Edwards: We should have been Euro kings more often
THERE is a wonderful picture from United’s 1999 Champions League party in Barcelona of chairman Martin Edwards puffing on a cigar with his arm around Dwight Yorke.
And no wonder the former Reds chief was in such a jovial mood.
Edwards has revealed to M.E.N. Sport he thought he was running out of time on one of his biggest United dreams.
As Jose Mourinho’s side return to the main European stage tonight, Edwards says the Reds should have lifted the big-eared pot more often in his time as the top man in the boardroom.
“I was disappointed we were not able to win more Champions Leagues in the period I was chairman,” he admitted.
“Domestically, we had it all our own way. In the last 11 years I was chairman we won the Premier League eight times.
“We could have won it more times as well. I think we could have won it in 1995, the year Blackburn pipped us. Losing Eric Cantona for half a season didn’t help. We could probably have done the double that year. Three doubles in three years it could have been.
“Even the year before we won it in 1993, when it was the old Football League, we should have won it when Leeds did. We had knocked them out of both the FA Cup and League Cup and so they could concentrate on the league and we had a fixture pile-up. But there are always circumstances.
“You cannot fault Sir Alex and the team domestically. They were fantastic, but we could have been even more successful.
“But in terms of the Champions League, there were opportunities there. You think back to the Borussia Dortmund semi-final and against Bayer Leverkusen.
“That is the only regret I have really.
“I always wanted the Premier League flag flying at Old Trafford every year. That is your bread and butter, that is what you set out to do every year.
“Europe was always a bonus. But when you have won a few Premier Leagues you become more desperate for success in Europe.” United were the first English club to win the competition in 1968 and went on to win it again in 2008, nine years after the famous treble.
But before 1999, Edwards was worrying that his chance of overseeing another success was fading. “I was thinking we hadn’t won it since 1968 and it was getting to 1999 and you think a club like Manchester United should do better in it,” he added.
“It was a long stretch and we needed to do it again.
“For me personally I always knew I was going to resign as chief executive in 2000 so I was starting to worry because I only had two seasons left in which we could win it while I was in charge!
“I’d have been very disappointed if I had stepped down and we had never won the Champions League.
“It was becoming desperation!
“You can imagine how I was feeling with three minutes to go in the Nou Camp and Bayern Munich were winning the ‘99 final. I was so relieved and ecstatic at the end.”
Martin Edwards was talking to M.E.N. Sport at the launch of his new autobiography Red Glory. Martin Edwards for me JOSE Mourinho believes Nemanja Matic’s attitude sets him apart as his favourite player.
The Portuguese made the bold decision to re-sign Matic in his second spell at Chelsea in 2014 and the pair went on to win the title and League Cup together.
They remained close even after Mourinho hauled Matic off against Southampton in the final days of his reign at Stamford Bridge - just 28 minutes after bringing him on.
And, having since been reunited at Manchester United, Mourinho feels Matic’s reaction to that substitution sets him apart as his favourite ever player.
“[Nemanja] Matic, I cannot say that I had better guys than him in my career,” he told said.
“He was really sad after that game. But the next day he comes to me and he says, ‘I’m not happy, but it’s my fault.’”