<-- THE NEW FRONTIER -->

THE NEW FRONTIER

It was 12 years ago that i watched my first Manchester United match. Little did i know back then that it would become such a big part of my life one day. What I saw was poetry in motion. For a 9-10 year old lad, it looked like some kind of magic. It was like a symphony was going on and it was being orchestrated by one man- SIR ALEX FERGUSON. In my 1st match I saw Scholes pick the ball in the centre of the pitch, spray across to Becks. You lot know the drill, don’t you? Becks as always got the ball past his man and into the box. Then there was Van the man. There’s only one winner in such a situation. I should say, I was lucky that my big brother made me watch this (back then, my folks wouldn’t allow me to watch TV as much as I’d have liked to. My bro and I secretly watched it at times though. ) anyway, THAT was enough for me to fall in love with the greatest club in the world.
Then, things didn’t go well and My hero- David Beckham left. I was heart broken to be honest. He was the reason i started watching or playing football in the first place. Anyway in the seasons that followed, we signed a not-so-popular but flashy lad called Cristiano and then a true Everton lad- Wayne Rooney. I didn’t watch much football back then, so i didn’t know anything about these two at that time. I couldn’t have been more bothered anyway as we still had Ruud.
As the years passed i started watching videos, documentaries and what not on United (thanks to my brother and my cousins. I noticed one thing.
It always looked like “One for all, all for one. ” there was a real sense of “family” and “togetherness” on and off the pitch. Viera messed with Gaz- Keano took care of the c*nt.
Also, There was always a man in the team around whom the rest of the team was built. I never got to watch King Eric or Captain Marvel, but have done enough homework to say that they were extremely important cogs in our wheel. Then it was Ruud.
Then with changing times, Sir Alex started rebuilding-ONCE AGAIN! He stared to build a team around Ronnie and Wazza. A fast counter-attacking approach. This didn’t go down too well with Ruud as he was a kind of player who liked to hold play up and bring others into play too. Sure, boss, as always was not hesitant and Ruud wanted to leave, he let him go.
It was a little difficult every time there was rebuilding at United, but our Sir Alex was a man with a plan. It always paid off in the end. We went on to win The PL and even the famous UCL by beating Chelsea. And after reaching another final and losing to Barça, we saw Ronnie leave too. Joined us a lad, left us as a man! Then once again the papers started printing shit. “United on the slide as Cristiano Departs.” No. They were wrong. Yet again. It has become a routine for them to write us off every time there was a change and it had become a routine for Sir Alex to prove them wrong. Then came the blue nose c*nts. They won the PL on goal difference on the last day of PL and yet again papers started running stories that there’s no coming back for United. Really? Do you fail to notice that we lost on goal difference with a squad that was in transition and was plagued with injuries? Anyway, fast forward one more year and who’s laughing now? Sir Alex’s United ran away with the title. Rubbed Citeh’s blue noses in the mud.
The man is a genius. Started off slowly, Killed the so called Invincibles, withstood and saw off the Russian Revolution, Knocked Pool off their fucking Perch and brought the blue moon down.
It was painful to hear the news of his retirement but hey! Life must go on! This is a new frontier. A new challenge. If he thinks Moyes is the right man for the job, then he sure as hell is. He gave us 26 yrs of his life. He couldn’t possibly do anything but the right thing for us. I have never met him and most probably never will, but Thank you, Sir Alex for being such a big part of my life.

Now, i cannot wait to see how this new chapter goes for Us under David Moyes. One Glaswegian departed, another Glaswegian took charge.
Over to you boss! Cast your own image, and All the best! Your Red Army is with you!

ACE IN THE HOLE- SIR ALEX FERGUSON

The King of striker transfers offers us ‘dejavu’ every few years and that has never changed. It comes at a dire time of need but has always been Fergies ‘ACE IN THE HOLE’ .The most romantic club in history of football offers a lot to join this enigmatic franchise.

Recent years have proven to be difficult in the transfer market because of the exponential market value of players.

Gone are the days 1 million pounds being the record breaking deal in the days of Trevor Francis . The Ronaldo market rate of 80million(later to become a120 million deal including Ronaldo’s payment)  has made small clubs have a bargaining power like they never did before. Now an offer price below 20 million pounds is laughed off. But SIR ALEX FERGUSON has his own way of doing deals.

In the early 90’s Newcastle was beginning to emerge as contenders under Kevin Keegan. A juggernaut was scoring goals for fun on Tyneside and then…….

Andy Cole is signed for 7 million from Newcastle as soon as Ferguson’s sources heard about a rift between then Manger Keegan. Cole repayed the transfer fee by helping United overturn a 12 point deficit to win the League.

.Andy cole went on to becoming a success lifting trophy after trophy his best moment lifting that european title in 98-99 season while Newcastle’s Trophy cabinet remains bare.

When the league slipped from Fergie’s clutches in 92’  he turned to the Mercurial Frenchman called his ‘greatest signing ever’ ERIC CANTONA
 and the French man delivered back to back titles in the Newly formed PREMIER LEAGUE and he guided the upcoming youngsters who looked upto him as their Role model.

The Fiery Scot called it the Scot-French alliance. Never had a signing been as impactful as CANTONA. He was truly the KING of Old Trafford.

When Arsenal won the league twice in 3 seasons Fergie turned to another striker. A young face from Everton ‘Wayne Rooney’. Rooney was ambitious and wanted to play European football and Fergie granted him his wish of a debut. Wayne repayed fergie’s faith with a Hattrick at Old Trafford on his European Debut and the rest as they say………

Rooney and Ronaldo terrorized defences across the globe and 5 PL medals and a Champions League medal says it all.

In 2011-2012 season the Blue half of Manchester emerged as not only contenders but as Winners on the Final Day. A heart break for every United fan.

But Ferguson promised we will not lose another title on goal difference and he kept his word.It was Dejavu again Fergies gamble, it was an ‘ace in the hole’ yet again.

The World was shocked when the Robin Van Persie transfer finally took place. It was to the Red half of Manchester and it was all Alex Ferguson charm and the lure of Playing for Manchester United that he decided that he join United.

And did he deliver the title in style. He was a man posessed scoring goals for fun and leaving champions City behind clinching the Historic #20 Title.

#20 delivered by #20 RVP IRONIC!!!!

As Sir Alex vacates the Managerial seat he will always be known for these transfers that brought immediate success to the club and a smile to the fans.

HAIL….. SIR ALEX FERGUSON 

THE MANCHESTER UNITED MAFIA

Who is Sir Alex Ferguson? Despite the reams of newsprint and hours of TV and radio broadcasts dedicated to the Manchester United manager’s retirement, none of it has given me any deeper insight into the personality of the man. We hear over and again the jaw-dropping statistics about the trophies won, and the cliches – the hairdryer, the horses, one of the greatest managers of all time – but who can tell us anything really personal about Ferguson? If there is anyone out there, they are keeping quiet.

DAVID JAMES Said:

”I call it the Manchester United mafia, led by Sir Alex Fergu-don. In 25 years of professional football, a period in which I have played Ferguson’s teams on many occasions, I have never exchanged more than a hello and a nod with the man. Whereas a manager like José Mourinho will give you the time of day, Ferguson is unapproachable.

If there is a code of silence, Ferguson’s players are bound to it. Despite being friends with Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, among others, I have never – ever – heard them say anything about Ferguson. All those hours of sitting around at England camps or on bus rides, and not once did any United players ever reveal anything to me about their team-mates, their dressing room or their manager. In an industry renowned for its gossip I find that extraordinary.

On one occasion I remember sitting with Phil Neville for a chinwag and, like a typical footballer, ranting about a team-mate of mine who I found annoying at the time. When I’d finished I expected Phil to reciprocate. But there was not a word. “What an absolute prick!” I thought, red-faced after pouring my heart out only for him to remain tight-lipped. But later I concluded that his approach was an exemplary – and clever – way to carry yourself through a career in football.

All the United players were the same, no one would ever say a bad thing about their team-mates. Even when the media reported chaos in the United dressing room – from the infamous pizza throwing to Becks’ cut above the eye after Ferguson kicked a boot at him – there were no comments from the United boys. There were plenty of questions, of course. But their answers were only ever vague, or meaningless.

It all contributed to that sense of separation: there were United players, and then there was the rest of us. And I have little doubt that it was Ferguson himself who encouraged that segregation. For it was Ferguson who was the first manager to ban opposition players from entering the home players’ lounge for a drink after a game. Until then post-match mingling had been a tradition. But while Ferguson famously enjoys a glass of red with rival managers at Old Trafford, he was quick to ensure there was no such socialising among his players. At the time the football fraternity was horrified. There was this feeling of “Just who do you think you are?” Little did we know.

At England camps United players kept themselves apart. They had a competitive ethos so extreme it was unlike anything we had ever come across. While a simple training drill of piggy-in-the-middle was usually understood as an exercise in which you worked together against the man in the middle, for United players it was an opportunity to catch each other out. I had never seen it played that way before. To talk about one individual player being competitive is unremarkable, but to apply the same label to generation after generation of players from one specific club is unheard of.

Everyone keeps asking whether David Moyes can control the United dressing room, but United players police themselves. Ferguson created an environment in which players would control each other, so that he didn’t have to. The presence of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes was significant. Two players who had won more trophies than anyone else meant that there were authority figures in the team, whom younger players dared not question.

And wow, were they professional. While the likes of Rio and Wazza are very funny, very loud characters, they are very serious about what they do. I should know, I’ve been on the receiving end of one of Rio’s tirades for some minuscule incident on the pitch. That’s the norm at United, where anyone who steps out of line or makes an error can expect a verbal battering from their team-mates. United players just have that intensity about them. Sure, we are all professionals, but I have not heard other players sit at the back of the bus after a game and analyse the match in the way that Rio or Rooney do.

There is no doubt: Ferguson is revered as the supreme leader. A man whom the other football managers appear to be in awe of as they phone him up for advice, confiding in him their insecurities. Anyone who has tried to take him on in football has been crushed – from players who got too big for their boots only to be shipped out in the next transfer window, to managers who attempted to beat him at his specialist subject: mind games. As Kevin Keegan once found out to his cost, it took a brave man to think he could outfox Sir Alex.

 If I can emulate anything close to what Moyes has achieved, a manager deemed great enough to fill Ferguson’s boots, I’ll be a happy man.”

The way United teams are reverred to be a team on and off the field are exemplary of the Ferguson way of running things.

We hail this man the GAFFER and this team and bid farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson and  Paul Scholes two names that have been synonymous with the footballing world for the past decades.

David Moyes will run this MAFIA from now on. We hope the success continues in his era too.

ZAHA who played the U21 Tournament through a knock on England's early exit disappointment.

ZAHA who played the U21 Tournament through a knock on England's early exit disappointment: 

“We didn’t expect all that quality.
It’s not to do with effort. There was no-one who didn’t try hard enough. Maybe we weren’t used to playing in tournament games under so much pressure. Every time we pull on the shirt, we try hard.
I can’t really blame my performances on a long season. When I play, I just give it my all, 100 per cent. I had a little niggle but just ran through it.
We can’t let it happen again.”

All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false. C.Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false.

C.Ronaldo

Around the U21 camps: Wednesday

Around the U21 camps: Wednesday

Spain beat the Netherlands to top Group B, Germany bowed out with a win and Norway took a tour of Jerusalem. UEFA.com rounds up the final day of the group stage.

Group B
GermanyThe German players said they would have a good last night together after finishing their finals campaign with a 2-1 win against Russia in Netanya, though midfielder Sebastian Rode said there was "no reason for a major celebration". Their last Group B game was a tight affair, even with Russia down to ten men, and Rode added: "We could have decided the match earlier. After it went 2-1, we should have quickly added a third, but then it became close in the end with them hitting the post. Luckily we edged it."

Rainer Adrion said he would "give a short speech to say goodbye to the players I've known for two years" when he got back to the hotel after the game, and the squad will fly back to Munich tomorrow.

NetherlandsThe Netherlands' 3-0 defeat by Spain equalled their heaviest loss on the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals stage but coach Cor Pot defended his decision to completely change his starting XI from their previous game. Between them the entire Dutch lineup in Petah Tikva had a combined 77 minutes' match action in Israel prior to Wednesday's game but Pot explained after a result that cost the Jong Oranje top spot in Group B that he wanted his first-choice players fresh for the semi-finals.
"Spain are a very experienced team and we had an inexperienced team today," he added. "I'm very happy that I did it with these players as it was very important for us."

Russia
There was obvious disappointment in the Russia camp after a third straight loss in Group B, though there was a feeling – expressed by the coach and players – that it was an improved performance following the 5-1 defeat by the Netherlands.

They came close to a point when substitute Fedor Smolov hit the post late on, and Nikolai Pisarev said that he would have brought on the striker earlier if his game plan had not been shaken up by the red card received by Georgi Schennikov. Two main groups within the squad are taking afternoon flights to Moscow tomorrow, but even tonight there are players heading off to different places following their exit.

Spain
The victory over the Netherlands equalled Spain's biggest win at a UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament and extended their unbeaten run in competitive matches to 24 matches. Moreover, it set up a semi-final against Norway for the Group A winners, although coach Julen Lopetegui was quick to dismiss the suggestion that the Norwegians would be easier semi-final opponents than Italy. "I think this match will be very difficult," said Lopetegui, who also hailed the display of goalkeeper David de Gea who made three fine saves to keep the Dutch at bay.

Lopetegui made seven changes for Wednesday's game, including giving an U21 debut to the squad's oldest player, Álvaro, who replaced Marc Bartra in central defence. There was one downside for La Rojita who saw Ignacio Camacho limp off in the second half. He later left Ha Moshava with ice strapped to his ankle.

Group A
England
The Young Lions returned home and will be keen to put their campaign in Israel behind them. England start out on the road to the next final tournament in the Czech Republic in 2015 on 5 September against Moldova.

Israel
Coach Guy Luzon was keen to stress that his side had performed above expectations after they finished third in Group A with four points from three games. He concluded: "If you told me before that we'd draw against Norway, the team that I said would beat Italy and England, then we'd beat England and lose to Italy no one in the country would have believed me." Luzon moves on to pastures new in Belgium with R. Standard de Liège while Israel Under-21s start on the road to the Czech Republic in 2015 against Azerbaijan on 7 September.

Italy
Those players involved in Tuesday's Group A meeting with Norway had only light training and massages but the remaining members of the squad trained in the evening. The injured Luca Marrone will remain with the squad after his club, Juventus, responded positively to his request to stay with the team until the end of the tournament.

Norway
The players who took part in Tuesday's draw with Italy did a gym session in the morning while those not involved trained as normal. In the afternoon, players and coaching staff had the opportunity to take a tour of Jerusalem, attended by a sizeable number of the Norway party.

Norway will now play a semi-final against Spain, the same nation they lost to on their one previous appearance at this stage of the U21 finals in 1998. Nils Johan Semb, who was coach then and is now technical director of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), is with the squad in Tel Aviv and said there was greater strength in depth in the current group.