SPORT

Alan Hansen hails the form of Man City's Carlos Tevez

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0800

Carlos Tevez's performances for Manchester City in recent games - capped by his hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers - prove once again that he is a massive talent.

In footballing terms, the transfer was a "no-brainer" for City. Tevez had shown at Old Trafford that he had ability allied to work-rate. If he started a game, you got the work-rate. If he came on as substitute, you got the work-rate - and no sulking about making a late entrance.

Tevez could come into a game and change it. He gives 100% in every second he is on the pitch. When you look at him in comparison to, say, Robinho, it is like chalk and cheese.

Robinho has got fantastic natural talent, but up against the attitude and ability of Tevez, the Argentine goes into a different stratosphere. The goals he is providing are the icing on the cake and have helped new City manager Roberto Mancini make a flawless start.

At City, the fact that he has added regular goalscoring to his weaponry ensures Tevez has been totally central to their recent run of good results. He is now admired as much, if not more, at Eastlands as he was during his time at United.

Of course, it immediately begs the question of whether Ferguson should have kept Tevez at Old Trafford, especially in the light of Manchester United's failure to hit the heights this season. It is far too early to be making definitive judgements on things like that, but there is no doubt United would currently be better off having Tevez at their disposal than not.

Berbatov is an easy target when Man Utd are not playing well

We have to surmise the money on offer to make the deal was bigger at Manchester City than at Manchester United. Ferguson had to weigh up whether Tevez was worth all of the money the transfer was going to cost and obviously decided against it.

Clubs have a ceiling on what they will pay to buy, or in Tevez's case keep, a player. They may go a little over it, but United believed their ceiling had been reached when it came to Tevez. City had the money to make a deal happen and are reaping a rich reward at the moment.

It was a good deal for City because they knew what they were getting. They had witnessed his talent a few miles down the road and, without being disparaging about all foreign players who come to these shores, they knew for certain they were getting a player with a fantastic attitude and total commitment.

Tevez's success is being placed in even sharper relief by the struggles of Dimitar Berbatov. It is inevitable comparisons will be made - and for Berbatov they will not be flattering. For now, at least.

I still think Berbatov is a great player, but he has not been producing what a £30m striker playing for Manchester United should. I do not think he has been as bad as people have said, though, and I also think he was better than people gave him credit for last season.

When a team is struggling, like United have at times this season, a player who has Berbatov's languid style is always going to be one of the first in line for criticism. I sympathise because when I struggled people used to look at my style and almost suggest I was not interested. That was not the case at all.

One thing is certain. If a side is struggling, then a player with Berbatov's style will always get more flak that one who plays with the all-action effort of Tevez.

Tevez's contribution has put City in the top four and will give them genuine hopes of Champions League football next season. And, just lurking in the back of their minds, will be the fact that none of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal has made a cast-iron case to be Premier League champions this season.

All logic and past form tells us the champions will come from one of those three, but I don't say that with total confidence because every time someone is presented with a chance to make a statement of intent they slip up.

As I said on Match Of The Day on Saturday, it is a tribute to Ferguson and what United have inside the camp that they are still title contenders because they have not played well. Chelsea and Arsenal have had spells when they have been truly outstanding, but you cannot really say the same about United. Indeed, by their own standards, United have been poor.

Tevez jumps for delight after completing his hat-trick

In any other season, their title aspirations would be dead and buried, but the unpredictable nature of this campaign means they are very much alive. It is almost like nobody wants to win the title.

I am not saying City will be champions, but this has been an amazing season and there is intrigue all over the place. And City have that huge transfer budget to utilise - something they will be even more willing to do if they think great prizes could be the reward.

They will certainly regard a place in the top four as a realistic possibility. Spurs and Aston Villa have both been regarded as favourites for fourth place and then had a slip. Liverpool are also a very large part of this particular equation.

If they win their game in hand, City are only three points behind Manchester United, so you can see why they will have high hopes for the rest of the season.

And the performances of the man they took from Old Trafford will do nothing to lessen the sense of optimism around Eastlands.

'Bullring' poised for thrilling finale

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0800

I am writing this blog from what must be the highest Test Match Special commentary box in the world.

Not only are we situated right at the top of the tallest stand at the famous Wanderers Cricket Ground, but being here on the Highveld in Johannesburg we are already about 2000m above sea level.

We will certainly get an amazing view of what will hopefully be the exciting climax that this series deserves.

This initimidating Wanderers stadium, known as the "Bullring", has often provided moments of high drama down the years.

England have certainly excelled at rearguard action during this series, but it was here of course at the Wanderers back in 1995 where Michael Atherton produced one of the most famous ever "backs-against-the-wall" performances to bat for almost 11 hours in making an unbeaten 185 to save a Test match.

South Africa had declared 477 runs ahead leaving five sessions to bowl England out, but Atherton, with great support from Jack Russell on the final day, pulled off one of the greatest escapes.

It's not only great Test match drama which has taken place at this ground. In March 2006, South Africa produced a miracle to chase Australia's world record 434-4 to win a one-day international here.

An incredible 88 boundaries and 26 sixes were struck that day and the moment when Mark Boucher hit Brett Lee for the winning boundary is represented in a huge mural at the entrance of the Charles Fortune Media Centre.

In 2007, the Wanderers hosted the gripping final of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 when Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq narrowly failed to win a thrilling game in the final over against India.

England have enjoyed mixed fortunes in their last couple of Test match visits to this ground. In 2005, Matthew Hoggard took 12 wickets to lead England to an outstanding victory which went a long way to securing a 2-1 series win.

Marcus Trescothick's 180 and a 147 from Andrew Strauss should also not be forgotten while a certain Michael Vaughan scored half centuries, including an unbeaten 82 in the first innings.

Vaughan, who will be watching this match from the Test Match Special commentary box, also has special memories of England's previous Wanderers Test.

Vaughan was one of those players who made his debut in the Johannesburg Test of 1999 and famously watched on at the non-striker's end as England collapsed to 2-4 at one stage. England eventually lost that game, but Vaughan's battling innings of 33 when wickets were tumbling at the other end was viewed as an early sign of his talent at the highest level.

During this Test we will be looking back on that 1999 game, hearing from the likes of Allan Donald, who took 11 wickets in the game, Duncan Fletcher, who was in charge of England for the first time, and Vaughan among others.

Also during the intervals we will bring you a fascinating interview with Monty Panesar who is in Johannesburg playing domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions. Monty will be speaking about how the experience has changed him not just as a cricketer but as a person and how he has absolutely no doubts that he will play Test cricket again.

During the lunch interval on Saturday, we will be joined by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, who always has an interesting opinion on the game.

Jonathan Agnew will again be joined for this Test by Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Johannesburg resident Gerald De Kock, with Geoff Boycott and Vic Marks joining Michael Vaughan as expert summarisers.

Coverage gets under way on Thursday morning at 0815 GMT on Five Live Sports Extra with Radio Four long wave listeners joining us at 0900 following "Yesterday in Parliament".

As always Aggers and Boycott will present their Test Match Special podcast at the conclusion of each day's play. Keep on eye on Twitter @AGGERSCRICKET for the latest titbits from the commentary box whilst the TMS Flickr site will have pictures from behind the scenes.

After the events of Centurion and Newlands I cannot promise you a relaxing listen, but it should certainly be an entertaining one and it would be quite an achievement if England can beat a team ranked as the world's best 12 months ago in their own backyard.

Day-by-day World Cup fixtures

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:17:00 -0800

Friday, 11 June 2010

South Africa v Mexico, Gp A, 15:00

Uruguay v France, Gp A, 19:30

Saturday, 12 June 2010

Argentina v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

England v USA, Gp C, 19:30

South Korea v Greece, Gp B, 12:30

Sunday, 13 June 2010

Algeria v Slovenia, Gp C, 12:30

Germany v Australia, Gp D, 19:30

Serbia v Ghana, Gp D, 15:00

Monday, 14 June 2010

Italy v Paraguay, Gp F, 19:30

Japan v Cameroon, Gp E, 15:00

Netherlands v Denmark, Gp E, 12:30

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Brazil v North Korea, Gp G, 19:30

Ivory Coast v Portugal, Gp G, 15:00

New Zealand v Slovakia, Gp F, 12:30

Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Honduras v Chile, Gp H, 12:30

South Africa v Uruguay, Gp A, 19:30

Spain v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Argentina v South Korea, Gp B, 12:30

France v Mexico, Gp A, 19:30

Greece v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

Friday, 18 June 2010

England v Algeria, Gp C, 19:30

Germany v Serbia, Gp D, 12:30

Slovenia v USA, Gp C, 15:00

Saturday, 19 June 2010

Cameroon v Denmark, Gp E, 19:30

Ghana v Australia, Gp D, 15:00

Netherlands v Japan, Gp E, 12:30

Sunday, 20 June 2010

Brazil v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 19:30

Italy v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Paraguay, Gp F, 12:30

Monday, 21 June 2010

Chile v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

Portugal v North Korea, Gp G, 12:30

Spain v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

France v South Africa, Gp A, 15:00

Greece v Argentina, Gp B, 19:30

Mexico v Uruguay, Gp A, 15:00

Nigeria v South Korea, Gp B, 19:30

Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Australia v Serbia, Gp D, 19:30

Ghana v Germany, Gp D, 19:30

Slovenia v England, Gp C, 15:00

USA v Algeria, Gp C, 15:00

Thursday, 24 June 2010

Cameroon v Netherlands, Gp E, 19:30

Denmark v Japan, Gp E, 19:30

Paraguay v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Italy, Gp F, 15:00

Friday, 25 June 2010

Chile v Spain, Gp H, 19:30

North Korea v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 15:00

Portugal v Brazil, Gp G, 15:00

Switzerland v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

Saturday, 26 June 2010

Winner Gp A v Runner-up Gp B, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp C v Runner-up Gp D, 16R, 19:30

Sunday, 27 June 2010

Winner Gp B v Runner-up Gp A, 16R, 19:30

Winner Gp D v Runner-up Gp C, 16R, 15:00

Monday, 28 June 2010

Winner Gp E v Runner-up Gp F, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp G v Runner-up Gp H, 16R, 19:30

Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Winner Gp F v Runner-up Gp E, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp H v Runner-up Gp G, 16R, 19:30

Friday, 2 July 2010

Wnr Gp A/R-Up Gp B v Wnr Gp C/R-Up Gp D, QF, 19:30

Wnr Gp E/R-Up Gp F v Wnr Gp G/R-Up Gp H, QF, 15:00

Saturday, 3 July 2010

Wnr Gp B/R-Up Gp A v Wnr Gp D/R-Up Gp C, QF, 15:00

Wnr Gp F/R-Up Gp E v Wnr Gp H/R-Up Gp G, QF, 19:30

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 3, SF, 19:30

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 4, SF, 19:30

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, 3rd, 19:30

Sunday, 11 July 2010

Winners SF1 v Winners SF2, F, 19:30

Sacrifices made, but fans persevere. Re-Post

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:04:00 -0800

Ever since he was a little boy, Dallas Keuchel always knew where his dad was sitting in the stands. The hard-throwing lefty from the University of Arkansas started a ritual in which he'd walk to the dugout, after warm-ups, and tip his hat as his dad tipped back.

When Keuchel went to college, finding his parents in the stands wasn't always as easy. His father, Dennis, lost his full-time job at a nursery, and the family has been scraping by in their hometown of Tulsa, Okla. But the Keuchels vowed that the economy wouldn't stop them from seeing their son's junior season.

They tapped their credit cards -- along with a little creativity -- and followed Dallas all the way to the College World Series last month in Omaha.

"We started in debt up to our eyeballs. Now we're right here," Dennis Keuchel said as he raised his hand above his head. "But it's OK, because, I mean, this is his last year and we're not going to be able to enjoy this anymore at the college level.

"I missed his first start and then that's when I decided, 'To hell with it. When he plays, I'm taking off.'"

There is a recession gripping the country, but it was hard to notice it during the NCAA's final championship of the 2008-09 academic year. The CWS broke its attendance record, drawing 336,076 fans for the 10-day event. Like every other year, fans traveled thousands of miles to Omaha, dined at fancy steakhouses and played the slot machines at the casinos across the Missouri River.

Some of them, like the regulars from Louisiana who have kept their well-paying jobs in the oil industry, are unaffected by the economy. Others have become more coupon-conscious and resourceful.

Betty Hewell, a longtime Longhorns fan, used frequent-flyer miles, found a $20-a-day rental car and planned a shorter trip so she could cross off one of her dream vacations by seeing Texas play at Rosenblatt Stadium before the CWS moved to a downtown stadium in 2011.

She ate grocery-store food instead of spending money at restaurants. Hewell's bargain hunting was almost a complete success, until she walked into the hotel she booked online.

"It was just the nastiest hotel," Hewell said. "It was so bad it didn't even have the sample shampoo and conditioner. I slept on top of the sheets. I wanted to sleep in the rental car.

"But [the CWS] was so good. It was great to see the atmosphere. I only went for two days. That's all I could really afford."

The sagging economy has actually meant bigger bargains for some sports travelers. Gas prices are nearly $2 a gallon cheaper than last summer, allowing LSU fan Doug Guidry and his buddies to save money on their 950-mile drive from their homes near Lafayette, La., to Omaha.

Like most other years, Guidry and his five buddies still packed about $2,500 worth of food, lugging crawfish, chicken sausage and all the fixings to make jambalaya. Only this year, they put up a tip jar to curb a high volume of mooching. Guidry and his friends are keeping their travel plans, and they wouldn't dream of giving up their LSU football season tickets, either. If they did that, Guidry says, they know they'd have to get on a waiting list and wait years to get them back.

"I was expecting the [CWS] attendance to be less," said Guidry, a Halliburton employee who has been relatively unaffected by the economy. "But I tell you, I don't see a difference."

But in some corners, there is a difference. Across the street, Subby Anzalone grilled hamburgers at another LSU tailgate and worried about the future. Though he has a rather "recession-proof" job in the health care industry, he lost money in the stock market this past year and has made some sacrifices.

His family doesn't eat out as much and plans more activities at home. He started getting e-mails over the winter from his Louisiana friends, asking if he'd still have the tailgate even in these tough times.

Anzalone, an Omaha native, couldn't cut the CWS out of his life. So he and his friends still plunked down the $5,000 or so to rent a patch of RV space across the street from the stadium. This year, he bought most of his supplies months in advance, watching the ads for sales on meat and alcohol.

Sometimes, hard times lead to better bonding. The Keuchels saved money on their trip to Omaha by staying at a relative's house along with 10 other people. They ate peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and camped out on couches and in spare rooms. They saw Dallas lead the Razorbacks to two wins in Omaha.

Dennis has a part-time job, but wasn't getting paid while the family was in Omaha. Neither was Teresa Keuchel, who burned all her vacation time watching her son play earlier in the year.

But they say it was worth it. Things will be different now, as Dallas, a seventh-round pick by the Houston Astros, will start over in the minor leagues. Baseball is a business now, says Dennis, who is known as "Big D" while his son has gone by "Little D." It's about money, something the family didn't have a lot of in 2009, but they still managed to have a lot of fun.

"We sucked it up and went," Teresa said. "You just do what you have to do.

"And the plastic is wonderful. Because you can always pay it off."

6 SPORT NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:28:00 -0700

(1) "If your name isn't on 'ere, love, you can't come in," said the black-clad men in their thick Dublin accents as they peered at their list of accredited members of the press.

I hadn't even got into the grounds of the exclusive Carton House, located only 40 minutes from Ireland's capital city, let alone reached hotel reception.

Real Madrid were clearly not taking any risks with their billboard boys - and this was no exception.

From uniformed Garda on bikes and in cars to their plain-clothed colleagues patrolling the grounds, no stone has been left unturned.

And if that was not enough, there was even a private firm on hand to help with players' welfare 24/7.

But the reward for those brave enough to get through the barricades is something money can't buy.

A glimpse, a smile, a signed shirt, or even a photograph, if you were lucky enough to get within touching distance of the most expensive footballer in history.

(2) Ancelotti '100%' sure over Terry

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has again said he expects captain John Terry to reject a move to Manchester City.

England skipper Terry, currently on tour with his club in the United States, has yet to reaffirm his loyalty to the Stamford Bridge outfit.

But Ancelotti said: "I am sure he will remain at Chelsea. I am sure, 100%. He has a contract for three years more and this is the situation now."

Man City have reportedly offered the defender, 28, a £200,000-a-week deal.

(3) Waterfield denied Worlds bronze

Peter Waterfield just missed out on winning bronze in the men’s 1m springboard on the opening day of the World Championships 2009.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist lay in third place until the penultimate round when China's Zhang Xinhua overtook him.

Waterfield nonetheless secured the highest individual place at a World Championships by a British diver.

"If I am honest I didn't think I was going to dive that well," he said.

"It is my first competition since an operation on my shoulder and the Olympics."

There were mixed fortunes for the divers competing in the women’s 10m individual.

Tonia Couch finished seventh while Brooke Graddon took 27th place.

(4) Bolt cruises to emphatic 100m win

Olympic champion Usain Bolt obliterated the opposition to win the 100m at the Golden League meeting in Paris in a stunning time of 9.79 seconds.

Running in pouring rain and into a strong headwind, Bolt made an indifferent start but powered into the lead in the latter part of the race.

Britain's Simeon Williamson was off the pace, finishing sixth in 10.14.

His GB team-mate Phillips Idowu came through to win the triple jump with a leap of 17.17m at the Stade de France.

Idown beat the Cuban trio of Yoandris Betanzos, Alexis Copello and David Giralt, who all head him in this year's world rankings and the 30-year-old knew it was important psychological blow with the World Championships in Berlin just a few weeks away.

"I'm happy, this is my first victory in this stadium," said Idowu.

"Today winning was the most important thing. If I can win and jump well in these conditions, I will be able to do very well in Berlin.

"I know that - and they know it too."

The focus of the world's best athletes will soon shift to Berlin, and Bolt's performance served as a warning to any sprinter who believes they can challenge for the gold medal.

"It's a measure of his calibre and his status these days that many here would have gone home disappointed that he didn't break the world record," said Radio 5 Live athletics correspondent Mike Costello.

(5) Barca & Inter agree striker swap

Barcelona and Inter Milan have reached an agreement in principle to swap Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Barca forward Samuel Eto'o plus cash.

Reports suggest Barca will pay about £35m plus 28-year-old Eto'o in return for Ibrahimovic, 27.

In addition, Alex Hleb will spend a season on loan at the Italian club.

"The signing depends on Ibrahimovic, on Eto'o and all parties," said Barca president Joan Laporta, who is also keen to sign Valencia's David Villa.

"David Villa as an option is not finished. We haven't discarded any possibilities, " Laporta said on Friday.

Eto'o came close to agreeing a move to Manchester City, before the Eastlands side ended their pursuit on 10 July.

The Cameroon international has scored more than 100 goals in five seasons at the Nou Camp but has been regularly linked with moves away from the club and is out of contract next summer.

Since signing for Inter from Juventus following the Turin side's demotion to Serie B in 2006, Ibrahimovic has become one of the most prized strikers in Europe.

The Swede was top scorer in Serie A last season and has reportedly attracted attention from Real Madrid and Manchester United as well as European champions Barca.

Inter and Barcelona have done business once already this summer with Brazilian left-back Maxwell moving to Spain in a £3.9m deal.

(6) FIFA give vuvuzela green light for World Cup

South Africa football fans have been given a go ahead to use vuvuzela in the next football World Cup tournament. FIFA decision came after complaints from football commentators and players about the noise.

Vuvuzela is a plastic trumpet, coloured with South Africa flag colours, used by Bafana bafana fans in Confederation Cup finals which took place in South Africa as pilot for World Cup preparation programmes. The instrument were given for free to football fans in Confederation Cup finals.

Hans Klaus, director of communications at FIFA:
"That would mean one would have to take away the cow bells from Swiss fans and ban English fans from singing," "We approach this in a relaxed manner. I am convinced the vuvuzelas will be a hit at the World Cup. It will be a World Cup with African sound."
Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso: "I think they should be banned. They make it very difficult for the players to communicate with each other and to concentrate," he said. What do you thing about FIFA decision?

At least Real Madrid won't hijack this deal & Ronaldo’s step down....

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:17:00 -0700

At least Real Madrid won't hijack this deal.

A few days ago during this weird mini-heat wave we have been enjoying in Manchester, my girlfriend asked me why Michael Owen got relegated. I thought he was good, she said, with the simplistic view that only bad players get relegated. I contemplated explaining the Newcastle saga but decided to agree that ‘yes, he’s alright’. Then came the line she has been triumphantly reminding me of tonight, she suggested that United should buy him. Yeah, course they should sweetheart – let’s get you out of the sun now you’re talking nonsense.

Is Fergie G-Owen crazy? Maybe, but I like it.

As everybody has known, Michael Owen is available on a free. Initially, clubs like Hull and Stoke were credited with an interest. Nah, he’s too good for them was my suggestion. Then there was talk that Villa and Everton could be in for him. He could be good at Villa or Everton was my initial reaction, with a bit more thinking, though, I began to think that if he still has the magic, he could be really, really good at Villa or Everton. That’s where I left it, Owen to Villa or Everton, that’ll be lovely.

Next thing I know, Sky Sports are showing a top story that the deal to United was ‘imminent’ - I thought I was seeing things. You know the way Peter Kay described garlic bread, I was much the same when digesting the headline. Michael Owen to Manchester United. What?? Crikey, Fergie, we are scraping the barrel here, big man, a bit risky I thought, bit of a gamble signing Owen. Then I thought, is it really a gamble? After all, the outlay is nothing, if the deal goes through we will be signing a player who can offer something to United which we haven’t had for the last few years. When he is fit, sharp and, most importantly, hungry, Owen is a predator. He has the instinct and desire which Van Nistelrooy had. Give either of them the ball in the box and it will probably go in. He also offers something which Rooney and Park are often guilty of lacking: clinical finishing when they only have the keeper to beat. Michael Owen with a point to prove and the desire and stage to prove it would be a cracking signing for any of the top teams on the Premiership.

Ronaldo’s step down will see Rooney step up……

So, there we have it. Barring a highly unlikely U-turn, Ronaldo’s gone and United are searching for a new ‘number 7’ and a new best player.

When I initially heard the news that United had accepted an £80million bid for Ronaldo I was gutted. There’s no hiding it, as much as his histrionics annoy me, I secretly loved the fact we had a player that struck fear in to every team we played. After years and years of having great players, we finally had somebody who was recognised as the greatest player in the world.

After the cursing of Madrid, Ronaldo and my colleague who told me the news, I began to think that the world beater I was mourning for was what we’d had last season. This season, Ronaldo has either been below par or he has shown everybody that the previous two seasons were the best he could offer and, hopefully now, the best he will ever offer. It got me thinking, is £80million a cracking deal for a player whose heart has lay in Spain for at least 12 months? For a player who scored 18 league goals last year? For a player who had no more than 3 or 4 ‘world player of the year’ type performances last year? Answer no to any of those and you could lie as well as Ronaldo did when he claimed he would be at Old Trafford next year. For 80 million big ones, I think Perez might have been had - break your heart that wouldn’t it. Pellegrini, Perez or whoever picks the team won’t ever get a better two seasons out of him than United got between 2006 and 2008.

Bombs force Manchester United game to be cancelled.

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:11:00 -0700

Manchester United’s attempts to spread farther their gospel in South-East Asia could have been ended by the hotel bomb blasts in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday night. It is unlikely that the club will contemplate pre-season fixtures in Indonesia in the near future.

United had sought “expert” advice before agreeing to play a match in the country for the first time, especially after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had warned them in April that it was a “high-risk” destination. After detailed discussions, the Barclays Premier League champions decided that it was safe to travel.

The game against the Indonesian Super League, which was to have been played at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Monday, has been cancelled. It may be switched to Kuala Lumpur, where United are based for the first leg of their four-match Far East tour and where they take on a Malaysia XI tonight.”We were aware of the situation [the Foreign Office warnings] and had discussed it very carefully, taking the appropriate advice,” David Gill, the United chief executive, said yesterday. “We discussed it with the relevant authorities and it was the right decision at the time.

“We didn’t just take the decision ourselves. We discussed it with the experts and felt that it was a safe place to go. It was our first visit, everyone had worked extremely hard and it is an important market for us because we have a lot of fans there. Balancing everything up, we felt it was the correct decision.”

United called off the second leg of their tour after talks with the Indonesian FA. They have been speaking with the Indonesian and Malaysian FAs about restaging the match at the Bukit Jalil Stadium here, in which the United players trained in front of 20,000 often hysterical Malaysian fans yesterday evening.

“We are obviously shocked but, with regard to the safety of our players, staff and fans, there was no other way we could have looked at the situation,” Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, said. “We wouldn’t have been comfortable going there [Indonesia] and I believe that we have made the right decision.”

United were due to have stayed in one of the hotels that was bombed in Jakarta, the Ritz-Carlton, after flying from Kuala Lumpur this evening. They also play Seoul in South Korea on Friday and Zhejian Lucheng in Hangzhou, China, a week tomorrow.

In an atmosphere of uncertainty yesterday, Ferguson unwittingly revealed that he had signed another player — Mame Biram Diouf, the 21-year-old Senegalese striker who plays for Molde in the Norwegian league.

Earlier in the week, Ferguson said that he had completed his summer recruiting, which includes Antonio Valencia, the Ecuador and former Wigan Athletic winger, and Michael Owen, the former Newcastle United striker.

United have confirmed the sale of Manucho to Real Valladolid. Carlos Queiroz, the United assistant manager at the time, alerted United to the Angola striker 18 months ago. However, despite spells on loan with Panathinaikos and Hull City, he did not become a regular at Old Trafford.

Owen Hargreaves, the England midfield player, who is recovering from surgery to both knees, could join the squad when United stop off in Munich on the way back from China to play in the Audi Cup on July 29 and 30. “He should be ready to train by then,” Ferguson said. Hargreaves is keen not to jeopardise his long-term future by returning too soon.

Sacrifices made, but fans persevere.

noreply@blogger.com (halimrasid) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:49:00 -0700