Hargreaves blasts ref justice

OWEN Hargreaves echoed Sir Alex Ferguson's comments in criticising referee Mark Clattenburg.

The Manchester United manager was sent to the stands for remonstrating with the official during the champions' shock 1-0 defeat a Bolton.

And England international Hargreaves agreed - suggesting Clattenburg failed to keep control of a bad-tempered affair.

Patrice Evra seemed to come off worse - being the subject of several crunching tackles, from Kevin Davies in particular.

And Hargreaves said: "There were definitely a few challenges that were borderline, especially the one from Kevin Davies.

"I don't mind physical. That is why there is a referee out there - but he struggled to keep the game under control."

Source : http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1025852_hargreaves_blasts_ref_justice?rss=yes

Eight Reds braced for big night

As many as eight United players could be involved when the Euro 2008 campaign draws to a close on Wednesday night.

Owen Hargreaves has recovered from tendonitis and could pip Aston Villa's Gareth Barry to a midfield place if England coach Steve McClaren decides to play a 4-5-1 system. Wes Brown is also in the squad to face Croatia at Wembley but Rio Ferdinand is suspended. McClaren has invited the injured Wayne Rooney to Wembley to cheer on his England team mates who need just a draw to qualify for Euro 2008.

Two United players could be on opposite sides in Belgrade. Nemanja Vidic's Serbia need to beat Tomasz Kuszczak's Poland, who have already qualified, to keep their campaign alive. Serbia will then face Kazakhstan on Saturday in a rearranged game and if the result is still crucial, but it remains unclear whether Vidic will be allowed to play in the match as it would mean missing United’s away fixture at Bolton.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani could both play for Portugal when they take on Finland, seeking the point they need to reach the Euro 2008 finals.

The Netherlands and France have both already qualified but Edwin van der Sar is set to play again for the Dutch away at Belarus while Patrice Evra may be given an opportunity for France over the border in Ukraine.

In Group F, Northern Ireland have an outside chance of going through. They must win in Spain, without the suspended United defender Jonny Evans, and hope that Latvia win in Sweden.

Source: http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BF9E570E6%2D407E%2D44BC%2D800F%2D4A3110258114%7D&newsid=509142

Hargreaves tops fan poll

Owen Hargreaves may have been limited to half a dozen appearances since his summer arrival from Bayern Munich, but he has already made a huge impression on Reds supporters.



In a Fanzone poll, we asked ManUtd.com readers which summer signing had impressed you most, and Hargreaves came out on top, although Carlos Tevez wasn't far behind.

Tendonitis in his knee has sidelined the 26-year-old for much of the season, but his effervescence and excellent distribution have been a breath of fresh air in the midfield engine room.

He polled 37 per cent of the overall votes in our poll. Tevez, who has also settled remarkably well and has already established an impressive partnership with Wayne Rooney, finished in second place with 32 per cent of the votes.

Anderson and Nani, Sir Alex Ferguson's other summer purchases, have both played more football than they would have expected this term. But both players have proved instantly capable of playing in the United first team as well showing plenty of potential to improve even further.

Nani provides a viable alternative to Ryan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo on either flank, while 19-year-old Anderson has - perhaps surprisingly - given his boss a selection problem in central midfield with performances that belie his age.

Source: http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BF9E570E6%2D407E%2D44BC%2D800F%2D4A3110258114%7D&newsid=508863

Man Utd's Hargreaves returns to England squad

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has been recalled to the England squad.

Also winning a place is Tottenham striker Darren Bent, who comes into the squad after Michael Owen was ruled out by a thigh strain suffered in the friendly victory over Austria on Friday.

Source: http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=65567

Owen: Dynamo were afraid

England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has accused Dynamo Kiev of being "afraid" of Manchester United a fortnight ago.

United romped to a 4-2 win in the Ukraine, completing one of the easiest European away triumphs during Sir Alex Ferguson's stint in charge.

Providing Ferguson's side can confirm their superiority over Kiev at Old Trafford on Wednesday, they will book a place in the knockout phase with two games to spare.

And Hargreaves, who is set to make his long-awaited Champions League debut for United after finally overcoming the knee problem which blighted the early weeks of his Red Devils career following an £18million summer move from Bayern Munich, can see no reason why Ferguson should not receive a perfect 21st anniversary present as manager.

"Dynamo seemed a bit afraid of us in Kiev," said the England midfielder.

"It is very rare in the Champions League that you see someone pulled apart so easily and concede four goals at home.

"Normally, those type of games are very difficult but Dynamo were really quite poor, surprisingly so for that level of competition."

Although a change of coach, which has seen former Arsenal star Oleg Luzhny handed the top job, has only come about due to the ill-health of Jozef Sabo, Kiev clearly hope the move can have a galvanising effect on a team yet to register a point in Group F.

It seems unlikely they will gain anything from Old Trafford though.

Ferguson's side saw their eight-game Premier League winning streak come to an end thanks to William Gallas' injury-time strike at the Emirates Stadium at the weekend, but they remain very much in-form.

The added bonus of key players such as Michael Carrick, Louis Saha, Gary Neville and Hargreaves all returning to action since the game in Kiev only fuels the feeling United will cruise home.

"I am sure Kiev will try to redeem themselves but we are at home and we are expecting to win," said Hargreaves, who won the competition with Bayern.

"That would give us 12 points and many teams have qualified for the second phase with less.

"We should go through easily and ideally we will have two games to spare as well."

It would certainly represent one of the more straightforward qualifying campaigns during Ferguson's amazing spell as United chief, confirming the theory that, after their semi-final appearance 12 months ago, the Scot has moulded together another side capable of challenging at the very highest level.

However long Ferguson has left, and weekend pronouncements suggest the 65-year-old has no inclination to step down any time soon, after nine Premier League wins, five FA Cups and a League Cup triumph, adding another Champions League crown to the one he won so famously in 1999 represents the major remaining ambition.

Hargreaves, brought in with the stated intention of achieving that goal, feels the Red Devils have the capability to exceed last year's last-four berth.

But, given the extreme nature of competition, the Calgary-born star accepts United must hit the pinnacle of their powers at exactly the right time.

"It is not about peaking now, it is about peaking towards the end of the season," he said.

"Obviously, it is great to be playing well now but it is towards the end of the season that we want to be at our best and have everybody playing well.

"I am hoping to be a big part of that.

"These are all stepping stones to get to that phase. I have had a lot of experience at this level and I am looking forward to using it in my first season here."

Source : http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1778_2862975,00.html

Next Game News : Arsenal vs Man United

Rooney eyes great end to great week

Wayne Rooney is hoping Manchester United finish off a "really good week" by beating Arsenal on Saturday to return to the Premier League summit.

Rooney took his staggering run of form to eight goals in seven games for club and country on Saturday as he smashed home United's killer second in their 4-1 win over Middlesbrough.

The result briefly saw the Red Devils leapfrog Arsenal into the Premier League's top spot. And while Arsene Wenger's men regained the initiative - albeit by the slenderest of margins in the 'goals scored' column - it is just the way Rooney imagined it ahead of the crunch showdown between the top two at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

"After a dodgy start, we have done well over the last few weeks," said Rooney, immediately after the Boro game.

"It is a big week. We want Arsenal to draw with Liverpool, then, if we can beat them on Saturday, we will have had a really good week."

On current evidence, should such a scenario unfold and United open a three-point lead at the top, it is difficult to see the defending champions being clawed back.

Now on a run of eight successive league wins, the Old Trafford outfit also equalled a 100-year-old record of scoring four times in four games running, an amazing feat given Sir Alex Ferguson barely knew where the next goal was coming from a couple of months ago.

The major differences are the return to goalscoring form of Cristiano Ronaldo and the burgeoning partnership between Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Many pundits felt the pair were too similar to form an effective partnership.

Yet, in just six games together the duo have scored nine goals. Their combination play for United's third at the weekend was flawless and it is increasingly hard to see how they can be stopped.

"It is an honour to play in this team and having Carlos alongside me is just brilliant," said the England international.

"He is such a clever player, really intelligent, and we are working well together.

"The best way to play football is to pass and move and I saw him start his run out of the corner of my eye, so I just gave him the ball."

No-one will expect United to grab another four goals at Arsenal but, after scoring just nine times in their first 11 games this season in all competitions, Sir Alex Ferguson's men have now netted 16 in their last four, with Rooney admitting the change in fortunes is astounding.

"It is an amazing turnaround," he said.

"The beginning of the season was a bit slow. We weren't playing too badly, we just weren't getting the goals.

"We have been scoring, playing well and winning recently, so we have to be happy with that."

Source : http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1778_2833107,00.html

Hargreaves: Move over Arsenal
Manchester United go to Arsenal next weekend

with Owen Hargreaves convinced the Red Devils

will prove beyond doubt they are England's top dogs.

Wenger issues Reds warning

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists his side go

into Saturday's showdown with United on the crest

of a wave, following Sunday's draw with Liverpool.

Sagna Snr stokes fire between Arsenal, Man Utd

Bacari Sagna's Dad has turned up the heat on Arsenal's big clash with Manchester United this Sunday.

Rooney cleans up his act

WAYNE Rooney says he has cleaned up his disciplinary act as United warm up for a red-hot trip to Arsenal.

Today's News

Man Utd's Hargreaves: Injury hell over

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves

says he's over his injury hell.

United join chase for £7m striker

Manchester United are tracking Partizan Belgrade's

Stevan Jovetic.

Sporting Lisbon's Veloso: I'm proud of

Man Utd interest

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso admits he'd

welcome a move to Manchester United.

Ghana U17 star Ransford Osei convinced

about Man Utd move

Ghana U17 star Ransford Osei is convinced he's joining

Manchester United.

Chelsea admit FA Old Trafford charges

Chelsea have admitted a Football Association charge of failing

to control their players during the Premier League game

against Manchester United on September 23.

EURO 2008 NEWS : Hargreaves, Fletcher

Hargreaves backed to take Barry's England role

Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is only keeping his England place warm for Manchester United's Owen Hargreaves, says former Three Lions star John Barnes.
Barnes said: "Gareth Barry has been England's most consistent player in the last three games, and so deserves to play against Russia, and I think he will be able to do that quite comfortably.

"But with all things being equal and everybody being fit, that role in the long term, I believe is Owen Hargreaves' role.
"Defensively against better opposition, he is probably better as a holding midfield player."


Shock return for Fletch


Darren Fletcher may make a surprise return from a fractured leg in Scotland's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Georgia on Wednesday after being called into the national squad.

The 23-year-old midfielder hasn’t played since fracturing his leg in Scotland’s monumental 1-0 win over France last month, but his return – in whatever capacity – would be a major boost for Scots boss Alex McLeish after the withdrawal of injury victims Scott Brown and Alan Hutton.

McLeish told Sky Sports News: "Sir Alex says Darren will play next weekend for Manchester United, therefore he can play for Scotland. It's fantastic news. Whether we start him, we'll have to wait and see, but he's got a big chance of playing.

"The Scots are tantalisingly close to qualification for next summer's finals, and McLeish is well aware of the need for strong characters in what is a tricky away tie. "Darren is a big player," he said. "He's a United player and they exude an aura. To be fair, though, the squad already has that aura because of the results and performances we've had recently."

Hargreaves ruled out for a month!!!!

The Manchester United midfielder will be out of action for up to four weeks because of a knee injury and having an injection to cure a tendonitis problem.

Furthermore, he will miss England's vital Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.

Hargreaves was expected to be back in United's squad for Tuesday's Champions League game against AS Roma before the tendonitis problem returned.

He was troubled by the injury at the start of the season and did not play his first game for United until August 19.

The 26-year-old managed just three games before sustaining a thigh injury in training with England ahead of their game against Israel on September 8.

Forget Roma repeat - Owen

Owen Hargreaves has warned Manchester United's expectant fans to forget any chance of a repeat of their magnificent seven-goal salvo against Roma this week.

The Serie A giants head to Old Trafford on Tuesday six months after suffering one of the biggest humiliations of their entire history.

Protecting a single-goal advantage from the first leg of their quarter-final, Roma were ravaged by one of the finest performances of Sir Alex Ferguson's entire 20-year reign.

But Hargreaves, who his set to make his European bow for United after finally recovering from the thigh strain he suffered on international duty with England, is looking only for a repeat of the result rather than the scoreline.

"There will be no repeat of the 7-1," he said.

"Those results possibly happen once every three or four years in the entire competition. It is just not going to happen again.

"As long as we get the three points, I will be happy."

Ironically, Hargreaves was watching the game on TV with his Bayern Munich team-mates.

The Germans had a vested interest given if they had beaten AC Milan the following night, they were in line to play the winners.

As it turned out, Milan won, launching a sudden improvement which swept them past United and took them all the way to glory in the final itself when they dismantled Liverpool in Athens.

Once again, the Italians are among the favourites, along with the usual suspects of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
United are amongst them as well now, having restored their tarnished reputation by their run to the last four.

"We are obviously one of the key teams in the Champions League but we can't think about winning it right now," said the Calgary-born player.

"At the moment, we are in the same position as everyone else.

"It is only September, so the final is a long way off yet. The aim is to reach our peak later in the season.

Hopefully we will get into the latter stages and then get the breaks any team needs to progress beyond that."

United have made a positive start to their European campaign, Cristiano Ronaldo netting the only goal against his old club Sporting Lisbon a fortnight ago.

With Roma beating Dynamo Kiev in the Stadio Olimpico, a draw would not be a disastrous result for either side this week, although victory would be a major step towards a place in the last 16.

"We have put ourselves in a good position by winning in Lisbon," observed Hargreaves.

"Now, we have three home games to play. If we win those we will be comfortably into the next round.

"Roma is the next stepping stone towards that. I am sure they will try to come and avenge what happened last season but I expect us to win the game."

For Hargreaves it will be the first taste of Old Trafford on European nights.

There might even be an additional edge given the ill feeling which still exists between the two clubs over the treatment of United fans in Rome last season.

Hargreaves has already been warned what to expect and, having been bought by Sir Alex Ferguson specifically with United's Champions League campaign in mind, he cannot wait.

"I have had a lot of experience at Bayern Munich and been successful in the Champions League, so I am very excited about playing in this competition with United," he said.

"I have heard the European nights at Old Trafford are very special, so I am looking forward to that. The atmosphere against Chelsea last week was exceptional and I look forward to a similar atmosphere, if not better, against Roma."

Credit: http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1778_2766828,00.html