Html Match Today Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Reserves Text: Fixtures Today Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri HotNews

MUFC.SIMPLENET. COM:  DAILY NEWS
Date: Sat Aug 22 11:46:49 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

Daily RED Trivia  Saturday 22nd August:

********************************

1974:
Colin McKee born in Glasgow. McKee won a Youth Cup winners medal in 1992,
and after a loan spell at Bury, made his senior debut against Coventry City in May 1994.
Despite being a prolific goalscorer at Reserve and Junior level he moved on to
Kilmarnock  in 1996.

1987:
United beat Watford 2-0 at Old Trafford in a Division 1 game watched by  
38,769. Paul McGrath and Brian McClair scored the goals. Team was: Walsh,
Anderson, Duxbury, Moses, McGrath, Moran, Robson, Strachan (Albiston),
McClair, Whiteside, Olsen (Davenport). 

********************************

Coming Matches Index: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm
Today West Ham (A) PL
Wed 26/8 LKS Lodz, Polen (A) European Cup
Wed  9/9 Charlton (H) PL

This Issue:
1. Sunny's Set For Spurs (D.Mail)
2. Smokescreens lift as Solskjaer joins Tottenham (Times)
3. Ole Deal Uncovered (D.Mail)
4. Hammers vs United (Times)
5. Hammers Preview (365)
6. Dwight On! (MEN)
7. Cole Relishes New Partnership (D.Mail)
8. Gary Neville Writes For The Times

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


Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!


Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 12:44:38 +0800

Subject: Sunny's Set For Spurs (D.Mail)

Sugar call clinches Solskjaer in £5m deal

Saturday, August 22, 1998

Tottenham last night signed Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
for £5million after dramatic chairman-to-chairman negotiations.

Spurs supremo Alan Sugar, mindful of the growing criticism from fans over
the lack of investment in big-name players, learned from an agent that
Solskjaer would be available, then took a short cut to seal the deal by
telephoning United chief Martin Edwards.

Sportsmail revealed exclusively yesterday that Spurs would attempt to lure
the Norwegian away from Old Trafford and the north London club moved swiftly
to sign him after United had spent £12.6m on Aston Villa's Dwight Yorke.

Solskjaer is understood to have agreed a five-year deal worth £1million a
year.

Spurs passed on the chance of signing Croatia World Cup Golden Boot winner
Davor Suker from Real Madrid at a bargain price of less than £4m but have
now moved quickly to land a 25-year-old who cannot command a place in
United's starting line-up.

The move may not be enough to placate some Spurs fans, who are still angry
that the club have settled for recruiting a player already behind Andy Cole,
Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham for a place in the United team, even
before yesterday's arrival of Yorke.
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:    Sat, 22 Aug 1998 15:53:50 +0800
Subject:  Smokescreens lift as Solskjaer joins Tottenham (Times)

Smokescreens lift as United let Solskjaer join Tottenham
BY RUSSELL KEMPSON

AFTER a day of mystery and smokescreens - apparently now regulation fare in
the FA Carling Premiership - Manchester United yesterday agreed a fee of
£5.5 million with Tottenham Hotspur for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norway
striker. Alan Sugar, the Tottenham chairman, will discuss personal terms
with him over the weekend and it is likely that he will sign for the club
early next week.

Yesterday morning, after Tottenham had confirmed their interest in the
player, Alex Ferguson, the United manager, was adamant that Solskjaer would
not be leaving Old Trafford. Perhaps taking a leaf from the Glenn Hoddle
book of straight talking, he said: "Spurs have been trying to get Solskjaer
all summer. They have made one official inquiry but that is as far as it's
gone.

"The player came to see me when he heard about their interest and told me
that he wanted to stay at United. He is staying with us and we're happy with
that. We have no plans to sell any player."

Hours later, Tottenham said thyat they had persuaded Ferguson to change his
mind. "All that remains is for us to agree terms with the player," a
Tottenham spokesman said. "We are hoping to meet with him in the next couple
of days to sort that out."

White Hart Lane fans were hardly ecstatic, however. "We cannot get too
excited about signing a player who has become little more than a reserve
fixture at Old Trafford," a spokesman for the Tottenham Action Group said.
"We must also wait to see if he actually signs. A club with more to offer
than Tottenham may bid for him now it has become known that he is
available."

Solskjaer, 25, scored 18 goals for United two seasons ago but missed much of
the past campaign through injury. He is surplus to requirements at United
after the £12.6 million signing of Dwight Yorke on Thursday - a deal that,
on Wednesday, Ferguson had said was "dead and buried".
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 12:43:09 +0800
Subject:   Ole Deal Uncovered (D.Mail)

Lid comes off £5.5m Solskjaer deal

Saturday, August 22, 1998

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer yesterday signed for Tottenham from Manchester United
in a £5.5million deal which once again exposed the ruthless side of soccer.

Despite the bare-faced denials perpetrated by both Spurs and United, as the
camouflage was pulled across the transfer in what appeared to be a
deliberate attempt to mislead, the deal had, in fact, been set up since
Thursday.

Is it any wonder, when clubs of the stature of Tottenham and United are so
economical with the truth, that the image of the game is smeared in
duplicity?

The Norway striker signed late on Thursday as Sportsmail exclusively
reported yesterday, despite both clubs insisting the following morning that
the transfer was a long way from completion.

What appears to have held up Solskjaer's move was the fact that United were
convinced they could squeeze a little more out of Alan Sugar's honey pot.
They perhaps felt that if Dwight Yorke was worth £12m-plus, then they could
get more than the £5m Spurs had offered for their man.

Yesterday, right up until the transfer was finally announced, both clubs had
been saying on television, radio and in print that no deal was imminent.

United boss Alex Ferguson was quickly off his blocks to deny the story that
Sportsmail had first broken. He said Solskjaer would not be joining Spurs,
even though they had enquired about him as they felt United might release
one front man.

Ferguson also claimed he did not want to sell the Norwegian and that the
player wanted to stay at Old Trafford. 'There has been an enquiry from
Tottenham but that's about it,' he said. 'I don't want to sell him and Ole
does not want to leave, so we're happy with it.'

But, by then, Spurs must surely have been in negotiations and chairman Sugar
confirmed the club's interest.

Then a spokesman for Sugar announced: 'Reports which state we have already
signed Solskjaer are wide of the mark. But Alan is having talks with United
and a deal is certainly getting closer.'

Ferguson has repeatedly claimed he wants a strong strikeforce for the
assault on the Premiership and the Champions League. He was thought to be
unwilling to lose any of his hit-men Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Paul Scholes,
Teddy Sheringham or Solskjaer.

Ferguson said: 'Someone will have to make way for Yorke this weekend but we
realise we need a big strong squad and there are no immediate plans to sell
anyone. Things change through the course of a season but we need a strong
pool and hope to keep them all happy.'

Then came the announcement of the transfer Sportsmail told the country about
48 hours earlier, now copper-bottomed by an official news agency
confirmation.

Tottenham got their man. So why didn't both clubs come clean and announce
more details of the deal?

Until the fee was agreed, both clubs were content to mislead the very people
who are the lifeblood of the game the supporters who pay top prices to watch
their football.

The facade was even carried on yesterday with Spurs announcing that Sugar
would be meeting Solskjaer over the weekend to discuss terms. Take it from
Sportsmail, all the loose ends have been tied . . . barring a medical
uncovering any late problem.

As for United, they suddenly came up with the cash for Yorke when they would
not fund a transfer for either Marcelo Salas of Chile or Gabriel Batistuta
of Argentina.

Talk is cheap in football. So it appears is the truth. Both United and Spurs
are guilty of shamefully concealing their basic obligation to their
supporters.
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 16:00:04 +0800
Subject:  Hammers vs United (Times)

West Ham United v Manchester United
Today, 3.0pm (sold out)

The minds of the supporters may be focused on a certain other Manchester
United player, but the most fascinating football aspect of this afternoon's
highly charged match at Upton Park will be quite who makes way for the
arrival of the visitors' record buy from Aston Villa, Dwight Yorke.

It seems unlikely that Alex Ferguson, having paid such consistently glowing
tributes to Andy Cole while the struggle to sign Yorke raged all around him,
will perform a volte-face and immediatly drop Cole, who scored the crucial
second goal in the first leg of United's European Cup qualifying round match
against LKS Lodz ten days ago.

The United manager refused to countenance any sort of swap deal with Aston
Villa for Cole, so the smart money is on Ferguson pulling Paul Scholes back
from his position just behind Cole into a conventional midfield slot which
would then lead to the omission of Nicky Butt. Teddy Sheringham will now be
even further removed from a place in the starting line-up.

If Cole does play, he will find himself up against one of the men
responsible for the miserable start to his United career. Cole broke both
his legs in a reserve team game against Liverpool in October 1996 after a
foul by Ruddock and has not faced him since.

United's own giant centre back, Jaap Stam, who has begun his Old Trafford
career uncertainly, will miss the game with the thigh strain that forced him
off at half-time in the 2-2 draw with Leicester City last weekend. Without
him, United need to tighten up a defence that was torn apart by Nicolas
Anelka and Marc Overmars in the FA Charity Shield at Wembley, embarrassed by
Emile Heskey and Tony Cottee at Old Trafford and now meets an old foe, Ian
Wright.

Wright, who will play in attack with Trevor Sinclair because John Hartson is
injured, started his West Ham career with the winning goal against Sheffield
Wednesday last Saturday and will be desperate to continue his streak against
Peter Schmeichel, the United goalkeeper, with whom he has had a number of
bitter public arguments.

One way or another, it should be a tumultuous match.

WEST HAM UNITED (probable, 3-5-2): S Hislop - N Ruddock, R Ferdinand, I
Pearce - A Impey, S Lomas, F Lampard, E Berkovic, S Lazaridis - I Wright, T
Sinclair.

MANCHESTER UNITED (probable, 4-4-2): P Schmeichel - G Neville, R Johnsen, H
Berg, D Irwin - D Beckham, R Keane, P Scholes, R Giggs - A Cole, D Yorke.

Referee: P Jones.

Premiership meetings at Upton Park: Played 5, 1 away win, 4 draws, West Ham
United 6 goals, Manchester United 7.

Leading scorers: 1 I Wright (West Ham United); 1 E Sheringham, D Beckham
(Manchester United).

Ladbrokes odds: Home 13-8; Away 11-8; Draw 11-5.

PREDICTION: A draw and a sending-off.

OLIVER HOLT
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 13:01:39 +0800
Subject:  Hammers Preview (365)

WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED

West Ham Team News

John Hartson misses tomorrow’s clash with continuing ankle problems, leaving
Ian Wright and Trevor Sinclair up front. The Welsh international was top
scorer for the Hammers last season, but with Ian Wright scoring on his debut
at Hillsborough last week, Redknapp is unlikely to risk Hartson unless he is
fully fit. New signing Javier Margas played for the reserves in midweek and
comes into contention for a place in the squad along with fellow new boy
Marc Keller. Goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko still has a calf problem but Lee
Hodges returns.

West Ham Team (from): Hislop, Ruddock, Ferdinand, Pearce, Impey, Lazaridis,
Lomas, Lampard, Berkovic, Sinclair, Wright, Keller, Moncur, Forrest, Margas,
Hodges, Abou, Breacker, Potts.

West Ham Comment

“It’s never easy playing against United but everyone here is looking forward
to it. It’s great to face them in our first home game and I am sure this is
the fixture managers look forward to most. Alex has put together a terrific
team and anyone finishing above them in the table will have done well. It is
always a big test to face them. But I know Alex will be expecting a tough
game because Upton Park is a difficult place to come. Just look at our home
record last season – we’ll give anybody a good game.” – Harry Redknapp

“People are obviously saying that David Beckham has lost us the World Cup
but that’s a joke to put the blame on one person’s shoulders, especially
someone so young. If England want to produce world class players they can’t
do that, slamming players down again and again. This game’s about West Ham
and Manchester United, and West Ham getting three points.” – Rio Ferdinand

Manchester United Team news

Alex Ferguson is playing his cards close to his chest as he considers
Manchester United's line-up for their first away game of the season at West
Ham tomorrow. With record signing Dwight Yorke standing by to make his
debut, Ferguson has to decide who steps down to make way for the
£12.6million buy from Aston Villa.

Last weekend United began their Premiership campaign with Andy Cole leading
the attack with Teddy Sheringham on the bench. Jaap Stam will be missing
after pulling a thigh muscle last weekend. Henning Berg or David May will
take over. Yorke’s debut could take some of the attention away from David
Beckham as he faces his first away crowd of the season at Upton Park, while
striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - the subject of interest from Spurs - is back
after missing the Leicester game through suspension.

Manchester United Team (from): Schmeichel, G Neville, Berg, Johnsen, Irwin,
P Neville, Beckham, Butt, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Yorke, Cole, Sheringham,
Solskjaer, May, Cruyff and Culkin.

Manchester United Comment “Someone will make way for Yorke this weekend but
we realise we need a big strong squad and there are no immediate plans to
sell anyone. Things change throughout the course of a season but we need a
strong pool and we hope we can keep them all happy. That's what happens in
football. If they're not happy then that changes things.” – Alex Ferguson

Statistics Last season: West Ham 1 Man Utd 1, Man Utd 2 West Ham 1; Current
form: West Ham W, Man Utd D; Top scorers: Ian Wright (West Ham) 1; Teddy
Sheringham, Andy Cole, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham (Man Utd) 1; Match odds: H
6-4 A 6-4 D 11-5
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 13:04:54 +0800
Subject:   Dwight On! (MEN)

DWIGHT ON!

UNITED'S £12.6m NEW BOY FACES BIG TEST
By STUART MATHIESON

SMILING assassin Dwight Yorke is set to face the biggest test of his career
with Manchester United.

The Reds' £12.6m club record buy goes straight into manager Alex Ferguson's
side at West Ham United tomorrow ready for a new challenge.

And the Trinidad and Tobago international is determined not to end up in the
Old Trafford striker's graveyard alongside one-time big money Reds' forwards
like Garry Birtles and Alan Brazil.

``In football you test yourself at all different levels and this will
certainly test me as a person and as a player,'' says the 26-year-old who
has signed a five-year Old Trafford contract.

``I don't feel under any pressure. If I did then I wouldn't be coming to
this place. The fact that I am now a Manchester United player and because of
the price tag I am wearing, there will be a lot of people out there
scrutinizing every move and every touch I make.

``But I have belief in my own ability and I am sure that very soon the
gaffer and the rest of the boys will soon believe in me as well. All I have
got to do is to continue playing with a smile on my face and put the ball in
the net.''

Yorke, who'll wear United's number 19 shirt at Upton Park, is expected to
partner Andy Cole in a near-£20m strike force.

It could mean England World Cup hero Paul Scholes will have to make way from
the team which opened United's Premiership season against Leicester City
last Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham will face the frustration of
battling for a place on the subs' bench - if Solskjaer is still at the club.

Already Tottenham boss Christian Gross has admitted he wants Solskjaer at
White Hart Lane, and Ferguson says: ``There has been an approach from Spurs
for Ole Gunnar.''

``They have been trying all summer for him but I don't think anything will
happen on that at the moment.''

But Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar confirmed today that he was negotiating
with United in a bid to sign Solskjaer and a club spokesman said: ``Alan is
having talks with United and a deal is certainly getting closer.''

Spurs were hoping to complete the signing of the 25-year-old Norwegian
international for £5m by the end of today, making him eligible to make his
debut at home to Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Yorke's transfer from Aston Villa has sparked off acrimony in the
Midlands.

``Dwight came to me two weeks ago to say he wanted to play for Manchester
United and not Aston Villa,'' says Villa boss John Gregory.

``If I'd had a gun at the time I would have shot him. What he said really
hurt. It really got to me.''

One friend who'll continue to follow Yorke despite his switch will be West
Indian cricket captain Brian Lara.

The Warwickshire opener played Under-15s cricket with United's new boy will
see his pal make his Old Trafford debut on September 9 against Charlton
Athletic.

Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 12:48:29 +0800
Reply-To: Red Devil Marcus 
Subject:  Cole Relishes New Partnership (D.Mail)

Cole relishes teaming up with his soul-mate

Saturday, August 22, 1998

Andy Cole might today be forgiven for wrapping his arms around Dwight Yorke
in a welcoming bear-hug before the pair get down to business as Manchester
United's new front -line partnership.

Because for the first time since Cole arrived as United's then £7million
record purchase three-and-a-half years ago he will be working directly
alongside someone who seems to be on the same wavelegnth.

Cole and Eric Cantona never appeared to get along. Although the Frenchman
was the catalyst of the United revival that brought four championships in
five years, there always seemed to be something lost in the translation
between the pair.

And the haughty, arrogant shrugs directed in Cole's direction by the player
rated by Sir Bobby Charlton as the best ever in a United shirt often made
embarrassing viewing. Even at the height of their success together,there
rarely seemed any warmth between them.

Now he has a soul-mate, someone just as fast, just as exciting and perhaps
thankfully for Cole, even more high-profile because of the £12.6m deal that
was a British straight-cash record. And by the fact that he was not used as
bait and despatched to Aston Villa, Cole has been given the biggest
confidence-booster of his careeer by Alex Ferguson.

By supreme irony, the bubbly, ebullient Yorke makes his debut at Upton Park,
the scene of Cole's only true crime as a United player when he missed the
chances that on the last day of the 1994-95 season, would have produced a
third successive championship.

Yorke has insisted that no matter what happens, he intends to play with a
smile on his face. And that should put that shy grin back on Cole's face,
too.
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



Date:         Sat, 22 Aug 1998 15:57:53 +0800
Subject:   Gary Neville Writes For The Times

Still searching for full match fitness

It has been a difficult beginning to the season for me and Manchester
United. It is obvious that we have not started like a house on fire as a
team, but that will change very quickly. I am not happy with my own
performances yet; I'm still searching for peak fitness. At times I have been
poor.
Against Arsenal in the Charity Shield, I had the toughest job any right back
in the world could have at the moment.

I had played against Marc Overmars only once before and I was happy with the
way I coped with him then. Even this last time, I felt in the first half I
handled him OK. He is the quickest player I have ever come up against, but
in the second half, I dropped off him too much and I wasn't aggressive
enough against him and we suffered for it. It was a combination of his pace
and me not being as sharp as I would like to be but in that heat and on the
sapping Wembley turf, it was not a happy afternoon.

The first league game against Leicester City last Saturday left me with a
bad memory, too. Muzzy Izzet managed to get past me right on the byline and,
if that happens, it's always going to lead to a goal. It is the worst
feeling in the world and the manager let me know exactly what he thought
about that at half-time. If you make a mistake like that as a defender early
on in a match, it ruins any chance of you having a good game. Even if you
score later in the match, you can't redeem yourself. People say "you made up
for it", but it doesn't work like that. The fact, is I am not expected to
make those kind of errors.

Part of the problem is that I am still working my way back to full match
fitness. Because I needed a rest after the World Cup I only played in two
pre-season games, whereas normally I would play in five or six. I'm hoping
it will really kick in at West Ham today.

We have also been adapting to having a new back four. When United were at
their strongest with Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Paul Parker and Dennis
Irwin, it ran like clockwork. With time, I hope this back four will gel just
as impressively.

When you play together for a long period of time, it is amazing the
difference it makes. In the United youth team, I played more than a hundred
games in central defence with Chris Casper alongside me, my brother, Phil,
on the left and John O'Kane on the right. I always knew instinctively that,
if I stepped up, no one would be behind me.

In the situation we have now at United, I will be doing things Jaap Stam is
not used to and vice-versa. I might position myself differently to the
right-back at PSV Eindhoven. You have to get used to where you are going to
keep the line, whether you are going to play high or deep when you move out.

Jaap has had people on his back but I could see the first time I played
alongside him that he is going to be an absolutely unbelievable player for
the club. He has had a lot of stick, but I suppose that comes with the
£10.75 million price tag.

It also comes with playing for Manchester United and we are all used to it.
I have heard that the West Ham fans are going to have a go at David Beckham
today but, once the game starts, you all block that sort of stuff out
anyway. During the match, you don't notice anything because you are too busy
concentrating. There is no time to listen to the crowd.

Becks has had to handle that sort of thing for the past year or so and it
won't be an issue for us at Upton Park. There will be no special allowances
made for him by the team or anything like that. It has happened to Bryan
Robson, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane in the past and Becks will
handle it just as they did.

Those players are all special types of players and it was great to see Eric
back at Old Trafford on Tuesday. It was the best atmosphere I have ever seen
at a game like that and it was well-deserved. It wasn't just the fans who
hero-worshipped him; many of the younger players at United like me felt the
same about him.

Somehow, he just seemed to have this presence about him, something that he
carried with him on to the pitch. He was such a big influence on the team
while he was here. In his last season, people said he wasn't the player he
used to be, but he still helped to win us the title. Let's hope we can win
it without him this season.

We can only be helped by the addition of Dwight Yorke. I remember being very
impressed by him the first time I played against Aston Villa. They tore us
apart that day and I think Dwight scored one of the Villa goals.

His best assets are that he is quick, strong, hard to knock off the ball and
a great dribbler. Everybody I know who has played against him says he is a
real handful. He is young as well, which can't do any harm. He is a great
addition to the squad.
Dwight Yorke finally arrives at OT!



To receive this Daily News by email each day
Mail using subject line "DAILY NEWS SUBSCRIBE"
             
 
 E-mail: barry@www.red11.org  Webmasters: Barry Leeming
                                         Bill McArthur 

 Theatre Of Dreams:    Url: www.red11.org 
      
   " If ever they are playing in your town
     You must get to that football ground
     Take a lesson come to see
     Football taught by Matt Busby

     Manchester, Manchester United
     A bunch of bouncing Busby Babes
     They deserve to be knighted "

Keep The Faith -- Red Til We're Dead --  "RED sky at night UNITED delight"
        --- Manchester United for life not just for Christmas ---

To receive this Daily News by email each day
Mail us using subject line "DAILY NEWS SUBSCRIBE"
e-mail: barry@www.red11.org


Calypso available here: mp3

"RED HOT" News-wire NOW!


Manchester United FC: Theatre Of Dreams Website Click Index:
Results  News  WhosWho  Archive  Pics  Statistics
Reserves  Team  Trophy's  History  Munich  Webring