The Premier League was introduced to English football in 1992-93 with Manchester United claiming the first two titles but then a determined Blackburn Rovers came along in 1994-95 to prevent a hat trick.  Together with a moment of madness from cult hero Eric Cantona at Crystal Palace, a third successive title was narrowly prevented by a big spending Rovers side managed by former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish.

Read the full story

As one who sees the Carling Cup as little more than a mere distraction for clubs like Manchester United, I have to confess that there are also some worthwhile attractions in the much derided competition. Take United’s meeting with Scunthorpe as an example. A combined existence of nearly 220 years has thus far failed to ever match the two Uniteds together so a little bit of history will be made at Glenford Park on Wednesday night. But there will be far more than a spot in the fourth round at stake for a special Scunthorpe lad.

Read the full story

Between season 2000-01 and 2006-07, Manchester United went through their bleakest spell since the introduction of the Premier League. To finish runners up twice and in third position three times would have been more than acceptable to most clubs but not if their manager happened to be Sir Alex Ferguson whose standards are set so high that anything but champions is considered to be an abject failure. The 2002-03 campaign was the only one where those standards were met during that period with the title more or less clinched with a 4-0 thumping of Liverpool at Old Trafford in early April.

Read the full story