My love for Manchester United!

Manchester United Football Club is a name that makes the adrenaline flow super-fast down my neck. My love for Man United is not equivalent to my love for the Indian Cricket Team, because the latter is something that had been decided by my birth, and the raging Indo-Pak political issues added fuel to fire. This love is out of my own choice, and this characteristic alone makes it that much more special, something to write about.

I became a true-blue Red Devil during the slump years from 2003-2o05, and I am proud of this fact since it wasn't a case of me saluting the rising, or for that matter, the shining sun. I watched almost all their matches in those seasons and what struck out to me was the team's character - unrelenting in attack, always on the lookout for goals, smarting from the 8-month forced sabbatical its premier defender had to take but still fighting on.

Also, Sir Alex Ferguson, their most successful manager, always inspires a sense of trust and permanence with his passion for the club being unmatched. He has had a series of spats with players of high calibre like Ruud Van Nistelrooy, David Beckham, Roy Keane but his credentials have never been doubted. Every now and then, short-sighted people attack his throat with calls for him calling it a day. But the wise ones know that Sir Alex must be allowed to continue for as long as he wants to because if there is someone out there who can uphold the glory, it's him. His absolutely wonderful handling of the enigma that is Cristiano Ronaldo bears ample testimony to this school of thought. Also, he has been central to the change in Man United's character from a team who only knew how to score goals to a team who can attack and defend equally well. Bringing players from places like Brazil and Korea is also a first in United's history. His knack for picking players from other teams (Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspurs, Wayne Rooney from Everton) which fit into the Reds' culture is just superb. Also, a fantastic striker of yesteryears, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is managing the reserve team and players like Paul Ince, Roy Keane have learned the tricks of the management trade under him.

What differentiates Man United from other teams is that relatively lesser number of controversies crop up and they are handled in the most professional manner possible. Also no player is given undue latitude to get bigger than the club or the game itself. Sir Alex is in cruise control mode.

I guess if I say anything more I'll be labelled a pundit which I don't want to be. But surely, the Red Devils have it in them to go for a treble this season.

Man United, Here we go!