Second Serve: No Better Time & Place To Lose Than Now!

Let me start by saying I was one of the more fortunate guys not to witness the horrible manner we crashed out of the Carling Cup last night to West Ham... Losing 4-0 isn't something you generally associate with Manchester United, even if it's an away game with a second-string side in the Mickey Mouse Cup!!!

For West Ham United fans (the club is currently languishing at the bottom of the league table), last night will be memorable given the convincing manner they beat us... In a Premier League season that hasn't been fruitful either, the ticket to the League Cup semis will be a breath of fresh air for the Hammers...

I, like many other United fans, genuinely thought that the trophy was there for the taking since rivals like Chelsea, Liverpool & Man City had already been knocked out... But then, I firmly believe that this loss couldn't have come at a better time & a better place... Manchester United's 29-game unbeaten streak in all competitions came to a halt, but thankfully it came in a tournament that Sir Alex has long used as an opportunity to give his fringe players to prove themselves worthy of a place in the first team...

Many fans would agree with me on the fact that the Carling Cup isn't the first priority on our list of trophies... I personally believe that even the FA Cup is more important than it & it's high time we had the trophy back in the cabinet where it has stayed for a record number of times!

Again, Carling Cup draws more than often prove to be a distraction for the players in the wake of more important tournaments like the Champions League... A big club like United has always prioritised winning the Premier League & the European Championship, as a result of which even our fringe players need to be prepared for these games rather than domestic competitions... United are in the hunt for big fish every season & hence it's important that the focus must be in doing well in the league & the European Cup...

Sir Alex spoke to the press post-match & said that 'his players had learnt a valuable lesson' losing to West Ham... There can be no better time to have lost given the possibility of complacency setting in following the 7-1 drubbing of Blackburn this past weekend... This loss should serve a timely reminder to the players that they need to stay grounded & retain the hunger required to win silverware throughout the course of the season...

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That's all Folks!

Yours,
CJ