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www.red11.org : TODAYS NEWS
Date: Sat May 09 02:29:19 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

UNITED FREE McCLAIR
Manchester United have freed former Scotland international Brian McClair
after 11 years at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old, who had a £400,000
testimonial last season, has been told his contract is not being renewed.
McClair, manager Alex Ferguson's first signing at £850,000 from Celtic,
said: "I have two good years left in me and will try to find another club."

Sad news after such a long career.
Your editor Barry.

This Issue:
1. Choccy News
2. Andy Cole
3. Barnsley, FERGUSON TO REWARD YOUNGSTERS
4. Foe, Campbell (Mirror)
5. Choc's Away (Mirror)
6. Jaap Stam 10 Things You Didnnullt Know About Unitednulls New Signing 
7. LIST: edwards on cash, + pally
8. United set sights set on £7m Ortega

++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++


Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

FRIDAY 8th May Sender: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)" From: Jon Stiley Subject: Choccy News To: MUFC@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Hi all, This is my first post to the list, and it is my duty to bring you all sad news. BBC Radio 5 Live has just announced (8:30 BST) that United are giving Choccy a free transfer. May I be the first to wish Brian all the best in his new career - he's been a wonderful servant to United, and a free transfer after all these years is just reward. Cheers, Jon. ----- Jon Stiley - Bias Consultancy Home : jon@kstand.demon.co.uk Work : jon@bias.com more............... UNITED FREE McCLAIR Manchester United have freed former Scotland international Brian McClair after 11 years at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old, who had a £400,000 testimonial last season, has been told his contract is not being renewed. McClair, manager Alex Ferguson's first signing at £850,000 from Celtic, said: "I have two good years left in me and will try to find another club."
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-Mailer: ccMail Link to SMTP R8.10.00 Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 08:44:41 GMT Reply-To: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)" Sender: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)" From: Jon Leigh Subject: Andy Cole To: MUFC@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU I tend to think that most of the people who have a go at Andy probably rarely get to see him play. If they did, they would see a player who works his butt off for the team, is lightening quick, and scares the shit out of defenders. Oh and he's about 2nd top scorer in the League this season. OK so sometimes his control lets him down. OK so he misses plenty of sitters - but a lot of the chances he gets wouldn't even fall to lesser players because they don't have the ability to be where he gets. The reason he hasn't scored as many goals in the 2nd half of this season is that his supply since the turn of the year has been mostly in the form of long balls 2 feet above his head. And yet he has still made a better contribution than the Slug (Sheringham). How many players in the world could have scored that goal he scored against Blackburn? Not many. That said, he is NOT as good as Del Piero or Ronaldo or possibly even Owen. One of those to partner him and we'd have just about the most potent strike force in the world. So there we are: he's not perfect, but football is a team game and on his team contribution he'd be in my United 11 any day. Get off his back!!!!
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-Sender: giggs@tiac.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 11:04:00 -0700 To: suggs@tiac.net From: "Red Devil Marcus" (by way of Red Devils Mailing List ) Subject: Barnsley, FERGUSON TO REWARD YOUNGSTERS FERGUSON TO REWARD YOUNGSTERS By David Anderson, PA Sport Alex Ferguson will reward his fringe players for their patience this season by starting them against Barnsley. The Manchester United manager will make at least four changes for their final match of the season against the relegated Tykes at Oakwell. Norwegian international defender Henning Berg, who has been out of favour in recent months, will start to help sharpen his match fitness in the run-up to this summer's World Cup finals. Ferguson also wants to give games to those young players who have spent most of the season on the substitutes' bench. Defender Michael Clegg and midfielder Philip Mulryne, who has been capped by Northern Ireland at senior level, are set to make their full League debuts. England under-21 defender John Curtis, who made his first Premiership start against Barnsley at Old Trafford back in October, will also play. Ferguson said: "I think Henning Berg needs the game because he has the World Cup coming up and he hasn't played a lot of football for us recently. I think he should play on Sunday in fairness to him. "I'm also hoping to give young Michael Clegg, John Curtis and Philip Mulryne a run-out. "They've done really well this season without breaking into the first team on a regular basis but they have the ability." Raimond van der Gouw is expected to continue in goal in place of Peter Schmeichel, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer serves the second of a three-match ban. United are in the unusual position of having nothing to play for in their final game for the first time in six years, as the Reds have already secured runners-up spot and the second Champions' League berth. Ferguson admits it will be a strange experience on Sunday but feels it will still be a memorable day out at Oakwell. He is sorry to be saying goodbye to the Tykes and he has always had a soft spot for them since his brother Martin, now a United scout, played for them. "It's been usual for us to have things go right down to the wire but it will still be a good game," he said. "It gives me the opportunity to play two or three young players, which will be important for them. "It should also be a nice carnival atmosphere and I'm sure the Barnsley fans will enjoy themselves, with it being their last game in the Premier League." © PA Sporting Life
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-Sender: giggs@tiac.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 10:42:56 -0700 To: suggs@tiac.net From: "Red Devil Marcus" (by way of Red Devils Mailing List ) Subject: Foe, Campbell (Mirror) FERGIE HIT BY DOUBLE FOE BLOW BY JOHN EDWARDS ALEX FERGUSON'S hopes of landing midfield hard man Marc-Vivien Foe suffered a double setback last night. The Manchester United boss is haggling over a £2.5million asking price after watching the Lens giant in Saturday's French Cup final defeat by Paris St Germain. Fergie wants him to add some muscle to United's midfield and make sure they are well covered for injuries as they approach another Champions' League campaign next season. But sources close to the Cameroon international have revealed that he has received approaches from AC Milan and Marseille. Italian aces Milan have decided on a mass clear-out after a disastrous season in Serie A and see him as the ideal anchor man in a new-look midfield. Former French champions and European Cup winners Marseille are on their way back from the bribes scandal that sent them tumbling out of the top flight and are sure of a European place next season. They remain one of the wealthiest clubs in France and one of few who could offer the sort of personal terms that may yet persuade Foe not to move abroad. SPURS SAY NO TO £10M LIVERPOOLBID FOR SOL SPURS last night turned down a £10million Liverpool bid for Sol Campbell. The much-wanted England defender would command a world record transfer fee for a defender - but Spurs have no intention of selling. Campbell recently signed a new contract and turned down the big-money swoop point blank. Spurs acknowledge they must build on firm foundations as they attempt to recover from a season which came close to disaster. And that means hanging on to their world-class stars. The White Hart Lane club have also rejected a £4.5million offer for young Norwegian striker Steffen Iversen. New PSV Eindoven coach Bobby Robson has made Iversen his number one target with the money available after the sale of Jaap Stam to Manchester United for £10.5m - the current record fee for a defender. But Spurs, after virtually a whole season trying to get Iversen fit, will give him the chance to fill Jurgen Klinsman's boots next season. A Spurs spokesman said last night: "We have received a number of inquiries for our top players but we are buyers not sellers. We have received offers of £10m for Sol Campbell and £4.5m for Steffen Iversen, but our message is: Hands off." However, there will be a massive clearout of players this summer with coach Christian Gross looking for new talent. Gross made it clear after the win at Wimbledon last Saturday which made Spurs safe that he was on a spying mission the very next day - hardly the behaviour of a man about to be sacked! Gross plans to fashion a side which can keep Tottenham far away from the embarrassment the club has suffered this season.
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.2106.4 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 22:32:20 +0800 Reply-To: Red Devil Marcus Sender: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)" From: Red Devil Marcus Subject: Choc's Away (Mirror) Comments: To: Red Devil List , Darul Kisai , Darul To: MUFC@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU CHOC'S AWAY BY ALAN NIXON Brian McClair - the loyal Scot once tipped as a possible successor to Alex Ferguson - was freed by Manchester United yesterday. McClair was given the shock news that his Old Trafford days were ended after 11 years at the club when they told him his contract would not be renewed. It is a major surprise as cult hero McClair, one of Ferguson's best buys from Celtic, was rated a certainty to become a member of staff. And the long serving player, who writes a regular column for the club's magazine, was seen by many as a manager for United in the next century. Interested clubs who inquired about McClair in the past were told he was lined up for a post behind the scenes, but that all ended with the board's decision. McClair - known as Choccy - was philosophical last night and said "I want to keep playing. I feel I've got two good years left in me yet. I was trying to make my mind up about my future, but now that decision has been taken for me. "I don't know quite how I feel at the moment. I've enjoyed all of my time at Manchester United but now I will try to find a new club." McClair is bound to be a target for a handful of outfits looking for an intelligent player-coach, but he stressed he still wants to be involved on the field above all. The former Scotland international said: "I don't want to look back in a couple of years and wish I had still been playing. It's time that you just can't get back. It is lost forever. "I'd not been thinking about the coaching side just yet. I would love to carry on at a good level anywhere. Basically, I am open to offers." Port Vale may be a possible destination for McClair, with boss John Rudge a big admirer of his talents. Stoke City could even see him as a potential player-boss. McClair's family are settled in the Manchester area after a decade in England, but he is willing to move to carry on his career. Ferguson is also willing to let winger Ben Thornley and centre-half Chris Casper leave as he moves out players to bring in new faces. Thornley came in as Ryan Giggs' understudy in the title campaign, and will be a possible target for Middlesbrough, who tried to buy him during the season. The homegrown winger has come back from a career-threatening knee ligament injury, but Ferguson will now help him move. Casper, son of former Burnley boss Frank, has made only a couple of first team appearances and can quit Old Trafford too. McClair, 34, has made only two first team starts this seaon and was mainly used as a trusted captain of the reserves, helping the youngsters come through. Ferguson also relied on him to help some of his kids sign new contracts, and handle the negotiations on their behalf. The United boss did lot let agents near some of his best youngsters and McClair, as a former Scottish PFA chairman, like Fergie, was the ideal middle man. Within the club it was thought inevitable that McClair, one of Ferguson's favourite sons, would be weaned in management with one of the junior sides. The decision to let him go has come as a major surprise and appears to have been down to the plc board rather than the manager. McClair has been one of United's all-time best buys, costing £850,000 - decided at a tribunal in July 1987 - when Ferguson pinched him from Celtic as one of his first captures. McClair still has United's league scoring record - under Ferguson - of 25 goals in a season. Andy Cole took McClair's number nine jersey a couple of years ago but the Scot was happy to stay at the club, claiming that players never felt the same when they left United. McClair was rewarded with a testimonial last season against his old club Celtic, and a bumper gate swelled his personal coffers by close to £400,000. Marcus Lionel van Geyzel. "I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking very good either". -- Dogbert
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-Sender: giggs@tiac.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 15:21:56 -0700 To: suggs@tiac.net From: J Callaghan (by way of Red Devils Mailing List ) Subject: Jaap Stam 10 Things You Didn’t Know About United’s New Signing STAM THE MAN 10 Things You Didn’t Know About United’s New Signing When Jaap Stam was 10 years old, all his friends in the school team supported Ajax. He was the only one who followed a foreign side - Manchester United. He never dreamed he would become a professional footballer. Scouts from Dutch First Division club FC Zwolle picked up on three players from the junior side he was a member of, but barely looked at him. "I was really jealous," he admits. "I decided I probably wasn't good enough and stopped thinking about being a professional." When Stam was 13, he broke his leg when he took a bend too fast on his bike and crashed into a lorry. The injury stopped him doing anything physical for months - not for lack of effort, though. His dad had to strap him into his wheelchair to stop him trying to play in goal with his leg in plaster. The man who finally recognised his talents was Theo De Jong, a member of Holland's 1974 World Cup team. De Jong was so keen on Stam that he signed him for every club he coached. FC Zwolle, then Cambuur Leeuwarden and finally Willem II before the player left for PSV. "Every day I saw Jaap train or play, the more I was convinced that he was the best I'd ever seen," said De Jong. "He was only 18 and so ferocious, so dedicated and so strong. I played alongside the best defenders Holland had in 1974 and Stam was better." Stam's best friend is school team-mate Henry van der Vegt. They have both made it as professionals, at the same time that Stam was moving to United, van der Vegt was signing for top Italian side Udinese. Stam's dad was a carpenter. He only joined FC Zwolle after finishing his studies to be an electrician. Stam is the first defender since Ronald Koeman in 1988 to win Holland's Player Of The Year award. He made his full international debut in April 1996 against deadly rivals Germany. Stam's wife Ellis is expecting their first baby in August. YOU had the opportunity to go to almost all of the top clubs in Italy and Spain, but you turned them down to join Manchester United. Why?.. "Funnily enough, Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars told me some great things about life in England and about the atmosphere at English grounds. And, equally importantly, they also told me that you can lead a normal life when you’re not on the pitch. They say they can walk down the street in London without people jumping on them like they do in Spain and Italy. When Dennis was at Inter Milan he got to know all about that. So, as funny as it sounds, two Arsenal players made me go to United, ha, ha." Didn't Liverpool actually make a bigger bid for you?.. "Yes they did, but Mister Ferguson never had to worry about me joining one of United's rivals. The only thing about Liverpool coming back in for me was that it caused another hold-up in the negotiations. PSV Eindhoven thought they could get more money if they sold me to Liverpool but I made it very clear that I wasn’t interested in joining them. There was no way I was going to change my mind, United was my first and only choice. People have done nothing else but talk about money. But for me there was something far more important at stake. I want to go to a club where I can win major trophies, where I’ll play in the Champions' League every season and where I’ll be working with the best players. I believe that United have more to offer than any other club. I’m going for the glory, not for the money." But the move must have made you a millionaire all the same... "It's really funny. My sister didn't know about the clause in my contract that said I would be entitled to 15% of any transfer fee if I moved. When she read in the papers that United were going to pay an awful lot of money for me and that I would get 15% of it, it still didn't sink in. But when she was in bed that night and she started to figure out exactly how much money I would make, and she got a real shock. Two minutes later she was screaming down the phone: 'Jaap. You're going to be a millionaire'. It's more the people around me who keep talking about the money. I don't think it will change me as a person all that much. I’ve never been a flashy lad, so I don't think I'll become one just because I'm joining a club where one of my team-mates goes out with a Spice Girl." Football365 doesn’t mind talking about money, though! Tell us how much you earned out of your first-ever contract? "My first professional club was FC Zwolle in the Dutch First Division. Their coach had scouted me at a non-League club called DOS Kampen. They paid me £100 a week before tax! And if I played more than 10 games in a season, my wages would go up by £20." What car did you drive then? "I had something called an Alpino, but that was a Dutch pushbike! I didn't get a car until I joined my second club, Cambuur Leeuwarden, it was a second-hand Honda Civic which smelled like hell." And what will you use to get to Old Trafford? "Well, I've always loved beautiful cars, but I’ve never been able to afford a Porsche, a Maserati or an Aston Martin. I was only leasing a car, even when I was at PSV. I love Aston Martins most of all, but they cost more than £100,000, don't they? I don't know whether I'll want to drive a car that costs that much. I am just an ordinary guy. I'd really hate it if people started to think I was some kind of Jack The Lad, now I've joined United. I’ve noticed my old friends from the town where I used to live haven't dared ring me lately. They ring my sister and ask her things about me. I tell her to give those lads my phone number, because they are more important to me than most of the people I've met in football." What's it like to look in the mirror and see the most expensive defender in the world staring back? "Very strange. Especially if you bear in mind that PSV only paid £1m for me two years ago. But I've progressed a lot, I'm a better player now and I feel that I'm still improving. Manchester United will get an even better player than the one PSV Eindhoven had. But the prices of players go up every season. Perhaps people in Manchester will say in five years' time: 'Remember when we bought Jaap Stam? We only paid £10m for him'. Honestly, nobody in football can keep up with the way transfer fees skyrocket." With all respect for your qualities as a defender, do you think you are worth £10m? "Look at it this way. Clubs have been paying these prices - and a lot more besides - for top-class strikers. If I make sure that those expensive strikers in the Premier League or in the Champions' League don't score against United, you could say I'm worth the same as them. Defenders are more important than ever. They have to pass the ball better than in the past, because they have to be more involved in the build-up of attacking play. I think I symbolise the modern defender, I just hope United don't expect me to score a stack of goals as well as stop them!" On the international front, you went to Euro 96 with Holland but spent all your time on the bench. How do you think your lot will do at this year's World Cup? "Well, I'm a regular in the team now, which I'm really enjoying, and I honestly think we'll have one of the best sides in the tournament. I don't see us as any weaker than Brazil, France or Germany, the teams that I think have the best chance of winning the trophy. The main thing is that we stick together this time. The atmosphere in the camp is always important for Holland, so I'll try and make sure we become a great team on and off the pitch. At Euro 96, I didn't have the power to voice my opinions on things or to get involved in certain arguments - even though the whole thing with Edgar Davids was blown out of proportion, it could have been avoided. Our squad is almost the same as in Euro 96 so everyone knows that we mustn't make the same mistakes twice." Is there anything else for you to achieve now that you've got the dream move you always wanted? "I'd love to go to Old Trafford after the summer as a World Champion. I really think Holland have the quality to reach the Final - and I'd love to mark Ronaldo in that match. I don't fear any striker in the world, not even him. I don't want to sound cocky or arrogant, but I think I can handle them all." A Manchester United is for life, not just for christmas. --------------------------------------------------------- JacKiT@indigo.ie --------------------------------------------------------- If tomorrow was today, it would be yesterday.
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

X-Sender: giggs@tiac.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 15:21:45 -0700 To: suggs@tiac.net From: J Callaghan (by way of Red Devils Mailing List ) Subject: LIST: edwards on cash, + pally Manchester United UNITED PREPARE TO SPLASH THE CASH Edwards opens his wallet for transfer bonanza Martin Edwards has given Alex Ferguson the go-ahead for a Manchester United summer spending spree. The Old Trafford chairman, who has already invested £10.75 million on Dutch defender Japp Stam, has promised more cash for a midfielder and a striker. Edwards said: ''Arsenal have caught us up and it's time for us to kick in with some more heavy investments - we have a shopping list.'' It has been rumoured that Ferguson, who has money burning a hole in his pocket after the mid-season £3.5m sale of Czech midfielder Karel Poborsky to Graeme Souness' Benfica, has his eye on several big names of world football. He has been reported to have made enquiries about French side Lens' 6'4'' Cameroon midfelder Marc Vivien Foe - indeed, Ferguson went to watch the 22-year-old play against Paris Saint Germain in the French Cup Final. He has also been linked with interest in Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, but the Italian star has reportedly decided to remain with the Turin club for a massive £2.5million per year after tax.
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

Subject: United set sights set on £7m Ortega Saturday, May 9, 1998 Manchester United are tracking rising Argentina striker Ariel Ortega - the man labelled 'the new Maradona'. While Alex Ferguson continues to underline his long-term faith in the famed Old Trafford youth policy, the manager who shelled out £10.75million on Holland's Jaap Stam says he is ready to buy big again to win the Premiership crown back from Arsenal. Ferguson hopes to add at least a couple more of this summer's World Cup performers before the Finals begin next month. Valencia's Ortega, rated at between £7m-£10, came under United's scrutiny earlier in the year and the 24-year-old has made it known he wants to leave the Spanish club, who feel the striker has not consistently reproduced his outstanding international form while in club colours. As Ferguson looks to the future, three more from the Old Trafford production line - which has already produced talent like the Neville brothers, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt - are set for a recall at relegated Barnsley tomorrow: John Curtis, Michael Clegg and Phil Mulryne. Ferguson has been watching developments at Fiorentina, where last year's front-line target Gabriel Batistuta has fallen from grace. He has also lodged a £2.5m bid for Lens' 23-year-old Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe. Yet while he may not buy British this summer the Old Trafford chief will maintain faith with his homegrown talent, stressing: 'I know deep down that the nucleus of the club is very, very good. It's disappointing to lose the title but you have to place it in its proper perspective. 'We aren't panicking. We know there's nothing greatly wrong with the team while the players now know what real defeat is. And, knowing them, it will hurt them.' United will be watching Foe again today - Ferguson himself ran the rule over the midfielder in last week's French Cup Final - when Lens take on Auxerre, whose striker Stephane Guivarc'h is interesting a number of English clubs, including Arsenal, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Monaco defender Martin Djetou is also being monitored by United and Blackburn as the scramble for the top Continental talent intensifies. Ideally, Ferguson wants to complete his major signings before the World Cup to ward off other clubs and also avoid the chance of the prices being hiked. That could certainly be the case with Ortega, who was outstanding in a recent friendly against the Republic of Ireland. As Ferguson looks to the reshaping of United, one of the few foreigners in his squad, Norway's Henning Berg, is likely to be allowed to leave because his £5m move from Blackburn a year ago has not worked out. Veteran Brian McClair was released this week and others, such as David May, and striker Teddy Sheringham, will be concerned over their job prospects. But Gary Pallister is likely to be given the opportunity to forge a new alliance with Stam. Ferguson will also hope that Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who failed to build on a marvellous first season because of injury problems, will return from the World Cup rejuvenated. Having already insisted that he will stick with Andy Cole, the United manager's scouting work will in the main be to increase the depth of his squad rather than displace his main men.
Sad RED Day, Brian is leaving after 11 years.

Keep The Faith -- barry@www.red11.org -- Red Til We're Dead -------Manchester United for life not just for Christmas-------  barry@www.red11.org Webmaster: Barry Leeming Theatre Of Dreams: http://www.red11.org " If ever they are playing in your town You must get to that football ground Take a lesson come to see Football taught by Matt Busby Manchester, Manchester United A bunch of bouncing Busby Babes They deserve to be knighted " $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  barry@www.red11.org Webmasters: Barry Leeming Bill McArthur Theatre Of Dreams: http://www.red11.org " If ever they are playing in your town You must get to that football ground Take a lesson come to see Football taught by Matt Busby Manchester, Manchester United A bunch of bouncing Busby Babes They deserve to be knighted " Keep The Faith -- Red Til We're Dead -- "RED sky at night UNITED delight" --- Manchester United for life not just for Christmas --- Calypso available here: mp3 Manchester United index: Results News WhosWho Archive Pics Statistics Reserves Team Trophy's History Munich Webring