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| Friday July 25, 2008 | Manchester United Fan Forum |
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| Current League Table |
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| On the Road Again; personal TV report by PaulJ | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 07:01 GMT |
On the Road Again
United moved East from Capetown to Durban to play the Orlando Pirates at the Absa Stadium. Absa are the sponsors of the South African Premier League; the ground seems to be known locally and preferably as King’s Park. Some tortured soul with a twisted mind had paid for the handing out of ten thousand of those accursed vuvuzelas, so the chance of noise levels not being irritating was never realisable. Ruud Krol, the former Dutch international is now manager of the Pirates. He was looking studious on the touchline but his team reflected the physicality of his own playing days and he has organised them as if he’s got something to prove. Despite the fact that the Pirates finished eighth last year, one above the Kaizer Chiefs, this was presumed to be less of a test for United. The Pirates were playing hundreds of miles from home, had decided that the match on Thursday in this competition against the Chiefs, their local and bitter rivals, was more important, and fielded a weak side against us. We might therefore have been expected to repeat the 4-0 we dished out the last time we met. Life is not like that. We fielded a young side too and although we started well enough we lapsed into carelessness and lack of match fitness. Though we had some opportunities to score again before half time we were by the end holding on to a single goal victory. The build-up included again the national anthems and whilst, like the Chiefs in Cape Town at the weekend, only half of the “home” side sang theirs, there seemed not a single member of the United party who uttered a word of ours, not even those who play for England. As Billy Connolly liked to point out, our dirge is pretty uninspiring, certainly compared with Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, and I’ll wager there is nobody in the United party who has fought for it, which may well not be true of the Pirates. The MUFC commentary was less than instructive about who was who in the stadium but the TV cameras settled on this huge black guy in a white suit and a panama hat who sang as if he had. When he came down and shook the players’ hands he was straight out of a James Bond movie; you felt he could at any moment smilingly and easily crush the bones in any of the hands he was shaking. I wondered if it was Thomas Inguana, but surely a former football player can’t be that big? Foster started in goal at last, with a back four of Brown, Ferdinand, Evans and Silvestre. Carrick and Gibson were in the middle of the park with Tevez and Campbell up front and Martin and Eagles on the flanks. In the game Foster looked big and confident and totally assured and made up for the one minor error. The Ferdinand-Evans combination looked good; Evans had a good game. Martin, Eagles and Campbell looked fast and skilful, though Eagles in particular got less reliable as they tired and Campbell needs goals at this level to convince. The Carrick and Gibson combination looked hit and miss, and that wasn’t all Gibson’s fault. United started off really lively. Happy Jele looked wobbly on his first touch but from then on gave Lee Martin little opportunity. Nevertheless in those early stages Martin was all energy and pressed continually and Chris Eagles looked excellent. Goalie Senzo Meyiwa smartly saved Tevez’ shot, saved a decent effort from Carrick and yet another from Martin after Carrick had provided the opening. Carrick wasted one, Campbell another, then Daniel Tshabalala rugby tackled Campbell to prevent him going through. We were all over them and when Brown won a header for Campbell to flick on to Lee Martin, who ran though the middle, held off the robust challenge, and stuck it past Meyiwa to open the scoring it looked the first of many; 32 minutes 1-0. There were opportunities to extend the lead in following fifteen minutes. Our youngsters ran through a few times but the balls were just a little too ambitious, Campbell had one kicked off his toes by the outrushing Meyiwa but Eagles began to think he was Ronaldo and got a little too clever and the Pirates began to get robust and within shooting distance. Foster just grabbed one off Bennett Chenene, Evans was clattered with a nasty late challenge and Rudzani Ramudzuli went in a week late on Foster, who gave him a withering look. Through all this the referee did nothing, but when Lee Martin was put through and chopped down for an obvious penalty Martin and Ferdinand were booked for what looked like the mildest of friendly protests; blimey, this guy wants to see what would happen if he turned down a penalty for Chelsea! Tevez’ goalbound shot was deflected wide and when Campbell, just before the interval, snatched at a chance from Carrick, you suspected the goal rush was not going to materialize. Sure enough, as the second half progressed, Pirates carried on their harassment tactics on slightly the wrong side of legality and we played worse and worse. Tevez was kicked all over the park but being Argentinean just quietly kicked and nudged them back. Martin was felled with a toe-ender on the ankle bone which hurt me watching it. Carrick delivered a suicidal crossfield ball which set them up. We brought on O’Shea for Silvestre and Foster stood a tad too far off his line and had to stretch up to his very limit to tip Lebohang Mothibantwa’s long range effort over. O’Shea’s first challenge was perfect but before long he too became liberal with his distribution. We brought on Rooney and Scholes for Tevez and Carrick and from that point those two were involved in everything of class that United did. Two men in a tiring team, however, was insufficient and Foster had to be sharp and decisive in hoofing the ball to the other end when Kevin Thomas was clean through the middle. Then the two class substitutes nearly fashioned a goal between them, Scholes’ shot needing a smart save from Meyiwa. Up the other end, Chenene was having a blinder and Jele was coming forward, the threat from Martin and Eagles now at best sporadic, their defending tired and dangerous. With ten minutes left Jele comprehensively humbled Martin in the box and delivered a ball for Makhanya to drive fiercely from close range at a narrow angle. Foster not only held on to it but made that look the simplest thing to do. Fletcher came on for Gibson and, after he had missed a header set up for him by Brown, Evans was taken off limping for Simpson to play three or four minutes. If anyone was going to score now it was the Pirates and the final whistle came not a moment too soon for the United youngsters, who looked utterly knackered. Lineup: Foster, BrownWs, Ferdinand, EvansJ, Silvestre, Eagles, Carrick, GibsonDa, MartinLE, Tevez, CampbellF Goals: MartinLE1 Copyright PaulJ | |
| Fergie Hails Top Gun Rio | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 07:01 GMT |
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has lauded Rio Ferdinand as arguably the best defender in Europe. Ferdinand's partnership at the back with Nemanja Vidic was, by popular opinion, one of the main reasons the club won a notable double last season. The former Leeds and West Ham star is widely tipped to become a future United and England captain. Ferdinand returned to the side on Tuesday in the victory against Orlando Pirates in the Vodacom Challenge following a back problem. It was his first pre-season match after he sat out the draw against Kaizer Chiefs at the weekend and the friendly at Aberdeen. Ferguson said: "Rio has been the best defender in the country if not Europe for a couple of years. "His maturity and leadership have been key factors in the team's success. "He is someone that young players learn from and that more experienced players respect. "I have not seen a better defensive pairing than him and Nemanja for a long time." United are preparing for the final game of the tournament on Saturday in Pretoria against either the Pirates or the Kaizer Chiefs, who meet tonight. Then on Sunday they move on to Nigeria for a friendly against Portsmouth before flying home. After winning the Champions League and retaining their Premier League title, Ferguson feels this is a vital time in their build-up to the new campaign. He said: "In many ways, having won two trophies last year makes pre-season even more important. "But I am confident the players have the hunger and the desire to mount a strong challenge to defend their titles." Ferguson is expected to give another run-out to some of his promising youngsters with Fraizer Campbell, Jonny Evans, Danny Simpson, Chris Eagles, Lee Martin and Darron Gibson all featuring against Pirates. And according to the Scot, the difference between being on the fringes and being promoted to the team can be down purely to keeping your focus. He said: "Concentration is one of the vital components of players making that step across the line to be first-team players. We often under-rate the value of concentration. "They can practice all day long, they can have fantastic ability but if they do not have concentration to make everything happen, then they are never going to be there. That is a fact." SportingLife.com | |
| Fourth Time Around, a personal TV match report | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 06:45 GMT |
TV match report by PaulJ
Fourth Time Around United are in South Africa again, where the Reds (playing in white with blue shorts, presumably in order to sell truckloads of the new kit) played the Kaizer Chiefs. These games are not generally great spectator entertainment and I find it difficult to believe that many neutrals really enjoy this kind of stuff, but Newlands, a vertiginous Cape Town stadium where Western Province play their rugby, seemed pretty full to see United play the most successful and probably the most famous club in South Africa, even though they finished only ninth last season and are banned from the Confederation Cup for pulling out without notice. Add to this that they were hardly the “local” side; they come from Soweto in Johannesburg, some 750 miles away and there seemed more United support in the stadium than Chiefs’. None of this prevented them from continuing a good record against us. In four games we have managed one win, two draws and a loss on penalties and we have scored a total of three goals. We do, of course, invariably play them when we are at half strength and utterly un-match fit and they are in the middle of their season. The Olympians and most of the Nations Cup players are not on the tour. Of the touring party, Foster and Carrick were out and Ferdinand and Silvestre pulled out just before the match, all with minor injuries. United started with Kuszczak (who was in the Polish Nations Cup squad) in goal, Brown and Vidic in the centre of defence and Neville and O’Shea either side of them, Fletcher and Scholes in the middle with Rooney and Tevez up front, flanked by Giggs and Eagles. Carrick and Foster paraded the two trophies we won in May before the match when the singing of the South African anthem (by everybody, it seemed, except the United party and half of the Chiefs team) was pretty impressive. The incessant noise of the vuvuzelas was irritating on television and must have been cacophonic for those present; the plastic bugles have, apparently been banned from rugby matches; attendance at a South African football match is not recommended if you have a headache. The MUTV studio presentation, Mandy Henry and Mickey Thomas, very nearly had me switching to Setanta before a ball was kicked, yet once the game started it proved much livelier than previous games in the country even if this was mostly down to the efforts of the Chiefs. On live commentary, Pat Crerand’s opening remarks that there was no tackling going on was made to look silly by Paul Scholes, who produced a thigh high challenge in the first minute and generally continued where he had left off against Aberdeen in his attempt to get another pre-season sending-off. Rooney’s efforts were different but equally effective. These two apart, United started by trying to play it like a pre-season friendly but the Chiefs attacked quickly and effectively when they got the chance, especially down their left wing through Siphiwe Tshabalala. We might have had most possession, but they looked more dangerous. Mathelbula forced a save out of Kuszczak after four minutes and when Tshabalala cut through the left it took a spectacular and presumably fairly painful block from Gary Neville to keep out his low drive. With Rooney and Scholes testing his patience the referee decided to stop being nice and produced a yellow card when Chiefs captain Jimmy Tau decided to give something back for what he’d got by tripping Wayne. Then Vidic, who was looking less of a player for Rio’s absence collected one for what was admittedly a fairly cynical foul on Schalkwyk. Tevez had a header wide and a shot from distance comfortably saved. Thus, with half an hour gone United’s goal chances could be counted on the fingers of a V-sign. Then Giggs fashioned an opportunity for Fletcher wide on the right which goalkeeper Itumelung Khune thwarted, just about keeping his handling to the confines of the area. Just as it looked that United might be waking up, Tshabalala was through the United rearguard with a lovely little exchange and Gary Neville celebrated his return from injury by bringing him down. Even though Tshabalala went for it and made a meal of it, drawing the challenge and beginning his tumble before the impact, it was a penalty. The Ghanaian Jonathan Quartey took it, stroking it along the ground inside Kuszczak’s right hand post whilst the goalkeeper dived the other way; 36 minutes 0-1. United at last began to take the challenge more seriously, each in his own way. Tevez began to work hard and harry, Neville came forward more, Vidic came up for a header, Rooney had a little Beckhamesque kick at Bhasera when they were both grounded, Scholes had a powerful free kick spectacularly saved (one for the cameras, I think, from Khule) and Tevez won the ball back brilliantly to craft a chance but Rooney was offside. There were no changes for United at half time. These matches may be more about gaining fitness than the result, but we could do without a defeat. The chances of avoiding one were not improved when Fletcher and then Eagles lobbed in balls hopelessly close to a good goalkeeper and though Tevez’ header from an excellent Eagles cross got pretty close there was always the chance of a second from the Chiefs; Kuszczak and Brown managed to get tangled up together to make one potentially harmless cross look extremely dangerous and we were lucky when the ball came to Torrealba at the edge of the area and he chipped narrowly wide. Things looked better when O’Shea produced a great ball from the left which Tau headed cleverly towards his own goal and against goalkeeper Thule’s knee. Then Tevez, who had been looking the United player most likely to turn it around, produced a great run up the right and the perfect cross. Running in at the far post Chris Eagles did not even have to jump as he nodded his head. It was very missable, even from ten yards, especially by Eagles, but he buried it well, the ball going in off Tau; 59 minutes 1-1. Almost immediately Danny Simpson came on for Neville and Frazier Campbell for Eagles and Rooney showed that the equaliser had not mollified him one bit by having a kick at Tinashe Nengomashe and collecting the yellow card he had worked so hard to achieve. Could he go one better than Scholes? Thank goodness, Ferguson (who afterwards said the booking had been unlucky) took him off, replacing him with Darren Gibson at the same time as Brown made way for Jonny Evans (Sean, I see sadly, has been released). The Africans started fielding those players who, though not selected to start, fancied an appearance against the European Champions. This did not diminish their threat and both sides made half chances, the balance of play being with the Chiefs in the closing minutes as some key United players tired and nifty, even desperate, defending was needed in and around the United box. All in all Chiefs shaded the draw. We may well be playing them again next weekend if they can beat the Orlando Pirates on Thursday. Copyright PaulJ | |
| Beckham eager for East End reunion | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 06:45 GMT |
David Beckham is relishing the chance to lock horns with West Ham again when the Major League Soccer All-Stars take on the Premier League side.Beckham, 33, grew up close to Upton Park but supported Manchester United as a boy before signing for them as an apprentice. "It's great, being an East End boy playing against West Ham," said Beckham, now in his second season as a Los Angeles Galaxy player, after training with his fellow MLS All-Stars on Wednesday ahead of the game on Thursday. "I played against them so many times for Manchester United and scoring against them didn't go down well with a few friends but it's always nice to play against a quality team. "They've got some good players and they're working towards the start of the Premier League and, of course, it's great to play against good opposition. "It will be a tough game and we're looking forward to that. You always want to play against good players and good teams and we're going to be up against that." England star Beckham, who was second in the overall All-Star voting behind Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan, believes his MLS colleagues were ready for the challenge. He said: "Any players that are involved in All-Star games want to play well and you're always going to come up against good teams. West Ham are a good team and I'm sure they're going to be running around a lot trying to get their fitness for the start of the Premier League. "But all (MLS) players that are here are experienced and good enough players to realise that it's not going to be a walk in the park. It's going to be a tough game and one that, as an East End boy, I'm looking forward to." History is with the All-Stars, who have beaten Fulham, Chelsea and Celtic in successive seasons and Beckham, who had an injury-hit start to his American career when arriving last year, was happy to beat the drum for the state of the game in MLS. "It's a higher level than everyone thinks. I realised that when I came here, because I had a lot of time, having sat and watched a lot of games last season," he said. "This season, the level of play has gone up. Every league in the world is different. The Premier League's fast and furious, La Liga is similar and very technical, so every league is different. This is an entertaining league." teamtalk.com | |
| Tevez: Ron Should Be Given Real Deal | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 06:01 GMT |
Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez has broken ranks by claiming Cristiano Ronaldo should be allowed to join Real Madrid if he wishes. Ronaldo has been the transfer story of the summer, with the Portugal winger expressing his desire to play for Real, who in turn have made him their number one target. United have been furious with Real's public pursuit of the player, once again reiterating this week that they have no intention of selling their prize asset. But Old Trafford team-mate Tevez has risked incurring the wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson by claiming the European champions should not stand in Ronaldo's way if he wants to leave. "The [United] team has great players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, of course," Tevez told AS. "It's clear that he is a very important player for us, but this is a personal decision, which is up to only him. "I understand Cristiano. Every footballer wants to play at Real Madrid. On the other hand, I also think that everyone wants to play for Manchester United, but if what he seeks is something else, I think that should be respected. "I have not talked to him, but when these things happen, neither side feels good." SportingLife.com | |
| Chelsea's Scolari rebuffs Fergie mind games | Posted by Bill on Thu Jul 24 @ 02:15 GMT |
GUANGZHOU, China (AFP) - Luiz Felipe Scolari refused to be drawn into a war of words with Manchester United's Alex Ferguson over the age of his squad, but insisted Chelsea's experience could win them the Premiership. Scolari sidestepped Ferguson's verbal salvo after seeing both youngsters and veterans star in the 4-0 win over Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, his first match in charge. "I don't answer this question," he said. "Sorry, but this is not a question for me." But Scolari said Chelsea had both youth and experience with Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Deco lining up alongside John Mikel Obi and Salomon Kalou. "I think that I have players with experience and I have some young boys in my team," he said. "But you know with my team that we have enough experience for the Premier League." The straight-talking coach was expected to come out swinging after Ferguson kicked off the pre-season mind games by suggesting there was little room for improvement in the Chelsea squad. "It's hard to see where there's going to be a big improvement with a team that's really very experienced," Ferguson said. But Scolari, who came up through the ranks of South American football before winning the World Cup with Brazil, swatted aside the salvo and calmly suggested he was under no more pressure than any other coach. The 59-year-old is Chelsea's third manager in the past year after Avram Grant was axed despite reaching the club's first Champions League final. Jose Mourinho, who assembled much of the current team, left under a cloud last September after delivering six trophies in three years and remaining unbeaten in home league matches. "I have the same pressure that any other coach has in the world -- it's normal," Scolari said. "For me it's no different than the other teams I have coached, the clubs and national teams." Lampard netted a spectacular lob and Argentine teen Franco Di Santo scored on his debut as the Scolari era got off to the perfect start in front of 30,000 fans here. Kalou pounced in the first half and Shaun Wright-Phillips was on target late on to complete a rousing win. New signing Deco lasted just over an hour but there was concern for fellow Portuguese Jose Bosingwa, who went off with a thigh problem after 20 minutes. "It's always good to win the first match, even if it doesn't matter very much," Scolari said. "The team was relaxed, we had some problems physically but nothing we can't sort out." Chelsea play in Macau on Saturday before heading to Malaysia and then to Russia for the Railways Cup tournament. | |
| Martin makes his case as United players escape wil | Posted by Barry on Wed Jul 23 @ 18:18 GMT |
Martin makes his case as United players escape wild Pirates challenges
Orlando Pirates 0-1 Manchester Utd Mark Ogden at Kings Park Stadium The Guardian, Wednesday July 23, 2008 Article historyManchester United will certainly be battle-hardened when the Premier League season begins on August 16 after once more being subjected to the muscular qualities of African football against Orlando Pirates in the second game of the club's pre-season tour of South Africa. Sir Alex Ferguson's team, who endured a bruising encounter against Kaizer Chiefs in Cape Town at the weekend, emerged victorious against the Pirates courtesy of Lee Martin's first-half goal in Durban and they now round off their trip with a game in Pretoria on Saturday against the winners of today's Pirates v Chiefs derby in Port Elizabeth. United's visit to South Africa is about much more than pre-season preparations for Ferguson's players, of course. Their presence in the country is being treated as a dry run ahead of 2010, when 32 nations will contest the next World Cup. On the evidence from United's trip so far, however, two years appears an awfully short time for the host nation to prove they can stage a successful major tournament. A distinct lack of security off the pitch in Cape Town prior to last Saturday's tour opener against the Chiefs saw stadium doors left unlocked and unpatrolled, enabling fans to enter Newlands without tickets. In Durban, a game which was billed as 1,000 tickets short of a sell-out was ultimately played out in front of a threequarters-full Kings Park Stadium. But what South Africa lacks in efficiency and organisation, it makes up for in atmosphere and fervour. This game was accompanied by a deafening cacophony of vuvuzelas, the two-foot long plastic trumpets which emit a sound that somehow combines the screeching of a cat with the mooing of an agitated cow. If 2010 is chaotic off the pitch, it will also be noisy. Fifa will also hope that South Africa's team in two years' time offers more to the competition than Orlando Pirates produced in this game. Ruud Krol's largely home-grown squad displayed limited ability other than their readiness to endanger United's players with a robust approach to the game that saw Jonny Evans and Ben Foster fortunately emerge unscathed from dangerous challenges. Ferguson's young team should have been at least three goals ahead by the interval such was their dominance, with the pace and endeavour of Martin and Fraizer Campbell causing the home side an array of problems. Martin shone on United's Asian tour 12 months ago, but he ultimately spent the season on loan at first Plymouth and then Sheffield United. He is likely to find it difficult to break through at Old Trafford again this season but Martin offers energy down the left flank and he displayed an ability to finish when he scored the opener on 23 minutes. Campbell's flick-on from Wes Brown's header found Martin just inside the penalty area and the 21-year-old beat the goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa with a low shot into the far corner. Meanwhile, the United chief executive, David Gill, last night repeated the club's message that any bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo would be unwelcome. "We made it clear to them from day one we wouldn't welcome a bid, it wouldn't be accepted and therefore I don't think there is much point in putting one in," said Gill. "The reality of it is that we have been very firm from day one." United: Foster, Brown, Ferdinand, Evans (Simpson 88), Silvestre (O'Shea 62), Eagles, Carrick (Scholes 69), Gibson (Fletcher 82), Martin, Tevez (Rooney 69), Campbell. www.guardian.co.uk | |
| Scholes: Young guns can fire United | Posted by Bill on Wed Jul 23 @ 18:17 GMT |
PAUL Scholes believes Manchester United's bright young things are more than capable of retaining their Champions League title.
The former England midfielder claims they will only be stronger for the experience of lifting the trophy last season when Chelsea were defeated on penalties in Moscow. With United also winning the Barclays Premier League for a second successive year, Scholes, 33, is energised by what the future may hold. He is convinced that players like Cristiano Ronaldo (23), Wayne Rooney (22), Carlos Tevez (24), Anderson (20) and Nani (21) can only improve at Old Trafford. Scholes said: "It is an exciting time and a good time to be involved. "The young players coming through are only going to be better next year for the experience they've had. "Everyone who came in to the team last year played a massive part in our achievements. "It is a big ask (retaining the Champions League) but I feel we can only go from strength to strength." Scholes is heartened by the way the young players apply themselves when they are severely tested. He said: "It is one thing having the talent and doing it in training every day but you have got to do it where it matters. "Thankfully we have the players who can do that - young lads who do not seemed to be fazed by anything. They are very confident and look forward to the big games. "Hopefully we can get off to a good start and a good finish by winning more trophies." Contribution Scholes, who feels Chelsea will again be their main challengers, dismissed his own contribution last season as "okay". But one of his two goals in the campaign - a thunderbolt against Barcelona - propelled United into the Champions League final. He said: "I would have liked to have scored a lot more but sometimes it does not happen for you." However, such is the esteem in which Scholes is held, many people believe he could still do a job for England. Scholes, though, appears happy in his international retirement - and feels Fabio Capello could just make a difference to the national side. "I watched the European Championships and obviously it would have been good to see England there," said Scholes. "Hopefully though they will make it to the World Cup in two years' time. Capello is a very experienced man who has been all over the world coaching. "He knows what it takes and hopefully England have the right man to take them to the World Cup and maybe get them a bit of success as well." Scholes is enjoying working in the winter sunshine in South Africa as United prepare for the new season. He came off the bench last night in the 1-0 victory against Orlando Pirates in the Vodacom Challenge. Scholes added: "There are some good teams here and some decent players. It is a chance to get fit and get some match practice. "They seem to love and appreciate their football in South Africa. You can see that in the crowds at games and hopefully we are pleasing them in some way." United play their final game in the tournament on Saturday in Pretoria where they will face either the Pirates or the Kaizer Chiefs, who meet on Thursday. MEANWHILE, Real Madrid playmaker Guti insists the arrival of United star Cristiano Ronaldo would not disrupt team spirit. The Reds winger has been linked with a lucrative move all summer even though United have said he is not for sale. Yesterday Real captain Raul refuted suggestions Ronaldo’s potential arrival and wage packet would upset the harmony of the squad, and Guti has followed suit, endorsing the winger as one of the best players in the world. “Real Madrid need good players and Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player you can bring in right now,” Guti said at a press conference. “We would be delighted to have him. He wouldn’t upset the good atmosphere, and anyway people tell me he’s a great person and a good team player. “Everyone works to earn as much as they can get and if he’s one of the best players in the world he should earn more. “Maybe he won’t win you the Champions League on his own, but he’s very tricky and he’ll win you games. With players like that you’ve always got chances to win plenty of titles.” www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk | |
| Fergie's advice to Ronaldo | Posted by Bill on Wed Jul 23 @ 17:24 GMT |
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has given Cristiano Ronaldo some fatherly advice: Forget RealMadrid.
The United boss told his errant youngwinger that a move to theSpanish capital would be "the worst thing he could do." Ferguson once again stated that the 23-year-old fromPortugal will be held to his long- term contract signed only last season and stressed that he needs to stay at Old Trafford if he is to grow and develop further as a player. Ronaldo is still issuingambiguous statements and only last weekend said: "I don't know about my future - only God knows it." Real Madrid continue to court United's star player, even though they were reported to FIFA by the Old Trafford club for their actions. Ferguson remains clearlyunhappy about the situation and for the second time on the South African tour found himself fielding questions about a player who scored 42 goals last season. "I have a responsibility for all my players and their futures are a big concern for a coach. If you were asking advice and it was your son, I think you'd give him the best advice possible,"he said. "I honestly believe that going to Real Madrid could be the worst thing he could do. "He's 23 years old and he's at a fantastic football club. It's the best for him." Ronaldo signed a five-year contract last season in which United won the Champions League and retained their Premier League title. He is currently sidelined for three months after an ankle operation following the European Championships. Ferguson reiterated that he expects Ronaldo to play a massive role again next season. He said: "The future is he signed a five-year contract last year and he has four years left. "Young lads can be twisted by the talk of money and the moves that are happening all the time in modern-day football. "After the final in Moscow he was the happiest boy in the world. I think he knows genuinely where the best club is and that's Manchester United." www.lep.co.uk | |
| Spurs Wait After Berbatov Dossier | Posted by Bill on Tue Jul 22 @ 07:01 GMT |
Tottenham will wait to see if the Premier League take any action against Manchester United over their alleged pursuit of star striker Dimitar Berbatov. Spurs have supplied a dossier of evidence from over the last year to back up their complaint against United. Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson has questioned the validity of comments attributed to him last week regarding the Bulgaria striker but that is understood to be only one of Spurs' concerns in the past 12 months. The Londoners have been angered by United and Liverpool, who are chasing Robbie Keane, and the two clubs will write back in response to the complaints before it is decided whether they will face a charge. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has accepted Berbatov and Keane want to leave White Hart Lane but there is expected to be a fallout from the transfers if they go through, given Ferguson has been accused of "sheer arrogance" and being "hypocritical". Tottenham believe United have broken Premier League rules in the last year and are confident the evidence will support their complaint. Berbatov, 27, interested United before moving to Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006 and has been consistently linked with a move to Old Trafford for Champions League football since his successful rookie season in England. Levy's criticism of Liverpool in his statement last week was less harsh than he was on United, although he has been upset by Rafael Benitez before. In March 2006, the Liverpool boss claimed Spurs were "desperate" to sell Jermain Defoe and take Djibril Cisse. The exit of Berbatov and/or Keane could pave the way for Andrei Arshavin to move to White Hart Lane from Zenit St Petersburg. The Russian champions yesterday claimed Tottenham are in the race to sign the Russia star but need to increase their valuation. Berbatov and Keane would be expected to raise in excess of ý40million between them, and Arshavin is valued by his club at more than half of that amount following his eye-catching Euro 2008. "With Tottenham we have contacts," said Zenit sporting director Konstantin Sarsaniya. "This English club is really interested in acquiring Andrei but, as I understand, 27 million euros (ý21.5million) is too high a price for them. "For Spurs, it is unacceptable. Tottenham are ready to pay in the region of 20 million euros (ý15.9million) for Arshavin." Arshavin stated earlier in the summer Barcelona would be his preferred destination but a move to the Catalan giants has yet to materialise. SportingLife.com | |
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