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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Sir Alex: 18th title will come

Sir Alex Ferguson is ecstatic after landing his 10th Barclays Premier League title as United manager. Here is a transcript of his immediate post-match quotes:

Tough title race to win
“It was a tough one alright and being away from home today made it more difficult. In fairness for most of the game we played well. There were some nervous moments and then the rain came and we were wondering what’s going to happen now, because anything can happen on a rainy surface. Just after half-time we started to get a grip of it. We missed a few chances and the goalkeeper made some great saves. I was saying to myself, “Please give us that second goal.” Of course, my oldest player, ten medals today, gets it – Ryan Giggs. Fantastic."

Scholes fortunate not to be sent off?
"I think Paul rode his luck a little bit. I thought his first tackle was reckless and he deserved to be booked. The second one was nothing, a shove and it didn’t merit a booking at all. But there was one a few minutes before that one which puts the case in doubt."

Nervous when Chelsea went 1-0 up?
“You’ve got to try and dismiss all the stuff round about you, forget what was happening at Chelsea and concentrate on our own game. I think we did that okay. But there was a guy behind us who kept telling us it was 2-0 to Chelsea after just one minute. So he was playing his part for Chelsea!"

Turning point in the league campaign?
"It ebbed and flowed a bit. Arsenal, for long periods, looked like they were going to win it. Then they dropped a few points after we knocked them out of the FA Cup and that told for them. We then dropped a few points at Blackburn and Middlesbrough and that allowed Chelsea to close right in. But the two points they dropped against Wigan probably won the title for us."

How does it feel to have won 10 titles?
"Fantastic. I’m very proud. Proud to have survived for so long. It’s a great club and it’s much easier for me than it is for anyone else. How would I do without this? Tell me."

Targeting Liverpool's record of 18 titles overall
"I think it will come. This side’s young. It’s developing all the time. It’s a good young team and there are plenty of years left in them. They’ll do it in their own time."

And now for Moscow...
"The great thing is we’re bouncing into the (Champions League) final. We can look forward to it. If we’d lost the title today, it would have been difficult. When we lost the title at West Ham in 1995, we lost the FA Cup final the following week. We were dead then. We’re not dead now, we’re alive. If we win the European Cup, this has to be my best team."

Sir Alex was talking to Sky Sports.

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