Source: Daily_Mail
MARTIN SAMUEL: No frills, no fuss as Scholes hits 600 not out for United
He did not do a whole lot, to be fair. There was nothing showy in his performance, nothing that screamed for attention or garlands on his special night. A wall pass here, a clever little triangle there and, then, the loveliest eye-of-the-needle ball to Michael Carrick for the goal that made victory certain.[LNB]All were delivered with the same delicious understatement, the same intelligence, the same economy of effort. At the end, he shook hands with four Portsmouth players inthe vicinity and disappeared down the tunnel, the first to do so. He applauded the fans, as they did him. Mutual respect and not a trace of arrogance. You hear a lot about footballers these days; but you don't hear too much about ones like Paul Scholes.[LNB] Mutual respect: Scholes leaves the pitch after his 600th game[LNB]This was his 600th game in a Manchester United shirt and in that it was no different to his 599th or his 601st. Scholes does not need to send up a rocket to grab attention, nor would he want to. [LNB]There was a time when Kevin Keegan, one of his many former England managers, which perhaps explains his shameful waste as a force for his country, encouraged him to drop bombs all over the field. This season, Scholes is happy to bash a square. It starts just outside the line occupied by his central defenders and continues up the centre of the pitch, stopping approximately 10 yards outside the opposing area. More of an oblong, really.[LNB] International appeal: Scholes scored 14 goals in 66 appearances for England, including this strike in Euro 2004 during the 4-2 win against Croatia[LNB]Inside that area, Scholes is king. He did not waste a single pass and his immense intellect for football matters ensured United remained in control from beginning to end. Anderson, his partner, effervescent, exciting, ceaseless in his running, was outstanding but when Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to introduce Carrick in the second half it was his No 8, not the 18 of Scholes, that was held aloft. [LNB] Simply Red: Scholes (left) tangles with Hermann Hreidarsson[LNB] More from Martin Samuel... MARTIN SAMUEL: Soppy judges and a licence for thuggery 23/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Forget your killjoy Muppet show, this was pure theatre 22/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: How Hiddink the winner has given Chelsea the blues 21/04/09 Martin Samuel: Why we're better off with a winner from out of the blue19/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: English clubs are the envy of Europe, so why listen to MPs?19/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Our need for speed beats life in the slow lane16/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Wenger and Fergie set for new civil war16/04/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Rafa cuts and runs for cover in European classic15/04/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVESome were surprised, but Ferguson knows his job. Scholes was playingkeep ball, treating a match in which United's nerves could have beenjangling as if it were a training ground exercise. [LNB]Alwaysavailable, always showing for the link, the nuance, the change ofangle, beautifully minimalist in his involvement. He dropped, hereceived, he laid it off, he moved on, a minor masterclass. Once heslipped as he passed and the ball squirmed to an opponent. The crowddid not so much groan as gasp. Scholes gave the ball away. Well, he isonly human. [LNB]His revised role, keeping an eye on the shop from deep, would explain why he no longer attracts the headlines with such regularity and is often a footnote rather than the rave review. Gone are the days when Glenn Hoddle, another former England manager, described him as a player unique in our game, perhaps the most significant English footballer of his generation. For United in the twilight of his career, Scholes is content to be a part in a machine. So is a wheel in an Elgin watch. And Scholesnever loses a second, either.[LNB]His game is about movement. The way he pushes the ball on, simply and efficiently, the way he slots in to receive a pass and threads it through to begin the next phase. While Portsmouth chased sweaty around the pitch, Scholes played in a shirt that would have barely required a wash, completely in control, never offering Portsmouth, or more importantly Liverpool, a glimmer of encouragement that there could be an upset.[LNB]United went a goal up through Wayne Rooney after nine minutes and never looked back. There was no hint of that excitement that has followed their rivals. If anything,United are becoming uncommonly dull. As they encroach on the title they seem almost distant from the action elsewhere, the eight-goal thrillers that have captivated anation. United are doing a job; so is Scholes.[LNB] Economy: Scholes makes another simple pass[LNB]He has been through so many matches like this it was clearly nothing special, despite the milestone. He has always been more interested in serving the team than servicing his ego and, those looking for a celebratory flamboyance in his game will have been disappointed. White boots with a red tongue were about the size of it. Even his haircut has not changed in all his years at Old Trafford. No harsh number ones or experiments. He is that wonderful contradiction: almost an anti-footballer off the field,and a pure footballer on it.[LNB]Paying tribute to him beforehand, Ferguson said every club in Europe wanted Scholes,but he had not received one offer in all his time at Old Trafford. It was known throughout football that he was unobtainable. [LNB]Ensconced at United, he loved his football, his family life and had an aversion to the limelight and distractions such as TV interviews that bordered on pathological. Last night he quietly went back to one and steered well clear of the other. He disappeared into the night, much as he fused facelessly with the team during this performance.[LNB]Ferguson noticed him though, just as he has always recognised what sets him apart, and what continues to make him, as Hoddle identified, a singular presence in the English game.[LNB] Man Utd 2 Portsmouth 0: Relentless Red Devils take step closer to the titleScholes has his moment in the spotlight - it's 600 up for the red-top talismanRed handed: United back on top but Fergie has the humpMARTIN SAMUEL: Forget your killjoy Muppet show, this was pure theatre MARTIN SAMUEL: How Hiddink the winner has given Chelsea the blues MANCHESTER UNITED FC
