Tick Tick Tick! …
When James Buster Douglas faced Mike Tyson in a heavyweight title fight 16 years ago, he was a 42-1 outsider to whom no-one gave a chance.
History recalls that Tyson was later to visit the canvas for the first time in his career and was relieved of his aura of invincibility as well as the heavyweight crown in an unforgettable February night of sports theatre.
Football too can claim its share of fantasy made real. Plucky Denmark’s remarkable Euro 1992 success was achieved although the country had not qualified for the tournament and was a late arrival thanks to ethnic strife in the former Yugoslavia. Belgian fans still shake their heads disbelievingly at the goal scored by England substitute David Platt in Italy, that announced his emergence as an international star at the 1990 World Cup and put the continental team out of the tournament.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. That is what makes sport so thrilling. So, when Ryan Giggs limped out of United’s opening Champions league encounter with Celtic, the stage was set for a certain Kieran Richardson to make his grab for the limelight.
Rarely can circumstances have seemed more favourable. Giggs, Wales’ Player of the Year, was out for a month with a tweaked hamstring, whilst his alternative Park Ji Sung, was recovering from surgery to repair torn ankle ligaments. If he was able to show good form, Richardson could have expected a reasonable run in the team and an opportunity to put down a firm marker for the future as Gigg’s long-term replacement.
Richardson certainly seemed in the mood to stake his claim. “The manager wants all his players sharp and on the ball, ready to play if needed,” Richardson explained to the Manchester Evening News last month. “I have to make sure I am ready, everyone does, because we want to win the league this season.
“Everyone has been training really well this season and the standard is very high every day. There is strong opposition for places, which is good for United and for me. At this club you have to fight for your place in the team. I believe in myself, so I just have to keep pushing on.”
Despite the fighting talk and a great script, Richardson appeared miscast for the role of the hero who took his chance and never looked back. Instead of making a case for a first team place, Richardson showed why so many fans fear he is playing for his United future this season. His low point came against Reading, an unheralded team of journeymen and unknowns, upon which Richardson might have been expected to feast with his pace, shooting precision and crossing ability.
Ronaldo-apart, the entire United team was uninspired that evening in Berkshire but Richardson was particularly disappointing. He dithered in possession, played without confidence or compass, was leaden when he should have been light and looked a long way from the player who enjoyed a two-goal England debut just two seasons ago.
Hauled off in the 57th minute to make way for an injured but urgently required Louis Saha, Richardson, like David Jones, has since become something of a ghost at Old Trafford and is likely to see action again only when United start their defence of the Carling Cup later this month.
This was not what Richardson imagined when he resisted the overtures of West Brom to remain with United. “I am looking for big things this season,” he said last July. “I have a lot to prove to myself and to others. I hope I will show what I can do because United is certainly the place to be. I have my fingers crossed that it’s going to be big season for the club and for me.”
Sir Alex appeared to share the conviction. The loan system, generously abused by United had finally paid dividends. Richardson, a starlet with genuine talent but starved of first team chances, had gone on loan to the Black Country and returned as an international wide-man with a chance of making the World Cup squad.
It has been downhill ever since with Richardson in danger of following other loan stars Jonathan Spector and Sylvain Ebanks Blake, through the Old Trafford exit. The raw ability that made Sir Alex so keen on his signature that he moved the Richardson family up north to comply with FA rules, still remains but the manager has failed to coax the 21 year old Londoner towards greater consistency and a higher performance level. Playing him at left back has not helped, nor has constant rotation which has rarely presented the left midfielder with anything approaching an extended run in the team.
Perhaps, these are the keys to explaining why a player rated by two England coaches and counted among this country’s top 22, is so rarely appreciated in United’s colours. They stand also as the elements of a paradox of Richardson’s own making. Yes, the player might need to be indulged and encouraged rather than bullied if he is to deploy his talent effectively. But equally, Richardson must earn the manager’s and the fans’ trust through fruitful performance. He needs to deliver more regularly and offer more than just versatility if he is ever to be more than a passenger in the United first team. Youth and inexperience offer no protection either, as Ronaldo and Ronaldo would confirm.
Richardson has been in and around the United first team for three years. The debate on whether he is a genuine United player is nearing its end. It is not too late for the player to turn his United fortunes around and Richardson need only look to Patrice Evra’s apparent comeback for inspiration. A return on the investment in Richardson can not come soon enough. The clock is ticking down on his United career loudly and fast. AU
© Copyright: Absolutely United 2006
