Intervju med Scott The Red - mannen bakom The Republik of Mancunia
I den andra delen av vår intervjuserie bekantgör vi oss med Scott The Red - mannen bakom den eminenta Unitedbloggen The Republik of Mancunia. Ägarskapet, Spelarvärderingar och domarna ligger i fokus när vi tar ett snack med denna prisbelönta bloggare.
I den andra delen av vår intervjuserie bekantgör vi oss med Scott The Red - mannen bakom The Republik of Mancunia, den största och absolut bästa Unitedbloggen på nätet. Noterbart är att denna blogg fått flertalet utmärkelser, som exempelvis Best football fan website (The Times), Best Manchester United blog (The Telegraph), Best Team Site, Best British football blog, Best Team Writer (Soccerlens), Editor's Choice for Best Club blog (EPL Talk), Best Manchester United blog (A Different League) och Best football blog (UK2). Bloggen är även noterad på Old Trafford (se bild nedan i texten).
First, tell us a bit about yourself?
- I’m Scott, born and bred in South Manchester.
How did your love affair with Manchester United begin?
- United have been in the family for generations. My dad has been taking me to Old Trafford since before I can remember. I’m not sure if you would describe my feelings for the club as love or obsession though, there’s a fine line!
And what inspired you to create your own blog about the club?
- I started writing the blog towards the end of the 05-06 season. United hadn’t been doing too well (by their standards) and I guess I just wanted somewhere to talk about it. Smithy broke his leg, we won the League Cup, we sold Ruud van Nistelrooy and didn’t replace him, we paid £18.6m for Carrick when none of the fans regarded him as first choice or capable of filling the Roy Keane mould. There was a lot to talk about and I didn’t feel as negative about our prospects as the press did, so wanted to voice that.
- The moment we became a .plc we opened ourselves up to this happening. Not enough fans bought shares in the club to protect us and that is why we're in the situation we're in now. I don't think any United fan should be striving to displace the Glazers in favour of a sugar daddy like at Chelsea and City, rather just get ourselves an owner who will let us spend the money the club generates on improving the squad. Money that fans spend on shirts, tickets etc. should not be used to pay off a debt that should not belong to the club and wouldn't belong to the club if not for the owners.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a life-long dream to one day play for the Galacticos, and last summer he made the switch to Madrid. Is he still regarded a hero (for his contribution) in your point of view?
- The love affair was over for me during his last season after the manager had rejected his plea to leave and his disappointment showed on the pitch. He still scored a lot of goals that year and was an important part of us winning that third consecutive title but his heart wasn't in it anymore and his sulking and lack of effort for the team infuriated me. Now that he's gone, it's a lot easier to look back on his time with the club in a more favourable light. He's a class player and has had nothing but great things to say about our club and manager since leaving. He was honest from the start, indicating he was always going to leave us for Real Madrid, so I certainly prefer that attitude to that of someone like Rooney.
Bishops Blaize, Sam Platts and the Trafford are said to be the best pubs around Old Trafford before a game, which one of these would you recommend, and why?
- Bishops Blaize is a bit more touristy and has Pete Boyle for the entertainment. The Trafford has more locals but is totally rammed to the point you can hardly move/breathe. It's very rare for me to drink in any of these pubs before a game but they're a good enough laugh.
If you could pick any player in the world to strengthen the Red team, who would it be?
- Bring Ronaldo back (and it's not like me to look to the past, but everything he touches turns to gold). Schweinsteiger would be handy.
Referees in the Premier League have constantly been critised for their weak performances. Dean, Webb and Clattenburg are all considered to be decent referees, but they haven't met the standards this season in particular. Your view on this matter?
- I think referees have a very difficult job to do and for as long as video refereeing isnt in the game, they will continue to make the mistakes they do. Sometimes their decisions are utterly baffling
Carlos Tévez evokes many opinions, what do you think of him?
- Players don't have to pretend they're loyal to the club. They don't have to claim they want to stay forever, they don't have to kiss the badge and they don't have to talk about their connection with the fans. Had Tevez played for United, worked hard but been honest about his intentions, I wouldn't have been happy to see him go to City, but it wouldn't have evoked the same emotions his departure has done in light of how he behaved when he was at United. To become a fans' favourite, he spun us a tale and made us believe he really cared about the club. I don't blame any person who has come from the poverty he has to want to earn as much money as they possibly can. But he shouldn't have duped us in order to win our adulation. That was dishonest and unfair. I wonder whether the extra money is worth it to him now though.
In 2006 Sir Alex was close to end his great career, but he suddenly changed his mind. Now it seems the Scot enjoys life more than ever and is determined to lead United to further success. How long will he continue?
- It was 2002. He always says he will carry on for as long as he's fit and healthy, so who knows.
Macheda, Welbeck, Evans, Cleverley and Amos are all known as great prospects, but there are also several "unknown" younger talents in the ranks. Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba and John Cofie pose great potential, but who do you think eventually will break into the first team?
- By all accounts, Ravel Morrison seems to be the brightest talent we've seen come through the academy for years. His head is all over the place though so it's hard to predict his future. I'm really looking forward to seeing Cleverley in the team next season. Welbeck has done well up at Sunderland but I do wonder whether he's United quality.
Bruce, Pallister, Stam and Buchan were all sensational, but Stewart Gardner at manutd.com recently claimed that Nemanja Vidic is the greatest centre-half ever to played for United. Is he correct?
- It's hard to compare. You sometimes look at players of the past, particularly those associated with great times for the club, with rose tinted specs. I'd say Stam is more important to this team than any of those centre-halves were to their respective teams. Does that say more about Vida or our current squad?
Jag tackar Scott för intervjun och rekommenderar samtliga röda bröder att följa med denna fantastiska blogg på Republik of Mancunia.
Tidigare intervjuer:
Lukas Hradecky - [Provspelat för United]
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