‘For a club with the racy glamour of Manchester United, it is numbing to lead an ordinary life. After it was all over the faces of many fans were expressionless, as if anger could find no place to settle. These supporters had not had the relief of booing an indolent or foolish display. There had been diligence everywhere in a side that bustled its way through the first half, but it had not been enough.
Their line-up is humdrum and even on the return of a few injured players the announcement of the team will still not hiss a blood-curdling threat to all comers. Spurs made themselves at home, coped phlegmatically with the loss of a silly goal, stood up to the unsophisticated pressure before the interval and entirely merited a second consecutive draw at this stadium.
The first was last January when officials failed to spot that Pedro Mendes's shot had crossed the line by a yard in a goalless match. Martin Jol reminded everyone on Saturday that only three of his players from that night survived in the line-up. It is United who need a revolution; Spurs have already had theirs.
Even if he is in the throes of constructing a side, Jol is closer to the topping out ceremony than Sir Alex Ferguson. United occasionally seem to be holding the blueprints upside down.
In essence, though, the club, with one Premiership win at home since April, simply do not have enough gifted individuals on their books any more. Too many hopes lie with Wayne Rooney and not even this forward, who turns 20 today, can scintillate to order. He played a wonderful pass, from which Ruud van Nistelrooy looked set to establish a 2-0 lead until Michael Dawson's excellent block, but his influence was spasmodic.
There are claims that the Glazers will provide large sums to close the gap on