RoM Review Of 2011: Moment of the Year

Sir Alex Ferguson Stand
Ahead of kick-off against Sunderland, the game we were celebrating Sir Alex Ferguon’s 25th year in charge, David Gill claimed we would be marking the occasion in a historic and unprecedented way. I thought getting the manager to say a few words before kick-off was hardly worth the build up Gill was giving it, but whatever. Then when it was announced that the North Stand was going to be renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, I could hardly believe it. Incredible. The fact that the manager knew nothing about it made it all the more impressive. What a brilliant idea and a touching way to incorporate the manager in to our history books even further.

Beating Chelsea
Beating Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford last May was the day it felt as though the title was won. They were our closest challengers and a victory over them meant we only needed one point from our remaining games against Blackburn and Blackpool. Chicharito opened the scoring in the first minute and it was probably the most wildly celebrated goal at Old Trafford all season. Captain Nemanja Vidic put us 2-0 up to see us claim the win. At the end of the game, the manager repeatedly bowed down in front of the Stretford End, on a day where the fans had done their bit to push the team over the finishing line.

Making it 19
We showed up at Blackburn with our “19” banners and the belief that today would be the day we overhauled Liverpool’s record. “Come back when you’ve won 18” their banner read all those years ago and here we were on the brink of overtaking them. Things didn’t go entirely to plan though, with Blackburn taking an early lead, but when Paul Robinson brought Chicharito in the area, it was all set up for Rooney to score the penalty to make us the most successful English club of all time. He didn’t disappoint and we were champions, again.

8-2
Gone are the days when Arsenal are our fiercest rivals, with their steady decline since their last trophy in 2005 ensuring they struggle to even compete for the title these days. However, that doesn’t mean the memories of the battles between the two clubs have disappeared. Their fans still sing about winning the league at Old Trafford (ten years ago) so any opportunity to wipe the smug grin off their fans is well received. To beat any Premiership club 8-2 would be a good result but to do it to Arsenal was brilliant. Their manager, fans and players were well and truly humbled by our younger team. What a great day.

Winner: Making it 19 (obviously)