The Season so far.....

My first non match-going season in god knows how long, and what happens? United, top of the league, unbeaten, maximum points. Typical. If I was there, we'd be rubbish. It seems with International matches rearing their ugly heads again this weekend that it's an opportune moment to take stock of the Season three weeks in.

It's been a cracking start, with United playing confidently, and our main rivals stuttering - it's usually the other way round. Even with Scholes & Rooney out due to pre-season shenanigans, we've coped admirably, with the second string players stepping up and showing that they're up for it - Mr Fletcher notably - and Carrick looks to be fitting in well, though it's early days yet to be judging him. Goals seem to be coming from eveybody (Silvestre? Who woke him up?) and Ronaldo's getting jeered at every away match. Good. We love it when the world's against us, and although he's a little shit, he's United's little shit and don't you forget it. Good to see Chelsea & Arsenal getting beat as well. As the Tesco ad says, every little helps.

It's one of those season starts like the old days where we've got bizarre company below us. Portsmouth second? Villa third? Everton? The world's gone mad I tell you. "Ah, but it hasn't" says the voice of reason inside my head - it's amazing how a couple of inspired buys in the summer can lift a team, or in Villa's case, booting David O'Dreary and "deadly" Doug Ellis out and installing yer man O'Neill as manager. It seems there may be life in the Midlands yet (and it's good to see m'lady's beloved Wolves up there in the Championship - McCarthy's team don't play too pretty but they're grinding out results, and that's all that matters at the moment). Still it's early yet and we're sure that the once everything settles, you'll be finding Pompey and the rest in their natural midtable habitat.

So we come to the bottom of the Championship.. and doirty Mackem bastards Sunderland, who looked to be in freefall after "give the ball to" Niall Quinn's takeover, but things have taken a Rohld Dahl-esque twist with the appointment of his good mate (ahem) Mr Royston Keane as manager. Now, heaven knows what sort of boss he's going to be, but if he manages in the style of his captaincy, god help those players if don't give 100% on the pitch. He's played under two of the best managers ever (Clough & Ferguson) so something's bound to have rubbed off. He's not a man to accept second best, although you're only as good as the tools you've got to work with, so let's hope he can get those tools playing.

Now, I wonder who's sitting in my seat nowadays?