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30/01/2008 21:01, Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex surprise at scoreline

Sir Alex Ferguson was left in awe at some of the attacking, penetrating football United produced again Portsmouth, but was baffled that the scoreline was a deceptive 2-0.

The Reds created a host of chances and could have easily trebled the scoreline, but he remains satisfied with the quality of United’s play.

“It was a fantastic performance from us,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s one of the best displays of the season.

“I just can’t believe it was only 2-0,” he added. “We opened them up so many times. There was a bit of misfortune, shots were blocked and the goalkeeper made a few saves. But we missed some chances.

“But we have to think about the performance. The energy we put in was tremendous. I’m really pleased with that.

“The movement and penetration was very good. And I thought Ji-sung and Nani were really helped that from the flanks.”

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Papers: All hail Ronaldo
31/01/2008 09:46

Ron just two hot
You’ll never stop Ronaldo! That was the message from Old Trafford last night as Manchester United’s Portuguese ace continued his astonishing scoring run.
He notched twice in the space of four first-half minutes to put Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on course for another regulation win.
Ronaldo has scored nine in his last five games, and has failed to hit the net in only two of his last 16 outings.
Last night’s first was a one-on-one against keeper David James, but the second was a stunning free kick that he simply slammed over the wall.
Bill Thornton, Daily Star

The other daily papers were similarly full of praise for Ronaldo and, in particular, his wonderful second goal. The Sun claimed the strike was so good it left Sir Alex drooling. The boss was quoted as saying: “Have I seen a better free-kick in the Premier League? No, that must be the best. It was within two or three inches of the junction of the crossbar and post. No goalkeeper would have saved it.”

In news concerning United off the pitch, The Mirror, The Sun and The Star all carry stories condemning the vandalism of the Reds’ tribute to the Busby Babes. While the attack on the mural on the front of East Stand was directed at sponsor AIG and not the Babes’ memory, the papers have all labelled the action disrepesctful.
Round up by Nick Coppack

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30/01/2008 20:51, Report by Ben Hibbs

Report: United 2 Pompey 0

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his irrepressible goalscoring form with yet another delightful double to sink Portsmouth and send United back to the top of the Premier League.

His two goals – one a neat finish, the other a jaw-droppingly good 25-yard free-kick – came within three minutes of each other and completely deflated Harry Redknapp’s men.

What this excellent performance proves beyond doubt is just how ruthless the Reds can be. This was a game United controlled from start to finish, but it was less about blitzing a team for 90 minutes, and more about a clinical job, pitilessly carried out.

The visitors may have lost four key players to African Nations Cup duty, but they cannot really complain with new signings Lassana Diarra and Milan Baros bolstering their ranks. The simple fact is that United, on this attacking form, are unplayable for most opponents. Even for a Portsmouth side that has taken seven wins from 12 on the road this term - Redknapp's men arrived in Manchester confident, if perhaps quietly so.

For United it was a case of maintaining momentum. Unbeaten in 2008, the Reds’ chief aim was to regain top spot from Arsenal in what is turning into a see-saw claim for the title. Paul Scholes, making his 550th appearance for the Reds, was given his first start since mid-October, and the Salford-born midfield magician was heavily involved from the start, pinging passes all over the pitch.

He was involved in United’s opener after just ten minutes. His pass forward was chested down by Ronaldo to Nani,
whose lofted return pass found his fellow countryman’s run forward. Ronaldo one-on-one with a goalkeeper: the script rarely deviates. His finish was slipped inside David James’ post.

Ronaldo, it appears, seems intent on rewriting the record books when it comes to the tag ‘goalscoring midfielder’. But his second goal of the night – three minutes after his first – deserves an entry in the dictionary under ‘unstoppable’.

Ronaldo's free-kick are hit with such venom, they could merely cannon off the wall or head high into the stands. But when he catches them right, goalkeepers might as well not bother diving. David James didn’t, as the United winger’s shot arrowed its way into the top corner. The goal took him to 27 for the season, and it sapped all enthusiasm from the Portsmouth players. They were simply unable to recover.

United continued to press forward, with Scholes, Carrick, Ronaldo, Nani, Park and Rooney interlinking beautifully to create sweeping attacking moves that Portsmouth were unable to cope with.

The Reds couldn’t add to the scoreline before half-time, but after the break Harry Redknapp gave a nod to United’s midfield dominance by switching to a five-man midfield, with Baros up front on his own.

United began the second half as positively as they had finished the first 45 minutes. Ferdinand tested James with a powerful header from Nani’s corner shortly after the restart. Then after 55 minutes, Rooney went desperately close to United’s third. Campbell failed to deal with a long ball forward - his header was never likely to reach James and it left Rooney with the chance to shoot. But the Portsmouth goalkeeper rushed back in time to keep out the United striker's chip.

Portsmouth’s change of tactics may have stemmed the tide of attacks that came their way in the first half, but it also blunted their ability to penetrate going forward.

United were still hunting a third goal, albeit without great urgency, and it would have arrived with just over 15 minutes of the match remaining but for excellent goalkeeping from James. The Pompey keeper managed to smother Park’s shot from 12 yards after nice work from Ronaldo and Rooney, and then he threw himself in front of Nani’s follow-up.

Sir Alex could afford to take off Ronaldo and Rooney with a quarter of an hour to spare. Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez came on to replace them, joining Anderson who was brought on in place of Scholes ten minutes earlier.

Portsmouth dropped to walking pace at times in the closing ten minutes, which allowed United to take their foot off the pedal rather than needlessly expend energy.

Anderson was denied a goal of sheer majesty late on when his run past two players couldn’t quite be rewarded with the finish as his shot trickled wide of the post. The damage, however, had already been done. Ronaldo’s quickfire double – his fifth brace in an incredible season – had all but guaranteed the points, and restored United as the Premier League’s premier club once again.

Team Line-ups
Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand (c), Vidic, Evra; Park, Carrick, Scholes (Anderson 63), Nani; Ronaldo (Tevez 74), Rooney (Hargreaves 74).
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O’Shea.

Portsmouth: James; Johnson, Distin (Hreidarrsson 46), Campbell (c), Pamarot; Lauren (Mvuemba 46), Diarra, Davis, Kranjcar; Baros (Hughes 79), Benjani.
Subs not used: Pedro Mendes, Begovic (GK).
Booked: Pamarot

Attendance: 75,415

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01/02/2008 13:12, Report by Adam Bostock

Sir Alex expects open game again

Sir Alex Ferguson anticipates another exhibition of attacking football this weekend when United face Tottenham Hotspur for the second time in six days.

Especially as the venue is White Hart Lane, where Spurs netted five in their last home game (against Arsenal) and the Reds scored four on their last visit, almost a year ago to the day. Add to that five goals in a week for United and the formula looks right.

"The performance level the other night (vs Portsmouth) was unbelievable," said Sir Alex.

"But Tottenham away is a very different game. We saw last Sunday there is a wind of change at Tottenham, no question. The cup tie was terrifically open and for the first time in a few years at our ground there were some goals in the game.

"The games at Old Trafford have generally been one-goal affairs with more goals being reserved for White Hart Lane. So goodness knows what’s going to happen on Saturday. Hopefully we can get the result we want but I’m expecting a very tough but open game."

Sir Alex has the luxury of an almost fully fit squad to select from, with only Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre and Gary Neville missing the trip through lack of fitness.

"Gary’s been doing okay," replied Sir Alex, when asked for an update on his club captain.

"But we're trying not to exhaust him so he doesn't get any more niggles. Gary puts so much into a training session. He can’t do anything by halves, he always goes flat out."

Video: Watch Sir Alex's press conference now on MUTV Online.

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01/02/2008 13:06, Report by G Thompson, A Bostock

Boss explains Manucho exit

United's January transfer window signing Manucho is joining Greek club Panathinaikos for the remainder of the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed on Friday: "We’ve farmed Manucho out to Panathinaikos for the remainder of the season to get some football.

"The set-up at Panathinaikos is Portuguese, the coach there is Portuguese and Manucho speaks their language so he will feel comfortable there.

"We knew Manucho wasn’t going to come to us (straightaway) because he didn’t have the criteria. But we’ll apply for his work permit in the summer and I’m sure we’ll have a good chance. We gambled on him having a good Africa Nations Cup and he's been terrific."

Manucho marked his debut in the tournament with a superb diving header in Angola's 1-1 draw with South Africa. He netted a double in the 3-1 win over Senegal and was part of the side that earned a 0-0 draw with Tunisia and subsequently booked Angola's place in the knock-out stages of the competition.

Manucho believes he will benefit from his loan spell in Greece.

"After the tournament I will return to Luanda and then head to Athens," he told Angola tv . "I am looking forward to playing in Greece before hopefully being a success at Old Trafford."

Reds' assistant manager Carlos Queiroz was the man behind the striker's arrival at United. And Manucho was quick to make an impression on Sir Alex during a three-week trial.

"He is a tall, agile, quick forward and through contacts that Carlos has was brought to our attention around six months ago," explained the United manager.

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01/02/2008 07:28, Report by Ben Hibbs

Vidic: We're full of confidence

Nemanja Vidic is glad to be back in United's miserly defence after shaking off a virus that affected his family and forced him to miss the cup win over Spurs.

The 26 year-old produced yet another performance of Serbian steel on his return against Portsmouth, a match which exhibited both United's defensive solidarity and attacking flair.

"I feel fine now and I am glad to be back," he told MUTV. "It was especially good to return for this game (Portsmouth). I really enjoyed it, in the first half we were very good."

Vidic believes the flair and attacking verve of United's first-half performance against Harry Redknapp's men could be counted among the Reds' best 45 minutes of the season.

"Everyone in the first half was at their best," he added. "The movement and passing were both unbelievable. We scored two, but we could have scored more. Everyone in the crowd will have enjoyed that game for the football we played, and all the players enjoyed it on the pitch. I just hope we can keep on playing like this."

But it wasn't all about the chances created going forward, the display was build on solid defensive foundations. Vidic's towering performance helped earn United an impressive 19th clean sheet of the season, a source of much pride to the miserly defence.

"We are proud of the way we have defended this season," he said. "We have been strong at the back this season, but we are more compact than last year. We defend as a team, together and for each other. Of course, we are proud. But we have many games still to play, and we have to repeat what we have achieved in the first half of the season."

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01/02/2008 07:57, Report by Ian McLeish

King of the continent

Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring spree has not only shot him to the top of the Barclays Premier League's goals chart, he's also leading the way in the continent's top five leagues.

The United number 7's haul of 19 goals in 20 league games is unmatched in England, Italy, France, Spain or Germany. In Italy, the in-form striker is David Trezeguet of Juventus with 15 goals in Serie A, while Karim Benzema of Lyon  - United's next Champions League opponents  - is top scorer in France's Ligue 1, also with 15 goals.

Luis Fabiano of Seville and Real Zaragoza's Diego Milito are both in the running for Spain's Pichichi trophy, awarded to La Liga's top goalscorer, both with 14 goals.

In Germany's Bundesliga, four players are locked on nine goals - Bayern Munich's Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, Diego of Werder Bremen and Rafael van der Vaart of Hamburg.

Ronaldo's main challenger for the European Golden Boot is Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, top scorer in Holland with 20 goals. However, it's Ronaldo's goal haul that has got everyone talking across the continent. No wonder Sir Alex is convinced the Portuguese winger is about to rewrite the record books.

"His goals invite comparison with George Best who became United's highest-scoring winger when he hit 32 goals in the 1967/68 season on his way to being voted European Footballer of the Year," commented the United boss in his Portsmouth programme notes.

"Considering he is scoring at the rate of almost a goal a game, I certainly won't be betting against him joining Best in the record books!"

Now with 27 goals in all competitions, neither will anyone else.

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31/01/2008 20:41, Report by Steve Bartram

Reserves: United 3 Bolton 2

United made it three wins from three in this season's Manchester Senior Cup, virtually edging a five-goal thriller over Bolton at the Victoria Stadium.

The Reds recovered from the loss of an early goal and a subsequent stirring fightback from the Trotters, edging a five goal thriller thanks to strikes from Sean Evans, Chris Eagles and Craig Cathcart.

Blustery, perishing weather at Northwich made life uncomfortable for the assembled supporters, but both teams served up an entertaining cup tie to provide a welcome distraction from the inclement conditions.

The evening started badly for Brian McClair and Jim Ryan's side, as Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te pounced on a defensive mix-up to slot the visitors ahead after seven minutes.

The Reds' charity was replicated by the Trotters' backline just five minutes later, however, as Sean Evans was given the simple task of sliding home from close range to restore parity following haphazard defending from the visitors.

Both defences settled into more miserly mood after showering gifts on the opposition in the opening exchanges, and it took a move of real quality to bring the next goal.

Eagles was the scorer, converting from close range after a fine passing build up from United on 33 minutes. Four minutes later, the winger was involved again as the Reds established a two-goal lead.

Displaying his set-piece prowess, Eagles fizzed in a fine free kick from the left wing, giving
central defender Cathcart the simple task of glancing home a header for his first goal of the season.

Although United continued to look promising in attack either side of the interval, home nerves were set jangling when Daniel Braaten found space behind the Reds' defence to finish with aplomb.
The game continued at a frenetic pace, with chances for either side, but in the end United held firm to virtually seal a place in May's showpiece final.

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02/02/2008 16:15, Report by Steve Bartram

Boss: We just deserved a point

Sir Alex Ferguson felt United just about deserved to take a point from Saturday's match at Tottenham, having laid siege to the Londoners' goal in the final third of the match.
Although Arsenal regained top spot in the Premier League, two points ahead of the Reds, Sir Alex still saw the 1-1 result at White Hart Lane in a positive light.
"It could be massive," he told MUTV. "We don't stop trying. When we're 1-0 down we'll throw everything at a game, we've always done that. All things being equal, a point's a good point for us, bearing in mind we were 1-0 down at half-time.
"If we'd have got the goal earlier, we'd have won the match. I think in the last 25 minutes we've absolutely battered them. We've deserved a point, but just.
"In the first half I think Tottenham were the better side. They worked their socks off. Under Juande Ramos they're on the upswing, there's no question about that. It was a real difficult game for us. Maybe we've gained a point."
Carlos Tevez's last-gasp leveller secured a point for the Reds, on an afternoon when seven members of the side were cautioned during the match.
Tevez, Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were all booked, and Sir Alex felt the game suffered as referee Mark Clattenburg struggled to maintain control.
"There's something wrong when Manchester United are getting seven bookings," he said. "For me, the referee should have acted when Cristiano Ronaldo was hacked down in the first half (by Jermaine Jenas). For me it was a red card, he just kicked him from the back.
"He spent 30 seconds talking to Jenas, the referee, and up to half-time it looked as though the whole game was going to go to pieces as a football spectacle. He settled down in the second half but nevertheless for us to be getting seven bookings there's something wrong."
Despite slipping two points behind the Gunners, Sir Alex is keeping a cool head as an absorbing title race wears on.
"Ok, Arsenal are two points ahead of us so there are those two points to claw back sometime, but you've also got to look at the fact that there are some difficult games coming up. It's a hard league, teams will drop points," he said.

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02/02/2008 17:10, Report by James Tuck

Rio unhappy with Spurs goal

Rio Ferdinand was happy for United to come away from White Hart Lane with a point – but insists Spurs' goal should not have stood.
Dimitar Berbatov slotted home Tottenham's opener after 20 minutes, but only after Jermaine Jenas appeared to handle the ball in the build-up.
Ferdinand told MUTV: "I think they were a bit fortunate with their goal.
"I was behind it and I could see Jenas lying on the floor handling it. That's why I remonstrated with the linesman – how he didn't see it, I'll never know."
United were below-par for most of the game but Carlos Tevez rescued a point with an equaliser from a corner deep into stoppage time.
Ferdinand continued: "I remember going up for the corner and the referee said to me '30 seconds left', so I knew it was last-chance saloon.
"Luckily the ball in was good from Nani and Carlos was there to slot it home.
"We knew we had to come here and work hard. You need spirit if you want to win things and we showed that."

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02/02/2008 16:49, Report by James Tuck

Rooney suspended for derby

Wayne Rooney will sit out the Manchester derby next Sunday after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at Tottenham.
The United striker was cautioned in the second half of Saturday's 1-1 draw for an ill-advised dive in the box under a challenge from Michael Dawson.
He was one of 10 players who went into referee Mark Clattenburg's notebook in a lively game, in which Carlos Tevez rescued a point for the Reds with a last-gasp equaliser.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had no qualms about Rooney's booking but claimed Clattenburg should have dismissed Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone for a similar incident.
"If the referee deems Rooney has dived, then he's right to book him," Ferguson told MUTV.
"But a few minutes later Huddlestone dived. He had already been booked but the referee did nothing about it. So you've got to say, is that fair?"
Rooney will be joined in the stands next Sunday by mercurial City midfielder Elano, who also received his fifth booking of the campaign in the Blues' 3-1 home defeat by Arsenal.

Rooney's five bookings23/09/07 United 2-0 Chelsea
06/10/07 United 4-0 Wigan
23/12/07 United 2-1 Everton
12/01/08 United 6-0 Newcastle
02/02/08 Tottenham 1-1 United
Rooney's yellow card against Spurs was the first time he has been booked away from home this season.

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02/02/2008 16:00, Report by Steve Bartram

Report: Spurs 1 United 1

Carlos Tevez struck a priceless equaliser in the final minute of injury time as United came from behind to notch a 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.
The Argentinian striker volleyed home Nani's near post corner in the 93rd minute, cancelling out Dimitar Berbatov's first-half opener for the Londoners.

The Bulgarian striker converted from close range after 20 minutes, pouncing after Edwin van der Sar could only parry Aaron Lennon’s cross into his path.
United’s goalkeeper vehemently contested the goal’s award, maintaining that Jermaine Jenas had handled the ball in the build-up, although his protests only earned one of nine bookings dished out by referee Mark Clattenburg.
The draw – United’s fourth league stalemate of the season – always looked to be the best the Reds could hope for after a sluggish start. Tottenham, for their part, were vibrant from the very first whistle.
Nemanja Vidic had to be alert and athletic to prevent a long pass from Tom Huddlestone reaching Berbatov inside the first five minutes and, although Wes Brown did miss with a speculative shot for United, the hosts made all the early running.
Owen Hargreaves did superbly to turn away a dangerous cross from Berbatov after 15 minutes, but the England international was unable to prevent Spurs taking the lead five minutes later.
Jenas fell to the ground under Hargreaves’ attention after a long chase into the area. As he toppled - arms aloft, appealing for a penalty – Jenas brushed the ball with his hand.
The ball ran for Lennon, whose cross was palmed into Berbatov’s path by van der Sar, and the Bulgarian simply slotted into the unguarded goal to put the hosts ahead.
United’s protests were long and loud, and undoubtedly spawned by frustration at such a sloppy concession. Even in attack, the Reds looked uncharacteristically out of sorts.
Cristiano Ronaldo had the visitors’ first opening of any sort after 34 minutes, but he could only guide his unmarked header well wide of the post from 15 yards.
Berbatov then volleyed another Lennon cross over the bar from inside the area, before United were almost handed a scarcely-deserved route back into the match.
Lennon was again involved, his needless shove sending Evra sprawling inside the Spurs area, but referee Clattenburg declined to recognise what looked like a strong shout for a penalty.
United were showing signs of promise in the half’s closing stages, and Sir Alex Ferguson opted to replace Hargreaves with ex-Spurs playmaker Michael Carrick at half-time as he sought to build on that improvement.

Although the Reds continued to enjoy
more possession, the United manager must not have been satisfied by his side’s opening to the second period, as he replaced Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes with Nani and Anderson.
The next clear chance fell to Spurs, however, as Berbatov took advantage of a slip from Vidic to feed Robbie Keane, but the Irish striker could only sidefoot tamely at van der Sar when he really should have scored.
United almost drew level with 15 minutes remaining as Anderson stung the palms of Cerny with a 25-yard drive, while a last-ditch challenge from Chimbonda prevented Tevez from slotting in Rooney's centre.

Things went from bad to worse for United in the dying stages, however, when Rooney was booked for diving under a challenge from Dawson - a fifth caution of the season and a seat on the sidelines in next weekend's Manchester derby.

Just when that looked set to cap a frustrating afternoon for United, Tevez popped up to volley in Nani's corner at the near post with virtually the final kick of the match.

The result leaves United two points behind league leaders Arsenal, but the evasion of a fourth league defeat of the season will be a massive boost for the Reds ahead of next weekend's Manchester derby.

Team Line-ups

Tottenham Hotspur: Cerny; Hutton, Woodgate, Dawson, Chimbonda; Lennon (Boateng, 78), Huddlestone, Jenas, Malbranque; Berbatov, Keane (O'Hara, 90).
Subs
not used: Robinson, Taarabt, Lee.

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Ronaldo, Hargreaves (Carrick, 46), Scholes (Anderson, 60), Giggs (Nani, 60); Rooney, Tevez.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O'Shea.

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02/02/2008 14:30, Report by Steve Bartram

Gunners end City run

Arsenal inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Manchester City in Saturday's early kick-off, thanks to a brace from Emmanuel Adebayor and another strike from Eduardo Da Silva.

Gelson Fernandes pulled a goal back for Sven Goran Eriksson's side to make the score 2-1, but the Gunners held firm to end City's hopes of moving into the Champions League places.

Chelsea, United's other title rivals, were pegged back in their pursuit of the Gunners at Portsmouth. Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring for the Blues, only for Pompey debutant Jermain Defoe to level matters shortly afterwards.

Both Blackburn and Everton slipped up in their chase for European qualification, with their 0-0 draw at Ewood Park doing either side any good.

Perhaps the worst day was endured by Reading, who not only slipped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Bolton - thanks to goals from Kevin Nolan and Heidar Helguson - but also moved to 17th spot after Wigan's surprise 1-0 win over West Ham.

In an increasingly tight relegation battle, Birmingham slipped into the bottom three after their shock failure to beat Derby County at St Andrews. Emanuel Villa stole a point for the Rams after Sebastian Larsson's opener for Brum.

In the evening's late kick-off, goals from Peter Crouch, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 3-0 win over Sunderland at Anfield.

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04/02/2008 07:28, Report by Gemma Thompson

Gill confident of fitting tribute

United chief executive David Gill is confident the club will deliver a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in the Munich air crash 50 years ago this week.

Twenty-three people, including eight players and three club officials, died in the tragedy on 6 February 1958. A number of events have been organised to mark the anniversary, both on Wednesday and at Sunday's Manchester derby match at Old Trafford.

The centrepiece of the commemorations will be the unveiling of a free, permanent exhibition of the Busby Babes in the South Stand tunnel - to be renamed Munich Tunnel - on Wednesday. A special memorial service will be conducted by club chaplain Reverend John Boyers in the Manchester Suite to coincide with the time of crash at 3.04pm.

"We've tried to make sure we deal with things around the anniversary appropriately and compassionately," explained Gill. "We spoke to those who were directly affected by the crash such as Sir Bobby [Charlton], as well as people who know the club and its history intimately like [club secretary] Ken Ramsden and [former United correspondent] David Meek.

"We formed a committee and debated various ideas, taking into account everyone's thoughts and feelings about what the disaster meant to people at the time and also what it means to the club today."

Following Wednesday's events, the attention turns to Sunday's Manchester derby during which the United players will wear a one-off 1950s style kit, free from sponsorship and numbered 1-11. City are also planning to wear a special kit,
created specifically for the match.

Every supporter in the ground, including the visiting fans, will receive a memento of the occasion. A minute's silence will be held prior to the 1.30pm kick-off and Gill is confident it will remain exactly that - silent.

"It wasn't just Manchester United that was affected by the crash, it had a massive impact on both the city of Manchester and the world of football," explained the Reds' chief.

"We, therefore, hope and believe the minute's silence [before the game] will be observed appropriately."

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04/02/2008 09:18

Munich memories on MUTV

On Wednesday 6 February, everyone connected with United will stop to remember the Munich air disaster of 1958.

MUTV, the club's official television channel, will mark 50 years since the tragedy with a week of special programmes. On the anniversary itself, the channel will be free to air for all cable and satellite viewers.

Live programming on the day will start at 8am, leading up to full coverage of the memorial service from Old Trafford's Manchester Suite at 2.30pm. Munich, a new feature-length documentary, will be shown at 9pm, telling the story of the Busby Babes and paying tribute to all those involved in the disaster.

MUTV Online, the official broadband video service, will also be free to view on the day. This will stream MUTV's special programming live from 8am to midnight, enabling fans around the world to watch everything including the memorial service via the internet.

Fifty years may have passed, but the Babes will never be forgotten.