The Blog Files #2: Just Football interviews The Republik of Mancunia

In Part 1 of The Blog Files, our series interviewing the leading representatives of Europe’s top football clubs within the blogosphere, we caught up with the guys at Barcelona Football Blog to discuss amongst other things the marvellous Messi, Guardiola’s future and the backroom power struggle. Now for Part 2 and the champions of England, Manchester United and prominent United blogger Scott from The Republik of Mancunia:

JF: First, tell the readers of Just Football 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.

How would you rate the team’s performance so far this season?

We were pretty crap for a few months of the season but we seem to be finding our feet now. The injuries we’ve had this season have been pretty ridiculous too. I know all teams have injuries and that is what your squad is for, but this season our entire defence has been hit.

Comparing us with Chelsea, Petr Cech has played in 26 games this season, Edwin Van der Sar in 13. Ricardo Carvalho in 21 games, Rio Ferdinand in 8. John Terry in 28 games, Nemanja Vidic in 16. However well you may play, there is no accounting for being without your best defence. The problem is, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, John O’Shea, Gary Neville and the Da Silvas were also injured, meaning that our most creative midfielder (Carrick) and the engine behind our midfield (Fletcher) were taken away from the centre of the park and shoved in defence. Nightmare. Still, we’re the second highest scoring team (6 behind Chelsea) and still have the best defensive record, so we can’t be doing too badly.

In your opinion who have been the team’s 3 standout performers and why?

Wayne Rooney has obviously been brilliant and our most important player of the season, but there’s no point talking about him because you can read that every week in the paper.

Patrice Evra has played in every single game so far this season and has played consistently well. It’s hard for left backs to receive a lot of praise but Evra really has been an important player for us this season. On the pitch he leads by example, off the pitch he builds a stronger relationship with the fans every time he speaks, and is the only player to speak out about the green and gold protests.

Darren Fletcher has been vital to our league position this season, with him hassling and harrying his midfield opponent from the moment the game starts to the moment it finishes. He works so hard for the team and never gives up and that’s exactly the kind of player you need if you want to win the league.

Antonio Valencia has been one of the buys of the season and looks more like a United player with every passing month. He’s scored more goals than the likes of Ashley Young, Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and as many as James Milner, and only three players have more assists than him in the league.

Most football fans, and particularly bloggers, think deeply about their club. What are the key issues facing United right now, both on and off the field?

On the field we have to be thinking about the changes that will be coming in the next few years. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have a season left in them at most, Rio Ferdinand’s injuries are becoming far too regular, Edwin Van der Sar can’t go on forever and there are obvious questions over whether Ben Foster is the man to replace him (regardless of what the manager says) and Nemanja Vidic will be off to somewhere hot soon. Off the field, obviously there is the pressing issue of the debt and our ownership.

What are your thoughts on the Green and Gold campaign and how do you see it developing?

I think it’s a great way for the fans to express their unhappiness about the current situation and it’s so powerful because it’s visual. You look at any picture or any footage from inside Old Trafford now and there’s a sea of green and gold. The plan is to get celebrities and United legends on board to really put pressure on the Glazers, but more importantly, draw credible bidders in.

Can it succeed and are the Red Knights the solution?

Yes, it can succeed. We can’t go on the way we are doing, with the debt mounting every year, and now there is a lot of momentum. We need to know more about the Red Knights before we can form a conclusive opinion of them. Even they don’t know what their concrete plan is yet, but there is talk of a ‘golden share’ which would mean fans would have control of any other future takeover, and they have the backing of MUST (Manchester United Supporters Trust) so far after preliminary discussions.

Luis Antonio Valencia had a huge task in stepping into Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoes. How do you rate him so far after 3/4s of his first season, as he seems fairly underappreciated by some United fans.

I think he’s been great. He was never bought to replace Ronaldo’s goals although it was rightly presumed he would score his fair share. His role is to create goals and he’s doing that really well. We’ve already scored more goals than we did during the whole of last season, and there’s still 8 games to go!

He couldn’t be more different to Ronaldo in terms of his personality. He is so unassuming and shy.

How do you rate this season when measured against other recent campaigns, and why do you think the team has gelled so well despite losing key players Ronaldo & Tevez?

Firstly, Tevez wasn’t a key player last season. He scored 5 goals which is many as Valencia has managed this season.

As for the reason we’re doing well, it hasn’t come as much of a surprise to United fans. Two years after Cantona left we won the Treble. Less than two years after Keano left we won the league. The season following Ruud van Nistelrooy’s departure, despite us not buying a replacement, we won the league. Important players come and go but we’ve consistently managed to replace them. For as long as Sir Alex Ferguson is there, we always have faith we’ll come back, no matter who we sell.

Wayne Rooney. Discuss.

He’s just brilliant, isn’t he? I wouldn’t swap him for anyone in the world and I’ve felt that for a few seasons, even when he wasn’t as effective as he is now. Aside from being immensely talented, he’s so passionate, he works hard for the team, he’s sacrificed his share of the limelight for the sake of the team when Ruud and Ronaldo were about, he loves the game.

Unsung hero?

It was Fletcher, but when he got wrongly sent off against Arsenal last season and we went on to get spanked by Barcelona, people sat up and paid attention to how important he was. So, I’ll go for Evra or Valencia, who don’t get anywhere near the amount of praise they deserve.

How do you see the club evolving over the next few years & are you optimistic about the future of the club?

My glass is always half full, so yes, I am optimistic. I’d like to see us get a young and talented manager in to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, like Pep Guardiola or Laurent Blanc. I’d like to see us in a much healthier financial situation and owned by people who give a shit about what the fans think.

Onto Republik of Mancunia. How have you found blogging since you began & what have been the biggest challenges?

I love blogging and there have been no ‘challenges’ which have ever made me think about packing it in, but it can be trying when you receive criticism from United fans. Like with anything, there is always going to be a difference of opinion but some people act very angrily to certain opinions and that’s a bit off-putting.

What does the future hold for Republik of Mancunia?

Who knows? I want to keep going with it for as long as I enjoy it and as long as I’m doing a good job of it.

For some of the best writing on Manchester United anywhere on the net head over to Republik of Mancunia. I dare say you won’t regret it.

Coming up in Part 3 of the Blog Files – Liverpool and Oh You Beauty.

Manchester United, The Blog Files, Wayne Rooney