Gaining momentum - on and off the pitch

As we enter the business end of the season the games come thick and fast, with three matches in a week becoming the norm. With seven months of football already behind them it would be understandable if certain players began to feel the effects of a long hard season.

Therefore the great teams not only have big squads to cope with the demands of these extra games, but can also finish matches off early to conserve energy for the next battle.

Manchester United did that superbly against Milan in midweek. A challenging encounter on paper was turned into a practice match a little over an hour in. This meant the likes of Wayne Rooney, whose double once again set United on their way to victory, could be substituted to rest their legs. But even the players who lasted the full 90 minutes will not feel as jaded as they would if the match had gone all the way.

Finishing games off early has been United's forte over the past 15 years, and its re-emergence this season signals a growing momentum within the club just in time for the final run-in. With United and Rooney in this sort of form a third consecutive Champions League final is a definite possibility. Indeed, the football betting makes them second favourites to win the competition.

Off the pitch another campaign is gaining momentum. The now famous Green and Gold protest gained its greatest PR victory on Wednesday when David Beckham wore green and gold scarf while walking off the Old Trafford pitch. Beckham later denied he was anti-Glazer, something he perhaps had to say, but the impact had already been felt. A campaign that has already gathered 130,000 members will no doubt claim more now the most famous footballer on the planet has donned its colours.

The club are beginning to panic as well. Players and staff are banned from talking about the camping and a fan was ejected from a MUTV show for refusing to take off a green and gold scarf. The channel also refuses to mention the movement and edits all of Sir Alex Ferguson's press conferences to ensure anything related campaign is removed.

This sort of communist-style censorship will only rally the supporters more. Stewards eventually gave up trying to confiscate anti-Glazer banners on Wednesday because there were so many. As Avram Glazer bundled into his blacked out car after the game, personal bodyguard in tow, he must surely wonder whether it is worth carrying on in the face of such ferocious opposition.

Meanwhile, David Beckham will be concentrating on ensuring he is at the top of his game going into the World Cup.

England's World Cup football odds make them third favourites to win the tournament, but they will need their players to be at their best if they are to succeed.