There are many memorable dates in the history of Manchester United – some represent our greatest triumphs and some record harrowing tragedies but today is a date to celebrate and smile about for today is the 25th Anniversary of the day that Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of our great club.

After the Busby Babes of the 50s and the Holy Trinity of the 60s, Manchester United spent the best part of two decades in the footballing wilderness. Of course, we picked up a few FA Cups during those decades but we could only look on longingly as Liverpool seemingly picked up the League title season after season with no end in sight as our last league success (1967) started to fade into a point in time that only the elder statesmen amongst our fanbase could remember.

We were generally a club going nowhere fast when Alex Ferguson took the reigns but he knew from day one that it was a travesty that such a massive club, with such a rich history at home and in Europe not to mention average crowd attendances of around 60,000 was not truly consistently contesting for the top honours every season.

The changes he made immediately have been well documented elsewhere and I won’t go into great detail here but it is fair to say that the effects of those changes were not immediately apparent and for a little time in his first few seasons, there was some speculation as to whether or not he had been the right man for the job after all and rumours that he was one game from the sack at one stage towards the end of the eighties have never really gone away.

However, he had a plan and knew that Rome wasn’t built in a day. The pieces started to be put into place one by one so that by the start of the 90s, the glory days had once more returned to Old Trafford and have remained for the last twenty years of Sir Alex’s reign.

His genius was confirmed and Manchester United are now truly regarded as one of the elite in world football with a present (and quite probably a future) to match their history.

There are bound to be many Manchester United fans out there who only weren’t even born, or at least were too young to remember, anyone other than Sir Alex in charge of the club and I can only say to those people that they’re the lucky ones! We had a fair few managers between Sir Matt and Sir Alex – some well-intentioned but out of their depth at a club as big as United and some decent enough but lacking the vision of Sir Alex – the vision to see the fundamental problems that existed at the club that were preventing us from fulfilling our true potential.

Of course, some of them may have seen the problems but knowing that a problem exists and actually rolling up your sleeves and doing what is necessary to put it right (and succeeding) are different things entirely.

Sir Alex Ferguson was the first manager at United since Sir Matt to basically deconstruct the club and put it all back together on more solid foundations piece by painstaking piece.

That he did this once was incredible. That he has continually made the changes necessary, building title-winning team after title-winning team to keep us at the forefront in world football with his unrelenting drive for success is, quite frankly, super-human.

As we sit here today, looking at Manchester City challenging for “our” title, I have to smile. I’m thinking Leeds, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea. All of these clubs and their many managers have pitted themselves against Sir Alex and Manchester United in the past and, yes, on occasion, with success, but overall, Sir Alex remains the last man standing – he’s sent them all packing at various stages over the last twenty years and you just know that he relishes the challenge that Roberto Mancini, Manchester City and another billionaire owner brings to the table for it is these challenges that keep him going.

One day, and as Fergie nears his 70th birthday the day comes ever-closer, we will have to deal with the prospect of a Fergieless Manchester United but not today. Today Sir Alex has work to do and we can all rest-assured that he will be applying every last molecule of his experience, knowledge, talent and drive to the task. And for that I, and the millions of Manchester United fans around the world can only say a barely worthy, “Thank you Sir Alex!”

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog

Paul Scholes’ testimonial took place at Old Trafford last night and it was a spectacle to behold as some 74,000 people turned up to say their goodbyes to one of the greatest players ever to pull on the United shirt.

It’s probably worth just saying that again – seventy-four thousand people turned up… for a testimonial!

And they were treated to a great evening’s entertainment – not least from the man himself who opened the scoring in our 6-0 rout of Eric Cantona’s New York Cosmos with a trademark 25-yard thunderbolt which even had the Cosmos players applauding.

Fergie was beaming from ear to ear as the ball struck the back of the net – no doubt thinking what just about everyone else was thinking – this guy just makes it look too easy. That and, “He could have played on for another season at least”.

In fact, watching Fergie smiling away throughout the match and watching the players just enjoy their football and express themselves in this zero-pressure situation was a sight to behold. This is what Paul Scholes was always about. He was always the lad who just loved to play football and he’d be as happy play in the backstreets with his mates as in the Old Trafford stadium. He made it look so easy because, to him, it was easy. You get into space, you receive the ball, you pass it on. If you’re in front of goal and a shooting chance is on, you stick the ball in the net. You could almost sense at times that Scholesy was bewildered by the adulation heaped on him because, to him, he hadn’t done anything particularly special – he’d just played football as he felt it should be played.

It was quite fitting that it should be Cantona who put up the team for Scholes’ testimonial because King Cantona was at the height of his powers when Scholes was attempting to make the breakthrough and was the player Scholes had to muscle past to make it in the first team because Scholes was often used as a second striker playing in the hole behind the main striker. That he would come on and score goals of his own whenever given the opportunity prompted Fergie to brand him “a bloody nuisance” because Fergie knew that he was special but so was Cantona and fitting the young Scholes into the side gave Fergie a headache.

It was perhaps also fitting that as the old midfielder was taken off after seventy-four minutes, the excellent young midfielder Paul Pogba took his place on the field. It was a reminder that the older Paul was once that younger Paul with the world at his feet and a promising future ahead of him. Old Paul took his chance with both hands and we wait to see if the young Paul can do the same. Whatever happens, the wheels at Manchester United keep on turning and Paul Scholes will have a hand in the process when he starts his coaching duties… which is a comforting thought.

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog

The Ginger Ninja Strikes Again

Having recently moved house and all the hassle that this entails (being without an internet connection for almost two weeks being by far the worst), I have been looking forward to the close season as it is usually a quiet time to write all those articles that I have had in mind over the last couple of months.

However, there has been almost as much to write about in the last week or so than at any point when the season was in full swing and just when I think there’s a chance to catch up, something even more momentous comes up which takes precedence over any other ideas for articles.

We already knew that Gary Neville had decided to hang up the boots that had taken him to (deep breath…) eight Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, two League Cups, three Community Shields, one Champions League, one Intercontinental Cup and one Club World Cup Champions medals. Indeed, we have already had his testimonial – a beautiful night against Juventus which was only ruined by the fact that Juve beat us. Did they even read the script?!

We also knew that Van Der Sar would be retiring at the end of the season and this was pretty much confirmed when Fergie rang his praises during his speech during the presentation of the Premier League trophy after our match against Blackpool the other week.

What we didn’t quite know is what Paul Scholes was planning to do. Speculation was rife that this could indeed be the season that he would finally call it a day but such speculation has followed Paul Scholes for much of the last few years. With Ryan Giggs already committing himself to one more season (at least), the notion that Scholesy would follow suit could not be discounted.

However, Scholes has always been his own man and it didn’t come as enormous surprise when Scholes quietly announced his retirement amid a complete lack of fanfare. Apparently, he had informed Sir Alex Ferguson of his decision some time ago but was asked to delay an announcement until after the CL Final – something that Scholesy was surely most happy to do. Paul has always preferred to shun the limelight and do his talking on the pitch.

There’s not much that I can add to the glowing and fully-deserved praise that Scholes has received down the years but these two quotes say more than I could ever say and hold far more weight:-

“The best central midfielder that I have seen.” – Barcelona’s Xavi.

“Almost untouchable.” – Zinedine Zidane.

The fact that Iniesta made a beeline for Scholes in order to swap shirts immediately after the Champions League Final the other day which apparently left Scholes having to apologise to Messi, Xavi, Busquets and Pedro who also asked if he would swap shirts with them also speaks volumes of how highly Scholes was rated amongst his contemporaries.

Manchester United fans, aware that the likes of VDS, Neville, Giggs and Scholes have been nearing the end of their careers for several seasons now have been asking who will replace these players.

They are all, of course, exceptional players who will go down in Manchester United folklore, especially the latter three (no sleight on Edwin’s contribution but Neville, Giggs and Scholes came through the ranks at United and have been one-club men – totally committed throughout their careers to the Manchester United cause). However, the one that was always going to be the hardest to replace was Scholes.

We might have to wait decades for another player like Scholes to come through the ranks and potential candidates (Xavi and Iniesta, for example) are simply unsignable.

The great news is that Paul Scholes will stay on at Manchester United in a coaching capacity. There are going to some lucky kids at our Academy, that’s for sure. Indeed, even the possibility of being coached by “the best midfielder of his generation” (Pep Guardiola’s words) is sure to attract youngsters who might otherwise be tempted to join the blue side of Manchester.

I’d wish Scholesy every happiness in retirement and advise him to take a long, well-earned rest on some beach somewhere but knowing how he played the game, always three steps ahead of everyone else, he’s probably lying on a deckchair in the sun already!

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog

News reaches my ears that Gary Neville has been signed up by Sky Sports and will form part of their punditry team from next season.

The United Legend was, obviously, not short of work offers once he announced his retirement earlier this season and United tried to tempt him into a coaching role and the PFA tried to get him on board in some kind of role – both of which would have suited Gary Neville to a tee.

From his early days at United, Gary always stood out as an intelligent and articulate chap and has never been afraid to voice an opinion.

The experience gained from his United and England playing days is almost unrivalled in World Football and he’s sure to bring a lot to the table in his new role.

The slight problem I have is that, down the years, he has perhaps been a little too opinionated for his own good. He’s hardly likely to be welcomed at Anfield with open arms, let’s put it that way. As a pundit, he will be expected to give an impartial view of proceedings but somehow, I can’t see him pulling this off if we’re playing Liverpool and are leading (or even losing) 2-0 at half-time.

The one good thing for United supporters is that we have finally infiltrated the broadcasting ranks – we have been severely under-represented in the arena of TV punditry down the years but now we have someone there who will genuinely feel our pain and share our joy.

All things considered, after initial scepticism, I’m now of the view that, Yes, this is a good idea. A very good idea.

Go get ‘em Gary!

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog

The Deadly Duo - Dwight Yorke (left) and Andy Cole (right) lift the Champions League trophy (middle!)

Former Reds Legend, Dwight Yorke, today announced that he was calling it a day on his playing career at the age of 37.

Yorke was, of course, a key figure in Manchester United’s treble-winning team of 98/99.

I remember watching Yorke play for Aston Villa prior to us signing him and always felt he would be a great addition to our team. He wasn’t a particularly prolific goalscorer in his early Aston Villa career but in the years just before we bought him, his goals-to-games ratio was around one in two and this is surely what made Fergie decide to bring him. The lad was at his peak.

What Fergie could not have envisaged was the way he and Andy Cole hit it off to become arguably the deadliest strike-force the Premier League has ever seen. In fact, I am certain Fergie didn’t envisage it because he hardly played them together when Yorke first arrived!

But when they were finally united, it was almost guaranteed that one of them would score and some of their interchanges had people believing that there was almost some kind of telepathy going on between them!

Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s arrival in 2001 pretty much spelled the end for both Yorke and Cole as he was such an instant hit and neither Yorke nor Cole (hitting 30 at that stage) were getting any younger whilst RVN was coming into his prime.

However, Yorke left United having won three successive Premier League winners medals, a Champions League winners medal, one FA Cup winners medal and an Intercontinental Cup winners medal and it was by far the most successful period of his long career.

To this day, Dwight still speaks fondly of United and Sir Alex Ferguson:

“I’ve been blessed really. I’ve played alongside some of the greatest players the Premier League has ever seen in Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel, and played for the greatest manager in Sir Alex Ferguson. I’ll always count myself lucky. I was a boy on a beach from a little Caribbean island that got the chance to fulfil his dream of winning trophies at the highest level and captaining his country in their first ever World Cup finals.”

I have many great memories of Yorkey but I cannot remember the guy never having a smile on his face.

He says that he would like to become a manager of an English Club and if he’s half as good at that as he was a striker, he’ll be a good ‘un.

All the best Dwight. Thanks for the memories, the goals, the trophies and for cheering me up every time I watched you play!

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog

Sir Matt Busby - Forever Remembered

It’s no coincidence that this series of Manchester United Legends is going to be started off with Sir Matt Busby.

His name has become synonymous with Manchester United – Mr Manchester United, Sir Matt Busby Way, The Busby Babes, the attacking flair, the emphasis on youth, the bravery and the never-beaten attitude that pervades Old Trafford to this day.

Sir Matt Busby was a bit of a Busby Babe himself and started his professional playing career aged 17 for no other than… Manchester City (!) in 1928.

Manchester United did try to buy him from City in 1930 but were unable to afford the £130 transfer fee!

Sir Matt was eventually sold to …. Liverpool (!) in 1936 for a massive £8,000. Over the next few years, he became a very well-established player for Liverpool before the Second World War (1939) effectively cut short his playing career.

Sir Matt Busby - Taking Charge

However, it was AFTER the War that Sir Matt really made his name. The war officially ended on September 2nd 1945 and Sir Matt officially took charge of Manchester United as Manager on 1st October 1945.

Old Trafford had actually been bombed during the war and so Manchester United played their home games at the time at Maine Road – the ground of local rivals Manchester City – until 1949 when Old Trafford was re-opened.

After finishing runners-up on four occasions, Sir Matt eventually won the league title in 1952 but at this point, it was clear that the team was starting to get a bit long in the tooth and so the introduction of youngsters – some as young as 16 or 17 – started.

Some of the names you might recognise – Bill Foulkes, Mark Jones, Jackie Blanchflower, Albert Scanlon, David Pegg, Liam Whelan and Duncan Edwards.

This young team won the league in 1956 and 1957 and were so good that United only made two major signings (Harry Gregg and Tommy Taylor) in a four year period.

The team was hotly tipped to clean up during the 1957/58 season with the League, the FA Cup and the European Cup treble but on 6th February 1958 disaster struck and the plane in which Sir Matt and his players were travelling crashed on the runway at Munich Airport.

John Berry, Sir Matt Busby, Duncan Edwards

Seven of the young players were killed at the scene, Duncan Edwards died two weeks later from his injuries and two other players were so badly injured, they would never play again.

Sir Matt himself was so close to death’s door that he was twice given the last rites.

I don’t know if there’s a guy upstairs in charge of all this stuff but if there is, he hadn’t reckoned on the strength that this man from Bellshill, Scotland possessed because he pulled through against all the odds and was back watching a new look side within three months.

Just as he had had to do following the War, Sir Matt found himself with an immense task on his hands – that of rebuilding a club on its knees.

It was to take him a full five years but in 1963, Manchester United won the FA Cup and were League champions in 1965 and 1967.

These were the days of Law, Charlton and Best – the Holy Trinity!

Paddy Crerand, Sir Matt Busby, George Best and The European Cup

In 1968 – just over ten years since that tragic day in Munich, Sir Matt led Manchester United to the European Cup.

At almost 60 years of age, this seemed to put a lid on things for Sir Matt, he had achieved everything a manager could achieve and had lived through things a manager should not have to but had come out the other side as one of the most respected and revered men in football.

He retired in 1969 (although did return as manager on a temporary basis in 1970) and such was his status at Manchester United, he was made a Director of the club. In 1982, he was given the title of President.

Four years later, a certain Alex Ferguson was appointed as manager.

A Worthy Successor Had Finally Been Found - One Legend Bows Out - A New One Begins...

In 1993, Manchester United eventually won the League title again – the first time since Sir Matt had won it in 1967. Sir Matt was there to witness the occasion.

Less than twelve months later, Sir Matt Busby passed away, aged 84.

Looking back through his life, however, I get the impression that if Sir Alex had taken a few more years, Sir Matt would still have stuck around to see it.

Sir Matt Busby Playing Honours:-

Manchester City

• FA Cup Winner 1933-34

Sir Matt Busby Managerial Honours:-

Manchester United

• First Division (5): 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
• FA Charity Shield (5): 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967
• FA Cup (2): 1947–48, 1962–63
• European Cup (1): 1967–68

The Red Devil - A Manchester United and Football Blog