This week’s burning question: Who said ‘Manchester United will never die. People who are saying United are finished are wrong. United is a massive club and always will be”?
Hmmm. Sir Alex Ferguson? Sir Bobby Charlton? The never-to-be-knighted Roy Keane? Answer: none of the above.
Those in fact are the words of one Thierry Henry. The Premiership’s best player. The undisputed hero of Highbury. The Frenchman who dominates our television screens even at half-time with his ultra-cool Renault adverts. What a guy!
Sure, United were bundled out of Europe by Porto and Benni McCarthy. Yes, they’re 12 points behind in the Premiership title chase, they’ve got Arsenal next in the FA Cup, Ferguson has had a pacemaker fitted and last week, as if to test the device, he had to watch his side lose 4-1 to local rivals Manchester City.
Henry says simply: ‘People said United were finished in 2002 when we won the League and Liverpool came second, they were only third. And what happened? They won the Premiership again the next season.
‘United might have problems but they are a good team.”
Sir Alex’s side get the chance to prove just that against Spurs at Old Trafford on Saturday. Remarkably, Spurs’ leaky defence kept a clean sheet against Newcastle last week, surely they can’t manage that in the Theatre of Dreams?
If United don’t take all three points Fergie will come under real pressure for the first time in 14 years. I think they’ll win comfortably.
But sadly for United fans, Arsenal, unbeaten all season and breaking new records every week, should maintain the 12-point chasm and extend their run to 29 games.
They’ve got Bolton at Highbury, with Henry in the form of his life insisting: ‘I am not thinking about winning the title. At the same time I am not thinking about how I would feel if we threw it away.”
They won’t. Bolton will go the way of most other visitors to Highbury lately.
Chelsea have the toughest task of the top three, playing Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Fulham have slipped out of the top six but I reckon they could snatch a point, with coach Chris Coleman back on his feet after serious medical problems.
Charlton currently lead the battle for fourth place and the much-sought-after fourth Champions League slot, worth about £10-million.
But they’ll have to beat inconsistent Newcastle, just a point behind them in sixth, without South African defender Mark Fish, who fell through a glass table at home this week, needed 39 stitches and is out for the rest of the season.
Pal Shaun Bartlett says: ‘He lost a lot of blood and he’s a bit shaken up by a freak accident but he’s in good spirits.”
One shard of glass was found within millimetres of Fish’s left lung. Scary. Makes the result seem irrelevant really, but I reckon Newcastle are always a good bet at home.
Birmingham, under former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce, are the surprise package in the top six. They need to win at Middlesbrough to stay in the race for fourth, but I’m not sure they have the quality.
Aston Villa, comfortable winners at Wolves last week, have got Blackburn at Villa Park.
While David O’Leary has got his lot playing out of their skins, Blackburn boss Graeme Souness was involved in a nasty training ground scuffle with Dwight Yorke during the week. Yorke put in a hard tackle on his 50-year-old boss and Souness, something of a hardman in his playing days, responded in kind.
It all ended with plenty of effing and blinding. Not the best way to get your club out of trouble. Put your money on Villa.
Struggling Leeds face Kevin Keegan’s Manchester City and even at Elland Road they’re going to battle to overcome a side boosted by last week’s derby delight.
Leicester, another side in deep trouble on all fronts — three of their players remain on bail in Spain for alleged rape — will struggle against visiting Everton. Keep a close eye on Ian Walker, arguably the most inconsistent goalkeeper in the world.
Liverpool, with penalty-missing Michael Owen admitting he’s having ‘one of my lowest points ever”, should have plenty of shooting practice against woeful Wolves.
Unhappy Owen scored twice in the 3-0 midweek hammering of Portsmouth and should continue to bolster his confidence against the worst defence in the Premiership.
On Sunday it’s the South Coast derby, ailing Portsmouth against Southampton. Paul Sturrock’s first game in charge at Saints resulted in that 2-0 win over Liverpool, thanks to Owen missing a penalty and a stream of chances. They should be too good for Pompey.