SHOW Ryan Giggs the respect he deserves!

That is the demand from Manchester United stalwart Gary Neville to those fans who carp whenever the wing ace dips below his current dazzling form.

Neville knows better than most how good Giggs is, having to face him in training on a regular basis, and feels that the Welshman's form is providing the Reds with the perfect platform from which to hound runaway leaders Chelsea.

But sections of the United support are quick to turn on Giggs - and even now some accuse him of only stepping up his displays because he is seeking a two-year extension to his current contract, rather than the one-year deal on the table.

"It annoys me when people have a go at him," said Neville, who is expected to return for the injured John O'Shea after for the trip to Middlesbrough tomorrow.

"I shouldn't have to justify how good Ryan Giggs is - he has been here for 14 years, played loads of games and won countless trophies.

"He is an outstanding player - I was on the end of it last week, when I wasn't feeling the best in training.

"He absolutely ripped me apart for five days on the trot. It is probably that which put me out of the Boxing Day game!

"He has been like that for five or six weeks. When people talk about Ryan they don't show him the respect he deserves. His touch and finish at Villa the other night summed up probably the best 45-minute display by a winger you are likely to see. It was unbelievable to watch."

Fine form

Giggs echoed his team-mates view by suggesting he he is in some of the best form of his long career.

"I'm enjoying my football more than ever now - I'm more relaxed and I cherish things a lot more," he said.

"If I had to choose to be the player I am now or the player I was 10 years ago, I'd rather be the player now.

"I probably ran twice as much then because I was out of position. Now I instinctively know where I'm supposed to be."

With Giggs in such good nick and Paul Scholes banging in goals, United are the Premiership's form team - their run of eight wins and a draw is their best since the sparkling finish to the 2002-03 season, which saw them snatch the title out of Arsenal's grasp.

And Neville is warning Chelsea that the heat will be turned up in the new year. "If we keep on winning we can wear them down mentally - we just have to keep on doing our own jobs," he said.

"It's difficult to see at this point of the season where they might slip up. All I can say is that we have been in the position at Christmas and January where we have been 12 points clear.

"We have also seen other teams like Newcastle and Arsenal in situations where they have been 10 or 12 points clear. You just have to have faith, keep plugging away and hope that something happens. When it does happen, you have to be sure that you are there to capitalise on it.

Momentum

"If Chelsea keep up the same momentum they have had in the first half of the season, we have no chance - and neither has any other team.

"I just want to see some pressure put on them - they still have to play us, Arsenal and Liverpool. They will drop points somewhere, and then it's a case of how they react.

"Two or three months ago people were saying Arsenal would win the league by 15 points and that they were unbeatable. Now people are saying Chelsea are unbeatable. In two months' time it could be us - you never know."

Neville believes that United's experience of these pressure-cooker situations could prove vital.

"I would rather be out in front than where we are, obviously," he added. "Chelsea are nine points clear of us and five of Arsenal, and it can be a lonely place, especially if you haven't been there before.

"Sixty to 70 per cent of their squad have not been in this position before and, while at the moment they are full of confidence, if they lose that confidence it can be a real struggle.

"I remember 1998, which was the first year that we experienced losing our confidence. You lose players through injury and suspension, then you lose your form and all of a sudden your legs go, you are knackered and you are gone.

"At that stage we had two or three championships under our belts, but you can't explain why it goes.

"It happened again last season in a way. We were four points clear at one stage, with the best defensive record in the league, and all of a sudden we had a few injuries, Rio Ferdinand got suspended, and before you knew it, the championship had gone.

"In 1996 Newcastle were flying, 12 points clear of us, and all of a sudden they went. One thing I can guarantee - if we are close to Chelsea come March and April, they will not enjoy it and we will.

"We are the team that supposedly can't win the championship, while Arsenal are the ones who would win it by 15 points and Chelsea are the team whose manager said they would win the title two weeks before the end of the season. Our form has improved because of individual form, but also because we have had a settled system, and a more settled team."

Ferdinand's return from suspension has been an important factor, and Neville rates his England team-mate as the best defender he has ever played alongside, even higher than legends like Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Jaap Stam and Denis Irwin.

Physique

"In terms of passing, reading the game, height, physique, power and strength, Rio has to be the best I have played with," said Neville.

"He has absolutely everything a defender could wish for.

"We had the aggression and defensive organisation of Brucey, while Gary Pallister was very similar to Rio - although in terms of physique Rio edges it. When it comes to reading the game, Rio is probably just a little bit above Jaap.

"Denis Irwin is probably the player I always looked up to in terms of level of performance. But in terms of a natural defender, it has to be Rio.

"He brings a presence to the pitch and we knew we would miss him."

Do you think Giggs should get a new two year deal? Have your say.

Tweet