Football's Greatest Eras with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt

This week Nicky and Paul are taking you back to 1995-96: the season of Cantona's return, grey kits, Keegan's rant and, of course, "You'll never win anything with kids".

Nicky and Paul recall their reactions when they heard Hughes, Ince and Kanchelskis had been sold and how they felt after getting well beaten at Aston Villa on the opening day. They discuss Eric Cantona's comeback against Liverpool and how he got different treatment from Sir Alex, how they whittled down Newcastle's 12-point lead and they remember the manager's furious reaction at Southampton and why he ordered them to change their shirts at half-time.

Elsewhere, Nicky reveals how a bet with Kevin Keegan at Newcastle ended with a load of 2ps on the manager's desk, he and Paul discuss how they felt battling one another for a place in the team during their United careers and who was singing their own song on the way back from Middlesbrough after the league was won?

Paul and Nicky take us back to their early days as young kids trying to make it at Manchester United.

They discuss whether they like the ‘Class of 92’ tag, how hard it was to make it as a young pro and what they thought of their team-mates: which player is like Benjamin Button? Who was discovered by the dad of a famous actor? And who did they consider to be the best player among them?

Nicky reveals how he almost signed for another club and how an alternative career came to an abrupt end, they recall the tough love they received from youth coach Eric Harrison and the initiations they had to do in front of the first team.

Battles. Clashes. Red cards. Respect.

This week Nicky and Paul are talking about rivalries. They look back on their biggest games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Leeds and Chelsea, take us inside the tunnels at Anfield, Highbury and Elland Road and recall what it was like to play against the likes of Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira, David Batty and Dennis Wise.

Which was the biggest rivalry of their careers? Which rival midfielder used to do the weirdest things on the pitch? And which was the one club they felt Sir Alex Ferguson really disliked?

Along the way, they discuss whether they got on with their club rivals when on England duty, recall how Nicky had to protect Gary Neville from an angry Feyenoord front man, Paul reveals just how big a secret his return from retirement against Manchester City was and they discuss whether they would ever have joined a rival.

It’s episode two of Football’s Greatest Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes and this week they’re talking about the man who had a transformative effect on their lives - Sir Alex Ferguson.

Nicky and Paul tell us what it was like to be managed, motivated, developed and - yes - rollicked by the great man. They also bring up a ton of memories such as:

• Which of them was once surprised to find Fergie waiting for them in the headmaster’s office when they were late for school?
• Who thought he was being sold after rowing with the manager after a game?
• Which player did Sir Alex watch constantly at a dinner before later signing him for United?

They chat about what set Sir Alex apart as a manager, recall some of his most inspirational team talks, remember how shocked Cristiano Ronaldo and other foreign players were by the hairdryer, and discuss the desire to keep on winning that saw him move on club legends like David Beckham, Paul Ince, Jaap Stam and Roy Keane. 

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