mancheaster united

2010-05-31T01:20:00.003-07:00

Friday, May 28, 2010

United to sign Javier Hernandez

Hi guys, I'm gonna tell all my United fans about a new rumour. It seems that Javier Hernandez from Mexico could sign for Manchester United next season.

The 22-years-old striker had agreed new terms with United and passed a medical in April. United has not said anything about fees but it could be £ 6-8m.

He will officially join The Red Devils on 1 July. Sir Alex has said some words about Hernandez "He has been in prolific form for both his club and his country, he will be a great addition to our squad."

Javier Hernandez is scheduled to join Ferguson's squad in mid-July for the Philadelphia leg of United's pre-season tour of the United States and Canada. And on 30 July he is scheduled to appear against his former club Chivas in a match to open their new 45,000-seat stadium.

Source: BBC Sport

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Dimitar Berbatov will stay @ OT

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that Manchester United have no intention of selling Striker Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian striker has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford following his £30.75million move from Tottenham in August 2008.

He has managed to score just 26 goals in two seasons.

But boss Fergie has no plans to offload the "fantastic" 29-year-old.

He said: "No, no, definitely not.

"There is speculation about Berbatov but we know he's a good player.

"He is a fantastic footballer and he'll be with us next year."

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Preview: United v Stoke (9.5.10)

Hi, my United's followers, What's up? This Sunday is the final game for United. And Rio Ferdinand talked about it and said 'We are not finished yet' and I think the same thing; We could still win this premier league for a 4th consecutive year. Many of United fans already are doing online betting for United victory.

We must first focus on beating Stoke and waiting for the miracle for Chelsea loss. Wigan has a great team and it will be a strong team to beat.

Ferdinand also expressed "that we need to make sure we do our job because it would be catastrophic if we were to slip up then find out Wigan had done us a favour".

I feel we can take great pride in taking the title race to the final day after a campaign beset by injury problems, such as the goalkeeper, Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney and loads of others; is a great testament to our character.

We always go to the end of matches, that shows our heart and determination... We'll be going to the end of the season, too.

So, What do you think about this final of the season for United? Have you say!

Writer: Pablo Grippo, a passionate United fan.

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

United target Modric

According to The Sun, that man is 24-year-old Tottenham midfielder Modric.

The Red Devils are said to be lining up a £25 million bid for the diminutive Croatian midfielder who Ferguson praised in the programme notes at the recent United v Spurs game when he said: "And I give you another wee man who'll be at Old Trafford this afternoon: Luka Modric, who is playing out of his skin at the moment."

Tottenham will no doubt try and bat off the advances of their Premier League rivals, but United have managed to prise the likes of Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov away from them in recent seasons and will be confident their pockets will prove deep enough once more.

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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Manchester United v City, MUST Chubb Club, Saturday 17th April 2010

Check out this great video. It was an AMAZING VICTORY!!!

Manchester United Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, April 05, 2010

Ryan Giggs think United will raise the game against Bayern

Ryan Giggs is adamant that United can finish the job at Old Trafford next week, despite Tuesday night's disappointing defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The veteran Welsh winger said: “I am confident that we can raise our game at home. We have done it many times before and we’ll have to do it again.”

Giggs featured as a second-half substitute in Munich, coming on for Nani in the 82nd minute. By that time United had already notched up a second-minute away goal through Wayne Rooney, but Giggs feels that striking early isn’t always beneficial.

“Usually you would take an early goal, but it can work against you," he said. "We would usually try and catch the opposition on the counter attack but we didn’t keep the ball anywhere near as well as we are capable of.

“We didn’t play well and gave the ball away far too cheaply, but you have to give credit to Bayern who made it very difficult for us."

Giggs was also asked about the injury to Wayne Rooney.

"I was behind the incident so didn’t see it," said Ryan. "I didn't see him afterwards as he went straight off for treatment.

“Obviously you want your full squad fit at this time of the season as every game is massive in the run in, so we are all hoping that Wayne is fit very soon."

Source: manutd.com

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Friday, April 02, 2010

Nani ready for Chelsea challenge

Despite the disappointing display and result in Munich, Nani insists confidence is high within the United camp ahead of Saturday's title tussle with Chelsea.

One point ahead of the Blues, the Reds know victory at Old Trafford would be a huge step forward in the quest for a record fourth consecutive crown.

"It’s very important that we stay ahead of our rivals and don’t give them any encouragement," Nani told United Review.

"It will be a big result for us if we can win on Saturday. It will give us a great chance to win the league."

Hot on the heels of United's biggest game of the league campaign is the must-win return match with Bayern Munich, and Nani says everyone is fully prepared for the challenges ahead.

"It feels normal to have big game after big game at this stage of the season and I think you must enjoy the pressure," he declared.

"You’re up against big teams in the Champions League and every game in the league is important, but we all feel ready for the challenge and are determined to win everything we can."

United v Chelsea

Date: 3.4.10

Kick off: 12:45 BST

Venue: Old Trafford

Barclays Premier League

Plus note:

Manchester United have confirmed the extent of Wayne Rooney’s injury, sustained in Tuesday night’s match against Bayern Munich.

A spokesperson told ManUtd.com, “We’re pleased to report that Wayne has not suffered a fracture. The scan revealed only minor ligament damage.”

For now, the club is not commenting on how many games Wayne is likely to miss. However, Sir Alex Ferguson will say more about the matter in his regular press conference at Carrington on Friday morning (09:30 BST).

So, You don't want to miss this great match, do you? Neither do I.

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bayern Munich 2 - 1 United

Ivica Olic hit an injury-time winner to give Bayern Munich the advantage after the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United.

United took the lead after only 66 seconds when Wayne Rooney volleyed in six yards out from Nani's free-kick.

But Franck Ribery's deflected free-kick set up a dramatic finale, rounded off by Olic's cool run and finish after a defensive error by Patrice Evra.

United's misery was made complete when Rooney limped off with an ankle injury.

The England striker appeared in severe pain after turning over on his right leg in the build-up to Bayern's winner.

United will hope the injury is not too serious, as they face a crucial Premier League match against on Chelsea on Saturday as well as the return match with Bayern next week.

It had started so well for United - and Rooney - but the visitors allowed Bayern to take control of a tie which is delicately balanced ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford on 7 April.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side will comfort themselves in the knowledge that they have an away goal, but the defeat marked their first in 16 unbeaten European away matches and leaves them with plenty to do, particularly should Rooney be missing in a week's time and Bayern be boosted by the return of winger Arjen Robben after a calf problem.

Much of the talk had centred on that pair before the game, but while Robben had to watch from the stands due to injury, Rooney took no time at all to make his mark on the tie.

With barely more than a minute on the clock Nani's free-kick from the right looped off the head of Mark van Bommel and, as Martin Demichelis slipped in the box, Rooney - in acres of space - volleyed home left-footed.

It was exactly the start United boss Ferguson wanted, especially after he had admitted beforehand that he would take a goal over a clean sheet from the tie in Germany.

You can continue reading here for the full version of this article and a few more audios

Source: BBC Sports

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Monday, March 22, 2010

United 2 - 1 Liverpool

United moved back to the top of the table above Arsenal and one, significant step closer to a 19th championship and record fourth consecutive Premier League title with this well-deserved 2-1 win over fierce rivals Liverpool.

It was hearts-in-mouths time after just five minutes when Fernando Torres put the visitors in front with a free header. But United recovered when Wayne Rooney scored the rebound from his saved penalty kick six minutes later. From then on Sir Alex Ferguson’s men dominated, and the winner arrived after an hour when Ji-sung Park’s diving header sent Old Trafford into delirious celebration.

Liverpool have won the last three of these fixtures, United suffering the ignominy of a 4-1 defeat on home turf here last season. Settling that score itself may have formed a significant part of Sir Alex’s pre-match team-talk. But there was a wider focus for United than one-upmanship over a local rival. Three points would raise the prospects of a fourth straight title and the undisputed crown of being English football's most successful team.

That fuelled the atmosphere on a bright and sunny spring day in Manchester, and whether fans were dressed in the traditional red and white or protest green and gold, everyone was united behind the team.

Sir Alex opted to stick with the formation and line-up that yielded success against Milan in Europe – a 4-5-1 formation with Rooney leading the line, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher anchoring the midfield, Park charged with hassling and harrying Steven Gerrard and co., and Antonio Valencia and Nani operating out wide.

To read all complete the article, please Click here

Source: manutd.com

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Friday, March 05, 2010

Preview: United v Wolves this Saturday

Sir Alex Ferguson is expecting a tough encounter on Saturday evening when United visit Wolves in the Barclays Premier League.

Mick McCarthy's men currently lie sixteenth in the table just a point above the drop zone having won just one of their last nine league games. And with their top-flight status very much at stake, the United boss is anticipating a tricky test at Molineux.

Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Sir Alex said: “It’s a real dog fight down there. Wolves are fighting for their lives so we expect a difficult match. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re in a situation now where we need to win all of our games."

With Chelsea in FA Cup action against Stoke City this weekend, the Reds can reclaim top spot with a draw or a win. With just ten games remaining in the title race, Sir Alex is desperate for his side to gain an advantage on Saturday.

Fellow striker Wayne Rooney is a doubt for Saturday's trip to Wolves following his exertions for England in midweek, while Jonny Evans is out after picking up an injury on international duty.

"We have to assess Wayne because he played almost 90 minutes for England the other night at Wembley, which I was disappointed in," said the boss. "When you’re playing on that pitch for almost an hour on Sunday and then nearly a full game on Wednesday, it's far too much. He's a doubt."

There was some good news, however, with confirmation that Rio Ferdinand is fit to start at Molineux. "Rio is back, which is good news. It comes at a good time with a big game against Milan next Wednesday," Sir Alex said. "Having the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership is a big boost in terms of the experience and consistency they've shown over the last few years. That will be important to us in the run-in."

The manager also confirmed that young striker Federico Macheda will start training with the first team next week.

"Going top is certainly an incentive for us and it knocks an away game off the list - we'll have just four aways after that. Winning at Wolves is a big issue for us.

“Our form is good so hopefully we can get the points we need to go top."

Source: RedView & manutd.com

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man utd

2010-05-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

osted January 29th, 2010 by red devil in Fixtures

Footie fans should earmark the upcoming Manchester United – Arsenal clash because Sir Alex Ferguson has declared that it is their “biggest game of the season.”

While the Red Devils secured a finals slot in the Carling Cup last Wednesday against Manchester City, back at the PRemier League, Chelsea was able to wrest the top position from the Reds and with still another match slated. This means that Manchester United sees the Arsenal clash as a must-win at this point. Especially since Sir Alex sees Arsenal as a big obstacle in getting a record fourth consecutive title.

A win is important since with two matches, Chelsea could potentially get four points ahead of the Red Devils, and Sir Alex doesn’t want to play catch up with a relatively big margin. And with Arsenal potentially in the running as well, they will do all they can to thwart ManU — the ingredients of an epic battle.

Tags: Arsenal · Chelsea · Manchester united

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Van der Sar best goalkeeper in the League

Posted January 28th, 2010 by red devil in News, Why MU is the Greatest

Edwin van der Sar may not be having a very stellar season right now but Sir Alex Ferguson still has a lot of confidence in him and has gone so far as to declare Van der Sar as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Van der Sar has been going through a rough patch this year because of different woes. For example, he broke two fingers during a pre season game against Bayern Munich. The injury forced him to the sidelines for two long months. He then suffered another injury when he collided with Tim Cahill of Everton last November, which put him out of action for five weeks. He was already nearing his eventual return from injury but his wife suffered a stroke, which has forced him to go on indefinite leave from the team.

Van der Sar finally made a return last January 16 in the match against Burnley, and proving how good of a goalkeeper he is Manchester United has yet to concede a goal and he has been instrumental in the Reds getting throug the Carling Cup Final.

Sir Alex said that it’s a combination of his talent, his composure under pressure and his adeptness with the football. With that kind of warm praise from Sir Alex, I’m pretty sure that Edwin van der Sar is feeling quite invincible right now. Hopefully, that feeling of invincibility will be sustained until next week because of the tough match against Arsenal.

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Manchester United 4, Hull 0

Posted January 24th, 2010 by red devil in Fixtures, Match Report, Premiership

If there’s still any doubt that Wayne Rooney can ably fill the big shoes left by Cristiano Ronaldo, it was erased with the stunning 4 – 0 routing of Manchester United against Hull. Rooney scored all four goals against Hull and this has resulted in the Red Devils speeding up the ranking tables and becoming the top team in the Premiership League.

Rooney scored the first goal a mere seven minutes into the game, with a hit on a rebound after Paul Scholes’ long range shot was saved. He would then explode with three goals that he would fire off within the span of less than ten minutes late in the game. The three goals, which came in at the 83rd, 86th and 90th minutes were astonishing and brought the Manchester United faithful to its feet. Rooney’s four goals in the game, his first ever, brings his season total to 20 goals. Rooney’s consistency has brought the Red Devils two points clear at the top of the Premiership League table.

Hopefully, Rooney’s amazing performance this season and the Red Devils enjoying the top spot will be enough to ease the tension in Old Trafford because of the debts the team is suffering from — to the tune of 700 million pounds at present.

Tags: Hull · Premiership League · wayne rooney

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O’Shea out for season

Posted January 23rd, 2010 by red devil in Injuries

Manchester United may be swooping up to the top of the Premiership League despite being plagued by injuries this season. Another player to be officially added to the growing list of injured players is John O’Shea. It has been announced that O’Shea will be missing the rest of the season because of complications that happened after he suffered a dead leg and it looks like it is far more severe than initially thought.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the injury itself is unusual because a dead leg usually lasts for just three or four days. He further revealed that the blood clot that is one of the causes of the problem has become knotted and this has caused calcification. He said that treating this will take a long process and this is the reason he will be unfit to play for the rest of the season. Sir Alex further revealed that it’s a really big blow for O’Shea given that he would’ve been a sure starter this season because of the Manchester United defense has been reduced because of injuries. O’Shea is known for being very versatile at the back and he can even play midfield, which really makes it a bigger disappointment that he’ll be gone for the season.

With the Red Devils beset by all these injuries it’s a big accomplishment for the team that it has soared to the top of the Premiership League again. Will O’Shea’s injury stop this momentum or is the team just too hot right now that one less player would hardly matter at this point? Personally, I’m hoping for the latter.

O’Shea will also miss Ireland’s friendly with Brazil at the Emirates Stadium on March 2 and a scheduled end-of-season training camp.

Ferguson says the upcoming friendly date is one that club managers could do without.

He added: “I don’t even think the international managers think they’re all that important now. They never play their full team and there’s always drop outs.”

Tags: injury. · John O'Shea

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Sir Alex dismisses Neville retirement rumors

Posted January 9th, 2010 by red devil in Gossip

Rumors that Gary Neville is planning to retire at the end of the season were immediately quashed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Neville will be celebrating his 35th birthday soon. Though he’s getting long in the tooth, he’s still not considered within retirement age. But time has not been kind to him. He has been suffering from numerous injuries over the last three seasons. Add to that his sub par performance during the absolutely devastating defeat against Leeds United, which has led to the third round exit of the Red Devils in the FA Cup and you’ll realize why the retirement rumors are so strong.

Everything will be determined this summer though. Both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have already extended their stay at Old Trafford for an additional year. We’ll find out what Neville’s decision is in a few months.

Personally, I think Neville still has a lot of years to offer Manchester United. Everything really depends on his injury situation. Hopefully, his injury problems will end this season and this will prompt him to renew his contract.

Tags: Gary Neville

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Vidic suffers injury, sidelined for at least ten days

Posted January 8th, 2010 by red devil in Injuries

Manchester United’s defensive woes continue to haunt it as defender Nemanja Vidic has been sidelined for at least ten days following an injury he suffered in his leg.

Vidic is one of the most consistent defenders in the team and his injury comes at a very bad time for the Red Devils. Vidic suffered his injury during the warm-up for the FA Cup third round match versus Leed United. The Red Devils will go on and lose 1-0 and handing Sir Alex Ferguson his first ever third round defeat in the FA Cup every since becoming United’s team manager.

Because of the injury, Vidic will definitely miss the match against Birmingham this weekend and the game against Burnley next weekend.

Vidic’s injury is just one of the many injuries the Red Devils’ defensive side has suffered this season. Vidic’s partner, Rio Ferdinand, has been sidelined for months because of his own injury problems.

We’ll see how Vidic’s problems get resolved especially since there are also rumors that he is unhappy at Old Trafford and would like to move to another team, preferably Real Madrid.

Tags: injury. · Nemanja Vidic

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Van der Sar given indefinite leave due to personal medical emergency

Posted December 26th, 2009 by red devil in News

Manchester United’s goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been announced to have been given an indefinite compassionate leave after her suffered a personal crisis. Van der Sar’s wife suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Van de Sar has not played since Manchester United’s win over Everton because of a knee injury. Because of the unfortunate medical emergency, he was allowed to go back immediately to Holland. He will just receive treatment for his knee from a Holland-based team doctor.

There is no news yet on the condition of Van der Sar’s wife. Annemarie van Kesteren is 36 years old. She is being examined to find out the cause of the problem.

Our well wishes for the speedy recovery of Annemarie.

Tags: Edwin Van der Sar

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manchester united song- fuck you all

2010-04-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Song for the champions Man United

2010-04-15T01:43:00.000-07:00

Manchester United Theme Song (Glory Glory Man United)

2010-04-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

2010-04-03T02:32:00.000-07:00

2010-04-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Rooney is World’s Best

Lionel Messi won the 2009 FIFA Player of the Year award in December. Since then, absolutely no one has been more impressive, more decisive, more significant then Wayne Rooney. We are fast approaching the final weeks of both domestic and European competitions, and Rooney’s Manchester United has successfully defended the League Cup, crawled to the top [...] Readmore

Manchester United vs AC Milan

United started with a fairly strong line-up, the strongest they could anyway. With Carrick sent off in the first leg, Sir Alex went with Park in the middle, while Nani and Valencia would use their pace down the flanks. Bookmark This Post Readmore

Giggs Breaks Arm

Photograph: Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport It has been confirmed that midfielder Ryan Giggs broke his arm last night in the match versus Aston Villa. The incident occurred early in the 72 minute in United’s 1-1 draw with Villa. Villa substitute Steve Sidwell jumped into a rash tackle and ended up kneeing Giggs across the forearm. The [...] Readmore

Manchester United sign Chris Smalling from Fulham

United has completed the signing of defender Chris Smalling on a 4 year deal worth £12 million. This deal is bringing to belief that Nemanja Vidic will be leaving in the summer. Ferguson is refusing to answer to such claims, although, with Johnny Evans already established as back-up to Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, something’s got [...] Readmore

United defeat Boca Juniors in Audi Cup!

Antonio Valencia made an impressive start to his Manchester United career as he scored in a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors in the Audi Cup in Munich. The £16 million signing from Wigan skipped past two players before drilling a low shot into the net to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute, and while Boca [...] Readmore

2010-04-01T06:10:00.001-07:00

Old heads let United down: Have United gone as far as they can in the Champions League?

It was a night that started with ecstasy, but ended in potential tragedy; that was the story of United's first leg Champions League quarter final tie with Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.

United got off to a flying start when Rooney gave the visitors a shock lead in the opening minutes. The opening goal had more than a slice of good fortune about it; the ball was floated into the Bayern penalty area from United's right flank, it was flicked on by Mark van Bommel, and then Rooney's marker Martin Demichelis slipped, leaving the United striker unmarked and he made no mistake from Nani's free-kick, from close-range.

Bayern were visibly rocked by the shock of going behind so early in the contest; United had further opportunities to extend their lead, but instead of taking control it was Bayern who went on to take a grip of this quarter final.

Ferguson's decision to start with Gary Neville looked like a poor one because Ribery had the beating of him all night long; so much so that at times it was slightly embarrassing. Neville has had some good moments of late, but his performance against one of the best winger's in the world was one he will want to forget. Nani was tasked with helping his fullback and at times he did well in this respect.

In midfield Ferguson had elected to start with Paul Scholes and here again it looked like the wrong decision by the manager; Scholes has done extremely well in some games this season, he played well against Bolton at the weekend, but expecting him to play again so quickly after Saturday's Premier League clash and in such an important away game was a gamble; one that ultimately backfired.

United were facing an under-strength Bayern Munich side that was without Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger - knowing Bayern were likely to be less than at full strength may well have played a part in Ferguson's pre-match thinking; worryingly, whatever the United manager's tactical plan, his team were quite awful for long periods, even so it was an absorbing and open contest.

The midfield trio of Scholes, Carrick and Fletcher was far too open on too many occasions. Mark van Bommel set the alarm bells ringing with one first-half solo run; the Dutchman was given far too much room with Scholes looking on, seemingly powerless to do anything about it, what's more there was no sign of Fletcher or Carrick. Van Bommel's run at the United defence was a warning; one that wasn't heeded or checked and United eventually went on to pay the price for failing to control midfield; that and failing to retain possession which Bayern dominated throughout.

United had led something of a charmed life and as the game went on it seemed like just a matter of time before Bayern equalised. In a bid do something to change the pattern of the second-half - which the home team had more or less completely dominated - Ferguson sent on Berbatov and Giggs for Park (ineffective) and Nani (one of our better player's on the night); the changes had zero impact.

United eventually paid the price for sloppiness and it came as no great surprise that Gary Neville was at the heart of it, when he took leave of his senses and handled the ball outside the United penalty area. Ribery scored from the resulting free-kick via a deflection off Rooney; questions will be asked about the United defensive wall which collapsed too easily.

At that point in the contest and after Vidic had seen a thundering header rebound off the Bayern crossbar, United would have been quite happy to take a draw; but it wasn't to be, as once again the midfield parted like the Red-Sea when Tymoschuk brushed aside the half-hearted challenges of Giggs, Vidic and Fletcher, before the ball fell to the feet of Evra, who dithered and was robbed by Olic who had scored to seal the victory.

TO make matters much worse, Rooney limped off the pitch with what looked very much like a dreaded metatarsal injury; though reports are claiming it was an injury to Rooney's right ankle. It remains to be seen what the full extent of the injury is, but United's chances of retaining the title and progressing in the Champions League will have been severely damaged if Rooney is ruled out of the next two games.

Bayern should be back to full strength for next week's second-leg and if that is so then even with Rooney, progression looks like a tall order based on last night's hapless performance.

We have to remember this was the same Bayern side who were systematically taken apart by Barcelona last season and of course it was the Catalans' who destroyed United in the final; United's midfield let them down badly in last year's Rome final; 12 months on, it seems we have learnt nothing from that chastening experience given the lack of organisation and cover for the back four, the problems in the engine room have not been fixed. If United somehow progress into the final and it's beginning to look like a big IF, then you do wonder how this team would deal with Barcelona's midfield.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 9:17 AM 10 comments

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Coyle on wrong end of United masterclass, but Van Gaal will be tougher nut to crack...

Manchester United travelled to the Reebok on Saturday evening where they faced struggling Bolton. Earlier in the day Chelsea thumped Aston Villa 7-1 at Stamford Bridge and went back to the top of the Barclays Premier League. It was therefore vital Ferguson's team didn't slip-up against what turned out to be a dogged Bolton side who have improved since Owen Coyle took charge in January.

Predictably, with the three points looking like a good bet, Ferguson elected to shuffle his pack by omitting Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand from the squad. We have been told both players were carrying 'slight knocks'. However, when Ferguson decides to gamble, it isn't unusual to axe a brace of big name stars. With United set to travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich on Tuesday and Chelsea the following weekend for the biggest games of the season so far, both decisions looked sensible. Ferguson also took the opportunity to rest last weekend's goal hero Park Ji-Sung, as Ryan Giggs was brought back into starting the line-up.

As things turned out, Bolton were a good match for the champions for most of the first half; Jonny Evans spurned United's best chance of the opening half hour when blasting over from close range following a lay-off by Darren Fletcher. At the other end, Edwin van der Sar had to be at his very best to deny Elmander and Muamba. The save from Muamba was world-class; United's Dutch stopper flew through the air at full stretch as he pushed the ball to safety with his fingertips.

Jack Wiltshire looked more than useful in central midfield; the on-loan Arsenal youngster looks to have the potential to go far in the top flight, but it was United who dominated the possession with Scholes pulling the strings.

The crucial breakthrough came about on 38 minutes - as on so many other occasions this season, it did so from a wide position - but this time from the boot of Ryan Giggs whose cross was expertly steered into his own net by Samuel.

Dimitar Berbatov made it two-nil on 69 minutes; the Bulgarian striker took advantage of Jaaskelainen who initially saved Darren Fletcher's effort on goal, only to deflect into the path of the United striker who made no mistake from close-range. From that point on it was pretty much game over as the champions broke Bolton's resistance.

Berbatov added his second goal of the game and his 12th of the season and once again it came from the left, but this time it was Nani who supplied the killer pass. Just a few minutes later it was Nani who was tormenting the visitors when out-smarting two defenders before supplying Darron Gibson with an inviting cross from the left; the Ulsterman made no mistake when lashing home the final goal of the game from just inside the Bolton penalty area.

In his post-match interview, Owen Coyle went on the offensive when bleating about what he perceived to be a deliberate elbow by Vidic on Elmander, who had to be substituted as a result, but TV replays of the incident were inconclusive.

United should be a full strength when they take on Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Amazingly, Ferguson and Louis Van Gaal have only met each other twice in their long managerial careers; that was back in 1998 in the Champions League in what were two of the most entertaining games in the competition's history.

In the build-up to this season's quarter finals, many pundits are talking about the Arsenal vs Barcelona tie, but United vs Bayern could prove to be the tie of the round. Bayern have already made up for the events of the 1999 final, when dumping United out of the competition just a couple of seasons later. IF anything, it is United who owe the Germans one.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 10:09 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Media ABUs take note: Fergie has every right to play Rooney until he drops..

In the wake of the thoroughly deserved victory over Liverpool last weekend, the media has been focusing on Wayne Rooney's inflamed knee. We are told the swelling flares up after every game. It's a worry for Ferguson and United fans, it's a worry for England too, but the United manager won't lose any sleep over Capello's problems.

According to his manager, Rooney doesn't know when to say no. A prime example was the recent and totally pointless friendly with Egypt; neither Capello or the player had the gumption to cut short Rooney's playing time on what turned out to be a thorough examination of England's credentials. The match was played on a pitch that just a few days earlier had contributed to Michael Owen's latest hamstring injury - an injury that has ruled the United striker out for the remainder of the season.

No one likes to see players missing action through injury and Rooney's desire to play in every game should be applauded. But, and it's big but, with United fighting to retain the title and to reach another Champions League final, club interests come first, second, third and last... we pay his wages, he belongs to United.

If Rooney ends up missing out on this summer's World Cup due to his knee problem, it could actually turn out to be a blessing for United, because hopefully he will then be fresh for the beginning of next season.

The limited transfer activity at Old Trafford last summer saw the arrival of Atonio Valencia, who has admittedly done extremely well in his first season. Nonetheless, Valencia is a winger, so it is to be hoped the manager will be more successful in his efforts to bolster his forward line in the weeks ahead when the transfer window opens.

With so few genuine obvious quality targets, Ferguson's chances of success are difficult to forecast at this juncture, but as things stand and with so few options at his disposal then the manager has every right to ask Rooney to play in most games between now and the season end.

At the beginning of the season Ferguson told Rooney and the rest of the squad they needed to improve their goal-scoring; Rooney has responded quite magnificently as have the rest of the squad. Ferguson has also changed his formation for the biggest of games, which has seen United playing with a lone striker in Rooney. Against the expectations of many, the ploy of playing just one up top has worked too.

Nonetheless, an injury to Rooney between now and the end of the season would scupper United's hopes of winning yet more silverware; if it happens it will be a tragedy for the player and the rest of the squad who have worked so collectively hard.

In many ways this season has been one of surprises, Park Ji Sung's performance against Liverpool added another twist to what is turning to be another dramatic unfolding drama; who among us fans would have selected the South Korean to be the player who was expected to support Rooney by getting into the opposition penalty area from midfield with a view to getting on the end of things? Not me. Yet it was Park who managed to get on the end of three crosses, the first two were spurned, but the third was bravely taken quite brilliantly and with no thought to personal preservation as he dived full length to head home the winner from Darren Fletcher's raking cross from the right.

With Chelsea surprisingly slipping up at the weekend against Blackburn, the champions are in the driving season. United cannot afford any slip-ups, it looks like being another bumpy, but very exciting ride and that's how we like it.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 21, 2010

It's time for United to raise their game as business end of the season approaches...

United take on Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday for what is being billed as a "must win" game for both clubs. Liverpool haven't really been serious contenders for the title all season, they will do well to finish in the top four, such has been their fall from grace in the hitherto accepted top four.

It's going to be a three-way fight for the title between the Red Devils, Chelsea and the dark horses that are Arsenal. The champions cannot really afford to drop any points between now and the season end and they will be keen to avenge last season's 1-4 humiliation when Liverpool murdered United.

As ever, the form book pretty much goes out of the window on these occasions; it was the same last season when most were punting a United win, but Fernando Torres ensured a thumping unexpected victory for the Merseyside club.

Amazingly, Vidic has been sent-off in the last three fixtures with Liverpool - no wonder Ferguson has been carping to the press about Steven Gerrard getting away with several high-profile indiscretions of late. The Liverpool skipper was caught cuffing Portsmouth's Mick Brown in Monday night's Premier League clash at Anfield; the referee saw the incident (bottled it) and did nothing...

In the pre-match build up to the clash with Liverpool, Fergie went on the attack when claiming the FA's disciplinary panel needs sacking and he went on to compare the treatment they dished out to Rio Ferdinand who recently received a four game ban for raising his arms and catching an opponent. On this occasion, many in the media are in agreement with the United manager, there is NO consistency.

Poor officialdom aside, it is to hoped United don't need the help of the referee to win today's Premier League encounter.

United are in good form, last weekend they avenged Fulham's three nil win at Craven Cottage, by inflicting the same result on the West London club when they visited Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney was once again on target and he'll be looking to add to his tally against Liverpool, but for some reason he doesn't usually do well against them in front of goal.

It remains be seen if Rooney can keep his blistering goal scoring form going until the end of the season, but with United relying on Rooney and Berbatov it's a tall order, especially with the club still involved in the Champions League in which they've been drawn against Bayern Munich.

Despite winning that never to be forgotten 1999 epic final, the Bavarian club are one of United's bogey sides. The Bayern quarter final is going to be much tougher than some are predicting, but having avoided the really big guns in the other half of the draw, United have a decent shout of making the final again.

Looking beyond to the World Cup, it is simply inconceivable that Rooney will be capable of carrying both club and country to their ultimate goals.

Whatever happens in the next few weeks and months, United are going to need a bit of luck along with the way; we need to keep everyone fit and suspension free and then we can give ourselves a decent chance. There's no better place to start than against Liverpool today at Old Trafford; no slip-ups please and we need everyone to raise their game.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 12:11 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Size doesn't matter: Wayne Rooney the 5ft 10in heading machine...

What a fantastic few weeks it's been for everyone connected with Manchester United; off the pitch the anti Glazer bandwagon is rolling along nicely, MUST's membership is growing by the day, it currently stands at nearly 138,000 - how long will it be before we have 250,000 members? The Red Knights' have promised supporters they can join the season ticket boycott and at some point in the future those fans will be given their old seats back and for less money.

On the field of play United are breathing down Chelsea's neck (The Rent Boys doesn't sound quite right in this particular context does it?  ) in the League. AC Milan visited Old Trafford on Wednesday for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie and were sent packing after getting deservedly whacked 4-0. As a result United are through to the quarter final and Fergie is so confident he doesn't care who we meet in the next round.

You can understand Ferguson's confidence, especially after another bogey side Real Madrid were knocked out by Lyon after being held to a draw in their own midden. Anyone who saw AC Milan beat Real Madrid in the Bernabeu earlier this season will have found it quite hard to believe it was the same Milan team who visited Old Trafford this week.

David Beckham made an emotional return to his former stomping ground and the home fans gave him a welcome that he'll never forget. Beckham capped off a solid performance after coming on as second half substitute and ended the night with a Green and Gold scarf around his neck - it really doesn't get much better than that....

Like many a recent season, the path to the Champions League final looks wide open, but Barcelona remain the clear favourites again. Providing United avoid the Catalan giants we must stand a good chance of going to the Santiago Bernabeu in May, but unlike Ronaldo & Co we won't be going to watch the party...

Wayne Rooney has justifiably been grabbing the headlines; his worth to United is quite simply immeasurable; he has gone well beyond all expectations. No one, not even the player, or come to that even Ferguson, could have honestly have foreseen what has been a goal scoring transformation.

The fact that Rooney has scored so many goals with his head makes it all the more remarkable; not only that, but United now look comfortable playing with just one striker. Rooney has grown into this new role; prior to this season the thought of playing with just one up front filled most fans filled with dread, well not any more.
It goes without saying Rooney isn't the tallest at just 5ft 10in, but neither was United legend Denis Law who was just 5ft 9in. In midweek, former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly suggested Rooney's movement off the ball makes it almost impossible to mark him.

Movement, or lack of it, when it comes to Berbatov, is only one factor; service is all important when you're a top striker and it's here where United have really excelled of late. The right flank has proven to be a highly productive source of many United goals. Against Milan it was the turn of veteran Gary Neville to find the head of Rooney with a Beckham like cross.

In the first leg of the AC Milan tie in the San Siro, it was Valencia who was Rooney's provider. Valencia and Nani have been done extremely well on that right flank. United will hopefully continue to score freely from all areas of the pitch, and while service is all important next time you watch the Reds in action make note of how many times Van der Sar just boots the ball back to the opposition without a United player getting anywhere near it - that is one of the few major gripes I've had this season.

Ferguson wasn't too happy with Rooney following his recent performance for England against Egypt; it was perfectly understandable given he pretty much played the whole game - after all it was just another ridiculous and totally pointless friendly.

It's not as if Rooney is playing for his place on the flight to South Africa is it? The clowns in our clueless and all too often jingoistic press, are full of concern for Rooney's wellbeing right now - buy you do wonder how long it will last, because it will only be a matter of time before they are pulling him to pieces just like they did to Beckham and countless others before him. For some reason, in this country we like to build up sportsmen before knocking them down again, it seems to be a national trait and a bad one at that.

Personally, I couldn’t really give a flying **** about England and the World Cup, I don’t expect them to do well and I couldn’t care less if they are sent back on the first plane home. Rooney staying fit for United is another thing entirely. Rooney is heading United towards another title and he’s heading towards legend status too.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:21 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Rise of the Red Knights: Glazer and Gill the hypocrite on borrowed time? Let us hope so....

Join MUST

If the early indications are anything to go by, the Rise of the Red Knights could turn out to be more than just mooted takeover talk. After much media speculation it was confirmed that the Red Knights have held a meeting with a view to putting together a proposal that could lead to an offer to take control of Manchester United.

The Knights are working alongside MUST, Manchester United Supporter Trust, who in turn are orchestrating the hugely successful 'Green and Gold' campaign, the brainchild of Red Issues Chatmaster. MUST set an initial target of 100,000 members and they are well on their way to achieving that figure; earlier today the total stood at around 78,000, at the time of posting it is well over 93,000.

If the Glazers and David Gill think the fans will be silenced, the numbers and the explosive rate at which new members are joining will surely make them think again. The time looks right for MUST and the Knights; together they have harnessed the power of the internet and the social networks to spread the word. There's much work to be done and everyone who has joined the campaign has to be prepared to back MUST and the Red Knights with their support and importantly cash when called upon, the latter is absolutely vital if the fans hopes of bringing about an end to the financially crippling Glazer regime are to be realised.

It is very early days and talk of any firm offer from the Knights won't happen as quickly as many would like; for their part the Glazers say "Manchester United is not for sale". But they would say that, it is common practice in business to say that; it was only a couple of weeks back that Cadbury's were rejecting the advances of Kraft - ironically another American company - but the deal eventually went through because ultimately money talks... everyone has their price. What's more, the Glazers will be aware that supporters will be asked not to renew their season tickets when the time comes...

United have become almost desperate to sell tickets for some home games this season, they have reverted to 'cold calling' fans - never in the illustrious history of the club has this happened before. Clearly, United are feeling the pinch already with many corporate suites empty - and it is going to get a LOT worse...

It is to be hoped the Glazers will eventually see sense, because they need to realise they have no future at Manchester United and the fans will eventually drive them out.

United's CEO, David Gill was interviewed on Sky Sports News earlier this afternoon, he was asked about the Red Knights; Gill somewhat contradicted himself when hinting that Knights' supremo Keith Harris is a 'publicity seeker', but he followed up his cheap shot by admitting both he and former United director and city big-shot Jim O'Neill are credible people...

Gill says as far as he is concerned the Glazers are running the club in the 'correct way', but he has a very short memory because prior to the Glazer takeover, it was Gill who coined the phrase 'Debt is the Road to Ruin'. David Gill is a hypocrite and like the Glazers it is to be hoped he is on borrowed time...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:47 PM 11 comments

Monday, March 01, 2010

Villa deservedly lost final so stop carping about Vidic...

Should Vidic have been sent off? Martin O'Neill says, yes he should have been, he went further when claiming it was "universally accepted", err actually NO, it isn't universally accepted, importantly, Phil Dowd decided not to send off the Serbian.

There's always a danger the contest can be totally ruined when the referee decides to send off a player. In this instance Villa were rightly given a penalty which Milner converted in some style on just five minutes. From that point on, Aston Villa had ample time to go on and build on what was a fantastic start to the Carling Cup final, but it was the champions who went on to deserved victory.

I'm not going to argue the rights and wrongs of Dowd's decision not to send off Vidic. Instead let's look at the rest of the game in which Villa contributed to their own downfall.

Richard Dunne was guilty of losing possession when Berbatov robbed him inside the Villa half; the Irish defender won it back only to play the ball to the feet of Michael Owen who equalised. That was mistake number one.

Mistake number two in many ways is actually much worse. I'm referring to Martin O'Neill's shitty defensive 'see what we can pinch on the break' tactics. It was EXACTLY the same when he was manager of Leicester City, and it's why, god forbid, he will never be given the job of managing Manchester United. Villa deservedly won at Old Trafford in the League this season for the first time in donkeys years when they bored us into submission.

Villa's 'have what we hold' tactics were the same, at Wembley on Sunday, except on this occasion United went on to actually create some good scoring opportunities and won the game.

The big problem for Martin O'Neill and his tactics is that when Villa go behind the tactics have to change and that is what he tried to do yesterday, but importantly only after Rooney had expertly headed the champions into the lead.

Manchester United try to win every game by attacking from start to finish, and yes we too play counter attacking football when we are forced to, but there's a BIG difference. O'Neill pretty much deploys this brand of football in every big game and when his team actually takes the lead they tend to sit back, which is exactly what they did at Old Trafford in the League game and on that rare winning occasion the tactic came off.

Imagine this nightmare future scenario in which MON is the new United manager: United have to travel to play Milan in the San Siro, we are defending a narrow one-nil lead from the first leg, what would MON do? He'd tell his team to sit back.

Admittedly, United v Milan is a fixture in which we have almost always come off second best and that's with Ferguson in charge. Most recently in the Champions League knockout round of 16 first leg, and after a hapless start, we went on to win. United attacked the Italian giants in their own back yard and the winning margin should have been greater. Can anyone envisage MON taking any side to the San Siro and attacking the opposition the way United did? Thought not...

Yesterday's Carling Cup Final score actually flattered Villa, because it should have been a wider margin, only the inside of the woodwork and two huge slices of luck denied certain goals for Park and Rooney.

O'Neill can and will go and on about Vidic, but in all honestly, in so doing, he is simply trying to cover up for his own all too obvious managerial flaws and his somewhat negative philosophy on the game.

Managers need balls of steel as well as the courage of their convictions; these attributes are absolutely vital at a club like Manchester United where the fans demand the team goes forward and attacks the opposition at every opportunity.

They say Ferguson is a lucky manager and he is to a degree, but he's bold and he deserves any luck that comes his way. You don't win 34 trophies through luck alone.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 1:18 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Why winning Carling Cup isn't do or die for United...

It has been a rather boring week where United are concerned. West Ham visited Old Trafford on Tuesday and were sent packing back to London on their private jet (so much for no money) with what they deserved, precisely nothing. It was a thoroughly yawnful affair; the only bright spot was the goals; two from Rooney and one for second half substitute, Michael Owen. As a contest, the West Ham game isn't really worthy of further comment, the Hammers were that bad.

Next up, United face Aston Villa at Wembley in Sunday's Carling Cup final. The much maligned competition might well be United's best chance of winning silverware in what is turning into a very up and down season. Nonetheless, the Carling Cup isn't the manager's number one priority; it pales into insignificance with the prestige of winning either the Premier League or the FA Cup - the daddy of all competitions is of course the Champions League.

However, ahead of the two semi-final legs with Manchester City, the fans' wanted to secure a final place at any cost; we simply had to stop City winning a trophy, because they would in all probability have won the final. In the end and to the relief of the Red Army, the champions put City in their place. Since then the fortunes of both Manchester clubs have gone in very different directions; City have slumped badly and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Stoke City. In contrast, United are doing well on all fronts (aside from our dreadful performance in the FA Cup against the Neanderthals' from Leeds); we secured our first win against Milan in the intimidating San Siro and despite losing at Everton in the league, we are within touching distance of the leaders Chelsea.

Whatever the result is at Wembley on Sunday it will not be a disaster; in the context of the season so far; losing Rooney due to serious injury would truly be a major setback; quite simply because United have become over-reliant on one player. It really shouldn't be like this, but it is. In the pre-match build up Ferguson has strongly hinted Rooney might be rested and you can understand that decision if it comes about.

In other news this week, Anderson has been ruled out for the season; sadly the Brazilian's absence will be no great loss which says much about the player's lack of progress this season.

Edwin van der Sar signed a new contract and again this says a lot about Ferguson's current goalkeeping options. The Dutch stopper has been the pick of the bunch despite some questionable performances.

It is be hoped the manager spends some of the transfer funds he claims he access to when the window opens, but instead all we are reading about right now is talk of a summer clear-out with the likes of Michael Owen and Anderson reportedly ear-marked for the exit door.

# posted by James Ryddel @ 11:57 AM 0 comments

2010-04-01T06:08:00.001-07:00

Old heads let United down: Have United gone as far as they can in the Champions League?

# posted by James Ryddel @ 9:17 AM 10 comments

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Coyle on wrong end of United masterclass, but Van Gaal will be tougher nut to crack...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 10:09 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Media ABUs take note: Fergie has every right to play Rooney until he drops..

# posted by James Ryddel @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 21, 2010

It's time for United to raise their game as business end of the season approaches...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 12:11 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Size doesn't matter: Wayne Rooney the 5ft 10in heading machine...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:21 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Rise of the Red Knights: Glazer and Gill the hypocrite on borrowed time? Let us hope so....

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:47 PM 11 comments

Monday, March 01, 2010

Villa deservedly lost final so stop carping about Vidic...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 1:18 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Why winning Carling Cup isn't do or die for United...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 11:57 AM 0 comments

2010-03-31T16:03:00.003-07:00

FRIDAY, 3 JULY 2009

Owen and Benzema - some objectivity

The rage of United fans is almost palpable this morning. One day after being gazumped on Benzema by Real Madrid, we're almost certain to sign former Liverpool star and Real Madrid and Newcastle flop Michael "Sick Note" Owen.

Edit: Owen has completed his signing.

I am pleased about both of these events.

Benzema is no great loss at that price

Benzema first. He clearly has talent in abundance and has set the French league on fire. He scored a great goal against us. Pretty much everyone who's watched him thinks he has the potential to be a great player. At a stretch, in these bizarre counter-recession times, that makes him worth £25m and no more, but only at a stretch. £35m? £40m? Forget it.

Other players to have emerged as the "next great superstriker" from the French leagues include Didier Drogba and Djibril Cisse. The best that can be said of Cisse is that he gave us an irrefutable line of attack against Liverpool fans, whilst Drogba looked like a donkey for one season, a legend for the next and a moody clown ever since.

On top of that, Benzema's desire to play for Real is well known. What if he came to us, scored a hatful next season and spent the whole of next summer agitating for a £60m move to Real. Not that inconceivable a situation - and I would much prefer signing a player who views United as the peak and who would turn down more money from elsewhere to come to us (as Berbatov did).

I was never convinced we needed him or that he wanted us, so I'm really not that fussed. What does bother me, though, is the sentiment being bandied around that we should have matched Real's bid just because we have the money to do so.We have never operated like that, and rightly so, and anyone who thinks we should write a blank cheque for any player we fancy just because we can sounds a bit too much like a Chelski fan to me.

Finally, where would Benzema have played? At the top of a trio with Berba and Rooney behind him? That would be far too narrow, but I don't see any other alternative that doesn't involves Rooney playing out wide.

Owen

Scott has made his position pretty clear on Owen's signing already this morning, but I am in favour of the signing:

Yes, he's injury-prone, but whenever he is fit he scores goals at a good rate.

Injury-prone is the major footballing (as opposed to personal) reason why Owen is not a good signing. He has kept up with Louis Saha's rate of missing huge chunks of every season since a big money move. However, like Saha, when he is fit he is dangerous and scores a lot of goals. In 65 starts for Newcastle he scored 30 goals [edited - thanks!] , and also showed an interesting versatility which permitted him to create goals for others as well.

We are getting him for free and on a very modest wage

If we were paying £10m and £100k a week for Owen, I'd be against the signing - way too much to lose, and we could use the money better elsewhere. But for free and on £50k a week, there's very little downside for us. The worst case is that he's with us a year, barely starts any games and barely contributes - but the potential upside is a proven big-game goalscorer who still has the talents to trouble any defence on his day.

We only need him to start say 10-15 games, with more sub appearances, and even when he starts he'll probably only need to play 60 minutes

Other clubs (such as Blackburn) have rejected a possible move because he can't be guaranteed to play 30 games a season. We don't need him to do that - we need him to be a reserve striker, whose principal is to come on for 15 minutes and nick a goal, with the occasional start mixed in. Think of his role as the new Solskjaer or Sheringham - the type of player who, as I argued before, we needed to sign this summer alongside any bigger-money players. If you want proof of his ability to be an effective substitute, you have only to look at his performances for Real during theirgalacticos era.

He is desperate for a World Cup place, and therefore has a real incentive to rediscover his old form and a real point to prove

It was pretty obvious that he didn't care for a lot of the time that he was at Newcastle. But Capello's repeated snubbing of him has really brought out some fire again, and he looks like he is desperate to play for and succeed at a big club. We could really reap the benefit of that if he stays fit - he still has the potential to be a 20+ goals per season player.

Some of the negative attitudes surrounding him (such as the money-grabbing nature of his move to Newcastle and his loss of interest in football) are overplayed

One of the main criticisms levelled against Owen is that he took a big money move to Newcastle rather than wait for a bigger club. Firstly, when Owen went to Newcastle, they weren't the complete shower that they are now. Second, and more importantly, he hated Madrid (having never settled in either footballing or cultual and person terms), and would have taken any move back to England. However, since he came with a £15m price tag and £100k wages, none of the big clubs were interested - leaving a gap for Newcastle.

I have no doubt that Owen saw Newcastle as a stepping stone back to a top level English club. But his injuries have stopped him from making that next move, leaving him stuck at a club that he didn't love and who didn't love him. The loss of interest was understandable, and I'm not sure it was really his fault, particularly given the laughable chaos which was playing out around him.

Finally, yes, he played for Liverpool and talked their talk while he was there. Nothing can change that - but (call me disloyal if you want) that was many moons ago and I'm prepared to give him a chance.

Fergie has the gambler's instinct, and he's seen the potential upside. Let's join him in hoping the potential becomes reality.

WEDNESDAY, 1 JULY 2009

As much as I liked Ronaldo...

...and I was probably one of his biggest defenders, isn't it great not to have to think about off-field antics like this anymore?

Instead of trying to reconcile it with the player who runs out every week wearing the red, now he's just a typical Real galactico, fighting with paparazzi.

I knew there was a silver lining somewhere (that, and the money).

MONDAY, 22 JUNE 2009

Transfer targets Mk 43634

The summer of activity so far: Sober Reflections on Rome, Thoughts on Ronaldo (pre-transfer),The End of Fergie's Third Era and The Anatomy of Team Four

I promised myself I wouldn't do it - I promised I wouldn't give in to temptation. But even the best of us have our weak moments, and so here is my runthrough of the latest batch of transfer rumours.

THURSDAY, 18 JUNE 2009

Team Four

Following on from my previous post where I suggested that Ronaldo's departure marked the end of Fergie's Third Great Team, I want to look at how his fourth great team (or Team Four, if you will) is going to begin to take shape this summer and next season.

4-4-2, and why it failed last season

Before I get onto personnel, let's deal with formation. I envisage Team Four being built around a reversion to 4-4-2 in a way that hasn't been possible since the halcyon days of Louis Saha's half-season in 06-07. Fergie tried to revert to 4-4-2 last season as Berbatov was being introduced, but it clearly did not make best use of the resources available - chiefly because it marginalised Ronaldo, tying his goalscoring gifts to a touchline where they were much less of a threat.

WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2009

Another view on the "under-26" policy

The Guardian has reported that United have a new transfer policy which prohibits us from signing any players under the age of 26 on the basis that they wouldn't have sufficient resale value.

If true, this is clearly A Bad Thing. Red Ranter does a good job of explaining why, on the face of it, this is potentially detrimental to our prospects.

However, I'm a bit more cynical - I don't believe it's true. You're welcome to accuse me of overanalysing this, bit I think it is quite a clever piece of propaganda from Fergie and the United board.

My leftfield transfer pick(s)

Gabby Agbonlahor.

Fast, can play from either side or centrally, scores at a good rate, can score with headers...remind you of anyone?

Except he is English and would likely be a "buy-for-life".

Ashley Young would be a good buy too - and I'm sure we could get both for comfortably less than the £60 quoted for Ribery.

What do you reckon?

MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2009

The End of Fergie's Third Era

I'm not going to write about the Ronaldo transfer at the moment. Plenty of others have done so, expressing viewpoints from across the spectrum. I made my opposition to the move clear in my last post, which was published less than 12 hours before the move was announced and therefore made me look a bit silly. In short, though, I'm disappointed by it and I think he'll be hard to replace, we got a good price and I'm taking it in a fairly philosophical fashion.

I want to look at this from a wider perspective, from the point of view that Ronaldo's departure is the most eye catching aspect of the end of Fergie's third era. There are other losses too - Tevez is certain to depart (and I, for one, unapologetically hope he does); Giggs, Neville and Scholes are at the very end of the twilight of their careers; van der Sar is fading fast; and those of a particularly pessimistic mindset might argue that Rio's recurring back problems mean that his partnership with Vida will never be when it was.

This, in one way, is why the Ronaldo money is a godsend. There is significant regeneration to be done across the squad, and in particular across the forward line. Our first XI next season will look very different to our first XI last season.

In truth, this change has been coming for 12 months or so. All the plaudits dished out at the end of last season - the majority of them before the loss to Barcelona - talked about this side being the peak of Fergie's third great team. In fact, it is hard to convincingly argue that it wasn't a team in decline compared to the Champions League-winning side of 2007-08.

07-08 vs 08-09

That side played with flair and panache, as well as exhibiting the steely spine that achieved records in 08-09. It was a scintillating team to watch, with various supremely gifted players operating at the peak of their powers. It was Ronaldo's finest season, one that he'll find hard to top no matter what he does at Real. Tevez, too, played out of his skin - a level of performance that raised expectations too far for last season, and yet still was responsible for much of the rose-tinted "Fergie, sign him up" chants. Giggs was still a threat from either wing and Scholes could still run games from the centre of midfield. Carrick matured, Anderson played as though to the manor born. Nani sparkled, intermittently but with promise. More prosaically, Wes Brownplayed out his most effective and influential season in United colours. Vidic and Evra's names were written in the column headed "Fergie's shrewdest buys ever", rather than the slightly less flattering category in which they were placed. In the Premiership, we scored 88 and conceded 22.

The 08-09 vintage was efficient rather than dazzling. The majority of our squad were inconsistent - great one week, indifferent the next. Fergie squeezed every inch of performance out of them by rotating them ruthlessly, but only Darren Fletcher could claim to have improved substantially on his previous season's showing. Ronaldo still scored crucial and spectacular goals and remained amongst the leading scorers in the country, but too many displays were characterised by petulance and frustration. Berbatov could make your jaw hit the floor on occasion, but didn't find a consistent place in the United passing geometry. Tevez worked hard but achieved comparatively little. Anderson seemed unsure of his role and performed fitfully. Vidic was mostly immense but made several high profile errors. Nani only turned up in the Carling Cup.Scholes' legs appeared to have gone. Giggs' player of the season award was for some stunningly accomplished cameos, but cameos nonetheless. Evra looked defensively shaky at times, andvan der Sar periodically a complete liability. We rarely demolished teams, preferring instead to monopolise possession and nick the odd goal. In the Premiership, we scored 68 (20 less than the previous year) and conceded 24 (2 more), and would have lost the league on goal difference had it come to that.

In this context, some rebuilding was inevitable this summer. As I have already made clear, I don't think getting rid of Ronaldo constitutes rebuilding, but putting a flaky, uncertain stone in the foundations of Team Four would hardly be good workmanship from Fergie.

In my next post, I'll talk about how I see Team Four shaping up.

WEDNESDAY, 10 JUNE 2009

Some Thoughts on Ronaldo

The inevitable daily quotes and headlines have already begun to emanate from Madrid. In fact, this season it is even worse, since there isn't the distraction of Euro 08 to cover some of them over.

So, as we look forward to another summer of Real mouthing off, Ronaldo being enigmatic and United denying all knowledge - what's our preferred outcome?

FC Bayern Munchen v Manchester United – Preview and Predictions

By: Taylor Rockwell | 13 Comments

Who: Bayern Munich and Manchester United
What: Champions League Quarterfinals – First Leg
Where: Munich, Germany
When: Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 – 19:45 (2:45 EST)
Why: Because I want to spend my entire morning avoiding work and watching the highlights from the 1999 Champions League Final as a way to mentally prepare for this match-up.

How They Got Here: Bayern Munich
Munich were drawn into Group A with French Champions Bordeaux, Juventus (of Serie A fame), and Maccabi Haifa (the Champions of the Israeli Premier League). Munich’s Champions League campaign got off to a strong start, as the German side defeated Maccabi Haifa 3-0. However, Munich were held to a scoreless draw by Juve before suffering consecutive defeats to Bordeaux (1-2 away and 0-2 at home). Munich were in danger of elimination, but victories over Maccabi (1-0) and Juventus (4-1) saw them finish the group in second place with ten points. Munich drew Fioentina in the Round of 16, and managed a 2-1 victory in the home leg, and then advanced to the Quarterfinals on goal difference after losing 3-2 in Italy.

How They Got Here: Manchester United
Manchester United finished top of Group B with 13 points. The English champions were drawn into a group with CSKA Moscow (Russia), VfL Wolfsburg (germany), and Besikatas (Turkey). The Red Devils had a relatively easy go of it, defeating Besiktas away, Wolfsburg at home and CSKA away. United then went through a semi-rough patch, as the Reds tied CSKA 3-3 at home and then lost to Besiktas at home. However, a Michael Owen hat trick on the final day saw United finish top of their group. The Red Devils then drew AC Milan in the Round of 16, and won the tie in convincing style (a 3-1 victory at the San Siro and a 4-0 win at Old Trafford). Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: Manchester United

March 25th, 2010

A Hesitant Hargo Post… with Highlights

By: Taylor Rockwell | 4 Comments

Owen Hargreaves won’t be taking the field tonight when the Manchester United reserves once again take on the Burnley reserves. But this time, it’s not because of injury. Soccernetare reporting (and the official site are confirming) that Sir Alex Ferguson has pulled Hargreaves out of the reserve team so as to keep him training with the first team.

“Owen won’t play for the Reserves tonight,” said Fergie in an interview earlier today. “He’s going to be training with the first team and we’ll see where that takes him. We’re keen to get him back involved because he’s an experienced player and will be a valuable addition for us in the run-in, when having a strong, fit squad is vital.”

For months on end, United fans were subject to statements of “three more weeks” and “he’ll be back soon.” Some even refused to discuss the man any more, and vented their frustration via blog post. And yet, last week the Canadian/German/English midfielder strapped on his protective brace and took the field with the reserves. The highlights weren’t anything special, but they went a long way towards giving United supporters new hope. Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: first team, Highlights, interview, Manchester United, Owen Hargreaves, reserves, return

March 25th, 2010

The New Number Seven? Taylor Votes For A Turk

By: Taylor Rockwell | 6 Comments

I tend to ignore most of what Goal.com posts, but I did enjoy reading Matt Monaghan’s recent article discussing what player is most likely to take over Manchester United’s most famous number. The #7 jersey has been worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Slave. Currently occupied by Michael Owen, it seems likely that a new signing will don the kit next season. But just who should it be?

Monaghan gives us a seven person list, featuring Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Silva (Valencia), Balazs Dzsudzsak (PSV Eindhoven), Franck Ribery (Munich), Arjen Robben (Munich), Juan Manuel Vargas (Fiorentina), and Angel Di Maria (Benfica). Some logical choices, some big names, and some unfinished talent in that list, and yet I’m not entirely convinced that any of them are the ideal choice. Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: #7, Angel Di Maria, Arda Turan, Arjen Robben, Balazs Dzsudzsak, David Silva, Franck Ribery,Galatasaray, Joe Cole, Juan Manuel Vargas, Manchester United, players, transfer rumors, worn the number 7

March 23rd, 2010

United v Liverpool – Photo Contest

By: Taylor Rockwell | 1 Comment

This weekend, I was discussing the then-upcoming match between United and Liverpool, and one of my pro-Manchester friends made the following statement: “Really, they’re just a mid-table team struggling to stay relevant. It’s not like we’re playing Chelsea or Arsenal.” While correct on the surface, such an argument demonstrates the modern media trend of emphasizing the present.

All too often, we’re content to write off the legends of the past in favor of the talents of the present. Yes, Lionel Messi is an amazing player. Yes, he scores some ridiculous goals. But aren’t we being a bit quick to argue that he belongs in the Pantheon of Pele and Maradona? I made the same point about Rooney in last week’s podcast. I’m very excited by his current ability and am consistently impressed by his form, but does he really deserve to be in the debate about best United forward ever? Maybe… but I would say not yet…

Getting back to Sunday’s derby, I found my friend’s reasoning far too rooted in the present. Liverpool may be struggling, but they’re still fucking Liverpool! A team that makes every diehard United fan break out in rounds of “Build a Bonfire” and “You Are A Scouser.” A team that would do anything to stop us from breaking the titles record. A team that our captain once openly stated that he hated. How could anyone write them off as a middle of the pack team when they’re coming to Old Trafford?

So, with that in mind, I wanted to take the opportunity to think back on some the great United-Liverpool Derbies of the years with a good old photo contest. Can you name the year and result of each of the following photos? Here’s a hint: they’re all happy memories. Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: contest, images, Liverpool, Manchester United, photo contest, United

March 22nd, 2010

United 2 – Liverpool 1 : Match Highlights

By: Taylor Rockwell | 7 Comments

Disclaimer: I was traveling yesterday, and spent a tedious two hours in Washington traffic angrily staring at my girlfriend. So, I was limited to iPhone updates and cryptic text messages from friends when trying to stay updated on yesterday’s events at Old Trafford. Here’s a collection of gems from yesterday. See if you can guess when they came in and from whom (about 50% were from Pool fans and the rest were from United supporters).

#1 – F*cking Torres!
#2 – Haha… Torres!
#3 – Dammit
#4 – Wow. Rooney. Too close.
#5 – Not a penalty. Such bullshit.
#6 – I love Torres for kicking the penalty spot.
#7 – I fucking hate Torres for kicking the penalty spot.
#8 – PARK!
#9 – FUCKING LIVERPOOL! GODDAMN IT! I HATE YOU!

Highlight Highlights
:05 – Sir Alex Ferguson walking out with the Red Devil Mascot. Not quite sure what to make of that, other than that I enjoyed the image immensely.

1:29 – Torres knocks in the first goal, and the home fans are silent. Neville was clearly ball watching there, a mistake that the captain should still be kicking himself for. Not to worry though… he’ll have a chance to make up for it when United play Chelsea next season and Torres is wearing blue and comes on as a substitute in the 73rd minute. Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: 1, 2, dive, goal, Highlights, Liverpool, Manchester United, Mascherano, match highlights, Match of the Day, Park, penalty, Rooney, Torres, Valencia, video

March 19th, 2010

Red Devils Offside – Episode 6 – Man Utd vs Liverpool Preview

By: Taylor Rockwell | 6 Comments

Apologies for the late post here, been a bit busy. Mostly watching basketball. But between games I managed to record a new Red Devils Offside podcast. My guests in the studio were Albert Ottati (a Liverpool fan) and Patrick Brigman (a diehard United / Kentucky / skipping work to record a podcast fan). The boys discuss this Sunday’s game vs Liverpool, the Wayne Rooney Factor, the overall championship Race, and whether or not Nani deserves to be feared. Click that play button below to unleash the mp3 goodness inside.

Standard Podcast: Hide Player | Play in Popup |Download

Category: Manchester United

Tags: Liverpool, Manchester United, podcast, Red Devils Offside, Wayne Rooney

March 17th, 2010

Reader Poll: Who Do You Want In The Next Round?

By: Taylor Rockwell | 11 Comments

With this evening’s results in the books, the final eight teams in the UEFA Champions League are set. Joining Manchester United in the next round are Inter Milan, Arsenal, Bordeaux, Barcelona, Lyon, CSKA Moscow, and Bayern Munich. A big surprise (Lyon over Madrid), a semi-surprise (Inter over Chelsea), and then some fairly predictable results mean United could be facing some stiff opposition in the next round.

The draw for the remaining rounds will be held on Friday, March 19. According to my dear friend Wikipedia, “Unlike the round of 16, teams from the same group or country may be drawn together from the quarter-finals onwards.” So, with all seven teams available, the obvious question remains: who do you want the Red Devils to meet in the next round? Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: Champions League, draw, Manchester United

March 15th, 2010

Man United Crossbar Challenge

By: Taylor Rockwell | 1 Comment

As we’ve seen in nearly every media outlet on earth, Wayne Rooney is currently in the form of his life. He can apparently score goals with every part of his body and is nearing the Dinho-Jedi Level where he nets against Sunderland using only his mind.

But the question remains: just how accurate is the Wazza? Well, to answer that question, all we need is YouTube and several Manchester United players (Neville, Giggs, Rooney, and Fletcher) competing inBetfair’s Crossbar Challenge.

Challenge Number One: Crossbar

Rooney doesn’t exactly impress, Fletcher appears to cheat, and Neville is entirely too happy to hit the bar once. That leaves Giggsy to carry the torch, and Anderson to awkwardly hug him at the end. This video is reason #43,506 why I love YouTube. How else would I know who wins at crossbar challenges?

Bonus points if you can tell me who makes the grating noise every time Rooney kicks a ball… and who does the ridiculously goofy laugh at 1:02. Any ideas?

Challenge Number Two: Groundskeeper Murder
In the second video from the Carrington ground, United’s own Joe the Groundsman drives a golf cart back and forth as Rooney, Foster, and Welbeck attempt to knock a cone off the roof. That must have been a fun conversation for Joe when he turned up for work that morning.

Rene Meulensteen: “Hey Joe! We’re doing a form of the Crossbar Challenge today.”
Joe: “Sounds great. What do you need me to do? Shag balls? Laugh in the background?”
Rene Meulensteen: “Well, actually, you’re going to drive a gold cart back and forth while some of the lads rip shots at you. Here’s a tiny plastic helmet.”
Joe: “These are the same guys that can probably kill people with a direct shot to the head right?”
Rene Meulensteen: “Uh… I’ll have to check on that… Anyway, into the cart you go. Stop squirming.”

Category: Manchester United

Tags: Betfair, crossbar, Crossbar Challenge, Fletcher, Foster, Giggs, Manchester United, Neville, Rooney,video, Welbeck, winner

March 15th, 2010

United 3 – Fulham 0: Belated Match Highlights and Hyperbole

By: Taylor Rockwell | Add Comments

When Wayne Rooney scored the go-ahead goal roughly 8 seconds into the second half of Sunday’s victory over Fulham, I figured there would be a decent amount of comments about how the young striker “simply can’t stop scoring.” When he got his second (thanks to some deft work from Dimitar Berbatov), I figured my computer would explode with hyperbole. The reaction in today’s papers wasn’t quite as hilarious as I was hoping for, but there were some decent bits certainly worth repeating…

The Daily Mail – In discussing United’s triumph, the Daily Mail made it clear that it was Dimitar Berbatov who felt Wayne Rooney was on top of the world. “But Rooney remains at the pinnacle of his powers, so much so that in the opinion of Berbatov he is now the best player in the world. It is hard to argue with the Bulgarian when Rooney displays such versatility as well as a devastating ability to destroy the opposition. Milan one day; Fulham the next.” A valid point to be sure, but perhaps not as poetic as the following paragraph. “But United were like a predator with its prey, playing with Fulham until they decided it was time to go in for the kill.”

Telegraph - Not content to merely praise the England international, The Telegraph dedicated a solid four paragraphs to the rumors about Real Madrid wanting to sign Rooney. The article sites former President Ramon Calderon as saying, “It seems that it’s an obsession for the president to go for Rooney. I imagine Manchester United wouldn’t like to lose a player like him.” No shit Roman. Thanks Telegraph, for putting such a happy spin on things! Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Manchester United

Tags: Manchester United

2010-03-31T06:28:00.001-07:00

Posted March 12th, 2010 by Franky in Transfer Talk

Missed me? Good, you won’t have to wait any longer anymore. Let the madness rebegin.

I have never seen this before, but the madness over last weeks has reached new levels and with both the Bernabeu and the Council House continuing to be ofvery little importance when it comes to the real game, the top of the table and domination of Europe, the transfer rumour mill this year seems to have taken never before seen proportions.

Apparently, being linked with more players than ever before, now we are interested in signing a talent we already offered a job at Old Trafford years ago but now suddenly has decided that his career is in an impasse and he should be able to sign a typical ‘Rent Boys End of Career – I only have 5 years anymore, I must think of my family’ deal.

Ladies and Gents, I present you… *drum roll, please* former England International and Rentboy, Mr. JOE COLE!

That is right it now seems that amidst rumours of the Glazers having no money and the Red Knights wanting to salvage our club, and finances, Mr. Cole’s agent has decided to bring ManUtd in the game to negotiate a better deal for his long injured and under performing client. As is typical with the Rentboys, when your body and mind reach the age you start becoming slower, have more off-minutes in a game than you had off-games in a season, when a player closes in on 30 years, instead of showing loyalty for having earned millions every year already, enjoyed fat weekly checks sitting at home, recovering legs up, you hold out for a new long-term contract with possibly even more money. Lots more.Precedents are numerous and well-known: Mr. Fat Frank, Mr. John ‘Slippery’ Terry, Mr. Michael ‘I Can’t Tackle for Sh*t And My Gob’s Bigger Than Red Nev’s’ Ballack and now both Anelka and Joe Cole seem to be the next ones on this elusive list. Continue reading »

Tags: Chelsea · Joe Cole · Useless Agent Talk

Comment (0)

Fergie happy with Reds’ performance

Posted February 8th, 2010 by red devil in Analysis

With Manchester United’s impressive 5 – 0 win over Portsmouth, Sir Alex Ferguson is reiterating his admiration for his team and their chances for a record fourth consecutive Premier League championship.

The key to the Red Devils’ impressive win was the impressive performances of many of its players. Wayne Rooney scored his 23rd goal for the season, which ties his personal best. Nani has also been reinvigorated and looks like to be on a roll — and Berbatov, Carrick and Wilson are putting in their share of the burden.

Fergie said that a big key to the Red Devils’ success is the team’s patience. Despite the pressure that the team faces in their matches, everyone takes their time and wait for opportunities to arrive — and then they explode.

With their next match against Aston Villa, expect the team to put their best foot forward in order to solidify their position in the league table.

Tags: Manchester united · Sir Alex Ferguson

Comment (1)

Neville almost sure of getting title this year

Posted February 7th, 2010 by red devil in General, Predictions, Premiership

With Manchester United strongly in the running for winning the Premiere League Championship once again this year, Man Utd fans are becoming increasingly stoked about the team’s prospects even with strong competition facing them in the coming months.

But the enthusiasm is not being relegated to fans. Even the members of the team are becoming increasingly optimistic about their chances for a record fourth consecutive championship. And no one is more optimistic than Manchester United Captain Gary Neville, who has been quoted as saying “It is in our hands now and it has not been like that for a while.”

Key to the Red Devils’ success if Wayne Rooney’s amazing run this season. Rooney has been on fire and is ably replacing the void that Cristiano Ronaldo has left. the striker has already scored his 23rd goal this season, which already equals his career best.

Neville wants the Red Devils to maintain their winning form, which is needed now more than ever as they prepare to play AC Milan in the Champions League.

All eyes are now on Nani, who has been playing extremely well in their last few games. If Nani gets his groove, he’ll be a perfect partner to Rooney.

Tags: Gary Neville · Manchester united · wayne rooney

Comments (2)

Upcoming game with Arsenal “most important game”

Posted January 29th, 2010 by red devil in Fixtures

Footie fans should earmark the upcoming Manchester United – Arsenal clash because Sir Alex Ferguson has declared that it is their “biggest game of the season.”

Tags: Arsenal · Chelsea · Manchester united

Comment (0)

Van der Sar best goalkeeper in the League

Posted January 28th, 2010 by red devil in News, Why MU is the Greatest

Tags:

Comment (0)

Manchester United 4, Hull 0

Posted January 24th, 2010 by red devil in Fixtures, Match Report, Premiership

Tags: Hull · Premiership League · wayne rooney

Comments (3)

O’Shea out for season

Posted January 23rd, 2010 by red devil in Injuries

O’Shea will also miss Ireland’s friendly with Brazil at the Emirates Stadium on March 2 and a scheduled end-of-season training camp.

Ferguson says the upcoming friendly date is one that club managers could do without.

He added: “I don’t even think the international managers think they’re all that important now. They never play their full team and there’s always drop outs.”

Tags: injury. · John O'Shea

Comment (0)

Sir Alex dismisses Neville retirement rumors

Posted January 9th, 2010 by red devil in Gossip

Rumors that Gary Neville is planning to retire at the end of the season were immediately quashed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Tags: Gary Neville

Comment (1)

Vidic suffers injury, sidelined for at least ten days

Posted January 8th, 2010 by red devil in Injuries

Manchester United’s defensive woes continue to haunt it as defender Nemanja Vidichas been sidelined for at least ten days following an injury he suffered in his leg.

Because of the injury, Vidic will definitely miss the match against Birmingham this weekend and the game against Burnley next weekend.

We’ll see how Vidic’s problems get resolved especially since there are also rumors that he is unhappy at Old Trafford and would like to move to another team, preferably Real Madrid.

Tags: injury. · Nemanja Vidic

Comment (0)

Van der Sar given indefinite leave due to personal medical emergency

Posted December 26th, 2009 by red devil in News

There is no news yet on the condition of Van der Sar’s wife. Annemarie van Kesteren is 36 years old. She is being examined to find out the cause of the problem.

Our well wishes for the speedy recovery of Annemarie.

Tags: Edwin Van der Sar

2010-03-31T06:26:00.001-07:00

Ferguson: Nani is only 23 and he is not for sale

Portugues forward Nani is having a hard time to become a usual starter at Manchester United squad but despite that and some trading rumours, Ferguson said that he is not for sale.

"I know that some big teams are interested, but there has not been any official offer, and we are not looking forward to sell him anyway. He is only 23. If someone came in for Nani in January we would tell him that he is going absolutely nowhere. Nani is a young boy and he wants to play - and he might get a chance against Spurs in the Carling Cup this week.

Alex Ferguson understands the pressure of having excellent strikers competing for the position: "He has suffered because Antonio Valencia's performances have been excellent and because Obertan has emerged as an interesting forward. He has enough talent and all he has to do is work harder and take his chance when it comes along."

Labels: alex, antonio, ferguson, league, manchester, nani, obertan, portuguese,premier, united, valencia

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Manchester United Wallpapers

Get the most amazing Manchester United wallpapers for all screen resolutions here. How to save a wallpaper:

1. Pick your wallpaper and your screen resolution.
2. Click on it to expand the image.
3. Right click on the image to open the menu, then click on "Save image as"
4. Save it!

Rooney goal Wallpaper
800 x 600:1024 x 768:1280 x 1024:
Manchester United Crest Wallpaper:

800 x 600:1024 x 768:1280 x 1024:

Labels: crest, desktop, logo, manchester, manu, rooney, screen, united,wallpaper, wallpapers

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2009

United aims to sign Angel Di Maria

Benfica's talented forward Angel Di Maria may end up scoring at the Old Trafford Stadium next season. Sir Alex Ferguson will assist to his Europa League game against Everton.

The Argentinian footballer can operate on both the left and right wings and is seen as an addition that can help plug the gap left by Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid.

Rumours say that other teams from the Premier League are after Di Maria. Odds are that Chelsea and Arsenal will make an offer for the player.

It's impotant to mention that Di Maria has played three times for the Argentinian National Team, but has not scored yet.

Labels: angel, argentina, benfica, di maria, ferguson, manchester, transfer, united

Darren Fletcher played against CSKA with a broken bone

It has been revealed that Darren Fletcher, whose return took place in the 3-3 tie against CSKA, is playing with a broken bone - a little piece of bone in the back of his ankle.

The Scotland player is concerned about his vulnerability, but aims to be part of the team against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He knows that a rough kick from a rival can send him to go under surgery.

Fletcher explained the situation: "I injured my ankle in the Sunderland game last month. A bit of bone has broken off the back of my ankle and is stuck. Every time I bend it is causing just a bit of pain. I have had an injection to clear it up but eventually it is going to need to be cleaned out. There has been a build-up of fluid as well. I will have to get something done but the injection will see me through a few months.

"I think my ankle will be completely healed by the end of this season. Striking a ball or bending the ankle in a flexed position or pushing off hurts. It got to the point where it was too sore to train and play so something had to be done and I had the injection". There's no doubt that Fletcher is a real soldier.

Labels: ankle, bone, broken, cska, darren, fletcher, injury, manchester, united

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009

Big dissapointment at Rome after Barcelona's win over Manchester United

Rome was the host for the Final Game. Manchester United had big dreams of repeating the title and be declared the best team of Europe. But the tale didn't end the way we all wanted.

Barcelona and their super talented players made the best game of their lives and beat Ferguson side 2-0. Eto'o and Messi scored for the Catalan team.

However, we are all aware that the Red Devil's players are such a great team as well. They deserved to move to the final and eventually get the crown as well.

Labels: barcelona, champions, ferguson, final, guardiola, league, manchester,rome, united

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Jonny Evans sure to eliminate Inter despite last draw

Inter and Manchester ended a goal-less game. But the young and talented footballer Jonny Evans is confident that Manchester United will be celebrating a famous European victory in a fortnight.

Indeed, the Red Devils left the San Siro feeling disappointed last night after drawing 0-0 with Inter Milan, who were grateful that United didn’t take full advantage of their dominance for much of the first leg last 16 clash.

A we said, Evans was a concerning injury doubt ahead of the fixture in Italy, but his ankle stood up to the test of Brazilian hero Adriano and Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Once again in a big clash for coach Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, the player really made it good in the last line. If the frontme would have being just as effective, the leg would already be decided.

It’s interesting to read that Evans stated: "We're very disappointed not to have netted an away goal, especially at the moment you look at the opportunitys we had in the first half at the moment we got in behind them three or four times.

"However, it's not a bad result and we go to Old Trafford full of confidence. We must make sure we win – it's as clear as that."

Ferguson praised the contribution of Evans, hailing his desire to play. The Newtownabbey man limped off at full-time but hopes to be fit for Sunday’s Carling Cup final against Tottenham at Wembley.

Arsenal supporters will keep an eye on that one, probably still feeling a little apprehensive about their Champions League hopes.

The London team did win the first leg 1-0 at home to Roma last night through a Robin van Persie penalty, but it really must have been four or five.

PD: This game wasn't as good as the last victory over Fulham.

Labels: champions, draw, evans, football, inter, jonny, league, manchester, ucl,uefa, united

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2009

Red Devils win thanks to Rooney goals in his comeback

Talented Wayne Rooney made a goal-scoring return from his five-week injury layoff to help Manchester United defeat Fulham 3-0 and extend its Premier League lead to five points.

The popular Wayne, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury, completed the scoring after coming on as a second-half substitute at Old Trafford last night. United led through first- half goals by Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov.

We must consider that United’s ninth straight league victory lifted the Red Devils to 59 points with 13 games remaining as they bid to tie Liverpool’s record of 18 English championships. Liverpool is second with 54 points.

“We didn’t take any risks with Wayne,” United manager Alex Ferguson told to the press. “I could have played him on Sunday and in despite of that, I felt wait a few days and we’ll get the dividends of that, and we got that tonight.”

The Red Devils has now gone 14 matches unbeaten in England’s top division as it seeks an unprecedented five trophies this season. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar last night extended his shutout streak to 1,302 minutes, a European record.

In fact, Scholes opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he volleyed Michael Carrick’s corner kick from the edge of the area and Fulham goalie Mark Schwarzer spilled the shot over the line. It was the 34-year-old Scholes’s 97th Premier League goal.

“Over the years I have always contributed goals and in despite of that, in the last couple of seasons that hasn’t been the case, as I have been playing slightly deeper,” Scholes told MUTV. “Hopefully that’s the start of a few more to come.”

“The Apache” Carlos Tevez had a goal disallowed for offside in the 25th minute before Berbatov made it 2-0 five minutes later when he got between Schwarzer and Aaron Hughes to tap in a cross from John O’Shea, who had been picked out by Scholes’s chip.

It’s amazing to notice that United had a second goal waved off just before half time as Berbatov was judged offside as he headed in Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick.

Indeed, Rooney, who got injured against Wigan on Jan. 14, replaced Berbatov 15 minutes into the second half. Less than three minutes later he met Park Ji-Sung’s shot across the face of goal at the far post for his seventh league goal of the season.

Edwin Van der Sar, who hasn’t permited a goal during United’s unbeaten streak, surpassed the European single-season mark of 1,275 minutes without allowing a goal set by Atletico Madrid’s Abel Resino in 1991.

Should the Dutch keeper hold Blackburn scoreless for 89 minutes in three days, he will eclipse the record of team Brugge keeper Dany Verlinden, who went 1,390 minutes without allowing a goal over two seasons of the Belgian league in 1990.

Labels: devils, england, ferguson, fulham, manchester, premier, return, rooney,unbeaten, united, win

manchester united wins

2010-03-31T06:06:00.001-07:00

Old heads let United down: Have United gone as far as they can in the Champions League?

# posted by James Ryddel @ 9:17 AM 6 comments

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Coyle on wrong end of United masterclass, but Van Gaal will be tougher nut to crack...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 10:09 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Media ABUs take note: Fergie has every right to play Rooney until he drops..

# posted by James Ryddel @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 21, 2010

It's time for United to raise their game as business end of the season approaches...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 12:11 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Size doesn't matter: Wayne Rooney the 5ft 10in heading machine...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:21 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Rise of the Red Knights: Glazer and Gill the hypocrite on borrowed time? Let us hope so....

# posted by James Ryddel @ 3:47 PM 11 comments

Monday, March 01, 2010

Villa deservedly lost final so stop carping about Vidic...

# posted by James Ryddel @ 1:18 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Why winning Carling Cup isn't do or die for United...

lawak jenaka

2009-10-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

Murid : Selamat pagi, Cikgu.
Cikgu : (Menengking) Mengapa selamat pagi sahaja? Petang dan malam awak doakan saya tak selamat?
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Murid : Selamat sejahtera Cikgu!
Cikgu : Sama-sama, duduk! Dengar sini baik-baik. Hari ini Cikgu nak uji kamu semua tentang perkataan berlawan. Bila Cikgu sebutkan perkataannya, kamu semua mesti menjawab dengan cepat, lawan bagi perkataan-perkataan itu, faham?
Murid : Faham, Cikgu!
Cikgu : Saya tak mahu ada apa-apa gangguan.
Murid : (senyap)
Cikgu : Pandai!
Murid : Bodoh!
Cikgu : Tinggi!
Murid : Rendah!
Cikgu : Jauh!
Murid : Dekat!
Cikgu : Keadilan!
Murid : UMNO!
Cikgu : Salah!
Murid : Betul!
Cikgu : Bodoh!
Murid : Pandai!
Cikgu : Bukan!
Murid : Ya!
Cikgu : Oh Tuhan!
Murid : Oh Hamba!
Cikgu : Dengar ini!
Murid : Dengar itu!
Cikgu : Diam!
Murid : Bising!
Cikgu : Itu bukan pertanyaan, bodoh!
Murid : Ini ialah jawapan, pandai!
Cikgu : Mati aku!
Murid : Hidup kami!
Cikgu : Rotan baru tau!
Murid : Akar lama tak tau!
Cikgu : Malas aku ajar kamu!
Murid : Rajin kami belajar Cikgu!
Cikgu : Kamu gila!
Murid : Kami siuman!
Cikgu : Cukup! Cukup!
Murid : Kurang! Kurang!
Cikgu : Sudah! Sudah!
Murid : Belum! Belum!
Cikgu : Mengapa kamu semua bodoh sangat?
Murid : Sebab saya seorang pandai!
Cikgu : Oh! Melawan!
Murid : Oh! Mengalah!
Cikgu : Kurang ajar!
Murid : Cukup ajar!
Cikgu : Habis aku!
Murid : Kekal kami!
Cikgu : O.K. Pelajaran sudah habis!
Murid : K.O. Pelajaran belum bermula!
Cikgu : Sudah, bodoh!
Murid : Belum, pandai!
Cikgu : Berdiri!
Murid : Duduk!
Cikgu : Saya kata UMNO salah!
Murid : Kami dengar KeADILan betul!
Cikgu : Bangang kamu ni!
Murid : Cerdik kami tu!
Cikgu : Rosak!
Murid : Baik!
Cikgu : Kamu semua ditahan tengah hari ini!
Murid : Dilepaskan tengah malam itu!
Cikgu : (Senyap dan mengambil buku-bukunya keluar

2009-10-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Dah pandai pasang sendiri tu...Dia cucuk teliga sendiri pada hp aku lak tu. Aku tengokkan aje akal dia..

2009-10-07T02:22:00.000-07:00

Salam....Aku nak cerita pasal ammar pulak hari ni...Hari2 ada je ilmu baru yang dia dapat. Sekarang ni dah mula tahu tempat rahsia aku simpan barang2 pulak... Kalau tak bagi menangislah diaaaa.... Hobi dia dengar lagu guna hp ummi la tu... Geram aku...

2009-10-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

Senyum membuat Anda lebih menarik.
Orang yg byk tersenyum memiliki daya penarik.
Orang yg suka tersenyum membuat perasaan orang disekitarnya selesa dan senang.
Yang pasti orang yg byk tersenyum memiliki byk teman.

2. Senyum mengubah perasaan
Jika Anda sedang sedih, cubalah tersenyum.
Senyuman akan membuat perasaan menjadi lebih baik.
Menurut penelitian, senyum boleh mengubah emosi menjadi ceria.

3. Kesan senyum
Ketika seseorang tersenyum, ia akan membuat suasana menjadi lebih riang.
Orang disekitar Anda pasti akan ikut tersenyum dan merasa lebih bahagia

4. Senyum menghilangkan stres
Ketika anda stres,ambil waktu untuk tersenyum.
Senyuman akan mengurangi stres dan membuat fikiran lebih jernih.

5. Senyum meningkatkan imunisasi.
Senyum membuat sistem imun bekerja lebih baik.
Fungsi imun tubuh bekerja maksima saat seseorang merasa rileks.

6. Senyum menurunkan tekanan darah
Tidak percaya? Cuba Anda mencatat tekanan darah ketika anda tidak tersenyum dan catat lagi tekanan darah ketika anda tersenyum semasa diperiksa.
Tekanan darah ketika Anda tersenyum pasti lebih baik.

8. Senyum adalah awet muda
Senyuman menggerakkan byk otot .
Akibatnya otot wajah terlatih sehingga anda tidak perlu melakukan face lift.
Dijamin dengan byk tersenyum Anda akan menjadi lebih awet muda.

9. Senyum membuat Anda kelihatan sukses.
Orang yg tersenyum lebih yakin dan penuh semangat untuk hidup.

10. Senyum membuat orang berfikiran positif.
Cuba lakukan ini : fikirkan hal buruk sambil tersenyum. Pasti susah.
Ketika tersenyum, tubuh menerimanya sebagai anugerah.

Senyumlah....senyumlah ahai cek mek molek.....

Cubalah senyum untuk mengurangkan stress terutama dengan anak2.... dan kerjaya. boleh?????? hihihi

Aku pun sedang tersenyum ni.....see...harap hati kawan semua pun senangggggggglahhh.

2009-10-07T02:02:00.000-07:00

ini adik aku namanya ialah amar....dia reti baca buku..pada hari ini amar akan ajar bahasa english.....mula dari car yaa....dan van dan hen.... ok murid-murid tiba masa nya untuk balik.... bye murid-murid....

2009-10-07T01:54:00.000-07:00

kenapa orang english selalu masuk blog aku pelik..................

2009-10-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

hari ni....lupa nak tulis dekat blog. sebab asyik main game.sampai terlupa blog.......

nama jepun

2009-06-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Atie~kachikiku ( Ha haha ....camtu namaku ini...macam buah ciku jerk)

Wan~Meikato ...my hubby ler

Ammar~Karinrinkashi

Afiq~Kalukike ( apa ke pelik sangat nama afiq nih...wakaka)

Adib~Katekitu (Memang lawak neh....)

Azri~Kazishiki....Em yang ni ok sikit...(ayie~kafukiku....ok la tu nama jepun aku kan

A - ka----F - lu---- K - me---- P - no---- U - do---- Z - zi

B - tu----G - ji----- L - ta----- Q - ke ----V - ru

C - mi----H - ri ----M - rin ----R - shi ---W - mei

D - te----I - ki -----N - to----- S - ari---- X - na

E - ku--- J - zu ----O - mo ----T - chi---- Y - fu

main dekat taman

2009-05-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Masa kat playground tu ada budak dalam 4 tahun aku rasalah, dia duk tengok je Ammar, pastu aku tengok dia pergi kat mak dia dan berbisik.....comelll adik tu mak, mak dia pun menjawab....comellah sebab mak dia cantik!!!!Aku buat tak dengar je masa dia cakap tu....dalam hati.... cantikkah aku??????muahahaha.....Adakah unsur perasan disitu, Aku bercerita pada suami. Dia kata eleeeehh....dia nak kata handsome cam babah dia segan!!! ececeh...nak menumpang sekaki jugak laki aku nih......perasan!!!! cewah....sempat lagi kata orang tu,....aku pun apa kurangnya.....hihi.
So itu jelah cerita yang berlaku hari ahad lepas.....See u...very soon...

AKU KAYA ! ! ! ! AKU JURUTAWAN LAAAAA........

2009-05-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Salam semua....
Tentu ada yang terkejut dengan pengakuan berani aku ni kan. Aku adalah jutawan jutawanis. Tentu korang tertanya2 .... kenapalah aku nak war2kan kekayaan aku nih.haha.
Sebenarnya aku tergelak besar bila aku yang dah lama tak tengok email aku, didatangi oleh berpuluh2 email dari orang yang sah2 aku tak kenal langsung. Macam2 Dr, Macam2 orang yang nak bagi duit kat aku berjuta2 tuuuuuuu....muahahhahha.Ada juga yang kata aku menang duitlah, keretalah....yang branded lak tuh.Ada aku kisah !!!. Padahal dalam hati...... kalau ada orang yang nak bagi aku Exora percuma ok gek.........wakakkaka.
Korang ada dapat tak email camtu....yang pasti tak usah di layan!!!! amatlah bahaya ok. Siap mintak maklumat diri , no akaun bagai....Bukan senang nak senang kan. Kena usaha lebih tau, kena kerja, betul tak???Kalau tiba2 ada manusia yang tidak kita kenali langsung nak bagi duit , itu amatlah tidak munasabah langsungggggg....sedangkan adik beradik susahpun ada yang buat tak tahu jeeee...inikan pulak orang yang entah hape2 dengan kita....haih!!!
Manusia sekarang ni...macam2 cara dia buat untuk dapatkan wang, tak dapat cara terang dia buat cara tipuuuu....sungguh tidak bermoral.
Tapi yang aku pelik tu...macamana lak dia dapat add email aku ye.....pelik2, padahal aku ni bukan pandai sangat nak hantar email kat orang. Email aku ni pun cik abang aku yang buat. Aku tak kisah pun pasal email semua tuh......Bosan tul, Semua email tu aku dah

2009-05-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

hi hi hari ni hari jadi AMAR