Detailed coverage of Manchester United football club and its players, including match reports, transfer rumours and general football news. We also have sections on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United players (former and current) such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.
We also have a blog dedicated to Manchester United news.
Today’s transfer roundup won’t be too long, because I’m being generous. I’m sure you all have much better things to do than to sit and read for an extended period of time…right?
Written by Eddie Griffin. One comment
Saying goodbye to the football season is very much like giving birth to a ginger child: after nine months of optimism, hope and anguish, you’re left with a genuine feeling of disappointment.
The final day is often emotional. Who could forget Arsenal pipping Liverpool to the title in 1989? Well sadly, my old man. In fact, if you see a small befuddled pensioner roaming the streets, you’ll be better off avoiding football trivia altogether; senility is no picnic.
Written by Gerry McDonnell. 25 comments
Today’s transfer roundup starts with transfer-related news, but not a big rumor. Instead, I give two thumbs-up to Real Madrid’s Wesley Sneijder for looking out for his brother’s best interests, as he stepped in to prevent Real from making an offer to former club Ajax for his brother Rodney, a promising youth team player.
Written by Eddie Griffin. Leave a response
So, what’s going on in the world of transfer rumors today? As always, chime in and chip in with opinions - and with rumors!
Written by Eddie Griffin. 2 comments
The article uses last available financial disclosures of the club as at 30th June, 2007 (download document (PDF) here). The words “current/currently” reflect opinion/fact with the same timeline in backdrop. All figures are in million pounds.
The author is a financial analyst.
It has been some time that people have been talking about a financial crisis in-the-making at Old Trafford. There are also those who insist we are already seeing one. The team, however, is doing extremely well on the pitch. That suggests, at least from a financial point of view (perhaps not conclusively though), that players are happy with their wages. After all, the club spent 74m on wages and salaries in 2006-07 (majority of which must have gone to players).
Written by Azar. 18 comments
Today’s transfer roundup starts up as the last one did, so Arsenal fans, feel free to jump a couple of paragraphs.
Written by Eddie Griffin. 15 comments
Guess who’s back? That’s right, me and the transfer roundup.
The season’s winding down and the rumors are heating up, so you’ll be seeing me in this space regularly.
Anyway, on to the good stuff!
Written by Eddie Griffin. 13 comments
All Premier League highlights from Saturday’s matches:
Written by goalcentre.com. Leave a response
An interesting article appeared in the Guardian this morning, featuring soundbites from 9 managers in the Premier League on the chances of Manchester United and Chelsea in winning the Premier League this season.
This was before today’s set of matches, mind you, so it wasn’t as if these managers knew ahead of time that Manchester United were going to derobe West Ham and then whip them into submission (some expressions don’t translate that well, I’m afraid).
The responses were predictable (8 out of 9 backed United, guess who was the odd one out), although it would have been interesting to hear the other 7 managers (keeping Curbs and Keegan out of this since their teams play the league leaders this weekend), I doubt they’d have gone against United, such is the level of expectations surrounding the Manchester club’s final 2 performances.
So what about Rafa?
Written by Ahmed Bilal. Leave a response
Uefa’s Under-17 Championships have revealed many a burgeoning young talent to a wider audience in the last six years. It is the stage where Wayne Rooney (2002), Cesc Fabregas (2004), Nuri Sahin (2005), Toni Kroos (2006) and Bojan Krkic (2007) strutted their stuff and won the ‘Golden Boy’ award.
You have to wonder what happened to David Rodriguez after his 2003 performance, such is the mark of quality that goes with the recognition of being the best player on show. But who are this year’s likely lads ? Who cares which nation takes the trophy, we all want to know where the next generation of star names are going to come from!
From what I hear, he could come from an area of Liverpool called West Derby, via Madrid and Argentina and go by the name Gerry Brown (local translation), but we will have to wait and see. I’ve picked out eight names to keep an eye on for the duration of the event - May 4-16 in Antalya, Turkey.
Written by Betfair. 13 comments
The press should be ashamed of themselves. Their suspicion and fueling of non-issues forces players and managers in the game to lie, to think 10 times before they say something, to spout carefully prepared statements or just hide from the spotlight.
Honesty and friendship, it seems, isn’t allowed in football.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. Leave a response
Highlights from the midweek Champions League semifinals:
Written by goalcentre.com. 2 comments
Tubby Brazilian Ronaldo may be one of the greatest players to ever grace a football pitch, but he’s definitely a poor role model. The AC Milan man let himself down when he invited three members of the late-night entertainment industry back to a motel. It wasn’t just the fact that they turned out to be ladyboys; he shamefully offered to pay them for doing nothing. If I pay a builder to construct a conservatory, and he brings along a few superfluous tools, I’d expect him to keep his head down and finish the job.
This sorry tale was not the only case of mistaken identity this week; Rio Ferdinand kicked a female Chelsea steward after mistaking her for a wall. It sounds like a tall story, but I once kicked the wife by accident; I thought she was her mother.
Written by Gerry McDonnell. 4 comments
Main contenders for the English Premiership and finalists of UEFA Champions League. The title & crown of “Kings the 2007-08 season”, both domestically and in Europe, has come down to two clubs: Manchester United and Chelsea.
The former, defeating Spanish giants Barcelona after a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp and a Scholes-painted 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, will be looking to repeat the glory from their 1999 treble year and win over Bayern Munich. The latter, victors of rivals Liverpool after a 1-1 tie at Anfield and an excitement-laden 3-2 extra time triumph at Stamford Bridge, have qualified for the tournament final for the first time in the club’s history. No doubt they will be looking to improve that record very soon.
On May 21, as Red Devils and Blues face each other in Moscow, venue of the big tournament final deciding this year’s winner of the “Cup with the Big Ears”, the Premier League will be a completed affair. The big question is: will it be a glorious double or a sweet revenge?
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Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Marco Pantanella. 5 comments
According to Forbes.com Manchester United have been valued at $1.8 billion, ahead of the club traditionally known as the richest club in football (Real Madrid, $1.285 billion) and their chief domestic rivals Arsenal ($1.2 billion), Liverpool ($1.05 billion) and Chelsea ($764 million).
Have fun sorting the lists according to different criteria. Here are some highlights:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 3 comments
Manchester United, take a bow. Out gunned and out classed, but not beaten. 3 games more to go and how things swing from one direction to the other.
There really should be a full match report here, but you’ll have to wait for it tomorrow on Red Rants. I will touch upon a few key points and leave you guys to discuss the rest.
First - Moscow baby! United are through to their first final in 9 years, and while everyone (even Nani) deserves credit for their performance today, a few deserve it more than most.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 16 comments
When the referee pointed to the spot in the 2nd minute of the match, it looked like we are about to witness an entertaining match, with a lot of attacking football and scoring chances. Unfortunately, the spectators were the only ones thinking so, as both teams did their best not to score.
Written by Guest Authors. Leave a response
The stench of defeat is unbearable, as is the joyous celebration of the the non-Man Utd football family. We love to build up teams and then knock them down, and as far as the mob is concerned it’s time for United to be knocked down.
Since yesterday a lot has been said (hardly in praise of United, hardly in criticism of Chelsea) about what happened (during and after the game) at Stamford Bridge. Personally I would have preferred a repeat of last year in terms of team selection - send out the reserve squad and give your first-teamers a day off. Throw the fucking game and focus on winning the league on goal difference and having your players fresh for Barcelona.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 21 comments
Saturday 26 April 2008 - English Premier League highlights:
Written by goalcentre.com. Leave a response
Chelsea v Manchester United
Stamford Bridge, 12:45 BST
Chelsea make a strange phenomenon. While being under heavy criticism throughout the season, The Blues find themselves just 3 points behind highly respected Manchester United. It seems that all the noise surrounding Avram Grant made us forget that Chelsea have one of the most talented squad in the Premiership. This alone makes Chelsea a prime contender for the League title.
The most surprising thing about Chelsea is the fact they are in reach of the Premiership title despite the fact they are playing poorly, using their skilled players to complete a lot of defensive tasks, while leaving no room for flair and creativity. The result is a set of boring matches, which often end in a 1-0 result in favor of the more talented squad of Chelsea FC.
That is the reason that the Chelsea supporters chant “You Don’t Have a Clue” towards their manager, and as time passes by, it sure looks like Grant is in a problem. In more than one case Chelsea looked as a group of players who met for the first time a couple of minutes before kickoff. There are no planned moves, no strategy, no special free kicks. All that we see is an extremely talented group of players getting the most out of their talent, which is just enough to bring them those 1-0 wins.
This strange tactics will surely not work when Chelsea will face Manchester United on Saturday. United come very confident, knowing that even a defeat will not be enough to pip them from the top of the table, but more than that – United is a very good team, being led by the best manager in England. Sir Alex’s wits will help him to get his players ready to the Chelsea style of play, and when such strong squads collide – the side who will play as a team will be better than the collection of individuals.
This brings us to believe that Manchester United will not fall before Chelsea. Since Sir Alex knows that a draw will be more than enough to ensure United’s title (unless some catastrophe will happen in the next 2 matches), this is exactly what he’ll aim for. Manchester will take their advantage and use it to earn the all needed one point. Let the celebrations – Begin.
More then 50% of BetUknow community thinks that Manchester United will win this match, leaving only 18% to go with Avram Grant’s team. Both teams’ top predictors put their money on a draw.
Written by Soccerlens. 5 comments
Noun
catenaccio m. (plura; catenacci)
1. a bolt (for a door)
2. a system of defensive play in football
Catenaccio is a tactical playing scheme in the game of football. It consists mostly in a 5-4-1 formation alignment characterized by its defensive propensity.
Under the definition of catenaccio lie a series of modules and tactical schemes that define the main philosophy of the team’s defensive unit. The latter’s mission is essentially that of preventing the opposing team from scoring, an objective which is achieved by closing down (or precisely, “locking” or “bolting”) the area around the team’s own net.
The word ‘catenaccio’ has given origin to the term ‘catenacciaro’ in the Italian language (nowadays almost always employed with negative connotations), which is used to describe a manager or a team who, above all, are dedicated to all-out-defense tactics, to the destruction of the opponent’s plays and the renunciation to construct any type of attacking game, simply in order to prevent opposing strikers from getting a shot on goal.
Source: Italian Wikipedia (translated by Marco Pantanella)
The question all of you are now asking: how on Earth can the term ‘catenaccio‘ be applied to Manchester United? Sure, all they did against Barcelona on Wednesday was defend (hell, even Rooney and Tevez were playing center-backs at times) but the Red Devils are a team also capable of very attractive attacking-style football, a characteristic which they’ve demonstrated many times over in the Premier League this season. So… what gives?
Written by Marco Pantanella. 17 comments
Barcelona 0-0 Manchester United
Will Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty miss prove costly for Manchester United in their quest for European glory? 2nd leg will commence 6 days after this.
Visit goalcentre.com for more football videos.
Written by goalcentre.com. Leave a response
With the football season almost at its end, there is no doubt that the most outstanding player this year has been the Portuguese wing-wonder, Cristiano Ronaldo. With almost 40 goals in all competitions, few would argue that he is the player of the moment.Naturally, this has led some fans to wax lyrical about him.
Some say he is “the greatest player ever”; I have also heard others saying that he is better than Zidane, some have gone as far as to say he is superior to Pele and Maradona. I’m not going to debate on the validity of those statements. Everyone is entitled to their views and opinions, and this here is mine:
There is no doubt that Ronaldo has ability, but to call him “the greatest player ever” is pre-mature at best and absolutely absurd at worst. Surely I do not need to remind you that a player is judged by his career, not his performance in a single season. Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Maldini, Cantona, Baresi and Baggio, just to name a few, did not become great players because they had ONE great season. If that were the case, we would have to add players like Kevin Phillips and Javi Moreno to the list.
Written by Kenny. 10 comments
Without suspended inspiration Eric Cantona and crippled by the three-foreigners rule, Manchester United lost 4-0 to FC Barcelona on a memorable night in 1994.
Hristo Stocihkov (2), Romario and Albert Ferrer were the executioners of Alex Ferguson’s depleted forces at the packed Nou Camp. But who were the 12 players in black chasing shadows that night and where are they now ?
Written by Betfair. Leave a response
Manchester United v Barcelona, Semifinal, 2007/2008 Champions League.
First Leg
Camp Nou, Barcelona - Wednesday 23 April 2008 - 19:45 GMT
Second Leg
Old Trafford, Manchester - Tuesday 29 April 2008 - 19:45 GMT
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 33 comments
Photo Caption: Grant thinks Kenyon was joking when Chelsea picked AG as manager - the ironic bit is, Kenyon might have been.
Both Avram Grant and Rafael Benitez have been locked in various off-pitch wrangles lately. Grant with the press and the fans and if the media is to be believed, players. Benitez with the owners, the board and Neil Warnock.
Both managers recently wrote in to Soccerlens to let off some steam and get some answers to their problems. Here’s how that particular exchange went:
Written by Graham Fisher. 6 comments
On Wednesday, 9 April, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reached his fifth Champions League semifinal after his club progressed at the expense of AS Roma.
Only Carlo Ancelotti has reached so many semifinals as head coach in this competition. What’s interesting to note here is both Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have made it to 3 semi-finals each, and at their (relatively) young age it’s quite likely that they will get to a few more semi-finals, assuming that they go in the upward trajectory that their career paths have suggested till now.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 7 comments
Here’s a list of the top scorers in this year’s Champions League (so far), plus their career stats for the Champions League:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. One comment
Manchester United and Barcelona have enjoyed several unbeaten streaks in Europe in the last decade - United went 16 matches without defeat twice, while Barcelona have 2 14-game streaks and 1 15-game streak (the one that won them the Champions League) to their name.
In fact, despite their domestic league troubles, Barcelona go into this week’s Champions League semifinal on the back of another undefeated streak - this time stretching to 11 games. Manchester United themselves have been undefeated in Europe this season and will be looking to add to their 10-game undefeated streak at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. Leave a response
While Manchester United keep closing the gap between themselves and rivals Liverpool in terms of league titles, a debutant playing at Anfield is close to matching (and if opportunities permit, breaking) a record set by a former Manchester United striker.
With 3 games left in the Premier League (2-3 more in Europe), Fernando Torres has 30 goals from 42 appearances, and 22 from 31 appearances in the Premier League. This leaves him just 1 short of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 23 goals from 32 appearances, and 6 short of his overall first season (2001/2002) tally of 36 goals from 45 games.
These numbers are phenomenal - RVN’s strike rate of 150 goals in 201 games is legendary and Torres can bring that consistency of 4-5 seasons (at least) to Liverpool, then who knows where they’ll go?
Some numbers:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. Leave a response
