---------------------------------
[25] Why the nation goes potty when we lose
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
As the facts speak for themselves
Gained 34 pts from a possible 39 at Old Trafford this season, winning 11 and losing
only 1. Only Chelsea (drew 3-3) and Liverpool (won 1-0) have gained points from Old
Trafford this season.
Only home defeat came v Liverpool on Dec 17 (lost 1-0). First defeat in 37 home
Premiership games.
We've lost only 2 of our last 55 home Premiership games.
---------------------------------
[24] Remaining fixtures
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
Remaining Premiership Games
Home
Mar 17 v Leicester
Apr 07 v Charlton
Apr 14 v Coventry
Apr 21 v Man City
May 05 v Derby
Away
Mar 03 v Leeds
Mar 31 v Liverpool
Apr 16 v Southampton
Apr 28 v Derby
May 19 v Tottenham
---------------------------------
[23] More from anorak central
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
Head to Head with the Arse
Played 163
Man Utd won 66
Arsenal won 61
Drawn 36
Head to Head at OT
Played 81
Man Utd won 45
Arsenal won 13
Drawn 23
---------------------------------
[22] Latest odds on tomorrow
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
United 4/5, Arse 3/1, Draw 9/4
---------------------------------
[21] Inside track on Healy and Ruud?
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
>From KA
Before leaving Old Trafford, Healy who was on five grand a week as a reserve and full
international went to see the boss. Sir Alex told him straight that no striker is
leaving the club and that Ruud is coming so he did not forsee an opening for the near
future for Healy. Hence why they agreed he should leave and Fergie advised Preston.
---------------------------------
[20] And Fab agrees
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
"The coach lets me live as I want. But I am sure he knows everything about me. Anyway
he never complained to me about what I do outside the job.
"There is so much trust in me here that I never feel as free as when I come to the
Stadium. They respect me for what I am. I like this culture. They could try to give me
advice, but they know I will not listen to it. I am an instinctive player."
---------------------------------
[19] Fergie prefers fags to ale
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
"I know Fabien is smoking. I knew that before he came here. Before him, there were
just Jesper Olsen and Les Sealey. In England it's rare, but I prefer that than an
alcoholic. For the English players, the relationship with alcohol is a true problem.
"Fabien is breathing United. He integrated the relaxed atmosphere and the desire to
win of his team-mates. With all he has won during his career, we could have expected
him to be a little waned, but it's the contrary. He understood this club has a soul.
"He succeeded in six months what Peter Schmeichel took two years to take on board."
---------------------------------
[18] Fab the Mancunian
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
Ferie states:
"This guy doesn't know fear, nor stress. He has a sane approach to the job. Fabien has
straight away integrated the United values. He felt quickly at home in Manchester.
"Fabien is a man of the people. This town and this club, it's the anti-Monaco. You
need a great motivation to sign here."
Blimey if it gets any more glowing, Choccy will get jealous!
---------------------------------
[17] Only 3 people could succeed the Great Dane
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
Fergie outlines his choices for Peter's successors
"Barthez, Kahn and Buffon. When I signed Fabien, I knew I didn't make a mistake.
Despite this I am still surprised with the guy.
"As I expected he has made some excellent saves but his contribution to the attacking
game of the team is unquestionable.
"His throwing are examples of precision and speed. It's a godsend to have a keeper so
lucid.
"Giggs and Beckham have found someone quicker. Aside from that, Fabien is perfect.
"He has a technique worthy of an outfield field player."
"The more important the match is important, the more I feel he will come into his own.
---------------------------------
[16] Fab the fool
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
As Fergie cringes over his outfield training
"Fabien has already injured himself twice by tackling like a fool," Ferguson added.
"Sometimes I need to hold him back. He is a man of extremes. But I do not angry with
him."
---------------------------------
[15] Fergie - Fab is worthy
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
"I followed him for several years and I know almost everything about him," Ferguson
said.
"Fabien is in a class of his own and that's also why I got him to get him here.
Manchester needed a great keeper.
"For me, a great keeper must have his mood. Fabien is the worthy successor of Peter
Schmeichel."
Wot, no mention of fat boy?
You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to realise from this statement that Bosnich was
not seen as the solution, therefore adding fuel to the rumours that Edwards did the
deal without total Fergie approval.
---------------------------------
[14] Paul ' yes m'lady' Parker disses Nicky
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
"I know Nicky very well and I think he would be surprised to be included in the
squad,".
"He has not been playing well for United and has fallen out of favour with the last
two England managers."
---------------------------------
[13] Bhoys sue MacDonald
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
Not Ronald but their former chief exec over claims he had intervened to stop the board
from selling star striker Henrik Larsson to either us or the Arse.
---------------------------------
[12] And there's more!
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
As Wenger gets all bitter on us
'Sir Alex Ferguson is a key factor for them and so is their stability. We have lost
ours. It takes new players time to adapt.
'We changed four or five players last summer but United changed only one. United's
midfield players - Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Butt and Giggs - have been together for
five years.
'As long as these players stay there after Ferguson goes then it's difficult to see
that they will drop. But things in football are fragile. We should not just accept
their superiority.
'The difference this season is that United are better away from home than we are. If
you make a table from the home games, we are top. But if you look in the away games,
the table shows we are in the bottom half.'
---------------------------------
[11] Surprise of the day - A scout master moans
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
'It hurts to have let them get so far ahead. I feel embarrassed and responsible -
probably like a few other managers - that we are so far behind. The other teams have
been inconsistent while United have the ability to win matches even when they have not
played very well.'
'It's important that we consolidate our second position in the League, but there is a
pride factor involved in going to Old Trafford.
'We want to go there and show that we can compete with them and beat them.
---------------------------------
[10] Jaap - the going about to get tough
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
As usual, we have to cope with the demands of simultaneous campaigns on domestic and
European fronts, and between now and the end of March our ability to secure a
Champions League and Championship double will be firmly put to the test.
Tomorrow we meet Arsenal, next weekend we go to Leeds and at the end of the month we
have a trip to Liverpool to prepare for. Throw in two Champions League games - away to
Panathinaikos and at home to Sturm Graz - and you begin to see what I mean. The
toughest part of the season is about to begin.
---------------------------------
[9] Jaap - Not up to our usual standards
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
More from the Torygraph:
Our results have been satisfactory. We have suffered only one defeat in 13 games. But
if you compare our football to a few months ago, or last season even, it is clear we
are not playing to the standards we demand of ourselves.
We have the talent to win the European Cup for a second time, but we have to make sure
that we are at our best. If we fall short of our expectations, the only outcome will
be one of disappointment.
---------------------------------
[8] Jaap - we're surprised at our lead
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
>From the Torygraph:
At United we are somewhat surprised to find ourselves 13 points clear at the top of
the table. We considered last season's 18-point winning margin something that would
never happen again, yet here we are seemingly on course for another record-breaking
triumph.
---------------------------------
[7] Robbo tells Becks not to panic
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by tb:
"The last thing David needs to do now is panic," .
"It's true he's having problems -- but the only reason is because he is such a good
player, not because he has suddenly become an inferior one.
"In the end, I believe he'll be better for the experience.
"People say perhaps he should change his style, move into central midfield, work more
on his pace or
whatever. But he doesn't have to. All he has to do is believe."
"I watched David develop, and none of the senior players at that time had doubts about
how big he would be,"
"Now his reputation precedes him. He must take it as a compliment that other teams
close him down because they fear him. But he mustn't do any tinkering as his kind of
talent will always come through."
---------------------------------
[6] Latest team news
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
Utd team (from): Barthez, G Neville, Stam, Brown, Silvestre, Beckham, Keane, Scholes,
Butt, Sheringham, Solskjaer, Yorke, Irwin, P Neville, Wallwork, Chadwick, Van der Gouw.
Arsenal team (from): Seaman; Dixon, Luzhny, Adams, Stepanovs, Cole, Silvinho,
Grimandi, Parlour, Ljungberg, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Kanu, Henry, Wiltord, Malz,
Upson, Manninger.
---------------------------------
[5] More from Asssistant Steve
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
"We always play with width and we are a team that gets in crosses with Giggsy on the
left and Becks on the right. "It's something that over the last four or five games we
have been lacking. We know that and we are addressing that and we are working on it.
We know what the problems are and we have to get back to doing it again."
---------------------------------
[4] McClaren backs Becks
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
"Becks at the moment has got everything and he's one of the great footballers in the
world. He knows at the moment that he's struggling with his game, but that's something
great players sometimes have to work out for themselves and Becks is no different. In
every sport every great player at some stage has a dip in form and it's how they
handle that and come out of it. Becks is working like a Trojan in training to come out
of it and we are very positive he will."
---------------------------------
[3] On Corrie last night
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
'Top blue and celebrity fan Curly Watts on last night's episode - Football is like a
drug - trouble is I have not had a decent fix in years.'
ARF...
---------------------------------
[2] A collection of truly bizarre stories in today
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
'An Australian mayor has defended the right of couples to have sex on beaches in
Queensland. Mario Demartini was responding to complaints that Whitsunday's new lagoon
resort was being used for all the wrong reasons. He said the attraction's sun loungers
and lawn had only made outdoor sex more comfortable than ever. The new AUS$8 million
(about £2.9 million), saltwater swimming lagoon has become a tourist attraction,
reports The Courier Mail newspaper. However, residents of Airlie Beach blame young
couples and backpackers for the rise in amorous behaviour. Councillor Demartini said:
"Sex on the beach has been happening since Christ was born and it is just that we have
made it more comfortable. When you have hundreds of young people going down to the
beach, what do you expect to happen?"
'A man has been arrested in Russia for trying to steal the trousers from a wax figure
of Sir Winston Churchill. The incident happened after visitors took a dislike to the
model in a waxworks exhibition and started to mock it. Suspicions of theft were first
aroused when it was discovered the famous cigar of Churchill had disappeared. During
the night, security guards caught a man who said he was going to relieve the former
Prime Minister of his trousers, reports Pravda. The man told the surprised guards in
Mariyinsk that his lifelong dream was to take off Churchill's trousers and deprive him
of his cigar.'
'A man has won a lifetime's supply of toilet paper after identifying different brands
by taste. Roger Weisskopf is now a celebrity in his native Switzerland. He now plans
to make a singing toilet lid to cash in on his fame. German loo paper firm Hakle
rewarded him after he displayed his talents on a German TV show. In front of the
Wetten dass? cameras, the blindfolded 32-year-old licked, sucked and chewed unused loo
paper to identify the brand, name and even the country of origin.'
Bet he wouldn't do that after Fat Kev has used any!
---------------------------------
[1] First and last blatant plug of the day alert
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, February 24, 2001 by bar-knee:
Red News, issue 75, is out on Sunday for the first time and on sale down Sir Matt
Busby Way off Red News' hungover sellers. Just £1.50 and a top read. Trust us. Choccy
interview just the starter.
And on a tangent, credit for once where it is due. The Utd Mag 100th issue with their
100 top players. Having to admit that I'm a Utd memorabilia fan (not as much as one RN
reader who we met in Spain who has nearly every RN cover framed in his house!) and the
poster included in the official mag of the Utd dream team is superb - nearly as good
even as the snide version a few years back where all the faces were Eric. Now that
does take pride of place in the house! (and yes, I am single!).
---------------------------------
[51] Massive Road source of Foot in Mouth
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, February 23, 2001 by redend:
Britain has confirmed the source of the latest case of the devastating Foot-in-mouth
outbreak that has effectively turned Moss-Side into a "trophy-free" area. The
Agriculture Ministry said the ground in Moss Side, Manchester, northern England, had
harboured the highly infectious disease for many years but did point out that
"eventually each outbreak has been dealt with and the animals infected had been
destroyed."
Ministers now confirm they feared a repeat of an outbreak in 1989 when allegedly more
than 440,000 Manchester city fans were "apparently" witness to a slaughtering of their
local rivals and it is reported over 580,000 infections of the "falsecus hopeious"
virus were discovered. Similar cases have been reported in The North East, Merseyside
and West London since the mid 90's.
"The disease appears to have been present at the ground for some time. It is feasible
that this may be the source of the similar infection at the Bates Executive
Electrified Cattle-farm in West London," the ministry said in a statement. Symptoms
include a strange frothing at the mouth while talking gibberish like "Now we'll win
the league", "We're going to sign Fowler" , "We're a massive club" and "I honestly
believe we'll qualify for Europe".
"Keep Out" notices were plastered across the front door of Maine Road. "Thank fu*k for
that." said Frank Clarke of the League Managers Association, whose members it is
believed have suffered more than most. Employees were ordered to not come into work
today and 3007 loyal fans were warned to stay away from the ground and report to the
authorities in an attempt to isolate each case of the highly infectious disease.
Experts believe this may take some time to track down all the infected.
"I would like to appeal to the public, particularly in the infected areas, to minimise
the risks of spread. For the public this involves reducing contact with the fans and
club. We fully expect this will be contained by May, if not before," Agriculture
Secretary Dick Brown said in a statement. It is believed a targeted deadline of April
21st has been set.
The government, fearful the disease could spread further with the impending start to
the career of yet another England manager, is painfully aware that foot-in-mouth knows
no boundaries and can spread easily -- even via the press!
This outbreak of Foot-in-mouth has already triggered a world ban on the export of all
364 city players although it was debatable that any other club would have wanted them
such is the value of the many assembled players. city's squad has dropped considerably
in value from the "halcyon" days when Kevin Reeves and Steve Daley were worth a King's
ransom. Time after time city have been plunged into a new crisis, just as it was
emerging from a long-running struggle against Frannie Lee disease.
They are likely to be unable to offload any for their bitterly perceived market
value.....again. It is believed the outbreak can be traced back to an incident last
year when an estimated 1,000,000 animals were infected near Blackburn, Northwest
England.
---------------------------------
[50] Giggs back for Leeds?
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, February 23, 2001 by bar-knee:
Steve McClaren said: "The good thing about Ryan is that we've identified the problem.
When it does occur, it's shorter term than maybe, say two or three years ago when he
would be out for weeks. Now we're looking at a matter of days and we are hoping Ryan
will be back in training next week. e wins you games. He's got the pace and the
ability to penetrate, cause teams problems as you saw in the first quarter of an hour
against Valencia and in the first game over there. He's an exceptional player, but
we've got exceptional players in the squad who can come in so we readjust and carry
on."
---------------------------------
[49] Ruud to return early...bit risky?
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, February 23, 2001 by bar-knee:
'PSV's Ruud Van Nistelrooy could make a dramatic return to first team action against
Feyenoord in the likely title-deciding showdown in the Netherlands this weekend.'
Surely media talk - way too early for a return?
---------------------------------
[48] Leeds court case latest
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, February 23, 2001 by bar-knee:
'The designer leather jacket of Leeds United midfielder Lee Bowyer bears stains of
blood from the brother of an Asian youth beaten unconscious by a gang last year, a
British court heard on Friday.
Forensic expert Mark Bates pointed out a smear of blood on the cuff of Bowyer's black
Prada jacket which he said matched the blood of Shahzad Najeib. "There is strong
support for the view that Lee Bowyer had come into direct contact with Shahzad Najeib
after he had sustained his injury," Bates said.
But Bowyer's lawyer Desmond de Silva said another expert would tell the court that the
player could have picked up the blood from someone else or from the ground. Bates
said this was 'theoretically possible' but unlikely given the small amount of blood
involved.
Bates also showed the jury of eight men and four women a larger smear on the back of
Bowyer's jacket which he said matched the blood of a friend of the players', Neil
Caveney, who is also on trial.
The court last week saw video footage of two men, who prosecutors say were Bowyer and
Caveney, in a 'victory' hug during which Caveney smeared blood on Bowyer, prosecutors
said. Bates said he found no traces of blood on the clothes of Woodgate or Hackworth.
Prosecutors say Duberry was not involved in the attack but lied to police to help
protect his team mates. Bates said he had found smears of blood in Duberry's car that
matched Caveney's and that of another friend of the players' who, prosecutors say, was
with the group on the night of the attack. Prosecutors said last week Duberry had
driven his friends away from Leeds. But he had initially told police he had returned
home alone.'
---------------------------------
[47] I should hope so too
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, February 23, 2001 by bar-knee:
'ROMA are planning to protest to Uefa over the controversial decision
not to award a second-half penalty in the stormy encounter with Liverpool on
Thursday, with some sources insisting they want the
match replayed.'
"Roma have been eliminated by the referee," said Roma president
Franco Sensi. At Liverpool, surely not.
Another club official, Dario Brugnoli, added: "We are now looking at
the moment of the mysterious penalty 32 minutes into the second-half.
We have 24 hours to prepare our protest to Uefa."
