‘Picture the scene at 9.45pm in the Old Trafford press box,
where the football correspondent of the Daily Redtop had his
index finger hovering above the send button on the following
. . .
‘"Cometh the hour, cometh the Manchester United we all know
and love or hate. Fergie was not bluffing when he said his
wounded team were at their most dangerous if cornered.
Arsenal may be the thoroughbreds in the trophy race, but
when it comes to brave and battle-hardened stayers, United
remain the ones to beat. A second hard-earned win of the
week has kept their season alive. Porto's many words were
stuffed down their throats."
‘Cue Costinha's equaliser to stop the presses and start the
rewrites . . .
‘"Manchester United's stuttering season was plunged into
crisis by a humiliating European exit last night. For the
first time in eight years, the name of the world's richest
sports club will be missing from the Champions League
quarter-finals. The missing names of Beckham, Ferdinand and
Ronaldinho have left United with a team-sheet of also-rans
in the great trophy races. Rocked by Rock Of Gibraltar,
Fergie has been floored by the upstart Porto manager who
beat him at his own mind games."
‘The problem with the analysis of sport is that it starts at
the unexpected outcome and works backwards in search of an
explanation. Psychologists have made millions from the same
process. With the benefit of hindsight, you can attain great
wisdom. Revisionist history is an easy subject in which to
get high marks. Sporting parlance tells us that the golfer
who contends four rounds of a major and lips out with a putt
to win is a loser, maybe even a choker. Never mind the half
of the field who missed the cut, he is the fall guy.
‘Manchester United fell a long way with the slip of a
goalkeeper's hand on Tuesday, but that is no reason to write
them off.’