NOT TAKING IT ONE GAME AT A TIME

In football the worst thing you can do is not take each game as it comes. Every game must be approached with an invisible mental barrier preventing the manager and his team from casting their minds into the weeks ahead. Clubs often employee hypnotists to train players "You will take each game as it comes, You will take each game as it comes, do NOT look ahead". But I'm going to say bollocks to that and take all the games at once to see where the League will be won or lost. There are three basic scenarios. Scenario A "Operation Piece of Piss": United continue to keep clear of Chelsea, who eventually collapse in the wake of Mourinho's imminent departure. The Reds take the title with games to spare and line up a possible double with a good FA Cup run. Scenario B "Operation Brown Pants": Chelsea whittle the gap down over the coming months and both teams go neck and neck into the final day. In short, a total brown trouser white knuckle ride reminiscent of 1995 and 1999 that goes right to the wire. Scenario C "Operation Nightmare 1992": United hit a rough patch through injuries/form and allow a rejuvenated Chelsea catch up. The league goes to the final day where Chelsea take the title by a point. Bastards. Total Bastards. It all boils down to a few critical matches for both the title contenders. The way the top two have been at it this season I don't see many upsets and shock results in the run in. At first glance, we have an easier run at the end and our tough games are spread out more evenly. Both have to go to Portsmouth away and it can be a tough venue so expect something significant to happen there. Man City will do just enough to ensure they lose to Chelsea on 24th Feb in what is the toughest game of an easy stretch for them but then the toughies start to come. They then go to West Ham, a bitter London derby and the Hammers are deep in the shit and need points. Then away to Newcastle - can be easy but sometimes not, you never know with the Geordie masters of inconsistency. United at Liverpool on 3rd March will be a cracker and we definitely DO NOT want to lose to these bastards at Anfield. The Scousers might well be a wee bit distracted by the visit of Barcelona the following Tuesday and that could work to our advantage. The big one on 14th April is United's visit to Stamford Bridge and I have coloured it brown to indicate possible soiling of pants. What United have to aim for is to get to the FA Cup semi-final, the Chelsea clash is scheduled for the same day but if we're in the cup it'll have to be moved to a later date by which time it could be too late for Chelsea to do anything in the title race. A visit to Everton on the 28th April shouldn't hold much fear for the Reds given recent victories there. City in the penultimate game is much more of a tester and the bitters will be putting on hands on deck to torpedo the Red battleship. But lets face it, if you're worried about going to Manchester City maybe you don't deserve to be champions? We can also look to Chelsea's visit to Arsenal on the same weekend for Mourinho's team to likely drop some valuable points to even out things out. We've got a tougher final game if it comes down to that. Everton are certain to put in a one-foot-on-the plane performance against Chelsea whereas we take on West Ham who will be fighting for the points to avoid relegation. But if United need to win to take the title at Old Trafford you'd have to fancy us with 76,000 roaring the lads on. Ahh well, at least no matter what happens, we have competed in the League and that is something that has been sorely missing at Manchester United for a while. We've got a proper title race to look forward to and although it might get nerve shredding and have the old bowels churning, we'd take that any day over the out-of-it-by-March type seasons of the last three years.