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

[afbug]

Yeah...Ronaldo scored his 4th n 5th goal of the season!:devil:

The 2nd is reallyy something. Dunno how Berba did it to get it to ronaldo. Can only do it in my dreams :bsmilie:

 

[afbug]

Man Utd sponsor deal for Hublot

Manchester United has signed a new multi-million pound sponsorship deal with Swiss watch manufacturers Hublot.

Hublot, which provided the timing at Euro 2008, has paid a reported £4m for a three-year partnership deal with the Champions League holders.

It joins Saudi Telecom, Budweiser, and Seoul Metropolitan Government as sponsors who have committed themselves to Manchester United this season.

The Swiss firm will now have its brand name around Old Trafford stadium.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7700407.stm

 

[melvin]

Match Pack: Hull City

High-flying Hull City look to spring another shock, this time on the champions' patch...

Form Guide: United unexpectedly dropped two points at Everton last weekend, but bounced back with a routine home win over West Ham on Wednesday. Despite the Goodison slip, the Reds are still 10 games unbeaten. Hull's run of four straight wins was ended by a comprehensive home defeat by Chelsea on Wednesday, but the Tigers remain two points ahead of United in the Premier League table.

Ins and Outs: Michael Carrick returned from injury as a substitute against West Ham, and could be pushing for a place in the starting line-up. Fellow midfielders Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes are still out. Hull have no new injury concerns after their humbling by Chelsea, but will definitely be without broken leg victim Craig Fagan.

Star Man: Geovanni's arrival from Manchester City has proved a masterstroke by Tigers boss Phil Brown. The Brazilian is afforded a free role in Hull's attack, a move which has yielded four goals so far this season. Reds beware, his winning strikes at Arsenal and Tottenham suggest a taste for the big occasion. And, of course, it was Geovanni who scored the winner in the August 2007 Manchester derby.

Rivals Watch: Chelsea v Sunderland (Sat 15:00), Stoke v Arsenal (Sat 15:00), Tottenham v Liverpool (Sat 17:30).

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Reserves: United 0 Bolton 0

United’s Reserves suffered a first defeat of their Manchester Senior Cup defence, losing out in a penalty shoot-out against Bolton Wanderers.

The epic spot-kick contest, which finished 9-8 to the visitors, followed a goalless 90 minutes in which United spurned several presentable chances to seal victory.

Following on from victories over Bury and Oldham, the Reds were bidding for a third straight victory in this season’s group stage. Having overcome Bolton in last year’s final at Old Trafford and recently hammered the Trotters in the league, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were up against familiar opposition.

Visiting goalkeeper Adam Bogdan was forced into a smart save by Angolan international Manucho, who had earlier headed over the bar, while Danny Sissons almost caught out Ben Amos in one of Bolton’s rare forays forward.

An even first-half ended goalless, but Bolton-born Sam Hewson, already a scorer against the Trotters this season in the league, spurned a glorious chance shortly after the interval.

Tom Cleverley, another United midfielder with goalscoring previous against the Trotters, then worked Bogdan again, but the Reds were indebted to a linesman’s flag when Sheridan’s goal was ruled out for the visitors.

In the event of a draw, Senior Cup group matches are always decided by penalty shoot-outs.

Incredibly, 14 successful conversions had the score locked at 7-7 when David Gray’s kick was saved. United were let off when Nathan Woolfe blazed over but there was no such reprieve when Anton Bryan also missed, allowing Tom Eckersley to seal the points for Bolton.

Wah seh almost everyone is used up!:bsmilie::devil:

 

[melvin]

Rooney relishing form

The media is quick to hammer Wayne Rooney if the striker isn’t performing, but even the most hardened critics have to sit back and marvel in the wake of the recent blistering form of our no.10.

Rooney’s strike against Celtic was his ninth in seven games, his best sequence since joining the Reds in 2004. The Merseysider is a player high on confidence for club and country, and as he told the latest issue of Inside United, when things click he feels simply invincible.

“It’s brilliant,” he said. “You practise on the training ground to make things happen in games, and when those things actually come off during a match, it’s great because the work you’ve done has been worthwhile. Especially now we’re starting to play some really good football again.

"We’re getting the results and we’re also winning by a few goals, which will be important come the end of the season.”

Leaving aside the business end of the season for now, late autumn seems to be when Rooney tends to flourish; this is the third consecutive season in which he’s hit top form in October. What’s his explanation?

“It’s because I haven’t really had a full pre-season. Obviously if you don’t get your full preparation, then in the first month, or for the first few games, it takes time to get to your best. By October you should be hitting your top form, so I think that’s probably one reason why I play better then. As a team we’ve started slowly, but we normally hit form at the end of September/beginning of October, which we’ve managed to do again this season.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Boss relishing Tigers' visit

Michael Carrick could start his first match in seven weeks when Hull City arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 27-year-old came on as a substitute on Wednesday night against his former club West Ham and Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson says his return is "a big boost".

At his pre-match press conference at Carrington on Friday, Sir Alex also revealed Edwin van der Sar is likely to return in goal for the Reds.

"Managing Edwin to keep him fresh is important," the manager said, explaining the goalkeeper's omission from Wednesday night's match. "It's also important we give experience to Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster. I'll be rotating them as the season goes on."

Wes Brown missed Wednesday's clash with the Hammers after suffering a minor ankle injury and may also be rested for Hull City's visit. However, the boss was confident the defender would be okay for United's trip to Celtic Park next Wednesday.

Sir Alex was full of praise for Saturday's opponents, describing Phil Brown's side as "amazing".

"In my programme notes, I've said that I can't believe Hull are above United in the table, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way," he said.

"I've always said when you come out of the Championship you need to invest to survive in the Premier League. But Hull have gone about it a completely different way.

"We can't treat the game lightly. We took our foot off the pedal too much in the second half against West Ham and we can't afford to do that against Hull."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Pat wary of Hull ambition

Buoyed by away victories at Arsenal and Tottenham, Hull City will head to Old Trafford believing they can win, says Patrice Evra.

The left-back has joined the ever growing list of admirers of Phil Brown's side, who saw their six-game unbeaten run brought to an end on Wednesday night by Chelsea.

Nevertheless, Evra believes confidence will still be sky high in the Tigers camp and says United will need to be on their guard on Saturday afternoon.

"When you beat the big teams, in particular, you feel more confident and it gives you more freedom to play good football. That’s why I expect them to come for a win," Evra exclusively told United Review.

"I don’t expect to see all of their players defending, I think they’ll have a go. If that happens I think it could be a great game because that would open up space for us."

Saturday's clash will see Evra renew acquaintances with French compatriot Bernard Mendy. The pair have been firm friends since their days playing against each other in their homeland and Evra is looking forward to the reunion.

"We first met when we were playing in France and I also played with him for the French U21’s - he's a good friend," explained the 27-year-old.

"I’m happy to see him doing well at Hull, but when I see him at Old Trafford I’ll be focused on helping United win the game."

Pick up your copy of United Review at OT on Saturday. Alternatively, order your copy online.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Q&A: Edwin's hungry for more

He may be in the twilight of his career, but Edwin van der Sar’s desire to maintain his unwavering high standards is burning as bright as ever.

In just over three seasons at Old Trafford, the veteran goalkeeper, who turned 38 on Wednesday, has added four major trophies to his already bulging collection. And, as he tells United Review, the Dutchman says he is hungry for more…

Has coming to Old Trafford worked out as well as you anticipated or even better?
You know when you come to a club like this that you’ll be challenging for trophies and we’ve been lucky enough to win a few in the last few years. Winning two titles was fantastic and then we had the nice little bonus of the Champions League. It’s such a hard trophy to win, but we’ve added more quality to the squad and hopefully we can go all the way again.

Where does that night in Moscow last May rate in your career achievements?
It was a great night. The first time I won it [with Ajax] I was a young player in a team that was winning prizes left, right and centre and at the time you can’t see an end to it. But when you’re coming towards the end of your career you really cherish everything you win, especially the big ones. Of course, it’s the whole team that wins the trophy, but to be the one who stops the last ball, or in this case, saves the last penalty, is something you dream about.

Presumably you’ve watched that defining moment back a few times…
I haven’t actually! We arrived back late from Moscow the next day and the following morning I left for international duty with Holland. The first time I saw it was during the warm-up before the Juventus friendly [in August] on the big screens at Old Trafford. It was special to watch it with the fans and great to hear the cheers when my save came on.

How much have you enjoyed working alongside the club’s new goalkeeping coach Eric Steele and, even with all your vast experience, can you still learn new things?
I haven’t enjoyed it that much because he’s been working me very hard! He’s very experienced and as a group I think all the goalkeepers are working really well with him. Whenever someone new comes in they bring new ideas and different views, but from my point of view it’s more about maintaining my fitness and my form - Eric’s not going to make big strides in terms of making me a better goalkeeper. That’s more important for the younger keepers who will hopefully form a long lasting relationship with him.

After a slow start to the season, United are back among the leading pack. How significant is your league placing at this stage of the season?
The most important thing to do is stay in touch. Of course, you’d prefer to start with maximum points rather than play catch-up, but we had a similar start last season and things worked out quite well! We’ve already got some tough away games out of the way and if we can get a good result at Arsenal next month and don’t drop any other cheap points then we should be fine for the second half of the season.

You’ve boosted your silverware haul since joining United. Are you confident your medal-collecting will continue?
The hunger is still there to win as many trophies as we can. There are some great teams competing for the top prizes - Liverpool and Arsenal and, of course, Chelsea who are always strong contenders. In Europe, you’ve got the likes of Madrid, Barcelona and the top Italian teams so it’s going to be hard. But with the quality we have at United we’re confident of doing well.

:devil:

 

[afbug]

Boss relishing Tigers' visit

:devil:

I hope the team can click and win the game. Seems like Fergie have to chop and change due to the tight schedules.

 

[melvin]

Rooney here for the long run

Wayne Rooney has reiterated his desire to have a lengthy career at United.

In an exclusive interview with MUTV, Rooney says he could even emulate Ryan Giggs, the Reds' longest-serving player, having topped 200 appearances at the age of 23.

“I want to stay at this club for as long as I’m wanted here," said Wayne.

“I want to keep playing and keep scoring goals. Who knows, when I’m Giggsy’s age, if I’m anywhere near his record and achievements, I’ll be very pleased.”

The next milestone on Rooney's radar is his 100th goal in club football but he is not dwelling on records just yet.

“It would be nice, but it is not the most important thing," he said. “When I’ve finished my career I’ll look back, but I am still young and I just want to keep scoring as many as I can.”

In the same MUTV interview, Rooney praises Dimitar Berbatov following a tremendous bit of skill to set up Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal against West Ham.

“I was warming up on the touchline at the time and I had a good view of it. It was a great bit of skill and there are only certain players that can do that.

“He does similar things in training; some of his touches are fantastic. He has started to settle in really well now.”

You can see Rooney's interview in Countdown to Kick-off on MUTV at 18:30, 21:00 or 23:00 Friday or 08:00 Saturday.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Sir Alex: Berba's not lazy

Sir Alex Ferguson has rubbished suggestions that Dimitar Berbatov's languid style reflects a low work ethic.

The United boss said on Friday: “His stats don’t show that [he doesn't work hard]. The stats are good.

“Like a lot of talented players, he’s economic with his running. His movement and ability to find space is fantastic; he pops up where defenders don’t want him to pop up.

“That’s what I always thought when he played against us. I used to think ‘Why has nobody picked him up?’ He’s got great awareness and finds good space in the box."

The Bulgarian has netted five goals for the Reds so far and set up several others, notably Cristiano Ronaldo's second against West Ham.

Sir Alex was full of praise for Berbatov’s contribution on Wednesday, but believes the striker still has more to offer his side.

"His awareness and passing ability in the last third of the field is absolutely outstanding, but I still don’t think we’re using him enough, I really don’t," insisted the Scot.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Boss can handle striker dilemma

Sir Alex Ferguson says he can handle the selection dilemma surrounding his strikers, but admits it is more difficult than the situation in 1999.

Back then, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were all vying for a place in the starting XI. The battle today is between Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez. Rooney was the odd one out for Wednesday's win over West Ham, but more often than not it has been Tevez warming the bench.

Sir Alex says all three are fully understanding of United's rotation policy and he maintains he will do his best to keep everyone happy.

"It is much more delicate handling the striking situation now [compared to 1999]," he said.

"Ole was part of that northern European culture which was easier to manage, while Teddy, Dwight and Coley all had the British mentality where they knew they wouldn’t play every game. Yes, they weren’t happy, but there was never an issue; they understood.

"I sat down with Wayne the other day and explained that I needed to find out how Berbatov and Tevez played together, and he understood that. But I don't think he'd like to be left out for two or three games! Nevertheless, I don't think it's unmanageable."

Sir Alex hinted that he may once again plump for the Berbatov/Tevez combination for the visit of Hull on Saturday, and he hopes to see the duo build on their midweek outing.

"I wanted to see how the combination of Berbatov and Tevez was together. But Carlos was so wound up to do well himself that they became two different parts," admitted the boss. "I think they'll be far better on Saturday - if I pick them."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Team news for Tigers' visit

Michael Carrick could start his first match in seven weeks when Hull City arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 27-year-old came on as a substitute on Wednesday night against his former club West Ham and Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson says his return is "a big boost".

At his pre-match press conference at Carrington on Friday, Sir Alex also revealed Edwin van der Sar is likely to return in goal for the Reds.

"Managing Edwin to keep him fresh is important," the manager said, explaining the goalkeeper's omission from Wednesday night's match. "It's also important we give experience to Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster. I'll be rotating them as the season goes on."

Wes Brown missed Wednesday's clash with the Hammers after suffering a minor ankle injury and may also be rested for Hull City's visit. However, the boss was confident the defender would be okay for United's trip to Celtic Park next Wednesday.

Sir Alex was full of praise for Saturday's opponents, describing Phil Brown's side as "amazing".

"In my programme notes, I've said that I can't believe Hull are above United in the table, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way," he said.

"I've always said when you come out of the Championship you need to invest to survive in the Premier League. But Hull have gone about it a completely different way.

"We can't treat the game lightly. We took our foot off the pedal too much in the second half against West Ham and we can't afford to do that against Hull."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Wah seh.... within 30mins the score is 2-1 in our favour Ronaldo n Carrick 3rd n 29min! Daniel Cousin 23rd min for Hull!

End to end action!:thumbsup::devil:

 

[melvin]

3-1!!!!!!!!!

Ronaldo again 44th min!!!

This guy is back scoring 4 goals in 2 games! at this rate he will reach last season 42 very soon!:devil:

 

[melvin]

4-1 liao... Vidic!!! 57 min!:devil:

 

[melvin]

Wahh...sianz 4-2!:sweat::sweat:

 

[melvin]

4-3 liao!!!:sweatsm::sweat:

 

[melvin]

Report: United 4 Hull City 3

The Tigers roared and roared but the Reds triumphed 4-3 in a pulsating encounter at Old Trafford.

Hull’s fairytale start to the season looked a distant memory when Nemanja Vidic sent United 4-1 up on 57 minutes, but goals from Bernard Mendy and Geovanni made for nervy final moments at the Theatre of Dreams.

Hulls’s fans certainly thought they were in dreamland, as they sung “this is the best trip we’ve ever been on”. All good things must end, though, and when referee Mike Dean blew the final whistle it was United’s fans who were celebrating three precious Premier League points.

At his pre-match press conference, Sir Alex said he was confident he could keep Berbatov, Rooney and Tevez all happy. Against Hull, it was Rooney and Berbatov who were charged with leading the line.

Wes Brown was left out of the squad after picking up a minor knock on his ankle. Gary Neville occupied the right back berth in what was his 550th United appearance, while Cristiano Ronaldo played his 250th Reds match. Michael Carrick started his first match since mid-September after returning from a foot injury, with Darren Fletcher relegated to the bench.

Edwin van der Sar also returned in goal but he’d barely touched the ball before the Reds went in front. Surprise, surprise, it was that man Ronaldo, with his third of the week. Dimitar Berbatov volleyed the ball towards the Portuguese winger, who took one touch with his back to goal before swiveling to hit a sweet half-volley in off the post.

On a day when pre-match press reports had centred on Wayne Rooney approaching 100 club goals, Ronaldo’s first took his United tally to 98. What odds on the no.7 reaching the century before Wayne?

By the manager’s own admission, United took their foot off the gas against West Ham in midweek after going 2-0 up. Against Hull, however, the Reds continued to press. Berbatov produced a sublime piece of juggling skill in the middle of the park before releasing Nani down the left wing. His cross sat up invitingly at the back post but Kamil Zayatte bravely headed clear with Ronaldo poised to pounce.

Rooney then fired inches over from the edge of the box on 17 minutes but it was Hull who found the net next, summer signing Daniel Cousin flicking an Andy Dawson free-kick into the far corner on 23 minutes.

Since their arrival in the top flight, Phil Brown’s side have earned a reputation for being well organised, and Hull’s equaliser certainly looked like a well-rehearsed set-piece. That United have now conceded twice in a week from headers will worry Sir Alex Ferguson, however.

The visitors had obviously come to play football, but as is so often the case at Old Trafford, that tactic played right into the Reds’ hands. Six minutes later, United’s lead was restored, as City’s defenders backed off Michael Carrick. Released by Berbatov, Carrick advanced, picked his spot and fired a 20-yard effort across Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill and into the far corner.

Rooney next had the ball in the net, but his effort was (incorrectly) ruled out by a referee
assistant’s offside flag. Never mind: Ronaldo made it 3-1 on 44 minutes, heading in Nani’s corner via a slight touch off former Reds defender Paul McShane.

Neither manager made changes at the break but it was Sir Alex’s men who crafted the best chances early in the second half. Berbatov and Ronaldo both dragged shots wide before Nemanja Vidic made it 4-1, tapping in Rooney’s corner from close range.

The scoring didn’t stop there, however. Hull substitute Bernard Mendy dinked the ball over van der Sar to pull another back for the visitors before referee Mike Dean awarded Hull a dubious penalty in the 82nd minute after Mendy and Ferdinand tangled inside the area.

Ex-Manchester City forward Geovanni stepped up to dispatch the ball into the net and give Hull real hope of a dramatic, last-gasp draw.


United: Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick (Giggs 72), Anderson (O’Shea 88), Nani (Tevez 64); Rooney, Berbatov

Subs: Foster, Rafael, Fletcher, Park

Booked: Rooney, Tevez

Hull City: Myhill; McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson; Marney, Boateng, Hughes (Mendy 59), Geovanni; Cousin, King (Halmosi 63)

Subs: Duke, Barmby, Garcia, Folan, Ricketts

Booked: Turner, Mendy

Attendance: 75, 398

:sweat::sweatsm::devil:

 

[afbug]

Damn scary man, these few games Man Utd keep snoozing off in the 2nd half. The players better buck up. Conceding 3 goals at OT is not very good at all. Bad!