19th TITLE is OURS now...!!

Giggsy n Chicha ..OLD n NEW!! :p

ALEX FERGUSON did not want to hear any talk of Devon Loch after Manchester United had got themselves within touching distance of a record 19th league championship.

After yesterday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford, United require just a single point from their final two games - against relegation-threatened Blackburn and Blackpool - to take the title.

It seems impossible they will fail, although the same was said about the Queen Mother’s horse in the 1956 Grand National and it inexplicably spread-eagled on the run-in, leaving ESB to canter home.

“Don’t mention Devon Loch,” said keen racing enthusiast Ferguson.

“My dad backed that.”

In truth, he knows United will not be stopped now. Not after they emerged deserved winners over Chelsea for the third time in five weeks thanks to a 36-second goal from Javier Hernandez and a first-half header from skipper Nemanja Vidic.

“Knowing the players, they won’t muck it up,” said Ferguson.

“They will get the point. There is no doubt about that.”

This title will have added significance because it will take United past Liverpool’s mark of 18, which has stood since 1990, making the Old Trafford outfit England’s most successful side.

“It is fantastic to be the most successful team in the country in terms of championship victories,” said Ferguson.

“But the moment we won that first one in 1993, the door opened for us. To be involved every year after that is an incredible achievement.

“I wouldn’t have believed anyone who told me we would get to this point. I would have been quite happy to stay four or five years at the time. It gave me time to get the foundations right.”

Derided so often this season, United have hit form at exactly the right time.

The hosts carved out half a dozen excellent chances and also had a couple of decent penalty appeals turned down during a largely one-sided contest that only became competitive once Frank Lampard had struck a goal out of the blue midway through the second half.

“We got nervous because we kept missing chances,” said Ferguson.

“It gave them a lifeline.

“We should have been out of sight. But that is the nature of Manchester United.

“We take it to the wire all the time. We give these poor souls in the stands heart attacks. They are sitting on the edge of their seats and biting their nails. I was one of them.”

-story from www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Wakakaka...memang BEST giler aku baca artikel ni!! Website dari LIVERPOOL tu....diorang pun dah akui United akan menang 19th title!! We gonna push you out and we gonna sit on that PERCH now...yeehaaa!! Game semalam memang best giler la aku tengok...kalau dapat 2 penalti tu and si Ivanovic kena red card, agaknya apalah scoreline game tu yek!! Kesian Chelsea...kesian kat Liverpool gak...ekekeke!! So guyz..just enjoy the lasy few weeks and i BELIEVE we gonna win the UCL trophy also..weeee!!!!GGMU...

Stekelenburg is a DONE DEAL..???!!

Manchester United have already agreed to sign Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, according to reports in Belgium.

Het Laatste Nieuws claims - as reported by Sport.co.uk - there is a 'done deal' that will see the 28-year-old join the Barclays Premier League leaders at the end of the season.

This allegedly comes from United coach Eric Steele, who told former colleague - and now football agent - Nico Vaesen that the Old Trafford club had secured a deal for the Holland no.1.

Steele had initially contacted Vaesen in order to enquire about Racing Genk's 18-year-old prospect Thibault Courtois, but let slip that United had filled the vacancy left by Edwin Van der Sar.The 40-year-old will bring the curtain down a distinguished Old Trafford career at the end of the season as he retires from football.

And, despite contrary reports suggesting United were closing in on Sporting Lisbon goalie Rui Patricio, Van der Sar could be succeeded at Old Trafford by his former understudy.

-reports from givemefootball.com

REALLY.....betol ke?? Kalau kompom memang best la..dia ni salah satu keeper favorit aku!! Nak tau pasal apa?? Coz aku minat Van Der Sar and si Stekelenburg ni lak pengganti VDS kat Ajax and team Belanda...so takde salah nyer dia ganti VDS kat Man Utd pulak...betol x??? Aku harap berita ni benar2 sahih la TAPI nak wat camane selagi kelab Man Utd sendiri tak umumkan kat website diorang, aku layan berita ni as it is jer..utk suka-suki!! :p Pepehal pun..aku yakin SIR ALEX dah ada calon pengganti dalam kepala dia yg BRILIANCE tu..ekekeke!! GGMU guyz...and dont forget game malam nanti -Game of the Season- Man Utd vs Chelsea at Old Trafford ok...caw ci caw!!!

TOP 5 : Sir Alex vs Ancelotti...!!

Carlo Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson meet this Sunday for what could be the title decider, with the race opening up at the final furlong.

And these big-name managers have history when it comes to epic match-ups.

As they enter a game that may be vital for each of their reputations, we look back at five thrilling clashes between the two titans.

                                             Trophy hunters: Managers Sir Alex Ferguson

Juventus 2 Manchester United 3; agg 3-4

(Champions League semi-final, second leg, April 1999)

After a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, Ancelotti's Juventus looked set to do him proud in his first season at the club, steaming ahead with two early goals from Filippo Inzaghi in the second leg. But Ferguson's men came powering back through Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, and Andy Cole to boost United en-route to their Treble-clinching victory against Bayern Munich. 

Click here to watch the video

AC Milan 3 Manchester United 0; agg: 5-3

(Champions League semi-final, second leg, May 2007)

Ancelotti may have felt nervous ahead of another Champions League semi-final run-in with Fergie, especially with Milan trailing 3-2 after the first leg. But the Italian had far more luck than eight years earlier. Ferguson's men had no reply to goals from Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino, and the Milan manager lived out United's dreams by going on to win the final 2-1 over Liverpool.

Click here to watch the video

One night in Turin: United celebrate their memorable victory over Juventus

Manchester United 2 Chelsea 2 (Chelsea won 4-1 on penalties)

(FA Community Shield, August 2009)

In a thrilling encounter following Ancelotti's arrival on British shores, Nani opened the scoring for United but Ricardo Carvalho made it even just after the interval. Frank Lampard struck a bitterly disputed goal when Patrice Evra was injured, only for Wayne Rooney to equalise in injury time. But it wasn't enough. Ryan Giggs and Evra both had penalties saved, with only Michael Carrick firing home for United, and Salomon Kalou's penalty sealed the victory and a trophy for the new Chelsea boss.

Watch the video

Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0

(Premier League, November 2009)

Ferguson and Ancelotti linked arms on their way to the dug-out before the match, but their friendship was tested when John Terry's header from a Frank Lampard free-kick put Chelsea five points ahead of United. It was the Blues' 10th straight home win of the season, and they had not let in one goal at Stamford Bridge since the campaign began. Wayne Rooney twice went close in an excellent display from United, but Chelsea prevailed, as they did in the race to the title.

Manchester United 2, Chelsea 1 (agg 3-1)

(Champions League quarter-final, second leg, April 2011) 

United's big dreams took flight last month, largely thanks to Ancelotti's error in playing his struggling £50million signing Fernando Torres instead of Didier Drogba. Ferguson's side were one goal up after the first leg, and Javier Hernandez doubled that just before half-time. Drogba pulled one back for Chelsea when he came on after the break, but Ancelotti was a man down after Ramires had been sent off for a foul on Nani and Park Ji-sung was able to add another for United, confirming Fergie's dominance. 

Watch the video

-thanx to dailymail.co.uk

Hahaha..best gak tengok pertarungan EPIK antara Sir Alex dgn Ancelotti ni..!! Yang paling BEST of course la semifinal '99 yg mana Man Utd menang 3-2 kat Turin..and yg KEDUA lak baru jer terjadi last month!! Man Utd knocked Chelsea out of Champion League tu..yg menang agregat 3-1!! Memang EPIK sungguh la..korang ingat lagi tak yek?? GGMU...

How Man Utd Can Beat Barca..!!

The TWO main man in the FINAL...ermmm!!

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has the perfect opportunity to avenge the 2009 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona - but he must get his tactics absolutely spot on if he wants to lift the trophy for the second time in his managerial career.

And inevitably, the key to victory is how United deal with Lionel Messi, along with Sergio Busquets.

In 2009, Samuel Eto'o, who normally played centre forward, started on the right while Messi theoretically played centre forward.

Only he didn't play up front, he played in midfield. It left centre-backs Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand marking nobody with Barcelona totally outnumbering Manchester United in central midfield.

Michael Carrick was totally lost that night - he didn't know whether to pick up Messi, Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez as Barcelona took total control of midfield.

United will have to consider that prospect once again should Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola adopt the same tactic at Wembley. How would Vidic and Ferdinand cope second time around?

Barcelona hardly ever pass the ball more than 10 yards to a team-mate. The great Johan Cryuff, who won 11 trophies in an illustrious career as Barcelona manager, told me something very interesting during a visit to FC Twente when I was manager there.

He said: "Do you know how Barcelona win the ball back so quickly? It's because they don't have to run back more than 10 metres as they never pass the ball more than 10 metres." They are always so close to the ball.

To counteract this, Manchester United need to play at a high tempo, to beat the press and get at the Barca back four.

In the first 10 minutes of the 2009 final they did this very well, playing at a high tempo and matching their opponents' work-rate.

They pressed so high, Barcelona were practically inside their own box, forcing them to abandon their game of neat passes in favour of longer balls.

But Barcelona eventually found a way around the United press and once they do that, the doubts begin to creep into the opposition's minds.

Some United players pressed, some didn't and from that moment on, they were lost. The key is staying compact, no matter if the back four is on the edge of the box or the half-way line.

Inter Milan did something similar by staying compact and pressuring as a team in last season's semi-final victory.

For me, the key player United have to stop is Busquets. I've looked at the passing statistics and Busquets has the ball more than any other Barcelona player, even more than Xavi and Iniesta.

And the key man for United here will be Wayne Rooney, who could play as a "semi-midfield" player behind Javier Hernandez with the responsibility of "dropping in" on Busquets when he has the ball.

When Sir Alex has given Rooney that added responsibility but he isn't playing with the discipline Sir Alex wants, the manager moves him to the left and shifts Ryan Giggs into that number 10 position because the experienced winger has more discipline, control and intelligence to execute that role. Rooney is quickly learning from that.

I watched him closely in the Champions League quarter-final matches against Chelsea when he pressurised Michael Essien and stopped him playing as United dominated the midfield.

That was the intelligence and discipline that Rooney needs to play in that number 10 position to stop Busquets from dictating play.

The other way United can beat Barcelona is on the transition [the break], something they do very well with the dual threat of Hernandez and Rooney.

Barcelona's defence are vulnerable to a fast counter-attack - Arsenal nearly scored a vital goal with 10 men at the Nou Camp with a Nicklas Bendtner chance on the transition.

United must follow Arsenal's example and play a high defensive line, keep compact, deny space and attempt to hit Barcelona on the quick transition, that five or six seconds from one end to the other.

They have to be brave - Arsenal were risky and nearly did it. Manchester United can do it.

-courtesy of bbc.co.uk

Yeah...REVENGE!! Aku setuju sangat dgn artikel yg aku baca ni so aku rasa aku nak la kongsikan dgn korang semua..-UNITED can beat BARCA at Wembley-..agree guyz??!! Lepas kalah final UCL tahun 2009 lepas aku rasa Sir Alex dah pun pasang perancangan n strategi camane nak kalahkan Barca and artikel ni aku rasa mungkin dah bagi hint yg bagi akut aku tak salah utk Sir Alex praktikan!! Man Utd must take the risk and hopefully UNITED will win the UCL Trophy for the 3rd time under Sir Alex..yeehaaa!!

p/s Did you know that the last time BARCA won at Wembley are back in 1992 (19 years ago) while Man Utd won in 1968 which is 43 years back!! So..who will win the trophy this time around?? (Of course la Man Utd..coz i think this year will be UNITED year..ekekeke!!)

UCL : Man Utd 4 vs Schalke 1...(Wembley here we come...yeehaaa!!)

Man Utd squad that defeated Schalke last nite..

Sir Alex Ferguson claims Manchester United should not be 'frightened out of our skin' by the prospect of facing Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final.

United completed a 6-1 aggregate triumph over Schalke in the semi-finals, setting up a repeat of the 2009 final inRome.

On that occasion, the Red Devils were undone by goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi and left Italy nursing a severe sense of underachievement.

Since then, United has lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, whilst Barcelona has added David Villa and confirmed its reputation as the best club side on the planet.

But Ferguson insists his side should not harbour an inferiority complex.

"I don't think we should be going there lacking in confidence," he said.

"Their form has been very good this season and we will be playing a fantastic team.

"But they haven't got a terror against us. We cannot be frightened out of our skin. We have got to find a solution to playing against them."

To that end, Ferguson will be making contact with old friend Jose Mourinho, who has suffered painfully at Barcelona's hands already this season, most recently this week when Real Madrid was turned over in its own semi-final.

"I speak to him quite a lot," said Ferguson.

"Real are a different team from us for a start. It's not as if we haven't seen them before.

"I have watched them many times this season but we will take the information because Jose is very helpful that way."

Ferguson will become only the second manager to lead a team into four European Cup finals, although he jokingly wished the opposition was slightly easier after goals from Antonio Valencia, Darron Gibson and a second-half brace from Anderson secured a 4-1 win on the night.

"I wish it was Brechin City or someone like that," he laughed.

"At the start of the season if you look at the final, you think steer clear of Barcelona because their performance is there for everyone to see.

"But we have done our job well and our away form has been terrific.

"Wembley is a neutral ground but I think we'll be quite well prepared."

-reports from theworldgame.sbs.com.au

Yeehaaa....UNITED going to Wembley yo!!! BARCA...ko tunggu la 28 May nanti..this year will be Man Utd year!! Game pagi tadi memang tak aku sangka Man utd bole menang besar 4-1 coz bila tengok starting line up aku ingat Sir Alex set up team just utk dapatkan DRAW jer tapi the 2nd string team telah menjangkau expectation aku!! Player Man Utd main dgn penuh dedikasi and bersemangat utk memastikan Wembley akan dipenuhi dgn warna MERAH dan penyokong Red Devils!! Kemenangan agregat 6-1 tu aku rasa dah cukup utk menutup mulut mana2 pihak yg sangsi dgn kemampuan United utk ke final UCL..and to Schalke,try again next time ok...ekekekeke!! Jom saksikan gol2 dalam game semalam...(Wembley, Wembley, We're the famous Man united and we're going to Wembley.!!!Wembley, Wembley, We're the famous Man united and we're going to Wembley.!!!)...GGMU!!( Full reports click here!!)