Posts Tagged ‘manchester united’
Transfer Balls: Manchester United make Wayne Rooney an offer he can refuse as Chelsea mafia pounce
TRANSFER Balls: How’s Wayne Rooney’s summer panning out? He’s been the subject of a routine failed big-money bid from Arsenal, injured his leg in Bangkok (innocent – it was entirely innocent; he can explain everything…) and eaten a Pot noodle at Glastonbury. Now read on..
As Pies reports:
Speaking in Bangkok, Manchester United manager Moyes has reportedly told Rooney that he will only be considered a vital player at United if “we had an injury to Robin van Persie,” also hinting that the uppity forward is on a ’12-month trial’ of sorts:
“Wayne can play up on his own, he can play dropped in. Overall my thought on Wayne is, if for any reason we had an injury to Robin van Persie, we’ll need him.
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Transfer balls: Manchester United give Wayne Rooney a grade one cut
TRANSFER Balls: More news on Wayne Rooney’s departure from Manchester United. Oh, come on, United fans, you don’t need a player who isn’t all that interested in playing for the club. United should get top dollar and show him the door.
The Mail leads with “Jose ups stakes in Rooney chase”.
The Mirror leads with “Roo is not for sale”.
The Star’s big news is that Jose Mourinho thinks Wayne Rooney is a good player. Well, if Jose says so, he must be. This leads to the puntastic headline “I want Roo“. Says the Chelsea manager:
“It’s a funny, tricky question from an ethical point of view as I can’t talk about players from other teams. But it is not my character to speak with hypocrisy, I always tell what I see. He’s a player that I like very much. Being fast and direct I like him very much, but he’s a Manchester United player.”
Manchester United manager David Moyes says he and Rooney get on well and have met “two, three, four times already”.
Not five? Six? The Sun helps Moyes out:
‘DAVID MOYES has held FOUR meetings with Wayne Rooney to convince the unsettled star to stay at Manchester United.”
Moyes then tells one and all:
“Unless I was speaking double Dutch last week, we said Wayne Rooney is not for sale.”
Adding:
“People are entitled to talk about good players. I’m getting asked plenty of questions about Wayne. José has been asked about players as well. It’s hard to keep repeating myself but I will – Wayne is a Manchester United player and it will remain that way. I think José said, in his comments, that he doesn’t normally talk about other players. But it does happen.”
Anyhow, we know Rooney’s out for a month, right? The Press told us that. Here’s Moyes again:
“It’s a blow that we’ve lost him because he’s been training well and looking very good. But unfortunately he just felt something in his hamstring.
“We did a check and found a slight grade one injury there, which will probably keep him out for about two to three weeks. So I don’t foresee any problem with Wayne starting the season and being fit for then.
A grade one injury is:
A mild injury in which ligament, tendon or other musculoskeletal tissue may have been stretch or contused, but not torn
And for that Rooney went all the way home and missed United’s pre-season tour.
Moyes continues:
“He didn’t train the last little bit [in Manchester]. He just felt his hamstring tighten, so we pulled him out and didn’t think anything of it. It was only when we got here we knew we weren’t going to train him yesterday, and we thought, as a precaution, we would check it out.
He was injured. So you flew him to Thailand. Then you flew him home again. As a precaution.
“When we went to check it we saw a small grade one [tear]. We could maybe have taken him on to all the other places, but he couldn’t have played the games. So for the benefit of the player the best thing to do was to get him home straight away and quickly into his rehabilitation. We didn’t expect it. But what would be the point in taking any risks? There’s no point in taking any risks.”
No. No point at all in having the player bond with the squad on tour. Best for him to go home…alone.
To which pretty much every fans asks what Eurosport writes:
Is Wayne Rooney really injured?
Answers in double Dutch to the usual address…
Transfer Balls: Wayne Rooney recuperates in a Chelsea kit
TRANSFER Balls: What’s Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney been up to?
July 11
Sky Sports: “David Moyes claims Wayne Rooney is in ‘best shape for years'”
“The team here are telling me it is the best shape they have seen him in for five years. And I am taking that as a positive. The club have already stated Wayne is staying and is not for sale. I am going to get the best Wayne Rooney I possibly can.”
Moyes makes Rooney sound like an action figure. He’ll get the best one. Arsenal might get a second-hand one. Chelsea might get one who eats Pot Noodle and chips.
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Posted: 12th, July 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Wayne Rooney met Moyes six times this week when his agent was out of the country
WAYNE Rooney Transfer Balls: A look at the Manchester United star in the news:
The Times says:
Wayne Rooney will have to submit a formal transfer request if he wants to leave Manchester United as the saga concerning the England striker’s future remains shrouded in uncertainty.
In other words: there is no news.
But the Express says there is news. Rooney stays!
David Moyes is set to announce that Wayne Rooney is staying at Old Trafford when he faces the media today for the first time since becoming Manchester United manager.
And to sum up that fact, the Telegraph quotes a man who knows nothing:
Wayne Rooney may leave Old Trafford, says former Manchester United manager Mike Phelan
The Indy says that United will offer Rooney a new deal:
Rooney’s failure to justify the most lucrative salary at Old Trafford is one of the problems new manager David Moyes and chief executive Ed Woodward face in matching his agent Paul Stretford’s expectations for a new deal
But wasn’t that all sorted when Moyes met Rooney and the player’s agent Paul Stretford earlier this week? The Indy adds:
It was unclear whether the Rooney and United camps held the meeting they had scheduled for this week, though they did have the opportunity
Unclear. The paper’s not kidding. So far the experts have told us Rooney met United to talk money and contracts:
Sunday: The Sun
This week: The Independent
Tuesday: Daily Mail
Wednesday: Guardian, Daily Mail
Thursday: The Sun
Friday: The Times has the scoop:
Rooney and Moyes have spoken briefly on several occasions in the past 48 hours, but a formally arranged meeting between the pair, Paul Stretford, the striker’s agent, and Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman, which was scheduled for this week, has yet to take place.
It was unclear last night whether the meeting would now happen this week, with some suggestions that Stretford is out of the country, but Moyes is believed to have no intention of ducking questions about Rooney’s future today.
Such are the facts.
More transfer balls every day….
Transfer Balls: Wayne Rooney vows to stay at Manchester United in a sit-down stand-off
WAYNE Rooney Transfer Balls: Will the Manchester United and England striker be leaving Old Trafford? Anorak’s round-up the news in the media over the past 24 hours:
Let’s kick off with the Daily Star, which keeps up its daily scoops with a question:
Have Wayne Rooney and David Moyes been involved in a stand-off over their imminent Manchester United talks?
Dunno. But this follows scoops that Moyes and Rooney met on Tuesday (Daily Mail) and Wednesday (The Guardian).
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Spurs Transfer Balls: Gareth Bale to hook up with Ronaldo at Manchester United
THE Daily Bale: Anorak’s look at the Tottenham Hotspur in the news media – a murky world between fact and fiction. The latest round of Transfer Balls is typically light on fact and, as ever, features not a single word from either the player or Spurs to suggest Bale is leaving.
Football Espana says “Corinthians midfielder Paulinho has hinted that he will be signing for Tottenham Hotspur, where he expects to link up with Real Madrid target Gareth Bale”.
Hinted? It was Paulinho who said:
“I couldn’t turn them down if they made me an offer. It would be a fantastic opportunity to play for Tottenham.”
Are there any stumbling blocks to the move? The player replies:
“This summer there has been interest in their Coach and their best player[Bale] – and they have been clear they both are not going anywhere.”
What about the reports of Bale’s agent meeting Real Madrid’s accountants?
Former Spurs player Glenn Hoddle tells the Sun:
“If he does move, I think he will settle easier at another club in England. The only ones he can realistically join are Manchester United and Manchester City. He could get Champions League football there. But I want him to stay at Tottenham.”
If? He is staying at Spurs. And, as this blog says, the Manchester Clubs won’t get Bale:
…you would imagine Daniel Levy would rather sell to Real Madrid or PSG than Manchester United.
The Mirror says, “Real Madrid have offered cash AND players to Spurs in a bid to deliver Gareth Bale for newly-appointed boss boss Carlo Ancelotti.”
The Star adds:
MANCHESTER UNITED will turn their attention to Gareth Bale if they fail to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
As an aside away from the Daily Transfer Balls, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere has produced All Star European and Rest of the World XI for a new fantasy football game. Cooking up a dream team is the kind of thing fans and journalists do when they need to kill time. When Wilshere does it its becomes a story in the Huffington Post entitled:
Jack Wilshere’s Gareth Bale Omission Stems From Jealousy
No. It stems from marketing.
More Balls Balls every day….
Posted: 29th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Football Balls: Spurs manager Andre Vill-Boas races from Paris and Ryan Giggs begins his Manchester United Countdown
FOOTBALL Balls: Anorak’s look at summertime reporting of the national game. Today we look at non-sequiturs.
The first features Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas, the subject of an article in the Times called “End of an aura at Manchester United, says André Villas-Boas”.
The Spurs coach says without Fergie, United are vulnerable:
“The aura that Sir Alex had, David Moyes does not yet have,” Villas-Boas said. “This could have a direct influence on the players of Manchester and their opponents. United had, because of Sir Alex’s history of winning, an aura of invincibility.
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Gareth Bale: Spurs wants Real Madrid to bid £100m for Manchester United’s Bale in 2014
THE Daily Bale: Anorak’s daily look at the Tottenham Hotpsur star in the news. Today’s transfer balls:
Wales Online: “Wales legend Mel Charles says Gareth Bale’s £80m price tag is ‘ridiculous'”
Has he got a price tag? In the Press, Bale’s value has fluctuated between £60m and £85m. But Spurs have not broadcast any asking price. Who is this legend that knows better?
But the brother of John Charles says Bale’s rating as one of the world’s best should be something Wales is proud of
The legend is John Charles’ brother. Can you name him?
Former Wales and Arsenal star Mel Charles, whose brother John left Leeds for Juventus in a then British record transfer record deal of £65,000 in 1957, said the money talked about in the rumoured Bale switch is “ridiculous”.
If a decent player like Mel Charles is a legend, what does that make the great John Charles – a god?
In any case, £85m is meagre. The Star is rounding it up to a neat £100m
The Star: “DANIEL LEVY: £100M NOT ENOUGH FOR REAL MADRID TO LAND GARETH BALE”
Oddly, Levy doesn’t make any statement. He apparently prefers to talk to a friend who talks to the paper:
White Hart Lane chairman Daniel Levy has told friends he will not budge in his stance to ensure the Wales wonder stays for one more year. And that means rejecting a staggering £100m offer – £20m more than Real paid Man United for Cristiano Rionaldo.
One said: “He held firm when Chelsea wanted Luka Modric and is showing the same determination this time. Daniel also thinks it is for Gareth’s own good. He believes he is still learning and will get better if he remains with them. Who knows what will happen in a year’s time? The club might even lose money but Daniel is prepared gamble on it.
“He wants the best for Spurs and Gareth and even if Madrid raised their bid to £100million he will resist.”
But if Real Madrid want to up their purported £85m bid to £100m they can alsy see if Mr Levy’s friends are right.
After that horse trading, we learn that Real will lose out to Manchester United:
The Sunday Express: “David Moyes has Gareth Bale in his sights”
If Rooney, who fell out with former boss Sir Alex Ferguson towards the end of last season, still wants to leave, then Moyes will contemplate using the England striker in a swap deal plus cash for 28-year-old Ronaldo. If he wants to stay, then United will step up attempts to bring Wales international Bale to Old Trafford.
Has Moyes got £101m?
Despite Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s assertion that Bale will remain in North London at least for another season, aimed at putting Real Madrid off the scent, United sources indicate that Moyes’ new employers believe they are in with a decent chance of sealing a deal which would be worth around £60m.
Then United could swiftly sell Bale to Madrid for £85m or £100m. Easy money.
After that bilge, the Express reports:
It’s believed Perez has reneged on an agreement hatched between the clubs which would see Bale remain at Spurs for another season with no bids from the Bernabeu until next summer.
Byt which time Bale will be at United, as reported in the trusty Express…
The Daily Bale: Spurs sell Bale to Real Madrid in early July and Manchester United have already bought him
THE DAILY Bale: Anorak’s look at The Tottenham Hotspur star in the news:
The National Turk magazine say Gareth Bale is heading to Manchester United. According to the magazine’s English website:
Gareth Bale will arrival next month with the Tottenham Hotspurs winger rumoured to have cost the Red Devils side £85 million, though they have insisted that the actual fee is below this figure. Regardless, it is very probable they have broken the United’s Premier League transfer record, which was set by last year Van Persie transfer.
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Posted: 21st, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Gareth Bale: ‘stupid’ Spurs star signs for Manchester City
THE Daily Bale: Anorak’s daily look at the Tottenham Hotspur player in the news:
The Sports Mole: “Terry Gibson: ‘Gareth Bale would regret not moving to Real Madrid'”
Former Spurs player Gibson told talkSPORT:
“You know what can happen in football. Currently he’s hot at the moment but in a year’s time it may be through injury that his season isn’t successful. It could be a series of niggling injuries and then Real Madrid go away and for the rest of your life and career you’re left thinking ‘Should have I gone to Real Madrid?’
“If he went to Real Madrid he would be a hit. It’s a massive call.”
Bale should go to Real because it’s better to be injured in Madrid than London? Inspiring stuff.
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Posted: 16th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (4)
Cesc Fabregas: Barcelona star wanted by Manchester United lines up move to Arsenal
IS BARCELONA player Cesc Fabregas moving back to the Premier League? Will be be heading to Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or some other team ? Let’s see how this tranfer rumous has been developing:
June 3
Daily Express: “Arsene Wenger eyes up Wayne Rooney and claims ex-Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas is unsettled”
“I think at the moment he’s lacking the confidence of being a regular player,” Wenger added. “Recently he has not been that. Cesc is such a passionate player, a player of such quality, that it must hurt him not to play in every single game. That’s what he misses. When you come in and out you never play with full confidence.”
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Posted: 10th, June 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Wayne Rooney: Manchester United striker is called Mr Potato in crisps advert
WAYNE Rooney wants to leave Manchester United. But what will the lasting image of the graceless United striker be? Will it be of him dressed in the red of United to advertise potato crisps in Malaysia. Will he always be known as Mr Potato?
Terrible Manchester United tribute: Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘absorbing, rhapsodic, infectious, enormous smile’ would surely make him puke
WHEN Alex Ferguson retired as Manchester United manager, The Guardian’s Daniel Harris put pen to paper:
…his retirement is a loss not only to those with an affiliation to United, but to almost all who share the football obsession – even supporters of his club’s greatest rivals will feel differently in his absence. This is because Fergie is never boring; he never lets us forget that we’re alive, because he never forgets that he is.
And this gift extends far beyond football. He has a majestic turn of phrase, a wide and deep range of interests, and perhaps the most absorbing, rhapsodic, infectious, enormous smile in the history of faces. No one enjoys joy quite like him, and this, above all else, is his eternal lesson: the buzz of being alive is a good one; be damn sure to make the most of it.
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In 28 photos: Alex Ferguson’s final match for Manchester United at Old Trafford
FAREWELL, Alex Ferguson.The Manchester United manager’s last match for the club at Old Trafford saw the Red Devils secure a late win over Swansea, with Rio Ferdinand smacking home the winning goal on 87 minutes. Would it ever be anything other than late winner to mark Fergie’s last match?
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Revealed: why Alex Ferguson really quit Manchester United
SO. Why did Sir Alex Ferguson quit as manager of Manchester United? The Mirror was scooped by pretty much every other news organ on Earth – the paper claimed Fergie was looking for a number two as the Telegraph was announcing the manager’s retirement. Today the Mirror will restore it sense of pride by revealing why Ferguson really quit.
The Wife
The Mirror leads “Married for 47 years, Sir Alex finally quits for the sake of his wife”.
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Alex Ferguson quits Manchester United: The Telegraph’s Mark Ogden trounces the Mirror’s Alan Marshall
HOW did the papers report the news that Sir Alex Ferguson is quitting Manchester United?
The Sun (back page): “Fergie in quit frenzy”
Daily Mail (back page): “Ferguson to quit rumour rocks United”
The Times (Page 60 of 64): “United plan statement as doubts grow about future of Ferguson – Health issues fuel speculation of Moyes role”
The scoop was with The Telegraph’s Mark Ogden, whose paper led with:
“Fergie Time? Sir Alex considering calling time on United career”
Ferguson’s United future was shrouded in doubt on Tuesday night with the Scot understood to be giving serious consideration to ending his 26-year reign as manager.
And the Daily Mirror?
Alan Marshall wrote:
It has been reported that Fergie is ready to make an SOS call for a new No.2 as he prepares for life after his hip op.
Still, Fergie might be back for a few minutes yet…
Hats off to Sir Alex Ferguson – his best Manchester United caps (photos)
SO. Sir Alex Ferguson is no longer manager of Manchester United. Chances are David Moyes soon will be. The current Everton boss has the accent and the drive. But does he have the head for it?
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Posted: 8th, May 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Manchester United fan watches computer at Old Trafford as team win Premier League
EXCITEMENT spills over at Old Trafford on an historic night as Manchester United secure the Premier League title. The fans so wild!
If Mohammed won’t go to the telly, the telly will go to Mohammed…*
* It might well be an old image. Spotter: @maba723
In photos: Robin Van Persie’s Manchester United win the Premier League 2012-2013
AND so Robin Van Persie led Manchester United to their 20th league title. Arsenal fans wonder what might have been had their captain opted to stay and if he pranked André Santos by handing him his shirt in full view of everyone (and not asking for the Brazilian’s top in return); and Manchester City fans wonder what might have been had the Dutchman opted to play for them. Still, always next year…
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Posted: 22nd, April 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (2)
Rio Ferdinand bonfire chant: thought police want Fifa to punish England fans
“RIO RACE TAUNTS”, is the Daily Mail’s lead sports story. The paper says England have been reported to FiFa for “alleged racist” chants direted at Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand and his younger bother Anton. What did these scumbag England fans say?
Fines could be imposed after Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) flagged up to world football’s governing body the vile songs which suggested the pair be burned.
Cripes! What did they say? Can it be repeated in a family newspaper?
The chant was: ‘Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put Rio on the top, put Anton in the middle, then burn the f****** lot.’
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Man United fan calls 999 after Nani sending-off (Arsenal fans might laugh)
MANCHESTER United fans are a special breed aren’t they? 99% of them are glory hunters who claim not to be glory hunters through some spurious reason or other like, “my dad grew up in Greater Manchester”. Funny how these people don’t support Stockport or Rochdale.
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Oscar Pistorius ‘murder’: Wayne Rooney is dripping in blood for Nike
WITH Oscar Pistorius under arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, might Coleen Rooney and Nike be wondering about another advert? One Nike ad enthused thatPistorius was “the bullet in the chamber.” This Nike advert of old had Manchester United and England’s Wayne Rooney dripping in blood:
Real Madrid v Manchester United: Ronaldo and Van Persie most likely to score when other team tires
GAMBLERS gearing up for Real Madrid v Manchester United in the Champions’ League, listen up. The Sun’s Antony Kastrinakis has news. He’s looked at the data and can reveal the “stats” that “show when they’re at their deadliest”. They are Robin Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo. And news is that RVP is “most likely to score in the 49th minute“. Ronaldo will get his goal on the 50th. Only, that’s not quite right. In fact, its nonsense.
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Real Madrid v Manchester United: Redknapp says flop Modric is better than all United’s midfield
AS the media heats up for the big Champions’ League match between Real Madrid and Manchester United, the Daily Mail produces the bilge of the day.
On Page 79, the paper employs Martin Keown and Jamie Redknapp to create a “dream team” from the two clubs. The conclusion: “United just edge it.” Having picked more United players than Real ones – De Gea over Casillas; Carrick over Khedira – Redknapp wonders why there is no room for Luka Modric, who would “certainly get in the United team” – ahead of Carrick, who is, erm, better than Modric and every other Real midfielder bar Alonso, who appears in the dream team as his equal.
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Champions League: Mourinho makes Real Madrid’s free-scoring strikers misfire?
EUROPEAN football only matters to the tabloids when a foreign club is playing a British side in the Champions’ League. Thus, all eyes are on Real Madrid, who face Manchester United. The Sun’s “European football correspondent” – “World Football Uncovered” – Antony Kastrinakis has the lowdown on the Spanish side. In a piece about how Jose Mourinho has upset his side with his “autocratic rule”. Kastrinakis writes:
“Strikers Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema are fed up with being rotated and are struggling for form.”
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