Source: Manchester_EveningNews
Fulham 3 United 0: Mathieson's verdict
JUST 12 months ago United were the best team on the planet - this was a world apart from that zenith. On this day last December, the Reds were being crowned Champions of the World in Japan at FIFA's Club World Cup. Today it couldn't be a greater contrast. They official handed over their global title to Barcelona on Saturday who beat Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi, while in London the Reds ended their tenure as the world's No1 with a shambolic whimper. Sponsors In the final in Yokohama, they beat South America's best Liga da Quito but the part-time no hopers Waitakere United from New Zealand, who also contested the Far East showpiece, might just fancy themselves against Sir Alex Ferguson's side the way the Reds played against Fulham. That may be a flippant observation but the serious truth is that United's fans are starting to get very concerned about the lack of spark in the champions. Quite simply they were awful at Craven Cottage and that's not all down to their casualty list. Wayne Rooney returned from Japan last term with a giant golden key that granted him a luxury car from the sponsors on his return to England for his man of the match performance against the South Americans and a trophy as a keepsake. So much has been resting on the England strikers shoulders this season to provide United with the goals and drive. He embraced it early on but the burden and lack of support is no longer bringing out the best in the 24-year-old. At the Club World Cup he had the luxury of the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo to help him out and the enthusiasm of Carlos Tevez to back up his own work rate. On Saturday he desperately lacked someone to share the weight. Sadly the decision to put Michael Owen on the bench for the two matches following his hat-trick high in Wolfsburg backfired. By the time he was granted a start again at Fulham, all the confidence built up in Germany had gone. For his sake it is to be hoped that Fabio Capello is too busy this Christmas to take a close look at the DVD of this match. With Owen starved of opportunities to recreate his destructive form in Wolfsburg, Rooney got another taste of life as the main man. How he must pine for the company on the pitch of Ronaldo. Ronaldo tantrum Fulham fans still talk fondly of the afternoon last March, when Ronaldo reached probably his lowest point in terms of throwing his dummy out of the pram. They baited him mercilessly for his petulance that day as United slumped to a 2-0 defeat. They might not share the opinion that United without Ronaldo makes not a jot of difference. Ronaldo was in tantrum rather than tantalising mode that day but there is little doubt that his contribution is so badly missed. The form this campaign of evergreen performers Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes has hidden much of the post-Ronaldo deficiencies. Giggs was another back home in Manchester nursing an injury and Scholes had a nightmare. When Scholes plays well, United play well is a doctrine many United fans stand by and with very good reason. The flip side has not always been the case that when he plays badly so do the Reds but Saturday certainly was one of those days. It started badly for him when one of his infamous wild challenges that have never been shelved in his career earned him a seventh minute booking. He was sent off here last March and walking the red card tightrope so early appeared to throw his game completely. Having survived going behind after 17 minutes when Tomasz Kuszczak brilliantly flipped over a Zoltan Gera volley, Scholes then went to sleep in possession after being surprised by a pass out of defence by Fletcher who clearly forgot he was further back in the field on this occasion. Scholes had his pocket easily picked by Danny Murphy who moved forward five strides unchallenged and then picked a spot that Kuszczak was unable to reach. Scholes United survived more Scholesy misplaced passes and mind-wandering moments. Nobody picked up the cudgel to help him out of his personal grief but the sanctuary of the dressing room came and surely Fergie would illicit some fighting response. However, just 20 seconds after the break it was effectively all over. The threadbare defence was exposed by Damien Duff attacking a weakened left side and there was no Vidic or Ferdinand to either out jump Clint Dempsey nor block Bobby Zamora's crashing shot. United are such past masters at dredging up recoveries that you always hoped there was a revival around the corner but it all became very obvious that they just didn't have any aces up their sleeves on this dismal occasion. It was more a case of whether Fulham could inflict even more damage. Zamora is a man in form but the notion that he is a striker saviour for Fabio Capello is not shared by too many away from the Cottage. Had Fulham boss Roy Hodgson possessed a front man of real England World Cup quality then the Reds could have been fighting total humiliation. As it was, Fulham did register a club record win against United and only needed Duff's goal after 74 minutes to do it. Zamora was instrumental by holding off Carrick and then Duff slammed in his shot. And with Fergie declaring there is no value in the transfer market this January and the Glazer's cash looking locked away until the summer, it's difficult on this evidence to see where the impetus will come from this time around to make a charge for retaining the title. SPURS secretary, John Alexander will take up the same position at United when Ken Ramsden retires in May. He will become only United's fifth post-war secretary when Ramsden ends his three-year tenure. How can United turn their form around? 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