After a bomb attack on the hotel Manchester United was supposed to stay in for the game against an Indonesian All Star team, ManUtd cancelled both the trip to Indonesia and game. At least eight people died in the attacks and 50 people or more were injured.
The Australian Football Assosociation had offered to organize a game against Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC but ManUtd refused to take on the offer because it would mean an additional 20 hrs of travel time. Instead the Red Devils agreed to play a rematch against Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Continue reading »

Tags:   Ancelotti · Beckham · Diouf · Friendlies · Nani · owen · Rooney · Transfers

In a less surprising Sunday afternoon rumour the NOTW tries to create some buzz around glamour boy David Beckham by announcing that he would return to the Premier League if AC Milan would not sign him again. Becks has more than once expressed his intention to participate to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, probably as often as Capello has said that he would have to play regularly in the period before the World Cup and play on a high level. As known the MLS has a break in the months before the tournament.

Last season Becks was loaned out to AC Milan for 5 months and he hopes to return to the Italian squad next January. But the rumour mill obviously has started and he is said to be in touch with Spurs and the Council House in case a deal with Milan would fail. In the 2007-2008 season Becks trained 2 months with Arsenal to stay fit and maintain his chances on being selected for the England squad. That was a rather big slap in the face of many a ManUtd fan but how would we feel if now he would opt for the big bucks and sign for several months at Manchester City?

Tags:   Beckham · Gossip · Manchester City · Rumours

A lot stories are building around United.A small round up for today:

1.Adebayour gives warning to Reds for the title chase .Yeah Yeah how many times have we heard this.

2.Ramos keen for buying Carrick for £18m.Hopefully Fergie doesn’t seem interested in selling.

3.Carrick says Berbatov would be good at United apparently.

4.Beckham set to train at Arsenal for EURO matches.

Tags:   Beckham · Manchester united · News and stories

With all the internationals spread all over Europe to play for their country, trying to qualify for European 2008 next summer, one would have expected last week to be rather quiet on the ManU front, but the media have given us some of their best shots. And so did SAF.

On Wednesday SAF admitted that the sale of Jaap Stam in 2001 an error was and the Dutchman an all time great is. Stam was the last solid rock at OT and according to Alex he still plays on a great level for Ajax, although already 35.

Continue reading »

Tags:   Beckham · Huntelaar · SAF · Transfers

Gaby Heinze request to leave OT for Loserpool has been turned down by an Arbitration Panel.

Heinze claimed a letter from ManU allowed him to join the Merseyside for almost £7mm. Not so much now.

What does this mean now for Heinze? Has his future at OT really become doubtful or is there still a small chance for him at OT?

In my opinion Heinze should still consider to continue his career at ManU. Because, no matter what has happened there’s something special about The Reds and us, the fans. We’ll never condemn a player, nor will Fergie. The only thing ManU fans judge a player on are his performances. Continue reading »

Tags:   Beckham

David Beckham watched in disbelief from the England bench as Wayne Rooney was sent off in England’s World Cup quarter-final loss.

Beckham had only just come off injured and dried the tears from his eyes when Rooney was sent off in the 62nd minute after stomping on Ricardo Carvalho’s groin after a rough challenge by the Portugal defender.

Rooney also pushed Cristiano Ronaldo – his team-mate at Manchester United – in frustration, right in front of referee Horacio Elizondo.

The score was 0-0 at the time. No goals were scored in regulation or extra time and the game went to penalties. England lost 3-1.

Beckham understood Rooney’s frustrated face more than most. He was the last England player to be sent off when he got two yellows in a World Cup qualifier against Austria last October.

He was also the last England player to get a red card at the World Cup – and that sending off also led to a penalty shootout and elimination.

Beckham said referee Horacio Elizondo should have given a foul in Rooney’s favour just seconds before the sending off.

“He had two players on his back, if the referee had given that there would not have been this situation,” Beckham said to the Daily Mail.

“The situation happens and that’s the way it was.”

Rooney didn’t talk to reporters. He was the first player to board the bus, walking past the waiting media with his head down and flanked by two minders.

Beckham was confident Rooney would bounce back:

“Without a doubt,” he said. “Wayne’s our future and that’s what people should think. People get sent off in football, that’s the way it is sometimes.”

It isn’t the first time Rooney’s passion – often credited as a reason why he’s so talented – has got him and his team into trouble.

In last September’s surprise 1-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Northern Ireland, Rooney lost his temper after a series of fouls and, when team-mates including Beckham tried to calm him, he responded with a stream of expletives.

The previous season, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had to substitute him in a friendly match at Spain because his tough challenges and wild play were in danger of getting him ejected. He’s also been sent off while playing for Manchester United in a Champions League match after sarcastically applauding a referee.

To catch the latest news on the World Cup., visit the hottest soccer fan site on the net right now, Ji-SungPark.com, with its dedicated RSS feed.

Tags:   Beckham

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson insists he would drop captain David Beckham if the Real Madrid midfielder did not merit a place in the team.

Since the Swede took over in 2001, Beckham, 31, has played every tournament match despite criticism over some of his performances.

Eriksson said to the Sun: “I have taken David Beckham off before. I will do it again if I think he’s not doing the job. He doesn’t have any favours just because he’s the captain. He is treated the same as all the other players in every way – at the dinner table, on the bus, tactically, in training, in a match. I’m prepared to do whatever I need to do if I see things are going wrong. I will do whatever is required.”

The England captain has not yet hit his peak in Germany and was at fault when Marcus Allback was left unmarked to head home Sweden’s first goal in their Group B draw.

Beckham would not be drawn on his form when he addressed a news conference ahead of Sunday’s second round match against Ecuador:

“There are agendas out there but my agenda is to win the World Cup for this team. We’re in a very good situation, in the last 16 and very confident going into the game. I’m not sitting here to discuss my own form – that’s for you guys.”

The skipper was backed by centre-half John Terry, who said Beckham’s passing had been “fantastic” in the tournament.

“He is doing very well. It does surprise me the criticism he is getting. It’s easy to single him out because of his high profile. If the team doesn’t play well he gets singled out,” said Terry.
To catch the latest news on the World Cup., visit the hottest soccer fan site on the net right now, Ji-SungPark.com, with its dedicated RSS feed.

Tags:   Beckham

England captain David Beckham has warned Wayne Rooney not to risk his long-term future by rushing his return from injury.

Beckham said it would be a major blow if Rooney failed to recover from his broken foot in time for the World Cup.

But he told the Sunday Times newspaper:

“Wayne’s one of the best, if not the best, in our team. Of course we’d rather have Wayne in our team. But he can’t take risks. He’s a young player with a huge future.”

Rooney stepped up his training this week – cycling at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground – and his club doctor said the 20-year-old was taking positive steps on his road to recovery.

But Beckham warned his international team-mate still needed “to be careful“.

“He’s got to make sure he’s fit and that he’s not going to go and crack it again,” said the Real Madrid midfielder. I know what Wayne’s like. He’ll want to be there – he’ll be wanting to be playing straight away. But I do think the important part is for him to get fit. He has to look after himself. If he’s not right, he can’t take risks.”

Beckham was criticised for not being fully match fit at the last World Cup, having taken seven weeks to recover from a similar injury to that of Rooney’s.

He defended his decision to play at the 2002 tournament but said that, regardless of whether Rooney was fit, England would arrive with the “most confident team” he has ever known.

“There’s a lot been said about it (Wayne’s injury) and the team has to concentrate, of course,” he said. “But we have got other great players – world-class players.”

To catch the latest news on Man Utd., visit the hottest soccer fan site on the net right now, Ji-SungPark.com, with its dedicated RSS feed.

Tags:   Beckham

Real Madrid’s David Beckham expects Manchester United to push Chelsea “very close” in the Premiership title race.

A run of eight straight League wins has led to Beckham’s old club closing the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points.

Midfielder Beckham, 30, told the Daily Mirror:

“I think it can go all the way to the wire. It is going to be very close because United are playing well. Chelsea have a great team and a strong manager but United are on a roll and it will be closer than people expect. Their performances are great, they are scoring goals. They have so many players within the team who can get goals – like Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha – and they are all playing well. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens.“

Also Carlos Queiroz has also been doing a lot of talking to the Press recently, including an interview with Sky Sports where he said Chelsea looked “shaky“. This after Fergie has been up his usual psychological tricks!

And Louis Saha insists they can overhaul Chelsea and snatch the Premiership title. Saha scored in United’s 2-1 win at Bolton that put them within seven points of long-time leaders Chelsea.

He said to the BBC after the Bolton game:

“This is a massive win for us and now we have to keep putting the pressure on. We definitely believe it is on. We believe we can do it. Chelsea have got to make mistakes, we know that, and we have to keep playing the way that we are. We know that we can not make mistakes. But I am in the best form of my life and was really happy to get another goal, and the way we are playing up front – with Ruud van Nistelrooy as well – is all working well. We are in great form and have to keep it going.”And Saha added: “We know that we can not make mistakes. But I am in the best form of my life and was really happy to get another goal, and the way we are playing up front – with Ruud van Nistelrooy as well – is all working well. We are in great form and have to keep it going“.

United make the trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 29 April......

Tags:   Beckham