A very long break!

At the end of this seemingly long international break, all of the teams around England are coming back together to make their runs at the end of the season.

As it stands right now, before this weekend's Premier League matches take way, Manchester United sit 5 points clear of second place Arsenal. It also shows that Chelsea, last year's title holders, are now back in the race, four points behind Arsenal in third place.

In a surprising survey of fifteen bosses in the league by Premier League and League Managers' Association, showed that 80% of them backed United to become champions for this year's season, which would give Manchester United their record breaking 19th league title, giving more of a reason for Liverpool to hate Man Utd. Sir Alex was also voted, with a eighty seven percent majority(espn), greatest manager in the premier league of all time.

England's International Friendlies



During this break saw all of the international teams around the world come together in their respective teams and set out to play a couple of friendlies.

Running up to the first friendly for England against Wales, news stories started to come out of the wood work about the captaincy of The Three Lions with Fabio Capello giving the armband to John Terry and did not bother to talk to Rio Ferdinand about it causing a slight debate about it all, weather or not Terry deserved it and how Capello handled it.

But in the end, this all did not prove to matter on March 26th, as the Three Lions strode out to play at the Millennium Stadium.

The match started out great for the England squad, with Frank Lampard's penatly strike setting the tone for the rest of the match. Lampard smashed home a nice goal, giving England a one - nill lead over the home side, and only seven minutes later a long ball from mid field, and a nice box pass to Darren Bent who tapped it in close range to make the game two - nill, the final score for the rest of the match.

The Wale's game proved to be a good time for the England squad, with Captain Terry showing what the England team can really do and it helped them look good for the future.

But, March 29th came rolling quickly and England was set to play Ghana at Wembley.

The game started off with a couple of back and forth across the field between both sides, and both keepers showing their true skills as Richard Kingson for Ghana made a couple of incredible saves, plus was also saved by the bar in a cross to Ashley Young were the ball bounced off of the bar. Joe Hart, for England, did as well, stopping Ghana's off of the minute stroke first attack and keeping the ball played deep for England.

Finally at the 43rd minute, a nice cross was launched from Ashley Young into the box towards Downing, who controlled the ball towards Andy Carroll and the thirty five million pound man smashed the ball with great accuracy into the bottom corner.

A little disappointing show from the Liverpool man, who had such a great success at Newcastle before getting injured and traded to Liverpool. He was routinely found outside of his position, struggling to get into the set place and continued to do this till the hour mark when he was replaced by Jermaine Defoe.

Stewart Downing and Ashley Young really proved to be the pace set for the whole England squad, pacing up and down the pitch and getting on the ball as much as possible and getting as many attempts as they could. It was really neat to watch these youngsters work so hard for their nation team, especially after the 2010 World Cup and England's very poor display.

But there is a reason why Ghana did so well during the 2010 World Cup and it really started to shine for them during the 2nd half, with 20,000 Ghanaian supporters at Wembley to support and cheer their team on. If it was not for a stronger defensive stance by the England team and constant great saves by Joe Hart, Ghana could have easily gone well above the 1 goal scoreline.

But Ghana and England kept the battle on, till the first minute into injury time when Ghana's hope was all but lost, Asamoah Gyan, the Wonderman from Sunderland, smashed home a nice shot, through the England defense, and saw the game end all tied up 1-1. Gyan totally deserved that, and Ghana definitely deserved the draw.

FA Bashing Sir Alex



The Great Scot continues to be the whipping boy for the FA, as yet again the FA makes another predictably grandiloquent statement about Sir Alex.

As most Man United fans know, Sir Alex is serving a 5 match touchline ban for his comments after the Chelsea game about Referee Atkinson and the calls he made. After a long couple of weeks of back and forth between the two, and even a media black out, Sir Alex took the charge on his hand and started to serve the match bans.

Now it seems the FA are not done with him and will continue to try and go after the Scot for his comments even after his trial, which he is stating wasn't very fair.

The FA panel released this statement;

"The commission was referred to Sir Alex's previous disciplinary record, which included several misconduct charges.

"Although it was his entitlement to do so, he denied the present charge in the face of a strong, if not compelling, case against him.

"Although he denied any intention to question Mr Atkinson's integrity, he should, at the very least, have realised the import of what he said.

"It follows that any credit to which Sir Alex may have been entitled by admitting the charge, and reduction in sanction, was lost.

"In addition, it follows from his denial of the charge that no clarification or retraction of any of his comments has been made by Sir Alex and no apology given to Mr Atkinson, even after the charge had been brought."

The panel added: "The commission regarded this as a serious aggravating feature and rejected Sir Alex's case that his use of the word 'fair' was effectively retracted during the interview itself.

"The commission also took the view that Sir Alex's comments undermined the attempts by the association, through its Respect campaign to encourage higher standards of behaviour within the game, including respect for officials."
From SkySports

United's Pre-season USA Tour

Another important bit of information we found out was the announcement of the pre-season USA Tour set for the summer months.

Just like last year, Manchester United will face off against a handful of Major League Soccer teams, including the MLS All Star team. To add to that line up, Manchester United will take on Barcelona in a pre-season friendly in Washington DC, which will prove to be their highlight of the pre-season tour.

A quick blurb from ESPN;

Sir Alex Ferguson's men are scheduled to meet the Spanish champions on July 30 at FedExField in the US capital in their final game of a five-match tour which will also see them meet three Major League Soccer sides as well as an All-Star team.

''Tours are a fantastic chance for the players to get away as a unit, to put in some good training sessions and to meet some of our fans around the world who don't have a chance to watch us play live every week,'' said Ferguson.

''Our visits to the US are always enjoyable ones. The training facilities are excellent and we certainly found last year that, with the improving quality of the MLS teams, the games are very competitive, which is great preparation for a new season.

''To finish off with a match against Barcelona will be a special moment for all our fans in the States.''

United open against New England Revolution on July 13 in Boston before travelling west to meet Seattle Sounders a week later.

Next comes a game against Chicago Fire on July 23 before they take on the MLS All-Stars in New Jersey on July 27 and Barca in Washington.

Returning players and some not



Right before the international break, Manchester United lost a few key players to injuries, but also welcomed back the likes of Antonio Valencia. Now, at the end of the break, it seems like a couple more players MIGHT be on the return, including key defense player Vidic.

When Inside United got a hold of Sir Alex, this is what he had to say about Valencia's return and his impact so far;

"Antonio has showed in the parts of the games he's played so far why we've missed him," the Red Devils boss told Inside United.

"He is a fantastic footballer. He came on at the right time against Marseille because Nani was starting to wilt a bit after his injury.

"His ability to get to the dead ball line is a big advantage to us and his football brain was there for all to see when he made Javier Hernandez's second goal against Marseille. His pass to Ryan Giggs was fantastic.

"It is a big plus point. Having both Antonio and Nani is a big boost for us."

In another interview with ESPN, Sir Alex was asked about Javier Hernandez and his impact so far this year, and this is what the Scot had to say;

"I remember Paul Scholes saying 'boss, he'll score 25 goals'," Ferguson told ESPN. "I said, 'do you think so?' He said 'yeah, he's got the touch'. So we had an expectation that he would score."

"When he first came in I think it was like every other young player coming from another continent to English football, it's not easy. So there was a settling-in period allowing him to develop physically. Bit-by-bit, when we were bringing him on and he started to perform and score these important goals, you said 'well, his rest period is over, his breaking-in period is over' and he has been more regular and his performances have improved by it and he's just done absolutely fantastic."

"The boy comes in every morning at nine o'clock, does his gym work on his own, joins in with the players at ten and then, after training, he practices with some of the other players. He has got the determination to succeed. He's got the fire needed to be a top player."

"I think we were very fortunate to get in quickly and we had great help from Chivas, who were fantastic with us. We have built a really good relationship with that club. (It is) well-run, with a good professional set-up. We sort of resonate with most of the things that they do and their help in that situation was phenomenal. Not a bit of news got out during the negotiations with the deal."

To wrap this segment up, news came from Manchester United's training that Owen Hargreaves injured his shoulder during his stint to regain his fitness to play again.

Hargreaves has played less than ten minutes of football for Manchester United since September 2008 having had surgery on his knee problems on two occasions before tearing his hamstring on his brief comeback against Wolves in November.

Now it seems he could easily sit out for another month with this injury. His contract runs out in June and it could very well be the end of his time at Manchester United unless he is able to get fit enough to play very soon and can prove himself to Sir Alex.

This weekend

This weekend is the end of the long international break and start for many teams back in the Premier league. It sees top of the league United heading to Upton Park to play against West Ham.

Vidic is rumored to be fit to play, but may not play for this game though I will find out more when we get closer to Saturday. The game is at 12:45 GMT(7:45 AM EST). Depending on if I can get up early enough I will try and give live match commentary.

In some other quick news, Former Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson is stating that he is confident in making a full recovery after undergoing surgery for throat cancer earlier this month.

He quickly spoke with talkSport and this is what he had to say;

"[The doctors have] been very positive with what they've been telling me," he told talkSPORT. "I'm over in England for a week and I'll get a second opinion from a specialist here, but I am quite confident about going back out there and receiving the treatment.

"Fingers crossed everything will be clear within a couple of months. When I return to Thailand next week I'll start on a five-week course of radium treatment and just keep my fingers crossed. They are very good over there on the medical side and they're very confident that it's treatable and I should make a recovery.''

"I thought I just had a sore throat, so I went into the hospital to see the doctor on the Monday,'' he said. "He diagnosed it straight away, I had the MRI scan on the Tuesday and he operated on me on the Thursday, so that's how efficient they are over in Thailand.''

"I've had a fantastic response from football fans all over the country and Europe since it came out in the media. When things like this come up you've got to be positive and get on with it.''

On a personal note, I was sick during a lot of the international break since my last post, but now I am in better health and should be seeing more posts from myself in the next few weeks, as the run of the season shapes up to be a great one!

Leave a comment and tell me what you did during the international break and let me know how you coped, did you watch some of the international friendlies, or just did nothing.

Ugh, what to do...

So, I am sure you are like me, who like the millions of premier league fans are sitting around doing nothing with no matches being played aside from the lower leagues due to the two week international break.

Our last game was the Bolton match on the 19th of March, and we all will have to wait till April 2nd for the West Ham match before we can see our boys back on the pitch. With this downtime, I am sure a lot of the players who have opted or not been picked to play internationally will be taking time to do stuff for their regular normal lives, while some other players such as Rooney, will be playing for their international teams.

This presents us with a boring ending to the month of March, making people like myself for antsy and bored. I would like to see the matches played, every weekend waking up to the glory of English football!

With the end of the season looming right around the corner, I would like to get all of my fill of EPL before it's all over and we are back to the summer months of slow and boring news around the league, minus some transfer rumors.

I don't know why, but the summer months are always boring to me. In most sports, obviously aside from baseball but personally I find it quite boring, players are always off during the summer months and leaves us fans wanting more. I know after I see the end of the season matches, teams winning cups I would like to see more as soon as possible! I know that players need a rest, but honestly if I was in the EPL playing, I would be wanting to play during the whole summer! Sure, it's a good time to practice and train, preparing yourself for the next season, but what is better training than just flat out playing?

Over here in America, we don't have very much to look forward to sports wise for the summer, NFL has been off since February and won't start up till October, and it's boring anyways! NHL ends at the end of may or early June depending on how long the playoffs last, and the NBA ends around the same time too, depending again on the playoffs. All we really have is MLB, baseball which like I said earlier just seems dreadfully boring to me, and MLS, America's proud soccer league.

Now don't get me wrong, the MLS has been improving every year, more and more fans watching especially after the 2010 World Cup. The MLS has also benefited with a few ex-EPL players coming over to play, such as Thierry Henry and Beckham, to make the league more interesting and even unknown players showing their faces on how good they are, such as Landon Donovan who made his name known around the world in the 2010 World Cup.

I guess in the end, I am just rambling. I like to hear, see, and watch anything and everything about EPL and it sucks to think that only a couple of months till the end of this season, which is ramping up to be a very heated battle for top positions and even to stay out of the regulation area.

More Glazer Owner Problems

So if you are a new fan of Manchester United, I am sure you have heard few stories about the Glazer family and seen fans in the stand wearing gold and green. The Glazers are the proud American owners of Manchester United who have battled debt within the club for years, yet not giving up and selling the team.

Well, today it was found out that last year the Glazer's posted a loss of £108.9 million for the year of 09/10. Here is the news article from ESPN;

The parent company that owns Manchester United has announced a loss of £108.9 million for last year.

Red Football Joint Venture - owned by the Glazer family - revealed the figure for the year ending June 30, 2010 in their accounts, which also include a number of one-off payments, according to files submitted to Companies House. One of those was the cost of setting up a £526 million bond scheme to provide the American owners with cash in the short-term to service a number of outstanding debts.

While the previous year's results revealed a profit of £21 million, payment in kind (PIK) loans that have since been paid off were also a contributing cause for the downturn in fortunes. A lack of notable player sales has also been blamed - in 2010 the club could include the £80 million departure of Cristiano Ronaldo as part of their trading.

United's own club accounts were published in October and revealed losses of £83.6 million. At the time chief executive David Gill remained upbeat about financial matters at Old Trafford.

"We have money in the bank so there is zero pressure on that, no pressure at all to sell any star player," Gill said at the time. "We have £165 million in the bank but in some ways we would prefer to have £80 million in the bank and Ronaldo on the pitch."

Sir Alex Ferguson could be set to rebuild his side in the summer, with Manuel Neuer, David de Gea, Javier Pastore and Jack Rodwell all linked with the club in recent weeks. And, even in light of the financial news, Ferguson has been assured he will have money to spend.

A source told ESPNsoccernet: "There have been suggestions that the club are financially handicapped in some way with the latest accounts of the club's parent company showing more than a £100 million loss for the year, but they are exceptional circumstances.

"There is £165 million cash in the bank, and even as we stand the club would pass UEFA's fair financial play rules. No one is saying Sir Alex is going to spend all the cash in the bank, but he is going to replace a number of star players, and that is not going to come cheap. If he wishes to spend £100 million the funds are in place for him to do so.

"As for the club's finances, Manchester United are on course to break the £100 million commercial profits barrier for the year. The club is best judged financially from the last quarterly accounts of the club, which showed the debt in the region of £500 million, interest repayments of £45 million but £100 million profits in a year."

Final Notes

Well I'll go ahead and end this with a question as I have been doing with most of my opinionated posts. Post a comment and tell me what you are going to do during this international break, and then tell me what you are going to do with the summer, if you are not worried about being bored tell me why!

Manchester United 1 - 0 Bolton

We were back in the Premier League this weekend, with a nice handful of games being played on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Bolton came to Old Trafford to visit the league leaders at home, with a tough game on hands.

The ball went back and forth between both sides as both teams kept trying to get the ball in the back of the net, but none of them making it. Rooney had some great long distance strikes, showing the striker is still making his way back into the glory light of his former self, with Nani and Valencia both playing and making great plays.

Nani had a couple good shots on goal all of the while being able to make good crosses to Hernandez and Rooney. This was the first game of the 5 game touchline ban for Sir Alex Ferguson, and the first Premier League game in a while for Manchester United who played Chelsea and Liverpool, than two games against Marseille and cup match against Arsenal.

But not all was happy for the United side, with Johnny Evans recieving a straight red card for his challenge against Stuart Holden, who had to leave the game with a nasty gash on his leg. This was quoted from ESPN;

The Northern Ireland defender has never been regarded as a dirty player and on first glance, it appeared Evans had merely come out on top in a 50-50 duel for possession.

Marriner was close enough to come up with a different theory, producing a red card that forced Michael Carrick to take up a defensive position and Rooney to operate in central midfield.

For Holden, the injury was serious enough to warrant immediate calls for a stretcher, just over 12 months after he broke a leg in a tackle with Nigel de Jong that nearly forced him to miss the World Cup.

Finally though, the home side would eventually pull out and show the true glory and drive that is behind this Man United team as a Nani shot on goal bounced off of Jussi Jaaskelainen, who before this was having such a super game having made so many stops on some great shots, and Berbatov was able to tap the ball in watching it bounce across the line and the fans erupting with joy.

The game ended, with Bolton heading home a bit disappointed because of Matthew Taylor's free header straight into the flying dutchman's hands, a sure goal. Instead, Manchester United goes 5 points ahead of Arsenal, who failed to win their game and drew against West Brom.

Sir Alex was quoted at the end of the game with a interview on MUTV, "Today's game was a really important game, and the fans were really behind us which helped us out after the sending off. These lads have fought through 5 tough games in the past, and they deserve to have a sort of off game like today's." When asked about Evan's red card "I think the ref sent him off because of the injury, not because of the tackle. His foot was raised off of the ground and we all know Johnny isn't a rude boy, it was just a unfortunate tackle."

Laughing a bit, he also talked about his in booth experience, having to use a on ground telephone to communicate with his team. He was happy to say that the international break could not have come at a better time, giving his team a well deserved break and get some of his players that he has been missing back on the team, such as his defenders who has taken another hit in losing Evan's to a 3 game ban for his straight red card.

Next game is on April 2nd, away at West Ham. Post your comments below and let me know what you thought of the game and will this international break be good enough to bring back some of our injured guys, or what will we have to do?

The Champion's League Quarter Final Draw

Everyone this morning was sitting forward, waiting for when the Champion's League draw would come and everyone would find out who was playing who.

And for two English teams, it was a rematch of centuries that keeps repeating itself. Chelsea was drawn to play Manchester United in the Quarter finals, which the first leg begins early April. After the first and second legs, whoever comes out on top will move on to face the winner of Inter Milan v Schalke in the Semi Finals.

This has been nothing but great news for both sides, Manchester United looking to extract some revenge against Chelsea who beat them recently in the Premier League 2-1, with Ferguson getting banned because of the comments he made about the ref for that game.

But this time, both teams are playing in the UEFA, so if there are more ref slamming comments to be made it could take a turn for the worse and someone could be banned completely from a game, instead of just a touchline ban like Sir Alex received for five matches.

As a Man United fan, I simply cannot wait for these matches to happen. With Chelsea flipping in and out of form, these matches can only prove to be as crazy as they are in the premier league.

But there is something that was pretty annoying to here, and it came out of Spain from Barcelona's superstar;

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has ruled out Manchester United as contenders to win this season's Champions League.

Messi said he expected his Barcelona team, Spanish rivals Real Madrid or Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea to lift the trophy in May. But Sir Alex Ferguson's Premier League leaders and 2007-08 European champions didn't get a mention.

"Ourselves, Madrid and Chelsea are the favourites for this year," the Barcelona forward is quoted as saying in The Sun.

It is surprising to see someone like Messi to say that against a team he has faced many times before in the past and had great matches against. It'll be surprising to see if Barcelona will be able to get to the finals and I truly hope that Manchester United will be able to meet them at the finals, just to prove a point to Messi.

Now I've been thinking about this a bit more, and maybe with Messi saying things like this could have a beneficial factor for the team, boosting their overall desire to get to the final and win just to prove the world recognized player wrong.

Chelsea look to redeem themselves

For all the talk surrounding John Terry of late, with calls to return the England captaincy to him dominating the back pages, the Chelsea skipper takes his place in the headlines again, but for reasons of revenge.

When the Champions League quarter-final draw matched his side with Manchester United, Terry would have had mixed feelings. Undoubtedly a wave of frustration came over him when the Blues drew another English team and avoided the relative minnows of Shakhtar and Schalke, but then it would have dawned on the defender that he had the chance to overcome the demons of Moscow in 2008.

Terry's penalty slip against United cost his side dearly when he had the chance to secure Chelsea's first ever Champions League title and it affected him deeply, so much so that he has the shirt he wore on the night still hanging in his trophy room as a constant reminder of his burning ambition to lift Europe's top prize.

Now, fate has paired him with United again, at a time when a decent European campaign would go some way to healing the pain of losing out on the Premier League title.

Both sides, arguably, are in worse shape than when they met in 2008. United have lost Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves (although the latter is still on the club's books), while Chelsea have failed to replace Claude Makelele and still miss the industry and quality of Michael Ballack in the centre of the pitch.

Players have come and gone since but, while the Blues have just splashed £75 million on Fernando Torres and David Luiz, only the former new signing is available for the game and has been struggling horribly for form in front of goal.

Luiz's impact in the two clubs' most recent Premier League fixture - a 2-1 win for Chelsea - has raised many points of discussion for pundits and managers alike. Sir Alex Ferguson felt the full wrath of the FA for his comments about referee Martin Atkinson's failure to send off the Brazilian and landed a five-match ban, but while recent history between the two has not been kind to United, they will still draw immense confidence from the mental strength of that night in Moscow.

Terry of course, may well do the same.

It will be the sixth time the Blues have faced English opposition in a Champions League knockout tie the past seven years and will give Chelsea's players - many of whom played in Moscow - a chance to avenge the painful penalty shootout defeat three years ago. The first leg will be played at Stamford Bridge.

The winner of the Chelsea v United clash will face whoever emerges victorious from Inter Milan v Schalke, with the reigning European champions handed a seemingly favourable draw after their dramatic last-16 defeat of Bayern Munich.

On the other side of the draw, Tottenham face a first-leg trip to nine-time champions Real Madrid, with Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart given the opportunity to return to his former club.

Should Real beat Spurs, they open up the possibility of a mouthwatering all-Spanish semi-final against favourites Barcelona. The Catalans will take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the last eight - a tough draw for the Ukrainians, who have reached the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

The matchdays are:
Quarter-finals: April 5, 6 and 12, 13
Semi-finals: April 26, 27 and May 3, 4
Final (Wembley): May 28

It'd be really neat to see some of the lower likely teams to pull out and actually win some matches, like Shakhtar and Schalke but they most likely will fall to their respective opposition, but I believe most people will be waiting to see the two giants of England clash against each other to prove who is the best in the Champions league and could very well set the score for the rest of the season in the Premier League.

Javier Hernandez speaks with ESPN

Javier Hernandez believes Manchester United can take full advantage of playing the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford - but concedes playing Chelsea will be a test.

United were paired with their Premier League rivals in the quarter-finals draw on Friday, with Chelsea having got the better of United recently at Stamford Bridge.

Hernandez, who started on the bench in United's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea earlier this month, is focused on adding to his tally of three Champions League goals when the sides resume their rivalry on April 6.

"We play in the same league and it is going to be tough," said Hernandez. "Stamford Bridge is a nice stadium and it makes it a little bit like a league game.

"But if there is an advantage that we are at home in the second game. I am trying to think game by game and not to look too far in the future. But I am very happy with the way things are going in the Champions League and I want to keep it like that."

Fergie loving Chelsea battle

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke quickly with Sky Sports about the draw with Chelsea;

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is eagerly anticipating the UEFA Champions League showdown with Chelsea at the make-or-break phase of the season.

The two Premier League rivals were drawn together in the quarter-finals of the European Cup on Friday and the two-legged tie promises to be a fascinating battle.

Table-topping United, who are set to face derby foes Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals on 16th April, still hope to repeat their trophy-winning Treble of 1999.

Ahead of the meetings with Chelsea on 6th April and 13th April, Ferguson is relishing the period of the season he once famously called 'squeaky bum time'.

The United manager, speaking to Sky Sports News at the Cheltenham Festival, said: "It doesn't matter what draw you get at these stages, you have got to perform and we need to perform.

"We are that real cutting edge of the season now and I am looking forward to it."



Final Notes

The next couple of months are going to be the proving grounds for Manchester United, looking to prove themselves completely this year against all of the naysayers, as they actually have a good chance at winning the treble again! With Sir Alex having to deal with the FA touchline ban, the next few games will be tough tests for his squad, but in the end they will continue to prove themselves.

It's crunch time now, and Sir Alex and his squad knows this. Other teams never had to deal with this sort of pressure before, and the pressure continues to mount on the Manchester United squad that many people believe are no where near their best form.

If that is the case, I guess it's good to be on top then!

Leave comments below about what you think the Chelsea v Man Utd draw will mean for us and how it will turn out!

The Manager part two

Yet again, we find ourselves talking about Sir Alex Ferguson and the five match touchline ban he has received from the FA.

Today, we found out that Ferguson is not going to appeal his FA ban for five matches, and will start it as soon as possible which in the end proves to be good news because he will be back for the Arsenal game on May 1st. The games he will have to sit out is Saturday's game against Bolton, and the following games against West Ham and Fulham in the league, as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

He spoke to a press conference and said "It is disappointing. It(FA) is the only industry where you can't tell the truth."

In the end, he is right. He should not have gotten such a long stint of ban, and the only reason he wound up with this ban is for the very fact that they are looking for someone to make an example out of, but what a bad person to choose to do that for. Sir Alex is going to continue doing what he does best, speaking his mind and running his team as great as he has been for so many years.

Graham Bean, part of Sir Alex Ferguson's defence team, has made the astonishing accusation in an interview on Thursday.

Ferguson has opted not to appeal and has notified the FA of his decision with his five game ban taking immediate effect. But, while the Manchester United manager is keeping his own counsel on his true feelings, Bean slammed the decision.

"What everyone has missed because they have focused on this big ban on Sir Alex, is that Martin Atkinson made one of the biggest blunders of the season in not dealing with David Luiz and he has got off with it, nothing has happened to him,'' he told ESPNsoccernet.

"That cannot be right that the ref is protected in that way, and then the FA hammer Sir Alex. I have seen confidential reports where Atkinson is criticised by the assessors at the game in the way he dealt with David Luiz, and that he didn't deal with the incident the way he should have done.

"The FA has become like a Communist State in the way that you cannot speak out against authority. It is becoming clear that if you are in football you give up your right to freedom of expression.''

In other news, Wayne Rooney has rubbished reports suggesting he has fallen out with manager Sir Alex Ferguson and claims he is very happy stay at Old Trafford. He stated in a statement that he plans on staying for a while.

Here is the statement from ESPN,

Rooney said: "I saw that, but I've never seen such rubbish in my life. My relationship with Sir Alex has no problems whatsoever.

"I'm enjoying my football here and if I was going to leave in the summer, I wouldn't have signed a new contract when I did. I've signed it and I intend to see it through to the end.

"Unless I'm ever not wanted, then I'll be staying here, that's for sure. I'll be here until I'm in my 30s.

"I admit I made a mistake - like I've said a lot of times - by saying I wanted to leave. But I've committed my future to United. I'm happy, my family are happy, so there is no reason for me to move elsewhere.

"I want to try and win more trophies and bring more success to this club."

Rooney, who has struggled to find his form for almost a year, has been back to near his best in United's last two matches, against Arsenal and Marseille, and has revealed he is only just pain-free again following the ankle injury that has blighted his last 12 months.

"I feel sharp and fit again," said Rooney. "When I first got back playing for about two months I was still very aware of my ankle. It still felt weak so it had been on my mind.

"But now I am going in for tackles and am twisting and turning. It is fully mended and 100% now. I am happy that is off my mind now."

Tell me what you think about all of this, between Fergie and Graham Bean's white knight attack, and about Rooney making sure that everyone knows he is going to stay till he is at least 30.

Blog Update!

Hey guys,

I was able to update my blog with many new things, including a couple of extra RSS feeds for more news links plus a couple of extra areas to share my blog at. Also I fixed my comments section, so now they are working again!

Will be posting more things shortly!

The Manager got banned!

Sir Alex loves to argue and fight his way through every game, being someone who is a very competitive and passionate man. Any Manchester United fan of over a few years knows that this is far from something new, and it still shows that it won't bother the Scot at all.

FA have banned Sir Alex Ferguson from the touchline for 5 matches, which means he will not be allowed to stand at the touchline for the games against West Ham, Fulham and Everton and he will not be allowed in the dugout for next month's FA Cup match against Manchester City.

Currently, the last game of the ban would be the Sunday 1st May showdown with title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium , although that could change depending upon when United rearrange their postponed fixture against Newcastle United.

This doesn't mean he can't pick his team, command his team, and talk to his team, but just means he'll have to use other methods, such as a "messenger" person to run commands from Sir Alex in the stands to Mike Phelan, or even a headset or something. Sir Alex will still be able to meet with the team in the locker room and will obviously keep his team going, without too many problems happening.

Sir Alex has been banned before, and has gotten in trouble with the FA 5 times in the past 5 years, which shows how the punishments that Fergie gets doesn't really effect him too much. He continues to lead the charge against FA, fighting and being competitive with them.

As a fan, I believe that Sir Alex should and very well continue his mark against the FA and how he fights for every game, it shows that as a manager he is VERY passionate about it. Obviously, if this was a UEFA Championship League match and Sir Alex did this, he could have gotten a complete match ban, and wouldn't be able to do anything at all for 5 games, with very few games left. So in the end, I am thankful that he didn't get anything more than just a touchline ban, but it means nothing will change, especially for Sir Alex.

It's amazing and scary at the same time to watch how Sir Alex can really control the media with just a couple of simple actions. I am very curious to see what he will do, if they are going to have a 5 match media blackout, or if he is going to continue to talk crap about the FA, either way I will gladly sit back and keep records on it all.

Final question for you all before I post this, do you think that Fergie should appeal the ban, and maybe get some games taken off? Or should he just take it on the hand and get it done. Either way he HAS to do at least 2 matches for a previous incident, so post a comment and tell me what you think!

By handing out a five-match touchline ban and a £30,000 fine to Sir Alex Ferguson, the FA has made a point that contrary to both popular belief and the chant that has echoed around Old Trafford this season, Manchester United are not above the law. But the latest in a long line of punishments for the longest-serving manager in English football will not be able to change the habit of a lifetime.

"We'll do what we want, we'll do what we want, we're Man United, we'll do what we want," has been a favourite ditty of the United fans this season; it is a chant that reeks of the sort of arrogance that has served to provoke resentful claims of favouritism from opposition supporters.

Ferguson, too, has dealt with accusations of arrogance for many years and though he would probably not say it out loud, he likely feels that his unprecedented success and remarkable longevity should afford him a certain level of self-assuredness. But while Sir Alex's record of course demands respect, so do football officials. The FA's Respect campaign has been running for two-and-a-half years but it is turning into a joke, regularly undermined by managers across the country. It is an idea that oozes morality in principle, but if the FA truly wants it to become a reality, it must be better enforced.

The sentence handed to Ferguson is a brave one that is certainly designed to send out a message to other bosses that public criticism of referees will not be tolerated. But while Sir Alex may have felt the brunt of the FA's book, there is one thing for certain: he will not change. This year is his 25th in English football and run-ins with the country's footballing authorities have been as regular a part of his quarter-century tenure at Old Trafford as the infamous hairdryer treatment.

Like many of his peers, Ferguson's verbal assaults over the years have mainly been reserved for referees, though his attacks on officials have rarely been borne out of pure anger. He is fiercely competitive by nature, but the Scot understands the value of diversionary tactics better than anyone else. Turning the attention towards the referee has long been Ferguson's approach, deflecting the attention off his players, especially after they have lost.

Ferguson's latest misdemeanour was suggesting Martin Atkinson should not have been appointed for United's game at Chelsea earlier this month because the match demanded "a fair referee". It was an outrageous allegation for the United boss to make but the comment itself, the subsequent media blackout he imposed and the FA charge he faced, all successfully served to turn attention away from two poor performances and disappointing defeats against Chelsea and then Liverpool in the space of a week.

But Ferguson is a man who is a role model to coaches and football fans the country and world over and it is time for him to cease the character assassinations. Football could not be played without the match officials and the off-field indiscretions of a tiny minority across the globe, who partake in the dark arts of match-fixing, should not facilitate the questioning of every referee's integrity. They are honourable people just trying to make a living. Yes, they make mistakes, and it would be hypocritical to suggest that I have always refrained from launching a torrent of abuse at a referee ruling against my own team, but Ferguson has a greater responsibility because of his position in the public eye.

The only way to enforce greater respect is to enforce more severe punishments. And while the length of Ferguson's latest ban may appear a sign of the FA finally putting its foot down, the negligible effect the penalty will have in reality is laughable. Firstly, there is the £30,000 fine. The amount - as with any financial sanctions in the modern era - represents no more than just an empty gesture. Such a figure represents mere pocket change for a man of Ferguson's wealth, even though one would hope that his humble background as the son of a Glasgow shipbuilder may help him recognise the value of money better than others. If fines are going to be dished out, a six-figure sum should be the very minimum.

Then there is the ban itself. Missing crucial fixtures in the run-in is supposed to represent the most severe aspect of the punishment. Away days at West Ham and Arsenal, along with home clashes with Bolton and Fulham and an FA Cup semi-final derby against Manchester City will be the games from which Ferguson is absent. But while the touchline aura exuded by the 69-year-old means his presence will be missed to some extent, the tangible effects are likely to be minimal. Whether it is through modern technology or a simple messenger, one can expect Ferguson will find a way to get instructions to assistant Mike Phelan without too much difficulty.

It's difficult to imagine the United boss sporting one of the headsets made famous by close friend Sam Allardyce or smuggling himself into the Old Trafford dressing-room in a laundry basket a la Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. The latter, though, won't even be necessary. A touchline ban ensures that Ferguson can still prepare the team for a game as normal, can still send them out at kick-off with a motivational message and can still speak to them at half-time to deconstruct the first-half performance and issue any necessary rallying cries.

Mourinho's rummage through mud-stained kits and dirty towels was a result of a Champions League matchday ban handed out by UEFA and the FA would do well to take a leaf out of the book of its European contemporary. Completely depriving managers of access to their players before and during matches would represent a significantly harsher punishment and one that may make bosses think before they speak. Maybe one day, Messrs Ferguson and Wenger will be forced to shuffle around the car park for 90 minutes listening intently at the stadium gates for signs of their team's fortunes from within.

Until changes are made to make managers fear the ramifications of their criticism of referees, Ferguson and his contemporaries will continue with their brazen verbal assaults, making a mockery of the concept of 'Respect'.

Written by Mark Lomas

Sir Alex Ferguson Banned for Five matches

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been suspended for five matches and handed a £30,000 fine following comments he made about referee Martin Atkinson earlier this month.

The FA sanctions will commence on March 22, meaning Ferguson will be confined to the stands for the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City at Wembley as well as Premier League clashes with West Ham, Fulham, Everton and, most crucially, away at Arsenal.

Premier League leaders United are just three points ahead of the Gunners, who have a game in hand.

The FA was unhappy with comments Ferguson made following a controversial 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, when the United boss said he had "feared the worst" when Atkinson was appointed match official for the Premier League clash on March 1, adding: "You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that."

An FA statement read: "At an independent regulatory commission today (Wednesday) Sir Alex Ferguson was handed a touchline suspension for three matches and fined a total of £30,000.

"The commission found the charge of improper conduct relating to media comments proven, following remarks made in relation to match official Martin Atkinson in post-match interviews after Manchester United's fixture with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 1 March 2011.

"Furthermore the commission invoked a two-match suspended touchline ban, relating to a previous charge of improper conduct in relation to media comments made in October 2009. Therefore Sir Alex Ferguson was ordered to a serve a five-match touchline ban commencing on Tuesday 22 March 2011."

The United boss was angry over Atkinson's failure to dismiss Chelsea defender David Luiz for fouls on Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney at Stamford Bridge after he had already been booked.

He was further upset when Chelsea were awarded what he considered a "soft" winning penalty when Yuri Zhirkov took a tumble under a challenge from United centre-back Chris Smalling.

ESPNsoccernet can reveal that the Ferguson's legal team have been promised full written reasons for the decision, which they will study before deciding on an appeal.

"I am sure Sir Alex feels that there is an FA agenda against him," a source said. "When you look at what Harry Redknapp said about collusion between the linesman and the ref, and Martinez about bias, but they 'do' Sir Alex over the word fair.

"The FA have said there can only be one interpretation over his use of the word fair, but this is a draconian penalty and you can imagine Sir Alex is not exactly swinging from the chandeliers about it.

"He might appeal, but he might just accept it and get on with it, but he's not happy about it and it has left a bitter taste."

This is the fifth time in five years that Ferguson has been charged because of comments either to or about a referee.

From ESPN

Sir Alex Ferguson described Javier Hernandez as 'unbelievable' after Manchester United's 2-1 win over Marseille in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

The Mexican scored goals in either half at Old Trafford to ensure his club will be in Friday's draw for the quarter-finals and continue the quest to repeat 1999's trophy-winning Treble.

It was far from a comfortable night for United against Didier Deschamps' Marseille, the defending French champions, but Hernandez'sbrace meant that Wes Brown's late own-goal did not prove fatal.

At first glance, the finishes from last July's signing from Guadalajara were simplicity personified, but Ferguson was eager to highlight the movement involved in the opening goal, which came from Wayne Rooney's assist.

Asked about the partnership between Rooney, who played in a deep role, and Hernandez, United's manager told Sky Sports 2: "It has developed very well.

"Where Wayne has been playing in the last couple of games, he is a real threat to teams because he has got such power and speed with the ball.

Edgy

"And, of course, Hernandez is unbelievable, his movement. Did you see his movement for the (opening) goal?

"He has made three different types of run - in, out, in, out - and the boy has just got goals in him."

Ferguson blamed United's edgy display on the enforced substitution of John O'Shea in the first half due to a hamstring injury, before the Irishman's replacement, Rafael, suffered a similar problem and had to be replaced by his brother, Fabio.

The current Premier League leaders and FA Cup semi-finalists had already sent on Antonio Valencia in place of Nani prior to Rafael's injury and so their manager's hands were tied.

Ferguson said: "It was nervy because we kept having players taken off with injuries and it shook the balance of the team in a big way.

"I thought we were quite comfortable, and then O'Shea is off, and then Da Silva (Rafael) is off. We had made a substitution, which was a killer because we could have brought (Darron) Gibson on to give us a bit more height.

"The problem tonight was always going to be height. Their (Marseille's) set-piece play, of course, was very good and it caused us a lot of problems."

Speed
Questioned why both O'Shea and Rafael suffered hamstring injuries, Ferguson said: "You have got to remember, if you look at the games we've had over the last couple of weeks - Chelsea and Liverpool away from home, Arsenal in an FA Cup tie, tonight - it is a big demand on players.

"The speed of the game today catches you out."

United were also without centre-back Nemanja Vidic due to a calf injury and Ferguson did not want to speculate about the Serb's chances of facing Bolton on Saturday, but Jonny Evans may be involved.

Regarding Vidic, Ferguson said: "We will have to wait and see. Jonny Evans started training this week so hopefully we will maybe have him for Saturday."

United have joined Tottenham, Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan and Schalke in the quarter-finals, while Chelsea and Copenhagen, and Real Madrid and Lyon play their respective last-16 second legs on Wednesday.

Asked who he would like in the last eight, Ferguson said: "You just take what you get.

"We go through this over the years and you say, 'I hope we get this or I hope we get that'. You never get what you want."

From SkySports

The Very Short Media Blackout

After today's Champion League win over Marseille I was poking my head about on sky sports and found a couple of funny pictures from the blackout when Sir Alex wouldn't talk with any of the media.

As a fan, I thought it was great to see Sir Alex sticking to his guns and not speaking out about anything that happened with that Chelsea game and Liverpool game, but as a aspiring premier league journalist, I was pretty disappointed how long it took for ANY sort of news to come out of the camp.

Anyways, after tuning into Talksport today, I thought about the question they asked(How would you set up the strikers for MUFC, with Hernandez continuing to score?) and decided that I would personally keep it how it's been. Rooney has been doing a damn well job as a striker that is going to continue to feed balls to his partner, while Berbatov to me is someone who is that long range striker that the squad needs.

So Man Utd has Rooney who has kind of given up on going for the glory of being the main central striker, having a sort of horrendous season (26 goals during 09-10 season, while only 7 for the 10-11 season.), but now he has stepped up into a position that he has found is working great for him, being sort of taking his spot nearer the mid field and letting Hernandez play however he likes forward of him. Then Berbatov is our one touch long striker, who has made some great goals though he has not played in the past couple of games.

How would you set it up, would you keep Rooney as the other striker so he can feed either Hernandez, or would you take him away and maybe move him into the mid field and give Berbatov and Hernandez an ultimate passing and ball handling mid fielder in Rooney?

Personally, I'd like to still see Rooney go score 20 goals in the next EPL game, but I am still wanting to see the man who dominated last season and that just isn't the case anymore, especially if it means we have a chance at winning the Treble now.

Post your comments!

The Catalan outfit released the news regarding the 31-year-old France international on their official Twitter feed on Tuesday evening.

The club stated: "A liver tumour has been detected in the player Eric Abidal and he will be treated surgically next Friday.

"Abidal will be operated on by Dr Josep Fuster Obregon. Per the express wish of the player, we call for the utmost respect for the right to privacy."

Abidal joined Barcelona from Lyon in the summer of 2007 after previous spells in his homeland with Lille and Monaco.

Barcelona confirmed in a short statement on their website that Abidal will be operated upon at the BarnaClinic Grup Hospital Clinic, in the city.

Abidal has been a regular this season in the team which leads the Primera Division and has reached the UEFA Champions Leaguequarter-finals.

He played in both matches against Arsenal in the last 16 of the latter competition.

Capped 52 times by France, Abidal made his international debut in 2004 and has played at two World Cups as well as the 2008 European Championship.

Real Madrid's Brazilian playmaker Kaka reacted to the news by writing on Twitter: "What sad news about Eric Abidal, tumor in the liver! Let's pray for him .. God bless!!"

From Sky Sports

Let us all keep him in our thoughts and hope he can come back to the glory of playing football for one of the greatest teams in the world, Barcelona.

Manchester United 2 - 1 Marseille

Manchester United reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a sense of strain that was relieved only by the full-time whistle. When they led 2-0 the work seemed to have been completed, but this was far from club's best line-up and when Wes Brown, under pressure from his former team-mate Gabriel Heinze, headed into his own net with eight minutes remaining they were a goal away from elimination.

Anyone in the crowd who had begun to get a little bored by the technically efficient yet ineffective work of Marseille had their interest awakened. The extended stoppage time was a particular trial on a disrupted occasion when the right-back John O'Shea and then his replacement Rafael da Silva both went off through injury. The soothing effect of Javier Hernández, whose two goals took his tally to five in the past five appearances, was precious and his selection instead of Dimitar Berbatov proved the key element.

Nemanja Vidic's unavailability because of a calf injury meant that there was no tone of reassurance at the core of the defence since Rio Ferdinand continues to be sidelined. Sir Alex Ferguson had little option but to field Chris Smalling and Brown together even though they had recently floundered in the 3-1 defeat at Anfield. Such circumstances indicated that it would be even more prudent than usual to take the game to the opposition as forcefully as possible. The visitors soon felt the impact.

Wayne Rooney found Ryan Giggs in the fifth minute and he continued the move with a low cross from the left that was turned in by Hernández. A quarter-of-an-hour later the scorer was booked for a foul on Heinze. There was tension in the air and the visitors could have been level a little later had André-Pierre Gignac not shot wildly after being sent clear by a header from André Ayew.

That sort of incident would have been disquieting enough in itself but on this occasion it was also a superfluous reminder that the make-up of the United defence was not as Ferguson would have wished. In the period before the interval, the hosts were slightly more conservative while Marseille started to probe a little and started to get a response from the centre-forward Gignac.

Despite that, Didier Deschamps' line-up seemed then to suffer from the same blandness that had afflicted them at the Vélodrome. They did have one wonderful opportunity in the first half of this match when the centre-half Souleymane Diawara, unmarked behind Paul Scholes, headed wide from Taye Taiwo's cross after 36 minutes. At that moment, however, John O'Shea was down with a hamstring injury that would see him replaced by Rafael da Silva.

The contest, unusually, was both tense and entertaining. A penalty claim for a challenge on Hernández roused the crowd for instance while failing utterly to awaken the interest of the Spanish referee Carlos Carballo. United were prone to disquiet. They were ahead in the tie at the interval, yet prudence seemed important to them even if it meant that Marseille could go on feeling optimistic.

While there had been no panic from Smalling or Brown, the remainder of the line-up could not fail to have some sense of inhibition. Full-blooded attack was not advisable when maintaining cover in defence seemed so important. The contrast with the opposition was marked. Marseille had no option but to be bold. The trait had not looked to be in their character at all in the first leg, yet they had noticed possibilities for them in this game.

The attritional tone of the fixture was apparent when Da Silva seemed to be affected, like O'Shea before him. Despite the attempt to continue he, too, had to give way eventually, as his brother Fábio da Silva took the field. There had also been a voluntary alteration, with Ferguson turning to the running power of Antonio Valencia.

United's principal encouragement lay in the hope that Marseille, punchless in the majority of the tie, would not land a real blow in the last quarter-of-an-hour. Whatever Ferguson's scheme had been, his players looked inhibited by the fact that their advantage was slim. There was no sense, in a disrupted line-up, that they would attack Deschamps' side with verve.

No one at all was at ease and Mathieu Valbuena had no sooner been introduced than he was shown a yellow card. There was no ease until United extended the lead in the 76th minute. It was done, despite all the strain, with finesse.

Valencia fed a well-weighted pass through on the right and Giggs crossed low for Hernández to score once again. It had been a night of tension, but the incisiveness of United was a quality that put them beyond the reach of these opponents.

From Guardian

With all that comes from still being in three major competitions at this stage of the season, Manchester United have the luxury of putting out a well-rested side against Marseille as their second-string came out winners against Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday.

United hardly broke a sweat at Old Trafford against the Gunners and the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov were given a break from the rigours of continual football as Sir Alex Ferguson's men look to continue their fight for silverware on three fronts.

Poor in the first leg in Marseille, United will be favourites on their home turf and are unbeaten in the Champions League this season. They are also safe in the knowledge that no French team has ever won at Old Trafford in 12 attempts and that they have the best defensive record in the competition, having conceded just a single goal.
However, their French opponents are miserly in defence as well and have not conceded a goal in their last 512 minutes of Champions League football. OM have also allowed their opponents just 13 shots on target, a record this season in the competition, and have proved themselves a hard side to break down.

With playmaker-in-chief Mathieu Valbuena back in the side after a spell out through injury, Didier Deschamps' men will have more creativity, but still face a huge task if they are to upset United and seal their place in the quarter-finals.
After the drudgery of the first-leg, thankfully Sir Alex has seen fit to reassure the fans that history should not repeat itself. "The last game was a terrible game, a shocking match," he said. "I enjoyed the atmosphere but I didn't enjoy the game and it will be a better game on Tuesday.''

Manchester United player to watch: Darren Fletcher. After United's meek midfield surrender at Anfield, where Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes proved incapable of containing or penetrating their opponents, the reputation of Darren Fletcher grew a notch. A vital shield in front of the back four, Fletcher also provides a canny link between midfield and attack. His sheer energy should help disrupt Marseille's ball players while he occasionally pops up to goalscoring effect in the penalty area.

Marseille player to watch: Mathieu Valbuena. The 28-year-old is being nursed back into first team action after a recent spell out through injury, completing just 34 minutes in Marseille's last three games, but if the cultured playmaker can shake off any lasting ring rust he has the quality to unpick United's defence. Blessed with a wand-like right boot, he will look to drift into space and exploit gaps in between United's centre backs and full backs.

Key Battle: Lucho Gonzalez v Chris Smalling: If Valbuena is fit to start it should ease the creative burden on Lucho, a big money signing who has repaid some of that faith to good effect in Ligue 1. While the Argentinean tends to pull the strings from deep, he also has a fondness for late breaks into the box. Smalling will have to be alert to midfield runners and time his tackles well, something he didn't manage to do when United were shot down by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, conceding the decisive penalty by tripping Yuri Zhirkov. Against Arsenal, however, he looked assured and confident.

Trivia: Marseille are, so far, the only French team to have won the UEFA Champions League - in 1993.

Stats: Manchester United have won their last nine home matches, Marseille have won their last two away in the Champions League, scoring ten goals in the process.

Odds: Manchester United (1.40), Marseille (7.50) and the draw (4.30) aer all on offer at bet365 with United to win from behind coming in at 7.00.
Prediction: Despite their recent wobbles on the road in the Premier League, United are still formidable at home in Europe, and Marseille do not have a history of travelling well. A comfortable home win.

Second Half, FA Cup Quarter Final

First Half Notes:

If you haven't seen the highlights from Bolton - Birmingham FA Cup game today, you need to! Kevin Philips made an amazing goal from 30 yards out!

Tuesday is the next Champions League match against Marseille, 3 pm ET. That will be exciting!

40% Possession for Man Utd, 60% for Arsenal. Obviously in favor for Arsenal but Man Utd up 1 - nill so we will see!

Ball played, second half started! Looks like Antonio Valencia will make his return since October! Glad to see him back, replacing Fabio, so he can rest.

55 Minutes

47 min: A couple of runs into the box on both sides, but no real chances. Two shots by number 6 from Arsenal, two AMAZING stops by Van Der Sar, why does he even want to think about retiring now? The Flying Dutchman is on FIRE.

49 Min: WAYNE ROONEY GOOOOAAALLLL!!!!!!!!!!! Rafael with an amazing cross shot into box, Javier making another heading chance, only to bounce straight up to Rooney with a header! Alex Ferguson standing up happy as ever! Great stuff from Rooney!!

50 min: This is crunch time now for Arsenal, down by 2 and Man Utd controlling the ball well, besides a slight mis-judgement by Evra giving Arsenal a throw in. Man Utd picking up on the ball, controlling it in the back field.

55 min: Possession has gone up a bit for Man Utd, at the 55 minute mark being 45% Man Utd, 55% for Arsenal, but Arsenal still having more ball advantage. That is okay, with Man Utd up two to nill and pushing the ball deep down into Arsenal's side every time they touch the ball. Arsenal look asleep at the wheel! Vidic just closing the door in Arsenal's face every time they make their way down, now with a over head kick like pass to take the ball away from them. Valencia is playing great for his first game back, playing his position well and keeping good control of the ball!

65 Minutes

57 min: A good cross into the box, but a worthy save by the flying dutchman, he is unstoppable right now! Hope to see him get a clean sheet after this, though Arsenal is knocking right on his front door step.

60 min: Arsenal changing Denilson for Marouane Chamakh, Arsene Wenger wanting another forward on the field hoping to fuel goals from his side. A quick ball down the field by United with a good cross by Gibson, but was a missed opportunity.

63 min: A close free kick for Arsenal just right outside of the box, 61 min in. But the ball hit the wall, and bounced safely to Van Der Sar. Ball moving down the field but Javier getting tripped, ball back into Arsenal's hands who has it moving down the field again, playing around outside of the box for United. Vidic making more stops but Arsenal still has the ball in the box.

I must have seen the names wrong, I thought Giggs was already out on the field, but it was O'Shea! My mistake! Giggs on for Rafael, giving the Brazilian brothers a rest and Giggs already jumping into the fray with a good cross and a corner kick.

65 min: Giggs just almost scored! Got a good cross by Valencia who defended the ball against the Arsenal defenders and sent it right to Giggsy, he tried to bring the ball down and shoot it in but ran out of time as the defenders swarmed him. Ball charging back down the field and then back again!

75 Minutes

67 min: 5(4) shots for Man Utd, 11(7) for Arsenal. Ball played still in the mid field by both sides, contesting possession. This is some great defending and passing by Man Utd, only if they could have done this every game all season! A crazy shot by Rooney, no chance but bounced off of the defender and it went off of the goal netting. Corner for Giggs!

69 min: A sneaky attempt by Giggs but a good save by Arsenal's Manuel Almunia, making a quick save.

71 min: Rooney was making some good passes and crosses, staying back in the mid field while others charged ahead, even though he just lost the ball he has been nothing but great this game. Chamakh had a chance on the other side of the pitch, a header going over the bar. Aaron Ramsey comes on for Diaby and Tomas Rosicky for Arshavin, all Arsenal changes. Wenger looking for those magical goals.

85 Minutes

85 Min: Had to do a couple of other things, was a good attempt at goal but a nasty injury that is going to really stem into injury time for Arsenal. Terrible that injuries like that happen, but game back in play at nearly 86 minutes. My bet would be at least 8+ minutes for added time, we will see.

74,693 in attendance at Old Trafford for the game today, 9000 of them being Arsenal supporters. We know who has majority voice here at Trafford.

Paul Scholes came on for Evra doing the injury.

88 min: Back to the passing game, like nothing has really changed. Man Utd grabbing the ball, sending it down field and getting stop, vice versa though Arsenal does seem to have a bit more of a fire, United keeping it's Red wall strong.

90 Minutes

90 min: Eight minutes added time, I was dead on. Right at the stroke of 90 minutes, Rooney fired a quick shot at the Arsenal Goalie, but was defended well. A small quick chance for United for a third, but was scooped up again by the Arsenal goalie, Rooney trying again only to make a quick bad miss. Keep trying!

93 min: Arsenal not really being able to hold onto the ball, with United making circles with their passing skills, only to keep pushing in for that third goal, they want more and more. Scholes got a yellow card, though debatable looked like he deserved it.

95 min: Another shut down of the Arsenal offense by the red wall of defenders, Man U on their way to a great victory over Arsenal. Scholes is making some bad slides and could get a red card for pushing a Arsenal player and another bad tackle. Maybe Evra should have stayed on for a bit longer, but the ref decided to give him a talking to, lucky to escape the red card.

98 min: Double save at the 97th minute mark by the Arsenal goalie, Arsenal being on top of possession but Man Utd continue to push down against Arsenal to get more. Time is running out faster than anything, 30 seconds left in the 8 minutes and Arsenal back on the ball.

Fabio and Rooney made the goals to win, but the whole team played GREAT together, working well, passing well, making great crosses and never stopped pushing for goals. Ref has blown the whistle, Manchester United has won and is moving on to the 7th round. Arsenal has been knocked out of everything but the Premier League, so maybe they will charge on there.

Great game, would have liked to see more goals but all around was a great tactically sound game for United.

Glory Glory!

First Half, FA Cup Quarter Final

15 minutes

Fifteen minutes in and so far both sides have looked good defensively, but not much happening offensively on both sides. Man Utd has had a couple of extra chances than Arsenal, but nothing too scary.

Almost goal at the 15 minute mark by Rafael, a header but was sent over the bar.

25 minutes

18 min: Rooney is surprisingly playing a more back position compared to Javier who is charging straight out at goal. So far okay at his position, but wish he would push deeper into the Arsenal side.

20 min: Every time either side gets down close to the other's box, the defenders on each side just close up that box and gives no one a chance. Definitely a defense game!

22 min: Man Utd keep trying to send that ball deep as soon as they pick it up in the mid field, trying to get Hernandez a chance to get it past the goal keep. Defenders rally!

24 min: Giggsy is playing pretty deep back, wondering if Rafael and him switched spots for a bit because I see more of Rafael charging up the wing than Giggs. "Rooney is playing as the third midfielder" from the commentators. Arsenal just had their best try from outside of the box. Good catch by Van Der Sar.

25 min: Back and forth between both teams, still neither side showing their true strength yet, though it does look like Man Utd is having good passing, just not crossing. Rooney finally made it to the box this time!

35 Minutes

27 min: Arsenal passing well in their back field, slowly pushing the ball forward into the box, a bounce shot off of a player caught by Van Der Sar.

FABIO GOOOOAAALL. Pass by Rooney!!! As soon as Van Der Sar caught the ball, the ball was played way back down, Defenders sending it to Rafael, who sent it to Rafael, who sent it to Rooney with Rooney sending in an amazing chip to a waiting Fabio, who kicked it top box. What A GOAL! Javier had tried a header before Fabio kicked it in!

30 min: I swear this must be the year of Rooney concentrating only on his passing, with a goal here and there. He has been making some good crosses and passes, another chance for Fabio to head it in, only sending it the wrong way. Arsene Wenger standing up, looking hard on the field.

32 min: Rooney is doing great still back in his mid field position, but I still would like to see him push down on the Arsenal box, I want more overhead kicks! Ball is being pretty held at mid field, good passes on both sides, and bad passes on both sides. Van Perise gets a good shot from his weak foot, leads to a missed corner.

35 min: A lucky corner for Man Utd at the 34 minute mark, nothing became of it. Rooney just tackled the crap out of a Arsenal defender, knocking the ball out. You just see number 10 walking away. Man Utd not afraid to slide tackle and they sure as using it to the fullest, though no bad tackles yet some of them are getting close to looking like that. Another shot on goal, offside but good catch by Van Der Sar anyways!

45 Minutes

37 min: Rafael always brings his A game when he plays, and with Fabio backing him up for Nani they are both looking great and actually able to cover for a injured Nani. A throw in for Arsenal near Man Utd box, passing around the box looking for a way to break the red wall.

40 min: Good ball control and recovery by Man Utd, stealing the ball and actually holding onto it. It is nice to see. Arsenal seems to go down pretty easy with the simplest tackles. A little weird but free kick for Arsenal. Rafael is so fast! Chasing down the defenders for the ball, he is going to be on the first team squad for a long time!

43 min: Chris Smalling made a good tackle, got the ball to Rooney who sent it in to Smalling who charged down the field, waited for the team and had another decent chance for Man Utd, though they were sent back to their side of the field with the ball, trying to break the Yellow wall of defenders from Arsenal.

45 min+InjT: Good shot by Nasri but a even better goal save by Van Der Sar, on what looked like a almost goal. Only one minute of added time, Man Utd controlling the ball in their back field, keeping it between themselves trying to find the open man down the field. Lost it at mid field only to retain it again in their back field, a small charge by Man Utd, but Arsenal defenders got to the ball. Half time whistle blown, players heading off of the field.

Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal, a goal from Fabio at 28 minutes the still deciding factor for this game.

FA Cup Arsenal v Manchester United

So it begins.

Manchester United starting line up (4-4-2)

Edwin van der Sar G

John O'Shea D

Wes Brown D

Patrice Evra D

Nemanja Vidic D

Rafael D

Chris Smalling D

Fabio Da Silva D

Darron Gibson M

Wayne Rooney F

Javier Hernández F

---

Arsenal starting line-up

Manuel Almunia G

Bacary Sagna D

Johan Djourou D

Laurent Koscielny D

Kieran Gibbs D

Andrei Arshavin M

Samir Nasri M

Abou Diaby M

Denilson M

Jack Wilshere M

Robin Van Persie F

Media Blackout

Manchester United failed to provide any post-match interviews after the 3-1 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday, with Sir Alex Ferguson and assistant Mike Phelan refusing to speak to the media.

The blackout denied the club a chance to vent their anger over Jamie Carragher's reckless challenge that saw United winger Nani leave the pitch on a stretcher with an open wound on his left shin. Nani jumped to his feet to show referee Phil Dowd the injury and call for Carragher's dismissal before collapsing in pain before being carried off.

United fullback Rafael was then caught with high studs from Maxi Rodriguez moments before launching into a dangerous tackle of his own. In the push-and-shove that followed, the second in two minutes, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez tugged on Rafael's generous mop of hair.

All four incidents could easily have resulted in red cards had Dowd not adopted a lenient approach for a traditionally fiery fixture. A member of United's staff posted a picture of the gash on Nani's leg on Twitter, but that was the end of the discussion about the Carragher tackle, which the defender apologised for after the match.

Ferguson cancelled his pre-match briefing on Friday in protest at the coverage given to his post-match quotes at Chelsea on Tuesday that have landed him with an improper conduct charge, plus the furore that surrounded Wayne Rooney's elbowing of Wigan's James McCarthy last weekend.

In a pre-planned move, United also blanked the media Sunday. Ferguson did not speak to host broadcaster Sky Sports, either before or after his side's third Premier League defeat of the season.

Phelan, did not carry out his usual post-match engagements with the BBC, arranged due to Ferguson's long-standing feud with the organisation, while radio rights holders talkSPORT were also left without any comment from the visitors.

Should any of these organisations complain to the Premier League, the governing body will be forced to act, escalating the problem between Ferguson and the BBC, with the fines for his non-compliance still waiting to be made public.

And for the first time since 2005, even United's own television channel, MUTV, left a senior game without any reaction, which is an embarrassing situation in itself.

It is not yet known whether the media blackout will continue this week, ahead of United's FA Cup quarter-final with Arsenal, although discussions are bound to take place behind the scenes.

The only comments came via a club spokesman, who confirmed Nani will be assessed on Monday before the extent of his injury is known, and Rio Ferdinand, who was not even at Anfield, but offered an opinion via Twitter.

"Bad result today no excuses,'' the England skipper stated on the social networking site.

From ESPN

Liverpool 3 - Manchester United 1

Liverpool's fully deserved 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Anfield may not ultimately prevent their arch-rivals surpassing the Reds' 18 league titles at the end of the season.

It has, however, dented Sir Alex Ferguson's side's hopes of a straightforward run-in and at the same time restored some pride for the Reds after two defeats at Old Trafford already this campaign.

Dirk Kuyt grabbed the headlines with a first Liverpool hat-trick against United since Peter Beardsley's in September 1990, before Javier Hernandez headed an injury-time consolation - but there were many more who deserved the plaudits.

Tireless livewire Luis Suarez had a hand in all three goals while Lucas Leiva and Raul Meireles produced impressive midfield performances.

The afternoon was capped off with a long-awaited debut for £35million record signing Andy Carroll after more than two months on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

For United their second-choice central defensive partnership of Wes Brown and Chris Smalling, deputising for the suspended Nemanja Vidic and injured Rio Ferdinand, never looked comfortable on an afternoon when very few of visiting team reached anywhere near the exacting standards Ferguson demands.

They still remain top of the table, and it is difficult to bet against them being in that position come May, but two defeats in five days - having lost at Chelsea in midweek - leave plenty of questions to be answered.

While Carroll had claimed all the adulation prior to kick-off, when the action got going it was his fellow January arrival Suarez who had an effect where it mattered most.

The Uruguay international, a £22.7million transfer from Ajax, had one early effort prodded at Edwin van der Sar but that was merely a precursor to a piece of brilliance to set up the opener.

When he collected the ball on the left of the penalty area his route to goal was blocked by a number of opponents but his quick feet saw him weave past Rafael, Michael Carrick and Wes Brown on his way to the byline.

From there he squared the ball through Van der Sar's legs to present Kuyt with a tap-in from just inches.

Suarez could claim to have had a hand in the next one too - but the main credit had to go to Nani, who had a defensive aberration.

The Portugal international inexplicably headed the Uruguayan's cross back into his own six-yard area where Kuyt gleefully nodded in.

Liverpool's lead was fully deserved but it had been United who had come closest to scoring prior to Kuyt's 34th-minute strike.

Dimitar Berbatov, scorer of a match-winning hat-trick in their Old Trafford league encounter, volleyed Wayne Rooney's knockdown against the outside of Jose Reina's right-hand post.

The rivalry between the teams, England's dominant pairing over the last four decades, was evident in the closing stages of the first half.

Jamie Carragher, switched to right-back after Fabio Aurelio went off injured, was lucky to escape with just a booking after a reckless shin-high tackle on Nani.

However, the Portuguese, already at fault for the second goal, disgraced himself by collapsing to the floor and bursting into tears when Steven Gerrard placed a hand on his shoulder.

After the ensuing melee Nani departed on a stretcher, replaced by Javier Hernandez, and Van der Sar was cautioned.

Rafael also benefited from referee Phil Dowd's leniency after a high challenge on Lucas Leiva earned him, and Martin Skrtel for his retaliation, a booking.

The second half began with United, not unexpectedly, having their best spell and for 20 minutes it appeared a goal was imminent.

Ryan Giggs, breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 606 league appearances, met Rooney's cross with a first-time shot which whistled just over the crossbar to serve as a warning that the game was far from finished.

Meireles had to clear off the line for the second time in the match to prevent Berbatov's close-range header going in while Giggs curled an 18-yard free-kick over.

More gaps were appearing in the visitors' defence, though, and when Kuyt put Meireles clean through Van der Sar came to the rescue by palming his angled shot away.

The Dutchman was at fault in the 65th minute, however, when he spilled Suarez's free-kick and his compatriot knocked in the rebound.

Carroll's long-awaited debut arrived in the 74th minute when he replaced Meireles to a rapturous reception and his first touch was a goalbound header.

Kuyt's supreme confidence saw him attempt a 25-yard volley which screamed wide while Gerrard twice hit low shots either side of each post.

Hernandez scored a late headed consolation from Giggs' cross in added time but it hardly raised a cheer among the visiting fans.

From ESPN

Sir Alex vs King Kenny

Manchester United's form away from Old Trafford has been of concern to Sir Alex Ferguson all season, with their four wins on the road the fewest of any side in the top five.

United would almost have the title in the bag had they turned just a few of their eight draws, some of which came after letting in late goals, into victories. And after defeats in two of their last three matches away from home, to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, another away game at arch-rivals Liverpool would not have been at the top of Sir Alex's wish-list.

But Liverpool themselves have suffered something of a lull after a successful run under interim manager Kenny Dalglish. After four consecutive wins without conceding a goal, the last of which came at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool have picked up just one point from six against two relegation battlers.
First, they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Wigan Athletic before being beaten 3-1 by West Ham United at Upton Park.

Dalglish may publically insist that he is approaching this game only concerned with Liverpool's fortunes, with the Reds currently sixth - which will only be good enough for a Europa League spot should two of the top five make the FA Cup final. But he could be forgiven for also wanting to deliver a severe dent to United's title charge as they look to move clear of Liverpool onto 19 English league championships, especially giving the long-running rivalry between himself and Sir Alex which runs back to his first stint as Liverpool boss.

The two sides last met on January 9, just hours after Dalglish stepped into Roy Hodgson's shoes, with United advancing to the next round of the FA Cup courtesy of a Ryan Giggs goal while Steven Gerrard was sent off. In the league game at Old Trafford in September, United won 3-2 with Dimitar Berbatov scoring three goals and Gerrard two.

Liverpool could involve £35 million record signing Andrew Carroll for the first time since his move from Newcastle United after recovering from a thigh injury, with a place on the bench most likely. Defenders Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio are back in contention while Raul Meireles should be fit despite being withdrawn at West Ham with a knee injury. But Dalglish is without promising right-back Martin Kelly, which means Glen Johnson is likely to switch back to his natural position.

Man United have problems in central defence with Nemanja Vidic suspended and Rio Ferdinand still injured, so Chris Smalling will be joined at the back by Wes Brown who will make only his third Premier League start of the season.

Liverpool player to watch: Luis Suarez. After scoring on his debut against Stoke City - a goal which may yet be reclaimed by the Dubious Goals Panel - Suarez has been feeling his way into the English football, starved of further game time with his new team-mates by being ineligible for the club's Europa League campaign. He has looked lively in his two starts against Wigan and West Ham, and could fire himself into Anfield folklore by downing United.

Man United player to watch: Wes Brown. A face so seldom seen at Old Trafford this season few could be forgiven for thinking he was no longer there. But he announced his return to fitness by scoring the only goal of the game against Crawley Town in the FA Cup two weeks ago. But a top-level Premier League game is a different prospect for a player who will make his first Premier League start since November 11. United did not keep a clean sheet on his other two league starts, against Wolves and Aston Villa.

Key battle: Raul Meireles v Michael Carrick. Before being pulled off just after half-time against West Ham, Meireles had discovered the Midas touch in front of goal - scoring five goals in six games for Liverpool. With the shackles thrown off, Meireles has shown a penchant for breaking into the box as a goalscoring midfielder. Michael Carrick, who signed a new deal on Friday despite not having the best of seasons, will have to keep a watchful eye on Meireles' runs as he looks to ghost in.

Trivia: No player has moved directly between the two clubs for 46 years after since Phil Chisnall transferred from United to Liverpool for £25,000. Only nine players have ever made the direct switch: Tom Chorlton, Jackie Sheldon, Tom Miller, Fred Hopkin, Tommy Reid, Ted Savage, Allenby Chilton, Thomas McNulty and Chisnall. Only the final two of those nine moved in the last 73 years.

Stats: This weekend will be Sir Alex Ferguson's 50th league meeting with Liverpool. His record so far read W23 D12 L14. One for Liverpool, as no team with less than 42 points after 28 matches has ever finished in the Premier League top four. United have won 69% of the Premier League matches Michael Carrick has started since his arrival and 74% without him. Thanks to OptaJoe.

Odds: Liverpool (2.80), Man United (2.60) and the draw (3.20) are all on offer at bet365 with a 2-2 draw coming in at 15.00.

Prediction: United have faltered of late and may be just a point ahead of Arsenal by the time this grudge match kicks off. You feel that Kenny Dalglish will have his players fired up for this one, and they may well have improved enough to be worthy of a scoring draw.

From ESPN