Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

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Tight finish won't faze Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared for the Barclays Premiership title race to be decided on goal difference as long as Manchester United eventually emerge triumphant.

United resume their championship quest against Blackburn tomorrow knowing six wins from their last eight games will be enough to end a four-year wait for the trophy.

Now the potentially pivotal encounter with Chelsea has been shoved back to the last week of the season because of both sides' FA Cup commitments, the Red Devils could even have the title sewn up before they head to Stamford Bridge.

Yet Ferguson is refusing to take anything for granted. And despite being in such a favourable position, he would happily accept the ultimate prize on the final day even though he knows the trauma that would be experienced along the way as Chelsea eroded their present advantage.

"I don't care when we win it, winning it is the most important thing," he said.

"It doesn't matter when or how. I would take goal difference right at this very moment even though it would create a few heart attacks along the way."

After coming through a draining spell of games immediately before the international break with their treble dream intact, Ferguson's squad is suddenly looking a lot healthier.

Paul Scholes returns from suspension, while Edwin van der Sar and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are also back after recent injuries.

Louis Saha also has an outside chance of being involved, although it is more likely the French striker, who has been missing with a hamstring problem, will feature either in the midweek Champions League encounter with Roma or the Premiership tussle with Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Easter Saturday.

Ferguson was happy to report no fresh injuries suffered on international duty and while Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick might need a lift after England's traumatic week, the Scot has no worries about any of them.

Rooney in particular has been the subject of intense scrutiny after once again failing to find the target for his country in a competitive environment.

Two needless bookings that rule him out of the June 6 trip to Estonia indicated all is not well with the 21-year-old.

But Ferguson feels Rooney will benefit from a return to United, where he has been far more effective in recent times.

"I don't see the burden he has been carrying as a problem but you cannot put all the responsibility for attacking onto one player," said the Old Trafford chief.

"The England team has not been playing well. I think they would all hold their hands up on that one.

"But Wayne is still young. He is as strong as a bull and his enthusiasm is always there.

"He is back with us now. We are trying to help him and knowing the players you are playing with always helps."

During the early days of Ferguson's 20-year Old Trafford reign, Blackburn boss Mark Hughes was the bulwark of United's attack.

Tenacious on the pitch, exceptionally quiet off it, Hughes appeared about as likely to become a manager as Paul Scholes does now.

Yet once his playing days were drawing to a close, Hughes felt he needed to remain in the game.

And, after impressing initially as Wales coach and now with Blackburn, there are many who believe the United legend will eventually go on to succeed Ferguson.

The current Red Devils chief is not about to get involved in that debate but he has plenty of admiration for the work Hughes is doing at Ewood Park.

"The time Mark spent with Wales was terrific for him," said Ferguson.

"It wasn't a full-time job as such but it gave him an indication about what he is going into.

"As a player, he was a very quiet lad. He didn't say a lot. He valued the time he spent with his family and you never thought he would become a coach.

"But there are so many players like that. They get to the end of their careers and realise what they are going to miss. The next step is to become a manager, just like Mark has done.

"I am really impressed with the work Mark has done at Blackburn.

"They are a very stubborn team. They are having a good season and, having reached the FA Cup semi-finals as well, they have their own ambitions.

"It won't be an easy game for us but if we maintain the form we have been showing recently, we have a big chance."

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Ferguson to throw Rooney back into breach

There are many who feel that Wayne Rooney is in need of a rest after an arduous week with the national team, but Sir Alex Ferguson knows better than most what makes the 21-year-old tick. “He will play,” the Manchester United manager said, leaving Blackburn Rovers to worry that they will face the backlash at Old Trafford this afternoon.

Rooney has had a strange season, one in which breathtaking highs have been followed by bemusing slumps in form, with his performances for England against Israel and Andorra particularly disappointing. Ferguson feels that criticism of Rooney’s performances has been excessive, but he shrugged off suggestions yesterday that the player could do with a break.

When asked if there was too much expectation on Rooney when he plays for England, Ferguson said: “There shouldn’t be. Since he joined us as a young lad, that pressure’s always put on his shoulders. He’s been talked about as one of the great players in this club’s history.

“I don’t see it as a big problem, but you cannot put all the responsibility for attacking on to one player. The England team has not been playing well. But Wayne is still young. He’s as strong as a bull and his enthusiasm is always there. He’s back with us now and he will play [against Blackburn].”

Maintaining a high level of performance has not been a problem for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal winger has caught the eye of Barcelona and Real Madrid. But Predrag Mijatovic, the Real sporting director, suggested yesterday that buying Ronaldo may prove easier said than done.

“If he wants to come and Madrid want him and if Manchester United say he can go, then it would happen straight away,” Mijatovic said. “But much depends on the will of the players and their clubs.”

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FERGUSON: WE'RE THE CREAM OF EUROPE

Sir Alex Ferguson believes the Barclays Premiership is now the best league in the world.

The Manchester United manager's comments may appear a little hollow given the sub-standard nature of some of the domestic action this term but, with three quarter-finalists, England has a greater representation in the Champions League than Italy or Spain.

And Ferguson would not be surprised in the least if the May 23 final in Athens was a battle between two English clubs.

"There is a chance of an all-English final," he said.

"Six or seven years ago, the Spanish league was the best but now I really believe we have caught it up.

"Liverpool's result against Barcelona in the last round is a good case in point.

"Real Madrid got knocked out as well, which tells you Spain's two biggest teams are not at their best.

"Right now, English football is probably the best in Europe."

Certainly England's chances of landing some silverware at club level are a lot more plausible than they are in the international arena.

And, following a tortuous week in which Steve McClaren's side were booed by their own fans in Israel and Barcelona, Ferguson accepts Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick were probably glad to get back to the sanctuary of Old Trafford.

"It was a mixed bag in terms of our players' success at international level over the past week but, when you look at the results, the English lads are probably glad to be back - and we are happy to have them here," he observed.

For an all-English final to materialise, United would have to navigate their way through a tricky draw which pits them into a quarter-final meeting with Roma and a last four clash with either AC Milan or Bayern Munich.

Although Roma are trailing Inter Milan by some distance in the battle for Serie A, Ferguson has not been fooled into thinking progress into the semi-finals will be automatic for the Red Devils.

Chief problem for United ahead of Wednesday's first leg in the Olympic Stadium is how to set up defensively against a team that does not have an out-and-out striker.

With Brazilian duo Mancini and Taddei looking to spring inside from the wing positions and Francesco Totti dropping deep, virtually into a midfield slot, Ferguson's men are faced with a puzzle which does not often present itself in the Premiership.

If they are not careful, United could end up with four orthodox defenders marking no-one, a situation Ferguson is anxious to avoid.

"Their system is a key factor for us because Roma play without a central striker," he said.

"The issue is what we do about our central defenders, whether we push one onto Totti or whether we let him drift and control the game.

"We have the players who can adapt but tactically we have to get it right.

"It is not a game that is giving me sleepless nights but if we don't get ourselves sorted out, it could be a very hard evening for us."

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Man Utd 4 - 1 Blackburn


Vidic stretchered off with suspected broken collar-bone.


Rooney misses again but worked his socks off again for his team!

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Man Utd 4 - 1 Blackburn


Scholesy with the all important equalizer!!


Carrick puts Utd 2-1 ahead!

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Man Utd 4 - 1 Blackburn


Park Ji-Sung puts the results beyond doubt with his team's 3rd goal.


Solskjaer with the icing on the cake.

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Vidic out for up to five weeks



Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has been ruled out of action for between four and five weeks with a dislocated shoulder.

The Serbian, who joined United from Spartak Moscow for £7 million in January 2006 and has played a key role in their charge towards the Barclays Premiership title, was injured during United's 4-1 victory over Blackburn at Old Trafford today.

The 25-year-old immediately signalled he was in trouble and was eventually carried down the tunnel on a stretcher.

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Another pic of Scholes....paiseh, just cant help it.

[King_Cantona]

Great Pics bro !!! Man Utd Forever !!!

[mike2006]

NBCB. Chelsea damn lucky, score in 90. If not title almost sewn up.

[machoman]

We look just champion, says Ferguson
Sunday, April 01, 2007, 08:57:51 HRS

Manchester United's Paul Scholes(2ndL) celebrates scoring against Blackburn Rovers during their English Premiership football match at Old Trafford in Manchester. A Scholes-inspired recovery saw Manchester United blitz Blackburn with four second-half goals on Saturday as the Red Devils edged another step closer to reclaiming the Premiership title. - AFP

Sir Alex Ferguson believes his team has the look of champions after they came from behind to record a crucial 4-1 victory over Blackburn.

Second half goals from Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Park Ji-sung and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford on Saturday cancelled out Matt Derbyshire's first half effort in emphatic fashion.

The victory allowed Premiership leaders United to maintain a six-point advantage over second-placed Chelsea, who kept up their pursuit with a 1-0 win at Watford.

"I think we looked like a championship side," said Ferguson. "You would expect a championship team to show that kind of nerve, determination, drive, resolve. We had all that today. Everything you are looking for in a football team was there.

"There are just seven games to go - that makes me nervous now! But, without question, that was one of our best performances of the season and, throughout the game, they had a lot of handicaps.

"They had just come back from internationals, they had to overcome being 1-0 down so to keep making chances and to keep their nerve and show their composure was fantastic."

The only dark cloud for a United squad already tested by injuries was the loss of Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic, stretchered off with a dislocated shoulder in the first half.

Ferguson revealed: "He will be out for four or five weeks. We will do our best to get him back as quickly as we can but I said a couple of weeks ago that the most important part of the club is the bench.

"We will have to look what our alternatives are now but the resolve of the team tells me they will handle it.

Manchester United's Korean midfielder Ji Sung Park(L) challenges Blackburn Rover's midfielder Kerimoglu Tugay during their English Premiership football match at Old Trafford in Manchester. United won 4-1. - AFP

Certainly, the form of United's key attacking players is such that Ferguson currently has confidence in his team to overcome any opposition, especially with the type of backing his team received from a Premiership-record crowd of 76,098 against Blackburn.

"The fans were magnificent," said Ferguson. "The best we've had for years, wonderful. They can smell success and the players know it. The crowd were going to take us over the line, the players knew that and you have to give them credit for that."

Rovers manager Mark Hughes, an Old Trafford legend, shared his former manager's appraisal concerning the top of the table and believes the title race is effectively over.

"They are champions elect and they are good value for it," said Hughes. "This year they have played the best football, the most expansive game, and this game was a key game for them.

"They sensed that, the crowd sensed that and they knew we would give them a real test today.

"I feel we did that, to a certain extent, and I feel from this point onwards they will go on and win it comfortably.

"This was a key game. They have great respect for what we do, we have caused them problems in the past and we caused them some today. But they were not to be denied and sometimes you have to accept that."

Although the scoreline may have flattered Hughes's former employers somewhat, the Welshman pointed out the factor that separated the Reds from his own team and other Premiership rivals.

"The reason United are top of the league and champions-elect is that they are able to galvanise themselves when they are struggling a little bit," said Hughes.

"When they are struggling to find a little bit of form, they are able to get themselves together and go again. That's certainly what they did in the second half."

- AFP

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Originally Posted by mike2006

NBCB. Chelsea damn lucky, score in 90. If not title almost sewn up.

Watford were very unlucky after all the hard work they did. They could have pulled off an upset with the couple of good chances they had.

Chelsea must be feeling the pressure now. Taking them 92mins to score.

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Ferguson accuses ‘soft’ FA over Boateng threat

SIR Alex Ferguson has accused the FA of being soft on thuggery towards the game’s flair players, citing its failure to discipline George Boateng for his comment that “someone will hurt him properly” in reference to Cristiano Ronaldo and his tricks, writes Jonathan Northcroft.

Boateng made the apparent threat after his Middlesbrough teammate, James Morrison, was red-carded for a brutal tackle on Ronaldo in last month’s FA Cup quarter-final replay between Manchester United and Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

Ferguson contrasted the FA’s refusal to prosecute Boateng to the swift action taken by Uefa against Stijn Sitjnen, Belgium’s goalkeeper, for allegedly making similar remarks about Ronaldo last week. Uefa is investigating whether to apply sanctions against Stijnen, who was reported as saying his side would “massacre” Ronaldo before the winger scored twice as Belgium lost 4-0 against Por-tugual last week — although the goalkeeper claims this was a misquote.

“What I can’t understand is that Uefa are looking into what was said about Ronaldo by Beligum’s goalkeeper while our own FA has taken no action against Boateng,” Ferguson said. “There is nothing wrong with tackling. It’s a very important part of the game. But you can’t accept players saying that they are going to kick people out of matches. That is unacceptable.”

Boateng had accused Ronaldo of being “disrespectful” when, in the final minutes of a game led 1-0 by United, he began doing tricks with the ball. “A lot of players want to do what Morrison did . . . No one likes to have the mickey taken out of them. If Ronaldo is going to do that, one day someone will hurt him properly and he will be out for a long time,” Boateng said.

Despite his continuing anger at those remarks, Ferguson ruled out lodging an official protest with Soho Square, saying drily: “If it had been one of our players who had said something like Boateng then I am sure they [the FA] would have looked into it straight away.

“The letter would have probably dropped through the letter-box the day before he even said it. But I don’t think it’s up to us to complain to the FA about comments of other players. We never have and we never will.”

[no_faith]

wat pressure? wat pressure? no pressure lah

*trembling*

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Originally Posted by no_faith

wat pressure? wat pressure? no pressure lah

*trembling*

Oops..actually the pressure is on Man Utd to maintain or increase the 6 pts lead.

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Scholes keeps his focus on a treble

For an hour at Old Trafford on Saturday, Manchester United supporters could have been forgiven for wondering if their season had collapsed in the space of two first-half minutes. No sooner had Nemanja Vidic, the pillar of United’s defensive solidarity, been taken off on a stretcher, probably not to be seen again this season, did Matt Derbyshire strike a chord with Chelsea fans everywhere by putting Blackburn Rovers a goal in front.

The United of last season would possibly not have recovered from two such devastating blows, but this team is a different proposition and so it was entirely appropriate that it was a player who best embodies the transformation in his side’s fortunes who should provide the kick-start for an ultimately comfortable victory.

Paul Scholes may have been overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo for much of this term, but his contribution has been no less startling and in any other year he would be a shoo-in for the player of the season awards. Like the Portugal winger, who was at his rip-roaring best yet again, Scholes has overcome adversity to flourish. As he danced past two defenders before shooting with sublime accuracy across Brad Friedel, it was hard to compare the Scholes of now and the one of 12 months ago, who had cause to wonder if he would ever play football again because of an eye condition.

Ronaldo was the star turn, but it was Scholes who orchestrated a victory that keeps United six points (and a superior goal difference) clear of Chelsea in the Barclays Premiership after the champions left it very late against Watford to ensure an anxious April for everybody involved.

Steve McClaren had opted against watching a game at the weekend and it was probably a good job because, had he been at Old Trafford, the England head coach would only have further cause to rue his failure to lure Scholes out of international retirement. In a week when the England incumbents have invited ridicule, it scarcely seems possible that McClaren is unable to call on a player whose Englishness seeps from every pore. On the football field, however, Scholes looks every inch the cosmopolitan continental the national team needs. Were you watching Messrs Gerrard and Lampard?

When Scholes equalised, there only ever looked like being one winner in a contender for game of the season, but for long periods it seemed as though Blackburn, and their outstanding goalkeeper, Brad Friedel, in particular, would breathe new life into the title race.

A hapless Wayne Rooney, picking up where he left off for England, had squandered two glaring opportunities — both superbly saved by Friedel — by the time Derbyshire scored and a raft of other chances went begging before United finally unearthed their shooting boots.

Michael Carrick claimed the second goal before Park Ji Sung and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added gloss to a scoreline that reflected United’s complete second-half dominance, if not Blackburn’s gallant opening efforts.

Blackburn are one of the Premiership’s fittest teams, but United stifled them with wave after wave of attacks during a breathtaking final half hour. The “champions elect”, as Mark Hughes, the Blackburn manager, called United, have that air of “relentless efficiency” that Sir Alex Ferguson once used to describe Chelsea. Indeed, if eight goals against Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn — games that Ferguson had identified as potential banana skins — are not a hallmark of champions, then nothing is.

“You can see that desire in their play,” Hughes said. “They’re not to be denied at the moment and that augurs well for them. I can’t see them being beaten between now and the end of the season and that includes when they go up against Chelsea.”

A tough test away to AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday evening has suddenly become tougher with Vidic out with a suspected broken collar bone and/or dislocated shoulder, but Hughes believes the treble is still a strong possibility for United. “It’s a huge ask for them,” the former United forward said. “I think the title will be theirs, without a doubt. They viewed this game as really crucial for them, but they’ve been able to overcome us and you sense they will have a real go on all fronts.”