www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Mon Nov 16 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Peter Schmeichel - The Greatest Dane
2. We all agree, Burnley are better than Blackburn"
3. Automatic Pilot Cruise Control or No Wonder Schmeichel Wants to Leave.
4. United v Blackburn.. Thoughts by Boon Wee
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Daily RED Trivia Mon 16th November:
16/11/1895: In a remarkable Division 2 game Newton Heath draw 5-5 against Lincoln City
at Bank Street watched by 8,000. John Clarkin 2, Joe Cassidy, Jimmy Collinson
and James Peters scored for the Heathens. Team was: Douglas, Dow, Collinson,
Fitzsimmons, McNaught, Cartwright, Clarkin, Kennedy, Cassidy, R.Smith.
1949: United's Jack Rowley (4) and Stan Pearson (2) score 6 goals in Englands
9-2 against Northern Ireland at Maine Road.
1974: Paul Scholes born in Salford. Scholes won a FA Youth Cup Runners-Up medal
in 1993, and scored twice on his senior debut against Port Vale in September 1994.
He has won Premiership medals in 1996 and 1997, and an FA Cup medal in 1996.
A tenacious forward, he has been capped by England, playing in the 1998 World
Cup Finals. 129 appearances and 40 goals for United between 1994-98.
************
Barry Daily Comment:
Today Tremendous Personal Blackburn Reports! Our Salford Lass & RED KELLY
Next 4 games:
Result/Fixture Index:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm9
Sat 21/11 Sheff Wed (A) PL 15.00
Wed 25/11 Barcelona (A) CL 19.45
Sun 29/11 Leeds (H) PL 14.00 Sky Sports
Wed 2/12 Tottenham (A) (Worthington Cup 1/4 final) 19.45
UNITED Stats v Sheff Wed:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/vssheffwed.htm
*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED ***
Date Opposition Score Pos. Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/08/98 Leicester City Home D 2-2 11 55,052
22/08/98 West Ham United Away D 0-0 11 26,039
09/09/98 Charlton Athletic Home W 4-1 9 55,147
12/09/98 Coventry City Home W 2-0 5 55,193
20/09/98 Arsenal Away L 0-3 10 38,142
24/09/98 Liverpool Home W 2-0 3 55,181
03/10/98 Southampton Away W 3-0 2 15,251
17/10/98 Wimbledon Home W 5-1 2 55,265
24/10/98 Derby County Away D 1-1 2 30,867
31/10/98 Everton Away W 4-1 2 40,079
08/11/98 Newcastle United Home D 0-0 3 55,174
14/11/98 Blackburn Rovers Home W 3-2 2 55,198
Champions League:
**Nov 4 Barcelona 1-2 Bayern Munich
**Nov 4 Man Utd 5-0 Brøndby
Group D P W D L F A Pts
Man United 4 2 2 0 16 7 8
Bayern Munich 4 2 1 1 6 5 7
Barcelona 4 1 1 2 6 6 4
Brondby 4 1 0 3 4 14 3
To be played:
Nov 25 Barcelona v Man Utd
Nov 25 Bayern Munich v Brøndby
Dec 9 Brøndby v Barcelona
Dec 9 Man Utd v Bayern Munich
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
"Peter Schmeichel's last season at OT" Click on image for more!"
Subject: Peter Schmeichel - The Greatest Dane
Earlier this year I was granted a brief, but extremely satisfying, audience
with Peter Schmeichel. Some of you may have read the report I sent to the
list about our trip to the match against Newcastle, and our meeting with
Pete in the bowels of Old Trafford before the game.
I don't know when last I have been as sincere as I was that day, as I
presented him with a special award from the South African branch, and told
him that we felt that he, above all others, was solely responsible for the
success we've enjoyed in recent years.
Yes, Eric was very special, but while he was running the show and scoring
single goals in the run-in to the title of '96, Pete was keeping clean
sheets - as he had done before Eric arrived at Old Trafford, and as he has
done since Eric left.
Isn't there a certain deja vue about all this? The press attacked Eric for
months before he decided to call it a day, and they've been on Pete's back
for some time now. Ok, so he's been experiencing difficulty with his form
in recent months, but we've a lot more to be thankful than to condemn him
for.
Batten down the hatches, boys and girls. From here on in, every goalkeeper
from Moscow to Boston, from Delmas (a small town in the Transvaal) to the
outer Hebrides, will be linked with a move to Manchester United. Mark
Bosnich? No thank you. He's a thoroughly unpleasant little man, too prone
to making disgusting gestures to other fans and then proclaiming his
innocence. I for one hope Alex looks elsewhere. (Oh, if only young
Manninger were available....)
Meanwhile, what's wrong with giving Raimond van der Gorgeous a chance?
He's never let us down, and he could give us a season or two, surely?
Ethel I-shook-Peter-Schmeichel's-hand-and-felt-the-warmth-of-his-smile!
:)))))))))
"Peter Schmeichel's last season at OT" Click on image for more!"
"Peter Schmeichel's last season at OT" Click on image for more!"
X-Sender: red-devils@pop.pipeline.com
X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32
Subject: Automatic Pilot Cruise Control or No Wonder Schmeichel Wants to Leave.
RED KELLY
This week we were given the news that our great Dane Peter Schmeichel wants
out at the end of the season - yesterday we understood why.
There was a morning call from a friend offering a spare ticket for
yesterday's game so it was a happy Nigel who received the call from me and
the promised ticket. This meant a slight delay in leaving, but we were on
the road just before 12.30. Trouble was I had arranged to meet sausageman
at Sandbach Services at 1 o'clock. Not to worry I thought - he has my
number and he's bound to phone.
We belted up the motorway which was unusually free-flowing and as we
approached Hilton Park just before 1pm Nigel said "told you so, we're there
on time anyway". "What" I said, "we're on time to meet Dobson" he says.
"No you daft bastard, we're supposed to meet him at Sandbach". "Oooh, we'll
be late then won't we!" And we were late, but not that late, so we waited
and waited but no sausages in sight.
I tried his phone - but he'd changed the number. I rang BDS - but got the
answerphone. Then Mick called me to say that he'd had a message from the
sausageman himself to say that he'd forgotten to take my number with him
and that he'd gone!! Well we knew he wasn't there, and to be honest had
already left, but it was nice to know anyway!!
We sped on past Knutsford and on to the M62 and 602. Well, we got there
eventually despite the fact I had veered of towards the West bound M62
until Nigel shouted at me. I'd been distracted by a wagon that was piled so
high we marvelled at how it could have passed under any of the motorway
bridges. We'd followed this wagon for a while until we realised that if it
was going to shed it's load we would almost certainly be involved in the
aftermath. So we decided to dump that particular death wish right there.
We finally ended up at Old Trafford around 2.40. Far too late to pick up
any IMUSA leaflets for the post-match distribution, but inside the ground I
met up with Paul Wheeler who was only too pleased to empty his
over-stretched pockets of a few hundred. He told me he'd been searched on
the way in and the steward had missed the leaflets. As they'd been stuffed
in his pockets and down his shirt I have no idea how he'd missed them or
maybe he mistook the mass of leaflets for solid muscle and thought he'd
better leave well alone.
The teams came out and for the first time I gazed down at the pitch - it
was a 70's patchwork quilt of a mess. I couldn't believe that United had
invested in such a system when the last pitch looked so good. It was
obviously going to cause problems - and it did. The bounce of the ball was
so unpredictable it caused chaos - in fact sometimes it just didn't bounce
at all. This made football so difficult as you just wouldn't know what to
expect - good job we weren't playing Wimbledon - we'd probably have been
slaughtered.
The game about to start and the young mascot made her way to the side of
the pitch, but just as she reached the white line she was hit on the head
by a rogue football cleared from the halfway line. Cue much merriment. It
didn't harm her at all but as we'd watched the flight of the ball I'm sure
thousands of K Standers were willing it to collide with this poor
unfortunate's head and we weren't disappointed. It arrived at such a gentle
pace that she was hardly thrown off balance, but her face must have been a
picture!
The game started with Blackburn well on top and United still recovering
from the efforts of getting changed. It's a tough life being a footballer
with everyone willing you to perform every game when all you want to do is
go back to your flash pad and play with your girlfriend's Nintendo. It
seemed to be what United were dreaming of anyway, but Blackburn were living
up to their Arte et Labore motto - well the Labore bit anyway.
The yonners were getting behind their team and were most amused when the PA
announcement asked for someone from Essex to go to a steward. The
inevitable "do you come from Manchester" started with the response "do you
come from Burnley" hitting the B spot.
Shortly afterwards the yonners were up and celebrating a 'goal' before they
realised what we had already seen several hours before - the linesman's
raised flag. Much celebrating in K Stand and a very disconsolate bunch over
to our left.
Gradually United were coming to grips with the reality of actually playing
a game of football and one by one they were switching off automatic pilot
and on to normal control. Becks was one of the first to get into gear and
when he saw Andy dancing around near the penalty area he sent a long ball
across which Henchoz headed back towards Filan. Unbeknownst to him Filan
had also seen the opportunity and had come for the same ball which allowed
Andy to capitalise on the confusion but send an off-balance shot smacking
against the post, across goal and out again.
This seemed to wake everyone up and it wasn't long before we were one in
front. Yorke robbed the dilly-dallying Dailly in midfield pushed the ball
on to Scholes who slotted it home across Filan in the yonner goal. Mass
sighs of relief all around followed by more contentment not long after when
Yorke scored.
A superb interpassing move of one-touch football involving Backs, Butt and
Yorke ended with Yorke volleying past Filan for United's second and his
tenth in all since his move. By now United were totally dominant and
spraying balls all over the pitch with Beckham, Blomqvist and Curtis being
the main exponents of the long pass.
We could have been a few more to the good by half-time but had to be
content with the two. In truth, had we been any more in front it would have
done Blackburn a disservice - not that we'd have given a toss about that.
The teams came out for the second half and we saw the familiar sight of the
great Dane trotting towards us with his old red towel - arms raised in
response to our chants of "Schmeichel, Schmeichel da, da, da, da, da, da
da, da daaaaa."
I admire the way Peter has decided to quit the English game in such an
honest fashion. He has given Fergie the opportunity to sign a class
replacement by the end of the season and all we have to do now is make the
most of him while he is still around. At least he is giving us the
opportunity to say goodbye - let's hope it's on a second trip to the Nou
Camp in May.
At the start of the second half Sherwood decided he'd had enough of the
game and conspired to get himself removed from the pitch. His cohort in the
amateur drama was Becks, always willing to ham it up to do a favour for a
mate. The charade was probably hastily arranged at half-time so that
Sherwood could make an undercover phone call to George Graham at Tottenham.
So after an innocuous heel-clipping by Timsy on Becks, the latter races
after the former and the former clouts the latter with his elbow. Becks
dies like a swan and remains down just in case there is any doubt about the
outcome - bearing in mind Mike Reid was refereeing. Timsy is shown the red
card. And we thought it would be Blake who would be first to go marching
off.
Howls of "f**k off Sherwood" and "cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" rang around Od
Trafford as he wandered off looking in his filofax for Graham's number.
To rub salt into their wounds Scholes gets into the ballet theme and dances
round several Blackburn defenders before planting another shot across the
bows of Filan and into the Stretford net for the third.
Game over................or so we thought.............wrong again.
With United now well and truly back in cruise control and the speed fixed
at 25 miles per hour, the yonners suddenly wake up and realise they could
be on to something. They came pouring forward with alarming regularity.
Fergie decides to give them a helping hand by taking off Scholes and
Blomqvist so that the yonners can dominate midfield giving their attack
more options. Hodgson sees this and brings on Marcolin who promptly scores.
Oh great - suddenly we have no midfield, especially with Nicky having a
duff game for once, and Blackburn have been gifted a goal. So Blackburn
bring on 'he of the broken arm'. The yonners had been calling for him for
ages with their 'ooh aah Gallagher" and he loves Old Trafford, always
giving us the run around when he plays there. He made a difference and
proceeded to torment the whole defence - well all except Stam. There was a
moment of pure Stamness when Gallagher had the ball at the edge of the box
and to the right as we look at it. He jinked and danced around having
tricked several Red shirts prior to reaching the point of no return.
Stam picked him up on his radar and homed in for the kill. As Gallagher
danced in front of him Stam had a dream. It was of that scene in Raiders of
the Lost Arc when Ford faced the smart arse in the martial arts kit
wiggling his stick about. The thought flashed through Stams head and the
dream became reality when the jinking Gallagher was slammed unceremoniously
and with such force by the huge hulking Dutchman. Good job he didn't have a
gun or he'd have shot him just as Ford did - why mess about!! He threw his
calling card on to the prostrate body of Gallagher and drifted back to the
centre back position.
I suppose he thought he'd done enough at that because he and the others
went missing again when Blake headed another goal while our destroyer
seemed more content with patting him on the back and saying "well done".
Peter went ballistic with them all. He reminds me of Peter Pan, but not
because he's forever youthful or can fly, although I know his alter ego
Rudolph could. He reminds me because when he goes ballistic he splatters
the defence with his verbal like the troubled backside splatters the toilet
pan. Neither experiences are at all pleasant.
The last ten minutes were spent in agony and standing up. truth was we were
so agitated we couldn't sit still. Every time the ball was hoisted into the
penalty area in front of us there were panic noises emitted from every
orifice. Fergie did bring Keano on to steady us down and I would hate to
think what might have happened if he hadn't. Whenever he had the ball there
was an audible hush and calm which permeated the panic stricken air. We
just wanted him to keep the ball to himself, but he insisted on passing it
every bloody time - stupid sod.
In the end the whistle blew and a cheer of relief went up from those of us
brave enough to have stayed to watch. In my considerable experience of
United I can say in all honesty that they have always been like that - why
- I have no idea!!
Outside Old Trafford I met up with Nigel and we distributed our IMUSA
information leaflets without a hitch. There were some who refused to take
them, but they were few and far between. It makes you feel like stopping
them and giving a lecture but there is never enough time.
Back in the car and heading down towards the M6 I had arranged to pull in
to Knutsford Services to fill up with diesel and meet Becks at the pump in
front, but he didn't turn up. Must have still been removing the facial
scrub of Fergies harsh words in the dressing room I suppose.
Back on the M6 and listening to Mellor's self congratulatory utterings we
were constantly amused by all the calls from Blackburn and Liverpool fans.
The first complaining that their goals were onside and that Sherwood never
touched Becks and so shouldn't have been dismissed - he he! The scousers
were just complaining about anything and everything and the motorway was
littered with discarded curly wigs and false moustaches thrown from their
many supporters coaches heading south to Kent and Devon.
Copyright RED KELLY 1998
"Peter Schmeichel's last season at OT" Click on image for more!"
Subject: United v Blackburn.. Thoughts by Boon Wee
Allo all,
results and pictures will be posted in about 5-6 hours' time. it'll be in
the usual url. (http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~limboonw/mufc.html)
schmeichel showed the world why he is why united won 4 championships since
his arrival. the great dane made several outrageous saves from blake,
gallagher and sherwood. gordon banks would have been proud of schmeichel
last night. united hung on to a slim 1-0 win over luckless blackburn for
the precious 3 points. the 55,198 crowd showed their appreciation of
schmeichel by singing his name non stop throughout the match. it was a
wonderful day for the great dane as he put it himself, "nothing beats
playing in front of 55 thousands fans, it's been great".
of course that would happen in the perfect world. the truth is far from
it. not that schmeichel were to be blamed for any of the 2 goals conceded,
schmeichel showed some uncertainties on his handling of the ball at times.
perhaps he was putting too much pressure on himself after his announcement
to leave at the end of the season.
while the crowd welcomed schmeichel with a loud cheer at the beginning of
the game, naturally expecting a carnival for the next 90 minutes. someone
up there was busy putting together a big plot which would not only cause
breathless moments for united and blackburn fans, but also attracts
neutral fans to witness the beauty of the english game.
united started the game without keane who was on the bench as he would be
needed for national duties after today. scholes, butt, beckham and
blomqvist ran the midfield. neville brothers, stam and curtis mingled at
the back, and the front was led by the reliable twins, cole and yorke.
the game started off with both teams trying to get use to the bumpy pitch
(i have not seen united's pitch this bad for a long time). passing were
not accurate, few chances were created, it was as if united were reserving
themselves for the important midweek game at nou camp.
things only started to pick up when cole fluffed an open goal by hitting
the upright when blackburn's keeper lost the ball, all cole needed was a
placed shot but he opted for power. could hoddle's words be true afterall?
throughout the game, cole would make a mess of himself, heading well wide
or making passes when he should be tried to take a shot. cole was not
selected by hoddle for the england meet up despite his good form for the
past few weeks, could the rejection be the cause of his poor game today?
only he himself will know.
scholes finally broke the deadlock on the half hour mark when he took his
chance from yorke's pass. there was relieve all over as it had looked like
it's going to be 0-0 again. the songs started to flow and the returning of
the confidence was evident as united's game improved as the mintues ticked
by. blackburn could do nothing with united's breathe of fresh air. just
before half time, united showed why they are such a classy team and why
yorke is worth all the 12.6 million pounds. yorke received the ball from
beckham outside the box, passed it to scholes and made the run forward,
scholes played the 1-2 perfectly and put yorke through. yorke made no
mistake and punished blackburn with united's 2nd goal. what a classic
setup (it reminds me of mcclair's goal against liverpool a few seasons
back). half time gone and memories of a 4-0 thrashing last season
returned, 2 more goals from united at such times are not hard to wish for.
2nd half began, in an off the ball situation, sherwood was judged to have
elbowed beckham and was sent off. whether beckham made a meal out of it,
only he himself would know. it's never easy to play against 10 men but
united seemed to put everybody at ease when scholes added in a second
soon after, 3-0 to united. fergi, sensibly began to perform his weekly
rotating trick, he took off scholes and blomqvist and put in cruyff and
solskjaer. that was when things started to go wrong.
blackburn players suddenly found extra lungs in themselves and started to
create trouble for united. time and time again they attacked united's goal
in droves and were rewarded with several corners. from one such corner
which united failed to clear, marcolin put one past schmeichel. motivated
by that goal, blackburn players pushed on, blake's header from a cross was
tipped over the bar by schmeichel (as usual the red nose keeper would
scream at his defenders). from the resulting corner, blake made no mistake
and made the score 3-2 to united. now, there were anxieties all over as
there was more than 10 mins of game to go. cruyff had unfortunately pulled
his hamstring when he was chasing a ball (he could have extended united's
lead if the injury did not occur). in came keane, but he too seemed to be
conserving his energy, his presence did help united to strengthen their
midfield which had been overran since scholes left. blackburn continued
their bombards and united tried to counter as and when they could. in one
such counter cole found himself completely clear and could put the issue
to an end. his control were good, beating a couple of defenders before he
decided to shoot and redeem himself for his past misses, but his shot hit
a defender and there was cole, seen kneeling on the ground. it was just
not his day.
in the end, the final whistle brought out loud cheers from the home crowd,
it was more of cheers of relieve (how many times have we heard it?).
united hanged on to win 3-2. don't think fergi or the players would be
smiling at the win, though i suspect barcelona's spies and staff are doing
so at the moment.
cheers
--
Boon Wee
"Peter Schmeichel's last season at OT" Click on image for more!"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/news/schmeichel.htm
Barry
J. Leeming Digest Prgram
by 
William
McArthur Canada
