01x02 - Unbeatable

[bunniefuu]

[commentator]

Okay, welcome back to Wembley.

First thing that strikes you there.

Can you move us in, Sally?

First thing that strikes you

is a very different cut

of the famous turf.

Not sure I like it. Okay.

I'll just look at the pictures and talk.

[Ferguson] Having won the league

against Tottenham,

then the build-up going into the Cup Final

against Newcastle,

was surprisingly relaxed, 'cause we've got

something behind us, you know.

[TV show theme playing]

[broadcaster] Wembley Stadium in all

its glory, FA Cup Final day 1999.

[Scholes] Growing up as a kid,

the FA Cup Final was special.

Saturday morning,

you're watching the whole build-up.

Players getting interviewed

on the bus going to the ground,

the helicopter following the coach.

It was every

it was the biggest day of the year.

[broadcaster] Will it be Manchester United

to complete

the second leg of the improbable Treble?

Forget winning just one,

that's not history, is it?

We wanna make history.

Can't come this far and lose now.

[broadcaster] United just believe

the Treble is just their destiny,

that they can't lose but is that where

the danger might lie for them?

This is the big ten days, you know,

we've already won the league,

got the FA Cup and we've got

the biggest one at the end of the week.

[broadcaster 1] The greatest British

manager of his generation,

now has to make one of the most

important ever team selections.

To win the FA Cup without damaging

their European dream just four days later.

[broadcaster 2] Peter Schmeichel

who plays his last game

for United in this country today.

[broadcaster 3] I tell you what, Richard,

they look relaxed.

Everyone wants to play,

even the injured ones are fit,

'cause the FA Cup is huge, too.

[broadcaster]

And here's Paul Scholes with a cough.

[Yorke] You know, you wanna play

in all of it,

because that's what you work towards.

[broadcaster] What about Andy Cole,

I mean any other team, any other game

and these boys are in

aren't they from the start.

But maybe not here today.

[commentator]

Welcome back to Wembley,

and a good time for a final reminder

of today's team selections.

[Sheringham]

I'd love to be part of an FA Cup Final.

He said, "Look, Ted, you're not starting.

Okay so"

Little bit gutted.

Very gutted, in fact.

To be a bit part player,

that's not what I went

to Manchester United for.

[commentator] Manchester United

with the Champions League Final in mind.

No Stam, no Sheringham, no Yorke.

At the end of the day, it's not about me,

it's about the team and I accept that.

[Neville] It was obvious that

the boss was gonna rotate the team

with the Champions League Final

three days later in Barcelona.

And he left some big players out.

But there was no way in the world

that Roy Keane wasn't gonna be playing.

[broadcaster 1] Roy Keane is the mainstay

of the Manchester United side.

[broadcaster 2] Roy Keane, for me,

is a consummate professional footballer.

He would be my first player

that I would

[Scholes] He was our leader.

He was our leader on the football pitch.

He was the real driving force,

a major part of everything that season.

[broadcaster 1] Is he the difference

between winning,

which they are this season and ending up

with nothing, which they did last season?

[Neville] He was the one that kept

the bus going forward.

We needed him, we relied on him,

he was our man.

[commentator] Manchester United, one down,

two to go on their Treble chance.

[Gary] The ten days felt like

a culmination of all the things

that we've been through

in a sort of 13 year mission,

for the manager.

That second half of the season,

who would've known what was gonna happen.

I mean, it was full of excitement

right through.

Big game after big game after big game.

There was no time to think,

where is this gonna take us?

[Neville] From January onwards,

it all just clicked.

But football has a habit

of kicking you in the teeth.

[commentator 1]

I didn't see the incident concerned,

but Roy Keane is definitely limping

at the moment.

[commentator 2] There's gonna be an

early substitution in the Cup Final.

[Gary] Losing Roy Keane,

that's massive. That's massive.

You know, you take Roy Keane

out of Manchester United's team,

you've got a massive problem.

[commentator] This is such

a boost for Newcastle

and such a blow for Manchester United.

[soft dramatic music]

[crow cawing]

[Schmeichel] At the end of the

Christmas party, we had a team meeting.

It was quite an

an eye-opener,

I'll put it that way.

But what we did do in that meeting

was agree that we would not lose again

and together, we will solve these problems

that we're facing.

[Irwin] From January onwards,

the manager emphasised

new beginning almost,

let's start up again.

[coach] Turn!

[Irwin] It's a long, tough season,

the Premier League

and you got the FA Cup as well.

What we coveted most was obviously

the Champions League.

But the manager wanted to win everything.

I remember us doing a load

of fitness work in January.

And they blitzed us.

Absolutely blitzed us.

[players shouting]

'Cause I loved that.

I'd been brought up on that at United.

Every time that we were going through

a difficult moment,

the boss would always go back to the core

of what Manchester United was about.

Giggsy, Butty, Scholesy, Gaz and Phil,

we came in as young kids.

We were all brought up

to play the Manchester United way.

I first came here, to Littleton Road

in the summer of 1986

with 110 kids out there on that grass.

They were building,

I suppose, a youth factory.

Most people probably looked at me

and thought, how can he be a footballer?

He's 5'6, I was so skinny at the time.

But 'cause of where I grew up,

I was a little bit streetwise,

I wasn't afraid.

I was probably one of the later ones

to come here.

[Neville] I remember the feelings

I used to have coming into this building.

I was scared, my stomach was churning.

It's the most brutal, challenging,

hardest environment.

Every day your eyeballs are out.

Every day when you went to bed at night,

you thought

"sh*t, I've gotta perform tomorrow."

[players shouting]

[Gary]

We were surrounded by greatness.

Nobby Stiles,

World Cup winner,

European Cup winner, was our coach.

Imagine if you backed out of a tackle,

if you lost a header,

if you didn't run to the end

'cause you were a little bit tired,

he would k*ll ya.

You wouldn't do it

'cause you respected him too much.

The past at Manchester United

is something to be inspired by.

[broadcaster] And what of the man

who has made Manchester United great?

Matt Busby.

I have a scouting system,

whose sole object is to go out looking

for young, promising school boys

to make a future

Manchester United player.

[broadcaster 1] And thus began

the legend of the Busby Babes.

Young and carefree, they were boys

with the responsibilities of men.

[broadcaster 2] Busby's Babes

bore the stamp

of his belief in creative,

adventurous football.

Flair and verve and freedom of expression.

[broadcaster 1] To them, it was more

than a game. It was a cause.

Manchester United, the team.

That's all that mattered.

[Gary]

Nobby Stiles would say,

it wasn't just entertaining,

attacking, beautiful football

that'll make you winners,

it'll be that other bit,

fighting on a football pitch

for your badge.

[broadcaster]

The spirit of Manchester United lives on.

[Ferguson] The Busby Babes,

the youth teams they had then,

I think that has to be a yardstick

for all we're trying to achieve.

[Gary] The boss embraced the past,

the values, the principles, the heritage.

He felt like he could repeat

what Sir Matt Busby brought

to Manchester United.

[reporter] He does lots of little tricks.

David, can you give us

a trick now, please?

[Beckham] I think I was only nine

or ten years old.

I saw my mum talking to someone,

she said he's a Manchester United scout,

and at that point, I can't remember

anything that she said after that.

What are you looking forward to, David?

-Well, I'm looking forward to seeing

-That's when it all started.

Mark Hughes and the stadium.

My first meeting of the manager,

he was unbelievably kind.

He gave me a long Manchester United coat,

which he wore back in the day.

But I didn't know,

but he was wooing me at the time.

[reporter] First question to all of you,

did you enjoy it?

[all] Yeah!

My dad left when I was 13,

so it was probably the time when I was

just meeting the manager.

And I think he sort of took an interest

in everything, was okay at home,

really looked after me.

[Butt] Remember my dad saying to him,

"You can do whatever you want with him.

If he needs a clip round the head,

give him a clip round the head,

but one thing I'll say about Nick,

he won't be the best player on the pitch,

but he'll give you 100%"

and I remember that.

[Neville] Dads throw you out

in the world, I'd say,

but mums just want you to be cared for,

and my mum was blown away.

And there was almost like a trust there.

[Beckham] Once you become a youth

team player at Manchester United,

it's a whole different thing.

It's not about you,

it's not about your mum and dad,

it's all about Manchester United.

[Neville]

The boss was setting the tone,

he was the one

that was leading the charge.

His car was here first.

[Giggs] He had that little cough

[imitating cough]

And if you're walking up the stairs

and you heard that,

you'd just walk back down.

My job was to clean the first team baths.

There was one day, you know, the cough

came down and we sh*t ourselves.

The place was spotless.

And he literally climbed up

and he put his hand down the back

and he just went, "dirt", and walked out.

[Beckham] Saturday mornings, the manager,

he'd be stood up against the window,

and he'd be pacing,

you'd see him pace up and down.

It was terrifying. Terrifying.

[Scholes] You could feel him stomping

down the stairs,

and when he did have a go at you,

it was scary.

[Butt] When I was 15, he obliterated me.

"You f*cking little sh*t, you'll never

play for this football club again.

Who do you think you are?

You come into this club,

all these players here

and it's all about you."

It's just aggressive, it's in your face.

When the manager tells you

you're never gonna play

for United again, you believe him.

[Neville] The first team felt

a million miles away,

that's another level,

maybe that's not for me.

[Scholes] I remember the coach

rang my dad and said,

"We're hearing stories of your son

being out quite a bit,

think he's drinking too much."

And I just remember my dad said, "Well,

is he not allowed to enjoy himself?"

And that's when I had to make the choice,

to move out my area to be away

from my mates at 18, 19 years of age.

Never really spoke to any of 'em again.

[Butt] It becomes your life,

it becomes you.

We'd have to be at the training ground

for a certain time.

We'd eat at a certain time.

We'd go in the gym at a certain time.

You become lost in your week,

in your months.

You become like a loyal dog, if you like.

[commentator] Here's Phil Neville.

[Neville] There was people

in this dressing room

that were ten times the player I was.

[commentator]

He’s got an eye for the goal as well

But I ticked the boxes

that he required in this building.

[commentator] Glorious!

I had a mentality that I would die

for this team, for this club.

The team came before an individual.

[Butt] We was bred to win,

it was always win, win, win, win, win.

It was like it was meant to happen.

[Beckham] It always felt like

they were building

for something bigger, more special.

To win the European Cup,

that was our destiny

and that was my dream.

[Neville] That was the challenge.

Could you be talked about like Best, Law,

Charlton, Nobby Stiles, Brian Kidd?

Busby Babes. These greats.

I felt that responsibility of that blazer.

And you always feel like you're sort of

stepping into their shoes

and that sort of strength of belonging

to the club was massive.

He used to say that to us.

"What's up with your face?"

"Nothing."

"Look a bit more lively then.

You can't have a bad day

if you've got that badge on."

[radio jingle]

Good morning, this is your wakeup call.

Good morning, I'm Mike Toole,

and Manchester is waking up

to the biggest game of the season.

Old Trafford, 12 o'clock this afternoon,

it's Man United versus Liverpool.

[broadcaster] The FA Cup, Liverpool are

in town and that means battle stations.

[Gary] It will always be the

greatest rivalry in English football.

Steeped in history and tradition.

That lot had won everything

in my childhood.

I hated them.

[Yorke] Before Christmas,

we were battling with ourselves,

there was nothing, you know,

connecting.

But that game, that particular game there,

you can feel the whole thing building.

[crowd cheering]

The hair on the back of my neck

is actually I can feel the tension.

[Gary]

Liverpool was the start of everything.

[commentator] Manchester United kick-off.

Redknapp's got the ball here,

he's got Heggem raiding down the right,

Fowler changed position in the centre

It's Owen!

Fantastic start for Liverpool.

Michael Owen!

[Gary] We can't lose in front

of 8,000 Liverpool fans at Old Trafford

at this point in the season.

You're starting to feel like the season

could be a disappointment.

[commentator] Nervous play in their

own half by Manchester United.

[Gary] We were obsessed about

playing for Manchester United.

You are obsessed

about what we're representing,

what we stood for,

the history of the club.

Beckham and Giggs and Scholes

and Butt and Nevilles,

they were the spirit of Manchester United.

[whistle blowing]

They were an example

that players need to be

when they play for Manchester United.

[Solskjær] The local boys and Roy Keane,

they were always trying to shape you

into what they needed in a team.

We never give up, we stick together,

we dig our teammate out.

[commentator] Keane is there, Roy Keane

against the post, comes out for Giggs!

Man United were never beat,

we were together in a cauldron for life,

and we knew that we'd do anything

for each other.

Scholes, wide for Gary Neville

Leadership, fighting to the end.

It's learnt behaviours.

[commentator] Free kick.

[Beckham] FA Cup against Liverpool

at Old Trafford.

One nil down with two minutes to go.

We were brought up for moments like that.

That's what Manchester United

is all about.

[whistle blows]

[commentator] Beckham takes it.

Oh, it's Yorke!

Cole and Yorke combined

[crowd cheering]

and Manchester United,

with two minutes to go.

I scored the easiest goal

that I've ever scored.

But the energy that I got from the fans,

oh, wow.

[commentator]

Dwight Yorke, well,

he won't get an easier equaliser.

[Scholes] There was never celebration

at a draw, no chance.

We'd keep going, we'd keep going,

we'd keep going, 'cause we had to.

We wanted it just as much as the manager.

[commentator]

There’s still time for more to come.

[Yorke] Then I realised that this team

has a desire like no other team.

You can't do this to us,

we're gonna do this to you.

[commentator]

Stoppage time.

I'm taking responsibility.

Get the ball. Make things happen. Bam!

[commentator] Solskjær!

[cheering]

["Movin' On Up" by Primal Scream playing]

[Yorke] The celebration of the local boys,

the manager's expression,

and that feeling

of what you're representing.

The club that you represent.

I felt it like I've never felt

in football before.

It was the feeling of winning late.

The boss used to talk about it

being the fabric of the club,

the fabric of his team.

A team of mine never gives in.

So it wasn't the win, it was the feeling.

[commentator] And how 1999 is shaping up

for Manchester United.

[broadcaster] Dwight Yorke's goals

throughout January

have helped lift United

to the top of the table.

Its form that has also earned

Alex Ferguson

his seventh manager of the month award.

You now had a team that started to believe

where they were going to.

[commentator] It's Dwight Yorke!

It's gonna run here for Cole,

and Andy Cole is through!

We just took one game at a time.

[commentator]

Done just that, but here goes Cole.

[Berg] We started to win.

That was one little step.

-[commentator] Gary Neville.

-Then the next win was a little step.

Every game we was like fighting

for everything, but we won them.

And this builds a lot of confidence,

the team spirit, togetherness.

The belief and the trust,

but you could not think too far ahead.

[commentator] Coming up, a colossal

contest in the Premiership power game.

[Neville]

We still have big obstacles to overcome.

[commentator] Anelka scores for Arsenal.

Arsenal was our biggest obstacle.

The pressure was building up.

I remember the boss saying,

"It's not gonna happen again."

[crowd cheering]

[commentator]

Arsenal not at full strength,

but they have held Manchester United.

The first side to stop them winning

anywhere this year.

[broadcaster] Alex Ferguson says

he did the right thing

when Brian Kidd announced his departure,

absolutely nothing.

Except to put into motion

the kind of extensive research

a top team must carry out these days,

to ensure they get

the best possible personnel.

Every bit of knowledge we got,

all pointed back to Steve.

Sheer fear. Sheer pressure.

That's what I felt.

You knew from the outside

what Manchester United was all about,

but really you know nothing

until you're inside.

[reporter] Keaney's having a go at us.

[McClaren] It's another world.

[reporter]

Let me just ask that one again. Right

First day, uh, said to him,

"Gaffer, what do you want me to coach?"

He said, "What did you do at Derby?"

He said, "Son, that's why you're here.

So whatever you did at Derby, you do here.

Now get out my office

and get on with your job."

And that was it.

You grew another foot tall.

He created that

"us-against-the-world" mentality.

So once you came

through the gates at The Cliff,

you were in that safe environment,

protected by the gaffer.

And everybody looked to him

and trusted him.

He's got so much experience,

instinct, gut feeling.

I've been here before,

I've made that decision before,

and it's worked before.

[commentator] Hello once again, welcome

to the brand-new Premiership season.

[Neville]

'95-'96 season, Aston Villa away.

[clicks tongue]

f*ck.

[reporter] United supporters are trying

to come to terms

with the sale of two of the club's

most popular players.

Paul Ince leaving Manchester

for a career in Italy.

-[fan 1] Think it's ridiculous, really.

-[fan 2] Terrible.

[reporter]

Alex Ferguson is shuffling his pack.

[commentator] Manchester United,

the accent today definitely on youth,

seven of their team

with an average age of 21.

[Gary] In '95, we were still kids.

The manager made the tough decision

to think, this '94 double winning team,

they weren't gonna give him

what he wanted in Europe.

Because we'd had failures in Europe

that were really miserable,

and that's when he made

the big bold decision

to create a pathway for us.

Selling two crowd favourites is a gamble.

Brutal.

[commentator] Seven of their team,

with an average age of 21.

Went out on the pitch

and we were three-nil down.

[commentator[ Villa still have it,

here's Charles

just drilled it in, Taylor scores!

Round to Neville now,

can he deliver a good cross?

We got battered.

Draper!

And that was the famous quote.

Well, United were scarcely recognisable

from the team we've known

over the last couple of seasons,

what's going on, do you feel?

[Hansen] Trick of winning the

Championship is having strength and depth.

They just haven't got it.

You can't win anything with kids.

[Butt] And that quote was probably

what everyone else was thinking.

[commentator] Looking across, Nicky Butt,

to his manager Alex Ferguson,

for instruction.

It was always in the back of my head,

what am I doing here?

Am I really good enough?

It never felt right.

[Hansen, echoing]

You can't win anything with kids.

And I believed him.

[commentator]

3-1 is the final score,

and they got a real mauling from Villa

[Neville]

There's no way we can win the league.

What's the boss doing?

The manager's judgement

was questioned enormously.

There were polls in the local newspaper

saying "Should he be sacked?"

Has he lost it?

Everyone says kids need time, Alex,

is that what they'll get?

Yes, I've always had patience

with the young players at our club.

[reporter] Written off by so many

[Neville] The next day,

the boss was on the front foot,

demanding that we're better,

but believing in us like nobody else.

We went to Blackburn the week later,

played on a Monday night,

and Becks scored a brilliant goal.

[commentator] Oh, it's a goal!

Beckham has scored

out of absolutely nowhere

[Neville] And all of a sudden you

started to get a little bit more belief

that you belonged on that stage.

I sit there next to Eric and Coley

and Keaney.

Becks starts pinging the ba*ls

all over the shop.

I start playing with more confidence.

Scholesy starts getting goals

and Nevs becoming dominant.

[Neville] Then all of a sudden,

the senior players just took hold of it.

They went into title mode.

Right, the season starts now.

Cantona!

Eric was Eric.

He's got this stature,

he's got this energy.

Eric could do whatever he wanted.

Because he turned up on a Saturday

and he delivered.

[commentator] Cantona r*fles in

his sixth goal of the season.

[Butt] But Roy became leader of the team.

Everything the manager installed into us

at a young age, Roy had.

But Roy didn't get brought up by him,

Roy had that edge.

He intimidated the opposition

like you wouldn't believe.

[Neville] If there was a fight,

he would take a punch for you.

If there was a b*llet,

he would take a b*llet for you.

If you was in trouble on the pitch,

he would be the first player there.

Gimme the ball.

Every single day.

"All right, you f*ck, we go again."

[commentator 1] Manchester United

win the FA Carling Premiership

[commentator 2] But Alex Ferguson is

the best Manchester United manager

since the great Sir Matt Busby.

That performance today, I mean,

how satisfying was that for the players?

Ah, that was fantastic.

I think the lads deserve the lead.

You know, the young lads have come in

and been absolutely fantastic.

Well, look, gotta give you the champagne.

The Carling man of the match.

Roy, I'm sure you can find a use for that

tonight, well done.

[Beckham] We won the Premier League,

we won the FA Cup

[commentator]

James gets there just first Cantona!

[cheering]

[fan] Absolutely fantastic.

[reporter] 'Cause they all said

that kids couldn't do it, didn't they?

That's right.

Unbelievable, they are better

than the Busby Babes, they really are.

[reporter] They've become known

as the Class of '92

and these five talented young players

are the nucleus

of United's double-winning side,

carefully groomed by their manager.

[Neville] The senior players,

they won us the double that year,

without a shadow of a doubt.

And then you do it the year after,

and then all of a sudden,

you've won two Premier League titles

in your first two seasons,

so you think

you know what it takes to win.

But then

[broadcaster]

After more than one false alarm,

this time it really is au revoir, Cantona.

Those close to Cantona

say he made his decision to quit

following United's disappointing exit

from the European Cup

at the semi-final stage.

[Neville] I was devastated 'cause

I loved him, he was the king.

With Eric leaving the club,

there were a lot of questions.

Regards to Europe, can we go

onto that next level without Eric?

[Neville]

So then you think, people have to step up.

A Giggs, a Cole, a Beckham, a Scholes,

have to step up.

And we still had Roy.

You felt safe with him in the team.

[reporter]

I have to ask you about Roy Keane,

because that's the third time

he's been sent off

in probably under a year.

But is the Roy Keane situation one

that you'll have to address?

Right, John,

you've no right to ask that question.

You're out of order.

You know fine well my ruling on that.

Right?

That's the interview finished.

I'm going now and I wanna cancel

that interview, right,

the whole f*cking lot of it, cancel it.

You're f*cking not doing it again.

[Butt] Without Eric, he then obviously

put his faith in Roy.

[Ferguson]

You f*cking know the rules here.

[Neville]

Roy was almost a mini-me of the boss.

The two of them were just identical

in terms of their drive,

their determination to win.

Brutal, aggressive

Always on that line.

[commentator] Roy Keane, who picked up

that cruciate ligament injury.

You don't like to use

the phrase "poetic justice"

when a player's been so badly injured,

but my word, he brought it on himself.

[Lineker] This is a serious blow

for the rest of the season for United.

Roy getting injured was a bigger setback

than Cantona leaving.

The expectation was high.

We knew we're gonna miss Roy,

we knew we're gonna miss Eric,

but it was up to us

to take over the mantle if you like.

The players know,

they've had a warning tonight, you know,

but it's the last warning they need.

[broadcaster] All of a sudden, these young

players, it's not all going their way,

they've now gotta perform.

When they've lost a bit of confidence.

[Beckham] It's easy to say never give in.

But we didn't realise

how difficult it was going to be.

[Neville] This is tough,

the depth of the squad wasn't there,

we couldn't compete in every competition.

[broadcaster] Roy Keane was injured in

September, United have really struggled.

Up against the top teams in Europe,

we missed him massively.

[broadcaster] Maybe they don't have

genuine world-class players.

[Gary]

The pain of losing. How you lose it.

The pressure of the emotion,

you become mentally saturated.

At some point, just poof, goes.

[commentator]

The orchestrator of Arsenal triumphs.

[Butt] We got a massive smack

around the face, saying,

"You're little boys, you're not as good

as you think you are, basically."

[broadcaster 1]

Where has it all gone wrong for United?

[broadcaster 2, echoing]

The dream is over now for United.

[Scholes] And it's like your world's over,

you'll never play again,

and you wonder then,

you know, is your time up?

Does he think you've lost the hunger

and the desire to carry on?

[trainer] Keep going, keep going,

all the way, come on, come on, and again.

[Gary]

We're where we wanna be in March,

we're in the Champions League

quarter-finals.

We're right up there in the league.

But it's now or never, this is the time

where you deliver or you don't.

And that pressure starts.

No more nights out for three months.

Quarter-final of the FA Cup,

Stamford Bridge on a Wednesday night.

You could see how we could get beat there.

And we went and battered 'em.

We were brilliant that night.

[commentator]

Manchester United are coming to the boil.

That game doesn't get

enough respect on it.

[commentator]

At the perfect time of the season.

They were right on the edge,

going for it every day.

[reporter] People are talking about

the Treble for you this season, Alex,

is that too far down the road yet?

Well, a lot of people can talk

what they like,

I'll just concentrate on today.

[Gary] The manager believed in us

like you wouldn't believe.

But we were 23, 24.

The time was coming

where we had to stand up or shut up.

The Inter Milan game comes along.

Inter Milan, quarter-final of Europe,

that momentum that builds

[commentator]

It's Paul Scholes! He's done it!.

Incredible.

[commentator]

Match point, Manchester United.

We can't grumble.

You know, we're in a good position.

But this time last year,

we were in roughly the same position

and we ended up with nothing.

So hopefully we can learn from that.

[Neville] Everyone knew

what was happening, we weren't daft.

But we didn't really speak about it.

It was like the elephant in the room.

[broadcaster]

Well, not so long ago, it was Steve who?

But eight games into his new role,

United haven't lost

and the players have fallen in line.

Every day they tested each other

and every day they tested me.

And I swear I never slept a wink

for six months.

My best days were Sunday mornings

at The Cliff.

And we'd get the bacon butties on,

big pot of tea,

get the newspapers on the table,

and everyone would be

in the dressing room, gaffer included,

and we'd just be chewing the fat

and having a cup of tea,

reading the papers.

You're in there, Yorkie,

you made the front page again.

Everyone was different.

Eh?

"What did he write about you, eh?

Come in here, son.

Prove 'em wrong, eh?"

You're safe in here.

[players cheering]

That bubble, there's only us.

It's only family.

Us against the world.

[broadcaster]

It's the semi-final, the replay

between Arsenal and Manchester United.

Sit tight because it really could be

quite a ride.

[Neville] It was the point in the

season where there was no return.

If you won this game you'd win the FA Cup,

you'd win the league.

It was do or die.

[broadcaster] And we start

with sensational news

from the Manchester United dressing room.

Out, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke,

and Ryan Giggs is left out as well.

The biggest gamble that I've ever seen

from a manager in a football match,

beat Arsenal without our best team

on the pitch.

[broadcaster] Just quite sensational.

[Gary] Impossible.

[commentator] The Treble is still on.

The European challenge in Turin

is just a week away.

[broadcaster] Now for Manchester United,

Phil Neville deputises

for the injured Denis Irwin.

I said, "Oh, f*cking hell,

he's made five changes,"

like, I couldn't grasp it, you know?

I couldn't grasp it.

and then all of a sudden, I thought,

he f*cking trusts every single one of us.

And I've never, ever, ever gone onto

a field feeling like I did that night.

I thought, f*ck it,

I'm gonna die for this f*ck.

I'm gonna die for him.

You could smell the hatred, the pressure.

It was f*cking intense.

[Beckham] We loved the rivalry,

we loved the hatred.

It's what spurred us on as a team.

[commentator] What a goal!

Well, it was going to take something

to make a breakthrough here.

And David Beckham has provided it.

[Gary]

We were brilliant in that first hour.

[Neville]

It was an out-of-body experience.

It was it was like a street fight.

[Gary]

And the whole thing changed.

[commentator]

Bergkamp. Goal for Arsenal!

Never write them off.

[Gary]

All of a sudden, I could feel it.

You know, I feel like my head's tightening

now just thinking about it.

-[commentator 1] He's off.

-[commentator 2] It's Roy Keane.

David Elleray dismisses Roy Keane

and Manchester United suddenly

find their world collapsing here.

They lost their lead, though now,

will they survive the dismissal

of their captain?

I'm like [sighs] f*ck

[commentator]

Roy Keane has been dismissed.

There was a fear factor,

no doubt about that.

You're thinking about the season before,

your legs going, your mistakes,

not being good enough,

letting each other down.

Gonna have to dig in here.

The boss used to always say,

"If it's hard, brilliant."

It's the hard that's what makes it great.

It was one of my best ever

individual performances.

And then f*ck.

[commentator] Room for Ray Parlour.

In stoppage time, down goes Parlour.

David Elleray gives Arsenal a penalty.

Would you believe it!

I remember seeing Phil make the tackle

and then I just thought

[Gary] I remember feeling sick.

[Neville] I just thought

that's you done at this football club.

I'll never probably play

for Man United again.

[commentator]

Oh, Philip Neville's distraught.

[Neville] Just felt it was that big.

[Gary] I remember looking up

at my mum and dad,

I knew exactly where they were sat

in the stand over there.

[sighs deeply]

Thinking, it's up in smoke.

[commentator] Now United need

Peter Schmeichel to rescue them now.

Dennis Bergkamp

Bergkamp puts that penalty in,

we don't win the Treble.

I felt that. Everyone felt that.

Then I thought of my dad and my wife

in the stand and I thought

Done.

Done.

[commentator]

Two international greats here,

a decisive moment

in an FA Cup semi-final replay.

-Bergkamp and Schmeichel.

-[crowd cheering]

[whistle blows]

Schmeichel has saved it!

[Neville]

And he f*cking saved the penalty.

[commentator] Unbelievable.

I felt as if he saved my life.

[commentator]

He saves a 91st-minute penalty

to keep Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Everybody knew I was leaving

after the season.

But I'm not finished yet.

I wasn't gonna let Man United down now.

That was a turning point.

[Beckham] Okay, game on, this is it.

There had to be a winner on the night.

[Butt] We have to prove that we

can handle it in the big games.

[Giggs] Arsenal were formidable.

We knew that we had to stand up to 'em.

Before I went on, the manager just said,

"Lee Dixon's tiring,

I think you can exploit that."

Maybe I needed reminding

of what I was good at.

It was just instinctive.

Like slow motion.

Like a dream.

[commentator]

It's a wonderful run from Giggs!

Sensational goal from Ryan Giggs!

In the second period of extra time.

He's cut Arsenal to ribbons

and the team with ten men

go back in front 2-1.

[Gary]

You can't even put words on it,

you just know something's happening.

[commentator]

Wants the whistle to go, and now it does.

Manchester United are in the FA Cup Final.

[Neville] When the whistle went,

I was in a state of shock.

[commentator] Ryan Giggs has scored

the goal of his life

[Neville] The season before,

we couldn't handle somebody

like Roy Keane out of our team.

[commentator] Forty-five minutes,

they've had to play with ten men

[Neville] That Arsenal game,

we weren't kids anymore.

We became men.

f*ck it, if we can overcome that,

we can win anything.

[Ferguson] Who's to know what's

going to happen in football, Gary?

It could all blow in our face

at the end of the day.

-But can you forget moments like this?

-[reporter] No.

Our supporters will be talking

about that for years.

The players will be talking

about that for years.

That's what football is about,

trying to reach peaks.

We're in a final.

We needed a little bit of magic

and we got it.

[Gary] He was a risk-taker

and he got it right again.

It wasn't just hard work,

determination, fight,

it was also the expression, the beauty,

the fantasy of football,

of winning, of goals, of taking a chance.

You put that together and that's exactly

what Sir Matt Busby did.

[broadcaster] Well, Manchester United

completed the task tonight,

however, they've another job

on the horizon.

We've got a big game now on Wednesday.

It's a massive game.

The big games are the ones you want.

Liverpool.

Chelsea.

Inter Milan.

Arsenal.

It was unbelievable.

Undefeated from the 21st of December.

You know, it tells you something

about the team, you know.

In every different game,

somebody stood out.

I mean, you take Juventus

[broadcaster 1] United have it all to do

in their semi-final

against Italian giants Juventus.

[broadcaster 2] had hoped to take

a substantial lead to Turin

for the second leg

of their European Cup semi-final,

United are now very much underdogs.

It's all he ever talked about, the gaffer,

winning the European Cup.

That was his obsession.

You have to win the Champions League

to be really renowned as a great team.

The fans knew that, our dressing room

knew that, our manager knew that.

[news presenter 1]

Manchester United's footballers

[news presenter 2]

have arrived in Italy

[Irwin] This is the game.

For us to stay on that path

of trying to win a Treble.

This was our biggest challenge.

Juventus were the best.

Juventus were the best.

They were our arch enemy.

We'd had bad experiences

against that Juventus team, constantly.

In the first leg, it was almost as

if like they were toying with us.

[commentator 1]

Manchester United have been undone here.

[commentator 2]

It's 1-0 to Juventus.

[commentator 3]

Juventus played United off the park.

[Neville] You know, they had Zidane,

Deschamps, World Cup winners.

-Juventus looked miles ahead

-Manchester United got out-coached.

You know, it was like, oh, sh*t

[commentator] I don't particularly like

Manchester United's tactics on the night.

Are we still not ready to win in Europe?

[commentator] Peruzzi stretched again,

in goes Cole, in goes Giggs!

[Gary] And then you get a draw

at the end of the game.

[commentator]

A lifeline for Manchester United.

[Gary] And you're thinking,

is that a good result?

We're thinking,

we gotta go to Turin and win.

[commentator] Juventus have beaten United

on the last four visits to Turin.

[broadcaster] I've gotta believe

that Manchester United

will change their tactics

and not play 4-4-2.

[trainer] Go! Pass the ball and move now,

pass the ball.

[McClaren] He knew he was questioned,

pulled the players together

and he said, "They say, I should change

my style of play in Europe."

But I'm telling you, I believe in this,

and I believe in you,

and I believe in you and you and you.

So next leg, we're playing 4-4-2

and we're going for it.

He always went on emotion.

Positivity that hit you there,

and you went,

"Let me get out of this chair now,

we're playing, come on, let's go."

[commentator] The two most famous teams

of Italy and England, head to head,

for a place in club football's

biggest final.

[Gary]

This was the ultimate test.

We knew if we got past Juventus,

you become almost unstoppable.

[commentator]

Zidane guides it in, Inzaghi was there.

Less than six minutes played.

again, ahead of Stam, trying to turn

the ball towards the face of goal,

deflected and in!

And then you go 2-0 down in Turin.

[Yorke] The worst nightmare of a coach

or players, 2-0 down after 13 minutes.

Where do you go from there?

[Gary] Juventus giving up

a two goal lead in their stadium,

that doesn't happen, so

[commentator] Manchester United

need a minor miracle now.

[Gary]

Everything was at stake.

You can't keep failing again,

and again and again.

[Ferguson]

Your mind is floating all the time.

You're not worried about, you know,

the occasion of it all,

I'm only thinking about what we do

during the game,

rather than worry about if we lost it.

[commentator] Inzaghi towards Conte,

Schmeichel in no man's land!

Oh, and off the line by Jaap Stam!

Handling it, I had the experience

to handle it, you know.

[crowd chanting]

[Stam] You know, the manager was

telling us, "Keep sticking to the plan."

We needed to go forward,

we needed to attack

and that's what we did.

[commentator] The next goal is the most

massive goal of the season.

[McClaren]

The players knew, the gaffer demanded

and Roy Keane, he stepped up.

-[cheering]

-[air horns blasting]

[Blomqvist] Now, Keano, he was really

just having a great game.

[commentator] Good throw too to Yorke.

This is Blomqvist.

I just received the ball,

then I didn't take it forward,

I turned back and I tried

to square a pass to Keano.

He mistimed it a little bit, the touch.

[commentator] And it wasn't the best

of passes from Blomqvist,

Keane brought it down.

It's a yellow card.

Whatever happens, he will not play

in the Champions League final this season.

You know, as a player straight away

that he would've missed

the biggest game of his life.

It was something that,

a switch that Roy flicked.

[commentator] Whole European season

boils down to this now.

[Cole] It was as if he said,

"Right, chaps, I can't make the final,

but I'm gonna let you know now,

you'll be getting there."

[Gary]

Roy was the ultimate team player,

but there were other players

that were monumental as well

out there on that pitch.

[Ferguson] That group of players had

a character about them

that never would've let them down.

Tactics do play a part, of course,

when you've got players

with that inside them,

that just says "we are not giving in".

[Yorke] It's a winning mentality.

Generated by the manager.

Epitomized by the captain.

And you follow.

f*ck it.

Gonna have a go at these c**ts now.

[commentator] This is Cole.

In towards Yorke!

It's 2-2!

Dwight Yorke has equalised

for Manchester United,

and they have seen

the Juventus away goal,

and they have raised it.

[crowd, chanting]

You're going home, you're going home

[Neville] They just went.

The crowd went, their team went,

the atmosphere died.

-You could just smell it.

-[fan] Go on! Go Keano!

We went for blood.

-[cheering]

-[whistle blowing]

[commentator] Oh, and a yellow card

and Paul Scholes will be out of the final

if United got there.

We played like we're possessed.

That's the way Man United play football.

[commentator] Yorke. He skipped through,

it's Dwight Yorke,

he's brought down by Peruzzi,

Cole'll finish it off!

Full speed ahead Barcelona!

Manchester United are in sight

of the European Cup Final again.

[crowd chanting] We shall not be moved,

We shall not, we shall not be moved

[reporter]

Alex, so many heartbreaks in the past,

but you're there,

you're following Sir Matt Busby,

taking Manchester United

to a European Cup Final.

Ah, it's a proud, proud moment for me.

My players are absolutely fantastic.

Absolutely magnificent.

Yes!

[players cheering]

[indistinct chatter]

[Gary] The dressing room,

at the end of the game,

was like the happiest place in the world.

But with one black cloud.

[reporter] And now, of course, you play

against Bayern Munich in the final

without two players.

We've got to talk about them,

first of all, Roy Keane

who battled his heart out,

and Paul Scholes

who won't be able to play.

[Ferguson] It's certainly tragic for them

to miss the final.

Feel for them.

Everyone says it was Roy Keane's

best ever game.

But his sacrifice knowing

he wasn't going to play in the final.

You know, it tells you something about

what kind of character is he.

[Keane]

Sports is all about disappointments.

But if you survive long enough,

you get a few highs along the way.

If you want to talk about disappointments,

we could be here all night.

But when you play on the edge,

there's going to be a cost

[reporter] Must've hurt and be

a bit frustrating for you though?

Yeah, It's frustrating, I'm not gonna lie.

You know, Jesus, 'course I am.

You know, I'm upset about it,

but I'm not gonna ponder on it.

The club's more important

than any individual,

and hopefully,

we can go and win it in Barcelona.

Manchester United are the pick

of the Premiership once again.

[commentator 1] Roy Keane is the mainstay

of the Manchester United side.

Sadly will not be able to play

in Barcelona,

which is a real disappointment

for him and Manchester United.

But he's here today.

Is he the difference between winning

which they are this season,

and ending up with nothing,

which they did last season?

[commentator 2]

The last Cup Final of the 20th century.

And if it sounds important, it is.

Manchester United looking to make history.

One down, two to go

on their Treble chance.

[commentator 3] For Roy Keane today,

this is very much his Barcelona.

He misses the big one on Wednesday night.

And Keane is limping.

I didn't see the incident concerned

but Roy Keane is definitely limping

at the moment for Manchester United,

inside the centre circle.

Everyone knows how much Roy Keane

will be missed in Barcelona

on Wednesday night.

There's gonna be an early substitution

in the Cup Final

and Roy Keane's season

is about to end here.

It's very tough to take.

[Scholes] Captain's gone.

Right, come on.

Them players out on the pitch are capable

of winning games for Man United.

[commentator] In the centre circle

to Scholes. Scholes

[Scholes]

That's the most important thing.

[commentator] May forward to Cole.

Cole does well to evade two challenges,

finds Teddy Sheringham though

I think he was playing it to Ryan Giggs.

Sheringham does well. Onto Scholes.

Sheringham in the penalty area.

And Sheringham has scored

for Manchester United!

He's only been on two minutes.

Ten minutes played at Wembley Stadium.

Schmeichel. Delirious

[Sheringham] Wow.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

That three seconds after you score a goal

in front of a big crowd,

it is the best feeling in the world.

The roller coaster.

That's how it works.

[Scholes] It was always in the back

of my mind, I suppose.

That I weren't gonna be involved

on the Wednesday.

There was a weirdness to it,

yeah, of course, there was,

because you'd done

so much together.

You wanted to finish it together.

You're on the school playground

with your mates.

Never thought about winning the league,

I thought about winning the FA Cup Final.

Scoring the winning goal,

all that kind of stuff.

[commentator]

Solskjær, Sheringham, Scholes, it's two!

[crowd cheering]

Clear daylight for Manchester United!

[Scholes] I think I just stood there

and put my hands up.

That elation

that's right up there.

That's the game. Done with.

[commentator] There goes Scholes.

[Scholes] There was a sense of relief

from me that I'd helped the team to do it.

We all had to play a part.

[commentator] Goes to sit alongside

Roy Keane as he must

in the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

[crowd chanting]

"We shall not be moved" is the anthem

and nobody has been able to move them.

1999 is the third Manchester United

double year.

It may yet be the first

Manchester United Treble year.

Two down, one to go

[Gary]

I remember thinking, this is it,

this is the moment in my life

that I've been waiting for.

We're on the brink of greatness.

We've won the league, we've won the Cup,

we're now gonna go

and play the Champions League.

The only doubt any of us had

was just staring us in the face.

Somehow we gotta do it

without two of the greatest players.

[commentator] Next it's Bayern Munich

and the quest for the holy grail.

The manager, he knew,

win against Bayern

[commentator] The FA Cup is back

in Manchester United's hands.

and he can be the guy who delivered

the Treble for the first time ever.

That's big. That's massive.

[crowd chanting]

We shall not, we shall not be moved

[Schmeichel] But lose and in many ways,

that would be a massive failure.

So how are you dealing with that?

[tense music plays]