Source: Manchester_EveningNews
OT Special: The full backs
There are three good reasons to nominate Roger Byrne as the finest Manchester United full-back of the last 100 years. The first is that we were both born and brought up in the leafy Manchester suburb of Gorton. The second is that we both went to the same senior school, Burnage Grammar in the days when it WAS a grammar school. The third outweighs the other two. Roger William Byrne born on February 8, 1929, was a truly magnificent left-back and an inspirational leader of men. Byrne began his career at Old Trafford in 1949 as an orthodox left-winger but really blossomed after being switched to left-back by his Sir Matt Busby. In 1956 at just 24, he was appointed captain of the United side which would become famous the world over as `The Busby Babes.' Byrne steered his side to league titles in 1952, 1956 and 1957, winning 33 England caps and he was widely expected to skipper England at the 1958 World Cup. But a fabulous career was cruelly cut short when he was one of the eight United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster on February 6, 1958. Byrne was only 28 when he perished in that tragedy. In the summer of 1990, Alex Ferguson - not yet knighted - surprised United's fans by buying Denis Irwin from unfashionable Oldham Athletic for £625,000. Many times over the next decade, Fergie would concede that the little Irish defender was one of his greatest-ever signings. Oddly enough, although naturally right-footed, Irwin (below left) played on the opposite flank at left-back for the bulk of his career. And what a career it was. Three hundred and sixty-eight senior appearances spanning 12 glorious seasons. Seven Premier League titles. Three FA Cup winner's medals. A League Cup winner's medal and Champions League and Cup Winners Cup honours to boot. Hard to believe that Irwin was allowed to leave his first English club, Leeds United, on a free transfer because the then manager Billy Bremner felt he was too quiet to make the grade. Irwin, it's true, was quiet by nature. But he let his tremendous ability do the talking for him. Although actually born in Manchester in 1937, Seamus Anthony `Shay' Brennan was Irish through and through and played for the Republic of Ireland, qualifying through his parentage. He was spotted by United scouts playing local football and became an apprentice at Old Trafford at 16 in 1953 making his senior debut in 1958. An orthodox right-back with superb passing ability, Brennan was a key member of the team rebuilt by Matt Busby after the Munich disaster, winning league titles in 1965 and 1967. But Brennan's finest hour came in the 1968 European Cup final at Wembley when George Best ran onto his pass to score the goal which broke Benfica's resistance. The amiable half-Manc, half-Irishman was dining out on that `assist' right up to his untimely death from a heart attack at the age of 63. But what a wonderful servant he was to the Reds. Three hundred and fifty-five senior appearances in 17 years as boy and man at Old Trafford has surely cemented Shay Brennan's place in United's history. Pundit Alan Hansen once famously declared that Fergie would never win anything with kids. Gary Alexander Neville was one of those kids who made Hansen choke on his words. Part of the 1992 FA Youth Cup winning United side, Bury-born Neville made his senior debut for the Reds in September 1992 and two years later, the elder of the Neville boys became Fergie's first choice right-back. Fiercely determined and intensely loyal to the only club he has played for, Neville was overjoyed when he was appointed club captain in 2005 after the departure of Roy Keane. Neville (below) made his first appearance for England in 1995 and has since gone on to become England's most capped right-back. To date, Red Nev has won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two European Cups and one League Cup. Add that haul of silverware to 386 appearances and you can see why he deserves to be ranked as one of United's greatest-ever right-backs. Tomorrow: Centre-backs
