www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sat Oct 24 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Subject: VERY IMPORTANT *READ FIRST* Manchester United Supporters Petition
2. Born To Be Wild, Wet & RED: Copenhagen Parken Report pt t2/3
3. Derby Preview. United high after Brondby success
4. Return of Keane edge Gives a Spring to United's Step
5. Cole the Unsung Hero
6. UNITED THE CREAM OF EUROPE!
7. Deadly Cole (Mirror)
8. Independent: MPs show Murdoch red card!
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Daily RED Trivia Sat 24th October:
24/10/1956: David Gaskell made his debut against Manchester City. Gaskell was aged 16
when appearing as substitute for injured goalkeeper Ray Wood in the Charity Shield
match, won 1-0 by United. He made his full debut in November 1957 and won an
FA Cup Winners medal in 1963. He made 118 appearances between 1957-66,
moving to Wrexham in June 1969.
24/10/1981: United win 2-1 at Liverpool with goals from Arthur Albiston and Kevin
Moran in a Division 1 game watched by 41,438. Team was: Bailey, Gidman,
Albiston, Wilkins, Moran, Buchan, Robson, Birtles, Stapleton, Moses, Coppell.
************
Barry Daily Comment:
When Manchester United's final goal went in on Wednesday night, champagne
corks popped all over the Street Of Shame. No need to think of a decent headline when the
cliche cupboard could be opened up and this little lot let out...
Here are all the headlines from various newspapers!
'United Go Six Mad' - The Star.
'Hit For Six' - The Daily Mail.
'Six Of The Best' - The Express.
'I'm Two Sixy For My Shirt' - The Sun.
'United's Six-Shooters Hit Jackpot' - The Times.
'United Hit Six With A Real Swagger' - The Daily Telegraph.
'Six Of The Best' - The Daily Record.
Let's get this straight. They scored six, right?
Here in Denmark I bought 3 papers:
Ekstra Bladet Brondby - Pulverised Blue and Yellow
BT - Brondby Smacked
Aalborg Stiftstidende - Clean Shaved Allround
My Brondby personal match report part 2/3 today.
************
Next 4 games:
Result/Fixture Index:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm
Today! 24/10 Derby (A) PL
Wed 28/10 Bury (H) LC (Worthington Cup)
Sat 31/10 Everton (A) PL
Wed 4/11 Brondby (H) CL 19.45
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 55,265
Champions league: 21/10
Brondby 2-6 Man Utd
Bayern 1-0 Barcelona
Table as at 21/10:
GROUP D P W D L GF GA Pts
ManUnited 3 1 2 0 11 7 5 Next "CL" Match
BMünchen 3 1 1 1 4 5 4 Man Utd v Brondby OT 4/11
Barcelona 3 1 1 1 5 4 4
Brĝndby 3 1 0 2 2 9 3
*** FIXTURES ON 24/10/98 ***
Aston Villa v Leicester City
Charlton Athletic v West Ham United
Derby County v Manchester United
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday v Everton
Southampton v Coventry City
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United
Wimbledon v Middlesbrough
*** FIXTURES ON 25/10/98 ***
Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal
Leeds United v Chelsea
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Subject: VERY IMPORTANT *READ FIRST* Manchester United Supporters Petition
www.red11.org
Date: Fri Oct 23 17:21:10 GMT+00:00 1998
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rupert Murdoch must not be allowed to take over Man Utd PLC.
This will give him and his company BSkyB a unfair and anti-competitive
postion in the two areas they are desperatley trying to dominate.
How can Murdoch be allowed to take over a football club and therefore, at
least theoretically have a vote for the next TV deal the Premiership enters
into? I cannot believe this would not allow him an unfair advantage over 1.
the other teams competing in the Premier League and 2. any other TV company
that would want to bid for the rights to televise the Premier League, the
flagship league of our national sport.
I trust that you will look deeply into this worrying and, in the UK,
seemingly unprecedented bid.
Yours faithfully,
Bill McArthur
www.red11.org Webmaster
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.manchester.com/guest/guestadd.html
This is a Manchester United supporters petition against BSkyB's takeover of
MUFC. Another group is sending out a parallel petition but for non-United
fans. This concentrates on the more general issues of why this deal is bad
for all fans. Whatever your feelings on this please read this message and
pass it on (in full) to all United fans you know.
This campaign is supported by the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and
many other football supporters groups and associations representing numerous
different clubs (see bottom of message). Of course, it is also supported by
IMUSA - the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association - the only
independent organisation which attempts to represent the interests of all
Manchester United supporters.
SUAM - Shareholders United Against Murdoch are also against the bid - I
think you probably worked that out from their name!
The petition is hosted by Virtual Manchester (www.manchester.com) for the
benefit of all concerned supporters of all clubs.
You should have received this message because you are a Manchester United
supporter on a mailing list or a friend of yours thought you'd be interested
and passed it to you. If this is not the case please ignore this message and
accept our apologies. If
you know someone who would be interested we need you to pass this message
(and attached file) on to them in full. This way we can really generate a
big response.
Attached to this message is a petition form (HTML web page) which you can
use to submit your details to what we hope will be the biggest email
petition in history. You only need to open the attachment in your web
browser, fill in the details and click submit (while you are on-line).
Alternatively you can sign the petition directly at:
http://www.manchester.com/guest/guestadd.html
If you have already decided you're against the takeover then you can stop
reading here and just sign the petition now and pass it to all the Utd
supporters you know - or register for them (if they're not on the internet
they'll need an email address such as www.hotmail.com).
Why should you get involved with this petition? Here are just some of the
reasons other United supporters have given:
[1] Your club will lose it's independence. If the bid goes through, for the
first time in its history, Manchester United will no longer exist as a
separate company. It will just be a subsidiary of BSkyB plc. If the club
becomes wholly owned by BSkyB, then BSkyB would have no obligation to make
decisions in the best interests of Manchester United Football Club. Under
the current circumstances the board are required to make decisions in the
interests of the company - ie the football club but this obligation is
removed if the club is wholly owned by BSkyB. This change would be
irreversible.
[2] Look at the way BSkyB has treated its UK TV football subscribers. When
they
first offered live Premier League football it was free for Sky's subscribers
as it had been previously on ITV/BBC (although admittedly a lower quality
product). Then they charged 2.99 per month, then 7.99 and now you can only
get the football as part of a bundle for 21.99 per month - 264 pounds a
year. This is 3 times your UK TV license fee for all terrestrial channels!
This is a monopoly deal - its the only way you can watch Live TV coverage in
the UK. How do you think they will treat United fans once they have the
monopoly ownership of our club? And how will they treat us when they can
hold us to ransom when Pay Per View comes in. This pattern of exploitation
is repeated again and again throughout Murdoch's ( = BSkyB) business empire
worldwide.
[3] Manchester United don't need BSkyB but BSkyB need Manchester United .
MUFC could sign their own TV deals anyway - why let a third party come in
and cream money off - out of football and out of the fans pockets? The
estimated income which will soon become available through Manchester
United's TV rights is astronomical. Early estimates are as high as 100
million pounds a year. This money should be going into the clubs coffers -
not filtered through BSkyB's bank first.
[4] This deal is part of plans for a European or World Super League. This
will signal the end of the Premier League as we know it and over a hundred
years of football tradition. They are just ripping our game apart to line
their pockets, from us - the fans.
[5] Murdoch cannot afford a successful Manchester United. BSkyB, in a moment
of weakness, have already admitted that they do not want United to become
too successful. Managing Director of Sky Sports, Vic Wakeling, didn't
realise the implications of what he was saying when he stated that "What we
don't want is what's happened in Scotland with Rangers winning 9 titles in a
row". The reason he doesn't want this for United is because he realises this
would damage BSkyB's ratings if United kept winning. How can we have an
owner of our club who is not committed to making the football team as
successful as possible? This is only the tip of the iceberg though. Many
supporters of other clubs already refuse to buy products associated with
MUFC - such as Sharp Videos etc and now Pepsi. What will Rupert Murdoch do
when he finds that if he allows United to be successful the resentful
supporters of other clubs will stop buying his newspapers and satellite TV
channels. He is a business man - the answer is obvious and it's bad news for
MUFC and bad news for us fans.
[6] There is an alternative. The supporters of Manchester United have
contributed all the money that has resulted in it's current valuation. If
all United supporters worldwide were to buy a few shares (not that many) we
could take control of our club even if this will take a little time. There
are various schemes which would achieve this but one thing is for sure - if
this BSkyB bid goes through we will NEVER own our club. This takeover is
irreversible - it must be stopped so we have a chance to assess all the
alternatives. United do not need a master who just creams off money - out of
our pockets and out of the football club.
[7] Even if you're not sure or think the take-over might not be bad you
should still try to stop it at this stage. We need a chance to step back and
look at all the options. They are trying to rush this through before anyone
has a chance to put forward alternatives - this takes time. Why not give the
supporters an opportunity to have their say? Why don't they want supporters
to keep their own shares? Why are they trying to rush this through? If we
can hold it up now there is nothing to prevent BSkyB coming back with
another offer later and if that turns out to be the best option we (MUFC
shareholders) could still accept it. However most United supporters think
this deal is the worst possible option and even the current situation is
preferable.
Please sign the petition and pass this message and attachment to all other
Manchester United supporters you know.
Notes:
Those against the bid include:The FA,The PFA (Players Union),The
LMA (League Managers Association), The FSA (Football Supporters
Association), The National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs, The
Independent Supporters Associations of all clubs.
IMUSA - Independent Manchester United Supporters Association
In fact no other supporters group has come out in favour of this deal
Many MP's are against it - Already around 100 have declared against but due
to the
recess we are still waiting to hear from the rest.
Those in favour:
BSkyB and the outgoing board of MU plc.
************************************************************
NOTE FROM www.red11.org WEBMASTERS:
We could not send the mentioned attachment so you can paste
the following html in your browser and just click!
(remember you must be online!)
************************************************************
Virtual Manchester
Petition
against the BSkyB
take-over of Manchester United
Please add your Name, Email Address and Location to the petition below.
You may also add a message if you wish to. For your petition entry to be
valid you must provide a genuine email address.
Name:
Valid email address:
City & Country
Optional message:
You must be online when you click submit!
Keep The Faith -- Red Til We're Dead -- "RED sky at night UNITED delight"
--- Manchester United for life not just for Christmas ---
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
From: Barry Leeming
Subject: Born To Be Wild, Wet & RED: Copenhagen Parken Report pt t2/3
Available on the www at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/9899/matfbroa.htm
Pt2 Craisy Daisy: TV, flags and beer:
Copenhagen 1500 hrs Norregade and Craisy Daisy had changed its name?
Yes we arrived at the club rented for the Scandinavian Manchester United
Party. Now called "ENZO" for some peculiar reason, we all piled in to find
loads of REDS all ready to sing drink and get together for the next
3 hours!!!
Danish TV had already arrived, the DJ was playing all the Red sounds he
could find and there was "our" new
RED Aalborg flag hanging on the wall. A well know journalist called Madsen
got the guys together for a pic which was to appear on the back page of the
Danish national newspaper "Ekstra Bladet" on Thursday morning.
You can see this pic on the net if you read the multi media match report at
above address. Grabbing a beer all the old friends were there and also
quite a few UK guys. Helge Conradsen the Danish Chairman arrived and
welcomed us all saying he was off to chat to Dwight and Andy. He has become
a total fan of these two, Andy was always his favorite now he has both of
them. The drinking continued and the crowd size was building up to around
800. The Danish branch of the supporters club MUSCS has now 4000 members!
The RED NEWS were represented and souvenirs + badges were for sale.
Amazingly to us the RED NEWS guys had match tickets for sale, where were
you Kerry? (some supporters had not made it over due to excessive expenses
at the beer festival in Munich) and the tickets were snapped up for 200kr.
Many of the Scandinavian REDS were holding tickets for the Brondby end so
they were only too pleased for this opportunity to use "Entrance D"
instead! Toilets were downstairs in the cellar and we arranged with the
camera "girl!" to come and interview us all whilst relieving ourselves :))
We all stood in a row and she even filmed the actual water running down the
drain. THIS WAS SHOWN on the national Danish TV news 18.50 hrs that same
night. At the end of the interview Henrik was asked by the interviewer "If
I say that Manchester United are a terrible side will you urinate on me?"
"Most probably" said Henrik!! I ask you now, "would they have shown that on
BBC Prime time?"
That's one of the difference's between Denmark and Great Britain.
Around 16.30 Henrik, Preben, Leo and I went off to "The Old English Pub" to
find Mike Dobbin and the crowd from London. This is the only pub in
Copenhagen selling draught Boddies. No sign of them so back to the club.
Mike "Hi! where have you been we have been looking for you" :))
I grabbed a round and there was Mike Dobbin, Steve and others including
Graham who turned up a little later.
Mike then presented me with a bar of SOAP in a plastic holder, as onlookers
were laughing!! This was a bar I had left in his bathroom on the way up to
the Eric/Munich Testimonial. Mike had thoughtfully flown over with it in
his pocket, THANKYOU Mike :))
Time for Barry "DJ" to take over. I went up in the disco and found no mini
disc or tape machine, just the cd's he was playing. No calypso or any good
stuff, all planning out the window, I took over using a microphone
(no ekko) running through a few ditties & shooting off a few names. Calling
out Denmark, Sweden & Norway I forgot Iceland! Sorry Helgi I reckon I put
that straight before I left?? The crowd was in good spirits and RED films
were shown on the big screen. Only prob with my singalong show was this
Danish dj who put Yellow Submarine on without asking me first ("Scouser"
shouted the crowd) I quickly pulled it off again...sorry for all those who
were hurt! Still we had a good singalong and Mike Dobbin was mentioned MORE
than once ... oops! After all I had been drinking one or two beers?
I had to leave at 1800 as I had booked a meal with 3 work mates who would
be going to the match with me.
btw I still had my sons match ticket in my pocket at this time. Michael is
in the Danish Army and they would not let him out the b....rs!
What happened later? read more in 2 days, it's weekend football +
disco's today & tomorrow
so I will conclude this report on Sunday!
pt3 The Match & home sweet home: RED goals galore and a long trip home
Barry "diggin the potatoes in Denmark"
Match report with pics
http://www.red11.org/mufc/9899/matfbroa.htm
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Derby Preview. United high after Brondby success
Manchester United are hoping to carry on at Derby
County on Saturday where they left off in Denmark - with
the memory of Wednesday night's 6-2 thrashing of
Brondby still fresh in their minds.
David Beckham and Nicky Butt return from suspension
as United go in search of their fourth successive Premiership victory.
Ferguson has to decide who will make way, but said: "We
could not go into a game in a better frame of mind, and I
know it is always hard against Derby, but
nonetheless, I think he players are looking forward to the game.
"You can't place Wednesday's victory in terms
of importance because winning was what we had to
do. But the manner of the victory was excellent."
Jesper Blomqvist could drop to the substitutes' bench to
make way for Beckham, with Ryan Giggs switching
back to the left wing. Butt may also have to take a seat
in the dug-out if Ferguson decides to leave Paul Scholes
in his starting line-up.
Ronny Johnsen is still under treatment for ankle ligament
problems, while Teddy Sheringham should be in the
squad despite a calf strain.
Derby will have skipper Igor Stimac back as they try to
halt a run of three consecutive Premiership defeats.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Return of Keane edge Gives a Spring to United's Step
David Lacey says Ferguson's team may be looking to a
second coming in Barcelona
Friday October 23, 1998
This season's European Cup final takes place at Barcelona on
May 26. To give themselves a chance of reaching it
Manchester United may well have to avoid defeat at the same
Nou Camp next month.
Four years ago the Barcelona of Romario and Hristo
Stoichkov inflicted on United one of their most humiliating
defeats in more than 40 years of European football. Alex
Ferguson's defence was torn to shreds as Barcelona beat them
4-0.
That was then. The United side returning from Copenhagen in
the early hours of yesterday morning did not appear to be on
the verge of being humiliated by anybody; quite the reverse in
fact.
The sheer verve of the 6-2 victory over Brondby which has
taken Manchester United above Barcelona, beaten 1-0 by
Bayern in Munich, to the top of Group D in the Champions
League has reconfirmed the European potential of Ferguson's
side. They cannot yet be considered favourites but at this stage
who can?
The important thing, from United's point of view, is that the
team are once more up and running. Even without the
suspended David Beckham a breathtaking combination of
speed and technique buried a Brondby side who had begun to
fancy their chances of reaching the quarter-finals after beating
Bayern in their opening match.
On the sort of rain-swept night calculated to evoke pleas to the
Almighty for the protection of sailors, not to mention warning
notices from the Canine Defence League, Manchester United
produced a performance promised by the steady resurgence
which had followed their doleful 3-0 defeat at Arsenal a month
earlier.
Defeating Liverpool 2-0 at Old Trafford four days after
Highbury was always going to be a restorative and since then
the defences of Southampton, beaten 3-0, Wimbledon, 5-1,
and now Brondby have felt the full weight of United's return to
form.
But for the error by Peter Schmeichel which enabled Bayern
Munich to force a 2-2 draw in stoppage time at the Olympic
Stadium, United would now be running away with their group.
Then again, and as Ferguson suggested before the Brondby
game, the point Bayern gained gave them the impetus to beat
Barcelona.
Wary of premature congratulations and knowing all to well
how a Champions League group can be turned upside down,
Ferguson refused to give his players unstinted praise on
Wednesday. Not a great performance, he insisted; some of the
passing had been careless with the ball too often given away.
Nevertheless there was one individual performance of
considerable significance, as much for the Premiership as the
Champions League. From the moment Roy Keane laid the ball
out to the 19-year-old Wes Brown, whose centre produced
the first of Ryan Giggs's two goals in the second minute, tje
Irishman looked the player he was before a snapped cruciate
ligament forced him to miss most of last season.
With Paul Scholes giving him tireless support, Keane
dominated the match from penalty area to penalty area. In the
first half he created two chances which Andy Cole should have
taken before the striker eventually accepted an opportunity set
up for him by Dwight Yorke.
Ten minutes after half-time, Kim Daugaard's free-kick having
skidded past Peter Schmeichel at the near post, Keane
reasserted United's hold on the game by striding through the
Brondby defence, exchanging passes with Giggs, and scoring
off a post. Whatever misgivings his manager might have had
about United's performance in general, Keane's display must
have made depressing viewing for those hoping to deprive
them of a fifth Premiership title in seven seasons.
The far-post header by Yorke which brought United their fifth
goal - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming off the bench to get the
sixth - was the Tobagan striker's fourth in as many matches
and his partnership with Cole has now produced seven in three
games. All right, so the defences of Southampton, Wimbledon
and Brondby might have been ripe for a mangling, but
someone still had to turn the handle.
Brondby will be at Old Trafford on Wednesday week minus
their quickest forward, Thomas Lindrup, who picked up a
second yellow card. Another rout is unlikely but not
impossible.
It may depend on whether or not Manchester United believe
they are in a five-setter, since they have now beaten the Danes
6-0 (in a pre-season friendly) and 6-2. Either way the points,
not the winning margin, will be the prime aim; points that would
surely make for a memorable night at Nou Camp on
November 25 before United wind up their group programme
at home to Bayern a fortnight later.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Cole the Unsung Hero
By Graham Hunter
Friday, October 23, 1998
When the plaudits for Manchester United's scintillating Champions League
victory at Brondby were being handed out, one name - Andy Cole - received
fewer than he deserved.
For various reasons, the headlines were grabbed by Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane,
Peter Schmeichel and even young Wes Brown.
Giggs scored twice to Cole's once in the 6-2 win, Keane gave a better
90-minute performance and goal-keeper Schmeichel's form drew raised
eyebrows because United will not qualify for the quarter-finals unless he stops
leaking goals.
But Cole, who has suffered such a see-saw existence at Old Trafford, won't
mind being overlooked because he has shown himself able to cope with being
ignored by a much more important figure - United manager Alex Ferguson.
Just five weeks ago, £7million striker Cole was not among the substitutes when
United lost 3-0 at Arsenal. Although Ferguson refused to countenance selling
him to Aston Villa, he still showed a remarkable reluctance to pick him.
Ole Solskjaer was favoured to partner Dwight Yorke. While Cole did not feature
anywhere against Arsenal, he was also posted missing at Bayern Munich and
brought on only in the latter stages against Liverpool.
Yet Ferguson's softly, softly approach to Cole's game time and his 'hands off'
attitude to incoming transfer bids have paid off.
Not only is the player scoring for fun at the moment, he is starting to look like
he enjoys being at United. He and Yorke seem to have struck up an odd-couple
style friendship - the loner and the sunshine smiler - and it shows on the pitch.
Cole said: 'My partnership with Dwight is brilliant. It is one of the best I have
ever had. We are opposites as players and I think that helps us. We don't get in
each other's way. Instead we complement each other.
'We also get on well together off the pitch, which I feel is another thing which
helps us when we play as a pair.'
When Cole scored a Premier League record 34 goals in 40 games in a season
for Newcastle in 1993-94, many of those strikes were laid on by Peter
Beardsley and he feels his blossoming partnership with Yorke is akin to those
heady days at St James' Park.
Cole said: 'My partnership with Dwight is one of the best I have ever had and it's
a bit like the time I had at Newcastle with Peter Beardsley. That's the best
comparison I can make. I enjoyed it with Peter and I'm now enjoying playing
with Dwight. 'I'm not bothered what other people say about me any more. I've
just turned 27 and I haven't got time to worry about what other people think
these days.
'My record speaks for itself and when I have finished it will all be down there in
black and white.'
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Friday 23 October 1998 Front Page
Subject: UNITED THE CREAM OF EUROPE!
THEY HAVE THE CLASS, BUT UNITED KNOW THEY MUST DISPLAY BRONDBY
FORM IN BARCELONA AND BEYOND
MANCHESTER UNITED were utterly awesome against Brondby on
Wednesday night but they have not proved anything yet. That's not just our
view, it's also the players'. A 6-2 away win in the Champions League is unheard
of - indeed, it is the biggest victory ever in the group stages by a visiting team -
and cannot be dismissed. Certainly, the giants of European football will have
been shocked by the scoreline from Denmark on a night when Juventus were
toiling to a goalless draw in Bilbao and Ajax were losing to Olympiakos. But
United are not even halfway to fulfilling their potential.
With three games gone and 11 goals scored against their Group D opponents, United are
the form side and should make it through to the quarter-finals. But then what? Another
five games would lie ahead if they are to emulate the class of '68 and deliver manager
Alex Ferguson's ultimate goal. And in the past two years, United have flattered to
deceive after peaking midway through a European campaign.
Last season, they put in a magnificent display against Juventus,
arguably the best side in the world, to win their home group game,
3-2, only to fall flat against Monaco in the last eight, going out after
a 1-1 draw. The year before that? A sensational 4-0 thrashing of
Porto in the quarter-finals was followed by the pain of being
squeezed out in the semis by Borussia Dortmund.
The ability to win games 1-0 is as vital to potential champions in
Europe as it is in the Premiership, and United need to find that virtue.
Their ability to tear quality teams to pieces when they are on form is
unquestionable. Brondby were no mugs - they beat Bayern Munich
last month - and yet Ferguson's men put on a display of total
attacking football that would have destroyed most teams in the
world. But the other big story emerging from Copenhagen was the
Reds' goals against column, now reading seven in three games. It's
hard to envision a side with a leaky defence being crowned kings of
Europe.
Those high-scoring draws against Bayern Munich and Barcelona
meant the pressure was really on in Denmark, but it brought the best
out of Ferguson's team. "The lads knew we had to win, so we were
told to play like we do in training and we took them apart," defender
Wes Brown told Football365. "I thought we absolutely hammered
them. It was like a training game in the end. Our passing was great,
our movement was great, everything was brilliant. That was part of
the plan, to get everyone playing everywhere. Giggsy was
supposedly playing right-wing, but he was all over the field and made
it impossible for them."
However, United's biggest test will come in Barcelona on November
25, when a defeat could put all their great work to waste.
"Barcelona away will be a really tough game, we know that," agreed
Brown, who had a superb European debut at right-back on
Wednesday. "We don't want to have to go there needing a win.
Hopefully, they and Bayern Munich will take points off each other in
the next game so we will have a bit of a gap at the top. We've got a
great chance to go all the way this time. With the squad we've got,
there's no reason why we can't go and win it. The manager can take
internationals on and off at will - that's how strong the squad is. It's
a matter of keeping up this form over a whole season, and that's
hard when the European games are so spread out."
United won't have to keep playing like they did in Copenhagen to
reach the final, they will just have to do it in short bursts when it is
most needed - and then shut up shop. But that's a different
challenge altogether.
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Deadly Cole (Mirror)
DEADLY COLE'S DWIGHT FUTURE
ANDY COLE is armed and highly dangerous once more - and defenders across
Europe had better watch out. The Manchester United hitman has struck five
times in just six starts this season, the latest in Wednesday night's 6-2
Champions League rout of Brondby.
Cole was being written off after the arrival of Dwight Yorke, and United's
decision not to sell strike rivals Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Teddy Sheringham.
But Cole has silenced the snipers with his goals and established a deadly
new £20million partnership with Dwight Yorke.
Cole had gathered dust on the bench for five weeks before he got the chance
to play alongside Yorke at Southampton on the first Saturday in October.
Now they have 12 goals between them and are inseparable on and off the
pitch. They train side by side. Sightsee as a pair on Euro trips. Share taxi
rides home from the airport.
Cole is the first to acknowledge the part his pal has played in his
resurgence and says: "It's one of the best partnerships I have known.
"A bit like the one I had with Peter Beardsley at Newcastle in that we both
play in different areas. We never make the same runs and don't get in each
other's way.
"That is why it has worked so well. The partnership is superb. We are not
the same kind of footballer even though we are really good friends off the
park.
"We spend all our time together which is good for both of us. He comes round
to my house or we go out to restaurants.
"In training we are always together. To be honest we never leave each
other's side.
"We get on really well and that's helped me. I needed someone supportive and
I have got that someone in Dwight. It bothered me when I was out of the team
because I was so disappointed.
"I got left out when really I hadn't even got started. It's always going to
hurt. After getting 25 goals last season, ending up back on the bench was
something I just didn't expect. But I have come back into the team again and
started scoring.
"That is what I am all about. I have got to make it hard for the manager to
leave me out of the team in the future."
Cole is determined to make it difficult for his critics too. His best is
good enough to keep them all off his back.
He adds: "My record speaks for itself and I am not bothered about the
criticism any more. I am just turned 27 and I haven't got time to think
about other people and their opinions.
"When I finish it's going to be there in black and white. I have just got to
be strong minded about my business. I can't get bothered about getting
knocked. All I ask is for people to judge me on my record and take it from
there.
"I just want to stay fit and score as many goals as I can."
Cole is understandably upbeat. But then again it's hard to find anyone down
at Old Trafford these days with three successive victories and 14 goals.
Team-mate Jaap Stam is no longer a target for critical abuse either and is
delighted to have helped propel United to the top of their Champions League
group. He says: "We are very pleased. We had to win at Brondby. Everyone
knew that. People across Europe will have noticed our score."
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"
Subject: Independent: MPs show Murdoch red card!
Well done everyone who wrote to the MPs, looks like it's paying off!
A CROSS-PARTY coalition of MPs yesterday called on the
Government to refer BSkyB's bid for Manchester United to the
Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Forty-six MPs signed an early-day motion deploring the impact on
football clubs and television viewers of the proposed takeover. Peter
Mandelson, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, has until 2
November to decide on referral, when the Office of Fair Trading will
publish its advice.
The motion is the latest stage in the campaign by MPs of all parties
and may be backed by a Commons debate within the next two weeks.
Yesterday Labour MPs also disclosed that they were told at a private
meeting on Tuesday with lawyers from the Premier League that the
sport's governing bodies had "serious concerns" about the deal.
The motion came as BSkyB underlined its determination to complete
the takeover by buying an extra 5.3 million shares, taking its stake to
11 per cent. The Commons motion says the £623m bid will create "an
unacceptable situation" where BSkyB becomes the biggest purchaser
of televised football and the owner of Europe's largest football club.
Signed by 39 Labour, four Tories and three Liberal Democrats, it adds
that they are certain the deal is "not in the best public interest of
fans,
clubs, television viewers and sport in general."
The MPs urged Mr Mandelson to refer the bid to the MMC in tandem
with setting up an inquiry into all funding of football by television.
Joe
Ashton, chairman of the Commons All-Party Football Group, said it
was increasingly apparent that Rupert Murdoch would distort the
British football market.
He also disclosed that MPs had tried to get permission for a debate on
the issue but had been delayed by parliamentary lawyers claiming that
the matter was sub judice.
They later relented and a debate may be held in two weeks. United
supporters meet MPs on Tuesday to keep up pressure on the
Government. Rhodri Morgan, Labour MP for Cardiff West, said it
was clear there was a strong public interest argument in blocking the
takeover. "Sky have . referred to using football as a battering- ram to
get into the TV market. This bid takes that strategy a stage further by
using Manchester United as a battering- ram to get into a new
European league. I, like many MPs, have many Manchester United fans
in my constituency and they all believe that Rupert Murdoch should
not be allowed to get his hands on the club."
"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
