Man U fans, welcome to roller-coaster

Man U fans, welcome to roller-coaster

Just a few weeks into the new season and Manchester United fans have been on a thrill ride already.

Just a few weeks into the new season, Manchester United fans already have been on a thrill ride.

The euphoria in the wake of the signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo inflated in the best possible manner when Newcastle were put to the sword on Sept 11.

Then came the loss at Young Boys in the Champions League just three days later.

As groans from that match still lingered, David de Gea saved a penalty in the last second to earn Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men all three points with a 2-1 win against West Ham on Sept 19, with Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard scoring and providing more sweet points.

The highs, however, lasted just a few days as West Ham went to Old Trafford on Sept 23 and snatched a vital and vengeful League Cup win.

Fans hoped to feel good again when Aston Villa came to Old Trafford last Saturday, but it was a last-minute penalty heartache, this time thanks to Bruno Fernandes' miss from the spot, and the visitors returned home with all three points.

In the wake of the Young Boys nightmare, one famous Manchester United fan who is a familiar face on YouTube made a thought-provoking comment amid what he described as a "Civil War" among Red Devils supporters, who have been bitterly divided into "Solskjaer Out" and "Solskjaer Forever" camps.

The divide had been simmering, but was threatening to reach a breaking point in the aftermath of the infamy in Switzerland.

"Do you want your team to be very spectacular in some games but give you very low feelings in others?" the fan asked.

Another famous Manchester United fan in Thailand also complained, saying he is now a "bipolar man" thanks to the team he loves.

In other words, the first fan loves to see Manchester United as consistently good without catching the eyes.

He would rather see his team win 1-0 two games in a row instead of scoring five or six in one game and losing 0-1 in the next.

His example is Chelsea, who do not invoke much ooh and ahh when they play but seem to get the job done most of the time at present and even managed to stay above United on the league table. This fan prefers teams that are quietly and consistently effective.

The second fan, also a famous face on YouTube, appears different. He was over the moon after Newcastle, looked absolutely shocked by Young Boys defeat and became giddy again in the wake of De Gea's penalty save against West Ham.

The "bipolar" comment did not hide what he wants, which is that when United win, it has to be a total massacre of opponents.

Best of both worlds

Truth is that few can have the best of both worlds.

A few seasons ago, Liverpool played beautiful football and registered big, glorious wins, but they failed to lift any trophy.

When they decided to go a little easier on the "beauty" department, they won the league.

In England, only Manchester City seem capable of pulling off jaw-dropping performances and results in a good way day in and day out.

So, some fans prefer world beaters while the poor ones have to settle for "miracles". Stability at the top is what most fans want, but a roller-coaster is what many get.

Supporters of lower-ranking teams know what it's like -- the highs alternating with lows.

It's a different charm, actually. Winning is good, but what's the point of winning if you keep winning?

Which feels better -- celebrating a routine seasonal win like Barcelona fans not long ago or pouring into the streets when Leicester City miraculously grabbed the Premier League title in 2015?

Many Manchester United fans did not understand why their Liverpool counterparts celebrated that much last season when the Merseyside team ended up empty-handed with plenty of bad records.

In fact, Liverpool fans were taunted for looking "happier" than their Manchester City counterparts, whose team won the league, and Manchester United fans, whose team finished above them on the league table.

The answer might come at the end of the current campaign.

"The end justifies the means" rings truest in football.

Another cliche "You are as good as your last game" is also quite true, and it's Manchester United fans' turn to appreciate the saying more constantly.

The immediate question, though, is what they want now. Unpredictability can be both charming and painful, while stability can be pleasing up to a point, beyond which it can get boring.

This means that, on the bright side, the life of Manchester United fans, after the win-big-all-the-time period under Sir Alex Ferguson, has begun to get more exciting.

Guest columnist Tulsathit Taptim is a veteran journalist who writes articles on various issues.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT