Manchester United V: English Premier League Defending Champions!

[afbug]

Simmo buoyed by Euro outing

Danny Simpson says there is no better confidence booster than earning the trust of Sir Alex Ferguson after the United manager handed the 20-year-old his first ever Champions League start.

The Salford-born defender replaced the rested Wes Brown at right-back during the Reds' 4-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday night.

He impressed throughout and almost nicked a goal midway through the second half, but saw his shot saved by Olexandr Shovkovskiy.

Simpson, who was joined by fellow starlets Gerard Pique and Jonny Evans in the squad, was in buoyant mood after the game and hopes his display will have done enough to earn him more opportunities in the near future.

"When the manager said 'You and Gerard are playing at the back with Nemanja [Vidic] and Patrice [Evra],' it was a hell of a compliment," revealed Simpson.

"He didn't even have to say anything to me - just, 'Go out there and do what you normally do.'

"It is everything to get a start. It gives you that confidence that he [Sir Alex] trusts you.

"The gaffer has always said if there is a young lad he will give them a chance and he proved that. After that he might feel, now that we are through, why not give me another game against better teams.

"For the likes of myself, Gerard and Jonny Evans it is looking good for the future."

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=505772

 

[afbug]

Injured Rooney out for four weeks


Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is out for up to four weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in training.
The problem also means he misses England's potentially decisive Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia at Wembley on 21 November.

In-form Rooney, 22, has just been named Premier League player of the month for October after scoring eight goals in his last seven games.

England coach Steve McClaren said: "It's hugely disappointing."

He added: "Given the form he has been in and the contribution he has made to England over the last two games means it is a blow.

"But we have to deal with it, like we have dealt with situations like these before.

"It is an opportunity for someone else to come and do a job."

McClaren had just named Rooney in his squad for the friendly against Austria on Friday and the qualifier against Croatia at Wembley on 21 November.

It is the second major injury problem Rooney has suffered this season after missing five matches with a broken foot, sustained on the opening day of the campaign against Reading.

He will miss league games against Blackburn, Bolton and Fulham, and possibly Derby on 8 December, as well as United's next Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon.

But if the initial prognosis of four weeks is correct, Rooney should be available again for the final Champions League group match against Roma on 12 December and a key Premier League match at Liverpool on 16 December.

 

[Galdor]

United 2 Blackburn 0 :cheergal:

 

[Redsun]

top again:bsmilie:

 

[afbug]

United 2 Blackburn 0 :cheergal:

Relieved that we beat them man. :sweat: This season so far, Blackburn managed to remain unbeaten against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

 

[melvin]

Relieved that we beat them man. :sweat: This season so far, Blackburn managed to remain unbeaten against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

At least we show the other Top Three how to beat them with 2 goals in 2 mins!:bsmilie:

So far our performance at CL is satisfactory hopefully we will qualify with max points!:devil:

 

[afbug]

At least we show the other Top Three how to beat them with 2 goals in 2 mins!:bsmilie:

So far our performance at CL is satisfactory hopefully we will qualify with max points!:devil:

We only need to beat Lisbon at home to secure top spot. Away to Roma, I dun think can get max pts as if we beat Lisbon at home, Fergie sure to rest players and let the younger ones gain experience.

 

[melvin]

We only need to beat Lisbon at home to secure top spot. Away to Roma, I dun think can get max pts as if we beat Lisbon at home, Fergie sure to rest players and let the younger ones gain experience.

Got a feeling he will play the youngster in the last 2 games!:bsmilie:

Thats typical of him n snice he already secure a spot in the next round most likkely no max pts for the last 2 games!:devil:

 

[afbug]

Got a feeling he will play the youngster in the last 2 games!:bsmilie:

Thats typical of him n snice he already secure a spot in the next round most likkely no max pts for the last 2 games!:devil:

Need top spot leh. Cannot runner up as most, if not all the big clubs managed to top their groups so far and to avoid them, we need top spot. :devil:

 

[melvin]

Need top spot leh. Cannot runner up as most, if not all the big clubs managed to top their groups so far and to avoid them, we need top spot. :devil:

Think we only need another 1pt to secure the top spot should not be much problem!:devil:

 

[Big Kahuna]

Think we only need another 1pt to secure the top spot should not be much problem!:devil:

Should give chance to youngsters to avoid injury of the main 11, we still got EPL and FA cup to take care of.

IMO top spot or not in a tounament doesn't count when you enter the knockout stage. Sometimes underdog is even more dangerous :lovegrin:

 

[melvin]

Youth inspires Giggs

Ryan Giggs says he feels invigorated by the promising young talent around him at Old Trafford.

The influx of Anderson, Nani, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez this season has added strength and depth to an already ultra-talented squad. Paired with the experience of United's longstanding servants like Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson believes this is the best squad during his 21 years at Old Trafford.

Giggs is certainly excited by the current set-up and says the youthful exuberance within the squad has given him a new lease of life.

"When you come into training and you’re up against young, quality players it’s a test every day," he told ManUtd.com. "That only helps to bring your game on. There’s so much enthusiasm amongst the lads and it’s a great place to be at the moment.

"The new lads have all bedded in really well and very quickly, bringing something new to the team already this season. Nani with his spectacular goals and celebrations, while Anderson has shown what a top player he is with some fantastic performances.

"We knew all about Owen’s [Hargreaves] qualities and he’s produced those every time he’s played and Carlos [Tevez] has brought that extra dimension to our attacking play.

"They’ve also added something different to the dressing room which is great. There is certainly a lot more Spanish and Portuguese being spoken! They’re all very enthusiastic and the team spirit is as good as ever."

No wonder he is getting 'younger'!:bsmilie::devil:

 

[melvin]

Tevez off in Argentina loss

Carlos Tevez was sent off in Argentina's World Cup qualifying defeat to Colombia on Tuesday night.

Having earlier come close to opening the scoring with a volley, the United striker was dismissed after just 24 minutes for an off-the-ball scuffle with defender Ruben Bustos.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi gave the Argentines an unlikely lead 10 minutes later, but second-half strikes from Bustos and Dairo Moreno gave the hosts a 2-1 victory.

Despite their first defeat of the qualifying campaign, however, Argentina still top the CONMEBOL table with nine points from four games, one point ahead of Colombia.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Vidic: My qualities are average

Nemanja Vidic has once again proved a titan at the back for the Reds this season, but he still can't understand his cult status among United fans...

So, 13 games in, are you pleased with how things are going?
We're happy with the start we've made. I'm particularly pleased with the way we've been defending. We haven't lost many goals – in the first eight league matches we conceded only two goals, one of them a deflection – which is very pleasing. Defensively we are strong and playing really well and I think we can keep doing that, but we also know we have strikers who have the quality to score at the other end.

The manager thinks you can get between five and ten goals this season. Do you think that's realistic?
Well, he's put pressure on me now! I don't want to disappoint him, so I'll have to say yes. I don't want to be on the bench!

You come up against the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Saha every day in training. Does practising against the very best mean you're confident of handling any opposition striker?
Absolutely. Training with those players would make anybody better. And it's not just those four you mentioned. United is such a big club and there are so many great players here and people who can beat you one-on-one. That's fantastic from my point of view because it helps me play better and gauge where I am. There's also a lot of competition for places here, and I can do with tough challenges in training. It all helps me to improve and keep my place in the team.

Who's the toughest centre-forward you've played against since you arrived in England?Oh, that's too hard. There are so many good players here and they all have different attributes. Some are better technically, some are better physically, some are good in the air, some are strong in the tackle. Every game is a challenge and I need to do my best to stop the forwards from scoring goals.

Rio mentioned Emmanuel Adebayor…Yes, he's a good player and he was very good against us here at Old Trafford last season, although I didn't play in that game. Robin van Persie, Didier Drogba… they are also very good. I don't think I can choose just one player. Every time I go out onto the pitch I need to be ready. Against Sunderland, Kenwyne Jones was very strong in the air. Yakubu at Everton and Heskey at Wigan are maybe the strongest forwards in the league. Everyone has different skills and no two strikers play the same way. I haven't played against Fernando Torres yet but he looks like a very good player.

Do you ever have any fear going into headers or tackles?
I don't think about that during a game. All I want to do is get first to the ball and win the header or win the tackle. I don't think about getting hurt. I do what I have to do and I only want the ball.

What about off the pitch? Are you afraid of anything?
I'm starting to get more worried each time I fly. My wife isn't very good on planes and the more travelling I do with her the more she makes me nervous. And obviously I travel a lot with Manchester United so sometimes I think the more I get on the plane, the more chance there is of something going wrong… But I think Sir Bobby Charlton is amazing. He was involved in a terrible air crash yet he still flies. He is a very, very courageous man. I cannot imagine doing that, definitely not.

You've become a real favourite with the Old Trafford fans. What do you think they like about you?
I'm not sure. Every game I give 100 per cent – maybe sometimes I have a bad day but I always try my best. I always want to win the ball and maybe fans recognise those things and like that about me. This is my game and it's how I've always played and how I'll continue to play. I'm not sure why they like me so much… my qualities are average! To be honest, I ask myself all the time, 'What do they see in me?'.

The fans have a song they like to sing about you. It must be nice to hear so many people chanting your name…
Yeah, it's great. At the end of the day you play for the fans, you play for the people. I like to win and I want the fans to be happy, both with the team and with me. If the fans think highly of you and respect what you do then that's a great honour. When they sing my name I feel really good.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Vidic: From tough beginnings

Nemanja Vidic is made of stern stuff, which is hardly surprising when you consider a large part of his youth was spent growing up in war-torn Belgrade. Here, he talks about his childhood...

Who were your favourite players growing up?
I didn't really have an idol. There wasn't one player who I wanted to be like. But there were many players who I loved to watch. When I was young, every game I'd pretend I was somebody else, a different player depending on who I had seen play well. I'd watch the match and then go outside and play and say, 'I am Faustino Asprilla' or 'I am Dejan Savicevic'. I really loved the generation of Red Star Belgrade players who won the European Cup in 1991… Prosinecki, Pancev, Belodedic, Jugovic. These are the players who won the trophies for the team I supported as a kid. Maybe that team were my idols, all of them. Did you know Manchester United played against Red Star Belgrade? It was in the European Super Cup in 1991. Red Star played very, very well. I was only 10 years old so I don't remember it but I saw replays when I was growing up. Now I have the DVD because one of the Red Star players asked me for the game, so I asked MUTV for the tape. I've watched it a few times now and I'm very impressed.

How important was football in Serbia during the 90s when there was so much political unrest in the region?
In the 90s football was everything. It was the best way to show the world who we were. At the time, there were a lot of bad things happening in our country – there were murders, bombings, war – and it was important that Red Star Belgrade and the national team played well to counteract the negative propaganda. It was the best way to show that Serbians also love football and sporting events. Today, football is still the number one sport in Serbia and everybody wants to play for Red Star Belgrade or one of the top clubs in Europe. Football is a big part of life for the country's young people.

What role did football play during the war?
Well, some people say the match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade in May 1990 escalated the war. There was a big fight at the match – fans tore up seats, some got onto the pitch, even players were involved. I remember watching the match on TV and seeing Zvonimir Boban kick a policeman, which caused a lot of trouble. At that time, there was a very, very cold relationship between what is now Croatia and Serbia… but now I think most of the bad feelings have stopped and people realise going to war was not the right thing to do. I don't have a problem with Croatian people and I don't think they have a problem with Serbians. The 90s was just a very unstable time and politics went very, very wrong. I cannot speak for everyone on this though. These events are bigger than me and they are bigger than football.

But football carried on during the war?
Yes, it was very important. Even while Serbia was being bombed, people were still playing football. Red Star Belgrade still had football matches and people were still going to watch the games, even though there was a war on. It was amazing! I remember when the bombing started and for the first month we were too scared to go out and play football because we didn't know what was happening. Nobody knew where the bombs would be. But after a month, people relaxed a little more and they realised the targets were military and government buildings, or bridges. So then we thought it was okay to go to the stadiums and play football – we knew they wouldn't bomb there. People still wanted to lead their lives and watch football.

You captained Red Star Belgrade. Do you have ambitions to one day captain United?
I don't think about that. I just play my game and whether I'm captain or not doesn't change what I do on the pitch. Being captain means a lot to you and it's a great honour, but I've never set out to be the captain of any team. If it happens I'd be delighted, especially at this club, but it's not something I have my sights on.

Red Star Belgrade was obviously your number one passion growing up, but what did you know about United?
I knew quite a lot. In Serbia they showed a lot of the games from the English league, and Italy and Spain. So of course I knew about Manchester United, I knew they were one of the biggest clubs in the world.

So you used to watch Ryan Giggs on the television?
Oh yes! I remember seeing him play. I used to watch Giggsy and Scholesy and now I play with them every day. It's a great feeling. But now I realise he is just another person – a very professional player, but also just a person and a friend.

Have you found Paul Scholes every bit as good as his reputation?
He's a great player, too. He loves football and he loves having the ball at his feet. He takes a lot of enjoyment from playing passes, scoring goals and even making tackles.

Do you think you could teach him a thing or two about tackling?
[Laughs] Maybe, yes! He goes in very strong though and is always very committed. Players like Scholesy and Giggs are the kind of people young players need to watch and learn from. They've played at the very top level for so many years and won so many trophies. I think that's very admirable and people should learn to be more like those two. It's great for me to come to the club and learn from them.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Papers: Reds eye Veloso?

21/11/2007 09:30

£10m Veloso is United's next Portuguese talent
Sir Alex Ferguson is strongly considering adding to the Portuguese contingent at Manchester United by making a transfer-window move for Miguel Veloso, Sporting Lisbon's impressive young midfielder.
Ferguson, taking the advice of his assistant Carlos Queiroz, has identified Veloso as the next potential star to emerge from the Sporting youth ranks that also produced Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani.
Veloso, who has broken into the national side at 21, has been the outstanding player in Portugal this season and it is a measure of United's interest that Ferguson's brother Martin, the club's chief scout, has been a virtual ever-present recently at the Estadio Jose Alvalade XI. United have been represented at six of Veloso's last seven matches.
Daniel Taylor, Guardian

Meanwhile, The Mirror have reported Sir Alex's call for tougher restrictions on football agents. "Agents need to be regulated in a far stricter way than they have been in the past," the United boss said. "They are a very lucky breed because as long as you have greedy club presidents, agents will always be in the driving seat."

The Times says Patrice Evra is keen to extend his United contract, while the Daily Star speculate Wayne Rooney could return from injury sooner than expected.


Round up by Nick Coppack

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Summer off for most Reds

United could have as few as five representatives at next summer's Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Edwin van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Patrice Evra and Tomasz Kuszczak have all regularly been involved with their national squads recently. Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre and Gerard Pique will also be hoping they can force their way into contention.

On a dramatic final night of qualifying on Wednesday, the Reds' contingent of England players were not the only ones disappointed to miss out on qualification to the finals.

Serbia - without Nemanja Vidic, who didn't even make the bench - drew 2-2 with Poland, extinguishing their hopes of making Euro 2008.

Northern Ireland, who also harboured slim hopes of qualifying, but their 1-0 defeat to Spain in Gran Canaria saw them miss out. Young Irish star Jonny Evans missed the match through injury.

For England, the 3-2 defeat against Croatia ended a dismal campaign and means a handful of Reds will be given the summer off. In fact, 13 of United's established European players will not be going to Austria-Switzerland.

Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo are two players that will be heading to the finals, as Portugal earned the point they needed to qualify in a 0-0 draw with Finland.

Elsewhere in Wednesday night's internationals, Edwin van der Sar was given a rest as Holland, who had already qualified, lost 2-1 to Belarus. Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in France's dead rubber 2-2 draw with Ukraine.

Now this is good news! And first time so little involved! :bsmilie: :devil:

 

[melvin]

Papers: Breakaway fear
22/11/2007 09:37

Breakaway fear over big three Are the big three - Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal - finally plotting a breakaway to join a new European elite league? It is an old fear but it is the big question on the lips of rival chairmen when they gather for a Premier League 'shareholders' meeting today in London. For years there has been speculation about Europe's superpowers, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and the three biggest English clubs forming the basis of a breakaway European Super League. The suspicions remain and there is renewed fear that something is cooking.
Harry Harris, Daily Express

As expected, the main news dominating the tabloids is England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the sacking of former United coach Steve McClaren after an emergency FA board meeting on Thursday morning, at which United chief executive David Gill was present.

In other news, Carlos Tevez will be suspended for three international games following his sending off for Argentina against Colombia on Tuesday.

United legend Brian Kidd is in the frame to make a dramatic return to the top flight as Everton’s new assistant boss.

Round up by Gemma Thompson

What u guys think support break away?:think::devil:

 

[jeff49er]

Papers: Breakaway fear
22/11/2007 09:37





What u guys think support break away?:think::devil:

Depends on the format is, it could be good for the fans or worse , have to pay higher Starhub subscription.

Since Tevez ban for 3 games, it be good for Man u

 

[afbug]

Depends on the format is, it could be good for the fans or worse , have to pay higher Starhub subscription.

Since Tevez ban for 3 games, it be good for Man u

Should ban him 6 games! :bsmilie:

Dun think will break away lah. As long as UEFA dun cork up, CL will be intact.