United will not be back until they sort the back out
26 goals conceded in the Premier League
Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1500th and final game as Manchester United manager was an unforgettable affair at The Hawthorns. Ferguson was presented with a cake from West Brom with icing trophies and a packet of chewing gum from Albion mascot Baggie Bird. Queues stretched around the ground for the 20,000 144-page special edition programmes. One collector bought 700 at £4 each. Many were on eBay even before kick-off. Ferguson’s send-off then climaxed with all the drama of a famous 5-5 draw.
Some of the headlines reflected sentimentally that it was a pity such a legend didn’t bow out in triumphant fashion. “Lukaku spoils the farewell party” ran the theme after the Albion striker’s hat-trick. How disrespectful of him! Hadn’t he read the script? The prevailing narrative was that victory would have been a fitting end to Ferguson’s career in the Premier League, which he won 13 times. Ferguson wasn’t about draws, he was death or glory, and mainly glory. Football, bloody hell.
Yet that draw, and West Brom fighting back from 3-0 down, actually was the most fitting end to Ferguson’s career. It added even greater lustre and substance to his 13 titles. It showed how opponents fought hard against them. No game could be taken for granted. Nothing was given to Ferguson. The “lads, it’s Spurs” theme of expected victory was largely correct, Ferguson won 39 of 61 games against Tottenham but he didn’t have it all his own way. The great Scot still lost nine and drew 13 against Spurs, including Clint Dempsey’s injury-time equaliser at White Hart Lane in Ferguson’s farewell season.
It’s why the Premier League is so watched around the world. It’s what the Premier League’s former guiding light, Richard Scudamore, described as “competitive and compelling” as “on any given day, any team can beat any other team”. This long weekend, there were four away wins. Other dramas included seemingly doomed Wolves giving Arsenal a scare at the Emirates, newly promoted Sunderland beating Newcastle United in a Tyne-Wear Derby low on technique but high on watchability, and last night’s epic 4-4 draw between United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
At one point, as United’s defence opened up again, Sky Sport’s cameras panned to Ferguson in the smart seats. That prompted a brief conversation about what he might be making of such below-par defending. Yet the subsequent tone of discourse was this was a classic game and it was – for the neutral. For those whose lives don’t revolve around United or Bournemouth it made great viewing, almost rubbernecking.
Headlines celebrated the game as a “throwback” for United and certainly there was more attacking thrust to United’s work. Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes all performed with a gusto that United fans once took as the norm. Yet a throwback? None of that four would have got into one of Ferguson’s three great teams, starting with the 94 Double winners of Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis. Or the 99 Treble winners of David Beckham, Giggs and co. Or the 2008 side of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. True champions.