1997-98 season.

[oboe123]

Just been watching the 97-98 season on Sky sports 3.What a great team we were then.That game when we went to Blackburn away near end of season and put 4 past 'em.Great days.

[Henry Norris 1913]

stop reminiscing.

[oboe123]

I can 't help it.

[Henry Norris 1913]

overmars had a top season, and wreh. they both finished off the season well. ten straight wins I believe

[mcdowell42]

Sky showed the 01/02 season earlier today as well.

[northbank123]

Seen our 3 successful PL Years episodes time and time again. Lucky enough that this was my first season with a ST.

Would we have won the league that year had we been in the CL (and progressed from the group)? Unlikely imo.

[spendsum4uckingmoney]

Do you think the league has gotten tougher since then? I know we deteriorated significantly but I do feel the league is stronger now. Teams seem to have more foreign players and clubs, even if they are shit, tend to have players who are really fast, like Kone of Wigan last week. Sure he may be shit at finishing but 1 day that counter attack will end with him putting it into the back of the net.

[northbank123]

Football has moved on, the game is different and faster. To be honest Kone is not really comparatively better than players like Malcolm Christie that were playing for relegation fodder 10-15 years ago, he's just fast, foreign and a bit of a maverick. Just like Papiss Cisse is no better than players 15 years ago who couldn't live up to expectations on the back of temporary form.

A lot superficially points to the PL being stronger as CL performance was hardly spectacular throughout the 90s until United won the thing, and the PL has a far higher proportion of players on show in international tournaments for example than previously.

But the hype is also mental nowadays. We get it rammed down our throats so often that the PL is the best league and about the standard of football but look how fucking hopeless Villa have been for 18 months, culminating in 8-0 and 4-0 drubbings, yet they're probably going to stay up. United canter to victory in about 40% of their games purely by virtue of the other team cacking their pants at the prospect of playing them and being beaten before they even step out on the pitch. Back in the day you used to have to be on your toes every game or risk dropping points regardless of who you were playing. This season United have pissed about, performed pretty averagely and defended like mugs yet repeatedly he has just thrown two or three of his expensive attacking options on from the bench and predictably the other team have folded pretty much every game. That's not the sign of a strong league, it's the sign of a non-competitive league. No doubt MOTD bleated on about what a wonderful advert for PL football and sign of the quality of the league that game was today. No, it shows that United (yet again) can fuck around and afford to ship in 3 goals and everybody knows they're still exceedingly likely to go and score more down the other end and canter to the title.

I may be conflating issues but look back in the day and strikers like Andy Cole and Ian Wright never got their foot in the door for England despite banging in goals season after season after fucking season. Likewise Fowler's opportunities were limited, and even Kevin Phillips' consistent goalscoring merited more than the few caps he won. Since 2000, Emily Heskey won 62 caps, Peter Crouch has 42 and probably most embarrassing of all Kevin Davies pulled on an England shirt. The media will have you believe that it's okay because Wayne Rooney is an unbelievable talent and probably marginally behind Messi and Ronaldo but reality is he's not really much better than players that 15 years ago were struggling to make England squads.

We finished 3rd last year and are probably the 4th best team atm yet we could have played United at OT this season a hundred times and 0-2 was the best result we'd have got. Doesn't say much for the strength of the league does it?

[oboe123]

Good shout.Look at players picking up caps now.Reham Sterling has played a few games for Liverool and he gets a cap.Zaha at Palace the same.

[1989]

Anelka was incredible that year. What a player at just 18. He could have been so much more; sad waste of talent.

[nut flush gooner]

Used to be us and manure as top dogs, now its chelski, manure and city.

Is the current manure/city side better than our class of 2004, no way. The sad thing is probably only one or two of our current squad would get close to the invincibles side. That's how far we have slipped away.

[oboe123]

Anelka was incredible that year. What a player at just 18. He could have been so much more; sad waste of talent.

He should have stayed with us.His partnership with DB was class and would have got better.Greed got the better of him.

[Herd]

Old Trafford ,Bredbury Hall the night before ,Alex Manninger had a blinder stopping one point blank 1-1 ,Overmars scoring and the stadium empty within 3 mins of the final whistle,Arsenal fans all over the place going mental !

The the Everton game,even at 3 up I hated people singing Champions ..............then Tony Adams put it beyond any doubt !

Took my 9 year old to the final ,pick nick in Wembley Car Park with other fathers n sons from NUFC and,Organising a nipper game ,magic !

Nostalgia that's what we all need !

[I Hate Hleb]

Good shout.Look at players picking up caps now.Reham Sterling has played a few games for Liverool and he gets a cap.Zaha at Palace the same.

You could even extend that to include Gibbs and Jenkinson!!

[supergeorgegraham]

This team was better than 2004. Why because I remember watching and thinking I cant believe what I am seeing.
Petit, Vieira,Overmars,Bergkamp,Wright,Anelka.
Mind you its Petit and Vieira combo that wins it for me. Best midfield I have ever seen those 2