http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,125176,00.html?GOOD things do come in threes.
And for those who congregated inside Old Trafford yesterday evening, they would have hearkened to the good tidings that alas, Sir Alex Ferguson has built the third great side of his long tenure.
Finally, after three barren seasons, not only are Manchester United firmly in the driving seat for the Premiership title after a 4-1 stuffing of Bolton, there is joy and relief on the terraces that the boss has ultimately got it right in assembling a team that will send the club into another lengthy winning cycle.
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--AFP
It has been a case of 'will he, won't he?' in the last couple of years as the old Tyrannosaurus Rex contemplates retirement but something deep inside rankled and prevented him from joining the pensioners.
He has watched in horror as Russian petro-dollars poured into the Premiership.
He was absolutely aghast when Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon vowed to turn the Blues into the biggest club in the world.
Worst of all, he had witnessed how a bloodthirsty guttersnipe by the name of Jose Mourinho landed in England, anointed himself The Special One and snatched the limelight as the poster boy of management.
Instead of allowing the Premiership to turn into a one-horse race, Ferguson, who has countless 'sell by date' stickers plastered on his head, reacted in the only way he knew how - by not lying down and putting up the good fight.
At 65-years-young, not only is he still fire and brimstone, he has recaptured the sheen that once made him such a canny operator in the transfer market.
RETIREMENT
With his 1994 Double-winning side and the team of the 1999 Treble lore, nobody would begrudge Ferguson his retirement after two decades of top, top service. And the time felt right, too, as his brand of management looks increasingly out-moded as the savvy Messrs Mourinho, Wenger and Benitez sparked a rage of all things scientific and foreign.
Failed forays into abject flops like Juan 'Useless' Veron, Liam Miller, Massimo Taibi, Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Mark Bosnic lent weight to the argument that the Scotsman had lost it.
His 'my way or the highway' approach may seem dated in an era of player power. He has rowed and bombed out Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul McGrath, Norman Whiteside, Gordon Strachan, Dwight Yorke and Jaap Stam in the past.
But in recent seasons, he has even ripped what was perceived as the heart and soul of the club by giving Roy Keane, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy the boot.
Nothing, not even the dissenting opinions of his key players, would sway him from his great quest to build that elusive third great team.
The first pieces were already in place as the remnants of Fergie's Fledglings, the elite trio of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, who are deemed still worthy enough to parade their wares in the Theatre of Dreams.
Next came the solving of the longstanding goalkeeping problem, a puzzle that neither Taibi, Bosnic, Fabien Barthez could crack but eventually solved by Edwin van der Sar.
Though his current crop of youngsters are still a tad inferior to the famous Fledglings, there is also no doubt that Kieran Richardson, John O'Shea, Wes Brown and Darren Fletcher have been useful squad members all chipping in their share to the title assault.
Then, the spine took shape with the arrivals of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic plus a sprinkling of shrewd buys such as Patrice Evra, Gabriel Heinze and Park Ji Sung gave Ferguson the belief that he does have a squad that can compete with Chelsea's mountain of cash.
Most of all, none made more impact than Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, a pair of 22-year-olds who are propelling the club's relentless march with oodles of sublime football.
At last, after how his second great era fizzled out after the 2003 title win, Ferguson's has finally assembled a team that is physically and mentally strong enough to loosen Mourinho's grip on the championship.
Through the years, the DNA has remained unchanged. For the Steve Bruce-Gary Pallister defensive axis, there is the outstanding Ferdinand-Vidic wall of today.
For the midfield industry of Bryan Robson and Roy Keane, there is the quality work put in by Scholes.
DEMOLITION
And for all the Eric Cantona moments of pure genius, Ronaldo and Rooney are there to provide them circa 2007.
The Portugese's single-handed demolition of Bolton rendered him totally unplayable as he provided three brilliant assists before walking out to a standing ovation in the 70th minute.
Rooney deserved the plaudits as well, breaking at speed with his side-kick in the 17th minute before notching the goal of the day with a clever dink over the advancing body of Jussi Jaaskelainen.
That, is the gospel of football, according to Sir Alex.
How he has bounced back from adversity and returned to the top of the pile. And how Bolton will return home after being given a right education.
And here endeth the lesson.
