Another Big Week

Once more we find ourselves in the winner's circle with Wayne Rooney claiming the ball for his strike for the only goal in the team's first win since 2002 at Stamford Bridge. Due to work, I was unfortunate to watch the game live and report on it like I said I would, but I did get home and was able to watch a replay of the match!

Manchester United 1 - 0 Chelsea



The stage was set, the teams lined up on their respective sides of the pitch. It was one of the biggest games in the line up of the Champions League, easily out-shadowing the Barcelona match being played at the same time.

Having not won in Stamford Bridge since 2002, it almost looked like Manchester United were going to sit back and try and defend as long as they possibly could for a draw, then letting the teams meet up again at Old Trafford the next week.

Well, Wayne Rooney had other ideas. As his first-time effort simply tapped the base of Petr Cech's left-hand post and rolled gently into the back of the Chelsea net, he again ran towards the camera.

This time, he stopped well short, slid to his knees and waited to be mobbed by ecstatic team-mates. They had every right too, especially Ryan Giggs given his great first-touch ball.

Having watched Michael Carrick deliver a pinpoint crossfield pass that was sensational in itself, Ferguson could only sit back and admire Giggs' sublime first touch, which took him careering past the stranded Jose Bosingwa, and the coolness of his second, which left Rooney with a tap-in.

It was a glorious goal for Rooney, who had to yet again prove himself to the media after his hat-trick swear during the West Ham Premier League match.

But on the other side of the pitch, things looked great for most of the game, sort of at least. Fernando Torres yet again failed to produce anything at all, yet a couple of attempted run ins, only to be shut down by the Red Wall of Defense.

Didier Drogba on the other the hand looked a lot like his last season's performance, running the length of the pitch and making spectacular attempts on goal. The only thing that could have added to his delightful form would have been a goal, which Chelsea heartily deserved near stoppage time when Patrice Evra sent Ramires tumbling but referee Alberto Mallenco failed to award what seemed to be a clear penalty.

In the end though, there was still time for a Torres yellow card for diving under Valencia's challenge, adding the cherry on top of Chelsea's home loss to Manchester United and slipping behind 1-0 on aggregate. To win, they will have to travel to Old Trafford and win 2-1, which they have done during the Premier Leaague Season. Otherwise, Sir Alex's men look keen to move onto the next stage.

Goalie Trouble?

In related news to the Champion's League Match, Edwin Van Der Sar has stated that he has not suffered another injury relating to his recent injury on his groin in which he sat out for the West Ham game.

Here is the ESPN article;

Edwin van der Sar insists he has not suffered a recurrence of his groin injury after Nemanja Vidic was forced to take over goal kicks during Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Chelsea.

Van der Sar was left out of the team for Manchester United's 4-2 win over West Ham on Saturday as a precaution after sustaining a groin problem, and Tomasz Kuszczak - who took his place at Upton Park - was sent to warm up on two occasions at Stamford Bridge.

However, Van der Sar - who was booked for time-wasting when Vidic went to take a goal kick - has suggested the problem was caused by cramp.

"When I dived to save a shot from Torres, I went 105% for my take-off," he said. "My calf gave way a little bit and I ended up with cramp.

"I didn't train a lot in the last couple of weeks, so maybe it was a bit of tiredness or something."

Manchester United play Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday before hosting Chelsea for the second leg of their Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney's Ban



It's been almost a whole week since his hat-trick swearing, and finally Rooney met with the FA to appeal his two match ban. With most of the media strongly standing behind him, Rooney went in feeling proud of his hat-trick either way it would turn out.

I am sure you could only guess what happens next. The FA bluntly ignored anything Wayne had to say, and then they showed him the door, telling him they'll happily see him on the pitch in two games.

Sadly, this means the striker will miss Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham as well as the FA Cup semi-final against City next weekend.

Rooney said through his spokesman, Ian Monk: "I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won't be the last.

"Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn't seem right."

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to ESPN about all of this, including a superintendent who claimed that Rooney COULD have been arrested for the way he swore at the cameras.

Now Ferguson has accused superintendent Mark Payne of courting the limelight with his assessment of the situation. "Everyone has an opinion today," he said.

"There is an issue in the modern world of a need to be noticed. There is a wee guy, sitting down there in the Midlands, probably never been recognised in his life, managed to elevate himself to whatever it is in the police force.

"Have you ever seen Wolverhampton on a Saturday night? Do police ever arrest anyone for swearing on a Saturday night? Deary me. That is a good one."

Ferguson has also expressed sympathy with referee Lee Mason, who he feels was pressurised in the wake of the West Ham fixture. "The one I feel sorry for is Lee Mason," he said. "He has put himself in a terrible position. He has been put under pressure. There is no doubt about that.

"It is hard to imagine the referee would send a player off for scoring a hat-trick. But he has now put himself in the spotlight. If he doesn't send a player off for swearing the question will be, has he got double standards.

"It is a very difficult position the lad is in. I feel for him. I really do. I don't know where his career is going to go now. I think he was put under pressure."

Rooney was unsuccessful in his bid to overturn the suspension, and Ferguson has suggested his plea for a rethink was a futile exercise. "We put an appeal in, and the lad's wrote and apologised for swearing, but obviously I don't think we expected to get a result, to be honest with you," he said.

On the injury front, Ferguson has received a boost with the news that Rafael da Silva, who was carried off in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea, will be fit for the Old Trafford return on Tuesday. The United boss also suggested he would reshuffle his pack against Fulham on Saturday, with one eye on the Chelsea clash.

"Rafa won't be fit tomorrow, he's got bruising and we sent him for a scan, which showed no ligament damage," Ferguson said. "No knee damage at all, so I think he'll be good for Tuesday. John O'Shea and Wes Brown are fit again. Anderson played last night [for the reserves] and will be available for tomorrow. There will be some changes."

Gary Neville granted Juventus testimonial

Retired Manchester United defender Gary Neville will be rewarded for his 18 years of service with a testimonial against Juventus at Old Trafford on May 24.

Neville, 36, hung up his boots in January following a series of injury problems and a lack of form during the first half of the season. His final game at West Brom saw him fortunate to escape a red card for the second time this term.

The veteran full-back had intended to play a testimonial fixture at the start of the season but was forced to put the game back due to the impossibility of finding a suitable date.

During his heyday Neville was one of the best right-backs in England and his difficult last few games will not be allowed to overshadow a fabulous career, which began with a debut against Torpedo Moscow as a 17-year-old.

By the time he retired, Neville had made 602 appearances for the club he supported all his life, won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League in 1999. In addition, Neville won 85 England caps.

"I am delighted to be given this game by the club,'' Neville said. "It is going to be a very emotional night for me, especially as I pull on that red shirt once more in what will be my last game for the club.

"I intend to savour every moment and I hope the fans can share in my special night.''

Neville has pledged to use the proceeds to support sustainable projects within the community, an issue close to his heart, and also has plans for supporter initiatives at home and abroad.

"Gary has been a loyal servant of Manchester United and this is a fitting tribute to honour Gary and his career,'' said Sir Alex Ferguson. "It also gives the fans the opportunity to show their admiration and appreciation for a player who is very much one of them.

"We have had many great games against Juventus in the past and I am sure this will be another memorable night.''

From ESPN

He was asked about the possibility of a treble this season;

“I was at the Chelsea game last month and it took the wind out of our sails for a few days,” said Neville.

“We played really well and deserved better. Things like that happen, but nobody panics, especially the manager. The team are experienced enough to know there will come a point in the season when you have a little setback.

'But our form in the last few weeks seems to be getting there. The concentration is getting higher and higher and you can see that in the level of performance and ­determination.

“We went 2-0 down at West Ham last weekend but I just knew we’d win. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest that we turned the game around.”

Fullham v Manchester United Preview by ESPN

Sir Alex Ferguson has assured Chris Smalling he is not going to be forgotten but feels Rio Ferdinand proved on Wednesday night why he was immediately drafted back into the Manchester United starting line-up.

Ferdinand had been missing for nine weeks with a calf injury sustained in the warm-up to United's shock Premier League defeat at Wolves.

Yet Ferguson still had no hesitation in pitching the deposed England skipper straight into the white-hot atmosphere of a Champions League quarter-final.

It was harsh luck on Smalling, whose performances in Ferdinand's absence had shown a maturity that belied his 20 years.

But Ferdinand has the class and experience to make a difference.

And in silencing Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, he did exactly that.

"It was a terrible for me to explain to Chris Smalling that he wasn't playing given the way he has performed for us this season,'' said Ferguson.

"He understood. He is part of the squad and he won't be forgotten.

"But it's Rio's experience isn't it. He has such composure. He talks to players.

When Antonio Valencia went to full-back he was talking all the time. He was phenomenal.''

Ferguson must now decide whether to give Ferdinand a second start in four days against Fulham and risk a reaction ahead of Tuesday's second leg with Carlo Ancelotti's men.

With the Manchester derby FA Cup semi-final to follow that, it is a crucial time for United, and their veteran manager realises he must get major decisions correct.

"Picking the right team is always an issue when you have a run of important games,'' he said.

"You are dependent on your squad, not on your team.

"Yes, there will be changes of course. We picked a team for obvious reasons on Tuesday but it could be a different team next Tuesday.

"That is the great value of having a good squad.

"But a lot of things help us (against Fulham).

"The fans were fantastic on Tuesday and they will be again. They know the importance of being united at this time.

"That will be a really good thing for us.''

Fulham manager Mark Hughes does not expect Manchester United to take their eye off the ball but will be ready to exploit any opportunity if they do.

The Red Devils will be without Wayne Rooney as he serves the first of a two-game ban following Football Association sanctions after he swore into a TV camera during last week's win at West Ham.

England striker Rooney will also miss the FA Cup semi-final showdown against Manchester City at Wembley, but kept Sir Alex Ferguson's men on course for a potential treble with a crucial away goal in the midweek Champions League quarter-final first leg win at Chelsea.

With United still fighting on all three fronts, it is likely Ferguson will rotate his squad for the match against the Cottagers, who have been beaten nine times away this season.

However, Hughes believes his old club will not lose any focus as they look to extend their seven-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table.

"Past experience suggests that won't be, but we have got to be ready if they are not on their A game. If they are not then we have a chance to win the game. We are looking to be positive,'' said Hughes, whose men have moved away from the relegation zone following a run of just two defeats in the last 11 Premier League games.

Hughes had two successful spells at Old Trafford as a player and believes his old club continue to show the true spirit of champions, while other sides like Arsenal and Chelsea fail to make the most of any opportunities presented.

"As the season progresses towards the business end, United are getting stronger and stronger,'' said the 47-year-old former Wales manager.

"They understand exactly what needs to be done and are going about their business in a fantastic manner and sweeping everyone aside.''

Hughes knows better than most the aura which surrounds United when they play at Old Trafford, with visiting teams sometimes appearing beaten before they step off the coach.

However, the Fulham manager expects his squad to be fully prepared for what awaits them.

"The quality of the opposition you are against and the stage can undermine the confidence of the players going there, the history of the club and the support they have around them - come 3pm on a Saturday, sometimes that can be too much for players,'' he said.

"I don't anticipate for one moment it will be too much for my players because we are enjoying what we are doing at the moment, so we are very positive we can go there and get a good result.''

Final Words

It'll be a interesting couple of matches. We are playing Fullham this weekend, with a Tuesday clash against Chelsea again, this time at Old Trafford. I will be trying to report on the Fullham game, but I will most likely be working so I doubt it.

Tuesday's game I will be reporting live for, giving you guy's up to date stats and my own view of the game. Until then, leave a comment below on what you think about the FA and how they continue their campaign against Manchester United.

Welcome Back, Mr. Rooney.

It only took nearly a year and many bad games, but Wayne Rooney finally scored his first hat-trick this season. Rooney's incredible three goal run during the early morning match at Upton Park proved to be enough to bring Manchester United a whole 7 points ahead of second place Arsenal, who drew against Blackburn.

Things are looking good in the Premier League, but Manchester United is coming up to it's Champions League clash against Chelsea, starting Wednesday.

Manchester United 4 - 2 West Ham



This game was becoming a important one, making or breaking Manchester United's 19th league title run. This was also another match Sir Alex Ferguson would be sitting out from the touchline, but over watching his players like a hawk in the stands.

The game started out relatively quiet, with each sides making long demanding strides but both starting keepers, Tomasz Kuszczak for Man United and Robert Green for West Ham. It wasn't till the 11th minute when a cross ball landed on top of Evra and Carlton Cole, with Evra seemingly able to handle the ball but from another angle it showed to be a hand ball. Referee Lee Mason called for a penalty and Mark Noble stepped up to the plate, sending Tomasz the wrong way and sending cheers around Upton Park, and around the league for Arsenal and Chelsea fans.

After the penalty kick, Manchester again re-gained control of the match, taking much of the possession in the first half. It wasn't till 24th minute when Carlton Cole was in control of the ball near Manchester's box, teasing Vidic into making an obvious foul, but Referee Mason called for another penalty kick, which the Manchester players and fans argued about. Yet again, Mark Noble stepped up to the plate to smash into the roof of the net to make the game 0-2 West Ham.

Manchester was in control for most of the game, firing volley after volley towards Robert Green who seemed unmovable. Even with the welcomed additions of Park Ji-sung and Vidic, the back line for Manchester just could not hold against West Ham. Another take down by Vidic against Demba Ba produced yellow cards for both of them and Manchester went into half time still behind by 2.

During the break, Ferguson threw on Hernandez for Evra, moving Giggs to play left-back. Javier almost made an instant impression when his improvised flick from Giggs' cross sailed over the bar. Rooney, who was leader behind United's good play in the first half began to look lost. His hesitation soon got him a kick on the ankle from Da Costa, who was rightly yellow carded.

United went for broke in the 64th minute when Dimitar Berbatov replaced Park, who walked off to a standing ovation from the Manchester fans in the stands, as they were awarded a free-kick, which saw them finally get back in the game as Rooney curled home from 25 yards for his first goal of the game.

With a almost scary line up of Hernandez, Berbatov, and Rooney all being on the field, it just seemed to break down West Ham completely as shots started to come all over the place towards Robert Green. Rooney came to the rescue again when Antonio Valencia's ball found him on the edge of the box and West Ham's defence allowed him to take a touch and fire low across Green.

As I had said in one of my previous blog posts, Antonio Valencia is most likely the key that unlocks Rooney's superior skill as Rooney has been collecting more and more goals during these last few games and has been a obvious great addition for the team during their run up to their 19th League Title.

In the 79th minute, Fabio was making a dashing run deep into the West Ham backline, reaching the Hammer's box, when Fabio's skill left Matthew Upson on the deck and when the defender got back up, the full-back kicked the ball against his arm. While the Hammers opposed the decision Rooney stepped up to complete the most unlikely of hat-tricks and in another amazing game, Manchester came back from behind to take the lead. Gibson should have made it 4-2 before West Ham brought on a couple of subs, but it instead went too high.

Smalling survived another handball shout before sending the ball deep towards West Ham's side, Hernandez pounced on a piece of terrible defending six minutes from time to turn in Giggs' cross, which had bounced it's way across the box to Hernandez. Rooney was taken off for Nani as United comfortably saw out their latest fightback.

At the end, Rooney strolled across the field making sure that he got the match ball, and rightly he deserved it.

After the match, Sir Alex was talking to ESPN and said this;

Ferguson said: "We played like champions today, we kept our heads up and didn't lose faith in our ability. It's never easy coming here. They are fighting relegation but we had to do our thing. We dominated that second half and it was a real championship performance.''

"It was eventful. Being two goals down was a travesty in terms of possession and chances created. We were under the cosh so I felt we had to go for it. We needed to get something from it.''

Victory put United eight points ahead of Arsenal before the Gunners' evening kick-off against Blackburn but Ferguson added: "Arsenal have a game in hand. It could go to goal difference but I somehow don't think so.''

The Old Trafford manager insisted Nemanja Vidic's tackle on Carlton Cole which resulted in West Ham's second penalty was outside the box although he conceded the Serb could have been sent off later when he fouled Demba Ba.

"He could have been sent off for the free-kick outside the box and maybe got a lucky break,'' he said. "It would have been harsh but he could have been sent off.''

After the game, it left Manchester United sitting comfortably on top with a huge lead and very few games left. Chelsea drew against Stoke, and Arsenal failed to produced anything in their draw against Blackburn.

Champion's League Match Up



Revenge? It must be. Even though both sides have stated they are just looking to push their respective teams forward, it is very obvious on the fan side to see how the revenge tie is running up.

If you don't know what I am talking about just simply take a gander at this picture from their last clash in 2008;



In 2008, Chelsea came within one kick of becoming the first London side to win the European Cup, only to see John Terry slip and send his penalty against the post in a dramatic shoot-out. This image above is of the Chelsea captain with his head between his legs, regretting his slip and wishing it was all a dream. Those memories will be rawer than usual when Manchester United and Chelsea meet for the first time and even against what the media has been blasting, it's going to be one of the more explosive ties, even quite possibly more than the famous Barcelona vs Real Madrid.

While Chelsea have one solitary aim, United have an unprecedented second Treble still in their sights, but many wonder if their focus been disrupted by external pressures, such as the media storm caused by Wayne Rooney's decision to swear into a TV camera in the 4-2 win over West Ham at the weekend has shown no signs of abating with the striker now subject to an FA charge.

Doubt surrounds the participation of Rio Ferdinand, who is an outside chance to feature having suffered from a calf injury of late. Owen Hargreaves, John O'Shea, Rafael, Darren Fletcher, Anders Lindegaard and Wes Brown could all be absent, but goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar could return after missing the West Ham win due to a small injury.

But the current United side, after their win against West Ham, looks most likely to produce the strength needed to get past this tie and pull off a win. I am expecting a simple draw at Stamford Bridge, were the first match will be played on the 6th. As usual with Manchester, the second and final game will be played at Old Trafford on the 12th, giving United the extra power and fan support to fight for a win.

Will it end in another shoot out in United favor, or will one side pull through? We will find out with tomorrow's first match at Stamford Bridge, April 6th, 2:45 PM ET.

Rooney's Swearing




As many know by now, Wayne Rooney was reported swearing into a Sky Sports camera after scoring his hat-trick, and bringing Manchester United another come from behind win. Since the words have come out of his mouth, the media and FA has been all over him and Manchester United, with the FA riding in on their high stallions on properness and well-being.

Now, it looks like the FA are aiming their sights at Rooney with a shot of 2 game match ban for his words. This could mean, if Rooney accepts and doesn't fight it, that he would be out for a Premier League match and a FA Cup draw against Manchester City.

I can understand why everyone is being all up in arms about this, he stared right into the camera and started shouting his swears, but I think if everyone was asked and responded honestly, who wouldn't?

After coming from a horrible World Cup, a bad start to the season, contract negations, and all around poor form for nearly a year and a half, since his injury against Bayern Munich. Now he has 10 goals this season, and three of them produced a hat trick for him against West Ham, who played and beat Man United already a couple of times this season.

I truly hope that the FA does not ruin this for Wayne and the United fans, as this is a very resounding statement. Rooney seems to be back to his old wonderful ways and United is happily marching on towards another league title, and even a possible treble if things go Sir Alex's way, winning the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup all together.

As of right now, Rooney has obviously admitted to his swear words but will go in and appeal his ban and as many are saying, he should. Being a fan since Rooney came from Everton, it only warms my heart to see his passion in every match that he is playing and this is just another prime example of Roonmotions. I personally believe he should be fined, it was a bad action he decided to take, emotional or not. But to take away a player from two matches, and let's be honest super important for Man United, and make him sit out in a already horribly filled injury list could just spell trouble for the team.

For now, all we can really do is wait and see what the FA decides and how Rooney and Sir Alex respond.

I will be posting live for tomorrow's game, unless something work related comes up for me during the day. So if I am not able to make live posts, I will do another sort of post like this one tomorrow.

Until then, tell me what you think in the comment section below what the odds are Manchester United could pull out a sneaky away goal at Stamford Bridge, which United hasn't won at since 2002.

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.