---------------------------------
[42] MEN Shay Brennan tribute
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'MANCHESTER United greats past and present said their final farewells
to Busby Babe Shay Brennan at a packed memorial service yesterday.
Brennan, who died last year from a heart attack aged 63, is the first
of the Reds' 1968 European Cup winning team to die.
Nobby Stiles, another member of that victorious side, broke down as he delivered a
prayer at St John's Church, in Benchill, Wythenshawe, where Brennan was brought up.
But laughter overwhelmed the tears in what was dubbed a celebration of Brennan's life.
The packed congregation heard tributes to Brennan as a player - he
was a stylish, skilful and quick fullback - and as a man, universally
loved for his dry wit and engaging personality...
He played 355 times for the Reds, helping win the League title twice.
When his playing career finished he settled in Waterford in the Irish
Republic, running a parcel delivery company before going into semi-
retirement after heart bypass surgery.
Wilf McGuinness, another member of the '68 side told the congregation
that, although not as famous as Best, Law and Charlton, Shay was ''a
star to the stars''. He said he was ''loved and admired'' and that ''to know him was
to like him. Anyone who knew Shay was richer for the experience,'' he said. ''Shay
gave us some wonderful memories. He was a charming and handsome man and some of us
benefited from that.''
On nights out in Manchester to the Plaza and the Ritz nightclubs,
Shay was always the centre of attention for the opposite sex, Mr
McGuinness added with a smile. ''If we saw a group of good looking young girls we
would say: 'Shay, stand up and let them see you', he did and it worked.'' He said
Shay died as he would have wished, after a pint, a bet on the horses and a round of
golf at his home in Waterford...
Among the mourners were Sir Matt Busby's son Sandy, Billy Foulkes,
David Sadler, Paddy Crerand, Denis Law and Alex Stepney. Sir Bobby
Charlton is away in Australia but his wife Norma, attended. Leeds United manager David
O'Leary and Manchester United captain Roy Keane, also paid their respects.
After the service, Paddy Crerand said: ''Shay was one of those
fellows in life that everybody liked. You can be at a football club
all your life and sometimes players don't get on with each other. But
everybody liked Shay. Everybody that I have ever met liked him.''
Denis Law said: ''He was an absolutely terrific player, part of the
great Manchester United team. But he was a great guy. That's why all
these people turned up to pay tribute to Shay.''
---------------------------------
[41] Dermot Gallagher's best moment
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
On refereeing and the peak of his career as one.
"The best part about it, and I guess the same applies to players, is the buzz you get
from a big game on a Saturday afternoon. I will miss that when I complete my stint on
the national list in six years time. I've also gained many friends over the years as a
result of what I do and I appreciate that. I've done 25-times more than I ever dared
dream of as a young ref starting out at 21. As for the highlight, there have been
several. Refereeing the 1996 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Liverpool (we
are only allowed to ref one) and taking charge of the Mandela Cup in Africa and
meeting Nelson Mandela in the process. I am a religious person and it was a great
honour to meet him. That, in fact, was the greatest moment of my life."
---------------------------------
[40] Utd's PR company lose out
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
>From Soccer Investor
'Wembley National Stadium Limited has confirmed that financial PR company Buchanan
Communications will design a PR campaign for the presentation of the stadium's plans
to the City. It reportedly beat off competition from Holborn PR and Bell Pottinger
Financial to land the contract.'
[Holborn PR are MUplc's company]
---------------------------------
[39] Hear Becks speak!
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
interview at
(link:http://www.sportonair.com/sportonair/010226beckham.rpm)
http://www.sportonair.com/sportonair/010226beckham.rpm
---------------------------------
[38] Only in America
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'A US man has been awarded $10,000 after wetting himself in jail. The man was denied
access to a toilet while visiting his son in a Grand Rapids prison. A judge said the
right to urinate was protected by the US constitution. US district Judge Gordon Quist
said: "The ability or opportunity to urinate being a matter of bodily integrity, is a
fundamental right subject to due-process protection. "Also an adult urinating in his
pants in front of others suffers extreme humiliation."
---------------------------------
[37] More on safe standing
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
>From our very own Farrell in the Observer letters section...
'The standing debate has caused some upset among some people and its easy to see why,
but nowadays, as has been proved in Germany, it is possible to have safe standing
areas. The old style of terracing is still in use at many grounds around Britain. I
have experienced it myself this season at Fulham's Craven Cottage and York's Bootham
Cresent (Which still had a fence in front of the crowd if my memory serves me
correctly). This is not what we want back. We want good, safe facilities which allow
fans to stand with friends and express their emotions in the way they want to rather
than passionless plastic seating so evident in premiership grounds up and down the
country.
Farrell'
And this in from RN reader, Kay.
"Trevor Hicks was on Radio 4 this morning, arguing with a pro-standing MP...that
standing is inherently dangerous, and to back this up, said that "they started
standing up at Manchester United, but now they've started sitting back down again". I
think we need to make sure he gets his facts right, and doesn't use us to back up the
anti-standing brigade."
---------------------------------
[36] Barthez in court?
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
>From Soccer Investor...
'A Marseille court is hearing a case taken out by AN Conseil against Manchester United
goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. AN Conseil, which handled
Barthez's image rights, is claiming a 20% cut of a £850,000 advertising contract
Barthez signed with McDonalds and Adidas. Barthez claims that both deals were signed
prior to any agreement with ANC. A verdict is due on May 3.'
[taking lessons from Eric?]
---------------------------------
[35] Mark Hughes on Giggs injury
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"The injury isn't as bad as some people are making out. It could be that Ryan is back
in action in a couple of weeks".
---------------------------------
[34] Houllier on Wes Brown
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"He is going to be very good indeed. He's quick and aggressive. He caught Michael Owen
twice in our last game against United, and not many players can do that."
---------------------------------
[33] Eire Under-21 game off
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'The Republic of Ireland's under-21 friendly international against Denmark at Dublin's
Dalymount Park has been called off because of snow. And it is feared tomorrow's
senior match at Lansdowne Road could go the same way with a blanket of snow covering
the Irish capital.'
---------------------------------
[32] Leeds player to be charged
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'Midfielder Gareth Evans has become the fourth Leeds United player to face charges of
assault and affray this year and will appear in court on Wednesday. Evans has been
charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray on a 30-year-old man, a
police spokeswoman said on Monday.'
---------------------------------
[31] Just do it?
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
This e.mail has been doing the rounds this week, so we thought we'd share it with you
- thanks to several RN readers for sending it on to us. What happened when someone
wanted to put SWEATSHOP as their personalised message on their Nike shoes...
'Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting a word or phrase which they
will stitch onto your shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah Peretti filled out the form
and sent them $50 to stitch "SWEATSHOP" onto his shoes.
Here's the responses he got... let the fun and games with Nike begin...
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following reasons:
1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark or other intellectual property
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or team we do not
have the legal right to use
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your
mother would slap us. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization
please visit us again at www.nike. com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Greetings, My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of the
criteria outlined in your message. The Personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running
shoes was the word "sweatshop."
Sweatshop is not:
1) another's party's trademark,
2) the name of an athlete,
3) blank, or
4) profanity.
I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labor of the
children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them to me immediately. Thanks and
Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as stated in
the previous e-mail correspondence, "inappropriate slang". If you wish to reorder your
NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM
XC USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer service, I
disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate slang. After consulting
Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact part of standard
English, and not slang. The word means: "a shop or factory in which workers are
employed for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions" and its origin
dates from 1892. So my personal iD does meet the criteria detailed in your first
email. Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is "about freedom to choose
and freedom to express who you are." I share Nike's love of freedom and personal
expression. The site also says that "If you want it done right...build it yourself." I
was thrilled to be able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a
small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my
vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and reconsider your !
decision to reject my order.
Thank you, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Regarding the rules for personalization it also states on the NIKE iD web site that
"Nike reserves the right to cancel any personal iD up to
24 hours after it has been submitted". In addition, it further explains: "While we
honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor every
one. Some may be (or contain) other's trademarks, or the names of certain professional
sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does not have the right to use. Others
may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want to place on
our products.
Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to decline personal iDs that may otherwise
seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know if we decline your personal
iD, and we will offer you the chance to
submit another." With these rules in mind, we cannot accept your order as submitted.
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us
again at www.nike.
com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my request. I have
decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to
make one small request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of the ten-year-old
Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes?
Thanks, Jonah Peretti
As one forwarder writes: .. this will now go round the world much farther and faster
than any of the adverts they paid Michael Jordan more than the entire wage packet of
all their sweatshop workers in the world to do...I normally avoid making a plea to
pass on these things, but this time I say: JUST DO IT!'
---------------------------------
[30] Tickets for Greece next week still on sale at United!
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'Panathinaikos v Manchester United, Olympic Stadium, Wednesday 7 March 2001, kick off
8.45pm (local).
We have now been advised that we will receive a revised allocation of 3500 match
tickets for this game at an equivalent price of £23.00 each. All members planing to
make their own travel arrangements and who have submitted an application for tickets
should have received a letter confirming that their application has been successful
and that the tickets will either be posted or made available for collection as soon as
we receive them.
Tickets are still available to members and these will be sold on a first come, first
served basis. Booking forms are available to personal callers at the Membership Office
or by post by telephoning 0161 868 8467 during office hours.
At the time of going to press a number of places remain on the club's day trip to
Athens are these are now available to all club members and will be sold on a first
come, first served basis. Booking forms are available to personal callers from the
Membership Office or by post whilst places remain by telephoning 0161 868 8462 during
normal office hours. The full cost of the trip inclusive of a match ticket is £273.00.'
---------------------------------
[29] Quote of the day
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"What have you learnt from David Seaman?"
David James was asked at Monday's England kit launch.
"Hair grows fast."
---------------------------------
[28] Bergkamp still gutted
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Music to our ears.
"Our 6-1 defeat by Manchester United was quite simply a profoundly depressing
experience for everyone at Arsenal. At this time, I don't want to offer any rushed
explanations or judgements about what happened. All I can say for certain is that
we'll make sure that this is a one-off freak result. I know it must be hard for the
fans to accept at this time but there is still more to come for us this season. We
have important FA Cup and Champions' League ties coming up and those now take on even
more importance for us. I hope you'll understand that I don't want to talk much more
about this just at the moment but I'll be back soon with more news and thoughts."
Ha ha ha!
---------------------------------
[27] More from Ole
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I had the honour of scoring our fifth goal after being perfectly set up by Nicky
Butt, and I was also involved in Teddy's goal. I actually came close to scoring
another goal when David Seaman made a wonderful save. I imagine a 7-1 scoreline would
have made the trip back to London even longer for the Arsenal lads. The quality of
our finishes
were among the best I have seen from United.
People have started speculating whether we've already won the title, and both the
manager and the players get asked this question a lot. I understand that people think
about this, but I can honestly say that we're not thinking that way. All the players
want to play the next match, and therefore we're always focused and try to do our
best out on the pitch. We're trying to concentrate on doing even better than
last season, rather than thinking we might already have won the
League. I'm currently in Belfast with the rest of the national team for the match
against Northern Ireland on Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to it, I always
enjoy participating with the national team."
---------------------------------
[26] Ole on Sunday
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"My answer to squad rotation. The only way to get a place in the first team at United
is to take good care of the chances you get, and on Sunday, the whole team seemed
determined to show their desire to be a part of United's first team plans. Dwight
hasn't played for a while but he proved his quality by scoring our first three goals
and being involved in the fourth! All the boys were happy for him as he truly deserved
it.
To score six goals against Arsenal at Old Trafford is far more than any of us could
have even dreamt of before Sunday's match. We haven't been in our best form lately,
we've only scored four goals in the last six matches. But on Sunday everybody was
determined to show who were the bigger team. After a good pep talk from the manager,
we were all up for showing how United play at their best. And I really think we made
a statement. The match was practically over after 25 minutes. At that point we were
4-1 up and had given the fans one of our best performances of the season."
---------------------------------
[25] More on safe standing
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Good report from in the Guardian on the debate.
(link:http://football.guardian.co.uk/continental/story/0,8018,443456,00.html)
http://football.guardian.co.uk/continental/story/0,8018,443456,00.html
---------------------------------
[24] Liverpool get giddy
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Houllier: "Winning a trophy will make these players believe they can achieve anything.
It tells them we can do it, we can win trophies, we feel stronger. It's my job to
bring the championship back to its home - Anfield. That's the ultimate goal. It's
imperative and it's what we're planning for."
Weren't they saying the exact same things the last time they won that piece of tin
against Bolton?
---------------------------------
[23] Becks on England captaincy
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I said to myself that if it doesn't happen again, then I can always say I've been
England captain. Obviously I'd love to be England captain, but we'll see. Being
captain against Italy is something that I will never forget, but it's been important
for me to go into the squad and enjoy the training whether I'm captain or not. I've
never been captain before, apart from in youth teams and once at United when no one
else wanted it! But players learn different things through their career and if I was
to stay captain, then I'm going to have to learn to adapt to that. I don't think you
can ever presume what's going to happen or expect something though. I've been
concentrating on getting into the squad and then doing the business when I'm here. It
wouldn't really be a huge blow to lose it. Whether captain or not, it's important for
me to play well more than anything."
---------------------------------
[22] Safe standing latest
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Sports Minister Kate Hoe: "We are not talking about going back to the old-style
terraces, which were very unsafe and were not stewarded properly. What I am talking
about and what supporters are talking about is whether it is possible for what we
would call small standing areas that would allow people to stand in safety and would
allow people to sit without people standing around them. When we think of terracing
we think of the very, very old huge terraces with very little barriers and little
control. What we are talking about here is the situation where in Germany they have
stadia with different designs which allow them to be converted very quickly back from
standing into seating when it is necessary, for perhaps World Cup matches.
The fences were dreadful and those have gone away and nobody is
asking for them to be brought back. No one is suggesting we go back to that kind of
terracing, but there is definitely a feeling that if it can be done in a country
where they are going to be hosting a World Cup, if it can be done safely there, if
it does maksphere in the ground better, if there can be cheaper tickets, then this is
something we should look at."
There has been a debate going on for some time and my attention has
been drawn to new technology in Germany and I said I was opened
minded and willing to look at it. I then asked the Football Licensing Authority to
give me a report on these grounds, which they could not do because they did not have
an up-to-date record, but they have now visited the grounds and so I am now waiting
for their reports. In the meantime, supporters' organisations themselves have gone
out
and visited a number of the grounds and I am in receipt of their
report.
We are waiting to hear what the FLA say. I am very conscious that this whole debate
has to be handled in a very sensitive way. But I am hoping that because the FLA has
been looking at this that
we will now get the Premier League to look at it seriously."
For once, we say well done and keep it up Kate.
---------------------------------
[21] Dwight on PlanetFootball
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I'd like to finish my career here. I have never had a season like this. Due to
various reasons I've had to sit most of it out which
is very frustrating. But I made sure I kept myself fit and sharp on the training
ground because I knew if my chance did come I would have to take it. There was a bit
of pressure on me but I was determined to show what I could do. It was fantastic to
get a hat-trick in such a big game. All strikers will tell you that they feed off
their own confidence. Well I felt mine flooding back against Arsenal. Now my job is
to keep it going and hopefully stay in the team. I want to make up for lost time. I
still believe I can get 20 goals, there are plenty of games left.
Of course our target is to win the championship as soon as possible
and get that European Cup back. If I can score the goals that help us do that it could
end up being another great season for me."
---------------------------------
[20] Worth getting on?
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
Mirror has 2-4-1 flight offer by collecting certain amount of tokens for flights to
Europe - with a few more (hopefully) games to play this season, might be worth buying
the paper for once!
---------------------------------
[19] More from Becks
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I think teams have always tried to push me back. Teams in Europe seem to be marking
me tighter or there are two men on me but that's the sort of thing I've got to get
used to. Possibly it's easier when I'm in the middle to get out of situations but if
I'm on the right, I've got to learn to get out of them as well. I've said so many
times that I prefer the middle instead of the right but it's entirely up to the new
manager. I love playing but I really love being more involved in a game. If that means
being in the middle then great, but I got quite a bit of joy against Arsenal on the
right so I enjoyed the whole game.
It's (getting at me) been happening in a lot of games where I've just got on with it,
whereas a couple of years ago I might not have done. I've learned to just enjoy the
football rather than anything else. It's more important that England have 11 players
on the park than I get sent off. There are also kids watching these games and a lot
has been said about kids looking up to players and their idols. I'd rather see them
watch me crossing a ball or scoring a great goal than the other things that have gone
on."
---------------------------------
[18] Wilson to play for England under-21s
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'Manchester United midfielder Mark Wilson will earn his first England
Under-21 cap in against Spain. Wilson will play in a central role alongside skipper
and in-form Blackburn midfielder David Dunn.'
Team: Robinson (Leeds); Griffin (Newcastle), Terry (Chelsea), Barry
(Aston Villa), Bridge (Southampton); Chadwick (Man Utd), Wilson (Man
Utd), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Dunn (Blackburn, capt), Christie
(Derby); Smith (Leeds).
---------------------------------
[17] Autograph hunting backfires
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'A baseball star wrote "kick me" on a boy's back after the 10-year-old asked him to
autograph his shirt. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Curtis Leskanic was making a good will
visit to Clinton Middle School in Wisconsin. But the player left Brett Larson upset
and bruised when his classmates took the message literally. Brett, who later asked a
friend what Leskanic wrote, said: "This one kid - I don't know if he's really my
friend - he kicked me really hard in the knee."
---------------------------------
[16] Only in America
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
'A row over a fish sandwich which came with tartar sauce rather than ketchup is
alleged to have sparked a fight, car chase and attempted machete attack. Police in
Florida have arrested a 44-year-old customer and a 22-year-old Whataburger restaurant
worker. Officers say the worker lost his temper after having his nose broken by the
customer, chased him in his car, rammed him and then tried to attack him with a
machete.'
---------------------------------
[15] Davids speaking on the BBC
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"At this moment, I'm very happy with Juventus but I love English football. I love Man
United - even if they don't play very well, you see their inner strength. They can
win a game without playing very well because they have this spirit - I love it. I
also love Arsenal - and I'm a Spurs fan".
Talk about hedging your bloody bets eh!
---------------------------------
[14] Ex toffee takes pop at Hoolahoops `world beaters'
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
As Andy Gray has a larf in Football 365:
"I've read a few comments in the press that victory in Cardiff was an important
psychological breakthrough for the side but that's utter tosh. The 1992 and 1995
Liverpool teams both lifted cups but didn't go on to win the title and to suggest
beating Birmingham could act as a springboard in the Premiership is ridiculous.' By
now most Liverpool fans reading this will probably have steam coming out of their
ears but if that's the case, you have lowered your expectations more than I thought.
Are you really content to be trailing the league leaders by 21 points (albeit with
two games in hand) by this stage of the season?"
---------------------------------
[13] Peter wants 3 more years at Lisbon
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
As the great Dane says:
"I do not feel I am getting older, although I am close to being 38.
Perhaps I am no longer the fastest in the sprints at training, but in
return I have gained many other qualities - a lot of experience being
one of the most important ones."
---------------------------------
[12] Fergie has a dig at Trinidad over Dwight
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"It's unfortunate Dwight has to play on Wednesday. We don't know when he's going to
come back - you never know with Trinidad."
---------------------------------
[11] Keano says to Dwight `size matters'
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"He deserves a lot of credit for that (hat-trick), because it's quite
hard when you've not played for a while to come in, especially for a
striker. But he has shown what a quality striker he is and this just shows you the
size of squad you need if you want to be successful."
---------------------------------
[10] Roy happy for Dwight
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I've seen his goals on the telly and he took them extremely well,"
Even the first one Roy? Which reminded me of Robbo's `tackle' goal
in the cup semi replay in `94. But who cares!
---------------------------------
[9] Scholesy a touch of Balti belly?
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
As the Ginger Prince skipped training at Ellis towers due to a `upset
stomach'. Eriksson says: "We will wait and see what the Manchester United doctor says
in the morning. But if he was not well enough to train today I doubt he will be okay
to play on Wednesday".
---------------------------------
[8] Eric still shining in beach football
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
>From Marc:
"France (actually Eric mates' team) won 6-2 against Venezuala in
the Beach soccer World Cup in Brazil and are through to the quarter finals. Eric
scored 2 and played most of the game as skipper: impressive."
---------------------------------
[7] More from Becks
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"We didn't expect to beat them 6-1. But the first half was probably the best we have
played for a long time.
It's a new era for English football, and the whole country knows we
need to start winning games and competitions. We need to play well and come together
as a team against Spain because we've then got two massive World Cup qualifying games
coming up."
---------------------------------
[6] Becks under the influenza
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"A lot has been said about the way I have been playing recently. I
had the flu about a month ago and maybe I should have sat out two or three games.
But being the person I am I wanted to play through it, even though it was catching up
with me. But I felt a lot better and a lot fitter playing against Arsenal on Sunday."
---------------------------------
[5] Becks wants to be the man in the middle
---------------------------------
Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I always enjoy any opportunity to play in the middle. I love playing and I enjoy
being more involved in the game. If that means playing in the middle then great. When
I am playing on the right teams always try to mark me tighter, sometimes even with two
players. That's something I have got to get used to. But it's possibly easier to
handle if you are playing in the centre of midfield where there's more room. But it's
entirely down to the new manager where he wants me to play."
---------------------------------
[4] Becks on being Ingerlund Capt
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Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"Being England captain in the last game against Italy is something I
will never forget. Obviously, I would like to continue in the job. But I have already
said to myself that if it doesn't happen again, I can always look back and say that I
have been captain of England. The most important thing is to be in the squad, and
hopefully in the
team against Spain on Wednesday, and to play well, whether I'm captain or not."
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[3] Sad ABUs
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Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
This from a RN reader waiting with Arse fans in the upstairs bar for their train back
home after the game. In a bar packed full of Reds these Arse fans were cheering
Liverpool to win their Final - how sad is that!
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[2] Silvestre speaks
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Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
"I am very proud to have been called up, it's an achievement. I though about it and
really hoped to be called after a first season of adaptation at Manchester. It will
be hard to remain in the team. My versatility can help me. I play on the left but I
don't know what is my best position, I know I have the capicity to play in the
middle. I have improved lately, especially my concentration, it was my weak point.
I thought we were doing to be beat Arsenal but not like this. The coach was not happy
before the game and we were really eager to to win it. We had a great game but
Arsenal's defence was below-par. They have been struggling since the start of the
season with their defence. This win will go down in history books. At Manchester, the
only pressure comes from the coach, it's relax."
Wonder why Fergie wasn't happy pre-match?
---------------------------------
[1] Silvestre has yet more to celebrate at the moment
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Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2001 by bar-knee:
His wife gave birth to their first child on Sunday.
