Special Report: Giggs signs new contract

By: Ian | March 1st, 2013

article_bacdb2112127fcc7_1358073809_9j-4aaqsk[1]

Didn’t expect to write today, but the news is in and it deserves relaying to all those who may have missed it, although I didn’t know anyone lived on the moon these days. If planet earth is indeed your preferred habitat, you may have stumbled across the announcement that it’s St.David’s Day. For those unaware, he’s the patron saint of Wales. There’s usually a bit of singing to celebrate, the pubs do well, and the Royal Family come down to show they know where Wales is. But to be honest, those celebrations are quite tame. How about something a bit different? Well, this year, we’ve pushed the boat out.

On his national day, and on the eve of potentially his 1000th ever game, Ryan Giggs, all-round magician, age-beater and midfield maestro, has picked up a pen and has signed for Utd for yet another year. That will be his 23rd season and will take him firmly into his 40th year. Sir Alex has expressed his delight in the signing, essentially saying he has nothing further to add to the plethora of accolades and praise that Ryan has received over the years because there are simply no new ones.

I don’t have any new things to say either, but I’m also delighted. He’s still making an impact, getting goals and assists, you can’t get anyone with more experience on the field, he’s a role model for the younger players. You have to bear in mind this is a man who signed professional forms before the Premier League was established, over two decades ago. The man himself has said: “I am feeling good, enjoying my football more than ever and, most importantly, I feel I am making a contribution to the team.” And I might be getting ahead a bit here, but the released statement says nothing about this being the last and final contract. He will stay until at least June 2014, just five months shy of his 41st birthday. The key phrase is ‘at least’. Nothing stopping him from going on still further.

Whether we’ll be able to say the same thing for his veteran pal, Mr Scholes, remains to be seen. But for now, we can just celebrate we have yet another year in which we can marvel over someone who embodies everything about the wonderful club spirit that is Manchester United.

P.S. Anyone interested in Sir Alex’s Harvard lecture can find an interesting interview about it here: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/7123.html

Some Related Man United Posts:

Category: Manchester United

« QPR vs Man Utd Match Report (Rafael rocket ruins Rangers hopes of shock) | Home | Man Utd vs Norwich Match Report (Kagawa kicks into life to sink silent Canaries) »

Ian

Right, Uday, did try and respond to your comment, but it included a link, and as we discovered previously, that doesn't work. I'll modify the post and put it at the bottom. It's an interview with the Professor who set up the lecture - she relays a bit of the content and how it came about. But you are completely right about Giggs being the soul of Utd. Perhaps Chelsea could learn a thing or too from Utd's setup about sustainable club management.
Uday

Ha ha, there's one thing in keeping the same manager, there's another in keeping the same players. The minute you retire or move the old guys, you loose a little soul. That connect between past and present has to be maintained. In football and in life. SAF understands this. SAF, mes que un manager.
Ian, any idea where one can find SAF's Harvard lecture? It seems like a great insight into SAFs and by extension, uniteds mindset.
Ian

I wonder whether those two say things like: 'I'm not sure if I'm contributing enough' or 'Maybe I'm keeping someone younger out of the team and hindering their development', just so everyone can dig out twenty years worth of material showing how very wrong those statements are. They were a special group, those kids of the early 90's, and the longer they are around, the better.

I do hope I can bring a similar post in time concerning Scholes, his injury at the moment keeping him out of things. Hopefully, he'll be back soon enough, get some good game time and then think things through.
YKH

Hear hear!

Trying to come up with yet more superlatives to adequately describe Giggsy makes me feel faintly absurd to be honest. There's nothing much more that I can add to the sheer volume written about him and his evergreen abilities. Unless, maybe, it's to say something less-than-sensible like... I want him to be my dad and brother all at the same time!

Nonetheless, the news is excellent and very welcome. On a side note: isn't it interesting that, as soon as both Scholes and Giggs cast doubts on their own abilities to continue contributing to the team, we see them find yet another (three hundred and forty) second wind???

Stay humble and keep sprinkling the magic Mr W. Wizard!