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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Mon Sep 13 07:43:25 GMT+00:00 1999
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Can We Play You Every Week? Personal Report from Richard
2. Where's your Bayern Munich Flags? Personal Report by John Leigh
3. Goalkeepers by Robert Fleming
4. Beckham sums up Utd's hunger for glory - Soccernet
5. Bosnich faces fall to No. 3 (Soccernet)
6. Fergie defends Cole after sending off
7. Beckham escapes F.A. action over Anfield actions
8. United's early risers make most of Anfield hospitality
9. Report - LIVERPOOL 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 3
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
MANCHESTER UNITED DAILY NEWS Monday 13th Sept 1999:
Barry Comment:
Today a new personal report from Richard & a good Goalkeeper article from
Robert Fleming.
Only two days to go before Europe CL starts again!
Away for the week Bill will be fixing Daily News
from Tues-Thurs inclusive.
SUNDAY
**** Both the People and News of the World report
- UNSETTLED RIVALDO `IS UNITED TARGET'
WHILE THE Sunday Mirror says the Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta
remains their top transfer target - ahead of Brazil's Rivaldo - both the
People and News of the World report a stepping-up of United's interest in
the latter, who has apparently fallen out with the Barcelona coach, Louis
van Gaal.
The News of the World reckons United's board have already given approval to
an pounds 18m transfer fee.
*** To date our unbeaten runs stand currently as:
27 games League
40 games League and Cup
35 games domestic League and Cup
figures by Masterfan Paul Hinson
Group D ** Manchester United **
Olympique de Marseille * NK Croatia Zagreb * SK Sturm Graz
Manchester United FC Champions League Squad List
1 Mark John Bosnich 2 Gary Alexander Neville 3 Dennis Joseph Irwin
4 David May 6 Jakob Stam 7 David Robert J Beckham
8 Nicholas Butt 9 Andrew Alex. Cole 10 Edward Sheringham
11 Ryan Joseph Giggs 12 Philip Neville 14 Johan Jordi Cruyff
15 Lars Jesper Blomqvist 16 Roy Keane 17 Raimond RJH Van der Gouw
18 Paul Scholes 19 Dwight Yorke 20 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
21 Henning Berg 23 Michael Jamie Clegg 25 José Quinton Fortune
26 Massimo Taibi 31 Nicholas James Culkin 33 Mark Antony Wilson
34 Jonathan Greening
Real Audio - Last weeks Daily News Sound Archive:
Click on INDEX at http://www.red11.org/sound
Size Date Time File Name / Description
54k Sept 11 0.49 alex_after_pool.rm
Sir Alex comment after tremendous result at Anfield
73k Sept 11 1.07 best_rodney.rm
George Best & Rodney Marsh comments on Anfield win!
149k Sept 10 2.17 jaap_before_liv.rm
Sylvestre Signs + Jaap before Liverpool match
50k Sept 10 0.46 appeal.rm
Result of the Massimo Appeal
162k Sept 9 2.29 alex_book_sales.rm
Waterstones comment on Alex's "Managing My Life" book sales
90k Sept 9 1.22 jaap_sept99.rm
Jaap Stam Interview Sept 1999 - general comment
190k Sept 9 2.55 euro_time.rm
Alex comment on the Euro decision on Massimo
798k Sept 8 12m masterfan992000_1.rm
Paul Hinson Defends his Masterfan Trophy pt1
- Exciting competition! Streaming masterfan992000_2.ram
873k Sept 8 13m masterfan992000_2.rm
Paul Hinson Defends his Masterfan Trophy pt2
Paul's comeback in the last round! Streaming masterfan992000_2.ram
************************
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 11/09/99 ***
Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa 38,093
Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United 35,092
Coventry City 3-4 Leeds United 21,532
Liverpool 2-3 Manchester United 44,929
Middlesbrough 3-2 Southampton 32,165
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Everton 23,539
Sunderland 2-0 Leicester City 40,105
West Ham United 1-0 Watford 25,310
Wimbledon 2-2 Derby County 12,820
*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 12/09/99 ***
Bradford City 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur 18,143
*** CONDENSED LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 12/09/99 ***
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Manchester United 7 6 1 0 19 6 13 19
2 Chelsea 5 4 1 0 9 2 7 13
3 West Ham United 5 4 1 0 9 3 6 13
4 Leeds United 7 4 1 2 12 9 3 13
5 Arsenal 7 4 1 2 10 7 3 13
6 Aston Villa 7 4 1 2 9 6 3 13
7 Middlesbrough 7 4 0 3 10 10 0 12
8 Sunderland 7 3 2 2 8 8 0 11
9 Everton 7 3 1 3 13 9 4 10
10 Tottenham Hotspur 6 3 1 2 10 8 2 10
11 Leicester City 7 3 1 3 9 8 1 10
12 Liverpool 6 3 0 3 8 7 1 9
13 Southampton 6 3 0 3 10 12 -2 9
14 Derby County 7 2 2 3 7 9 -2 8
15 Watford 7 2 0 5 4 8 -4 6
16 Wimbledon 7 1 3 3 11 16 -5 6
17 Coventry City 7 1 2 4 8 10 -2 5
18 Bradford City 6 1 2 3 3 8 -5 5
19 Newcastle United 7 0 1 6 8 19 -11 1
20 Sheffield Wednesday 7 0 1 6 3 15 -12 1
---------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MATCHES
---------------------------------------------------------------
14-SEP-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs NK Croatia (UEFA Champions League, HOME)
18-SEP-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Wimbledon (FA Premier League, HOME)
22-SEP-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs Sturm Graz (UEFA Champions League, AWAY)
25-SEP-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Southampton (FA Premier League, HOME)
29-SEP-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs Marseilles (UEFA Champions League, HOME)
*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED -
UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/
ALL FIXTURES at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix992000.htm
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 pre-season W 2-0 - 60,000
18/07/99 Sydney Australia pre-season W 1-0 - 78,000
21/07/99 Shanghai Shenhua pre-season W 2-0 - 80,000
24/07/99 Hong Kong South China pre-season W 2-0 - 40,000
1/08/99 Arsenal Wembley Charity Shield L 1-2 - 70,185
3/08/99 Omagh Town Omagh Bomb Fund W 9-0 - 7,000
4/08/99 Wigan Athletic friendly W 2-0 - 15,000
08/08/99 Everton Away D 1-1 10 39,141
11/08/99 Sheffield Wednesday Home W 4-0 3 54,941
14/08/99 Leeds United Home W 2-0 1 55,187
22/08/99 Arsenal Away W 2-1 1 38,147
25/08/99 Coventry City Away W 2-1 1 22,024
30/08/99 Newcastle United Home W 5-1 1 55,190
11/09/99 Liverpool Away W 3-2 1 44,929
14/09/99 Croatia Zagreb Home EC 19.45
18/09/99 Wimbledon Home PL 15.00
22/09/99 Sturm Graz Away EC 19.45
25/09/99 Southampton Home PL 15.00
29/09/99 Marseille Home EC 19.45
3/10/99 Chelsea Away PL 16.00 "live on sky"
*11/10/99 Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial OT [Schmeichel + Cantona]
13/10/99 ? WC 3
16/10/99 Watford Home PL 15.00
19/10/99 Marseille Away EC 19.45
23/10/99 Tottenham Hotspur Away PL 15.00
27/10/99 Croatia Zagreb Away EC 19.45
30/10/99 Aston Villa home PL 15.00
2/11/99 Sturm Graz Home EC 19.45
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
11/12/99 FAC 3 Will not enter ...
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]
* 8/01/2000 FAC 4 Will not enter ...
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
* 29/01/2000 FAC 5 Will not enter ...
5/02/2000 Coventry City Home PL 15.00
12/02/2000 Newcastle United Away PL 15.00
* 19/02/2000 FAC 6 Will not enter ...
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
* 9/04/2000 FAC sf Will not enter ...
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
* 20/05/2000 Wembley FAC f Will not enter ...
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: Can We Play You Every Week? Personal Report from Richard
In the absence of our usual reporter, RED KELLY, who
unfortunately had to bow out at the last minute, I shall
attempt to get halfway towards his usual high
match-reporting standards.
Right now,I'm under doctors orders to control stressful
situations. In fact,I should try to avoid them
completely.When quizzed by the docs about my typical week,I
had to confess that it isn't so much work that winds me
up,it's bloody football,especially "away" games.So what's
the best way to avoid stress ? Well,simple answer
really....don't put yourself in the situation to start with.
Easy,I thought.Cut out the "aways", don't go to "Euro
Aways",and everything will be alright. Wrong. I forgot
something. Football,United, they're a drug that I am
hopelessly addicted to.If I go,I get my "fix". If I don't,I
get withdrawal symptoms. I can't win. I've tried, boy have I
tried.I gave up my Everton and Arsenal tickets, but I
couldn't resist Coventry (and suffered as much as anybody
with the reds putting us all through the mincer for those
last 10 minutes).
And then the Liverpool tickets went on sale. Jeez,what do I
do,I thought ? This is THE away game to go to this
season. Every other game pales into insignificance. In that
life-defining hour immediately after Ole's toe-end had put
the ball in the back of the german's net,one of the
many,many delirious thoughts that was going through my
head,was "I can't wait,I REALLY can't wait,to go to Anfield
next season".But remembering the 3-3 in '94 when we were
three up and 2-2 last season when we were two up,I knew
exactly how stressful this would be. Sod it I thought. I'm
going. I can't miss this piss-take.It would be more stressful
not going and thinking that I should be there,than actually
going.
And so to the day. I was supposed to be going with
RED KELLY, until I got a call from somebody sounding like the
Budweiser frog at 7:15am. It turned out to be RK sounding
very unwell, saying that he couldn't make it all the way to
Liverpool. Problem. Big problem. For health reasons,I'm unable
to drive again until next May at the earliest, so I couldn't
drive us. I tried to get a lift sorted with a mate on his
way up from Worcester, but timewise the diversion would have
left us not getting to Liverpool until after KO. Keep trying
I thought. In the meantime, RK was able to drive as far as
my house to drop off his ticket in case I was able to shift
it for him.I then 'phoned Coventry train station, to be told
that there was a train, with connections, leaving at
8:25am. There were no buses near to me and there wasn't
sufficient time to arrange a taxi, so RK was made to
suffer a little longer and drove me to the station (cheers
RK !!).
So finally, I was moving. I made a few calls on the way up
trying to shift RK's ticket. RK did likewise from
home. One of RK's mates phoned me and we arranged to meet
by the Shankly gates at 11:15.
The train journeys were uneventful. Full of Liverpool fans
strangely enough (do you come from Merseyside ?), plus a
sprinkling of cockney reds.
Arrived at Lime Street at 11am, jumped into a taxi and asked
to be taken to the football. Didn't instigate a conversation
with the driver for obvious reasons,but in his attempt to
secure a tip,he started talking about the game.After a few
vague answers to his questions (ie,without giving anything
away),he turned out to be an Evertonian and shared a mutual
dislike for anything dirties-related.In the space of the 10
minute journey we almost became best mates,sharing
anti-Liverpool stories along the way.He came out tops by
saying that him and his son were dancing and hollering
around their living room when Eric scored the winner in the
'96 final,and when Teddy and Ole did the business in
Barca,just to piss their LFC neighbours off. In fact,he said
that many Evertonians were ecstatic when we won in
Barca,not so much that United had won, but that it really
sickened the dirties !!
The conversation even drifted towards Altrincham (my
family's home town). I mentioned witnessing their greatest
ever moment when the Robins beat Birmingham City (an old
first division team then) at ST Andrews in the FA Cup 3rd
round (1986 I think),and it turned out he was there to see
it as well as he was mates with the then manager !! Top
cabby I thought,you've secured your tip now !! I left the
cab saying that I hoped we got the right result for him as
well,which he enjoyed !
Made it to the ground in time, met up with RK's mate who
was having his ticket and entered the cesspit to be greeted
with the usual Kop Flag Day when United are in town. How sad
have these muppets become ? Is this the only way that they
can get themselves fired up when they play us ? They just
don't understand. All the reds around me were laughing their
heads off !!! No class whatsoever.
Anybody remember Anfield '94 when they had a whole load of
anti-United flags,topped with the big "Form is
temporary,Class is permanent" banner ? Funny that lads,but
I haven't seen this one for MANY years now !!
Bumped into Big Kev,who I hadn't seen since the Munich Beer
Festival last season when, as Kev was dancing on top of a
table in the 10,000 strong HB tent, Mick yanked down his
shorts and left him standing there with his tackle in full
glory much to everybody's laughter,except for the 6
rubber-gloved bouncers who dragged him outside with his
shorts still around his ankles !!
The game started off with United in full flow and it was no
surprise that we scored in the 4th minute. I was on the
second row and couldn't see who scored,but it really didn't
matter.We were taking the piss on and off the pitch and the
second goal was coming long before it eventually
did.Another spot on free-kick cross from Becks and Cole
emerged from a pack of defenders to nod home mumber two.
They pulled one back through a bit of wayward wondering by
the otherwise faultless Taibi,who I thought had an
excellent debut along with the equally impressive
Silvestre.Good finds here Fergie,especially with the
keeper.I am not the only one who has very serious
reservations with Bosnich, though I feel sorry for VDH as it
looks as if he'll go another season now playing
insufficient games for a medal if we win the league again
this year. Still,I hope that he gets the nod for the first
stage of the CL games.
The scousers were all frothing at the mouths when Butty
fisted the ball away from a corner. God know how the referee
or linesman didn't see it;we all certainly did,and then
took great delight in winding the b......s up by holding
our hand up into the air,pointing to it and singing
"handball,handball" !!!
More generosity from Carragher on the stroke of half-time
and the much- deserved 2 goal lead was restored.
Apart from Cole's chance at the beginning of the second
half (it was a corner,Carragher mis-kicked the ball in
front of Coley's head,instead of putting it away for his
hat-trick (wouldn't that have been fun !!),most of the
action was contained at the other end.They pulled one back
again,Cole got himself sent off for stupid retaliation
(Becks should have followed - when the hell will he learn
?) and then it was all backs to the wall for the team,and
the (I knew this would happen) maximum stress levels for me
and the other 3000 reds !! Time seemed to take
forever,Fergie had a fit on the touchline at the ref once
the 3 minutes stoppage were over (some things never change
!) and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief when the
whistle finally went.
Walked back to Lime Street with Kev,hit the station bar for
a few beers along with other reds getting trains back,and
then began the treck back home.
Song of the day ? Well,there were three really."La
Marseillaise" and "Ooh Aah Silvestre" for our french
debutant. This lad's become a really big hit already.He
never flinched once,has great pace and can cross the
ball.Considering that he only arrived at OT the day
before,this was an excellent debut.
And the third song ? "Can we play you every week ?" For the
sake of my health,I hope to god that this never happens !!!!
--
Copyright © 1999 by Richard. All rights reserved.
Not to be reproduced without permission of the author
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Where's your Bayern Munich Flags? Personal Report by John Leigh
Another quick match-goer report for reds around the world who were unable to
attend.....
7:00 on a Saturday morning. Should be fast asleep getting rid of that hangover.
After all, Friday night is Friday night.
Instead, the worst sound in the world: the sound of my alarm clock. Yes, thanks
to TV, Police, etc. we are never ever ever going to play the scousers at 3
o'clock on a Saturday again (unless it's 3am).
7:15 and I finally manage to drag myself out of bed and into the shower. 15
minutes later I'm in my car. Another 30 seconds later I'm back in the house
retrieving the 12-pack of Boddies from the fridge, and a further 4 minutes
later I've done another about-turn from about a mile down the road to come back
home for my phone.....
8:30 and I'm at the Post House Hotel next to Haydock Park Racecourse to meet a
group of lads from various parts of Manchester plus a lad from the
www.m-u-f-c.co.uk board who I haven't met before.
We have breakfast, and retire to the bar - which is open at 9:00. A few pints
of Guniess later and the father of the lad from the www.m-u-f-c.co.uk board is
driving us all to Anfield in his estate car, and telling us about the camcorder
tape he has from within the Nou Camp with all 3 goals plus the REAL
celebrations that he is going to copy and send to me. Can't wait to receive it.
At this point we realise that we have accidentally forgotten to pay for our
breakfast, but surprisingly none of us want to go back to settle the account.
When in Rome....
The traffic into the cesspit is pretty heavy, so we crack a few cans. The rest
of the lads are upbeat about the game, but I'm worried that having Keano out
and the scouse team bereft of most of the normal idiots who are beaten before
they take the pitch against us - plus their recent record - may count towards a
shock result.
We are soon mingling with the shell-suited ones and now the beer is talking "I
hate these f*****g scouse b******s" is the generally-aired view. And who can
disagree? Horrible spit-spouting accents, unwashed, clueless in the clothing
department, we are all having to walk with our hands on our wallets, the list
of reasons to hate scousers just goes on and on.
By 11:20 we are stood in front of our seats and the anti-scouse atmosphere is
rising. "We are the Champions - Champions of Europe". The accoustics are crap
in the new Anfield Road End and we never got that chant going the way we did at
Highbury (all 4,000 singing it in unison for 20 minutes non-stop). However, we
DID sing it ALL the way through the hideous "You'll never walk alone" blaring
out over the tannoy with 40,000 scousers singing along to it holding their
scarves (strangely, not Arsenal or Bayern this time).
Then the players were out on the pitch. After a few quick forays by the
scousers into our half easily dealt with by Jip Jaap, the shirts (the navy
Lacoste-like thing, white shorts, white socks) begin to seriously dominate the
dirties and it is no surprise when inside 5 minutes the ball is in the back of
the scousers net in front of a despairing Kop to the delight of the 4,000
travelling fans at the other end of the ground. We go mad, despite having no
idea who has scored.
Now here I must declare some bias. If somebody came along and killed my entire
family in cold blood, I could not hate him more than I hate scousers. So when
Andy Cole gets a free header 4 yards out and it ends high in the net to make it
2-0, all United fans within a 5 yard raduis got a non-homosexual hug from an
absolutely delirious Jon Leigh. Not that I was the only one who was happy.
We couldn't see anything but a seriously big win. Maybe today we could
eradicate the memory of letting them off the hook at 3-0 5 years ago.
But, of course, this is United so we have to give them one back don't we? Out
of absolutely nothing, the scousers are awarded a free kick when Scholes allows
a mickey to foul him and then dive gracefully to the floor.
During the free kick from which our 2nd goal had been scored, the entire United
end was in the middle of "If you all hate scousers clap your hands". Now,
again, the same chant starts. It gives me a feeling of forboding. Sure enough,
Taibi comes out for the cross, misses it by miles, and an unidentifiable scouse
player has the simplest of tasks in heading it into an empty net. Incredibly,
we are now only 2-1 up.
The scousers are suddenly awake now, and they even threaten to score again, but
Taibi saves well one-handed to his left from Berger. Then, from a corner, Nicky
Butt picks the ball up, checks it for scratches, autographs it, and chucks it
out of the penalty area. Amazingly, the referee misses all of this and despite
scouse protests (for which there are no bookings) he does not award the blatant
penalty.
"In your Liverpool slums", we sing, laughing at the scousers.
At some stage in the first half, Fowler (still cheating, pushing, kicking,
nudging, diving) comes over near to the away support, who serenade him with
"You Scouse B.....d" at full volume. Real scouse hatred. Great.
Then Becks misses a chance in front of the Kop. He picks up one of the missles
aimed at him from the Kop and pretends to throw it back. Taking the piss.
Wonderful.
Then Giggs is played clean through. Great save from the goalkeeper, but as Ryan
tries to get the ball back he is pulled up just short of the edge of the
penalty area by a scouse defender who is stood at the edge of the 6-yard box
with the elastic of Ryan's shorts in his hand. Ryan is unable to stretch the
elastic any more than about 8 yards so he can't reach the ball. Blatant
penalty, but yet again the referee waves play on.
Then we get another free kick. "Come on, lads, 3-1" - Becks swings it over and
yet again it ends up in the scouse net from a once-more unidentifiable source.
Cue more delirium. Cue more "Champions" and a new chant: "Where's your Bayern,
where's your Bayern, where's your Bayern Munich Flags?".
Half time and the feeling downstairs is that it's wrapped up. Maybe the
scousers might get another, but we will get 2 or 3 more surely.
Should have known better. We sit back, content to defend our lead, and the
scousers get up a head of steam. In the stands, we are going through the full
United repertoir - 'Pride of all Europe', 'Whenever they're playing in your
town', 'If you all hate scousers', 'In your liverpool slums', 'We f*****g HATE
scousers' (to the tune of 'Those were the days'), 'You're not famous any more',
'They're on the dole, all the scousers on the dole', etc.
Some great saves from Taibi, and the United defence looks shaky - particularly
from crosses. And we are giving the ball away too cheaply. And not closing them
down. Or so it seems. Then the scousers score. 3-2. Shit. They're up for it
now.
Then Song, who has been kicking and climbing over Cole and Yorke all game, goes
completely over the top against Andy, who naturally retaliates. The referee has
no option. 2 yellow cards, in Andy's case a red as well. I am looking forward
to seeing Song sent off at Old Trafford. Please.
The scousers are really at us now, going through the whole repertoir - late
tackles, cheating, diving, off-the-ball pushing and kicking, the lot. They're
playing a bit of football as well, they've got nearly all the possession.
Golden Boy comes on for Camara - who we are glad to see the back of. We finally
get in their half. Becks comes over to take a corner. Gets the full United
applause and breaks out into a big grin. Ever time we get a throw-in, various
missles land on United players' heads. But this is Merseyside, home of the
lovable scouser, so they're only having a bit of fun.
It's 1:15. 15 minutes to go. Every time I look at the clock, it has stopped.
It's still 1:15. My watch has stopped as well. About an hour later, it's 1:16.
We miss a couple of chance to catch them on the break and finish it. We sing a
few more songs. 1:17.
Finally, after about 4 lifetimes, the assistant hold up the board: 3 minutes
injury time. It looks like we may have weathered the storm. We break out again.
Giggs heads for the corner flag, and sells a brilliant dummy to Berger who is
still heading for the corner flag as Ryan makes his way into the scouse penalty
area. He doesn't cross it, but gets a corner instead. Good thinking, Ryan.
Becks plays it short. Ryan puts it against the corner flag and wins a throw-in.
Fergie comes off the bench and holds up 3 finger to the referee: "You've played
3 minutes injury time now, it's full time, blow you b*****d!!". The referee
goes over and bollocks him.
We take the throw. We've won a corner, but it doesn't matter. Right in front of
us, the referee blows for full time and we've beaten those dirty workshy
thieving grannystabbing scouse b......s in their own hovel again. The players
all come right over to join in the celebration and are well-pleased.
Particularly Becks, who clearly hates them as much as we do.
Now we have to wait 30 minutes to get let out, but we don't mind. We go through
the full repertoir to the departing miserable scousers as they leave for their
hovels: 'You're not famous any more', '10 years since you won the League',
'Where's your Bayern Munich flags?', 'Get to work you lazy twats', 'Sign on',
and many more.
We get let out, and walk away from Anfield with big grins on our faces. I hate
going to Merseyside. I hate going to Anfield and seeing all those horrible
scousers. But I love beating them.
Jon Leigh
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Subject: Goalkeepers by Robert Fleming
Well I have to say there has been a certain ammount of speculation with
regards to this rather vital position on the list, and in the media
recently, and with due cause. We have spent money on a new goalkeeper,
bought one on free transfer and lost the best goalkeeper in the world
recently. However, many of you out there have been bagging Mark Bosnich
like nobodies business, and why? Because when he returned to England he
chose Villa instead of United, and you can't forgive him. He has only
played a few matches (5?) for United since his return, and yes his form has
been poor, I'll admit it. But so was Schmeik's when he first arrived. I
already mentioned that distribution of the ball was not worth comparing,
but as a shot stopper, I still believe Bosnich is the best choice to
replace Schmeik's. After watching the game vs. Liverpool I felt that Taibi
didn't perform that much better than Bozza. He made a couple of outstanding
saves, and was very imposing in front of goal, howeverone of Liverpool's
goals was totally his fault, and he scuffed a few kicks as well, which in
my opinion is the only real weakness in Bozza's game.
Admittedly, he is crap at clearences, however United have to adjust to how
he distributes the ball differently. When the keeper has the ball, all of
united's players can't expect to go and camp on the opposing 18 yard box
like what they did with Schmeik's, in expectance of receiving a 100 metre
bombshell into the opposition half. Villa managed to adjust to his
distribution technique. Why can't we, the best side in the country.
While I am reserving judgment on Taibi until I see more than one outing, I
did like his style. However I am not going to write him off after a few
games, and mistakes, for a new club who happen to be European Champs and
the most popular club in the world, like some of you have done for Bosnich.
Don't you feel it would be intimidating being asked to come and fill in the
(rather large) boots of Schmeiks straight off?? I know I would be shitting
bricks standing between those two posts.
And finally, I don't believe for a minute, the signing of Taibi was either
a) Writing off Bosnich, or b) some spiteful form of revenge. For the last
few years we have had the best goalkeeper in the world, and quite a classy
no.2 goalkeeper in Rai Van Der Gouw. Rai is getting quite old as players
go, 36 or 37 this year, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out he was
thinking of leaving either this year or next, and what sir Alex has done is
to get two world class goalkeepers for the next few years. By the time Rai
leaves us, Taibi or Bozza will be a firm no.1 and the other will be a top
class reserve goalkeeper, while Rai retires to Amsterdam to sit in a comfy
chair drinking cool drinks watching the reds march across Europe in the
years to come.
Glory be to United!!!!!
___________________________
United Are Treble Champions!!!
---------------------------------------------
Robert Fleming
Hobart, Australia.
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Subject: Beckham sums up Utd's hunger for glory - Soccernet
Beckham sums up Utd's hunger for glory
By John Richardson
David Beckham stepped into the Anfield bear-pit and proved that, for all
his inventiveness and passing ability, he retains the steely resolution of
a footballing street-fighter.
At times - and seemingly to the delight of his holier-than-thou detractors
- he goes over the top, placing himself at the mercy of the officials.
He raked angrily at Jamie Redknapp's outstretched leg in retaliation for a
late, clumsy challenge.
Beckham's famous Argentine adversary Diego Simeone would probably have
fainted, judging by his reaction to that notorious flick of the leg in
France 98.
Bashing Beckham for his basic instinct to survive in the midfield jungle
has become a national pastime. But his resilience is one of the reasons
Manchester United have exploded out of the blocks for their best start to
a season under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Beckham and the majority of the United side have seen it, done it and are
wearing the T- shirt - a redesigned number of course - but their
determination to succeed hasn't been eroded by continual success.
Anyone supposing that the Treble triumph of last season would leave United
with a soft underbelly will be disappointed. Nothing has changed,
including the ritual of Sir Alex tapping ferociously on what surely must
be a specially reinforced watch to inform the referee that time is up.
But as they demonstrated with their two late goals in Barcelona's Nou Camp
to beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, United hate being
second best to anyone.
Surely, though, with several play-ers missing and Liverpool under Gerard
Houllier beginning to inspire hope on the Kop, Saturday was going to be
the day when a 26-game unbeaten run in the League would end.
Wrong. Liverpool's defence went walkabout and United sauntered into a 3-1
lead by half-time. Andy Cole's free header from Beckham's 18th-minute
cross was sandwiched by Jamie Carragher's two unfortunate own-goals, while
Sami Hyypia replied for the hosts.
Houllier changed his system at the interval and Patrik Berger responded
with a cultured finish to cut the deficit in the 68th minute. When Cole
was sent off for tangling with Rigobert Song, the original optimism of the
Liverpool fans was rekindled.
But with Beckham, the peerless Jaap Stam, the hardworking Dwight Yorke and
debutant goalkeeper Massimo Taibi outstanding, Liverpool were to be denied
and United beat the old enemy for the seventh time in their last nine
meetings. At the final whistle, Ferguson raised his arms in triumph and
the incredible era of Old Trafford success showing no signs of abating.
Five of his players were involved in England's Euro 2000 qualifying
setback in Poland but he said: 'The players have focused really well.
'There was a bit of disappointment among them, but against Liverpool there
is no time for sorrow. You have to get on with it and perform.'
Houllier sees United as the benchmark for the aspirations of his own side.
He said: 'Many of their players have played together for a long time -
they have a good lot there. They look like a team of champions.
'They forget about the trophies, titles, everything - they look as if they
want to win every game. That is the label of a good side.
'I think that we can reach that here. It will take years but we have got
the spirit and quality.
'We should have got something from the game, but when you give away two
own-goals against a side of the calibre of Manchester United, you know you
are going to be punished.
'We have to stop making mistakes, we also have to improve the pace and
control of our passing. And we have to learn to contain teams who switch
play so quickly from end to end like United do. We have to learn to turn
our own possession into quick attacks like they did.'
When Liverpool did blast through United's granite-like resistance, they
discovered that Taibi seems to share the same appetite for big
confrontations as his predecessor Peter Schmeichel.
He may have gifted defender Hyypia his first goal for the club by missing
a cross but he silenced the cries of 'dodgy keeper' with some fine reflex
stops. Frustratingly for United, the 29-year-old Italian will not be able
to play in the opening sequence of Champions League games after a foul-up
over his registration.
He does, however, have an admirer in Liverpool goalkeeper Sander
Westerveld, who said: 'We thought it would be a good thing for us that he
was making his debut. We decided to hit him with plenty of crosses. You
saw with that first goal that he made a big mistake.
'But he responded well in the second half. In the end, I believe he saved
United. Without him we would have scored at least one or two more goals.'
United defender Stam agreed, saying: 'He made some great saves. He can't
speak English but he is learning the football terms. He was tremendous.'
Another United new boy, defender Mickael Silvestre, also settled in
quickly, which did not surprise Houllier, who had also been keen to sign
him.
In the end United beat Liverpool to the punch. That seems to be the way it
goes between these two deadly rivals these days.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Bosnich faces fall to No. 3 (Soccernet)
By Peter Fitton
EXCLUSIVE: Mark Bosnich is 48 hours away from the most humiliating moment
of his career in a weekend of increasing despondency over his Manchester
United future.
Just two months ago the easygoing Australian goalkeeper arrived at Old
Trafford as Peter Schmeichel's high-profile replacement. Now he faces the
brutal reality of being only third choice.
He is not guaranteed a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's team for Tuesday
night's first defence of the European Champions League against Croatia
Zagreb at Old Trafford - even with new 4.5 million signing Massimo Taibi
unable to play because of UEFA regulations.
And despite being fully fit, Bosnich was overlooked for the 16-man squad
that faced Liverpool at Anfield yesterday.
The 27-year-old's goalkeeping role is threatened by Dutchman Raimond Van
der Gouw, for much of the Nineties Schmeichel's understudy at United and
10 years older than Bosnich.
Ferguson intended to use Taibi against the Croats and his debut at Anfield
yesterday emphasised that he is United's new No 1. His unexpected exile
has left Ferguson with an uncomfortable dilemma in choosing between
suddenly fallen star Bosnich or the veteran Van der Gouw.
United's management have been less than happy with Bosnich's attitude and
physical condition since his summer arrival and ordered him to lose at
least a stone to make his best playing weight.
Now, after playing in just two games, Bosnich is fully recovered from a
hamstring injury. 'He has done a good week's training,' said Ferguson.
Whether that will be enough to convince Bosnich's doubting boss will not
be determined for another 48 hours.
Roy Keane, Denis Irwin and Gary Neville, the latest major casualties for
United, will all miss the game.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Fergie defends Cole after sending off
Alex Ferguson angrily leapt to the defence of Andy Cole after watching his
star striker sent off.
The Manchester United man was given his marching orders after a second-half
scuffle with Rigobert Song. It was his second booking and he deserved to go.
But Fergie, celebrating his best-ever start to a season at United, was left
seething.
He insisted: "Song was kicking kicked lumps out of Cole. I know you
shouldn't retaliate but there is supposed to be protection for forwards and
I thought that was unfair in the circumstances."
But referee Graham Barber, like everyone else, saw Cole react by kicking out.
It left United down to 10 men for the final 19 minutes of the game but, by
that time, victory was already being placed in the bag.
Two own goals from Jamie Carragher, seven bookings, one red card, and a
mountain of end-to-end action made this a grudge match to remember.
If you add to that two debuts in United's line-up - keeper Massimo Taibi
and defender Mickael Silvestre - the clash was packed with incident,
controversy and moments of stunning football.
And England midfielder David Beckham was back to all his old tricks.
His world-class free kicks set up the first two United goals. But he
allowed himself to be wound up by the Kop fans and could have been sent off
for stamping on Jamie Redknapp, after the Liverpool captain caught him with
a late lunge.
It is a problem Fergie is constantly being asked about.
But when you have a side playing as well as his, despite injuries to Roy
Keane, Denis Irwin and Gary Neville, headaches such as Cole's dismissal and
Beckham's erratic temperament are soon soothed away.
Fergie added: "Our first-half performance was excellent, absolutely superb.
"We could have been five or six up but, in the second half, we rolled with
the luck and our keeper had to make a couple of great saves. At times it
was backs to the wall."
Fergie had to send on the young Ronnie Wallwork after Nicky Butt limped off
with a serious groin injury.
Butt's injury means Fergie will be without 11 players for Tuesday's
Champions League clash against Croatia Zagreb.But he was boosted by the
displays of Taibi and Silvestre.
Fergie insisted: "Taibi has learnt exactly what Peter Schmeichel learnt in
his first game for us.
"Peter came out for a high ball and missed it by three yards, but he went
on to become a great keeper. Massimo redeemed himself and deserved to be
man of the match."
Taibi was facing chants of "dodgy keeper" after he came out to meet a
Redknapp free kick in the 23rd minute, flapping wildly and missing the ball
completely.
Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia was given a simple diving header into the
roof of United's net.
That mistake allowed Liverpool to claw their way back into the game.
Carragher started a nightmare afternoon by heading the ball into his own
goal in the third minute, the result of a swirling Ryan Giggs cross.
And after Cole headed in United's second in the 18th minute following a
brilliant Beckham free kick from the right, Carragher capped a day that
will cause him a few sleepless nights. Beckham won a free kick just before
half-time in exactly the same place which produced United's second goal.
He whipped in another beautifully struck cross to see Henning Berg storm in
and head the ball down and in to a bunch of Liverpool defenders.
It bounced off Song's leg and, as Carragher dived in to clear, he merely
pushed it over his own goal-line.
Liverpool chief Gerard Houllier said: "We have to blame ourselves for our
defending against set pieces.
"When you play Manchester United you cannot make mistakes like that. We
lost two goals from the same scenario."
Ref Barber should have awarded three penalties. The first was when Nicky
Butt clearly handled the ball. The second, just as blatant, came as
Liverpool's David Thompson tugged on Giggs' shirt.
In the second half, Redknapp was taken down by Jaap Stam. An even stronger
claim may have been when Robbie Fowler was charged down by Silvestre.
But with Liverpool trailing by two goals it took Patrik Berger, who fluffed
two shots in the first half, to produce a piece of brilliance to put the
Merseysiders back in the hunt.
He fended off a challenge from Berg and slotted the ball devastatingly past
Taibi.
A few minutes later Cole, booked in the first half for dissent, was heading
for an early bath and suddenly United were having to defend in numbers.
It seemed incredible that Liverpool missed so many close-range
opportunities. Fowler squandered one of the best chances and Michael Owen
slammed a shot into the side netting. Yet United always threatened on the
break, as the impressive Beckham repeatedly found Giggs with pinpoint
accuracy.
But it was Taibi, threatening to prematurely end the Old Trafford career of
Mark Bosnich, who had to produce the most heroics.
Berger forced a breathtaking one-handed save from the former Inter Milan
player, while Fowler was twice denied.
The tension and drama continued all the way to the final whistle and the
deafening noise from the Kop reached its highest pitch when a late lunge
from Redknapp flattened Beckham.
As Beckham pulled himself to his feet, he clearly stamped on Redknapp. But
Barber decided to book both players when he would have been within his
rights to have flashed a red at Beckham.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Beckham escapes F.A. action over Anfield actions
David Beckham was public enemy No.1 at Anfield after another display of
World Cup-style petulance.
Beckham stamped on Jamie Redknapp's leg in the heat of the battle against
Liverpool. Earlier he had flapped out his leg at Steven Gerrard.
Beckham's reaction was reminiscent of his kick at Diego Simeone, which led
to his red card against Argentina in St. Etienne.
That incident has haunted Beckham, although he overcame it and enjoyed the
best form of his career last season.
Now he is teetering on the edge again and he has already collected three
cautions in United's Premiership campaign.
But Beckham will escape any FA action over the Redknapp stamping, which was
seen by millions on TV.
An FA spokesman said: "It has been dealt with by the referee as he saw fit."
Daily Mirror
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
+ 365 article
13-Sep-1999: When will Beckham learn ?
Sometimes it's very difficult to have sympathy with people, isn't it? And
if David Beckham had received the red card he should have got for stamping
on Liverpool's Jamie Redknapp on Saturday lunchtime few, if any, would have
felt sorry for the Manchester United midfielder.
When Beckham escaped censure last month after giving Leeds fans the V-sign,
many - including representatives from the Football Association - felt his
reaction was entirely justified by the obscene chanting of the away
supporters. One song in particular, about his infant son Brooklyn, would
have been enough to bring most of us to breaking point.
After Saturday afternoon's act of petulance, however, Lancaster Gate should
reconsider its decision and deptuise someone to have strong words with the
Manchester United midfielder. For after a 1998/99 season in which he
displayed remarkable maturity in the face of severe provocation, it seems
like he has gone back to the bad old ways.
Football365 readers who saw the Redknapp incident were unanimous in their
condemnation of Beckham. Reader Andrew Garwood-Gowers from Brisbane summed
up many people's feelings by saying: "He obviously hasn't learnt from his
World Cup dismissal against Argentina last year. Twice in Saturday's clash
against Liverpool he foolishly lashed out in retaliation after being
fouled. The second incident involving England team-mate Redknapp should
surely have resulted in Beckham's dismissal. He was extremely fortunate to
escape with a booking."
And Andrew Thomson added: "When will he ever learn? I understand Beckham
was this week voted Sportsman of the Year in GQ magazine. He can play
football, but he's no sportsman."
United were grimly hanging on to their 3-2 lead after Andy Cole's dismissal
when Beckham saw fit to rake his studs down the back of Redknapp's leg
after getting the hump with a sliding challenge from the Liverpool captain.
You didn't need to have an A-level in lip-reading to see what Redknapp
thought of his England team-mate and there could have been no complaints -
not even from Sir Alex Ferguson - had referee Graham Barber brandished a
second red card in the direction of a United player. Instead, and probably
because of the fact that Cole had already gone, the official bottled it.
Beckham had already escaped punishment for a petulant flick of the boot at
Steven Gerrard, and these are hardly isolated incidents. He also has a
problem with back-chat to referees - a problem which would have kept him
out of last week's crucial England qualifier in Poland had the referee in
the previous Luxembourg game not given him the option of apologising rather
than getting booked.
Mindful of the fact that a Beckham red card might have seen his side lose
two or possibly three points on Saturday, perhaps Ferguson will now act.
But since the manager's reticence to criticise his players in public is
widely believed to extend to behind closed doors, the FA should have a
quiet word too.
by Ian Cruise
Football 365
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Subject: United's early risers make most of Anfield hospitality
There is rarely any shortage of excitement or drama when these bitter
North-West rivals meet, and yesterday morning's humdinger at Anfield was no
exception. The emotions of a full house of nearly 45,000 were fully engaged
as the contest swayed one way then the other, before United deservedly went
back down the East Lancashire Road with yet another win over Liverpool.
The Manchester club have emerged victorious from seven of the last nine
tribal wars between the two clubs. They proved their class and maturity
again yesterday by winning a ferocious battle, despite lacking seven
first-team players because of injury and having to defend their lead with
only 10 men for the last 19 minutes after striker Andy Cole was sent off.
Gerard Houllier's remodelled Liverpool did well to get back into contention
after going 2-0 and 3-1 down, but United's calm and disciplined defending
made sure there was to be no dramatic, last-gasp equaliser of the sort Paul
Ince managed in the corresponding fixture last season. "Where's your
big-time Charlie now?" the United fans had chanted mockingly and
prophetically when their team were lording it over the opposition in the
first half.
Liverpool, so sound at the back against Leeds and Arsenal, lost largely
because their old defensive faults resurfaced alarmingly when they had to
deal with crosses and free-kicks from the flanks. Poor Jamie Carragher was
debited with two own goals as he and fellow central defender Sami Hyypia
failed to deal with the ball convincingly in the air; but the credit ought
go to the high quality of the deliveries supplied by Ryan Giggs and David
Beckham.
"We are disappointed because, on the whole, despite the way things turned
round, we should have got something out of the game," admitted Houllier.
"But we've got to blame ourselves for the mistakes we made at set-pieces.
When you are playing Manchester United you can't give them two goals. In
the Premiership you pay for any mistake; but when you play Manchester
United you pay double."
United's latest win came at a price, however. With Roy Keane sidelined by a
hamstring injury he suffered playing for the Republic of Ireland, the loss
of Nicky Butt with a groin strain shortly before half-time leaves manager
Sir Alex Ferguson with a major problem in central midfield for Tuesday's
opening Champions' League match against Croatia Zagreb at Old Trafford.
He had to plug the gap yesterday by bringing on Ronnie Wallwork, the young
centre-half whose career will be in the balance this week when a Belgian
court rules on his appeal against a life ban imposed by the Belgian FA for
allegedly attacking a referee in the players' tunnel while he was on loan
to Antwerp. But Wallwork could not be registered for the Champions' League
in such circumstances.
Ferguson must also bring in Raimond van der Gouw for Massimo Taibi, the
£4.5 million goalkeeper who was given a daunting debut by Ferguson
yesterday. Taibi, who had an interpeter behind his goal to help him
communicate with his defenders, was badly at fault for Liverpool's first
goal but redeemed himself with saves from Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer
and Robbie Fowler that Ferguson named him man of the match.
Taibi had little to do for most of the first half. United controlled the
shape and the tempo of the match so well that an awkward 25-yarder from
Fowler and a blistering left-footer from Berger were the only shots he had
to save.
He came for Jamie Redknapp's long diagonal free-kick after 23 minutes but
missed and Hyypia dived to score with a header. But, by then, the ball had
ended up in their own net twice. It was put there first by Carragher when,
after only three minutes, the young defender headed Giggs' centre into the
far corner as he raced towards his own goal.
Sander Westerveld, Liverpool's Dutch goalkeeper, had just as little chance
of saving when Cole rose virtually unopposed to thump a header past him
from a flighted free-kick by Beckham, who was fortunate to stay on the
pitch after taking kicks at Steven Gerrard and Redknapp. Liverpool should
have had the chance to equalise after 29 minutes but the referee, Graham
Barber, failed to spot Butt's handling of a Berger corner in the penalty area.
Since Barber also ignored the incident in which Liverpool's David Thompson
pulled Giggs back by the shirt at the other end, it was even on that score.
Not so in terms of goals. United scored a third just before the interval
when Henning Berg launched himself at another of Beckham's inviting
free-kicks and his header ricocheted in off Carragher's arm.
Even before Cole was sent off for wrestling with, and taking a kick at
Rigobert Song, the striker's second bookable offence, Liverpool had won
control of the game. But as they drove forward, Taibi made excellent saves
from Smicer, on for Thompson, and Fowler before Berger ran on to a pass
from Dominic Matteo and slipped the ball past the keeper from an acute
angle with 22 minutes left to play.
Houllier used what he hoped would be his trump card by sending on Michael
Owen for Titi Camara and Vegard Heggem for Gerrard after 64 minutes, but
the best even Owen could manage was the shot he rolled past Taibi and
against the outside of a post.
Telegraph
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: 365 Report - LIVERPOOL 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 3
Michael Owen is on stand-by to make his first full start of the
season - and offer a major cash boost to Third Division Hull. The
young England star could well be on from the start on Tuesday at
Boothferry Park as Liverpool face the first leg of their Worthington
Cup clash with the side who are 17th in the Nationwide League
basement. It is being screened live on Sky, but Hull's stadium could
well have a 13,000 capacity to see Owen start his first match in
five months.
After the shambolic defensive display that cost Liverpool a 3-2
defeat by Manchester United on Saturday morning, Anfield chief
Gerard Houllier will turn to bolstering his attack now that Owen has
played three 20-minute bursts as substitute for club and country
inside a week. Owen is clearly now fit, and Houllier left him on the
bench at Anfield to play fair with the players - most notably Titi
Camara - who so impressively beat Arsenal a fortnight ago. But
there is little point now in not giving Owen a full match after his
recovery from a hamstring injury.
A much gentler introduction at Hull has clearly been preferred than
throwing the teenager into a top Premiership clash. But while
Houllier gave up trying to make a case for his defence after the
United defeat, he will know that Owen's return up front to partner
Robbie Fowler is just as important to Liverpool than plugging the
constantly alarming gaps in their back line.
Houllier could even use £3.5m defender Stephane Henchoz in some
capacity at Hull. The Swiss defender played a full international
against Belarus last weekend, against Liverpool's wishes. They
complained to UEFA and the Swiss FA because Henchoz hadn't
played any sort of match since his summer hernia operation. But the
giant defender got through the game unscathed, and his presence
at the heart of Liverpool's defence is now clearly needed.
With midfielder Vladimir Smicer also back after a groin injury, and a
second-half substitute against United, Houllier could well have all his
summer signings available - apart from Dietmar Hamann - by the end
of the week and in contention to play at Leicester on Saturday.
That will help Houllier get over his exasperation at the re-emergence
of the defensive shortcomings Liverpool just can't seem to solve
whatever nationality wears a shirt in their back four.
Houllier didn't try a cover-up after seeing Jamie Carragher score two
own goals and Andy Cole head home virtually unopposed in the first
half against United. ''We couldn't handle positioning at free kicks,
and it makes it difficult for everybody,'' said Houllier. ''Seeing us
come back so strongly after the break didn't make me feel any
happier. We defended too deeply, we seemed frightened of the
swerve on the ball when it came in from the likes of David Beckham.
''We didn't give our goalkeeper the chance to sweep behind the
back line. If you want to beat Manchester United you can't make
the kind of mistakes we did. Jamie owned up to the final touch on
their second goal. But really there were two chances to clear the
ball before it went in. We should have got something from the
game, but when you give away two own goals against a side of the
calibre of Manchester United, you know you are going to be
punished.
''We have to accept that there are three factors we must face up
to if we are going to match teams like United. Firstly we have to
stop making these mistakes and we also have to improve the pace
and control of our passing. And we have to learn to contain teams
who switch play so quickly from end to end like United do. We have
to learn to turn our own possession into quick attacks like they did.
United now have beaten ourselves, Arsenal and Leeds already this
season. They have shown their standards again and all I can hope
is that the Champions League tires them out otherwise they will
have pulled away from the rest.''
But first things first. Houllier needs Owen back to give his attack
that extra dimension, and he needs Henchoz at the heart of his
defence to take the pressure off Sami Hyypia in the air, and stop
relying on Carragher when surely his best position is central midfield.
As Houllier said before the match, Liverpool have still got a very
long way to go before they can start being talked of as
championship contenders. United made short work of that fanciful
claim on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, Ronnie Wallwork desperately hopes his first Manchester
United appearance of the season will not be the last of his career.
The centre-half was pitched into the fray at Anfield as an
emergency midfielder when he replaced the injured Nicky Butt for
only his second Premiership appearance. Wallwork played his part in
United's rearguard action following Andy Cole's dismissal as they
recorded their sixth successive league win to open up a six-point
lead at the top of the table.
A Cole header was sandwiched by two Carragher own goals, while
Hyypia and Patrik Berger scored for the Merseysiders. Wallwork's
glee following the victory could be shortlived and on Friday he may
be told that he will never kick a ball again for United or any other
professional club. That is the date set for his appeal hearing against
a life ban imposed for attacking a referee in Belgium last season
while on loan at Royal Antwerp. Wallwork was banned after the
Belgian football authorities found him guilty of grabbing the official
by the throat at the end of a Second Division play-off match
against La Louviere.
Wallwork's United team-mate Danny Higginbotham, who was also on
loan at Antwerp, was banned for a year for his part in the fracas.
Wallwork, who was 22 on Friday, had his sentence temporarily lifted
ahead of his appeal and he admits it was hard playing against
Liverpool with the ban hanging over him.
''It's good that they have suspended the sentence for two weeks
and hopefully they will not send me down for life,'' he said. ''It was
hard against Liverpool and I just had to concentrate when I got on
the pitch. The gaffer told me to concentrate and I did just that.''
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was stunned by the severity of the
sentence and Wallwork claims he has been a huge help. ''The
manager has stuck by me and said he will help me out with anything
that happens,'' he said on MUTV. ''He's been very supportive of me.''
Although Wallwork is allowed to play again, he is not eligible for
United's opening Champions League group game against Croatia
Zagreb at Old Trafford on Tuesday. United could not register
Wallwork because he was banned at the time and he is one of 11
players ruled out of the match. Italian goalkeeper Massimo Taibi and
French defender Mickael Silvestre, who made their debuts at
Anfield, are unavailable because they were not signed before the
Champions League transfer deadline.
Nicky Butt (groin), Roy Keane (hamstring), Jesper Blomqvist (knee),
Denis Irwin (Achilles), Gary Neville (groin), Wes Brown (knee), David
May (knee) and Ronny Johnsen (knees) have all been ruled out.
Ferguson admits it will be difficult to choose his side and he said:
''I've a real problem for Tuesday. I don't have Silvestre, Denis or
Gary Neville, although Phil Neville should be all right after he came
off with a touch of illness against Liverpool.
''It seems the natural thing to bring Michael Clegg in at right back
because Wallwork is not registered. We have a problem in midfield
and obviously Scholes is OK, Giggs is OK and Beckham is OK so
there's three.''
Ferguson is likely to move David Beckham inside to centre midfield
alongside Paul Scholes and deploy Jonathan Greening on the right.
He also needs another goalkeeper and Mark Bosnich could face the
Croatian champions, who are managed by Ossie Ardiles, after
resuming training following his hamstring injury.
Whatever team Ferguson fields he will expect them to start well and
he does not want to give Zagreb the sniff of an upset against the
Treble winners. ''Croatia Zagreb have a lot of quality and I think it's
important in that kind of game to get a start,'' he said. ''No matter
what team I play, they've got to get a start.''
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