Middlesbrough 0-2 Manchester United
Well, there's little point in dwelling on a dire performance which gifted a profoundly mediocre United side three easy points. The two goals were both soft, the second especially so. But that's the sort of thing which happens when you have several key players missing through injury. In this particular case the absence of George Boateng cost us dear, as it did at Birmingham and will undoubtedly also do so at Chelsea. It's deeply frustrating that our two worst home performances by far came against Chelsea in September and United, both of whom were eminently beatable. However, almost as irksome as losing was having to listen to the moronic swill emanating from the away end. Some examples:
"You only come to see United".
Aye, that'd be why the stadium's record crowd saw us play Norwich City. We get this every year, as I imagine every club does. Actually, we don't only come to see United, as a glance at our attendances shows. I'll concede that the season's largest crowd usually turns out for United, but that's Newcastle United, our unloved neighbours to the north whom we perenially hope, usually in vain, that we'll be allowed to beat. Whenever possible, though, I do come to see United - Hartlepool United.
"Where's your famous empty seats?"
Erm, in the away end actually. If you'd taken a look around, you'd have seen that the game was sold out and every seat occupied except for the 700 or so tickets United failed to sell. Sorry, what was that? Couldn't sell all your tickets? Strange, that... Newcastle did, Chelsea did, Liverpool did, Norwich did, Arsenal will and if Sunderland and Leeds were still playing with the big boys, they would too.
"Can you hear the Geordies sing? No, no!"
Not a great surprise, really, being as how the Geordies were 42 miles up the road in Newcastle where Geordies come from, watching their own team gubbing Birmingham. Just because we're from the north east that doesn't make us Geordies, as any Mackem will tell you. You know, just like coming from the north west doesn't necessarily you a Scouser. Still, I don't suppose that's well known in Surrey.
