www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sat Jul 31 08:17:38 GMT+00:00 1999
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Barca 99.. Part 1 of 5 - Majorca
2. CHARITY SHIELD PREVIEW + THE KEY BATTLES
3. Back to business and a meeting with old friends By Jaap Stam - Ttelegraph
4. MUFC - Arsenal - Chelsea - Leeds Transfers Signings IN/OUT
5. The Red Planet - Telegraph
6. Ferguson warming to global domination - Telegraph
7. UNITED'S WEMBLEY PLANS HIT BY INJURIES
8. Edwards Brands Hoey Claims 'Disgraceful' And 'Ignorant'
9. United in double attack on Hoey
10. TIMES - Ferguson ready for return to familiar hostilities
11. UNITED STARS INSIST THERE WILL NO LET-UP IN THE SEARCH FOR HONOURS
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Daily MANCHESTER UNITED NEWS Saturday 31st July 1999:
Barry Daily Comment:
STATING TODAY Paul Scully's AMAZING Barce diary which will run
for the next 5 days! Exciting reading believe me.
WELL DONE PAUL!
Well one day to go, still harping on about the FA CUP.
No blame to be attched to Manchester United its the Seagulls
to blame again. Whatever action we take we cannot win!
*NOTICE*
Mirror's Campaign for the FA Cup IMUSA List
The Mirror are hoping to organise some photo opps outside Wembley before
the Charity Shield and are asking anyone who maybe interested to get in
touch with Louise Hancock on 0958 617773. This will probably mean posing
with some of their banners etc.
In addition Louise is looking for someone to take a Mirror 'Save the FA
Cup' banner into the stadium - if you fancy it then please contact Louise
direct.
Though I have agreed to send out this email it in no way demonstrates any
endorsement, personal or otherwise, of the Mirror's campaign, the decision
to become involved is down to the individual, so if you fancy getting your
mug in the paper and never known how before here is your chance.
Andy Walsh IMUSA
************************
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
---------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MATCHES
---------------------------------------------------------------
01-AUG-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Arsenal (FA Charity Shield, AWAY)
08-AUG-1999 [16:00] Manchester Utd. vs Everton (FA Premier League, AWAY)
11-AUG-1999 [20:00] Manchester Utd. vs Sheffield W (FA Premier League, HOME)
14-AUG-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Leeds U (FA Premier League, HOME)
22-AUG-1999 [16:00] Manchester Utd. vs Arsenal (FA Premier League, AWAY)
Friendlies:
August 3rd [19.30] Omagh Town, St Julian's Road ground
August 4th [19:45] Wigan Athletic
UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/
ALL FIXTURES at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix992000.htm
Subject: First Team Fixtures 1999/2000 [All dates/times subject to change]
Dates of possible cup ties also shown
Date Opposition Score Pos. Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/07/99 Melbourne Australia 11.00 pre-season 2-0 60,000
18/07/99 Sydney Australia 06.00 pre-season 1-0 78,000
21/07/99 Shanghai Shenhua 12.30 pre-season 2-0 80,000
24/07/99 Hong Kong South China 08.30 pre-season 2-0 40,000
1/08/99 Arsenal Wembley Charity Shield 15.00
3/08/99 Omagh Town friendly in aid of Omagh Bomb Fund 19.30
4/08/99 Wigan Athletic friendly at JJB Stadium. 19.45
8/08/99 Everton away 16.00 Live on Sky
11/08/99 Sheffield Wednesday home PL 20.00
14/08/99 Leeds United home PL 12.00
22/08/99 Arsenal away PL 16.00 Live on Sky
25/08/99 Coventry City away PL 20.00
27/08/99 Monaco - Lazio ESC 19.45
30/08/99 Newcastle United home PL 13.00
11/09/99 Liverpool away PL 11.30 Live on Sky
15/09/99 ? EC
18/09/99 Wimbledon home PL 15.00
22/09/99 ? EC
25/09/99 Southampton home PL 15.00
29/09/99 ? EC
3/10/99 Chelsea away PL 16.00 Live on Sky
*11/10/99 Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial OT [Cantona + Schmeichel]
13/10/99 ? WC 3
16/10/99 Watford home PL 15.00
20/10/99 ? EC
23/10/99 Tottenham Hotspur away PL 15.00
27/10/99 ? EC
30/10/99 Aston Villa home PL 15.00
3/11/99 ? EC
6/11/99 Leicester City home PL 15.00
20/11/99 Derby County away PL 15.00
24/11/99 ? EC
27/11/99 Sheffield Wednesday away PL 15.00
30/11/99 Tokyo Palmeiras WCC 20.00
1/12/99 ? WC 4
4/12/99 Everton home PL 15.00
8/12/99 ? EC
15/12/99 ? WC 5
18/12/99 West Ham United away PL 15.00
26/12/99 Bradford City home PL 15.00
28/12/99 Sunderland away PL 20.00 Live on Sky
3/01/2000 Middlesborough home PL 20.00
***** 5-14 /01/2000 Brazil WTC ***** [3-4 games]
12/01/2000 ? WC sf i
15/01/2000 Leeds United away PL 15.00
22/01/2000 Arsenal home PL 15.00
26/01/2000 ? WC sf ii
5/02/2000 Coventry City home PL 15.00
12/02/2000 Newcastle United away PL 15.00
26/02/2000 Wimbledon away PL 15.00
27/02/2000 ? Wembley WC f
1/03/2000 ? EC
4/03/2000 Liverpool home PL 15.00
8/03/2000 ? EC
11/03/2000 Derby County home PL 15.00
15/03/2000 ? EC
18/03/2000 Leicester City away PL 15.00
22/03/2000 ? EC
25/03/2000 Bradford City away PL 15.00
1/04/2000 West Ham United home PL 15.00
5/04/2000 ? EC qf i
8/04/2000 Middlesborough away PL 15.00
15/04/2000 Sunderland home PL 15.00
19/04/2000 ? EC qf ii
22/04/2000 Southampton away PL 15.00
24/04/2000 Chelsea home PL 15.00
29/04/2000 West Ham United away PL 15.00
3/05/2000 ? EC sf i
6/05/2000 Tottenham Hotspur home PL 15.00
10/05/2000 ? EC sf ii
14/05/2000 Aston Villa away PL 15.00
24/05/2000 ? EC f
http://www.red11.org/mufc/match.htm
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Barca 99.. Part 1 of 5 - Majorca
Due to work commitments this has been a little late in coming, but
better late than never...
Part I - Majorca
After the victory against Juventus in the semi-finals, a series of
quick phone calls ensured our party was booked on various flights from
Gatwick and Manchester for a weeks holiday in Majorca. In between this
a ferry would provide our passage to Barcelona on the Tuesday, giving
us two days to enjoy the atmosphere of the red army in one of Europe’s
fine cities. Unlike all other Euro Aways I had ever been on, this time
I was ticketless. I was not alone though, as United could undoubtedly
have filled the entire stadium on their own. Still, everyone was as
determined and as confident as I was of getting into the Nou Camp, plus
there was the usual rumours flying around about them having to let us
in because there was so many of us, which kind of defied logic but it
was a hope to cling to.
I was travelling to Majorca with Kerry Davies, leaving Gatwick on the
Sunday evening after the FA Cup Final. I had spoken with him that
morning and he had informed me that he had met someone with 4 spare
tickets at the Cup Final the previous day and would try and get them
off him before we left. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a blind
alley and so my last hope of going to Spain with a ticket vanished as
we entered the International Departure Lounge at Gatwick and headed for
the nearest bar. In between deciding which lucky girls were going to be
the recipients of his hyperactive hormones in Spain, Kerry informed me
that he had been give a ticket for nothing by some guy he met at a
dinner 3 days previous. I knew then that if anyone was going to get the
remainder of the luck on this holiday it surely had to be me.
The flight to Palma was as good as a package tour can be, with plenty
of reds ensuring that the stewardesses were kept more than occupied.
Kerry adopted his usual stance of sleeping with his mouth open for the
entire trip, missing the sizeably challenged Chicken Kiev and various
other Airtours delicacies. These were ultimately shared among a few
fellow reds, though I would have ate more myself if I hadn’t stuffed
myself with Omelette and mashed potatoes in the departure lounge.
Arrival at Palma meant sweatshirts off and T-shirts on, as the heat was
evident even at 1am in the morning. We had arranged a get-together at
2am in Banana’s nightclub in Magaluf, with Barney, Steve and a few
other London based reds. Before we could make our way there though we
had to go to our hotel in the neighbouring resort of Palma Nova, whilst
we checked into the room and dumped the bags. Despite being the first
out of baggage reclaim, we were told to sit down, where we found
ourselves still sitting until virtually everybody had left for their
hotels. The only other people remaining were 2 girls who were on our
flight and a couple of Airtours reps. After numerous attempts to find
out what was going on, the Airtours reps eventually bunged us and the
girls into a taxi outside and sent us off to our hotel. Like all good
taxi drivers do, our Spanish driver got lost and had to ask some
English lads where he was. By sheer fortune, they were staying at the
same hotel and so volunteered themselves for a lift home too, informing
us in the process that we’d love it here if we liked noise - little did
they know it would soon be taken over by reds.
By this time we had already found out that the Manchester flight which
was due in 3 hours before ours had been delayed in Manchester for 6
hours. Kerry found this hilariously funny as Ed, Rob and Jason were
aboard and would therefore not even arrive at the hotel for another 3
hours. After freshening up, we set off for Magaluf and Banana’s, which
we eventually found after a few detours, whilst fending off around 20
young girls trying to drag us into various other bars. We found the
guys with relative ease considering the number of people in Banana’s
and spent the next 4-5 hours in here, dancing, watching people fall
down mountains on a giant video screen and drinking copious amounts of
Vodka and Orange, with Vodka measures by the half glass, which probably
accounted for my rather inebriated state. I really couldn’t figure out
where the time had gone as we started our walk back to the hotel, but
the sunrise was well under way and the sea was glistening over a
beautifully sandy beach. I think we eventually got to sleep at around
7am, though I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be for very long.
The first thing I remember about the next part of Monday morning was a
thundering bang on the door at about 11am, which by virtue of being the
elder, I made Kerry answer. I lay comatose as I listened to Jason
complain about his flight and the fact that he had forgotten to pack
any bells. With little chance of sleeping now that the rest of the gang
had arrived and with some sort of introduction about to take place by
the rep, I wearily gathered myself together and joined the rest
downstairs. As I was out of bed early enough, I was blessed with being
able to order an English breakfast from the bar, though for a while I
wasn’t sure as to whether I had ordered it for the following day rather
than the current one - still all good things come to those who wait and
so it transpired did my nosh.
Feeling slightly better from a good old bit of English nourishment, we
gathered together our Factor 16’s, slipped into some slinky shorts and
made our way towards the beach, with the compulsory purchase of a
football being made on the way. To say we pissed off everybody in the
immediate vicinity of our beach penalty area, would be slightly unfair,
but I did notice a few uneasy glares as the posts were erected, the
shirts came off and the Cantona style, flying bicycle kicks were
attempted. The only real worrying moment came when Rob palmed a
thunderous shot over the bar and into the lap of a local sun
worshipper. This brought about childish laughter from the rest of us as
he went to retrieve the ball from under the frown of our bronze chested
amigo. It would have been more interesting though, had the ball landed
2 yards to the right, as it would surely have lodged itself between the
finest pair of breasts on the entire beach. The football came to an
abrupt end when Ed’s toenail fell off which I’m sure relieved a lot of
punters, not least Jason, who was sweating buckets with all the running
around. After a quick dip we went back to the hotel for an afternoon
siesta to catch up on missed sleep and re-charge the batteries for the
Airtours organised pub crawl that evening.
The pub crawl was around Magaluf that evening and started in a bar
called Poco Loco’s where we met up with all the rest of the Airtours
hotels. Our party had grown to about 8 reds sat in the corner by now
and whereas most people in there were there for a holiday, we were
totally thinking about the Nou Camp and the European Cup Final and
getting a few songs going. The reps became exceedingly irritating with
their attempts at getting us to stand up and wave our hands in the air
and I think they soon got the message that we were there for the
football and not to play their silly games. The two girls from the taxi
the previous night joined us for a chat and Kerry felt he was onto a
winner when he found out that one of them was also called Kerry,
especially as he found her more attractive with every drink.
It was after we left Poco’s that the first United songs got their
airing. We sang all the way to the next bar, starting off with ‘Yip Yap
Stam…’ then moving onto the more conventional ‘United…, United…’ These
continued as we travelled between the bars and clubs getting more and
more pissed, but also aware of the fact that we had to get up at 6am in
the morning to travel to the port in Palma where we were getting the
7.30am ferry to Barcelona. As we moved on towards the last group stop
at Banana’s we held a mammoth rendition of ‘We shall not be moved’
which also became very popular with other reds who were passing us,
resulting in a whole crowd gathering together and screaming out ‘We are
the team that’s gonna win the fuckin lot…We shall not be moved’. It was
at this point that I noticed the head rep (a scouser) having a go at Ed
and telling him to keep quiet. Whilst Ed was protesting his innocence,
the rep walked into a bench which I found rather amusing and was
promptly told, ‘And you, don’t laugh at me’. I thought he was taking
the piss at first but upon realising he was serious, I threw back my
own torrent of words informing him that I would laugh at whatever the
fuck I liked. Kerry then came into the argument along with myself, Ed
and a couple more guys and we were plainly informed that we would not
get into the club. Upon protesting to another rep, we were told to just
go straight in. As we were walking in quietly and peacefully out jumped
the scouse bastard rep again to turn us away. It was at this point that
the argument began to get rather heated and we were ultimately told to
get our stuff and clear the hotel as we started to draw attention from
the street. Had we not been a day away from the European Cup Final and
needed the beds in our hotel for accommodation for the 4 days after we
came back, the guy would have been in serious danger of being lamped,
but as it was, sense prevailed with thoughts of Barcelona and we
retreated with a few choice words. We cooled off slightly in another
bar where we got 2 bottles of Budweiser and a glass of so called
champagne each for a quid.
It was now 2am and Kerry, Rob and Ed were keen to continue whilst
myself, and the others went back to the hotel with Jason in a fret
about his ticket as it was in the hotel safe. I went into the hotel bar
where I chatted to yet more Mancs who had just arrived. A few were
without tickets, but still supremely confident of getting in. At
2.30am, things had quietened down in the bar and so I decided to get my
head down for the next 3-4 hours and pray that my alarm went off. I
think it was about 4am that I was woken up by the sound of the ‘12 days
of Cantona’ echoing around the bar on the floor below. Apparently,
Kerry and the guys had come back, got out the huge flag from Ed’s room
and joined in with all the other newly arrived reds who had by now,
downed quite a few beers and were singing on the tables. I thought
about going down, but sat up, decided I was feeling extremely rough and
fell back into my pillow. I was woken again at 5am as Kerry bashed on
the door to be let in. As I opened it, the look or lack of it on his
face told a thousand tales. I thought for one horrible moment that he
was going to chunder as he staggered around the room barely able to
stand up or talk. Fortunately, he dropped onto his bed and was out like
a light. An hour later my alarm went off, which I immediately turned
off. I struggled to get up, but the thought of missing the ferry forced
me to drag myself out of bed at 6.05am. It took me a full 10 minutes to
wake Kerry. After kicking him and bawling down his earhole to no avail,
I lost patience and threatened the user of water. This managed to stir
him, though the state he was in was absolutely appalling. Still he
managed to get a small bag together and we went down to find the others
at around 6.25am. With no sign, it wasn’t such a surprise that they
hadn’t even woken up yet. Kerry ran up to Ed’s room and almost broke
the door down as he attempted to wake them. With eventual success we
went to order taxis where I found Alan and Paula who had arrived in the
middle of the previous nights melee. As everyone was now up but arseing
around getting things together, I jumped into Alan’s cab and but for a
brief moment when we thought the driver was taking us to the airport,
everything went smoothly and we reached the ferry check-in office at
around 7am.
Kerry arrived at the check in not long after with Jason, who was in a
fret yet again about missing the ferry, but there was no sign of Ed or
Rob. After checking in we had a brief moment to get some food at which
point Ed and Rob appeared in a taxi informing us that Ed had apparently
chundered on Palma Nova sea front whilst running to catch a cab. Things
seemed to be going smoothly at last, until Kerry came into the canteen
searching for a dustpan and brush to clean up his broken glass. Not
content with enough early morning drama, Ed then boarded the wrong
ferry after becoming separated from the rest of us and it wasn’t until
we were all actually seated on the ferry that I was secure in the
knowledge that we were actually going to Barcelona. Kerry though, was
totally unaware that he was on any kind of sea worthy craft going to
anywhere at that particular time, as he began to inform everyone in the
immediate vicinity of his sexual preferences, as well as informing a
few Germans on board of the uselessness of their journey. Alan, who was
sat two rows behind with Paula, grinned and quietly buried his face
beneath his cap. With the ferry not quite up to capacity, it wasn’t
long before we spread our wings and found our own small row of seats to
lie across for the remainder of the journey.
Part II to follow
No copying without permission
===
Paul Scully (on-site BT Labs, Martlesham)
Logica UK, 75 Hampstead Road, London
email: scullyp@logica.com
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: CHARITY SHIELD PREVIEW + THE KEY BATTLES
Looking Ahead To Sunday's Big Game At Wembley Between
Manchester United And Arsenal
FERGUSON RELISHING FRESH CHALLENGES AHEAD
Wembley may be heading for the space age but Manchester United
will have their feet on the ground as they take what could be their
final look at the Twin Towers on Sunday. The Treble winners know
last season's record-breaking achievements will count for nothing as
they prepare for another challenging season and their first giant
stride is a tough one against last year's biggest rivals, Arsenal.
And with United missing this season's FA Cup to play in the World
Club Championship in Brazil, the Charity Shield could well be their
last visit to Wembley before it is torn down and rebuilt. ''When it
comes to the next season it doesn't really matter what we have
achieved the year before,'' said manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
''You can't rest on your laurels - that vanishes after a few weeks. I
know I soon start thinking about the next season and how we can
look ahead and improve. There is a lot to consider once a season
finishes and right now things are looking quite good.''
The United chief claims he has had no problems bringing his players
back to earth after the drama of clinching the Premiership, FA Cup
and Champions Cup last season. ''I don't expect any problems on
that score,'' he said. ''I think that once you get back into football
training you are back to the habits of what players want to do -
play football. You know every year is going to be a challenge for
us.''
Ferguson admits it will be hard to match the success of last season
and United have set their sights on going further this year than any
other British club as they take part in the World Club Championship
in Brazil. ''I don't think we try to set any targets other than to win a
trophy each year,'' he said. ''That is the important thing and if we
can win a major every year then I think we are doing the job right.''
United were the first winners of the Charity Shield when the
competition was launched in 1908 and Ferguson, the traditionalist,
would like to end the century by lifting the trophy for a 15th time.
''The Charity Shield is always an occasion. You are going to
Wembley and you hope you enjoy the event and that you win. Last
year all we got was humiliation when we lost 3-0 to Arsenal so I
don't think the players would want that to happen again.''
United have injury problems to sort out with Ryan Giggs and Gary
Neville the major doubts.
WENGER BACKING ON ARSENAL'S FIGHTING SPIRIT
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, battered by a summer of turmoil
dominated by the frustrating antics of rebel striker Nicolas Anelka, is
banking on his team's famous fighting sprit to overcome the odds
yet again.
''We must show our heart and I believe we will be hungrier than ever
to succeed,'' said the Frenchman who saw Manchester United scoop
the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League treble last May while
Arsenal, double-winners the previous season, finished
empty-handed.
Now the Gunners go into the new campaign with Dutch duo Dennis
Bergkamp and Marc Overmars missing from Sunday's Charity Shield
curtain-raiser against United at Wembley, but also skipper Tony
Adams and England goalkeeper David Seaman certain to miss the
first few weeks of the League season.
''We have lost the spine of our team but it seems to me that this
club is always at its best when the odds are against us,'' warned
Wenger. ''The players have shown a magnificent attitude in the past
and I do not expect it to be any different this time. Even with the
problems we have I know we can do well because our spirit has
never disappeared. We have to show again that it is good enough
to compete with United ... and other teams.''
It is clear that Wenger regards Sunday's Charity Shield clash as
little more than a high-profile pre-season friendly even though
Arsenal are defending the trophy after routing United 3-0 in last
year's Wembley meeting. But he believes his side, despite their
injury problems and the loss of top scorer Anelka who hit 16 goals
last term, can cash in if United suffer any kind of hangover from
their Treble spectacular in the early weeks of the campaign.
He said: ''You always have a dip when you have been on a high. It
happened to us at the start of last season after we won the double
and then many of our players were involved right through the World
Cup in France. After something like that it is always difficult to
settle them down again and it takes a long time.
''Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira won the World Cup with France
and Bergkamp and Overmars went almost as far with the Dutch
team. It was too much to expect their desire to be as strong as
soon as they came back but this time we have to show it right from
the start.
''Looking back on last season it still seems hard to believe that
despite not losing even once in four games with United and Chelsea
we did not win the title. But we had to accept that our problem was
that we dropped so many points in the first few months of the
season.''
Wenger will be looking for maturity and nerve from a string of
deputies at Wembley on Sunday when 20-year-old centre half
Matthew Upson gets the chance to show he has what it takes to
replace Adams who is out until September after a hernia operation.
The £1.8m former Luton defender has made only sporadic first-team
appearances during 18 months at the club but now faces the acid
test of his promise with veteran Steve Bould, Adams's usual deputy,
now having been sold to Sunderland.
Overmars will not enter the Premiership fray again until the second
week of the season as Wenger gives him as much time as possible
to fully recover from the severe abdominal strain which blighted his
form for much of the second half of last season. And the manager
will also resist the temptation to involve Bergkamp, who looked so
jaded at the start of last term, in Sunday's game.
Wenger said: ''He is fully fit and had a full session of training
yesterday but our first League game against Leicester is much more
important to us. I could give Dennis half-a-game on Sunday but I
have decided against it because having him really fresh for the start
of the Premiership programme is vital to us.''
Young Austrian goalkeeper Alex Manninger, fully recovered from a
thigh injury sustained while with his national squad, takes over from
Seaman who will return to full training in two weeks after pulling a
thigh muscle in last week's friendly against Monaco in France. And
new signings, Oleg Luzhny the £2m Ukrainian defender signed from
Dynamo Kiev, Stefan Malz, a £750,000 capture from Germany's
Munich 1860, and £4m Brazilian Silvinho are all likely to figure as
well.
But Arsenal's striking power relies heavily on Nigerian ace Nwankwo
Kanu and Wenger knows he still has to find the former Ajax and
Inter Milan star a top-quality partner for this season's European
Champions League in which Bergkamp's refusal to travel by air will
again preclude the Dutchman.
Wenger admitted that his attempts to sign another French star
Thierry Henry from Juventus to replace Anelka have so far been
stalled by the Italian club's £11m valuation of a player they signed
for only £5m from Monaco last season.
SILVINHO: 'I'M HERE TO STAY'
Arsenal's first boy from Brazil has promised manager Arsene Wenger:
''I'm here to stay.'' Silvinho, the Gunners' £4m summer capture from
top Sao Paulo club Corinthians, has signed a four-year contract at
Highbury and is relishing the prospect of a Wembley debut in the
Charity Shield against Manchester United on Sunday.
And he insists that, unlike so many South American imports to the
Premiership, he won't do a runner as soon as the going gets tough.
Other Brazilian imports to the Premiership such as Juninho and
Emerson at Middlesbrough and Mirandinha at Newcastle did not stay
long in England after their much-hyped arrivals.
But Silvinho, who has won two League titles in Brazil and also their
equivalent of the FA Cup, insists: ''Even though Corinthians are a
very big club in my country, I feel privileged to join Arsenal and they
can be assured of my best efforts over the four years of my
contract.
''I know about the other players from Brazil who have come to
England and soon left again but that will not happen with me. I am
aware of the challenges and the life I must adapt to, but I know I
can overcome any problems that arise. I won't let sentiment for my
home become a problem. I am already learning the English language
and I will not allow any other distractions off the field to affect me.
''I am very serious about my career here and I am determined to do
well. My first task is to identify myself in this country and I'm
looking forward to showing people what I can do.''
Silvinho, whose wife Lucilene joined him in England yesterday to
begin house-hunting in Hertfordshire, plays at left back or midfield
and is seen in Brazil as the likely successor to Roberto Carlos in the
national side. The 24-year-old already has two caps.
First he knows he faces a massive job to break into the Arsenal
side, especially their evergreen back-four of 30-somethings who
have been the bedrock of the side for more than a decade. But,
with Marc Overmars absent through injury on Sunday, Silvinho looks
certain to start on the left of midfield where he is likely to come into
contact at some stage with United's England star David Beckham.
''I don't know if I will be facing him, but I know all about him,'' said
Silvinho. ''He is probably the best crosser of a ball in Europe and one
of England's finest all-round players.''
THE KEY BATTLES
Where Will Sunday's Game be Won And Lost?
GOALKEEPERS
Manchester United keeper Mark Bosnich has the unenviable task of
filling the sizeable boots of Peter Schmeichel, and although his time
at Aston Villa revealed him to be highly-capable, he has the
toughest of acts to follow. Opposite number David Seaman is out
with an injury but his understudy Alex Manninger has impressed
when deputising for England's number one in the past.
DEFENCE
Jaap Stam and Henning Berg know they will have their hands full
with Nwankwo Kanu, but the pair showed their quality in the
glorious end-of-season run-in, and despite the absence of Gary
Neville, brother Phil and the vastly-experienced Denis Irwin will
complete a solid-looking quartet. The loss of Tony Adams through
injury will leave a huge hole at the heart of the Gunners' defence,
but England Under-21 international Matthew Upson will relish the
chance to prove himself alongside Martin Keown at the highest
level.
MIDFIELD
With Roy Keane and Ronny Johnsen both missing, United can still
rely on Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in the engine room for the
crucial head to head with Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit. All four
like to get forward, and although the Arsenal pair may be a little
more polished, the United duo have mixed it with the best of them
and come out on top. In Ryan Giggs and David Beckham and
Gunners wide men Silvinho and Ray Parlour, there are likely to be
four of the most exciting providers in the English game on the pitch.
STRIKERS
The Cole-Yorke partnership produced more than 50 goals last
season and they will be keen to exploit the absence of Adams to
kick-start the new campaign in style. With the Nicolas Anelka saga
seemingly no closer to resolution, and the brilliance of Dennis
Bergkamp unavailable through injury it will be left to the exciting
talent of Kanu to ensure a good test for the United back four.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Back to business and a meeting with old friends By Jaap Stam - Ttelegraph
THERE is no escaping Arsenal. They seem to be waiting for us round every
corner. People tell me that Chelsea or Leeds may be our biggest rivals this
season, but when I look for threats, I think first of Arsenal again. The
Charity Shield sounds neighbourly but neither of us will think it's a smart
idea to lose to the other in front of 75,000 people at Wembley one week
before the league season begins.
The close-season just seemed to evaporate. It feels like only a few hours
ago that the clock in Barcelona was showing 89 minutes and we were chasing
an equaliser, never mind the winner, against Bayern Munich.
That remains my abiding memory of last season. And now even greater
challenges are laid out ahead. On top of United's intercontinental
programme, this is a big year for my native country, Holland. Together with
Belgium, we host next summer's European Championship and the fans back home
expect us to win.
My Achilles injury has healed and the Stam family are rested. We had a nice
hotel in Tenerife, very private with a pool, and didn't wander too far
outside the grounds. A few people came up to us to have pictures taken and
plenty of German guests asked for my autograph. I can only assume they
weren't from Munich.
The intention is always not to think about football but that's not easy
when people recognise you everywhere you go and want to ask the kind of
questions only the players themselves can answer. We were back at work by
the second week of July and on our way to Australia and the Far East for a
tour that took us into a whole new world of fanaticism.
I had never seen it like that before. It's incredible how well United are
known around the globe. There were plenty of fans waiting for us in
Australia and even more in Shanghai and Hong Kong. If we went out in China
or Hong Kong to do some shopping we were followed by photographers on
bikes. Each time we went into a shop there were a hundred people waiting
for us by the time we came out. The year before, the pre-season tour had
taken me to Norway. No comparison.
The games weren't all intense but the temperature and humidity were very
high and it's hard to play in those conditions. We interspersed the games
with a lot of good training sessions and performed well. Last season was so
awesome that everybody in the squad knows a monumental effort will be
needed to surpass the achievements of those final few weeks. But winning
the Treble has taken us to a level we're not willing to climb down from.
After the pre-season games we're still in the position of not having lost a
game since December.
We returned to find a fierce debate unfolding about the decision to pull
out of the FA Cup. None of the players I've spoken to has thought too much
about the downsides to us winning both domestic trophies last year! To play
in England instils a special feeling for the FA Cup. But life is about
choices, especially for the successful. All the players assume every
possibility must have been thought through, and that Manchester United
would never have withdrawn from the FA Cup if there had been any way to
avoid it.
Our contracts tell us to play and if that makes the club rich, we're only
fulfilling our duties. At such a high-performing club the mind tends to
lock itself on to the need to maintain one's individual standards and
performances. That is a private fixation which stays with you throughout
the year. As with last year, we have a broad squad and are prepared for the
call from the boss, saying: "Hang on for the next game."
The major change this year has happened, if you like, behind my back. Peter
Schmeichel's voice has finally been stilled. Behind me now is Mark Bosnich,
who understands the spirit of the club from his time there as a youngster.
We had a couple of meetings to discuss what I expect from him and him from
me. I still feel I'm standing in front of a guy who's played at a very high
level. And contrary to popular opinion, he's not that much smaller than
Peter. He talks during games, too. Peter shouts, Mark talks. And, like
Peter, he brings great athleticism and agility to the job.
Barcelona was the best feeling you can have in sport. That memory is still
with us. And now we have some more business to conduct with our old friends
at Arsenal.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: MUFC - Arsenal - Chelsea - Leeds Transfers Signings IN/OUT
MANCHESTER UNITED
In
Mark Bosnich (Gk), from Aston Villa, Free
Out
Peter Schmeichel (Gk), to Sporting Lisbon (Por), Free
DK Verdict: I cannot believe that they will actually start the season
without a major new signing, but for now Sir Alex has kept his hands
in his pockets. If the move for Edgar Davids was designed to scare
Roy Keane, then that's OK. But if Ferguson was serious and is
thinking about pairing them, then it's the rest of us who should be
frightened.
Home Improvement Rating: Bosnich is good but no Schmeichel, so minus 15%.
--------------------------------
ARSENAL
In
Silvinho (Def/Mid), from Corinthians (Bra), £4m
Stefan Malz (Mid), from Munich 1860 (Ger), £650,000
Oleg Luzhny (Def), from Dynamo Kiev (Ukr), £1.8m
Out
Stephen Hughes (Mid), to Fulham, Three-month loan
Kaba Diawara (Mid/Att), to Marseille (Fra), £2.5m
Remi Garde (Def/Mid), No club, Retired
Fabian Caballero (Att), to Athletico Tembetary (Par), Undisclosed
Steve Bould (Def), to Sunderland, £500,000
Jason Crowe (Def), to Portsmouth, Undisclosed
DK Verdict: Luzhny is a terrific player, but, with the addition of
Silvinho, Wenger now has five top-class full backs. Is that strictly
necessary? Or some kind of fetish? The Anelka saga means that
Arsenal's whole transfer policy has been thrown out of whack. If and
when they get their hands on the lira (plus the incredible two and a
half mill they conned out of Marseille for Diawara), the Gunners
could then buy just about any forward in world football, which,
given they already have Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Overmars and Kanu in
attack, is scary. Still, that nightmare is all in the future.
Home Improvement Rating: Until the dust has settled on the
Anelka roof collapse, it's hard to say. Probably, thanks to the greedy
French bâtard, minus 20% on last season.
---------------------------------------
CHELSEA
In
Jes Hogh (Def), from Fenerbahce (Tur), £300,000
Chris Sutton (Att), from Blackburn, £10m
Mario Melchiot (Def/Mid), from Ajax (Hol), Free
Didier Deschamps (Mid) from Juventus (Ita), £3m
Out
Andy Myers (Def), to Bradford, £850,000
Brian Laudrup (Mid/Att), to Ajax, £2m
Dmitri Kharine (Gk), to Celtic, Free
Eddie Newton (Mid), to Birmingham, Bosman free
Michael Duberry (Def), to Leeds, £5m subject to appearances
DK Verdict: If Poyet had stayed fit last season (and if the likes of
Leboeuf hadn't conceded the title weeks before they were actually
out of it) Chelsea would have won the Premiership. Add Sutton and
the determined Deschamps to the mix and they really should go very
close again. Vialli has actually managed to enhance an already
terrific squad. Seven million for the ornament that is Laudrup and
the never-quite-fulfilled-his-promise-Duberry also begins to make
Sutton look like a very cheap, if miserable, commodity.
Home Improvement Rating: Plus 30%.
---------------------------------
LEEDS UNITED
In
Michael Bridges (Att), from Sunderland, £5m
Eirik Bakke (Mid), from Sogndal (Nor), £1.75m
Danny Mills (Def), from Charlton, £4m
Michael Duberry (Def), from Chelsea, £5m subject to appearances
Out
Danny Glanville (Mid), to Man City, Three-month loan period
Clyde Wijnhard (Att), to Huddersfield, £750,000
David Wetherall (Def), to Bradford City, £1.4m
Lee Sharpe (Mid), to Bradford City, £200,000
Gunnar Halle (Def/Mid), to Bradford, £200,000
Nuno Santos (Gk), Back to Portugal, Free
DK Verdict: Fascinating. Rubbish out, a gang of potentially fine
players in. Could David O'Leary really be about to assault the
citadels of power with what amounts to a scout troop? Personally I
doubt it, as "kids" usually get sussed-out by the old salts after a
season. Still, Leeds fans are going to have a hell of a ride finding
out.
Home Improvement Rating: Plus 40%
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: The Red Planet - Telegraph
TWO gnat bites were sustained this week by the giant called
Manchester United. At the Cliff on Wednesday, a United XI
lost 3-1 to Boca Juniors from Argentina. Even worse,
another collection of potential Old Trafford superstars
were beaten 1-0 by Alfreton Town of the Northern Counties
East League. Calling all Lilliputians: grab the robes and
stakes, for Gulliver sleeps! But hang on. The United first
team are still unbeaten since Dec 19. In the space of 11
days in May they picked up the Premiership title, the FA
Cup and European Champions' Cup. Gulliver has not been
sleeping, nor even resting. This summer United, the
corporation, set out to conquer the world.
As Jaap Stam relates overleaf, in China and Hong Kong the
players found themselves playing the parts of John, Paul,
George and Ringo in Help! Browsing in shops for clothes,
they would come out to find "a hundred" people waiting for
them on the pavement. When the European champions are in
town, window shoppers don't study the goods; they ogle the
customers. United are back. But then they never really went
away. Tomorrow's Charity Shield against Arsenal is the
first step on a monumental transcontinental voyage that
will take them across Europe in defence of their title, to
Monaco to play Lazio in the Super Cup, to Tokyo to meet
Palmeiras in the World Club Cup on Nov 30 and then to
Brazil itself for the World Club Championship from Jan 5-14.
For many of United's luminaries the season will not end
until after the European Championship in Holland and
Belgium next summer. Already, after this summer's
pre-season tour of Australia and the Orient, they are
firmly established as football's Harlem Globetrotters. At
the Open Championship golf addicts in northerly Scottish
pubs looked up from their pints to see Sky pictures of
United playing Australia in front of vast crowds. The date
was July 15. The disorientation induced by seeing Denis
Irwin and Nicky Butt tackling an international team 18
holes into the Open was nothing compared to the dizzying
swirl of attention that enveloped the players themselves.
Most pre-season tours are discreet trips to Sweden or
Portugal. United's was so obviously a commercial blitzkrieg
that the players might as well have played in suits.
Demand creates supply. Or is it the other way round? The
English champions are the subject of the most spectacular
marketing drive in sporting history. In the Far East the
company who handle Gucci have a licence to sell the United
brand in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand
and, if they choose, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines
and Vietnam. "Charlie don't surf", to borrow a line from
Apocalypse Now - he wears a Manchester United replica away
shirt. In the Middle East a Theatre of Dreams retail outlet
will open in Dubai in March, followed swiftly by emporia in
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and
Qatar. For most other Premiership clubs the summer was
about laying low, regrouping. In the Bradford and Bingley
Stadium (capacity 18,018) Bradford City were probably
wondering which members of their revolving squad United
would send to face the Bantams, who are back in football's
top flight for the first time in 77 years. The Bantams
against the Heavyweights.
While Bradford and Watford plotted survival strategies out
of sight, United seemed to dominate the summer's news
bulletins from the moment David May orchestrated that
magnificent bullfighteresque salute in Barcelona, with the
giant European Cup being raised and lowered in sync with
the roars of the crowd. It was midsummer - tennis and
cricket weather - and here was the news: Alex Ferguson was
knighted by the Queen; David Beckham married Victoria Adams
(aka Posh Spice) in a ceremony that was royal in all but
name; pressure from the Football Association and (ex)
Sports Minister Tony Banks forced United to withdraw from
the FA Cup to enable them to contest FIFA's new junket in
Brazil; Ferguson was given a celebrity golf day at The
Belfry and a Testimonial Race Day at Haydock Park; United
signed a new partnership deal with FC Fortune in Cape Town,
which, their manager said, would provide the world's most
valuable club with "entry to a rich seam of African football
talent".
United already had a tie-up in Belgium with Royal Antwerp.
Gulliver's air-miles are stacking up quite nicely, thank
you. After a decade of almost unbroken success United have
become major players in the political and social affairs
of the nation. When she took Banks's ministerial portfolio
on Thursday, Kate Hoey's first pronouncement was on the FA
Cup imbroglio. She wants United back in. The issue has
become as confused as Bayern Munich's defence in the Nou
Camp, but the one certainty is that the row says as much
about the political power of United as it does the sacred
traditions of the FA Cup. Martin Edwards, the United
chairman, was saying 'No Minister' before Hoey had managed
to get her feet under the desk. "We won't be having a
re-think," Edwards said yesterday. "We made the decision
weeks ago and that decision stands." It said much about
Ferguson's own personal journey from shop steward in the
Govan shipyards, meanwhile, that he was to be found at
Buckingham Palace in a kilt bending the knee to an English
monarch.
In the week that the Beckhams became entwined, the Queen
took tea with a lady in a Glasgow tenement block. One
newspaper cleverly juxtaposed pictures of Beckham and Posh
sitting on gilt and velvet thrones with a photo of the
Queen supping Typhoo tea from a Glaswegian mother's best
china. Who were Britain's real monarchs, the paper asked?
Which of these two worlds would Sir Alex best recognise
now? The working-class Glasgow of his youth or the
quasi-regal wedding of one of his players? Ferguson is,
deservedly, on his own pageant. He has become one of the
major British figures of his day. With the publication of
his new autobiography (written with Hugh McIlvanney), the
knight sets off on a book-signing tour that will take in
all points on the social compass from Harrod's to the ASDA
in Burton Dock Road, Dumplington.
In the meantime, the club that he pulled out of a morass
only 10 years ago press ahead with new megastores in
Stockport, Chester, Bolton and Gatwick and Dublin airports.
There are now 200 branches of the United supporters' club,
a United Mastercard, United savings accounts and United
football schools, including a residential course at Hopwood
Hall near Manchester. Two M-words are at play: money and
momentum. Such is the scale of Old Trafford's money-making
machine that there can be no thought of ever taking a
summer off. Two legal/political developments have shaped
United's marketing strategy. One was the Government's
rejection of the BSkyB takeover bid; the other the decision
this week by the Restrictive Practices Court to uphold the
Premier League-BSkyB TV deal, which means that United have
to share the Premiership's vast television revenues
equitably with the league's other 19 clubs.
United got an £11 million chunk of the deal last season.
Edwards believes that the top Italian sides will get at
least £39 million each this year. On Tuesday, United
announced another three-year sponsorship package, this time
with Western Union, worth £3 million. Companies are falling
over themselves to buy into the United dream. In the last
financial year turnover from marketing fell 16 per cent to
£24.1 million, but a dramatic upturn can be expected in the
wake of that victory in the European Cup. The United board
have committed themselves to increasing Old Trafford's
capacity by 12,400 seats to 67,400 at a cost of £30
million. The club's new 100-acre training ground and youth
academy at Carrington is expected to cost £14.3 million and
ought to provide the next Beckham and Giggs, provided there
is no outbreak of war.
The Ministry of Agriculture has a legal right to
requisition the land for crops, though no ground associated
with Ferguson is ever likely to be sprouting turnips.
Nobody on English football's allotment, from Arsenal and
Chelsea down to Cheltenham Town, needs reminding that
United have dominated the domestic game this past decade.
But in the European context a less straightforward picture
starts to emerge. Sir Alex can outspend Bradford, but can
he outdo the big city barons of Serie A, who have been
spending more insanely than ever this summer as Italian TV
revenues expand even more giddily than our own? Inter Milan
spent £31 million on Christian Vieri.
AC Milan had to part with the best part of £20 million to
get Andrei Svevchenko. So far - and Ferguson may yet have
a big name up his sleeve - United have merely replaced
Peter Schmeichel by signing Mark Bosnich under the Bosman
rule. While contract negotiations with Roy Keane continue,
Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington from Peterborough are
on a five-day trial. Posh players, presumably. Maltese
trialists joined the team who lost to Boca Juniors. "We
have a good strong squad but we also need to add a few
more," Ferguson said. "We've got to go to Tokyo, take part
in the Brazilian tournament and hopefully play 17 games in
the Champions' League. It's a big, big challenge for us."
With the season not started, United have already beaten
Australia twice and won both their games in China, where
the potential megastore and satellite customer base is 1.2
billion. Four more victories, no goals conceded and still
unbeaten in 1999. Gulliver never sleeps.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Ferguson warming to global domination - Telegraph
THOSE seeking testament to Manchester United's awesome
ambition needed only turn their eyes and ears towards Old
Trafford and The Cliff yesterday. At the club's training
ground, Sir Alex Ferguson talked about his unsated desire
for further trophies while, just across town, four cranes
towered over the stadium as another huge stand rose block
by block, beam by beam. The champions of England and Europe
are reaching for the sky again. "Men At Work" signs
characterise life at United's two homes. Ferguson's players
went briskly through their paces at The Cliff, glistening
in the sun that matched anything Catalonia threw at them on
that golden trip to the Nou Camp 66 days ago. Such was the
heat that, the training completed, Jesper Blomqvist stopped
his Jaguar to buy a lolly from the ice-cream van stationed
at the gate.
Roy Keane, his hair impossibly short, looked fit, although
not quite enough to feature in tomorrow's Charity Shield
against Arsenal. Ditto Gary Neville. Mark Bosnich,
Ferguson's only summer signing, bantered with the many
fans leaning over barriers. Dwight Yorke glided past,
trailing cheery words to all and sundry. The only sad
sight was Wes Brown, his right leg encased in a brace,
hobbling to a waiting car. Brown's damaged cruciate
ligament will have reminded his team-mates of football's
fickle side, of the need to maximise the present. Keane
and Yorke, Jaap Stam and Andy Cole will not be sitting on
their many laurels.
Nor will Ferguson. Memories of an enchanted evening in
Barcelona have been set aside. "I can't even remember the
goalscorers," Ferguson said. "Everyone had a right to
wallow in a great night and the great times we had last
year. On holiday, your mind drifts back to last-minute
goals against Liverpool or in Barcelona. Most of the summer
was spent with people telling me how they missed the last
goal in Barcelona. "The media, television, managers and
supporters create heroes. But my players can prove
themselves real heroes by winning the title and the
European Cup again. What distinguishes greatness is still
being hungry, still being ambitious. I am looking for those
qualities to be demonstrated by my players. I have this
mechanism ready to operate if they let themselves down. But
I don't think they will. "Maybe some unknown soul in my
dressing room may unconsciously say, 'I've made it'.
Well, he's in for a shock. That's the thing about our club.
We have to go on. They are all trying to pelt us. It's hard
losing a game at Manchester United because it makes so many
people happy." Yet the nationwide backing for United was
huge before the European Cup final. "That was fantastic and
I acknowledged that support," Ferguson agreed. "There was a
warm feeling going in to the final. We felt everyone was
behind us apart from the odd idiot or two. Even the press
were for us." Ferguson knows too much praise softens
players. He also knows teams will be even more determined
to beat his side. "They used to be facing the champions of
the Premiership. Now they are playing the champions of
Europe.
If we win in Tokyo we will be the world champions. If we
win in Brazil we will be the champions of the universe. We
are creating a monster that is waiting to be shot down. It
means the players have got to be really focused on winning.
"There is more importance to club football than there is to
international football now. If you ask supporters, they are
more focused on their own club side than their country.
Rivalry between clubs has increased; there is all this
taunting and tribalism. Thereby it becomes more important
for the club sides to win." Ferguson believes the
Champions' League to be superior to the World Cup. "If you
look at the world game, the last good finals were Mexico
with Maradona. Since '86, the tournaments have been laced
with disappointments. Italy, in 1990, had the debacle of a
final between Argentina and Germany. In '94 in America it
was penalty kicks.
Last year, Brazil didn't really hit the heights although
they and France were the best teams. At least we had a
final of some drama; maybe that was a lot to do with the
Ronaldo thing. "If you can pick an international game that
matched our games against Barcelona and Juventus last
season, then I would like to see it. They were fantastic to
be involved in. OK, a few World Cup games stand out, like
Germany-Italy in Mexico, 1970. That was a game which
embraced everything in football. But our games against
Barcelona [both 3-3] will always stick in my mind because
so much happened, there was so much attacking play by both
sides."
Talking of going on the attack, Ferguson is irritated by
the suggestion from Kate Hoey, the new Sports Minister, that
United should play in the FA Cup instead of representing
Europe (and England's 2006 World Cup bid) at FIFA's World
Club Championship. "The gun was firmly put to our head that
if we don't go to Brazil, England would lose the World Cup
bid. Why should Manchester United take all the flak? The
media should be getting on to the FA and the Government.
They could tell us: 'Don't bother about the World Cup bid,
leave that to us. It shouldn't be Manchester United's
responsibility; you don't need to go to Brazil, get back in
the FA Cup'. That's not the case.
The FA have said nothing. The Government are now saying we
should be in the FA Cup - the very people, with the FA, who
said we would have to go to Brazil." United will return
from the other side of the world for a Premiership game
with Arsenal. "All the Arsenal fans in the Government who
are trying to get us back into the FA Cup should be
thinking about what an advantage they've got," said
Ferguson, who added: "And there's no chance of putting the
kids in the FA Cup." They will be too busy helping United
conquer the world.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: UNITED'S WEMBLEY PLANS HIT BY INJURIES
Manchester United have injury problems to sort out before manager Sir Alex
Ferguson finalises his plans for Sunday's Charity Shield clash with Arsenal.
Roy Keane looks unlikely to figure as he recovers from the ankle injury
picked up on United's last visit to Wembley when they won the FA Cup in
May, and Ryan Giggs is another battling for fitness.
Giggs was sent home early from the club's pre-season tour and said: "I'll
see how it goes over the next few days but I don't really want to rush it.
I just want to make sure I am right for the start of the season.
"It is only a thigh strain I picked up in training while we were in Hong
Kong, it is nothing serious but I have been having treatment over the last
week and it is a lot better."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could make a surprise appearance in the curtain raiser
after virtually being ruled out when he flew home with Giggs last week.
Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Teddy Sheringham are all in contention for
places in the United attacked and David Beckham is likely to play in
midfield even though he missed the pre-season tour.
Sir Alex wants to add the Charity Shield to the impressive collection of
silverware United have gathered in 1999 and refuses to treat the game like
a pre-season warm up.
He said: "The Charity Shield is always an occasion. You are going to
Wembley and you hope you enjoy the event and that you win.
"Last year all we got was humiliation when we lost 3-0 to Arsenal so I
don't think the players would want that to happen again even so this game
is still preparation for the new season. The players are not 100% fit but
hopefully by August 8 they will be."
United were the first ever winners of the trophy in 1908 and have held the
Shield 15 times with five of those successes coming during Sir Alex's reign
as manager.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Edwards Brands Hoey Claims 'Disgraceful' And 'Ignorant'
Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards has dismissed criticism from new
Sports Minister Kate Hoey over the club's withdrawal from the FA Cup,
branding her comments "disgraceful" and "ignorant."
Hoey claimed United "had treated their supporters in a shabby way" by
pulling out of the FA Cup in order to compete in the World Club
Championships in January.
But an angry Edwards stressed that United had taken their decision to
withdraw from the FA Cup in support of Hoey's predecessor Tony Banks.
He urged Hoey to "do her homework properly" and the Government to "get
their act together."
Edwards told Sky News: "I think the accusation that we are treating our
fans shabbily is a disgraceful statement to make.
"After discussions with the Government and the FA it was agreed that we
would withdraw from the FA Cup.
"Somebody else has entered the arena and is sounding off without knowing
the facts. I've never even had a discussion with Kate Hoey. I believe the
Football Association haven't had a discussion with her.
"It's very easy to come into the situation and start sounding off but I'm
sure, if she was involved in the original discussion when we all sat down
and arrived at this decision, she would think differently. She is speaking
from a position of ignorance."
Hoey said: "The FA Cup is the most important football trophy that all
football clubs aspire to win. I think the supporters are entitled to be
given a really good reason - and I don't think they've been given enough
reason - why both competitions (FA Cup and World Club Championship) can't
be entered into and that's what I'd like to see us move forward to try to
resolve."
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: United in double attack on Hoey
By By Martin Lipton
Saturday, July 31, 1999
Sir Alex Ferguson last night blamed the Football Association and the
Government for the ongoing furore over Manchester United's FA Cup withdrawal.
As chief executive Martin Edwards maintained it was impossible to defend
the trophy despite the intervention of new Sports Minister Kate Hoey, his
angry manager went on the offensive.
Sir Alex snapped over continued sniping at the club after Hoey said it was
imperative that United play in the Cup, describing the club's actions as
'quite unforgivable' and accusing them of letting down their fans and the
country.
He said: 'The FA and the Government put it quite firmly in our block. They
said if we didn't go to Brazil for the World Club Championship next January
it would damage England's World Cup bid.
'It was a tremendous decision for us because we're not the most popular
club at the best of times. If we'd said No and looked after our own
interests we would have been slaughtered by the media. This is the FA and
the Government's problem. They should take the flak.'
Sir Alex was backed by Edwards who said: 'We won't be having a rethink. We
made the decision weeks ago and it stands. After discussion with the
Government and the Football Association it was decided we wouldn't play in
the FA Cup.
'It was not our decision it was a joint decision and it is disgraceful for
the new Minister to come along, at this stage, to tell us we've treated our
fans shabbily and should go back in the FA Cup ... I suggest she does her
homework.' Yet Sir Alex's agitated retort opened up a potential rift with
the FA after Hoey appeared to be questioning the actions of predecessor
Tony Banks in supporting United's decision to miss the FA Cup to play in
Brazil in aid of the 2006 World Cup bid.
Hoey was also challenged by the FA to devise a solution to the dilemma.
Spokesman Steve Double said: 'Our stance has always been open-minded but
what is most important is that somebody must present a viable solution. We
look forward to an early meeting with Kate Hoey to explain the complexities
which surround the issue.'
At least her views found favour with FA Cup sponsor AXA. A spokesman said:
'We still haven't lost hope that United can re-enter the Cup.'
------------------
Leeway for United until November
By John Ley
MANCHESTER UNITED have four months to change their decision to opt out of
this season's FA Cup as they have not yet officially withdrawn their entry,
made before the April 1 deadline.
As pressure continues from all sides - new Minister for Sport Kate Hoey has
added her weight to the campaign to get the holders to defend the Cup - it
has been confirmed that United could still take part.
The competition begins a fortnight today with the preliminary round and
United could change their minds as late as Nov 21, the day before the draw
for the third round.
If United - who have opted to play in the World Club Championship in Brazil
in January - remain unmoved, one team will receive a bye in the third round
because the complicated format for the competition is decided once the
entrants have been confirmed in April.
Meanwhile, the Football Association have challenged Hoey to offer a solution
to United's withdrawal.
FA spokesman Steve Double said: "We remain open-minded as to the solution.
We are looking forward to having an early meeting with Kate Hoey to explain
all the various complexities which surround the issue."
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Subject: TIMES - Ferguson ready for return to familiar hostilities
BY STEPHEN WOOD
THE warmth that Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, felt in
the moments before the European Cup final in May did not owe everything to
Barcelona's climate. There was a groundswell of support for United from
unfamiliar territory, but Ferguson is well aware that the cold shoulder
treatment will begin again tomorrow.
United meet Arsenal in the Charity Shield at Wembley, in the traditional
opening match of the new season that is losing its impact with every
passing year.
For now, United are more concerned about resolving the rumpus over their FA
Cup withdrawal and the future of Roy Keane, their influential captain. If
the Charity Shield is turning into an irrelevance - especially with
United's seemingly perpetual involvement - the match last season highlights
the transition.
Twelve months ago, United lost 3-0 to the defending FA Carling Premiership
champions and, nine months later, Ferguson's team put the finishing touches
to an historic treble. However, if Ferguson is bothered about anything
tomorrow, it is that his players do not endure a similarly tortuous
afternoon.
"It was a humiliation," he said. "We then went on to lose by three to
Arsenal in the league at Highbury. But that Charity Shield defeat hurt. It
made us think about what big challenges lay ahead.
"Whoever it is that runs out at Wembley, I just hope they give us a better
result than last year. We realise that we won't have the same sort of
support that we took into the European Cup final. I really felt as if the
majority of the football followers in the country wanted us to win, it was
a nice feeling.
"But I have reminded the players how hard it is to lose when you are
playing for United these days - it makes so many other people happy."
United will be without Keane, Johnsen, Gary Neville and Brown through
injury, but Beckham, Scholes, Solskjaer and Giggs will be in contention for
starting places if they show no adverse reaction to playing Bristol Rovers
in a friendly last night.
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Subject: UNITED STARS INSIST THERE WILL NO LET-UP IN THE SEARCH FOR HONOURS
By Ian Cruise
365 editorial
ON THE eve of Manchester United's first real test of the season, David Beckham
and Denis Irwin have sent a chilling message to the rest of the Premiership,
insisting that the Reds' success last season has made them even more
determined to retain their place at the top of the English football tree.
United tackle Arsenal on Sunday in the Charity Shield in a game that offers
Sir Alex
Ferguson's side the chance to stretch their unbeaten run to an incredible
38 games,
going back to last December. But any suggestions that winning the Treble has
diluted the ambition at Old Trafford have been dismissed out of hand.
"Going into the new season hoping to emulate last year's success is not
realistic,"
Beckham told Football365. "But at the same time we have nothing to fear from
teams. We proved we can live with some of the best teams in Europe, we did
well
against them and we want to do the same this season.
"Last year's success will bring its own pressure this season. It's
difficult to imagine a team being more motivated to beat this club,
but after everything we achieved last season, I'm sure that
determination will increase. But we, too, have a single-minded
determination to do well."
That desire to continue to prove themselves to be the best runs
throughout the squad and Irish defender Irwin echoed Beckham's
words when he told Football365: "I'm confident that if we can
continue to play as well as we did last season, we should do well. It
will be a test of character for the side, to see how they handle
things, but at a club like United you are always living with pressure.
Of course teams will want to beat us even more now but we will go
into each game with the same attitude - to win.
"Last season we seemed to have everything going for us and that
rarely happens, no matter who you are. But if we apply ourselves
they way we did last season then we should be in a good position to
challenge for major honours."
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If ever they are playing in your town
You must get to that football ground
Take a lesson come to see
Football taught by Matt Busby
Manchester, Manchester United
A bunch of bouncing Busby Babes
They deserve to be knighted
Barry
J. Leeming Digest Prgram
by 
William
McArthur Canada
