space_cat_world (
Man_United)
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- Sir Alex Ferguson believes he's now seeing the best Manchester United team he's ever been in charge of after victory over Blackburn Rovers.
The Manchester United manager, who has been at Old Trafford for 21 years, said: "I believe this is the strongest squad I've ever had.
"This is a good young team coming together, playing the right way.
"They have great courage in the way they want to play. They want to win something and the signs are good. They have a great chance of doing that. I believe this is the strongest squad I have ever had, so much so that I think I would be pushed to name my overall best team. This is what I have been working towards.
"I don't like the short-term fix. I prefer to see a pool of players emerge and develop into something special which - believe me - is what is happening at Old Trafford this season. We have the young players led by Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and now joined by the likes of Carlos Tevez, Nani and Anderson.
"I am not becoming youth-obsessed either, with experience represented by [Paul] Scholes and Ryan Giggs who, in my view, will play until they are 36, such have been their lifestyles. There is many a pitfall for celebrity players but those two have avoided all the traps and set fine examples for those coming up behind them."
tribalfootball.com - November 11, 2007
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A 4-0 midweek European win over Dynamo Kiev, followed by the Blackburn success, was the perfect way for United to respond following the disappointment of allowing Arsenal a late equaliser at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.
Significantly, that Arsenal draw is now the only time in the last nine Premiership games that United have not collected all three points.
'I'm happy but we are just a bit disappointed about that last minute goal against Arsenal last week,' said Ferguson.
'But you have to come back from those disappointments and we did that against Kiev and Blackburn.'
Ronaldo's moves
Ronaldo's growing confidence in front of goal was underlined when he headed in a Ryan Giggs corner and then, barely a minute later, fastened on to a Carlos Tevez pass to double United's lead. Blackburn were reduced to ten men when David Dunn was sent off early in the second half.
'Blackburn are a good side and they hit the post early but in the end it was decided by two marvellous bits of football,' Ferguson said.
'Our football deserved more goals, I think, but at the end of the day these derby games are tough and Blackburn are such a good side now, it was a satisfying performance and, obviously, result for us.'
The victory also must have given Ferguson some degree of pleasure at the end of a week in which he has seen Hughes's name mentioned increasingly as his potential successor.
Hughes reactions
Hughes was left disappointed by his team switching off defensively twice in two minutes during the first half and also by a second half dismissal for Dunn whose two yellow cards reduced Rovers to ten men and ensured they had no realistic chance of forcing a draw.
'We lost David to a challenge which was mis-timed but which wasn't a poor challenge, wasn't a violent challenge,' said Hughes.
'We showed glimpses in the first half but we had it taken away from us in the second.' -- AFP
Maradona (
Man_United)
89 (
