www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Fri Sep 18 06:31:51 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. The Barca beat By RED KELLY
2. United v Barcelona - an armchair view
3. MANCHESTER UNITED 3 BARCELONA 3
4. United And Arsenal Reflect On Missed Opportunities
5. Utd vs Barcelona Reps/Pics/Tots
6. Naill Quinn on Fergie (Guardian)
7. Reflections of a Red life by DA
8. UNITED MYSTERY BIDDER REVEALED / More on Ferguson Ref Blast
9. UNITED FANS AGAINST MURDOCH: THE MANIFESTO
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Daily RED Trivia Fri 18th September:
1946: John Aston (Snr) made his debut against Chelsea. Aston played in the 1948 FA Cup Winning side and the Championship team of 1951-52. Total of 282 appearances and 30 goals between 1946-54, mainly at Left-back. 17 England caps. Later Coach and Chief Scout for the Reds.
1968: In the European Cup 1st Round 1st leg United win 3-1 at Waterford watched
by 48,000 with a Denis Law hat-trick. Team was: Stepney (Rimmer), Dunne, Burns,
Crerand, Foulkes, Stiles, Best, Law, Charlton, Sadler, Kidd.
19 1945: Albert Kinsey born in Liverpool. Kinsey won an FA Youth Cup winners
medal in 1964, and scored against Chester in the FA Cup in January 1965 in his only
first team appearance. He later played for Wrexham and Crewe Alexandra.
********************************
Next 4 games:
Index: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm
Sat 20/9 Arsenal (A) PL
Thu 24/9 Liverpool (H) PL
Wed 30/9 Bayern M (A) CL
Sat 3/10 Southampton (A) PL
UNITED Stats v Barcelona are here:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/vsbarcelona.htm Url
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/vsbarcelona.xls Excel File
*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED - AS AT 12/09/98 ***
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
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS
Group A
Porto 2 (Zahovic 64, Jardel 82) Olympiakos Piraeus
2 (Giannakopoulos 87, Gogic 90)
Croatia Zagreb 0 Ajax Amsterdam 0
Group B
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Etxeberria 5) Rosenborg
Trondheim 1 (Strand 66)
Juventus 2 (Inzaghi 17, Birindelli 68) Galatasaray 2
(Sukur 42, Umit 63)
Red card: Peruzzi (Juventus) 32
Group C
Real Madrid 2 (Hierro 79 pen, Clarence Seedorf 90)
Inter Milan 0
Red card: Fresi (Inter Milan) 42
Sturm Graz 0 Spartak Moscow 2 (Titov 61,
Tsymbalar 64)
Group D
Brondby 2 (Hansen 88, Ravn 90) Bayern Munich 1
(Babbel 75)
Manchester United 3 (Giggs 17, Scholes 24,
Beckham 64) Barcelona 3 (Anderson 47, Giovanni
60 pen, Enrique 71pen)
Red Card: Butt (Manchester United) 70
Group E
Panathinaikos 2 (Mykland 57, Liberopoulos 69)
Dynamo Kiev 1 (Rebrov 31)
RC Lens 1 (Vairelles 90) Arsenal 1 (Overmars 51)
Group F
PSV Eindhoven 2 (Ooijer 59, Bruggink 90) HJK
Helsinki 1 (Kottila 31)
Kaiserslautern 1 (Wagner 41) Benfica 0
Red card: El Khalej (Benfica) 89
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: The Barca beat By RED KELLY
It was nice to get back on the road again after an extremely hectic few
days working for the cause, whether it was nice being in the sausage-mobile
is debatable.
Four of us set off from here at around 3pm to meet the sausageman at Hilton
Park. The journey was good and we arrived on time for once. Sitting in
Burger King munching a double cheeseburger I had no idea why BDS asked me
to toss a coin for heads or tails as to who out of the two of us would sit
in the front. "but you're driving" I said in all innocence, "do you want me
to drive then?" "No we're going in Dobson's car" "What, it's not big
enough" I exclaimed "I know, that's why we're tossing the coin!"
In fact I won the toss, but because BDS is the taller of the two of us and
had complained of a bad back I allowed him to sit in the front seat and
squeezed into the back with Nigel and Dr Mark.
And it WAS a squeeze. With my knees up against my chin for the rest of the
journey, my only pleasures being a box of chocolates that was handed round
and some hearty banter about the Loaded magazine Dr Mark was reading.
Happily the journey was uneventful and we arrived at Bronnington in good
time to get to the Dog to meet with Richard and Nick and then on to the
Throstles. Remembering the journey up on Saturday when we seemed to be
avoiding accidents by micro-seconds, we counted ourselves fortunate. The M6
usually throws up at least one delay, but four accidents on a journey
that's supposed to take no more than two hours was a bit much. The last of
those was a huge pile up on the south bound carriageway involving around
twenty vehicles which caused a monumental tail-back. It all makes matchday
travel a precarious business.
Walking up to OT in a howling gale I wondered why I hadn't considered the
temperature change and the time of year and dressed accordingly, but as it
happens, by the end of the night it wasn't that cold at all. It was bloody
wet though!
We arrived on the forecourt to be greeted by hoards of people having their
photographs taken in front of Sir Matt's statue. Hopefully they knew who he
was and what he did for the club but did they have to stand there with
loads of megastore bags at their feet when they were being snapped.
Then the white tornado ran past. What was this bloke doing at 6 o'clock on
the evening of a big Euro game running down Warwick Road in a T-shirt and
white lycra cycling shorts dodging his way through the bemused crowds?
White lightening or what!!
The Dog was packed, but didn't seem as packed as usual. Maybe some of the
patrons were away on IMUSA business or maybe it was just because we were
earlier than usual. Richard gave me the programme form Lotz which is
totally incomprehensible but interesting for it's novelty value.
The Lotz team picture shows a group of players all but two of whom were
shaven headed - had they had a plague of nits in the dressing room then?
And to mirror this an AD for 'Gipsar' whatever that is, with another bald
bloke superimposed on twenty odd repeated images of his bald head. Is this
normal in that neck of the woods? Is everyone is a slap head because if it
is normal I could get a job very easily out there, not that I want one!
The United pen pics are also amusing because they comprise of each
individual player in his own oblong picture box, but instead of the players
being photographed separately the picture boxes comprise of close ups from
the full team photo. This has lead to many heads being seen with other body
parts and other heads, the most amusing of which is Andy Cole who seems to
be resting his chin on Raimonds head and all you can see of Raimond is the
top of his head and his eyes - bit like CHAD - wot no chin? Old farts only
will remember Chad.
It was then on to the Throstles which was packed full of list members too
numerous to mention. A pint in each set us up for the evenings
entertainment which for the time being would wholly distract us from our
quest to 'SAVE OUR GAME'.
There's a different atmosphere at Old Trafford on European nights you can
smell it as long as you are far enough away from Dobson that is! Everything
looks the same as you walk down to the ground but there's a special buzz
about the place, a buzz of history and past glories. These are really
special nights.
Inside the ground the teams were about to come out when we took our seats.
Actually we didn't take our seats at all because we were all stood up
throughout the whole game. A magnanimous gesture by our friends at SPS who
must have been directed from on high to let us be for one night especially
considering the conflicts over the last few days. Good move Arthur!!
Possibly the most sensible thing you have ever done.
It was great to be standing again with the freedom to move around and the
freedom to express ourselves which was made all the more pleasant by the
offer of a very tasty cup of 'coffee' from one of our regular companions to
my left. Needless to say the coffee was a thin disguise for the real
contents of the plastic cup and it went down a treat! It tastes all the
better if you're not supposed to be doing it!
The match itself started at a pace and carried on all the way through. We
were in good voice with all the usual songs given a Euro airing and when
Becks crossed for Giggs to head home the first goal we were flung into an
ecstacy reserved only for those special European occasions. All around
those who are normally reserved were going berserk and those of us who are
not normally reserved went berserk as usual.
United piled on the pressure attacking the K Stand goal right in front of
us and were playing more like the 93-94 double team than at anytime since.
Yorke seems to have made the difference and one can only hope he continues
to be the catalyst just as Eric was a few years ago. His first touch, ball
shielding and vision are excellent which allows others time to join the
play.
It was a real pleasure to be treated to such a display of attacking prowess
and Barca were nowhere.
If the first goal sent us into raptures then the second sent us straight to
heaven. Another Becks cross met by a magnificent Yorke overhead kick which
the goalkeeper couldn't hold and a tap in from Scholsey. When the ball came
over towards Yorke and we saw him twist his body to shape for the overhead
we couldn't believe our eyes, when he smashed the ball so straight and true
with such power we were in awe. It reminded me of the first "KIng" of Old
Trafford and I cannot think of a better compliment to pay a player.
Chorus upon chorus of "are you watching Kleivert" and "you should have
signed for a BIG club" scampered round the Old Trafford terraces.
Half time arrived and I disappeared beneath K Stand to relieve myself along
with 5000 others. Last saturday I was waiting in line behind this bloke
who must have the bladder of an elephant because I was still stood there as
he relieved himself while those either side of me came and went. Yesterday
was different thank god.
As the teams came out for the second half and after another swig of
'coffee' Steve said "3 - 2 Barcelona" I thanked him for his optimism and he
responded that he'd never been very good at tipping anyway but when their
first goal went in I gave him a very hard stare. When the penalty was given
he received another.
I actually haven't watched the game on video yet but at the time was
convinced it was not a penalty and that Rivaldo had dived and this has
subsequently been offered as opinion from several others. I thought the ref
was one of the worst I'd ever witnessed at OT and I've seen some poor ones
in the past none more so than those who'd been bribed by Italians in the
sixties. I bet he must have been offered a great time-share in southern
Spain for the show he put on last night.
So at 2 - 2 it looked as though Steve's prediction could possibly be coming
to pass when we were given a free kick about 10 yards outside their area.
Down at the Stretford End Becks and Giggs were encouraging the Barca wall
back the requisite ten yards while down at the scoreboard end we held our
breath.
I remember thinking to myself, it would be wishful thinking indeed if Becks
could curl this one in especially as the wall seemed to cover the whole of
the goal. I remember thinking that if I didn't think he could do it he may
just do it - when he bloody went and did it!
What seemed an age later I looked up and Becks and I think two or three
others had run over to the bench and were celebrating in front of Fergie. I
had disappeared into the row behind and there was general chaos everywhere.
Unfortunately it was to be short lived as despite the fact that Barca had
forced the ball into the net after a goalmouth scramble Nicky Butt who had
hardly been on the pitch for long handled on the line and was immediately
shown the red card.
The ref pulled the card out of his pocket so quick it never touched the
sides. His fingers had been twitching around it for ages - pity he didn't
pull it out for the constant fouling and cheating from the Barca boys then.
Or do we call it professionalism when the continentals do it?
Down to ten men and 3 - 3 we girded ourselves for the worst as wave after
wave of Spanish attacks rained down in front of us. The amount of space
Rivaldo was finding was unbelievable and the movement of the Barca boys was
superb to watch. Well it would have been had we not been so shit scared of
coming away from a game that promised so much with absolutely nothing. The
sucker punch was sure to happen, but in the end we held out and it was with
considerable relief that we filed out of the ground to make our ways back
to the sausage wagon.
As I wandered back to the carpark I spied the man himself in the distance
half walking, half running through the rain resplendent in his canary
yellow fleece - like a Norfolk sheep.
On the return journey we were treated to the morons who phone into Richard
Littlejhon's football talk-in who all seemed to have been watching a
different game to us as United were definitely not good enough, should sell
all but three of the team and Fergie should go while he still has a chance.
What planet do these people live on.
The rest of the way home was again fairly uneventful apart from the odd
Dobson trade-mark which permeated the air and caused mass opening of
windows.
Copyright RED KELLY 1998
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Thursday 17 September 1998
Subject: MANCHESTER UNITED 3 BARCELONA 3
When Manchester United were thumped 4-0 by Barcelona in their last
meeting in 1994 they were beaten by Romario, but tonight their bogeyman
was referee Stefano Braschi. The Italian official denied United a
deserved victory in their opening Champions' League clash at Old
Trafford when he awarded Barcelona two penalties - the first of which
was questionable.
Braschi sent off Nicky Butt for handling the ball for the second
spotkick while he also failed to give Ryan Giggs any protection as he
received a battering from Luis Enrique.
United, though, will know in their hearts that they also let themselves
down after they had been in the driving seat when they led 2-0 at
half-time.
David Beckham and Giggs ran riot as United's first-half performance
evoked memories of their epic 3-2 triumph of Juventus last year.
Ferguson has asked the United fans to play their part too and they answered
his rallying call by creating a deafening din.
United were playing in their white away kit, but there was no mistaking
which side was at home.
United knew realistically they needed to win Group D - the so-called Group
of Death - to qualify and cheered on by their fans they went straight for
Barcelona's jugular.
In the 10th minute United were denied by the woodwork after Dutch
international Michael Reiziger blundered.
He gave the ball away to Beckham, who released Giggs on the left and when
the Welshman centred Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shot against the bar.
United, though, did not have much longer to wait for the breakthrough
and in the 16th minute they scored.
Once again the superb Beckham and Giggs were the men responsible.
Beckham skinned Sergi down the right before sending over a terrific ball
which Giggs headed past Ruud Hesp. Barcelona were creaking under
United's relentless red tide and Roy Keane drove the ball at Hesp after
Braschi had ignored a blatant handball.
Again, though, that was only postponing the inevitable and on 24
minutes United scored their second.
Beckham sent over another fine delivery for Dwight Yorke to connect
with an overhead kick, which was saved by Hesp, but Paul Scholes
tucked home the rebound. This was the signal for United's fans
to taunt Patrick Kluivert, who turned down a move to the club in the
summer.
But the Dutchman just smiled at their jibes as he sat in the directors box
sucking on a lolly pop. Barcelona thought they had pulled a
goal back after 32 minutes when Luis Figo deflected Boudewijn Zenden's
shot past Schmeichel, but the Barcelona captain was offside.
Schmeichel denied the Spanish champions a lifeline with a
point-blank save from Sonny Anderson at the back post two minutes before
half-time.
At the end of the half Solskjaer turned and fired just over from
Yorke's pass. Barcelona hauled themselves back into
the match two minutes after the interval when Rivaldo ran at the
flat-footed United defence and when he was stopped the ball broke to
Anderson, who fired home.
These were worrying times for United as Rivaldo began to cut loose and
they responded by bringing on the tigerish Butt for Solskjaer.
But after 58 minutes Barcelona levelled through a controversial
penalty when Stam was adjudged to have felled Rivaldo from Luis
Enrique's pass.
Rivaldo limped away to round off his act before Giovanni slotted home the
spotkick. Five minutes later Beckham restored United's lead when he curled home a
beautiful 25-yard freekick into the top corner, which was a carbon copy
of his World Cup goal against Colombia, after Yorke had been
fouled.
Back, though, came Barcelona and Luis Enrique beat Henning Berg and Butt on
the right before picking out Anderson, who headed against the
woodwork.
From the ensuing scramble Butt was adjudged to have handled on the line
for a penalty and he was sent off as Luis Enrique tucked home Barcelona's
spotkick 20 minutes from time. United's 10 men now tried to hang
onto their point and they spent the remainder of the game keeping
Barcelona at bay.
In the end a point won, but United will feel it was two lost.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Friday 18 September 1998 CHAMPIONS CUP REVIEW
Subject: United And Arsenal Reflect On Missed Opportunities
MANCHESTER UNITED 3 BARCELONA 3
Alex Ferguson could be in hot water with UEFA
after his angry blast at Italian referee Stefano
Braschi following Wednesday night's Champions
League clash with Barcelona. The United boss was
fuming with several of Braschi's decisions in the 3-3
draw with the Spanish champions, including the first
of two penalty awards and a red card for Nicky
Butt.
He said: ''The referee was a real shocker. In the
last three major games we've had here, we've had
bad referees. After the game I saw the Barcelona
president go into the referee's dressing room. He
certainly had cause to be happy with him.''
Ferguson branded the first penalty award
''appalling'' and said of Butt's dismissal following a
handball ''no-one saw it but the ref'". Such
comments could lead to him being fined by a UEFA
disciplinary committee next month if either the
referee or the match delegate mentions what was
said in their reports.
A UEFA spokesman confirmed: ''If any mention is
made in the reports then it will be dealt by the
disciplinary committee, whose next meeting is on
October 8. Those reports usually take 24 hours to
come into us. So we will have a better idea
tomorrow if Mr Ferguson faces any possible
recriminations.''
Ferguson's displeasure was echoed by Dutch
defender Jaap Stam who was penalised for tripping
Rivaldo for the first penalty. He claimed he never
made contact the Brazilian and insisted: ''I think it
was the wrong decision. The people saw it on
television and it was not a penalty, and from where
I was on the pitch it was not a penalty. I don't think
I touched him.''
That penalty allowed Giovanni to level the scores at
2-2 after Sonny Andersen had pulled one back
immediately after half-time as the Spanish giants
set about overturning a 2-0 deficit - those goals
coming from Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. David
Beckham restored United's lead with a stunning
free-kick but a second spot-kick, this time
converted by Luis Enrique, made the final score 3-3
and left United cursing the loss of two Group D
points.
Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel admitted: "We threw
it away. At 2-0 up we were cruising and I thought
we had the game under control, but the result
speaks for itself.'' And Henning Berg added: ''We
should have done better. When you are 2-0 up in a
game you are not supposed to draw from a position
like that."
To be forewarned is to be forearmed, but even that
was not enough to save Barcelona goalkeeper
Ruud Hesp from David Beckham. Hesp has seen the
Manchester United midfielder often enough on
television to know what he is capable of with his
right foot. Jordi Cruyff had also given Hesp the
inside information on Beckham when the two
Dutchmen met at Mottram Hall in Cheshire last
month. Hesp even knew what Beckham was going
to do when in the 64th minute he lined up a
free-kick 25 yards out - but he still could not
prevent the ball sailing over the Barcelona wall and
into the top corner.
Beckham's trademark goal capped a dazzling
performance from the 23-year-old England star,
who also helped create United's first two goals in
the 3-3 Champions' League draw at Old Trafford.
Hesp said: ''He's quality and I knew that before the
game, and if you have quality like he has then that
is always going to be a big advantage. I knew
where he was going to shoot for his free-kick, but
he shoots so hard
and so well that it is very hard to stop the ball.
''The first goal for Giggs came from his
(Beckham's) foot and the second goal came from
his good ball into Yorke. He had an influence in all
three goals so yes, that was some performance.''
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Utd vs Barcelona Reps/Pics/Tots
Boon Wee
Allo all,
all the usual reports and pictures are up at the usual place..
http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~limboonw/mufc.html
last night's game (to borrow an old cliche) was a game of two halves, a
game which saw the better side and the worst side of united. you would
have thought that they would have learned lots from the previous two
campaigns in the champions' league. or so we thought.
united started off with a bang, it was like watching the replay of the
game against fc porto two years back. united were fluent in their passing,
keane and scholes were ruling the midfield, giggs and beckham were running
down the wings with so much grace. on the tangible side, united scored two
brilliant goals for their first half show. giggs headed in a wonderful goal
from an equally wonderful cross from beckham. the yorke proved that we can
expect great things to come from him in the future by trying a bicycle
kick (again from a beckham cross), yorke connected but was well saved by
the keeper, the ball rebounded off a defender and there was scholes
nipping in to score. wonderful stuff. solskjaer could have added a third
if he has not shot against the post off a giggs' pass. united could have
heeded the warning signs when barcelona threatened to score towards the
end of the half. sadly, no one picked up the signal.
secondly half for my two cents, was terrible, saved for beckham's
"columbia" free kick. united's defence looked out of sorts, it was
disorganised at times and it was this that led to barcelona's first goal.
four united players tried to dispose the ball off enrique at the edge of
the box, but none of them completed the task, instead, the ball was passed
to anderson who made no mistake, 2-1. maybe united could still hold on.
next came the dubious penalty decision against united. stam barely touched
rivaldo in the box but the latter thought that it was a good time to
maintain full body contact with the grass. ref blew and pointed to the
spot, 2-2. next, yorke was fouled and beckham stood up to take the
free kick. i bet even the keeper knew where the ball would be heading to
before beckham struck, but still, it flew into the top left corner, 3-2.
seems like united were getting their confidence back and we were treated
to some fluent passing game again. alas! butt's hand came in contact with
the ball in the box and viola yet another penalty. when will schmeichel
start to save penalties? (moan) 3-3. united held on (desperately) as
barcelona swarmed over them from left, right and centre. united just could
not touch the ball and when they did, it was given right back to them
again.
giggs was slightly ineffective after the break. he did not make as many
threatening runs as he did in the first half. with 12 mins to go in the
same, he was taken out and replace by blomqvist. he looked very much like
a kid with an oversized jersey, anyway, he did nothing constructive. to be
fair to him, he hardly touched the ball during his call of duty. the final
whistle came with much of a relieve (from me definitely).
united need to pick up the pieces quickly if they want to be successful in
germany and spain. given their pool records against barcelona and bayern
away, they better would.
if there's one word that could sum up the game, i would say "pity".
coming up next is arsenal on sunday, united looked to me that they are
pretty drained after the game. i certainly hope that it would not be
another heartache against the london team.
cheers
--
Boon Wee -- (Pele : My fav Man United player is Michael Owen)
MY HOME! <:> http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~limboonw
Man Utd Page <:> http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~limboonw/mufc.html
UK Chart Page <:> http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~limboonw/Ukchart/
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Naill Quinn on Fergie (Guardian)
Time to extend Ferguson's credit rating By Niall Quinn
Reading with great interest an article about the Manchester United takeover
in a Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper this week, I was struck by the fact
that the man most responsible for the club being valued at £623 million,
Alex Ferguson, was not informed of the deal beforehand and indeed found out
that it was happening from another newspaper.
That this could happen is a tribute to businessmen's secrecy, I suppose,
but surely Ferguson should have been consulted, or at least made aware of
the proposal somewhere down the line. After all, no matter from what angle
you look at United today, it is all about Ferguson and what he, Brian Kidd
and their players have achieved.
It is not about Martin Edwards or the corporate hospitality or the Man U
Megastore - although they have had supporting roles - and I fully
understand Ferguson's annoyance that in the immediate aftermath of the
deal's announcement the board of directors appeared to be taking all the
credit for United's wealth rather than giving it to him. Perhaps one reason
for that is that Ferguson does not share the appetite for money as those
above him.
While making astonishing fortunes for themselves, Edwards and his fellow
directors would also have made the public and the City believe that they
had performed a master stroke, one they had been planning all along. Well,
if that is the case, then why was it that, not so long ago, they were
prepared to sell the club to Michael Knighton for a fiftieth of today's sum?
Edwards and Co have been lucky. That said, however, Edwards, and I assume
it was he who had the ultimate responsibility for the decision, should be
given credit for one thing he did not do nine years ago, namely sack Ferguson.
Already this season we have seen managers kicked out after two and three
games, and all those Man United fans complaining about Edwards should
remember that he took the difficult option of keeping faith with Ferguson
all those years ago when it would have been so much easier to have said,
"Sorry, mate".
Presumably Edwards had seen something in Ferguson that is not visible in
all football managers, or all men. Having been part of a Manchester City
side that was able to give United the odd contest and therefore having
shared the match-day environment with Ferguson, albeit from a short
distance, I can confirm this phenomenon.
Ferguson has a presence, one charismatic enough to make even experienced
internationals (and there were a few at City then) stop and stare. Imagine,
then, what effect his appearance at training or in the stands at a youth
team game might have on teenagers and young professionals.
That he is not over-exposed on television nor in the papers is probably a
personal choice but the result adds to the impression of someone consumed
by football, someone dismissive of the attendant trappings. (Lately,
though, Ferguson has taken to the horse game as a form of relaxation,
although speaking as someone seven years ahead of him in that respect, this
is only a half-wise move. Predictably he has made a winning start.)
I am not suggesting there has been a triumph of image over substance
because there is no doubt Ferguson is a great manager. In my opinion - and
I am not going into management - that involves being able to find players -
a lot harder than it sounds - then mould and motivate them until they give
100 per cent every time. Ferguson has done all this, and how often over the
past decade has any commentator been able to say that United did not seem
up for the game?
I know that to play for United and earn pots of money for doing so should
be enough in itself but each individual is different and requires differing
management. Eric Cantona became the outstanding example when he launched
himself into the crowd at Selhurst Park. Ferguson had to walk a fine line
between official reproach and loyalty to his player, but he was shrewd
enough to do this and come away with Cantona better than ever.
One other aspect of life at Old Trafford I hear about from players who have
left is that behind the scenes the club is the most efficient and
professional in the country, and that the leadership comes directly from
Ferguson. Manchester United, they say, is the hardest club to leave.
This shrewdness and professionalism are Ferguson's greatest assets, along
with his obvious single-mindedness. That is why, if Ferguson were to leave
tomorrow, the longest queue of blue-chip club chairmen in Europe would be
waiting outside his door.
Manchester United - The Legend: http://manunited.net
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 23:43:26 -0700
Subject: Reflections of a Red life by DA
I have been a Manchester United fan as long as I can remember, its always
felt 'right' to me, as if God had ordained it on the day my Mom brought me
into this World. The Manchester United I grew up with was indeed a
different club to the organisation that calls itself Manchester United PLC,
or sometimes as if in shame just shows the name Manchester United.
I grew up not really knowing who 'owned' the club, if you have asked me
back then I couldn't have given you an answer, but if I had it would
probably have been 'GOD' or Matt Busby. The old programs used to make you
feel you were part of the club, I remember being a pre-teen and standing on
the Stretford End and looking at that program cover, seeing the depiction
of the fan shaking hands with a unknown red shirted United player, and
thinking...that's me! the club cares about me, I am part of Manchester United!
I believed that, I spoke of my club in loving terms, and always used 'we'
when talking about United in any playground discussions that ventured into
the subject of Football. Everyone that wanted to be part of that old club
could be. We were special, everyone in the Football world knew that we were
a special club, maybe this came from the aftermath of the terrible Munich
disaster, or maybe it was just my adolescent thoughts. Our shirts were the
brightest red, our ground was the best ground, and we believed that our
team was always the best, no matter what position in the league we were
currently in. We were respected all over the World.
Those were simple times, 2/6 to get in the Stretford End, cut out your
token from the program in case we reached Wembley, and try and save enough
money during the match to enjoy a bag of chips to scoff while reading the
pink on the way home. No thoughts of global business tyrants coming to buy
us and change us, no, that couldn't happen, Matt Busby wouldn't let it !
Today, is a million miles away from that perfect world that we lived in.
I read Paul's recent article about the soul of our club, and it brought
tears to my eyes, I for one appreciate all the UK based lads and lasses are
doing on behalf of all us Reds all over the World. I disagreed with only
one part of Paul's excellent piece. The Soul of Manchester United cannot be
found by measuring how many miles one is from Manchester, nor can it be
measured by how many matches one attends, no!.....the Soul of Manchester
United is in each any every one of our hearts.
I feel as though my country is going to war, and my friends are marching
off to do battle, and I cannot do my bit. But, I will do all I can, and
pray that the Red Army on the front line, can hold off this invasion into
our dear old club. In closing let me say that the old club that I grew up
with and love so dearly is still there....every time our young lads pull on
that famous RED shirt and take to the field, they take that sacred
institution with them.
Good luck to our UK based gang, we exiles are behind you in spirit and
prayer!
DA
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: UNITED MYSTERY BIDDER REVEALED / More on Ferguson Ref Blast
THE company attempting to hijack BSkyB's
takeover of Manchester United is sports
management giants IMG. Sources in America have
informed Football365 that Salomon Smith Barney,
the investment bank acting on behalf of a
previously unnamed organisation, are in fact
representing Mark McCormack's International
Management Group. Although a spokesman for IMG
dismissed the story, saying "we are not in that
business" when we contacted them yesterday,
Football365 understands that they asked SSB to
make preliminary inquiries.
After being rebuffed by United's financial advisers,
SSB issued a statement saying they had told their
clients to put their interest on hold until after the
Office Of Fair Trading have reviewed the proposed
BSkyB deal. This is consistent with IMG being the
clients, because they are likely to be reluctant to bid
for United. As they say, they are not "in that
business", but perhaps feel that they have little
choice but to explore the possibility as a Rupert
Murdoch takeover would be harmful to their
existing operations.
IMG have a huge range of interests - including,
coincidentally, Manchester United's official web site.
They are best known as a hugely successful
management company - their clients include Tiger
Woods, Colin Montgomerie, Pete Sampras, Andre
Agassi, Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard -
but IMG is also the world's largest independent
source of televised sports programming through its
television production company Trans World
International. And last spring they agreed a deal
worth £100m for the exclusive TV rights to the
Premiership outside England.
At the moment, then, Murdoch's Far-East based
Star TV would have to buy the rights off IMG if they
wished to screen United's games. Logically, a
Murdoch takeover at Old Trafford would be bad
news for McCormack's company. For when the
contract comes up for renewal, it is unlikely that
United would vote in favour of renewing IMG's
arrangement.
In addition, the Restricted Practices Court are
looking at the existing Sky TV deal on the request of
the Office of Fair Trading and will decide in January
whether the Premier League is acting illegally by
selling the TV rights to all clubs' matches
collectively. In which case, clubs should be free
themselves to sell their own rights, either
immediately or at the end of the current contracts.
If that happens then, of course, Murdoch would be
given carte blanche to negotiate his own TV deal
for the screening of United games.
Therefore, IMG would immediately be out of the
equation. Ergo, buying the goose that lays the
golden eggs for themselves would solve that
problem and open up a world of lucrative
possibilities for them to exploit the worldwide
television markets.
In the meantime, they are likely to pursue a
wait-and-see policy, but if the Office Of Fair Trading
gives the go-ahead for the Murdoch deal, IMG
would then have to consider making a higher bid for
the club if they wished to protect their interests.
FERGUSON GRIPE SOURS EURO CLASSIC
By Ian Cruise
Alex Ferguson has never been backward in coming
forwards when it comes to having a whinge, but
surely even he reached new lows after Wednesday
night's Champions League draw against Barcelona?
Rather than applaud the Spaniards for their superb
comeback, or even berate his own side for their
less than solid defending, he chose to vent his
spleen on... surprise, surprise... the referee.
And now, instead of being remembered as a
thrilling spectacle, Wednesday's 3-3 draw could
well be recalled more for Ferguson's reaction. It
shouldn't come as a shock anymore, but it still
seems incredible that the Old Trafford chief can
continually get away with his vitriolic outbursts
against all and sundry. Particularly match officials.
And his latest comments are nothing short of
scandalous.
Ferguson branded the first penalty award - when
Jaap Stam was adjudged to have tripped Rivaldo -
as "appalling" - and then insisted of Nicky Butt's
handball which led to a second penalty and a red
card for the United midfielder, "no one saw it but
the ref". Yeah, no-one but the 22 players, the other
55,000 people inside the ground and millions
watching on TV. He even had the audacity to
question referee Stefano Braschi's decision to send
Butt off. Alex, handball is handball and the rules
state that a player has to go off. Do you imagine he
would have had as much sympathy if say, Luis
Enrique, had done the same thing at the other end?
Hmmm...
But perhaps Ferguson's most insulting comment of
all - and the one that we believe should lead to a
UEFA disrepute charge - was that "after the game I
saw the Barcelona president go into the referee's
dressing room. He certainly had cause to be happy
with him."
Whichever way you look at it, that vicious swipe
question's Mr Braschi's integrity and honesty and
that is nothing short of despicable. You will notice
that Fergie's verbal attack contains no reference to
the Barcelona 'goal' which the Italian referee
disallowed for offside in the first half - an effort
that TV replays clearly proved should have counted.
Ferguson constantly whines that "everyone hates
us", but until the man at the helm learns to take
defeat as graciously as he accepts victory, then
United will never be loved in the way that a team
capable of such wonderful football as they
produced in the first half on Wednesday should be.
And he will never be respected and revered in the
way Sir Matt Busby was.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Friday 18 September 1998 News 7
Subject: UNITED FANS AGAINST MURDOCH: THE MANIFESTO
MANCHESTER UNITED fans fighting to block BSkyB's
takeover of the club claim to have won the support of
the Trades Union Congress. The Independent
Manchester United Supporters Association
(IMUSA) lobbied the TUC's general council in Blackpool
yesterday. IMUSA chairman Andy Walsh said the
general secretaries they spoke to were ''very
receptive''.
Walsh added that IMUSA now hopes to organise a
fringe meeting at the coming Labour Party
conference.
''We handed over our document which we put to
the meeting in the Bridgewater Hall on
Tuesday to the general secretary of the TUC, John
Monks,'' said Walsh.
''We spoke to many of the general secretaries and
they were very receptive to our campaign. Everytime we
are able to speak to people about the fans' concerns
they are invariably won over. Our campaign is
gaining support everywhere we go and every time we
talk to anybody. The next step we will probably take
is to organise a fringe meeting at the Labour Party
conference.''
The Supporters' Damning Verdict On The Man Who Would Be
King Of Old Trafford
THE following are highlights of a report which was
handed to supporters at Tuesday night's meeting
called by the Independent Manchester United
Supporters' Association (IMUSA) and Shareholders
United Against Murdoch. Details of how you can
help their campaign can be found at the bottom of
the page.
INTRODUCTION
Many supporters think the future of Manchester
United is destined to be held in the hands of one
man - Rupert Murdoch. IT IS NOT.
This club has been built on the loyalty of its
supporters and the efforts of Matt Busby, Alex
Ferguson and great players past and present, but
since the launch of the plc we have seen our club
taken further and further away from its loyal
support. This latest fiasco is a step too far.
Decisions affecting the future of Manchester United
will be taken on the other side of the world. Our
club will no longer be independent. We will be
owned and manipulated to further the business
interests of the Murdoch empire.
So when Alex Ferguson says: "We are United to the
core", remember so are we and so are you. Show
your support for the club as we know it and help to
stop this takeover before it makes us into the club
we don't know.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q: Will profits generated by pay-per-view TV be
kept by the club?
A: The Murdoch business empire depends in part on
the way in which he moves his companies' revenues
around the globe to avoid paying tax. In 1996-7,
Murdoch paid only 7.8% tax on his companies'
profits. United profits are as likely to be found in
Mauritius, Fiji and Cuba (yes Cuba) as in Alex
Ferguson's transfer fund.
Murdoch operates almost 800 separate business
units across 52 countries, shuffling cash around as
a matter of course. The overall financial picture is
further muddied by complex inter-company
borrowings and financings, and by complicated joint
ventures. Murdoch himself once conceded that the
company's intricate financial interior confused even
some of his most senior executives.
"One of the things I would never attempt to
calculate is how News Corp. arrives at its tax rate,
or why," said John Reidy, a Wall Street analyst who
has followed the company for years. Who knows
where, or in which account, our money will end up.
Q: Surely being backed by one of the worlds richest
companies is good for United?
A: On December 7 1997, Paul Fahri of the
Washington Post wrote: "Under Australian
accounting practices News Corp. legitimately
reported that it earned $561 million in 1996. Under
the tougher rules required of US-based
corporations, however, News Corp. would have lost
a potential $155 million, according to documents the
company filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Australian difference helps
portray News Corp. in a more favourable light to
investors - particularly when the company is
stacked next to its American-based competition."
A study of Murdoch's companies undertaken by the
Australian Parliamentary Committee in 1989 (the
only such study) revealed that he declared all of its
total annual profits through subsidiaries in low-tax
countries such as the Netherlands, Antilles and
Bermuda. In contrast, News Corp.'s main
subsidiaries in Australia, Britain and the United
States, all relatively high-tax countries, recorded
losses that year.
News Corp.'s shareholder equity - essentially, the
company's net worth falls by nearly half the $16.7
billion it reported to investors in Australia once US.
accounting principles are applied, according to SEC
documents. The higher valuation is important
because the greater the equity, the greater
Murdoch's borrowing power. The extraordinary
growth of News Corp. over the past dozen years
has been fuelled by Murdoch's heavy borrowing; at
the end of the past fiscal year, the company had
nearly $13 billion in outstanding debt and other
liabilities.
News Corp. is notorious for not securing loans with
collateral. Henchman Richard Sarazan says: "If a
bank wants to lend to us, we won't take it unless
we are satisfied it knows we're a company with
very complicated flows of money."
Murdoch needs United's cash. We don't need to
subsidise Murdoch's global empire.
Q: Can Murdoch be trusted to act in the best
interests of MUFC?
A: "Wall Street doesn't have a handle on Murdoch
for a lot of reasons," said Porter Bibb, an
investment banker active in the media business.
"He is perpetually able to have the best of both
worlds. He doesn't tell as much as people would like
to know, and he doesn't have to."
Murdoch will act only in his own interests, not those
of the club or its fans.
Q: Will Ferguson be left to manage without
interference?
A: Richard Searby, a prep school chum of Murdochs
in Australia and later a director of the company,
(before being sacked after 50 years of friendship)
once noted: "Most boards meet to make decisions.
News Corp.'s board meets to ratify Murdoch's."
Each Friday, Murdoch receives and studies weekly
financial reports filed by each of his far-flung
divisions. "Decisions are made with a minimum of
bureaucracy and often on nothing more than a
whim and a hunch by Murdoch."
Managers who defy the boss's wishes don't last
long. Murdoch is notorious for firing editors; his
flagship paper The Times has had five of them in
the past decade.
Who knows who will feel the weight of Murdoch if
results take a downturn?
Q: How will the Murdoch-owned media report on
Manchester United? Will supporters have an outlet
for their concerns?
A: "It's not only what they write, it's what they
won't write, what they won't say," says Wayne
Barrett, political correspondent for the New York
Village Voice paper, owned by Murdoch, which, he
claimed hadn't written a critical piece on Murdoch's
political friends in four years, ignoring corruption
and scandal in New York's City Hall.
Murdoch can only be expected to turn a blind eye,
whatever the scale of supporter concerns.
Q: Can Murdoch be trusted with our club?
BSkyB's bid for United is big on the financial details,
and makes it very clear how much money
shareholders will get, but Murdoch's men have
been surprisingly vague about how they'll run
United, despite attempts to win specific
commitments.
As part of our campaign to stop the takeover, and
to convince the government just how damaging it'll
be to both United and football in general, we should
be thinking of specific guarantees to extract from
Sky. Together with other members of SUAM I have
come up with a number of ideas.
"If ever someone demonstrated the dangers of
mass power being concentrated in few hands, it
would be Murdoch," says American media
commentator Russ Baker. "Mr Rupert Murdoch has
failed to deliver his forecast News Corporation
profit lift of 20 per cent, with the global media
group instead suffering a 29 per cent fall in net
profit. Stockbroking analysts are now reviewing
their 1998 profit forecasts for News Corporation.
News Corporation said... it would use some of its
cash to prop up its share price," wrote Matthew
Kidman, investment editor of the Sydney Morning
Herald in an article on Thursday 21 August 1997.
We asked, "Can Murdoch be trusted with our club?"
- what do you think now?
OUR PROPOSALS FOR ASSURANCES TO BE MET BY
ANY ORGANISATION SEEKING TO TAKEOVER
MANCHESTER UNITED
1) An unequivocal guarantee should be given that
any new parent company controlling Manchester
United does not interfere in team-related matters.
The manager must continue to have full autonomy
in team matters across all competitions.
2) If Alex Ferguson were to step down as manager
the decision on his replacement should be taken
exclusively by the football board.
3) The match-going supporter has been the
foundation on which much of the club's success has
been built. Their unswerving loyalty should be
rewarded by a guarantee that ticket prices will not
be raised above the annual rate of inflation for an
indefinite period.
4) An undertaking should be given that all
Manchester United's future competitive home
games continue to be played at Old Trafford.
5) Manchester United and its supporters have a
unique affection for European competition based on
the pioneering exploits of Sir Matt. That mystique is
driven by the knowledge that only domestic success
can entitle you to pit your wits against the best of
the rest. We therefore demand that the club
maintains its current full commitment to the present
domestic football structure and competitions and
any future revamp thereof.
6) The Independent Manchester United Supporters
Association has articulated its views through a
document entitled 'Redprint for Change'. The
re-configuration of the ground to cater for all types
of supporters was one part of that. We demand
that supporters are consulted at all levels and, in
particular, with regard to further expansion and
re-configuration of the stadium.
7) The football club board should be wholly
separate in its constitution from the executive
board at parent company level and, consequently,
the parent company should not hold voting rights on
that table. The parent company should give
assurances that its presence at football club board
meetings should be limited to a watching brief.
8) We would call for a member of the appointed
football board to have specific responsibility for
supporter liaison. This liaison would be regular,
substantive and conducted with organisations
which are independent and democratically run.
9) The issue of TV rights will continue to play a
major part in all contractual negotiations both
before and beyond any take-over. The football club
must retain the ability to negotiate the best possible
deal for coverage of future matches irrespective of
the service provider.
10) Finally, supporters are concerned about the
removal of the words 'Football Club' from the club
crest. In respect of the club's heritage and
tradition, we would like to see those words
returned as a symbol of a successful new
partnership between the club and its supporters.
PAY TV AND CORPORATE GREED IN AUSTRALIAN
RUGBY LEAGUE
The following information is taken from an article by
Michael Hiltzik published in the Los Angeles Times,
25 August 1997:
In 1994, attendance at Australian rugby league
games was at an all-time high and the sport
dominated the television ratings. But this was
before Murdoch's foray into Australian rugby
sparked a civil war that threatened the game's
future.
To attract subscribers to his new cable operation,
Foxtel, Murdoch wanted pay-TV rights for rugby
league. These were not, however, for sale as the
official Australian Rugby League (ARL) had a
contract with a rival company.
So Murdoch decided to establish his own 'Super
League'. Despite all 20 teams having signed loyalty
agreements with the ARL for five years, Murdoch's
representatives tempted more than 200 of the
ARL's top athletes into defecting. In a series of
secret meetings, they were offered huge cash
bonuses and double or triple their salaries. By the
time word of the clandestine signings reached the
ARL it was too late, the damage was done.
Teams that resisted offers to join the new Super
League were told they might soon find new,
better-financed teams in their backyards. A judge
later attacked the Murdoch campaign for its
"secrecy, suddenness and deception".
The game was irreversibly changed. Players who
had spent their careers together on the Australian
national team found themselves divided by
accusations of dishonour and greed. Dismal TV
ratings and attendance figures soon became the
norm in both leagues, whilst team expenses
soared.
By the end of 1997, the war had come full circle.
The sport was hanging in the balance and the
leagues were trying to negotiate a merger to end
the damaging rift. Is this what Manchester United
could expect?
AND TRADITION BECOMES COMMODITY
Rupert Murdoch bought the LA Dodgers for $320
million and as the Guardian reported on 12
September 1998, Murdoch's Fox company had
promised that they would not use the influx of
monies to send player's salaries "through the roof".
Shortly after that, Fox orchestrated the trade of
Mike Piazza, a Dodgers favourite, to the Florida
Marlins (an expansion team) in a $108m trade for 2
major players and a number of minor league
options (7 in all). This, as the Guardian states,
actually sent the overall payroll up 19.6% to
$57.3m. Their stated desire to bring salaries into
control was proven a fallacy.
This was a first - no actual baseball interests were
concerned in the deal. The transaction was made
between a marketing man, an accountant, and two
television executives.
Fred Claire, the general manager who had been
working with the Dodgers for 30 years, said, "I'd
like to think it was a onetime occurrence." Claire
was dismissed. At the same time, Bill Russell, the
manager of the team, who had been with the side
for 32 years was also dismissed and became the
first manager in 45 years to get the sack.
All of this has lead to the ultimate alienation of the
fans and as one stated in his web page: "Business
has taken over. No longer will the Dodgers be a
notch above the rest because of their rich tradition.
They are fast becoming an other run-of-the-mill
ballclub."
And so a team, rich in history just like Manchester
United, becomes a commodity, and on the way, is
stripped of the tradition and talent that made it
great. The ultimate betrayal.
(Quotes and money figures were taken from the
Guardian, 12 September 1998)
THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE
The heart has been ripped out of this football club
in recent years, but its soul still exists within the
supporters.
We will never give in to the sale of our club to a man
whose only interest is the money, manipulation and
the power it can bring him.
There is an alternative to Rupert Murdoch.
This campaign requires money. Please send
donations, however small to: National Westminster
Bank Stretford Branch, 20a King Street, Stretford,
Manchester M32 8AE. Account no. 32055595, sort
code 01 08 52.
Contact the Independent Manchester United
Supporters Association (IMUSA) PO Box 69,
Stretford, Manchester M32 0UZ.
Shareholders United Against Murdoch (SUAM) -
organiser Michael Crick - would welcome help from
any United shareholders. SUAM can be contacted at
1 Sumburgh Road, London SW12 8AJ. Tel: 0171
223 5847. E-mail: protest@stopmurdoch.com
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/imusa.htm
Barry
J. Leeming Digest Prgram
by 
William
McArthur Canada
