Counter factual...

[Bladesway]

I prefer to ask why 'legend' Jagielka played basketball in his own penalty area for no apparent reason. I mean 'ask' quite literally because he has never explained it, still less apologised. Never mind, though eh? Everton were waiting.

I also prefer to ask why Warnock, who should have been sacked immediately after the promotion season, spent his January transfer money on complete bobbins when a couple of genuine Premiership players, not worldbeaters mind, but proper tried and tested top league players (especially in midfield where we were routinely outclassed - la plus ça change....) would have ensured our 10 point cushion was converted into comfortable survival. That's the moment McCabe lost his way as well. If ever there was a time to invest handsomely, that was it. We bought nonentities.

It was our fault - not Tevez; not West Ham. They didn't make us lose at home to Newcastle, ship three vital goals in a shameful non-performance at Villa, or fail to manage even a draw at home, backed by 30,000, to save our skins.

As we continue to learn, you see, passion is not enough. Sorry Morgs, don't call us; we'll call you.

Pinchy, I gave you a like for this but I liked it so much I thought I would say so as well

 

[BladeFisher]

Warnock would have been rewarded with the new contract he deserved.
McCabe would have increased the wage bill to the same level as Robson was allowed in The Championship.
Warnock would then have been able to sign proven Premiership quality players.
Jagielka and other key players would have been happy to sign new extended contracts.
Signings like Kilgallon, Fathi and Shelton would have started to contribute more in their second season.
Hulse would have come back from injury to score vital goals in the second half of that season.
Premiership survival would have been secured with a few games to spare. West Ham relegated!

Then youngsters like Naughton and Walker would have been gradually drafted into the first team squad.
A few more Premiership quality players added as the funds continued to flow in.
The brand new Kop with added facilities and legroom opens in August 2009.
We are no longer pre-season favourites for relegation. Mid-table mediocrity is assured and embraced.
We start to play our strongest team in the cup competitions again. Finals and trophies become a possibility...

Fast forward to May 2013. New manager Stuart McCall leads his team out at Wembley.
Director of Football and Blades legend Neil Warnock looks on proudly from the Royal Box...
Kevin McCabe tells the press it's all down to the values of consistency and loyalty that he's always adhered to...

Hang on, this is looking increasingly clapperrish! Oh a dream, and what do we have now more chance of being in the Blue Square than the Premiership.

 

[BladeFisher]

Should Liverpool fans demamd to know why Suarez gave a pen away at the weekend?

Shit happens.

No but they should ask why he clearly doesn't get enough to eat.

 

[BusheyBlade]

yep i remember it well we won that easy, it was a night match and they didn't seem bothered.

Montella turned up in gloves and appeared to wonder off the pitch after about 20 minutes. Tonge outclassed Brown that night and made the latter look like a lightweight in the tackle

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I prefer to ask why 'legend' Jagielka played basketball in his own penalty area for no apparent reason. I mean 'ask' quite literally because he has never explained it, still less apologised. Never mind, though eh? Everton were waiting.

I always thought that 'earned' him £4M + whatever his new contract is paying.

but them I'm a little cynical?

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I would ask him to his face:
a) why he handled the ball;
b) why he has never had the courtesy to explain before.

I always thought that 'earned' him £4M + whatever his new contract is paying.

but them I'm a little cynical?

Nobody’s suggesting it was a good piece of defending or his finest moment in a United shirt but accusing Jagielka of throwing the match in order to secure a move to Everton is pathetic.
“Match fixing” is a criminal offence is it not? I thought you had to have a weight of evidence before throwing such accusations around.

Personally, I think he just panicked in a very high pressure situation and did what he thought was necessary to avoid Wigan having a clear header on goal.
Many players have done it before and sometimes they get away with it. Keith Edwards used to handball it all the time to try and gain a sly advantage.

I notice that Jagielka put in a great cross for Stead’s goal. Wouldn’t he have put it into row Z instead if he was deliberately trying to lose the match?
I also didn’t notice any lack of effort on his part for the rest of the match/season. It was hardly a foolproof scam. Unsworth could have missed the penalty. Webber could have scored.

What was his motive for throwing the match? If we’d drawn the game he would still have been a Premiership player anyway and earned an healthy financial bonus from United.
If he wanted to move to Everton regardless, he could have simply asked to leave. We all know that United don’t keep players who receive a better offer. We don’t even put up a fight to keep them.

Jagielka did as much as anyone to get us promoted to The Premiership and very nearly stay in there.
Why is it that some United fans can’t accept that even the best servants of the club can make mistakes?
Why do they have to try and demonise them and accuse them of foul deeds based on the flimsiest of evidence?

 

[Darren]

Nobody’s suggesting it was a good piece of defending or his finest moment in a United shirt but accusing Jagielka of throwing the match in order to secure a move to Everton is pathetic.
“Match fixing” is a criminal offence is it not? I thought you had to have a weight of evidence before throwing such accusations around.

Personally, I think he just panicked in a very high pressure situation and did what he thought was necessary to avoid Wigan having a clear header on goal.
Many players have done it before and sometimes they get away with it. Keith Edwards used to handball it all the time to try and gain a sly advantage.

I notice that Jagielka put in a great cross for Stead’s goal. Wouldn’t he have put it into row Z instead if he was deliberately trying to lose the match?
I also didn’t notice any lack of effort on his part for the rest of the match/season. It was hardly a foolproof scam. Unsworth could have missed the penalty. Webber could have scored.

What was his motive for throwing the match? If we’d drawn the game he would still have been a Premiership player anyway and earned an healthy financial bonus from United.
If he wanted to move to Everton regardless, he could have simply asked to leave. We all know that United don’t keep players who receive a better offer. We don’t even put up a fight to keep them.

Jagielka did as much as anyone to get us promoted to The Premiership and very nearly stay in there.
Why is it that some United fans can’t accept that even the best servants of the club can make mistakes?
Why do they have to try and demonise them and accuse them of foul deeds based on the flimsiest of evidence?

I entirely agree.

Making groundless allegations against people is something that really gets me going. I sometimes wish that people like Jagielka would sue people who make such allegations so we could see that abjectly apologise in order to save their arses....

 

[Selly]

Personally, I think he just panicked in a very high pressure situation and did what he thought was necessary to avoid Wigan having a clear header on goal.

I think he got shoved in the back, which may have been the root cause of the panic...

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I entirely agree.

Making groundless allegations against people is something that really gets me going. I sometimes wish that people like Jagielka would sue people who make such allegations so we could see that abjectly apologise in order to save their arses....

Yeah, it does piss me off. Probably more than it should.

What next?
Fatty Foulkes smuggled the FA Cup gate money home in his prosthetic stomach?
Billy Gillespie had links with the Provisional IRA?
Alan Woodward only went grey because of the worry over his secret life of crime being exposed?
Dave Bassett doesn’t deserve our admiration because he sometimes call us “Sheffield” on TV. Oh yeah, we’ve really had that one.

 

[Pinchy]

I entirely agree.

Making groundless allegations against people is something that really gets me going. I sometimes wish that people like Jagielka would sue people who make such allegations so we could see that abjectly apologise in order to save their arses....

I agree. I've made no such allegation. I want an explanation - That's all. Is it too much to ask for an astonishing, gobsmacking moment of penalty area volleyball that cost us a fortune? I don't think it was criminal or cheating or calculated, but it was mindless and called for an explanation and apology. Similarly Semi-Pro's abject surrender at Wembley in 2009. We've had nothing and I've no time for either of them.

The relevance of the move to Everton is that Jagielka was "all right Jack" and couldn't care less about us being relegated. I remember well his transfer. He was gushing about his dream move. Scarcely, if any, a mention about the club that made his career. Has he ever attended a game at The Lane since his 'can't get there quick enough' transfer? Many former favourites have on numerous occasions: Booker, Woodhouse, Walker to name but three.

Legend? Never, No How, No Way. Legends have a bit of class.

 

[Gavlar]

Just for the masochistic, 4:57 onwards...

how did he miss that? argh its still painful now!

 

[Gavlar]

Imagine if David Hopkin's effort had come back off the post and we had gone up the other end and scored.

We could have been in the Premier League for a decade and a half.

i remember being at that final, absolutely dire game. i think we brought on andy walker for about 30 secs afterwards to try and get a last second draw. man i hate the playoffs!

 

[Bayingblade]

Warnock would have been rewarded with the new contract he deserved.
McCabe would have increased the wage bill to the same level as Robson was allowed in The Championship.
Warnock would then have been able to sign proven Premiership quality players.
Jagielka and other key players would have been happy to sign new extended contracts.
Signings like Kilgallon, Fathi and Shelton would have started to contribute more in their second season.
Hulse would have come back from injury to score vital goals in the second half of that season.
Premiership survival would have been secured with a few games to spare. West Ham relegated!

Then youngsters like Naughton and Walker would have been gradually drafted into the first team squad.
A few more Premiership quality players added as the funds continued to flow in.
The brand new Kop with added facilities and legroom opens in August 2009.
We are no longer pre-season favourites for relegation. Mid-table mediocrity is assured and embraced.
We start to play our strongest team in the cup competitions again. Finals and trophies become a possibility...

Fast forward to May 2013. New manager Stuart McCall leads his team out at Wembley.
Director of Football and Blades legend Neil Warnock looks on proudly from the Royal Box...
Kevin McCabe tells the press it's all down to the values of consistency and loyalty that he's always adhered to...

Warnock would have been given the new contract he nearly blew.
McCabe would have increased the wage bill proportionately with the increase in revenue
Warnock would have signed Joey Barton (already lined up at the time) and other misfits, nearly men and nobodies.
Jagielka would have signed a new contract with release clauses similar to the contract he had.
Kilgallon, Fahti and Shelton would have played second fiddle to Joey Barton and the other Warnock signings.
Hulse might have got back in the first team but may have been behind Emile Heskey in the pecking order.
No youngsters would have been anywhere near the first team.
We'd have gone down the following year, Warnock sacked, Robson appointed and...................you know the rest!