www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sun Oct 18 00:40:26 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Manchester United 5 - 1 Wimbledon Cole underlines United ambition
2. Match Report Utd V Dons! K Stand View!
3. Cole hits rich vein of form alongside Yorke
4. BBC United turn on the style
5. Cole goals help United close on Villa
6. Carling Report
7. NEWS: Real Audio
8. I'VE BEN TO HELL AND BACK: Ben Thornley
9. Doctor tells Schmeichel: You must take your time
10. UNITED DUO LAUNCH BOOK ON PIONEER
11. OLD TRAFFORD GROUND PLANS ON SONG 365
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Daily RED Trivia Sun 18th October:
18th Oct 1900: Tom Smith born in Whitburn, County Durham. Smith made his United
debut at Fulham in January 1924, and the hefty Inside-right soon helped
United win promotion in 1925. He made 90 appearances and scored 16 goals
between 1924-27, before joining Northampton Town for £250 in 1927.
18th Oct 1975: United beat Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford with goals from Steve Coppell 2
and Stuart Pearson. The Division 1 game was watched by 53,885. Team was:
Stepney, Nicholl, Houston, Jackson, Greenhoff, Buchan, Coppell, McIlroy,
Pearson, Macari, Daly.
************
Barry Daily Comment:
REDS really played the right cards today, roll on Brondby in Copenhagen!
************
Next 3 games:
Result/Fixture Index:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm
Wed 21/10 Brondby (A) CL
Sat 24/10 Derby (A) PL
Wed 28/10 Bury (H) LC (Worthington Cup)
UNITED Stats v Derby are here:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/vsderby.htm
*** PL 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
Champions league:
Barcelona 2 Brondby 0
Bayern Munich 2 Man Utd 2
GROUP D P W D L GF GA PTS Next "CL" Match
Barcelona 2 1 1 0 5 3 4 Brondby v Man Utd 21/10
Brondby 2 1 0 1 2 3 3
ManUnited 2 0 2 0 5 5 2
BMunchen 2 0 1 1 3 4 1
Saturday October 17 1998 15:00
Arsenal (1) 1 v Southampton (0) 1
Chelsea (1) 2 v Charlton Athletic (0) 1
Everton (0) 0 v Liverpool (0) 0
ManUnited (2) 5 v Wimbledon (1) 1
Middlesbrough (0) 2 v Blackburn Rovers (0) 1
Newcastle U (2) 2 v Derby County (0) 1
Nott Forest (0) 1 v Leeds United (0) 1
West Ham (0) 0 v Aston Villa (0) 0
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
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Subject: Manchester United 5 - 1 Wimbledon Cole underlines United ambition
Saturday October 17, 1998
'A win at all costs occasion' was how Alex Ferguson
described Manchester United's trip to Brondby in
the Champions' League on Wednesday. If they perform in Denmark with the same brand
of solid and seductive football with which they comfortably
dismantled Wimbledon, they ought to come away with that
priceless victory.
After two draws in Europe so far anything less would leave
United with an Everest to climb in their quest to qualify from
Group D. But they have been on the ascent for some weeks
now, a positive reaction to that toothless defeat at Arsenal last
month, a catalyst of a game which prickled Ferguson so
deeply. United's upward trajectory has since risen by the
game. There is a sureness about them now. There is a joy
about their thrusting game. A desire to win and to entertain in
equal measure.
A collection of goals from Cole, Giggs, Beckham and Yorke,
goals which embodied variety of style as well as scorer,
underlined a rich breadth of attacking options. Defences both
British and continental beware.
This was a potentially difficult fixture for United - not only
because those spoilers in chief Wimbledon were in town, but
sandwiched between international disruption and Champions'
League distraction, focusing fully on matters domestic takes
strong will.
Ferguson had every reason to worry last week with 19 players
away representing their countries, but there were no casualties.
Indeed some were brimming with confidence; Keane, after his
goalscoring performance for the Republic of Ireland, is back to
his feisty finest, and the 19-year-old Brown, fresh from duty
with England's Under-21s, had acquitted himself well enough
to earn his full Old Trafford debut.
Within 10 minutes he had made a thrilling impression, cleverly
outmanoeuvring Blackwell on the right en route to a half
chance. From the resulting corner, a typically teasing Beckham
inswinger, his firm header inched over the crossbar. Later, a
dip of the shoulder and left-footed drive from 25 yards
required fine reflexes from Sullivan to fingertip away. That's
another fine fledgling plucked from the production line.
The wealth of options available to Ferguson are enviable. He
seems keen to experiment with his resources at the moment.
Giggs, returning from a foot injury, played in a central midfield
role to accommodate the bright Swede Blomquist on the left
wing. Gary Neville again lined up in that promising central
defensive axis with Stam. Up front, the Yorke-Cole
partnership was granted another chance to bed down.
And it was Cole, on 18 minutes, who served up another timely
reminder of his ambitions to be a first-choice striker here.
Beckham's slide-rule pass set him free, and the finish from the
edge of the box oozed the casual swagger of a man who
expects to score. A second almost arrived when his
close-range header grazed the bar.
Whichever mixture Ferguson chooses, one constant ingredient,
fitness permitting, is Keane. He showed moments of his very
best. One lung-busting surge took him into the penalty area, he
paused, put his foot on the ball, looked up, saw support had
not yet caught up, and proceeded to curl in a delicious chip
which bounced off a post.
The ball was unremittingly swept towards Sullivan's goal. Until,
shock horror, Wimbledon equalised six minutes from half-time
with their first effort. Leaburn's deflected shot fell to Euell, who
poked the ball in. It was scrappy, but gleeful none the less.
But the respite was brief. The pendulum of play swung instantly
back to the Wimbledon goal, and Sullivan stretched to palm
away Cole's left-footed strike. When the two duelled again,
the Scotland goalkeeper blundered by dashing out of his goal
only to be rounded by Cole. Yorke met his centre powerfully,
and as Old Trafford rose to acclaim a goal Blackwell cleared
magnificently off the line. United disappointment turned to joy a
moment later as Giggs arrived to send a bullet header into the
top corner.
Joe Kinnear tried to shake things up with a double substitution
at half-time, but his plans were dealt a hammer blow as soon
as play resumed, Beckham seizing the moment with a
breathtaking goal. The driving dribble through midfield shone
with quality. The sweeping shot, which left Sullivan standing,
was a jewel. Five minutes later Yorke joined in the fun by
poking the ball home after leaving Blackwell befuddled in his
wake.
Rarely had Wimbledon's usually uncompromising defence
looked so soft centred, and United were in the mood to
capitalise. Ruthlessly. Sullivan had to be on his mettle to
smothered a ferocious battering from Cole, who took fire, with
power and precision, time and again. Reward finally arrived in
the final minutes, as he slid the ball into the corner of the net to
complete the rout.
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From: Ian Schofield
Subject: Match Report Utd V Dons! K Stand View!
On a cold blustery day in Manchester, Utd play Wimbledon.
Rain has been falling before the match but by kick off it
has stopped raining but the surface is wet.
Utd field a strong attacking line up.
Van der Gouw, G & P Neville, Stam, Brown, Keane, Beckham,
Giggs, Blomqvist, Cole, Yorke. Subs Scholes, Cruyff, Curtis,
Solskjaer, Berg.
Utd kick off towards the K stand and start the game brightly and look
likely to score first with Cole and
Yorke looking up for it.
Wes Brown shows some good skill and speed to create an opening for Keane
how shoots and hits the inside of the post.
Utd play some good football and Keane looks back to his best with some
surging runs
and hard tackles. Beckham and Brown combine well down the right to reek
havoc
in the Wimbledon defence. G Neville and Stam look solid at the back.
Utd take the lead through Andy Cole who latches onto a pass to split the
Dons defence down the middle and cooly slots the ball low to the keepers
left. 1-0.
Utd look positive and Cole could have made it 2 or 3 to Utd by half time
but
just cannot hit the target or Sullivan in the Dons goal makes some good
saves.
Cole and Yorke sometimes just try and make one pass to many instead of
having
a strike at goal.
Against the run of play and with their first attempt on goal, Wimbledon
equalise with a goal from Euell. A defection takes the ball past Van der
Gouw.
Utd take the lead again 2 mins into injury time, through Ryan Giggs who
heads over Sullivan from a Blomqvist cross.
Half Time 2-1.
Superbikes World Champion Carl Fogerty a self confessed red from Wigan
fails
to pull my ticket out in the hlaf time draw. Talk is about the missed
chances
by Yorke, Cole and Roy Keane who missed from about 6 yards out.
The second half starts with the Dons kick off and an attack down Utd's
right
side which results in nothing at all. Utd soon increase their lead with
a 30 yard strike by David Beckham, low into the bottom right hand
corner.
Utd now have the game won about 10 mins into the half.
Brown shines at right back.
Dwight Yorke makes it 4-1 later in the half with a well worked goal and
a nice turn in
the box.
Utd make 3 subs to save players for Wednesdays trip to Brondby.
Cruyff for Giggs. Scholes for Beckham and Curtis for Phil Neville.
Cole wraps the game with a goal minutes from time.
A great result and a good performance by the reds it should have been a
rugby score to Utd if they
had taken their chances.
Star Players, Andy Cole, Roy Keane, Wes Brown
I'd tell you the the attendance but Wes brown had just taken on 5
players and shot
just wide when it was anounced so the crowd was going mad.
Result 5-1.
Visit my MUFC page and listen to the crowd songs from OT.
www.fortunecity.com/victorian/crescent/15/mu.htm
Ian
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Subject: Cole hits rich vein of form alongside Yorke
By Bill Barclay
LONDON, Oct 17 - When Manchester United manager Alex
Ferguson splashed out 12.6 million pounds ($21.42 million) on Dwight Yorke in
August it looked like Andy Cole was on his way out of Old Trafford.
With internationals like Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer also fighting
for places in the United attack, few would have predicted the former Newcastle
striker would be the one to gel best with the new arrival.
But United's 5-1 thrashing of Wimbledon on Saturday demonstrated that Yorke and
Cole make perfect partners.
Cole scored twice and Yorke once as United steamrollered their opponents to close
the gap on leaders Aston Villa to four points with one game in hand.
It took the pair's goal tally to five in the last two games following the 3-0 victory at
Southampton a fortnight ago.
"Two against Southampton between them and three today -- that's good form is
that," said a clearly delighted Ferguson after Saturday's romp.
Cole's finishing ability has never been in doubt until he moved to United -- 55 goals
in 70 league appearances for Newcastle are proof enough.
But questions over his ability to shoulder the burden of playing for the biggest club
in Britain have haunted him since his move to Old Trafford in 1994.
A sensitive character, Cole is said to have walked out on his home-town club
Nottingham Forest as a youngster after legendary Forest manager Brian Clough
called him "Chalky" in an apparently ironic reference to the colour of his skin.
And he became an obvious target for abuse from opposing fans when he developed
a habit of missing easy chances early on in his Old Trafford career.
But the signs are that Yorke's arrival has lifted a weight from Cole's shoulders.
Recalled for the trip to the Dell a fortnight ago, it was his confidence as much as his
goal which caught the eye.
Cole crossed for Yorke to open the scoring, coolly slotted the second himself and
then produced the shot from which Jordi Cruyff rounded off the 3-0 victory.
On Saturday he put United ahead from David Beckham's pass and rounded off the
5-1 win by nutmegging a defender and firing home a low shot.
Cole also hit a post in a performance that will surely be enough to earn him a place
in the United line-up for the European Champions' League game against Danish club
Brondby.
Despite Cole's success, Ferguson insisted on Saturday that he maintained "an
open mind about striking partnerships".
If Cole and Yorke can continue their rich vein of form in Denmark on Wednesday, he
may be forced into a re-think.
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Saturday, October 17, 1998 Published at 20:19 GMT 21:19 UK
Subject: BBC United turn on the style
Manchester United 5-1 Wimbledon
Andy Cole led the way with two goals as United closed
the gap on FA Premiership leaders Aston Villa to four
points at Old Trafford.
Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Dwight Yorke were
also on the scoresheet as United warmed up for their
Champions' League clash with Danish club Brondby,
whose coach Ebbe Skovdahl watched from the stand.
The quality of their passing proved too much for a game Wimbledon side
who levelled the scores after Cole's opener, with a goal from Jason Euell.
It could easily have been seven or eight with Cole hitting the bar and going close on several
other occasions.
His performance has guaranteed his place in the side to
face Brondby, with Alex Ferguson saying: "We saw
Yorke and Cole really fresh today. Because they have
not been playing for the last two weeks and have been
working together in training it was an ideal opportunity for
them."
Giggs returned to action in midfield after missing
international duty with Wales because of injury and
manager Ferguson gave Wes Brown a rare start.
United tore straight into Wimbledon and Dwight
Yorke glanced a header just wide before Roy Keane shot
against the post.
But they did not have to wait long for the first goal and it
came courtesy of Cole's clinical finish on 19 minutes
after Beckham found him on the edge of the area.
He was denied a second by the woodwork when his header from Jesper Blomqvist's
cross grazed the top of the bar.
Brown was looking impressive and Sullivan touched a
25-yard left-footed drive away for a corner in front of the
crowd of 55,265, which was United's biggest home gate
of the season.
But the visitors stunned United with an equaliser out of
the blue in the 39th minute. Kenny Cunningham crossed
to Carl Leaburn and the ball broke to Jason Euell whose
deflected shot beat Raimond Van der Gouw.
Normal service was soon resumed and in stoppage
time Giggs nodded home his third of the season from
Blomqvist's cross after Blackwell had headed a
Yorke effort off the line.
United picked up where they left off after the restart and
Beckham scored their third with a sublime effort two
minutes into the second-half.
The England midfielder saw the Dons defence back off
and accepted the invitation to drive home from just under
30 yards out.
Yorke then netted United's fourth of the afternoon and his
sixth in nine games, beating Chris Perry and Blackwell
before sliding the ball home past Sullivan in the 52nd
minute.
United were not done yet and Cole spun Blackwell, but
Sullivan got down well to hold on to his low, hard drive.
Brown then linked well with Yorke and Cole as he ran at
the heart of the visitors' defence, but he shot over the
bar.
They took the foot off the gas in the final quarter as
Ferguson brought off Beckham and Giggs, but three
minutes from time Cole popped up to score his second
of the afternoon and complete a terrific afternoon's work.
Man Utd: Van Der Gouw, G. Neville, Stam, Beckham,
Cole, Giggs, P. Neville, Blomqvist, Keane, Yorke,
Brown. Subs: Curtis, Cruyff, Scholes, Solskjaer, Berg.
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Kimble, Perry,
Blackwell, Thatcher, Earle, Roberts, Leaburn, Hughes,
Euell. Subs: Gayle, Ardley, Heald, Kennedy, Cort.
Referee: G Willard (Worthing)
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Subject: Cole goals help United close on Villa
By Bill Barclay
LONDON, Oct 17 - Striker Andy Cole inspired Manchester United
to their best peformance of the season with two goals in Saturday's 5-1 demolition
of Wimbledon.
The Old Trafford victory moved United to within four points of Aston Villa, with a
game in hand, after the leaders were held 0-0 at West Ham United. Champions
Arsenal were held 1-1 at home by bottom side Southampton in the shock result of
the day.
Cole put United in front from David Beckham's pass after 19 minutes but Wimbledon
hit back against the run of play through Jason Euell's deflected shot six minutes
before the interval.
Roy Keane smacked a post before Welshman Ryan Giggs put United back in front
on the stroke of halftime with a header.
Beckham smashed in a 25-metre drive to make it 3-1 after 48 minutes and it was
4-1 six minutes later when Dwight Yorke turned the visitors' defence inside out
before firing home.
Cole "nutmegged" a defender before firing in his second to complete a rout for Alex
Ferguson's side ahead of their European Champions' League clash with Brondby on
Wednesday.
At Upton Park Aston Villa were denied victory only by a superb double save from
Shaka Hislop on the hour mark.
Hislop pushed out Lee Hendrie's fierce effort and then clawed Paul Merson's
tentative follow-up shot off the line.
Promoted Middlesbrough went third on 15 points after a superb late comeback at
home to Blackburn Rovers.
With midfield star Paul Gascoigne undergoing treatment for an alcohol problem,
'Boro were on the rocks when Tim Sherwood headed Blackburn ahead after 56
minutes.
But seven minutes from time Colombian Hamilton Ricard grabbed his ninth of the
season to level the score before defender Curtis Fleming shot home a last-minute
winner.
Chelsea also left it late at home against Charlton, Uruguayan Gustavo Poyet
snatching an 88th-minute winner to lift Gianluca Vialli's team to fourth on 15 points.
Eddie Youds had earlier equalised for Charlton after Frenchman Frank Leboeuf had
put Chelsea ahead with a penalty.
Southampton doubled their points tally for the season thanks to their 1-1 draw at
Arsenal.
Frenchman Nicolas Anelka put Arsenal ahead from Dennis Bergkamp's pass after
34 minutes.
But substitute Matt Le Tissier laid on the visitors' equaliser with virtually his first
touch, threading a pass through for David Howells to score after 67 minutes.
The Gunners are now fifth on 14 points, the same tally as Newcastle United, whose
Scottish winger Stephen Glass scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 home win over
Derby County.
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Subject: Carling Report
Man United (2) 5 Wimbledon (1) 1 FT
Cole 19,88Euell 39
Giggs 45
Beckham 48
Yorke 54
Watching Brondby coach Ebbe Skovdahl will have returned to Denmark a worried man after this
devastating FA Carling Premiership display by Manchester United.
United ripped the Dons apart at Old Trafford with a 5-1 victory and they could easily have won
by seven or eight. Skovdahl left midway through the second half, but
by then he had seen enough to know that Brondby face a stern examination in Wednesday's
Champions' League clash in Copenhagen.
Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear claimed visits to Old Trafford were becoming scarier and this United
performance was frightening. United were in a different class to the Dons as they strolled
to their six successive home win over them in the league.
Alex Ferguson felt his side had looked like the real United in recent games and against
Wimbledon they produced their best display of the season to date.
They were without six players through injury and suspension and Ferguson reshuffled his squad
to start the fit-again Ryan Giggs in midfield, while Wes Brown was given his first league
start at Old Trafford.
United tore straight into Wimbledon and Dwight Yorke glanced a header just wide before Roy
Keane shot against the post. But they did not have to wait much longer for the breakthrough and
it came courtesy of a clinical finish from Andy Cole on 19 minutes.
Beckham found Cole on the edge of the area and he placed the ball beyond Neil Sullivan into the
bottom corner of the net for his third of the campaign.
Keane then saw a goal-bound effort deflected over the bar by Dean Blackwell before Cole was
denied a second by the woodwork when his header from Jesper Blomqvist's cross grazed the top
of the bar.
Brown was looking impressive and Sullivan touched a 25-yard left-footed drive away for a corner
in front of the crowd of 55,265, which was United's biggest home gate of the season.
Wimbledon stunned United with an equaliser out of the blue in the 39th minute. Kenny Cunningham
crossed to Carl Leaburn and the ball broke to Jason Euell whose deflected shot beat Raimond Van
der Gouw for this fourth of the season.
Normal service was soon resumed and in stoppage time Giggs headed home his third of the season
from Blomqvist's cross after Blackwell had headed a Yorke effort off the line.
United picked up where they left off after the restart and Beckham
scored their third with a sublime effort two minutes into the
second-half. The England midfielder picked up the ball and advanced
on goal and as the Dons defence backed off, he accepted the invitation
to drive home from just under 30 yards out.
Yorke then netted United's fourth of the afternoon and his sixth in nine
games for the Old Trafford outfit. United's record signing beat Chris
Perry and Blackwell before sliding the ball home past Sullivan in the
52nd minute.
Still Keane could not score the goal his efforts deserved and in the 55th
minute he drove just over the top. United were not done yet and Cole
spun Blackwell, but Sullivan got down well to hold on to his low, hard
drive.
Brown then linked well with Yorke and Cole as he ran at the heart of the visitors' defence, but
he shot over the bar before Sullivan again denied Cole.
United took the foot off the gas in the final quarter as Ferguson brought off Beckham and
Giggs, but three minutes from time Cole popped up to score his second of the afternoon and
complete a terrific afternoon's work.
Man United: Van Der Gouw, G. Neville, Stam, Beckham (Cruyff, 57), Cole, Giggs (Scholes, 67),
P. Neville (Curtis, 74), Blomqvist, Keane, Yorke, Brown.
Subs not used: Solskjaer, Berg.
Booked: Stam.
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Kimble (Ardley, 45), Perry, Blackwell, Thatcher, Earle,
Roberts, Leaburn (Gayle, 45), Hughes, Euell.
Subs not used: Heald, Kennedy, Cort.
Booked: Roberts.
Attendance: 55,265.
Referee: G Willard (Worthing).
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Subject: NEWS: Real Audio
I just heard from Simon Davis, who is the official site's Webmaster. He
informed me that by the end of November all United's first team games
will be live on realaudio via the official web site (www.ManUtd.com).
John
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Subject: I'VE BEN TO HELL AND BACK: Ben Thornley
KEVIN GARSIDE
HE drives a BMW, takes calls from David Beckham and his sister goes out
with Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville. Not for nothing
is Ben Thornley known as 'superstar' at Huddersfield.
The trappings of his recent past are hard to conceal at the McAlpine
Stadium, a ground which lies barely 25 miles from Old Trafford but which
inhabits a different universe from the one Thornley left behind.
As a teenager in the Manchester United youth team his star shone as
brightly as that of Ryan Giggs. Beckham, Butt, Scholes and the Nevilles
merely made up the numbers among the thrusting tyros who now form a part of
the England squad.
It is a fate he might have shared had a youngster from Blackburn not
rendered his knee useless in a reserve game four years ago. Thornley was to
be given his head in the FA Cup semi-final four days later against Oldham.
But instead of running out at Wembley with the likes of Robson, Hughes and
Keane, he was surrounded by flowers in a hospital bed nursing ligament,
cartilage and hamstring damage the like of which his surgeon had seen only
once before.
The road to recovery was long, lonely and hard and only now is his
dedication beginning to bear fruit. Despite the support and encouragement
he received at United, Thornley knew his future lay beyond the gilded
boundaries of his youth, and at Huddersfield he is finding fulfilment.
"United were brilliant to me," he said. "Alex Ferguson was first in to see
me at the hospital with my family and made sure I was brought to training
every day in a taxi to keep me involved. I'm not bitter about the injury.
The tackle was late but these things happen."
Thornley was equally philosophical about the painful months of
rehabilitation during which he witnessed the emergence, one after another,
of the young men with whom he had stood shoulder to shoulder as a youth.
"They would have come through whether I was injured or not," he said. "I
wish them all the luck in the world. They are great players and deserve
their success. They've worked hard for it."
Thornley signed for Huddersfield in the summer after his most fruitful
period in a United shirt. He has featured in every game this season playing
a huge part in the club's surprise assault at the top of the First Division
table.
Regular involvement in first-team football in front of five-figure crowds
means far more to him than watching United in action from the bench.
Besides, his new circumstances have not diminished contact with his old
mates.
Gary Neville is a regular at the Thornely family home, doting as he does on
sister Hannah. And Beckham is rarely off the phone. While away with England
in Luxembourg, Thornley's ear was the one sought by Beckham when
revelations about his private life emerged in the papers.
"I feel sorry for Becks and his girlfriend" said Thornley. "He has a lot to
put up with and is such a great bloke. All that stuff about him and other
women did nobody any good. He rang me before the game and sounded really
down.
"It was understandable. There he was in the middle of prearing for an
important match with the whole country looking to him to do something for
England and this silly cow comes out with all that rubbish. But that's how
life is for him these days."
The pair along with Gary Neville and Chris Casper were inseperable as
youngsters and reconvene whenever possible. Beckham's celestial profile
remains a surprise. "We were all really quiet, well-behaved young lads at
United. That's the way it is at Old Trafford. No-one steps out of line with
Fergie. As kids we were all frightened to death of him. Most still are. At
that time before my injury we were all on the verge of breaking through.
None of us wanted to jeopardise our positions.
"There was never much chance of getting into trouble anyway. Gary Neville's
idea of good night was staying out until half past nine. He's still the
same."
Thornley's memories of those halcyon days are still box fresh. How could
they be any different for a son of Salford who supported United from the
moment he first kicked a ball?
Imagine the excitement he felt when he first walked into Old Trafford.
"I remember watching Mark Hughes score a brilliant goal against Barcelona
in Rotterdam to win the Cup-Winners' Cup. Two months later he comes walking
in to training just like me. He wasn't a team-mate but suddenly I was one
of them. It was a real eye opener, a fantastic feeling.
"They were my idols but I just had to say to myself they were normal human
beings. It was hard though not to treat them differently. If Bryan Robson
would have walked down the corridor and said jump I would have done it
straight away.
"I loved Bryan Robson. He was marvellous to me. He was not the only one but
he is just one of the people I remember most. I'm sure he was the same to
the other lads, too."
Andrei Kanchelskis is is also worth a mention. "The strongest right foot I
have seen. He could keep up a medicine ball 25 times without stopping. When
I tried I couldn't get it off the floor."
Today Thornley steps out at home against QPR aiming to keep Huddersfield
ahead of the pack.
Nostalgia for United no longer pains him. Huddersfield is now his only
concern and he is revelling in his involvement in matches of consequence.
"When you messed up in the reserves at United it mattered to you as an
individual, but not really to anybody else. Now if I make a mistake I feel
I have let down 11,000 people."
Not a frequent occurance he hastens
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Subject: Doctor tells Schmeichel: You must take your time
Saturday, October 17, 1998
Peter Schmeichel has been warned that he could put his entire season in jeopardy by rushing his
comeback.
The Manchester United goalkeeper, recovering from a stomach injury, will not be risked against
Wimbledon today. But he has set his sights on returning against Brondby on Wednesday.
Schmeichel has told friends that he is desperate to play in United's Champions League clash
with his old club, but Denmark's team doctor is so concerned about him that he has contacted
United and advised caution about the timing of his resumption.
Mogens Kreutzfeldt originally believed that Schmeichel could be ready to face Wimbledon.
But he said: 'There is only one cure you can be sure of for a muscle tear like Peter's and that
is for him to rest until he is completely over it. That's the best medicine for a complaint
like his.
'If he comes back too soon and aggravates the problem, it could become serious for him.'
The latest bulletin on Schmeichel's fitness fight presents Alex Ferguson with a selection
dilemma as he prepares to resume his quest for the one target that has eluded him so far.
Ferguson freely admits that he will not rest until the European crown has been added to his
clean sweep of honours on the domestic front. But Kreutzfeldt's diagnosis has left the manager
agonising over a decision which could make or break United's hopes of reaching the knockout
stages.
Schmeichel, 35 next month, said: 'It would be fantastic for me to play against Brondby, but I
have to be sensible.'
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Saturday 17 October 1998 (Evening Edition)
OLD TRAFFORD GROUND PLANS ON SONG 365
Manchester United are ready to create special areas where singing is encouraged behind each
goal at Old Trafford and could return to the days when fans paid at the gate to get in.
Ideas being discussed by United's board for increased capacity to be created by the next
development of the ground are revealed in the latest edition of the club's official magazine.
"We have decided we are definitely not putting any executive seats into the new east or west
stand developments," says chairman Martin Edwards.
"They are going to be reserved for ordinary fans.
"We have not finalised all our plans about what we are going to do because we have to look at
the mix, but supporters can rest assured that the football club board, which makes that
decision, will have the ordinary fans in mind.
"There are a number of ideas. Do we have singing areas? Do we allow day tickets? How many more
season tickets do we allow if we decided to extend the scheme? We have to work all that out,
but we have time to do it."
United will be extending the capacity of Old Trafford to 67,400 in the next three years and are
aware that pay-at-the-gate would be popular but would create administrative and safety
problems.
The club want to avoid turning away disappointed supporters on match days and realise it may be
difficult to take cash customers. At present, demand for seats far outweighs supply, and the
club uses a ballot to distribute 10,000 non-season ticket seats at each game. With a further
12,000 becoming available, they have to decide how these will be sold.
Building work on the west stand starts at the end of this season and the Stretford End will be
completed in 2001.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/imusa.htm