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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sun Aug 08 11:57:27 GMT+00:00 1999
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Results/Table before Sunday
2. Stam puts his courage to the test
3. Centre spot for Beckham - Sunday Times
4. Omagh (Times)
5. Ferguson says he never wants to manage England
6. Keane is told: Sign or be sold
7. Sir Alex is ready to raid market
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Daily MANCHESTER UNITED NEWS Sunday 8th August 1999:
Barry Daily Comment:
Kick off today here's to a great Millenium Season to REDS All over the World!
************************
99/2000 fixtures/match reports are at
http://www.red11.org/mufc/992000.htm
Mark Bosnich's Personal Details
http://www.red11.org/mufc/bosnich.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
MANCHESTER UNITED STATS v ALL teams on the Web
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats.htm
Previous News:
BSKYB Takeover news/pics at http://www.red11.org/mufc/bskyb.htm
Brian Kidd Press conference, pic, real audio
http://www.iol.ie/~redcafe/kidd.htm
Peter Schmeichel's last Season at United!
http://www.red11.org/mufc/news/schmeichel.htm
*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 07/08/99 ***
Arsenal 2-1 Leicester City 38,026
Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland 34,831
Coventry City 0-1 Southampton 19,915
Leeds United 0-0 Derby County 40,118
Middlesbrough 0-1 Bradford City 33,762
Newcastle United 0-1 Aston Villa 36,600
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Liverpool 34,853
Watford 2-3 Wimbledon 15,511
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur 26,010
*** PREM FIXTURES ON 08/08/99 ***
Everton v Manchester United
---------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MANCHESTER UNITED MATCHES
---------------------------------------------------------------
08-AUG-1999 [16:00] Manchester Utd. vs Everton (FA Premier League, AWAY)
11-AUG-1999 [20:00] Manchester Utd. vs Sheffield W (FA Premier League, HOME)
14-AUG-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Leeds U (FA Premier League, HOME)
22-AUG-1999 [16:00] Manchester Utd. vs Arsenal (FA Premier League, AWAY)
UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/
ALL FIXTURES at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix992000.htm
Subject: First Team Fixtures 1999/2000 [All dates/times subject to change]
Dates of possible cup ties also shown
Date Opposition Score Pos. Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/07/99 Melbourne Australia 11.00 pre-season W 2-0 60,000
18/07/99 Sydney Australia 06.00 pre-season W 1-0 78,000
21/07/99 Shanghai Shenhua 12.30 pre-season W 2-0 80,000
24/07/99 Hong Kong South China 08.30 pre-season W 2-0 40,000
1/08/99 Arsenal Wembley Charity Shield L 1-2 70,185
3/08/99 Omagh Town aid of Omagh Bomb Fund W 9-0 7,000
4/08/99 Wigan Athletic friendly at JJB Stadium. W 2-0 ?
8/08/99 Everton away 16.00 Live on Sky
11/08/99 Sheffield Wednesday home PL 20.00
14/08/99 Leeds United home PL 12.00
22/08/99 Arsenal away PL 16.00 Live on Sky
25/08/99 Coventry City away PL 20.00
27/08/99 Monaco - Lazio ESC 19.45
30/08/99 Newcastle United home PL 13.00
11/09/99 Liverpool away PL 11.30 Live on Sky
15/09/99 ? EC
18/09/99 Wimbledon home PL 15.00
22/09/99 ? EC
25/09/99 Southampton home PL 15.00
29/09/99 ? EC
3/10/99 Chelsea away PL 16.00 Live on Sky
*11/10/99 Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial OT [Cantona + Schmeichel]
13/10/99 ? WC 3
16/10/99 Watford home PL 15.00
20/10/99 ? EC
23/10/99 Tottenham Hotspur away PL 15.00
27/10/99 ? EC
30/10/99 Aston Villa home PL 15.00
3/11/99 ? EC
6/11/99 Leicester City home PL 15.00
20/11/99 Derby County away PL 15.00
24/11/99 ? EC
27/11/99 Sheffield Wednesday away PL 15.00
30/11/99 Tokyo Palmeiras WCC 20.00
1/12/99 ? WC 4
4/12/99 Everton home PL 15.00
8/12/99 ? EC
15/12/99 ? WC 5
18/12/99 West Ham United away PL 15.00
26/12/99 Bradford City home PL 15.00
28/12/99 Sunderland away PL 20.00 Live on Sky
3/01/2000 Middlesborough home PL 20.00
***** 5-14 /01/2000 Brazil WTC ***** [3-4 games]
12/01/2000 ? WC sf i
15/01/2000 Leeds United away PL 15.00
22/01/2000 Arsenal home PL 15.00
26/01/2000 ? WC sf ii
5/02/2000 Coventry City home PL 15.00
12/02/2000 Newcastle United away PL 15.00
26/02/2000 Wimbledon away PL 15.00
27/02/2000 ? Wembley WC f
1/03/2000 ? EC
4/03/2000 Liverpool home PL 15.00
8/03/2000 ? EC
11/03/2000 Derby County home PL 15.00
15/03/2000 ? EC
18/03/2000 Leicester City away PL 15.00
22/03/2000 ? EC
25/03/2000 Bradford City away PL 15.00
1/04/2000 West Ham United home PL 15.00
5/04/2000 ? EC qf i
8/04/2000 Middlesborough away PL 15.00
15/04/2000 Sunderland home PL 15.00
19/04/2000 ? EC qf ii
22/04/2000 Southampton away PL 15.00
24/04/2000 Chelsea home PL 15.00
29/04/2000 West Ham United away PL 15.00
3/05/2000 ? EC sf i
6/05/2000 Tottenham Hotspur home PL 15.00
10/05/2000 ? EC sf ii
14/05/2000 Aston Villa away PL 15.00
24/05/2000 ? EC f
http://www.red11.org/mufc/match.htm
-------------------------------------
THE FANTASTIC TRIPLE WAS WON!!
EC links + Personal diaries here:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/barcelona.htm
Its the presentation of the European Cup at Nou Camp
Video including sound 57secs 1.5 meg
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Results/Table before Sunday
*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 07/08/99 ***
Arsenal 2-1 Leicester City 38,026
Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland 34,831
Coventry City 0-1 Southampton 19,915
Leeds United 0-0 Derby County 40,118
Middlesbrough 0-1 Bradford City 33,762
Newcastle United 0-1 Aston Villa 36,600
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Liverpool 34,853
Watford 2-3 Wimbledon 15,511
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur 26,010
*** FULL LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 07/08/99 ***
Pos Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Chelsea 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3
2 Wimbledon 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 1 3
3 Arsenal 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
4 Liverpool 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 3
5 Aston Villa 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
6 Bradford City 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
7 Southampton 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
8 West Ham United 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
9 Derby County 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
10 Leeds United 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
11 Everton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Manchester United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Watford 1 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0
14 Leicester City 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
15 Sheffield Wednesday 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0
16 Coventry City 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0
17 Middlesbrough 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0
18 Newcastle United 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0
19 Tottenham Hotspur 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0
20 Sunderland 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 -4 0
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Stam puts his courage to the test
By Peter Fitton
Sunday, August 8, 1999
Jaap Stam has been patched up to answer Manchester United's defensive
emergency at Goodison Park this afternoon.
But the £10.5m centre back will need all his renowned bravery and
determination to overcome a longstanding achilles tendon injury in the
opening weeks of the new Premiership campaign.
Old Trafford's medical experts were so concerned earlier this week that
they flew a Dutch specialist over to assess Stam's suspect fitness.
The doctor, an expert in keyhole surgery, carried out a lengthy examination
and a series of tests on the ankle injury causing so much concern to Stam.
He also ordered a scan to probe the damage that first flared in the final
weeks of Sir Alex Ferguson's successful pursuit of an historic Treble last
May.
The Dutchman flew back from United's summer tour of Australia and China
with new fears surrounding his immediate future in Ferguson's first team.
Last night the United manager confirmed: 'Jaap is fit for the Everton game
and that is a great relief to us with so many other defenders out injured
at the moment.
'The specialist came across from Holland earlier this week to check him
out. The big man also had a scan and he's done a bit of training in the
last couple of days so he is ready for the opening game.'
Seven of United's big-name players are on an injury list that clearly has
handicapped Ferguson's pre-season preparations. Missing are Ronny Johnsen
(knee), David May (medial ligaments), Wes Brown (cruciate ligaments) and
Gary Neville (hip).
Roy Keane should return in midfield after coming through 90 minutes at
Omagh in midweek, while Nicky Butt will have a fitness check after he took
a knock on his ribs.
Jordi Cruyff should start on the left because Ryan Giggs does not expect to
return from his hamstring injury until Wednesday's game with Sheffield
Wednesday.
The Dutchman looked impressive against Wigan in midweek and Sir Alex feels
he is on form.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Centre spot for Beckham - Sunday Times
EVEN in August, Sir Alex Ferguson's working day begins shortly after
sunrise. It starts in his office at The Cliff to a dawn chorus of brief
telephone calls, and a variety of letters. On top of his in-tray on
Thursday was something from the Labour Party, outlining an initiative on
Europe. He would glance at it later. His immediate concern was domestic and
European policy as sketched out on another document, the one pinned next to
his desk.
This is Manchester United's fixture list, annotated with 16 short black
lines, marking the midweek dates when Champions League fixtures are
scheduled; other hieroglyphs signal the notorious tournament in Brazil and
the European Super Cup, in Monaco. "We'll be doing a lot of travelling,"
said Ferguson. "I go through that list every minute of the day looking for
the moment where I can find some relief."
The many demands on United's time have already meant abandoning their
defence of one trophy, the FA Cup; retaining the other two will be a
question of Ferguson's balancing his resources to an unprecedented degree.
Nor, he concedes, is he "smitten" by the idea of going to South America for
Fifa's World Team Championship in January. With so many matches, he remains
disappointed that salary constraints have prevented him recruiting a new
outfield player from Europe's top drawer to strengthen his pool.
Yet this was not a gloomy Ferguson. Quite the contrary: the demands would
be challenges, necessity the mother of invention. Pacing his team through
the season, which begins in earnest at Everton today, Ferguson even
envisages "resting" players during the autumn's European games, or those
squeezed between domestic engagements with the likes of Arsenal and
Liverpool. The Premiership and Champions League start as equal priority,
the principle of squad rotation is a given.
He will also seek flexibility from his young and still improving personnel.
In midfield, for instance, he acknowledges a "dilemma". Ferguson imagines
Roy Keane, the club captain, will stay at United despite difficult contract
talks but agrees that injury or suspension, of the type which denied him
both Keane and Paul Scholes for the European Cup final, would leave a large
gap. To his regret, an Edgar Davids would not be filling it, still less a
Rivaldo or a Juan Veron.
Enter David Beckham. Ferguson indicated that the most creative Englishman
in the Premiership is about to assume the role many of his admirers, and
indeed Kevin Keegan, have longed to see him play - the centre of midfield.
"I think we'll probably play him there quite a lot," said Ferguson.
Just as he was about to expand, his phone rang. Ferguson frowned as he
learned that Everton had reduced the width of their playing surface by
seven yards this season. He put down the phone and laughed: "We'd better
start with Beckham in the centre on Sunday, then." Most opponents will be
seeking to clip United's wings one way or another, be they Ryan Giggs and
Beckham, Jesper Blomqvist, Jordi Cruyff or Jonathan Greening.
He would tackle Everton manager Walter Smith about his slender touchlines
after today's game, he added, still smiling. But the point about Beckham
was delivered in earnest: "Up front, I'm happy with the different
combinations I've got. But in midfield, you'd have to keep them all fit to
feel safe. Beckham's range of passing would give me all sorts of options in
the centre and the range of game I'd be happy with. He's not just somebody
of consummate ability and accuracy; there's also his sheer work-rate. He's
blessed with good stamina. He'll run and run and run."
Ferguson warmed to his theme. If Beckham remains the best crosser of a ball
in Europe (with due respect to Barcelona's Luis Figo), there is still an
attractive logic to his moving in from the wing as he matures, as Bobby
Charlton did in a previous Old Trafford era. "It's all down to the balance
of the side," he said. "I expect Jonathan [Greening] to appear in the first
team more this season and if he can come along, playing wide on the right,
then we have more cover than might have appeared." Cruyff's form has also
been encouraging.
Would Beckham, as is often suggested, prefer a central role? "I don't think
it matters what position he sets himself out to be, if any," said Ferguson.
"He enjoyed the challenge of what he did in the FA Cup final, when Roy
Keane went off early in the match. He was fantastic in the centre. David
just likes to be playing in the game."
So, no hangover from a busy, matrimonial summer for United's No 7? "His
whole life is centred around the game of football," said Ferguson. At times
in the past two months, it has been harder to say the same for Corporation
Man U. Ferguson has a number of players short of fitness as he enters the
season and there must be doubt over the advisability of United's trip to
Australia and China on a tour that had more to do with increasing the
club's marketing reach than returning the players to their physical peak.
They have been back for less than a fortnight. Ideally, Ferguson would have
allowed many of those who travelled to ease into the season, but injuries
to Gary Neville, David May, Wes Brown and Ronny Johnsen - a whole defence -
as well as to Giggs and Blomqvist mean he cannot.
"United have become such a big name that everybody wants a piece of them,"
Ferguson reflects. "But the piece they're taking is from the same cake. You
saw the hullaballoo from sponsors about Beckham not being in Australia. Has
it got to the stage where they decide what the team is?
"I agree that we should go to places like that, but there's no good time to
do it. I've got to have an eye on the season's start and what's the best
possible preparation for the players."
Defeat in the Charity Shield left him with the impression that perhaps
Arsenal had a better structured build-up. He was, however, encouraged by
the response of his players to losing at Wembley: "They were sick about
it." The hunger for success is still sharp and the manager will ensure
every European medal-holder is inoculated against complacency.
What does concern him is the absence of a big signing to revitalise the
team. Whereas last year Ferguson was able to launch his season with three
fresh faces - Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Blomqvist - the three new
additions on display this August are the FA Cup, the Premiership trophy and
the European Cup, assets easily removed from the premises at the end of a
season.
They can also be quite as awkward as a new teammate. The treble will cast a
massive shadow and, in that respect, the manager himself is entering the
most challenging of his 14 seasons at Old Trafford. Having spent the last,
most dramatic of those years working on an absorbing autobiography, he has
had cause to reflect as much. He will retire, as planned, at 60, but would
be open to a role as general manager after that.
Keeping United buoyant requires imagination. "I know that another year with
the same manager has its pitfalls," he said. "The players know my team
talks, they've heard the tactics, they've heard my demands. Sometimes you
have to change the pattern a bit, so they're not always hearing the same
thing. I'd love to be able to announce we've got the best player in the
world coming to us. It would give such a lift to the whole place. It would
challenge me, too, in learning to deal with someone who's better than most.
Look at the effect Eric Cantona had."
As it is, any new faces would be "youngsters, relatively cheap". The task
of remotivating his serial champions must come from within: "The most
important contribution a coach can make is bringing imagination to a
player's game. You have to incorporate an imagination into the training so
that it becomes part of them. For example, when [Andy] Cole and Yorke
started to develop their little run-overs and linking play last year, they
would be getting it from their training sessions.
"The development of players is something that happens on the training
ground. Ability's not about trial and error; it's about trying and
succeeding. There's no room for trial and error out on the pitch. You don't
have time for that."
So much to do, so little time. Ferguson glanced again at the fixture list.
Once the draw has been made for the first group stage of the new-look
Champions League, he will be clearer about possible breathing space. United
may be fortunate and find themselves grouped with one or two weaker
opponents, in which case Ferguson can consider resting senior players and
giving the likes of Greening, 20, and the highly-rated Mark Wilson, also
20, a run. By then, the club will also have got one trophy out of the way,
the Super Cup, a one-off match in Monaco against Lazio later this month -
or, if you like, another clot in modern football's bloodstream.
Then, come the New Year, that other obligation must be fulfilled. The World
Team Championship has caused no end of trouble. Ferguson is respectful
enough of tradition to regret United's exemption from the FA Cup, the heavy
price for participation in Fifa's new event. He simply says: "We've got to
fly the flag for England. But I am concerned about having to go to Brazil
in January. That's the nitty-gritty time in the season and I can't afford
any bad injuries then.
"Where Brazil is on the priorities we'll have to wait and see. It'll be a
different climate, and a bit of an unknown quantity. At the moment it's
just an idea which nobody has been smitten by, particularly us.
"But who knows? It may turn out to be the best tournament ever. It may turn
out to be an unmitigated disaster. We won't know until it actually happens,
but it's going to be an arduous test for Manchester United." One among many.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Omagh (Times)
August 8 1999 FOOTBALL: IRELAND
Playing for Omagh against some of the best players in the world had its
surreal moments. By Frankie Wilson
A week in Omagh spent picking up Poyet and taking out Keane
I DON'T think that anyone who was in the Omagh Town dressing room on August
15 last year will ever forget it. We were playing a League match in Belfast
at Glentoran and when we got back in after the game, news of the bomb was
starting to come through. I remember just looking around at the guys who
lived in Omagh, such as Mark Donnelly and Paddy Hunter. They didn't know if
anyone in their family had been caught up in it. There was such a feeling of
helplessness because you didn't know what to do or say.
So these games against Chelsea and Manchester United - and Liverpool in
October - were a chance for the club to do something positive. The real buzz
and the whole butterfly-stomach thing only really hit me on the morning of
the Chelsea game. I was nervous, but in a way it was all a bit easier on the
drive to the ground, when I passed the corner of Market Street where the
bomb exploded. It was then I realised what it was all about.
When the team was picked I was lucky enough to get a place on the left side
of midfield. At around 6pm we got on the coach to go to the ground. The next
thing, our manager Roy McCreadie is shouting down the bus: "Where's Frankie
Wilson? Where's Frankie Wilson?" I had been given the job of arranging the
boys to do the gate, but my brother and his mates hadn't turned up and I was
getting the blame. So instead of worrying about Chelsea, I was more nervous
about these stewards. Luckily, they were there when we arrived, but I bet
you Zola or Di Matteo don't have to spend their Saturday mornings rounding
up a few mates to work at Stamford Bridge.
We held Chelsea for the first half hour. There was a bit of banter when I
went up for a header with their keeper and smashed into his nose. When he
was being taken off, I asked Tore Andre Flo who he was. Flo said he didn't
know his name, but thought he might be Italian. So on the basis that these
guys knew each other by nationality instead of first names, I asked him if
they had any room for an Irish midfielder - but only if they could match the
£50 a week I get for Omagh.
There were some surreal moments. During the second half, a really fat
Chelsea supporter ran onto the pitch and pretended to score a goal at the
Omagh end. I turned to Di Matteo and said: "You can tell he's an Irish
streaker because he keeps his clothes on." He laughed, so he must have got
the joke. At the set pieces you could hear these shouts - "Who's got
Petrescu?" "Somebody has to pick up Poyet." "What about Flo?" - and it was
then that you realised you were playing for Omagh Town against all these
international players. Weird.
The build-up to the United game was even better, but it was a totally
different kind of match. We tried to play 5-3-2 which was disastrous as it
allowed their full-backs, Denis Irwin and Michael Clegg, far too much room.
They scored after 30 seconds and the rest of the game was very frustrating
for me as a player, but on the plus side I got to mark Roy Keane. He never
gives the ball away, but one thing I did notice is that he does like to get
onto his right side. So in the extremely unlikely event that I ever mark him
again, I'll be looking out for that.
They won 9-0 and after the game I heard Keane saying to some television
people that some Omagh players were not afraid to leave their foot in. I
hope he was talking about me, so at least I can say in years to come that I
got a mention in one of Roy Keane's post-match interviews.
Afterwards we were back to the hotel for a fund-raising dinner with all the
United team. I watched Alex Ferguson for a while and he was brilliant. He
never stopped smiling, posing for photos and signing autographs.
There was one point just after the meal when the importance of it all hit
home to everybody. Claire Gallagher, who was blinded in the bomb, went up on
stage and started playing the piano. I could see all the United players just
looking at each other with a little bit of shock on their faces. I think it
was then that they realised this wasn't just another run-of-the-mill
pre-season friendly.
The rest of the season is bound to be a bit of a comedown. Instead of 8,000
people, we'll be playing in front of 80 in glamour spots such as Larne and
Carrickfergus. However, when we look back on all of this in years to come,
we can say that we shared a pitch with some of the best players in the
world. Match of the Day will never be the same again.
Frankie Wilson plays in midfield for Omagh Town
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Ferguson says he never wants to manage England
LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Manchester United's Scottish
manager Sir Alex Ferguson ended any possible future speculation
when he said on Saturday that he never wants to coach England.
In an interview with the BBC, Ferguson was asked if there
would ever be a chance of that happening and he turned the idea
down flat.
"No, never, I would never want the job, in any
circumstances," he said.
Ferguson, who took Manchester United to the treble of
European Cup, English title and F.A. Cup last season, has often
been touted as a future England manager, despite the fact he is
a Scot.
But he did say that when he retires as Manchester United's
manager in three years, he would like to stay at the club as
general manager.
Ferguson, who will have been at United for 16 years by 2002
when he will be 60, said: "That's the kind of active role I
would enjoy. Of course I would like to stay if the club want me.
"I think I'll deserve a rest by then, but there may be the
challenge of a different role.
"The new manager could ask me for advice if he wanted it,
but I would stay on the periphery. I would have had the pressure
of being a manager for 28 years, it would be time to have a
rest."
On a less savoury note, Ferguson has been drawn into an
argument with Brian Kidd, his former assistant at Old Trafford,
who is now manager at Blackburn Rovers.
Ferguson has criticised Kidd, who was his assistant at Old
Trafford for seven years in his new book saying that he had
reservations about his managerial strength and of him ever
becoming a future manager of Manchester United.
Kidd responded angrily saying: "I believe Walt Disney is
trying to buy the film rights to the books as a sequel to
Fantasia.
"After working with a person for over 10 years, you get to
know a lot about them personally and privately. I've chosen to
respect that relationship. Clearly he hasn't."
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Keane is told: Sign or be sold
By Peter Fitton
Sunday, August 8, 1999
Roy Keane will be put up for sale this week if Manchester United fail to
persuade their inspirational captain to sign a new contract.
And Lazio are waiting with a £25m deal to tempt the 27-year-old Irishman to
Rome in a move that would set up the family man for life.
Keane, demanding £40,000 a week, is approaching crisis point over his
Premiership career after rejecting United's second contract offer of just over
£30,000 on Tuesday.
Throughout a hectic week of boardroom manoeuvres, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has
been lobbying desperately for the pay deal that would keep his No 1 player at
Old Trafford.
Last night Ferguson insisted: 'I don't think he really wants to leave United.'
But Keane, who faces Everton as Treble winners United kick off their
Premiership defence this afternoon, knows that Italy's powerhouse clubs are
ready to satisfy his financial demands.
Juventus and Inter Milan are prepared to offer him a tax-paid £1.5m a season
and Keane would collect around another £1m a year from commercial work.
Lazio, bankrolled by Sergio Cragnotti's fortune, have already contacted
mediators in London and insist they want to buy Keane this week.
Last night lawyer Michael Kennedy, Keane's long-trusted adviser, said: 'Roy is
giving serious consideration to his position. I expect him to deliver a
decision by Monday or Tuesday.'
Keane's demands would demolish United's wage structure and guarantee him £10m
over five years. Unless United's entrenched hierarchy come up with the right
package, they risk having to put Keane up for sale.
Chief executive Martin Edwards and the plc's paymasters are terrified that if
they yield to Keane, United's other major stars will launch a wages stampede.
But United's greatest fear is that unless they persuade Keane to sign before
the Champions League deadline on August 15, they will be staring at two grim
options.
They could stall for a few more months, testing Keane's loyalty before reaching
a midwinter agreement just before he could sign pre-contract deals with foreign
clubs on January 1.
Or they could cash in immediately rather than lose their £12m asset for nothing
in a year's time when his current four-year agreement ends.
Ferguson, aware that it is almost impossible to recruit a replacement of
Keane's stature with the new season looming, would fiercely resist such a
radical move.
A few weeks ago he was thwarted in a secret initiative for Dutch star Edgar
Davids because United erected the usual financial barriers.
But last night it was rated at no more than 50-50 that Keane will be persuaded
to stay at United.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Sir Alex is ready to raid market
By Joe Melling
Sunday, August 8, 1999
Sir Alex Ferguson makes no bones about the fact that his Manchester United
Treble winners embark on a new season at Everton today seriously
under-manned, especially for a club renowned as the wealthiest in the world.
Sir Alex has had plenty of battles in the past with the Old Trafford board
over funds to help maintain United's position at the peak of the English
game.
A further fracas is likely after his declaration yesterday that he intends
to buy before the European qualification deadline on August 31.
United's injury situation is worsening rapidly before a ball has even been
kicked and Sir Alex admitted yesterday: 'We're certainly not properly
equipped at the moment.
'I would like to bring someone in before the European deadline at the end of
the month, but it is very difficult to operate at the moment with the high
salaries being demanded by players.
'I have to admit I am not even close at the present time.'
Nevertheless, Sir Alex remains confident enough to suggest that while United
were always unlikely to repeat last season's Treble, even before withdrawal
from the FA Cup, a Premiership-European Championship Double is the target
this time around.
'It's going to be arduous because there is a lot of travel ahead of us,' he
said. 'Quite apart from the increase in numbers of games in the Champions
League, we have games in Monaco, Tokyo and, of course, Brazil in January.
'We are setting out with the ambition to win the Premiership, Champions
League or both. At the end of the day winning a major tournament in a season
should be regarded as a success.
'I am optimistic about making a good start at Everton, even allowing for our
injury concerns, because we have done well at Goodison in recent years.'
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99/
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