Inspiration...

After 82 days - days spent contemplating the future of my club, as the joy of reaching the historic number 19 landmark was swiftly swept into insignificance as Europe's elite embarrassed our champions...and as, perhaps more significantly, our noisy, once disregarded neighbours were suddenly regarded as a threat - marching up the Stretford End, like a drunk climbing up some scaffolding at 3am - little idea of how he got there - and removing the '35 Years' banner. And as we prepared for the new campaign knowing City and their billions will strengthen, knowing Barcelona will undoubtedly (somehow) improve; we also knew we would be without the rock between the post who finally and convincingly replaced Schmeichel, as well as those fledglings that are finally and rather suddenly beginning to dismantle: Neville, O'Shea, Brown...and the greatest of all...

After 82 days - days spent witnessing the typical summer madness surrounding established marquee names from the world of football being associated with United; yet sitting back - helplessly - as they go to our rivals in Spain, West London...or M11 instead, while we opt for underwhelming, muted sparks instead of stars...



After 82 days - days resigning myself to thoughts of 'next season I'll just watch United rather than having to relive every high and low by spewing my emotional dribble all over my blog as well'...



Yet after 82 days - I now feel somewhat invigorated and inspired.



I sit down to watch United's first home game of the season, having watched fleeting moments of  excellence during pre-season, an exciting and always pleasurable defeat of those noisy (and, unsurprisingly, richly enhanced) neighbours in the Community shield, and an encouraging United-esque fight-to-death victory at West Brom.



Against Tottenham, as has very much been the mantra for SAF this season, the line-up oozed inexperience and risk. And that in itself reminded me, after all this time that I have distanced myself from football, just why I love United so much.



Gone are the days where we fall back on the lazy approach: signing superstars and 'the most expensive...' in order to be the best. That might be the only means of success for the likes of City and Chelsea, but not for us. We have been spoilt of that in the past, yet as Ferguson enters the latter stages of his tenure as the greatest football manager of all time, he has gradually brought us back to basics as only he can so well; re-instilling the unit in United and reestablishing the mentality of winning as a team full of that famous blend of youth, experience and class.



The result? A consistent display of energy, hunger and desire that is frighteningly, if not eerily, similar to the what we witnessed at the beginning of the 1995/96 season. A new-wave of Fledglings that has rapidly drawn not only incredible comparisons (Cleverley with Scholes), however faith, in that these are the players to take Manchester United forward - not only to the European success that we missed out on last season, however forward through to the days when Ferguson will be eventually replaced.



Cleverley (22), Smalling (21), Jones (19) Welbeck (20) and Anderson (23) have all already excelled and given us the same confidence in their ability that Fergie has. Berbatov, Hernandez, Rooney, Giggs and Nani - our five best players from last season - are still involved and very much there to add the blend of experience and class that I mentioned; however the injection of youth that we now possess - that no other team in the league can boast and that has now already brushed aside City, West Brom and Tottenham - has invigorated our side and provided a stunning new dimension. One that perhaps was what was required against Barcelona. One that has instilled a new level of excitement within every United fan. And one that for this fan, has given an excuse to never leave his beloved football team, or diminish his passion, for such a long time again.