United's dream team of the century

[theater of dream]

United's dream team
of the century

Paul Hince

February 19, 2010

What an amazing response we had after asking you to select United's Team of the Century to celebrate Friday's 100th anniversary of the opening of Old Trafford.

Your nominations flooded in in their thousands to make it one of the biggest reader competitions in the history of your M.E.N.

We had more than 6,000 entries and they are still being sent to our sports editor Peter Spencer even though the deadline was last Friday!

To judge the competition we asked Old Trafford legends Lou Macari, Paddy Crerand and Denis Irwin plus soccer-mad Salford bookie Fred Done to select their best United team of the last century using a loose 4-4-2 formation.

The team settled on by the judging panel took me by surprise - not by the great players they selected - but by the great players they had to leave out.

For instance there was no place for the magnificent centre forward Tommy Taylor, who scored an incredible 112 goals in only 166 senior matches before tragically losing his life in the Munich air disaster in February 1958.

Nor was there room for modern heroes Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes or David Beckham.

What I can tell you is that the four judges were unanimous in selecting five players for their team - Peter Schmeichel, George Best, Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs.

As your entries were scrutinised it soon became clear that Schmeichel was a popular nomination.

The Great Dane was selected by a staggering 98 per cent of those readers who entered the competition - and the judges agreed.

But in other departments the competition for places in the final team was much more hotly contested.

There was strong support for defenders Gary Neville, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Nemanja Vidic.

Many readers went for former heroes Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo, while current stars Scholes and Wayne Rooney were also naturally among the votes. You do wonder whether Rooney would have made the team now he's run into such brilliant run form.

When the entries had been counted and the dust had settled, astonishingly only two readers matched the judges' team.

The lucky two were Peter Jones from Atherton, who won two season tickets at the Theatre of Dreams, while Joseph Walker, from Northenden, won two VIP tickets for the Carling Cup final.

A further 200 entries named 10 of the 11 players chosen by the judges.

Their names went into the hat and two were drawn out by our boss Spencer.

The third prize of a state-of-the-art flat screen TV went to Dorothy Harrison, while the fourth prize winner, Chris Honeyford, received a signed United shirt.

So this then is Manchester United's Team of the Century:

Peter Schmeichel

Signed for £600,000, Schmeichel proved to be one of Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest bargain buys. At the height of his Old Trafford career, the Great Dane was widely regarded as the finest goalkeeper in the world.

Roger Byrne

Born in Gorton, Byrne was 20 when he joined the Reds in 1949. But he certainly made up for lost time during his nine-year career. An inspirational leader, Byrne was captain of the legendary Busby Babes and sadly one of the eight players who perished in the Munich disaster.

Duncan Edwards

Edwards signed for the Reds as a teenager in the early fifties and went on to become the youngest player ever to appear in the First Division. He made 151 senior appearances for United and won 18 caps for England before dying of injuries sustained at Munich at the age of only 21.

Rio Ferdinand

In July 2002 Ferdinand became the world's most expensive defender when he joined United from Leeds for £30m. Has been named in the PFA's Premier League team four years in succession and has earned the captain's armband for England.

Denis Irwin

Irwin joined from Oldham in 1990 for a bargain fee of £625,000. Although naturally right-footed he spent the majority of his 12 seasons at Old Trafford at left back without ever looking out of place and was a key member of the United team that dominated domesticly throughout the Nineties.

Roy Keane

In a decade of almost constant success at Old Trafford, Irish warrior Keane was the voice of manager Alex Ferguson on the field of play. Ferocious and frightening to opponents and team-mates alike.

Bryan Robson

Robson's magnificent 13-year career at United came to an end after almost 500 senior appearances. Strong and fearless, Robson skippered his country 65 times and certainly lived up to his nickname `Captain Marvel'.

Ryan Giggs

The `Peter Pan' of English football, the Welsh wing wonder is still going strong in a career at Old Trafford which stretches back to 1987. Giggs is the most decorated player in the history of English football and surpassed Bobby Charlton's club record 758 appearances in the 2008 Champions League final.

George Best

One of the very few players in the world, who deserved the title of genius, Best was football's first celebrity in the early Sixties. In 1968 he inspired the Reds to their historic European Cup final victory over Benfica and was named European Footballer of the Year.

Denis Law

The wiry Scottish striker joined from Italian club Torino for a British record transfer fee of £115,000 in 1962. But he paid back every penny with his electrifying performances during his 11 years. In 409 appearances, `The King' grabbed 237 goals and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964.

Bobby Charlton

Charlton enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in English football. Made over 700 senior appearances and 199 league goals, a World Cup winner's medal with England in 1966 along with 106 caps and captain of the United team which in 1968 became the first English club to win the European Cup.

Just share your opinion here...

[bang_zak]

baca dulu ndeh gan.....anyway ga ada CR7 ya??

[catsuke]

jangankan CR7, Becks aja ga ada gan, hiks..

Nor was there room for modern heroes Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes or David Beckham.

What I can tell you is that the four judges were unanimous in selecting five players for their team - Peter Schmeichel, George Best, Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs.

tapi top deh gan!!

[red_devilz]

Sebagian besar pemain d era 60-an yah ???

Secara ane baru mengikuti sepak terjang Manchester United dalam 15 tahun terakhir , so kurang begitu tahu permainan legenda-legenda United tersebut. Paling banter cuma bisa download video nya via Youtube ...

Manchester United Team of the Decade menurut ane ( walaupun lebih tepat disebut MU Team of the last 25 years ) :

Posisi Kiper mutlak menjadi milik Peter Schmeichel ......
( Sampai sekarang pun ane masih merindukan The Great Dane ..... sayang pada akhir karirnya malah pindah ke City )

Defend line United ini masih debatable ..... ada nama-nama seperti Jaap Stam , Steve Bruce , Gary Pallister , dan Nemanja Vidic pada posisi Center Back . Berdasarkan permainan United yang ane ikuti , ane cenderung memilih duet sehati Rio Ferdinand - Nemanja Vidic pada posisi Center Back .

Duet wing back , Gary Neville pada right back dan Patrice Evra pada left back ; menyisihkan kandidat lain seperti Paul Parker , dan Dennis Irwin sendiri .

Racikan Lini tengah : Ryan Giggs - Bryan Robson - Roy Keane - Cristiano Ronaldo , sebagai pilihan terbaik d lini tengah United.

Dan lini depan ......... Eric Cantona - Wayne Rooney

[big_alto]

emang susah kalo harus bikin team of the century buat United, soalnya banyak pemain2 United sepanjang 100 tahun kebelakang yang punya influence yg besar banget buat tim dan juga buat fans, tapi ini versi gw hehehehe

Peter Schmeichel
tak diragukan lagi kiper no. 1 buat United, keberaniannya dibawah gawang udah kaya singa ngelindungin anaknya

Gary Neville
mempunyai tekhnik defending yang hebat, tidak pernah takut untuk merebut bola dengan segala risiko, salah satu defender kanan terbaik yang pernah dimiliki Inggris

Steve Bruce
salah satu aktor penting dalam drama kebangkitan United di era 90-an, bahkan the great Schmeichel pernah berkata bahwa Steve Bruce adalah orang yang dia paling takuti di lapangan

Jaap Stam
sebenarnya antara Vidic, Rio, atau Stam mempunyai tekhnik defending yang sangat hebat, mereka ditakuti para striker, tetapi Stam mempunyai influence yang sangat besar bagi United dengan hanya semusim, dengan siapapun dia dipasangkan, dia tetap bermain bagus dan menjadi halangan besar bagi striker musuh

Dennis Irwin
sebuah pilihan yang berat apakah harus memilih Evra atau Irwin? tetapi Irwin pada masa emasnya memiliki kecepatan yang bagus, stamina yang prima dan kemampuan bertahan yang luar biasa (sama dengan Evra) tetapi dia memiliki tekhnik set piece yang cukup mematikan, umpan silangnya juga berbahaya bagi musuh

Cristiano Ronaldo
tak perlu didebatkan lagi, pemain United pertama meraih Ballon D'or dan pemain terbaik dunia, membantu United meraih tiga gelar liga Inggris secara berturut-turut, satu gelar piala dunia klub, dan juga Piala Champions dan gelar2 lainnya. dia adalah salah satu legenda United di usia yang cukup muda. pemain yang lengkap, sundulan yang mematikan, tendangan yang keras dan juga akurat, dribbling yang hebat, kecepatan yang luar biasa, kemampuan set piece dan free kick yang mematikan.

Roy Keane
motivator, motor, gelandang ulung, bagi United, liat gol yang dicetak Keane waktu di Turin, serentak satu tim bangkit dari kekalahan karena gol dari dia. Keane mempunyai tekhnik bertahan yang sempurna (walaupun sedikit kasar :p ) dan juga memiliki visi bermain yang hebat. pilihan yang cukup berat apakah harus Robson atau Keane.

Ryan Giggs
tak ada kata lain untuk Giggs, dia bagaikan penyihir di sisi kiri, bahkan legenda2 dunia memuja pemain asal Wales ini. Del Piero berkata "saya menangis melihat permainan yang diperlihatkan oleh Ryan Giggs", Zidane berkata "jika Giggs berada di tim perancis saat memenangkan piala dunia, mungkin nama dia lebih besar dari saya dan Pires"

George Best
pernah melihat George Best bermain? atau sekedar melihat cuplikannya? satu kata buat Best, Jenius. tekhnik dribbling yang sempurna, gerakan yang cepat, efektif di depan gawang, bahkan disaat kotak penalti penuh dengan defender lawan, dia menari di antara mereka dan mencetak gol.

Denis Law
237 gol yang disarangkan olehnya berkata dengan sendirinya bahwa dia adalah salah satu striker terhebat United bahkan mungkin yang terbaik, bahkan dia memenangkan European Footballer of the year pada tahun 1964.

Eric Cantona
julukan "The King" tidak datang dengan begitu saja, Cantona menjadi "the missing puzzle" bagi kejayaan United di era 90, salah satu football genius di era modern, permainan yang inspirasional dan menakjubkan menjadikan dia salah satu legenda United. pemain dengan teamwork rate yang tinggi, banyak rekan setimnya sangat senang dan merasa terhormat bisa bermain dengan dia.

[yoshiharu_kubo10]

Originally Posted by big_alto

Ryan Giggs
tak ada kata lain untuk Giggs, dia bagaikan penyihir di sisi kiri, bahkan legenda2 dunia memuja pemain asal Wales ini. Del Piero berkata "saya menangis melihat permainan yang diperlihatkan oleh Ryan Giggs", Zidane berkata "jika Giggs berada di tim perancis saat memenangkan piala dunia, mungkin nama dia lebih besar dari saya dan Pires"

aku mungkin salah...tapi setahuku Zidane bilang kira-kira gini...kalau Giggs berada di tim Perancis...mungkin aku (Zidane) atau Pires akan jadi cadangan...

tapi Ryan Joseph Giggs sih memang wajib hukumnya masuk tim impian Manchester United...

Dunga...yang pelatih timnas Brazil dan mantan kapten tim juara dunia Brazil juga bilang begitu...kata Dunga...Giggs tidak akan kesulitan masuk timnas Brazil...meski ada Ronaldinho dan Kaka disana...

[big_alto]

Originally Posted by yoshiharu_kubo10

aku mungkin salah...tapi setahuku Zidane bilang kira-kira gini...kalau Giggs berada di tim Perancis...mungkin aku (Zidane) atau Pires akan jadi cadangan...

tapi Ryan Joseph Giggs sih memang wajib hukumnya masuk tim impian Manchester United...

Dunga...yang pelatih timnas Brazil dan mantan kapten tim juara dunia Brazil juga bilang begitu...kata Dunga...Giggs tidak akan kesulitan masuk timnas Brazil...meski ada Ronaldinho dan Kaka disana...

ohh iyaaa, gw lupa bos, pokoknya yang gw inget Zidane nyebutin dirinya sama Pires yang dibandingin sama Ryan Giggs...salah ngutip, jadi malu

thanks for the correction

[yoshiharu_kubo10]

Originally Posted by big_alto

ohh iyaaa, gw lupa bos, pokoknya yang gw inget Zidane nyebutin dirinya sama Pires yang dibandingin sama Ryan Giggs...salah ngutip, jadi malu

thanks for the correction

mungkin aku yang salah kok bro...aku juga cuma mengandalkan ingatan ku yang sebenarnya jelek...hwhwhwhwhwh...

[rondwisan]

Originally Posted by theater of dream

So this then is Manchester United's Team of the Century:

Peter Schmeichel

Signed for £600,000, Schmeichel proved to be one of Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest bargain buys. At the height of his Old Trafford career, the Great Dane was widely regarded as the finest goalkeeper in the world.

Roger Byrne

Born in Gorton, Byrne was 20 when he joined the Reds in 1949. But he certainly made up for lost time during his nine-year career. An inspirational leader, Byrne was captain of the legendary Busby Babes and sadly one of the eight players who perished in the Munich disaster.

Duncan Edwards

Edwards signed for the Reds as a teenager in the early fifties and went on to become the youngest player ever to appear in the First Division. He made 151 senior appearances for United and won 18 caps for England before dying of injuries sustained at Munich at the age of only 21.

Rio Ferdinand

In July 2002 Ferdinand became the world's most expensive defender when he joined United from Leeds for £30m. Has been named in the PFA's Premier League team four years in succession and has earned the captain's armband for England.

Denis Irwin

Irwin joined from Oldham in 1990 for a bargain fee of £625,000. Although naturally right-footed he spent the majority of his 12 seasons at Old Trafford at left back without ever looking out of place and was a key member of the United team that dominated domesticly throughout the Nineties.

Roy Keane

In a decade of almost constant success at Old Trafford, Irish warrior Keane was the voice of manager Alex Ferguson on the field of play. Ferocious and frightening to opponents and team-mates alike.

Bryan Robson

Robson's magnificent 13-year career at United came to an end after almost 500 senior appearances. Strong and fearless, Robson skippered his country 65 times and certainly lived up to his nickname `Captain Marvel'.

Ryan Giggs

The `Peter Pan' of English football, the Welsh wing wonder is still going strong in a career at Old Trafford which stretches back to 1987. Giggs is the most decorated player in the history of English football and surpassed Bobby Charlton's club record 758 appearances in the 2008 Champions League final.

George Best

One of the very few players in the world, who deserved the title of genius, Best was football's first celebrity in the early Sixties. In 1968 he inspired the Reds to their historic European Cup final victory over Benfica and was named European Footballer of the Year.

Denis Law

The wiry Scottish striker joined from Italian club Torino for a British record transfer fee of £115,000 in 1962. But he paid back every penny with his electrifying performances during his 11 years. In 409 appearances, `The King' grabbed 237 goals and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964.

Bobby Charlton

Charlton enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in English football. Made over 700 senior appearances and 199 league goals, a World Cup winner's medal with England in 1966 along with 106 caps and captain of the United team which in 1968 became the first English club to win the European Cup.

klo udah nama-nama di atas yang dimajuin ..., gak diragukan lagi 'n syusyah untuk disangkal ..., mungkin hanya Rio yang beti ama Bruce or Jaap Stam (klo ini sayang aja karirnya cuman sebentar di United)

yup ..., bahkan Beck or Ronaldo aja gak dapet slot yaa ...

[theater of dream]

Originally Posted by rondwisan

klo udah nama-nama di atas yang dimajuin ..., gak diragukan lagi 'n syusyah untuk disangkal ..., mungkin hanya Rio yang beti ama Bruce or Jaap Stam (klo ini sayang aja karirnya cuman sebentar di United)

yup ..., bahkan Beck or Ronaldo aja gak dapet slot yaa ...

century is from 1910 - 2010, IMO Robbo dan Keane satu tipe sepertinya gw lebih suka Keane, Scholes. ya Rio ama Stam lebih kurang sama..Cantona, RVN, Beckh dimana...
Bingung, bingung apa harus dibuat 3 Tim yah??