Showing posts with label PSV Eindhoven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSV Eindhoven. Show all posts

Saturday, 19 September 2015

Stay Strong Shaw.


It was that sick feeling that you get in your stomach when you know that something serious has happened to a player as he goes down, visibly in agony.

That was the feeling I had as soon as I witnessed the challenge from PSV defender Hector Moreno on United's Luke Shaw in the 15th minute of the Champions League clash at the Philips Stadion on Tuesday evening.

As soon as Shaw hit the ground everyone knew it was serious, but of course nobody knew how serious. However, judging from the expressions on the faces of the players surrounding their young teammate you understood that it was bad. The depressing image of him being stretchered off the pitch with an oxygen mask attached to his face didn't bode well as to his state.

After being taken to hospital everyone's worst fears were confirmed that Shaw had suffered a double fracture to his right leg and immediately underwent surgery in a bid to reset his bones.

There had been discussions and debates even before the match ended as to whether or not it was a fair challenge by Moreno. I personally believe it was a free-kick and, therefore, a penalty and warranted the minimum of a yellow card, but maybe I'm a little biased. All that is secondary now and the main thoughts have to be with Luke and his inevitably long road to recovery.

The England international has many positives to fall back on the main one being his age at only 20 years old, he has time on his side and being a sportsman his level of fitness will only aid his situation, but more importantly, he is at the right club where he will receive nothing but the best treatment to aid him in his recovery as United have the perfect facilities for recovering players at their training HQ at Carrington.

Shaw also has the benefit of modern medicine and the advances in treating such injuries have been vastly improved over recent years to such an extent that he will expect to recover completely from the injury unlike some players in the past whose career would have been over for something less serious.

The biggest problem will be the psychological aspects of the recovery as he will be training mainly alone as faces being out of action for around nine months according to specialists. He will have to remain focused during his rehabilitation period, but he only has to talk to his colleague Antonio Valencia who also suffered a serious leg injury.

Valencia broke his ankle while playing for United in the Champions League against Rangers back in 2010. Sure, his injury wasn't as serious as Shaw's but he did have to go through exactly what his teammate will face and I'm sure he will advise him on how to remain focused.

The outpouring of sympathy from all fans and players around the world, not just United, must have uplifted his spirits and I'm sure that it will continue until the day that we see him back on the pitch in his No.23 shirt stronger and fitter than ever. In a strange quirk of fate United's next match will be against Shaw's former club Southampton at St. Mary's stadium where I'm sure both sets of fans will spare a thought for the popular full-back.

I leave the last words to him "Thank you, everyone, for your messages, words can't describe how gutted I am, my road to recovery starts now, I will come back stronger."

Be Lucky Luke.

Miles Dunton.

Thursday, 27 August 2015

Man United back where they belong.

The 2015/16 UEFA Champions League draw.

At last Manchester United were back where they belong in the draw for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League after an absence that in reality was only one season but which seemed like an eternity.

As soon as United Captain Rooney scored his first of three goals last night in Belgium everyone's thoughts were turning to the group stage draw and choosing who they would prefer to play and probably more importantly the sides they didn't want to come up against until the knockout stages.

Since United last played in the competition many changes have taken place at the club from management, Moyes was replaced by Giggs who in turn made way for Louis van Gaal, to the players, with Carrick, Rooney and Smalling being the only players that started in last night's qualifier against Club Brugge who were also in the starting XI in the second leg defeat by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage in 2013/14. Interestingly Hernandez was also on the bench that night in Germany.

However, there has remained one constant, a status quo that can never be altered and that is the fans, fans that had to endure ridicule from rivals, which hurt, but never knocked them down as the faithful knew that it was only a matter of time before United took their place at the table reserved for Europe's elite.

The excitement of the draw had returned along with the dread of whose name would be picked alongside United. People always say that there is no easy draw which could be correct, but this year there were some really difficult but tasty possibilities. For example, United could have shared a group with one of these giants Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG or Juventus.

In the end they managed to avoid the so-called big teams and were pitted against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg. No disrespect to our opponents, but even United legend Peter Schmeichel, who was hosting the draw, found it difficult to hide his pleasure of the outcome.

Once the draw had been made and the dust had settled it turned out to be quite favourable for the Red Devils and the fans alike who would travel to places such as Moscow, the city of United's 2008 final victory over Chelsea, Eindhoven, a return home for our newest star Memphis, and Schweinsteiger's home country Germany to play Wolfsburg.

The hardest tie will probably be against German outfit Wolfsburg but the long trip to the Russian capital is always a draining one and PSV are well known to United's Dutch backroom staff and Memphis will have some pointers.

United will open the group away at PSV 15 Sept then Wolfsburg (h) 30 Sept, Moscow (a) 21 Oct, Moscow (h) 3 Nov, PSV (h) 25 Nov and lastly Wolfsburg (a) 8 Dec.

As Sir Alex Ferguson always said the target is to get to ten points and as long as United win their home games, then I can foresee no problem in them progressing to the knockout stages and if they can add a striker to strengthen the forward line then who knows how far we can go.

One thing is for sure it is great to be back involved with the pinnacle of club football.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the European adventure.

Miles Dunton.