Monday, August 29, 2005

 
Newcastle 0-2 Man Utd: Sorry Magpies slip again

Two blunders from Frenchman Jean-Alain Boumsong handed Manchester United a 2-0 victory and plunged Newcastle's season into crisis.
The £8million signing allowed Wayne Rooney, who turned down the chance to join the Magpies in August last year, a 66th-minute opener, and he compounded the error to hand Ruud van Nistelrooy the chance to make sure in injury time.
Graeme Souness' side have now taken just one point from their first four Barclays Premiership games and are without a goal from one of their own players in 555 minutes of league football.
Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates after wrapping up the victory

Ferguson delighted
The fact that for the best part of an hour they matched a United side that have won their five competitive games so far without conceding a goal, may prove some consolation, but their failure to take one of the handful of chances they created despite the addition of £9.5million Albert Luque cost them dear.
Souness admitted after last week's 0-0 home draw with West Ham this his side lacked door-openers and goalscorers, and the return of Kieron Dyer and Emre, as well as Luque's arrival, in his opinion, added both.
However, his plans were blown apart within 38 first-half minutes as first the Turkish international and then his English team-mate limped off injured.
The gamble to start with both backfired spectacularly, although the manager's desire to have the pair at his disposal was understandable after three barren league games.
Bad luck has not been very far away from the Scot so far this season, but if he was left to bemoan his misfortune once again, he could at least comfort himself with his side's first-half display.
Newcastle competed both at the back and in midfield, where £6.5million signing Scott Parker was again outstanding, and they at last started to look capable of scoring goals.
Luque, who enjoyed a mixed opening 45 minutes, thought he had got his side off to the perfect start when, after Edwin van der Sar could only parry Alan Shearer's well-struck left-foot effort on 13 minutes, he slid the loose ball home.
The cheers of the Geordies among a crowd of 52,327 rose into the Tyneside sky, but their joy was ended abruptly when they spotted the offside flag.
Luque had earlier just failed to get on the end of a Shearer knock-down and volleyed high over the bar a minute before the break as the home side, by now joined by Jermaine Jenas and Shola Ameobi more than held their own.
However, the warning signs were there as United, who arrived with a 100% record in the Premiership and Europe, showed flashes of their irresistible best form.
Van Nistelrooy forced a smart save from Shay Given and the Irishman had to dash from his line on 37 minutes when the Dutchman slipped the ball into the path of the lively Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese international's shot was blocked at point-blank range, and he should have done better two minutes later when he blazed wide after being presented with the ball by Lee Bowyer.
Newcastle received an early reminder of the visitors' potency within 19 seconds of the restart when Darren Fletcher, despite the best efforts of the again impressive Steven Taylor, squared for Paul Scholes 20 yards out, although his right-foot shot comfortably missed the target.
Taylor had to head away from Ronaldo at full stretch as United flexed their muscles, but they almost got in themselves on 48 minutes when Bowyer drifted the ball over the top for Luque, but his first touch let him down.
A game which had had something of an edge before the break continued in the same vain after it with Gabriel Heinze and Rooney complaining about challenges from Taylor and Stephen Carr respectively.
Souness was forced to play his last card on 55 minutes when Bowyer joined the casualties and was replaced by Amdy Faye, and his side's fortunes almost took a turn for the worse three minutes later.
John O'Shea was allowed to turn on to his left foot and cross into the middle, where van Nistelrooy ran from deep to meet the ball unopposed but head wide of the target.
But there was no escape on 66 minutes when Taylor and van Nistelrooy collided as they challenged for van der Sar's clearance and Boumsong fatally allowed the ball to bounce.
Rooney powered his way past the Frenchman and held off his desperate attempts to recover before firing past the stranded Given.
Ronaldo could not quite believe he did not earn a free-kick on the edge of the box a minute later after appearing to be hauled to the ground by last man Stephen Carr, and van Nistelrooy was equally unimpressed on 72 minutes when he pushed the ball past Given from Rooney's pass and went to ground, only to be rewarded with a yellow card for diving.
But the killer blow game in injury time when Boumsong failed to cut out Rooney's cross and van Nistelrooy gleefully slotted home.
• Ferguson praises Magpies spirit
Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'It was an important result because Newcastle were a very determined team today - very, very difficult to break down.
'We stepped up our passing in the second half and played with increased pace, which we needed to do because we were far too slow in the first half.
'Newcastle had a lot of pressure in the first half and one or two dangerous moments in our penalty box but we created chances - although it's about taking them.
'But once we got in front I was quite confident.'
Ferguson, who believes his team should have had two penalties for fouls on van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, was pleased with Rooney's contribution to the second goal, scored by the Dutchman.
He continued on Sky Sports: 'Our second goal was a great example for any person who wants to get to the very top. Wayne has a fantastic work ethic.
'Today wasn't a great performance but we were determined in the defensive part of our game, our goalkeeper was excellent and we had a solid look about us.
'The two young boys (Rooney and Ronaldo) are fantastic, just incredible. It's great to see them enjoy themselves in training and in the dressing room.'

Friend,
Jude

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

 
Arsenal's midfield muddle

'He comes from Senegal and he plays for Juventus...' It doesn't quite have the same ring does it? But, for a month, it has been true. For Arsenal, life without Patrick Vieira has begun with two defeats, both to Chelsea, in the space of three games.

Gone but not forgotten: Vieira's boots will be hard to fill.
Having expended so much time and energy keeping Vieira over the years, Arsenal let their captain leave with barely a whimper; this time his annual display of restlessness drew a swift response from Arsene Wenger.

In 1996, fresh-faced and blessed with boundless energy, Vieira symbolised a new era at Arsenal; few imports have been better suited to the peculiar demands of English football. So when, then, did he become part of the ancien regime at Highbury?
His signing was the first indication of Wenger's faith in the restorative powers of youth; his sale the most recent and further proof of Wenger's revolutionary instincts.

The responsibility of captaincy has been transferred to Thierry Henry, but Gilberto Silva shoulders a far greater burden. Because, besides the Brazilian, the only central midfielders in Wenger's squad are Mathieu Flamini, 21, and 18-year-old Cesc Fabregas.
Robert Pires took his turn in the middle during pre-season but, unsurprisingly, was rapidly deemed too lightweight. Given the role of a second striker on Sunday - to pay particular attention to Claude Makelele - he was swiftly shifted to the right wing when Freddie Ljungberg was injured.
Which leaves Wenger to perm two from three. In the first half of the Community Shield, Flamini and Fabregas were his choice; thereafter, the Spaniard has been paired with Gilberto.
The Confederations Cup restricted the Brazilian's build-up to the season but, after seeing Arsenal overpowered in the first 45 minutes in Cardiff, Wenger had to revert to the World Cup winner.
Dating back to the days of Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, Wenger has favoured a partnership of equals in the midfield, a physically imposing duo who presented a barrier to opposition attackers. Even with Flamini and Gilberto together, that option is no longer available.
Fabregas, a slight and delicate creature, does not have the stature of Vieira or Petit though he has something of the latter's fondness for flowing locks. The Spaniard is now donning an alice band, something no self-respecting midfield hard man would wear; someone educate this boy about Nobby Stiles and Billy Bremner or, at the least, David Batty and Dennis Wise.
But much as he admires Josep Guardiola, Fabregas does not yet emulate the former Barcelona captain in his positional play at the base of the midfield. And the deep-lying playmakers - like Andrea Pirlo and Michael Carrick - need to be paired with a ball-winner.
Phil Cole/GettyImages
Francesc Fabregas: Too lightweight at present?
More pertinently, he is an attacking midfielder. His strike in the Community Shield was the product of the sort of well-timed run that has become the hallmark of Pires and Ljungberg. Similar bursts into the Chelsea box on Sunday were less rewarding, but his continued willingness to break forward indicates a more attacking ethos.
After a second setback to the capital's big spenders, Wenger berated his side for a lack of self-belief. But, after the first half in Cardiff, those defeats were more products of Didier Drogba's physicality and faulty first touch than losing the midfield battle.
In between, Arsenal struggled past Newcastle who, like Chelsea, Charlton, Everton, Bolton and Blackburn, now opt for three central midfielders; it only adds to the workload for Wenger's duo as opponents attempt to smother Arsenal.
Newcastle are recent converts to 4-5-1 (only having one available striker rather restricts their choice of formation), but both goals they conceded at Highbury came long after Jermaine Jenas' unfortunate red card.
After being thwarted in his bid for Julio Baptista, who opted for Real Madrid, Wenger appears to have abandoned his quest for a new midfielder. He has shown an admirable reluctance to spend on short-term replacements; not for him the repeated and plaintive pleas for new players, the willingness to use a lack of resources as an excuse or the illusion that that elusive addition would cure everything.
So quality is a pre-requisite. But what about quantity? Vieira's sale was preceded by Edu's move to Valencia. Injury made Arsenal's two Brazilians bit-part players for much of last season but confronted with similar long-term absentees in midfield now, what would Wenger do?
Lauren arrived at Highbury as a midfielder, before being converted to right-back; the all-action Kolo Toure would surely approach a new role with characteristic enthusiasm; Pires, Ljungberg or Alexander Hleb could leave the flanks for a more central role. But a reliance on any would give the midfield a makeshift look.
For a decade, two men have dominated Premiership midfields. Replacing Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira was never going to be easy, as Sir Alex Ferguson can testify. His attempts to find a successor to his captain include some of his worst signings in 30 years in management.
Wenger has taken a different, and arguably braver, approach but it is a lack of central midfielders, not a shortage of talent, that endangers Arsenal.

Jude Kalmax@techemail.com

Monday, August 22, 2005

 
Man Utd Roors


Ruud van Nistelrooy's explosive start to the campaign continued with the only goal of the game at Aston Villa's expense to delight Manchester United's new owners at Old Trafford.
In sharp contrast to the trials of last season's injury-blighted performances, the prolific Dutchman is already reproducing the form of his first three years at United.

Eric Djemba Djemba feels the full force of Wayne Rooney.
And with Joel and Bryan Glazer watching on, having spurned the opportunity to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action, Van Nistelrooy gave them something to celebrate on the flight back to Florida, arriving with impeccable timing at the far post to bundle the ball home after Villa defender Olof Mellberg had touched Cristiano Ronaldo's cross into his path.

Fergie backs Ruud's form to continue for the season
The goal - Van Nistelrooy's third of the campaign - maintained United's 100 per cent start to the season and ensured all the hard work of Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen went unrewarded.
Sorensen, who enjoyed such a marvellous evening at England's expense on Wednesday, single-handedly kept the visitors in a contest which saw them totally outplayed from start to finish.
The Dane produced half a dozen magnificent saves, the pick of which touched a brutal drive from Park Ji-sung onto the bar before half-time.
Knowing their side had not won at Old Trafford since 1983, the Villa fans arrived to the news star winger Nolberto Solano had been omitted from David O'Leary's starting line-up.
Judging by the reception he received as he warmed up by the touchline, the Peruvian's popularity among the supporters has not been affected by his admission he would be interested in a move to Liverpool if Milan Baros headed in the other direction.
O'Leary is seemingly not quite so forgiving, although, in fairness, Solano's silky skills might not have helped Villa too much as they set about containing their hosts.
The tactic worked impeccably for the first 25 minutes as United failed to fashion a worthwhile chance, even though they were dominant in virtually every area of the field.
All that changed when Van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes combined to provide Park with space inside the Villa area.
The busy South Korean, retaining his place at Ronaldo's expense, cut inside before unleashing a brutal drive which Sorensen somehow managed to keep out with a superb fingertip save.
It was the start of an exacting afternoon for the Dane, the only Villa man who could count himself unlucky to be on the losing side.
Wayne Rooney did manage to beat the former Sunderland favourite with a thunderous 25-yard drive, but on that occasion Peter Whittingham came to his aid with a calm goalline clearance.
As has become customary, Rooney found himself involved in much of the action, although he also earned the ire of referee Phil Dowd for a tackle borne of frustration on former United man Eric Djemba-Djemba after the England striker's poor first touch had cost him possession.
For once, Rooney's performance had been overshadowed by that of Park, who is swiftly ending any debate over whether his football skills or marketability saw Sir Alex Ferguson splash out £4million to take him from PSV Eindhoven during the summer.
The same energetic style which proved such a success in Holland is clearly transferable to the Premiership.
All Park appears to need is a little more composure, an asset which would have surely seen United take the lead when he raced on to Rooney's superb return pass, but then failed to reach a firm decision about an angled drive or cut-back cross and ended up drilling the ball disappointingly along the six-yard area.
It proved to be Park's last contribution before he was replaced by Ronaldo just before the hour mark. Gabriel Heinze came on for John O'Shea at the same time and within minutes the pair had combined to almost put the hosts in front.
Surprisingly, Ronaldo was the provider, floating a free-kick to the far post, which Heinze met with a powerful header that Sorensen kept out with a reflex save.
If that stop was instinctive, the effort which saw the Dane turn away Ronaldo's header shortly afterwards was straight out of the goalkeeper's textbook manual, holding his line as the Portuguese winger jumped to reach Darren Fletcher's cross, then flinging himself to the left to push it away with one hand.
Van Nistelrooy was inches away from turning home a low Gary Neville cross when United attacked again. By now, it seemed only a matter of time before Villa cracked and Van Nistelrooy duly inflicted the required hammer blow.
If anyone was providing a Villa challenge for man of the match honours, it was Sorensen and the latest in his series of fine saves denied Scholes' header at point-blank range.
Not that it mattered. Villa, toothless in attack, never came close to threatening United's winning lead.

Fergie backs Ruud's form to continue for the season
Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Ruud van Nistelrooy to hit the 30-goal mark again for Manchester United this season.
'It is important for the team that Ruud scores because once he gets on a run he is unstoppable,' said the United boss.
'In his first two seasons here he scored 36 goals and then 44. He is capable of doing that again.' Ironically, even Van Nistelrooy admitted his match-winning display was not one of his better ones.
Although he foraged about looking for chances, his contribution was overshadowed by Wayne Rooney and the excellent Park Ji-sung, with Ronaldo then stealing the limelight when he replaced United's new Korean signing just before the hour mark.
'I didn't think I played that well football-wise but as a striker it is always nice to score,' said Van Nistelrooy, like Park a former PSV Eindhoven player.
'Three goals in three games is a great start for me. It was important for me to start scoring and thankfully I was in the right place at the right time to finish it off.'
Ferguson spent much of pre-season talking about the need for his team to click into gear straight away and not hand an early advantage to their main title rivals as they did last term.
With six points from their opening two games, United know they will be the ones benefiting from a points gap over at least one of the London duo on Sunday night.
Ferguson will be a keen viewer when Jose Mourinho's men take on the Gunners tomorrow, but, at this early stage of the campaign, he cannot summon up any enthusiasm about the result.
'I cannot get excited about Arsenal and Chelsea,' he said.
'I will watch it as I normally would on a Sunday and I suppose I hope they both lose.
'The important thing is we have won and kept three clean sheets on the trot. That gives us tremendous confidence.'
That United's margin of victory was so slender was due almost exclusively to the performance of Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen, who made half a dozen outstanding saves, the best of which denied efforts from Park and Ronaldo either side of the interval.
Peter Whittingham also booted a Wayne Rooney piledriver off the line as Villa found themselves comprehensively outplayed despite O'Leary opting to deploy a 4-5-1 formation to try and frustrate the hosts.
'A lot of teams play like that against us now and they were not easy to break down,' admitted Ferguson.
'It requires patience and urgency but most of all it requires excellent play and good football. We were a bit slow in the first-half but Cristiano made a difference when he came on and we got there eventually.'
O'Leary will redouble his efforts to bring in new faces ahead of the August 31 transfer deadline, although he refuted suggestions he had axed winger Nolberto Solano as a direct result of the Peruvian's admission he would be interested in quitting the Midlands outfit for Liverpool.
'I have read Nobby's comments but no-one from Liverpool has said anything to me,' said the Villa boss, who said there were no new developments in his attempts to secure the arrival of

Milan Baros from the Anfield outfit.
'I am more interested in bringing in players before the window closes but I have been trying to do that since May and every other club is in the same position.
'Everyone is working hard trying to complete some signings but the more it takes to bring in someone for one position, the less we have for others.

Jude

Thursday, August 18, 2005

 
'It was a disaster'- Ericson
Sven-Goran Eriksson branded England's second-half display in Copenhagen a 'disaster' after the nation's worst defeat in 25 years against Denmark tonight.

England's World Cup preparations suffered an embarrassing jolt as, after a goalless first half, they conceded three goals in six minutes on the way to a 4-1 loss.
David James and Glen Johnson, who were two of Eriksson's four half-time substitutions, were embarrassingly exposed as Denmark took charge.
While Wayne Rooney, who was England's only player to emerge with credit from the friendly, pulled a late goal back, substitute Soren Larsen then rounded off Denmark's victory.
It was the worst defeat of Eriksson's 54-game reign and the heaviest to hit an England side since Wales beat them by the same scoreline at Wrexham in 1980.
Most worryingly of all for the Swede is that he now only has two weeks to rectify the faults before England face Wales in their next World Cup qualifier before then taking on Northern Ireland.
He admitted: 'If we play football again like we did in the second half, we will not even qualify for the World Cup.
'I'm angry and disappointed because the second half was a disaster and nothing else. I'm sorry for the fans who had travelled here.
'I won't try to defend it, even if we changed four players at half-time. Even if we'd have changed 11, it still shouldn't have been like that.
'In the first half, we were very aggressive, worked hard for each other and helped each other out. We used the tactics we had prepared. In the second half, we were trying to play football for ourselves.
'Of course, I take responsibility. As England coach, you should expect that. It's my job to ensure that the team plays for 90 minutes. You can lose football games, but not in the way we lost the second half.'
Indeed, Eriksson admitted that he could 'understand completely' if the thousands of England fans in the stadium had been embarrassed by their team's display.
The failings of James, who lost his England place after a blunder in Austria, were painfully exposed again when he charged out of his area on 60 minutes and was caught out of position when Jon Dahl Tomasson crossed for Dennis Rommedahl to tap home.
Johnson then failed to stop Claus Jensen cutting back a dangerous cross and, even though Ashley Cole half-cleared the ball, it was headed back by Rommedahl for Tomasson to prod home from close range.
Substitute Michael Gravgaard headed a deflected third before Larsen rounded off the rout following Rooney's consolation effort as England received a stark wake-up call at the start of a World Cup season.
Eriksson, who took off Gary Neville, John Terry and Paul Robinson at the break, as well as Jermain Defoe, refused to single out James for blame, even though Robinson's position as England's first-choice keeper is now stronger than ever.
'You should not talk about individual mistakes but collective mistakes. The focus should be on the performance in the second half, not on one or two players,' insisted Eriksson.
'Normally, you talk about one or two players making little mistakes but tonight we did it as a team.'
Asked if he had lost his temper with his players, he added: 'I had to be very clear in what I said to them. If you lose your temper, you lose your brain as well sometimes.
'It was very important to tell the squad that the second half was a disaster and why. I've done that and I will do it again in two weeks' time.
'Hopefully it is impossible to play as badly as that again. Our morale and confidence can't be any better because of it. I promise that we can't play that badly again.'
Denmark coach Morten Olsen celebrated his team's victory but insisted that he still considered England as one of the favourites for next summer's World Cup.
'We played a very good game but qualifying matches are something else. I think England are still a world-class team with world-class players. Every team has such a day,' he said.
'Maybe it can be helpful to the England team. I think Sven-Goran Eriksson will use this game so his team will be ready for the Wales game.
'Results like this also depend on the other team and we played very well.'
Denmark, who lost to England at the 2002 World Cup, also won 3-2 in a friendly at Old Trafford in November 2003.
'Normally England are a very good team. It's a good performance to score four goals against them. We have now scored more goals against them than any other team in Europe - it's just a pity that they came in two friendlies!' concluded Olsen.

Your friend
Jude

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

 
Smith still has an England future

Some critics of The gallant Machester United Star will shut up after what Ericson asid today,
Sven-Goran Eriksson shouldered the blame for the controversy surrounding Alan Smith's absence from tomorrow's friendly in Denmark as the striker stressed his continued commitment to the England team.

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick was among those to criticise Smith's perceived decision to reject a spot in the England squad in favour of increasing his fitness levels by playing for Manchester United's reserves.
The ensuing club-versus-country debate sparked United, with Smith's approval, to release a statement which stressed the striker's desire to carry on playing for England.
'Prior to the initial squad announcement, United coaching staff spoke with Sven and the FA and it was agreed that Alan Smith would be left out of the squad so he could gain match fitness,' it read.
'It was then cleared that he would play in the reserve game on Monday night. It is by no means due to Alan Smith's lack of desire to play for England.'
There was still some confusion why Eriksson, whose version of events did not exactly tally with United's, called up Smith as a replacement for the injured Andrew Johnson on Saturday evening - only to reverse his decision and summon Darren Bent instead.
However, the England coach did not want to create any lasting row with either United or Smith, and offered to take the blame for the whole affair, while stressing the 24-year-old's England future was not in doubt.
'I think he had his reasons, maybe he thought he wasn't fit and wanted 90 minutes of football rather than sitting on the bench,' he said.
'I haven't spoken to him directly but it's important to stress that I have nothing against Alan Smith, absolutely not. It doesn't mean he is out for the future.
'I think it's my fault that I didn't communicate what happened to more people. It was also a little bit my fault as I didn't check how many games he had played.
'So I take the blame and it's finished now. The door is not closed for Alan Smith, I promise you.'
The fact remains Smith has still not improved his England selection chances by preferring a run-out for United's reserves, with 21-year-old Bent instead handed the chance to make his mark.
The chances are that Smith will be called up for the next England squad to underline Eriksson's point, although Johnson and Peter Crouch realistically remain ahead of him in the race for the one remaining forward's spot in the World Cup squad.
Indeed, Eriksson's mantra that the 'door is always open' was put into context when he promptly repeated it in relation to Robbie Fowler, who realistically now has more chance of a call-up to the England cricket team.
Fowler, who has not played for England for three years due to injury, a loss of form and being deemed an unsettling squad member by Eriksson, has just voiced outspoken criticism of the Swede in his autobiography.
The ever-diplomatic England coach nevertheless stressed: 'The door is not closed for anyone. Every time I select the squad, it's the quality of the players - do they fit in and are they good enough to play?
'If I thought Robbie Fowler was good enough, then yes, I would select him. If I think it's good for the team and good for England, then I pick players. If not, then I don't pick them.'
It was put to Eriksson that when players such as Fowler - or even Gareth Southgate - rock the boat, they rarely feature in England squads again.
'I don't think I've fallen out with players, I doubt that very much. Sometimes I talk to players about how they play football or their behaviour but that's not falling out with them,' he responded.
'Do you think those two players [Fowler and Southgate] deserved to play for England last season? I certainly didn't, because if I did, then I should have picked them.'
The likes of Fowler, Steve McManaman and Lee Bowyer have nevertheless seen their international careers ended by Eriksson's desire to take a united squad to major tournaments, rather than risking disaffected fringe players ruining morale.
'You live together for more than one month and you want to have very few problems,' he stressed.
Indeed, Smith may yet find that having voiced his unhappiness at not originally being chosen to start England's summer tour game against the United States may count against him rather more than this latest episode.
More than anything, however, there is also the question of whether he is playing regularly for United.
After all, it was his desperation to win back his United place which started this mini-saga in the first place and that worry has still not disappeared.

Your friend,
Jude

 
Rooney: 'Bad boy days are behind me
This comes with alot of relief and inspiration that my/our hero Wayne Rooney has pledged to follow the lead of his Manchester United team-mates by learning to curb his temper and focus on winning titles for club and country this season.

The England striker, set to start tonight's match against Denmark, turns 20 in November and is aware he will no longer be able to justify any shows of petulance by pointing to his teenage years.
'Moving to a club like Manchester United was always going to benefit me a lot, playing with the players I'm playing with and working with Sir Alex (Ferguson),' said Rooney.
During his first year at Old Trafford, after leaving Everton, Rooney was criticised by teaching chiefs for repeatedly swearing on the pitch, with the argument that he was setting a bad example to youngsters.
'I've learnt a lot and I think I've matured a lot, both on and off the field. I think I had to move on (from Everton), for myself, and I think it has really benefited me,' Rooney added.
He is increasingly aware of the responsibility on his shoulders from a sporting and disciplinary perspective.
'I'm looking to mature a lot more than I have done in previous seasons,' he said.
'I want to make sure I don't get booked for dissent. If you look at any match, every player's doing it. But it gets highlighted a lot more because of who I am.'
He added: 'I'm looking to cut out the silly bookings.'
Even though Rooney launched himself onto the international stage in amazing fashion during Euro 2004, there were plenty who felt Ferguson had paid too much for the youngster when he eventually prised him away from Goodison Park following intense competition from Newcastle.
The £27million fee was partly repaid by 17 goals in his first season at United, and he has no regrets about choosing Old Trafford over Chelsea, despite Jose Mourinho's team winning the Barclays Premiership title.
'Obviously Chelsea have a lot of money and some players see that as a good opportunity to do whatever, but I chose United because it was the best move for me. I really didn't fancy going to live in London.
'I wanted to stay close to home (in Liverpool). Once I knew United were interested, there was only one place I was going.'
By next summer, Rooney will hope to have pocketed his first United medals.
Then, assuming Sven-Goran Eriksson's team have qualified, he will be able to focus on England's bid for World Cup glory in Germany.
'Hopefully I can go there and have the time of my life,' said Rooney.
Jude

Monday, August 15, 2005

 

Gerrard backs Owen's return to Liverpool

Today i became a sportsman and a soccer fanatic at that i will be looking at each english club starting with Liverpool can you imagine Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard would like Michael Owen to return to Anfield.
The European champions are believed to be trying to organise a loan deal for the Real Madrid striker who left the club last summer in an £11million move.
Owen has been the subject of transfer speculation for weeks. At the moment he is fifth-choice striker at Madrid and fears another season on the substitutes bench will hold back his international career.
Gerrard and England squad colleague Jamie Carragher have both let it be known they would favour Owen's return.
The Anfield skipper said: 'It goes without saying I would love Michael Owen back here and I think everyone at the club would love him back.
'Obviously it's up to Real Madrid. He's their player and they will decide if he can go, but when I see Michael in the England squad this week I won't even have to ask him where he'd like to be in a few weeks.'
Gerrard, talking to the Liverpool Echo, added: 'I am waking up every morning looking in the papers and hoping to read he is on his way here. Could you imagine him coming back to Anfield and scoring against us for another Premiership club? It would be a nightmare.
'Whoever signs him guarantees themselves 20 goals and in my opinion he'd be the best striker in the league.'
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admitted at the weekend that he could not dismiss speculation of Owen's return but has consistently made the point that he needs a new centre-half and an right winger to bolster his squad before he will look seriously at the Owen option.
It is believed that striker Milan Baros is on the verge of moving to Aston Villa for a fee of around £7million and that money would allow Benitez to sign the two players he needs. Liverpool would then have to wait for Champions League revenue to fund a deal for Owen.
However it has been suggested that he could return to Anfield on a year loan with a view to a fee being paid next season.

Jude

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

 
http://www.google.com. Today is a public Holiday In Uganda

Today we in Uganda rest from work to morn the young men and women who died with the vice president of sudan H.E John Garang. therefore we do not have alot to discuss on the blog other than asking you to join us.

Thanks

Jude

Friday, August 05, 2005

 
A Great Loss to Africa.

I have looked on with fear,denial and adimiration on a life of a great man Garang hurt us all as africans and as human kind. Using the words of the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan 'Garang was bigger than life'He lived alife of agreat statesman an African Statesman who was not an angle but a great man of his time.

He lived on his word and for his people who trusted in him to bring sanity and development to a region where everything seemed blik. He sighned an agreement not out of his will but for the good of his peoples' future.

Garang was a champion a good man a christian and a foresighted fighter of his time. his death will leave a big gap in our lives as Africans and Ugandans. He had championed the end to the northern {Uganda} war - Kony seemed history, but how cme he dies in a helcopitor which belonged to his good friend H.E Museveni, all of us wish not to believe our own leader had travelled in the ame choper the previous day, we would be Fatherless right now.
The great man died somebody else's death. We shall all always hournor him in our minds amnd hearts forever.

Ret in peace Garang.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

 
I have a question for you.

What do you REALLY WANT when it comes to the area of your life called "Women and Dating"?Could you explain it to me if I called you upon the phone in 5 minutes and asked you?In other words, do you REALLY, REALLY know just what it is that you're looking for? If you're like most guys that I talk to, you probably couldn't tell me. Or if you did tell me, it would be clear that you hadn't taken any real time to think about it before I asked you.Now, before I tell you why this is a problem, I have to confess something to you... It wasn't very long ago that I used to be in exactly the same boat.I had NO IDEA what I was looking for.It was only after a LOT of trial and error, dating crazy women that made my life impossible, and chasing my tail that I finally figured out what it was that I REALLY wanted.And once I figured it out, I realize that I wasn't alone. As it turns out, I think that MOST guys want what I want when it comes to "women and dating", but they just haven't thought about it long enough to be able to say it. I think that what 90% of men are looking for is a GREAT long-term relationship with a GREAT woman. What do I mean when I use the term "Great Woman"? I mean a woman who is naturally beautiful, who takes care of herself physically, who is emotionally and financially stable... who doesn't "need" you, but "wants" you, who can take care of herself in every way......you know what I'm saying here. But guess what? Women like this are VERY rare. I mean like one in a thousand or so. And they are NEVER at a loss for a date. I digress... but I'll come back to this later. Earlier I mentioned that it is a problem thatMen don't KNOW what they want. Now I want to talk about WHY it's such a big problem.
There are two main reasons:

1) Not knowing what you want, lowers the chances
of GETTING what you want.

2) In this particular situation, when it comes to
this type of woman, not understanding what you
want makes your chances of getting one almost
ZERO.
Let's talk about these two issues.
NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT LOWERS YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING IT

If you've read any "self help" books at all,then you know that it's important to set goals in your life.

Why?
Because setting goals makes your mind work on getting them.
When you think through your goals, and take the time to figure them out, write them down, and make plans to get them, you put a set of processes in motion that dramatically increase your chance of getting what you want.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read "Think And Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

Just do it.
NOT UNDERSTANDING THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF WOMAN MAKES YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING ONE ALMOST ZERO

This is the big issue here.This is the one that most guys just don't get...and the one that, by itself, really leads to failure.The fact is that most guys would really like to
meet a great girl.The times in my life when I've had an amazing woman as my girlfriend have been FANTASTIC.There is nothing quite like having a stunning,intelligent, well-dressed, interesting woman in your life. Nothing.Now, I get a lot of guys who write to me and say things like:

"David, I don't want to have to learn any of the things you teach. I want a woman to like me forwho I am..."
...and...

"The kind of woman that I want to find would notrespond to the things you teach... she would see me for the person that I am..."...and a million other things. I can identify with this stuff. I spent many years of my life thinking this way.

In fact, I spent so much time thinking this way and getting horrible results, that I am probably the world's leading expert on it.

I just wanted a woman to "see me for who I was" and who saw past all of my flaws and wanted to be with me for me.

I hated the idea of trying to change myself.

But here's the deal:

An exceptional woman has OPTIONS. The kind of woman that I described is approached by men ALL THE TIME.

My estimate is that a beautiful, successful, intelligent woman is approached by men an average of 5 or 10 times A DAY.

To put it another way, if you meet a really interesting, exceptional woman, you can bet that she has been approached between 150 and 300 times in the past month ALONE.

Think about that.

Imagine what it must be like to be a woman who is approached so often. Even if she WANTED to spend time with many of the men, there would be no way to do it.

It's just not practical. So what's a girl to do?

The only thing that an exceptional girl CAN do is use TIME MANAGEMENT principals. She has to decide almost INSTANTLY if a guy is "worth" spending more time with.

And she has to make her decision based on very little information. AND, she can't make the mistake of being "too friendly" and giving a guy the "wrong idea"...because if she does, he'll probably call her 100 times over the next month.

Unusually attractive, exceptional women become


very good at ELIMINATING men based on very little
information.If you're a man who hasn't made it a goal to
attract one of these women, who doesn't understand this particular fact, and who doesn't understand how to get past this initial "test", then your chances of attracting one of these women is as close to zero as anything is in the world.
The REALITY of this situation is that you are not the only guy in the world who wants a woman like this.

EVERY guy would like to meet her. There are a lot of guys out there that are willing to call her more, spend more money on her, do more things for her, and pay her more attention than you...

You can't get a girl like this one by doing the "normal" things.

And here's the KICKER...The next girl you date probably isn't going to be this girl. In fact, you're probably going to need to go out with MANY women before you're going to run into one of these rare women.But as they say, "Every cloud has a silver lining".

And this cloud does.

The fact is that spending time dating other women is EXACTLY what will TEACH you how toattract one of these exceptional women.

You HAVE to do it. So let's wrap this up.First, take some time and figure out what it is that you want.

Write it down, and make a list. What are the physical, intellectual, and emotional qualities that you're looking for? Be specific, and get a clear picture in your mind.
Next, become the guy that she'll feel ATTRACTION for when you meet her.There are two parts to this one.

The first part is preparing yourself to date many women to find her... and then getting out there and doing it.

The second (and most important) part is to LEARN what you need to do in order to be the guy that she'll be attracted to.
It's not luck. What's the best way to learn?
I'm so glad you asked...As it turns out, I've spent the last five years of my life on this.

And I've taken what I've learned and created the best products available to teach you all the things you need to learn in order to be successful with women and dating.


This program is only for guys who REALLY want to invest in themselves, and who want to do what it takes to become GREAT with women.

I'll talk to you again soon.

Your Friend,

Jude


P.S. Make sure you check out my newest program:
"Meeting Women In Bars & Clubs". This entire
program is focused on helping you with the
specific skills and techniques you need to quickly
and easily approach women, start conversations,
and get numbers and dates... all in the Bar & Club
environment.

1) Keep it short and to the point. Two paragraphs
max.

2) Tell me what's working for you before you ask
your question. I appreciate all of the "Your
stuff is great" and "I don't need to tell you how
well your stuff works" comments, but the fact is
that I DO need to hear all of the specifics...
because this helps other guys to see what's
working in different situations.

3) If you have a Success Story, write "Success
Story" in the subject line of the email. I read
these first.

4) At the end of the email, give me your initials
and tell me where you're from.

5) Send it to me at:

Kalmax.4t.com
don't just hit "reply" to this email.

Thanks!







 
I have a question for you.

What do you REALLY WANT when it comes to the area of your life called "Women and Dating"?Could you explain it to me if I called you upon the phone in 5 minutes and asked you?In other words, do you REALLY, REALLY know just what it is that you're looking for? If you're like most guys that I talk to, you probably couldn't tell me. Or if you did tell me, it would be clear that you hadn't taken any real time to think about it before I asked you.Now, before I tell you why this is a problem, I have to confess something to you... It wasn't very long ago that I used to be in exactly the same boat.I had NO IDEA what I was looking for.It was only after a LOT of trial and error, dating crazy women that made my life impossible, and chasing my tail that I finally figured out what it was that I REALLY wanted.And once I figured it out, I realize that I wasn't alone. As it turns out, I think that MOST guys want what I want when it comes to "women and dating", but they just haven't thought about it long enough to be able to say it. I think that what 90% of men are looking for is a GREAT long-term relationship with a GREAT woman. What do I mean when I use the term "Great Woman"? I mean a woman who is naturally beautiful, who takes care of herself physically, who is emotionally and financially stable... who doesn't "need" you, but "wants" you, who can take care of herself in every way......you know what I'm saying here. But guess what? Women like this are VERY rare. I mean like one in a thousand or so. And they are NEVER at a loss for a date. I digress... but I'll come back to this later. Earlier I mentioned that it is a problem thatMen don't KNOW what they want. Now I want to talk about WHY it's such a big problem.
There are two main reasons:

1) Not knowing what you want, lowers the chances
of GETTING what you want.

2) In this particular situation, when it comes to
this type of woman, not understanding what you
want makes your chances of getting one almost
ZERO.
Let's talk about these two issues.
NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT LOWERS YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING IT

If you've read any "self help" books at all,then you know that it's important to set goals in your life.

Why?
Because setting goals makes your mind work on getting them.
When you think through your goals, and take the time to figure them out, write them down, and make plans to get them, you put a set of processes in motion that dramatically increase your chance of getting what you want.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read "Think And Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

Just do it.
NOT UNDERSTANDING THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF WOMAN MAKES YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING ONE ALMOST ZERO

This is the big issue here.This is the one that most guys just don't get...and the one that, by itself, really leads to failure.The fact is that most guys would really like to
meet a great girl.The times in my life when I've had an amazing woman as my girlfriend have been FANTASTIC.There is nothing quite like having a stunning,intelligent, well-dressed, interesting woman in your life. Nothing.Now, I get a lot of guys who write to me and say things like:

"David, I don't want to have to learn any of the things you teach. I want a woman to like me forwho I am..."
...and...

"The kind of woman that I want to find would notrespond to the things you teach... she would see me for the person that I am..."...and a million other things. I can identify with this stuff. I spent many years of my life thinking this way.

In fact, I spent so much time thinking this way and getting horrible results, that I am probably the world's leading expert on it.

I just wanted a woman to "see me for who I was" and who saw past all of my flaws and wanted to be with me for me.

I hated the idea of trying to change myself.

But here's the deal:

An exceptional woman has OPTIONS. The kind of woman that I described is approached by men ALL THE TIME.

My estimate is that a beautiful, successful, intelligent woman is approached by men an average of 5 or 10 times A DAY.

To put it another way, if you meet a really interesting, exceptional woman, you can bet that she has been approached between 150 and 300 times in the past month ALONE.

Think about that.

Imagine what it must be like to be a woman who is approached so often. Even if she WANTED to spend time with many of the men, there would be no way to do it.

It's just not practical. So what's a girl to do?

The only thing that an exceptional girl CAN do is use TIME MANAGEMENT principals. She has to decide almost INSTANTLY if a guy is "worth" spending more time with.

And she has to make her decision based on very little information. AND, she can't make the mistake of being "too friendly" and giving a guy the "wrong idea"...because if she does, he'll probably call her 100 times over the next month.

Unusually attractive, exceptional women become


very good at ELIMINATING men based on very little
information.If you're a man who hasn't made it a goal to
attract one of these women, who doesn't understand this particular fact, and who doesn't understand how to get past this initial "test", then your chances of attracting one of these women is as close to zero as anything is in the world.
The REALITY of this situation is that you are not the only guy in the world who wants a woman like this.

EVERY guy would like to meet her. There are a lot of guys out there that are willing to call her more, spend more money on her, do more things for her, and pay her more attention than you...

You can't get a girl like this one by doing the "normal" things.

And here's the KICKER...The next girl you date probably isn't going to be this girl. In fact, you're probably going to need to go out with MANY women before you're going to run into one of these rare women.But as they say, "Every cloud has a silver lining".

And this cloud does.

The fact is that spending time dating other women is EXACTLY what will TEACH you how toattract one of these exceptional women.

You HAVE to do it. So let's wrap this up.First, take some time and figure out what it is that you want.

Write it down, and make a list. What are the physical, intellectual, and emotional qualities that you're looking for? Be specific, and get a clear picture in your mind.
Next, become the guy that she'll feel ATTRACTION for when you meet her.There are two parts to this one.

The first part is preparing yourself to date many women to find her... and then getting out there and doing it.

The second (and most important) part is to LEARN what you need to do in order to be the guy that she'll be attracted to.
It's not luck. What's the best way to learn?
I'm so glad you asked...As it turns out, I've spent the last five years of my life on this.

And I've taken what I've learned and created the best products available to teach you all the things you need to learn in order to be successful with women and dating.


This program is only for guys who REALLY want to invest in themselves, and who want to do what it takes to become GREAT with women.

I'll talk to you again soon.

Your Friend,

Jude


P.S. Make sure you check out my newest program:
"Meeting Women In Bars & Clubs". This entire
program is focused on helping you with the
specific skills and techniques you need to quickly
and easily approach women, start conversations,
and get numbers and dates... all in the Bar & Club
environment.

1) Keep it short and to the point. Two paragraphs
max.

2) Tell me what's working for you before you ask
your question. I appreciate all of the "Your
stuff is great" and "I don't need to tell you how
well your stuff works" comments, but the fact is
that I DO need to hear all of the specifics...
because this helps other guys to see what's
working in different situations.

3) If you have a Success Story, write "Success
Story" in the subject line of the email. I read
these first.

4) At the end of the email, give me your initials
and tell me where you're from.

5) Send it to me at:

Kalmax.4t.com
don't just hit "reply" to this email.

Thanks!

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