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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Mon Dec 28 11:07:10 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

This Issue:
1. Ronnie's on a hat-trick   Personal match report by "Our Salford Lass"
2. The Week Ahead: No hang-up for United
3. Bassett's lament 
4. BECKS: I THOUGHT OF GOING ABROAD   By Sunday Mirror 
5. GIVE US A BREAK, PLEADS KIDD
6. Kelly's old job may be scrapped by FA 

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

Daily RED Trivia  Mon 28th December 1998:

28/12/1929: Arthur Chesters made his debut against Newcastle United. Local-born 
 Goalkeeper Chesters conceded 22 goals in 4 successive games during the 1930-31 
 season,  including 6-0 against Huddersfield and 4-7 against Liverpool. He made 9
 appearances  between 1929-31 before signing for Exeter City.

1992: United beat Coventry City 5-0 at Old Trafford in a Premiership game 
 watched by 36,025. Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Lee Sharpe and
 Denis Irwin got the goals. Team was: Schmeichel, Parker, Irwin, Bruce (Phelan),
 Sharpe, Pallister, Cantona, Ince, McClair, Hughes, Giggs (Kanchelskis). 

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

Barry Daily Comment:

Subject: 1999 Fireworks - from We are the Manchester boys

Guess what!! You have just received an animated greeting card from We are the Manchester boys
You can pick up your personal greeting by connecting to the following WWW Address

http://www1.bluemountain.com/cards/box5852z/kpc4sndwzcnrzy.htm

(Your greeting card will be available for the next 60 days)
This service is FREE!  :)  HAVE a good day and have fun!
Happy RED Year from Barry and Bill at Simplenet!


http://www.iol.ie/~redcafe/kidd.htm
Brian Kidd Press conference, pic, real audio


Next games: 
ALL Result/Fixture Index:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm

Tue 29/12 Chelsea       (A) PL sky sports time 19.45 UK
     3/1  Middlesboro   (H) FA CUP 3rd rnd 16.00 UK
    10/1 West Ham       (H) Sky Sports? time 16.00 UK
    16/1 Leicester      (A)  15.00
    31/1 Charlton       (A) Sky Sports? time 15.00 UK

UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/

*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED  ***

Date        Opposition                        Score   Pos.   Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/08/98    Leicester City           Home     D  2-2    11    55,052
22/08/98    West Ham United          Away     D  0-0    11    26,039
09/09/98    Charlton Athletic        Home     W  4-1     9    55,147
12/09/98    Coventry City            Home     W  2-0     5    55,193
20/09/98    Arsenal                  Away     L  0-3    10    38,142
24/09/98    Liverpool                Home     W  2-0     3    55,181
03/10/98    Southampton              Away     W  3-0     2    15,251
17/10/98    Wimbledon                Home     W  5-1     2    55,265
24/10/98    Derby County             Away     D  1-1     2    30,867
31/10/98    Everton                  Away     W  4-1     2    40,079
08/11/98    Newcastle United         Home     D  0-0     3    55,174
14/11/98    Blackburn Rovers         Home     W  3-2     2    55,198
21/11/98    Sheffield Wednesday      Away     L  1-3     2    39,475
29/11/98    Leeds                    Home     W  3-2     2    55,172
05/12/98    Aston Villa              Away     D  1-1     2    39,241
12/12/98    Tottenham Hotspur        Away     D  2-2     1    36,079
16/12/98    Chelsea                  Home     D  1-1     2    55,159
19/12/98    Middlebrough             Home     L  2-3     3    55,152
26/12/98    Notts Forest             Home     W  3-0     3    55,216 

	******
  
Champions League:
Group D         P  W  D  L  F  A   Pts
Bayern Munich   6  3  2  1  9  6  11   
Man United      6  2  4  0 20 11  10
Barcelona       6  2  2  2 11  9   8    
Brondby         6  1  0  5  4 18   3   

Dec  9 Brøndby         0-2  Barcelona
Dec  9 Man Utd         1-1  Bayern Munich

	******

CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
 Manchester Utd    v   Inter Milan
 Real Madrid       v   Dynamo Kiev
 Juventus          v   Olympiakos
 Bayern Munich     v   Kaiserslautern

 Ties to be played on March 3 and 17

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


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Subject: Ronnie's on a hat-trick   Personal match report by "Our Salford Lass"

It might have been a poor game but I had a pretty enjoyable
day!  Just to see United win and, even more unusual these
days, keep a clean sheet, was a very pleasant way to spend
Boxing Day and added a much need two points to my fantasy
football team (I did think, when signing Denis Irwin, that I
couldn't go far wrong!).  Special thanks are due to Nick,
without whom, my Boxing Day would have been cancelled and
this report would not have existed!

The day started with Nick ringing me at 11.30am to say that
he was lost in Glossop and didn't know how to get to my
house!  Since I had expected him to ringing me from
Sheffield with the news that he was just about to  set off,
this led to much frantic running around as I didn't want to
appear at the game still in my night attire!  I managed to
get myself organised just in time and we were soon heading
off down the A6 towards Stockport, trying not to run over
Stockport and Barnsley fans as they converged on  Edgeley
Park.  1pm found us in the Nest and we had a very pleasant
lunch, in  the company of some fine, upstanding list
members (and the Sausage Man) and then it was off to the
ground.  

As we walked down Sir Matt Busby Way, (only stopping to chat
to Kerry who was bragging about the size of the white
limousine he had arrived in - strange way for a fanzine
seller to turn up at the game!) the skies  were turning
black and the wind was rising - gales were forecast and it
was with trepidation that I entered East Lower and wiped my
seat dry.  The son-and-heir arrived just before kick-off,
having been to this father's for a second Christmas
dinner.  Much hilarity ensued as he showed us his Christmas
pressies - Manchester United bubble bath and some chocolate
coins!   We ate the chocolate and tried to lose the bubble
bath as we waited for the game to start, whilst waving at
the Sausage Man up in  the second tier (he was wearing a
very bright red, black and white jacket - a pressy from his
beloved - and white jeans - in Manchester on a wet, dark,
typical Northern afternoon! - so was very easy to spot).  

As the team was announced, there was puzzlement all around
OT.  No Stam, no Cole, no Yorke.  Teddy starting with Ole
on the bench.  I know this was only Forest, and we had
beaten them with our reserve team only a few weeks ago,
but, after recent showings, this seemed to be asking for a
humiliating result!  And for the first 20 minutes it looked
as if, whilst a humiliating defeat might not be on the
cards (Forest would still not have managed  to score a goal
even if we had taken every player off and left them to it
for 90 minutes), an embarrassing 0-0 draw most certainly
was.  The players were playing like they had just had their
Christmas dinner and the crowd  were all having their
post-Christmas nap.  After giving us a piece of his mind
last week, Peter was keen to get us all going and kept
turning and trying to up the volume.  Then someone in the
middle of the scoreboard paddock started chanting "Alex
Ferguson's Red and White Army" and it caught on. Soon the
whole of the East Stand joined in and we had a wall of noise
beating down on the pitch.  The boys responded immediately
(either that, or it woke them up!) and they started to play
like they had suddenly realised where they were.  We got
our first corner of the game and Ronnie scored down the
other end.  Peter turned and celebrated with us and the
son-and-heired said for the umpteenth time - "We can't have
anyone in goal, we just can't!!".  For the next ten minutes
or so, the atmosphere was better - there was a brilliant
chorus of "The Red Flag" and we sang the "12 Days of
Cantona".  The Calypso got an airing and we also took  the
mickey out of K Stand as they settled back down to their
afternoon nap!  "We only win when we're singing" seemed
appropriate.  The atmosphere died again for the last 5/10
minutes though, as the heavens opened.  It's very hard to
keep singing away when you being drenched by freezing cold
water poured all over you from a great height!


Half-time saw us all scurry off behind the stands where it
was at least dryer, if not warmer.  There we met Tim and
the son-and-heir got embarrassed some more about his
Christmas pressies!  Once back (rather reluctantly, I have
to admit) in our seats, we realised that Fergie had
obviously lobbed a few tea-cups around at half-time,
because the lads came out looking like they meant it!
Giggs in particular, who had been rubbish in the first
half, was back to looking more like his best and it was
only a matter of time before the second goal arrived -
again it was Ronnie, this time with a volley that a striker
would have been proud of - and the chant of the afternoon
was first heard, "Ronnie's on a hat-trick".  For the rest
of the game, the crowd were trying to will Ronnie to get a
third goal and chanted "shoot" every time he got the ball,
no matter where he was on the pitch!

Whilst Ronnie was doing an excellent impression of a striker,
our Teddy was trying his best to convince the world that he
wasn't one!  His performance wasn't totally unconvincing
(as pointed out to me on the way home, his link-up play and
passing was excellent) but he had at least three easy
chances to get the ball in the net, right in front of us,
and missed  all three.  Ole was warming up on the touchline
at that moment and most of OT joined in a rousing chorus of
"You are my Solskjaer" to which he responded with a shy
smile and an upraised thumb (awwww!!).   He also looked a
trifle embarrassed as it was very obvious that the crowd
was making its displeasure with Teddy known as much as it
was singing for Ole.   Seconds later, Teddy linked with
Becks (I think) and Giggs scored one of the best goals seen
this season.  So we were three up, and Fergie decided to
make a few changes and rest a few more players.  So Keane
went off, as did Giggs and Scholes.   Blomqvist, Greening
and (at last!) Ole came on. Unfortunately (as far as most
of the fans around me were concerned anyway) Teddy stayed
on, despite the fella in front of me suggesting that we
ought to play Ronnie up front instead, or even sub him with
Raymond!

The last 20 minutes were pretty much like the first.  They
never looked like scoring, we took our foot off the pedal,
the crowd went quiet again, except for odd moments of
chanting.  Half-way through the second half I had to look
up at L Stand to check that the Forest fans were still
there  and hadn't gone home.  Apart from a chant of "Sack
the board" towards the end and one chorus of "Beckham is a
wanker", they were absolutely silent.   A good job really,
because it would have been really embarrassing to have been
outsung by Nottingham Forest fans!!  I felt sorry for them
- it must be soul destroying to watch that crap week after
week.  Towards the end, we had another chorus of "The 12
days of Cantona" and a couple of golden oldies were heard
(including "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, the Scousers ran
away") and there was an enthusiastic chorus of "City,
Manchester City, nobody knows their name",  but the mood by
the end of the game was a feeling of relief mixed with fear
when discussions turned to the coming game at Chelsea on
Tuesday.  Of course, Peter livened up the last few minutes
by having one of his regular moments of madness and, I
believe, was not pleased at having some gentle micky taken
out of him by West Lower!

As to the players - popular man-of-the-match was probably
Ronnie  Johnsen but for me, it was Roy Keane.  Pity he
can't give our friend Teddy some lessons in commitment.
Also impressive were Giggs in the second half and Jonathan
Greening for the last 20 minutes or so - the lad didn't let
himself down and showed some good touches out on the
right.  We managed to last most of the second half without
getting another soaking, so we were in reasonable spirits
as we walked back to the car arguing about whether Teddy
Sheringham is shit or not!

Copyright © 1998 by Our Salford Lass. All rights reserved.  
Not to be reproduced without permission of the author


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Monday, December 28, 1998 

Subject: The Week Ahead: No hang-up for United
Chelsea and Manchester United meet tomorrow night for the second time in a
fortnight, when both their title credentials will come under serious scrutiny. 

Gianluca Vialli's Chelsea side have not lost in the League since their opening
day 2-1 defeat at Coventry and outplayed Alex Ferguson's team in the 1-1 draw
at Old Trafford on December 16. 

Chelsea's cosmopolitan stars have proved themselves genuine title contenders
rather than mere pretenders but will almost certainly be without influential
midfielder Gustavo Poyet. 

He suffered a knee injury after scoring his 11th goal this season in the 2-0 win
at Southampton and looks like facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. United
are unbeaten in their last five games at Stamford Bridge and Ferguson admitted
his side would be going for all-out victory against the leaders. 'Our record at
Chelsea has been brilliant,' he said. 'We have been excellent down there - just
like they have been up at Old Trafford.' 

Ferguson's concerns going into the game are injuries to Jaap Stam, Dwight
Yorke and Andy Cole. All three missed Saturday's 3-0 win over Nottingham
Forest and are unlikely to be fit. 

A draw against Sheffield Wednesday today will be good enough for Aston Villa
to leapfrog Chelsea at the top. At the other end, a win would enable Nottingham
Forest to swap places with Southampton at the bottom. 
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Manchester United 3-0 Nottingham Forest:
Subject: Bassett's lament 
Monday, December 28, 1998 

Dave Bassett, that celebrated football dream-maker of the past, laments the
passing of the great romantics. 

In an era when the big clubs chase big bucks rather than the rainbow, the
game's 'upstairs, downstairs' mentality was never more graphically illustrated
than in this one-sided affair. 

The odds on a Nottingham Forest win were on a par with sighting Halley's
Comet. Bassett, who once thrust little Wimbledon into the land of footballing
giants and lived to tell the tale, pronounced Dreamland closed, condemned by
avarice. 

As long as the rich grow richer and the strong become stronger, then the
cracks in our game will broaden and eventually much of the structure of the
great sporting phenomenon will disappear over the precipice. 

Judging by the vast empty spaces at Old Trafford long before the final whistle, it
can be safely assumed that even winning can become tiresome if there has
been little adventure along the way. 

It was like asking a gourmet to make do with a few food pills - the hunger was
assuaged but not exactly with great satisfaction or delight. 

Bassett, one of our most experienced managers, wasn't at all surprised. He
said: 'It didn't need a genius to work out before a ball was kicked that Forest,
Southampton and Charlton would be around the bottom of the table. 'There are
not a lot of surprises around these days. We have an entirely different budget to
the top clubs. I would love to have Manchester United fringe players like
Henning Berg and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in my team. In fact, they would walk
straight into our side but now the big clubs are making sure they have 20 good
players as part of a big squad. 

'Years ago, even Manchester United might have had to sell one of those players
for a few million pounds to balance the books. Now, with all the money involved
in the Champions League, they don't have to do that. It's all going to get worse
for the rest of us. 

'You have to accept all this as a fact. I can't shout or holler, you just have to get
on with the job and compete to some extent.' 

But he hopes that the game does heed the warning that elitism can severely
harm football's health. He said: 'In football, you have to have dreams. If you start
taking the dreams away the people will become disillusioned.' 

Forest never came close to ruffling United's command as they equalled their
own Premiership record of going 16 games without a win. Even without Dwight
Yorke, Andy Cole, Jaap Stam and Gary Neville, Alex Ferguson's team coasted.

Ronny Johnsen was left unmarked from a David Beck-ham corner to head past
Dave Beasant for the opening goal and the biggest surprise was how a soulless
Forest were able to survive any more negative numbers in their goal difference
column until Johnsen, with a crisply executed volley, and a delightful chip from
Ryan Giggs, following the best move of the game involving Teddy Sheringham
and Beckham, finished them off. 

Again Bassett applied the class philosophy to explain the contrast in the form
of Wales winger Giggs. He had run almost aimlessly into cul-de-sacs in the first
half, only to emerge after the break and blossom into United's most creative
performer. Bassett said: 'His excellent goal shows you just what good players
can achieve. 

'They might be having a nightmare but they don't let it affect them. They come
back because they have the mental toughness to do it. 

'But perhaps if we had Giggs in our side then he wouldn't have got the ball so
many times, enabling him to keep probing until he got things right. At United if
you are having an off day then you can be carried by other players until you get
going. 'With respect, just how many of our players would you put into the
Manchester United or the Arsenal teams?' 

Giggs is critical to United's fortunes. Players like big signings Stam and Yorke
and high-profile performers like Beckham and Cole have been put under the
microscope but take Giggs out of the side or watch him splutter, as he did early
on, then United seem to lack a cutting drive. When he is in full flight United take
some stopping. 

He, together with the ever-industrious Roy Keane, was taken off, certainly with
tomorrow night's trip to Chelsea in mind. 

At the back, the leaking of goals was halted - not that Forest applied any real
pressure, except for a lapse by Peter Schmeichel which was almost exposed
by Neil Shipperley. It was the first clean sheet posted by Ferguson's side in 12
games. 

Ferguson said: 'It looks very tight at the top. Consistency is the key factor now
we have arrived at the halfway point of the season.' 

Already looking forward to the Chelsea trip, he fired the first psychological
shots, stating: 'The clean sheet would have given our defence confidence. We
have an excellent record for scoring at Stamford Bridge.' 

For Forest boss Bassett, at least he could still have a smile at the end of a
depressing afternoon. He said: 'I should have known what was going to happen.
I organised a hire car to bring my two daughters to the game and it broke down.
They never got here. Maybe it's just as well. I reckon they only wanted to meet
some of the United play-ers anyway...' 

SubjectWho says romance is dead, Dave? 
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Subject: BECKS: I THOUGHT OF GOING ABROAD   By Sunday Mirror 

David Beckham was almost driven out of British football by his World Cup
woes. 

Manchester United's midfield ace, vilified over his sending-off against
Argentina, revealed his agony in Saturday's match programme before the 3-0
win over Forest. 

He wrote: "During and after the World Cup there was a lot of criticism and
all kinds of things were going on. 

"But as soon as I got back to Old Trafford I realised there were still
people who liked and loved me. 

"It had crossed my mind that going abroad might be one way of getting some
peace, but I soon realised that I didn't want to be anywhere but Old
Trafford. 

"Why leave when you are already at the best club in the country and in
Europe? 

"This is where I started and where I want to carry on." 

He added: "I know I made a mistake at the World Cup. 

"Some people seemed to think it a real crime, but I never saw it that way. 

"I have got to be honest and say that I never even felt guilty because
everyone makes mistakes in football and what I did was hardly outrageous. 

"Let's face it, I had never been sent off before and I haven't since. I'm
not a violent person, but there are times when you do react. 

"I have always been like that, even when I was playing in Sunday League
football." 

And the £10m-rated star won't try to change despite his experience. 

He said: "I am quiet off the pitch but I know I have a fiery streak. I
don't think I could change, even if I wanted to." 
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Subject: GIVE US A BREAK, PLEADS KIDD
             By Ian Rodgers, PA Sport

 Brian Kidd has been away from Alex Ferguson for only
 three weeks but the former Manchester United number two
 still shares his mentor's 'Bah humbug' opinion of the
 Premiership Christmas period.

 Kidd saw his side stretch their unbeaten run to four games
 under his control with the 2-1 Boxing Day win over Aston
 Villa.

 But ahead of tomorrow's clash at Leicester Kidd feels his
 players have not have had enough time to prepare and has
 urged the Premier League to re-think their strategy for the
 festive period.

 "It's not humane. They are playing again in 48 hours. That's
 the Premiership though, isn't it?" Kidd said.

 "How can you prepare a team? They laugh at us abroad.

 "Our lads have gone out there and worked their socks off
 and now they are expected to do it again on Monday at
 Leicester.

 "It is not just for me, it is the same for everybody in the
 Premiership and it's crazy.

 "That is how you get injuries - through fatigue. It would not
 happen abroad and the daft part is the successful teams
 struggle.

 "You want English football to do well in Europe but you
 don't seem to get any help.

 "The top clubs are playing in Europe and we should all be
 behind them and help one another.

 "It just doesn't seem to happen. As I said, they laugh at us
 abroad because they are all having a rest on the continent
 now.

 "We are working our backsides off with two games in 48
 hours and this is something you have to put up with."

 Kidd admits that he will be struggling to put together a
 full-strength side and is likely to be without striker Chris
 Sutton, who sustained a knee injury in the 2-1 win over
 Aston Villa and defender Stephane Henchoz, who limped
 off after 45 minutes with an Achilles injury.

 And the Rovers boss is still waiting on news of virus victims
 Nathan Blake and Darren Peacock ahead of the trip to
 Filbert Street.

 "With Sutty, it needs 24 to 48 hours to settle down before
 we can assess it," Kidd said.

 "Stephane said he felt his Achilles with seconds left of the
 first-half, which disrupted us but young Marlon Broomes
 came on and did well playing against Dion Dublin and Julian
 Joachim.

 "I got a phone call this morning from Nathan and there has
 been a bit of a bug around this week - I was struggling
 myself last week and we gave the lads the day off on
 Monday because there has been a lot of it going about.
 There are one or two under the weather.

 "How do you prepare a team? You just can't. You can do
 very little in training with the lads who have not played so it's
 a wing and a prayer. It's a lottery.

 "I don't think anybody is a fan of two games in 48 hours. It
 is not logical. It's crazy.

 "I think there are loads of managers in the Premier and
 Football League who don't agree with it."

 © PA Sporting Life 
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Subject: Kelly's old job may be scrapped by FA 


Monday, December 28, 1998 

The Football Association may scrap the post of chief executive after Graham
Kelly's resignation and give more power to chairman Keith Wiseman's expected
successor.

Wiseman's reign is likely to come to an end when the FA Council meets on
January 4. FA finance chairman Sir David Hill-Wood believes appointing a new
executive chairman is the best way forward. 

Sir David said: 'I am coming more and more to the feeling that we don't need a
chief executive. 

'Graham was a nice man and I am sad for him in a way as I hate that kind of
thing happening to anybody. On the other hand, he didn't fit the job. 'Do we
need a replacement? Probably not, depending on which chairman is elected. 

'The reason that Kelly has gone and Wiseman is likely to be going is not just
the £3.2million they granted the Welsh FA but the appalling reputation we have
had in the corridors of power for years,' he added. 

Sir David, a director of merchant bankers Guinness Mahon, added: 'No decision
will be made until a new chairman is in place but if we do have an executive
chairman, we won't need a chief executive as well.' 
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          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