Hi everyone,

Well, there’s lots to talk about again!

On a club front, we were all very pleased with our victory over Blackburn who are, by the way, one of the most improved teams we’ve played against this season.

They passed the ball unbelievably well and, in people like Bellamy, Bentley and Pedersen, they are a real threat upfront too.

It seems to me at the moment though that, as soon as we get a goal, we look unbeatable.

The second goal was a great strike by Mikel Arteta. You wouldn’t want anyone else in that position. I know the gaffer has been calling for him to be put in the Spanish squad and he’s certainly playing very well.

In the last couple of weeks James Beattie has been absolutely unbelievable too. He’s led the line, playing upfront by himself.

Centre forwards can so often be the ones who win you the game, whether or not they score. James is getting his fitness and confidence back now and he looks the part.

I tried to celebrate our win by doing a spot of Christmas shopping on the Sunday. I have to say, though, it was an absolute disaster. I think, because it was quite mild, everyone else had exactly the same idea. When you’re crashing into everyone with your buggy, it turns into a bit of a nightmare!

There was some really good news last week though when Gary was named captain of Man United. I was so pleased for him. For me, apart from maybe Ryan Giggs, he was the only choice.

Gary Neville, the new Manchester United captainEven when Roy was at the club, Gary was always one of the main organisers. He is one of the most respected men in that dressing room. I was desperate for him to get it and when he rang me to tell me he’d got it, I was delighted.

Gary’s dream was always to play for Man United so to captain them is the icing on the cake. Sometimes, when you get somebody like Gary, who is a 110% team player, there might be a temptation to think: "Well Gary will be committed and organise whether we give him the captaincy or not, so we’ll give it to someone else to get the best out of their game."

But he’s deserved this for his performances over the years and his loyalty and leadership. I also found watching George Best’s funeral on Saturday a very emotional occasion.

Personally I feel very proud that I can say I’ve met one of the greatest footballers of all time.

I met him in 1999 in a hotel in Manchester. I’ll never forget the fact that he was the one that actually came up to me and initiated the conversation. He might have seen the fact that I was in awe of him. It made me feel very special that he came up and spoke to me.

Phil first met George Best in 1999I have been very much in favour of the minute’s applause rather than the minute’s silence that we have seen for George. Even though we are mourning his loss, his was definitely a life that we should be celebrating.

He was, for me, without a shadow of a doubt the greatest British player we have ever produced. I have him right up there with Pele and Maradona. He was a genius and the last few days have shown how popular he was all over the world.

Internationally, all eyes will be on the World Cup draw this Friday. I suppose there has been a little bit of a lull since we’ve qualified, but I think it’ll all start again when we actually know who we’ll be playing in the World Cup. That’s when the real countdown to Germany will start for me.

There was jubilation when we qualified but it’s not until we know who we’ll be playing that you can start to get really excited about it.

I think World Cup fever will start again on Friday.

Catch up with you soon,

Phil

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