Rooney ready to lift Reds

Wayne Rooney will be back for the Reds this weekend against Arsenal in the FA Cup, and John O’Shea says the Reds forward is capable of giving United an injection of confidence.

The effect that Rooney’s suspension-enforced absence had on the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City was palpable. However, O’Shea refuses to use the lack of Rooney’s presence as an excuse for failing to make more of a fight of Sunday’s derby.

“Wayne can lift players around him,” he told MUTV. “He is infectious with his work rate. He gets the crowd buzzing.

“But we were missing other players as well. The team we had out was good enough to win that game. You can always say we’re missing this player, or that player. But we had the squad to cope. We’ve got so many talented players that you hoped one player would conjure something. It just didn’t happen at all for us.”

Whilst not wanting to gloss of one of the most disappointing results of the 2007/08 calendar, O’Shea insists the squad cannot afford to wallow in pity.

“We’re all just waiting for the next game to come around,” he added. “We’re still in a great position in three competitions. We can’t just forget a disappointing result, especially against our city rivals, but we do have a lot to be positive about. We’ve got to make sure we bounce back straight away and go on a long winning run.”

With Rooney back in the team, that seems a more achievable goal. But Sir Alex Ferguson would be keen to point out that United didn’t get to this position operating as a one-player team. And against an in-form Arsenal team at the weekend, the responsibility cannot fall solely on Rooney's shoulders.

Papers: Reds eye Lyon duo?

Fergie eyes Lyon duo

Sir Alex Ferguson has targeted Lyon duo Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa in a sensational £40million swoop. Boss Fergie made his move just a week before Manchester United face the French side in a Champions League last-16 clash. He spoke to Lyon week. Aulas said: “I spoke to Sir Alex. I told him that Benzema and Ben Arfa will not leave in the next two years. We want to build our future on them. If he wants to exchange Cristiano Ronaldo.. for Ben Arfa we could talk about it but they would have to also give us a bit of money.” But Aulas’ remarks will not put off Fergie, who spoke to the Lyon president before Saturday’s game with Sochaux. French ace Benzema, 20, is one of the hottest strikers in Europe with 16 goals in 24 league games this season, while Fergie sees jet-heeled Ben Arfa, 20, as a long-term replacement for Ryan Giggs, 34. The pair are also summer targets for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Antony Kastrinakis, The Sun

In other news, Ryan Giggs says one more poor display and the title will slip from United's grasp. But Sven-Goran Eriksson believes the derby defeat has already wrecked United's title dream.

Arsenal took full advantage of the Reds' defeat with a 2-0 win over Blackburn. Emmanuel Adebayor scored for the ninth successive game as the Gunners roared five points ahead of United.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

Wenger: We're no fools

Arsene Wenger insists his Gunners won't take anything for granted in the title race, despite going five points clear of United.

The Arsenal boss seemed relieved to have won the game in hand over the Reds - "We were a bit under pressure to take advantage of the situation" - and warned of the challenge ahead.

"There is still a long way to go. You could see again tonight that as soon as you are not at your best, you can drop points," Wenger told arsenal.com, after a tense 2-0 win over Blackburn.

"With twelve games to go, we are in a good position and we believe we can do it but we are not a fool. We know it's far from being over and we will have to fight until the last...minute, certainly. We have a hard programme in front of us."

The next match in Arsenal's programme is, of course, their FA Cup fifth round tie against United. Wenger's squad could be bolstered by the return of three players, including two who were away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Kolo (Toure) and (Emmanuel) Eboue came back on Monday," reported Wenger. "(Tomas) Rosicky maybe has a little chance for Saturday. (Robin) Van Persie looks better, but he is still a few weeks away."

Carrick: Title race still on

Michael Carrick couldn't hide his disappointment with the result and the performance in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, but rejects the idea that the loss has seriously dented United's title hopes.

The midfielder struck the Reds' only goal in added time, but it proved nothing more than a consolation.

“Scoring doesn't really mean much because we lost, we’re all desperately disappointed,” he told MUTV. "We never got going and didn’t create the chances we normally do. That’s not like us. It was good to see that the minute’s silence was well observed. But in terms of the game we’re not going home happy.”

City took the lead midway through the first half through Darius Vassell, with Benjani Mwaruwari grabbing a second just before the interval. It left the Reds with a mountain to climb, heights Sir Alex’s men were unable to scale.

“Once City got the two goals it was hard to come back from it,” added Carrick. “They set out their game plan and it worked for them. One goal down, you always believe you’ve got a chance of coming back, but two is difficult. We needed to score right after half time to give us momentum, but when we did score it was too little, too late.”

Arsenal could move five points clear if they beat Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium on Monday, but Carrick firmly believes the Gunners will slip up before the end of the campaign.

“There are still games to play,” he said. “I don’t think Arsenal will go the rest of the season without dropping points. If they did, fair play to them. There are still going to be ups and downs in the title race, and hopefully there will be more ups for us and we can overtake them.”

Player of the month: January

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his first Reds hat-trick in United’s 6-0 win over Newcastle, but did he do enough to earn the January Player of the Month title?

He’ll certainly be hard to beat when ManUtd.com users head to the polls to cast their votes.

The Reds’ no.7 scored nine goals in just six January appearances, his tally including a brace against Totttenham in the FA Cup and a spectacular free-kick at home to Portsmouth.

Strikers Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez are also short-listed for the honour. Tevez scored against Birmingham City, Newcastle (2) and Tottenham, while Rooney, although finding the net just once (Reading), worked tirelessly throughout the month.

Brazilian midfielder Anderson continued his strong form and was particularly impressive in matches against Aston Villa and Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, Serbian Nemanja Vidic is also nominated for his consistently top-class performances at centre back.

Have your say at www.manutd.com/polls

Aerodynamics Features of the F1 Vehicle......[1]

Front wing and nose cone assembly

The front wings on the car can produce 25-40% of the cars downforce.Each front aerofoil is made a mainplane (1) running almost the whole width of the car suspended from the nose (4). Onto this are fitted two aerofoil flaps (2), one on each side, which are the adjustable parts of the wing. These flaps are usually made of one piece of carbon fiber, but Ferrari has used two small flaps rather than one large one. On each end of the mainplane there are endplates The wing flap on either side of the nose cone is asymmetrical. It reduces in height nearer to the nose cone as this allows air to flow into the radiators and to the underfloor aerodynamic aids. If the wing flap maintained it's height right to the nose cone, the radiators would receive less airflow and therefore the engine temperature would rise. The asymmetrical shape also allows a better airflow to the underfloor and the diffuser, increasing downforce. The wing mainplane is often raised in the center. This again allows a slightly better airflow to the underfloor aerodynamics, but it also reduces the wings ride height sensitivity

Papers: All hail Ronaldo

Ron just two hot

You’ll never stop Ronaldo! That was the message from Old Trafford last night as Manchester United’s Portuguese ace continued his astonishing scoring run.
He notched twice in the space of four first-half minutes to put Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on course for another regulation win.
Ronaldo has scored nine in his last five games, and has failed to hit the net in only two of his last 16 outings.
Last night’s first was a one-on-one against keeper David James, but the second was a stunning free kick that he simply slammed over the wall.
Bill Thornton, Daily Star

The other daily papers were similarly full of praise for Ronaldo and, in particular, his wonderful second goal. The Sun claimed the strike was so good it left Sir Alex drooling. The boss was quoted as saying: “Have I seen a better free-kick in the Premier League? No, that must be the best. It was within two or three inches of the junction of the crossbar and post. No goalkeeper would have saved it.”

In news concerning United off the pitch, The Mirror, The Sun and The Star all carry stories condemning the vandalism of the Reds’ tribute to the Busby Babes. While the attack on the mural on the front of East Stand was directed at sponsor AIG and not the Babes’ memory, the papers have all labelled the action disrepesctful.

Round up by Nick Coppack

Ronaldo does it again

Stretching superlatives and defences alike, Cristiano Ronaldo continues on his remarkable path. The prolific Portuguese may be better than the best around the world and, indeed, better than Best.

It is now 25 goals in 23 starts for Ronaldo, whose domination for a second successive Premier League season has now extended to overcoming Tottenham in the FA Cup. He is on course to surpass the 32 goals that is the current record for a Manchester United winger. That was set by George Best four decades ago and, while it once bordered on blasphemy at Old Trafford to suggest as much, Ronaldo may be the superior player.

In the manner of the great goalscorers, he has the capacity to decide games where his involvement has been peripheral. That is a trait more associated with, say, Ruud van Nistelrooy, than Ronaldo but as arguably the Premier League's two finest strike partnerships met at Old Trafford, the match was decided by the country's most productive winger.

In the process, he contrived to upstage Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez plus Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov. And, not for the first time, he proved his manager wrong. This week, Sir Alex Ferguson made the remarkable admission that: 'I signed him as a winger, pure and simple. I didn't spot his goalscoring potential at all.'

It has been a welcome benefit nonetheless. Ronaldo's latest brace were among the least memorable in his collection, though a coolly converted penalty and a shot that, thanks to an error by Radek Cerny, squirmed under the Tottenham goalkeeper turned a potentially awkward replay into a safe passage into the last 16 of the FA Cup.

The accumulation of seven goals in his last four games is the sort of statistic that each of the four specialist strikers on the pitch would have coveted. In an era when partnerships in attack are a comparative rarity, United and Spurs possess perhaps the best around. Yet it is notable that each of the quartet are footballers first and strikers second, with a capacity to involve themselves all over the pitch.

[Source: ESPN]

Owen's Wembley mission

Success in this season’s FA Cup won’t just provide Owen Hargreaves with another winners’ medal – it could also afford the 26-year-old his first run-out at Wembley Stadium.

It seems incredible that Hargreaves, now a regular in the national side, has never played at the home of English football. And yet, following United’s win over Spurs in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, Hargreaves told MUTV of his ambition to go all the way in this season’s competition.

“We’ll just take it game by game and we’ll focus on the next one once we know our opposition,” he said. “But hopefully we’ll get to Wembley. It’s still a long way away and there’s lots of football to be played.

“I’ve never played at Wembley before. I’ve sat on the bench for England once or twice and I was injured when United were there for the Community Shield last year. It would be nice if we could get there.”

There is a chance Hargreaves could fulfil his ambition of playing on the hallowed Wembley turf before May’s FA Cup final. If picked by new manager Fabio Capello, the former Bayern Munich midfielder could line up for England against Switzerland in a friendly match on Wednesday 6 February.

Cup Combat

United and Arsenal have met 12 times in the world's oldest cup competition, and the honours are evenly split, with five wins each and two draws.

The most recent, and arguably most painful, meeting came in the 2005 cup final. Despite dominating for 120 minutes, United failed to break the 0-0 deadlock and lost 5-4 on penalties.

The most memorable, of course, was the '99 semi final replay - Giggs' shirt-swinging celebration after his 109th minute winner at Villa Park indellibly etched in every United fan's mind.

Reds draw Gunners

United and Arsenal will play out the tie of the round after being paired together in the FA Cup last 16.

Having overcome Tottenham in Sunday's thrilling tie at Old Trafford, the Reds will now entertain Arsene Wenger's side at Old Trafford in the fifth round of the competition.

The Reds may feel slightly unfortunate to have drawn such difficult opponents, especially as Chelsea and Liverpool were handed home ties against Huddersfield and Barnsley respectively.

Incredibly, United have now drawn Premier League opposition in each of the last 10 FA Cup ties (plus two replays). In order, they are: Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Watford, Middlesbrough, Reading, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Liverpool.

The full draw is as follows:

Bristol Rovers v Southampton
Cardiff v Wolves
Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Barnsley
United v Arsenal
Preston v Portsmouth
Coventry v West Brom
Chelsea v Huddersfield

Ties will be played on 16/17 February. ManUtd.com will bring you confirmation of the match date and kick-off time as soon as it is announced.

[28/01/2008 13:30, Report by Ben Hibbs on manutd.com]

Report: United 3 Tottenham 1

A goal from Carlos Tevez and yet another Cristiano Ronaldo brace sealed United’s spot in Monday’s FA Cup fifth round draw.

Tottenham Hotspur came to Old Trafford and put up a brave fight – and indeed took the lead – but the Reds’ patience paid off to keep alive dreams of another trip to the new Wembley.

Juande Ramos’ side were far from favourites going into this fixture, despite thumping Arsenal 5-1 on Tuesday in the Carling Cup semi final second leg. History had been against Tottenham on that occasion – it was their first victory over their North London rivals in nine years – but to not nearly the same extent as when they arrived in Manchester.

Without a win at Old Trafford since December 1989, Spurs have endured a horrible run on the Reds’ turf and, despite going in front through Robbie Keane on 24 minutes, now see that record stretched to 20 games.

The match started brightly, with both sides venturing forward at startling pace. Wayne Rooney had two half chances in the opening five minutes; he first failed by inches to reach Edwin van der Sar’s mammoth clearance before sweeping a low Ryan Giggs cross into the side-netting.

The visitors didn’t create any firm opportunities until Dimitar Berbatov's header was cleared off the line by Wayne Rooney in the 15th minute. They had, however, shown promising signs in the early stages, stretching the Reds’ defence on a number of occasions.

Without Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown came inside to partner Rio Ferdinand in the heart of the back four,
Tottenham seemed to be allowing Cristiano Ronaldo a surprising amount of space in midfield and a minute before Berbatov’s header was nodded wide by Rooney, the Portuguese winger found himself unmarked 25 yards from goal.

With the crowd urging the no.7 to shoot, Ronaldo duly pulled the trigger but, unusually, his aim failed, the shot skewing wide of Radek Cerny’s right-hand post.

Tottenham took heart from Berbatov’s near miss and, spurred on by a raucous travelling support, took the lead through captain Robbie Keane. Aaron Lennon collected the ball wide on the right and, despite Patrice Evra’s close attention, found enough space beyond the Frenchman to tease a low ball across the Reds’ six-yard-box.

The cross eluded both Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand, but Robbie Keane stretched out a left boot to send the ball into the net and Tottenham into a shock lead.

United prodded and probed in search of a way back into the match but too often mislaid passes in vital areas of the pitch. Still, when Ryan Giggs forced Cerny to tip over a rasping half-volley on 37 minutes you sensed the Reds were getting closer. A minute later, Tevez met Ryan Giggs’ knockdown inside the box, fired hard and low with his left foot and the job was complete.

Former Spurs midfielder Michael Carrick then fired over from 20 yards as United looked to have wrestled momentum back from the visitors. But there was still time for a scare at the other end.....

Boss delighted after tricky tie

Sir Alex admitted the Reds needed a wake-up call before going on to negotiate a difficult FA Cup fourth round draw on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur scored first, but a Carlos Tevez strike and a Cristiano Ronaldo double gave United a 3-1 victory.

“I think it was a fantastic cup tie and both sides contributed to that,” Sir Alex told MUTV.

“It was quite an open match – we attacked and they also had some good chances. I think we also had great opportunities to create chances, although the final ball wasn’t so good at times today.

“I think [Robbie Keane’s] goal woke us up a bit. We were looking a bit slack at the time – we were too relaxed and there was no intensity in our game.

“But we controlled most of the possession and put a lot hard work in – we had to against what was a good Tottenham side.

“I’m very happy. We were playing a top-flight team and, remember, they came bouncing into the game today on the back of a fantastic result against Arsenal.”

Tottenham’s Michael Dawson was shown the red card on 68 minutes after handling the ball inside the area. Sir Alex admitted referee Peter Walton had little choice but to dismiss the 24-year-old, although sympathised with the Spurs defender.

“It was certainly a penalty kick but whether it was a sending off… maybe it was by the letter of the law.
“Referees are put in a difficult position with the mandate regarding the last man. I’d say [today’s decision] was harsh – there’s no doubt about that. I felt sorry for the lad [Dawson].

“You have to give Tottenham credit for keeping coming at us. They gambled by bringing Jermaine Defoe on and playing three up front. We seemed to sit back a little bit and when you stand back and give players of that ability time on the ball, you’re going to have a problem.”

Video: Watch Sir Alex's interview at MUTV Online.

Kuszczak aiming for the top

Tomasz Kuszczak says he’s pleased with how he fared over the festive break when he stepped in for first-choice stopper Edwin van der Sar.

Van der Sar returned from injury in the Reds’ recent FA Cup win at Villa Park but Kuszczak remains braced for a recall.

“It’s a difficult position I’m in because I know Edwin is number one,” the Polish goalkeeper told Manchester United Radio.

“But every day I’m ready for training and I approach every game ready to play. It’s important to me to play as many games as I can.

“It was a good exam for me over Christmas and I think I did quite okay. I certainly did my best and I tried to help the team win our games.”

Although Kuszczak is acutely aware of his understudy status, he insists being at Old Trafford is beneficial to his career.

“Every single game I play for United is a step forward,” he said. “I feel more comfortable and confident each time I play and that’s what a goalkeeper needs. The Champions League experience has been very good too, so I think I’m on the way up.”

Van der Sar may be Sir Alex’s current first choice but Kuszczak says he hopes to one day dislodge the Dutchman from the number one spot.

“I’ll do everything I can to push Edwin for the jersey and I think that helps both of us. We have a good relationship and there’s healthy competition on the training field.”

Strike duo ready to fire U18s

Under-18s coach Paul McGuinness hopes United’s young strike duo, Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda, can fire the Reds to FA Youth Cup success this season.

The pair have scored 15 of United’s 36 goals this season in league and cup matches, and will hope to fire the Reds past Carlisle in the Youth Cup fourth round on Wednesday (KO 19:00 GMT).

Italian youth international Macheda is the U18s’ top scorer this term with eight goals, including his strike in the 2-1 third round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Welbeck, an England U17 international, has scored seven goals this term. Together, they form a formidable partnership up.

“They are both very good players,” McGuinness told PA Sport. “Danny is still only young and has another year at this level. He’s a very talented player and all the other players respond to that.

“Federico is a very good technical player. He’s a good finisher, makes good decisions and some very clever runs. In some ways he has a style like Dimitar Berbatov. His touch is very good.”

Rome-born Macheda has made a strong impression on and off the pitch since arriving in the summer from Italy, where he was on Lazio’s books. “His English is coming on, he’s a bright boy,” added McGuinness. “He understands what we’re after and he has fitted in well with the culture of the club.”

“Federico and Danny are on a really good wavelength. That is what you want, good partnerships. When you see them in training and you look at the likes of Rooney and Tevez and the way they link up, those two lads are capable of doing similar sorts of combinations.”

Brown’s England ambition

Wes Brown is determined to feature in Fabio Capello’s plans when the new England boss picks his first squad on 31 January.

The 28-year-old defender has been almost ever-present in the Reds’ defence this season, making 20 league appearances in the absence of regular right back Gary Neville. Now he wants to be involved when England play Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley on 6 February.

Brown played just five of England’s 18 matches under Steve McClaren and was an unused substitute on a further six occasions.

But his form for United this term has been top-drawer and he may well have done enough to catch Capello’s eye.

“Hopefully that’s the case,” Brown told Manchester United Radio. “If I can stay in the United team and continue to play well then hopefully I can get an England call up.”

Red View: Ronny’s on fire

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring form is simply incredible: 16 goals in his last 13 games, he’s just one behind his overall total from last season and we’re barely past the halfway point.

That’s why this week’s edition of Red View is paying tribute to the 22-year-old winger. We take a closer look at his unbelievable form (Reading watch out!), and compare his first Reds hat-trick with some of the best United trebles since the turn of the century. In our free video you can watch all the goals, and then discuss your favourites on the message board.

We’ve also got United’s Reserve team coach Brian McClair discussing the second-string’s season so far and how the players are prepped for life in the first-team.

Fletcher wants to stay

Darren Fletcher says he is happy at United and has no intention of leaving, despite interest from other Premier League clubs.

Media reports suggest the 23-year-old midfielder’s former international boss Alex McLeish is keen on taking him to Birmingham City. But Fletcher insists he is not looking for pastures new.

“I am still happy playing for Manchester United and I am not thinking of going elsewhere,” he said. “I never heard anything about Birmingham being interested, I just know I want to be here for a long time.

“My only focus is on being ready when the manager needs me and being able to perform for the club when asked.”

The Scot has played 15 times for the Reds this season, nine times as a substitute with Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick so far higher up the pecking order. And with Paul Scholes due back later this month, competition is fierce for central midfield opportunities. But as the season enters its crucial stages, Fletcher hopes this will be the time where he can make his contribution felt.

“It is frustrating because any player wants to play,” he said. “But it has been down to the form of the midfield. Fair play to Anderson, when Paul Scholes got injured, he came in and has great. The manager has stuck by him, which is what he does when you perform well.

“We will see how things pan out at the end of the season in terms of games played and what you have contributed to the squad. But I am not thinking about that just now. I’m looking short term, and I’d like to win a few trophies and hopefully go a few steps further than last year.”

Blog: Ronny is top dog

Paddy Crerand looks back on a memorable year for the Reds and pays tribute to United winger Cristiano Ronaldo…

Well, what a year 2007 has been for United. Winning the league was a fantastic feat and definitely one of Sir Alex’s greatest achievements. The team played a lot of exciting football and, of course, everyone played their part. But you have to say Cristiano Ronaldo has been quite exceptional over the last year. He responded in the best possible way to the criticism he received after the 2006 World Cup and I think the manager deserves a lot of credit for the confidence he gave Ronaldo. He could have wilted under the pressure, but instead he blocked out the abuse and rose to the occasion, delivering when it really mattered countless times – the true sign of a great player.

His late winner at Fulham last season stands out for me – that was a huge result and one that really set us on our way to the title. There were so many other great moments, winning at Anfield in the dying seconds with ten men, coming back from two down at Everton, the list goes on.

I’ve got extremely high hopes for 2008 and personally I’d love to see us win the Champions League again. As the manager has said on many occasions, this club should have won more European Cups and I really believe this could be our year. The squad is looking very strong and this season’s new acquisitions have blossomed since they joined. If we get the luck we need with injuries, there’s no reason why, come May, we won’t have more than one trophy in our possession.

Paddy Crerand was talking to United Review.

Boss hails “incredible” Ron

Sir Alex Ferguson described Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring this season as “fantastic” and “incredible” after the Portuguese winger shifted his tally for the campaign up to 22.

That figure puts him one behind last season’s total of 23, and a remarkable ten more goals than he had scored at the same stage last season.

“It’s fantastic, incredible in fact,” Sir Alex said after the game.

“We wondered at the start of last season whether he could match last season’s tally of 23. You had to say ‘why not?’

“I expected him to score more this season because he works so hard. That’s why there were no bets this season, all bets are off with Ronaldo,” he joked.

“[His first hat-trick] was always coming. He’s been close on a number of occasions but today he capped a really fine display with the hat-trick. We’re all delighted for him.”

But this was more than just the Ronaldo show. Carlos Tevez grabbed two goals, while Rio Ferdinand chipped in with another.

Likewise, it wasn’t just about the goals, it was another sterling defensive display, which Sir Alex feels could be the foundation for retaining United’s title crown.

“Our performance last week at Aston Villa in the cup was carved out of a magnificent defensive display,” he said. “It gave us the energy to go and win the game in the last 20 minutes. It was the same against Newcastle.
“You have to have good home form,” he added, alluding to United’s 11 wins from 12 at Old Trafford. “We’ve lost three games away from home, but the reason we’re top of the league is because our home form has been so good.

“It’s a hard league. You saw the results with Arsenal and Liverpool drawing, teams are taking points off one another.

“We expected it to be tough. Teams well below the top four are spending a lot of money on their squads. There is a drive for teams to improve themselves and stay in the Premier League. The points total could be lower this year.”