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Manchester United secured second spot and automatic qualitication for the Champions League with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Charlton last night. the New Paper's football analyst TOHARI PAIJAN reviews United's season with LIM HAN MING


May 09, 2006 (Electric Newspaper, Singapore)

SO Manchester United finished second. So they won the Carling Cup.

By their high standards, it was a fairly disappointing season for the Red Devils, says The New Paper's football analyst Tohari Paijan.

'The stark reality is that they have not won the Premiership title for three seasons now,' he said.

'Yes, they may have improved on their League position from last year (third), but finishing second is not good enough for a club of United's stature.

'What's more, they were knocked out in the early rounds of the Champions League and lost to arch-rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup.

'The fans expect them to win trophies season after season.

'But even the most die-hard fans will have to agree that United are some way off from challenging Chelsea in the Premiership next year.'

So what went wrong for the Red Devils?

The goalless draw against Sunderland was undeniably one of the turning points of the season.

But, for Tohari, United's season was as good as over the day Roy Keane walked out on the club.

The former United skipper made a shock exit midway through the season when he launched a scathing public attack on his under-performing team-mates.

His outburst earned the ire of Sir Alex Ferguson and that brought a premature end to the Irishman's United career.

Tohari said: 'Rinus Michel, the former Dutch national coach, said in his book on team building that when a key member of a football team - be it the management, the coach or a player - makes a public statement, whether interpreted rightly or wrongly, it can be pure poison for team spirit and performance level.

'That was exactly what happened in Keane's case. His outburst on MUTV upset the harmony in the dressing room and brought disarray to the team.

'If you ask me what went wrong most for United this season, it would be the Roy Keane saga.'

Tohari felt that Ferguson should also shoulder some of the blame.

'Who was the one who gave so much power to Keane?' he asked. 'Who else but Ferguson?

'He has stood by his captain all these years, so much so that Keane thought he could do and say what he wanted.

'In the end, Ferguson had to decide whether to side with Keane or lose the respect of the players.

'It was a lose-lose situation. He chose to let go of Keane, but once Keane was gone, you could tell that United sorely lacked a leader on the field.

'Ferguson tried Alan Smith, Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea, Ryan Giggs and even Rio Ferdinand in his position, but they are not Keane.'

If United hope to challenge Chelsea next season, they will have to improve on their consistency.

Tohari said: 'You can't expect to win titles when you lose to lower teams such as Blackburn and Manchester City, and drop points to Sunderland and Birmingham.

'Chelsea won the title because they were the most consistent team in the League.'

Looking ahead, Tohari said that the most pressing issue for United was to find a replacement for Keane.

'That's easier said than done. There was a time when players queued up to join United,' he said.

'Now, the Red Devils have problems getting the players they want.

'Everyone wants to be associated with a winning team. That is why Michael Ballack would choose Chelsea over United.

'At the moment, United are only second best in England.'

Besides looking for a holding midfielder, Ferguson might also have to shop for a new striker.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's future at Old Trafford is in serious doubt after the 29-year-old stormed home last night when he was not named in the starting line-up who faced Charlton.

'Van Nistelrooy may have played his last game for United,' Tohari said. 'He is not someone who can tolerate sitting on the bench every game.

'At 29, he is not getting younger. You can tell that Ferguson is building his team around Wayne Rooney, who represents the future.

'And with Louis Saha back to his best and the emergence of Giuseppe Rossi, Ferguson might just let van Nistelrooy go.'

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