Showing posts with label Old Trafford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Trafford. Show all posts


Six Treble-winning heroes will grace Old Trafford on Saturday 1 May 2010, to play in a charity match for Sport Relief and MU Foundation.

Named UNITED RELIEF Live, this match will feature Andrew Cole, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke. These players along with others will form Manchester United XI, coached by fellow Reds legend and ex-Reading boss Steve Coppell. The opposition will be provided by The Rivals, another pro/celebrity XI guided by former Oldham, Everton and Man City manager Joe Royle.


The game will kick off at 15:30 and will serve as the centrepiece of United Relief Live. It will be a fun day out for the family that will also feature live music from The Saturdays, The Hoosiers and Tinchy Stryder.

For more information, visit - manutd.com/unitedrelief

Manchester United would face Bayern Munich tonight in the return leg of their Champions League quarter final. The first leg (2-1) was in favor of the German side but United have a vital away goal and that can make the difference.

It seems that playing at Old Trafford (in return legs) is the key for United’s success. United have progressed on each of the last seven occasions when the second leg has been at Old Trafford, most spectacularly overturning a 2-1 deficit against AS Roma at this stage three years ago.

The Red Devils had blown Roma out with an incredible 7-1 win that was described by Sir Alex as his best night in European football at OT. So there's plenty to be positive about ahead of tonight's clash and it was clearly evident as there were smiles aplenty at Carrington Training Ground yesterday.





Looking at these pictures (captured by club photographers John and Matt Peters) it can be said that United have forgotten their last two defeats and are ready to knock Bayern out of Europe.

Its going to be a memorable night at Old Trafford today. If you're at the game, sing your hearts out for the lads.

Champions League Semi Final… Here we come.

Manchester United may become the busiest club in the transfer market during this summer. The Red Devils have been looking for players to strengthen their defense and are banking on young players like Dodo and Jack Rodwell.


According to the News of the World, Manchester United are ready to spend lot of cash to bring Everton's young midfielder Jack Rodwell to Old Trafford. The total fee is believed to be near about £20 million.

Everton boss David Moyes has already expressed reluctance to sell his younger players. He was very rigid about keeping Joleon Lescott last summer but had to bow down to a huge transfer fee from Man City. It is believed that Chelsea and Man City are also interested in Jack Rodwell, but the player wants a move to Man United.


United scouts are also closely monitoring Dodo, who's a young Corinthians defender. He can play at either left-back or in the centre of defense.

Dodo has also attracted interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Manchester United may swoop a move for the Under 17 international Dodo.

Manchester United have already signed young defenders Chris Smalling from Fulham and Marnick Vermijl from Standard Liege. With United interested in so many defenders, I think Vidic will be on his way out of Old Trafford at the end of the season. 

With Sir Alex Ferguson planning to buy more defenders in the summer, it clearly shows his vision on the long term replacements of aging players like Neville and Ferdinand.



Manchester United are said to be chasing Porto defender Rolando. Many have mistaken his name for “Ronaldo”, but folks, there was only one Ronaldo at Old Trafford and he’s gone.

Sir Alex Ferguson is going crazy due to his defense worries. Rio’s fitness worries and a bust up with Vidic (which I believe was a grapevine) have forced both these defenders to be out of action. And Fergie has found a solution to this problem by weighing up an £18million move for Porto defender Rolando.

Rolando is a young and tall defender who is strong in the air. The 24 year old and 6ft 3in tall central defender has featured in Portugal’s U21 side and has been recently called up to the senior Portugal squad. I am glad that Man United is strengthening their defense because of concerns over the futures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Porto have put a price tag of £28m for Rolando and Fergie is in no mood to splash more than £18m. By the way, United are also linked with Bruno Alves who too is a Porto player.

Coming back to the Ronaldo and Rolando confusion, both of them share a few things in common. Here they are:
  • Both were born in 1985.
  • Both were (and are) well thought of by former United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.
  • Both have an eye for goal.
  • Both are Portuguese (that was obvious)
So if Fergie is able to bring Rolando to Old Trafford, do you think he can become John Terry for Manchester United?

Hugo Lloris who has been linked with a move to Manchester United is considered one of Europe's top young keepers. Since making his debut in October 2005, the Frenchman has been making serious impacts in Europe and has been a target of Manchester United.

Hugo Lloris was linked with Tottenham in 2008. He even turned down an offer from AC Milan only to join Lyon in the summer of 2008 for €8.5million. Though Lyon missed out on their league title in 2008, Lloris was still crowned Ligue 1's Goalkeeper of the Year. He was placed third in France Football's 2009 French Player of the Year award (behind Nicolas Anelka and Yoann Gourcuff).

So what makes Hugo Lloris the best goalkeeper in Europe?

His stats and accolades are impressive considering he is only 23, but his performances are the real reason why he’s the best goalkeeper in Europe. Watch this video and you’ll realize why Hugo Lloris is the top shot-stopper.



Nemanja Vidic has denied reports suggesting his bust-up with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Vida claims he is facing a 10-day injury lay-off and will not be fit to play against Birmingham City on Saturday.

I was shocked to read the news of Vida and Fergie involved in a bust-up. Telegraph reported that Vida has denied a row with his manager, but when the heck were they involved in a row that he is denying it! Vidic said: 
Everything surprised me a lot. Ferguson said that he didn't talk with the club doctor, but he didn't say that he doesn't believe in my injuries and that we are in a fight.


Everybody in the club knows that I have a marvellous understanding with my coach Ferguson.


Moreover, I'm not unhappy at Old Trafford. I'm just injured and that is the end of the story. 

Vida's name has been mentioned with a move away from United in the recent days. Real Madrid have already made the Serbian defender their summer target pricing him at £20 million. It's a known fact that Vida's wife Ana is not happy with life in England but the defender has never spoken about his desire to leave Old Trafford.

Is the current Manchester United player of the year on the verge of calling it a day at Old Trafford? What do you think?

Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by fierce rivals Leeds United at Old Trafford. This is the first time in 16 years that the Red Devils were beaten by lower league opposition since Bournemouth had made the damage in 1984.



Jermaine Beckford's 19th-minute goal was enough to secure Leeds a famous victory at Old Trafford - their first since 1981. I was disappointed and speechless when I saw Leeds taking the lead. United had fielded a stronger side that included Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov but none of them could get even an equalizer, forget the winner!

New Year could not have started on such a bad note for Sir Alex Ferguson who criticized his players (and the ref) for their poor display at the Theater of Dreams. He went on to confirm that some of them will not be a part of the team that takes on Man City on Wednesday for the Carling Cup game.

I don't understand why the heck are Manchester United so bullish of damaging their home records. United's defeat to Besiktas at Old Trafford was a shock and it damaged their home record in Europe. And now they have lost the War of Roses which should have been won easily, considering the quality and strength of both the teams.



John O'Shea will be out of action for two months due to a thigh injury. He hasn’t featured for Manchester United since November, when he suffered the injury described as a "dead leg" during Ireland's controversial World Cup play-off in Paris.

O'Shea is regarded as the most versatile player for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson. He has been one of Fergie’s favorite players due to his high degree of adaptability. He can play in defense as well as midfield and has also scored crucial goals for the Red Devils.

The Irishman who made his debut in October 1999 has made 352 appearances for Manchester United. O’Shea completed ten years at Old Trafford two months back and this is his first injury at the club. His absence for two months will mean more problems for United in the defense.

Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown have returned to guard the central defense but missing out Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans hurts. And now John O'Shea too joins the injury list. In John’s case, blood had congealed in his thigh while playing against France and is making a slower than expected recovery.

We may be able to see O’Shea back in March but the return of Rafael and Fabio is a big boost. At least Fergie can now field a recognizable back-four. I hope Rio and Jonny return to training soon since we are approaching an important part of the year with Champions League and Cup matches getting more competitive.



Old Trafford will witness a War of Roses as Manchester United will take on fierce rivals Leeds United on Sunday for third round of the FA Cup. The two teams haven’t faced each other since last six years and this should be a cracking game.

Manchester United will be confident following their 5-0 thrashing of Wigan. However, Fergie regularly rests his big names in the Cup and he may well give a break to some of the regular players. I just hope he doesn’t name Ben Foster in the starting eleven. He has been pathetic and may fumble under the pressure from Leeds.

United’s encounters with Leeds have been missing from the fixture list since 2004. The last time these two teams met in the Premier League was on February 21, 2004. That game finished in a 1-1 draw with Alan Smith (who later joined Man United) scoring a second-half equalizer that gave Leeds some hope of avoiding the drop. However, the Elland Road outfit was relegated and got entangled in catastrophic financial problems.

Leeds was a major force in the 1960s and 1970s, and their meetings with Manchester United have produced some classic Cup clashes. Rivalries add that extra spice to football and it’s great for the fans and players. The War of Roses would definitely witness a feisty atmosphere but I think United would emerge comfortable winners.

What say folks? Tweet your thoughts @ManUtdDugout


Manchester United is planning a £20million transfer swoop for French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The tall 23-year-old is the best long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Hugo Lloris has consistently excelled in his duties for French side Lyon and his excellent performances in the Champions League ensured that Liverpool missed out on qualifying for the knockout stages. Fergie could make a major splash when the transfer window opens on Friday.

The only problem in signing Lloris is his greedy club Lyon. Remember how United had a tough time dealing with the French club when they courted Karim Benzema, who eventually landed in Madrid. Also they are wealthy and would definitely like to pocket huge amount from Manchester United for their top shot-stopper.

Manchester United need a top goalie immediately as Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak have both failed to impress this season. Sir Alex Ferguson would ideally like a new keeper next month, but he will also be ready to wait until the summer to make sure United do not overspend on a player. However, the departure of VDS to attend his wife must be worrying Fergie and adding more urgency to sign Lloris.

The need for a new goalie at Old Trafford has been stressed all this season and Manchester United were linked with Igor Akinfeev who was touted to become the next Schmeichel. Fergie is a fan of the Russian keeper, but Hugo Lloris too is an impressive player. He has represented France at all age groups, and was an ever-present in France's 2005 European Under-19 Football Championship winning side.

The last French keeper we had was Fabian Barthez who was an absolute disaster. But Hugo Lloris is considered one of Europe's top young keepers and United are tracking his progress. If he arrives at Old Trafford, he could become the top shot-stopper for the Red Devils for a decade.

Ryan Giggs will be with Manchester United for another two years after he signed a one-year contract extension recently. His signature on the dotted line commits him to Manchester United until June 2011.


Photo Credit: Getty Images

We all know what a fabulous career Giggs has enjoyed at Old Trafford and he truly deserves to play for the Red Devils on a continuous basis. He has been a central figure for United this season by playing in the midfield in various positions. Surprisingly he is only behind Cesc Fabregas in terms of assists in the league this season. This indicates that Giggsy has been more effective and efficient than Frank Lampard, Stevie G., etc. which clearly demonstrates the longevity of the Welshman.

Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his desire and expects Giggs to continue till 2011 and beyond. He said, "Ryan deserves a new contract and I am sure that he will play for another two years.  His form is fantastic at the moment and he is playing some of his best football."

I feel having experienced players like Giggs, Scholes, VDS, etc. in the team always pays off in the longer run. Their form might not be a big question but their fitness definitely is. Giggsy said, "I am delighted that I have agreed one more year. I am enjoying my football more than ever and I am looking forward to hopefully winning more trophies with Manchester United.

Giggs who was recently voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year is 36 right now and has already won lot of honors with Manchester United. With over 820 appearances to his name, he may be on his way to win a 12th Premier League title.



David Beckham had wished for a return to Manchester United and his wish was duly granted. Becks will travel to Old Trafford with AC Milan after the two clubs were drawn against each other for the knockout games of the Champions League.

The return of Becks to Old Trafford would be definitely emotional and he will get a rapturous reception from the fans. His contribution to United has been tremendous since he was a central figure of Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans in all his years of success at the Theatre of Dreams.



Beckham had won six Premier Leagues, three FA Cups and the Champions League at Manchester United, and probably he was the only player who popularized the Red Devils in Asia and other parts of the world. He may not be in the same shape and form as he was 7 years ago, but he will do everything to impress Fabio Capello during his loan spell at AC Milan.

Beckham has earned every ounce of the affection he will receive when he walks out again at Old Trafford. Being one of Fergie’s Fledglings, Beckham’s devotion to the club was never questioned, and fans still love him even after he departed to Real Madrid in 2003.



If you are thinking that both legs of Manchester United vs Milan will be targeted towards David Beckham, then you are wrong. There’s a big grandpa standing at the Old Trafford gate and his name is Sir Alex Ferguson.

Though it’s a tough draw for United but recalling how United were outclassed by AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League semi-final in Italy, Fergie would love this battle. He is a man who likes to set the record straight and here’s an opportunity.

Milan have been inconsistent in the group stage, but with Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho in great form coupled with United’s defense crisis, it won’t be a cakewalk for Fergie. At the most he can hope that he faces the same AC Milan that lost to FC Zurich at San Siro during the group stage.

Manchester United are tracking and targeting CSKA Moscow defender Uros Cosic. It is reported that the Red Devils are lining up a January move for the Serbian defender.



Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate to strengthen his injury plagued back-line. With tough part of the season approaching and knockout rounds of Champions League to come, Fergie knows he can’t play Carrick and Fletcher every time in the defense. And to solve his defense crisis, Fergie has shortlisted the 17-year-old Uros Cosic.

I don’t know why Sir Alex has such affinity towards Serbian players. We already have 2 Serbian players in the team - Nemaja Vidic and Zoran Tosic. Recently, Manchester United were linked with Milos Krasic; who too is a Serb. I guess, Fergie has already spotted the next Rio Ferdinand in Uros Cosic.

CSKA are unwilling to let go of their highly-rated defender, who they feel is even better than fellow-countryman Nemanja Vidic. Though CSKA won’t play in Champions League next season, yet they want to hang onto their 17 year old defender. And guess what, they are luring him to stay in Russia by promising to grant Russian citizenship!

CSKA president Yevgeni Giner said, "I must stress that we would like to keep Cosic. We even offered him Russian citizenship. I have not seen such a great central defender before, not to mention that he is only 17. But Manchester United would also love to have him. They have already made several attempts to approach me about him, asking if I was ready to negotiate."

"They can see - the boy is going to grow into a bigger star than Vidic."

I have never heard about Uros Cosic and don’t know whether he is better than Vida, but what I know is – United seriously need a couple of good defenders. Our back four have got injured regularly and if Fergie does not play his cards soon, situation might worsen.

Milos Krasic has been recently linked with Manchester United. However, he is also a target of three leading Premier League clubs:  Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, but who is Milos Krasic?

Milos Krasic is a Serbian professional footballer who currently plays for CSKA Moscow and is a member of the Serbia national team. Yeah, he can join his compatriot Nemanja Vidic at Old Trafford soon as a January move to England looks almost certain.



The £9million-rated Serbia playmaker caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson in two impressive Champions League performances against Manchester United. Milos has also hinted for a move away from Russia and the 25-year-old's agent says England is the most likely destination for him.

'I think that if Krasic leaves CSKA in January, he is 90 per cent likely to go to England. If he doesn’t leave in January, in the summer Italy could return as a possibility. And if Milan were to come forward, it would be an excellent solution for Milos, no doubt about it,’ said agent Dejan Joksimovic.

CSKA would be more than happy to cash on their expensive players as they prepare for a transition after finishing fifth in the Russian league and failing to qualify for next season's Champions League. Yevgeny Giner, who happens to be the President at CSKA says he will not stand in the way of Krasic moving on to bigger and better things.

The Russian club is ready to listen to acceptable offers for Krasic and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who has also been linked to Manchester United.



Manchester United were defeated at home by Besiktas in their Champions League Group B game yesterday. The narrow 1-0 defeat for the Red Devils at Old Trafford also ended their 23-match unbeaten home record in the Champions League.

I don't know why United can't handle the Turkish teams. Thirteen years ago it was Fenerbahce who became the first team to defeat Manchester United in a European game at Old Trafford, and now it was Besiktas. It seems there's no Turkish delight for United and Sir Alex.

Rodrigo Tello's first-half effort did the damage as Ben Foster again failed to make an impact. United were missing some of their senior players as Sir Alex Ferguson fielded many youngsters in the game. There was no threat from United over all as all the players looked as if they were laboring till the final whistle. Apart from Gabriel Obertan, no one really looked sharp and I could not believe it was a Man United side.

This defeat to Besiktas is not too critical for United as they are already through to the last 16. A point at Wolfsburg will be enough to secure top spot in Group B when the two sides meet in a fortnight.

Sir Alex Ferguson is known to possess a special knack of taking away all the attention when Manchester United loses a game. He did exactly the same during the post match press conference at Old Trafford. Fergie sounded his disappointment at the shock loss but covered it by saying that it was a good experience for the young lads.

Personally, I don't think there is anything serious after United's defeat last night. But I do believe that we surely need a couple of good center backs. Sir Alex cannot win even Carling Cup if he uses Brown and O'Shea in the center, let alone the Premier League title or the Champions League.

What's your take folks?

Tweet me your thoughts! @ManUtdDugout

Gary Neville believes that wonder kid Wayne Rooney can one day break Sir Bobby Charlton's record of scoring goals for Manchester United. And this comes after Rooney claimed to remain with the Red Devils for life.


There's no doubt that Rooney has got immense talent in him. And Neville praised Rooney's attitude and work ethics and hence sees him become one of Old Trafford's greatest players. Currently he has 102 goals in his kitty and needs many more goals to beat Sir Bobby's record of 249. But Wayne is just 23 and has got a lot of time with him and considering the form he has been exhibiting for his club and country, he might well score more than 300 goals.

His present team-mate Ryan Giggs eclipsed Sir Charlton's appearance record in the 2008 Champions League final against Barcelona. Rooney currently sits 18th on the all-time goal scorers list behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Even Dimitar Berbatov has showered lots of praise on Rooney for his skills and commitment to football. He said that Wayne is the first one to arrive on the training ground and the last one to leave. That shows how much he enjoys his football and his commitment towards learning. Also he is never in the newspapers for whatever reasons, simply because he does not want to become a celebrity. He is a footballer and likes to remain a football player all his life.

Great going Rooney. I hope to see you score more goals this season, especially since Tevez and Ronaldo have left. And I don't trust in the goal scoring abilities of Owen and Berbatov.

The other day i was reading an article where Aston Villa manager, Martin O'Neill said that he feels Roy Keane will return to Manchester United one day; to manage them. Currently Keane is the manager at Sunderland and has achieved incredible results as  he stepped in with no managerial experience and turned results around and won promotion from the Championship at the first attempt. Last year he made sure his team's promotion was not a fluke by avoiding relegation. 


These comments by O'Neill made me think, how nice it would be if Roy can come back to Old Trafford and handle the club, once Sir Alex retires. Roy is without doubt one of the best players with great leadership qualities. Also, his winning mentality and refusal to accept second-best is something that also suits to the Red Devils approach. 

What do you think?


Sir Alex Ferguson droped a bombshell by claiming that one day Cristiano Ronaldo has to leave Man Utd to join his dream club: Real Madrid.

He said that every professional footballer dreams of playing for Real or Barcelona. And given the talent and the form CR7 has displayed over the years, Real were tempting him to leave Manchester. This transfer sage stretched the whole summer with the Portugese star deceiding to stay for another year, after the advice from his manager.

Sir Alex said, "I pointed out to him how much better it would be to leave like Eric Cantona, with the fans loving and appreciating him. " The crowd still chant Cantona's name and I told Cristiano "Leave a hero like Eric" and one day he will. But not yet.

Manchester United have appointed Mike Phelan as assistant manager after Carlos Queiroz had left Old Trafford to become Portugal coach in July.

Phelan, a former United player who has worked his way up through the ranks of the backroom staff, has been working as a first team coach since 2001. Elsewhere, Dutchman Rene Meulensteen has also been promoted from technical skills development officer to take on Phelan's former role.

It seems everything is falling into place now, with United having the Asst. manager and Berbatov coming to the squad. United are looking much stronger and raring to go for the silverware this season.

Manchester United's golie Edwin Van der Sar has added his name to the list of Manchester United players who have pleaded for Ronaldo to stay.

The veteran has appreciated that the squad is tightly and stronger than ever to win more trophies. He said there is no reason why Ronaldo should quit Old Trafford. United has got everything that a player dreams for, be it money, players, manager or trophies. Also now United can compete in more competitions like the Super Cup and International Cup. Even Michael Carrick has said that he is loving life being a red devil and has urged his team-mate to stay.

After over a month of the drama on Ronaldo's future, everyone seems to make their points and express their desire of wanting the Portugese winger to stay.

 
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