Ryan Giggs meets Liverpool today for the 35th time – and he still has a crucial role to playJonathan Northcroft The Times
Older people need fewer hours in bed, which is perhaps why at 9.30am, with practice not due to start until 11am, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are already at Manchester United’s training ground at Carrington, the only players about. Both stroll in wearing training kit. Whippersnappers such as Cristiano Ronaldo may still be at home, in front of the mirror, choosing their clobber. “It’s part and parcel of growing up as a footballer,” Giggs says with a chuckle, “seeing the lads come in dressed in all their flash gear when you’re in jeans and T-shirt or whatever. You’ve taken the kids to school and you just want to be in stuff you’re relaxed in, instead of coming in your best gear every day, like some. But I used to do that myself.”
In Giggs’s autobiography, there is a photograph of him and Paul Ince sporting jacket-and-tie combos, both of which bring to mind the old BBC colour Test Card. Now he is muted, except for small, vivid splashes of silver hair at his temples. He is now 34, which would be considered young in other jobs. “I still feel 21, me,” Giggs says with a sigh. “Even though I’m not. I used to look at Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson and think, ‘they’re old’. Do the young lads look at me and think that? Surely not. Because I still feel 21. It’s what makes team spirit, the different age groups and the banter you have because of that.”
It’s also what makes teams. There is too much of a pursuit of excellence at Manchester United for anyone to be a mascot, even a player who, having made 746 senior appearances, can equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 759 in the Champions League final if United get there and he plays every game. Sir Alex Ferguson does not keep Giggs around out of sentiment, but because of what he still offers on the pitch and – to Ronaldo and the tyros – off it.
The former has changed down the years. Passing and positioning in tight forward areas are a more crucial part of his weaponry now than high-speed dribbles, though he can still waft past a defender if required. The latter involves wisdom and advice. Ferguson said on Friday that title run-ins come down to a “mental thing” and believes the experience of Giggs and Scholes, and soon-to-return Gary Neville, give United distinct advantages over their rivals.
Giggs has played just once in a month because of a strained calf muscle, but Liverpool will not be surprised if he is involved today. Ferguson likes him to be involved in the big fixtures, especially the northwest derby. No one in United’s history comes close to Giggs’s 34 appearances against Liverpool. His first meeting with the Merseysiders was as a 17-year-old. “I don’t remember it,” croaks the old boy. “I used to remember every game I’ve played.” He’ll never forget his second. It was Anfield, April 1992, and United lost 2-0, thereby surrendering the championship to Leeds United. Leaving the stadium, a young Scouser asked for Giggs’s signature and when Giggs obliged, he tore it up in his face.
“That was a shock,” Giggs recalls. “I mean, when someone asks you for your autograph. For the first couple of years of my career it was the biggest disappointment. I’d had such a rise into the first team and everything had gone well and that was my first real slap. You grow up quickly in football and the important thing is how you react.”
It’s to Giggs’s credit that the incident never coloured him. He became one of the few United footballers not entirely hated by Liverpool fans, who see him differently from how they view, for example, Gary Neville. “That’s just football clubs in general when it comes to Gazza.” Giggs says, deadpan. “No, seriously, I think I’ve always shown the right respect to Liverpool and the history they have and great team they are. But I also know that it’s the team I get the most pleasure out of beating.
“There’s been controversy over the years because the rivalry on and off the pitch is massive but getting involved in that has never been part of my make-up. I try and just stay out of it, leave it to the likes of Keaney and Gaz.”
Typifying the yo-yo of emotion major sporting contests provide, one of Giggs’s highest highs against Liverpool was accompanied by one of his lowest lows. His chip over Bruce Grobelaar in 1994 was one of the best goals he has ever scored but Liverpool came back from 3-0 down on the day to get a 3-3 draw. “The game had a bit of everything, good strikes, comeback, tackles flying in: a typical Man United v Liverpool affair with more goals than usual. Thinking about it now, it was a great match to be involved in, but to give away a three-goal lead, especially at Anfield – I was gutted at the time.”
The title situation and fact that Chelsea meet Arsenal later in the afternoon add extra pepper to today’s encounter. However, says Giggs, “no matter how the teams are doing, no matter what kind of side we’ve got and they’ve got, this fixture’s the test – mentally and physically, especially, as a United player, at Anfield.
“We have big games all the time these days with the Champions League, but this is the local rivalry, the test. Even when Salford Boys played Liverpool teams the games were huge and growing up when I did, supporting United, Liverpool was the fixture you dreamed of playing in. Liverpool were the team to beat. They won leagues and won in Europe. They were the team you wanted to play against and wanted to beat the most. I remember their great 1980s side; great players, great movement, and Ian Rush. He was a big hero of mine but I never wanted him to score for Liverpool, only Wales.”
Has the influx of foreign players diluted enmity? “I think the fixture’s as intense as it ever was. The foreigners who come to United soon realise this is a big game, in many people’s eyes the biggest of the season.” It’s something Giggs tries to convey. “There’s a responsibility among the older players at United to let the younger players, particularly foreign ones, know what it is to beat Liverpool, to perform at the top level.”
What other advice is he passing on? What has the player with more English championships – nine – than any in history been telling colleagues amid the title chase? “I think you’re most needed when we suffer a defeat, or a young lad’s had a bad performance. It’s about helping them over it. You do it in different ways. Gaz is probably a bit more vocal than me, Scholesy’s more similar, for us it’s about what you do on the pitch. It’s about being a calming influence. The message you give is that there’s games to come and we’re going to need you.
“With any run-in it’s about momentum and focus. Once you get into single figures – I think we’ve got eight games left – you say to yourself, ‘Right, I’ve got to put it in these eight times’. When you’ve 30 games to go, you get knackered thinking about it. With eight left you say, ‘Right, every game we need to prepare right, you need to be focused and you will get the benefits’.”
There is not much he can tell Ronaldo about dealing with the current adulation. “Ronny’s temperament and the way he handles himself have always been good,” says Giggs. “If I have advice, it’s more about the wide role we both play, where to position yourself and tactical things.”
Giggs’s growing interest in the latter will see him study for his coaching A licence this summer. “I did my B badge with the academy players three or four years ago,” he says. “A lot of them are in our reserves now, the likes of Danny Welbeck and Sam Hewson, people who are coming through. If they train with us and I see something then I think it’s my duty to help them along, even if it’s the smallest thing, because I remember that when I was a young lad I had a lot of help from the likes of Brucey and Robbo. They stick in your mind, the things that the older players said to you.”
He signs a pair of boots and talks about a cause dear to him. The PFA are auctioning the footwear and other items via a charity website, hoping to raise £1m to provide a specialist rehab unit for the new Manchester Children’s Hospital. “My mum’s worked there for 15 years and this is something close to my heart,” Giggs says. “The new hospital is needed, not just by Manchester but the whole of the northwest.”
Signed matchday boots worn by Ryan Giggs are being auctioned as part of the PFA’s “One Goal, One Million” appeal, via a new charity website in partnership with eBay. Other items include the chance to watch England train and meet the players, donated by Fabio Capello, and signed Cristiano Ronaldo memorabilia. Visit www.givemefootball.com or the “eBay for Charity ” website.
In Giggs’s autobiography, there is a photograph of him and Paul Ince sporting jacket-and-tie combos, both of which bring to mind the old BBC colour Test Card. Now he is muted, except for small, vivid splashes of silver hair at his temples. He is now 34, which would be considered young in other jobs. “I still feel 21, me,” Giggs says with a sigh. “Even though I’m not. I used to look at Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson and think, ‘they’re old’. Do the young lads look at me and think that? Surely not. Because I still feel 21. It’s what makes team spirit, the different age groups and the banter you have because of that.”
It’s also what makes teams. There is too much of a pursuit of excellence at Manchester United for anyone to be a mascot, even a player who, having made 746 senior appearances, can equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 759 in the Champions League final if United get there and he plays every game. Sir Alex Ferguson does not keep Giggs around out of sentiment, but because of what he still offers on the pitch and – to Ronaldo and the tyros – off it.
The former has changed down the years. Passing and positioning in tight forward areas are a more crucial part of his weaponry now than high-speed dribbles, though he can still waft past a defender if required. The latter involves wisdom and advice. Ferguson said on Friday that title run-ins come down to a “mental thing” and believes the experience of Giggs and Scholes, and soon-to-return Gary Neville, give United distinct advantages over their rivals.
Giggs has played just once in a month because of a strained calf muscle, but Liverpool will not be surprised if he is involved today. Ferguson likes him to be involved in the big fixtures, especially the northwest derby. No one in United’s history comes close to Giggs’s 34 appearances against Liverpool. His first meeting with the Merseysiders was as a 17-year-old. “I don’t remember it,” croaks the old boy. “I used to remember every game I’ve played.” He’ll never forget his second. It was Anfield, April 1992, and United lost 2-0, thereby surrendering the championship to Leeds United. Leaving the stadium, a young Scouser asked for Giggs’s signature and when Giggs obliged, he tore it up in his face.
“That was a shock,” Giggs recalls. “I mean, when someone asks you for your autograph. For the first couple of years of my career it was the biggest disappointment. I’d had such a rise into the first team and everything had gone well and that was my first real slap. You grow up quickly in football and the important thing is how you react.”
It’s to Giggs’s credit that the incident never coloured him. He became one of the few United footballers not entirely hated by Liverpool fans, who see him differently from how they view, for example, Gary Neville. “That’s just football clubs in general when it comes to Gazza.” Giggs says, deadpan. “No, seriously, I think I’ve always shown the right respect to Liverpool and the history they have and great team they are. But I also know that it’s the team I get the most pleasure out of beating.
“There’s been controversy over the years because the rivalry on and off the pitch is massive but getting involved in that has never been part of my make-up. I try and just stay out of it, leave it to the likes of Keaney and Gaz.”
Typifying the yo-yo of emotion major sporting contests provide, one of Giggs’s highest highs against Liverpool was accompanied by one of his lowest lows. His chip over Bruce Grobelaar in 1994 was one of the best goals he has ever scored but Liverpool came back from 3-0 down on the day to get a 3-3 draw. “The game had a bit of everything, good strikes, comeback, tackles flying in: a typical Man United v Liverpool affair with more goals than usual. Thinking about it now, it was a great match to be involved in, but to give away a three-goal lead, especially at Anfield – I was gutted at the time.”
The title situation and fact that Chelsea meet Arsenal later in the afternoon add extra pepper to today’s encounter. However, says Giggs, “no matter how the teams are doing, no matter what kind of side we’ve got and they’ve got, this fixture’s the test – mentally and physically, especially, as a United player, at Anfield.
“We have big games all the time these days with the Champions League, but this is the local rivalry, the test. Even when Salford Boys played Liverpool teams the games were huge and growing up when I did, supporting United, Liverpool was the fixture you dreamed of playing in. Liverpool were the team to beat. They won leagues and won in Europe. They were the team you wanted to play against and wanted to beat the most. I remember their great 1980s side; great players, great movement, and Ian Rush. He was a big hero of mine but I never wanted him to score for Liverpool, only Wales.”
Has the influx of foreign players diluted enmity? “I think the fixture’s as intense as it ever was. The foreigners who come to United soon realise this is a big game, in many people’s eyes the biggest of the season.” It’s something Giggs tries to convey. “There’s a responsibility among the older players at United to let the younger players, particularly foreign ones, know what it is to beat Liverpool, to perform at the top level.”
What other advice is he passing on? What has the player with more English championships – nine – than any in history been telling colleagues amid the title chase? “I think you’re most needed when we suffer a defeat, or a young lad’s had a bad performance. It’s about helping them over it. You do it in different ways. Gaz is probably a bit more vocal than me, Scholesy’s more similar, for us it’s about what you do on the pitch. It’s about being a calming influence. The message you give is that there’s games to come and we’re going to need you.
“With any run-in it’s about momentum and focus. Once you get into single figures – I think we’ve got eight games left – you say to yourself, ‘Right, I’ve got to put it in these eight times’. When you’ve 30 games to go, you get knackered thinking about it. With eight left you say, ‘Right, every game we need to prepare right, you need to be focused and you will get the benefits’.”
There is not much he can tell Ronaldo about dealing with the current adulation. “Ronny’s temperament and the way he handles himself have always been good,” says Giggs. “If I have advice, it’s more about the wide role we both play, where to position yourself and tactical things.”
Giggs’s growing interest in the latter will see him study for his coaching A licence this summer. “I did my B badge with the academy players three or four years ago,” he says. “A lot of them are in our reserves now, the likes of Danny Welbeck and Sam Hewson, people who are coming through. If they train with us and I see something then I think it’s my duty to help them along, even if it’s the smallest thing, because I remember that when I was a young lad I had a lot of help from the likes of Brucey and Robbo. They stick in your mind, the things that the older players said to you.”
He signs a pair of boots and talks about a cause dear to him. The PFA are auctioning the footwear and other items via a charity website, hoping to raise £1m to provide a specialist rehab unit for the new Manchester Children’s Hospital. “My mum’s worked there for 15 years and this is something close to my heart,” Giggs says. “The new hospital is needed, not just by Manchester but the whole of the northwest.”
Signed matchday boots worn by Ryan Giggs are being auctioned as part of the PFA’s “One Goal, One Million” appeal, via a new charity website in partnership with eBay. Other items include the chance to watch England train and meet the players, donated by Fabio Capello, and signed Cristiano Ronaldo memorabilia. Visit www.givemefootball.com or the “eBay for Charity ” website.
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Liverpool enemy No1
- Ryan Giggs has played 34 times for Manchester United against Liverpool, more than any other player
- Giggs scored his fi rst goal against United’s biggest rivals in January 1994 - a 3-3 draw at Anfi eld. United were cruising after building up a 3-0 lead before Liverpool rallied to earn a point. The match is still the highest-scoring Premier League clash between the teams
- The Welshman also scored in the 4-0 rout of Liverpool in April 2003 on his way to securing his eighth Premier League winner’s medal. In November the same year Giggs bagged two goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield
Liverpool enemy No1
- Ryan Giggs has played 34 times for Manchester United against Liverpool, more than any other player
- Giggs scored his fi rst goal against United’s biggest rivals in January 1994 - a 3-3 draw at Anfi eld. United were cruising after building up a 3-0 lead before Liverpool rallied to earn a point. The match is still the highest-scoring Premier League clash between the teams
- The Welshman also scored in the 4-0 rout of Liverpool in April 2003 on his way to securing his eighth Premier League winner’s medal. In November the same year Giggs bagged two goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield
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utusanLFC :
after tonight's game, the headline would be Ryan Giggs: `I love been beaten by Liverpool'.
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