01x01 - Win the Legue

[bunniefuu]

[thunder rumbling, rain pouring]

[broadcaster 1] Manchester United

could win 3 trophies in 11 days,

starting with the Premiership on

[broadcaster 2] Alex Ferguson side

are on the home stretch.

The most demanding and rewarding

10 days in the club's history.

[thumping, scraping sounds]

[Ferguson] If you were saying

at the start of the season

which trophy you would like to win,

you would say the Champions League

because that's

the trophy which

will elevate Manchester United, I feel.

But the trophy we're most concerned about

and want to win right now

is the league on Sunday.

[broadcaster] Ferguson is calling Sunday

a massive game for United,

when victory, of course, will guarantee

the first part of the Treble

that's available to United

over the next fortnight.

[Ferguson] Bloody hell, the Treble,

the most important three games in

the history of United, in my time anyway.

There was a trepidation about,

how far are we gonna go.

[Cole] People keep mentioning the Treble,

the Treble, you know,

but since the media and all that

has been mentioning the Treble,

none of us have sat down and spoke about

winning the Treble or anything.

What was the Treble then?

I mean, there was no such thing

as the Treble then.

[Scholes] I don't think it had ever

been even thought about.

I'm not talking about that season,

but like years gone by.

The double was a thing,

if you know what I mean.

The treble was not a thing.

Three games to do it.

We were never ever

gonna get a better chance.

[broadcaster] Despite all their commitment

over the past 9 months

and the pleasure they've given millions

of football fans around the world,

the United squad know only too well

it could all come to nothing.

[Schmeichel] Those ten days,

everything was at stake.

Whatever you do in only three games

of football, will define you.

Forever.

[Beckham] It was a hell of a season.

Failure, heartache, pain. Sheer fear.

Sheer pressure.

You've gotta walk through the door,

you've gotta take your chance.

We've all got our stories.

It's only now, when you look back

and you think, "Oh, my God".

Did I really take part in that?

It was-- It was--

It was f*cking unbelievable.

[Ferguson] One given game,

last of the season,

in your own stadium,

in front of your own fans.

[commentator 1] The first of three

massive games for Manchester United

in the next 10 days, which will shape

the destiny of their season.

[crowd cheering]

[commentator 2] Manchester United

on the verge of true sporting greatness.

[commentator 3] Is this the first leg

of the unprecedented Treble?

At the start of that season, if you'd said

to me Treble, I'd have said you're mad.

You're mad.

And then

[crashing sounds]

Thinking, "Oh, my God,

what just happened?"

[soft dramatic music]

[siren wailing]

[reporter] Is it time for United

to start to rebuild?

Do you see a clear-out

during the course of this all?

[football pundit]

Well, I think that's inevitable

because I think that they've been

at the top of the tree over the years,

all of a sudden, they might not be there,

and without a doubt Alex Ferguson will do

what he feels necessary

to get Manchester United back to the top.

-[fans cheering, whistling]

-[fan] Manchester United, go

[broadcaster 1] Manchester United,

stung by what happened to them

in the last campaign.

[broadcaster 2] The United fans can't be

too happy at the moment.

[broadcaster 3] It hurt Alex Ferguson

and his players

to have lost the championship last year.

[Gary] People always think

in the Sir Alex Ferguson era,

it was a bed of roses.

We won Premier League titles all the time,

it was always glory.

There were massive disappointments

in that period.

That summer, we were coming off the back

of a double loss to Arsenal,

a Champions League defeat against Monaco.

Not great.

My personal experience at the start

of that season was, I was knackered.

'Cause I'd been to the World Cup.

I remember sitting on my sunbed in Malta

and thinking, I'm back training on Monday.

I remember thinking,

that's not enough time.

But the biggest problem

in that pre-season,

all the attention was on Becks.

Your emails and faxes have been

flooding in since England left the stage.

David Beckham figures

in nine out of ten messages

since that sending off against Argentina.

[broadcaster 1] David Beckham

will be remembered for a moment

of reckless immaturity.

Beckham's let us down tonight.

[broadcaster 2] And there

have been reported threats

against Beckham and his parents.

[Beckham] That summer after the World Cup

was the toughest moment of my career.

But I suppose the thing

that I was worried most about was

could I continue

to play for Manchester United?

[Jim Rosenthal] How big a temptation

is there for you

to cut your losses and sell David Beckham?

Well, that'd be an easy way out,

wouldn't it?

[Beckham] The manager, he was the first

person to call me after I'd been sent off.

He just said, "Son, it's gonna be tough,

but you get back

to The Cliff training ground,

and don't worry about anything else."

[broadcaster] Manchester United was

fearing a backlash from supporters

after Beckham's sending-off

against Argentina.

[Beckham] The Cliff was home.

And the manager, he had control

of every single thing

that went on at Manchester United.

But that's what made us great.

[Butt] The Cliff is a tiny building

which I don't think had been touched

with paint or anything for about 50 years.

It was part of the culture of the club.

The environment itself

was real to Manchester.

There's no airs and graces

around true Mancunian people.

The United training was harder

than the games.

It was just the dynamic of the team.

It was a tough environment.

[Ferguson] The team mirrors its manager

because they reflect

a lot of what you are in your life,

and what you believe in and

[Morgan] The boss, he was the king

of the domain, yeah.

There's no two ways about that.

The boss is-- The boss--

There's only one boss here.

And him and Kiddo, his assistant,

were the heart and soul

of Manchester United.

And this place was their Fort Knox

because this is no ordinary football club,

everybody was looking

for Manchester United to fail.

[reporter] How concerned

do you think he'll be

on missing out on the big-name strikers

[fan 1] have been speaking out,

would not have done so if David Beckham

had played for a different club.

[fan 2] And I just think Arsenal

are a little bit better equipped overall.

I came back from the World Cup,

phoned the manager,

"So when do you want me back?"

And you're hoping he says,

"Have four weeks."

I've just been through a long,

long season, I had an operation.

I mean, I cannot, you know,

my head's exploding, I need time off.

So he goes, "I want you in tomorrow."

[reporter] But the expectations

this season from the word go,

the program seems to get

more and more relentless.

Do you mind the expectation

that's heaped on your shoulders?

No, I don't mind.

I don't think anybody in our team minds.

I think that's--

That's what drives us on.

[Gary] The season before,

Peter took over the captaincy,

'cause Roy Keane was injured.

[Keane] Some people said, you know,

they could've done with me in the team,

but it wasn't to be

and unfortunately we didn't win anything.

No problem, okay

[Gary] Roy was our main player,

our inspiration.

But Peter was the best goalkeeper

in the world,

and had been at the club for a long,

long time and just didn't get on.

They were just two--

They were two animals.

[Schmeichel]

Yes, of course I wanted to be captain,

but I think most players

want to be captain of Manchester United.

We didn't necessarily

have to like each other,

or socialise with each other,

it's all about winning.

[broadcaster] Arsenal against Manchester

United at Wembley in a glorified friendly,

but it's certain to have that extra edge,

given Arsenal's domination

of English football last season.

[Neville]

The biggest thing in the previous season

was everyone had swallowed

the bible of Arsenal.

[broadcaster]

A man of great integrity. Overmars!

[Gary] We'd had bad experiences

against that Arsenal team the year before.

We lost, I think,

an eight to ten point lead.

Arsenal won the double.

They were a brilliant team, Arsenal.

[broadcaster] And Dennis Bergkamp!

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal,

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal.

World leading training methods.

The nutrition that they have,

vitamins and pasta.

The prehab and, and all the fancy words.

It used to piss me off.

Disappointment is a much stronger emotion

than winning things.

It lasts longer.

It lasts the whole summer.

Every day you're thinking about it.

Every day.

[reporter] People say it hurts

not winning anything,

but is it professional pride

which hurts the most?

[Ferguson] What we've built up

over the last seven or eight years.

By not winning the league last year,

we didn't maintain it,

so we have to do it this year.

[commentator] First of all, let me

give you the headline team news.

David Beckham does play

for Manchester United

as does Roy Keane

who reclaims the captain's armband.

[Gary] Roy was back,

which was a massive thing for us.

And the manager had invested in Jaap,

and he was trying to get a striker in.

We knew he was trying to get a striker in.

[whistle trills]

It was back to work. We're going again.

[commentator 1] So Manchester United

will have so much to prove,

having been outgunned by the Gunners

on both major fronts last season.

[commentator 2] First run for Nicolas

Anelka and Jaap Stam's first real test.

[Stam] When you go to

a club like United,

you're thinking okay, this is a total

different level coming into this team.

They played at 100 miles an hour.

Everybody was direct,

everybody was aggressive,

to see how you react to it.

When the manager said to me,

if they see one sign of weakness,

they will jump on you.

I felt the pressure, yeah.

[Solskjær]

Players that came in could struggle

to get the best out of themselves.

And couldn't live up to the standards

of one, the gaffer,

two, Roy Keane

three, the rest of us.

[laughing]

[Gary]

Jaap, it was his first proper game

and I thought,

I think Anelka tore him to shreds.

[commentator] And here's Anelka.

Stam staying with him.

But that's not enough.

And Overmars tore me to shreds.

[commentator] Overmars and Christopher

Wreh, put in by Anelka! Two nil.

And we lost-- three nil, was it?

[commentator] As an appetiser

for the new campaign,

Arsenal have the Charity Shield.

[Gary] I remember thinking

we were miles off it.

I remember thinking that at that point,

it's a bit of a worry.

[broadcaster] I don't see Man United

winning the championship,

they have fantastic players,

but I just don't think

they're as good as Arsenal are.

[Edwards] Alex Ferguson at his best,

there's no better manager.

But you know, people take their eye

off the ball or whatever.

Or get distracted or whatever.

Arsène Wenger had taken over Arsenal

and beaten us, and beaten us well, really.

So we had to do something big.

[broadcaster] I think Alex Ferguson

will know that a side of his

that has been totally outclassed.

[Gallagher]

Who the f*ck are Man United? ♪

Who the f*ck are Man United? ♪

Who the f*ck are Man United? ♪

[crowd chanting]

How about a big boo for Man United.

Boo!

[Walsh] There's a swagger

about Manchester United fans.

That you follow the greatest team

in the world.

We'd been brought up

with the history of the club.

The tragedy and the glory

of the two great Matt Busby sides

that really gripped the world.

[broadcaster] Busby created a club

that was more than just a football club.

It became a national institution.

[Walsh] First the Busby Babes,

with so many of them dying

in the Munich air crash of '58

in pursuit of the European Cup.

And then the team that won it

in their memory just ten years later.

[reporter] Who can follow a man like you?

Oh, I don't know about that.

[Walsh] Loads of managers came and went,

but nobody could live up

to Busby's legacy.

It was too big for people to bear,

and it looked like Ferguson

wasn't gonna do it neither.

Until the day he signed

a bloke called Eric Cantona,

and the rest, as they say, is history.

[commentator] onto Bruce! Yes!

Yes for Manchester United!

[Walsh]

It was a terrific time to be a United fan.

[commentator]

Cantona goes it alone.

It's a pretty good decision, too.

[Walsh]

Manchester was a buzzing place to be,

to live, to go out in.

Brilliant atmosphere going to games.

And the team embodied all of that.

But at United,

the weight of history is heavy,

and we had to win that European Cup again.

[commentator]

That's a real blow to Manchester United.

[Walsh] At a club so firmly

in the centre of the spotlight,

if anybody starts to think

that you haven't got the answers,

then they're on you like a pack.

[commentator]

A very entertaining Charity Shield,

especially if you're

a supporter of Arsenal.

[Walsh]

By the start of that '98/'99 season,

there was constant chatter and analysis

about whether Ferguson

could actually get there.

[fan] Got to blame Ferguson I'm afraid.

He's had money there, like, to spend,

he's had injuries

and never replaced players.

You gotta concentrate,

we took our eye off the ball

and I think we're paying for it now.

[Walsh] With Cantona gone

and Arsenal winning the double

it felt almost like

a changing of the guard.

We've been led to believe

that there is a general malaise

[Walsh] Ferguson took the time to

actually understand United fans,

and what we wanted.

the Manchester United hierarchy

[Walsh] As the secretary

of the Supporters Association,

me and Alex used to have

regular phone calls,

talk about what's going on at the club.

He was feeling let down,

that the board didn't give him

the respect, despite what he'd won,

he wasn't good enough for them.

He was vulnerable.

We'd felt that maybe he just,

you know, got a little bit more interested

in his outside interests

than perhaps he should've done.

And he just--

that just needed readdressing.

[commentator] In the centre, Rock

of Gibraltar vying for that early lead.

[Edwards]

He was obviously becoming a celebrity,

interested in his racing

and all the rest of it.

[reporter] What's the appeal of it to you?

Getting away

from your normal working life,

and relaxing in fresh air,

I think it's good.

So as Chief Exec, it's your job

to know your

Your staff.

It was just a--

what shall we say, a-- a correction.

So, I put it in writing.

I knew he wouldn't be happy about it,

and he wasn't.

He-- he offered his resignation,

which, obviously I have to accept.

[director] Had you heard the manager

resigned at the start of that season?

The manager?

I wouldn't like to have

that conversation with him.

I didn't even know that till today.

[phone ringing]

He said I've had enough of it,

I can't trust these people anymore.

I've reached the end of my tether.

He was clearly hurt as well as angry,

and I just said, "Are you sure?"

Alex Ferguson valued loyalty greatly,

but he had come up the hard way,

as a working-class lad from Govan.

And people from working-class stock

are constantly told

by those with money and power

in society, that we're replaceable.

And I think that he would've seen that

as a challenge to respond to.

[Edwards] Later on that afternoon

he rang me back to say,

"Right, he's withdrawing his resignation,

I think he'd obviously discussed it,

withdrawing it."

And it was never

mentioned again after that.

[broadcaster] Manchester United have to

put Sunday's demoralising defeat

by Arsenal behind them,

and focus their minds with the first

premiership game of the season.

Well, you've got to win your league

to be the best in your country

because there's such great rivalry

in England now.

[Cole] We'd lost it the year before,

so there was no ifs or buts, we had to win

the Premier League that season.

I mean, we had to win it.

We had to win it.

[Neville]

The Premier League was a marathon.

We knew the sacrifice that it takes.

But I wouldn't say at the start

of that season we had an incredible bond

because he was almost building a new team

He invested in the depth of the squad.

Two players for every position

and we didn't have that before.

And I remember thinking,

this is gonna be tough.

It's gonna be a fight for your place.

[commentator]

Three o'clock, Saturday afternoon.

The English Premiership begins once more.

[Sheringham]

When I joined United the previous season,

I didn't look at it as any pressure

that I'm following Cantona.

I looked at that football team

and thought, "Ooh,

I can fit in there."

But like any workplace,

there's people you do like

and there's people you don't like.

Me and Coley just didn't rub each other

up the right way from the word go.

[commentator]

Scholes, to Giggs in from the wing.

Looking for Andy Cole. Offside.

That all started

when I made my England debut.

[commentator]

And Andy Cole replaces Teddy Sheringham.

[Cole] Teddy got taken off

and didn't even shake my hand.

A complete snub.

So from that day,

that was my opinion formed.

But then he joined Manchester United.

That season, I remember conceding a goal.

He turned around and said to me,

"That was your fault."

My head was absolutely steaming then,

so I got in the dressing room

and I lunged at him,

I was just about to throw a punch.

By that time I realise,

Roy was trying to fight him.

[whistle blowing]

[Sheringham] We had a fallout.

Keaney turns around and he said,

"Why don't you f*ck off back to London

with your f*cking Ferrari

and your f*cking penthouse."

And I went, "Who the f*ck are you?

What are you popping me out for

you Paddy f*cking"

He turned around

and grabbed me by the tie,

and everyone, like,

just jumped and stopped him, like,

"Wait, what's happening,

what's happening?"

[crowd chanting]

[commentator]

Cole is there quickest.

The ball across now

and it doesn't quite make it.

Andy Cole, who contributed 25 goals

to the Manchester United cause

last season.

Yet there is talk of him being

a makeweight in a possible transfer

of Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa.

[reporter] All throughout the summer

you hear talk

of United looking for another striker.

How did you view that?

Manchester United, you know,

are the biggest club in England

and they're always gonna be

linked with players you know so, erm

I knew what was going on.

I've been there what, three,

three and a half years.

I've been told many times,

"You're not good enough

to play at this football club."

But that's 'cause of the magnitude

of Manchester United.

[tape rewinding]

[Cole] When I first went

to Manchester United,

I thought I'd just go there,

do what I was doing at Newcastle.

I didn't know what was in front of me.

[reporter] Not since Frenchman

Eric Cantona moved from Leeds

has a transfer caused such a sensation.

-[reporter] Is it a shock?

-A big shock.

I didn't understand

what the media climate was gonna be.

And the pressure they start to pump on me.

They were actually asking,

can I, me personally,

win Man United the title?

And then the media was saying

I'm arrogant and I'm surly.

I've been knocked

ever since I've come to Man United.

Know what I mean? People say, "Oh, he's

not worth that kind of money, you know"

Football forms an opinion of people.

How well do you really know this person?

At that time, my partner was pregnant

with my first son.

Leading up to the Southampton game

at Old Trafford, she had gone into labour.

We were trying to win the Premier League.

I remember the manager calling me

and saying to me,

"What are you thinking?"

[commentator] Manchester United's

final home game of the season.

There's no margin for error.

[Cole] I'm 25 years of age.

I've only been at Man United four months.

How do I actually turn round and say no?

That's when I started to understand

what Manchester United was all about.

[commentator] Well, there's some amazing

news, we're hearing that Andy Cole,

and Andy just heard it himself,

but he's become a father

for the first time about 15 minutes ago.

Oh, there's a real mess here

and it's gonna lead to Andy Cole!

With so much to celebrate tonight.

Manchester United have won.

The championship race

goes right down to the wire.

[Cole] Obviously, she saw it

from her point of view.

"I can't believe you left me

to go and play the game."

But I'm trying to manage it

to the best of my capabilities

as a young man having his first child,

but we're trying to win the League

as well, I didn't want to leave you

But the torment I was going through

[commentator] One nil down,

gotta try and get back into the game.

They gotta throw

more people forward eventually.

It's Cole.

Oh, and he's hit the post.

How important might that turn out to be?

And it's Cole!

And it bounces back off the

gets the knock on, here's Cole,

it hit Potts, it might've been going in

Cole again! Oh, my goodness me.

West Ham United somehow survive.

[Cole] Everyone's turned round and said,

should've done this, should've done that.

Man United spent £6 million on me to win

the league, and I've cost them the league.

[commentator 1] Cole missed two

or three great opportunities.

[Cole] I felt like sh*t.

I'm not gonna lie.

And then you would hear it all the time.

He's not good enough.

So I made my mind up from there and then,

you come back mentally stronger

or you're not going to make it.

[reporters laugh]

[broadcaster] It's a long running saga

which looked as though

it didn't have an ending.

Just hours before

the Champions League deadline,

Alex Ferguson got his man.

[Ferguson] Of all the strikers that played

against us in the last few years,

he's the one that's given me

the most problems.

There was only one place I wanted to play,

the biggest club in the world.

[broadcaster 1] Ferguson insists Yorke

isn't a replacement,

but an extension to his squad.

[broadcaster 2] Cole keeps

his number nine shirt,

but must be wondering what

the future holds for him.

[Cole] Our manager's brought him in,

paid that kind of money for him

so Dwight Yorke, he's number one.

[Ferguson]

There's no immediate plans to sell anyone.

Some will have to make way

on Saturday right enough, but

I said to the manager,

"No, I'm not gonna be sub.

I'm not gonna be sub."

He wasn't best pleased.

He wasn't best pleased, put it that way.

[commentator] Now for the domestic game

of the season so far.

No place on the bench today for Andy Cole.

[Cole] The manager always used

to say to me, you know,

"Your pride will k*ll you in the end."

But I always used to say to him,

ultimately, that's all I have.

[commentator] It's the champions

against the most potent force

since the start of the premiership.

It's Arsenal

against Manchester United live.

Coming to United,

I was relishing to be among the best.

You're with the big boys.

The Roy Keane, the Schmeichel,

Becks and Ryan Giggs.

World-class players.

I was craving for success.

[commentator]

Dwight Yorke, a £12.6 million signing.

And the header is in, by Adams.

Tony Adams, the captain,

gives Arsenal the lead, 14 minutes gone.

[crowd cheering and booing]

[Yorke] But I've seen it in that game,

these players being a little rattled.

[commentator]

Schmeichel's denied him again.

But with a follow-up,

Anelka makes it two.

[Yorke]

Arsenal was obviously better than us.

So then the egos start coming out.

-[commentator] Manchester United

-[crowd booing]

Beckham ludicrously booed still

by crowds everywhere because he

[Yorke] They got this persona

of being the elite and the best.

But there was something else

missing there.

It was too serious.

The squad needed to be

lifted up in some way.

[commentator] Hughes taps it through

and Ljungberg could score on his debut!

What a moment for the young man!

Ljungberg makes

Manchester United's misery complete.

It's all over at Highbury.

A magnificent performance

by the champions Arsenal.

[reporter] What can you do about it, Alex?

I mean, obviously without working harder

what can you do?

Well, I mean, for goodness’s sake,

that's what management is.

That's the great thing about management,

you have great ups

When I was looking at players,

I liked to see them

when they was in a losing team

and how they reacted to it.

A player comes to Manchester

and you know he's got an ability.

What you wanna find out

are other things about him is,

what kind of character is he?

I wanted someone who could emulate Cantona

and bring that energy.

I needed to find the parts of a team

to make it complete.

[players shouting]

[Yorke] I tried to light the place up.

You're gonna have to be a total d*ck

for me not to-- to not get on with you.

Hey, listen,

I was in such a moment, I tell you.

I came here to have fun,

enjoy playing, win football matches,

win trophies and have an amazing time.

[Cole] I was out of the team

for a few weeks.

But he's letting you know that

I'm the manager, I make the decisions.

He can get rid of any of us at any time.

But I was looking at Dwight,

his energy was different.

In a serious game,

he's laughing and joking.

I'm like, "How do you actually do it?"

Both my parents come from the Caribbean.

We're from two different islands,

but our heritage

is basically the same thing, you know.

So I just thought,

I'm gonna try and make it

as comfortable for Dwight as possible.

What Coley did from a personal

point of view was quite incredible.

He was the one that was likely

to leave the football club,

but he went out his way

to show me around Manchester.

To invite me to his family home.

Tell me places where to go,

where not to go.

That's-- People didn't see that.

[Cole] We end up playing Southampton.

The manager was like,

"You'll be playing today,

let's see what you got", kind of thing.

I was like, "Fine, not a problem."

[commentator]

David Elleray gets the match started.

Manchester United's all-black strip

may reflect the fact that they've had

one or two disappointing days

at the Dell in recent seasons.

To Blomqvist. Outside him is Andy Cole.

That's his cross, Dwight Yorke!

Yes, one nil, Dwight Yorke scores

from Cole's cross.

Bang. It goes off.

Me and Yorkie play like an absolute dream.

From nowhere.

I knew what he was gonna do,

he knew what I was gonna do.

[commentator] It's a good header on by

Dwight Yorke to Andy Cole. Look at this

Everything was instinct.

Everything was compatibility.

When people say, "But how?"

I don't know.

I don't know.

[commentator] A clever ball too

to Andy Cole, it's two nil.

[Yorke] When we come together,

there was just kind of

I think it was a brother love somewhere.

It felt that way.

[commentator]

Andy Cole involved in all three goals.

The way it just married together,

I felt like, we are the same.

We are the same.

[commentator]

Yorke partnered again by Andy Cole.

Cole to Yorke,

to Cole looking for Yorke again.

Those two have a good understanding.

[Cole] I can remember the manager

turning around and saying to me,

he could never see a partnership

between me and Dwight.

He brought out something

totally, totally different in me.

[chuckles]

[commentator] It's Cole.

Oh! Excellent.

Unbelievable!

[Cole]

When I found myself in that partnership

[commentator] He's back.

I always say it was sent

from the heavens.

[Gary] Coley and Yorkie's

partnership was starting to emerge

in the Premier League.

Started to really sort of look brilliant.

But they now had to go and prove it

in the Champions League

against the best defenders in Europe.

[commentator] Old Trafford

is packed to witness

what we hope will be a classic encounter

between two of the world's biggest clubs,

Manchester United versus Barcelona.

[Irwin] The group of death.

That's what I remember most

about the early part of that season.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona in a group

where only one's guaranteed to go through.

It's tough. Really tough.

[commentator] It's who wins matches

like these that really matters.

The European Cup. That's where

the history of Man United comes from.

[Gary]

You know, Brian Kidd was our coach.

The youngest ever scorer

in a European Cup final.

But that was the only time

that we'd won it.

It felt like the boss

was always gonna be judged on

whether he won the European Cup or not.

He took it personally.

And he felt that United

should be on that level.

[commentator] Manchester United will

almost certainly have to win this group

if they are to carry their challenge

beyond Christmas.

[Beckham]

The European games felt different.

It wasn't nerves, it was more excitement.

[commentator]

It's Beckham. It's fantastic.

[crowd cheering]

Absolutely fantastic.

[Beckham] When you're playing

a team like Barcelona,

you have to forget

everything that's going on around you.

[commentator] Peter Schmeichel who's

experience of this kind of occasion

has multiplied in the last 2 or 3 seasons.

[Schmeichel] In that environment,

I wanted to look invincible,

that you cannot beat me.

If you beat me then this is

your best day in your life.

The best day you'll ever have.

[commentator]

And now it's Anderson, and it's 2-1.

Sonny Anderson has pulled a goal back.

2-2. Schmeichel went the right way,

but Giovanni has equalised.

It's 3-3.

[shouting indistinctly]

[Schmeichel]

Now and again you make a mistake.

But then I made the next one.

[commentator] Schmeichel has come

to claim it, didn't get there at all!

And somehow

[fan] Peter Schmeichel! Peter!

And the next one, and the next one.

[commentator]

Schmeichel has pushed it into his own net.

[Schmeichel] All of a sudden,

everything was a conscious decision

rather than an instinctive one.

And the whole thing came crashing down.

[commentator] Barcelona free kick.

It's Rivaldo.

Oh! And Barcelona are level.

Schmeichel

lost the flight of it completely.

Coley and I looked at each other and go,

"What's going on in the back there?"

They better just get the ball up to us,

and then so we can get on with it.

[commentator] Oh, well left by Yorke, fed

by Cole,

back to Andy Cole from Dwight Yorke,

fantastic goal for Manchester United.

[Schmeichel] The thing is, your

responsibility is not just to yourself,

and your teammates or your manager.

It's to millions and millions of people

who exist by the results of your work.

[commentator] Hit it towards Rivaldo.

Oh, he's done it again!

It's 3-3.

[Schmeichel] I'd never been in a situation

where I doubted myself,

but slowly it sort of creeped in.

I thought opening up

would be considered a weakness.

And weakness is something

we don't want in this team.

It was so weird and I felt,

I'm done for, I can't do this anymore.

[Edwards]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen

and thank you for your attendance

at the press conference.

We've invited you down today

to announce that Peter Schmeichel

has indicated that he wishes to retire

from English football

at the end of the present season.

[broadcaster] The greatest goalie

Manchester United have ever had,

and as shocks go,

Peter Schmeichel's retirement

is pretty much off the Richter Scale.

Now Alex Ferguson's

got to replace the irreplaceable.

[Neville] I was angry.

Why the f*ck are you retiring?

We'd all had our fears

walking into this dressing room.

You were scared some days,

you was f*cked some days, you was tired.

But you just have to get on with it.

[commentator] The Big Dane has announced

his impending retirement,

following seven highly successful seasons.

He tries the shot! Oh, it's in!

Frankly, you would've expected

Peter Schmeichel to deal with it.

[Yorke] The Great Dane himself.

Never seen anything like it.

[commentator] And he's mishandled it

and paid an embarrassing price.

And then suddenly Sheffield Wednesday

score again out of the blue,

-And I'm like, "What's this?"

-[commentator] read it well but

a mistake by Stam and Alex Anderson,

could be in again.

[Yorke] Afterwards it was chaotic.

There's Roy Keane having a go at Pete.

Proper fighting

going on in the dressing room.

The gaffer is trying to get involved

and it was all going off in there.

[commentator] 3-1

He came in the dressing room and

Then he started shouting.

People were pulling each other apart,

and you calm down, and you do this

and you f*ck off, and you that

It was absolutely nuts.

For half an hour we were unrecognisable,

to be honest with you.

There was mistakes all over the pitch.

You can't look at individuals and that,

in particular today

because they were happening everywhere.

[Yorke] The gaffer was trying to get it

under control and bring us together.

But the dressing room was in a mess.

We're delighted to announce that following

successful discussions this afternoon,

Brian Kidd has accepted the position

of manager at Blackburn Rovers.

[Neville] Brian Kidd leaving

just added fuel to the fire

of everything else that was going on.

This morning, Brian Kidd said his goodbyes

to Manchester United.

He brought me to the club

and sad to see him go.

It was not stable and the media were--

the media were hammering us.

Kidd's departure couldn't come

at a worse time.

[broadcaster] He's been the link man

between the dressing room

and Alex Ferguson.

[Beckham] Kiddo was family,

to lose him was a bigger worry for me

than our form at that time.

He'd been part of United

for so many years.

[reporter] Perhaps a word

about your number two, Brian Kidd.

[Beckham]

And he was so important to the manager.

The great thing is he's loyal to me.

[broadcaster] The headache now for

Alex Ferguson is how to replace the man

who's been his trusty assistant

for the past seven years.

[Ferguson] You're in your office,

you'll be sitting looking out the window

and people think you're busy.

That loneliness only applies to a manager.

[reporter] What's upset many

is Brian Kidd's timing, it's abysmal.

On Wednesday, United face Bayern Munich

in the fight to stay in the European Cup.

[Ferguson] Times like that,

going through the real important games,

you have to show leadership.

[Gary] He couldn't be deemed

in front of the players

to look like he'd lost control.

In fact, if anything, he doubled down.

Yeah, he doubled down. 100 percent.

He just kept saying trust the process,

trust the process.

[Gary] The world could be in a

storm outside around Manchester United,

but we were on that island,

it's our island

and the rest of you can just do one.

And the manager created that.

[broadcaster] The Big Match Live

welcomes you back to Old Trafford

for this compelling cl*max

to Manchester United's

roller coaster qualifying campaign.

Every chairman's dream

is to win that European Cup.

That's always the ultimate.

[commentator] Welcome the teams of

Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

[Edwards] All I could do is keep faith

in Alex Ferguson.

And it's just-- it's-- shall we say,

it's a belief, in a way.

He will turn it round.

[Butt] I'd be lying if I said it was

all rosy in the garden. It wasn't.

People leaving, people arguing.

It wasn't looking good, was it?

We're just not winning games,

it didn't really happen for us.

[commentator]

It's England against Germany.

And it's a test of the players' nerve

and fibre as much as their talent.

[Butt] But the manager used to always say,

it's where you are after Christmas

that'll decide where you're gonna end up.

That's when his psyche came into it.

And he just trusted us to go onto

a football pitch and beat anybody.

[commentator] Zickler

He's very, very pacy

as Jaap Stam is finding out,

but Stam is no slouch, either.

Well won by Jaap Stam.

[Ferguson]

We had all these issues as we went along

but as a person, I was--

there was a determination about myself

and I'd always a will to win.

And all the players I brought to the club,

you know, they all

shared that thing with me.

But what you want

is to see it being fulfilled.

-[commentator] Giggs taking on Strunz.

-I knew what I was looking for.

Mentally tough.

[commentator] Rolled back now,

it's Roy Keane, it's one nil.

[crowd cheering]

Invaluable strike

from the Manchester United captain.

You're either lucky

or you've picked well, you know.

[Schmeichel] We all had a job to do.

I had to deal with the issues that I had.

So I went and spoke to the manager.

It's not about weakness,

it's about reality.

This is what it is. He understands,

of course, he understands.

Talent is not just about how many tricks

you can do with a football

or how far you can run.

It's all about dealing with life.

I could see it in his eyes

that he still really, really trusted me,

and knowing that,

changed the whole thing for me.

[commentator]

Knocked it forward to Zickler,

and here goes Kuffour, got his shot away

and Schmeichel made a terrific save!

And the quarter-finals

start to move onto the horizon.

[Neville]

We got through the group stages,

literally by the skin of our teeth.

We came out of the toughest group

playing the biggest clubs in Europe,

with the biggest histories.

And I think that gave us real confidence.

Then we needed some fun, like I said,

like, the lads needed to release

some of that tension that was building up.

And Christmas party

was a proper Christmas party.

I've been to a few Christmas party,

but nothing like this one here.

Roy Keano has his say,

Giggsy has his say.

Gary Neville is in there somehow,

I don't know what he's doing in there,

but he's part of the organisers.

Not all aspects of it,

but certainly the organisation of food,

booking the venue, the music

What does he know about Christmas party?

The guy does hardly ever go out.

Transport, making sure everyone

was in the right place, I did all that.

I think it was 250 invites.

I think I must've got 150 myself.

We knew more often than not,

how to make sure

that we looked after one another

and we kept it private.

[dance music plays]

[Yorke] When we got there, the boys

couldn't believe how many people it was.

It was just crazy

and it's the best night.

[dance music continues]

People who never drank, drank.

I can tell you that.

The only thing that makes me sick

if I'm ever out on the drink, is shots.

And Yorkie used to walk around

with the shots on his head.

Balancing them.

He'd take a shot off, then he'd stand up

and walk round to the next person,

and that was Yorkie.

But it got messy.

[laughing]

[Gary] Some of

the lads' wives walked in

and a couple of them had a go at me.

"This is your fault."

And I always remember thinking,

"It ain't my fault

that your husband's

dancing on the bar with a girl."

f*cking hell!

The fun that they were having,

you want to see some of their faces

when their wives turned up.

It's priceless.

I remember Roy's speech at the end.

Galvanising everyone.

[laughing]

You know, he grabbed us

by the scruff of the neck.

I think everybody knew

what he was getting across.

Enough's enough, sort this out.

We need to start now.

We can't do this. We can't play like this.

That's not who we are,

we are a lot better than this.

So what we did was agree

that we would not lose again.

And once we'd made

that kind of commitment to each other,

it kind of pushed us

in the right frame of mind again.

[crowd chanting]

[commentator] Welcome to Old Trafford

on this wet and windy

Boxing Day afternoon, here

[Cole] In the Premier League, you've got

to be the best team after 38 games.

No excuse.

[commentator] Manchester United certainly

need to return to winning ways today.

The run was absolutely ridiculous

that we went on after that.

[commentator] Keane onto Yorke,

what a fantastic turn past Walsh,

and here is Cole and that's gonna be 3-1.

[Cole] Me and Yorkie,

built on our partnership.

[commentator 1]

And a lovely ball here to Dwight Yorke.

[commentator 2] Manchester United have

moved into overdrive in the New Year.

[Cole] As a team,

we was all in it together.

You can't dream about these things.

[commentator 1] Manchester United unbeaten

in the whole of this year, 1999.

Haven't lost since before Christmas.

[commentator 2] Here's Cole.

[crowd cheering]

This is movie stuff.

The start of that season,

it was never meant to be.

And that's the craziest thing,

it was never meant to be.

[commentator 1] Manchester United

are still in with a chance

of that all elusive Treble.

[commentator 2] Yorke and Cole, once more

too hot for the opposition to handle.

[Cole] They're starting to see

the best of me now.

I mean, I've got a partner who, like,

brings the best out of me

as well you know,

so, if I can keep improving

like I'm doing, you know what I mean,

you know, I think I'm gonna go

from strength to strength.

You find yourself in that position,

you think you're invincible.

But I just got myself in a predicament

I should never have found myself in.

Yeah, I'm sitting here just looking

and saying to myself, "What are you doing,

you're such an idiot."

All the pain,

what my partner went through, it was--

It was horrible.

[commentator] This could be a pivotal

night in the championship picture.

Liverpool, determined to put a hole

in Manchester United's bid for the Treble.

[Cole] The manager was very good

in asking, "Is everything okay?

Can I do anything?"

'Cause he knew that you can't get the best

out of an individual

if you don't know what's going on

with that individual.

[commentator] Manchester United

just have to get the three points here.

[Cole] But he's very good at challenging.

[commentator] But there's no doubt

about it, there's been a big shift

towards Arsenal tonight.

[Cole] If Monday to Friday

you're going through absolute chaos,

how can you bring your best on a Saturday?

[commentator] Arsenal's defeat last night

has left Manchester United

in sight of the title.

But will there be another twist?

[Cole] You start to doubt yourself.

[commentator]

Onside here is Andy Cole!

Not looking that sharp just lately.

That weighs on your mind.

[broadcaster 1] Final day of the 1999

FA Carling Premiership season.

If Manchester United beat Spurs,

the title is theirs once more.

[broadcaster 2] Manchester United today,

have the first chance since 1965

when Sir Matt was in charge,

to win the title at Old Trafford.

It is this tight.

Let's go to Old Trafford and hear

from Alex Ferguson with George Gavin.

[Sheringham] Going into the final

league game, I'd been in and out the team.

Ups and downs with form.

I'd scored three goals all season.

[reporter] What will it mean to you to win

the title here for the first time, Alex?

It'd be great, it'd be wonderful.

And it was like

couldn't be any worse for me.

I'm going out there assuming one thing

and hoping one thing, that we win.

We were playing Tottenham at home

in the final league game of the season,

I get named in the starting lineup.

[reporter] What swayed your decision

in favour of Teddy Sheringham?

Well, I think Teddy's been unlucky

to be left out once or twice.

And I'm like, wow,

I'm as surprised as anyone to be in there.

And when players are playing well,

and particularly this time of the season,

you can't ignore that.

Andy's fully aware of that,

he's almost in agreement with it.

Gutted, oh, man I was--

I was-- I was gutted.

But he knows he's got a part to play, too.

He just thought like, my performance level

hadn't been the same

due to what had happened and whatever.

And I, naturally of course, I'm not gonna

say, "Yeah, I agree with you."

But I didn't agree with him.

I tried everything

to try and change his mind,

but once he makes his mind up,

that is it, bang.

So it's back to square one again.

[commentator 1] There's something weird

about Old Trafford today.

They're all nervous,

they're all worried about this game.

[commentator 2] Is this the first leg

of the unprecedented Treble?

You try and keep it all in,

not thinking about the treble,

but it's difficult.

'Cause everyone's talking about it.

[commentator 1] And we're underway.

If Manchester United win, there's nothing

that Arsenal can do about it.

[Beckham] Last day of the season,

we had to win.

If we don't win, if we draw,

Arsenal win the league.

[commentator 1] In field to Iversen,

Iversen steps ahead of Scholes.

It's a bright start for Tottenham.

Things weren't actually going

that well on the day.

[commentator 2]

We'll look at that one again,

but they were saying they thought

it would all be over after 20 minutes.

United would score

Big Pete gets caught off his line.

[commentator 2] throw in the towel,

hasn't happened like that

as Ferdinand tries that effort, and he--

[May] And you're thinking,

this cannot happen.

It's pin drop. It's like a graveyard.

[commentator]

Goodness me, a shock to their systems,

a shock to Alex Ferguson.

It's Manchester United nil,

Tottenham Hotspur one.

Tottenham go one nil up, I'm like,

"Oh my God, what's happening here?"

We need to win this football match.

I don't care who scores,

we just need to win this game.

That's what's going through my head.

I must've missed four or five

brilliant chances.

[commentator] Giggs

Scholes coming onto it!

Pushed out by Walker.

Towards Sheringham. It's Scholes!

Walker there again.

[Scholes] Everybody's stood up,

everybody's biting their fingernails,

everyone was worried.

[commentator] Magnificent goalkeeping.

Giggs. Beckham! He's put it over.

You're right, they should be level,

he knows that

[Beckham] Scholesy is missing,

I'm missing.

At some point, you gotta start thinking,

maybe it's not our day.

[commentator 1] Scholes gets it.

Sherwood says he was fouled.

The referee doesn't agree.

Giggs, Scholes.

Beckham. It's in!

Well, Tottenham don't like it,

but Manchester United love it.

[commentator 2] special, but when it

arrived from this young man's right foot.

You can almost feel a bit of relief then,

when he scores that goal.

[Beckham] But it wasn't enough.

We still needed to win the game.

[commentator] Partially away

And then I got booked sliding

into a challenge with Sol Campbell.

[commentator] The half-time whistle goes.

[Scholes] The manager went mad

at me at half-time.

"Any chance of you f*cking

scoring a goal?"

And, "How many more chances

are you gonna f*cking miss?"

[Yorke] The easy part of football

is when things are going well

and you're winning games,

and you don't have any issues and

Anyone could manage that sort of scenario.

The management part of the scenario

is when the difficult moments come,

who do you then put

into those difficult situations

to then get you

out of those difficult situations?

Manager says,

"Ted, I'm gonna take you off,"

and I'm like, "Oh, for f*ck's sake."

That's all I need. Can't believe it.

[commentator] Andy Cole comes on

amidst all the tension here.

[Cole] Not every day's

going to be a good day.

There's ups and downs.

There's swings, there's roundabouts.

Always depends on how you come out of it.

So you get your head down,

work a little bit harder,

commit to what you gotta commit to.

Face the music.

[commentator] Getting it wrong for United

might mean even more

than costing them the championship.

[Cole] He was the only manager

in my career

who actually understood me as a person,

what made me tick, the way I thought,

and you know,

what basically pissed me off.

[commentator] Andy Cole's last goal

at Old Trafford was three months ago.

[Cole] But all he wanted

was the best from you.

[commentator] Two great pals up front.

I'm going to show him.

I will show everyone.

[crowd chanting]

[commentator 1] Gary Neville.

Cole in space!

Brings it down, it's Andy Cole!

[commentator 1]

Oh, it's a great goal from Andy Cole!

[commentator 1]

A fantastic strike from that ace striker.

Cole, who missed all those chances

four years ago,

in that last day drama at West Ham,

he's taken that one.

[cheering]

[commentator] Manchester United,

one nil down just before half-time,

are 2-1 ahead.

"Calm it down," says Andy Cole.

News comes through that Arsenal

have taken the lead against Aston Villa,

so United, they have to hold on

for the win here.

There can be only a matter of seconds

before the final whistle

of this endlessly fascinating

championship race.

But the whistle goes and Manchester United

are the champions of England again.

[Neville] When the final whistle

went, we'd been through so much.

The season was long,

the season was brutal.

But we had built this bond.

[Beckham] It was just that feeling of,

this is where I wanna be,

this is my club, this is my team.

[Yorke] Those are moments

that you will never be able to forget

because it meant so much.

The Premier League,

my first Premier League.

I owe a lot to Coley,

and I can't thank him enough, so

[Cole] Life's a full circle.

That's what, it's a full circle.

[chanting]

[reporter]

Could you have expected Andy Cole

to score after three minutes?

[Ferguson] Well, I had a feeling

he would, actually.

Do you think you can win all three now,

the FA Cup Final next?

Well, that was the hardest.

That is-- We've got that out of the road.

We're going to Wembley,

we're going to go there to win,

and then to Barcelona for the greatest day

of our lives, we're gonna enjoy it.

[Beckham] I honestly don't remember

ever talking about the Treble

up until that point.

I don't think we were allowed

to even talk about it.

He knew before we think about

winning trophies,

we had to have each other's back.

[Schmeichel]

The second half of that season changed us.

[cheering and shouting]

Yeah, all right, where's all my teammates?

[overlapping chatter]

When do you ever get an opportunity

to stamp a mark on history like that?

That's why I was saying to the guys.

We're doing this.

When are you gonna have

a chance like this again? Ever?

[both] Two more games

To go!

Okay. Now it's on!

["Tellin' Stories" by

The Charlatans playing]