Some Shameless Gloating

The past week has sure been busy and I had a lot of things going on. Academically that is. Although that didn't stop me from blogging, on the other blog.

For those not aware, I had started a football fan blog dedicated to Manchester United: Red Rants. Of course, thanks to Ahmed from Soccerlens for the promotion of the site on his blog the site, although just over a month old now boasts 82 posts. And yes, it crossed the 10,000 views mark yesterday (by the way, that was 10,000 for the day)!

United Clinch Premiership Title, Spidey disappoints

At long last. After waiting three years it must be said, the result is satisfying to say the least. Chelsea needed to beat Arsenal to stay in the hunt for the league title, but they only managed a draw, after being down to ten men.

So now I will celebrate in the quiet confines of my apartment and get back to regular blogging later.

By the way, Spider-Man 3 is a major let down after the high standards set by its predecessors. The ending fight sequence was reduced to a circus act with public cheering and reporters covering it with inane remarks. Although, I suppose a dubbed Spider Man 3 will do well in the Hindi Heartland. Trust me, it's got plenty of Sunny Deol moments!

Kaka Blows United's Treble Dreams

I fleetingly mentioned United's clinical demolition of Roma in the Champions' League quarterfinal. I wrote a preview to the first leg of the semi final against Milan on Soccerlens. However yesterday, in the second leg of the semi final, was when I saw some past masters of the game systematically take apart a team that had till now played breathtaking football. Kaka, a player that I admire a lot (as long as he is in the colours of Brazil) and company, showed how to keep the ball and play a team that looked terribly sluggish and out of sorts. It was heartbreaking.

I did my share of post-match analysis on Soccerlens. Go ahead and read it. On the subject of soccer and Man Utd, I suggest you read this excellent post by the Decayed Canine. Echoes a lot of similar sentiments about being a Man Utd fan (or even being a fan in general), but written much better than what I could ever manage.

Treble Dreams Still Alive

It's been a feature of United's performance throughout this season, with all their attacking verve and flair, demolishing teams at will. But to do such a feat in Europe was going to take something special. Today's UEFA Champions' League quarterfinal against Roma was one such example of pure footballing masterclass. A team that was trailing by two goals to one in the first leg, and on the back of a limp defeat to Portsmouth three days ago, such a revival was totally out of the blue. We have seen Arsenal's famed artistry fade away due to their profligacy in front of goal, Chelsea's clinical efficiency overshadowed by their mechanical play. But today was a demonstration of poetry in motion (to borrow a beaten to death cliche) that combined clinical efficiency to a ruthless level.

In the Premiership they are ahead of Chelsea by a slender three points and play lowly Watford in the FA Cup where they could in all certainty meet Chelsea in the final. Highly improbable though it may seem, the heady 'Treble' year of 1999 still come to mind. It's still a long way off. But today's masterful performance was a day to remember and enough to let other teams shudder at the thought of playing United.

In case you have missed Manchester United's 7-1 demolition of AS Roma, here is where you can see the goal videos. [via Soccerlens]