Red Rants |
- Meet the real (former) United manager
- Rio: “Don’t write us off yet”
- Will United turn to Everton?
- The miner who survived Munich and silenced the Bernabeu
| Meet the real (former) United manager Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:15 AM PST
Phelan, who departed the club in the wake of David Moyes’ arrival at Old Trafford, said that while Sir Alex Ferguson remained the public face of the club, much of the work behind the scenes and on the training ground was delegate to his coaching staff, including Phelan.
The former United player has been unemployed since leaving Old Trafford in the summer, and explained how big a role the coaching staff played throughout the Fergie’s era, something Phelan believes Sir Alex Ferguson will have no problem admitting. “With the way things have gone, my first thoughts are to be a boss. “That’s what I’ve been doing for the last five years, albeit with the title of assistant boss. “He [Ferguson] was the head of the establishment, there’s no doubt about it and rightly so. He didn’t get to where he’s got through not being a big decision maker, but he’ll be the first to admit that a lot of people played their part in that. “We all were undercover in that respect. We weren’t the face of what was going on, but that was our job. “You were decision making so I’m more than capable of handling that.” |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:40 AM PST
United’s 2-2 draw at Cardiff on Sunday, saw the Reds conceding a late equaliser for the second time this season and have seen David Moyes’ men drop to sixth, seven points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
United have won only the 50% of their 12 opening games, drawing three and losing three, a sharp contrast to last season’s form, which saw the Reds winning 28 times on their way to the title, with only five draws and five defeats. Ferdinand, however, is well aware that other clubs will write United off at their peril. “Nothing is given out now so it doesn’t matter what the table looks like now,’ said the 35-year-old. “As long as you are within touching distance we will continue picking up points, build up momentum, and hopefully push our way up the table. “We aimed to win against Cardiff, that’s what we set out to do at the start of the day. It’s disappointing we didn’t but at the same time there will be big clubs that come here and drop points so looking back maybe at the end of the season we might see this as a point gained rather than two points dropped.” Things don’t get any easier for United either, with the Reds traveling to Leverkusen today ahead of what could be a crucial Champions League clash, before turning their attention to a trip to White Hart Lane next Sunday. “We want to get it done early [qualify for the knockout stages] so that we can get back into the Premier League and have nothing else distracting us. It would be nice if we could get it finished over there,” said Rio. “They [Leverkusen] are a good team, a well-equipped team. I think it will be a tougher game at their place. It is not going to be easy but we are more than capable.” |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:09 AM PST
Instead, United are said to be considering a January move for Brazilian striker Everton Ribeiro, whose name alone is granted to generate widespread irony given the circumstances that have surrounded Moyes and United since the Scotsman replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old has impressed in his first season for Cruzeiro, scoring five times and assisting eight goals and has publicly spoken of dreaming to move to Manchester United in an interview with a Brazilian TV, which has today been reported by some newspapers on British shores. “I will continue doing my job here at Cruzeiro but plan on getting to a big club, it’s a dream I’ve had since I was young, I’ve always liked Manchester United,” the Cruzeiro striker told Brazilian Sportv. Having scored 43 times throughout various spells with Corinthians, Sao Caetano and Coritiba, the former Brazil U20 international was one of Cruzeiro’s best players as they secured the league title this season and his performances have attracted interest from a host of European clubs, including Liverpool, with Brendan Rodgers seemingly not worried by the Brazilian’s name. With the Brazilian season coming to an end, Cruzeiro could be willing to part ways with their man for a fee believed to be around £6.7m, even though Ribeiro is yet to formally ask for a transfer. “I haven’t talked with my agent yet,” continued Ribeiro. “I asked him to talk only with Cruzeiro and let me focus here as I still have one more game to play and I want to end this league well.” However, talented though Ribeiro might be, there are a couple of factors to consider. First and foremost, if United are willing to spend in January, the striking department is the last Moyes should invest in, with bigger and more serious problems in other areas to the pitch waiting to be addressed. Secondly, with the exception of Rafael, United have an astonishing poor record with Brazilian players, whether signed from Brazil – Kleberson – or from other European clubs – Anderson – and spending around £7m on a largely unproven player could represent a huge gamble, one that United can’t afford in their position. Ribeiro might well turn out to be a quality player, but just imagine the fans’ reaction were Moyes to sign a player called Everton. Perish the thought. Dan |
| The miner who survived Munich and silenced the Bernabeu Posted: 25 Nov 2013 08:43 AM PST
Eight years ago today, Reds and non across the globe mourned the passing of George Best, one of the greatest players to have ever lived and arguably the symbol of a generation and a figure still idolised by United fans. Today, Manchester United Football Club (for the man himself lived throughout an era when teams were essentially just that, football clubs) lost a man who, despite being the polar opposite of Best, reached a status every bit as legendary as the Belfast boy.
While Best epitomised United’s panache and flair, Bill Foulkes embodied the spirit of the club through sheer determination, unreserved dedication and total commitment to the cause and to that red shirt which he proudly wore 688 times, the club’s fourth-most capped player, during a career that spanned over 18 seasons. Younger fans like myself marvel at Ryan Giggs’ phenomenal record for the club but, put in perspective, Foulkes’ achievements are nothing short of spectacular, particularly considering the circumstances that surrounded the St.Helens-born defender throughout his career. Perhaps, as he lifted United’s first European Cup to the Wembley sky in 1968, Bill casted his memory back to the summer of 1951 when, having been offered a contract by the club, he opted to remain on the book as part-timer, as he harboured doubts on whether he would make it as professional footballer and did not want to give up his job as a miner. In that bygone era where the winter skies were as dark as the coal Foulkes loaded into the trucks and onto the rails, the taciturn defender would spend five days in the pits, and only train two nights a week before turning out for United on weekends until he made his debut at Anfield in December 1952. The circumstances that surrounded Foulkes’ debut epitomised the man’s attitude and willpower, for he refused to let a sore ankle stand in the way of his first senior appearance and impressed Sir Matt Busby, even though his ankle gave way and he was forced to miss the rest of the campaign. The 1953-54 season proved to be Foulkes’ breakthrough season, as the right-back established himself as a pillar of Sir Matt’s exciting young squad and went on to win his first England cap, taking the pitch in Belfast only hours after having completed his shift in the mine, a job he would eventually give up thanks, in so small part, to Busby’s insistence. The euphoria that had surrounded the Busby Babes since their back-to-back league titles in the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons was tragically cut short on a bitter February afternoon in Munich, as the finest team of a generation – and probably of many generations – was decimated. Surrounded by dying teammates and hellish scenes, Foulkes, much like Sir Bobby Charlton, survived the crash and was miraculously unscathed, the only tangible damage being a ruined deck of cards. Foulkes would often tell how, having just put the cards in his chest pocket, he dragged himself away from the wrecked plane and noticed that the top of the cards that emerged from his pocket had been sliced off. As United rose again from the ashes of Munich, Foulkes represented the club’s phoenix, captaining an incredibly young side less than two weeks after the crash in a 3-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday and then, some 10 years later, scoring the most important goal of his career and arguably one of the most important in the club’s history – certainly the most crucial at the time. With the score 3-3 on aggregate and United 3-2 down on the night, Foulkes surged through the pitch to meet George Best’s cross and silence the 125,000 that had packed the Santiago Bernabeu hoping to see Real Madrid secure a place in the final, but were denied by Sir Matt’s men, on a mission to finally banish the demons that had afflicted their manager for over a decade. As it was the case with Busby and Charlton, Wembley represented the highest moment of Foulkes’ career at the club, a momentous triumph ten years after the club’s darkest hour, and one in which he played a pivotal role, as he nullified Benfica’s attacking threat, before becoming the first English captain to lift the European Cup.
Bill Foulkes wasn’t a star but if United are what they’re now, they owe a great deal to men like their former captain who has now joined his former teammates and manager up there in the skies. We don’t know whether football is played in Heaven, but if it is, it’s definitely football taught by Matt Busby and his lads. |
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