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--------------------------------- [22] Respect --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: Tomorrow marks the 44th anniversary of Duncan Edwards death. For those too young to appreciate what Duncan meant, visit http://www.duncan-edwards.co.uk http://www.duncan-edwards.co.uk --------------------------------- [21] Todays (hopefully) Stupid Becks Story --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: Please God will someone sort him out a decent barbers. (He says...) >From Ananova A hair stylist fears David Beckham may be bringing back the infamous mullet haircut. The England captain could be growing the 1980s hairstyle in time for the World Cup. Beckham is growing his hair long on top and short at the sides. The National Hairdressers Federation say Beckham could begin a new fashion for the mullet among impressionable youngsters. Ray Seymour, secretary of the NHF, told the Daily Express: "David Beckham is one of the world's most famous people and is a massive fashion icon. "He pushes the boundaries of style with haircuts like the mohican and he has made the skinhead very trendy again. "The way David is growing his hair is definitely the way a mullet is started. It must be long on top and at the back and very short at the sides. "But having a mullet is very unusual nowadays because they are just not trendy. It will be David's biggest challenge to make it fashionable but I am sure he will pull it off." The mullet was first sported by the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle. It has been voted the world's worst haircut and is now a byword for bad taste. --------------------------------- [20] Sheringham Speaks on League Cup Final --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: "It will be a wonderful moment for me to lead the team out, perhaps the proudest" Even compared to that night in Barcelona Teddy? "It is the dream of every professional to captain the team you have always followed. Only one thing will make the day even better and that will be to collect the cup at the end." On the opposition team Blackburn will be his good friend from his United days Andy Cole who he believes "will be a danger" he then went on to say "We will have to watch out for him". He then didn't go to say that they would be going out for a few drinks after the game. --------------------------------- [19] A little bit of statto --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: UEFA's stats for us and them: United ====== Shots off target: 60 Shots on target: 53 Fouls committed: 121 Corners: 41 Offside: 50 Ball possession: 40% Goals scored: 14 Goals conceded: 7 Yellow cards: 7 Red cards: 0 Nantes ====== Shots off target: 28 Shots on target: 29 Fouls committed: 161 Corners: 29 Offside: 18 Ball possession: 39% Goals scored: 8 Goals conceded: 5 Yellow cards: 14 Red cards: 0 --------------------------------- [18] May be tempting fate but... --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: >From the UEFA website: Tickets for the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League final, at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 15 May, go on sale to the general public on uefa.com from Monday 4 March. Ticket prices for the final are: Category I: £80.00 (€130); Category II: £70.00; Category III: £50.00; Category IV: £30.00, plus a handling and administration fee. Follow, follow.... --------------------------------- [17] van der Gouw to quit? --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: >From PlanetFootball.... MANCHESTER UNITED'S veteran goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw has hinted he may quit Old Trafford when his contract expires in the summer. Quotes from the article include: "I still feel that I can play one, two or three years at a high level," van der Gouw told MUTV. "I don't know what's going to happen at the end of the season. I will try to play for as long as possible and if there's a club who wants me then I can talk to them. "In the meantime, I will try to keep myself as fit as possible." --------------------------------- [16] Todays blatant plug --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: The new Red News - issue 84 - is out on Saturday, before the Villa game. We will definitely have sellers at the top of Sir Matt Busby Way (by Legends cafe), half way down Sir Matt Busby Way, the left hand side of Salford Quay bridge as you're approaching the ground, the bottom of the Red Cafe bridge by the main road - and elsewhere. Best bet is to bag yourself a copy BEFORE the game as we want to head to the pub quickly afterwards! Inside this new issue: Exclusive Mikael Silvestre interview Fergie staying - reaction Becks contract talks - reaction Tony Smith Des Buckley artwork Exclusive gossip (and massive amount too!) Watching United in New York Boro - the sequel In defence of the FA Cup some great graphics and much, much more all for just £1.50 - out this Saturday. --------------------------------- [15] Ole the star --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "I've always accepted what decisions the manager makes. I might not always like it but he does what he thinks is best for the team on a given day." And to think Edwards had almost sold him to Spurs! --------------------------------- [14] Ole on Fergie staying --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "Now the manager has decided to stay things are definitely more settled. We know what will happen at the club and exactly what is required from us. "Knowing all that, the uncertainty factor has gone out of the window. Maybe some players spent energy wondering what would happen when the manager went at the end of the season, but now any doubt has gone and we have the best man possible staying in charge." --------------------------------- [13] Ole: The season starts here --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "All the players have been waiting for the Champions League to come back and with the Premiership taking shape in March and April we know for us the season stars here. "We are in a good position in both the Premiership and Champions League, top of both in fact, so we couldn't really expect to be better placed and it's up to us to take advantage of that." --------------------------------- [12] Ole: We'd become too predictable --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "In the two years since winning the trophy in 1999 we have lost in the quarter-finals and maybe that has been because we've been too predictable." "Now, though, we have different systems we can play as well as fantastic players in Laurent, Ruud and Seba who we didn't have last time and they definitely give us something extra in Europe. "With the experience we have of winning the European Cup I think overall we are now better prepared for what's required when the big games come." --------------------------------- [11] Hoolahoop: Every single one of us... --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "Over the past few years some other English clubs have followed the successful path of Manchester United, especially in Europe." "Now the Premiership have four places in the Champions League, and this is thanks to his contribution. "The fact he is staying is very positive." --------------------------------- [10] Houllier on Fergie the faithful fighter --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "Ferguson is a fighter who influenced all the teams he coaches," he said. "And even when his team is experiencing a bad spell, when (Fabien) Barthez was making mistakes for example, he never said anything against him. "During the (Eric) Cantona affair, he did not say a word, never condemned him either. "He is very faithful to all the people he likes whether this is his players or friends. "I remember a few phone calls he gave me when things were not going so well for me at Liverpool." --------------------------------- [9] Hoolahoop: I knew Fergie wouldn't go --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by tb: "Considering how much he loves his job I never thought he would leave, and replacing him would have been very hard." "The coaches who could succeed him can only be counted on the fingers of one hand." --------------------------------- [8]Keano "Has A Go At Teammates" --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: With all the reports of Keano's comments angling them as Keano "having a pop" or "taking a swipe" at his teammates certain things should be noted with the quotes. "I think it's important that we forget about '99," he said "I felt after '99 we just lost our edge a little bit in Europe. I think it's important we look to the future." (A note to the sad Journos rehashing the quotes in the most negative way possible, the keywords here "We" and "our") He went on to say "Fingers crossed we can win it this year. We've disappointed in the last couple of years in Europe and this is our chance to put it right this year." (My, look at that, theres those keywords "we" and "our". Its a team sport. We fight as a team, win as a team and lose as a team.) --------------------------------- [7] Look out the window... --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: Raining is it? Thought so. If you are like me you will take heart that the with in Nantes is very similar to the weather in Manchester. Light Rain with Manchester being 45 degrees f and Nantes being 50 degrees f. But the wind over there is a southwesterly wind at 24mph compared with Manchesters wind from the west pushing 18mph. "Hello? is there anyone there? Please come back, Ive stopped now..." --------------------------------- [6] Transfer Ramblings --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport have reported that the Rent-Boys have made "a formal approach" for Parma and Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata. The paper suggests that Chelsea have tabled a bid of just over £17 million for the player who is currently struggling to get games at the Italian club and was left out of the starting line-up for the 10th successive league match at the weekend. Indeed Nakata has already been warned that his World cup ambitions are in jeopardy by Japan coach Philippe Troussier who has stated that he is not guaranteed a place in the Japanese squad this summer. The Corriere dello Sport also suggests that Nakata would prefer to link up with his former Parma team mate Patrick Mboma, who is currenly on loan at the Mackems, after he refused to go on loan to Serie A rivals Brescia last month. --------------------------------- [5] Results From Last Night --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by Farrell: The Scoutmaster and his team were held 1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen and Juve drew with Deportivo leaving all teams in the group on four points. Real Madrid beat Porto 1-0 as Panathinaikos beat Sparta Prague 2-0. Oldham, with Keeper Paul Rachubka on-loan from United, drew 1-1 with Tranmere. --------------------------------- [4] Possible team news --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: The Guardian's Daniel Taylor reports from Nantes that the starting line-up may well be the following, in a probable 4-1-4-1 formation: Barthez; P Neville, Blanc, G Neville, Silvestre; Keane; Beckham, Scholes, Veron, Giggs; Van Nistelrooy. --------------------------------- [3] Wanna bet? --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: Lates odds from SportingOdds.co.uk are now: Nantes 3/1 Manchester United 5/6 Draw 11/5 Remember to use this http://www.sportingodds.co.uk/adserver/scripts/ict.dll?click?rnews3 link when placing those bets... --------------------------------- [2] Gerard luvs Fergie --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: The Sun carries the following under the headline "Gerard: My mate Sir Alex" Gerard Houllier revealed last night that Sir Alex Ferguson has been an inspiration to him during troubled times at Anfield. Despite the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, Houllier said: "I am fortunate to be part of the circle of people Alex likes. Now all we need is for the scoutmaster to declare his undying love for Fergie and the love triangle will be complete... --------------------------------- [1] Apologies for lack of early news --------------------------------- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2002 by ageek: A problem with my PC has meant that tonight's "early bird" submissions are a bit thin on the ground and thrown together quickly. Look out for more pre-Nantes coverage later today. --------------------------------- [26] Gary: confidence is vital --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "You have to put yourself in a position where you are confident when you go into the big games." "If you are confident when you reach the quarter finals then you have a chance. If you are not, you'll struggle. "We haven't performed well in Europe the last two seasons but I think we have performed well this year. The next three games are important. If we perform to our standards then we can tie the group up in the next three matches against Nantes away and at home and then Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. "If we don't then you are going to a very difficult place in Portugal against Boavista looking to get something from it in the last match of the group. We want to avoid that." --------------------------------- [25] Gary: We like a scrap --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "We've missed the battles. The fight for the league heightens your concentration and makes you more ready to face the Champions League matches. We've used that as an excuse or a reason for our European form over the last two seasons. We'll find out now whether that really is the case because we are certainly in a fight for the Premiership title this season! We are not going to win it by three or four games this year there is no doubt about that. "We have to grab the bull by the horns now. The next four to six weeks are massive for us. We just hope the results and performances we've been getting recently will spark something in Europe. "The momentum is there with us but it can go away from you with one match. One defeat can knock the stuffing out of you. That's why we need to perform well and get a result against Nantes tomorrow night." --------------------------------- [24] Gary Nev: Premiership been a stroll --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "We've virtually walked the Premiership for the last two years." "We hadn't officially won it at this stage of the season but we were so far in front it would have been a disaster if we lost it. We missed that competition when Europe came around. "The European Cup came along and we weren't up there on enough of a high. A tight Premiership race brings immense pressure but we need that as we showed in 1999. --------------------------------- [23] Nicky Butt: We don't want to look like freaks --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "The night we won it was amazing but to be known as a great team we have got to go and win it again and again." "You can't just win it once because people can look at that as a freak, especially the way we won it in the last two minutes against Bayern Munich. "We want to go and compete against the best teams and prove we are one of the best in Europe." "We have done quite well in the Champions League and four points from six in the second phase is quite good." "If we get wins in the next two games then we should be through to the quarter finals. "It is a massive competition, the European nights are what everybody wants to be involved in when the atmosphere is going. We know how good it is to win it and we want to do it again." --------------------------------- [22] Fergie on Papin --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "I know Jean-Pierre very well and he was a great player. But there is no foundation to the stories that he is coming to Manchester United." --------------------------------- [21] Fergie on our form --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "Form has been good recently. We've stopped making silly errors and we've got a settled back four with Laurent Blanc and Gary Neville playing very well at centre-half. "We've been definitely helped by the fact that the race for the League title is so close. The last two years, the fact that we've had such a big cushion in the Premiership has not been good for us. We need the edge of lots of important games like it was in 1999 when we won the Treble." --------------------------------- [20] Fergie on Nantes --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: "The performance is important. With Bayern on four points playing Boavista on three points, someone is going to shed some blood. A win for us tomorrow night is absolutely vital" --------------------------------- [19] Oh dear, how sad, never mind --------------------------------- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2002 by tb: As Ridsdale eneters the sheep in the Intertoto: "With the deadline on Monday, we have submitted our application to the Football Association - by both fax and hard copy - to compete in next season's Intertoto Cup." "Entering the Intertoto Cup is our only way of playing in Europe next season if we don't qualify for the Champions League or Uefa Cup, although of course we still hope we don't have to go down that route." "A club of our size, with a wage bill that we have got and with the investment that we have made, has to be in Europe," added Ridsdale.
