---------------------------------
[11] Opta stats for Boro
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
Boro first
35 Games 34
ATTACKING
41 Goals scored 75
1.17 Ave goals per game 2.21
46% Shooting Accuracy 45%
14% Goals to shots % 15%
PASSING
12491 Passes 17895
69% Pass completion % 79%
DEFENDING
71% Tackle success rate % 75%
40 Goals conceded 25
1.14 Ave goals conceded per game 0.74
DISCIPLINE
505 Fouls 393
70 Yellow cards 37
6 Red cards 3
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[10] Bestie on his health
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
"I was just starting to get fit again when I got bronchial pneumonia and my breathing
was affected and I got some fluid in my lungs, so I had everything come at once
again," said Best.
"It's knocked me back a little bit and apart from that I fell off the wagon, which
didn't help.
"So know it's a matter of starting again, but at the moment I feel better than I did
before I got the pneumonia, so that's a good sign."
---------------------------------
[9] Kenyon says about Keano's comments
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
They were:
"born out of disappointment".
This weeks stating the bleedin obvious award!
---------------------------------
[8] More Kenyon speak
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
"Our winning the Premiership three times seems to have been overshadowed by talk of
this 'crumbling team'. There is an ongoing hunger for success at the highest level at
the club. This signing shows we are determined to be a real force in Europe."
---------------------------------
[7] Yorkie - I want to stay for as long as possible
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
"I don't read the papers, but I hear things through the grapevine," he said, before
declaring: "At the end of the day I have nothing to prove or to justify to anybody.
"I've got two years remaining at this club and they know that I want to stay here and
that I want to be a Manchester United player for as long as possible. At the same
time, things do change and I've just got to keep going."
---------------------------------
[6] Jimmy, Jimmy oh (dear)
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
As Hasslebank admits he's a glory hunter
"The truth is I came to win the league."
"When we won the Charity Shield against Manchester United, it was going well.
Errr, no points for that game Jimmy
"A club like Chelsea always has to be in Europe. We're sixth now and if we win three
more games we will definitely be in the UEFA Cup.
"But that's not enough for this club. To get sixth for Chelsea would make it a s**t
season.
Moral of this story Jimmy is not to believe anthing 'Norman' Bates tells you!
---------------------------------
[5] George - we need more new faces
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
"They need another defender and another midfielder even though they have a strong
midfield with ready-made replacements.
"But those who come in are of a very similar level to the ones they replace. United
have not got that one midfield man who they need - someone who can do things a bit
differently."
"I think they need someone who is just that little bit extra-special, that can change
a game even when he's not playing well. Someone who can change a game in a split
second.
"So if they get another world-class midfield player and at least one top-class
defender I think they would go very close."
---------------------------------
[4] George on RVN
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
Bestie says:
"Ruud has an exceptional goals record in the last few years. And that has to tell you
something about the new arrival and just why United were so keen to get him as soon as
possible.His goal record is exceptional"
"His goalscoring record in recent years has been phenomenal, he's done it at a high
level and he's still reasonably young,".
"His ratio is amazing. He's done it consistently for the last couple of seasons and
the only doubt, of course, is his injury.
"But they're certainly not going to pay £19million for him if they don't think he's
100 per cent fit."
---------------------------------
[3] Vialli to Watford?
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
According to the S*n, Vialli has agreed to be their new boss
---------------------------------
[2] Fergie confirms gaz's abscence
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
"Gary Neville is out for the rest of the season,"
And could also miss Ingerlund game against Greece on June 6th
---------------------------------
[1] Ruud - I knew I'd be back
---------------------------------
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2001 by tb:
'The first week after suffering the injury was a very difficult time. There was
uncertainty in my mind and, inevitably, you end up worrying. But I soon got the fight
back into my system and put those doubts behind me.
'It helped when I had the operation a few weeks later and was told everything was
going to work out fine, and it was also a massive boost to me when Sir Alex Ferguson
visited me and talked over how my recovery was likely to develop and how he still
hoped I would end up at United.
'That meant a lot to me because I couldn't get United out of my mind and couldn't stop
thinking how close I had come to completing the move when that problem showed up on
the medical.
'I was so close and had such a good feeling about the club that getting back here
became my main motivation.
'I remember being on a plane home this time last year while the media were all sitting
in a room at Old Trafford waiting for the Press conference to begin. I can still
recall setting myself a goal that I would be back, sitting in front of the Press as a
United player as soon as possible.
---------------------------------
[41] Joe Royle takes up pop singing
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, April 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
First up on the decks is Joe Royle, with Staying Alive, then by a Utd fan singing:
'Nothing can stop you now'.
Joe Royle:
"We are better than our results suggest. I didn't anticipate being in this situation
going into our last three games of the season. Of course there is a lot of pressure on
us and we have been struggling since Christmas. But this is no time to be talking of
post-mortems when we are still alive. We know what will happen if we don't win and
we'll give it our best shot. We've had decent results in our last two games and if we
get to 40 points that should be enough. It is a monumental task but I have got to use
it as a means of motivation."
We know we need to be more consistent but I have to say our supporters have been
brilliant."
Have they been massive Joe?
"We can't concern ourselves with other teams. With the quality West Ham have, Harry
Redknapp will probably feel they have under-achieved. They'll be disappointed with the
position they are in."
---------------------------------
[40] Fergie on Ruud pressure
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, April 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"Someone said about the pressure and all the rest of it. But there's not really a lot
of pressure on a player arriving at Manchester United now. They are not looked upon as
saviours or as bringing salvation for the club because the club is established in
terms of success. What we are trying to do is to improve him by one or two per cent
each year and I think Ruud will do that."
---------------------------------
[39] Ruud enjoys pressure
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, April 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"It's not heavy for me. It lifts me up because when a big club like Manchester United
want to pay such an amount for a player that means they have great confidence in him.
That really gives me great confidence and I don't feel it as pressure. I feel it as
lifting me up. Of course expectations are high from everybody around, but maybe my
personal expectations are higher so that's no problem."
---------------------------------
[38] Cuddly Pete...goes all cuddly!
---------------------------------
Posted Friday, April 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon
"There's been an enormous amount of speculation over the last seven to 10 days. "We've
said this is the first and I think there's the likelihood of other players coming in
but the exact identification of those has not yet been finalised. I think it
demonstrates that Manchester United want to continue at the top of the game. I think
that spells not just good ambition on the part of United and Ruud, but everyone
involved. This was an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to Ruud but it also
shows that we are as ambitious as ever.
We see this as a significant investment. We feel it is an investment for the future
and we have got one of the best strikers around at 24. Clearly he's got a whole new
career ahead of him. We think he is a player not just for the next 12 months, but
longer. Hopefully it will be an initial five-year period and a player who we hope will
be part of the squad for a long time to come."
