Van der Sar close to pen improved contract
February 8, 2010
Edwin van der Sar is set to sign a new deal at Manchester United. The Dutch goalkeeper will pen a new, £90,000-a-week contract this week, according to the Daily Express.
Van der Sar’s current contract is due to expire this summer. The 39-year-old shot stopper had delayed agreeing to the fresh deal while he monitored the health of his wife Annemarie, who suffered a brain haemorrhage two days before Christmas.
But Annemarie is well on the way to a full recovery back in Holland and Van der Sar can now turn to his own future at Manchester United.
Last month, Sir Alex Ferguson said he hoped that Van der Sar would extend his stay at Old Trafford.
“Edwin makes a big difference, it is not just his saves, it is his composure and use of the ball.
“I know there are a few young keepers out there doing very well but Edwin is the best in the league just now.”
The Daily Express reports that Van der Sar is close to committing himself to United for another 12 months by signing a new £4.7million contract.
Van der Sar joined the Red Devils in 2005 from Fulham.
Tags: alex ferguson, annemarie, brain haemorrhage, Christmas, composure, daily express, days before christmas, Edwin, Edwin van der, edwin van der sar, Express, fulham, Goalkeeper, health, Holland, Manchester, manchester united, new deal, red devils, sir alex ferguson, Trafford, Van der, van der sarRelated posts
Bayern hunt eighth straight win at Wolves
February 6, 2010
Bayern Munich are expected to be without French midfielder Franck Ribery when they hunt their eighth straight Bundesliga win against defending champions Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Bayern’s winning run has bolted them up to second in the table, just two points behind league leaders Leverkusen, and an eighth win at Wolfsburg would keep the pressure on with the leaders at strugglers Bochum on Saturday.
With Munich’s Dutch play-maker Arjen Robben chasing his third consecutive league goal after curling in free-kicks against both Werder Bremen and Mainz in recent weeks, Ribery should be on the bench.
With his contract set to expire in June 2011, Ribery is expected to announce whether he will stay at Bayern in the next few weeks, but coach Louis van Gaal is trying to return him to the side after recovering from a knee injury.
“Ribery is getting ever more fitter, you can see it in training,” said van Gaal.
“I must integrate him back into the team, but that is difficult, because I must do that in a league game.”
Ribery’s agent has said his client is being chased by European giants Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“He would love to play alongside (Barcelona star Lionel) Messi, that would be phenomenal,” Ribery’s agent Alain Migliaccio told Spanish radio.
“There is no door closed, neither to Real Madrid nor to Barca or to Manchester.
“With Bayern we will see how things go up to the beginning of March.”
Van Gaal insists his side have put last season’s 5-1 hammering at home to Wolfsburg out of their heads and Wolves, who sacked coach Armin Veh nearly a fortnight ago, are chasing their first win for 10 games.
Germany striker Mario Gomez has scored six goals in his last eight league games and is relishing facing Wolfsburg.
“For me personally, this is the best it?s ever been in my career,” the 24-year-old said after scoring in last Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Mainz.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg are desperately trying to keep hold of their striker Edin Dzeko with their hot-shot striker being chased by a number of top European clubs, including Manchester United.
Wolfsburg’s caretaker coach Lorenz-Guenther Koestner is undefeated after his side drew 1-1 at Hamburg, but morale is rock bottom at the defending champions.
Leverkusen, the only unbeaten team in the Bundesliga, are at Bochum with the league’s top-scorer Steffan Kiessling back to scoring ways having netted in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Freiburg.
Schalke are at Freiburg and are defending a six-game unbeaten record which has put them amidst the title contenders and just three points off Leverkusen.
Saturday
VfL Wolfsburg v Bayern Munich, Cologne v Hamburg, Freiburg v Schalke 04, VfL Bochum v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hanover 96, Nuremberg v VfB Stuttgart
Sunday
Mainz 05 v Borussia M’gladbach, Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt
BERLIN (AFP)
Tags: alain migliaccio, Armin Veh, Bremen, cologne, fortnight, franck ribery, FRANKFURT, free kicks, Germany, Hanover, knee injury, league game, league games, league goal, league leaders, Lionel, lionel messi, Lorenz, louis van gaal, MADRID, mainz, Manchester, manchester united, Munich, nuremberg, spanish radio, stuttgart, Van Gaal, werder bremenRelated posts
Chelsea slip lets Gunners into last chance saloon
February 6, 2010
Wayne Rooney was widely believed to have shattered Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes when he orchestrated Manchester United’s 3-1 win over the Gunners at the Emirates stadium last weekend.
So tamely did Arsene Wenger’s men surrender that it was hard to resist the conclusion that the title race had just been downgraded from a three to a two-club contest.
Wenger, understandably, begged to differ and Chelsea’s unexpectedly lacklustre display in a 1-1 draw at Hull on Tuesday suggested the Arsenal manager was right to predict a few more twists in the plot before the denouement of what has been an intriguing season.
Chelsea’s midweek slip means Arsenal can move back to within three points of their London rivals if they can repeat last season’s win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The way in which Arsenal were bullied into submission by Didier Drogba when the two clubs met at the Emirates in November will not give Gunners fans any great cause for optimism, but Wenger is confident of engineering a reaction from his players to last weekend’s humiliation.
“Against United, we were naive,” the Frenchman admitted. “We were completely not at our level and now we need to deliver something special to stay in the race.”
Chelsea’s recent tendency to concede goals from set pieces – described as their Achilles heel by Hull boss Phil Brown – could prompt Wenger to start Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner, who is fit again after three months out following groin surgery.
“Nicklas gives us a physical presence up there,” Wenger acknowledged. “He is not totally ready yet, but at the moment we are short in that position, so we are happy to have him back.”
Abou Diaby is also back from injury and could be brought in to stiffen a midfield that was overrun in the defeat by United, who could return to the top of the table by beating crisis club Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Avram Grant’s side have lost 16 of their 23 league matches so far this season and, although performances of late have been spirited, do not look capable of producing the goals they need if they are to escape relegation.
With United scheduled to take on Aston Villa on Wednesday, manager Sir Alex Ferguson may take the opportunity to give Rooney a rest, which could mean a rare start for Michael Owen, who is rapidly running out of time in which to persuade Fabio Capello that he deserves an England recall.
Elsewhere, Liverpool entertain Everton in the 213th Merseyside derby with both clubs having found some form of late.
Victory in the lunchtime fixture on Saturday would lift Liverpool back into the top four for a few hours at least and manager Rafael Benitez believes a six-match unbeaten run shows his side are on the mend.
“I think we can find the form of last season if we can fix two or three things,” the Spaniard said. “We have a lot of players coming back from injury and we are moving in the right direction.”
Manchester City, arguably the club best-equpped to deny Liverpool the final Champions League spot, travel to Hull with Wayne Bridge set to play for the first time since revelations of England team-mate John Terry’s affair with his former girlfriend.
Manager Roberto Mancini believes the left-back is in the right state of mind to feature in a match which could also see Patrick Vieira make his injury-delayed debut for the club.
“The private side is not important,” said Mancini. “He has been working very well on the pitch. That is what is important.”
The other two contenders for Champions League football next season, Tottenham and Aston Villa, meet at White Hart Lane on Saturday evening.
“Villa are there or thereabouts, right near us in the league and if we’ve got any aspirations of finishing fourth we need to go there, certainly at White Hart Lane, and win games like that,” said Spurs striker Peter Crouch.
“Three points for us and none for them gives us a bit of a gap so that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated)
Saturday
Bolton v Fulham, Burnley v West Ham, Hull City v Manchester City, Liverpool v Everton (1245GMT), Manchester Utd v Portsmouth, Stoke v Blackburn, Sunderland v Wigan, Tottenham v Aston Villa (1730GMT)
Sunday
Birmingham v Wolves (1330GMT), Chelsea v Arsenal (1600GMT)
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: achilles heel, arsene wenger, avram grant, club contest, denouement, Drogba, frenchman, groin, gunners, humiliation, manchester united, midfield, Nicklas Bendtner, old trafford, phil brown, physical presence, premier league, stamford bridge, striker, wayne rooneyRelated posts
Ferguson sees United hitting form at right time
February 6, 2010
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feels that his team are hitting form just as the season is beginning to get serious.
United have already lost five Premier League matches this season and were knocked out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by League One team Leeds.
Having lost in the Champions League at home to Besiktas and also suffered defeat in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final with Manchester City, United have had an unusually inconsistent opening to the campaign.
But, having beaten Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates last weekend, Ferguson’s team are still firmly in the race for the Premier League title race with Chelsea.
They have also lined up a League Cup final date with Aston Villa and are through to the second round of the Champions League, in which they face AC Milan.
Ferguson thinks that overcoming City in the second leg and then beating Arsenal have put United’s season on track and he expects his team to get stronger and stronger as the end of the campaign approaches.
“Historically, we have always grasped the nettle at this time of the year. They realise there is something at stake and we can’t afford inconsistency.
“Teams will drop points in every run-in, there is no doubt about that, but we are experienced and know that if you’re going to drop more than the rest you’re going to lose the league. That’s a fact.
“Our aim is to try to be as consistent as we can, and try to produce the kind of performances we did on Sunday (against Arsenal) and that will take us very close.
“We are talking about the run-in to the league now and three points is three points, it doesn’t matter where you get them from.
“Whatever games we have got left, if we win most of them we have a good chance.
“We have got to keep the momentum going, we have an important time coming up. We have to go to Villa Park on the Wednesday, then we’ve got the Milan game and League Cup final, we have got a big time coming up, consistency and form is going to be important for us.”
Ferguson believes his team’s conditioning gives them an edge at this time of the season.
“It definitely has a lot to do with the training we do, but you have to have the players. You can have the fittest team in the world but if they can’t play, what chance have you got?”
Ferguson is hoping that the possibility of playing in the World Cup can help Owen Hargreaves win his battle against serious knee problems.
The England midfielder has been sidelined since September 2008 and Ferguson has left him out of United?s Champions League squad.
The United manager remains confident that Hargreaves will play before the end of the season and thinks he could contribute to Fabio Capello?s squad in South Africa.
He said: “It’s hard for him, of course. He’s been out for a year and a half. It’s bound to be hard for him. The physios are doing their best with him. There are some times we feel he’s almost there, and then he seems to be slow again.
“I’m confident he will be back before the end of the season. It’s the recovery, it’s slow.
“The biggest incentive should be to get back into our team, but if at the end of it is that carrot of being at the World Cup, then I’ll be happy with that. I think he would be an important player for England too.
“If he gets back, the confidence would come back. If he were to start playing, the confidence would come back. The confidence would be the key factor in that.”
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, alex ferguson, big time, champions league, CHELSEA, consistency, emirates, England, FA Cup, fabio capello, good chance, inconsistency, LEEDS, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united, Milan, nettle, no doubt, owen hargreaves, premier league, sir alex ferguson, South Africa, stake, villa parkRelated posts
Greening piles pressure on Pompey
February 4, 2010
Cash-strapped Portsmouth remained rooted to the bottom of the English Premier League after Jonathan Greening scored the winner for Fulham in a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage here on Wednesday to end the hosts run of five successive league defeats.
Portsmouth, as has been the case in recent matches, created several good chances but could not finish and they were made to pay the price when Greening scored his first goal for Fulham 16 minutes from time to nudge the visitors nearer relegation.
Now Pompey, who are battling off the field against a winding up order from British tax authorities and have paid their players late several times this season, travel to Old Trafford to play champions Manchester United on Saturday with the south coast side five points adrift at the foot of the table.
“We played so good, we dominated the game and created a lot of chances, especially in the first half,” disappointed Portsmouth manager Avram Grant told Sky Sports.
“And then, from one mistake, we lost the game. It was very frustrating because we are not playing the football you’d expect at the bottom of the league but football of a team who deserve to be higher up the table,” the Israeli added.
“But this is football, football is a game of results. We need to learn to take our chances. The boys tried hard and created a lot of chances but we need to put the ball in the net.”
Asked if Pompey’s financial problems were affecting players’ performances on the field, Grant replied: “When they come on the pitch they are trying to do their best.
“Of course, it’s not easy but they try hard, they fight and play good football. Except the result, everything was good today (Wednesday).”
Grant’s own future at Fratton Park has been called into question by the cash crisis engulfing Portsmouth but he insisted: “I’m not the issue, the issue is the club, the issue is the fans.
“You see the fans today, they are great. It is a city that belongs to the club, the club belongs to the city and this is the life of the fans. The future of the club is what is important.”
Kevin Prince Boateng got Pompey off to a bright start against Fulham, testing Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer with an angled drive.
Frederic Piquionne then threatened and had a fine chance in the 12th minute only for Schwarzer to make the save.
Prince Boateng then saw a shot from 20 yards fly just wide of Schwarzer’s right post.
But Pompey are not where they are for no reason and it needed a fine one-handed save from their England goalkeeper David James to prevent a header from Aaron Hughes crossing the line following a Fulham corner.
Stefano Okaka missed a fine chance to score on his Fulham debut when the on-loan Italian somehow missed at the far post from Greening’s header back across goal.
In the second half, Pompey nearly took the lead when Ivory Coast international striker Aruna Dindane’s far-post header was turned away by Schwarzer.
Midfielder Greening, who made his name at Manchester United, finally ended the stalemate in the 74th minute when he turned in Damien Duff’s centre across the six-yard box after the winger had dispossessed Algerian international Nadir Belhadj.
Pompey kept pushing forward but the 2008 FA Cup winners still suffered their 16th defeat in 23 league games so far this season.
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: Aaron Hughes, aruna dindane, Australia, cash crisis, craven cottage, Damien Duff, David James, English Premier League, five points, football football, Fratton Park, fulham, Ivory Coast, jonathan, jonathan greening, Kevin Prince, london, Manchester, manchester united, mark schwarzer, mistake, old trafford, pitch, pompey, Portsmouth, relegation, several times, Sky Sports, south coast, Stefano Okaka, tax authorities, winding up orderRelated posts
United’s £500m bond leaves investors nursing losses
February 3, 2010
Manchester United’s 500-million-pound (800-million-dollar) bond, the centrepiece of the club’s recent refinancing, has become one of the worst performing issues of the year.
The bond was fully subscribed, enabling the club to slightly reduce its debt-servicing costs and enjoy greater flexibility on future spending plans.
But investors have been left nursing paper losses which could make it hard for United to return to the bond market in the future, according to the Financial Times.
The bid price of United’s 250 million pounds of sterling-denominated bonds has dipped to 93 percent of face value while those denominated in dollars (425 million) were on offer for 94.5 percent of face value.
Bankers and analysts said the decline reflected over-pricing at the launch and the lack of a credit rating.
“In a benign credit market, Manchester United is one of the worst performing bonds since the beginning of 2009,” Suki Mann, a credit strategist at Societe Generale told the FT.
The bond issued by United has proved unpopular with fans because of controversial provisions contained in the prospectus.
These include the possibility of United’s Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training ground being sold and then leased back to the club, as well as authorising the transfer of funds from United’s reserves to the club’s parent company, Red Football Joint Venture Ltd.
The most recent accounts for Red Football, owned by the US-based Glazer family, showed that it had debts of 719 million pounds, including over 200 million owed to hedge funds in the form of ‘payment in kind (PIK)’ notes on which the interest rate now exceeds 16 percent.
United’s chief executive David Gill said at the weekend he was “100 percent convinced” the sale and leaseback of Old Trafford and Carrington would never happen and stressed that the Glazers, not the club, were responsible for repaying the PIK notes.
Gill also insisted that the club’s finances were not preventing United boss Sir Alex Ferguson from strengthening his squad, as many fans suspect.
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: bid price, bond market, centrepiece, controversial provisions, David Gill, dollar bond, financial times, Glazer, glazer family, glazers, launch, london, Manchester, manchester united, old trafford stadium, paper losses, payment in kind, pik notes, red football, sale and leaseback, sir alex ferguson, societe generaleRelated posts
Van Nistelrooy needs time: Hamburg coach
February 3, 2010
Hamburg’s new star signing Ruud van Nistelrooy needs more time to get fit before making his Bundesliga debut, his coach Bruno Labbadia said on Wednesday.
Having spent most of the season on the bench at Real Madrid before signing for Hamburg 10 days ago, the 33-year-old Dutch hot-shot striker is only 60 percent fit, according to Labbadia.
And it looks as though the striker will sit out Hamburg’s Bundesliga game at Cologne on Saturday and needs plenty of fitness work after knee surgery in November 2008 and having played just 127 minutes of football for Real this season.
“We would never put someone under a pressure of time to say when they will be fit,” Labbadia told SID, a subsidiary of AFP, with his side fifth in the German league table.
“Ruud is still working his way back to fitness and it is only 60 percent.
“Whether or not he is in the squad, we will decide at the end of the week.”
Labbadia says the Dutchman needs “a few more weeks” to return to top fitness.
“We don’t want to rush him back too early and risk him getting injured,” said Labbadia.
A calf injury meant van Nistelrooy only trained with the squad for the first time on Tuesday.
“He has not played for the best part of a year, it is a different story if a player has just been out for a few weeks.”
Van Nistelrooy has signed a contract until June 2011 and Hamburg are reported to have spent four million euros on him.
He has already been crowned the best striker in Holland, having scored 62 goals for Eindhoven between 1998 and 2001, England, having scored 95 goals for Manchester United between 2001-06 and Spain, having netted 46 goals for Real between 2006 and 2010.
Having retired after Holland were knocked out of Euro 2008 by Russia in the quarter-finals, van Nistelrooy has said he would like to play for the Netherlands again at this summer’s World Cup.
BERLIN (AFP)
Tags: berlin, bruno labbadia, Bundesliga, calf injury, cologne, different story, dutchman, Eindhoven, England, euro 2008, fitness work, german league, Hamburg, Holland, knee surgery, MADRID, manchester united, new star, quarter finals, real madrid, russia, ruud van nistelrooy, SID, Spain, striker, the Netherlands, top fitness, Van NistelrooyRelated posts
Ferguson wary of Beckham ‘media circus’
February 3, 2010
David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford will add some spice to the confrontation between Milan and Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson will warn his players not to get caught up in the ‘David Beckham media circus’.
“Our job is to concentrate on the football match and let the David Beckham media circus carry on,” Ferguson told United’s club magazine. “He’s such a high-profile celebrity – not just a high-profile footballer – and we haven’t really seen anybody else return to the club in that situation.”
Beckham is in his second loan spell at Milan. The 34-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy player hopes his performances will persuade England boss Fabio Capello to include him in the squad for this summer’s World Cup.
“I think I told him myself last year when I saw him before our game against Inter that he should be thinking about getting back to Europe if he wanted to go to the World Cup,” said Ferguson.
“It looks like he might just get his wish now. He had a good spell with Milan last time, so it made sense to me to see him back there again.”
Manchester United and Milan will face each other on February 16 and March 10. United starts with an away match. “The European Cup is always special to us and we’ve had some marvellous nights at Old Trafford. I just hope we have another one.
“We’re away from home in the first leg, which won’t be easy, but I’m certain the tie will be decided back at Old Trafford.”
Tags: boss, celebrity, confrontation, David Beckham, Europe, fabio capello, footballer, galaxy player, game, high profile, last time, los angeles galaxy, manchester united, media circus, Milan, old trafford, sir alex ferguson, spice, World CupRelated posts
Hargreaves looks set for United return
February 3, 2010
Finally, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Owen Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfielder has been recovering from various knee injuries for almost one and a half year now and should’ve been fit for a while.
At last, his return looks to be in sight: the Mancunian aims for a comeback against Milan, later this month.
Sir Alex Ferguson hopes Hargreaves will be available to him for the first time in seventeen months.
“But we won’t rush him,” insisted Ferguson. “We are being patient with the rehabilitation following his knee operations and he is alternating his training with the reserve and first-team squads, working for two days and then resting a day.
“It’s a matter of him regaining his confidence and, when he is able to train every day, that will be the moment for him to return to match play.”
Hargreaves has gone through a hard time the last months. The former Bayern Munchen man played his last league match on September 21, 2008 against Chelsea. After that he was troubled by various knee problems and he received surgery on both knees in December 2008 and January 2009.
Several setbacks have lengthened the recovery time.
Tags: Bayern, bayern münchen, both knees, CHELSEA, Ferguson, half year, hard time, knee injuries, knee operations, knee problems, light at the end of the tunnel, Manchester, manchester united, mancunian, match, midfielder, Milan, owen hargreaves, recovery time, setbacks, sir alex ferguson, t rushRelated posts
Ferguson: ‘Everyone thinks Nani is fantastic’
February 2, 2010
Reports suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson was fed up with Nani and that the Portuguese international was set to leave Manchester United during the winter break. However, the 23-year-old winger stayed at United and silenced his critics with an excellent performance against Arsenal.
Nani played a part in two of United’s goals as United closed the gap on the leaders Chelsea to a single point. Ferguson believes the former Sporting Lisbon player is now coming of age, presenting a welcome selection dilemma in competition with Antonio Valencia.
“Nani has settled down now and is getting maturity,” Ferguson said on MUTV. “He has been pretty immature since he came to the club, but you are seeing the development now.
“He is a shy boy and you hope games like at Arsenal will give him the confidence to know he is a United player.
“We are all delighted with him. It is amazing when you talk to the players, they all think he is fantastic and want him to play.
“We are getting consistency from him now. It gives me a massive decision now between Nani and Valencia.”
Tags: alex ferguson, Antonio Valencia, arsenal, CHELSEA, coming of age, consistency, dilemma, Ferguson, games, gap, Manchester, manchester united, maturity, nani, portuguese, shy boy, single point, sir alex ferguson, sporting lisbon, wingerRelated posts
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