DRY - MANCHESTER UNITED - 2003/2004 SEASON...

ENTER




David Beckham sold to Real Madrid for a very ridiculous fee, Barthez as substitute, Ronaldiño in Barcelona, the only good news comes from Ryan Giggs, still Red Devils today.

When Sir Alex loses his mind, the first season unfortunately "post-Becham" can begin...
Date
Game
Result
Competition
Round
08/16 2003
Man Utd - Bolton Wanderers
4 - 0
championship
R1
08/23 2003
Newcastle United - Man Utd
1 - 2
championship
R2
08/27 2003
Man Utd - Wolverhampton Wanderers
1 - 0
championship
R3
08/31 2003
Southampton - Man Utd
1 - 0
championship
R4
09/13 2003
Charlton Athletic - Man Utd
0 - 2
championship
R5
09/16 2003
Man Utd - Panathinaïkos
5 - 0
CL
R1-1
09/21 2003
Man Utd - Arsenal
0 - 0
championship
R6
09/27 2003
Leicester City - Man Utd
1 - 4
championship
R7
10/01 2003
Stuttgart - Man Utd
2 - 1
CL
R1-2
10/04 2003
Man Utd - Birmingham City
3 - 0
championship
R8
10/18 2003
Leeds United - Man Utd
0 - 1
championship
R9
10/22 2003
Glasgow Rangers - Man Utd
0 - 1
CL
R1-3
10/25 2003
Man Utd - Fulham
1 - 3
championship
R10
11/01 2003
Man Utd - Portsmouth
3 - 0
championship
R11
11/04 2003
Man Utd - Glasgow Rangers
3 - 0
CL
R1-4
11/09 2003
Liverpool - Man Utd
1 - 2
championship
R12
11/22 2003
Man Utd - Blackburn Rovers
2 - 1
championship
R13
11/26 2003
Panathinaïkos - Man Utd
0 - 1
CL
R1-5
11/30 2003
Chelsea - Man Utd
1 - 0
championship
R14
12/06 2003
Man Utd - Aston Villa
4 - 0
championship
R15
12/09 2003
Man Utd - Stuttgart
2 - 0
CL
R1-6
12/13 2003
Man Utd - Man City
3 - 1
championship
R16
12/20 2003
Tottenham Hotspurs - Man Utd
1 - 2
championship
R17
12/26 2003
Man Utd - Everton
3 - 2
championship
R18
12/28 2003
Middlesbrough - Man Utd
0 - 1
championship
R19
01/07 2004
Bolton Wanderers - Man Utd
1 - 2
championship
R20
01/11 2004
Man Utd - Newcastle United
0 - 0
championship
R21
01/17 2004
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Man Utd
1 - 0
championShip
R22
01/25 2004
Northampton - Man Utd
0 - 3
cup
1/16
01/31 2004
Man Utd - Southampton
3 - 2
championship
R23
02/07 2004
Everton - Man Utd
3 - 4
championship
R24
02/11 2004
Man Utd - Middlebrough
2 - 3
championship
R25
02/14 2004
Man Utd - Man City
4 - 2
cup
1/8
02/21 2004
Man Utd - Leeds United
1 - 1
championship
R26
02/25 2004
FC Porto - Man Utd
2 - 1
CL
1/8
02/28 2004
Fulham - Man Utd
1 - 1
championship
R27
03/06 2004
Man Utd - Fulham
2 - 1
cup
1/4
03/10 2004
Man Utd - FC Porto
1 - 1
CL
1/8
03/13 2004
Man City - Man Utd
4 - 1
championship
R28
03/20 2004
Man Utd - Tottenham Hotspurs
3 - 0
championship
R29
03/27 2004
Arsenal - Man Utd
1 - 1
championship
R30
04/03 2004
Arsenal - Man Utd
0 - 1
cup
1/2
04/20 2004
Man Utd - Charlton Athletic
2 - 0
championship
R31
04/10 2004
Birmingham City - Man Utd
1 - 2
championship
R32
04/12 2004
Man Utd - Leicester City
1 - 0
championship
R33
04/17 2004
Portsmouth - Man Utd
1 - 0
championship
R34
04/24 2004
Man Utd - Liverpool
0 - 1
championship
R35
05/01 2004
Blackburn Rovers - Man Utd
0 - 1
championship
R36
05/08 2004
Man Utd - Chelsea
1 - 1
championship
R37
05/15 2004
Aston Villa - Man Utd
0 - 2
championship
R38
05/22 2004
Man Utd - Millwall
3 - 0
cup
final

BAD SEASON AUTOPSY:

Bad season for United, only 3rd of the championship at 15 points (sic!!!!) of Arsenal, which thus have to play the preliminary round of the Champions League... with Real Madrid & Juventus... hard hard...

In addition to the exceptional season of Arsenal (we must say it!!) who finishes unbeaten after 38 games, the analyze of this season shows several critical points:
- Beckham leaving in Madrid, of course
- the constant & increasing level of the Premier League those last years
- the difficult integration of Ronaldao in the first half of the season which destabilize the midfield
- the long injuries of Brown and Solskjaer (on the point to leave?)
- Rio Ferdinand's long & stupid ban for having forgoten (do we look so silly???) his anti-doping control
- O'Shea's disapointing season after having achieved a brilliant one last year

Result: an "open-door" defence!

I understand less and less Fergie's behaviour: after having make Barthez leave, he sold Beckham, but still worse, conscious of the lacks & weakness of his defence, he however refused to recruit during the winter mercato(????)... just unbelieveble!

So OK, if United is at this place today, it's of course because of Fergie, we can't say otherwise, but I hope that Cantona's righ when he says that Alex knwos what he's doing, because after this season, we can ask the question...

For positiv things, we can point at Scholes great talent confirmation. He's now responsible for United's midfield play since the departure of Beckham. We can also add Ronaldo's good end of season, that he should confirm soon, we hope so...

United confort thus itself with the Cup, gained extremely logically verse Millwall (Division One) without a real opposition...