Sir Alex Ferguson has built a great United

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By Alan Hansen

If there is one thing that money has brought to the Premier League, it is the fact that you can no longer win a championship by being a very good side. Now you have to be outstanding. Manchester United are exceptional on so many fronts. It is not just the quality of their football that made them champions yesterday - Arsenal have as much, perhaps more, natural flair. It is their ability to recover from any setback, their refusal to accept defeat and the fact that, especially defensively, they have answered every question that has been put to them. Great is a word that should be used sparingly in sport but this is a great team.

And yet just a couple of years ago, when they lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup, I remember thinking that this was a side that would really struggle to recover their position. Sir Alex Ferguson recognised this too because it is the changes he has made that has ensured that Manchester United were able first to match and then to overhaul Chelsea. And not only did they overtake Chelsea, they did it with immense style.

Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra proved, after an uncertain start, that they could underpin the Manchester United defence. Paul Scholes now looks a completely different player to the one he was three years ago. Buying Michael Carrick and Carlos Tevez augmented what he had in Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Not only did Manchester United regain their title, they have now won back-to-back championships and they will start next season favourites to make it three in a row purely because of an unbelievable strength in depth that seemed unattainable a few years back.

Although he, himself says that ending the era of Liverpool's dominance is the thing that makes him most proud, winning back-to-back titles against a Chelsea side funded by Roman Abramovich must count among Ferguson's greatest achievements.

It does not matter how much money you have - sometimes you have to make hard, cruel decisions about players and you have to motivate the men you bring in. No amount of money can prepare you for that.

Ferguson thrives on that kind of edge-of-your-seat pressure. And as he celebrates his 10th league championship, you have to ask why he should want to take himself off to a beach and enjoy a retirement that would not produce anything like the kind of experiences he had yesterday. And if I had a team like Manchester United, I wouldn't be disappearing to a beach either. Naturally, it will give them a huge psychological boost before Moscow.

In 1986 Everton and Liverpool were going head-to-head for the Double and, when we won the league, we were able to go into the FA Cup final in a far more relaxed frame of mind because, whatever happened, we would have won something.

Chelsea may yet end up with nothing but as the season has reached its critical point, they have shown some unbelievable resilience. They have kept going right to the very end. That can only be a tribute to their manager, Avram Grant, who as Chelsea have fought tooth-and-nail with Manchester United, has had to answer continual questions about his own future.

In my mind - with the exception of the Carling Cup final and his decision to substitute Joe Cole when they were leading 4-3 at Tottenham, only to draw 4-4 - he has done an exceptional job. But these days compassion seems to have become an ugly word.

Last year, Jose Mourinho won the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, reached a Champions League semi-final and finished second in the Premier League. That was considered not good enough by the man who paid his wages.

In the world of Abramovich finishing a good second is not good enough. The old saying of: 'first is first, second is nowhere' has never been truer than in the age of the billionaire foreign owner.

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STEVEN HOWARD - Chief sports writer

IT was appropriate they should have had the REAL Premier League trophy at the JJB Stadium — and the replica at Stamford Bridge. For once again, when the chips were down, Manchester United proved themselves the Real Deal. As Rio Ferdinand said after the 2-0 victory over Wigan that made any Chelsea result immaterial: “All season we have handled whatever situation we have been faced with. And we did it again today.”

In their third game of the season, United were beaten 1-0 by arch-rivals Manchester City to leave them near the foot of the table with just two points. They responded by winning EIGHT league matches on the spin, conceding just TWO goals. It would have been nine victories but for a late Arsenal equaliser at the Emirates.

On February 10, the very day United were honouring the Munich dead, it was City again who delivered another crushing blow by completing the double with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. Once again United buckled down to the challenge, reeling off another SEVEN consecutive league victories.

Then, following their last wobble when they dropped points at Middlesbrough and Blackburn and lost at Chelsea, they rose to the challenge yet again by winning their last two games against West Ham and Wigan.

On the very day they completed the job, City were conceding eight at Boro. Hallelujah! What an afternoon for United and Alex Ferguson as the manager claimed his TENTH Premier League crown.

At the end, the indestructible Scot could be seen belting out “We are the Champions” as loudly as anyone else. Retire at the end of the season — even if he wins his second Champions League trophy? You cannot be serious.

United are now just one title away from equalling Liverpool’s record of 18 and as Fergie said before the game: “I’ve got a bit of damage to do yet.” Even more extraordinary is the fact he was all ready to pack it in six years ago.

As Steve Bruce observed: “He must have had a bad bottle of red the night before he said that.” What an afternoon also for Ryan Giggs as he came on as a second-half sub to score the goal that clinched his own 10th championship medal on the day he equalled Bobby Charlton’s appearance record for United.

Sure, it wasn’t a vintage display and they should have probably conceded a penalty and had Paul Scholes sent off in the first half. Then, again, they should have had one of their own in the second half. They did what they had to do. They showed character and balls and to be denied the title this late in the day on technicalities would have been something of an injustice.

On other days, they have cut loose and showed all the flair and flamboyance that has long been the hallmark of Ferguson’s teams. But the true mark of champions has also been the ability to grind out results as they did yesterday against, remember, a Wigan team enjoying its best form of the year.

It has been a magnificent season for United, one in which their all-round strength has made them worthy champions with more goals scored and fewer conceded than anyone else. Most of the accolades have gone to the phenomenal Cristiano Ronaldo who held his nerve yet again yesterday — and settled those of his team-mates — to score his 31st league goal from the spot.

It has been an annus mirabilis for the young Portuguese superstar, at the epicentre of an attacking whirlwind in which he has had tremendous support from Carlos Tevez (14 goals) and Wayne Rooney (12). This trio have appropriated many of the headlines and yet United’s success belongs just as much to the Trojan efforts of a United defence that statistically is the best ever in the Premier League.

Just 22 goals conceded in the league — four better than their previous fewest — and 21 clean sheets despite Edwin van der Sar’s increasing determination to send every clearance straight down the throat of the opposition. There has also been an Indian summer from Scholes and the sort of season from Michael Carrick, celebrating his 100th club appearance yesterday, that has dumbfounded those of us who raised our eyebrows when Ferguson paid Spurs £18.6million for him.

Throw in the enormous potential of Anderson and Ferguson’s determination to strengthen his squad in the summer and the likelihood of the manager deciding it’s time to put his feet up grows even more remote.

As for Chelsea, they kept it going until the last day of the season with a remarkable run of 15 wins and six draws since losing at Arsenal. In that time, they stretched their unbeaten home run to 82 games. And yet, it was dropped points at Stamford Bridge that cost them dear.

Ferguson pinpointed the 1-1 draw with Wigan as the decisive result. Yet it was far more than that. While United’s home record was 17-1-1 and 52 points, Chelsea had to settle for 43 from 12-7-0.

Those seven draws came in clashes with Blackburn, Fulham, Everton, Villa, Liverpool, Wigan and Bolton. So first blood to United ahead of the Champions League final. We can, no doubt, expect some more mind games in the build-up from Ferguson who appears to have talked Bolton into a performance after his references to them “partying all week” — despite it being just one night out last Monday.

One year past pensionable age, maybe, but right now he’s getting his kicks on Route 66.