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Showing posts with the label Football

Louis van Gaal was doomed at Manchester United by refusal to adapt

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At times like this it is impossible not to spool back to May 2013, and the sight of Sir Alex Ferguson centre stage at Old Trafford, standing in the rain surrounded by the absolute and unconditional admiration of everyone inside the stadium as he made one crucial political point in his farewell speech.  “I’d also like to remind you that when we had bad times here, the club stood by me, all my staff stood by me, the players stood by me.  Your job now is to stand by our new manager.  That is important,” he stressed. The crowd applauded with recognition and respect. He knew. Of course he knew. Nobody knew better than him. In fairness they tried. United’s hierarchy tried and the majority of the support base tried to stand by those who followed in his wake.  For 10 distinctly uncomfortable months they tried not to be too uppity about the fact David Moyes was handed a mantle that was too onerous to bear.  For two seasons they have watched Louis van Gaal do t

Cristiano Ronaldo Reacts Angrily to Being Stopped by Doping Control After Match

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Cristiano Ronaldo didn't appear to appreciate being stopped by  UEFA's doping officials after Real Madrid's draw with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. The Portuguese superstar threw his arms in the air and cried  "siempre yo," translated as "always me," when he was stopped as he walked from the pitch following the 0-0 stalemate.  Maybe it's not all wonder goals and Hollywood movies being CR7... [YouTube: Football TV] SOURCE

Chelsea Fan Goes on Epic Rant After Watching Loss to Southampton .

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This Chelsea fan is not happy.  After watching his side lose 3-1 to Southampton, he wasn't holding back.  Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and the Chelsea fans who left early all got an earful in his passionate tirade.  A little cameo from some Southampton fans wasn't welcomed either! Chelsea have already lost four games in a disappointing defence of their Premier League title. 

Kevin De Bruyne arrives at Manchester Airport ahead of £54m switch to Manchester City

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Wolfsburg's sporting director Klaus Allofs confirmed a deal was in place for the Belgian to return to the Premier League, 18 months after leaving Chelsea Kevin De Bruyne has arrived at Manchester Airport ahead of his £54m switch to the Etihad. Wolfsburg's sporting director Klaus Allofs confirmed a deal was in place for the Belgian to return to the Premier League on Friday, and could be completed within the next 48 hours. Pictures emerged of De Bruyne boarding a private jet at Braunschweig Airport this morning with Sport1 claiming he was on his way to England. And now the same jet has touched down in Manchester ahead of his proposed move to City. De Bruyne is set to undergo a medical today and could be in the stands for this afternoon's clash with Watford. SOURCE

Man City and Manchester United among top six best paid sport teams

Manchester City are the third-best paid sport team in the world - three places ahead of United - for 2015. Paris Saint-Germain, who recently secured their third successive Ligue 1 title and were taken over by Qatar Sports Investment in 2011, are first with an average weekly wage of £101,898, according to the Sporting Intelligence website. City spent an average of £96,445 on wages per week, while United's is £89,988. Annually, that amounts to £5,015,122 for City and £4,679,377 for United. As well as PSG, Real Madrid are the only other sport side who shell out more on wages than City. Barcelona and Major League Baseball team LA Dodgers are also above United, in sixth. The annual report was first produced in 2010 and eight football clubs are included in this year's top 12 list, along with three MLB teams and the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Brooklyn Nets. With Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules set to be relaxed by Uefa president Michel Platini, City could b

Wayne Rooney 'will lead England strike force' against Lithuania, says Roy Hodgson

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Roy Hodgson says that he believes Wayne Rooney’s best position is as a striker and will play the England captain in that position, regardless of his switch to midfield under his Manchester United club manager Louis van Gaal. Rooney, 29, has even operated as a defensive midfielder for United in recent weeks. But Hodgson said when England reconvene for their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on 27 March, and the subsequent friendly against Italy, the man third in the all-time list of England goalscorers will be selected as a striker. “Well, he’s a goalscorer, isn’t he?” the England manager said. “So one always likes to see one’s goalscorers in positions where they can get into the box, and around the box. “If you’ve got several other goalscorers and you can afford to use one of your goalscorers a bit further back, that’s fine. But he’s our top goalscorer in the qualifiers, he’s just a few goals away now from being England’s leading goalscorer, so I hope

Manchester United transfer news and rumours: Late bids for Mats Hummels and Radja

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Manchester United are set to make a dramatic late bid for Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels before the transfer window closes tomorrow night, according to the Daily Mail. United would have to pay £37m for the Dortmund captain, who is understood to be Louis van Gaal's No 1 target. Late Radja bid... United will make a last-minute bid to sign Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, according to Italian website Calciomercato. The report claims the Old Trafford club are weighing up a £30m bid for the Belgium midfielder. Staying put... Valencia have also offered Nicolas Otamendi a new contract in order to fend off interest from Manchester United, according to the Sunday Mirror. Fletcher still on the move... West Brom are now leading the race to sign United midfielder Darren Fletcher after his move to West Ham collapsed on Saturday, according to the Daily Mail. Anderson to return to Brazil... Anderson, on the periphery of the United squad, has been linked with a