The coming of age of an unsung hero

Few people would grudge Michael Carrick anything. As the successor to Roy Keane's number 16 jersey and Manchester United's 5th most expensive signing of all time, expectations were always going to be on the higher side. Two successful seasons later, United's first choice central midfielder remains in the shade of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the battle to don England colours. Even for club, this West Ham youth academy product has allowed the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney to hog the limelight. Though there is no doubt as to which he craves more, the fact remains that Michael Carrick is England's most underrated player.

Looking into Carrick's game for Manutd, what stands out is his versatility as central midfielder. He is very alert, fit, a sound tackler (you need one playing alongside Scholesy), an effortless passer with excellent vision and a more than adept shooter. Though he tends to hold himself back to allow the others to express themselves more, what is interesting is to note that he has been absolutely instrumental in a lot of United goals lately. Is he now England's best central midfielder, then?

Agreed, Steven Gerrard is as much of an attacking threat as many leading centre forwards. Add to that his phenomenal workrate and very good defensive qualities, and you already have a very well rounded central midfielder. Some terrific goals in crisis situations considered, who can blame those Merseysiders for elevating him to God-like status?

Frank Lampard may not be the most universally loved English footballer, but there is no denying the fact that he is still one of Chelsea's top performers. A delightful passer with a devilish presence inside the D, he is also superb in dead ball situations. Equally adept as both holding midfielder and support striker, an injury to Lampard really hurts Chelsea badly, the presence of Deco, Ballack, Essien and Mikel notwithstanding. And that, sums it up.

Now, getting back to Carrick. Say what you like, consistency is still what makes champion teams. And even though he has had his bad days at the office, pardon the cliche, they have been few and far between. Week after week, he has turned up in jersey number 16 and more than just delivered the goods. He has never been flashy, but now he has started to impose himself more.

When you pick Michael Carrick, you pick someody who can last 120 minutes of end to end football without slagging towards the end. He may not perform magic on the field, but expect him to orchestrate the attack with panache if given liberties and sit just in front of the back four very capably if not. More often than not, however, he does both for Manchester United.

For sheer magic and ability, go for the man they chant as 'Stevie G'. For his terrific passing, expertise in dead ball situations and ominous presence in the D, go for Frank Lampard. For sheer performance on the pitch, I think the time has come to say, go for Michael Carrick. England have found Mr. Dependable. If only Mr Capello chose to use his services..........

The Cristiano Conundrum!!!

Presently, no blog can call itself a 'proper' manunited blog without addressing and giving its views on CR7.

Call him what you want, he was most United fans' favourite player even a month and a half ago. Though there were more than useful contributions from a host of other United players, there's no doubt that Ronaldo stood out. His displays this season were not all about flair and trickery - he took responsibility and the pressures of being United's talisman remarkably well too. As breathtaking as his freekick versus Bolton was, it were his spirited performances in the Champions' League knockouts that won over a lot of his critics! In short, the 2007-08 season was a landmark season in Cristiano Ronaldo's career. He showed, in more ways than one, that he is now a complete attacking player and the world's best without any doubt.

However, as a diehard United fan, I am deeply aggrieved by his scant regard for the feelings of the club, its manager and its fans. His refusal to bow down to the club's stature and authority, his insistence on following his dream (move to Real), his bold defiance of the club's unwritten code of conduct and his non-committal stance on his future for such a long period of time - all these reasons compel me to believe that the time has come for United to move on. And Ronaldo to move out. Because, however good Ronaldo might have looked to be, the fact is that he thrived on his compatriots - the Rooneys, the Scholseys and the Tevezes made Ronaldo's astonishing goal tally possible, and I for one do not believe he can reach the heights of his 07-08 season anywhere else in the world, Real Madrid included. A very simple illustration would be his Euro 08 performances- very good, but definitely not worthy of the world's best. For Portugal, he ended up playing as a traditional right winger for most parts, and the fullbacks were ready for the challenge, and up to it as well. Rarely did he manage to display his inside the box prowler's instincts. Why? Because there is no Rooney, Tevez or Carrick to feed Ronny there. None in Madrid, either. Infact, in Madrid he will end up feeding Ruud Van Nistelrooy and (unimportantly) lose the spotlight as well.

But, it is expecting a little too much for Ronaldo to think along similar lines. Though he has a long list of strong points, humility definitely does not figure in it. Among the reasons why Ronaldo developed into such a terrific winger/striker is his unbelievably high level of self confidence. This boy from Madeira feels that he was born, destined for ultimate greatness. But, it looks like this very confidence is leading him to the Santiago Bernabeau.

As a kid, he dreamt of playing there in the famous whites. No complaints! Now he has the confidence that he can become a true Real Madrid legend. No complaints! He is tempted by the big bucks at the other end of this 'mother of all transfers' which looks set to make him (1 of) the highest paid sportsmen in the world. No complaints! He is neither the 1st nor will he be the last footballing superstar eager to enjoy the lavish and 'un-English' lifestyle at Madrid. No complaints, there too! Afterall, it's his life. But, he shows utter disrespect to Manchester United, doesn't show an ounce of reverence to his 'creator'- Sir Alex Fergusson, fails to speak his mind in a straightforward manner, offers no assurances or reasons (as the case maybe) to his legion of Red fans and behaves like a spoilt prince who is bigger than the 'Kings of Europe.' Sorry, but I am absolutely dismayed, disgusted and in a way, disillusioned with Cristiano Ronaldo now.

There have been much, much greater footballers than him, and they have managed to carry themselves in a much, much better fashion. I'm sorry but it will take a lot more than just a 'few more goals' to win back us fans. My message to Ronaldo??? 'Go to hell! for 70 million pounds!!!' And to United? 'The first and forwmost "principle" is for a United player to show some respect towards the club. Everything else is secondary. Show Ronaldo the door, pay the Spurs an extra 2-3 million pounds for Berba and then get ready to plunge headfirst into the transfer market.'

P.S(etymology of the blog's name) - Newton Heath FC was a very mediocre football club, which was established in the city of Manchester in 1878. Its only major success was getting 'elected' to the first division as late as 1892. On the 26th of April 1902, Newton Heath FC was renamed to, you guessed right, Manchester United FC.