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Magill On Monday - contributed by Daniel Magill
It wasn't long ago that club managers whose team had reached the Premiership
summit in mid November would say, "It doesn't matter where we are now, it's
where we are come the beginning of May that's important." Well you can forget
about those days now, because it looks like they're well and truly gone. Alex
Ferguson must be laughing. We're not even halfway through the season and all
of Utd's so called rivals are already offering their congratulations to
Fergie on another successful title defence. It's not even as if I can
realistically say that this was the weekend, Utd's rivals gave up, because
it's not. No, that weekend probably came some time last season, if not the
season before. As long as the rest of the Premiership continue to start off,
believing that there's only one team who can win it, then that team will
carry on being the only ones who can win it, and eventually they will be
doing it without even breaking a sweat. In fact, I could be wrong but I don't
think I've seen a droplet so far this season.
Gerrard Houlier, obviously keen to help matters, came out with a classic line
following his sides 2-1 defeat at Newcastle yesterday; "Man Utd are playing
in their own league at the moment," he told us. Well sorry to be the one to
break the news Gerry, but no they are not! And the sooner you, and plenty of
others like you, realise that, the sooner things might start to change! Don't
get me wrong, Utd are a great team, of course they are, but they are not
Gods, they are not invincible, the Champions league should show that. In all
the years they have been dominating domestic matters, they have only been
good enough to win the Champions League once, and even then it has to be
said, there was a huge slice of luck involved.
Of course it's an easy way out for managers like Houllier to say that Utd are
in their own league. How can he ever be expected to beat a team who are in a
league of their own? And in any case, it doesn't really matter who wins the
league does it?
Finishing in the top three, and guaranteeing all the financial rewards that
come with it, is all that really bothers Premiership businesses these days.
What does a trophy matter?
No, the three places up for grabs in the Champions league, and it could be
four this season, is killing the Premiership, and what's more I suspect it's
exactly what advocates of a European Super League want.
Take a look at the Nationwide leagues. Division one teams are only concerned
with getting in to the Premiership, they couldn't care less whether they do
it by finishing first, second, or sixth, as long as they get there. The
Premiership is now the same. It only seems to exist, to provide our best
teams with a route into the Champions league. Who cares if we finish first,
second, or even fourth? As long as we get there.
Oh you can rest assured, Alex will be laughing all the way to the first week
of May!
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E-mail me with any comments or views: dmabfc@aol.com.
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