Dwight Yorke had a great time at Manchester United, scoring an incredible 30 goals in his first season with the club. 1998-1999 was a magic season for us and Yorke played a massive part in it.
The goal that probably stands out in most memories is the equaliser he scored against Juve in the European Cup semi-finals, after we had gone 2-0 in ten minutes in Turin. That goal meant we were through to the European Cup final but to add insult to injury he could have made it three when he was brought down in the box with five minutes to go, but the ball fell nicely to Andy Cole who scored anyway, but it was all in Yorke’s making.
Other memorable goals are the two he scored against Barcelona in our 3-3 draw, the hat-trick he got at Leicester, our first goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup in the 88th minute before Ole scored the winner in injury time, scoring both goals in our 2-0 win over Inter in the quarter-finals, the opening goal in our 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the league before Ince went to score and kiss their badge, but probably most importantly, the last goal he scored that season. We were neck and neck with Arsenal for the league and with three games to go, he scored our only goal in a 1-0 win at the Riverside, giving us a vital three points.
All in all, he scored 47 goals in 95 league appearances for United, which works out at a goal every other game. Incredible.
Like too many footballers, Yorke got involved in the partying lifestyle and shacked up temporarily with Jordan, getting under the manager’s skin. We brought in Ruud van Nistelrooy and Yorke was shipped off to Blackburn for a meagre £2m. He then played for Birmingham, then Sydney FC, before Roy Keane revitalised his career by bringing him to Sunderland, where he played in the centre of midfield. He played just 3 games last season though and this week decided to call it quits.
Yorke spoke to the press yesterday about his decision, mentioning no other club but United when reflecting on his career.
“I’ve had the time of my life,” he said. “I hope people will say that I played the game in the right way with a smile on my face. I’ve been blessed really. I’ve played alongside some of the greatest players the Premier League has ever seen in Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel, and played for the greatest manager in Sir Alex Ferguson.”
His time with United didn’t end well but he provided us with some bloody brilliant moments. Enjoy this video and remember just how handy he was with his head!
Man Utd News 24/7
Thanks indeed. What a player he was when he was focused. In my 15 years as a United fan, i haven’t seen a better partnership than that of Cole and Yorke. He could have been a match with Ruud as well! But by then, he had lose his focus. Thank Jordan for that.
How many goals did we score by Scholes spreading the play, Beckham whipping it in and Yorke (or Cole, Sheringham, Solskjaer etc) getting on the end of it??
The current team should be made to watch videos of our team of the late 90s….lightning-quick counter-attacking bloody effective football!
And notice how simple yet deadly our style of play was at that time: The ball going straight to Beckham or Giggs who crossed first time with Yorkey being at the perfect spot.
Great player for us, thanks for the memories. Shame Jordan fucked him up.
Agreed Costas, I never really got to see Bruce, because I was too young, but Yorke is probably the best attacking headerer of the ball i’ve seen at United. Ronaldo second.
Don’t forget his 22 minute (or thereabouts) hat-trick against Arsenal
wow, the number of scholes to > beckham > to yorke >to goal…is amazing. btw that second goal, becks completely fluffs the cross and is grubs along the turf, but they still scored…
@U-N-I-T-E-D: I didn’t see you comment, but it seems we agree completely! The team of 98-01 must be the most deadly and high scoring Fergie has ever built. And it was because we had the perfect players for the perfect job. Becks is the best crosser i have ever seen.
@Marley: That’s a good arguement. Recently i saw the DVD with the 2000 goals of the Fergie era. Brucey was a great header of the ball and a very effective penalty taker! But as far as the best header of the ball is concerned, it could be Dwight, because he wasn’t as tall as Ronaldo or Ruud, yet he always got into the perfect positions and put the ball exactly were he aimed at.
So many wonderful memories, so thank you Dwight for those three great years in our best team ever. In that great compilation it’s interesting to see how often Ole is first to congratulate Yorkie. As others have said, what a great combination Scholes and Beckham were with good finishers like Yorke/ Cole/ Ole bursting into the box. I hope Becks gets a game at Wembley today to swing in a few reminders of what used to be…But in the meantime, let’s all wish Dwight The Smile a happy retirement!
Always remember that hat trick against the Gunners
That hat trick against the Gunners is a memorable one! It was in his declining time at United, yet he woke up at the perfect day.
@Giles Oakley: Hi my friend. I saw you here yesterda too. I hope you are doing well and wish you a speedy recovery.
I seen this thread and thought he’d fucking died!!
Micky you’re not the only one! Did have to do a quick news search to confirm this wasnt true!
He was a top player for a time.
When Keano talked of “some players were saying they didn’t care if they never won anything again” in the changing room in the aftermath of the European Cup win in 1999 – I think we can safely say that Yorkie was one of those players whose attitude so disgusted him.
To be fair he definitely regained his focus and fitness by the last world cup and played well in a shocking team.
Loved Dwight Yorke during his time with us, I remember when we signed him I was thinking “why have we signed this guy from Villa, he’s not good enough for United” he certainly proved me wrong
hi everyone.yorke was a good striker and scred some vital goals for us.but for me rudd was head and shoulders above cole or yorke.150 goals in 219 games is some record.he was not as flamboyant as cantona but deadly finisher.
realy remimded me of paul mcgrath as in on the pitch and off the pitch lifestyles . wonderful football that really stepped up to the plate as a united player. im not just saying this as a one sided united fan i mean it from a player who was good before olf trafford came it raised a few eyebrows but his power speed vision and link up play came good so fast at manchester united . the player who had a mediocre carrer was now able to show the world on the top level he belonged there and 99′ showed the world.
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slight off topic but if you havent voted for stevie me yet its just one click for the truth to be said
http://talksport.net/forums/view.asp?id=114131
I saw the news yesterday and hoped Scott would write a send-off article and alas! You never disappoint. I started supporting United in 1997 and I can honestly say Yorke and Giggs are some of the players who made me support United. His parting words really sum up the man. For us who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, he really is a source of inspiration to many. As he said, he was just a young boy from the Carribean who got the chance to play and win at the highest level. And he always played with a smile. Thks fr th mmrs Yorkie.
Hi Costas, thanks for the good wishes. I’m battered but unbowed, and will be casting my 3rd eye on England at Wembley later on. God knows whether I’ll be able to see much, especially if Rooney goes down in the box.
On Yorkie, it’s true that Keane almost certainly had him in mind when questioning the will-to-win of too may United players after ’99, so it’s very interesting that he signed Yorke when he took over at Sunderland. That suggests he still rated him, although there were predictable fall-outs over him wanting to play for Trinidad & Tobago.
thanks dwight
for all you did for us, you wont be forgotten unlike those peasants over at by the mersey
To be honest, Yorke and Cole on form for me is the best united partnership i have ever had pleasure in watching.
I honestly would rate them higher as a partnership than all others.
Rooney / Van Nistlerooy
Cantona / Hughes
Cantona / Cole
These guys just clicked.. They had nearly everything. Cole had pace & Ability to be at the right spot at the right time.
Yorke was just skilful & smart!
What always amazed me about yorke was his heading ability, He scored some screamers from beckham crosses!
I do feel that i had pleasure in watching yorke at united playing in his prime.. Rooney for me has showen greatness in glimses… God only knows how good he will be at his peak!!
The future is certainly bright!
I was wondering what had happened to him the second I read the title.
Giles,hope you get better soon.
Thanks Boogeyman.
Interesting questions about the best strike partnerships and I’ll have to think about the best I’ve seen. What makes it even more interesting for me is that when I began watching United it was all about ‘inside forward trios’ (centre forward plus inside right & inside left) as the apex of a ‘W-formation’ 5-man forward line. The main hint of things to come was when one inside forward would drop back and become ‘ deep-lying’ while the other would push forward in support of the CF. Busby called such a player a ‘thruster’, a role he encouraged Denis Law to perform from about ’63. Before that there was the spreading influence of Brazil’s 4-2-4 formation in the ’58 World Cup, which West Ham adopted around 1960. (United signed left back Noel Cantwell from them , bringing his tactical awareness to Old Trafford, although he was a little unimpressed by the relative lack of sophistication of the Busby/ Murphy approach: ‘Just go out and play football lads…’).
Sorry, got to break off to travel to Wembley. My favourite strike partnership will have to be atale for another time…
Great for a brief period if he knuckled down he could have been a real legend
still he seemed to enjoy his career and his life so hats off to him
i think he’s a United legend. Not all players shine for 10 years, some do it for a much shorter period of time and his period resulted in the treble.
Yorke = legend. Good luck in the future.
p.s Jordan?!? what were you thinking when you shacked up with that trollop lol.
Great memories there! Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were awesome during the treble winning season. Plus we had Teddy and Ole too
hi all
Giles Oakley i’ll be waiting for you here to tell us about the greatest strike partnership. For me it was Cole and Yorke, they just click together.
And i wish you for a speedy recovery too.
Back to Dwight Yorke. Thank you. And i hope you will keep on smiling on whatever you do in the future.
fuckin discusting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOoVukLRGc&feature=sub
Dirty bitter bastards.
PS:Giles,He was the captain at the time as well,wasn’t he?And I think I read in Jim White’s book(actually,I was re-reading the book recently
) that what he said was(From the book):
“Give it to a red shirt?”Cantwell raged.”You don’t need a fucking manager for that.”
In my opinion,that is the most important thing to do as a United player.
Enjoy the match,Giles.
Watch the Treble season goals again when you get the chance guys, Dwight Yorke was our Cantona that season, he was the catalyst for so many world class goals!! A pity it ended the way it did for him at OT tho.
My player of the year that season without a doubt!!! How Ginola got the award that year was beyond me….
Thanks Cantona7. I’ll have to think some more about great partnerships. Cole & Yorke were fantastic, for sure.
I didn’t know that Cantwell quote Boogeyman, but it doesn’t surprise me. I remember going up to Cantwell just as he was about to get on the team coach after a 1-1 draw against WBA at the Hawthorns in April 1961. ‘Excuse me Mr Cantwell’, I said in my best schoolboy polite manner, ‘Could I have your autograph please?’ ‘Fuck off,’ he said climbing up the steps into the coach, ‘I’m not signing’. That was the first time an adult had ever sworn at me.
I quite enjoyed the game at Wembley. I can honestly say I couldn’t see the Rooney penalty incident. None of us could see why a pen was given but we were quite a distance away, and my eye didn’t help (even my 3rd one). Having seen the replays I don’t think it was a pen, but that doesn’t make it a dive.
On the topic of this thread, I don’t recall Yorkie diving particularly. He always struck me as a fair and sporting character, no cheating or bad fouling. Great player for those 3 vital years.
As much as he have upset you at the time,Giles,the thought of a footballer telling a kid to fuck off amuses me to no end.
As much as this video is for Yorke, I think it reminded us just how good Scholes & Beckham were in their prime, simply awesome.