Six of the Best: A Dazzling Display from the Red Devils

I am fortunate to say that I was there to see Ronaldo’s first hat-trick in English football and the complete annihilation of Newcastle United, a team that once used to be their closest rivals for the Premiership crown.

Nursing my aching calves and wishing that I had an oxygen mask with me, I finally made it to the third tier of the North stand. It is actually quite a good view up there and no need for binoculars or Superman style sight, although the Superman x-ray vision would have been good for the nice-looking girl sitting next to me!

Anyway, onto the game...It started at a frantic pace with Rooney having a good opportunity, and you know if that one would have gone in it might have been him getting a hat trick as well. It was one of those days for him where he would never have scored if the match had gone on all night.

Both fans were giving good support and Newcastle’s chant of ‘Fergie’s right, fans are s***' relating to Sir Alex’s comments about the lack of noise from the Birmingham game, were treated with less than polite songs about the Newcastle team and especially the God from the North – Alan Shearer, always a hated figure at Old Trafford as he turned down our club so many times.

Newcastle, though, really were poor and the defense was so bad, it just doesn’t play as a unit, it is a bunch of individuals who at best are pretty average players chasing around after their own tails.  It is surprising to me that since Newcastle came to the Premier League in the 1993-94 season they have always been renowned for having a bad defense and here we are 15 years later and they still have a shockingly bad defense, with all the money they’ve spent it is an embarrassment.  Stephen Carr for example used to be a full back that would bomb up and down the wings all game long, now it seems as if they have planted land mines in the opposition half, he wouldn’t tread a foot past that halfway line. 

It was a deserved 6-0 and some of the play was outstanding, everyone played their part and with a solid base once again it allowed the front men to show their running, passing and creativity.  Giggs and Ronaldo kept on switching wings not letting the full backs rest, Carrick and Anderson in the middle were snapping at everyone’s heels and Rooney and Tevez up front must be a nightmare to play against as they really do have boundless energy and do not play a typical centre forward role, especially Tevez who at times you couldn’t tell what his position was, left back, midfielder or forward.  That’s the trick to this team and why Fergie got rid of Van Nistelrooy, he didn’t want that static type of centre forward who was primarily a box player and everything would go though him, this team is interchangeable and play close to the total football style that the great Dutch team of the 70’s pioneered.

A totally enjoyable day out only somewhat ruined by the dodgy kebab and hangover from the night before.  The hangover didn't last long though as soon as the mesmerizing feet of the Portuguese maestro got into action, a true superstar and I cannot come up with enough superlatives to describe him, all together now, “He plays on the left, he plays on the right, that boy Ronaldo, makes England look S***"