Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson: The Greatest.

Don’t think I’ve ever been so confident that we’d win a game as much as I was in 09 tbh

Genuinely thought we had the best team that had ever played the game and didn’t they have a cb crisis at the time and ended up playing Toure at the back?

It’s probably why I’m such a pessimist these days.

2011 you just knew we’d have had to have a load of luck (which it seemed we never had, especially in Europe) to even be in with a chance of beating them.

2013 was a kick in the balls too because I felt we had a good outside chance. We were a little pragmatic but still had quality, a top striker and a load of experience.

Back when we were good, we would have had more chance against Barca in a two legged affair (as 2008 showed) than a one off final.

Whereas with Real, I suspect it was the opposite - shame we never got the chance to test that in 2002. Still £#%&!ing hurts, that one

Originally Posted by AK14

Don’t think I’ve ever been so confident that we’d win a game as much as I was in 09 tbh

Genuinely thought we had the best team that had ever played the game and didn’t they have a cb crisis at the time and ended up playing Toure at the back?

It’s probably why I’m such a pessimist these days.

2011 you just knew we’d have had to have a load of luck (which it seemed we never had, especially in Europe) to even be in with a chance of beating them.

2013 was a kick in the balls too because I felt we had a good outside chance. We were a little pragmatic but still had quality, a top striker and a load of experience.

We were favourites in '09, which was fair enough given we were European champions but Barca also weren't quite the machine they later became tbh. Honestly think if Fergie could have that game again and do whatever he needed to correct the mental mess we were, the result could easily be the other way. Yeah their defence was a mess, but we decided to give them the ball all game. It was shockingly bad.

Originally Posted by AK14

Don’t think I’ve ever been so confident that we’d win a game as much as I was in 09 tbh

Genuinely thought we had the best team that had ever played the game and didn’t they have a cb crisis at the time and ended up playing Toure at the back?

It’s probably why I’m such a pessimist these days.

2011 you just knew we’d have had to have a load of luck (which it seemed we never had, especially in Europe) to even be in with a chance of beating them.

2013 was a kick in the balls too because I felt we had a good outside chance. We were a little pragmatic but still had quality, a top striker and a load of experience.

Really? That's quite odd. That barcelona team was absolutely fantastic, it was far more exciting and dynamic than the 2011 one which was a machine which strangled the life out of games.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great defence but our starting midfield that night was Anderson, Carrick and Ryan Giggs. And we stuck them 3 in there against arguably the greatest midfield trio of the last 25 years.

I don't know how anyone who'd watched Barcelona and United that season could have concluded that a) we were favourites and b) that we'd win that final. We ended the game with 2 shots on target

The worst thing that could have happened was Iniesta sticking that ball in the top corner at Stamford Bridge in injury time. We'd have steamrollered that Chelsea team in the final.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Really? That's quite odd. That barcelona team was absolutely fantastic, it was far more exciting and dynamic than the 2011 one which was a machine which strangled the life out of games.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great defence but our starting midfield that night was Anderson, Carrick and Ryan Giggs. And we stuck them 3 in there against arguably the greatest midfield trio of the last 25 years.

I don't know how anyone who'd watched Barcelona and United that season could have concluded that a) we were favourites and b) that we'd win that final. We ended the game with 2 shots on target

The worst thing that could have happened was Iniesta sticking that ball in the top corner at Stamford Bridge in injury time. We'd have steamrollered that Chelsea team in the final.

I know, I know...

But we’d beaten them the season before and not only did we have a fantastic defence but also genuine world class forwards.

Barca having an injury crisis of their own (sort of) too and I just felt it was written in the stars that we’d be the first team to retain the champions league

Barça's defense was not that bad in the 2009 final. Puyol actually started his career as a L/RB and, like Maldini or Desailly, he was world class both as CB and LB. Piqué in one of his best seasons ever, perhaps the best. Touré as CB was a gamble (he miserably struggled at Stamford Bridge in the semis) but in the final he didn't have much to do, did he?
And of course there's the Sylvinho factor, a 35 yo guy. To this day it baffles me that SAF didn't order the team to constantly bombard Barça's LB zone.
But ultimately, utterly losing the midfield is what killed Utd that night. That, and a mediocre night by C.Ronaldo.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Really? That's quite odd. That barcelona team was absolutely fantastic, it was far more exciting and dynamic than the 2011 one which was a machine which strangled the life out of games.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great defence but our starting midfield that night was Anderson, Carrick and Ryan Giggs. And we stuck them 3 in there against arguably the greatest midfield trio of the last 25 years.

I don't know how anyone who'd watched Barcelona and United that season could have concluded that a) we were favourites and b) that we'd win that final. We ended the game with 2 shots on target

The worst thing that could have happened was Iniesta sticking that ball in the top corner at Stamford Bridge in injury time. We'd have steamrollered that Chelsea team in the final.

Yeah we were only defending European champions who had retained the Premier League and had the world's best player.

We were generally regarded as favourites across Europe. Barca had just struggled massively against a Chelsea side we beat to the title.

We didn't show up. Barca were a very good team but we could barely string a pass together. It was a total bottle job.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Yeah we were only defending European champions who had retained the Premier League and had the world's best player.

We were generally regarded as favourites across Europe. Barca had just struggled massively against a Chelsea side we beat to the title.

We didn't show up. Barca were a very good team but we could barely string a pass together. It was a total bottle job.

We did a spurs is what you’re saying

Originally Posted by Sparky***

We did a spurs is what you’re saying

More like a Juventus in 1997 and 1998.

Spurs is more like always confirming that they are never favorites.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Yeah we were only defending European champions who had retained the Premier League and had the world's best player.

We were generally regarded as favourites across Europe. Barca had just struggled massively against a Chelsea side we beat to the title.

We didn't show up. Barca were a very good team but we could barely string a pass together. It was a total bottle job.

Originally Posted by NedKelly

Hi messhead.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Yeah we were only defending European champions who had retained the Premier League and had the world's best player.

We were generally regarded as favourites across Europe. Barca had just struggled massively against a Chelsea side we beat to the title.

We didn't show up. Barca were a very good team but we could barely string a pass together. It was a total bottle job.

We were a worse team than the previous season where we had just scraped past a worse Barca team in the semis.

We were also missing the only midfielders who could provide any sustained intensity.

Apart from 08 and 99, we had a very bad habit of bottling it in Europe generally, so it was no great suprise that we did so again that night.

Originally Posted by NedKelly

Has this guy ever won an international competition?

Has he scored more goals than Ronaldo?

Ronaldo: 'Bitch please'

Originally Posted by d_knight

Has this guy ever won an international competition?

Has he scored more goals than Ronaldo?

Ronaldo: 'b***h please'

He has scored more goals than Ronaldo did in the same amount of time. And will probably overtake him by the end of his career.

I don’t really have a horse in that race though, two wonderful but ultimately different players who should be appreciated and respected in equal measure for what they have done.

Originally Posted by NedKelly

He has scored more goals than Ronaldo did in the same amount of time. And will probably overtake him by the end of his career.

I don’t really have a horse in that race though, two wonderful but ultimately different players who should be appreciated and respected in equal measure for what they have done.

Tonight if Ronaldo scores 2 he will have scored 700 career goals. Only 5 more people have done that in history.

That is irrefutable universal truth like the sky is blue and the grass is green.

I don't care about messi's probably. That may or may not happen.

That argentinian dwarf has at the moment....

672 goals

Originally Posted by d_knight

Tonight if Ronaldo scores 2 he will have scored 700 career goals. Only 5 more people have done that in history.

That is irrefutable universal truth like the sky is blue and the grass is green.

I don't care about messi's probably. That may or may not happen.

That argentinian dwarf has at the moment....

672 goals

they’re ridiculous. When either one of them retires it will be a sad day. I doubt we will ever have another player dominate in quite the way they have, and it’s been a pleasure seeing them compete with each other.

Chapman ffs

Originally Posted by d_knight

Tonight if Ronaldo scores 2 he will have scored 700 career goals. Only 5 more people have done that in history.

That is irrefutable universal truth like the sky is blue and the grass is green.

I don't care about messi's probably. That may or may not happen.

That argentinian dwarf has at the moment....

672 goals

Sure we has a thread about the sky being blue on here years ago. Something about the sea being blue, too...

Originally Posted by windy waffles

Sure we has a thread about the sky being blue on here years ago. Something about the sea being blue, too...

Wind it in koppas

Originally Posted by d_knight

Wind it in koppas

I'm not even joking...

I got pelters for it...