We all know about the superb comeback United achieved and proof that they are as strong as ever. But what else did we find out about these two teams at the end of the ninety minutes, asks Ralph Ellis.
Very early in my career I worked for Reg Hayter. He was one of Fleet Street’s legends, who set up his own agency to supply all the national newspapers with sports reports and stories. At a guess, around 70 per cent of the top names you read, or see talking on the telly about football or cricket, have worked at some time for Hayters, even though Reg himself is, sadly, no longer with us.
His big piece of advice was that before beginning to write a report of any match, you should ask yourself: “What does it mean?” And it was the question running through my mind on the way home from Wembley last night.
Was the Community Shield just a meaningless pre-season game? Or does it really give us pointers to the Premier League campaign that’s about to start this Saturday?
If you come from the light blue side of Manchester you’d take the first opinion. Certainly that’s how Roberto Mancini would like to dismiss the efforts of his squad, insisting they are still going through the preparation process. The red side of town would have a different view, and Wayne Rooney is bragging this morning that United proved “We are the champions and we are the team to beat.”
Given that since Wembley re-opened for the season’s traditional curtain raiser in 2007 the winners each year have gone on to collect the Premier League title, I’m tempted to side with the second view. It doesn’t necessarily mean you should take the 2.78 for Sir Alex Ferguson to collect the club’s 20th Championship this season, but it’s a good start.
Last year’s Wembley showpiece gave a signal that Javier Hernandez could be a significant player. Some 13 League goals from 27 appearances justified that claim. So what can we glean this time?
Continued: Soccer Bets
Very early in my career I worked for Reg Hayter. He was one of Fleet Street’s legends, who set up his own agency to supply all the national newspapers with sports reports and stories. At a guess, around 70 per cent of the top names you read, or see talking on the telly about football or cricket, have worked at some time for Hayters, even though Reg himself is, sadly, no longer with us.
His big piece of advice was that before beginning to write a report of any match, you should ask yourself: “What does it mean?” And it was the question running through my mind on the way home from Wembley last night.
Was the Community Shield just a meaningless pre-season game? Or does it really give us pointers to the Premier League campaign that’s about to start this Saturday?
If you come from the light blue side of Manchester you’d take the first opinion. Certainly that’s how Roberto Mancini would like to dismiss the efforts of his squad, insisting they are still going through the preparation process. The red side of town would have a different view, and Wayne Rooney is bragging this morning that United proved “We are the champions and we are the team to beat.”
Given that since Wembley re-opened for the season’s traditional curtain raiser in 2007 the winners each year have gone on to collect the Premier League title, I’m tempted to side with the second view. It doesn’t necessarily mean you should take the 2.78 for Sir Alex Ferguson to collect the club’s 20th Championship this season, but it’s a good start.
Last year’s Wembley showpiece gave a signal that Javier Hernandez could be a significant player. Some 13 League goals from 27 appearances justified that claim. So what can we glean this time?
Continued: Soccer Bets
