Don't Rain on my Parade

Today's big news, Paul Scholes retiring, came too late for most of the papers, but the Manchester Evening News saves my blog's relevancy by getting 3 pages up double quick... In other news, our bus parade, and quotes there from, and Sir Alex's comments on coaching youngsters make up the news.

Paul Scholes retires and Sir Alex and David Gill pay tribute.  Sir Alex:

"What more can I say about Paul Scholes that I haven't said before," said Sir Alex Ferguson.

"We are going to miss a truly unbelievable player.

"Paul has always been fully committed to this club and I am delighted he will be joining the coaching staff from next season.

"Paul has always been inspirational to players of all ages and we know that will continue in his new role."

And David Gill:

"It is very sad day for Manchester United fans around the world," said United chief executive David Gill.

"We all know that Paul was one of the players that came through the ranks of the academy system in the 90s and has established himself as one of the greatest players to ever wear the United shirt.

"It is very important that the club keeps the associated with these great players and we are delighted that Paul will join the coaching staff."

They have a collection of quotes from other footballers, here, Sir Bobby Charlton:

"Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite."

There's a very nice and detailed timeline of his career here.

Most of the stories emanating from the parade are summed up here (and some pictures here). Berba was on the bus (why wouldn't he be? he scored 20 of the goals that won us it) Owen wants to stay:

"I have loved every minute," said Owen, who qualified for a championship medal this season. "We have great players, great staff, a great manager and great fans. Hopefully it can continue."

And a Scholes quote which gave no hint of today's news:

"Reaching 19 titles is not something you ever think about. All you want to do is win something. To go on like we have done is a great achievement. Now we want to stretch our lead even more."

 There's David Gill on the subject of transfers here:

"It will be a busier than usual summer this year," Gill told MUTV. "I will be going away at some point in June and be back for the start of our tour but I will be on with player stuff for the next few weeks, I am sure."

Sir Alex spoke on coaching youngsters and how they were at a disadvantage compared to Barcelona. The most comprehensive article on it is here, in The Telegraph:

“We are only allowed to coach [schoolboys] for an hour and a half [each week]. Barcelona can coach every hour of the day if they want and that’s the great advantage they have got. You can see their philosophy through that,” Ferguson said.

“It’s a fantastic philosophy and we hope that, in years to come, we have more time with young players, to teach them the basics, the technical ability and to have the confidence to take the ball all the time. We’re good at that, but we’re not as good as Barcelona at this moment in time. It’s a wonderful challenge and we can always accept a challenge.”

Apparently the powers that be are looking at changing the rules - that story goes into it - nice to hear Sir Alex looking forward to the challenge though.

And finally, a study reported in The Guardian finds that the easy cry of the silly moralists in  The Mail (for example) - "footballers are role-models for children and should behave accordingly" - which was already stupidly flawed, isn't true.  Children under eight don't even understand the idea of role-models apparently:

Far from looking to star players as role models, research has suggested that youngsters are more likely to take behavioural cues from family friends or teachers.

Simon Brownhill, an education expert at the University of Derby, said children aged eight or below were unable to grasp the concept of role models.

In a survey of 178 men working in nurseries and primary schools, Brownhill found that footballers such as Rooney and others from the Premier League's elite, thought to be idolised by many children, actually have little influence.

"The results from this study suggest that children aged eight or younger are still finding their feet in the world and do not have a clear understanding of what a role model is," he said.

Can everyone stop reporting on Rooney's every action and it's affect on children now please...

Don't Say Goodnight

Paul Scholes announces his retirement. He'll stay at the club in a coaching role.  He deserves a longer tribute piece which I'll hopefully get round too (though this Gary Neville tribute promised more as well, it will come, honest...).

For now celebrate some of his finest goals -

This video has a top ten of goals - embedding disabled, here's some of his finer ones individually -
against Barcelona in 08



Against Aston Villa



Against Bradford



And against Boro



Enjoy.

No More Fun And Games

This isn't a "how we could have won it" post, because, well, Barcelona seemed pretty irresistible, not sure we, or anyone, would have stopped them playing like that.  It's more of a post that wonders whether we didn't perhaps add to that aura of irresistibility in the build-up to the game.

My point is essentially that we probably got a bit carried away on the whole romance of the thing - the "Football Final" the "beautiful game" at Wembley, scene of the '68 triumph.  I think we played into their hands, wanting to play football.  Not that I'm trying to suggest that we should have played Mourinho type spoiling tactics, but we could have indulged in some pre-match "mind-games"*.  Not let it be quite so obvious that we wanted a football game.  Sir Alex talked up the game as a football contest, while Mourinho would have made it a war of attrition.  I know how everyone post-game was talking about how it had put a smile back on the footballing world, made up for FIFA scandals, but we lost.  It's all very nice making the world happy, but what about us.

Again I'm not saying we should have gone out there to play Mourinho style, we play football, after all.  No, it was just the overall chumminess of the pre-match played into their hands.  They knew they were going to get their type of game.  It was even made fairly obvious that we were going to play 4-4-2, which I'm sure they must have loved.

Just a few remarks from Sir Alex on diving, or influencing referees would have gone a long way, or planting rumours of a very defensive line-up, with midfield enforcers and threats of a physical game, especially after we were given the card-shy ref.  Just anything to make them think, make them worry, make them sweat.

In the end we may have won the hearts of a few, and made the football world smile, fleetingly, before more scandal came on top of more scandal, but we lost the match.

*Though mind games is a very overused phrase.  It comes to the point where after every press conference Sir Alex is accused of playing mind games.  Like the Ryan Giggs thing, refuses to answer one question and he's creating a siege mentality for the final.  Whatever.  The whole siege mentality thing is so overplayed.  The amount of times we've been accused of that this season we'd be living in caves if it was true.  I wonder if it even has an affect any more, or whether there's a certain reflexivity among the players, "There's Sir Alex on with the siege mentality again, but if the siege mentality is just a tactic, why does he think we're going to fall for it?  Does he not actually just want to defend us for the sake of defending us, because we're his players.  must it always be about the siege?"

Buss It Up

Video of Berba looking happy enough on the bus parade today -

Welcome to Barco AM/PM

The papers are mainly looking towards the future today, using our defeat at the hands of Barca to ask where we go now, using it for transfer gossip and speculation about whose on the way out.

Which might be considered a bit strange.  On the one hand, nothing we could have done would have made any difference, Barca are a class apart etc., etc., but on the other hand we have to do x and y to compete with Barca and not only that, if we'd already done these things maybe things would have been different.  It's like they want it both ways - they have to masturbate over Barcelona, but they run out of superlatives so they then have to criticise us for not stopping the just-stated unstoppable.

The worst culprit in this regard is Kevin McCarra in The Guardian who veers from the "It doesn't matter what they did Barca were too good," to "United should..." and "United could," in, sometimes the same sentence.  he starts off with

Pep Guardiola's side turned United into an irrelevance at Wembley. This time, Ferguson was frank. Late on Saturday night, the 69-year-old implied that he and the rest of the rivals will have to weather Barcelona's storm of excellence until it blows itself out.

Then in the next paragraph tells us what we need, even though it was irrelevant apparently... Then he considers the match itself an irrelevance:

 After such a fixture, the mind turns to a reshaping of the Old Trafford squad that was inevitable regardless of the outcome.

In the match report, he's writing off the match as unimportant.

The worst stories of the day are these two from The Sun and The Daily Star. Asking whether the time could be right for Sir Alex to go, The Daily Star even go so far to say:

Fergie is a man who can clearly handle the pressure but United did not look like they had moved any further forward from 2009 and maybe it is time for someone else, dare I say younger, to take up the challenge the Old Trafford legend is talking about. 

Daniel Taylor in The Guardian is more sensible on the subject:

Ferguson, who will be 70 this year, is approaching the 25th anniversary of his appointment. But the most successful manager in the game still sees himself as being in the job on a long-term basis and has told United that only his health will prevent him from working.

Instead the manager is going to break up his squad in what promises to be a summer of change at Old Trafford, with up to 10 players on their way out. The Glazer family have told Ferguson that he will be given substantial funds with which to purchase replacements.

It is nearly 10 years since Ferguson announced a plan to retire, only to change his mind and talk of nearly having made "the biggest mistake of my life". His spending this summer will be designed to close the gap on a Barcelona side whose masterclass of passing at Wembley strengthened their claim to be recognised as the greatest club side ever.

Then he speculates on transfer targets and has this quote from Berba's agent:

Asked about reports that Berbatov had left Wembley early, the striker's agent, Emil Danchev, said: "It's nonsense. Mitko [Berbatov] was at Wembley and watched the game. There is nothing to say. Let us take a few days."

Daniel Taylor has a longer look at the Berba situation on The Guardian Blog, speculating on his future. And concluding:

Berbatov has fiddled with our minds, enthralled us, disappointed us,exhilarated and exasperated but in the years to come it may be that the game for which he is always remembered came on a Saturday night in London when he never even had to lace his boots.

The Sun tell us he's off.  With no evidence.  They also claim he went "straight on to the team bus at the final whistle," despite this being unsourced and I've not seen the claim elsewhere.

The Mirror tell us that Sir Alex is going to get rid.  Again unsourced.  And where's he off?  Silly rumour of a swap deal (how many swap deals have ever happened despite the papers constantly trumpeting them? 

Ferguson is understood to be considering using Berbatov in a player-plus-cash swap deal with the striker's former club, Tottenham, to land his top summer transfer target - creative midfielder Luka Modric.

YAWN.

The Independent also give us their thoughts on Berba, and a quote from Nani:

In April 2008, Nani marched out of Old Trafford early when his removal at half-time against Tottenham meant he had been had been substituted on each of six league starts and never made it beyond 70 minutes. "It's a very difficult moment for him, but not [like] my position," Nani said of Berbatov.

"I was in a different position because I was still very young back then. I was 21 and I knew I had a lot of time to learn, to improve and get my place in the team. For him, I don't know what [the manager] has in mind but everyone knows he's a fantastic player, he has scored a lot of goals, finished as the top scorer in the league."

And the Independent won't hear talk of Sir Alex leaving, they have him determined to stay longer.

Sir Alex Ferguson is contemplating extending his Old Trafford tenure to give himself long enough to dismantle the Barcelona dynasty and achieve his elusive goal of establishing Manchester United as one of the greats of European football.

There's a piece on The Guardian blog on our youth coming through which includes this unnecessary criticisms of our midfield:

You can win England's domestic trophies with a midfield permed from Scholes, Giggs, Anderson, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Darron Gibson, and you can even get to the final of the European Cup, but only in a lucky year, when your opponents in the final have somehow slipped through quality control (or when, as in 2008, they are another Premier League team), will you win the competition by which the continent's elite clubs define themselves. Ferguson was unlucky with Fletcher's fitness last week, but Giggs and Carrick were unable to make a greater impression on the game than they had managed in Rome two years ago, even in a formation rejigged from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2

Has he heard of Ronaldo who I'm fairly sure started in 2008 and 2009, and Fletcher wasn't fit enough for Saturday so what's that about? And if the Premier League is so weak that our rubbish midfield can dominate it wouldn't the writer be better served looking at ways forward for the rest of the teams in it - we won it by 9 points.

Finally The Mail have their top names telling us what went wrong - Jamie Redknapp, Jamie Carragher, Martin Keown... Opinions like that we can do without... 

Jackie Collins Existential Question Time

A bit of light relief, brilliant video from the press conference after yesterday's game, of Sir Alex berating a reporter for the "most stupid question I've ever heard -

The Hangover

After the disappointment of last night, and still recovering from the drowning-sorrows-inflicted hangover, we've no need to look in too much detail at the papers today.  We'll just take a whirlwind tour...

On the whole the papers are good, just acknowledging that Barca were the better team, without the need for unfair criticisms of us.  The exception being Paul Wilson on The Guardian blog who writes absolute rubbish:

Maybe Ferguson can enjoy life in the Premier League for a few more seasons, apart from the troubling fact that United keep being found out in Europe. To be fair, so do most teams who face Barcelona, yet one wonders how many drubbings on this scale a proud 69-year-old can take. While Ferguson is unlikely to change his mind about retirement after such a deflating experience, he, Giggs and Scholes will all feel that little bit older after another night spent chasing Barcelona shadows.

"keep getting found out"?? Losing 2 finals requires one to get there.  "keep being found out"?! Seriously... 3 finals in 4 years, losing 2, winning 1.  Found out?

Paul Hayward is more sensible:

United had their limitations exposed, no question, but only in the context of a special phase in the game's history. Barcelona have engineered an evolutionary leap, adding defensive rigour to the fantasy element first instilled by the dream teams of Johan Cruyff. Like Real Madrid, Milan, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and the rest, United now face the daunting challenge of raising their game somewhere closer to Barcelona levels.

Van der Sar's last match is concentrated on in this piece:

This loss should not detract from the Dutchman's achievements, but it still felt a sadly inappropriate way to depart. In time Van der Sar may reflect on eight league titles, two European Cups and a Uefa Cup, or the record 130 caps he secured for Holland. But, for now, the memory will be of Lionel Messi and David Villa curling shots agonisingly out of his reach. The veteran will have recognised the gulf that gaped between these sides, although that will not temper the disappointment.

 Alex Stepney puts things into perspective in The Telegraph:

You can not avoid the bitter disappointment but no-one should forget that United won the league by nine points, reached the FA Cup semi-final and a third Champions League final in four years and there's plenty to be proud of.

Henry Winter lauds the occasion:

For a sport numbed by events at Fifa and still remembering the disappointing World Cup of last summer, this final was perfectly timed. Real Madrid had been negative against Barcelona and paid the price. United had been bold, hitting the pristine ground running, pressing Barcelona high up the pitch.

They had a go but Barcelona were a class apart. The Messi Final will be remembered fondly by Catalans and neutrals alike. Barcelona put the smile back on to the face of football after a season of too many scowls. 

The players post game comments are here: Rio:

"We gave it a better shot this time than last time, we had a couple of opportunities," he said.

"We got back in it at 1-1 and thought we could come back and win but it wasn't to be, we have to give them credit.

"A couple of the goals were preventable but you have to give credit where it's due. They've got a system they work to and did it well. We had a game plan we thought could beat them, but wasn't to be."

And Sir Alex's here:

"I expected us to do better, particularly after half-time, but it wasn't to be. Great teams do go in cycles and they're at the peak of the cycle they're in at the moment.

"They're the best in Europe, no question about that. In my time as a manager, I would say they're the best team we've faced. Everyone acknowledges that and I accept that. It's not easy when you've been well beaten like that to think another way. No one has given us a hiding like that. It's a great moment for them. They deserve it because they play the right way and enjoy their football.

And finally Sir Alex here on the reasons for Berba's absence:

"Picking my team was easy, but my subs were very difficult," Ferguson said. "I tended to overload in the midfield because I thought that was the area that was most important in terms of the way Barcelona play – the game could be decided there – and the work you need in that central area.

"I only had the one defender to have options in midfield and wide, so it came down to a choice between Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov. If you're looking for someone to nick a goal in the last few minutes, with Owen's experience, that's why I took that decision."

And now back to bed... 

Today of all days

Been passing some of the nervous afternoon watching this, the 1991 Cup Winners Cup Final Man Utd against Barcelona.  Not as recent or anyway relevant to this evening's game but I'll always have a soft spot for this one. It was my first season of watching Man Utd (and football) and this is what I watched.

note the nostalgic crackle of VHS types destroying themselves in the machine. Ah, the good ol' days...

Jagged Visions of My True Destiny

The day is upon us. So much about today, and I'm on a tight schedule this morning so I'm just picking the most interesting things - The Mirror, for instance, is completely ignored because every link I clicked seem to involve Mark Lawrenson being a curmudgeon.

Kevin McCarra on The Guardian blog  has a messy piece, where he seems unsure what he's trying to say.  Near the end of it he says

Odd as it sounds, United, who are now England's record-holders with 19 League titles, are somewhat underrated.

but spends the rest of the article doing precisely that - underrating us:

The quarter-final was tidy, with Chelsea defeated home and away. If there is more efficiency than glamour, Ferguson's side has still maintained its reputation in the Champions League.

Because our 6-1 semi-final victory against Schalke over two legs with essentially 2 different teams was efficient and mundane wasn't it?

And then he spends the article telling us how great we'll have to be to beat Barca, before telling that Barca aren't that good.  

Barney Ronay, in the same place, on the other hand, manages to entertain and remain consistent, even if he is tipping Barca to win.  His piece acknowledges the truth that few care to: that Barca can be a bit dull - the 90 minute or so periods where they pass the ball among the back four for instance... (there's a burger metaphor running throughout the article, just before you wonder in this quote):

Mainly it is those blank, dead periods of the match, the mental disintegration of the opponent achieved though great yawing interludes of ball deprivation. Suddenly, watching Barcelona, you feel a bit like a Steakhouse Angus yourself, jaded by repetition, grey-tinged, encased within a prison of engineered perfection.

Daniel Taylor has an interview with Hernandez. The story of the first contact with the club is kind of cute:

Hernández was suspicious at first. "I had never heard of Jim Lawlor," he explains. "I didn't know who he was." The card told him it was Manchester United's head scout, but there is no trace of ego about the young Mexican, no sense that he always felt destined for a moment like this. "I didn't believe it. In Mexico, the agents put the badges of all the big clubs on their business cards. I was thinking: 'OK, another one of them, hey?' I turned to my father and said: 'Don't joke with me.' But that was when I saw him crying. That was when I knew. That was the moment I realised it was really true, that it really was Manchester United."

The rest of it pretty good, including the strange story of the secrecy the deal was done in.

He also reports from Sir Alex's press conference yesterday:

The oddest moment at Ferguson's press conference came courtesy of a Chinese journalist pointing out that the game kicked off at 2.45am in her country and asking whether it would keep everyone awake.

"It won't put you to bed, that's for sure," United's manager replied. "You'll need a sleeping tablet if you want that."

The game, he said, could have "a lot of goals", which lent towards the theory he will place the emphasis on attacking Barcelona this time and start with Javier Hernández as well as Wayne Rooney.

The Independent go with a Brian Kidd interview... He's tipping us to win:

"There are many reasons to believe this but the greatest one should be obvious to those who are saying that Barça only have to turn up to collect the trophy. United know about football at this level – and it is something they have confirmed with great timing. Just ask Chelsea. United are the Premier League champions because they were the best, most consistent team and don't you think this knowledge is going to give them a little confidence – and also make Barça think?"

Brian Viner in The Independent asks why people hate us and comes to the usual conclusion.  He claims to not be biased against us himself, but then comes out with this piece of ancient history which makes him sound otherwise:

It might not be the case that referees at Old Trafford are instinctively more generous to United, with the stopwatch and with penalty decisions, than they might be towards, say, Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. But when did Wigan players ever intimidate a ref like Roy Keane and his team-mates notoriously did the hapless Andy D'Urso?

 Henry Winter reports from the press conference:

“I trust the players and know they will do the job right. According to the bookmakers we are the underdogs. Anybody coming into a game of this nature doesn’t care what the betting says or experts say. What matters is the belief factor, tactics. It’s not about revenge for us for 2009 but personal pride we lost that game.’’

And finally Jamie Carragher is on hand to provide us with a bit of a joke:

The Champions League final is a game that can define a career. When you think of the true greats, they were elevated to exalted levels by doing something spectacular on this kind of stage. Take Zinedine Zidane, for example. He was a phenomenon who became a legend thanks to goals when it mattered for France and Real Madrid.

He, though, is not alone and you can almost tie the big names to one key moment. Steven Gerrard has Istanbul in 2005. The 1986 World Cup finals belonged to Diego Maradona. Ronaldo lifted Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, while Johan Cruyff won Ajax the European Cup in 1972.

Yes, you did read that right, he's just listed Stevie G with Maradona, Cruyff, Ronaldo and Zidane.  Makes me laugh.  Out.  Loud. (I didn't get any further, my sides couldn't take it)

Nothing But A Blur From A Bullet Train

Champions League Final comes ever closer, so many previews about.

We'll start with the ridiculous - The Mirror have this headline - "Giggs takes train to Wembley" and then loosely tie the team travelling to London with the whole business everyone else has moved on from - even The Mail manage to report the travelling to London story without reference to the Giggs injunction.

Lots of papers turn to that renowned football expert Jack Wilshire for a tactical analysis.  Yes, he played against them, no I don't particularly care what he has to say.

Not sure how, but Mark Ogden reckons he has the inside track on how we'll play on Saturday:

With Ferguson wary of Barcelona’s slick passing game, and the goal threat of Messi, Portuguese winger Nani has performed the ‘Messi’ role in training, replicating the Argentine forward’s movement in the final third of the pitch.

Michael Owen has also been asked to play as David Villa, Barcelona’s £34 million striker who enjoys cutting in from the left flank, while Paul Scholes has performed as the Spanish playmaker Andrés Iniesta.

And while United have worked at length on a 4-4-2 formation with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández as the focal point of the attack, a plan is also in place to move to 3-4-3 should Barcelona take a lead and leave United chasing the game in the second-half.

Chris Smalling, set to be named on the substitutes’ bench on Saturday, has trained as the third man at the back alongside Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

The former Fulham youngster would likely replace Ji-sung Park, with Fabio and Patrice Evra advancing into midfield behind a front three of Rooney, Hernández and Antonio Valencia.

He also suggests that because of Barcelona's smaller squad we should have the edge over them fitness-wise, especially towards the end of the game.

Kevin McCarra has an odd old article on Rooney, arguing that he needs a "defining performance." To reach this conclusion though he needs to underplay everything Rooney has done, and suggest we're a one man team in the process:

Something, admittedly, will have to change [Rooney's defining moment] if a crestfallen United are not to find themselves bewildered as they are ushered towards defeat

Yeah, he's our only hope, no Nani. Valencia, Berba, Hernandez, to score for us, Park pops up for important goals.  No, it's all down to Rooney...  Whose done nothing this season, has he Kevin? "He has finished joint-third in the table for assists in the Premier League." Which is good isn't it? "That, all the same, is a modest prominence." No, apparently not.  Then he blames Rooney for the fact the media are only ever interested when he's swearing:

It is curious that Rooney's influence on the outcome of the Premier League received little attention. Perhaps people were waiting for even more evidence. He scored the fairly late winner against Manchester City in February. When the side lagged 2-0 at Upton Park, his hat-trick reversed the momentum of a match that ended in a 4-2 victory. It was a Rooney goal in the Champions League win at Stamford Bridge that shaped the quarter-final.

He really can't blame Rooney for his profession's blindness.

Louise Taylor tries a similarly confused look at Carrick, opening with:

By regulating tempo and dictating play Carrick is frequently the man who calibrates United's game but his economy of movement and non-showy persona ensures that the significance of his contribution sometimes eludes untutored eyes.

Then later -

If there is a hint of United lapsing into a "Polo" formation – featuring a hole in areas where Carrick should be intercepting, shielding and distributing...

Against Chelsea in the Champions League, he made 3 more interceptions than any player on the pitch. I quoted yesterday that he was "the best English midfielder in terms of possession and passing."  And yet articles like this, even when they start with praise, perpetuate the myth of his underachieving.

There's an interview with Valencia in The Guardian, mainly on his comeback from injury:

"I never thought it could happen like this," Valencia admits. "I thought I might make it back for the last couple of games, maybe when the league had been decided. Or maybe play the odd weekend in three, something like that. To come back so soon and to be playing in decisive games from the word go ... no, that's not something I thought would be possible."

Given how the papers whined about Sir Alex commenting on referees, they're very quick to give their opinion of the referee for the final.  The Guardian have Howard Webb expressing his view, while Graham Poll gives his in The Mail.  Summary: good ref, keeps game flowing and cards in pocket, speaks English but not Spanish.

The Mirror tell us that van der Sar, in his last game, will join Vidic in lifting the trophy should we win it.

The Independent have an interview with Sir Bobby Charlton, read it, brief quote to finish:

"We have a spirit here at Manchester United, and it all revolves around what happened in the past. Sir Matt was always going on about not being boring. Trafford Park was the largest industrial estate in Europe at that particular time. They used to go over the Warwick Road bridge into these great big factories [to do] mundane, boring jobs. He used to say that when Saturday comes, they expect to be entertained. That was the philosophy then and it's the philosophy now. Alex has the measure of it all. He's everything I ever hoped he would be. He's marvellous."

My Evil Twin

Mainly Champions League preview today, and there's a lot of them about, so, without further ado, onto Giggs...

Just gonna point to one Giggs piece today, this from Marina Hyde in The Guardian. I'll quote the beginning and the end:

never forget it is the intimate details they wish to publish, as opposed to the mere allegations of infidelity. Everybody with a timeshare on half a brain cell knows that the Sun wanted to run its original Giggs story because it would have titillated some of the public. Yet you cannot move for disingenuous cobblers about how Giggs had "traded" on a reputation which now "lies in tatters". "The Giggs brand," runs some typically woolly posturing in the Daily Mail, "was underpinned by his 'clean cut, family man' image."

...

can we at least agree to dispense with the idea that such stories are run for any nobler reason than money-spinning titillation? To pretend otherwise seems a hypocrisy infinitely greater than that Ryan Giggs is supposed to have indulged in.

Amen.

James Lawton is again readable, continuing his Champions league week with an interview with Nobby Stiles, one of the stars of our 1968 triumph.  No stand out quotes, but worth a read from a historical perspective, and for the fact that James Lawton just about manages to criticise his beloved Barca.

The Mirror have an interview with Carrick which focuses on why he's so underrated:

He is the best English midfielder in terms of possession and pass completion, and his performances in guiding United to Saturday’s final show just how influential he can be. Also, has anyone seen a better performance than his master-class in orchestration in the title-clinching victory over Chelsea?

So why the brick-bats?

Carrick himself has an idea, because his reputation took a dive after the Champions’ League final defeat to Barcelona two years ago, as Xavi and Andres Iniesta ruled the midfield. ...

“Yeah, maybe some of the criticism aimed at me stems from that night against Barca when the things we tried didn’t come off, and it’s good to get the chance against them again,” he says mildly.

“But to be honest, I’m not bothered about the chance of revenge or proving anything, it’s a more simple motivation than that. It’s about the chance to play on the stage again, against the biggest sides and the chance to get your hands on the trophy."

Interview with Park, from The Independent, not too interesting, concentrating on him missing out in 2008 and his miss in 2009;

Park has been trying to avoid the memory of that miss. "It was two years ago so I have to forget bad things," he said. "If I score I always think of that but I didn't and we lost the game so I don't think of that. If that chance had gone in maybe it would have been a different result, but it didn't and it wasn't. Then we conceded a goal after that but it changed the game and we lost concentration so it's difficult to come back from that."

Martin Samuel remembers the good ol' days when men were men and unafraid to support all the English teams in Europe.  Not worth a read.

The Mail continues it's stupidity by putting the words "Martin Keown" and "insight" next to each other."  |His insight appears to be that our defenders will have to defend and our attackers will have to attack.  Brilliant journalism - though for all the sarcasm it's more insightful than 90% of the shit in The Mail.

The Sun take a leaf out of The Mail's "print any old rubbish" approach and claim an "EXCLUSIVE" with our team for the Final.  It's our team that played against Schalke, which anyone could guess I imagine, it's not sourced or anything, so I guess it's exclusive in that it's the Sun's guess...

And Harry Redknapp is also his usual insightful self, proclaiming he'd sign Messi rather than Rooney.

Sometimes I feel like banging my head against a wall.

The Guardian have the highlight of the day with an interview with the Da Silva twins.  On Sir Alex:

Fábio says: "There was a match where he came to me in the dressing room and started to tell me off, but calling me Rafael. He still gets us confused, but it doesn't matter. Sir Alex knows everything about football and he loves the Brazilian style. He is crazy about Cafu, our idol."

It's also got a bit of their history and is worth a look.

An article on the Glazers and money in The Guardian if your interested in that type of thing.  They also report that we have money for big signings:

Having smashed the pay ceiling to give Wayne Rooney a contract worth around £200,000 a week in the wake of his threat to leave, the owners are said to be relaxed about the prospect of Ferguson breaking the bank to sign a marquee name.

The figure they give is £160 million that can be spent on players.

Few bits and pieces;  Ravel Morrison court appearance; bit of background on David De Gea, although there's now doubt that the deal's as done as we thought; Evra suggests Nasri join us.

Respect My Fresh

Attention beginning to focus on the Champions League Final, and a new keeper on his way, plus The Daily Mail foiled my plans to boycott them by publishing a very long interview with Sir Bobby Charlton today.

We'll get the keeper out the way first, David De Gea:

"We've been working on it for quite a while," said Ferguson of the signing. "We identified him quite a while back as one we should go for. He's young, very quick, good composure, presence and an outstanding replacement for Van der Sar.

"We were looking for the same type of qualities as Edwin, because the one great quality Edwin always had was his composure and organisational ability. David de Gea is very similar that way."

The fee is "believed to be in the region of £17 million," making him the 2nd most expensive keeper behind Buffon

Onto the Champions League and Kevin McCarra in The Guardian looks back to Sir Alex's first European triumph with Aberdeen, but argues that Sir Alex isn't a man distracted by nostalgia:

Managers seldom lose their attachment to football. It is the readiness to react to new developments in the sport that fails. The temptation to retreat into reminiscence is ever present. Ferguson himself can enjoy reliving old times but it is a temporary piece of self-indulgence.

Daniel Taylor has a good piece from the press conference yesterday with some analysis thrown in:

...Ronaldo demonstrated some of his more self-absorbed traits in Rome, shooting from the kind of distances and angles to concoct the sense among many observers he single-handedly wanted to turn Europe's premier club game into a one-man event.

Ferguson, for the record, disagrees, confiding once that Ronaldo was one of the few players not to warrant any blame. But he also believes there is enough hard evidence now to remove the sense that, without the Portuguese, they are a lesser team. United have just won the league by nine points. They qualified for this final without having conceded an away goal.

"All I can say is that all teams are different, the game evolves," he says. "I am well aware we have our critics, people who think we lack flair and don't play fantasy football, who believe we fall short of being a vintage side. As I once said to a pressman who observed that we were winning, but without firing on all cylinders, 'What do you want ... blood?'"

Those who are closest to Ferguson say that part of his strategy this time is to avoid talking up United's opponents too much. This is a side, he has told his players, who can be brilliant in thrilling, sporadic flashes, but who were only a miscued Nicklas Bendtner toe-poke from being eliminated against Arsenal in the last 16.

Still on Sir Alex, James Lawton has a piece stemming from Sir Alex's contretemps with a journalist at the press conference (which I'm not going into, one of those things journalist like to make a big deal off, sticking together, reported here if you're interested), but, and I'm saying this far too often recently, I'm worried for my sanity, Lawton makes the incident the jumping off point for not  a bad article:

His mood is not improved, though, when he is told that this may be his greatest achievement, one forged from within the limits of what many believe is his least talented championship team, because any such acknowledgment from him would inevitably be seen as a slur on his players, a betrayal no less.

It would offend the tribal instincts that were as visible, and as abrasive, as ever yesterday. It would say that there were frailties at a place where they cannot be allowed to exist. About such things there is supposed to be a rule of silence. If we had forgotten, we have been reminded once again.

Henry Winter has a good interview with Michael Owen, here on Sir Alex:

“I think I would love to be a manager one day but then I watch the manager [Ferguson] at work and think there are so many attributes needed that I couldn’t be bothered doing that. Then I think there are some great bits as well, and I’d love to take responsibility. As I’ve got older, I’ve got more inquisitive: why is the manager saying this, trying to motivate a certain player like that.”

Ferguson is an inspiration. “He’s been manager here for 25 years. It’s amazing how he has moved with the times, been so open-minded to new ideas, implemented different things, how he delegates to different people yet still have everything in control. He’s got one million and one things in his armoury, rotating and motivating, which has enabled him to get where he is now.”

And the bit all the other papers pick up on, bit of a go at Capello not having him in England squad:

“I’ve given up trying to understand. I’ve not given up on England. It’s just come to an abrupt stop under this manager.

"For the first couple of squads I missed, I looked at the players and looked at what I had done. I was disappointed. For the last dozen squads, I haven’t looked. It’s sad really.” When Capello leaves after Euro 2012, Owen could be recalled. “Cheers! I hope you’re right.”

Oliver Holt bleats on about Giggs again; one bit worth quoting:

Ryan Giggs is not a landmark in English legal history. He is one of the greatest players we have ever seen.

Humorous quote from Vidic (funny because it's true) on Barcelona and their "ways": 

"Obviously their players have a different mentality to us. But it wont be a problem for us to deal with these things.

"They may do things and argue more than they should do, but it won't affect us. The referee for the game will probably be the best referee around. I think he can cope with that."

And finally a very long and worthwhile interview with Sir Bobby Charlton in The Mail, I'll pick out one quote, but frankly, much as it pains me to direct people to their website, you should just go and read the whole thing:

'...when I’m asked to name the best players in the history of our club (excluding himself), the first three are Edwards, Best and Law.’

Suddenly, that poster of Duncan Edwards is beckoning. The  greatest Red of all. Dead at 21. The elephant is in the house. For years the tale of Munich was told and re-told in tears. 

Of Big Duncan, Bobby could hardly speak. Time helps. Now his testament helps keep the memory of Edwards alive: ‘Just a boy. But what a boy. Look at our old team pictures when he was still only 16 and he was already the giant on the end of the row.

'We were  England’s pioneers in what used to be the European Cup. The League were against us entering but the Old Man took us in anyway. What they couldn’t believe, either, was that he was going to take on the might of Europe, Real Madrid and all, with a bunch of kids. His Busby Babes. 

‘Then they saw Duncan. He was already the complete footballer. Mighty in the air. Unbreakable in the tackle. Rampaging tirelessly across the pitch. Perfect first touch followed by raking 40, 50-yard passes with either foot.  Unstoppable on the run with the ball. Deadly in front of goal. He was already a colossus. 

‘Ask me who is the greatest  footballer the world has ever seen. Ask me who is the greatest  footballer I ever played with. Ask me who is the greatest footballer I ever played against. Same answer: Duncan Edwards. Don’t ask me how much greater he would have become. It defies imagination. What’s bigger than a colossus?

‘Think about that. Then  remember that I played not only with George and Denis but with Bobby Moore. That I played against Pele. They were truly great, but Duncan was the greatest.’

Read it.

Gary Neville is a Red

For those that missed Gary Neville's Testimonial last night (that would be me...) here's some highlights -



And here's a longer video of his speech after the game and his farewell to the fans -



And finally a tribute to him from Sky last night - MUST WATCH -

Bad Penny

Obviously one story dominates this morning... the FA Youth Cup victory, of course.  There's also some Champions League previewing going on and some end of season stuff plus another story, of which we might have a brief glance at.

The Guardian report on our Youth Cup victory, comparing us to Real Madrid, saying that Man Utd:

are the Real Madrid of the FA Youth Cup. They went into this second leg with a record of nine victories since the tournament for under-18 sides was invented in 1953. That haul included a clean sweep of the first five editions, just like the Spanish club in the European Cup. Their winning teams have included names such as Edwards, Charlton, Best, Aston, Giggs, Beckham and Scholes. And last night they went one better than Real, capturing the trophy for the 10th time.

Although they go on to try and put a dampner on proceedings:

Examining the team sheets for past Youth Cup finals can be a melancholy business: so much promise, so little ultimate fulfilment. Of Old Trafford's last winning side, in 2003, only three players – Phil Bardsley, Chris Eagles and Kieran Richardson – have gone on to make senior careers in the Premier League, but with other clubs. Of the club's last runners-up, four years ago, only the name of Danny Welbeck, on loan to Sunderland this season, will now ring a bell with most fans. Sometimes, however, all those dreams come true, and the most golden of United's junior teams was the class of 1991, many of whose members will reassemble at Old Trafford on Tuesday night for Gary Neville's charity testimonial game.

The Manchester Evening News also give history its due, but in the context of the youngsters handling pressure:

Another day and another trophy parade at Old Trafford as Manchester United’s future generation showed they can handle the pressure of the past to win the FA Youth Cup.

And in United tradition it was the locals who put the latest goal polish on the silverware with Wythenshawe’s Ravel Morrison and Stockport’s William Keane scoring twice apiece to secure the first Youth Cup since 2003 and United’s 10th in total with a 4-1 win on the night and 6-3 on aggregate.

There was the threat of so much history suffocating the team. The Academy boy’s big night at the stadium was sandwiched between two Old Trafford events dripping with emotion and history.

Moving on to the Champions League, there's quotes from Messi and Guardiola doing the rounds; here, from The Manchester Evening News, Guardiola on our strength in depth:

"They can field four or five teams that are all competitive," he said.

"I went to watch them play Schalke (in the Champions League semi-final second leg at Old Trafford) and they made nine changes and still won easily.

"I can't make nine changes to my team because we have a small squad, but they have so much quality - (Dimitar) Berbatov, Chicharito (Javier Hernandez), (Wayne) Rooney, (Paul) Scholes, (Ryan) Giggs - they have so many players to choose from."

While The Daily Star report on Messi's praise of Rooney and Hernandez and claim that it is him "taunting" us.

Kevin McCarra has a season review, and a look forward to next season:

their achievement has lain in an appreciation of where and when it is essential to dominate. No one, for instance, can suggest for a moment that they have gone to seed when their command in the Champions League has been formidable. On that front, they have won five of their six away fixtures, drawing the other with Marseille.

There is a constant reshaping of United that has a soothingly measured tone and the midfield should see a little redevelopment this summer. The stability dividend of Ferguson's 25 years in charge is obvious...

Our new kit is officially unveiled.

A quote from Evra on Sir Alex persuading him to stay does the rounds:

"I had thought about leaving Manchester United last summer for family reasons and even concluded that I wanted to," Evra said. "But something changed my mind quite late on. There were other clubs interested like Inter and Real Madrid. But the manager visited me at my house in Manchester to persuade me. I know my heart has really made the right decision. When Sir Alex Ferguson talks, it's a good idea to listen.

Berba promises to stay:

"I am the happiest man in the team because I'm a champion and top goalscorer in the league.

"To win 19 titles is a fantastic achievement.

"I expect to win against Barcelona. Everybody thinks the Spaniards are favourites but nobody knows who will win."

The Daily Mail have an awful day, starting with this stupid little piece of transfer gossip - Nani to Juventus.  They then decide to try the lurid and salacious approach to the Ryan Giggs story.  I won't dignify it by quoting.  They justify it by claiming that because Giggs is quiet and has kids he has therefore cultivated an image for sponsorship deals.  They should just try the News of the World report lurid details without hypocritical justification approach.  And, according to The Mail, Giggs "paraded" his kids at Old Trafford on Sunday.  Speechless.  All the families were there.  Might reinstate my previous Mail boycott...

The Mail might like to listen to Oliver Holt in the Mirror:

Until I was told he had taken out an injunction several weeks ago, I had no idea whether he was married or not.

I didn’t particularly care and I had never seen him plastered across a glossy magazine, making money out of a family-man image.

And he comments on the bad timing and the test of Gigg's mettle:

Giggs is not just a man admired throughout the game as a dedicated professional and a player of supreme skill, he is still crucial to the Manchester United side.

But the timing of his unmasking yesterday could hardly have been worse for him and for Ferguson.

Nothing has ever dented Giggs’ brilliance before and if he shines as usual in Saturday’s showdown, it will represent his greatest triumph so far.

For once James Lawton talks sense, citing Tiger Woods and George Best and the need to separate the personal from the sport:

Will the Tiger be a figure of scorn if he again reclaims the genius that was his companion for so many years? Indeed, he was reassured about this by a crowd composed largely of Giggs' compatriots in a Welsh valley before the start of the Ryder Cup last autumn.

There were great cheers for the European heroes but nothing matched the roar that came when Woods was introduced to the crowd. There were not cheering a serial Lothario.

They were saluting a man who had brought unmatched excitement with his ability to produce all of his gifts when it mattered most.

Giggs, if he cares to think about it for a moment, can draw from a similar legacy of respect if and when he goes out at Wembley for one of the most important games of his career, a match which before the Twitter onslaught presented itself as the most uncomplicated, and climactic, of his career challenges.

He can think of his great predecessor George Best, who said dryly when being taken down to the cells after a brief lifetime of misadventure had led to a conviction for drink driving, "there goes the knighthood."

But Best was redeemed a thousand times in the memory of all those who had been thrilled by the glory of his football.