Saturday, 7 December 2013

Forgotten man Gillespie cant understand Class of 92 snub

Forgotten man Gillespie cant understand Class of 92 snub

Forgotten man Gillespie cant understand Class of 92 snub

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 07:51 AM PST

The premiere brought together former Red Devils Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Phil and Gary Neville as well as Ryan Giggs, still going strong at 40, to the red carpet last weekend. The documentary charts the remarkable emergence of talent at Manchester United in the early 1990s, and in addition to the big names, lesser-known products of that academy side such as Andy Noone featured in filming earlier this year. There were some notable absentee, however, including Ben Thornley and former Northern Ireland international Keith Gillespie. The Larne-born winger made nine Premier League appearances for United between 1993 and 1995, and was a key component in Andy Cole's move from Newcastle to Old Trafford as he headed in the opposite direction. Yet film bigwigs claimed they couldn't track down the former winger for an invite, despite the fact he is currently promoting his autobiography. "I saw something in the newspapers this week with the film producers saying they couldn't get hold of me," Gillespie, who joked on his Twitter account that he wished the Inland Revenue had such difficulties, toldFourFourTwo. "I can't really understand how it's so hard to get hold of someone in this day and age, what with Twitter and the like. It's just one of those things. "It was a privilege to have been part of that team. The fact we are being talked about over 20 years on speaks volumes for the players and what the club went on to achieve with them. Being a part of that team is something I'll always carry with me." The lost boys But while Beckham, Giggs, Butt, Scholes and the Nevilles looked as close at the premiere as they had during their time in the same team, Gillespie admits to having lost contact with many of his former graduates. "It's natural to lose contact with former team-mates, but I still see some of them now and again," he says. "I bumped into Nicky Butt at a testimonial recently and I have a bit of interaction with Gary Neville on Twitter. Ben Thornley from that side is also someone I speak to from time to time. We're obviously talking about people I knew over 20 years ago, and I guess I moved on to pastures new at a relatively early age." Gillespie is not alone. There were those in the Class of '92 who were 'lost'; winger Raphael Burke is now an academy coach at Bristol City while Lenny Taylor, a sub in the first leg of the 1992 FA Youth Cup final against Crystal Palace, plies his trade as an electrical labourer. Former striker Colin Telford is Head of Education at the Ireland Football Coaches' Association and the aforementioned Noone is an environmental consultant. Had it not been for varying circumstances, Gillespie believes a number of those forgotten men could have enjoyed the glittering top-flight careers achieved by Becks et al. "I think Ben Thornley would have gone on to be a top, top player if it hadn't been for his injury problems," he says. "He was very unfortunate and got a bad knee ligament injury that he never really recovered from. Chris Casper is another player that suffered a bad injury and retired in his early 20s. I think he'd have become a top defender. He was always a key component in our youth side." On leaving Manchester United, Gillespie joined Kevin Keegan's 'entertainers' at Newcastle, via a loan spell at Wigan Athletic. He played 113 times for the Magpies between 1995 and 1998, scoring 11 goals in the process. In moving to St James' Park he was part of a then-British record transfer deal – £6m plus Gillespie going to the North East in return for Cole's signature at Old Trafford. Gillespie has been unfairly labelled as a makeweight for his part in the Cole deal. But that doesn't do justice to a fine midfielder, who made 401 league appearances in England, and also played for the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Wigan (in two loan spells), Leicester, Sheffield United, Charlton (loan), Bradford and Darlington. His 86 caps for Northern Ireland put him sixth on the all-time appearance list for his country. He only hung up his boots a few months ago, too, playing in the League of Ireland for Longford Town. He also turned out for Belfast side Glentoran between 2009 and 2010. "It was a part-exchange, but I had the final say in the deal for sure," recalls Gillespie, reflecting on his transfer to the Magpies. "If I'd turned the deal down, then Andy Cole wouldn't have moved to Manchester United. I was the deciding factor in the deal really, even though people always saw me as a makeweight. "There was no pressure put on me to leave Old Trafford it has to be said. I was a month short of my 20th birthday and I felt Newcastle could offer me the regular first-team football that I wanted. By that age you want to be playing as regularly asyou can in the top division. I wasn't doing that at United and Kevin Keegan gave me that chance. "I left Manchester United with a heavy heart because I'd grown up as a United fan and had great affection for the club. But as soon as I signed for Newcastle, I was totally committed there. It's not really good to look back too much as a footballer. I had fond memories of my entire time at Manchester United but Newcastle was a new challenge. It was a great team Kevin Keegan had put together, playing great football and we came so close to winning the league. I have no regrets whatsoever leaving United." Here and now The two clubs involved in that transfer go head-to-head at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime, with both smarting from midweek defeats. Newcastle lost 3-0 away at Swansea City, while United suffered a shock 1-0 home reverse to Everton. "Until Wednesday, Newcastle had been on a great run," says Gillespie. "Since the derby loss to Sunderland there has been a real upturn in their fortunes and they are playing some good stuff. They've put together a run of four wins recently, including two really notable wins over Chelsea and Tottenham. The supporters up there are absolutely magnificent and I'm really pleased to see them doing well. I hope they can keep it going. "Manchester United? I think the best is yet to come from them, that goes without saying. They've started slower than they usually would do, but you're starting to see signs that they are improving a lot. Certainly at Leverkusen they were very good and a point at Tottenham is credible too because not many teams will go there and win. They are a team always capable of going on a run when they win six or seven games on the bounce and they'll be there or thereabouts come the end of the season for sure. "Wayne Rooney has been outstanding," he continues. "There was some speculation about him leaving earlier in the year, but that's all been put to one side. He's been their player of the season without any doubt. You know what you get from Rooney. He's a world class player and he has shown that all season." Gillespie himself has been in top form lately, dealing with countless media interviews as he continues to promote his excellent autobiography How Not to be a Football Millionaire, and still managing do so with warmth and enthusiasm. A "warts and all" story, as he describes it, the book talks candidly about his problems with a gambling addiction, a false rape allegation made against him and team-mates on a pre-season trip with Leicester, and being declared bankrupt in 2010. "I started to put the book together in March 2011," says Gillespie. "I worked together with a ghost writer from Dublin (Daniel McDonnell) over a two-year period, getting everything written down. Some phases of it were quite tedious, others quite therapeutic. I wanted credibility and I think I've got that because the book is so open and honest. I wanted to cover the whole story and not leave anything untold, as tough as some things might have been to talk about." How Not to be a Football Millionaire by Keith Gillespie is available in bookshops and online via Amazon.

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Moyes coy on Van Persie return against Toon

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 07:14 AM PST

Netherlands striker Van Persie has missed his side's last four games because of injuries to his groin and toe. Moyes' men have won just one of those last four games - a 5-0 victory at Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League - with Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to the Scot's former club Everton leaving them ninth in the Premier League table. The defending champions will hope to turn their form around against seventh-placed Newcastle, but Moyes was coy on whether Van Persiewill be fit for selection. "You can ask (about Van Persie), that doesn't mean I will answer," he said. "Like every club we have a few injuries. Some have a chance and some don't." Moyes' creative options appear set to be limited for the visit of Alan Pardew's men, with Wayne Rooney suspended and Shinji Kagawa a doubt through illness. "Shinji has a sickness bug," Moyes added. "We need to see how he is on Saturday but he wasn't too good after the game (against Everton on Wednesday)." Moyes made just one major signing in the close-season, that of Marouane Fellaini, but the 50-year-old is prepared to delve into the transfer market again when the window re-opens in January. "The club has always thought about strengthening," Moyes explained. "You do that every transfer window. We will try and make that happen."

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Fully-fit Kagawa confident of improvement

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 04:49 AM PST

Kagawa has made five Premier League starts this season but has revealed he struggled to gain fitness early in the campaign. The Japanese claims he is approaching peak condition as he looks to bolster a United side currently ninth in the table. After playing in the Confederations Cup over the summer, I was a bit late joining the team. Under a new manager all the players were starting from scratch but I felt a little behind the others, he told the clubs official website. Its hard to reach peak condition at the start of the season and the truth is I wasnt satisfied early on. My fitness is much better now and will improve even more in time. Im not quite in optimum form but Im feeling good. Kagawa has played both centrally behind the striker and on the left for United in recent weeks, and the 24-year-old believes he can star in a number of roles for David Moyes. I played behind the main striker at Dortmund but I usually play on the left with Japan, and I also took this role at Cerezo Osaka, he added. I have some experience out wide but I think I should be flexible enough to play in a number of roles, so Im a more attractive player to the team and can contribute even more. Every day Im learning how to trouble my opponents on the left, how best to cause them problems with my movement, but Id still like to be capable of taking up more positions.

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Manchester United chief Woodward calls for A-side

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 04:34 AM PST

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has suggested that his side's prospects could be boosted by fielding an A-side in competitive league matches. Woodward insists that the creation of a United 'first team' to play alongside the reserve side currently struggling in the Premier League would lead to greater competitiveness, improved performances, and ultimately, superior players. "The current set-up of having only a reserve team has been useful," Woodward told FourFourTwo. "We've been able to give playing time to youngsters like Adnan Januzaj while keeping old heads like Ryan Giggs around. "We've blooded new signings like Marouane Fellaini, while easing Rio Ferdinand back to full fitness," the former accountant continued. "We've even allowed David Moyes to find his feet at Old Trafford by taking charge of games. "But I can't help but think that if we had a first team playing week in, week out, we might be more competitive in the Premier League." Woodward also pointed out that a number of United's continental rivals employ first teams in their pursuit of trophies. "Bayern Munich have a first team, Juventus have a first team. So do Barcelona and Real Madrid. In fact, most clubs in Spain have first teams. And players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie won't want to play for Manchester United Reserves forever." However, the proposals have received short shrift from the Football League, and from Football Association chairman Greg Dyke. "People have called for first teams in the English leagues before, but we don't see any need for such nonsense," Dyke told FFT. "In fact, we're taking careful steps to ensure that the national team is represented by England B, not just now, but for the rest of this decade and beyond."

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How Martinez is moulding Everton in ways Moyes never could

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 03:45 AM PST

Everton's start to the 2013/14 campaign went from 'good' to 'great' after Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Manchester United. It wasn't just that they defeated the former champions, it was that they defeated their former coach – David Moyes had a terrible record away at big clubs in his Everton days, partly because of his negative tactics in those matches. Roberto Martinez has Everton playing a more proactive, positive style of football – and having triumphed at Old Trafford, there's no reason they can't repeat the feat at the Emirates this weekend. The Spaniard's approach at Everton has been extremely intelligent. Although evolving the style of play was clearly a key consideration, he understood that he didn't need to completely rip up the existing side. There are two major areas where Martinez has largely retained The Moyes Way. First, both coaches favour an approach that concentrates on attacking down the flanks. Moyes created the best left-sided combination in the Premier League with Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar, and Martinez has been careful not to disturb that understanding. On the opposite flank, Seamus Coleman and Kevin Mirallas have become more attacking, but again, it's a partnership that had been favoured by Moyes. Second, Everton's defensive unit is unchanged since Moyes' final season. Tim Howard has established himself as one of the division's most reliable goalkeepers, while Phil Jagielka's relationship with Sylvain Distin is excellent. The former plays a more proactive role, always tracking his opponent tightly and winning the ball quickly, whereas Distin plays more reactively, often sweeping up behind if Jagielka is bypassed. Jagielka understands Coleman's game, and Distin covers when Baines darts forward – so across the defence, and down the flanks, there's great cohesion. Elsewhere, however, Martinez has changed things significantly. This is most obvious in the centre of midfield, where Marouane Fellaini followed Moyes to Old Trafford, making way for an all-new central midfield combination of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy. The central midfield duo are in entirely different situations – Barry is making a step down having been a regular title challenger with Manchester City, while McCarthy is attempting to prove himself at this level for the first time, having been accustomed to a relegation battle under Martinez at Wigan. But they've struck up an instant relationship, dovetailing nicely and often performing each other's duties to keep the opposition guessing. Barry is the more defensive-minded of the two, allowing McCarthy to storm forward into attack, but there's often not a great difference between their statistical contributions. They make a similar number of tackles per game, as shown in their display against Manchester United, while Barry completes marginally more passes because he remains in deeper zones and is freer to receive passes. The style of passes are also very interesting – both retain the ball extremely consistently in deep positions, and generally only concede possession when attempting more penetrative forward balls into the final third. That sums up Martinez's philosophy – he wants to remain in control of the game, but he urges his players to attack whenever possible. At the top of the triangle is Ross Barkley. He's not a new signing, of course, but Martinez has fully embraced the youngster where Moyes was tentative about allowing him opportunities in the first team. The England youngster is still very raw, but his positional intelligence is extremely encouraging – he darts back and forth between midfield and attack, and can find pockets of space towards the flanks. He rarely collects the ball between the lines in central positions, and is also fond of shooting from ambitious angles. Always on the move, Barkley encourages the midfield to play a forward pass – and while Moyes often favoured a more physical player like Fellaini or Tim Cahill in that role, he helps attacks flow towards goal. Up front, meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku's impact has been obvious. His loan signing from Chelsea answered the major question mark about Martinez's side in the summer – the apparent lack of goals. He's perfect for this system – although often categorised as a primarily physical player, his real brilliance comes from his intelligent runs. He works the entire width of the pitch, making runs from wide positions and working the channels. The variety of his positioning often causes the opposition problems – midfielders and full-backs become concerned by the Belgian's threat, which leaves other Everton players unmarked. He remains an old-school centre-forward at heart, though – look below at the assists he converted in the 3-2 win over Newcastle. Then there's another loanee, Gerard Deulofeu. A quick, pacey attacker capable of playing on either flank, he's more direct than many La Masia graduates, and has proved a superb option from the bench. His impact against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby was fantastic, and while his dribbling was less successful over the course of 90 minutes against Stoke, and his defensive ability and decision-making remains questionable, he's the ideal supersub and is helping to keep Mirallas and Pienaar on their toes. Meanwhile, three early signings from Wigan – Joel Robles, Antolin Alcaraz and Arouna Kone – have improved Everton's squad depth (despite Kone being the only to appear before suffering a bad knee injury) and bring experience of Martinez's methods in training. At Wigan, one of Martinez's key strengths was his ability in the transfer market, often bringing in unknown players at very little cost. At Everton, he's again excelled at purchasing players in the right zones. His approach has been extremely simple – he's retained the things Everton did well under Moyes, while improving in central midfield and in the final third, where they previously lacked guile. Closer to the top of the table than the bottom half, Martinez himself has proved one of the signings of the summer.

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Gallery: Mandela and football

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 03:19 AM PST

Football has paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, after the iconic former South African president died at the age of 95. FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who met Mandela several times as South Africa prepared to host the 2010 World Cup, said: "It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time and a dear friend of mine: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. "He and I shared an unwavering belief in the extraordinary power of football to unite people in peace and friendship, and to teach basic social and educational values as a school of life." Footballers including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jack Wilshere, Rio Ferdinand, Yaya Toure, Ruud Gullit and Gary Lineker - many of whom will have been fortunate enough to meet Mandela - along with many of the world's biggest football clubs were quick to pay tribute via Twitter and other social media.

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The FourFourTwo Preview: Man United vs Newcastle

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 09:01 AM PST

Billed as United frantically seek form book as Alan Pardew's enigmas come to town. The lowdown You've just lost at home to a northern rival for the first time in 21 years – a result your new manager rarely came close to achieving before crossing sides. Can't get too much worse the following Saturday, can it? Well, there's both good news and bad for Manchester United supporters. The good news is that, staggeringly, Newcastle haven't won at Old Trafford since February 1972 – that's an astonishing 31 games, and almost 42 years. The bad news... well, it's exactly that. If seeing one hex broken might be viewed as unfortunate, then two in the same week would appear careless at best, but these are uncharted waters for United in the Premier League era and if there was ever a time for the Magpies to scent carrion at their least-favourite hunting ground, it would surely be now. Not that Pardew's side have an especially reliable nose for easy meat. A four-game winning run, including wins against Chelsea and at Spurs, had propelled them into top-four contention, but Wednesday's defeat against a vulnerable Swansea conjured up nasty memories of early-season defeats at Manchester City and Everton – where Newcastle were, at times, little short of negligent at the back. Pardew celebrates his third anniversary as manager next week, but it's hard to know what to make of his tenure. Promising signs have too often been followed by appalling capitulations and, while it ensures the collection of a few scalps, their erratic nature looks likely to see them bob around mid-table in the final analysis. The media have tended to hold off talk of a crisis at Old Trafford despite United's ninth place and David Moyes' humbling at the hands of his successor. This was always going to be a year of transition, and United can make up some ground with a decent run of fixtures in the next month. But if Newcastle join Everton in throwing out the history book, Moyes may yet be in for an uncomfortably chilly winter. Team news Newcastle might be forgiven for thinking their time is now. Robin van Persie looks very unlikely to return from his groin injury for the hosts, but the bigger news is that Wayne Rooney misses this one through suspension after picking up a fifth yellow card on Wednesday night. Javier Hernandez will probably take his place, and there's a case for Adnan Januzaj coming in to bring more flair into the mix. This game will probably come too soon for Michael Carrick, who should return this month. Pardew should be able to recall Hatem Ben Arfa, who missed the defeat at Swansea through illness, but Papiss Cisse had to pull out of Wednesday's squad and is a doubt. Ryan Taylor is out for the rest of the campaign. Player to watch: Javier Hernandez (Man United) United and Hernandez both need something, anything – and the Mexican looks certain to get his chance to make sure both finish up happy. It's been a frustrating season for 'Chicharito' so far, his only league goal coming in the form of a late winner against Stoke, and the perennial super sub faces the difficult task of establishing a convincing rhythm before those ahead of him in the pecking order return. Shot-shy in his most recent start, at Cardiff – where he did tee up Wayne Rooney's opening goal – he should be better catered for by an obliging Newcastle back-line. Perhaps this is the time when we find out just how much the Mexican, no longer a youngster at 25, thrives upon responsibility. The managers There's plenty of previous between this pair although, despite each being capable of his own brand of antagonism, it's never really flared up. Moyes has the upper hand, with five wins from their 10 encounters – all of which came during his time at Everton, Pardew facing him with Newcastle, Charlton and West Ham. Pardew has got the better of the Scot just twice, and might remember a defeat at Goodison in December 2006 that pushed him further towards the West Ham exit door, through which he was flung eight days later. Facts and figures Newcastle have won just one and lost 15 of their last 21 Premier League matches against Man United. More facts at FFT's Man United vs Newcastle Stats Zone page Tips and trends Man United have made their worst start since 2001/02 and have already lost four games, one short of last season's tally of five defeats. They have, however, won 14 of their last 20 home matches, recording 12 W/W results in that time and have won nine of their previous 11 games following a defeat. Newcastle's four-match winning streak ground to an abrupt halt as they suffered their heaviest defeat since their opening-day loss at the Etihad Stadium. The Magpies have now lost 12 of their last 20 away matches and have failed to win at Old Trafford since 1972 (D8 L21). Find the best odds with Bet Butler FourFourTwo prediction Traditionally this seems to be 'United showing us what they're made of' territory, and we'll go with that again. There are a number of points to prove in the home ranks, and a 2-1 win will begin the process. Man United vs Newcastle LIVE ANALYSIS with Stats Zone

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