Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by JWNY

Man U fought till the last day

Croc tears

[richie_rich]

What Went Right?

Wayne Rooney went very, very right until his ankle went very wrong, while Own Goals also had a brilliant season - getting well into double figures. Defensively, United were excellent despite a catalogue of injuries that saw Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher retreat into the back four, while Paul Scholes had the kind of season few would have predicted this time last year and Luis Valencia proved to be an excellent if expensive buy. The League Cup brought some silverware and one of three late wins over Manchester City that kept the noisy neighbours quiet for one more season.

What Went Wrong?

The natives in green and yellow got more and more restless, and were not placated by events on the pitch - defeat at Burnley was an ultimately-costly low, defeat against Leeds was just plain embarrassing, two defeats at the hands of Chelsea gave them an uphill task in the Premier League and complacency against a limited Bayern Munich side cost them a Champions League charge. Without Rooney they struggled and failure to score at Blackburn is the easiest place to look for the two points that would have won them the league. Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick both struggled for form while Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand continually struggled for fitness. That they eventually came so close to winning the title is astonishing in the circumstances.

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON: WE`LL RAISE THE BAR AGAIN

Sir Alex Ferguson has thrown down the gauntlet to Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea by vowing: "We'll be back".

Manchester United lost this season's title by one point to the Blues, who could go on to complete the domestic double if they overcome Portsmouth in Saturday's FA Cup final.

Ferguson has only the Carling Cup to show for his efforts this term, but he is ready to go all out to wrest the championship back from Stamford Bridge and chalk up a record 19th title for the Red Devils.

"It was a disappointment but you can agonise over these things and I'm experienced to know you can't win them all," said Ferguson.

"What you try to do is recover from every defeat and try to regain the upper hand next season.

"It's a challenge. A few years ago it was Arsenal, then it was Chelsea, and each time we've managed to raise the bar at our football club - and that is exactly what we are going to do next year."

Ferguson is showing no signs of slowing down at the age of 68 and is as motivated as ever to bring more silverware to Old Trafford.

"I'm at the right club," he added.

"It's easy to be motivated at Manchester United simply because of the great players we've had over the years.

"Also what drives me on is expectation. In the modern world, once you achieve some success, the next step is to deal with the expectation and it's very difficult.

"But it's a challenge and if you don't want that challenge you won't survive. And I've always accepted the challenge."

[A Red Devils]

Manchester United player ratings

With another term coming to end, and a summer holiday dominated by the World Cup fast approaching, it seems an appropriate time to deliver those all-important report cards for the Premier League elite.

So which players excelled themselves, and which were left fearing the hairdryer treatment on a weekly basis? Soccernet's team of writers deliver their marks out of ten.

Wayne Rooney - 9.5. Apart from getting injured at a rather inconvenient moment, he could do no wrong. Scored 34 goals and, at times, seemed more significant than that haul indicated. Led the line with bullish determination, sometimes without sufficient support, and became the talisman of the side. Nothing symbolised his new-found ruthlessness quite like his return in the air, scoring more headed goals in a month than he had in the rest of his career. It was a brilliant response to the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Patrice Evra - 8. One error in the Allianz Arena, leading to Ivica Olic's goal, aside, he had an almost flawless campaign. Evra's consistency goes unremarked these days; it is simply taken for granted. It extended, vitally, to his fitness in a season when all other defenders fell by the wayside. It was a sign of the Frenchman's status at Old Trafford that he captained United at times, including in the Carling Cup final.

Darren Fletcher - 8. The most improved player in the Premier League last season merely maintained his standards. But that, in turn, elevated his reputation; last year was no one-off. Influential displays against Arsenal, Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool cemented his standing as a big-game player.

Paul Scholes - 8. To think that Sir Alex Ferguson had to talk him out of retirement. Scholes had a superlative second half of the season, delivering crucial goals - two against Manchester City alone - and showing that few can pass the ball with such accuracy or penetration. He still can't tackle, but he still can play.

Antonio Valencia - 7.5. An encouraging first year at Old Trafford. Ignore the obvious Ronaldo comparisons and Valencia showed himself to be a highly accomplished right winger. Sheer speed, accurate delivery and considerable consistency made him a fine signing.

Nani - 7.5. Initially a cause of exasperation and then one of encouragement. He began badly, vanished, seemingly for good, mid-season and returned to finish the year terrifically well. Vital end-of-season goals, against Tottenham and Sunderland, and some hugely impressive displays in crucial games against Arsenal and Bayern Munich suggested a player finally turning potential into potent performances.

Ryan Giggs - 7. He still has the turn of pace and influence of a younger man. Started the season well, with a trio of outstanding displays against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City, and, after a mid-season dip in form, ended it excellently; witness the nerveless penalties against Spurs. Like Paul Scholes, certainly merits his new one-year deal.

Edwin van der Sar - 7. His appearances were limited by injury and his wife's illness, but Van der Sar's 21 games brought 12 clean sheets, some fine saves and the reminder that he is a marked improvement on Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster. Turns 40 this year, but there were few signs of decline.

Nemanja Vidic - 6.5. The United Players' Player of the Year in 2009 couldn't retain his title. Vidic was uncharacteristically uncertain in autumn, picking up his now habitual red card against Fernando Torres, and was among the umpteen absentees in December. But the final ten weeks of the campaign brought a return to his redoubtable best.

Jonny Evans - 6. Reasonable rather than remarkable. He didn't have the impact of the previous campaign but being Rio Ferdinand's deputy seems a guarantee of fairly regular first-team football. A new contract means he should be United's future, but Evans doesn't always impose himself now and tends to look more comfortable with Nemanja Vidic alongside him.

Darron Gibson - 6. Featured more often, but not quite a breakthrough year. Five goals from 12 starts is testament to Gibson's shooting power, but even with Owen Hargreaves missing for all bar 36 seconds of the season and Anderson often unavailable, he didn't force himself into the starting XI too often. And when he did, he was often back on the bench soon.

Gary Neville - 6. Fared better than many feared against Ronaldinho and Craig Bellamy but his supposed renaissance was rather exaggerated, as Florent Malouda showed, and some of Sir Alex Ferguson's more flowing tributes rather unnecessary. But with John O'Shea and Wes Brown often injured, he figured more than might have been predicted and probably deserved a new contract. Just.

Wes Brown - 5.5. A frustrating, stop-start season which, like many in his career, was disrupted by injuries. Called "the best natural defender in the country" by Sir Alex Ferguson, he is nonetheless the fourth-choice centre back and, seemingly, in a four-horse race for the right back spot.

John O'Shea - 5.5. Captained United in their opening league game against Birmingham but, in another unusual development, sat out most of the season. The thigh injury incurred on international duty in November was the most serious of his United career. A first choice last season, it may have reduced him to the rank of odd-job man again.

Park Ji-sung - 5.5. The scorer of United's final goal of the season, the South Korean's only other strikes came in the marquee games against Arsenal, AC Milan and Liverpool. It marked a golden two-month spell in an otherwise undistinguished campaign for a player who reiterated his usefulness on the big stage but, by being ineffectual at the start and end of the year, was still overtaken by Nani and Antonio Valencia.

Dimitar Berbatov - 5. The great enigma managed some delightful touches and a goal every other league start, but failed to score in Europe or against a side in the top seven. Consigned to the bench against most of the more demanding opponents and selected from the start against the lesser sides, he remains more of a problem than a solution.

Rafael da Silva - 5. A year that will probably be remembered for his red card against Bayern Munich. Like the dismissal, that is a shame for Rafael, whose sense of adventure means he can offer much, but a greater sense of judgment is required.

Rio Ferdinand - 5. Chronic back and calf problems limited him to just 12 league starts but, in an awful autumn, his form was as much of a concern as his fitness. Got the England captaincy by default, but the last couple of months have shown glimpses why he and Nemanja Vidic came to be regarded as the finest defensive partnership in the Premier League.

Michael Owen - 5. A season of three highs - against Manchester City, Wolfsburg and Aston Villa - in an otherwise demoralising campaign, where excellent finishes were sandwiched by mediocrity and anonymity. The fact he started so few league games - just five - told a tale in itself. Only really looks a back-up now.

Anderson 4.5. It can be easy to forget Anderson ended last season as an integral part of the midfield. This year has contained a cruciate knee ligament injury, a reported falling-out with Sir Alex Ferguson and too few influential displays. A belated first United goal, at Tottenham, may be the only highlight.

Michael Carrick - 4.5. Started slowly, as has become his tradition, but ended terribly, which has not. Obviously lost Sir Alex Ferguson's trust as well as his place after erring in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Never seemed more important than when he was bringing a stately elegance to his time as an emergency centre back, but seems to have regressed as a midfielder.

Ben Foster - 3. An abject year. He could have been first choice for Manchester United and England; instead, Foster ranks well behind Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak at Old Trafford now after he made a series of mistakes in his run in the team. Will leave this summer.

[richie_rich]

BEN FOSTER SET FOR BLUES MOVE

Ben Foster is expected to complete a £6million move from Manchester United to Birmingham later today.

A fee was agreed between the two clubs last week and Foster is expected this morning for a medical that will seal his Old Trafford exit.

Although he began last term with high hopes of ousting Edwin van der Sar from his status as United's first-choice keeper, Foster's chance disappeared with high-profile mistakes against Manchester City and Sunderland during a two-month period at the start of the campaign when the veteran Dutchman was missing through injury.

Despite these blunders, Foster was handed successive England starts, against Belarus and Brazil, leading to an expectation he would claim a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.

Instead, Ferguson kept him on the sidelines for almost the entire remainder of the season, meaning the 27-year-old was not one of the men in Capello's provisional squad when he named it last week.

After five years at United, two of which were spent on loan at Watford, Foster had accepted there was no future for him at the club, especially as Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded Van der Sar to sign another year's contract extension.

As Birmingham needed a keeper once Joe Hart returned to Manchester City following his season-long loan, Blues boss Alex McLeish wasted no time in stepping in to make Foster his first signing of the summer.

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON UNLIKELY TO SPEND BIG

Sir Alex Ferguson may add just one more player to his Manchester United squad this summer as he plots to regain the Barclays Premier League title from Chelsea.

United chief executive David Gill has indicated funds are available to his manager to spend this summer, but Ferguson revealed he is happy with the balance of his squad, which finished a point behind Chelsea in the title race.

The United manager has already signed rising Mexican star Javier Hernandez from Guadalajara and defender Chris Smalling from Fulham, and a raft of new faces had been expected to follow.

But Ferguson will place his trust his existing squad and his latest crop of youth and reserve players if he is unable to pinpoint any new signings.

Speaking alongside Gill at a press conference in New York to promote United's four-game North American tour this summer, Ferguson said: "In the market today it's very, very difficult and the structure of our squad is good in terms of ages, the balance, the numbers and there's a lot of good young players.

"Sometimes you have to trust in all the development of the last few years and I'm going to stick with that, or most of it.

"There may be one signing and maybe we'd like to get a good player to the club, of course, but it's not easy in the present day climate and I've nothing definite to tell you because we're still assessing whoever's available and the difficulties in terms of who you'd bring in."

Gill added: "Hernandez and Smalling are signings we've already made and the other point to bear in mind is that the Premier League is bringing in squad limits next year of 25, which we clearly operate [in European competitions] but is now coming to the Premier League.

"There will be unlimited under-21s and other rules and we'll be taking all that into consideration."

To that end, Ferguson also revealed he would not be replacing goalkeeper Ben Foster with a new signing, instead promoting England Under-21 international Ben Amos to the first-team squad alongside Edwin Van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

Foster is close to completing a £6million move to Birmingham and the United manager is confident 20-year-old Amos has a bright future at Old Trafford.

"When we decided to let Ben (Foster) go, we were in the process of letting a good young goalkeeper, Ben Amos, go out on loan," Ferguson said.

"He's in the England Under-21 team but we can only accommodate three goalkeepers. So when the situation with Ben's future at Manchester United came into it and we agreed to let him go, we stopped Ben Amos from going on loan.

"He will now be our third goalkeeper, he's very talented and has a good future ahead of him."

All three keepers are likely to travel across the Atlantic with the United squad this summer.

The club will have a training camp in Chicago followed by friendlies against Celtic in Toronto on July 16, the Philadelphia Union in Philadelphia on July 21, the Kansas City Wizards in Kansas four days later, and the MLS All-Stars in Houston on July 28.

Ferguson will give his World Cup players leave of absence from the tour, which will move on to Mexico and a game against Guadalajara, which was agreed as part of the deal to sign 21-year-old forward Hernandez.

Depending on Mexico's progress in South Africa, Hernandez is pencilled in to feature in the game.

Ferguson added: "It depends when his last game is for Mexico.

"Normally we give the players 28 days' rest but in the case of Hernandez we'll bring him to Philadelphia as soon as his games with Mexico are finished.

"The simple reason is he's young and I think he can handle coming in for training but, more importantly, it's for him to integrate into the squad because he doesn't know any of the players."

[richie_rich]

RED KNIGHTS STILL INTERESTED IN UNITED

The Red Knights are continuing to work towards lodging a bid for Manchester United despite reports of rifts emerging within the group attempting to oust the Glazer family.

Getting in excess of 40 wealthy individuals to not only put their money to such an ambitious project, but also agree a unified plan of attack was always likely to be fraught with difficulty.

Led by leading investment banker and former United director Jim O'Neill, the Red Knights have been inching towards lodging a formal bid for the Old Trafford outfit, which had been anticipated prior to the World Cup's opening game on June 11.

Suggestions that the whole scheme is doomed to failure have wrong-footed some senior figures within the Red Knights, who have privately claimed that the past fortnight has been quite a productive period for the group.

There have been problems to overcome, not least the volcanic ash cloud that delayed crucial meetings, but there remains an optimism the bid will eventually arrive, even if the Red Knights are eager not to constrain themselves to a timescale.

"Talks have been going better than ever and are progressing very positively," confirmed a Red Knights source.

However, even if the attempt to dampen down the impact of the latest gloomy reports succeeds, it does not tackle the fundamental point, namely that the Glazers have repeatedly insisted they are not interested in a sale.

The Red Knights had hoped the sheer scale of the visual green and gold protest against the club's owners, allied to a call not to renew season tickets, would nudge the Glazers in the direction of selling the club, which is now saddled with debts in excess of £700million.

Yet there is no actual sign this is the case.

On the contrary, in announcing another sponsorship deal earlier this week, United were able to trumpet a turnover in excess of £200million from their London-based commercial arm alone.

As chief executive David Gill confirmed earlier this week that sales of season tickets were in line with previous years, it is hard to see why the Glazers would sell at this stage, having only just gone through the process of raising £500million through a controversial bond issue, the small print of which caused such a stir.

[asiancigar]

I sincerely hope that we buy a few good players..... Lord knows we need to freshen up our team.... sigh

Cheerz
AC

[CKee]

Originally Posted by asiancigar

I sincerely hope that we buy a few good players..... Lord knows we need to freshen up our team.... sigh

Cheerz
AC

Spot on AC. IMO, these positions need replacements :

1. Goalkeeper - a certain Foster chap never quite fulfilled his potential

2. Central defender - Rio has a crocked back and can't last the pace. Woe to the heart of defence if Vidic decides to play in warmer climes

3. Right back

4. Creative midfield - we have too many defensive players in this area. Anderson is still fat, Carrick needs some kick up the arse (thot he played well 2 seasons ago but in the just concluded one, he just lost it), Park (still too lightweight), Hargreaves if he ever returns is a more aggressive Scholes but can at least get his tackles right

5. Out and out striker - what they call a predator in the box.

Holy SXXX! We need an overhaul and must acquire at least 5 players!!

[richie_rich]

Originally Posted by CKee

Spot on AC. IMO, these positions need replacements :

1. Goalkeeper - a certain Foster chap never quite fulfilled his potential

2. Central defender - Rio has a crocked back and can't last the pace. Woe to the heart of defence if Vidic decides to play in warmer climes

3. Right back

4. Creative midfield - we have too many defensive players in this area. Anderson is still fat, Carrick needs some kick up the arse (thot he played well 2 seasons ago but in the just concluded one, he just lost it), Park (still too lightweight), Hargreaves if he ever returns is a more aggressive Scholes but can at least get his tackles right

5. Out and out striker - what they call a predator in the box.

Holy SXXX! We need an overhaul and must acquire at least 5 players!!

Transfer rumours :

1. Goalkeeper : None in. VDS just signed a one-year extension. Kuszczak is now the recognised deputy after Foster signed for Birminham. SAF has promoted Eng U21 Keeper Ben Amos to the 1st team.

2. Central defender : More cover for the injury prone Ferdinand. Everton's Jack Rodwell is on SAF's radar. But United has also just signed Chris Smalling. And we already have Johnny Evans. So the move for Rodwell also seems unlikely at the moment.

3. Right back : Rafael was doing well at right back (his sending-off vs Bayern notwithstanding) covering for the Neviller. My bet is that he will be 1st choice RB next season with Wes Brown and even Owen Hargreaves providing the cover.

4. Creative midfield : This is one spot which United can improve upon. Oldies Scholes and Giggs can only do so much with their ageing legs. Anderson had a disappointing season. Rumours is that he could be shipped out to Benfica in a part exchange with their exciting winger Angel Di Maria.

5. Out and out Striker : Rooney has called on United to buy another striker. Berbatov did not live up to his huge price tag in his 2 seasons at OT. He could be sold to raise funds for a move for Karim Benzema. If this move happens, our firepower for next season reads as this Rooney, Benzema, Hernandez, Macheda, Owen and Diouf. Not bad, not bad at all.

having said all that, rumours has it that chelski and madrid are offering 80m pounds for Torres. that amount was what united got for Ronaldo last year. shouldn't SAF try to lure Torres to OT as well? i read that Torres has declared that he would never join United. but never say never. food for thought bros.

[machoman]

Manchester United Hope to Complete Tempting £28m Player Plus Cash Swap: Ferguson Ready to Offer Flop for Edin Dzeko

Bundesliga - Wolfsburg vs Bremen

Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping to tempt Bundesliga side Wolfsburg into selling Edin Dzeko to Manchester United by offering flop Dimitar Berbatov as part of an exchange deal. The Old Trafford boss is looking to bring in new attacking talent but knows that given the financial problems the club is going through that getting a significant cash injection could be tricky, hence the addition of the Bulgarian international as part of any deal.

Berbatov was of course a big success in his Bundesliga days where he managed 90 goals in 200 appearances whilst at Bayer Leverkusen, the form that helped the forward seal a move to Tottenham. After two decidedly average seasons at Man United it appears that Ferguson has run out of patience with the 29 year old and is looking to sign an alternative partner for England man Wayne Rooney.

Wolfsburg are resigned to losing Edin Dzeko who has completed a successful season whilst his side have struggled to live up to their title winning heroics the season before last. The 24 year old has been linked with a move to many of Europe’s elite, including most prominently AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Ferguson hopes that a deal that would include Berbatov and cash on top would entice Dzeko’s employers into accepting an offer for their prized asset.

[richie_rich]

United's transfer news :

Ins: Javier Hernandez (£7million from C.D. Guadalajara), Chris Smalling (£10million from Fulham).

Outs: Ben Foster (£6million to Birmingham).

Rumoured: Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg), Mikel Arteta (Everton), James Milner (Aston Villa), Jack Rodwell (Everton), Luka Modric (Spurs), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid).

[machoman]

United head to America without a host of stars
Monday, July 12, 2010, 19:52:25 HRS

Manchester United jetted off to America for their pre-season tour on Monday with a host of star names missing from Alex Ferguson's squad including Gary Neville, seen here in 2009.

Manchester United jetted off to America for their pre-season tour on Monday with a host of star names missing from Alex Ferguson's squad.

Ferguson is without club captain Gary Neville due to a calf problem, while Rio Ferdinand is still sidelined with the knee injury he suffered just before the World Cup.

Michael Owen is unavailable as he recovers from a hamstring injury and midfielders Antonio Valencia and Anderson are also ruled out with ankle and knee problems respectively.

Owen Hargreaves, who has been hampered by a series of knee problems and will miss the start of the season after suffering a new injury setback, completes the list of Ferguson's walking wounded.

Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic are left at home to recover after playing in the World Cup.

However, United fans in America will get a first glimpse of new signings Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez.

Smalling has completed his move to Old Trafford from Fulham after orginally agreeing the 10 million pounds transfer last season.

Mexican striker Hernandez will feature later in the tour against his former club Chivas after being granted time off after the World Cup.

Portugal forward Nani is also available despite missing the World Cup due to a broken collarbone.

United play Celtic in Toronto on Friday before taking on Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21, the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium on July 25 and the MLS All-Stars in Houston on July 28.

They then travel to Guadalajara to play Chivas and United midfielder Darren Fletcher is looking forward to the experience.

"It's a great tour in America," Fletcher told MUTV. "We've not been there in a while. And although three weeks is going to be a long time to be away, there'll be some good games.

"Personally, playing against Celtic will be interesting as I'll be up against a few of my Scottish team-mates. But I'm looking forward to it all really.

"Pre-season is important business in terms of getting fit for the start of the season, but there will be some time for relaxation, which the lads will enjoy.

"There won't be thousands of fans outside the hotel so maybe the lads will be able to get into the cities and wander about and take in a few sights."

- AFP

[asiancigar]

To my fellow die-hard United Fans...... personally, i am not looking forward to the new season like i have been doing so over the past 30 years.

Here are the bare Facts:

1. We are Bankrupt as a club with zero in our war chest to buy new exciting players

2. The circus owners & ring master > GLAZE & GrILL idiots have successfully ruin the club in just these few short years. And if any of you dare say that the GLAZE & GrILL idiots are good... blah blah blah. United were already Champions before the American blood suckers came in..... and with a healthy war chest to boot. Now all we have is a vault full of IOUs and promissory notes.

3. SAF is trying to realize an impossible dream with the current team that we have..... old guards (Neville, Scholes, Giggs, Rio, VDS, Oshea, Berbatov) and players who are perpetually injured (Hargreaves, MO).

4. We have lost the edge of striking "fear" in other teams..... we have become too predictable with the same old players using the same old tactics. One Wayne Rooney does not make a Championship team.

IMHO:

- We will only be fighting for 3rd or 4th position..... losing out to the likes of ManC and Spurs

- We will not even get into the second round of CL

- We will be without Silverware

Sad but really even the great SAF CANNOT do much..... the mind & spirit may be determined but alas, for as long as the GLAZE & GrILL idiots are in control.... we can only hope that they do not altogether destroy the history, dignity and glory of our beloved United.

Cheerz
AC

[yinyang]

AC (and rest here): Keep the faith, Simply Red (devils)