EVERYONE and his uncle will have a theory to explain why Chelsea have replaced Manchester United as the dominant force in English football over the past two seasons.
Jose Mourinho, the shy and retiring Portuguese coach at Stamford Bridge, would probably say his club's domestic success over the last 24 months is due to his tactical genius.
Seeing the world as they do through red-tinted specs, Stretford Sam and Chorlton Clara will insist Chelsea's surge to the top of the pile has nothing to do with Mourinho's tactical ability and everything to do with Roman Abramovich's bottomless pockets.
Perhaps there is an element of truth behind both those theories. Handsome Jose knows his managerial onions - no question about that. And which manager wouldn't benefit from the inexhaustible reservoir of funds provided by Roman the Russian?
You won't be surprised to hear that I've got my own theory to explain why the crown of English football has been removed from Old Trafford and deposited in the west end of London - and it's nothing to do with Mourinho's genius or Abramovich's billions.
Because I believe a major contributing factor in United's fall and Chelsea's rise can be placed at the boots of one single player. And that player is Paul Scholes.
Managers are fond of saying that football is a team game - that no single player is more important than the unit. Over a sustained period at Old Trafford, Scholes, in my opinion, has proved himself to be the exception to that rule.
Inspirational
Yes, during those years of United's dominance, we witnessed some truly inspirational displays from Roy Keane, some golden moments from Golden Balls and some wing wizardry from Ryan Giggs that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
But in my book, as those trophies rolled in, it was little Ginger Prince Scholes who made the Reds tick.
His passing. His vision. His goals. He was everything you would want in a midfield player. It is no exaggeration to say that when Scholes played well, so did Manchester United.
For reasons that I cannot fathom, the enormous influence which Scholes exerted over his team started to diminish two years ago. Mysteriously, that dip in form for his club coincided with his decision to quit playing for England after collecting 66 caps.
Not that Scholes has been a passenger for the past two seasons - Sir Taggart's bus doesn't take on passengers. But that unique ability to dictate the course of a match seemed to disappear out of his game.
Worth his place in Fergie's team? Absolutely. But no longer the axle which turned the wheel. And as Scholes' influence on his team declined, then so did United's influence on the Premiership.
Jeopardy
Midway through last season, Scholes' Old Trafford career ground to a halt completely when he was struck down by a serious eye condition that put his very livelihood in jeopardy.
Only time will answer this, but I can't help wondering if that frightening eye problem may prove to be a blessing in disguise for United's intensely private Salford-born midfielder.
That enforced five-month break from football will have given Scholes time to re-charge his batteries and re-focus on what he still wants to achieve over the remainder of his career.
Scholes is back in the first-team fold and has revealed that he has a burning desire to reclaim the Premiership title from Chelsea during the coming campaign.
And those words from the little ginger maestro, I'm sure, will be music to Fergie's ears. Because if Scholes can match that desire with performances over the new season, then United will be back in business.
How influential is Paul Scholes for United? Have your say.
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Scholes was a great player but Keane was always the main man.
I see they're talking about Smith reverting to striker. It looks like we wont be replacing Ruud.
I red a statement from Ferguson, he acctually believe United can win the title this year. I couldnt stop laughing for 20 min. I had to take a look at the squad list to see if I was missing out on something. No, I was right. The squad is in the same condition as last year. There wont be any titles to Old Trafford this season. United will see themselves slip behind the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal as well as Chelsea this year. We could very well see Tottenham finish abowe us this season. Tottenham will be a team to watch. They seem to strenghten heavily. Zokora will be a massive hit alongside Carrick in their midfield.
scholes is simply the best united player of recent times,technique and vision to put current england mid-fielders to shame.Add to this great bloke and model pro.
Always thought Giggs offered the most in the big Euro matches...but Scholes has been a great player....
Struggled after we bought Veron I thought.
Need 2 Cm still waiting and a forward if Ruud leaves.
Agree with you, Thomas.
Scholes is a talented player but was killed by SAF years ago when SAF put him playing behind the strikers (Scholes have speak himself that he felt uncomfortable on that position), since then, Scholes' form dropped seriously! Of course we wish him can play well this season but can u still rely on players like Scholes or Giggs who have already passed their peak.
SAF, please don't be naive, bring in quality players to save your reputation!
Well Mr Hince - for a blue you've certainly set a new low here - big up an ailing player (psst maybe if we do this no one will realise that we haven't bought anyone new) who hasn't performed to his own high standards for the last 3 seasons - that's 3 seasons and after retiring from International Football in Aug 04 he has played less games than the majority of players during that time - why exactly would he suddenly be better after a rest? We will carry Giggs and Scholes through this season just like we carried Robson and McClair through their final seasons - they'll be kept at the club because of their consumate attitudes, professionalism and service to the club but they aren't about to set the world on fire at their age so columns like this are just to distract the more naive of us reds that things are looking very bad for Man U.
Was Hince a blue? I am sure he played for City at some point... which adds weight to my following point. Once again Hince you have provided us with a "non story." You write for a "news paper" but give us no news. All you do is undermine fans confidence in United, at a time when it is perceived we are hitting hard times. Tell you what Hince, give Scholes a few more years to really wear himself out, then City will sign him. You will praise him then. Strange how the scummy side of manchester suddenly like a player when he is in blue...
"Stretford Sam and Chorlton Clara"?!?!? Hince has more in common with SAF than he thinks, he is well past it and should hang up his typewriter and stick to talking rubbish down the pub!
Well I've read some rubish this summer but this takes the biscuit.
Will the evening news be banned from Old Trafford if they print the real reasons Utd have declined ?
Frank you're right about Hince his work really is dilatory in the main he really should stick to City stuff. It's nothing about Scholes decline we didn't already know. Poor RVN has suffered through it & took all the blame. We all want Scholes to recapture his best but the point is we should have adequate cover for him & we haven't & for how many years? Ferguson always says our fans have the right to expect success well believe it or not I don't expect it all I want is a fair chance.
Pual is still the best in the world at playing off a centre forward, because we dont have a ball winning midfield player he tends to get waisted in that roll. buy gattuso and Torres and we will win everything next year. And for god sake forget about Carrick, his an English Fletcher soft and expensive.
Scholes was top draw he was the ultimate midfield player and when people compare Lampard to him it makes me laugh, yes they are both goalscoring midfielders but scholes was also a great passer of the ball with fantastic vision while lampard just shoots from anywhere inside 30 yards and with his granted good shot he will score a lot by law of averages but most of his assists are when a goalkeeper mis-handles one of his shots personally don't think that should be classed as an assist but it is in the stats. But lets not forget scholes was able to be so offensive due to the fact he played most of his career next to keane who could boss the two opposition midfielders on his own which meant the opposition felt like they were playing against a 4-5-2 formation and not the 4-4-2 we actually played.
Another Piece of propaganda from the Gill PR department. Well Paul might be a good player but he is now surrounded by clowns aka Fletcher, we have reached a point whereby we have to buy two decent midfielders and a striker at all cost.Spurs is strengthening its squad, Newcastle is after Duff,Loserpool has a decent squad the same with a Arsenal. And us of course we still believe in our old horses, employing 1930 strategies in 2006.This will never work, we have to buy or otherwise its trophy less season for us again.Remeber those promises which were made before the WC then came the famous "We are waiting for the Italy verdict" slogan.This is an insult.We as fans we want action.
Brilliant. Probably my favourite United player of all time, but didn't he start last season badly before coming out of his slump, but then lost his vision.
We are not going to be led to the title by Scholes and Giggs I fear, notwithstanding their greatness, unless they both have sublime and injury free seasons.
The perfect footballer. Plays football trains and goes home. None of this showbiz media whoreing, no celeb bride and no shunning of autograph hunters.
If only every footballer was like this.
Scholesy's everything you could ever ask for in a footballer and ol bitter HIncey is right. he's surely one of united's brightest stars in the past decade despite shunning the spotlight.
Let's face facts - United will enter into little or no transfer activity this summer. SAF will continue to delude himself that our squad is capable of challenging Chelsea, Liverpool and all. We will win nothing during the coming season. We will not even come close. We will finish outside the top 4 in the prem next season. Our income / revenue will take a big hit due to our performance. SAF will 'retire', some of our best players (Rooney etc) will jump ship to Europe or have to be sold to service the debt and the long hard process of re-building will begin but will not be an overnight fix. The immediate future is going to be painful for us Utd fans so get used to it. But keep supporting and (try to) keep believing!
I totally agree with Hince. Cos united has never been the same ( so dominant) since scholes got into injury and form problems.
So am so optimistic with his good start in our pre-seasons.
Gud luck united.
Man u 4 life
The team has not be strengthened at the times when our best players are reaching the peak of their careers. We have been very poor in midfield for two seasons trying all of our players there even strikers like Poor Smithy. We need a left winger who will run up and down and play as a team then we need a right sided midfielder and not Carrick please. Spurs best player by far is Ledley King who played this role for England in European championship and was the best player until they took him off, Sven Again.
Now we also have a chance to replace van der sar with Buffon who is 28 eight years old, 8 years left in him. Then we have Fletcher the new Beckham, please this player should be charlton and teams like that not top quality like United, Richardson another good player but he is not top quality. We are the most supported team in the world and yet the team we have is not even in the best of the top 5 in europe. why ? Scholes great player but you need more than one to win the league. Too much dithering and dallying,SAF as never had to go through this with the club. He knew his player and he was on his way. I'm a united supporter no matter what, but we'll sadly struggle to make champions league this time. Come on lads give it your best ?
it may seem that way but..its not precise enuff. Scholes has been pivotal in MU midfield. A team that won the treble could not have done it with 3 world class talent. Scholes was as gd as any of the other 3. This article is paying a richly deserved tribute to the talented player. N another stil wont repay his contribution to the dynasty. But to say tt Scholes is the reason why MU is failing is nt diagnosing correctly. The reason why scholes seems the ans is becos all the midfielders tested are failures. They are either duds or talented bunch that did not gel. SAF shd take a share of this blame pointing. Scholes had played for so long. i m sure there ws enuff time for SAF to find a ready replacement. But until now, nth is worth shouting abt.
ricky from what i saw of the world cup there are still no better left wingers in world football than giggs. trouble is convincing fergie and ryan that he is best when played wide out on the left when he his going past players and getting to the byeline. stop him forever coming inside all the time (ditto ronaldo) give us width the opposition has to put 2 players on them creating space in the centre. thats where my strategy falls to pieces when we are expecting jos smithy and the favoured one to exploit the space created by giggsy and ronaldo
I am obviously going to say this but Paul is an absolute football star in a way that none of the other United kids of '92 have been. Ask Keane -ask Cantona -ask Fergie. I hope his recovery is complete and that his return this season will make the difference. What would the team be like with him and Viera together?Mmmm..
Mr T,nail on the head.As a blue,I've always had an admiration for Scholes-I think that's what SP meant about "proper footballers."Not enough of them about these days,to busy counting the dough to give a toss.
Without a doubt, scholes was the best player we had during our dominance. Incredibly gifted, could score with both feet, scored with his head, great passing, beautiful 40 yard balls and shoot from afar. I remember a goal he scored from a giggs or becks corner where he just volleyed the cross from outside the box and into the net. He was definitely my favorite player and best player we had and didnt understand why world football wasnt recognising him as much as others in the other european teams. Perhaps its becuase of his low profile and never talkin to the press. Even becks said that when he moved to madrid, the madrid players kept on askin bout scholes, so definitely the genuine footballers and real fans aknowledge scholes greatness. Unfortunately, as all players at his age, hes reached his peak and is declining now and fergie couldnt replace him quickly enough. The truth is and I'm sorry to say, even before his eye injury, scholes was already on the downward way, c'mon guys HE WASNT EVEN SHOOTING FROM AFAR ANYMORE, and u remember when he cost us the blackburn game by passing to pederson to score? I hope hince is right that those 5 months gave him a chance to recharge, becuz he can still definitely do a job albeit not the player at his peak, GERARD and LAmpard learned from him, thats y dey're the ones that shoot from outside the box now. Scholes can still help us without a doubt, but it doesnt help him at all to be playing with wack players like fletcher. Fergie needs to sign real quality. I still love scholes tho, but age has caught up wit him.
Was the perfect foorballer,seemS with Fergie in South Africa and Gill in America,They have all really duped United this time once again we will start the season with no midfield and players who should have retired or just are not good enough.Scholes is no longer a force.