Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[chickenzip]

Man Utd 1-0 Roma: Rooney off the mark

Wayne Rooney belted home his first goal of a frustrating season to drive Manchester United into pole position in their bid to reach the Champions League knock-out phase.

There may have been no repeat of the epic magnificent seven the last time they met Roma but United's latest victory over the Italians will be cherished almost as much.

'One-nil to the champions' may be a refrain more associated with Arsenal than United but this was their sixth such success of the campaign so far and, with maximum points from the opening two games in Group F, leaves Sir Alex Ferguson's men knowing four points from their double-header with Dynamo Kiev will take them through with two games to spare.

Perhaps the most unsurprising aspect of the night was no repeat of the stunning events that unfolded when the two sides last met here in April.

On his European debut, Tomasz Kuszczak made low saves to deny both men, although on the second occasion an incorrect offside flag had been raised against Mancini, who had been set free by Cicinho's superb pass behind John O'Shea.

Fittingly, Nani provided the assist with a disguised through ball which made the most of excellent approach work from Ronaldo and Carrick.


The finish was a gem, Rooney's shot bouncing off the inside of Curci's right-hand post, the striker having unleashed a first-time shot just out of the Roma keeper's reach.


It proved enough to win, and finally bring a smile to Rooney's face, although he would not have been laughing much had Perrotta and Esposito not been so wasteful at the end.

[asiancigar]

Ole Ole Ole.... another 1 - 0 victory

Keep it cumming..... we are now 6 points in Group F

ManU Forever!!!

Cheerz
AC

[asiancigar]

Ferguson hails Rooney goal as cure for 1-0 disease

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping Wayne Rooney's Champions League winner against Roma will open the floodgates for the England forward and a Manchester United squad that has found goals painfully hard to come by this season.

Rooney's superbly-taken 70th-minute strike, his first of the season, was enough to give United a somewhat fortunate 1-0 win over a side they had beaten 7-1 on their last encounter at Old Trafford, only six months ago.

Six of the Premier League champions' seven wins this season have come by the same margin and Ferguson admitted he was bemused by the trend.

"It is a disease," the Scot observed with half a smile. "We're trying to get a vaccine for it.

"Sometimes you go through these spells. But it won't last forever. Some day we're going to hit a few goals and hopefully it will start soon.

The evening would have had a different outcome if Roma had been able to take any of the numerous chances they generated in a game they dominated for long periods.

Ferguson acknowledged United had ridden their luck, but insisted the quality of the goal from Rooney was worthy of winning any match.

The England forward had endured a frustrating evening operating behind an out-of-sorts Louis Saha, who was making his first start since February. But his luck turned when he was pushed to the head of the forward line following the introduction of Carlos Tevez.

A superb little ball from the outstanding Nani gave him a yard of space in the inside right channel and Rooney finished with a first-time shot that found the net off the bottom of the far post.

"It was a fabulous goal - great moving and great passing," Ferguson purred. "The penetration we were looking for in the second half created the opening for us.

Rooney is only four matches into his comeback from a broken metatarsal bone and Ferguson admitted: "He is still trying to get his rhythm and real match fitness. But this will do him good. Goals always do players good, especially when they are expected of them."

Ferguson revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo had needed four stitches in his eyebrow after the match. "I didn't see it but he himself has said it was an elbow," the Scot said. "It is unfortunate because the match was played in a good spirit."

He added: "Roma had some really good chances at the end but that's football, it can be unfair. I think we probably deserved a bit of luck because we played the game with good control and good tactical awareness.

"The position in the group now is straightforward. Ten points will get us through, we have got six and winning our first two matches gives us confidence and a controlling position.

"Now we have back-to-back matches against Dynamo Kiev and hopefully we can add to those results. We don't want to be going to Rome for the last game in the group looking for points."

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti bemoaned his side's bad luck - although in reality it was dreadful finishing that cost them, Simone Perrotta and Mauro Esposito in particular missing absolute sitters in the closing stages.

"When a team puts on that kind of display, really at the end of the match they should not be on the beaten side, even against opponents of the stature of Manchester United," Spalletti complained.

"If anyone deserved to score more goals today it was us rather than Manchester."

Roma's line-up featured five survivors from their last, dispiriting visit to Old Trafford but there was no sign of psychological scarring from that painful night as they dominated for over an hour.

Their talismanic captain Francesco Totti had troubled United throughout the opening period and came close to giving his side the lead minutes after the interval, when Ludovic Giuly found him on the edge of the six-yard box with only Tomasz Kuszczak to beat.

The number ten opted to attempt a chipped finish, clearing both the sprawling goalkeeper and the bar in the process.

Even after Rooney had given them the lead, United continued to live dangerously and it took a combination of some superb blocks from Nemanja Vidic and misses from ten yards Perrotta and substitute Esposito to preserve their advantage in the final stages.

[asiancigar]

Roma Deserved More, Admits Rooney

Match-winner Wayne Rooney praised Roma's display at Old Trafford, and admitted that the Giallorossi should have taken something more from it.

Roma competed neck and neck with Manchester United, sometimes even getting the better of the home side, but were denied by some close shaves and a few close calls.

Wayne Rooney admitted as much after the game.

"I think Roma played really well tonight," he said. "We knew it was going to be more difficult than last season.

"They played well and honestly the fair result was probably a draw, but we held on to the win."

About his superb goal, for which he turned and shot in one swift move, he said: "I think I just had to take it as early as I could. You could see the defender coming across, so I had to see past him and the goalkeeper to the far post.

"I played against Roma three times now and scored three goals, so obviously I’m pleased with that.

"We played OK tonight as a team, but Roma did very well and as I said the fair result tonight would have been a draw, as they had a lot of good chances."

Manchester United now sit at the top of group F, while Roma head into a tricky double header against Sporting Lisbon, which could well decide who goes through as the second placed team.

[qbdp]

Rooney Returns!!!

Originally Posted by chickenzip

Man Utd 1-0 Roma: Rooney off the mark

Wayne Rooney belted home his first goal of a frustrating season to drive Manchester United into pole position in their bid to reach the Champions League knock-out phase.

Originally Posted by asiancigar

Roma Deserved More, Admits Rooney

About his superb goal, for which he turned and shot in one swift move, he said: "I think I just had to take it as early as I could. You could see the defender coming across, so I had to see past him and the goalkeeper to the far post.

"I played against Roma three times now and scored three goals, so obviously I’m pleased with that.

"We played OK tonight as a team, but Roma did very well and as I said the fair result tonight would have been a draw, as they had a lot of good chances."

[chickenzip]

Ronaldo reiterates commitment to Man United

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed his intention to remain at Manchester United until he is no longer wanted.

In the wake of his World Cup controversy, the brilliant winger snubbed apparent interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona in favour of signing a lucrative contract extension that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.

Yet the deal has not stopped the Spanish giants repeatedly suggesting the 22-year-old would be welcome at the Bernabeu or the Nou Camp whenever he wanted to make the switch.

'I have enjoyed playing for this club for five years and I want to keep going like that,' he said.

'Sometimes in the past I have thought about other clubs but I took a decision to stay because this is the right place for me.

'It is not just about the club. It is the people, the players and the supporters. You have everything here.

'No-one knows the future but only when the club says they don't want me will I leave.'

At one point, in the aftermath of England's stormy exit from the World Cup, Ronaldo's departure seemed certain.

Although a shared language means his relationship with Queiroz is possibly closer than with his manager, Ronaldo has nothing but praise for the influence Ferguson has had on his career.


'I am at this club because of Sir Alex Ferguson,' he said.

'He is the one who gives me the confidence to play.'

The Madeira-born youngster still shakes his head at how far he has come in the game.

His name is virtually certain to be on the short-list for the Fifpro World Player of the Year when it is unveiled on Monday and he is also bound to be under heavy consideration for the prestigious European and FIFA world awards later in the year.

The brilliance of AC Milan's Kaka may ensure Ronaldo misses out this time around but it seems only a matter of time before his immense talent receives an ultimate individual honour.

And the Champions League win he craves in Moscow next year would certainly go a long way to helping achieve his personal dream.

'Obviously it is a dream to be the best player in the world but it is not something I think about,' he said.

'My aim is just to do better every year, not just me but my colleagues as well.

[qbdp]

HEADY DAYS FOR RONALDO

WHILE Cristiano Ronaldo was talking ugly, Rio Ferdinand was revealing Manchester United’s craving for the beautiful game.

It was somehow quite fitting that Ronaldo’s pretty-boy good looks had been temporarily disfigured by a stray Roma elbow as Ferdinand discussed United’s struggle to rediscover fantasy football.

Ronaldo wore sunglasses and a baseball hat yesterday to hide the shiner he had collected from Mirko Vucinic as he launched his book ‘Moments’ at Old Trafford.

It was the latest assault suffered by the Footballer of the Year in a season when opponents have resorted to the dark arts to reduce his effectiveness.

Portsmouth’s Richard Hughes wound him up so much that Ronaldo retaliated with a feigned butt that earned him a red card. And even a skilled operator like Joe Cole was reduced to an attack on Ronaldo’s ankle that Sir Alex Ferguson claimed could have left his star a cripple.

But Ronaldo insists the hatchet men will neither kick him out of football or frighten him from producing the dazzling skills that, as Ferdinand says, helps fulfil United’s obligation not just to win, but to get fans off their seats.

“I don’t care what my opponents do,” said Ronaldo, “they will never succeed in stopping me from playing the way I do.” Ferguson has frequently aired his concern at the treatment being meted out to Ronaldo and urged referees to provide the Portugal winger with more protection.

Naturally, Ronaldo hopes they pay heed. Pointing to his scarred face, he added: “I don’t want to stay looking like this but it will only take four or five days to heal and then I will be beautiful again! “My manager does a great job in trying to protect me.

Now it is up to my opponents and referees to listen.” Ferdinand meanwhile picked up on Arsene Wenger’s theme earlier in the week of football’s need to put smiles on people’s faces.

He acknowledges that while winning games is enough at most clubs, United’s heritage means they have to do it in style.

Six 1-0 wins in their last eight games are totally out of character with the cavalier football that carried them to their ninth Premier League title and have brought derogatory comparisons with George Graham’s Arsenal team of the late 1980s and early 90s.

Ferdinand, captain against Roma, said: “You like to keep clean sheets but Manchester United is not just about winning games. We have to entertain the fans.

“The supporters pay good money to come here and the whole heritage of Manchester United is based on attacking and free-flowing football. We are aiming to get to that level. It is made plain to you here that fans expect to be on the edge of their seat.

“All of our attacking players have been out of the team for one reason or another, so they are not all 100 per cent fit and raring to go. You have seen the forwards playing to only a fraction of what they did last season, but we are still winning games.

“There are glimpses that we are beginning to get it right. Wayne Rooney’s goal was a brilliant strike and he is coming back to 100 per cent. It was a fantastic finish and the more of those the better, not just for us but for England.

“A fit and firing Wayne Rooney is a massive bonus to any side and the fact that he is back in the England squad is great news. I just hope he can bring his United form into the England matches, because we need him to get through.

“We are not managing to score many goals, but we will keep taking 1-0s. The team as a whole is defending a lot better this season. We are defending from further up front, which makes it a lot easier for us at the back to do our jobs.”

Ferguson has warned that someone will cop a hiding soon. So Wigan, who have shipped 16 goals in five meetings with United, will not relish their visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.

[qbdp]

Totti issues Ronaldo warning

Roma captain Francesco Totti believes the Giallorossi were unlucky to lose to Manchester United and has issued a veiled threat to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The build-up to the Old Trafford clash was focused on the Eternal City outfit’s desire for revenge after last year’s 7-1 humiliation.

United’s Portuguese star Ronaldo intensified emotions by claiming that Roma players “begged him to stop” during the Magica’s night of ignominy.

Ronaldo went off bleeding after being struck by Mirko Vucinic’s elbow, but Totti has implied that he will receive much harsher treatment in the return game.

“We didn’t say anything to Ronaldo regarding his comments in the last few days,” Er Pupone revealed.

“I can assure you that the elbow he took from Vucinic was an accident, but now he has to come to the Olimpico…”

Luciano Spalletti’s side battled hard but lost 1-0 and were left to rue the referee’s decision not to award a penalty for what seemed to be a foul on Amantino Mancini.

“Compared to last season, we played much better,” Totti continued. “We controlled the pitch better and we ran the play.

“We even got a penalty that wasn’t given. All in all, we didn’t deserve to lose.”

Manchester United travel to Rome on December 12 and Totti will be determined to ensure that it is a nightmare before Christmas for the Giallorossi's new public enemy No 1.

[chickenzip]

Just a simple gif for all....can be used as your avatar...i created this on my own....



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[chickenzip]

United midfielder Carrick ruled out for six weeks

Manchester United have suffered a major injury blow after midfielder Michael Carrick was ruled out for up to six weeks with a fractured right elbow.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the latter stages of his side's Champions League victory over Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Although he appeared fine immediately after the game, x-rays have revealed the full extent of the problem, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson facing a selection headache for Saturday's encounter with Wigan as Owen Hargreaves has also been ruled out.

[Mafan]

Originally Posted by chickenzip

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just "right click" to save...

Bro thx why only half logo can have full de mah ?? xie xie sainz bro ur file size too big cant fit but thx any way

[alex18122003]

Man Utd injury problems deepen as Carrick gets the elbow

Manchester United have been left with veteran Paul Scholes as their only fit central midfielder after Michael Carrick joined Owen Hargreaves and Darren Fletcher on the sidelines with a fractured elbow.

England international Carrick, 26, will be out for up to six weeks after suffering the injury in the latter stages of United's 1-0 Champions League win over Roma here on Tuesday.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed after that match that Hargreaves would not be available for another month after having an injection to treat tendinitis in his right knee.

Fletcher is still some way from a comeback following the knee injury he suffered playing for Scotland in France last month.

The loss of Carrick is not as serious as it might have been for Ferguson because his period of absence includes a two-week international break and a free midweek at the end of this month, caused by the Red Devils' early League Cup exit.

Ferguson is hoping Hargreaves will be ready for his side's trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the start of November.

In the meantime, Ferguson will have to decide between drafting defender John O'Shea or Ryan Giggs into central midfield or giving summer signing Anderson a run in the side.

Carrick's injury means he will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia this month and he is almost certainly out of the friendly in Austria on November 16 and the final Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia five days later

[alex18122003]

Man Utd injury problems deepen as Carrick gets the elbow

Manchester United have been left with veteran Paul Scholes as their only fit central midfielder after Michael Carrick joined Owen Hargreaves and Darren Fletcher on the sidelines with a fractured elbow.

England international Carrick, 26, will be out for up to six weeks after suffering the injury in the latter stages of United's 1-0 Champions League win over Roma here on Tuesday.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed after that match that Hargreaves would not be available for another month after having an injection to treat tendinitis in his right knee.

Fletcher is still some way from a comeback following the knee injury he suffered playing for Scotland in France last month.

The loss of Carrick is not as serious as it might have been for Ferguson because his period of absence includes a two-week international break and a free midweek at the end of this month, caused by the Red Devils' early League Cup exit.

Ferguson is hoping Hargreaves will be ready for his side's trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the start of November.

In the meantime, Ferguson will have to decide between drafting defender John O'Shea or Ryan Giggs into central midfield or giving summer signing Anderson a run in the side.

Carrick's injury means he will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia this month and he is almost certainly out of the friendly in Austria on November 16 and the final Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia five days later

[alex18122003]

Sorri for the double posting above

[alex18122003]

Sorri for double posting above