AS MANCHESTER UNITED prepare to begin their FA Cup campaign tomorrow against League One side Yeovil, it’s ten years to the weekend that they endured one of their most humiliating results in the competition.
Ultimately, United’s goalless draw with non-league Exeter at Old Trafford in January 2005 can’t be tagged as a FA Cup giant killing because the Red Devils went onto win the replay comfortably but it was still an eye-opening afternoon for Sir Alex Ferguson and a defining one for many of the players that were given their chance to make an impression.
Interestingly, six of that starting XI were sold later that year and none of them are still at the club.
GK: Tim Howard
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The American was in and out of the starting XI as he battled with Roy Carroll for the number one jersey. He joined Everton on-loan for the 2006-07 before moving to Goodison Park on a permanent deal.
RB: Phil Neville
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Phil was given the nod at right-back as his brother Gary was given the night off. The versatile defender was sold to Everton for £3.5 million in August 2005 after a decade at Old Trafford.
CB: Wes Brown
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The England international had worked his way back to full fitness after a knee ligament injury and became a permanent fixture at the heart of United’s defence. However, the arrival of Nemanja Vidic a year later as well as Brown’s enduring injury problems meant appearances were few and far between. He eventually moved to Sunderland in 2011.
CB: Gerard Pique
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
With regulars Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre watching from the stands, the young Spaniard was given the opportunity to make an impression in the first team. It never really worked out for him in England, however, and after a loan spell with Real Zaragoza, Ferguson sold Pique to Barcelona in May 2008.
LB: Jonathan Spector
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The young American was meant to be loaned out to Blackburn in December 2004 but an injury crisis at Old Trafford meant Spector’s services were required. This game was one of just three appearances he made for the first team before being loaned out to Charlton and then subsequently sold to West Ham in 2006.
RM: Chris Eagles
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
There was no doubting Eagles’ natural ability but having worked his way through the United youth ranks, he failed to build on that potential and make the grade. He made just six appearances for the club and after several loan spells was sold to Burnley in 2008. He was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo in this game.
CM: Eric Djemba-Djemba
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So good they named him twice. Djemba-Djemba wasn’t one of Fergie’s better buys and, rightly or wrongly, received a lot of criticism for United’s failings. This turned out to be one of his final appearances for the Red Devils before being offloaded to Aston Villa a couple of weeks later.
CM: David Jones
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
With Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher all at the club, it was no surprise Jones rarely got an opportunity to stake his claim. After captaining the reserves, Jones was sent out on loan to Watford a couple of months later and after several stints with various clubs, made a permanent move to Derby in 2007. Was replaced by Scholes after an hour of the third round tie.
CM: Liam Miller
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Again, another case of unfulfilled talent as the Irish international failed to impress sufficiently to break his way into the side. He moved to Leeds on a short-term deal later in 2005.
LM: Kieran Richardson
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Richardson was unfortunate that United, at the time, had several options down the left with Giggs, Heinze and Fortune all in their prime. 2004-05 was his breakthrough season at Old Trafford and he enjoyed an extended run in the side but was soon shipped out to West Brom.
FW: David Bellion
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One glance down United’s squad for that season and it’s no wonder the Frenchman struggled to get a look in. Rooney, van Nistelrooy, Saha, Solskjær, Forlan and even, to an extent, Giuseppe Rossi. Bellion was sent to West Ham before heading back to France to join Nice in 2006.
Ferguson learnt his lesson and played a stronger side in the replay as United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Rooney.
Ten years on: looking back at the Man United XI held to a goalless draw by non-league Exeter
AS MANCHESTER UNITED prepare to begin their FA Cup campaign tomorrow against League One side Yeovil, it’s ten years to the weekend that they endured one of their most humiliating results in the competition.
Ultimately, United’s goalless draw with non-league Exeter at Old Trafford in January 2005 can’t be tagged as a FA Cup giant killing because the Red Devils went onto win the replay comfortably but it was still an eye-opening afternoon for Sir Alex Ferguson and a defining one for many of the players that were given their chance to make an impression.
Interestingly, six of that starting XI were sold later that year and none of them are still at the club.
GK: Tim Howard
The American was in and out of the starting XI as he battled with Roy Carroll for the number one jersey. He joined Everton on-loan for the 2006-07 before moving to Goodison Park on a permanent deal.
RB: Phil Neville
Phil was given the nod at right-back as his brother Gary was given the night off. The versatile defender was sold to Everton for £3.5 million in August 2005 after a decade at Old Trafford.
CB: Wes Brown
The England international had worked his way back to full fitness after a knee ligament injury and became a permanent fixture at the heart of United’s defence. However, the arrival of Nemanja Vidic a year later as well as Brown’s enduring injury problems meant appearances were few and far between. He eventually moved to Sunderland in 2011.
CB: Gerard Pique
With regulars Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre watching from the stands, the young Spaniard was given the opportunity to make an impression in the first team. It never really worked out for him in England, however, and after a loan spell with Real Zaragoza, Ferguson sold Pique to Barcelona in May 2008.
LB: Jonathan Spector
The young American was meant to be loaned out to Blackburn in December 2004 but an injury crisis at Old Trafford meant Spector’s services were required. This game was one of just three appearances he made for the first team before being loaned out to Charlton and then subsequently sold to West Ham in 2006.
RM: Chris Eagles
There was no doubting Eagles’ natural ability but having worked his way through the United youth ranks, he failed to build on that potential and make the grade. He made just six appearances for the club and after several loan spells was sold to Burnley in 2008. He was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo in this game.
CM: Eric Djemba-Djemba
So good they named him twice. Djemba-Djemba wasn’t one of Fergie’s better buys and, rightly or wrongly, received a lot of criticism for United’s failings. This turned out to be one of his final appearances for the Red Devils before being offloaded to Aston Villa a couple of weeks later.
CM: David Jones
With Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher all at the club, it was no surprise Jones rarely got an opportunity to stake his claim. After captaining the reserves, Jones was sent out on loan to Watford a couple of months later and after several stints with various clubs, made a permanent move to Derby in 2007. Was replaced by Scholes after an hour of the third round tie.
CM: Liam Miller
Again, another case of unfulfilled talent as the Irish international failed to impress sufficiently to break his way into the side. He moved to Leeds on a short-term deal later in 2005.
LM: Kieran Richardson
Richardson was unfortunate that United, at the time, had several options down the left with Giggs, Heinze and Fortune all in their prime. 2004-05 was his breakthrough season at Old Trafford and he enjoyed an extended run in the side but was soon shipped out to West Brom.
FW: David Bellion
One glance down United’s squad for that season and it’s no wonder the Frenchman struggled to get a look in. Rooney, van Nistelrooy, Saha, Solskjær, Forlan and even, to an extent, Giuseppe Rossi. Bellion was sent to West Ham before heading back to France to join Nice in 2006.
Ferguson learnt his lesson and played a stronger side in the replay as United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Rooney.
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