FERGIE HAPPY WITH THE SEASON SO FAR
Last updated : 28 December 2003 By Editor
"I'm pleased with the development of the younger players we
have brought in and defensively we have done very well, too.
We have far more consistency about our defending and Rio,
Mikael Silvestre and Tim Howard have played a part in that.
They have given us a good backbone and I think the more
games centre-backs play with each other, the better it
becomes, so I'm pleased with that.
"Someone pointed out that we have scored more goals than
this time last year so we are in a position where we want to
be. We are in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, top of the
league at the moment and, hopefully, we can stay there,
although it's not going to be easy. In that top three you
only have to make one mistake and you can be third.
"If we lose a game like we did at Chelsea people start
writing our obituary, but they have been doing that for
years. Chelsea have to face that. Everyone is hoping they do
well and you can't deny anyone who wants to progress in
life. I think they have shown their ambition to improve the
club and have done that - but it is a long season.
"There's no doubt that Chelsea have carried bits of luck. We
have analysed some of their games and they have been lucky.
Middlesbrough away, for example, they were very, very lucky.
They needed a good start after bringing new players in. That
has stabilised them, kept them up there and given them the
smell of the league, and they genuinely feel they can win
it. There's nothing wrong with that, but at United we know
it's not an easy league to win."
