Shades of 1998/99 for United...

by Rick Nash

We thought it would never feel so good again. Maybe it won't. But maybe it might...

Disclaimer: This is a Man Utd-centric column so, if you'd prefer to avoid my gushing, feel free to skip ahead to the picks at the end of the piece.

Sometimes I'll say something while watching sports (or write, in this instance) and think to myself, "Hmm...I wonder if that's true or if the combination of booze and goal-induced enthusiasm has me talking utter shite (again)?"

Last week was one such instance, when I put on paper what I've been saying all season: that this year, as a Man Utd fan, felt to me very much like 1998/99.

Being just 11 at the time, I had gone through brief flings trying to support other teams after the crushing disappointment of Man Utd's league loss to Blackburn in 1994/95 (which ended with the one player who had made me a United fan, Eric Cantona, suspended for attacking a mouthy Wimbledon fan).

Without an active favourite player, I turned to (of all places) Middlesbrough in my quest to find a team that worked for me. This was because, in the summer of 1995, they'd signed a Brazilian wonderkid Juninho. I'd read about the pint-sized sensation in World Soccer magazine, and seen brief clips of him playing for Flamengo on Channel 4's old, all-sports show, 'Trans World Sport', so gave them a shot. That was until Cantona made his glorious return from suspension to see off Liverpool and re-establish himself as 'Le King'. You can't ignore stories like that. Fortunately, we won the double that season so all of the self-inflicted heartbreak of 1995 was forgotten about.

You knew he was great because he knew he was great.

Things were looking good for United: Cantona was back, we'd broken the record transfer fee, at the time, with the £7m signing of Andy Cole, and looked to do so again by nabbing one Alan Shearer. Shearer was breathing down Cantona's neck for the privilege of being called 'my favourite player' after I was given the gift of a VHS copy of 'Shear Magic' for Christmas, which made you feel like an idiot for not realising just how great the man was. Then, tragedy struck.

Shearer signed for Newcastle.

How could this happen? My fandom of Shearer was now such that, even when I scored while playing for Verona Under-11 C-team, I would unimaginatively raise my right arm in the air and run...somewhere, ala Shearer. That entire summer had been one long, exhaustive, mental preparation for worshipping at the altar of Alan. What now?

Well, if Alan thought Newcastle was the place to be, then so did I.

My family were pissed. They'd shelled out god knows how much buying me home and away United jerseys, shorts, socks, pencil cases, lunchboxes, basically anything with a devil-crest on it. And now I'd just discarded them like a HMV gift voucher.

They were in luck, though, because it only took a few months for me to switch back. Turns out Shearer wasn't my favourite player, after all. In spite of (or perhaps because of) his fan-kicking, seagull-worshipping eccentricities, it would always be Cantona. He justified my loyalty by beating Shearer's Newcastle to the Premier League that season (while Middlesbrough got relegated), and all was right in the world. That, as most of us will remember, is when Cantona decided to call it a day.

My loyalty didn't flinch this time, though. For finally I was learning a lesson in what a team was. United were no longer about just one man: we had Beckham, we had Giggs, we had Cole, we had Scholes, Schmeichel (another personal hero of mine; ask my old team-mates about how I'd yell at them all game when I was put in goals...just because WWPSD - What Would Peter Schmeichel do?), we had...Roy Keane! We also had Jordi Cruyff and Karel Poborsky, but you can't have everything.

1997/98 wasn't such a great year: again, I learned about heartbreak in sport, as an Arsenal team inspired by the signings of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars and Emannuel Petit pipped us to the title. Now I had the grit required to deal with it, though, the combined loyalty and anger that makes you want to see your team bounce back stronger than ever from a crushing loss. Like he had so many of the best players to ever play the game: Alex Ferguson had instilled that in me.

If this picture doesn't make you angry, you're not a true United fan.

Which takes us nicely to 1998/99 and, also, 2012/13. Do they two actually stack up? Let's see...

1998/99: Alex Ferguson looks to bounce back from a disappointing Premier League defeat following the emergence of a new rival in Arsenal, bolstered by signing some of the top players in the world, and led by Arsene Wenger, who shared a rivalry with Ferguson that walked the tightrope of mutual respect vs. mind games constantly.

2012/13: Alex Ferguson looks to bounce back from a disappointing Premier League defeat following the emergence of an old rival in Manchester City, given a new look by signing some of the top players in the world, and led by Roberto Mancini, whose rivalry with Ferguson walks the tightrope of mutual respect vs. mind games constantly.

1998/99: In his effort to do this, Ferguson recruits one of the top strikers in the League in Dwight Yorke. People speculate as to whether he can gel with current main striker, Andy Cole.

2012/13: In his effort to do this, Ferguson recruits one of the top strikers in the League in Robin Van Persie. People speculate as to whether he can gel with current main striker, Wayne Rooney.

1998/99: United suffer a shaky start to the season, losing to Arsenal in the (then-) Charity Shield, having to come from 2-0 down to rescue a point against Leicester, being held to a scoreless draw at West Ham and being far from convincing in qualifying for the Champions League against LKS Lodz (1st leg: 2-0 at home, 2nd: 0-0 away).

2012/13: United suffer a shaky start to the season, losing to Everton in the opening game and having to come from behind to beat Fulham and Southampton.

1998/99: Things begin to settle with Dwight Yorke finding his feet, scoring 4 in his first 5 League appearances as United comfortably see off Charlton and Coventry, while also edging out rivals Liverpool in Old Trafford.

2013/13: Things begin to settle with Robin Van Persie finding his feet, scoring 5 in his first 5 League appearances as United comfortably see off Wigan and Newcastle, while also edging out rivals Liverpool in Anfield.

1998/99: Ferguson suffers his first major setback of the year, being beaten 3-0 by Arsenal.

2012/13: Ferguson suffers his first major setback of the year, being beaten 3-2 by Spurs.

1998/99: After an unusually quiet start to the season, Andy Cole begins to find his rhythm alongside Yorke and is the star, scoring two as United ease past Wimbledon, 5-1. Yorke also bags one goal.

2012/13: After an unusually quiet start to the season, Wayne Rooney begins to find his rhythm alongside Van Persie and is the star, scoring two as United ease past Stoke, 4-2. Van Persie also bags one goal.

1998/99: United face an unlikely goalkeeper dilemma, after Raimond Van Der Gouw steps in for the injured Peter Schmeichel. Poor subsequent performances from Schmeichel even leads the media to question whether he should bring his retirement forward.

2012/13: David De Gea vs. Anders Lindegaard. You know the story, it's still happening (though things have quietened these days). It just goes to show, though, that goalkeeping battles aren't a new phenomenon at United.

Raimond Van Der Gouw: now appearing on table quizzes in the picture round with the caption: "Who is this?"

1998/99: United struggle for form, and are reliant on a combination of super subs and well-timed goals to save points. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets on the scoresheet against Leeds, before Nicky Butt's late goal seals the win. Solskjaer similarly scored twice against Spurs, before the London side peg it back to save a 2-2 draw. They are held to a draw at Chelsea before being beaten by Middlesbrough (in what would be their their third - and final - league loss of the season). Their Christmas period steadies the ship somewhat, as they pick up 7 points in 3 games to solidify their position in the Top 4 at the end of 1998.

I love this guy so much he's on my 'Allowed List'

2012/13: United struggle for form, and are reliant on a combination of super subs and well-timed goals to save points. Following their disappointing loss at Norwich (their third league loss of the season), Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez scores two in the dramatic comeback win over Aston Villa, then solidifies the win with another against QPR. They are equally lucky to escape with wins over Reading (4-3) and title rivals Man City (3-2), but steady the ship during a Christmas period that sees them pick up 7 points in 3 games to end the year on top of the Premier League.

1998/99: The New Year brings with it better fortunes, as United go undefeated throughout the month of January. At least one of the dream team of Yorke, Cole and Solskjaer are on the scoresheet in every game as the team begins to take shape, advancing into the FA Cup 4th Round with a win over Middlesbrough, while beating West Ham, Leicester and Charlton in the league. Perhaps their most impressive win, though, was a 2-1 victory over Liverpool (in the aforementioned FA Cup 4th Round).

2012/13: The New Year brings with it better fortunes, as United are thus far undefeated throughout the month of January. At least one of the dream team of RVP, Rooney and Hernandez are on the scoresheet in every game as the team begins to take shape, advancing into the FA Cup 4th Round with a replay win over West Ham. They also defeated Wigan in the league and, perhaps most impressively, defeated Liverpool 2-1.

1998/99: United were unstoppable from there. In the league, they recorded a record 8-1 away win over Nottingham Forest (with four goals from Solskjaer) en route to topping the league table. A draw at Arsenal, as well as tricky months of March and April as the side navigated their way through difficult Champions League ties against Inter Milan and Juventus, saw them slip back to second. 

After being held by Liverpool in Anfield, Arsenal appeared firm favourites having beaten Tottenham to move three points clear at the top with a game to play. Then Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored a late winner for Leeds against Arsenal to send the title to the final day. United would, once again, be forced to come from behind that day to beat Spurs and claim the Premier League title by just one point.

A week later, they added the FA Cup to their collection with a win over Newcastle (after being put there by Ryan Giggs' unforgettable extra-time goal against Arsenal [above]). And then there was the Nou Camp, and perhaps the most beautiful sporting memory of my life...

2012/13: To be continued...

No, it's not a perfect mirror image: for one, the Champions' League group stages were completely different (United having to come through a 'group of death' with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Brondby in 98/99; while this year was much more straightforward, having qualified with four wins in four games) and United never had the healthy lead that they do in the league today, either.

But many of the parallels, you have to admit, are scary: the marquee striker signing in order to beat a new Premier League challenger, the come from behind wins, the super subs, the goalkeeping dilemma that nobody remembers...I knew I'd experienced this all before!

While it would be massively presumptuous to conclude that another treble is, in fact, on the cards, these parallels give United fans a great cause for optimism going forward.

Fans of other clubs may, rightfully, question why United deserve such optimism. But that is to be on the other side of the fence: one of the most beautiful parts of being a United fan is how interweaved heartbreak is within our years of success. Outsiders may look at the most successful English club of all-time and wonder how their fans haven't got enough memories like the above to last a lifetime. It's a fair question, but I have a fair answer to it:

It's because you didn't lose to West Ham to lose a title that you realistically should've won. It's because your captain, your king, didn't needlessly deny you the privilege of watching him for 8 months during his peak. It's because Alan Shearer didn't snub you for your closest rivals at the eleventh hour. It's because, just as those wrongs seemed to right themselves, your best player didn't retire just as a new superteam emerged as a force. It's because Man City are the reigning Premier League Champions.

No team has experienced highs like United have, granted. But very few have experienced the lows, either. So pardon me if I enjoy dreaming that we could have another fix of whatever was in the air in 1998/99.

And hey, give me a break, I'm also a fan of Fiorentina (relegated during the Calciopoli scandal), Villareal (relegated last season), Orlando Magic (spent the past two years watching our best player destroy our franchise before leaving) and Philadelphia Eagles (a mess) too, so I know how it feels to be on the other side.

Onto this week's picks then. I'll keep them brief enough as I've gone on a bit here...

5-way accumulator; €5 returns €78.20; All odds via Paddy Power.


Liverpool (3/10) vs. Norwich

Liverpool's loss to United last week was an odd one: they played terribly for the most part, but will have left feeling about as satisfied as you can following a loss. A new signing can do that for you, and I'd be surprised if Brendan Rodgers didn't hand Daniel Sturridge his first start at home to Norwich here. Pool are on a reasonably decent run of form at the moment, whereas Norwich seem devoid of any spark or inspiration. Seems a safe enough bet.


Man City (1/4) vs. Fulham

City are on a Kill Bill-style rampage of revenge since their losses to Sunderland and Man Utd, with last Sunday's win at Arsenal being the first time since the Sunderland game that they failed to score at least three goals. They've won four in a row and a tired Fulham side - who struggle away from home and took two tries to see off Blackpool - won't stop them.


Newcastle (3/4) vs. Reading

Allow me to share my misery over this pick with you: Newcastle are too good of a side to go six games without a win, but they're at home to a Reading side that have won three and drawn one in their last five. Newcastle are still without Hatem Ben Arfa and have yet to find scoring options sans Demba Ba. It goes against my every gambling instinct to back a team on the basis that they're 'due a win/loss'...but it's as if the gambling gods are daring me here: Reading don't have the quality to sustain this run of form, Newcastle have too much quality to continue their run of bad form, and it's in St James' Park. I'll lament this pick at 5pm Saturday, I know it. If you trust my picks (for some reason), then tread carefully with this one...


Swansea vs. Stoke - DRAW (23/10)

Stoke without a defence are like Superman without a cape. They've conceded a whopping 10 goals in the past 3 league games. However, they'll gain strength from their return to winning ways on Tuesday (albeit against Crystal Palace) and Jon Walters' immediate return to scoring goals for, not against, his own team. On the other hand, Swansea are playing a lot better than their form indicates, having picked up just one league win since 12th December. Both teams will go into this game feeling cautiously confident, and usually that's a sure sign of an impending draw.

"No Jon! You can actually celebrate that one!"

West Brom (4/6) vs. Aston Villa

If ever there was a game for a struggling side to pick themselves up and start a run of form, it would be this one for Villa. The timing might be perfect, but the problem is... how, exactly, are they going to do that? What do they have going for them? The fact that Paul Lambert finally saw fit to recall Darren Bent to the line-up is more a sign of desperation than inspiration (not to mention the fact that Bent made a quick return to the injury list), and Christian Benteke is still only a young player: capable of brilliance but not necessarily when you need it. West Brom are slipping, themselves, their FA Cup 3rd Round draw against QPR being their only non-loss of the year thus far (and QPR took care of them in the replay). But, much like Newcastle against Reading, if there was a fixture that you'd want to stop the rot, it's at home to Aston Villa. Every time I begin to have doubts about Albion in this one, I just remember that last sentence and they magically disappear.

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