Red Rants

Yes, I know, Manchester United > England and all that. But it’s still United, dammit, and Rio deserves it as much as anyone else in the England squad. Plus I love a good captaincy debate (Terry v Ferdinand, if you’re wondering).

FA statement:

“Fabio Capello has confirmed that Rio Ferdinand will captain England against France in Paris. Capello has confirmed this continues his policy of rotating the captaincy between players in the friendly matches before confirming a permanent captain for the World Cup qualifying games.”

So Ferdinand will be captaining a side that includes Terry, Gerrard, as well as possibly Beckham and Owen. All four have led England at one time or the other ahead of Ferdinand, and it is a matter of pride to see the captaincy return to Manchester United, even if it is only for one game (no other United player in the squad - not even Rooney - would be in with a shot at captaincy come summer time).

Continue reading “Future Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand named England skipper”

While Seba Veron is often hailed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s most expensive mistake, Eric Djemba-Djemba is the one thrown in our faces as Fergie’s worst signing ever (hell, even Kleberson could play a bit).

He may have cost only £2.5m (and earned £75k / month) but as a player he was quickly found at the top level. The problem hadn’t been just his playing talents but also his temperament, and it’s a testament to Fergie’s loyalty to his players (or his troubles in offloading him) that Djemba stayed on United’s books for 2 years.

So where is he now? If anyone cares, Sniffing The Touchline has the full story (from Nantes to Qatar SC, via England).

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Some footballers are remembered for their statistics. Goals scored / games played, clean sheets, the number of titles won, personal milestones, international honours, and then some. Over time, legends are built and reputations are dismantled over numbers, because after a while, the memory fades and numbers are all that remain.

Others - a select few - are remembered for different reasons. Fans remember them because of how they served the club, unflinching devotion off the pitch, selfless service on it. These are players who etch a place for themselves in the history books by sheer effort and loyalty to the club. That’s not all there is to it, of course - the legend needs memorable highlights, and more often than not, these players provide ample highlights.

So it is with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, or as we know him, 20LEGEND. Whether it’s the 99′ final or the 4 goals in 12 minutes, the hair-raising reception at his return from injury that swept a 75,000 strong stadium to its feet or the songs sung in his absence, Solskjaer was a hero to all United fans, and he will be fondly remembered for a long, long time as the model United player.

Adrian Clarke caught up with Mr Solskjaer to discuss his time at Manchester United and how the club has evolved since he first signed on.

Continue reading “Interview with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a true (20)Legend”

Manchester United have been, for several years now, circumspect in Europe (ponderous and over-cautious if you want to be picky about it). It’s not something the fans enjoy, but it is a combination of Fergie’s choices and how our players perform (both are equally responsible), so we have to come to terms with it.

On the surface, the season has gone well - United are one point behind Arsenal with a superior goal difference and Arsenal still to come to Old Trafford. United are also in the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and the Champions League, and would be good bets to progress to the last four in each of the competitions.

But there are times when United’s performances disappoint and leave you wanting for much more. Last night’s performance against Lyon at Old Trafford was one of those games.

Continue reading “Manchester United players need to do better”

As reported elsewhere, Manchester United have signed 19-year old Brazilian Rodrigo Possebon from Internacional. The management rate him highly (quotes from Brian McClair below):

Continue reading “What Will Sir Alex Do With Rodrigo Possebon?”

A quick Sunday update, including goal highlights, the latest on Louis Saha, the truth about Red Ranter’s absence and more:

Continue reading “The Louis Saha Question and United 6-0 Newcastle Goal Videos”

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney (latching on to a rebound from a Ronaldo shot at goal) in the last 10 minutes saw Manchester United win their 3rd FA Cup tie against Aston Villa.

Continue reading “Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester United: Ronaldo and Rooney complete a late win”

Let’s get down to business, shall we?

It’s us against the 5-times, 5-times squad on Sunday, and there’s been plenty of banter from both sides. Scott reckons that beating Liverpool is a bigger deal than slapping Arsenal around - I disagree but perhaps that’s because of our different histories and geographical locations.

Still, whether Liverpool are worthy opponents or not, they still have to be beaten (only an idiot - perhaps the same idiot who claimed the same thing last season (Reina I’m talking to you) - would suggest that the 3 points are in the bag). So how can Manchester United beat Liverpool, at Anfield, on Sunday?

Continue reading “A Simple Guide To Kicking Liverpool Ass”

Manchester United have announced plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster on 6 February 2008.

The highlights:

* United players to wear a retro 1950s-style kit against Manchester City on 10 February
* Permanent, free exhibition telling the story of the Busby Babes
* South Stand tunnel to be renamed the Munich Tunnel
* Memorial service involving survivors, relatives of those who died, guests and fans
* MUTV to broadcast free-to-air on 6 February

You can get the full details and the writeup on the official site (you’d think they’d use search friendly URLs by now).

Question of the day - anyone here old enough to remember the event? Barring that, anyone here born before the Munich air disaster?

The Red Ranter is splitting his time between blowing smoke rings out of his ears and gorging on Gummy Haggis and I’m working on my registration form for Soccerex Dubai (while blowing smoke rings from my ears), so time is short.

Continue reading “Liverpool’s ‘Match-Fixing’, and the FA Cup Cockup”