Ryan Giggs marked his 900th appearance for Manchester United by scoring an injury-time winner against Norwich on Sunday to give his side a 2-1 win.
Paul Scholes had given the Premier League champions the lead inside seven minutes, but a Grant Holt effort with six minutes remaining looked to have salvaged a point for the Canaries; however Giggs had other ideas and scored in the first minute of stoppage time.
Sir Alex Ferguson was not especially happy with his team’s efforts at Carrow Road, but heralded the achievements of his veteran midfielder.
“It could prove to be very special, but for Ryan to score the winning goal with the last kick of the ball on his 900th game, well, he probably deserves that for the career he’s had,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.
“But I have to say we were lucky today in the sense that although we made a host of chances, Danny Welbeck could have scored four. I thought Norwich were the better team.
“In that first half, they put 12 crosses into the box and if it wasn’t for (Rio) Ferdinand, (Jonny) Evans and David de Gea, we wouldn’t have survived it,” he admitted.
Giggs meanwhile was delighted with grabbing the winner, which he hopes will help The Red Devils in their title ambitions.
“Yeah, it was obviously special and Norwich made it a tough game for us and they played really well. To score late on is always nice and to get the winner is a bonus,” he concluded.
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Following on from the ‘Most Hated XI’ is another team but this time made up of some of our favourite cult heroes.
The first question is ‘what is a cult hero?’ Well for starters, here’s what it isn’t- a truly great player that’s admired by everyone both inside and outside his club. Someone like Eric Cantona could never be a ‘cult hero’ because all United fans love him while fans from other clubs may at least have a grudging respect- I stress the word ‘may’ and obviously Crystal Palace fans are not among them.
No, a cult hero is the sort of player that not all fans love but the ones who do, adore with a passion. They’re the players that many of the opposition fans hate, or the strikers who’ve turned out for you team and scored one goal in twenty games which happens to be a winner against your arch-rivals. They’re sometimes the comical figures that we love to hate, the panto villain types that a core of us actually admire.
Then there’s that other type of cult hero, the genuine, decent talented player that for some reason never gets the respect of admiration of the mainstream media, so its left up to us fans to let the world know just how great they are. Cult heroes more often than not play the game we imagine the way we would for our club- what they lack in skill they make up for in effort, never giving up and always leaving the pitch having given 100%.
Most of these players may only play a handful of games for your club, others may be there for their for slightly longer, but they will always be admired for making supporting our team that little bit better. All of the players have played in the Premier League but some made their ‘cult hero’ status assured in Division One.
Click on Julian Dicks below to see the Premier League’s ‘Cult Hero XI’
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1. Just when you think you’re out..They pull you back in. – Driving reflectively away from Wembley (if you can drive reflectively) listening to Alan Green masterfully squeeze in another shot at David Beckham whilst debating a completely unrelated point about Montenegrin weather cycles, the overwhelming feeling of “here we go again” stuck prominently in our collective minds. Oh England. England England England. What are we going to do with you ey? What had seemed like a semi-exciting semi-revival a few months ago – with impressive victories against Bulgaria and most notably Spanish conquerors Switzerland – transpired to be merely a blip in the otherwise steady dribble of mediocrity that is the England national football team.
2. The Vanishing – It had all started fairly ominously for team England, with little or no traffic hold ups anywhere up the A406. And as sure as night follows day, thunder follows lightening and Danielle Lloyd follows the Tottenham team bus, the third successive low Wembley attendance followed this North Circular exodus. A healthy sounding Old Trafford like 73,000 witnessed this moribund spectacle and whilst that doesn’t sound too bad out of context, the fact that the most heavily supported country in world football, a country who can muster forces up to 100,000 to travel mostly ticketless to other parts of the globe biennially, and who have sold out their national stadium’s 90,000 capacity allocation for games against such titans as Andorra and Macedonia, can leave over 16,000 seats empty for three consecutive games, only two of which surpassed the attendance for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final, and even then only barely, is a sad one. Stock in England is down, way down after South Africa, and nights like this aren’t doing much to help.
3. Embarrassing Bodies – After entering the fray to what sounded like the theme from Big Brother, the teams lined up for the national anthems with Montenegro facing away from the Royal box, cameras et all and towards their own fans. This was presumably some stirringly patriotic gesture but could just as easily have been seen as a deep embarrassment at being seen standing anywhere near the England team. And who would blame them really?
4. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left – Once Steven Gerrard had done playing quarter back for 10 minutes and realized he probably would have to do some running in this one, England settled in to a hypnotically repetitive rhythm which consisted mostly of Gareth Barry losing the ball, Gerrard winning it back again before hitting a hopeful long ball out to Johnson and/or Young, who were then expected to do practically everything penetrative on their own whilst Wayne Rooney complained about something somewhere on the pitch 20 yards behind where he should’ve been. Peter Crouch missed his customary easy header because he’s rubbish at heading the ball despite being the size of a tree, and the half ended to the now mandatory chorus of boos and crocodile shoe steps as the Club Wembley brigade hurried back inside to see if their complimentary cheese platters had arrived yet.
5. Always look on the…. – In the second half things perked up a bit and were it not for the alarmingly continuous poor form of Wayne Rooney combined with the impressive panther like reflexes of the Montenegrin keeper, England could have been relatively comfortable by the end. For all the miserableness, we did at least create chances, unlike say, against Algeria, where we were so inept a bird could sit quite happily on the opposition netting without so much as a hint of disturbance. And hey, we held the group leaders. Result!
Continued on Page TWO
6. Degrees of Kevin’s Bacon – After 20 minutes of realizing the tactic of having someone tall up front wasn’t working, Fabio decided to switch things up by replacing him with a bruising if ineffectual center forward to foul people then complain about it but offer little else, presumably forgetting – as everyone else had – that Wayne Rooney was already on the pitch.
7. In out, in out shake it all about – I’m not entirely sure what Shaun Wright Phillips keeps doing to earn his caps, but his introduction did at least inspire a brief injection of urgency, and the opportunity for the Montenegrin right back to add some variety to his game by fouling someone else for a while. Why he needed to come on on the left however, whilst the left footed Adam Johnson was busying himself fervently on the right, unpredictably cutting inside as often as he could, I’ve no idea. But then I’ve no idea how Barry stayed on the pitch either. Or how we got to this point in the first place. Can someone wake me up when it’s over please?
8. Hooof, there it is! – And so as the game petered out uninspiringly, England resorted to that good old tried and tested method of kicking it long up to the big man, forgetting of course that the big man had already been taken off. It was depressing. More so than the rather sad and predictable booing that now accompanies any sub standard performance or unlikable Chelsea player (or Chelsea player, as they’re more commonly known) these days. This is all we have isn’t it? This is us? Despite all the money, all the fame, all the world wide adulation and million pound contracts this is still all we have in our locker when confronted with stubborn opposition. Whack it up field innit John. Hooof! Just like Spain did when confronted with line of upon line of heavy-handed Dutch opposition for 115 minutes. Oh wait no, that’s not what happened is it?
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9. Who are ya?. – Credit must of course go to Montenegro. They came with a game plan and carried it out. They’re not top of the group for nothing. They were a bit cynical at times but then they have 56 million fewer people than us. Bettering us would’ve been shatteringly embarrassing. They held their shape and almost nicked it at the end with a terrifying dipping volley. Their fans also did their very best to rival our own Geordies in shirtless shouting, and made an impressive amount of noise for their numbers. Especially since most of them probably had to get back pretty early to make sure all the shops were open.
10. On Englands green and pleasant pitch – On a final, rather wistful and unrelated note, I think it’s about time we replaced our national anthem. Unbeknownst to many in fact, it isn’t even our national anthem. It’s the anthem of Britain, and one Scotland, Ireland and Wales can (but obviously choose not to) sing. Instead they have their own individual separate nation anthems to add to this unneeded Great British one. We are the only ones who don’t. And since we’ve started singing Jerusalem in this months Commonwealth games (a far superior song in both words and melody, if equally packed with bizarre religious rhetoric) it’s about time we stop this cringe worthy paean to monarchy, empire and slavery and adopt something a little more resonant and relevant in modern England. May I suggest It’s Chico Time perhaps?
You can follow Oscar on Twitter here; http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary Where you can help him debate the relative qualities of Jaffa Cakes, Eggs and Crack. Which is better?
It promises to be a real ‘Super Sunday’ as four of the top five, face-off in Sky’s double bill. It is revenge time for the North London duo, who were both on the end of a trouncing the last time they played their Manchester rivals.
While both Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini have been quick to play down their results from earlier in the season and expect a lot tougher contest this time around, Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger have gone on the defensive, with Redknapp suggesting how tough Spurs have it against the millions of City, while Arsene Wenger believes that referees penalise Arsenal more than any other club in the country.
Arsene Wenger believes it will be a total disaster if Arsenal doesn’t finish in the top four this season. The Frenchman says anything less than Champions League football won’t be enough for the Gunners and it will be a major setback if they don’t qualify – Guardian
Kenny Dalglish has spoken up for Stewart Downing, who has come in for some unwanted stick from sections of the Liverpool faithful. The Scot believes that Stewart Downing has been a fantastic signing and suggests that his decision to play the winger in a variety of positions, rather than his natural left side, hasn’t made it easy for him to settle at Anfield – Guardian
David Moyes admits that he wanted the Everton reserve team to compete in the Conference. The Toffees’ boss believes the competitive nature would have made his second string better and aided the development of his younger players – Guardian
Joey Barton has stuck the boot into Neil Warnock following his sacking from Queens Park Rangers. The controversial midfielder said that Warnock should look closer to home for the reasons why he was axed as manager, rather than blaming anyone else – Daily Telegraph
Gary Cahill has reiterated that the reasons behind the delays to his move to Chelsea had nothing to do with money. Cahill claimed that if it was simply down to a bigger financial package then he could have sat tight at Bolton until the summer – Daily Telegraph
Harry Redknapp and Roberto Mancini got involved in some verbal sparring ahead of tomorrow’s game at the Etihad Stadium. Redknapp believes that life must be easy when you have a bottomless pit of money to spend on players and wages. Mancini responded by saying that if Spurs are short of a few quid then he’ll happily lend them some on Sunday – Independent
Andre Villas-Boas has reported launched a £20m bid for Shakhtar’s Brazilian midfielder Willian to bolster his ranks – Daily Mail
Tottenham are refusing to sell Niko Kranjcar in the January transfer window, as Redknapp sees the Croatian as a key part of his squad for the season ahead – Mirror
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Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Milos Krasic from Juventus. The Serb isn’t wanted by Conte, who would welcome the extra funds to help rebuild the Juve squad – Mirror
Blackpool could be facing D-Day when they host bottom-placed Wigan Athletic in a relegation scrap at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.The Seasiders have so far led a charmed life in the English Premier League and managed to stay afloat despite all expectations to the contrary, but there is no longer any denying just how dire their season has become.
With six games to go, 17th-placed Blackpool are one point off the relegation zone and two points from Wigan.
Moreover, the Tangerines are in the worst form of any team in the top-flight, taking just one point from their past five matches and losing 12 of 15 in 2011.
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has publicly stated that he believes 39 points – six more – will keep the minnow side in the Premier League.
If his troops are to keep their necks above the crowded relegation scrap, where four points separates the bottom six teams, they simply must defeat Wigan.
But injuries are biting at the wrong time for Blackpool. David Carney’s season is over after the Australia international relented to shoulder surgery, while midfielder David Vaughan is in doubt with a hip injury.
Vaughan missed Blackpool’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, a defeat that highlighted the main flaws in the Seasiders’ game – they are too slow at the back and haemorrhage goals; a league-worst 66 to be precise.
Wigan, Newcastle United, Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers all have to visit Bloomfield Road before the season is out, a factor alone that should be enough to secure Blackpool’s survival.
But they are the only club in the top-flight to take more points on their travels than at home, where they struggle and have yet to maintain a clean sheet.
All of that bodes well for Wigan, who can leap out of the drop zone and condemn Blackpool to its borders with victory, but the Latics have eked out just two goals in their past five games and could struggle to score.
That is where Wigan midfielder Tom Cleverley could be the spark manager Roberto Martinez needs.
The on-loan Manchester United starlet may not have the pace to expose Blackpool’s back four but works hard and has an eye for goal.
For Blackpool, striker DJ Campbell will be lurking hungrily near the goalmouth after failing to find the net against Arsenal – his first game back from a three-game suspension.
For those people whose weekend revolves around the Premier League and whether it will bring adulation or dejection, a mistake from a referee doesn’t often hold the validity they seek for their disappointment. Question marks as to how he didn’t see it coupled with numerous expletives to describe the men in black are far more common than the acknowledgment he is only human and everyone makes mistakes.
But perhaps what is most frustrating for fans is the absence of an apology in the wake of injustice. After all, players who cost their team the game with an individual error or mangers that choose the wrong team or tactics are sometimes forced into a frank admission of their wrong-doings, so why should it be any different for referees?
Everton manager David Moyes recently expressed his wish for referees to become more accountable for mistakes after he was fined £8,000 as a direct result of his bad-tempered reaction to Martin Atkinson’s strangely time full time whistle. He said:
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have run on the pitch. One of the things the referees have asked for is respect. They all wear a logo on their sleeves, the clubs do as well.
“But if they want that from the managers they have to earn it. You have to get that respect by picking up the phone and apologising at the right moments and if you do that then you start to gain respect.”
He certainly has a point. If referees were made to explain certain decisions in games then it would offer a brief reprieve from the immediate disappointment of seeing a game turned on its head due to poor officiating or wondering what might have been if their side had been awarded a cast iron penalty.
Perhaps referees should hold their own press conferences after matches like managers and certain players do after games instead of hiding behind the Football Association’s fines for anyone who dares to speak out against the officials. For this is simply a naïve denial of the call to apply common sense.
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Moyes’ frustration should not have been aired in the manner it was last week at Goodison, something which he himself has admitted since, but he did so with good reason. Everton had scored twice in injury time, so two extra 30 seconds should have been added to the three minutes signalled. Instead Atkinson blew during an incisive Everton break-away which could easily have resulted in a goal.
Unfortunately, his calls are likely to fall on deaf ears over protection of referees by the Football Association through their “Respect” campaign will continue when instead they should be addressing the fact referees are not answerable enough to their errors in arguably the world’s best league.
QPR manager Neil Warnock has stated that Joey Barton’s sending off against Norwich was ridiculous, as The Canaries beat their newly promoted opponents 2-1 at Loftus Road on Monday.
Barton had given the hosts the lead after 11 minutes before being dismissed just after the half hour mark; Anthony Pilkington and Steve Morison goals secured the win for the visitors.
Barton was sent off for head-butting Bradley Johnson, and Warnock was furious with the decision after the game.
“The referee didn’t see it at all. It’s the linesman that’s informed him he saw Joey Barton headbutt Bradley Johnson, which is ridiculous really,” Warnock told Sky Sports.
“I think he’s guessed it because of Johnson’s reaction of flinging his head back. You say cheats don’t prosper but I think he has done in this case, Johnson.
“Then to rub it in by (acting) as if his face has been hurt. But he’s conned him and unfortunately the man that’s important, the linesman, has fallen for it hook, line and sinker. I think he got carried away by the occasion.
“It’s disappointing, very disappointing. Because I thought we’d started to do well,” he stated.
Meanwhile Barton has stated that he feels that the officials were conned into making a decision due to Johnson’s reaction.
“Well I feel for the officials, they’ve been conned. Admitted to me at half-time they never saw it. I was pulled back 1st, then kicked 2nd,” he stated on Twitter.
“The linesman definitely never saw it, all he seen was Johnson’s reaction. My head doesn’t move forward at all. Ridiculous decision, seen 25 replays,” he concluded.
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Norwich are up to 9th place with the win, whilst QPR are down in 17th and looking like relegation candidates.
It is crazy to believe that this is even being debated, but such has been the dip in form of Manchester United’s left-back Patrice Evra that he has become somewhat of a liability in the United defence. Two years ago, in both the Premier League and the Champions League, Patrice Evra was thought of as Manchester United’s most consistent player. Clearly the player has not lost any ability, but there has been a change in his mentality. Is his mentality right to lead Manchester United into a Champions League semi final and two crucil games against Arsenal and Chelsea?
The Champions League semi final second leg against Chelsea was a game in which Manchester United were comfortable, even with the second half introduction of Didier Drogba. Patrice Evra found himself out of position on so many occasions, Drogba was able to roll of the full back very easily, something that led to Chelsea’s goal at Old Trafford. Last season in the Champions League quarter final first leg, Evra was found wanting against Bayern Munich. Against lesser opposition in a less important fixture you can sometimes excuse such sloppiness, however these are big games. Manchester United need their back four to be switched on in these high pressure games – is Evra letting the side down?
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It is an argument that seems a little flawed. Patrice Evra is still one of the best full backs going forward. He is constantly bombing up and down the line, looking to drive Manchester United forward, and that part of his game hasn’t changed too much over the years. However, unlike Ashley Cole, it seems as though Patrice Evra has lost a certain amount of confidence in the defensive third. Very rarely would you see Evra diving in at wingers, but nowadays it is the norm. A fair excuse for his dip in form would be what happened at the World Cup and his subsequent suspension from the France national team. His mind at the start of the season could have been all over the place, something Sir Alex Ferguson must have been wary of. However, he has got himself back into the France team and you would feel whatever happened at the World Cup is now behind him.
Manchester United do not have a player that could replace Evra, and there are few players in Europe that are considered better than him. I am not for one minute arguing that Manchester United should sell the full back, merely that a bit of competition may bring Evra back to the level he set himself. There is no doubt that he his standards have dropped this season and he must improve. Manchester United are not carrying Evra yet, but in a consistent back four he is looking ragged as we approach the end of the season. As it stands he is still at a level where he is a first choice player. However, if he continues to perform like he did against Chelsea and at the weekend against Manchester City, a player that is now 30 may not be considered as indispensable as he once was.
Read more of Tom’s articles at ThisIsFutbol.com
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So England won on Friday night, let me remind you; England-one-Germany-four.
Is it just me or does a win over a third-rate side, on home soil, not even begin to detract from the utter humiliation received this summer. Having said that, last night’s display was a far cry from the shambles of South Africa, with the likes of Joe Hart, Adam Johnson, and Theo Walcott bringing a new lease of life to the England team – enthusiasm, energy and purpose that we didn’t see this summer.
It goes unsaid that he got in wrong in South Africa and we can reminisce about the lows of the 2010 World Cup for the next 50 years, but what’s the point. We need to look forward and perhaps, just maybe, after last night’s performance our national side is beginning to do just that.
In Capello we trust. He promised us a massive shake up of the team and it seems he has delivered. However, had it not been for injuries I have no doubt in my mind the likes of Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill would have been replaced with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. In hindsight, the injuries to Ferdinand, Terry and Lampard were a blessing in disguise.
For me it’s no coincidence that England appeared to play better without Terry and Lampard, Phil Jagielka and Matt Dawson looked solid at the back and Lampard went unmissed in an otherwise perfect midfield. It still defies logic why Capello persists with a 4-4-2 formation, when 4-3-3 would appear to suit England far better. Walcott, who I thought played well, was left to fend for himself in wider areas, he looked lost at times a far car from the player who tore apart Blackpool on the opening day of the season. Wayne Rooney was forced far too deep.
Despite scoring early England never really took hold of the game during the first half and I saw very little to suggest the team has moved on. That was until the pressure of the task was lifted by a second goal. With a slender cushion England got the ball down and an Arsenal-esque style of football rang round Wembley – free flowing possession play and counter attacking displays that would punish the World’s best.
Amidst the negatives of Capello’s previous selection nightmares Defoe looked sharp and his turn of foot upfront is what England have been lacking for years. Reversing his usual chances-to-goals ratio, and then some. At last he showed the form they sometimes see at Spurs. Joe Hart proved why he is the man for the number one jersey, two brilliant saves kept England in the game and allowed Capello some breathing space; he just seems to ooze composure. At the back we looked professional, obvious signs of communication between the back four, unlike before, and how reassuring it was to have one fast and one very fast central defender. As for Milner and Johnson are these the wingers we have been longing for? Pace, skill and an ability to pick a pass and not to mention net a goal or two. Last night was a good indication of the direction England can move in, it may just be unfortunate that the man pushing them is Mr Capello.
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Despite the poor opposition and the changes that were made through injuries as opposed to choice England looked relatively convincing. Whether or not Capello has restored his faith remains to be seen as it’s going to take much more than that for me to fully believe in our potential. I’m happy to sit on the fence on this debate, at least until Tuesday. I have this passion for England that doesn’t allow me to comprehend that our national side is doomed.
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Now it is not often you will see me do this, but I am about to praise Barcelona. Dad if you’re reading this, don’t panic I have not got a gun to my head, I am genuinely impressed by something they have done.
What is this thing I hear you cry – well Barcelona now include buy back clauses in the sales of their young players – Romeu being the latest one to have such a clause. This will give them at the very least the option to have first refusal on the player should Chelsea wish to sell him, and at a very reasonable price too. It is also claimed by Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona have the option to buy the player back not only this summer, but also in the summer of 2013 – without Chelsea’s consent and even worse, for a pre-arranged fee– contrary to what AVB claimed. Mind you, this is the man who does not judge strikers on the amount of goals they score, but all in all, some pretty savvy business from the Catalans and Rosell.
Well to be fair, after the humiliation of having to pay huge sums of money, not to mention courting both Pique and Cesc for months before convincing them to return ‘home’ it is about time the club started protecting its unbelievably talented La Masia players.
Now the idea is to let them progress through the ranks, then sell them to another club for a couple of years, allow them first team experience and see if they do develop into the level of player required at the Catalan giants, and then sweep in and take them from under the unsuspecting club who have placed them in their first team and allowed them to grow as a player. If anyone else did this, God only knows how the media and clubs would react, but been as though Barca are ‘more than a club’ I am sure everyone will see this as almost a community service, allowing the player to return home to the Camp Nou.
Even I am willing to admit, this is a masterstroke by the club, and one that other clubs will surely admire – perhaps not Chelsea – and implement in their own transfers of young players, for no other reason than to keep hold or at least have the option of doing so on their young players.
It is difficult to see if a player that looks good at youth level will react and improve when put into a first team, and sometimes they need time to bed in, and this is something that clubs like United and Real Madrid cannot afford to give. Should the club not wish to send the player out on loan, they could use this strategy of a buy back clause at a pre-arranged and lets fact it nominal fee.
It could also encourage clubs who are on the fence over selling a player to go through with it, on the understanding that they have at the very least the first option to get the player back. Not only this, but it can persuade a player to move from what they consider their home with the knowledge that they can return one day – Romeu has stated that although he is grateful to Chelsea for providing him with the opportunity to play first team football at such a top club, he sees Barcelona as his home and one day wishes to return there. How soon that is remains to be seen, but given the impact he has made at Chelsea so far, they will be hoping it is later rather than sooner!
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