UnitedViews

You know what? We can live without winning the FA Cup this year. We’ve got enough of a problem with fixture congestion without a replay and two games at Wembley. Just at the moment, though, it’s hard to see it like that.

I try not to make a big deal of refereeing mistakes. All it does is distract you from what really went wrong and makes you old and bitter. Just at the moment, though, I am feeling old and bitter.

Two simple complaints: firstly, everybody, absolutely everybody (OK, not Harry Redknapp) recognised Distin’s foul on Ronaldo should have brought a penalty; secondly, what was Kuszczak actually sent off for? He tried (with the elegance of a sea cow) to get to the ball but succeeded only in bringing Baros down with his face but it was not a professional foul. He tried to reach the ball. Was he the last man? No. Rooney, having screwed up by letting Baros have a free run, was behind the goalkeeper, so he wasn’t the last man. Now clearly, even had Tomas stayed on we may well have lost the game but the referee certainly made victory a harder task for Manchester United than it was for Pompey.

Still, we failed to take our chances, which at least we carved out with gratifying regularity, and Portsmouth defended deep and desperately. We also left only Rooney and Anderson to defend any breakaway from Nani’s free kick. That’s the true story of why we lost. I’m a little worried about Rooney’s form (as an striker rather than a centre half!). He’s still probably the best out-of-form striker in the world but… I used to love seeing him run at defenders before putting his foot through the ball. He doesn’t seem to either very much any more, which may be the legacy of too many games being asked to play either up front on is own or wide left.

We have learned a couple of things from the game (or at least had them confirmed). We need another striker. Someone tall and powerful who can help to change the way we play when we need to. Vidic did this for us towards the end of the awful derby game. Sadly, Vidic didn’t know what to do once he went up there!

Also, Kuzszcak isn’t Old Trafford material. He reminded me very much of our brief Spanish import, Ricardo, in his rush to bring down the opposing striker.

Anyway, there’s lots more to say but I’m too irritated to say it. We’re now out of our third and fourth priority competitions. No more cock-ups pleas, Lads (and refs).

One silver lining to the day was the Chelsea result, even if it was to a bunch from the wrong side of the Pennines…