GORY, GORY MAN UNITED

Reds are a team in turmoil... they need as much work as the decaying old stadium

- JOHN CROSS

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE said before the match that buying a 25 percent stake in Manchester United was the most exciting deal he had ever done.

After watching his first game from the Old Trafford directors' box, sat alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, you have to wonder whether he still feels the same.

This is a long way from the glory days of Eric Cantona and Co, which Ratcliffe remembers so fondly from his days as a fan.

United look a team lacking in identity, playing on the break while looking horribly vulnerable in defence. The team needs as much work as the decaying old stadium.

It was a good game yet that was as much because of Tottenham's attacking style, and these days title-chasing teams think it is a bad result when they do not win at Old Trafford.

The Reds point moves them up to the lofty heights of seventh in the table, eight points off a Champions League place and, incredibly, they have a goal difference of minus-five.