United stay calm in the Premiership storm

TO the victors the spoils! There were times over the years when I had reason to take pleasure in Manchester United's shortcomings, but at Middlesbrough yesterday they emerged as worthy champions of the English league. Alex Ferguson has had some bad days at the club where he took quite a time to really make his mark, but this was a victory that earned him the right to be numbered amongst the great British managers of recent times.

I'd have to admit that at the end of last summer I was one of the many pundits going around saying that his decision not to strengthen his panel had been a mistake and that United would not figure in the final shake up this season, yet here we are and they have the league in the bag and are, perhaps, a week away from completing another double.

Ferguson probably owes quite a lot to the patience of Martin Edwards who, in an era when managers are expected to provide instant success, had more than one opportunity to sack the Scot, but whatever faith the chairman showed back then, has been repaid with a great deal of interest in more recent times.

Nobody knows a squad of players better than their manager, but really Ferguson's assessment of the situation nine months ago was nothing short of superb. When he allowed Kanchelskis, Ince and Hughes to go people thought that he was mad, but he knew that he had the replacements on hand and, even when it would have been easier to simply go out and spend £10 million of his employers money, he decided that it was time to give them their chance on the main stage.

In the centre of midfield Roy Keane has been inspirational this year and the Corkman has clearly thrived on the freedom that Ince's absence has afforded him, but he hasn't been the only one to live up to his boss's expectations.

When Newcastle lost the midfield battle at Old Trafford over the Christmas, Keane was at the heart of things for the home side, but beside him Nicky Butt was also outstanding and, if the pair have a fault now it is that, as was the case with Ince and Keane before them, they are perhaps a little too similar to each other in style.

Probably the best of the youngsters was David Beckham, who excelled even in the relatively unfamiliar role thrust upon him (out wide on the right), while the progress of the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes up front has been little short of astonishing.

Amongst the older players too, there have been some remarkable performances but if you had to pick out one player, Cantona aside of course, it would have to be Peter Schmeichel who must have given the Frenchman a close run for the title of Player Of The Year.

In a season when he played behind a few different defensive combinations, the Danish international has proved himself to be the best goalkeeper in Britain - if some people would say the world, then they wouldn't get much of an argument out of me.

His presence around the box is marvellous, he is great under a cross, a terrific shot stopper and very solid in one on one situations. In fact, there is little to fault him on and the way he turns defence into attack so quickly has been worth a great deal to United over this campaign.

One of his main avenues of moving the ball forward has been the long throw to Giggs who, when he is not involved directly in defending, tends to take up a position where he knows that his keeper will be able to reach him. Many times it has proved to be a rewarding tactic and it is one of several ways in which the young winger has proven himself all over again this season. All in all, they really have been a great side, who have played some wonderfully entertaining football and they are deserved champions - although whether they are good enough to make any more of a mark on the European scene than they did previously, remains to be seen.

If they are to make a real impact, they will need a quality centre half to give them options in an area where injuries have made them look at little threadbare this year, while a playmaker might also be priority for Ferguson.

At European level a five man midfield would look to be his best option, with one man up front and the jewel in his crown, Cantona, free to roam around and, in that situation, Butt might prove a little too similar to Keane for the team's overall good.

Holding on to the Premiership title will also be tough, with Newcastle doubtless coming back more determined than ever to put things right for their fans, and Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham within a player or two of being right in the hunt next year.

With the exceptions of McClair, who at this stage of his career will be looking to play a bit more, and Parker, there is a place for everybody in the United set up and with another crop of youngsters rumoured to be coming through the ranks, Ferguson looks to have built a regime capable of being at or near the top for some years to come.

At the bottom, meanwhile, it was a sad day for Manchester City, who paid the price for making such a poor start to the season and for their inability to turn some fine play around the pitch into goals.

Whether Alan Ball stays on now or there is another manager put in place, there will probably be quite a few changes at Maine Road and the key for them looks to be their ability to hang on to Kinkladze. Having received so much attention in recent months he is not likely to be too impressed when he starts hearing about the likes of Reading, Oxford and Huddersfield City must either persuade him to stick with them or make sure that the very substantial transfer fee he would command is put to very good use if they are to come straight back up.

Another man who might well figure in the transfer market is Niall Quinn but I think he will be all right too. Niall doesn't score as many goals as he should do and he is the first one to admit that, but he will always cause defences problems and there are many managers in the Premiership who would look upon him as a useful addition to their squads if he does decide to pack his bags.

That, though, is for later on. This is a time for offering congratulations to United, their manager, their players and, in particular, to Cantona who showed character as well as genius since his return in October. Let's just hope they don't get greedy now when it comes down to facing my old pals at Wembley next Saturday!