Premier League - The five faces of Fergie's United

Eurosport - Mon, 18 May 19:45:00 2009

We look at five iconic teams from Sir Alex Ferguson's reign following Manchester United's record-equalling 18th league title.

1994 FA Cup final Manchester United Eric Cantona - 0

During his 23 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson has shown a remarkable ability to change his playing personnel without affecting the quality of the team.

These five teams chart the many faces of the Manchester United dressing room during the Ferguson era.

- - -

1989/90 - FA Cup winners

Jim Leighton - Mike Phelan, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Lee Martin - Neil Webb, Paul Ince, Bryan Robson, Danny Wallace - Brian McClair, Mark Hughes

Leighton was dropped for the Cup final replay against Crystal Palace and Les Sealey played a blinder. Supersub Mark Robins scored the goal that supposedly saved Fergie's job, a diving header away to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round. Pallister and Ince were signed in 1989, with Denis Irwin arriving the following summer as Ferguson built the foundations of his first championship-winning side.

- - -

1993/94 - Premier League and FA Cup winners

Peter Schmeichel - Paul Parker, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin - Andrei Kanchelskis, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Ryan Giggs - Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes

Many United fans will still tell you this was the finest team Ferguson has produced. They followed up their 1992/93 Premier League title with a domestic double, inspired by the enigmatic and brilliant Cantona. The pace of Giggs and Kanchelskis down the flanks provided a formidable counter-attacking threat since imitated by many sides. But a 4-0 defeat at Barcelona showed they still had some way to go in Europe.

- - -

1998/99 - Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winners

Peter Schmeichel - Gary Neville, Ronny Johnsen, Jaap Stam, Denis Irwin - David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs - Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole

Still the greatest season in the club's history, as United claimed the three biggest prizes going. Yorke arrived early in the season and struck an immediate rapport with Cole. The pair scored a combined 53 goals, with reserves Sheringham and Solskjaer firing the most important goals of all in the Champions League final. The midfield quartet - all playing at their peak - have never been surpassed.

- - -

2002/03 - Premier League winners

Fabien Barthez - Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Mikael Silvestre, John O'Shea - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ryan Giggs - Ruud van Nistelrooy

This was not the most glorious period in United's history, but they still managed to lift the Premier League title. £28 million midfield misfit Veron was sold to Chelsea at the end of the season and Barthez never quite replaced Schmeichel, but Van Nistelrooy's remarkable haul of 44 goals in all competitions helped bring silverware back to Old Trafford. David Beckham ended the season on the bench and was offloaded to Real Madrid.

- - -

2008/09 - Premier League winners, Champions League finalists

Edwin van der Sar - John O'Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra - Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs - Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov

The addition of Berbatov gave United even more depth in attack than in 1998/99. While the Bulgarian has yet to win over the United fans, only three players started more league games, and he weighed in with some hugely important goals. Long-term injuries to Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves turned O'Shea and Fletcher from bit-part players into key men. The evergreen Giggs was used sparingly but won the PFA Player of the Year award.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

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  1. WTF
    Why all loserfool fans continue to talk about their­ team's great achievements, when all of the­ so-called achievements have happened before:
    1. Any of­ the mighty fans been born
    2. Football have gained­ enough professionalism - I mean, in the 70s,­ technically and physically, the game have been at such­ level, that if the Best players from these days, face­ Stoke City (for example) today, the result will be­ tragical.
    3. Anyone of the now-writinh people­ cared.
    Stop living in the past and open your dull eyes­ for the hegemony of Manchester United on the island for­ the last 20 years.
    It's the same to think that Real­ Madrid are the best team in Europe, because they have­ most Euroleagues won, but don't forget six of them­ are from time, I'm not sure they have used ball to­ play football.

    From Ivan D, on Thu 21 May 9:57AM

  2. park park whoeva u may be u eat dogs in ur own­ country,it could be worse U cud be scouse eatin rats in­ ya council house hahahahahaahah scouse bastarrrrd

    From scottsotheron, on Tue 19 May 7:26PM

  3. does everyone think i made my point to hamiltonsteve64­ or do i need to give him some rafa facts ha ha ha ha

    From dazmanutd, on Tue 19 May 6:43PM

  4. dont think hamiltonsteve64 will be back for a while as­ failure does not justify the right to answer back at a­ united fan ha ha ha ha ha lmao steve and his trophyless­ team ha ha ha ha ha pmsl you losers

    From dazmanutd, on Tue 19 May 6:42PM

  5. by the way hamiltonsteve64 your meaningless result did­ not stop us winning the league did it bragging rights­ or trophies hhhmmmmmm i think trophies the bragging­ comes with them anyway ha ha ha ha ha we gave you 6­ points and you still cocked it up you should buy stokes­ defence there better than yours ha ha ha lmao

    From dazmanutd, on Tue 19 May 6:40PM

  6. hamiltonsteve64 another sad scouser who reverts back to­ history every season to cover up his teams failures­ what a @#$% its about now steve not years ago we dont­ need to quote history we do it now ha ha ha trophyless­ again how does rafa get away with it cos the fans and­ club have no ambition ha ha ha ha ha you will always be­ second best to united steve get over it history boy ha­ ha ha ha losers

    From dazmanutd, on Tue 19 May 6:36PM

  7. hamiltonsteve64 im not a shirtwearer mate so your wrong­ also if i couldnt wear mine after your fine and­ pointless 1-4 win yours wont be seen till next season­ whereas if i now choose to wear one i can with pride ha­ ha losers for life loserfool cant wear his shirt pmsl­ jealousy and envy aint it a @#$% steve you sad loser­ wheres your trophies oh you aint got any again ha ha ha­ lmao

    From dazmanutd, on Tue 19 May 6:32PM
  8. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Wow MU fans really put in a lot of effort to insult LFC­ especially Chrls79M'UTD4life.

    From c, on Tue 19 May 9:40AM
  9. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Free Playstation 3's

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    Once you have done this you'll be sent a­ Playstation 3 completely free of charge.

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    From nicolacampbell81, on Tue 19 May 9:22AM

  10. Which SHIP has NEVER ever DOCKED in LIVERPOOL ???
    The­ answer = is = THE PREMIERSHIP !!!
    LOL

    From ezra, on Tue 19 May 8:54AM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    your all fu%%ing muppets

    From sirstevejones14, on Tue 19 May 7:36AM

  12. BENITEZ IS JUST BEING ARROGANT AND­ DISRESPECTFUL.BENITEZ NEEDS TO LEARN FROM WENGER .AFTER­ THE MIND GAMES THEY SHARE A CUP OF WINE.HES SPEND MORE­ MONEY AND HAVE THE LARGEST SQUAD THAN MAN U . STOP­ MOURNING LIKE A BABE.HOW CAN U WIN WHEN THE MAN YOU ARE­ MOURNING ABOUT WANDS YOU UP AND GETS WHAT HE WANTS HA­ HA AH AH

    From Samuel S, on Tue 19 May 5:22AM

  13. Hey guys,
    Here's another killer spam mail Qoute­­ of­­ the week..
    Man­ Utd fans will­ surely loves­­­­ this..
    Ready check this­ out..
    "Anw that Fat­­­­­ Spanish Butthole still insist­ he's in with a­­­­­ chance,apparently­­­­ lurking,crawling,­whispering,mumbling,shivering,stalkin­ g,STROKING & JERKING­(haha damn)& pleading to­ SkySports­­­­­ somewhere"!!..Jesus!!..he's­ even fooling­ the­­­ FOOLS!!..haha..
    (bet u gonna piss­ someone­­­ off)..LOL..

    P.S:This is nothing personal­ seriously­­­ im­ serious im really serious(haha) but­ c'mon­­ LET'S­ ALL JUST LAUGH OUT­­ LOUD!!..hahaha..sorry­­ mate i just­ can't help­­ myself..i.e the truth is­­ that Mr Fat­ Spanish­ Butthole is a "OBSESSED­­ DISILLUSIONED­ DESPERATE­ PARANOID & A SUCK UP­­ LOSER" in­ serious need­ of a PSYCHIATRIC­­­ REHAB!!..
    seriously!!..&­ that's a­­­ F.A.C.T to all bitter­ SCOUSERS!!..period!!..Ouch!!..:)..gosh..:)

    RE:(i­ will­­­ be back) with another spam mail Qoute of the­­­­ week..cherio guys..stay tune.
    but here's a little­­­ tip off to all the bitter "S.C.U.M" of the­ earth
    Sir Alex Ferguson:11th League Titles Rafa­­ Benitez:0=ZERO=S***E
    Sir Ryan Giggs :11th League ­ Titles ­ Steven Gerrard:0=ZERO=S***E
    Rafael Da­ Silva:1st League Title Rafa & Stevie­ :0=ZERO(LOL)..hahahaha..S***E
    ­ i.e LIVERPOOL=S***E
    "I­ HATE EVERYTHING THAT THEY STAND FOR "
    last but­ not­ least
    "YNWA" stands for=­ "YOU'LL­ NEVER WIN­­­ ANYTHING"..period..LOL..hahahahahahahahahaha..:)

    ­ P.s:This may cause serious drowsiness & heart­ attack to some bitter s(T)rousers(haha) so pls do not­ take it too seriously!!..precaution to be­ taken(PG)!!..LOL..haha..

    From Giggs11,A True Red Legend,Arise, on Tue 19 May 3:40AM

  14. Hey guys,
    Here's another killer spam mail Qoute­­ of­­ the week..
    Man­ Utd fans will­ surely loves­­­­ this..
    Ready check this­ out..
    "Anw that Fat­­­­­ Spanish Butthole still insist­ he's in with a­­­­­ chance,apparently­­­­ lurking,crawling,­whispering,mumbling,shivering,stalkin­ g,STROKING & JERKING­(haha damn)& pleading to­ SkySports­­­­­ somewhere"!!..Jesus!!..he's­ even fooling­ the­­­ FOOLS!!..haha..
    (bet u gonna piss­ someone­­­ off)..LOL..

    P.S:This is nothing personal­ seriously­­­ im­ serious im really serious(haha) but­ c'mon­­ LET'S­ ALL JUST LAUGH OUT­­ LOUD!!..hahaha..sorry­­ mate i just­ can't help­­ myself..i.e the truth is­­ that Mr Fat­ Spanish­ Butthole is a "OBSESSED­­ DISILLUSIONED­ DESPERATE­ PARANOID & A SUCK UP­­ LOSER" in­ serious need­ of a PSYCHIATRIC­­­ REHAB!!..
    seriously!!..&­ that's a­­­ F.A.C.T to all bitter­ SCOUSERS!!..period!!..Ouch!!..:)..gosh..:)

    RE:(i­ will­­­ be back) with another spam mail Qoute of the­­­­ week..cherio guys..stay tune.
    but here's a little­­­ tip off to all the bitter "S.C.U.M" of the­ earth
    Sir Alex Ferguson:11th League Titles Rafa­­ Benitez:0=ZERO=S***E
    Sir Ryan Giggs :11th League ­ Titles ­ Steven Gerrard:0=ZERO=S***E
    Rafael Da­ Silva:1st League Title Rafa & Stevie­ :0=ZERO(LOL)..hahahaha..S***E
    ­ i.e LIVERPOOL=S***E
    last but not­­ least
    "YNWA" stands for= "YOU'LL­­ NEVER WIN­­­ ANYTHING"..period..LOL..hahahahahahahahahaha..:)

    ­ P.s:This may cause serious drowsiness to some bitter­ s(T)rousers(haha) so pls do not take it too­ seriously!!..precaution to be taken!!..LOL..haha..

    From Giggs11,A True Red Legend,Arise, on Tue 19 May 3:33AM
  15. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Hughes, Keane, Neville (x2), Ince & Ronaldo -­ surely there are no 6 more hated players in the history­ of the game. Yes - they could all kick a ball BUT a­ bigger bunch of tossers never walked on a Premier­ League ground. And as for Paul "I write like a­ four year old" Parker ---- shoot um all

    From Brizzie Blue, on Tue 19 May 2:19AM

  16. Andy Pandy,
    you Arsenal Lot will be sharing­ with SPURS.

    From reddevil155, on Tue 19 May 1:38AM

  17. Hey Braveheart,
    pinky has got a­ brain.
    Sounds like you are a Scouser and Celtic­ Supporter both runners up.

    Red Devils and Gers OK

    From reddevil155, on Tue 19 May 1:29AM

  18. HAMILTONSTEVE.

    I Must agree Liverpool are the best­ supporters especially from a beam with arope around­ their necks.

    Are you not Hartlepool Supporters in­ Disguise No as they are Monkey Hangers.

    You lot are­ less inteligent than that. What do call a Scouser with­ one Brain Cell
    A Miracle. What do call a Scouser with­ NO BRAIN CELLS NORMAL.

    From reddevil155, on Tue 19 May 1:24AM

  19. Hey Braveheart,
    pinky has got a­ brain.
    Sounds like you are a Scouser and Celtic­ Supporter both runners up.

    Red Devils and Gers OK

    From reddevil155, on Tue 19 May 1:06AM

  20. The 99 team was the best to watch, they had a lot of­ flare, and you always felt they could give the­ opposition a 2 goal lead and still beat them 3 or 4 -­ 2. It took Barcelona 10 years to copy that style, I­ remember their fans applauding the two teams off after­ the match at the neu camp cos of the way Utd played on­ the 3-3 draw, which Utd should have won.

    The current­ Utd team has more defensive strength, and I think will­ win more trophies because of that solidity at the back.­ The attack isn't lacking anything either, when Utd­ needed to score they have many times during this­ season, its what won them the title.

    From Supergosey S, on Tue 19 May 1:00AM
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