Manchester United 'v' Inter Milan 13th March 2009 Champions League Pictures

England To Play Argentina At Old Trafford

England will play the first of their two matches against Argentina at Old Trafford, the home of the World Champions Manchester United. The tie is due to be played on June 6th and it will be the first time since 1997 that England have used Old Trafford.

The 76,000 all-seater venue will stage the opening match of the series before the teams travel to Argentina for the second Test on June 13 at a venue yet to be confirmed. England were due to play both Tests in Argentina but the Pumas asked them to stage one of the games in England in order to help them raise funds.

“We received a request from the Argentinean Rugby Union to play one of the tests in England to generate funds to invest in their squads,” said Francis Baron, the chief executive of England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) in a statement issued Tuesday.

“We are delighted to have been able to help them by securing Old Trafford, one of the most famous football stadiums in the world. Rugby Union is thriving in the north-west and this is a great opportunity for us to play a match away from Twickenham and aid the development of the game in the region. Tickets will be competitively priced and we are looking forward to a great occasion.”.....Back To Home Page...

Sir Alex Notches Up 50 As Ronnie Makes It To 100

ALEX FERGUSON celebrated 50 years in the game by leading Manchester United to their biggest win of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo joined in the party with his 100th goal for the club as Stoke were swept aside. Fergie started his playing career with Queen's Park and five decades later the scene could hardly have been more contrasting as nearly 70,000 packed Old Trafford expecting an easy win.

And the fans weren't disappointed as Ronaldo sparked a goal rush with his landmark strike inside three minutes. Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and debut boy Danny Welbeck netted before Ronaldo rounded off a fine day with goal No.101. Welbeck's effort must have put an extra wide smile on the face of his boss who hit the target on his first game against Stranraer back in 1958.

Ferguson hailed Ronaldo whose campaign didn't start until September as he recovered from an ankle op. The boss said: "That is nine for the season now and I am sure he'll be into double figures soon. Overall he has scored 101 times in 253 appearances which is unbelievable for a winger.

The only negative for Fergie was seeing three players pull out of midweek internationals. Darren Fletcher went off with a knee injury after 63 minutes and misses Scotland's match against Argentina. Worried Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney failed to start against Stoke and have been pulled out of England's squad to face Germany in Berlin. Fergie is worried for the rest of his players in action, especially those travelling to Brazil. He added: "We have Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson going over there so God knows what time they will get back. It is not an easy trip and we have Aston Villa away on their return."

Ronaldo got the show on the road when Amdy Faye clattered into Carlos Tevez to provide him with a free-kick to line up. The Portuguese beat Thomas Sorensen but the keeper might have done better. Ferguson had to wait until stoppage time for the second as Carrick thundered a shot through a crowd of Stoke bodies and into the net. Missing from action was the long throws by Rory Delap that have been a feature of Stoke's play all season. He was thwarted by the steep slope around the pitch two feet from the line which prevented him launching the ball into the opposition box. Just after the restart it was game over as Berbatov controlled Tevez's driven pass and volleyed a screamer past Sorensen. Ronaldo had been on the end of some harsh treatment and the red mist descended. He took a swing at ex-Rangers defender Amdy Faye but got away with it. Sub Welbeck crashed home No.4 before a fifth came from another powerful Ronaldo free-kick. Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: "We were doing okay until United scored just before half-time. It killed us......"

Just Ignore The Crowd ?

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic says they must take out the crowd factor against Celtic tonight.

"The champion team of Scotland will be desperate to beat the champions of England, the atmospheres I experienced two years ago were the best I have known in my career and there will be more tension in the ground. But it is not good for the players to be too passionate. We need to be focused. If we put too much aggression into it or pay too much attention to the crowd, we could find it difficult. We need to stay calm and concentrate."

Easy to say isn't it but watch this video, they do tend to make their presence felt !! .....Back To Home Page