In an article I wrote last season, I called for Rio’s head on a platter stating the team would be far stronger without his lackluster play. At this time, I’ll admit that I have egg on my face… The 2007/08 season is 8 games old now and I’m afraid that without Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United would be doing far worse than it is. The team is not scoring enough goals to overcome any mistakes at the back, and the simple fact that Manu is racking up the 1-nil wins, and only 2 points off the lead, is testament to the great play they are seeing by Ferdinand and Vidic. So I officially retract my previous call for Rio’s Firing.

Now, having said that I want to keep him, I want to point out that it’s not because I believe I was wrong at the end of last season. :) I believe what we are seeing can be attributed to 1 or 2 (probably both) reasons:

1) The season is young, and Rio is undoubtedly better rested than at the end of last season. The season is a long one, players need to be aware of this and take great care of themselves. Easy to say, but the life of high-profile athletes is demanding – lots of parties and events to attend no doubt. Rio would do well to skip a few of these and really focus on his fitness.

2) Rio has heard the calls by the fans and has stepped up his game play to a higher level. As they say, with age comes wisdom. Let’s hope that the big man realizes that he needs to participate in EVERY play and not take four or five off. Being lax for that many plays could well lead to cheap goals that United cannot overcome.

So there you have it. If Rio can continue at his current productivity level, I’d welcome him for years to come. If he reverts to the form of the last few sloppy seasons I might well retract the retraction.

Go Rio!