JIMMY HILL'S SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT

Holt on United -Video

Oliver Holt hailed Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United for breathing life back into the game.

The Daily Mirror writer was full of praise for the Premiership champions despite the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley.

Holt admitted that United's Champions League demise had been a major disappointment, but after back-to-back title wins for the Blues, believes it was imperative they reclaimed the league title.

And he says the neutrals should rejoice that at last, style has triumphed over substance, craft has got one over on graft.

"It's been a few years since they won it, and they won it relatively convincingly in the end, but they did it playing fantastic football," he told the Sunday Supplement.

"I think every neutral, despite Chelsea's many virtues and the guts they've shown, would applaud Manchester United for the way they've played and the style they've shown.

"Every one of us cannot fail to be thrilled by Paul Scholes for instance and the way he's played. Ronaldo, Giggs, Rooney... you can go on and on with the fantastic players that United have given a stage to this season.

"It's a great achievement and it's reinvigorated the Premiership because we were beginning to think Chelsea were going to win it year after year. To Ferguson's great credit he's shown us that is not going to be the case."

Holt also believes that while he has revitalised the English game in winning the title, Ferguson has also got the fire back in his own belly.

A fire, he says, that will make them hard to beat against next year and see them have a serious crack at repeating their Champions League success of 1999 - even if he does need to go shopping this summer.

"Ferguson says the Premiership was their priority but I'm not entirely sure I believe him because I still think the Champions League is his obsession," he said.

"But nevertheless I think the Premiership was the big one for them and it may be the stepping stone back to winning the Champions League.

"If there was a down it was the way they were demolished by AC Milan, which appeared to suggest they are still a long way off winning what would only be a second Champions League in 22 years, which is not ideal for a top-line manager.

 "But at a domestic level Ferguson is untouchable and re-attaining his dominance domestically is a massive boost and gives them a platform to maybe try and conquer Europe next season."