7/5: Latest News …
Sporting Life: Sir Alex Ferguson admits he has no plans for retirement after being “invigorated” by this season’s Barclays Premiership title triumph.
Ferguson admitted he was “in agony” watching the end of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal which confirmed United as Premiership champions for the ninth time.
United have a seven-point lead over second-placed Chelsea with two games remaining.
It means Ferguson can take his team to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night having already reclaimed the title from the Blues, who had won it for the last two seasons.
And the Scot hopes to continue at the helm for some time yet, admitting his aborted retirement several years ago was a mistake.
“It’s easy to retire. It was a quick decision. I did it years ago and regretted it within days,” he said.
“I feel invigorated by the young players at the club and players like Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes turning out every week for me. It gives me the right vibes.
“I don’t know how long I’ll last now but I’m enjoying it.”
Ferguson admits the domestic league is now United’s priority whereas the Champions League had been more important years ago.
“The Premiership is such a competitive league with the pressure on big clubs to do well, and that means it is a priority for us,” he said.
“Some years ago I had an obsession with winning in Europe but I think that’s been overtaken by winning the Premier League. To win it is a big achievement.
“It’s the priority but I do wish we’d got to the Champions League final in Athens.”
Regarding the title race, Ferguson added: “It’s not easy to keep a lead for six months or something knowing Chelsea are on your coat-tails.
“The crucial part was the resilience of the players when we started getting all those injuries. Credit to the players who dug in every week for us. It’s been a fantastic effort by them.”
Asked how the triumph rates with the previous eight, Ferguson said: “All of them were good.
“Maybe the fact that for two years Chelsea dominated the Premier League and we had a big job to do to catch them (makes this one special).
“The key was a good start to the season and we did that very well. It gave us momentum and from that moment on we did not lose it.”
Ferguson had vowed to avoid Sunday’s game but admitted he ran out of things to do to keep him occupied.
“I went to see my grandson play this afternoon; they won their league and we won ours!” he said.
“I was twiddling my thumbs. I watched the last 15 minutes at the Emirates and was in agony. My heart was in my mouth. It’s a great effort by Chelsea, we’ve got to give them great credit.”
…
BBC: How the title was won.
…
Man Utd.com: Reds’ Chief Executive David Gill says United’s ninth title triumph was greeted with absolute delight by the Glazer family.
After seeing the Reds reclaim the Championship crown, Gill revealed he received a phonecall from the club’s owners offering their congratulations.
“Joel rang me after the Arsenal / Chelsea game had finished and was understandably delighted for everyone at the club,” Gill told ManUtd.com.
“It’s a fantastic achievement for everyone associated with United - it’s the trophy we all wanted. It was very important that we won it this year having not done so since 2003 and then watched Chelsea walk away with it for the last two years.
“It sends out a big message that Manchester United is very much at the forefront of football both in this country and Europe.”
Gill watched the action unfold at the Emirates Stadium at his house in Cheshire. Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal handed the title to United, but Gill admits the tension was almost unbearable towards the final seconds.
“I was very confident at half-time and after the break when Arsenal looked to be controlling the game,” said Gill.
“But Chelsea scored a good goal and from then on the tension was unbelievable - I was pacing round the room shouting at the television! But thankfully it all came good in the end.
“Alex has been fantastic and is one of the best managers in the world,” he continued, “but I know he’d be the first to acknowledge the great contribution of his whole team from the players to the backroom staff. It’s a great day for everyone connected to the club.”
…
Sky: Arsene Wenger stated his belief that Manchester United are worthy winners of the Premiership, following his side’s draw against Chelsea which secured the title for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Chelsea’s inability to match United’s victory in the Manchester derby on Saturday culminated in Ferguson claiming his ninth Premiership title.
Wenger conceded that he was not hopeful of receiving a bottle of wine from Ferguson but nevertheless, was gracious in praise of his old rival.
“The table doesn’t lie,” he said.
“Manchester United have scored more goals than anyone else and you can only say they deserve the title.
“No, I don’t expect to receive a bottle of wine from Sir Alex Ferguson but congratulations to him anyway.
“They have been the most consistent side and they also have individual players who can make a difference.
“Chelsea and Manchester United were both strong sides but there were a few turning points when United didn’t show any weakness and they had an offensive ability the others did not have.”
While the champagne is being uncorked over in Manchester, in the capital, Wenger was left to reflect on the fact his side are currently 20 points behind the newly crowned champions.
The French tactician admits that while his charges show an abundance of promise, there is still much work to be done before they are ready for a title challenge of their own.
“It is a big frustration,” he said.
“What I have to get right in the summer is to evaluate what we need but there are signs that when everybody is fit we have a good chance.
“You could sometimes say we over-complicated things in our finishing this season and we have to consider that we are 20 points behind Manchester United.”
…
Reuters: Having thrilled the crowds for most of this season with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, it was ironic that Manchester United should win the Premier League title without even kicking a ball on Sunday.
The dazzle of United’s attacking football, with 83 goals scored in their 36 games after Saturday’s derby win over Manchester City, was the hallmark of the Old Trafford club’s 16th championship success.
Ronaldo’s surging runs and clever step-overs, which brought him three Player of the Year awards, Rooney’s superb finishing and the cutting edge in midfield of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes made for an unstoppable package.
The goal tally far outweighed last season’s 36-game haul of 68 and was the difference between runners-up spot behind Chelsea and being champions for the first time since 2003.
United’s defence also played its part, notably with Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra stepping up a level this season at centre-half and left-back respectively, while Michael Carrick did an elegant job in the holding midfield role.
Off the pitch, the credit clearly goes to manager Alex Ferguson, whose drive and determination are undimmed despite celebrating his 20th year in the United hotseat in November and his 65th birthday on New Year’s Eve.
His grip on the United dressing room remains iron-like and the Scot is still more than ready to cross swords with football officialdom and other managers in defence of his club’s interests.
Sunday’s triumph marked his 18th major trophy with United and the haul could soon rise to 19 if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium on May 19.
Certainly, their league form over the past year will give Ferguson’s men a psychological edge.
Stung by Chelsea’s two consecutive titles, United made their intentions clear right from the start of the season with a 5-1 thrashing of Fulham — Rooney scoring twice and Ronaldo once.
Three more league wins followed before Ferguson’s men faced their first real test against old rivals Arsenal in September.
United failed as Arsene Wenger’s side got into their passing rhythm, played the better football and were rewarded with a late winner from Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor at Old Trafford.
NEW HEIGHTS
But the defeat prompted United to reach new heights and was the reason, according to Ferguson, why they beat future Champions League finalists Liverpool 2-0 in another showcase encounter at Old Trafford a month later.
“You know you can’t afford to lose a big one again,” said the Scot. “The players responded to that. I think their performance was excellent.”
In fact, United did not lose in the league again until the week before Christmas, bizarrely going down 1-0 at relegation strugglers West Ham United.
They kept up that momentum despite Arsenal coming from behind to complete the double over them in a pulsating finale at the Emirates in January.
It served as another fillip, with United scoring 10 times without reply in their next three league games.
They have now cantered to the title with a week to spare despite dropping points in the closing stages to Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, and should enjoy visiting Chelsea on Wednesday.
Once tipped as a title decider, United can now expect a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge - two years after Ferguson’s men performed the same duty for Chelsea at Old Trafford.
…
ESPN: Sir Alex Ferguson rarely allows himself to dwell on his success.
By his own account, he has never even watched a video of the 1999 Champions League final that represents the pinnacle of his two decades at the helm of Manchester United.
As his 20th anniversary at Old Trafford approached last November, the Scot publicly fretted that the associated celebrations would distract him from the task in hand, wresting the Premiership trophy back out of Chelsea’s grasp.
But there can be little doubt that, when he finally decides to call time on his managerial career, Ferguson will look back on his ninth Premiership title with particular fondness.
Not only has he finally got the better of Jose Mourinho - an objective he has surely nurtured ever since the Portuguese’s famous sprint down the Old Trafford touchline in celebration of Porto’s elimination of United on their way to glory in the 2004 Champions League - he has also defied all those who, barely 18 months ago, had been writing his footballing obituary.
In doing so, Ferguson has pulled off the remarkable feat of constructing the third great team of his time in charge of United, following in the footsteps of the Eric Cantona-inspired side that, in 1993, secured the club’s first title since 1967 and the home-grown generation that delivered the treble three years later.
It is an achievement few would have predicted at the end of 2005. Out of the Champions League before Christmas, United were blowing hard as they laboured to keep pace with Chelsea domestically and suggestions that Ferguson might be replaced did not appear completely ridiculous.
An unseemly row over a racehorse with one of the club’s major shareholders, the acrimonious departure of club captain Roy Keane and the sidelining of Ruud van Nistelrooy all suggested that, as he neared his 65th birthday, Ferguson’s judgement was beginning to fail him.
Instead it was those who sought to judge him that got it wrong. In offloading the prolific van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid last summer, Ferguson was gambling that there were more goals to be had by getting more players into scoring positions.
On that point, he could hardly have been vindicated any more resoundingly. When Chris Eagles rounded off a 4-2 win against Everton last month, he became the 20th member of the United squad to have found the net this season.
In 36 league outings, the Red Devils have plundered 83 Premiership goals as the youthful thrust of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney has dovetailed with the guile and experience of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
In defence too, Ferguson has proved that he has not lost his touch when it comes to judging a player.
Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra did not look like the most astute of buys as they settled into English football last year but they have emerged in this campaign as cornerstones of a back four as good as any Ferguson has had at United.
Having emerged from one of the most difficult phases of his professional life, it is little wonder that Ferguson has appeared more relaxed during this season than at any time in his career.
Even Mourinho has found it impossible to get seriously under his skin for long and all the signs are that the battle of wits will be resumed next season with a rival who, it is often suggested, resembles Ferguson in the days when he was forging his reputation by building the Aberdeen team that broke the Old Firm monopoly in Scottish football.
“Sometimes with Jose there is a continual dialogue that you quite enjoy having a wee go back,” Ferguson admitted last week, before adding that he fully expects Mourinho to be in charge of a strengthened Chelsea bid to reclaim the title next season.
It is a safe bet that, after a few glasses of his beloved red wine to celebrate, Ferguson will be starting work on ensuring that does not happen.
…
Sun: THIS title win will go down as Alex Ferguson’s greatest ever.
Better than the first in 1993 which opened the floodgates or the comeback of all comebacks against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle in 1996.
Even the one which kicked off the Treble in 1999 should be eclipsed by this.
Why? Because this one was simply not supposed to happen.
Not after the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ had eclipsed United with a 38-game unbeaten triumph in 2004.
Or after Chelsea had begun what looked like a new age of dominance in 2005, then so easily retained their title the following season.
The first time Chelsea eclipsed third-placed United by 18 points and then last year by eight.
Having taken Liverpool’s mantle as English football’s undisputed dominant force, it looked like United were following them into a cycle of decline.
But while their old enemies are still searching for the route back to the top after last lifting the title in 1990, United have rebuilt and hit back.
Perhaps only Ferguson himself really believed they could do it.
Right from the very start, he said he had faith in this team.
Last summer, the Old Trafford boss said: “I look to the coming season with every confidence.
“This season, after three years without the championship, poses a particular challenge. I am sure they will measure up.”
And measure up they have with stunning free-flowing attacking football reminiscent of their most glorious of glory days.
From a 5-1 opening-day trouncing of Fulham, they ripped through the season with stunning goal-filled football.
Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney came of age and the experienced pros like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes found a new lease of life.
But for Ferguson the key to this triumph was the way his hungry side shot out the blocks — just as Chelsea and Arsenal had done in the previous three seasons.
He said: “It was imperative we made a good start and didn’t allow anyone to break away.
“We didn’t want to be in a position of playing catch-up for the rest of the campaign.
“We achieved this target despite injuries to players.
“It was in this early period that it was confirmed for me that some of the younger players had made the progress I was looking for and that we had quality in depth.
“So we were up and running and playing some great attacking football.
“Penetrating, exciting and entertaining, while still keeping it tight at the back with a much improved solidity and concentration in defence.
“Our opening to the campaign sent out the right kind of message — especially to our rivals.
“They realised that they were perhaps not going to have things all their own way again and that we intended to pose a real challenge.”
United won their opening four Premiership games, scoring 11 goals in the process and conceding only two.
Those who questioned Fergie’s decision to sell Dutch superstar striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid were immediately converted.
Here was a player who had plundered a quite incredible 150 goals in just 200 starts for the Old Trafford side.
Ferguson admitted: “I have always admired his scoring skills and I think everyone must have wondered how we would manage without the kind of goal tally that he has contributed for us every season.
“But I was pretty confident that we would still pose a goalscoring threat.
“The goals have been spread right throughout the team.
“The form of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo has been tremendous.
“They have got their goals between them without even being a proper partnership like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were.”
While Yorke and Cole hit 53 as a strike pairing in the Treble-winning side of 1999, Ronaldo and Rooney stand on 46 with 23 goals each and three games of United’s 2006-07 campaign remaining.
United’s early flourish was briefly dented by their only home defeat of the season — and 1-0 to Arsenal as well — on September 17.
That was then followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw at newly-promoted Reading.
But throughout this season, every time United suffered a setback they recovered in style.
In a blistering purple patch, they won their next seven games — scoring 17 goals and conceding only two — before the visit of defending champions Chelsea.
Ferguson commented at the time: “The platform is there, the curtain’s up and I am sure the performers are ready.”
Chelsea arrived three points behind United and chasing for once — just as they would for the rest of the season.
United could only draw but they won their next three before another test came after a shock 1-0 defeat at West Ham.
The response was instant. Fergie’s side reeled off four wins and a draw in their next five outings, hitting an incredible 14 goals in the process.
They would lose only twice more in the Premiership — at Arsenal and Portsmouth — before sealing the title.
Almost everyone else in their path was destroyed, with the Reds hitting four against Watford, Tottenham, Bolton, for a second time, and Blackburn.
The odd setback, like that at Portsmouth, never altered Ferguson’s unwavering belief in his players’ ability to win the Premiership back.
He said: “I trust them, especially when they have had a setback, because they have the character to pick themselves up and deliver the right response.”
In the middle of the season after a potentially crushing late defeat at the Emirates, Ferguson felt more convinced than ever the title was coming back.
He said: “We will have to be strong and simply make sure that we are in fact stronger than any of the others. And I believe we are.”
Indeed, they have been and richly deserving of a ninth Premiership title.
…
Sun: SO the title is back at Old Trafford after an absence of three seasons.
It has been a victory not just for Manchester United’s relative prudence over Chelsea’s halfbillion pound budget, but in Alex Ferguson’s belief that the beautiful game can still triumph over raw power and aggression.
It also confirmed Ferguson’s dominance in his personal duel with Jose Mourinho.
Over the 10 months, Ferguson had both the man-management skills and self-control that slowly deserted his closest rival.
Like his team, he had class and style when it counted.
Crucially, he had a belief in his team Mourinho clearly never did.
Even before a ball had been kicked, the Manchester United boss had to iron out the ill-feeling between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It seemed at one stage Ronaldo would be on his way out of Old Trafford after his controversial run-in with his United team-mate at the World Cup.
Ferguson got the pair in, appealed to their better nature, reaffirmed his belief they were the two essential pillars of the new United — and let them get on with it.
From the moment the pair set each other up for goals in an opening-day 5-1 thrashing of Fulham, whatever problems there may have been were firmly in the past.
If there was one key to the success that would follow, it was this.
Between them, Rooney and Ronaldo have so far scored 31 Premiership goals between them — and created countless more.
Compare this to Mourinho’s failure to come to grips with the challenge of assimilating Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack into his side.
Yes, these players were foisted on him by owner Roman Abramovich.
Had he had his own way, neither would have been taken on by a manager who was against the superstar culture — and had won successive titles without any need to resort to it.
But, having been landed with Shevchenko and Ballack, it was part of Mourinho’s job to get the best out of them.
However much sympathy you have for him, he clearly failed on this score.
But, as the season went on, this sympathy began to evaporate.
If things went wrong, it was rarely Mourinho’s fault.
While Ferguson had bought well — Nemanja Vidic in defence and Michael Carrick in midfield — Chelsea failed to fill basic holes in the squad.
For one reason or another, they were unable to provide Didier Drogba with a goalscoring partner while, at the back, Mourinho quickly bemoaned a lack of cover for John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. Even when Khalid Boulahrouz arrived, Mourinho let it be known the player wasn’t his choice.
But, surely, the Chelsea manager must have been responsible for something in the transfer market?
Paulo Ferreira or Shaun WrightPhillips, perhaps?
Mourinho, though, never referred to their shortcomings.
Arjen Robben didn’t escape, either, with Mourinho questioning his ability to string more than a handful of appearances together.
All this squabbling added to behind-the-scenes friction and the already strained relationship between Mourinho and Abramovich.
Ferguson, typically, never once questioned the players under his command.
Even when they struggled for results at times, he provided reassurance rather than pointing the finger.
He showed loyalty to all his players — and got it back in return.
As such, he was able to say after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Manchester City: “What you saw today was human courage. It wasn’t a great performance but we got through it.”
A few days earlier, he had held his hands up and admitted United were very much second-best after their 3-0 whipping by AC Milan. Here was another field in which Ferguson heavily outscored Mourinho. Class in adversity.
Mourinho, on the other hand, came up with the preposterous nonsense that the best side had lost the other Champions League semi-final. He should listen to his own fans sometimes.
Yet, by this time, Mourinho was heading off the rails.
He saw conspiracies everywhere and responded with a scatter-gun attack on anyone who caught his eye.
Worst of all was his highly-personalised criticism of fellow countryman Ronaldo. A man who himself was brought up amid wealth and a certain opulence, had the temerity to refer to Ronaldo’s lack of intelligence and poor upbringing.
Ferguson, ever the Govan-raised Socialist, nailed Mourinho with the words: “There are people from very poor backgrounds who have principles.
“Whereas there are others who are educated but have no principles at
all. That, without question, is the case here.”
Finally, Ferguson was again the winner when it came to the football produced by the two sides.
Chelsea won their first title in 2004-2005 with 72 goals and a style with which few could quibble.
But over the last two seasons it has grown increasingly grim.
Recently, it has been little more than Route One. United, though, have stuck to their traditional values.
Ferguson, always a romantic, has got his team playing the sort of football admired throughout the game.
And yet you felt for Chelsea at the Emirates yesterday.
With Boulahrouz red-carded after conceding the penalty that gave Arsenal the lead just before the break — more confirmation of Mourinho’s initial judgment on the defender — Chelsea produced one of their most spirited second-half displays of the season.
With a bit of luck, they could have taken the title race into Wednesday’s game with United at Stamford Bridge.
Ferguson, who watched the last 15 minutes on TV, admitted as much and congratulated Chelsea on making such a good fight of it.
Mourinho, though, couldn’t bring himself to admit United had proved themselves the best.
He said only the statistics said that — and went into another one of those self-justifying diatribes about how the fates had conspired against him and his team all season.
At times like this you need a bit of style. While his team went out like champions, Mourinho didn’t.
He’s better than this.
