Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[alex18122003]

Premier League - Manchester Utd v Liverpool

Carlos Tevez starts alongside Wayne Rooney as Manchester United look to end Liverpool's Premier League title challenge at Old Trafford.
Carlos Tevez starts alongside Wayne Rooney as Manchester United look to end Liverpool's Premier League title challenge at Old Trafford.


Liverpool have never won at Old Trafford under Rafa Benitez.

Liverpool have taken 10 points from four games against 'big four' rivals this season.

United have won only one of their four games against 'big four' rivals this season.

There have been three red cards in the last four league meetings between Liverpool and United.

Rio Ferdinand has scored three Premier League goals against Liverpool, he has not scored more than one against any other top-flight side.

Wayne Rooney has scored in five consecutive league games for the first time in his career.

Liverpool are the only team to fall behind against United in the league this season and come back to win.

The Merseyside club have recouped more points than any other team from losing positions in the top division this season (18).

Should Liverpool win, it will be their 100th Premier League victory under Rafa Benitez.

If United win, they will equal their best sequence of Premier League victories - 12 in a row

[asiancigar]

Alamak....... no one showed up at Old Trafford........

Feel that SAF got the tactics wrong........ should have started with Giggs, Scoles and Berbatov instead of Anderson, O'Shea and Tevez.

But, nonetheless we are still 4 pts up with a game in hand...... hehehe

Cheerz
AC

[lacoruna69]

Could be kelong....if Man U wins, they run away with title liao. Do you think anyone will watch the remaining matches anymore? It is all a money game.
Best to lose to Liverpool than other teams.

[bigassman]

It was a disastrous result... low morale whole night

the only way i can console myself is reminding myself Man Utd are still leading 4 points with 1 game in hand... they will surely come back stronger

Lets see who will have the last laugh

[CNY_OX09]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

Could be kelong....

same thought here else how can MU lost by such a margin,maybe 1-2 still acceptable.
the teamwork and spirit was not in the match.
MU will surely bounce back and the next opponent will get the heat.

[asiancigar]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

Could be kelong.......... It is all a money game.
Best to lose to Liverpool than other teams.

Totally concur.......

Originally Posted by bigassman

It was a disastrous result...

the only way i can console myself is.......... they will surely come back stronger

Absolutely.........

Originally Posted by CNY_OX09

same thought here else how can MU lost by such a margin, maybe 1-2 still acceptable.
the teamwork and spirit was not in the match.
MU will surely bounce back and the next opponent will get the heat.

Also think that some level of fatigue set in after Inter Milan.....

Cheerz
AC

[dc7176]

i kena suan left right centre liao lor... yest didnt even buy newspapers... but i still puttin up my man utd avator... keke... we should c who havin the last laught end of the season!!

[asiancigar]

Hmmmmm, this is very worrying.....

Man Utd's financial challenge
Massive battle for Championship favourite

The Observer reports that Man Utd no longer are as solid as one would expect. Creditors doubts the clubs abillity to keep head over water and hold their obligations.

Worried lenders sell on Man Utd debts at knockdown prices. Sales of loans, taken out by the club, is now sold at deeply destressed prices as they grow concerned about the abillity to heavilly indebted companies to meet interest payments through a recession.

Despite enjoying one of the best seasons on the pitch, with five trophy wins still in prospect, Man Utd's financial future looks far from rosy.

Huge amounts of depths were heaped on the club's books as part of a private equity style buyout led by US entrepeneur Malcolm Glazer in 2005.

Discussion about refinancing loans through securations in future gate receipts have been shelved, as the market for such products has in effect closed.

With unemployment levels rising, one in four season ticket holders all over considers dropping their ticket for next season and just go to the most interesting games.

Merchendise sales will decrease world wide and the resession will in full be seen for the start of the 2009/10 season.

Clubs such as Portsmouth and West Ham are in big trouble, but other clubs heavy in depth could see a much colder futhre ahead, despite good results on the pitch.

[yinyang]

Fellow red devils, let's hold heads high.

So we lost, and nothing we say or do will change result. The probability of our faltering or ending our unbeaten run was always there. Just like throwing that proverbial dice, cannot get 6 always mah. Though losing by that margin and at OT home some more is galling.

Let's hit Fulham away for what we are worth and rest games.

Originally Posted by dc7176

i kena suan left right centre liao lor... yest didnt even buy newspapers... but i still puttin up my man utd avator... keke... we should c who havin the last laught end of the season!!

[Tintinsnowy]

West Ham United and Sheffield United have confirmed they have come to an agreement on compensation over the Carlos Tevez affair, bringing to an end a saga which has rumbled on for almost two years.

The row centred around Tevez's eligibility to play for the Hammers towards the end of the 2006/07 season, when the Blades were relegated on the final day of the season after losing at home to Wigan Athletic while Tevez scored the only goal in West Ham's victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It has sparked three separate inquiries, one of which led to a £5.5m fine - but not a points deduction - for the Hammers.

An independent tribunal had already found in the Championship side's favour though West Ham had been fighting the ruling.

The Bramall Lane club were reportedly seeking compensation in the region of £45m, due to the loss of income brought about by relegation. But it is thought West Ham had come up with documents of their own to prove that relegation only costs £5m in real terms.

Reports at the end of last week claimed the two clubs had agreed a payment of £10-15m, with that figure being paid in instalments over a five year period. Some suggest the final payment may be up to £25m.

The announcement relieves a lot of the financial pressure at Upton Park with the Hammers still reeling from the collapse of Icelandic bank Landsbanki, which was run by owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson who effectively lost most of his personal wealth when the institution collapsed.

The spectre of a possible £45m payout had blocked any chance of a takeover of the club, but now that the Tevez affair has been put to bed the club can move forward without the fear of a sudden sizeable bill coming through the letter box.

The clubs have released a joint statement which read: "West Ham United and Sheffield United have reached an out-of-court settlement with regard to the dispute between the two clubs - agreeing that it is time to move on and bring the matter to an end.

"The agreement means the independent tribunal in relation to Carlos Tevez, chaired by Lord Griffiths, that was due to reconvene today (Monday, March 16) will no longer proceed.

West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury and Sheffield United Chairman Kevin McCabe said: "Both clubs are pleased to announce that a satisfactory settlement for compensation has been reached which brings the dispute between Sheffield United and West Ham United to an end. The tribunal will not be resuming."

Mr Duxbury said: "For everyone concerned, the time was right to draw a line under this whole episode. We have had very positive discussions over a number of days with Sheffield United and acknowledge their willingness to resolve this in the best interests of both clubs.

"This now allows us to concentrate on our immediate ambitions, which include a strong finish to the Premier League season and possible European qualification, without any negative impact on our long-term project. We wish Sheffield United well in their bid to secure promotion from the Championship."

Mr McCabe said: "We are happy and satisfied with the settlement with West Ham. Throughout the finalisation of the terms for the agreement, the discussions were friendly, co-operative and in the best of spirit with both the Blades and Hammers advisory teams.

"We are two clubs with a fantastic footballing history who now want to move on and focus on the business of playing football - hopefully for us against the Hammers in the Premier League next season. We look forward to a positive ongoing relationship with West Ham at all levels."

[asiancigar]

Here it is boys......

United draw Porto
MARCH 20, 2009

MANCHESTER United have been drawn against FC Porto in the Champions League quarter-final. United will play the first leg at home.

United will face the winners of Arsenal v Villarreal in the semi-finals if they beat Porto.

In the other quarter-finals, Liverpool face Chelsea while Barcelona will meet Bayern Munich. The winners of those two games will meet in the other semi-final.

The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals is:

Villarreal v Arsenal
Manchester United v Porto
Liverpool v Chelsea
Barcelona v Bayern Munich

The first legs will be played on April 7/8 with the second legs on April 14/15.

The draw for the Champions League semi-finals is:

Manchester United or Porto v Villarreal or Arsenal
Barcelona v Bayern Munich or Liverpool v Chelsea

The first legs will be played on April 28/29 with the second legs on May 5/6.

[alex18122003]

Premier League - Chelsea beaten at Tottenham

Chelsea blew the chance to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

Nine-man United were beaten 2-0 at Fulham, which gave Chelsea a sniff at reducing their lead to just one point.

But a second-half goal from Luka Modric (pictured) gave Spurs a win they deserved against an uninspired Blues side that laboured for much of the game.

Kick-off was delayed by half an hour after a suspicious package was reported at White Hart Lane.

The wait did not seem to help Chelsea, who looked sluggish in the first half. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka barely touched the ball and their support in midfield was uninspired.

They did create two good opportunities though, with Michael Essien and Anelka forcing good saves from man-of-the-match Heurelho Gomes.

London rivals Spurs, meanwhile, looked confident in possession but were unable to take the succession of half-chances they created.

Jermaine Jenas sent a rising drive just over the bar, Robbie Keane forced a good stop from Petr Cech after poor defending from Alex and Jose Bosingwa, while Keane fired straight at Cech after he was put through by Vedran Corluka.

The second half saw more of the same, only Spurs finally made one of their chances count.

On 50 minutes, Jose Bosingwa's poor clearance found its way to Aaron Lennon on the right.

The sometime England winger, who recently signed a five-year deal at the club, drilled a low cross past Ashley Cole and Modric expertly sent the ball into the bottom-right corner past the diving Cech.

The goal spurred Chelsea into action, which had the effect of opening the game up and giving Spurs a few more opportunities.

Modric volleyed into the ground in a near-identical move to that which created the goal.

Darren Bent should have got a shot away when the Croatia playmaker sent him through on the left but the erstwhile England striker's poor confidence was obvious when he opted to play the ball backwards instead.

Chelsea, meanwhile, went close when Gomes made a very good stop from Drogba, while Frank Lampard's insipid performance was highlighted by a weak drive wide after he was put through by Anelka.

It seemed like it was not going to be Chelsea's day when Gomes made a contender for save of the season by keeping out a bullet header from John Terry that was headed for the bottom-right corner.

Drogba went close with a header of his own that looped just wide as the Blues heightened their pressure in the latter stages.

Guus Hiddink's men almost snatched a dramatic injury-time equaliser but Alex's header rebounded off the underside of the bar and the loose ball was tipped away by Gomes.

There was a late scare for Spurs when the whistle blew following a goalmouth scramble in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but it signalled the end of the match and not the penalty Chelsea craved.

Chelsea remain second, four points behind United - who also have a game in hand - while Spurs move ninth.

[alex18122003]

Premier League - Injury blow for Berbatov

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out for a further two weeks with an ankle injury.

The Bulgarian suffered the problem during the 2-0 Premier League defeat at Fulham a fortnight ago.

He subsequently pulled out of his country's World Cup qualifying double-header against the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus, and he will play no part in Sunday's league clash against Aston Villa.

"It's probably going to be another two weeks," said Ferguson. "Hopefully he will be back training with us at the end of next week and he will be okay after that."

It leaves Ferguson with a major selection headache for Sunday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa as Wayne Rooney is also out through suspension.

In addition, Carlos Tevez is not due back from South America until later this afternoon following Argentina's stunning six-goal hammering in Bolivia.

"I think he gets back from Mars about 4pm," joked Ferguson.

"With Dimitar out and Wayne suspended hopefully Carlos will be okay. that will give us one striker, then we will have to choose another."

Should the prognosis prove correct, the 28-year-old will also crucially miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Porto and next weekend's league trip to Sunderland.

It would put him in line for a return in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton on April 19, but the talented frontman will undoubtedly be missed a crucial stage in the season.

Should Liverpool avoid defeat at Fulham tomorrow, United could find themselves knocked off the top of the table heading into the match with Villa.

Berbatov has scored 13 times in 33 appearances for the Red Devils since joining from Tottenham for £30 million last summer.

[alex18122003]

Premier League - Machedo screamer puts United top

A stunning injury-time strike by 17-year-old Federico Machedo gave Manchester United a 3-2 home win over Aston Villa to restore the champions to the top of the Premier League.

In the 92nd minute, the previously unknown Italian curled an unstoppable shot into the top right after leaving Luke Young for dead with a delightful backheel.

Villa had been leading through goals by John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor, with Cristiano Ronaldo adding an 80th-minute equaliser to his first-half opener.

Burly former Lazio schoolboy Machedo came on as a second-half substitute for the disappointing Nani and was only in the squad because United were missing seven first-team players through injury and suspension.

Rio Ferdinand, Dimitar Berbatov, Fabio Da Silva and Wes Brown are all out for varying time frames while Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were serving bans for recent red cards.

The net effect was that United's defence looked shaky and a bench filled with teenagers could barely provide inspiration when Sir Alex Ferguson's side went behind

Villa started brightly and they went close through a Carew header cleared off the line by Darren Fletcher on five minutes.

Gabriel Agbonlahor was getting the better of Gary Neville as United looked unsure at the back with Rio Ferdinand injured and Nemanja Vidic suspended.

But the hosts took the lead after a moment of madness saw James Milner touch the ball back to Brad Friedel with the American keeper already diving on to the ball.

It was a clear backpass inside the area and, after Milner was booked for encroachment, Ryan Giggs touched the indirect free-kick to Ronaldo, who smashed the ball across the face of goal and into the top right corner for 1-0 on 14 minutes.

United could have gone two up straight from kick off when a long ball played Giggs through, but Carlos Cuellar got back to block his finish.

Villa recovered from the shock of going behind and Ashley Young forced a smart stop from Edwin van der Sar with a free-kick on the edge of the United area.

They levelled on 29 minutes thanks to the endeavour and skill of Gareth Barry, who won a 50-50 ball on the right, nutmegged Patrice Evra and swung a perfect cross for giant Norwegian Carew to divert a downward header into the left corner of the United goal.

Ronaldo was guilty of a glaring miss five minutes later when he sent a free header straight at Friedel, but it would have been harsh on Villa to trail at the break as, despite United having more of the ball, the visitors created more clear-cut chances.

The second half started in subdued fashion, with United looking nervous and uninspired while Villa were happy to sit back and look to use the counter attack.

It paid off for Martin O'Neill's men when, after Ronaldo dilly-dallied in the Villa half, they countered down the left.

Neville stood back as Carew moved towards the area and allowed him time to pick out a cross that Agbonlahor rose to head past the stranded Van der Sar.

United's problems with injury and suspension were highlighted by the introduction of Macheda for anonymous Portugal winger Nani.

Jonny Evans headed a Giggs corner just over but United lacked a creative spark or inspirational figure to drive them on.

The laboured while looking hesitant at the back and it was always going to be a moment of brilliance needed to get them back in the match.

After a short spell camped on the edge of the Villa box, the ball broke to Ronaldo who took a touch before drilling a low left-foot shot through the legs of Stiliyan Petrov and past the unsighted Friedel into the bottom right.

The 80th-minute equaliser heralded a final push by United, but they struggled to convert possession into opportunities until Macheda's moment of brilliance gave them a win to put them one point clear of Liverpool with a game in hand.

Villa, meanwhile, stay fifth but are only one point ahead of Everton, who thrashed Wigan 4-0 earlier in the day.

[alex18122003]

Premier League - Rafa: Fergie is scared of Liverpool

Rafael Benitez has said Sir Alex Ferguson is scared of his Liverpool side and talks "too much" about other teams.

The Liverpool manager, who is preparing for a Champions League showdown with Chelsea on Wednesday night, took another another swipe at the Manchester United boss as the Premier League race reaches boiling point.

Benitez was responding to claims from Ferguson that the loser of the Liverpool-Chelsea quarter-final will then be United's biggest challenger for the title because they will only have one competition to contend with.

He said of Ferguson's claims: "It is not mind games, I think it maybe is that he is a little bit scared."

Liverpool took over at the top of the table on Saturday evening with a late winner by Benayoun at Fulham.

But less than 24 hours later, United produced a stunning comeback victory over Aston Villa with the decisive goal coming in the fourth minute of injury-time from 17-year-old Federico Macheda.

That grabbed the initiative back for the Old Trafford club, but Benitez has come out fighting.

He said: "I do not have a problem with United. Clearly one of us, either Chelsea or us, will end up focusing just on the Premier League after this.

"I think Sir Alex will be supporting Liverpool in this tie because he knows we are the bigger threat now.

"If we continue in the Champions League maybe he will think we are tired. If we are not in this competition then he knows that we will be a (bigger) threat in the Premier League.

"If Chelsea are not in the competition, then he knows they will then be a threat also in the league. But he will lose anyway, whoever goes out, because they will still be a big threat to United.

"You have to prepare well for every single Premier League game, it is tough (to be in the Champions League as well). So he will clearly be supporting us tomorrow and next week.

"I would like to be worried about both competitions, it means we will continue to be successful.

"We just concentrate on our team, while he likes to talk too much about other teams."

Benitez said he was unmoved by United's late heroics against Villa, saying: "We knew there would be situations like this, with us one point ahead, or one point behind. And everyone knows five minutes (of injury time) at Old Trafford is a very long time.

"I watched the game, but once United scored their second you felt they would win the game.

"He (Ferguson) is in the driving seat now and in a better position, but there is still a long way to go and we have confidence. We are pushing them and we will push them until the end."