Manchester United cannot do the quintuple. Who says so? None other than Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager.
In a wide-ranging interview with his friend Alastair Campbell, the communications and strategy secretary to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister, Ferguson says that a clean sweep of five trophies is “too tough a call”.
He also picks his Manchester United dream team — well, two, actually — and names Ryan Giggs as the player he would “never, ever leave out” of his best side. He admits that his biggest mistake was letting go of Jaap Stam, the Holland defender, and that his biggest regret was failing to sign Paul Gascoigne.
Ferguson believes that his present squad is the best he has managed, but although United have won the Club World Cup and Carling Cup and are favourites to retain the Barclays Premier League title despite last Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool, Ferguson fears that cup football’s unpredictable nature means that they could come unstuck in the FA Cup, in which they play Everton at Wembley in the semi-finals, or the Champions League, in which their quarter and possible semi-final opponents will be revealed tomorrow. “The thing about cup football is you need to be the best, but you also need a lot of luck, and I think it’s asking too much for all the games to go your way,” he said.
When asked by Campbell in today’s New Statesman to pick his best United XI, Ferguson, who took over at Old Trafford in 1986, says: “My problem is I have had so many great players that I can’t do one dream team.
“I ask myself who were the players you could not leave out. Roy Keane, Scholes, Giggs — [I would] never, ever leave him out if I was playing my best team. Ronaldo and Cantona are both ‘never leave out’ players. You’d have Beckham knocking on the door. As for Rooney, if I left him out, I’d have to do it by e-mail or I’d never hear the end of it. God, when you go through it like that, I have been blessed with terrific players.”
Ferguson’s relationship with Stam soured after the player published an autobiography, Head To Head, in which he revealed behind-the-scenes secrets from the United training ground. The former Holland centre back, who joined the club in 1998 and had been a mainstay of United’s 1999 treble-winning team, was sold to Lazio for £16.5 million. Although Ferguson was reported to have questioned Stam’s long-term fitness after Achilles tendon surgery, he went on to play at the highest level for several seasons. His departure left a hole in the United rearguard and it cost £30 million to fill, with the signing of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United 11 months later.
Ferguson, 67, also discusses politics and the early experiences that have made him a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party, and names the players and managers that he admires.
He also reveals that he supports in principle the idea of a Great Britain side at the 2012 Olympic Games, although he is noncommittal about the prospect of managing it.
Furthermore, he mentions his eventual retirement — although Messrs BenÃtez, Wenger and others will be disappointed to learn that he is unwilling to name the date.
Source:the times
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Hull City manager Phil Brown fined £2,500 for touchline skirmish
Phil Brown, the outspoken Hull City manager, has been fined £2,500 and warned as to future conduct by the FA after admitting a charge of improper conduct.
The charge relates to an incident that took place at St James' Park on January 14, when Brown and Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, were involved in a touchline row during the FA Cup third-round match.
The pair were sent to the stands by referee Phil Dowd, with the matter then taken up by the FA's disciplinary department. Brown admitted the charge and requested a personal hearing, but has escaped a touchline ban.
"At a regulatory commission hearing today, Hull City manager Phil Brown was warned as to future conduct and fined £2,500," a statement from the FA read. "Brown admitted a charge of improper conduct relating to a touchline confrontation involving himself and Joe Kinnear during an FA Cup match at St James' Park on 14 January."
Kinnear is currently recovering from heart surgery, and his hearing has been scheduled for a later date.
Source:the times
The charge relates to an incident that took place at St James' Park on January 14, when Brown and Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, were involved in a touchline row during the FA Cup third-round match.
The pair were sent to the stands by referee Phil Dowd, with the matter then taken up by the FA's disciplinary department. Brown admitted the charge and requested a personal hearing, but has escaped a touchline ban.
"At a regulatory commission hearing today, Hull City manager Phil Brown was warned as to future conduct and fined £2,500," a statement from the FA read. "Brown admitted a charge of improper conduct relating to a touchline confrontation involving himself and Joe Kinnear during an FA Cup match at St James' Park on 14 January."
Kinnear is currently recovering from heart surgery, and his hearing has been scheduled for a later date.
Source:the times
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks never doubted Rafael Benitez would stay
Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, says he never doubted that Rafael Benitez would commit his long-term future to the club.
The Liverpool manager ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract last night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014. Internal politics had led to doubts about his position at the club but Hicks believes there was never a real possibility of him leaving.
"I was never worried we would lose Rafa Benitez," Hicks said. Hicks added: "These things are complicated. A five-year contract is complicated, so I'm just relieved we finally got it done. Rafa has such a passion for Liverpool. I looked him in the eyes and I knew he'd sign.
"From the supporters' point of view, to have it done on top of such a great week on the pitch is great."
Hicks played down long-running reports that the delay was down to a power struggle - and in particular wrangling over transfer policy.
"That was in the media but it was never really true," he said. "I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget.
"He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
The American is happy with the Reds' improvement in the Premier League and added: "We have a chance to catch Manchester United. It's not a great chance, but it's a chance."
Hicks said the club would continue to back Benitez in the transfer market. "We have signed Martin Skrtel, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun. We even signed Robbie Keane. But that didn't work out."
"I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget," he said. "He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
Hicks dismissed the idea that the club was imminently going to be sold to businessmen in the middle-east and reaffirmed his commitment to staying at Anfield.
"I'm going to be here the next five years, Rafa will be here for five years," he said. "I think George will be here for the next five years, though I can't answer for him. We all want to be here for the new stadium."
On the subject of the proposed new ground at Stanley Park, Hicks added: "We want to build that sucker," he said. "But the reality is that we have had to totally redesign it. We'll get financing for the stadium.
"Plans are done and we continue to move forward with architects and designers. With the economic slowdown the price of concrete, labour and steel have come down and that will save us about 30 per cent on the cost of the stadium. I'm hesitant to pick a date. It's not being mothballed, its going to happen."
Source:the times
The Liverpool manager ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract last night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014. Internal politics had led to doubts about his position at the club but Hicks believes there was never a real possibility of him leaving.
"I was never worried we would lose Rafa Benitez," Hicks said. Hicks added: "These things are complicated. A five-year contract is complicated, so I'm just relieved we finally got it done. Rafa has such a passion for Liverpool. I looked him in the eyes and I knew he'd sign.
"From the supporters' point of view, to have it done on top of such a great week on the pitch is great."
Hicks played down long-running reports that the delay was down to a power struggle - and in particular wrangling over transfer policy.
"That was in the media but it was never really true," he said. "I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget.
"He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
The American is happy with the Reds' improvement in the Premier League and added: "We have a chance to catch Manchester United. It's not a great chance, but it's a chance."
Hicks said the club would continue to back Benitez in the transfer market. "We have signed Martin Skrtel, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun. We even signed Robbie Keane. But that didn't work out."
"I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget," he said. "He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
Hicks dismissed the idea that the club was imminently going to be sold to businessmen in the middle-east and reaffirmed his commitment to staying at Anfield.
"I'm going to be here the next five years, Rafa will be here for five years," he said. "I think George will be here for the next five years, though I can't answer for him. We all want to be here for the new stadium."
On the subject of the proposed new ground at Stanley Park, Hicks added: "We want to build that sucker," he said. "But the reality is that we have had to totally redesign it. We'll get financing for the stadium.
"Plans are done and we continue to move forward with architects and designers. With the economic slowdown the price of concrete, labour and steel have come down and that will save us about 30 per cent on the cost of the stadium. I'm hesitant to pick a date. It's not being mothballed, its going to happen."
Source:the times
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