Manchester United WILL Lose Carlos Tevez In January

Well that is to say, Manchester United will lose Carlos Tevez in January if you believe everything Real Madrid say. According to them, Tevez is Spain bound because United have delayed for so long over his permanent signing.

Madrid failed miserably in their attempt to lure Cristiano Ronaldo during the summer and now seem to think they can get Carlos Tevez to join them. I guess with the injury to Ruud Van Nistelrooy they are desperate for a striker now. I'm baffled as to why they don't follow the traditional route in their transfer dealings. That is to say, call the manager of the player you are interested in and then see if you can strike a deal. Using Marca and other half baked newspapers to do your dirty work and alenating everyone seems pathetic to me.

They'd like to see a deal done in the January transfer window, but as United have him on a 2 season loan deal, he's just not available to them. Unless of course they show some good manners and call Fergie, eat some humble pie and realise they are just a club from Spain to us.

Tevez is understandably a bit upset he has started so many games on the bench and now Real have seized the opportunity and are confident of signing him. The part of this rumour was the fact they said it was "In a complicated arrangement with MSI, who own the economic rights of the player". What on earth that is supposed to mean is beyond me and just makes Real look foolish in their games., United have paid a total of £6 million to loan him for two seasons. They would then have to part with a further £26 million to buy him outright. Talks about sealing the permanent deal have been put off and then put off some more and I feel Tevez is resigned to a move. In my mind £26m is just too much, that kind of cash will buy Karim Benzema. Add to this the fact Fergie has been talking about the buy back clause for Giuseppe Rossi as well as bringing Fraizer Campbell back from Spurs along with the recent signing of Zoran Tosic, I think the writing is on the wall for Tevez here......Back To Home Page...

Fergie 'v' Wenger Round 196

Fergie and Arsene Wenger are at it again. The Manchester United manager has said Arsenal are a club in disarray after William Gallas had his out burst, followed by The Arse getting kicked 3-0 by Al-City. Naturally Wenger is having none of that from Fergie, though by now I would have thought he would be used to it.

Fergie, who is preparing his side to face City this weekend, believes title rivals Arsenal are not currently in good shape and that City caught them on a good day last week.

"Maybe City got Arsenal on the right day last Saturday because there seems to be a lot of disarray in the Arsenal camp with the carry-on with one of their players," said Ferguson. But you can only do what you are supposed to do and City did that very convincingly."

Wenger has angrily rejected Ferguson's claims as he looks to get his side back in the title hunt against Chelsea on Sunday.

"I don't feel we are in disarray, I feel that Manchester City are a good side and Manchester United will maybe see that on Sunday. We had a few bad results and with the pace set by Liverpool and Chelsea, that made us drop off, but the quality is there and what happened to us can happen to them. If this team beats Chelsea after having beaten Manchester United, I believe they will go from strength to strength. You just have to believe, and I know we can beat them."

Personally, I'd rather be Fergie right now than Wenger. I fear for Arsenal going into this game and it could really bury their season. A loss for Manchester United with Chelsea and Liverpool both winning will make it hard for us too, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going as they say.....Back To Home Page...

Come Fly With United

Some football fans may laugh, others cry, but there will surely be a glint of pride in the eyes of at least a few Manchester United fans, when they see 'their' latest plane. They actually entered service in 2006 but I think they're pretty impressive so I added them here for those who haven't seen them.

Low cost airline, AirAsia has honored Manchester United, one of the most popular football clubs in
the world, by having one of its aircraft painted in the colors of the club.

The 9MAFC, otherwise known as the Red Devil Airbus A320,arrived at the KL International Airport from Toulouse, France. The 180 seater Airbus A320 is emblazoned in signature red, and adorned with images of the club's elite players on both sides of the aircraft's fuselage. The tail and aircraft engines also feature the Manchester United Football Club's
Crest.

"Manchester United has one of the biggest following in Asia. As the official low fare airline for Manchester United, AirAsia hopes to create opportunities and exciting avenues to reach out and connect with Manchester United's loyal fan base in Asia. As such, it is only befitting that we dedicate the aircraft to all the Manchester United Fans in Asia." said Dato' Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia Berhad.

"We are delighted to be the first football club in the world to own our very own aircraft livery. The AirAsia Red Devil Airbus is an epitome of how a dynamic sponsor like AirAsia, can creatively blend art and function into their everyday business. The plane will certainly ensure we're the most well traveled team in Asia" said Peter Draper, Marketing Director, Manchester United Football Club.

The Red Devil Airbus A320 is AirAsia's 3rd Airbus delivery within 2 months. The aircraft will commence servicing Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Surabaya, Indonesia.

Featured on the Red Devil Airbus A320 are:

Sir Alex Ferguson
Park Ji Sung
Wayne Rooney
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Cristiano Ronaldo
Alan Smith
Rio Ferdinand

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Zoran Tosic Granted A Work Permit To Play At Manchester United

As I previously reported, Zoran Tosic had signed for Manchester United but there was the outstanding matter of getting a work permit for him as he had only played in 43% of his countries internationals instead of the required 75%.

Today he has been cleared to join Manchester United from Partizan Belgrade after being granted a work permit by British authorities. The 21 year old will join up with national team-mate Nemanja Vidic at Old Trafford in January after the permit was granted at a Home Office (interior ministry) hearing attended by United boss Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United have not made public the fee they have agreed but it is though to be in the region of £8m. Tosic will face a tough fight to break into United's first team with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani already established at the club. Ryan Giggs is also still an option for Ferguson in terms of wide men, although the veteran is more often deployed in midfield these days. United are also keeping tabs on another promising Partizan youngster, 19-year-old midfielder Adam Ljajic......
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Michel Platini Plans To Stop Debt And Child Trafficking

I've written before about Michel Platini and his rather bizarre ideas on how he intends to 'improve' the game. To me it sounds more like his 'plan to stop English clubs dominating Europe'. But we all have our own opinions I guess.

The UEFA president did have the grace to say he has no plans to interfere with the domestic league set ups which is amusing, as he has no powers to do so and it is not part of his jurisdiction, but thanks for that anyway Michel.

Platini is complaining about the financial set ups at clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, surprise, surprise. If Platini gets his way it would mean the 'Big Four', who regularly qualify for the Champions Leagues, having to satisfy UEFA rules on debts and even how much they spend on wages. The Premier League are fiercely opposing the proposals.

Platini said: "What UEFA can do - and we are thinking seriously about doing it - is to reinforce and improve our system for granting licences for our own club competitions. 'It is in this way that we wish to contribute to financial fair play, and start responding to the expectations of the various parties involved in our sport. Fiscal rules in Europe are extremely diverse...and the systems of licensing, control and financial management of football clubs involve myriad concepts and different regulations. UEFA is not going to charge itself with the task of harmonising European fiscal issues. UEFA is not going to impose its licensing system on national associations for their own competitions."

Platini has also shown a desire to ban the tansfer of players under the age of 18 within the EU. The Premier League also opposes the latter proposal. He's as good as calling these transfers 'Child Trafficking' which is absolutely ludicrous!

Platini said: "Today, in the world and in Europe, there is trafficking of children. I will not mince my words because the situation is serious. What else do you call a phenomenon whereby children aged 12 or 13 are torn away from their environment and culture to join a business in return for payment? This is what is happening in football. Together with FIFA, we are studying remedies, but measures can already be taken to ban the international transfer of minors, even within the European Union. In numerous European states, strict rules exist which prevent clubs - on threat of sporting sanctions - poaching young players - from their rivals' training centres. However, these rules do not exist at European Union level. It is in this context that we would like to be able to ban international transfers of players under the age of 18 within the EU. This is not to create an obstacle to the free movement of labour - it is an urgent matter relating to helping youngsters in danger."

So if a youngster aged 13 from my country, Romania, who has dreamed of being a footballer since he was 4 or 5 years old and has worked so hard practising and developing his skills is then told his career must go on hold for 5 years until he is 18, this will make it better for everyone involved I guess. No child is 'torn away from their family'. When handling these very young, potential future superstars, I am sure Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and every other team handles it in a very caring manner and offers assistance for families to be with the young boys if and when they become part of the Academy.

Some of these children grow up in extreme poverty, Dimitar Berbatov is a very good example of this. His one and only chance of wealth and a good life was to go down the footballing route and he made it, against all the odds he actually made it. Now Berbatov gives back a great deal to his country by means of helping orphanages and setting up football schools using his own cash.

Mr Platini, I suggest you go and ask Dimitar Berbatov if he felt he was trafficked and torn away from his family and you will hear the truth. Don't try and take away the one chance these kids have of fame and fortune, just to stop English clubs dominating Europe......again!.....Back To Home Page...

Manchester City And Their Annual One Match Sell Out

I woke up this morning at 4am having gone to bed too early and no one was around so boredom set in and I had a quick look at the Manchester City Official Club Site. The new City badge (left) is impressive, I love the logo underneath. This City site does make me laugh and cheers me up no end. How happy are they right now, it's their once annually 'sell out', the game with Manchester United has SOLD OUT!

They have dedicated a whole page to tell the world the 47,000 tickets are now all gone, unless you want to shell out an arm and a leg to sit in the 'Council House' or 'Wastelands' (as United fans affectionately know Eastlands by) Hospitality Area.

I quote:

The Club's Box Office has confirmed that Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United at the City of Manchester Stadium has now sold out.

The only chance for those without tickets to see the eagerly awaited fixture against our near neighbours is to take advantage of the few remaining hospitality places left -

The Box Office has advised everyone attending the derby on Sunday that on the day the Club DO NOT:

• Upgrade tickets
• Duplicate tickets for home or away supporters
• Reprint Season/City/L4C/Accesscards if lost, stolen or forgotten.
• Open Box Office South
• Open Box Office post match

Hurrah for Al-City, the massive club. This is the annual 'sell-out' the only time they ever run out of tickets so we should all be impressed with them. Of course it could happen again, I know this, I'm not too naive to acknowledge it..........they might draw United in the FA Cup you see.

I wont mention the fact that Manchester United sell 76,000 tickets week in week out every season as that would seem like I am boasting. Ooooops I said it.

The Hospitality suites are a treat to saviour at Wastelands, here we see one of the waitresses having a smoke break, they have them regularly so they can run down and feed their kids and change their nappies whenever they get a minute to spare. Most work cash-in-hand and any tips will be gratefully received. It is advisable to tip them as they have been known to wrestle customers to the floor in their pursuit of suitable tipping.

It is also advisable to try the traditional 'Wastelands menu, reflecting the meals these people have been eating for years. It's quite cheap, reasonably well presented and very, very nourishing. A particular favourite being the 'Rat Kebab' served on a bed of crispy Iceburg lettuce with a selection of dips and chutneys. Chips are optional.

Watch out for those rat teeth, they can chip your own teeth and cause havoc with your bowel movements.

Once you have washed your meal down with a nice tin of Carlsberg Special Brew you are taken out and dragged off to see the game. It's a bit nerve racking as you are dragged feet first to the edge of the roof but once you are strapped into place by your beautiful hostess it gets easier to watch the match from up there. The added bonus of course is the half time entertainment. From up on high you can piss on the City fans below which is fun, fun, fun. Roll on Derby Day, I can't wait......Back To Home Page...

Manchester United Loan Ron-Robert Zieler To Northampton

Manchester United have a young goalkeeper by the name of Ron-Robert Zieler in the reserves and he has been a regular in the academy side, playing 18 times in his first season after moving to United in 2005. He is now due to go out on loan to Northampton Town who have been left in the lurch somewhat with the return to Blackburn Rovers of their current loan keeper Frank Fielding.

He has continued his development through the under-18s and reserves, and this summer started every game in Germany's triumph at the UEFA Under-19 Championships. With Frank Fielding due to return to home club Blackburn Rovers on December 13, Cobblers boss Stuart Gray had to complete a signing before the loan transfer window closes at 5pm today.

"Under the terms of the loan ruling, Frank Fielding will have to go back to Blackburn after the Scunthorpe game, his 93 days will be up then and he will go back to his parent club. With that in mind, we would have been left with only one professional keeper in Chris Dunn and a youth scholar in Paul Walker between then and when the January transfer window opens, so we have taken Ron-Robert in before the loan window closed to help us out in that period. He is another young player with a fantastic pedigree and we are looking forward to him joining us." .....Back To Home Page...

Manchester United Are The Kings Of Manchester

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has turned up the heat ahead of Sunday's match with Manchester City. Talking to the Manchester Evening News he threw a few taunts at Al-City just to let them know we mean business and to inform them that MANCHESTER UNITED ARE THE KINGS OF MANCHESTER!

“It will be nice to show them who are the Kings of Manchester, it doesn’t irritate us that City are getting all this publicity. If they were winning trophies it would irritate me but while they are still lingering in mid-table I am not really too bothered about it. We owe the fans a derby win even though we did win two trophies last season. Losing both games was extremely disappointing. Sunday is a massive game for the players, the fans and the club especially after what has happened at City with the takeover.”

City have been the headline makers this season due to Sheikh Mansour’s dramatic takeover in August. They immediately became the richest club in the world, breaking the British transfer record and stunning world football with the £32.5m signing of Robinho.

All this jibber-jabber from Al-City fans about how much money they have and how they will buy Ronaldo, Kaka, Messi and every other half decent player on the planet makes me laugh my butt right off. When Abramobitch turned up at Chelsea we heard it all.....5 years later they have 2 titles and an FA Cup, hardly world beating stuff is it?

Money is handy to have of course, it enables you to buy plenty of good players but you need more than that. You need history and passion, a manager with the ability to pull it all together for you and most of all you need players who understand the fans and understand the club and all that has gone before them which inspires a will to win within them.......and money can't buy you that, no matter how much of it you have !!! .....Back To Home Page...

Forget The Premier League And Champions League, Patrice Wants To Go Shopping

Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra has his own reasons for wanting to beat Manchester City in the Manchester derby this Sunday and it has nothing to do with the Premier League or the Champions League. Speaking to the Daily Mail he revealed the real reason he wants to win:

"I remember when we lost against City last year I was in a petrol station and a woman took the Mickey out of me, I was a little bit angry at the time but that was fine, it was just a joke. But I hope to win on Sunday so that when I go to the petrol station this time I can go in with a big smile! It is a big game for us. We lost six points to City last year and we need to change that. We drew against Villa last Saturday and now we need to get back to winning ways."

Bless him......Back To Home Page...

I'm Forever Blowing 30 Million Quid

The end of the saga involving Manchester United's Carlos Tevez saga could finally be in sight after Sheffield United won a High Court battle with West Ham. Mr. Justice Teare granted a temporary order preventing the Hammers appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over a ruling they had breached Premier League rules when they played the Argentinean. Sheffield United now have the green light to pursue their arbitration claim for damages over the Premier League relegation in 2007 and could be in line for a £30million pay out.

The full court battle over whether West Ham can appeal the arbitration tribunal's findings will be heard in the High Court next year, where the Yorkshire club will seek a permanent injunction. An independent panel ruled that Tevez was ineligible to play for West Ham during the 06/07 season - a campaign in which he was deemed to have played a crucial part in their survival.

Sheffield United were relegated at West Ham's expense and their claim for damages will be assessed at a future arbitration tribunal meeting in private.....Back To Home Page...

Ronaldo Kicked Off The Park, Wayne Dives And Manchester United Draw

Villarreal's coach Manuel Pellegrini took time out to deny any allegations that his team had targetted Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo for some rough treatment last night in the Champions League clash. Which I find highly amusing. Two players were booked for challenges on him and one received a straight red card when he slid in, studs showing and slammed into the side of Ronnie's knee. Camera close ups clearly showed the stud marks on his leg, but because it's Ronaldo that doesn't seem to matter and the crowd booed Ronaldo for getting fouled, amazing! Watch the highlights here and judge for yourself.

"It was not a rough game, and you have to challenge Ronaldo." Pelligrini said after the game.

Sir Alex was pleased with the way the referee Roberto Rosetti handled the match. He mentioned how he thought Ronaldo needs protecting from this kind of treatment and last night he got it, so well done to this ref. It's nice to see a referee getting some praise and actually having the conviction to punish things that he saw were wrong, leaving Sir Alex happy for once.

"The systematic fouling on him is what is happening in our game now. That is a tactic. Someone fouls him, then someone else has another foul. The referee thinks he is diving all the time, and the crowd are screaming. So that is the problem. The referee was very fair and strict with both teams. Capdevila may not have got that red card in England - so there is different interpretation of the physical aspect of the game in European matches."

Wayne Rooney apologised to Sir Alex and then apologised publicly in the newspapers for his 'dive', believing he had won a penalty. The striker's action incensed the crowd, but Rosetti did not book him. Ferguson said: "I think Wayne anticipated the challenge, because he was expecting a penalty kick. It is unusual for him to do that. I have seen it, and he has apologised to me. I think he has been watching Pires too much. At least Wayne apologised to the Villarreal players. You would never see Pires do that."

This match was the fourth consecutive game these two teams have played now. 360 minutes and not a goal between them. Let's all pray now they don't meet in the final. If they do, let's hope we get the same referee. It's such a pleasure to see someone with an attitude like him and the conviction to stand by what is right for once....More Cristiano Ronaldo Videos Here .......Back To Home Page...

Villareal 0 - 0 Manchester United Highlights

Sir Alex Keen To Become 'World Champions'

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has stated quite clearly he is keen for them to win the Club World Championship.

In a recent news conference he said: "We are delighted to be playing catch-up because it means we did things right during the previous season, to win the event in Tokyo would be great. We won it when it was a one-off game and now we have the opportunity to become the first British team to win it in its new tournament format. We will have to manage the second half of this season as best we can. We don't want to get to April and May and have to play rearranged games. Fulham and Wigan are our outstanding games and we will try to arrange them for January."

The FIFA Club World Cup, formerly known as the FIFA Club World Championship, is a competition contested between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations, although, since 2007, the champions of Oceania must play a qualifying play-off against the champion club of the host country.

The first competition took place in Brazil in January 2000. It was intended by FIFA to be a replacement for the Intercontinental Cup (also known as the Toyota Cup), which was contested annually in Tokyo, Japan by the champions of Europe via the Champions League and South America via theCopa Libertadores.

I guess it is a major trophy and it is worth winning but the timing of theis match and the journey involved to go and take part is not the best for United. Still, it is a piece of silverware so let's go and win it! .....Back To Home Page...

Xavi Not Happy - Manchester United And Chelsea Could Be

Xavi is not a happy player right now. His contract is up for renewal and Barcelona refuse to offer what he wants and this fact has alerted Manchester United and Chelsea.

I am at a loss as to why Barca would mess him around like this. Xavi is one of those very rare players these days who has shown complete loyalty to his team.

Xavi came up through Barcelona's youth system and has spent all of his footballing life with them. Showing exceptional talent for a player of his age, he quickly made his way through the youth and reserve teams and was a key member of Jordi Gonzalvo's FC Barcelona B team that won promotion to the Spanish Segunda Division.

At the age of 18 he was thrown in at the deep end and made his debut in the Super Cup Final and believe it or not, he scored too, what a start. He was that impressive he soon became a permanent fixture in Louis Van Gaals team that won La Liga.

Although his main role is as a central midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a defensive midfielder and would be an ideal replacement for Paul Scholes who is showing signs of his age and is running out of time at Old Trafford. Xavi does have a buyout clause of £100m but that seems to mean nothing these days, if a player wants to leave then the price is more likely to be around £20m - £25m. I'd love to see him at ~United and think he would be a great asset. As I said, Scholes is on borrowed time now, Owen Sa(Ha)rgreaves seems to be crocked too often, and we need someone of Xavi's calibre.....Back To Home Page...

Pele Good, Maradona Great, George BEST!

Three years ago today
25th November 2005
George Best passed away
R.I.P George, we miss you xx

At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester
United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United
manager Matt Busby read: "I think I've found you
a genius." His local club Glentoran had previously rejected
him for being "too small and light". Best was
subsequently given a trial and signed up by
chief scout Joe Armstrong.

Best made his Manchester United debut, aged 17,
on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion
at Old Traffordin a 1-0 victory. Two weeks later
Best scored his first goal against Burnley. By the
close of the season Best had six goals, and Manchester
United finished second, behind champions Liverpool.

In his second season, Best and Manchester
United claimed the league title.

Best hit the headlines the age of twenty when he
scored two goals in a European Cup quarter-final match
against Benfica in 1966, and was dubbed "O Quinto Beatle"
(The Fifth Beatle) in the press for his long hair,
good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle,
and even appeared on Top of the Pops in 1965.
Other nicknames included the "Belfast Boy" and
he was often referred to as Georgie, or Geordie in his
native Belfast.

The 1966-67 season was again successful as Manchester
United claimed the league title by four points. The
following season Best became a European Cup winner
after scoring in the final against Benfica. United
won 4-1 and Best was later crowned European
Footballer of the Year and Football Writers'
Association Player of the Year; after that
began a steady decline.

George Best Quotes

“I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted”

“I'd have to be superman to do some of the things I'm
supposed to have done, I've been at six different
places at six different times.”

“I'm OK. Much better than on other occasions. It's true
that I've made lots of mistakes but I've never tried
to bother anyone. I want to stay alive, preferably in
peace, without seeing every one of my mistakes in the
papers, and on many occasions, even stories that are lies.”

“That's what children do - throw food. That's not
fighting. We were real men. We'd have chinned them.”

“He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't
head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart
from that, he's all right.” ~ On David Beckham

Rossi Could Come Back But Will He ?

Guiseppe Rossi was an outstanding prospect for Manchester United and we sold him for £6.6m to Villareal. Not because he was no use to us but purely and simply because the guy wanted first team football and Sir Alex Ferguson will NEVER guarantee that for any player.

Since he went to Villareal he has enjoyed a lengthy run in the first team and he has been scoring freely too. I would imagine he will be in action against United tomorrow as Villareal are the opponents in the Champions League. The winner of this game will become favourites to top the group.

How annoying and ironic if he were to score the winner against us.

Rossi is actually Italian-American and signed for Parma as a young boy, his father moved to Italy with him in order for him to follow his footballing dream. When he was seventeen years old Manchester United bought his contract and Rossi enjoyed a great run in both the youth team and the reserves.

At the beginning of the 2006-07 season he went North to Newcastle on a loan spell and scored once for them, but making an impression and impressing everyone at the club. For the second half of the same season he was loaned out again to his original team Parma where he scored nine times in nineteen games helping to save them from Serie B.

After this period he was being pursued by a host of European clubs and he was making demands on United for first team football so they eventually let him go for £6.6m with a buy back clause in his contract. Manchester United have first option to buy him back should he come up for sale. Fergie has talked of this option but whether or not he signs him again is doubtful. I feel it is just Sir Alex keeping his options open......Back To Home Page

England Tried To Poach Sir Alex Not Once, Not Twice But Three Times

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was approached on at least three occasions for the England manager's job, claims Former FA executive director David Davies.

The first approach to the our man boss came after Terry Venables' resignation in 1996. Ferguson is said to have been targeted again after the subsequent departures of Glenn Hoddle and Kevin Keegan but rejected all three attempts by the FA.

Speaking to The Herald, Davies said: "After Terry Venables, I wanted Fergie. I was absolutely clear he was the best person for the job. I was a personal friend of Sir Roland Smith, then chairman of Manchester United, and he didn't totally kick the idea into touch. I was vaguely encouraged.

Davies went on to admit he didn't expect Ferguson to take the post, adding: "I don't think he ever came near becoming the England manager. The idea of Alex leading England out at Hampden is somewhat far-fetched. He is a very, very proud Scot. He was, I think, tickled by the idea, though. When I recruited Keegan, I would have loved Ferguson to become manager. But the conversations were very brief."

If you ask me, the England managers job is tantamount to footballing suicide. The English media and the English fans have no loyalty unless you are winning. If you dare have a bad patch or get a bad result then don't expect any support or words of comfort, they will tear you apart and grind you down until the ob becomes impossible. The English have this strange mentality of expecting to lose, then they lose, then they get bitter because they lost.

Can anybody seriously imagine the England Prima Donnas being capable of listening to someone who does actually know more than them and is held in much, much higher regard than every single one of them ? I don't. They would all have spat the dummy out, hopped out the pram and gone home to sulk. Good decision Fergie.........Back To Home Page

How Can Tevez Possibly Stay Now ?

Carlos Tevez has clearly been relegated to 4th choice at Manchester United so is it really worth Manchester United spending £30 million on making his move permanent ? After starting just one of the last six Premier League games he is clearly fourth in the striking pecking order behind Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov.

The deal to turn his loan into a £30million permanent move was supposed to have been completed by now but so far all we have heard is excuses after excuse from Fergie about how the cash is available but the deal will be done in December, January, February etc etc. If they reached the summer and said "No thanks" it would not be a big surprise to any of us really.

While his penalty finally ended QPR’s resistance in the recent Carling Cup game, his all-round play hardly suggested he was grasping this opportunity with both hands. His finishing was awful, which is why United needed a late penalty to sink the Championship outfit and make it to the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

Right now Alex Ferguson has been linked with bids for Karim Benzema. He has also mentioned the possibility of recalling Frazier Campbell from Spurs in the January transfer window and we have Danny Welbeck impressing everyone too. Add to this the talk of the buy back clause for Guisseppe Rossi from Villareal and to me it seems Fergie isn't placing much emphasis on a United future for Tevez.

Alex Ferguson has spent big, big money to get his team back to the top - £29 million on Wayne Rooney, £32 for million Dimitar Berbatov, £19 million on Anderson, £29 million on Rio Ferdinand, the list goes on. With all these expensive signings some might argue what is one more? But with the credit crunch biting even Chelsea, Manchester United will need to make cutbacks. Can they really justify spending £30 million on a 4th choice striker ? That puts them in the leagues of Chelsea in terms of profligacy – so will the fans appreciate the success as much when it has clearly been bought ? .....
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Danny Welbeck Can Play For England, Ghana, Scotland............Any More Bids ?

Manchester United's Danny Welbeck has a dilemma on his hands right now. He must choose whether he plays for England, Ghana or Scotland! How this choice for him ever arose is beyond me and that is my point here.

Ghana showed an interest in him for obvious reasons. Aged just 17 he is extremely talented and has a great future ahead of him. Both his parents are from Ghana too.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has laughed off this dilemma though. He has been capped by England at Under-19 level, and could continue along the England path or choose to represent the country of his parents. Fergie has offered some sound advice - ignore both and play for Scotland instead. "His parents are from Ghana so it is not a surprise, it is the boy's choice, although I would be surprised if he didn't play for Scotland. That is my big challenge now."

I think this "pick a country" option is ridiculous myself. If I was a footballer, it would mean I could play for India, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova or Ireland !! Why is that ?

Romany people stem from India and have travelled west for over 800 years and occupied all the countries I have mentioned. I could trace my family back to any one of these countries. I tagged Ireland on the end as my father is Irish, though I haven't seen him for years. This makes me half Romanian and half Irish technically. Though I feel 100% allegiance to Romania and always will do, no offence to the Irish.

Here's the way I see it. The location where you are born is irrelevant. If a dog is born in a barn it's not a horse is it ? So it should come down to your parents and nothing else. With Danny Welbeck, he has Ghanaian parents so he is Ghanaian. Obviously he has lived here all his life, he has a British passport and is entitled to it, but his roots are in Ghana, he should want to represent the people he is originated from.

There will be times when one parent may be from say, France and one from Italy, as an example. In this situation they must choose between the two. As things stand right now, you can choose your country and then come up with some bizarre back tracking and that's it you qualify.

Welbeck playing for Scotland mystifies me. Maybe he ate a plate of Haggis aged six, or could he have glimpsed a copy of the Daily Record through a window of WH Smith ? .....
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Who Actually Does Sponsor Manchester United ?

If you ask anyone "Who are the sponsors of Manchester United ?" they will tell you it's AIG and they will be right. Well, they will be 11% right. The reason for this is that during these days of multi million transfer fees and sky high salaries, sponsorship of a football team has become big business, huge business in fact.

Manchester United actually have a total of 11 sponsors and I'll tell you who they are.

AIG

American International Group, Inc: They are a major American insurance corporation based at the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters are located on Fenchurch Street in London, continental Europe operations are based in La Defense, Paris. and its Asia HQ is in Hong Kong. According to the 2008 Forbes Global 2000 list, AIG was the 18th-largest public company in the world. It was on the Dow Jones Industrial Average from April 8, 2004 to September 22, 2008.

Nike

is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon, near Beaverton. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel. and and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in excess of $18.6 billion USD in its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 31, 2008). As of 2008, it employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according toThe Oregonian.

Kumho Tyres

formerly known as Samyang Tire, is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol") headquartered in Gwangju, South Korea. Kumho means "bright lake" in Korean. It is a subsidiary of the Kumho Asiana Group, as is Asiana Airlines, Korea's second largest airline.

Budweiser

(Anheuser-Busch) is an American-style lager and is one of the most popular beers in the United States. Budweiser is made with a proportion of rice in addition to barley malt, for which it has received some criticism, though the company takes the position that the rice gives the beer a lighter taste. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the United States and the rest of the world. It is a filtered beer available in draught and packaged forms. It has 5.0% alcohol by volume and 145 calories per 12 oz., except in Utah, Kansas, Minnesota and Oklahoma where a 3.2% alcohol by weight (4.0% by volume) strength is available due to state laws. Minnesota and Colorado require 3.2% alcohol by weight beer only at select public events and beer being sold in grocery stores and gas stations.

The name derives from the Bohemian city Budweis (Budweiser meaning "from Budweis" in the German language), which was part of the German HRE until 1806, then Austrian Empire until 1918, then Czechoslovakia until 1993, then Czech Republic (since 1920 using Czech name České Budějovice). The long tradition of brewing beer in Budweis started in 1265. In 1795, the German citizens founded a brewery named Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu. In 1895, Czech brewers followed, founding the brewery called Budějovický Budvar.

Bet Fred

is a United Kingdom based bookmaker, named after its characterful Northern England frontman and co-founder Fred Done. It was first established as a single shop in Ordsall, Salford, in 1967. Its turnover is over £1.5 billion, a nearly threefold rise since 2003's £550 million. The company has more than 700 UK betting shops It claims to be both the world's biggest privately owned betting company, and the UK's biggest privately owned retail outlets.

Saudi Telecom

I've detailed Saudi Telecom before, here.

Hublot

is a Swiss enterprise creating luxury watches and founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco.

Hi Seoul

is an annual cultural festival held on every May 1 to May 9 in Seoul, South Korea since 2003. It is based on the "Seoul Citizens' Day" held on every October since 1994 to commemorate the 600 years history of Seoul as the capital of the country. The festival is arranged under theSeoul Metropolitan Government.

Viagogo

is an online ticket exchange aimed at the European and North American market. It aims to allow people to buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way, and to bring "efficiency and transparency to what has traditionally been a murky market place". It allows live event tickets to be bought and sold at any price, including above and below face value, and allows anyone to use the marketplace as long as they follow the rules. It charges buyers a 10% fee and sellers a 15% fee on each confirmed transaction......Back To Home Page.....

Giggs' Contract Due To Expire - Give Him Another Year I Say !

Ryan Giggs is fast approaching the end of his 'year-by-year' contract and I will be absolutely flabbergasted if he isn't offered a further year flying down the left wing, well, gliding down the left wing then taking a breather in central midfield. Joking aside, he has been great for Manchester United in the past 12 months and all this after I had all but written him off 2 years ago, sorry Ryan.

He overtook Sir Bobby Charlton's all time appearance record of 758 in the Champions League Final and will be 35 this Saturday. If he does get a further years contract it will bring his total service time at United to an unprecedented 20 years !! Incredible !!

Sir Bobby Charlton said: "From what I've seen this season, he's still got another year or two left in him, he's always been a fantastic player and he's terrifically fit.' .....Back To Home Page...

Aston Villa 0 - 0 Manchester United - Martin O'Neill's Verdict

I was a bit disappointed Manchester United didn't have this game sewn up by half time. The first 45 minutes saw them miss 3 good chances and end the half having had 57% of the posession. In the first 15 minutes of the second half Villa had a bright spell and Agbonlahor could have scored for them. Wayne Rooney, who just a month ago couldn't miss a goal if he tried has now gone 35 days without scoring. He missed an absolutely golden chance towards the end. Carrick played a high ball into the area and Rooney watched it come over his shoulder and then, rather than smashing it into the roof of the net on the volley as he normally would, he allowed the ball to bounce and then crashed his shot high into the crowd, the ball had snow on it when it finally came down.

Vidic had a lucky escape in my opinion when he fouled Agbonlahor. He grabbed the England mans shirt and was pulling him back for a good 15 metres before finally going down in the area. I think the ref bottled it to be honest because if he granted a free kick there was no question Vidic would have been off. So there it was, 0-0, which meant the top 5 teams in the Premier league failed to score a goal between them.

Martin O'Neill said of the match : "I thought it was important to battle very strongly and we did that well. We could have nicked it at the end but we also had moments to endure ourselves. Overall, it was a very hard-fought draw. We were spirited and resilient. The players are doing splendidly and putting a big effort into the games. The last two matches have pitted us against the very, very best. United won't be too far away at the end of the season. They have so much movement, such creativity and good players. It was a great effort against them and I am so pleased with my players. They put a big effort into the match and if we had been beaten it wouldn't have been through a lack of effort." On the subject of the tussle between Agbonlahor and Vidic on the hour mark, O'Neill added: "It was a penalty. You can see it back and consider if it was inside the box or outside the box. But it wasn't just that. The decision is a massive one because even if it is outside the box, it's a foul. And the player, having committed the foul and as the last man, has to be sent off. The referee chose not to give it. I thought it was too big for him. I thought the consequence of the decision was too big for him. It was a major moment. He had a hold of Gabby throughout the move. I can understand the referee being hesitant about giving the penalty but not about giving the foul. It was a goalscoring opportunity and the consequence should have been Vidic being sent off.".....Back To Home Page...

Sir Alex To Bring Campbell Back From Spurs

Harry Redknapp has made comments about how he would like to make a bid to but Fraizer Campbell on a permanent deal, and 2 days later Sir Alex Ferguson starts rumours of how he may well bring him back to Old Trafford in the January transfer window.

The 21-year-old striker moved on loan to Tottenham on deadline day as part of the deal which saw Dimitar Berbatov sign for the Premier League champions.And after scoring twice for Spurs in their 4-2 Carling Cup win over Liverpool and netting another for the England Under-21's, Ferguson admits he may move to bring Campbell back to the club.

"We could pull him back in January, we have to the option and it is a possibility. The boy has been fantastic at Spurs. He is a good player but we needed to get him first-team experience, so we agreed to it so the deal with Berbatov went through."

Sorry Harry, it's not going to happen, well.........unless you want to bid about £20m it seems......
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Pitch Invader At Celtic Park Gets Jailed For 6 Months

John Murphy aged 18 from Glenavon Road in Glasgow has been thrown in jail for 6 months after he did a one man pitch invasion during the Celtic 'v'Manchester United Champions League clash at Celtic Park on November 5th. Quite right too. What on earth happens inside these drunkards minds when they have a drink ? They seem to think they can take on the world or do as they please. I've known guys who are so nice when sober, then they have a drink and they say some disgusting things and I just completely disown them then. This guy is a complete and utter clown who has probably consumed four cans of lager and then thinks it is OK to do just as he pleases and run onto the pitch, bloody asshole should be locked up for longer if you ask me.

John Murphy was also banned from attending national or international football matches for five years, one of the longest such banning orders imposed in Scotland. Play had to actually be stopped because of him. He also admitted charges of breaching the peace and being drunk in a sports ground when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this month. Celtic were also fined £42,430 by UEFA for the invasion and for the late start to the game, which ended 1-1.

Sheriff Linda Ruxton who seemed a bit non-plussed by this behaviour said his actions were "dangerous and irresponsible". Also adding: "Not only did you create a situation in which there were fears for the safety of the players on the pitch, but you interrupted a high profile match and created a situation which might easily have provoked serious public disorder. Furthermore, you brought Scottish football generally and Celtic Football Club in particular into disrepute and your behaviour caused the club to be fined a substantial amount."

She was actually going to lock him away for nine months but reduced this as he pleaded guilty. Though what that has to do with it is beyond me as the TV cameras showed he was guilty anyway ! After sentencing she also added: "Such a sentence is particularly designed to have a deterrent effect on others who need to appreciate that such behaviour at football matches will not be tolerated by the courts." She did let him off with the charge of drunkeness which I found rather amusing, I doubt he does though.......
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Zoran Tosic Signs For Manchester United For £8m

Manchester United have agreed an £8 million deal for Partizan Belgrade winger Zoran Tosic. The deal will be completed in the January transfer window subject to Tosic being granted a work permit next week.

The 21-year-old left winger became a target for Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid after playing a big part for Serbia in last years U21 Euro Championships. Serbia made it to the final of this tournament. He made his debut for Serbia on March 23, 2007.

In order to qualify for a work permit a player must have appeared in 75% of their countries matches in the previous year but Tosic has only 6 from 14 or 43%. Chris Waddle has been appointed to the panel to hear this case by the Home Office.

As I said earlier Tosic is currently playing for Partizan Belgrade but he began his career with Proleter Zrenjanin before moving on to Banatski Dvor in 2005. Both of these teams actually combined forces to become FK Banat Zrenjanin. Tosic played 25 times for them in the Serbian Superliga scoring twice before making his move to Belgrade......
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Rafael Da Silva Must Think Christmas Has Come Early

Rafael da Silva (one of the two in the picture, left, I hope Fergie can tell them apart) must think Christmas has come early for him !! He could be about to get an extended run in the Manchester United team after Wes Brown underwent surgery on an ankle injury. Add to this the injury to Gary Neville and the fact that he has made an immediate impact with Sir Alex, then the future looks rosy for Rafael.

Joining Wes Brown on the sidelines is Dimitar Berbatov, who strained his thigh in Bulgaria's recent 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Nemanja Vidic's Serbia. It looks like Berba will be out for 10 days missing three games so it's not too bad.

Also on the list of absentees are Paul Scholes, Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville......
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Darren Gibson Saying "No" To A Loan Move

Darron Gibson has ruled out moving away on-loan from Manchester United saying "I'm just going to bide my time and hopefully the chance comes and I can take it. There were a few injuries at the start of the season so I think the boss was a bit wary of players going out on loan in those positions. I stayed and hopefully the chances will keep coming. Although I am not playing a lot, I'm happy training with the first team as they are the best players in the world. I'm still learning a lot and still improving as a player."

Gibson played junior football in the Derry and District League, and then with Institute FC before joining Manchester United in 2004. He made his senior debut for United on 26 Oct 2005 in a League Cup game against Barnet, coming on as a substitute for Lee Martin. During the 2005-06 season he played regularly for Manchester United Reserves. helping them win a treble. He made 19 appearances, scoring twice. In May 2006, he won the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Award as United's youth player of the year and then played regularly for the United senior team during their pre-season summer games. Together with Dong Fangzhuo, Jonny Evans, Fraizer Campbell and Danny Simpson, he was one of several United players who spent the 2006-07 season on loan at Royal Antwerp. In October 2007, he was loaned out again, this time to Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he spent the majority of the 2007-08 season. He made his Premiership debut on 15 November 2008, appearing as a second half substitute against Stoke City.

Together with Tony Kane, Micheal O'Connor and Marc Wilson, Gibson is one of several Northern Irish footballers, involved in an on going dispute between the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland over international eligibility. The dispute emerged after the Good Friday Agreement allowed people born in Northern Ireland to claim either Republic of Ireland and/or United Kingdom nationality. As a result, Gibson has been selected to represent both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at international level.....
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Harry Wants Campbell On A Permanent Deal

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp wants to make Frazier Campbell's loan deal made permanent. As did Phil Brown at Hull City. Who can blame either of them either, Campbell is a definite star of the future. Campbell joined Spurs for a one season loan deal as part of the deal to bring Dimitar Berbatov to Old Trafford. Since he joined them he has done well I feel. In his last two games he has scored three times and to top that he also got his first international goal, scoring in Tuesdays U21 games against the Czech Republic which England won 2-0.

I remember Phil Brown making his initial offer of £500,000 for Campbell and raising it quite quickly to £7m. Harry will need to find a bit more than £7m to sign him now though I think. I just hope we don't do another Rossi here and sell him, only to see him blossom into a top class player.

Campbell enjoyed a very productive loan spell at Hull in 2007-08. He initially joined them in October 2007 on loan until mid-January 2008, and scored twice on his home debut in a 3-0 victory over Barnsley. Following his match-winning display against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day 2007, in which he scored one goal and set up another, Hull expressed their interest in extending Campbell's loan until the end of the season. The loan extension was completed on 28 December 2007.

Campbell finished the season as Hull City's top scorer, with 15 goals. On 24 May 2008, he played in the Hull City team that achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time in their 104-year history, providing the assist for Dean Windass' goal in a 1–0 win over Bristol City in the Championship Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium. He described the loan move as "the best move of my career", saying "This is exactly why I came out on loan, it's like a fairytale really. You come away on loan and you never really know what to expect but we've done really well, both as a team and on a personal level".

Hull City were very keen to sign him. Hull chairman Paul Duffen had described Campbell as "too good for the Championship", but following their promotion, Hull were hoping to sign him permanently or get another season-long loan, depending on Manchester United's willingness to let him go. However, Campbell repeatedly expressed the desire to return to Old Trafford and try to break into the first team, despite Hull City bidding a club record fee of £7m.

In July 2008, Campbell was selected to tour South Africa with the Manchester United first team, and scored the team's fourth goal in a 4–0 win over Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the 2008 Vodacom Challenge. He also scored the winning goal in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's testimonial match against Espanyol on 2 August. After the game, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson indicated that Campbell would remain at the club for the duration of the season, stating "Fraizer's future is here". On 17 August 2008, Campbell started alongside Wayne Rooney for the opening game of the season in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. 14 days later he was whisked off to Spurs. I hope he returns to United. But if Fergie does choose to seel it should be for no less than £10m !!.....Back To Home Page.....

Anderson Good Ronaldo Bad !

Brazil dished out a right good whooping to Portugal last night to the tune of 6 goals to 2 and according to reports I have read Manchester United's Anderson did himself justice with a good display. He was very hardworking, combining well with Gilberto Silva and he was the player to link the backline to the midfield with his bursting runs forward from deep. I just can't wait for him to get his first goal for United. His hard work alone makes him a great part of the United set up but a goal for him will give him a huge Samba smile. I love him, I think he's going to be a great player for us.

Then there was Ronaldo who made a sizzling start but was quickly overshadowed by Robinho and Kaká as the game progressed. Eight goals scored on the night and not a single one from him… not even an assist. His bag of tricks simply did not work against a sharp Brazilian backline who always knew what he was up to......Back To Home Page.....

Former Manchester United Man To Head England's World Cup Bid

Andy Anson, the former commercial director of Manchester United, has been given the responsibility of chief executive of England's bid for the 2018 World Cup. The 44-year-old is currently European chief executive of the ATP, the governing body of men's professional tennis, and will take up his new role in January, after Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry turned down the job earlier this week. Anson also spent three years in Los Angeles working for the Walt Disney Corporation, so he knows quite a bit about Mickey Mouse operations !

Lord Triesman, chairman of the 2018 bid, said Anson had "an excellent pedigree". "He had an outstanding record at Manchester United and understands both the football and commercial sides of the industry," said Triesman. "In his current role he has been at the centre of professional tennis and has done a tremendous job for the sport."

Anson quit Manchester United in 2006 after the Glazers pitched up and took over. He said England cannot afford to be complacent with their bid for the World Cup, as if we weren't aware of that already. "We cannot afford to sit back and expect success, we will have to work extremely hard to show the world that England is the place for the World Cup in 2018 and I'm delighted I shall be playing my part. It is an absolute privilege to be invited to take the role and play a part in the bid to bring the World Cup tournament back to England in 2018. It's a tremendous challenge and within the excitement there's also a huge responsibility for all of us working on the project. A World Cup here can benefit the nation and unite communities across the country but this is also a bid that will aim to unite the entire globe. We have fantastic infrastructure already in place - including some of the best and most famous stadia in world football - but that alone will not be enough."

England are likely to face competition from Australia, China and the United States, ahem, all great footballing nations, to host the tournament.....Back To Home Page.....

England Win But Who Cares, Let's All Slate Berbatov !!

The British media should be congratulated on the way they get a hold of something special, someone with talent and someone who can light up The Premier League and then proceed to strangle the life out of them. They bombard them with constant abuse and accusations, they look for the worst in EVERYTHING any player ever does and it continues relentlessly until finally the player gets pissed off and leaves for Europe. Then they complain about players with no commitment and no loyalty !! They do the same with the English national team. It only took the fans 38 minutes into Capello's very first game in charge for the booing to start !!

I read some rubbish on some site called Footylatest this morning and it made me laugh to be honest: I quote........"Dimitar Berbatov of Man Utd has again thrown his dummy out of his pram and this time has threatened to never play for his country again. Berbatov who sulked his way to a transfer out of Tottenham has decided that it is a policy that works for him and he will it seems continue with this strategy to get his own way or make a point. Berbatov has been blamed by his countrymen for Bulgaria’s drop in form and the 6-1 loss to Serbia has made the fans even angrier with the stars that play for Bulgaria in particular Berbatov, you can hardly blame them, cannot be easy to get stuffed 6-1 when you have players on the field valued at £30 million alone. One cannot help feel that if Berbatov is dropped at Man Utd or things go pear shaped that he will then again take up the sulking that has worked so well for him to date and make for a move to say Real Madrid. Once the character has been exposed there is no putting it back in the box."

Most amusing. England beat Germany last night which is a magnificent achievement and what do these "Footylatest" clowns choose to report on ? Some garbled nonsense on their psychiatric assessment of Dimitar Berbatov. Another example of how the media search for failure. They expect to fail, then they fail and then they complain because they failed, LMAO. I loved the comment "when you have players on the field valued at £30 million alone". Berbatov cost £30m the rest of the team between them are not worth that much !! Like I said, it's all deranged jibber jabber some people write these days !!! .....Back To Home Page.....

Berbatov Injured But Sir Bobby Thinks He's Not Up To Scratch Anyway !!

Here's a sight we, as Manchester United fans, don't want to see. Dimitar Berbatov limping off the field clutching the back of his leg. This happened last night in Bulgaria's game with Serbia where they got thrashed 6-1. Savo Milosevic missed two penalties in the 5th and 15th minutes and also scored in the 29th and 34th minutes. He could have had 4 in the first half hour but oh well, he didn't. More concern is this Berbatov injuury, although we have adequate cover for him in Carlos Tevez it's not ideal for him to have a lengthy lay off with a hamstring injury at this time of the season. I for one think he is one of the best players in the world right now despite Sir Blobby Robson's cutting remarks about him after the Arsenal game.

Robson said: "You wouldn't have guessed on yesterday's performance that the Manchester United No 9 is the most expensive player in the club's illustrious history. Dimitar Berbatov is more talented than Arsenal's centre-forward Nicklas Bendtner, a deputy for Emmanuel Adebayor, but he was nowhere near as great a threat. But I do think Berbatov has to start justifying his £31million price tag if United are to get back on top and win a third successive title. Berbatov played too deep at Emirates Stadium and therefore wasn't a goal threat at all. He never looked like scoring and his record of one league goal in nine games for United suggests that has been a problem since he arrived from Spurs.

He doesn't look like the same player to me that thrilled us at Tottenham. Berbatov has shown some sublime touches at times, including that fantastic turn to set up a goal for Cristiano Ronaldo against West Ham. But a United No 9 has to provide goals as well, particularly as Sir Alex has had to leave out Carlos Tevez to accommodate him. I watched Berbatov drop back virtually to the halfway line at times yesterday, content to get a few touches of the ball and play some simple passes. I bet Arsenal were delighted to see him so deep because he wasn't going to hurt them from there. Berbatov is strong enough and skilful enough to hold the ball up and turn defenders where it counts - on the edge of the penalty area. So I don't know why he didn't stay 15 yards further up the field. Funnelling back out of the danger zone was an easy option."

I would imagine he played the way he did because Sir Alex Ferguson (the most succesful manager ever to walk the planet) told him to do so Mr Robson !! People slating Berbatov and the way he plays get right up my nose. I think Sir Blobby Robson should come forward and compare trophies won with Sir Alex and we'll see who knows best !! .....Back To Home Page.....

Saudi Telecom, Manchester United's Prospective Sponsors In Detail

Saudi Telecom (STC), Manchester United's prospective new shirt sponsors began commercial operations in 1998 as Saudi Arabia's sole telecommunication operator with six hundred thousand subscribers. At the beginning of 2000, STC had 1.4 million subscribers and with the introduction of its prepaid card Sawa ended that same year with 2.5 million.

By the end of 2002, the Saudi Government announced that 30% of Saudi Telecom Shares will be released for sale to Saudi citizens & organizations; Saudi citizens (20%), General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI) (5%), and Pension Fund Organization (5%). The IPO price was set at 170 Saudi riyal per share and generated 36 billion Saudi riyal for the Saudi treasury, By the end of the subscription period, requests for shares exceeded the number offered by 3.5 times The General Assembly Meeting of Saudi Telecom new shareholders held at the end of April 2003, elect new board members for the first time. By the time the company was listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) at the end of 2002, it had in excess of five million subscribers. By the end of 2005 Saudi Telecom was ranked as Saudi Arabia's fourth largest company in terms of market capital and 17th among member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference with over 12 million mobile subscribers and 3.3 million fixed land lines, the largest telecom operator in the Middle Eastern region. The company covers 98 percent of Saudi Arabia, about 2,600 cities and villages Through its subsidiary Arab Submarine Cables Company STC with Emirates Telecommunications Corporation Etisalat and Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company ITPC have commenced the laying of the first fibre optic submarine cable to land in Iraq; connecting the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Etisalat and Saudi Telecom have also partnered up to commission an international high capacity SEA-ME-WE 4 submarine cable that connects France to Singapore and links other nations en route. STC is the parent company of Saudi Net, Saudi Arabia's largest internet service provider in terms of subscribers, and a founding major shareholder in Arab Satellite Communications Organization, a satellite communications and television broadcasting corporation. It is also a shareholder in Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, a satellite-based mobile telephone company. In July 2004, the government granted a second mobile license to Etisalat, which initiated a new competitive age for STC. Zain consortium won the third mobile license in Saudi Arabia in April 2007. STC's monopoly in fixed lines was broken when Batelco and its alliances, including Atheeb Group, won Saudi Arabia's second fixed-line license in April 2007.

In august 2008 they signed a five year sponsorship deal with English premier leauge club Manchester United to provide fans in Saudi Arabia with exclusive content including Goals, News updates and exclusive ringtones.

One of the most interesting issues with STC current market situation, is the fact that their services does not cover the whole of the country considering it is the oldest government owned telecom company operating in Saudi Arabia, as their focus is to services certain areas of the country where high netwroth individuals, Government bodies, Government officials and large businesses reside, case in point, Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia is not covered in total (Please note that this issue has been outstanding for a number of years) not to mention other rural areas, Thus, giving other telecom companies in the area a significant market share to capture.

Another interesting topic is their sponsorship deal of Manchester United, where they have gone overseas to sponsor a football team, neglecting local interests, case in point, Zain (an international telecom provider) have paid more than SR 138 Million (US$ 36.8 Million) in sponsorship to a local race track (Al-Reem International Race Track)to promote the motor sports industry being a startup industry with a huge fan interest potential and help the community that they earn their income from......Back To Home Page.....

A Carling Cup Headache

Manchester United and Blackburn have yet to resolve the dilemma over when to play their Carling Cup quarter-final tie. As I have said before the Prem fixture list is unforgiving. The game is scheduled to take place during week commencing December 1. The problem is Manchester United United tackle Manchester City at Eastlands on Sunday, November 30, with Blackburn facing the more geographically challenging trip to Portsmouth on the same day, the Carling Cup tie would normally be scheduled for Wednesday, December 3.

However, that situation is complicated because Manchester City are in UEFA Cup action against Paris St Germain that evening and local police prefer both their major clubs not to play at the same time. I think Al-City should give way personally as they have no hope of actually winning the UEFA Cup, why would they win it, they've won nothing for 33 years after all. But I am a little biased.

With United due to play a Champions League tie against Aalborg the following week before flying to Japan for the World Club Cup, there is little opportunity for the Carling Cup tie to be played at a later date as the semi-finals should take place at the beginning on January. Discussions with Greater Manchester Police are continuing, with the likelihood remaining that Blackburn will travel to Old Trafford on December 3......Back To Home Page.....

New Shirt Sponsors For Manchester United

According to some reports Saudi Telecom are favourites to replace AIG on the famous Manchester United shirt from next season.

AIG, who signed a four-year, £56.5 million deal with United back in 2006, have been hit hard by the credit crunch, so much so that George Bush and his merry men had to bail them out to the tune of $85 Billion. Naturally, under such financial pressure they are thought to want to terminate their agreement.

Saudi Telecom already have one foot in the door at Old Trafford having signed a £10m, five-year deal in August to advertise on United's website and around the stadium. They also send 70 Saudi students each year to train with the club and are thought to be very keen to step into AIG's shoes and display their brand on the United shirt.....Back To Home Page.....

Fergie Banned For Two Games And Fined £10,000

Fergie: "Ah I just got a poxy 2-match touchline ban and fined £10 Grand. Nothing to worry about love, I'll be home about 8 have my dinner ready, catch ya later".

Micheal Carrick was clean through on goal with a real goalscoring opportunity when he was brought down by Micheal Turner who was already on a yellow card. It's an immediate red card, simple as that ! A yellow would have been an injustice but even that would have seen him walk as he was already on a yellow for an earlier offence. So what did Mike Dean do ? That's right......NOTHING ! He just let him get away with it. Some refs do make mistakes and apologise for it but this is a rarity.

If Fergie had simply shrugged his shoulders and said nothing what would the FA or the referees association of done about it ? That's right.......NOTHING ! The FA have this Respect Campaign running whereby everyone is urged to respect the officials and all that jibber-jabber. How can you respect these clowns when they are too afraid to do the right thing ? Fergies laughing his butt of anyway. His 2 games he is banned for are Blackburn in the Carling Cup, a game I doubt he is putting top of his list of priorities and Sunderland in the league which 'should' be a game he expects to win anyway. Still, a punishment like this gives the anti-Fergie brigade something more to whine about !! .....Back To Home Page.....

Manchester United Players Are Fat ......

Manchester United reject Gerard Pique has given me a good chuckle this morning with claims that all Manchester United players are fat and that Manchester United allow their players to eat what they want. Pique joined United from Barcelona in 2004 but went back to them last summer after failing to make United's first team after four years of trying ! Gerard says he was left speechless when he learnt of the diet at Old Trafford and even claims some of the players cannot understand Sir Alex Ferguson's Scottish accent.

"At United there were some incredible things happening. Everyone was allowed to eat what they wanted and one must remember that the English diet is just like people say. Every two weeks we had to be checked out on a machine that measured the amount of fat we had in our bodies. It would be a surprise that none of the players broke the machine because of the amount of hamburgers and beer they had. The gaffer, as Ferguson is known in Manchester, spoke in English with a Scottish accent but it sounded like Chinese to me. But I was not the worst and there are players still there who do not understand him yet."

Mr Pique, no offence, but you couldn't make it at Old Trafford and had to go back to Barcelona where you will probably be good enough for their first team. Oh......and despite being a bunch of hamburger munching, beer swilling fatties, our boys are Champions of England.......oh and Champions of Europe too !!! Perhaps you and your Barca Boys might like to get some meat on your skinny bones and come and take us on, lol, we'll whoop ya butts for ya Grrrrrrrrrrrrr !!! Cheeky git. Oh and get a comb ya scruffy lil sod !!! .....Back To Home Page.....

MUST Complain About Manchester United Ticket Prices

By UWS - 19/11/2008 10:13 Original Article Can Be Viewed Here

MUST, the independent Manchester United supporters' trust, will today request that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigate three complaints about Manchester United ticketing policy. The fans' group believes the Club has acted unlawfully, so has called for a full investigation into a possible breach by MUFC of its statutory and legal obligations to Season Ticket holders. MUST has taken expert legal advice [Note 1] on Contract, Consumer and Competition Law. This expert advice indicates that MUFC is in breach of both the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 and the Competition Act 1998 and that there is a high probability of the Complaint being successfully upheld. Specifically, the three complaints are that:

· MUFC's Season Ticket terms and conditions are in breach of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999.

· MUFC's Compulsory Automatic Cup Ticket Scheme is in breach of The Competition Act 1998, Part II, Section 18(2).

· MUFC's pricing policy is in breach of The Competition Act 1998, Part II, Section 18(2)(a).

The full complaint and supporting documents can be viewed at: MUST website In addition to complaints that United's rocketing ticket prices break the law, the fans have also pointed to specific assurances the Glazers gave to the Government following their takeover in May 2005 that prices would not rise. MUST say: "Over recent years we've seen unfair terms and huge ticket price rises imposed on supporters by club owners taking advantage of their loyalty. MPs from all political parties have raised concerns and even the Minister for Sport felt it necessary to launch an outspoken attack on the huge price rises at Old Trafford in recent years. For a long time Manchester United was by no means the worst offender having previously had an admirable policy of keeping prices relatively low despite the success of the club. All that changed when the Glazers took over. However now, with the help of a team of eminent competition lawyers, economists and experts in sports law, we have been able to compile a comprehensive complaint based on Competition and Contract Law, which could have welcome consequences for supporters at clubs throughout the country." - Duncan Drasdo, MUST Chief Executive "The Competition Act places strict obligations on all companies, including Football Clubs, not to abuse dominant market positions. By tying two separate products together, Manchester United, as dominant in its market, may well have breached the competition rules and I would urge the Office of Fair Trading to consider launching an investigation of this complaint" - Professor Steven Anderman, University of Essex. The FSF is fully supportive of the action being taken by MUST to respond to such unfair practices. If this action is successful it could have positive benefits for supporters at many clubs. - Dr Malcolm Clarke, Chair of the Football Supporters' Federation Background to MUFC's Ticketing Policies Since the 2005 Takeover: Since the takeover by the Glazer family in 2005, ticket prices for Manchester United have increased by around 50-60%. In 2007 MUFC made their Automatic Cup Scheme compulsory, meaning that all Season Ticket holders had to agree to purchase all home cup games at Old Trafford or lose their Season Ticket (although in 2008, following significant customer complaints, MUFC relaxed this requirement, exempting League Cup matches). 2007 also saw the introduction of a 'One Year' Season Ticket which also required holders to join the Automatic Cup Scheme but which did not guarantee them tickets for Cup Ties. Background to the Complaint and MUFC's breaches of the Law: The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 [Note 2] provide that in contracts where consumers have no say as to the Terms and Conditions, these conditions should not cause a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligation that are contrary to the requirements of good faith. MUFC breaches these regulations in the following ways: · 'Contract Bundling' (i.e. only allowing consumers to enter into the Season ticket Contract if they also enter into a contract to purchase all home cup tickets). · The consumer is forced to sign up to a contract for which they do not know the price. · The consumer does not know the quality of the product. · The consumer is forced to enter into a contract for all home cup games yet is not guaranteed a ticket. The Competition Act 1998 Part II [Note 3] states that a company that is in a 'Dominant Market Position' must not abuse this position. MUFC is in a Dominant Market Position when it comes to the sale of tickets for home matches at Old Trafford and is abusing its position in the following ways:

· Forcing Season Ticket holders to purchase tickets for all home Cup ties is a form of 'contract bundling' strictly prohibited by the Act.

· Forcing Season Ticket holders to sign a "blank cheque" for home cup matches, not knowing how much this will cost.

· Forcing Season Ticket holders to buy a product that may be an inferior product whilst also not guaranteeing them the product.

· MUFC has imposed unfair purchase prices for tickets. Since the 2005 takeover, prices for Season Tickets have increased by 50-60% (or potentially 166% if the compulsory Automatic Cup scheme is taken into account). These price rises have occurred despite representatives of the Glazer family making representations to the Department for Culture Media and Sport when the takeover was being investigated that they would not be increasing their ticket prices to pay off the interest payments on the debts incurred to purchase the club......Back To Home Page.....

Is Arsene Wenger One Of The Best Managers Ever ?

Arsene Wenger sits on the bench at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff one Saturday in May. His team, Arsenal, are contesting another FA Cup final, their third in as many seasons. Out on the pitch his players are at it again, for one last time before the sun sets on another year. Thierry Henry receives the ball on the edge of the penalty area, waits for Dennis Bergkamp to make the run outside him on the right before sliding a pass into his path. Bergkamp twists and clips the ball back inside to Freddie Ljungberg, whose near-post shot bounces off a defender and into the path of Robert Pires. There is no other word. It is poetry - the metre and the rhythm, the beauty and the beat; France, Holland, Sweden, France; the blending of skill and athleticism and intuitive awareness that the players have of one another's movements.

On the bench Wenger watches, at once intensely involved and perfectly excluded. As the ball crosses the line he springs up and, walking towards the pitch, does his familiar celebration, elbows at his side, fists clenched and pumping discreetly. Then he applauds. Then he goes and sits down again. His is only a half -celebration, but then winning the much-eroded FA Cup is perhaps only a quarter triumph after the devastation of the preceding weeks, when Wenger's
world seems slowly, incomprehensibly, to have caved in.

To anyone accustomed to his body language, defined by its restraint, its marked lack of passion, it is as if Wenger had a personality transplant in the spring of 2003. For months Arsenal had played what may even have been the best football ever produced by a British club. Power, in Wenger's prediction, was sprinting south. And then they blew it, they blew their lead, and Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson urging them on like a whip-happy charioteer, remorselessly chased and chased and ground Arsenal down.

Few people had heard of Arsene Wenger when he came to Arsenal in 1996. He remains an enigma - a cultured, media-shy Frenchman who neither looks nor behaves like a football manager. But now he is probably one of the most influential figures in the English game.

In August 1996, the name Arsene Wenger meant absolutely nothing in north London. "Arsene Who?" ran the Evening Standard headline that greeted his appointment. It was the story of his life, from the moment he took charge of his own team at Nancy 12 years earlier. In every new job, he didn't just have to prove himself; he had to introduce himself. When Rioch was sacked, one of the papers had three or four names as a replacement. It was Venables, Cruyff and then at the end Arsene Wenger. Trust Arsenal to appoint the boring one that you haven't heard of !

Because they didn't know who he was, one Saturday two weeks before his arrival, Wenger appeared by live satellite link on the video screens at Highbury. They should have played it in the dressing room too. It was one thing for the club's most famous fan not to have heard of Wenger, quite another for the club captain. Tony Adams didn't know the new man from Adam.

There was a feeling of "who the fuck is he ?" and "what is he going to do ?" and "What is he ?". "Rioch had been sacked, caretaker manager Stewart Houston had left for Queens Park Rangers and Adams and Rice were "kind of just getting on with it", recalls Tony Adams. "I got a call from the chairman along the lines of, 'I hear the shit's hit the fan back there. Er, don't worry, rally the troops. Good man on his way. Be patient.' It was quite hilarious." Did he know anything about
Wenger ? "No." Literally the name meant nothing? "No. Nothing at all. He wasn't an English top-of-the-tree coach with proven experience. He wasn't an Alex Ferguson. He wasn't a renowned manager of that time - a George Graham."

Wenger's appointment was announced on August 20, he met the press on September 22 and took official charge on September 30, a Monday morning. "He arrived unnoticed at the training ground," Lee Dixon recalls. "A meeting was called, the players filed in and in front of us stood this tall, slightly-built man who gave no impression whatsoever of being a football manager."

It was an extremely precarious moment in Arsenal's history. With Manchester United now dominant, Arsenal had become entirely dependent on an impregnable defence and the goals of Ian Wright to keep them in contention. There was no reason why they couldn't have turned into Spurs after Rioch. But after the arrival of Wenger, people began to think it's part of the natural order of things that Arsenal and Manchester United were always one and two in the Premiership more or less every year. However, it was not in the natural order of things. It was entirely because of Arsene Wenger !

He doesn't buy success, that's easy to do. He cultures it, he finds the raw, basic talent and he nurtures it, takes care of it and produces some of the most amazing teams I have seen for very, very little money. If it were possible to turn back the clock and re-run his 12 years with Arsenal WITHOUT Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, Wenger would be one of the greatest managers that ever lived. It would have been Arsenal winning title after title and FA Cup after FA Cup. Sadly for Wenger though, Sir Alex Ferguson does exist and he has cast a shadow over what I believe to be one of the best managers ever to grace the English game.

That's Arsene Wenger.....Back To Home Page.....

Mohammed 'Moa' Abdellaoue Isn't Interested In Joining Manchester United - Because He's Liverpool Mad !

Valerenga striker Mohammed 'Moa' Abdellaoue isn't interested in joining Manchester United - because he's Liverpool mad ! Which, in basic terms means, he's just mad ! Then again, he will walk straight into their first team I'd imagine. "It's nice to be noticed," the 23-year-old told Nettavisen. "It means I am doing a lot right with my football. Liverpool are my club. I am a Liverpool supporter, although not a member of the supporters' club. Of course it is great to be compared to Solskjaer but I am only Moa. I am the person I am. I play football and enjoy myself. I have not heard anything directly from United and got the news through the Norwegian media. I have not received any information from my adviser and do not know anything about the trial. But I cannot go around thinking about that sort of thing."

Mohammed "Moa" Abdellaoue (born 23 October 1985, in Oslo, Norway) is of Moroccan descent. Abdellaoue currently plays for Norwegian Premier League side Valarenga.

As a youth player, he was at Hasle/Løren and Skeid before joining Skeid's first team squad in 2003. He made his debut on 9 June 2003, when he came on as a substitute against Hodd. In his fourth game of the season, Abellaoue scored his first two goals in a 2-1 win over Raufoss. Abdellaoue scored a total of 40 league goals for Skeid in five seasons, and was their top scorer in 2004 and 2007. At the end of the 2007 season, he signed a three-year contract with Vålerenga, transferring to his new club on 15 November. During his first season at Valarenga he became the club's top goalscorer with 10 goals, earning him his debut for the Norwegian team against the Republic of Ireland. Dutch club FC Groningen is rumoured to be willing to put in a bid of 35 million NOK for his services after an impressive display during the Norwegian cup final, where he scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Stabaek Fotball. Recently he was invited to train with Manchester United. Moreover the club is rumored to have made a bid for him. Mohammed Abdellaoue has appeared once for the Norwegian U21 team, six times for U-18 and once for U-19.....Back To Home Page.....

Surgery Was The Final Option For Sa(Ha)rgreaves !!

In true Louis Saha style, Owen Hargreaves has taken the rest of the season out to have surgery to his knee. This was the final option for Owen and of course I wish him a speedy recovery. We all know a speedy recovery is possible. Take Sahahahaha himself. After 5 years of being continually injured, even to the point where the very action of getting off the bench crocked him, King Louis is now playing EVERY week and banging in goals left right and centre for Everton !!!

Alex Ferguson said of this matter at a press conference: "I think that we’ve exhausted every other way of dealing with the situation. We tried to manage it, we sent him to a specialist in Leicester who did injections, where the success rate was very good. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough for Owen in the sense that he was still continually feeling great pain in his kneecaps and we had to look at the next stage and that was to send him to a specialist for an operation."

Sir Alex also revealed that the Canadian-born England international will spend a portion of his recuperation in his homeland after completing the second instalment of a two-part process.

"He’ll get his second operation done and he’ll get a break back home in Canada for a little spell, it’s gone well. These operations aren’t always completely successful, but the surgeon’s very pleased with it. We had a physiotherapist there - John Davin - and he was pleased with the operation, so hopefully he comes back next season a new player." Perhaps we should sell him to Everton, no doubt he'll suddenly develop a self recuperation miracle a la Sahahaha !! Phewwwwww, I have to chill out this morning, already I have had a go at Ronnie and OH, sorry guys !! .....Back To Home Page.....

Cristiano Ronaldo Worries About The Global Economy. Now That Is Funny !!

I must admit I'm a tad worried as to the state of Cristiano Ronaldo's mental state. Either he is on a mission to show the world he has nothing between his ears or he is genuinely stupid. There is another option too actually, he might just be the greediest little git I have ever seen or heard of. The Manchester United star admits he has concerns about the global economy.

Though you would think his multi-million pound contract leaves him immune from the credit crunch, Ronaldo says: "The situation has to worry everyone, yes. We are worried and feel a certain uncertainty (about the future). We talk about it - it is part of our reality - but we believe that things will improve."

By saying he feels a certain uncertainty about his future I presume he is talking about his upcoming new contract and whether he can screw £170,000 per week from United ? Or maybe he actually cares about Me and You and 'Joe The Plumber'. I seriously doubt this though. Don't worry Ronnie, you'll still be pulling in £24,666 EVERY DAY no matter what the financial climate is like, I'm sure you'll muddle through !!! ....Back To Home Page

Fergie Fury At Welbeck's Call Up For England U19s

Sir Alex Ferguson has blasted the call-up of striker Danny Welbeck to the England under-19 squad. Welbeck scored his first goal for the Premier League champions yesterday in the 5-0 win over Stoke City. The 17-year-old became the league's youngest goal-scorer this season with a stunning 20-yard strike at Old Trafford. He has now been named in Brian Eastick's squad for the friendly against Germany on Tuesday at Colchester.

Ferguson said the Longsight-born youngster may be putting his fitness at risk having recently recovered from a knee injury. "He has hardly played since he got the injury playing for England in the first place," the Scot said. Now he is going away again to play for them again on Tuesday. You don't get a break with these things. I would prefer the boy to get some basis of training before he starts playing football all the time. We have to be careful with that. If they keep getting small injuries, it ends up with a big one."

Welbeck made only his second senior appearance in the 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday in the Carling Cup, before following that up with a goal on his league debut. The striker made his United debut in September in the Carling Cup third round win over Middlesbrough.....Back To Home Page

Karim Benzema Says Manchester United Move Would Be Good

After talking so fondly about Real Madrid and Barcelona and a possible move to Spain, Karim Benzema has done a bit of a u-turn and when talking to L’Equipe, names Manchester United as a club which he dreams of joining.

"There are many clubs, Barca and Real, but also Manchester and Milan. It is all the big clubs which are dreams. I like Spain, but you can also really progress at Manchester or Milan. I want to reach a very high level.”

Benzema was linked with United in the summer but was believed to be interested in a move to Spain. Alex Ferguson is a big admirer of the 20 year old French striker who scored over 30 goals in all competitions last term and has so far bagged 13 goals this season for club and country in 22 appearances. Benzema has been valued at €100 million by Lyon and any discussions regarding a transfer will wait until then end of the season, he said: “People have been shocked because it’s a big amount…We’ll finish this season and then we’ll see.....Back To Home Page”.

Sir Alex 'Chuffed' With Welbeck's Goal Against Stoke City

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was pleased to see Danny Welbeck hit his first goal for the club in yesterday's 5-0 trouncing of Stoke City. "He is a very sensible young man," said Ferguson I am sure the other players will soon bring him down to earth, if they have not already done so."

Born in Longsight, Manchester, to Ghananian parents, Welbeck joined Manchester United during the 2005–06 season, making his debut for the club's Under-18 side on 8 April 2006 in a league match against Sunderland. He then came on as a substitute in the next game, before being named as an unused substitute in the team's last two games of the season. The following season, he made a further 28 appearances for the Under-18s, scoring nine goals, including eight appearances and one goal in the FA Youth Cup, in which he helped the team to reach the final, despite being two years younger than some of the other players.

Welbeck signed his first trainee contract in July 2007, and started the 2007–08 season in the Under-18 side, but was quickly promoted to the Reserve team, making a number of substitute appearances. Then, in January 2008, he was called up to the first team for the trip to Saudi Arabia to play Al-Hilal in Sami Al-Jaber's testimonial. Welbeck made his debut in that game on 21 January 2008, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Anderson. Welbeck had the chance to snatch a draw for United when he was brought down in the penalty area in the final minute, but he put the penalty kick over the bar.

On 25 January 2008, Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that Welbeck would be considered a first team squad member for the rest of the season. On 9 February 2008, Alex Ferguson revealed that Welbeck would be involved in the matchday squad for the Manchester derby the following day. He also hinted that Welbeck may be involved from the start of the game. This did not come to pass however, as he was left out of the team entirely.

Welbeck made his competitive debut for the Manchester United first team on 23 September 2008, starting up front in the team's League Cup Third Round match at home to Middlesboro. United won the game 3–1, but Welbeck did not manage to get on the scoresheet despite going close in the third minute......Back To Home Page

Darren Fletcher Out Of The Game Against The "Fat Cheat's" Argentina !!

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has been withdrawn from Scotland's squad to face Argentina next week after sustaining a knee injury. Fletcher played 63 minutes of United's 5-0 victory over Stoke in the Barclays Premier League at Old Trafford this afternoon before he was replaced by Darron Gibson.

Wednesday's match against the Argentina at Hampden Park will be Diego Maradona's first as manager of the national team. We'll have to see how the fat, drug cheat gets on in his first game. I wish him the worst of luck in anything he ever does. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan. I don't like cheats and I'm not in favour of having characters like him, who in the past have shovelled kilos of white stuff up his nose, in a position where he can become hero worshipped by kids !! The sooner Argentina sack him the better !!! .....Back To Home Page

Exit Sir Alex Enter Fabio Capello ?

Talking to the Daily Mail, Fabio Capello, the current England manager has said he wants to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Capello would consider quitting England for Manchester United if Ferguson goes through with his planned retirement after the 2010 World Cup finals. Ferguson is adamant that he will stop managing at 70 - in December, 2011 - and while 62-year-old Capello would be happy to continue with England until 2012, he is the perfect, big personality to take over at Old Trafford, having won nine League titles in Italy and Spain, as well as the European Cup.

According to a new biography, 'Fabio Capello: The Man, The Dream, The Inside Story', the former Real Madrid boss was offered the Old Trafford job when Ferguson prematurely announced his retirement in 2001. After a meeting with Martin Edwards, the then United chairman, Capello, then the boss at Roma, believed the job was his for the 2002-3 campaign. But, in February, 2002, United announced that the board had "entered into discussions with Sir Alex on a new contract".

Although shunned then, Capello would still be interested in an offer. Officially, he intends to see out his England contract until 2012. But if England do not qualify for 2010, the FA can sack him without having to pay any compensation......Back To Home Page

Sir Alex Notches Up 50 As Ronnie Makes It To 100

ALEX FERGUSON celebrated 50 years in the game by leading Manchester United to their biggest win of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo joined in the party with his 100th goal for the club as Stoke were swept aside. Fergie started his playing career with Queen's Park and five decades later the scene could hardly have been more contrasting as nearly 70,000 packed Old Trafford expecting an easy win.

And the fans weren't disappointed as Ronaldo sparked a goal rush with his landmark strike inside three minutes. Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and debut boy Danny Welbeck netted before Ronaldo rounded off a fine day with goal No.101. Welbeck's effort must have put an extra wide smile on the face of his boss who hit the target on his first game against Stranraer back in 1958.

Ferguson hailed Ronaldo whose campaign didn't start until September as he recovered from an ankle op. The boss said: "That is nine for the season now and I am sure he'll be into double figures soon. Overall he has scored 101 times in 253 appearances which is unbelievable for a winger.

The only negative for Fergie was seeing three players pull out of midweek internationals. Darren Fletcher went off with a knee injury after 63 minutes and misses Scotland's match against Argentina. Worried Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney failed to start against Stoke and have been pulled out of England's squad to face Germany in Berlin. Fergie is worried for the rest of his players in action, especially those travelling to Brazil. He added: "We have Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson going over there so God knows what time they will get back. It is not an easy trip and we have Aston Villa away on their return."

Ronaldo got the show on the road when Amdy Faye clattered into Carlos Tevez to provide him with a free-kick to line up. The Portuguese beat Thomas Sorensen but the keeper might have done better. Ferguson had to wait until stoppage time for the second as Carrick thundered a shot through a crowd of Stoke bodies and into the net. Missing from action was the long throws by Rory Delap that have been a feature of Stoke's play all season. He was thwarted by the steep slope around the pitch two feet from the line which prevented him launching the ball into the opposition box. Just after the restart it was game over as Berbatov controlled Tevez's driven pass and volleyed a screamer past Sorensen. Ronaldo had been on the end of some harsh treatment and the red mist descended. He took a swing at ex-Rangers defender Amdy Faye but got away with it. Sub Welbeck crashed home No.4 before a fifth came from another powerful Ronaldo free-kick. Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: "We were doing okay until United scored just before half-time. It killed us......"

Manchester United To Play Blackburn In Carling Cup Quarter Final

The draw for the quarter-finals of the
League Cup was made on Saturday.
Manchester United have been handed
a home draw against Paul Ince's team
Blackburn Rovers. The bookies now
make United favourites to lift the trophy.

Blackburn reached the last eight after a 2-1 win at
Sunderland and will travel to Old Trafford in the
week beginning December 1st.

Burnley, who recorded a miraculous win against
Chelski at Stamford Bridge have been rewarded
with a home tie against Arsenal, Derby travel to
Stoke city and Watford are at home to Spurs.

According to the bookmakers Manchester United
are now favourites to win the Carling Cup with a
best priced 15/8 with Ladbrokes. They have
Arsenal second favourites 2/1, holders Tottenham
are third best at 3/1.

United and Blackburn have met in this competition
on four occasions - United claiming two wins with
two draws. The last meeting was in the 2006 semi-
final with United claiming a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park
in the first-leg, before edging the second contest by
two-goals-to-one.

The full draw is as follows:

Stoke City v. Derby County
Manchester United v. Blackburn Rovers
Burnley v. Arsenal
Watford v. Spurs

Rio Praises Jonny Evans

Sir Alex has frequently been heard singing the praises of Jonny Evans, even declaring him as a future replacement for Rio Ferdinand despite his young age and his relative inexperience with first team action. Now Rio Ferdinand himself has spoken out in favour of him.

The 20-year-old Northern Ireland defender impressed while on loan at Sunderland last season and has been a regular member of the United matchday squad this term.

Ferdinand told the club's official website: "Jonny is a top, top player. A few managers wanted to buy him in the summer, so that tells you what a good prospect he is. At Sunderland last season he was probably one of their better players. He's good with both feet, he's playing for Northern Ireland and he'll probably be their captain in the near future. You can see why the manager fought so hard to keep him and to make sure Jonny realises his future is here at Old Trafford. He'll have a major part to play in the coming years. The manager will just make sure Jonny trains hard and takes the best bits from all the players he works with and brings it to his own game. He's looked assured each time he's been called upon this season and I'm sure that will continue." .....Back To Home Page

Deco Backs Ronaldo

Chelsea midfielder Deco says Portugal teammate Cristiano
Ronaldo deserves the Ballon d'Or next month. He said of
the Manchester United star: "The award is chosen on what
happened last season and last season he played at a very
high level."

With a goal tally of 42 I think he was head and shoulders
ahead of anyone else, maybe not so good this season but
as Deco mentions, it's last season that counts.

.....Back To Home Page

Rooney Fit Plus Other Early Team News 'v' Stoke

Wayne Rooney is expected to recover from a minor chest infection in time for
Manchester United 'v' Stoke on Saturday. Rooney missed the 1-0 Carling Cup win
over QPR on Tuesday night, but should return along with a host of team-mates.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and Edwin van der Sar were also not involved, while Nemanja
Vidic made a brief appearance after captain Gary Neville tired in the dying minutes of the match.
United are looking to bounce back from the Arsenal defeat, after Samir Nasri's brace sunk us last
week at the Emirates.

Stoke have a doubt over striker Mamady Sidibe, so record signing Dave Kitson is on stand-by to
start at Old Trafford. The 'human missile launcher' Rory Delap is also playing so let's hope fergie is
more prepared for his attempts on goal with his throw-ins than Arse Wenger was !! .....Back To Home Page

Sir Bobby Trains With The First Team

Sir Bobby Charlton has been training with Manchester United's squad to stay sharp for a TV advertisement. The advertisement is for a yoghurt drink of some description and shows Sir Bobby walking his dog past a load of kids playing football and wearing a flat cap. When a stray ball comes his way he traps it and smashes it past the startled goalkeeper with one of his trademark shots from long range.

The Manchester United legend who has spent over 50 years at the club in various capacities and who also won a World Cup with England and European Cup with Manchester United, said he never misses an opportunity to join his successors on the training pitch.

"I try and keep my footy skills up as much as I can, even though I'm 71, I take every opportunity I can to have a kick about. Often it will be with the Manchester United team when I travel with them to Europe. I'll go out on the pitch and if they are nice they will let me take a few corner kicks. I couldn't keep up running with the likes of Ronaldo and (Wayne) Rooney but I'm sure I could teach them a thing or two about striking the ball." .....Back To Home Page

Sign Tevez Or Sell Him, But Get On With It !!

Manchester United really need to get their arses in gear now if they have any REAL intentions of signing Carlos Tevez long term. Ruud Van Nistelrooy has crocked himself long term and is out for the rest of the season so guess who will come knock knock knocking on United's door again - yes Real Madrid !! I've had about all I can stomach of their nonsense in the press so I can't be bothered going through all that again. Either sign him or get rid of him. I personally think £30m for a 4th striker is silly money so I'd sell him but there we go, the final choice is Fergies.

United paid between £6 million and £10 million to sign Tevez on a two-year loan deal, which expires next summer, and those costs are expected to be included in the final fee, which could total as much as £30 million. That would leave United with about £20 million left to pay to Joorabchian, who owns the economic rights to the player......Back To Home Page

Stoke's Tony Pulis Full Of Praise For Fergie

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has been paying Sir Alex Ferguson a few high accolades indeed. He believes the scale of Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements will only be widely recognised when the Scot leaves the club. How very true !! Even the poxy BBC still fail to mention all the hard work United do for charity ever since Fergie stopped talking to them after they accused his brother of accepting 'bungs'. Ferguson has won 20 trophies, including two European Cups and 10 Premier League titles, during his 22-year stint at Manchester United.

United face a resurgent Stoke side on Saturday and Pulis said: "The manager is a living legend but I do not think people will give Alex real credit until he has left Manchester United. You look at their success and the way he changed things around. Perhaps he was fortunate because he was given the opportunity at the time to clear everything out. It took him three or four years to do that and then he built a base. The club has gone from strength to strength. Along with Matt Busby, they are the two greatest managers in its history."

Stoke are riding high after coming up from the Coca-Cola Championship, gaining an unexpected victory against Arsenal in the process. They are currently 12th in the table and clinched a place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup last Tuesday. Pulis is relishing the challenge of facing United and has promised they will not change their approach at Old Trafford.

"This is one of games you pick when you get promoted. We know it will be a tough game but we have got to enjoy it. We are on a good run and confidence is high." .....Back To Home Page

Arsenal Kids Not As Good As United's Kids Of The 90s

Steve Bruce's Wigan side took a good hiding off the Arsenal kids this week, but despite this, Bruce still says they were outstanding and brilliant, but they have a long, long way to go before they come anywhere near the Manchester United youngsters who came pouring off the production line at Old Trafford in the 1990s.

Bruce was a senior player at Old Trafford when the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville emerged from the youth team to international stardom seemingly overnight, and, although his Wigan team were brushed aside by an Arsenal line-up with an average age of just 19 at the Emirates Stadium in the week, Bruce says they are not in nthe same class.

"I was fortunate to see all those lads come through at United, and whether they can be as good as them, and have as much success that they have had, you would have to doubt it, but they are an outstanding young team with unbelievably talented players, and we'll see. They get an unbelievable grounding under Arsene Wenger and for him to say that this crop is his best ever - that is some statement. Arsenal had a batch two or three years ago who are also all doing well, but whether they're going to do as well as the likes of Beckham and Scholes - it'll be a hard act to follow. But they have got the ingredients - that's for sure."

Personally, I think the 'kids' of '99 are Fergies second best ever team. The best ? .............that would be the team he has right now !!!!!!!!!!! .....Back To Home Page

Give Us A Break

Sir Alex Ferguson's idea of a winter break and extending the end of the season has been shot down by FIFA. The Manchester United manager wants to stagger one round of 10 matches throughout January.

He said: "Last season the league finished on May 11. Why can't we extend it until the end of that month and take two weeks off in January ?".

That is not possible because before World Cup finals FIFA insist on an early end to domestic seasons.

That means the English season finishing on May 16 at the end of 2009/10. A FIFA spokesman said: 'It was agreed by the executive committee that to help the well-being of the players, the last club matches will be disputed on May 16 of 2010 and after that, there will be an obligatory rest period from May 17 to May 23. The final of the Champions League - set for May 22 - constitutes the only exception to the rule."

A Premier League source said that any change in the domestic calendar would have to be on a permanent basis and not three years out of four. So it would seem Fergie's dream of a mid winter break have been scuppered by FIFA. Not surprising really, when do FIFA or UEFA ever listen to reason ? .....Back To Home Page

Carlos tevez On His Way ?

Carlos Tevez has clearly been relegated to 4th choice at Manchester United so
is it really worth Manchester United spending £30 million on making his move
permanent ? After starting just one of the last six Premier League games he is
clearly fourth in the striking pecking order behind Wayne Rooney, Cristiano
Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov.

The deal to turn his loan into a £30million permanent move was supposed to have been
completed by now but so far all we have heard is excuses after excuse from Fergie about how
the cash is available but the deal will be done in December, January, February etc etc. If they
reached the summer and said "No thanks" it would not be a big surprise to any of us really.

While his penalty finally ended QPR’s resistance, his all-round play hardly suggested he was
grasping this opportunity with both hands. His finishing was awful, which is why United needed a
late penalty to sink the Championship outfit and make it to the Carling Cup quarter-finals. (The
Sun)

Alex Ferguson has spent big, big money to get his team back to the top - £29 million on Wayne
Rooney, £32 million Dimitar Berbatov, £19 million on Anderson, £29 million on Rio Ferdinand,
the list goes on. With all these expensive signings some might argue what is one more ? But with
the credit crunch biting even Chelsea, Manchester United will need to make cutbacks. Can they
really justify spending £30 million on a 4th choice striker ? That puts them in the leagues of
Chelsea in terms of profligacy – so will the fans appreciate the success as much when it has
clearly been bought ? .....Back To Home Page

Axel Witsel Bid May Be Imminent

Manchester United are being rushed into making a £10million bid for Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel before Arsenal and Inter move. Sir Alex Ferguson has had scouts in Belgium to watch Witsel in action for the last couple of matches and he turned in a great display against Sevilla in the Uefa Cup last week.

Fergie has been hit by a minor midfield injury crisis with recent news that Owen Hargreaves will be out for the season (is he the new Louis Sahahahahaha ?) and Paul Scholes not due back until the New Year. United could wait for a few months and bid for him in the summer but by doing this his price could have gone through the roof.

The 19-year-old impressed against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers last August and had a fine game when Standard knocked Everton out of the Uefa Cup earlier this season.

Arsenal, Inter, Bolton and Middlesbrough have also been following the pacy central midfielder who is under contract at the Stade du Sclessin until 2013. Bolton have already had a £5million bid rebuffed by the Belgian champions who are said to value Witsel at £18million......dream on !!! .....Back To Home Page

Manchester United 'v' Queens Park Rangers Match Preview

QPR are ready to start with the same eleven players at Manchester United this evening in the Carling Cup 4th Round match that started against Cardiff 1-0 on Saturday. It means that goalscorer against the Bluebirds, Gavin Mahon, is set to return to the bench, while Damiano Tommasi will stride out on to the Old Trafford pitch instead. There is also no place for Irish international Damien Delaney at left-back, with his spot taken by Matt Connolly.

United are likely to drop several of their household names for the tie as more than 2,000 west Londoners make the trip north in the hope of an upset. United coasted to a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough in round three and Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to pick a similar side for the visit of the Championship club. Ben Foster or Tomasz Kuszczak will replace Edwin van der Sar in goal, while Rafael da Silva will start at right-back after his goalscoring cameo in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.

Jonny Evans is also due to start, so Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic are likely to be given a rest, with Wes Brown sidelined by an ankle injury. Rodrigo Possebon suffered a nasty injury against Boro in the last round, but is fit to return in midfield, with Darron Gibson also due to be involved. Danny Welbeck, 17, impressed up front against Boro and should start again, with Carlos Tevez possibly providing the support. Angolan striker Manucho could also be involved, with the rest of Ferguson's line-up consisting of first-team players, so the likes of Nani and John O'Shea should start......Back To Home Page

Gerard Pique Grateful To Sir Alex And Manchester United

Ex Manchester United defender Gerard Pique who now plays for Barcelona has paid tribute to his former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pique, speaking to La Marca, admitted he owes so much to Ferguson and said: "I learned to be a full-time footballer at United and how to do everything. I also learned that in the dressing room that while the joking and laughter are great, once you are out on the pitch, the fun stops because you must be at a very high level".

Pique also believes there are more off-field temptations in the Catalan capital. He said: "In Barcelona and in Spanish football generally there are more things that can distract a player but I will learn to cope with that. When I decided to leave Barcelona it was very hard, but the choice was mine. There was a risk that I might never be able to return but now I am back I will give everything I can to the team." .....Back To Home Page

Manchester United Stars Attacked By Diving Geese !

Manchester United's millionaire stars are being terrorised by dive-bombing geese! Canada geese have invaded United's Carrington training HQ and are dive-bombing Ronaldo and his team-mates, reports The Sun.

A club insider has revealed the birds have not only interrupted Sir Alex Ferguson's training sessions but can "dive even better than Ronaldo".

United's facilities manager Clive Snell told the newspaper: "There is a nature reserve within the boundaries and we’ve got two lagoons on site as part of our water treatment system.

"The reed beds attract the geese, who have been flying in and laying their eggs." .....Back To Home Page

Fat Frank Is Getting Excited A Bit Too Early Me Thinks !

Fat Frank Lampard has thrown down the gauntlet to Manchester United by claiming the reigning champions cannot afford to lose any more games if they want to retain their crown. That is quite funny actually. We have lost two games to their one. The average amount of games lost when a team wins the league is around 4 or 5. So dear Frank, we can lose 3 more games and still win it !! Add to this the fact we have played the big 3 teams ALL AWAY FROM HOME already, gives us a rather nice run-in come next April/May. In fact, by the time Santa squeezes hit fat ass down your chimney Manchester United will have played ALL the teams in the top half of the table AWAY !!

Chelsea are eight points clear of United right now after their 2-0 win at Blackburn and United's defeat by Arsenal. But don't forget United do have a game in hand but Lampard believes it is far easier to set the pace than try to catch up. What he should say is "For Chelsea it seems easier to lead than play catch up" - Manchester United can win the league coming from behind or by leading !! We are not fussy either way !!

Lampard said: "It is a nice gap for us. It is far from over, but in the last two years it's been the other way round. We've been five points behind them and it is not easy. When you are chasing, you really can't afford to lose games. It is certainly easier when you are making the pace, because the points give you a bit of security. You have to remember Liverpool are neck and neck with us. But Man United and Arsenal, who are always big contenders, are those few points behind. It is not easy to chase, the pressure builds up and if you drop points you fall further behind. It's difficult either way, because the big four don't lose too many games or drop too many points. You certainly don't want to be too far behind at this point. We did it last year and we made a lot of ground up. But in the end we lost the title by two points, so it feels nice to be in the lead."Given the fact Manchester United will have played so many hard games away from home by the time December comes around........I would not be surprised if they put on an almighty surge after New Year and remain undefeated until May !! We'll see Frank, we'll see !! .....Back To Home Page

Axel Witsel

Bolton Wanderers thought they had found a future super star and crept in to buy him while no one else noticed. The player in question is Axel Witsel of Standard Liege.

On 17th September 2006 a 17 year old Witsel made his debut in a competitive game against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour in the 89th minute. Eleven days later he made his European debut as a substitute against Chorley Fc.

During the 2007-2008 season, at 18 years of age, he was a key member in the team that won the Belgian League title. During this year, he formed the very young midfield together with other Belgian talents such as Marouane Fellaini (19 at the time, and now of Premier League club Everton) and Steven Defour (also 19 at the time).

He is named after Axl Rose, the musician from Guns n Roses. His father, a former footballer himself, is a huge fan of the rock group and named his son, whose full name is Axel Sweet Child O' Mine Witsel, after the hard-rocking frontman.

Manchester City and Manchester United have now joined the battle for Witsel after Bolton Wanderers were linked with a £6 million offer for the teenager last week. However, Belgian sources say both Manchester clubs have intimated they're willing to pay £9 million to bring Witsel to England in January.....Back To Home Page

The Premier League Fixture List Is A Farce !

I would have thought the FA or whoever makes the fixture list would take into account the Champions League fixtures of the teams involved before they "throw together" their fixture list for the season. Last season was mystifying when they put Manchester United at home against Manchester City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Munich. Common sense tells you that was not wise. As it happens it turned out OK but not by good judgement, it was more by luck.

So when the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool represent this country in the Champions League why oh why don't the FA help them out, encourage them and at least try and eleviate some of the travelling problems ? Take this season for example - All six of United’s six Champions League group matches have been or will be followed by tough away assignments – against Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur – and Ferguson believes that the situation is unfair, even though he said that fatigue did not appear to be a contributing factor on Saturday.

“They say the league is not handicapped, but I’m not so sure,” Ferguson said. “Having every game away from home following a European tie is not easy. Going from Celtic on Wednesday to play at Arsenal the following Saturday lunchtime is hard, although, funnily enough, I didn’t think it was a problem on this occasion.”

Chelsea have four nice cushy home games after their Champions League games and Liverpool find themselves at home for five of their games - it's hard enough to win the Premier League and Champions League in one season, United being the only team to have done it in the Premiership, so why do the FA try to make it even harder ? .....Back To Home Page

Karim Benzema For Sale ?

Lyon aren't big enough or succesful enough to hold on to Karim Benzema it's as simple as that ! They might not like people saying this but the truth hurts. Benzema is too good and too big a character to even want to stay there in my opinion. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been alerted that Karim Benzema will be up for grabs next summer.

I personally think Lyon have finally accepted they cannot hang on to the talented striker and will accept bids in the region of £20million, unless one of these crzy bidding circuses begins. Fergie should stick to £20m tops and not bother trying a bidding war. I'd love Benzema at Old Trafford but we don't NEED him. Barcelona and Real Madrid will also be interested.....Back To Home Page

Manchester United Part Of The Scramble For Schneiderlin

Southampton's French teenager Morgan Schneiderlin is a target for Premiership clubs Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. Spurs are also following the former Strasbourg midfielder. Schneiderlin has made a big impact on the South Coast and that has alerted United and Spurs, while Fulham are also thought to be prepared to offer £5million for the France Under-19 captain.

He has represented his country at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels, and has also captained the under-18 side. He moved from RC Strasbourg to Southampton on 27 June 2008, having signed a four-year contract in a deal that could rise to €1.5m, or £1.2m. He joined Southampton despite receiving an offer from local rivals Portsmouth, and with interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelski. He made his debut in the 2-1 defeat away to Cardiff City and has kept his place in the first team. The lengthening queue of clubs means Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will have to bring forward his planned move for Schneiderlin, even though a rookie defensive midfielder would not seem to be at the top of an Emirates wanted list.....Back To Home Page

Arsene Wenger Says United Are A "Great" Team

Two goals from Samir Nasri gave The
Arse a 2-1 win over Manchester United
at the Emirates Stadium, in a match
Wenger admits his side simply needed
to win.

Talking to Sky Sports he said: "It was
of course vital to win, overall, it was a
great football game. Both teams really
went for it. I knew today that was a
big game for the future of the team.
We needed to keep in the race and know
we can win big games. Man United are
a great side and they created chances
but didn't take them. We took our
chances today.” .....Back To Home Page

Owen Goes To The Good Ol' USA For Treatment

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is flying to the United States to visit Dr Richard Steadman, the renowned knee specialist. A course of injections has done nothing to free Hargreaves of an injury that, in April, he claimed he might never be rid of, and, after visits to specialists in Sweden and London over the past ten days failed to provide any fresh answers, United decided to send the 27-year-old to Colorado to see Dr Steadman as fears grow for his future at Old Trafford.

“We have been trying to manage the situation, but we haven't been able to come up with an answer,” Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, said. “Owen has been frustrated and patient, but we have never really got to the bottom of his problem. We need to speed that up now, which is why we have sent him to the best available people in order to get a general opinion about where we go from here.” ....Back To Home Page

Alex Ferguson Furious With Jibes At Wenger !

Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at Manchester United fans for targeting Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. “It should stop," said Ferguson.

“There’s been a focus on fans’ behaviour and the chants towards Arsene Wenger and other managers. It’s ridiculous and I think the police should be doing more. They should be stepping in. Manchester United and their supporters should know very well the chants that have been levelled at us over the years — ie Munich — and understand the sensitivity, and the criticism directed at members of the club itself. I don’t agree with it at all and hopefully our fans appreciate it comes to me too. I hope other clubs share the same views I do. There is enough to admire in our game without having to denigrate people.” .....Back To Home Page

Arsenal 'v' Manchester United Team News

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes could be back in action for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan next month. Scholes was ruled out for 10 weeks when he suffered knee ligament damage against Aalborg in September but has returned to light training and could potentially make his comeback against Tottenham on December 13 before flying to the Far East.

The former England star joins another long-term absentee Owen Hargreaves on the sidelines for the trip to Arsenal, while Wes Brown has also been ruled out for another week as he rests an ankle problem. Darren Fletcher (knee) is a doubt but captain Gary Neville is fit.

Arsenal forward Robin van Persie is suspended. Emmanuel Adebayor (ankle) and Emmanuel Eboue (knee) will miss out, along with long-term absentees Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo. Late checks will be made on Mikael Silvestre (nose), William Gallas (hamstring), Bacary Sagna (ankle) and Theo Walcott (shoulder).

Teams:

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Fabianski, Diaby, Sagna, Fabregas, Toure, Nasri, Gallas, Vela, Walcott, Denilson, Ramsey, Song, Silvestre, Wilshere, Gibbs, Djourou, Clichy, Bendtner.

Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, Neville, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Gibson, Possebon, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Park, Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez......Back To Home Page

Do Or Die Time For The Arse

Arsenal could drop right out of the race for the Premier League title unless they get a result from the game against Manchester United. If they lose at home to Manchester United on Saturday I don't rate their chances of getting back into the thick of things personally. Half the problem is that Arse Wenger is too busy complaining that his players are being unfairly treated by referees and opponents.

A loss at Emirates Stadium would leave the Gunners four points behind the defending champions, with Chelsea and Liverpool both possibly moving nine points ahead.

"It's a massive game of massive importance for us," Wenger said. "Manchester United-Arsenal is always a special one. It's important for us that we do well in the big games in this league now."

Arsenal have failed to win their last three matches - drawing 4-4 with Tottenham after leading 4-2 in the final minute, losing 2-1 at Stoke and then being held 0-0 at home by Fenerbahce in the Champions League - and Wenger says his players are receiving lots of unfair challenges. "In the second half, we dropped physically and were less dangerous from then on, we were not sharp enough to put our strikers into good positions. You expect us to make chances in the last 20 minutes and this didn't come because physically we didn't have the resources."

Wenger said Stoke injured three of his players yet referees are penalising his team by being too quick to give yellow cards. "Look at the fair play table. Who is top? Arsenal," he said. "Look at the team that makes less fouls. Arsenal. (Yet) who gets more yellow cards after four or five fouls Arsenal. Some teams get their first yellow cards after 15 fouls." A glance at the head-to-heads between the big four rivals suggests the early advantage lies with Liverpool. Rafa Benitez' team, with an apparently easy home game against next-to-last West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, have beaten Man United at home and Chelsea away this season. Chelsea have drawn 1-1 at home with Man United, but this is Arsenal's first game against any of the other three and they can't afford to lose otherwise they will lose touch with them all.

With the game at Arsenal in mind, United started with strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench, but both were needed in the second half of a 1-1 draw at Celtic in the Champions League as the Red Devils required a late equaliser by Ryan Giggs. Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 42 goals for us helped capture the Premier League and Champions League titles last year, is gunning for a third championship in a row and sees a victory at Arsenal as a big step forward.

"We want to win the title so we have to get three points there, I don't know if it is tough for them at the moment but they will still have 11 players, the same as us, and I know it will be difficult because it always is."

Leading Liverpool on goal difference, Chelsea visit Blackburn on Sunday hoping to recover from Tuesday's 3-1 Champions League loss at AS Roma. Luiz Felipe Scolari's stars have won all five Premier League games on the road with 14 goals scored and only one conceded. Liverpool needed a disputed injury-time penalty by Steven Gerrard to salvage a 1-1 Champions League draw at home to Atletico Madrid. Their last Premier League game was a 2-1 loss at Tottenham after going ahead. The dippers could have striker Fernando Torres back to play West Brom, however, and maintain the pressure on the Blues.....Back To Home Page

The Fat Argy Visits Manchester United

That big fat Argentinian bloke has paid a visit to Manchester
United's training ground as part of a whistle-stop tour of the
north-west as he takes the first steps in his role as national
team coach. Maradona was the shocking recent appointment
as Argentina boss but has already identified United striker
Carlos Tevez and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano as
key men in his revolution. Hardly rocket science is it so he is
doing well so far ! His mission begins with a friendly against
Scotland at Hampden Park on November 19.

It is expected Maradona, who has never been forgiven in
England for his 'Hand of God' goal en route to Argentina's
1986 World Cup triumph, will meet both players, plus their
respective managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez,
having already visited Real Madrid's Argentinian stars this
week.

Warm welcome: Sir Alex Ferguson greets Maradona at United's
training ground

The arrival of Maradona in Manchester will no doubt delight
Ferguson, who spoke warmly of his talents last week. However,
the United manager's biggest concern ahead of tomorrow's
meeting with Arsenal will be to reassure Tevez of his Old
Trafford future.

Maradona meets the rest of Manchester United's line-up

The former West Ham player has been consigned to a bit-part
role in United's season so far and looked distinctly unimpressed
when he was replaced by Wayne Rooney in the Champions
League draw at Celtic on Wednesday.

Maradona meets the Roon

Tevez keen to impress new boss

Maradona wants to speak with Tevez about his
role at the club, although a contract is yet to be
confirmed with the striker......Back To Home Page

Arsenal Next - Bring It On !!

Doesn't Sir Alex look just happy here ? Not surprising really when he gets to have a crack at the crumbling Arsenal this week. Arsenal are going through a sticky patch, goals and points are drying up and injuries are mounting, so it is not the best time to entertain title rivals Manchester United on Saturday.

A home defeat by Hull City is enough to get the tears flowing for The Arsenal and last week's shipping of two late goals to allow local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to grab a famous 4-4 draw both undermined the "Fortress Emirates" mentality. That was followed by another defeat at Stoke City and Wednesday's goalless home draw with Fenerbahce in the Champions League, a team they thumped 5-2 away last month.

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor will miss Saturday's game with an ankle injury, winger Theo Walcott is doubtful with a shoulder problem and Robin van Persie is suspended. Without their first-choice strike duo, Wenger is likely to turn to 19-year-old Carlos Vela, who played the last 30 minutes on Wednesday, and Nicklas Bendtner, hardly ideal against the Champions of Europe.

That lack of depth has left Arsenal exposed but Wenger, instead of looking to his own selections and dealings, or otherwise, in the close-season transfer market, has chosen to look elsewhere for blame. Increasingly frustrated by the way more physical teams have been able to negate his slick-passing but lightweight side, the Frenchman this week claimed that Stoke's players had set out to deliberately hurt his players. The only thing that Stoke did to hurt his players was to allow Rory Delap to take two throw ins from which Stoke scored !!

However, he is refusing to panic. We want to be guided by the way we want to play football, our spirit and not to go over-board, we lost a game (against Stoke) but we are six points behind the leaders. It is the start of November and we have plenty of quality to get it back. United is always a massive game and Saturday is no different. But they drew also against Celtic so maybe that shows you how demanding the Premier League is."

Another defeat could stretch that gap to nine and see Chelsea, Liverpool and United pulling clear. Although United needed a late Ryan Giggs header for their point at Celtic Park, their multi-pronged attack again looked extremely dangerous. Soft defending allowed Hull to score three at Old Trafford last week but United bagged four. Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are all starting to find the net regularly and Carlos Tevez is also showing some sharpness after spending time on the bench. A point ahead of Arsenal and with a game in hand, an away victory for United, something they have managed in the league just once in 10 years, would leave the Gunners in real trouble.

Chelsea, who returned to the top last week on goal difference with a 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland, are at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday while Liverpool, stunned 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur, are at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.....Back To Home Page

Fergie To Raid Spurs Again

It's time for Spurs to pull up the draw bridge, build a moat around White Hart Lane and get the troops armed and ready for action because Fergie is on his way back to raid their stock of players again !!! Manchester United are keen on Welsh International Gareth Bale according to The Daily Mail.

19-year-old Bale only arrived at Spurs in 2007 from Championship side Southampton, but his ability to play either as a left-back or further up the field has attracted the attention of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who could make a move for the Welshman as early as January.

Should the European Champions follow up their reported interest in January then new Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is likely to want to make a considerable profit on the £10million the North London club paid Southampton. With it believed that Redknapp has already started sounding out possible alternatives for Bale should he decide to make the move from White Hart Lane to Old Trafford.

However, Tottenham are likely to resist any move for Bale by United, having already seen England International Michael Carrick move to the Red Devils in 2006 and more recently star-striker Dimitar Berbatov this summer. Bale has only made 16 league appearances for Tottenham since his move from Southampton due to a series of injuries and had to sit out most of the last Premiership season, but is under contract at White Hart Lane until 2012, having signed a new four-year deal in August.....Back To Home Page

I Don't Hate Liverpool ........

I have an admission to make. I do not hate and have never hated Liverpool Football Club. Most probably because I just don't seem to think about them to be honest. I do not hate them simply because I have never been in fear of or intimidated by the institution/propaganda machine of Liverpool, the second most successful club in England for the past 20 years !!! I believe it was George Bernard Shaw who wrote that ‘Hatred is the cowards revenge for being intimidated,’ and for the last ten years since I followed United I have failed to subscribe to the hype from down the other end of the M62.

I have been amused and bemused by Liverpool’s obsession and hatred of all things Manchester United - but never have I been intimidated ! This enmity of course is based on success and which club is the biggest, most famous, most successful. Well I can answer that quite easily. Manchester United have the biggest ground, Manchester United have the biggest turnover, Manchester United have the better players and for the past 20 years Manchester United have had by far the most success - for someone who does not know who the best club has been for the past 20 years you’d have to ask an Eskimo which club is the most famous! It’s reminiscent of two heavy-weights slugging it out on the ropes looking for the knockout punch that never comes and the referee declares a draw.

This bitterness and rancour is purely a modern phenomenon. When it comes to football however both clubs are remarkably similar. Both have been touched by tragedies. Both were built up by Scots from mining stock that fashioned their respective clubs in their image. Their legacy can still be felt in the corridors of both stadiums! Bill Shankly and Matt Busby both have statues erected in their honour and you can feel them watching over the empires they built, like guardian angels! Liverpool fans perception is that the media has never given their achievements the credit they deserve whereas United success since the 90’s has been totally overstated. The ‘theatre of dreams’ tag and the Hollywood style film premiere of ‘Beyond the Promised Land’ about the 1999 season being two examples of brilliant marketing used by United that Liverpool failed to utilise in their time at the top !

……….and who can they blame but themselves ???

No I don’t hate Liverpool because they certainly don’t intimidate me - or SAF - or any Manchester United player or staff member………

I actually feel sorry for them these days because it must be so hard to sit in the shadows of Manchester United for 20 years and win a handful of trophies while United stack them higher and higher.....Back To Home Page

Manchester United 'v' Celtic

Go to Glasgow, beat Celtic and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League !! Easy !!! It's not easy though, not when you take into account the 12th man of Celtic. Their fanatical and passionate supporters. But Sir Alex is well aware the European champions will face a hostile reception at Celtic Park and he says they must deal with that and a likely attacking approach from the SPL giants.

Celtic managed a 1-0 home win over United in the competition two years ago and Ferguson knows that could boost Gordon Strachan's men ahead of the game.

"There is no question about how they are going to set out and the crowd will help them with that. We have to control that, Celtic will be chastened by the result last time; but obviously with their support they will be very, very determined, and that's one of the issues we will have to deal with. I thought we did that last time at Celtic Park, but then the lad scores a wonder goal." ..... Back To Home Page

United Guys Pull A Prank On Sweaty Ronnie !

Manchester United teammates pulled a prank on Cristiano Ronaldo over his sweaty armpits!

Team-mates filled his training room locker with cans of deodorant and aftershave when the Manchester United ace was pictured by the Mirror sweating through a jacket on a night out.

Ex-United striker Brian McClair, now its youth academy director revealed: “As he is never one for getting to training early, he found this picture copied all over the dressing-room. When he opened his locker, all the deodorants and perfumes fell out. He was not amused!”

I'd recommend Hugo Boss myself, I find it a bit of a turn on, lovely smell and all that......but that's another story.....Back To Home Page

United In A Dash To Sign Adem Ljajic

Manchester United must move quickly to land Partizan Belgrade starlet Adem Ljajic.

He is a Serbian attacking or right midfielder for Serbian Superliga club FK Partizan, considered one of Serbia's biggest talents and his abilities have led to him being nicknamed Little Kaka.

Ljajić made an appearance for Partizan in the first leg of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League on July 29, 2008, entering the match as a second-half substitute. He made a second substitute appearance in the second leg and another substitute appearance in the second leg of the 3rd qualifying round. He is the first Partizan player to wear the number 22 since Sasa Ilic left in 2005.

The 17 year-old midfielder had recent trials at Old Trafford, but it's emerged Real Madrid have also been in contact. Manchester United remain in the boxseat for Ljajic, however, with Partizan eager to secure a relationship with the European champs.....Back To Home Page

Fergie Has Fallen Out With Sky TV As Well Now !!

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has not
spoken to the BBC for years now, he refuses outright
to even say a single word to them after they made
some rather bizarre comments about his son Jason
and some transfer dealings in a documentary. Now
it seems Sky TV have upset him. The Sun says
Ferguson snubbed Sky after Paul Merson blasted
striker Wayne Rooney live on air.

The Manchester United boss boycotted the usual
post-match interview after pundit Merson said
Rooney deserved to be sent off in Saturday’s 4-3
win over Hull. Former Arsenal star Merson made
the comments on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday
show. Given the amount he has been seen to drink
in the past can we be sure he could see that far !!

After seeing Roo get a yellow card for lashing out
at George Boateng and Andy Dawson, Merson said:
“He should’ve been sent off.” As a result, Fergie
refused to speak with Sky reporters after the game.
Fergie was involved in a F-word tunnel bust-up
with Sky’s Geoff Shreeves in 2006. It just means
Mike Phelan better get used to doing more interviews
I guess.....Back To Home Page

United Have Plenty Of Motivation According To Carrick

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick believes there's great motivation inside the dressing room to successfully defend their Champions League crown.

"No-one has won the Champions League twice in a row before but that is the goal," said Carrick. "We set ourselves high standards and we have done it once. Why not again ? There is no doubt the possibility of winning it again will drive us on this season. I have been at United for a couple of years now and know that winning things just makes you want to win more. It is not a case of thinking we have won the Champions League or I have done the Premier League, I will settle for that at the end of my career. I want to do it again and again. Moscow seems to pop up wherever you go now but in some ways you want to put it at the back of your mind because it doesn't really count for much now. It is nice to reflect on because it was such a special night but all that matters is being there in Rome at the end of May." .....Back To Home Page

Manchester United Told "Hands Off" !!

Hoffenheim have no plans to sell in-form striker Vedad Ibisevic, who has reportedly been interesting fellow Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich and Premiership giants Manchester United.

The 24-year-old Bosnia international has been in sensational form this season and has powered the south-German club ahead of Bayern and Hamburg in only their first season in the top flight. His 13 goals so far see Ibisevic sit atop Bundesliga's scoring chart and also attracted the attention of bigger clubs with a report in the Mail Online claiming that Bayern's former World Cup winner Paul Breitner watched him in Hoffenheim's 3-0 win over Hamburg, as did United representatives.

However, billionaire software maker Dietmar Hopp, who finances the club, has dismissed the possibility of cashing in on one of their assets.

He is quoted as saying: “I have not invested so much in my club to allow others to come along and start picking off our best players. All the players are under contract and are part of an exciting project. We don't need the money, and we won't be selling anyone.” .....Back To Home Page

Heinze Talking S*** Again !!

Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze has hit out at Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Heinze has reacted to recent comments made by Fergie about Real and also the Argentine's move last year. Heinze said: “I do not know if it is true or lies, but what is for sure is that it is sad that such an experienced character as Ferguson says stupid things. You can understand if a fan or a player says that, but hearing it from such an experienced person is not normal. Ferguson has earned respect on and off the pitch....And facts speak for themselves: why did he allow me to leave whereas he would have preferred to keep me ? I gave the maximum during three years there."

I find it hilarious he calls Fergie stupid. He asks "Why did he allow me to leave whereas he would have preferred to keep me". Well, as far as I can recall, Heinze was whining and moaning about how he wanted to go and play for Liverpool. He was parading around like some prima donna declaring how he could go where he likes and blah, blah, blah !! So after all that nonsense why on earth would Fergie want to keep him ? If we need to calculate stupidity Mr Heinze - why don't we compare trophies between your good self and Mr Ferguson. Fergie has 10 Premier League Titles and........ actually that's enough to beat you !!! STFU Heinze, we've heard enough of you dross and drivvle !!!! .....Back To Home Page

A Message To You Calderon !!

Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped a big hint he sees his long-term future
at Manchester United. The Portuguese star was linked with a £80m
move to Real Madrid last summer but stayed after a last-ditch change
of heart — and boss Alex Ferguson’s refusal to sell. Now after last
term’s League and Champions League double, Ronaldo says he can
fulfil his ambitions at United.

He said: “Last season was the best moment of my career but I know
I can get even better. I want to score more, win more trophies. I’m
at the right club for that. Last season enabled me to achieve great
things on many levels and I’m really happy. I’m lucky as I have a
great relationship with everyone at United.” .....Back To Home Page

A Warning From Vidic !!

Nemanja Vidic has warned his Manchester United team-mates there must be no repeat of the defensive shambles that almost caused total humiliation at Old Trafford on Saturday. Given enough time Hull could well have hauled Manchester United back to 4-4 !!

When Vidic side-footed home Wayne Rooney's corner an hour into the Premier League encounter to make it 4-1 no-one imagined United would end up clinging on for a 4-3 win ! Yet that is exactly what happened as Bernard Mendy hauled the Hull City back into it with a well-taken effort before earning the penalty Geovanni rammed home to test the United's nerves. In the end, the damage was no greater than a failure to give their goal difference a shove in the right direction. But Vidic knows United were perilously close to a draw that would have been disastrous for their title aspirations.

"That must not happen again. Nobody could believe it. I wouldn't say the last few minutes were hard, but we were under pressure. We should not be losing goals like that. There is no need to worry but we have to think about it because we must erase the mistakes." .....Back To Home Page

Manchester United & Arsenal To Battle For Dominic Vose, Maybe !

Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson are in a
battle to sign teen sensation Dominic Vose.

The 15-year-old, on Fulham's books, has been
called the new Paul Scholes because of his
ability to score from midfield. I'm not quite
sure how this makes him the new Paul Scholes
as the majority of midfielders tend to score goals
but this is how the newspapers work these days
I guess. If he scored once and plays in midfield
then watch out Paul Scholes you're no longer
needed !! Whatever !!!

He spent last week at Manchester United and
this week trains with Arsenal. No doubt he'll
choose the one with the biggest signing on fee
and that will be that. As for any pictures or
video of the guy......nothing sorry ......

Apparently Fulham will want a hefty compensation
fee !! I'd never have guessed !! ...Back To Home Page

Manchester United 4 - 3 Hull City Extended Highlights Video

.....Back To Home Page

Half Time - Manchester United 3 - 1 Hull City

A Cristiano Ronaldo double gave Hull City a glimpse of the real gulf in the Premier League as Manchester United opened up a 3-1 half-time lead at old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney returned for United as Hull made their first league visit to Old Trafford for 33 years. Rooney replaced Carlos Tevez, one of four changes to Sir Alex Ferguson's side, with Michael Carrick making only his third start of the season after recovering from ankle and foot injuries.

Hull City chief Phil Brown was forced to bring in Bryan Hughes for suspended skipper Ian Ashbee as the visitors looked to emulate their remarkable victory at Arsenal. Brown stuck to his normal attacking philosophy, with Geovanni operating just behind Marlon King and Daniel Cousin. He was soon forced into a rethink though as the visitors fell behind within three minutes. When Ronaldo flicked a pass to Dimitar Berbatov, not only did no-one close down the Bulgarian, Ronaldo was left on his own as well to collect the return pass.

By the time Hull were alive to the danger, the FIFPro world player of the year had spun inside the area and found the net with a precise finish that bounced in off Boaz Myhill's left-hand post.
Geovanni rocketed a free-kick high over the bar as Hull sought an instant reply, although Ronaldo threatened greater danger with an effort which bounced around inside the area before Michael Turner cleared. A brilliant bit of skill from Berbatov released Nani down the left flank but Kamil Zayatte was able to nod away before Ronaldo finished from close range.

Gary Neville outmuscled King to prevent the striker controlling a cross from former United defender Paul McShane but the hosts were soon on the attack again, Zayatte needing to slide in on Rooney to prevent the England man presenting Berbatov with a clear sight of goal. Rooney, needing one for his 100th club goal, flashed a shot just over from the edge of the area as United continued to dominate.

Turner became the first man in referee Mike Dean's book for a late tackle on Nani. But it was Nemanja Vidic's tug on King near the touchline that had far greater repercussions, as Andy Dawson curled the free-kick into the United box. Cousin leapt highest to steer an excellent header into the far corner beyond Edwin van der Sar's despairing dive.

Hull were enjoying themselves, although they were fortunate Zayatte was able to stick out a leg and stop Rooney reaching Ronaldo with a through ball after Geovanni had gifted possession to the hosts on halfway. It was a let off for the visitors but they did not survive again a minute later as Vidic and Rooney set up a counter-attack in which Berbatov played a leading role. Once again, the Hull marking was slack as Carrick charged up in support. After collecting Berbatov's short pass, Carrick was allowed to reach the edge of the area before McShane closed him down.
By then it was too late as the midfielder rifled home a shot off the same post Ronaldo benefited from earlier. Ronaldo then brought an excellent save out of Myhill with a fierce drive before the Hull keeper flew out to smother before the Portugal star could reach Rooney's through ball.

Rio Ferdinand created half an opening for Ronaldo before Nani fired over. Rooney had a goal correctly disallowed for offside, then nodded over from six yards. But United were on the trail of more goals and when Nani floated a corner to the near post, Ronaldo rose to head home.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney.

Subs: Foster, Giggs, Park, Rafael Da Silva, O'Shea, Fletcher, Tevez.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Marney, Hughes, Boateng, Geovanni, King, Cousin.

Subs: Duke, Barmby, Garcia, Mendy, Halmosi, Folan, Ricketts.

Kuszczak Trying To Make The Most Of Every Opportunity

It was a bitter-sweet outing for Tomasz Kuszczak against West Ham on Wednesday night as the scramble to get in Manchester United's goal turns into a crush.

With Ben Foster fit again and Edwin van der Sar showing no sign of relinquishing his status as United number one despite celebrating his 38th birthday, Kuszczak knows his opportunities to impress are going to be limited.

So, having been drafted into Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up for Wednesday night's encounter with West Ham at Old Trafford, the Poland international might have hoped to be more than a virtual bystander in a cruise for the home side.

"It is not easy when you have nothing to do, but that is how it is for a goalkeeper. You have to try hard to keep your concentration for 90 minutes. You need to do your job properly and keep a clean sheet. This is most important thing for a goalkeeper and of course very important for the team as well. It was a big day for me because I have not played for a few weeks. I hope I get another chance soon. Saturday ? Why not ?"

In truth, Van der Sar is almost certain to get his place back for the weekend visit of Hull. As luck would have it, the only other occasion the veteran Dutchman failed to make United's starting line-up this season, neither Kuszczak nor Foster were fit, with Ferguson handing Ben Amos a senior debut in the Carling Cup against Middlesbrough.

Ferguson has pencilled Foster in to play at Celtic next Wednesday, with the League Cup tie with QPR six days later offering another opportunity for one of van der Sar's deputies.

"They will all get their minutes on the clock, we have to manage the situation with Edwin because he is 38. At that age, we don't need him to play every game because we have two very capable goalkeepers in Tomasz and Ben. Having Ben fit again is an enormous boost to us because he is an outstanding goalkeeper."

Indeed, Ferguson has previously stated he rates Foster as England's best goalkeeper, an opinion the 25-year-old would surely have been able to put to the test if he had not spent the last 18 months on the treatment table, first with a cruciate knee ligament injury, then an ankle problem.

Foster has already proved his talent in two spells at Watford, so it is hardly a surprise Harry Redknapp should be thinking about getting him to Tottenham. However, such a move would be tantamount to an admission of failure by Ferguson, which appears unlikely at this stage. It is a delicate balancing act for Fergie, who handed Kuszczak a two-year contract extension last month that will keep him at United until 2012, especially as van der Sar remains hungry as ever.

"The hunger is still there to win as many trophies as possible," said the 'keeper whose penalty save from Nicolas Anelka won United the Champions League last season. You know when you come to a club like this you will be challenging for trophies and we have been lucky enough to win a few over the last few years."

The three-way battle is mirrored at right-back where Wes Brown, Gary Neville and teenage gatecrasher Rafael are competing for a single spot, while midfield presents a problem now Michael Carrick has recovered from ankle and foot injuries and made a substitute appearance against the Hammers. There is also the conundrum up front where, it seems Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov are fighting it out for only two spaces.

"Three players just won't fit into two positions," reflected Fergie, "I could play all three," he added. It may lack balance at times but Rooney could play anywhere so it is an option." .....Back To Home Page