₦airaland Forum

We are the champions. Don't forget this, United fans. SAF lost it narrowly due to his carelessness, but he responded swiftly that he is the master, rounded off the title when rivals don't know their champions league status. Touch of a genius. He is already on his pre-season while others are still fighting for UCL slots.

Anderson is a shadow of his old self. He cant even control the ball again. Cleverly's game is also deteriorating. Play them at same time, Giggs still does better with ball control. But the only problem as many have pointed out is: 1. Giggs presence is preventing the young players to develop. 2. Giggs deployment to defensive midfied at old age is a total lack of focus by the coach.

Having said the above, it didn't look like SAF wanted to win the match at all cost. The play yesterday was not victory oriented, it was more like a frustrating mission. This they did well till Anderson and Cleverly went out. Then a coach that wanted to win should not have brought in Butner. SAF is fater than that. To him he has started his pre-season. Perhaps he is trying to watch the strength of some players. If SAF needed a result in a match, Carrick and Welbeck must at least make the bench. Now, there was a Kagawa, he was not played, that goes to show SAF used the match for a different mission. He is not so bothered about statistics.

Let's take our minds back a bit on Giggs and Scholes. SAF has said over and over again that he is willing to buy, but players like Giggs, Scholes, Cantona and Kean don't fall from the trees. Good, Scholes came to rescue our midfield last season when Cleverly and Anderson started well but fell to injury and never came to fitness. When all the wingers failed this season, Giggs came to the rescue by providing the wide play once again. That made SAF to return from the diamond formation to the wing play. But it is high time these two great men gave way. Let us struggle and any vacuum be exposed. It was Owen Hargreaves that played the major role to our UCL success in 2008. If he played in 2009, we surely would have done better against Barca. Flectcher missed the 2009 final from a dubious yellow card in the semi final against Arsenal. It was Owen and Fletcher that provide that complement to Carrick those days. Given the above, I think Cleverly and Anderson cannot give us the power and dominance required in the midfield to enable us excel in big games and Europe. But who knows, when they play together regularly, they might get there. Then Giggs and Scholes can only use their experience to dominate weak teams, they are never again going to dominate any above average midfield. This is the reason they can lift us against QPR, Reading, Sunderland, Southampton, Wigan, West Brom, etc. But they fail against City, Chelsea, Totteham and Europe cups.

I think SAF is the best coach in EPL. If he won the EPL with this team, he could win anything with a team of greater players. Afterall, the season started at same time for everyone, yet he rounded off the title at four matches to go. If only he could bring a great midfield player.

@montelik, medals are no longer given based on appearance. SAF will get 40 medals and dispense as he wishes. That is the new rule. Lindegaard and Butner will get as SAF as confirmed.

montelik: Is Valencia on twitter? If he is, we should start a twitter campaign to have him drop the no.7 jersey and go back to his old number.

That has been done already via a video chart with him. His excuse is that he played many matches with a back pain which was known only to the team. He also said his ankle started aching him again after the early games this season, and that with the help of the medical team, he will hope to get back to his fitness

FA should investigate this match for a possible match fixing. lol

SAF account should be monitored.

coogar: fergie is an idïot almost all the time.....



giggs is our biggest problem!
it wasn't until gary neville retired that we solved the right back problem. until giggs retire, we would continue to have this problem in the midfield and the left flank. he's a liability - a useless greedy bastard!

Take it easy on SAF and Giggs. You are talking about institutions here, they aren't just individuals. They have been part of the success story together. SAF won the league with four matches to go. Did not all teams start the race together in August. Despite City and Chelsea better players, SAF delivered the league. He also has said he has been monitory some players to fill the vacuum, he sure knows what he is doing. I will only be disappointed if he cannot see that there is a big hole in the midfield. It was evident today that Cleverly, Jones and Anderson are not the solution even though they did well in their frustration mission. We need players who can command this position.

coogar: giggs purposeful? he lost us the game as he has done a couple of times at old trafford this season.

But why should SAF play him in the midfield? I thought Giggs did well in the outside left. What is the use of Evra and Butner in same match? Butner is just had no business playing today. Even if we have won the league, we shouldn't allow Chelsea a victory here. I thought we had a certain Kagawa who should have come in instead of Butner.

Generally, this team needs more big players. Some of the so called young players will never mature to what SAF is expecting.

..... and now Raphael spoilt our disciplinary record.

SailorXY: Rooney's fault of course... Nonsense

No, Evans poor clearance eventually caused it.

Giggs seems to be the most purposeful player in this match.

teemoe: Lets go boyyyyzzz.....UNITED....

Make we try help arsenalz career

Yes, a win for United will push the pressure to Chelsea and Totteham. Then both of them will fight for their lives on Wednesday.

Manchester United

Lindegaard; Rafael, Evans, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Jones, Anderson, Cleverley, Giggs; Van Persie.

SUBS: De Gea, Buttner, Ferdinand, Scholes, Kagawa, Rooney, Hernandez.


Chelsea

Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Oscar, Mata, Moses; Ba.

SUBS: Turnbull, Ferreira, Cahill, Terry, Ake, Benayoun, Torres.

................ Carrick, Welbeck and Nani not listed.

coogar: MUFC XI: Lindegaard, Rafael, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Jones, Anderson, Cleverley, Valencia, Giggs, RvP
#MUFC

Chelsea XI: Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Oscar, Mata, Moses; Ba.
#CFC

SAF wants to frustrate Chelsea in the midfield. That is where they have gained upper hand over United this season. But, I dont know why Giggs should be playing ahead of Rooney, Nani and Kagawa. RVP needs a support striker.

Sir Alex Ferguson plans to stay at Manchester United despite new speculation about his physical condition.

The club has confirmed that Ferguson will have hip surgery towards the end of July which could impact on United's early season preparations.

"This team of champions is not going away - we are here for the long ride, we will get better and if we apply ourselves in our normal fashion I see our 20th league title as nothing but the start of another decade of success.

"Whether I will be here to oversee another decade of success remains to be seen, but I certainly don't have any plans at the moment to walk away from what I believe will be something special and worth being around to see.

"But I don't live in a fantasy world and believe we have every reason to feel confident about the future of Manchester United." <Source: SkySports, United Review>

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is anticipating a significant arrival this summer after admitting "everything is in place for a big signing".

The Red Devils secured the title with five games remaining and currently sit 13 points clear of close rivals and last season's champions Manchester City.

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is top of the coach's wish-list, while a move for Tottenham star Gareth Bale and a shock return to Old Trafford for Cristiano Ronaldo have also been mooted.


MANCHESTER UNITED LATEST
15/2 Manchester United are 15/2 with bet365 to beat Chelsea 2-1
"Everything is in place for a big signing. I think that the Glazers have been great. Whenever I have asked, they have delivered. If I ask to go for a certain player, I think they will do that," Ferguson is quoted as saying by The Daily Mirror.

"When I spoke about value in the market a while back, I was talking about young, developing players. Maybe there has been a wind of change and I could go for a really top player now. We have a nucleus of young players here, but we may spend something.

"When it’s a top player, it doesn’t matter what position they play in. I will bring them in if they add to the team. Last season we had [Javier] Hernandez, [Danny] Welbeck and [Wayne] Rooney and we still went out and bought Robin van Persie.”

The purchase of Van Persie went against the policy of a "nucleus of young players" at Old Trafford, and Ferguson admitted the deal to bring the striker from Arsenal was heavily discussed following similar, but less successful moves in the past.

"Van Persie’s age was ­certainly an issue ­because it has not always worked when we have bought older players," he continued.

"David Gill said to me after we bought Dimitar Berbatov [from Tottenham for £30 million] that we had to be careful when signing older players, but Van Persie was ­different. He was phenomenal for Arsenal last season and so I was confident it would work.”

Despite the potential arrival of new strikers, Rooney's future at Old Trafford looks assured as he is set to be offered a new four-year deal at the club.
<Source: goal.com, Daily Mirror>

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4067/england/2013/05/05/3955226/manchester-united-set-for-big-summer-signing-ferguson?ICID=AR_HL_1

SailorXY: I personally won't pay all that ridiculous fee [£60m] for his services, he is not even what we need. I'ld rather pay £25m for Rodriguez [or £13m for di Maria] & sell Young (still cracking my skull as to why he was bought) at about £10-14m, pay £25m for Fellaini or Strootman, & £15m for someone like Thiago or similar. That will be a net spend of around £45m!
.
.
I still believe we should just buy two defensive midfielders with the right footballing brain & the present team will be very close to perfection

Who will sell Di Maria for 13 million pounds? He is far much worth than that.

I am yet to see what will make Bale transfer fee worth above region of 25 to 40 million pounds.

Ashley Young was good in Villa. He and Agbonlahor scared the hell out of the big teams with their speed, set pieces and goals. At times you buy a player and he doesn't fit in as much. However, is not so bad. Berbatov was even a bigger mistake.

Rodriguez, I hear people sing so much good music about this guy in other places of discuss, but honestly I have not seen his game more than ones. So I don't know. You guys might just be right about him.

Fellani looks to me a slow player. His height and skills are okay, but will he perform as well in United?

As for Bale, if he is not too expensive, he is the best bet. He has proven himself over three years now in three positions of play. Even in the last too matches, he got two goals and a perfect assist while he switched to the right side. He can solve the Evra's big match problem. He can replace Giggs with his left foot, and he sometimes play from midfield. He has done well against European big teams.

In all, SAF knows what is best for the team. Let's hope he looks at what he needs to do to rule Europe and not just England. It is time Man United dominated Europe.

CFCfan: I just read on "The Sun" (UK) newspaper that Man United will need to pay at least, 80million Pounds to get Lewandowski!

The papers must look for ways to sell, this is their time to speculate. Like this one which published a story of Ronaldo's supposed interest in returning to United. It's source is from an undisclosed United player.

Boss expects Nani to stay

Sir Alex Ferguson sees no reason why Nani won't be at Old Trafford next season.

The Portuguese winger has endured a frustrating season with injuries blighting his campaign and opportunities being limited. That has led to speculation surrounding his future, particularly with only a year left on his contract.

Sir Alex insists he not planning to offload any players and is confident Nani will be a Red next term.

"There is no need for us to sell anyone. We have no plans to do that. That’s a fact," the boss told reporters on Friday.

"Nani played last week at Arsenal and I thought he did well.

"He is one of our squad players. When he is in form there are very few better than him. So I think we will bring him back in pre-season training and he will be all right."

When asked about a new contract for the 26-year-old, the manager added: "That is not my department. It is something David [Gill] and George Mendes [Nani's agent] are working on. That is ongoing. But there is no progress as far as I know."

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/May/sir-alex-ferguson-hopes-nani-will-stay-at-old-trafford.aspx?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=FB0202

When Robin van Persie signed for the club he chose #20, with the reason behind it being that he wanted to help Manchester United win their 20th title this season.

A contributing factor will have also been that the #9 shirt still belonged to Dimitar Berbatov, whose transfer to Fulham had yet to be finalised.

Van Persie has confirmed that, despite #9 now being available, he will keep #20 for next season.

“I think I’ll keep the no.20 shirt. I have the option to take no.9 but I don’t think I’ll do that. I’ll stick with what is right and what feels good. Also, I don’t want to be harsh to the fans who have no.20 on their kit. I don’t want them to have to buy a new shirt. No.20 has been a good number for me. I’ll stick with it.” <Source: United Review>

Plans are in place

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that progress is being made in a bid to bring "one or two" new additions to the United squad in the summer.

The Reds boss has explained that the scouting progress can take two seasons at times as plans are in place to dip into the transfer market again.

England Under-21 star Wilfried Zaha has already agreed to move from Crystal Palace and the manager is happy with the fact that his young players look certain to improve again next term.

"We've been doing that [planning for next season] for a while," he revealed at his pre-Chelsea press conference. "Your scouting goes on for the full season, actually sometimes two seasons when you maybe monitor a younger player. You want to see how he does the next season. That is the process we go through. We’ve got some ideas where we’re going and hopefully we can conclude them.

"We'll look at one or two bodies to come in. You’ve got to remember there are a lot of young players we expect to improve and take that into consideration. And you have to consider ages of players and protect that part. In the main, we’re know where we are. We’re comfortable.

"We have fantastic strength in depth. That’s the area where we don’t want to confuse ourselves because you end up with too many players and trying to keep them all happy. It’s happened a few times this season."

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/May/sir-alex-ferguson-has-plans-for-next-season.aspx?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=FB0200

With this statement by SAF. The only big player than can come in is Bale. Chloe Everton might just be right. Bale can function as left back and left wing player. I think he can also adjust to defensive midfield role.

Alex Ferguson has admitted that he rues his failure to sign Gareth Bale as a youngster at Southampton.

Ferguson admits United tried to sign Bale in January 2007 from Southampton only to be beaten by Tottenham to the Welshman's signature.

"We were disappointed in Southampton at the time because we were first there, but they never came back to us, It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton, then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham Hotspur.

"It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton, then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham Hotspur. He was a left-back when we tried to sign him. It wasn't until Redknapp went to Tottenham that he converted him into a wide left player.

"He reminds me a bit of when we signed Lee Sharpe. He was a six foot, gangly, slim boy, but all of a sudden. He was built like a light heavyweight boxer. Bale is the same in the way he has developed in the last two years physically. He has matured very well." <Source: Skysports>

Bale again. A show of genius.

It will make sense if this guy comes to United. He keeps repeating his individual brilliance.

1025: no matter what man city and chelsea will buy, man u will still win. a team with howard webb and mark clattenberg has majority.
manure invests more on refs than players. they can only have problems in europe because to buy european refs will cost them some fortune.

So City and Chelsea do not have the addresses of Webb, Clattenberg and other referees? Then they are not good competitive business teams, a good business man is always aware of what his competition is and works hard to beat his rival in all areas. So stop looking for excuses to run successful people down, it is by your own choosing you have stayed with your failed team.

If buying referee can win league, I am sure City and Chelsea will beat Man United in that area. Wait the last I checked, Arsenal and City have had more favourable referees' errors than Man United.

StarBoard: Don't get your hopes up for signings.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2318368/Manchester-United-reveal-record-91m-turnover-just-THREE-months--splash-summer.html

United slowly turning to Arsenal when it comes to spending. . .

Woodward can deceive himself. We all know the team needs to be strengthened. Even SAF said he identified two positions. Chelsea and City will surely buy more big players. United cannot depend on the current squad to deliver the UCL next year. Even the EPL will become tougher.

When Robin van Persie made his Man United debut against Everton the substitution board read: 19 out, 20 in. Lol

dademola: carrick improve??at wot age?? He is at his peak joor.

Then SAF has to buy someone.

How do we actually want our midfield to look like? Who should come in and who should go? SAF might just convert Rooney. I also do not see SAF willing to bench Carrick, even if he wasn't playing well. Giggs is SAF first son, Carrick is the second son.

Soccer-Suarez got two FWA votes despite biting ban

By Mike Collett
LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - Uruguayan Luis Suarez, a contender for England's Footballer of the Year award before being banned for 10 matches for biting, still collected two votes from the country's football writers in the poll won by Tottenham's Gareth Bale on Thursday.
Bale, 23, topped journalists poll with 53 per cent of the votes to claim a narrow victory over Manchester United forward Robin van Persie. Chelsea's Spanish midfielder Juan Mata was third.
Liverpool's Suarez, however, had been a strong contender to become the first South American to win the award until he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the arm during the 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield last month, just four days before voting started.
The English FA banned him for 10 matches and Football Writers' Association chairman Andy Dunn said that once Suarez bit Ivanovic his chances of winning the award disappeared.
"There is no doubting the incredible talent of Luis Suarez, and I think at one point a lot of our members believed that his behaviour was improving, and for that reason, several seemed prepared to vote for him. However, the biting incident changed all of that," Dunn said.
"In the end nearly every writer apart from two found it impossible to give our award to someone who had just been banned for 10 games by the Football Association for biting an opponent.
"Some people have the view that the receipt of a prestigious award can have redemptive powers, that it can make players realise they have responsibilities - clearly the two who voted for Suarez must think along those lines."
Suarez, also banned in 2011 for eight matches after racially insulting Patrice Evra of Manchester United, had re-established his reputation as one of the best players in the world with 23 Premier League goals this season. (Editing by Ed Osmond)
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-suarez-got-two-fwa-votes-despite-biting-154636333.html

SUarez is ruining his career.

[quote author=A-40]Carrick set to rule Europe?? Hehehehehe[/quote]In the whole of the article that is the only thing you saw. Anyway, Carrick is getting better every year. If he can improve on his speed and tackles, he will be the man to rule in the next two or three years. He is great while on the ball, but poor off it. However, this season he has shown that he can also run and chase after strikers. He made and won many crucial tackles. Personally, I will pick Toure ahead of him, but PFA has said he is the best. So he only needs to build on what he has achieved this season to make his mark over the next two or three years left in his career.

How much can we vouch that Bale will sustain his performance for long? Ronaldo is tested and trusted. I prefer Ronaldo to all the players being speculated. Falcao, Lewandowsky, Bale and the rest. But these big shots do not solve our midfield problem. Is SAF going to convert Rooney? Carrick looks set to rule Europe but his lack of pace is a big shortcoming. Can Fletcher regain fitness enuough to complement Carrick. Can SAF get the best out of Cleverly and Anderson? Lastly where do all these speculations leave Nani?

Anyway, summer is at hand and we shall know soon.

Champions Manchester United remain on course for financial targets

LONDON (Reuters) - New sponsorship deals in Europe and Asia helped English football champions Manchester United (NYSE: MANU - news) to report a 23 percent increase in underlying profit in the three months to March.
United, who have just recaptured the English Premier League title, said they were on course to hit revenue and profit targets for their financial year, which runs to the end of June.
The club claims to have more than 650 million followers worldwide and has signed a series of local and international sponsorship deals to cash in on its global fame.
Revenues in the three months to March rose almost 30 percent to 91.7 million pounds, with the commercial sector which includes sponsorship showing the strongest growth. Profit before charges such as interest and tax was ahead of forecasts at 25 million pounds.
Owned by the American Glazer family, United listed on the New York Stock Exchange last August.
Shares have recovered from an initial dip to trade at $18.41, up from a flotation price of $14.
(Reporting by Keith Weir, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

http://news.yahoo.com/champions-man-united-remain-course-113616087.html

Now the rumours have started. SAF said he has been working on two positions for since four months ago. Could it mean Bale is one of them?

....Last night Sky Sport's presenter Chloe Everton tweeted the following from her account

The destruction, humiliation and annihilation of Barca. ... This is too much oooo. Seven nil (7-0) on aggregate.

This can't be happening because football is made in Spain. Lol