We lost to goals from Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney in front of 67,838 people. This is what being in the Premiership is all about. For the majority of the match we went toe to toe with one of the best teams in Europe but the quality of finishing was once again the difference. 
Don’t forget that this Manchester United team had earlier in the week taken part in one of the games of the season and beaten the mighty Arsenal 4-2 at Highbury. Anyone who saw the first half demolition of the woeful Villa on Saturday evening by the Gunners would accept that any team that can go to North London and beat them, with ten men for a fair part of the match, must be a resolute side full of passion, skill and pride drilled into them by a manager who doesn’t know when he is beaten.
In our inaugural season in the Premiership we were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford but quite frankly it could have been four or five and last season we lost 3-0. With the horrific number of injuries we currently have it is only reasonable to state that this performance is a step forward. We are not yet ready to beat the likes of ManYoo, Arsenal or Chelsea but we are getting closer.
It was a shame The Rifle’s terrific effort had not bounced more fortuitously. Oh for a Russian linesman! This last week must have been quite trying for the Uruguayan and fair play to him for the effort and commitment he has shown to the cause. It is important that we clarify two aspects of his transfer.
Firstly his alleged reluctance to play for Birmingham City. As a Uruguayan playing football in Northern Spain for Deportivo a move to Fiorentina would appear an excellent footballing step given that he had fallen out with the coach and was desperate to leave Spain. So he tells Mrs Rifle and the little handguns that they are decamping to Italy in his big lorry and no doubt they have begun the process of finding a house, learning Italian, started eating pasta and drinking poncey wine. Suddenly through no fault of his own the deal collapses with minutes to go to the deadline and he is left stranded in Spain and all his plans have disappeared down the Po. Mrs Rifle is distraught as the only two shops in Coruna are a Lidl and a Thrift store.
Cue a call to his agent who tells him ‘There is a Premiership team interested if you fancy going to England?’ The Rifle shouts through to the weeping wife ‘Stop yer moaning wench, how about England?’ A quick look at the pictures of the Bullring, Selfridges and Spaghetti Junction and the Family Rifle are making new travel plans. Good news for us but a tad disappointing for the family who had just learned to count in Italian. In his shoes (probably cowskin leather from Prada) wouldn’t you make the same comments? Of course he would have preferred the deal he had been negotiating for months to have not broken down in the final minutes and gone to Serie A, who wouldn’t?
Secondly that purveyor of top quality journalism the Sunday People screamed ‘Pandiani Transfer Shocker!’ and went on to state ‘Birmingham City new boy Pandiani signed AFTER the transfer deadline in a sensation that will rock football’. A little over the top methinks. Do you honestly think it will rock football? Do you honestly think that business geniuses Sullivan, Brady and the Golds would have missed the registration? Do you think that we failed to get clearance for the player? Of course not and you know how I know this to be true? Because I read the rest of the Sunday People’s article!
After making claims that the Southampton match could be replayed and The Rifle sent back to Deportivo, in the scandal that will apparently rock football, they finish the exclusive by saying ‘Birmingham officials sent their forms through… but by this time midnight was drawing close.. Premier League spokesman Philip French said ‘The paperwork did arrive shortly after midnight but that was because the fax machine was jammed. This was explained to Mike Foster (Premier League secretary) in good time and the transfer was approved’!!!!!
So in actual fact there’s no problem then? Eh? Which is it SP? Is it rocking football or is it a bona fide transfer as approved by the almighty FA? Now I’m no investigative journalist (in fact I’m not even a journalist) but you don’t have to be a world expert at Cluedo to see that the story is a pile of sensationalism crap that fills a few column inches and encourages the amoebas who only read the headlines to point at Blues fans and guffaw at our apparent misfortune. Sorry folks but The Rifle is here, he’s staying and he’s loading the ammo. Best take cover.
Lock up your valuables, the Scousers are coming to town. Now I’m no fan of the people from Merseyside. I get wound up by the fact that every one of them thinks they are a comedian and tells stupid old tired jokes in the vein of music hall tosspots Jimmy Tarbuck and Stan Boardman. They are not funny. They will never be funny. There is nothing amusing about saying the word ‘Germans’ over and over in a sing song accent. There is also nothing clever about having hundreds of ‘comedies’ about how much money you can scrounge off the social. I just don’t get it. Why should we laugh and celebrate the defrauding of the system? Or is it just me? Will Liverpool become the third town that I am scared to visit due to death threats?
The second best team in Merseyside are still a good side, not a great one though. The victory by Blues at Anfield earlier in the season was a robbery, we mugged the muggers. Benitez has assembled many Spanish players in his squad in the same way Wenger has pulled in a load of Frenchies for the Arsenal. Woe betide us if ever we get a Welsh manager. Anyone got a Welsh manager? Oh yes, just the one!
Keep Right On and remember, nobody puts baby in the corner!