250 Days

250 Days
Daniel Storey

An incredibly entertaining and perceptive look at the most controversial moment in Premier League history.25th January 1995 A cold winter’s evening. Manchester United away against Crystal Palace at a packed-out Selhurst Park. Eric Cantona, United's mercurial talisman, has been man-marked closely all game by Richard Shaw and become increasingly frustrated. In the 48th minute, Cantona’s temper boils over and he kicks out at Shaw. The ref shows him a red card. On his way off the pitch, a Palace fan rushes towards the hoardings to hurl abuse. The Frenchman loses it. He launches into the crowd, aiming a kung-fu kick at the fan’s chest. He is forcibly restrained and then taken off down the tunnel. The football world is stunned. Nothing like this has ever happened before.What followed has entered football folklore: the media furore, the seagulls following the trawler, and the longest domestic ban ever handed to a player; it would end up lasting 250 days. As Manchester United’s campaign stuttered towards a trophy-less conclusion, surrendering the league on the last day of the season and losing the FA Cup final, Cantona withdrew from the public eye. But, behind closed doors, Ferguson was planning the most remarkable of fresh starts for his star player and for a new-look United.250 Days tells the story in brilliant detail of one of the most turbulent times in United’s recent history. Showing Cantona in a new light, and the genius of Ferguson’s man management and vision in close relief, it is an incredibly entertaining and insightful look at the most controversial episode of the Premier League era.

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COPYRIGHT (#u6c16cec0-3026-5836-828e-466d2f51abf6)

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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

FIRST EDITION

© Daniel Storey 2019

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Cover photographs © Action Images/Reuters

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Source ISBN: 9780008320492

Ebook Edition © January 2019 ISBN: 9780008320508

Version: 2018-12-10

CONTENTS

Cover (#ub6daa8c8-1d10-5667-862b-b2c262e19727)

Title Page (#ua444bf51-2b8a-5e62-a04a-1e218ca3e9da)

Copyright (#udeaed576-ddfd-5d63-90f7-f4526ae6a8de)

PRELUDE (#uaf8bfdeb-b792-53a7-8a41-24475775d966)

‘Are you big enough for me?’ (#uaf8bfdeb-b792-53a7-8a41-24475775d966)

DAY 1 (#ue0d2ec66-9a8f-5481-964d-8b3eb2d22f60)

‘Go on, Cantona, have an early shower’ (#ue0d2ec66-9a8f-5481-964d-8b3eb2d22f60)

DAY 3 (#u27b6e213-0243-5cd8-8737-add32731bc12)

‘Good on you Eric’ (#u27b6e213-0243-5cd8-8737-add32731bc12)

DAY 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘When someone is doing well we have to knock them down’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 66 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘When seagulls follow the trawler’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 109 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘Only a fool would say it didn’t cost us the league’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 157 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘You have not let yourself be affected by all this bloody nonsense’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 196 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘Obviously we don’t want to lose him’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 207 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘You can’t win anything with kids’ (#litres_trial_promo)

DAY 250 (#litres_trial_promo)

‘A Mancunian version of Bastille Day’ (#litres_trial_promo)

POSTSCRIPT (#litres_trial_promo)

‘He opened my eyes to the indispensability of practice’ (#litres_trial_promo)

BIBLIOGRAPHY (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PRELUDE (#u6c16cec0-3026-5836-828e-466d2f51abf6)