MUTV commentator Stewart Gardner ponders
the content of Sir Alex’s half-time team-talk against
Tottenham…
What exactly did Sir Alex say at half-time on Saturday? At some
point in the future, in someone’s autobiography, all will be
revealed.
We do have some clues. Patrice Evra told me after the game –
with a knowing look on his face – that the boss had “made a speech”
in the dressing room! Cristiano Ronaldo added that the boss had
said if we scored early in the second half, United would go on to
score four or five. Prophetic or what?
When Spurs went 2-0 up in the first half, TV cameras immediately
panned to Sir Alex, searching in his expression for a crack under
the pressure. He seemed unnervingly calm, and had the look of a man
who’d seen it all before and knew exactly what to do to sort it
out.
Whatever he said at the break worked a treat – just as it did in
2001, also against Spurs. Back then, United were 3-0 down at half
time at White Hart Lane and ended up surging to a 5-3 victory. But
that was earlier in the season and didn’t have a definitive bearing
on the title race. On Saturday, the situation was much more
pressurised.
Perhaps the most important thing Sir Alex did at half time on
Saturday was to bring on Carlos Tevez. He was like the Duracell
bunny when he came on. Full of energy, determination and running,
he chased down defenders and hustled and harried everyone. That’s
why the fans love him so much. He changed the game, simple as
that.
Of course, the penalty was the turning point. When Paddy Crerand
– surely TV’s most biased pundit – insists it wasn’t a penalty then
you really have to wonder about it. I insisted in my commentary
that it was a penalty and that
Howard Webb was quite correct. I even suggested Gomes should have
been sent off. Perhaps, on reflection, I was wrong but, in my
defence, working with Paddy seems to have affected my
judgement.
Blaming the penalty decision on the defeat seems a cop-out to me
by Harry Redknapp. OK, it got United back in the game, but what
about goals two, three, four, and five? Surely, Harry, your defence
and goalkeeper need to take a bit of the blame – not just Howard
Webb.
Just imagine all those Liverpool fans making their way back
along the M62 after winning at Hull,
listening to the radio 10 minutes into the second half. They would
have been loving it; United two goals down and struggling. Then 22
minutes later they’re sat in stunned silence. Hilarious.
I thought Rooney and Ronaldo were outstanding, but so was
Dimitar Berbatov. It can’t have been the most enjoyable of weeks
for him after his penalty miss at Wembley, but his performance was
superb on Saturday, all capped off with a deserved goal.
Let’s hope he gets another one on Wednesday – what a night that
could be! The “Believe” mosaic will be making another appearance
before the game. And after Saturday’s drama, you really do have to
believe that anything is possible at Old Trafford.
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author
and