It is time to stand up for the champions.
That is a sentiment which might not naturally be applauded in Liverpool, London and Leeds, or even in much of Manchester.
But if Manchester United beat Barcelona on Wednesday in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome then lovers of football throughout Britain surely must bow to the inevitable.
United will have proved without doubt they are the greatest British football club of all time and Sir Alex Ferguson its greatest manager.
Ferguson would not necessarily agree with the latter.
The United manager still holds Sir Matt Busby, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday tomorrow, in awe.
Which is why when he heard United supporters were planning to hold up 16,000 cards before kick-off on Wednesday to form a mosaic portrait which will spell out 'For Sir Matt', he gave his immediate blessing.
Ferguson has always described Busby as "the heartbeat of Manchester United."
And it is true that no manager has ever emulated what Busby managed.
He took an average team and built them into one of the best in Europe. Then, from the depths of despair following the Munich air crash, he rebuilt the entire club and 10 years later won the European Cup.
That put Busby out on his own in the pantheon of footballing greatness.
Above such men as Brian Clough, even with his back-to-back European Cup triumphs with unfashionable Nottingham Forest.
Above Don Revie and Jock Stein and Bill Shankly, although the latter was out of the same pioneering mould.
Above Liverpool's Bob Paisley, too, for the simple fact that Busby built teams from scratch, forged dynasties on his own wit and imagination. By contrast, Paisley was handed a team on the brink of greatness with Shankly's infrastructure already in place.
Paisley's talent was to keep them there, ensuring Shankly's vision kept bearing fruit.
He did so brilliantly, delivering three European Cups, but mere trophies are not enough to measure a manager's greatness.
The truth is Busby and Ferguson are out on their own. And if Ferguson wraps his arms around the Champions League trophy once more then who is to say he is not the greatest of them all.
Ferguson ticks all the boxes.
He has the trophies. Eleven Premier League titles in 17 years. Five FA Cups.
And, if his team are triumphant against Barcelona, three European Cups to put him level with Paisley.
That should silence those Liverpool fans still irked by the fact that Paisley was never given a knighthood.
It is the manner in which Ferguson has garnered his success, however, which is so commendable. Always true to the swashbuckling legacy of Busby's Babes. Attacking. Entertaining.
More so than Liverpool in their European heyday when the likes of Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen were renowned for their machine-like efficiency.
It is why football fans should look forward to Wednesday night with such anticipation. United will not be cavalier. They are playing a team in Barcelona who will take the game to them in wave after wave of attacks which will be pleasing on the eye.
In many ways you might say they are made for United to suck them in, to let them weave their pretty patterns in the certain knowledge that at their best, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov are the most lethal counter-attacking force on the planet.
Almost certainly that will be the plan.
If it comes off - and there is every chance it will with Barcelona struggling in defence without the injured Rafael Marquez and the suspended Eric Abidal and Dani Alves - then the World Club Cup, the Premier League title, the Carling Cup and the Champions League trophy will reside in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.
Ferguson will also be the first manager to have retained Europe's top prize.
And the words of Busby as he reviewed the impact of his Babes come to mind. "In all modesty, my summing up of 1955-6 and 1956-7 must be that no club could live with Manchester United."
Win on Wednesday and Ferguson might well say the same about United 2008-09.
source : espnstar.com
That is a sentiment which might not naturally be applauded in Liverpool, London and Leeds, or even in much of Manchester.
But if Manchester United beat Barcelona on Wednesday in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome then lovers of football throughout Britain surely must bow to the inevitable.
United will have proved without doubt they are the greatest British football club of all time and Sir Alex Ferguson its greatest manager.
Ferguson would not necessarily agree with the latter.
The United manager still holds Sir Matt Busby, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday tomorrow, in awe.
Which is why when he heard United supporters were planning to hold up 16,000 cards before kick-off on Wednesday to form a mosaic portrait which will spell out 'For Sir Matt', he gave his immediate blessing.
Ferguson has always described Busby as "the heartbeat of Manchester United."
And it is true that no manager has ever emulated what Busby managed.
He took an average team and built them into one of the best in Europe. Then, from the depths of despair following the Munich air crash, he rebuilt the entire club and 10 years later won the European Cup.
That put Busby out on his own in the pantheon of footballing greatness.
Above such men as Brian Clough, even with his back-to-back European Cup triumphs with unfashionable Nottingham Forest.
Above Don Revie and Jock Stein and Bill Shankly, although the latter was out of the same pioneering mould.
Above Liverpool's Bob Paisley, too, for the simple fact that Busby built teams from scratch, forged dynasties on his own wit and imagination. By contrast, Paisley was handed a team on the brink of greatness with Shankly's infrastructure already in place.
Paisley's talent was to keep them there, ensuring Shankly's vision kept bearing fruit.
He did so brilliantly, delivering three European Cups, but mere trophies are not enough to measure a manager's greatness.
The truth is Busby and Ferguson are out on their own. And if Ferguson wraps his arms around the Champions League trophy once more then who is to say he is not the greatest of them all.
Ferguson ticks all the boxes.
He has the trophies. Eleven Premier League titles in 17 years. Five FA Cups.
And, if his team are triumphant against Barcelona, three European Cups to put him level with Paisley.
That should silence those Liverpool fans still irked by the fact that Paisley was never given a knighthood.
It is the manner in which Ferguson has garnered his success, however, which is so commendable. Always true to the swashbuckling legacy of Busby's Babes. Attacking. Entertaining.
More so than Liverpool in their European heyday when the likes of Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen were renowned for their machine-like efficiency.
It is why football fans should look forward to Wednesday night with such anticipation. United will not be cavalier. They are playing a team in Barcelona who will take the game to them in wave after wave of attacks which will be pleasing on the eye.
In many ways you might say they are made for United to suck them in, to let them weave their pretty patterns in the certain knowledge that at their best, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov are the most lethal counter-attacking force on the planet.
Almost certainly that will be the plan.
If it comes off - and there is every chance it will with Barcelona struggling in defence without the injured Rafael Marquez and the suspended Eric Abidal and Dani Alves - then the World Club Cup, the Premier League title, the Carling Cup and the Champions League trophy will reside in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.
Ferguson will also be the first manager to have retained Europe's top prize.
And the words of Busby as he reviewed the impact of his Babes come to mind. "In all modesty, my summing up of 1955-6 and 1956-7 must be that no club could live with Manchester United."
Win on Wednesday and Ferguson might well say the same about United 2008-09.
source : espnstar.com
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