carlyluvsunited
17-11-2007, 09:04 AM
David Sadler column
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
16/11/2007
SIR Alex Ferguson certainly got pub debates and website forums going when he
declared this week that he felt his current United squad is the strongest he has
had.
How do you argue with the most successful Old Trafford manager ever who has
built so many United teams in his 21 years?
Usually if you disagree or question such statements, you end up with egg on your
face where Fergie is concerned. But I'd gladly eat huge slices of humble pie if the
Reds boss proves me wrong. I cannot look beyond his 1999 Treble-winning
group simply because they have the trophies on the sideboard and medals.
Don't forget that Sir Alex did a fair bit of rotating and freshening up during that
campaign largely around springtime when the fixtures were piling up.
If you can win the European Cup without players like captain Roy Keane and Paul
Scholes, who were both suspended, you have to have a strong underbelly to
cope with that. Also in that Barcelona final the manager was able to bring the
quality of Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer off the bench.
To have match-winners like that not in your starting XI in a major European final
says it all about the depth of that fantastic squad.
But I can see where Sir Alex is coming from. United have now qualified for the
Champions League knockout stages and are keenly contesting the title battle yet
have missed the likes of Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Louis Saha, Michael
Carrick, Hargreaves, and Wayne Rooney at times, and had to suffer the loss of
Solskjaer through retirement.
Not to have that quality to call on and yet still be challenging so strongly suggests
this squad could overtake their '99 counterparts.
A huge void has been left with the death of former Busby Babe John Doherty this
week. Through the Former Players Association I have known John for more than
20 years and he really was a larger than life character and without his influence
and hard work the charities we, as an association, support wouldn't have
benefited.
What do you think? Have your say.
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all
breaking news on all things United !!!
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
16/11/2007
SIR Alex Ferguson certainly got pub debates and website forums going when he
declared this week that he felt his current United squad is the strongest he has
had.
How do you argue with the most successful Old Trafford manager ever who has
built so many United teams in his 21 years?
Usually if you disagree or question such statements, you end up with egg on your
face where Fergie is concerned. But I'd gladly eat huge slices of humble pie if the
Reds boss proves me wrong. I cannot look beyond his 1999 Treble-winning
group simply because they have the trophies on the sideboard and medals.
Don't forget that Sir Alex did a fair bit of rotating and freshening up during that
campaign largely around springtime when the fixtures were piling up.
If you can win the European Cup without players like captain Roy Keane and Paul
Scholes, who were both suspended, you have to have a strong underbelly to
cope with that. Also in that Barcelona final the manager was able to bring the
quality of Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer off the bench.
To have match-winners like that not in your starting XI in a major European final
says it all about the depth of that fantastic squad.
But I can see where Sir Alex is coming from. United have now qualified for the
Champions League knockout stages and are keenly contesting the title battle yet
have missed the likes of Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Louis Saha, Michael
Carrick, Hargreaves, and Wayne Rooney at times, and had to suffer the loss of
Solskjaer through retirement.
Not to have that quality to call on and yet still be challenging so strongly suggests
this squad could overtake their '99 counterparts.
A huge void has been left with the death of former Busby Babe John Doherty this
week. Through the Former Players Association I have known John for more than
20 years and he really was a larger than life character and without his influence
and hard work the charities we, as an association, support wouldn't have
benefited.
What do you think? Have your say.
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all
breaking news on all things United !!!
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php