Official Man United Supporters' Thread

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Sir Alex Ferguson's trust in Manchester United young guns pays off
Benfica, December 2005. Manchester United are defeated in Estadio da Luz, they finish bottom of their Champions League group and are eliminated from Europe.

Roy Keane had been ushered out of the club three weeks earlier, Sir Alex Ferguson's young players had recently been humiliated at Middlesbrough and against Lille and the cracks in Ruud van Nistelrooy's relationship with the United manager had begun to widen beyond repair.

It was the winter of Manchester United's discontent, Ferguson's 19-year reign was in peril and, with Chelsea flourishing under Jose Mourinho, the future appeared bleak at Old Trafford.

But as United endured their nadir in Lisbon, Ferguson was afforded solid backing by the Glazer family, who sanctioned the January 2006 purchases of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, and the manager was left to mould his callow squad into the club's next great team.

Few rated Ferguson's chances of re-creating former glories, especially with Roman Abramovich bankrolling Chelsea to success, but as United move closer to becoming the first club in the Champions League era to retain the European Cup in Rome on May 27, after toppling Arsenal in the semi-final second leg 3-1 on Tuesday night, 4-1 on aggregate, the 67-year-old is on the brink of exceeding perhaps even his own expectations.

Seven of those players who took the field against Benfica on that miserable night in Lisbon contributed to Arsenal's downfall at the Emirates on Tuesday evening.

The initial naïvety of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and John O'Shea back in 2004 has been replaced by experience – while the already experienced Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar have forged ahead with renewed desire.

It has been a long road from Lisbon to Rome, but Ferguson's ruthless disposal of Keane and Van Nistelrooy and the focus on, and trust placed in, youth is now paying an incredible dividend.

Rooney, who stands to win a second European Cup before his 24th birthday, said: "The team is now a lot better than when I joined [in 2004]. When I first arrived, I was 18, Cristiano was 19, Fletch [Darren Fletcher] was 20.

"We had a lot of young players, but over the last few years we've developed the experience that has helped the team to progress.

"Once Abramovich went into Chelsea, though, and all that money was pumped into them, it looked like it would be hard to beat them, especially after they won two titles in a row. But thankfully, we stopped them from winning the League for a third year running and from there we've really kicked on.

"Over the last couple of seasons, some of the football we have played has been brilliant and, if we can reproduce that over the next couple of years, we can get better.

"But you have to take each season as it comes. It's only when people actually tell you what we can achieve this season that you realise what an achievement it would be."

Ferguson has admitted that the "horrible" part of his job revolves around judging when to cut adrift those players who have served him well, but who no longer offer the qualities required to excel at Old Trafford.

"You have to have a certain instinct in you that tells you when it's time to change a team and make the changes," he said. "You could say it's ruthlessness, but I don't think it's that. It's a compassion for your club." That compassion is likely to see Ferguson name Ji-Sung Park in his starting line-up in Rome. The South Korean, omitted from the squad for last year's final against Chelsea in Moscow, has become a regular this season and the United manager has suggested that he will be involved in the Olympic Stadium.

Ferguson said: "Ji-Sung is one of our most underrated players. He came back tired from South Korea recently, but we gave him a break and you saw the results of that against Arsenal.

"He never stopped running and his movement and use of space was very good. I don't think he'll be disappointed this time."

The United manager's main quandary in Rome is likely to focus on where to deploy Rooney. The England forward has been used as a left-sided midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation recently, with Ronaldo operating as the spearhead up-front.

"Do I like playing there? Well, yes. Sometimes. In some games you get a lot of freedom, in others, you have to defend for the team. Some days you enjoy it, some days it's not so good," said Rooney.

"I've always said that playing up front as part of a two is my favourite position."

Success in Rome would secure United's fourth European Cup and Ferguson's third, which would match Bob Paisley's record.

Ferguson said: "We have the opportunity to get to four now. Hopefully we won't miss that opportunity."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/5287050/Sir-Alex-Fergusons-trust-in-Manchester-United-young-guns-pays-off.html

Nice read:)
 
For Henry: You people are racists and polarize opinion by making spiteful Youtube videos.

Couldn't resist :D

Before I get another red card: go to to this thread and see my last post
 
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Whatsup with Rio? Did he pass his fitness test?

Missed the start of the game and was waiting to hear some sort of update.
 
Genius. said:
Whatsup with Rio? Did he pass his fitness test?

Missed the start of the game and was waiting to hear some sort of update.
Click to expand...
Fergie said that if he didn't play on Sunday then he wouldn't play on Wed (Reason being that he had to prove his fitness). I doubt that he will be left out of Wednesday though, I think they gave him a long rest just for Wednesday's game:)
 
dbecks said:
Fergie said that if he didn't play on Sunday then he wouldn't play on Wed (Reason being that he had to prove his fitness). I doubt that he will be left out of Wednesday though, I think they gave him a long rest just for Wednesday's game:)
Click to expand...

That is also what I heard...
 
MESSI: I`D PAY TO WATCH RONALDO
Posted 26/05/09 08:16



Lionel Messi has revealed he would pay to watch Cristiano Ronaldo, while also reaffirming his wish to play for Barcelona for the rest of his career.

Messi goes head-to-head with the Manchester United ace in Wednesday night's highly-anticipated Champions League final in Rome.

The Argentinian wizard has acknowledged Sir Alex Ferguson's troops have quality all over the pitch, though he believes Ronaldo stands out the most.

While Messi thinks it is imperative to shut down Ronaldo in Rome, he knows it will also be prudent to keep an eye on the likes of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez.

"Manchester United have quality everywhere," Messi told the Daily Mail.

"So many good players. But if I had to pick one out it would be Ronaldo.

"He is a player I would pay to watch.

"He and I are very different players but he is unbelievable, very special, and it will not be easy to stop him.

"But we must not pay all attention to him and forget about Berbatov, Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

"Manchester United have players all over the pitch who can punish you in the same way we have."

Messi has again reaffirmed his loyalty to the Catalan giants stating he wants to remain with the club for the rest of his career.

The 21-year-old has been linked with an audacious move to arch-rivals Real Madrid, but he has not given a second though to leaving Camp Nou.

"I have said so many times that I am so happy at Barcelona, and I have no desire to ever leave," he continued.

"I owe them so much. I want to repay them for the rest of my career. I am loyal to Barcelona.

"The doctors at home in Argentina told my parents I would never grow past 4ft 5in.

"The medical bills were very high. My father took on other jobs but even then it was not enough for the other bills.

"Nobody else was prepared to take a chance on me apart from Barcelona and if it was not for them I would not even be a professional football player."

Meanwhile, the Barca playmaker is hoping the likes of Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry can be fit for the Roma spectacle.

"Iniesta has had a spectacular season and it's the same with Henry, who has scored a lot of goals. It will be a lot easier if they are there," he told Sport.

"I hope that both can be in the final, they are very important and deserve to play in a game like this. It would be very good."
Click to expand...
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5348572,00.html
 
What????, pay to watch someone dive, fall over and whine the whole game. No thank you.
 
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