Charity Shield – Manchester United 0 Portsmouth 0
August 10, 2008
I used to love the charity shield.
It was always the first chance to see new signings kick a meaningful ball for their new team and a good spectacle for the neutral fan.
These days it’s quite low key. You can’t watch it on terestrial tv, the players barely seem motivated and the managers barely break a smile even when they win!
Todays match between two clubs who I believe can both finish high this season, was a largely lack lustre performance. United though to their credit did just about all they could to at least try to make it entertaining. Nani in particular looks as though he will comfortably fill any void left by Ronaldo whilst he is injured and replace him totally next season when the Portugeuse superstar may well finally get his move to Real Madrid.
United are an amazing team, Ferguson truly is a man who can find and build amazing squads and this season if they can quickly snap up a world class finisher, they could win just about everything going.
There’s much talk about the berbatov deal still floating around and I would see him slotting in there much like Van Nistelrooy did. I’m sure he’d be a success, but what I would really like to see is a goal poacher, an out and out striker like Michael Owen play up front for Man United.
Portsmouth are a team I have high hopes for this season. I’m sure crouchy and Defoe can be a hit although based on todays showing, they will need a much better provision from the players behind them. Sol Campbell finally looks his age but Redknapp is no mug. He knows when a player is spent and when he is not.
So to cap it off, it was a thoroughly deserved win for United today but he’my advice to any clubs who watched this and say united are nothing to fear better think again. If they get their allusive striker sorted out they will rip you to bits this season.
I’m a massive fan of Harry Redknapp. I don’t really care about any gossip that follows him regarding deals etc.
I like him as a person, he always seems to give an honest and straight answer when talking about his football, whether it be his teams he is talking about or others. More importantly though I like him as a football manager and for me that is what he is, a manager not just a coach.
There’s two types of gaffer. There’s the all round manager such as Redknapp, Fergie, Wenger and the newer bread such as Mark Hughes and David Moyes. Then there is the more modern coach, who knows all the the drills for the training pitch, is tactically very aware of what goes on but perhaps can’t hold or comand the full respect of their players. Into this category I’d probably put the likes of Scholari, Paul Ince, Steve Copell and Steve McClaren.
I have to admit I prefer the Manager approach. I think the old fashioned “boss” approach has better results and always will in the Premier League.
Harry has continued to make progress as Portsmouth boss and in the signing of Peter Crouch I think he will take Portsmouth up another position or two. I would love to see Crouchys goals take Portsmouth above Liverpool in the coming season. For this could really come back to haunt Benitez.
I just wish Everton had made an offer but I have said that year in year out about Moyes and Everton, and Moyes always pleasantly surprises me just as I am getting frustrated.
