One of the most depressing aspects of being a football fan is the often bitter rivalry that exists between rival clubs and supporters. The enclosed video clip will do nothing to enhance relations between Liverpool and United supporters, but the video is in the public domain and was presumably posted by a Liverpool supporter who was in attendance.
The video was filmed at the "Spirit of Shankly" end of season party and although the said organisation has tried to distance themselves from the Youtube video following its release, the artist (for want of a better word) was clearly no gatecrasher as has been implied by SOS, in point of fact this looks to be an orchestrated attempt to wind-up the crowd by singing a song that in part celebrates the Munich Air disaster.
IF Shankly were alive today he'd no doubt be embarrassed for his club and their decent supporters. The fans who were celebrating the Munich disaster in this film have brought shame upon their club.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Cantona interview to reveal yet more hidden talents.....
The King, aka Eric Cantona, is currently promoting his new film Looking for Eric, which actually looks quite good if the trailers are anything to go by, and by way of promotion Cantona will be interviewed later today on T4 at 2pm. I'm reliably informed that the great man will make a surprise revelation about how he spent some of his time during that nine month ban following his assault on that Crystal Palace "fan". Check it out.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
The Ronaldo and Tevez Conundrum
Two big name players, £100m worth of talent if tabloids are to be believed. But every Manchester United fan knows that no player is bigger than the club, and hence so some of them would probably understand if Fergie cashed in on Ronaldo and let Tevez go this summer.
The overriding question is whetheror not United really need Ronaldo and Tevez.
In the first part of this article I focus on Tevez, the underlying points of contention are:
1) Whether or not United really need him.
2) Is he worth £32m?
3) Is he right when demanding more playing time?
In the league this season, United scored 68 goals, conceded 24 and had a goal difference of 44. That was exactly equal to Chelsea and nine goals less than Liverpool who conceded three more goals the champions. So on the domestic front, United weren't the top scorers, and on a European stage, we were nowhere near Barcelona's 105 goals.
#Goals Player / PL Rank
18 Ronaldo - 2
12 Rooney - 10(=6th)
9 Berbatov - 26(=25th)
5 Tevez - 62
4 Carrick - 67
4 Vidic - 82
3 Fletcher - 98
2 Giggs - 133
2 Macheda - 140
2 Park - 148
2 Scholes - 151
Of the 68 goals, Ronaldo scored 18, Rooney 12, Berbatov nine and Tevez five.
That's 64.7% of United's goals from the FAB FOUR.
That's 44 of 68 goals from 4 players. The rest of our squad only scored 15 goals.
The next top scorers are Carrick & Vidic with four a piece, Fletcher (3), then Park, Scholes, Giggs and Macheda all on two.
Tevez has contributed 7.35% of United's League goals, compared with Ronaldo's 26.4%, Rooney's 17.65%, and Berbatov's 13.23%.
Looking at league assists, Tevez fares no better, having made only 3 League assists all season, placing him 9th in United's tally and 109th in the League rankings.
That list reads:
# Assists / PL Rank
10 Berbatov - 2
8 Giggs - 12
7 Carrick - 21
7 Rooney - 26
6 Ronaldo - 31
3 O'Shea - 106
3 Park - 107
3 Tevez - 109
2 Evra - 131
2 Scholes - 164
Player % Goals .........Player % Assists
Ronaldo 26.4%.................Berbatov 18.18%
Rooney 17.65%.................Rooney 12.73%
Berbatov 13.23%..............Ronaldo 10.91%
Tevez 7.35%......................Tevez 5.45%
Being ranked 4th in both % Goals and % Assists simply isn't good enough. Yes, he's competing against some of the best players in the world, but if he wants to command a comparable wage, and his "rights owners" want to command a comparable transfer fee, surly his output in the most important domestic club competition has to match.
There's no use him outshining the performances of Welbeck and Macheda, because he's not being compared to a pair of in-experienced teenagers, he should be matching the output of Rooney at least, as he is so often compared to the man who shares a similar, all-action style.
Instead, he's lagging behind by a clear 10% on goals, and 7 % on assists, which in real terms equates to 7 goals behind and 4 assists adrift.
Those who argue for Tevez, and that he scores "important goals" and is a "vital cog" in the Man United machine, the stats prove otherwise.
The Premier League's statistics house, ACTIM(R), analyse all objective measures of a players game, and rank them accordingly, including stats on ground coverage, distance run, touches, completed and uncompleted passes, shots on target, shots off target, tackles, saves, clearances, headers etc. Interestingly, ACTIM(R) don't rank Tevez inside their top 100 Premier League players, United have 10 players inside the top 100, as follows.
ACTIM INDEX
ACTIM Rank / Player Points
4 Berbatov - 586
10 Vidic - 540
11 Ronaldo - 517
15 Van Der Sar - 481
36 Rooney - 423
69 Evra - 369
77 Carrick - 357
78 O'Shea - 356
86 Ferdinand - 343
88 Fletcher - 343
90 Giggs - 342
This shows that Tevez, isn't as effective on the pitch as his team-mates, and even if he is just outside the top 100, he'd be on a maximum of 322 points, a whopping 264 points behind United's most effective player, Berbatov and 20 points behind Giggs. True, he's had a slight disadvantage in the time stakes, but in the big games, when he's had the chance to shine, he's been remarkably, and disappointingly quiet.
No doubt his all-action style endears him to the fans, but the club pays for efficiency, and is usually not very lenient on players who waste chances and don't "toe the party line".
By Vishnu Chari
Friday, June 05, 2009
Season review Part I: United should be proud ...
The season is done and dusted, while it was one of great success its conclusion left many fans with what is undoubtedly a bitter aftertaste.
In a long, drawn out season, spanning 66 competitive games (57 last season), Manchester United should be proud to have only lost eight games in all competitions.
Loses to Arsenal and Fulham away, as well as a double reverse against Liverpool in the league, plus Cup losses to Derby County, Everton, Zenit and a final defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League saw United win a stunning four pieces of silverware from a possible seven.
Many of the 'pundits' hyped-up United in the build up to the Champions League Final, and the very same experts took it upon themselves to find fault with the club, its players staff, skills, strategy, tactics and mindset in the wake of the outcome.
However, if at the start of the season, four trophies had been offered to us, I'm sure the manager, the players and the fans would have taken the deal, especially as it included a record equalling 18th top-flight League title.
There's no denying that United didn't play their best-ever football this season, we played well enough to get the required points, but we never went on a really hot streak of demolishing teams three or four nil.
United played 12 games in which they didn't score (six games last season), 22 games in which they only scored once (23 last season), 14 games where they scored twice, scored three goals in eight games, and in 10 games United scored four or five goals (five games each).
In the games that they did score four or five goals, they only kept a clean sheet on four occasions. That means that more often than not, whenever United scored lots of goals, we needed to score them to win the game because the defence couldn't keep the opposition out.
This shows some really good team spirit, a will to win, the "never give up attitude" that Manchester United are so famous for.
However, it also shows the problems we didn't really address over the season. Last season's double was won on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo's phenomenal success and more than capable support provided by a whole squad of players across the length and breadth of the pitch. The impact of Dimitar Berbatov has been another huge debating point, with many fans suggesting the Bulgarian has if anything made United less of a potent attacking force, because he has often played at the expense of the all-action Carlos Tevez.
This season, Cristiano has understandably failed to reach the same heights, and United have played a squad game, with a more defensive approach, keeping it tight at the back and scoring one or two goals to seal the points.
On many occasions United have been more cautious, less willing to take risks, and played a slower brand of football than in previous seasons. In the final third, we seemed to be less composed and did not convert many of the chances that we created. At times United’s famed free-flow approach to attacking resulted in some awesome approach play and on occasion, some great goals and some spectacular misses. At other times, the side has looked a bit confused, and too reliant on Cristiano to provide the creative spark.
Before Ronaldo was the phenomenal player that he is, United epitomised their name and reputation as an attacking team. Goals came from all over the park, assists came from all over the park - there were infinite routes to goal. That's the kind of football all United fans love to see.
No doubt we like seeing Ronaldo showing off his skills, beating players with pace and scoring goals from all manner of distances and angles, but I’m sure many United fans would rather see their team play a more all round game where everyone is pulling the team in the right direction.
Some experts say that Fergie has made slight changes to the way United play so as to further the club’s chances of winning the Champions League again, it very nearly worked for the second season in a row and contrary to the reaction in England to the result in Rome, this current squad is as good as any in Europe. The big challenge for the manager is to improve on the achievements of the last three seasons.
By Vishnu Chari
Season Review Part II will focus on the major turning points in what has been described by some as the best Premier League season for many a long year.
In a long, drawn out season, spanning 66 competitive games (57 last season), Manchester United should be proud to have only lost eight games in all competitions.
Loses to Arsenal and Fulham away, as well as a double reverse against Liverpool in the league, plus Cup losses to Derby County, Everton, Zenit and a final defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League saw United win a stunning four pieces of silverware from a possible seven.
Many of the 'pundits' hyped-up United in the build up to the Champions League Final, and the very same experts took it upon themselves to find fault with the club, its players staff, skills, strategy, tactics and mindset in the wake of the outcome.
However, if at the start of the season, four trophies had been offered to us, I'm sure the manager, the players and the fans would have taken the deal, especially as it included a record equalling 18th top-flight League title.
There's no denying that United didn't play their best-ever football this season, we played well enough to get the required points, but we never went on a really hot streak of demolishing teams three or four nil.
United played 12 games in which they didn't score (six games last season), 22 games in which they only scored once (23 last season), 14 games where they scored twice, scored three goals in eight games, and in 10 games United scored four or five goals (five games each).
In the games that they did score four or five goals, they only kept a clean sheet on four occasions. That means that more often than not, whenever United scored lots of goals, we needed to score them to win the game because the defence couldn't keep the opposition out.
This shows some really good team spirit, a will to win, the "never give up attitude" that Manchester United are so famous for.
However, it also shows the problems we didn't really address over the season. Last season's double was won on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo's phenomenal success and more than capable support provided by a whole squad of players across the length and breadth of the pitch. The impact of Dimitar Berbatov has been another huge debating point, with many fans suggesting the Bulgarian has if anything made United less of a potent attacking force, because he has often played at the expense of the all-action Carlos Tevez.
This season, Cristiano has understandably failed to reach the same heights, and United have played a squad game, with a more defensive approach, keeping it tight at the back and scoring one or two goals to seal the points.
On many occasions United have been more cautious, less willing to take risks, and played a slower brand of football than in previous seasons. In the final third, we seemed to be less composed and did not convert many of the chances that we created. At times United’s famed free-flow approach to attacking resulted in some awesome approach play and on occasion, some great goals and some spectacular misses. At other times, the side has looked a bit confused, and too reliant on Cristiano to provide the creative spark.
Before Ronaldo was the phenomenal player that he is, United epitomised their name and reputation as an attacking team. Goals came from all over the park, assists came from all over the park - there were infinite routes to goal. That's the kind of football all United fans love to see.
No doubt we like seeing Ronaldo showing off his skills, beating players with pace and scoring goals from all manner of distances and angles, but I’m sure many United fans would rather see their team play a more all round game where everyone is pulling the team in the right direction.
Some experts say that Fergie has made slight changes to the way United play so as to further the club’s chances of winning the Champions League again, it very nearly worked for the second season in a row and contrary to the reaction in England to the result in Rome, this current squad is as good as any in Europe. The big challenge for the manager is to improve on the achievements of the last three seasons.
By Vishnu Chari
Season Review Part II will focus on the major turning points in what has been described by some as the best Premier League season for many a long year.
Liverpool skint: £50m Tevez transfer talk set to unravel?
Debt ridden Manchester United of all clubs cannot afford to laugh at the latest news surrounding Liverpool, whose owners have just suffered a £42m loss, but it was only a week ago that one of the gutter tabloids was claiming the Merseyside Reds were about to splash out £50m to sign Carlos Tevez. A week later and now it appears Liverpool could be on the brink of financial disaster. The news comes as no great surprise because earlier this week Liverpool were "blown out of the water" by Manchester City who ended up paying just £12m to capture Gareth Barry who has been a long-term target of the Merseyside club.
Meanwhile, the future of Carlos Tevez will be resolved in the next few days when the player returns from international duty. The latest rumours suggest the fans' favourite will - to the great annoyance of the vast majority of the Red Army - join neighbours Manchester City, who have been linked with just about every big name in the game, but it will take more than Carlos Tevez to turnaround their fortunes.
It's doubtful the Citizens' will come any closer to breaking into the accepted top four English clubs next season - even before a ball is kicked the best they can hope for is a top ten finish.
Money issues aside, we are told that Tevez's biggest gripe is playing fourth fiddle to Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov. In the case of the Bulgarian, there is surely no argument among the fans, because the vast majority would select the Argentine in preference every time.
Towards the end of the season following his penalty miss in the FA Cup semi-final, it seemed that just perhaps the penny has dropped with Ferguson, in that he has made a big mistake when acquiring a player who has often failed to show what is required to be a United player.
It isn't the lack of goals or indeed his link-up play - which has been good at times - it is that Berbatov simply does not work hard enough for the team and you can never say about Tevez, quite the reverse in point of fact and of course the Argentine scores and creates goals.
Prior to the signing of Berbatov, United undoubtedly did need to find another striker, someone who would bring something different to the manager's array of attacking options. After a full season it looks highly unlikely that the Bulgarian is going to win over the fans who want to see everyone in the red shirt giving 100%, week-in, week-out.
Berbatov has unfairly been compared by some to Eric Cantona - personally I do not like making such comparisons, what I would say is the former Spurs striker isn't fit to lace the Frenchman's boots.
Meanwhile, the future of Carlos Tevez will be resolved in the next few days when the player returns from international duty. The latest rumours suggest the fans' favourite will - to the great annoyance of the vast majority of the Red Army - join neighbours Manchester City, who have been linked with just about every big name in the game, but it will take more than Carlos Tevez to turnaround their fortunes.
It's doubtful the Citizens' will come any closer to breaking into the accepted top four English clubs next season - even before a ball is kicked the best they can hope for is a top ten finish.
Money issues aside, we are told that Tevez's biggest gripe is playing fourth fiddle to Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov. In the case of the Bulgarian, there is surely no argument among the fans, because the vast majority would select the Argentine in preference every time.
Towards the end of the season following his penalty miss in the FA Cup semi-final, it seemed that just perhaps the penny has dropped with Ferguson, in that he has made a big mistake when acquiring a player who has often failed to show what is required to be a United player.
It isn't the lack of goals or indeed his link-up play - which has been good at times - it is that Berbatov simply does not work hard enough for the team and you can never say about Tevez, quite the reverse in point of fact and of course the Argentine scores and creates goals.
Prior to the signing of Berbatov, United undoubtedly did need to find another striker, someone who would bring something different to the manager's array of attacking options. After a full season it looks highly unlikely that the Bulgarian is going to win over the fans who want to see everyone in the red shirt giving 100%, week-in, week-out.
Berbatov has unfairly been compared by some to Eric Cantona - personally I do not like making such comparisons, what I would say is the former Spurs striker isn't fit to lace the Frenchman's boots.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Hughes on collision course with United fans over pursuit of Tevez?...
Let's be clear about one thing; if Tevez actually leaves United this summer, as could happen, it will be entirely the club's own fault for breaking several publicly made promises to the player in relation to securing his long-term future. But no matter how much the fans want Tevez to stay with United we have to accept money talks and the player is reportedly upset with both the club and Fergie, which is does not bode well for any agreement.
However, the really bad news is the Argentine wants to stay in the North West of England; by default that can only realistically mean with either Liverpool or Manchester City. Either scenario will be totally unacceptable to the vast majority of United supporters, one suspects Fergie will be livid too if that situation is allowed to happen, but make no mistake it is a very real possibility.
Mark Hughes has confirmed his interest in signing Tevez and it remains to be seen if the player and his owners will accept what is likely to be a huge offer, because frankly City cannot offer anything but a king’s ransom given there's no prospect of European football and or top trophies (The Isle of Man trophy doesn't count) any time soon.
For their part, despite rumours that Liverpool were about to offer £50m for Carlos Tevez, it seems that they do not have the cash as I suggested was the case on this blog recently; weight was added to that theory this week with the surprise announcement that Gareth Barry has signed for the Citizens. Barry has been on Liverpool's radar for the last couple of seasons, the fact that they've been "blown out of the water" by City says a lot about Liverpool's current ability to complete even modest signings or to match big money wages.
Much to the annoyance of United supporters, it looks as though City will be the most likely destination, because not only can they afford to pay the asking price and silly wages, but importantly the blues can offer a starting place every week which will not be case at Old Trafford or Anfield.
On the wider point of Mark Hughes pursuing what will be deemed as another United transfer target, we the fans will just have to live with it, we don't like it, but the Welshman's first priority is to manage City and any allegiances to his former club went out of the window when he became a rival Premier League club manager.
On a positive note, Tevez will do less damage to the Reds' title winning prospects if he moves to City as opposed to Liverpool - City took six points off United the season before last but it didn't stop the Champions retaining the trophy.
However, the really bad news is the Argentine wants to stay in the North West of England; by default that can only realistically mean with either Liverpool or Manchester City. Either scenario will be totally unacceptable to the vast majority of United supporters, one suspects Fergie will be livid too if that situation is allowed to happen, but make no mistake it is a very real possibility.
Mark Hughes has confirmed his interest in signing Tevez and it remains to be seen if the player and his owners will accept what is likely to be a huge offer, because frankly City cannot offer anything but a king’s ransom given there's no prospect of European football and or top trophies (The Isle of Man trophy doesn't count) any time soon.
For their part, despite rumours that Liverpool were about to offer £50m for Carlos Tevez, it seems that they do not have the cash as I suggested was the case on this blog recently; weight was added to that theory this week with the surprise announcement that Gareth Barry has signed for the Citizens. Barry has been on Liverpool's radar for the last couple of seasons, the fact that they've been "blown out of the water" by City says a lot about Liverpool's current ability to complete even modest signings or to match big money wages.
Much to the annoyance of United supporters, it looks as though City will be the most likely destination, because not only can they afford to pay the asking price and silly wages, but importantly the blues can offer a starting place every week which will not be case at Old Trafford or Anfield.
On the wider point of Mark Hughes pursuing what will be deemed as another United transfer target, we the fans will just have to live with it, we don't like it, but the Welshman's first priority is to manage City and any allegiances to his former club went out of the window when he became a rival Premier League club manager.
On a positive note, Tevez will do less damage to the Reds' title winning prospects if he moves to City as opposed to Liverpool - City took six points off United the season before last but it didn't stop the Champions retaining the trophy.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Scholes and Neville: Should Fergie let them leave?
Paul Scholes recently confirmed what some fans had suspected was the case for a while, that is sometimes his legs do not do as they are told to do; it happens to all players no matter how great you have been, as is the case the with the affectionately known Ginger Prince. It is the same story as far as Gary Neville is concerned, he is fighting the unwinnable fight against the clock, as both players are now in their mid-thirties, so it was interesting to read that several clubs including Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Bolton are being linked with these United legends.
Perhaps Fergie believes that loyalty to one club should be rewarded by allowing them to bow-out at the top and at the club they have stayed with throughout their professional careers, because these days that is a rarity.
The fans won't have a problem with whatever the manager and players decide regarding their futures, but you do wonder if these born winners will be able to live with being bit-part players while they see out the remainder of their time at Old Trafford.
There is an argument that has been used by Ferguson in the past that retaining older playing staff blocks the progression of younger stars in the making - ironically this was the reasoning used by the manager when selling many a big name player to make way for the team that became known as "Fergies Fledglings", one that included the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes. Despite those concerns, my own view is Fergie will remain loyal to those who have given such great service to United, but it remains to be seen if the players concerned will still be here come the beginning of the new season because professional pride is at stake.
Perhaps Fergie believes that loyalty to one club should be rewarded by allowing them to bow-out at the top and at the club they have stayed with throughout their professional careers, because these days that is a rarity.
The fans won't have a problem with whatever the manager and players decide regarding their futures, but you do wonder if these born winners will be able to live with being bit-part players while they see out the remainder of their time at Old Trafford.
There is an argument that has been used by Ferguson in the past that retaining older playing staff blocks the progression of younger stars in the making - ironically this was the reasoning used by the manager when selling many a big name player to make way for the team that became known as "Fergies Fledglings", one that included the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes. Despite those concerns, my own view is Fergie will remain loyal to those who have given such great service to United, but it remains to be seen if the players concerned will still be here come the beginning of the new season because professional pride is at stake.
Kaka, Ancelotti departures could mirror Ronaldo and Fergie futures...
The summer transfer merry-go-round is in full swing and there's no shortage of big stories; Ronaldo continues to be linked with Real Madrid, but it seems the Spanish club have agreed a deal with AC Milan to sign Kaka.
United fans will be hoping Ronaldo stays put, but it's interesting to note that Chelsea are also said to trying to sign the Brazilian superstar. In the wake of Carlo Ancelotti's defection to the West London club it has become clear that Kaka has great faith in his former manager; whether or not the AC Milan forward moves to England one thing is clear, that is the bond between player and manager must have been a strong one and once it was broken perhaps it was inevitable that the former World Player of the Year would also move on, especially as he is hot property.
For his part, Ronaldo has recently spoken of the bond between himself and Ferguson, it begs the question will we see both of them leave Manchester United at the same time as looks likely to happen in the case of Kaka and Ancelotti? Fergie went on record stating that he wouldn't see Real Madrid a virus, so it seems highly unlikely the Scot would be willing to sacrifice his star player for any amount of money, so despite the nonsense coming out of Spain about supposed agreements between Ramon Calderon and Jorge Mendes, I personally do not see Ronaldo being sold this summer.
United fans will be hoping Ronaldo stays put, but it's interesting to note that Chelsea are also said to trying to sign the Brazilian superstar. In the wake of Carlo Ancelotti's defection to the West London club it has become clear that Kaka has great faith in his former manager; whether or not the AC Milan forward moves to England one thing is clear, that is the bond between player and manager must have been a strong one and once it was broken perhaps it was inevitable that the former World Player of the Year would also move on, especially as he is hot property.
For his part, Ronaldo has recently spoken of the bond between himself and Ferguson, it begs the question will we see both of them leave Manchester United at the same time as looks likely to happen in the case of Kaka and Ancelotti? Fergie went on record stating that he wouldn't see Real Madrid a virus, so it seems highly unlikely the Scot would be willing to sacrifice his star player for any amount of money, so despite the nonsense coming out of Spain about supposed agreements between Ramon Calderon and Jorge Mendes, I personally do not see Ronaldo being sold this summer.
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