1999: Manchester United, the Treble and All That

Description

In 1999, Manchester United completed a unique Treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League - but more remarkable than that was how they did it, and the stories behind the historic achievement. Matt Dickinson covered the whole story at the time, and now in 99 compelling chapters brings it all vividly to life. When the season began, Manchester United were up for sale, the club's iconic talisman Eric Cantona had gone, rivals Arsenal were the reigning Double winners, David Beckham was a national hate figure after being sent off during the World Cup, and even manager Alex Ferguson's position was being questioned. Early signs weren't promising, despite record spending to bring in new stars, among them Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke, but soon things began to change. Driven by the indomitable will of skipper Roy Keane, supported by a nucleus from the Class of 92 - Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, the Nevilles and Paul Scholes - who had grown up at the club, they went on a long unbeaten and unbeatable run, featuring some of the most dramatic games in fans' memories. Matt Dickinson highlights the key moments, speaking to those at the centre of the story and to those whose moment went unnoticed. 1999: Manchester United, the Treble and All That is so much more than a book for United fans; it is an insight into team building, the will to success and a tale of local pride. It reveals the real stories behind the legend that was sealed with a last-minute scrambled goal from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to win the Champions League.

Matt Dickinson joined The Times in 1997 and is currently Senior Sports Writer for the paper. His previous book, Bobby Moore: The Man in Full, was a Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize. He lives in south-west London.

'What a treat this book is for every United fan as Matt Dickinson takes us back to a time when everything and anything seemed possible. Brilliantly researched, superbly written and featuring the voices of those who made it happen, this is a delight.' -- Jim White 'I wondered whether there'd be anything left to tell about 1999 but this is superbly framed and full of fresh insight.' -- Adam Crafton 'Absolutely engrossed.. So many new insights and details. Almost like a football book version of The Last Dance.' -- Miguel Delaney 'Full of detail and lovely stories I'd never seen or heard before. Dickinson shows that the Treble season was far from a year-long party. It was gruelling. Totally unlike today, nearly every player was a character with leadership skills - a team of 11 captains. They were tough, totally dedicated to the United cause, but not always pleasant.' -- Michael Crick 'For some of us, the greatest story of our sporting lives, told beautifully and with consummate skill and great affection by the brilliant ?Matt Dickinson. Can't recommend it highly enough.' -- Oliver Holt 'Matt Dickinson superbly recreates the pulse-racing, heart-pumping, deadline-shredding excitement he felt as a young reporter forced to write and re-write his copy to keep up with a rollercoaster of a season that changed the history of football... It is the trust he built two decades ago that allows him to get beyond the banalities of many ghost-written football memoirs or compendiums of fan nostalgia.' -- Nick Robinson * The Times * 'Full of fresh revelations and insight, this is a masterful retelling of a remarkable year' -- Jon Spurling * FourFourTwo * 'The nostalgia in this book flows through the portraits offered of the personalities who filled the dressing-room. There they are, on page after page, captured "in their athletic prime", on their way to the most successful club season in English soccer history. It is not all sweetness and light.' -- Paul Rouse * Irish Examiner *