標題: [新聞] Manchester United 官方网站的英文新闻~~~<更新每一天> [打印本頁] 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-6 07:32 PM 標題: Manchester United 官方网站的英文新闻~~~<更新每一天>
Hargreaves makes his mark
Owen Hargreaves has been "perfect" on and off the field since arriving at Old Trafford from Bayern Munich, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.
And the United boss expects plenty more to come from his tireless new signing as soon as he completely shakes off the tendonitis problem that hindered the start to his Reds career.
The 26-year-old, who is currently away on England duty, has clearly impressed in United's last three matches, earning ManUtd.com's Man of the Match vote in each of the games against Manchester City, his debut, and the wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. And it isn't only the fans that have been impressed with the Canadian-born midfield man, Sir Alex has been thrilled with his input, too.
"The first thing is, he's a fantastically disciplined professional," the boss tells the latest issue of Inside United, on sale now.
"You can tell he's been brought up well: his good manners, the way he goes about the place, everything's perfect about the boy. It's just a pity the tendonitis in his knee held up his debut."
Sir Alex Ferguson has told the squad's fringe players not to get disheartened by a lack of games, insisting their patience will be rewarded.
Competition for places is fierce within a United squad further bolstered by the signings of Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson and Carlos Tevez.
Although the departures of Alan Smith, Gabriel Heinze, Kieran Richardson and Giuseppe Rossi, plus the retirement of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, have reduced numbers slightly, Sir Alex remains spoilt for choice for his starting eleven when everyone is fit.
The United boss maintains that every player will be given their chance to shine this season and is confident they will reap their rewards by remaining patient.
"We have to have players here who understand the dynamics of the operation of the club. When we’re going for everything, some of them will have to be patient. They’re going to get chances, and play games, and in those matches they can be important players," he told Inside United Magazine.
"It’s a challenge for me and the staff to make sure we’re being fair and picking the right team. It’s also a challenge for the players to show loyalty to us, and if they don’t think that we’re being fair, then they have every right to come and see me. The door is always open.
"Look at players like Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. For three or four years they weren’t regular starters, but they loved the club, they were patient and prepared to accept that they wouldn’t play every game, but they always got 20-odd games a season. You can’t do it forever, and you have to be fair to them, and let them move on when they want to.
"I mean, Nicky and Phil can sit back and think: “I’ve got eight or nine medals from my time there, which is a fantastic achievement."
"Nicky played in the European Cup final, mainly because of the suspensions of Keane and Scholes. Phil played in the 1996 FA Cup final
against Liverpool, Gary didn’t make that one, he was on the subs’ bench. Those are great rewards for being patient."
Sir Alex also has an abundance of young talent on which to call upon following the return of a number of the players from loan spells.
"I think we’ve got a terrific bunch with Dong, Campbell, Martin, Gibson, Eagles – who has come on unbelievably well – Pique, Evans, Simpson… they’re all excellent," said the boss.
"The hardest thing will be to manage the situation, but we have plans that’ll ensure they get enough football."
Eight United players have been named among the top 100 footballers in the world in a list compiled by FourFourTwo magazine.
Cristiano Ronaldo, United's outstanding player in the title-winning 2007/08 campaign, was pipped to first place by AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka, who was the key figure in the Italian side's Champions League success last term.
Portuguese star Ronaldo, who made a clean sweep of English football's individual accolades last season, did edge out Barcelona trio, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi in the list's top five.
Wayne Rooney was the next highest-placed Red in eighth, while Paul Scholes came in at 12, Rio Ferdinand 24th, Ryan Giggs 29th, Owen Hargreaves 52nd, Nemanja Vidic 78th and Gary Neville in 85th spot.
Ronaldo's prominent placing in the list is a stark reminder of the qualities United have been missing on the field in recent weeks.
The 22-year-old hasn't played since being shown a red card in the Reds' 1-1 draw with Portsmouth last month. But, having served the last of a three-match suspension against Sunderland, he will make a welcome return in the Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park next Saturday. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-6 08:01 PM
Owen sent for a scan
Owen Hargreaves was sent for a scan on an injured thigh on Wednesday night ahead of England's must-win Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia.
The United midfielder trained away from the rest of his England colleagues on Tuesday, before rejoining the main group on Wednesday. However, a new problem developed during the session which prompted the England medical team to send him for a scan. With doubts over the fitness of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and now Hargreaves, United team-mate Michael Carrick could line up in the Three Lions midfield. They are joined by fellow Reds Wes Brown and RioFerdinand in Steve McClaren's squad. Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo are both named in the Portuguese squad to face crucial games against Poland, who have Reds' goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak in their squad, and Nemanja Vidic's Serbia on Saturday and next Wednesday respectively. The Serbs will first face a must-win home clash with Finland on Saturday. Patrice Evra's France face a daunting trip to world champions Italy on Saturday, before hosting Scotland - led by Darren Fletcher - a week on Wednesday. The Scots face a home clash with Lithuania before travelling to Paris, however, and could make up ground on the group leaders before they meet.
Holland should have record appearance-maker Edwin van der Sar back in goal when they face Bulgaria and Albania - sides who sandwich them in Group G.
Despite missing the start of the season with a groin injury, Jonny Evans will link up with Northern Ireland's squad to face Latvia and Iceland. John O'Shea and Darron Gibson, meanwhile,have
been included in the Republic of Ireland squad to face Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
05/09/2007 13:21, Report by Steve Bartram作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-6 08:02 PM
Papers: Reds eye Barca star
06/09/2007 07:58 Now Sir Alex seeks Barca starlet
Sir Alex Ferguson is targeting Barcelona's Giovani Dos Santos. The United boss, who has already signed Portuguese star Nani and Brazilian Anderson, is also looking to bring in 18-year-old Mexican Dos Santos. Barca are looking to tie him to a longer contract which would increase his £20m buy-out clause. But reports in the Daily Mirror suggest that Dos Santos' performances have attracted interest across Europe and he has switched agents to Jorge Mendes who also looks after Chelsea boss Jose Mouirino and has already dealt with United before. Barcelona sporting director Tixiki Berguristain said: "It's normal for a player of his talent to receive interest from other clubs. But I'm calm and confident he will sign a new contract here." Daily Mail
Elsewhere, the press go to town on a number of topics Sir Alex spoke about at a question and answer session in Glasgow on Tuesday, Jaap Stam's sale being one. InThe Mirror the manager says he was wrong to sell the Dutchman in 2001. "In playing terms, it was a mistake because he's still playing for Ajax at a good level. But £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29… it was an offer I couldn't refuse." The manager is also quoted as saying David Beckham was "never the same" after his marriage to Victoria Adams.
Moving to matters on the pitch, and it seems bad news for Owen Hargreaves, who looks set to miss England's Euro 2008 qualifier with Israel on Saturday after injuring his hamstring during training.
Brazil legend Rivaldo says Reds starlet Anderson needs time to develop his precocious ability. Says the former World Player of the Year: "He's a huge talent, but you need to be patient. He's young and has the qualities to be a great player, but his development should be controlled, with everything done calmly."
Round up by Nick Coppack作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-6 08:04 PM
05/09/2007 10:14, Report by Gemma Thompson
Simpson agrees new deal
Reds' defender Danny Simpson has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2010.
The 20-year-old, who joined in July 2003, spent last season out on loan, gaining significent first team experience along the way.
After a successful four-month spell at Royal Antwerp at the start of the 2006/07 campaign, Simpson was snapped up by Sunderland boss Roy Keane for the remainder of the season.
Simpson, along with fellow United loanee Jonny Evans, became an integral part of the Black Cats defence as Keane's side clinched promotion to the Premier League.
Simpson is now a fully fledged member of United's first team squad following some impressive displays in pre-season. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 10:52 PM
Cathcart on Royal rise
07/09/2007 10:46, Report by Ben Hibbs
Young Belfast-born centre-half Craig Cathcart is being tipped to make a rapid rise up the ranks after joining Royal Antwerp on loan.
The highly-rated 18-year-old Reds defender has joined the Belgian club on loan until January, following a path trodden by a number of young United players, including compatriot and Old Trafford team-mate Jonny Evans.
Evans, who had a successful spell helping Sunderland to promotion from the Championship last season, is staying at Old Trafford this season with first-team opportunities likely to come his way.
Now Northern Ireland Under-21 boss Roy Millar hopes Cathcart's move to Antwerp will prove as big a success as it did for Evans, who made his international debut for the senior squad last term before even appearing in United's first-team.
"Going to Antwerp will be good for Craig and it will help his development," said Millar. "We all saw how much Jonny came on when he went to Belgium and got first team football.
"Hopefully Craig will make as much of a success of his time there as there is no doubt he is a talented defender."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 10:55 PM
07/09/2007 07:14, Report by Ben Hibbs
Andrei: Giggs can keep going
Former Reds winger Andrei Kanchelskis says Ryan Giggs can keeping on playing for years to come because he is one of the game's consummate professionals.
At 33, Giggs is still flying high some 16 years since making his United debut. In that time he has won just about every trophy the game has to offer and is now just 39 matches away from overtaking Sir Bobby Charlton as United's all-time highest appearance maker.
Kanchelskis, who ended his playing career last season at the age of 38, says there is no reason why Giggs cannot do the same.
"I don't find it incredible at all that Ryan is still performing at the top level," said Kanchelskis, in Manchester to play for the Reds in the Masters Grand Final on Sunday. "Ryan has always been a great professional who has looked after himself properly. If you are professional in your life and concentrate your efforts in training and matches then you can go on and on.
"I only finished last season at 38. I didn't want to drop down the divisions in Russia so I retired at the top level. I think Ryan will do the same. But it won't be yet. If I can play to 38, why can't he? Maybe he will play for another four or five years yet. At the moment I don't see any reason why not."
Giggs' should this week be feeling the benefits of his decision to retire from international football, recharging his batteries in a two-week break from United action. And Kanchelskis, who still watches United's matches from his home in Moscow, has been impressed with how well the Welshman has preserved his talents. "I see a lot of Premiership football and watch United a lot," he added. "Ryan is still fast and clever. He is still definitely good enough for that level."
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 10:59 PM
07/09/2007 09:44, Report by Gemma Thompson
Pat in no-win situation
Patrice Evra admits he cannot win ahead of France's Euro 2008 qualifier with Scotland next week after being told by Sir Alex Ferguson not to ruin his country's chances of qualifying.
Following a daunting trip to Italy on Saturday, the French, who are currently top of Group B, host a Scotland side led by Evra's United team-mate Darren Fletcher at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday.
And Evra says he has been warned by the United boss not to report back to Carrington if France put any dent in Scotland's qualifying hopes.
"I had a chat with Sir Alex just before I left for France about the qualifying games," Evra told the Daily Record. "He wished me all the best, told me to go out there and do myself proud but then left me with one final message.
"He said, 'Don't dare beat Scotland. I don't want you to come back here if you do'.
"We then had a little joke about the game but I get the feeling I can't win. If I come back having won the game he won't be happy but if I lose he will wind me up."
Despite leading the way in the group, Evra has warned his French team-mates against complacency going into their qualifying double-header.
"It's a huge game for us. Everyone is talking about the Italy match as being the game but my mind isn't only on Italy, it's also on Scotland," insisted the United left-back.
"We can't afford to relax if we come back from Italy with three points because it won't count for anything if we then go on to lose to Scotland in Paris.
"There are still four teams very much in contention for qualifying and we have to do our job by trying to get six points from two games."
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 11:02 PM
Papers: Rio's Euro mission
07/09/2007 07:11
Gloating boss spurs on Rio
So what, Rio Ferdinand is asked, would be the worst thing about failing to qualify for next year's European Championship? "The smirk," says the England defender. The smirk? The smirk, Ferdinand explains, would belong to Sir Alex Ferguson and would greet all those who return to Manchester United from a conquered England camp. It would be there, along with the Scotland the Brave ringtone on Ferguson's mobile phone, and his sense of elation that some of his precious superstars would be having a summer off. "Walking into the training ground at United and seeing the manager would kill me, to be honest," says Ferdinand. Matt Lawton, Daily Mail
United legend Sir Bobby Charlton believes England’s players lack the belief to win a major tournament. "They have got to get into a mindset of winning," he said. "You have to have the desire to win a major tournament and the faith in yourself that you can win it."
In other news, German legend Franz Beckenbauer believes Michael Ballack should have joined Manchester United instead of Chelsea. "There was a space available for his position with Manchester United and he would have fitted into their system perfectly," insisted Beckenbauer. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 11:04 PM
Papers: Boss backs Carlos
05/09/2007 07:39
Queiroz given Ferguson approval Sir Alex Ferguson last night said his assistant Carlos Queiroz would be a strong contender to replace him as Manchester United manager when he retired, but he gave no indication when that would be. Queiroz, now in his second spell as Ferguson's assistant at Old Trafford after an unsuccessful interim season as Real Madrid manager in 2003-04, has admitted he would like to succeed the 65-year-old Scot, who took charge at Old Trafford in November 1986. "Thankfully I don't have to make the decision," said Ferguson, who was speaking to an audience at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. "I have a great assistant and I think he will be a strong candidate. The thing is I have not made my mind up when I'm retiring. It's a difficult one. The important thing is to leave a good team. The present team is very, very good but they will get better." Gavin McCafferty, The Guardian
In other news, Ryan Giggs wants 11 Premier League title wins to match his Manchester United shirt number. In an exclusive interview with Inside United magazine, Giggs said: "It would be nice to get to 10 titles — but it would be nicer to get to 11. I don’t want to be greedy but that is my shirt number, so that is what I am aiming for. Cristiano Ronaldo was the only Premier League representative on Ronaldinho's list of the world's five best players. "I love to watch Cristiano go one-to-one against a player because he confuses defenders," Ronaldinho told FourFourTwo magazine. "Cristiano is more of a team player now. He is less selfish but still provides moments of skill which can change a game."
Round up by Gemma Thompson 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-7 11:05 PM
Papers: Reds eye Barca star
06/09/2007 07:58
Now Sir Alex seeks Barca starlet
Sir Alex Ferguson is targeting Barcelona's Giovani Dos Santos. The United boss, who has already signed Portuguese star Nani and Brazilian Anderson, is also looking to bring in 18-year-old Mexican Dos Santos. Barca are looking to tie him to a longer contract which would increase his £20m buy-out clause. But reports in the Daily Mirror suggest that Dos Santos' performances have attracted interest across Europe and he has switched agents to Jorge Mendes who also looks after Chelsea boss Jose Mouirino and has already dealt with United before. Barcelona sporting director Tixiki Berguristain said: "It's normal for a player of his talent to receive interest from other clubs. But I'm calm and confident he will sign a new contract here." Daily Mail
Elsewhere, the press go to town on a number of topics Sir Alex spoke about at a question and answer session in Glasgow on Tuesday, Jaap Stam's sale being one. InThe Mirror the manager says he was wrong to sell the Dutchman in 2001. "In playing terms, it was a mistake because he's still playing for Ajax at a good level. But £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29… it was an offer I couldn't refuse." The manager is also quoted as saying David Beckham was "never the same" after his marriage to Victoria Adams.
Moving to matters on the pitch, and it seems bad news for Owen Hargreaves, who could miss England's Euro 2008 qualifier with Israel on Saturday after suffering a thigh strain during training.
Brazil legend Rivaldo says Reds starlet Anderson needs time to develop his precocious ability. Says the former World Player of the Year: "He's a huge talent, but you need to be patient. He's young and has the qualities to be a great player, but his development should be controlled, with everything done calmly."
Round up by Nick Coppack 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-8 03:53 PM
07/09/2007 18:49
Ryan meets his match
United winger Ryan Giggs married long-term partner Stacey Cooke in Manchester on Friday afternoon.
Ryan and Stacey tied the knot in an intimate ceremony, joined by close friends and family - including their two children, Liberty and Zach.
Everybody at Manchester United would like to offer their congratulations to the happy couple.
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-8 03:57 PM
07/09/2007 15:43, Report by Nick Coppack
Whiteside's Wembley words
In the days leading up to the Reds' trip to Goodison Park on Saturday 15 September, ManUtd.com will publish four extracts from Norman Whiteside's new book, Determined: The Autobiography.
Whiteside, who played 274 times for United between 1982 and 1989, is often remembered for his stunning extra-time goal in the 1985 FA Cup final against Everton. In these extracts, Whiteside offers unique insight into what was going through his mind on that memorable day.
ManUtd.com also has five prize packs to give away, each containing a signed replica shirt from the 1985 FA Cup final and a signed copy of Whiteside's autobiography. For your chance of winning, visit the Polls & Competitions page.
Keep your eyes peeled! Part One goes up on Monday 10 September.
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-8 03:59 PM
07/09/2007 07:59, Report by Nick Coppack
Euro rivals: AS Roma
Stadium: Roma share the Stadio Olimpico with fierce rivals S.S. Lazio. An impressive ground, the stadium holds 82,656 people and features enormous tiers topped by 60 white marble statues in commemoration of 60 athletes Manager: Luciano Spaletti's managerial career began with a bang when he led Empoli into Serie A with two successive promotions. He then had spells at Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese (twice) and Ancona before joining Roma in 2005, where Spaletti is credited with transforming the team into an attacking force. His influence was recognised by the Italian FA when he won the prestigious Serie A Coach of the Year award in 2006.
Star men: Not only is Italian centre forward Francesco Totti one of the most feared strikers in the league, he's also been at the club since 1989 when he joined as a junior. He's now Roma's record appearance maker and goal scorer. Elsewhere, watch out for playmakers Daniele De Rossi and Brazilian Mancini, as well as winger Ludovic Giuly, who signed from FC Barcelona in the summer.
Last season: Roma finished second in Group D, two points behind Valencia and comfortably in front of Shakhtar Donetsk and Olympiacos. The Italians then disposed of French champions Lyon to progress to the quarter finals, where they met Manchester United. Things were looking up after a 2-1 win in the first leg, but then...
Last time we met: 10 April, 2007. United 7 AS Roma 1. Oh, what a night! Skirmishes outside the ground made for an electric atmosphere, but nobody could have predicted what was to follow on the pitch. In a stunning display of attacking football, United roared into a four-goal lead by half-time. Further strikes from Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrice Evra capped a perfect night. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-8 04:00 PM
05/09/2007 07:02, Report by Frankie Theobalds
Euro rivals: Sporting Lisbon
Stadium: Sporting play their home games at the Estádio José Alvalade, which was purpose-built for the 2004 European Football Championship. The venue has a capacity of 52,000 and was acoustically engineered as a venue for major concerts. Its official opening was on 6 August 2003 when Sporting played United. They beat the Reds 3-1.
Manager: Paulo Bento won 35 Portuguese caps before retiring at 34 to become youth team coach at Sporting, the last club he played for. After much success with the Sporting’s academy he was promoted to manage the senior team and steered them to second place in the domestic league in 2005/06 and 2006/07. He also won the Portuguese Cup. He is now considered one of the top coaches in the country, and has been likened in management style to compatriot Jose Mourinho.
Star player: Without doubt, Sporting Lisbon’s star player is front man Liédson. The 30-year-old Brazilian striker arrived from Corinthians in 2003 and is known for his pace. What he lacks in height - he’s 5ft 9in - he makes up for with commitment and he has no problem in finding the net if given the chance. To date he’s bagged 57 goals in 93 appearances for the club. This season he’ll be partnered up front by new £1.3 million signing Serbian Milan Purovic. The towering 6ft 3in forward comes from Red Star Belgrade.
Last season’s Champions League results: Sporting didn’t get past the group stages last term having been draw against European giants Internazionale, Bayern Munich and Spartak Moscow. Unsurprisingly, they finished bottom of the group with only five points. Perhaps the lowest point came when Spartak ended a record 22-match run without a victory in the Champions League by beating Sporting 3-1 in their final Group B match.
Last time we met: The last time these two sides clashed competitively was in the 1963/64 Cup Winners Cup quarter-final. Having been fairly spanked 4-1 at Old Trafford, the second leg was a stunning comeback, in which the home side ran out 5-0 victors, before going on to win the final against MTK Hungaria FC.
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-8 04:02 PM
03/09/2007 09:06, Report by Steve Bartram
Euro rivals: Dynamo Kiev
Last week's Champions League draw pitted United against AS Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev. This week, ManUtd.com profiles the three teams standing between the Reds and a place in the knockout stages. Wrap up warm, we're off to Kiev first...
Stadium: Dynamo's major European games are played at Kiev's Olympic Stadium, which holds a whopping 83,450 people. The majority of the stadium is devoid of meaningful shelter, so you'd better dust off those Cossack hats if you're thinking of making the trip.
Manager: Former USSR international winger Anatoliy Demyanenko wrestled the Ukrainian Championship back from Shakthar Donetsk last season without losing a single game. Amazingly, having lost one domestic match in two years, the coach is under pressure. "It would be wrong to fire a coach who has clinched the national cup and the Ukrainian league," said club president Ihor Surkis. "However, Demyanenko will not have the right to make any mistakes in the forthcoming Champions League. I hope he understands that."
Star men: Brazilian playmaker Diogo Rincon is the man who makes Dynamo tick, although big things are expected of compatriot Carlos Correa in his second season at the club. Uzbek striker Maksim Shatskikh shares the record for the most goals (22) scored in a single Ukrainian Premier League season with veteran star Serhiy Rebrov, who is back at his old stamping ground after failed spells with Tottenham, Fenerbahce and West Ham.
Last season in Europe: Dynamo started badly and rarely improved. A 4-1 home defeat to Steaua Bucharest was followed by a 5-1 drubbing at Real Madrid and back-to-back defeats against Lyon. Draws against Bucharest and Madrid were too little, too late.
Last time we met: November 18, 2000. Away defeats to PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht left United in need of a final day victory to qualify from Group G against rock-bottom Kiev. As it was, Teddy Sheringham’s scruffy 18th-minute goal did the trick, but a shocking late miss from George Demetradze had Old Trafford grinding its collective teeth. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-10 07:43 PM
10/09/2007 08:45, Report by Ben Hibbs
Park progressing well
Sidelined Reds midfielder Ji-sung Park says his recovery is going to plan and he hopes to be back playing for United early in 2008.
The Korean midfielder, who underwent surgery on a knee injury in California this summer, hasn't played since scoring in the 4-1 Premier League win over Blackburn in March earlier this year. But he says his rehabilitation is on course.
"Hopefully I'll be playing again early in the New Year," he says. "My knee is getting better and it's a case of so far, so good."
Despite being absent until the title run-in, the 26-year-old is positive about United's chances of retaining the Premier League crown this season, and impressed by the Reds' new signings Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson and Carlos Tevez.
"I'm confident that we can retain the Premier League title this season," he said. "We've got a good squad and the manager has brought some good players into the team to improve it even further."
"The new signings have all impressed me in different ways," he added. "Nani is very quick, Owen works hard and Carlos has great vision. Anderson hasn't played much, but I am looking forward to seeing more of him."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-10 07:45 PM
10/09/2007 08:31, Report by Gemma Thompson
Simpson on road to recovery
Danny Simpson says he is hoping to be back in full training in ten days time following a hernia operation.
The 20-year-old did some light running at the weekend and will step up his recovery programme with some ball work later this week.
"Hopefully in ten days time I'll be back training with the team," he told MUTV's Good Morning Manchester. "I'm just focusing on getting myself fit and building up my strength.
"I want to keep training well with the first team and hopefully I'll be involved in a few of the upcoming games."
Salford-born Simpson is over the moon after signing a new deal with the Reds which will keep him at the club until 2010.
"When the gaffer called me in to talk about a new deal I was buzzing, especially when he said about me signing for another three years," revealed the defender. "I couldn't ask for anything more."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-10 07:47 PM
10/09/2007 07:54
Sir Bobby hits the literary trail
To mark the launch of his autobiography - Sir Bobby Charlton - My Manchester United Years - the United legend is setting off on a book-signing tour around the country.
The book tells of Sir Bobby's time as a player at Old Trafford and shares his thoughts on Sir Matt Busby, the Babes, George Best and Denis Law, the 1968 European Cup triumph and, of course, Munich.
You can purchase the book online now and be in with a chance of winning a commerative 1968 shirt signed by Sir Bobby. Alternatively, you can meet the man himself at the following locations:
ManUtd.com have five signed Norman Whiteside 1985 FA Cup final shirts to give away. Each winner will also receive a copy of Whiteside's autobiography, Determined. To enter, visit the Competitions page in the Fanzone.
Here's Part One of our extract...
United v Everton
Wembley 18 May, 1985
You never get jaded by the experience of playing at Wembley, and the second time is just as good as the first. In truth, it’s probably better because you have the incentive of knowing how much you enjoyed it the first time. Being certain of how good it’s going to be beats guessing at it and makes your sense of anticipation more realistic than dreamy.
The other major difference between my two finals was that we were overwhelming favourites for the first and underdogs in the second. Everton had won the title by a margin of 13 points, had beaten Rapid Vienna in the Cup Winners’ Cup in Rotterdam on the Wednesday night before the final and were the pundits’ choice to beat us and win a treble.
The pre-match analysis focused on Neville Southall and how difficult we would find it to score past him and talked up the great midfield partnership between Paul Bracewell and Peter Reid, which was said to be too good for Whiteside and Robson.
The only thing in our favour, it seemed, was their tiredness after the Wednesday game and the fact that they would have celebrated their midweek European trophy win in traditional Everton style, something I knew nothing about at the time, but learned all about when I went to Goodison.
But we didn’t capitalise on that at all and if you’ve ever had the misfortune of watching the entire match from start to finish, you’ll know it was a terrible game. The only thing of note that happened to me in the first hour or so was that I had a great chance to score when I saw a gap in their defence, broke from midfield and bustled into the gap.
Mark Hughes, who could hold the ball up all day, saw my run, shielded the ball from Derek Mountfield and played me in to go one-on-one with Neville. It was on my right foot and it’s one of the two chances I had in my career – the other being the one against Stoke on my full debut – that I relive a lot in my mind.
Having got in front of the defender, I was faced by Southall rushing towards me and stretching to dive. Instead of realising I had got the upper hand because I’d turned the defender and so could have switched it to my left foot, which I could do anything with, and making the target bigger by changing the angle of my approach, I kept it on my right and clipped it. I didn’t hit it properly at all and hit Neville on the shoulder.
I should have been cleverer and I hate the mistake I made. I always fast forward that bit if I watch that game again. Still, my one excuse is that he was player of the year that year!
Part Two tomorrow...
Determined: The Autobiography by Norman Whiteside is published by Headline, £18.99. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-10 07:50 PM
Papers: Let's start afresh
10/09/2007 09:04
Sir Bobby not Keane on Roy
Sir Bobby Charlton reckons Roy Keane isn't the right man to replace Alex Ferguson as Manchester United boss. The United legend believes Fergie's reign at Old Trafford will continue for at least three years. But Charlton also thinks the Scot's replacement should not be an ex-United player. That would rule out Sunderland boss Keane and Blackburn's Mark Hughes, who are two of the favourites for the role. Charlton said: "I think their have been a lot of mistakes made by a lot of clubs in getting managers who have already been some part of the club in their career. I don't buy that. If he's a good manager it doesn't matter who he is, where he comes from or even what nationality he is. People say only an old player could do it but maybe it's better to have a clean bill of health. Maybe give it to somebody who will really clear the decks." Andrew Haigh, The Sun
Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand believes England must win all of their remaining matches to reach the Euro 2008 finals next summer. Steve McClaren's side overcame Israel 3-0 at the weekend, but face a tough match with Russia on Wednesday.
Round up by Gemma Thompson作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:06 PM
11/09/2007 06:48, Report by Steve Bartram
Neville close to comeback
United skipper Gary Neville doubts he will return from injury in time for Saturday's trip to Everton, but has his eye on a comeback in the near future.
The veteran defender has been out of action since damaging ankle ligaments in March, and subsequently suffering a thigh strain in training last month.
United's club captain told MUTV: "I probably did a bit too much, I was a bit over-excited getting back and I just felt my thigh a little bit. It's frustrating.
"Hopefully in the next week or two I'll be back and I hope to be playing games in the next couple of weeks definitely.
"Because I've been out for such a long time I think the Everton game is going to be too soon, I think it will probably be after that."
Wes Brown is likely to deputise at right-back in Neville's continued absence as United make the trip to Goodison Park.
Should Neville's comeback go according to schedule, he may return in time for Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford on September 23.
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:07 PM
10/09/2007 21:04, Report by Steve Bartram
Owen misses Russian test
Owen Hargreaves has returned to Manchester after being ruled out of England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia with a thigh injury.
The United midfielder and Chelsea counterpart Frank Lampard have both been ruled out for Steve McClaren's side, having both missed Saturday's 3-0 win over Israel.
A statement on the FA's official website read: "Following a thorough assessment from the England medical staff, a scan and a fitness test today, it was decided that Hargreaves will not be ready in time for Wednesday's match and has gone back to Manchester."
Hargreaves, who has been named ManUtd.com's man of the match in each of his three Reds appearances so far this season, now faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday's trip to Everton. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:08 PM
11/09/2007 08:56
Police ask for fans' cooperation
Merseyside Police have issued the following information to United fans intending to travel to Goodison Park on Saturday...
"Visiting Supporters should be aware that there is a possibility that they made be held back inside the stadium following the game at Goodison Park on Saturday 15th September 2007.
"United supporters should not travel to this event without being possession of a valid match ticket.
"There will be NO ticket sales on the day of the game, and supporters should not buy tickets from anyone other than approved sales point.
"United fans found sitting in Home areas of the stadium will be liable to ejection." 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:09 PM
10/09/2007 15:17, Report by Ben Hibbs
Howard doubt for Everton clash
Everton's former United goalkeeper Tim Howard could miss the Reds' visit to Goodison Park this weekend after dislocating his finger during the USA's 4-2 defeat to Brazil in at the weekend.
The 28-year-old American stopper completed the 90 minutes for his country, but the injury means he is now a doubt for Saturday's Premier League clash with United.
"It was pretty sore," Howard told Everton's official website. "I just tried to play through it, and hoped that the adrenaline would get me through it.
"Right now it's swollen like a balloon, and I'm hoping that the flight back hasn't taken too much out of it. I'll see the doctors when I get back."
Howard has played in all of Everton's opening five fixtures, helping David Moyes' men climb to third place, level on 10 points with leaders Liverpool, second-placed Arsenal, and Chelsea, who occupy fourth spot.
Understandably, Moyes will be hoping Howard, who is still waiting for his first appearance against United since joining Everton last January, can make a quick recovery in time for Saturday's noon kick-off. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:11 PM
11/09/2007 10:11, Report by Ben Hibbs
Sporting dealt double blow
United's opponents in next week's Champions League Group F opener, Sporting Lisbon, have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of the start of this season's European campaign.
Brazilian striker Derlei, who scored Sporting's first goal in the new Portuguese season, has been ruled out of the group stages with torn cruciate ligaments in his left knee, while full-back Pedro Silva has suffered a similar fate and will also be out for six months.
Derlei, a summer recruit from Dynamo Moscow, was a part of FC Porto's UEFA Cup and Champions League winning sides, so has plenty of experience on the European stage.
The 32-year-old sustained his injury in training last week and tests have revealed the worst likely outcome. He will be out until in the New Year.
Also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines is fellow summer signing Pedro Silva, who recently underwent surgery on his knee. The 25-year-old Brazilian full-back also picked up his injury during training. He will miss all six Group F matches against United, AS Roma, and Dynamo Kiev.
After three games, Sporting are third in Portugal's Liga after beating Academica 4-1 on the opening day of the season, followed by 1-0 defeat to rivals Porto, and a 1-0 win over lowly Belenenses. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:12 PM
10/09/2007 13:42, Report by Nick Coppack
Player of the Month: August
United fans have voted Owen Hargreaves the Reds' Player of the Month for August, even though the 26-year-old played in just two of United's five competitive fixtures.
More than 14,000 ManUtd.com users took part in the poll, which saw the former Bayern Munich midfielder up against Patrice Evra, Nani, Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic.
Vidic collected an impressive 27% of the vote after a number of commanding displays at the heart of United's back four, but it was Hargreaves' performances against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur that saw more than 5000 fans vote for the England international.
In the end, Hargreaves, who has won ManUtd.com Man of the Match awards in United's last three matches, scooped 38% of the vote, leaving Evra, Scholes and Nani to share the remaining 35%. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-11 10:13 PM
Papers: Rooney to return?
11/09/2007 08:27
Rooney: I'm Ready To Play Wayne Rooney last night told boss Alex Ferguson he is raring to return against his old club Everton on Saturday. Manchester United striker Rooney, 21, has been sidelined after breaking his metatarsal on the opening day of the season. But he has been out of plaster for a fortnight and training hard. Rooney is due to have another scan this week and Fergie will take advice from the United medical team before making a decision. He could certainly do with a fit Rooney - Carlos Tevez is also facing a gruelling return from Australia after his country’s match against the Socceroos tonight. At least Ferguson has Louis Saha back. The French frontman netted the winner against Sunderland in his first start since last February. Portugal wideman Cristiano Ronaldo is also available after serving a three-game suspension for his sending-off at Portsmouth. Neil Custis, The Sun The Daily Mirror claims Rooney is set for a place on the bench at Goodison Park, while an injury to Tim Howard will see German goalkeeper Steffan Wessels make his Toffees debut against United.
Round up by Steve Bartram
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-12 07:33 PM
12/09/2007 10:08, Report by Ben Hibbs
Reds attack nears full force
With Louis Saha making a goalscoring return against Sunderland, Cristiano Ronaldo now free from suspension and Wayne Rooney’s comeback from injury reportedly not far off, Reds skipper Gary Neville hopes United can now go on a long winning run.
The 32-year-old, yet to play this season due to niggling calf and thigh injuries, is hoping to return in “a week or two”. But he says the support for Carlos Tevez from Saha and Rooney and the potent attacking threat of Ronaldo will make a real difference to the Reds in the coming weeks.
“I think we needed the wins against Tottenham and Sunderland,” Neville told MUTV. "It’s obvious that we didn’t hit the best of form during the first few weeks of the season but I think there are reasons for that. We’ve had injuries to Louis Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Wayne Rooney so Carlos Tevez has been up there on his own,” he adds. “He finished the Copa America, came over here and has had to be thrown straight in at the deep end, up front on his own.
“It’s been difficult for us not having three of our forwards available. You could see in the last game the difference Louis made when he came on, and I think with Wayne coming back soon I’m sure we’ll get even stronger. We have to make sure we don’t fall too behind the leaders at this stage.”
Ronaldo, who was United’s joint-top goalscorer with Rooney on 23 goals last term, is also back from a three-game ban for his sending off against Portsmouth. The culmination of those three attacking players returning, Neville feels, will make all the difference. “Cristiano getting suspended obviously added to our problems," he said. "But I think it will all come together in the next few weeks. Hopefully we'll pick up the level of performance and get back to freescoring ways.” 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-12 07:34 PM
12/09/2007 09:02, Report by Ben Hibbs
Evra showing his quality - Irwin
United legend Denis Irwin has praised the performances of Patrice Evra this season, who he believes is showing signs of becoming a more complete player.
Evra's well-documented slow start to his United career in the second half of the 2005/06 campaign was followed by an outstanding contribution to the Reds’ title triumph last term.
The 26-year-old Frenchman has again proved this season why he is Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-choice for the position, and Irwin, who made the left-back spot his own during 529 appearances for the Reds, has been hugely impressed with the defender’s start to the new season.
"Evra has looked very good this season," he said at a fans' Q&A session at Old Trafford.
"I must admit I was a bit worried when he first came in,” he added. “I always thought Heinze was a better defensive player, but Evra did look good going forward. I thought that if you could have merged the two of them then you'd have the perfect full-back.
"It was a tough start for Patrice and everyone remembers his debut against City. But last year you could see him getting better and better all the time, and I'm very impressed with his all-round game now." 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-12 07:35 PM
Papers: Wazza in training
12/09/2007 08:29
Rooney's return cheers Fergie
Sir Alex Ferguson last night confirmed SunSport's exclusive that Wayne Rooney has recovered from his broken metatarsal. We revealed yesterday Rooney, 21, was back in training and wanted to play against his club Everton on Saturday. That is five weeks after his foot was placed in a cast after his third metatarsal injury in three years. Fergie said: “He’s started training which is good. I’d not have brought him back to training unless he was ready. The latest scan was good and I’m pleased with that. We have to wait and see how his fitness is after being out but I’m delighted he’s on his way back." Neil Custis, The Sun
Meanwhile, Micah Richards has told Gary Neville: I’ve done enough to keep your shirt. The Manchester City defender is standing in as England right-back while Neville is crocked. And Richards said: “I am not just here because someone is injured, I am here to make a mark.
Round up by Gemma Thompson
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-13 06:28 PM
13/09/2007 07:32, Report by Steve Bartram
Sir Bobby rooting for Ryan
Sir Bobby Charlton is counting down the games until Ryan Giggs passes his longstanding United appearance record.
The United legend is already preparing to honour the Welsh winger, despite Giggs still needing another 39 appearances to overtake Charlton.
"I would love it if Ryan got the record," said Sir Bobby, at a promotion for his new autobiography: 'My Manchester United Years'.
"It would be so fitting and I would be pleased to have the opportunity to go onto the pitch and present him with something. In fact, if they didn't ask me, I would pester them until they did.
"When I finished I could not believe anyone would play more games than that. I did so much running for so many years, I just didn't think it would be possible.
"But Ryan is almost there now. To physically put your body through what he has is very difficult and that is why I am so delighted for him."
Sir Bobby, who made 759 appearance for United, can still remember his first sighting of Giggs, on his way to meet Sir Alex Ferguson at United's Littleton Road training ground.
"I set off for Pitch 11, where Alex was, and got about halfway there when I saw this little lad pick up the ball, beat about four men and then shoot," he recalled.
"The goalkeeper made a great save but I could not get up to see Alex quick enough. I asked him who it was and it turned out to be Ryan. He had just been signed that morning from under the noses of Manchester City. I just thought 'that will do me'.
"I could never have imagined he would play so many times. Football is just so non-stop in England. It is all about pace now. But if that little lad has run as much as I did, he has been some player." 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-13 06:29 PM
13/09/2007 08:18, Report by Ben Hibbs
Fletcher's Scots humble France
Darren Fletcher’s Scotland pulled off one of their greatest results on Wednesday night, beating France 1-0 at the Parc de Princes, but it came at a cost to the United midfielder.
Injury forced Fletcher off after just 26 minutes of the tie, but Scotland held firm throughout and snatched a dramatic and unlikely winner when James McFadden hit a wonder-strike from 30 yards.
Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in the game, though he may not be looking forward to bumping into Sir Alex on his return to Carrington!
Alex McLeish’s side are top of Group B, ahead of World Cup winners Italy and losing finalists France, who Scotland also beat at Hamden last October.
Rio Ferdinand was on the mark for England in their 3-0 success of Russia at Wembley. The Reds defender scored the third, adding to Michael Owen’s two earlier efforts, to seal victory. Wes Brown was an unused sub.
John O’Shea started for the Republic of Ireland but came off before half-time through injury while young Reds midfielder Darron Gibson was on the bench as the Republic lost 1-0 to their Czech counterparts, effectively ending their hopes of qualification for Euro 2008.
Jonny Evans played the full match for Northern Ireland against Iceland and went close to scoring with a header, but Keith Gillespie’s last-gasp own goal meant a 2-1 defeat and leaves Nigel Worthington’s side’s hopes of making next summer’s tournament hanging by a thread.
Edwin van der Sar admitted to Holland’s luck after Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed a stoppage time goal to secure a 1-0 win over Albania in Group G. He said: "We won in the final minute - we all worked very hard Darren Fletcher’s Scotland pulled off one of their greatest results on Wednesday night, beating France 1-0 at the Parc de Princes, but it came at a cost to the United midfielder.
Injury forced Fletcher off after just 26 minutes of the tie, but Scotland held firm throughout and snatched a dramatic and unlikely winner when James McFadden hit a wonder-strike from 30 yards.
Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in the game, though he may not be looking forward to bumping into Sir Alex on his return to Carrington!
Alex McLeish’s side are top of Group B, ahead of World Cup winners Italy and losing finalists France, who Scotland also beat at Hamden last October.
Rio Ferdinand was on the mark for England in their 3-0 success of Russia at Wembley. The Reds defender scored the third, adding to Michael Owen’s two earlier efforts, to seal victory. Wes Brown was an unused sub.
John O’Shea started for the Republic of Ireland but came off before half-time through injury while young Reds midfielder Darron Gibson was on the bench as the Republic lost 1-0 to their Czech counterparts, effectively ending their hopes of qualification for Euro 2008.
Jonny Evans played the full match for Northern Ireland against Iceland and went close to scoring with a header, but Keith Gillespie’s last-gasp own goal meant a 2-1 defeat and leaves Nigel Worthington’s side’s hopes of making next summer’s tournament hanging by a thread.
Edwin van der Sar admitted to Holland’s luck after Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed a stoppage time goal to secure a 1-0 win over Albania in Group G. He said: "We won in the final minute - we all worked very hard
to reach that - the relief was enormous."
Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily involved for Portugal as it looked as though they’d secured a 1-0 win over Serbia in a match that ended with a 30-man melee. However, Branislav Ivanovic netted in the 88th minute to cancel out Simao Sabrosa’s earlier effort.
Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari found himself denying punching Ivica Dragutinovic after the Serb was sent off for his part in the fracas. Nemanja Vidic also played in the match.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-13 06:32 PM
13/09/2007 08:21
Whiteside on winning the Cup
With United heading to Goodison Park on Saturday, Norman Whiteside casts his mind back to the 1985 FA Cup final.
Here's Part Four of our extract from his book, Determined: The Autobiography. To win a copy, as well as a signed retro shirt, visit the Competitions page.
United v Everton
Wembley 18 May, 1985
Over the years, people have asked me whether it was a cross, but it must have been a terrible one if it was, as no one was near it. So when I’m offered the option of crap cross or great goal, I always go for the latter. Of course, it was a shot and was something I used to do all the time in practice matches.
I never had the tricks or pace that Cristiano Ronaldo has, but I did have what his predecessor on United’s right wing, David Beckham, had: good timing, an eye for a good angle, the ability with one foot to deliver a ball with precision and the vision to pick the best option.
Dennis Bergkamp hit similar finishes to the one I scored in 1985. If you get it right, it’s unstoppable because the ball’s on its way before the keeper sees it. Moreover, if you’re close enough to goal, he’s never going to be able to get there.
Before I hit the shot, Gordon was screaming his head off at me for the ball. He had made a great run, drawing two defenders away from me, and he had the intelligence to see that if he had overlapped on the inside, my space would have gone, so he went on the outside.
It was very much like the run made by Brazil’s Cerezo for Falcão’s equalising goal in that wonderful match against Italy at the 1982 World Cup. The two finishes were different, but if you wanted to teach a young player how to take defenders away, you would use wee Gordon and Cerezo as arguably the best examples ever.
All the same, Gordon’s main intention wasn’t to create space for me; he actually wanted the ball, as I could tell by his screaming commentary as I shaped to shoot: ‘Give me the effing ball, effing hell, effing pass it, come on you effing… great goal, big man!’
The other funny thing was the sight of the BBC’s Tony Gubba behind the goal. I didn’t know before I scored that he was a big United fan, but it was pretty clear afterwards because he jumped backwards and started celebrating as wildly as we were. So much for the Corporation’s neutrality!
All I remember about the last ten minutes was repeatedly giving the ball to Jesper Olsen and hoping he’d run upfield with it and keep it there as long as possible. That seemed the best tactic to hold Everton away from us and they never got close enough to make a clear-cut chance.
At least this time, when we went up to collect the trophy and our medals, we avoided putting the silly hats on, so there are some shots of us that don’t make us cringe. That didn’t last long, though, and we were soon parading up and down the pitch in all manner of caps and scarves.
Determined: The Autobiography by Norman Whiteside is published by Headline, £18.99. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-13 06:33 PM
Papers: Saha is King Louis
Papers: Saha is King Louis
Saha can be King Louis
Gary Neville has tipped Louis Saha to be King of Old Trafford – if he can stay clear of injury. Neville insisted: "Louis is different to anyone else we have at the club. He can be unplayable." Saha prepares to start his first match since February 27 at Everton on Saturday. Neville, out since March, stressed what a key player Saha is when 100 per cent fit. He said: "We could see what a difference he made when he came on against Sunderland. "If he can stay clear of injuries then we have a great centre-forward on our hands." Bill Thornton, Daily Star
Gary Neville is also quoted in The Mirror, saying United cannot afford to lose too many more matches. "Losing one, two or three games is acceptable, but no more. I wouldn't expect United to lose eight, nine and 10 games. If we do that, we'll have underperformed," the Reds' skipper said.
Elsewhere, The Telegraph quote Sir Bobby Charlton as saying he'd be happy if Ryan Giggs passed his United appearance record. Giggs is currently 38 appearances short of Charlton's mark. "I would love it if Ryan got the record," Sir Bobby said.
The Daily Mail claim Liverpool assistant manager Pako Ayesteran could be tempted to join United or Chelsea after falling out with Rafa Benitez. Ayesteran allegedly disagreed with Benitez over training methods earlier in the summer and reconciliation talks failed to yield positive results. It's understood Ayesteran, who also worked with Benitez at Valencia, is currently on extended gardening leave.
Round up by Nick Coppack
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-14 08:31 PM
14/09/2007 11:29, Report by Nick Coppack
Rooney in squad to face Everton
Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney will travel to Goodison Park for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League fixture against Everton.
The 21-year-old, who has been out since fracturing his foot against Reading on the opening day of the season, has been training well for the Reds this week, according to Sir Alex. He is in the squad to face his former club, but the manager admitted he is unsure how Rooney will be used, if at all, against his former club.
"Rooney has trained very well," the Reds boss told reporters on Friday. "He'll travel with us to Goodison, but whether I start him, put him on the bench or leave him out until Wednesday, that's something I have to decide."
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the manager also confirmed that Louis Saha is ready for action after completing 45 minutes against Sunderland earlier this month, while the Reds are boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo's return from a three-match suspension.
Owen Hargreaves, who missed both of England's Euro 2008 qualifiers this week with a thigh strain, trained on Friday morning but remains doubtful for the Reds' trip to Merseyside.
"There's not a lot wrong with Owen," added the boss. "He trained well today (Friday). But I don't know whether we'll risk that against Everton. It's more likely he'll play in Lisbon on Wednesday."
The news isn't quite so good for Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea, who were both injured on Wednesday night playing for their countries. Fletcher limped off against France and could be out for six weeks, while O'Shea appeared to pick up a knee injury in the Republic Of Ireland's loss to the Czech Republic and also faces a couple of weeks on the sideline.
Owen Hargreaves faces a race to be fit for Saturday's clash with Everton at Goodison Park, and if he does make the match he knows he'll be in for a tough afternoon.
Despite having not played against David Moyes' side, the 26-year-old midfielder is well aware of the the threat posed by Everton, who currently lie third in the Premier League.
"The rest of the lads have all said that Everton away is a tough game, especially with the way they play," he told this week's Red View newsletter.
"They’ve signed some good players recently. Until they signed Yakubu they played mainly with just Andy Johnson up front, but with this being a home game they’ll probably play two up. Yakubu has a great physical presence and he’s been a good goalscorer in the past."
It's certain to be no easy ride for the Reds, as was discovered last season at Goodison Park when United had to come from two goals down to clinch a crucial 4-2 win en route to the league title.
"Everton are a good, hard-working team," added Hargreaves. "They play together, don’t make a lot of mistakes, defend very well and they’re a strong team.
"They keep it quite simple, but they obviously have two good strikers going forward. It’ll be a very tough game, but whenever Manchester United show up you’re expected to win games, and we’ll expect to win at Everton."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-14 08:36 PM
14/09/2007 08:45, Report by Gemma Thompson
Arteta raring to go
Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta says the Toffees are relishing United's visit to Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.
David Moyes' side have made an impressive start to the campaign and are level on ten points with early front-runners Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea thanks to three wins from their opening five matches.
The Toffees are determined to maintain their run of good form against the Reds and Arteta insists the players are ready for action.
"If you are going to beat United then you have to play one of your best matches of the year, but we are ready for it," he told Everton's official website.
"If we want to climb the table we can’t afford to drop points at home – even if we are playing the Premier League champions.
"Morale is high in the squad and that’s one of our secrets," he added. "We are hopeful that this can be our year, but none of the players are getting too carried away and we’re just taking it game by game."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-14 08:37 PM
14/09/2007 08:18, Report by Ben Hibbs
Giggs: Play me anywhere
Ryan Giggs says he will play anywhere Sir Alex Ferguson decides to use him.
The Welshman's experience of over 700 matches for the Reds makes him a vital cog in Sir Alex's team, particularly with the recent influx of young players at the club.
A sprightly winger in his youth, Giggs has added versatility to his game in his later years, and whether it's in the centre of the park, out wide or up front, the 33-year-old feels completely at ease with the task.
"Over the last couple of year I've played on the left, I've played in midfield and just off the striker," Giggs told Inside United magazine. "I've got the experience to play all the positions so it doesn't really bother me where I play."
Giggs recently retired from international football and, having had a two-week rest while most of his club-mates were off on Euro 2008 qualification duty, he'll be raring to go as the Reds resume Premier League duties against Everton this weekend.
But it may not just be during international fixtures that he gets a break, with the quality and depth of United's squad offering the likes of Giggs and Paul Scholes further opportunities to stay fresh. "We've got that strength in depth now and plenty of options up front, so I'm sure the manager will be freshening things up," Giggs added.
"He'll probably try to keep the back four and midfield as solid as possible, not changing too much. But he's got the luxury now of being able to change the front players around, which is obviously important because they need to stay sharp."
Read the full interview with Ryan Giggs in the Exclusive Interviews section.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-14 08:39 PM
Papers: Hate made Ronaldo
14/09/2007 08:03
Ronaldo: Hate made me
Cristiano Ronaldo says becoming a hate figure has been the making of him. The Manchester United and Portugal star was public enemy No 1 in this country after his part in Wayne Rooney’s World Cup red card last year. Ronaldo said: “After the match I was criticised and whistled at. It was not very pleasant but it did me some good. With this I grew wiser and it helped me to mature." Neil Custis, The Sun
Rafael Benitez is at it again, complaining about lunchtime kick-offs. According to The Sun, he is "seeking showdown talks with Premier League bosses after slamming Liverpool's lunchtime fixture programme".
Round up by Ben Hibbs
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-16 11:20 AM
15/09/2007 14:41, Report by Ben Hibbs
Vida delight at killer blow
Nemanja Vidic was delighted that his first United goal of the season came at such a crucial moment as the Reds snatched a late victory on Saturday.
Sir Alex Ferguson says the Serbian has “a bit of the Brucies about him”, and that was certainly evident at Goodison. Much like former Reds centre-back Steve Bruce, Vidic possesses determination and bravery in abundance, prominent attributes that make him one of the Premier League’s finest defenders, but they are also major assets to attacking situations.
“I have had a couple of chances this season and haven’t managed to score,” Vidic told MUTV. “This was probably the best moment to get my first goal of the season with less than ten minutes to go. We’ve won, so I’m happy.”
It capped a wonderful defensive display from the solid Serb, who, alongside Rio Ferdinand, kept Everton striker’s Yakubu and Andy Johnson at bay. But Vidic modestly claims United’s solidarity was a team effort.
“We played like a team,” he said. “It’s not just two players, everyone played well in defence and that helped us get the result. Yakubu is strong and Johnson is quick and likes the ball in the channels. But we knew about them and stopped them from getting chances.
“With our ability going forward we knew that we’d be able to score, and we did. We came for the win and got it. Sometimes you have to make sure you don’t lose a goal.
“It’s always difficult after the international break,” he added. “We knew that it would be hard against Everton and that we’d need to play a compact game. We had to do that today.”
Thanks to Vidic’s intervention, United now have three consecutive 1-0 victories and following a shaky start to the Reds’ title defence Vidic is looking forward with plenty of optimism.
“We started badly this season,” he admits. “But now we have three wins in a row and I think we’re improving every time. I hope that in our next game we improve again. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.” 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-16 11:23 AM
15/09/2007 13:48, Report by Steve Bartram
Boss salutes Reds' resolve
Sir Alex Ferguson saluted his side's resolve as Nemanja Vidic's late header gave United a battling victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
The Reds, who were far from fluent, showed great character to keep the hosts largely at arm's length throughout the match, and defended resolutely - with Vidic particularly outstanding.
"It was a great result," Sir Alex told MUTV. "A lot of teams will drop points here. It was a real battle. It looked to me like it was going to be a draw, but then we got a lifeline with Nemanja's goal.
"It wasn't a great performance, but it was a good, decent performance. The whole team worked very hard, and it's maybe difficult sometimes coming back off the international break.
"We all know that we've not got our strongest side out, but in that situation you all get together. It was a good strong team effort today, and we defended right.
"They had a chance at 1-0 when Edwin's made a terrific save, and Rio Ferdinand's made a fantastic block from the follow-up (from Victor Anichebe). That's determined defending, and that's the kind of defending you need to win the title.
"If we can do that, and once we've got all our top players back and got the consistency of our performance, we'll be alright."
Sir Alex was left exasperated at times by the performance of referee Alan Wiley, who irked the United Manager by dishing out questionable bookings to Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Scholes - who subsequently avoided a second booking for a foul on Mikel Arteta - was booked for punching the ball away after Wylie had harshly penalised him for handball, while Ronaldo was punished for a perceived dive on the edge of the Everton area.
"When Scholesy got his booking, he didn't handle the ball. The referee's view is blocked, he's heard the crowd and given a yellow card, which is ridiculous," said Sir Alex.
"Carlos has seen the video and said Ronaldo was definitely tripped, but it was outside the box. To get a yellow card if you've been fouled is ridiculous. And of course you can't rescind a yellow card, only a red card, that's the unfortunate thing.
"The referee's really just satisfied the crowd. He thought it was going to be a penalty kick, and that's why he's booked him. It gets him out of jail, and it was a terrible decision." 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-16 11:27 AM
15/09/2007 14:03, Report by Ben Hibbs
Silvestre sent for scan
Sir Alex Ferguson says that Mikael Silvestre will be sent for a scan on the knee injury the Frenchman picked up against Everton on Saturday.
The Reds left-back, who was playing his first match since the opening day of the season against Reading, got his studs caught in the Goodison Park turf and fell awkwardly, twisting his knee. Silvestre appeared to be in quite considerable pain and had to be stretchered from the field.
"It's a knee injury," confirmed the boss after the match. "We'll send him for a scan and wait to see what comes of it."
Silvestre joins Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea on the sidelines, all of whom are expected to be out for a number of weeks at least.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-16 11:32 AM
15/09/2007 19:27, Report by Steve Bartram
League: Rivals drop points
Chelsea were controversially held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers, as Salomon Kalou's second-half strike was ruled offside at Stamford Bridge.
Both sides came close to bagging a winner in Saturday's late kick-off, and nobody came closer than Kalou when he turned in Juliano Belletti's cross - only for a linesman's flag to chalk off the goal.
A similar scoreline befell Liverpool against Portsmouth - although it could have been even worse for Rafa Benitez's side, who topped the table going into the weekend.
Kanu's first-half penalty was saved by Pepe Reina at Fratton Park, and Liverpool's failure to find a winner saw them slip off top spot.
Their place was taken by Arsenal, who came from behind to inflict defeat on Tottenham in the north London derby at White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale's opener was cancelled out by Emmanuel Adebayor's second-half header, before Cesc Fabregas and Adebayor, again, struck fine late goals.
Elsewhere, West Ham sunk Middlesbrough with three second-half goals - from Lee Bowyer, a Luke Young own-goal and Dean Ashton - at Upton Park.
A late Jason Koumas penalty secured a draw for Wigan, who had previously fallen behind to Fulham after Clint Dempsey's early opener.
Birmingham's Olivier Kapo heaped more misery on Bolton Wanderers, striking late in the first half to sink Sammy Lee's side at St. Andrews.
Sunderland paid tribute to club legend Ian Porterfield - who sadly died this week - with a 2-1 victory over Reading thanks to goals from Kenwyne Jones and Ross Wallace.
TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal5+6132 Liverpool5+9113 Man Utd6+2114 Chelsea6+1115 West Ham5+5106 Everton6+210
Results: September 15Birmingham 1 Bolton 0
Chelsea 0 Blackburn 0
Everton 0 United 1
Portsmouth 0 Liverpool 0
Sunderland 2 Reading 1
Tottenham 1 Arsenal 3
West Ham 3 Middlesbrough 0
Wigan 1 Fulham 1作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-17 10:47 AM
16/09/2007 14:03, Report by Ben Hibbs
Silvestre suffers cruciate blow
Mikael Silvestre is likely to miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed that he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury against Everton on Saturday.
The Reds left-back, who was playing his first match since the opening day of the season against Reading, got his studs caught in the Goodison Park turf and fell awkwardly, twisting his knee.
Silvestre is the third United player to suffer a serious knee injury this year, after similar fates befell Korean midfielder Ji-sung Park and goalkeeper Ben Foster.
The trio are joined on the Reds' injury list by Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea, who are expected to be out for a number of weeks at least.
Silvestre's enforced absence, coupled with the summer sale of Gabriel Heinze, means Patrice Evra is Sir Alex Ferguson's sole recognised left-back.
However, United's squad has been suitably reinforced over the summer by the return of burgeoning talents such as Gerard Pique, Jonny Evans, Danny Simpson and Phil Bardsley.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-17 05:39 PM
17/09/2007 07:54, Report by Ben Hibbs
Double injury boost for Reds
The Reds will have Wayne Rooney and Owen Hargreaves back in action for the trip to Lisbon this week.
United have been without Rooney since the opening day of the season when he suffered a metatarsal fracture in his left foot, while Hargreaves has been troubled by a knee injury.
Rooney had been expected to play a part in Saturday's 1-0 win over his former club Everton, but Reds boss Sir Alex opted to rest the 21-year-old striker, who instead trained over the weekend in preparation for Wednesday's visit to Portugal.
"They'll both be ok for Wednesday," Sir Alex told MUTV after the victory at Goodison Park.
"We took medical advice on Wayne and as he had only started training on Monday, we felt that five days' training was maybe a bit short.
"But he trained on Saturday morning, Sunday and he'll train right through until Wednesday. By that point he will definitely be available for the match against Sporting Lisbon."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-17 05:40 PM
17/09/2007 06:22, Report by Ben Hibbs
Vidic eyes strong start in Europe
United’s goalscoring hero against Everton Nemanja Vidic says it’s vital the Reds get off to a good start in the Champions League on Wednesday when they take on Sporting Lisbon.
The squad fly out to Portugal on Tuesday morning to prepare for the match at Sporting’s Estádio José Alvalade.
Vidic came to United’s rescue on Saturday with an 83rd-minute headed winner to secure a vital three points at Goodison Park, and now the Serbian defender is eyeing victory in the opening Group F match.
“It’s really important that we get off to a good start in the Champions League,” Nemanja told MUTV. “We know Sporting Lisbon will be difficult to play against,” he added. “They are technically very good and they know how to keep possession of the ball, which makes it difficult. But we want to start the tournament well and get a good result.”
The Reds began last season’s European campaign with a win on Portuguese soil - Louis Saha grabbing the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Benfica.
Although the Reds needed to beat the Lisbon club at Old Trafford in the final group game following surprise defeats to FC Copenhagen and Celtic, United improved as the tournament progressed and went on to reach the semi finals, only to be stopped by the eventual winners AC Milan.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-17 05:41 PM
17/09/2007 07:41, Report by Gemma Thompson
Giggs: We're better equipped
Ryan Giggs feels United are better equipped to mount a challenge in this season's Champions League after falling at the last four hurdle last time out.
The Reds lost out to eventual winners AC Milan at the semi-final stage of the competition, despite recording a 3-2 victory over the Italians in the first leg at Old Trafford.
Giggs says the squad learnt a valuable lesson from that experience and are determined to go one step further this time round.
"We are better equipped for Europe than we were last year," said the 33-year-old.
"We have brought in players who have experience in Europe and hopefully, the younger lads can learn from their experience in Europe last year.
"I remember when I was a young lad, I learned something new from every game I played in Europe, especially away from home.
"Each game you play you get better and have more confidence. Hopefully that will be the case for the team this year."
The Reds kick-off this season's campaign on Wednesday evening in Portugal against Sporting Lisbon.
Clashes with Dynamo Kiev and Roma will follow in due course, with Giggs
insisting the Reds are more than a match for anyone providing they hit top gear.
"If we play to our best ability, we should get out of the group quite comfortably," declared the midfielder.
"It is a tough group because they are all good teams and the away games will all be particularly hard.
"Hopefully we will get off to a good start. If we do that, we will be confident about going through."
Korean side FC Seoul have denied rumours that United are attempting to take their highly-rated young midfielder Sung-yong Ki on trial at Old Trafford.
The 18-year-old, who played against United during the Reds' pre-season tour of the Far East in the summer, has earned rave reviews in the K-League this season.
His performances have led to speculation in his home country that the youngster could join fellow countryman Ji-sung Park in Manchester.
But FC Seoul say there is no truth in the story and they have had no contact with United about the Korea Under-23 starlet.
"We haven't heard from United or received any formal documents," a club official told reporters in Korea's capital.
"It is the middle of the (K-League) season now, so organising a trial would be very difficult."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-17 05:45 PM
17/09/2007 08:10, Report by Steve Bartram
Goodison win pleases Edwin
For Edwin van der Sar, United's victory over Everton on Saturday was all the more impressive for coming after little preparation time.
The noon kick-off time, allied to a two-match international break prior to the match, meant that United had only one full training session together ahead of the tricky trip to Merseyside.
"It's a massive result for us, especially after two weeks away with the national team," van der Sar told MUTV. "It's really hard to train with each other on Friday, have a little bit of recuperation and then come to a place like this and get the three points.
"You would prefer a Sunday game or maybe a late kick-off. You're home late on Thursday, you train on Friday and you're home maybe for two or three hours before you have to say goodbye to the family again. The kids still call me Dad, but it's a hard period!"
Van der Sar was largely unemployed in terms of making saves, but his one major act of the match was to fend away a James McFadden shot, before Rio Ferdinand blocked Victor Anichebe's rebound.
"Last year we were beaten by a shot that Michael (Carrick) touched, and this time he touched it again," Edwin revealed. "I tried to palm it away, but it didn't go that far and luckily Rio was there to block it."
A clean sheet at Goodison Park was the Dutch goalkeeper's third in a row, a run which has proven just enough to secure nine points, with United scoring once in each of their last three games.
"I think we're creating enough chances, even in the games we've lost and drawn," he said. "We've created chances but at the moment we're not scoring so easy. The good thing is that the defence and midfield is tight, and we're not conceding, which is a good point."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-18 10:18 AM
17/09/2007 16:01, Report by Ben Hibbs
Owen doubtful for Lisbon clash
Owen Hargreaves is a doubt for United's opening Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old midfielder is struggling with a thigh strain and missed United's 1-0 win over Everton at the weekend.
It had been thought that Hargreaves would be fit for the trip to Portugal, but the Englishman didn't train on Monday morning and is now a doubt for the opening Group F clash in Lisbon.
"[The injury] is okay, I have never really had this injury before so this is new territory," he told the Press Association on Monday afternoon. "I can't say for certain but it looks as though I won't be ready for Wednesday because I have not trained."
He is, however, hopeful of making Sunday's crucial Premier League clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford. "I thought I would be fit to play for England in the Israel game, then the Russia game and then Everton, but I've still not done it. I have to take it day by day so hopefully I will be fit for the weekend."
Injury prevented Hargreaves from appearing in United's opening three matches of the campaign. But he proved exceptional in the three games he has played in so far this term. Outstanding despite defeat to Manchester City, he then helped the Reds to 1-0 victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, which makes it all the more maddening that he cannot have a clear run of games.
"It is frustrating," he said. "I missed pre-season then I had a run of games and I was really enjoying it. It is just disappointing to suffer something so niggly. But I think these injuries come from last season when I broke my leg."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-18 10:20 AM
17/09/2007 09:05, Report by Ben Hibbs
Rooney fitness boost for Reds
The Reds will have Wayne Rooney back in action for United's trip to Lisbon on Wednesday.
United have been without Rooney since the opening day of the season when he suffered a metatarsal fracture in his left foot.
Rooney had been expected to play a part in Saturday's 1-0 win over Everton, but Reds boss Sir Alex opted to rest the 21-year-old striker, who instead trained over the weekend in preparation for Wednesday's visit to Portugal.
Sir Alex confirmed the forward will be fit to play on Wednesday before explaining his decision to leave Rooney out of the clash with his former club Everton.
"We took medical advice on Wayne and as he had only started training on Monday, we felt that five days' training was maybe a bit short.
"But he trained on Saturday morning, Sunday and he'll train right through until Wednesday. By that point he will definitely be available for the match against Sporting Lisbon."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-18 06:16 PM
18/09/2007 08:08, Report by Steve Bartram and Nick Coppack
Duo sit out Lisbon trip
Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville have failed to recover from injury in time for Wednesday's Champions League opener against Sporting Lisbon.
The England internationals, both sidelined with thigh strains, were missing from United's travelling party as it left Manchester Airport on Tuesday morning.
Wayne Rooney, however, was on board, having made a startling recovery from the broken foot he sustained on the opening day of the season.
The England striker is likely to play some part against Sporting, although with Sunday's clash with Chelsea looming large, Sir Alex Ferguson may use him sparingly.
Mikael Silvestre, Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea, Ji-sung Park and Ben Foster are United's other senior absentees.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-18 06:17 PM
18/09/2007 08:23, Report by Ben Hibbs
Rooney to be let off the leash
Wayne Rooney has been itching to get back to action following his fractured metatarsal injury, and now he's ready to take out his frustration on Sporting Lisbon.
The 21-year-old Reds striker flew out to Lisbon with the rest of the United squad on Tuesday morning as the Reds prepare for the opening Champions League Group F match on Wednesday.
Typical of Rooney's enthusiasm and hunger for football, he feels he could have played before now, but understands the caution taken by Sir Alex Ferguson and United's medical staff.
"I'm fine," he told MUTV. "I feel I could have played a few weeks ago and I'm a bit disappointed I haven't. But it was probably best in the long run.
"I've been dying to play. I wanted to make sure the manager knew I was ready to come back. The manager and physios have been a bit cautious and rightly so - it's a long season. Hopefully, I can get a run-out on Wednesday and get back playing."
For Rooney it was frustrating to endure the same type of injury he has suffered on two previous occasions, but he denied that it has anything to do with the Nike boots he wears.
"It's the third time I've had this injury and it was disappointing it happened so early in the season," he added. "I know there has been a lot of talk about the boots but they are fine. If you have a lad like Michael Duberry stamp on your foot, it is quite likely to break."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-18 06:18 PM
18/09/2007 09:30, Report by Gemma Thompson
Carlos errs on the side of caution
Assistant boss Carlos Queiroz says United will take a cautious approach in their opening Champions League Group F match in Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
The Reds flew out to Portugal on Tuesday morning, minus Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville, but boosted by the return of Wayne Rooney to full fitness after recovering from a broken foot.
Queiroz is expecting a tough encounter against his former club, for whom he was a coach, but is hopeful of a positive outcome for the Reds.
"We are going to play a cautious game because we respect Sporting," he told Uefa.com. "However, we will play with ambition because we want to collect the three points at the Alvalade.
"This is not the best time to face Sporting. This is not our best moment and this is also the first group stage match. But hopefully we can get the result we want."
Queiroz is not the only United representative returning to face their former team. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani are ex-Sporting graduates and Queiroz says it will be an important occasion for the Reds' Portuguese clan.
"Of course it will be a special feeling playing against Sporting, as it will be for Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo," he insisted.
"But we are all professionals and I am sure we will do our best. I hope we can play a tremendous game and I'm sure the Sporting fans are expecting this."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:38 AM
17/09/2007 16:01, Report by Ben Hibbs
Owen eyes Chelsea return
Owen Hargreaves missed United's opening Champions League Group F game against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, but the midfielder is hoping to be fit to face Chelsea this weekend.
The 26-year-old has been struggling with a thigh strain and also missed United's 1-0 win over Everton last weekend.
It had been thought that Hargreaves would be fit for the trip to Portugal, but the Englishman was left out of the squad that travelled of Lisbon.
"[The injury] is okay," he said on Monday. "I have never really had this injury before so this is new territory."
"I thought I would be fit to play for England in the Israel game, then the Russia game and then Everton, but I've still not done it. I have to take it day by day so hopefully I will be fit for the weekend."
Injury prevented Hargreaves from appearing in United's opening three matches of the campaign. But he proved exceptional in the three games he has played in so far this term. Outstanding despite defeat to Manchester City, he then helped the Reds to 1-0 victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, which makes it all the more maddening that he cannot have a clear run of games.
"It is frustrating," he said. "I missed pre-season then I had a run of games and I was really enjoying it. It is just disappointing to suffer something so niggly. But I think these injuries come from last season when I broke my leg."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:40 AM
19/09/2007 09:58, Report by Ben Hibbs & Nick Coppack
Ole takes Reds coaching role
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took temporary charge of United’s Reserves side in Lisbon on Wednesday morning, and it marks the former Reds striker’s first steps into the coaching side of the game.
Solskjaer, who ended his playing career last month due to injury having scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for the Reds, won’t be taking up the Reserves role full-time, but Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that the Norwegian has joined the club’s coaching staff.
The 34-year-old has not yet been given an official job title, but he is to work closely with technical skills development coach Rene Meulensteen, with particular emphasis on coaching strikers throughout the club's ranks.
Sir Alex told ManUtd.com: “This is an ideal trip for Ole to come along and get involved with the coaching side of the game.”
Ole led the warm up and took charge of a reserves team including Tom Heaton, Dong Fangzhuo, Lee Martin, and Darron Gibson against a Sporting Lisbon team made up of first- and second-year Academy scholars.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:42 AM
19/09/2007 17:12, Report by Steve Bartram and Nick Coppack
Gibson suffers injury setback
Young Irish midfielder Darron Gibson is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken little toe in action for United's Reserves.
Gibson suffered the knock in Wednesday morning's match between United's second string and their Sporting Lisbon counterparts.
Despite sustaining the injury in the opening five minutes of the match, which United lost 5-2, Gibson continued until half-time before being replaced.
The layoff represents a huge blow for Gibson, who was in contention to start next week's Carling Cup clash with Coventry City at Old Trafford.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:47 AM
19/09/2007 20:40, Report by Nick Coppack in Lisbon
Blog: A sporting gesture
It wasn't always the hero's welcome he had hoped for, but Cristiano Ronaldo did eventually receive plaudits from Sporting Lisbon fans on his return to his former club.
Indeed, in a show of tremendous sportsmanship, the Lisbon fans clapped Ronaldo when he put United in front on 62 minutes. It was the winger's first meaningful contribution of the match but it was enough to earn the Reds a valuable away victory and Ronaldo the morning headlines.
The goal sparked Ronaldo into life and what had previously been a lacklustre performance suddenly turned into an individual display of sparking skill and confidence. In fact, his second half contribution was so impressive it brought the home fans to their feet when the Reds' no.7 was substituted minutes before the end.
For large parts of the match, however, Ronaldo's return was almost a non-event. There was no official recognition and Sporting fans seemed more intent on getting behind their team and venting their frustrations at referee Herbert Fandel. The odd jeer could be heard, particularly in the game's opening stages, but it was nothing compared to the abuse the Reds' no.7 copped when United met Sporting 's rivals, Benfica in last season's group stage.
At Tuesday's press conference, Ronaldo spoke with fondness of the club that spent seven years developing his skills, although he was also quick to point out his desire to take all three points back to England.
Perhaps it was that statement that prevented the Sporting fans wholeheartedly embracing the winger from the opening whistle. Or maybe their initial ambivalence towards the player they once adored was born of regret at what might have been had Ronaldo not signed for the Reds in 2003.
In the end, however, all 39,514 people inside Lisbon's Jose Alvalade stadium rose to their feet in acknowledgement of one of the world's most exciting young footballers.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:53 AM
19/09/2007 20:58, Report by Gemma Thompson
Ronny hails 'perfect' evening
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed his return to his homeland as "the perfect night" after firing United to victory against his former club.
The Portuguese international headed home Wes Brown's cross just after the hour to give United a priceless victory and set them on their way in Group F.
Ronaldo was pleased with the result, but admitted that he felt a tad guilty about netting against the club he calls his second home.
"It's a perfect night for me. I scored and the team won. So it's been a great night for me and United," he told Sky Sports at the final whistle.
"It's always important to win away from home. Both teams played well, but I think the result is a fair one because we did better.
"Red is my colour and I want to win for United. I said before the game that Sporting Lisbon is my second home and I feel a little bit sad [that they lost], but the most important thing is United. They are my team and I'm very happy with the victory."
Some sections of the home fans rose to applaud Ronaldo's goal, before the whole stadium gave him a standing ovation when he was substituted in the final few minutes. It was a gesture which delighted the 22-year-old winger.
"The people here are very important to me," he insisted. "They helped me a lot when I played here.
"When I scored I didn't want to do too much because I don't think it's fair. But I'm very happy with the three points."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 09:55 AM
19/09/2007 20:56, Report by Gemma Thompson
Boss pleased by away boost
Sir Alex Ferguson believes United's slender victory over Sporting Lisbon will give his players just the boost they need for their upcoming Champions League away trips.
The 1-0 win in the Portugal capital, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's second half diving header, was only United's third Champions League win in the last 15 on their travels.
The boss was pleased with his side's penetration after the break and is hopeful that this result will set things up nicely for United in Group F.
"It was good night for us," he told Sky Sports. "Winning your first match of the group away from home, just like we did last season, sets the tone. Getting a good start is always important.
"This victory will give the players a good confidence boost because we went a couple of years without winning away from home in Europe.
"Last season we changed that trend and it got us back to how we were eight or nine years ago when we were a constant threat away from home.
"Tactically things were, in the main, very good. Our penetration was better in the second half and there was more purpose to our game. They had some opportunities from the edge of the box, but they never really opened us up and that was our plan."
Ronaldo's 62nd minute goal was sportingly applauded by some sections of the home crowd in tribute to their former servant.
"It was interesting to see that - it's a rarity in the modern day game, but given that he's an ex-player for the club it's understandable in some ways," said Sir Alex.
"I'm pleased that he's off the mark for the season. His suspension derailed him a little bit, but I'm sure he's back on track now."
Another United player back on track is Wayne Rooney, who completed 71 minutes of the match, his first since breaking his foot in the opening game of the season last month."It was difficult to measure how long we kept Wayne on the pitch, but as soon as we scored I decided it was time to get Louis [Saha] ready," explained the boss. "Wayne will be better for his minutes on the clock and I'm sure he'll be ready for Sunday."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 11:19 PM
20/09/2007 13:21, Report by Ben Hibbs
Saha bides his time
Louis Saha admits he was frustrated after being left out of the starting line-up to face Sporting Lisbon, but he says Sir Alex Ferguson made the right decision for the team.
The 29-year-old Frenchman, still waiting for his first Reds start since February, was praised by Sir Alex this week for his physical presence and ability to lead the line, his qualities playing off perfectly against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rooney was given the lone striker role in the 1-0 win over Sporting, but Saha will hope he is named in the first eleven when Chelsea visit Old Trafford this weekend.
"Everyone gets frustrated if they're named on the bench in a Champions League game," he said. "Difficult choices always have to be made and I think the manager made the right decision. It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch so it was a great win in the end."
The Reds have become masters of the 1-0 scoreline in recent weeks, and Saha would gladly take a fifth such result in a row on Sunday. "That's the main thing. We need to get points and that's what we're doing now," he said. "We've got the confidence back and we want to keep getting results because that is what will make us champions."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 11:22 PM
20/09/2007 10:21, Report by Ben Hibbs
Queiroz denies quit claims
Carlos Queiroz has denied speculation that he will consider his future at the end of 2007 and says he is excited about continuing his role at the club.
Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant was quoted in the press as saying: “I need to reflect on what I want to do in this last part of my career. In December I’m going to stop and think about myself." But, as he explained whilst on United's visit to Lisbon, "it is just a misunderstanding".
"I don't understand why that has come up," he said in an interview with Sky Sports. "But the most important thing is that I'm happy, I'm very happy with the job and the position at Manchester United.
"The club is happy with me, so there's no reason to waste time with that issue."
Queiroz plays a crucial role at United in aiding Sir Alex on a daily basis, and his influence on players like Cristiano Ronaldo is immeasurably important to the Reds. And with a fresh influx of young talent at the club, Queiroz relishes what the future holds at Old Trafford.
"Especially at this moment, we have made a lot of decisions with a medium and long-term view," he added. "We expect a lot of things from our youngest players, talented players that we have got in the last season.
"So there are a lot of hopes and expectations about the future, and I want to be part of that future - it is really a big challenge for all of us."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 11:25 PM
Papers: Boss eyes whizz-kid
20/09/2007 08:55
Fergie chases Rabiu
Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to raid Sporting Lisbon again - this time for Nigerian whizz-kid Rabiu Ibrahim. Ibrahim, 17, has caught Manchester United's eye and Fergie is hoping his relationship with Sporting Lisbon can give him the edge on Liverpool and Chelsea, who have been watching the attacking midfielder. Sporting's past discoveries have in cluded United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. Staff reporter, Daily Mirror
Following his winning goal in Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he felt sorry for his former team. The United winger kept his celebrations muted after scoring the only goal of the game.
Elsewhere, The Sun report that Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager was doomed after a dramatic bust-up with his trusted skipper John Terry. The reports came after Chelsea confirmed Mourinho had left the club by mutual consent.
Round up by Gemma Thompson作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 11:28 PM
20/09/2007 07:21, Report by Steve Bartram
Jose leaves Chelsea post
Chelsea have sensationally parted company with manager Jose Mourinho ahead of Sunday's clash with United at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese tactician has left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent after an indifferent start to the season, and Chelsea have confirmed former director of football Avram Grant as Mourinho's successor alongside Steve Clarke.
Grant, a close friend of club owner Roman Abramovich, joined the Blues in the summer from Portsmouth, where he was technical director. He has also coached Israel, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Maccabi Haifa.
Mourinho's departure is sure to stun the world of football, given the immense success the 44-year-old had enjoyed in his three years at Stamford Bridge. Having arrived from Porto in the summer of 2004, he won two Premier League titles, two Carling Cups, the FA Cup - at United's expense last May - and reached the Champions League semi-finals twice.
As recently as Tuesday morning, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon had denied rumours that Mourinho would be sacked. "There's loads of speculation that if we don't win Jose gets fired, but that's not the way we think," he said.
It throws Chelsea's preparations for Sunday's visit to Old Trafford into further turmoil as Didier Drogba (knee), Frank Lampard (hip/thigh), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and Claudio Pizarro (calf) all face a race to be fit for the trip to Manchester.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-20 11:29 PM
20/09/2007 10:51, Report by Ben Hibbs
Rooney ready for Sunday
Sir Alex will be hoping to have a fit and firing Wayne Rooney for Sunday's visit to Chelsea after the striker completed 72 minutes during the Reds' 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
It was the 21-year-old striker's first outing since the first day of the season against Reading, where he suffered a fractured metatarsal following a challenge from Michael Duberry.
Playing the lone striker role was demanding for the Reds front man, and as such Cristiano Ronaldo's goal allowed Sir Alex to take him off with Sunday's visit of Chelsea in mind.
"It was difficult for Wayne, having to play up front on his own," admitted the boss.
"We had to decide how long we kept him on the pitch, but as soon as we scored I decided it was time to get Louis Saha ready," he added. "Wayne will be better for his minutes on the clock and I'm sure he'll be ready for Sunday."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:44 PM
21/09/2007 08:40, Report by Ben Hibbs, at Carrington
Sunday too soon for Reds duo
Thigh injuries have ruled Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville out of Sunday's clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.
The pair have both trained this week, but Sir Alex Ferguson expects them to return either side of next Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Coventry City.
"Owen Hargreaves is in training and improving all the time, he's in contention for Coventry," Sir Alex told his pre-match press conference.
"Gary Neville has joined first team training, but the Coventry game will be too early for him. We'll be looking at 7-10 days. For Sunday's game against Chelsea we'll be relying mainly on Wednesday's squad."
No new injuries were collected in United's win over Sporting Lisbon, giving Sir Alex a bulging squad for the visit of the Blues, who face their first game since the departure of manager Jose Mourinho.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:46 PM
21/09/2007 09:25, Report by Ben Hibbs
Sir Alex will miss Mourinho
Sir Alex Ferguson paid a brief but glowing tribute to former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, and admits that he will miss the challenge of squaring up to his Portuguese counterpart.
But, at the manager’s pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s fixture between the two teams, this was no lingering farewell, nor was it a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Sir Alex was to the point, clearly determined not to let the goings-on at Stamford Bridge overshadow the need for three points at Old Trafford.
“Jose leaving is a disappointment for the game,” he said genuinely. “I think that he was terrific for football and, of course, for Chelsea. I enjoyed the competition with him and I think he brought something fresh and new to our game. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with my wine now!
“What has he done? He’s been fantastic and brought unparalleled success,” he added. “It’s certainly a challenge for the man that replaces him. At the moment it’s Avram Grant, and it’s a big test for him.
“I wish Jose well, but that’s as far as I want to put it,” he said, before declining to take any more questions on the matter. “What happens at Chelsea doesn’t matter to us, we’ve got to focus on our game because it’s still the same set of players that we will be facing. And that’s a challenge enough for us.
“When you play Chelsea it’s always a big game. I don’t think it will be a defining moment, but it’s important.
“If you look at the record between the two teams over the last three or four years there is nothing in it. Very few goals are scored. It’s always a tight, tight game.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:47 PM
21/09/2007 07:16, Report by Gemma Thompson
Giggs: Sunday is no title-decider
Ryan Giggs believes the result of Sunday's United-Chelsea clash at Old Trafford will have little bearing on the eventual outcome on this season's title race.
The Blues will pitch up at Old Trafford with a new manager following the shock departure of Jose Mourinho on Thursday.
Avram Grant, formerly the club's director of football, will take charge of his first match as Blues boss on Sunday, with Steve Clarke assisting.
Giggs is expecting a tough encounter and says United are determined to come out of the game with a positive result. But the stand-in skipper insists the match is by no means a title decider.
"Whether we win or lose the game, I don't think it'll have too much bearing on where the championship goes," he told this month's Inside United Magazine. "It's all about being consistent across the entire season.
"Chelsea are a solid team with good experience. They have great discipline so it's hard to create chances against them, but we've done alright in the last few years.
"They're normally tight affairs so you like to try and score the first goal. But it's all about having consistency against all the teams you have to play against. Hopefully we can get the result we want."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:49 PM
21/09/2007 06:40, Report by Gemma Thompson
Jose exit will boost Reds
Former United defender Arthur Albiston believes Jose Mourinho’s sharp exit from Stamford Bridge will work in United’s favour when Chelsea arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Avram Grant was installed at the Blues’ helm following Mourinho’s departure on Thursday morning.
Albiston believes many of the Chelsea squad will be somewhat deflated by this week’s events and is backing United to end the weekend victorious.
“I’m expecting a full-blooded affair at Old Trafford and personally I believe Jose Mourinho’s departure will work in our favour,” he told ManUtd.com.
“It’ll be a huge loss for Chelsea and no matter what their players say leading up to the game, privately most of them will be very deflated at his exit.
“Many of the foreign lads probably only signed for the club because of Mourinho, while the two main English lads, John Terry and Frank Lampard, who were close confidants of Mourinho’s, will be absolutely gutted.”
Like United, Chelsea have not exactly made the start they would have liked. However, while the Reds have turned things around with consecutive 1-0 victories in their last three league matches, Chelsea have taken just four
points from their last four games.
Albiston admits Sir Alex's men have not yet the heights of last season, but believes a win on Sunday would go a long way to aiding their title defence.
"Even if Mourinho hadn’t left, I’d still have said it’s a good time to play Chelsea," declared the MUTV pundit. "They’ve had a stuttering start to the season, losing at Villa and drawing at home to Blackburn, so they’ll be coming into the game on a bit of a downer.
"We haven’t been playing to our full capabilities, but the encouraging thing is we’ve still grinded out some excellent results. Of course, it’s still early, but it’s always very important to get results against your main rivals and a win on Sunday could go a long way to helping us retain our title."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:50 PM
Papers: Boss feels for Jose
21/09/2007 06:25
Fergie amazed by Jose's exit
Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Chelsea had put ridiculous pressure on Jose Mourinho. The Blues announced this week they wanted Mourinho to win two Champions League titles in six years. United manager Fergie admitted: “It is amazing to put pressure on the lad to win two European Cups.” Meanwhile, United No 2 Carlos Queiroz reckons an ‘attitude problem’ could have cost Mourinho his job. Queiroz said: “Maybe the attitude he brought to the club created some obstacles. Maybe his attitude to the new policy of the club made it easier to take this option to leave.” And Queiroz believes that fellow Portuguese Mourinho will now head for Spain. He added: “I don’t think he will stay in England because the biggest clubs are all stable. Spain seems like a league that would better suit him.” Staff reporter, The Sun
Meanwhile, The Sun claims Didier Drogba will follow Jose Mourinho out of Chelsea. Friends say the Ivory Coast striker, 29, is “furious and upset” after Mourinho’s sacking.
Ahead of Sunday's big match at Old Trafford, it's reported that new Chelsea boss Avram Grant will miss his team's last day of training because of his religious beliefs. Grant will observe the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur from Friday night until Saturday and will then fly in Roman Abramovich's private jet to Manchester where the squad are staying overnight.
Round up by Gemma Thompson作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-21 08:52 PM
21/09/2007 08:48, Report by Gemma Thompson
Blog: Give Chelsea the Blues
Reds' winger Chris Eagles looks ahead to Sunday's huge clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford and says it's never too early to steal a march on your title rivals...
I’d love to be involved against Chelsea on Sunday. I was lucky enough to be in the team that was given a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge last season after we clinched the title. It was fantastic to walk out like that - I couldn't stop smiling!
That guard of honour will have hurt Chelsea, like it hurt us when we had to do it for them. They will definitely be out for revenge this season.
Sunday's game is obviously a big one because it's been them and us fighting it out for the title over the last three seasons. But then every game we play this season will be huge simply because everyone wants to beat the champions.
Hopefully we can get the victory we want - it’s never too early to get a good result against one of the top sides. The further we can get in front of our rivals, the better.
If I don't play against Chelsea, I'll hopefully get a game in next week's Carling Cup tie with Coventry. It will be a good chance for the young players to show the manager what we can do... if Sir Alex decides to play us of course!
People ask me what it’s like to run out at Old Trafford and hear the crowd roar. It’s difficult to describe how you feel, there is a real sense of excitement and nerves all in one go. I just hope I’m able to enjoy the experience for many years to come.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-23 05:35 PM
22/09/2007 21:10, Report by Nick Coppack
Sir Alex: I saw it coming
Sir Alex Ferguson says Jose Mourinho's departure is not such a shock.
Football fans woke on Thursday to news that the Chelsea boss had left Stamford Bridge, despite leading the club to five trophies (including two league titles) during his three-year stint and never losing at home. But while most have expressed amazement at the 44-year-old's exit, United manager Ferguson insists it's long been on the cards.
"I don't think it was as big a shock as some people, particularly Chelsea fans, are making it out to be," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio. "There were definitely signs that things weren't right there. I've obviously spoken to Jose a few times over the years and I'm not surprised by what's happened. I've sent him a message and told him I'll miss my glass of wine with him on Sunday.
"It's a loss to the English game because he's such an amazing and controversial character. I think the game really needed that at the time he arrived in England."
Sir Alex is determined not to let events at Stamford Bridge hinder United's preparations going into Sunday's crucial Barclays Premier League match, although he admits the Reds' Carrington training centre was unusually lively on Thursday.
"There was a lot of discussion on the training ground and in the dressing room about what's going on at Chelsea. Some of the lads know the Chelsea players and they've been getting little bits of information here and there. There was definitely a buzz about the place."
Chelsea will now travel to Old Trafford with former Director of Football Avram Grant in the hot seat. Grant won't have had much time to inject his own ideas into the mix and Sir Alex believes the Blues will still resemble a typical Mourinho outfit.
"They're chained to 4-4-2 and I think that's how they'll play on Sunday," the Reds' boss said. "They still have the same players and we still have to just concentrate on performing well and getting the result we're after."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-23 05:37 PM
21/09/2007 15:22, Report by Nick Coppack
Giggs eyes winning streak
The Reds have beaten Chelsea just once in the last five Old Trafford meetings, but stand-in skipper Ryan Giggs believes United are good enough to take all three points from Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture.
After a shaky start to the season that saw the Reds head into last month's home game against Tottenham second from bottom, United have dug in and ground out results. The football hasn't always been breathtaking (and the goals have hardly been flying in) but four 1-0 wins on the bounce have steadied the ship and eased fans' fears.
"We're quite capable of going on a good run," Giggs said. "Hopefully we can keep winning and extend that to 10 or 11 games. Each win and each performance breeds confidence throughout the team."
It's a confidence that begins with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and the back four, particularly the central pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
"We're looking very good at the back," Giggs confirmed. "We're not letting in many goals and that's what we were all about last season. Defensively, if we keep it tight we know we'll get chances at the other end.
"Right now we're keeping clean sheets and still nicking the wins, but I think the goals will come soon."
Chelsea go into Sunday's encounter still reeling from Jose Mourinho's shock departure and with injury clouds looming over Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Claudio Pizzaro and Ricardo Carvalho. They've also failed to win in their last three outings.
Even so, Giggs says the Blues can still pose problems.
"I don't think Chelsea's injuries come into consideration. Whenever the big teams play each other form goes out the window because they have special players who can make things happen. It's always going to be close and the last few years have shown that."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-23 05:45 PM
21/09/2007 12:46, Report by Ben Hibbs
Warrior Vidic set goals target
Nemanja Vidic has quickly become a cult hero among United supporters not only for his classy yet no-nonsense style of defending, but also for the threat he poses in the opposition box.
Vidic will once again be an integral part of United's defence as the Reds aim for a fifth clean sheet in a row on Sunday against Chelsea.
The 25-year-old Serbian centre-half scored the winning goal in an outstanding performance last weekend against Everton at Goodison Park. He followed it up with another commanding display in Lisbon on Wednesday, prompting praise from his manager.
"Nemanja always asks a question of defenders," said Sir Alex. "He wants to know whether they have the courage to put their head in front of his.
"He is a throw back to the old style of defender, but there's no question he can play, there is not a doubt about that. He doesn't mess about in terms of clearing the ball. He acts like a defender and that's a real asset to this squad."
Belgrade-born Vidic, a £7million signing from Spartak Moscow in January 2006, scored four goals in 38 games last season, and having got off the mark against Everton, Sir Alex has challenged the all-action defender to not only maintain his high standards as part of United's back four but also to beat his goals tally of 2006/07.
"He got me four goals last season and has already got one this year," said Ferguson. "I think he can easily get between five and 10 because he has got just the right qualities."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-23 05:47 PM
21/09/2007 08:40, Report by Ben Hibbs, at Carrington
Sunday too soon for Reds Duo
Thigh injuries have ruled Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville out of Sunday's clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.
The pair have both trained this week, but Sir Alex Ferguson expects them to return either side of next Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Coventry City.
"Owen Hargreaves is in training and improving all the time, he's in contention for Coventry," Sir Alex told his pre-match press conference.
"Gary Neville has joined first team training, but the Coventry game will be too early for him. We'll be looking at 7-10 days. For Sunday's game against Chelsea we'll be relying mainly on Wednesday's squad."
No new injuries were collected in United's win over Sporting Lisbon, giving Sir Alex a bulging squad for the visit of the Blues, who face their first game since the departure of manager Jose Mourinho. 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-23 05:51 PM
22/09/2007 12:23, Report by Nick Coppack
U18s: United 1 Huddersfield 0
A second-half strike from Chris Curran was all that settled United and Huddersfield Town's Academy teams at the Trafford Training Centre on Saturday.
It's the Reds' fourth win in a row and completes a Yorkshire hat-trick for Paul McGuinness's team after victories against Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday in the previous weeks.
United were well on top for much of the match and could have won by a larger margin had the visitors' goalkeeper not been in such inspired form. The Reds also wasted a first-half opportunity from the penalty spot, with Jimmy Derbyshire blasting high over the bar from 12 yards. Many of the other early chances came from distance, including one particularly vicious effort that rattled the woodwork.
The breakthrough eventually came mid-way through the second period, when Joe Dudgeon's quick throw allowed Danny Welbeck to charge into the box. Welbeck's shot was parried out by the Huddersfield goalkeeper, but Curran was on hand at the far post to volley in United's winner.
It was the Reds' sixth goal of the season and Curran became the sixth different scorer. Meanwhile, at the other end, United have now gone four games without conceding.
Former United defender and MUTV commentator Arthur Albiston said the result will please the players immensely.
"It's a great result. There's a lot of satisfaction when you win 1-0. The boys have had to battle very hard and dig in to earn this result. It hasn't been easy," he said.
"I think United deserved to win and they could even have gone ahead earlier in the first half. They played ever so well, it was a satisfying result and we saw some good performances."
When Patrice Evra walks onto the Old Trafford pitch on Sunday afternoon to commence battle with title rivals Chelsea, the Frenchman will do so secure in the knowledge that he has both the manager's and the home crowd's full support.
Following Gabriel Heinze's exit to Real Madrid and Mikael Silvestre's season-ending injury sustained in last weekend's 1-0 win over Everton, Evra is now Sir Alex Ferguson's undisputed first-choice left back. But it's hardly a case of victory by default.
Instead, over the last 18 months, the 26-year-old has risen to prominence on the back of a number of colossal displays on the left side of defence. Strong in the tackle, agile and surprisingly good in the air for someone who's just 5'8", Evra has all the necessary attributes of a top-class defender.
And yet it's his willingness to get forward and run at opposition defenders that's arguably won him more attention and endeared him to even the most critical match-going Reds. Speedy and direct, Evra also boasts a repertoire of tricks and flicks that regularly lures fans to their feet.
Rewind to early 2006, however, and Evra admits he was worried United supporters would never take to him. A bad mistake on his debut – against Manchester City, no less – was followed by a string of less-than-inspiring performances while he took time to adapt to the English game and settle in a new country.
"My first six months were very difficult," Evra told Manchester United Radio, "but the manager pulled me aside and told me that all the fans had been applauding me. I was concerned but he said he hadn't heard any fans say they were unhappy with me.
"That gave me lots of confidence and now I'm doing well. And that's why I think this is the best club in the world and we have the best fans in the world. Manchester United is not just a team – it's like a big family.
"In France I never played in front of fans like this. Walking out at Old Trafford is just
unbelievable. It's a real privilege and I thank the Gods every day that I play for United. Every time I play I just try and respect the shirt and do my best for the club."
Evra's next challenge will come on Sunday when FA Cup winners Chelsea visit Old Trafford after a tumultuous week. Held to a home draw by Danish club Rosenborg in the Champions League on Tuesday, Blues fans woke on Thursday morning to news that manager Jose Mourinho had sensationally left the club.
Patrice is quick, however, to dismiss suggestions that United players may think the game's already won.
"I don't care if Chelsea have lost their boss or haven't played well recently. I'm focussing only on my own job and on Manchester United," he insisted.
"The papers are all talking about Mourinho but we're not taking any notice of that. This is a very important game and it's never easy to beat Chelsea. All I know is that we're at home and we need to win."
His focus is admirable, as is his stance on the relevance of Sunday's match to the 2007/08 title race.
"Yes, it's a big game, but in England you must play every game at 100 per cent. When we play against the likes of Blackburn, Portsmouth and Bolton, they are very difficult matches and we have to fight very hard to get a result. It's those teams you really need to beat if you want to be champions. Those games are often more important than the ones against the top four."
It's also essential, he says, that United continue keeping clean sheets. The Reds' last four matches have all ended in 1-0 victories and it's a statistic Evra takes great delight in.
"We're defending very well at the moment, but it's not just the back four doing the work. In Edwin van der Sar we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world and his confidence is sky-high at the moment.
"He has had a great start to the season, which stemmed
from his three penalty saves against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Now the most important thing is that we keep picking up three points.
"I get on well with a lot of the Chelsea players – Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien – but during the game we won't be friends. Maybe afterwards we'll have a drink... only water though, no alcohol!"
Nevermind. The pubs around Manchester will certainly be full on Sunday evening if United can further dint Chelsea's title ambitions. And don't bet against one or two fans raising a glass to Patrice Evra, committed Red and full-back extraordinaire.作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-24 10:51 AM
23/09/2007 17:49, Report by Ben Hibbs
Sir Alex: We deserved win
Sir Alex Ferguson believes the "fortunate" moments when Chelsea had a man sent off and United were awarded a penalty merely made up for other incidents missed by referee Mike Dean.
Chelsea's John Obi Mikel was dismissed after 32 minutes for lifting both feet off the ground in a challenge on Patrice Evra, while Louis Saha was pulled back in the box in the 89th minute before completing United's 2-0 win from the penalty spot.
“I’ve seen the sending off incident and it was maybe a bit harsh, but there was intent there," said Sir Alex on Sky Sports.
"It could have hurt the boy (Evra) but a lot of referees would have let it go. Then, when you see Joe Cole’s tackle in the second half on Cristiano Ronaldo, that should have been a straight red card. It was right down the Achilles which is happening repeatedly to Cristiano. He got a yellow card, but it should have been red. I think the referee was perhaps balancing it out.
"The foul on Louis Saha for our penalty was a bit harsh, but I think that cancels out the one we should have got in the first half. We should have had a penalty kick (for Joe Cole’s foul on Evra) in the first half, I think the cameras clearly show that. In tight games like that, the referee has to make big decisions quickly and he can get it wrong."
Right or wrong, the refereeing decisions did not taint the worthiness of United's victory for Sir Alex, who said: “I think we were the better team.
"Our football in the early parts of the match was outstanding - in the first half hour we played as well as we have all season in terms of the penetration of our play, the movement and our passing.
“We could have been two or three up early on. Petr Cech made a great save from Wayne Rooney right at the start and we were dominant at that point.
“I think the real turning point was the goal just before half time. It was a real blow to Chelsea. At that point we had complete control of the match.
“In a way we got some of our confidence back today," added Sir Alex.
"There was style and tempo to our play. I was delighted with that. Tevez and Rooney are getting more games and Saha is coming back. We are looking more like ourselves.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-24 10:53 AM
23/09/2007 17:13, Report by Adam Bostock
Giggs toasts timely goals
Ryan Giggs saluted his side's impeccable timing after United beat Chelsea with goals at the end of each half.
The Reds captain admitted the dismissal of John Obi Mikel could have worked against United - especially if the Blues had reached the break on level terms.
"When you play against ten men, they all get behind the ball," said Giggs.
"It can be difficult but we scored at the right time."
It was Giggs who delivered the right-wing cross for Carlos Tevez to nod home his first goal for the club as half-time beckoned.
"You get the ball into the area and hope the centre-forwards get in there," said Giggs.
"Carlos had made a great run – you’ll score loads of goals running across the near post and he managed to do that. I was really pleased to see it go in."
United's goal hero at the other end of the game was the substitute Louis Saha, who won and then converted a penalty to kill off any faint hopes Chelsea might have had of earning an ill-deserved equaliser.
“I think one-nil’s always a dangerous scoreline, even if you’re playing against ten men," reflected Ryan.
"Chelsea have got quality players that can score goals so it was really pleasing to see the second goal go in."
It was a day of firsts for United as Saha and Tevez both opened their goalscoring accounts for the season, to give the Reds their first win by more than one goal. Both reflect the strength in attacking depth that the Reds are beginning to enjoy.
“We’re getting players back now so we've got lots of options," added Ryan.
"Nani and Louis were on the bench today so we’ve got players who can come on and make an impact as well."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-24 10:55 AM
23/09/2007 13:45, Report by Ben Hibbs and Adam Bostock
League: Arsenal hit five
Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the league in style on Saturday, albeit against a poor Derby County side at the Emirates Stadium.
Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat-trick for Arsene Wenger's side, with Abou Diaby and Cesc Fabregas completing the scoring in an impressive 5-0 win for the Gunners.
There was less good news for United's other title rivals, however. Liverpool looked sluggish at home to a determined Birmingham City side. Not even expensive substitute Fernando Torres could turn things around in the last half-hour as Steve Bruce's men earned an unlikely 0-0 draw at Anfield.
Fulham and Manchester City played out a thrilling see-saw 3-3 draw at Craven Cottage, Danny Murphy coming off the bench to score a late equaliser for the home side.
On Sunday, Newcastle
defeated West Ham 3-1 at St James' Park, with two goals from Mark Viduka and a late Charles N'Zogbia strike to dwarf Dean Ashton's effort. The Magpies are now fifth and ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.
Aston Villa also won at home, beating Everton 2-0 with a first goal of the season from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's former Norway strike partner John Carew, plus one on the hour from home-grown youngster Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Blackburn's unbeaten start ended with a disappointing 0-1 defeat at home to Portsmouth. Kanu's well-taken goal gave Pompey their first away win of 2007.
Bolton and Tottenham are both in the bottom three after they drew 1-1 at the Reebok Stadium. Robbie Keane drew first blood for Spurs in the 34th minute, only for the home side to equalise just five minutes later through Ivan Campo.
TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal6+11162 Man Utd7+4143 Man City7+3134 Liverpool6+9125 Newcastle6+4116 Chelsea7-111
Results - 22/23 Sep
Arsenal 5-0 Derby
Fulham 3-3 Man City
Liverpool 0-0 B'rmnghm
Middlesbro 2-2 Sunderland
Reading 2-1 Wigan
Aston Villa 2-0 Everton
Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth
Bolton 1-1 Spurs
Newcastle 3-1 W Ham
United 2-0 Chelsea作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-24 10:57 AM
23/09/2007 13:22, Report by Ben Hibbs
Report: United 2 Chelsea 0
The Reds moved second in the Barclays Premier League table on Sunday after Carlos Tevez grabbed his first United goal and Louis Saha capped off a deserved 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Chelsea's John Obi Mikel was sent off in the first half, but even before that point, United were always in control and never looked like ending this match with anything other than three points.
The goings-on at Stamford Bridge earlier this week took centre stage in the build-up to the game. However, during his Friday press conference, Sir Alex was insistent that Jose Mourinho’s departure would not overshadow the greatest need – three points – in what he said would be an important, if perhaps not decisive, meeting in the race for the title.
And that mindset was clear from the start, with United playing an attacking 4-4-2 formation as Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez spearheaded the Reds' attack for the first time. And the former quickly stamped his mark on the game. Rooney latched onto a ball Ryan Giggs won in midfield, and carrying the ball forward he took on his marker Tal Ben-Haim and curled a shot towards the far top corner. Petr Cech had to be at his best from the off, finger-tipping his save from the jaws of the upright.
The new man, Avram Grant, wasn’t aiming for a rapid departure from the brand of football Mourinho preached, sticking to the Portuguese coach’s 4-5-1 template, with width and expansive, attacking play – high on Roman Abramovich’s wish-list – clearly not yet applied. The missing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard further blunted Chelsea’s attacking options.
Just short of the 20-minute mark, Evra and the entire Stretford End were up in arms as Joe Cole appeared to catch the Reds' left-back just inside the area. Referee Mike Dean ushered away the protests.
United’s forward triumvirate of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo began increasingly to cause Chelsea significant problems. Paul Scholes picked out their forward runs with relative ease. All three attackers had
shots that troubled Cech, and Sir Alex’s side were edging closer to finding the breakthrough.
All the goalscoring opportunities were United’s. Rooney controlled a poor Ashley Cole clearance and crossed to the far post, where Giggs narrowly side-footed over. More than the chances, red shirts were first to every ball, strong in defence, organised in midfield, eager to get on and play from free-kicks and positive in everything they did going forward.
United were to be given a further boost in the 32nd minute when John Obi Mikel went into a challenge on Patrice Evra and lifted both feet off the ground. Fortunately he didn’t follow through, otherwise the Frenchman could have seriously been injured. It was maybe harsh, but the referee considered it dangerous enough to send the young Nigerian from the field.
Advantage United, perhaps. But it still needed the goal the home side’s play deserved. It almost arrived five minutes from time when Nemanja Vidic, the match-winner against Everton, rose above Chelsea’s defence to test Cech again.
The breakthrough finally did arrive in injury time at the end of the first half. Giggs curled in an inviting cross to the front post and Tevez darted into space, heading past Cech. It was nothing more than United deserved, and what better time for the Argentinian to score his first goal for the club?
The second half brought, as expected with Chelsea down to ten men, long periods of possession for the Reds. And with United rock solid in defence, wave after wave of attack came with the rain that raked across Old Trafford.
Chelsea never really looked like equalling United in any department all afternoon. The sending off undoubtedly didn’t help their cause, but from the very start the Reds showed they wanted this victory more than the visitors.
Joe Cole was lucky to stay on the field after a challenge caught Ronaldo on the ankle and could have caused injury. He was booked and can count
himself lucky.
But United had the final say of the afternoon when substitute Louis Saha, on for the impressive and tireless Tevez, was pulled back in the area by Ben-Haim and the referee pointed to the spot. The Frenchman, having earned the penalty, stepped up to take it, despite the inevitable offer from Ronaldo to take over duties if he should be required. Saha welcomed his second goal of the season with a strike down the middle of the goal.
Saha had the chance to add a second in injury time. The forward raced away from Ben-Haim and controlled Carrick’s raking ball forward perfectly before firing his shot narrowly over.
The victory breaks the trend of 1-0 wins – United were headed for a fifth on the trot before Saha’s penalty – and moves the Reds to second in the table, two points behind Arsenal. Chelsea must surely now be asking questions of their ability to reclaim the title. For United, the defence of it gathers momentum.
Team Line-ups
Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (c); Tevez (Saha, 79), Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O’Shea, Nani, Pique.
Sir Alex Ferguson feels Carlos Tevez – "brave as a lion and tough as nails" – is starting to show some of his best form after the Argentina striker struck the crucial first goal in United’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
The 23-year-old started up front with Wayne Rooney for the first time and the pair looked dangerous, linking up well.
And during injury time at the end of the first half, Tevez had the intuition to gamble at the front post to reach Giggs’ cross and nod United in front, scoring his first goal for the club.
“I think this will only help him,” said Sir Alex. “I was pleased that he got off the mark because he had a good goalscoring record with West Ham.
“He’s got a lot of good qualities, he’s a very good player," added the boss. "He’s still only a young lad, 23 years of age, and he will get better.
"Carlos has got a cocky confidence in his own ability. He has great awareness, he’s as brave as a lion and tough as nails.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 10:44 AM
24/09/2007 15:31, Report by Frankie Theobalds
Edwin wants to keep it clean
United stopper Edwin van der Sar says keeping clean sheets is even more important when the goals aren't flowing as freely at the other end.
Although he was untroubled on Sunday, the Dutch keeper pulled off two breathtaking saves in last week's Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon and has already successfully kept opposition attacks at bay on half-a-dozen occasions this term.
Speaking to Manchester United Radio, van der Sar said: “It's important to keep clean sheets when we're not scoring many goals. The last few games have gone well and everyone's defending well and working hard. It shows you're a strong team and don't rely on individuals.
“We have maximum results from the last five games, even though we played better and created loads more chances in the first three. That's a bit strange but that's football.”
Stranger still is that after a stern test in Lisbon, the Reds' keeper barely had a shot to save at the weekend when United faced FA Cup winners Chelsea.
But despite a quiet Sunday, van der Sar’s performances this season make it hard for understudies Tomasz Kuszczak and Tom Heaton to get a look-in.
“My form's been steady this season and hopefully I can maintain it and prolong it as soon as possible. Normally I don't have too many downs in a season so hopefully I can keep it like this.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 10:46 AM
24/09/2007 08:16, Report by Nick Coppack
Reds' injury boost
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Mikael Silvestre could play again this season, despite damaging cruciate knee ligaments at Goodison Park on 15 September.
Initial reports claimed the Frenchman would miss the rest of United's 2007/08 campaign but the United boss told Manchester United Radio he expects the 30-year-old to be fit for the title run-in.
"I'm sure Mikael will be back in March," Sir Alex said. "We had him operated on in France last week and it all went well. It was pleasing to see there was no further damage other than the cruciate ligament. That's a big bonus because sometimes there can be cartilage problems that also come along."
Meanwhile, the manager also confirmed Gary Neville will begin full training today.
"Gary will be training with us this week for the first time. He's been working hard on his fitness but he's now fully into the football side of things as well. It's pleasing news because it's been a long time for the lad. We're very, very pleased.
"He's been unlucky and just had one injury on top of another. It's just an accumulation of small injuries that has set him back. Hopefully he's now on the mend and we're looking forward to having him back."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 08:00 PM
25/09/2007 08:49, Report by Nick Coppack
Youth given chance to shine
Sir Alex Ferguson says United's youngsters can look to Sir Bobby Charlton for inspiration ahead of the Reds' Carling Cup clash with Coventry City.
A number of players will gain rare first-team starts on Wednesday night and the United manager says it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.
"I've just been reading Bobby's book and he speaks a lot about his early years here," the manager told Manchester United Radio. "What came across strongly was the number of times he had to say, 'Believe in yourself Bobby, you'll get your chance'. I didn't realise he was 19 before he played his first game for United. He was being kept out of the team time and time again by more experienced players.
"It's the same with these young lads. They have to keep believing in themselves and, when their chance comes, take it. And they will get chances."
Sir Alex revealed he hopes to hand opportunities to almost a dozen Reserves or fringe players, including Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Tomasz Kuszczak. He also said Nani, Anderson and John O'Shea could be involved.
"This is a really important night for these players. They all want regular first-team football and that's not easy to manage. I'm trying to get them games in the Premier League and in Europe too, but Wednesday is a great opportunity for them.
"You have to use your squad throughout the course of the season and I'll be doing that when the time's right. At the moment they might not see that, but it will happen and I know they won't let us down.
"A lot of these players have already shown great improvement. Chris Eagles has been sensational in training and the games he's played in. Young Jonny Evans and Gerard Pique have also been excellent, as has Danny Simpson.
"There's real promise there and that's what we want to see on Wednesday. We want them to play with the kind of commitment they see from the first-team players every week."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 08:06 PM
25/09/2007 07:23, Report by Steve Bartram
Learning from the best
Fraizer Campbell admits he cannot wait to start learning from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as soon as the recently-retired striker begins imparting his knowledge on United's current crop of forwards.
Solskjaer took temporary charge of the Reds' Reserves against Sporting Lisbon this week, but it's the striker-specific work that excites Campbell, who is itching to learn from a man described by Sir Alex Ferguson as 'one of the best natural finishers I have seen'.
"I’ve done a bit of finishing practice with Ole before, but I was speaking to him recently and he said he’s going to do some work with the strikers," Fraizer told ManUtd.com. "First he wants to do a little work himself and get back into action."
Having seen the Norwegian in action at close quarters on Carrington's training fields, Campbell admits he will be privileged to tap into Solskjaer's finishing know-how.
"I’ve spent time watching him in the past during training, and his finishing is tremendous," said Fraizer. "He was sliding in and hitting it at awkward heights, and still picking out the corners of the goal each time. It’s something I’d like to be able to do.
"He’s probably even now one of the best finishers at the club, and for him to want to teach people like me is an honour really. I’m really looking forward to working with him and trying to learn from him."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 08:09 PM
25/09/2007 09:09, Report by Steve Bartram
Boss expects entertaining tie
Sir Alex Ferguson expects a competitive, entertaining tie as United begin their Carling Cup campaign against Coventry City on Wednesday night.
Iain Dowie's Sky Blues come to Manchester on the back of three straight defeats, but with a huge travelling support, and Sir Alex is wary of the midlanders' threat.
"He's doing a good job, Iain," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio. "I watched them on Saturday against Ipswich. They lost three goals in the first half but they looked the better side to me.
"I think Coventry will have a real go. It will be a fantastic atmosphere, which I think will help them, with 10,000 of their fans here. It will feel like a real cup tie."
The United manager confirmed that he will field a host of his squad's burgeoning young talents against the Sky Blues, and hand run-outs to players who are in need of action.
"I'm going to play the younger ones, but also players like Anderson, Nani, maybe O'Shea," he said. "But the younger one like Pique, Evans, Simpson, Bardlsey, Eagles, Martin, Dong, Campbell, Kuszczak - they'll all be involved."
Sir Alex also confirmed that another match-hungry member of his squad has been pestering him for some involvement against on Wednesday night.
"Wayne Rooney's been in my ear wanting to play," he revealed. "'I want to play, I want to be captain, I want to take the penalties, the corners, the free kicks, the goal kicks, the lot!'
"There's a real buzz about the place. We're really looking forward to it."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 08:11 PM
Papers: Tevez taunts Blues
25/09/2007 08:28
Violent Blues were no match for us
Carlos Tevez has accused Chelsea of violent play in Sunday's bad-tempered clash at Old Trafford and warned them that Manchester United no longer view them as their main title rivals. The match featured a red card for midfielder John Obi Mikel and a tackle from Joe Cole that deserved another. United striker Tevez, scorer of United's first goal in their 2-0 win, said: "Chelsea pushed the violence to the absolute limit and there could have been other red cards during the match. But justice prevailed in the end and we deserved to win. Our game is totally superior to Chelsea's this season and the scoreline was actually a little short of what we deserved. I have seen the problems at Chelsea with the change of coach, but this season they have just not developed the rhythm of other years. I don't see that they are superior to any of our other title rivals. Chelsea were very nervous and it was impossible that we were going to lose the match." Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail
The Mail also claim John Terry is facing censure from the FA after attempting to snatch the red card from referee Mike Dean's hand during Sunday's game.
Ryan Giggs has warned United's Premier League rivals Sir Alex Ferguson's side are about to embark on a long winning run and take control of the title race.
Round up by Gemma Thompson
作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-25 08:22 PM
25/09/2007 11:28, Report by Caroline Hunt
Sky Blues' forward thinking
After losing at home to Bristol City 10 days ago, the Sky Blues would have been hoping to get back on track at Ipswich on Saturday. Instead they slipped to a 4-1 defeat, making in manager Iain Dowie’s words “far, far too many defensive mistakes to ever win a football game”.
Not surprisingly the former Charlton boss is looking for a much tighter performance from his players at Old Trafford as they bid to succeed where Chelsea failed, but his ambitions stretch beyond simply trying to keep the Reds at bay.
“We'll have a system and a plan to work hard but we’ll go there and play, with attacking intent,” said Dowie. “We’ll commit players forward when we’re in possession: you cannot afford to sit behind the ball with Man United because eventually they’ll rip you apart – [Michael] Carrick or [Paul] Scholes will pick a pass to open you up.”
Just a few hundred fans made the trip to East Anglia at the weekend but vast numbers of Coventry supporters are expected to head up the M6 and Dowie is determined to make their trip worthwhile. “We have got 11-and-a-half thousand fans going. They deserve a glimmer of hope and we want to make sure they have something to cheer about.”
Nigel Eccles, editor of the Coventry fanzine Gary Mabbutt’s Knee, is no doubt hoping that the Championship side will at least make a contest of Wednesday night’s game, but admits on GMKonline.com that his mindset ahead of the OT clash is one of “wide-eyed innocence”, adding that, like most of those 11,000 Sky Blues fans making the trip, he’ll be travelling “mainly in hope rather than optimism.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-27 08:55 AM
26/09/2007 20:37, Report by Ben Hibbs
Defeat shocks Sir Alex
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was “shocked and flabbergasted” by United’s performance in the 2-0 defeat to Coventry City.
A young Reds team never really got going against Iain Dowie’s men and that disappointed the boss, who had given a number of the club’s emerging talents the chance to shine on the first-team stage in front of 75,000 fans.
“You take it on the chin,” he told MUTV. “That was an absolutely flabbergasting performance, I didn’t expect that. I’m not interested in giving reasons, it was just a bad performance.
“We have shown great hope in the young players. It’s a big shock to us all.”
The challenge now for the up-and-coming players is to get over the defeat. “They will look at it and want to prove themselves,” added the boss. “Coventry made it a cup tie, that was certainly an issue in the first half. They were first to every ball and maybe some of our players were not used to that kind of cup football.
“And it was typical of cup football, after a great save from their goalkeeper, they go up the other end and kill the game.”
However, despite his clear disappointment in the display, the manager does not regret his policy of
giving eight players their first starts of the season so far.
“You have got to do that [give young players chances],” he said. “It wasn’t a surprise to look at the team tonight and see that we had made changes. These players have to have games.
"We hoped to get some of them games recently, but we’ve not been able to do it because I’ve had to keep the likes of Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Danny Simpson in the first-team squad [as cover for injuries], which means they are not getting any football. That was a problem. But this was a shock for us tonight.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-27 08:57 AM
26/09/2007 20:38, Report by Gemma Thompson
Bitter pill to swallow for Pique
Gerard Pique admitted he felt "horrible" after United were sent crashing out of the Carling Cup by Coventry City.
The Sky Blues, backed by 11,000 buoyant fans, ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford thanks to a Michael Mifsud double.
Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a young and inexperienced United side and they were made to pay for some naive defending.
Pique says all the players involved are bitterly disappointed by the performance and result, but is hopeful they will be stronger for the experience.
"Looking up at the scoreboard at the final whistle and seeing 2-0 was a horrible feeling, especially when you're up against a Championship side at Old Trafford," he told MUTV.
"I thought we started the game well and had some good possession. But their first goal brought them alive. After the break we didn't feel good and when they scored the second it was a horrible feeling.
"We know we did a lot of things wrong, but you can always learn from these situations and hopefully we will grow as players."
The third round tie represented a perfect opportunity for United's young guns to showcase their talents. Unfortunately it wasn't to be.
"Some people will think we've missed our chance," admitted Pique. "We're all very disappointed. We gave everything we could on the pitch, but things just didn't go our way."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-27 08:58 AM
26/09/2007 20:15, Report by Ben Hibbs
Report: United 0 Coventry 2
The Reds disappointingly bowed out of the Carling Cup on Wednesday night as Coventry striker Michael Mifsud struck twice to give Iain Dowie’s Championship side a 2-0 victory over a young United team.
Sir Alex Ferguson gave first-team run-outs to some of the club’s rising stars, but the Reds showed their inexperience against a well-organised and determined Coventry side. Some valuable lessons for these young players will undoubtedly have been learned.
The match arrived as a welcome distraction for Sir Alex’s side from Premier League and European duties. Most of all, it offered an opportunity for some of United’s up-and-coming players to show what they can do.
With the accent firmly on youth, Sir Alex selected a starting eleven with an average age of just 21, most notably with club debuts for centre-half Jonny Evans and full-back Danny Simpson. “Tonight’s team will be built around the talented young players now back with us after spending most of last season on loan,” the manager said in his programme notes. “We have an exceptionally gifted group of young men who are in critical need of a higher grade of football.”
Eight of the starting eleven – Nani, Anderson and John O’Shea excluded – were handed their first starts of 2007/08. As with all infrequently assembled sides, it took this United team time to find their feet, especially under busy close attention from Coventry’s players who were prepared to fight for every ball.
The Reds grew in confidence in the opening stages. Pique started solidly at the back, Lee Martin and Nani
looked dangerous as both players swapped flanks frequently, while Anderson showed nice touches and a wide-range of passes. After 17 minutes a good attacking move, starting with an Anderson pass to Nani that spliced Coventry’s defence, ended with Martin’s deflected volley going just wide.
Sir Alex wanted a test of his players, and he certainly got it. Coventry broke with a little over 20 minutes of the first half remaining, and in a move that ended with Sky Blues skipper Michael Doyle crossing for Michael Mifsud to tap home, they took the lead in the tie. The Maltese forward almost grabbed his, and Coventry’s, second moments later when he flicked Robbie Simpson’s cross onto the post.
The half ended virtually all Coventry, Simpson going close with a volley that dipped narrowly over Tomasz Kuszczak’s goal. Despite a bright start to the half, United lacked a little bit of composure in possession, as to be expected of young players. At the break, Fraizer Campbell injected pace into United’s attack, while Wes Brown came on for Phil Bardsley, and ten minutes into the second half, Sir Alex made a third change after Evans suffered a twisted ankle. Michael Carrick entered the fray to replace the Belfast born teenager.
Much like the first half, United began to step up the performance and for a period at the start of the second half looked to be edging towards an equaliser. After 52 minutes Nani tested Andy Marshall in Coventry’s goal with a long-range effort. Then Campbell fired a shot over the bar from outside the area, before three minutes later Dong had a shot inside the box saved by Marshall and Carrick’s follow-up was deflected
wide.
But, the second half followed a similar path to the first. And it was Coventry who struck the next telling blow, virtually killing the tie with 20 minutes remaining. Mifsud broke down the left, slipped past Pique and after playing a one-two with Jay Tabb, lashed his shot past Kuszczak.
Mifsud, Coventry’s star, spurned the opportunity of a rarity for a visiting player at Old Trafford – a hat-trick. When Kuszczak spilled Doyle’s low free-kick, the forward pounced first, but fired wide. It didn’t stop the 11,000-or-so Sky Blues fans from singing and celebrating to the very last. “Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, we’re going to Wembley…” they sang ironically. But nobody could deny their fans or the team this moment.
For the Reds, this was perhaps an evening to forget. But with a trip to Birmingham City on Saturday and the visit of AS Roma next Tuesday, it very quickly becomes business as usual.
Team Line-ups
Manchester United: Kuszczak; Bardsley (Brown, 46), Pique, Evans (Carrick, 56), Simpson; Martin (Campbell, 46), O’Shea (c), Anderson, Nani; Eagles, Dong.
Subs not used: Heaton, A.Eckersley.
Coventry City: Marshall; Borrowdale, Ward, Turner, Osbourne (McNamee, 88); Simpson, Doyle (c), Hughes, Tabb, Mifsud; Best (Adebola, 90).
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, De Zeeuw, Thornton.
Attendance: 74,055作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-27 09:00 AM
Papers: Diego backs Tevez
26/09/2007 09:07
Maradona tips Tevez for success
Diego Maradona has opened his heart about his love and admiration for Carlos Tevez - and backed his fellow Argentine to become a Manchester United legend. The former Argentina star has arranged a trip to England to watch Tevez in action at Old Trafford in their Premiership clash with Wigan on October 6. Maradona said: "Tevez is like a son to me - from the moment I met him I have felt like that. I met him six years ago when he was at Boca Juniors and instantly I could see he was going to be great. He reminded me of when I was his age - the hunger and the passion for the game. Every second he had a ball with him he was happy. He is a fantastic player. He is very strong on the ball and has amazing vision." The 46-year-old Argentine legend has also revealed his admiration for England star Wayne Rooney, who he believes will form a lethal partnership with Tevez. "Rooney is a fantastic player - young and fearless and has a passion for winning. As a pair Rooney and Tevez have everything. You just need to make sure their styles are suited - only time will tell." John Cross, Daily Mirror
The tabloids all pick up on Sir Alex Ferguson's chat with Manchester United Radio, in which the United manager reveals that Wayne Rooney has been pestering him for inclusion against Coventry City. The Mirror, meanwhile, speculates that Sir Alex will hand a shock first-team bow to 16-year-old Academy prospect Danny Welbeck against the Sky Blues.
Round up by Steve Bartram 作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-28 01:12 PM
27/09/2007 14:51, Report by Ben Hibbs
Giggs: We never panicked
Ryan Giggs says the secret to the Reds turning round a slow start to the season was simple: don’t panic.
United resume league duties on Saturday with a trip to St Andrews to take on Birmingham City. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side go into the match on the back of five straight wins (excluding last night’s defeat to Coventry City).
But hasn’t always been so rosy for the Reds. United opened the defence of the title with draws against Reading and Portsmouth followed by defeat to Manchester City, which had alarm bells ringing.
Giggs insists the players, Sir Alex and his team of coaches, never panicked. "Outside the club there might have been a little bit of a panic after those first few matches but there was none inside," Giggs told PA.
"When you look at how experienced the manager is, and also some of the players I suppose, you knew we were capable of going on a decent run, which is what has happened. The performances were actually quite good in our first three games, it was only the results that weren't going for us.
"I guess the irony is that up until the Chelsea game, we had not played as well in the matches we have won as we did, certainly against Manchester City, when we created an unbelievable amount of chances but still lost."
Although Sunday’s win over Chelsea marked the first time United have scored more than one goal in a game this season. But, the Reds’ performances have been built on solid defensive foundations. "Everyone knows the main reason for our recent results is the way we have defended," he said. "At times, we have not played well but we have been resilient and with more positive results comes confidence and form.”作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-28 01:15 PM
Papers: Reds no to Avram?
27/09/2007 09:30
United will vote for Avram ban
Manchester United want Avram Grant blocked from being Chelsea boss. The Red Devils will make a stand against the Israeli coach because he does not have the right coaching qualifications. Grant has been given 90 days by the Premier League to acquire the correct badges — but that is not enough time to complete the course. After that, it goes to a vote by all Premier League clubs to see if he can be allowed to carry on in his job while doing the course. But United will vote against as they feel strongly about coaching badges. Neil Custis, The Sun
All the papers reflect on United's Carling Cup exit following the 2-0 defeat against Coventry City. Sir Alex Ferguson declared himself to be in a state of shock at the final whistle.
Round up by Gemma Thompson作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-28 01:17 PM
26/09/2007 08:20, Report by Steve Bartram
Praise for versatile Wes
Sir Alex Ferguson admits Wes Brown is revelling as an interim right-back during Gary Neville's enforced injury absence.
The Reds' club captain is back in training after more than six months out of action, but Brown's recent outstanding displays have not gone unnoticed by the United manager.
"Wes Brown is a great substitute for Gary because he's a terrific defender," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio.
"His two best performances have come against Sporting Lisbon and Chelsea. He's played his guts out in Gary's position."
United sit second in the Barclays Premier League table, despite a shot-shy start to the season, thanks to a miserly defence that has conceded just twice in seven games.
Edwin van der Sar was a virtual spectator in Sunday's win over Chelsea, and Sir Alex has been delighted with his side's collective defending.
"I must say, in home games this season, we've done that quite a lot," he said. "Reading and Sunderland hardly had a shot between them. I don't think we're doing a lot wrong.
"The team ethic has been good and everyone's working very hard to win the
ball back," Sir Alex said. "That's all down to team-work, all of them, not just one or two."
Sir Alex is hopeful that his side's 2-0 triumph over Chelsea – the Reds' first two-goal haul since April – will prompt a return to the traditionally goal-laden play United can produce.
"There's no question this club is built on goals," he said. "I was talking with Sir Bobby the other day and he said he'd never heard of four straight 1-0 wins. I said 'I'll be getting sacked soon!'.
"I'll take four 2-0 wins now. The way we attack and the way we play, of course you expect goals, but I think they'll come now."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-28 06:00 PM
28/09/2007 08:41, Report by Gemma Thompson
Giggs hopeful over new deal
Ryan Giggs is confident there will be no issues over a new contract with the club.
The Welsh winger's current deal expires next summer and he is keen to prolong his stay at Old Trafford.
Preliminary talks are already underway and Giggs does not foresee any upcoming hurdles over the deal.
"There has been a brief chat so hopefully it will get sorted out sooner rather than later," he told MEN Sport as he launched United's charity partnership with Francis House in Didsbury.
"There have never really been any problems ever with my contracts. Maybe two or three years ago there was a little problem but not a massive one. There is trust there and that comes from around 16 years in the first team. If I am playing well everything else will look after itself.
"It is not something I worry myself about," he adds. "You could easily get caught up in 'I have only got a year left so I need to play well' and put that added extra pressure on yourself.
"Pressure playing for United in itself is enough. You don't want to put added pressure on. I don't think I need to play well in this game and then that one or else I won't be offered a contract. I don't think about that. I just try and enjoy it."
Giggs is now just 36 United appearances away from breaking Sir Bobby’s Charlton’s all-time United appearance record of 759 matches. The 33-year-old refuses to put a date on when he'll bring the curtain down on his glittering career, insisting that as long as he
feels fit and able, he will carry on for as long as possible.
"I never give a thought to how long I can go on. I don't think you can afford to," he admits. "I feel the more I enjoy my game the better I play. That has been the case over the last few years because I know I am coming to the end of my career. I am out to enjoy myself.
"On Monday morning [after the Chelsea game] I thought I only had a week left in the game because I was knackered! But generally I feel good.
"I just have to look to the near future and concentrate on that. I don’t look beyond a season. I don’t even look beyond a week if I am honest."作者: wlt1110 時間: 2007-9-28 06:02 PM
28/09/2007 08:55, Report by Gemma Thompson
Saha: I'll prove doubters wrong
Louis Saha is determined to prove the doubters wrong after finally overcoming his latest injury battle.
The French striker was unable to play a full part in the final couple of months of last season’s title-winning campaign because of a knee problem.
An operation ensued over the summer which kept him out of action until the beginning of this month, when he made a goalscoring return against Sunderland. He netted again last weekend, converting a last minute penalty to seal a 2-0 win over Chelsea.
Saha says he is beginning to feel like his old self once more and is hoping to silence the critics who believe he doesn’t have the mental strength to succeed.
“Anyone who says I am not willing to play until I am 100 per cent fit is not telling the truth,” he insists. “I have never refused to play for the team, yet last season I was hearing claims about me not being psychologically committed.
"The people who criticise me don't know that three years ago I was playing games despite having a knee that I couldn't bend more than 90 degrees.
“I now feel I am close to last year’s top form,” he adds. “I am not far away and the more minutes I gain on the pitch, the better I will play.
“My aim this year is to stay fit and show people the real Louis Saha.”
Now Sir Alex seeks Barca starlet
TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal6+11162 Man Utd7+4143 Man City7+3134 Liverpool6+9125 Newcastle6+4116 Chelsea7-111
