Giggs is Manchester United's best ever

It's advantage Manchester United in their Champions League quarter-final. A one-nil first leg lead secured at Chelsea puts Sir Alex Ferguson's charges in the box seat for a final four place.


Rooney's deft finish caps a brilliant United move

Hungry Wayne Rooney put his two-match ban to one side to strike the winner, but all the plaudits must go elsewhere.

That Ryan Giggs is already a legend is without doubt. But after his virtuoso moment at Stamford Bridge, I think he's got to be classed as United's best ever. He just keeps delivering.

Yes, a greater United figure than Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, George Best - even Ralphy Milne.

And what crowns him as United's greatest is his ongoing athleticism, his influence and sheer consistency at the highest level. The marriage of good form and experience that only a 37-year-old could have (late thirties, remember!)

But he also has something in his locker that even another giant of longevity, Paolo Maldini didn't have; that's the individual brilliance to create a winning goal from nothing.

Could Ryan Giggs play to the age of 40?

Yes, Rooney's bicycle kick against Manchester City was fantastic, but United's winner at Chelsea was a team goal of breathtaking precision. Carrick's cross field pass was collected on the run by Giggs, who made space for a defence splicing pass to Rooney who steered the ball into the net giving the post a little "ting" as it crossed the line.

Giggs, Giggs, Giggs!

Fergie believes he can play another couple of seasons yet and who would doubt that? Giggs has signed another year's extension to his contract but you're a long-time retired - and I'm sure the Salford-born Welshman will accept each offer so long as he remains an asset to the team.

The model professional maintains his lithe physique with yoga, topping up his already abundant natural fitness. No "thickening process" for this man, as Fergie described Eric Cantona's body in 1998. Giggs remains thin through thick and thin.

Amid all the bluster and comment claiming this current United crop is far from great, in reality, they're about five weeks from it. As April progresses, a second Treble is possible. For Giggs, it could mean a twelfth Premier League title and a hattrick in the Champions League.

And just like Manchester itself, long may he reign.

Also on Soccermongery: The day in 2009 when Giggs and Becks became greats.

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Michael Jackson statue reduces Cottage status

Can't see the wood for the trees.

We all know Chairman Mo plumbs depths of nouveau riche bad taste, but lobbing this joke of a statue up at Craven Cottage makes both a fool of himself and a target for mockery from away support. 

Like a sad orphan cast out from its rightful Harrod's home (the intended resting place for this garbage), Al Fayed's imposed MJ's effigy on his football public instead. Why didn't you put it in your back garden instead, Mo?


"If you don' like it, go'n'suppor' Chelsea instead!", snapped 'gyppy Mo at incredulous Cottagers, so scoring a silly PR own goal in the process.

Challenging McClaren's authority?

Coulda been Mo and MJ's lovechild

But the Fulham faithful have a point. Isn't this an insult to the club's real icons? Elland Road has Billy Bremner, Stoke City sits behind Sir Stanley Matthews, it's Cloughie at Forest and William McGregor outside Villa Park. Surely Wacko shouldn't overshadow Johnny Haynes at the Cottage? Mind you, chop its hair and you get Bobby Zamora, so it's not all bad, I suppose.

But which visiting boss will be able to resist a quip about the neither black nor white effigy? Every Fulham fan remembers the ridicule the Bad star suffered when he went to the Cottage one Saturday. They chanted "I'm forever blowing Bubbles!" as he did a lap of honour.



Brum, baby burn!

It won't be long before someone puts a traffic cone on MJ's head or takes direct action and burns it down like the ridiculous statue in Birmingham's Centenary Square; never replaced after being ravaged by fire eight years ago.

There's no truth in the rumour that its made of the same material as Jacko was after 1994!

Your home ground needs to be a fortress, not a focus for stunts like this. But don't worry Fulham fans, nothing is forever. It's a gimme for the new owner to stamp his or her authority on the club and be removed ten seconds after arrival!

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Ghana late show caps carnival friendly

England 1 Ghana 1: Jonny Gould reports from Wembley.

Isn't it great to see a Wembley friendly played with vigour, commitment and passion for a change? With the amount of players from the Premier League on both sides, I suppose we shouldn't have expected anything less.

The sheer size and carnival of Ghana's support ensured it was never going to be just a kickabout. The match sold out a fortnight ago and the visiting contingent were given a bigger share of the stadium.

Asamoah Gyan's deserved late strike

Despite being a second string, Fabio's alternatives played like they believed they could make the starting XI. The England boss had earlier released Chelsea's trio of Terry, Lampard and Cole along with Rooney and Dawson.

But Aston Villa pair Stewart Downing and Ashley Young looked lively and Andy Carroll, back after injury led an adventurous 4-3-3 formation.

And though Carroll's left-foot strike at the end of the first-half looked set to give England victory, not even the most ardent home fan would begrudge Ghana's equaliser struck by Asamoah Gyan.

So what can Capello have learned from a friendly without the backbone of his senior players? Well, no one seemed overawed - and the only way to deepen a squad is through match experience.

Jack Wilshere gives us a glimpse of the next generation, Leighton Baines is a lively back-up for Ashley Cole and Andy Carroll gives us tactical options upfront, so different as he is from Wayne Rooney.

But it was more of an exhibition than a proper game; at times our defending, ball control and understanding were suspect. We're quite some way from winning a tournament.

But as a big England fan, I'd love to be proved wrong.

The skipper circus goes on!

Barry is a yawn, so is the saga over the captaincy

After the farcical second coronation of John Terry as England captain, we're now presented with the seventh recipient of the Fabio Capello armband - the utterly uninspirational, Gareth Barry.

The rotund elder statesman will lead out a team expected to show eight changes from the Euro 2012 qualifier in Wales, for the Wembley friendly with Ghana.

The Manchester City millionaire has the most caps of the player's left, ergo he's the skipper despite not being considered good enough for the eighteen-man squad for Cardiff just two days before.

All this announced amid the organised media glare of an England news conference as Fabio admitted he hadn't yet had that private discussion with Rio Ferdinand as to why he wasn't going to lead the team out for Ghana.

He won't need to now. The message has reached Alderley Edge loud and clear!

The hullabaloo over who's England skipper is unnecessary theatre and a total distraction from the real affairs of the team. It also makes Fabio look like a dithering lame duck, just lucky to be presiding over a bunch of meaningless friendlies and a schedule of complete mismatches to qualify for Euro 2012.



Still, it's reported that 20,000 fans at Wembley will be from Ghana, so at least there'll be carnival and colour brought to a game which Gareth Barry's leadership rather confirms as stale.

But perhaps the booing won't just be consigned to our eleven players. To add insult to lethargy, the FA have invited Sepp Blatter as their special guest, just months after he snubbed England's bid to host the World Cup.