Part 1 - Special Feature: Manchester United and Wayne Rooney, Ferguson in control but Rooney out of control
These are strange times at Manchester United, the team is not doing well, its talismanic striker is faltering in form and most importantly the club is ridden in debt. After winning three titles in a row and a UEFA Champions League
title in 2008, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team are in decline at the moment, there is no doubt about that.
In reality, Manchester United have been a dominant force in English football since 1992, ever since the English Premier League kicked off its inaugural season, Sir Alex Ferguson has taken his side from being a particularly average
team to an outstanding European outfit. This transformation of epic proportions has not taken place over night but over a period of around twenty three years.
During this time, Ferguson has changed his side a lot; there was a time when Ferguson’s main focus used to be his midfield area. For example at the start of the decade of dominance for Manchester United, way back in 1992, Ferguson’s
team was built around his captain Bryan Robson. Robson used to play in central midfield for the Red devils and played a crucial role in leading by example.
Bryan was famous for his spectacular drive from the midfield area, something that the likes of Gerrards and Lampards of today try to emulate. As time progressed, Bryan moved away to Middlesbrough and Fergie as Sir Alex is more
affectionately known replaced his captain with a young Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest. Keane used to play as a central midfielder as well and his arrival at the club signalled a new era for United.
Keane’s signature was complimented by the fact that Ferguson brought about a complete overhaul at United, a change in which youth was introduced into the club’s first team. From the Manchester United youth academy David Beckham,
Ryan Giggs, Phillip Neville, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt qualified in time to feature regularly in the first team.
These players took up the mantle as Paul Ince, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce went their separate ways after winning Manchester United’s second English Premier League title in the 1993-1994 season. After suffering from
a trophy less 1994-1995 season, Ferguson not only incorporated the likes of Beckham and Keane into his line up but he built his team around the enigmatic, Eric Cantona. From thereon in, United went to win two F.A Cup’s and two English league titles consecutively
before Cantona’s retirement from football altogether.
After Cantona left, United’s youngsters had already fulfilled their potential and were perhaps the best “young lot” in the world at that time. Therefore in 1999, Manchester United became the first English club to achieve a remarkable
treble season in which they won the UEFA Champions League title, the English Premier League title and the F.A Cup as well.
This shower of success was carried on for another two years as United won two more league titles in the 1999-2000 season and the 2000-2001 season. After that, Ferguson’s team won the F.A Cup in 2003 and then Chelsea’s dominance
took the title away from United for two consecutive years in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. It was in 2004 that Ferguson bought this young English boy from Everton for a club record transfer fee of 25.6 million pounds.
Wayne Rooney was that young Englishman in question and his career at United has gone from strength to strength since. No doubt upon his signature for the club, Rooney was seen as one of the best English talents to emerge after
the sensational Paul Gascoigne in early 1990s.
However Rooney’s rise to prominence in red was complimented by Ronaldo’s rise to maturity after the 2006 World Cup for Portugal. The Portuguese winger was already playing for United alongside Rooney and both of these young footballers
formed a partnership in the 2006-2007 season which was a source of envy for all top European clubs around the world.
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