August 27 - Stam out

WHILE Manchester United fans have known it for a long time, only in the past few months has Sir Alex Ferguson finally admitted that selling Jaap Stam was a mistake.

The big Dutchman was the rock of United’s defence and in his three seasons at Old Trafford he helped the club win the Premiership three times, the FA Cup, and the European Cup. In the season immediately after Stam left, the club won absolutely nothing, while Stam went on playing at the highest level until last season.

It was today in 2001 that Stam was unveiled to the press as a Lazio player after Fergie got rid of him.

In the summer of 2001 Stam had released one of those pesky books that always seem to get footballers into so much trouble. His literary effort Head to Head had a few too many juicy details for Fergie’s liking, mainly that the Old Trafford boss had illegally ‘tapped up’ Stam when he was at PSV.

Stam also laid into his fellow players, and made the fatal error of sticking the knife in to Manchester United fixtures Gary and Phil Neville.

All this, coupled with some dodgy form in the early part of the season and suspicions over Stam’s powers declining after an operation led to Fergie shipping him out to Lazio for £16.5m.

Ferguson always said the book was nothing to do with the transfer and said the finances of the deal were too good to turn down. He said: “We have spent a lot of money this summer and obviously there was no more available. This, though, was a decision I just felt I had to carry through.”

Stam was out, and Fergie once again asserted his authority over the club that he ruled with an iron fist. Although the club won nothing in the year after Stam left, and his replacement Laurent Blanc had a less than distinguished two seasons at Old Trafford, Fergie had maintained his stance that no player is bigger than the club.

For Stam, getting kicked out of one top-class club wasn’t all that bad, as he pitched up with Lazio - not a bad landing. He said at the time: “I am happy to join a club which wants to win big prizes and Serie A as well. When you come here you look at all the players you are alongside - great players, big names. All the names you know, have played against them before.

“If you look at Lazio’s team they have world-class players. I think we can do very well. We can win prizes over here.

“At Lazio everybody believes in me, or they wouldn’t pay this amount of money for a defender.”

World class he may have been, but even the best can get caught out at times, as the clip below shows. Also on this day, Newcastle were getting rid of yet another manager, while we will be back again with more tomorrow.

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