Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
QPR prepared for the visit of the Champions elect on a freezing February day by producing a pitch that makes Old Trafford look like a bowling green. That cold, hard, bobbly surface was presumably designed to bring us down to their level, and it largely worked.
However one man stood head and shoulders above everyone else on the field. Ryan Giggs.
Normally at almost 40 years of age, one short of 1000 games, you’d expect to be seeing cameo roles in meaningless games, but not for this man. Look at the decline of Jamie Carragher to see the effects of age, as he handed Zenit the goal to dump Liverpool out of the last competition they had a chance to win anything in, and you see the effects of age. But with Giggs its rather like a great single malt or superb French red wine, age just makes him better.
Young Ryan was skinny, fast, whippet like in teasing and taunting full backs before delivering rather erratic crosses. I recall one TV ad where the seller said their car took corners better than Ryan Giggs but frankly every car did that at the time as he over hit crosses a lot and often frustrated the crowd.
Amazingly 20 years on he is still slim, still quick enough and yet his touch is secure, his weight of pass is perfect and his vision is vastly improved.
I suspect his aches and pains will follow each game, he probably can’t play twice a week anymore but on pitches like this, where class tells he was just excellent.
He nicked the ball for the first goal, scored the second, hit the bar and ran the entire show as we cruised 15 points clear of Manchester City before Roberto Mancini’s side defeated Chelsea on Sunday lunchtime.
But back to Giggs, his goal showed his coolness, twice he peeked at the keeper as he received the ball, enough information received to connect the brain to the left foot in the instant it took to process the data and pass into the empty part of the goal. Genius in a flash.
The other 21 players could only wonder how his first touch found its target every time, his tackles were spot on and his running was as though he has endless stamina. Man of the match hardly describes his dominance.
The rest of the performance was not much to shout about.
A clean sheet against a team that have scored less than Robin van Persie was expected, and routinely delivered. Only one serious shot on goal well saved by David De Gea.
Rafael was a bundle of energy and hit a cracking goal, made one great cross for RVP who hit it well before his crash into the camera forced him off the field. Rafael was probably the next best player on the park but a long way back.
Michael Carrick handled the field badly, and looked like he hated the bobbling ball, and I thought had as ineffective a game as he did in Madrid.
Ashley Young crossed well, Nani looked dangerous but seemed to have been told to be less selfish and so he hardly shot at goal, Javier Hernandez was bright but ineffective against the lumbering Christopher Samba and the poor mans Nemanja Vidic, Clint Hill, while the rest just did enough.
Winning against poor teams ,on bad pitches in cold weather is what titles are made of and we dispatched QPR like the expensive flops that they are.
The title is now there for the taking, we can close this out with 6 games or so to go, giving Alexander Buttner, Nick Powell and the rest enough games to win medals.
United have dominated this league this season and on days like this its important to celebrate the links to the kids that started it all. Never has the chant ‘Giggs will tear you apart again’ been more meaningful than in 2013 at Loftus Road when he made Harry Redknapp feel as bad as the Inland Revenue made him feel. Only this time Harry you really are going down.
By Steve Burrows CBE @ifollowsteve
he didn't stand out above everyone as you are trying to tell us.he had an ok game.he misplaced 30% of his passes.his best position is in the wing,in central mid he ain't better than either clevs or ando
You should have gone to Specsavers !