A diary of a Manchester United fan

April 26, 2013

Dear Diary,

What a stark difference! Just one year back I had been on the receiving end of a distressing emotional shock as Manchester City robbed us of the title which we had almost laid our hands upon – that too with a 94th minute strike. Thousands of Reds around the world and hundreds of them in Manchester had stopped celebrating the unprecedented and paused in disbelief and incredulity as City went on to ride their luck home. Voices ranted claiming that Manchester United was past their glorious days and that it was a new revival for our neighbours. We kept quiet. We had faith in Sir Alex. We were relieved to have him at the helm; we knew he would win us the 20th league title – an unparalleled record!

We had taken a vow. A vow too strong too be broken, too impenetrable to be destroyed by anything; a promise that was always meant to be kept. And yes, we lived up to our expectations, if not surpassed them. We have come back ever so strongly. Not only have we created history, we are on our way to write history once again as we vie, with four matches in hand, to better Chelsea’s record of 95 points in the League!

Last year, I had been so demoralized by the so-near-yet-so-agonizingly-far finish that I had torn up the pages of my diary. And today, I am penning down my exultant thoughts in the same diary!

No, we haven’t won the treble, we haven’t outclassed Barcelona or Bayern Munich, but we have established ourselves once again as a force to reckon with (which we always were); in fact, we yet again reminded the world of our supremacy in England. The start against Everton wasn’t one such fruity night as we went on to curse ourselves for the mistakes we committed. But once we had a win in our closet, we knew we’d be tough to stop; our fortitude and determination would carry us along in our quest to get the silverware back to the place where it originally belongs. For one year, every Red Devil on Earth prayed, ate, slept, dreamt and discussed the English Premier League – the 20th title. When Robin van Persie moved in to Old Trafford and chose jersey No. 20, we knew what he had in mind. And not just him, it was as if the whole squad was playing for just one thing – the only thing that can satisfy their appetite.

As we relish history and bask in the glory of creating it, I get reminded of every move that’d been instrumental for us to win each game – Michael Carrick’s tremendous season in the midfield, Scholes’ comeback, Rafael’s quality improvement, Evra’s excellence, Giggs’ ageless wonder, Chicharito’s mesmerizing (read: pleasantly unnerving) addiction to injury-time goals. David De Gea has once again showcased his pedigree between the bars. There was never any doubt regarding his shot-stopping athleticism, but the young Spaniard has quickly adapted himself to English football. It’s correct that he may not be another Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Saar (c’mon, they are legends), but once you watch De Gea against Real Madrid, you’ll realize he’s something special (just as Sir Alex had said). Up front, Wayne Rooney, playing out of position, has failed to exert as much influence as he normally does. But one man who has made up for it and everything else is the man of the moment! Arsenal fans can go about cursing him and groaning about how he left a trustworthy Arsene Wenger for money, but who knows better than us that Wenger is still way behind Sir Alex?

Ferguson certainly is the best in his business and knows better than just being the manager. It’s true that he hasn’t been on very good terms with the match officials, but to us, he is no less than a messenger of the Almighty himself! Sir Alex is the main reason why the Red and Black jersey is still dominating English football; he has held the strings for so many years, and will continue to do so, hopefully, for many seasons to come!

Four games are still left and we are already rejoicing the unmatched feat we have achieved. One month from now on, pictures of United holding the trophy high for the 20th time will flood the newspapers and electronic media for the very first time in football history. I’m triumphant, so proud, so delighted, contented…and emotional! I remember once my friend asked me, “Why do you support Manchester United?”

“Red is the colour of my blood” had been my reply. Yes, I am a proud Red Devil.

P.S. Oh God, oh God! When will I get to visit the Theatre of Dreams?