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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS Date: Sun Mar 28 05:35:21 GMT+00:00 1999 Mail: barry@www.red11.org This Issue: 1. WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT ENGLAND 2. SCHOLES' TREBLE GIVES KEEGAN THE PERFECT START 3. Red England Hat-tricks 4. Lineker On Scholes (ET) 5. Sir Paul Scholes? (D.Mail) ++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++ Daily RED Trivia Sun 28th March 1999: 28/3/1908: Harold Halse made his debut, scoring against Sheffield Wednesday. Joined United from Southend United and during his spell at United won a League Championship medal in 1911 and an FA Cup Winners medal in 1909. He scored 6 goals in the Charity Shield game against Swindon Town in 1911, and totalled 50 goals in 124 appearances between 1908-1912. Won 1 England cap in 1909, scoring in that match too. He moved to Aston Villa and won another FA Cup winners medal in 1913. 1981: United win 1-0 at Everton with a Joe Jordan goal in a Division 1 game watched by 25,856. Team was: Bailey, Nicholl (Macari), Albiston, Moran, McQueen, Buchan, Coppell, Birtles, Jordan, Duxbury, Thomas. *************** Barry Daily Comment: Only one news item in the Daily News today "PAUL SCHOLES scores Goals!" By the way: Greece - Norway 0-2 Solskjaer 2 Previous News: 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 Next games: ALL Result/Fixture Index: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm Next Games: April 3 Wimbledon (A) 15.00 PL 7 European Cup Semi Juventus (H) 11 FAC Semi Arsenal at Villa Park 12.30 UK Live Sky Sports Uk 17 Sheff Wed (H) 15.00 PL 21 European Cup Semi Juventus (A) 25 Leeds (A) 11.30 {am} UK PL Live Sky Sports UK UNITED Stats v All teams: http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/ *** LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 21/03/99 *** Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts --------------------------------------------------------- 1 Manchester United 30 18 9 3 68 31 37 63 2 Arsenal 30 16 11 3 42 13 29 59 3 Chelsea 29 15 11 3 44 23 21 56 4 Leeds United 30 15 9 6 49 27 22 54 5 West Ham United 30 13 7 10 34 39 -5 46 6 Aston Villa 30 12 8 10 39 37 2 44 7 Derby County 30 11 11 8 32 32 0 44 8 Wimbledon 30 10 10 10 34 44 -10 40 9 Liverpool 28 11 6 11 52 37 15 39 10 Tottenham Hotspur 29 9 12 8 34 34 0 39 11 Middlesbrough 29 9 12 8 39 40 -1 39 12 Newcastle United 30 10 8 12 38 41 -3 38 13 Sheffield Wednesday 30 10 5 15 35 33 2 35 14 Leicester City 28 8 10 10 28 37 -9 34 15 Coventry City 30 8 7 15 31 42 -11 31 16 Everton 30 7 10 13 23 35 -12 31 17 Blackburn Rovers 30 7 9 14 32 42 -10 30 18 Southampton 30 8 5 17 28 56 -28 29 19 Charlton Athletic 29 6 10 13 33 40 -7 28 20 Nottingham Forest 30 4 8 18 27 59 -32 20 *** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED - AS AT 21/03/99 *** Date Opposition Score Pos. Attend. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 15/08/98 Leicester City Home D 2-2 11 55,052 22/08/98 West Ham United Away D 0-0 11 26,039 09/09/98 Charlton Athletic Home W 4-1 9 55,147 12/09/98 Coventry City Home W 2-0 5 55,193 20/09/98 Arsenal Away L 0-3 10 38,142 24/09/98 Liverpool Home W 2-0 3 55,181 03/10/98 Southampton Away W 3-0 2 15,251 17/10/98 Wimbledon Home W 5-1 2 55,265 24/10/98 Derby County Away D 1-1 2 30,867 31/10/98 Everton Away W 4-1 2 40,079 08/11/98 Newcastle United Home D 0-0 3 55,174 14/11/98 Blackburn Rovers Home W 3-2 2 55,198 21/11/98 Sheffield Wednesday Away L 1-3 2 39,475 29/11/98 Leeds United Home W 3-2 2 55,172 05/12/98 Aston Villa Away D 1-1 2 39,241 12/12/98 Tottenham Hotspur Away D 2-2 1 36,079 16/12/98 Chelsea Home D 1-1 2 55,159 19/12/98 Middlesbrough Home L 2-3 3 55,152 26/12/98 Nottingham Forest Home W 3-0 3 55,216 29/12/98 Chelsea Away D 0-0 3 34,741 10/01/99 West Ham United Home W 4-1 3 55,180 16/01/99 Leicester City Away W 6-2 2 22,091 31/01/99 Charlton Athletic Away W 1-0 1 20,043 03/02/99 Derby County Home W 1-0 1 55,174 06/02/99 Nottingham Forest Away W 8-1 1 30,025 17/02/99 Arsenal Home D 1-1 1 55,171 20/02/99 Coventry City Away W 1-0 1 22,596 27/02/99 Southampton Home W 2-1 1 55,316 13/03/99 Newcastle United Away W 2-1 1 36,500 21/03/99 Everton Home W 3-1 1 55,182 *** TEAM RESULTS SUMMARY - MANCHESTER UNITED - AS AT 21/03/99 *** P Won Drawn Lost For Against Points ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Home 16 11 (69%) 4 (25%) 1 (6%) 38 (2.4) 16 (1.0) 37 (2.3) Away 14 7 (50%) 5 (36%) 2 (14%) 30 (2.1) 15 (1.1) 26 (1.9) Total 30 18 (60%) 9 (30%) 3 (10%) 68 (2.3) 31 (1.0) 63 (2.1) Averages per game in (brackets) *** TEAM STATISTICS - MANCHESTER UNITED - AS AT 21/03/99 *** AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 55,183 HIGHEST HOME ATTENDANCE: 27/02/99 - Southampton (55,316) LOWEST HOME ATTENDANCE: 15/08/98 - Leicester City (55,052) BEST WIN: 06/02/99 - Nottingham Forest (8-1) HEAVIEST DEFEAT: 20/09/98 - Arsenal (0-3) BEST HOME WIN: 17/10/98 - Wimbledon (5-1) HEAVIEST HOME DEFEAT: 19/12/98 - Middlesbrough (2-3) BEST AWAY WIN: 06/02/99 - Nottingham Forest (8-1) HEAVIEST AWAY DEFEAT: 20/09/98 - Arsenal (0-3) ***** Champions League: Group D P W D L F A Pts Bayern Munich 6 3 2 1 9 6 11 Man United 6 2 4 0 20 11 10 Barcelona 6 2 2 2 11 9 8 Brondby 6 1 0 5 4 18 3 Dec 9 Brøndby 0-2 Barcelona Dec 9 Man Utd 1-1 Bayern Munich ****** CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS Manchester Utd 2 v 0 Inter Milan Real Madrid 1 v 1 Dynamo Kiev Juventus 2 v 1 Olympiakos Bayern Munich 2 v 0 Kaiserslautern **DYNAMO KIEV 2 v 0 REAL MADRID (Agg:3-1) FC KAISERSLAUTERN 0 v 4 **BAYERN MUNICH (Agg:0-6) INTERNAZIONALE FC 1 v 1 **MANCHESTER UNITED (Agg:1-3) OLYMPIAKOS 1 v 1 **JUVENTUS (Agg:2-3) Semi Final Draw to be played 7th, 21st April Manchester United v Juventus [OT 7/4] Bayern Munchen v Dynamo Kiev ++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++Subject: WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT ENGLAND Scholes, Shearer, Sherwood And Keegan On Victory Plus: Scholes Fact File Other Memorable England Scoring Feats How Shearer And Cole Fared ENGLAND hero Paul Scholes admitted his Wembley hat-trick ''meant everything to me" and promised "the match ball is going straight on the mantelpiece.'' Scholes also saluted Kevin Keegan for his part in the victory in the Euro 200 qualifier, claiming: ''My performance rose because of Kevin's influence and enthusiasm.'' England captain Alan Shearer admitted it was ''Scholes' day.'' He said: ''We gave away a sloppy goal after such a good start. But we dug deep and it would have been bitterly disappointing had they taken anything away. No one can take anything away from Paul. It was his day.'' He added: ''Kevin Keegan's enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone. We have won one and now we believe we can win the rest of our qualifying games.'' Midfielder Tim Sherwood explained that he had been told to play a holding role in Keegan's adventurous line-up, saying: "Kevin told me to have a bit more discipline and said to stay deeper. Still, I was disappointed not to score. I should have got one. I hope I can stay in the team but there are a lot of good midfield players around.'' Unsurprisingly, Keegan was delighted with his team's performance for his first game in charge. He said: ''The fans were fantastic today and kept us going at times when the game got very stretched. "You never know with Paul Scholes what he's going to do, he is a very impressive player who lets his football do the talking. They usually knight you if you score a hat-trick here - it should be Sir Paul Scholes. Don't forget he was playing in midfield. He made a lot of tackles, got booked too, and deserved his man of the match award. What bit of luck he got he deserved today. ''It was a sloppy goal we let in from our point of view. Gary Neville went down the line with him and didn't do enough defensively. But he whipped in a good ball and I think it was Paul Scholes who didn't track their scorer back enough - he nearly dropped the man-of-the-match champagne on his foot." Keegan added: ''It was very difficult. Andy and Alan had the chances up front. In the second half Andy had a chance but maybe his touch let him down. Tim Sherwood got better and better as the game went on. David Beckham put in some good crosses. He got a bit of a bump in the corner but wanted to stay on." ''I really enjoyed it. I've only got four games and I am going to enjoy every one of them. The day we praise ourselves a bit more is the day the players will start believing in themselves even more." Asked about the games ahead, Keegan told Sky Sports: ''This turns it round a bit but there is a lot of football left. We all want to be in the European Championships. I want to be there with the TV people, the fans want to be there, but most importantly the players showed today how much they wanted to be there.'' PAUL SCHOLES FACT FILE 1974: Born Salford, November 16. 1991: Signs for Manchester United as a trainee. 1993: Signs professional forms with United. 1994-5: Makes League debut on September 24 v Ipswich. Scores five goals in 17 League appearances during season. 1995-6: Scores 10 goals in 26 League appearances as United win Premiership and FA Cup double. 1996-7: Hits three goals in 24 League appearances as United retain Premiership title. 1997: May 9 - Called into England squad by Glenn Hoddle despite only being a reserve for United. May 24 - debut as a substitute against South Africa at Old Trafford. June 4 - Plays for England in Le Tournoi, scoring on his first start, against Italy. September 10 - Scores opening goal in World Cup qualifier as England trounce Moldova 4-0. 1997-8: Makes 31 League appearances for United, scoring eight goals, as they finish runners-up to Arsenal. 1998: May - Selected for England's World Cup squad. June - Scores second goal as England win opening match of finals 2-0 v Tunisia. 1999: March 17 - comes off bench to score equaliser away at Inter Milan in Champions League quarter-final second leg to clinch United's place in semi-finals. March 27 - scores hat-trick as England beat Poland 3-1 in European Championship qualifier at Wembley. 10 MEMORABLE ENGLAND GOALSCORING FEATS Paul Scholes' hat-trick against Poland at Wembley provided a memorable start to Kevin Keegan's reign as England manager. Here are 10 other goalscoring feats by England players. GEOFF HURST - scored the most famous England hat-trick of all in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley. GARY LINEKER - scored four goals against Spain in February 1987 and against Malaysia in June 1991. Claimed hat-tricks against Turkey in October 1985, against Poland in the 1986 Mexico World Cup finals and v Turkey again in October 1987. WILLIE HALL - scored five against Ireland at Old Trafford on November 16, 1938, including the fastest international hat-trick (completed in three minutes). MALCOLM MACDONALD - scored all five in a 5-0 win against Cyprus at Wembley on April 16, 1975. BOBBY CHARLTON - four hat-tricks for his country against USA in 1959, Luxembourg 1960, Mexico 1961 and Switzerland in 1963. DAVID PLATT - the last England player before Scholes to score a Wembley hat-trick, claiming four against international minnows San Marino in a 6-0 World Cup qualifying win at Wembley in 1992. VIVIAN WOODWARD - scored seven in a 15-0 win against France in an amateur international in Paris in 1906 and six in a 9-1 amateur international win against Holland in 1909. IAN WRIGHT - the last England player before Scholes to score a hat-trick, Wright claimed a treble in a 7-1 World Cup qualifying win against San Marino in Bologna in 1993. OLIVER VAUGHTON - scored five in a 13-0 win against Ireland in Belfast in 1882. STEVE BLOOMER - scored five in a 9-1 win against Wales in Cardiff in 1896. COLE AND SHEARER CLOCKWATCH All the fuss over Paul Scholes' hat-trick eclipsed the performance of England front pair Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. Here's how they did, minute-by-minute... 6min: Rash tackle by Andy Cole on Poland's left-back, with the Manchester United man lucky not be booked. 8min: Alan Shearer's excellent hooked volley from Gary Neville's cross flashes a foot wide of the post. 11min: The first real sign of understanding between the two strikers leads to England's goal. Cole feeds Shearer on the edge of the box, the ball then deflects into the path of Paul Scholes, who scores. 21min: Cole escapes his marker and creates opportunity for club-mate David Beckham to curl in wicked cross for third United man Scholes to score. 34min: Shearer makes sliding tackle in own half to break up Polish attack. 39min: After a quiet spell, Shearer forces a corner which comes to nothing. 40min: Cole plays a part in build-up which sees Shearer given a half-chance at a run on goal but the Newcastle striker is forced wide and manages only a weak shot. 41min: Cole plays neat flick to Steve McManaman, whose cross is cleared to Scholes, who fires wide. 45min: Shearer caught a yard offside when he collects Tim Sherwood's lobbed pass. 49min: Cole picks up ball on edge of box but slips and the chance goes. 50min: From a corner, Shearer's prod from three yards out is cleared off the line, the ball breaking eventually to Cole, who spins but fires well over. 59min: Good turn by Cole under pressure in the box with his effort deflected for a corner. 63min: Cole wastes his best opportunity of the game so far when played in by Martin Keown. Takes an unnecessary extra touch and slices shot well wide. 66min: Shearer caught by surprise when Beckham's cross is missed by the Polish defence and another opportunity goes begging. 70min: Shearer finally wins an important ball and his flick-on from Neville's throw sets up Scholes to power his header into the corner for his hat-trick. 89min: Shearer cuts in from wide on the left and tries his luck from 20 yards but the shot sails high over the bar.
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England! Subject: SCHOLES' TREBLE GIVES KEEGAN THE PERFECT START ENGLAND 3 POLAND 1 HOPE and belief returned to Wembley in Kevin Keegan's first match in charge as Paul Scholes struck a hat-trick to revitalise the nation's Euro 2000 qualifying hopes against Poland. The dynamic Manchester United midfielder scored twice within the opening 20 minutes - the second thanks to a handball missed by the referee - and put the game beyond the reach of the Poles with 21 minutes left. It was the first hat-trick scored by an England player since Ian Wright in San Marino in 1993 and the first at Wembley since David Platt scored four against the international minnows the year before. But Poland are no San Marino - they came into the game undefeated in their previous eight games, including a 3-0 away win over Bulgaria, against whom England so infamously struggled to a goalless draw last October. Poland had made it 2-1 after 27 minutes through captain Jerzy Brzeczek but after threatening on the break for the remainder of the first half, they were put to the sword and England were simply rampant by the final whistle. It was a performance exemplified by Scholes' industry and finishing, and in many ways the midfielder epitomised Keegan's England side. Boldly selected as an attacking midfielder alongside debutant Tim Sherwood, Scholes often played as a third striker and while his defensive duties may at times have been overlooked, Keegan will have just loved the sight of his energetic attacking forays. Ahead of him the new strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole showed promising early signs but, most importantly, there was heart running through the side. The England fans arrived at Wembley full of renewed hope, with even those too young to remember Keegan's glorious playing career enthused with the expectation generated by his appointment, however short-term or part-time. The new England boss had even managed to disperse the clouds which had hung gloomily over Wembley since the soulless performance against Bulgaria and the defeat by France as bright sunlight greeted the arrival of the teams. The man himself, whose only other managerial visit to Wembley was Newcastle's 4-0 defeat by Manchester United in the 1996 Charity Shield, strode onto the pitch with his chest puffed out with pride before nonchalantly waving to friends in the crowd. Before kick-off, he had reinvigorated the team with the words of Frank Leboeuf that England had lacked the bulldog spirit in last month's friendly against France - and the team were duly ahead within ten minutes. Shearer had already hit a venomous volley just wide, but when Graeme Le Saux's long ball forward then cleared the centre-forward's head, Cole was on hand to lay a pass off to his new strike partner with a sublime first-touch. Defender Jacek Bak took the ball off Shearer's foot on the edge of the penalty area but only succeeded in deflecting it into Scholes' path and he lifted his shot over the advancing figure of keeper Adam Matysek. It was his first strike for England since the World Cup opener against Tunisia but after debutant Tim Sherwood had volleyed over the bar, the Manchester United midfielder was on hand to double his tally. Cole's industry earned him possession, he played the ball out to David Beckham on the right and the winger provided a trademark cross whipped in towards the near post, where Scholes planted it into the net. The only problem was that TV replays showed that the ball clearly struck Scholes on the forearm and goalkeeper Matysek was the spitting image of Peter Shilton at the 1986 World Cup finals against Argentina as he forcefully appealed for handball. The Portuguese referee was unsighted, however, and for the next five minutes, England were brimming with assurance. But they remained vulnerable on the break and when Miroslaw Trzeciak escaped down the left wing, held off the attentions of Gary Neville and pulled the ball back from the byline, Brzeczek exposed the England marking and guided his shot past David Seaman. Ironically, Scholes was the player to blame, having stood shoulder to shoulder with the Polish midfielder 30 yards out only to lose his man completely as he raced into the penalty area to score. Both sides were then guilty of conceding possession too easily, with the Poles too slow in supporting their forwards on the counter-attack and only a Scholes' volley coming close for the home side. After the break, wide open spaces beckoned for both sides although England were the more forceful, with a scrambled effort from Shearer cleared off the line and Cole shooting over the top as he turned on the penalty spot. But for all the United striker's endeavour, when he was finally given a clear-cut chance by Martin Keown, he took one touch too many and fluffed his shot on his weaker left foot. At least he and Shearer were showing glimpses of understanding, although they suffered from a lack of quality of service, especially from Steve McManaman, who failed on the international stage yet again and was replaced by Ray Parlour. Just a minute later, England made it 3-1, with Shearer flicking on a long throw by Neville and Scholes yet again appearing at the vital moment to nod past Matysek - this time with only his head. Although a Cole header flashed inches wide shortly afterwards, Keegan quickly pulled down the shutters on the Poles, with Phil Neville replacing Beckham. The visitors threatened only once more, when substitute Wojciech Kowalczyk fired wide, but by the end England were rampant. Scholes shaved the post with a shot eight minutes from time and Shearer headed just wide in the dying seconds. At the end, the teams fittingly marched off in triumph to the tune of the Great Escape. It may be what is needed to secure Euro 2000 qualification but with Keegan in charge, suddenly anything now seems possible. HOW THE PLAYERS RATED ENGLAND David Seaman: Rarely called into action. Had no chance with Poland's goal. 7 Gary Neville: Went forward well in the first half. Partly to blame for Poles' goal. Combined effectively with club colleague David Beckham. 7 Graeme Le Saux: Not at his best. Did not link up with McManaman to form a threat down the left. 6 Tim Sherwood: A solid debut in midfield alongside England's hero. Defended first but came close to scoring 7 Martin Keown: Towering performance at the heart of England's back-four. The perfect replacement for his lionheart team-mate Tony Adams. 8 Sol Campbell: Another mature performance from the young Tottenham defender. 7 David Beckham: Quiet by his own standards but provided the England team with balance and produced his trusty supply of crosses. 7 Paul Scholes: A golden performance from Manchester United's ginger dynamo. Three goals capped a wonderful display of industry, energy and awareness. 9 Alan Shearer: Strong and reliable. Won his share in the air and held the ball up well. Just missing the elusive goal. 8 Andy Cole: Grew in confidence as the game went on. A couple of half-chances came his way but he couldn't find a goal on his first start for his country. 7 Steve McManaman: Disappointment for the Madrid-bound winger on his return to England duty. Struggled to impose himself on the game. Moves he tried did not come off. 5 POLAND Adam Matysek: Blitzed by two early goals for England's clinical match-winner Scholes. 6 Jacek Bak: Lost the midfield battle. Could not contain free-running Scholes. 6 Tomasz Lapinski: Solid at the back. Limited chances for Shearer and Cole. 7 Krzysztof Ratajczyk: Struggled to cope with the attacking forays of England's Manchester United duo, Beckham and Gary Neville, down the right. 6 Jacek Zielinski: A strong performance kept England's skipper off the scoresheet but had no answer for the power from midfield. 7 Tomasz Hajto: Strong as an ox. Gave McManaman no change. 7 Piotr Swierczewski: Anonymous in midfield in the first half. Replaced at half-time. 5 Tomasz Iwan: Sparks of imagination from behind the lone striker but did not see enough of the ball. 7 Rafal Siadaczka: Worked hard up and down the left but with little reward. 6 Jerzy Brzeczek: Poland's goalscorer and most creative outlet. 8 Miroslaw Trzeciak: Ran his socks off in attack for the visitors. Made the goal but was often short of support. 7 Tomasz Klos: Came on at half-time but could not stop England sealing the win. 6 Wojciech Kowalczyk: Given just over 20 minutes to turn the game but instead Scholes killed it off within minutes. 6
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England! Subject: Red England Hat-tricks Hi Reds, Magnificent job Scholes. Yet to score a hat-trick for us and he does it for his country. I heard he was upset because he won man of the Match which meant he would have to do an interview - what skills he lacks with interviews he more than makes up for where it counts - in front of goal. He has had a lean time of late but Paul Scholes had his shooting boots back on like fans of Billy's Boots will recall (obscure 70s reference to Scorcher, later Goal, comic character) . It was great to see him pulled off to get the ovation he deserved. Scholesie now has seven for England I think. Other Red England Hattricks since 1956: Dec 5 1956 England (United) 5 Tommy Taylor 3, Duncan Edwards 2 Denmark 2 World Cup Qualifier May 8th 1957 England 5 Ireland 1 Taylor 3 World Cup Qualifier May 28th 1959 England 8 USA 1 Charlton 3 (Friendly) October 19 1960 England 9 Luxemborg 0 Charlton 3 World Cup Qualifier May 10 1961 England 8 Mexico 0 Charlton 3 Friendly June 5 1963 England 8 Switzerland 1 Charlton 3 Friendly November 14 1984 England 8 Turkey 0 Robson 3 World Cup Qualifier So you could say it's been a long time coming. Almost a decade and a half. Wasn't it wonderful to hear David being applauded off at Wembley for a fine performance. It brought a lump to my throat. And didn't Andy look the part? He held the ball up well and laid it off superbly - his first touch has improved by leaps and hounds this season. I thought he deserved a goal. He had a hand in two of them whereas Scholsie had a hand in just one ;-))) Gary Neville looked his composed self but was beaten for speed on the Poland goal. Phil came on for 10 minutes and put in a good cross that Sherwood placed just over the bar. All in all a great day for the Reds in the England team - no coincidence that with so many of them on the field England won handily. Shame Hoddle didn't see it that way - he was a prat anyway. Manchester United - The Legend - http://manunited.net
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England! Subject: Lineker On Scholes (ET) Midfield diamond provides sparkle Gary Lineker says that Paul Scholes deserves a regular place in Kevin Keegan's team SO far, so good. This was a hugely encouraging performance from England and the influence of Kevin Keegan was there to be seen not only in the obvious spirit in the side but more tellingly in the shape of midfield. It would be glib of me to say it is easy to score a hat-trick against the Poles, and Paul Scholes' reminded me of my own against them in the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. I know just how elated he will be feeling. And rightly so. His was a terrific performance. For me he is an absolute must for England and he has too often been on the periphery when he should have been in the team. He gives you the goals from midfield that David Platt used to provide. But he also has the technical ability of a top international footballer. He is creative, industrious and he can dig in. He passes the ball well and doesn't give it away. Above all, he is a brilliant finisher. He has that knack of arriving in the penalty area at the right time. And the boy can certainly shoot. Another plus for me was Tim Sherwood. He doesn't give the ball away needlessly, he produced one or two telling passes and even got forward occasionally. He certainly kept possession better than someone like Paul Ince. My own feeling is that we overplay the need for a ball-winner. What you seek in the middle of the field is a player to give you stability who doesn't give the ball away. If the ball is there to be won, Tim will win it. But when you are playing the very best it is about filling positions and being patient and waiting. He achieved that and did his future chances no harm at all. Unfortunately we struggled down the left. Graeme Le Saux didn't have his best day and Steve McManaman was poor. I think Darren Anderton would have played had he been fit. Wembley is not an ideal surface for players who run with the ball, as the grass is thick and the ball tends to stick under your feet. The movement between Alan Shearer and Andy Cole was good. Cole looked sharp. They didn't score but they did contribute towards the goals. Andy has still to show he can really do it in the big games but he looked sharp. The big plus following the last performance against France was the shape in midfield. Then the four across midfield played in a straight line and the French got in between us. Here we played in a diamond with David Beckham on the right, McManaman on the left and Scholes gave us the depth in midfield we lacked against the French. You get better options to pass the ball. Sol Campbell and Martin Keown defended well. The big problem Keegan has is finding a central defender who can come out and contribute offensively. It has been a weakness for years. Most people seem scared to give Rio Ferdinand the chance to do that. We have not got a Leboeuf or a Baresi and I think that is a fundamental weakness. Sherwood had to keep going back to get the ball. When a defender comes out with it, it draws out the opposing midfield.
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England! Subject: Sir Paul Scholes? (D.Mail) King Paul Sunday, March 28, 1999 Kevin Keegan hailed his hat-trick hero Paul Scholes last night as England strolled to a comfortable 3-1 win over Poland at Wembley. England's Euro 2000 qualifying campaign got back on track in Keegan's first game in charge with an outstanding performance from the Manchester United midfielder. Keegan said: 'He was magnificent. It was a great performance. They usually knight you if you score a hat-trick here. It should be Sir Paul Scholes. 'Don't forget he was playing in midfield today. He definitely deserved his man-ofthe-match award. 'If we start believing in ourselves, get some confidence and stop knocking the team then there's no limit to what we can achieve.' Scholes' hat-trick was the first by an England player since Ian Wright scored four against San Marino in 1993 and the first at Wembley since David Platt hit four, also against San Marino, in 1991. But the coach did have a word of warning for his ginger-haired hero after he failed to track back when England conceded a sloppy goal after 29 minutes which let the Poles back into the game. Keegan said: 'We bawled him out for that. That gave him such a shock I think he dropped his bottle of champagne on his foot. 'But there were a lot of good performances out there. Tim Sherwood had a great debut. He got better and better as the game wore on. David Beck-ham's cross for the second goal was excellent. We expect crosses like that from him now but we've no right to.' Scholes said: 'That meant everything to me. The guys up front, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, made the space for me and it was great to finish off the chances. 'I think the second goal went in off my hand but at least the referee allowed it. It was a great day. It's the best I've ever felt but I think I'm a little way off my knighthood.' England captain Alan Shearer said: 'It was Paul's day today - no-one else's - and no-one's going to take that from him. 'We had to dig in after we gave them a sloppy goal. It was disappointing to go in only 2-1 up at half-time after getting such a good start.' Shearer reflected the renewed confidence of the team, who now stand second in their Euro 2000 qualifying group behind Sweden, who laboured to beat whipping boys Luxembourg 2-0 yesterday. 'We're now more than capable of winning our remaining games,' insisted Shearer. 'We've won this one and we have a few to go but we certainly believe we can win the rest of them.' Keegan added: 'All I wanted was a win and we got that. The temperature must have been in the nineties out there. It was certainly warm on the bench when they pulled a goal back but, all things considered, we did what we had to do.' But Keegan insisted that the victory made no difference to his intention to quit after four matches. 'I enjoyed it. I have said all along that I'm going to take the four games. I'm going to leave the next manager in a position that I would want to be left in if I was taking over - then I'm going to go back to Fulham Football club. 'Having said that, I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed working with the players and I'm looking forward to the next three games as well. 'They're a tremendous bunch. Forget what you think or have maybe read about cliques and problems. These guys are really together. You have to start thinking that English football is maybe in a better position than a lot of us would want to believe. 'I'm sure we can go on to great things. We got a bit sloppy letting in the goal but I suppose people will be saying it wouldn't be a Keegan team if they didn't let in a silly goal.'
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England!
Becks and Scholes celebrate for England!
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/miva/matchreports.mv
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