c25: Greeting Manchester United Fans
Speaking of which, the relationship between Manchester United and Everton is surprisingly cordial in certain contexts.
On one hand, following the old football adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Manchester United and Liverpool have maintained a century-long enmity. Everton, sharing the city of Liverpool with their fierce rivals, also harbors deep hostility toward the Reds. Naturally, this shared animosity has led to a strange camaraderie between United and Everton a sort of mutual understanding forged through common disdain.
On the other hand, there's the Scottish connection. Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, is Scottish. David Moyes, who managed Everton for over a decade before succeeding Ferguson, is also Scottish. It's often joked that when Scots meet, their hearts speak before their mouths do. This connection formed a subtle thread tying the two clubs together, fostering respect between their managerial hierarchies.
That's why Wayne Rooney was able to make the high-profile move from Everton to Manchester United in 2004, and why Moyes was seen as a natural if ultimately ill-fated choice to replace Ferguson in 2013.
However, friendship in football only extends so far. Once the whistle blows, all sentiment disappears. Everton had no illusions about Manchester United taking it easy on them nor would they ever expect such mercy.
This particular fixture had attracted significant pre-match buzz, especially surrounding the "Boy Wonder" Wayne Rooney. Unfortunately, due to a metatarsal injury sustained during the European Championships, Rooney was ruled out. This news was a heavy blow to the spectators eager for fireworks, particularly at Old Trafford.
Big clubs always suffer from their own kind of headache. Their players are top internationals, constantly called up for national duty, and injuries from such appearances are part of the cost. Clubs foot the bill financially and competitively.
It's no surprise, then, that Manchester United got off to a rocky start in the Premier League. With both Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy unavailable due to injury, the attacking responsibilities fell on Louis Saha and Alan Smith. While both had their merits, neither were prolific at the time Saha was injury-prone, and Smith was still adjusting to life as a converted striker. Their potential impact was unclear at best.
To make matters worse, the team's midfield general Roy Keane suffered a hamstring injury in the previous match and was forced to watch from the sidelines. Keane was more than a captain; he was the heartbeat of United's engine room. Everton couldn't have asked for a more favorable set of circumstances.
Even so, Manchester United's squad depth far exceeded Everton's. In terms of Transfermarkt valuation at the time, United's squad was worth more than three times that of the Toffees. Quality always finds a way to assert itself.
As kick-off approached, Sky Sports' commentary team broke down the lineups and tactical expectations for the broadcast audience.
"Both teams are on the pitch now, getting warmed up. Manchester United, despite the long injury list, have fielded the strongest possible XI. It's clear they're desperate to turn the tide."
"With Marcus Bent unavailable for Everton due to a groin strain, David Moyes has turned to the 21-year-old James McFadden. He's shown glimpses of talent, but whether he can deliver in the pressure cooker that is Old Trafford remains to be seen."
"Everton will no doubt set up defensively, looking to counter through the pace of their wide men and the tenacity of midfielders like Tim Cahill. Wait a second one of the Everton players is heading to the South Stand... and he's actually waving to the Manchester United fans?"
"Well, judging by the deafening boos echoing through the stadium, I think we have our answer. Was that some kind of planned comedy sketch by Moyes?"
...
Sure enough, it was Jamie Vardy who wandered toward the South Stand and waved to the Manchester United supporters.
He wasn't trying to provoke anyone at least not intentionally. Though currently on loan at Everton, Vardy's registration rights still belonged to Manchester United. From his point of view, he was greeting his home crowd. He didn't see anything strange about acknowledging the fans of the club that technically still owned him.
But for the fans in the South Stand, this was heresy. They had no knowledge of his contractual ties. All they saw was an opposing player wearing blue Everton blue approaching their end and waving like he was among friends. In their minds, it was akin to sacrilege. A rival player acting buddy-buddy? That was unacceptable. If they didn't rain down boos like thunder, they'd be letting their club down.
The resulting sound was overwhelming piercing, violent, and angry. Along with the abuse, all manner of pocket junk was thrown in his direction: plastic wrappers, coins, and even a half-eaten pie. Vardy quickly realized his "friendly gesture" had been a catastrophic miscalculation and bolted back to the pitch, hands raised in confusion.
"Bloody hell, all I did was say hi. Did I rob your houses or something?" he muttered to himself.
The outrage from the South Stand quickly spread through the stadium like wildfire. Vardy had unwittingly made himself public enemy number one. Only the fiercest rival players like Steven Gerrard or Patrick Vieira ever received this level of vitriol at Old Trafford.
His Everton teammates watched his retreat in stunned silence.
Every pair of eyes was locked onto Vardy, their expressions unified in disbelief. No one could quite grasp what had possessed him to antagonize the Stretford End.
"Mate," someone finally said, "are you brain-dead?"
The Manchester United players looked like they had just seen a ghost. Who dared to be so insolent at Old Trafford? Did this Everton player have a screw loose?
Moyes was utterly speechless. He never anticipated that Vardy would stir up such chaos. Was this some kind of twisted joke? Putting him in the matchday squad suddenly seemed like a reckless gamble!
As for Sir Alex Ferguson, he couldn't help the amused grin tugging at his lips. He had a general idea of what was going on in Vardy's mind. But seeing the youngster flee from the South Stand under a hail of boos and debris, Ferguson couldn't stop himself from chuckling.
"I must admit, this lad has guts. Let's see... number 27 for Everton. Vardy, right? My goodness, he's not even 18 yet!"
"I think I understand his actions now. Look closely at the registration details Jamie Vardy is technically still a Manchester United player. He's only on loan at Everton this season. He probably thought he was coming back home to say hello. Unfortunately, the home crowd didn't get the memo, and now it's friendly fire out there. What a laugh!"
The two Sky Sports commentators burst out laughing in the studio, their voices nearly drowned out by the crowd's uproar. Fans watching from home were equally entertained by the absurdity of the situation and Vardy's bewildered expression.
He hadn't even played a single minute, and Jamie Vardy was already infamous. But this wasn't the kind of reputation he had in mind when dreaming about Premier League glory.
"If I'd known the fans were going to act like lunatics, I wouldn't have bothered with the greeting," Vardy muttered under his breath, his face red with embarrassment.
Veteran midfielder Thomas Gravesen marched over and yanked Vardy by the sleeve. "Are you insane? What made you think walking up to the Stretford End and waving was a smart idea? Look at the United players they're practically ready to eat you alive! What a mess you've made!"
Vardy sulked. Was it really all his fault?
Gravesen scoffed. "Yes, it is! And since you're not even starting, we're the ones who'll suffer the consequences on the pitch. I swear, it's like you did it on purpose."
Vardy shrugged. He wasn't one to back down easily. So what if Manchester United's players were pissed? The game was still the game. No one gets points for playing nice. If they wanted to be ruthless, then he would show them what real ruthlessness looked like.
After the warm-ups concluded, Vardy trudged back to the Everton bench, still getting heckled the entire way. The relentless wave of boos made his ears ring it felt like full-blown tinnitus.
Back when he'd watched games on TV, the media always described Old Trafford as a "theatre of intimidation" or "a devil's den." Vardy had thought those were just dramatics. But now that he was living it firsthand, he realized every word had been true. This place was no theatre it was footballing hell.
Still, as he took his seat on the bench and tried to tune out the noise, Vardy's thoughts drifted elsewhere.
If I return to Manchester United and actually get the chance to play here as the home striker… will this same stadium become my greatest weapon instead?
He smiled faintly to himself. Today's boos wouldn't define him. Maybe one day, the Stretford End would chant his name.
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