Football: Drive to top in second gear

IT'S A remarkable achievement to win three titles in a row, our seventh since the inaugural season of the Premiership in 1992-93.

But no one could have envisaged the ease with which the title was won. By Christmas the Championship was over as a contest and any suggestion that United would struggle to sustain their dominance of recent years was firmly laid to rest.

We had been criticised in certain quarters last season after dropping out of the FA Cup and playing in FIFA's World Club Championships in Brazil in an attempt to strengthen England's ill- fated bid to stage the World Cup in 2006.

But apart from the stick that accompanied that decision, our absence was unfairly used to undermine our sixth title in eight seasons.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger led the criticism as if to excuse his own side's under-achievement.

The players didn't go into this campaign to prove a point. But it might surprise a few people to know that among the biggest critics we had going into the season was our own manager.

Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for psychological games with rivals but when he called us all together during the first day of pre- season training, the threat of being sold was not taken lightly.

Ever since I can remember, his first speech has always been to question the commitment and desire of the squad.

Every season was the same and regardless of the success in the previous year, if you couldn't maintain it you were out. I honestly believe he meant it as well. The level of expectation was such that anything less than the title was failure in his and the supporters' eyes.

The boss enjoyed the fruits of success as much as the players and the supporters. But it seemed the more he got, the hungrier he became.

You couldn't question the determination of the players under normal circumstances, but life at Old Trafford is far from ordinary.

While we have always been occupied by our own form, not that of our rivals, we nevertheless expected the title to be fiercely contested this time round.

The usual suspects - Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds and Liverpool - talked up the challenge and we expected them to turn the heat up on us.

But their challenges never took shape. While our form sometimes came into question, the consistency didn't. And consistency wins you titles.

Arsenal struggled away from home, Liverpool were too often dogged by inconsistency, Chelsea went through a transitional period after sacking Gianluca Vialli and it seemed Leeds were happy to sacrifice the League for European glory.

The points gap in question hasn't flattered us this season. If we had played better, and we know we can, it would have been even greater.

We were never expected to move out of second gear and the expected challenge never materialised.

GAME BY GAME

Aug 20 Newcastle .H 2-0 Johnsen, Cole Aug 22 Ipswich . . .A 1-1 Beckham Aug 26 West Ham . .A 2-2 Beckham, Cole Sep 5 Bradford . . . .H 6-0 Cole, Fortune 2, Sheringham 2, Beckham Sep 9 Sunderland . .H 3- 0 Scholes 2, Sheringham Sep 16 Everton . . . .A 3-1 Butt , Giggs, Solskjaer Sep 23 Chelsea . . .H 3-3 Scholes, Sheringham, Beckham Oct 1 Arsenal . . . .A 0-1 Oct 14 Leicester . .A 3-0 Sheringham 2, Solskjaer Oct 21 Leeds . . . . .H 3-0 |Yorke, Beckham, Jones (og) Oct 28 SouthamptonH 5-0 Cole 2, Sheringham 3 Nov 4 Coventry . . .A 2-1 Cole, Beckham Nov 11 Boro . . . . . .H 2-1 Butt, Sheringham Nov 18 Man City . .A 1-0 Beckham Nov 25 Derby . . . .A 3-0 ' Sheringham, Butt, Yorke Dec 2 Spurs . . . . . .H 2-0 Scholes, Solskjaer Dec 9 Charlton . . .A 3-3 Giggs, Solskjaer, Keane Dec 17 Liverpool . .H 0- 1 Dec 23 Ipswich . . . .H 2-0 Solskjaer 2 Dec 26 Villa . . . . . .A 1- 0 Solskjaer Dec 30 Newcastle . .A 1-1 Beckham (pen) Jan 1 West Ham . . .H 3-1 Solskjaer, S Pearce (og), Yorke Jan 13 Bradford . . .A 3-0 Sheringham, Giggs, Chadwick Jan 20 Villa . . . . . .H 2-0 G Neville, Sheringham Jan 31 Sunderland .A 1-0 Cole Feb 3 Everton . . . . .H 1- 0 Watson (og) Feb 10 Chelsea . . . .A 1-1 Cole Feb 25 Arsenal . . . .H 6-1 Yorke 3, Keane, Solskjaer, Sheringham Mar 3 Leeds . . . . . .A 1-1 Chadwick Mar 17 Leicester . .H 2-0 Yorke Silvestre Mar 31 Liverpool . .A 0-2 Apr 10 Charlton . . .H 2-1 Cole, Solskjaer Apr 14 Coventry . . .H 4-2 Yorke 2, Giggs, Scholes

Copyright 2001 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.