Man Utd's front-running and flair is deserving of title win

From the first game of the season when Man Utd overwhlemed Fulham 5-1 at home I had a strong sense that Ferguson's side were on a mission to gain their first Premiership title since 2003. I wrote about it then in a post on 21 August 2006 titled: 'Rooney, Saha and Ronaldo have pace and mobility to spearhead title charge'.

This game was no mirage as Man Utd did what it is really important if you are to win a title - and that is not to put yourself out of the championship frame in the first third of the season. Their great start prompted me to write another post on 19 November 2006 titled: 'thirty four points out of a possible thirty nine is sensational going' where I concluded:

There is a long way to go yet this season but personally (as I wrote after the Fulham game) I think Alex Ferguson has moulded a team with the right combination of high quality experience, youth, talent and desire to push extremely close for the title this season.

And they have continued to front run with fantastic resolve and at times thrilling football to the extent that I can't recall a time when Man Utd have not occupied first place in the league table. Front-running in any sport is a true test of character and Ferguson should take credit for using his immense experience to ensure that his side continued to attack the title race with an all-out attacking philosophy and not play with any caution or nervousness as could beset a team who is out in front.

Chelsea's grinding effort to claw the gap has been admirable but for me the attacking spirit of Ronaldo and Rooney coupled with the inspiring 'rolling back the years' play of Giggs and Scholes has made me a supporter of Man Utd in this season's title race. Its the type of football that I generally prefer to watch and its good to see it rewarded.

Man Utd's comeback win over Everton at the same time as Chelsea's home draw with Bolton now puts Ferguson's side in pole position to achieve Premiership success with a five point lead with only three games left to play. The finish line is near and if I was Ferguson I'd challenge his team to win the title at Man City as they started the season at Fulham and have continued to show in many games since: win it with overwhelming attacking football.