Manchester United

[muckypups]

Well played and unlucky TP. I watched the game myself and was also tempted to go back to bed after 6 mins.. then I thought.. I wonder how many we can get? Wrong.. you deserved to take the match at least to extra time.. Good luck on securing that European spot come May..

[redrus]

Congratulations United.

I really hope that you can now go on and win the treble !

I nearly went back to bed after 6 minutes...but I am glad i didn't...what an incredible game

Phew, cheers mate.

Well played and unlucky TP. I watched the game myself and was also tempted to go back to bed after 6 mins.. then I thought.. I wonder how many we can get? Wrong.. you deserved to take the match at least to extra time.. Good luck on securing that European spot come May..

Def mate....

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[redrus]

VIEW FROM THE PRESSBOX

Wednesday 28th February 2007

Good start, lucky finish

The Grauniad:

Having appeared to give themselves the rest of the night off with three goals in the first five minutes, this turned into a fixture that must have felt like unending torment before Manchester United at last staggered on to an FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough. The sight of their crossbar twanging in stoppage-time from the effects of a Brynjar Gunnarsson volley had to be endured as Reading nearly equalised in this replay.

The visitors must have been steeling themselves for extra-time after letting slip the opportunity to grant a few first-team players the gentlest of outings before Saturday's demanding venture to Anfield in the Premiership. In truth it is better to acclaim Reading than to blame United.

What could have been more natural than for Steve Coppell's team to slip into permanent dismay over a miserable start? There might have been recriminations mixed with rueful exasperation over letting the prestige of this occasion cloud their concentration. Even the diehards would never have anticipated the substitute Leroy Lita climbing to put a magnificent header from a Ulises de la Cruz cross past Edwin van der Sar in the 84th minute for his side's second goal.

After two minutes a John O'Shea cut-back eluded Kieran Richardson and the ball ran to Gabriel Heinze 25 yards from goal. He struck it firmly but cannot have envisaged his first goal since August 2005. The effort found the net because Adam Federici permitted it to squirm under his body. There was pathos in that for a goalkeeper who had been elected player of the round for his resistance at Old Trafford. The Australian, who is understudy to Marcus Hahnemann, speaks of the time when, looking for his chance, he was "knocking on doors and sleeping on floors". After eventually getting on to Reading's books, the 22-year-old had loan spells at Maidenhead United and Carshalton. His recent endeavours mean that he is close to agreeing a new deal with Reading but he got his reminder here that he is far from established yet.

Federici was not alone in looking bewildered. With four minutes gone it was far too simple for Saha to dart between De la Cruz and Bikey before finishing with an excellent shot. The Frenchman has been downgraded since Henrik Larsson arrived, but the latter will be going back to Sweden in a couple of weeks and the dynamism of Saha at the Madejski Stadium was encouraging for United as they contemplate the run-in to the Premiership.

Sir Alex Ferguson had another jolt of satisfaction here in the sixth minute. Richardson slung the ball to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the right and the craftsman finisher squeezed a shot just inside the far post. There was nearly a fourth, but a Saha effort missed the target by a fraction.

In the circumstances Reading's spirit was remarkable, despite the fact that United were lax to concede a goal after 22 minutes. Seol Ki-Hyeon's corner was nodded on by Ivar Ingimarsson and headed in by Dave Kitson. With Van der Sar needing to turn a drive by Seol behind at the close of the first half an air of competitiveness had been revived even if Reading's condition was still grave.

The Times

Manchester United and Reading restored much-needed sheen to the world's oldest knockout competition at the Madejski Stadium last night. Sir Alex Ferguson's side provided the dazzle by racing into a three-goal lead within six minutes before Reading applied the spit and polish, with only the width of the crossbar preventing Brynjar Gunnarsson from taking the match into extra time. As Steve Coppell noted, his players gained considerable honour in defeat.

It says everything about Reading's strength and spirit that Ferguson spent the last seconds of a pulsating encounter preparing for an additional 30 minutes, instructing Paul Scholes to warm up on the side-lines. As well as bemoaning Reading's aggressive treatment of Louis Saha, who limped off in the second half with a calf injury, the United manager should also be concerned at his side's fragility under pressure, although ultimately it was his opposite number who had the most to lament.

As well as accomplished finishing, United's goals resulted from Reading's inability to defend, both individually and collectively. The first was solely down to an error from Adam Federici, the reserve goalkeeper, who, to judge from his portly looking photograph on the cover of last night's programme, has yet to shrug off completely his past as an Australian beach bum in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

When Federici first arrived at the club, he spent several weeks sleeping on Ibrahima Sonko's floor; he seemed still to be dozing when United doubled their lead less than two minutes later, although on this occasion he was not alone.

Rio Ferdinand's long cross-field ball caught the entire Reading back four napping, with Saha running between Ulises De La Cruz and André Bikey to collect the ball brilliantly on his chest before sliding it across the goalkeeper. The France striker's finish was superb, although Federici should have got down quicker, and on this evidence Bikey is short of the mark, too.

As Ivar Ingimarsson attempted to hold the line on his own, Solskjaer found himself in oceans of space when he collected Kieran Richardson's long ball from the left and made no mistake, taking his time before calmly beating Federici with the outside of his right foot.

With the visiting fans celebrating prematurely, Coppell was spotted on his mobile in the stands, perhaps calling a taxi or instructing his family to stop the video, and he later admitted his concern that they could get "absolutely hammered". As the manager of the Crystal Palace side who lost 9-0 away to Liverpool in 1989, he could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.

Reading are made of sterner stuff, however, and refused to throw in the towel, hauling themselves off the ropes. With their direct approach causing problems, Dave Kitson's 23rd-minute goal was richly deserved, but it also sprang from a defensive error.

Reading continued to battle manfully in the second half as a capacity crowd remained in their seats, but the reward for their labours came too late. Leroy Lita gave them an injection of pace after his introduction in the 71st minute, and in the last ten minutes United's defence seemed close to panic.

Reading continued to press and could have taken the tie into extra time, with Gunnarsson striking the crossbar in injury time. It was not to be, but the standing ovation Reading received on the final whistle was thoroughly merited.

The Telegraph

Manchester United seized a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last night, but it was Reading who claimed the admiration of a watching nation. Teams of lesser character would have surrendered after conceding three goals in the opening six minutes, but Steve Coppell's second-string rallied marvellously, if ultimately in vain. Talk about reserves of strength.

Reading could have gone through the motions, accepting their widely-predicted fate of defeat to vaunted opponents. They could have been swept away by the early hurricane that blew in to the Mad Stad, bringing what Coppell described as "three minutes, 20 seconds of madness'' as Gabriel Heinze, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck.

Echoing their manager, a quiet steel lurks within Reading and they fought back, first through Dave Kitson after 23 minutes. At times, as Reading poured forward only the brilliance of Edwin van der Sar denied them. Leroy Lita did manage a second to force a frantic final six minutes, during which Brynjar Gunnarsson even shook the bar.

Few could have predicted the closeness of the climax after the opening stages. Kick-off had been delayed to accommodate EastEnders, an indignity for the visitors from Coronation Street country, and they certainly tore into the Royal family, scoring an astonishing three goals within six minutes. Heinze was first to embarrass Adam Federici, voted player of the round for a series of fine saves at Old Trafford but caught out here.

Reading responded admirably, refusing to throw in the towel. When John Oster whipped in a corner, Ivar Ingimarsson flicked on and the unmarked Kitson headed home. Van der Sar then saved superbly from Steve Sidwell, Oster, Seol Ki-hyeon and Kitson but he had no chance when Lita, the substitute, met Ulises De La Cruz's cross with a neat header. Gunnarsson almost injected some real romance into the Cup, but United march on.

TEAM CREATED OWN PROBLEMS

redissue

Wednesday 28th February 2007

Post match reaction

Ferguson

"I think it was a fantastic cup tie and credit goes to both teams," said Ferguson. "For the fans it will have been a great match to watch.

"In the first half we played the ball behind them and up the sides and turned them and caused them problems, but in the second half we played across and in front of them and that created a problem for ourselves.

"It was a difficult pitch, very sandy and it was not conducive to playing football.

"Reading played the percentages, balls into the box and they are good at that, and it was nip and tuck right to the end.

"I was thinking I will need to prepare for extra-time, the game was with them, and I told Scholesy to get ready for extra-time."

On Balsa-boy

"I've never known so many fouls on one player yet there were only two bookings all game. Louis was fantastic but took one kick too many.

"Eventually it got to him and he had to come off with a calf injury."

Steve Coppell

"It was the worst start possible," he noted. "You talk before the game about keeping things tight, but it wasn't long and we were 3-0 down. It was like an avalanche.

"For us to come back in the way we did, it was a fabulous second half and huge respect for my players at the end.

"You just have to have trust in your players that they will settle down. That proved to be the case. They didn't want to be humiliated and they played a full part in the game."

"If it hadn't been for some brilliant goalkeeping, good defending and the width of the crossbar we might have been finishing off now.

"I thought we would have chances, I also thought we might also lose something at the back as we were so committed.

"We had our chances, but they are a quality team and that extra bit of quality helped them in the end."

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[redrus]

SCOUSERS TALKING GOOD GAME

redissue

Wednesday 28th February 2007

Let the hype begin

Dippers' striker Dirk Kuyt on Saturday's game against the vermin.

"It would be a great result for us if we could do it. We just need to go and approach the game as we've done in the last week.

"If you can beat a side like Barcelona with players of the quality of Messi and Ronaldinho, you know you can beat a lot of teams.

"We've come back from Barcelona and done a good job at the weekend with a win and a clean sheet, and now we want to beat United.

"We've beaten Chelsea at home and Barcelona away, so now we can have confidence to progress by beating Manchester United.

"It's one of the most important games you can play in the season, so no one can be thinking about Barcelona until after this game.

"There would be nothing better than beating United."

redrus

[redrus]

Wednesday 28th February 2007

A look at United's ageing 'kids'

Matt Scott in the Guardian

After the blessed hope and promise of Arsenal's second string on Sunday, the crushing discouragement of Manchester United's last night. True, the Premiership leaders raced into a three-goal lead inside six minutes but that was mere burnish on what is a thin veneer.

Scratch beneath the surface and what is there at the factory whose youth conveyor belt proudly produced the FA Youth Cup-winning team of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, the Neville brothers and Ryan Giggs? As those players reach the twilights of their illustrious careers, Sir Alex Ferguson's faith in the youth at his club does not shine through.

Whereas in the Carling Cup final on Sunday Arsenal fielded a midfield worthy of a Paul Hardcastle synthesiser number in tribute to its teenage innocence, United chose instead to roll out Kieron Richardson, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea last night. These are players whose careers have stalled at Old Trafford, players who the watching Roy Keane scorned for their lack of progress at England's richest club.

Maybe they are not to blame. Indeed, perhaps it is Premiership pragmatism that has prevented Sir Alex Ferguson from fostering a new golden generation at his beloved club. Last night he fielded a team that had cost more than £60m to assemble.

It was captained by the world's most-expensive defender, the £30m Rio Ferdinand and even the left-back Gabriel Heinze cost Ferguson £6.9m to bring from Paris-Saint Germain.

It was Ferdinand who provided the next goal with a long pass from defence, a hopeful ball that was turned into an assist by the sublime first touch and finish of a £12.8m talent, the striker Louis Saha. Then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer swept in a third after picking up Richardson's pass behind the advancing defence with a forward push that took him into the area. Maybe Ferguson does not believe that the young Giuseppe Rossi, now on loan at Parma, would be capable of the deft finish with the outside of his boot with which the 34-year-old Norwegian scored United's third.

But that is not the point. Even Roman Abramovich, with his £12bn fortune, acknowledges that youth development is a priority for his club. Malcolm Glazer received little change from £900m in purchasing Manchester United but if he is to make a significant return on his investment he will not wish to continue pouring money into the transfer market.

How long have we been saying this for.

redrus

[redrus]

UNITED SIGN TWINS

redissue

Wednesday 28th February 2007

Hopefully they'll be better than the Djemba ones.

United have signed identical twins as future full-backs.

Fabio and Rafael Silva have both signed pre-contract agreements from Brazilian side Fluminese.

The youth internationals will join up with United on July 9, when they turn 18.

Rafael revealed it was Cristiano Ronaldo who sealed the deal.

Rafael Silva (right-back) said: "When we were negotiating, Cristiano Ronaldo phoned us saying that Manchester United was a tremendous club and it was a wonderful place to play football."

Left-back Fabio said: "We were there to be familiar with the club and we played part of a friendly match.

"We were on the same pitch as Rooney and Ronaldo. They were very kind with us."

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[redrus]

ROONEY: RONALDO IS WORLD'S BEST

Wayne Rooney has hailed Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as 'the best player in the world'.

The tricky Portuguese winger has illuminated United’s Barclays Premiership title charge and even won a bet with manager Sir Alex Ferguson by scoring 18 goals so far this campaign.

Ronaldo’s performances have shifted the Old Trafford spotlight away from Rooney, who went 10 games without a goal earlier in the season.

But the England striker insists he does not care who takes the plaudits - he just relishes the chance to play alongside Ronaldo.

“I’m just delighted that he’s playing for us because at this moment in time he is the best player in the world - not just the best young player, but the best player full stop,” Rooney told Sport magazine.

“There’s certainly no jealousy on my part over that. You want to play with the best players, and it’s great to be in the same team as Cristiano.”

Rooney has been particularly impressed with the way Ronaldo handled the pressure after his perceived role in the England man's sending-off in the World Cup quarter-final against Portugal.

“He’s been brilliant, especially coming back from the World Cup when it was very difficult for him with all the media attention,” Rooney said.

“But he’s come through that and he’s been absolutely fantastic this season. Hopefully that will continue, and he’ll hopefully help us bring back some silverware this season.”

FERGUSON: VICTORY VINDICATED CHANGES

Rooney also believes England have learned vital lessons from their disappointing showing in that tournament which will stand them in good stead heading into Euro 2008.

The Manchester United striker regrets predicting England would win last year’s showpiece in Germany because it cranked up the pressure to impossible levels.

And Rooney now believes England’s best chance of success at a major tournament is if both the players and the fans can keep their expectations in check.

“In the two major tournaments I’ve played in - Euro 2004 and the World Cup in Germany last summer - myself and the rest of the lads were guilty of putting too much pressure on ourselves before we even got out there,” he said.

“Saying we were going to win it doesn’t help, and we were guilty of that.

“Being realistic, I think the whole country would have been delighted if we’d reached the semi-finals, and then seen if we could go on from there.

“But we built ourselves up, and the press whipped the country up into a frenzy and then slaughtered us for not playing well.”

England are making hard work of their qualification campaign for the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland after drawing at home to Macedonia and losing away in Croatia.

But Steve McClaren’s men would be confident of reaching the finals - and then it will be about putting Rooney’s plan into action.

He said: “I’d like to think we can win something during my career, because we have got some great players in this country. But the expectation is always far too high, and that is a problem.”

The 21-year-old paid tribute to club boss Ferguson, whose calm advice he believes helped him get through that barren patch earlier in the season.

FERGUSON: I'M GOING NOWHERE

“I didn’t let it get me down. I look back on those 10 games and there were times when the keepers would make brilliant saves to deny me, or I’d get myself in great positions and it just wouldn’t come off,” said Rooney.

“(Ferguson) just told me to keep playing and keep it simple, and that the goals would come soon enough. He wasn’t concerned about it at all.

“It would have been worse if we weren’t winning games - I think we went through those 10 games without getting beaten.

“That was the main thing, that other players were weighing in with their own goals and we were winning the games. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t scoring.

“It’s brilliant to score goals, though, and I was happy to see that first one go in at Bolton - if only to shut a few of the newspapers and the so-called experts up.

“I know my game’s not all about goals, which is all that matters.

“I like to create goals as much as I like to score them and I’d happily go through the whole season without a single goal if it meant us winning the league.”

For all the latest Barclays Premiership statistics on Rooney, Ronaldo and United, click here.

redrus

[redrus]

01/03/2007 08:35, Report by Gemma Thompson on MUFC O-site

Kuyt keen to make amends

Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool are determined to make amends for their early season defeat at Old Trafford when they entertain United on Saturday lunchtime.

Rafael Benitez's side went down 2-0 back in October following goals from Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand.

United can temporarily move 12 points clear of Chelsea with a win at Anfield this weekend, but Kuyt insists the Merseysiders will be going all out for victory themselves in a bid to banish memories of their earlier defeat.

"I think we owe a performance after Old Trafford. That was a disappointing time and we definitely want a better result at Anfield this time," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"It would be a great result for us if we could do it. We just need to go and approach the game as we’ve done in the last week.

"If you can beat a side like Barcelona with players of the quality of Messi and Ronaldinho, you know you can beat a lot of teams.

"We’ve come back from Barcelona and done a good job at the weekend with a win over Sheffield United and a clean sheet and now we want to beat United.

"It’s one of the most important games you can play in the season and there would be nothing better than beating them," he added.

In order to do that Kuyt and his team-mates will need to find a way past the striker's Dutch pal Edwin van der Sar.

"It will be particularly good for me to play against Edwin," explained the Liverpool forward. "He’s a legend in Holland and if you can score against him, you can score against anyone in the world."

redrus

[redrus]

Ryan Giggs in a league of his own.

Interview: Man Utd assistant boss Carlos Quieroz, Link.

Interview: Former Man Utd captain Steve Bruce, Link.

Interview: Former Man Utd defender Gary Pallister, Link.

By Andrew Benson

For Gary Pallister, the first time he saw Ryan Giggs play football was one of life's landmark occasions.

"I'd just joined Manchester United," remembers Pallister, a mainstay of the team's defence in the 1990s. "I was living in a hotel, there was very little to do, and I went to see an FA Youth Cup match at Old Trafford.

"Paul Ince and I sat in the directors' box with Alex Ferguson and he said: 'There's a kid playing tonight who's going to be special.'

"Ryan was still at school. I think he was 15, and we saw this spindly little pipe cleaner of a footballer running amok on the left-hand side. You could see straight off that he had a special gift."

Others have different ways of putting it. For Ince, his close friend and former team-mate is "a genius". Alan Shearer says he is "fantastic". To Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz he is simply "magic Giggs".

The subject of these accolades made his top-flight debut 16 years and 699 appearances ago this weekend.

And just about the only thing that has not changed at Old Trafford in that time is the continued presence of Giggs, now 33, in Ferguson's first-choice team.

Now well into veteran status, Giggs is by common consent having one of his best seasons and - allowing for the contributions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes among others - it is no coincidence that United are back on top of the Premiership.

TALENT

Giggs has been around for so long that it is easy to take his ability for granted.

But a quick search for highlights on YouTube makes it clear just how special is his combination of electric pace, elastic dribbling and eye for a killer pass.

GIGGS FACT FILE

Ryan Giggs

Born: 29/11/73

Clubs: Man Utd

Debut: 2 Mar, 1991 v Everton

Appearances: 699

Goals: 140

Premiership titles: 8

FA Cups: 4

Champions League: 1

League Cups: 2

Intercontinental Cup: 1

"He is one of those special and rare players," says Queiroz, "who could play football in a phone box and would always find the door, no matter how many players you put in there with him."

Pallister says the United defenders used to say they had "got twisted blood trying to mark him in training".

That metaphor was first used by Paddy Crerand about George Best, a player to whom Giggs was likened early in his career.

The parallel is drawn less often now, perhaps because of Giggs's decision to devote his life to the game rather than the lifestyle he could get from it.

But, according to Ince, the similarity in terms of ability remains.

"George Best in his time was a wizard," the Macclesfield manager says, "but Ryan can do exactly the same - they are comparable definitely."

Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce, formerly Pallister's partner in central defence, agrees: "When Ryan ran, he ran like the wind. You couldn't hear him he was that light on his feet.

"He had that natural body swerve, that way with a ball only the great players have got.

"No disrespect to [David] Beckham and Scholesy, but he's the only one who was always going to be a superstar."

THE PRIVATE MAN

Despite his high profile, very little is known about Giggs the person, as opposed to Giggs the footballer.

In his rare interviews, he is deadpan and often bland. Yet the former Manchester United captain Roy Keane described him in his autobiography as "a real character - streetwise and wickedly funny".

Of all the people I've seen dealing with superstar status, Ryan has handled it best

Queiroz says Giggs has a "special sense of humour - very accurate, quick and sarcastic".

And he likes to celebrate winning trophies, according to Pallister, by "rapping on the stage and doing a bit of singing and dancing and entertaining the whole banqueting hall".

By nature, though, it seems Giggs is quiet.

"He doesn't like publicity," says Bruce, who was not remotely surprised Giggs had turned down a request for an interview for this article.

"That's Ryan. He wants to keep a certain amount of privacy, and he doesn't flaunt the press or the publicity, because he doesn't have to. People write about him because of his ability."

That was not always the case.

Early in his career, Giggs was the Premiership's poster boy, and his relationships with TV presenter Dani Behr and Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor meant he quickly found himself on the front pages of the tabloids as well as the back.

Comparisons between Best and Giggs only go so far so, Bruce says, Giggs was "delighted when Becks came along to take the heat off him a little bit".

Giggs left behind the glitz years ago for a quieter life in the village of Worsley near Manchester with partner Stacey Cooke and their two children.

"Of all the people I've seen dealing with celebrity superstar status, Ryan has handled it best," Pallister says.

"He got all the George Best stuff, the playboy thing, and it just washed over him.

"You never saw an ounce of change in Ryan all that time, and that is probably because his mates kept his feet on the ground.

"They weren't averse to ripping the mick out of him and keeping him real. It was fantastic to watch him, because a lot of young players nowadays have their heads turned by the money and status that goes with it."

HUNGER

As well as resisting the tempations and distractions of wealth and fame, elite sportsmen require a desire to succeed that matches their ability - and the dedication required to devote their life to an intense physical activity and the highs and lows that it brings.

He could play with any team in the world he's been that good

"For Giggsy," Ince says, "it has never been about earning a lot of money. He always had the passion to play at the highest level for as long as he could."

"[To] the top, top players," Bruce adds, "it doesn't matter if they've won eight championships or four FA Cups or whatever, he'll want to win the ninth and 10th.

"It comes from within - that fire in your belly that you still want to be the best. It's a very rare attribute."

VERSATILITY

Skill alone secures Giggs's place in United's team, but it is his adaptability that has made him so valuable in the long term.

"Despite his physique, he is a tough, solid player," Queiroz says. "He has the right spirit to dispute balls in the air as well. He can do all the things that he needs to play as a forward.

Former Man Utd player Paul Ince

The way he is playing at the moment, he is close to being a complete player

"And as you can see in the last few years, if we need him sometimes as a left-back, he can give the right contribution to the team.

"Last season he played centre midfield, and I think it was a great surprise to everybody that he was able to play in that position.

"Why could he do that? Side by side with his fantastic skills, he is a player with intelligence. It seems he is able to make others play better around him.

"He knows the game, but more than that he understands it, and when you understand the game you can control it.

"It doesn't matter if he plays left wing or centre midfield, with a few words he can adapt, and always he can create something special."

Ince regularly holidays with Giggs, but even he has been surprised by his friend's versatility.

David Beckham shares a joke with Ryan Giggs during an international between England and Wales

Those close to Giggs say he has a quick, cutting sense of humour

"He knows he's not going to be the wizard he was four or five years ago running up and down the left wing," says Ince, a central midfielder himself.

"But for him to go into central midfield and perform the way he has is awesome.

"He still has that bit of trickery when he needs it. The way he is playing at the moment, he is close to being a complete player."

LEGACY

"Sometimes we use the word great too often," Bruce says, "but if you were going to put a team together, certainly from the last 20 years, and you're looking for a left-sided player, you aren't going to get any better anywhere in the world.

After eight Premiership titles, Giggs is still hungry for a ninth

"He's graced the stage for 16 years. He's been the ultimate professional. He's kept himself in tip-top nick. That is the sign of greatness."

But perhaps Queiroz puts it best.

"He is one of the best players I saw in my life," says the man who coached Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

"He is one of the few players who have a right to a place in the history of the game.

"When you play at a level where you stay in the memories of football fans, you are talking about the best players in the world.

"You cannot be a special person in the world if you are a copy of something. You really become a star when, with your football, your art, your style, you create your own identity.

"So the best tribute we can pay to Ryan Giggs is not that he compares to Best or anyone. It is to say that he won the right to be Ryan Giggs."

Additional reporting by Andrew McKenzie

Apologies if that seems a little mixed up, there were loads of pictures in the report.

Link to original BBC interview.

redrus

[Seapok]

Makelele fires United warning

Claude Makelele believes Manchester United's clash with Liverpool could be the decisive match in the race for the Premiership title.

United can open up a 12-point lead over Chelsea with victory at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime, but defeat could leave them vulnerable if Jose Mourinho's side cut the gap to six by beating Portsmouth a few hours later.

Chelsea would still have a game in hand on their rivals and Makelele is convinced his side will win all their remaining Premiership fixtures this season, including the clash against United in April.

But the French midfielder admits Chelsea need in-form Liverpool to do them a favour by taking points of Manchester United.

Makelele explained: "This Saturday I am a fan of Liverpool. For Chelsea this is the key match in the race with Manchester United for the title.

"If United fail at Anfield the league would be open for us.

"I am convinced that Chelsea will win all their matches in the Premiership until the end of the season and this pressure we can apply on Manchester United will be decisive.

"Liverpool are one of the clubs that are able to beat Manchester United. Liverpool are playing now at a great level and this is our hope.

"If United win at Liverpool the situation for Chelsea will be very complicated.

"United are only the leaders because of our errors over Christmas. But we can put that right."

Makelele also paid tribute to Didier Drogba, and claimed the striker had been the best player in the Premiership this season.

"It is true that Cristiano Ronaldo has been doing well this season, but for me Didier Drogba is still the better player because at the moment Didier can score goals in his sleep," he praised.

[ThaiPauly]

Giggs deserves all the acolades that come his way. A brilliant player.

There was a poll conducted a few years ago among EPL clubs wherby if they could choose a team from that division who would they have.

Giggsy was the ONLY player to make EVERY team.

Hope he is around long enough to reach 1,000...now wouldn't that be some achivement?..total opposite of David Beckham. lifestyle wise..but in my opinion a better player. I just wish he had decided to play for England instead of Wales...we would certainly have won more (I mean something) !!

I think it would be fitting for him to remain at United in the same way Sir Bobby Charlton has .....people talk about your Cantona's, Keane's and Best's throughout United's history...but in my book Giggs is way out in front...he had his chances to go abroad but has always remained faithful to United..look at what he has achieved,,more medals than ANY other United legends, and I think he deserves a "Job For Life" with the club.

I will never forget that goal he scored against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final..one of the best I have ever seen at such a high level...and if he ever wants to wind down his career at a slightly less glamourous club I am sure that Stevie Coppell will welcome him with open arms (yeah dream on TP!)

Just my 2 satangs worth

[Insight]

A bit o/t but somebody had to ask it...

Anybody know a good (serving) venue in BKK showing the game tonight? Please PM me if it's too risky to put on the forum.

Cheers.

[sianjai]

Well done Giggsy, and how fitting would it be for you to score the winner today

[muckypups]

Sorry Insight, I'm not a Bangkok resident but no doubt a respectable member of the forum will point you in the right direction...

This from the Independent..

Ferguson kicks off insults by telling Jose to 'button his lip'

You know that the Premiership title run-in has got serious when Sir Alex Ferguson delivers his first jibe of the Spring - and yesterday the Manchester United manager kicked off the season of insults in style. As befitting the elder statesman of English football, the 65-year-old told Jose Mourinho to "button his lip" when it came to complaining about United and their treatment from referees.

It was delivered with a smile on his face but, given that his side can go 12 points clear this lunchtime if they beat Liverpool, this is one title race on which Ferguson can afford to take a fairly relaxed perspective. Today he faces the club that he had to depose to establish the United empire, but it will be the champions Chelsea in second place who will occupy his thoughts for much of the weekend.

Ferguson was responding to Mourinho's Carling Cup final rant that Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty award against Tottenham last month was a "dive" and that United's victory over Fulham last week was "completely undeserved". If that was the beginning of the mind games that have characterised many of United's title run-ins, then Mourinho will have to raise his game if he is to keep pace with English football's grandfather of intimidation.

In fact, the allegations Ferguson made against Chelsea yesterday were designed to hit the nerve of his rivals; the United manager made little attempt to disguise a reference to the Anders Frisk affair in 2005 when he talked about players and referees being "threatened". The saga of Frisk's resignation after death threats following his part in a Chelsea defeat in Barcelona is a particularly sensitive topic at Stamford Bridge.

"Jose has come out with stuff this week and we expected that," Ferguson said. "He's come out with stuff about referees and I think he is the last person who should ever talk about referees, goodness me. His club have been involved in so many things about referees over the years.

"It seems to me that if you contest something at Chelsea and they don't get their own way then something happens that either referees or players are threatened and things like that. It's an incredible club. I think Jose should button his lip now for good, for the rest of the season."

For all that is at stake over the next few months, Ferguson appeared to relish the chance to play his part in the fighting talk of a Premiership race that, for the first time in four years, he has a real chance of winning. And, like Mourinho's claim to have a "dossier" on Arsène Wenger's various insults, Ferguson claimed he had a "big catalogue" on Chelsea's dealings with referees. "It's over there," he gestured in the direction of his office before thinking better of it.

"I think we can expect a lot of them to come out with things now," Ferguson said. "Makelele had something to say, Ballack, they are all having a say. Which is good. We've probably tried these things ourselves in the past. They can try, there's nothing stopping them. They are entitled to their opinions, I'm not bothered with that. But I think we have some answers and I may be just beginning. There's plenty of talking with Jose and referees and Chelsea and referees."

Best of enemies Liverpool and United are separated by more than just 30 miles

Before then, however, there is the matter of a trip to Anfield in which the match officials are again expected to be at the centre of attention. Ferguson expressed concern that the referee today is Martin Atkinson who has replaced Graham Poll - originally assigned to the game but injured during the Blackburn-Arsenal game on Wednesday.

"Yes, I was surprised at the inexperienced referee, that was a big surprise," Ferguson said. "Graham Poll is the most experienced referee and we have gone from the most experienced referee to the least experienced."

It was at Anfield 20 years ago that Ferguson uttered his most memorable appraisal of a referee's performance when he said he could "understand why clubs come away from Anfield choking on their own vomit and biting their tongues knowing they have been done by the referee".

There is a fair chance that, these days, that kind of talk would catch the eye of the Football Association's compliance unit - but Ferguson didn't take kindly to being reminded of it yesterday.

The significance of conquering Liverpool in the present day might not hold the weight it once did for Ferguson but he still muttered about the importance of "history, geography and things like that" in this old rivalry. Liverpool knocked United out the FA Cup fifth round last season, but Ferguson has not lost in the Premiership to Liverpool since Danny Murphy's penalty at Old Trafford gave them a 1-0 win in April 2004.

One of the mainstays of United's season has been their extraordinary good fortune with injuries, and today they will be at full strength with only Darren Fletcher and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer missing. As ever, the animosity is set to be acute, and Gary Neville's return for United will make it all the more fierce.

That day in October, Liverpool's performance was vapid, and United, led by Paul Scholes, brushed them aside. There can be no disputing that this game for Liverpool, who have not lost at home for 30 Premiership matches, is not as important as Tuesday's against Barcelona but it has a symbolism all of its own. Especially when Ferguson talks about his team as the Premiership's best attacking side.

The United manager said that he prefers his side to go with their "instinct" as an "attacking team". "We are enjoying it, our fans are enjoying it, anyone who watches us is enjoying it, so why should we change?" he asked. That enjoyment factor will not be appreciated at Anfield, they will hope Ferguson goes away today choking once again. Martin Atkinson will just pray that he is not the man to blame.[/i]

Oh, and Lille (unbelievably) are still at it...:

Lille may appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Uefa rejected their attempts to invalidate United's winning goal in their Champions League tie.

[muckypups]

Ah.. and I forgot to say...

Come On United...!

.. and probably a bit of... and hopefully a few of these... (not for us of course)..

[muckypups]

Spotted this in the "Red News" newsletter..from Oliver Kay in the Times

'Sitting on a stool in a cramped corridor in the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town last summer, Sir Alex Ferguson looked weary as he was asked what it would take to make Manchester United champions again. “If we can make a strong start, if we can steer clear of injuries, if we get the rub of the green, if we can get some momentum behind us, if we can get ahead of Chelsea,” he said, a great season would lie in prospect.

It was an awful lot of ifs — particularly because he was still expecting to sign Owen Hargreaves and a centre forward to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy — but the manager’s improbable vision, which would require United to become a “lucky” team again, has slowly turned into reality and, with the season entering its defining period, his players are talking seriously about the treble.

At the time, Ladbrokes were offering odds of 150-1 on United repeating their feat of 1999 by winning the Champions League, the Premiership and the FA Cup.

Last night, those odds had been cut to 11-1. History tells you that it is still a long shot — Arsenal were 7-1 to do the treble in April 2004 and ended up with “only” the Premiership — but Ferguson did not need José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, to tell him this week that “it looks like everything is on their [united’s] side”.

There is far more to it than luck, of course — not least the fact that United, and in particular Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo, have played some marvellous football — but Ferguson knows that fortune plays a huge part. Whenever he has been asked about the treble he has harked back to the spring of 1999 and the almost injury-free squad he enjoyed during the title run-in.

But this, too, has been a season during which United have been largely unaffected by injuries. The 11 players who have emerged as Ferguson’s first-choice team (Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha) have each started at least 18 of the 28 Barclays Premiership matches to date, with fringe players largely filling in as a matter of luxury rather than necessity.

Mourinho has called this “a season in which United have had no injuries” — in contrast, presumably, to the problems suffered by Chelsea, who have been without Petr Cech, John Terry and Joe Cole for long periods. However, Mourinho is still on course to eclipse United’s achievement of 1999 and finish this season by bringing an unprecedented four trophies back to Stamford Bridge.

It is the strong start that United made and the momentum they gained that looks as if it will prove decisive. During the previous two seasons, United’s Premiership challenges were over almost as soon as they had begun and their Champions League campaigns were disappointingly brief.

In recent weeks, United have even rediscovered the art of playing badly and winning, with four victories and a draw from sloppy performances against Charlton Athletic, Reading (twice in the FA Cup), Lille and Fulham. It has probably been enough to persuade Mourinho that the Premiership title is on its way to Old Trafford. When the United crossbar denied Brynjar Gunnarsson an equaliser for Reading during Tuesday night’s fifth-round replay, the Chelsea manager might even have been tempted to forget the FA Cup.

But the treble? That, as Ferguson knows better than anyone, is a different prospect.'

[MiG16]

oh ######!!! was looking good for liverpool until the 88th minute. then in the 90th minute redrus started performing his voodoo and the devils scored :D

Edit: gee the only place/time I wanna use my only swear vocab and its banned darnit

[muckypups]

Relax Mig.. and thus are titles won, let's not forget that you guys have won a couple with last minute goals..aaahhh perfect..

[redrus]

Fookin get in, you fookin beauty, wahey, I'm at work at six gmt, I'm too busy gettin pissed at the moment though.

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea, when Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea,

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing, the Stretford End are gonna sing, we all know that Jonno's gonna score.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat......................

redrus

[muckypups]

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea, when Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea,

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing, the Stretford End are gonna sing, we all know that Jonno's gonna score.

and so versatile.. wonder keeper one week.. deadly striker the next..

f**!kin' great...

:D

[sianjai]

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea, when Jonno goes marchin down the wing O-shea O-shea,

When Jonno goes marchin down the wing, the Stretford End are gonna sing, we all know that Jonno's gonna score.

and so versatile.. wonder keeper one week.. deadly striker the next..

f**!kin' great...

I ######ing love this club, sorry about the swearing!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MiG16]

[redrus]

LOL

redrus

[Casanundra]

I don't usually watch footy, but tonight I watched Liverpool V Manchester and I have to say that Manchester did it again with yet another jammy lucky scrawpy scrappy piece of play that just defied belief. Liverpool were all over Man U like a rash throughout the whole game and should have beaten the pants off Man U but nope... Man U scrape it together yet again with sheer luck and no talent in the overtime they created through their fighting and their fouling and their lack of integrity.

It's a good job I am an outside observer but had I been a Liverpudlian I would be spitting feathers at the Mancs right now.

[redrus]

I don't usually watch footy, but tonight I watched Liverpool V Manchester and I have to say that Manchester did it again with yet another jammy lucky scrawpy scrappy piece of play that just defied belief. Liverpool were all over Man U like a rash throughout the whole game and should have beaten the pants off Man U but nope... Man U scrape it together yet again with sheer luck and no talent in the overtime they created through their fighting and their fouling and their lack of integrity.

It's a good job I am an outside observer but had I been a Liverpudlian I would be spitting feathers at the Mancs right now.

Oh <deleted>, another septic alert....

Listen you self pitying scouse sympathising septic cock, a win against the bin dippers, is a win, regardless of your 'bait redrus tactics'.

Top of the league.

Mod's, don't boil me for a flame, he started it..........

redrus

[MiG16]

oh ######!!! was looking good for liverpool until the 88th minute. then in the 90th minute redrus started performing his voodoo and the devils scored :bah:

Edit: gee the only place/time I wanna use my only swear vocab and its banned darnit

I shoulda post when they got the red send off

but the other guy said it nicer than me.....a fluke....i say voodoo

[davidjtayler]

[redrus]

Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1

by Footymad

Match report of today's away win in the early game against Liverpool

A 90th minute John O'Shea winner eased Manchester United closer to the Premiership title and sent deadly rivals Liverpool crashing to their first home defeat in 30 league games.

The Red Devils carried out a smash and grab job on a gutted home side and edged themselves closer to the first title in three years.

But Rafael Benitez's men can count themselves unfortunate to come away from the game with nothing after being more than a match for their opponents.

Liverpool started brightly and showed their intent to win the game early on as centre-back Daniel Agger hit a rocket from 35 yards which flew just over the bar.

Manchester United were always dangerous though, with Cristiano Ronaldo posing a constant threat to the home side's defence.

The Portuguese winger should have done better after great link-up play between himself and on-loan striker Henrik Larsson.

Ronaldo laid the ball to Larsson, who returned the favour with the cheekiest of flicks, but the twinkle-toed winger hit his shot way over the bar.

Despite United's obvious class it was Liverpool who came the closest to breaking the deadlock.

Dirk Kuyt was hauled down by Nemanja Vidic just outside the box and John Arne Riise's resulting free-kick was inches wide of the far post.

Title hopefuls United were always a threat on the break and would have been ahead but for some fantastic defending from Jamie Carragher.

Ronaldo skipped past Agger, but with seemingly a free shot at goal, the rock-solid Carragher threw himself in front of the shot before it could trouble Jose Reina.

The ball then rebounded to Larsson, whose through ball found Wayne Rooney through on goal, but Carragher produced a top-notch tackle to deny him getting his shot off.

Despite an action-packed first half the teams went in at the break all-square.

Liverpool began the second half similarly to the first and could have taken the lead twice in the opening minutes.

First a cross from the right fell to skipper Steven Gerrard, but the captain sliced his shot well over the bar.

Craig Bellamy was then denied a goal after a smart save from Edwin Van der Sar.

Bellamy then had the ball in the net after tapping home from the scramble in the box, but the linesman flag kept the scores level.

United also put the ball in the net but Rooney's cheeky backheel finish was ruled out for offside and the England striker picked up an injury after 74 minutes and had to be taken off.

Substitute Peter Crouch had a fantastic chance to win the game for Liverpool in the dying minutes, but his shot was brilliantly saved by the United keeper.

In the end it was the visitors who stole the three points after an 90th minute Ryan Giggs free-kick was spilled by Reina.

Substitute O'Shea reacted quickest and was there to whack the ball into the roof of the Liverpool net from point-blank range.

There was one unsavoury moment in the match when United's Paul Scholes was sent off four minutes from time for aiming a punch at Xabi Alonso after a midfield tussle.

redrus

[muckypups]

It's a good job I am an outside observer but had I been a Liverpudlian I would be spitting feathers at the Mancs right now.

[muckypups]

This from The Sunday Times...

Ferguson’s happy jig ignites memories of 1999 Treble

Not long ago, United were accused of lacking fitness by Arsene Wenger. Now the Arsenal boss has to eat his words

Jonathan Northcroft at Anfield

A SKIP, a clenching of fists, a sequence of little twirls and jumps, the whole routine pitched somewhere between a lottery player rising with a winning ticket from their sofa and a tramp waltzing tipsily on a Glasgow street. It was witnessed long before he took over at Manchester United - on the night 23 years ago, for instance, Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners’ Cup. It is the dance Sir Alex Ferguson reserves for very special victories.

Life was so good for Ferguson yesterday that, for the first time in Merseyside memories, he felt sufficiently magnanimous to profess sympathy for Liverpool, who he said were “very unlucky”. On top of United beating their most bitter rivals and taking a stride towards the title in the stadium Ferguson will forever associate with the Scouse gloating that occurred when they lost it there in 1992, there was an extra source of satisfaction: proving Arsãne Wenger wrong.

It was Wenger who, after Arsenal defeated United with two goals at the death in the Emirates Stadium, suggested a fatal weakness had been exposed, namely that Ferguson’s players lacked the conditioning levels to compete at the end of games.

“United are always different after 70 minutes,” is what Mathieu Flamini said Wenger had told the Arsenal players. Ferguson was furious, but his nemesis did seem to have evidence. United had also lost to Celtic and FC Copenhagen late on.

Now those defeats can be seen as a blip. Ten men, stoppage time, severely pressured - and then you break upfield, win a free kick, and a substitute with no scoring record to speak of reaches into the embers of the game and glory is grabbed. Who did you think you were kidding, Monsieur Wenger?

In his weekly press conference Ferguson brushed off a question about 1999, but the capacity for turning games in their final moments that was integral to the miraculous Treble campaign appears to be back with United.

“Liverpool’s pressing disrupted our rhythm,” Ferguson said. “They’ll be feeling very unlucky today and I think they were. We broke away in the last couple of minutes last week to score [against Fulham] and we did it again today.” He could have added to that his side’s win in France against Lille in the Champions League, another occasion where United underperformed for almost the entirety of the match then, through Ryan Giggs’s contentious free kick, overachieved right at its end.

There was an echo of 1999 at Anfield yesterday. A pivotal victory in that Treble campaign came against Liverpool - albeit in the FA Cup and at Old Trafford - via an injury-time winner from a substitute, on that occasion Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Some time before Scholes’s red card, the match looked unbalanced, in Liverpool’s favour, and United were playing low-risk football, all long balls and passes back to Edwin van der Sar, happy to protect a 0-0. The final result may have been as much a shock to them as to a suddenly seasick Kop.

There is a relaxed air about John O’Shea, only on because of Wayne Rooney’s injury, that some feel prevents him being a very top player, and he stroked in the biggest shot of his life as casually as if he were wearing slippers. “It is definitely the most important goal of my life, without a doubt,” said O’Shea. “To score in such a fashion, with just a minute to go, in front of the Kop at Anfield, was something very special.” Results against Lille and Middlesbrough this week would take United into the last eight of the Champions League and the last four of the FA Cup, and their points and goal difference advantage gives them the opportunity, unlike in 1999, to secure the league title early and concentrate on the other competitions.

Should United and Chelsea keep winning their league matches, and should at least one side reach the FA Cup semi-finals, United would be looking to wrap up a ninth Premiership on May 5, away at Manchester City. Not even 1999 threw up a twist like that.

Surely Mr B...you'd be proud if we secured the title at City....