Veteran journalist David Miller has been writing football for over half a century, became sports editor of the Times of London and a columnist for the Daily Express. He has also been awarded the famous Jules Rimet Centenary Award in 2004 given to journalists who have covered 11 or more World Cups. Miller has now revealed just how close Manchester United came to replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the winter of 1989 but that sensational story which could have changed football history was never published. Miller goes on to explain what happened in this Daily Express story twenty years later.

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The record books show that Viv Anderson was the last big name player to be transferred from Arsenal to Manchester United in 1987 but two earlier signings proved to be just as significant. Few players have shown the knack of finding the net better than former great David Herd did in the sixties. During his seven years at Old Trafford, the Scotland born striker scored 145 times in 265 appearances. Then there was the Irish centre forward Frank Stapleton who had been rejected by United as a teenager. It was therefore ironic that Ron Atkinson had to pay the Gunners £900,000 for his signature in August 1981. Both Herd and Stapleton proved to be inspirational signings for which the Arsenal contribution has to be recognised.

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Despite the heavy 0-4 defeat suffered at West Ham in the Carling Cup last week, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to again leave a number of senior players out of his starting lineup for Tuesday night’s Champions League meeting with Valencia. Both clubs have already qualified for the knockout round although top spot in Group C is still up for grabs. United have 13 points from five games and will win the group if they avoid defeat against the Spaniards.

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I stated in a previous post that I think it’s highly unlikely that this country will ever produce another Paul Scholes (although admitting there is still a slight possibility), because our coaches and fans nurture and appreciate different, conflicting and sometimes downright incorrect characteristics in our footballers.

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One of the biggest expectations during the recently closed transfer window was for Manchester United to secure a top class goalkeeper in preparation for veteran Edwin van der Sar’s impending retirement. Those expectations were further increased when Sir Alex Ferguson was prepared to allow Ben Foster move to Birmingham City but to the surprise of many, a replacement failed to materialise with Sir Alex putting all his faith in his number two keeper Tomasz Kuszczak. It was interesting see a report in the Manchester Evening News therefore that the Poland international is now contemplating a move away from Old Trafford despite van der Sar getting closer with every game to hanging up his gloves.

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The memories of a seven year old child normally last a lifetime as  Manchester United supporter Jonathan Howcroft can testify after meeting one of his childhood heroes thousands of miles away from home. Denmark international Jesper Olsen spent four years from 1984 at United winning an FA Cup in his first season, before settling in Melbourne with his family following a serious injury which forced his retirement in 1992.

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