Legends of Roy Keane
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson labelled him the best he's ever worked with, aspiring footballers and Reds everywhere worshipped the ground he walked on: Roy Keane epitomised the unwavering spirit and desire to succeed Manchester United stands for.
Rooney craves England success
Wayne Rooney hopes England can wrap up qualification for the 2010 World Cup as soon as possible, so that he can edge closer to international silverware.
The United striker has won three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Carling Cup in his club career, but has only memories of frustration from his participation in Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
England have a 100 percent record in qualifiers to date, and can move ever closer to a berth in South Africa with victory over minnows Andorra on Wednesday evening.
"You look to play in the big tournaments and the two I've played in have ended in real disappointment," he admitted, "so hopefully we can qualify and I can help this team win something in the future.
"Of course you think about it, it's one of the biggest tournaments in the world and a win on Wednesday will be a massive step for us."
Rooney bagged his 22nd international goal in England's 4-0 win over Kazakhstan on Saturday, and he is delighted with his own form and that of his colleagues under coach Fabio Capello.
"I was delighted to score," he said. "In the end it was a good result with four goals and the win. We're doing quite well. We're delighted to win the games and it's always nice when you score goals as well. There are a lot of players who can score goals in the team."
The United striker has won three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Carling Cup in his club career, but has only memories of frustration from his participation in Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
England have a 100 percent record in qualifiers to date, and can move ever closer to a berth in South Africa with victory over minnows Andorra on Wednesday evening.
"You look to play in the big tournaments and the two I've played in have ended in real disappointment," he admitted, "so hopefully we can qualify and I can help this team win something in the future.
"Of course you think about it, it's one of the biggest tournaments in the world and a win on Wednesday will be a massive step for us."
Rooney bagged his 22nd international goal in England's 4-0 win over Kazakhstan on Saturday, and he is delighted with his own form and that of his colleagues under coach Fabio Capello.
"I was delighted to score," he said. "In the end it was a good result with four goals and the win. We're doing quite well. We're delighted to win the games and it's always nice when you score goals as well. There are a lot of players who can score goals in the team."
Blog: Case for the defence ( Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Fabio )
Following Eric Steele's blog on the goalkeepers, assistant manager Mike Phelan reviews a record-breaking campaign for United's defenders...
The defence was absolutely vital this season, providing us with the perfect platform to do well, despite the fact the personnel changed numerous times.
Even during the record-breaking clean sheet run we were forced to swap things around, but the lads that came in never let us down. That proves the fantastic capabilities of all the players, both young and old. They really had to dig deep at times, none more so than in the victories at Stoke, Bolton and Sunderland – those are three that stick out for me in terms of the effort and strength of character shown by the defence.
Everyone played their part, but the one we have to mention is Nemanja Vidic. He was absolutely outstanding and played more games than anyone. Not only did he maintain high standard of performance level throughout the season, he contributed goals as well. He had that one blip which everyone remembers, but one blip in 50-odd games isn’t bad.
We all know about the superb partnership between Vida and Rio Ferdinand, but this season we saw the development of some other great pairings, namely Rio and Jonny Evans and Vida and Jonny. They all blended very well together.
Jonny is just one of a number of young players, including Rafael, Fabio and Richard Eckersley, who we brought into the defence at times and each one acquitted themselves very well. The crowd really got behind them and the players reacted positively to that support which was great to see.
The youngsters also made a valuable contribution to the clean sheet record which really was a terrific achievement. To go so long - 1,334 minutes - without conceding was phenomenal and you have to give great credit to Edwin van der Sar for the huge part he played. He brings stability, experience, composure and confidence to the defence and his level of fitness is fantastic. The same can be said about Patrice Evra and John O’Shea who were both as solid as ever in the back four.
We’re very fortunate to have such a fantastic group of top defenders who all played an important role in our achievements this season.
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.
The defence was absolutely vital this season, providing us with the perfect platform to do well, despite the fact the personnel changed numerous times.
Even during the record-breaking clean sheet run we were forced to swap things around, but the lads that came in never let us down. That proves the fantastic capabilities of all the players, both young and old. They really had to dig deep at times, none more so than in the victories at Stoke, Bolton and Sunderland – those are three that stick out for me in terms of the effort and strength of character shown by the defence.
Everyone played their part, but the one we have to mention is Nemanja Vidic. He was absolutely outstanding and played more games than anyone. Not only did he maintain high standard of performance level throughout the season, he contributed goals as well. He had that one blip which everyone remembers, but one blip in 50-odd games isn’t bad.
We all know about the superb partnership between Vida and Rio Ferdinand, but this season we saw the development of some other great pairings, namely Rio and Jonny Evans and Vida and Jonny. They all blended very well together.
Jonny is just one of a number of young players, including Rafael, Fabio and Richard Eckersley, who we brought into the defence at times and each one acquitted themselves very well. The crowd really got behind them and the players reacted positively to that support which was great to see.
The youngsters also made a valuable contribution to the clean sheet record which really was a terrific achievement. To go so long - 1,334 minutes - without conceding was phenomenal and you have to give great credit to Edwin van der Sar for the huge part he played. He brings stability, experience, composure and confidence to the defence and his level of fitness is fantastic. The same can be said about Patrice Evra and John O’Shea who were both as solid as ever in the back four.
We’re very fortunate to have such a fantastic group of top defenders who all played an important role in our achievements this season.
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.
Rio Ferdinand
Nemanja Vidić
Jonny Evans
Rafael and Fabio
08/09 Review: Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov polarised opinion during his first season in Red, but crucial winning goals, assists aplenty and a bagful of breathtaking tricks tell their own story…
Start to finish: Berbatov's skill soon caught the eye following his deadline-day switch from Tottenham, and it wasn't long before he opened his account with a Champions League brace at Aalborg. Just as a certain mercurial Frenchman could change the flow of a game, United’s Bulgarian is equally effective. And, like Eric Cantona, he shares a knack for scoring important (often late) goals, as Middlesbrough and Bolton found out to their cost midway through the season. Berba really hit his stride around the New Year, with four goals in six league games, including that last-gasp header at the Reebok and a key goal against Chelsea in the 3-0 win. He also netted in the dramatic comeback against Spurs at Old Trafford in April.
In position: Although he was mainly deployed alongside Rooney, Berbatov also partnered Tevez, Ronaldo, Giggs and Welbeck in a fluidly rotated forward line.
Season highlight: Who could forget his sumptuous piece of skill against West Ham? With little room on the byline, he stopped the ball with his left foot, pirouetted and flicked it over James Collins’ challenge with his right. He then fed a perfect pass across the box for Ronaldo to slide the ball home.
Vital contribution: At the end of a week in which he missed a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final shoot-out against Everton, he tormented his previous club with a dazzling display at OT. He played a part in two of United’s first four goals, before bundling home the fifth.
Any lows? Perhaps a spur to his stellar January, a virus kept Berba from playing any part in the Club World Cup, a period he described as ‘the worst week of my life’.
Any other business? Tottenham must be sick of the sight of their old boys prospering at Old Trafford. In the FA Cup fourth round, Michael Carrick played an exquisite through ball to Berbatov who applied an unerring finish to knock Spurs out.
Start to finish: Berbatov's skill soon caught the eye following his deadline-day switch from Tottenham, and it wasn't long before he opened his account with a Champions League brace at Aalborg. Just as a certain mercurial Frenchman could change the flow of a game, United’s Bulgarian is equally effective. And, like Eric Cantona, he shares a knack for scoring important (often late) goals, as Middlesbrough and Bolton found out to their cost midway through the season. Berba really hit his stride around the New Year, with four goals in six league games, including that last-gasp header at the Reebok and a key goal against Chelsea in the 3-0 win. He also netted in the dramatic comeback against Spurs at Old Trafford in April.
In position: Although he was mainly deployed alongside Rooney, Berbatov also partnered Tevez, Ronaldo, Giggs and Welbeck in a fluidly rotated forward line.
Season highlight: Who could forget his sumptuous piece of skill against West Ham? With little room on the byline, he stopped the ball with his left foot, pirouetted and flicked it over James Collins’ challenge with his right. He then fed a perfect pass across the box for Ronaldo to slide the ball home.
Vital contribution: At the end of a week in which he missed a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final shoot-out against Everton, he tormented his previous club with a dazzling display at OT. He played a part in two of United’s first four goals, before bundling home the fifth.
Any lows? Perhaps a spur to his stellar January, a virus kept Berba from playing any part in the Club World Cup, a period he described as ‘the worst week of my life’.
Any other business? Tottenham must be sick of the sight of their old boys prospering at Old Trafford. In the FA Cup fourth round, Michael Carrick played an exquisite through ball to Berbatov who applied an unerring finish to knock Spurs out.
Papers: Duo going nowhere ( Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic )
Berba and Vidic vow to United
Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic will NOT be leaving during the summer – according to their agents. The men representing defender Vidic and striker Berbatov have both poured cold water on rumours linking them with moves away from Old Trafford. Paolo Fabbri, who handles the affairs of Serbian international Vidic, said that Vidic would not go unless he was the subject of a “crazy offer”. Vidic has been linked with a £25m move to Barcelona or AC Milan but Fabbri said: “I don’t think we will have any surprises in the short-term – we are not planning to move." Berbatov’s agent Emil Dantchev said that the Bulgarian will also be a United player next season. There has been speculation he may be sold but his agent insisted: “Despite speculation that he may leave I want to declare that Dimitar will play for Manchester United next season. There is no desire from the management for any separation. He will stay and we hope he will win what he missed out on this year.”
Kevin Francis, Daily Star
Having missed the start of last season as he recovered from ankle surgery, Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly keen to have surgery on a hernia post-haste. The Times claims the winger aggravated a groin injury on international duty, and will go under the knife so as only to miss the start of pre-season training.
The Sun claims United skipper Gary Neville could be in line for a first international start in over two years on Wednesday. With first-choice Glen Johnson one booking away from a suspension, Neville may be selected for England's clash with Andorra at Wembley.
Round up by Steve Bartram
Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic will NOT be leaving during the summer – according to their agents. The men representing defender Vidic and striker Berbatov have both poured cold water on rumours linking them with moves away from Old Trafford. Paolo Fabbri, who handles the affairs of Serbian international Vidic, said that Vidic would not go unless he was the subject of a “crazy offer”. Vidic has been linked with a £25m move to Barcelona or AC Milan but Fabbri said: “I don’t think we will have any surprises in the short-term – we are not planning to move." Berbatov’s agent Emil Dantchev said that the Bulgarian will also be a United player next season. There has been speculation he may be sold but his agent insisted: “Despite speculation that he may leave I want to declare that Dimitar will play for Manchester United next season. There is no desire from the management for any separation. He will stay and we hope he will win what he missed out on this year.”
Kevin Francis, Daily Star
Having missed the start of last season as he recovered from ankle surgery, Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly keen to have surgery on a hernia post-haste. The Times claims the winger aggravated a groin injury on international duty, and will go under the knife so as only to miss the start of pre-season training.
The Sun claims United skipper Gary Neville could be in line for a first international start in over two years on Wednesday. With first-choice Glen Johnson one booking away from a suspension, Neville may be selected for England's clash with Andorra at Wembley.
Round up by Steve Bartram
Dimitar Berbatov
Nemanja Vidic
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