Copy from
Electronic Telegraph


Sunday 26 October 1997
Issue 885


Cole waves the red rag at Barnsley
By Steve Curry


External Links

Barnsley Pics
Download United Program/Patch files



          Man Utd (4) 7 Barnsley (0) 0
          
          IT IS affectionately known as the Theatre of Dreams but
          yesterday Old Trafford had more the atmosphere of the Madrid
          bullring as Manchester United ruthlessly put Barnsley to the
          sword to re-assume leadership of the Premiership.
          
          The principal matadors were Andy Cole, with a clinically taken
          hat-trick, and Ryan Giggs, who weighed in with two virtuoso
          goals. But the ols were for the quality of United's sweeping,
          one-touch football.
          
          Alex Ferguson's capacity for surprise is endless and it was
          Teddy Sheringham, his summer signing from Tottenham, who learnt
          yesterday that there is no such thing as an automatic place in
          his team of all-stars.
          
          The England striker found himself on the substitutes' bench
          with Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paired up front and the
          improving Paul Scholes slotted in just behind them.
          
          While Denis Irwin trains with the Republic of Ireland side to
          meet Belgium in the World Cup play-offs, John Curtis, the
          latest fledgling from the Ferguson factory, made his full
          League debut at right-back with Phil Neville on the left and
          brother Gary partnering Gary Pallister in the middle.
          
          Curtis, who captained his country at schoolboy level and in
          last summer's Coca-Cola World Youth Championships, is, at 19,
          younger than the 'Fab Five' who have already established their
          reputations.
          
          Barnsley, making their first visit in League competition to Old
          Trafford for 60 years, came into the game off their second win
          of the season last week against Coventry and included Slovenian
          Ales Krizan and Macedonian Georgi Hristov, two of the players
          manager Danny Wilson has spent £5 million on as he tries to
          preserve their Premiership place.
          
          In these days of change it was almost a throwback to see two
          teams playing 4-4-2 football, though as always there was
          flexibility to United's system.
          
          In fact, it was Phil Neville who first raised anticipation with
          a thrilling run from his own half through the heart of the
          Barnsley midfield and defence, his shot from the edge of the
          area blocked by Arjan de Zeeuw.
          
          United had to wait only until the 17th minute, however, to
          begin to justify their 1-6 odds, the lowest odds for a
          Premiership game. Darren Barnard learnt the hard way that you
          cannot afford to make a mistake against the champions anywhere
          near the penalty area.
          
          Cole seized on a piece of sloppy control to take the ball on
          and drive it with awesome power past David Watson and, having
          adjusted his sighting, he scored a second within two minutes.
          
          This was much more of an engineered goal, the ball passing from
          Giggs to Solskjaer and on to Cole, whose finish from 15 yards
          was again powerfully clinical.
          
          He might have got his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, Giggs
          delivering the pass at the climax of another mazy run, but this
          time Watson had positioned himself to take the shot in his mid-
          riff.
          
          Yet United were three up three minutes from half-time, Giggs
          thrilling the faithful with a wonderful run from the halfway
          line and striking the ball superbly with his right foot into
          the top right-hand corner.
          
          Cole completed his hat-trick a minute later when Giggs played
          him in and he beat the offside trap to steer his shot into the
          far corner.
          
          The carnage continued in the second half with another burst of
          goalscoring, two goals in as many minutes and a plethora of
          breathtaking one-touch football.
          
          The ball flowed from Nicky Butt to Giggs to Solskjaer, with
          Giggs driving the final ball off the woodwork for number five.
          A minute later it was Cole and Solskjaer setting up Scholes,
          who cheekily chipped Watson for the sixth.
          
          Ferguson could now afford to bring off both David Beckham and
          Pallister, Karel Poborsky moving to the right and Ronnie
          Wallwork coming into the heart of defence for his League debut.
          
          The seventh came in the 79th minute and was the cheekiest of
          them all, Poborsky backheeling the ball in at the near post
          from Cole's cross.
          __________________________________________________________
          
          Man Utd (4) 7 Barnsley (0) 0
          Cole 17, 19, 45, Giggs 43, 56, Poborsky 80, Scholes 59.

          Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Pallister (Wallwork 63),
          Beckham (Poborsky 55), Butt, Cole, Giggs, P. Neville, Scholes
          (Cruyff 69), Solskjaer, Curtis. Subs Not Used: Sheringham,
          McClair.

          Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Sheridan, De Zeeuw, Redfearn, Thompson
          (Bosancic 69), Bullock, Hristov (Hendrie 58), Krizan (Moses
          58), Barnard, Ward. Subs Not Used: Marcelle, Leese.

          Att: 55,142
          Ref: M A Riley (Leeds).
          __________________________________________________________
          
UNITED TOO HOT - FERGUSON
By David Anderson, PA Sport

Alex Ferguson feels his on-fire Manchester United side would have been too hot
for any side to handle today.

Barnsley were the unfortunate team to be on the receiving end of this mauling
which took the champions back to the top of the Premiership.

"I don't think anybody would have got away with it today," said the United
manager. "We were just totally on-song.

"You only get performances like that maybe once or twice in a season.

"The players all had faith in their ability today, they took the ball well and
passed with great accuracy and penetration.

"I felt our goals were so well taken that apart from maybe the first one, when
their defence hesitated, they were not really the fault of any of their
players."

United certainly answered their manager after he had suggested they lacked the
killer-touch sometimes.

"You wonder if they were taking the mickey out of me," joked Ferguson.

Andy Cole was transformed from the player who missed a hat-full of chances
against Feyenoord in midweek as he fired a first-half hat-trick to take his
tally for the season to six.

Ferguson, who refused to accept that Cole had been out-of-sorts against the
Dutch, said: "He's capable of that - no question of that."

But in a match full of outstanding performances, Ferguson picked out Ryan
Giggs, who scored twice including a superb individual effort, as his man of the
match.

"I thought he was superb. If Ryan has a run of games, and touch wood, he stays
away from injury and gets some momentum going, he will be an unbelievable asset
for us," he said.

Paul Scholes weighed in with United's sixth, while substitute Karel Poborsky
scored the seventh 11 minutes from time.

Barnsley boss Danny Wilson believes United are red-hot favourites to win the
title for the third successive year on this performance.

"We've played Arsenal and Chelsea so far and they did not rip us up like United
did today. They will take some stopping," he said.

It was Barnsley's ninth league defeat of the season and they have now conceded
35 goals in 12 games.

But Wilson said: "We have come to arguably the best team in Europe and got
turned over. I was disappointed with the way we collapsed after the first goal.

"If we kept our discipline we might have made a better game of it. We've got to
take it on the chin and bounce back as you can't feel sorry for yourself."

Ferguson feels Barnsley should not be too downhearted.

"They will get points, I'm sure of that, and at the end of the season there are
always six or seven teams scrapping away down there.

"There are lessons to be learnt from this, but they are not adrift, so there's
hope yet."

© PA Sporting Life
          __________________________________________________________

Saturday October 25 2:44 PM EDT

Cole hat-trick repays Ferguson's faith
By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - In March 1995 Manchester United thrashed Ipswich 9-0
in the English premier league and striker Andy Cole scored four goals.

On Saturday it was Barnsley, it was 7-0 and Cole managed just three -- albeit
all in the first half.

In between those two memorable performances United have won Cups, titles and
even doubles. Cole has his medals but after his quadruple strike he could never
have dreamed what a tough two and a half years were ahead.

In the 1993-94 season he broke Newcastle's 60-year-old scoring record when he
notched up 41 goals.

He had banged in 15 by January of the following season when Kevin Keegan
stunned Newcastle, and football, by selling him to arch rivals Manchester
United for 6 million pounds ($9.8 million).

Keegan even took to the streets to face irate fans who demanded to know why
their hero had gone.

United boss Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, quietly thought he had the final piece in
the jigsaw to make United the top side in England.

They duly became that but, in truth, Cole had little to do with it.

Pneumonia, fractured shins, hamstring trouble and various other injuries
prevented him getting a long run in the team. And when he did play his
confidence seemed to have drained away.

The razor-sharp striker who thrilled Newcastle fans and had the masses
demanding an England call-up suddenly became famous for glaring misses.

In and out of the side, partnered with a series of strikers of varying types,
Cole seemed destined to leave Old Trafford.

But while the tabloid media speculated on his next move, Ferguson stayed
supportive.

``We're not selling. We want to keep all our players,'' was his constant
message.

In and out of the side this season it seemed Cole was destined never to be
United's number one striker.

Given his chance in Wednesday's Champions' League game against Feyenoord, Cole,
along with most of his team mates, proceeded to miss a hatful of chances.

Surely he would be again dropped for Saturday's home banker against lowly
Barnsley?

No, Ferguson kept faith with his man and within 45 minutes he had a hat-trick
and United were 4-0 up.

The first goal was typical of those he used to notch regularly in his heyday -
seizing on a defensive error to nip in and stab the ball past David Watson.

Two minutes later he produced a confident finish after being fed by Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer.

Ryan Giggs lashed in the third before Cole completed his treble with a sharp
break and neat finish.

He could have had more in the second half but Ferguson wasn't complaining and
was full of support for his much-maligned man.

``I'm not a bit surprised he got a hat-trick -- he creates chances all the
time,'' said the manager.

``He's so fast, so sharp. On Wednesday the luck just wasn't with him. Today it
was.''

Cole's team mates smothered him when he got his third, obviously delighted that
some of the pressure was off a player who has never been accused of not trying.

``The rest of the players know what quality he has. Everyone is pleased for
him,'' said Ferguson.

The challenge for Cole now is to do it again -- regularly.
          __________________________________________________________

October 26 1997

United turn on the power
Chris Lightbown

Manchester United 7 Barnsley 0

AT THE END of this exhilarating performance, Alex Ferguson said nobody would
have lived with Manchester United yesterday, and he was right. The fact that it
was Andy Cole who scored a hat-trick was virtually irrelevant. Ryan Giggs might
well have done the same, and Paul Scholes was not far behind. Of course,
Barnsley's presence played its part, but so did United's experience in Europe,
for it is finally knitting with their domestic approach.

In fact, the turkey shoot took a while to get going. After nine minutes of
nothing special, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer swivelled on to the ball but shot wide.
Then another effort went wide. As so often, United began cold ­ but clicked
into a gear from heaven.

Solskjaer was replacing Teddy Sheringham. If there was a time to rest the
first-choice man, surely this was it. John Curtis, a 19-year-old, made his
debut in place of Denis Irwin, who plays in the Republic of Ireland's World Cup
play-off against Belgium in Dublin on Wednesday.

Was the difference noticeable? No, it was not. In one of Barnsley's early
spasms, young Curtis tackled Darren Barnard with the sort of aplomb Irwin
exhibits every week and, thereafter, readily and firmly snapped the ball back
and forth with Nicky Butt and Gary Neville. Curtis played his part in the
rhythm United slowly built up throughout the opening 30 minutes of the game.

Gary Neville popped the ball through Darren Sheridan's legs. The United
defender's brother, Phil Neville, stormed across the halfway line until a
tackle by Arjan de Zeeuw stopped him, deep in Barnsley's beleagured half. David
Beckham positively grabbed at a loose ball hovering at Sheridan's feet,
gleefully snapping it on to Solskjaer. The deluge was edging closer.

Barnsley did their best, but every inch of their ground was a last ditch. In
midfield, Neil Redfearn ran himself into a lather trying to restrict the rapid
traffic between Cole and Butt. Whenever he could, Redfearn hit some good passes
briskly to Ashley Ward and Georgi Hristov. But whatever Redfearn inspired at
one end, it all fell apart at the other. Sheridan was in his own half and under
no pressure when he sent De Zeeuw an appalling pass. Cole pounced, the hapless
De Zeeuw was rounded, and the United striker lashed a ferocious right-foot shot
past David Watson. The deluge had begun.

Cole's second goal was the sort of stuff he will tell his grandchildren about.
Again, Barnsley lost possession in midfield and Giggs tore into the heart of
their defence. Briskly, he swept the ball on to Solskjaer, who promptly squared
it to Cole. Without breaking his stride, Cole clinically beat Watson from 20
yards. Wondrous, strident stuff.

United now swept into a higher gear. Their third goal was a matter of
quick-fire elegance, starting with Scholes and ending with Giggs, while the
fourth was a matter of Cole sweeping on to a finely tuned pass from Giggs and
shooting home as if hat-tricks were his staple diet. In fact, this was just his
second for United.

Barnsley kept battling. For as long as they could, their defence, which at
times meant the entire team, stuck claustrophobically close to United's men.
Just before half-time, Martin Bullock, who never stopped trying to turn the
tide, curled in a heroic ball to Hristov, who attempted a volley, but this
flopped somewhat tamely into Peter Schmeichel's arms. Bullock crossed hard
again, this time towards the lonely figure of Ward, but Curtis got there first
and United were off again.

Would Giggs finish off Barnsley single-handed? At times, it seemed so. His pace
was ferocious, his passing the stuff of imperious certainty. The fifth goal was
his and consisted of a whisked interchange of passing between himself and
Solskjaer, yet another drive towards poor Watson and a shot that whipped in off
the underside of the bar.

But United's most impressive attribute was their teamwork. The sixth goal
involved Cole passing immaculately to Solskjaer. The Norwegian played in
Scholes, who lifted the ball over Watson with the outside of his boot. Easy?
Almost.

Barnsley's fans added their renowned humour to the situation. At five goals
down they assured the home crowd that the conclusion would be a 6-5 win for
Barnsley. "It's just like watching Brazil" rang around Old Trafford whenever
the visitors put two passes together. "It's like watching City," responded
United's cynics.

History will record that the seventh goal began with yet another surge by Cole,
who was virtually camped in front of poor Watson by now, and that his low cross
reached Karel Poborsky, who flicked at it in the style of Denis Law. Easy? No,
magnificent.

Manchester United: Schmeichel, G Neville, Pallister (Wallwork 63min), Curtis, P
Neville, Beckham (Poborsky 55min), Butt, Scholes (Cruyff 68min), Giggs, Cole,
Solskjaer. Goalscorers: Cole 17, 19, 45, Giggs 43, 56, Scholes 59, Poborsky 80.


Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Sheridan, De Zeeuw, Redfearn, Thompson (Bosancic
68min), Bullock, Hristov (Moses 60min), Krizan (Hendrie 60min), Barnard, Ward.

Weather: cold and cloudy. Ground: pristine.

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).

Copyright 1997 The Times Newspapers Limited.
          __________________________________________________________

Man United v Barnsley 25/10/97 3.00
                                      
Man United              (4) 7 Barnsley                (0) 0 FT
Cole 17,19,45
Giggs 43,56
Scholes 59
Poborsky 80

   Andy Cole blasted a first half hat-trick against lowly Barnsley to
   fire Manchester United back to the top of the FA Carling Premiership.
   
   The striker produced a clinical display of finishing, which was in
   contrast to his erratic performance in front of goal against Feyenoord
   in midweek.
   
   Ryan Giggs weighed in with two, including a superb individual effort,
   while Paul Scholes and Karel Poborsky netted one apiece.
   
   It was rampant United's biggest league victory since their 9-0
   drubbing of Ipswich in March 1995 and it consigned the hapless Tykes
   to their ninth league defeat of the season.
   
   United began the game the hottest favourites, at 1-6, to win a match
   since the Premiership started and they demonstrated why in Barnsley's
   first league visit to Old Trafford in 60 years.
   
   Cole capitalised on a mix-up in the Barnsley defence to net his first
   after 17 minutes.
   
   The visitors' backline failed to react to Darren Sheridan's pass and
   Cole nipped in to beat Tykes goalkeeper David Watson.
   
   Ninety seconds later, Cole scored his and United's second when
   Solskjaer set him up on the edge of the area and he applied another
   confident finish.
   
   Cole was on fire and after 22 minutes he spun the Barnsley defence,
   but this time his shot was straight at Watson.
   
   Peter Schmeichel was then called into action to save Neil Redfearn's
   deflected shot.
   
   Georgi Hristov, who was playing up front in place of stomach bug
   victim Andy Liddell, wasted a great chance to pull a goal back on 37
   minutes.
   
   Martin Bullock's pass found him unmarked in front of goal, but the
   Macedonian international shot tamely into Schmeichel's arms.
   
   Giggs netted United's third with a typical piece of magic three
   minutes before the interval when he cut in from the left and unleashed
   an unstoppable effort into the top corner, giving Watson no chance.
   
   Cole duly completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half-time when he
   converted Solskjaer's through ball with the Barnsley defence nowhere.
   
   United were not finished yet, and on 57 minutes Solskjaer released
   Giggs and the Welshman netted his second and the champions' fifth to
   take his season's total to three.
   
   United continued to pile on the agony and after 59 minutes they sliced
   through the visitors' defence with Scholes supplying the finish this
   time for his fifth of the season.
   
   Watson then produced a great point-blank save to deny Cole a fourth
   from Giggs's pass.
   
   Karel Poborsky, who was a 55th-minute replacement for David Beckham,
   scored the seventh from close range in the 79th-minute for his second
   of the campaign.
   
   On a day for league debuts, 19-year-old John Curtis made his in the
   United defence, which had been weakened by injuries and Denis Irwin's
   World Cup call-up for the Republic of Ireland, while defender Ronnie
   Wallwork, 20, made his bow after 63 minutes when he replaced Gary
   Pallister.
   
   Man United: (4-4-2) Schmeichel, G. Neville, Pallister (Wallwork, 63),
   Beckham (Poborsky, 55), Butt, Cole, Giggs, P. Neville, Scholes
   (Cruyff, 69), Solskjaer, Curtis.
   Subs not used: Sheringham, McClair.
   
   Barnsley: (4-4-2) Watson, Eaden, Sheridan, De Zeeuw, Redfearn,
   Thompson (Bosancic, 69), Bullock, Hristov (Hendrie, 58), Krizan
   (Moses, 58), Barnard, Ward.
   Subs not used: Marcelle, Leese.
   
   Attendance: 55,142.
   Referee: M A Riley (Leeds).
      _______________________________________________________________

     Seven-up as Manchester United go top of the table
     
     (adding details, quotes)
     By Mitch Phillips
     LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A first half hat-trick by Andy Cole
     helped Manchester United to a "breathtaking" 7-0 demolition of
     Barnsley on Saturday as the champions eased back to the top of the
     English premier league.

     Ryan Giggs (two), Paul Scholes and Karel Poborsky completed the
     thrashing as United moved to 25 points -- two above Arsenal who
     play Aston Villa on Sunday.

     Blackburn trail Arsenal on goal difference after a 1-1 draw at
     Newcastle.

     Liverpool were also in the goals, beating Derby 4-0 while
     Southampton moved off the bottom after coming from behind to beat
     Tottenham 3-2.

     Crystal Palace continued their impressive away form with a 3-1 win
     at Sheffield Wednesday, Wimbledon beat Leeds 1-0 while Coventry
     against Everton finished goalless. Bolton play Chelsea on Sunday.

     Manchester United were always likely to beat Barnsley but even by
     their recent high standards this was a superb show.

     "That kind of performance doesn't happen very often, when they come
     you relish them - it was breathtaking," said United manager Alex
     Ferguson.

     "The speed and the making of the goals was superb."

     Cole, who missed several decent chances against Feyenoord in
     midweek, was back to his clinical best with three well-taken first
     half goals.

     Giggs was also on target with a fearsome drive as half time came
     with United 4-0 up.

     The champions did not let-up after the break and could easily have
     had double figures.

     Ferguson was particularly happy for Cole, who has never really
     sparked since his 6 million pounds ($9.8 million) move from
     Newcastle in the 1994-95 season.

     "I'm not a bit surprised he got a hat-trick -- he creates chances
     all the time," said the manager. "Everyone was pleased for him."
     Liverpool had had a week to forget as defeat by Everton was
     followed by a feeble 3-0 loss against Strasbourg in the UEFA Cup.

     But they played some neat football on the way to ending Derby's
     seven match unbeaten run with two goals by Robbie Fowler and one
     each for Oyvind Leonhardson and Steve McMananam.

     Fowler got them moving and Leonhardson's first for the club made it
     2-0. Fowler then blazed a penalty over the bar after Michael Owen
     was felled but made amends with his second soon after.

     Steve McManaman, back to his best wide on the left, completed the
     victory with a rare header.

     "We've taken some criticism, much of it deserved, and the response
     today was excellent," said manager Roy Evans, highly frustrated
     after the midweek debacle in France.

     "We asked them to go out and show their commitment to the club and
     they did that. We deserved what we got today," he added.

     Blackburn kept up their good form but had to come from behind at
     Newcastle.

     Keith Gillespie put the hosts ahead after 27 minutes but Chris
     Sutton's 11th of the season earned a valuable point.

     New Southampton signing David Hirst scored two on his home debut as
     the bottom club twice came from behind to beat Tottenham.

     Portuguese striker Jose Dominguez put Spurs ahead with a brilliant
     30 metre shot only for Ramon Vega to level the score with an own
     goal.

     David Ginola restored Spurs' lead in the 65th minute but Hirst
     turned it Saints' way.

     Wimbledon beat Leeds with a 29th minute Neal Ardley penalty while
     goals from Icelander Hermann Hreidarsson, Simon Rodger and Neil
     Shipperley earned Crystal Palace their fourth away win of the
     season. Unfortunately they have yet to win at home.
     
                           © Reuters Limited 1997


[main] [top scorers] [league results/table] [match reports] [archive]
[gallery] [united faq] [links] [sign my guestbook]

Any comments are welcomed.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Telegraph Group Limited endeavours to ensure that the information is correct but does not accept any liability for error or omission.

Users are permitted to copy some material for their personal use, but may not republish any substantial part of the data either on another website or as part of any commercial service without the prior written permission of Telegraph Group Limited.

Note : At times, reports are taken from Reuters and FA Carling Net.

Today's edition of Electronic Telegraph...