Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[dc7176]

Man Utd see Guardiola as ideal Sir Alex successor

Manchester United are ready to make an offer for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola is off contract in June and yet to open serious talks with Barca about a new deal. He remains among the lowest paid coaches at a Champions League club.

Don Balon says United powerbrokers have studied Guardiola's impact - on and off the pitch - and are convinced he is the right man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson, himself, is a great admirer of Guardiola and attempted to sign him as a player.

United are prepared to offer the Spaniard a lucrative deal and hope to know one way or the other by April.

[imom]

Originally Posted by dc7176

Man Utd see Guardiola as ideal Sir Alex successor

Manchester United are ready to make an offer for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.....

Does that mean SAF retires end of this season? Somehow I suspect Guardiola ain't gonna sit around and twiddle his fingers while waiting...

Wonder how many watts Guardiola's hairdryer is.... lol

And what a kick to Mourinho's nether regions, after having openly flirted with MU...

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by imom

Does that mean SAF retires end of this season?
And what a kick to Mourinho's nether regions, after having openly flirted with MU...

Imho, SAF shd have gone off the boil (in a blaze of glory, sans CL) end last season.

What's this spaniard's credentials like? Omg, another potential reverse dig at spanish waiter across 50km at merseyside?

[imom]

Originally Posted by yinyang

...What's this spaniard's credentials like? Omg, another potential reverse dig at spanish waiter across 50km at merseyside?

Extract from wiki:

"Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala ; born 18 January 1971 in Santpedor, Barcelona, Catalonia) is a former Spanish football midfielder and current FC Barcelona manager. He spent the majority of his playing career with Barcelona, and was part of Johan Cruyff's dream team that won FC Barcelona's first European Cup. He was captain of the club for the final four years of his time with Barcelona. Guardiola also played for, among others, Brescia Calcio, A.S. Roma, Al-Ahli and Dorados de Sinaloa. As an international, Guardiola played for Spain and some friendly international games for Catalonia. After retiring as a player, Guardiola became coach of FC Barcelona B. On 8 May 2008, Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced that Guardiola would succeed Frank Rijkaard as the first team manager. He signed his contract on 5 June 2008.[1] In his first season as manager, FC Barcelona won the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. In doing so, Guardiola became the youngest UEFA Champions League winning manager ever. The following season, Guardiola and Barcelona won the Supercopa de España against Athletic Club Bilbao, the UEFA Super Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk, and the FIFA Club World Cup against Estudiantes, bringing the manager's tally to a perfect six trophies in six competitions thus completing the first ever sextuple."

This dude won a treble in 2008-2009, in his FIRST season as manager. As in first season as manager of any team, not first season with Barca. And then he goes on to complete the sextuple.

I really dun mind, if he can somehow bring Messi along with him.... *daydreaming* (Think I have a better chance to strike the Euromillions than THAT ever happening...)

[richie_rich]

DIOUF CLEARED FOR MAN UTD MOVE

Manchester United will have young striker Mame Biram Diouf in their ranks in January after he was granted a work permit.

The Red Devils agreed a deal with Molde in July for the 22-year-old but he has stayed with the Norwegian side on a loan basis in the meantime.

But the Senegal international has now been given the green light to move to Old Trafford in the new year, though he won't be available for the FA Cup third-round clash against Leeds on January 3.

Talking about the transfer market earlier this month, Sir Alex Ferguson said: "If you're talking about value then you can look at our young boy Diouf.

"He's been training with us and is looking very exciting.

"That's the kind of situation we're good at - finding young players who can develop at the club and at 22 years of age he's looking very good."

[asiancigar]

MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW DIE-HARD RED DEVILS........

Cheerz
AC

[Atrocious]

Happy Holidays to all fellow Devils!!! HUAT AH!!!!!!!!!!

[richie_rich]

Da Silva brothers to take on Tigers

Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to rush brothers Fabio and Rafael Da Silva back into his Manchester United line-up for Sunday's trip to Hull (4pm). The teenage duo have both been absent with shoulder problems but as United's defensive problems continue could be unleashed against Phil Brown's men.

Ferguson is crossing his fingers that either Wes Brown (hamstring) or Nemanja Vidic (thigh) are able to play, having expressed confidence they should both be available for the clash with Wigan on December 30.

United (from): Kuszczak, Foster, Rafael, De Laet, Vidic, Brown, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Gibson, Giggs, Obertan, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Welbeck, Tosic.

[asiancigar]

Okay Brudders....... latest is that Chelsea was held to a draw by Birmingham..... which means that they have dropped 4 points from the last 2 games.

Its now up to us tomorrow to close the gap to 2 points against Hull City.

Cheerz
AC

[Cum_Luver]

the door has been opened.
and with the African's Nation Cup in Jan 2009,Chelsea will lose quite a few important players and this will give Man Utd the opportunity to get ahead.

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON HAILS ROONEY RESPONSE

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson praised Wayne Rooney after the striker recovered from a mistake to sink Hull.

The England striker put United ahead in a compelling Barclays Premier League encounter at the KC Stadium but then committed the mistake that led to Craig Fagan's penalty equaliser.

Rooney turned away in despair as Fagan struck but then lifted himself to force an Andy Dawson own goal and set up Dimitar Berbatov to complete a 3-1 win.

Ferguson told Sky Sports 1: "He's been a threat all day to them, the penetration behind their back line was very good.

"He made a mistake in giving the ball away for the goal, that was his one bad moment in the game, but I thought he was exceptionally good today.

"He's got that (desire), it's in-born in him, he'll never lose that.

"He's a natural winner, he's always had that great attitude and determination to do well and he would be even more sick than anyone when he made a mistake.

"He rectified it and everything's fine."

Rooney, who had tapped home in first-half injury time, allowed Hull a route back into the game when his underhit backpass allowed Fagan to nip in.

Fagan was unable to finish from a tight angle but he crossed for Jozy Altidore and the American was bundled over for a penalty by Rafael da Silva.

Rooney himself admitted he was relieved to have made amends.

He said: "Obviously when they got the equaliser it was a mistake by myself and thankfully we got the win, or I don't think the manager would have been too pleased with me.

"It wasn't a nice feeling, I didn't want to let the lads down and at the time it looked like that, but it happens and we got the win in the end."

Fagan's goal was one of a number of occasions when Hull, making light of their lowly 19th position in the table, threatened.

Seyi Olofinjana and Stephen Hunt had particularly good opportunities in the first half while Richard Garcia felt he was denied another penalty.

Ferguson added: "We have to give credit to Hull in a way because they got wired right into us, tackled everywhere - gave a lot of fouls away - but they stopped the momentum of our game.

"When you're away from home you have to expect that games like that will be tough."

United's win lifted them back above Arsenal, who won earlier in the day, into second in the table and within two points of leaders Chelsea despite having lost five times this season.

Ferguson said: "It's looking different, that's for sure, there are some unusual results going round and come the second half it just builds it up to what is looking like it's going to be a really tight league.

"Experience will come into it, in the run-in teams with experience of being there all the time - and Arsenal, Chelsea and ourselves of course have got that - that will be important.

"I think the team that stays clear of injuries will also have an advantage, and I'm hopeful I'll have all the defenders back by (the time) the European campaign comes around again, which should freshen us up and give me more options, that will be important to us.

"Other than that, if you make mistakes you're going to get punished. If you eradicate mistakes, whoever does that will have a great chance."

Hull boss Phil Brown, despite a result that left his side in the relegation zone at the season's midpoint, was pleased with the Tigers' display.

Brown said: "When we got the equaliser it was not one-way traffic - because it is never one-way traffic with Man United - but we certainly were rattling them and causing them one or two problems.

"We were pushing for a winner, you can't stop the boys pushing for a winner from a corner, but we switched off on the edge of the box and about 10 seconds later the ball was in the back of the net.

"We were facing an uphill battle at half-time. We climbed it but then gave ourselves a mountain to climb at the end.

"But it was a good performance. The level of performance and commitment we showed at times gives you a lot of heart, especially in the situation we are in.

"We need that level of performance and commitment at Bolton on Tuesday night."

[richie_rich]

Transfer Gossip
MOURINHO WAITS ON MANYOO CALL

Here it is: The Mail on Sunday is back on the Jose Mourinho return story and says that he only 'snubbed Manchester City's millions because his dream is to manage Manchester United.'

According to the newspaper, Mourinho, under contract until 2012 at Inter Milan, 'rejected discreet overtures from Eastlands some weeks ago...But sources close to the Portuguese have indicated his Inter contract was only part of the reason for cold-shouldering City. They believe Mourinho's ambition is to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson and that, if he bides his time, the Old Trafford job will become conveniently available.'

Really? There's been absolutely no indication from Ferguson that he is considering retiring any time soon. But that's not stopping the Mail:

'But significantly, the Scot will be invited to make recommendations about his successor and has a lot of admiration for Mourinho, the only other manager to win the Premier League in the last five years.'

[machoman]

In-form Rooney targets best ever goal tally

Thursday, December 31, 2009, 09:28:53 HRS

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the opening goal during their Premier League match against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford in Manchester. Man United closed the gap on Premiership leaders Chelsea to two points with a 5-0 win.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes he will beat his best ever goal tally for a single season after inspiring Sir Alex Ferguson's side to a comprehensive 5-0 demolition of Wigan.

Roberto Martinez's Wigan held United at bay in the opening stages at Old Trafford on Wednesday before Rooney took over and United cruised home to close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to just two points.

Rooney broke the deadlock for the home side with a fine finish - his 15th of the season - and the England star believes he can overhaul his 2006-07 season total when he netted 23 times for United.

"I hope so. If I don?t score eight goals between now and the end of the season, something is seriously wrong," Rooney said.

"We went into the game knowing that we were seven goals behind Chelsea and we wanted to close the gap. So scoring five goals has taken us a lot closer and we are pleased with that.

"Five goals against any team is quite rare nowadays, so we have to be pleased."

United, led by Rooney, were simply too good for the visitors and they went into the break 3-0 up after Wigan had initially frustrated them with some desperate defending.

However, once Rooney's opener was followed by a goal from Michael Carrick four minutes later, it became clear there would only be one winner.

It was just a question of when Wigan would concede rather than if and a further first-half goal from Rafael Da Silva ensured humiliation was on the cards for the visitors.

So it proved after the break when Dimitar Berbatov and former Wigan player Antonio Valencia also netted, much to boss Sir Alex Ferguson's delight.

Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung (right) is chased by Wigan Athletic's Cho Won-Hee during their Premier League match at Old Trafford in Manchester. Man United closed the gap on Premiership leaders Chelsea to just two points after ending 2009 with a superb 5-0 win.

The Scot was full of praise for Rooney, who was easily the best player on the pitch, harrying and probing the Wigan defence and constantly driving United forward.

Ferguson said: "I would agree the first 45 minutes was probably our best of the season, the movement from us was terrific, we created a lot of chances.

"We had one cleared off the line, Wayne hit a post, it was just marvellous stuff. Sunday against Hull City and, again, here Wayne was absolutely fantastic.

"The energy he shows, his desire to win, is marvellous. But this particular time the whole team played well.

"I think the second half of the season has always been the period when experience is going to be important and we have got that.

"We've got the squad, got the energy to do it. Let's hope we can."

Wigan manager Martinez was understandably more subdued than his counterpart and branded his side?s performance as unacceptable.

Wigan lost 5-0 to United back in August and Martinez had claimed that his side would perform at a higher level in their away encounter against the Premier League champions but his words backfired on him.

"You come to places like Old Trafford, it is not good enough to be good," he said.

"You have to be perfect in what you're doing. You need to be very, very solid and you need to earn the right to be on the ball and express yourself.

"We did things the other way round. They were playing like individuals, we never looked like a team, and when you do that you get heavily punished.

"Too many times it has happened this season and it's unacceptable. We have to correct it.

"When you have got a selfish performance like we had, it's totally unacceptable. We have bounced back before and will carry on doing it."

- AFP

[Roaring Tiger]

Alex F will be giving those youngster a chance to play competitive matches and gain some experience by fielding them in the coming FA Cup against Leeds Utd.
cos simply can afford to let those snr players get unnecssary injuries as too many of them are still unavailable.
but Rio maybe field in this match.

[asiancigar]

Originally Posted by richie_rich

Transfer Gossip
MOURINHO WAITS ON MANYOO CALL

Here it is: The Mail on Sunday is back on the Jose Mourinho return story and says that he only 'snubbed Manchester City's millions because his dream is to manage Manchester United.'

According to the newspaper, Mourinho, under contract until 2012 at Inter Milan, 'rejected discreet overtures from Eastlands some weeks ago...But sources close to the Portuguese have indicated his Inter contract was only part of the reason for cold-shouldering City. They believe Mourinho's ambition is to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson and that, if he bides his time, the Old Trafford job will become conveniently available.'

Really? There's been absolutely no indication from Ferguson that he is considering retiring any time soon. But that's not stopping the Mail:

'But significantly, the Scot will be invited to make recommendations about his successor and has a lot of admiration for Mourinho, the only other manager to win the Premier League in the last five years.'

I would be the first to jump for joy if and when this happens....

JM has the "lan-si-ness", the people mgmt skills, technical & tactical knowledge, experience and the freshness that our beloved ManU needs to continue its dominance for the next 20 years...

Admittedly, SAF's ploys and strategies is rather passe and most EPL as well as CL managers who have watched his past games over and over again on DVD would be now know how to deal with ManU..... ala last year's CL when we lost to Barca through a newbie chiku manager.

Will pray to the God of Football that JM will take over and take care of our beloved MAN UTD..... ole ole ole

Cheerz
AC