I write this article on a Saturday night, moments after the final whistle has blown at Old Trafford, signaling that Manchester United, the best football club in the entire world in my wholly unbiased opinion has once again re-written the history books. With that final whistle, Man United have equaled L’pool’s ( I shan’t deign to name that club in entirety) 18 league titles in England.

This is a team that has caused me a few heart attacks and shortened my life span just that much. Starting from the opening day of the season draw against Newcastle, a club whom after that every other club in the league managed to beat handily; this appeared to be an unusual season right from the start. Seriously, the opening day draw against United must be said to be the high point of Newcastle’s season…which is not saying much.

Then we got to the whole period where L’pool slipped up, and how United took advantage, with many critics retrospectively claiming that this cost Pool the title. My opinion? The slip up did not cost them the title, their own lack of quality did. Yes, this article which at first seems to be just a Man U fan celebrating success, is in actual fact an article designed to rub Pool’s noses in dirt.

For the fact is that over the course of the season, Pool has added a new-found resiliency not seen for many years. They have been able to turn more draws into wins and more defeats into draws. And for the first time since I can remember, Pool have scored more goals than United and promises to end the season with a better goal difference than United.

So where should blame be placed for their failure? Look no further than Senor Benitez. Benitez has made very suspect decisions throughout the course of the season. Granted, his buying and selling of Robbie Keane has turned out to be apparently a well thought out move, but one cannot claim to be bewildered by the Keane saga. See the way a United fan sees it is this – if you claim you have been chasing and keeping tabs on said player for the better part of two years, buy him for a whopping £16 million and fail to play him in the role in which said player most excels in…it is a sad state of affairs.

The point is that Benitez has choked time and again and he must bear responsibility for his team’s undoing. Why he persists in leaving out Ryan Babel week after week confounds me, since he is Pool’s Ronaldo in my mind. To strike an allegory, Babel is full of tricks and he is by all definitions, a speedy flamboyant winger. See Ronaldo, class of 2003. When Ronaldo first appeared on the world stage he was as raw a talent as Babel is, and Ferguson did not stifle this burgeoning talent by planting Ronaldo on the bench every week but left Ronaldo to mature on the field. In three seasons since then, Ronaldo has evolved into the world’s top player.

Furthermore, the claim that Benitez likes to make about United being able to spend and his hands being tied, is what one would call colloquially a male cow’s excrement. The facts are that he has spent equally as much as United have, just not as astutely.

For whilst Benitez has spent money on the likes of Lucas Leiva, whom I consider to be the second coming of Salif Diao and Jermaine Pennant whom I liken to El-Hadji Diouf, Ferguson has in those years invested in the likes of Park Ji Sung and Michael Carrick. The comparison is a gulf in classes and really does show that Benitez has really dug his own grave.

Hence the cry of “maybe next year” is sadly, one that Pool fans have come to embrace. But credit goes where credit is due, that Pool did give United a run for their money. Pool has battled, they have even humiliated United 4-1 and if this was the 1970s perhaps Pool would have won the title. Unfortunately for Pool fans this season, United have proved the stronger and even the staunchest of Pool fans will have to recognize that United are worthy champions.

With no sarcasm whatsoever, Pool should take a well-deserved bow, congratulate United, and the two traditional giants should by all means battle it out once again 90 days after the season draws to a close next weekend. For this United fan would rather see a United-Pool dogfight for the title, than see the Blue hooligans of Chelsea buy the title. Where does Arsenal come in next season? Truth be told, if Aston Villa do go out and strengthen their squad by signing players like Tom Huddlestone or even United’s own Owen Hargreaves, Arsenal could find it tough to even sniff fourth place.

But for now, this writer signs off with the age old war cry “GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED” and not forgetting to remind one and all to Sing Up for the Champions!

Written by Daniel Keng