Alex the great
MICHAEL HLNOEFISON
Manchester United are the football champions of England again, for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Their victory against Charlton Athletic last weekend, coupled with the defeat that Leeds United, of all unlikely teams, inflicted on Arsenal at Highbury, ensured the return of the trophy to Old Trafford, home of the richest and most powerful club the British game has ever known.
Did Arsenal throw it away? To some extent they did. On 22 February, when they walked all over Manchester City at Maine Road, scoring five goals and missing at least five more, they had as good as retained the championship they paired with the FA Cup last season. They were playing magnificent stuff, and United's inability to overcome Bolton Wanderers that day looked significant. Surely they, Liverpool and Newcastle United were striving for second place.
But United have made their own luck. As they were walloping Newcastle and Liverpool, scoring ten goals in the process, the Gunners were misfiring. They lost feebly at Blackburn, where they defended like amateurs, failed to beat Aston Villa and then conceded a two-goal advantage at Bolton. In short, they have failed to play like champions, though their football has been, at times, scintillating.
So full marks to United and their outstanding, irascible manager, Alex Ferguson — or Sir Alex. to put a proper handle on his jug. The old fires burn within him, as he demonstrated recently by banning a group of listed reporters from the club's training ground. They had dared to ask questions about David Beckham in defiance of his unwritten rule that they should not, and he got his way, as he generally does. As Michael Crick revealed in his excellent biography of Ferguson, the manager is surrounded by a lot of timid souls, who simply dare not stand up to him for fear of retribution.
A talented, intelligent and often boorish man, Ferguson demands respect for his achievements, and never more than this season. Originally, he was to stand down at the end of last season and, when he stayed on, many observers (including this one, for what it is worth) thought he should not have done. The tide appeared to have turned in Arsenal's favour, and the quality of their football in the opening two months of this season seemed certain to carry them not only to another title, but also a long way in Europe, where their record is ordinary'.
How we were all deceived! The manner of United's spring offensive makes this the most remarkable of their eight championships because they won the prize with so many things not quite right. Ferguson has already dropped his French goalie, Fabien Barthez, for making rickets left, right and centre. Rio Ferdinand, the centre-half bought last summer for £29 million, has not yet lived up to his reputation. Ryan Giggs endured a horrid time in mid-season, and was thought to be on his way to Italy. Beckham, the showpony, is on his way to Spain. Roy Keane, the captain, has been restricted by a succession of injuries that have taken the edge off his game. Ruud van Nistelrooy, the main striker, has not found a regular partner. And yet they' have still won the league with a game to play!
This is Ferguson's finest week as a manager. True, he accomplished more in 1999 when United added the Champions' League trophy to the domestic 'double', but he will probably put a higher value on this success because it was so unlikely, so late in the season. It was a magnificent achievement, and we must doff our hats to the man from Govan.
Previous page
