Contemplating the unthinkable......

It's been a bad week for United, what with losing against Roma and then Portsmouth yesterday, and it would be something of a tragedy for the team, the manager and it's fans, if United failed to win a trophy this season given how much pleasure United have given lovers of the beautiful game. This is why United's goal difference is vastly superior to Chelsea's this season. The Red Devils have been going for it every week in every game, in contrast the Blues have been hanging on in their scraping victories by the odd or single goal. True it is often said the true mark of champions is to win those games which others may have not, and United have on occasion done this too this season.

However, with the loss of Vidic and Gary Neville to perhaps a slightly lesser extent, their absence is really beginning to show. I cannot help but look back to when we didn't have Vidic and make comparisons. Back then we were always letting in soft goals, since Vidic got injured against Blackburn we've now let in five goals in the space of three games... and they were soft goals too, with mistakes being made in and around our own penalty area.

The worry for all Reds fans is that in the season 95-96, at one point Newcastle had a ten point lead over United, only to throw it all away in the final weeks of the season. With only a few games left and a narrow three point lead at the top, many Reds fans are now contemplating the unthinkable, which is we could, worst case, get knocked out of the Champions league this week by Roma and then go on to lose out to Chelsea domestically in the FA Cup final and the league. If that happens it will be quite tough on the Red Devils. But as Newcastle found out in 1996, no one remembers runner-up, there is no sympathy for losers.

To be quite honest, United have amazed me this season, prior to Christmas I really could not see them going all the way, I honestly thought Chelsea would bounce back to something like their machine like best, but in truth they haven't, and it's been United who've been the most impressive by far. Chelsea have been at best scratchy, at worst quite poor of late.

Given what they've done so far, and being a Red, I'm backing United to win one of the three trophies available, I cannot and I never have subscribed to them winning all three.

In a bizarre way, it might be just as easy to win the Champions League as the league title or the FA cup. Reason being, because I think we can beat Liverpool in the Champions League final and I fully expect them to be there in waiting.

The Scousers can beat Chelsea and will, but I'm not 100% sure United can. Before that United will have to get to the Champions League final and that may well involve another trip to Italy. We need Vidic back ASAP.