ignoring that other little blip in Hungary. Except there is no comparison between either the two squads or the spirit within.
The other is that something approaching normal service will be resumed once Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are restored to full fitness. On the surface, a fair enough point.
Except, on closer investigation, this argument would seem to have as many holes as a bar of Aero.
Of the nine games United lost last season, Keane and Scholes each played in six - starting five together.
Another absentee, Gary Neville, also appeared in the same number.
Needless to say, Juan Veron's name was on the teamsheet in eight.
No, the problems besetting Alex Ferguson's side are all-enveloping and are about intangibles such as courage, commitment, self-belief, pride, trust, durability and perseverance.
In Veron, they have a £28million player who can't tackle, can't score and can't even get in the box.
And with the new transfer window system they can't even offload him.
Even if they could, in the current economic climate they would be lucky to get even half their money back.
Former skipper Bryan Robson says the clock is ticking on Veron's Old Trafford career. Personally, I think it blew up a long time ago.
Then there is Laurent Blanc. Remarkably, he was given an extension to his contract. Even more remarkably, he is still preferred to John O'Shea.
The Frenchman continues to make mistakes - giving the ball away and rarely winning it back - and is hardly the tightest marker around.
This adds to the weight on Rio Ferdinand's shoulders.
At a time when he should be allowed to concentrate on his own game to justify the vast and desperate £29.1m stumped up by his manager, he has to babysit the World Cup-winner.
Just the sort of added responsibility he needs on the eve of his return to Elland Road - where his former fans will not be taking into account the great business it was to sell him.
Everywhere you look, the house Fergie built is starting to sway and shake.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is reduced to playing with his back to goal and indulging in theatrical penalty-box dives accompanied by whinges to match officials that confirm he has truly become a United player.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one of the great goal-scorers in Europe, seems to be marooned on the flanks while there is no striker worthy of the name on the bench.
Well, there is Diego Forlan but the United scouts must have surely confused him with someone else.
David Beckham is the latest to make a howler, the sort of individual gaffe against Bolton that will be punished when a team is struggling.
Ryan Giggs has scored ONE league goal at home since August 30, 1999.
In Keane's absence, United have no leader. And there is a staleness and lack of confidence about the side that only the manager can rectify.
Beckham says it is a case of playing through it, though many believe the problem to be more deep-rooted.
The core of the team - Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers - have been together now for a decade since winning the FA Youth Cup.
As Keane points out, they are all millionaires and need never work again. When you enter that sort of comfort zone, you don't jump out of bed so quickly in the morning - alarm clock or not.
Personally, I thought they would be throwing the duvet off with renewed enthusiasm this season - but I admit that even I have been known to be wrong at times!
At the same time, you look at a fixture list that, after Leeds tomorrow, reads Spurs (H), Charlton (A), Everton (H), Fulham (A), Aston Villa (H) and Southampton (H).
Surely there must be a shedload of points there. And there would be under normal circumstances.
But too many things seem to be going wrong at the same time - the Keane book that undermined an already fragile team spirit, too many injuries, the introduction of a first-team coach who knows nothing about the Premiership, the failure to buy a back-up striker or two and the retention of players who failed so abjectly last season.
Put all this together and it's hardly surprising the roof is falling in.
The fabulous Liverpool era of the 70s and 80s came to an end because the club brought in players who were neither good enough nor possessed the right attitude.
They thought association with a great club would make THEM great and respected. It also ended because nothing lasts forever. Losing, like winning, becomes a habit.
Ferguson may be the most successful manager in the history of the domestic game, but he is stumbling around in the dark at present.
And, unless he gets things right, that new three-year contract will be viewed as of benefit only to himself.
Brian Clough stayed too long, Bob Paisley got out at just the right time.
Ferguson said in August there was no way United could perform as badly at home as they did last season.
Well, they have played three games at Old Trafford, lost one already and scored just two goals.
That clock - that time-bomb - is not just ticking under Veron.
Do you agree or disagree?
-----
JUST five games into the Premiership and Patrick Vieira, poor boy, is already shattered.
Up at Anfield a defence that conceded only 30 goals last season has similar problems lasting a full 90 minutes.
But this is as nothing compared to the goings-on at Old Trafford.
For Manchester United look knackered in every department. And there are precious few straws left for United fans to clutch at.
One could be that they started their Treble season in exactly the same way they have commenced this - two wins, two draws and a defeat - ignoring that other little blip in Hungary. Except there is no comparison between either the two squads or the spirit within.
The other is that something approaching normal service will be resumed once Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are restored to full fitness. On the surface, a fair enough point.
Except, on closer investigation, this argument would seem to have as many holes as a bar of Aero.
Of the nine games United lost last season, Keane and Scholes each played in six - starting five together.
Another absentee, Gary Neville, also appeared in the same number.
Needless to say, Juan Veron's name was on the teamsheet in eight.
No, the problems besetting Alex Ferguson's side are all-enveloping and are about intangibles such as courage, commitment, self-belief, pride, trust, durability and perseverance.
In Veron, they have a £28million player who can't tackle, can't score and can't even get in the box.
And with the new transfer window system they can't even offload him.
Even if they could, in the current economic climate they would be lucky to get even half their money back.
Former skipper Bryan Robson says the clock is ticking on Veron's Old Trafford career. Personally, I think it blew up a long time ago.
Then there is Laurent Blanc. Remarkably, he was given an extension to his contract. Even more remarkably, he is still preferred to John O'Shea.
The Frenchman continues to make mistakes - giving the ball away and rarely winning it back - and is hardly the tightest marker around.
This adds to the weight on Rio Ferdinand's shoulders.
At a time when he should be allowed to concentrate on his own game to justify the vast and desperate £29.1m stumped up by his manager, he has to babysit the World Cup-winner.
Just the sort of added responsibility he needs on the eve of his return to Elland Road - where his former fans will not be taking into account the great business it was to sell him.
Everywhere you look, the house Fergie built is starting to sway and shake.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is reduced to playing with his back to goal and indulging in theatrical penalty-box dives accompanied by whinges to match officials that confirm he has truly become a United player.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one of the great goal-scorers in Europe, seems to be marooned on the flanks while there is no striker worthy of the name on the bench.
Well, there is Diego Forlan but the United scouts must have surely confused him with someone else.
David Beckham is the latest to make a howler, the sort of individual gaffe against Bolton that will be punished when a team is struggling.
Ryan Giggs has scored ONE league goal at home since August 30, 1999.
In Keane's absence, United have no leader. And there is a staleness and lack of confidence about the side that only the manager can rectify.
Beckham says it is a case of playing through it, though many believe the problem to be more deep-rooted.
The core of the team - Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers - have been together now for a decade since winning the FA Youth Cup.
As Keane points out, they are all millionaires and need never work again. When you enter that sort of comfort zone, you don't jump out of bed so quickly in the morning - alarm clock or not.
Personally, I thought they would be throwing the duvet off with renewed enthusiasm this season - but I admit that even I have been known to be wrong at times!
At the same time, you look at a fixture list that, after Leeds tomorrow, reads Spurs (H), Charlton (A), Everton (H), Fulham (A), Aston Villa (H) and Southampton (H).
Surely there must be a shedload of points there. And there would be under normal circumstances.
But too many things seem to be going wrong at the same time - the Keane book that undermined an already fragile team spirit, too many injuries, the introduction of a first-team coach who knows nothing about the Premiership, the failure to buy a back-up striker or two and the retention of players who failed so abjectly last season.
Put all this together and it's hardly surprising the roof is falling in.
The fabulous Liverpool era of the 70s and 80s came to an end because the club brought in players who were neither good enough nor possessed the right attitude.
They thought association with a great club would make THEM great and respected. It also ended because nothing lasts forever. Losing, like winning, becomes a habit.
Ferguson may be the most successful manager in the history of the domestic game, but he is stumbling around in the dark at present.
And, unless he gets things right, that new three-year contract will be viewed as of benefit only to himself.
Brian Clough stayed too long, Bob Paisley got out at just the right time.
Ferguson said in August there was no way United could perform as badly at home as they did last season.
Well, they have played three games at Old Trafford, lost one already and scored just two goals.
That clock - that time-bomb - is not just ticking under Veron.
Page:
Ooh, talk about sticking the knife in!
From TeamTalk.com...
-----
George Best has branded the current Manchester United team "a joke" - and says Arsenal already have the Premiership sewn up.
The Old Trafford legend, who is recovering from a liver transplant, has gone back on his pre-season prediction that United would be back challenging for the title.
And the former Northern Ireland international believes Sir Alex Ferguson's side's title rivals will be laughing at his old club's predicament.
Best said: "At the start of this season I was sure Manchester United would be walking away with the Premiership - how wrong I was. The team is a joke.
"That sounds harsh, but the rash of injuries, loss of good players, poor discipline and instability surrounding the club have done it for my team.
"The Premiership title is a non-starter. I think that particular piece of silverware will be heading back to Arsenal come the summer.
"As for Europe I don't think anyone's got a chance of beating Real Madrid, although Liverpool could come close.
"Right now, even Leeds, Chelsea and Newcastle are laughing up their sleeves at Manchester United - they think it's the end of an era."
Best says United's most realistic chance of silverware this term might be a tilt at the FA Cup, and added in his column for the Mail on Sunday: "That might be the case - but I wouldn't bet on it.
"The team is in the doldrums, but on their day they can still beat the best with ease.
"The Premiership is all about consistency. The FA Cup is all about rising to the occasion. That's something no team does better than United.
"My bet is that a rattled Manchester United will go for broke and lift the FA Cup. They won't be happy with just that - but at the moment it's all they deserve."
From TeamTalk.com...
-----
George Best has branded the current Manchester United team "a joke" - and says Arsenal already have the Premiership sewn up.
The Old Trafford legend, who is recovering from a liver transplant, has gone back on his pre-season prediction that United would be back challenging for the title.
And the former Northern Ireland international believes Sir Alex Ferguson's side's title rivals will be laughing at his old club's predicament.
Best said: "At the start of this season I was sure Manchester United would be walking away with the Premiership - how wrong I was. The team is a joke.
"That sounds harsh, but the rash of injuries, loss of good players, poor discipline and instability surrounding the club have done it for my team.
"The Premiership title is a non-starter. I think that particular piece of silverware will be heading back to Arsenal come the summer.
"As for Europe I don't think anyone's got a chance of beating Real Madrid, although Liverpool could come close.
"Right now, even Leeds, Chelsea and Newcastle are laughing up their sleeves at Manchester United - they think it's the end of an era."
Best says United's most realistic chance of silverware this term might be a tilt at the FA Cup, and added in his column for the Mail on Sunday: "That might be the case - but I wouldn't bet on it.
"The team is in the doldrums, but on their day they can still beat the best with ease.
"The Premiership is all about consistency. The FA Cup is all about rising to the occasion. That's something no team does better than United.
"My bet is that a rattled Manchester United will go for broke and lift the FA Cup. They won't be happy with just that - but at the moment it's all they deserve."
I'll agree on the fact that Arsenal look like they are well on their way, but surely this great run of success has gotta end soon!???
I hope so! :S
Can't stand all the Arsenal fans I know when they get all cocky.
But i'd have to disagree with 'Bestie' when he says our challenge is over.
Miracles can happen - just like when Forlan scored last Wednesday.
Who's to say it can't happen twice in one season?
And the league has only really just begun!
I'll admit that we've started terribley - that's undeniable. But there must be a way out of this somehow, and I still reckon we can finnish second if Fergie gets things absolutely SPOT-ON for the remaining 30+ games or so of this campaign.
What the hell am I sayin!!? We've blown-it too early!! :'(
You need a good start in-order to sustain a strong Challenge through-out the season, and that is something Arsenal and Spurs have that we do not.
I hope so! :S
Can't stand all the Arsenal fans I know when they get all cocky.
But i'd have to disagree with 'Bestie' when he says our challenge is over.
Miracles can happen - just like when Forlan scored last Wednesday.
Who's to say it can't happen twice in one season?
And the league has only really just begun!
I'll admit that we've started terribley - that's undeniable. But there must be a way out of this somehow, and I still reckon we can finnish second if Fergie gets things absolutely SPOT-ON for the remaining 30+ games or so of this campaign.
What the hell am I sayin!!? We've blown-it too early!! :'(
You need a good start in-order to sustain a strong Challenge through-out the season, and that is something Arsenal and Spurs have that we do not.
Generally, the team that wins the premiership loses 4-6 games in a season. So far, Utd have lost 2. It's all still to play for. Arsenal could suddenly find themselves in an injury crisis, and lose points all over the shop. even if things stay as they are, and arsenal march on, if they have a bit of bad luck in the last month or so, they probably won't be guaranteed anything.
Solskjær wrote:
> but surely this great run of success has gotta end soon!???
I seem to remember you saying that halfway through last season, too!
But sure, it has to come to an end at some point.
> Can't stand all the Arsenal fans I know when they get all cocky.
On the one hand I agree - they shouldn't get cocky, because that's why Man U and their fans have become so hated. On the other hand, though, it's ironic that it's a Man U fan saying that. Remember in 1998, the statements of "On loan" and "We'll get OUR trophy back?" Arsenal fans still have a way to go before they get that bad!
> but surely this great run of success has gotta end soon!???
I seem to remember you saying that halfway through last season, too!
But sure, it has to come to an end at some point.
> Can't stand all the Arsenal fans I know when they get all cocky.
On the one hand I agree - they shouldn't get cocky, because that's why Man U and their fans have become so hated. On the other hand, though, it's ironic that it's a Man U fan saying that. Remember in 1998, the statements of "On loan" and "We'll get OUR trophy back?" Arsenal fans still have a way to go before they get that bad!
Mr Ripper wrote:
> Arsenal could suddenly find themselves in an injury crisis, and lose
> points all over the shop.
Could have? Like we didn't last season? We only fielded a first-choice team about 7 or 8 times last season. And United supposedly have a better squad.
> Arsenal could suddenly find themselves in an injury crisis, and lose
> points all over the shop.
Could have? Like we didn't last season? We only fielded a first-choice team about 7 or 8 times last season. And United supposedly have a better squad.
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