Guus Hiddink seems to have gone all 'Kevin Keegan' as the pressure gets to him in the race for the Premiership. He was talking at a press conference and went off on one saying he would 'love it' if Chelsea caught Manchester United. He has more chance of doing that than Keegan has of managing a club for more than 6 months without crying off and running away."The experience we have garnered over the years helps us, we don't panic. We very seldom have. Even in games we always keep playing our football and remain patient. Matches at Stoke and Bolton have been won like that this season. It is not an easy to do when you are chasing titles."
Give it up Guus or you'll end up like Keegan, hiding away in Spain every time the pressure builds up. You're better off hiding away in Russia accepting the roubles from that crook billionaire Abramobitch.....Back To Home Page...
Sir Alex Ferguson has voiced his concerns over the shock dismissal of Luis Felipe Scolari by Chelsea saying it's "a sign of the times."
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could make his comeback on Sunday against West Ham. Rooney damaged his hamstring five matches against Wigan three weeks ago. But now, approaching full fitness again he could well figure in the game against West ham this weekend as long as he puts in the time and effort on the training ground.More great news too about Patrice Evra who injured his ankle in the 3-0 victory over Chelsea a month ago. Nani too, who suffered a groin injury against Derby County in the Carling Cup Semi Final, Second Leg.
So, we have three top players approaching near match fitness when just two weeks ago we were getting injuries every week. Thank goodness things didn't get worse. Having said that, we haven't done too bad during the time of these injuries. Edwin Van Der Sar and his defence have been keeping the enemy at bay remarkably well which could be instrumental come the end of the season....Back To Home Page...
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is cliaming he is not under pressure despite losing 2-0 to The Bindippers AND trailing United by 5 points AND United have a game in hand.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has said there will be many twists and turns during the run in to this season as they are locked in combat with Chelsea, Liverpool and, yes, Aston Villa.
Chelsea and Manchester City have joined Real Madrid in the scramble for the services of Carlos Tévez if the Manchester United forward prices himself out of a long-term contract at Old Trafford. United are currently negotiating to sign Tévez permanentlyonce their two-year lease arrangement expires in June, but progress has been slow with Kia Joorabchian, head of the companies that own the player’s economic rights, maintaining that they must pay a fee of £22 million in addition to the downpayments of about £10 million that have already been made and a salary well in excess of £100,000 a week. Other clubs have been alerted to the impasse and while Real’s interest is well-known, Chelsea and City have also made clear their desire to be kept informed of developments.
The Argentina forward has expressed a preference to stay with United but, as well as the financial complications, he has been frustrated at times this season by his demotion to third choice behind Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. Madrid would be his preferred destination if he were to leave United, but Chelsea and City would offer alternatives.
City officials have discussed the feasibility of such a coup with Mark Hughes, the manager, since the failed bid to sign Kaká, the Brazil forward, from AC Milan this month. The fee would be £32 million, but Chelsea appear to be willing to match that valuation in the summer while also bidding to sign Luis Fabiano, the Brazil forward, from Seville.....Back To Home Page...
Having not conceded a goal since Arsenal's Samir Nasri scored the second of his two goals on 8 November against Manchester United, Edwin Van Der Sar needed to survive 84 minutes against West Bromwich Albion tonight, and he did it with consummate ease. Whilst he didn't concede, his team mates scored 5 at the other end.
Van Der Sar is now unbeaten in 1032 minutes!
Chelsea's Petr Cech held the record at 1,025 minutes, which he took from United's Peter Schmeichel in 2005.
However, this is still short of Steve De'Ath's Football League best of 1,103 minutes for Reading and the British record for all competitive games, held by Chris Woods of Rangers, who once went unbeaten for 1,196 minutes (19 hours and 56 minutes).
Van Der Sar can reach 1122 minutes if he can keep Everton at bay next weekend.
This game also means Manchester United are the first team ever to go 11 consecutive games without conceding a goal.
Two records broken tonight. The half century of points is reached and United now have the best goal difference in the Premier League. What a night.....Back To Home Page...
Edwin van der Sar has the task of keeping West Brom's less-than-lethal attack at bay for a minimum of 84 minutes at the Hawthorns on Tuesday to set a new Premier League goalkeeping record.
Nicolas Anelka obviously still claims Chelsea can win the Premier League despite Manchester United's brilliance. The Frenchman reckons that league leaders United are ‘brilliant’, but he believes that Chelsea’ last-ditch victory over Stoke will boost his troops’ morale.Anything is possible in this league as we have seen in the past and the league's top scorer assumes that The Blues feel good enough to add another trophy to their collection. Anelka has said that finishing at the top of the goalscorer’s table is ‘secondary’ to him, as he is focused on collective targets.
Anelka, speaking to 'Les Dessous du Sport' said: “Against Stoke, we scored two goals in a short space of time to claim the victory. Winning after adversity is always positive. It proves that what goes around comes back around. This game can boost our confidence regarding our title chances. Manchester United are top. The Reds are hard to beat, they are really brilliant. But it’s still possible. Okay, I haven’t scored in The Premier League lately. But I scored in the FA Cup. Besides, I was played on the right wing in some games. I scored goals in the past. What I want to do is win titles. Happy days if I can finish top scorer, but it’s secondary.” .....Back To Home Page...
Two years ago I was foolish enough to make the suggestion that Ryan Giggs might like to consider retirement as an option. That he was too slow, his dribbling skills and his endurance had left him, he was finished as we had younger players who could do his job.Ryan is as motivated as anyone in the dressing room, that is why he has been here for so long and achieved so much. If you win a league title, a lot of players might think 'that is not bad, I will settle for that.' But you can't get away with that here and Ryan is the obvious example of that.
"As players coming in you look at Ryan, see how motivated and determined he is and realise that is the way to be. He commands the respect of everyone in the dressing room. People look up to him. It is not so much asking his advice, it is to see what it takes to be a success in the game."
As Manchester United were outplaying, out thinking and totally outclassing a lacklustre Chelsea side last week, the United fans at Old Trafford and the 11 on the pitch were making all the right noises – something Rafael Benitez had failed to do on the previous Friday.
Benitez had claimed at his press conference that United’s result against Chelsea would not matter ‘if we (Liverpool) win at Stoke’. Unfortunately for Benitez, Liverpool failed to beat Stoke (17th in the table) for the second time this season and United went on to thrash Chelsea.
United’s fans and players seemed inspired in what was arguably our strongest performance all season. It was as if they had been given the motivation and inspiration to show the rest of the Premiership exactly which team are the Champions. Coincidentally this came after Benitez’s untimely press conference.
For the best part of two months it has seemed like Liverpool fans have been becoming increasingly confident, smug and celebratory as their team has occupied top spot. Despite only being January, the majority of Liverpool fans have been happy to announce how sorry United would be in May and how disappointed Fergie was going to be that he hadn’t equalled Liverpool’s 18 titles. It was after watching Benitez’s press conference in full and having noticed the premature celebratory mood from Liverpool fans that I thought to myself that when United inevitably lift the title in May, this years Premiership title will be the sweetest yet.
Then I got the feeling I wasn’t the only one. In between the ironic cheers for John Terry, Old Trafford roared and asked; ‘Are you watching Merseyside?’
At his press conference Benitez told the waiting press what he thought about Mr Ferguson as he had scrawled a few ‘facts’ on a piece of A4 which he wanted to share. Admittedly, the timing could have been great, Liverpool could have battered Stoke and United could have lost or even drawn.
Upon first seeing the ‘Rafa rant’ I thought aspects of it were quite funny, particularly the suggestion the Fergie should compile the fixtures and send them to other Premier League managers. I am sure even the most ardent supporter would have chuckled at some of his comments. Then, the hilarity of it really began to sink in as Stoke held Liverpool to a goalless draw the following day.
The suggestion made by the press that Benitez was having a Kevin Keegan moment is perhaps a little inaccurate - inaccurate because Keegan could be forgiven. He was caught at a highly emotional moment without the opportunity to prepare a detailed response like Benitez did. He exploded in a rash moment of madness. The fact that Benitez went to the effort of finding examples, scenarios and ‘facts’ shows the man has been truly affected by the mind games from the master.
This carefully documented tirade would surely not have come from a man who is confident that his table toppers will continue their excellent form and win the Premier League. The bait laid by Ferguson should have been brushed of with a simple ‘we are top of the league, end of story’. If Benitez would have left the press conference after his first remarks then his credibility would have most definitely remained intact. Claiming Ferguson was nervous that Liverpool are top of the league would have sufficed in gaining an advantage in the mind-games stakes. As it is, Benitez has heaped pressure upon himself and his team by embracing Ferguson so early in the season.
While United have endured a disjointed spluttering start, Liverpool have, the majority of the time, been playing their best football and have built a small advantage at the top. Recently it had been suggested in some quarters that United were scared and worried about Liverpool being top. This was probably true of the majority of United fans, but, after the annihilation of Chelsea and with Benitez seemingly back to his ‘Tinkerman’ best, United fans are now filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement.
Of the 10 Premiership trophies won since Liverpool last claimed the title, there have been a few which have stood out as being sweeter than the rest. Winning it the first time, winning it in the treble year, last years victory and the title which ended Mourinho’s seemingly unstoppable reign were all special. For me though none of these would compare with the delight United fans will have when we beat Liverpool to the title. United and Ferguson seem to be finding some form at just the right time as Benitez and Liverpool are firing blanks. I suggest Liverpool fans and Rafa Benitez make room in the record books as Mr Ferguson is coming to collect United’s 18th title and, like many other United fans, for me this one will be the sweetest………………………………Back To Home Page.
THE SWEETEST THING..........
'Rafa's cracking up,' rang out around Old Trafford last Wednesday night, it was not a concerned cry from Manchester United supporters, they were merely laughing at Rafa and his recent antics in trying to upset Sir Alex Ferguson, the 'King Of The Mind Games'.Benitez's outbursts are more an act of mental disintegration and as Gideon Haigh pointed out, this is a unique talent of the England cricket team that they were able to inflict mental disintegration on themselves rather than their opponents. Many believe Benitez did the same thing when he produced his piece of paper last Friday week, seeing it as an act of appeasement on a par with Neville Chamberlain.
Nobody knows anything and they know even less when dealing with Alex Ferguson. Last week a Sky reporter admitted that he hadn't wanted to ask Alex Ferguson his views on the latest revelations in the Patrice Evra case having already asked him about Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid. You get out while you're ahead was the general tone of his report, suggesting that while enjoying an audience with Alex Ferguson you don't want to do anything that would upset him so it was one tricky question per turn. Nobody ever feels that way in a Rafael Benitez press conference. They ask him anything they like and feel comfortable diong so. With Sir Alex they tread very carefully indeed!
At a time when Liverpool and Chelsea should be enjoying 'relative safety' from United after their trip to Japan, they find themselves both behind them as the New Year celebrations are left behind and the run-in to the season is about to begin.
Chelsea and Liverpool could have been 16 points clear of United on their return from the World Club Cup but they blew it big time. Since Japan United have won five straight league games and have not conceded a goal for ten straight matches either, equalling Chelsea's record.
The fact that United again scored a very late winner yesterday against Bolton doesn't mean they are the luckiest team in the world either as most opposition fans seem to think. Why do you think Chelsea and Manchester United do this so often and with consistency? It's because neither team will give up for one single second during a game and they will fight until the final whistle. This is why the two supposed 'luckiest' teams score so many late winners.
Against Bolton yesterday United had a hat full of chances any one of which could have gone in. It just so happens that it was a late effort from Dimitar Berbatov that won the game for them.
Now, instead of still being well clear of United after the Japan adventure, both Chelsea and Liverpool find themselves chasing them again and if you ask me, it will be a futile chase once again. To beat United you obviously must score and for the last 900+ minutes of football, no one has managed to figure out how to do this.
The writing is on the wall..........Back To Home Page
It is now 4.50am and I am still buzzing after Manchester United's win yesterday. So much so that I can't sleep. Even Jose Mourinho pictured left at Old Trafford couldn't help but laugh. This game showed us a lot and to be honest it showed us most of all that Big Phil Scolari has an out of date team and nothing in reserve to back them up with, basically, the wheels have come off the "Stamford Bridge Steam Roller" that used to be driven by Jose Mourinho!Their passing was neat and inventive, little triangles all over the pitch, even if it did not take them in behind a resilient back four. Yet it was their reaction to United’s first goal, from Nemanja Vidic, that exposed the difference in the teams.
United grew in confidence, created better chances, looked utterly assured at the back while Chelsea lost air like a deflated balloon.
Nicolas Anelka arrived to little effect and at the moment Scolari was poised to introduce Juliano Belletti in place of Jose Bosingwa at full back, United scored a second through Rooney and the contest ended.
Seeing his players poring over the news in the papers he seized his moment.
‘See?’ he snarled. ‘That Liverpool lot are celebrating already. They think they have won it.’ All nonsense, of course, the sort of mind games Rafael Benitez clearly thought were being played in public, rather than private; but it did the trick. Manchester United played on Sunday like a team that had a point to prove, that wanted to knock the League leaders off their perch, in true Ferguson style. Chelsea, meanwhile, have long ceased celebrating those autumn days when they played in the style of potential champions.
At Old Trafford, that particular party was well and truly over.........
Chelsea's preparations for their vital Premier League clash against Manchester United were interrupted by a hotel fire alarm early on Sunday morning. Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, his backroom staff, players and other hotel guests were all evacuated from their Manchester hotel when the alarm was raised at seven o'clock.The entire Chelsea squad was kept outside while the local fire brigade made certain the hotel was safe.
Fire officers searched the hotel floors to ensure it was safe to return and the Chelsea players spent around 50 minutes outside and in the lobby before being allowed to go back to their rooms.
Manchester United and Chelsea lock horns on Sunday but there is already a battle going on between the two as they both chase the signature of Villarreal Spanish keeper Diego Lopez.Diego López RodrÃguez was born November 3rd, 1981 in Paradela, Lugo, Galicia. He is a youth graduate from Real Madrid and served as backup to Iker Casillas from 2005-07. In the closing stages of his days at Madrid, he appeared in two back-to-back away wins, against CA Osasuna (as Casillas was sent off) and Racing de Santander, adding a UEFA Champions League contest at Olympiakos FC, in a 1-2 defeat.
Following a second season where he was restricted to cup matches, in July 2007, López joined Villareal CF for a report fee of €6 million. He started the season as second-choice, to Uruguayan Sebastian Vierra but, after a string of fine performances (he played in the domestic and UEFA Cups), he was awarded first-team action, finishing the season with 20 appearances.....Back To Home Page...
United won the Double in 1995-96 while selling three of their most important players and buying nobody (although Eric Cantona came back from his kung-fu suspension in October). Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis all left so that the Fergie Fledglings - Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes - could make their way into the team. After United lost the first game of the season 3-1 to Aston Villa, Alan Hansen gave us his legendary "you'll never win anything with kids" quote and Kevin Keegan followed it up with his equally famous "I'll love it if we beat them" rant when United overturned a 12-point deficit to catch Newcastle and win the league."
Manchester United indeed spent no money that summer, buying only the reserve goalkeeper Nick Culkin from York City in September. The list below shows how much each Premiership-winner spent in the previous summer (up to the end of August, to include major deals such as Dwight Yorke and Michael Essien that went through in the first couple of weeks of the season). Chelsea, predictably, are miles clear at the bottom, having spent a combined £142m in the summers of 2004 and 2005, but Blackburn are not as low on the list as many people would expect. That's because the most important building blocks of The House That Jack Built - Tim Flowers, Colin Hendry, Tim Sherwood and Alan Shearer - had been purchased in previous seasons before they won the title in 1994-95.
NB: The figures are not exact, because some clubs - Arsenal in particular - often do not disclose transfer fees, so all data has been taken from Soccerbase.
1995-96 Manchester United, n/a
1992-93 Manchester United, £1.1m (Pat McGibbon and Dion Dublin)
1999-2000 Manchester United, £1.5m (Quinton Fortune)
2003-04 Arsenal, £2.5m (Cesc Fábregas, Phillipe Senderos, Jens Lehmann and Gaël Clichy)
1993-94 Manchester United, £3.75m (Roy Keane)
1994-95 Blackburn, £5.3m (Chris Sutton and Robbie Slater)
1996-97 Manchester United, £7.5m (Raimond van der Gouw, Ronny Johnsen, Ole Solskjaer, Karel Poborsky and Jordi Cruyff)
2000-01 Manchester United, £7.8m (Fabien Barthez)
1997-98 Arsenal, £14.55m (Alex Manninger, Manu Petit, Giles Grimandi, Luis Boa Morte, Alberto Mendez, Marc Overmars, Lee Canoville and Christopher Wreh)
2006-07 Manchester United, £18.6m (Michael Carrick)
2001-02 Arsenal, £22.25m (Francis Jeffers, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Sol Campbell and Richard Wright)
1998-99 Manchester United, £27.75m (Jaap Stam, Jesper Blomqvist and Dwight Yorke)
2002-03 Manchester United, £30m (Rio Ferdinand)
2005-06 Chelsea, £53,4m (Asier del Horno, Scott Sinclair, Lassana Diarra, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Essien)
Champions League final referee, Lubos Michel, revealed that the Manchester United players were much more focused and disciplined than Chelsea's moaning stars at the final of Europe's biggest competition in Moscow.
As Sir Alex Ferguson watched Ryan Giggs sprint towards the jubilant Manchester United supporters packed into one end of Wigan's JJB Stadium, a look of relief spread across his face.Giggs had just scored the goal that wrapped up United's 17th English league title and their 10th during Ferguson's reign.
Despite holding a substantial lead over their London rivals at one stage, United had been made to sweat all the way to the finish line by Chelsea and eventually ended only two points clear.
Taking the title by such a narrow margin could be a sign of things to come in the Premier League as the global credit crunch begins to level the playing field.
United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will all finish the year at the top end of the table again, but the emergence of Aston Villa as serious challengers to the big four underlines the closing gap between the league's superpowers and the chasing pack.
That Chelsea will start 2009 firmly in the title race is no surprise, but there are signs that the financial meltdown is starting to make life difficult for Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Scolari made an impressive start after replacing Avram Grant as Chelsea boss, but the Brazilian, who was furious that Manchester City out-bid the Blues for Robinho on transfer deadline day, has presided over a series of spluttering performances in recent weeks.
To make matters worse, Scolari has been told he must sell before he can buy after owner Roman Abramovich called a halt to the extravagant spending that has marked the Russian's time at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea aren't alone in tightening their belts and only Manchester City, backed by their Abu Dhabi-based billionaire owners, will buck the trend and pay big money during the transfer window.
The financial implications of relegation from the Premier League are too catastrophic to contemplate now and inevitably chairmen are getting twitchy.
When Paul Ince was sacked by Blackburn after only 17 matches in charge, he became the sixth top-flight boss to lose his job this season.
Winning the League Cup in February wasn't enough to save Juande Ramos as Tottenham's form collapsed.
Harry Redknapp, tempted by a crack at his first big club, left Portsmouth to replace the Spaniard and sparked a remarkable revival, while Kevin Keegan's second coming at Newcastle ended in acrimonious circumstances.
On the field, the Premier League still has much to commend it. Giggs' goal at Wigan was the prelude to an even more dramatic Champions League final penalty shoot-out win against Chelsea in Moscow 10 days later that capped one of United's greatest seasons.
That double triumph could be the start of another glorious era for United, but before the champagne corks had even stopped popping, Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 42 goals had played such a key role in United's success, took the fizz out of their celebrations by unsuccessfully pushing for a move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo has cut a forlorn figure ever since and his erratic form in the second half of 2008 has added to the impression that he is still at United on sufferance only.
But Ferguson's men still ended the year newly crowned as FIFA's Club World Cup winners and returned from Japan with Liverpool and Chelsea within touching distance.
The most encouraging trend of the year has to be the way newly-promoted Hull and Stoke have managed to make the critics eat their words.
After Derby's relegation in May with 11 points - an English top-flight record low - Stoke and Hull and were widely regarded as certainities for relegation. But both are clear of the bottom three and, not only was Hull's win at Arsenal was one of the most memorable of the year, it also contributed to the spectacular outburst from Gunners captain William Gallas a few weeks later that revealed the extent of Arsene Wenger's problems at the Emirates Stadium.
