Trophies determine greatness

Sir Alex Ferguson has challenged his Manchester United stars to prove they are his undisputed number one.

The Red Devils will be confirmed as Premier League champions on Sunday with a win over Wigan as arguments continue to rage over which was the best of Ferguson's three legendary United sides.

While the 1999 treble winners would seem to have no peer, Latics boss Steve Bruce claimed the team that won the double five years earlier - and was prevented from giving its best in Europe because of the controversial 'foreigners rule' imposed by UEFA - was better.

Some believe the current squad, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney - who may make the bench on Sunday as he battles to overcome his recent hip problem - eclipse the lot.

Ferguson certainly feels they are capable of such greatness, but for such lofty heights to be reached, the United boss feels they have to continue collecting the heftiest pieces of silverware.

"You are judged on what you win, so the 1999 team stands apart from the rest because they won the treble," he said.

"The mental and physical strength of the 1994 team was fantastic. They were never messed about and could handle anything."

"But this has the makings of a very good team. I like them. We have the players to do it."

Ferguson certainly gets as much pleasure from his current crop of youngsters as he has done from any other successful team he has managed.

So much so that the subject of his retirement u-turn in 2002 briefly cropped up as he pondered what life would have been like outside the management game.

"Sometimes I look back to when I nearly retired," he revealed. "It doesn't fit easily with me."

"I don't know how I would be feeling watching this from the director's box. It would have been difficult."

Ferguson's observations back up the theory that he was not happy letting potential successors - perhaps Sven-Goran Eriksson at the time - take the credit for his work.

However, he still maintains his wife Cathy was the driving force behind his decision to remain.

Not that it has been all plain sailing in the intervening years.

It may be hard to recall now but only a couple of seasons ago United was embarrassingly turfed out of the Champions League at the group stage and was completing a third campaign without a title.

The obituaries were being penned with Ferguson, chief executive David Gill and the Glazer family requiring patience and conviction in their belief the situation would improve.

"Expectation has to be delivered here," he said. "But managing change is the most difficult thing to do."

"A lot of decisions were made about the vision of the club and where we should start to rebuild because, while you would like the players you have to carry on until they are 50, time catches up with everyone in the end."

"The other unfortunate thing is that only you has the patience. The press don't have it and the supporters don't have it."

That patience has taken United to the brink of a 10th Premier League title under Ferguson and the 17th overall, just one adrift of Liverpool's record haul.

Given the lack of anything remotely like a championship challenge in recent seasons, it is perhaps no surprise Rafael Benitez's men were out of the running at