Manchester United

[muckypups]

You'd be crazy to sell him Chon.. and Joll knows that better than anyone. But in these crazy times where obscene amounts of cash abound then the business deal usually takes preference over the football ideal.. Sadly..

[chonabot]

You'd be crazy to sell him Chon.. and Joll knows that better than anyone. But in these crazy times where obscene amounts of cash abound then the business deal usually takes preference over the football ideal.. Sadly..

True, the only positive that could come out of a deal would be cash plus a decent player coming our way. If that was the case then I imagine Chelsea would be more inclined to let one of their 'stars' go than Man U.

[muckypups]

Would you want Saha?...Maybe, maybe not.. Good player but he carries too many injuries for my liking..

[scousemouse]

Would you want Saha?...Maybe, maybe not.. Good player but he carries too many injuries for my liking..

not saha , the boy's a liability.

[muckypups]

Agree on the Saha issue scousemouse.. His "injuries" are as much mental as physical I think..

So, in the interests of balance a report from the Guardian on last night's reserve team kick-about..

Tame Chelsea and United keep their best in reserve for FA Cup final

Everyone enraged by the ticket allocation system for the FA Cup final would have been appeased when they watched Chelsea and Manchester United being so energetically inept. The visitors, having won the Premiership title with such elan, saw no reason to show that quality here. Their line-up was even weaker than Chelsea's and that alone nurtures the hope that there will be a very different encounter at Wembley on May 19.

The selections will be upgraded and, with luck, so too will the calibre of the play. When a rousing passage did come here it was because the ball ricocheted around the visitors' penalty area following fumbles by the goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak. He had, all the same, made convincing saves from Lassana Diarra and Salomon Kalou.

In the end the lingering significance was of an unhappy sort. Scott Sinclair had made his first start for Chelsea and did enough to remind spectators of his virtuoso goal against Barnet while he was on loan at Plymouth. A tackle by Wes Brown, however, broke a metatarsal and the youngster has a summer of convalescence and rehabilitation ahead of him.

There ought not to have been real hurt in a fixture with no prize at stake. Jose Mourinho's spat with the referee, Graham Poll, over the award of a foul against Claude Makelele did add an authentic feel to the night for a moment or two but the truth had never really been concealed. These clubs were determined to keep something in reserve.

With so many youths and fringe players around the game was designed to have as little relation as possible to the FA Cup final. Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson must be satisfied that their intentions for Wembley have been concealed but no one else went home pleased. Only Brown, Gabriel Heinze and Alan Smith remained from the United starting XI that had chalked up what proved to be a title-winning victory over Manchester City last Saturday. Ferguson had even given a debut to the sturdy Chinese striker Dong Fangzhuo. In addition, Kieran Lee had his first Premiership appearance at right-back.

For the visiting supporters the game was just a part of their purpose in being at Stamford Bridge and not necessarily the most important element. They had come to crow, as is the entitlement of fans looking down on the club who had yielded the title. Mourinho was taunted with a chant of "You're not special any more". It has been quite a while since anyone felt confident about saying that to the Chelsea manager.

His squad had to applaud their Premiership conquerors on to the field. The plan, of course, must have been to follow that by embarrassing United in the game itself but that was not accomplished. In other countries the evening would have been given over to a vapid, technical contest. In England it comes more naturally to wrangle and save technique for another time.

Mikel John Obi, for instance, took exception to a rough challenge by Smith and, seething over it, lunged at Chris Eagles to get himself booked. The contest was brisk and Chelsea, prior to the interval, came closest to a breakthrough when a long, mishit cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips almost sneaked into the top corner after 16 minutes. Earlier he had been put through by Mikel but his attempt was smothered by Kuszczak.

There was a want of incisiveness. United could have gone ahead when Smith fed the ball through to Heinze after 37 minutes only for the Argentinian to hook his attempt wide. Any visitor oblivious to the context would have been incredulous at the news that these were the sides who have been vying for so long to dominate the Premiership.

The introduction of Joe Cole at the interval could have been intended to lift the quality but the next notable incident was Brown's caution for the crude tackle on Sinclair and Diarra, fouling Eagles, was cautioned for Chelsea shortly afterwards. There was a monotonous recklessness and it was not long before Eagles himself saw a yellow card for a challenge, with studs raised, on Wright-Phillips.

"That's why you're champions," the Stamford Bridge support bayed. The truth about United's means of lifting the title is the exact opposite of that but this encounter stifled the best in each side.

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Jeff Powell in the Daily Mail casts his eye over Mourinho and Ferguson...

Jose's salute to the Boss...now that is special

Had it been for rivals under any other manager, that would have been a grudge of honour which Chelsea formed to hand over command of the Premiership at Stamford Bridge.

Not so when the time came for Jose Mourinho to stand his fallen champions in line and applaud Sir Alex Ferguson’s return to glory.

"The Boss" is how the Special One at Stamford Bridge refers to the master of Old Trafford.

"He is the Boss of we, the managers," Mourinho said. "I hope one day, when I’m in my 60s and if I’ve won as much as him, they will call me the Boss."

Ferguson had cemented the respect between champions two years ago when he instructed Manchester United to salute Chelsea’s arrival at Old Trafford as new winners of the Premiership, just as he had done for Arsene’s Arsenal the season before that. A gracious loser Mourinho invariably is not.

Yet he unhesitatingly returned the compliment on Wednesday night and happily took wine with his nemesis after the match.

There was the uplifting sense of boxers embracing each other at the end of a long, punishing fight.

To preserve the tryst, Mourinho had even apologised for insulting Cristiano Ronaldo.

So while we had come to bear witness to a changing of the guard, it was time also to wonder what else the Portuguese man ’o war has gleaned from the Scottish guv’nor of the English game.

Mourinho learned his craft almost like painting by numbers, paying infinite attention to detail and forging teams of iron will and physical resilience who prefer to man the battlements and break out when given the chance of a hit-andrun raid.

That was how he fired Porto to their unlikely Champions League conquest.

Ferguson also demands gallantry but his philosophy was rooted in the romance of the Scottish game and nourished by United’s cavalier traditions. His sides win, mostly, with a flourish.

United were Fergie’s bravehearts, storming the barricades from the off, mounting dramatic comebacks, thrilling the public.

That ethos was encapsulated at Everton. Minutes after they equalised from two down they won another corner.

Instead of calculating that a draw might be enough to inch them nearer the title, they flung two-thirds of their team towards the penalty area, thereby putting down the marker for 4-2 victory.

Their assaults have been mounted on a broad front, Ronaldo and Giggs flooding down the wings.

Chelsea, meanwhile, abandoned the width which helped sweep them to two successive English titles in favour of congesting the centre with strolling celebrities.

They went back to Mourinho’s basics, all the way back to long balls hoisted towards the valiant Drogba.

It speaks volumes for their application that they kept strong-arming their way to belated wins and thereby ran this marathon so close.

But in the end they were beaten by class and the moral courage to express it.

A change of champions alters football’s perspective. Ferguson has tilted the balance from efficiency to adventure and only the one-eyed will not welcome that.

The lessons — not just for Mourinho but for the Chelski politburo — do not end there.

Ferguson bought for the future — Rooney, Ronaldo, Carrick, Vidic — and plans doing so again. Meanwhile in this fixture, which was more ceremonial than significant, he paraded home-grown youth before United’s travelling fans.

Chelsea — be it Mourinho, Abramovich, Kenyon or Arnesen — spent most heavily on left-overs from the immediate past: Ballack, Shevchenko.

Recruitment is a cornerstone of the job and they must trust their manager to manage.

Will he still be there to take up that challenge? Believe it. He fielded a stronger team than United’s reserves in the hope of preserving his record of never losing a home Premiership match.

Now Mourinho heads for a full-bodied reunion with Sir Alex at the new Wembley’s first FA Cup Final.

Miss that? Miss trying to build a dynasty of his own with teeth drawn from the jaw of the resuscitated dinosaur himself? Not if this one is half as special as he claims.

The toast as Fergie uncorked a bottle of vintage claret in Mourinho’s nerve centre last night, was not to championships past and present but to the start of something just as big

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The Times considers possible developments at United in the close season...

Where the big four will look to spend

New owners expected to lead way in close-season buying boom

Manchester United

What they want

Owen Hargreaves and perhaps two or three others (Oliver Kay writes). Hargreaves has been the priority since last summer and the spineless nature of their defeat by AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final has only increased Sir Alex Ferguson’s desire to sign the tough-tackling midfield player, with talks resuming with Bayern Munich this week. Ideally, Ferguson also wants a top-class centre forward, a young full back or two and a left winger who can eventually replace Ryan Giggs.

What they need

To strengthen the weak (or weakening) links in their squad. Most obviously a destructive midfield player in the Hargreaves mould and a centre forward to ease the goalscoring burden on Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Ferguson, though, is equally aware that time may soon start catching up on Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Giggs. Neville’s contribution over the past two seasons has been hampered by injury, which may be one reason why rumours persist of a bid for Micah Richards, of Manchester City.

Realistic targets

Whether realistic or not, Dimitar Berbatov is attracting covetous glances after an impressive season with Tottenham Hotspur, putting him ahead of Fernando Torres (Atlético Madrid), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax) and Michael Owen on Ferguson’s wanted list. Nani, Ronaldo’s successor at Sporting Lisbon, is a contender for the left-wing berth. Gareth Bale, Southampton’s young left back, is a target, but not a priority.

Budget

Only the Glazers can answer that. The Americans allow for a net annual transfer budget of £25 million, but Ferguson has not got close to that over the past two summers, never mind seeing the extra £25 million reserved for a “superstar” signing. Following a season that may prove to be the most successful in the club’s history in financial terms, will they give Ferguson £50 million-plus or will they look only to reduce their interest payments?

Departures

Only months after signing a new long-term contract, Louis Saha’s relationship with Ferguson is suffering, with the France forward’s mental (as much as physical) fragility infuriating the manager in recent weeks. Gabriel Heinze or Mikaël Silvestre may also be allowed to leave. Youngsters such as Phil Bardsley and Chris Eagles may be sold with a view to creating opportunities for even younger players, such as Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart and Darron Gibson.

[soihok]

For the sake of not looking crap(which is quite unlikely for Man U) please dont lose to Wesht Am on Sunday.,

[muckypups]

I've gone from thinking that the game was a certain draw to predicting a United victory.. celebrate in style and all that. Plus.. West Ham have a decent set of results against us, Wigan don't.. Therefore; United to win 3-1...

[keddy]

I've gone from thinking that the game was a certain draw to predicting a United victory.. celebrate in style and all that. Plus.. West Ham have a decent set of results against us, Wigan don't.. Therefore; United to win 3-1...

Which United? If you mean West Ham United I'd have to agree with you, won last 3; goals for 7 against 1. Won 6 out of the last 8. We have also beaten Man U already this season and the Gooners twice. So don't think we're gong to roll over when we have a chance to save ourselves, as well as, piss on their parade.

[muckypups]

I would hardly expect you to roll over when you have so much to play for Keddy, and there's no doubt that West Ham have been on fire in recent games. Ignoring all the off-pitch argy bargy (ahem...) Curbishley has you playing great football at the moment. Of course United will want to win at home.. but they can live with a defeat now the Trophy is safe. I have nothing to base my prediction on other than I feel it.. United to win. I may well be wrong.. and you'll stuff us 3 or 4-0.. everything is possible on the last day of the season..

[muckypups]

Neville still injured, and it looks like Saha's on his way out...From The Guardian:

Ferguson fears the worst for final as Neville runs out of time

Gary Neville will lift the Premiership trophy for Manchester United at the end of tomorrow's match against West Ham at Old Trafford but the club captain is having to come to terms with the news that he will almost certainly miss the FA Cup final.

Sir Alex Ferguson also has to plan for next Saturday's contest against Chelsea without Louis Saha with the striker ruled out for the rest of the season. Neville has not played since injuring his ankle during United's 4-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers on March 17 and Ferguson does not believe there is sufficient time to recover.

"He has been doing some running but he's obviously up against it in terms of making the final," said the United manager. "We'll give him a chance because he deserves that but he will have to do some serious work in full training next week to have any hope. Whether it's soon enough, I have my doubts unfortunately."

The absence of Neville is offset by the fact that Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho has given his influential centre-half Ricardo Carvalho a "one per cent" chance of being fit. John O'Shea and Wes Brown have been capable deputies in the right-back position and, likewise, Saha's recurrent injury problems have not affected the team too badly. Nonetheless, Ferguson has become increasingly exasperated by Saha's susceptibility to injury and it has led to angry words behind the scenes at the training ground. Saha has started only four matches in 2007 and there have been three occasions in the past six weeks when Ferguson has thought the player was fit only for him to pull out at the last minute.

"He has picked up an injury in his knee, believe it or not," said a frustrated Ferguson. "He was pencilled in to play against Manchester City last Saturday but he got an injury the day before in training. He felt it on the Saturday morning. We were ready to pick him for the team but unfortunately this knee injury surfaced. I would say he has no chance [for the final]."

United yesterday released a statement to re-iterate they had broken no regulations regarding Tim Howard's transfer to Everton. They say the gentlemen's agreement with Everton that Howard should not play in the league fixture against United was ratified by the Premier League.

[muckypups]

Fergie on the match tomorrow..From The Times:

No place for friendship as United vow to play fair

With the Premier League title already won and an FA Cup Final on the horizon, Manchester United’s players might be tempted to go easy on West Ham United tomorrow – not least Rio Ferdinand, whose brother Anton, faces the threat of relegation with the visiting team – but Sir Alex Ferguson has promised Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic that there will be no favours for his good friend Alan Curbishley.

When Curbishley signed off as Charlton Athletic manager last season, Ferguson surprised him by presenting him with two first-class return tickets to visit his sister in New Zealand, but the United manager insists that there will be no charity in terms of his team selection tomorrow, even if Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney may again be left out of the starting lineup in readiness for next Saturday’s showdown with Chelsea at Wembley.

“It’s a difficult game for us, against a team at the bottom of the league fighting for survival, and, while one or two players won’t play, in the main it will be a strong team I put out,” Ferguson said. “We will do that to represent ourselves in a proper way and to be fair to everyone. I think that everyone knows the English game is 100 per cent honest and people do their best. That is what we will do on Sunday.

“Alan Curbishley is a very good friend of mine, but he understands I have to respect the issues of the other managers as well. They [Wigan and Sheffield United] deserve our best attention to the game and I will be picking a team to win.”

Ferguson has plenty of reasons to want his team to end their Premiership campaign on a high. He recalled yesterday how West Ham’s supporters delighted in depriving them of the league title at Upton Park in 1995; victory would give United 92 points, equalling their record from the 1993-94 season, when they played 42 matches rather than 38; and of course there is the incentive to put on a show for the supporters before being awarded the trophy after the game.

The trophy will be lifted by Gary Neville, but the United captain will play no part in the game and, like Louis Saha, is losing his race to be fit for the FA Cup Final. Neville has not resumed full training since damaging ankle ligaments on March 17 and Ferguson said he was doubtful that the full back will be fit to face Chelsea.

Saha has disappointed Ferguson with a cautious approach to his rehabilitation from hamstring and knee injuries, but the France forward said he was keen to remain at Old Trafford. “I want to stay. I have just won my first title with United and I want so much to win other titles [here]. I love my club and I don’t want to leave it,” he said.

— Any Chelsea or Manchester United player sent off tomorrow will be suspended for the FA Cup Final next Saturday, but no one at the two clubs can be banned from the Wembley match because of an accumulation of yellow cards. At this stage of the season, only players who have received 15 bookings are given a suspension and no Chelsea or United player is at risk.

[muckypups]

From The Independent..

Curbishley rules out conspiracy theories

Five months as West Ham United manager and Alan Curbishley has already lived through some of the most outlandish football sub-plots ever to have hit a club but he refused to accept yesterday that one more waits in store. As his side play Manchester United tomorrow, with their Premiership status at stake, Curbishley said that he did not believe that Sheffield United and Wigan would conspire together to send his team down.

Survival Sunday has many implications but for a club with the pariah status of West Ham - after the Tevez-Mascherano affair - there is one that they may fear the most. Should United beat West Ham and Wigan win at Bramall Lane by anything up to two clear goals, then it would be Curbishley's side going down on goal difference. And given the level of feeling against West Ham, would Curbishley rule out an anti-West Ham conspiracy?

The West Ham manager still wears the thousand-yard stare of a man who has lived life on the brink this season but even he would not let that kind of paranoia gnaw away at him.

"There has been lots of talk this week and I think Sheffield United and Wigan have got to do what they have to do and secure their result and hope it all falls into place," he said. "In the last game of the season there are so many twists and I don't think Sheffield United will forget what happened in 1994 when they played Chelsea and for a lot of the game they were safe, then it got turned around. You can't legislate for what can happen on that day. Wigan know what they have to do and if we pick anything up we have done our job. I don't think anyone can go into it other than flat out to try to get their result."

The omens are not encouraging. It was West Ham who denied Sir Alex Ferguson the title on the last day of the season in 1995, a game in which they had nothing to play for yet still put in an "obscene" amount of effort according to United manager Alex Ferguson. And he never forgets, apparently telling his players to make sure they sent Harry Redknapp's South-ampton down two years ago as a payback to West Ham's former manager.

This time, with the Premiership trophy safe, United have nothing to play for but Curbishley said he expected that Ferguson would be true to his word and pick a strong side.

"I am sure there will be a lot of familiar names on the team-sheet," Curbishley said. "Whatever side they put out they will be going out to win and I am sure it will be packed with familiar names. Not as unfamiliar as the Liverpool team last week."

There was a minor dig there at the Rafael Benitez selection that gifted Fulham three crucial points last Saturday, and again history is not with West Ham. In the last home game for United's first title in 1993, the trophy was already won but at 1-0 down to Blackburn at half-time, Ferguson tore into his players who had spent much of the previous 48 hours celebrating. They won the match 3-1.

[muckypups]

From The Independent:

Special One bows to The Boss - but we know the truce is only temporary

Ferguson is not afraid to cull but his prescience is remarkable

For some observers a couple of weeks ago, such a defeat surely signalled the end of an epoch. His hour had come, and it was time for the leader of the party in red to quit and revel in his legacy, was the dispiriting conclusion at the San Siro to his team's latest European tour. Successors were touted among those entitled to walk in his footprints, though none would ever be a carbon copy: Mark Hughes, Roy Keane, Martin O'Neill.

Sir Alex Ferguson responded to such impudence with a refusal to concede his pensionable status - "I still think I'm 58" - and his own version of New Labour's 1997 mantra: "This team will get even better."

And so they can; granted a rearguard in full health, one bolstered by Southampton's Gareth Bale, protected by the enforcer Owen Hargreaves and given a still-maturing assault force of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, reinforced by Dimitar Berbatov (always assuming Bayern Munich's demands are not so great that even the champions cannot meet them, and that Tottenham are prepared to be complicit in United's glory game and dispense with their treasured Bulgarian). And also assuming that Michael Carrick yields consistently what he has promised.

But given all that, Ferguson is as aware as any that the world outside Old Trafford will not stand obligingly still for him. The constructor of United teams who has constantly sought to upgrade and renovate rather than to stand back and admire his existing properties knows that will not be the case; not this dollar-rich, TV deal-fuelled summer. From Anfield to Stamford Bridge to the Emirates, things can only get better, too.

Whatever Liverpool's fate in their reprise of the European conflict of 2005, this time in Athens, it is the League title, last won in 1990, that truly excites the imagination of the Kop. Come the Americans, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and comes the expectation that they will get the ultimate bang for their bucks. Rafa Benitez will have his prowess as an elite manager examined as never before. Mean-while Arsenal remain a perennial threat, if only they could tease goals from the myriad chances so deftly created. The return of Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie can only help to address that. The Gunners could also yet be the recipients of money from across the pond.

And, of course, there is Ferguson's erstwhile nemesis, Jose Mourinho. Wednesday's confrontation began with a guard of honour not so much for United's battled-hardened, triumphant troops as for many who were little more than virgin soldiers. Neither team appeared enthused by this attempt to introduce an almost Corinthian sportsmanship to affairs. Just over an hour after that unofficial ceremonial the same players were remonstrating with the referee, Graham Poll, and demanding their opponents should be disciplined.

But it was respect, of sorts, an attitude reflected in the host manager's response. At the final whistle, Mourinho drew the line at the Full Jose, that Mediterranean embrace which he bestows on those he regards as kindred spirits. For The Boss - his description - the Portuguese restricted himself to a pat of his adversary's jowls. It was all a bit too tactile, one felt, for Ferguson, but peace had been restored, even if it was as uneasy a pact as that between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness. One suspects it was merely a truce. Until Saturday's FA Cup final.

It is curious how the coming of Mourinho has altered our perception of the Scot more than 20 years his senior, and caused some mass revisions of history. It was not so long ago that many revelled in the misfortunes of his side, pouring scorn on the utterances of the gum-chewing, acerbic Ferguson. Not because of Tall Scottie Syndrome. Admiration for his teams' eight titles was certainly forthcoming. It was simply that outside his natural constituency of support there was a distaste for Ferguson's refusal to observe anything beyond his own team.

Remember, back in 2002, when Ferguson protested after his side's Champions' League elimination that United had still been the best team in the Premiership since Christmas? It provoked that wonderfully cutting retort from Arsène Wenger: "Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home."

What cannot be denied this season is that Ferguson has in harness one of the most aesthetically blessed teams, at home and away. The side he has fashioned have brought a warm glow and taken the edge off those rubicund Glaswegian features. In comparison to Mourinho, an undergraduate of Myopia and Related Studies, the Scot has almost become cuddly. And more than that, his club, once regarded the big-buying bullies, have come to be regarded as almost impoverished. Last week Ferguson referred to Chelsea's "spending power" as though he was United's old self-styled guv'nor Paul Ince down the road at Macclesfield, not the manager of one of the world's wealthiest clubs.

Yet that penury does not seem to have denied Ferguson the capability to buy Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo. And ulti-mately it was Ronaldo who won the title for United, or at least offered them a tantalising added ingredient, just as it was Didier Drogba who ensured that Chelsea hung on in there to the bitter end.

It says everything about Ferguson's key virtue. Management is all about lassoing and taming the young colt approaching the zenith of his powers. And, just as crucially, in later years knowing when to place the gun at his skull. Roy Keane departed. Ryan Giggs, despite the speculation, stayed and, now well into his thirties, continues to prosper. He now boasts a Pharoah's burial chamber of prizes. That's "Nine times Giggsy", as he was hailed in training last week.

Ferguson is not afraid to cull - often seemingly prematurely; at times brutally - but generally with a remarkable prescience. It is difficult to recall a United player cut adrift who has disproved his judgement.

He speaks of an accord within his squad and how this group "seemed to gel straight away. The spirit was brilliant". Yet, at the dénouement of this intriguing season-long slogathon, Mourinho could speak of a similar esprit de corps. His men, even those who may have bridled at the reported earnings of Andriy Schevchenko, who was seemingly foisted on Mourinho, and Michael Ballack, have played for the man, if not necessarily for the club, who have only in recent weeks declared a continuing belief in the manager.

Both clubs saw principal defenders cut down by injury. Ferguson's problems tended to be more readily negated by the prowess of his forwards. Chelsea's loss of John Terry and Petr Cech, and at various times Ricardo Carvalho, was to cost them significantly more than the absence of Vidic and Ferdinand for United. We can only speculate on the effect had the Portuguese enjoyed freedom to buy in January.

But that would be to deny Ferguson his moment. Chelsea may have their Pensioners. But just when many believed the art of winning the major trophies had begun to elude him, United have demonstrated the virtue of one very special OAP.

[muckypups]

The Independent on the extraordinary Ryan Giggs:

Giggs: 'This can be the best United ever'

United's favourite old son is revelling in a new central role - and is convinced Ferguson's latest creation could surpass previous generations

Spring is in the air and in everyone's step around Old Trafford, most notably in that of the oldest of the old boys. Once Chelsea's new money took over from Arsenal's aristocrats, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs must privately have wondered whether their handsome medal collection was complete; but after today's home game with West Ham the Premiership trophy will be handed back to Manchester United, and on Saturday the chance exists to complete a fourth Double. Giggs, like Ferguson, appears to have been given a new lease of life by the emergence of this young United side and there is something touching about his obvious excitement at the prospect of walking out at Wembley again.

Winning the Cup would be Giggs's 17th major honour, eclipsing Liverpool's Phil Neal as the English game's most decorated player, and at 33 he is entitled to adopt an air of having seen it all before. Instead, a boyish enthusiasm shines through, undiminished by life as an elder statesman and father of two in his £5 million Victorian pile: "For me personally it was great to play in Cardiff, but as far as I'm concerned the FA Cup final should be played at Wembley. It looks very good on the television and we're just excited to be back. It gave us an extra incentive, because you want to be at the first Cup final at Wembley, you don't want to miss out and be sat at home watching on TV thinking, 'We could be there'. That's where it belongs, and you want to be part of it."

In Giggs's case it will be a seventh Cup final, the previous half-dozen having produced four wins and two defeats. And in the beginning, at Wembley 1994, there was Chelsea, albeit a very different outfit under Glenn Hoddle to the force United will face this week: "Winning the first one [4-0] was obviously a good memory, it was a Double-winning season, one of the few occasions it rained, which I was quite happy with because I didn't particularly like playing at Wembley.

"It was sticky and dry and for someone who likes to dribble it was always tough, the grass was so lush. Actually I think Chelsea beat us twice in the League that season. They hit the crossbar and they were the better team in the first half, but then we got the first goal and deserved to win in the end. I hope it's 4-0 again but I don't think it will be! In '95 we got beat by Everton, which was disappointing, but one of the most memorable FA Cups was probably Liverpool the next year, beating our biggest rivals, great memories of that game."

If neutrals were less enamoured by that desperately dour encounter, Giggs provided them with a genuinely iconic Cup moment en route to his next final in 1999. In a thrilling semi-final replay against Arsenal at Villa Park, he scored one of the great individual goals with that slalom through the defence, rounded off by a slashing shot and hairy-chested, shirt-waving celebration. Victory over Newcastle at Wembley completed another Double but Cardiff, while home from home, provided mixed memories, with a routine win over Millwall and an undeserved defeat on penalties after dominating Arsenal the following year.

For a while he could not be sure of a starting place, and on one occasion was even jeered by United supporters when substituted against Blackburn. Yet the kids who threatened his place have now helped his rejuvenation and reinvention as a central midfielder. "Certain players give you a new lease of life," he says. "You get a buzz from watching them play, and in the last couple of days I've got a real buzz out of seeing the faces of the lads who've won their first championship.

"I remember when I won my first championship, it's the best feeling in the world, and to get that buzz and see their faces, how they're so happy to have done it, that's definitely been a factor in enjoying my football a little bit more this season. Seeing the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and the performances of Fletcher and Sheasy [O'Shea] gives you a lift, because there's real quality in the team and it's great to see."

With Ronaldo and often Rooney out wide, Giggs and Paul Scholes have brought their experience to bear in a more central role that he feels could help prolong his career further; perhaps even beyond the contract that expires at the end of next season. He needs 46 more appearances to overhaul Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 759 and Ferguson believes he can play for at least two more years.

"I've enjoyed playing in a central role, you're involved a lot more than on the wing, where you're reliant on people giving you the ball. Even when I play on the wing I'm not playing like I did 10 years ago anyway. You use your experience and positional sense and just try to be clever. You aren't going to be as quick at 33 as you were at 17 but you are maybe a bit quicker in the brain and have that experience as well."

As to Saturday's task, and in particular the contrast in the two teams' styles: "I've got to be careful what I say! We're a bit more cavalier whereas Chelsea are a bit more patient, European in a way, how they pack the midfield, try to get possession of the ball. They've got that defensive base and platform but also players who can go out and win games. We probably play a little bit differently, with wide men and players who can score from anywhere, that's the way United have always played."

He is clearly proud to have been a part of that tradition ever since his 14th birthday, the day on which Ferguson arrived in person on his doorstep to secure a coveted signature. Now he goes as far as to say that the manager's latest creation could become his best: "Potentially this team can be the best definitely, because of the quality and age of the team. So many players are at the start of their career or are starting to hit their peak and we genuinely have world-class players. There's real quality in the squad, and depth. Obviously, you need things to go right for you injury-wise, but potentially this side can be consistently good over the next five or six years."

He does acknowledge, however, that to be universally acclaimed as the best United side of modern times would necessitate securing another European crown at least: "It's always something you want to achieve. You always want to win the Premiership, then after that it's the Champions' League. You can't really prioritise, but this season the target was to win the Premiership, then the next step is the Champions' League. We deserved the Premiership this year, we played great football but have been consistent and had that bit of steel as well. Now can we go on and win it again? I'm sure we can, because we've got the ability and the hunger."

Although Giggs is not big on personal milestones, a 10th championship would assuredly have a certain ring - as well as almost certainly never being beaten. In the meantime, he has regained a place in both the team and supporters' hearts that was briefly - and inexplicably - lost.

The Record-Breaker: The public life of Private Ryan

Long-Service Awards

In addition to his record haul of nine League titles, eclipsing the eight won by Alan Hansen and Phil Neal, Giggs holds the record for trophies won by a player; he has earned four FA Cup and two League Cup medals and a Champions' League medal to sit alongside those League souvenirs, plus has finished runner-up in the Premiership four times, the FA Cup twice and League Cup twice.

Brothers United In Triumph

Ryan isn't the only Giggs to play on the wing for United and win a title this season; his younger brother Rhodri turns out on the right (and sometimes as a striker) for FC United of Man-chester, the club set up by fans opposed to the Glazers' takeover at Old Trafford. This season they are First Division champions of the North West Counties League, having won the Second Division last year.

Major Disappointment

Giggs won his 62nd cap for Wales in the 3-0 win against San Marino in March, but has yet to play in a major championship. The enduring myth that he could have elected to play for England stems from his appearances for England Schoolboys, but that was open to anyone being educated in the country. Giggs was born in Wales to Welsh parents (though his father, the rugby league player Danny Wilson, was originally from Sierra Leone) and would not have qualified to play for England.

Fistful Of Firsts

Giggs was the first to win the PFA Young Player of the Year Award twice (1992-93), a feat since emulated by Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney. He is the scorer of United's fastest goal, after 15 seconds against Southampton in November 1995, is the first player in Champions' League history to score in 12 successive seasons, and is one of only two players (the other is Gary Speed) to score in every Premiership season.

Classic Remark From Homer

Giggs is the only Premiership player to be mentioned in The Simpsons, in November 2003 when Homer, visiting England, says to Marge: "Can you believe they gave Giggs a yellow card?"

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I just had to...

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The Independent on the team against West Ham..:

Ferguson denies breaking selection promise

Sir Alex Ferguson did not confine his impressions of Ryan Giggs to mere memories yesterday. Having sold a dummy to Neil Warnock with a weakened team against West Ham on Sunday, the Manchester United manager continued a run reminiscent of the Welsh winger when he swerved any blame for Sheffield United's relegation and the end of his counterpart's tenure at Bramall Lane.

The United manager denied promising to field his strongest team against the Hammers, whose victory at Old Trafford preserved their Premiership status at the expense of Sheffield United and prompted Warnock to accuse both Ferguson and Liverpool's Rafael Benitez of contributing to their relegation in the aftermath of defeat by Wigan.

Warnock's ire was fuelled by the Liverpool reserve team that faced Fulham in the penultimate game of the season and the omission of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs from the FA Cup finalists starting line-up against West Ham. With outrageous spin, however, Ferguson insisted he had honoured a pledge to field "his strongest possible team".

"I never said I would play my strongest team. I said we would play a strong team," the United manager claimed. "It was my strongest possible team given the fact our players had played so many games and were tired against Manchester City. I had to put out a fresh team to represent us in a proper way.

"I don't think playing Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes would have been the right thing to do," he added, "and when they came on against West Ham I didn't get anything out of them, so that shows it was the right decision.

"The City game showed we were tired. We have had 14 or 15 players who have carried us through the end of March, the whole of April to the beginning of May and had no real support because of all the players we have had injured."

Despite the disappointments aired by Warnock, Ferguson revealed he had spoken to the former Sheffield United manager since Sunday and settled their differences during a conversation about West Ham's good fortune.

Ferguson said: "I have spoken to Neil Warnock and his opinion was that the press had overplayed it. He was hoping I would play my strongest team but I think he knew it was impossible for me with the FA Cup final coming up.

"I don't think anyone can criticise us for what happened on Sunday. We did our best and we should have won that game. I said to Neil that West Ham carried their luck, extraordinary bits of luck. When you think of their game at Blackburn Rovers [when West Ham's winner did not appear to cross the goal-line] and then seven wins out of nine - that's championship form and there has never been a relegation team that has done that."

Ferguson's main priority now, of course, is the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday when Giggs will replace the injured Gary Neville as United captain and bid to become the most decorated player in the competition since the 19th century. The 33-year-old eclipsed the Liverpool duo of Phil Neal and Alan Hansen in collecting his ninth championship medal last weekend and he can equal another record with a fifth FA Cup triumph - a feat only achieved by Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers and Old Etonians), Charles Wollaston (Wanderers) and Jimmy Forrest (Blackburn Rovers).

"With Gary out, Ryan will be captain on Saturday and it will cap a remarkable season for the lad," Ferguson confirmed. "Nine championships, and the contribution he has made, is amazing. If Ryan finished tomorrow he would stand high in the list of Manchester United greats. He has spent 16 years tramping up and down that left wing and no other player has done that in the history of the Premier League.

"When Ryan was 13 he was the only player who I felt was a certainty to make it. I remember saying to Bobby Charlton: 'You have to come and see this kid.' And our opinion was absolutely correct."

All I can say it that it's a bit rich for Neil Warnock to accuse Fergie of being unable to beat relegation candidates at home..

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Good stuff from Hugh Mcilvanney in The Times:

Fergie has last laugh

Many of today’s cheerleaders were enthusiastic gravediggers not so long ago but perhaps that is the price Sir Alex Ferguson has to pay for the longevity and resilience of his competitive will. Once the Abramovich-Mourinho juggernaut had rolled out of Stamford Bridge to obliterate any trace of an effective challenge for national supremacy in two consecutive seasons, it was probably inevitable that burial parties would start assembling around Ferguson’s management career. But a study of his personal history should have hinted that they would soon be looking up in embarrassment from a hole they had dug for themselves.

Those who were most certain (and often gleefully so) that he was about to be consigned to the archives must now realise - as they shamefacedly applaud his winning of a ninth Premiership title - how much of a mistake it was to presume an enfeebling decline in the near-miraculous energy with which he has been building one marvellously exceptional football team after another for nearly three decades. It was probably natural to wonder if a man who would celebrate his 65th birthday in the final hours of 2006, especially somebody with a nourishing family life and ample money to enjoy it, could once again summon enough of his old obsessive commitment to carry the fight to a Chelsea who not only wielded unprecedented financial power but had a brilliant and youthful zealot of their own in Jose Mourinho. What was offensive was the pleasure so many took in forecasting an undignified exit for Ferguson.

Back in December 2005, with Manchester United having been ejected early from that season’s Champions League after finishing bottom of their section in the group phase and already bereft of realistic prospects of catching Chelsea in the Premiership, and with the full effects of the Glazers’ takeover at Old Trafford still unclear, his staunchest admirers were concerned about the pain the immediate future might hold for him. Knowing that grudge-bearers were queuing up to tell him he had stayed around too long, we shuddered at the thought of the vindictive wrongs that might be visited on him if he were dispatched by remote control from Florida. However, fears that the American owners wouldn’t give him enough time to restore glory to United happily proved unfounded. And the time he needed to contrive a transformation turned out to be incredibly short.

Though it can hardly be suggested that the scale and rapidity and aggressive style of the revival have not been generously honoured, it seems to me that the feat deserves even more recognition that it has received.

People too easily forget just how predictable this league campaign had appeared before a ball was kicked last August. Ladbrokes priced Chelsea at 5-2 on, with United at 5-1, Liverpool 6-1 and Arsenal 9-1. The odds against Liverpool and Arsenal swiftly became laughable as they stumbled irretrievably out of contention, leaving United solely responsible for resisting Mourinho’s charge on a title treble. Only two points ahead at Christmas, Ferguson’s men occasionally sank alarmingly below their best standards, suffering the odd unlikely and damaging defeat, but they did not crack. Their lead was threatened but never eroded and they have crossed the finishing line in comfort. Refusing to let their spirit be polluted by the widespread assumption that Chelsea would grind them down, they travelled towards triumph as if it were their right and the resolute steadiness of their progress has created a tendency to underestimate the extraordinariness of the journey. Whatever is said about the handicaps inflicted on Mourinho by himself and others – the debilitating consequences of the rift with his employer, Roman Abramovich, the failure to compensate in defence for the departure of William Gallas and Robert Huth, the disruption caused by the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, the frequently serious injury list – Chelsea did not surrender the Premiership crown. United took it. If they beat West Ham at Old Trafford today, they will have amassed a points aggregate that is one more than their rivals had last season (when, according to Mourinho, “everything was running fantastic for us”) and will have scored far more goals than the champions did in either 2005 or 2006.

That amounts to an immense accomplishment and though the lavishing of tributes must start with the performers on the field, where the reassertion of Paul Scholes’s potent intelligence and sublime craftsmanship, the burgeoning influence of Cris-tiano Ronaldo and the reinforcing introduction of Nemanja Vidic at the back were particularly significant, much of the credit belongs to Ferguson, to his multiplicity of well-honed talents and his huge gift for making his insatiable combative drive contagious. In voting for the Premiership manager-of-the-year award to be announced tomorrow his claims should have swamped all others.

A case has been made for Steve Coppell, on the basis of the splendid job he has done with desperately limited resources at Reading, but hoisting his club fractionally better than halfway up the table scarcely provides a conclusive argument. Rafa Benitez, too, has had his advocates. They say that bringing Liverpool the chance to win their second Champions League final in three years while Manchester United were failing miserably at the semi-final stage gives him the edge. But Benitez’s decision to concentrate on Europe was inseparable from a total inability to compete at the top in England. It was Alex Ferguson who demonstrated that, even over the long haul of a Premiership season, Abramovich’s billions can’t buy superiority. Ferguson is the manager of the year.

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The player may feel differently but I'll be surprised if Saha is at United next season..

'Sir Alex Ferguson's relationship with Louis Saha has become increasingly strained because of the striker's susceptibility to injury, with the Frenchman claiming he was not fit enough even to attend Manchester United's end-of-season dinner. Saha, a conspicuous absentee as Cristiano Ronaldo was named as the club's player of the year, has started only four games in 2007 and Ferguson believes the former Fulham striker may become a liability.

United's manager has had angry words with Saha behind the scenes and has pointedly remarked in press conferences that the player needs to feel he is 100% fit or he does not play. The inference is that most players would try to run off niggling injuries and that Saha did not show the same dedication as others.

Saha has had recurrent hamstring problems and, having finally been given the medical all-clear, he has been ruled out of Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea after damaging knee cartilage in training. He was at Old Trafford on Sunday to collect his Premiership winner's medal but he later submitted a doctor's note explaining that he was unable to drive and would therefore not attend the club dinner. Although he was given permission to stay at home, it is felt by some inside the club that he could have made it.

The episode is unlikely to have improved Ferguson's faltering opinion of the former Fulham attacker, with every other player from the senior, reserve and youth academy squads in attendance apart from Park Ji-sung, who is recovering from a major knee operation.

Ferguson's primary concern is that he wanted Saha to form a regular partnership with Wayne Rooney in attack. After an encouraging start to the season, Saha lost his place when Henrik Larsson joined on loan and has subsequently suffered a string of injuries. Three and a half years after signing for United for £12.8m he has started only 66 games and, to Ferguson's irritation, there have been three occasions in the past six weeks when he has been pencilled in to make his comeback, and given the all-clear by the club's doctors, only to rule himself out at the last minute.

Ferguson's frustrations derive from the fact that United are generally at their best when Saha is in attack. The striker, for his part, has made it clear he wants to remain at Old Trafford. "There is no reason to leave," he said last night. "We have just won the title and I want to stay at the club to help us win more championships."

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The Independent:

O'Shea shoots on sight along his road to United redemption

With the grand total of four goals from five attempts John O'Shea has materialised as the most accurate marksman in the Premiership this season and he has not wasted the opportunity to rub it in the noses of the disbelieving Manchester United forward line.

"I've been giving the strikers stick about that statistic," says the Irishman. "The ratio is only high because I don't have many shots but I wouldn't mind outscoring Didier Drogba at Wembley on Saturday."

Another grandiose feat of the 26-year-old from Waterford is that he represents the barometer of United's transformation these past 18 months. That mantle will broker less argument at Old Trafford which, given the contrast between the past two press conferences O'Shea has held for his club, is a sign of progress comparable to leaving Drogba in the new Wembley shade tomorrow afternoon.

It is 1 November, 2005. Mutiny is in the air as United officials censure Roy Keane's infamous 'Play the Pundit' appearance on MUTV while, in a Parisian hotel, O'Shea sits beside Sir Alex Ferguson to preview the Champions League game against Lille.

The following night at the Stade De France, United deliver a dreadful performance, yet even before kick-off there is confirmation of the despair caused by a preceding drubbing at Middlesbrough and Keane's honest analysis as several of his targets, O'Shea among them, are jeered in the warm-up by the travelling support. Keane's name is sung throughout the game.

Today, back in front of the media again and having been heralded by Ferguson as integral to the destination of the title, O'Shea is candid as he retraces hisroad to redemption.

"I was aware of the criticism at that time," the United defender recalls. "I had to do a press conference before the Lille game and I was fully aware of the atmosphere because the manager was tapping me during the press conference to make sure I got my answers correct. When you lose 4-1 at Middlesbrough and then to Lille, that didn't help matters.

"For me it was easy to shut out the criticism because it was all on the outside and I knew what was being said by the manager on the inside, so it wasn't affecting me. "

Despite igniting an inflammable situation that winter, Keane remains a major inspiration to his compatriot. "His determination, his will-to-win, everything about him was a very positive influence," says O'Shea.

"When you do get your chance you have to give the manager a tough choice to leave you out. That was difficult last season," he admits. " The last time we won the League I was a regular in the team. I was a regular the next season but then in and out for the next two seasons. It is just about finding that consistency level and I think I've found that now."

Only Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have made more appearances this season than O'Shea butthe description of a squad player is one that is still levelled at him. "I don't accept it," he insists.

But there is likely to be cause for complaint for either O'Shea or Wes Brown tomorrow, as the pair vie for the injured Gary Neville's right back slot. Perhaps a prolific goalscoring record will swing the vote the way of O'Shea.

* Cristiano Ronaldo last night completed a clean sweep of awards for the season. The 22-year-old Manchester United winger received the Football Writers' Association award for his outstanding season.

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The Times on Ronaldo...:

How a boy fulfilled an island of dreams

Tearful in defeat but talented in the extreme, Cristiano Ronaldo instilled pride in family and friends on his journey to fame and fortune

Alberto João Jardim was reelected as president of Madeira 12 days ago and one of his first decisions was to have Cristiano Ronaldo’s former house knocked down. Three days into his new term of office, a digger duly arrived and flattened it. “Maybe they will build a statue there,” Hugo, Ronaldo’s elder brother, said, sarcasm ringing in his voice. But it just so happens that the razing of Ronaldo’s house is a compliment, albeit a peculiar one.

You do not have to look far for such compliments on this lush Atlantic island. The “favourite son” cliché he fulfils to the letter, though the competition is not exactly tough. No one here can recall another person to have stepped from its sleepy shores into world reknown. Someone mentioned a poet but could not recall the name. And the football diehards also recall Chino Termura, Petita and Nelson Fer-reira, players of a bygone generation who made the leap to the mainland but landed in the drinking establishments and left their reputations there.

So feelings for Ronaldo here are as warm as the sun. But beyond natural local pride, you could hardly find a more genuine compliment than that being paid just 30 metres down the road from the rubble of his home, in Bar Falcão, an unlovely, everyday, working-class bar run by Miguel Andrade, who has known Ronaldo since they were boys.

“We all grew up with a dream and Cristiano is making it come true,” he said. The day his friend signed for Manchester United, Andrade told him he wanted to be there when he won the Premiership and at the start of last week two tickets duly arrived for the match against West Ham United.

Andrade went with Hugo and Dolores, Ronaldo’s mother, and had his picture taken with Wayne Rooney, Alan Smith and celebrity celebrant Jus-tin Timberlake. His most prized piece of footage is the video of the fireworks blasting and the stadium announcer calling out Ronaldo’s name. He now has it playing on a loop on the bar TV.

“He always comes back here,” Andrade said. And this is the point, the same one made by other clientele and other childhood friends. Once tomorrow’s FA Cup Final is done, Ronaldo will be back here playing pool with them again. It is a decade since he departed Madeira in pursuit of his dream, but he never really left.

So the two most famous Portuguese faces at Wembley tomorrow will not divide the punters here. They, too, find José Mourinho’s tongue a turn-off and when he called their Ronaldo “ill-edu-cated” they laughed at the irony that he also dubbed him “disrespectful”.

When Ronaldo comes back, Jardim invariably indulges in a photo opportunity. He is simply too big to miss. The President even attended Ronaldo’s father’s funeral. On an island where there is little news, Ronaldo is a massive headline – and that is why his old house had to go.

Mourinho’s comments hardly helped, but so frequently had pictures of the small building with its corrugated iron roof been published in newspapers around the world that it was deemed bad publicity. Madeira is no tin-shack island – that is the message. And for the record, Ronaldo long ago bought a far lovelier house for his mother, but it is still a short drive from Miguel’s bar.

So first let us nail those slurs on his education. His school in Madeira, Escola de São João, is a church school and thus strong on discipline and morality, and popular with all stratas of society. His former head teacher recalls in particular Ronaldo’s fine performance in the lead role of a school play about St Francis of Assisi. She says that she always suspected he rushed his homework in order to play football, but that he passed every year.

His sister, Elma, tells a similar story. “He was always in the street playing football,” she said. “The whole family told him to pay attention to his school-work, but he’d just stay in the street with his ball. But it was a good school. The only year that he did fail was when he was 11, when he moved to the mainland, to Sporting Lisbon.”

As for the popular depiction of an upbringing in Third World poverty, that is an exaggeration. Their father was a gardener, their mother a cook. “We worked for a living like everyone did,” Elma said proudly. “Cristiano didn’t have Nike shoes, but it’s not as if he was playing football in bare feet.”

“He was 6 when I got my first job, making aluminium window frames,” Hugo said. “And when Elma started working, too, we did get a better, more stable life. When I got home from work it was 9.30pm and he’d still be there kicking the ball against the wall and I’d have to tell him to go home.”

On the pitch back then, he is remembered for a similar single-mindedness. From his local team, he joined the academy of Nacional, the Madeira club, and neither can recall him enduring a single defeat without crying. “When they were losing, he’d be playing and crying at the same time,” Pedro Talhinhas, his coach at Nacional, said. “We’d talk to him about it but it was his will to win – it overcame his will to contain his tears.

“He was a natural leader, too, even of the boys two years older than him who he was playing with. But he had this troublesome temperament and would get angry and shout at them when he was losing.”

Goncalo Filipe, his former teammate, said: “I certainly remember the crying. We had a very good group and sometimes we’d hug him and tell him not to cry, but it didn’t make any difference. It makes me so proud to know I played with him and that he comes from Madeira.”

These days, Filipe plays third division football and works in a drinks-bot-tling plant. Of that Nacional academy side, the striker is now a mechanic, the captain a truck driver and the goal-keeper sells air-conditioning units. No one else made it in football – or even off the island.

What was special about Ronaldo? Talhinhas acknowledges that he was as good a junior as he ever had, but returns to this burning inner desire. “For someone from this small island to leave home for Sporting Lisbon so young was a very big step,” he said. “He had to go – he needed to be with other players as good as him. But I was concerned for him. Very often he’d say he wanted to come home. But he never gave up the dream.”

He mentions another boy, Steve Andrade, who was at Nacional’s big rivals, MarÍtimo, the same age as Ronaldo and rated his equal. Andrade, too, was offered an early ticket to the mainland, but opted to stay. Tomorrow, he will turn out for Madeira’s third division side, União. And the hearts and television sets of Madeira will be far away with Ronaldo at Wembley.

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The Sun on Evra...

Streetfighter and a shoplifter

PATRICE EVRA goes for an FA Cup winner’s medal against Chelsea tomorrow knowing football saved him from a life of crime.

The Manchester United left-back, 26, went wild on the streets of Paris as a teenager. Close pal Mamadou Niakate has told how Evra formed part of a gang that went on regular shoplifting raids.

He also took part in bare-knuckle street fights with rival tearaways, openly begged for money and reformed only after being arrested and hauled off to a police station.

Evra, born in Senegal the son of a diplomat, was brought to France aged three.

His family settled in Les Ulis, the poor Parisian suburb which produced Thierry Henry, and that is where he met and grew up with Niakate — now a respected coach for the local town team.

Niakate said: “When I see what Patrice has achieved, the self-discipline he has acquired, I admire him so much.

“We were a gang of around 10 kids and there just wasn’t enough money to go round, though Patrice’s mum did her best. She raised a large family on her own with help from social security.

“It was obvious from the start Patrice was a fantastic footballer, so brave and quick for a small boy.

“Unfortunately, we got up to no good once we had finished playing. A gang of us used to catch the train to the big shopping centres in Les Halles in central Paris.

“We became quite expert at nicking things to sell once we got back home. We hung around the city all night, riding fairgrounds, trying to get into clubs and ending up in the sandwich bars.

“Patrice and I often got the first train in the morning back home at around 6am.

“Patrice always seemed to have the most energy and was one of the best at getting shoppers to give us money.

“There was a baker’s just next to the College des Amonts, which we both attended. Patrice stood outside and asked for a franc or two when people came out.

“The way we lived wasn’t anything we were ashamed of at the time. It seemed the thing to do. This was a rough area with murders, rapes, drugs and hold-ups.

“I suppose we were pretty hard lads. When we had teachers who gave us a bad time, we slashed their car tyres until they found a job somewhere else.

“Not that Patrice was very keen on studying. He used to bunk off quite a few times.

“All he really wanted to be was a footballer.

“When he was just a tiny 13-year-old, he was tackling men of 23. The losers had to buy the pizzas and those guys would rather break your leg than pay out.

“The only times I saw Patrice cry was when he lost at football.”

The crunch came when the gang were caught stealing by store detectives and arrested.

Niakate added: “Our parents were finally called to collect us and take us home. We were all scared stiff and lucky it never went to court.

“Patrice’s mum was so mad she threatened to send him back to Senegal. That really frightened Patrice.”

Luckily, Evra’s football skills rescued him.

After playing for local clubs Les Ulis and Bretigny, he was taken by an agent to Italy.

Evra suffered racist abuse and was paid just £20 a week by Third Division Marsala

Then came a move to Second Division Monza, on to Nice and, finally, in September 2002, a switch to Monaco and a place in the side beaten 3-0 by Porto in the 2004 Champions League final.

United bought him for £5.5m in January 2006.

His wages have helped him buy his mum a home back in Senegal and he is still loyal to his old pals. He invited 10, including Niakate, to Old Trafford for the Champions League showdown with AC Milan.

Evra acknowledged before joining United: “Football took me out of a life of delinquency. It’s true that, at 16, I was almost sent back to my uncles in Senegal.

“I stole things, I got into fights and even asked for money at the door of the bread shop. It is something I regret and I now want to build something stable.”

Streetfighter and a shoplifter !!

Blimey, with a CV like that I'm amazed the Scousers didn't sign him...

[scousemouse]

The Sun on Evra...

Streetfighter and a shoplifter

PATRICE EVRA goes for an FA Cup winner's medal against Chelsea tomorrow knowing football saved him from a life of crime.

The Manchester United left-back, 26, went wild on the streets of Paris as a teenager. Close pal Mamadou Niakate has told how Evra formed part of a gang that went on regular shoplifting raids.

He also took part in bare-knuckle street fights with rival tearaways, openly begged for money and reformed only after being arrested and hauled off to a police station.

Evra, born in Senegal the son of a diplomat, was brought to France aged three.

His family settled in Les Ulis, the poor Parisian suburb which produced Thierry Henry, and that is where he met and grew up with Niakate — now a respected coach for the local town team.

Niakate said: "When I see what Patrice has achieved, the self-discipline he has acquired, I admire him so much.

"We were a gang of around 10 kids and there just wasn't enough money to go round, though Patrice's mum did her best. She raised a large family on her own with help from social security.

"It was obvious from the start Patrice was a fantastic footballer, so brave and quick for a small boy.

"Unfortunately, we got up to no good once we had finished playing. A gang of us used to catch the train to the big shopping centres in Les Halles in central Paris.

"We became quite expert at nicking things to sell once we got back home. We hung around the city all night, riding fairgrounds, trying to get into clubs and ending up in the sandwich bars.

"Patrice and I often got the first train in the morning back home at around 6am.

"Patrice always seemed to have the most energy and was one of the best at getting shoppers to give us money.

"There was a baker's just next to the College des Amonts, which we both attended. Patrice stood outside and asked for a franc or two when people came out.

"The way we lived wasn't anything we were ashamed of at the time. It seemed the thing to do. This was a rough area with murders, rapes, drugs and hold-ups.

"I suppose we were pretty hard lads. When we had teachers who gave us a bad time, we slashed their car tyres until they found a job somewhere else.

"Not that Patrice was very keen on studying. He used to bunk off quite a few times.

"All he really wanted to be was a footballer.

"When he was just a tiny 13-year-old, he was tackling men of 23. The losers had to buy the pizzas and those guys would rather break your leg than pay out.

"The only times I saw Patrice cry was when he lost at football."

The crunch came when the gang were caught stealing by store detectives and arrested.

Niakate added: "Our parents were finally called to collect us and take us home. We were all scared stiff and lucky it never went to court.

"Patrice's mum was so mad she threatened to send him back to Senegal. That really frightened Patrice."

Luckily, Evra's football skills rescued him.

After playing for local clubs Les Ulis and Bretigny, he was taken by an agent to Italy.

Evra suffered racist abuse and was paid just £20 a week by Third Division Marsala

Then came a move to Second Division Monza, on to Nice and, finally, in September 2002, a switch to Monaco and a place in the side beaten 3-0 by Porto in the 2004 Champions League final.

United bought him for £5.5m in January 2006.

His wages have helped him buy his mum a home back in Senegal and he is still loyal to his old pals. He invited 10, including Niakate, to Old Trafford for the Champions League showdown with AC Milan.

Evra acknowledged before joining United: "Football took me out of a life of delinquency. It's true that, at 16, I was almost sent back to my uncles in Senegal.

"I stole things, I got into fights and even asked for money at the door of the bread shop. It is something I regret and I now want to build something stable."

Streetfighter and a shoplifter !!

Blimey, with a CV like that I'm amazed the Scousers didn't sign him...

steady on muckypups .

[muckypups]

Blimey, with a CV like that I'm amazed the Scousers didn't sign him..

steady on muckypups

Just a bit of pre Cup Final banter scousemouse.. no offence intended..

[Seapok]

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho have often been at loggerheads this season and they go head-to-head again in Saturday's FA Cup final. As the pair prepare their teams for one more battle, BBC Sport looks back over the season at the off-the-pitch verbal skirmishes that have often accompanied the on-the-pitch battles.

JOSE MOURINHO

"The circumstances are difficult with the new football rules we have to face. It is forbidden to give a penalty against United and forbidden to give any penalties in favour of Chelsea."

"There is no pressure on United. If they play well, they win. If they don't play well, they will get a penalty and still win."

"I was not surprised Ferguson complained about our fixture against Spurs because he is intelligent and maybe he thinks other people are stupid. The truth is United are very, very lucky with the fixtures because, until now, they have always played before us. Ferguson is an intelligent man, successful, with a great career. But when you think other people are stupid it is not a good quality."

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"Mourinho seems to be on some sort of personal crusade. It's calculated. If we get a penalty against us, he wins that war. It is wrong. It is a rant all the time. I don't think it's fair to the game."

"I would like to know who is changing the regulations? Is it us? The FA? Uefa? I feel Mourinho has been let off lightly with those comments."

"It seems the Premier League are quite happy to give Chelsea the extra time after European matches but not Tottenham. Given the power Chelsea seem to have over issues like this, I am not surprised. If the game had been played on Sunday lunchtime, Chelsea would still have had well over two full days to prepare for the Valencia game. As it is, Tottenham get 36 hours."

THE REFEREE'S A CONSPIRATOR

JOSE MOURINHO

"It was a penalty to Sheffield United at Old Trafford. It is not a conspiracy, it is fact. I speak facts. If not, I need big glasses. If you tell me it was not a penalty - or a penalty for Middlesbrough, or for us against Newcastle, I must go to my optician."

"I promise you if one day I have a ball that is two metres inside my goal and the referee doesn't allow it [as happened when Pedro Mendes' goal for Spurs against Man Utd was disallowed], I will not speak about referees for two years."

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"He's been talking about referees and he's the last person who should talk about referees. The biggest fear for us is that by citing the fact we are not allowed to get penalties at Old Trafford, Mourinho is putting incredible pressure on referees."

"There is plenty of talk about Chelsea and referees and Mourinho and referees. I have a big catalogue on it. Chelsea is an incredible club, so I think Jose should button his lip now for good, for the rest of the season."

TEACHER, LEAVE THAT RONALDO KID ALONE

JOSE MOURINHO

"Ronaldo needs to be mature enough to accept you cannot argue against facts. Maybe it's about a difficult childhood, no education."

"If Ronaldo says it's a lie Manchester United have conceded some penalties this season which have not been awarded against them, then he's lying."

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"It is really below the belt to bring class into it. Just because you come from a poor, working-class background does not mean you are not educated."

"What Ronaldo has are principles - that is why he has not responded. Some people are educated but have no principles."

PREMIERSHIP RUN-INS

JOSE MOURINHO

"If Ferguson thinks it's over he's in trouble because it's not. We are here for the fight and I enjoy the fight. It is better to be in front but let's chase them - we can do it."

"Considering the problems Chelsea have had, United should be 10, 12, 14 points clear of us. I am happy to be six points behind."

"It doesn't matter who I think is the best team, what matters is the team with more points is the champion.

"I have to congratulate the champions Manchester United, their players, manager, fans, the board; all the people who helped them become champions."

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"We will only be in trouble if we listen to Jose too much. It's Jose, he's panicking already." [Ferguson quips after his mobile phone rings during a media conference]

"It has been a good day. We didn't expect to be six points clear tonight but I think the best thing for us to do is look at the next game."

"Jose understands winning and losing are twins in a way. When you win you don't gloat and when you lose you don't go bananas."

"Maybe the fact Chelsea have dominated the Premiership for two years and we had a big job to do to catch them makes this title special."

MAKING FA CUP FINAL HISTORY

JOSE MOURINHO

"If we win the trophy, we can say we have won every competition in domestic football."

"If both teams can have an attacking and positive spirit, we can make the game a real final. I will be very sad if the final is not a good event, with a good winner and a proud loser."

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"I am so pleased Manchester United are one of the first teams to play at the new Wembley."

"When we got beat by Liverpool last season, I was hoping the stadium would not be finished because I really wanted to be one of the teams taking part in the first final there."

[muckypups]

"If both teams can have an attacking and positive spirit, we can make the game a real final. I will be very sad if the final is not a good event, with a good winner and a proud loser."

Spot on.. I really hope it's a great game..

Thanks for the article Seapok. It seems that Fergie and Mourinho are as bad, or good, as each other when it comes to wind-ups...

(Hard to forget the famous Keegan outburst some years ago.. a classic.. )

[muckypups]

I love Cup Final day...

Probable teams

From The Telegraph:

United look to finish off wounded Chelsea

Manchester United have been staying at the crenellated Berkshire manor house where the pig-tailed terrors of St Trinian's ran riot, seeing off all-comers, and their kindred spirits, Ronaldo and Rooney, Scholes and Giggs, threaten similar mayhem today.

Pace and skill, rather than hockey and lacrosse sticks, will be United's weapons of choice, although Rooney looks the type to conceal a catapult down one of his socks. When Sir Alex Ferguson's title-winners board their coach outside Oakley Court, where the St Trinian's series was filmed, they will travel hopefully to Wembley, knowing they possess the individual flair to defeat Chelsea. Whether they boast the collective fortitude to kill off opponents Ferguson describes as "wounded animals'' is another matter.

Chelsea are hurting, smarting at the loss of their Premiership trophy to United. The feeling of ill-will is not simply confined to the fans - Jose Mourinho upset Ronaldo; Ferguson has irritated Frank Lampard; If Scholes survives the day without receiving a booking it will be another extraordinary chapter in the season's tales of the unexpected. The new Wembley, with its vaulting metal structure piercing the capital's skyline, makes a fitting venue for these arch-rivals.

Mourinho's team talk will be simple. Stand up to the champions. Fight the favourites for the Cup. It is time for his team, his talents like Lampard, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole to reclaim the limelight otherwise the deification of United will continue unabated. The feting of Ferguson's side has been long and loud, rightly so because of the magnificence of the football flowing from the happy feet of their awesome attacking foursome.

Ronaldo has bewitched defenders and audiences alike this season. "His strokes of artistry put paint on the canvas," Ferguson enthused with typical eloquence in paying tribute to his No 7 at the scribes' Footballer of the Year bash in London on Thursday. Ronaldo received a standing ovation from those who painted him as the villain behind England's World Cup exit.

He has displayed real "courage" and "the heart of a lion", as Ferguson put it, to keep taking on opponents this season, however bruising the reception committee. This high-speed streak of luminosity will love today's grand stage, and particularly the chance to run at Chelsea's full-backs, Paulo Ferreira and Wayne Bridge, who has held off the challenge of Ashley Cole.

Ronaldo's strength is formidable, too. "I have worked hard this season, not only on football but physically as well, and it's helped me,'' he observed. Rooney, another attacker difficult to shrug off the ball, will also drift wide, seeking to drag John Terry or Michael Essien out of the centre, opening up space for quick-thinking colleagues such as Scholes to burst into. On parade again today, Rooney's touch, vision and selflessness are an impressive example to all youngsters hoping to scale the heights

It is impossible to stop the tributes flowing. Scholes, all dexterity and guile, has scored sensational goals and created havoc with his accurate delivery this season. The ageless Giggs, football's Peter Panache, continues to win friends and trophies. Eulogies everywhere.

So Mourinho will tell his players that it is time to silence the songs of praise heard across the land for United. It is time to prove their worth. Spines like Chelsea's, stretching from Petr Cech in goal through John Terry and Lampard to Drogba, do not come much stronger. Some backbone. Some resilience. Such characters will find their pride particularly piqued by the Cup final billing of Dead Men Walking versus Red Men Running.

The season has been long, hard and frustrating for Chelsea. They were caught out by United's charge, by debilitating injuries and tensions between board and dug-out, but they have enough heavyweight performers to hit back this afternoon.

Accepted wisdom is that finals fall to those who seize midfield, so controlling the supply lines. The destiny of this trophy may come down to who wins one particular duel, however - the bone-jarring collision of Drogba and Nemanja Vidic. United's muscular Serbian centre-half admitted that "it is hard to play against a great player" like Drogba, yet he did not sound too daunted.

United fans keep showing their appreciation for Vidic with a rather lively chant that climaxes "he will murder you". Although reassuringly stressing that "I am not a killer", Vidic understood the logic behind the lyrics, adding: "The fans recognise I give 100 per cent all the time."

Vidic must concentrate like a hawk against Drogba, who can out-run and out-muscle markers. The pair should spend much of the afternoon bumping into each other, particularly at corners. Such set-pieces could prove key. Terry and Ronaldo also have the jumping ability to make their mark when the ball is dropped into the box.

Those hoping for the sort of drama that Liverpool and West Ham conjured up last year may be disappointed, although there should at least be enough entertainment to take fans' minds off Wembley's shamelessly inflated prices for merchandising, food and drink, and any travel difficulties.

Blue eyes will doubtless turn to Joe Cole for much of Chelsea's invention. With Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick holding midfield for United, Chelsea will need some touches of magic to spirit the ball through crowded enemy territory. Cole can provide it.

"We want to see a good Cup final that represents the English game the right way," Ferguson said. It would be wonderful if the headlines revolved around the good, rather than the bad and the ugly (as at the Snarling Cup final). Yet it would be a major surprise if some controversy did not stain the occasion: a clattering, a dive, a spat. Football's dark arts will be on display.

Chelsea look exhausted but they should have enough guts for one final shot at glory, possibly via penalties. One thing is guaranteed: it will be a feisty affair. The most expensive lawn in the world is no place for shrinking violets. As the St Trinian's song exhorted: "Grab the nearest weapon, never mind which one."

[muckypups]

Andy Townsend's Wembley head to head

CHELSEA

PETR CECH 9 out of 10

It takes something special to get past him though he did have a flappy game against Bolton when Chelsea were held 2-2. One on one he is brilliant, the safest pair of hands in the League.

PAULO FERREIRA 7

Comfortable on the ball but you can get at him and United will probably set Ronaldo or Giggs to isolate and run at him. Sometimes casual in possession and not in the best of form.

JOHN TERRY 9

We have seen him sharper and in better form but he will be inspired for this game. He is Chelsea's leader and figurehead. Look out for him in United's box at set-plays, too.

MICHAEL ESSIEN 7

Would get 9 as a central midfielder but can be found wanting as a centre back with his positional play and movement of the strikers. A team player and a ferocious competitor.

WAYNE BRIDGE 8

When he has played he has performed better than the disappointing Ashley Cole this season. He is not as dynamic as Cole in full flight but is a steady full back with an excellent left foot.

CLAUDE MAKELELE 7

Not had his strongest season and looks to be running out of steam but has tremendous experience of the big occasion. Crucial for Chelsea that he copes with United's quick passing in and around him.

MIKEL JOHN OBI 8

Has grown in stature to show why he is the long-term replacement for Makelele. Safe in possession and has a great motor. Good discipline positionally, but he can be rattled.

FRANK LAMPARD 8

Another brilliant goals return, but not as strong as he was last season. Hasn't dominated the big games as he did a year ago, but needs a strong showing if Chelsea are to win the Final.

JOE COLE 8

When he doesn't play, Chelsea lack a bit of imagination. This is a big game for him, having missed much of the season, and he will run at United in key areas, looking to draw tackles.

DIDIER DROGBA 10

Has played this season with strength and power, dominated defenders, led the line and scored goals. He is Chelsea's biggest threat and United must keep him quiet, which few teams have managed.

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS 7

How is his confidence? Jose doesn't seem to fancy him. He can be direct and will run at Evra. Needs to concentrate on his final ball. Inclusion means Cole will play as support striker to Drogba.

MANCHESTER UNITED

EDWIN VAN DER SAR 8

Wembley used to be a goalkeeper's graveyard and Van der Sar has had a rocky spell recently. I wonder if there are communication problems with his central defenders.

JOHN O'SHEA 7

United will miss Neville but O'Shea will not let them down. His power and height are very useful at set-pieces at both ends.

NEMANJA VIDIC 8

Question marks about his fitness as he has only played once since the mess in Milan. He is brave and strong, though, powerful in attack, and has forged a strong partnership with Ferdinand.

RIO FERDINAND 9

Excellent season and in great form. In for a busy afternoon as Drogba will test him in the air and challenge physically so he needs to make sure he doesn't have those moments when he switches off.

PATRICE EVRA 7

This is a vulnerable area for United which Chelsea will look to attack. Should play ahead of Heinze but neither are outstanding. He likes to get forward but can leave the back door open.

MICHAEL CARRICK 8

Has shown his quality, but I am not quite convinced about him as the holding midfielder and Lampard will look to break behind him. Superb passing and always available to take the ball.

PAUL SCHOLES 9

Just brilliant. What a difference he has made to the United midfield and Chelsea will see him as the real danger. A match-winner with his clever passing, running and shooting from distance.

RYAN GIGGS 8

Versatile and adaptable, capable of playing up front with Rooney, wide or in central midfield. His movement is better than ever and his energy and pace show no sign of falling off.

CRISTIANO RONALDO 10

Most shots of any Premiership player, he has scored goals, won games and taken a clean sweep in the individual awards. The first Cup Final at the new Wembley needs a hero, and it could be him.

WAYNE ROONEY 8

Looked jaded in certain games this season but is still a match-winner. It is difficult to see how Chelsea can fully prepare to stop him when he can play left, right, off the front or as a spearhead.

ALAN SMITH 7

Honest, hard-working team player who has made a remarkable recovery from a terrible injury. Might play as the spearhead, and mix it with Terry in order to release Rooney into deeper areas.

TOTAL SCORES: CHELSEA 88 UNITED 89

[scousemouse]

The Mourinho v Ferguson record :

Jose 5 wins

Alex 1 win

Draws 4. (includes when mourinho was manager at Porto)