Manchester United For Life

LSD Sports hit the ground running in Online Sales and Event Management

2018-04-29T10:39:00.002+05:30

LSD Sports was established to try and raise Nepali Football to another level on 1st of April. The launching ceremony and Pre-booking was held at Get2gether Cafe, Saraswati Nagar. LSD Sports is involved in many events related to Football and other sports like cricket and live screenings of the sports covered.
LSD Sports is a dream Project of Rinzing Sherpa who is the sole proprietor. He has been contributing to the sports in Nepal from the last 12 years. Flood Victims Relief Fund, MUSCN Charity to homeless, distribution of Jerseys and other needful to poor and under-privileged are some of the projects that he has been involved in Nepal.
LSD Sports is now planning to go beyond charities and commercializing. 10% of the earnings will go to Elderly People Home in Pashupatinath. It has joined forces with A'Muse Restro and Sanjeewani Multi-purpose in this bid to take the field of Event Management and football as a whole.

A rough tackling midfielder is what we need the most

2012-07-15T15:11:00.001+05:30

Lucas Moura is a rumored Man. Utd. target, but he isn't
the answer to United's midfield woes

With the end of season, commences the transfer rumors. This is that time of season where crazy rumors fly around. And being a Manchester United fan, you will most likely hear lots of player linked to the club. From Modric to Baines, this summer has already tossed up interesting rumors. Many top class players have been linked with the Old Trafford club, but the only deals finalized yet are that of Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell.

Sir Alex in his latest press conference stated that United will probably sign one player and maybe two. The top priority transfer is rumored to be Lucas Moura and if the reports are to be believed even Baines could be joining United. There are also rumors that an enquiry has been made about availability of Eriksen. The focus looks more on an attacking midfielder, but we already have that area covered. We have Kagawa, Clelverly and Anderson, but the holding midfielder role is still not filled.

A midfielder who excels both at defending and attacking is absent at United. With the departure of Park Ji Sung, the need of a hard working midfielder who can create goals is quite clear. Witsel, Strootman etc. are the few names that have also been linked with Manchester United, but SAF hardly seems to sign a holding midfielder. But, now is the team he needs to really put impetus on signing such a midfielder. The lack of this type of midfielder can be clearly seen when United play against a good midfield.

Last season, we were humbled by the likes of Ajax, Athletic Bilbao as well. We were outrun in the midfield. The thought of us playing Barca with that kind of performance is very terrifying. The thing we require most is a holding midfielder not an attacking. SAF should address this position sooner rather than later so as to ensure a good season. Champions League will be the biggest test undoubtedly. We can't afford to be overrun in the midfield every-time we are playing in Europe.

Manchester United go top after defeating West Bromwich Albion

2012-03-11T21:54:00.001+05:30

Rooney's brace took Man Utd. to the top of premier league table

Rooney celebrating after scoring a penalty against West Brom

Manchester United reached the summit after defeating West Bromwich Albion. Another reason for Man Utd. reaching top was Manchester City getting defeated by Swansea.

This match started with WBA on the front foot. They looked quite comfortable in possession. But after the game settled in it was all Manchester United. Ashley Young was the main source of attack for quite sometime. United missed quite some chances.

But Rooney finally got United a deserved goal as he touched a shot from Hernandez in the 35th minute.

The second half begun pretty much like the first. West Brom started on the front foot. They had a penalty appealed turned down when Patrice Evra got Peter Odemwingie down. It seemed to be a clear penalty shout but Evra was lucky that West Brom weren't awarded a penalty.

Then on 66th minute Jonas Olsson picked up his second booking of the game and thus got sent off. This was for taking Chicharito down.

After this, it was an uphill battle for the visitors. United kept going forward, having a man advantage and created chance after chance for quite some time.

They finally got rewarded when Ashley Young got fouled in West Brom's penalty area. The penalty was coolly taken by Rooney. That goal was 26th goal of Rooney's season.

The goal meant United could afford to sub-off Scholes and so they did. He was replaced by Paul Pogba who was rumored to be heading to Juventus. But this appearance could mean that it was just a rumor. Moreover, this game also saw Tom Cleverly's return from injury which could be a huge boost for the title run in.

Chicharito set up a great cross in 82nd minute only to see Ashley Young not head the ball properly. After the sending off, the game apparently looked over, therefore this miss didn't prove too costly to United.

Just as this games end was approaching, Man City conceded a goal against Manchester City. Thus after the blow of the whistle, the fans went mad. They were all too pretty excited after knowing that this result would mean United would go top of EPL and so they did.

This could proved to be a vital twist in the EPL. But it's not all over yet. Manchester United will have to carry on their good form in EPL if they're to retain EPL this season.

Let's hope they do.

Premier League Match Preview: Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion

2012-03-11T13:02:00.002+05:30

Manchester United face West Brom today in a very crucial match.

Date, Venue: Sunday 11 March 2012, 14:00 GMT (NEPAL Standard Time: 19:45) at Old Trafford.

Manchester United are to face West Bromwich Albion in the upcoming fixture of Premier League. Manchester United have been in good form recently in Premier League but defeat against Athletic Bilbao would have raised concerns of most of the Red Devil's fans.

Man Utd. will be hoping to regain their own confidence and the fan's as well ahead of the second leg of Europa league tie vs Bilbao in which united need to win at least by 2 goals go get through the next round.

Similarly, the importance of this match can't be discounted. United are just two points behind the league leader Man City and will be hoping to heap further pressure on the by winning this match.

Manchester United have relatively easier run in compared to City so they will look to make full use of it and mount as much pressure as possible upon Man City.

Team News
Sir Alex said that Antonio Valencia should be back for this game. Thus he could be returning to the squad and so could Tom Cleverly.

Steven Reid of West Brom is injured so will miss the match and so could Jerome Thomas following his hamstring injury.

Predictions
West Brom last week defeated Chelsea so will be looking for another upset as far as possible. But after the bad performance against Bilbao united will be looking to regain their confidence for the title run in and also for the upcoming Europa League tie.

Manchester United should comfortably win this game none the less. I will go for 3-1 victory to Manchester United.

Match Report: Manchester United 2 Athletic Bilbao 3

2012-03-09T05:30:00.000+05:30

United had a really tough time at Old Trafford as they were largely outplayed for most of the time despite taking the lead through Wayne Rooney. He also got a late second which was not enough for the win but just to minimize the deficit. The visitors maintained their positive and attacking approach after going behind and were ruling side on the pitch and they eventually got the goals from Fernando Llorente, Oscar de Marcos and Iker Muniain. Now United have it all to do at the Estadio San Mames next Thursday to proceed further into the Europa League, they atleast need a 2-0 win away from home.

Earlier than game it was all expected that a much stronger team will be landed as Sir Alex promised to field a strong team and he stuck to his word, although a handful of recent key performers, namely Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Nani and Danny Welbeck, were kept on the bench. In their place came Chris Smalling, wearing a protective hat after his head injury for England last week, Phil Jones, Ji-sung Park and Javier Hernandez.

The Spanish side were never going to come to Old Trafford just to make up the numbers – they had made that pretty clear in the build-up to the game – and they showed in the opening five minutes that, despite never having won on English soil, a visit to Old Trafford held no fears. Not only were the visitors extremely organised, they were highly motivated from the off and flooded forward at every opportunity.

Fernando Llorente was the Spaniard who had the visitors’ first sight of goal on four minutes when the skilful front man twisted and turned on the edge of the box to create space before curling an effort just wide of David De Gea’s left-hand post. In an another moment Iker Muniain found himself within a whisker of latching onto a lovely ball over the top from Javi Martinez soon after, but thankfully the pass ran through to De Gea.

United took time to get going on the attacking part – a tame low drive from Hernandez, straight at goalkeeper was all the Reds could get in the opening 20 minutes.

But after surviving a couple of scares – the referee waved away Llorente’s penalty appeals after tangling with Smalling and Markel Susaeta shot straight at De Gea, the outplayed home side took a somewhat surprise lead on 22 minutes. Hernandez played a neat one-two with Ryan Giggs before the Mexican fired low at Iraizoz who could only parry the ball into the path of the onrushing Rooney to blast home his 23rd goal of the campaign from six yards.

The goal did little to dent Athletic Club’s spirit and endeavour; in fact, the visitors appeared to grow in confidence as the openings in United’s half kept coming. Llorente headed over after a whipped cross from Oscar de Marcos down the right, before Susaeta was presented with a glorious chance just after the half-hour. Ander Herrera dinked a pass forward to Susaeta who burst clear of Jonny Evans but rather than take the ball on towards goal, he opted to lob De Gea and saw his effort drop wide. Soon after, right-back Andoni Iraola did manage to test the Spanish keeper after a burst forward, but De Gea was equal to it and turned it round the post.

After countless warnings the visitors gave it was no surprise to see Llorente get it finally just before going on the break on the 44th minute. He played his part in some neat build-up before ghosting in unmarked to powerfully head Susaeta’s right-wing cross past De Gea.

The Reds had De Gea to thank thereafter, not just for keeping them in this game, but arguably in the tie. First, the Spanish stopper, at full stretch, brilliantly tipped away Muniain’s 25-yard drive, before palming Llorente’s curling effort over the bar. Looking at the possession things were a little more even than the first period, and United had the fresh legs of Michael Carrick and Anderson who replaced Smalling and Park respectively, but it was visitors rather than hosts who still looked the most likely to score more. It did almost happen on 68 minutes when the impressive Muniain played a neat one-two with Herrera and found himself clean through - Thanks to De Gea who rescued The Reds with a smart save with his feet.

Unfortunately he again was powerless to stop de Marcos giving Athletic Club the lead on 72 minutes. After an exchange of passes on the edge of United’s box, the ball came to Herrera who scooped the ball up for de Marcos to volley home left-footed into the far corner, although replays showed the midfielder was in an offside position.

De Gea saved again from substitute Gaizka Toquero, but after parrying de Marcos’ speculative effort on 90 minutes, he was unable to prevent Muniain, who had run in unmarked, blasting the rebound into the roof of the net for Athletic's third.

The tie looked to be all over but Rooney gave United a lifeline deep into injury-time from the penalty spot after de Marcos had handled Hernandez’s shot in the box.

United still have it all to do, but there is at least some hope with just 1 goal less, they need to come up with atleast a 2-0 win to keep going on the Europa. Hope they land on much more better side with the likes of Cleverly, Valencia coming back after staying away from Injury.

Lineup

Man Utd - De Gea, Evra, Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Jones, Giggs, Ji-Sung, Young, Rooney and Hernández

Subs - Amos, Ferdinand, Anderson, Carrick, Fabio Nani, Welbeck

Athletic Bilbao - Iraizoz, Iraola, San Jose, Aurtenetxe, Martínez, Susaeta, Iturraspe, Herrera, Llorente, Oscar and Muniaín.

Subs - Raul, Toquero, Lopez, Koikili, Perez, Ekiza, Gomes

Scorers

Man Utd - Rooney (22', pen 90')

Athletic Bilbao - Llorente (44'), Oscar (72') and Muniaín (90').

Europa League Match Preview: Manchester United vs Athletic Bilbao

2012-03-07T16:02:00.001+05:30

Manchester United face Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of Round of 16 at Old Trafford.

Man. Utd. vs Athletic Bilbao

Date, Venue: Thursday 8 March 2012, 20:05 GMT (NEPAL Standard Time: Friday, March 09, 2012 1:50:00 AM) at Old Trafford

Having defeated Tottenham without dominate the game, Manchester United have another tough game in their hands. Athletic Bilbao can't be discounted as an easy opponent as they have a very decent squad.

But United will be pretty confident as they have been able to salvage a possible of 10 points out of 12 against the opponents of likes of: Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Though, United aren't playing Europa League out of choice, rather compulsion, there is an incentive of adding Europa League to the Trophy Cabinet of Manchester United which doesn't include this trophy. Therefore, Manchester United might look up to Europa League more seriously than they would otherwise.

Team News

There are some good news on the injury front for Manchester United as well. Chris Smalling will most probably be back for this game. Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverly are getting better with their fitness but this game might come a little bit too soon for the. Whereas, Athletic Bilbao are expected to travel with a full squad, with long-term absentees Carlos Gurpegui, Aitor Ocio, and Xabier Castillo all missing due to long-term injuries.

Prediction

On paper, Manchester United are undoubtedly the better team, but matches are won on field and not paper. Thus, United will have to play with full concentration in order to register a victory against Bilbao. The defense needs to function well as the downfall of English clubs in Europe this year has been caused due to lackluster defending. Man. Utd. certainly have the home advantage in the first leg which they will try to use in their advantage as much as possible.

That said, I still fancy Manchester United to win by 2-0 if they keep their concentration levels high.

And don't forget to post your predictions below. You don't even need to have a google account. But please do leave your Name with your comments as well.

Sorry to everyone for lack of updates for quite some time!

2012-03-07T08:40:00.002+05:30

I have to say we are very sorry that we couldn't update this blog for quite sometime. But from now on we will try our utmost best to update regularly. We would like to ask an apology for any kind of inconvenience that might have been caused due to lack of regular update.

GGMU!

Paul Pogba signs £20k four year deal with Juventus

2012-03-07T08:11:00.000+05:30

Paul Pogba was being touted as future of Manchester United

Paul Pogba has signed a £20k four year deal with Juventus according to dailymail. The source has also revealed that his agent: Mino Raiola will earn £1.7 million as a commission.

This certainly will be a huge blow to Man Utd. as Ravel Morrison recently joined West Ham from United. Paul Pogba and Rave Morrison were being touted by Man. Utd. as future of the club. But seeing the departure of both the players Sir Alex must really be frustrated.

In the wake of this deal, Pogba was forced out of United reserve team that lost 1-0 against West Brom.

Man Utd. will be receiving training compensation as per the rules of FIFA.

Manchester City 2 - 3 Manchester United

2012-01-08T21:25:00.003+05:30

Wayne Rooney, United's talisman, scored twice as Manchester United were victorious on the FA cup derby, Third Round, at the Etihad Stadium, which was a great game of football that saw City's Vincent Company sent off early in the game.

The Red Devils had a reorganized defense where Rio ferdinand was partnered by Chris Smalling in central defence while Phil Jones was moved to Right Back. Meanwhile, Patrice Evra was at Left Back. Paul Scholes was on the bench after he made a sensational return from retirement as per the request of his Manager. Rooney and Welbeck started up front while Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick handled the Central Midfield with Nani and Valencia on the wings.

For Man City, Costel Pantilimon was at goal in the place of the injured Joe Hart. Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko missed out while Gareth Barry served a one match ban while both Yaya and Kolo Toure reported for international duty.

In the 10th minute, United took the lead with an excellent header from Rooney. Antonio Valencia delievered a cross for Rooney who powered home a superb header off the underside of the bar. City were given a big blow as Vincent Company was sent off for a challenge on Luis Nani. After 30 minutes of play, United extended their lead to 2-0 with a brilliant volley from Welbeck, his seventh of the season. Things got worse for city as they conceded a penalty six minutes before half time when Kolarov brought down Welbeck. Costel Pantiliman saved Rooney's spot-kick but couldn't deny the united's talisman from scoring a header afterwards making the save.

At one stage, it seemed United were on course to thrash their opponents by a exact way they were beaten earlier in the season. But, City pulled a surprising fight back from 10 men as they scored 2 goals in second half. Evra was booked for fouling Richards outside the area and Kolarov scored a bending free kick past Lindegaard. Just after an hour, Scholes came off the bench to make 677th appearance as he replaced Nani. City got their second after 65 minutes when Aguero's initial shot was spilled by Lindegaard but the striker pounced to score. Scholes almost scored with his trade mark long range shot after 71 minutes but Pantilimon saved comfortably. City brought on former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves as they pressed for the equalizer. Kolarov tested Lindegaard with a free kick in injury time but the united defense held firm and did enough to keep the score as it was, in their favour.

As the final whistle blew, Man United knocked out the holders on their own patch to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The sparkling first half performance was enough for Man United to triumph over their noisy neighbors.

The victory and the return of Paul Scholes will certainly act as a morale booster in the upcoming games for the red devils after losing two matches in a row which many believe they should have done better. Manchester United have always proven they are the real kings of football in the world as they always respond to any failures. And today, this case was no different.

These are the happy times at the red side of Manchester and Misery for the blue side.

Glory Glory Manchester United............................................

A Defeat To Start The Year

2012-01-05T14:51:00.003+05:30

'Manchester will score, always scores', but it was not so in yesterday's match. While the United Keeper, Lindegaard was getting all clean sheets in all his starting league matches, it was turn for Red Devil's forward to get a clean sheet for not putting a goal behind Newcastle's net.

United were all over the field once again this season due to some tight defending and exquisite attacks, particularly by Ba, castle's new knight. The misery of United defeat continued from 2012 eve to 2012 from the opposition final score being 3.

The defeat leaves the visitors three points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City after their win on Tuesday night.

Ba's 33rd-minute opener came through Tim Krul's free-kick flicked on by Shola Ameobi for Ba to superbly hook home from 16 yards.

And two minutes into the second half, Cabaye added a second with a wonderful 30-yard free-kick that bounced off the underside of the bar and over the line.

The Reds tries to pressure and have a goal, but it was not Devil's night. All the passes and tactic were going wrong for Sir Alex and United.

Rooney, Nani, Berbatov, Giggs, Park and other devils seemed helpless to some mystical play of Newcastle United.

And to round off a dreadful night for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, Phil Jones put through his own net after another long punt up field by Krul hit him on the leg and wrongfooted Anders Lindegaard.

There's now huge load of work for Sir Alex and for his team to cope with in this year, if they want to be the champions once again as last season.

Macheda On Loan To QPR

2012-01-02T16:42:00.003+05:30

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda has joined to QPR for this season on loan. The United part time striker, though with lots of talent had not been able to play in most of United's matches.

He has just six first-team appearances for United this term, will now hope to become a regular under R's manager Neil Warnock.

The 20-year-old becomes Neil Warnock's first signing of the January transfer window and will wear the number 33 shirt at Loftus Road.

The Italian striker who made his debut against Aston Villa in 5 April 2009, has made 33 appearances for United.

Macheda told QPR's official website,"There is a lot of competition at Manchester United, there are some very good strikers there. But I am still young and I need to get more experience in the Premier League. I am here to train hard firstly and then I hope to play a big part in the games."

He added: "I was attracted by the challenge and by the players that QPR brought in during the summer. There are some very big players at the club now. I also know the fans are very, very passionate, and this interested me also."

Rangers boss Warnock was delighted to secure Macheda's services but stressed his belief that Macheda's long-term future lies with Manchester United.

Warnock said,"He puts defenders under pressure, he’s a strong lad and he’s got a yard of pace as well. If we can get him the ball in the right areas I am sure he can get us a few goals. It’s a great way for us to start the January transfer window."

All United fans would be delighted with this loan transfer which will indeed help the non-regular striker to gain some confidence and consistency in his play, while he will be playing as a regular in QPR's team.

Home Defeat for United on New Year's Eve

2012-01-01T15:51:00.003+05:30

It was more like Halloween than Birthday for The Boss when Blackburn snatched the first away win at Old Trafford. Rovers stunned the defending champions to claim a stunning 3-2 win at the end of a quite amazing contest with Manchester United.

When all of the football followers believed United would mark Sir Alex Ferguson’s 70th birthday with a convincing victory and a return to the Premier League summit, manager Steve Kean inspired his players to the most unexpected result of the season.

All were surprised with absence of Rooney from the squad due to his failure to “train well” during the week. The twist of the day did not end here as well. Giggs and Ferdinand were also left away from the bench. Sir Alex has made rotation of his players this season more than others, trying to find the perfect combination.

United gave away a penalty on 15th minute of the match, when Berbatov foolishly tugged at Samba’s shirt directly in front of referee Mike Dean and although the Blackburn captain fell to the ground rather easily for a man of his size. Yakubu does not miss and the Nigerian promptly sent De Gea the wrong way.

Rovers was all over the match with well defending and prompt attacks. They surely deserved a lead on the match. Whereas United kept most of the possessions and failed to score due to some poor performances by its players. Rovers had a goal lead going into the half-time.

With no Rooney to assist his team, Ferguson turned to Anderson at the break, a move that triggered a number of positional changes, the most significant of which saw Valencia shifted into an advanced position.

United’s defensive problems finally showed with Michael Carrick, plugging a gap at centre-half, losing Yakubu on the edge of the penalty area, enabling the Nigerian to skip past Phil Jones before beating De Gea with a left-foot strike.

But while Blackburn continued to celebrate, United claimed a foothold by replying through Berbatov within 60 seconds when the Bulgarian rounded off Rafael’s penetrating run with a diving header from six yards.

It was Valencia's burst of pace and subsequent cut-back that provided Berbatov with the opportunity to side-foot United level on 62nd minute.

With 10 minutes left, De Gea’s hopeless attempt to collect Pedersen’s corner saw him crash into Grant Hanley in a half-heated attempt to punch the ball.

Hanley saw the loose ball and, with De Gea stranded, headed it into the empty net, ignoring United’s weak appeals for a foul.

The final whistle blew with United 2 and Rovers 3 on the eve of a New year and birthday of Sir Alex Ferguson. This defeat would be costly, which would have made United on the top of the table.

Manchester United Vs Blackburn Rovers : Match Preview

2011-12-30T15:20:00.001+05:30

Manchester United will look to gift Sir Alex Ferguson a perfect 70th birthday gift by going to the top of the table with a victory over Blackburn Rovers. United will be keen to end 2011 with a bang at the Theater of Dreams.

Form Guide :
Following the 5-0 destruction of Wigan, Manchester United will be looking to continue their fine run of 5 straight wins with a sixth one. Only one goal conceded in those five games shows their quality of defense despite the absence of Nemanja Vidic. While Blackburn have been struggling, the moral boosting draw at Liverpool showed they can accomplish anything in their day.

Ins and Outs :
Wayne Rooney should return to the starting line-up for United after being rested against Wigan Athletic. Sir Alex is hopeful Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones and Smalling can make up for the game while Jonny Evans will be sidelined. Berbatov should start after staking his claim in the starting XI with a fine display against Wigan Athletic. For Blackburn, David Dunn and Junior Hoillett join the long list of casualties while Martin Olsson has an outside chance of making it for the game.

United beat Rovers 7-1 at Old Trafford last season with Berbatov scoring 5 times followed by title clinching 1-1 draw at Ewood Park. Phil Jones will be looking to face his former club for the first time since his summer move to the Theater of Dreams.

Watch out for the game as it could also be a perfect New Year gift for all the Reds over the globe as the joint leaders take on the bottom rooted club. My prediction 3-0 with Rooney, Nani and Berbatov scoring. Post your predictions please.

25 Years of Fairytale

2011-11-04T21:06:00.003+05:30

Its been 25 years for Sir Alex Ferguson to serve as the manager of Manchester United. And the legendary boss thinks his 25 glorious years in charge of United have been something of a "fairytale".

With 25 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the longest serving manager in their history after overtaking Sir Matty Busby 's record on 19 December 2010. Ferguson was appointed manager at Old Trafford on 6 November 1986. His tenure is also the longest of all the current League managers. During this time, Ferguson has won many awards and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion.

"It's been a really fantastic spell for me and something you don't think is going to happen," he stated. "It's been a bit of a fairytale to last so long and I appreciate that.

"I've been very fortunate to have some of the best players in the game and, when I look back on these players I think about how fortunate I am. It's incredible when you look at who's been here - Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Paul Ince, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona. What a collection of fantastic players.

"It's hard to think I actually controlled all these players for so long. Today, we have so many players with different personalities from different cultures."

Ferguson's tenure has seen the club go through an era of success and dominance both in England and in Europe, giving Ferguson a reputation as one of the most admired and respected managers in the history of the game.

"I'll continue as long as I feel healthy enough to do it," he insisted. "In management, things change as the years go on. It's different now even to seven or eight years ago. A lot of things have changed."

The Glory of United speaks volume of this man's sweat and toil, he spent on this club and its fans. He has been going strong till date. There are difficulties ahead of him but the fans are well relaxed because they have total faith on Sir Alex to bring the team in winning track once again as done in past numerous times. God bless Sir Alex Ferguson.

Match Report: Manchester United 2 vs 0 Galati

2011-11-03T13:47:00.002+05:30

So often the leading man, Wayne Rooney took centre-stage at the Theatre of Dreams, producing a stellar display in midfield to lift Manchester United top of Group C of the Champions League.

The recently retired Paul Scholes, so often the playmaker here, never resembles the most comfortable of spectators but he looked on admiringly.

Many inside Old Trafford believe the centre will eventually prove Rooney’s best position, sweeping the ball around like Scholes.

Half-close the eyes and it could have been Scholes spraying those crossfield passes. It was not simply the accuracy of Rooney’s delivery that impressed. It was the vision. Rooney clearly carries pictures in his head, almost a running movie of where his team-mates are so he can find them first-time.

Even taking into account the modest nature of the opposition, Rooney was exceptional, constantly eluding his marker Ioan Filip, picking out team-mates with perfect passes and working tirelessly in seeking to break up Galati’s intermittent attacks. He pulled the strings for United and cut Galati’s.

“I played there a lot when I was younger,’’ Rooney told Sky Sports.

“It’s a position where you get a lot of the ball. I am a good enough footballer to play anywhere on the pitch and that is not just being big-headed. I am capable of doing that so if the manager wants me to do it I will.”

Good performances were also delivered by the excellent Phil Jones while David de Gea made one magnificent save but the headlines belonged to Rooney.

“Rooney was our best player and showed great awareness of that role,’’ said Sir Alex Ferguson. “His selection of passes was really good. He showed great energy and determination so we got a great performance out of him tonight. He has all the qualities you would need to be a central midfield player.’’

The stats backed Ferguson up: of Rooney’s 18 passes over what Uefa call “long” distance, 14 found their intended target while 61 of 68 “medium” passes were successful (and 13 of 14 “short”).

One of his passes midway through the first half paraded his ability to conjure something special under pressure. As Galati players crowded around, Rooney disguised his intentions, tricking the Romanians into believing he was looking for Antonio Valencia on the right before slipping the ball through the middle to Dimitar Berbatov.

Ferguson has been looking for some match-winning magic from a midfielder, a destroyer of defences with a killer pass from the middle third. It was why he looked at Wesley Sneijder in the summer before the club baulked at the cost. Another average performance from Anderson highlighted United’s lack of a high-class central midfielder.

Neither Darren Fletcher nor Michael Carrick, although capable in their own way, can run a midfield.

Rooney’s versatility helps Ferguson address this midfield issue, although the manager stressed that he thought Rooney’s redeployment “is a short-term thing at the moment”. He remains United’s most potent centre-forward, although Ferguson still has options in this area.

Javier Hernandez came on for Michael Owen, who injured a thigh muscle after 11 minutes, to partner Berbatov. The Bulgarian failed to score but looked lively, particularly enjoying the silver service from Rooney. Danny Welbeck, so highly rated by Ferguson, was kept in reserve.

Rooney still has elements of the role to learn. He was caught out a couple of times by sudden surges from Galati, particularly from Cristian Neagu. If his positional nous requires sharpening, his effort was immense. His sweat-soaked shift was rewarded late on, a strike from range that was granted a generous deflection to take it into the Romanians’ net. Uefa, after some deliberation, gave it as an own goal to Cristian Sarghi.

The England manager, Fabio Capello, who was sitting a few rows in front of Scholes, could have been forgiven for feeling frustrated as well as impressed, knowing that Rooney is suspended for the group stage of the Euros. Rooney had shone from the start, triggering the move that led to United’s eighth-minute opener with a superb pass to Berbatov, who quickly sent the athletic Jones away down the right.

Owen, sliding in, just failed to connect with Jones’ cross at the near post but the ball carried to Valencia, who made no mistake from close range. As all but the small knot of visitors amongst the 74,847 celebrated, it was impossible to escape the presence of a sizeable contingent of local schoolchildren. This was squeaky-voice time.

If they had come to admire Rooney, he did not disappoint. Nor did United’s full-backs, Jones and Fabio, who were in full overlapping mode.

But the ball stayed on its mission to spend time with Rooney. Like a conductor at the Halle, Rooney kept dictating the tempo, releasing Nani and then Rio Ferdinand. The centre-half was exposed for pace just before the break by Ionut Neagu. De Gea would not be beaten, stretching out a hand to repel Neagu’s strike.

Berbatov wasted a couple of chances to put the game beyond the Romanians’ reach and Old Trafford could breathe easy only three minutes from time. Rooney let fly from 25 yards out, the ball catching Sarghi and wrongfooting Grahovac. “Rooney, Rooney” thundered around the ground.

Match Preview: United Vs Otetul Galati

2011-11-02T15:10:00.001+05:30

Manchester United welcome Otetul Galati to the Theater Of Dreams for the first time. This will be the Romanians first CL match in England.

Form Guide:
Manchester United seem to have gotten out of their miserable 1-6 loss to Manchester City. They have recorded back to back win against Aldershot( 3-0 ) at the Carling Cup and Everton( 1-0 ) at the Premier League. United will be keen to continue that winning streak against Galati having already beaten the Romanians on the first leg. Galatians have not won a game in CL and have struggled for consistency in their domestic league although they won the latest game against Gaz Metan Medias.

Ins and Outs:
Captain Vidic is out for the game following his straight red card at the National Stadium while Smalling ( Ankle ) , Darren Gibson ( Ankle ) , and Kiko Mancheda ( Elbow ) are injured. Ryan Giggs ( Hamstring ), Tom Cleverley ( Foot ), and Ashley Young ( ankle ) are also major doubts and are unlikely to feature. Galati could be without Filip ( leg ), Adrian Salageanu ( knee ), and Laurentiu Bus ( ankle ). Suspended defender Milan Perendija will too not play any role in the match.

Last Meeting:
United beat Galati in their last meeting at the National Stadium. Wayne Rooney scored two penalties as United recorded their first win of the campaign following back to back draw against Benfica and FC Basel. Both sides were reduced to 10 men during the game.

Player to watch:
United: Nani could be the man to watch because of his runs and the capacity to tear any defense apart. While he was not the usual Nani in the Derby, Sir Alex would want him to do what he does best.
Galati: Gabriel Giurjiu will be the man for Galati. The former Rubin Kazan was heavily involved in Bucharest and is likely to make a nuisance of himself on this game too.

Probable XI :
Manchester United : De Gea, Fabio, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra,Valencia, Anderson, Carrick, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez
Galati : Grahovac, Rapa, Ljuvincov, Costin, Sarghi, Antal, Viglianti, Ibeh, Giurgiu, LLie, Pena

Prediction: I would go for a 2-0 win. Post your predictions please.

Manchester United defender considers International retirement

2011-10-30T17:18:00.000+05:30

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is reportedly considering to hang up his boots for International football to focus more on his Old Trafford carrer.

Ferdinand has represented England 81 times though he currently is not a regular starter for his country because of both uncertain form and injury. He was left out of the England squad to face Montenegro earlier this month and was also dropped yesterday for United's away game against Everton.

He has been facing some problems after some young talents such as Smalling, Jones and Gary Cahill came infront of The Three Lions. Ferdinand has been linked with a move away from United though he looks to hang up his boots for International football to nail his spot in the United starting line-ups.

United to face Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup quarter finals

2011-10-30T11:56:00.001+05:30

Manchester United have been drawn at home to face Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup quarter finals.
United have seen off challenges from Leeds and Aldershot Town and now face Championship side Crystal Palace for a place in the last four.
The tie will be held on Monday, 28th November

Full drawChelsea v Liverpool
Arsenal v Man City
United v Crystal Palace
Cardiff v Blackburn

Mixed injuries for United

2011-10-30T08:28:00.001+05:30

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has been ruled out for a month with a broken foot as the injury was confirmed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Smalling has a small fracture in his foot," said Sir Alex "I think he will be out for a month and it's unfortunate that one"

The news is good for United midfielder Cleverly as he has been expected to be fit for United's next game against Sunderland.

"He's felt his ankle again," the manager told MUTV. "It's nothing serious, just tightness and tiredness. It's his first real game back, although he played on Tuesday [at Aldershot] of course. He should be okay next week and it was an excellent performance from him in the first half."

Ashley Young also has been ruled out for a couple of weeks and he might miss United's clash against Everton as he is suffering from a toe injury.

"Ashley Young has a toe injury that is not going away so he could be out for a couple of weeks."

Match Report: Everton 0 Manchester United 1

2011-10-29T21:08:00.002+05:30

United the defending champions came with a 3 pointer away from home as they returned home with a 1 goal win. The Mexican tapped in 19 minutes for the visitors from the low cross from Evra.

The Red Devil's boss came with five changes to the team that lost to City last Sunday. With Wayne Rooney drawn alongside Cleverley and Darren Fletcher, and Jonny Evans returning after serving a suspension at Aldershot.

In a breathless opening, the home side were the first to engage opponents Goalie, David De Gea within the first 18 seconds and Tim Howard got a chance at the other end when Ji-sung Park tried to convert a Danny Welbeck cross inside two minutes.

United took a firm grip on proceedings and some sustained pressure led to a well-worked opener. Cleverley and Welbeck assembled ball wide to Evra before the full-back's low cross was tapped in by Hernandez with his left foot in the 19th minute.

De Gea saved from Osman after Fellaini beat Evans in the air. Jack Rodwell fired wide when afforded far too much space after Evra conceded possession cheaply. The hosts were unlucky not to draw level with 40 minutes gone as Fletcher's foul allowed Leighton Baines to curl a free-kick over the wall and past the stationary De Gea but against the bar.

Everton ended the half on the front feet as Louis Saha twice worked De Gea. After introducing young Ross Barkley at the break, home side continued keeping the visitors on pressure but De Gea blocked a Rodwell drive after Evans gifted the ball to Coleman on the right.

The Reds dealt a blow when the bright Cleverley was forced off injured and continued to make heavy weather of a tough assignement. Cleverly return from the injury today ended with a injury and is expected to be out for 2 weeks.

Welbeck finally brought Howard into action when the striker's shot from Hernandez's intelligent pass with the team's only real goal attempt of the second period. But, after making all three subsitutions, United struggled to find any rhythm and Everton built up another head of steam. Saha dragged wastefully wide when Coleman was better placed and was then blocked during a real goalmouth scramble.Despite their weary legs, the hosts ensured it was a nervous finale for everybody of a Red persuasion. Coleman managed a couple of efforts through to De Gea but the Spain Under-21 keeper was rarely over-extended, in truth.

Six minutes of injury time were agonising for the away fans and Evra escaped when Magaye Guaye went down under his challenge inside the box with Mark Halsey making the right call and waving away the desperate penalty appeals. It wasn't pretty but it's three away wins in the league already this term after only five were secured during the title-winning campaign last term.

The Sneijder saga still alive

2011-10-29T09:00:00.000+05:30

The Saga Continues

Wesley Sneijder has again been linked with Manchester United as Inter look to offload the midfielder to make way for new signings.

The Dutchman was heavily linked with United in the Summer and the Champions were close to bringing him at Old Trafford though the signing could not be completed as it asked a lot of money.

However, Inter are looking to sell Sneijder this January to fund a move for Lille's midfielder Eden Hazard.

Sneijder looks to be affordable for City and Chelsea though the 1-6 humiliation looks to force Sir Alex to bring in a player who can fix all the holes seen in United's play.

Match Preview: Everton vs Manchester United

2011-10-28T13:23:00.005+05:30

Kick Off time : 12:00 GMT ( 4:45 NST (Nepali Standard Time))
Venue : Goodison Park

Manchester United will be desperate to prove their critics wrong as they take on Everton at Goodison Park and return back to the winning ways after drubbing last week at the hands of City.

SAF will be desperate to make a point but Everton are a tough nut to crack. They play with 10 men at the back and hit other teams on counter, so it will be interesting to see which team will Ferguson go for.

Ashley Young is out injured with a toe injury, whereas there have been rumors that Ferguson will leave Evra and Ferdinand from the squad. Jonathan Evans is suspended for this fixture so will take no part in this game. Tom Cleverly is back and played Carling cup match against Aldershot which is a major plus point for the team.

Everton will be aware of wounded Man Utd. but will be eager to play it safe but being a good them they will expect at least a point from this game.

Probable line ups:

Manchester United

De Gea; C. Smaling, Jones, Vidic, Fabio; Nani, Cleverly, Valencia; Rooney, Hernandez

Everton
Howard; Neville, Heitinga, Distin, Baines; Bilyadetinov, Cahill, Fellaini, Rodwell, Drenthe; Saha

'No Evra and Ferdiand' for the trip to Everton

2011-10-28T13:01:00.001+05:30

Sir Alex Ferguson is set to leave Ferdinand and Evra at home for their away clash against Everton.

The Daily Star says Sir Alex is still fuming at City disaster and is ready to leave both Fredinand and Evra at home while other 'big boys' travel to Everton.

Sir Alex blamed both Ferdinand and Evra for the fact that United conceded three 'humiliating' late goals at Old Trafford.

Both Ferdinand and Evra have produced average form for United this summer and now have been punished for that as Sir Alex looks to ring changes at the back.

Cleverly and Vidic have been recalled after injuries and Chris Smalling and Jones are willing to partner Vidic in the central defence.

Park : We are ready to bounce back from the disaster

2011-10-28T07:49:00.000+05:30

Park Ji-Sung is confident that United can bounce back from the Manchester City disaster at Goodison Park.

Sir Alex described the City loss as the "worst ever day" in his and the teams career as he looks to fix all the problems seen in their teams performance hopefully with a win against Everton.

United have not won at Goodison Park in their last three visits conceding two late goals to lose 3-1 in Feburary 2010 and two more to draw 3-3 last season.

After the City loss United have already beaten Aldershot with 3 goals though a Premier League win is the concern for Sir Alex.

United have Cleverly and Vidic back in the team which is a plus point for Sir Alex and he might put them on the field against Everton as Park feels Goodison is an ideal place for United to show their winning character.

“We have to concentrate and everyone has to turn up to show the City game has not affected us. We have to get over that,” Park said.

“We have to put it right on the pitch and we have to prove it. It’s a very important game to us and we have to go there and fight to get the points.

“It’s not an easy game at Goodison Park, it’s always difficult there. Just look at last season, when we were winning 3-1 and in injury-time they scored two goals.

“As a team we have to fight, not just individually, so we can stop them as a team. Then we have to think about our attacking side as well as our defence.”

“It’s all about recovering for Saturday now. No matter how disappointed we are, we have to recover and turn the page for United.”

England not my priority - Smalling

2011-10-27T18:28:00.002+05:30

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is keen to play at both London Olympics and Euro 2012 next year but he insists that he is only focused to perform for the Red Devils.

"I have to say that England is not my first target at the moment and neither are the Olympics," Smalling told the Manchester Evening News. "United is what I am thinking about. But towards the end of the season I will be looking towards that and hopefully I might get into the England squad.

"Obviously I'd love to go there [Euro 2012]. There is also the Olympics as well. A lot of the lads who went to the Under-21 Championships last summer will be able to play in it. Whether it is the Euros, the Olympics, or both - you would like to be involved because these opportunities do not come around too often."

"Everybody's career is not plain sailing," he said. "I have been very much enjoying how it has gone over the last couple of years and hopefully it will stay on course. But I will be ready if there is a setback and I will work hard.

"When I was younger I stopped playing for a professional club after being at Millwall's academy. I was at school and I thought the chance in the pro game might not come again.

"But I was always going to give it a go and keep at it and worked hard. I never gave up and the reminder of that will always help me in the future.

"That will be the same response if I get a setback in the professional game. I learned from that. You cannot take anything for granted."