Manchester United 2006/2007

He can still grow you know , but wont be the tallest.
We can always buy suitable targetmen for these guys.

Ronaldo's disallowed goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjCZ1SgEShE

Yeah I saw that , unbelievable. I'd be extremely pissed to have something that spectacular taken off my record.

Why was it not given?

The ref said the ball didn't cross the line.

forza_rossi wrote:well if you are talking about Ronaldo's price then i think it was justified at that time as United were taking a risk. Paying 12 million for a teenager is always going to be a risk. It turned out to be a risk well worth it though.

How much did Rooney go for? Much more than that wasn't it?

"Buying English" doesn't do it for me either. Yes, he was already performing within the EPL at a certain level, but Ronaldo's class was pretty evident...considering he ripped apart Utd.

Agree about the Rooney point but that has more to do with the English media hyping a player up to an extent that they are made into god-like figures who can do no wrong and when they do not perform they take them out like they are now a days.

According to the times:

Cristiano Ronaldo is keen on the idea of Nani, the latest talent to emerge in Portuguese football, following him to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon. “I would like to see Nani and more Portuguese at United,” the winger said

The Making of Ronaldo

Article by The Editor


Something clearly happened this summer. In that Gelsenkirchen flashpoint, as Wayne Rooney's studs stamped down on Ricardo Carvalho's most intimate area, and Cristinao Ronaldo berated the referee, the Portuguese flyer grew up. Since that match 100 days ago the players' fortunes have seemingly followed separate paths. The subsequent media vitriol was directed not at Rooney the carded player but at his friend and colleague Ronaldo. Whereas David Beckham had seen effigies hung and burnt across the country following his infamous dismissal against Argentina in 1998, Rooney has been largely spared that fate. Instead the campaign of hate has been laid at Ronaldo's door.

The truth is never as simple as the myth, of course, and the incident still provokes argument. Rooney continues to protest innocence, Ronaldo refuses to accept he played a part in the dismissal. But the truth of the case matters little - it is how he incident was presented in the press to an English public baying for a scapegoat that has counted. Conveniently both men were employees of the country's most despised club.

In the days that followed, Ronaldo publicly voiced his desire to leave United, expressing the belief that his continued tenure in England was impossible. Those statements irked Old Trafford regulars for their naivet&eaacute; and timing but they did little to calm the situation down as the player house was attacked and life threatened. Despite calls for reason the tabloid press continued to position the winger as public enemy number one. The catcalls and jeering have followed him ever since; his every touch greeted with an unprecedented level of revulsion. Indeed, it is reasonable to argue that there has never been a less popular player in the English game.

Reasonable voices too had added weight to the criticism of the Madeira-born player's actions that night. The respected and likeable Tottenham Hotspurs coach Martin Jol described the incident as an "accident," claiming that Ronaldo "arrived and behaved like he always behaves, trying to influence referees, and it turns my stomach when players do that."

Yet the revulsion from within the game and opposition supporters has clearly galvanised the player, with Ronaldo's form outstanding in the early part of the season. He is newly mature. Where once the tricks, feints and stepovers largely produced little by way of end product, now they are unleashed to devastating effect. Now the player can legitimately be ranked alongside the finest wide-men in World football.

One match in particular seems to capture the essence of Ronaldo's transformation. The game against SL Benfica at the Estadio da Luz in the UEFA Champions League posed a major test for both player and club. United had slumped to pathetic defeat just months before and Ronaldo's one-fingered salute to the Benfica crowd that earned him a UEFA ban. Nine months on and it was Ronaldo's sublime skills that were prominent in enabling the Reds to come away with a win. This was achieved amid a cacophony of jeers that the former Sporting player was always likely to suffer.

Rooney's tale is a polar opposite. His protests of innocence after Gelsenkirchen fell on deaf ears at FIFA and he received a two match international ban. Then, returning to training late following a club-enforced period of rest, the player had just one pre-season match in which he was sent off for the slightest of touches on a Porto player at the Amsterdam Tournament. The case was reported by the match official and the English FA charged the player. United's captain Gary Neville urged the committee to "throw the report in the bin" and noises from the upper echelons of the organisation suggested that no further sanction would incur. But the committee of amateur officials thought otherwise and - ridiculously - a three match Premiership suspension followed. That other players, in other friendlies had escaped further censure following dismissal only served to increase the injustice felt by the young Scouser and his club.

The ban seems to have had two effects on the player. Firstly, his sense of grievance with authority has been multiplied. First the World Cup and now this. The player himself said of his domestic ban that "it was hard to take. The FA made their decision and it was very nice of them to support me with a three-game ban. Four, if you think that I missed the Ajax friendly too."

It's that sense of anger that led to the player's agent ill-advisedly sending a threatening letter to the Football Association, claiming that all commercial activities on behalf of the FA by the player would cease. It was a PR gaffe spurred by a genuine gripe that has largely backfired - the FA was never likely to yield to blackmail.

Secondly, Rooney's subsequent return to action has been at a far lower level of fitness than anticipated. One Premiership game, half a friendly and a few International matches since April had blunted the young striker's form considerably. It's a slump that he has clearly yet to recover from. In that same match against Benfica, for example, Rooney dragged shots wide, misplaced passes and looked heavy legged. It is a loss of form that is magnified both by the media spotlight thrust upon the player and, somewhat ironically, the outstanding play of his colleague, Ronaldo.

But is there a wider problem with the player? While form may disappear in an instant work-ethic and enthusiasm should not. In his five or so matches since returning to action Rooney has looked so laboured that he hardly seems himself. Last Sunday, against Newcastle, Rooney shunned the opportunity to take a free-kick on the edge of the box in the dying seconds of the match, despite the Stretford End's call for him to take it. Instead the youngster stood hunched on his knees while the kick sailed over the bar.

The loss of Rooney's form is surely temporary but the lack of enthusiasm and aggression is far more worrying. The body language is not what it once was. Has Rooney changed his ways; blunted his belligerent style in order to curry favour with referees and the authorities? It would seem so. If he has it will reduce the persistent criticism he receives in the media about his 'temperament' - only for it to be replaced by charges laid against his ability to deliver on the pitch.

Meanwhile Ronaldo is on course to become the Premiership's greatest star. The contrast could hardly be greater.

Writer would probably change his mnd if he saw the sitter Ronaldo missed for Portugal.

Lads, what do you all make of McShane? He was brilliant last night for the republic. Any prospect of first team action?

No, too many better players playing in the centre of defence.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is stepping up his pursuit of Manchester United pair Jonny Evans and David Jones.
Keano wants the pair on-loan, though will have to wait until January for Evans, who is currently on-loan to United's Belgian satellite club Royal Antwerp.

Are any of you worried that Rooney may have permantently lost his magic?

I'm beginning to have a few doubts. Its obvious that its not really league based and is more to do with the international sending off but its worrying

There was more fire in him last night, even if the touches weren't coming off. He'll come good. May take another couple of games though.

Just hope he's good for the Liverpool game.

@ Waft

McShane was released because we had so many promosing young central defenders like Evans and Pique.

Hope so - I may not be the biggest Man Utd fan but i'm a big Rooney fan and always want him to do well

He looked decent vs Croatia(no service ) should have had a penalty as he wasnt offside.

Who does McShane play for now then?

West Brom.

West Brom , I think.

Boy wonder Rooney will return to form, hopefuly this will not coincide with Ronaldo loosing form, as if bothe are playing to there abilities, we will fear no one.

Kevin Moran has backed Wes Brown to step out from the cold and reclaim his place with both Manchester United and England.
Former Old Trafford favourite Moran is an ideal candidate to run the rule over United's rearguard, having previously been an integral member himself, and he feels Brown could emerge as the pick of the current crop.
After what was a bright start to the season that saw Brown partner Rio Ferdinand in United's first six games, the 27-year-old impressed England coach Steve McClaren enough to earn a return to the international fold.
However, it was to prove a false down for the Longsight-born stopper as the return of Nemanja Vidic saw him reduced to the role of substitute.
Brown has had to settle for playing second fiddle to Ferdinand and Vidic, who are developing a decent partnership, but it is not a situation Moran feels the player will shy away from.
"I wouldn't have thought this latest spell out will have fazed Wes at all," Moran told the Manchester Evening News.
"He won't be happy of course, but he has the character not to let it get him down too much. With the number of serious injuries he has faced in his career he has dealt with a lot worse that what he faces now.
"Even when he's been fit and has been in and out, he always seems to bounce back a stronger player.
"When Wes is on his game there is no better centre half around in my eyes. He can play, he has good technique, he is strong and aggressive. He has all the hallmarks that you look for in a quality defender.
"The only problem Wes has is that he is prone to the odd lapse and sometimes they can be crucial. If he can eradicate that and improve his concentration then he'll become even better.
"But there are few with his character to get back on his feet again challenging and winning the battle."

Get Off Rooney's Back
Article by Jack Farmer

Everyone is still talking about the form of Wayne Rooney. The editorials are awash with scathing pieces that lay the blame for England's stuttering European campaign squarely at the feet of the boy wonder. It seems that everybody from the media to ex-players and managers is keen to get in on the act, forming an orderly queue with guns oiled and cocked - some set to automatic - and sights set squarely on young Wayne's not so pretty face.

Rewind just a matter of months and these were the people who claimed that England's World Cup dream was shattered before it had even gotten off the ground. But let's forget England for a moment, and return to far more important matters - the club we know Mister Rooney loves as deeply as all who read these pages. It's a worry to see self-doubt written across the weathered face of the beloved eight, but please, let's not fret just yet.

Rooney's touch hasn't quite returned, there seems a reluctance to get at defenders like he did in the recent past and the goals are yet to come. But most fans would rather have a misfiring Rooney in the team than any of the strikers the press 'predicted' might be Old Trafford-bound during the silly season.

Many critics appear to judge players - attacking midfielders and strikers - such as Wayne on goals alone. As if to prove a point, they reel off stat after stat about how their target hasn't scored for a specific amount of time. You know the drill. But to judge Rooney on numbers is to misunderstand the beauty of this most precious of footballers. What marks him out as unique is his mature appreciation of the subtler points of this beautiful game - the nature of angles, timing, vision and tempo. This talent will never elude a player like Rooney, no matter how poor his current form.

Think back a week and a half to the Newcastle game when Rooney received the ball at his feet, squared up to his marker, sucked him into a challenge before squirting the ball with the outside of his foot to the onrushing Ronaldo who, with a cursory glance to his left, prodded it out to Fletcher on the right to thump the ball against the left upright.

Fast forward to last Saturday and Rooney was at it again, bringing down a cross-field pass as if doing keepy-uppies in Croxteth before swivelling inside and driving the ball on to Crouchy's head at the back stick.

It's ridiculous that the press are attempting to make a scapegoat out of Wayne Rooney. The fact is the England is unwilling or unable to manoeuvre the ball into the striker's feet in areas where he can inflict maximum damage. When the team doesn't perform, chances are Wayne will be quiet. Think of Brazil in the summer; the Sambas' less than convincing displays meant that Ronaldinho didn't live up to the hype. It's the nature of football. In fact, it's the nature of all team sports. The great thing for United fans is that we no longer depend on the individual prowess of a raw and rough-around-the-edges footballing phenomenon. There is a TEAM at Old Traffford again, and thank God for that.

To the few United fans who spend sleepless nights dreaming of England success there is a question: what is wrong with England? The answer is simple, two words in fact... Paul Scholes. Is there a tidier, more complete attacking midfielder in Europe than the little ginger ninja? I don't think so. The gap in class between Scholes and Frank Lampard is scary. One is neater than a mathematician in a laboratory, the other seems to spray passes willy-nilly to all corners of the pitch, rarely with any thought or direction. Say it loud and clear: Paul Scholes is one of the most complete, technical, talented, consistent and all-round footballers that many have ever had the good fortune of watching. The ultimate ringmaster. United dances to the tune of his two good feet, while England stutters and stops to the broken rhythm of an overpaid 'world beater' with a big, greasy chip on his shoulder.

Scholes' retirement from the international scene is a double-edged sword - great for United fans, not so great for fans of the Three Lions. Despite my sporadic allegiance to my country, I will remain a happy man. Unless McClaren gets his wicked way, that is.

As for Rooney... Worry not. He'll be back.

Patrice Evra has revealed Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't wait to wind him up after Scotland's victory over France on Saturday.
Evra told MUTV: "As soon as I got into the dressing room this week, the boss came in singing 'La Marseillaise'.
"I was talking with Mikael Silvestre before the match and we agreed it would be a difficult game. But Scotland only had three chances and they scored.
"I am just glad not to have seen Darren Fletcher yet because I am sure he will be joking with me as well."

It looks like CR7 has a mior injury , if he doesnt play that leaves us terribly short of wingers.

BilalShah wrote:It looks like CR7 has a mior injury , if he doesnt play that leaves us terribly short of wingers.

He got injured in both matches, scolari both times left him on for awhile despite him limping and not being able to run, giggs is back though

Not against Wigan he's not.

I think so he is, in the squad anyway

According to BBC he's not.

United's team news for Saturday's trip to Wigan suggests the Reds could be at full strength for the following weekend against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Ryan Giggs is back in the squad and could play some part against Wigan, though a return against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday in the Champions League seems more likely.

The Welshman, who hasn't played since injuring his hamstring in the 3-2 win over Celtic on September 13, has been sorely missed. Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Ryan has trained the last few days. It may be a bit early. With the game on Tuesday there is more focus on that. He will certainly travel with us on Saturday and it's good to have him back."

Louis Saha has shaken off the hamstring and groin problems that troubled him before the international break. He returned from international duty without a hitch and will challenge Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - United's two-goal hero in the last game against Newcastle - for a place in the starting line-up. However, Cristiano Ronaldo did return to Carrington with a knock on his ankle, but the manager is still hopeful the in-form 21-year-old winger will recover.

"Ronaldo got an ankle knock, he is getting treatment today (Friday). He stayed on for Portugal with the injury, which created a bit of swelling. It's not serious, but we need to give him every chance of playing against Wigan."