Region honours Reds

United capped another successful year on Monday night by topping five categories at the North West Football Awards, including Club of the Year.

Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson received individual awards at The Midland Hotel in Manchester - the former was honoured for his Lifetime Contributions to football in the region, while the latter was voted Manager of the Year by the North West public after guiding United to title glory.

"I thought I was presenting the award to someone else, that was the idea when I came," Sir Bobby told MUTV.

"I've enjoyed my football life here, it's been great. The North West is a hotbed of football. This award means a lot."

Speaking before the event, Sir Alex told MUTV: "It's a special night, the first of its kind. There's plenty to celebrate, as over the years, North West clubs have been very successful."

The awards honoured excellence on and off the field. United's staff scooped the Best Club Sponsorship prize - in recognition of the partnership with AIG - and Best Commercial Team.

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Foster's road to recovery

Ben Foster was forced out of action at the end of the 2006/07 season and subsequently went under the knife to repair a damaged cruciate ligament in his right knee. Here he tells of his long road to recovery and his hopes for the rest of the season.

I've been injured since May and when you can't do what you're paid to do it's massively frustrating.

I had a lot of expectations surrounding this season and what it might hold for me but I have to put those aside for now. When you're told you're going to be out for eight months and no sooner you just have to knuckle down and get on with it.

I've been spending a lot of time in the gym, working on all the static cardio-vascular machines. I've been on the exercise bike, the cross-trainer, the treadmill… all the machines that aren't going to put too much pressure on my knee but will help me to keep my stamina up. There have also been lots of leg weights and upper body weights.

After all that, my knee is getting stronger. I've recently stepped up my training and I've had no pain in it whatsoever. The next step will be doing some more goalkeeping work. Earlier this month, I started doing a few things – just having someone hit volleys into my hands. But I'll start doing some proper sessions soon with the goalkeeper coach and that will push the knee a bit further. The aim at the moment is to be doing full training and getting involved with the lads sometime after Christmas – probably early February.

I can't wait until I'm playing again. I guess that might be around March next year. It's something to look forward to and something to aim for. Whether it's at United in the Reserves or somewhere else on loan, I'm not bothered – I'll take anything!

Speaking of loans, I spent two seasons at Watford and they were good years. We got promoted and then relegated but it was a massive test for me and I gained some invaluable experience. At Watford, I tended to have quite a lot of work to do, which was good, but we didn't pass it out from the back a lot, which is what United are all about. So while I'm out I've been watching Edwin van der Sar closely. That way, when my turn comes around I know what's expected of me.

I come to all our games at Old Trafford and I watch the away games on television. To be honest, it's incredibly frustrating and I'm not a good spectator because I would much rather be out there. But these things can't be helped and I'm determined to remain positive. Read more...

United licensed to thrill

The secret to United’s exquisite attacking play is a freedom for players to express their ability, which all stems from Sir Alex Ferguson’s attacking football philosophy.

The Reds boss claimed on Sunday that this is the strongest squad he has ever had, and United’s recent performances merely endorse his assertions.

While some teams have achieved success on the back of regimented tactical organisation, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and co. are given free licence.

“The manager really wants everyone to be care-free in the sense of expressing themselves on the pitch, and at the moment we are doing it to great effect,” Darren Fletcher told ManUtd.com.

“We’ve had some great attacks during the time I’ve been around the first team, but what defines this team’s attack is the youthfulness of it. It’s a long time since we’ve had such a young group of forwards and wingers.”

Ronaldo got the goals to give United a 2-0 victory over Blackburn. But it’s by no means been a one-man show; the Reds have had ten different goalscorers already this season. “Like last year, the goals aren’t just coming from one area, everyone is chipping in,” adds Fletcher. “You need that, you have to be a threat from all over the pitch otherwise you’ll become predictable, and that’s an accusation you certainly can’t throw at this team.

“We didn’t score that many goals at the start of the season, but we all knew it would come, and it has. Opposition teams can’t look at us and say, ‘mark that player and we’ll stop United’. We attack from every direction, up front, from either wing, or from deep in midfield. Each game, somebody new steps up and puts in the star performance.” Read more...

Ronaldo fills the Rooney void

If there was a sharp intake of breath around Manchester United’s training ground on Friday, when Wayne Rooney twisted his right ankle during a game of head tennis, it cannot have taken long for a sense of calm to be restored. A quick look around the United dressing-room would indicate that it will take more than a twisted ankle to throw their title challenge off course and, by the time Cristiano Ronaldo had scored twice in as many minutes at Old Trafford yesterday, they were coasting back to the top of the Premier League. This was not a vintage performance from United or their No 7, but it was another of those afternoons on which their credentials were underscored in bold. In beating an obdurate and talented Blackburn Rovers side, they succeeded where Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool had failed, but there is nothing more impressive about United than the outstanding individual ability that abounds in their ranks and the devastating football that they can produce. For all the recent eulogies to Arsenal, there remain few more thrilling sights in English football than United in full flow, even without Rooney.
Oliver Kay, The Times Read more...

Simply the best

In Sir Alex's programme notes for the Reds' match against Blackburn Rovers, he lavished praise upon the current squad, labelling them the "strongest side I have ever had".

It's a boast the UK press have latched onto, with countless column inches devoted to the story. But the manager didn't just speak of the team's charms; he also singled out individuals, most notably summer signing Anderson.

Here's an extended excerpt from Sir Alex's United Review column:


"[Against Arsenal] I thought Anderson was our key man in his duel with Cesc Fabregas. I have not seen the young Spaniard kept as quiet as that in a match for a long time. Anderson struck up a great partnership with Owen Hargreaves; you wouldn’t have thought they had played together as the central midfield pair only once before.

"Still only 19, he is emerging fast now and I rate him a fantastic signing. It’s a very encouraging sign, especially with Paul Scholes out until the New Year. The fact that I was also able to bring on Michael Carrick and Louis Saha as substitutes was also an indication of our strength in depth as our injury blitz eases. In fact, without tempting fate, this is the strongest we have been all season. When you go back to the Wigan game, we had 12 senior players out of action.

"The situation is a lot healthier now, though of course it does give me a few selection problems as well as providing me with a wide range of options. The competition for places is immense. Take the luckless Darren Fletcher for instance. He took over from Scholes against Kyiv in the away leg and put in a wonderful performance only to find himself out of the team for the next game against Middlesbrough.

"He took the disappointment well, hopefully because he realised that I have a responsibility to look at the broader picture and that, at the end of the day, I will be fair to all the players. I always let them know my thinking and that everyone will get a fair crack of the whip. A big squad, strong in quality, is the only way to success these days and the players know it, so provided I am fair – and I always try to be – then they accept that they are part of a set-up that is going places.

"I believe this is the strongest squad I have ever had, so much so that I think I would be pushed to name my overall best team. It will vary, dependent on fitness, form, opposition and the way the fixtures fall - especially on the last lap as the various competitions reach a climax.

"This is what I have been working towards. I don’t like the short-term fix. I prefer to see a pool of players emerge and develop into something special, which, believe me, is what's happening at Old Trafford this season. We have the young players led by Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and now joined by the likes of Carlos Tevez, Nani and Anderson. In fact it is difficult to know where to stop when I am talking about our important players with Hargreaves, Carrick and Saha in the ranks along with our home-produced players like Fletcher, Wes Brown and John O’Shea.

"I am not becoming youth-obsessed either, with experience represented by Scholes and Ryan Giggs, both now into their 30s but who in my view will play until they are 36, such has been their lifestyles. There is many a pitfall for celebrity players but those two have avoided all the traps and set fine examples for those coming up behind them.

"Incidentally, the operation that Paul has had on his knee has been 100 per cent successful with the surgeon reporting that the condition generally of his knee was excellent, with no concerns. He will be back refreshed and eager in January, like signing a new player in the transfer window for the second half of the season. The only problem is the wee beggar is getting older.

"A bit like me I suppose, though I am still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that this week saw me celebrating 21 years as manager of Manchester United.
I honestly don’t know where the years have gone!" Read more...