Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[LiverPOO]

Carlos Tevez - £25M (Possibly up to £42M)
Michael Owen - Priceless

[dc7176]

[dc7176]

[asiancigar]

Glorious VICTORY for us last night..............

I was (like everyone else) at the edge of my seat....... taking short breathes...... hehehe

And around the 80th minute, i was hoping for Owen to come on..... and when he did, i told my friends that he would score.......... really SWEET when he poked in the winning goal. YEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

We are slowly looking like probable Champions again.... ole ole ole

Cheerz
AC

[richie_rich]

RAFT OF CHARGES TO FOLLOW MANCHESTER DERBY

The FA and Greater Manchester Police will be working overtime this week with the fall-out from Sunday's tempestuous derby at Old Trafford set to spark a raft of charges and formal complaints.

Craig Bellamy and Gary Neville are both expected to be called to account for their behaviour immediately after Michael Owen's injury-time winner while Manchester City are reportedly preparing to take their grievances with the game's officials to the governing body.

The police, meanwhile, have charged a 21-year-old man, Jake Joseph Clarke, with "going on to a playing area without lawful authority or excuse" and are still probing an incident at half-time when City substitute Javier Garrido was apparently struck by a coin thrown from the stands.

Although City's assistant manager Mark Bowen last night announced that the club will be taking no action against Bellamy after he was pictured striking Clarke, the FA are expected to charge the striker with violent conduct.

Neville could also be in hot water after he ran down the touchline towards the City supporters immediately after Owen had scored. It is not the first time that Neville has been accused of goading the opposition's supporters having been fined £5,000 and warned about his future conduct for taunting Liverpool fans in 2006. According to The Guardian, 'Several City supporters have contacted the FA to complain that he mouthed obscenities in their direction.'

Rather hilariously, Neville, an unused substitute for the match, cut short his celebrations to go through a series of warm-up exercises despite United already making all three of their allotted substitutions.

City may yet cite Neville's behaviour when they contest the outstanding charge of improper conduct hanging over the suspended Emmanuel Adebayor following his sprint towards the Arsenal supporters last week.

The Daily Mail reports that the club also remain so aggrieved with the amount of injury-time played on Sunday that the club have 'put together a dossier that questions whether Atkinson was right to play more than six minutes of stoppage time and so allow Owen to deny his side a share of the points'.

Nor do their grievances end there. The Sun says that City are so angry with the behaviour of fourth official Alan Wiley - 'City are furious with Wiley for shooing away boss Mark Hughes when he questioned where all the added time had come from only to cosy up and share a joke with Ferguson' - that they will launch a formal complaint against him.

[CKee]

Originally Posted by asiancigar

[I was (like everyone else) at the edge of my seat....... taking short breathes...... hehehe
We are slowly looking like probable Champions again.... ole ole ole[/COLOR][/B]

For sure it was a superb victory, pulsating game. Back then playing Man City would guarantee Man Utd 6 points in a season (sure eat one). Have watched Man City this season and they are remarkably stronger (Adebayor is playing with renewed vigour). It will be a great clash when both sides meet in the return game.

Thought that booing Tevez was unnecessary. He made impt contributions to United but I never thought that the suits would pay 30 plus mil pounds for him, having invested a similar amount for Berbatov earlier (more on him later). United and Tevez had an acrimonious parting but it was widely reported that Tevez was reluctant to leave old Trafford but there was no bid for his services. He gave his best in a United shirt and let's just wish him the best in his footballing career.

Berbatov - aiyoh! So frustrating. SOOOOO many people want him to do well and a striker is only as good as the goals he scores. No points for assist, fancy dribbles, etc. His KPI is to score and this is the bottom line. A striker is also remembered (for the right reasons) the goal/s he scored in the previous game. This is his make or break season. He will be shipped out if he can't score more than 15goals in the league this season. Well Berbatov has more than 20 plus league games to do so.

[alex18122003]

Papers: Reward for Owen

Owen set to face Wolves

Michael Owen is set to be rewarded for his injury-time winner against Manchester City on Sunday with a rare start for Manchester United in Wednesday's Carling Cup tie against Wolves. Owen, 29, settled the 152nd Manchester derby by scoring a goal six minutes into stoppage time to secure a 4-3 victory at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson has used Owen sparingly since his free-transfer arrival from Newcastle United in July, with the former Liverpool striker starting just one game for the club so far this season. But Ferguson is expected to make changes to his starting line-up as United begin their defence of the Carling Cup against Mick McCarthy's Wolves and Owen has been pencilled in to start alongside either Danny Welbeck or Federico Macheda.
Mark Ogden, Daily Telegraph

Unied's dramatic derby victory is again featured heavily in all the papers with the Telegraph claiming Gary Neville could be charged with improper conduct and issued with a one-game suspension for his celebrations near the City fans following Owen's winner. Craig Bellamy could be banned for three matches for violent conduct after confronting a fan who ran onto the pitch.

Meanwhile, United look set to escape a FIFA investigation into their attempted recruitment of Italian teenager Michele Fornasier following Fiorentina's failure to supply sufficient evidence to support their complaint.

Sir Alex attended Sir Bobby Robson's memorial service on Monday and paid the ultimate tribute to his great friend by identifying him as his inspiration

[richie_rich]

VAN DER SAR CONSIDERS FUTURE

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has revealed that he will make his mind up over his future in December.

The 38-year-old is currently on the sidelines nursing a hand injury but admits that the time to call it a day is getting ever closer.

However Van der Sar performed admirably last season as the Red Devils claimed their third straight Premier League crown leaving many to suggest that the shot-stopper could continue for years to come.

With Ben Foster challenging the Dutchman for the number one jersey at Old Trafford, despite a somewhat shaky start to the season, Van der Sar may opt to hang up his gloves while he is still at the top of his game.

"I've said for a few years that it sometimes may be my last season," he told Sportsweek.

"Six months before my contract with Manchester United ended in December 2006, we extended for one year and so far it has been the same every time.

"I wait each season to see how or where I stand, if everyone is happy and if I can get motivated.

"But I know, because I always get older, it is increasingly likely that this will be my last season.

"In December, it will be clear how it goes. By then, I'll have clarity. It is a horrible dilemma.

"On the one hand I do not oversleep, I feel as good as a few years ago."

[richie_rich]

Hargreaves steps closer to United return

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has taken another step towards recovery from his knee surgery, returning to the Red Devil's Carrington training ground to continue his rehabilitation.

The midfielder has suffered in recent years.

The England star has been plagued by a tendinitis problem that preceeded his £18million move from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2007.

Although Hargreaves did manage to get through his first season at Old Trafford, and play in the 2008 Champions League final victory over Chelsea, the problem surfaced once more at the start of last season and it was decided to send him for surgery.

Under the guidance of renowned Colorado knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman, who counts Ruud van Nistelrooy and Alan Shearer among the players he has helped recover from ruptured cruciate ligaments, Hargreaves had operations on both knees.

The Calgary-born player has remained in the United States for an extended period of rehabilitation ahead of his return to Manchester. he has been accompanied by the physios who have been working with him across the Atlantic, and they will now offer the United medical staff guidance on the best way to manage his recovery.

Sir Alex Ferguson is determined not to rush Hargreaves' return, knowing the player could be a very influential figure if he does eventually regain full fitness. However, he has been registered to play in the group stages of the Champions League, withthe United manager optimistic he will be fit to play a role by the end of November.

"Hargreaves [has been included] because, having taken the medical advice, we think he'll be available for the last three Champions League group-stage games," said Ferguson when naming his 25-man Champions League squad. "He's a versatile player who can perform in so many positions, so he could be a very important player for us at that time of the season."

[yinyang]

Concerns grow for Manchester United and England over Rio Ferdinand's fitness

Manchester United are becoming deeply concerned about Rio Ferdinand’s persistent injury problems, fears shared by England before the World Cup finals next summer.

The centre back has missed 30 of the past 52 matches involving United and England as nagging injuries take their toll on his body. Since April, he has started back-to-back competitive games on only two occasions.

He was an unused substitute last night as United overcame Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in a third-round Carling Cup tie despite having been reduced to ten men by the first-half dismissal of Fábio Da Silva for a professional foul.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, hinted at their mounting concerns last week when he said that Ferdinand has “one game back and picks up another injury when he really needs games”. The club are increasingly worried that the problems appear to be more frequent and pronounced as the player gets older.

Ferdinand, who turns 31 in November, has been hindered by a succession of calf, thigh and groin injuries over the past nine months, although they appear to be principally an offshoot of a back complaint that requires something close to micro-management.

The issue came to the fore during the Club World Cup in Japan last December, when Ferdinand suffered spasms in his lower back that ruled him out for more than five weeks, and he has rarely been pain-free since.

Ferdinand sees an osteopath three times a week and had a special fitness programme drawn up by United, which often involves him completing a full gym session by 9 o’clock most mornings.

In an interview with The Times in April, Ferdinand conceded that the back injury, in particular, was a growing worry, but said that he was prepared to be saddled with a limp in later life if it meant playing at the highest level for several more years.

“I’m a little bit concerned it might become more of a problem as I get older, but I don’t really like to think about it like that,” he said at the time. “I’m quite good at blocking pain out.”

Ferdinand’s importance to United was underlined by their decision to play him in the derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday, even though he was clearly unfit after missing five of the club’s opening seven games with a thigh injury.

United’s concerns are exacerbated by their other first-choice central defender, Nemanja Vidic, having to contend with a number of injuries in the past couple of seasons, while Jonny Evans has had an ankle problem since December and Wes Brown was missing for long periods last season and, more recently, has been sidelined by a thigh complaint.

Ferdinand has missed 23 of United’s past 43 games in all competitions, only one of which he was rested for. He has rarely been absent for long periods, but United’s concern centres on the Ferdinand-Vidic axis, the foundation for success over the past three seasons, being routinely broken up by niggling issues. Similarly, Fabio Capello is anxious about the disruption being caused to his first-choice defensive pairing of Ferdinand and John Terry with the World Cup finals in South Africa less than nine months away.

Ferdinand and Terry, the Chelsea defender, have partnered each other in only two of England’s past nine games, forcing Capello to experiment in the one area of his team that the manager hoped to leave untouched.

Ferguson hopes to have Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper, available for the league game at home to Sunderland on Saturday week. The Dutchman has been sidelined since the beginning of last month with a broken finger and bone in his left hand.

Source : The Times

[Green Smoke]

i think Van de Sar will think hard and long about his future,since he is no longer very young and Ben Foster has been performing quite well.

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON KEEPS FAITH IN BEN FOSTER

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Ben Foster will keep his place for Manchester United's clash at Stoke on Saturday despite a day to forget during the derby clash with Manchester City last weekend.

Tomasz Kuszczak had been tipped to step in for his first Premier League start of the season after he kept a clean sheet in the Carling Cup win over Wolves.

However, Ferguson has been quick to give Foster a public vote of confidence, insisting he will play at the Britannia Stadium.

"It was a good opportunity for Tomasz to play on Wednesday but Ben will play tomorrow," said the United boss.

"Ben has not had a lot of game experience but he will be OK."

Meanwhile, Ferguson confirmed he expects first-choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar to be out for another three weeks.

The veteran Dutchman suffered two broken fingers in a pre-season game against Bayern Munich in July and was immediately consigned to a couple of months on the sidelines.

Now Ferguson has revealed he does not expect Van der Sar to be back in action until after the next international break.

"We still feel he is three weeks away," confirmed the United boss, who reported no new injuries following his side's last two games.

[machoman]

Fergie hails Giggs as United go top

Sunday, September 27, 2009, 09:50:50 HRS

Manchester United's player Ryan Giggs (C) threads a pass through Stoke City players during their English Premier League football match at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent. Giggs inspired Manchester United as the Premier League champions secured a 2-0 victory over Stoke

Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Ryan Giggs for the inspiration he provided in the 2-0 defeat of Stoke which sent Manchester United to the Premier League summit for the first time this season.

United manager Ferguson believes Welsh midfielder Giggs will play a crucial role in the champions' attempt to retain the English title this season after another decisive display in Saturday's win at the Britannia Stadium.

Giggs already has 11 Premier League winners medals to his collection, but the 35-year-old showed he is still razor-sharp in body and mind as he produced a 20-minute period of mayhem, after replacing Portuguese international Nani, that secured a seventh straight victory for United in all competitions.

He will be 36 in November and benefitted from being given some rest after his excursions in the Manchester derby last Sunday, before emerging to set up goals for Dimitar Berbatov and John O'Shea, on the Irish international's 350th appearance for the club.

"Ryan is just so important to us as a player and he is so intelligent," Ferguson said. "It was marvellous movement from Ryan for the first goal and an excellent ball to Dimitar.

"He had had a difficult game the previous weekend, because he used up so much energy and put so much into his performance.

"I thought it was best to have him on the substitutes bench, but he just gives us something else when he is in the team."

Chelsea only just scraped past Stoke with a stoppage time winner earlier this month, so the comfortable nature of the victory encouraged Ferguson as he leap-frogged over his main rivals for the title this season.

Victory at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day last year was the time Ferguson feels set United on the way to their title success and although this is much earlier, the Scot is delighted to be back at the top of the table, where he feels his club belongs.

"Winning here last season set us on our way and I thought we showed great composure in possession. Chelsea have lost (against Wigan), so this was a good three points for us. I just wish I was saying that in May, not September," Ferguson said.

Manchester United's striker Dimitar Berbatov (C) shoots during their English Premier League football match against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent. Manchester United won 2-0.

The only low point for the United manager was Stoke's attempt to get Paul Scholes sent off in the second half, for handball, after he had earlier been booked for a clumsy tackle on Liam Lawrence.

Referee Howard Webb resisted the demands from Stoke players to the relief of the United boss.

"I didn't think it was handball against Scholes. It would have been an injustice if he had been sent off. He made two tackles in the whole game and gets booked. It's unbelievable. He is an easy target for referees," Ferguson added.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis refused to apologise for his side's negative approach, after utlising nine players behind the ball for long periods and operating with a solitary striker in Dave Kitson.

He claimed that Turkish international Tuncay and James Beattie were not fully fit, even though both players were introduced late in the game in a bid to salvage something after Berbatov's goal.

"Some days you lose and you just have to admit the better team won. Sir Alex and his players deserve all the plaudits. We were not negative, we just got pushed back by a very good team," he said.

"I don't know why, but we were a little bit flat and when you play against the top teams every one has to be right up for it. Giggs and Scholes are not great to watch when they are beating your team, but they are magnificent.

"Scholes was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and I don't think too many teams have come here and been so comfortable against us."

-AFP

[asiancigar]

But the biggest and sweetest story of yesterday must surely be that Chelski 'puak toh' and got whacked by Wigan........ wahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Cheerz
AC

and hor........ Next match will see Liverpool play host to a very angry Chelski....... hehehe

[dc7176]

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis was left in awe of Manchester United's veteran pair Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes after their defeat yesterday.

Pulis had warm words for Giggs but reserved the best for Scholes, who he also claimed should not have been sent off.

"They are both great players but Scholes was magnificent," he said.

"He was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. Then Giggs makes the two goals.

"You can only respect and admire them. They are absolutely fantastic players."

We should simply clone giggs n schole!! the 2 r the best!!