Alastair Campbell - the former Director of Communications and Strategy for Tony Blair, and a devoted Burnley fan - has spoken out against Darren Fletcher's dismissal last night. This from his blog:
As Jamie Redknapp and Ruud Gullit know from my occasional childish and not so childish texts to them when they're commentating for Sky, Fletcher is the Campbell household's Number 1 United player, who does not get anything like the recognition he deserves.
He has overcome quite a lot of grumbling from supporters in his early days at the club to become a key player who would almost certainly have played in the Final. He has heroic fitness levels, is a team player par excellence, and a Scot.
His tackle on Fabregas, whilst not elegant, was a superb piece of defending, not a foul, certainly not a red card. As he trudged off to one of the few loud Arsenal cheers of the night, all around us were trying to find out if he could appeal. That he could not adds to the injustice.
Uefa is entitled to have its rules, which appear to stipulate that his case can only be looked at if the Italian referee, Roberto Rosetti, looks at the tape, decides to admit he made a mistake, and he can recommend the card be rescinded.
But surely, for a match as important as this, there should be a better system than that. There is talk that this will lead to a change in the system, that such incidents could be reviewed by a refereeing panel after the event. But that is not going to happen in time for this.
In which case, public and media opinion may be the only thing that might even begin to swing it. So I hope Redknapp and Gullit pile it on in their pre- and post-match discussions at Stamford Bridge on Sky tonight. They might spread the word among the Continental stations likely to be watched by Uefa's hierarchy, and get Geoff Shreeve to ask the Chelsea and Barcelona managers in their pre-match interviews whether they think it is grossly unfair for a player to miss a Final in these circumstances. They both seem like decent men.
What is the greatest injustice anyone can face? Probably to be in jail for something you haven't done. Missing a Champions League Final for a red card that should never have been given is not far off from being a footballing equivalent."
Fingers crossed that UEFA are listening.
Pete
European Cup, semi-final, second leg
ARSENAL (Van Persie 75, pen)
MANCHESTER UNITED (Park 7, Ronaldo 10, 60)
United and Europe is an irresistible combination. Benefica, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Roma; the list of special results, and special evenings, goes on and on. And now Arsenal at the Emirates, 5 May, 2009, can be added to it.
Unsurprisingly, this morning's paper's are stuffed with praise for United's imperious 1-3 victory. The Mirror calls it a "masterclass, not a contest"; The Independent puts it down as an "annhilation"; and the Mail deploys the word "massacre". Here's how their write-up continues:
Although this was very much an all-round performance by United, special praise is reserved for - who else? - Christiano Ronaldo. The Mail's Martin Samuel even dedicates an entire page to the Portuguese star's "supershow". He begins:
And then goes on to say that Sir Alex - should he have to - couldn't replace Ronny with a better player:
While, writing in the Independent, Sam Wallace picks out United's "exquisite" third goal, Ronaldo's second:
Many of the column inches belong, like the night, to United. Those devoted to Arsenal tend to ask the question of whether the potential of Wenger's team will ever translate into trophies. Here's Stephen Howard in the Sun:
Of course, for United fans, there was one especially sour note to the evening: the unwarranted dismissal of Darren Fletcher, which currently looks as though it will keep him from the final. Pretty much every commentator sympathises the Scottish midfielder, and even Arsene Wenger has called the red card "harsh". There's one major dissenting voice, though - that of Graham Poll, the former referee, writing in the Mail:
We'll have more on the Fletcher situation later, so - for now - let's just dwell on another famous European victory for the boys from Old Trafford. A job done, and done exquisitely.
Pete
That goal. I posted on it last night, and the papers are drooling over it this morning. Ronny's goal really was quite special.
The return of Rio. It's obvious isn't it? Put Rio back in the heart of the Man Utd defence and it immediately looks stronger and more composed. The boy Evans may be the heir to Ferdinand, but the experience of the Real Ferdinand is crucial in these do-or-die European ties. As much of our success this season has come on the back of clean-sheets, it's great to have him back for the run-in.
Nani. Now, I've always been one of the Nani sceptics. He certainly has ability and potential, but he's never quite looked United class. His brief appearance last night - coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute - was utterly atrocious. He lost the ball too easily; couldn't deliver in the final third; and seemed to be shunned by his teammates on the pitch. A performance that could well have ended his United career.
Talk of a quintuple. Notice how talk of a quintuple has died down over the past few weeks, as United's form has stuttered? I don't want to tempt fate, but I think that could help our cause. The weight of expectation is always difficult to bear, and any team - even United; especially United - will face hurdles and dips on the way to glory. Momentum is a good thing but, in a way, it might be better if the Q-word doesn't reemerge after this victory.
Is the blip over? Well, I guess only time will tell - but the signs are certainly promising. Fergie spoke of the "galvanising" effect that Macheda's goal had in the aftermath of the Villa game. But becoming the first English team to triumph at the Estadio do Dragao is a far more impressive achievement than leaking two goals at home then relying on a late, if stunning, winner. And to do so relatively comfortably - with solidity in defence - augurs well for the matches against Everton and Portsmouth.
Pete
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