Sunday 13th January
Man Utd v Liverpool 13:30
- Man Utd thrashed Wigan 0-4 at the DW stadium last week to maintain their advantage at the summit of the Premier League. Two braces from Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez ensured all three points returned to Old Trafford in a fixture which underlined just how ruthless their rivals can expect them to be as they attempt to regain the league title. Read the full story
What do footballers and football fans have in common with the Mona Lisa? Well I wouldn’t be asking the question if the answer wasn’t “something”, would I now?
In his book Irrational Exuberance, the Yale economist Robert Shiller explains how the inherent psychological characteristics of human beings and their application to social situations and, well, life, cause irrational stock market and housing market bubbles, with a bubble being where an asset (such as a share in a company or a house) is valued at an amount that is greater than what it is actually worth (think of the famous Tulip-mania in 17th century Holland, those silly Dutch buggers).
It’s hard to know whether it’s old age catching up or whether the rumors during the off season are becoming more stupid and harder to believe as years go by. This week’s reported interest by Manchester United for Dutch Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder is a case in point. The story was headline news in all the media both in the UK and Italy on Wednesday without either Sir Alex Ferguson or anyone from the club acknowledging or denying such interest.
Read the full story
There can be no denying that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is so far having an ordinary tournament in South Africa – as is the team itself. To do so will be to ignore the reality that has been witnessed with our own eyes. What everyone must be careful of however is that the media frenzy surrounding Rooney does not drive him away from Old Trafford, England and into the welcoming arms of Jose Mourinho in Madrid.
Club legend Gary Pallister was transferred to Manchester United from Middlesbrough just prior to the 1989-90 season for a then record fee of £2.3 million. He made an ordinary start in which the transfer fee seemed to affect his form but soon began to put in the great performances he would become known for. The 6 foot 4 inch central defender went from strength to strength, forming the backbone of United’s defence for nine years winning a major trophy in every season except 1994-95.
Football fans can really leave you scratching your head at their attitude sometimes. While Manchester United is without doubt the leading motivator of our passion for it, football itself is surely far bigger than one club and its players. When the greatest show on earth that the World Cup has become arrives every four years therefore, you would think that club rivalries can be put to one side for a month.
