Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[richie_rich]

RIO FERDINAND SET FOR MAN UTD RETURN

Rio Ferdinand could make his first competitive appearance of the season for Manchester United at Tottenham on Saturday.

The England defender has been out since the Community Shield with a thigh injury but has been in training this week.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Rio has been in training this week and has a got a chance for Tottenham, I'm not sure how big a chance but he has got a chance."

John O'Shea is almost certain to be missing after suffering a calf injury on duty with the Republic of Ireland. But Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni's worries that the defender could be ruled out for a couple of months seem to be unwarranted.

Despite it being international week, Ferguson has had an impressive selection of senior players to work with in training.

"We've had a good number of players training here - Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Anderson, Park Ji-Sung and also young Fabio and Michael Owen.

"If the worst came to the worst we would have a reasonable group of players fit."

Tottenham have won four games out of four and are just above United in the Premier League table, behind Chelsea on goal difference.

Ferguson added: "I watched a couple of videos yesterday and they will be a handful for us.

"They have had a good start and Harry has brought in a few of his own type of players, players he's familiar with such as Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and now Niko Kranjcar as well."

Meanwhile, the United manager said the two-match ban given to Arsenal striker Eduardo for diving had opened a debate on an issue as "100 players" could also have been banned for the same thing.

Europe's top club coaches including Ferguson and Arsene Wenger met in Switzerland last week and all agreed that action was needed to cut down on diving.

Ferguson added: "UEFA took a stance with Eduardo and they punished him for the two games and that opened a debate about punishing players when you could punish 100 players.

"We all recognise it's an unhealthy part of the game, all the coaches agreed with that, it's how you stop it.

"Educating the players is one way and we spoke about that and also punishments - but that's not down to the coaches that's down to the authorities and the governing bodies of each country."

[machoman]

10-man United burst Tottenham's bubble

Sunday, September 13, 2009, 02:50:37 HRS

Manchester United's midfielder Ryan Giggs (R) runs at Tottenham Hotspur's defender Ledley King during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane in London. Manchester United won 3-1.

Ryan Giggs inspired a stirring recovery for Manchester United as they demolished Tottenham's perfect start to the season with a 3-1 triumph at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Giggs struck home a glorious 20-yard free-kick to maintain his proud record of having scored in every Premier League season and cancel out Jermain Defoe's superb early goal for the in-form hosts.

Anderson put United ahead with his own long-range finish just before half-time and, despite seeing Paul Scholes sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence, United kept their composure and wrapped up an impressive triumph thanks to Wayne Rooney's late third.

This was an ominous statement of intent from the reigning champions, whose demise in the absence of the departed Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have been grossly exaggerated.

United are used to defeating Tottenham - they are now unbeaten against the north Londoners in 16 games - but given they began the afternoon peering up at their hosts in the Premier League table, this was a notable victory, and all the more so since it was achieved in adversity.

Lesser sides would have buckled after falling behind after just 47 seconds, when Wilson Palacios won a 50-50 tackle against Darren Fletcher with a thunderous tackle and Benoit Assou-Ekotto dinked a looping cross towards the back post.

Nemanja Vidic, under pressure from Peter Crouch, could only head straight into the air and Defoe flung himself skywards to meet the dropping ball with an exquisite overhead volley that flashed past Ben Foster.

It was a blistering start and Spurs could have added to their advantage in a turbo-charged first 20 minutes, with Crouch seeing a flashing volley saved and then zipping an enticing cross along the six-yard box which only just eluded Palacios.

But, for all Spurs' early sizzle, United never lost their composure.

Instead, they bided their time and, when Palacios' clumsy foul on Dimitar Berbatov gave them a free-kick on edge of the area, they seized their chance, Giggs sweeping a sublime shot into the top right-hand corner.

Suddenly, the game's momentum shifted. Spurs, having dominated midfield with snappy passing and snarling tackles, were on the run and struggling to contain the swarm of red shirts pouring into their penalty area.

The hosts somehow survived in the 32nd minute, when Rooney's initial shot was saved by Carlo Cudicini and Berbatov's two follow-up efforts were blocked on the goal-line by Sebastien Bassong and blazed over respectively.

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov (R) is challenged by Tottenham Hotspur's defender Sebastien Bassong during their English Premier League football match at White Hart Lane in north London. Manchester United won 3-1.

But their luck did not hold. Five minutes before half-time, Scholes' innocuous shot was only half-cleared by Ledley King and Anderson, scooping up the loose ball, arrowed a low drive into the bottom corner.

Spurs needed the interval to clear their heads, but they re-emerged with greater purpose.

Vidic produced a superb block to deny Robbie Keane from close range and Foster saved brilliantly from Jermaine Jenas' 20-yard shot.

Crouch then smacked the crossbar with a header from the resulting corner as United were driven back into their own half and their task was made even harder when Scholes, having already been booked for a poor challenge on Defoe, was shown a second yellow card for clattering Tom Huddlestone.

Spurs doubtless sensed a chance to mount their own fight-back but their hopes were snuffed out in the 78th minute when Rooney jinked inside Alan Hutton and slid a shot between Carlo Cudicini's legs.

- AFP

[terror03]

Good performance by the Champions, beating Spurs on their home ground with only 10 men.
Congrats to the performance.

[asiancigar]

Yes admittedly....... last night saw a glimpse and glimmer of hope that our beloved Champions are able to play some decent football against a team in top form and all this despite the fact that we were down to 10 men.

Our old guards were magnificant..... Giggs, Scholes & Rio.
Berbi, Anderson & Fletcher were awesome
and
Evra, Vidic and Wayner were outstanding.....

We simple made Spurs look ordinary...

Cheerz
AC

[CKee]

[QUOTE=asiancigar;4102125][COLOR="Blue"][B][SIZE="2"]Yes admittedly....... last night saw a glimpse and glimmer of hope that our beloved Champions are able to play some decent football against a team in top form and all this despite the fact that we were down to 10 men.
QUOTE]

After the 1st goal, Defoe simply faded...with his rep as a speedster, Lennon was also not in the game, ditto Keane.

No fighting spirit from Spurs and there were so many misplaced passes. Dun need a full team of 11 to play against Spurs

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON ADVISES PATIENCE FOR OWEN

Sir Alex Ferguson has urged Michael Owen to be patient in his quest for a starting spot at Manchester United.

Ferguson caused a major summer shock when he snapped Owen up on a free transfer.

The deal immediately started talk of the former Liverpool front man forcing his way into Fabio Capello's World Cup plans, suggestions that gathered pace when Owen ended up top scorer on the Red Devils' Far East tour.

Since then, though, opportunities to impress have dried up.

Owen has started just one Barclays Premier League game - the defeat at Burnley - and scored one goal, in the demolition of Wigan at the DW Stadium three days later.

It seems unlikely he will play in Istanbul tonight either as United open their bid to reach a third successive Champions League final when they take on Besiktas.

"Michael hasn't been involved, and I've explained that to him," said Ferguson.

"The season hasn't really started - and because of the internationals we haven't been playing Saturday and Wednesday, as we normally would.

"So Michael doesn't really come into the equation, because we're still trying to get the blend between Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov."

With Cristiano Ronaldo sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80million, there were some doubts about Rooney's ability to fill the gap.

Such questions are no longer being asked, the England star on target once again at the weekend as United brushed aside Tottenham.

"Wayne has started well with his scoring," said Ferguson.

"We need a couple of players to get us more than 20 goals this season.

"Wayne always wants to score goals. He just needs consistency.

"He scores in bunches of sixes and sevens, then goes quiet for a few weeks. We just need that consistency of goals, like we used to get from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole."

The win at Spurs appeared to be a signal United would prosper without Ronaldo.

Yet some continue to claim otherwise, a stance Ferguson finds difficult to understand.

"Some guy at the weekend said this was the worst United team in years," he said.

"That was a beauty. Maybe it is. Maybe we'll only win the league."

[machoman]

Winning start for Man United overshadowed by laser row

Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 09:00:24 HRS

Paul Scholes of Manchester United celebrates his goal against Besiktas during their Champions League Group B match in Istanbul. Manchester won 1-0.

Manchester United got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start, despite the efforts of a fan who targeted Sir Alex Ferguson's players with a laser.

After watching Paul Scholes head in a late winner against Turkish champions Besiktas, Ferguson confirmed that centreback Jonny Evans had been among United players targetted.

"It was in the first half, although thankfully the police did something about it," Ferguson said. "They managed to get the culprit, which is good because I noticed it particularly on Jonny Evans. It seemed to be on him all the time."

A game of few chances was settled by the 77th-minute strike from Scholes, the midfielder heading in the rebound after Besiktas goalkeeper, Hakan Arikan, had beaten out a shot from Portugal winger Nani.

It was a far from vintage performance from last season's runners-up but Ferguson declared himself satisfied with a job well done.

"Over the years, Paul Scholes has got a lot of goals like that for us and it is a very important goal for us," he said.

"It is a fantastic atmosphere here and that's a test of your concentration and your nerve, so this is a good result for us."

The Scot added: "Nani was a bit unlucky not to score himself but Paul Scholes did what he does best. It was a typical Paul Scholes goal."

Much of United's good work, including the build-up to the goal, involved new signing Antonio Valencia and the former Wigan winger's display on his Champions League debut won praise from his manager.

"Antonio was always a threat," said Ferguson. "He got to the byline so many times and really we should have done better. He has got the potential to be a really good player. He is powerful and strong, with a lot of enthusiasm.

Mert Nobre (right) of Besiktas vies with Anderson of Manchester United during their Champions League Group B match at Inonu stadium in Istanbul. Manchester won 1-0.

"He is very quick, with good balance and in a year's time he will have developed more parts of his game."

Ferguson shrugged off Wayne Rooney's petulant reaction to being substituted just after the hour mark.

"It was always part of our thoughts to bring Wayne off," Ferguson said. "He had been playing as the lone striker for an hour, which is why he was always going to come off.

"He is never pleased to come off. He has so much energy he wants to play all the time."

Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli admitted United's late strike had been a painful blow. "To concede so late after putting in so much effort is quite demoralising," he said.

United were without Rio Ferdinand. The England defender ruled out by a groin strain having only just returned to the first team following a month out with a calf problem and Ferguson admitted he was a doubt for the Manchester derby at the weekend.

The likes of Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs were also rested while Dimitar Berbatov had to settle for a place on the bench.

With neither side having created anything in the way of clear chances, the passing of the hour mark saw Berbatov introduced into the fray along with Michael Owen, whose last appearance in the Champions League was as a Real Madrid player, four-and-a-half years ago.

Owen's entry might have been spectacular with only an errant offside flag denying him the opportunity to demonstrate his finishing skills in a one-on-one with Arikan after Berbatov's flick had sent him clear of the Besiktas back four.

The Turkish side responded with Mert Nobre heading a good chance just wide but United immediately moved upfield to finally claim the lead.

Having combined with Owen, Valencia found enough space to pick out Nani in the inside left channel, just outside the box. The winger, virtually anonymous up until then, sidestepped his marker and unleashed a fierce drive that Arikan could only beat out, allowing Scholes the opportunity to find the net with a header that went in off the post.

United might have doubled the margin of victory after a neat set-up from Berbatov but Owen's first-time shot from the edge of the area whistled a yard wide of Arikan's right-hand post.

- AFP

[richie_rich]

EVRA HOPING FOR TEVEZ REUNION

Patrice Evra is ready to join in the booing of Carlos Tevez if his good friend turns out in Sunday's Manchester derby.

Tevez is a major doubt for the eagerly-anticipated showdown between United and City at Old Trafford.

With both clubs currently in the Premier League's top four and City riding the crest of a wave created by their £120million summer spending spree, there would have been more interest on both sides of the city, even without Tevez's controversial move from red to blue.

Despite the South American's change of allegiance, the friendship Evra struck up with Tevez remains.

But, acknowledging the reception Tevez is likely to get if he does recover from a knee injury picked up on World Cup duty earlier this month, Evra is only going to make it worse.

"I have been joking with him about the reception he will get," said Evra.

"I don't know if the fans will boo him or clap him. He did a great job at Manchester United. He respected the shirt and the fans understand that.

"But if they boo him I will join in."

As usual, Evra's comments are delivered with a beaming smile.

There has been plenty of laughter between the pair, who formed a somewhat unlikely alliance with Park Ji-sung during their time together at United, as they contemplated Sunday's game, the first time in almost 40 years the two clubs have met on almost equal footing.

It is clear, despite reaching two Champions League finals and winning a couple of league titles during his 'loan' spell with United, Tevez is now firmly in the blue camp.

"I have had a message from him saying they are going to win. I am not so sure," said Evra.

"I just hope he plays. It will be special to play against him because he is such a good friend.

"But he is a City player now and we cannot let him beat Manchester United."

Evra may not be a Mancunian but he has been around the city long enough to understand the passion each set of supporters has for their club.

And he could hardly not be aware of the jaw-dropping impact the Abu Dhabi United Group have had at Eastlands since they bought the club just over a year ago.

It is why Evra is not alone in believing that match will have more spice than has been the case for a number of years.

"The game is more special this season," he said. "When we have played them before they have never been in the top four.

"This year it is a big mission of City's to play in the Champions League.

"They have not lost yet, so they will come to Old Trafford with a lot of confidence. It will be an amazing game and it is a big challenge. I hope we are ready."

Sir Alex Ferguson certainly has plenty of options.

Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea were among those not required to change out of their suits last night, while Wayne Rooney might not have been too happy to sit out the final half hour of United's 1-0 win over Besiktas but Ferguson knows he will be fresh for battle.

And, one thing that should not be much of a surprise given United's experience on the banks of the Bosphorus is the atmosphere.

Sir Alex Ferguson described the noise made by the Besiktas fans as the loudest he has experienced in his long career.

Evra is not about to disagree.

"It was an amazing atmosphere," he said. "At the end I clapped the supporters because the noise was just incredible.

"If you are not excited to play a game like that you never will be.

"This wall of noise was there from the moment we began our warm-up right until the final whistle."

[Cum_Luver]

a thrilling and exciting derby match,this i must admit.
but Man City had been robbed of a pt by the referee.
Michael Own scored in the 95 minutes and 25 seconds,which way way more than the 4 minutes that the fourth official shown. 30 seconds i will believe,but more than 1 minute,is a bit too much.
that is why till now,those referees still cannot command the respect that they so much want to have.
decisions make/take by them,sometimes is really rediculous and incredible.

but a win is still a win for Man Utd,they really come back and play much better in the second half.
to win a title,really need to have a little bit of luck.

[WAKE-UP-U-FOOL]

[machoman]

Supersub Owen breaks City's hearts

Sunday, September 20, 2009, 23:20:37 HRS


Michael Owen capped one of the most dramatic derbies in Premier League history as the Manchester United striker's stoppage-time goal clinched a dramatic 4-3 victory over arch rivals Manchester City on Sunday.

Craig Bellamy appeared to have earned City a point at Old Trafford as he levelled with five seconds left in normal time, his side's third equaliser of the game coming after Darren Fletcher's 80th minute header had earlier appeared enough to win the game for the Reds.

That was Fletcher's second goal of the game after City had twice equalised - Gareth Barry cancelling out an early Wayne Rooney strike after excellent work from former United forward Carlos Tevez and Bellamy scoring a wonderful solo goal after Fletcher had opened the second half with his first of two goals.

Shay Given kept City in a pulsating contest with a string of brilliant saves before Fletcher rose to head home Ryan Giggs' free-kick, which had been contested by City who claimed Micah Richards had not fouled Patrice Evra, as he was judged to have done.

But with time running out, Rio Ferdinand attempted to flick the ball over the head of Martin Petrov on the halfway line and the City substitute played the ball forward for Bellamy to run half the length of the field and beat Ben Foster from a tight angle on the by-line.

The drama was still not over, however, with officials decreeing four minutes of added time. To City's frustration the match was into six minutes of stoppage time when a perceptive Giggs pass played in substitute Owen who finished clinically.

City were guilty of a sluggish start to the game, indeed to each half, and early signs were not promising for the pretenders to United's Premiership crown.

They were painfully slow to organise as Giggs took a second minute throw-in near the left-hand corner flag, allowing Evra to advance unmolested and work through a pass to Rooney.

The England forward surged into the area, through a couple of half-hearted challenges, before driving the ball home from the corner of the six-yard area.

That might have been the signal for City to fold after such an inauspicious start, instead they weathered more early pressure before equalising after 16 minutes.

Foster had already been troubled by Tevez, and his tendency to chase every lost cause and hopeful through ball, and that was the case when Joleon Lescott punted a long pass into the home area.

Foster was indecisive and panicked, allowing Tevez to dispossess him, and the former United favourite squared the ball for Barry to finish clinically into the open goal.

In the final seconds of the first half, Tevez hit the post, after being played through by Stephen Ireland, and Lescott missed a good shooting opportunity from a half-cleared free-kick.

As they had in the first period, United drew first blood after the interval when Evra's neat pass found Giggs whose left-wing cross hung superbly for Fletcher to arrive, rise above his markers and head past Given.

United could sense victory and Rooney played in Giggs for a superb strike, with the outside of his boot, which Given saved well with his legs.

United's lead lasted just four minutes before City countered, Tevez found Bellamy arriving down the left flank and the Welshman was allowed to advance into the area before planting a scintillating shot into the top corner of the United goal.

United's response was swift but Given was immense in keeping the hosts at bay.

Park Ji-Sung shot inches wide from the edge of the area before Dimitar Berbatov, twice in quick succession, met Giggs' crosses with powerful headers that seemed destined for the back of the goal before Given responded in lightning fashion to make reflex saves on his goalline.

In the 70th minute, Giggs tried his own luck with a volley from just inside the City area which Given again somehow managed to keep out, setting the scene for the most incredible finale.

- AFP

[peter88798]

I am glad that i stay at home with lot of beers and chips with me lastnight. This one of the greatest derby of all times. Great goals and magical moment from owen.Awesome!

[LiverPOO]

Originally Posted by Cum_Luver

a thrilling and exciting derby match,this i must admit.
but Man City had been robbed of a pt by the referee.
Michael Own scored in the 95 minutes and 25 seconds,which way way more than the 4 minutes that the fourth official shown. 30 seconds i will believe,but more than 1 minute,is a bit too much.
that is why till now,those referees still cannot command the respect that they so much want to have.
decisions make/take by them,sometimes is really rediculous and incredible.

but a win is still a win for Man Utd,they really come back and play much better in the second half.
to win a title,really need to have a little bit of luck.

City equalized after the board showed 4mins of injury time to play. They took a long time to celebrate and to restart the game.

Another 30secs were added when Carrick came in for Anderson during injury time.

Simple as.

[slyer]

last nite manchester derby match is awesome. owen scored winning goal for us

bellamy and fletcher were good in their performance.

if man utd defence don't make any errors i think we can seal the game early

[peter88798]

Originally Posted by Cum_Luver

a thrilling and exciting derby match,this i must admit.
but Man City had been robbed of a pt by the referee.
Michael Own scored in the 95 minutes and 25 seconds,which way way more than the 4 minutes that the fourth official shown. 30 seconds i will believe,but more than 1 minute,is a bit too much.
that is why till now,those referees still cannot command the respect that they so much want to have.
decisions make/take by them,sometimes is really rediculous and incredible.

but a win is still a win for Man Utd,they really come back and play much better in the second half.
to win a title,really need to have a little bit of luck.

I think mark huge make a big mistake when he tinker too much on valencia subsitution. He move Ireland to left flank and bring Bellamy to centre which give anderson and flecther too much space......