After today's defeat at Arsenal I have come to the conclusion that somehow this team is not quite hungry enough. I don't blame Fergie or the Players that much , but I think it has to be faced that winning 3 in a row is a tall order and doesn't happen very much.
The reason? Even a great team cannot normally sustain the great hunger and desire necessary to win three titles in a row. Look at the teams around us. Liverpool are absolutely starved of Premier League success , Arsenal haven't won for 4 years and were obviously smarting today from last week , and Chelsea have all sorts of reasons to be hurting badly after last season.
We have played all these teams now and the one thing that has seemed to come across is that crucial 5% extra hunger that we need is just not there. Don't get me wrong , I think there is desire there but it's hard to replicate the way that Chelsea must feel about the League and Liverpool also.
Can we as fans honestly say that we feel the same way about this season as we would do if we hadn't won the League for 5 years? Or 20 years? Me? Just the thought of Liverpool profiting from our poor start and winning the darn thing is enough to make me queezy. I spent years as a teenager craving any Title whilst watching Hansen and co clear up the table. Yuk!
My point is that unless this team starts to learn how to hurt a bit and get really hungry again it will not win the league and it will not fulfil it's potential. Liverpool and Arsenal beat us IMO because they just wanted it that 5% more than we did. We did not match Arsenal's desire until we were 2-0 down and then it was when we had no choice but to fight hard to try and come back.
I do see desire in this team and I see heart , but I don't see that extra bit of urgency and sheer determination that I see in the others. There's just this tiny subtle bit of complacency there that means we don't quite have enough edge and bite to us. It shows up in sloppy finishing, casual defending and throwing away leads. They need something to galvanise them , something to make them hurt a bit more inside , something that will give them that "backs to the wall" mentality like Arsenal had today. They had it we didn't , Liverpool had it , we didn't - both games lost. Maybe an enforced diet (trophy less season) is on it's way and a clear out of Ronaldo who still has his mind elsewhere?
It's hard to stomach , I'm as hungry now to catch Liverpool's 18 titles as I ever was , I think the fans should remind this team who they are playing for.
Spleen vented , I'm off to have a sandwich.
The reason? Even a great team cannot normally sustain the great hunger and desire necessary to win three titles in a row. Look at the teams around us. Liverpool are absolutely starved of Premier League success , Arsenal haven't won for 4 years and were obviously smarting today from last week , and Chelsea have all sorts of reasons to be hurting badly after last season.
We have played all these teams now and the one thing that has seemed to come across is that crucial 5% extra hunger that we need is just not there. Don't get me wrong , I think there is desire there but it's hard to replicate the way that Chelsea must feel about the League and Liverpool also.
Can we as fans honestly say that we feel the same way about this season as we would do if we hadn't won the League for 5 years? Or 20 years? Me? Just the thought of Liverpool profiting from our poor start and winning the darn thing is enough to make me queezy. I spent years as a teenager craving any Title whilst watching Hansen and co clear up the table. Yuk!
My point is that unless this team starts to learn how to hurt a bit and get really hungry again it will not win the league and it will not fulfil it's potential. Liverpool and Arsenal beat us IMO because they just wanted it that 5% more than we did. We did not match Arsenal's desire until we were 2-0 down and then it was when we had no choice but to fight hard to try and come back.
I do see desire in this team and I see heart , but I don't see that extra bit of urgency and sheer determination that I see in the others. There's just this tiny subtle bit of complacency there that means we don't quite have enough edge and bite to us. It shows up in sloppy finishing, casual defending and throwing away leads. They need something to galvanise them , something to make them hurt a bit more inside , something that will give them that "backs to the wall" mentality like Arsenal had today. They had it we didn't , Liverpool had it , we didn't - both games lost. Maybe an enforced diet (trophy less season) is on it's way and a clear out of Ronaldo who still has his mind elsewhere?
It's hard to stomach , I'm as hungry now to catch Liverpool's 18 titles as I ever was , I think the fans should remind this team who they are playing for.
Spleen vented , I'm off to have a sandwich.