Manchester United Wage Bill Is Now Huge

If you want the best in football then you must invest plenty of cash and no one can accuse Manchester United of not doing that, their wage bill is now a stunning £121 million.

The Sun says United's wage bill has increased from £92 million per year last year to £121 million now. This is an increase of 30%.

The rise comes after improved deals for Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

United’s Premier League and Champions League Double last season saw them splash £13.3m in bonuses, compared to £8.6m the previous year and now Chief executive David Gill is United’s best-paid non-playing or non-coaching employee on £1.7m a year.

The champions are still second in the big spenders table with Chelsea’s bill at £148m — a rise of 12 per cent.....

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Fergie: Two More Champions Leagues Then I Quit

Alex Ferguson has won everything, several times over, but what he most craves now is more European glory. He has now stated that that he will almost certainly retire as manager of Manchester United should he lead the club to the Champions League trophy in 2009 and 2010.

Speaking with CNN he said:

"I'd love the club to win more European trophies than they have done and I think I've made this point a few times over the years. I don't think we've won the number we should have won. There have been years when we've been unlucky and years we've been disappointed, and there've been years when we've thrown games away, and that sort of gives a kaleidoscope of what football's like. If we could win a couple more European trophies I then would definitely quit.".....Back To Home Page...

Martin O'Neill In Hot Water

ASTON Villa coach Martin O'Neill has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association for his behaviour after his side's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United on Sunday.

Not surprising really as too many managers these days seem to lose their heads and go charging out to the ref to complain about decisions that have already gone, we can't rewind the clock and change anything. Why oh why don't they bide their time and write about it in their many column inches they seem to have or voice their opinions in press conferences?

The charge relates to O'Neill's conduct towards referee Mike Riley following the final whistle in the Premier League game at Old Trafford. The Northern Irishman was angered by the amount of stoppage time that Riley added on at the end of the 90 minutes.

'What was it? Five minutes added time? I'm sure we wouldn't have got it at Villa Park,' he said after Federico Macheda's 93rd-minute winner.

O'Neill also complained about what he saw as an unpunished foul on Villa winger Ashley Young in the build-up to Macheda's goal, as well as several earlier decisions.

'The officials also got three offsides wrong,' he said.

O'Neill has until April 27 to respond to the charge.....Back To Home Page...

We Must BELIEVE And The Players Must BELIEVE!

Last month Sir Alex came out on several occessions and played down any talk of the quintuple saying it was a pipe dream. Many thought he was just playing it all down, trying to take the pressure off his players. At the time United were on a run of 26 games undefeated and another run of 15 games without conceding a goal, so I was a bit unhappy with his scepticism.

But watching United play over the last month, they look they have reached the 'wall' that marathon runners talk about. One minute they were running along at the the head of the field looking fine and then suddenly, WHAM, they hit the 'wall' and their legs have gone, their heads have dropped and they seem incapable of that explosive, quick fire football that enabled them to break records and go weeks without a hint of defeat.

Against Porto last night, they got caught out by the elctric start the Portugese made. Porto charged at them like men posessed and nicked an early goal. For 20 minutes I was praying for half time to come so Fergie could work his magic.

The game finished 2-2 and now United must break another record to advance further in the Champions League. No English team has beaten Porto away from home in 16 attempts but now that is the mission facing United.

It is not impossible, far from it, but it's going to be so very hard. For a start, we need our defence to be intact and we must field Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra and maybe, just maybe the golas will stop leaking in.

In midfield we need Anderson back, he has boundless energy, there are no goals from him yet but he can bully players and lend his stregth to the cause. Paul Scholes is a living legend, some say he is too old but still I have 100% fath in him, he too must play. Alongside these two guys must be Ryan Giggs, there are no more experienced players in the world than Giggsy and for this game we need his steadying influence. Ronaldo is an automatic choice, but please God someone tell him not to be so lazy like he was against Villa, he never once tracked back to help Neville who was being killed by Carew and Agbonlahor. Up front we NEED Berbatov, desperately. You can call him lazy, uninterested or whatever else you like but that's simply not true. He is as cool as cucumber under pressure. He can hold the ball up, he can make great innovative passes and he is agreat playmaker and he scores for fun!! Alongside him is the lovable Wayne Loony. This guy is my hero. No matter how lost the cause may seem, no matter how low the players around him are, he will always give 100% and will run and run and run.

Having wrote this now, I actually feel better myself. These guys are our heroes and we love them all. They NEVER let us down and this team I have selected here CAN and WILL go to Portugal and do what no other English team has ever done before them.

The tiredness and body language of the guys last night makes it seem impossible. But we must have faith and BELIEVE.

At the end of this season, no matter what United win, someone somewhere MUST look at the fixtures situation for the Prem League. As can be sen by the sudden demise of 'invincible' United, this fixture pile up is just not good enough. United are currently beginning a run of 5 games in 14 days. No one else in the Champions League is having to face that!!!

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Lazio Accuse Manchester United Over Macheda Deal

Federico made his Manchester United debut on Sunday and it turned out to be the thing dreams are made of for the youngster as he came off the bench and scored a stunning winner against Aston Villa. But now United have been accused by Lazio of snatching away their star youngster.

Lazio, who first groomed the young striker before he moved to Manchester, have been angered by the loss of Macheda.

"All these players are robbed as a matter of course by this club," Lotito told Tuesday's Daily Mail. "They are always outside what is normal in terms of etiquette. They go to the parents and give them money and important jobs. These are boys who come from poor families. The families base their choices on economic interests. It's not moral. It is like a cattle market. The young players are treated like cattle."

Macheda himself seems more than happy at Manchester United though as he described his debut as "the day of my dreams". Surely it is the welfare of the young players that counts most, and Macheda seems more than happy with his lot.....Back To Home Page...

Fergie Admits Team Selection Was Wrong

I'm a big fan of Gary Neville's but on Sunday against Aston Villa I watched on as he was run ragged by Aston Villa. John Carew gave him a torrid time of it and not surprising really. Gary Neville, at just 5'11" against the giant Carew standing 6'4" is a mis match made in hell.

Neville has been out with an injury since January and this was his first game back so it was expecting too much of him to mark Carew and with Agbonlahor running riot down the middle too Villa seemed to be able to do as they pleased every time they attacked.

I was thinking it is Fergie's fault for this, he has asked too much of Nev on this occasion and now Fergie himself has come out and said the very same thing.

While refusing to explain his thinking in opting to start Neville in the centre and John O'Shea at right-back, Ferguson conceded on Monday that the selection was a mistake.

"I picked the wrong team, I made the wrong decision on Gary Neville. It was asking far too much of him to play against Carew and it gave us a fragile look at the back," accepted Ferguson.

The Manchester United manager also confirmed that Neville would sit out the Champions League quarter-final against Porto.

"'Vida' will play alongside Jonny Evans at the back with John O'Shea moving to right-back," he told reporters.....Back To Home Page...

Just Who Is Federico Macheda?

Federico Macheda became an instant Old Trafford hero when he scored a stunning injury-time winner on his debut against Aston Villa in April 2009.

Aged just 17, the young Italian told MUTV it was "the best day of my life".

But while that goal heralded Macheda's arrival on the biggest stage, his prowess in front of goal has been apparent ever since he arrived at United in September 2007. Indeed, just six days before his Villa winner, the boy they call "Kiko" netted a hat-trick for the Reserves in a thrilling 3-3 draw at St James' Park.

Formerly a member of Lazio's youth system, Macheda signed professional forms on 22 August 2008. A powerful forward with a natural eye for goal, he was born in Rome and is regarded in Italy as one of the most promising prospects of his generation.

Having relocated to England to further his career, Macheda has quickly moved up the ranks at United. He started out in Paul McGuinness' Under-18s side, but has become a regular in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Reserves.

He began the 2008/09 campaign with a fine goalscoring run in the youth team and quickly translated that to Reserve team football.

His strength on the ball, positional sense in the box and clinical finishing haven't gone unnoticed at the very top: Sir Alex Ferguson handed him a Champions League squad number midway through the 2008/09 campaign and then showed stunning judgement to introduce him against Aston Villa just when the Reds needed a goal most.....Back To Home Page...

Manchester United 3 - 2 Aston Villa Video Highlights

Would you believe it? I wouldn't have believed todays game if it was fiction, never mind happening right before my eyes. 80 minutes gone and playing without half of our defence in the shape of Vidic (suspended) and Rio (injured) and with Neville clearly not match fit. Add to this the absence of Rooney (suspended) and Berbatov (injured) also Paul Scholes (suspended) and 2-1 down to Aston Villa, all seemed lost. Fergie's only option was to bring on a 17 year old striker for his debut and the rest as they say is history.......watch the highlights below.



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Manchester United Line Up 'v' Villa

Talk about bad luck. Just after we lose Rooney,
Vidic and Scholes through suspension, things
have now got worse as Rio has picked up an
injury playing for bloody England in mid week.

So todays line up is probably:

Van Der Sar, Neville, O'Shea, Evans, Evra, Giggs,
Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Ronaldo and Tevez.

Ronnie up front with Tevez is not ideal as we
rarely have to resort to a set up like this.

Evans, O'Shea and Fletcher have all been called
upon again and I'm sure they wont let us down.

Just when the going gets tough, United struggle
once again this season with players missing.

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Franck Ribery To Manchester United

It has been reported that Manchester United are planning to sign Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery this summer, according to a report in the News of the World claiming that the English champions have joined the chase for the French international and will beat off competition from the likes of Barcelona and Inter to sign the 25-year-old.

The paper reports that their sources at the Nou Camp believe that the Red Devils are almost certain to capture Ribery and have already begun negotiations with the Bayern man. Ribery joined Bayern in 2007 from Marseille and has been a huge hit in the Bundesliga helping his side claim a league and cup double last season.....Back To Home Page...

Make Or Break Time For Manchester United

Manchester United play Aston Villa today and a month ago you could hardly expect that both teams would be in such poor form.

United have lost a couple of games against Liverpool and Fulham and for the majority of both games the team simply played badly. The second half against Fulham was much better as United belied having ten men only for an inspired Mark Schwartzer to make a series of saves before Fulham won the game on the break. So with United hurting after Fulham the last thing that the team needed was an international break, or was it - Sir Alex Ferguson seems to think it has helped. But with Liverpool winning, ironically at Fulham, yesterday United simply must get back to winning ways or the lost momentum will probably cost us that 18th title. The loss of Scholes, Rooney and Vidic to suspension, Berbatov to injury and Tevez likely to be jetlagged suggests that other players need to step up - not least a suddenly fragile looking defence.

Aston Villa's form has collapsed as the fatigue injuries have sapped a small squad that started the season very early. Arsenal is on a powerhouse run but Villa must retain the pressure because Arsenal have a very tough run-in including games against the top three. If Villa remains in touch with them there may yet be opportunities to overtake them. Unfortunately Everton is also catching up so Villa need to stop a run of three straight defeats today to give some hope that the long chase for the Champions' League could have a happy ending.....Back To Home Page...

Aston Villa Up Against It

Martin O'Neil's Aston Villa are 7-1 to beat Manchester United. On Sunday two teams in poor form meet at Old Trafford and the stakes could not be higher for either side. Between them they've leaked 16 goals during their last 3 league games and mustered just one victory.

Villa are fading out of contention for Champions league qualification having picked up just 1 point from their last 15 available and recent history between the 2 sides does not give Villa fans cause for optimism. The point gained by Villa in their goalless draw against the champions earlier in the season was the first point taken from this fixture in the last 12 premiership games between the 2 sides, home or away. Less shamedly Villa have failed to register a victory versus Man Utd at Old Trafford since the Premiership began.

Things get worse for Villa when you consider Man Utd have won all of their games against sides occupying 5th-8th in the Premiership since 2006/7. Man Utd's record against sides this season that fulfill this profile is played 3 won 3, conceded 0 and all 3 games have been won HT/FT. Similarly, last season Man Utd won 5/8 to nil and 6/8 HT/FT.

Despite boasting the Premierships 3rd best away record Villa have failed to score and lost 3 of their last 4 games against top 4 sides and have failed to score in 9 of their last 13 league games against Man Utd.

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Usain Bolt To Sign For Manchester United

Well, maybe not but he has been signed up to do some sprint training with them after Ronaldo had asked him for some tips on speed. Sprint champ Usain Bolt will work with Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo next month.

Bolt, who won the sprint double in Beijing last summer, has been signed up to compete in an innovative 150metre street race in Manchester on May 17, but United fan Bolt plans to visit the Carrington training ground two days earlier after being asked for tips on running by Ronaldo.

He will also attend the clash between United and Arsenal on May 16 — and be welcomed on the Old Trafford pitch at half-time.

The Jamaican, 22, said: “I’m looking forward to giving Ronaldo a few tips so United have the edge over Arsenal. Maybe he can give me some football tips at the same time. I’m a left-footer and with my pace maybe I can speak to Sir Alex Ferguson and see what he can do for me.”

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Brazilian Ace On The Brink Of Manchester United Move

As I have reported before, Douglas Costa is high on Manchester United's shopping list and they are favourites to sign him after Villarreal pulled out of the race to sign him.

The Gremio winger, dubbed the new Ronaldinho, was reportedly on the verge of sealing a move to Spain in the summer but Villarreal chief executive Jose Luis Llaneza has ruled out the possibility of signing him.Costa has a contract at Gremio until 2013 but an offer of around £12million is likely to be enough to sign the 18-year-old.

Real Madrid are also interested but the exciting South American prospect is rumoured to prefer a move to Old Trafford and link up with fellow countryman Anderson.

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Anderson Picks Up Injury Ahead Of Villa Showdown

Manchester United’s Anderson is in doubt for this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa after picking up an injury while on international duty with Brazil.

Anderson was set to step into the suspended Paul Scholes’ position on the weekend but will definitely miss this club game as well as Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Peru on Wednesday.

A statement on the Brazilian Football Confederation's website said: "The player, under the assistance of team doctor Jose Luis Runco, had an MRI scan on Tuesday afternoon in which the strain was confirmed.

"The player has started recovery treatment.".....Back To Home Page...