Manchester United VIII - King of Europe/Double Champions!!!

[Galdor]

Rodrigo happy to be back

Rodrigo Possebon was pleased with his performance on his comeback from injury as United saw off QPR in the Carling Cup fourth round.
The Brazilian midfielder played for 72 minutes in freezing conditions in Manchester, his first senior outing since suffering a nasty leg injury against Middlesbrough in September.
"It was very good," he told MUTV. "I have been waiting for this chance to play in the first team again and I put what happened to me [against Boro] out of my head.
"The weather wasn't very Brazilian but the performance was! We passed and kept the ball well, and we had a lot of chances even though the goal only came late on."
Sir Alex Ferguson continued his policy of fielding youth alongside experience in this competition, with the likes of Rafael, Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson all starting and Danny Welbeck coming on to win the decisive penalty with 15 minutes left.
"We have a lot of youngsters waiting for an opportunity and we know the boss likes to give them a chance in the first team," Possebon continued.
"Welbeck came on to change the game. He’s very quick, Nani made a great pass to him and he won the penalty, which Carlos [Tevez] struck very well."

 

[Galdor]

Hargreaves out for the season

Owen Hargreaves will miss the rest of the season following a successful operation on his right knee.
The midfielder will also undergo an operation on his left knee in a few weeks' time under the guidance of knee specialist Richard Steadman in Colorado.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told MUTV: "He had the operation on Monday and it went well, although we won’t know the exact details until he gets back. He has to have a further operation on his left knee in a few weeks.
"The reason for us sending him out to America was because Richard is a first-class specialist who deals with these sorts of injuries, and Owen's own preference was to be in Colorado.
"Unfortunately he is out for the season, but we hope this will now be put to bed and we’ll get him back as a fit player for the start of next season."

Hargreaves has endured a frustrating time at United since arriving last summer.
He missed the start of the 2007/08 campaign but he played a prominent role in United's Double charge after Christmas.
However, the 27-year-old's tendonitis flared up again in pre-season and he has made only three appearances this term.

 

[Galdor]

Ratings: United v QPR

ManUtd.com's James Tuck runs the rule over United's individual performances in the narrow Carling Cup win over QPR...

Tomasz Kuszczak: A virtual spectator throughout, the Pole was barely tested in probably his most comfortable game yet in a United shirt.

Rafael: Another dynamic display from the Brazilian, playing almost as a winger for much of the game, such was his attacking intent.

Jonny Evans: Rarely threatened, the only trouble the Irishman had with QPR’s frontmen was a clash of heads in the first half with Dexter Blackstock.

Gary Neville: The club skipper played at centre-back and looked entirely at home, barely breaking sweat to cope with QPR’s rare forays into the United half.

John O’Shea: Had few problems dealing with Rangers’ wing threat and, in a similar vein to Rafael, provided a useful outlet down the left.

Darron Gibson: Composed and solid in the heart of the midfield, mopping up loose balls and passing well. One of the Reds’ best players on the night.

Anderson: Adopted a much more attacking midfield role and seemed to revel in it. Still unable to open his goal account for United, though it was not for a lack of trying!

Rodrigo Possebon: A decent performance from the midfielder on his return from injury. Cultured but not showy, he was the perfect foil for Gibson until he was replaced by Danny Welbeck with 20 minutes left.

Nani: Full of trickery and always looked dangerous, but was sometimes wasteful in possession. Denied several times by good Radek Cerny saves.

Carlos Tevez: Buzzed about all night and always looked the most likely player to score. Was also denied more than once by Cerny before sending him the wrong way with a well-taken penalty.

Ji-sung Park: Looked lively in a more prominent wide role but was prone to give the ball away early on. Improved as the game wore on and hit the post with a rising drive.

Substitutes
Danny Welbeck (replaced Rodrigo Possebon, 72 mins): A lively run-out from the promising young forward. One of several lightning scampers down the left led to the decisive penalty as his pace caught out Peter Ramage in the box.

Nemanja Vidic (replaced Gary Neville, 90 mins): Saw more action in stoppage-time than Neville had for the previous 90 minutes, but helped repel QPR’s late surge to preserve United's clean sheet.

 

[Galdor]

Cole calls time on career

Ex-Red Andy Cole has announced his retirement from football, bringing down the curtain on a 19-year career.

Cole enjoyed spells with 13 clubs including Arsenal, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, where sadly his career came to an end not befitting his impresssive contribution to the game.

"It's not the ideal ending," Cole told The Times. "It just wasn't working out. I told them from the outset that I didn't want to go there to sit on the bench because I didn't want to be perceived as sitting back and making easy money."

Despite the slightly sour taste of his career's final act, Cole has plenty to look back on and feel proud about. "I wouldn't change a thing. I've lived the dream," he said.

Undoubtedly his most successful spell came during his six trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, where he won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League winners medal as part of 1999's famous Treble.

He served as United's no.9 with distinction, scoring 121 goals in 275 appearances. In his first season following a then-record £6.25million transfer from Newcastle, Cole scored five goals in the 9-0 rout of Ipswich Town at OT - still an individual and team best in the Premier League.

Cole left United in December 2001, and understandably did not scale the heights he had with the Reds. However, he did score the winning goal for Blackburn in the 2002 Worthington Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.

The 37-year-old has already been tipped to pursue a coaching career. Blackburn are reported to have expressed an interest in giving him his break behind the scenes.

 

[afbug]

This match not shown on TV. Only catched the highlights. Think the team is struggling to score at the moment.

Hargreaves is a disappointment. Waste so much time and money to get him but he gets injured so often.

Hmm.....Andy Cole to be a manager? My perception is that he is the more moody character and prob will not get along well with many ppl.

 

[Galdor]

I agree that Hargreaves is a disappointment. Hope he can come back sooner.
As for A.Cole, I am not sure if he'll do well as a manager but let's see again when he takes on the role.

 

[Galdor]

12/11/2008 22:24, Report by Steve Bartram

Carling Cup: Big shocks

Only United and Arsenal will represent the Premier League's "Big Four" in the Carling Cup quarter-finals, after dramatic exits for Chelsea and Liverpool on Wednesday evening.

On-loan Reds striker Fraizer Campbell was a major thorn in Liverpool's side, hitting a first-half brace and teeing up Roman Pavyluchenko for the first of his pair as Tottenham ran out 4-2 winners at White Hart Lane.

However, the shock of the competition so far was undoubtedly at Stamford Bridge. Didier Drogba put Chelsea ahead but, after Ade Akinbiyi had equalised for Burnley, the Championship side ran out 5-4 winners in a penalty shootout.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Sunderland suffered a fourth successive defeat in all competitions, going down 2-1 at home to Blackburn Rovers as Roy Keane and Paul Ince locked horns.

In Tuesday's action, United required a late Carlos Tevez penalty to overcome QPR, while Arsenal's young side strolled past Steve Bruce's Wigan.

Meanwhile, another ex-Red, Danny Pugh, was on target as Stoke notched a comfortable 2-0 win over Rotherham, Watford won 1-0 at Swansea and Derby County overcame League One high-fliers Leeds at Pride Park.

 

[Galdor]

Carling Cup quarter-finalists

Arsenal 3 Wigan 0
Chelsea 1 Burnley 1 (4-5 on penalties)
Derby 2 Leeds 1
United 1 QPR 0
Stoke 2 Rotherham 0
Sunderland 1 Blackburn 2
Swansea 0 Watford 1
Tottenham 4 Liverpool 2

Quarter-final draw to be made on Saturday at 12:00 GMT.

Qualified teams: Arsenal, Blackburn, Burnley, Derby, United, Stoke, Tottenham, Watford

 

[Galdor]

Focus on......Rafael

The arrival of identical twins, both full-backs and Under-18 internationals for Brazil, slipped under the radar of most Reds. For those in the know, whispers abounded about the former Fluminense pair who were dubbed, unimaginatively, the ‘Samba Nevilles’.

Rafael impressed in pre-season at Peterborough and during his competitive debut against Newcastle, and has tasted more first-team action since, notably scoring against Arsenal at the weekend. Former Red Clayton Blackmore has watched with interest as Rafael has slotted into Sir Alex’s side, whether in the Premier League, Carling Cup or Champions League.

“Rafael’s been fantastic,” says Blackmore. “He’s like a breath of fresh air. He’s got so much energy, he’s lightning fast and he loves to get stuck in and make a tackle, which is perfect for the English game. He’s very similar to Patrice Evra in the way that he likes to charge forward. I think he’ll be well suited to a wing-back role, which is how we like to play these days.”

Sir Alex recently admitted that he’d been so impressed by his new no.21 that he now considers three players when selecting his right-back. Rafael got the nod when the Reds faced Aalborg on Champions League Matchday 2, and the youngster seized the opportunity.

“He wasn’t fazed by playing at the highest level and he was probably one of our best players that night,” Blackmore says. “He was cutting inside, shooting; he was playing in a similar way to Ronaldo. Obviously he doesn’t have quite as many tricks as Ronny, but he does look very comfortable with the ball at his feet.”

Blackmore, who often played at full-back during his 245-game United career, is quick to point out, however, that Rafael is far from the finished article. Experience will help him become that, insists the Welshman.

“He’ll be learning every day on the training ground from Gary, Wes and Patrice,” he says. “And don’t forget he’ll be up against the likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Park, too, so he’ll soon learn how to stop the best wingers in the world.”

Can we expect to see more of the tireless young Brazilian this season? Blackmore thinks so… “Wes and Gary are ahead of Rafael in the pecking order, but the manager won’t hesitate to give him games, especially when we find ourselves regularly playing twice a week.”

 

[Galdor]

Boss salutes patient display

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to see his young charges overcome a battling Queens Park Rangers side and book their place in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

Carlos Tevez's 75th-minute penalty was the difference between the two teams, although the visitors had goalkeeper Radek Cerny to thank on numerous occasions in the second half as he beat away efforts from Tevez, Nani and Anderson.

Sir Alex felt the victory was fully deserved and praised his side's attitude throughout a rain-sodden 90 minutes.

"The conditions made things a bit difficult in terms of the ball coming off the surface quickly, but I think we controlled that part well," he told MUTV.

"We played with good patience and good speed and stretched them really well.

"QPR haven't lost a lot of goals recently and they defended very well as we expected. So it was always going to be tough.

"But overall I'm very pleased by the attitude of the players, they worked very hard and we're all delighted to get through."

The Reds were again guilty of not converting their chances, but Sir Alex is confident it won't be long before the tide turns in United's favour.

"We're used to teams coming here and defending. But what we did well was making sure we had them on the edge of their box for most of the game," he said. "It was just a matter of opening up and getting the first chance which proved difficult to begin with.

"We ended up creating a lot in the end, but at this moment they're just not going in for us. But it'll come."

 

[Galdor]

United join race to sign Witsel

Manchester United have joined the chase for Axel Witsel after Sir Alex Ferguson sent one of his top scouts to watch the teenage midfielder in UEFA Cup action last week. The United manager has been alerted to growing interest in Witsel and may now join the bidding for him after studying a report on another impressive performance in Standard Liege's 1-0 win over Sevilla last Thursday.
Sportsmail can reveal that United and Inter Milan were both represented at the game but that Bolton's hopes of landing the 19-year old for £6million have been dashed after they were told it would take at least twice as much to prise him away.
John Edwards, Daily Mail

Most of the daily newspapers praise Carlos Tevez for his match-winning performance against QPR, while the Daily Telegraph gives Danny Welbeck a mention for coming off the bench to win United's spot-kick.

The Sun describes Owen Hargreaves' double knee operation as "career-saving", following the midfielder's visit to renowned specialist Dr Richard Steadman.

West Brom are closing in on a move to sign United's Angolan forward Manucho on loan in January, according to the Daily Mail.

And finally... Mirror columnist Oliver Holt believes Sir Alex should be BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Holt writes: "The BBC, I imagine, would regard the prospect with undiluted horror. Worse than reuniting Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross for a Christmas special. Well, I'm sorry, but I still think Sir Alex Ferguson should win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for 2008."

 

[Galdor]

Hargreaves' season over

Owen Hargreaves will miss the rest of the season following a successful operation on his right knee.
The midfielder will also undergo surgery on his left knee in a few weeks' time under the guidance of knee specialist Richard Steadman in Colorado.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told MUTV: "He had the operation on Monday and it went well, although we won’t know the exact details until he gets back. He has to have a further operation on his left knee in a few weeks.
"The reason for us sending him out to America was because Richard is a first-class specialist who deals with these sorts of injuries, and Owen's own preference was to be in Colorado.
"Unfortunately he is out for the season, but we hope this will now be put to bed and we’ll get him back as a fit player for the start of next season."

Hargreaves has endured a frustrating time at United since arriving last summer.
He missed the start of the 2007/08 campaign but he played a prominent role in United's Double charge after Christmas.
However, the 27-year-old's tendonitis flared up again in pre-season and he has made only three appearances this term.

 

[melvin]

This match not shown on TV. Only catched the highlights. Think the team is struggling to score at the moment.

Hargreaves is a disappointment. Waste so much time and money to get him but he gets injured so often.

Hmm.....Andy Cole to be a manager? My perception is that he is the more moody character and prob will not get along well with many ppl.

Most of the youngster play in this match so expected to see them struggle lor....

Andy cole manager? as long as not :devil:'s manager can le......:sweatsm:

 

[melvin]

Park praises youthful Reds

-sung Park was impressed by the display of United's youngsters in the 1-0 Carling Cup win over Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night.

The Korean winger lined up alongside the likes of Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans and Rafael in a fourth-round tie which was settled by Carlos Tevez's penalty 15 minutes from time.

Park told ManUtd.kr: "Many young players played and, although we only scored one goal, we controlled the match so it was not bad.

"The younger players have been training with the first team so we have no problem playing together, and they did very well."

Park improved as the game unfolded against the Championship side and almost capped his second successive 90-minute run-out with a goal, only to see his rising shot hit the post.

"I thought it was in!" he said. "I felt good when I struck the ball, but sadly it did not go in. I played against Arsenal and am now getting some consistent action, so I was able to keep up my pace throughout the game."

United return to league action against Stoke on Saturday and Park knows there is plenty of time for the champions to overhaul leaders Chelsea.

"We lost against Arsenal, which was obviously not good," Park added. "But we’re still in the season and there are many matches ahead, so I'm not worried."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Q&A: Danny Welbeck

Longsight-born Danny Welbeck is just 17, but he's trained with the first team for nearly a year. And the highly-rated striker, who came on to win a penalty against QPR, told United Review before the game that he's itching for more opportunities…

Your season has been disrupted with injuries so far. How’s your fitness?
I started training recently and I feel OK. I injured my groin in the Carling Cup game against Middlesbrough… after that, I went away with England when I wasn’t fully fit, played the game and tore a groin muscle. It’s annoying because I missed nearly the whole of pre-season with tendonitis. I was dying to get back, then when I did I got the groin injury, so I’ve had to be really patient and now I’m ready to go.

You were among the stars of the show in against Boro in September – what are your memories of the night?
I was just delighted to make an appearance and play in front of so many people. Being a Manchester boy, growing up in Longsight, playing for United is just a dream. I only found out I was playing just before the game. I thought there was a chance I might start, and then the manager named the team, it hit me straight away. It focused me – and everyone was saying to keep my head.

You come across as a player who isn’t easily flustered – were there any nerves before or during the game?
[Smiles] I wouldn’t say if there were. Afterwards I was just hungry for more. If that’s nervous, I want more nervous times!

Having trained with the first team for a few months now, do you feel part of the squad?
When I first joined up with the first team I was a little bit star-struck, but now I talk to them all and have banter with them – I tell them to “bring it”! There’s nothing better than training with the first team. I’d rather be doing that every day than be out on loan somewhere, especially at my age. I'm 18 soon, I’m just hoping I can continue training with the first team and get in a few squads this season.

There’s a lot of expectation for you within the club – do you feel any pressure?
Not really. I don’t take too much notice of all that. I just play my own game and work towards justifying all their hopes. If I can keep doing that, hopefully I’ll make a breakthrough.

Sir Alex has intimated that he’ll blood a few youngsters in the Carling Cup again this season – are all the young lads raring for a game?
Definitely, we all are. There are some great players in the Reserves this year. Tom Cleverley and Danny Drinkwater have come on massively this season, and they are probably ready to step up as well.

Last year United’s youngsters were shocked by Coventry. What are your memories of watching the game?
I was sat in the stand and I couldn’t understand why we weren’t winning, or at least doing better, since we had so many good players. When we lost, I remember thinking, “I’ve got to try my hardest to get to this stage next year.” Luckily I’ve managed to do it. Now I’m setting new goals and I’ll be aiming to reach them too.

The young lads will all look to capitalise on any first-team openings – could you go all the way to Wembley?
Anything can happen in football. When we youngsters get together and play, we’re always raring to go. We want to get in people’s faces and, if we play together, I think it would be a really good combination and we can do really well. So, you never know.

:devil:

 

[afbug]

Focus on......Rafael

The arrival of identical twins, both full-backs and Under-18 internationals for Brazil, slipped under the radar of most Reds. For those in the know, whispers abounded about the former Fluminense pair who were dubbed, unimaginatively, the ‘Samba Nevilles’.

Rafael impressed in pre-season at Peterborough and during his competitive debut against Newcastle, and has tasted more first-team action since, notably scoring against Arsenal at the weekend. Former Red Clayton Blackmore has watched with interest as Rafael has slotted into Sir Alex’s side, whether in the Premier League, Carling Cup or Champions League.

“Rafael’s been fantastic,” says Blackmore. “He’s like a breath of fresh air. He’s got so much energy, he’s lightning fast and he loves to get stuck in and make a tackle, which is perfect for the English game. He’s very similar to Patrice Evra in the way that he likes to charge forward. I think he’ll be well suited to a wing-back role, which is how we like to play these days.”

Sir Alex recently admitted that he’d been so impressed by his new no.21 that he now considers three players when selecting his right-back. Rafael got the nod when the Reds faced Aalborg on Champions League Matchday 2, and the youngster seized the opportunity.

“He wasn’t fazed by playing at the highest level and he was probably one of our best players that night,” Blackmore says. “He was cutting inside, shooting; he was playing in a similar way to Ronaldo. Obviously he doesn’t have quite as many tricks as Ronny, but he does look very comfortable with the ball at his feet.”

Blackmore, who often played at full-back during his 245-game United career, is quick to point out, however, that Rafael is far from the finished article. Experience will help him become that, insists the Welshman.

“He’ll be learning every day on the training ground from Gary, Wes and Patrice,” he says. “And don’t forget he’ll be up against the likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Park, too, so he’ll soon learn how to stop the best wingers in the world.”

Can we expect to see more of the tireless young Brazilian this season? Blackmore thinks so… “Wes and Gary are ahead of Rafael in the pecking order, but the manager won’t hesitate to give him games, especially when we find ourselves regularly playing twice a week.”

Its good and nice to see a quality player at Man Utd and getting attention but his twin Fabio really gone under the radar. :bsmilie: No news about him or the left back slot is too pack? Evra, Evans and Simpson ahead?

Read rumors that G. Neville is worried that he will not be offered a new contract. Think he should end his career at Man Utd but guess he can't play much these days.

 

[afbug]

Q&A: Danny Welbeck


:devil:

Hey another young striker, F. Campbell on loan to Spurs scored 2 against Liv yesterday! :bsmilie:

 

[melvin]

Its good and nice to see a quality player at Man Utd and getting attention but his twin Fabio really gone under the radar. :bsmilie: No news about him or the left back slot is too pack? Evra, Evans and Simpson ahead?

Read rumors that G. Neville is worried that he will not be offered a new contract. Think he should end his career at Man Utd but guess he can't play much these days.

Recently found out from by bro that Fabio is injured thats why no sound no sight of him!:sweat::devil:

 

[melvin]

Hey another young striker, F. Campbell on loan to Spurs scored 2 against Liv yesterday! :bsmilie:

Ya hopefully he can come for our return match against them at our 2nd home ground to demolished their defence!:bsmilie::devil:

 

[melvin]

Focus on... Rafael

The arrival of identical twins, both full-backs and Under-18 internationals for Brazil, slipped under the radar of most Reds. For those in the know, whispers abounded about the former Fluminense pair who were dubbed, unimaginatively, the ‘Samba Nevilles’.

Rafael impressed in pre-season at Peterborough and during his competitive debut against Newcastle, and has tasted more first-team action since, notably scoring against Arsenal at the weekend. Former Red Clayton Blackmore has watched with interest as Rafael has slotted into Sir Alex’s side, whether in the Premier League, Carling Cup or Champions League.

“Rafael’s been fantastic,” says Blackmore. “He’s like a breath of fresh air. He’s got so much energy, he’s lightning fast and he loves to get stuck in and make a tackle, which is perfect for the English game. He’s very similar to Patrice Evra in the way that he likes to charge forward. I think he’ll be well suited to a wing-back role, which is how we like to play these days.”

Sir Alex recently admitted that he’d been so impressed by his new no.21 that he now considers three players when selecting his right-back. Rafael got the nod when the Reds faced Aalborg on Champions League Matchday 2, and the youngster seized the opportunity.

“He wasn’t fazed by playing at the highest level and he was probably one of our best players that night,” Blackmore says. “He was cutting inside, shooting; he was playing in a similar way to Ronaldo. Obviously he doesn’t have quite as many tricks as Ronny, but he does look very comfortable with the ball at his feet.”

Blackmore, who often played at full-back during his 245-game United career, is quick to point out, however, that Rafael is far from the finished article. Experience will help him become that, insists the Welshman.

“He’ll be learning every day on the training ground from Gary, Wes and Patrice,” he says. “And don’t forget he’ll be up against the likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Park, too, so he’ll soon learn how to stop the best wingers in the world.”

Can we expect to see more of the tireless young Brazilian this season? Blackmore thinks so… “Wes and Gary are ahead of Rafael in the pecking order, but the manager won’t hesitate to give him games, especially when we find ourselves regularly playing twice a week.”

:devil: