No image available
/ 30 September 2005
Somehow it felt appropriate that Ruud van Nistelrooy provided the decisive moment on a night when the majority of Manchester United’s supporters reminded Sir Alex Ferguson how much they cherished his presence. Including qualifiers, this was the 47th Champions League goal of his career.
Believe it or not, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce does not always like being referred to as ”Psycho”. He can remember one occasion when he was dining with his wife Liz and another customer began bellowing it across the restaurant. ”We were trying to have our second course and someone launched into ‘Psycho, Psycho’ in my ear,” he recalled.
Malcolm Glazer had no sooner delisted Manchester United from the Stock Exchange on Wednesday, ending 14 years of trading in the club’s shares, than the club announced the arrival of a player who will go some way to easing the huge debts the American has incurred in his takeover.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been on a secret mission to persuade the Nigerian teenager John Obi Mikel not to dump Manchester United in favour of Chelsea. Mikel is already the subject of a Fifa inquiry because of the tug-of-war between England’s two most powerful clubs.
Liverpool appear to be winning their battle to play in next season’s Champions League, albeit starting off in the qualifying rounds. The idea of fast-tracking them into the group stages was described this week as ”remote” but Uefa is looking at other ways of bending the rules and an announcement may be made soon.
And so England’s post-season visit to the United States ended on a victorious note and a triumphant one for Michael Owen. The validity of this tour is a topic that will continue to attract legitimate criticism, but Owen will retain fond memories of his time in New Jersey after a hat-trick elevated him to fourth in the all-time list of England scorers.
The Premier League’s inquiry into John Obi Mikel’s transfer tug-of-war between Manchester United and Chelsea is to investigate claims that the Nigerian teenager has turned his back on Old Trafford because he has been ”intimidated and coerced into acting against his wishes”.
If Manchester United operated by the same principles as clubs in Italy and Spain, or even those of the modern-day Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson would almost certainly be summoned and politely informed he was being ushered into retirement. That his side have twice beaten Arsenal this season and occasionally produced enthralling football would be irrelevant.
No image available
/ 11 February 2005
A militant group of Manchester United fans this week threatened a renewed and potentially more violent phase of its campaign to keep Malcolm Glazer from taking control of the club. The group calls itself the Manchester Education Committee and has been responsible for ”direct action” against those it suspects of involvement in any takeover.
The Football League has volunteered to be used as a ”guinea pig” for goal line technology that, if successful, could be implemented throughout the world. Rather than video evidence, the scheme would involve using a specially created ball fitted with a microchip that bleeps whenever it crosses the line.