Blog entries from stretty

Manchester United take on Arsenal tonight in arguably their toughest test of the season so far. Both sides are vying for the Premier League title, and while United remain unbeaten in the league, Arsenal have begun to found some form with Samir Nasri pulling the strings in their attack. United trail Arsenal by a point, but have two games in hand. A win for United would send them top by two...

Manchester United are quickly acquiring one of the fastest squads in the Premier League, if not the world. Last season we had the incredible pace of wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia to frighten wingers, but now Bebe, Javier Hernandez and Gabriel Obertan and threatening to strike fear in opposition defenders. Hernandez has already established himself as a fans favourite at Old Trafford with...

Following his two goal contribution in the Carling Cup and his equaliser against Everton at Goodison Park, Michael Owen will be scratching his head as to why he is still seemingly behind Federico Macheda and Javier Hernandez in the pecking order at Manchester United. The former England striker has shown that despite his advancing years he's still got the poachers instinct that made him one of...

Sir Alex Ferguson's daring substitutions in last night's game away to Valencia are a sign of the type of manager he is. You would struggle to find many managers who are heading towards a valuable point at the stadium of the La Liga leaders and would throw on two young and unproven strikers. But that's exactly what he did and Javier Hernandez and Federico Macheda combined to maximum effect to...

Paul Scholes admits he has no immediate plans to retire from football, despite nearing his 36th birthday. A masterclass on Monday night against Newcastle showed that his footballing brain is still at the very top level, even if his legs aren't as quick as they used to be. Scholes says he will continue at Manchester United until he feels he's not able to contribute positively to the way...

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson believes his old club need to buy an attacking midfielder to compliment United's already impressive strike force. Since losing Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Robson feels united have not adequately replaced their goal threat and believes that a goalscoring midfielder in the mould of Frank Lampard would add a lot to United's squad. "I would like to see...

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that the burden of carrying England's hopes is the cause of Wayne Rooney's form at the World Cup. The striker failed to find the net in four appearances for England in South Africa and never looked like producing the kind of form he produced at Old Trafford last season. "There was such expectation on him, talk he was going to be the...

Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano is unlikely to be heading for the Premier League, according to his agent. The Sevilla forward has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this Summer after declaring his adoration for he club and the style of football they play, but his agent says he will either be joining AC Milan or staying at Sevilla for another twelve months. "Either Fabiano joins...

Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes the FA should back Fabio Capello following England's early World Cup exit. Capello revealed at a press conference that the FA want two weeks to decide on his future, and it's widely rumoured that he'll be sacked. However, Neville believes the FA will be going back on their word of they sack Capello now. "England are out of the World Cup...

Reported Manchester United target Luis Fabiano has confirmed that he has not signed an agreement to join AC milan after the World Cup. The Brazilian striker has been strongly linked with both United and Milan in recent weeks, but speculation intensified on Sunday when he admitted that he'd love to play for either of the two European giants. It has since been claimed that he had agreed to join...

Manchester United legend has criticized England's failures for "getting away with murder." The outspoken manager is not known for mincing his words, and let fly in typical style on Sky Sports News. "To keep criticising the manager is crazy. Capello is a brilliant manager," Keane said. "The players have to look at themselves. They get away with murder. "You say that the players are...

England coach Fabio Capello has blamed fatigue for the uninspired performances of his team at the World Cup. The Italian has been the subject of criticism following England's exit at the hands of Germany, but he has turned the focus on the fitness of key players. "Important English players were really tired," Capello said. "The coaches told me that the physical situation was not like the...

Fabio Capello has revealed that the FA want "two weeks" to discuss his future as England manager. The Italian has been widely criticized for his tactics during England's failed World Cup campaign. Capello persisted with a 4-4-2 formation that clearly wasn't working, and also failed to find a solution to the Gerrard/Lampard midfield conundrum. The lack of width in the team was plain to...

Rio Ferdinand believes that England would have gone on to win against Germany yesterday if Frank Lampard's goal had stood. England went behind courtesy of Miroslav Klose's goal early on, before Lucas Podolski doubled the lead after 32 minutes. England pulled one back through Matthew Upson, then less than a minute later should have been level after Frank Lampard expertly chipped German...

Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano has issued a "come and get me" please to Manchester United. The impressive forward will not sign a new contract with Sevilla and has made it clear he'd like to leave the Spanish club. Fabiano admits that Premiership team Tottenham Hotspur have inquired about him, but he's waiting for a bigger club to come in for him. "I have made it clear that I will not be...

Germany star Mesut Ozil insists Germany are not afraid of England striker Wayne Rooney. The 21 year old playmaker has been one of the stars of the tournament so far, and he believes the German's mentality will see them through tomorrow's last 16 encounter with England. “I don’t fear anybody in the England team and that includes Rooney. I don’t care if you have won the European Cup or have...

Rio Ferdinand believes England can make Franz Beckenbauer eat his words on Sunday, after the Kaiser called England "stupid" for failing to win their group. Beckenbauer has since apologized for the comments, but Rio believes England can have him eating humble pie by tomorrow night. "I think those comments will come back to bite Beckenbauer. Perhaps he wasn't expecting Germany and England to...

Park Ji Sung has challenged his South Korean team mates to go one better than the 2002 World Cup, in which they reached the semi finals. The Manchester United midfielder has helped his team reach the knock out stage for the first time on foreign soil, and Park is aiming to prove that they can do just as well without home advantage. “We ourselves don’t have a clear conviction of how far we...

Sir Alex Ferguson has again voiced his support for the Glazer family. The American businessmen have long been the subject of hatred from Manchester United fans because of the huge debts they have burdened the club with, but Ferguson believes they have been good owners who have never interfered with football matters. "My take is that the Glazers have supported the team very well."...

The agent of Italian striker Federico Macheda insists the youngster won't be sent on loan next season. With Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney all ahead of him in the pecking order, and the imminent addition of Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, it was thought that Sir Alex Ferguson may opt to send the lad on loan for the season to gain some first team experience. But the...