Giggs Will Tear You Apart...Again

I was ready to analyse, slate and rate away Saturday’s game…then this happened:

Sometimes, and only sometimes, football exceeds the directness and instant impact of onfield results as you find reason and beauty in the essence of the game.




On Sunday night, at the news of Ryan Giggs being named the BBC Sports Personality of the year, my mood immediately flipped from one of disappointment and frustration that we didn’t manage to close the gap further after Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Everton, to pride and satisfaction that we have hands-down had the most brilliant, nicest professionals the modern game has ever seen.

The football journalists and esteemed columnists have all been bigging-up Giggsy’s claim that he deserves his place alongside those glittering names that are engraved onto the famous trophy; reminiscing on his onfield achievements, longevity and of course his consistently professional and role model-esque attitude.




The man is unique; a dying breed and one that I will probably never see again in my lifetime. As with Scholes and Neville, he is one of the few remaining footballers who can simply keep his head down, play football and live life with minimal fuss purely because he loves the game and loves to win. He is a player who has been guided and shaped by, as he put it last night, ‘the greatest manager that has ever lived’ and learnt from his example to in turn shape and guide the younger, naïve and talented players that have been honoured to play alongside him.




My dad and fans of a previous generation have seen the teams and players come and go – and some even remember the times BF (Before Ferguson) – but for me, I have never known a team without Sir Alex, and undisputedly, without (Sir) Ryan.




There is genuinely nothing more I can add to this discussion, other than to say thank you to the legend himself as someone who has grown up with his brilliance and almost become complacent to his importance in the history of football, as well as my club.



He has always been there, and due to his subtle personality and modest style, you often forget how genuinely influential this player is and how special his achievements have been. Although personal awards often don’t mean a lot in the greater scheme of things – as you constantly hear players, namely Giggs, saying they would rather the team wins than them score a goal or be honoured personally – however when it happens, as with his PFA award last summer, you are reminded just how lucky we are to have someone, and to have had someone, so brilliant and integral to the core of Manchester United for so many magical years.



As much as Sir Alex has sculpted this side and the success of United, he would be the first to admit he has done it with a bit of help from his longest, most loyal serving employee.




Without Ferguson, United in the 90’s would have been a different story…but without Giggs, Ferguson would have probably failed to build and develop a Championship winning side as well as he did; struggling to add to that solitary FA Cup win before Giggs emerged on the scene in 1992.

In an era where money = success and big ego's, big wallets and ostentatious, often embarassing footballers dominate the game, he is a credit to his proffesion and the greatest representative of the fine footballing traditions United wish to maintain.




Giggsy, congratulations, and long may you reign as the greatest these shores have ever seen. Enjoy your deserved success and remember to keep your phone line free...because her majesty's going to be calling soon.







LINK: Henry Winter: BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony highlight our obsession with football.