Images from Everton Vs Manchester United. #mufc

Just a quick update here, it seems the press are now pedalling Rooney in midfield like crazy.  I find this a bit daft to be honest, Rooney is too valuable as an attacker to play the position and to be honest I don't think he was all that impressive against Otelul.  I felt he was our best player in a poor performance but Galati didn't provide a great enough test for Wayne to be heralded as Scholes' succesor.  Hopefully we can get back some of our injured midfielders, unfotunately Tom Cleverley was injured again soon after his injury comeback in the match against Everton. Here are some more images from HQworld.net to keep you going:

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Manchester United travel to Romania; How will they line up? #mufc

Seeing as though it seems like forever since I've been to a United match I thought I'd post some gifs that make me smile.   I couldn't get a Liverpool ticket and I won't be travelling to Romania unfortunately so I haven't seen the pride of all Europe play since the Norwich game.  Oh well, at least I have the derby to look forward to this coming Saturday.

I simply cannot wait for this match,  United will be up for this no doubt but unfortunately we need to win the Romanian away match against Otelul Galati.  Now this in itself doesn't pose a major problem, however we always play under par after a mid-week Champions League away match.  Therefore it seems likely to me that Fergie will try to rest players when we go to Romania.  We do need to win the UEFA match because of a lack of points acquired in the first Two matches.

I am expecting Vidic to get some minutes as he has travelled with the squad but I'm not sure he will start,  I expect to see Anderson as he didn't play against Liverpool and probably Rooney to start (with a view to coming off early).  I am hoping we will play 4-4-2 but 4-3-3 is a distinct possibility. Injuries have their part to play in deciding the lineup, as ever.  Tom Cleverley is still injured, Vidic has just recovered from a calf injury and so has travelled with the squad. Darron Gibson is injured and so is Bebe although I have my doubts as to whether these injuries would have affected Sir Alex's squad selection this time out.

The 23 players travelling to Romania are:


Goal Keepers:             De Gea, Lindegaard, Amos
Defenders:                  Evra, Jones, Evans, Smalling, Vidic, Fabio
Midfielders:                Anderson, Giggs, Park, Carrick, Nani, Young, Fletcher, Valencia
Attackers:                  Owen, Berbatov, Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck, Diouf

In view of this fact we may possibly see a starting lineup similar to this:

It's possible that Valencia will start instead of Nani on the right wing leaving Nani or Park available to play on the left.  I am sure if we had won our first Two group games that Nani Young Anderson and Rooney would all have been rested.

However we may elect to play a 4-3-3 system which could end up something like this:

I think if we can wrap this one up early enough then we may see Owen, Berbatov or even Mame Biram Diouf getting a run out.

I am getting excited now, I have just booked 12 places on the coach to the Everton game!  I think it's gonna be a great day out.  Now I'm just wondering if I can afford that Aldershot trip in the meantime!

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Images from Manchester Uniteds latest game. #mufc

Norwich visited Old Trafford for the first time in years.  It reminded me of Mark Robbins, a local lad who we signed from Norwich as a striker.  This is coming from memory and boy was it a long time ago.  I remeber being in School, that much I will admit!  Anyway tyhe game was quite irritating to be honest.  At least the weather was nice.  But yeah, we didn't play with any real pace and vigour.  To be fair to the canaries they played well and got both men back behind the ball as well as throwing 3 men into the box whenever they managed to counter.  So yeah it was frustrating but we came good in the end.
My next match will be Otelul Galati I think as I just cannot get a ticket for the Liverpool trip.  The allocation we recieved suck monkey nuts, and on top of that they all went to corporate I think.  I means seriously what's the f@#king point of that!?  I hope we have some noisy fans in there, we got hammered last year after a strangely under-par performance.  Trust Liverpool to raise their game for this one match all year.

Singin' we knocked the Scousers off their perch!!

Images from Old Trafford.  Manchester United Vs Norwich City.

Courtesy of HQworld.net

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Injury claims yet another victim as Manchester United struggle to cope. #mufc

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Injuries, injuries, injuries. That's all I keep hearing from the United press releases!  A hamstring injury for Wayne Rooney, a groin injury for Chris Smalling. Rafael has been trying to recover from a shoulder injury for weeks now.

Nemanja Vidic too has been injured, a calf muscle strain this time.  Chicharito suffered a blow to the leg and it looked as though he hit his head too in the same incident on Saturday at Stoke City.  This following a comeback after sustaining a head injury in a training ground accident at the start of the campaign.  Also injured: Jonny Evans, Darron Gibson,  Tom Cleverley ( foot ligament damage ), Michael Carrick ( Achilles' tendon injury ) and let's not forget Bebe who had to return from his loan deal in Turkey after sustaining an Anterior cruciate ligament injury.

I don't mean to be a pessamist and I think we shall still have enough to beat FC Basle tomorrow night.  As usual I'm sure Fergies' boys will do what's needed and I will be singing my heart out from the Stretty as we try to will the ball into the net!

24/09/2011 20:31, Report by Steve Bartram

Rooney blow 'not serious'

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the hamstring injury which kept Wayne Rooney out of Saturday's draw at Stoke isn't serious, but was reluctant to pencil in a return date for the striker.
Rooney was among three players who suffered injuries in training on Friday, while the Reds' plans were further dented when Javier Hernandez sustained a dead leg after just three minutes at the Britannia Stadium.
"Jonny Evans got an ankle injury in training yesterday," Sir Alex told MUTV. "We had a nightmare of a training session - Evans, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney all got injured. Jonny thought he'd be okay but in the warm-up it was no use. With Chicharito in your team he gives you that penetration and speed, that was a loss."


"It's difficult to say [how long Rooney will be out for]. It's not a serious hamstring injury but I don't think he'll be available for next week. I think he'll be out for more than a week."

 Rooney, Carrick, Evans and Hernandez join a lengthy injury list which already includes Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Rafael, Tom Cleverley and Darron Gibson, although Rio Ferdinand and Danny Welbeck both returned to Premier League action against Stoke.
"We are Manchester United and we don’t like to make excuses but it is difficult to come to a place like Stoke without those types of players," admitted Patrice Evra. "We have many players who are not here tonight."

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Marketing deal from Malaysian financiers comes ahead of IPO float on Singapore Stock Exchange. #mufc

 I've had a great week following United, the trip to Leeds was epic!  Apart from their fans chuckin' stuff at my head that is.  The atmosphere once inside the ground was fantastic and my throat has only just recovered from the singing.  I wish we could have continued the run into the Stoke game but yet more injuries ( Wayne Rooney and Chicharito) and an extremely dogged and physical performance from Stoke meant we could only get a point.
  Ah well, I'm off to Old Trafford on Tuesday for the Champions league match against Basel.  C'mon The Reds!

 The English Premier League has always been very big among Malaysians. Well established teams like Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal have their fans here, and let us not forget the ‘hottest’ team, Manchester United. Everyone loves a winner, and Malaysians are no exception. Manchester United has a near god like status here among Malaysian fans, so it is not surprising to find Malaysian brands linking up with English Premier League teams in terms of advertising.

The most recent addition to Malaysian advertisers in the English Premier league is none other than Mister Potato. Yes, the potato chip maker has decided to grab some publicity by tying in with Manchester United! But no, we won’t be seeing any jerseys with Mister Potato’s face on it anytime soon, the advertising will be on digital boards at Old Trafford, Manchester United's homeground.

The plan comes as the Premier League team plans an initial public offering in Singapore to raise $1 billion later this year, three people familiar with the IPO plans said last week. A stake of up to 30 percent may be sold, said one of the people. The club wants to cut financing costs and raise money that could be used for players. It spends about 45 million pounds ($74 million) a year to service a 500 million-pound bond.
The club, which Forbes magazine estimates is now worth $1.8 billion and Deloitte LLP says is the richest in revenue behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in a list published in February 2011, has about 190 million of its 330 million fans in Asia.

“The multitude of local events we run with global and local partners, and a prospective forthcoming tour of Asia in 2012, necessitate expanding our footprint both with people and office space,” Manchester United said in a statement earlier this month. “This is consistent with the huge appeal of Manchester United in the region, borne out of nearly 40 years of visiting.”

 Strategic Shift
 
The deal with Mamee Double Decker will allow the use of Manchester United’s Red Devil logo and images of star players such as Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, according to one of the people familiar with the plan.
Under the U.S.-based Glazer family, the team’s owners, and former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Edward Woodward, the team’s chief of staff, Manchester United changed the way it deals with sponsors in 2008 to capitalize on its global appeal.
The club has signed regional and sector-specific deals as well as preserving the rights of global partners, allowing commercial revenue, excluding shirt sales, to grow 10-fold to 40 million pounds since June 2008.
The team’s principal sponsor Aon Corp. (AON) agreed to pay 80 million pounds for the right to have its name emblazoned on the team’s shirt for four years. The contract with Mammee Double Decker, will be the latest to be signed with an Asian company,

Asian Sponsors

Existing sponsors from Asia include India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd. (BHARTI), South Korean tire-maker Kumho Tire Co. and Thai beer brand Singha. In August, the club signed PCCW Ltd. (8) as its official telecommunications and broadcast partner for Hong Kong.
The team has won four Premier League titles and appeared in three Champions League finals, winning in 2008, since it was bought by the Glazers in 2005. A decline in performances on the field won’t affect its income from sponsors because none of the contracts carry success clauses.

Overall commercial revenue is close to passing 100 million pounds for the first time, which would bring it in line with the team’s broadcast and match day income. The club has 70 employees in a London-based commercial sales office and plans to relocate to a larger property. It’s also seeking to open an office in Asia. The team is seeking global partners in the energy, information technology and mobile-phone industries.
The club’s revenue puts it in third place globally for sales behind Spain’s Real Madrid and Barcelona. Last month, Premier League rival Arsenal announced record sales of 379.9 million pounds on property sales. Yet, the sales for the team’s soccer activities declined by 1.3 percent to 222.9 million pounds.

Story from Bloomberg.com

Images from HQworld.net

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Singapore Stock Exchange gives permission for a planned $1 billion float. #mufc

Business digest: Red Devils look to raise £635m by flogging 25 per cent of parent company shares.

The club wants to raise $1bn (£635m) to pay off some of its debts by selling about 25% of the parent company's shares.
United want to complete the process, which is known as an initial public offering (IPO), by the end of the year.
They will spend the next few weeks speaking to investors ahead of a road show to market the offer.
But analysts said the club might decide that it was not a good time to list.
"Volatile markets and weakening sentiment would be a major drawback for anyone who wants to list," said Vishnu Varathan from Capital Economic in Singapore.
"It's not the most ideal time to list, it's not a bull market. Tapping new sources of funds could be a challenge and pricing could come under pressure."
Manchester United is currently profitable, having reported a record annual operating profit of £110.9m for the year to the end of June 2011.
Headline pre-tax profit came in at £29.7m, compared with a loss the previous year.
The club is reported to be considering creating different classes of shares, some of which have lower voting rights but carry higher dividends.
The idea of that would be to maintain control of the club by the Glazer family, which bought Manchester United in 2005.
BBCnews

Meanwhile I have been having a ball at the United games, the Chesea game was pretty crazy with all the missed chances and drama.  I am gutted about the number of injuries being picked up too.  Another injury to defender Chris Smalling. A groin injury I believe.  Also injured was Javier Hernandez, after a collision with Ashley Cole. The young mexican striker was limping badly with what looked like a strained or sprained ankle.  I sincereley hope its not a ligament injury or anything major as he is in great form.

Tomorrow is the Leeds away fixture and I'm ready as I'll ever be.  Barring any mis-haps at the match I will report back soon! 

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Ligament injury to the foot of Tom Cleverley was the only black spot of the day. #mufc

Tom has reportedly damaged ligaments in his foot and will be out injured for around 4 weeks. Apart from seeing the clumsy tackle the injury to his foot resulted from, what a long and fun-filled weekend I have had. As I got up on Saturday morning I was absolutely buzzing.  Since the amazing performance against Arsenal I'd been waiting for the away trip to Bolton Wanderers. I was booked on a coach trip that set off from near Old Trafford at 10am so it was an early start. I had no idea where the coach was taking us until I got to the meet point, so the mystery tour began!  We ended up in Blackpool which was a surprise but whatever, I was on the ale with 5 mates and about 50 other reds.  A good few pints later and after warming our voices up we really started to get ourselves hyped up for what was always going to be a blast of a day.

We got to the ground on time after a couple of 'hiccups' not worth mentioning and I was seated behind the goal which was great.  We were right next to the Bolton fans so we had some good banter and I spent a lot of the match, well the whole day really just laughing my head off.

Here's the ManUnited.com match report and some images from the game.

10/09/2011 18:20, Report by Steve Bartram

Bolton 0 United 5

United's mesmerising start to the Barclays Premier League season continued with a five-goal stroll at Bolton's Reebok Stadium, as Javier Hernandez struck his first goals of the campaign and Wayne Rooney extended his fine form with a second successive hat-trick.
The Reds turned in a devastating showcase of finishing, bagging three goals inside the first half-hour and a further pair after the break, and also demonstrated promising defensive resolve in the face of a characteristically direct bombardment from the hosts.
The only sour note of the afternoon was a derivative of the Trotters' trademark vigour, as Tom Cleverley left the Reebok Stadium on crutches after a heavy challenge from Bolton skipper Kevin Davies, having apparently suffered a damaged ankle.

Hitherto, Sir Alex Ferguson had enjoyed good news with injuries after the recent international break, and made only minimal changes to the line-up which started last month's romp against Arsenal. Danny Welbeck, who suffered a hamstring strain against the Gunners, was replaced by Hernandez, while Rio Ferdinand returned at the expense of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones shunted over to right-back.

As had been the case in the Reds' opening three league games, United began in proactive fashion. Indeed, it took the visitors just five minutes to forge ahead. As a United attack built on the right wing, with Rooney releasing Nani, Chicharito outwitted Gary Cahill by shaping to move to the near post, feinting to the back and then sprinted forward just in time to redirect Nani’s centre past the sprawling Jussi Jaaskelainen.

United had actually taken the lead without a full compliment of players. At the time of the goal, Cleverley was receiving treatment for an ankle injury after a poor challenge from Davies. Bolton had their best opening of the half while Cleverley was en route to the dressing room, but Rooney was on hand to hack Chris Eagles’ volley off the line after a goalmouth scramble. Michael Carrick was duly introduced to restore equality in personnel.

 Bolton skipper Davies was booked for a lunging challenge on Evra and Ivan Klasnic brought a spectacular save from De Gea with a stinging effort from the edge of the box, but the hosts’ defiance was soon doused by a devastating spell of attacking from United.
Jones took a quick throw-in and, upon receiving the ball straight back from Chicharito, arced an unplayable cross into the heart of the Bolton area, where the onrushing Rooney needed only brush the ball with the studs of his right boot to double United’s lead.

Jones was the epicentre of the Reds’ celebratory huddle, and the makeshift right-back was again the hub of joy five minutes later. Having swapped passes with Nani, the marauding youngster strode through the Bolton midfield and defence and, although his shot was saved by Jaaskelainen, Rooney carefully tucked the rebound between the desperate lunges of Cahill and Dedryck Boyata to heap further misery on the hosts.


Fresh from the eight-goal salute to Arsenal, another attacking frenzy was underway. Hernandez appeared to have turned in United’s fourth just two minutes later, but his neat finish applied to a Nani cross was correctly rendered illegal by an assistant’s flag.
The game lulled for the final third of the half, as rampant visitors and shell-shocked hosts drew breath. Kevin Davies swiped air rather than ball after a decent Martin Petrov cross and Nani fired into the side-netting from close-range, but the interval came with United exuding comfort.

Were any reminder required that Bolton can never be taken lightly, especially at home, it was served by Klasnic within two minutes of the restart. Fortunately, De Gea had the smart reflexes and handling to field the Croatian's low snapshot.

At the opposite end, Jaaskelainen did well to flick Anderson's wicked free-kick wide of the post, but relied on his defenders to dig him out of a hole after Hernandez had stolen possession outside the area. The Mexican didn't have to wait long, however, to double his tally, sliding home from close range after Michael Carrick's shot had rolled through a thicket of bodies.
Bolton's response to the fourth goal was positive, as Nigel Reo-Coker crashed a shot against De Gea's crossbar, before both sides rang the changes. Kevin Davies made way for David N'gog and Darren Pratley replaced ex-Red Chris Eagles for the hosts, while Sir Alex introduced Ryan Giggs and Smalling at the expense of Ashley Young and the limping Evans.

The amendments did little to stifle the flow of the game, as United popped passes around with abandon. Nor did it stem the tide of goals, as Rooney smashed home his second successive hat-trick. A raking ball from Giggs found Nani, who rolled the ball across the edge of the area for Rooney to curl an unstoppable shot into Jaaskelainen's bottom right-hand corner.
Hat-trick secured, Rooney soon attempted to serve up another treble for Chicharito, but his centre was narrowly behind the Mexican striker. Late on, Chicharito was played in by Nani, but unselfishly attempted to square for the excellent Anderson, who couldn't quite convert into the gaping goal.
No matter, five more than sufficed to prolong the early-season excitement surrounding this United team. There's enough experience in the Reds' ranks to avoid getting giddy just over a week into September, but the verve and swagger about this bunch of twinkling talents renders caution harder by the week.

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