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Search - The Rough Guide to Man Utd

The Rough Guide to Man Utd
Author: Jim White, Andy Mitten

INTRODUCTION It was, said Sir Alex Ferguson, after the final game at Tottenham, ‘A magnificent season.' And in many ways he was right. 2000-01 saw Ferguson become the first manager in English football history to lift three League championships in a row (he must be getting used to picking up that gaudy Premiership trophy – seven times he has h... more »eld it aloft since its inception back in 1993). And popping another winner's medal into the groaning cabinet of his Cheshire home meant that Ferguson finally overtook Liverpool's Bob Paisley as the most decorated English club manager of all time. Yet, why was it that for many Reds the season had tailed off in such disappointment? Why had May and June 2001 – with the Championship video to rewind – passed in a fug of depression? True, the Premiership had been wrapped up in some style, won on Easter Saturday, the earliest conclusion to a title race in the Premiership's short history. In reality, it had been as good as won back on February 25, when the nearest challengers Arsenal were trounced 6-1, or as they might say at Highbury, 1-6 to the Arsenal. After that, though, the United season went oddly flat. European aspirations were ended at the quarter-final stage by a very good Bayern Munich, and discontent began to seep out of the woodwork. The club captain, Roy Keane, spoke for many when he said the current side was trapped in football limbo: too good domestically, not good enough for Europe. Money needed to be spent on re-upholstering the side. And quick. Other players came out to say that they felt the skipper had spoken out of turn. Meanwhile the team stumbled through the motions in the last month, losing the final three games as Liverpool did their best to move centre stage, winning a junior version of the treble. All this though, was as nothing compared to the news that leaked in the season's final anti-climactic week. Sir Alex announced in an emotional interview on the club's own TV station, that when his contract expired in May 2002 he was to sever all ties with United, walking away entirely from the club he had transformed over the past fifteen years from dilettante no-hopers to the most powerful force the English game has seen. There was to be no ambassadorial role for him, no éminence grise position on the board. It seemed the board had made him a derisory offer to stay on as head of youth development, with no directorship and a salary one-17th of what he is earning now. His pride was bruised beyond repair. For many United fans, this was scandalous and indecent. What was the problem? If Alex wanted a seat on the board, he should have it; a renamed Stretford End, a statue in the centre circle – the man deserved the works. Meanwhile the press speculated. Was the club being mean, or was Ferguson an obstacle in the way of a new manager being appointed – Martin O'Neill, perhaps, who had insisted on Kenny Dalglish leaving Celtic when he signed up? Had the fear of the Busby syndrome so infected thinking at Old Trafford that a hero was to be sacrificed in such brutal fashion? But as always with Manchester United, there were to be more twists and turns to the tale. As the summer wore on, it seemed that Ferguson, even if he were to leave, had persuaded the board to open its wallet in a way never before seen at Old Trafford, in order to finance one last hurrah. The biggest ever cheque written in British football – £19m – was handed over to PSV to add Ruud van Nistelrooy to the United payroll. And it was a record which was to last no more than six weeks, before the club announced that Juan Veron, the Lazio and Argentina midfielder, was coming to join United for a cool 90 billion lire (£28m). It appeared that the Boss was going out in style, determined to construct a squad which would give him a chance of the finale he had always fantasised – winning the European Cup in his home town of Glasgow. And what a squad: the thought of Veron and Keane in tandem in midfield, with Beckham and Giggs supplying the crosses for Van Nistelrooy to convert, must be making half the Premiership think it would be better to quit now. Suddenly, for Reds, the depression of May was history – and Ferguson himself seemed excited, announcing that he would take personal charge of training for his last season. Then, as the players returned from their holidays to prepare for the task ahead, even better news filtered out of the club. The board, stung perhaps by the adverse reaction among fans, had re-entered negotiations with the manager. The Ferguson tale had dominated the papers for a week, taking precedence even over an election campaign. But it was no surprise. During his reign, Ferguson's club has become the biggest story in sport. It has the personalities, it has the money, it has the glamour: it is the sexiest soap opera around. United is now more than a football club. It is an international corporation, a global brand. So huge has it become, you need a route map and compass just to negotiate your way round Old Trafford stadium these days. And that's before you even enter the Megastore. And that is where this book comes in. It is a fans' guide to Planet United – a light to follow as you investigate the whole whirring, whirling, Red world. If you want to know how to get a ticket to the big game, or the best place to get a drink near Old Trafford, or which United-obsessed website is worth visiting for the red-eyed debate in the chat room, this book will tell you. There's a match-by-match account of last season's campaign that pulls no punches (and, unusually, brings the fans into the picture); there's a straightforward analysis of players based on watching them week in, week out; there's a warts-and-all history of the club; there's a rundown on the Premiership opposition (teams, fans and grounds), and a Reds' fixtures diary for the new season. Oh, and quite enough stats to knit your own anorak. In short, if you love United, this is your book.

ISBN-13: 9781858288567
ISBN-10: 1858288568
Publication Date: 1/28/2002
Pages: 400
Edition: 2001-02
Rating:

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Publisher: Rough Guides
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
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