For 25 year’s Sir Alex Ferguson has played mind games at Old Trafford but nobody thought it would make Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan cry, after what Fergie said about Leeds in 1996.
Posts in category Down Memory Lane
Great Sir Alex Ferguson Mind Games Rants Call Them What Ye Like Their Classic Fergie
25 years ago Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards introduced Sir Alex Ferguson as United manager and boy o boy was it the best signing United ever made though it wasn’t all plain sailing. Here’s a look at some of Fergie’s now famous rants and mind games:
1. ‘I can’t understand the Leeds players. I’m absolutely in support of their manager (Howard Wilkinson). He doesn’t deserve his players. If they had played like that all season they’d be near the top. They raised their game because they were playing Manchester United. It was pathetic. I think we can except any club coming here and trying their hardest, so long as they do it every week.’ (Title run in 1996 when Kevin Keegan had his meltdown live on TV)
2. ‘My greatest challenge is not what is happening right at this moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their perch. And you can print that.’ (2002)
3. ‘I think he was an angry man. He must have been disturbed for some reason. I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he’ll reflect and understand what he said was absolutely ridiculous.’ (On Rafa Benitez famous fact based rant in 2009.)
4. Would Kenny have signed for Blackburn when he was a player? I know what he would have done if United and Blackburn had both come in for him.’( On Kenny Dalglish’s signing of Alan Shearer in 1992)
5. Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it’s a better cow than the one you’ve got in your own field. It’s a fact. Right? And it never really works out that way.’ (On Rooney’s transfer request in 2010)
6. ‘If I’d tried it 100 times or a million times, it wouldn’t happen again. If it did, I would carry on playing.’ (On hitting Beckham with a flying boot in 2003)
7. ‘It’s getting tickly now- squeaky bum time, I call it’. (On the title run-in with Arsenal in 2003)
8. He was also walking up the pitch for the second goal needing a rest. He was not fit enough for a game of that standard. The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. It is an indictment of our game. (On ref Alan Wiley following a draw with Sunderland in 2009)
9. I’m not saying what they do down there, but next year we’ll be sending somebody to see how it happens, I can assure you. I just don’t understand how you can get the fixtures like that.’ (On Premier Leagues fixture computer)
10. ‘He was blessed with great stamina, the best of all the players I’ve had here. After training, he’d always be practising. But his life changed when he met his Wife. She’s in pop and David got another image. He’s developed this ‘fashion thing’. I saw his transition to a different person.’ (On Beckham in 2003 following his move to Real Madrid)
Great Goals Revisited: 1995 Tony Yeboah v Liverpool
Tony Yeboah’s 30 yard stike against Liverpool in 1995 has gone into Leeds United folklore and why not? This was an amazing goal at an amazing time for the club.
Great Goals Revisited: Ronnie Whelan v USSR Euro ’88
Ronnie Whelan scores arguably one of the Rep. of Ireland’s greatest goals, at Euro ’88 against the USSR with a suberb volley from just outside the area to beat Dassayev in the USSR goal in a 1-1 draw in Germany. Note it was a shinner but who cares?
Great Goals Revisited: Marco Van Basten Goal v USSR Euro ’88
Probably one of the greatest ever volley’s and it came in Euro’88 as Marco Van Basten hit a great volley into the top of the USSR net to help Holland to their one and only major international trophy to-date.
Former Manchester United and Leeds Defender McQueen Cancer Battle
Former Manchester United and Leeds defender Gordon McQueen (59) has been diagnosed with Cancer of the Larynx and will have treatment at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough.
McQueen capped 30 times for Scotland was an inaugural part of the great Leeds side who won the 1973/74 League title going 29 games unbeaten in the process. McQueen was unfortunate to have missed the following seasons European Cup Final after been sent off against Barcelona in the semi’s, Leeds lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich in the Final.
In 1978 McQueen moved to Old Trafford for £495,000 and declared “99% of players want to join Manchester United the rest are liars”. McQueen won an FA Cup Medal with United in 1983 beating Brighton and Hove Albion in a replay before leaving Old Trafford after losing his place to Paul McGrath in the starting line-up.
McQueen’s Daughter Hayley (32) has kept the McQueen family name at United as she appears as a Journalist on Manchester United’s in-house TV Channel MUTV, while also working with Sky Sports. Good Luck Gordon on your fight with Cancer, if anyone can beat it, you can!
De Gea v Taibi
Much comparisons have been made between Manchester United’s new Spanish keeper David De Gea and former Italian keeper Massimo Taibi who had a nightmare 3 games with United after signing for £4.5m in 1999. He played 4 in all for the Red Devils.
However Peter Schmeichel didn’t have the best of starts at United either and we know what he did at the club. Taibi also had a Man of the Match performance on his debut, a 3-2 win at Anfield nonetheless, but most people just remember him for his error shown below against Southampton. Taibi also shares a record in Serie A for scoring a goal, with only two keepers ever to achieve this feat.
French Legend Patrick Viera Retires
French World Cup winner Patrick Viera has decided to hang up his boots as a professional footballer to take over the newly created position of football development executive at Manchester City.
Viera 35 has left the game with great memories and fierce pitch battles most notably with former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane.
His Honours include: Champions League : 2010 (Internazionale); Community Shield : 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 (Arsenal); Coppa Italia : 2010 (Internazionale); European Championship : 2000 (France); FA Cup : 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 (Arsenal), 2011 (Manchester City); Premier League : 1998, 2002, 2004 (Arsenal); Serie A : 1996 (AC Milan), 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 (Internazionale); Super Coppa : 2006, 2008 (Internazionale); World Cup : 1998 (France)
Former Clubs Arsenal, Juventus, Manchester City, France, Internazionale
Great Wimbledon Celebrations From Borg to Ivanisevic
Tim Henman relives some of the greatest Wimbledon celebrations from Bjorn Borg to Goran Ivanisevic.
Most Lovable Man In Racing To Be Knighted
The most loveable man in racing circle’s Henry Cecil is to be Knighted as part of the Queen’s celebratory birthday honours.
Cecil who has trained 25 Classic winners to-date including this years 2,000 Guineas winner Frankel, is just as comfortable talking to the Queen herself as he is talking to racegoers and was humbled when told of his imminent honour.
For myself on hearing of this honour to Cecil brings back great memories of when I was a youg boy, my Grandfather “Lord Rest His Soul” was an avid follower of Henry Cecil’s horses and would punt on his many loser’s as well as his great winners.
One of Cecil’s winner’s particularly stand’s out was Bosra Sham winner of the 1996 1,000 guineas and the Champions Stakes the same year. I remember ringing my Grandfather on the morning of one of the week-ends Bosra Sham was due to run and asked him what he thought of the horses chances of winning, he said: “Ah he should win” then paused and said “How’s your Father” and without letting him finish his sentence replied “Ah he’s grand” just then the money ran out of the phone booth on my side so went home.
The next day I was readin through the News of the World racing results and came upon a 16/1 winner aptly named “How’s Yer Father” , yes you’ve guessed it! My Grandfather had tried to tell me too bet on this horse but because the money in the phone booth was about to run-out I never let him finish his sentence and I missed out on a 16/1 winner. Nonetheless the next time I visited him he handed me a £10 note after missing out on backing the horse which romped in at 16/1. And yes I eventually lost that in the bookie’s also. But enjoyed doing so as I watched it all go down the swanny with my wonderful Grandad.
