Study the following two quotes closely:

At home I am a nice guy: but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.

Both quotes were actually said by legendary boxer Muhammad Ali - however i’m sure you could relate both to Cristiano Ronaldo, the best player of 2008. To be a European Champion and to play a pivotal part in your club’s fortunes requires a tremendous amount of self belief, desire and arrogance - something that Cristiano Ronaldo has in abundance. However I believe Ronaldo is the type of character that also wants to be praised for his immense talent and what better way of doing so than winning the greatest individual award a player can get - the Ballon D’or.

That time of the year has come around again when 96 football writers from around the globe - used to just be Europe - will vote for their top three footballers of 2008 that took the European game by storm. Surely there can only be one winner you think? Based upon the way in which Kaka won the award in 2007 - Milan scraping a 4th place finish whilst resting a number a number of players to win the Champions League - Ronaldo is in the lead position and cruising.
Kaka scored three times against United in the two semi-finals and along with Clarence Seedorf was best player on the park. Ronaldo was a lost figure that had little influence on both ties and it was down to Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes to influence proceedings and get a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. The 3-0 defeat in Italy was devastating due to the manner in which we lost and again Ronaldo didn’t get a kick. Were these the two games that gave the award to the Brazilian - who had been sublime in the Champions League that season.

Fast forward twelve months and Ronaldo got even better; scored 42 goals and added the Champions League to his CV combined with retaining the Premier League trophy. How on earth can anyone else win the award? Messi’s name has been thrown forward - who is an amazing player, as he demonstrated at Old Trafford, but can his 2007/08 season be compared to Ronaldo’s?

Messi played 33 games last season scoring 16 goals winning as much as Kaka won last season - nothing. Thats a 0.48 scoring ratio - not bad for a player who suffered from injuries and is, although given license to roam, generally occupies a wide right starting berth in a 4-3-3 Cruyff inspired formation. Now compare his goal scoring exploits to Cristiano Ronaldo, who again occupies a wide position. Ronaldo’s goal scoring ratio for 2007/08 is 0.87 for all 48 appearances. Thats phenomenal. To do that against side’s like Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Roma, Lyon - the list can go on. Imagine that was Romario in the early 90’s with Barcelona or Andriy Shevchenko with Milan at the turn of the century? If they had of led of led their club to an historical double scoring 42 goals in the process - wouldn’t they surely have been rewarded with the Ballon D’or? Hands down they would.

So to past Ballon D’or winners. The first winner of the award was Stanley Matthews way back in 1956 followed by Alfredo Di Stefano in 1957, with England and Wolves skipper Billy Wright coming in second. As the years went by a number of English clubs had players that won the award with our very own Denis Law picking the award up in 1964, Bobby Charlton in 1966 and Georgie Best in 1968.

Between George Best’s win in 1968 and a quite surprise award of Michael Owen in 2001 - no other English based player won the award. Keegan did with Hamburg in the late 70’s and we had some notable 2nd and 3rd spots (Best in 71 came third, Eric in 93 came third and Beckham in 99 came second). Do the players playing for English clubs get overlooked due to the fact that we tend to play football at a much faster pace compared to the rest of the cultured world?

So to Ronaldo - for one lets not beat around the bush, the guy was an absolute tosser over the summer. Like an innocent looking choir boy when everyone is looking at him but pulling his sister’s hair out when the backs are turned - yes Cristiano Ronaldo needed to be a little more humble and appreciate what he had achieved in the five years since that amazing debut against Bolton.

However, there can be no overlooking what he has achieved in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He has grown into a wonderful footballer that is comfortable on his left and his right - not just for shooting but in terms of dribbling ability. He is tall and strong and good in the air - and is a superb set piece taker. Other than tackling, what does the boy not have?

With regards to the initial quotes I do believe Ronaldo needs to have his ego fed. We all do to some degree, but in order to be that good and the style of play that he encompasses - you need to have that self belief and know that you are good - something that we here in England would label a ‘flash tosser’ - or something to that extent. However - these are players that we look at with envy and maybe wish that we could be a little more like that.

I’m not talking about in terms of conduct off the pitch as arrogant players such as Maradona, Romario and Cruyff could come across in a bad light due to the fact that they believed that the sun shined out of their arse. To an extent, who can blame them? In their respected era’s they were the best players around.

Maradona came across as being ‘one of them’ or even ‘a son of Naples’, comparing the streets to that of his home Buenos Aires when he was growing up. However, what was unknown to the people was that their ’son’ was regularly participating in cocaine fulled orgies and sometimes missed the setup for the match preparation - but hey when you’re that good, who can stop you?

Zidane, Figo ,Ronaldo, Weah, Sammer, Baggio and Van Basten are all players that I remember growing up and admiring what fine footballers they are - and in Ronaldo I am no different. You may argue that football isn’t about individual awards, and to be fair I agree.

I couldn’t care less if Ronaldo, Rooney or Scholes won a personal award as long as they are doing the business on the pitch for United. Of course with good performances for the team you get recognition - which in turn you’re pleased to see the players win due to the performances they put in week in week out.

Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t mind where he plays football - as long as he is appreciated and told how great he is. Ronaldo is a superb footballer who now understands the importance of playing to the team’s strengths which ironically turned out to suit him. Yes, he was lured by the riches and history that Madrid can offer but was it the fact that if he played for a ‘fashionable European superpower’ he would gain even more praise for his footballing ability?

There is no doubt where the power lies in modern day European football with England dominating the semi finals in the past two seasons. Ronaldo would have been a fool to leave the European and domestic Champions because I have no doubt he will win the award and maybe just then he’ll appreciate what he has done and more importantly what United has done for him in the past half decade.

In the wilderness that is the international break there is sometimes little news or pointless transfer news that doesn’t deserve the coverage it gets - so I thought I’d see what fans opinions are on the ground that they call home. Nothing is greater for a side than having a fortress of a home ground. Imagine being an away player traveling to a game you don’t quite fancy and seeing your supporters out sung by the home support - it puts even further doubt in your mind. It’s obvious the strength that a home ground can give a club - but how important would you consider the ground that your football club plays at?

Arsenal left Highbury in 2006 for a new ground, Liverpool are leaving Anfield for Stanley Park and Chelsea were linked to the idea that they’d be interested in leaving Stamford Bridge - will this ever happen to United? Other fans will argue that United fans are in a good position with regards to keeping the ground whilst making enough money from match day revenue to go into the transfer kitty (quite naively but hopefully!). You get what I mean. United are in the position to keep Old Trafford whilst being able to expand - allowing more supporters to see the games whilst also increasing revenue through ticket sales.

This was taken from the Telegraph from the 2006/07 season:

Last season United took about £3m in match-day revenue from home games at the 76,000-capacity Old Trafford - a staggering £87m for the 29 matches played there.

Although not fully focusing on the above statement, more on the fact that the Glazer bring sweet fuck all to the club, those figures - which highlight the sheer fact as to why clubs are forced into making these decision to leave their ground, a ground with history and memories just for financial gain. Since finding the above quote, I’ve come across an upto date statement from Reuters:

More seats at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium helped the club lift its match day revenue by 30 percent to 92.6 million pounds, the club said.

So were Arsenal forced into that decision to move grounds? Liam Brady seem to think so. Speaking in 2006 the Arsenal legend commented:

We all recognise why the board of directors made the decision. It is necessary if we are to be able to continue to compete at the level we are at the moment.

Brady was obviously sad for leaving the ground that he applied his trade at in the 70’s - but understood the reasons for leaving. However - is this always beneficial? Arsenal fans - although not all - always talk to me about ‘needing to spend big to compete’ and ‘Wenger must buy big into order to compete’. These fans may seem fickle in forgetting how Wenger can bring through youngsters with an entertaining brand of football but how can Arsenal compete with the top teams when constantly monitoring their finances?

So to United’s move from Old Trafford, I hope that this will never ever happen and I can’t ever see it happening. Created for a mere £90,000 - Old Trafford was assembled in 1909 and opening to the people of Manchester by 1910. The famous Scottish architect, Archibald Leitch, designed Old Trafford and ironically designed the three other grounds included in this post; Anfield, Highbury and Stamford Bridge.

These grounds have seen a lot of legends and hold a lot of memories. By moving grounds the ‘feel’ of the club can be lost. Gone are the memories of Meredith, Rowley, Byrne, Edwards, Best, Cantona, Keane and Rooney if Old Trafford was not United’s home. This is something that we should be proud of that we will never - hopefully - be in the position that Arsenal and Liverpool are. Is the financial gain more important than that of history, tradition and memories?

I’m not stating that Liverpool or Arsenal fans are happy to leave their grounds but i’m asking is the financial reward more important than those memories and years that will be lost (not talking about your memories as fans but the memories the ground holds) because of the need to earn as much money as your rivals? United in the Champions League final and Premier League run in last season showed that money doesn’t always buy you success - United and Chelsea’s financial situations are a million miles apart in terms of how the wealth was acquired. You may put it down to luck, in terms of United becoming a dominant force when the Sky money came in, but the fact is that United have always had massive support and players played for United because of the club - not the wages.

So to conclude - do you think the sacrificing of the home ground is justified in the evolution of the game of modern day football to compete with the top teams from around England and around Europe? For Arsenal fans that have moved to the Emirates - would you prefer the older, outdated stadium with the memories and history that it commanded or the potential to earn more money to compete with the like of United and Chelsea?

I for one am delighted that United are not in the position of our rivals - is the move to a new home an advantage to your rivals who travel to play you? Is it a necessity due to the influence that Sky has on our national game? Or is it simply another step in the evolution of football - what next - Chelsea moving to Moscow or Citeh to Shanghai? You may snigger but imagine fifty years ago do you think you would have even dreamed of the television coverage - the extension of half time to accommodate adverts - the astronomical wages and transfer fee’s commanded by players and clubs? Not to mention the idea of game 39. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for our clubs and their homes - but I for one am glad that it looks like Old Trafford will always remain the home of United.

Hi there,

You may only be familiar with our blog that we have - so this page!  But as the international  week comes closer and the home game against West Bromwich Albion seems ever so far away I ask you this - what type of Manchester United Statsitics are you interested in?

You can check the lineup, appearances, goals and assists in our statistics section.  We will be having bookings data online soon - but are there any statistics you’d like to see?  We do have some historical data - although not nearly enough as I would like.  Would be great to get your thoughts on how we can improve this section and what you’d like to see.

Also - you may be interested to get involved in the latest forum debate (which currently has only my opinion!) on ‘Which player do you think we were close to signing over the years?’ For all the Robson’s, Cantona’s and Keane’s that we did sign - we were always linked to players of the class of Batistuta, Zidane and Ronaldinho to name a few.  Would be great to hear who you thought we were close to signing over the past 20/25 years and why you don’t think they did sign.

Top football magazine, FourFourTwo, have produced a quality article in their November edition that examines the player vs. club issue and where the power lies - you can’t miss the issue as it has Cantona’s face with graying beard on the front cover. We’re always reminded that ‘players wouldn’t get away with that in my day’ or ‘he’d get a clip round the ear and spend some times in the ressies’ when analysing the behaviour of some of today’s players - but does the power really lie with the player or do the clubs have more of say?

Ronaldo, Barry, Adebayor, Villa, Santi Cazorla, Lampard and Robinho are all featured in the article - which is interesting, considering that, of the players mentioned, only Robinho managed to move clubs on deadline day. Of course Tottenham would add Berbatov and Keane to that list, which would obviously flaw the point i’m trying to make - but out of the players mentioned only the Brazilian decided to jump ship and sign for Citeh on deadline day. Does this now mean that even with the Bosman ruling and the Webster ruling that clubs have the power?

Yes, we live in a football society where it seems for the top footballers, money is no object. Cristiano Ronaldo can easily command a mammoth £120,000 a week salary - which some people find amazing.

One person that wouldn’t find this extortionate (well maybe the sum for his day and age but in terms of ability being rewarded - he’d appreciate this) is former Red Billy Meredith, who in his day was the first footballing superstar. Meredith fought toothpick and nail to scrap the maximum wage that was forced upon footballers in those days - with the authorities labeling him greedy and a rebel. Meredith was in fact neither - just a player who wanted to be rewarded for his superior footballing talent. Why should he not be rewarded for training harder (in his own words) and being blessed with more naturally ability than the players of his time (not his own words)? In a sense I agree. Why should Ronaldo or Rooney be restricted in terms of how much they earn? Yes, they’ll be the argument that money then dictates where a player will end up. As we well know Ronaldo’s ‘childhood dream’ was to play at Real Madrid - so if there was a wage cap - I doubt he would still be at the club.

The article reveals that ‘Ronaldo and Robinho were exactly the same, only Robinho had the bottle to force a move’. Although, according to everyone’s favourite spokesperson - Pele, Robinho was at at the end of his tether to leave Real Madrid after the way the Spanish Champions had used Robinho in open transfer negotiations of our number 7. Let’s not beat around the bush - Robinho would have signed for Union Niederkappel as long as he got out of Madrid. Citeh have a ton of money and as shown by a mediocre side in Chelsea - money can help you in your quest for silverware. I’m not saying that money is the only resource needed to challenge for honours - not at all, but it does help massively towards achiving that goal.

Would Chelsea had of signed Essien for £24Million? Or Drogba for roughly the same amount? No of course not - this leads again to the point that rich clubs hold the cards over the players - they do not always get their own way as the media sometimes make out.

Manchester United stood strong over Ronaldo in the summer - a testament to the manager - who would not be bullied into submission; like there was any other outcome. This story has been discussed to death - but the importance of the fact that Fergie kept Madrid at bay, highlights that players don’t always get their own way. Ronaldo could have, if he’d have done a Robinho, ruined his reputation entirely - without getting any reward.

Its a bit different over at Arsenal and Chelsea where it looks like there was a share of power over the summer. Both Adebayor and Lampard flirted with the idea of moving away from their clubs and both were rewarded with handsome contracts. In this case are all parties happy? Well, nearly all expect for Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Gareth Barry’s situation aswell showed how much power the clubs have. Liverpool felt that Barry would go to them for a knock down fee due to unsettling the player but O’Neill stood strong and gave the attitude: ‘He can leave - for this price’. Obviously Benitez didn’t fancy forking out the £18Million for the ex-Villa captain and thus left it be.

I’m sure i’m due some criticism in brining up transfer rumours that everyone is sick of from the summer. The important thing though to remember is that although it is the clubs that, well in most cases over the summer, hold the cards - the players are deeply concerned by their reputation which is ultimately created and destroyed by the fans. We help to create heroes and unmask villains dependent on how they leave the club and in what circumstances they conduct themselves afterwards.

Are they welcomed back to the club with open arms, old songs chanting around the ground OR do they endure the barrage of abuse that will ultimately come their way? Ronaldo was very smart in not handing in a transfer request as he knew that his reputation could be destroyed in a matter of days. Robinho on the other hand was always classified as a talented player but was not a first team regular for Real Madrid in his time he spent with club. No doubt talented, the fee paid by Citeh for him was astonishing and faced the fact that every player has their price and that clubs do hold the cards; well nearly all clubs.

Before I go into what will obviously be a criticism of our young Portuguese winger let me just say that I think he has a lot of talent and ability and can develop into a top player for us - however, in my opinion he hasn’t shown this in the early stages of the season. Now, i’m an optimist and I am a firm believer in getting behind our players - however I do feel that where criticism is due it shouldn’t be hidden behind club allegiance. The lad must release the ball quicker in my opinion. I don’t believe he is greedy - he just needs to obtain greater awareness, which is a difficult skill to develop especially at the biggest club in the world.

I’ve read forum posts today that are totally unfair on the boy and I don’t understand how fans can become so fickle sometimes. Nani has a great shot, is skillful and can be capable of putting in some superb crosses. This season though we haven’t seen it, so far. I am confident that Nani will turn into a top footballer, although no where near the class of Ronaldo - which some people still like to compare him to. I’ve never understood the comparison to be honest; both from Portugal and both signed from Sporting Lisbon. The playing styles of either player are completely different - I wouldn’t even say Nani is like Ronaldo when he first joined the club either.

So to the main point of the blog, what should Fergie do with Nani? Should he continue to play him in the knowledge that he is a good player and will produce sooner or later OR do you believe the gaffer should give Park a run in the first team at the expense of Nani? Park has been superb in the last few games and deserves a run considering all of his injuries over the past two seasons.

I spoke about awareness and of course Fergie knows best - he will be able to see if Nani needs to improve on this side of his game. Do you think this is his main problem? The groans I heard on Saturday when a simple pass to Paul Scholes on the edge of the area didn’t come - I don’t know why he takes so long to pass the ball. Of course you should know, as a winger, when the best time is to pass and dribble - there may be times when you need to hold on to the ball but Nani seems to hold on that little too long, does anyone else agree or am I being harsh on him?

Everyone’s favourite foreigner, Cristiano Ronaldo, was again at the center of controversy yesterday having won a penalty that clearly wasn’t a penalty. However, you will not find me laying a single shed of blame on him for a decision that was clearly made by Mr Calamity himself, Robert Styles. No no, Ronaldo lost the ball after a fine tackle by Samuel and was inevitably grounded as you are in football. I was in the Stretford End and honestly thought that Ronaldo was going to get book for simulation, how wrong I was -along with 75,000 others.

The problem that I had with Ronaldo yesterday was his constant diving and slamming the floor when he didn’t get his way. We see it now and again from him, most noticeably against Wigan in the final game of the last season - where it looked like he was complaining about someone tackling him. Now, I have a number of views on what constitutes to diving (generally, people - in this country - believe if you’re young and foreign and you go to ground easy - you’re a diver and a cheat but when you’re older and British it’s ‘using your experience’) and I am a firm believer it needs to removed from the game - regardless of the fact if you think that you’re not getting enough protection. Dribblers are a rare breed in today’s game and there is no greater sight at Old Trafford that Ronaldo tearing down the wing beating man after man, but there comes a time when he has to realise that he can’t get his own way all the time.

Time after time he slammed the ground in frustration that a freekick wasn’t given and time after time Bolton broke on the counter. Now, with respect to Bolton, they’re not world beaters known for their fast moving attack minded football - which is why they didn’t capitalise on a number players being out of position when Ronaldo lost the ball. You could argue that Muamba should have scored late in the first half - which was a direct result of Ronaldo going to ground having lost the ball.

The lad has so many gifts, that we all know about, but his playacting was a burden yesterday and if we lose the ball high up the pitch against top opposition that can commit a number of men forward in a counter attack, we’ll be in trouble. So not only does this constitute to cheating, it also means that we could concede - if Ronaldo get annoyed. Do you think Ronaldo should cut this out of is it part and parcel of modern football? Do you think teams can pinpoint this as a weakness or do you think that i’m being unfair and Ronaldo was actually fouled yesterday?

With Monday’s release of the “Ryan Giggs - True Red” DVD, which chronicles his fantastic career, there is a question that surely, at this time, is a fair one - is Ryan Giggs the greatest player ever?

To give the question somewhat of a mathematical context, ability x longevity x achievement could be seen as some fair formula, although ultimately it all comes down to opinion, such is the objectivity that surrounds football.

In doing research for this blog I have to say that I have been persuaded to say “YES” - and I came into it believing that Best, Pele or Maradona was. I expect a few people will think I’m crazy but I will attempt to answer points made for any argument against.

First things first - he’s the most decorated player in the history of the English game, has scored dozens of important goals and countless fantastic mesmerising memories. He has embarrassed defenders at the highest level for over 17 years and continues to do so today.

Though his goal tally has often been criticised has not being good enough (143 goals in 745 games), a quick comparison with, say, Steven Gerrard (99 goals in 445), shows that it’s a very respectable record considering Gerrard has made a career out of taking penalties, free kicks and generally dropping off the striker. That’s not a criticism of Gerrard, by any stretch of the imagination, but more a marker to say how impressive Giggs has been.

Just as impressive is taking account of how many of those 143 have been special - either in the delivery of the goal or the context in importance terms, and indeed, sometimes, both.

Another criticism that is often leveled at Giggs is that his final delivery isn’t good. Codswallop, in my opinion. He has provided more goals over his career than anyone else in Premier League history, and to this day is capable of providing a pass no-one else can. His slide rule ball is the most undefendable in the entire league, and unexpected moments of class such as the pass for Tevez’s goal against Chelsea last season are an indication that intelligence wise, he is on another planet.

Goals at the highest level - well, for every stunning Maradona solo effort, so there is a Giggs replica. For every embarrassed defender Bestie left behind, so, too, there is a Giggs replica. And vital contributions at the most pivotal of times, too. Ryan Giggs has been no fearer of setting or stage - numerous goals to clinch numerous titles for United, numerous semi final strikes to swing the tie, or indeed, entire season’s worth of momentum back into United’s favour.

Some say he hasn’t been consistent enough. The rebuttal is simple - you don’t play an integral part in three almost completely different sides, in one of the most physically demanding positions, over a period of 17 years if you are a passenger. Sir Alex has shown that by ruthlessly disposing of players when they are considered to no longer have a role to play. In 2006 he was asked, at the age of 32, to play centre midfield with John O’Shea. That United managed to finish 2nd and included a run in where Giggs and O’Shea dominated a much heralded Arsenal midfield was testament to the maturity and fundamental ability of the Welshman. A closer inspection reveals that Giggs’ form often reflects the success of United and the overall style of the team.

The destructive pace of the early 90’s, the cultured never say die, take on all comers of the late 90’s/early 00’s, and the current continental, composed magnificent footballing side of today. It is no coincidence that Ryan Giggs, in the autumn of his career, was superb again last winter as United produced some of the finest football in their history.

The final thing people often say about Giggs is that he never achieved anything at International level. But, Puskas and Best never played a major tournament either - and all success is relative. Dunga, coach of the Brazilian national team, said in 2006 after a friendly against Wales that he was glad Giggs wasn’t Brazilian as he would give him too big a selection headache. Quite a compliment considering players in the attacking midfield position included a peak condition Ronaldinho and Kaka.

Like Sir Bobby Charlton before him, Giggs will probably only be truly appreciated after he retires - a shame, and an even greater shame that the new breed of fans in todays “must win at all cost” mentality don’t appreciate the likes of our current legends and want them to be pushed aside for younger players who may be faster but are naive - tell me that Fabregas or Ronaldo can technically compare with Ryan Giggs and I will laugh in your face. They are simply not capable of doing with a ball what Giggs can.

He may be unappreciated by many fans but not among his contemporaries - “He is the player chosen by God“, Luis Figo said of him, while Alex Del Piero says “How could I possibly appraise him? Fantasy star? Yeah, that’s Ryan Giggs… this is embarrassing to say but I have cried twice in my life watching football players.. the first was Roberto (Baggio) and the second was Ryan Giggs.”

Zidane said, “If he was French I would have been on the bench.” This from a man who is considered by most to be the greatest player of his generation, despite having a career that was significantly shorter at the highest level.

Listening to the current crop of players at United you can sense the respect among his peers, especially among the likes of Ferdinand and Rooney.

Below I have highlighted just a few of Giggs’ finest goals throughout his career for United, and you will probably be surprised at the extent of the catalogue.

To add to the list, on the 21st May, 2008, Ryan Giggs set a new appearance record for the club, scoring the winning penalty in the European Cup final. That in itself was somewhat of an achievement considering he’d missed his only previous penalty, in a shootout at the Stretford End against Southampton more than 16 years earlier!

His highlights don’t start and end with his goals, however. Man of the match performances in Europe during the years of 96-2001 at Old Trafford against the likes of Juventus twice, Porto, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, and Bordeaux, a man of the match display in the Intercontinental Cup setting up the winning goal, those runs that saw him go past 6 or 7 players (notably against Anderlecht and Sunderland) which resulted in penalties, volleying from the halfway line at Charlton which was a crossbar’s width away from probably the second greatest goal of all time? The backheel flick around Julian Dicks at Upton Park on the halfway line, before running and crossing for Cantona? Scoring via Ashley Cole in the infamous “I’ll see you out there” game? The string of performances in the second half of the 99/2000 season that made him probably the best in Europe at that time? Setting up 4 goals against Roma?

What about the trick he performed against Arsenal in 1993 that I’m not sure even has a name, that I’ve never seen performed before or since that time? These are just a few memories of the top of my head, I could sit here all day writing them.

The blog is already massive and I haven’t even mentioned that all this is from a man who has played his entire career for the club he supported as a boy. He’s simply lived the dream, and millions of United fans around the world have lived it with him.

Ryan Giggs had, and still has, the ability to thrill, entertain and wow fans like no other talent in the world.

I may be among a minority of even United fans to believe it, but I’m nailing my colours to mast - Ryan Giggs, you truly are the greatest footballer to have lived.

Enjoy the trip down memory lane -

First goal -

Man City 4/5/91 Old Trafford. Was it his? Probably not, but the record shows it.

91/92

Norwich - 7/9/91 Old Trafford - skinned the keeper and rolled it in from impossible angle.

West Ham - 23/11/91 - stunning volley.

Boro 11/03/92, OT, semi final clincher in League Cup, volley on difficult angle.

(Scored in two Manchester derbies (one dubious, one magnificent from 25 yards), at Boundary Park, Elland Road, a semi final winner, all before being 19.)

92/93

19/9/92 Spurs WHL “That goal” skins one, megs another, rounds the keeper, classy finish

28/12/92 - Coventry - magnificent 20 yard curler in top corner

18/01/93 - QPR - Loftus Road - latches onto through ball at speed and showing expert control, lifts it over the keeper from 18 yards

23/01/93 - Brighton - FA Cup - great near post free kick

05/04/03 Norwich - away - in a vital game, Giggs latched onto an early Cantona through ball to score what was becoming a trademark, round the keeper and into the net, to set the tone for a pulsating early show.

03/05/93 Blackburn - 30 yard free kick to celebrate winning the title.

93/94

21/08/93 Newcastle - stunning free kick at the Stretford End.

04/01/94 Liverpool - Anfield, Giggs beats a defender and chips Grobellar for an iconic goal.

22/01/94 Everton - Old Trafford - In a game notable for the first after the death of Sir Matt Busby, United put on a great display, creating chance after chance but failing to score - until Giggs met a Keane cross to head brilliantly in.

05/02/94 - QPR - Loftus Road - Giggs skins 4 defenders and coolly finishes to Clive Tyldesley’s immortal “the boy’s a genius!”

13/02/94 - Sheff Wed - Semi Final 1st leg - defender doesn’t deal with it, Giggs races in, rounds keeper, almost on byline at the edge of the box somehow scores.

27/04/94 Leeds away - combines brilliantly with Hughes to score, brilliantly.

01/05/94 - Ipswich away - Giggs almost karate kicks the ball in to all but seal United’s second successive title.

94/95

14/09/94 - Gothenburg - scores United’s first ever “Champions League” group stage goal, then scores the winner.

95/96

21/10/95 - Chelsea away - a stunning solo effort at Stamford Bridge, bamboozling the defenders before stabbing home.

18/11/95 - Southampton - Giggs scores United’s quickest ever goal, after just 16 seconds, then adds to it a couple of minutes later!

06/04/96 - Citeh (away) - Keith Curle invites him to shoot. Infact, orders him to. Giggs can’t score from there, can he? Yep, afraid so. Magnificent 20 yard drive into the top corner.

05/05/96 - Boro away - scores the third in a 3-0 win to seal a third title. A cute strike from 20 yards giving the keeper no chance.

96/97

4/12/96 - Rapid Vienna away - our Ryan skins two defenders on halfway, plays it to Eric, runs almost full circle leaving the defender for dead and scores across the keeper from 20 yards to seal Champions League qualification.

18/01/97 - Coventry away- tackles to win a loose ball, regains his balance, and scores beautifully with his right foot from 20 yards to announce to the world “yep.. I have one”.

05/03/97 - Porto - not content with running the show from midfield, Giggsy decides he wants a piece of the action and smashes in at the Stretford End to complete a stunning break and amaze English football.

97/98

01/10/97 - Juventus. After terrifying the Juve defence all game (prompting Zinedane Zidane to rank it as the greatest first time he’d seen a player play, alongside Ronaldo 9), Giggsy put the icing on the cake by running through and drilling in from 16 yards. Barry Davies exclaimed “Oh! I don’t believe that!”, and nor could any United fan.

25/10/97 - Barnsley. Carries the ball around 50 yards before effortlessly placing it from 20 yards into the top corner. Oh yeah, with his right foot.

98/99

16/09/98 Barcelona - Giggs keeps his composure after watching David Beckham skin and race past his marker (yes, it did happen), to rise above his marker like a salmon (yes, it did happen) and score an unlikely goal. But it did happen.

26/12/98 Nottingham Forest - technically brilliant, chipped finish on the angle to complete a fantastic move between Sheringham and Beckham.

07/04/99 Juventus - last minute equaliser that was lashed into the roof of the net to rescue the tie heading into a fateful tie in Turin.

14/04/99 Arsenal, Villa Park - Do I really need to describe what is probably the best goal of all time? In extra time, carrying a niggle, Giggs is sent on from the bench to “keep the ball” as United are down to ten men. Picking the ball up in his own half he decides to skin the most physically dominating midfielder in the game and then skin the most miserly defence in Europe before finishing with incredible power, scoring the goal that every schoolboy dreams of scoring, the goal that breathed new life into United’s season and inspired tired legs. Then celebrated by exposing his hairy chest. Lovely stuff.

99/00

18/12/99 - West Ham, Upton Park. Exquisitely flicks the ball to Yorke, collects the return stabbing in. More for the outrageous flick than the goal.

00/01

13/01/01 - Bradford, Valley Parade - Giggs shows ridiculously composed control to collect a 30 yard high ball, killing it instantly, then turning his marker inside out before drilling past the keeper via the near post. In my humble opinion, the kind of goal which has been so understated but wouldn’t have been if anyone else had scored it.

14/04/01 - Coventry - Scores a 15 yard header in the top corner to seal the title at Easter. Oh yeah, all kinds of goals.

13/05/01 - Southampton away - although in defeat, one of the great solo goals - Giggs beats two men, plays a one two with Yorke, taking two other defenders out, then coolly finishing.

01/02

10/04/02 - Deportivo - Fewer sights in football are as great as seeing Giggs put defenders on their arse. He didn’t disappoint here, beating another just for good measure, and scoring at the near post. A great European goal.

02/03

23/08/02 - Chelsea away - Giggs scores his 100th United goal, tremendously curling from 12 yards in off the crossbar.

25/02/03 - Juventus away - Ryan was getting a bit of unfair stick about his form and answered his critics in typical fashion - scoring 2 at the Delle Alpi, the second a glorious solo effort finished past Buffon with his right foot. As Tyldesley says in commentary “the type that only Ryan Giggs can score”.

05/04/03 Liverpool. It’d been 2 years since Giggs last Old Trafford league goal, that title clinching header. What better way to break your duck than scoring in a 4-0 win over the Dippers, arriving late to pounce like a theif in the night, and leaving the Liverpool keeper looking all around him, bemused.

16/04/03 Arsenal away. Giggs had scored in consecutive games against Liverpool and Newcastle and now faced this third in the “title crunch” triple header. And head he did, expertly converting Solskjaer’s cross.

03/04

16/08/03 Bolton. With Beckham gone, people wondered where United’s set piece threat would come from. They needn’t have worried. Giggs scored via the post from 25 yards on the opening day to remind everyone about a certain number 11.

09/11/03 Liverpool away. Two goals at the Kop in a United win. The second in off the bar. Nice one.

04/05

28/09/04 Fenerbache. In a game probably best remembered for a certain Mr Rooney scoring a goal or two, Giggs got the ball rolling with an expertly taken header from 12 yards - equalling Sir Bobby in the European goal ranks.

28/12/04 Aston Villa away. Another of those underrated gems. Giggs extravagantly flicks a long ball with his heel onto O’Shea. He flicks it back to the Welshman who cuts inside and scores confidently from 20 yards.

26/01/05 Chelsea, League Cup semi. Showing that no amount of money can compensate for sheer class, Giggs scores one of the competitions greatest ever goals, magnificently evading Terry and flicking the ball over Cech on the volley from about 15 yards. Stunner.

07/05/05 - West Brom - quick free kick across goal. Very cute.

05/06

11/12/05 - Everton. Latches onto a long Scholes pass to score a similar goal to the Chelsea one. Very, very classy.

26/3/06 - Birmingham. Received a ball from Rio, nutmegged his marker, swapped passes with Rooney, outpacing the entire Brum defence at the age of 32, and scoring with a nice low drive.

06/07

26/08/06 Watford - an exhibition of style, composure and great awareness. Giggs beat the offside trap and, in flashes of 1992, nonchalantly skinned the keeper before scoring.

24/02/07 Fulham away. Did he mean it? If so, one of the most brilliant half volleys of all time - on the angle, Giggs rescues United’s title hopes. Knowing Giggs, he probably did.

07/08

08/12/07 Derby - Ronaldo shoots, keeper spills, Giggs scores rebound. It’s the exception to the rule of Giggs’ goals generally coming from his own brilliance, but nonetheless, it was his 100th league goal. All for United, of course.

11/05/08 Wigan away - and in typical Giggs fashion, his 101st came on his record equalling appearance for the club, to seal the title on the last day, with all the composure that had become his trademark in his later years.

By Yolkie

Lets not beat around the bush - May 2008 was a month to remember, not only for me to roll in a stag do and getting married in Cyprus but to remember May 11th and May 21st - two days that will live long into the memory of any Red. On both occasions, not that I have to tell you, we beat Chelsea - the billionaire boys clubs from the capital. Chelsea have got a little too much stick over the past five years to be honest; their football is dull, they’re arrogant, they have no history and they employ Peter Kenyon - well they should get stick for the last one. You have to start somewhere - yes Chelsea had only won the league once in 1955 - before winning back to back titles in 2005 and 2006. However, their growth indirectly helped us and the English Premier League - Chelsea raised the bar and United, Arsenal and I suppose Liverpool had to raise their game to compete with a football club with the unlimited resource of money.

One criticism that I do have of Chelsea is their massive mistake from last season - getting rid of Jose Mourinho. Phil Scolari is a larger than life character with a superb record spanning a number of countries and most importantly gets the best out of his players - that still doesn’t hide the fact that personal problems between the owner and the manager were the main reason for the sacking of the Portuguese self proclaimed ’special one’. Yes of course he could be a smug tosser at times but he was an exceptional man manager and knew how to defend his players to the press by placing all the blame and attention on him. He was also tactically astute and Chelsea’s loss last season was indeed the rest of the Premier League’s gain. Avram Grant did something that Mourinho couldn’t do in getting Chelsea past Liverpool in the semi-final of the European Cup apparently - the same Liverpool who twice had fuck all to play for other than a place in the European Cup final against a Chelsea side who were fighting for a number of honours - Mourinho would have done it eventually, its a hard competition to win.

Anyhow - enough on him - the big clash tomorrow between the European Champions and the Runners up. Since the Premier League started, Chelsea have always been considered United’s bogey team. I remember in the 1993/94 season when Chelsea, through Gavin Peacock (without the goatie), did the double over United winning 1-0 in both games. The FA Cup final sort of made up for that, with the comical Frank Sinclair show in full flow bringing down Andrei Kanchelskis and diverting the ball into the path of Sparky to score after Eric had already converted a penalty that Eddie Newton had given away. Choccy finished the scoring off - but I would have to say that this is my favourite victory over Chelsea, which handed us our first double.

Another game that I remember well, over the past twenty years, is the 5-3 FA Cup game in 1998. It was a crazy game, where United went 5-0 up, with a well worked freekick from Beckham who proceeded in clapping his ears in response to the ‘awful remarks’ made towards his ‘amazingly talented’ wife (then girlfriend) Victoria Adams. Another Beckham goal and a brace from best buddies Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham completed the United scoring before Chelsea hit three in a matter of thirteen minutes. I remember macho man Graeme Le Saux scoring a screamer, which would have been met with an ironic ‘waaahey!’ - although when Vialli scored the third - jumped into the goal to retain the ball and sprinted back to the centre circle, I was shitting myself. The game finished 5-3 to United and it was a good quality, old fashioned cup tie.

The subject i’m about to discuss now requires a more in depth analysis into cultural and social differences between the South and the North and most importantly the animosity towards the England national team. I was listen to TalkSport the other day and I heard a Chelsea fan ring up and say something along the lines of:

‘John Terry missing that penalty in Moscow - i’m over that - if he’d have done that for England, i’d have needed counseling’

This was in response to the admission by Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher, who had admitted in his autobiography that winning with Liverpool meant more to him than with England. It would be interesting to hear Chelsea fan’s thoughts on that comment and how they weigh ‘club vs country’ - considering that Chelsea are a southern football club. I could never imagine a red saying those words that the Chelsea fan said - and i’m not placing every Chelsea fan with this opinion - i’m just intrigued to see how differently the English national team is viewed from a North/South divide. Like I said though - this would require a much longer and detailed post, however I would be interesting to get Chelsea fans opinion on this.

So to tomorrow and another mammoth clash, which United must get something out of. From a United perspective there has been a number of great victories over Chelsea in the past twenty years - other than the Moscow penalty shoot out, what would you classify as the best United v.s Chelsea game you’ve seen?

The witch hunt isn’t out quite just yet for someone to blame at the, shall we say, disappointing recent results. It started with a 2-1 defeat to UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg in which Paul Scholes got himself sent off for punching the ball into the net. Sandwiched in between that and the horrendous performance away at Liverpool was the comical transfer saga of moody face himself, Dimitar Berbatov. I’ve blogged enough about the Bulgarian forward and think he is an absolute quality footballer - but did we really need to fork out £30Million odd on him? Then we come to the game against Villarreal - the scoreless draw experts against us it would seem - however I wouldn’t quite get your box of tomatoes and rotten fruit yet, I quite enjoyed the game.

Ok it was a disappointing result, but there were a lot of positives out of the game. Firstly, the performance - United passed the ball much better than on Saturday, although were allowed to do a lot easier due to the significant less amount of pressing enforced by the laid back Eastern Spaniards. Yes, the yellow Submarine really was deep and as mentioned in the match report for the game, United missed the guile and creativity of a Scholes or Carrick in terms of creating chances through the middle of the park. Speaking of Park, the Korean was clearly brought down twice in the penalty box, which should have resulted in a penalty on both occasions - however both officials gazed at each other like nervous lovers and immediately waved play on. We can’t always get the correct decisions - but in both these instances they were stone wall penalties.

So, we’re actually in a better position at this point than we were last season - remember the stick we were getting having drawn with Reading and Pompey. Lost to Citeh, unbelievably, and scrapped a 1-0 win over Tottenham with a thunderbolt from Nani. We had five points out of a possible twelve, whereas now we have four points from a possible nine, the only problem is, we have Chelsea on Sunday, who haven’t lost at home for four years. To be honest, it does feel strange that we have had big game after big game so early on the season - especially when it usually takes us some time to get going.

Former United centre half, Gary Pallister, raised concerns this morning on Radio five, stating that this poor run of form would cost United in the long run. Although of course the results will hinder the progress of the club, in the league especially, I don’t know how we can really hit panic stations just yet. I mean we had Tevez missing the opening game, Rooney picking a virus up in Nigeria, Cristiano Ronaldo injured, Nani suspended, Anderson in China, Hargreaves injured, Giggs injured, Scholes suspended, Carrick injured and Berbatov hasn’t played at all this season - thats a big list. Once the team gets settled, players get back to match fitness, I have no doubt United will turn on the style. There is so much ability in this side - and it will shine through, we just need to be patient.

Chelsea on Sunday will not be an easy game. Firstly, the quality of the Londoners is immense and the side will be high in confidence after their 4-0 victory over French runners-up Bordeaux. Secondly, having been pipped to both trophies last season - they’ll be an extra edge to the game - which will of course be greeted to the tune of ‘Viva John Terry!’. Vidic is out, Carrick is out and it is doubtful that Ronaldo will start. Will Fergie attempt to play all three forwards again in an unbalanced lineup as he did against Liverpool? I hope not, although something will have to give. I hope he will go 4-4-2 with Rooney and Berbatov leading the line, Brown in to replace the suspended Vidic and a midfield quartet of Hargreaves, Anderson, Scholes and Giggs or Nani - which can then shift to a 4-3-3 if need be. Michael Essien is out, which is a big blow to Chelsea, however they have a decent, if a little less mobile, replacement in Jon Obi Mikel and i’m sure Drogba will make an appearance somewhere along the line. Combined with John Terry’s successful appeal, did you ever think there would be any other outcome, Chelsea will put out a very strong line up to try and make the gap even wider at the top come 5pm.
Fergie made a jibe at the age of the Chelsea squad in pre-season, something that seemed to ruffle some feathers in the Chelsea camp. When you look at the two sides - you see two great teams that are very different in style and to be fair to Fergie in terms of age also. We can talk all day long about history and tradition of both clubs - however, in today’s game, Chelsea are a massive force that will want revenge for last season’s events. One thing some fans forget is that there can be a period of domination - but that domination can’t occur every season, year after year - as much as fans want to see their side win, there has to be realistic expectations. Can United win a triple Premier League crown again? Or can United be the first side since AC Milan in 1990 to win back to back European Cups? Both answers are yes of course they can but in order to start playing with the style and grace that we all know is there - the team must get some consistency going. I’ve blogged many times about the difficulty in picking up Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo and Giggs when they interchange positions so frequently - the process takes time - so yet again we must remember, patience is a virtue my friend.

Rumours are surfacing that Sir Alex Ferguson is set to spring a surprise by welcoming Cristiano Ronaldo back from injury far earlier than expected in one of the next 3 games.

If true, not only would this be a welcome boost as a return from his ankle op - this could be a masterstroke with so many potential ramifications.

“Wait”, I hear you say, “Of course having Ronaldo back is a good thing. He scored sh*tloads and is the best player in the world”. Well of course for these reasons Ronnie back is great news - but there are underlying, extenuating circumstances that could make the return all the more glorious.

Fergie knows, Ronaldo knows, the entire United fanbase know that our Portuguese wizard is walking somewhat of a tightrope among the Old Trafford faithful. It’s 50-50 whether he will be booed or cheered when his name is next read out on the teamsheet. In fact, even indifference. United fans are a loyal lot and tend to forgive players for their shortfalls but when it seems that a player has blighted the club - well, as the banner reads and the saying goes, it’s MUFC the religion. These incidents aren’t so easily forgotten.

However, with the Anfield trip coming up in little more than half a day from the time of this blog, Fergie’s admittance that he might include Ronaldo in the squad could have a massive effect.

Regardless of the result, including Ronaldo in the squad at Liverpool of all places will encourage United fans on the fence to cheer his name - even those stoutly against Ronaldo will surely be loathe to boo him at Anfield (or even Stamford Bridge, for that matter). In such a scenario, if we bring him on, it will be to a hero’s reception. Cue post-match declarations from Fergie that he had trust in the fans, just as he did after the World Cup. Cue re-affirmation from Ronaldo either publicly or personally that he made the right choice to stay. Cue greater team spirit. And the domino effect goes on.

Such tactics may not necessarily have a bearing on the result tomorrow or even that at Stamford Bridge but Fergie has always had his eye on the bigger picture and don’t be surprised if a token gesture of a place on the bench for Ronaldo is gifted by our wily boss - such a decision could turn out to be be a significant masterstroke.

By Yolkie