For some strange reason, struggling Sheffield Utd are under the presumption that they will be getting £30m from West Ham.

The facts are that Sheffield Utd will be getting absolutely nothing for their own mishap of not winning or drawing the final game of 2006 season, they made their own destiny by believing West Ham would lose to Man Utd, the season where West Ham beat Man Utd and Arsenal both home and away.

Sheffield Utd owner cry baby McCabe has made the poor struggling club suffer since the day they were relegated, instead of concentrating on promoting success to the club in way of promotion back to the Premier League, he gave them promises of Re-Promotion which never progressed and humiliated the club to an extent where other clubs cut themselves off from the original plan to sue West Ham, so they had to do it alone, and failed every time.

My advice to Sheff Utd is concentrate on promotion and try to seek revenge in a way that makes you proud again, not that you ever will!!

Cầu thủ quốc tế Angola được đánh giá cao này đã ký một hợp đồng có thời hạn ba năm với Quỷ Đỏ vào cuối năm ngoái sau khi gây ân tượng mạnh với Sir Alex Ferguson sau một thời gian thử việc.

Tuy nhiên do lúc đầu không xin được giấy phép lao động tại Anh nên United đã cho câu lạc bộ của Hi Lạp - Panathinaikos mượn tiền đạo này.

Sau khi xem xét lại những điều lệ của giấy phép lao động thì GĐĐH United, David Gill đã tiết lộ tiền đạo này có đủ điều kiện để thi đấu cho United.

"Chúng tôi đã không thể lấy được giấy phép lao động cho cậu ấy ngay lúc đó, nhưng sau khi xem xét các quy định cũng như các điều khoản một cách kỹ càng, chúng tôi thấy rằng Manucho hoàn toàn đủ điều kiện để thi đấu tại Anh. Chúng tôi rất vui mừng và hài lòng vì đã có được tiền đạo này," Gill phát biểu trên kênh MUTV.

"Cậu ấy đã 25 tuổi và có rất nhiều thành tích đáng kể. Bạn chỉ cần nhìn vào số bàn thắng tiền đạo ghi được tại giải Vô địch các quốc gia châu Phi thì sẽ thấy được điều đó. Tôi nghĩ rằng cậu ấy sẽ mang đến đội bóng một vài điều khác biệt," Gill tiếp tục.

"Lúc này Manucho đang gặp phải một chấn thương nhẹ nhưng chúng tôi sẽ hi vọng cậu ấy sớm bình phục và thể hiện những gì tốt nhất của mình. Cậu ta thực sự rất có triển vọng."

(Theo MUSVN)

Rooney wants to be involved in everything that happens in the game, and he doesn't care where on the pitch that is. But many say this effects his fatigue and when a chance comes, he's too tired to take it. This is the reasoning behind playing him where he's not creating but meant to be scoring. Even Capello said that sometimes Rooney tracking back to help the defence doesn't help him in attack.

This being said, Wayne has always known to drop off the striker, create play, open up players and he does so very well. This also gives him more room to take some long distance shots which he can bury into the top corner. I reckon this is Rooney's position. It always has been and always will be.

The partnership of Owen and Rooney was great as Owen would stay in the box for opportunities while Rooney would knit things together. For Man Utd, the partnership is now Berbatov and Rooney in which I have no doubt will work extremely well. For England, it could be Owen and Rooney but I think that Capello will use Ashton instead of Michael.

Overall, the basic message is: play Rooney off of the striker and let someone else score the goals!!!

The take over of Manchester City last season led many City fans to believe that they could be the new Chelsea. Despite spending more than ever, a great start to the season, and doing better than they had for a long time, their rebirth as the new Chelsea didn't happen. It has now.

The Abu Dhabi United Group have transformed City to a club with new heights to scale and and challenges to compete for. That the take over and transformation happened over night, and on the last day of transfer activity, means that we are unlikely to feel the effect of this move until January, when the transfer window reopens, at the earliest.

There will however be a few nervous glances over their shoulders by the big four. While Spurs and Everton have flirted with the hope of a top four finish, and the Champions League that is the reward, there is now a realistic chance, and hope, that a real sustained challenge is on the horizon.

This news will worry Liverpool, and maybe Arsenal the most. Chelsea may now have the second richest backer in football, but they still have the financial clout to keep buying their way into title challenges, and ensuring a top four finish for years to come. United have never finished out of the top three since the Premiership began, and as they have shown with back to back titles, after a three year drought, they relish the challenge of competing against the irresponsible spending of the blank cheque Chelsea. Arsenal have never been a big spending team, and are starting to look like a selling club at times, but instead rely on the prodigious talent and potential of their young stars. At times Arsenal are the best team in the country, and the world, and on rare occasions they are muscled out of games and end up chasing third place and not first. They will have a cautious look at what is happening in Manchester now, especially since they have refused to entertain the idea of being bought out by many on looking billionaires.

The most nervous of all the big four will be Liverpool. They have some of the best players in the world in Steven Gerrard and, inparticular, Fernando Torres, and have added the guile and unorthodix skill of Robbie Keane to their ranks. Keane and Torres could be the best strike duo in Europe. The potential is there, they complement each other, the only thing they need, and this is where Liverpool have failed over the last 18 years, is for them to click. The back ground squabling by the owners, the manager, the chief executive and anyone else who cares to have a go, that has made Liverpool a virtual laughing stock of the elite clubs, and the news of yet more problems with the planned new stadium, mean that Liverpool are at risk of losing their top four place to the new kid on the block, Manchester City.

City wasted no time in flexing their new financial might, with bids for Robinho, Berbatov, Torres, Villa, van Nistelrooy and another player, thought to be Huntelaar of Ajax. All bids were over the British record mark of 30 million pounds that Chelsea paid for Schevchenko, with the Torres bid in excess of 50 million. They only managed to bring in Robinho from Real Madrid for a new British Record of 32 million pounds. Significantly they signed Robinho when he appeared to be heading to Chelsea, who had even been selling shirts with his name on the back last week. Come January they have made it known that they will be spending whatever it takes to bring the best players in the world to Eastlands. Bids for Christiano Ronaldo, thought to be 135 million pounds, Cesc Fabregas and Buffon (70 million pounds) are in the pipe line, as well as many many more.

Chelsea's new transformation under Abromovic saw a spree of spending that could not be believed. City look to make that look small. These are interesting times for English football, and with the league crying out for a challanger to the top four it seems they may have found one.

 Buying success may not always work, but it has for Chelsea, so why not City?

Pic from teamtalk.com

-  Utd land Berbatov at last but what a frigging protracted saga. I got a call from my good mate Shay from the States a couple of hours before the transfer deadline, who'd just heard that Man City had made an audacious bid for the player. He's a big Spurs fan (London boy) and was pissed that the club were considering selling a key player to a top 4 team. I think he could have lived with selling him to Bayern or Barca but Man U (or City) was too much after Keeno left for Liverpool. Fact is money spoke and once the bidding got beyond £30M, all those issues at board level at Spurs got forgotten (including the tapping up accusations against Man U). All very cynical. But I think the loan deal with F Campbell is inspired - how did Gill/Ferguson pull that off?

-  Wenger makes a last minute bid for Alonso. I said he was a great buy for Arsenal. But why did AW wait till the last minute to make the bid - by all accounts he had a £30M transfer kitty so why delay? I suspect AW wants to be viewed as the Prince of Parsimony because he feels the financial structure of the major clubs isn't ethical. So was he looking for a last day bargain?  I suspect yes, but he's short in midfield and I would have signed Alonso weeks ago. But despite having the money, AW missed out. Bad call in my view sorry PGOB but this was a player you absolutely needed in my view and could have had for less than £10M.

-  I said Curbishley would go soon but he has left within frigging hours. Bilic must be in the frame.

-  I also said Thaksin would sell up his interests at City but I didn't figure he'd do it within 24 hours....So City are now owned by the Abu Dhabi bunch. Total fun. I cannot believe that they tried to high-jack the  Berbastov deal but I am absolutely delighted that they stole Robinhio from Kenyon's grasp. Such fun. I can't believe that Man City are backed by impossible wealth but bring it on. Roman Ab are you watching?--

-  Newcastle. I said it could implode and it looks like it's about to happen wih Keegan's apparent departure. Surely all they are discussing now is KK's severance pay - it'll no doubt be millions. Ah well Kev back to the football circus eh. They could go down. Sorry Lol.

Now that's what I call a new season 08!!!!

pp

-

The reports that came out on the 1st were hard to believe, first bidding for Berbatov, then capturing Robinho and since the window has closed more reports are coming through of Man City's new found self confidence in the transfer market (see below).

Obviously the ambition is there and it going to be tough on the current top four, Chelsea can now be easily outbid for a player, how long will Man Utd continue to be the top team in Manchester and how will Arsenal and Liverpool cope as they contiue to try and play catch up with Man Utd and Chelsea with Man City via for the Champions League spot!

Well it's looking to be a very interesting season, especially when the next transfer window rolls around!

City for Torres: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11906_4090567,00.html

City for Ronaldo: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11679_4086955,00.html

City for Villa: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11679_4082539,00.html

City for van Nistelrooy: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03092008/4/city-offered-blank-cheque-ruud.html

Info on the new Man City owners: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7593936.stm

Manchester United have named their former midfielder Mike Phelan as assistant manager. Phelan takes over as no.2 after Carlos Queiroz left to coach Portugal's national side.

"Mick knows Manchester United inside out, having been associated with the club for the best part of 20 years," manager Sir Alex Ferguson said.

Manucho given United Permit

Angola striker Manucho has finally got his work permit and has got the go ahead to play for Manchester United. The 25-year-old was offered a three-year contract by the Old Trafford club in December 2007.

"When we looked at the rules we found that he qualified for a work permit automatically," United Chief Executive David Gill told MUTV.

Hành khách cuối cùng …

Chính xác là phải gọi Berbatov như thế, cho dù anh không tham gia mà có lẽ cũng chưa từng nghe đến tên của Game Show này. Nhưng sự thú vị ở chỗ chuyến tàu chuyển nhượng của United chưa đón bất kì ai trong 90 ngày qua (ngoại trừ một cầu thủ măng non cho đội trẻ, đến từ Roma), và Berba là hành khách đầu tiên ‘lên xe’, cũng là người khóa sổ khi phiên chợ chiều chỉ còn vài chục phút nữa sẽ đóng lại.

Người mới đến bao giờ cũng mang đến vô số ước vọng mới, những mối quan tâm và các dự đoán cho tương lai,  Berbatov thậm chí còn hơn thế. Anh đã giải tỏa cơn khát khủng khiếp trong sự chờ đợi mỏi mòn và những giờ phút hồi hộp khó tả của rất nhiều Manucian. Từ ngày 31/8 khi cánh cửa sắp đóng lại, những tin tức được cập nhật và ngóng trông từng phút, trong nỗi khắc khoải âu lo, vì thực tế là Man Utd đang rất cần một gương mặt mới để san sẻ bớt gánh nặng bảo vệ cú đúp trên đôi vai đã có dấu hiệu mệt mỏi.

Thế rồi 10h trưa hôm 1/9, tập đoàn Đầu tư và Phát triển Abu Dhabi công bố họ vừa bỏ ra một núi tiền để mua lại người anh em cùng thành phố Manchester City. Điều đó cũng sẽ chẳng ảnh hưởng gì ghê gớm lắm đến Quỷ Đỏ nếu như Man xanh không ‘xía mũi’ vào câu chuyện tưởng chừng như đã ngã ngũ trăm phần trăm: 25 triệu bảng, và Tottenham sẽ tống khứ được ngôi sao Berbatov đang đình công từ nửa tháng nay sang Quỷ Đỏ.

14h cùng ngày những tín hiệu đầu tiên được Man xanh phát đi: Mark Hughes tuyên bố muốn có Berbatov, 34 triệu bảng đã được đặt lên bàn thương lượng cùng mức lương ‘khủng’ 150.000 bảng/tuần và City tạm dẫn trước United khi thời gian sắp hết. Một tiếng sau, cũng chính Hughes tuyên bố trên Sky Sports rằng tiền đạo người Bulgaria chắc chắn thuộc về City như một đòn đau giáng vào tham vọng tăng cường sức mạnh của bầy Quỷ Đỏ, trong khi chiếc máy bay chở Berbatov đã đáp xuống Manchester và chỉ có Chúa mới biết trong đầu anh lúc đó đang nghĩ gì!

18h chiều, tức là chỉ còn 6 tiếng nữa để các vụ mua bán hoàn tất kịp thời, những người United (GĐĐH David Gill, Sir Alex và cả các CĐV!) đang hoạt động hết công suất để cứu vớt lại thương vụ ấy. Man City lại muốn mua Mario Gomez và David Villa, đến lúc này có cảm giác đây chỉ là ‘đòn gió’, mọi chuyện vẫn nằm trong tầm tay United nếu thực sự quyết tâm. 22h30, Berbatov về ManU. 15 phút sau, Robinho về ManC, vở kịch khép lại chỉ bằng một bản fax gửi đến BTC giải Ngoại Hạng trong sự sững sờ của tất cả mọi người.

… và một chương mới mở ra?

Còn quá sớm để khẳng định điều đó nhất là khi chưa ai nhìn thấy Berbatov chơi ra sao trong màu áo của Man Utd, nhưng nhất định sự biến chuyển về chất mà Berba mang lại chắc chắn là có. Đã hai năm qua, United thực sự là một cỗ máy nghiền mang công thức “Cristiano và những người bạn”, và giờ là lúc không thể sử dụng cậu chàng ấy như một đầu tàu được nữa.

Lâu lắm rồi Man United mới lại sở hữu một tiền đạo cắm vào loại ‘khủng’ của châu Âu kể từ khi Van Nistelrooy khoác áo Kền kền trắng, và để xoay cái la bàn tấn công ra khỏi quỹ đạo Cristiano kia nhất định cần phải sử dụng Berbatov như là một lá bài quan trọng. Tân binh ‘số 9’ chắc chắn trở thành mũi tấn công cao nhất, xung quanh anh là các đồng đội tuyệt vời như Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo và nhiều người khác nữa.

Kể cả trong trường hợp Sir Alex vẫn trọng dụng cặp ‘song sát’ Rooney - Tevez như hai cây song kiếm, thì việc Berba xuất hiện vẫn sẽ làm Quỷ Đỏ nảy sinh ra những phương án rất mới trong cách vận hành thế công. Sự linh động, uyển chuyển như một nghệ sĩ ballet của Berbatov chính là điều mà United còn thiếu vào lúc này.

Có một điềm may cho ManU: Berbatov là người thích nghi cực tốt trong mọi môi trường thi đấu. Cả ở Sofia, Leverkusen, Tottenham lẫn ĐT Bulgaria, Dimitar đều chơi cực tốt và luôn là chủ công (43 bàn/65 trận cho ĐTQG). Nếu anh vẫn thể hiện như những gì đã từng làm được trong quá khứ (chưa cần xuất sắc hơn!), có thể coi như cái giá 30,75 triệu bảng là không uổng phí, vì United bao giờ cũng bị công thêm ‘phí thương hiệu’ vào mọi bản hợp đồng!

Thế nên, giờ là lúc chờ đợi 'B9' có màn ra mắt. 10 ngày nữa sẽ là Anfield …

(Theo MUSVN)

ในที่สุดดาวยิงสัญชาติบัลแกเรี่ยน ดิมิทาร์ เบอร์บาตอฟ  เซ็นสัญญาชูเสื้อแมนเชสเตอร์ ยูไนเต็ด
ฉีกยิ้มทั้งกาย และใจ เมื่อวันจันทร์ที่ผ่านมา (1 ก.ย.) ด้วยค่าตัว 30.75 ล้านปอนด์ (หรือประมาณ
1,968 ล้านบาท) ด้วยการเซ็นสัญญา 4 ปี  บวกกับ เฟรเซอร์ แคมป์เบลล์ หัวหอกทีมชาติอังกฤษ
ชุดยู-21 ปี ให้กับ "ไก่เดือยทอง" ยืมตัว 1 ฤดูกาล  นับว่าเป็นการเซ็นสัญญาที่ทำเอาใจหายใจ
คว่ำไปตามๆ กัน เมื่อวันเดทไลน์ตลาดซื้อ-ขายนักเตะ พอดี เกือบไป เฮ่อ... :?

จะว่าไปแล้ว เบิร์บ  กับผีแดงมีข่าวกันมาตั้งแต่ยังไม่เปิดฤดูกาล ทางพี่เบิร์บ ใจมาอยู่กับแมนยู
ตั้งแต่มีข่าวว่าท่านเซอร์อยากได้แล้ว  และแมนยูจะทุ่มทุนสร้างซื้อพี่เบิร์บ แต่ทางไก่เดือยทอง
ก็ถือโอกาส น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก เจอเงินตกต้องรีบเก็บ โก่งค่าตัวกันสุดๆ  ทำเอาบอรด์บริหารและท่าน
เซอร์เซ็งเป็ดกันไปตามๆ กัน และเรื่องราว ก็ยึดเยื้อกันมาตลอด

จนกระทั่งเปิดฤดูกาลบอลเตะไป 2 นัด มันก็ยังไม่ได้มาเตะให้ผีแดงซักที กับฟอร์มการเล่นที่สุด
ตีนของบรรดากองหน้า (ประชดนะเนี่ย) เล่น 2 นัด ในลีก ยิง 2 ประตู กับนักเตะในตำนาน
เฟล็ตเชอร์ (แม่งโคตรเทพเลยว่ะ) เฮ่อ... ไม่ได้การ กองหน้ายิงประตูไม่ได้ ต้องรีบแก้ไขด่วน !!!

ว่าแล้วก็ยอมกัดฟันคุดในปาก ควักเงินก้อนโต พร้อมโชเฟอร์ชื่อ อเล็กซ์ เฟอร์กูสัน โฉบไปรับพี่
เบิร์บที่สนามบิน พามาตรวจร่างกาย เซ็นสัญญากันไป นับเป็นสถิตินักเตะค่าตัวแพงที่สุดในเกาะ
อังกฤษ รองจากโรบินโญ่ ที่ไปอยู่กับแมนฯ ซิตี้ ทีมคู่แข่งร่วมเมือง เป็นการเซ็นสัญญาแบบตัด
หน้า แมนฯ ซิตี้ ที่ต้องการพี่เบิร์บเหมือนกัน ไปแบบเส้นยาแดงผ่าหมาก ถูกใจแฟนๆ ผีแดงยิ่งนัก
เรียกได้ว่า เกาถูกที่ เกาถูกจุดจริงๆ 8)

Thank You For Image : http://www.gettyimages.com

I've driven before. I've driven through the maddening traffic of Bangalore. I've driven around on the out-skirts of the city. But everyone of these was put to shame by that drive. OMG ! Those were the roads where merely touching 100kmph is child's play.  100kmph is just the par speed.

Driving beyond 100kmph and listening to the thumping music - Def Leppard and Coldplay - my latest additions on the playlist and the other usual stuff that I love- If not for some wise person a long time ago, I would have certainly made the statement, " If there is any Bliss, It is this...It is this", my own on that day.

The drive, the music- everything seemed to be in sync. Then came the gift from heaven... The RAIN. IT poured...It poured some more and it kept pouring. THAT DID IT !! Just what I wanted.

Yes I couldn't drive at 100kmph while it rained. But the thrill one gets from driving on wonderful roads with lush green paddy fields on either side of the road, some good music pounding into the eardrums and to top it off --the rain...Its probably un-describeable. I so regret the fact that I'm no romantic poet to be able to put in words what I felt that day. It just got big on me. AWESOME. It just made me go into a state of Trance !!

Well, after all this, there had to be a sad news. Ana. My dearest Ana lost :(  and that too in the second round. I just couldn't take it. It was so depressing. But then the US open isn't the last one that she plays in... theres always the Australian open and so on... so I could console myself in hope that dear Ana has some better luck the next time around.

And then came my best-best buddy, my cousin. His presence is enough to make me feel so happy. And thats exactly what had happened. My cousin had come back from his office trip abroad and had come over. We just had so much of fun. An attempt to watch The Dark Knight for the 4th time  {yeah .. .4th time...I've watched the movie 3 F-ing times already} was so rudely cut off by the popularity of the movie. I've never seen any movie being this hugely popular enough to run into full house on the 6th week {or was that the 7th week? }

But then again, whatever happens in life, happens for the better. Yes I missed out on TDK, but was I gonna miss out on the hot chicks ?? HELL NO.

Most of the chicks that come over to malls on the weekends are usually the rich and the wannabe show offs. {Though I have seen chicks who're rich n look bad but thats not the point } I guess they wanna show off their assets <pun ...pun... and only pun :P > and not to mention their macho boyfriends. Whatever the case, they're just hell bent on showing off and who benefits the most from all of this ?? HEHE...the answer is a lil' too obvious isn't it  ;)

So a decent round up of chicks done with, home was such a nice place to be in...as there was this box of chocolates that had to be opened. Variety of chocolates, the things with fillings, the things with some kinda soft n yummy flavors and the dark chocs--were all waiting for ME.

I've been living on the chocs for a couple of days now...and there is this new concern of me consuming all my pile of chocolate... DARN !

Oh btw, September 1st was the kinda date that I'd been waiting for. The new season of Prison Break, Season 4 to be precise was supposed to be aired. The best part of the new season is that the writers, for some reason, have decided to bring back Sara Now...I_GOTTA_WATCH_THE_SHOW__COME_WHAT_MAY__

And that was not just the good news...there had to be more...

The Long awaited move of Dimitar Berbatov from Spuds....err...Spurs to MAN UTD has been completed with a whole lot of drama on the final day of the deadline. And whats more, the uber-rich owner of Chelsea fc has been OUTBID by the new owner of Man City to land in Robinho... THat has to be some news. With this, Chelsea have to make do with ageing Ballack n Decko in the midfield... I'm too keen to see where the club gets to with such ageing players :P

Berbatov to Manchester City?? What?? Can a man not go to work for a few hours and come back to some sort of semblance of a normal footballing world. The weirdest thing is they actually have a bid accepted. 32 million. Ish. Give or take a million. What's a million between friends? Still the smart money with less than four hours left is on Man Utd taking him. Despite Spurs insistence that Utd didn't have permission to talk to Berbatov, the Bulgarian has apparently had a medical already and has certainly met with Alex Ferguson. Utd will more than likely have to up their offer to closer to 30 million given that City have had a huge bid accepted. I wouldn't rule out Spurs playing hardball and keeping Berbatov if Utd refuse to budge, particularly as the relationship between the clubs has gone sour. Whether or not Berbatov will even meet with City remains to be seen. With his hear set on Old Trafford and Champions League football, the likelihood of City snapping him up must be slim.....

Chelsea and Robinho? Real Madrid insist the deal won't be done. Media outlets believe it will, it would certainly be surprising if the Brazilian stays after being so public about his desire to leave...It would also be extremely strange to see Chelsea not buy anyone....Given that it is what they do best, we should probably expect some sort of signing before the end of the day....

Liverpool look more and more lightweight, despite the arrival of Riera from Espanyol. Man City fans remember him as being slightly average. Liverpool fans certainly won't want to look at YouTube clips of the left winger, which make the words Gomez and Cheyrou spring to mind. Has Benitez splashed out on another expensive mistake? Steve Finnan has signed for Espanyol. In a slightly bizarre move (It's nowhere near Aston Villa Stevie...) the Spanish and Irish players have swapped clubs, suggesting Liverpool got a little bit of cash off the deal given that both have been undisclosed....Liverpool have also offloaded Voronin to Hertha Berlin and with the news that Torres will miss their next game against Utd, the Merseysiders look slightly weak up front.

Sunderland have continued their recruitment drive by bringing in George McAcrtney from West Ham which could pave the way for Paolo Ferreira to move across London from Chelsea. Rumour has it the Portugese is on his way to Upton Park with Northern Irish international McCartney already signed on a year-long loan for Roy Keane's men...

The thing about transfer deadline day is that once one deal goes through, a whole lot more follow.....

With Berbatov on his way out of White Hart Lane and Pavlyuchenko having already signed, Emile Heskey is reportedly on his way to Spurs. This will apparently pave the way for a Wigan bid for Man Utd striker Fraizer Richardson. Unless they go for Mido. Which could mean the Utd striker choosing Hull.....

Over the course of the day, things go back and forth and as it stands at the moment, Berbatov is having a medical at Man Utd, and then supposedly going to talk to City. I'm so confused, but i'll update later with what happens.

In other news, Spurs have signed Pavlyuchenko and Corluka, Everton have signed Saha (praise the lord!) and Man City have signed, with their massive new wealth...no-one.

Update

Well the window has closes, and United have completed the signing of Berbatov for around £30m, with Frazier Campell going to Spurs on loan for the season.

The more shocking news is that Man City have managed to pinch Robinho from under the noses of Chelsea, which I find absolutley brilliant. Even better, the two clubs face each other in their next game. That'll be intresting to watch. The deals worth in the region of £34m, and a supposed £92,000 a week, so much for the credit crunch. It'll be intresting to see what City get up to in January.

If more Arabic buyers come into the Premiership, it should make the league more competitive, with other teams challenging the top four...provinding Arsenal and Liverpool don't get bought out.

I'm sure there will be more deals announced in the morning, but in the mean time, bed calls and the idea of Lego Star Wars is floating around in my brain.

This was followed this summer by Wayne’s well publicised visit to the island to attend a stag party – much to the glee of the local paparazzi, who were to be defied when Wayne decided to ‘stay home at the villa’ on the actual stag night? Other important business to attend to perhaps? – millionaires are usually very busy people…

Rooney’s current contract runs until 2012, which ties in neatly with Sir Alex’s recently declared intention to retire from Manchester United to manage the proposed GB Olympic team in London. Could it be that Rooney is planning for the post-Sir Alex period by retiring to Ibiza with his millions?

Local estate agents report no contact from either Rooney or Sir Alex, but are renowned for their almost Olympian respect for the privacy of their client’s.

In the meantime we learn that Lima has another meeting planned this week with Rooney in nearby Barcelona, when the latter plays for England against Andorra. Lima, who is also the captain of the Andorra side, saw his Eivissa team lose this weekend 3-0 to Soledad.

With Rooney up front it could have been a different story…

Tiền đạo 23 tuổi này là cầu thủ người Trung Quốc đầu tiên khoác áo Quỷ Đỏ sau khi anh chuyển tới từ câu lạc bộ quê nhà là Đại Liên tháng Một năm 2004.

Tuy nhiên Dong lại không tạo được ấn tượng cũng như ảnh hưởng của mình tại United, với chỉ 3 lần được ra sân trong đội một của Quỷ Đỏ.

Đến United nhưng lại không được cấp giấy phép lao động tại Anh, cầu thủ quốc tế người Trung Quốc này đã được United cho đội bóng của Bỉ Royal Antwerp mượn trong 2 năm trước khi được phép chơi bóng ở Anh. Anh cũng đã ghi được 35 bàn thắng trong 61 lần ra sân cho đội bóng của Bỉ.

Trong suốt thời gian sau khi trở lại Anh, Dong liên tục phải vật lộn với những chấn thương. Cuối cùng hai bên đã thống nhất đồng ý việc chấm dứt hợp đồng.

(Theo MUSVN)

Man Utd 0-1 Zenit St. Petersberg

A ten man United team lost to Uefa Cup holders Zenit in Friday's Super cup tie.

First Half:

The Russians were dominating possesion for most the first half as Zenit took the lead when Pavel Pogrebnyak scored from close range just before the interval. Zenit gave United defence a torrid time with Patrive Evra and Gary Neville always out of position. Zenit's counter attacking style and flair showed as Konstantin Zyryanov and Aleksandr Anyukov set up two great chances but Pogrebnyak couldn't convert. United's best chance was when the brilliant Carlos tevez ran down the right wing and layed it off to Rooney but didn't judge it and went under his legs.

Second Half:

United were hoping to pull a goal back but new boy Danny scored a superb goal as he foiled the whole backtracking United defence. With O'shea and Park coming on United showed enthusiasm late on as o'shea and Tevez had good chances. With United's best 20 minutes of the match came a Vidic goal from a corner. Nani swang one in with Rooney controlling then finding Tevez who layed it off for Vidic too score. But they were still frustrated as showed by Paul Scholes who handled the ball for his second booking. Zenit then eased for the last 5 minutes and deservedly won the game.

Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar 6, Gary Neville 4.5 [Wes Brown 76, 5.5], Rio Ferdinand 6, Nemanja Vidic 6.5, Patrice Evra 6, Darren Fletcher 5.5 [John O’Shea 60, 6.5], Anderson 5.5 [Park Ji-Sung 60, 6], Paul Scholes 5.5, Nani 4.5, Wayne Rooney 6.5, Carlos Tevez 7.5.

Zenit St Petersburg: Vyacheslav Malafeev 6.5, Ivica Krizanac 6 [Vladislav Radimov 70, 6], Alexander Anlukov 6.5, Sebastien Puygrenier 6 [Roman Shirokov 62, 5], Radek Shirl 6.5, Konstatin Zyranov 6.5, Danny 8.5*, Igor Denisov 6.5, Anatoli Tymoschuk 6.5, Pavel Pogrebnyak 7.5 , Alejandro Dominguez 6 [Andrei Arshavin 46, 6.5].

Man of the Match: Danny- What a super signing. Worth his 25m price tag he ran the United defence ragged and deserved a goal.

Flop of the Match: Nani- He should have gone off and had no end product with feeble crosses. He was forlorn and i'm starting to think that he is a waste of money.

Battle of the match: Carlos Tevez-Zenit: He seemed like the only player who played for a team who won the champions league last year. His work rate was superb he just couldn't get the same from his players. Zenit were only playing Carlos Tevez United for most of the match. We need a new striker and Ronaldo back.

The first goal was very well worked from a corner on the stroke of half time. An awesome flick on (I would say the players name but I don't remember it and wouldn't try spelling it) taking it over Van Der Sar's (I know that name) head.

Danny's solo effort on the hour mark doubled Zenit's lead with some poor, shaky defending my Manchester United. This was the turning point in the match in terms of performance and Zenit sort of fell asleep whereas Man Utd received a rude awaking. After that, Man Utd's freshness kicked into gear as well as Zenit's fatigue.

United's performance was pretty dull and flat up until this point. There were few moments of real penetration and football that we're used to seeing from the Red Devils but no real chance was created. After they second goal Man Utd came alive and were really piling on the pressure. Their goal had a pinch of luck but was deserved and they probably did deserve more from the game.

I decided to set this whole paragraph on Scholes' sending off. It has to be one of the funniest I've seen as his version of the 'Hand of God' which was more like a volleyball smash straight into the top corner of the goal. Would of been the greatest goal he's ever scored and maybe even goal of the season.

My man of the match: Carlos Tevez. No surprises about what he brought to the team with pace, aggression and the stubbornness never to give up! Looked really sharp and created the play very well and tracked back to defend when needed. The Olympics have probably played a good role in this as it's increased his sharpness compared to others still regaining it.

I was going to talk about Rooney and how he really played well in the second half of the game, but that is closely linked to the way in which he's used by both Sir Alex and Fabio Capello. This area is huge and will need another blog to talk about. Stay tuned to read it!

The Super Cup is a one time match up featuring the winners of last year’s Champions League Final and UEFA Cup Final. Champions League Winner’s Manchester United, headed up against Zenit St. Petersburg, at the Stade Louis II stadium in Monaco, France. A noticeable hole in the Manchester United line-up was Cristiano Ronaldo, who underwent ankle surgery during the summer. United were also without Owen Hagreaves who is still dealing with his reoccurring knee injury, and Michael Carrick who also has an ankle problem. On the bright side, Manchester United welcome back captain Gary Neville who had been sidelined for more than a year with a complex ankle injury. Furthermore, Portuguese youngster Nani will be back on the team to provide a burst of energy down the flanks.

Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia beat Glasgow Rangers last year in the UEFA Cup final and were poised to throw a rock at the European Champions’ throne that United rightfully earned in last year’s campaign. Zenit will be delighted to have Pavel Pogrebnyak back who was out of action due to a knee injury. Also Zenit’s club record signing (€30 million), Danny, is set to make his European debut for the club and hopefully impress the rest of the world with his ability. However, Russia’s Euro 2008 hit wonder, Andrei Arshavin, was left on the bench tonight possibly due to speculation of a transfer.

The first half showcased a less than impressive Manchester United, who seemed to lack their usual offensive prowess. United had a fair amount of possession but they lacked the edge that they so blatantly had last season. The match started off very slowly with not much action taking place. After about 30 minutes things started picking up, but more so for the Russian outfit than United. As the half was reaching its close, the Russian side created more and more opportunities, showcasing some impressive flowing football. United were hoping to cling on until half time unitil Zenit claimed the first goal of the final, just a minute before half time. The goal came from a corner when Denisov headed the ball towards the back post where Pogrebniak beat Scholes to head in from 3 yards out.

Andrei Arshavin was brought on for Zenit, to the delight of any football fan who can appreciate a quality playmaker, except for Manchester United, who would have preferred him on the bench. In the second half United started off strong, containing possession with some fluid passes, but yet to disturb the Zenit goal with any deadly opportunities. After a few opportunities from each team, Zenit struck again in the 59^th minute through Danny. After a couple of connecting passes Danny made his way into the United box and shook the ball past defender Rio Ferdinand and fired the ball past keeper Van der Sar from 12 yards out, a quality finish. The play continued with Zenit playing on the front foot, trying to even further bury the Champions of Europe. After a switch of possession, Manchester United won a corner, of which Nemanja Vidic headed past Malafeev, the Zenit keeper. The centre back found himself in acres of space and was able to beat the three defenders who were on the goal line. Manchester United was revived and the once comfortable Zenit were now under immense pressure to hold onto their lead. United maintained the majority of possession towards the end of the second half, in search of a vital equalizer. Manchester United persisted to press on for another goal to level the scoring and save themselves the blushes of losing to their underdog opponents. Unfortunately, veteran midfielder Paul Scholes guided the ball with his hand into the goal from a Nani cross, which resulted in a second yellow card. It was a disappointing lapse of focus on Scholes’ part whose intentional handball gave him a red card, and his marching orders back the dressing room. As a result, he will be suspended for the opening game of the Champions League. The referee blew the whistle to the delight of Zenit, who were holding on until full time was called.

The final score in Monaco is in Zenit’s favor, 2-1. Danny was rightfully named man of the match and all football fans will be eager to see how he can perform on the top stage of Europe. If Zenit can retain this level of quality in their game, they will be sure to put up a fight for the Champions League title. As for Manchester United, they cannot solely rely on Cristiano Ronaldo to bring them glory, they must figure out a way to produce good results without being dependent upon the UEFA player of the year.

Mẫu trang phục thứ ba của Man United mùa này được các nhà thiết kế lấy ý tưởng từ thành công của Quỷ đó trong năm 1968 khi họ đánh bại Benfica 4-1 để giành chức vô địch Champions league lần đầu tiên.

Tròn 40 năm kể từ lần đầu tiên bước lên ngôi vị cao nhất tại giải đấu danh giá nhất Lục địa già, nhà tài trợ Nike đã thiết kế 1 bộ trang phục thi đấu mới rất bắt mắt nhưng cũng rất hoành tráng với 1 đội bóng vĩ đại trong đêm Wembley tuyệt vời đó. Điều đặc biệt ở chiếc áo đấu mới là ở bên ngực trái của mỗi cầu thủ sẽ có thêm 1 khoanh chữ tròn bao bọc logo truyền thống của câu lạc bộ, hai dòng chữ được thêu xung quanh logo là "May 29th 1968" và "40th Year Anniversary".

Trước bộ trang phục mới mang đậm tính “nhân văn”, đội trưởng Gary Neville cho hay: “Tôi rất ấn tượng về cách mà các nhà thiết kế đã mất khá nhiều công sức để có được 1 bộ trang phục thi đấu quá đỗi ấn tượng như thế. Đặc biệt hơn là trong cái vẻ hiện đại đó lại toát lên một điều gì đó rất truyền thống. Nó như nhắc mỗi cầu thủ nhớ đến những đóng góp của những con người đã làm nên một Manchester United hùng mạnh như ngày hôm nay.

“Ngay cả các fan hâm mộ cũng sẽ luôn cảm nhận được sự khác biệt khi họ là cổ động viên của MU.”

Rio Ferdinand thì tâm sự: "Khi bạn nhìn vào dòng chữ được in xung quanh logo, bạn sẽ nhớ về đội hình tuyệt vời nhất trong lịch sử MU năm 1968 với những George Best và Bobby Charton. Họ đã từng giành được rất nhiều vinh quang với bộ trang phục màu xanh của thập niên 60,70 của thế kỷ trước vậy tại sao những người của thế hệ chúng tôi lúc này lại lãng quên. Tôi cho rằng mẫu áo này khi chúng tôi mặc lên, nó giúp cho mỗi cầu thủ MU nhớ về những chiến tích hiển hách của những đàn anh đi trước.”

Wayne Rooney cũng chia sẻ: "Trang phục mới thật đẹp, nó được thiết kế giành riêng cho 40 năm kỷ niệm cho lần đầu tiên MU giành chiến thắng tại Châu Âu. Sẽ có khác biệt thật ớn nếu ra sân với bộ trang phục toàn xanh nhưng đó là một phần của lịch sử và tôi trân trọng điều đó."

(Theo Bóng Đá)

Manucho sẽ chưa thể ra mắt đội một United sớm bởi cầu thủ này đang phải hồi phục sau một chấn thương bàn chân dù đã được triệu tập về Old Trafford hồi đầu mùa hè này.

Cầu thủ quốc tế người Angola Manucho đã trải qua nửa cuối mùa giải trước dưới dạng cho mượn ở đội bóng Hi Lạp Panathinaikos, khi mà vấn đề giấy phép lao động chưa cho phép anh chơi bóng ở Anh.

Dù vậy, vấn đề đó hiện đã được giải quyết và cầu thủ 25 tuổi có thể tự do thi đấu cho United.

Nhưng việc đó sẽ không xảy ra cho đến khi anh bình phục hoàn toàn sau chấn thương bàn chân. Chấn thương này đã khiến anh bỏ lỡ chuyến du đấu trước mùa giải của United ở Nam Phi và Nigeria.

“Cậu ấy vẫn đang trong giai đoạn hồi phục và đã tập luyện nhẹ trở lại,” Ferguson nói.

“Tiến trình hồi phục chấn thương vẫn đang rất khả quan. Nhưng cậu ấy vẫn chưa đủ thể lực để ra sân trong một trận đấu chính thức.”

(Theo MUSVN)

• Bảng A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, CFR Cluj
• Bảng B: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis
• Bảng C: Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, Atletico Madrid
• Bảng D: Man Utd, Villarreal, Celtic, Aalborg
• Bảng E: Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk
• Bảng F: Lyon, Bayern Munich, Steaua Bucharest, Fiorentina
• Bảng G: Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbahce, Dynamo Kiev
• Bảng H: Real Madrid, Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg, Bate Borisov

Kết thúc vòng bảng, hai đội đứng đầu mỗi bảng giành quyền đi tiếp vào vòng loại trực tiếp. Các đội đứng thứ ba xuống chơi ở Cup UEFA. Trận chung kết Champions League mùa này dự kiến diễn ra tại sân Olimpico (Rome, Italy) vào ngày 27/5/2009.

Theo Nemanja Vidic, tâm sự của anh trên tờ Football Weekly của Nga mới đây đã phần nào bị hiểu sai. Việc anh không thích khi hậu cũng như lối sống nặng tính công nghiệp ở Anh không đồng nghĩa với việc anh muốn ra đi.

"Tôi muốn giải thích cặn kẽ sự việc lần này", Vidic phân trần. "Đúng là tôi có nói về những khó khăn gặp phải khi sống ở Manchester, nhưng không có nghĩa là điều đó phản ánh được việc tôi thực sự cảm thấy thế nào khi ở đây".

"Tôi rất thích cuộc sống ở Manchester, giống như khi tôi được là cầu thủ của MU vậy. Tôi thấy hạnh phúc khi trở thành một phần của đội bóng vĩ đại này. Tôi nghĩ, tôi đã cho mọi người thấy được niềm hạnh phúc đó trong cái cách tôi thi đấu hàng tuần".

Trung vệ người Serbia chuyển đến MU vào đầu năm 2006 từ Spartak Moscow (Nga). Anh nhanh chóng hòa nhập và trở thành một phần quan trọng của đội chủ sân Old Trafford từ đó.

Vidic cùng Rio Ferdinand hiện được xem là một trong những cặp đôi trung vệ tốt nhất của bóng đá châu Âu. Họ góp công rất lớn, bên cạnh sự bùng nổ của một vài nhân tố ở tuyến trên, làm nên cú đúp Champions League và Ngoại hạng đẹp mắt của "Quỷ đỏ" mùa trước.

(Theo VnExpress)

Hình ảnh Ronaldo chạy bộ xung quanh khu huấn luyện Carrington của United đã cho thấy những tin hiệu vui từ quá trình hồi phục của cầu thủ này sau ca phẫu thuật mắt cá.

HLV của United Sir Alex Ferguson đã được đề nghị tiếp tục để ngôi sao Bồ Đào Nha này ngồi ngoài cho đến đầu tháng Mười mặc dù mục tiêu của anh là trở lại sân cỏ sớm hơn thế.

"Đã hai tháng không được chơi bóng, thật sự tôi chưa bao giờ phải trải qua cảm giác như thế này. Tôi rất muốn mình nhanh chóng bình phục," anh phát biểu trên đài SIC của Bồ Đào Nha.

"Tôi không thường xuyên phải đứng ngoài cuộc chơi. Tôi thực sự đã rất buồn, nhưng những giây phút tồi tệ nhất đã qua và tôi nhận ra một điều tôi phải hết sức kiên nhẫn. Hiện tại, tôi cảm thấy rất khỏe và tôi sắp trở lại sân cỏ. Thứ làm cho tôi hạnh phúc là được chơi bóng."

Với phong độ vô cùng ấn tượng ở mùa giải trước, Ronaldo trở thành ứng cử viên sáng giá cho danh hiệu Cầu thủ xuất sắc nhất năm của FIFA và cầu thủ 23 tuổi này tin tưởng vào cơ hội dành cho mình.

"Tôi cho rằng mình đã có một mùa giải thành công. Và nếu tôi dành được danh hiệu của FIFA, đó sẽ là một giấc mơ có thật đối với tôi," anh tiếp tục. "Không có bất cứ cầu thủ nào có màn trình diễn xuất sắc như tôi đã thể hiện mùa trước. Vì thế tôi tin mình sẽ giành danh hiệu đó trong năm nay."

(Theo MUSVN)

This was a great Albion side, including Bomber Brown, Cyrile Regis, Laurie Cunningham etc... A bit before my time but I still love watching these games, notice how Cunningham is getting booed for being a black player, but answers the boos with some great dribbling and bagging a goal. Albion's second is quite special, and the commentators reaction to the final goal is priceless.

Enjoy!

After a Wednesday spent scoring two goals for your country, celebrated with a bit of badge-snogging for good measure, you take a flight home the following afternoon. It's been a little tiring, you know, 90 minutes representing your country, but the pair of goals, subsequent adulation and the 5-star bed you finally fell asleep in certainly help with recovery. 

You prepare to catch your flight back to England, where your day-job is. A spot of 5-star breakfast perhaps, a ciggy and the paper maybe, perhaps even a squirrel or two to feed from your hotel room balcony if you're lucky. You might check your bank balance, but more likely you won't, because doubtless there are people in place to do that for you. And anyway, how many zeros to the left of the decimal point do you need before you know the quids really are in? Even you cannot have allowed it to go from 7 to 6 in the last 2 seasons. So it's OK, life is still tolerable in a financial sense.

Your mood is perhaps a little low. Funny really. Two goals, a national hero, a comfortable existence, yet somehow, your spirit just feels a little deflated. You have people working for you who can help with that sort of stuff, but they're not being overly helpful either. Because even though you have the sort of job in England that most people in your profession would die for, even though this job pays you enough to keep seven zeros-plus to the left of the decimal point, and even though this job comes with a staff and team which are largely designed to help you and your very special skills shine, there's whispers of another job. Where there might be even more zeros to the left of the decimal, and perhaps more tangible rewards to be gained. And even though you signed a contract with your current employer, you sort of want to go to that other job now. 

A completely random image which has nothing to do with this column's subject...

But it's so terribly tough. How on earth can it happen? Your contract is binding and the people who have offered you a new job (via representatives of course) don't actually want to pay the rate of compensation your skill set and current contract requires. How horrible! How beastly! How sad! You take another puff of your morning ciggy, comb back your hair and look deep into your own, soulful, moody deep blue eyes. You dig out a pair of Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses for fear that the sadness in your eyes might be seen by another British reporter, you sigh with a deep breath and you head for the airport.

En route, your representative calls you. He suggests that parties close to those who are offering the new job have suggested that perhaps your poor mind isn't in the right place. 'Take a sick-day' is the advice, call in on Saturday with a health issue. Problem is, your energy levels were there for all to see yesterday, and your enthusiastic celebration was not that of a man with troubles on his mind. 'No no, this is all about stress and the right-frame of mind' you're told, 'it's obvious that you cannot even contemplate attempting your work on Saturday with your mind where it currently is, so you must simply pull a sickie.'

A sickie, you think...what is this 'sickie'? A free day? Is it like bunking off from school?

'Yes yes, something like that, but don't worry because they can't do anything about it, they're scared and confused right now and aren't sure how to handle this situation. And if you up the ante by doing this, it could push them to let you go to the new job where there will be more zeros to the left of the decimal point WITHOUT losing any of the zeros to the left of the decimal point you would be due from your current job! It's a 'health' matter, right?'

Right, you think. It is. In fact, you feel frail and weak even thinking about it all right now...please, please God, you just want to do my job and go home and feed my squirrels! You just want it all to be easy and simple like it used to be. You just want no pressure and for everyone to appreciate my talents and let me take them where I want to take them. Why can't everyone just be reasonable and let you do what you want to do when you want to do it?

So actually, sod this. You WILL take the advice of 'them' and you WILL pull a 'sickie' and you WON'T show up for work on Saturday. You won't lie and say you have a strain, you'll just be honest and tell them that mentally-speaking, you couldn't do your job properly at that time so it's best for you not to show up at all.

And then hey, hopefully they will understand that unless they let you do what you want when you want to, that you might have these sorts of 'issues' often, and that you cannot guarantee you will ever be able to do your current job properly (at least not until you know the other job offer becomes legally suspended for 6 months, starting September 2nd). And you are very sorry if it seems selfish or rude or inconsiderate or even illegal given the fact you signed a contract, you cannot help that, it's how you feel, and as a man with immense talents and skills surely everyone should be able to understand that when your 'dream' stage presents itself, you should be allowed to go. After all, you gave one and a half years of great service in the last two working years (yes, you know, August/September/October are always mentally delicate months for you and it's such a shame those clash with the start of your day-job's annual calendar) so it's not like you haven't shown extreme and enormous loyalty?!

Anyhow, you'll clock in tomorrow morning if only to try and protect your zeros to the left of the decimal point, but as for the sickie? Well, you can only 'pull a sickie' on the day you don't want to work, or that's what you've been told...so tomorrow you'll just be your usual, quiet self. And on Saturday, after an unusually pleasant and rare morning at home feeding the little furry friends, you'll call the boss...

* This is a fictional account. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. However, for the record, Jumpers For Goalposts believes whoever this 'employees' boss is should stick firm, hold out, draft the replacement employees in and refuse to release the 'delicate' one to his desired 'dream' destination until May 2009. Of course, utopian actions like this are the stuff of fans and fantasists. The reality is that employees like this and the dirty, fetid-yet-smooth operators around them, are not new to such games. They don't care about their public sponsors, and they don't care about the impact their behavior has on vast communities. Their methodology has always lacked a moral compass, and to assume any different is almost endearingly naive. And so we are left with a vicious, dirty little war, played out in extreme passive-aggression, where only the biggest bastards win and where the hero depends on who your chosen bastard is. 

It's really, really sad...