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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Mon 29 Nov 1999 16:01 GMT
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

This Issue:
1. Gary Neville - Guest at IMUSA meeting - THU 9th December 8pm
2. KIDS LOSE
3. BUTT INJURY
4. HOPE IN HELLMUT
5. United's chance to be unforgettable
6. Bruce waiting for top job at United

++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++

MANCHESTER UNITED DAILY NEWS  Mon 29th Nov 1999:
* If you have an article for this MUFC Daily News bulletin
   please mail it to  Thanks!

Barry Comment:
Sheep go top with a last min goal whilst REDS are in Tokyo!
WCC Tues 10am BST - INTERNET COVERAGE ***
Match Tracker live text service.
At home or work, up to date with everything that happens.

*** Competition time! To enter first download 1 meg here
http://www.red11.org/mickz/mufc_snow.exe
Lets see how far us REDS can get, I already made it to Level 2 
Proof here: http://www.red11.org/mickz/level2.jpg
The best 3 efforts will win a copy of the NEW book 
"European Glory" by RED NEWS edited by Barney Chilton
 Eyewitness Accounts of United's 1968 & 1999 European Triumphs
 A book celebrating the amazing events in the Nou Camp on May 26th - retails at £7,95
Enties to the competition must include an attched screen pic as proof of
your efforts  mail to barrylee@post3.tele.dk GOOD LUCK  Comp closes 24th Dec 1999

* If you have an article for this MUFC Daily News bulletin
   please mail it to  Thanks!

----------------------

http://www.red11.org/champ


If I Die In The Stretford End - scoreboardpaddock@manutd.com
 Alex Hulme/Manchester/England 
Made by a Manc for Mancs "If I Die In The Stretford End" is for Match Going REDS. 
URL:  
Taken from The Worldwide Manchester United Fans Webring - 400+ RED sites!
 http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=manufan;list

* UK TV info:  BBC TO COVER UNITED'S BRAZIL MISSION
The BBC will broadcast live coverage of Manchester United's World Team
Championship challenge in Brazil.

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

1999/2000 UEFA Champions League Second Group-Match Stage - Group B 
Group B           P W D L  F A  Pts 
Valencia CF       1 1 0 0  3 0  3 
Fiorentina AC     1 1 0 0  2 0  3 
Manchester United 1 0 0 1  0 2  0 
Bordeaux          1 0 0 1  0 3  0 

Second stage Euro Draw  GROUP B
Manchester United Valencia Bordeaux Fiorentina
Tues Nov 23 Fiorentina v Manchester United  2-0 
            Valencia v Girondins Bordeaux   3-0

Wed Dec 8 
Group B: Girondins Bordeaux v Fiorentina 
Group B: Manchester United v Valencia 
Wed Mar 1 
Group B: Manchester United v Girondins Bordeaux 
Group B: Fiorentina v Valencia 
Tues Mar 7  
Group B: Girondins Bordeaux v Manchester United 
Group B: Valencia v Fiorentina 
Wed Mar 15 
Group B: Manchester United v Fiorentina 
Group B: Girondins Bordeaux v Valencia 
Tuesday, March 21 
Group B: Fiorentina v Girondins Bordeaux 
Group B: Valencia v Manchester United 

FINAL Group D          P W D L  F A  PTS
Manchester United FC   6 4 1 1  9  4  13 
Olympique de Marseille 6 3 1 2 10  8  10 
SK Sturm Graz          6 2 0 4  5 12   6 
NK Croatia Zagreb      6 1 2 3  7  7   5 

 *******************************

Real Audio - Last weeks Daily News Sound Archive:
Click on INDEX at http://www.red11.org/sound

************************

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 27/11/99 ***
       Coventry City   0-1   Leicester City        22,021
             Everton   0-0   Aston Villa           34,750
       Middlesbrough   0-0   Wimbledon             31,400
             Watford   2-3   Sunderland            21,590
     West Ham United   1-0   Liverpool             26,043

*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 28/11/99 ***
             Arsenal   2-1   Derby County          37,964
             Chelsea   1-0   Bradford City         31,591
        Leeds United   1-0   Southampton           39,288
    Newcastle United   2-1   Tottenham Hotspur     36,460

*** CONDENSED LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 28/11/99 ***

Pos Team                  P   W   D   L   F   A   GD  Pts
---------------------------------------------------------
 1  Leeds United         16  11   2   3  29  19   10   35
 2  Manchester United    15  10   3   2  35  20   15   33
 3  Arsenal              16  10   2   4  28  16   12   32
 4  Sunderland           16   9   4   3  27  16   11   31
 5  Leicester City       16   9   2   5  26  20    6   29
 6  Liverpool            16   8   3   5  20  13    7   27
 7  Tottenham Hotspur    15   8   2   5  25  20    5   26
 8  Chelsea              14   7   3   4  20  11    9   24
 9  West Ham United      15   7   3   5  17  14    3   24
10  Middlesbrough        16   7   2   7  20  23   -3   23
11  Everton              16   5   6   5  24  22    2   21
12  Coventry City        16   5   5   6  23  18    5   20
13  Aston Villa          16   5   4   7  14  18   -4   19
14  Wimbledon            16   3   8   5  22  29   -7   17
15  Newcastle United     16   4   4   8  27  30   -3   16
16  Southampton          15   4   4   7  20  25   -5   16
17  Bradford City        15   3   3   9  12  24  -12   12
18  Derby County         16   3   3  10  15  28  -13   12
19  Watford              16   3   2  11  13  28  -15   11
20  Sheffield Wednesday  15   1   3  11  13  36  -23    6

*** FIXTURES ON 04/12/99 ***
         Aston Villa  v  Newcastle United
       Bradford City  v  Middlesbrough
      Leicester City  v  Arsenal
   Manchester United  v  Everton
         Southampton  v  Coventry City
          Sunderland  v  Chelsea
           Wimbledon  v  Watford

*** FIXTURES ON 05/12/99 ***
        Derby County  v  Leeds United
           Liverpool  v  Sheffield Wednesday

*** TEAM STATISTICS - MANCHESTER UNITED - AS AT 20/11/99 ***

AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 55,168
HIGHEST HOME ATTENDANCE: 25/09/99 - Southampton (55,249)
LOWEST HOME ATTENDANCE:  11/08/99 - Sheffield Wednesday (54,941)
BEST WIN:     11/08/99 - Sheffield Wednesday (4-0)
              30/08/99 - Newcastle United (5-1)
HEAVIEST DEFEAT:         03/10/99 - Chelsea (0-5)
BEST HOME WIN:           11/08/99 - Sheffield Wednesday (4-0)
                         30/08/99 - Newcastle United (5-1)
BEST AWAY WIN:           22/08/99 - Arsenal (2-1)
                         25/08/99 - Coventry City (2-1)
                         11/09/99 - Liverpool (3-2)
                         20/11/99 - Derby County (2-1)
HEAVIEST AWAY DEFEAT:    03/10/99 - Chelsea (0-5)

 NEXT MATCHES
---------------------------------------------------------------
30-NOV-1999 [10:00] Manchester Utd. vs Palmeiras   (Inter Continental Cup, AWAY)
04-DEC-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Everton     (FA Premier League, HOME)
08-DEC-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs Valencia    (UEFA Champions League, HOME)
18-DEC-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs West Ham    (FA Premier League, AWAY)
26-DEC-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Bradford C  (FA Premier League, HOME)

Current Injuries                       Possible return
 Jesper Blomqvist        ankle           early Dec 
 Ronny Johnsen           knee            January
 Wes Brown               knee            August


*** 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 PL  D  1-1    10    39,141
11/08/99    Sheffield Wednesday      Home PL  W  4-0     3    54,941
14/08/99    Leeds United             Home PL  W  2-0     1    55,187
22/08/99    Arsenal                  Away PL  W  2-1     1    38,147
25/08/99    Coventry City            Away PL  W  2-1     1    22,024 
27/08/99    Monaco - Lazio               ESC  L  0-1     -    15,223
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  D  0-0     -    53,250
18/09/99    Wimbledon                Home     D  1-1     1    55,189
22/09/99    Sturm Graz               Away EC  W  3-0     -    16,480
25/09/99    Southampton              Home     D  3-3     1    55,249
29/09/99    Marseille                Home EC  W  2-1     -    54,276
 3/10/99    Chelsea                  Away PL  L  0-5     2    34,909
11/10/99    Sir Alex Testimonial     Home F   L  2-4  LEGENDS 54,842      
13/10/99    Aston Villa              Away WC3 L  0-3     -    33,815
16/10/99    Watford                  Home PL  W  4-1     2    55,188
19/10/99    Marseille                Away EC  L  0-1     -    57,745 
23/10/99    Tottenham Hotspur        Away     L  1-3     3    36,072
27/10/99    Croatia Zagreb           Away EC  W  2-1     -    30,000
30/10/99    Aston Villa              Home PL  W  3-0     2    55,211
 2/11/99    Sturm Graz               Home EC  W  2-1     -    53,745 
 6/11/99    Leicester City           Home PL  W  2-0     1    55,191
20/11/99    Derby County             Away     W  2-1     1    33,370
23/11/99    AC Fiorentina            Away EC  L  0-2     -

  pp 27/11/99 ? Sheffield Wednesday  Away PL  ???   *No new date yet
30/11/99    Tokyo  Palmeiras         WCC       20.00
 4/12/99    Everton                  Home PL   15.00
 8/12/99    Valencia CF              Home EC   19.45
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"
  pp 3/01/2000  Middlesborough         Home PL ???  *No new date yet

****************************************************
 JAN 05-14  Brazil WTC [3-4 games]
----------------------------------------------------
06/01/2000  Necaxa (Mexico)          Neut WTC  16.00
08/01/2000  Vasco da Gama (Brazil)   Away WTC  16.00
11/01/2000  South Melbourne (Australia) N WTC  16.00
****************************************************

15/01/2000  Leeds                    Away PL   15.00 
22/01/2000  Arsenal                  Home PL   15.00
 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
 1/03/2000  FC Girondins de Bordeaux Home EC   19.45 
 4/03/2000  Liverpool                Home PL   15.00
 7/03/2000  FC Girondins de Bordeaux Away EC   19.45 
11/03/2000  Derby County             Home PL   15.00
15/03/2000  AC Fiorentina            Home EC   19.45
18/03/2000  Leicester City           Away PL   15.00
21/03/2000  Valencia CF              Away EC   19.45 
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 Final

http://www.red11.org/mufc/match.htm
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++


Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT
Gary Neville - Guest at IMUSA meeting - THU 9th December 8pm For those that can make it to Stretford on a (rainy) Thursday night: Gary Neville is the guest of IMUSA at the next meeting at 8pm on Thursday 9th December. The meeting will take place upstairs at O'Briens pub, Chester Rd, Stretford - next to Stretford Arndale (Metrolink: Stretford). The meeting is open and free to all IMUSA members - although non-members are more than welcome to attend by joining on the night (5 pounds per year). There will be a bar serving alcoholic beverages at very reasonable prices. See you there - and bring a friend to join too! Any queries - please email me directly. Duncan
Click On pic - for all latest pics from OT
KIDS LOSE DOUBLE DEFEAT FOR ACADEMY KIDS Monday, November 29, 1999 10:54 Manchester United's young teams came off the rails at Crewe on Saturday morning. Heavy rain on Friday had placed the fixtures in doubt, but the games still went ahead, resulting in defeats for the Reds' Under 17s and Under19s. It was hardly the best preparation for coach Dave Williams, who must now select a team for the big FA Youth Cup match with Nottingham Forest on Thursday.
Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT
BUTT INJURY BUTT INJURED IN TRAINING Monday, November 29, 1999 12:00 Nicky Butt has reportedly injured his wrist while training in Tokyo. Alex Ferguson confirmed the injury, but also claimed it was not as bad as was first feared. "We had a bit of a scare yesterday when Nicky Butt had an injury in training," said the Boss. "We sent him to hospital this morning for an X-ray and fortunately his wrist is not broken. But I have to decide whether I should play him tomorrow. It was my intention to play him, but we will wait and see tomorrow for certain"
Click On pic - for latest pics from OT
HOPE IN HELLMUT Monday, November 29, 1999 12:30 You know you've made it in Europe when you start to recognise the foreign referees. United fans and players can now name more than your average Premiership rota of David Elleray, Dermot Gallagher and Graham Poll. Most Reds can also spot Italy's Pierluigi Collina, Spain's Manuel Diaz Vega and Tuesday's official from Germany, Hellmut Krug. Herr Krug has been in charge of some of United's biggest matches in recent years, so the Inter Continental Cup Final in Tokyo should not faze him. Sir Alex Ferguson is certainly hoping Hellmut will cope with any foul play encouraged by Palmeiras boss Luis 'Phil' Scolari. "I remember when Celtic played Racing Club of Argentina in '67, it was like World War III," says Sir Alex. "You would hope that the referee can handle it if the game goes that way again." A sound guardian he may be, but Hellmut Krug is by no means a talisman for United. He's already officiated on two dark nights for the Reds, including last month's defeat in Marseille, which erupted into a brawl at one stormy stage. The other bleak occasion was actually a draw, 1-1 with Monaco at Old Trafford, but it still resulted in United's exit from the European Cup quarter-finals in 1998. Krug returned to the Theatre of Dreams for the same stage of the competition in March of this year, blowing the whistle for United's 2-0 win over Inter Milan. He became very popular with the home fans in the second half, when he disallowed what would have been a crucial away goal by Diego Simeone. For the record, he's shown eight yellow cards to United players in three games so far, including two for Paul Scholes against Marseille and Inter. Beckham, Butt, Keane, Irwin, Solskjaer and Yorke have also had their names taken by the man in the appropriately yellow jersey.
Click On pic - for latest interviews from OT
United's chance to be unforgettable The banner above Sir Alex Ferguson's head as he spoke at the lavish Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo this weekend did football's epic history little justice. Toyota European South American Cup, it read, 20th anniversary. So that's 19 years of brilliance condemned to the waste bin, then. Beginning, in 1960, with the mighty Real Madrid team which won the first Intercontinental Cup, as it was then called, by beating Penarol of Uruguay 5-1. Also forgotten, Pele's Santos, who put eight goals past Eusebio's Benfica over two matches to win in 1962 and then retained the title the following season in a classic duel, coming back from losing 4-2 away to AC Milan by winning by the same margin in Brazil, then clinching a play-off decider with a single goal. Celtic's war with Racing Buenos Aires of Argentina was again a three-match affair and the following season United, the first English side to take part, lost 2-1 on aggregate to Estudiantes De La Plata in another ill-tempered match, forever claiming a perfectly good last-minute winner had been disallowed. For a supposedly meaningless encounter, the annual meeting of the best club sides from football's strongest continents has inspired a weighty amount of aggro, which is probably why some of the biggest European teams stopped playing - Ajax in 1971 and 1973, Bayern Munich in 1974, Liverpool in 1977, Nottingham Forest in 1979. Until that is, Toyota threw a lot of money at it, changed the format from two legs home and away to a one-off game in Tokyo, and suddenly - fancy that - everyone was available again. Hence the banner celebrating only 20 years. Indeed, so well regarded is this match by the world game, any club entering the Champions League has to make an undertaking to play in it, if they win. Manchester United could have turned down the fledgling World Team Championship in Brazil, but they had no choice but to come here. And, yes, it does matter greatly whether they win. In four visits to indulge in this alleged waste of time, the English champions of Europe have lost to South American opposition every time. Nottingham Forest lost the first one to Nacional Montevideo of Uruguay 1-0, Liverpool were humiliated 3-0 by Brazil's Flamengo and an unstoppable Zico the following season, Aston Villa were beaten comfortably by more Uruguayans from Penarol next, before Liverpool again went home with nothing, defeated 1-0 by Independiente of Argentina. Since then the Toyota Cup has got along fine without us, yet always appeared on the arm of the best players in the world. A roll call of goalscorers from the tournament includes Platini, Romario, Koeman, Rijkaard, Stoitchkov, Papin and Del Piero. Among the winners you find Junior, Baresi, Maldini, Van Basten, Gullit, Leonardo, Kluivert, Zidane and Roberto Carlos. Some of the greatest talents the game has ever known came and saw but did not conquer: Rush, Dalglish, Bebeto, Desailly, Francescoli. That is the real pedigree of the tournament. The best players in the world compete for it. Worth remembering, too, that in the years when the Dutch-inspired AC Milan were revered as the pinnacle of excellence in Europe, they lost two of their four finals in Japan. And not because they weren't trying. It would be arrogant in the extreme not to accept that a continent which frequently produces the best national teams in the world might not also produce the best clubs, too. The Sao Paulo team which beat Milan in 1993 did the same to Barcelona the year before and included such talents as Cafu, Rai, Muller (who scored in both games) and Juninho as sub. Argentina's Velez Sarsfield were so organised they left the Italians bitterly complaining of defeat by a team who scored then shut up shop. The irony of it. If the Toyota Cup has no place in the hearts and minds of most English football fans it is probably because the kick-off time places it at an awkward hour for anyone with a job (although this might not necessarily have affected Liverpool's followers in 81 and 84). But a mid-morning kick-off back home should be no reason to presume Manchester United are on a fool's errand in attempting to become the first English club to declare themselves champions. This is a competition older than our own League Cup - which United are decried for devaluing every time Ferguson fields an inexperienced team - yet some would seriously have his team playing another mundane domestic encounter rather than testing themselves against the best of Brazil, a Palmeiras team including many of the key players in the national side. Watch out for a 22-year-old midfielder called Alex. There is a very blinkered attitude which continues to maintain the true challenge is English club versus English club. Nonsense. There is a world of football out there. If anything, the Toyota Cup is even more worthwhile than FIFA's ambitious attempt at a wider-ranging World Team Championship, taking place for the first time in January. In comparison with the simple ethics of the Tokyo match - the champions of Europe play the champions of South America - this is an opportunity missed. To bring together the best of every continent is a worthy idea. But what has been laid on in Brazil is nothing like that. Al-Nassr, for instance, won Asia's Cup Winners' Cup and then defeated the continent's champions in a Super Cup play-off. The champions of South America, Palmeiras, are not invited. But last year's winners, Vasco Da Gama, are. As, inexplicably, are the champions of host nation Brazil, Corinthians. Real Madrid get there for winning the Toyota Cup in 1998 so, presumably, victory on Tuesday and United will be called upon again. Necaxa of Mexico are not even champions of their own country and qualified via a CONCACAF tournament. It is, in short, a botch-job, a tournament seemingly tailored as much to purses as the genuine desire to create an undisputed Best Team in the World. Yet if a club like Manchester United did not go, what hope could there be of giving the event a kudos which would perhaps lead FIFA to invite the right teams next time? Some of the world's greatest competitions grew from humble origins - including the UEFA Cup, which began in rather half-baked circumstances as a tournament for cities rather than clubs. Nothing cooked-up about United's challenge on Tuesday, though. They are unlikely to face a more genuine one this season.
Click On pic - for all player stats from OT
Bruce waiting for top job at United By Ken Lawrence When Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards gets down to compiling a shortlist of candidates to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson, Steve Bruce will surely figure if he can continue the remarkable rise of Huddersfield. So far all the usual suspects have been mentioned within the Old Trafford corridors of power as possibles for a job that Ferguson will vacate in two-and-a-half years' time - Bryan Robson, Gordon Strachan, Peter Reid and George Graham among them. United may also look abroad. But the impressive way in which Bruce left the asset-strippers of Sheffield United after a miserable first year in management to turn Huddersfield into promotion contenders, suggests the former Old Trafford captain has the capability to attract Edwards and his board when the time comes for Ferguson to leave. Bruce's coaching and organisational skills, fostered in a decade of working under Ferguson, were evident at Maine Road. Huddersfield pinched a 51st-minute lead through a superb header from Chris Beech, then held off Manchester City with a midfield pressing game that would have been a credit to any top European side. Leaders City were on a roll of eight successive home wins before Huddersfield arrived. Now the Yorkshire side are only two points behind them having lost once in 10 games. Even the Worthington Cup third-round victory at Chelsea did not compare to the significance of Saturday's result. Such has been Bruce's impact since moving to the McAlpine Stadium in the summer that club owner and electronics multi-millionaire Barry Rubery and chairman Ian Ayre recently gave him a directorship. Bruce, of course, has a lot to do in the next 24 months to turn potential as a future United manager into credibility but he is already making a fist of it. It might help that he has yet to lose at Maine Road as a player or manager. Even 10 years ago when City beat United 5-1, the former central defender was not on the pitch. He laughed: 'I was sitting in the stand with Mr Robson that day. It was definitely a good one to miss. 'But what is important is that, on this visit to Maine Road - and I do love coming back to the place because I have always been treated so well here - we showed we can be taken seriously as promotion candidates. 'My fear is that we lose a few more players to injury and suspension - we were already down to the bare bones for this game - and that affects our momentum. 'But our second-half performance gives me optimism that we can keep it going because, make no mistake, City are becoming a serious force again and this was my most important win as a manager. 'It is wonderful to see what Joe Royle has achieved here. Even if I did play for the other lot across the city, I always liked this club. They belong in the Premiership and while I am delighted by our win, City remain the team to beat in Division One.' The outcome of a compelling encounter which would not have looked out of place at the highest level of the English game would have been altered had Richard Jobson's header from Kevin Horlock's free kick in the 18th minute not struck a post. But Huddersfield weathered the storm and City, who will add £2million striker Robert Taylor to their front line this week after agreeing a deal with Gillingham, fired blanks. Royle could afford to be magnanimous in defeat. 'I hate to lose any game but we lost this one to a great goal and a great second-half performance from them,' he said. 'I have no doubt we will recover. To be realistic, back in July we would have taken a situation where we were leading the division by two points with almost half the season gone. 'After the run we have had - this was our third successive game against promotion rivals with six points out of nine - it would be silly to start remonstrating with the players.' Bruce, while delighted to become a director, has no doubts about his major role at Huddersfield. 'I know where I am most important to this club, ' he said. 'It is on the training ground and in the dug-out. I won't be getting ideas above my station.' Not yet, anyway. But when the time comes to appoint Ferguson's replacement, Bruce may find his long-term destination is far further up the English pecking order. At the top, in fact.
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