Sir Alex Interview

I was reading a write-up of an interview Alistair Campbell had with Sir Alex Ferguson this week, from the Times and there were some interesting points.

First. Sir Alex says Man United will not do the quintuple this season, because of the unpredictable nature of of cup ties, and the number needed for Man Utd to negotiate to achieve this feat.

Second. He says his biggest mistake was letting Jaap Stam go, and his biggest regret was not signing Paul Gascoigne. We have all heard the Gazza story before, but I think this is the first time I have read that Sir Alex acknowledged the hole left by Stams departure was a big one.

Third. Sir Alex names his Man Utd dream team, and names Ryan Giggs as the "Player he would never leave out".... hmmmm, funny comment considering that of the two Champions League Finals that Sir Alex has guided Man Utd to, Giggs did not start in either.

The snippet interview from The Times is here. It is a good read whether you like Sir Alex or not.

Gary Neville Signs New Deal At Man Utd

Manchester United Captain Gary Neville has agreed a new deal that will keep him at the club until June 2010 according to ManUtd.com. Neville turned 34 this week.

Neville made his debut against Torpedo Moscow in 1992 and has been in the first team for 17 years. Nevilles deal follows on from Giggsy's extention signed last week.

Sir Alex Ferguson is quoted as saying "Gary is a true professional and I admire how he has overcome an injury which kept him out for over a year, returning as good as ever. He deserves this new contract and we are very happy to have him here."

I expect Man Utd fans will welcome the news that their captain will be staying on for another season.

Giggs Gets Contract Extension

Ryan Giggs will be playing for Manchester United next year having secured a one year extension to his present deal.

Giggs made his debut in August 1991 and is the only player to have scored in all 17 seasons.

Sir Alex commented on ManUtd.com:

"He is like a young boy in the way that he plays and, although he wants to be involved in every game, he understands that by using his experience when it matters is a benefit to him and the team.

"It would be easy for him to be complacent after all he has achieved but he isn’t and that speaks volumes of his character and explains why we wanted to extend his services and use that experience.”

Giggs Offered New Deal At Man Utd

SkySports.com has a report that 35 Year Old Ryan Giggs is to be offered a contract extension at Old Trafford.

Giggs has spent his entire professional career at Man Utd and enjoyed unprecedented success in his 19 years, including 10 Premier League Titles, 2 Champions League Medals, 2 World/Intercontinental Titles, 1 Super Cup, 4 FA Cup Medals, 2 League Cup Medals, 7 Charity Shield Medals and won PFA young player of the year on 2002 and 2003. If all of that wasn't enough he was also awarded an OBE in December 2007 for services to football.