Rachel Riley tells Soccer AM why she loves Manchester United
Sunday 19 April 2015 12:27, UK
Countdown presenter Rachel Riley tells Soccer AM why she loves Manchester United.
My earliest memory of Man Utd was…
Ipswich and Oldham Athletic were the first games I ever saw.
My Dad is a die-hard red from Swinton, and has been going since he was ten, and he took me and my little brother.
I can remember chanting about Mark Hughes. I was hooked from the start.
My footballing hero is…
Ryan Giggs. I was brought up knowing nothing else than Ryan Giggs.
The way he has developed as a player, to go from a speedy winger, moving into the pitch and changing is amazing.
Now he is still there and on the management side it is brilliant. He is Mr Man Utd.
My favourite thing about matchday is...
Meeting with the fans. If you sit in the same area you get to know everyone.
I love singing, I can’t stand being in the quiet parts of the stadium.
My favourite game I ever watched…
Against Liverpool, I think we won 2-1.
We were 1-0 behind, Wayne Rooney missed a penalty, but then redeemed himself and played out of his skin.
I was filming Countdown, so it would have been four or five years ago.
The atmosphere was unbelieveable.
My favourite piece of footballing memorabilia is…
A shirt given to me by Ryan Giggs. It was given to me after doing 1000 episodes of Countdown.
It has the year I was born, my name on it, and it is signed by all the team from the last year Fergie was in charge.
People may not know this but…
I had a nickname as the ‘angry chav’.
I used to play womens football, and when I was on the pitch I was much less mild mannered.
I like to get involved and get stuck in.
The future of Man Utd is…
Pretty bright under Van Gaal. We have a manager who demands respect. He is building the right team, bringing the right players in, spending some money and I think we have some top, world class talent.
I love Man Utd because…
It is in my blood. It was passed down from my Dad from before I was born.
We have had quality players, quality fans, quality stadiums, quality managers and we play the United way.
And we do win, on occasion.
