Great Start

Three points are three points. They will all tally up at the end of the campaign, and may be the difference between being the Champions, or the next title pretender. And it was great to have those points wrapped up in the away column, something we failed to do ten times last season in the Premiership.

This season will be a transition on a number of fronts. The aging squad has been injected with exciting new blood. Phil Jones looked a great buy, and Ashley Young looked to have played for United all his career. The third addition, the goalkeeper David De Gea, looks like he would need time to establish himself. After all, one thing being a Spanish International, but a United number one goalkeeper is a different thing all together. He is only 20 after all, and goalkeepers mature in their early 30s. There were arguments that United brought him in too early. I actually agree with that, but we still had to buy him. Buy him, but make him an understudy to the great van der Saar for a season. Following that argument, we should have invested in him last year.

He played a couple of televised games and made three blunders that cost us goals. But, that does not mean that he is the next Massimo Taibi, the rather unfortunate ex-AC Milan goalie who played six games for us, and was then quietly shipped back home. A folklore story at the stands at Old Trafford.

Exciting times none the less. Something to look forward to, and it will be a great season, with Citeh, Liverpool and Chelsea strengthening and Arsenal having their tail in between their legs! Next game, Spurs at home!

Charity Shield!

I thought that we were going to lose the plot in the second half, but to the players' credit, they dug in, and was rewarded with the win. Scoring in injury time was just rubbing it in, but as the penalty shoot-out neared, that seemed almost inevitable. United was just relentless.

I knew, it was only the Charity Shield, but the match was played at high tempo, and it was the most competitive Charity Shield match I have seen in years. Galvanised by the fact that it was essentially a derby - between a true champion and an upstart!

We were down by a couple of goals. Our new young keeper should have done better on those goals. So, what did Alex do during the break? Replace the first-choice centerback partnership with a new young combination. I thought Claverley and Jones impressed in the game. We already knew what Ashley Young can do, and he did not disappoint.

On the whole, I thought that it was a good results, especially judging from the level of fitness of the players. They were clearly fitter than the Citeh player by the end, and the mistake that Kompany made I was sure was down to fatigue and loss of concentration. He was otherwise a consistently sound defender. All of this clearly bode well for the new season.

Big Build-up

Compared to the years gone by, the build-up for this year's chapter of Champion's League Final was among the most boring, even though it promised a mouth-watering tie. The two teams which were known for their attacking prowess, ManYoo certainly having the edge in defense but would they be able to withstand the tsunami of Messi and Villa with Iniesta and Xavi pulling the strings behind them.

The question about United coping seemed to be the biggest debate. There were simply no other story, apart from Ryan Giggs' - of all people - off the field conquest apart, which was worth writing about. The two managers seemed to be warning up to each other. There were simply too much respect between the two teams. Listening to the interviews certainly put mr to sleep. How Xavi relishes to play with Rooney, how much respect Iniesta has for for Scholes. How Pique reminisced about his four years at Old Trafford. There was simply not enough needle! There was even the opinion of how much better United is now since Ronaldo left for Madrid. The togetherness of the squad and all that crap!

This does not mean that the event would not be a grand one. The end of the road for such legends such as van der Sar and Scholes. The emerging talent of Chicharito. How Rooney would rise to the occasion.

As for me, the match being played on a weekend was a blessing. No more late Wednesday evenings waiting for the matches and struggling to go to work the next day. I was at NZ when I wrote this entry, true to the ritual of getting myself the Tandoori and new ladna for the big match. The matches this season can never get any bigger than this one though. With my Veron shirt, United will prevail! Shame that I would not be joing the Prime Minister in Putrajaya tonight. We might be in danger of having the team rebranded 1ManYoo by one of their pseudo-fan!

Heading Back to KL

Finally arrived at KLIA. Managed to get the stuffs from my wife's cousin as planned. Just also found out that Irfan has been running high fever. He was complaining of a toothache since yesterday and from this morning been having runny nose. Maybe would have to take him to see the Doctors later.

The flight home was smooth. Had a long conversation with a colleague about things, making the journey pass by really fast. The was a big game coming up later this evening. United playing Arsenal away at the Emirates. Should be a compelling game if I manage to stay awake.

Update on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 10:34PM by Haris Abdul Rahman

Well. Really tired and now occupied by watching the big game. The editing would have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry!

We are through

Managed to catch the last 15 minutes of the match last night after setting my alarm for 4 am. As I switched on the TV, Park had just netted out second, and little did I know the drama of the previous ten or so minute, with the Ramirez sending off and the unlikely equaliser by Drogma. Plus the instant reply at the other end with a sublime pass from the evergreen Giggsy. Party on people!

Bring on Citeh this weekend!