Man United Thread

[J-Rod]

What would be in the point in signing Kahn. He's shit. We've got two quality goalkeepers already.

I think Alan Smith is a good player but I hate him as a person. Did anyone hear him on MUTV.

I don't like Man Utd pesonally and I never will. I'm just here to play me football and that's all.

Interviewer: Here at United we see Saha and van Nistelrooy as the forward partnership. Would you be happy to sit on the bench for the first few games?

Smith: Of course not. I cam here to play first team football, and I really think I am good enough to start on this team

What an asshole. What's the point in signing for us if you don't like us. Stupid wanker.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

Because he's thinking about himself, its like working for a company you don't like, people still do it.

IMO, Carroll is good enough backup for Howard, Kahn is pants.

[Jonny D]

We don't need Kahn at all in my opinion. And as far as Smith goes, its fine if he hates us, I don't care at all as long as he scores the goals.

[fineintent]

And as far as Smith goes, its fine if he hates us, I don't care at all as long as he scores the goals.

Which he won't. He really isn't a goalscorer - I'd be angry if a cocky bastard like that turned up at my club (Watford) and said that he didn't like the club. Whether you're a Premiership player or a Non League player you should always be proud of your club.

[TheArsenal]

Not necessarily.

Are you saying he should stop supporting Leeds?

Are you saying that every person in every profession should love the company they work for?

Or have you never had a job to know?

[fineintent]

Not necessarily.

Are you saying he should stop supporting Leeds?

Are you saying that every person in every profession should love the company they work for?

Or have you never had a job to know?

I'm not saying he shouldn't support Leeds. But he should have more respect for the club he now plays for, and who pay his wages, who have taken him out of division 1, than to say:

I don't like Man Utd pesonally and I never will. I'm just here to play me football and that's all.

If Sol Campbell had said that when he came to Arsenal, he wouldn't have been too popular anywhere in North London.

[TheArsenal]

True, but Sol Campbell chose to leave Spurs because he said he wanted to win things - so to be fair, he had two choices of where to go (Arsenal or Man United) sop he obviously cared about where he was going.

Alan Smith left because he wanted to play for England and he felt he couldn't do that as a Division One player. To be honest, I don't think Smith cared where he was going, as long as it was in the Premiership and Leeds got a good deal out of it.

[TMM]

Alan Smith obviously chose United because it wasn't far to move, and he thinks he'll have a big chance of winning trophies there. Nothing more, nothing less. Footballing reasons, family reasons, and financial reasons.

[Different Cloud]

How could anyone rule out Arsenal after the season that just passed? They didn't lose a fookin game.

[FLiam]

People always write Arsenal off, for some reaosn it comes naturally. That is what they did last season, and they laugh when Wenger says that he can see his current side going unbeaten.

[Guest just got wicked]

News coming out today is that we've signed Heinze for about £6m from PSG. Never seen him play, heard he's pretty good though. So we've gone for an attacker, and a defender, all we need now is a playmaking midfielder. I've heard about signing van der Vaart, people have linked Gerrard to us, but that's not going to happen I don't think.

Also, Fergie has said that no one is leaving United this summer, so I guess Forlan and Butt are staying here. hmm

[J-Rod]

Man Utd sign £6m Heinze

Manchester United have completed the signing of Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze from Paris St Germain for £6.9m.

The 26-year-old, United's second summer buy after £7m Alan Smith, has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford.

"I have committed myself for the next five seasons with Manchester United. But I have loads of emotion about leaving PSG. I owe them a lot.

"But my dream is coming true by joining United. I am going to keep working hard on the other side of the Channel."

Before joining PSG, Heinze played for Valladolid in Spain and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

I've heard he's quite a handful but Ferguson could sort him out

From I love Man U

Have your say on 606

United will not have to find a work permit for Heinze as he holds a German passport.

Chelsea reportedly made a £7m bid for the player in January, but PSG insisted Heinze would not be allowed to leave until the end of the season.

Heinze added: "We have not yet discussed which position I will play," he said.

"I don't know whether it will be in central defence or left-back. All they said is that they wanted me.

"They have shown great motivation to snatch my services even though I did not talk directly with Sir Alex Ferguson."

-----------------------------------------

I think he'll play left back, and put Ferdinand and Silvestre/Brown in the centre and I don't know about O'Shea.

[G-O-D]

LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) - Manchester United have topped a league table of Europe's most valuable football brands, according to a report published on Friday.

The 15-times English champions have been boosted by a huge global fan base, particularly from Asia, which according to the club numbers around 53 million.

They are closely followed by Spain's Real Madrid, who have the strongest brand in Europe but have not fully capitalised on its strength financially, strategic branding consultancy FutureBrand said.

'It is no surprise that Manchester United is number one but what we have discovered is that other teams have the potential to harness their brand strengths and turn them into brand value, generating revenues for the club and the right corporate sponsors,' said FutureBrand director Marco Forato.

The report said Europe's top 20 clubs earned revenues of over £2.5 billion ($4.73 billion) in the 2002/2003 season.

'The basis for this wealth lies in football's massive fan base as fan loyalty and willingness to spend in support of their team is at the heart of the industry machine,' it said.

English Premier League champions Arsenal were an up and coming brand after shedding their 'boring' image under manager Arsene Wenger and following their unbeaten 2003/2004 season.

Chelsea, bought last year by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, were currently 11th in the list but seeing a reversal of fortunes under their new owner who has invested over £120 million ($218.6 million) in players.

Chelsea finished second in the Premier League last season and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Jose Mourinho, winner of the Champions League with Porto, has taken over from Claudio Ranieri as new manager.

'The club's star appeal is likely to increase further and as long as it continues its 'on the field' success and retains existing players, fan loyalty in other markets is likely to grow,' the report said.

AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, also featured among the leading brands.

Source

[G-O-D]

Reports in Italy claim that Manchester United are trailing Parma starlet Guiseppe Rossi.

The 17-year-old is a regular for the Italy Under-17 side but is unlikely to be offered a professional contract at the Ennio Tardini stadium because of the club's crippling financial problems.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (pictured) is reported to be so impressed with the youth star he has instructed United to open negotiations to land the youngster.

As the player is currently without a contract he could leave for a foreign club as a free agent, although Parma are likely to ask for some compensation.

It is thought that Rossi would jump at the chance of securing a switch to Old Trafford.

Source

Mikael Silvestre has revealed Manchester United's new signing Gabriel Heinze has a "hot temper" after Sir Alex Ferguson officially confirmed the £6.9 million capture of the Paris Saint Germain defender.

Ferguson wrapped up the deal on Friday afternoon, even though the Argentina international admitted he has yet to speak to the Scotsman.

"I am very happy Heinze has signed with us," commented Silvestre from France's training camp ahead of the clash with England on Sunday.

"That will be another defender for Manchester and we don't have too many.

"We were not too numerous (in that area) until now.

"Moreover, he has a hot temper, which is what you need to succeed in England."

Ferguson was pleased to snare the South American, and may well use him at left back next season.

"We've been monitoring Gabriel for a long time and he demonstrates all the qualities of the top Argentinian defenders - strength, speed and excellent technical ability," said the United boss.

"He can play either as a central defender or left back and this flexibility means that he is a great acquisition for the club."

Source

[Turbo Yannis]

I heard some where today that United had offered Athletico Madrid £40 million for Fernando Torres...who a waste of money that would be. Torres of over rated beyond belief. And if it was true, why do United even need another striker?

When you think about it, they've got Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Alan Smith, Louis Saha and Diego Forlan. That's four strikers right that that range from good to brilliant. Still, £40 million? That's silly money.

[G-O-D]

I heard some where today that United had offered Athletico Madrid £40 million for Fernando Torres...who a waste of money that would be.  Torres of over rated beyond belief.  And if it was true, why do United even need another striker? 

When you think about it, they've got Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Alan Smith, Louis Saha and Diego Forlan.  That's four strikers right that that range from good to brilliant.  Still, £40 million?  That's silly money.

←

Forlan is nowhere near being good at Man Utd.

And I agree, Man Utd doesn't need yet another striker. They need a creative player.

[Guest Red Devil]

When given the chance Forlan can be good like he proved last year when he did get a run of games and scored 8 out of 8.

BIG-SPENDING Manchester United could open an Old Trafford swap shop to finance a record-breaking move for Wayne Rooney.

The England striker is rated by Everton at a whopping £50m and United have already bought in £27m worth of new talent in 2004 beginning with the £12.8m January capture of French striker Louis Saha.

Celtic's midfielder Liam Miller was also buttoned down in mid-season for a free transfer switch this summer.

It left Sir Alex Ferguson presenting Old Trafford chief executive David Gill with a list of two transfer priorities and Leeds' forward Alan Smith and Paris St Germain defender Gabriel Heinz have been added to the FA Cup winners' squad to the tune of £14m.

However, Gill confirmed that the cheque book has not officially been shut for the summer.

"We have done a lot of our spending now," said the Old Trafford chief executive.

"We have spoken with Alex and we have a large squad now and there will potentially be some trimming of that.

"But, if you look at the competition in all areas now, we have a very strong team about the 24-mark, which is a number we are very comfortable with.

"Alex is comfortable, so it is there or thereabouts.

Never say never

"Will there be more incoming transfers? You can never say never, but in terms of what we sat down with Alex before he went away and talked about transfer targets we have achieved the two key targets he wanted.

"We do set a budget and targets. We have a transfer budget and we also have a wages target. We have gone on record to say that our wages will be roughly 50 per cent of our turnover and therefore we need to achieve that target for the long-term financial stability and viability of the club.

"But we have a great complement in our team now. We have a varying age category and experience. We have brought the average wage down and the age down. You have seen an evolution in the squad.

"We are comfortable with the composition of the squad in each category. However, there will be some movement out during the course of the summer."

Future

With a five-strong senior strikers department now, including Saha, Smith, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Solskjaer and Diego Forlan, clearly there is a departure on the cards.

Uruguayan Forlan is the most likely to exit and his future will be decided after the Copa America in July.

But, van Nistelrooy apart, any of United's strikers could be used as bait to persuade Everton to let Rooney go for a player plus substantial cash deal.

It is not even beyond the realms of possibility that Alan Smith, who signed from Leeds for £7m last month and hasn't pulled on a United shirt yet, could be a stunning makeweight in the ruthless transfer world.

Everton were keen on the Yorkshireman when he left the relegated Elland Road outfit. The Merseysiders have also been admirers of United midfielder Nicky Butt.

The 29-year-old, whose medial knee ligament injury sustained in Euro 2004 training is improving, is set to make a decision on his United future after the tournament.

Trade

United could offer Butt and a surplus striker, plus a huge cash incentive to persuade Everton to let go of their prized asset.

However, for the moment, Gill is delighted with United's imports.

"We identified two key targets and we believe we have got good value," he added.

"I think Alan Smith will be a great addition to the team and the manager is very happy with him. I think he has shown a great attitude to come here and he will be exactly what we need up front.

"Similarly with Gabriel Heinze, he is a very experienced Argentinian defender. He is very strong by all accounts and very tough. He has the versatility to play either left back or centre back so I think we have shown, with those two acquisitions, two great signings.

"With Smith we felt a value of around £6m plus add-ons was very good value for a 23-year-old English player with a great career ahead of him. That was excellent.

"With Heinze, he has come at £6m and we are comfortable with that, and I think he will prove good value over five years.

"Liam Miller will be a great acquisition as well."

Source - ManchesterOnline.com

This has been reported on numerous credible websites and i really do hope that United get Rooney. He is class above the rest of the youngsters in the premiership and with him and Ronaldo we could have 2 future legends.

[BleedMe]

Looks like United have Chelsea as the open game next season. Here's the current fixtures. (Have'nt chcked the other pages to see if they have been posted, but i doubt they have.)

August

14 Chelsea (A)

21 Norwich

25 Everton

28 Blackburn (A)

September

11 Bolton (A)

18 Liverpool

25 Tottenham (A)

October

2 Middlesbrough

16 Birmingham (A)

23 Arsenal

30 Portsmouth (A)

November

6 Man City

13 Newcastle (A)

20 Charlton

27 West Brom (A)

December

4 Southampton

11 Fulham (A)

18 Crystal Palace

26 Bolton

28 Aston Villa (A)

January

1 Middlesbrough (A)

3 Tottenham

15 Liverpool (A)

22 Aston Villa

February

1 Arsenal (A)

5 Birmingham

12 Man City (A)

26 Portsmouth

March

5 Crystal Palace (A)

19 Fulham

April

2 Blackburn

9 Norwich (A)

16 Chelsea

20 Everton (A)

23 Newcastle

30 Charlton (A)

May

7 West Brom

14 Southampton (A)

[Jook]

Shut up, young jook

Edited April 7, 2016 by Jook

[G-O-D]

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo says he will definitely represent Portugal in the Olympics this summer, despite the anger of boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson has been unhappy with his young winger being called into Portugal's squad for the Athens Games, because it will mean he may not play for United until November.

Despite the frustration being vented by the Old Trafford boss, Ronaldo says that he is off to Greece to showcase his nifty footwork in the Olympics.

"Being in the Olympics is a unique opportunity in anyone's career and a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Ronaldo.

"I am very proud to represent Portugal in this way and I intend to play.

"I understand the problem with Manchester United. Sir Alex is defending my interests and it's natural that he wants me to play in Manchester.

"But I have decided I want to play in the Olympics and that is it for me."

Ferguson is also unhappy that summer signing Gabriel Heinze will also play in the Olympics for Argentina.

The Scottish tactician's outbursts have not gone unnoticed at Fifa, with world football's governing body hitting back at Ferguson.

"The Olympics hasn't suddenly been announced, it's been on the calendar for years," said Fifa.

"It's not something new. Managers like Ferguson know this. They also know foreign players often go away on long trips to play for their country.

"It's not an obligation for the player to go. Usually they are proud to represent their country, it's a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity.

"The country asks the player and they are usually happy to go."

Source

Ronaldo will be a big loss for Fergie. Especially when Darren Fletcher looks to be the one to replace him on the pitch.