Maybe more than purely his performances - he gave us something different in midfield in my eyes. We had Carrick & Scholes who were great at dictating play. Hargreaves to me added some defensive tenacity whenever we we needed it. Just a player who did some dirty work in midfield & I appreciated that - especially in that season.
Keane might've turned it, but the '08 team is the British side I've ever seen. If it weren't for Braca...
2008 for me.
Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo would cause more issues than a Yorke and Cole duo.
You'd probably expect 99 to have the majority of the game but a counter attack from 08 to be too much for a defence including Johnsen.
Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo would cause more issues than a Yorke and Cole duo.
You'd probably expect 99 to have the majority of the game but a counter attack from 08 to be too much for a defence including Johnsen.
If there is one thread that needs Eboue option, it's this one. Nigh on impossible to call. '99 were an attacking machine with the obvious knack coming back after getting blows which underlined the mentality. Then again, weren't 08 side good at scoring late on, too? 08 side were just as solid mentally but in a different way, more defensively-wise. They were extremely solid across the pitch. It's a good match up actually. Question remains if the latter would withstand the waves of attacks from the former, having Rio and Vidic in defence.
It's 99 - the only reason 08 is winning the vote is because half the voters are too young to remember the first one
There's no realistic way to say who would win in a one-off match, but if we're comparing overall seasons then the 08 team was better. The 99 side were far more exhilarating and remain dearest to my heart, but that whole season is like a fairy tale given how many times we were behind in massive games only to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Think about each competition; in the Champions League quarter final we were an overhead kick off the line away from going 2-0 down against Inter, before Scholes came to the rescue in the 88th minute. Then we needed a 91st minute Giggs equaliser to rescue a 1-1 home draw against Juventus in the first leg of the semis, and an even more improbable comeback from 2-0 down to secure a 3-2 win in Turin. And then to top off these absurdities, we go one step further and score two injury time goals to stun Bayern in the final.
In the FA Cup, two injury time goals were required to advance against Liverpool in the 4th round, then there was the classic semi against Arsenal where in extra-time we survived a Roy Keane sending off and a Dennis Bergkamp penalty miss before a ridiculous winner from Giggs saw us through to the final.
Then we get to Premier League, where we were only one point ahead of Arsenal going into the final day and went 1-0 down to Tottenham, needing a Cole equaliser and Beckham stunner to seal the trophy.
In contrast, the 08 team, though not nearly as exciting, were absolutely ruthless and efficient, frequently putting games to bed in the first half before strolling to victory. Also, with the possible exception of the CL Final that went to penalties, we always looked like the strongest team in both the PL and CL. We were far more tactically aware than in 99, hence our magnificent CL run for several seasons after this, where miracle comebacks were no longer required to get results.
So yeah, 08 > 99 in terms of pure performance, even though 99 is the single most exciting and guttiest season produced by any football club in my opinion.
* If the 1999 team were as well drilled tactically as the 2008 team then I'd likely back the former, but we'll never know how they would have performed using a similar setup.
Think about each competition; in the Champions League quarter final we were an overhead kick off the line away from going 2-0 down against Inter, before Scholes came to the rescue in the 88th minute. Then we needed a 91st minute Giggs equaliser to rescue a 1-1 home draw against Juventus in the first leg of the semis, and an even more improbable comeback from 2-0 down to secure a 3-2 win in Turin. And then to top off these absurdities, we go one step further and score two injury time goals to stun Bayern in the final.
In the FA Cup, two injury time goals were required to advance against Liverpool in the 4th round, then there was the classic semi against Arsenal where in extra-time we survived a Roy Keane sending off and a Dennis Bergkamp penalty miss before a ridiculous winner from Giggs saw us through to the final.
Then we get to Premier League, where we were only one point ahead of Arsenal going into the final day and went 1-0 down to Tottenham, needing a Cole equaliser and Beckham stunner to seal the trophy.
In contrast, the 08 team, though not nearly as exciting, were absolutely ruthless and efficient, frequently putting games to bed in the first half before strolling to victory. Also, with the possible exception of the CL Final that went to penalties, we always looked like the strongest team in both the PL and CL. We were far more tactically aware than in 99, hence our magnificent CL run for several seasons after this, where miracle comebacks were no longer required to get results.
So yeah, 08 > 99 in terms of pure performance, even though 99 is the single most exciting and guttiest season produced by any football club in my opinion.
* If the 1999 team were as well drilled tactically as the 2008 team then I'd likely back the former, but we'll never know how they would have performed using a similar setup.
Keane/Scholes...
Yorke/Cole.....
Up their with two of the best partnerships I've ever seen.
Would be* a great game to watch
Definitely. Yorke & Cole is probably the best partnerships - but I'd say the 2008 has the most partnerships. Agree or disagree?
Also I feel people are romanticizing about our front three of Ronaldo Rooney Tevez. As an attacking unit they weren't so in sync like Cole-Yorke were. They were extremely hard-working and each one of was able to decide the game via individual piece of skill but for me, it was never as smooth as '99 attack. Bar few examples of dismantling opposite teams or counter-attacks of course.
2008 is more like a modern team, obviously. Would probably play better in this current football climate.
99s midfield though.
But 08s forward line.
Impossible. I'll have Schmikes in net, 08s defence, 99s midfield, and 08s forwards please.
99s midfield though.
But 08s forward line.
Impossible. I'll have Schmikes in net, 08s defence, 99s midfield, and 08s forwards please.
1999 obviously quite frankly. Never knew when they were beaten. Such a great team to watch. Club icons like Keane and Beckham at their absolute peak.
2008 team wasn’t even as enjoyable as the team from the season before. 2007-09 became a neutered version of the high flying side of 2006-07 that fell short in Europe and the FA Cup. In terms of entertainment it’s not even a competition. And we’re the only bloody English side to do the Treble - it’s not for nothing.
2008 team wasn’t even as enjoyable as the team from the season before. 2007-09 became a neutered version of the high flying side of 2006-07 that fell short in Europe and the FA Cup. In terms of entertainment it’s not even a competition. And we’re the only bloody English side to do the Treble - it’s not for nothing.
2008 comfortably imo. If it hadn't been for Barcelona being so good we'd of dominated Europe with that squad. 3 champions league finals in 4 years wasn't it?
What a side.
Edwin
Brown - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra
Ronaldo - Scholes - Carrick - Giggs
Rooney - Tevez
Brown - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra
Ronaldo - Scholes - Carrick - Giggs
Rooney - Tevez
What a side.
2008 team might not have been as enjoyable, but it was a different beast to 06/07. Far more disciplined. Throughout 06/07 and 08/09 showed that team had the gumption to find something when it needed it. In 08 it was simply that good it never had to.
Remember getting bollocking when I suggested Rooney Saha Ronaldo was more exciting than Rooney Tevez Ronaldo. The former was more akin to
'99 while the year later we experienced a ruthless, perfect machine throughout the pitch.
Different era and both were great in their own eras.
That is a bold statement.
They are not top 5 best club sides of all time and possibly only just make the top 10.
The year we won it in 2008 we were second best over 2 legs vs Barcelona in the semi final. We didn’t even play our own football, we soaked up what they had and were lucky a Scholes screamer saved us.
SAF even said that when we played Barca in the 09 and 11 finals, he wanted to play the United way. When we played that way we lost.
I would say top 5 in no order would be.
Pep’s Barca
Real Madrid 5 Euro cups in a row
Liverpool late 70’s early 80’s
AC Milan 88-94
Real Madrid 2013-18 4 of last 5 CL
It's a hard one to judge. Coming up against, what you yourself name as the best ever club side, no team would have been able to play their own style, unless of course that style was already a deep block.
I'd actually say of all the sides you've listed that Milan side would have the best shot at beating that Barcelona side. As for the latest Real inclusion, if you swapped the timing of both sides you could easily be talking about Madrid winning 1 of 3 and United winning at least 3 on the bounce, (07-09) before the quality began to drop.
There seems to be a whole lot of Nostalgia going on around here. I love that 99 team. I still remember sitting at my local pub screaming at the TV when we were losing, and then losing my shit when we scored those two goals. But let's be honest here. The 2008 team would take them. A lot of people are picking the 99 team because of the midfield, and Keane and Scholes were great, but the 2008 team would be playing a 3 man midfield with one of those players being Scholes. 2008 was also more technical and could line up so many different ways. 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1. 99 would just play a 4-4-2 and wouldn't be able to handle it. In a one off match anything could happen, but if these two teams were to play each other 10 times I'd say 2008 wins 6 loses 2 and ties 2.
I was 25 in 99 and I still think 2008 team would win...
As much as I love the 1999 team and they are without a doubt my favourite United side , I think the squad depth isn’t as strong as 08 simply because a few of those players would never really have the same impact ever again. It was like a farewell for some of them:
Johnson-who i rated as a good defender, seemed to get more and more injury prone.
Berg- retired by THAT Redondo skill
Irwin- gave us another few years of dependability
Schmeichel-left for benfica
Blomquist- injured, never seen again
The 08 squad had a better balance and structure. The 99 team was all about the attack and midfield.
Johnson-who i rated as a good defender, seemed to get more and more injury prone.
Berg- retired by THAT Redondo skill
Irwin- gave us another few years of dependability
Schmeichel-left for benfica
Blomquist- injured, never seen again
The 08 squad had a better balance and structure. The 99 team was all about the attack and midfield.
It’s not just nostalgia. Look at who we Beat on the way to the final in 1999. Much more impressive
I think the 1999 team had more character and grit than 2008.
Yes, 2008 is far more superior in abilities, but when 1999 had to come back, they will give everything.
I voted 2008 based on pure strength on paper, but my heart says 1999 will win.
Yes, 2008 is far more superior in abilities, but when 1999 had to come back, they will give everything.
I voted 2008 based on pure strength on paper, but my heart says 1999 will win.
No doubt we beat better teams en route in 99. However, I rate the 08 team as another level to every side we beat in 99.
And the 2008 team beat out a Barcalona team that would ease through every team in that 1999 competition, not to mention beating a very good Chelsea team in the final in penalties...
1999 was more exciting and more fun, so they take it for that reason alone.
It's probably true that the 99 team had tougher CL opponents but Inter and Juve weren't anything special that year.
Plus, the 2007-08 team had tougher opponents in the league in what was arguably the peak period of dominance for the Premier League. 3 teams reached the CL semifinals and it could have easily been 4 if Liverpool hadn't drawn Arsenal in the quarters.
Rooney and Ronaldo with Tevez's work rate and Vidic/Ferdinand/VDS win this very tight game.
I'd actually fancy the chances of our 06-09 team against the recent Real Madrid one. I know they've won 4 CLs but they're a very plucky side and it would be a even contest.
To be fair to our team, the CL isn't everything. We did dominate a brilliant league and won 5 league titles in 7 years which, in such difficult competition, is a spectacular achievements IMO.
Those talking about the midfield in 99, it has to be remembered that Scholes hadn't hit his peak yet. At that stage he was still alternating fairly evenly with Nicky Butt, and in a big match it's quite likely Fergie would have chosen Butt to start and Scholes would have been coming off the bench.
If these 2 teams play each other, '08 would score 3 in the 1st half, only for '99 make it level in the 90th minute. What will/would/should happen after that depends on your heart rather than your football understanding imo.
99 for me, i mean come on, just look at that midfield.
2008 because of the Ronaldo factor.
Huge underrating of the Cole/Yorke partnership going on in this thread I think.
Nonsense. I'm 42 and voted '08. I preffered to watch the '99 team but I don't think they were as versatile or clever as the '08 team.
I guess two CL finals after 08 speaks volumes for that team but imo Ferguson just got tactically more pragmatic in his approach. You could also argue that the 99 team reached the semis two years prior. And beating Schalke and Arsenal is not the same as beating Juventus in the semis. That generation not only won the CL in style but also went through the toughest path (making Brondby the only real weaker team). And they managed to knock out Liverpool and Arsenal out of the Fa Cup that season as well. But I guess I'm just being nostalgic
I'm 39 and voted 2008
The 1999 team was great to watch and won in style but often came unstuck when faced against more tactically adept teams...
The 2008 team in short could win football matches in a variety of ways. Throw anything at that team and they'd find a way. Counter-attack...Possesion football....we also had a Ronaldo who could win a game on his own
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That's actually a good point - I remember the lead-up to the 2009 final, and by and large the media were presenting us as clear favourites. Obviously it didn't go that way, and afterwards there was an immediate revision to recognise how incredible Barcelona were. But during that build up, we were being talked about as one of the great sides - and that gets overlooked these days because we lost to Barcelona twice, but at a point where they were arguably one the of the greatest club asides ever.
edit - I also voted for the 99 side. Technically they weren't as good - I mean, not even close really. But that side never knew they were beaten, and I'd back them to of found a way to win.
I only reason I’m swayed towards ‘99 is Keane
I remember being excited by the Hargreaves signing, and that Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez looked mouth-wateringly good on paper. Good as we were, I ultimately felt let down and a large part of our success was Ronnie having a blinding season.
Hargreaves had his injuries, but worse is that in central midfield, and certainly in 07-08, he didn’t look like a good buy. In the ECL knockouts he was our right winger, and that’s where he was at his best for us.
The front three will always get you goals, but people’s memories of them terrorising teams together is wildly overstated. They never really gelled all that well together as far as I recall.
The 07-08 team were great, but I would fancy 98-99 to beat them.
The best crosser in the world, one of the best lightning wingers in the world, one of the fiercest competitors marshalling our midfield, and four strikers with different qualities that Fergie utilised perfectly over the season.
I’d transplant Rio-Vidic and Ronaldo, but that aside, give me the 99 team any day.
Hargreaves had his injuries, but worse is that in central midfield, and certainly in 07-08, he didn’t look like a good buy. In the ECL knockouts he was our right winger, and that’s where he was at his best for us.
The front three will always get you goals, but people’s memories of them terrorising teams together is wildly overstated. They never really gelled all that well together as far as I recall.
The 07-08 team were great, but I would fancy 98-99 to beat them.
The best crosser in the world, one of the best lightning wingers in the world, one of the fiercest competitors marshalling our midfield, and four strikers with different qualities that Fergie utilised perfectly over the season.
I’d transplant Rio-Vidic and Ronaldo, but that aside, give me the 99 team any day.