Feb 11
Home Grown Quota Could Temporarily Shut Platini Up
Now let me not completely rubbish the Frenchman; he’s got a semblance of sense when he talks about the disproportionate spending of Citeh with respect to its revenue. But beyond that, most of his rants reveal a sense of hatred for the ascendancy of the English Premier League.
Now on to the main item, which is the proposed home grown players rule that could be imposed as early as the next season. We already know that European competitions like the UEFA Cup ensure clubs field 8 homegrown players in their matchday squads.
The idea of homegrown covers either local players that come through the academy or players who’ve spent three years at the club before the age of 21. This would of course not be a problem for the likes of Ronaldo, who signed while he was 17. Arsenal would be relieved because of the amount of French/Non-English talent brewing in their academy.
But more importantly, this rule I think is absolutely brilliant in that it’s not too difficult for clubs to fit 4 home grown players in a squad of 11+7 and simultaneously gives the Premier League the ammunition to convince the other governing bodies in the continent that they are doing their bit to nurture talent.
The league will be as it is. Squads will have the odd token academy graduate to fill in numbers — after all we now have 7 subs as against the previous five. But most clubs do already have four homegrown players in their ranks. Even Man City, criticised world over for their cash splashing exercise, have their share of youngsters in Micah Richards, Joe Hart and Ireland who’ve come through the ranks. If anything, it would give Mark Hughes more breathing space (assuming he’s still around next season). The same can be said of West Ham, Boro and Everton. With O’Shea, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo and so on, we have little to worry about on that count.
The rule does absolutely nothing to change the landscape of the English Premier League, yet does a lot to give a solid reason to Platini and his cronies to believe that the League is not as evil as is being made out to be.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Wenger Speaks Sense As Platini Loses his Mind
- Pique, Platini, Ronaldo and Moscow Rumblings
- Sepptic Blabbermouth Opens Gob + Roundup
- Gill on City and Ronaldo
- On Manchester United’s ‘Greatest Ever’ Squad
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Stephen (454)
Craig Mc (344)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Stephen: and after the medics picked you up off the ground did you muster up the courage to talk to them? I’ve always thought about what I’d do if I saw one of my heros or anyone famous for that matter, but I think I’d be too shy to ask them for autographs or the like. For instance, Gary Cooke, a popular Irish comedian (après match, Macbecks and I keano fame- the one who does the Dunphy voice) sometimes comes into the supermarket that I work in and I haven’t talked to him. I hear he doesn’t like people asking him to do the voice anyway so better I don’t talk to him I suppose
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@Liam: I followed them to their gate, I was at Heathrow and they were flying back and er did nothing!! I had my camerea in my bag my Blackberry, Mobile and pen and paper with me and just phoned my mates!
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Is anyone else tired of hearing pundits cream over barcelona?Yes they score goals and look magnifacent, but they are in the spanish league where defense is a unheard of concept. I for one am hoping we draw them next round if we get past inter. I think our defensive record this season is just as impressive as their offensive record. Looking at last years tie, Barca had real trouble getting quality shots on goal and the first half at barca we were unlucky not to score 2 or 3 against their shaky CB’s.
So call me a bias United fan which I am, but I just think people are severely underestimating our team this year which i suppose could be a good thing.
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@Man Utd fan/Macedonia: You’re right. They do offer a lot in terms of dressing room and morale.
Don’t get me wrong, for the club’s sake, I’m kinda glad they have the extension(s). But, for their sake, I think its doing their reputation harm the longer they linger on.
@Grognard: That’s exactly what I mean actually. Saturday was a highlight. An exception. As Rd: stated, a few weeks back, everyone wanted to get rid of them… After Sunday, Giggs is a hero again…for how long? He used to do that Saturday shit for breakfast…on a regular basis. Nowadays, its once a year. A lot of the youngsters (supporters) don’t even reallise that Giggs was once the most feared player in Europe (no exageration). Opposition players feared him more than any other players. Not even Beckham instilled that type of fear.
I still love him to bits, and that is why it pains me to see him ‘suffer’ like he has.
PS, guys was it just me being silly, or did anyone else feel strange when Giggs scored that goal on Sunday? I found myself not shouting in jubilation (as one usually celebrate a goal), but smiling in astonishment. Kinda saying to myself “look at Giggsy boy”. To me, that was kind of a ‘magic moment’. Almost like the FA Cup semi against Arsenal.
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@Karl: Newcastle at home, Boro in the CC, Aalborg away, Everton away, West Brom at home, Chelsea at home, West Brom away and top of our assist charts. Giggs has been playing to a consistently good standard so far this season. Granted he had a stinker for most of last season but you could see a few signs of his form starting to come back towards the tail end of 2007/08 and he has carried that form into this season. He may have had a few poor games this season but amongst our forwards and midfielders who hasn’t? The calls to get rid of him just reinforce my belief on the short termism prevalent amongst fans these days.
Is he damaging his legacy? It depends I suppose, if you think solely of Giggs as the dashing young winger who used to cut defences to shreds, then maybe. However for me he is enhancing his reputation this season. I take great pride in watching how he has evolved his game from a dribbling, exuberant, young winger to the wily, experienced central midfielder. More than any of his peers, Giggs main strengths were going to be eroded by the passage of time. Yet he has proved to be more adaptable and versatile than any of the Fergie’s fledglings. That at 35 he could come into the team against Chelsea and dominate the game speaks volumes for his professionalism and hunger. For me he should have a contract here until he (or SAF) feels he can no longer contribute at the highest level.
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@johnsom33: I think that pundits have every right to ‘cream’ over them. I believe the stat quoted in the last round of Spanish league games was that they score every 23 minutes on average! For a team in a top level league that is nigh unheard of. Even at our most dominant we fell well short of a scoring rate like that.
I am in agreement that in many respects our defensive record is just as impressive. However I would not take the performance of Barca against us last season as any guide to their current team. They are a completely revitalised club under Guardiola. Puyol and Marquez seem to have rediscovered their 2005-06 form and they have the one man wrecking crew, Daniel Alves at RB. Iniesta, Xavi and Toure are having excellent seasons, Henry has started to find some of his Arsenal form again whilst Eto’o is scoring goals for fun. To top it all off they have the best player in the world at the minute spearheading the whole operation.
How will they fair in the CL, I don’t know. There has been concern raised that Guardiola has not managed his resources as well as he should and that fatigue could creep in the later parts of the campaign. In addition his lack of experience at the top level might be exposed later in the competition. But regardless of the concerns they look the best team in Europe at the minute. We have been ruthlessly efficient this season whilst they have been dazzlingly brilliant. The trophies aren’t handed out in February but Barcelona are worthy of whatever praise has been heaped upon.
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@Beachryan: Funny I was reading that one earlier today. It is a really top notch article, a cut above 99% of the stuff you read in the press these days. If you go into the authors archive he has a few other good articles on the death of the old fashioned goal poacher, the prevailing movement from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 and the disappearance of the 3-5-2.
I haven’t read it myself but I have heard a lot of good things about his book on the history of football tactics ‘Inverting the Pyramid’.
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@Karl: When he scored that goal I automatically shouted out loud and my first thought was the goal against Arsenal in 1999.
He has been a great servant for the club and even though he isn’t the same player he once was, he is valuable for his leadership, intelligence and overall presence to the team. Whether he plays good or bad, I love Giggsy to death.
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You cannot really compare Barcelona and us. I hate to say it but we are a much more defensive team. The article is pretty spot on, we have slowly morphed into a team full of players who are primarily defensive. Sure our full backs like to bomb forward, but that is balanced by having Carrick, Fletcher and Park in midfield with heavy defensive responsibilities. Rooney and Tevez have always pulled their weight defensively leaving only Berbatov and Ronaldo as players allowed to concentrate solely on attacking duties (although even Berbatov was tracking back against West Ham!).
In the league this defensive approach has resulted in endless clean sheets but very slim winning margins. You could argue that there is no real need to be so defensive against teams inferior to ours.
But there is no doubt that this defensive approach is going to pay huge dividends in Europe although the likes of Inter and whoever follows (and I hope we’ll get the chance to play Barcelona again) are going to be tougher tests than the fare we get in the Premier League.
Arsenal were the last decent attacking team we’ve played and they beat us quite convincingly. We’ve improved since then, but Id be interested to see how we cope with Inter before I feel comfortable speculating about our chances against Barca
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@colver: We lost to arsenal because at the time they were on the ropes and fergie went for the knock out punch. Like most haymakers, we missed and arsenal countered and connected. Chelsea fell into the same trap as well when they played arsenal. We both smelled blood and went for it. Mark my words, that fergie is going to be way more cautious next time we play arsenal and they will struggle to break us down. Remember that we havent been scored on since that game in the PL, so its safe to say it was a valuable lesson learned.
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@JB: Puyol and Marquez havent been tested this year, because Barca is always attacking. And same team or not, last years semifinal was a clinic in soaking up pressure. I remember Rijkaard complaining after the tie saying we “out catenaccioed the italians” or something like that.
Is barca the best team in europe right now? prolly Im not arguing that, my point is I dont think they have been tested yet. The premier league is so tough this year that I think we are stronger for it.
As for Alves? yes he is a scary talent. but how adventurous will he be going foward when he has Ronaldo(Reigning WPOTY last time I checked) and Evra to deal with?
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@Grognard: Im dying to hear your take, on a Barca-United 2 legged tie.
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@johnsom33: Truthfully, I’d be terrified because Barca has great players and is in great attacking form but you know something, I’ve seen them show weakness defensively at times this year. They can be scored on whereas United have the best defensive record in Europe and play in a defensively superior league. My big concern is that as a team we have just as much talent as they do if not more, but what we don’t do is attack all out and we do not create enough scoring chances on the road. Take away the Giggs goal against West Ham, did we really create any chances that were worthy of a goal? Well if we are to go to Barca and play them in the Nou Camp, I seriously doubt we can come out of there with another 0-0 draw. As good as our defense is, we have not faced anything like Barcelona all season.
Much is made of Barca’s record and the supposed weakness of La Liga. Don’t believe it. La Liga is as strong as ever and Barca is just making it look too easy because of their overall quality. They possess the one thing that I have bitched about that United is in short supply. They have killer instinct. When they get up 2-0, they want to score 4 or 5. We score one goal and we call off the dogs. I love Fergie but he needs to install a little killer instinct in the team. We showed it against Chelsea but too often we have scored a goal or two and then sat back and soaked up pressure. Barca could kill us doing that. The quality of their fullbacks overlapping, their central midfielders probing forward and their great front line is nothing to take lightly. I predicted them to win the Champions League months ago and I stand by it. I love United but unless we get into a real groove offensively, I see our 1-0 bubble eventually bursting in our face. Everybody is talking about our defense and yes we have been good, but we have never faced anything like this Barcelona juggernaut. They are doing everything that I thought we would be able to do once we got either Huntelaar or Berbatov. Yet with Berba, we have had our moments but we are way down in our scoring and we do not scare anyone with our attack. Our defense will eventually be breached and when it happens, it could cause more goals to be given up afterwards because things like that come in bunches. The Boston Celtics won 20 games in a row and then when they finally lost a game, it caused them to go into a slump where they lost 5 out 7 games. These things are cyclical.
I do think we can beat Barca but right now I’m more concerned about Inter. Not because they are better but because they are well managed. Mourinho knows how to beat Fergie, Guardiola doesn’t. And lets not assume that Barca is unbeatable. I believe that Bayern, Juve and Roma are capable of beating them too on the right night. If we were to play them, I would hope the first leg is at Barca like last year. Historically we play better with the second leg at OT. We’ll have to wait and see.
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I think for a United vs Barca draw, we will come out tops. As senile as I might think Fergie’s tactics are sometimes, one thing is for sure…he sure knows how to neutralise a team. The game will not be a pretty sight (like previous “we’ll score more than you” United/Barca games, but we will definitely win the tie. Overall, I honestly believe we have a better team than Barca. This is something that Guardiola will be cautious about. I think he will show us ‘respect’, which IMO will ultimately be their downfall.
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I’m also very concerned about Inter. I don’t trust Mourinho. He has proved, even with Porto, he knows how to beat Fergie. Hopefully Fergie’s new defensive strategy “we’ll bore you more than what you can bore us” will throw him off guard. This is the one tie I really don’t mind if its defensive or boring, as long as we win. I just hope Evans stand strong with Rio. Wonder if Fergie will go for Brown or Neville on the right?
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@johnsom33: To be honest, given the way we set up to play Barcelona last year, what makes you think we will offer Puyol and Marquez more of a test than anyone else? And again on Alves, given that Messi is on the same wing, I would expect a Park (or possibly Rooney) and Evra combo with strict instructions to remain disciplined. So I would imagine that Alves will have the freedom to bomb forward as he normally does.
And I would be inclinded to agree with Grognard about Barcelone being tested. People are saying they haven’t been but that is because they have been so dominant. How tested are we in the EPL this season? We have barely got out of second gear in an attacking sense all season yet we are still two points clear with a game in hand. Arsenal and Chelsea are shadows of the sides from last year while Liverpool have been made to look better by the deficienencis of the rest of the top four. Sure some of the mid table teams have picked up (Villa, Everton, Wigan etc) but the standard of the big four has dropped. Difference is that Barcelona have fully exploited the absence of any serious competitor.
P.S. At the half season mark they set a new record in La Liga in terms of points and goals scored.
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On an unrelated side note, Foster had a clean sheet last night in the reserves, who beat Bolton 2-0. Our reserve team was playing with great enthusiasm and skill, really looked solid. Macheda looks a good prospect, though Petrucci didn’t see the ball too much when he came on. Never heard of him before but King was a pretty solid striking option too, and looks a bit fella. Fabio scored a penalty, bit random he was taking it!
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hargo was magnificent last year in UCL and we will miss him, especially against creative sides like Barca and Milan(Uefa cup this year)=remember Kaka`
.Somehow I feel that we shouldn`t talk about Barca becouse we are going to have plenty of job to do with Murinho`s defensive tricks and tactics on San Siro`s ground.Barca vs United is overhyped subject created by media cozz both teams breaking records right now and (dont get me wrong, in this moment that will be beutifull final in Rome) but there is always danger from other teams who are only focused on UCL, not on 3 or 4 fronts like uneted/barca that will use M.U./Barca bad day and ruin this *fantasy final* ……but on the other hand…… we are United….we are the best team in the world and we should not fear anyone…
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I think we’ll lose to Inter, but that will mean we win the league. I’m alright with that personally.
Mourinho has some kind of charm over us. I mean, the Porto second leg was just a travesty of footballing justice, but what can we do. He’s a smart cookie, and playing in the San Siro is never easy. They’ll score there, we won’t. Second leg we’ll probably be too open and get taken on the counter. I just don’t see us clicking well enough to beat a Mourinoh motivated team. sad but true.
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Also, watching the highlights of the reserves last ngiht – Fabio took his penalty with his right foot. Is he actually right footed? Bizarre for a left back!
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@Beachryan: inter is over rated, no other team can match them in poor serie A, only Barca can stop us.
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I see we are talking about Barca! Goodie!
To be honest, if we face Barca in the Champions League we will get beaten. They will win that/those game/s. They used the loss at Old Trafford last season as a lesson. They have now got a new dimension in the team. They have found the way to score on teams that shut-up-shop. The whole club was bitter for the loss, because they had the most possesion over the two games but didnt create enough chances. They lost on a long range shot. It pissed them off! During the summer they found a new tactic. Most used in Messi than in Xavi, Etoo or Alves, but they did found a new tactic. How to score on teams that park the bus like Sunderland did. They felt that was what we did. Sunderland style. 
So now they are a bigger force than you would expect. Dont anybody fucking say Spain is a wimpy League, wou should see what crap Messi and Etoo has to live with every fucking game! Its not an easy League, its just that Barca makes it look like it. They are that good. I dunno how they break up teams like a warm knife in butter. Its a mystery even for the fans. 
My theory is that they do not only play keep ball anymore, but go for 1-touch passing and crossing more than before. They use Alves, Abidal, Henry and Messi very often, and they go around instead of always cutting inside. Etoo has worked on his leap, and he has got some headed goals this season. Messi seems to have gotten better stamina, and runs all over the field like Tevez. But of cource most of the time he is in the opposition part of the field. However, the speed that Barca plays with is even superior to the Arsenal style some years back, when they were in their peak. They have a tough midfielder in Toure, two pass masters in Xavi and Iniesta, speedy backs in Alves and Abidal, magical wingers in Messi and Henry, and who is probably the best striker in the world right now, Samuel Etoo. Their team is complete, and they spent the summer finding ways to play on the guys best assets. They do keep possesion, but they attack with more determination and vision now. Its a joy to watch, and I honestly hope that we dont play them. If we set up with the tactic of last season, we will get hammered. Big time! If we are gonna beat Barca, its with dominating possesion, frustrating them or just going at them in 150% from the kick off. Puyol and Pique suck, and Marques has done nothing to impress me this season. Alves can easily be expesoed when going forward, because his tracking back is not much more superior to Ronaldo. And, to be honest, playing Berbatov against Barcelona would be stupid. Yeah, he is a brilliant player. But against Barcelona we will need Tevez, Rooney, Anderson, Hargreaves, Rafael, Park kind of players. People with aggresion and the stamina to run after oppositions in 90+ minutes. If we do meet Barca this season, it is gonna be the most entertaining game of the century. They will score, but so will United. Barca will never keep a clean sheet against us! Its a tough call, so Im just gonna wish we dont face them.
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http://therepublikofmancunia.com/guaranteed-to-make-your-friday-even-better/
watch this guys, fuckin class! Glory ManUnited!
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@john freakin’ o’shea: Saw it, Im fucking crying.
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@Beachryan: yes he is right footed, although he is more and good enough with his left foot, unlike his brother who is almost entirely right footed. Right footed left backs aren’t as uncommon as you’d expect
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@john freakin’ o’shea: that, as you said, was fucking class! it makes you have that true happiness feeling inside you, the happiness that can make you cry (but i dont lol)
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@Beachryan: Too bad Fergie disagrees with you. Yesterday he came out and said if forced too, he would easily give up on the other trophies if it ensured him another Champions League Final. Champions of Europe is all that matters to him right now because he has 10 EPL trophies but only 2 European Cups. What he wants is zero comparison between him and Bob Paisley. He should already know there is no comparison despite the fact that Paisley has one a few more Euro Cups.
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@RedDevilEddy: They are not better than us mate, they just play a different style and in a different league. Frankly, if we stop Messi, we stop them. Messi is the real catalyst on their side and Guardiola hasn’t got the CL experience that Fergie has. Can they beat us? Of course they can, but we are more than capable of beating them. We have the best defense on the planet and we have this despite the fact that we are known for being one of the best attacking sides in the world. Perhaps we aren’t playing like that this season but we still have the players to do it. Just place park on the left wing and have him mark Messi out of the game with help from Evra. Easier said than done but that’s basically all that needs to be done. I’ve watched Barca a lot this year and trust me, as good as they are, they are only human. Messi has bailed them out of some sticky situations late in games. Nobody else seems to be able to raise his game in a tight situation like he does for them. Frustrate him, irritate him and even bruise him a little and you will beat them. Their defense is good but it is not as water tight as ours and they can be beaten on the counter.
This is all very academic however because we still need to figure out a way to dispose of Inter. The Special One I’m sure has figured something out. He’s had two months to construct a game plan to combat us. I would have preferred him in the next round so that he would have had two weeks only to prepare for us. Two months and I can just envision those two little mice in his brain running around in that wheel and fueling his brainstorming ways for boring us out of the Champions League. He’s Special, special at boring teams into submission. BE CHAMPIONS!
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@RedDevilEddy: Sorry but I’m a little like Fergie in this. Snap out of it. That was then, Inter is now. Lets all get focused on the game at hand and forget the past for now. We have the summer to think back to good times. During the winter, we have opponents to concern ourselves with because the reason United is as great as it is, is because of Fergie’s ability to refocus and forget past wins and key on future ones. Moscow is past, San Siro is what concerns me now.
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Cannot wait for the Inter games. Inter have been, powerful, but not emphatic in their seemingly inevitable charge to the championship. I don’t rate their defence much at all. They have some very strong attacking players but i can’t see them beating us over two legs. Me might loss at the San Siro, but we’re practically unbeatable at Old Trafford.
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mock exams are over, all i have now is valentines day, after that i am locking myself in my room, practising nothing but fifa and driving until i am perfect and ready for 18th when i have my theory exam
MrMuhozi.- my ps3 name if anyone wants to add me (without the .)
i’ll be the guy passing the ball around like a bong at a rap concert, then when it comes to finishing, my accuracy is like a man on ganja
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reports says maicon is injured.. dont know if sure
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@john freakin’ o’shea: cheers mate, that put me in a good mood, fantastic video, and i just love fergies reaction
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Mr Muhozi, yeah im doing my driving tests too mate, need to revise for my theory test, i think i will do my actual driving practice 1st and then go for my theory after cos im a total newbie when it comes to driving but hopefully i will be all passed and ready to go by the summer. Dont know how im gonna afford a car though with the crippling insurance prices, absolutely extortionate.
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@Matthew: ive done 2 hours worth of driving already, i booked my theory test for the 18th and i’ve been revising for it quite hard, but am going to revise harder, best advice i can give you right now is get the official DSA driving DVD, it covers everything, from the theory to hazard perception, to the practical, highway code just everything to do with learning to drive, i got it and its helped a lot.
What i found helps, is my years of playing gran turismo, i know it is a game, but i’ve grown to learn how to listen to engine sounds, etc and how they turn and all that, it takes a while to learn but once you get there its worth it
When it comes to buying your first car, think small, REALLY SMALL, do your pass plus it cuts your insurance down by a 1/3 last time i checked, it is £70 after you get your full licence and it cuts your insurance down by hundreds, so it is worth it
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Mr Muhozi, you live in croydon dont you, so you will probably be doing your theory test where i will end up doing mine. I dont know if i am thinking of the right place, but there is some place you can take your theory test next to the abbey bank i think in croydon, just next to the bus stop near the gamestation store. Dont know if you know where im talking about, but im pretty sure thats where it is, and i could have sworn you said u live in croydon so maybe this is the place.
I know what you mean though about these games helping. I have never driven b4, but thanks to playing hours of gta games, gran turismo games, and generally many driving games, i feel like i could just get in a car now and drive well, maybe im just being stupid though so i dont know. The only thing im afraid of is driving around roundabouts and the dreaded reverse parking, these freak me out.
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@Nick: Inter and Mourinho define the term “winning ugly”. Mourinho is kind of like US football legend Al Davis who also coined the phrase “Just win baby”. I could see Mourinho being happy with two 0-0 games and then winning by penalties. His patience for boredom is second to none, except maybe Rafa.
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@john freakin’ o’shea: I never wish an injury on anyone other than Drogba, Terry and Ashley Cole but this could be a real blessing for us if true. Maicon is their best player by leaps and bounds (Sorry IbrahimoBitch fans). Losing him would be a big blow for Inter. I’m also hoping AC Milan takes a lot out of them on Sunday. Go Becks!
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@Matthew: have you been stalking me, i live just near there, and that is exactly where i am doing my test,
Be careful not to get too over confident, as that is what will lead examiners to fail you, over confidence, they are looking for a good driver who values safety first, so unfortunately, driving on the pavement whilst running over chelsea and arsenal fans is off the list
I wish you luck to learning, my goal is to get my licence before my 18th birthday on june 21st
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Rooney getting owned by a kid!
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@Grognard: Barcelona are not unbeatable. And if there is one team capable of beating them, its United. I just dont hope we face Barca, because it may bring more trouble than we can hope for. But as you said, we will have enough trouble beating Inter! There is far too early to talk about beating Barca, when we are gonna play Italys best team in two weeks time. Im looking forward to that tie, as we will see two “Catenaccio” sides at their best.
No, I lok forward to playing Inter. Bet Fergie is loking forward to some fine Italian wine too. 
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Mr Muhozi, thanks for the tip mate about not being too over confident, its just that i physch myself up to be like that cos i would rather be over confident than being nervous and shaking if u get my drift.
Good luck on your test by the way, i need to hit the books and revise for whenever i set a date for my test.
Saying you live near the place, i guess you go croydon college, cos i go there mate. Small world huh.
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@Grognard: In response to your poetic ode to SAF, I would think that while Man Utd has certainly kept him fresh, I retiring shouldn’t accelerate his aging. There no doubt will be sideeffects of withdrawal and bouts nostalgia and occasionl depression, but his was a life richly lived and a career of unparalleled and inimitable success. Temperament and perspective as well as the process of transition play an important role in retiring. Given his unique experiences and his depth as a person, manager and icon he will replace whatever part of him dies from leaving the club by embracing the time he will finally get to spend with his family – particularly his wife. He recognizes that he needs to reward her sacrifice and loyalty because at the end of the day, she is more important (or at least should) than Manchester United.
Using Erik Erikson’s development model, Fergie will review his life accomplishments and deal with his loss with intergrity. He is secure in the knowledge that he was the veritable manager, a fascinating human being and as much an institution as the empire he helped restore and refine.
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@RedDevilEddy: I didn’t say they were unbeatable and I am the one who said that we should be more worried right now about Inter.
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@Roge: Managing a club like United and having such success for such a long time can only be a form of addiction which is never going to be easy to leave and walk away from. Regardless of all the other things he has to look forward to or that he has going for him, losing United will kill a little bit of him. A great job is like an injection of adrenaline. No rest and escape from it is ever going to give him the lift and that spark walking on to that OT pitch has given him. It’s in his blood and in his system.
I hope he handles retirement well, but I must be honest and say that I have serious doubts. God love him, he is the lifeblood of this team and all it’s supporters. When he retires I feel we will all feel like castaways on the tv series “Lost”.
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Grognard, it is very true what you are saying about ferguson. When he quits what the hell is he gonna do, the fact that he has stayed on so long with us, how is he just gonna walk away from it, god only knows. He will go from being like the don of the most powerful team in the world to quietly resting at home, doing nothing but relaxing. Now yes, thats nice and at his age and after what he has done for us he more than deserves it, but i dont know how he will ever cope or know what to do when he has left us. How it must feel to be at the same place, most hours of the day for longer than i have been alive must be amazing. Its like school, when i finished secondary school, i had been there for 5 years and i gotta say after getting into a habit of being there every day for those years, when i left i really missed the place and the people (weird to some maybe, its school afterall), so when fergie retires 20 plus years he is just gonna be with his head in a spin im guessing. I think he really is addicted to being a manager and he cannot imagine doing anything else but, maybe he says to himself he cannot carry on after next year, then he gets to that year and decides to stay on another year and so on. He just cannot quit, its like a drug to him.
Hopefully though he will continue for a number of years yet tho, cos it will be so weird not seeing him as manager, he has been in charge of them all my life, its like there can be no other man in charge. I dont want to think about it to be honest, but when the day comes it will be a sad day for all of us. He is an absolute legend.
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We should take some comfort in the fact that Mourinho’s Inter is considerably weaker than Mourinho’s Chelsea in their heyday. Sure he will get the tactics right but I think we are too strong for them over two legs. The tie is ours to lose……by making defensive slips or more likely failing to finish the chances we create.
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@Grognard: I know you hate Zlatan, but how can you honestly say Maicon is leaps and bounds. Where would Inter be this year with out Zlatan? I heard that he accounts for something like 60% of the their goals this season. That stat could be a complete fabrication(seeing how I didnt fact check at all) but everytime I see them play it seems he scores one or 2 goals and rescues them.
Regarding the special one, I think his record against Fergie is slightly misleading. the bulk of those wins came when chelsea were at the height of their powers and we were rebuilding. Too be honest I didnt watch the porto tie, so I cant speak on that one. But all this talk about Mourinho having Fergie’s number… I have my doubts.
Finally, I agree with you completely about Barca. nobody is unbeatable, even though they are very strong. I know you arent a big fan of the champions league, and I agree with you on some of your gripes about it. But the one thing I absolutely love about it, is that it shuts up rival fans for 180 minutes as the 2 sides battle it out in real life and not on forum boards around the world. Im sure we can debate for hours on who is the stronger team United or Inter, but thankfully we will know soon enough. Like my father always said when he was tired of debating with me and my brother “Well… we shall see”
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I must admit that I was bored to death of coming onto this blog during January and not seeing any new updates, so I committed the (unforgivable?) sin of completely abandoning Red Rants for the last 2-3 weeks….but I am real glad to see RR is back and posting regularly now!
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Fergie wants to win the Champions League this year. To win the Champions League two years running would really cement his reputation and that of this particular crop of players and Ferguson would be able to retire a happy man knowing that he finally achieved the sort of domination in Europe that was lacking for much of his management. He can prove that last year wasn’t a fluke and he can leave secure in the knowledge that he made United into the best team in the entire world.
Fergie is only just starting to understand what it takes to win the Champions League. 1999 was a bit of a fluke. But 2008 was the result of a calculated defensive approach combined with faith in the qualities of the triumvirate of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez to score the goals.
I cannot imagine him wanting to retire so long as he is physically and mentally fit simply because I think he has a hunger for more European Cups.
Of course what would help his longevity the most would be an assistant manager he trusts implicitly which would free Fergie to be a bit less hands-on and have more time to spend with his family, while retaining executive control and make the decisions on matchday. Sadly Phelan doesn’t strike me as that guy.
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