MANCHESTER UNITED...the RED DEVILS march on !!!

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Rooney begins long road to redemption

Thu Nov 25 09:02AM

In the city where Alex Ferguson grew up, the Manchester United manager will now be hoping he has seen his star striker born again.

Wayne Rooney made his first start for United in two months but, with all that has gone on in that time, documented fanatically on the tabloid front pages, it feels like a lot longer ago.

The days when he was a post-World Cup pariah, let alone scoring for fun and winning every individual award going, seem like moments in the career of a different player altogether.

After returning from his Oregon boot camp/sponsor marketing opportunity trimmed down and refreshed, he got the moment he visualised would send him on the road to redemption when he scored the winning penalty against Rangers three minutes from time.

United's newly lean, mean, set-piece scoring machine celebrated ecstatically after firing home the spot-kick, which ensured United's progression from Champions League Group C.

He may have had a mixed reception upon his return to action at Old Trafford last weekend, but at least he can count on one fan's affection. A pitch invader ran on to the Ibrox turf and leapt on the prostrate Rooney, locking him in an unbreakable embrace not seen on the field of play since Terry Phelan held on to Ray Houghton for dear life at the Giants Stadium in 1994.

It is, of course, going to take a lot more than a mediocre performance and one conversion from 12 yards to win over the majority of the United faithful.

The expression of his desire to leave the club will not be easily forgotten, not least for the way it highlighted the very real problems the club can expect to have in competing financially with their rivals as long as the Glazers are in charge.

At least Rooney is aware enough to reference the fact that he has plenty of work to do if he is going to win back the hearts and minds of United's fans.

"Not all the fans are going to want to be singing my name all the time and I fully accept that," he said. "But I have to go out and prove to the fans I am here to stay and I want to work.

"Only I can say how I feel, and I know 100 per cent it was nothing to do with money."

In purely footballing terms, a return of just two goals from eight games so far this season - both penalties - is a poor one.

Rooney now has three matches against teams in the bottom half of the table - Blackburn, West Ham and Blackpool - before a trio of fixtures versus top opposition, in Valencia, Arsenal and Chelsea give way to the Christmas period.

Once he has got through those games, we will know a lot more about the effect of Rooney's hiatus.

- - -

Whilst Rooney has to deal with the heavy weight of expectation, Tottenham continue to exceed those placed upon them in the Champions League.

A swaggering 3-0 win over Werder Bremen at White Hart Lane last night has booked them a place in the knockout stage in their first season in the competition.

This time two years ago, Harry Redknapp was a month into the Spurs job. The team had just dragged themselves out of the relegation zone after spending the early part of the campaign rooted to the bottom of the table.

Now, here they are, through to the knockout stage with a game to spare, qualifying before local rivals Arsenal, who they beat away from home just four days beforehand.

Seven of the players who started against Bremen last night were strugglers under Juande Ramos, but now they are playing in a bold and confident manner which has helped transform the club's fortunes.

Redknapp has bolstered his reputation to the point where he is now the man everyone - including himself - expects to succeed Fabio Capello in 2012.

The latest ploy in the long-running job interview for the FA role, which he seems to be conducting in public, was to give a good old-fashioned rallying cry to Our Boys Down Under.

That it was also a little bit of extra promotion for his son's employers, owned by the same media giant that runs the newspaper his own column is printed in, was just a little bonus, of course.

However, there is a sting in this Tottenham tale. Redknapp is due in Southwark Crown Court today for a hearing that will determine whether or not he and former Portsmouth colleagues Milan Mandaric and Peter Storrie will face trial for tax evasion next spring.

It's a timely reminder of the baggage the man carries with him and, despite the lack of coverage as the media focuses instead on Bale, Modric and co's wonderful European run, the outcome of this hearing could have a major effect on the future of both Spurs and England.

If the matter is put to rest today then he can continue to enjoy the upward trajectory his career is on it its latter stages. Should the case rumble on and his team's campaign be affected for the season run-in, however, the FA might be scared off whatever the outcome.

Rumours that his ace in the hole is to threaten media silence if the case is taken any further are, at this stage, unconfirmed.

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Five-star Berbatov puts Manchester United back on top

Reuters - Sunday, November 28

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON - Dimitar Berbatov scored five goals to send Manchester United roaring back to the top of the Premier League with a 7-1 rout of Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Bulgarian, eclipsing team mate Wayne Rooney in the England striker's first league start since the beginning of October, put in a five-star performance after wrapping up his hat-trick two minutes after the break.

Under increasing flak for a scoring drought extending back to September, Berbatov was only the fourth player to score five in a single game in the Premier League.

In the absence of champions Chelsea, who can reclaim top spot at Newcastle United on Sunday, Arsenal enjoyed a brief spell in first place after beating Aston Villa 4-2 in the early match.

United, now unbeaten for 29 games in all competitions, have 31 points from 15 games to second-placed Arsenal's 29.

Carlo Ancelotti's misfiring Chelsea, who have lost three of their last four Premier League encounters, slipped to third overall with 28 points from 14.

Manchester City, held 1-1 at Stoke City after conceding a late equaliser, stayed fourth on 26 points.

West Ham United remained bottom despite a 3-1 home win over another relegation-threatened side, Wigan Athletic, after fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers overcame Sunderland 3-2.

BLACKBURN ROASTED

Berbatov wasted no time getting on the scoresheet at Old Trafford, taking his first goal from close range in the second minute and his second in the 27th before notching a third in the 47th. He made it four in the 62nd and five eight minutes later.

"We've been waiting for that performance for weeks," said United manager Alex Ferguson. "We kept saying that our rhythm and tempo has not been good enough in the last few weeks but today it was. We found it."

The only other player to manage five for United in Ferguson's time as manager was Andy Cole and the Scot was quick to praise Berbatov and the team effort.

"There was some great football attached to those goals and getting off the mark early I think helped him because he hadn't scored for 10 games," he told Sky Sports. "And that does prey on strikers' minds because that's the way they are."

South Korean forward Park Ji-sung had made it 2-0 in the 23rd while Nani scored United's fifth in the 48th with Blackburn, taken over this month by Indian poultry giant Venky's, getting a roasting.

Chris Samba scored a late consolation goal with a header seven minutes from time.

Arsenal, still smarting from their 3-2 home defeat by North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and a 2-0 Champions League loss at Braga in midweek, eased the pain of those results with victory at Villa Park.

Arsenal went in 2-0 ahead at halftime but then allowed Villa back into the game, youngster Ciaran Clark scoring twice to set up a nervy final 20 minutes with Arsenal leading 3-2.

Marouane Chamakh had scored their third while teenage midfielder Jack Wilshere made it 4-2 deep into stoppage time when he headed in his first league goal for Arsenal.

"It was important to win today," said Wenger.

"Repeated things happening negatively become a syndrome and that's what you don't want."

West Bromwich Albion returned to form by trouncing Everton 4-1 at Goodison Park while Bolton Wanderers recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to Blackpool.

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Aiyoh...Shame-Shame lah.

Carling Cup - West Ham hit four to dump out United

Tue, 30 Nov 21:41:00 2010

West Ham produced an inspired display to dump out holders Manchester United 4-0 in emphatic fashion in their Carling Cup quarter-final at Upton Park.

Jonathan Spector grabbed a first-half brace to stun his former side with the only goals of his entire career in English football as United were punished for some alarmingly sloppy defending.

Carlton Cole grabbed a third in the 56th minute for the buoyant Hammers, then added his second just after the hour mark to send Avram Grant's side through to their first League Cup semi-final for 21 years with the Premier League table turned on its head. The harrowing defeat also ended United's longest unbeaten run in 11 years.

As expected, Sir Alex Ferguson shook things up by making 10 changes, while Grant also seized the opportunity to rest six key players with the likes of the talismanic Scott Parker confined to the substitutes' bench.

There were a few wisps of snow in the air as the match got underway, and Robert Green prevented his side being caught cold as early as the seventh minute with a fine reflex stop to tip Gabriel Obertan's rasping low drive onto the far post.

Referee Mark Clattenburg's involvement was shrouded in doubt earlier in the evening as he was stuck in heavy traffic but, having just made it to the ground in time for kick-off, the official was at the centre of controversy in the 16th minute as the hosts had a goal chalked off.

Victor Obinna let fly from the edge of the United box, only for the ball to deflect off Spector, who was in an offside position, and beyond Tomasz Kuszczak with an exceptionally late offside flag bringing the hosts' celebrations to an abrupt halt. The crowd were still absolutely incensed by the decision as play finally resumed, but six minutes later they were jubilant.

Again it was the excellent Obinna who represented the livewire in the final third, and his delightful dink into the United box found Spector, who managed to get in front of the leaden-footed Darren Fletcher to head beyond Kuszczak.

Ryan Giggs returned to pick up the armband a day after his 37th birthday, and the United skipper squandered a glorious chance to level just after the half hour as he could only head tamely straight at Green from Javier Hernandez's pinpoint delivery.

United's defending was shoddy in the first half, and Ferguson was apoplectic with rage in the 37th minute as Spector doubled his tally against his former club with a composed finish to exploit more slack marking following a slick exchange with Obinna.

The United manager no doubt dished out a fearful rollicking to his ineffectual players at the break and promptly hauled off Bebe, with Federico Macheda introduced at his expense.

Green, who on the whole excelled in tricky conditions for both keepers, then had a moment of madness as he drove a low clearance needlessly against the gormless Macheda, but was able to spare his own blushes, smothering the ball at the feet of Hernandez.

The Hammers then breached the visitors' defence for a third time in the 56th minute: Obinna was once again the architect with a fine run and cross from the left, and Cole dived in front of Jonny Evans to convert with a fine header.

West Ham were making a mockery of the United defence time and again, and Obinna skipped past Fabio's replacement and brother Rafael to tee up Cole, who spun past the hapless Evans with embarrassing ease before lashing a clinical strike beyond Kuszczak.

Ferguson hauled off a crest-fallen Evans as Wes Brown was introduced with the sole intention of shoring up a beleaguered back four, but the damage had already been done, prompting an almost exhibition style finish to the game.

The Hammers arrested a run of six successive defeats against United, whose grip on the Carling Cup trophy was relinquished in the most inauspicious fashion.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport

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Berbatov brace keeps Man United top

Man. United's Fergie shrugs off Rooney goal drought

AFP - Monday, December 27

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - – Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists he's unconcerned about Wayne Rooney's goal drought, believing the England striker is close to once again becoming the country's deadliest striker.

Rooney has not scored for United in open play since netting against Bayern Munich in March, but Ferguson was delighted with the England forward's overall contribution in Sunday's 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford.

"Wayne had a couple of tries. He was very unlucky with the chip and there were a couple of shots saved by the goalkeeper," Ferguson said.

"He is getting there. The important thing is he is playing well. That is refreshing."

Meanwhile, Ferguson hopes to welcome back Darren Fletcher and Nani at Birmingham on Tuesday after his team maintained pole position in the Premier League with Sunday's three points.

Ferguson was without the pair for the win at Old Trafford that was cemented by two goals from Bulgaria forward Dimitar Berbatov, who now has 13 for the season, and a man of the match performance from Brazilian playmaker Anderson.

The Scot, who turns 69 on Friday, was able to take off Anderson and evergreen winger Ryan Giggs early in the second half and, while Ferguson declared himself happy with an unbeaten league run that now extends to 22 games, the return of Fletcher and Nani can only help United consolidate first place when they travel to St Andrew's.

"You have to make changes," said Ferguson, noting that Birmingham will have benefited from the postponement of their Boxing Day visit to Everton.

"I took Anderson off, took Ryan off. We've got a game in two days' time. Birmingham have not played, they will be nice and fresh.

"Darren Fletcher had a bit of a cold, he came down with it this morning, we couldn't take any chances. Nani has been feeling his hip the last few days so we left him out. He should be ready for the Birmingham game.

"Birmingham will be fresh. Going down there is always a difficult place, they've always had a strong home record, they're difficult to beat on their own ground."

Ever the perfectionist, Ferguson did confess that his team's failure to convert a host of chances they created against Sunderland was a disappointment.

"Absolutely," said Ferguson. "We hit the bar, the post, the goalkeeper made a couple of saves, we had some really good football, some exciting stuff.

"Once the game went into that part - Dimitar had a couple saved - we just seemed to go into third gear.

"The first half was the game, we were fantastic, it could have been any score.

"The second half we put the tools away and bit, maybe they were saving their legs. They knew Birmingham's game was off and maybe that gets to their minds. We were very economical second half, put it that way.

"But we're coming to good form. The last few weeks we have played some very good stuff and had that consistency, particularly defending. We were solid at the back, these are good signs for us."

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce sounded like one rival manager who is ready to concede the title to United.

"They've been involved in first or second for the last six years and I can't see any change in that," he said. "They will be there or therabouts. And usually they get better from here on in.

"That first half is arguably the best they have played. I hear they haven't played that well and they're unbeaten in - what? - six months; that's not a bad stat.

"They're top of the league with a game in hand. History tells you that they get better in the second half of the season. They've got some big games coming up but I wouldn't bet against them."

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Man. United's Ferguson issues title warning

AFP - 1 hour 39 minutes ago

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP) - – Sir Alex Ferguson did his best to dispel any doubts about Manchester United's challenge for the Premier League title by insisting his side were on course for glory despite dropping points in a 1-1 draw away to Birmingham.

United, still unbeaten in the league this season, were set for victory after Dimitar Berbatov's sublime goal gave them the lead just before the hour mark at St Andrew's here on Tuesday.

But Lee Bowyer's controversial 89th minute equaliser denied United the full three points and left them top on goal difference alone from Manchester City, although Ferguson's men do have two games in hand over their local rivals.

Ferguson is desperate to regain the title from stuttering champions Chelsea and he will enter the New Year with United in the place which he feels sends out danger signals to all those jostling for position behind the Red Devils.

"I think we've a chance with the title," United manager Ferguson said ahead of his side's return to the Midlands to play West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

"At this moment in time there are five or six teams who are all contesting that area.

"I always say if you get to New Year in first position, Manchester United have a big chance then."

Meanwhile Ferguson could not resist a dig at Arsenal -- who are next up at St Andrew's.

The Scot has never been one to shy away from confrontation with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and he could not resist planting a seed of doubt in the minds of a side the Frenchman believes can no longer be bullied, after their impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday.

"Birmingham is a difficult place to come and every team that comes here has a tough game. The ball is in the air a lot and they set their stall out.

"It is a tough place to play. It is a tight pitch. A lively pitch and you only have to see the results they have had at St Andrew's over the years."

Ferguson made clear his displeasure with referee Lee Mason for costing United a two-point cushion for failing to spot a handball by Birmingham substitute Nikola Zigic in the build up to Bowyer's leveller.

"It was handball and a foul," he said. "He went straight through the centre half. If the referee can't see that what chance have you got?" said Ferguson.

"You would expect in a game of this importance they (the officials) would see that. If they can't what hope have you got?

"I have no complaints with my team. They fought hard and worked hard after only two days' rest."

Ferguson mentored Birmingham boss Alex McLeish during the pair's time together at Aberdeen and the pupil believes his former manager's current side remain the team to beat in the Premier League.

"Chelsea are a wee bit off at the moment and you would have to say that United are favourites, maybe with Arsenal," McLeish said.

"We say that at different stages of the season and then we get some more strange results.

"United's recent form has been great and I saw them at Sunderland and they were excellent. So I feared the worst when they were playing us next."

Bowyer's goal took Birmingham out of the bottom three but they are just a point above the relegation zone.

McLeish has talks planned with the Blues' Hong Kong-based owner Carson Yeung and he wants to clarify whether the Midlands club have the funds to try to persuade Robbie Keane to join their battle against the drop during the January transfer window.

The Republic of Ireland forward is available after being told he can leave Tottenham Hotspur and Keane could be the man to boost Birmingham's flagging goal tally.

"We are struggling because we do not score enough goals," McLeish admitted. "We have been in trouble because we have not taken care of our own results and that is the problem."

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Man U won't go shopping in January sales: Fergie

AFP - 2 hours 31 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out a spending spree in the January sales.

United are in pole position to regain the Premier League title as they go into 2011 on top of the table, but Ferguson doesn't plan to bolster his squad with new signings during the one-month transfer window.

Title rivals Manchester City look set to buy Wolfsburg forward Edin Dzeko, while Chelsea are in the market for a new defender and Arsenal could move for a goalkeeper.

Ferguson, who has already completed the capture of Denmark keeper Anders Lindegaard from Aalesund, is confident his squad is strong enough to last the pace in the title race.

"I don't think so," he told Manchester radio station Key103 when asked if he would make signings.

"There is always this situation that if a certain player came up that we like, we would do something, but that doesn't really happen in January.

"In any case, a lot of the players relish the fact we are keeping ahead of the game by bringing in players who can challenge and be a first-team squad player.

"We are all in it together and we all want to win together. Having a stronger squad helps."

Meanwhile, Ferguson's squad will be improved soon as veteran midfielder Paul Scholes will return to training next week after five weeks out of action.

Scholes, 35, has been sidelined by a groin injury since United's Champions League win at Rangers on November 24.

He has already missed six fixtures, but Ferguson hopes the rest will have allowed the former England international's injury to heal completely.

"Paul had a little recurrence of the groin injury," said Ferguson. "We just told him to have a complete break, which is what he has done.

"Hopefully that break will get rid of the injury problem through rest and we will have him back training sometime next week."

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Ferdinand happy for United to make ugly title charge

AFP - 1 hour 37 minutes ago

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Jan 3, 2011 (AFP) – Rio Ferdinand has no qualms about Manchester United making an "ugly" charge for the Premier League title as the leaders look to extend their advantage at the top against Stoke on Tuesday.

Ferdinand insists United will take three points in any way, shape or form if that is what it takes to regain the Premier League crown from Chelsea.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team have been anything but fluent so far this term but remain unbeaten in the league and sit at the Premier League summit, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference and with two games in hand on their local rivals.

Their 2-1 win over West Brom on Saturday encapsulated their season so far as it was ugly and scrappy but ultimately successful.

United defender Ferdinand said: "You've got to dig deep in these games; these are the type of games that make up big ground in the league.

"Other teams watching would probably have been thinking we'll just nick a draw maybe, but to take three points against West Brom was great for us.

"You've got to win games, it's as simple as that. I don't care how we win.

"Ideally we'd like to play well, but in these situations when you're not playing at your best, the most important thing is to get the three points and go back to Manchester happy."

Worryingly for Stoke, Wayne Rooney looks to be regaining the form that made him one of the world's leading strikers 12 months ago.

Last season he was comfortably United's best player but he has gone off the boil in recent times, hindered by an ankle problem and lurid revelations about his personal life.

However, he scored the opener against West Brom and also set up Javier Hernandez for the winner and Ferguson is confident the old Rooney is returning.

"People talk about world class players. That was a world class performance," Ferguson said.

"He was absolutely magnificent, he drove us the whole way. Wayne was a bit unlucky not to score an extra couple of goals. But the goal he did score will give him unbelievable confidence and hopefully he kicks on from here."

Another striker who has needed a goal to boost his confidence is Stoke's Kenwyne Jones and he duly delivered that in the Potters' 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday.

That win means Stoke will visit Old Trafford in a positive frame of mind and with manager Tony Pulis hoping Jones can start scoring more goals after a recent dry spell.

"I'm really, really pleased for the lad because he's had to deal with some pretty sad issues in his life and I think his confidence has dipped a bit as a result," Pulis revealed

"Kenwyne is a lovely lad, a gentle lad. He's had problems off the pitch that nobody knows about and they have had an effect on him. Fingers crossed, he has got over them now and got his head straight.

"He can be unplayable at times and we are pleased to have him. We will go to Old Trafford and give it our best shot. We have struggled there but it would be nice to go there and make a good account of ourselves."

United will go into the encounter without Paul Scholes (groin), John O'Shea, (calf) and Antonio Valencia (ankle), while Stoke will be missing Mamady Sidibe with a shin complaint.

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FA Cup - Managers: Dalglish on 'joke' penalty

Sun, 09 Jan 17:16:00 2011

New Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was left to muse on how football has changed after a "joke" penalty and the sending-off of his skipper condemned the Reds to a 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester United.

Dalglish's return to English football was shaped by two key decisions from World Cup final referee Howard Webb, the first of which ked to Ryan Giggs' winner.

"The penalty is a joke," said Dalglish. "I have seen the replay and unless they have changed the rules it is no penalty.

"The other one, I cannot see that as a red card either.

"In the dressing room before the game someone said to me the game's not changed that much.

"I said `I thought it was a non-contact sport'. Maybe I was right."

After the game Dalglish also swept the concerns that he has been away too long to one side and also batted away a question about how he would deal with the pressure, having famously quit in 1991 because of the emotional stress brought on in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster which took a great toll on him personally.

"I'll deal with the pressure the same way everyone else deals with it," he said. "You go about your job to the best of your ability and what happens happens.

"How do you know you can do anything unless you try it? I'll give it everything I've got to put this club in a better position. Whether that will be sufficient for everyone I don't know but I can't see into the future."

Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich Town

Carlo Ancelotti: "We needed to have this kind of performance. The result was good and we did a lot of things well in this game - the performance of the team, the strikers scoring again. We don't have to be excited. But, obviously, with this victory, our confidence will improve. We have to wait to say everything is okay. (Danny Sturridge) deserved to play. He played well, scored, is a good player and a good striker, very dangerous. In the future, he'll have opportunities. We have a lot of games in this period coming up."

Ipswich caretaker Ian McParland: "I knew what was going to happen today. The boys are a bit shellshocked with the manager going. I'd like to think it would have made a difference (if Roy Keane were still here). For half an hour, we were doing okay. We were in the game. We gave them three bad goals. I've never been beaten like that. It hurts my pride but I'll bounce back. Let's not forget who the lads were playing against. Some Premier League clubs were beat seven or eight here last year, so maybe we're in good company."

Leicester City 2-2 Manchester City

Sven-Goran Eriksson: "We came up against one of the best teams in the country so we must be happy. We tried to win the game but you have to be careful because if you open yourself up you can get caught, but they did very well today. I am looking forward to it (the replay) and it is a great experience for all the players. It will be difficult (to get a result) but why not?"

Roberto Mancini: "We had a lot of chances in the second half but this is the cup, it's important we understand the competition, and to win it we must be better than tonight. (Sol) Bamba is very tall and physical and next time we must pay more attention to him. (Joe Hart) has saved us a lot of times, but it's important that we have another chance."

Tottenham 3-0 Charlton

Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond: "I thought it was a terrific performance from (Andros Townsend) making his debut. If Harry feels he can bring someone in to improve the squad then he said he would look at it. (But) looking at Andros, it looks like we might benefit from having him around. Maybe we were predictable in the first half and you need someone with that something different to unlock the door. (Luka Modric) certainly has that."

Charlton caretaker Keith Peacock: "I'm proud of the way the players performed. As soon as I saw who was coming on the pitch at half-time, I thought we would have a problem. You love watching him on the ball, but not when you are playing against him. The little pieces I've seen of him, and what I saw in this game, he is right up there with the best."

PA Sport

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FA Cup - Babel could face action over Webb photo

Sun, 09 Jan 19:40:00 2011

Ryan Babel has apologised for comments he made about referee Howard Webb in the aftermath of Liverpool's FA Cup exit to Manchester United.

The Holland international used his Twitter account to post a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt, after the World Cup official awarded the home side a first-minute penalty and sent off Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

The Football Association confirmed to Press Association Sport that they would be looking into the matter, as Babel also wrote: "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke. SMH."

SMH is an abbreviation for "shaking my head" but the 24-year-old has since added: "My apology if they take my posted pic seriously. This is just an emotional reaction after losing an important game. Sorry Howard Webb."

Last January, Babel criticised former Reds manager Rafael Benitez on the social networking site, and he is not the first Liverpool player to court online controversy this weekend.

On Saturday, defender Glen Johnson, who missed Sunday's game as his wife had gone into labour, launched an attack on TV pundit Paul Merson after he criticised his performances for the Reds.

"Comments from alcoholic drug abusers are not really gonna upset me and who is Paul Merson to judge players, he was average at the best of times," Johnson wrote. "The only reason he's on that show is coz he gambled all his money away. The clown!"

A number of people complained that Johnson had brought up Merson's former drug problems and the comments were soon deleted.

Back to Sunday - and new Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish called Webb's penalty decision a "joke" and also disputed Gerrard's dismissal, but his son Paul, the former Newcastle striker, went even further via his own Twitter account.

He claimed: "Fergie has his puppet Howard Webb on a piece of string."

He also made fun of Webb being given an MBE at the start of the year, adding: "Howard Webb MBE. Manc of the Busby Empire."

PA Sport

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Premier League - Owen: Liverpool woes no shock

Mon, 10 Jan 08:39:00 2011

Former Liverpool star Michael Owen has said that the Merseyside club's fall from grace has come as no surprise to him.

Now at Manchester United, who knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup 1-0 on Sunday, Owen added that the Anfield club are over-reliant on their big-name players.

Owen scored 158 goals in 297 competitive games in a prolific career for the Reds and won the FA Cup, two League Cups and the UEFA Cup before leaving for Real Madrid in 2004.

Liverpool have endured a torrid time on the field in the last 18 months with two managerial departures and a change of ownership.

"I am not particularly surprised," he told United Review, his present club's matchday programme. "I would say their position reflects where they are right now.

"They are in the middle of a transitional period and off the pitch they have had a change of ownership.

"They are also very reliant on a couple of star players and if they are out injured, they have tended to struggle."

In a separate interview in the build-up to the Cup clash, Owen said that the club today was almost unrecognisable from the one he played for.

"I don't think they (his former team-mates) would ever forgive me if I said what they had told me," he said.

"Throughout all those successful years Liverpool built their foundation on passing and moving.

"But, from when I was there, everything has changed, barring two players. They even got rid of the doctors and the medical staff.

"Maybe there have not been enough Liverpool players over the last 10 years.

"If there was just one reason, then it would have been fixed. But there have been so many."

Eurosport

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Spurs seek to end dire record against United

Reuters - Thursday, January 13

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON - When Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes trudged off the pitch after a 3-1 defeat at White Hart Lane in 2001 they would hardly have imagined they would still be playing for Manchester United 10 years later.

They would have been even more surprised to learn that Spurs would be unable to find a way to beat them again in 19 attempts spanning the next decade.

That, though, is the London side's pitiful record against the team they face at home on Sunday and something they really need to turn round if they are to be considered top four material, let alone potential champions.

United lead the way with 44 points from 20 games, two points ahead of Manchester City from two fewer games.

Arsenal are third on 40, Spurs fourth on 36 and champions Chelsea fifth on 35, all from 21 games.

An emotional appearance against his old club by David Beckham, who missed the 2001 fixture, will not now happen as the former England captain's loan deal with Spurs looks ever-more likely to be more of an extended training session.

Scholes has an outside chance of featuring as he recovers from a groin problem that has sidelined him since November but Giggs is likely to play.

Also back should be Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic, the latter bringing some much-needed solidity to what has looked a slightly shaky central defence in recent weeks.

Rooney scored his first club goal in open play since March 2010 when the 24-year-old England striker broke his nine-month drought on New Years' Day but picked up an ankle injury and missed the next two games.

Spurs will be hoping this season's formlines are a better indicator than the last 10 years.

They have lost at home only once, to Wigan Athletic, while United have drawn seven and won only two of their away games.

MERSEYSIDE DERBY

That is a record Liverpool would love to have as their 2-1 reverse at Blackpool on Wednesday left them with a sorry record of eight defeats, two draws and a solitary win from 11 away games.

The Kenny Dalglish effect has yet to kick in but after he began with an FA Cup loss at Old Trafford but he could not have scripted a better first home game in charge than to be facing city rivals Everton.

Dalglish was the scourge of the blue side of the city as a player and manager and will be desperate to bring back those memories on Sunday.

Liverpool, who sacked Roy Hodgson last Saturday, are now 13th in the standings with 25 points four above the relegation zone.

Everton are one place above them on goal difference - a sorry state of affairs for two clubs who shared so much silverware in Dalglish's days in the city.

Liverpool will be without Steven Gerrard, banned after his red card against United.

Everton miss their key player too as Tim Cahill, who scored in their 2-0 derby win at Goodison Park in October, is on international duty with Australia.

Right on time though Louis Saha has finally found his shooting boots with two goals in two games, including the opener in last week's 5-1 Cup thrashing of Scunthorpe.

Chelsea will also hope that a big cup win kickstarts their season as, after thrashing Ipswich Town 7-0, they host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Two goals and an impressive display by Daniel Sturridge might have been enough to keep him in the side with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka struggling for form.

Arsenal, beaten 1-0 by Ipswich in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday, are also in action on Saturday, away to West Ham United.

[kueytoc]

Premier League - Ten-man United resist Tottenham

Sun, 16 Jan 18:10:00 2011

Manchester United maintained their unbeaten Premier League record and went top with a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side produced a stout defensive performance, and made light of the dismissal of Rafael for a second bookable offence.

Despite enjoying the better of play, Tottenham could not break down a side marshalled by the exceptional Nemanja Vidic.

They have not beaten United since May 2001, when with two of the goals in a 3-1 win came from one Willem Korsten.

Wayne Rooney came back into the side, having missed United's FA Cup game against Liverpool, while Ryan Giggs made his 600th league appearance for the club.

Harry Redknapp chose not to restore Jermain Defoe after suspension, opting to play Peter Crouch as a lone striker.

Spurs made a barnstorming start, aided by the visitors who passed the opening kick-off straight to Bale, who sprinted down the left and delivered a cross caught by the commanding Edwin van der Sar.

United replied immediately as Dimitar Berbatov released Wayne Rooney, who rode a William Gallas challenge but dragged his shot wide of the left-hand post.

Gallas's tackle was mistimed, and had Rooney chosen to make more of it, he might have won a penalty.

Rooney later tested Heurelho Gomes twice with 25-yard shots, the second bringing an excellent save from the goalkeeper, but otherwise Rooney played very much in keeping with the rest of this season's disappointing performances.

He was booked for dissent after Rafael's sending-off, and cut a frustrated figure throughout.

While Bale oozed menace down the Tottenham left, the home team's best chance of the first half came after a cross from the other flank.

Alan Hutton's superb delivery found Crouch eight yards out, who beat Rio Ferdinand to the ball but stabbed it just wide of the right-hand post.

The danger continued, with Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart exuding craft and imagination missing from the visitors' midfield.

Giggs and Nani were both subdued, while Michael Carrick appears a player, like Rooney, for whom a dip in form threatens to become terminal decline.

Certainly, Spurs fans will consider the £50 million they received for Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov sensational business considering they spent less than half that amount on Modric and Van der Vaart.

The second half brought few clear-cut chances, as Spurs toiled to find space on a crowded pitch.

On 74 minutes Rafael received his marching orders and protested furiously after his second booking following an apparently innocuous tangle of legs with Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

A dreadful lay-off in his own box by substitute Javier Hernandez teed up Van der Vaart 10 minutes from time, but the Dutchman blazed his shot agonisingly over.

Tottenham can take pride from their ability to stand toe-to-toe with the best, but they would rather have three points.

United have drawn eight of their 10 away games this season, but will be content to take a single point from this game. They top the table on goal difference but have two games in hand on their neighbours Manchester City.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

[kueytoc]

United back on top of Premier League after Spurs draw

AFP - Monday, January 17

LONDON (AFP) - – Ten-man Manchester United returned to the top of the Premier League here Sunday after holding Tottenham to a 0-0 draw in a match that failed to live up to expectations.

United's hard-earned point saw them reclaim top spot from Manchester City on goal difference, although Sir Alex Ferguson's unbeaten side have two games in hand over their bitter local rivals.

An open encounter at White Hart Lane never quite caught fire, and United were forced onto the defensive in the final stages after fullback Rafael Da Silva was sent off for his second yellow card.

The result leaves Spurs in fifth place on 37 points, eight points off the lead and one point behind Chelsea, who occupy the fourth Champions League spot.

"It was a tough game," United manager Ferguson said afterwards.

"Tottenham are in a great bit of form but they really didn't make many chances against us and we can take credit for that.

"We were a bit careless with the use of the ball. But overall it's a decent point for us you so we can't complain. Our defenders were particularly good."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admitted that defence had prevailed.

"Both teams defended well, especially the two central defenders on their side and (Michael) Dawson and (William) Gallas on ours. They were fantastic, did their jobs and made it difficult," he said.

"Chances were few and far between. I thought we edged the game without creating too many clear-cut chances."

It was the fourth score draw of a packed Premier League fixture list on Sunday, which had earlier seen Liverpool draw 2-2 with Merseyside rivals Everton in an emotional Anfield homecoming for Kenny Dalglish.

Dalglish appeared to be heading for his third consecutive defeat since taking over from Roy Hodgson after two second-half goals in seven minutes from Sylvain Distin and Jermaine Beckford gave Everton a 2-1 lead.

But Liverpool -- who had taken a first-half lead through Raul Meireles -- fought back to secure a draw courtesy of a Dirk Kuyt penalty on 68 minutes after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard upended Maxi Rodriguez.

The atmosphere inside Anfield had been electric before kick-off as the Kop roared out "You'll Never Walk Alone" to mark Dalglish's return to the home dugout for the first time in 20 years.

Dalglish later praised the character of his players for coming back after trailing early in the second half.

"After five minutes of the second half we were 2-1 down but the players attitude and desire to get back in the game was really something," Dalglish told the BBC.

"It was fantastic. We could have been more than one up but we were really pleased with the way we played and that's great credit to the players who have had to adjust to the new ways of playing and training."

Earlier Sunday, an injury-time goal from Sunderland's Ghanaian international Asamoah Gyan denied Newcastle home-and-away victories over their northeast rivals as Birmingham and Aston Villa drew at St Andrews.

Newcastle, seeking to bounce back from their shock FA Cup exit to lowly Stevenage last week, looked to be heading for a 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after a Kevin Nolan goal put them ahead.

But with the game deep into injury time World Cup star Gyan scrambled in a fortunate equaliser to make it 1-1.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was dismayed by his side's failure to close out the win.

"Sunderland are having a great season and you have got to remember that," Pardew said. "We are really disappointed because we know our performance and some of our play deserved a win.

At St Andrews, Aston Villa fought back from 1-0 down to secure a vital point in their derby clash with Birmingham.

Birmingham, who handed a debut to new signing David Bentley, took the lead on 49 minutes when Roger Johnson volleyed in from 12 yards past Brad Friedel.

The Blues looked to be in control of the game and heading for victory until Villa equalised against the run of play, when a cross by Marc Albrighton was touched on by Gabriel Agbonlahor before being swept home by James Collins.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was disappointed with his side's defending for the equaliser.

"It was unbelievable we could get ourselves in a mess like that and then give away the goal," he said. "I think it hit one of our defenders and deflected in. Everything that could have gone wrong in that goal did."

The draw saw Villa scrape out of the bottom three on goals scored ahead of Wigan. Birmingham meanwhile are one place ahead of Villa in 16th place.

[kueytoc]

World Football - Cantona takes job with NY Cosmos

Wed, 19 Jan 11:43:00 2011

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has been named director of soccer at the recently restored American club New York Cosmos

The Cosmos were a famous American team in the 1970s with the likes of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer playing for them in their heyday, but they ceased activities in the mid-80s.

However, the club name was sold to a new organisation in 2009, who are hoping to build the team into an MLS franchise.

Cantona's will be in charge of a "proposed first team" and he admits he is excited by the project.

"The Cosmos are very strong, beautifully made, with a great past. It's kind of a mix between football and art," said Cantona

Cantona will work with former United States midfielder Cobi Jones, who is assistant director of soccer.

The new Cosmos team have yet to find a suitable stadium in the New York area.

An ODE to the KING :

We'll drink, a drink, a drink, to Eric the King,­ the King, the King,

He's the Leader of our football­ team,

He's the greatest French Footballer,

That the­ world has ever seen.

Eric the King is remarkably­ trendy,

He's done some modelling around­ town,

Wearing the best suits, up on the catwalk,

While­ the Leeds fans they just frown.

He once played for­ Marseille, but never for Arsenal,

Or Liverpool or even­ Man City,

Landed in Yorkshire, a terrible blunder,

That­ was nine months with the sheep.

He had a brief spell­ there, with the Leeds lot,

Until he realised that they­ were has-beens,

Only one way now, for Eric to go­ now,

To the Theatre of our Dreams.

On the feild­ it's almost unreal,

Some of the things that Eric­ does,

Supurb overhead kicks, remarkable­ back-flicks,

I'm sure the guy just takes the­ piss.

Eric is so cool, remarkably cultured,

He like­ good music and poetry too,

Performing the fine arts, on­ the field,

For the boys they call Man U.

We'll­ always remember that day in November,

As the time he­ made that special move,

Poetry in motion, the deadliest­ potion,

He's got nothing left to prove.

He is a­ legend, without any doubt,

He will reign for years to­ come,

We'll just stand there, in admiration,

With­ countless more trophies won.

We'll drink, a drink,­ a drink, to Eric the King, the King, the King,

He's­ the Leader of our football team,

He's the greatest­ French Footballer,

That the world has ever seen.

[kueytoc]

Fergie confident of United staying power

AFP - Sunday, January 23

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United maintain their impressive unbeaten start to the season and claimed his club has the depth and experience to hold onto their position at the top of the Premier League.

A Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick, with additional goals from Ryan Giggs and Nani, eased United to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Birmingham and allowed Ferguson to take key players such as Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs out of the fray to rest for matches ahead.

United's next match is a re-arranged fixture at Blackpool on Tuesday - a game for which Rio Ferdinand (groin) and Michael Carrick, who injured his ankle in the first half against Birmingham are both doubtful - although the United manager believes his in-form team can cope.

"It helps our goal difference, no doubt about that," said Ferguson of a victory which extends Uniteds unbeaten run to 22 league games this season, 27 dating back to last term.

"We have some tough games ahead of course. Hopefully the players can grasp the nettle. They have good experience, we've got the squad and hopefully we can manage all the games ahead.

"I was pleased with a good team performance. What helps is you score the early goal, getting a goal after a minute, they have to open up. It's a different perspective you have to face and we capitalised on that.

"It was a good scoreline at half-time and I was able to take Patrice Evra off, gave him a break by bringing on Fabio, and take Ryan Giggs off which was important because we have a big game on Tuesday."

Giggs turned in an eye-catching display, which featured a goal, on the weekend that the 37-year-old has declared that he wishes to spend at least one more season playing for the only club of his illustrious career.

"Ryan Giggs can easily play another year," said Ferguson. "He's as fresh as a daisy, we look after him the right way and he manages himself the right way. Being able to take him off was a bonus."

However, Berbatov -- who has now scored 18 goals this season, 17 in the league, including three hat-tricks - was the real star of Uniteds performance.

His pairing with Wayne Rooney looks particularly explosive at present although the England forward continues his modest goal production.

Having missed at least one glaring chance, Rooney has now scored just two league goals this season, one of them from the penalty spot.

"We hope so," said Ferguson when asked if Rooneys return to scoring form is imminent.

"He deserves it, he's working his socks off. He was involved in some great football today and involved in the fourth goal just after half-time with fantastic control from a ball from Edwin van der Sar coming out of the clouds, then setting up Ryan.

"Dimitar was marvellous. He could have scored more and we were a bit wasteful at times with our finishing but you can't complain at that performance, that was the important thing.

"His link-up with Wayne was very good. The third goal was a very, very exciting goal. Berba won the ball then his interplay with Wayne, and the ball from Wayne to Ryan was fantastic. It was an exciting goal and, on the stroke of half-time, killed off the match."

Beaten Birmingham manager Alex McLeish conceded that he and his team were distracted slightly by the looming League Cup semi-final second leg tie with West Ham on Wednesday.

"I had one eye on that," he said. "You can play your best team or shut up shop. We decided to go with some of the forward players who would play to their strengths.

"But we never got our passing game going. We had a small spell when we got behind them but we gifted a second goal and it was verging on the amateur. You can play your best and most experienced defenders and still lose.

"We were perhaps a bit bold and sometimes you get punished and sometimes it pays off -- we were punished here. We shot ourselves in the foot. We have a group of players who bounce back well. Taking a drubbing today, people will ask whether if will affect confidence but in the dressing room, they are more angry than anything else."

[kueytoc]

Goal King Berbatov salutes tough Manchester United

AFP - Wednesday, January 26

BLACKPOOL, United Kingdom (AFP) - Dimitar Berbatov hailed Manchester United's mental strength after his brace helped Sir Alex Ferguson's side come from two goals down to beat Blackpool 3-2 at Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool went into the break 2-0 up on Tuesday thanks to goals from Craig Cathcart and DJ Campbell, but United produced another of their famous late comebacks as Berbatov and Javier Hernandez ensured the leaders remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season.

"We have the mentality that we can win even when we are 1-0 or 2-0 down," said Berbatov, who took his tally to 20 for the season with 19 coming in the Premier League.

"We are always confident that if we can score one, we can score even more. The first-half was not so good for us but we overcame that obstacle and in the second-half we had a very good game.

"It was hard in the first-half because it is not a friendly ground and the pitch is not the same as at Old Trafford. The ball bobbles around and Blackpool played well and scored some goals and could have had more, but we said we could do it."

United were all at sea until Ferguson replaced Wayne Rooney with Hernandez with the clock winding down and that proved to make a huge difference as United turned the game on its head in the space of 15 minutes.

"The substitutions did change the game," added Berbatov, who has scored 13 goals in his last 10 appearances.

"Giggs has experience and his cross was excellent and Chicharito just wants to score goals, but it was the team-spirit that won the game.

"I hope this is not the best football of my career. I hope the best is still in the future ahead of me in a Manchester United shirt.

"We now have to move on until the end of the season and finish on the top but we cannot underestimate the other teams."

Ferguson admitted United rode their luck in the first half but he was impressed with the way they hit back to move five points clear of Arsenal at the top.

"The first half we were battered and we couldn't handle Charlie Adam, his corner kicks are worth 10 million pounds," he said.

"We changed it at half-time, brought on Ryan Giggs, started to penetrate and, in the end, ran out deserved winners."

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was furious with referee Peter Walton for not awarding his side a penalty straight after the break when Rafael, later carried off with concussion, tackled Luke Varney in the United penalty area.

"If that's not a penalty on Luke Varney then deary, deary me," he said.

"Rafael makes no effort to play the ball at all, he wipes the player out, and it's a stone-waller.

"If we go 3-0 up, who knows? Saying that, what a team United are. The players they brought on, the way they came strong at the end, they are a magnificent team."

Blackpool have also been unsettled this week by the constant speculation over the future of captain and talisman Charlie Adam.

Adam has handed in a written transfer request at Bloomfield Road, which was subsequently rejected, yet rumours persist that Liverpool are in the hot seat to land the midfielder.

Holloway shrugged off all that attention though to produce another fine performance to add further credence to Holloways belief that he is worth at least 12 million pounds.

"Charlie Adam was magnificent," Holloway said. "He deserves to play at a higher level, I have to say that, because he is such a tremendous player, he really is.

"I think it is really important that we understand how the boy feels but we also have a duty to the fans to run the club properly. Who can I replace him with for four million pounds? No-one - so why are we doing it then?

"Any player in the world can be bought and sold but you have to replace them with someone of importance.

"He is going to write himself into Blackpool folklore. In fact I might even build him a statue myself."

[kueytoc]

PHEW !!!

Hernandez saves United blushes as Saints downed

AFP - Sunday, January 30

LONDON (AFP) Javier Hernandez saved Manchester United's blushes as the Premier League leaders came from behind to defeat Southampton 2-1 and advance to the last 16 of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Hernandez slid home a 75th-minute winner after a Michael Owen header for an under-strength United had cancelled out a stunning strike from Richard Chaplow which had given League One side Southampton the lead just before half-time.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a virtual second string side at St Mary's, with Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov and Nani all left on the substitutes bench.

For long periods of the first half it looked as if Ferguson's selectorial gamble would backfire as Southampton seized control of the game before taking a deserved lead through Chaplow.

But with Ferguson ringing the changes at half-time, United hit back and proved too strong for the Saints, who are pushing for promotion from League One, the third tier of English football.

"They played well, they are flying high in their division, and always in FA Cups no matter what standard you're playing against it's always tough in the first 45 minutes," relieved goalscorer Owen told ITV.

"Against lower league teams it's difficult for the first hour but you tend to get on top after that."

In earlier matches Saturday, Chelsea maintained their bid for a third consecutive FA Cup after snatching a 1-1 draw with Everton while non-league Crawley advanced to with a 1-0 win over Torquay.

A goal from Salomon Kalou on 75 minutes earned Chelsea a draw at Goodison Park after the Toffees had taken a deserved lead through a 62nd-minute headed effort from Louis Saha.

"It was a difficult match because Everton put a lot of strong pressure on us all the time," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti told ESPN. "We showed good spirit. The second half we didn't play well but the spirit was good."

Crawley meanwhile became only the sixth non-league side to reach the fifth round after Matthew Tubbs scored on 39 minutes to down the Gulls in a stormy encounter at Plainmoor.

Crawley, who had knocked out Swindon and Derby in earlier rounds, missed two second-half penalties as both sides finished with 10 men.

"We expected to come here and win. We said it and we have done it," said jubilant Crawley boss Steve Evans.

"We are just proud to get where we are and now we are in the fifth round we would like the draw to be kind to us. If it is, then fantastic, but whoever we get in the fifth round, we will go and try and win like we did today."

Lowly League One side Leyton Orient were the first team to reach the last 16 with a 2-1 upset away at Championship outfit Swansea, before Aston Villa downed Blackburn 3-1 in an all-Premier League tie.

Villa's goals included the first for the club from French veteran Robert Pires, who earned praise from manager Gerard Houllier afterwards.

"He has still got the touch and the eye for the pass and he brings some fluency to the game with his technique," Houllier said.

"I was pleased by the reaction of the bench when he scored. That is something very telling. The whole bench went up and were very happy and proud for him. He is a popular fellow."

Birmingham staged a dramatic fightback against midlands rivals Coventry to advance, recovering from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at St Andrews thanks to goals from David Bentley, Stuart Parnaby and Kevin Phillips.

Burnley defeated Burton Albion 3-1 while Championship side Watford were stunned 1-0 at Vicarage Road by Brighton from League One.

League Two Stevenage, conquerors of Newcastle in the previous round, saw their hopes of an extended cup run extinguished by Reading, who grabbed a 2-1 win courtesy of an 87th-minute strike from Shane Long.

In the day's other meeting between two Premier League clubs, Bolton drew 0-0 with Wigan at the Reebok Stadium.

Three-time FA Cup winners Sheffield Wednesday advanced to the fifth round after recovering from a goal down to beat Hereford 4-1.

On Sunday Manchester City face an away tie against Notts County while Fulham entertain Tottenham at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal play Huddersfield at the Emirates and West Ham take on Nottingham Forest at Upton Park, while Wolves face Stoke.

[kueytoc]

FA Cup - United scrape win at Southampton

Sat, 29 Jan 19:12:00 2011

Manchester United came from behind to avoid an embarrassing FA Cup fourth round exit, beating a spirited Southampton side 2-1 at St Mary's.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men looked destined to go out to League One opposition for the second straight year when Richard Chaplow gave Southampton the lead just before half-time.

But a much-improved second half performance saw goals from Michael Owen and Javier Hernandez take United into the last 16.

United lost to third-tier Leeds United in last season's third round, when Jermaine Beckford scored the only goal at Old Trafford, and a risky team selection by Ferguson meant they sailed close to the wind on the South coast.

United made eight changes from the team that won 3-2 at Blackpool on Tuesday.

Just as ominously - seven of the outfield starters were also in the side that lost 4-0 to West Ham in the Carling Cup, including the entire back four.

The first 45 minutes were uneventful, but it was clear that Southampton were a match for United.

The highly-rated Alex Chamberlain made some positive, pacy runs in midfield, Dan Harding got forward repeatedly from the left-back position and Rickie Lambert went close with some powerful shots.

On the United side, a three-man forward line of Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and Javier Hernandez left the midfield exposed.

Gibson was out of his depth. His venomous shooting cannot obscure the reality that he does not look a top class player.

Owen was peripheral in the first half but came as close to scoring as any United player in the first half, accidentally hitting the post with a shanked cross.

Anders Lindegaard made his debut following a £3.5 million move from Aalesund, just days after Edwin van der Sar announced he will retire at the end of the season.

It was the perfect opportunity for the Dane to state his case as Van der Sar's long-term successor, and he looked solid enough and could do nothing about Chaplow's goal in the last minute of the first-half.

The midfielder chested the ball down on a diagonal run inside from the right, and lashed the ball into the top-right corner - a superb goal.

A Ferguson rocket at half-time, combined with a midfield reshuffle, turned the game around. Ryan Giggs and Nani replaced Gibson and Anderson, giving United width and creativity.

Owen's equaliser came on 65 minutes following a cross from the otherwise disappointing Obertan. The ball appeared to come off a Southampton hand, but Owen did not wait for the referee's whistle, heading the ball into the far corner.

Fifteen from minutes from time, the comeback was complete. Owen intercepted a loose Ryan Dickson pass and found Giggs, who in turn played a through ball to Hernandez. The Mexican's first touch was not great, but his second had just enough power to roll in off the post despite a touch from goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

Southampton were physically finished, and the match petered out thereafter; United kept the ball for minutes at a time allowing no possibility of a late Southampton flurry.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

[kueytoc]

Could Reina replace Van der Sar?

Thu Jan 27 03:42PM

The last time Manchester United lost a top goalkeeper, it sent them into a kind of existential crisis from which they did not escape until they signed Edwin van der Sar, six years too late, in 2005.

The quest to find the New Schmeichel encompassed not-good-enoughs (Bosnich, Ricardo, Carroll), past-its (Van der Gouw, Goram), a not-ready-yet (Tim Howard), an unmitigated disaster (Taibi) and a ciggie-puffing misfit (Barthez).

Then came Van der Sar, who ticked all the boxes, and proved totally unperturbed by Schmeichel's legacy - he was already 34 and a huge name in his own right.

Each week, we select the five best saves for our Premier League video section, and I can hardly remember a single appearance this season from Van der Sar.

It is all Robert Green, Ali Al-Habsi and Richard Kingson. It makes sense, since the goalkeepers who stand behind the worst defences will have the most shots to save.

But it means the job of a keeper at a top club is very different than lower down.

Shot-stopping pales into insignificance compared with concentration, communication, handling of crosses and command of the penalty box.

That was the problem with Barthez who, though brilliant at reflex saves, was a bit small, a bit mad and a bit rubbish at English.

Even at 40, Van der Sar is exceptional at all four of those key jobs. And now he is retiring from football.

Having learned from the post-Schmeichel experience, Ferguson has tried to set up an order of succession.

He signed Ben Foster at the same time as Van der Sar, and picked up Tomasz Kuszczak a year later.

Kuszczak won their personal duel - Foster is now excelling at Birmingham, but never looked comfortable in a United shirt - but the Pole does not look anywhere near Van der Sar's class.

Arsene Wenger would throw Kuszczak in, and tolerate his mistakes. It is what he has done with Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski - and it is probably the main reason Arsenal have not won a trophy since Jens Lehmann's departure.

Ferguson is less tolerant of goalkeepers' errors, and rightly so. But, when things are going wrong, it can lead to fearful instability - witness Massimo Taibi's four-game reign of terror.

He needs a top class keeper who needs no bedding-in period, who can come in and perform straight away.

Of the players linked with Old Trafford, Igor Akinfeev looks terrific and David De Gea very good. But neither speaks English well, and neither has played in a league where goalkeepers are subjected to such an intense aerial bombardment.

That is not so say either player would not be a success - just that there is a risk. Both players would cost a fortune, and United's present financial state means they cannot afford to break the bank on a failure.

So, who should United go for?

Jussi Jaaskelainen has always seemed to me a greatly under-rated keeper, while Howard might thrive at Old Trafford the second time around.

But United surely want someone with a bit more about them. Someone with experience, someone who has played under intense pressure, someone who knows English football, someone of international quality.

Step forward one Pepe Reina. The Liverpool goalkeeper is known to be restless, a situation unlikely to change with the Champions League places a distant dream.

He is a great age (28, the same as Kuszczak), has been a pillar of consistency despite the club's tragic-comic decline, and he even lives in the right part of the country for United. He is a lively character who would likely be unfazed by the hostility of swapping one shade of red for a slightly different one.

But would Liverpool sell? John W. Henry might have extracted the club from the crippling derby of the Hicks/Gillett era, but he is no benevolent billionaire.

His background is in American sports, where players swap clubs all the time. Henry's Boston Red Sox lost centre fielder Johnny Damon to the hated Yankees a year after winning the World Series. It happens.

US sports are all about value. If United make Liverpool an offer they cannot refuse, say, £20 million, which facilitates the purchase of multiple players, Reina could go.

And if Reina can help United avoid the sort of tracksuit-bottom-wearing calamity that blighted the first half of the Noughties, he would be well worth the outlay.

Liverpool fans might not like it. In fact, they definitely wouldn't like it. But it looks like a move that works in the interest of both clubs. I'm not saying it will happen, but it should do.

[kueytoc]

PHEW !

UPDATE 2-Soccer-Crawley fairytale ends in 1-0 defeat at United

By Mike Collett | Reuters – Sat, Feb 19, 2011 4:39 PM EST

* First half Brown goal the difference for United

* Crawley almost save tie in stoppage time

* They deserved a draw, says Ferguson

LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Crawley Town came close to

achieving one of the most memorable FA Cup results for years

before losing 1-0 to Manchester United in a surprisingly even

fifth-round tie at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Although Wes Brown's 28th minute header ended their dream of

becoming the first non-League side for 97 years to reach the

last eight, Crawley left behind a performance that would not

have disgraced teams much higher up the ladder.

Crawley, whose main claim to fame is being the nearest town

to Gatwick Airport, almost equalised in stoppage time at the end

of the match when Richard Brodie's looping header hit the top of

United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard's crossbar.

A goal then would have been just reward for the way the

non-League outfit from Sussex battled against the Premier League

leaders and 11-times record FA Cup winners in front of almost

75,000 fans at United's 'Theatre of Dreams'.

About nine thousand of those supporters were from Crawley,

whose average home attendance is 1,800 but who won themselves a

lot more admirers with their battling performance.

"It didn't matter what the scoreline was today, it was their

day -- there's no question about that," United manager Alex

Ferguson told MUTV. "They deserved a draw, really, on the second

half, with the effort they put in, the commitment.

"Sometimes you get the breaks in the cup and you struggle

through one round. We've done that in the past and it was

another example today."

Forward Sergio Torres typified Crawley's approach with a

hard-running game and left with a clump of Old Trafford grass in

his sock as a memento of the night.

They gained in confidence after being overawed at the start

and could have equalised when David Hunt volleyed wide after 72

minutes when the ball fell on his less accurate left foot.

They also dominated for a long spell in the second half and

maintained pressure on United's goal with the post-match

statistics revealing they enjoyed 53 percent of possession.

RARE CHANCE

A measure of Crawley's resistance was that Ferguson, who

described them before kickoff as "the best non-League side for

quite a while", brought on Wayne Rooney at halftime.

Ferguson, who went to watch Crawley play in midweek, made

nine changes from the side that beat Manchester City in the

Premier League at Old Trafford last week.

But many of the players given a rare chance to start fluffed

their lines and were outrun and outfought by the visitors who

could well gain promotion from the Conference (fifth division)

to League Two of the Football League at the end of the season.

"They made it very difficult for us and we were second to

every ball," said Ferguson. "It's disappointing. But we had some

players who maybe don't understand what FA Cup football is like.

Maybe for them it's the biggest lesson."

Rooney, and his illustrious team mates, were all outshone

for once, with the England striker having little impact against

a rugged back line of defenders. Apart from a shot just before

the end, he never looked like scoring.

Crawley captain Pablo Mills, named Man of the Match, told

ITV: "I thought we could have made their keeper work a bit more.

"The lads put a great shift in. If you have to go out, this

is probably the best place. But we have lost to one of the best

teams in the world so we can't complain. It has been a week we

will never forget."

Striker Matt Tubbs, who went close himself with an overhead

kick after 74 minutes, added: "Perhaps we gave them a little bit

too much respect in the first half."

Regarding Brodie's header that hit the bar, he said: "It was

just unlucky, on another day they can drop in and we've got an

equaliser."

Crawley were applauded off the pitch by fans of both teams

at the end with the home side's signature tune 'Glory Glory Man

United' sounding rather hollow in the circumstances.

(Editing by Ken Ferris)