UK News

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Treble? Manchester United’s season could still collapse

Strong belief in emulating the 1999 treble must surely be gripping Old Trafford after Manchester United’s somewhat fortuitous 1-0 win at Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, but Alex Ferguson and his troops will also be aware they are still a long way from crossing the finish line first in any competition.

With Wayne Rooney losing his appeal to have a two-game ban reduced and the ever-present threat of injuries crippling a squad well short of the talent of the 1999 crop,  United will once again have to dig deep into their resources as the strength-sapping season reaches its climax.

United are seven points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League but what belies this seemingly big advantage in the run-in is the fact that Arsenal have a game in hand and only the league title to play for, which could be a telling factor when United visit the Emirates Stadium on May 1.

With Rooney out of the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on April 16 there is no chance of him repeating the spectacular overhead kick which gave United a 2-1 win in their league fixture and Ferguson’s men may well find the going much more difficult against their fired-up neighbours, who have no other chance of silverware.

Rooney’s temporary loss could be a huge blow to United and the few who have jumped to his defence after the striker’s lack of anger management in United’s 4-2 win over West Ham at Upton Park could plausibly argue that a hefty fine might have been more appropriate punishment.

Here’s why: There is no excuse for what Rooney did but it would take some level of hypocrisy to say that swearing is not part of the game, on and off the pitch, just like horrific tackles such as the one that kept former Arsenal striker Eduardo sidelined for 18 months.

Birmingham defender Martin Taylor was handed a three-game ban after the late lunge which resulted in a triple leg fracture and nearly ended Eduardo’s career in Feb. 2008, when the Brazilian-born Croatia striker was at the peak of his powers.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Rooney wonder strike could make United’s season

Wayne Rooney said it was his greatest goal and Alex Ferguson said he had never seen anything like it. Even opposition manager Roberto Mancini had to applaud.

So many times you see players fall flat on their faces as they attempt an overhead wonder goal but any smirks that might have been rising as Rooney embarked on what looked like mission impossible were quickly replaced by utter disbelief at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Rooney was lurking in the box when Nani sent his cross in from the right and the England striker jumped high and swivelled his body while stretching out his right leg to acrobatically strike the ball over his head and into the top right corner.

It was a sort of pinch yourself moment. A stunned silence -– a sort of "did we really just see that?" -- erupted almost immediately into a deafening roar as Rooney grabbed the winner against neighbours and fellow title contenders Manchester City.

Rooney said he had not attempted anything like that since his school days -– and the likelihood is that if he tried it again he would end up in a messy heap on the turf with the ball high in the stands.

It is the sort of manoeuvre school children across the country will be trying to copy at break time next week –- teachers, get your plasters ready!

In that one second of brilliance, Rooney achieved many things.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

An Englishman abroad? Rooney might not have fitted the bill

So Wayne Rooney says he would only have left Manchester United to go abroad. Could the fact that foreign suitors seemed shy to express any interest have anything to do with his sudden U-turn to stay at the Premier League club?

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho was right in his prediction that Rooney would stay after all. He told United to "give me call" if the striker's departure was on the cards but never went further than that.

Given the impressive way the Portuguese has got Real playing this term (ignoring those ridiculous yellow cards), it was always diffcult to see how Rooney would have fitted in.

Sure, they only have Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema for the main striker role but two players for each position used to be enough didn't it? I'm also not convinced with Rooney upfront on his own, he likes to drop too deep at times as he has shown with England while last season with United he was never isolated in attack as he could have been elsewhere.

But apart from Real, why did no other non-English club step forward? Injury-riddled European champions Inter Milan are desperate for new firepower but president Massimo Moratti never contemplated Rooney.

Generally European sides have bad memories of signing English players. You can maybe count on one and a half hands the truly successful British footballers to have played abroad. John Charles, David Platt, Gary Lineker and I guess David Beckham but already I'm struggling.

There have been too many Ian Rushs and Luther Blissetts for European clubs, especially Italian, to swallow.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Will United fans forgive and forget?

Football fans are very forgiving types – if my football club were a person I’d have stopped speaking to it a long time ago.

Pretend for a minute you are Manchester United and Wayne Rooney is your best mate. He swears undying loyalty to you – it’s a friendship that will last forever. Then suddenly he tells you you’re basically not good enough for him and that you should get lost.

In real life you and Wayne would be finished – no going back. And you might hammer the message home with a barrage of four-letter words. If he doesn’t want you, it’s his loss.

In football life, you sweet talk him, tell him he’ll never have to buy a beer again and kiss and make up.

Rooney has not played a game since his shocking change of heart over signing a new contract but after returning from an intensive week of training in the United States, his return is imminent.

Will the Old Trafford fans who a month ago waved banners along the lines of “We won’t forgive you” simply tip-ex over the “won’t”?

Based on what other terrible things we forgive our teams for – relegation, 9-0 defeats, selling our best players, penalty misses and extortionate ticket prices – the answer is probably yes.

Best of Britain: Waiting game

This week’s Best of Britain features several photos that are about waiting, whether it’s a referee pointing to his watch during a football match, people on shore watching crews trying to free the stuck submarine HMS Astute, or officials and leaders watching the construction of an Olympic venue.

Also included are photos of stag running through Deergate Park, a penguin bobbing for apples, cross-dressing Stoke City fans, or a solemn funeral for an aid worker slain in Afghanistan.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Breaking news: Rooney to stay at Manchester United

Well, what an extraordinary twist this is: Wayne Rooney has agreed a new five-year deal with Manchester United and is staying at Old Trafford after all. Here's the club statement:

Wayne Rooney has agreed a new 5 year contract to stay at Manchester United until at least June 2015. The agreement follows intensive discussions between the Club and the player’s representatives and means that by the end of his contract Wayne will have been a Manchester United player for 11 years.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It’s been a difficult week, but the intensity of the coverage is what we expect at Manchester United.  I said to the boy that the door is always open and I’m delighted Wayne has agreed to stay.

“Sometimes, when you’re in a club, it can be hard to realise just how big it is and it takes something like the events of the last few days to make you understand.  I think Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is.

“I’m pleased he has accepted the challenge to guide the younger players and establish himself as one of United’s great players. It shows character and belief in what we stand for.

“I’m sure everyone involved with the Club will now get behind Wayne and show him the support he needs to produce the performances we know he is capable of.”

Wayne Rooney said: “I’m delighted to sign another deal at United.  In the last couple of days, I’ve talked to the Manager and the owners and they’ve convinced me this is where I belong.  I said on Wednesday the Manager’s a genius and it’s his belief and support that have convinced me to stay.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Will Rooney’s departure signal United’s decline?

Wayne Rooney's demand for a move away from Manchester United has stunned manager Alex Ferguson, especially given the striker's poor form and support the club have given him through personal problems.

After winning three successive Premier League titles with United and the 2008 Champions League, Rooney enjoyed his best personal season with the club in 2009-10 -- when his impressive tally of 34 goals in all competitions was only enough to bring  the League Cup to Old Trafford.

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to Manchester City last year had left Rooney with a punishing workload up front, which he carried with some aplomb

But if Rooney leaves, who will take the mantle of being the pack leader in a team devoid of other big names?

Rio Ferdinand's best days are behind the central defender, Portugal winger Nani has only just started repaying Ferguson's faith while striker Dimitar Berbatov blows hot and cold.   Also, the debt-ridden club no longer appears to have the financial muscle to sign some of the game's top performers, who are attracted to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and United's arch-rivals City.   Having enjoyed unprecedented success with United in his 24 years in charge, Ferguson will be forced to rebuild a title-winning side from almost scratch if Rooney goes and he will have to do so in the latter stages of his managerial career.   But Paul Ince, Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy were all shown the exit door after clashing with the Scot, who nevertheless always managed to instill renewed vigour in the side he has coached since 1986.   A similar task looks much more difficult this time.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Ferguson spares Rooney but opens the door to more abuse

Wayne Rooney has been taking, and largely ignoring, abuse from Everton supporters for six years but Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson decided on Saturday that a garnish of tabloid tittle-tattle on top the traditional "Judas" fare was too much.

"He gets terrible abuse here and I'm not going to subject him to that," Ferguson said when explaining his decision to leave the England striker out of the remarkable 3-3 draw. 

His assistant Mike Phelan played the issue down after the match, saying it was "no real big decision".

 "Wayne was not ready to play so we didn't play him," he said. 

United fans seemed unimpressed with the decision, with the majority on the forums and phone-ins saying Rooney should have played.

Rooney, who famously wore a T-shirt reading "once a blue, always a blue," was hugely popular at Everton after two stellar years as a teenager.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

4-2-3-1…4-5-1…4-4-2…that’ll be four midfielders and two forwards then?

So Fabio Capello's masterstroke in revitalising Wayne Rooney and turning England from World Cup no-hopers to instant Euro 2012 favourites was....to tell the Manchester United striker to hang back a bit.

That sage advice, if most of the English press is to be believed, transformed England's formation from a prehistoric 4-4-2 to the liquid 4-5-1 that all the modern young bucks were using in South Africa.

Of course, like most theories spouted about soccer formations, it is so much hot air and falls apart at the slightest investigation.

The fact that Rooney, at times, sat a little deeper and then ran at the Bulgarian defence to team up fruitfully with three-goal front man Jermain Defoe does not mark a significant change of approach, least of all the abandonment of 4-4-2 -- the basic formation usually preferred by most Brazilian coaches during their none-too shabby World Cup campaigns over the years.

The only teams playing a rigid 4-4-2 are the reds and the blues glued to a silver pole who do battle in table football matches around the world -- everything else has a measure of fluidity that seems beyond the comprehension of many journalists who base their assumptions solely on the "tactical lineup" team sheets they are often handed before matches.

Forward pairings almost always operate at staggered levels on the pitch, working with each other with flick-ons, one-twos, lay-offs etc that carve a way though a usually outnumbering defence.

Country-house opera wonders where it will get its next million

There’s more to the English summer social calendar than sport – but it is in danger of being drowned out by the cries of disappointed football fans and sapped by lack of cash.

During the June and July evenings when much of Britain grinds to a halt to watch World Cup matches on giant screens in pubs and smaller screens at home, a different style of audience escapes to the countryside, wearing evening dress and carrying picnic hampers, for the 2010 season of country-house operas.

While the most famous are at Glyndebourne, a younger rival Grange Park Opera in Hampshire has also earned critical acclaim.

It is undeniably elite, but that does not mean it does not have money issues.

Whereas football is guaranteed enormous audiences and sponsorship deals, often in defiance of the quality of play, Grange Park ticket sales fell last year against the backdrop of global recession and funding cuts to the arts.

It was the first time they had not shown annual growth since the founding of the festival in 1997.