Echoes from Old Trafford - June 2016

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 43- Issue 4, June 2016

“We have our FA Cup – it’s been a tough season but a very good end for the fans. It’s a great feeling to win this trophy for the first time with Manchester United.” - Juan Mata

Manchester United Supporters’ Club-Malta Founded 1959, is officially recognized by the Manchester United Football Club.

In this issue 3  EDITORJAL (MALTESE)......................................................................... 5  CLUB NEWS.......................................................................................... 7  CCF EASTER FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT................................................. 9  TEDDY’S CORNER.............................................................................. 10  SPECIAL ONE AT GIANT CLUB.............................................................13  THOSE TWO NIGHTS IN TURIN...........................................................15  MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN................................................................... 16  LOSER............................................................................................... 19  MARCUS RASHFORD......................................................................... 21  WHO’S IN AND OUT FOR MOURINHO’S UNITED?................................23  ROAD TO WEMBLEY 2016.................................................................. 25  UNITED PLAYERS IN EURO 2016........................................................ 27  EURO 2016 PREVIEW........................................................................ 29  RIVALRY............................................................................................ 37  DO SUPPORTERS REALLY CARE ABOUT MAN UTD FINANCIAL POWER?... 39  SIR BOBBY CHARLTON...................................................................... 41  GARY NEVILLE................................................................................... 43  MICHAEL KEANE INTERVIEW............................................................. 45  JOSEPH TEDESCO INTERVIEW........................................................... 47  THE WAR YEARS................................................................................49  MIXED MANCUNIAN PLATTER............................................................ 53  EUROPEAN COMPETITION REVIEW.................................................... 57  MAJOR LEAGUE’S ROUND-UP........................................................... 60  END OF SEASON REVIEW................................................................. 62  STATISTICS & RESULTS.................................................................... 64  EDITORIAL (ENGLISH)...........................................................................

Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta editorial team Braden Galea · Michael Calleja · Daniel Cushcieri · Clint Camilleri advertising executives Joe Catania contributors Michael Calleja Mariella Camilleri Joseph Tedesco Braden Galea Daniel Cushcieri Jude Cauchi Fr. Ferrante Alan Abela-Wadge Roderick Psaila Robert Mizzi Julian Tabone Stefan Attard Kenneth Abela John Calleja Norbert Bugeja Paul Anthony Alex Demarco Iain McCartney Karm Galea Antoine Dalli Michael Gatt

printing Progress Press patron Sir Alex Ferguson club founder ­ John Calleja club committee Joseph Tedesco Joe Catania James Handyside

President, Match Tickets Coordinator Vice-President, Assistant Advertising Executive Secretary, Tours Coordinator

Kevin Tabone

Treasurer, PRO

Robert J. Muscat

Assistant Secretary, Logistics Manager

Antoine Portelli

Assistant Treasurer, Venue & Facilities Coordinator

Charles Cauchi

Membership Secretary, Fund Raising Coordinator

Clint Camillieri

Media & Publishing Coordinator

Egidio Sciberras Souvenir Shop Mgr., Asst. Venue & Facilities Coordinator David Grech Braden Galea

Advertising Executive ICT Manager, Sports & Social Activities Coordinator Gozo representatives ­ Joe Xerri · Stefan Attard

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Quarries Square Street, Msida MSD 1101 Malta.

Telephone: +356 21223531 E-mail: info@manutd-malta.com Website: www.manutd-malta.com

translator Tiziana Caruana club chaplain Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante (Carmelite) business partners

Based in Msida, Malta, we are a non-profit organization designed to bring the Manchester United experience to United fans here in Malta. We are the only Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club on the Maltese Islands. We are also the oldest Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World.

THE VIEWS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE CLUB. VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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Editorial THE SPECIAL ONE AT A SPECIAL CLUB. T

he inevitable finally occurred! Welcome to Manchester Mr. Mourinho! Undoubtedly one of the best managers on the planet, the club has done well in recruiting Mourinho to succeed the Dutchman Louis Van Gaal.

The FA Cup win against Cr ystal Palace was needed and surely welcome! Given a below-par season, at least the fans had something to cheer about at the end of the campaign. Looking back, the final was a truly great encounter with Palace forging ahead, only for United [in typical fashion] to respond quickly then claim the win thanks to a thunderous shot of Jesse Lingard. The victory was significant since it was the first win in 12 years – having last won the FA Cup in 2004 against Millwall at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

In spite of the fact that Van Gaal’s football and philosophy did not fit in well with the United fans, at least we can be grateful that he managed to introduce many young talents to the game and stuck to the principles of what makes United special. Unfortunately for him, results did not go his way and a 5 th placed finish was deemed to be unacceptable by the Board of Directors. Nevertheless, fans should be grateful for Van Gaal because he did manage to secure that all-important FA Cup win we had been craving…now we can look forward to better and greater things!

Perhaps Mourinho’s appointment cannot be deemed as a complete ‘shock’. Speculation had been rife since way back in December 2015 that the Portuguese manager would be joining the club at a point in time. During a bleak spell for the club and a winless streak (especially losses against Norwich and Wolfsburg), perhaps fans felt it was only a matter of time before the Dutchman would be relieved of his duties. One can now certainly

speculate that when Mourinho was sacked in December by Chelsea, perhaps that was the moment when the United board decided to approach the Portuguese talisman to secure a form of preliminary agreement. In fact, reports later emerged that Mourinho had been paid approximately 4 million pounds to rebuff attempts from rival clubs to approach him and stay put until United would complete the current season.

Of course, United fans know Mourinho very well. Despite never managing the club, we all feel he forms part of ‘our’ history. It was after all Manchester United that indirectly made Mourinho famous back in 2004 – when his spirited and solid Porto team managed to eliminate United from the UEFA Champions League knock-out stages. Mourinho’s wild celebrations in front of the East Stand will unfortunately forever remain in United fans’ memories. A few months later, he was back in England with Chelsea nonchalantly and perhaps ‘rightly’ claiming that he was ‘the special one’. He established his hold over English football ver y quickly, deposed Arsenal from the Champions spot, beat United comprehensively in both the League and League Cup and amassed a total of 95 points in his first season. Chelsea repeated the feat in 2005-06 but United managed to win the league back in 2007. Ferguson would later admit that Mourinho had raised the bar in English football. Gone were the days when clubs could recover from a slow start, when a team could really start to push for the league once Christmas was over. Instead Mourinho, redefined the laws of the Premier League, changing its landscape forever. United had to learn quickly and they duly replied by storming off to a great start in 2006 finally winning the league in May 2007 (Mourinho’s Chelsea still managed to win the League Cup and FA Cup that season). The Portuguese

manager had not only raised Chelsea’s stakes but inadvertently United’s too…with United taking nothing for granted, they had no option but to build a mighty squad which would also see them win the League in 2008, 2009 and then reach three Champions League finals in four years.

Fast forward to 2016 and one cannot help but notice that this will certainly be one of Mourinho’s toughest ever tests. He is not taking over a team which is favourite to win the league, nor is he taking over a team which needs a little tweaking. Changes are needed and having finished 4th and 5th during the past two seasons, then a change in mentality, ‘philosophy’ and fresh approach are also needed. Fans would be naïve to expect instant success – it takes time for any manager to leave a major impact but Mourinho will certainly help steer the ship and solidify the defence.

Manchester United deserves to be the best but victory and success can never be taken for granted. Using the past as a barometer and reference point, it is important that ever yone involved gets behind the new manager as soon as possible to ensure that Mourinho has all of our support. Love him or hate him, Mourinho would be snapped up by any club in the world, so we should feel enormously privileged that due to his consistent admiration for United, he will finally be donning that red necktie on the Old Trafford touchline. History will ultimately determine whether Mourinho’s tenure was a success or not, but we’re certainly already looking forward to season 2016/17!

Enjoy the read and thanks as always for your support!

The Editorial Team

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Editorjal PERSUNA SPEĊJALI FI CLUB SPEĊJALI. F

l‑aħħar seħħ l‑inevitabbli! Merħba f ’Manchester Sur Mourinho! Bla dubju wieħed mill‑aqwa coaches fid‑dinja, il‑club għamel sew li għażel lil Mourinho bħala s‑suċċessur tal‑Olandiż Louis Van Gaal.

Ir‑rebħa tal‑FA Cup kontra Crystal Palace kienet meħtieġa u żgur intlaqgħet tajjeb! Wara kampjonat pjuttost fqir, għallinqas il‑partitarji kellhom unur b’xiex jifirħu fl‑aħħar tal‑kampjonat. Meta wieħed jiftakar, il‑finali kienet konfront verament tajjeb b’Palace fil‑vantaġġ u l‑United [bl‑istil tipiku tiegħu] jirreaġixxi malajr sakemm imbagħad issiġilla r‑rebħa b’xutt imvenven ta’ Jesse Lingard. Ir‑rebħa kienet sinifikanti minħabba li kienet l‑ewwel rebħa fi 12‑il sena – bl‑aħħar rebħa tat‑tazza tkun fl‑2004 kontra Millwall fil‑Millenium Stadium ta’ Cardiff.

Minkejja l‑fatt li l‑football u l‑filosofija ta’ Van Gaal ma neżlux tajjeb mal‑partitarji tal‑United, ma nistgħux ma nkunux grati lejh għall‑fatt li rnexxielu jintroduċi ħafna talenti żgħar fil‑logħba u żamm mal‑prinċipji li jagħmlu lill‑United speċjali.

Sfortunatament, ir‑riżultati ma ġewhx kif xtaq u l‑5 post tqies bħala wieħed inaċċettabbli għall‑Bord tad‑Diretturi. Madankollu, il‑partitarji għandhom ikunu grati lejn Van Gaal għaliex huwa rnexxielu jassigura dik ir‑rebħa importanti tal‑FA Cup li konna ilna ħafna nixtiequ...issa nistgħu nħarsu ’l quddiem lejn affarijiet aħjar u ikbar!

Forsi l‑ħatra ta’ Mourinho ma tistax titqies bħala ‘shock’ kompletament. Ix‑xniegħa li l‑coach Portugiż kien se jingħaqad mal‑club xi ġurnata jew oħra kienet ilha ddur minn Diċembru 2015.

Waqt perjodu mudlam għall‑club u sensiela ta’ telfiet (speċjalment it‑telfiet kontra Norwich u Wolfsburg) il‑partitarji jista’ jkun ħassew li kienet biss kwistjoni ta’ żmien sakemm l‑Olandiż kien se jitwaqqaf milli jkompli bil‑ħidma tiegħu. Issa wieħed jista’ ċertament jispekula li meta Mourinho

tneħħa minn Chelsea f ’Diċembru, dak seta’ kien il‑mument li l‑Bord ta’ United iddeċieda javviċina lit‑taliżman Portugiż biex jiżgura xi tip ta’ ftehim preliminari. Fil‑fatt, aktar tard, rapporti kienu żvelaw li Mourinho kien tħallas madwar 4 miljun sterlina biex jirrifjuta proposti minn clubs rivali li avviċinawh u jibqa’ fejn kien sakemm il‑United itemmu dan l‑istaġun.

Cup u l‑FA Cup f’dak l‑istaġun). Il‑coach Portugiż ma kienx għolla biss il‑parametri ta’ Chelsea iżda awtomatikament tal‑United ukoll...il‑United kellu jieħu kollox bis‑serjetà u ma kellux għażla oħra ħlief li jibni skwadra b’saħħitha li kienet wasslet għar‑rebħ tal‑Kampjonat fl‑2008, fl‑2009 u tliet darbiet fil‑finali taċ‑Champions League f ’erba’ snin.

Ovvjament, il‑partitarji tal‑United jafu sew min hu Mourinho. Minkejja li qatt ma dderiġa l‑club, kollha nħossu li jifforma parti mill‑istorja ‘tagħna’. Wara kollox kien Manchester United li għamel lil Mourinho popolari fl‑2004 – meta t‑team enerġetiku u b’saħħtu tiegħu ta’ Porto kien irnexxielu jelimina lill‑United fl‑istadji ta’ knock‑out tal‑UEFA Champions League.

Iċ‑ċelebrazzjonijiet storbjużi ta’ Mourinho quddiem l‑East Stand, sfortunatament se jibqgħu għal dejjem parti mill‑memorja tal‑partitiarji tal‑United.

Ftit xhur wara, Mourinho kien lura l‑Ingilterra ma’ Chelsea bi preżunzjoni u forsi ‘bir‑raġun’ iddikjara li hu kien ‘dak il‑wieħed speċjali’. Malajr kien irnexxielu jikkontrolla l‑football Ingliż billi ċaħħad lil Arsenal mit‑titlu ta’ Champions, għeleb biex xieraq lill‑United fil‑Kampjonat u fil‑League Cup, u ġabar total ta’ 95 punt fl‑ewwel staġun tiegħu. Chelsea kien irnexxielu jirrepeti din is‑sensiela fl‑2005‑06 iżda l‑United kien rebaħ l‑kampjonat tal‑2007. Ftit żmien wara Ferguson kien ammetta li Mourinho kien għolla l‑livell tal‑football Ingliż. Kien spiċċa ż‑żmien meta l‑clubs setgħu jirkupraw minn bidu kwiet jew meta team seta’ jibda jaħdem għall‑kampjonat wara li jgħaddi l‑Milied. Għall‑kuntrarju, Mourinho fisser mill‑ġdid ir‑regoli tal‑Premier League, b’bidla permanenti tal‑immaġni tiegħu. Il‑United kellu jitgħallem malajr u rreaġixxa minnufih permezz ta’ bidu tajjeb ħafna fl‑2006 u li fl‑aħħar wassal għar‑rebħ tal‑kampjonat f’Mejju 2007. (Iċ‑Chelsea ta’ Mourinho kien xorta rnexxielu jirbaħ il‑League

Lura għall‑2016, wieħed ma jistax ma jinnotax li din żgur se tkun waħda mill‑aktar eżamijiet diffiċli għal Mourinho. Mhuwiex se jieħu f ’idejh team li għandu l‑karti biex jirbaħ il‑kampjonat, u lanqas mhu se jieħu team li għandu bżonn daqsxejn alterazzjonijiet. Il‑bidliet huma meħtieġa u meta team ikun spiċċa fir‑4 u l‑5 post tul l‑aħħar żewġ staġuni, nifs ġdid u bidla fil‑mentalità u fil‑‘filosofija’ ikunu meħtieġa. Il‑partitarji ma jkunux realistiċi jekk qegħdin jistennew suċċess istantanju – KULL coach jeħtieġlu ż‑żmien biex iħalli impatt effettiv, u Mourinho żgur se jkun qiegħed jgħin fit‑tmexxija tal‑vapur u fit‑tisħiħ tad‑difiża.

Manchester United jixraqlu jkun l‑aqwa iżda r‑rebħ u s‑suċċess ma jistgħu qatt jittieħdu b’mod gratwit. Permezz tal‑imgħoddi bħala barometru u punt ta’ riferiment, huwa importanti li kull min hu involut jagħti s‑sostenn lill‑coach il‑ġdid mill‑aktar fis possibbli sabiex Mourinho żgur iħoss l‑appoġġ tagħna kollha. Tħobbu jew tobogħdu, Mourinho jaf jinħataf minn kwalunkwe club fid‑dinja.

Għalhekk, aħna għandna nħossuna verament onorati li minħabba l‑ammirazzjoni kostanti lejn il‑United, hu se jkun qiegħed jilbes dik l‑ingravata ħamra f ’Old Trafford. Fl‑aħħar, l‑Istorja se tkun dik li turi jekk id‑determinazzjoni ta’ Mourinho hux se tkun suċċess jew le. Madankollu, aħna żgur lesti għal dak li ġej fl‑2016/2017!

Il‑qari t‑tajjeb u grazzi bħal dejjem tal‑appoġġ tagħkom!

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CLUBNEWS March 2016 uring the month of March, Felix Galea informed the Committee of his decision to resign for personal reasons. On behalf of the entire Committee, I would like to thank Felix for his efforts during his short time as a Committee Member and wish him well in all his future endeavours.

D

On 26th March, the club participated in the Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF) Easter Tournament, together with the Liverpool Supporters’ Club (Malta) and two teams made up of CCF inmates.

The level of football was good, with some flashes of brilliance, and all matches were played in a competitive environment. Fair play was present throughout the tournament. Although the visitors’ teams were more physically prepared, the good team spirit and technical discipline among the home teams proved to be key in their winning the preliminary matches, with both home teams reaching the final.

This event proved to be a positive and enjoyable experience for all participants, as both supporters’ clubs recognise their role in assisting the local community. The winners’ trophy was presented by Paul Debattista, Director CCF, while the clubs exchanged mementos.

April 2016 he Committee concluded negotiations with the new bar operator following the tendering process which started back in February. A number of offers were received and following a number of one-to-one meetings with the shortlisted candidates, the offer of Robert and Alex Attard was deemed to be the most

T

advantageous. Robert, Alex and their team will be taking over the operation of the bar from 1st June. We wish him the best of luck!

The Committee would also like to thank the outgoing operators Croce Bonaci, in particular Shawn Bonaci, for their excellent service over the past two years.

During a recent trip to Manchester, our Vice President Joe Catania and former President Joe Glanville visited the National Football Museum in Manchester City Centre. During their visit they met up with the museum curator Paul Evans and presented him with a copy of the Manchester to Wembley book. The book will be included in the museum’s exhibits in the near future for all to see.

Over the past few months, the Committee has been busy putting together the details of a proposal for the purchase of the Club premises.

The Committee has recently concluded a number of meetings with financial services providers, who together with Club auditor David Pace have been assisting the Committee with this proposal. This proposal was put forward to members during an Extraordinary General Meeting held in May. The Gozo AGM was held on Friday 29th April.

During this meeting, Joseph Xerri (Il-Bukkett) was re-appointed as the Club’s representative in Gozo for the next two years.

May 2016 ean Galea informed the Committee of his decision to resign due to family reasons and other commitments. On behalf of the entire Committee, I would like to thank Sean for his efforts during his short time as a Committee Member and wish him well for the future.

S

An Extraordinary General Meeting was called on Friday 20th May, 2016, the eve of the FA Cup Final. The large number of members in attendance was presented with a proposal for the purchase of the Clubs’ premises – for so long a dream for so many.

Club President Joseph Tedesco announced that Gary Neville had offered a grant of €150,000 so that the Club premises could finally be delivered to its members.

Sheila Crompton presenting the blazer of the late Jack Crompton

The Committee has identified a number of potential investors who were willing to assist through loans of €10,000, which would be repaid over a ten-year period with 4% interest.

It was also explained to those present that if the purchase was approved, this would be done through a trust which would be set up

by James Handyside

and registered in Malta – this legal structure was the most secure for all parties involved, as the trustee is independent from both the Club and the Committee. CSB Trustees and Fiduciaries Ltd were the licensed trustees which the Committee had chosen for this purpose.

Following the ensuing discussion, during which Dr. Davinia Cutajar on behalf of CSB, Club Auditor David Pace and Architect John Papagiorcopulo answered a number questions raised, members were asked to vote. The question was a simple one “Do you agree that the Supporters’ Club should purchase the premises?” with simple “Yes” or “No” answer.

The result of the poll was as follows:

Votes Cast

104

Valid Votes

104

Yes

104

100%

No

0

0%

The Committee would like to thank Club Members George Ciappara, Raymond Zammit and Simon Buhagiar who acted as the Electoral Commission overseeing the vote.

The Committee would also like to thank all those members who participated in this very important meeting for their unanimous support and we look forward to having somewhere we can all call our own in the near future.

On Saturday 28th May, the Club once again participated in the Puttinu Cares football marathon held at the Marsa Sports Ground. A donation of €4,310 was also presented to this very worthy cause – the funds raised from the ongoing sales of the Malta to Wembley book both locally and in Manchester.

Forthcoming Event he new bar operators Robert, Alex and their team will be holding an opening event on Friday 10th June 2016, the opening day of UEFA Euro 2016. The price of this event is €20 per person and will include 3-hours open bar and finger food. For bookings please contact Robert Attard on 7720 8585 or Antoine Portelli on 7961 9165 by not later than 6th June.

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The bar will be open for all England games throughout UEFA Euro 2016 and select other matches. For the full opening schedule, please check out the Club’s website (www.manutdmalta.com), the Club’s Facebook page (www. facebook.com/manutdmalta) or the dedicated Red Square page (www.facebook.com/ redsquaremalta).

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MUSC Malta Members at the PUTTINU Football Marathon.

The Extraordinary General Meeting on Friday 20th May, 2016.

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VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

Joe Catania & Joe Glanville with Paul Evans.

CCF Easter Tournament Saturday 26 March 2016

O

n Saturday 26 March 2016, the Education Centre at Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF), within the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security, hosted the CCF Easter Tournament. The Liverpool FC Supporters Club (Malta Branch) and the Manchester United Supporters’ Club (Malta) were invited for this tournament. Both clubs fielded teams composed of local supporters and committee members. CCF fielded two teams made up of prison inmates. Inmates’ teams are prepared

by Saviour Darmanin and Manolito Micallef, as part of the sports schedule at CCF. Christopher Lautier, who is an ex-international referee, officiated the tournament.

facility could not be emphasised enough as, apar t from the health benefits of physical exercise, it is considered as one of the main pillars in the education policy on rehabilitation and brings about positive change in behaviour.

The level of football was good, with some flashes of brilliance, and all matches were played in a competitive environment. Fair play was present throughout the tournament.

Although the visitors’ teams were more physically prepared, the good team spirit and technical discipline among the home teams proved to be key in their winning the preliminary matches with both home teams reaching the final.

The winners’ trophy was presented by Paul Debattista, Director CCF, while the clubs exchanged mementos. Liverpool FC Supporters Club (Malta Branch) Chairman, Charles Farrugia, and Manchester United

At CCF, which houses around 480 inmates within its main compound, football is undoubtedly the most popular sport. In fact, around 250 inmates make use of the football ground, with an average of 46 inmates playing football daily. The Facility is equipped with a six-a-side pitch complete with artificial turf, changing rooms and spectators’ stand.

by Mariella Camilleri

Supporters’ Club (Malta) President, Joseph Tedesco, attended the event. It is aimed that such tournament will become an annual fixture in the sports calendar at CCF as both supporters club have expressed their intension to collaborate in future events with the CCF Education Centre and assist through similar initiatives in the reintegration of offenders.

This event proved to be a positive and enjoyable experience for all participants as both supporters’ clubs recognise their role in assisting the local community. Assistant Director Mariella Camilleri said that the importance of sport within a correctional

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TEDDY’S corner Dear All,

Date: 5th May 2007. Venue: Eastlands Stadium.

Game: Man City vs Man Utd. The United fans in the away end were in full voice singing ‘Mourinhooo…are you listening… can you keep our trophy glistening…cos we’ll be back in May, to take it away, walking in the Fergie wonderland!’ to the tune of Winter Wonderland. Chelsea failed to win at Arsenal the day after and United were crowned Champions again after 4 years, seizing the trophy from the clutches of Jose Mourinho.

May 2016: the United faithful are now looking at the Portuguese macho man as the ultimate leader who can take the Red Devils back to the status of being Premier League title challengers again next season. Who knows, maybe also UEFA Champions League contenders the following one! Foot on the brake pedal, please!

This is the touching reality of how things tend to change so quickly and how expectations soar.

Season 2015-2016: I could not resist not shedding a tear when I saw Leicester City’s Captain Wes Morgan lift the Premier League trophy. Roy of the Rovers stuff! It is simply unbelievable, inexplicable, how a team, which in total cost £5 million less (£54M) than Manchester United paid for Di Maria (£59M) alone last season, managed to overcome all the expensive Premier League giants at the end of the long 38-game journey. However, this fairy tale has reminded the world of football that miracles do happen. When looking at some statistics related to the other football grand slams away from England, that is in Italy, Spain and Germany, this feat is comparable to Sampdoria winning the Serie A in 1991, Deportivo La Coruna in Spain winning la Liga in 2000 and more recently Vfl Wolfsburg winning the Bundesliga in 2009. All these three Clubs had conquered the respective league title for the first and only time in their history but, to be fair, all three are still much more quoted than Leicester City. Hence, in my opinion, after also considering the fact that this time last year Leicester were also celebrating, but for having secured top flight status on the final day of the season, this rubber-stamped the achievement of the adorable Claudio Ranieri as possibly the greatest football accomplishment of all times.

Well done Foxes!

FA Cup 2015-2016: Sheffield United, Derby County, Shrewsbury Town, West Ham and Everton (way to Wembley 2016) is not actually Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal (all Premier League Clubs on our way to Wembley 1999). For what it matters, we do not care. The quarter final (both games), semi final and the final games all got us back

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to the edge of our seats. Episodes in these three games deservedly merit the famous ‘You have to feel this is their year’ in the world’s oldest football trophy competition.

A quarter of a billion pound sterling (plus) later, mixed with approximately 1 million arrogant statements, Louis Van Gaal finally got a hand on a trophy. Another Roy of the Rovers moment, Manchester-born, academy product Jesse Lingard scored the winning goal after coming on as a sub. Priceless! Trophy and Honour number 63!

5th Place: After group stage elimination in the UEFA Champions League from a group in which qualification was not a difficult task, after being justly eliminated by our eternal rivals in the Europa League Last 16 round, can also squeeze a humiliating elimination at home to Championship side Middlesbrough in the League Cup, with a goals tally of 1 more than Sunderland and only above Stoke in the final top 11, finishing in the top 4 was an absolute must. Notwithstanding this, all seemed lost until Arsenal gave us a lifeline when they held the inconsistent Manchester City to a draw in the penultimate day of the season. Destiny suddenly fell into our own hands but West Ham had other plans. The rest is history. Let’s be straight, we did not lose the 4th spot when we got beat by the London hooligans.

We dropped too many points against lower clubs during the season, thanks to a negative style of football. We are all bitterly disappointed to be playing in the Europa League next season but according to our former manager, that is because Manchester United fans expect too much! He will not blame his confusing tactics which baffled everyone in the past 2 years but above all the players, he will not blame his too cautious approach rather than making other teams being more cautious about us (go and check this out, he started with two holding midfielders against the four bottom teams Sunderland, Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa…so frustrating), he will not blame his ‘know it all approach’,

have your say on info@manutd-malta.com

he will not blame the fact that he denied the opportunity to our talented players to express themselves: he will blame everyone but himself. I am quite surprised that some people actually found it ‘degrading’ to sack the former manager in less than 48 hours after the FA Cup triumph. With the standard set with Moyes’ departure, Van Gaal should have been sacked the day after we were doomed to 5th place. It did not happen, obviously because there was the FA Cup Final yet to be played.

I, for one, was not surprised at all. Moreover, I was expecting it. Immensely disappointed!

Positives: On the less negative side, Van Gaal gave debuts to 14 Academy graduates during his Old Trafford tenure. There is no doubt that Marcus Rashford’s amazing debut remains one to remember. He scored in all debuts – Manchester United, European, derby, England…he is an incredible talent. From the other 13, Tim Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick Jackson impressed me the most

and I strongly believe they have a bright future with the Club.

The Owners: It seems the Glazers, thanks to the efforts of their blue-eyed boy Mr. Woodward, look to be quite satisfied with the numbers emerging from their off-the-field profits. Who can blame them? They have a chicken laying diamond eggs (not golden) and the man in charge is very talented in that aspect. Forget about take-over speculation: they are not stupid. It is a pity that the same success is not being reflected on the field. Being fair, the Fergie-Gill tandem does not grow on trees. Let’s hope there will be more sense in the transfer market this summer (but please, not Zlatan) and hopefully we will once again see a good balance between the commercial and football sides of this gigantic football club.

Mourinho: I asked the Editorial Board if they can spare 4 or 5 pages to express my opinion about the new Manager, but they insisted that I stick to my limit. Joking guys…you do an amazing job for this magazine. There is so much to say about this fellow. In short, I would say Manchester United needed to guarantee success with a proven, successful Manager. The risk of going two consecutive years with no qualification for UEFA Champions League, apart from being unacceptable from a fan point of view, would also mean facing the prospect of a 30% reduction in the £75 million-a-year kit deal with Adidas. No matter how much we love Ryan Giggs, I believe he was too much of a gamble to take. With Guardiola going to City, Mourinho seems to be the best option available. I just hope he follows his traditions of winning the league with every Club he managed and he understands the traditions of this Club while keeping an eye on the Academy. We expect arrogance, but whatever he achieves remember you are not more special than the Club you are managing now. I can’t wait for the season to start and I can’t wait for my next Teddy’s.

Euro 2016: Vardy, Kane, Ali, Dier, Rose, Rashford, Rooney…it’s getting interesting. I still can’t forget the ‘Stand Up if You Hate Man U’ dirty songs at Wembley, but when the Euros or the World Cup finals get closer, I tend to revert to my youth traditions when I was very keen about the cross of St George. If tactics are right, England has a good chance in my opinion. I am sure we will hear that ‘Coming Home’ song somewhere.

Since the first article way back in the early 2000s, Teddy never missed one opportunity to air his views on this wonderful publication.

However, there is always a first time and in the last edition there was no Teddy’s Corner. Sorry guys, unfortunately Teddy was unavailable at the time, but he is up and running and determined not to miss another edition. Have a good summer, enjoy the Euros, enjoy the transfer market and prepare yourselves for Mourinho.

Yours United, Teddy

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

11

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Special One at Giant Club

by Braden Galea

T

he curtain finally came down on the reign of Louis Van Gaal as manager of Manchester United, and it came down hard in bizarre fashion to the long-awaited sigh of relief of the vast majority of supporters. Barely minutes after a record-matching 12th FA Cup triumph against Crystal Palace, media outlets were awash with breaking news that Jose Mourinho would be replacing Louis Van Gaal for the 2016/17 season, overshadowing the triumph itself.

Press conferences and journalist questions did not revolve around the FA Cup success that had to go into an additional thirty minutes of extra time, nor did they feature the slightest hint of any plans by Van Gaal for the 2016/17 season.

When news outlets like SkySports and BBC start reporting a news item, it is all but certainty, and these outlets were openly proclaiming that the highly successful Special One will be in the Manchester United dugout for the 2016/17 season with an official announcement to be made during the following week. Questions put to Van Gaal during the post-match conference, where he came in to answer the press representatives with the FA Cup in hand and sarcastically thanked them for their congratulations for the win, as well as to Jose Mourinho himself, who was also in London watching the Haye v Gjergjaj fight at the O2 Arena, were evaded.

Van Gaal leaves behind a squad with promising young elements, areas that need reinforcement and a handful of players that are nowhere near having the class expected for a team aspiring to be domestic and European champions. The new manager will step in to rectify the wrongs and hope to retain the positives. Luckily for Manchester United supporters who are hungry for the glory days to return, our new Portuguese tactician is not the type that will utter the words “expectations are too high”. Wherever he has managed, Mourinho has adopted a siege mentality in his squad, where his players draw their energy from the hate of rivals, opponents and the media. One such rival will be a personal foe for Mourinho from his Real Madrid days: Pep Guardiola, who at the time managed Barcelona and who will now be at the helm of Manchester City. The two will come head-to-head in a mouthwatering friendly clash in Beijing on the 25th July during the pre-season tour of China.

By then, Jose Mourinho may have added a few new faces to the squad, assisted by his own super-agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents targets like Raphaël Varane and James Rodriguez. Most importantly, the Player of the Year David De Gea will be staying as his agent is also Jorge Mendes, who engineered the contract extension after the transfer to Real Madrid that failed to materialise last summer.

Back in the days of managing Real Madrid, Jorge Mendes was a strong ally to Mourinho

and also had a personal office at the club.

Mendes was praised as “the best in football” by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson as he also represents Cristiano Ronaldo, who is however unlikely to return to United following his strained relationship with Mourinho at Real Madrid. His profile will boost the work of Ed Woodward in bringing new faces to Old Trafford. Ever since Chelsea sacked Mourinho last December, the Portuguese manager has been aiming to secure the Manchester United hot-seat, reportedly turning down other offers from clubs to reach his target. It is therefore believed that in his months of unemployment, Mourinho has identified the weak points while watching United, and also scouted possible reinforcements.

One player who has worked with the Portuguese tactician before at Inter is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has indicated his wish to play in England and again for Mourinho in his biography, and with him being a free agent this summer, he can be a huge boost to the strike force at Manchester United, also helping current strikers Martial and

Rashford in their development. At 34 years of age, he has shown that he has still got what it takes to perform at the top level as Paris SaintGermain secured the Ligue 1 and the French Cup. With zero transfer fee outlay, the millions are expected to be significant in terms of salary, but with the deep pockets secured with mammoth commercial deals, cash to spend in the coffers of the club is aplenty. On top of the £250 million spent by Van Gaal , Mourinho is expected to be given a hefty transfer war-chest to bring back the glory days to Old Trafford. It has been reported that he is looking to strengthen the right wing, the centre midfield, the central defence and the forward line. Dipping heavily in the transfer market should make for an interesting couple of weeks for supporters during the transfer season. However, there will also be players leaving without having the chance to prove their worth to the new manager, for the simple reason that their new manager has been watching them with attention for a good part of the past season,

formulating his plans for a 2016/17 title charge.

Phil Neville was one of the former players who backed Mourinho’s appointment and spoke of his belief that Mourinho will bring success back to the club. However, one thing he questioned was the length of Mourinho’s stay, as should we take the past to be an indication about the future, there is no way Mourinho is staying at Old Trafford for more than three seasons. The contract signed by Mourinho is for such period, with an option to extend by a further 12 months, which if it happens, would be a record for the Portuguese’s managerial career. Visibly happy upon signing the contract in London, Mourinho was described by Ed Woodward as “the best manager in the game today”. Despite facing United several times while managing Chelsea and Real Madrid, Mourinho has been respected by the majority of United’s supporters, with their relationship with him never verging onto hatred.

In hindsight, most fans would agree that Mourinho’s appointment came three years late.

In his first interview with MUTV, our new manager said all the right things. He urged us to forget the past three seasons and instead focus on the club’s history. He said that Manchester United is a giant club and only the best managers will do at such clubs, with him being ready, happy, proud and honoured. Unlike his predecessor, he did not complain that expectations by the United faithful are too high, but embraced such expectations and stated that all he wanted to do was win.

Realistically speaking, Mourinho is the best shot that Manchester United has got at returning back to the glory days that we experienced during the tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson. A challenge would be to retain the Manchester United culture of promoting players from within the team’s own youth ranks. Manchester United cannot afford to lose players like Fosu-Mensah, Rashford, Lingard and Borthwick-Jackson. Elsewhere, changes are inevitable and imperative to ensure that Manchester United start playing entertaining football again.

With Mourinho at the helm, we can finally forget the days when our manager sat in the dugout for the entire ninety minutes, seemingly unresponsive to what was happening on the pitch.

Mourinho will stand, he will shout, he will gesture, he will pressure referees and taunt opposition managers, and mostly importantly, Jose Mourinho will celebrate with his team. It is time to get behind our new manager, to support his decisions and to have faith that his methods will lead the team to glory. This giant club will stand tall once more after a period that tested supporters’ patience and Old Trafford will once again become a dreaded nightmare for opponents. The Special One will lead Manchester United back to the glory days and we will once again hopefully live exciting times cheering on the Red Devils.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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Those Two Nights in Turin….

by Daniel Cuschieri

A

s a fan growing up in the nineties, it was close to hell being a United fan for supporting his team in Europe, or comparing the wealth of European trophies won. The three honours were the European Cup, Cup Winner’s Cup and European Super Cup. Fans that supported Milan, Inter, Juventus and Liverpool had bragging rights to such feats, still I wore my annual United kit to school as it was my uniform and such taunts breed hatred for such teams.

Live English football was a rarity and once the champions league was formed, I would sneak into the living room to watch the highlight on an Italian station. However, in the season when United draw Juventus in the champions league I got to see my first live European match and against an Italian team on TV. As the match drew close to kick off the more the excitement grew down on me. The game started and Boksic scored straight away. United couldn’t get going. I dreaded my next day at school. I hope we would beat them at Old Trafford but it was not to be. Lippi’s Juventus were very very strong, not that United weren’t, it was due to the fact that the players couldn’t take their English game to the continental stage.

Two games against Juventus, two defeats, and with ease. Those games were learning curves for the team as United were drawn against Juventus again in the group stage in the following year.

We managed to beat at Old Trafford 3-2 after an early scare but once Giggs went on a solo run and made the score 3-1 I guess my nerves were at ease until Zidane pulled our back from a freekick.

Fast forward to our treble season, United came into their own, holding this own in the championship league group stages which they managed to beat Bronby twice, draw four matches against Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Drawing Inter Milan sent shivers down my spine.

The names: Ronaldo, Baggio, Simeone, Paliguca, not that United were shourt on big names, it was just that we hadn’t had too much luck with the Italians.

and my heart was racing for the final whistle….

Yorke broke past Ferrare and Peruzzi brought him down, Cole was on point to put the ball into the empty net.

The interview after the match was with Gary Neville and told him that we drew Juventus and instantly baulked at the idea.

‘Full Special Barcelona’ was the commentator’s roar as Cole and C rejoiced scoring the third goal. The next day I headed to school feeling ten feet tall. Till this day that match makes me taunt Juventus fans that we won the treble and giving a beating in their own back yard.

We drew at Old Trafford after Giggs bundled the ball home at the very end of the match. I dreaded the away match.

Some years past by until United played Juventus against in the second set of group stages of the Champions League.

This night in Turin was one to remember, I decided to watch the match at home with cousin with whom I had a wager with. He is an Inter Milan supporter but that day supported Juventus. (A cardinal sin). We were two down within 10 minutes and I was dreading the worst. My cousin dancing around me, the match was until then a nightmare.

We had a squad which boosted strength in every department and goal machine in Van Nistelrooy and Soleskjaer. Juventus on the other hand had Buffon, Thuran, Nedved, Davids. Both teams were strong, we managed to beat Juventus at home 2-1, Brown and Van Nistelrooy getting on the scoresheet.

We hammered later at home and drew away with some luck and at a strong performance.

Boom….Keane scored from Beckham’s corner, Cole and Yorke combining for the equaliser, Boom Boom, Yorke hammered it past Peruzzi. I was jumping and dancing like a lunatic. 2-2, we are through, but one goal and we are out.

The midfield that day, put Zidane, Davids, Conte and Deschamps in their place.

Irwin hit the post, Stam cleared it off the line,

One week later we travelled to Turin, I was full of confidence that we would beat them. And that second night in Turin was a masterclass.

Forlan got injured early on, and Giggs came on in his place. Giggs came on scored two and got injured, in the second half Van Nistelrooy bundled the ball home for third goal.

United outplayed Juventus in their own back yard and sent signs to all of Europe that they were a force to be reckoned with. Those two nights in Turin were nights the laid markers and enforced them showing Europe that they can beat European heavy weights on their own turf.

Nowadays when Juventus fans want to mention our decline, I revert to history and those two nights in Turin where we taught the old lady how to sing.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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16 VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

Morgan Schneiderlin

by Jude Cauchi

I

n July 2015, Morgan Schneiderlin signed for Manchester United for a rumoured sum of £24 million. The majority of Manchester United fans were excited by this signing, but how has the defensive midfielder performed so far? Has he repaid the faith that Louis Van Gaal put in him? The scope of this article will be to revisit the background of the Frenchman and analyse the impact that the player has had on Manchester United so far.

Morgan Schneiderlin was born on the 8th November 1989 in Zellwiller, France.

The French midfielder began his career in Strasbourg with the youth team in 1995.

Having spent 10 years with the youth team, the Frenchman signed his first professional contract in 2005 where he managed 37 appearances and 5 goals for the B team.

On the other hand, in 2006, he only managed five appearances with the firstteam and did not score any goals in the process. The defensive midfielder spent 3 years in Strasbourg before opting to join Southampton instead of Portsmouth in June 2008 for a £1.2 million fee.

Nowadays, Southampton is considered one of the best teams in the Premier League but when Schneiderlin signed for them, they were still not a Premier League club. Thus, the task facing the French midfielder was not easy. Morgan made his debut on 9th August 2008 and unfortunately, Cardiff City defeated the Saints 2-1 on the day. Moreover, his debut season at the club ended in disappointment as Southampton was relegated to League One. However, Morgan decided to stay at the club in order to help his team gain promotion to the Championship and eventually to the Premier League.

He scored his first goal for the club on the 13th April 2010, away to Bristol Rovers which Southampton trashed by the score of 5-1. His next goals came away to Burnley and Nottingham Forest. Following his impressive performances for the club, on the 19th August 2011, the player signed a

new contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014.

The Saints returned to the Premier League in 2012. In fact, many Manchester United supporters will remember his first goal at St Mary’s against United on the 2nd September of 2012. Robin Van Persie scored a hat trick on the day, which gave United a 3-2 victory and the very important 3 points. In January 2013, the Frenchman also managed to captain his side in a 2-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Morgan Schneiderlin had become a very important player in the Southampton team and unsurprisingly on the 25th February 2013, he signed a contract extension with the club until the summer of 2017.

Furthermore, at the end of the season he was rewarded with the Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Year awards. Southampton finished in the 14th position in that season.

The season 2014-2015 proved to be the last season for Morgan at Southampton. In his last season, the player managed to score twice against West Ham and scored against Newcastle. On the negative side, he was also sent off against Chelsea and suffered a season-ending injury in April against Spurs. In total, Schneiderlin managed 230 appearances and 14 goals for the club.

Eventually, on the 12th July 2015, he signed a four-year contract with Manchester United for a reported fee of £24 million.

The French midfielder made his debut for United in a pre-season friendly against Club America, where he managed to score with a header. His official debut was played on the 8th August 2015 against Tottenham at Old Trafford in the first match of the season. There were many Manchester United players making their debut on the day, but the Frenchman’s performance was selected by many pundits as being the best from the team’s debutants.

So far, the player has managed 40

appearances for Manchester United, scoring one goal away against Everton in the process. In terms of his debut season overall, one can say that the midfielder has had a positive start to his Manchester United campaign, as the majority of his performances have been encouraging.

There have also been other displays where Morgan left some fans questioning his contribution to the team. Some of his worst performances I can remember in a Manchester United shirt were the 0-0 draw against PSV at Old Trafford that ultimately cost United a place in the Champions League knockout stages and also the defeat away to West Ham where the player was substituted at half time. However, one has to keep in mind that the majority of Manchester United players need time to adapt to the challenges and expectations of the biggest club in the world.

In terms of his strengths, the midfielder is perceived by many football supporters as quick when it comes to tackles and interceptions. He is considered to be a very hardworking midfielder that gives Manchester United something extra in midfield. Having said that, there is a lot of competition for his position in the team with the likes of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger and he will need to improve further. On the other hand, one can argue that the midfielder can sometimes be a bit slow for the pace of the Premier League.

This season finished with many questions about whether Manchester United would finish in the top four, something which they have failed to do, and who will be in charge of the team next season, with a lot of speculation reported in the media. If there is going to be a change in management, then some players including Morgan might be contemplating whether they will be regulars in the Manchester United side of the near future. One thing is for sure: every Manchester United player will need to work very hard in order to retain a place in the squad.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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No Loser......

by Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

L

osing has never been a great feeling. My younger days come to mind when I think about it. Whenever it would look like my team, and therefore I was at the receiving end, something within me would click. It amounted to an inner anger taking over my body. It would result in a sort of nastiness and ferocity that may not have manifested on the exterior, but it certainly was different within my soul. Outwardly, it did not look like I was playing any different. I pressed and tackled, I played hard, but within me, I still felt something which seemed to make it all so very different. Honestly, I never tried to hurt opponents on the field of play and I was always one of the first to give a helping hand whenever needed. What I have had to unpack within my own life over the years was that this anger was not that healthy, and now without the ability to take part in sport and to unleash it onto others, that kind of feeling might sometimes be creeping out in other areas, whatever they might be.

A major part of participating in any sports program is sportsmanship. So when one team is demolishing the other, should there not be a way to stop the embarrassment, the humiliation and possible bad feelings that might ensue? Well there is. In some sports, a Mercy Rule is applied to spare a badly losing team from suffering any more humiliation. It brings a sports event to an early end when one side has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over their opponents.

It is usually applied at a certain point when the losing team shows no possible way of recovering or of winning the game. The rule prevents the free-scoring side from continuing to score at random when the game has gone out of hand.

The Mercy Rule is most common primarily in certain North American sports. Nearly all Youth Leagues, High School sports, and some College Associations have some sort of mercy rule.

However, the rules are widely altered from State to State, and sport to sport, and they are not usually applied until a prescribed point in the game. Let’s imagine that such a rule was to be applied to association football and the prescribed point of termination would be applied in the second half of a game. That would mean that if a side is decidedly better than a weaker opponent, they could still run up the score before the rule takes effect. Losing is a hard blow, but losing by a ridiculous amount is even worse, and that has happened in football in the past.

Due to the generally low-scoring nature of football games, there are no widely-used mercy rules. There is a particular exception. The International Blind Sports Federation, which helps visually-impaired athletes compete in the Para-Olympics and other tournaments, requires that any time during a football game when one team has scored ten more goals than the opponent, that match will be considered as completed and therefore it is ended.

It has been only recently reported that the Football Association has been urged to introduce a “mercy rule” in Youth Soccer that would result in games being stopped if a team opens up a nine-goal lead. It is argued that this would prevent young players from being humiliated and becoming disillusioned with the game of football. The Mid Lincolnshire Youth League and Devon FA are among those in favour of such a rule. Robert Whelan, of the thinktank Civitas, and Tory MP Julian Brazier are in opposition. They generally opine that sparing the feelings of U/13 players would deprive them of the character-building experience of having to cope with any thrashing. A spokesman for the FA is said to have pointed out that: “So far the reaction seems about 50/50, so it’s not been introduced nationally yet, but it’s something that could be considered in the future.”

Sports are primal. Sports, especially where dire loss and humiliation are involved, can bring to the surface some probable wounds that are hidden from our past. So is that where pain and mercy in sports come in? I do not want to be a loser!

In my humble opinion, the only way these wounds can be successfully probed and healed is through the Mercy of the One who conquered death, which gives us hope. Without the hope rooted in mercy and forgiveness, we will always choose to stay “in the dark”. Without real hope, ensuing pain, anger and fear would still hold us captives with no chance of ever being free.

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Marcus Rashford

by Alan Abela-Wadge

B

ack in the days when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won us the UEFA Champions League in 1999, Rashford only 19 months old. He is a young striker that nearly no one knew about just five months ago, yet since his debut with Manchester United in February, he became someone that every football player and supporter has heard about! In just 5 months, Marcus Rashford made each and every United fan dream once again. All of sudden we have unearthed a gem of a striker that can bang them in from anywhere in the box. In his maiden season, Rashford scored 8 goals, 5 in the league, once in FA Cup and two in the Europa League. To top that off, Marcus Rashford was also selected for the EURO 2016 preliminary squad and on his full England debut it only took him 3 minutes to score. These kinds of strikers don’t come too often and when they do, they take the world by storm.

If Rashford’s first season is anything of a prelude of what we’re to expect in the next few years, then we’re surely in for a treat. The challenge for this youngster now is to keep up his good work and to impress Jose Mourinho enough for him to retain him in the first team.

Mourinho is not very much renowned for nurturing young players. However we cannot fault him for this. Wherever Mourinho coached so far have always had a very good first team and ample of cash to buy the best talent, and apart from that, all the clubs he coached before always suffered from a lack of young talent. That could be one of the reasons as to why Mourinho never really invested much attention into the club’s youth system. However, we would only know that when the league actually starts. One thing is for sure: that the problem of massive youth talent is a problem that Mourinho will surely love having.

Going back on this season, a season in which we had our ups and downs, surely Rashford has been one of the positives. I had the

opportunity to watch him and follow him closely. One particular trait that I noticed was Marcus’ movement. His movement in the box reminded me of van Nistelrooy.

Those few steps he makes just as the ball is played into his path is usually enough to

generation. What made van Nistelrooy great was his killer instinct: that keen eye for goal that appears as if he’s always at the right time in the right place. He did have one thing against him however: he was at the wrong time at United! At that time, it was the period between the Fergie Fledglings and Ferguson’s Third Dream Team built around Rooney and Ronaldo. So in all his glory and goals, Ruud only got one league title medal to show for it. Less talented players at Old Trafford have won much more than Van Nistelrooy ever did.

Marcus Rashford seems to have studied Ruud’s movements very well as if one had to observe his movements around the box it is very easy to conclude that they share the same killer instinct. If Rashford continues to develop at this rate and continues to score as many goals as van Nistelrooy scored, we’re definitely in for a few shouts.

Let’s just hope he’s slightly luckier than van Nistelrooy when it comes to trophies!

Another player which we can compare Rashford with is none other than our other hero: Andy Cole. Andy Cole, although not as prolific as van Nistelrooy, still had a good goal scoring record. Apart from that, Andy Cole was very fast and when he was played through by a good Beckham cross, more often than not, Cole would sprint through on goal. I’m sure most of us can remember the goal he scored against Juventus in 1999 when Peruzzi brought down Yorke and we started throwing chairs at the TV shouting for a penalty, only for Andy Cole to sprint right through and tuck the ball in to send us to Barcelona! That particular talent that Cole had is a very similar trait that Rashford shares with him.

throw the defender off balance and for him to find enough space to tuck the ball in. van Nistelrooy was a pure master of this move.

If one had to analyse van Nistelrooy’s goal scoring record at United, it will clearly show that he was one of the best strikers of his

We might be a bit premature in saying this, but having a cross between Ruud van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole is surely something which we’ll look forward to seeing. Let’s just hope that we will see young Rashford given a fair chance early on next season.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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Who’s in and out for Mourinho’s United?

by Roderick Psaila I am writing this article a week after José has been confirmed as Manchester United manager for a three year period. Many United supporters had been expecting such news, probably even before Louis Van Gaal was relieved of his duties in the beginning of the eventful week. Van Gaal’s dismissal was clearly the result of failure to make the top four in the Premiership, which meant that United failed to reach the Champions League for the second time in three years, and not even winning the FA Cup after an absence of 12 years could save Louis.

Was it all his fault? Obviously not, but as it happens, it is easier to sack one person than a whole team. However, several players failed to reach an acceptable level of performance, even though this does not mean that the same players will be shipped out by the new manager. In the list of players who could have performed better – at least in my view – are Darmian, who started well but suffered to maintain the early promise throughout the season; Rojo, who also had plenty of difficult moments; Depay, who until now showed that he is more a Nani than a Ronaldo; and also Schweinsteiger, who faded out over the season.

our best player. That said, I don’t think that Blind is a Mourinho-like player and I have a hunch that he will be sold this summer. My gut-feeling is that he will go to Barcelona or to PSG, if Blanc remains in his position. I can see Blind fitting perfectly alongside Pique at Barcelona, but I cannot see him at United next season, at least not in the same position he played last season.

good Manchester United team which was kept till the end of the season. I think that he will try to do the same even now. José knows that the United team he is inheriting may not be the best in the league at the moment. Hence, he will certainly communicate the system he would want to adopt next season, assess the players he has and determine who fits in his system and where, and then decide which players he should go for and the positions they would occupy. Another consideration So for me, it will be Rojo, Blind and possibly that José will give a lot of weight to is the Fellaini and Mata out. And who’s coming in? impact which Euro 2016 will have on the teams. It is clear that most clubs might have to do without their best players for the first few weeks of the season, and even if de gea all players are available, those who would have participated in the knock-out stage of the European Championship with their countries are likely to be tired and off-form. varane shaw jones smalling José will want to hit the ground running and gain an advantage over the rest of the field, and this would mean that players who will schneiderlin not participate in Euro 2016 have an advantage over others when it comes to acquisitions.

The diagram shows how Mourinho’s United could line up next season, based on the considerations and assumptions made above. De Gea’s place is guaranteed as long as he decides Indeed, from these four players, I rashford martial to stay. If he decides to move to can only see Rojo departing, and ibrahimovic a possible confirmation of this Real Madrid, I expect Mourinho to was the new contract Borthwickbuy Courtois from Chelsea or Oblak Jackson was given soon after from Atletico Madrid. Phil Jones as full back might be a surprise Jose took charge, which might indicate that the academy product inclusion but in the same way he will deputise for Shaw during the turned Ivanovic into a full back, I coming season. I think Depay suspect that the Manager would like to introduce that solidity in will be given another shot to prove himself in a United shirt despite the This is even more difficult, as so many different his back four. Smalling deserves to keep his underwhelming season. Also, other players scenarios can materialise. Despite there being place, while the other central defender position such as Schneiderlin, Young, Valencia, huge expectations to see who the Manager will might be filled by either Varane of Real Madrid Darmian. Smalling, who did not quite manage buy, I think that he will manage to acquire three or John Stones of Everton. Personally, I have a to reach the standards set during the previous first-eleven players and possibly a couple of preference for the former and given that Varane season, and Lingard will be expected to raise will not go to Euro 2016, then José might also promising youngsters. prefer that solution. Schneiderlin could be their performance and José will see to that. I I shall try to explain my reasoning before another surprise package next season, as I firmly believe that a good manager can spur players on to achieve performance levels which think that he has yet to show his strength in mentioning the players coming in. Jose would have been unthinkable. That’s what the Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the the defensive midfielder position and José can best managers do and why they are paid good world, if not the best. His attention to detail get the best out of him. The second acquisition money and José is certainly in that category. and preparation of his teams, team motivation could be Pogba in the attacking midfielder and ability to change the tactics of his team position. He will not come cheap but he is and the game within minutes are probably his available and acquiring a world class player like Then you have two further lists. Experienced best attributes. I clearly remember when he Pogba would also please Woodward. Upfront, players like Rooney and Carrick are expected to stay, as are the high performers such as first arrived to Chelsea from Porto. He knew I expect Ibrahimovic to join José and flanked Martial, Rashford, De Gea and Blind. Or is exactly what he wanted to achieve with his

by Rashford and Martial, they could terrorise he? Not so sure. I think that Daley Blind had team and the players he needed to get in. most defences. From this team, it is important And he hit the ground running. Before anyone to note that there are two blocks of players, 5 a brilliant season with United. He definitely knew what had happened, Jose managed to English and four French. So four players out was one of the stars and even in a somewhat open a gap between his Chelsea and a very and three in. Bring on the new season! unfamiliar position at the back, he was often

rooney

pogba

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United’s march to Wembley – FA Cup winners 2016

by Robert Mizzi

U

nited ended the 2015-2016 season on a positive note, beating Crystal Palace at Wembley 2-1 after extra time. Reaching the FA Cup final at Wembley was not an easy ride, not by any stretch of the imagination. Here is a quick reminder of how it all happened, starting from that uneventful third round match on the 9 January 2016.

The road to Wembley started on a cold January night with a home tie against Sheffield United.

United’s form was nothing to write home about in reality and the match was a really drab affair.

Our opponents stood 47 places behind us in the so-called English football pyramid on the day but the difference could hardly be seen.

The match only lit up in injury time when Memphis Depay was brought down by Dean Hammond and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Wayne Rooney dispatched the penalty, sending United into the fourth round and Sheffield United crushing out of the FA Cup just when they thought that they had managed to earn a replay. United were going through a bad patch and this win was referred to as a possible ‘Mark Robins’ moment for the under pressure Louis Van Gaal by the media.

Fast forward twenty days and United played Derby County in the 4th round of the FA Cup at Pride Park.

Rooney opened the scoring with a fantastic curled shot from the edge of the box on 16 minutes. Our defense lost concentration though, and Derby equalised on 37 minutes as Thorne’s run into the box was not cut out. Poor defending that would have any manager tearing his hair out.

In the second half United were clearly the better team as Derby tired out. Goals from Blind (65 min.) and Mata (83 min.) saw us through to the fifth round where we were drawn to play Shrewsbury away: a somewhat generous tie for United and it was probably at this stage that the United supporters realised that if we beat Shrewsbury, we would be one round away from a Wembley semi-final.

The final result of the 5th round tie against Shrewsbury was somewhat expected. United dominated possession as Shrewsbury focused on defending, but on 37 minutes, Smalling found plenty of space in the opponent’s box and his deflected shot ended up in the back of the net: his first ever FA Cup goal. The 9,370 supporters present at the New Meadow knew that there was no way back for Shrewsbury when Mata added a second in the first half additional time. It was a splendid free kick, one must add.

The second half was a formality and Lingard added another on 61 minutes to make sure United were in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The only black spot of the day was the injury to young Will Keane, who had to hobble off after hitting the post with a fine left-footed effort.

United marched on to the 6th round of the FA Cup where they were drawn to play West Ham at Old Trafford. It was not an easy encounter, but a

win could take us to the Wembley semi-final for the first time in five years. There was a sense of anticipation from all the United supporters as this match got closer and lo and behold, even a sense of optimism. West Ham started brightly at Old Trafford and was the better team in the first half.

United improved slightly in the second half but it was clear that we were somewhat lacking that much-needed cutting edge. When Payet gave the Hammers the lead on 68 minutes, I must admit that I had that sinking feeling and Wembley started looking like a million miles away. Anthony Martial came to the rescue though, as he latched on to a Herrera cross on 83 minutes and equalised much to the relief of all the United supporters watching the match across the world. De Gea kept us in the cup with a great save from Antonio late on and the match ended 1-1. We had to do it the hard way, beating the Hammers in their own backyard…and so we did.

The replay was played exactly one month later and United, playing in their white shirts and black shorts started crisply with Fellaini and Lingard forcing saves from the West Ham keeper. In the second half Marcus Rashford opened the score with a spectacular effort after West Ham had given the ball away in midfield. The travelling United supporters went wild, and they had even more reason to celebrate when Fellaini glided a Martial shot into the net to give United a comfortable 2-0 lead. West Ham was not giving up, however, and Tomkins pulled one back and it was literally squeaky bum time for the last 10 minutes. De Gea made a couple of great saves and West Ham had a goal disallowed for an offside. But we held on, and off to Wembley we marched to play Everton.

The other semi-final was between Crystal Palace and Watford. United supporters could not hide an element of optimism as all of our great foes had fallen aside along the way and surely, we would be favourites to win it if we could get past Everton. United’s form, however, remained erratic and unconvincing so we could not take anything for granted.

United took charge of the first half at Wembley as Everton struggled to keep possession and yet, they had a couple of clear-cut chances as Lukaku twice left Smalling behind and could have scored.

First he was denied by Rooney who raced back to clear off the line and later De Gea saved with his legs as Lukaku’s touch had taken him towards an awkward angle. United slowly started dominating and Fellaini gave United a deserved lead on the 34th minute after great work by Martial down the wing and the Wembley final, suddenly, seemed closer than ever.

Everton, booed off at half time by their own supporters, had other ideas for the second half.

They were much more aggressive and started causing Manchester United problems. FosuMensah’s tackle on Barkley inside the box was judged as a foul by Anthony Taylor and he awarded

a penalty. Up stepped Lukaku with all the intentions of this world to make up for his first half misses. His penalty was not a bad one, hit hard and low to De Gea’s right but the United keeper read it and was lightning quick to go down and push the ball away with his right hand. It was possibly one of the best penalty saves ever witnessed at Wembley. Everton still managed to equalise though. Deulofeu’s cross from the right was turned into United’s net by Chris Smalling’s right foot and the match seemed to be heading for extra time. The match needed something special to happen and Anthony Martial stepped up. On 93 minutes, Ander Herrera, on as a late substituted, managed to toe-poke the ball back into Martial’s path and the young Frenchman made no mistake, slotting the ball to the keeper’s left and sending the red half of Wembley and thousands of United fans watching on TV across the world into ecstasy. We were going to Wembley again, for the Final, as deserved winners - but we did it the hard way, or more precisely, the United way.

On the 21 May 2016, United faced Crystal Palace at Wembley for the 2016 FA Cup final. United were clearly the better side but Smalling got yellow carded for grabbing Wickham as he sped away towards De Gea. Mata tested the Palace keeper and that was pretty much it for the first half.

United started the second half with more vigour and first Fellaini hit the crossbar after a neat touch by Rashford and then Martial hit the post with a header. As always happens, Palace took the lead with their first shot on target. Puncheon was left unmarked at the far post after he had taken a corner and controlled the returned ball elegantly before shooting past De Gea with 12 minutes to go. Calamity. Then, Wayne Rooney stands up to be counted: three minutes later, Rooney waltzed past half the palace defence before crossing towards Fellaini who tried to bring it down with his chest. Mata was lurking behind and immediately had a shot without the ball touching the ground. 1-1. Relief.

The final went into extra time as the teams remained locked at 1-1 in normal time. At the end of the first half of extra time, Smalling was caught out again and pulled the Palace forward down.

Inevitably, United were down to 10 men for the second half of extra time. Lingard was brought on as substitute for Mata and it was him who scored a fantastic goal to win the cup for United. Valencia found the energy to go down the wing once again after 110 minutes and his cross was poorly cleared by the Palace defence. Lingard latched on to the loose ball and instinctively hit it first time with the ball flying into the roof of the net. Joy. United have now won the FA Cup 12 times after waiting for 12 years to win it. We did it in the most dramatic of ways and now are the only team in the FA Cup history to win 2 finals with 10 men.

Memories of Whiteside’s great goal against Everton in the 1985 came flooding back. Kevin Moran, United’s centre half was sent off and we went on to win it, with 10 men, in extra time. History does repeat itself…

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Manchester United Players during EURO 2016

I

t will be a very small contingent of Manchester United players during this summer’s EURO 2016.

This year, unlike in previous editions, it will only be a bunch of around nine players representing Manchester United.

For the very first time, this year’s edition will also be featuring 24 teams in what promises to be yet another festival of international football.

Manchester United fans all over the world will keep their eye on all of our players and possibly on other players being linked with our club too.

Here’s a short analysis of the players that will be representing Manchester United at EURO 2016: PADDY McNAIR (NORTHERN IRELAND) The qualification of Northern Ireland is already a historic achievement in itself and Paddy McNair will always proudly say that he was one of the main protagonists in achieving that. He has been predominantly used in a midfield role whilst on national duty. At United, he has had a bit of a stop-start season hampered by a number of injuries and didn’t play much. It has been a different story with the National Team, though. He is expected to start in a deep-lying position with the possibility to push forward.

Northern Ireland will play Germany, Ukraine and Poland in Group C. PREDICTION: 3 group games and back in time for United’s pre-season MATTEO DARMIAN (ITALY) The full-back has gradually established himself in Antonio Conte’s team. He has had a good start with United. Darmian suffered a few dips in form as the season wore on but proved his return to full fitness following an ankle problem as a substitute in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. Darmian has 21 caps for his country and played in all 10 qualifiers for the Italians.

Italy plays Belgium, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland in Group E. PREDICTION: A definite starter at full-back but nothing spectacular.

DAVID DE GEA (SPAIN) United’s Player of the Year for a third consecutive year may still be in the shadows of Iker Casillas but this could be De Gea’s tournament. He has grown immensely over the past 3 seasons and he is now one of the best keepers in the world. Spain plays the Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia in Group D. PREDICTION: Can carry on club form and cement his place as Spain’s No.1 BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER (GERMANY) Doubts over his fitness are still there. He is Germany’s captain, of course, but it is fair to say

that he may well be on the wane. At United, we had high hopes for him and whilst he did raise his game on a couple of occasions, he is yet to show us what made him a World Cup winner.

Germany plays against Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland in Group C. PREDICTION: Will probably play a couple of games and come back injured.

MARCUS RASHFORD (ENGLAND) Rashford has been the stuff fairytales are made of. He is the surprise name in Hodgson’s 23man squad after a couple of months which saw him being propelled into Manchester United’s first team and staying there. His exploits in the friendly against Australia may have been enough for him to secure a place in the final squad. The teenager however may not be content with that and the sky is the limit for Marcus. England play Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B. PREDICTION: A useful game-changer. A future star for Manchester United and England.

WAYNE ROONEY (ENGLAND) Rooney looks set to play yet another key role for England. He has matured along the years but he has also lost that fire in his eyes which made him such an unstoppable – at times uncontrolled - force in years gone by.

He goes into this tournament as one of the most experienced players and his leadership will be needed. Much of England’s chances of progressing will depend on him. England plays Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B. PREDICTION: Could be his last big chance on the international stage.

CHRIS SMALLING (ENGLAND) Smalling has matured into a top quality defender. He has had a fabulous season on a personal level and was voted our Players’ Player of the Year. He is expected to partner Gary Cahill as England’s centre-back but he still needs to eradicate those lapses in concentration, though, as he has shown in the FA Cup final with that second yellow card. England play Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B. PREDICTION: England’s centre back for years to come?

ANTHONY MARTIAL (FRANCE) A waste of money, some said last August. How wrong they were! Tony Martial has been the revelation of our season. He has been our top-scorer and the source of anything creative and many expect him to take that form with him to France. He faces stiff competition as one of 6 forwards selected by Didier Deschamps but as he did with the Premier League, he has the chance to impress on the international stage too. Tournament hosts France play Romania, Albania and Switzerland in Group A.

by Julian Tabone

PREDICTION: Possible star of the tournament.

MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN (FRANCE) The 26-year old Frenchman has earned 15 caps for his national team. His last international match for France was in a 2-0 loss to England in a friendly played in November 2015, where his teammate Wayne Rooney was a scorer alongside Tottenham youngster Dele Alli. Like everyone else, he can use the opportunity of this tournament to impress the new boss as he works on effecting changes for the new season. France opens the tournament against Romania and also play Albania and Switzerland in Group A. PREDICTION: A series of good performances do him no harm at club level.

MAROUANE FELLAINI (BELGIUM) The combative United midfielder is one of only four central midfielders selected by coach Marc Wilmots. The 28-year-old will hope to play his role in what promises to be the culmination of Belgium’s golden generation. With his National Team, he has been a much more influential figure than what he has been at United. He may not be appreciated by most United fans but his contribution is not to be underestimated.

Belgium play Italy, Republic of Ireland and Sweden in Group E. PREDICTION: A strong performance can convince our new coach to give him a last chance.

Apart from the players listed above, there are Adnan Januzaj, Ashley Young, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera who have been strangely overlooked.

There is also another contingent that will be on international duty - at the Copa America in the USA. This includes Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo for Argentina and Antonio Valencia for Ecuador. The Copa America will start on June 3 and run until June 26.

Of course the players mentioned above will be delaying their return to Manchester and they will only join the pre-season squad at a later date– which is never ideal for the players themselves and especially this year that we have new management eager to assess the playing staff. All fans will be hoping that all players will return unscathed.

Whatever happens in France though, our eyes will always be fixed on Saturday August 13th – the start of next years’s Premier League when Manchester United fans will be hoping to kickstart a new era at the club.

Thankfully, until then, there won’t just be transfer speculation to keep us occupied!

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European Championship 2016 Preview

by Stefan Attard

A

fter a disappointing 2015-16 campaign watching Manchester United play mediocre football, all United fans are perhaps more excited than usual for the 15th edition of the European Championships, hoping to watch some exciting football. France will be hosting this sporting event which will take place between the 10th of June and the 10th of July.

For the first time, 24 teams will be contesting the championship. The group stage will consist of six groups of four teams each. The ten stadia hosting the games are located in Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, SaintDenis, Saint-Étienne and Toulouse. This article will preview all groups with particular focus on Group B that involves England, which many of us United fans will be supporting.

Group A Group A contains the host nation France, Romania, Albania and Switzerland. This draw came as a huge sigh of relief for the French hoping to repeat the success that the home advantage brought them in World Cup 1998 and Euro 1984. The exclusion of Benzema as a result http://www.seeklogo.net of his involvement in the Valbuena blackmail case has casted an unsettling shadow over the French team, which despite boasting worldclass talents like Pogba, Varane and Griezmann still arguably do not possess an unbeatable team like that of 1998.

be the one to win the European Championships this summer. As is always the case with England though, it will never be that straightforward.

Following a poor showing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, public and media optimism surrounding the England setup was at an all-time low. However, a perfect record in the qualifying group, coupled with the emergence of some new faces to give the team fresh impetus, has spurred the most dangerous of emotions in England fans: confidence.

With ten wins out of ten in a qualification group featuring Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino, England hold the only 100 per cent pre-tournament record of any team competing in France. As England managers of

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The youth development program of Switzerland produced a number of promising players like Shaqiri and Xhaka. However, they are not likely to pose too much of a threat to the host nation which are favourites to win the group. England made short work of them in the qualification stage and won both the home and away fixtures comfortably.

Perhaps surprisingly, Romania qualified to the last 24 unbeaten and no team in Europe conceded fewer goals than them (2 goals).

However, at the other end they only managed to score 11 goals. Albania will be playing their first major senior tournament under the management of Gianni de Biasi, who is renowned for his shrewd tactics and for his work with young players. Group A looks readymade for the French to make progress to the knockout phase but the battle for second place looks more difficult to predict with all the other teams fancying their chances.

Group B During the course of the tournament England will be based in Chantilly, which is 25 miles away from Paris. Since the 2010 World Cup, England have been fancied by the bookmakers to pull off a first tournament win since 1966. It would seem fitting that 50 years after lifting their only World Cup trophy, Roy Hodgson’s team would

who managed to guide their team to their first qualifications since the 1958 World Cup. Qualification alone led to huge celebrations but this does not mean that their aspirations are low.

The third and final tie in the group stage sees England face Slovakia, playing in their first-ever European Championship. Slovakia qualified in style with wins against the likes of Spain and Ukraine. Although confidence is high, anything less than three points for England would surely be deemed a failure.

Roy Hodgson’s back four are perhaps already established with Joe Hart likely to be behind the pairing of Smalling and Cahill as centre-backs.

The main headache for the manger seems to lie up front with the likes of Rooney, Sturridge, Golden Boot winner Harry Kane and Player of the Year Jamie Vardy all battling it out for the striker role.

The excellent seasons of Tottenham’s young prospects Eric Dier and Dele Alli are likely to feature in central midfield. However, they also face stiff competition from Wilshere, Milner, Henderson, Lallana and Barkley. Such abundant talent is certainly causing Hodgson a headache not just about choice but also with respect to formation selected.

The England team has also been rocked with the injuries of big name players like Luke Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck and Jack Butland, who have already been ruled out of the competition.

the past will tell you though, a smooth journey means nothing if the car breaks down upon arrival. In March, a 3-2 comeback win in Berlin over Germany gave Hodgson even more cause to hope, but a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands days later highlighted England’s inconsistency.

The group is arguably a favourable one for England, which kick off their campaign in Marseille on the 11th June, facing a Russian team that struggled to win a place in the competition.

The second match involves a more difficult tie against their neighbours Wales under the management of Chris Coleman and inspired by the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale

Although the bookies are quite confident of England reaching the latter stages of the tournament fans should be warned to approach the tournament with cautious optimism as too often, the great expectation and build-up by the media and by the fans ended up with an early exit with ignominy. Having said that, with plenty of raw talent to choose from, England can certainly advance to the latter stages of the tournament.

Group C Group C is comprised of Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Northern Ireland. With some of Germany’s stalwarts reaching the twilight of their career and retiring (Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Klose), Germany still possesses great talents to go all the way and win the tournament with the likes of Sane, Draxler, Meyer and Goretzka.

Ukraine had never earned qualification to the European Championships before, with them playing for the first time in these tournaments only when they were the co-hosts in 2012, hence qualifying automatically. Despite needing a play-off and a stoppage time goal

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to progress to the last 24, the Ukrainians cannot be underestimated. They ran Spain close both home and away with David De Gea the protagonist in both ties.

reaching the semi-finals in 2008. Since Turkey introduced the foreigners limit in their domestic league, exciting players like Turan and Calhanoglu emerged from their youth academies.

In Robert Lewandowski, Poland possess arguably the best centre forward in world football and comparisons with van Basten are not sacrilegious. Although much of the focus is on the Bayern Munich striker, Poland certainly cannot be labelled as a one-man team and the likes of Glik, Blaszczykowski and Krychowiak can certainly help Poland to make it through the group stages. Northern Ireland will be taking part in the competition for the first time and they are the lowest seeded team ever to win a group. There is no doubt that the whole nation will savour their time in the championship.

Despite winning their group, it looks unlikely that the Czech Republic can reach the heights of Euro 1996 and Euro 2004. Apart from Petr Cech and Tomas Rosicky, they do not feature a host of Premier League, La Liga or Seria A names.

Group D After their poor performances in Brazil, Spain looked like they had lost their aura. However, with nine wins out of ten in the qualifying stages and with the talent the team possesses, there is no reason why they should not be considered as favourites. Croatia had a rough ride to qualify for the championships and this was largely due to their own fans. The Croatian squad boasts the likes of Srna, Modric and Rakitic, with Kalinic and Mandzukic having great seasons with Fiorentina and Juventus respectively.

Turkey enter their first major tournament since

Group E Group E is perhaps the toughest of all groups in the draw. Belgium have long been prophesised to rule world football with the plethora of talent available. The young team that lost to Argentina in the World Cup of 2014 have become of age and it is up to them to step up and reach the latter stages of the tournament.

Italy are not exactly the favourites to win the title in France and despite being unbeaten in the qualification stage, the team looks to be a distinctly ordinary outfit. They only managed two 1-0 wins against Malta and looked average against other relatively weaker opposition.

Having failed to get past the previous two World Cup group stages, Italy are perhaps still favourites to make it through the group stage.

Managed by Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane, the Republic of Ireland only conceded seven goals, which is even more impressive when

considering that Germany and Poland scored 57 goals between them in this group. The Irish team also won the do-or-die match against the world champions. Having been knocked out of the group stages in the previous two tournaments, it is likely that Sweden will have the same outcome in France. Apart from the world-class striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the squad largely possesses an average side which was battered

by Austria and Russia in the qualifying rounds.

Group F Portugal will be reasonably pleased with the draw and are favourites to make it to the knock-out stages. Apart from the world-famous Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Santos’ team do not possess other game changing players.

After nine consecutive wins in the qualification stage, Koller has put together a team which rivals that of the Austria’s golden ages of the 1970s. The undisputed star of the team is David Alaba, who had a great season with Bayern Munich. Iceland’s qualification to the Euro 2016 is nothing short of extraordinary and with a population of 330,000, this country became the smallest nation to qualify. Hungary managed to qualify for their first tournament in thirty years after winning their play-off against Norway.

As I write this article, José Mourinho has been officially announced as the Manchester United manager and on a personal note I wish to fastforward to July to hopefully watch the real Manchester United playing again.

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‘Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong’ The Foxes and the Red Devils!

by Michael Calleja

I

t is certainly only fitting that as a conclusion to the 2015-16 season, the ‘rivalry’ between Manchester United and Leicester City be also widely scrutinized. What the Leicester team have achieved throughout the year is nothing short of miraculous – perhaps the greatest shock in the history of the sport itself! In previous seasons, we have perhaps seen Leicester as a small perennial, under-achieving club – times could change and a new rivalry could very well be developing.

Despite their very recent success, Leicester City FC have been around for quite some time!

Formed in 1884 as ‘Leicester Fosse’, the club joined the Football Association in 1890. Their pre-Second World War history is rather foggy but what historians do know is that the club was for a time disbanded due to apparent financial difficulties and reconstituted as: ‘Leicester City Football Club’ – a name they still use till this day. It is worth noting that the club enjoyed some mild success in the 1920s.

Under the astute guidance of manager Peter Hodge, they won the Division Two title in 1924–25. Four year later, the club recorded their highest ever league finish [in 1928–29] when they lost the league by 1 point to Sheffield Wednesday.

Unfortunately for Leicester, the 1930s would see a downturn in fortunes and they also faced relegation scraps.

Manager Dave Halliday then did his best to help the failing club and Leicester City returned to the top flight in 1957 [at a time when the Busby Babes were romping English football]. Leicester established itself as a tough first Division outfit and remained there until 1969 – constituting one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.

Under the management of Matt Gillies and his assistant Bert Johnson, Leicester reached the FA Cup Final in 1961 (losing to eventual double winners Tottenham) and of course against Manchester United in the Final of 1963.

This would be the first time that both sides would lock horns for a serious major honour.

Leicester, in those days, were by no means an

‘easy’ team. During the 1962-63 season, they had been leading the First Division for quite some time and were affectionately known as the ‘Ice Kings’ – due to their uncanny ability of being able to play on icy and frozen pitches [the winter of 1962 in the UK was particularly harsh].

Before the Final, Leicester were expected to win, having finished the Division 1 Season in 4th place whilst United could only end in 19th position. Thankfully, Denis Law and David Herd had other ideas as they steered United towards a 3-1 victory. United’s FA Cup win would serve as momentum for the rest of the 60s [the Reds would finish 2nd in 1964].

The Foxes managed to win the League Cup in 1964 and reached the FA Cup Final again in 1969. Leicester were being managed by future Manchester United manager Frank O’Farrell and despite playing well, lost the game 0-1 against

our noisy neighbours Manchester City. Despite winning the Charity Shield in 1971 it would be quite some time before Leicester would really make a mark in English football.

With the inception of the Premier League, Leicester City began to slowly re-build themselves as a very tough club to beat. With Martin O’Neill at the helm, United certainly had some tough encounters against the Foxes. During the 1996-97 season, the Red Devils could only draw 2-2 at Filbert Street (clawing themselves back from a 0-2 deficit) and in the 1997-98 season Tony Cottee had seriously damaged United’s hopes for the title, scoring the only goal in a fixture at Old Trafford. Perhaps one of the most memorable encounters between the sides was during United’s Treble Season. The Red Devils inflicted a staggering 6-2 defeat at Filbert Street with

goals from Dwight Yorke (3), Andy Cole (2) and Jaap Stam. A ‘rivalry’ between both sides began to take shape before the 2000-01 season. With Leicester looking fairly strong, they had led the table for most of the early months until United visited Filbert Street. The Reds were in no mood to let Leicester gain any momentum and comprehensively beat the Foxes 3-0 with goals from Teddy Sheringham (2) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer…en route to Premier League title 7.

With Leicester relegated in 2002, they would return in 2003 only to be relegated once again.

The club then managed to return to the Premier League in 2014 and caused a major upset when they came from behind to beat United 5-3 at the King Power Stadium. They also unfortunately made Premier League history by becoming the first team to beat United having recovered from a two-goal deficit.

With Claudio Ranieri steering the Leicester ship and scout Steve Walsh recruiting wisely, United realized that throughout the 201516 season a new Premier League heavyweight had emerged. Both matches played throughout this campaign were tense.

Jamie Vardy scored during the 1-1 draw in Leicester, thereby eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in 10 consecutive games. In the return match at Old Trafford, Wes Morgan cancelled out Anthony Martial’s earlier goal as Leicester held on to grab a precious point in their eventual bid to claim the League title.

What happens next is certainly going to be very interesting. Will Leicester be able to consistently outgun the big teams? Or was the 2015-16 season a one-off? Will United also be competing against Leicester for the major honours? (There is a possibility both teams will play the Community Shield in August). And can Leicester replicate their 2015/16 form and win further league titles? There are certainly many variables, ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ – however one thing is for sure, a genuine sporting rivalry between both clubs is developing and United fans can certainly look forward to future titanic clashes against the East Midlands club.

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Manchester United’s Financial Power

by Kenneth Abela Football clubs typically don’t present a “particularly attractive investment proposition because their revenues are lumpy, and their employees are rather expensive,” market analyst Laith Khalaf was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.

Poor performances on the pitch can lead to the devaluation of the shares of a football club, especially because it is directly linked to how much broadcast revenue they earn. Mistakes on the pitch can be costly for shareholders too – in 2015 Manchester United’s broadcast revenues dropped by £30 million as we failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League in that season.

It is thus not surprising that United’s poor performances on the pitch have been reflected in falls in the share price and the value of the club. Financial reporting by Sky Sports show that Manchester United’s value has fallen by more than £400m during Louis van Gaal’s disastrous second season as a consequence of poor performances. Since Louis van Gaal started work as manager in the summer of 2014, almost a billion dollars have been wiped off the value of the club. The manager’s threeyear contract runs out in the summer of 2017.

In fact, strong commercial deals had given the Red Devils a New York Stock Exchange share price of $18.37 at the start of the Premier League season when United kicked off the 2015/2016 season with a 1-0 home win against Tottenham. That was last August, but this had collapsed to $13.83 after the away 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last April.

Supporters are always concerned as to whether the Club has enough funds to buy new players or maintain its existing squad. In spite of the reported loss in value of the Club, the Dutchman had still been handed £250m to spend during his two years at the club. However, the team dropped out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stages in December after losing to Wolfsburg. This, in fact, caused the share price to fall by five per cent.

Manchester United finished the 2015/16 season disappointingly outside the top four.

The 2016/17 season will be the second season out of the past three that will be played without UEFA Champions League football, leaving United to head towards commercial losses of around £50m from lucrative sponsorship deals and match day income.

Thus, United’s poor performances in this season’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League have disappointed not only United’s fans, but also the investors. Problems qualifying for the next season’s competition are also having a significant impact on the

share price. In spite of these performances though, Manchester United are one of the richest clubs in the world, with a huge fan base across the globe. This huge fan following has helped the Red Devils have a major global influence on the sport. United boast a global community of 659 million loyal and passionate followers and this gives the Club its financial power. This provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, mobile & content, broadcasting and match day income. Thus, although investors’ trust in the club dropped due to the poor performances of the Dutchman’s side, the Red Devils are still thriving off the pitch due to their multi-million pound commercial deals.

Moreover, many companies want access and exposure to the Manchester United community of followers and are willing to pay for association with the Manchester United brand. Manchester United managed to attract leading global companies such as Adidas, AON, and General Motors (Chevrolet). United have a record £750m Adidas kit deal and also announced partnership with Thomas Cook, Cable and Wireless Communications, New Era, Heros, Sina Sports, YOU.C1000, 20th Century Fox, and Columbia Sportswear. There are even more riches on the way with a lucrative new Premier League broadcasting deal starting in the 2016/17 season with clubs set to receive £10.19 million for each game.

Although television coverage showing empty Old Trafford seats has indicated that some United fans have been ‘voting with their feet’ and staying away as a form of protest against poor performances, match-day revenue for the three months ended 31 December 2015 was £30.4 million, a decrease of just £0.5 million, or 1.6%, over the three months ended 31 December 2014. This was primarily due to playing two fewer Premier League home games and hosting a friendly international game (in the second quarter last year), largely

offset by two UEFA Champions League home games and one domestic cup home game in the current quarter.

In Asia alone, United can boast of their support of around 110 million fans. These help boost shirt sales, with merchandise sales accounting for 8% of total sales in 2015 according to the annual report. Counterfeit goods are however a dime a dozen in many Asian countries, which lowers the potential market somewhat.

Should the performances pick up on the field, then United will become an even more attractive option for advertisers which could use Manchester United as a vehicle to reach a large numbers of potential customers all over the world. This season, the Barclays Premier League has generated $370 million in shirt sponsorship revenues as a whole. This is almost double its nearest rival, Germany›s Bundesliga, which commands $188.3 million of shirt sponsorships. Spain’s La Liga follows in third with shirt revenues of $117.7 million, which is down from last year’s total of $126.7 million. A large portion of the English Premier League’s total was a result of Manchester United’s new kit deal with Adidas that is worth around $117 million per year.

On the day the Premier League signed their £5.136 billion television deal, the talk at Manchester United was not, to the disappointment of Manchester United supporters, about reducing ticket prices. The talk was about the power to take on Real Madrid. That is what the latest windfall meant to United’s hierarchy. United may now have the financial power to buy anyone. But would Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo want to join United, and would David De Gea still want to be at United, if there is no Champions League football next year.

United are on course to overtake Real Madrid as the world’s richest club. That is the gamechanger here. The club believes that it has the financial clout to go toe-to-toe against the giants of Spain at last. This summer, the battle begins.

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Bobby Charlton

by John Calleja

I

f you ask any fan to name the player he mostly associates with United, the reply will in most cases be Bobby Charlton. In this article I shall be sharing some facts about this fantastic legend.

Early Days Robert Charlton, more commonly known as Bobby Charlton, was born on 11th October 1937 in Ashington to Robert Charlton and Elizabeth Millburn, four of whose brothers all played football. Elizabeth was also the cousin of another football legend, Jackie Millburn.

Both parents loved football, so it was no wonder that they produced two outstanding players, Bobby and his elder brother Jack.

Bobby became a professional footballer with United at the tender age of 15, and after he retired, his records held on for a considerable length of time.

Scouted Bobby was spotted playing football with his school team by the great Manchester United scout, Joe Armstrong. At first, his mother was reluctant to let him embark on a risky football career and only compromised when Bobby agreed to enlist for an apprenticeship scheme as an electrical engineer. After a year’s apprenticeship, Bobby became a professional player, following in the footsteps of his uncle Jackie Millburn of Newcastle, and his brother Jack of Leeds.

Safeguard As a United player, Bobby was under the guidance of the great Matt Busby, who advised him to join the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1956, as a safeguard should his football

career not be successful. Busby, in his wise and fatherly manner, did this with all the new young players.

Career Progress By 1958, Bobby had become an established player, having also taken part in the United team which had won the championship. The year before was the year in which I met Bobby for the first of many times. He also participated in the European Cup and was chosen for the English national team to play against Scotland in the now defunct British Home Championship.

It was the first cap of many more to come in his famous, prolific international career.

In 1963, Bobby won his only FA Cup medal, and three years later added a World Cup medal in a tournament in which he played every game.

He added another honour to the growing list in 1968, when United won the European Cup. He was chosen as the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year, and this was followed by the European Footballer of the Year.

In 1970, he became the first man in English football history to feature in four World Cups.

Bobby retired from his playing career at United in 1973 and was appointed manager of Preston and then Wigan, but management did not go down well with Bobby. In 1984, he became a director at Old Trafford, in 1994, the Queen knighted Sir Robert, and in 2002, he became a member of the exclusive Football Hall of Fame.

Munich Disaster Returning from Belgrade, after the European Cup semi final against Red Star, the plane stopped for refuelling at Munich Airport in a snowstorm. This was the sad harbinger of a tragedy, as the plane tried to take off in the snow slush of the airport, eventually crashing in the airport perimeter fence, 200 yards across a frozen field and became enveloped in flames. A total of 22 people were killed, but miraculously,

Bobby escaped with minor injuries and was even able to walk away from the wreckage unaided. The pilot had practically been forced to attempt the take off as United had to arrive at a certain time before their next match or face dire consequences by the FA. United had lost so many flowers in Munich. The tragedy had a long-lasting painful psychological effect on Bobby.

Team Honours In his career, Sir Bobby Charlton won one World Cup, one European Cup, three league titles and one FA Cup. Other Achievements Bobby played 106 times for England and won every honour associated with the game. The factors that stood out in Bobby’s game were his grace, speed, athleticism and vision of the game, but above all, Bobby was renowned for being a true football gentleman. Bobby was never involved in any altercation with his manager, team-mates, opponents or referees.

In 2008, the BBC honoured Bobby with the Sports Personality of the Year, and a year later, aged 71, he was given the Freedom of the City of Manchester.

As a family man, Bobby married Norma Bell in 1961, and had two daughters named Suzanne and Andrea.

Most Recent Honour In April 2016, Manchester United renamed the South Stand as the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand at a fitting tribute to the great legend before the Everton match. Thousands of fans waved red flags, all inscribed with Bobby Charlton’s name. It was the 60th anniversary of his Manchester United debut, a career that lasted 758 games, in which he scored the amazing total of 249 goals.

Well done Sir Bobby and a big thank you for all that you did, and are still doing, for our beloved club.

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Gary Neville

by Norbert Bugeja

“Malta is like my sunny Manchester”

was once said by an important someone during an event organised by the MUSC Malta. His love for Manchester United is unquestionable and he might not have been the most skilful footballer around but his passion, determination, commitment and winning mentality was second to none, so when asked to write about the great Gary Neville, I felt honoured.

We have been blessed to have had loads of footballers who have shown not just ability and skill but also loyalty to the club. Without any disrespect to anyone, I think that Gary Neville tops this list. He is the supporter who managed to play for the team that he loves and supports, captained the team and also won every trophy available at club level. That’s a perfect definition for the term ‘job satisfaction’.

For those who enjoy statistics, Gary played for Manchester United in 602 games, scoring 7 goals and managed to win 8 Premier league titles (eight more than Gerrard), 3 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 Club World Cup and 3 Community Shields. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions and

featured in 85 England international matches.

Gary retired on the 2nd February 2011, playing the last game against West Brom in a 2-1 victory. His testimonial game was against Juventus in a game which featured also the “Class of 92”.

His love for United made him loved by every Manchester United supporter worldwide but definitely hated by all rival clubs, but this doesn’t bother Gary for sure since he loves United and getting hated by rivals is more of an appreciation of what he did for United rather than an insult.

“Gary Neville is a red is a red, Gary Neville is a red he hates Scousers” Another chant that shows respect towards Gary is the chant dedicated to his father Neville Neville, who was seen many times in Malta.

“Here’s to you, Neville Neville, your boys won the treble and you know.”

Following his retirement, he has been a football

pundit with accurate and well-explained analysis and he formed a very entertaining partnership with Jamie Carragher. Following this experience, he was appointed as manager of struggling Valencia. During the 28 games in charge of Valencia, the record was 10 wins, 7 draws and 11 defeats, 39 goals scored and 38 goals conceded, for a win percentage of 35.71%. During this time he also kept his England assistant coach role. He holds a better win percentage compared to Terry Venables 33%, Steve Bruce 29% and Souness on 34% and a win percentage slightly less than Harry Redknapp whose record stands at 37%. Two more percentage points and just like Harry did, you can be in contention for the England managerial post, Gary.

Recently Gary Neville was in the news locally for donating money to the MUSC Malta so that the oldest supporters’ club in the world would now own the premises.

Whatever the future holds for you, Gary, myself and without any doubt everyone reading this article wish you all the best for the future and you’re always welcome to Malta. Thanks for everything Gary!

VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

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Michael Keane Interview Interview by Paul Anthony - Transcript by Daniel Cuschieri

• Interviewer: Michael, thank you very much for joining us. You signed professional forms with United when you were eighteen.

defensively and Rio would always help me on the ball and taught me in training as well.

• Interviewer: In terms of being in an academy like Manchester United, you said before it’s probably the best place to go. Does that stand you in good stead of where you are now?

• MK: Yes • Interviewer: How did that, how did it come about being in United in the first place. When did it all start for you?

• MK: Yes, definitely, I think if you look at the players that have gone through the academy, even if you don’t make it through the first team, a lot of them have good careers elsewhere and that’s what I’ve gone to do so far. Hopefully I can keep progressing and one day get back to a club like Manchester United if not United.

• MK: I was playing for my local team called South Manchester, me and my brother Will. I went along as my mate was playing there, so I went and joined him and left after two years, won the league a couple of times, ended up being noticed by the United scout and it just went on from there really.

• Interviewer: Yeah, in terms of that I mean they had a lot of faith in you. Obviously the offer came in from Burnley. Was that a decision that you decided to make because of your age or were you looking at the team and say I need to progress a little bit more and play better football?

• Interviewer: Really, so on that day when you signed professional forms, what sort of day was that for you? Amazing?

• MK: Yeah, actually yeah. Well, Will signed his forms when he was seventeen. I had to wait an extra year, so I had to be a little bit more patient, maybe work a little bit more at my game so when I signed, it was a relief but also a special day.

• Interviewer: Yeah, I mean what it’s like down there at Manchester United even when you get a call and they say look you’re going to join and you’re going to become a professional.

What’s it like when you see all those players down on the pitch, the players that you most probably idolised as the years went by?

• Interviewer: And was what the player that you sort of looked up to when you were there?

• MK: Yeah, it was always Rio Ferdinand for me: a bold player in centre-half but I also admired him with Nemanja Vidic. I got a few tips and bits of advice from him. He was more the nononsense kind. But he has always helped me

• MK: Well, United gave me the decision and at six months left on my contract at United and it was too much of a good offer to turn down and play regular Premier League football, and I was improving every week at my performances, so I think it’s been a good decision to come here.

• Interviewer: So it was your choice to leave United then?

• MK: Yeah, they didn’t force me out the door at all but with the players they had there, maybe I could have stayed and sat on the bench

• MK: Yeah, I say it’s probably the best place you could be to improve yourself as a footballer and it’s the best academy to go through. Obviously, it’s hard to break into the first team but as a player coming from the Manchester united academy, it improved me so much and also the coaches there, I thank all the staff that I am where I am today, but I should keep stepping up. Obviously the levels keep getting higher and higher and you’ve actually trained with the first team you watched the standard that they train and you actually get called over to join in the odd session and at first you’re a bit nervous but once you do well and have a good session it all becomes normal very quickly.

• Interviewer: Who was the guy who was probably your biggest influence over your career once you were at Manchester united?

• MK: The coach, top coaches indeed, Paul McGuinness in U18s and Warren Joyce. I was a part time scholar so I wasn’t trained with the other lads and I used to go in after school and do maybe an hour on the whole with him one to one, so that improved me massively and after that you’ve got Warren Joyce who got me for two or three years.

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the experience of last year will stand you in good stead for staying in it this year?

• MK: Yeah definitely, I think last year we were really close, I mean we had some games we should have won.

• Interviewer: There were dodgy results.

• MK: Yeah we went through a lot and lost some games. If we would have won, things would have been different, though the lessons we’ve learned and if we get back up, then I’m sure we’re better for it.

• Interviewer: In terms of Malta, which is where this magazine interview is for, they did tell me to ask Michael to do it, getting back into the Premier League, so you are obviously well thought of there?

and waited for the chance but you’re playing regular football you just want to keep going and progressing so this is the route I’ve taken and I’m happy with my decision.

• Interviewer: In terms of that then when you look at a club like Manchester United and as you said there are players ahead of you in the pecking order and the club is bringing players through all the time, as a player, do you set yourself an age target to be playing regularly and otherwise I need to look elsewhere, or is it just the way it happens?

• MK: Yeah, well it is just the way it happens really. I think because different players develop at different times. You look at Jesse Lingard. Only since he turned 23, he started playing so I don’t think you’ve got to think of an age. You’ve got to look at who is in front of you, maybe look at the Manager, look at the style of play or different things, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for your chance and I’ve been lucky really since I left, even though I sort of missed my chance at United.

• Interviewer: In terms of Jesse, you mentioned he’s in the first team now, he’s also scored a couple of goals. You were really good mates.

You went on loan together, you still talk to each other?

• MK: Yeah, yeah, we still go out for food every week or so, he is one of my best mates in football, so it’s nice seeing him doing really well. Like I said, he’s been out on loan with me and he took the long route to get into the first team and had to be patient, so it’s brilliant to see him doing so well and I hope he stays in the team.

• Interviewer: In terms of what you’re doing now with Burnley, looking good for getting back into the Premier League, disappointing last year, but you think you can do it again this year?

46 VOL 43 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2016

• MK: Yeah, definitely I think that we’ve got a really good squad this year, the Gaffer has made some really great additions and we’re off with fifteen games to go so we just need to try and keep people injury free and get a better look along the way and I’m sure will be right up there. [Note: Since this interview was conducted, Burnley eventually won the Championship and will be playing Premier League football next season].

• Interviewer: In terms of your football and in terms of International, you played with England youth level at quite a few different levels, but you’re still eligible to play for Republic of Ireland? It’s a nice position to be still in a position to choose, isn’t it?

• MK: Yeah you know it’s good to have your options open. A few of the Irish lads are getting on to my case trying to get me to change over but I’ve already changed once when changing from Ireland U17 to England U20.

I’m confident that I’m getting back into the Premier League and then one day hopefully I get to play for England, so I am not giving up yet.

• Interviewer: Your ambition is obviously to get back into the Premier League and stay in the Premier League?

• MK: Definitely yeah. I feel like that’s where I want to play, that’s the best league in the world and the best stadiums so to get back there would be brilliant and from there I just can keep on improving.

• Interviewer: And if you do get back next year, do you think that

• MK: Yes, I went over when I was young with United, had a great time, a little training camp I think it was and I finished with a game, I remember going to the supporters’ club there, they’ve got a lot of United fans , it was a really nice place to visit, and hopefully I can go back someday.

• Interviewer: And in terms of Manchester United are you keeping an eye on their results, will you be watching tonight?

• MK: Yeah I’m going to watch tonight, my brother’s on the bench hoping to get on and maybe grab a goal so definitely I’ll be watching yeah.

• Interviewer: Brilliant Thanks.

• MK: Brilliant, cheers.

INTERVIEW WITH MR JOSEPH TEDESCO President of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club (MUSC) Malta

by Alex Demarco

With the season coming to an end and everything still to play for, how would you sum up what’s gone on in this campaign?

I think it has been quite a disappointing season in my opinion because with all the money spent by the club in the past two years, I would have expected the club to be challenging for the top positions. It’s quite disappointing to, at this stage, not even have fourth place under our control, we depend on other results so that is very disappointing, as was getting knocked out of the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Considering the teams that were in our group,

must be made. There’s a lot of speculation going round that Jose Mourinho will be joining, however, I don’t think he is the right man to take United forward at the moment, considering that we have a lot of young players coming through and Mourinho has never really been a fan of promoting young players. The academy has always been the basis on which United has been built and I think that Mourinho doesn’t really follow that philosophy. I, personally, would change the manager if possible and despite not thinking that Mourinho would really fit in with United’s style, at the end of the day

all that matters now is United getting back to challenging for the title and competing in the Champions League. You could take a gamble on Ryan Giggs but he hasn’t proven himself as a manager at a big club yet. Mourinho still seems to have the ability to lead this club to success and avoid another season of failure.

I expect a lot of new faces coming in and a few players leaving. I think that the club will be investing money again. Hopefully this time, it will be invested right.

How did your love for United begin and what is your earliest United memory?

I’ve been a United fan since I started to understand what football was all about. My father is a keen United fan and he was probably the one who influenced my support for the club. Back then we couldn’t watch matches on television. We could only hear a game on the radio or watch the goals on ‘Big League Soccer’ on a Tuesday. The first time I remember feeling I was a big United fan was when we got beaten

by Juventus in the Cup Winners’ Cup Semi-Final back in 1984: a sour memory. In the 2nd leg, Paolo Rossi scored the goal that knocked us out in the very last second. I remember watching that game on Rai and crying at the end of the game and that’s where I felt my love for United for the first time.

MUSC Malta 50 year anniversary with the Boss.

How did you get involved in the MUSC, where you now hold the position of President?

One day in 1989 my girlfriend’s (now wife’s) best friend’s father, Paul Tonna, who at the time was a Committee member and still is one of the longest-serving members at the Supporters’ Club, took me to the club premises in Valletta.

even though you can’t underestimate anyone, we should have at least qualified from it.

Getting to the FA Cup Final has been a bit of a relief and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to beat Crystal Palace and re-join Arsenal in first place in terms of record number of FA Cup wins. Losing away to Midtjylland in the Europa League was a massive let down, but then to get knocked out by Liverpool, our arch rivals, in the next round made it even worse. In a nutshell, the players that arrived last summer haven’t really delivered on their early-season promise.

In fact, it was a crop of youth players and David De Gea that have really saved our season.

With arguably a big summer ahead for United, what do you think needs to be done to get us back on top? Do they stick or twist?

It’s a big summer coming up and big decisions

Joseph (middle) during the Malta to Wembley launch in Manchester.

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Besides this, we are organizing an extraordinary general meeting on the 20th of May in the hope that we will be given the go-ahead by our members to set up a trust to be able to purchase the premises, for the first time in our 57 year history. It could be a huge year for our Supporters’ Club.

Joseph’s Precious Family.

It was a small area but nicely decorated with United memorabilia and I joined as a member straight away. I used to love being around the club and hearing other members discussing what was going on with United. Then, in 1996, there was a vacancy in the committee and I was co-opted in by the other committee members on 1st January 1997. I was elected for the first time in 1999, during the Annual General Meeting which took place after United had won the treble.

My biggest memory is when John Buttigieg, then the Supporters’ Club President, called me to say they had arranged to bring the treble to Malta for a few hours and needed someone to fly to Manchester to bring the trophies down using an 8-seater aircraft. Despite my fear of flying, I gladly went, brought the trophies to Malta, where we had previously arranged a huge event at the Westin Dragonara Hotel - all of this in the space of a few hours! I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in organizing a number of other big events such as the first team training camp in 2000 and the Supporters’ Club’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2009 which took two years to plan. Finally, in September 2009 I was elected

President, replacing James Bullock and my first job was to organize a training camp for United’s academy here in Malta, as well as a friendly versus Hibernians. Organising the Gary Neville testimonial dinner in Malta in 2011 was another huge achievement in my short list of memorable events.

What does your role in the MUSC Malta consist of?

When you are the President of an organization, you need to have a finger in each pie. I still have a main task assigned to me: my job is to be in charge of match tickets and it’s something I’ve been involved in for 15 years, so I know how it runs as well as the changes that have occurred throughout the years. My role is very time-consuming; it’s almost like another full-time job. We have a very large committee, we currently have 10 members and I try to stay involved in all areas whilst focusing mainly on tickets.

The MUSC Malta seems to be growing every year, getting bigger and better. Are there any plans in the pipeline for this club in terms of events or physical changes?

Our dream is to organize an event where we can once again invite a first- team player. It has become very difficult to get first-team players over. The situation has changed in the past few years. When Sir Alex Ferguson left, many others also left so we had to rebuild connections with the Club.

We have good contacts and a very good relationship with the Former Manchester United Players’ Association, so it would be easy for us to get a former player over.

However, our members and fans in Malta have been used to seeing first-team players come over to our country, so we would like Joseph (left) with Ryan Giggs & Mr. Glanville. to do that again.

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Joseph presenting Action Replay.

With the European Championships coming up this summer, is there any team in particular that you will be siding with?

Ever since I was born I’ve supported the England national team, even though there were times when I lost a little bit of interest in them, especially after England fans would sing anti-United songs at Wembley Stadium during matches. However, from what I’ve seen, there seems to be a good crop of players at the moment, such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jamie Vardy and Eric Dier. The fact that Gary Neville is assistant manager is another reason for me to support them as I’d like him to do very well and winning the European Championships would be good for him to have on his CV. Choosing from the players that I’ve watched in my lifetime I’d pick: GK: Peter Schmeichel RB: Gary Neville LB: Denis Irwin CB: Jaap Stam & Steve Bruce CM: Bryan Robson & Paul Scholes LW: Ryan Giggs RW: David Beckham ST: Eric Cantona & Cristiano Ronaldo

Joseph (left) with Denis Law during the MUSC Malta 55th Anniversary.

MANCHESTER UNITED THE WAR YEARS – 1942/43

by Iain McCartney Part 4

I

n those war torn days of the early 1940’s, life was far from normal with families losing loved ones and the roof over their heads, never knowing from one day to next what life was going to have in store for them. Money was far from plentiful and a hand to mouth existence was yet another hurdle that many had to overcome.

For those still at home and with a passion for football, they were asked to dig deeper into their pockets if they wished to attend a game, as the admission charges for the 194243 season being raised from one shilling (5p) to one shilling and three pence (6p). Not a huge amount in today’s world, but in 1942 a pint of milk would have cost you just over

four pence and a loaf of bread the same and like everything else, they were rationed and a coupon was also required to purchase them.

But that four extra pence was found from somewhere, as the Goodison Park crowd for the opening day fixture of that 1942-43 season saw an increase of 3,000 on that of the previous campaign, just over 9,000 clicking through the turnstiles to see the home side and their near neighbours from along the East Lancs Road play out a thrilling 2-2 draw, with all the goals coming in the final twenty eight minutes.

One item of note from this particular fixture, was not Breedon’s penalty save to keep the visitors in the game, but United’s second and equalising goal was scored

by Harry Catterick, who, some twenty years later, guided Everton to League Championship success.

Once again, it was the League North Section that United were competing in and by the end of October it was obvious to all that the early season results were going to be decisive in their bid for the championship.

Everton were beaten 2-1 at Maine Road, but the 2-0 defeat at Chester a week later, was to see a downturn in results with only one victory, (5-2 at home to Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of October), in the following six fixtures, which included back to back defeats against Liverpool, leaving United chasing the leading pack. But it was only October I hear you say, but the complexity of the League and Cup

system for this season saw the first competition finish on Christmas Day, leaving United only a couple of months to get their act together.

As quickly as the results had begun to go against them, they were quickly turned around with those in attendance certainly getting their extra three pence worth and a lot more besides.

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opponents, way ahead of second best Johnny Carey, playing mostly as an inside-right, with five. With only seven conceded, a similar run late September, early October would certainly have secured the title and not fourth, seven points behind Blackpool.

From League North on Christmas Day to the League Cup Qualifying Competition twentyfour hours later, United found themselves up against Chester, Blackpool, Everton, Manchester City and Crewe, ten games, which strangely, then perhaps not in those complex war time years, was also called the Second Championship!

The fine run of form continued with the visit of Chester to Maine Road on Boxing Day, Bellis twice and Mitten once, scoring the goals in the 3-0 victory, but in the return fixture revenge was sweet with Chester notching a 4-1 success.

Stockport County were beaten 4-1 (A) and 3-1 (H), Manchester City 2-1 (H?) and 5-0 (A), Tranmere Rovers 5-0 (A) and 5-1 (H), Wrexham 6-1 (H) and 5-2 (A) and Bolton Wanderers 2-0 (A) and 4-0 (H). Goals aplenty, with Jack Smith leading the line in devastating fashion, netting fourteen of the forty-one put past their

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Blackpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road, but soundly defeated 5-3 in Manchester.

Everton then repeated Chester’s score line of three weeks previously, but like Blackpool, had five put past them in the return, Smith back to his scoring form with his fifth hat-trick of the season. That 5-0 victory over the Goodison Park side perhaps even more remarkable

due to the fact that United fielded a sixteen year old goalkeeper called Scales. City were a different kettle of fish though, keeping Smith and his team mates at bay in the first of the double header, which ended 0-0 and although the United goal machine managed to find the net seven days later, City earned themselves a point in the1-1 draw.

Drifting back to the November meeting between the two sides, the attendances were 9,300 and 7,000, but in the two recent head to head’s there was a considerable increase with 17,500 and 16,500 in attendance. These figures were to increase yet again, as the two sides came face to face in the First Round of the main League Cup competition, with 26, 962 watching City gain a one goal advantage in the ‘home’ first-leg, while 36,453 turned up the following week, perhaps hoping for a United revival, but if they were, they were to be disappointed, as City once again triumphed, winning the second-leg in a convincing manner 2-0.

Despite the disappointment of the defeat to the across town neighbours, there was still something to play for in the form of the Lancashire Cup. That could have read, two things still to play for, as nine of the League

Cup Qualifying ties and a somewhat random fixture against Sheffield United counted in the ‘Second Championship’, but as you have just read a few lines back, the results didn’t all go United’s way, and despite beating Sheffield United 2-0, they could only finish sixth. Even Lovell’s Athletic (a works team from a sweet factory in Newport) finished above them! Don’t ask, as I have no idea how they managed to get themselves involved.

The Lancs Cup kicked off on March 20 th against Bury at Maine Road and a Jack Rowley hat-trick and another from ‘guest’ Ivor Broadis, gave United a 4-1 advantage to take into the second leg. An advantage it certainly was, as Bury put up a brave fight, scoring thrice, but a further five United goals took united into round two.

Next up were Crewe, who had already conceded ten goals against United and they were to endure a similar fate once again, losing 4-1 and 6-0, as the Maine Road ‘guests’ moved into the semi-finals where Oldham Athletic lay in wait. Rather surprisingly, the paths of the

two clubs had not crossed already this season.

In the Maine Road first-leg, two goals from that man Jack Smith and another by Bellis gave United what was thought to be a comfortable 3-0 advantage to take to Boundary Park, but they were in for something of a shock, as Oldham turned the tables on the visitors and were to consider themselves unlucky not to claim a place in the Final having scored thrice. But they could not control the United goal machine in Jack Smith, whose solitary strike was enough to give his side a 4-3 aggregate victory.

So, Manchester United were in the cup final, albeit the Lancashire Cup final, with Liverpool standing in their way of getting their hands on the silverware.

May 8th saw United head for Liverpool and the all-important first-leg, with the ‘Liverpool Daily Post’ proclaiming that “todays tussle should be well worth seeing” and they weren’t far wrong.

That is if you were a United supporter.

Two days later, the same newspaper was

gracious in defeat, saluting United’s their “high speed” attacking play and their “accurate and wise passing”, whilst at the same time being quick to point out that despite the visitors 3-1 victory, the margin was not too big for Liverpool to pull back.

Liverpool had been arguably a better side than United over the course of the season and this was to be a strong feature in the second-leg seven days later.

United increased their overall advantage with two Jack Rowley goals before Balmer pulled one back shortly before half time. Roughton then gave United a 3-1 lead ten minutes after the interval only to find themselves pegged back onto level terms as Balmer claimed his hat trick. Those goals, however, were little than consolation efforts as United stood firm as Liverpool mounted a late assault and the Lancashire Cup travelled back to Manchester on a jubilant team bus.

Happy days were here again, but the war in Europe lingered on.

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

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MixedMANCUNIANPlatter

by Karm Galea

On what was stolen from Manchester United supporters ….. and the thieving Scousers It has been claimed that Liverpool fans stole their “You’ll Never Walk Alone” anthem from Manchester United supporters.

The street in question is Sundell Street in Collyhurst near Stiles’ old primary school. This will now be named Nobby Stiles Drive.

On the 1966 World Cup Winners, including Nobby Stiles and Alzheimer’s condition.

We old-timers remember how almost 50 years ago, Nobby Stiles and fellow Martin Peters and Ray Wilson were revelling in glory as they lifted the World Cup but these three are now battling with Alzheimer’s disease. This condition is feared to have come about by the repeated heading of the traditional heavy leather case balls.

Neuroscientist Dr. Michael Grey said that persistent “microdamage” caused to the brain can result in dementia. There are concerns they may not be able to be present for the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of this win.

Grandmother Jane Hardwick, a Manchester United supporter from East Lancs Road, is claiming that the song made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers was originally sung by thousands of fans and herself at Old Trafford long before it became associated with Liverpool.

Jane, who is now 61, was a teenage opera singer when the tragic Munich air crash happened in 1958. As her special tribute to the Busby Babes, heartbroken Jane convinced her friends from the New Mills Operatic Society in Derbyshire to join her in a rousing rendition of the song at one of the games following the tragedy.

The tune had been written for the 1945 musical Carousel, which Jane and her friends were rehearsing at the time. The pals started singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, which was soon caught up by the thousands in attendance at Old Trafford.

However, during the 1960s, the song was adopted by Liverpool fans.

Jane was just six weeks old when she was taken for the first time to Old Trafford by her father and grandfather. She never dreamed it would become the anthem of our old rivals, but she wanted to put the record straight about where the song originated from on the terraces.

A spokesperson for Liverpool said that as far as they are aware, the song was first sung at Anfield in 1963.

On Monday 25th April 2016, Liverpool’s current wait for a title is now longer than United’s 26year barren run.

United’s barren run started on 6th May 1967 when they lifted the First Division Championship and ended when they lifted the Premier League title on 3rd May 1993. That means 9,494 days.

Liverpool’s last title was won on 28th April 1990, which means that on Monday 25th April 2016, that title-less run will have lasted 9,494 days.

Now it’s still counting.

Ray Wilson, now 81 was diagnosed with the condition in 2004, Martin Peters, 72, three years ago and our Nobby Stiles, 73, four years ago.

Furthermore, Jackie Charlton is now suffering from memory loss and Sir Alf had the condition in the years before his death at 79.

To mark this event, a limited number of T-shirts showing a banana tree with Stevie G hiding behind it are being sold at the Liverpool store.

Our Nobby is also battling prostate cancer and is too ill to attend the World Cup winning team’s annual reunion.

Oh if only massive Stevie G had not encountered that pesky banana skin, things might have been different for them.

On Ferguson and how his way was paved.

This, I guess, is for old timers like me. There are plenty at the club and I am sure all of them remember very well that period in time.

On Nobby Stiles and the street named after him A street is being name after Nobby Stiles, in the town where he was born. This honour comes 50 years after England’s 1966 World Cup triumph.

The Munich tragedy occurred in 1958. The song was first sung at Anfield in 1963. Make your own conclusions.

On United and congratulations to that club for breaking our record Manchester United had gone 26 years without a championship. It was one of the most frequently heard jokes in the game.

Liverpool had won the title in 1990 and the last Manchester United championship trophy was won in 1967.

Who could ever forget seeing Nobby Stiles with his false teeth and World Cup trophy in his hand as he danced a jig on the pitch, in celebration.

Stiles is now 73.

In 1980s, Southampton’s former manager Laurie McMenemy revealed why he had turned down the opportunity of managing Manchester United, thus paving the way for Alex Ferguson.

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In 1976, McMenemy and Second Division Southampton had famously upset Tommy Doherty’s rampant new young United in the FA Cup Final, winning the trophy 1-0. Replays showed that there was more than a hint of offside about the goal but the referee of that time let it count (another of the many instances in United history leading to potential glory being affected by bad refereeing decisions).

McMenemy went on to take Southampton to the then-First Division, even finishing second in one League campaign. This further enhanced his CV, which was noticed by the United directors who were on the search for a replacement to Dave Sexton.

McMenemy was invited by Sir Matt to dinner at the Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester in February of 1981. The reason for this was to sound McMenemy up. Sir Matt was impressed. When Sexton was sacked, the then-chairman Martin Edwards set about to recruit the Southampton manager, but McMenemy turned United down.

Eventually McMenemy lifted the lid on why he did that in his autobiography. Basically he wrote that United were massive (even at that time) as an institution compared to any club he had been involved with. That meant that he would have had so many things other than pure football matters to contend with.

He cited that he was worried about the security of his family and uprooting his children in the middle of their education. He was worried about leaving the family for a long period before they settled in a new home in or near Manchester.

It seemed money was not the problem and it was not discussed with Edwards.

Eventually, McMenemy took the decision not to accept United’s offer but offered to help with the recruitment of a new manager. Eventually Edwards sent him a list of suitable names. Ron Atkinson was on it and McMenemy was happy to endorse him as he had the personality to cope with the job.

On Martial and the 1000th A new record was set after the Everton game.

and will love him even more after what he has recently revealed.

Reports in the Daily Mail say that according to members of Rashford’s boyhood club Fletcher Moss Rangers, 11 years ago Marcus was given the chance to sign for Liverpool but at only 7 years of age, Marcus knew his future was to stay at Old Trafford and he refused to sign. We love him even more for that.

On Juan Mata and his willingness to take a pay cut Speaking to Spanish TV program Salvados, Juan Mata revealed that he so understands supporters’ unhappiness at the way ticket prices have become extortionate that he is prepared to take a pay cut.

Mata does not enjoy the business side of football but he loves the game, the training and the competition.

His first professional contract was at Real Madrid Castilla at 18 years of age. He was earning something like Euro 90,000 a year. He thinks that it’s like living in a bubble, being very well remunerated with a ridiculous amount. At present he thinks he is earning a normal wage with respect to world football, but compared to 99.9% of Spain and the rest of the world, he earns an obscene amount.

Mata feels that the life of a footballer is not normal. It sometimes scares him to think how protected he is. The smallest problem and someone will come and fix it for him. That is one of the aspects in which he does not live a normal life.

On Giggs and his accolade Giggs made his debut for United 25 years ago and made 963 appearances for the club, tearing opponents apart since 1991, winning 13 Premier League title medals in the process.

The 1,000th Old Trafford goal was scored since the start of the Premier League back in 1992.

And that was scored by none other than Anthony Martial. At that point Arsenal ranked second with 85 goals less scored at their stadium.

On Marcus Rashford and his recent revelation Marcus came through the Old Trafford ranks in a rapid rise to the top. Fans already love him

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In comparison, Stevie G spent 17 years at Anfield and did not even win one ribbon from which a Premier League winner’s medal dangles.

We can say, with tongue in cheek as a passing mention perhaps, that Giggs also won nine FA Community Shields, three Football League Cups, four FA Cups, two Champions League medals, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup: quite a crowded list of honours.

And that’s not all.

As an individual he won: • The PFA Young Player of the year twice.

• The PFA Team of the Year six times.

• The PFA Team of the Century once.

• The PFA Players’ Player of the Year once.

• The FWA Tribute Award.

• The Bravo Award.

• The BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

• The BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year twice.

• The GO Sportsman of the Year once.

• The Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year once.

• The Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year twice.

• The Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (19922002): Overall Team of the Decade.

• The Premier League 20 Seasons Awards (19922012): Most Player Appearances (596).

• The UEFA Champions League 10 Seasons Dream Team (1992-2002).

• The Wales Player of the Year Award twice.

• The Premier League Player of the Month three times.

• The Goal of the Season Award once.

• The Golden Foot once.

• The English Football Hall of Fame Inductee.

• The Order of the British Empire for services to football.

• An Honorary Master of Arts degree from Salford University for contributions to football and charity work in developing countries.

• The Freedom of the City of Salford.

Further than this, Ryan Giggs’ record reads: • Most Premier League appearances as a player.

• Most Premier League assists.

• Only player to have played in 22 successive Premier League seasons.

• Only player to have scored in 21 successive Premier League seasons.

• Only player to have scored in 17 different Champions League tournaments.

• Most goals by a British player in the Champions League/European Cup. • Most UEFA Champions League appearances.

• Most starts by a Manchester United player, starting in 784 games.

• First player to score 100 Premier League goals for Manchester United.

• Oldest player (37 years, 289 days) to score in the Champions League, when he scored against Benfica on September 14th, 2011.

• Oldest player (38 years, 243 days) to score in the Football competition at the Summer Olympics, when he scored against United Arab Emirates on July 29, 2012.

On Sir Bobby and the surprising Gary Neville revelation On the occasion of the renaming of the South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Neville revealed that his biggest memories of Sir Bobby are of him travelling on the European trips away from home with the squad and that Sir Bobby used to join in training with the young lads the night before the game. Gary Neville said he thought Sir Bobby was still incredible and one could see his technique was fantastic.

On United and when they made Kevin Keegan see red Twenty years have passed since the famous Kevin Keegan quote: ‘I will love it if we beat them. Love it’. It remains one of the Premier League’s most unforgettable moments.

On Welbeck and what on earth?

Louis Van Gaal received heavy criticism from supporters for letting Welbeck join Arsenal in the late hours of the summer transfer window deadline two years ago. But according to Squawks, it was actually Ferguson who helped Welbeck secure a £16million deal with his boyhood club after convincing Wenger not to miss out on the England striker.

Ferguson explained that Welbeck only ever needed being told something once in training and was a quick learner who would always follow instructions. He also complimented Welbeck’s energy, work rate and team ethic.

Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Scholes all questioned the club’s decision at the time but it turned out that Ferguson had a huge influence in the deal, telling Wenger that he (Wenger) would be mad not to sign Danny Welbeck.

What on earth will you, United fans, make of this? Was it a case of Ferguson putting spokes in the wheels of United progress after he left, perhaps to enhance his position as the manager who brought the most fame to the club?

Truth can be stranger than fiction.

On De Gea and the one that counted As revealed by Louis Van Gaal, during training David De Gea failed to stop any spot kicks in preparation for the FA Cup semi final game against Everton.

It was April 29, 1996. Manchester United was leading the table. Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle won 1-0 at Leeds to close the gap to three points with a game in hand and two more to go.

Gary Neville’s initial meeting with Sir Bob happened when he used to go and watch the youth teams. Then he would go down into the dressing room and shake hands with all and pass a good and uplifting word.

That is the type of club Gary Neville knows when he and his colleagues were coming up the ranks. They knew Ferguson and Sir Bobby were always watching the youth team. Sir Bob was a great supporter of youth football at the club, obviously himself being a product of the youth team.

On former United players and Salford City Salford City, owned by Peter Lim, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, has been promoted to the sixth tier of English football for the first time. This means that Salford City will play in the National League North next season.

The club was promoted last season and this term reached the FA Cup second round, featuring in live TV games against Notts County and Hartlepool United.

20 penalties were taken during an exercise in penalty taking and attempted stopping. Romero saved one but De Gea missed them all.

It was the important one that counted, the 21st, and De Gea made it count.

Their progress was followed in a two-part BBC documentary ‘Out of Their League’, which has been commissioned for a second series.

The mind games were on. After the Leeds game, Ferguson had suggested the likes of Nottingham Forest might not try as hard against Newcastle as they did against United. Newcastle was due to play away at Nottingham Forest. United had beaten Forest 5-0 a few weeks before.

Keegan took the bait and said that Ferguson can be told that Newcastle are still fighting for the title and that he has got to take his team to Middlesbrough and get something out of there, and that’s when he blurted out the I-will-loveit-if-we-beat-them, adding that Manchester United had not won this league yet.

Apparently, the masterful bout of mind games worked, as Newcastle was held to a 1-1 draw by Forest. The same score was recorded against Tottenham in the following game.

United went to Middlesbrough and won 3-0 and the title was won by four points, after Newcastle had led the table by 12 points at one stage.

On Sir Bobby and his Order of Merit award Sir Bobby received an Order of Merit award in recognition of his lifelong service to football.

This prestigious award came one month after the 78-year old had the ‘South Stand’ at Old Trafford renamed in his honour to celebrate his service to the Club.

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Review of the 2015/16

UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League

by Antoine Dalli

Real Madrid’s and Sevilla’s successes extend Spanish dominance in Europe I recall writing in the June 2015 edition of the Echoes: “History teaches that European dominance travels in cycles. By way of example, in the late 1980s till the late 1990s, we had witnessed the dominance of Italian clubs in Europe. Nowadays, Serie A clubs seldom make inroads on the continent. To an extent that the last Italian club to lift the Europa League is Parma in 1998/99”.

In the same article I had also made reference to Barclays Premier League (BPL) clubs’ more recent dominance particularly in the Champions League: “at least one BPL side featured in seven out of eight Champions League finals between seasons 2004/05 and 2011/12. The only exception was in 2009/10, when Inter claimed their first European Cup since 1964/65 at the expense of Louis van Gaal’s Bayern Munich. During this trophy-laden era for BPL clubs, there was also the all-English final of 2007/08, won by Manchester United against Chelsea after a penalty shoot-out”.

Barring some minor exceptions, the last years have definitely proved to be disappointing for English and Italian clubs. By stark contrast, Spanish clubs have won both European club competitions for each of the last three seasons, with Sevilla lifting the Europa League for the third time in a row and Real Madrid claiming their second Champions League in the last three years.

Moreover, eight of the last 13 teams to win the Europa League were Spanish La Liga outfits – Valencia (2003/04), Sevilla (five times – 2005/06, 2006/07, 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16) and Atletico Madrid (twice – 2009/10 and 2011/12).

Barcelona (three times – 2008/09, 2010/11 and 2014/15) and Real Madrid (twice – 2013/14 and 2015/16) have claimed five of the last eight editions of the Champions League – UEFA’s flagship competition. Inter (2009/10), Chelsea (2011/12) and Bayern Munich (2012/13) were the only non-Spanish outfits to lift the coveted Champions League trophy.

Overall, Spanish clubs lead with 16 European Cup and 10 Europa League successes.

Current second best are Italian clubs with 12 Champions League and nine Europa League victories, whereas so far, English clubs have claimed 12 European Cups and seven times the Europa League (formerly known as UEFA Cup).

Third all-Spanish Champions League Final The legendary Giuseppe Meazza Stadium provided the setting for last month’s Champions League Final (the fourth European Cup showdown to be played in Milan after the ones of 1964/65, 1969/70 and 2000/01) between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid: a replica of the 2013/14 Final played at Benfica’s Stadium of Light, which was the first ever final in the European Cup’s 59-year history to be contested by two teams from the same city.

On May 24 2014, Spanish international defender Sergio Ramos’ last gasp equaliser had given Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid a lifeline as Atletico Madrid were moments away from their first ever European crown.

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Bayern Munich 4-3 after a penalty shootout in their own Allianz Arena on May 19, 2012.

Manchester United were ‘relegated’ to the Europa League after finishing third in Group B (a modest group which also comprised Wolfsburg, PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow); Chelsea and Arsenal were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona respectively in the first knock-out stage, whereas Manchester City were ousted by Real Madrid in the semis.

Eventually, Diego Simeone’s men crumbled in extra time and paved the way for Real Madrid’s ‘La Decima’ (10th European Cup in the club’s glorious history).

Fast forward two years and Real-Atletico crossed swords again in the final of UEFA’s premier club competition – the third allSpanish final (the first one was contested

by Real Madrid-Valencia, finishing with a score of 3-0 in season 1999/2000 at Stade de France in Paris). This time around, Los Blancos opened the score through a Ramos scrappy goal but needed penalties to claim their record-extending “La Undécima”. This meant that Real Madrid have won two of the last three editions of the Euro-laden Champions League. For the interest of perspectives, last season’s edition was also won by a Spanish club – Barcelona.

On the night, Real Madrid perhaps deserved to be crowned European kings. However, considering that Atletico Madrid had knocked out none other than Barcelona and Bayern Munich – considered by many as the strongest teams in the competition – on their way to reaching their third European Cup final (following the ones lost against Bayern Munich in a replay in 1973/74 and Real Madrid

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two years ago), Simeone’s men deserved better treatment.

Zinedine Zidane proved to be Real Madrid’s winning card in the outgoing season. Under Rafa Benitez, Real Madrid were simply heading nowhere and they showed the Spaniard the backdoor in the beginning of this year. Two years ago, 1998 Ballon d’Or winner Zidane was Ancelotti’s assistant when Real Madrid lifted the Champions League and Copa del Rey. Last month, by helping Real Madrid win their 11th European Cup, Zidane emulated Miguel Muñoz (Real Madrid 1956, 1957; Real Madrid 1960, 1966); Giovanni Trapattoni (Milan 1963, 1969; Juventus 1985); Johan Cruyff (Ajax 1971, 1972; Barcelona 1992); Carlo Ancelotti (Milan 1989, 1990; Milan 2003, 2007, Real Madrid 2014); Frank Rijkaard (Milan 1989, 1990, Ajax 1995; Barcelona 2006); Josep Guardiola (Barcelona 1992; Barcelona 2009, 2011) by becoming the seventh man to lift the European Cup both as player and coach.

Premier League connection at San Siro No Barclays Premier League club has reached the Champions League Final since Chelsea, led by caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo, stunned German powerhouse

Nonetheless, there was still a Premier League connection to the San Siro final as County Durham official Mark Clattenburg became the first official since Howard Webb, who oversaw the 2009/10 Champions League final Inter-Bayern Munich at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, to land the m ost p rest i g i o us appointment in European club football.

For the record, the 41-year-old Clattenburg also officiated the 2015/16 FA Cup final in which Man United overcame Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time to bring the curtains down on Louis van Gaal’s two-year stint with the Red Devils.

Liverpool, buoyed by a Daniel Sturridge 35th minute exquisite strike, seemed well on their way to lifting their fourth Europa League (formerly known as UEFA Cup) – the first since beating Spanish side Alavés in an epic 5-4 final win (after extra time) in season 2000/01.

However, Sevilla had other ideas as they scored three times after the break to lift a recordextending fifth Europa League – their third on the trot following their successes against Benfica and Dnipro.

In this competition, Manchester United was knocked out by bitter rivals Liverpool 1-3 on aggregate in the Round of 16. Tottenham were ousted by Borussia Dortmund 1-5 on aggregate also in the Round of 16. After labouring to knock out local side B’Kara, West Ham were knocked out in the third qualifying round by Romanian unknowns Astra Giurgiu (3-4 on aggregate). Southampton were eliminated in the play-off round of this competition as they went down to Midtjylland of Denmark 1-2 on aggregate.

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

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Major League’s Modest Leicester break big boys’ dominance in England Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain confirm their supremacies

by Antoine Dalli

B

efore the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League got underway in August, Leicester’s chances of becoming England champions were rated 5,000-1 – almost next to impossible. But Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester did it at the expense of far more quoted sides like Manchester City, Manchester United, outgoing champions Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

To trace the original beginnings of Leicester’s triumph, one must go back to April 2015. This time a year ago, Leicester was in party mood, having secured their top-flight status on the final day of the 2014/15 season.

By the end of March 2015, Nigel Pearson’s Leicester had only managed four victories in the Barclays Premier League, but the Foxes then won six of their last eight outings to avoid the drop by a whisker. The season before, Leicester was still playing Championship football.

their third title in their history faded towards the end of the season particularly due to their lack of strength in depth. Arsenal, once again, promised a lot but delivered little and eventually finished runners-up 10 points behind Leicester.

Arsenal’s last league title dates back to season 2003/04 – the season of the Invincibles.

against Udinese (0-1) and Roma (1-2). Juve recorded their first league success on the fourth day (a 2-0 away success at Genoa). By the 10th day, Massimiliano Allegri’s side had already suffered four defeats. Apart from Udinese and Roma, Napoli (2-1) and Sassuolo (1-0) were Juve’s other executors.

Manchester City’s season suffered an irreversible dip ever since Pep Guardiola made public his intentions of joining the Citizens as from 1 July.

The Citizens lifted their fourth League Cup after beating Liverpool with a penalty shoot-out.

Juve’s comeback started with a stoppage time winner, scored by Juan Cuadrado, against city neighbours Torino on the 11th day. Juve built on that hard-fought win and went on to record 26 wins, feature in only one draw (0-0 against Bologna on the 26th day) and suffer just one defeat (1-2 against Verona on the penultimate day) in their remaining 28 games. Juve finished the season nine points clear of runners-up Napoli.

Manchester United was never in contention for the title. Coach Louis van Gaal’s defensive system and the side’s blunt attack hindered the Red Devils in no small way. Therefore, Manchester United’s fifth place finish came as no surprise.

At least, Manchester United found a little consolation at the end of the season after beating minnows Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time to lift their 12th FA Cup. Chelsea never recovered from a horrible start and eventually settled for 10th place. Harry Kane of Tottenham finished top-scorer of the Barclays Premier League with 25 goals (five from penalties). Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa were relegated.

Ranieri – their much-travelled Italian coach – built on Leicester’s late burst to lead the side to their first ever Premier League title in the club’s 132-year history. In a way, Leicester reflected Ranieri’s story in that both needed to bounce back following a turbulent and uninspiring period. Suffice to say that in the space of five years, Ranieri was sacked by Juventus, Roma, Inter, Monaco and the Greek Football Federation.

Tottenham also had a remarkable campaign and had their first English Premier League title since 1960/61 within their sights for most of the campaign. However, Spurs’ quest for only

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Juventus confirmed their domestic dominance after lifting their 11th Coppa Italia, courtesy of Milan. The Bianconeri thus became the first Italian club to complete the domestic double (Scudetto and Coppa Italia) in back-to-back seasons. On August 8, 2015 Juventus also beat Lazio 2-0 in China to lift the Italian Super Cup. The Southerners also enjoyed a good season – their first under new coach Maurizio Sarri.

There was a time when Napoli were leading the standings themselves but they lost their momentum ever since they went down to a Simone Zaza last-gasp goal against Juventus on the 25th day.

Napoli’s Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain finished top-scorer of the Serie A with 36 goals (three from penalties). Thanks to this tally, the much sought after Higuain broke Milan forward Gunnar Nordahl’s 66-year-old record of scoring 35 times in 37 matches in 1949/50.

In the Serie A, Juventus recovered remarkably from a stuttering start. The Bianconeri had started the season with back-to-back defeats

Roma, which finished 3rd, two points behind Napoli, resorted to the change of coach after the end of the first round. Luciano Spalletti made a headline grabbing return to the capital after

Round Up replacing Rudi Garcia. Under the Frenchman’s guidance, Roma’s record was nine wins and seven draws in 19 outings (an average of 1.79 points per game). Roma stepped up several gears ever since Spalletti took over the reins of the team: 14 wins, four draws and only one defeat (an average of 2.42 points per game).

Inter, which were top of the table until after the Christmas recess, faded as the competition intensified and eventually settled for a modest fourth place. Milan did even worse as they finished seventh. Their 0-1 defeat (after extra time) against Juventus in the Coppa Italia final meant that Milan will not participate in next season’s European club competitions.

Sassuolo were the surprise package of the 2015/16 Serie A. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side will be Italy’s third representatives (alongside Inter and Fiorentina) in the 2016/17 Europa League thanks to their sixth place finish. For the interest of perspectives, Sassuolo made their Serie A debut only three years ago. Like Leicester, Sassuolo proved that money alone does not buy success.

By March, Luis Enrique’s side seemed almost certain to win their second successive La Liga title when they built a seemingly unassailable nine-point lead.

However, three straight defeats against Real Madrid (1-2), Real Sociedad (0-1) and Valencia (1-2) brought Barcelona back down to earth. It was the first time that the Catalans lost three on the bounce in La Liga since 2003, at a time when Louis van Gaal was in charge of their team.

This dip in results also coincided with Barcelona’s elimination from the quarterfinals of the Champions League at the hands of eventual runners-up Atletico Madrid. However, towards the end of the campaign Barcelona recovered their lost form and finished the season on a high by winning both the La Liga title and their 28th Copa del Rey (against Sevilla 2-0 after extra time).

There was a point (in February/March) when nearest pursuers Borussia Dortmund closed the gap with respect to Bayern to just five points.

However, by the end of the season, Bayern confirmed their dominance with a 10 point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga final standings. Bayern also defeated Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final 4-3 after a penalty shoot-out. Victory in the DFB Cup brought the curtains down on Guardiola’s three-year stint with Bayern, during which the Spaniard helped the German powerhouse clinch seven titles.

Bayer Leverkusen – 2002 UEFA Champions League beaten finalists – and Borussia Moenchengladbach will be Germany’s two other representatives in the 2016/17 Champions League. On the wrong side of the table, Eintracht Frankfurt, 2007 Bundesliga winners VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 were relegated.

Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villareal will be Spain’s other representatives in the 2016/17 Champions League. By stark contrast, Rayo Vallecano, Getafe and Levante found their way out of La Liga.

On the other hand, Carpi and Frosinone made their way out of the Serie A after just one season amongst the elite. 1984/85 Italian champions Verona were relegated after three successive seasons in the Serie A.

In Spain, Barcelona clinched their 24th La Liga title in a title race that went straight to the wire.

In Germany, Bayern Munich found little, if any, resistance to clinching their 26th Bundesliga title – their fourth in a row. Bayern dominated from the word go. News, made official as early as January, that coach Guardiola was leaving the club at the end of the season to join cashrich Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League as from 2016/17 did little to jeopardise Bayern’s title quest.

In France, cash-rich PSG were heads and shoulders better than the rest. Laurent Blanc’s side cruised to their fourth straight (overall sixth) Ligue 1 title, no fewer than 31 points better off than nearest pursuers Lyon and Monaco. Paris Saint-Germain’s star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic finished top-scorer in Ligue 1 after scoring 38 goals (five from penalties).

PSG, which lifted the 1995/96 Cup Winners’ Cup, retained both the French Cup (after beating Marseille 4-2) and the French League Cup (after beating Lille 2-1) for the second season running. Reims, GFC Ajaccio and Troyes were relegated to Ligue 2.

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End of Season Review

by Michael Gatt Van Gaal’s Downfall Leads to Fresh Beginning t’s official. Louis van Gaal’s reign is over. The rumours started circulating on the morning of the FA Cup Final, where whatever the outcome of the game, there was no way out for Louis Van Gaal. Finishing in fourth place in the league and winning the FA Cup would have been on the “edge of satisfactory”, as United legend Paul Scholes put it. After finishing outside the Champions League spots it was impossible to even imagine that Van Gaal would have kept his job.

FA Cup Final nited looked on course to end the season empty-handed as well as missing out on UEFA Champions League football when substitute Jason Puncheon’s powerful far-post finish put Palace ahead with 12 minutes left.

I

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It was harsh on United, who had hit the woodwork through Fellaini and Anthony Martial, but they responded within four minutes with a brilliant run from Wayne Rooney that ended with Juan Mata scoring from close range.

Van Gaal was adamant he was going to stay at United for next season. In fact, he also gave all the players an individual program in order to maintain some sort of level of fitness during their holidays.

Van Gaal was not handed the easiest of tasks, coming in after a truly forgettable season under David Moyes, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have done a few things differently.

He spent no less than £250m on players, and most of his signings have been questionable.

Take away Daley Blind and Martial, his other signings – for instance Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Rojo, and Di Maria - never hit the real heights expected of them at United. I would say that this contributed to his major downfall, not to mention Luke Shaw’s unfortunate injury at the beginning of the season. Shaw’s injury can be considered as having a devastating effect on United and the outcome of the past season.

His injury came at a very bad timing for United and Van Gaal did not really replace Shaw’s massive impact, not that there are many players who can. The game plan at the beginning of the season was to base our game on the full backs, where they were likely to bombard forward, playing with two central midfielders for cover, and having a balance of pace and superb technique in front in order to create the right formula to break down teams.

I believe that this was Van Gaal’s philosophy.

United lost Smalling to a second yellow card for hauling back Yannick Bolasie in extra time - but Lingard took the trophy to Old Trafford when he lashed home a first-time strike from Damien Delaney’s half-clearance after 110 minutes.

and considering their inexperience, I think they did rather well. The victory at home to Arsenal stands out as United that day were so depleted and had to dig deep to get a good result, thanks to the positive performance of the young players.

On the pitch supporters’ frustrations have grown. I went to Old Trafford in December to watch the home game against Chelsea and it is not so common to witness such tension at the home ground with supporters not confident of a win. The former Netherlands manager was praised for his unconventional substitutions during the World Cup, but the contrast with Van Gaal’s changes during United games is seismic. Throwing on the inexperienced Nick Powell for Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini in losses against Wolfsburg and Bournemouth made sense to very few, not to mention how he chose Phil Jones to distribute corners.

It was a victory that clearly meant so much to Van Gaal as the normally passive manager raced from his seat in the technical area to celebrate Lingard’s winner. He has got a bit of criticism for sitting down too much on the bench and not showing any emotion. I was glad he ended his tenure at Man United on a high. I don’t remember any tenure of a manager where there have been so many high points and low points during a particular reign. However, everyone is judged on results.

Manchester United needed a serial winner to restore the team’s status as a European powerhouse. José Mourinho craved an iconic stage like Old Trafford to remind the world of his rare talent as a coach. Mourinho’s appointment will likely not be universally welcomed by United fans. United has a long-held tradition of giving youngsters and academy graduates a chance, but Mourinho has established a reputation of over-looking such players for ready-made purchases. He will play the same eleven, week in, week out, and is desperate to restore the winning sense at Old Trafford. Only time will tell whether he is successful.

On a more positive note, the Dutchman has trimmed the squad of its deadwood and initiated a much-needed rebuilding process post-Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Players such as Jonny Evans, Tom Cleverley, Bébé and Anderson were no longer needed at United and most supporters were glad to see their exit. Yet, fans were also disappointed to see popular players such as Rafael da Silva, Javier Hernandez and academy graduate Danny Welbeck leave the club. Allowing the latter to join Arsenal did nothing to endear Van Gaal with the fans. This was also the reason why so many younger players emerged, with the likes of the Borthwick-Jackson, Rashford, Varela and Lingard getting decent game time,

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FIXTURES 2015-2016 Premier League

02/03/16 Manchester United 0 – 1 Watford De Gea – Darmian – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling - Blind – Lingard – Herrera – Rashford – Martial – Herrera Sub(s) – Memphis – Fosu-Mensah – Schneiderlin Scorer(s) – 20/03/16 Manchester City 0 – 1 Manchester United De Gea – Darmian – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Schneiderlin – Rashford – Martial – Mata Sub(s) – Fosu-Mensah – Schweinsteiger – Valencia Scorer(s) – Rashford Manchester United 1 – 0 Everton De Gea – Darmian – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Schneiderlin – Rashford – Martial – Mata Sub(s) – Fosu-Mensah – Herrera – Valencia Scorer(s) – Martial 10/04/16 Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 0 Manchester United De Gea – Fosu-Mensah – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Schneiderlin – Rashford – Martial – Mata Sub(s) – Darmian – Memphis – Young Scorer(s) –

16/04/16 Manchester United 1 – 0 Aston Villa De Gea – Valencia – Rojo – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Mata – Fellaini – Rashford – Rooney – Memphis Sub(s) – Fosu-Mensah – Lingard – Martial Scorer(s) – Rashford 20/04/16 Manchester United 2 – 0 Crystal Palace De Gea – Valencia – Darmian – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Mata – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Memphis – Fellaini – Herrera Scorer(s) – Darmian – own goal 01/05/16 Manchester United 1 -1 Leicester City De Gea – Valencia – Rojo – Carrick –Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Memphis – Herrera – Mata Scorer(s) – Martial 07/05/16 Norwich City 0 – 1 Manchester United De Gea – Valencia –Darmian – Carrick – Smalling – Rojo – Mata – Herrera – Lingard – Rooney – Memphis Sub(s) – Borthwick-Jackson – Fosu-Mensah – Schneiderlin Scorer(s) – Mata

10/05/16 West Ham United 3 – 2 Manchester United De Gea – Valencia – Rojo – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind- Mata – Herrera – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Carrick – Januzaj – Lingard Scorer(s) – Martial (2) 17/05/16 Manchester United 3 – 0 Bournemouth De Gea – Valencia –Borthwick-Jackson – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Mata – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Memphis – Herrera – Young Scorer(s) – Rashford – Rooney – Young

Europa League

Round of 16 – 1st Leg 10/03/16 Liverpool 2 – 0 Manchester United De Gea – Varela – Rojo – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Mata – Fellaini – Rashford – Martial – Memphis Sub(s) – Carrick – Herrera – Schweinsteiger Scorer(s) – Round of 16 – 2nd Leg 17/03/16 Manchester United 1 – 1 Liverpool De Gea – Varela – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Rashford – Martial – Mata Sub(s) – Darmian – Schweinsteiger – Valencia Scorer(s) – Martial

FA Cup

6th Round 13/03/16 Manchester United 1 – 1 West Ham United De Gea – Varela – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Rashford – Martial – Herrera Sub(s) – Darmian – Memphis – Schweinsteiger Scorer(s) – Martial 6th Round Replay 13/04/16 West Ham United 1 – 2 Manchester United De Gea – Fosu-Mensah – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Rashford – Martial – Herrera Sub(s) – Rooney – Schneiderlin – Valencia Scorer(s) – Fellaini – Rashford

Semi-Final

23/04/16 Manchester United 2 – 1 Everton De Gea – Fosu-Mensah – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Herrera – Valencia Scorer(s) – Fellaini – Martial

FINAL

21/05/16 Manchester United 2 – 1 Crystal Palace De Gea – Valencia – Rojo – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Mata – Fellaini – Rashford – Rooney – Martial Sub(s) – Darmian – Lingard – Young Scorer(s) – Lingard - Mata

PLAYER’S APPEARANCES 2015-2016 NAME

PREMIERSHIP

Blind Smalling Mata De Gea Martial Rooney Carrick Schneiderlin Lingard Darmian Depay Herrera Rojo Fellaini Schweinsteiger Rashford Young Valencia Varela Romero Borthwick Shaw Jones Fosu-Mensah McMair Januzaj Pereira Love Riley Wilson Hernandez Keane Powell Poole Weir

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35 35 34 (4) 34 29 (2) 27 (1) 22 (6) 25 (4) 19 (6) 24 (4) 16 (13) 17 (10) 15 (1) 16 (6) 13 (5) 11 11 (7) 8 (6) 3 (1) 4 6 (4) 5 6 (4) 2 (6) 3 (5) 2 (3) 0 (4) 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 (1)

FA CUP 7 7 4 6 7 4 (1) 4 (1) 2 (1) 5 (2) 1 (2) 1 (2) 4 (2) 4 6 1 (1) 4 0 (1) 1 (2) 3 1 3 5 0 2 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0

LEAGUE CUP 2 2 1 1 0 (2) 1 (1) 1 0 1 1 1 (1) 1 1 2 1 0 1 (1) 1 0 1 0 5 0 (1) 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 7 (1) 8 6 (1) 6 6 6 3 (1) 4 4 6 6 (2) 3 (1) 3 (1) 1 (5) 6 (2) 0 2 (3) 2 (1) 1 2 0 (1) 3 1 (1) 0 0 2 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 (1) 0 0

OTHER MATCHES 4 3 4 2 3 0 3 (1) 2 (1) 3 0 (1) 3 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 0 (2) 3 0 0 (1) 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 (2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0

TOTAL APPEARANCES 55 (1) 55 49 (5) 49 45 (4) 38 (3) 33 (9) 33 (6) 32 (8) 32 (7) 27 (18) 27 (14) 25 (3) 23 (11) 21 (10) 18 14 (12) 12 (10) 10 (1) 10 9 (5) 8 7 (6) 4 (6) 4 (5) 4 (3) 2 (9) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 0 (3) 0 (2) 0 (2) 0 (1) 0 (1)

GOALS 2 2 10 0 17 15 0 1 6 0 7 5 0 4 1 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0