Football Speakers - TM Speakers Football Speakers Football Speakers administrator 2015-09-08T12:58:44+00:00 Football Speaker / Sportsman’s Dinner Book a legendary Football Speaker for your next Sportman’s Dinner or Charity Event – We have a huge selection of Old and Current Footballer’s to host your event including Question’s and Answers part and experience their side of the story and how footballers live. Our client Ian Rush is a big hit at Liverpool Sports Dinners, Ideal for all you Liverpool FC fans but why not hire more than one? Rush and Dalglish, York & Cole or Neville V Goater for a Manchester Derby – Call today to arrange the best speaker / event host 0845 835 0099 Phil Thompson Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions.

After retiring as a player, he later served Liverpool as assistant manager and, during the 2001–02 season, acted as caretaker for 6 months View Profile Nigel Winterburn Nigel Winterburn is an English former professional footballer and current football television pundit who played as a left back from 1981 to 2003. He is best known for his role alongside the likes of Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line for Arsenal in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s. Ken Monkou Kenneth John “Ken” Monkou is a retired Dutch footballer who played in a defensive role. Born in Suriname but raised in the Netherlands, Monkou’s first major side was Feyenoord Rotterdam. He moved to England in May 1989 to sign for newly promoted to the First Division Chelsea for £100,000. View Profile Murdo MacLeod Murdo Davidson MacLeod is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. MacLeod, who played as a midfielder, made 20 appearances for Scotland and played in the 1990 World Cup Finals.

View Profile Alan Smith Alan Smith, is an English former football manager who began his coaching career as Steve Coppell’s assistant at Crystal Palace. When Palace suffered relegation from the Premiership in 1993, Coppell resigned and Smith moved up to the manager’s seat. Smith achieved instant success at Selhurst Park, as his side won the Division One championship, View Profile Alan Smith Alan Martin Smith (born 21 November 1962 in Hollywood, Worcestershire) is an English former professional footballer and current sports television pundit and the club patron of Alvechurch F.C.. As a player he was a striker from 1981 until retiring from injury in 1995. He played for Leicester City before joining Arsenal where he played in the Premier League. He also won thirteen caps for England.

View Profile DAVE WATSON David Vernon “Dave” Watson (born 5 October 1946) is a former English footballer who played for Notts County, Rotherham United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Werder Bremen, Southampton, Stoke City, Vancouver Whitecaps and Derby County as well at the England national team where he won 65 caps View Profile Willie Young William David “Willie” Young is a Scottish former footballer. A large, physically intimidating centre back from Edinburgh, Young first played for Aberdeen, and made 187 appearances for the Dons between 1970 and 1975, before joining English sides Arsenal and Tottenham. View Profile Willie Morgan William “Willie” Morgan is a Scottish former professional football player. Morgan won 21 caps for Scotland including world cup 1974, scoring once against Denmark in 1972. Willie enjoyed a 21 year career at Burneley, Machester United, Bolton Wanderers and loan spells at Chicago Sting and Minnesota Kicks, beforea return to England to play for Blackpool.

View Profile Wilf McGuiness Wilfred “Wilf” McGuiness is a former English football player and manager, who played twice for England. He is best known for taking over from Matt Busby as manager of Manchester United. View Profile Viv Anderson Vivian Alexander “Viv” Anderson MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s. He also went on to win 30 caps for England. View Profile Trevor Francis Trevor John Francis, is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England’s first £1 million player. View Profile Trevor Cherry Trevor John Cherry is a former England and Leeds United footballer who also captained his country. He was a defender who also played for Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, and managed the latter club. He won a total of 27 international caps and became just the third England international to be shown the red card.

View Profile Tony Gale Anthony Peter “Tony” Gale is an English former professional footballer who played for Fulham, West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace and Maidenhead United.Tony is now a regular pundit on Soccer Saturday. He also contributes a column for the British tabloid newspaper The Sun. View Profile Tony Cottee Tony Cottee Anthony Richard “Tony” Cottee is an English former professional footballer and manager who now works as a television football commentator. He was capped seven times by England, and played in the Football League for Birmingham City, Norwich City and Millwall. View Profile Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player. As a player Adams played his whole career at Arsenal where he made 504 appearances. When his playing career finished Adams went into football management, spending periods in charge of Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Azerbaijan side Gabala. View Profile Tommy Smith MBE A long-serving footballer with Liverpool where he made 463 appearances, tommy was known for his uncompromising defensive style. tommy made only one cap for England. View Profile Tommy Gemmell Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.

He won 18 caps and scored one goal from the penalty spot against Cyprus in an 8-0 in a 1970 World Cup qualifier for Scotland. Gemmell made 247 appearances for Celtic before moving to Nottingham Forrest, then finally ended up at Dundee where he made 94 appearances, he retired from playing football in 1977 and then took the managers role at dundee for a further three years. View Profile Tommy Docherty Thomas Henderson “Tommy” Docherty, commonly known as “The Doc”, is a Scottish former footballer who had a long career with Preston North End before he moved onto arsenal where he made 83 appearances. Tommy became a football manager once retired, who managed a total of 13 clubs between 1961 and 1988 as well as managing the Scottish national side. View Profile Terry Venables Terence Frederick “Terry” Venables, often referred to as “El Tel”, is an English former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit.

During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England. Terry went onto manage many big clubs such as Tottenham and Barcelona, Terry also had a brief spell in international management where he managed England in 1994 – 1996 and then Australia in 1997 – 1998. Terry is now technical advisor for Wembley FC. View Profile Terry McDermott Terence “Terry” McDermott is a former football midfielder who was appointed assistant manager of Birmingham City in June 2012. In his England career, he had been capped 25 times at senior level, and scored three goals. He made appearances for clubs such as Liverpool and Newcastle United. View Profile Terry Butcher Terence Ian “Terry” Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s.

View Profile Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul “Teddy” Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. At the age of thirty-six, signalled the final end of Sheringham’s international career, during which he had earned fifty-one caps and scored eleven times for England. teddy also enjoyed a great career within football where he made 760 appearances and score 289 goals at numerous clubs including Manchester United View Profile Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool who he has made 462 appearances for the club and is current England national team captain. Steven was also, captain for the historic Liverpool win over AC Milan in the European Cup Final which took place in 2004-2005. Gerrard has also made 108 appearances for his country. View Profile Steve Staunton Stephen “Steve” Staunton is an Irish association football manager and former professional footballer, who was most recently manager of Darlington. He earned 102 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team.

View Profile Steve McManaman International level winger who played for Real Madrid & Liverpool who made 272 appearances for liverpool and 98 for realmadrid before moving onto manchester city. Steve is now a pundit with BT Sport. View Profile Steve Kindon Matthew Tinsley (AKA Steve Kindon) is a former professional footballer who played mainly on the left wing where his speed was an asset, but also played at centre forward. Steve began his career at Burnley where he played over 100 games and scored 28 goals. View Profile Steve Heighway Stephen Derek “Steve” Heighway is an Irish former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s where he made 329 appearances, and Steve representing his national side Republic of Ireland with a total of 34 caps. View Profile Steve Daley Steve Daley is a former English footballer, who played as a midfielder. The most notorious incident in his career was his British record transfer to Manchester City in 1979. but he made most of his appearances at Woverhampton.

View Profile Steve Claridge Stephen Edward Claridge is an English football player, pundit and coach. He is currently a pundit for BBC Sport football shows. View Profile Steve Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish footballer who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan. View Profile Steve Bull Stephen George “Steve” Bull, MBE, is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was capped 13 times for the England team between 1989 and 1990, scoring four goals. Stan Collymore Stanley Victor “Stan” Collymore is a former English football player and is currently an English football pundit. View Profile Sir Trevor Brooking Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE in Barking, Essex is a football player turned manager he made 647 appearances for West Ham United. Since retiring from playing, he has taken up a number of positions in broadcasting as an on-air analyst and in administration.

View Profile Sir Geoff Hurst Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for making his mark in history as the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final which England won in the 1966 World Cup. View Profile Sir Bobby Charlton Sir Robert “Bobby” Charlton CBE is an English former football player. A member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d’Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966, which was the same year he won the World Cup with the England squad. Sir Bobby made 606 appearances for Manchester United and scored 166 gals for the club. View Profile Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman “Alex” Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish football manager and former player who has managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. he is known to be one of the best tacticians in the game. He was also the 1998 – 1999 manager who led Manchester United to the Treble.

View Profile Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He made appearances all around Europe with spells in Holland, Italy and England. Ruud won the Ballon d’or in 1987 and then went onto win Euro 1988 with Holland who he made 66 appearances for. View Profile Roy Keane Former Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Republic of Ireland player. Keane was known for his no nonsense approach to the game. Roy made over 67 appearances over Republic of Ireland, he had brief spells managing Sunderland and Ipswich Town. Now a coach and pundit. View Profile Ronnie Whelan Ronald Andrew “Ronnie” Whelan is a former Irish association football midfielder, and sometimes defender, who was an integral part of the dominant Liverpool side of the 1980s. He was at the club from 1979 until 1994. View Profile Ron Yeats Ronald ‘Ron’ Yeats is a Scottish former footballer.

He was the captain of the first great Liverpool team of the 1960s where he made 358 appearances, he also made appearances for Dundee and Tranmere Rovers. He also won two caps for Scotland. View Profile Ron Harris Ronald Edward Harris, better known as Ron “Chopper” Harris, is a former English footballer who played for Chelsea in the 1960s and 1970s. Ron made over 655 appearances Chelsea which spanned over a 19 year career with the club. View Profile Roger Hunt Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. Roger made over 404 appearances and scored 245 goals. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup. Hunt was capped 34 times for his country. View Profile Robbie Fowler One of the greatest strikers in the English game. Played for Liverpool making 239 appearances and scored 120 goals and England where he went onto make 26 appearances and scored 7 goals.

View Profile Ricky George Richard Stuart George is a former professional footballer who had brief spells at many clubs, where his career spanned out across 13 years. View Profile Ray Wilkins Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE, commonly known as Ray Wilkins, is an English former footballer who played for chelsea at the start of his career where he made 179 appearances, he then went onto manchester united where he made a further 160 appearances, Ray enjoyed his 24 year career where he made 695 appearances and at present he is a television pundit. Most recently, he was assistant manager of Chelsea. View Profile Ray Parlour Raymond “Ray” Parlour is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Combined Counties League Premier Division side Wembley F.C. He won ten caps for his country but did not score any goals. He went onto make 339 appearances for Arsenal F.C. View Profile Ray Houghton Raymond James “Ray” Houghton is a retired football player, Ray enjoyed a career in english footbal that spanned over 21 years where made 580 appearances, and current analyst and commentator with RTÉ Sport.

View Profile Ray Clemence Raymond Neal “Ray” Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football’s most decorated goalkeepers and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. Because of an injury to his left knee Clemence was forced into retirement from international football shortly afterwards with a total of 61 caps View Profile Phil Neal Philip George Neal is a former footballer who made well over 400 appearances for Liverpool which spanned over a nine year career with the club, Neal also had a seven year career with England, winning 50 caps and playing in the 1982 World Cup. View Profile Peter Shilton Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps. He was also the goal keeper who conceeded the famous “Hand Of God” goal. View Profile Peter Reid Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle. Peter made many appearances across English football, most notably Everton where he made 159 appearances for the club.

he then went onto manage numerous clubs including Manchester City and Sunderland where he spent seven years. View Profile Peter Lorimer Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who played for Leeds United during the late 1960s and early 1970s, their most successful era he made over 700 appearances for Leeds United. View Profile Peter Bonetti Peter Phillip Bonetti is a former football goalkeeper for Chelsea where he made 495 appearances, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. View Profile Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999, he is renowned for his two spell spent at Newcastle United where he bacame a fan favourite, he also went onto make 59 appearances. He is currently employed as the Reserve Team manager of Newcastle United. View Profile Peter Beagrie Peter Sidney Beagrie is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit and commentator. As a player he was a left-winger in a career that lasted from 1983 to 2006.

View Profile Perry Groves Perry Groves is a former English footballer, known chiefly for his time at Arsenal. He was a fast-paced player who usually played as winger, and occasionally as a striker. View Profile Paul Walsh An English former professional footballer and sports television pundit. shot to fame in the 1980s during spells with Charlton Athletic, Luton Town, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He also went on to play for Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City and Portsmouth. He was capped 4 times by England scoring 1 goals. View Profile Paul Parker Paul Andrew Parker is an English former professional footballer, manager and sports television pundit. Paul made a number of appearances for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester United. He was also a crucial player at the 1990 World Cup with England and earned 19 caps. View Profile Paul Merson Paul Charles Merson is an English former professional footballer, manager and current sports television pundit. Paul made 289 appearances and scored 78 goals for Arsenal. He also made 21 appearances for England.

View Profile Paul McGrath Paul McGrath is a retired Irish footballer, who played as a defender from 1981 until 1998. McGrath is widely recognised as one of the greatest players to have ever come out of Ireland. He was capped 83 times, scoring eight goals. View Profile Paul Fletcher A retired English professional footballer who played as a striker. He was formerly the chief executive of Burnley. He also made 293 appearances for Burnley during his playing days. View Profile Pat Jennings Patrick Anthony “Pat” Jennings OBE is a Northern Ireland former football player. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper. He also made 472 appearances for Tottenham before making the switch to Arsenal where he made a further 237 appearances. View Profile Paddy Crerand Patrick Timothy “Paddy” Crerand is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup. He also gained 16 international caps for Scotland.

View Profile Ossie Ardiles Osvaldo César Ardiles, often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football coach, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentine national team. He made appearances for Tottenham, Paris St Germain, Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers. he then went onto manage all over the world. View Profile Norman Whiteside A former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups. He played both as a midfielder and as a striker. Whiteside began his career at Manchester United, signing professional forms in 1982. View Profile Norman Hunter Norman Hunter is a former English footballer who was a member of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He was also part of the 1966 FIFA World Cup winning squad, receiving a medal in 2007. View Profile Nobby Stiles Norbert “Nobby” Peter Stiles MBE is a retired English footballer. He was born in Collyhurst, Manchester. Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring 1 goal.

View Profile Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s. View Profile Neville Southall Neville Southall MBE is a Welsh former international footballer. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985. His 92 Welsh caps are a national record, he conceded 126 goals, for an average of 1.34 per match. View Profile Neil Ruddock Neil Ruddock, nicknamed Razor Ruddock is an English former professional footballer, actor and television personality. As a player he played as a central defender from 1986 to 2003. View Profile Mike Summerbee Mike Summerbee is an English former footballer, who played in the successful Manchester City side of the late 1960s and early 1970s. View Profile Mickey Thomas Michael Reginald “Mickey” Thomas is a former football player.

As a Welsh international, he made 51 appearances and scored four goals. View Profile Micky Quinn Michael “Micky” Quinn is a retired English professional footballer. He was predominantly a centre forward during a career in which he scored 228 goals from 515 games in the Football League View Profile Michael Owen Michael James Owen is an English footballer who played for Liverpool where he made 216 appearances and scored 118 goals, he then moved to Real Madrid where he enjoyed one year till he moved back to England to play for Newcastle United, Manchester United and finally Stoke City. He is England’s tenth most-capped player and has scored a national record of 26 competitive goals, with 40 in total from 89 appearances, most recently in 2008. View Profile Matt Le Tissier Matthew Le Tissier is a retired, Guernsey-born, English footballer. Le Tissier spent his entire club career with Southampton where he made 443 appearances and 161 goals and gained eight caps for the England national football team.

View Profile Martin Peters Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and manager and a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He played three more games for England, reaching a total of 67 caps. View Profile Martin Keown Martin Raymond Keown is a semi-professional footballer who currently plays for Wembley FC and a former English footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005 notably in the Premier League for Arsenal where he made over 300 appearances for the club and won nine major trophies. Over 10 years Keown was capped 43 times for England. View Profile Mark Wright Mark Wright is an English football manager, chairman and former England international football player. As a player, he had spells with Liverpool, Derby County, Southampton and Oxford United during the 1980s and 1990s. View Profile Mark Lawrenson Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional footballer, a defender in the Liverpool and Ireland football teams of the 1980s.

View Profile Mark Halsey Mark Halsey is a former professional referee with The Premier League who over came a battle with cancer to return to top flight sport. View Profile Malcolm McDonald A former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town where he scored 48 goals in 88 apearances, as well as Newcastle United and Arsenal. View Profile Allan Clarke Former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England View Profile Alex Stepney Former English football player who was Manchester United’s goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup. View Profile Alex McLeish Scottish former professional football player and manager. Played for Aberdeen and Motherwell. Managed Motherwell, Hibernian, Rangers, Scotland, Birmingham City and Aston villa. Alex McLeish is also a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. View Profile Alan Smith Alan Smith is an English footballer who plays for Milton Keynes Dons, having signed for them in July 2012 following his release by Newcastle United a few weeks earlier. He also enjoyed a spell at Manchester United.

He has also represented the England national football team, winning 19 caps. View Profile Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is also, currently the leading goal scorer in English Premier League history. View Profile Alan Rough Alan Roderick Rough is a former Scottish international goalkeeper, who won over 50 caps and played in two FIFA World Cups. He also had a long club career, mostly with Partick Thistle and Hibernian. View Profile Duncan McKenzie Duncan McKenzie is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers before enjoying a brief spell in the US. View Profile Alan Kennedy Alan Kennedy was a former Newcastle United, Liverpool FC and Sunderland Footballer. He also applied his trade in Europe in both Denmark and Belgium. View Profile Alan Hansen Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and widely respected BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland.

View Profile Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles “Alan” Curbishley is an English former football player and manager. He has worked in the FA Premier League in management roles at Charlton Athletic, West Ham United and more recently was a Technical Director for Fulham FC. Alan Brazil Scottish former football player and broadcaster. Footballer for Ipswich, Tottenham, Manchester United, Coventry City, Queens Park Rangers. View Profile Luther Blissett Luther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager, who had a brief stint at AC Milan before being moved onto Watford where he made 127 appearances. He is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. View Profile Lou Macari Luigi “Lou” Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent. After a promising start to his playing career with Celtic, he moved south of the border in 1973 for £200,000 to sign for Manchester United, where he would spend the bulk of his playing career.

View Profile Lee Sharpe Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit and reality television personality, who as a player was predominantly a left winger from 1988 to 2004, he played for Manchester United for eight years making 193 appearances. He won a total of eight caps for England. View Profile Lawrie Sanchez Lawrence Philip “Lawrie” Sanchez is a football manager, and a former player. Sanchez won three international caps for Northern Ireland. View Profile Lawrie McMenemy Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club who he managed for 12 years. View Profile Kevin Ratcliffe Kevin Ratcliffe is a former Welsh footballer who spent most of his career playing for Everton where he made 348 appearances. View Profile Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is an English former footballer who played for several clubs including Liverpool where he won three Football League Division One titles, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup and a European Cup. Kevin also went to manage many teams from the likes of Newcastle United, Fulham, England and Manchester City before returning to Newcastle United.

View Profile Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies is an English footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers as a striker making 351 appearances. He was made Bolton team captain in January 2009 till he left and joined Preston North End in 2013. View Profile Kenny Sansom Kenneth Graham Sansom is an English former footballer. Until overtaken by Ashley Cole in February 2011, he held the record for the number of caps for an England national football team full back, having appeared 86 times for his country between 1979 and 1988. View Profile Kenny Dalglish Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and manager. In a career spanning 22 years, he played for Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is also regarded as one of the best scottish footballers ever to grace the turf. View Profile Kenny Burns A former Scotland international footballer, most famous for his time with Nottingham Forest, where he played a vital role in their European Cup successes.

View Profile Johnny Giles Michael John “Johnny” Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. View Profile John Stiles John Stiles is a former professional footballer and the son of 1966 England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles and nephew of Johnny Giles. Stiles made over 150 Football League appearances in total, having played for Leeds United and Doncaster Rovers. View Profile John Motson John Walker Motson OBE, also known as Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio. View Profile John Lukic Jovan “John” Lukic is an English former professional footballer of Serbian descent who played as a goalkeeper from 1978 to 2001. who had two long spells at leeds, that spanned over 18 years. View Profile John McGovern John McGovern is a Scottish former association football player and manager. McGovern is most famous for captaining the Nottingham Forest side that won the European Cup twice, under the management of Brian Clough.

View Profile John Hartson John Hartson is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a striker from 1992 until 2008 notably in the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Premier League for Arsenal and West Ham United. View Profile John Greig John Greig MBE is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player where he made 498 appearances and went onto manage and director. View Profile John Giles Michael John “Johnny” Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a player manager for his national side Republic of Ireland. View Profile John Beresford John Beresford is a former English football player who played as a defender for many clubs, but most noticeably, Newcastle where he made 179 appearances, who is currently a pundit for ITV Tyne Tees and ESPN.

View Profile John Barnes John Barnes was a Jamaican born Englishman who played for teams like Watford & Liverpool where he became an Anfield Legend who played over 70 times for England on the wing, he may be remembered most for the goal which he scored against Brazil in 1984 where he outpaced several defenders to score. you may not know but John did not aqquire his British passport till after the world cup. View Profile Joey Jones Joseph Patrick “Joey” Jones is a former Welsh international football full-back who played for Liverpool, with whom he won the European Cup. View Profile John Aldridge John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager. He was a prolific record-breaking striker best known for his productive time with Liverpool in the late 1980s, and for being the first man to have a penalty kick saved in a Wembley FA Cup Final. View Profile Joe Royle Joseph “Joe” Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton, Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team. Royle has managed Oldham Athletic, Everton, Manchester City, and Ipswich Town.

View Profile Joe Corrigan A former football goalkeeper who played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion Manchester City, Norwich City and Stoke City as well as the England national team. Who went on later to coach a number of teams in a goalkeeping coach position. View Profile Jimmy Nicholl James Michael “Jimmy” Nicholl is a Canadian-born former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Manchester United. Nicholl won a total of 73 international caps for Northern Ireland, scoring once and is currently assistant manager at Kilmarnock. Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen to be sacked by Anzhi after just 16 DAYS in charge | Daily Mail Online comments Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen is set to be sacked as manager of Anzhi Makhachkala after just 16 days in charge. The Dutchman, who left Old Trafford this summer after the appointment of David Moyes as manager, replaced Guus Hiddink in the Anzhi hotseat just over two weeks ago.

However Meulensteen failed to win any of his first four Russian Premier League matches, despite Anzhi splashing a considerable amount of cash on the signings of Dinamo Moscow's Aleksander Kokorin and Zenit St Petersburg's Igor Denisov this summer. Facing the axe: Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen, pictured with Sir Alex Ferguson, is set to be sacked by Anzhi after just 16 days in charge According to reports in Russia, Anzhi owner Suleiman Kerimov has lost patience with the club amidst rumours of unrest among the team's biggest stars. It's believed the Russian billionaire is planning to put the entire squad up for sale with a view to focusing on a new side filled with more local, younger talent. Konstantin Remchukov, chairman of the Anzhi board of directors, announced Meulensteen's imminent departure on Twitter on Tuesday, also stating the club's annual budget will be slashed considerably from around £120million to just under £50m.

Changes: Anzhi owner Suleiman Kerimov is planning to put the entire squad up for sale Anzhi's biggest signing: Samuel Eto'o, whose contract ends next summer, is the world's highest earning footballer, raking in £350,000 a week There are rumours, however, that Kerimov's plans to scale down are because he recently lost a large amount of money on the stock market. Having spent millions of pounds securing the signatures of the likes of Brazil legend Roberto Carlos and former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o in recent years, Kerimov's change of heart has plunged the future of a number of the club's top players into doubt. The likes of Willian, Lassana Diarra and Christopher Samba - who re-signed for the club from QPR this summer after an ill-fated spell at Loftus Road - may all have to find new clubs over the coming month. Despite the expected overhaul, it's believed Eto'o may stay at the club for the rest of the season and leave when his contract runs out next summer.

Doubts: Christopher Samba re-signed for Anzhi this summer from QPR but faces an uncertain future Following his brief tenure, Meulensteen joins the likes of Brian Clough and Steve Coppell in an infamous, exclusive group of bosses who lasted just a few weeks in certain managerial offices. Former Anzhi coach Gadzi Gadzhiyev, who turns 68 in October, is expected to replace Meulensteen. A SELECTION OF FOOTBALL'S SHORTEST MANAGERIAL REIGNS Facing the sack after just 16 days in the Anzhi hotseat, Rene Meulensteen joins an exclusive group of managers who were gone almost before they'd begun. Sportsmail takes a look at some of the shortest managerial reigns in football history... Brian Clough - Leeds United - 44 days Clough took over at Elland Road in 1974, replacing new England manager Don Revie in the Leeds hotseat. During his time at Derby County, Clough had a bitter feud with Revie and this continued when he took over from him. Old Big 'Ead didn't like Revie's players and they didn't like him.

Unfortunately for the former Middlesbrough and Sunderland striker, Bremner and Co got their way and he he was forced out after just six weeks. The spell is the subject of David Peace's book The Damned Utd. Clough had the last laugh however, guiding Nottingham Forest to two European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Damned: Brian Clough was manager of Leeds United for just 44 days having never got on with the players Leroy Rosenior - Torquay United - 10 minutes The shortest of all managerial reigns and one that will surely never be beaten. Former Brentford and Gloucester City boss Rosenior had (just) been installed as manager at Plainmoor but Torquay were in the process of a takeover. A local consortium completed the purchase and installed Colin Lee as chief executive, who, in turn, appointed former Exeter assistant manager Paul Buckle as manager. Cue much embarrassment for Rosenoir. Brief tenure: It's unlikely Rosenior's short spell will ever be beaten Steve Coppell - Manchester City - 33 days Steve Coppell left Crystal Palace to take charge of Manchester City in October 1996.

However the former Manchester United player quit the club after just 33 days. Manager for just six matches, Coppell cited the stress of the job as the reason for his departure. Pressure: Steve Coppell stepped down as manager of Manchester City after just 33 days Manchester United FC History, Players, Team, Information Manchester United FC History Manchester United F.C. is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. Common abbreviations include Man United, United and Man U., although few of the club's supporters still use 'Man U.' and many find it annoying. They were formed as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878, as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, becoming Manchester United on 26 April 1902. Traditionally one of the larger and most-supported clubs in England, Manchester United, under manager Sir Alex Ferguson achieved a degree of dominance in domestic competitions in the 1990s unseen since the great Liverpool F.C. sides of the mid 1970s and early 1980s.

This culminated in 1999, with the club winning an unprecedented treble of the English Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. In 2004, Manchester United qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the ninth successive year, breaking a record held by Norway's Rosenborg. Manchester United have been largely unable to transfer their domestic dominance to European competition; in fact qualifying for the European Cup final on only two occasions in their history. Their last success in this competition was in 1999, when they came from behind in the last minutes of the UEFA Champions League final to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. Although their dominance in English football is considered by some to be over, they are still one of the best teams in British football, the only team who remain a viable threat to Chelsea F.C. in the current 2004-2005 season. In addition, the club are the most financially successful in England, due to their supporter base which reaches all around the world, even to Asia. Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, formed by workers of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

They nearly went bankrupt in 1902 and were rescued and renamed as Manchester United. The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2�0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon. United have had three successful eras, under J. Ernest Mangnall in the 1900s, in the 50s and 60s under Sir Matt Busby, and in the 90s to present under Sir Alex Ferguson. They have won the FA Cup 11 times, the most of any team, and 15 league championships. They have also won the European Cup (now Champions League) twice. These trophies make them the second-most successful club ever in England, behind Liverpool F.C. who have a record 18 league titles, 4 European Cups and 6 FA Cups, although Manchester United have sustained their sucesses over far longer periods. The 1958 Manchester United team was nicknamed the "Busby Babes". On February 6, they were flying home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the plane crashed on takeoff in a snow storm in Munich, Germany (see Munich air disaster).

Eight team members were killed, and two players suffered career-ending injuries. Amongst the dead was Duncan Edwards, a 21-year-old who many believe was on his way to establishing himself as one of England's greatest players ever. A survivor, Bobby Charlton would help England to win the Football World Cup in 1966. 1999 was arguably United's best season, in which the Red Devils won the Premier League, The FA Cup (beating Newcastle United) and the Champions League. The Champions League win was especially memorable, as United scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final. Early Years (1878-1902) Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath F.C., a team formed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway organisation. The club competed in railway competitions until 1889 when it joined the Football Alliance, a league below the Football League. When the Football League expanded in 1892, Newton Heath was elected to the First Division but suffered relegation to the Second Division after just two seasons.

Newton Heath's only claim to success was victory in the 1898 Lancashire Cup and by the turn of the 20th century they were in deep financial trouble. The club's financial problems were so severe that by February 1902 they were in receivership with debts of �2,670. The club was saved by a group of four men who each injected �500 into it, leading the consortium was Manchester brewer J.H Davies. Until 1893 Newton Heath played at a spartan ground in Monsall Road, Newton Heath, before relocating to a better-equipped stadium at Bank Street, Clayton. Manchester United is born Following the takeover by J.H Davies, the club's finances had been secured and the new owners decided to change Newton Heath's name to Manchester United. The First Great United Side Davies appointed Ernest Magnall as team manager in 1903 and the club began to move forward, winning promotion to the First Division in 1906, the league title in 1908 and the FA Cup in 1909. Davies helped pay for a new stadium in 1910, located in the Stretford area.

It was named Old Trafford and was capable of holding more than 70,000 supporters as well as having top class facilities for players and spectators alike. United marked their first full season in their new home by lifting another league title in 1911. This was to be their last major honour for many years. Their manager Ernest Magnall joined Manchester City, and from then on the club drifted like a boat without a rudder. The Interwar Years Successive managers, including Herbert Bamlett, John Chapman and Scott Duncan, attempted to put Manchester United back on course. But still the club bounced from First to Second Division and back again, perhaps uncertain as to their rightful place. Added to this, money was again a problem. J.H Davies died in 1927 to be succeeded by James Gibson. He too injected cash into the club and fought off the creditors. By 1938, Manchester United were back in the Second Division but their debt now amounted to more than �70,000. Old Trafford is Bombed First-class football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War (1939-45), but Manchester United continued to compete in part-time regional competitions.

Old Trafford was severely damaged during a German air-raid on Manchester in the early hours of 11th March 1941. It took eight years to build and until 1949 United ground-shared with neighbouring Manchester City at Maine Road. Matt Busby When the war ended in 1945, 36-year-old Matt Busby was named as the club's new manager. He had just finished his playing career which had seen him turn out for Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the Scottish national side. Busby had a limited transfer budget so many of his players were home-grown. The only major signing of the post-war years was Scottish winger Jimmy Delaney from Celtic, while several players remained from the immediate pre-war years. The Great Post-War United side Matt Busby helped end Manchester United's 37-year wait for a major trophy when his side defeated Blackpool (then a big club containing world class players like Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen) 4-2 in the 1948 FA Cup final. Busby had unearthed new stars in the shape of captain Johnny Carey and the forward-line of John Downie, John Aston, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson.

The side's good progress continued into the 1950's and they won the league title in 1952�the club's first league championship in 41 years. By 1952, the side captained by Johnny Carey was beginning to show its age and a new set of players had to be found. The Busby Babes Matt Busby took a radically different direction to other clubs when rebuilding his ageing team. Rather than splash out huge sums of money on world-renown players, he recruited teenage players who had just left school. In the space of five years, he only made two major signings - winger John Berry from Birmingham and striker Tommy Taylor from Barnsley. Home-grown youngesters like Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Duncan Edwards, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones and Bill Foulkes established themself as regular first team players at a very early age and the policy paid off as United maintained their reputation as a strong team. Manchester United won the league championship in 1955-56 thanks to the efforts of a team whose average age was just 22 years.

They were England's first representatives in the European Cup, and reached the quarter finals where they were knocked out by the great Spaniards of Real Madrid. United retained the league title in 1956-57 but lost out on a domestic double by losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in the F.A Cup final. The Munich Air Disaster On 6th February 1958, Manchester United were flying home from Yugoslavia where they had beaten Red Star Belgrade to reach the European Cup semi finals. The plane stopped to refuel at Munich, West Germany, and on take-off it overshot the runway and crashed into the snow. Seven players (Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Bill Whelan) and three club officials (secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley) were killed instantly. Eight journalists (including the former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift), a friend of Matt Busby named Willie Satinoff, a member of the crew and a travel agent also died at the scene. 21 people lost their lives that day.

An eighth player, the great 21-year-old wing-half Duncan Edwards, died in hospital from his injuries two weeks later, as did co-pilot Ken Rayment, bringing the death toll to 23. Jackie Blanchflower and John Berry were injured to such an extent that their playing careers were over. Matt Busby himself was in hospital for two months recovering from multiple injuries. While Busby recovered in hospital, his assistant Jimmy Murphy took temporary charge of team affairs and guided United to the FA Cup final, where a side made up of Munich survivors and youth team players lost to Bolton Wanderers. The Great 1960's Team Matt Busby spent heavily on new players in the five years that followed the Munich Air Disaster, as well as retaining some players from the pre-Munich era. The likes of David Herd, Denis Law, Albert Quixall and Paddy Crerand helped United beat Leicester City 2-1 in the F.A Cup final in 1963. Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg were the only three pre-Munich players left in the side by that date.

In the 1963-64 season a 17-year-old Northern Irish forward called George Best broke into the first time and quickly became one of the most exciting talents in the footballing world. United won the league championship in 1965 and regained it two years later, but the pinnacle of Matt Busby's reign came in 1968 when United hammered Benfica 4-1 in the European Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Busby received a knighthood while star player George Best was voted European Footballer of the Year. Busby retired in 1969 and became a director. He handed over the reins to reserve team manager Wilf McGuinness, whose playing career had been ended a decade earlier by a broken leg. The Early 1970's Decline Wilf McGuinness was sacked in December 1970 after just 18 months in charge of a Manchester United team whose league fortunes had plummeted. Bobby Charlton and Denis Law were approaching the end of their careers while George Best was constantly missing training and sometimes even matches after heavy drinking sessions in nightclubs.

Busby returned to the manager's seat on a temporary basis until the appointment of Frank O'Farrell, who had been sacked by December 1972 as United hovered just above the First Division relegation zone. His successor was the Scottish national coach Tommy Docherty, who was unable to save United from relegation at the end of the 1973-74 season. Their fate was ironically sealed by a 1-0 defeat at home to neighbours Manchester City, with the only goal of the game coming from former United striker Dennis Law - who retired days afterwards. By this stage, long-serving legendary players like Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes had retired and troublesome striker George Best had been sacked. The 1977 FA Cup victory Tommy Docherty got Manchester United back into the First Division at the first time of asking, as they won the Second Division championship at the end of the 1974-75 season. They lost the 1976 F.A. Cup final to Southampton but overcame Liverpool the following year to secure their first major trophy in the post-Busby era.

The new-look Manchester United side contained impressive young players like Steve Coppell, Brian Greenhoff, Jimmy Greenhoff, Arthur Albiston and Stewart Pearson. Docherty was sacked just weeks after the 1977 FA Cup victory for having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist. The Dave Sexton Era Q.P.R manager Dave Sexton was the Manchester United director's choice for Docherty's replacement, and spent four years trying to mount a title challenge - coming agonisingly close in 1980 by finishing runners-up to Liverpool. But he was finally sacked in the summer of 1981 after four seasons at the helm had failed to deliver a major trophy. The Ron Atkinson Era Dave Sexton's replacement was the colourful West Bromwich Albion manager Ron Atkinson. Atkinson spent heavily in his quest to bring success to United, paying large sums of money for players like Bryan Robson, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton and Gordon Strachan. This impressive set of players gave United FA Cup success over Brighton in 1983 and Everton in 1985, but failed to gain a league title.

Atkinson was finally sacked in November 1986 as United were struggling near the foot of the First Division. The Alex Ferguson Era The Transition Alex Ferguson, who had achieved huge success with Aberdeen in Scotland, was named as Atkinson's successor and guided United to a mid table finish. They even managed to win an away game, beating Liverpool at Anfield and helping crush the Merseysiders' title challenge. During the close season Ferguson made expensive new signings including Viv Anderson, Steve Bruce and Brian McClair. The new players had a positive effect on a United side who finished league runners-up in the 1987-88 season, although they were nine points behind champions Liverpool. After the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes returned to United after two unsuccessful years with Barcelona in Spain. United were hopeful of mounting another title challenge in 1988-89, but their season wallowed away following the turn of 1989 and they finished 11th in the final table - behind weaker and less expensively assembled sides like Coventry City and Norwich City.

The addition of Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Gary Pallister in the 1989 close season was seen as vital for Alex Ferguson's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge. F.A Cup and Cup Winners Cup success Manchester United had a difficult season in 1989-90, finishing 13th in the league - their lowest finish since relegation in 1974. Fans were calling for Alex Ferguson to be sacked but the club's board stood by the manager and were rewarded with an F.A Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, managed by former United player Steve Coppell. 1990-91 saw United progress further, although a lack of league consistency saw them finish sixth in the First Division. They lost to Second Division Sheffield Wednesday, managed by former United manager Ron Atkinson, in the League Cup final. But the season ended on a high note when United marked the return of English clubs to European football (following the ban arising from the Heysel Disaster) by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam. Nearly but not quite Manchester United won a major trophy in 1991-92, making it three successive trophy-winning seasons in a row.

They defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the League Cup final. Another bright spot of the season was the emergence of the extremely talented 18-year-old Welsh winger Ryan Giggs. But the season ended in disappointment when they were overhauled by Leeds United in the race for the last ever Football League Championship before the creation of the F.A Premier League. Champions at Last Manchester United had a mixed first few months in the Premier League, slipping up and down the top ten of the 22-club division. But the acquisition of Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who had helped Leeds win the previous season's title, in late November helped United improve their league form and cruise to the league title after a 26-year wait. Young winger Ryan Giggs was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for the second running. After the season was over, United paid an English record fee of �3.75million for Nottingham Forest's 22-year-old Irish midfielder Roy Keane. Alex Ferguson saw keen as a long-term replacement for the ageing Bryan Robson, who would remain at Old Trafford for one more season before leaving to become player-manager of Middlesbrough.

The Double Manchester United led the 1993-94 Premiership table virtually all season long, with Eric Cantona scoring 25 goals in all competitions and the likes of Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe providing their own fair share of goals. United finished as champions with a seven-point gap over runners-up Blackburn and completed the double by beating Chelsea 4-0 in the F.A Cup final. Eric Cantona, who scored two penalties in the final at Wembley, was voted PFA Player of the Year. 1994-95 The 1994-95 season rarely saw Manchester United out of the headlines, although they were not always the sort of headlines the club wanted. Eric Cantona was banned for 8 months and ordered to serve 120 hours' community service for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter who had taunted him after being sent off in a January fixture at Selhurst Park. United were also without players like Paul Parker, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis for long periods of time due to injury. On a brighter note, United broke the English transfer record again by paying �7million for Newcastle United's free-scoring striker Andy Cole.

He had been signed just two weeks before the Cantona incident as an eventual replacement for Mark Hughes, but with Cantona suspended it was Hughes who ended up being Cole's partner for the rest of the season. United almost made it three Premiership titles in a row, but just couldn't get the better of West Ham United who held them to a 1-1 away draw on the final day of the season. The disappointment was made all the more frustrating because champions Blackburn had lost their final game of the season to Liverpool (the former club of manager Kenny Dalglish) and a victory for United would have seen Alex Ferguson's side win the title. The F.A Cup also slipped out of United's grasp when they lost 1-0 to unfancied Everton in the final at Wembley. This left United without a major trophy for the first time since 1989. The Double Double Before the 1995-96 season began, United announced the sale of three of their star players - Paul Ince to Inter Milan, Mark Hughes to Chelsea and Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton - for a combined fee of �14million.

Alex Ferguson was expected to splash out a large sum of money on a world class player - Roberto Baggio, Marc Overmars, Darren Anderton, David Platt (who had been a United youth player in the mid 1980's) and Paul Gascoigne (who had snubbed the club in favour of Tottenham in 1988) were all linked with moves to United. But United began the season without a major signing and a side made up of young players like David Beckham (20), Gary Neville (20), Phil Neville (18), Paul Scholes (21) and Nicky Butt (20) lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. Many pundits wrote United's title chances off and expected big spending clubs like Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal to win the season's honours. Alex Ferguson was defiant of the critics, and following the return of Eric Cantona in early October, United went into overdrive. They chased Newcastle United for the top-of-the-table position and didn't give up hope even when trailing Kevin Keegan's side by 10 points at Christmas.

United finally went top of the Premiership in mid March, shortly after beating Newcastle at St James's Park, and their title success was confirmed with a 3-0 away win at Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. A week later United beat Liverpool 1-0 in the F.A Cup final to become the first ever English club to win the league title/F.A Cup double twice. Eric Cantona, who scored 19 goals in 1995-96 (including the F.A Cup final winner), was voted Footballer of the Year by football journalists who were impressed at the way he had returned from his suspension. Cantona was made team captain following the departure of veteran Steve Bruce to Birmingham City. 1995-96 was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Manchester United football club, and the success was perhaps made even sweeter by the fact that so many people had written the club's chances off almost before the season began.

More success Manchester United won their fourth Premiership title in five seasons in 1996-97, with little-known Norweigan striker Ole Solskjaer forcing his way into the side after his �1.5million move from FK Molde and scoring 19 goals in all competitions. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville all had an impressive seasons while Eric Cantona and Andy Cole both fell below their expected standards. The club's most expensive acquisition in the summer of 1996 had been Karel Poborsky, the 23-year-old Czech winger signed from Slavia Prague for �3.5million. But he was unable to claim the right-wing position from the brilliant young David Beckham and eventually moved to Benfica. At the end of the season, Eric Cantona sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world by announcing his retirement from football just a few days before his 31st birthday. Cantona explained his relatively early retirement by saying that he wanted to retire while still at his peak, and not wallow away into mediocrity.

He was replaced by the respected England international Teddy Sheringham, a �3.5million signing from Tottenham who was initially disappointing but would later start to repay his fee in style. The 1997-98 season saw Manchester United overhauled by Arsenal in the Premiership and finish empty-handed for only the second time in the 1990's. Shortly after this disappointment, Alex Ferguson went on a spending spree of �28.35million (twice breaking the club's transfer record) by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV, Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa and Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist from Parma. He was determined to avoid disappointment in 1998-99, although even he could surely not have predicted just how successful United would be. The Treble Manchester United won their final game of the 1998-99 season to ensure that they, and not Arsenal, would be Premiership champions.

A week later they completed a unique third championship/F.A Cup double by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and four days after the F.A Cup success they took on Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the Champions League (European Cup) final. Mario Basler's early strike appeared to have won it for the Germans as they led 1-0 after 90 minutes, but the referee allowed 3 minutes of injury time. Teddy Sheringham appeared to have forced extra time when he fired in an equaliser within the first minute of extra time, but Ole Solskjaer scored the winner and made history with the last kick of the game. Manchester United became the first English team to win the championship/F.A Cup/European Cup treble. Alex Ferguson was later awarded a knighthood for his contribution to United's success. Into the New Millennium The new millennium has seen Sir Alex Ferguson's side land more silverware, although they have faced some stiff competition off other teams - first Arsenal and now Chelsea. Many players have come and gone.

Since the 1999 treble success, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke have all left to be replaced by a new generation of players including Tim Howard, Roy Carroll, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. Other expensive players like Fabien Barthez and Juan Sebastian Veron have arrived and left within the space of a few seasons. United won the Premiership title in 1999-2000 with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and just three league defeats all season. They won their third successive title the following season, making United the fourth team to achieve that success and Sir Alex Ferguson the first manager to stay in charge of any team thoughout a championship hat-trick. Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to retire at the end of 2001-02, but then decided to postpone his retirement by at least three seasons.

This uncertainty could not have helped United's playing fortunes after a disastrous run of six defeats in seven Premiership fixtures earlier in the season counted against United and they finished third in the table - the first time they had been out of the top two since 1991. United won another Premiership title in 2002-03, overhauling Arsenal to secure their eigth title in 11 seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson even described this success as his greatest achievement since becoming United manager in 1986. But the sale of David Beckham and the suspension of Rio Ferdinand (for a total of 8 months, including the final 4 months of the season) sabotaged United's title challenge in 2003-04 and they finished third in the Premiership, which was won by unbeaten Arsenal. United were knocked out of the Champions League by FC Porto and the League Cup by Aston Villa, but they salvaged some success by beating Millwall 3-0 in the F.A Cup final. To date, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in English football.

He has so far won eight Premiership titles, five F.A Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup, one Cup Winners Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and seven charity shields (one shared) - 24 trophies in all. He had expressed a desire to continue in his job for a good few years yet, and there is surely more to come. He may even help United emulate Liverpool's record as winning the most trophies than any other English football club.

Manchester United FC Honours, Trophies & Awards League Championships: 15 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 FA Cups: 11 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 League Cup: 1 UEFA Champions League Championships: 2 1967-68, 4-1 vs Benfica 1998-99, 2-1 vs FC Bayern M.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1 1991 1991 FA Charity Shield/Community Shields: 15 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (*as joint holders) BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award 1968 & 1999

Question: Which former England international footballer lasted 36 days in charge of Manchester City in 1996?
Answer: Steve Coppell