I came across this article some time back but forgot to post it. Harry Redknapp & Alex Ferguson share some lesser known facts and incidents they witnessed in their managerial career.
They have 61 years and more than 2000 games of managerial experience between them and in London this week, at a dinner organised by the League Managers’ Association to honour their exclusive 1,000 club, Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp shared some of their stories.The much-respected managers of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur delivered a quite brilliant 45-minute performance.
The best bits are highlighted………
Tell us about that first game in management.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: 1974. East Stirling against Tranmere and a young Steve Coppell was playing centre forward for Tranmere. I’d been in the same position as every manager that finishes playing one day and becomes a manager the next.
When I took over the job I had eight players, and the chairman, Willie Muirhead, who was a great old man, was a chain smoker and when he had a problem the smoking went quicker.
I said: ‘Mr Chairman, can I have a list of the players?’ and he started coughing, the fag was going at a hundred miles an hour, and the list had eight players and no goalkeeper.
He said they would have a board meeting and raise some money for me. He came back and said he had £2,000, and I started trawling the free list. My first signing is now the manager of Ross County, George Adams. I paid £100 and to this day I think it was too much! But it was great because it taught you how to survive.
HARRY REDKNAPP: 1983, Bournemouth against Lincoln. I’d taken over on the Friday and the next day most of the games were called off because it was so cold the pitches were frozen solid.
But Lincoln, who were one of the best teams in the division at the time, came down, took one look at the pitch and then re-emerged with pimpled studs. We only had long nylon studs, and we could hardly stand up in the kick-about.
Anyway we’re 8-0 down, we’ve just won a corner and the kitman is screaming at the centre-half to get up the pitch. ‘We’re not going to win 9-8,’ I said. We lost 9-0 and I honestly thought that my first game was going to be my last.
What memories of Aberdeen do you most cherish Sir Alex?
SAF: I had a wonderful chairman there, Dick Donald. The man became like a father to me after I lost my own. I remember what he said before my last cup final with Aberdeen.
‘I wouldn’t mind if we lost this,’ says the chairman. ‘Why did you say a thing like that?!’ I ask him. ‘Well, I think some of these boys are getting carried away with themselves,’ he says. ‘Give me an example,’ I say to him.
‘Well, take Willie Miller, the captain. I saw his wife the other day wearing a leather coat!’
And what about some of those players, Harry, at West Ham?
HR: Paolo Di Canio was a favourite. I used to always make sure he was on the winning side in training. I’d make sure Stuart Pearce and Nigel Winterburn were on his team so nobody kicked him. But he was brilliant.
I also had Florin Raducioiu, a World Cup star for Romania. One day we went to play Stockport County and he went shopping at Harvey Nics instead. He took the in-laws. Then there was Paulo Futre. He was a wonderful player, too, but the first game of the season we went to Arsenal. Paulo walked in, holding up his shirt. He says ‘Futre not 16, Futre 10. Maradona, Pele, Eusebio, Futre 10.’
I tried to explain about squad numbers and team sheets but he gave me some almighty grief. So I said put your shirt on or kindly leave the dressing room ... in so many words.
The next thing I know he’s gone. So I went outside to the ref and said look, Frank Lampard Snr has made a mistake. I said he’s put Paulo Futre’s name on the team sheet and he’s not even here!
Then Arsene Wenger comes out and says ‘what is this, tactics?’ I said ‘No, it’s Frank’s cock-up’. He then let me change the names on the team sheet — and they still beat us 3-0.
The matter was resolved when Paulo lent John Moncur his villa on the Algarve for two weeks and got the No 10 shirt in exchange.
What’s the most difficult part of the job today?
SAF: It’s a different player character we’ve got today. It’s a player who’s more fragile than players were 25 years ago.
They are maybe more cocooned today by the agents, or by the press they receive at times. They’re less likely to hold their hands up and say they’re at fault for things. If you go back 30 years you had a player with a certain pride, a responsibility for their own performance.
They were less protected so they could come in and say ‘hands up, my fault’. And that was good.
Today they are very protected, more fragile than ever, and that’s a lot to do with the type of people who guide them like agents, or even to a degree the press, who protect the stars, whereas years ago they didn’t have that protection.
A thing that has gone for managers is the old way we’d negotiate. If I wanted to buy a player from Harry I’d phone him up, or he’d phone me. Those days have gone. Now it’s all conducted by agents phoning the chairman or chief executive.
I don’t get calls from agents as such. Nonetheless, they conduct most transfers — it’s not right. I’ve had to handle that... it’s the new way.
There’s a great book called United Unlimited and there’s a fantastic photo of Manchester United versus Leeds United in the Sixties and there’s absolute mayhem in the middle of the pitch. The players are fighting and biting and scratching. And in the background there’s not a bit of emotion from the fans. Today you see the culture among the supporters, they’re over the fence, they’re screaming, they’re bawling. It’s different today and a reason, allied with other things, why chairmen react quickly and get rid of their manager.
HR: We’ll end up with a league full of billionaire owners, all winners in whatever they do in their life, all expecting to win. But we can’t all win. There’s going to be a champion and there’s going to be cup winners. And those who miss out aren’t going to like it.
SAF: The new owners are Americans, Chinese, Russians. How do they achieve their money? It’s not what football was used to. Sudden wealth. And there’s a quick reaction to everything that happens on the football pitch.
Tell us about your best and worst signings.
HR: The best signing I ever made was Jim Smith, and we had a great time together at Portsmouth. I remember Chris Kamara coming down with a Sky camera crew and he’s outside our office at Fratton Park at about 10 past two, telling the camera how this is the inner sanctum. This is where Harry and Jim are masterminding Portsmouth’s success.
And then he knocks, comes in the room and there’s me and Jim reading the Racing Post.
And what about the one that got away?
HR: I was at West Ham and Frank Lampard Snr and I were approached by these two villains who said they were doing some business in the Ukraine, and we were so scared of them we agreed to have a look at a couple of these kids.
One of them we played against Barnet Reserves and he scored the winner. They said they wanted a million quid for him, and Frank said it was too much — well I’m blaming Frank — and we let him go. His name was Andriy Shevchenko!
Any turkeys for you Sir Alex?
SAF: I have never been forgiven for signing Ralph Milne. Ralph was a troubled lad. It was a pity. And Eric Djemba-Djemba. So good they named him twice! I was actually in Denmark recently and he’s doing well over there (for Odense BK). He was on the short-list for their player of the season.
I often remember players for the talents they had away from football. Peter Schmeichel was a superb pianist, and he would sometimes sit there and play for us blindfolded. And Kieran Richardson. The day he left the club he brought me this wonderful painting he had done.
With the 2010 Cup's Jabulani ball (‘to celebrate’ in isiZulu), Adidas claims it has surpassed its own Teamgeist from 2006 in constructing the roundest and most accurate ball ever played. See how it's made inside.
And you thought a ball was just a ball? From the iconic 32 panel black and white Telstar introduced in Mexico City in 1970 to the latest unveiled today for South Africa, the goal for Adidas, naturally, has always been to build a better ball. Soccer players want a ball that feels good on the foot and flies predictably no matter where on the ball it’s struck. Teamgeist achieved its improvements by reducing the number of panels from 32 to just 12, by thermally bonding the panels thereby eliminating inaccurate stitching and by forming the outer panels in 3-D versus making them flat and bending them into shape.
Jabulani takes another step towards perfection with just eight EVA and TPU panels that provide a 70% larger striking surface due to fewer seams. While the Teamgeist ball was great for strikers, many goal keepers complained that the ball's aerodynamics created a lack of rotation in the air, making its path at times erratic, like a knuckleball. Jabulani attempts to stabilize the flight pattern of the ball through what Adidas is calling ‘aero grooves’, essentially long indentations along the panels. The grooves divide the ball up into additional pseudo-panels but by molding the grooves Adidas can achieve consistent location and shape to achieve optimal flight. The surface of the ball has also been covered with raised nubbins to help with tactile feel on the foot.
While Adidas would not provide numerical flight data, it claims that robotic kicking and wind tunnel testing at Loughborough University in England and at its own football lab in Germany show that Jabulani is its most accurate ball. To be sanctioned FIFA Approved, a ball is only subject to a handful of more static tests, which the Jabulani ball obviously meets.
• Circumference: FIFA Standard: 68.5-69.5cm, Jabulani: 69.0 +/- 0.2
• Roundness: Diameter is measured in 16 different locations. FIFA Standard: max 1.5% difference, Jabulani: max 1.0% difference
• Water Absorption: A ball is pressed and rotated in water 250 times: FIFA Standard: max 10% weight increase. Jabulani: 0% weight increase
• Uniform Rebound: The only dynamic FIFA test, the ball is dropped ten times onto a steel plate from a two meter height. The difference from the lowest to the highest bounce can be no more than 10 cm. Jabulani bounced in a range from 143 to 149 cm.
• Loss of Pressure: Air pressure measured three days after inflation. FIFA Standard: 20% max loss, Jabulani: 10% max loss
For a unique look into complex manufacturing steps to create the ball, see the video below.
The draw for the Fifa World Cup 2010 in South Africa is finally here.
From the looks of it, England have it quite easy. Group G is the one to look out for. Definitely the Group of Death. Ivory Coast have the misfortune again to be placed in the Group of Death. If Brazil and Spain win their groups, they can’t meet until the final. The easiest of opposition to overcome on paper often turn out to be the most dangerous underdogs on the pitch. So, it’s not easy to predict what happens. However, I’d like to think Spain have the strongest team on paper.
My heart says England but my mind says Spain to lift the World Cup. So let’s see what happens. 188 days to go. BRING IT!
Every week I'll try and get you the most bizarre/outrageous news, pictures, videos and funny bits and pieces of football from around the world. Here is this week's set:
Marlon King who is on loan at Hull from Wigan is jailed for 18 months and FIRED from Wigan for sexual assault and bodily harm. Serves him right. Ironically, he was celebrating his wife's pregnancy at a bar!
Mistaken Identity. 'nuff said!
Roberto Martinez should learn from his Spanish counterpart Rafa Benitez and not indulge Sir Alex in "mind games"
I came across this REALLY good article about Ryan Giggs. Must read for every football fan.
'When I were a lad, we painted the touchlines and didn't sell our own weddings...' Ryan Giggs, the veteran who has played in every one of the Premier League's 16 seasons, tells Mike Pattenden why £120 a week did him no harm.
Nothing quite spells out the difference the Premier League has made on the game of football than players’ wages.
Ryan Giggs – an ever-present fixture for Manchester United throughout the 16 years the Premier League has been going – was on a mere £120 a week in his first pro season in 1990.
‘I started on £29, which was the basic YTS wage, but my first proper pay packet was about £120. I’d not long left school so it was a fortune. My mates were still at college and I was earning more than a hundred quid a week.’
Conservative estimates now put Giggs comfortably on £75,000 a week – an astonishing 62,500 per cent wage increase.
Since its inception, the Premier League has changed beyond recognition – and Giggs has seen it all.
He was only 18 when he helped United to the title in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1992–’93 and he has scored in every season since.
Ten days after the final league match of last season, he broke Bobby Charlton’s appearance record with his 759th game for the club. He has played an important role in every one of their ten (now 11!) Premier League wins.
Giggs is also quite unlike any perception one has of the modern footballer – he doesn’t ask for payment for this interview, he turns up when he says he will and is unerringly polite.
The modern age of footballers as overly pampered, spoilt millionaire ‘slaves’ is a heady contrast to the world the teenage Giggs found himself thrust into.
‘My job was to clean the apprentices’ changing room,’ he recalls.
‘They were left last and the place would be a total mess. I’d collect the bibs, cones and first-team balls. I had to pump them up and once I put in too much air.
'Our then-goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, came in looking for me because they were flying all over the place.
'Youngsters don’t do that any more – God knows why not, they should. They should be cleaning boots and painting lines on the pitch or whatever. It disciplines you and teaches you respect.’
Are young players spoilt and over-paid now?
‘People like Rooney and Ronaldo get away with murder now – stuff they wouldn’t have got away with when I was 19.
'Football has changed. It’s just jokes, but Wazza (Rooney) will say things like, “I want to be captain.” The kind of thing you wouldn’t dream of saying when you were that age.
‘Clubs have to invest for the future which means paying 16-year-olds a lot of money to keep them.
'When I came through, money wasn’t an issue – all I wanted was to play for Manchester United.
'Young players today are eventually going to find out the hard way about losing money on cars and flash suits they only wear once.’
In today’s modern game, the ‘Chelsea method’ – paying huge amounts to increasing numbers of foreign players to instantly bolster a squad – is also increasingly popular.
‘Some managers are forced to pay over the odds for players because they don’t have the time to develop a squad,’ says Giggs.
‘They’re desperate to buy a team and maybe fans then see players at their club who don’t deserve to be there.’
So is the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, correct when he states that the Premier League is simply buying the best players to the detriment of the rest of the world?
It was ever thus, thinks Giggs.
‘Fifteen years ago, players were going to Italy and their clubs dominated,’ he says.
‘Now, the best players come to Britain and we have the best league – it’s a great spectacle.
'It’s fast and furious, but there’s decent technique. The spotlight is on everyone and patience is in short supply. You have one bad game and it’s a disaster.’
Giggs is talking to Live as he relaxes on his bed in a Johannesburg hotel room during the club’s pre-season tour of South Africa.
However, much of his summer has been spent making a film looking back on his stellar career.
Entitled True Red, it takes him back to his early days when he took his mother’s name rather than Wilson, the name of his black, rugby league-playing father.
He is also reunited with the man who first spotted his potential, Dennis Schofield, a Manchester City scout who ran Dean’s Youth FC.
‘That was the reason to do it,’ Giggs nods. ‘It brought back a lot of happy memories. I met a lot of people who helped me as a kid.’
He also recalls the day when Alex Ferguson turned up on his doorstep to spirit him away from Manchester City’s academy.
‘My first memory of the boss always comes back to me,’ he says.
‘I was playing a practice match and glanced up to the office windows and there was Alex.
'I was awestruck by him. One of the first things he said to me was I had all the coaches here to help me with football matters but if I ever needed anything outside football, the door was always open.
'He helped me because that time was a tricky one for me. My mum and dad were splitting up and he knew that.
'That was one of the things that stood out about him, knowing your mum and dad’s names. Little things like that made you want to play for him and sign for United.’
Rather than rose-tint the past, Giggs also recalls the bullying he was subjected too because of his mixed-race background.
‘Kids at school knew my father was black and I would get racist taunts. At my school there weren’t many pupils with different backgrounds.
'I wouldn’t wish the abuse on anyone. I was a quiet, shy person and sport offered somewhere to escape and something to look forward to.’
Giggs also has mixed memories about his father from that time.
‘Everyone’s childhood shapes who they are and what they do, and it was two sides of the story with my dad,’ he says.
‘I didn’t like the relationship he had with my mum but there was another side where I looked up to him. My dad was my first hero.
‘I think my parents’ split may have contributed to that inner steel where I can block things out.
'When I was playing football, I never thought about the arguments between my mum and dad. I get on with my dad but I’m not going to let myself get close to him again because it would hurt my mum and people who mean a lot to me.’
Giggs’s eventual breakthrough into the Manchester United first team established him as a regular player and a pin-up – ‘I’d go to book signings and there would be roads blocked and traffic jams.’
That kind of attention also bought the inevitable downside: his share of tabloid kiss-and-tell stories and two stalkers.
‘I was a lad growing up in public and it was a culture shock,’ he explains.
‘I was cocky, confident; I’d just left school and I wanted to go out with my mates and have lads’ holidays. Then you get recognised and followed or photographed. Girls sell their stories to newspapers.
'I rapidly realised it was something I didn’t really like so I made a conscious effort to settle down and keep a lower profile.’
Last year, Giggs married Stacey Cooke – he is father to five-year-old Liberty and 22-month-old Zach – in a low-key wedding much at odds with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney’s huge affairs, which were sold to glossy magazines for millions.
He is scathing about these big-money deals.
‘We earn more than enough money from football and sponsorship, so who needs still more?
As Giggs’s undeniable skill bought him plaudits on the pitch, off it he began to indulge in that other pastime of footballers – cars.
‘When I first started I had a club car – a Ford Escort 1.1 Mexico – but as soon as I could I bought my dream car, a BMW 3 Series. I’ve had a few since then. I bought Porsches and Ferraris, clothes and booze.
'These days I spend my money on my house, holidays and school fees.’
On Sunday, August 17, as Manchester United prepare to open their 17th Premier League season against Newcastle United, Giggs will hang his clothes on the same peg in the same corner of the changing room at Old Trafford.
He is aware that he can’t go on forever and has spent part of this summer taking his coaching A Licence at Lilleshall. Giggs, 34, is now happy being the old head passing on his experience.
‘I was lucky when I came through because I had players like Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce around me who were a great help,’ he says.
‘They’d put an arm round me. If I’d had a bad game in London or the manager had had a go at me and there was a four-hour bus journey home, I’d sit at the back and sulk.
'Then one of them would stroll back and sit with me and say things like, “Don’t worry, you can put it right next week. The Boss only does it because he wants you to be a better player.”
'They’d give you a little lift and it’s something I try to do now to younger players. It can be putting an arm round them or giving them a kick up the backside.’
It’s difficult to imagine Giggs kicking anyone up the backside but you don’t rewrite the record books as regularly as he has without passion and, for Giggs, winning the league title this season is just as exciting and important as it was 16 years ago.
To all those who wondered what all the fuss was about derbies, well you should have witnessed one today - The Manchester Derby. Boy 'o boy did it have everything - from pre-match trash talk to post match altercations. From pathetic defensive errors to brilliant goalkeeping and to top it all, a controversial super sub goal from an ex-Scouser.
Michael Owen's winner. Another Solskjaer in the making?
City fans keep speaking about the "Denis Law game" which led United to relegation. I'm sure after today, Michael Owen's 96th minute goal will have to compete with that.
"That" goal
United fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. Whatever may be the reasons, it is clearly evident that the RED half of Manchester is more successful in terms of trophies and derbies. Of the 152 derbies that have been played so far, United have won 62 and City 41, the remaining 49 games finishing as draw.
Although Michael Owen stole the headlines, to me today's man of the match was Darren Fletcher (very closely contested by Shay Given) His work rate and commitment was commendable. He played with complete passion and showed us why SAF rates him so highly (ignoring the fact that he's a Scot)
Fletcher's 2nd goal
Money can buy you players but it can't buy you a team. It was very evident in today's game. Individually, City players were really good. However, as a group, I did not see any sort of team play(they are a newly assembled team, I know!) Of the 11 players on the pitch for City, 10 of them were bought recently! However, they really got into the game and gave Utd a good fight. I personally enjoyed Tevez getting booed every time he touched the ball (which were very few) I don't know how committed he is to City but I did not see the usual passion from him. He did not even attempt to tackle Evra, his best buddy in the club and he was definitely a shadow of his former self. Maybe he was unfit but I'm sure he is regretting his move. The fans who worshipped him one season ago now loathe him. But hey! Atleast he did not do an Adebayor.
I'm hoping Foster comes good immediately because stupid mistakes like the ones he made can be very costly. Will he be another Fabien Barthez or a Peter Schmeichel? Well, time will tell.
The BLUE half of Manchester definitely did see RED. Let us see how this season unfolds. The games are getting feisty and deliciously unpredictable but one thing is for sure - we'll have one heck of a year of football!
Why on Earth would a striker who complained about not getting enough chances quit a club and join another which has over 9 centre forwards?
Only Carlitos Tevez can answer that. The ONLY logical motive behind that is $$$$. How does one expect to play first team football when there are 6 strikers vying for the same spot? (Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Benjani, Robinho and Adebayor) He could have easily signed for Chelsea but then, he would have to fight very hard to fend off Anelka, Kalou and Drogba which is hypocritical really and moreover, City have obviously offered a better pay packet.
"Manutd did not do enough to keep me"
It is not only disappointing but annoying. Football has become a game of monopoly. You have a player signing for a club and saying he would do his best to win everything possible and the next day he's saying the same at a rival club. You cannot expect managers to coax and cajole players into staying with the club and with a squad as big as ManUtd, first team football is not your birthright. Yes, Tevez is a lion and plays with his heart on his sleeve but at the end of the day it is the manager's call. It is agreed and assumed the manager knows best. You cannot sulk and leave just because you were benching a few games.
I was convinced when Tevez signed for United he would stay on to become a legend. Boy was I wrong! Who does he go and sign for? Manchester City! He was controlled by Kia and Maradona is his go between. He scored 5 goals in the league last season, he made 52 appearances for United last year (how he says he didn't play enough is laughable) and Kia wanted a total of 34million for him. Righty o! You will miss the Champions League music though Carlos. You have definitely let your fans down by letting your bloated ego come in the way.
Another example is Kaka. When he declined City's offer, everyone (including yours truly) praised him for saving football and calling him the Messiah and yada yada. He said his heart was always with Milan and would never leave for money. Well done Kaka. It has been two years since Madrid won anything and I'm hoping it will be longer.
Meanwhile, arguably Madrid's most famous No 9, Alfredo Di Stefano is in no doubt who is the best player in the world – and it's not the winker.
Ronaldo may be the current FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or holder, but Di Stefano believes he has been surpassed by his compatriot Lionel Messi.
'Those who argue don't know anything about football, and I am a lover of football,' he said.
Kudos to that! What a nice welcome from the Madrid honorary president.
Oh and P.S. I officially don't like Madrid anymore!
136 million pounds/160 million Euros/220 million dollars/1063 crore rupees!
That is how much Real Madrid have spent in 3 days for TWO players and arguably the best players in the world. However, there's a difference.Kaka can play in any club and still be the best. Ronaldo, well, when he first arrived at Manutd let's just say he was Nani with better step overs.
Football will never be the same again if players are bought and sold at outrageous prices. Where are the Maldinis, the Scholes', the Gerrards?
Bought at 12m and sold at 80m. Ronaldo's value has increased 6 times in a matter of 5 years and surely credit for that (partially, if not fully) goes to SAF. From a diving, winking baby,
Ronaldo went on to win the Ballon d' Or and umpteen number of accolades and clearly became one of the best football players in the past 2-3 years.
It'll be hard to say he'll be missed but SAF clearly has his task cut out to find a replacement for CR7. The same was said when Beckham and Nistelrooy were sold, and they were quickly forgotten. This will DEFINITELY be the case with Ronaldo too. Karim Benzema or David Villa at the front with Rooney/Tevez and Ribery and Valencia on the wings will be more than enough to fill the void created by Ronaldo.
With 80m from Ronaldo's sale(which is said to be a football deal rather than a commercial deal) and the yearly transfer kitty of 20-30m pounds, SAF can easily buy who he wants to. Apart from this, Fergie could get more if he plans to sell Nani & Fraizer Campbell. So if everything is added up, United have atleast 100m pounds to spend. Ofcourse, Fergie is no Abramovich or Perez. He'll buy players only if he needs them and will not think twice if they are worth their tags.
Ronaldo will definitely get lost in the oblivion of SUPERSTARS at the Bernabeu. His prissy fits for not getting the ball will definitely not work because the game will not be centered around him. He will not find the joy of getting booed and marked by at least 2 defenders. If Ronaldo seriously thinks he's going to get a situation at Real Madrid where his team mates will be doing the donkey work for him as has happened at United in the past couple of seasons he needs to think again.Ronaldo will find it much tougher in Spain than he might think because if he hasn't got the hard workers around him then he won't get as much time to work his undoubted magic.
Enough said, he probably gave everything, won everything he possibly could, and left the club at his peak.
Atleast the EPL has seen the best of Ronaldo. I only pity the LA liga for what is to ensue. To the 2nd best league in the world. Viva Ronaldo!
I hope Fergie has learnt his lesson from the FA Cup defeat. Blaming the pitch or the referee won't do. Sorry Fergie! We lost. Bottom line.
By pulling a Rafa, Fergie tried to "rotate" the team, playing only TWO first team players - Vidic & Ferdinand. We all know by now "rotation" is hardly fruitious. Ask Benitez, he'll tell you.
I'm really gutted United got ousted in penalties and Berbatov needs to show more desire. If anyone saw his penalty they would know. What a lazy twat! I hope he pulls his socks up and shows us why he's worth 30 mil. Enough said, Everton deserved their win. Determination did it for them.
Meanwhile, here's some FA Cup Trivia:
The FA Cup is the longest running competition dating back all the way to 1871.
The old Wembley staged the first FA Cup Final in 1923 and had its last FA Cup final in 2000.
Curtis Weston, at 17 years 119 days, is the youngest finalist in the history of the Cup. He played for Millwall against Manchester United in 2004, substituting for Dennis Wise.
Only two players have appeared in the FA Cup Final for three clubs.Harold Halse for Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and Ernie Taylor for Newcastle, Blackpool and Manchester United The record number of accepted entries for The FA Cup is 661 teams in 2004. The first televised F.A. Cup was 1937: Sunderland v Preston North End.
Eric Cantona made history in the 1994 final when he became the first and so far only player to score two penalties in the final.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in FA Cup history with five victories in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.
Queen’s Park are the only Scottish side to reach the FA Cup Final. They did so in consecutive years, 1884 and 1885, but lost both games
What a match! For those of you who missed the Carling Cup final between Manutd & Spurs, well, SCREW YOU. I had to follow the match via live text and believe you me, it was effing awesome. In his pre-match press conference, Fergie said he was already preparing for the Newcastle match on Wednesday. Arrogant, cocky, over confident? Hell no!
2 words - MIND GAMES
Fergie got it right again. He undermined the competition and played it down in his priorities. Deep down inside, he knew that it would be downright retarded to let go of a possible quadruple.
The match was tough on Spurs after a game in which both sides were equally matched, denying them a repeat of last year's triumph - but it is a real glory day for United keeper Ben Foster, who will have impressed watching England coach Fabio Capello. United have the Carling Cup in the bag - and can now turn their attentions to the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League after an almost perfect weekend.
Manchester United's win opens up another spot in the Uefa Cup for a Premier League side. Losing Carling Cup finalists don't qualify - which will please Harry Redknapp, who isn't such a fan anyway. Good news for the likes of Everton and Arsenal. Elsewhere, in the Premier League, Liverpool, Arsenal & Villa all dropped points. After all, nobody expected the Liverpudlians to pose any threat to United. Arsenal, well the less said the better. Villa were undone by 2 late goals from Stoke and Chelsea scraped a 2-1 win.
It is United's title to lose now and the rest of the season is poised to be a thriller!
It doesn't come as a shock that Scolari is fired. It is surprising that he has been removed immediately. He definitely deserved a chance IMO.
He obviously has WAY more experience than "Moron"iho and has achieved what Moroniho can only dream of. For someone who has managed over 20 teams, this is a kick in the teeth. My respect for Abramovich was never there. However, this decision makes me LOATHE him even more. He needs to realise that football is not only about winning. During Moroniho's term, Chelsea played THE most boring football. The only thing exciting were Moroniho's mind games and quotes. Avram Grant did a very good job too. He may not have had the charisma, but he was a funny and shrewd manager. I hope Abramovich loses all his money in the recession and leaves Chelski as soon as possible for the sake of FOOTBALL!
Enough said, the players have definitely let Scolari down. Chelsea are being linked to Ancelotti, Frank Rijkard, Guus Hiddink and the fans' favourite ZOLA.
I'd prefer Manutd fighting for the title with Chelsea rather than Liverpool (who never really were a threat) anyday.
Oh, and Tony Adams has been sacked from Portsmouth too. What else would you expect from an ex Gooner? Lol. I'd like to see Roy Keane take up the position and I'm not saying it because I'm a United fan but because he is the ideal person for the club. He did the same with Sunderland last season, I'm sure he can do it again with Portsmouth. However, Portsmouth are apparently lining up Avram Grant. They're also being linked to Curbishley and Graeme Souness.
All I can say is look at SIR ALEX FERGUSON. 22 years at the helm! No matter how much people hate him, they cannot deny his managerial ability. I only hope that day never comes when he retires!
February 6th will forever be circled on the calendars of everyone connected with Manchester United.
On that day in 1958, the darkest day in United's history, 23 people - including eight players and three members of the club's staff - suffered fatal injuries in the Munich air crash.
Flying back from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade, the team plane stopped in Germany to refuel. The first two attempts to take off from Munich airport were aborted; following a third attempt, the plane crashed.
Twenty-two of the people on board died instantly, while Duncan Edwards - one of the eight victims from the team - died 15 days later as a result of the injuries he sustained.
The tragedy is an indelible part of United's history, as is Sir Matt Busby overcoming his injuries to build another great team which won the European Cup 10 years later.
Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), David Pegg (22), Tommy Taylor (26), Geoff Bent (25), Liam Whelan (22) and Duncan Edwards (21) all died, along with club secretary Walter Crickmer, trainer Tom Curry and coach Bert Whalley.
Eight journalists died - Alf Clarke, Tom Jackson, Don Davies, George Fellows, Archie Ledbrook, Eric Thompson, Henry Rose, and Frank Swift who was a former Manchester City player. Plane captain Ken Rayment perished, as did Sir Matt's friend Willie Sanitof. Travel agent Bela Miklos and passenger Tom Cable also died.
1. It has been a season for DEFENDERS. The top 5 clubs share the most number of clean sheets. A whopping 59. (Vidic for PFA)
2. The title race is between 4 clubs and not the usual 2 - Manchester United & Chelsea. Liverpool & Villa entering the foray.
3. The bottom 8 clubs are separated by an average of 2 points.
4. Aston Villa's brilliant run. They have earned 16 points from a maximum of 18. Villa are behind United, who have won the last 6 games.
5. Tim Cahill's "mind blasting" headers
6. Rafa's "crazy" rant/s
7. Hull City's flash in the pan act. Started off brilliant but now have lost the last 6 matches.
8. "The other club" in Manchester's spanking rich owner(s) who have spent close to 80 million pounds in player transfers so far (and had a 100 million pound bid for Kaka rejected)
9. Roman Abramovich losing close to 12 BILLION pounds in the global crisis.
Manutd's emphatic win against Derby County (4-2) in the Carling Cup semi-final yesterday came at an expensive price. Injuries to Anderson ( who was stretchered off at the final whistle), Rafael (torn hamstring), and Evans (ankle) has increased the casualty list in the already stretched United squad. Nani, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs also failed to complete the 90 minutes but are not thought to have picked up any serious problems.
Praise needs to be extended to the young maestros in the squad, specially Anderson, Rafael and Evans who performed brilliantly yesterday. Neat one-twos, crisp passing and good attacking foray dominated United's game. United opened the scoring when Nani thumped an unstoppable brilliant 25-yard angled drive past Carroll. The ex-Manutd flop made some good saves and helped Derby from further embarrassment. Manutd dominated the first half with 3 goals on the score sheet. Derby came back fighting in the 2nd half and put up a resilient stance and managed to score 2 goals. United won a penalty at the 87th minute and Ronaldo made no mistake in converting it. The game ended at 4-2 and United move on to the finals where they face either Spurs or Burnley at Wembley. Zoran Tosic who was tipped by Phelan to start, did not make an appearance.
The only (growing) problem for United at the moment seems to be injuries. Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Wes Brown, Wayne Rooney, Anderson, Rafael, Owen Hargreaves & Evans have all long term injuries. The defence department seems to be hit the most. Fergie will have a tough time choosing his back four. Fletcher could be the make-shift right back and Fabio could make his debut at left back, with O'Shea and Vidic at the centre. Gary Neville is a doubt.
When you're talking about a 100 million pounds and 500,000 pounds a week, money is really not a problem for the likes of Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
For a man who is worth over 12 billion pounds, 100 million pounds is peanuts. Man City was taken over from this man in September 2008 and look where they stand in the tables - A mere 11th. 10 places above their neighbours and top of the table. Money won't buy anyone laurels, not players, not history.
Kaka is a footballer's footballer. It is the likes of Kaka, Paul Scholes, and Messi that football is not yet a past time investment for obscenely rich people like Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour. Imagine turning down 500, 000 pounds a week? That's 4 crore rupees a WEEK! Anyhow, football is emancipated and Kaka is the Messiah!
Monday, 19th Jan Liverpool were held at Anfield by Everton (1-1) and are sitting at 2nd with United having a cushion of a two goal lead and a game in hand.
Goal scorers - Steven Gerrard (68th min) for Liverpool Tim Cahill (87th min) for Everton
Benitez must be sweating, what with all the ranting and "mind games" he is playing with SAF. Liverpool haven't won since his outburst, mind you.
