Jealous of United

Well it seems there are a million reasons why one should be jealous of Manchester United. They have been one of the most successful teams in England for the last decade or two. They have boasted some brilliant players along the way, Cantona, Beckham, Ronaldo, Giggs to name a few. They also don't do too bad in Europe. To me however the main thing is that they have Sir Alex at the helm.

Alex Ferguson has had a very successful spell at Aberdeen before coming to Manchester, but it is at United that he truly shined. His record includes 11 Premier League Titles, 5 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 8 Community Shields, 2 Champions Leagues, a Cup Winners Cup, a European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup in 2008. This would be enough for anyone, anyone other than Sir Alex. The Gaffer continues to show an eagerness and hunger in every game that can only be compared to the genuine excitement present only among kids experiencing the world for the first time. This again and again is ever present in him and last weeks game against City was no exception.

The build up to this game made it more exciting, with words flying from both camps. City was a new power house, Fergie saying they are a small club and most of all the presence of Tevez. He was a United favorite last season and now boasts City's colours. A Recipe for excitement for sure.

The game never failed to deliver, a thrilling 4-3 victory for Ferguson's men. City fans will be blaming their poor luck for the defeat and the extra 1.5minutes of injury time. I blame Sir Alex.

The score was a bit flattering for City who rarely threatened United except in the first half and managed to capitalize on two Ben Foster howlers. The second half was a different story. It showed the difference in caliber between Hughes and Sir Alex (Hughes has the potential to be great, but for the time being he can learn a thing or two from Sir Alex). Ferguson transformed the game in the second half and dominated City for most of it and could have won by a bigger margin if not for the brilliant Shay Given. He gave the game to Giggs to dictate and he delivered with flying colours. The former winger played most of the game on his familiar left wing and was truly magical. His crosses and slick passing creating 3 of the 4 goals. Sir Alex had the guts to substitute Berbatov, when it was evident he was having a good game and only Given was keeping him at bay. Ferguson sensed it was not his day and gambled on Michael Owen. The thrilling striker "drifted" away from the city defense and slotted home with a precision finish to repay Ferguson's faith in him. I am and always will be a huge fan of Michael Owen and for him to score the winning goal was the highlight for me, in a game when I wished both teams could lose. Why Mr. Benitez never signed him as a back up for Torres is beyond me, he was free damn it!

Fergie showed after the game that not only is he a master tactician but yet again a brilliant speaker and incredible in mind games. He had this to say:

On The game

"The mistakes probably made it the best derby of all time."

"What would you rather have, a 6-0 win or the greatest derby of all time? I would prefer to win 6-0"

On Owen

"Michael was only on for something like 17 minutes,"

"He was the best man to be on there when the game is going to be in their penalty box. There is no-one better at taking chances."

"His positional play, first touch and finish were absolutely superb. World class."

On City

"Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy,"

"You just have to get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder."

"Today the players showed their form. That is the best answer of all."

All Hail Sir Alex