Even I had my doubts that we were ever going to win the
title again
The Manchester United captain looks back on the clubs road to the
championship and tells Matt Dickinson why he is resisting the
temptation to take cheap shots at Chelsea
When Manchester United gave Chelsea a guard of honour two years
ago, someone said that Gary Neville looked as though he was
clapping burglars in and out of his house. Thats not a bad way of
putting it, he said yesterday. Expect John Terry to wear the same
look of revulsion when he applauds the new champions at Stamford
Bridge this evening. It hurts, Neville said, although he is not
about to deepen Terrys pain now that the roles are reversed. A
notable feature of Uniteds celebrations has been a disinclination
to take cheap shots at Chelsea despite the obvious temptations and
the incessant provocation from José Mourinho.
It appears that United want to rise above their rivals, which is
something they have made a habit of doing this season. Equally,
they know that this title victory is just one battle, albeit a big
one, in an ongoing war. Dont get me wrong, if the last game of
football had just been played, I would be shouting off the
rooftops, Neville said. But your experience tells you that even
as champions you have to show humility. You can talk about the
sense of achievement, about the hard work, about the good football
but it is not a time to brag and rub peoples noses in it. That
will smack you right in the face. Weve got Chelsea coming up in
the FA Cup Final, the Community Shield and, before you know it,
well have 38 games slugging it out for the league. It has been
three years of suffering, being criticised, being inconsistent but
you dont get to celebrate for long. This has to be the beginning.
We havent reached the end of the rainbow with the pot of gold and
thats it.
So speaks Roy Keanes successor as United captain and, in the
unrelenting ambition, it might be the Irishman himself talking.
Neville is similarly reluctant to dwell on his contribution, even
though the moment when he lifts the trophy at Old Trafford on
Sunday afternoon will be the fulfilment of boyhood, and adult,
dreams. Itll be an honour, he said, but the satisfaction, truly,
is in seeing United back on top. Neville is the fan who became a
player but never forgot what it is like to be on the terraces. How
Red is he? Well lets just say that he will struggle to watch the
Champions League final because Liverpool are involved in it.
Despite his obvious credentials as a future manager, he claims that
his retirement plans do not extend beyond watching United with his
friends and family.
Three seasons of lagging behind Arsenal and Chelsea in the Barclays
Premiership were, as you can imagine, not easy to bear. United
would be back, Neville would say, repeatedly, as if he was the
clubs official spokesman. But not even he believed the words
coming out of his mouth as months turned into years. Like Sir Alex
Ferguson, the manager, confessing on Monday to his own tiredness,
Neville admits to those doubts only now that the trophy is on its
way back to Old Trafford. Only now can he admit that there were
days when he thought United were a million miles from winning
another championship. There were times where Im sure every
player, the manager, the fans were doubting whether we were going
to get there again. One year becomes two, then three and you start
thinking is it going to be ten, 20?
You have to give great credit to the manager for sticking to his
guns, never panicking, and it probably takes a manager of his class
and experience to see the bigger picture. The whole empire was said
to be crumbling but hes been proved right again. He said there
were young players, that his team was maturing. Some people
dismiss the Carling Cup but that was a big victory for us last
season. We thought yeah, we can win again and we put together
championship form for the rest of the season. When this campaign
began we were ready to go, although not many other people were
giving us a chance.
While Chelsea have endured a turbulent time, Neville reflects that
it has been an unusually stormless campaign at United. Ferguson
talked about a harmonious dressing-room. His captain concurs that
there are great players, confident characters but no overbearing
individuals. If there was a drama, it was in the supposed postWorld
Cup finals hullabaloo involving Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Some rift. The pair combined to score 46 goals, and the latter is
both player and footballer of the year.
If there was a trying time, it was in the immediate aftermath of
the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in January when three big points were
squandered. Ferguson was to say in his postmatch interview that
failure to protect a lead was a mistake that would not happen
again. His public criticism was nothing compared to his private
fury. For two or three days after the manager made us aware in no
uncertain terms that he wouldnt tolerate us throwing away a lead
like that in the last ten minutes, Neville said. He emphasised
that to everybody on the training ground in everything we did. It
wont happen again. I even think he said it publicly. Hes talked
us through what we did wrong and how we will play a game out the
next time it happens and made us appreciate that mistakes like that
cost you titles. The message came through loud and clear. United
won ten of their subsequent 12 league matches and, as a result, the
league.
Neville knows that a period of domination such as Liverpools of
the Seventies and Eighties or Uniteds of the Nineties is unlikely,
but he can see an upward trajectory for this team, an education
process. He believes that winning the Premiership is a stepping
stone to success in Europe although Liverpool have taken a short
cut for the second time in three years. Comparison with the best
Ferguson teams 1994, 1999? may be unflattering unless this
generation does go on to win the Champions League, although
Neville, 32, who is racing against time to return from an ankle
injury, claims to have enjoyed this season as much as any.
People make comparisons but the way that Ronaldo has performed
this season, has anyone illuminated Old Trafford like that? Ryan
Giggs breaking a record with his ninth championship. Some people
say Rooneys been quiet but hes got 23 goals, a fantastic talent.
The 93/94 team had an incredible amount of strong characters,
powerful individuals, but does this team not have character? Does
[winning at] Liverpool away not prove character? Coming from behind
at Ever-ton. Did they not take guts? Maybe we show our courage in a
different way but it is there, believe me.
Winning the league is as hard as ever. Other teams have spent a
lot of money, its very competitive at the top end and we had three
teams in the Champions League semi-finals so you have to say its
the best league in the world. And weve won it. So well really
enjoy this week. And on Monday we knuckle down for the FA Cup. And
then, hardly pausing for breath, Neville will start preparing for
the title defence next season.
Winning numbers
7 Number of Premiership title-winners medals won by Gary
Neville
3 FA Cup medals that the England right back has earned
1 League Cup final victory in which Neville has participated
1 Champions League winners medal in Nevilles honours
collection
