The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

"Young players can win beautifully, but when they play badly they will lose miserably. Manchester United fans cheer excitedly for the passion of the young players, but at the same time they have to endure the mistakes and errors made by the young players, anxiously waiting for Cantona's return."

--Inscription

After defeating Bolton, the Red Devils have won five consecutive games and are in high spirits.

Newcastle United was also very good, they and Manchester United alternated in the lead in the standings, competing fiercely. The two teams maintained the same rapid pace of grabbing points, and the Red Devils only temporarily ranked second due to the disadvantage of goal difference.

The Red Devils fans are now full of confidence in the team's youthful vitality and aggressive offensive style, and they believe that there is no problem in overtaking Newcastle. Many fans even began to imagine that Ferguson's youth team can be comparable to Busby's powerful Red Devils.

During the break of the league, Manchester United played a League Cup match against the historic York City team. This team, founded in 1908, was not a top league team and had been playing in the lower leagues for a long time. At that time, they were playing in the English League Two, which was in the middle of the third tier. This first leg of the second round of the League Cup was not taken seriously by Manchester United. Ferguson only sent out four veterans, Irwin, Pallister, Parker and McClair, in the starting lineup. The remaining seven positions were given to young players. Central defender McGibbon got the opportunity to start in the first team.

Almost all the fans were confident that the Red Devils could beat a team in the third tier with a rotation lineup. No one expected York City to come and ruin the game.

The Red Devils played very poorly in this game. The players were in low form and made a lot of mistakes in passing and receiving the ball. York City quickly took advantage and launched a fierce attack on the Red Devils' defense. In the 24th minute of the first half, York City stole the ball from Phil Neville and launched a counterattack. Striker Barnes shot hard outside the penalty area. The ball hit the Red Devils' central defender Pallister and deflected. The Red Devils' goalkeeper Pilkington completely jumped in the wrong direction and could only watch the ball go into the goal!

The Red Devils are trailing 0-1!

The Red Devils' performance did not improve in the second half. Barnes, who had scored a goal, stole the show again at the start of the second half. He received a long pass from his teammate from the backcourt and shook off the Red Devils' central defender McGibbon. The young player, who was playing for the first time, had no experience and tackled Barnes from behind. The referee immediately gave a red card and McGibbon was sent off. Barnes took the penalty kick himself and scored, giving York City a 2-0 lead!

Two minutes later, the Red Devils' defense had problems again. York City's free kick in the frontcourt was lifted into the penalty area. The Red Devils goalkeeper Pilkington attacked too late. York City's Barras jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the goal. York City led 3-0!

Ferguson finally replaced the main central defender Bruce, but the team's offensive line still did nothing. In the end, York City captured Old Trafford and left with a 3-0 victory.

The Red Devils were unexpectedly defeated, which can be described as "overturning an aircraft carrier". After the game, the British media were flooded with criticism and humiliation, with words like "shame", "embarrassment", "shock" and so on everywhere.

Ferguson personally apologized after the game, "We did not play to our normal level and the team made a lot of mistakes, which made the game difficult. Our young players lack experience, especially when they need to face the impact alone, they may make wrong decisions. This is the price that players must pay in their growth process. We are very sorry for the loss."

随后红魔在1995年9月23日驱车希尔斯堡球场，挑战谢菲尔德星期三队。这场比赛乏善可陈，比分也始终停留在0:0。

Including the 3-2 draw with the Russian Rotor Team at home three days later and the eventual elimination from the UEFA Cup, Ferguson's team suffered a brief setback.

The Red Devils have failed to win in several games in a row, and the young players' performance has fluctuated so much that many fans feel anxious.

At this time, everyone was looking forward to Cantona's return.

In the eyes of the Red Devils fans, the Frenchman is like a stabilizing force. As long as he can play in the game, he will bring victory to the team and happiness to the fans!

After a long wait, on September 1995, 9, Ferguson officially announced that Cantona's suspension had expired and he had returned to the team. Ferguson said: "I am of course very happy that we have welcomed back a core player and a leader. Nine months without playing is a long time and a great challenge for any player. But Eric has made all the preparations and he is very confident. What I want to tell you is that Eric has been training hard, he never slacks off and always demands the highest standards of himself. He has always maintained an excellent state and is full of expectations for the game."

The BBC said: "With or without Cantona it is so important for the Red Devils, it will be two different teams!"

The Red Devils arranged a press conference for Cantona's return. More than 200 reporters flocked to this special interview. Cantona was still silent and low-key at the press conference. He made a serious statement - promising that he would not cause trouble for the team again. He finally said, "I am still a Red Devils player, I am still the same person, I will bring you surprises."

The Red Devils players held a small ceremony. Every player stood at the door of the locker room and hugged and greeted Cantona one by one, welcoming back the big guy who had not played a game for a long time.

Many years later, Gary Neville recalled, "There is a kind of player whose existence makes you feel that you are not just a football player, but makes you feel that you must follow him to fight, and then you will succeed and have everything. Cantona is one of the few players like this. He has leadership ability that no one can resist."

Gary later said, "I am the one who is most looking forward to Eric's return in the team. I know deeply that there must always be 11 people playing on the court. Sometimes when we encounter difficulties, a leader must come out, shoulder the problem, carry the whole team on his shoulders and even directly destroy the opponent's resistance. You can never say that you win the league by relying on one player. Like the Red Devils, it is always a collective struggle. But Cantona is always different. He can do everything. It's so magical. Just like before, he alone brought us goals, victories and championships."

Reporters who were not afraid of going too far found one of the parties involved in the incident, Crystal Palace's Shule. The defender who caused Cantona's red card said: "The Premier League needs players like Cantona, and I, like many others, hope that he can stay. I am happy for his comeback, although the memory of the hurt will never disappear."

Simmons, the protagonist of the flying kick incident, the one who was kicked and beaten by Cantona, claimed in an interview that he would continue to sue Cantona and let this "devil" get out of England.

"Tremble, opponents!" The fans on the Red Devils' local forum were jubilant and expressed their confidence in Cantona with such a title. The Red Devils' fans welcomed their king crazily. The French striker brought them too many classics and happiness. They will never forget the great contribution made by the king, and will never forget Cantona's independent words and deeds, as well as his infinite charm.

Fans spontaneously launched a wave of enthusiasm to welcome Cantona's return. They went to the gate of Carrington Base to see Cantona, went directly to the training ground to watch his training, and visited his family residence. Wherever Cantona went, he always aroused the enthusiasm of fans. Fans rushed up to hug him, and countless people squeezed over to shake hands. In the streets and alleys of Manchester, people were proud to wear Cantona's jerseys and parade around. Many female fans even painted their faces in red and white, and then wrote the words MUFC and "Eric" on them to express their passionate feelings for the hero. Some fans loved the whole house and loved the whole family. In addition to wearing Cantona's jerseys all over themselves, they also painted their cars with Cantona's number "7", and even put their beloved dogs on Cantona's jerseys.

"Salute! Our King - Return of the Hero!" A huge banner with numerous fans' signatures was unfurled on the streets of Manchester. Around the training base, countless "Welcome Back" slogans were like enthusiastically waving hands, ready to welcome and embrace the hero who had left for a short time - this was the attitude of the Red Devils fans.

It was the first day of October 1995, the Red Devils played at home against Liverpool, and Cantona was in the starting lineup.

On this day, the long-lost sunshine shone on Manchester, making Old Trafford a shining and great palace. The entire stadium area, including the nearby train station and the surrounding roads, was filled with the French tricolor flag fluttering in the wind, the "Marseillaise" was sung repeatedly, and everyone had only one name on their lips - Cantona.

The Times said: "England has not seen such a scene for a long time. All the English people are cheering for a Frenchman. This is really unimaginable."

The Guardian said, "Cantona's ban has expired and he has returned to Manchester United. This is his chance and he will have his most important performance, but there is still a risk. In fact, the possibility of failure is far greater than success. The league is different now. Blackburn won the championship last season. Manchester United has become a challenger this season. The Frenchman's teammates have also changed a lot and the strength of the lineup has even weakened. Cantona is under great pressure and he must bring victory to the fans who are looking forward to his return."

Cantona refused all media interviews before the game. He trained and trained again at the Carrington base silently, practicing all the items silently, and making full preparations for the game. What he needs now is inner peace, eliminating all distractions, concentrating on stimulating the fighting state, and going all out to meet this game.

The game was about to start. With everyone's expectation, Cantona walked into the stadium after several months with his head held high, like a commander walking into a military formation. He confidently scanned all his teammates, then looked at his opponents, and then focused on a certain point in the distance, waiting for the game to begin.

Behind him, cheers and shouts were like a tsunami, and the fans were passionate and spared no effort to cheer him on. All the fans had an almost superstitious worship of the king of the Theatre of Dreams, and firmly believed that he would lead the team to victory.

This is his kingdom.