Manchester United n Me

When someone supports a sports team, it usually is due to some allegiance due his country or his hometown or province. But, as in the case of most Indian fans of European football, its very hard to put a reason to why you support a team!

My tryst with the Red Devils started when they won that memorable treble in 1999. The way they won, the reactions of the media to that triumph, (mind you at a time when English clubs had little presence in Europe), made me an instant fan of Manchester United. But things quietened a little after that for me. Then came a phenomenon called David Beckham. Well, he was playing for them since the 90s but his super stardom coincided with the expansion of the United fan base exponentially in the early 2000s. The Fergie Fledglings made up of Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, Neville brothers made the midfield and had some kind of an appeal for me. The unsung duo of Caribbean Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole deserve more than the reputataion they get nowdays. Then came 'The Flying Dutchman' - Ruud van Nistelrooy. Scored at a rate unheard of in the English game, and created an impression of Manchester Utd in Europe after some disappointing seasons in Europe after the treble. But unfortunately, he too had a fallout, like Becks, with Sir Alex and had to be transferred. Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer were two of the favourites among ManUtd fans, showing their loyalty towards the club throughout their career (unlike Cristiano Ronaldo).

Well, only two of the old guard remain, Giggs and Scholes, and how they have helped their club in this season. Whispers of retirement of Sir Alex are heard all the time but he seems strong for a lot more seasons. The legacy he will eventually leave behind would be hard to match by any manager.

The memorable matches which straightaway come to mind are plenty. The dramatic injury time comeback at the 1999 Champions League Final would be on top of the list. Then, there would be the 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in 2002. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for them to progress. The 7-1 demolition of AS Roma was a first for an English club. And who can forget last year's Champions League final.

As I write this, they have won their third consecutive Premier League title and will be raring to add a 2nd consecutive European title later this month.

An FPL?

The recent demand by India's women cricketers of an IPL-like tournament for women got me thinking. The possibilities are quite interesting!

1. Ahh! Vijay Mallya would then source his calendar girls from his own team. No more paying super models!!
2. Male cheerleaders? (Ahh!! The mini-skirt hating politicians would love this. This is what Bharatiya Sambhyata is all about!!)
3. Shane Warne would love to try his coaching skills here!!
4. Miss Bollywood SA might be a player herself.
5. 'CeeTee Moment of Success' might be the the one who gets the most whistles from the crowd. :P
6. There wont be any 'Kings XI', 'Superkings', 'Knightriders' or 'Daredevils'. (Woah! So many male-centric team names!)
7. No more Preity Zinta hugging controversies.
8. Maximum Sixes award will go the person hitting 1 six in 6 games. Sad :(