www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Wed 01 Dec 1999 09:08 GMT
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

This Issue:
1. WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP UNITED'S CROWNING GLORY:
2. MANCHESTER UNITED A World Cracker!
3. Toyota Cup - United crowned king of clubs Telegraph
4. Independent - Bosnich excels as United win world club title
5. United on top of the world - Guardian
6. Times: United have the world at their feet
7. report - KEANE'S GOAL IS JUST ENOUGH
8. Reuters: Fergie delighted as United crowned world champions
9. Beckham going nowhere insist United ««
10. United crowned champions of the world -
11. MEN x 2 Toyota + Andy Legal Row with Pete Davenport
12. Priceless Keane
13. Gate receipts account for 34% of United's revenue, merchandising 27%
14. CRUNCH TIME' IN KEANE CONTRACT TALKS

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MANCHESTER UNITED DAILY NEWS  Wed 1st Dec 1999:

Barry Comment:
We are now the Quadruple Owners! What is the word if we win in Brazil in Jan 2000?
Congrats to Sir Alex on his 23rd Trophy yesterday. Yesterday Bosnich came of age.
read all the media reports in today's bulletin!

*** Competition time! To enter first download 1 meg here
    http://www.red11.org/mickz/mufc_snow.exe
Lets see how far us REDS can get, I already made it to Level 2 
Proof here: http://www.red11.org/mickz/level2.jpg
The best 3 efforts will win a copy of the NEW book 
"European Glory" by RED NEWS edited by Barney Chilton
Eyewitness Accounts of United's 1968 & 1999 European Triumphs
A book celebrating the amazing events in the Nou Camp on May 26th - retails at £7,95
Enties to the competition must include an attched screen pic as proof of
your efforts  mail to barrylee@post3.tele.dk GOOD LUCK  Comp closes 24th Dec 1999

* If you have an article for this MUFC Daily News bulletin
   please mail it to  Thanks!

----------------------

http://www.red11.org/champ


If I Die In The Stretford End - scoreboardpaddock@manutd.com
 Alex Hulme/Manchester/England 
Made by a Manc for Mancs "If I Die In The Stretford End" is for Match Going REDS. 
URL:  
Taken from The Worldwide Manchester United Fans Webring - 400+ RED sites!
 http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=manufan;list

* UK TV info:  BBC TO COVER UNITED'S BRAZIL MISSION
The BBC will broadcast live coverage of Manchester United's World Team
Championship challenge in Brazil.

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Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT

WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP UNITED'S CROWNING GLORY:
23 DOWN..ONE MORE TO GO - Mirror

Man United 1 Palmeiras 0
Sir Alex rules the world - all that remains now is
to lift that little bauble in Brazil

BETS OFF. All the arguments resolved. Bring out the paperback because Alex
Ferguson is beyond dispute the greatest club manager of all time.
Finally British football has its first Inter-Continental Cup champions and
Sir Alex has surpassed all the greats, including Matt Busby or any of the
Liverpool managers who delivered the European Cup to English football.
The British teams in the first three Toyota Cup showdowns could not even
score a goal between them. But on the competition's 20th anniversary
Manchester United ended that jinx.

It's easy to believe that if United decided to release their own version
of the old Queen hit 'We Are The Champions,' David Beckham would pip his
wife Posh Spice to Christmas No.1.

After his knighthood for landing a unique Treble, there is no higher
honour to be bestowed upon Sir Alex.

And after the 23rd trophy of his amazing career he can finally complete
the Old Trafford set with the inaugural World Club Championship in Brazil
in January.

Fergie bamboozled Palmeiras by adopting a new system, and his faith in
Mark Bosnich was repaid with a display which proved the Aussie keeper has
the potential to succeed Peter Schmeichel.

But foremost in Fergie's thoughts was his pleasure at a team performance
which created another slice of history for the men in red.
He said: "I am very proud that we are the first English team to win this
trophy. It is something very special and I was proud of my players today."
And as for Bosnich and his match-winning heroics, Fergie said: "For the
last few games he's been doing very well but sometimes you have to produce
a performance that makes everyone sit up.

"He distinguished himself as a goalkeeper and showed the abilities we
always thought he had."
Ferguson then explained the thinking behind his tactical shake-up.
"Palmeiras played with four tight midfielders, two in front of the
defenders and two going forward. If we'd played our normal way we would
have been exposed through the midfield.

"I decided to play three central midfield players to make it more
difficult for them to open us up. I had to show we were strong in midfield
and by doing that I sacrificed our normal style.
"But I always thought we would create chances from midfield. As the game
wore on we made better chances."

Before the game Fergie had challenged his team to show their true
potential after an uncertain start to the season. He was also desperate to
prove to a doubting public that his team of superstars were taking the
contest seriously.

Ferguson said: "The fact that we were up against good opponents who have
exceptional players emphasises the importance of our win and the
credibility of it.
"When you plan things they don't always work. But when we scored I thought
it would be difficult for them to beat us."

The platform for this triumph was built on the excellent work of Bosnich,
who made a string of outstanding reflex saves.
Early in the first half he anticipated a clever little chip from Alex
after the brilliant young Brazilian was put through by Faustino Asprilla.
It could so easily have been 1-0 to Palmeiras. Instead, shortly
afterwards, Dennis Irwin put Ryan Giggs in possession down the left. The
winger accelerated past Junior Baiano and his cross eluded keeper Marcos
for Roy Keane to score at the far post.

Giggs landed a gleaming red Toyota as man of the match but he sportingly
gave the credit for United's success to Bosnich.
He said: "He was outstanding. Some of the saves he made were tremendous.
They were more or less goals until his reflex saves kept us in it.
"Now I hope he can go on and have a great season. We know he is a great
keeper and he proved that. All the boys have great faith in him."

Much was made of United's global travels in pursuit of world titles and
Giggs conceded that the English champions were substantially less prepared
than their Brazilian counterparts who arrived in Tokyo days ahead of them.
Giggs said: "It did take us a few days to adjust. Some of the lads were
waking up in the middle of the night. We were jet-lagged, wide awake at
five in the morning.

"It's only in the last couple of days that we've caught up on our sleep."
Giggs went on: "We've been immersed in European football over the last six
or seven years and the next step is to face this type of South American
opposition. Palmeiras were skilful and full of flair. It was a great
experience."

Having already lost the Charity Shield, the European Super-Cup, and been
thrashed 5-0 by Chelsea before losing to Fiorentina, United were tipped by
doubters to finish the season empty-handed.

And Giggs admitted: "It was at the back of our minds that we wouldn't win
a trophy. But this has now set us up to win more."
With only two and a half years left before Ferguson retires, the manager
with the insatiable appetite for silverware is sure to amass a final haul
that will never be beaten.
Click On pic - for all latest pics from OT


MANCHESTER UNITED A World Cracker!

Check this out in honour of "UNITED"

united_world_crackers.jpg122k Nov 30 08:43

Regards from Nick Oldham and The entire www.red11.org Webteam!
This week only -click on image at http://www.red11.org/non-flash.html
Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT


Toyota Cup - United crowned king of clubs Telegraph
By Henry Winter

Manchester Utd (1) 1 Palmeiras (0) 0
ON BECOMING champions of the world yesterday, Manchester United's
footballers discovered that the organisers of the Toyota Cup had failed to
strike medals in honour of their achievement, the first by a British club.

Yet although the match-winner, Roy Keane, calmly commented that memories
of such history-making moments were stronger than any medals, his
employers insisted they would rectify the omission. The metal required
could be found easily enough by melting down the mammoth car key presented
to Ryan Giggs as the sponsors' man of the match.
The cars usually favoured by Giggs are Aston Martins or the type of BMWs
that James Bond receives from a nervous 'Q'. So Giggs promptly handed his
windfall wheels to his brother, Rhodri, perhaps concerned at the awkward
drive home. Created by Giggs, Keane's goal is worth millions for United
and yesterday was as much about money as medals or motors.

Take David Beckham - and every club in Europe would love to. Every time
United's coveted midfielder touched the ball, flash-bulbs almost eclipsed
floodlights for illumination. When the Japanese become obsessed with
someone, they throw every scream and yen at them.
Beckham is this year's role model here, his glamour and success triggering
startling shows of support, from the crowds who gathered at the gates to
greet him, to the frenzied purchasing of United No 7 strips, including the
cameo of a Japanese man pleading with an assistant to unpin the Beckham
display shirt after the stadium store sold out.
Devotion dripped from the Tokyo teenager who strutted to his seat in full
United regalia, topped with hair peroxided in homage to his idol and
tailed with Beckham's brand of studded boots. This marginally shaded the
smartly dressed woman who lugged a life-sized Beckham cut-out towards the
subway.
And no one batted an eyelid. But then with a programme going for 10 and
octopus and chips for a fiver, money was clearly no object in the land of
the rising sums.
It would be a desperate shame if, in the wake of January's World Club
Championship, the Toyota Cup between the kings of Europe and Latin America
failed to make its 21st birthday. The National Stadium threw a fabulous
party with a fireworks and laser display that made Star Wars look like a
dull afternoon in the chemistry lab.

The game itself, impeccably officiated by Helmut Krug, always open and
pacy with plenty of chances, almost equalled the pre-match pyrotechnics.
Sir Alex Ferguson got his tactics right, playing five in midfield to swamp
an area where Palmeiras were strong, but despite having scored, United
looked far stronger when Dwight Yorke replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the
sole front runner.

It was a night to show resilience and intelligence in equal measure.
United's spine won them the right to be called champions of the world.
Mark Bosnich was terrific, making exceptional saves from Oseas and Alex
which earned him grateful handshakes from colleagues. This was the match
when Bosnich was accepted into a dressing-room of proven winners.
Jaap Stam is already a gold-card-carrying member of the champions' cadre,
his mobility and positional sense underlined in interceptions to thwart
Cesar Sampaio and Junior. "It's very difficult for forwards to play
against Stam," Faustino Asprilla said. "Palmeiras were superior to
Manchester United but we couldn't get to the goal."

One midfielder in particular played the buffer supreme. Keane exuded
control, dispossessing Brazilians and clipping passes to friendly feet,
one of which, to Denis Irwin, drew gasps of admiration.

Keane epitomises the concept of good football made simple. He does not
waste possession; his Fiorentina aberration ranks as a collectors' item
that would rake in good money at Christie's auction house. Beckham may
well pip Rivaldo to European Footballer of the Year but Keane,
scandalously overlooked as last season's domestic Footballer of the Year,
remains the most important player in the Premiership.
Ferguson's chosen formation of 4-5-1 allowed Keane to break forward -
"with Butty and Scholesy in there with me, it obviously helped a lot,"
said Keane - but how well United's captain took his chance, providing the
moment when red-shirted fans could sing legitimately about being champions
of the world.

Instructed by Ferguson and Steve McClaren, United's players had worked on
the scenario that evolved in the 35th minute to such history-making
effect, as Giggs explained. "Me and Becks had been practising to receive
balls played over the top of their full-backs," he said.
Irwin clipped the ball over Arce, Giggs outpaced Junior Baiano - a
defender so mountainous one can only wonder at the size of Senior Baiano -
and crossed long from the left. Palmeiras goalkeeper, Marcos, erred badly,
failing to gather a ball that swept on to Keane, who scored with a
sidefoot shot. "I nearly didn't connect," he said. "It would have been a
long, old journey back if we hadn't won." The medals await them.

Team Details
Manchester Utd: Bosnich; G Neville, Stam, Silvestre, Irwin; Beckham, Butt,
Keane, Scholes (Sheringham 74), Giggs; Solskjaer (Yorke 45). Booked:
Silvestre. Goal: Keane
Palmeiras: Marcos; Junior Baiano, Roque Junior; Arce, Cesar Sampaio,
Galeano (Evair 53), Junior; Alex, Zinho; Asprilla (Oseas 56), Paulo Nunes
(Euller 76). Booked: Alex.
Referee: H Krug (Germany).
Click On pic - for latest pics from OT


Independent - Bosnich excels as United win world club title

Sir Alex Ferguson praises Australian goalkeeper as he repels Palmeiras
threat and Keane delivers the decisive blow
By Colin Joyce in Tokyo

Manchester United 1 Palmeiras 0
01 December 1999
Now it is official: Manchester United are champions of the world. In an
occasionally thrilling game in the National Stadium here, United defeated
Palmeiras of Brazil to become the first British team to win the Toyota
European South American Cup.
United were often under severe pressure and owe their success to some
excellent goalkeeping by Mark Bosnich which ensured that a single goal -
by Roy Keane in the 35th minute - was enough to earn victory.
On a cold Tokyo evening, United proved once again their ability to win the
big games. "We're very pleased to win the World Championship and we're
very proud to be the first English team to do so. It's something special,"
said, Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager.
Ferguson was full of praise for Bosnich's display but added that it was no
more than he expected. "This shows the ability we always knew he had,"
said the United manager. "But I think this may solidify his reputation as
a keeper. Sometimes you need one noteworthy performance."
Fielding an unusual five-man midfield, United started slowly and the first
half saw Palmeiras gradually gain the upper hand. Faustino Asprilla's
running and some incisive Palmeiras passing often troubled the United
defence.
The first real chance fell to Palmeiras' young hopeful Alex in the 20th
minute. A well-worked move put him through on Bosnich but the Australian
goalkeeper made his first of a series of critical saves.
Palmeiras's domination was rudely broken by United's goal. Denis Irwin,
counter-attacking quickly, pumped the ball along the line for Ryan Giggs,
who outpaced the Palmeiras centre- half, Junior Baiano, before crossing.
The ball sailed beyond the reach of the goalkeeper Marcos and Keane, at
the back post, scored from six yards.
United sought to build on the lead, but it was Palmeiras who continued to
threaten most danger, with Mickael Silvestre clearing Alex's header off
the United goalline.
United replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Dwight Yorke for the second half
as the game became a much more open contest. Giggs had a chance to stretch
United's lead in the 58th minute but shot wide of an open goal.
The balance of play began to flow away from Palmeiras, but they continued
to create scoring opportunities after their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari,
reinvigorated his attack by bringing on Evair and Oseas in place of
Galeano and Asprilla. Both created problems for United, Evair working well
with Junior on the left and Oseas going close in the 74th minute, only
Bosnich's reflexes saving United. Minutes later Bosnich again denied
Palmeiras an equaliser, tipping a shot by Alex from the edge of the
penalty area over the crossbar.
"My players' technique and set-plays were good," said the Palmeiras coach,
Scolari, who was also a loser with Gremio four years ago against Ajax.
"They brought the ball to the goal but didn't put it in. It was Bosnich's
day, not our strikers'. He made some great saves."
Sir Alex admitted that Palmeiras outplayed United in the first half while
Scolari admired United's consistency. "It was a very good and open game,"
said the United manager. "Palmeiras played very well. At times we rode our
luck."
Giggs, who was awarded man of the match by the Japanese journalists for
his teasing runs and won a new Toyota car, was keen to share the credit,
citing United's strong "spine". Of the cross that beat the Palmeiras
goalkeeper, Marcos, to set up Keane's goal, he said: "We noticed the balls
were really flying in training and that's something we tried to work on.
Maybe that had something to do with beating the keeper."
As an event, the game may serve as a foretaste of the 2002 World Cup. The
Japanese organisers excited the capacity crowd with a laser and fireworks
show and pumped out music by Beethoven and Queen to set the mood.
Travelling and resident Brazilian fans were in stronger voice than the
Japanese pro-Manchester majority for much of the game.
However, one possible worry was crowd control. The youthful-looking
security staff seemed at a loss when a shouting match between a small
number of Brazilian and British fans threatened to escalate. The trouble
was limited, but the staff were slow to deal with the threat.
For all the questions about whether the Toyota Cup is the real world
championship or whether it will be replaced by the forthcoming Club World
Championship, no team that has won it expresses any doubt about its worth.
And Manchester United are not exceptions.
Manchester United: Bosnich, Irwin, Stam, G Neville, Silvestre, Keane,
Scholes (Sheringham, 75), Butt, Beckham, Solskjaer (Yorke, h-t), Giggs.
Substitutes not used: Taibi (gk), P Neville, Wallwork, Higginbottom,
Fortune.
Palmeiras: Marcos, Junior Baiano, Arce, J Junior, Roque Junior, Zinho,
Sampaio, Galeano (Evair, 54), Alex, Asprilla (Oseas, 56), Paulo Nunes
(Euller, 77). Substitutes not used: Sergio, Conceicao, Regis, T dos
Santos.
Referee: H Krug (Germany).
Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT


United on top of the world - Guardian

Victory over South America's finest whets Ferguson's thirst for silver

Jonathan Watts in Tokyo
Wednesday December 1, 1999

Manchester United laid claim to being the best club in the world yesterday
by achieving the first British victory in the Intercontinental Cup.
For Sir Alex Ferguson it was another silver landmark on his way to
outstripping the achievements of Sir Matt Busby at the club, but the
United manager was typically already looking ahead to the next challenge.
"The world championship is very special, and I'm very proud of what my
players have done," he said after the victory over Palmeiras of Brazil.
"But you've got to win the European Cup firstly to get here and, no matter
how you place this, the European Cup is always going to be the golden
goose for us.

"It got us here tonight by winning it, and we've come here and won again
which makes us very proud."
The Palmeiras coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who also lost with Gremio against
Ajax in 1995, was gracious in defeat. "We learnt once again that
Manchester United are a great and a tough team who can fight," he said.
Despite predictions that Scolari would order his players to kick United
aside, the game had none of the violence that has marred previous British
attempts on the cup.

In a game well handled by the German referee Helmut Krug, it was certainly
no repeat of Manchester United's only other appearance back in 1968 when
Nobby Stiles and George Best were sent off in a famously bad-tempered
two-leg tie with Estudiantes.

For the first 30 minutes the Brazilian side looked the more dangerous, and
United's goal came against the run of play. In the 35th minute Denis Irwin
found Ryan Giggs in rare space on the left. The Welsh winger looped over a
cross which the goalkeeper Marcos seemed certain to take, only to find
himself grasping at thin air as Roy Keane sprinted in behind him to tap
the ball into an unguarded net.

According to Giggs, who takes a Toyota Celica home with him for being
voted man of the match, the magic was not in the cross but in the ball.
"We've noticed during training that the balls here have been flying. They
are very different from back home, the flight is deceptive and this one
seems to have fooled the goalkeeper."

The goal vindicated the strategy of Ferguson, who packed the midfield and
left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a lone striker in a formation designed for
counter-attack. It meant that United were well short of a vintage
performance, but it was effective and entertaining.

The goal brought the game to life. Palmeiras stepped up their attack with
Alex coming close and Faustino Asprilla, once of Newcastle United, a
constant thorn in United's side. Dwight Yorke, who came on in place of
Solskjaer after the interval, injected fresh vitality into United's front
line and should have put away at least one of three good chances he had
within 15 minutes of taking the field.

Fortunately for United their goalkeeper Mark Bosnich had his best game for
the club. He pulled off a couple of magnificent saves and rode his luck in
the 69th minute when he was beaten by a free header from Alex which flew
over the bar.
"Tonight he distinguished himself as a goalkeeper and showed us the
ability he really has," Ferguson said. "I think it may solidify his
reputation."
The same could not be said for David Beckham, the main attraction for most
of the 53,000 crowd. The England midfielder had an anonymous game, though
his every move was photographed by adoring fans who are used to his face
from countless magazine covers and billboards. Whenever he stepped up to
take free-kicks and corners it was as though lightning had struck the
stands as thousands of camera flashes went off in unison.

Those fans were a silent majority, the only chanting coming from Palmeiras
supporters from the large Brazilian community in Japan. Back home the
reaction was not so civilised, as supporters in Sao Paulo threw rocks at
passing buses and cars and smashed shop windows in frustration.

Manchester United (4-5-1): Bosnich; G Neville, Stam, Silvestre, Irwin;
Beckham, Scholes (Sheringham, 74min), Keane, Butt, Giggs; Solskjaer
(Yorke, h-t).

Palmeiras (3-1-3-1-2): Marcos; Junior Baiano, J Junior, R Junior; Sampaio;
Arce, Zinho, Galeano (Paulino, 54); Alex; Asprilla (Dos Santos, 56), Nunes
(Carvalho, 77).
Referee: H Krug (Germany).
Click On pic - for all player stats from OT


Times: United have the world at their feet
FROM OLIVER HOLT, FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT, IN TOKYO

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 PALMEIRAS 0
FROM the scene of their triumph in the northwest of the city all the way
down to the shores of Tokyo Bay, the red warning lights that adorn the top
of every skyscraper in the Japanese capital seemed to be blinking out
their pretty patterns in the night sky in congratulation. Manchester
United have painted towns red before, but their victory in the
Intercontinental Cup last night means that they can claim quite
justifiably that the entire football world is in their thrall.

This win in the Far East might not have carried quite the significance or
been greeted with the outpouring of emotion as the victory over Bayern
Munich in the European Cup final six months ago, but if that unforgettable
night in May was the culmination of years of struggle, the end of an epic
quest, this was the bonus that made Barcelona and its astonishing climax
seem even more special.

The goal scored by Roy Keane, their captain, ten minutes before half-time
after a bad error by Marcos, the Palmeiras goalkeeper, meant that United
became the first British winners of the trophy. They succeeded where
Celtic, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa had failed and gained
a measure of revenge for their own defeat against Estudiantes 31 years
ago. They will get another chance to prove that they are the best team on
the planet next month when they travel to Rio de Janeiro for the inaugural
World Club Championship.

The victory, which was not without its alarms and would not have been
preserved but for a superb display from the much-maligned Mark Bosnich, is
also likely to be decisive in swinging the vote for the European
Footballer of the Year towards David Beckham. Honour after honour, prize
after prize, prestige dolloped upon prestige, money begetting money.
United have long considered themselves the biggest club in the world and
now they are matching their conceit with the scale of their achievements.
Maintaining their present domination is another matter and if there was
one bitter-sweet element to what otherwise was an occasion for
unrestrained celebration, it was that no sooner had Keane emphasised yet
again his importance to the club with his decisive strike, than he made it
plain that his ties to United are on the verge of being severed.

It appears that a club just confirmed as the richest in the world, a club
whose match here was watched by thousands of awestruck Japanese spectators
wearing replica United shirts and clutching all manner of United
memorabilia, is not willing to match the financial offers that their most
valuable player has received from Italian suitors. The situation almost
beggars belief. For all the bluster of Martin Edwards, the club chairman,
it is within his power to keep Keane. The solution is simple: abandon the
wage structure.

The argument of Edwards and his like is that this would cause a domino
effect, that David Beckham and Ryan Giggs will look for a rise, too, if
Keane gets his. Edwards should give it to them. United can afford a higher
wage ceiling, without doubt. If they do not bend now, this team that is
carrying all before it will have broken up by the time Ferguson clears his
desk at the end of the season after next.

Keane's contract runs out at the end of this season and, after months of
negotiations between his lawyer, Michael Kennedy, and the United board,
time is tight. Ferguson said last night that he would meet Keane next week
in what is being seen as a last-ditch attempt to persuade him to reject
overtures from clubs that include Juventus.

The United captain, though, is in agonies of indecision. "Everybody knows
I love the club," Keane said, "but there are other things involved. I have
been tossing and turning about it. In the last few months and days, there
has been a lot of pressure on me, particularly with me being the captain
and having a free transfer coming up. One day, I think one thing and the
next day something else. I change my mind every day.

"Maybe it has affected my performances a bit if I am being honest. If I
had to leave . . . it's the hardest decision of my life so far regarding
football. To walk away from Manchester United will be a wrench. I have not
made my mind up yet. In the next two or three weeks, I will have to.
"Crunch time is coming and it would help me to make up my mind one way or
the other so I can concentrate on the future. The club has been criticised
over the years for being a little bit tight, maybe. I have always said I
understand the club's point of view and hopefully they will understand
mine."

Keane, outstanding at the heart of a five-man United midfield, scored just
when it seemed that Palmeiras had got the upper hand.
Giggs, at his best with his direct runs and sharp crosses, embarrassed
Junior Baiano with his pace on the left and when Marcos misjudged his deep
cross, Keane volleyed it in at the back post.

Bosnich had already denied Alex with a fine one-handed save when the
quicksilver midfield player had been played in by Faustino Asprilla midway
through the half. Three minutes before half-time, Mickael Silvestre
prevented a Palmeiras equaliser when he hooked Alex's header out from
under the crossbar.

Giggs seemed certain to put the game out of reach after an hour but
somehow contrived to pull his shot wide. His profligacy, thankfully, was
matched by Alex, Brazil's rising star and a constant danger. He should
have put Palmeiras level after 70 minutes but headed Junior's cross wide
from ten yards out.

Bosnich made one more crucial point-blank save, from Oseas, fifteen
minutes from the end and when the final whistle went, the Palmeiras
players flung themselves to the turf in despair in similar manner to
Bayern's devastated players in May.

"This team can now go on to even better things in the next five or six
years," Giggs said. "People have talked about my contract but I am playing
for the greatest club in the world, so why would I leave?"
If United keep Keane, it is hard to argue with what Giggs says. When you
are on top of the world, though, there is a long way to fall.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-5-1): M Bosnich - G Neville, J Stam, M Silvestre, D
Irwin - D Beckham, P Scholes (sub: E Sheringham, 74min), R Keane, N Butt,
R Giggs - O G Solskjaer (sub: D Yorke, 46). Substitutes not used: M Taibi,
P Neville, R Wallwork, D Higginbotham, Q Fortune. Booked: Silvestre.

PALMEIRAS (4-3-1-2): Marcos - Arce, Junior Baiano, Junior, Roque Junior -
Cesar Sampaio, Galeano (sub: Evair, 54), Zinho - Alex - F Asprilla (sub:
Oseas, 56), P Nunes (sub: Euller, 77). Substitutes not used: Sergio,
Cleber, Rogerio, Tiago. Booked: Alex.

Referee: H Krug (Germany).
Click On pic - for the history of MUFC 1892-1976


365 report - KEANE'S GOAL IS JUST ENOUGH

Manchester United 1 Palmeiras 0

THE Japanese fans had come to see David Beckham, but
instead it was United's other wing king Ryan Giggs who
produced the moment of skill that won Manchester United the
Toyota Cup. On 35 minutes Giggs produced a piece of classic
wing play down the left when he sent over a deep cross, which
completely deceived Palmeiras goalkeeper Marcos, and Roy
Keane netted from close range.

Keane's strike made yet another piece of football history for
Sir Alex Ferguson's trailblazers, and they have become the
first British side to win the inter-continental challenge between
the champions of Europe and South America. With the huge
trophy comes the title of the best team in the world, and the
cynics could argue that United need not now bother going to
Brazil to compete in FIFA's World Club Championship.

United's victory in the close contest in Tokyo's National
Stadium will prove popular with the hordes of Japanese who
had turned out to support them, decked in their Beckham
shirts. The Japanese certainly know how to put on a show,
and the fans were treated to a laser and fireworks display
before the game.

After such a build-up the first half was something of a
disappointment. Ferguson did his bit and fielded a strong side
to do the match justice. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was deployed
as a lone striker, with Beckham and Giggs supporting him
down the flanks and Paul Scholes from midfield.

United fashioned the first chance inside the opening two
minutes when Nicky Butt, who shrugged off his wrist injury to
play, was fouled 25 yards out on the right and Beckham curled
the free-kick just over. Palmeiras' main attacking thrusts
were coming from former Newcastle striker Faustino Asprilla
who has lost none of the skills which used to delight the Toon
Army.

From one chance he beat Mickael Silvestre in the area only for
the dependable Jaap Stam to block his shot. The Palmeiras
fans thought their side should have had a penalty when Alex
went down under a challenge from Silvestre just inside the
area, but referee Hellmut Krug waved play on. Mark Bosnich,
who was arguably United's man of the match, came to his
side's aid when first he made a fine stop from Alex, after the
Palmeiras striker had been played in by Asprilla, before he
saved a header from Junior.

United brought some life to the dull proceedings when they
opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Giggs and Keane
combined to score. Butt went close to a second three minutes
later with a 30-yard drive which was just wide of Marcos'
left-hand post.

Silvestre preserved United's lead when he cleared Alex's
header from his own goalline with his boot. Solsjkaer had
struggled up front, and it came as little surprise when he was
replaced by Dwight Yorke at the interval.

The second half was much more open, and Yorke and Asprilla
went close in the opening couple of minutes. The game was
finally living up to its billing as the world championship, and
Sampaio made a great challenge on Scholes before the
England midfielder flicked a backheeled effort over the bar and
Butt went close with a curled effort.

Arce then gifted United possession, and Yorke fed Giggs only
for the Welshman to shoot wide from the great opportunity.
The chances were coming thick and fast, and Bosnich
smothered an effort from substitute Oseas before United
screamed in vain for a penalty for a challenge on Yorke.

Alex remained a threat and he fired wide following a strong
run before he headed just inches wide. Palmeiras were getting
closer, and Bosnich made a fantastic point-blank save from
Oseas before he denied substitute Euller.

Bosnich continued to thwart the Brazilians and made another
fingertip save from that man Alex again.
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Reuters: Fergie delighted as United crowned world champions
By Mike Collett

TOKYO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Manchester United became the first
British club to win the World Club Cup when they beat Palmeiras
of Brazil 1-0 in a thriller at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
A 35th minute goal from United skipper Roy Keane - and a
superb performance from goalkeeper Mark Bosnich - were enough to
bring the world's richest club their fourth major trophy of the
year after winning the European Cup, the English league
championship and the F.A. Cup last season.

The midfielder's decisive strike came during a period when
Palmeiras were in almost total control.
Ryan Giggs outpaced central defender Junior Baiano wide on
the left in a swift counter-attack. Goalkeeper Marcos flapped at
Giggs' cross to leave Keane to sweep the ball into an empty net
from three metres.

Palmeiras, bidding to become the first South American side
to win the trophy since 1994, went close to scoring half a dozen
times in the second half with Alex spurning the best chance when
he headed wide with only goalkeeper Mark Bosnich to beat.
Substitute Oseas was denied by a brilliant point-blank save
by Bosnich minutes later and 11 minutes from time Bosnich
brilliantly turned over another drive from midfielder Alex.
United manager Alex Ferguson said Palmeiras were the better
team in the first half, but his team came back strongly after
the break and deserved their victory. It is the fifth successive
year that the European champions have won the final.

"Because of the way Palmeiras played we had to take certain
risks and they paid off. We treated this match very seriously
and badly wanted to win it because no English team had won it
before and it has made us world champions.
"Manchester United can be very proud ot that."
Palmeiras coach Luis Felipe Scolari said he was proud of his
team but they had failed to take their chances.

"Manchester United proved tonight what a great team they
are. We made enough chances to score, but United played very
well and their goalkeeper pulled off three brilliant saves."
The match started slowly and United took control of the
midfield with five men stretched across the middle, and Ryan
Giggs and David Beckham finding room on the wings.
But as the first half wore on Palmeiras began to take
control of the game with Alex, Zinho and Faustino Asprilla
finding gaps in the United defence.

Giggs, who won a Toyota car after being named man of the
match, had a superb opportunity to put the issue beyond doubt
after 59 minutes following a mix-up in the Palmeiras defence.
But after being set up by substitute striker Dwight Yorke,
who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at halftime, he fired narrowly
wide with the goal at his mercy.

United defender Mikael Silvestre cleared a header off the
line and it needed a string of fine saves by Bosnich to keep the
often shakey United defence afloat.

United's victory means European teams have now won the
trophy 18 times compared to the 20 victories boasted by South
American teams. Since the match moved to Tokyo in 1980, each
continent has won it 10 times.
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Beckham going nowhere insist United ««
 
soccernet
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that £20m-rated
midfielder David Beckham will not be leaving Old Trafford.

But Ferguson's resolve is set to be tested to the limit with talk growing
that Arsenal are weighing up a massive bid for the England midfielder.

The treble-winning boss was facing the media ahead of United's showdown
with Palmeiras for the Inter-Continental Cup in Tokyo, but looked
surprisingly agitated when asked what the future holds in store for a
number of his top players.

"Manchester United never find it difficult to keep their players. Very few
want to leave us," insisted Ferguson.

Beckham, who has just the two years to run on his Old Trafford contract,
will need to commit himself to a new deal soon before United begin to
worry. Arsenal have reportedly discussed making a £20m move for the player
at the end of the season, alerted by media claims that the player wants a
move south.
Beckham himself declined to comment.
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United crowned champions of the world -
Manchester United 1-0 Palmeiras
Keane 35

A 35th minute strike from skipper Roy Keane was enough to hand Manchester
United Inter-Continental Cup glory against Palmeiras.

United became the first British club in the history of the tournament to
taste glory in the competition as Sir Alex Ferguson's men added yet another
piece of silverware to their already packed trophy cabinet.
Keane's strike came at the end of a glorious run and cross from Ryan Giggs,
who supplied a superb deep ball over the Palmeiras stopper to find his
captain unmarked to prod home at the far post.
But United's slender victory owed as much to Mark Bosnich's brilliance in
goal as he underlined why Ferguson, at last, rates him as the Old Trafford
number one.

Bosnich was at his brilliant best to deny the Palmeiras strikers with three
world class saves as the crack Brazilian outfit displayed all their
attacking prowess.

Bosnich was forced into a great save mid-way through the first period when
Newcastle old-boy Tino Asprilla played a sublime ball through to Brazilian
international Alex but he saw his effort turned away by Bosnich who had
stood his ground when faced with the striker in a one or one situation.
United attacked only sporadically, with David Beckham going close with a
looping free kick after five minutes and Paul Scholes seeing his long
distance effort charged down on its way through to goal.
However, as Palmeiras pushed forward, United took the lead on 35 minutes
after a tremendous piece of Giggs magic found Keane unmarked at the far
post to steer the ball into an empty net.

United's lead was almost doubled a few moments later when Nicky Butt picked
up a loose ball on the edge of the area and whipped a shot goalwards which
flew a few feet wide with the 'keeper beaten.
Despite their frailties at the back, Palmeiras remained a strong attacking
force and almost pulled level shortly before the interval when a Junior
Baiano cross found Zinho, whose header was hacked off the line by Mickael
Silvestre. 

United continued to press the Brazilians after the interval and a smart
move orchestrated by Keane resulted in Butt firing the ball over the bar
from outside the box.
Alex fired the ball into the net for Palmeiras on 53 minutes after latching
on to smart through-ball, but the nippy striker saw his strike ruled out
for offside.
Some fine work by subsitute Dwight Yorke then teed-up Giggs, but the
Welshman missed the target with just the 'keeper to beat from just 12 yards
out.
Yorke continued to show his attacking prowess when he saw his shot from a
narrow angle beat out by the Brazilian keeper on the hour mark and then
seeing his penalty appeal rejected just 30 seconds later after coming down
under a challenge in the box.

Alex came close to grabbing an equaliser 20 minutes from time when he
latched onto a Junior cross but his powerful header flashed narrowly beyond
Bosnich's right hand post.
Bosnich was forced into a great point blank save when he parried the ball
from a Palmeiras striker inside the six yard box, before more Giggs magic
almost produced an own goal from Junior who deflected the ball over his bar.

Bosnich was then forced into action again when he tipped Alex's effort over
the bar from the edge of the box following a dangerous Palmeiras corner.
Palmeiras continued to bombard the United goal but were unable to make the
breakthrough as Sir Alex Ferguson's side became the first English club to
win the Inter-Continental club championship. More importantly than that,
the trophy sees them officially crowned as the champions of the world.

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MEN x 2 Toyota + Andy Legal Row with Pete Davenport

United lift the Toyota Cup in Japan  
MANCHESTER United were crowned the Champions of the World today when they
beat Brazilians Palmeiras in Tokyo.

United captain Roy Keane's first half goal steered the European Cup winners
to the global title as United's history-makers became the first ever
British club to lift the Intercontinental Cup.

Sir Alex Ferguson's treble-winners added the world trophy to their 1999
stash of silverware in Japan to keep up Europe's dominance of the annual
clash which has been won by Ajax, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Real
Madrid since '94.

Keane's 35th minute goal was the first scored by a player from an English
club since United's Willie Morgan scored at Old Trafford in their infamous
two-legged bloodbath against Estudiantes of Argentina in 1968.

But Fergie's heroes added yet another entry into the record books 6,000
miles away from home. The United boss pulled off a shock in Japan by naming
only one recognised striker in his starting XI.

---------------

ANDY Cole is at the centre of TWO legal rows, it can be revealed today.

Bust-up number one is with former Red Peter Davenport, over a jibe the
United top-scorer claims the Macclesfield asistant boss made in 1983.

Davenport, a Nottingham Forest player at the time of the alleged incident,
says he may sue after asserting that he did not make the remark published
in Cole's controversial biography.

Row number two is over who is the real 'King Cole' - the United man or West
Ham's starlet Joe Cole.

Andy's agent Paul Stretford is adamant that Andy is 'King', but Joe's legal
representatives will try to convince the registrar of trademarks that the
18 year old should be able to use the phrase commercially.

For full story see tonight's Manchester Evening News.
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Priceless Keane
By Martin Lipton 
Now it can no longer be a conundrum for you, Martin Edwards. This is the
time to act and prove you have a football brain, not just business sense. 

United's chief executive must pay whatever it costs, accept the
embarrassment and, if it is still possible, do everything in his power to
keep Roy Keane. The man is simply irreplaceable. 

It was not just the goal that Keane scored to lift Manchester United to the
summit of world football in Japan. After all, Old Trafford has become
accustomed to precious, priceless interventions from the Irishman. 

This one meant that little bit more, of course. It turned the tide of a
match which seemed to be drifting inevitably away from Sir Alex Ferguson's
grasp with one dramatic moment and delivered the fatal wound in Palmeiras'
exposed back. 

But his was a performance which graphically demonstrated the void that
would be left if Keane was allowed to walk out of Old Trafford next summer. 

He did not do too much that was fantastic or amazing, none of the thrilling
runs of Ryan Giggs, the sensational acrobatics of Mark Bosnich, the
balletic movement of Dwight Yorke or the persistence of Jaap Stam. 

Yet, it seemed that every time United needed a foot put in, a clearing
header made, a tackle won or a player closed down, Keane was the man. 

Time and again, the Brazilian side had the trigger cocked, ready to fire
the bullet. With the brilliant Alex scheming and plotting, the bewildering
runs of the Palmeiras strikeforce of Tino Asprilla and Paulo Nunes were
washing over the United rearguard. 

Mickael Silvestre seemed to be about as calm as a man with vertigo peering
off the top of the Eiffel Tower, meaning Stam's presence alone was not
enough. Although Bosnich had made the first of his three magnificent saves
to deny Paulo Nunes when Asprilla put him in, the tide seemed inexorable. 

Ferguson admitted his side were second-best at that point, defending on the
margins. Yet, adversity has always been the cue for Keane to prove his worth. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, battered around by the hulking forms of Junior Baiano
and Roque Junior, was ineffective as a sole striker and only Keane had
broken beyond the Palmeiras backline in the opening stages. 

With full backs Francisco Arce and Junior pushed up so tight that David
Beckham and Giggs were denied the time to bring the ball under control,
United struggled to string more than two passes together. 

Even Keane, briefly, was over run and Ferguson's angry arm movements
signalled his concern. Just like in Barcelona in May, when Teddy Sheringham
and Solskjaer got him out of trouble, the United boss seemed to have got it
tactically wrong. 

Cometh the moment, however, cometh the man. For Keane, who missed last
May's triumph in the Nou Camp through suspension, the time was nigh.
Suddenly, the important tackles - the little blocks and nudges that put
Palmeiras off their stride - started to be made before his moment of glory
arrived in the 35th minute. 

Up to that instant, Giggs had done little but, when Denis Irwin floated
down the flank beyond Arce and into space, the Welshman saw his chance and
skated past the lumbering Junior Baiano as if he was not there before
delivering his cross. 

Goalkeeper Marcos should have claimed it but grasped only air. For Keane,
again breaking from deep and with Zinho unable to keep pace, it was an
invitation he could not refuse, even though he said later: 'I didn't
connect well. If I'd missed it would've summed up my week.' 

As it was, he side-footed into the vacant net, consigning the memory of
that fatal backpass straight to Gabriel Batistuta in Florence last week to
the back of his mind. 

It was a genuine first. The first goal scored by an English club in five
attempts since the Toyota Cup became a one-off event and it also meant
United became the first club from this country to lift the trophy in any of
its incarnations. 

But that was merely the beginning of Keane's endeavours as the game became
increasingly open and nervy, with chances coming and going at both ends. 

While Ferguson may have erred in starting Solskjaer - opting for five in
midfield with Nicky Butt joining Keane and Paul Scholes as the apex of the
triangle - his decision to send Yorke on in place of the Norway striker at
the interval was faultless. 

Where Solskjaer had whined and whinged, Yorke danced and teased, drawing
his markers from their positions and creating room for his colleagues to
get forward in support. 

Within two minutes of his arrival and despite losing his balance, Yorke was
a fraction away after Scholes' flick had helped Irwin's cross to his feet. 

More importantly, his mere presence produced errors. From one shocker by
Arce, who passed straight to Yorke in front of goal, Giggs, with as much
time as he needed, should have settled it. 

Instead he fired wide, while Yorke was also involved in the move which
resulted in Junior nipping the ball off Scholes' toes after United's
England striker had chested down. 

As dangerous as United were coming forward, however, they were increasingly
exposed at the back as Palmeiras and their volatile, jack-in-a-box coach
Luis Felipe Scolari gambled by throwing numbers forward. 

Junior's pace down the left - he looks like a Roberto Carlos in the making
- and Alex's promptings were aided and abetted by the 

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Gate receipts account for 34% of United's revenue, merchandising 27%

Moneybags United top list of world's richest clubs - Guardian
Vivek Chaudhary 
Wednesday December 1, 1999 

Manchester United, the world club champions on the pitch, are also doing
pretty well off it. According to the annual Deloitte & Touche and
FourFourTwo football magazine's league table of the world's wealthiest
clubs, the Red Devils are sitting comfortably at the top after registering
a turnover of £87.9m. 
Incredibly the figures are from the season before last, the latest
available, when United failed to win a trophy. The club are believed to
have generated more than £110m during the historic treble season. 

United remain top for the second year running with Real Madrid their
closest financial rivals, registering a turnover of £72.2m. 

The survey warns, however, that the dominance of English clubs may soon be
threatened as huge sums are set to pour into the accounts of Spanish and
Italian clubs because of lucrative television deals. Although Barcelona
fell to sixth place, a new TV deal will bring in an estimated £51m a year. 

Gate receipts account for 34% of United's revenue, merchandising 27%. 

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'CRUNCH TIME' IN KEANE CONTRACT TALKS

Roy Keane has admitted it is "crunch time" in the negotiations that will
decide whether he stays with Manchester United.

Keane, who becomes a free agent next summer, admits he is torn between
staying with United and quitting for a more lucrative deal on the continent.

United have offered their captain a £50,000-a-week, four-year deal in a bid
to keep him at Old Trafford.
But the Republic of Ireland midfielder, coveted by leading Italian and
Spanish clubs, could guarantee himself a lot more money by signing a
pre-contract agreement on January 1.

Keane, who scored the winner against Palmeiras as United won the Toyota Cup
in Tokyo, said: "To walk away from Manchester United will be a wrench, but
I haven't made my mind up.

"It's a crunch time in the next couple of weeks," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"Certain people want decisions. I change my mind every day. Winning things
like this (Toyota Cup) obviously helps. Everyone knows I love the club.

"Sometimes there's politics involved. The club has been a little bit
criticised over the years for being a little bit tight maybe. 've always
said I understand the club's point of view, but hopefully they will
understand mine."

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