Manchester Utd

Rooney questions Blues confidence
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says Chelsea's title hopes could be fatally damaged if they lose Sunday's Premier League game at Old Trafford. "If we can win, that would be Chelsea getting one point from nine in their last three games," Rooney told MUTV. "You never know what that might do to their confidence," added the striker, who was speaking before Jose Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge. "A chance to go three points in front of them makes it a massive game." Rooney fractured his foot in the opening-day draw with Reading, but the England international is set to play his second Premier League game of the season on Sunday. The United striker started for Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the midweek Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon. "You have to regard Chelsea as the main threat," added Rooney, whose side lie fourth in the table, two points adrift of Arsenal but level with Chelsea. "They have won two titles out of the last three but they have had a difficult start because, like ourselves, they have had a lot of injuries. "It will be a lot tougher this year anyway because clubs like Everton and Tottenham have really good squads now. "Liverpool will be up there and Arsenal have had a fantastic start. We just have to keep plugging away."

Ferguson leads praise for Scots
Sir Alex Ferguson is backing his former player Alex McLeish to lead Scotland to a place at Euro 2008. When asked if the Scots could beat world champions Italy at Hampden on Saturday, the Manchester United manager said: "Yes they can, definitely. "Alex has done a fantastic job for Scotland. Walter Smith started it of course but Alex has carried on the mantle very well. "Now Scotland have a great chance of qualifying for the finals." Ferguson, who managed Scotland on an interim basis at the 1986 World Cup finals, had McLeish playing for him during his days at Aberdeen. Ferguson, now in his 22nd year at Old Trafford, created a young, hungry and successful team at Pittodrie. And he is impressed by the current crop of Scots in the national team. "A few players have emerged over the past year and done well," said Ferguson. "You look at the likes of Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher. "Barry Ferguson is in the best form of his life, Lee McCulloch is doing a great job and Craig Gordon has been fantastic." Willie Miller partnered McLeish in central defence at Aberdeen and the pair starred together at international level. Their finest hour as players came when they beat Real Madrid to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup for Ferguson in 1983. And Miller has every faith in his old friend building on two wins over France to see off Italy. "Confidence is important, there is no doubt about that, momentum, getting results," said Aberdeen's director of football. "We had that when we won the Cup Winners' Cup. We had a huge result against Bayern Munich, who were probably the best team in Europe at that time. "And what Scotland did against the French has got to have that effect on the team, it has got to give them confidence. "I think that's what Alex will be reminding his players - that if you are capable of beating the French twice then you are capable of beating the Italians as well." McLeish played at three World Cups for Scotland and his squad-mate from 1982, John Wark, has also been impressed by his country's recent achievements. "Scotland, have done magnificently," said the former Ipswich and Liverpool star. "Sure, they've got to beat Italy to make the finals and that certainly is never going to be easy. "But the fact they have got this far is itself really something special. "Who would have thought it would end like this after being drawn in a group containing France, Italy and Ukraine? "The Scots have come from nowhere to achieve all this because when Berti Vogts was in charge, things were really at a low ebb internationally. "But Walter Smith sorted it out when he took over and big Alex McLeish has taken it on even further after Walter decided to go back to Rangers. "With the results they've had I think they deserve to get to the finals."

Man Utd mourn Busby Babe Doherty
Former Manchester United player John Doherty has died at the age of 72. Doherty, who was a member of the Busby Babes side, made 26 appearances and scored seven goals before he was forced to retire at only 23 because of injury. The 1955-56 championship winner later became the chairman of the Association of Former Manchester United Players. And he was one of three former players who carried the Premier League trophy on to the Old Trafford pitch for last season's title presentation. United chief executive David Gill said: "John was a tireless leader of the Association of Former Players and a much loved and popular figure around Old Trafford. "His work with the Former Players saw the group go from strength to strength. His quick wit and easy manner will be greatly missed. "It was a special moment for him to be able to bring on the Premier League trophy at the end of last season with his other friends from the Busby Babes' first title-winning team in 1956 for presentation to the team; a role he performed with great pride and dignity. "Our thoughts are with his family." Former United player Paddy Crerand, who was a close friend of Doherty, said: "I am absolutely devastated. It's hard to take. He was a great, great lad and such a big fan of United. "He was always at the games at Old Trafford and obviously has the history of playing for the club as a Busby Babe. "One of the great things about him was the work he did for the Association of Former Manchester United Players. He was absolutely fantastic with his work for the old boys."

Foster sets sights on next season
Manchester United keeper Ben Foster has effectively given up on playing for the club this season as he recovers from a serious knee injury. Foster is yet to make his competitive debut for United but earned an England cap in February after impressing during a two-year loan at Watford. "It's going to be early February before I can start training and March before I can play," he told Man Utd Radio. "The reserves or a loan spell somewhere would let me kick on next season." The 24-year-old had been tipped to challenge United's first-choice keeper, Ed van der Sar, after returning from his time with Watford. But a ruptured cruciate knee ligament in May destroyed his hopes. "When you can't do what you're paid to do it's massively frustrating," he added. "I've been spending a lot of time in the gym. I've been on the exercise bike, the cross-trainer, the treadmill, machines that aren't going to put too much pressure on my knee but will help me to keep my stamina up." Foster won his only England cap in the friendly against Spain earlier this year, but he is concentrating on regaining fitness before thinking about adding to his total. "First things first - I have to force my way in at United," he said. "You can't expect to be picked for England if you are not in your club team. "I had a lot of expectation for what this season was going to hold for me. It is so disappointing when you are told you are going to be out for eight months. "All you can do is let it seep into your head, then knuckle down to some hard work."

Vidic could miss Man Utd fixture
Nemanja Vidic could miss Manchester United's game at Bolton on Saturday. The 26-year-old defender is part of the Serbia squad whose Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan has been rescheduled for the same day. The Group A match was due to be played last Saturday but had to be cancelled because of heavy snow in Belgrade. However, if Serbia fail to beat group leaders Poland, or Portugal take a point from Finland on Wednesday, the Kazakhstan tie will be meaningless. That would raise the possibility of Vidic being freed by his country to rejoin the United squad for their Premier League encounter with Gary Megson's Bolton. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be loathe to lose Vidic, who has played in all but one of the club's league games this season. After Saturday's postponement Uefa attempted to stage the qualifier on Sunday but with 14cm of snow still lying on the Partizan Stadium pitch, those plans also fell through.

O'Shea extends Man Utd contract
Manchester United defender John O'Shea has signed a three-year extension to his current contract. The new deal means the 26-year-old Republic of Ireland international will remain at the club until 2012. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "John has developed here and is regarded as one of the more experienced players. "He has proved through his personality and professionalism he is a credit to the club." The Waterford-born player's versatility means he has become an integral part of the United squad and can play either centre-half, full-back or in central midfield. O'Shea said: "I am extending my contract with the champions. "I have been at the club since the age of 17 and it is a dream come true to play for such a great club. "I hope to play my part in bringing more trophies here and to continuing the success with this young, exciting team. "I would like to thank the boss, the staff and the fans for their continued support."

Rooney ready for Man Utd return
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is set to return to face Fulham after recovering from his ankle injury. Rooney will link up with Carlos Tevez up front and United could give recalls to Ryan Giggs, Owen Hargreaves, Edwin van der Sar and Wes Brown too. Fulham full-back Moritz Volz will not play despite a reserve outing after his shoulder, groin and foot problems. Phillipe Christanval, Kasey Keller, Lee Cook, Ian Pearce, Brian McBride, Simon Elliot and Jimmy Bullard are also out. Rooney hands United boss Sir Alex Ferguson a major boost after they slipped up with a 1-0 defeat at Bolton last weekend in the Premier League. The England striker has missed three United matches and two England games since suffering the freak injury in training. Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, Pique, Simpson, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez, Rooney, Saha. Fulham (from): Niemi, Warner, Baird, Omozusi, Hughes, Stefanovic, Bocanegra, Konchesky, Davies, Davis, Murphy, Dempsey, Kamara, Kuqi, Healy, Bouazza, Smertin, Leijer, Seol, Volz. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson: "Wayne has been training with the first team and has a few extra days to prepare, so I think he will be ready. He won't need any encouragement to play that is for sure. "His endurance work is fine and his fitness levels are good. He has not even been out for a month so I wouldn't imagine it will take him a long time to get his rhythm." "You do miss these players. You cope but you still miss them. Wayne was on a good run of form before he got injured and hopefully he can continue it." Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez: "It's the biggest ground in the country, they are the champions, and the quality of the players on show is terrific. It's a great challenge, I'm looking forward to it. "I was lucky enough as a player to walk out of there a couple of times as a winner, so I know what it's like. "Taking my team back there , my first time as a Premier League manager, I'm looking for us to have a go."

Ferguson fumes at Ronaldo booking
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has described Cristiano Ronaldo's yellow card for diving against Fulham as "ridiculous". Ronaldo, who grabbed both goals in the 2-0 win, went down under a challenge from Fulham keeper Antti Niemi. Rob Styles booked him for simulation but Ferguson said: "Why would he want to go down? He was on a hat-trick. "His reputation from years ago is still playing on the minds of referees. It was a ridiculous decision." The Manchester United manager said that Ronaldo no longer deserved the diving tag that was attached to the Portuguese winger in his early days at the club. "It is quite unfair because he is nothing like that now", said Ferguson. "He is more mature and a magnificent footballer." Replays showed that Niemi did not touch the ball and forced Ronaldo to take evasive action but it was unclear how much contact was made. Ronaldo himself refused to condemn Styles but was certain the referee had got the decision wrong. "I try to do my job and I try to play honestly", he said. "I respect the referee's decision but I do not have the same opinion because I thought it was a penalty. "If you see the replay, the goalkeeper never touched the ball, so it is frustrating the referee gave me a yellow card." United's assistant manager Carlos Queiroz was more concerned about the booking leading to Ronaldo being suspended at some stage in the future. "Ronaldo has reasons to complain this time," he said. "The team should have had a penalty, but what is totally unfair is it was a wrong decision. "It gives him one more yellow which damages him and the team." However, Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez said that he was sure there had been no contact between Niemi and Ronaldo. "Antti was trying to tell the referee he had not touched Ronaldo - and he hadn't," said Sanchez. "Maybe if Ronaldo had dragged his feet, he would have got a penalty but he didn't, he sprawled over him. Is that a penalty or not? I don't know. "But if he had gone straight over the top, he probably would have scored." He said: "Earlier in the season he awarded Chelsea a very debatable and generous penalty which earned them a point at Liverpool."

Ferguson lauds 'special' Anderson
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the talents of Brazilian midfielder Anderson and described him as "something special". The 19-year-old has impressed during an extended run in the absence of the injured Paul Scholes. "We've been delighted with him and he has proven himself to be a true central midfield player," said Ferguson. "But he's got to prove his goal-scoring ability because that's something Scholesy has always given us." Ferguson added: "There was an urgency to get him once we'd scouted him, even though he'd broken his leg and had been out for four or five months. "The reports we were getting were saying that he was the best young player in the world. At the time I was saying, 'For God's sake, let's calm down a bit here.' "I knew he had real potential, but I didn't want to put labels on him like that." Anderson scored twice in 18 appearances for former side Porto, but has yet to find the net in eight appearances for the Red Devils.

Ferguson admits FA referee charge
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted a Football Association charge of misconduct. Ferguson was charged with using abusive and insulting words towards an official after an exchange with referee Mark Clattenburg at Bolton on 24 November. United were given until Tuesday to respond to the charge, but Ferguson will accept his punishment. The Scot has not requested a personal hearing and a Regulatory Commission will consider the charge in due course. Ferguson was sent to the stands by Clattenburg following a half-time rant during United's 1-0 defeat at the Reebok Stadium. The Scot said after the match that he had told the referee "exactly what he thought of him". He continued: "Some referees don't like it. They don't like the truth. But I just told him how bad he was in the first-half." Ferguson was upset with what he felt was a lack of protection for his players against what he claimed were "over-aggressive" tactics from Gary Megson's side. And one tackle by Kevin Davies on Patrice Evra prompted an infuriated Ferguson into a finger-jabbing rant as Clattenburg entered the tunnel at half-time. Ferguson said he believes refereeing standards are 'slipping' within the English game. Though the United boss openly admitted he had missed a pre-season briefing for managers by referees' chief Keith Hackett, he believes one of the central components of the discussion has been ignored. "At the summer conference, Keith Hackett was on about tackling from behind," he said. "He made a promise to the managers that tackles with raised feet off the ground would be a red card and that tackles from the back would be a red card. "Standards must be slipping because there have been some bad tackles recently, not just in our games but in quite a few others. "And what happens then is that if someone gets seriously injured, who gets the blame? The referee gets the blame."

OBE honour for United hero Giggs
Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has collected an OBE from the Queen for services to football. The 34-year-old Cardiff-born former Wales captain, who made his Old Trafford debut at 17, collected the award at Buckingham Palace. Giggs, who was given the day off to attend the ceremony by club boss Sir Alex Ferguson, said: "It is a very proud day for me and my family." He was among a number of sports people honoured in the Queen's Birthday List. The father-of-two, who has clocked up more than 700 appearances for United, said that Sir Alex had given him some advice prior to the ceremony. "He had been down a couple of times before and just said enjoy it. "I'm lucky to play for such a great club for such a long time and have a successful career," he added. Among the other sports stars receiving awards was Kris Radlinski, formerly captain of Wigan Warriors, who was made an MBE for his services to Rugby League.

Six held as United fans stabbed
Six Britons have been arrested after fighting broke out ahead of Manchester United's Champions League tie against Roma in the Italian capital. Five United fans were stabbed during skirmishes between a group of 50 rival fans on Wednesday evening. Four of the six Britons detained were formally charged with obstructing police officers in their duty. Two others were released without charge. None of the stabbed fans suffered serious injuries. Embassy staff said it appeared there were no further disturbances as fans left the stadium after the game, which finished 1-1. The violence flared at the Pont Duca d'Aosta bridge, the scene of many clashes between visiting fans and Roma's Ultras contingent. Police used two baton charges to disperse the fans during the violence, which was the latest in a series of clashes between supporters of the two clubs. The last time the two teams met in April, 11 fans were taken to hospital after supporters were beaten by riot police inside the stadium. Three United supporters were also stabbed outside the ground. Scuffles also broke out outside Old Trafford during the second leg of the tie a week later, with 21 people arrested. Warnings issued Greater Manchester Police officers had travelled to Rome before this latest match and had issued warnings to hooligans not to attend. With the two sides having a history of trouble United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was disappointed by the scenes in the city. "This is something we hoped would not happen," he said. "We wanted a nice quiet night and to be able to go home with no incident. It is disappointing that has not happened. "Obviously, we are not sure of the details but we hope the supporters concerned will be okay."

Carlos Tevez scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United claimed a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Although The Red Devils were not at their free-flowing best they continued their imperious record over Rafa Benitez's side on Merseyside. The hosts fell asleep from a corner, allowing Wayne Rooney to strike Ryan Giggs' corner goalwards which Tevez stabbed home from close range. Liverpool never really came close to equalising after the interval as United extended their unbeaten run at Anfield to six Premier League outings. The win moves Sir Alex Ferguson's side nine points clear of Liverpool, although Benitez's side do have a game in hand on their rivals. Twelve months ago, Liverpool did everything but beat United, virtually battering their North West rivals into submission before John O'Shea popped up in the final minute to snatch victory. The home fans must have endured an uneasy feeling of deja vu as they watched the opening period unfold. What incisive football was played amid a frenzied atmosphere was all theirs. The chances fell the way of the men in red too. Unfortunately, the shots were either off target or failed to beat a United defender stood on the line. Liverpool's efforts were assisted by a rare faltering performance from Edwin van der Sar, who twice had his attempts to take what looked like routine catches hindered by his own players. On the first occasion, the veteran Dutchman ran into a crowd of United defenders as he tried to collect a Steven Gerrard free-kick that had been deflected high into the air. Harry Kewell was on to the loose ball first but drove his volley straight at Anderson, who was still marshalling a post. Fernando Torres, a man Ferguson tried to buy from Atletico Madrid on three separate occasions, should have finished off the rebound but, from six yards, nodded disappointingly wide. Then, when Van der Sar came off worst in a collision with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand's back header seemed destined to bounce into his own net until Patrice Evra raced back to clear. Torres was off-target with a couple of efforts, as was Sami Hyypia. Yet, for all the pressure, it was United who took the lead two minutes before the break as the Liverpool defence fell apart following a Giggs corner. After failing to pick up Rooney on the edge of the area, Alvaro Arbeloa then remained rooted to the goalline as Liverpool pushed up hoping for an offside as the ball fizzed into the box. Tevez scooped home his eighth goal of the season and the Argentina forward wheeled away in celebration, the ball hitting virtually the same spot O'Shea had found in March. For a very brief moment, it appeared Torres would level within a minute of the re-start as the United defence opened up in front of the Spain international. The ball seemed to get stuck under his feet and before he could regain any momentum, Torres had been robbed. It was the prelude for more sustained Liverpool pressure, which United countered by throwing their bodies in the way of anything vaguely threatening. Ferdinand and Vidic were immense figures at the heart of the rearguard action, their efforts only made slightly easier by Dirk Kuyt's poor performance. Peter Crouch's introduction gave the Red Devils' overworked defence another problem to counter and another substitute, Ryan Babel, almost took advantage of the extra space when he skimmed a shot agonisingly wide of Van der Sar's left post. Babel injected more life into the Liverpool attack but it was Rooney who would have saved the visiting fans an anxious final 10 minutes if he had not turned Ronaldo's low cross wide from eight yards.

Rape inquiry after Man Utd party
Police are investigating the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman at a hotel where Manchester United players and other guests were attending a party. The alleged attack took place at the Great John Street Hotel in Manchester in the early hours of Tuesday. Hotel managers confirmed the venue was fully booked out for a private party. Police are refusing to confirm or deny the involvement of any players in the incident at the city centre hotel but are continuing inquiries. The hotel is a boutique "town house" hotel converted from a Victorian schoolhouse, situated in the trendy Castlefield area of Manchester. 'Inquiries continuing' A hotel spokesman said: "We're helping the police with an investigation." A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "Police are currently investigating a report of rape at a hotel in Manchester city centre. " were called to the hotel on Great John Street to a report that a 26-year-old woman had been raped. "Inquiries are continuing." A Manchester United spokeswoman declined to comment. Police were called to the hotel shortly after 0400 GMT.

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