Beating the scousers was the icing on the cake and the Barry Davis commentary was the cherry on the icing! The days when all that mattered in life was football. Great great days!
Eric Cantona appreciation thread
- Thread starter Jim Beam
- Start date
Beating the scousers was the icing on the cake and the Barry Davis commentary was the cherry on the icing! The days when all that mattered in life was football. Great great days!
Think outside of the club he is under rated in terms of all time premiership greats.
This was a player who cost £1m (ptob akin to £10m now at most). Came into a side that was still falling short of a first league title in a long time despite a really strong side with the likes of Schmeichel, Pallister, Bruce, Giggs, Keane, Ince, Robson, Hughes all sucj strong personalities....several captains, future managers and pundis among them. He was like the conductor of a choir, made such a difference and always big goals in big games.
Was an absolute joy to watch, really was an artist. Then when many of these big perosnalities and stars moved on, he changed from condouctor to pied piper, the fledglings absolutely idolised him and he set such a great example.
Came into an ageing side and was the missing link to trophies and was the bridge to a host of youngsters.SUch a pivotal part in the success we had for all the years following it.
One of the very best in the premiership without doubt.
Only criticism I could level at him was the effect he had in Europe. To be fair it was a period Enlish football was still trying to get used to European ties again after a long ban from the Heysel bans and we were also affected badly by the 3foreigners rule for a while as Welsh, Scottish etc all counted as foreign. Even so, he didnt seem to find the same space, struggled at times with hi sback to goal and did miss dome big opportunities would never have done in the permiership
This was a player who cost £1m (ptob akin to £10m now at most). Came into a side that was still falling short of a first league title in a long time despite a really strong side with the likes of Schmeichel, Pallister, Bruce, Giggs, Keane, Ince, Robson, Hughes all sucj strong personalities....several captains, future managers and pundis among them. He was like the conductor of a choir, made such a difference and always big goals in big games.
Was an absolute joy to watch, really was an artist. Then when many of these big perosnalities and stars moved on, he changed from condouctor to pied piper, the fledglings absolutely idolised him and he set such a great example.
Came into an ageing side and was the missing link to trophies and was the bridge to a host of youngsters.SUch a pivotal part in the success we had for all the years following it.
One of the very best in the premiership without doubt.
Only criticism I could level at him was the effect he had in Europe. To be fair it was a period Enlish football was still trying to get used to European ties again after a long ban from the Heysel bans and we were also affected badly by the 3foreigners rule for a while as Welsh, Scottish etc all counted as foreign. Even so, he didnt seem to find the same space, struggled at times with hi sback to goal and did miss dome big opportunities would never have done in the permiership
Look at the names on the back of the shirts celebrating with him and how young they are, that's what a captain and leader looks like.
Eric Cantona is one of the most passionate, eccentric and eclectic human beings to ever play the sport. The club captain in 1996-97 and lead players like Beckham, Giggs, Neville, Solskjær, Scholes, Keane, Poborsky, Pallister and more. That is a hell of a roster to shine ahead of everyone on. Deciding that that was that and retiring at the age of 30. A lot of football greats retired between ages 32-34 because they were injured or they lost their magic, but Cantona just decided to do something else despite being one of the best in the world.
Good morning Everyone i am sorry for bumping an old thread but i hope you can make an allowance for me as i created an account on here. just so i could add a comment.
So let me begin by saying i was not a United fan in the 90's in fact i liked Newcastle so Man Utd broke my heart and i hated them plus the annoying glory hunters you would get in school didn't help. However i begrudgingly had a soft spot for Cantona and from him maybe even created a bit of a closet United fan inside me though i would never admit it.
So i have been on a bit of a Cantona binge yesterday on youtube and i think as other people have said already if you are a person of the 90's then modern society, culture and Football is just not hitting the spot like it used to and Cantona is prime example of that.
The modern day fantastista type players are now being killed out of the game so everbody has to run, nobody is allowed to think for themselves and you are called redundant if you don't run and can't create anything through the wall of super athletes set up to spoil end to end games.
Anyway to my favourite memory of Cantona which i didn't see raised on here and never see it get mentioned anywhere
Man Utd vs Celtic 2001 Ryan Giggs testimonial
there was a bit of excitement around this game at the time because it was the first time we saw Van Nistlerooy and Veron. Utd were already the best but now they had added expensive exotic World Class from the continent.
Van Nistlerooy scored a brace but and hit the crossbar for a Hatrick and Celtic went 4-2 up in a really feisty game
Then on about 71 minutes the number 18 came up for Scholes to come off but there was no number of the replacement, Martin Tyler say's we await to find out who the replacement will be, there is a bit of a pause before the announcer over the tannoy
Coming off number 18 paul Scholes,,,long pause, and coming on Number 7 Eric Cantona!!
I have never heard a roar like it and it gives me chills now as i type
It was like Elvis returning from the Dead
He was'nt bad either the touch was still there and he made a couple of good passes, had he have scored i might seriously consider it better than Nadal-Federer
For me you can stick Messi and Ronaldo up your ass stats are for nerds, Cantona was someone who made you feel.
So let me begin by saying i was not a United fan in the 90's in fact i liked Newcastle so Man Utd broke my heart and i hated them plus the annoying glory hunters you would get in school didn't help. However i begrudgingly had a soft spot for Cantona and from him maybe even created a bit of a closet United fan inside me though i would never admit it.
So i have been on a bit of a Cantona binge yesterday on youtube and i think as other people have said already if you are a person of the 90's then modern society, culture and Football is just not hitting the spot like it used to and Cantona is prime example of that.
The modern day fantastista type players are now being killed out of the game so everbody has to run, nobody is allowed to think for themselves and you are called redundant if you don't run and can't create anything through the wall of super athletes set up to spoil end to end games.
Anyway to my favourite memory of Cantona which i didn't see raised on here and never see it get mentioned anywhere
Man Utd vs Celtic 2001 Ryan Giggs testimonial
there was a bit of excitement around this game at the time because it was the first time we saw Van Nistlerooy and Veron. Utd were already the best but now they had added expensive exotic World Class from the continent.
Van Nistlerooy scored a brace but and hit the crossbar for a Hatrick and Celtic went 4-2 up in a really feisty game
Then on about 71 minutes the number 18 came up for Scholes to come off but there was no number of the replacement, Martin Tyler say's we await to find out who the replacement will be, there is a bit of a pause before the announcer over the tannoy
Coming off number 18 paul Scholes,,,long pause, and coming on Number 7 Eric Cantona!!
I have never heard a roar like it and it gives me chills now as i type
It was like Elvis returning from the Dead
He was'nt bad either the touch was still there and he made a couple of good passes, had he have scored i might seriously consider it better than Nadal-Federer
For me you can stick Messi and Ronaldo up your ass stats are for nerds, Cantona was someone who made you feel.
Makes it into my all time XI every time I think.
Eric was not only a top player, he was as cool as feck
That's the one, i couldn't upload it.
Whoever put the whole thing together and kept it hidden only for him to emerge from the Tunnel like Freddy Mercury or something was genius,
I like to think it was all Eric's idea
Whoever put the whole thing together and kept it hidden only for him to emerge from the Tunnel like Freddy Mercury or something was genius,
I like to think it was all Eric's idea
Will always be my favourite Manchester United player and probably favourite footballer. With his swagger and the upturned collar that every boy in England tried to copy. The King.
I still have the program from that Testimonial! Unreal atmosphere inside Old Trafford
'I'd support a club in second division now' - Cantona
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c72rvrpzrw2o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c72rvrpzrw2o
Which testimonial was it where he dribbled past 2-3 players and lobbed the goalkeeper from short distance in the end?
And for anyone who haven’t read the book - Phillip Auclair’s The Rebel That Would Be King is still the bible of football.
Amazing biography of the myth that is Cantona.
Best football book with Keane and Gascoigne’s I read.
Amazing biography of the myth that is Cantona.
Best football book with Keane and Gascoigne’s I read.
He has a beutiful way with words, wonder if his French is as cool as his English.
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This is a brilliant description. The way the camera kind of free pans and enter stage right le chest. Haha
Coincidentally I'm currently reading the auclair book. Cantona resonates with me more and more as we see footballers lurch from scandal to scandal.
Aye, fantastic book that captured his journey from the start both as a unique person and footballer. Started to read it for the second time few days ago. Definitely a must-read.
Heard that McGrath one is also brilliant, so it's next on my list.
Such a fascinating player and personality. A united fairytale. There may have been better players like Ronaldo, but nobody commands the aura and respect of the modern Manchester united like Eric
Giggs sounded bitter and whiny when he told that story. The prick. (Legend Giggsy though on the field obviously).
The stories of his tenure in the french league is something else. Think there’s a passage of where he assaults a player more than the hooligan-incident, and it just sticks in my mind. The temper, the way of seeing football as art. One can understand his (and many of our own’s) disaffection of where modern football has ended.
Unironically would be the perfect striker for us in the modern game.
The Cantona years were magical. What a player.
The legend who has only enhanced his legendary status post career. No off the field nonsense, smart, doesn't suck off the media.
Cantona was my childhood favourite. King of Old Trafford.
Cantona was my entry point to United. There's never gonna be a bigger United hero for me. And just when I think I can't love him more, he went out and raise funds for Palestinian football
There's only one King, long live Cantona
There's only one King, long live Cantona
Awesome video, some great comments by him. I loved the bit where he spoke of the ghosts of the past Utd that weigh heavy on some players, but it actually motivated him even more. This is the mentality problem with many signings over the recent seasons.
28 years ago today since that night of kung fu kick. I remember listening to the live coverage on BBC radio 5. Alan Greene gleefully telling us all that Cantona would be banned for life.
In the modern game I'm not sure we'd call him a striker, definitely not a no.9, maybe an attacking midfielder, a sort of cross between and 8 and 10 maybe
Huh? He was clearly a support striker that dropped off of whoever he played next to. That’s literally ideal for a modern striker with inverted wingers on either side.
He was also a ball carrier from deep, and what is a support striker? He wasn't a no.9
I absolutely love what he says in that new promo vid about the Stretford End. Brought a tear to my eye 
Throwback to this
The only one worthy of wearing Denis Law's crown. I remember the day he signed. I was standing waiting for a bus in Uxbridge and the bloke in front of me was reading the Sun. On the back page was a picture of Eric and Fergie holding a scarf and the the headline which said 'It's Eric the Red.' Little did we know that he would be the catalyst for our first title in 26 years.