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Frequent Flier Miles

August 28, 2009

MANCHESTER United admitted that the draw for the Champions League was not exactly as they wanted it when it was made yesterday. David Gill, present at the draw, declared the outcome for his side was “interesting” because it featured the league Champions of Germany and trips back to Turkey and Russia.

It’s at times like this we can be thankful we have David Gill at the club at all, after all it is he and the Americans that plan very long trips to Asia for Pre Season when it makes no sense to anyone but those in charge of the bank books at Old Trafford. David Gill said yesterday that it was easy to get bogged down and scared by the thought of travelling huge distances and get “psyched out by that sort of thing”. He is quite confident that this will not happen to United. Well he should because United does, after all, cover such distances as a matter of routine. It comes with being a successful football team and a football brand that needs to sell its image in all corners of the world.

If you would like more background on the travelling issue within Manchester United, GtS suggests reading the August edition of Red News when in the Hot Gossip section RN takes David Gill “to task for talking of the fustrations of cancelling the Indonesian Leg of the Far East tour”. United fanzines Red News and Red Issue both “warned against touring a destination with such history of terrorist incident”, especially after other teams had cancelled such games in the area. The world and his dog was advised not to travel there but United, possibly spurred on by the financial rewards of appearances there were all set to go. Then, the experts told United that it was not safe after all, leaving United ‘fustrated’.

So yes, Manchester United are confident that long away trips to Turkey and Russia will not bother the squad. They just keep racking up those frequent flier miles and this time it’s in the name of European Glory.

United’s group stage fixtures
Tuesday 15 September:   Besiktas (a)
Wednesday 30 September:   Wolfsburg (h)
Wednesday 21 October:   CSKA Moscow (a)
Tuesday 3 November:   CSKA Moscow (h)
Wednesday 25 November:   Besiktas (h)
Tuesday 8 December:   Wolfsburg (a)

August 2009 Issue of Red News available now. UK 10 issue sub £30.00 inc Post and Pack. Europe 10 issue sub £35.00 inc Post and Pack. ROW 10 issue sub £40.00 inc Post and Pack. For more details see the Red News Website by clicking HERE or on our contact page.

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United Give to Charity

August 13, 2009

LOOKING at the Community Shield as a showpiece spectacle has always been a step too far for me. It struggles in the netherworld between pre-season friendly and competition for silverware. It is both and it is neither and the idea is that should your team win it it’s important and if they lose it, well then it never was and never will be. To their credit Manchester United statisticians have always included it in the Pre-season group of statistics, and due to the fact that we lost I’ll happily go along with that.

There are, however, positives to be taken from the game. One Portuguese winger reached world class status thanks to his performances for our team, yesterday Nani stepped up to show that he at least intends to try and do the same. Some fans have questioned his quality and commitment to the side up until now but the stage is his to prove them wrong. What will the future hold, will he be Thriller or Earth Song, David Beckham or Kieran Richardson. He did okay yesterday before his injury, a goal, a lively performance and a little bit of a nap while allowing Chelsea to equalise.

Not Bad for starters.

There is one Smooth Criminal that should indeed have a word with himself today, referring of course to Michael Ballack who robbed Patrice Evra of his pesky need to stand up on the football field and floored him with an elbow to the face. Wayne Rooney had possession, Wayne Rooney lost possession, and Frank Lampard was nice enough to put the ball in the net for a 2:1 Chelsea lead to allow for the debate that would follow.

United players wanted to play on after a previous incident involving Ballack this time on the receiving end. Play was stopped, Ballack jumped up, hickory dickory dock. Chelsea players were not at fault for playing on at all. The fact that Wayne Rooney scored a last minute leveller did little to put the issue to bed. Much like Park, it’s a little firecracker that is going to run and run and run.

Sadly, no-one reminded Ben Foster that he has a history of being good in shootouts; no-one was prepared for the fact that Ryan Giggs might not hit the target and it seems no-one taught Patrice Evra how to take a penalty at all. I’ve not seen a shot that bad since David Seaman versus Peter Schmiechel in the ‘Shield’ of 1993.

All in all Valencia had spark, Owen had a chance, Foster forgot how to kick at times but made up for it with a few decent saves. Nani was in til his shoulder was out, Rooney was lively and Berbatov had some colour in his cheeks (ok so that last bit was a bit far fetched, I know).

There were lots of good things to take away; just not that shield thingy. Until next time… GtS

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Faster Sooner Now

August 11, 2007

YEARS ago I remember thinking that pre season was the time that the squad got back together; the new players came in and you’d end up watching something that resembled the team you followed, in some poorly attended friendly in the rain at Marine FC.

Then it was like pre-season got all polished and United are invited to open Wolves’ new stadium (very impressive it was too) and play a team that included former United player and manager’s son Darren. Former as in, he used to play for United, not that he stopped being Alex’s son, you understand. I’ll move on!

Before you know it pre-season gets positively glossy, and we end up with Manchester United visiting South Africa for games against the Kaiser Chiefs (who later faired much better when they decided to focus on the music). Who remembers the year we went to Ireland for what must have been positive money spinners against teams like Shelbourne? Now the jet set Pre season is almost as hectic as the regular season itself. Commitments to fly here, there and open this stadium, and that car door, can weigh a team down.

Whereas the location may have changed and some of the reasons for playing one tour over another may be a little more mirky now, the basic reason for the pre season games have not really altered. They seem to still be about returning to the team, bonding with the lads and all that stuff. They are about sharpness and fitness and making sure you start the new season in the best possible shape. Now if you’re a big football club it’s not about watching those players playing in shirts numbered just one to eleven like they used to be, without names. It’s about a pre-meditated choice to go to one location over another because it makes financial sense to go to the Far East and play football rather than the US, because Chelsea are there this pre season. I accept that with open arms and I like the idea that someone in Korea gets to go and see Manchester United for the first time in his life.

The Charity shield used to be different. I remember thinking that all the other ones came and went but this one had a trophy and was the traditional curtain raiser. Forget the curse that winning the shield guaranteed you a poor domestic season, anyone who is so inclined can figure out all that if they want to. It was tradition. It is tradition. It has always been counted as a pre season friendly and given no statistical importance in the eyes of Manchester United. Open your year book when you get your club membership most years and it will include the Charity Shield in the back, and if we have finished the season with nothing, then we have finished with nothing. The club doesn’t suddenly bring out the Charity Shield as if to say ‘oh well, erm, we forgot this one, see we actually won a trophy this season!’

Even the idea that the Char…sorry, Community Shield matters because its silverware doesn’t hold water anymore because every bloody pre-season game out there seems to be a tournament of some kind for a trophy. The Ajax tournament, the Port of Rotterdam, The UMBRO tournament, the Asia Trophy…I lose count. I’m glad pre-season’s done and I’m glad we were involved in the Community Shield again. I thought we played well for the majority of the game and went for the win more and more as Chelsea seemed to be playing for spot kicks. I should have had more faith in our keeper because the fact that Chelsea failed to net a single one of their kicks really surprised me – the fact that we converted ours didn’t.

However you view the shield game; meaningless friendly or a sign of intent for the new season, it’s nice to have competitive football back and it’s nice to once again hear the comments of the Chelsea players and their manager. I can already see that it’s going to be as colourful a season on the pitch as off it. I really wouldn’t change Mourinho – he adds entertainment to our league. So it’s good luck to Alan Smith on his new start with Newcastle, thanks for the Roma memories, and now all the pre-season prettiness is over we can let battle commence.

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Evolution

August 1, 2007

SO we have a new season just days away and soon it all begins again. There have been additions made to the title winning squad this summer during a time of unexpectedly high transfer acitivity. Three players came through the entrance and some have been waiting longer than others to join, Owen Hargreaves himself described his move as the worst kept secret in football. It took a Bundesliga record fee to prize Hargreaves from Germany and inflict what Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge called a big sporting loss on the club.

Last year the British press were almost all convinced that Owen Hargreaves had something over the then England coach. Why does he keep selecting this boy? Conspiracy theories were all over, did Owen have some mucky photographs of dear old Sven? Lets face it, by that point most of the media had dirt on the man because, well, there was dirt to be had – but still the fact remains he was being played when a large part of the country didn’t want him in the squad. I don’t think it is possible to survive in the Bayern Munich team for as long as Hargreaves did, and not possess some kind of quality on the pitch. The boy has been loved in Munich, adopted by them for his commitment. It could be true to some extent that this European-ness was to some extent his downfall in the eyes of the England media and some of the fans. Until his move he had never played domestically in England. He, therefore has had no chance to adopt a career path similar to some young players that have played here all their lives, no staggering out of night clubs, no punch ups with team-mates, no alleged indiscretions with older ladies. He didn’t spend a season each at four or five clubs before being moved on for creating disharmony. Hargreaves seems to have spent his years in Germany, turning up for training, turning up for games, playing well and getting off home. How boring! How very un British of him. Doing your job and going home afterwards? Not very showbiz is it? No and I say thank God for that, and welcome to Manchester United.