wlt1110

12/09/2007 09:02, Report by Ben Hibbs

Evra showing his quality - Irwin

United legend Denis Irwin has praised the performances of Patrice Evra this season, who he believes is showing signs of becoming a more complete player.

Evra's well-documented slow start to his United career in the second half of the 2005/06 campaign was followed by an outstanding contribution to the Reds’ title triumph last term.

The 26-year-old Frenchman has again proved this season why he is Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-choice for the position, and Irwin, who made the left-back spot his own during 529 appearances for the Reds, has been hugely impressed with the defender’s start to the new season.

"Evra has looked very good this season," he said at a fans' Q&A session at Old Trafford.

"I must admit I was a bit worried when he first came in,” he added. “I always thought Heinze was a better defensive player, but Evra did look good going forward. I thought that if you could have merged the two of them then you'd have the perfect full-back.

"It was a tough start for Patrice and everyone remembers his debut against City. But last year you could see him getting better and better all the time, and I'm very impressed with his all-round game now."

wlt1110

Papers: Wazza in training
12/09/2007 08:29

Rooney's return cheers Fergie
Sir Alex Ferguson last night confirmed SunSport's exclusive that Wayne Rooney has recovered from his broken metatarsal. We revealed yesterday Rooney, 21, was back in training and wanted to play against his club Everton on Saturday. That is five weeks after his foot was placed in a cast after his third metatarsal injury in three years. Fergie said: “He’s started training which is good. I’d not have brought him back to training unless he was ready. The latest scan was good and I’m pleased with that. We have to wait and see how his fitness is after being out but I’m delighted he’s on his way back."
Neil Custis, The Sun
Meanwhile, Micah Richards has told Gary Neville: I’ve done enough to keep your shirt. The Manchester City defender is standing in as England right-back while Neville is crocked. And Richards said: “I am not just here because someone is injured, I am here to make a mark.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

wlt1110

13/09/2007 07:32, Report by Steve Bartram

Sir Bobby rooting for Ryan

Sir Bobby Charlton is counting down the games until Ryan Giggs passes his longstanding United appearance record.
The United legend is already preparing to honour the Welsh winger, despite Giggs still needing another 39 appearances to overtake Charlton.
"I would love it if Ryan got the record," said Sir Bobby, at a promotion for his new autobiography: 'My Manchester United Years'.
"It would be so fitting and I would be pleased to have the opportunity to go onto the pitch and present him with something. In fact, if they didn't ask me, I would pester them until they did.
"When I finished I could not believe anyone would play more games than that. I did so much running for so many years, I just didn't think it would be possible.
"But Ryan is almost there now. To physically put your body through what he has is very difficult and that is why I am so delighted for him."
Sir Bobby, who made 759 appearance for United, can still remember his first sighting of Giggs, on his way to meet Sir Alex Ferguson at United's Littleton Road training ground.
"I set off for Pitch 11, where Alex was, and got about halfway there when I saw this little lad pick up the ball, beat about four men and then shoot," he recalled.
"The goalkeeper made a great save but I could not get up to see Alex quick enough. I asked him who it was and it turned out to be Ryan. He had just been signed that morning from under the noses of Manchester City. I just thought 'that will do me'.
"I could never have imagined he would play so many times. Football is just so non-stop in England. It is all about pace now. But if that little lad has run as much as I did, he has been some player."

wlt1110

13/09/2007 08:18, Report by Ben Hibbs

Fletcher's Scots humble France

Darren Fletcher’s Scotland pulled off one of their greatest results on Wednesday night, beating France 1-0 at the Parc de Princes, but it came at a cost to the United midfielder.

Injury forced Fletcher off after just 26 minutes of the tie, but Scotland held firm throughout and snatched a dramatic and unlikely winner when James McFadden hit a wonder-strike from 30 yards.

Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in the game, though he may not be looking forward to bumping into Sir Alex on his return to Carrington!

Alex McLeish’s side are top of Group B, ahead of World Cup winners Italy and losing finalists France, who Scotland also beat at Hamden last October.

Rio Ferdinand was on the mark for England in their 3-0 success of Russia at Wembley. The Reds defender scored the third, adding to Michael Owen’s two earlier efforts, to seal victory. Wes Brown was an unused sub.

John O’Shea started for the Republic of Ireland but came off before half-time through injury while young Reds midfielder Darron Gibson was on the bench as the Republic lost 1-0 to their Czech counterparts, effectively ending their hopes of qualification for Euro 2008.

Jonny Evans played the full match for Northern Ireland against Iceland and went close to scoring with a header, but Keith Gillespie’s last-gasp own goal meant a 2-1 defeat and leaves Nigel Worthington’s side’s hopes of making next summer’s tournament hanging by a thread.

Edwin van der Sar admitted to Holland’s luck after Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed a stoppage time goal to secure a 1-0 win over Albania in Group G.  He said: "We won in the final minute - we all worked very hard
Darren Fletcher’s Scotland pulled off one of their greatest results on Wednesday night, beating France 1-0 at the Parc de Princes, but it came at a cost to the United midfielder.

Injury forced Fletcher off after just 26 minutes of the tie, but Scotland held firm throughout and snatched a dramatic and unlikely winner when James McFadden hit a wonder-strike from 30 yards.

Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in the game, though he may not be looking forward to bumping into Sir Alex on his return to Carrington!

Alex McLeish’s side are top of Group B, ahead of World Cup winners Italy and losing finalists France, who Scotland also beat at Hamden last October.

Rio Ferdinand was on the mark for England in their 3-0 success of Russia at Wembley. The Reds defender scored the third, adding to Michael Owen’s two earlier efforts, to seal victory. Wes Brown was an unused sub.

John O’Shea started for the Republic of Ireland but came off before half-time through injury while young Reds midfielder Darron Gibson was on the bench as the Republic lost 1-0 to their Czech counterparts, effectively ending their hopes of qualification for Euro 2008.

Jonny Evans played the full match for Northern Ireland against Iceland and went close to scoring with a header, but Keith Gillespie’s last-gasp own goal meant a 2-1 defeat and leaves Nigel Worthington’s side’s hopes of making next summer’s tournament hanging by a thread.

Edwin van der Sar admitted to Holland’s luck after Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed a stoppage time goal to secure a 1-0 win over Albania in Group G.  He said: "We won in the final minute - we all worked very hard
to reach that - the relief was enormous."

Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily involved for Portugal as it looked as though they’d secured a 1-0 win over Serbia in a match that ended with a 30-man melee. However, Branislav Ivanovic netted in the 88th minute to cancel out Simao Sabrosa’s earlier effort.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari found himself denying punching Ivica Dragutinovic after the Serb was sent off for his part in the fracas. Nemanja Vidic also played in the match.

wlt1110

13/09/2007 08:21

Whiteside on winning the Cup

With United heading to Goodison Park on Saturday, Norman Whiteside casts his mind back to the 1985 FA Cup final.
Here's Part Four of our extract from his book, Determined: The Autobiography. To win a copy, as well as a signed retro shirt, visit the Competitions page.


United v Everton
Wembley 18 May, 1985

Over the years, people have asked me whether it was a cross, but it must have been a terrible one if it was, as no one was near it. So when I’m offered the option of crap cross or great goal, I always go for the latter. Of course, it was a shot and was something I used to do all the time in practice matches.

I never had the tricks or pace that Cristiano Ronaldo has, but I did have what his predecessor on United’s right wing, David Beckham, had: good timing, an eye for a good angle, the ability with one foot to deliver a ball with precision and the vision to pick the best option.

Dennis Bergkamp hit similar finishes to the one I scored in 1985. If you get it right, it’s unstoppable because the ball’s on its way before the keeper sees it. Moreover, if you’re close enough to goal, he’s never going to be able to get there.

Before I hit the shot, Gordon was screaming his head off at me for the ball. He had made a great run, drawing two defenders away from me, and he had the intelligence to see that if he had overlapped on the inside, my space would have gone, so he went on the outside.

It was very much like the run made by Brazil’s Cerezo for Falcão’s equalising goal in that wonderful match against Italy at the 1982 World Cup. The two finishes were different, but if you wanted to teach a young player how to take defenders away, you would use wee Gordon and Cerezo as arguably the best examples ever.
All the same, Gordon’s main intention wasn’t to create space for me; he actually wanted the ball, as I could tell by his screaming commentary as I shaped to shoot: ‘Give me the effing ball, effing hell, effing pass it, come on you effing… great goal, big man!’

The other funny thing was the sight of the BBC’s Tony Gubba behind the goal. I didn’t know before I scored that he was a big United fan, but it was pretty clear afterwards because he jumped backwards and started celebrating as wildly as we were. So much for the Corporation’s neutrality!

All I remember about the last ten minutes was repeatedly giving the ball to Jesper Olsen and hoping he’d run upfield with it and keep it there as long as possible. That seemed the best tactic to hold Everton away from us and they never got close enough to make a clear-cut chance.

At least this time, when we went up to collect the trophy and our medals, we avoided putting the silly hats on, so there are some shots of us that don’t make us cringe. That didn’t last long, though, and we were soon parading up and down the pitch in all manner of caps and scarves.

Determined: The Autobiography by Norman Whiteside is published by Headline, £18.99.

wlt1110

Papers: Saha is King Louis
Papers: Saha is King Louis

Saha can be King Louis
Gary Neville has tipped Louis Saha to be King of Old Trafford – if he can stay clear of injury. Neville insisted: "Louis is different to anyone else we have at the club. He can be unplayable." Saha prepares to start his first match since February 27 at Everton on Saturday. Neville, out since March, stressed what a key player Saha is when 100 per cent fit. He said: "We could see what a difference he made when he came on against Sunderland. "If he can stay clear of injuries then we have a great centre-forward on our hands."
Bill Thornton, Daily Star

Gary Neville is also quoted in The Mirror, saying United cannot afford to lose too many more matches. "Losing one, two or three games is acceptable, but no more. I wouldn't expect United to lose eight, nine and 10 games. If we do that, we'll have underperformed," the Reds' skipper said.

Elsewhere, The Telegraph quote Sir Bobby Charlton as saying he'd be happy if Ryan Giggs passed his United appearance record. Giggs is currently 38 appearances short of Charlton's mark. "I would love it if Ryan got the record," Sir Bobby said.

The Daily Mail claim Liverpool assistant manager Pako Ayesteran could be tempted to join United or Chelsea after falling out with Rafa Benitez. Ayesteran allegedly disagreed with Benitez over training methods earlier in the summer and reconciliation talks failed to yield positive results. It's understood Ayesteran, who also worked with Benitez at Valencia, is currently on extended gardening leave.
Round up by Nick Coppack

wlt1110

14/09/2007 11:29, Report by Nick Coppack

Rooney in squad to face Everton

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney will travel to Goodison Park for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League fixture against Everton.

The 21-year-old, who has been out since fracturing his foot against Reading on the opening day of the season, has been training well for the Reds this week, according to Sir Alex. He is in the squad to face his former club, but the manager admitted he is unsure how Rooney will be used, if at all, against his former club.

"Rooney has trained very well," the Reds boss told reporters on Friday. "He'll travel with us to Goodison, but whether I start him, put him on the bench or leave him out until Wednesday, that's something I have to decide."

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the manager also confirmed that Louis Saha is ready for action after completing 45 minutes against Sunderland earlier this month, while the Reds are boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo's return from a three-match suspension.

Owen Hargreaves, who missed both of England's Euro 2008 qualifiers this week with a thigh strain, trained on Friday morning but remains doubtful for the Reds' trip to Merseyside.

"There's not a lot wrong with Owen," added the boss. "He trained well today (Friday). But I don't know whether we'll risk that against Everton. It's more likely he'll play in Lisbon on Wednesday."

The news isn't quite so good for Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea, who were both injured on Wednesday night playing for their countries. Fletcher limped off against France and could be out for six weeks, while O'Shea appeared to pick up a knee injury in the Republic Of Ireland's loss to the Czech Republic and also faces a couple of weeks on the sideline.

[ 本帖最後由 wlt1110 於 2007-9-14 08:32 PM 編輯 ]

wlt1110

14/09/2007 10:21, Report by Ben Hibbs

Owen expects tough Toffees test

Owen Hargreaves faces a race to be fit for Saturday's clash with Everton at Goodison Park, and if he does make the match he knows he'll be in for a tough afternoon.

Despite having not played against David Moyes' side, the 26-year-old midfielder is well aware of the the threat posed by Everton, who currently lie third in the Premier League.

"The rest of the lads have all said that Everton away is a tough game, especially with the way they play," he told this week's Red View newsletter.

"They’ve signed some good players recently. Until they signed Yakubu they played mainly with just Andy Johnson up front, but with this being a home game they’ll probably play two up. Yakubu has a great physical presence and he’s been a good goalscorer in the past."

It's certain to be no easy ride for the Reds, as was discovered last season at Goodison Park when United had to come from two goals down to clinch a crucial 4-2 win en route to the league title.

"Everton are a good, hard-working team," added Hargreaves. "They play together, don’t make a lot of mistakes, defend very well and they’re a strong team.

"They keep it quite simple, but they obviously have two good strikers going forward. It’ll be a very tough game, but whenever Manchester United show up you’re expected to win games, and we’ll expect to win at Everton."

wlt1110

14/09/2007 08:45, Report by Gemma Thompson

Arteta raring to go

Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta says the Toffees are relishing United's visit to Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.

David Moyes' side have made an impressive start to the campaign and are level on ten points with early front-runners Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea thanks to three wins from their opening five matches.

The Toffees are determined to maintain their run of good form against the Reds and Arteta insists the players are ready for action.

"If you are going to beat United then you have to play one of your best matches of the year, but we are ready for it," he told Everton's official website.

"If we want to climb the table we can’t afford to drop points at home – even if we are playing the Premier League champions.

"Morale is high in the squad and that’s one of our secrets," he added. "We are hopeful that this can be our year, but none of the players are getting too carried away and we’re just taking it game by game."

wlt1110

14/09/2007 08:18, Report by Ben Hibbs

Giggs: Play me anywhere

Ryan Giggs says he will play anywhere Sir Alex Ferguson decides to use him.

The Welshman's experience of over 700 matches for the Reds makes him a vital cog in Sir Alex's team, particularly with the recent influx of young players at the club.

A sprightly winger in his youth, Giggs has added versatility to his game in his later years, and whether it's in the centre of the park, out wide or up front, the 33-year-old feels completely at ease with the task.

"Over the last couple of year I've played on the left, I've played in midfield and just off the striker," Giggs told Inside United magazine. "I've got the experience to play all the positions so it doesn't really bother me where I play."

Giggs recently retired from international football and, having had a two-week rest while most of his club-mates were off on Euro 2008 qualification duty, he'll be raring to go as the Reds resume Premier League duties against Everton this weekend.

But it may not just be during international fixtures that he gets a break, with the quality and depth of United's squad offering the likes of Giggs and Paul Scholes further opportunities to stay fresh. "We've got that strength in depth now and plenty of options up front, so I'm sure the manager will be freshening things up," Giggs added.

"He'll probably try to keep the back four and midfield as solid as possible, not changing too much. But he's got the luxury now of being able to change the front players around, which is obviously important because they need to stay sharp."

Read the full interview with Ryan Giggs in the Exclusive Interviews section.

wlt1110

Papers: Hate made Ronaldo
14/09/2007 08:03

Ronaldo: Hate made me
Cristiano Ronaldo says becoming a hate figure has been the making of him. The Manchester United and Portugal star was public enemy No 1 in this country after his part in Wayne Rooney’s World Cup red card last year. Ronaldo said: “After the match I was criticised and whistled at. It was not very pleasant but it did me some good. With this I grew wiser and it helped me to mature."
Neil Custis, The Sun
Rafael Benitez is at it again, complaining about lunchtime kick-offs. According to The Sun, he is "seeking showdown talks with Premier League bosses after slamming Liverpool's lunchtime fixture programme".


Round up by Ben Hibbs

wlt1110

15/09/2007 14:41, Report by Ben Hibbs

Vida delight at killer blow

Nemanja Vidic was delighted that his first United goal of the season came at such a crucial moment as the Reds snatched a late victory on Saturday.

Sir Alex Ferguson says the Serbian has “a bit of the Brucies about him”, and that was certainly evident at Goodison. Much like former Reds centre-back Steve Bruce, Vidic possesses determination and bravery in abundance, prominent attributes that make him one of the Premier League’s finest defenders, but they are also major assets to attacking situations.

“I have had a couple of chances this season and haven’t managed to score,” Vidic told MUTV. “This was probably the best moment to get my first goal of the season with less than ten minutes to go. We’ve won, so I’m happy.”

It capped a wonderful defensive display from the solid Serb, who, alongside Rio Ferdinand, kept Everton striker’s Yakubu and Andy Johnson at bay. But Vidic modestly claims United’s solidarity was a team effort.

“We played like a team,” he said. “It’s not just two players, everyone played well in defence and that helped us get the result. Yakubu is strong and Johnson is quick and likes the ball in the channels. But we knew about them and stopped them from getting chances.
“With our ability going forward we knew that we’d be able to score, and we did. We came for the win and got it. Sometimes you have to make sure you don’t lose a goal.

“It’s always difficult after the international break,” he added. “We knew that it would be hard against Everton and that we’d need to play a compact game. We had to do that today.”

Thanks to Vidic’s intervention, United now have three consecutive 1-0 victories and following a shaky start to the Reds’ title defence Vidic is looking forward with plenty of optimism.

“We started badly this season,” he admits. “But now we have three wins in a row and I think we’re improving every time. I hope that in our next game we improve again. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

wlt1110

15/09/2007 13:48, Report by Steve Bartram

Boss salutes Reds' resolve

Sir Alex Ferguson saluted his side's resolve as Nemanja Vidic's late header gave United a battling victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
The Reds, who were far from fluent, showed great character to keep the hosts largely at arm's length throughout the match, and defended resolutely - with Vidic particularly outstanding.
"It was a great result," Sir Alex told MUTV. "A lot of teams will drop points here. It was a real battle. It looked to me like it was going to be a draw, but then we got a lifeline with Nemanja's goal.
"It wasn't a great performance, but it was a good, decent performance. The whole team worked very hard, and it's maybe difficult sometimes coming back off the international break.
"We all know that we've not got our strongest side out, but in that situation you all get together. It was a good strong team effort today, and we defended right.
"They had a chance at 1-0 when Edwin's made a terrific save, and Rio Ferdinand's made a fantastic block from the follow-up (from Victor Anichebe). That's determined defending, and that's the kind of defending you need to win the title.
"If we can do that, and once we've got all our top players back and got the consistency of our performance, we'll be alright."
Sir Alex was left exasperated at times by the performance of referee Alan Wiley, who irked the United Manager by dishing out questionable bookings to Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Scholes - who subsequently avoided a second booking for a foul on Mikel Arteta - was booked for punching the ball away after Wylie had harshly penalised him for handball, while Ronaldo was punished for a perceived dive on the edge of the Everton area.
"When Scholesy got his booking, he didn't handle the ball. The referee's view is blocked, he's heard the crowd and given a yellow card, which is ridiculous," said Sir Alex.
"Carlos has seen the video and said Ronaldo was definitely tripped, but it was outside the box. To get a yellow card if you've been fouled is ridiculous. And of course you can't rescind a yellow card, only a red card, that's the unfortunate thing.
"The referee's really just satisfied the crowd. He thought it was going to be a penalty kick, and that's why he's booked him. It gets him out of jail, and it was a terrible decision."

wlt1110

15/09/2007 14:03, Report by Ben Hibbs

Silvestre sent for scan

Sir Alex Ferguson says that Mikael Silvestre will be sent for a scan on the knee injury the Frenchman picked up against Everton on Saturday.

The Reds left-back, who was playing his first match since the opening day of the season against Reading, got his studs caught in the Goodison Park turf and fell awkwardly, twisting his knee. Silvestre appeared to be in quite considerable pain and had to be stretchered from the field.

"It's a knee injury," confirmed the boss after the match. "We'll send him for a scan and wait to see what comes of it."

Silvestre joins Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea on the sidelines, all of whom are expected to be out for a number of weeks at least.

wlt1110

15/09/2007 19:27, Report by Steve Bartram

League: Rivals drop points

Chelsea were controversially held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers, as Salomon Kalou's second-half strike was ruled offside at Stamford Bridge.

Both sides came close to bagging a winner in Saturday's late kick-off, and nobody came closer than Kalou when he turned in Juliano Belletti's cross - only for a linesman's flag to chalk off the goal.

A similar scoreline befell Liverpool against Portsmouth - although it could have been even worse for Rafa Benitez's side, who topped the table going into the weekend.

Kanu's first-half penalty was saved by Pepe Reina at Fratton Park, and Liverpool's failure to find a winner saw them slip off top spot.

Their place was taken by Arsenal, who came from behind to inflict defeat on Tottenham in the north London derby at White Hart Lane.
Gareth Bale's opener was cancelled out by Emmanuel Adebayor's second-half header, before Cesc Fabregas and Adebayor, again, struck fine late goals.

Elsewhere, West Ham sunk Middlesbrough with three second-half goals - from Lee Bowyer, a Luke Young own-goal and Dean Ashton - at Upton Park.

A late Jason Koumas penalty secured a draw for Wigan, who had previously fallen behind to Fulham after Clint Dempsey's early opener.

Birmingham's Olivier Kapo heaped more misery on Bolton Wanderers, striking late in the first half to sink Sammy Lee's side at St. Andrews.

Sunderland paid tribute to club legend Ian Porterfield - who sadly died this week - with a 2-1 victory over Reading thanks to goals from Kenwyne Jones and Ross Wallace.

TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal5+6132 Liverpool5+9113 Man Utd6+2114 Chelsea6+1115 West Ham5+5106 Everton6+210

Results: September 15Birmingham 1 Bolton 0
Chelsea 0 Blackburn 0
Everton 0 United 1
Portsmouth 0 Liverpool 0
Sunderland 2 Reading 1
Tottenham 1 Arsenal 3
West Ham 3 Middlesbrough 0
Wigan 1 Fulham 1