United supremo excited about 'United Relief Live'
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to seeing his 1999 treble winners re-united this weekend for the 'United Relief Live' charity event.
Andy Cole, Jaap Stam, Ronny Johnsen and Dwight Yorke are just some of the former players featuring this weekend in the 'Big Red Day Out' at Old Trafford.
They will face off against a celebrity line-up for a match to raise money for Sport Relief and the Manchester United Foundation. Music will be provided by the Saturdays, The Hoosiers and Tinchy Stryder.
Sir Alex took some time out from the Premier League title race to look forward to the event.
Q: Sir Alex, May 1st, it’s a nice day out for the fans and a bit of an old boys’ reunion as well.
Sir Alex Ferguson: I think that particularly the squad from the ’99 team, most of them are going to be there so I think that’s a special occasion given that it was a historic period in the club’s history.
Q: The '99 reunion – Yorke and Cole together - that's nice for the fans isn’t it
Ferguson: I know, I know, I wonder what they are doing after. Keep an eye on the two of them. But they were a fantastic partnership, they were and that year I think it was 52 goals they got between them and I think they were the best in Europe, they were unbelievable.
It’s a funny thing you know...it was a partnership that just took off, immediately. I don’t know why, the chemistry or something just clicked between the two of them, but it developed into an unbelievable partnership.
So much so that I found difficulty, great difficulty, in keeping Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warm and happy, that’s how effective the two of them were.
Q: Of course you have got Ole turning out as well, is he going to be coming off the bench?
Ferguson: You better not mention that to him. Is Teddy coming along? No. That’s a pity, you could have brought the two of them on at the same time and they’ll last for three minutes.
But no, I mean, Ole...I was very, very fortunate to have four great strikers like that when you think about it, really fortunate. And yes, it created headaches at time, you know, picking the right two but as you were saying anyway, Cole and Yorke, that season - unbelievable.
Q: When you had the four strikers did you have it in your mind who the first two were going to be or were you going to make your mind up when you saw them together?
Ferguson: Well, to be honest for most of the time Yorke and Cole’s form dictated exactly who we were going to be playing all the time. But, when we got into periods of Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday, we’d change.
For instance in the replay of the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal on the Saturday I didn’t even use Andy, I kept him because we had Juventus in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final on the following Wednesday.
So I played Teddy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the semi-final reply and Yorke was on the bench. So that’s easy because if you are playing the two in big games they feel justified in being at the club.
Q: Going back to the Big Red Day Out, I know you like to put pressure on referees to finish the match but this time you are going to be starting the game.
Ferguson: Yes, I am starting the game and then I’m rushing off to Sunderland. I look forward to it, I just hope that it’s a good attendance because I think that the players are going to be showing up and I think they deserve the recognition that their place in the club’s history is quite firmly a good one you know.
Q: And it’s nice to see a few celebrities coming along, a good friend of yours Angus Deayton is coming.
Ferguson: Angus yeah. A big red. He is a big United fan. I hope he can play.
And of course it is for a great cause, half of the money is going to the Manchester United Foundation.
I think that’s the main object. I think the club does fantastic work through the Foundation, through John Shiels and their work with charity, and their great connection with UNICEF, which I think is an important thing for the club. But this charity day will without question bring in a lot of money for a good cause.
Q: Are you appealing to the fans there to give the club support as usual?
Ferguson: I think the fact we are up at Sunderland, we have got a good fanbase and we should be recognising a special occasion and for a good cause.
It’s for all the right reasons we are playing the game that’s the good thing. But the most important thing is to recognise the great time they had with Yorke, Cole, Stam and Johnsen, all the great players...it will be good!
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to seeing his 1999 treble winners re-united this weekend for the 'United Relief Live' charity event.
Andy Cole, Jaap Stam, Ronny Johnsen and Dwight Yorke are just some of the former players featuring this weekend in the 'Big Red Day Out' at Old Trafford.
They will face off against a celebrity line-up for a match to raise money for Sport Relief and the Manchester United Foundation. Music will be provided by the Saturdays, The Hoosiers and Tinchy Stryder.
Sir Alex took some time out from the Premier League title race to look forward to the event.
Q: Sir Alex, May 1st, it’s a nice day out for the fans and a bit of an old boys’ reunion as well.
Sir Alex Ferguson: I think that particularly the squad from the ’99 team, most of them are going to be there so I think that’s a special occasion given that it was a historic period in the club’s history.
Q: The '99 reunion – Yorke and Cole together - that's nice for the fans isn’t it
Ferguson: I know, I know, I wonder what they are doing after. Keep an eye on the two of them. But they were a fantastic partnership, they were and that year I think it was 52 goals they got between them and I think they were the best in Europe, they were unbelievable.
It’s a funny thing you know...it was a partnership that just took off, immediately. I don’t know why, the chemistry or something just clicked between the two of them, but it developed into an unbelievable partnership.
So much so that I found difficulty, great difficulty, in keeping Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warm and happy, that’s how effective the two of them were.
Q: Of course you have got Ole turning out as well, is he going to be coming off the bench?
Ferguson: You better not mention that to him. Is Teddy coming along? No. That’s a pity, you could have brought the two of them on at the same time and they’ll last for three minutes.
But no, I mean, Ole...I was very, very fortunate to have four great strikers like that when you think about it, really fortunate. And yes, it created headaches at time, you know, picking the right two but as you were saying anyway, Cole and Yorke, that season - unbelievable.
Q: When you had the four strikers did you have it in your mind who the first two were going to be or were you going to make your mind up when you saw them together?
Ferguson: Well, to be honest for most of the time Yorke and Cole’s form dictated exactly who we were going to be playing all the time. But, when we got into periods of Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday, we’d change.
For instance in the replay of the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal on the Saturday I didn’t even use Andy, I kept him because we had Juventus in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final on the following Wednesday.
So I played Teddy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the semi-final reply and Yorke was on the bench. So that’s easy because if you are playing the two in big games they feel justified in being at the club.
Q: Going back to the Big Red Day Out, I know you like to put pressure on referees to finish the match but this time you are going to be starting the game.
Ferguson: Yes, I am starting the game and then I’m rushing off to Sunderland. I look forward to it, I just hope that it’s a good attendance because I think that the players are going to be showing up and I think they deserve the recognition that their place in the club’s history is quite firmly a good one you know.
Q: And it’s nice to see a few celebrities coming along, a good friend of yours Angus Deayton is coming.
Ferguson: Angus yeah. A big red. He is a big United fan. I hope he can play.
And of course it is for a great cause, half of the money is going to the Manchester United Foundation.
I think that’s the main object. I think the club does fantastic work through the Foundation, through John Shiels and their work with charity, and their great connection with UNICEF, which I think is an important thing for the club. But this charity day will without question bring in a lot of money for a good cause.
Q: Are you appealing to the fans there to give the club support as usual?
Ferguson: I think the fact we are up at Sunderland, we have got a good fanbase and we should be recognising a special occasion and for a good cause.
It’s for all the right reasons we are playing the game that’s the good thing. But the most important thing is to recognise the great time they had with Yorke, Cole, Stam and Johnsen, all the great players...it will be good!
