Manchester United IX - Quest for Treble Glory Continues....


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Papers: Jury out on Berba

Berbatov feeling the heat
United fans only have one song for Dimitar Berbatov so far. Sung to the tune of Jesus Christ Superstar, it goes: "Dimitar. Berbatov. Took one look at City and said **** off." As amusing as it may or may not be, the ditty hardly represents a ringing endorsement of a player who arrived at Old Trafford following an outlay of £30.75million and 12 months of hardball with Tottenham. After more than three months at United, Berbatov would have hoped to inspire something more endearing than mere recognition that he ignored the late advances of derby rivals Manchester City to join the club. Furthermore, a quick poll of a handful of United supporters this week provoked revealing responses as their club's record signing prepares to return to White Hart Lane tomorrow. Asked about the lack of tangible affection towards their Bulgaria striker, none were entirely positive. "He is seen as lazy by some of us and we won't have that," one season ticket holder, a 50-year-old company director, told Sportsmail. "To be honest, the only song we would sing about him would be one suggesting he should disappear back to Tottenham." Others felt it was too early to judge the Bulgarian. "We're just waiting for him to click," stressed a 49-year-old media figure. But the jury would appear to be out regarding Berbatov.
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail

The Sun says police will target fans who taunt Berbatov on his return to White Hart Lane and quotes Spurs boss Harry Redknapp as saying, "I don't blame Berba for going."

Several papers claim UEFA will ban Wayne Rooney following the Aalborg game but they can't agree on the length - will he miss two (Mail), three (Times) or five (Mirror) matches?

Finally, The Times says the Office of Fair Trading will examine United's ticketing policy.

Round up by Adam Bostock

Source

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Edwin extends Reds contract

Edwin van der Sar has agreed a one-year extension to his United contract.

The veteran keeper's latest rolling deal will keep him at Old Trafford until June 2010, with Sir Alex Ferguson confirming next season will be the Dutchman's last at the club.

"Edwin's got great experience and his temperament, professionalism and performance levels have not changed one bit," the Reds manager told Friday's pre-Spurs press conference at Carrington.

"Next season will be his last - he'll be going on 40 by the time his new deal is finished, which is great credit to the lad. He's been absolutely marvellous for us."

Van der Sar has been used more sparingly by Sir Alex this term and his impending departure will intensify the competition between Ben Foster and Thomas Kuszczak.

"What Edwin has done really well for us over the last year is help with the development of the young goalkeepers," Ferguson added. "Eric Steele, our goalkeeping coach, of course has also played a great part in making the situation very competitive.

"We're using Ben and Tomasz quite a bit now, which allows us to keep Edwin fresh for the really important games. Edwin has bought into it very well - he understands the reasoning behind it and he's played a great part in making sure the big picture is there for us in terms of the future for Ben or Tomasz.

"Next season, in fairness to Ben and Tomasz, we've got to make it more competitive. It'll be down to who the best man is for the job."

Source

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Quartet doubtful for Spurs clash

United's injury list is lengthening, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov all doubtful for Saturday's trip to Tottenham.

Ronaldo missed Wednesday's game against Aalborg because of the hip injury sustained during last weekend's victory over Sunderland, while Ferdinand suffered another back spasm in the 2-2 draw against the Danes.

Carrick and Berbatov also sat out the Reds' final Champions League group game at Old Trafford and doubts remain over their fitness ahead of the tea-time visit to their former club, although Sir Alex Ferguson believes the former, who has been struggling with a thigh problem has the best chance of making it.

With Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra suspended, it could be a much-depleted Reds side that takes on Harry Redknapp's men at White Hart Lane.

"We've got a job to do to make sure we have a fit team to go out on the pitch," admitted Sir Alex at his pre-match press conference. "But that's why you need a big squad.

"Ronaldo's hip is still very tender - any knock on the hip joint can be very painful. If he's fit, I could play him down the middle if Berbatov doesn't make it. He's struggling with an Achilles problem.

"Rio got a spasm in his back late against Aalborg which is a concern. Jonny Evans will replace Rio if he's not ready and I'm very comfortable with that - the boy has improved tremendously. He's got a great temperament and his reading of the game is fantastic. "

Source

Almost half of the first team players are out! It is goin to be another struggle? Hmmm........:devil:
 

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King: No bother with Berbatov

Tottenham captain Ledley King insists there will be no bad blood between his side and former striker Dimitar Berbatov when the Reds travel to White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The Bulgarian's acrimonious departure from Spurs is unlikely to ensure a warm reception from the home support this weekend, but King is keen to play down his return.

"Dimitar Berbatov was brilliant for the club," he said. "He was a fans’ favourite, but hopefully we can keep him quiet on Saturday. There will be no animosity between us.

"We will say hello to him and shake his hand but once we are on the pitch, we have a job to do. It happens a lot that you face your former team-mates, and I am used to playing against people I know, so facing Dimitar won’t be an issue."

Central defender King is touch-and-go to be ready for United's visit. Chronic knee problems often reduce him to one appearance per week but, even though he played - and scored - in Spurs' win at West Ham on Monday, he is aiming to feature on Saturday.

"I probably won’t train between now and Saturday," he said. "I miss a lot of training, but until the match comes along, I won’t be counted out.

"Of course I am desperate to face United, because I want to be involved in all the big games. It is a shorter week than normal for me, with the West Ham game being on a Monday night, but I will do my best to prepare and hopefully I will be available."

Source

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Match Pack: Spurs

United travel south to face a resurgent Spurs in Saturday's early-evening clash...

Form Guide: Unbeaten since early November in all competitions, United have won three of the last four Premier League outings - most recently in last weekend's last-gasp win over Sunderland. Spurs were victorious at West Ham on Monday evening, taking Harry Redknapp's league record to five wins from eight games.

Ins and Outs: United are definitely missing Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra through suspension, while there are question marks over the availability of Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov, who are all carrying minor injuries. The hosts' problems are minor by comparison. Fraizer Campbell cannot play against his parent club. Skipper Ledley King may play, despite severe knee problems, while right-back Alan Hutton is definitely out with a fractured metatarsal and Giovani Dos Santos is missing with an ankle knock.

Star Man: Darren Bent is the hosts' biggest attacking threat, but Redknapp will be desperate to have club captain Ledley King fit to take his place in the centre of defence.


Rivals Watch: Middlesbrough v Arsenal (Sat 12:45) Liverpool v Hull (Sat 15:00), Chelsea v West Ham (Sun 16:00).

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Ya lor, want to stay up and watch also sometimes will fall asleep. :bsmilie:

most of the time i sleep through!:bsmilie::devil:
 

Almost half of the first team players are out! It is goin to be another struggle? Hmmm........:devil:

They still struggle sometimes even with their strongest 11. It will be a great oppurtunity for those youngsters who lack of matches to prove their hunger for the game. :cool:
 

Starting Lineup :devil:
Van Der Sar
Rafael
Ferdinand
Vidic
O'Shea
Park
Fletcher
Carrick
Ronaldo
Berbatov
Tevez
 

Starting Lineup :devil:
Van Der Sar
Rafael
Ferdinand
Vidic
O'Shea
Park
Fletcher
Carrick
Ronaldo
Berbatov
Tevez

Hmm...this lineup should be able to see us through!:devil:
 

Damn!
Tottenham 0-0 Man Utd

Good thing is Liverpool and Arsenal also draw. Hope tonight Chelsea draw or lose. :angry:
 

Damn!
Tottenham 0-0 Man Utd

Good thing is Liverpool and Arsenal also draw. Hope tonight Chelsea draw or lose. :angry:

Its always the case nowadays when 1 buang all buang together 1 win all win together draw then all draw together! Nowadays they are all so good!:bsmilie:
 

Anyone watch the fool's match? Great tap in by Carregher but a pity...the ball went into the wrong end. :bsmilie:

Hull City is a good team and cannot be underestimated.

Too bad we did not capitalised to close the gap.
 

Boss stays positive

Sir Alex Ferguson was frustrated but not too downhearted by United's goalless draw against a 'rejuvenated' Tottenham.

The champions failed to close the gap at the top after an Heureho Gomes-inspired Spurs held on for a point at White Hart Lane, but Sir Alex was satisfied with his side's effort.

"It was frustrating because we dominated the game, particularly in the second half," the Reds boss admitted. "We worked really hard but just needed that little bit of luck and composure. And their goalkeeper made two fantastic saves near the end.

"It’s not the worst result but if we’d got the two extra points it would have made a great difference in the league.

"After Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points we were hoping not to do the same, but there's a long way to go. We hope to narrow the gap by new year and if we do that then we’re in with a great chance."

Spurs battled hard for their point and Sir Alex believes they are a different proposition under Harry Redknapp.

"Tottenham are not an easy team to play against at the moment and worked very hard to contain us," Ferguson added. "Since Harry has arrived they have been rejuvenated and there is more life around the club."

United now fly out to Japan for the Club World Cup and Ferguson added: "It's a great honour for us and we’re delighted to go there. We’re representing England because we won the European Cup, and we’re going over there to win it."
 

Tottenham 0 United 0

United were unable to secure the perfect send-off to Japan for the Club World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Spurs at a soggy White Hart Lane.

The champions were strangely out-of-sorts for much of the game and were uncharacteristically sloppy in possession in a scrappy first half.

The game improved as a spectacle as the game wore on but the Reds found Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes in inspired form and missed out on the chance to close the gap on Liverpool at the top.

United would have been spurred on before kick-off by news of the leaders’ home draw with Hull, and a stronger-than-anticipated line-up took to the field at White Hart Lane.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s pre-match injury fears did not materialise as Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov all started, the latter two against their former club.

Berbatov was booed by the home fans every time he touched the ball and struggled to impose himself on the game, although his link-up play often threatened to open Spurs up.

Ji-sung Park, making his 100th United appearance, had an early shot which took a deflection and looped just over his former PSV team-mate Gomes’ bar.

David Bentley then tried his luck with a left-footed volley from 25 yards, but Edwin van der Sar was alert to parry the effort.

Spurs, already without injured captain Ledley King, suffered another blow after 10 minutes when Jonathan Woodgate was forced off after jarring his knee and was replaced by Tom Huddlestone.

But the home side’s depleted defence contained United well for the majority of the first half. On a lush playing surface the champions sprayed the ball around but failed to break down Spurs' cagey 4-5-1 formation and seriously test Gomes.

Indeed, it was Spurs who had the best chance on the half-hour mark as Aaron Lennon darted infield and his shot from 18 yards forced van der Sar into a superb save low down to his right.

Carlos Tevez looked determined to take advantage of a starting berth in place of the suspended Wayne Rooney, and one scampering run down the left saw the striker beat three men before firing narrowly over from an acute angle.

Seven minutes before the break Luka Modric escaped Ferdinand in the box but headed Didier Zokora’s cross wide when well placed.

At the other end neat interplay involving Tevez and Ronaldo opened Spurs up, but Gomes did well to cut out the latter’s cross from the left of the box.

Berbatov exploded into life in one second-half moment as he evaded his marker in the centre circle, charged down on goal, only to be denied by a last-ditch Michael Dawson tackle.

Ronaldo blasted the ball home from Park’s resultant corner but referee Mike Dean ruled the winger had initially controlled the ball with his hand. On this occasion it was definitely accidental.

Rafael picked up United’s first booking for bringing down Lennon and, from the free-kick, van der Sar was forced to scramble across goal to tip over Bentley’s effort.

Ferguson, back on the touchline following his two-game ban, made a double substitution with 20 minutes left in a bid to inject life into a game that was ebbing away. Off came Tevez and Darren Fletcher, to be replaced by veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

The move almost paid instant dividends as Nemanja Vidic got a firm header to Giggs’ whipped-in cross from the left, but Gomes held on well.

With 15 minutes left Ferdinand had a great chance to break the deadlock but headed Giggs’ cross inches over at the near post. Gomes was again called upon to tip over Park’s stinging drive as United strove for a late winner.

But the Reds were almost punished in the dying minutes as Modric drove forward and his deflected shot landed on the roof of the net, with van der Sar beaten.

The game’s final chance fell to Giggs, whose curled free-kick looked destined for the top corner but was tipped over superbly by Gomes.
 

Scholes: Goals will come

Paul Scholes isn't worried by United's recent lack of goals, insisting the Reds' scoring form will return soon.

The Reds have scored only twice in the last four Premier League games, while Saturday's goalless draw at Tottenham was the team's fourth this season.

"We didn't create as many chances as we would have liked today, but we know we’re an attacking team and the goals will come sooner or later," Scholes told MUTV.

Scholes wasn't too disappointed with the draw at White Hart Lane, especially after leaders Liverpool dropped two points at home to Hull.

"We'd like to have won the game, but it didn’t happen for us today," he added. "This is a tough place to come and we have to take a point in the end.

"We’d like to have been a little closer to Liverpool, but they’ll be disappointed not to have beaten Hull and ours is probably a better point then theirs."

After another 20 minutes under his belt against Spurs, Scholes is hoping to continue his return to fitness during the Club World Cup in Japan.

The 34-year-old added: "I’ve played 20 minutes against Blackburn, half a game against Aalborg and 20 minutes today, so hopefully in Japan I can get 80 or 90 minutes in one of the games and kick on from that."
 

Focus on... Ji-sung Park

It says a lot about Ji-sung Park’s growing importance for United that when Sir Alex Ferguson revealed his side for last season’s Champions League final, the Korean’s omission was perhaps the biggest surprise.
The winger had been one of the Reds’ stand-out players in the semi-final win over Barcelona and had been widely tipped to retain his place against Chelsea in what has become something of a specialist role.
Even by modern football standards, Park’s fitness levels are impressive. His capacity for scampering up and down the wing for 90 minutes earned him the nickname ‘Oxygen Tank’ at PSV, where he played for two years before joining United in 2005.
“Park never stops running. Every time he plays he puts in a great shift and works his socks off – he is very dependable,” enthuses former Red Mickey Thomas, an indefatigable midfielder himself during his Old Trafford days, and now an MUTV pundit.

“He’s not the biggest of players but he’s not scared to put a challenge in. He reminds me of a pinball machine because he’s always bouncing off everybody!”
This boundless energy and willingness to get stuck in have seen Park used increasingly in important games by Sir Alex. He impressed in last month’s defeat at Arsenal and also started against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September, where he netted the Reds’ opener.
Whereas fellow widemen Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani dazzle the opposition with their skills, Park provides crucial defensive cover when United’s full-backs bomb forward – while his technical talent and positional sense create problems of their for defenders.
“He brings that bit more balance to the team and I think Patrice Evra appreciates it,” Thomas adds. “And against Manchester City he swapped wings because he gave Rafael more protection than Ronaldo would have done on the right side.”

Park has dealt well with the disappointment of not starting every game for United, no more so than when he missed out in Moscow.
“To not even be on the bench after playing such a big part in the run-up was devastating for him,” says Thomas.
“But he said nothing – he just got on with it. He doesn’t get upset and his demeanour never changes.He’s happy and knows he’s at the biggest club in the world. It’ll be difficult for him to play more regularly but he knows that. There aren’t many players here who are guaranteed to start week-in, week-out.”
Park has improved in each of his four seasons at United and has now made 100 appearances, but Thomas believes he is still undervalued by some of the Old Trafford faithful.
“Some fans don’t appreciate what he’s done yet,” says the Welshman. “While the likes of Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo and Nani dribble past players, Park is a different type of winger.

“He has a good footballing brain and has played in a lot of big games because his work ethic is very important. Maybe some fans don’t see him as a star but his team-mates will enjoy playing with him because he gives everything.
“The Premier League is tough and he has handled it superbly well. I think there’s no danger of him leaving any time soon.”
 

U18s: Liverpool 1 United 3

United's youngsters turned on the style to romp to three points at Liverpool on Saturday morning.
Paul McGuinness' side turned in a swaggering display in attack, with goals from Oliver Norwood, Kiko Macheda and Ravel Morrison doing the damage - and the Reds could have had plenty more besides.
Ryan Tunnicliffe and the impressive Davide Petrucci both came close before skipper Norwood put the Reds ahead after 22 minutes, clipping a delightful chip in off the underside of the hosts' crossbar.
Morrison then thundered an effort against the inside of Dean Bouzanis' post, while Reds keeper Conor Devlin had to save smartly from David Amoo, but Macheda doubled United's lead shortly before half-time.
Petrucci was heavily involved in the build-up, slipping a pass through to his compatriot despite glancing the opposite way, and Macheda poked home a trademark poacher's finish.
United's dominance continued, with only a fine Bouzanis save denying Morrison after a superb solo run, while Macheda blazed off target when well placed to do better.
Finnish striker Lauri Dalla Valle halved the arrears on 64 minutes, converting from close range after United had failed to clear a corner, but Morrison struck with 10 minutes remaining to assure the Reds' victory.
Norwood and Macheda combined to feed the youngster inside the area, and he coolly rounded Bouzanis before slotting into the empty net.
Petrucci, Tunnicliffe and Cameron Stewart all passed up half-chances to add further gloss to the scoreline, but the Reds can still reflect on a dominant display against their local rivals.
 

Anyone watch the fool's match? Great tap in by Carregher but a pity...the ball went into the wrong end. :bsmilie:

Hull City is a good team and cannot be underestimated.

Too bad we did not capitalised to close the gap.

Hull City is the surprise team of the season. Everyone expected them to flop, but look at them now. I won't be surprise if they could get into UEFA next season. Go Hull Go! :cheergal:
 

Hull City is the surprise team of the season. Everyone expected them to flop, but look at them now. I won't be surprise if they could get into UEFA next season. Go Hull Go! :cheergal:

Actually they are one of the more consistant team thats why we can count on them to cause the other big3 to drop points! Thus making this season more interesting!:bsmilie::devil:
 

watched first 45 mins and already know the outcome,either draw or lose ,nil shooting from man utd , at least spurs tried a few shots...
the spurs keeper also very free , never dive to save much thru out the whole match ... nowadays man utd becoming like liverpool kong - kong 0-0
以和为贵.. X (
tevez reminds me of kuyt , running aimlessly , like a headless fly.. kaoz...
 

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