Posts Tagged ‘manchester united’

Who Will Succeed Sir Alex Ferguson?

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Who will be the next manager of Man United when Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides to step down? One thing is for sure, it will certainly be a difficult appointment. One of the current favourites is the Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill – however I think they could do a lot better than him.

I am not personally involved with professional football; I work within the leaflet printing, composite doors and DVD authoring sectors; I am however a massive football fan.

No one can argue that Sir Alex Ferguson has performed supremely well since becoming the manager of what many consider to be the best football team in the world, Manchester United. It will be very hard for whoever takes over from Sir Alex to fill his shoes as they say.

There are numerous foreign managers who, as usual, will be in contention for the role. I would hope that an English manager could be appointed and have a strong feeling that the son of Sir Alex, Darren Ferguson, could have a great chance. Yes I know what your thinking, that I am a little crazy, but lets look at the facts. Both Sir Alex and Darren were not the best of players but did reach a fairly high standard, Darren is likely to have learnt a lot from his father, Darren is doing supremely well with Preston, the team he currently manages.

It has to be stated that at the current time Darren would have odds of around 1000-1 to be the next manager but how short would those odds fall if he were to lead Preston to promotion to the Premier League? Just imagine how much a personal recommendation by Sir Alex for his son would be? Take it from me in a couple years time Darren Ferguson could well be the favourite to take over from his father at Manchester United.

I am not a United supporter, I actually support my local team Birmingham City. Ferguson junior being appointed as the next Manchester manager would certainly be a massive football story.

I would suggest to the Man U board for Darren as manager with another ex favourite player Paul Ince as his right hand man – what a team that may well become!

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Man U vs Liverpool-The Worst Rivalry In Football?

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

There’s been a healthy rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool FC for over 100 years…but is that a good thing or a bad thing.

Mention great sports rivalries and several could come to mind.  There was Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier in boxing, Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova in tennis and Greg Norman versus Nick Faldo in golf.A healthy cricket rivalry continues between India and Pakistan.Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov have even made competitive chess seem exciting with their ongoing rivalry through the years.

But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds?  In what has to be the greatest rivalry in football, if not all sports, there is a way to look at things analytically to determine why it exists, and why it continues:

1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.There’s been quite a rivalry between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester ever since industrial times, and that sense of competition is certainly not lacking in the football world.

2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club.  A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.

3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.Also, they are two of the biggest-earning clubs in the world.

4.  Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes.  With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.United striker Wayne Rooney has publicly mentioned that when he was growing up he hated Liverpool FC.  Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard meanwhile once told a television crew how, although he regularly exchanges shirts with opposing players, he will never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? What are Transfers? – Since 1964, no player has been directly transferred between the two clubs; the few who have played for both sides always played for a different city’s club in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.

In a way, it’s inspiring the way two rival football clubs can be so passionate about the sense of competition between them.I’m sure some people don’t understand how others can get so worked up about a game, and think the whole rigamarole is just silly.  So, who’s the best team in football?That’s simple.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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The Most Secure Way To Purchase Manchester United Football Tickets Online

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Buying Manchester United Football Tickets online is a recommended way of acquiring them, but you should keep in mind that there are a lot of fake ticket dealers, and you should be careful in finding a trusted dealer. If you buy tickets from an online vendor who has a good reputation, you can protect yourself when you plan to buy manchester united football tickets. It is best to read customer reviews prior to making a purchase. Not only do you have to worry about an illegitimate site taking your money, you also do not want to purchase from a vendor who has a reputation for being slow on delivery. Also ascertain if the review you are reading is legitimate and not simply written up by the vendor themselves. The best way to discern if a review is genuine or advertising is to look for a hyperlink towards the end of the review.

A legitimate customer reviewing a product doesn’t usually have a reason to post a link to the very product they are reviewing. Advertisers have found a new way to advertise since most email spam blockers today block their ads, and so they turn to reviews. There is a bigger chance for a review to be legit if a review is link free. Although tickets available on eBay are cheaper, buying from a website which specializes only in tickets is always a better idea. Sometimes ticket sellers on eBay ship the ticket too late, and sometimes not even at all. While you can assume that the majority of people who sell on eBay are above board, it’s still in your best interest to read feedback about them so get a sense of how they operate.

You can also protect yourself by never putting down any information about yourself in a page that is not encrypted. This is a feature not many people look for when checking out, but the importance of it can not be understated. How do you know if a website utilizes ecryption? At the beginning of a website address you will usually see “HTTP”. Web pages which are encrypted contain “HTTPS” in their address, not the usual “HTTP”. It is important to make sure the page is encrypted even if the company is completely honest,because sometimes it does not show respect for the customers and the security of their personal information. You can be pretty certain that the vendor is safe to purchase from if their check out page is encrypted, and if they have good reviews.

These guidelines are important to follow in order to avoid being scammed, but it is also important to go with your gut. If something about a vendor does not seem quite right, do not purchase anything from them. If something doesn’t sit right with you, then there is most likely something wrong with it. A little scrutiny goes a long way when it comes to avoiding a scam artist. Now it just comes down to a matter of finding the best price! You can buy with confidence the next time you shop on the web if you remember the information presented in this article.

The next time you buy sports tickets, buy from your online concierge for global sporting events.. PremiumTicketHub.com.

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Alex Ferguson To Sign Serie A Star

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Midfielder Marek Hamsik it appears, has caught the attention of Alex Ferguson for the January transfer window.

The fact that Ryan Giggs is beginning to age, and the fact that veteran midfielder Paul Scholes will only have his name on old soccer kits soon has surely brought to Alex Fergusons attention that some expensive midfielders are required to boost the team.

Signing the talented Hamsik, who is also a target for Chelsea and was reported to be on Liverpool’s radar earlier in the season, would certainly give United an added attacking threat from the midfield. Starting his career with Slovan Bratislava the Slovakian international quickly proved his ability and was bought by Brescia. Managing to score 10 goals at Brescia from the midfield before being lifted from the team for 5.5 m Euros to move to Napoli.

Since joining Napoli in 2007, the goal scoring efforts of Hamsik have made him one of the best in Serie A. Many strikers would be proud to boast a similar strikerate as Hamsik with 25 goals from 81 games. Recently Hamsik scored twice as Napoli recorded their first win over Juventus in Turin for 21 years and his performances have impressed many experts in Italy, who have been quick to label the Slovakian international as the best midfielder in Serie A.

Hamsik’s form for Slovakia has been equally impressive. His efforts were a major part in Slovakia’s entry into the World Cup in 2010. He may well re-write the history of the soccer World Cup.

Interest and a big offer from major teams may not be enough however with sporting director Riccardo Bigon stating:

“Manchester United are after Hamsik? If we rejected the rumours regarding a friend like [Carlo] Ancelotti and his Chelsea, it is obvious we also reject these rumours.”

These comments have since been substantiated by Napoli chairman Aurielo De Laurentiis who confirmed:

“Many clubs have requested Hamsik, it’s true, but he will stay with us for the long-term”

Manchester United hope to make their move in Summer and if Napoli’s stance will remain the same is still unknow. Whether Napoli really plans to keep Hamsik into the future only time will tell, with not a lot of cash in the club it can be hard to see them not be at least tempted to sell the player if the offer is right.

Chelsea’s current situation however might put a stop to any dealings between Napoli and Manchester United. With Carlo Ancelotti given the go ahead to spend £25m on a player by Roman Abramovich in January they might beat Manchester United to the punch

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The Red Army and The Field of Dreams

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Acquiring  Manchester United tickets for a home game not only lets you to see one of the most exciting clubs in Europe play live, but also lets you experience the atmosphere at Old Trafford, also known as the Field of Dreams, home ground of the Red Devils, parade ground for the Red Army.

Manchester United tickets have been sold for home games at Old Trafford since 1910, apart from the 8 years it took to rebuild after it was bombed in WWII.

One of the Club’s most beloved and famous players, Bobby Charlton nicknamed the stadium the Field of Dreams.   

In 1966, Sir Robert “Bobby” Charlton, won the World Cup and was also named European Footballer of the year, in part because of his famous midfield attacks and his ferocious long-range shots.

Seating 76,212 Manchester United ticket buying fans Old Trafford is one of the largest of any English football stadiums, and it is one of only two stadia in England to have been given a  “UEFA elite stadium” five-star rating by UEFA.

Old Trafford has hosted a fair number of FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue along with a couple of  “English national football team” England international fixtures.

During the  “1966 FIFA World Cup”   and  “UEFA Euro 1996″  and the  “2003 UEFA Champions League Final”  matches were also played at Old Trafford.

The Old Trafford playing field is surrounded by stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands.

Each of the stands has a minimum of two tiers, except the South Stand, which, because of construction restrictions has just one.

The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from standing room only terraces in the early 1990s.

The most well-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, more famously, known as the  Stretford End.

Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s.

Stretford End is home to Manchester United’s most die-hard supporters, known as The Red Army.

Much of the noise and atmosphere at Old Trafford emanates from this stand, and the roar from the Red Army there was once measured as louder than the roar of a jumbo jet lifting off. 

There is practically no chance for anyone new to get a set in the Stretford End as the fans that fill this stand resubscribe to their Manchester United season tickets every year.

Manchester United’s fan’s, better known as the Red Army was once the biggest and most notorious group of followers British football has ever seen.

When the Red Army followed Manchester United to an away game, the town would fall into chaos: large numbers of fhe Red Army would travel en-mass by train, coach, car or even by foot if necessary, doing whatever it took to get to the game.  

In  “1974–75 in English football” the mid-seventies when Manchester United had been relegated from the top flight of English football and played one season in the “Football League Second Division” Second Division, the Red Army caused such mayhem at grounds up and down the country visiting stadiums where they would at times outnumber the home support, it led to the introduction of home and away fan segregation and fencing at football grounds throughout England.

These days, the Red Army is nothing like it was in the 1970’s & 80’s.

This Manchester United supporters club, now has a fan base of over 300 million fans across the world.

The sheer number of Manchester United fans, all of whom would like to get to Old Trafford, both to see the game and to experience the atmosphere there, result in it almost always being difficult to buy Manchester United Tickets.

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