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

[melvin]

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!

Ya its been a long time snice we conceded so many goals at home!:sweat:

It seems to be a trend we will struggle for a few games then we will be a one half team and finally a full game team lastly a great come back team! This seems to be the recent trend for us!:bsmilie:

By the look of things its about time we turn into a full game team soon!:devil:

 

[afbug]

Ya its been a long time snice we conceded so many goals at home!:sweat:

It seems to be a trend we will struggle for a few games then we will be a one half team and finally a full game team lastly a great come back team! This seems to be the recent trend for us!:bsmilie:

By the look of things its about time we turn into a full game team soon!:devil:

Now is crunch time, esp in Nov and Dec when fixtures comes thick and fast. Hope the team better buck up esp the fixtures dun favour us at all after CL games.

On a side note, both Arsenal and Liv drop pts. :bsmilie: If we win the game in hand, think Man Utd is only 2 pts off the pace.

 

[melvin]

Ratings: United v Hull

Edwin van der Sar
An odd day for Edwin. He was hardly forced to make a save yet conceded three goals. Could do little about any of them.

Gary Neville
The Reds’ skipper dealt competently with Hull’s forwards on a day when his own attacking forays were somewhat limited. An understated performance.

Rio Ferdinand
Rio was adjudged to have fouled Bernard Mendy for Hull’s penalty, but he can certainly count himself unlucky. He was otherwise solid at the heart of United’s defence.

Nemanja Vidic
Big and brave, Vidic had the measure of Daniel Cousin and Marlon King for most of the afternoon. Popped up at the other end to score United’s fourth.

Patrice Evra
Like United’s other defenders, Patrice will be shaking his head after playing reasonably well but conceding three goals. Relished the battle with countryman Mendy in the second half.

Cristiano Ronaldo
He’ll be disappointed he didn’t score a hat-trick, but Ronny chipped in with another two goals and a performance that suggests he’s almost back to his dazzling best.

Michael Carrick
In his first start since mid-September, Carrick looked extremely comfortable. Long or short, his passes found their targets. An awesome display, capped with a goal.

Anderson
Arguably the Reds’ star man, he won tackles, got stuck in and always looked to play in the front men. Used the ball well, convinced Ronny to let him take a free-kick!

Nani
Nani’s crossing was right on the money today, and his decision-making also hinted a new level of maturity. A fine performance out on the left wing.

Wayne Rooney
Forced a smart reaction save from Boaz Myhill on 75 minutes but otherwise didn’t get too many sniffs of goal. Booked towards the end as the game threatened to boil over.

Dimitar Berbatov
United undoubtedly create more chances when he’s on the pitch. Set up Ronaldo’s first and Carrick’s goal. At one point his close control helped him weave through the entire Hull defence.

SUBS:

Carlos Tevez (on for Nani, 64)
Sent on with United 4-1 up, Carlos didn’t have too many opportunities to express himself as Hull edged back into the game. He did get stuck in and put himself about a bit.

Ryan Giggs (on for Carrick, 72)
With Hull in the ascendancy, Giggs struggled to impose himself on the match during the last 18 minutes. Then again, nobody else from United did either.

John O’Shea (on for Anderson, 88)
Not on long enough to make an impression.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Now is crunch time, esp in Nov and Dec when fixtures comes thick and fast. Hope the team better buck up esp the fixtures dun favour us at all after CL games.

On a side note, both Arsenal and Liv drop pts. :bsmilie: If we win the game in hand, think Man Utd is only 2 pts off the pace.

nvm be it at home away we will still win!:bsmilie:

Both Gunners n reds will cont to drop points....all we have to do is play like we used to can le....:devil:

 

[melvin]

Carrick rues sloppy defending

Michael Carrick was relieved to come out on top of a “crazy” game, but admitted that conceding three goals against Hull took the shine off United’s win.

The midfielder scored the Reds’ second on his return from injury but was left feeling deflated as the Tigers came back from 4-1 down to make it a nervy final 10 minutes.

“Conceding three goals at home is very disappointing – we pride ourselves on defending well as a team,” Carrick told MUTV.

“We created so many chances and played some extremely good football. But we shot ourselves in the foot with a few errors and they took their chances.

“At 4-1 the game should be killed anyway, but we should have gone on from that and scored more. For it to end 4-3 was crazy.”

Hull have been the Premier League’s surprise package so far this season and Carrick acknowledged the tenacity of the Tigers, who refused to buckle after falling three goals behind early in the second half.

Carrick continued: “They played ever so well so we have to give them credit. We said at half-time that they would not give in and they made it such a close game.

“We shouldn’t have let them score three, but when you step away from it all we have won the game and now we can move on.”

Carrick’s neat left-footed finish on the half-hour marked his comeback from a foot injury which had kept him out of action since the defeat to Liverpool in September.

“It’s great to be back, I really enjoyed it and it was nice to score and get off the mark for the season,” the 27-year-old added.

“It’s the longest I’ve played in about three months so hopefully that’ll get my fitness up and ready for the coming weeks.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Boss: We wasted chances

United took all three points but Sir Alex was left ruing missed chances on a day when the Reds were almost “embarrassed” by top-flight newcomers Hull City.

The Reds won 4-3 but the manager told MUTV his side “should have won by 10”.

“We’re a bit low after that performance,” Sir Alex admitted. “We didn’t take our chances and that’s annoying. We should have scored 10 or 11 but we frittered our chances away and we’ve almost been left embarrassed.

“The only positive from today is that we’re creating chances. We’re playing some fantastic football at times.

“Ronaldo could have scored four or five. I don’t know how many chances Berbatov made today but we could have scored a lot of goals.”

The Reds definitely looked in full control when Nemanja Vidic put United 4-1 up after 57 minutes. But Hull substitute Bernard Mendy pulled one back before the game’s real turning point (according to Sir Alex) arrived.

“The deciding factor may have been when Michael Carrick was brought down on the edge of the box and [Michael Turner] didn’t get a booking,” Ferguson said.

“He’d already been booked so the referee failed in his duty there. It should have been a red card because he was right through. Even a yellow card and the player would have been off.

“And that makes a difference, you know. From there on, we missed all our chances, they’ve come back to 4-3 and we’re left scrambling to get a victory.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Boss outlines winter plans

Sir Alex has long advocated a winter break, but in a recent interview with the club's official magazine, Inside United, the Reds boss went into detail about the masterplan he believes would satisfy everyone.

In the monthly Ask Sir Alex column, Norwegian fan Jesper Halvorsen wondered if the manager thought a winter beak would ever be introduced in England.

Sir Alex said: "I've thought long and hard about this, and I have a plan. You could keep the Christmas fixtures as they are, but stagger one round of 10 league matches throughout January.

"Three games could be played on the first weekend, another three on the next weekend and the final four on the third weekend. TV broadcasters wouldn't lose out because they can show matches each weekend, and players could rest.

"Also, last season the league finished on 11 May. Why can't we extend it until the end of that month and take two weeks off in January? The weather is better in May, and there's no issue with worn-out pitches in modern football.

"Will it ever happen? Well, I've been talking about a winter break ever since I came down to England, 22 years ago. The managers have continually asked for one, but the people in charge still think football is a winter game."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Michael's fitness mission

He was an integral part of last season's double-winning side, but the 2008/09 campaign has proved to be a frustrating follow-up for Michael Carrick.

After a solid pre-season, the 27-year-old midfielder hobbled out of United's opening day clash with Newcastle after injuring an ankle.

Almost a month later he returned to action in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield, but was again forced off early after breaking a bone in his foot.

Now, after a successful comeback as a substitute against West Ham last week, the England international is hoping for a prolonged run in the side.

"It's just a case of getting back into the swing of things really," he told ManUtd.com. "It's been a while since I played and a long time since I had a run of games - in three months I've had very little football.

"I've worked as hard as I possibly can in training to get fit, but there's nothing like playing games. So it was nice to get back to it against West Ham and it's now a case of progressing forward."

Carrick has enjoyed unbridled success since his multi-million pound move to Old Trafford from Spurs in the summer of 2006.

Two Premier League titles, a Champions League winner's medal and two Community Shield honours are now in his possession.

And, even though the Reds are somewhat adrift of league pacesetters Liverpool, Carrick fully expects United to be in contention for English football's top prize come May.

"No gap is a good gap when you're chasing, but it's a long season and we just need to keep our momentum and consistency going as we have done in recent weeks," he reasoned.

"As we say every year, as long as you're in contention at Christmas that's when it really starts to count and the league starts to shape up, so we'll see how things go in the next month or two.

"It's a bit premature to be talking about who's going to win the title, but that's what people do isn't it?! Liverpool haven't been in this position for a number of years and it's up to them to see how they adapt to it. But ourselves, Chelsea and Arsenal believe we can challenge them.

"From our point of view, it doesn't matter who it is at the top, you've just got to get on with it," he added. "We're not looking at other teams, we're concentrating on ourselves and how we're playing and the results we're getting. We believe we'll be there come the end of the season.

"But for that to happen we have to make sure we don't drop many points at this stage because we need to put pressure on the teams at the top."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Vidic vows to learn

Nemanja Vidic says the Reds will learn valuable lessons from Saturday’s 4-3 win over Hull City.

United claimed all three points but the visitors became the first side to score three times at Old Trafford in 92 games (Chelsea beat United 3-1 in May 2005).

“The most important thing is that we took the three points,” Vidic conceded, “but we made a few mistakes and lost a few goals, which is not good for us, especially the defenders.

“We can learn from the game. We made small mistakes that cost us three goals, so I hope we can improve on that so it doesn't happen again.”

Hull’s third came via the penalty spot in the 82nd minute. It lifted the visitors even further and although the Reds didn’t quite enter panic mode, there were certainly a few nervy moments before the final whistle.

Vidic conceded United were “under a little pressure” in the closing moments but insisted the players wouldn’t dwell on the match.

“We need to forget this game but not how we conceded the goals. That way we can make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have a few days to work on that [before Celtic] and to improve.

“The first goal was from a set-piece and the third came after we had a corner and we were out of position, so they were able to counter-attack. These are small mistakes that don’t usually happen with us.

“We need to learn from our mistakes but we don’t need to be too worried.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Q&A: Evra chasing goals

Sir Alex may have rotated his right-backs this season but there’s only one man for him at left-back.

Patrice Evra has been a revelation since arriving in January 2005 and continues to be one of the most reliable players at Old Trafford. But aside from doing his bit defensively, the former striker says he's determined to make a goalscoring contribution this season…

Firstly, are you worried about the points advantage that Liverpool and Chelsea have at this stage?
No, it’s too early. The league is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Of course, Liverpool and Chelsea have done well, but it’s about who does well towards the end, not just at the start.

How pleased are you with your form? You seemed to just pick up where you left off last season…It wasn’t easy at first, I missed a lot of pre-season because I’d been at the European Championships. I felt confident when I came back, particularly after what we achieved last season, but you need be careful because that success is in the past and you must look forward and keep improving. At the start of each season I tell myself ‘Pat you have won nothing.’ That way I can focus on helping the team win as many trophies as possible. When you are the champions it’s more difficult to keep hold of your trophies, but the challenge to do that is very exciting and I think about it every morning.

Did signing a new contract in the summer give you any extra focus?
It was a great feeling and a very easy decision. It was always my intention to stay at United and the club showed that they Sir Alex may have rotated his right-backs this season but there’s only one man for him at left-back.

Patrice Evra has been a revelation since arriving in January 2005 and continues to be one of the most reliable players at Old Trafford. But aside from doing his bit defensively, the former striker says he's determined to make a goalscoring contribution this season…

Firstly, are you worried about the points advantage that Liverpool and Chelsea have at this stage?
No, it’s too early. The league is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Of course, Liverpool and Chelsea have done well, but it’s about who does well towards the end, not just at the start.

How pleased are you with your form? You seemed to just pick up where you left off last season…It wasn’t easy at first, I missed a lot of pre-season because I’d been at the European Championships. I felt confident when I came back, particularly after what we achieved last season, but you need be careful because that success is in the past and you must look forward and keep improving. At the start of each season I tell myself ‘Pat you have won nothing.’ That way I can focus on helping the team win as many trophies as possible. When you are the champions it’s more difficult to keep hold of your trophies, but the challenge to do that is very exciting and I think about it every morning.

Did signing a new contract in the summer give you any extra focus?
It was a great feeling and a very easy decision. It was always my intention to stay at United and the club showed that they Sir Alex may have rotated his right-backs this season but there’s only one man for him at left-back.

Patrice Evra has been a revelation since arriving in January 2005 and continues to be one of the most reliable players at Old Trafford. But aside from doing his bit defensively, the former striker says he's determined to make a goalscoring contribution this season…

Firstly, are you worried about the points advantage that Liverpool and Chelsea have at this stage?
No, it’s too early. The league is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Of course, Liverpool and Chelsea have done well, but it’s about who does well towards the end, not just at the start.

How pleased are you with your form? You seemed to just pick up where you left off last season…It wasn’t easy at first, I missed a lot of pre-season because I’d been at the European Championships. I felt confident when I came back, particularly after what we achieved last season, but you need be careful because that success is in the past and you must look forward and keep improving. At the start of each season I tell myself ‘Pat you have won nothing.’ That way I can focus on helping the team win as many trophies as possible. When you are the champions it’s more difficult to keep hold of your trophies, but the challenge to do that is very exciting and I think about it every morning.

Did signing a new contract in the summer give you any extra focus?
It was a great feeling and a very easy decision. It was always my intention to stay at United and the club showed that they wanted me to do that. I want to win more trophies and I know I am the right place to do that.

You seem to have developed into the complete left-back, but are there areas of your game you still want to improve?
I need to continue to defend well, but this season I really want to score more goals. I know I have the ability, but so far I haven’t been able to do that regularly at United. Of course, first and foremost I am defender and I need to do my job well, but I hope I will get the opportunity to create and score more goals.

You play against some of the best players in the world every day in training, how does that help your game?
When you play against the likes of Ronny, Wayne [Rooney], Carlos [Tevez] or Berba, you’re not scared of anyone. They are all top players and every day I work with them I feel like I improve. I remember when we played Barcelona last season and I was up against Messi, I was confident before the game because it was nothing new.

You’ve made over 100 appearances for the Reds now, how would you sum up your time at United to date?
I just thank God every day for helping me live my dream. So many players would love to play for this great club, but only a few get the chance. That’s why every time I go out on the pitch I try to respect the shirt by working hard and enjoying every minute. It’s unbelievable to have played over 100 games and I hope I will play many more.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Papers: What's the point?

United forced to take centre-stage
When Manchester United beat Palmeiras to win the Toyota Cup in Japan in 1999, they were away for six days all in, travelling and playing. When they play the absurd FIFA Club World Cup next month it will be nine days away. As Sir Alex Ferguson knows so well, it is the small things that make the big differences over the course of a season. The FIFA Club World Cup, conceived out of the embarrassment of the abandoned World Club Championship in which United played in 2000, is another project built on the vanity of Sepp Blatter. Not content with allowing UEFA, with its work on what was once the European Cup, to be the only major governing body which has cocked up a perfectly good cup format, the FIFA president had had a go at it himself and came up with a corker.
This ridiculously bloated competition has taken the place of a perfectly good one-off game – once the Intercontinental Cup, latterly the Toyota Cup. It was simple: the European Cup winners against the winners of the South American equivalent, the Copa Libertadores, which was played, from 1980, in Japan. It was a strange game but pleasingly exotic, given the South American opposition, with a few Japanese quirks thrown in, too.
Sam Wallace, Independent

Elsewhere, Peter Ferguson, writing in The Daily Mail, raves about Dimitar Berbatov. He writes: “Cristiano Ronaldo put two goals away, leaving him one short of his United 100, but if he is soon to be anointed the best player in the world, Berbatov is quickly staking his cultured claim to a place on the shortlist. Comparisons with United icon Eric Cantona are off-target. Berbatov shares the Frenchman's arrogance but is a better player. If it is unthinkable now that the Alice band should supersede the raised collar, look again in a couple of years.”


Round up by Nick Coppack

:devil:

 

[afbug]

nvm be it at home away we will still win!:bsmilie:

Both Gunners n reds will cont to drop points....all we have to do is play like we used to can le....:devil:

And that Chelski too! :devil:

 

[melvin]

And that Chelski too! :devil:

Yeah.... and just Buang 3-1 to the team we trash 7-1:bsmilie::devil:

 

[melvin]

Double fixture change

United's home games against Chelsea and Everton will both be screened live on television.

The clash with Chelsea, originally scheduled for Saturday 10 January, has been put back 24 hours to Sunday 11 January, kick-off 16:00 GMT and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Just over three weeks later, the Reds will entertain Everton at Old Trafford on Monday 2 February, kick-off 20:00 GMT after the game was moved from Saturday 31 January. The match will be live on Setanta.

However, should either club be involved in an FA Cup fourth round replay, the fixture will revert back to Saturday 31 January, kick-off to be confirmed.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Defensive trio miss Celtic trip

Wes Brown, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville joined long-term injury victims Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves in missing the United squad's flight to Scotland on Tuesday afternoon.

An ankle knock has kept Brown out of United's last two games and he also missed training on Tuesday morning at Carrington. With Neville also absent from the trip, Rafael da Silva looks set to start at right-back once again.

Van der Sar, meanwhile, has been rested. Ben Foster was last week pencilled in by Sir Alex Ferguson to start Wednesday's match, and he looks set to be handed his Champions League debut against Celtic.

Victory over Gordon Strachan's men at Celtic Park will ensure the Reds a safe passage through to the knock-out stages of the competition.

United's squad vs Celtic: Kuszczak, Foster; Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, O'Shea, Rafael, Evans; Possebon, Anderson, Fletcher, Nani, Ronaldo, Gibson, Giggs, Carrick, Park; Tevez, Berbatov, Rooney.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Boss: We're red hot

Despite admitting United were almost “embarrassed” by Hull City on the weekend, Sir Alex Ferguson has no qualms about the Reds’ form as his players prepare to take on Celtic on Wednesday night.

At Tuesday evening’s press conference in Glasgow, the manager dismissed suggestions he’d been critical of his side’s performance on Saturday.

“I wasn’t critical,” he said. “If they make 20 chances, how can I possibly criticise the team?

“It was an outstanding performance in terms of movement, passing and creation of chances. It was absolutely brilliant. But we came up against a team who never gave in.”

The last time United visited Celtic Park, in November 2006, the Reds were also guilty of missing opportunities in front of goal.

“That was another good performance,” the manager said. “But we forgot the essential part of football on that night: scoring goals. It does concern me when we don’t take our chances.

“But on Wednesday it’s a different team and our players have more experience now. It’s hard to equate what happened two years ago with today. All I can say is that the team at the moment are doing very well and we hope we can continue that on Wednesday night.

“We want to qualify [for the knockout stages] so I’ll be picking a team to win. There’s no danger of us underestimating Celtic.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Fletch: We'll silence the Scots

Darren Fletcher says keeping hold of the ball could be key to quelling Celtic’s vociferous support.

The Bhoys boast an enviable home record in the Champions League – just one loss in 16 matches –thanks largely to some of the noisiest supporters in European football.

Yet Fletcher believes dominating possession could go a long way towards quietening the crowd and, ultimately, winning the match.

“I’m sure it will be a fantastic atmosphere on Wednesday, but it’s one we want to control,” he said. “By keeping the ball you can quieten the crowd, although it might take a bit more than usual because the Celtic fans are so passionate.

“But it’s something we’ve done in the past and we’ll try and do that again.”

Scotland captain Fletcher said it was “great” to return to his home country, but insisted Wednesday’s match carried no special significance.

“At the end of the day I’m here to represent Manchester United and it’s no different to any other European game. I’m looking forward to the game and I’m looking to win.”

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan may have labelled the Reds the best side in the world, but Fletcher says the Scots can’t be taken lightly.

“I know some of the Celtic players and they feel they can beat anyone on their day,” the United midfielder said.

“I know Celtic are building us up to be this great team – and we can be – but they have a fantastic record at home in the Champions League and we know we have to be on top of our game if we want to win the match.


“They have the ability to beat us. They’ve beaten us before. We might have dominated [at Celtic Park in 2006] but we didn’t put the ball in the back of the net and we were punished.

“I’ve been in Scotland sides that have gone to France and won and we’ve beaten France at home, so there’s plenty of self-belief in the Celtic team.”

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Sir Alex's no.1 choice

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits he faces a goalkeeping selection dilemma ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting with Celtic.

With a tough away trip to Arsenal on Saturday, the Reds left first-choice stopper Edwin van der Sar in Manchester while the rest of the team flew to Glasgow to prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture.

Although Sir Alex hinted last week that he may hand Ben Foster his European debut at Celtic Park, the boss told the media on Tuesday evening he may yet play Tomasz Kuszczak. The Pole certainly has more experience of European football and was in goal last Wednesday for West Ham’s visit to Old Trafford.

“I haven’t made up my mind about who will start,” the boss revealed. “It’s a toss-of-the-coin sort of decision. I really don’t know.

“But whoever doesn’t play tomorrow will play against Queens Park Rangers [in the Carling Cup on Tuesday 11 November]. Edwin will be available for Saturday.

“We have two outstanding young goalkeepers who deserve opportunities like this, to give them a taste of a tremendous European atmosphere.”

If Foster is given the nod, the manager is confident the 25-year-old will pass the test with flying colours. Sir Alex has previously stated he believes Foster is “England’s future no.1”, and in Glasgow the boss reiterated his stance.

“From what I’ve seen in training and from what I saw of him [on loan] at Watford, I would say he’s England’s next no.1,” he said. “The problem for the lad is that with Edwin van der Sar here, it doesn’t make it easy for him. But he’s young and his time will come.”

How soon that time arrives is less certain. Van der Sar may be 38 but Sir Alex says he’s showing little sign of slowing down.

“Edwin’s a very fit guy,” he said. “He’s looked after himself and he could play for certainly another year – maybe two – at the very top.

“He’s an outstanding example for any young goalkeeper and that’s where I’m getting the benefit. These two goalkeepers [Foster and Kuszczak], as well as Ben Amos and Tom Heaton, are getting better because of the work they do with Edwin and the coaching they’re getting from Eric Steele.

“I’m in a very privileged position. For many years we didn’t get a young goalkeeper coming through the ranks but now we have a clutch of them who we believe are very good.”

Who would you pick? Foster or Kuszczak? Vote at www.manutd.com/polls

:devil:

 

[plsoong]

Sir Alex's no.1 choice

:devil:

so the match will be later today right?

Sh*t...i need to rush home to watch
!!!

hehh

 

[melvin]

so the match will be later today right?

Sh*t...i need to rush home to watch
!!!

hehh

U sure u need to rush is at 0345hrs lei:sweat: