Roonaldo: How Sir Alex Ferguson built his greatest ever Manchester United side

Rather good article about how Fergie and Queiroz built probably the best Man Utd team ever http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...wayne-rooney-greatest-ever-side-a7766771.html

 

I would actually agree that the 08 team was the best Alex Ferguson team. I think they had a little bit more star quality than the 99 team.

Although the CL final was a close call in 08, we where a lot more dominant throughout the competition than in 99. 99 we didn't win our group, and had to come back on numerous occasions. We went through the whole competition without even losing a game home or away in 08, and never really looked in any trouble right throughout the competition. Only close game was the final, and to be fair we should have had that sewn up by half time with the chances we missed. Chelsea sucker punched us on half time completely against the run of play, and that gave them the momentum in the 2nd half to make a game of things.

The 99 team had an amazing spirit, and resilience, but the 08 side was definitely the more dominant of the 2. If it wasn't for a dodgy referee in the FA Cup semi final I think we'd of got another treble that year.

 

I still think the best side we had was '94 but that's just my (and plenty others) opinion.

The 08 side certainly played fantastic football.
Could we play that way now?
Martial, Rashford and Mhkytarian look a fantastic front three but don't have the goals of Rooney, Ronnie and Tevez. Yet.

We've no holding CM as such. Of Herrera, Mata and Carrick you'd have to say Herrera is best bet and that negates his dynamism.

The crux of it all though, and has been for a year or two, is the back four. Not one is even close enough to being comparable to the 08 four, they're miles off.
And it is the defence that allows the attack to work so freely.

 

The 94 side was a very solid side, but it lacked goals in attack for me. Hughes was never really a prolific striker, and whilst I appreciate all Cantona did for us as a leader, I still feel he lacked goals to his game. If we had a Van Nistlerooy type player up front alongside Cantona then I think the 94 side would have been a lot better.

As for our current front 3 in comparison to the front 3 in 08. They are a million miles away from the 3 we had back then I'm sad to have to say. At the time they where the best front 3 in Europe, and would rival what Barca and Real have nowadays.

 

IMO the 2008 team was the best one that I've seen - do have a really soft spot for the 94 team if only because of the Status Quo song

 

The team that every defender dreads.......

I own that CD!

 

Have had that song stuck in my head for over 20 years:

Schmeichel, Parker, Pallister,
Irwin, Bruce, Sharp and Ince,
Hughes, McClair, Keane, Cantona,
Robson, Kancheskis and Giggs!

 

My favourite team was the 94-95 one with Kanchelskis, cantona , Hughes, ince and others. Giggs was just the young debutant. May not have been the most skilful team and maybe emotion played a large part as it was the first team to win the title for a while. Mixture of power, aggression and skill.

But that team set the pulse racing. I was always looking forward to watching the team play. There was excitement aplenty specially when kanchelskis went past the full back and approached the goal at 100mph. No better sight and what about Cantona making that defence splitting pass?

Nostalgia has never been the same again

 

Anyone watching Itv I'm half expecting Ronaldo to come on for 5 minutes at the end

 

We won **** all that season mate!

 

Oops. I thought that was the season we were dominant. It must have been the 93/94 one.

 

Quite right.

Which is why I said I still think it's our best side right at the start of the thread.

 

Maybe the best in terms of talent, but imo there was always a bit of a lack of application from some players. Ince and Kanchelskis being the main candidates in some games. Particularly the 94 LC final, where I don't think Ince had a meaningful touch of the ball.

That was the big difference in 2008 imo - everyone throughout the entire team was willing to run and chase and fight for everything. No sulkers, no shirkers, outstanding talent allied to outstanding professionalism.

No other PL era team has had quite the same combination, ergo no other PL team has managed to get the results in the league whilst also competing with the best in the CL.

 

That's why Fergie ultimately got rid of that pair but the side were still brilliant. It also contained Eric Cantona, which is a major plus point.

It's a massive, ridiculous, shame that the likes of Giggs, Irwin, Keane and the like were deemed 'foreign' as it hindered them in Europe. That's as it was back then but it would be unfair to make a comparison with the '08 side in that respect as half the team had to sit out European games due to limits on how many could play.

 

Don't think it ever applied to Giggs, as it was based on the UK as the nation, but definitely a big hindrance to have Keane and Irwin considered 'foreign' alongside Schmeichel, Cantona and Kanchelskis.

 

It definitely did apply to Giggs. He wasn't English so was deemed foreign during that period. Mark Hughes too.

 

Ah, you're right - Giggs and Sparky got exceptions under the "3+2" rule as they came through the academy. Couldn't remember why they weren't counted - meant we could effectively field another two 'foreign' players as we'd brought them through from youth.

So it wouldn't have mattered in that particular match, as Kanchelskis, Keane, Irwin and Schmeichel were actually the 'foreign' players we were limited on. McClair and Cantona were the ones who really suffered from that rule. Played most of domestic games for us prior to 95 but hardly got a sniff at Europe.

 

Indeed.

I know it's impossible to say for certain but I'd like to think that if we'd have been able to play our best goalkeeper and best centre forward, in fact all our 'foreign' players like is allowed now, we'd have very much competed for the champions league back then.

That side was excellent. Joy to watch.