Echoes from Old Trafford - March 2016

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 43- Issue 3, March 2016

“Sir Alex Ferguson sat me down with my dad and said I’d be ready for the first team at 22.”

Jesse Lingard

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

In this issue 3  EDITORIAL (MALTESE).......................................................................... 5  CLUB NEWS.......................................................................................... 6  FRESH BLOOD................................................................................... 10  HOW UNITED CAN REGAIN TITLE CREDENTIALS?................................13  ANTHONY MARTIAL........................................................................... 14  TO BE OR NOT TO BE.......................................................................... 17  MANCHESTER................................................................................... 18  ERIC CANTONA – THE KING............................................................... 21  WHAT IS A SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT FOR UNITED THIS SEASON?....23  WHEN PATIENCE WEARS THIN.......................................................... 24  IS MANCHESTER UNITED TOO TACTICAL?.......................................... 27  NOSTALGIA OF ROY KEANE............................................................... 29  BOOK REVIEW................................................................................... 31  RIVALRY – WELCOME TO MANCHESTER........................................... 32  MANAGERS ON THE BRINK............................................................... 39  FIFA… WHAT’S NEXT?....................................................................... 42  PAUL ANTHONY INTERVIEW WITH DAVE JONES................................. 45  INTERVIEW WITH MUSC MALTA VICE-PRESIDENT.............................. 47  THE WAR YEARS................................................................................ 53  MIXED MANCUNIAN PLATTER............................................................ 59  THE RISE AND FALL OF UNITED… WE WILL RISE AGAIN......................63  MAJOR LEAGUE’S ROUND-UP........................................................... 66  SEASON SO FAR............................................................................... 69  STATISTICS & RESULTS..................................................................... 72  EDITORIAL (ENGLISH)...........................................................................

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

Advertising Executive

Felix Galea

ICT Manager, Sports & Social Activities Coordinator Gozo representatives ­ Joe Xerri · Stefan Attard translator Tiziana Caruana spiritual director Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante (Carmelite)

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

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 3 - MARCH 2016

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The Echoes Editorial Board & the Committee of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta would like to wish you and your families a Happy Easter.

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VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

Editorial A LITTLE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL I

t goes without saying that it’s not been the best of times for Manchester United fans. Accustomed to winning, being first in the league and doing well in Europe, we’ve had to acclimatise ourselves to new and unfamiliar territory.

It has certainly been frustrating to witness the team having to chase the league leaders all the time. Whilst we’ve had to endure so much pain and indignation seeing United drop careless points, we have been blessed with one of the most exciting Premier League seasons ever. It’s been quite a long time since four teams were chasing the title. With Leicester, Tottenham, City and Arsenal still battling it out, whatever happens to United this season, the Premier League has certainly not disappointed us! One could only wonder what would have happened had United been challenging for the league as well – a title challenge comprising five teams would have certainly been nerve wracking!

The most pleasing aspect of the season so far has certainly been the introduction of so many wonderful young players. In Varela, Lingard, Love, Rashford, Poole, BorthwickJackson, Pereira, Goss, Weir, Keane, Riley and Fosu-Mensah, Van Gaal has at least stuck to United’s long-time principles of giving youth a chance. Not all players might establish themselves as first team future players, but at least, the fact that the club has shown faith in young players is certainly something the fans appreciate. In a footballing industry dominated by the incessant need to obtain results on a consistent basis, blooding in young players can always be seen as a risky strategy. However, United have always been

a ‘special club’ and this policy has always distinguished United from other institutions.

Long may this trait together with sound recruitment lead to much needed success!

Speculation regarding Louis Van Gaal’s future has also been rife. Ever since United’s league challenge took a turn for the worse in November, fans and the media have been very critical of United’s management. The consequences of poor results are sometimes obvious – fans, accustomed to winning and seeing the team parade trophies will call for the Manager’s blood. Gone are the days when managers would spend a good 10-15 years at a football club, slowly and steadily building it up – it is now much more convenient for clubs to sack an entire coaching staff and start afresh. The pressure from sponsors, fans and sometimes even players forces the Board of Directors to act – sometimes prematurely – and dismiss managerial personnel. Granted, all fans are expecting much better performances from the team but the Manager of Manchester United should always be respected and supported whilst he is in the hot seat. United fans should also appreciate the fact that the club is still in with the chance of winning 2 major competitions (the Europa League and FA Cup) so the team should still be cheered on and supported.

And speaking of Europe…the Europa League has thrown up a pulsating two-legged fixture against our eternal rivals Liverpool! Suddenly, a competition which was not very closely followed by United fans has emerged as the club’s primary focus of the season. With United probably about to miss out on a Champions League place, winning the Europa League will

be critical and the Scousers now stand in our way! It will be the first time that these two great clubs meet in a European fixture.

United have had their share of meetings with English clubs in the past (Tottenham in the 60s, Chelsea and Arsenal in more recent times) but this game will be very different.

Tempers will flare, the atmosphere will be a cauldron at both grounds and this game will define a season for both clubs. Even though United have already done the double over Liverpool, deep down, fans can’t help but feel that Liverpool are a different beast in Europe.

The prospect of facing your fierce rivals in a knock-out game is certainly a mouth-watering prospect but United do seem to have that slight advantage in that the second leg will be played at Old Trafford in front of what will surely be 76,000 fans vying for Liverpool’s blood.

The month of March will certainly be a crucial month for the club and it will make or break the season for United. The Europa league fixture will certainly be the highlight of the forthcoming weeks but a crucial FA Cup tie against West Ham also awaits us. The important thing from United’s point of view is that the majority of players regain their full fitness and recover from needless injuries.

The prospect of seeing United miss out on a Champions League spot is something nobody would like to contemplate which is why I’m sure all the players and management will be doing their best to ensure they try to regain 4th spot!

Enjoy the read and the season run-in!

The Editorial Team

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Editorjal RAĠĠ TA’ DAWL FL-AĦĦAR TAL-MINA M

a hemmx dubju li dan l‑aħħar ma kienx l‑aħjar żmien għall‑partitarji ta’ Manchester United. Imdorrijin bir‑rebħ, fuq quddiem tal‑kampjonat u tajbin fl‑Ewropa, kellna nderru lilna nfusna f ’territorju ġdid u mhux familjari. Ċertament, kien frustranti l‑fatt li trid tara lit‑tim jiġri l‑ħin kollu wara l‑leaders tal‑kampjonat.

Filwaqt li kellna ngħaddu minn ħafna weġgħat u għadab naraw lill‑United jitilfu punti bl‑addoċċ, ġejna mberkin b’wieħed mill‑iktar staġuni eċċitanti tal‑Premier League li qatt rajna. Konna ilna ħafna ma naraw erba’ timijiet jiġru wara t‑titlu.

B’Leiceister, Tottenham, City u Arsenal għadhom jissieltu bejniethom, jiġri x’jiġri lill‑United f ’dan l‑istaġun, dan il‑Premier League żgur ma kienx diżappuntanti għalina! Wieħed jista’ biss jimmaġina x’kien jiġri kieku l‑United kienu qegħdin jissieltu wkoll għall‑kampjonat – sfida għat‑titlu bejn ħames timijiet żgur kienet tkun waħda tal‑qtugħ ta’ nifs!

L‑iktar aspett pożittiv tal‑istaġun s’issa kien ċertament l‑introduzzjoni ta’ ħafna players żgħar tajbin. Permezz ta’ Varela, Lingard, Love, Rashford, Poole, Borthwick‑Jackson, Pereira, Goss, Weir, Keane, Riley u Fosu‑Mensah, Van Gaal għallinqas żamm mal‑prinċipji li ilu jħaddan il‑United. Jiġifieri li ż‑żgħażagħ għandhom jingħataw ċans. Mhux bilfors il‑players kollha jistabbilixxu ruħhom bħala players tal‑ewwel tim fil‑futur, iżda għallinqas, il‑fatt li l‑klabb wera fiduċja fi players żgħar hija żgur xi ħaġa li l‑partitarji japprezzaw. F’industrija ta’ football iddominata mill‑ħtieġa kontinwa tal‑akkwist tar‑riżultati fuq bażi konsistenti, il‑fatt li tintroduċi demm ġdid ta’ players żgħar dejjem tista’ titqies bħala strateġija riskjuża. Madankollu, il‑United dejjem kien ‘klabb speċjali’ u din il‑politika minn dejjem iddistingwiet lill‑United

minn istituzzjonijiet oħra. Kellu bżonn din l‑użanza flimkien ma’ reklutaġġ sensat iwasslu għas‑suċċess li għandna bżonn bil‑kbir!

Spekulazzjoni dwar il‑futur ta’ Louis Van Gaal ukoll ma naqsitx. Mindu f ’Novembru l‑isfida tal‑kampjonat ħadet xejra għall‑agħar għall‑United, il‑partitarji u l‑mezzi tax‑xandir ikkritikaw ħafna l‑amministrazzjoni tal‑United. Xi drabi l‑konsegwenzi ta’ riżultati fqar huma ovvji – il‑partitarji, imdorrijin bir‑rebħ u mdorrijin jaraw lit‑tim għaddej fil‑parati bit‑tazzi se jgħajtu biex ikun issagrifikat il‑kowċ. Ninsewh dak iż‑żmien meta l‑kowċ kien jagħmel minn 10 sa 15‑il sena sew ma’ klabb, u jibnieh bil‑mod il‑mod – illum il‑ġurnata huwa iktar konvenjenti li l‑klabbs iqaċċtu l‑persunal kollu tal‑coaching u jibdew mill‑ġdid.

Il‑pressjoni min‑naħa tal‑isponsors, il‑partitarji u xi drabi wkoll mill‑players iġegħlu lill‑Bord tad‑Diretturi jieħu azzjoni – xi drabi b’mod prematur – u jkeċċi l‑persunal amministrattiv.

Bla dubju, il‑partitarji kollha qegħdin jistennew prestazzjonijiet ħafna aħjar mit‑tim iżda l‑Kowċ ta’ Manchester United għandu dejjem ikun irrispettat u megħjun sakemm qiegħed fuq is‑siġġu jaħraq.

Il‑partitarji tal‑United għandhom japprezzaw ukoll il‑fatt li l‑klabb għadu biċ‑ċans li jirbaħ 2 kompetizzjonijiet kbar (l‑Europa League u l‑FA Cup)u għalhekk it‑tim xorta waħda għandu jibqa’ jkun imfaħħar u mogħti s‑sostenn.

U kif qed tissemma’ l‑Ewropa…l‑Europa League tefgħet programm ta’ logħob b’żewġ rounds jaħraq kontra r‑rivali eterni tagħna Liverpool! F’daqqa waħda, kompetizzjoni li ma tantx kienet segwita mill‑qrib mill‑partitarji tal‑United saret il‑mira ewlenija tal‑klabb għal dan l‑istaġun. Bil‑United aktarx jitilfu post fiċ‑Champions League, li jirbħu

l‑Europa League se tkun ħaġa kritika u issa daħlu fin‑nofs l‑Iscousers! Se tkun l‑ewwel darba li dawn iż‑żewġ klabbs kbar se jiltaqgħu fi programm ta’ logħob Ewropew.

Il‑United kellhom konfronti ma’ klabbs Ingliżi fl‑imgħoddi (Tottenham fis‑60ijiet, Chelsea u Arsenal fi żminijiet reċenti) iżda din il‑logħba se tkun differenti ħafna. In‑nervi se jitilgħu, l‑atmosfera se tkun taħraq ġmielha fuq iż‑żewġ naħat u din il‑logħba se tiddetermina l‑istaġun għaż‑żewġ klabbs. Anki jekk il‑United diġà rebħu darbtejn lil Liverpool, fil‑fond ta’ qalbhom, il‑partitarji ma jistgħux iżommu lura milli jaħsbu li Liverpool huwa mostru differenti fl‑Ewropa.

Il‑prospettiva li tikkonfronta r‑rivali feroċi tiegħek f ’logħba ta’ knock‑out hija ċertament prospettiva li tinżel għasel iżda jidher li l‑United għandhom dak il‑vantaġġ minimu billi t‑tieni round se jintlagħab f ’Old Trafford quddiem żgur 76,000 partitarju bil‑għatx għall‑eliminazzjoni ta’ Liverpool.

Ix‑xahar ta’ Marzu żgur se jkun xahar kruċjali għall‑klabb u se jkun deċiżiv għall‑United. Il‑logħob tal‑Europa League żgur se jkun l‑enfasi tal‑ġimgħat li ġejjin iżda sfida kruċjali tal‑FA Cup kontra West Ham qegħda tistenniena wkoll. Li hu importanti, skont l‑opinjoni ta’ United huwa li l‑maġġoranza tal‑players iġibu mill‑ġdid il‑fiżiċità tagħhom u jirkupraw minn injuries żejda. Il‑prospettiva li tara lill‑United jitilfu posthom fiċ‑Champions League hija xi ħaġa li ħadd ma jixtieq jikkontempla fuqha u huwa għalhekk li jien ċert li l‑players kollha u l‑amministrazzjoni se jkunu qed jagħmlu l‑almu tagħhom biex jagħmlu żgur li jerġgħu jippruvaw jakkwistaw ir‑4 post!

Nawguralkom il‑qari u l‑qofol tal‑istaġun it‑tajjeb!

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CLUBNEWS December 2015 n Friday 4th December, Vice President Joe Catania and I attended the bi-annual Supporters’ Club Conference at Old Trafford.

The event was held in the Manchester Suite at Old Trafford and was attended by almost all Supporters’’ Club branches from around the globe. The evening started with a question and answer session with members of the club hierarchy namely Richard Arnold (Group Managing Director), David French (Director of Venue), Phil Townsend (Communications Director) and Sam Kelleher (Head of Ticketing and Membership Operations). That was followed by a question and answer session with legendary strike duo Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke. After dinner, everyone was entertained by freestyle rapper Chris Turner, who left to a standing ovation. Also, during the evening a quiz was held between all the branches present – MUSC Malta missed out on 1st place by just one point.

O

MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

was to collect funds for Solidarjeta bl-Isport.

December was dominated primarily by the Club’s Christmas activities which year-on-year are becoming ever more popular. The first event was the Children’s Christmas Party, which was held on Friday 18th December. The party kicked off at 6pm, and “JoJo” entertained all those present, before Father Christmas paid a surprise visit and handed out a gift to each child. Once again a number of underprivileged children were invited to attend having been sponsored by a few members. Rest assured that these children really enjoyed the occasion.

On Sunday 20th December, the members’ Christmas Party was held. This has become a hugely popular event and the numbers of those attending is always on the increase. This year those who wished to attend the event with a guest could do so by purchasing a ticket in advance for the nominal fee of €10.00.

Club President, Joseph Tedesco, took the opportunity make a brief speech and augur everyone present a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Two members, Mr. Joe Camilleri and Mr. Paul Tonna, were rewarded for 50 years of No less than twelve members were rewarded for 25 years of continuous membership; Mr. Frans Azzopardi, Mr. Paul Bonnici, Mr. Dennis Borg, Mr. Robert Brimicombe, Mr. Godfrey Cassar, Mr. Tony Galea, Mr. Philip Grima, Mr. Fred Kemp, Mr. Leonard Mizzi, Mr. Kevin Moody, Mr. Mark Sciberras and Mr. Gordon Zammit. Congratulations to all on this marvelous achievement and thank you for your continued support over the years.

Next up was the Christmas Lottery Draw. As now has become customary over the last few years 50% of the proceeds of this lottery draw are donated to the Malta Community Chest Fund, whilst the remaining 50% bolster the Club’s coffers. This year the sum of € 700 was donated to this worthy cause.

In early December, the Committee started distributing the 2016 Calendar, to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience during the members’ Christmas party. This year’s edition of the A3 full colour calendar, is of a very high quality, and is once again free for all local members on presentation of their membership card at the Souvenir Shop. I would like to thank once again all the sponsors, namely, Montaldo Insurance, HSN Signs, Island Caterers, GO and R.C. World, without their financial assistance this great publication would not be possible.

On Sunday 13th December, a football match was held at the Swieqi United FC ground. The aim

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The 5 lucky winners were: 1st Prize

Etienne Attard

Ticket No.: 11962

2nd Prize

Salvinu Grixti

Ticket No.: 29326

3rd Prize

Mario Cassar

Ticket No.: 27395

4th Prize

Irene Saliba

Ticket No.: 31939

5th Prize

Josephine Gatt

Ticket No.: 06450

by James Handyside

On behalf of all the Committee, I would like to thank all the members together with their family and friends for participating in this lottery and also to the sponsors who kindly donated the prizes.

January 2016 uring the month of January the Committee reviewed in detail all the activities held during December. The scope of this review was to try and make these events better next time around. January also brought about the organization of a number of events to be held in the coming months, including the Munich Remembrance Mass and a social activity which will take place at the beginning of March.

D

The Committee issued an expression of interest for those parties interested in the lease of the bar at the club premises. The closing date for the submission of offers was Friday 19th February, 2016. In the coming weeks the Committee will be holding a number of information meetings on a one-to-one basis with all those who are interested in placing an offer. The current lease expires at the end of May 2016.

February 2016 ass commemorating the 58th anniversary of the Munich Air Crash was held on Sunday 7th February. The mass was once again well attended by members and their families and from here I would like to thank the Club’s Spiritual Director, Fr. Ferrante, who once again celebrated mass, and also Club member Mr. Joe Cilia, who as always assisted in the preparations, on what is a very significant date in the history of Manchester United and also our Supporters’ Club.

M

On Friday 12th February, the barman organized a fenkata at the Club. The event was attended by around 30 people.

On February 26th a group of 23 people left Malta for Manchester for the much anticipated games against Arsenal and Watford. A detailed write up of this very successful tour can be found in this edition.

March 2016 he Social Event which was due to be held at Ella’s Food Factory in Marsaxlokk on Friday 4th March, had to be cancelled due to a very poor response.

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On behalf of all the Committee I wish you and all your families a very Happy Easter.

Arsenal & Watford Tour 26th February – 3rd March 2016

by James Handyside

A

t 12.40 pm on Thursday 26th February, Antoine Portelli and I met the group of 21 United fans at Malta International Airport for our Air Malta flight KM 146 to Manchester. Our flight arrived in Manchester some 20 minutes early, and we regrouped with our luggage in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.

We proceeded outside where we were greeted by our waiting coach for our transfer to the hotel.

many were fearing the worst – it was a young and inexperienced Manchester United side against title chasing Arsenal. As it turned out it was arguably one of United’s best performances this season and the Red Devils ran out 3-2 winners, thanks mainly to new Old Trafford hero Marcus Rashford. The 18-year-old striker, repeating his midweek goal scoring heroics with another brace.

After a short coach ride we arrived at our centrally located hotel in the city, The Portland Hotel, which is located directly opposite Piccadilly Gardens and just a stones throw away from the hub of Manchester’s transport system and Europe’s largest City-Centre shopping mall, The Arndale Centre.

After breakfast on Monday morning the group assembled in the hotel lobby before catching a bus to Old Trafford, where we would visit the Manchester United Museum and Stadium Tour Centre, have lunch at Red Café, and shop at the Megastore. Our tour, which had been pre-booked in advanced, started at 10.50 am and was followed by lunch at 12.45 pm. After lunch the group dispersed, some returning to the museum, whilst others proceeded to do a spot of shopping at the megastore and Trafford Centre before returning to our hotel.

Room keys were handed out and check-in completed in a matter of minutes, thanks to the hotels very helpful staff.

Saturday was a free day, with most opting to do a spot of shopping or visit one of Manchester’s many city centre attractions.

Sunday was match day, and after breakfast match tickets were distributed to the group which had assembled in the hotel lobby.

We left for the stadium early to avoid the rush and allow everyone to soak up the prematch atmosphere around Old Trafford. The atmosphere was electric, as Arsenal were in town. As soon as the teams were announced

Tuesday saw the entire group leave on a oneday excursion to Albert Dock in Liverpool. Albert Dock, is the vibrant heart of Liverpool’s historic waterfront and home to the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in England. Here most of the group chose to visit ‘The Beatles Story’ – with information, imagery, memorabilia and video interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono, the Beatles Story tells the story of one of the greatest bands in the world. Later in the afternoon

we transferred to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Village – with more than 150 designer brand stores, cafes and restaurants. The group arrived back in Manchester at around 7.00 pm, after what had been a long day for some.

On Wednesday the group had a free morning, however many chose to visit the Etihad Stadium – home of our noisy neighbours Manchester City. The stadium tour with our guide Nigel, made for an interesting few hours! At around 4.00 pm we assembled in the hotel lobby to distribute match tickets and made our way to The Theatre of Dreams again – this time to watch Manchester United take on Watford.

Thanks to Juan Mata’s late goal, everyone was happy and we would be returning to Malta tomorrow having seen two wins and United close the gap on the top four.

Thursday was free for all to do some last minute shopping, or visit one of the many bars and restaurants situated close to the hotel. At 3.00 pm the coach arrived at our hotel to take us back to Terminal 2 and our Air Malta flight back to Malta. The group touched down safely in Malta at around 10.30 pm.

Both Antoine and myself, on behalf of the entire committee, would like to thank the whole group for their behaviour, punctuality, co-operation and enthusiasm and for making this tour a success.

You were all first class! We sincerely hope that you join us on another tour in the future.

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5-a-Side football match in aid of Community Chest Fund.

25 year Members.

50 year Member.

Branch Conference 2015.

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Children’s Christmas Party.

Lottery Winners.

Members’ Christmas Party.

Munich Remembrance Mass February 2016.

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Fresh Blood Y

ouths are being given a chance to impress the Manchester United faithful. With the squad undergoing an injury crisis, Louis Van Gaal has had to look towards players outside the senior squad to field teams in the Barclays Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Europa League. The system nurtured by the great Paul McGuiness is bearing fruit, and the players making their debuts in the current campaign are pouncing on the chance to showcase their abilities, talent and potential. The resources available in the Reserves and Under 18s squads resulted in a lack of transfer activity in January, and as confirmed by Van Gaal himself, will shape future club transfer decisions when making summer moves for players.

It is a well-known fact that young players work hard in order to achieve a starting position in the first team. Unless they get the chance that hand on heart they believe they deserve, youngsters will push for a move to a club where they can play on a regular basis. As United learnt the hard way when it came to Paul Pogba, they can never get those players back without paying unreasonable fees. A topof-the-range youth structure producing top notch talent comes to no use for a big club like Manchester United unless the players it produces are eased into first team action. The

but this only lasted 24 minutes before injury hit the young boy from Warrington. He was shipped to Derby County to continue in his recovery and get first team action, where he made 15 appearances, to return to United and cement his place on the flank in the 2015/16 season. In fact, Jesse made over 20 appearances in the first team this season, troubling opposition with his dribbling and creativity.

There can be no better introduction to the first team spotlight than that of Marcus Rashford.

Relatively unknown, the young striker was thrust at the deep end when United were missing the more senior strikers Rooney, Martial and Will Keane. In Denmark, Manchester United had lost 2-1 against a much inferior FC Midtjylland. Saving face at Old Trafford was essential if United wanted to stand a chance of keeping their European aspirations alive.

The young Englishman with the number 39 emblazoned on his shirt burst onto the scene with a brace, inspiring United to destroy team with a 5-1 the Danish score line.

As if scoring two goals on his first team b ow was not enough, repeated this Rashford achievement in the following match against Arsenal, single-

2015/16 is a season which, regardless o f the final position and any honours achieved, will be remembered for the young players who have made the coveted step up. These are the young players which, if properly developed and honed, will one day guide our club back to glory days.

Patience is a requirement when it comes to young players. As Van Gaal repeatedly stated, consistency cannot be expected out of these players. Moreover, an injury can derail their progress more than it would affect an established first team star. The story of Jesse Lingard proves that following such a stumble, a player can recover and enjoy a fairytale continuation to his career. Lingard was handed his debut by Van Gaal in August 2014 against Swansea,

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handedly inspiring the team to put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes by beating them with the score of 3-2. Certainly, it was the perfect introduction for the youngster. With four goals in his first four matches, expectations are high that Rashford would be the heir to Wayne Rooney and a strong striking partner to Anthony Martial.

In November 2015, Cameron BorthwickJackson was handed the opportunity to impress in the defensive department. The young Englishman was the player with the

by Braden Galea

highest number of appearances for the Under 18s in the 2014/15 season, so for him to be given the chance, his coaches communicated a very positive assessment. He showed that he can adapt to playing both as a centre-back and as a full-back. His debut finished 2-0 against West Brom, as he helped the team keep a clean sheet after coming on for Rojo in the 76th minute. In the same match, his teammate Lingard scored his first competitive senior goal in a Manchester United shirt. In other matches played for the team, Borthwick-Jackson has shown that he can handle the pressure, is not afraid to push forward and can provide crosses to his teammates in attack.

A name that will surely dominate headlines in the coming years is that of Timothy FosuMensah. The young Dutch defender was signed from Ajax Amsterdam in September 2014 and has impressed his youth coaches apart from those watching him play on MUTV for Under 18s and Reserves. He can play in defence and in midfield and has displayed very promising qualities when playing as a full-back. He was handed his debut in the 3-2 win against Arsenal when he replaced Rojo in the 55th minute. His versatility is a major strength that will serve him well in retaining a slot in the 18-man playing squad for United.

James Weir is another youngster handed his debut against Arsenal. His time on the pitch was not sufficient to make an impact as he came on for Herrera deep into injury time. He also earned the glowing praise of the great Paul McGuinness for his consistent hard work. We await his chance to showcase what he can do on a bigger stage than the Under 16s, Under 18s and Reserves. Another player to make a late first entry into a competitive match for United this season was Regan Poole. The young Welshman came on for Ander Herrera in the 5-1 thumping of FC Midtjylland. Having signed for the club only in September 2015 after being deemed surplus to requirements at his old club Newport County, making a firstteam appearance in his first season for the club is no small feat. It proves the promising ability and potential for development that Manchester United saw in the young defender.

On Valentine’s weekend, Manchester United promoted Love. Donald Love, the right-back who started his United career at the age of 7 years, made his debut against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. He had spent the first half of the 2015/16 season on loan at Wigan.

He subsequently started the next match in the UEFA Europa League when United lost against FC Midtjylland. Midfielder Joe Riley

substituted Borthwick-Jackson in the 3-0 FA Cup win against Shrewsbury Town, providing an energetic display. He was rewarded for his performance with a start in the 5-1 win against FC Midtjylland. He is a devoted Manchester United supporter and a player to hold onto for a successful future.

Another player that Manchester United cannot afford to lose is Andreas Pereira. The Brazilian born in Belgium was attracting the attention of Juventus, the same team that poached our club from the world-class talent named Paul Pogba, before signing a new contract with Manchester United. Him and his Belgian compatriot Adnan Januzaj are two players that will make Manchester United sorry if they are lost to another club. Pereira is being given chances to impress off the bench, with the hope of cementing a place in the starting lineup at the earliest opportunity, while Januzaj was brought back from a useless experience in Dortmund, against which he had been advised by Van Gaal. He has shown that he can be a sensational player already, as he was arguably the only positive thing to come out of the Moyes era.

Players that are rejected and lost by Manchester United have a tendency to flourish in their new clubs. Danny Drinkwater, Danny Simpson and Matty James, all currently playing for Premier League leaders Leicester, had been on the books of Manchester United. Our club needs to be careful not to repeat past mistakes. Another player to hold onto that has already proved that he has capabilities aplenty is Guillermo Varela. He was loaned out to Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid Reserve team (Castilla), earning the praise of the French legend who now sits in the Real Madrid hot seat. The right-back is intelligent, aggressive and loves sprinting forward. He earned his first team debut this season under the guidance of Van Gaal on the 5th December against West Ham. Since then he has made 7 more appearances, shown glimpses of his vast talent and signalled his ability to make the right-back position his own in the future.

One may not agree fully with decisions made

by Louis Van Gaal in other aspects, but when it comes to giving youth a chance, he has a very good track record, having set players like Seedorf, Iniesta, Xavi, MĂźller and Kluivert on the route to greatness by handing them their debuts. With the assistance of Ryan Giggs, the current crop of young players can be developed into future world stars by Louis Van Gaal. It is not only a matter of playing the youngsters, but also motivating them into channelling their youthful drive into positive performances, providing constructive criticism when needed, keeping their feet firmly stuck to the ground and making them ignore the media hype that comes with being a Manchester United player.

Future times look promising as this fresh blood reinvigorates our glorious club.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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How can

?

Manchester United get back to winning trophies

by Kenneth Abela

B

Goals per game

The Manager reaking news: Barack Obama is in talks goals per game scored for Mourinho’s It is the manager that in most cases to persuade Louis van Gaal to take Chelsea team vs. United’s teams, throughout ultimately gets the blame for the team’s charge of North Korea. He’s convinced it’ll a season. Last season Mourinho averaged two performance. So is it all Van Gaal’s fault? stop them attacking. This, as reported in the goals a game to Louis van Gaal’s 1.6, while Van Gaal was a world-renowned manager Daily Telegraph of the 28th January 2016, this season, prior to his dismissal, Mourinho was one of the jokes doing the rounds after with an excellent CV. Thierry Henry, on the was averaging 1.4 goals per game, as many another pathetic United performance, this 31st January opined: “No one can question as van Gaal has managed to date. When Van Gaal’s pedigree as a coach. But he has time United’s 1 – 0 loss to Southampton Mourinho returned to the club in 2013-14 they failed to get his message across at United last January: a game in which United barely went back to his seemingly favoured 1.8 goals and the players don’t know what is expected registered one shot on goal. ‘An unsettling per game average. That put them just ahead of of them. He doesn’t appear to know his best place to visit’ was how another newspaper United in terms of goals per game who scored team or even his best formation.” described Old Trafford after that weekend, an average of 1.7 under David Moyes. with United failing to score a single goal in the Freelance journalist Paul Smith as well as first half of the previous 11 league games at What can Manchester United expect from The Sunday People had made the most Old Trafford and registering the lowest goals Mourinho? A change in coaching staff would surprising revelation that Sir Alex Ferguson tally for that stage of the season since the be expected, with the biggest question being could return to management alongside Ryan Premier League began. It was only in the home whether Assistant Manager Ryan Giggs would Giggs if Louis van Gaal loses his job. game against Stoke City on the 2nd February stay. We would expect a different playing that this negative trend was reversed. At style, with defensive solidity, a physical core time of writing, following the away loss to Marcel van der Kraan, a Dutch journalist for and one striker being the norm. We will bid Sunderland, no United team of the Premier De Telegraaf, told Sky Sports that the United’s a sad farewell to a number of established League era had had fewer points players, but we should also be at this stage. No United team had able to welcome new ones. A scored fewer goals. downside is the Academy, as The number of goals scored per game by José Mourinho very few players from the youth and Louis van Gaal’s Premier League clubs So what needs to be done? teams have made the first team at clubs where he was manager.

Mourinho van Gaal Ferguson Moyes The Players Another question is of course 2.5 The players definitely need to do whether his previous behaviour their part. Thus, for instance, had can be tolerated at United. So is 2.0 United converted at least one of Mourinho the answer for United? the two straightforward chances A poll in the Mirror showed the 1.5 that had fallen to Jesse Lingard supporters’ uncertainty, with just and Marouane Fellaini against 59% answering yes.

1.0 Newcastle at St James’s Park, United would have got their 3 Is it too late for a top four spot 0.5 points. This would have put less this season?

1.8 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.1 2.1 1.8 1.7 2.0 1.6 1.4 1.4 pressure on the manager and With United currently in fifth 0.0 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 the players themselves. United place, and six points behind Season were back with a win in their fourth-placed Manchester City next game, this time against with 12 matches to go, it looks hierarchy is satisfied with Van Gaal’s ability Liverpool, at Anfield. However, again the increasingly unlikely that United will manage to build a structure at the club and that every number of shots on the opposition’s goal to qualify for a UEFA Champions League spot. time he came out with trophies. could be counted comfortably on one hand.

The way forward At the time of writing the Press reported that The team So will a change of manager make United the Jose Mourinho will replace the Dutchman in Van Gaal has been criticized for allowing force it once was? And will Old Trafford once the summer, even though Van Gaal seems Javier Hernandez, Nani, Angel Di Maria, Jonny again be a fortress and a Theatre of Dreams? adamant that if United make a top 4 finish Evans and Rafael leave the club last summer this year, his job is safe. with all five impressing for their new clubs After the late win against Watford on the 21st November last year, Paul Scholes had stated this season. However, the transfer window , ‘’I think they can win the league, but I don’t But could Jose Mourinho be the man to has come and gone and United have not think I’ve seen a performance yet where I’ve restore United’s pride? Although Jose may strengthened the squad. A number of players thought, wow, that team is brilliant, they can not be a long term solution, many believe are still out injured, amongst them Ashley go on to win the league.” that if the Reds want an 18-month jolt to Young and Antonio Valencia. Are injuries make them title contenders again, then Jose a contributing factor, as the situation was The club’s finances will play a huge part in any Mourinho could be the man. made worse by the Manager allowing world decision taken by the Board of Directors, with class, established players to leave? Replies United set to lose almost £75million if they fail The table from the Manchester Evening News Van Gaal: “At that time I could not predict we to make it into Europe’s elite club competition. on the 27th January 2016 compares average would have eight injuries.”

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VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

Anthony Martial

by Jude Cauchi

“

Ooooooooo yessss!! Welcome to Manchester United, Anthony Martial!”

These were the words from the commentary of Martin Tyler on the 12th September 2015, when Martial scored an excellent goal for Manchester United against Liverpool at Old Trafford. It was in this manner that the French boy introduced himself to the Manchester United crowd, and quite honestly, his debut could not have been any better. Since then, Anthony Martial has been constantly improving and current Manchester United Louis Van Gaal believes that the French boy will be a Manchester great in the near future.

Anthony Martial was born on 5th December 1995 in Massy Essonne, France. At the age of 11 in 2001, he started his football career with a club in the city of Paris called Les Ulis (a French club founded in 1977, which produced great football talents such as Thierry Henry and Manchester United legend Patrice Evra).

As a youngster, Martial was already showing promising development signs and not surprisingly at the age of 14 in 2009, he joined the academy of Olympique Lyon, where in his second season at the club, he scored an impressive thirty-two goals in twenty-one games and as a result was called to play fo r t h e French Under 17 national team for the 2012 European Under-17 Championship.

What followed in December 2012 was a professional team debut for the Lyon first team in an Europa League match and shortly afterwards on the 3rd February 2013, Martial made his league debut coming on as a substitute.

Martial did not play many matches for the Lyon first team and unsurprisingly in June 2013, he signed a three-year contract with AS Monaco.

The player made his Monaco debut on 24th November 2013 in a 0-1 away victory to Nantes.

His main contribution was playing a part in the setting up of the only goal of the match.

Six days later he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win against Rennes but unluckily for him, injuries disrupted much of his debut season. His second season proved to be more decisive for him and as he scored nine goals in thirty-six league games, including a lastminute goal against PSG. Consequently, he signed a new contract with the team until 2019.

matches so early in his career, but a dip in form of club captain Wayne Rooney, as well as a lack of forward options, has resulted in Louis Van Gaal constantly giving the nod to the French forward. In spite of this, critics of Van Gaal have often voiced their concern about the French boy being played as a winger rather than as a natural centre-forward.

Eventually the boy moved to Manchester United signing a 4-year contract on 1 st September 2015 for a teenager record sum of £36 million. Manchester United had been busy in the summer transfer market, signing the likes of Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger. United were linked throughout the summer with high profile names such as Thomas Müller, Gareth Bale and Neymar. Thus, a deadline day signing of the French 19-year old for that huge sum of money was perceived by many supporters and critics as a big risk. Having said that, the club wanted to act quickly in order to avoid losing him to one of their rivals since the kid was being monitored closely by other clubs such as Chelsea.

In terms of strengths, the boy has many attributes that should make him one of the best players in the Premier League. Some of these attributes are his pace, creativity, dribbling skills, and technical ability both in wide positions and up front. Unsurprisingly, Martial is often compared to Arsenal and French legend Thierry Henry as both players have a similar playing style. To his advantage, the boy has already scored a wonderful goal against Liverpool in a similar fashion as Thierry Henry did against Liverpool. For us Manchester United supporters, if the boy turns out to be as good as Thierry Henry, then we will surely witness some breathtaking moments at Old Trafford.

Luckily enough for us Manchester United supporters, the boy signed for the Reds and his performances, especially in the difficult times that the club is currently enduring, is proving to be the light at the end of the tunnel since he looks like the only player who can produce something out of the ordinary when Manchester United need it.

So far, Anthony Martial has made 31 appearances and scored 10 goals for the club against the following opposition: Liverpool, Southampton, Ipswich, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg, Norwich City, Swansea City, Stoke City and Sunderland. These statistics are impressive considering that the boy is only 20 years old and is in his first season at Old Trafford. In fact, not many Manchester United supporters expected him to start so many

September has been a lucky month for the boy as it has resulted in him earning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month, Goal of the Month and the Premier League Player of the Month.

In this current form, Martial is destined to win other awards.

On the other side of the coin, although I cannot find many weaknesses, the boy can sometimes be a bit naive in his decision-making, such as when he handled the ball in the penalty area in a Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, but that is something to be expected from a 20 year old boy. Another aspect which the player needs to improve is his physical strength as the Premier League is becoming tougher every year.

So far, this season has been one to forget for Manchester United as the Reds have made an early Champions League exit in December, crashed out of the Capital One Cup at home to Middlesbrough and face an uphill battle to secure a top 4 finish in the Premier League table. On the bright side, one of the few positives of the season has been Anthony Martial, without whose contribution I cannot imagine where United would have been in the league at present.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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had at one time stated: “Manchester United is about the fans. If you can’t entertain them you don’t deserve to be there”. Now supporters were turning against the manager that they had hoped would be the “redeemer”. Reports were rife that Van Gaal was losing the faith of the club and his squad. They wanted him to be sacked. Rumours grew in intensity that Jose` Mourinho would take over. But there you are: is it the case of Out of the frying pan into the fire? Think of Sir Alex Ferguson at this point.

His start at United could have been deemed disastrous but he, fortunately, was kept on.

Once he got through the tough start, the rest became history. Is it not fair to ask what would have happened if he was dumped?

by Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

T

his is arguably the best-known line in drama or literature. It is, of course, from Shakespeare’s play ‘The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’. In the famous soliloquy, although Hamlet is largely dissatisfied with life, he is unsure what death may have in store.

Life can be bad, but death might be worse. It all leads to the conclusion that if you get the judgment call wrong, there’s no way back.

Hamlet’s speech could be crudely termed as a profound reflection on the popular phrase: “out of the frying pan into the fire”.

Do not feel frustrated. I am not out to lecture on the renowned literary piece. It is more in the way of reflecting on the actual circumstances relating to our team and, more so, on the manager’s tenure at the helm. There was a tsunami of hype when the 64-yearold was chosen to manage Manchester United. A “redeemer” had been well chosen.

His curriculum vitae, which involved a number of well-esteemed clubs, as well as his accomplishments, were impressive.

Supporters’ hopes for a return to the days of glory were seemingly justified. However, hopes were soon dashed and hearts were crestfallen. Results, which after all are the thermometer of success, were not what fans were hoping for. Louis van Gaal was being

seemingly justly derided. He was failing to embrace the club’s ethos of attacking football, rubbishing his claims that he was laying down his personal philosophy at the club.

As the 2015/16 season got under way, Manchester United was not doing that badly, but goals were hard to come by. Still, they even managed to work their way to the top of the Premier League for some time, but the common judgement was that Manchester United were not serving entertaining football at all. It still wasn’t the kind of football people had become accustomed to for so long. It was not the kind of football that Red Devil supporters liked to come and see. It seemed that the Red Devils were having their prongs blunted. Boring... boring! Things were not so good anymore and the team was sliding down the table.

Van Gaal was soon at the receiving end with pressure heaped on him, more so after United underwent straight defeats in all competitions.

To put salt into the wounds, Manchester United were unceremoniously dumped out of the UEFA Champions League from a group that had been estimated as “decent”. Boos and clamours of “attack, attack” started rumbling around Old Trafford. Fans were having none of the Dutchman’s philosophy. They wanted entertaining football and good results. Sir Alex

Among the foremost and persistent critics of the Dutch manager’s methods stands the ex-midfielder and well-esteemed legend Paul Scholes. There is no doubt that Scholesy has the club at heart. Yet, he did not go so far as to say that Van Gaal should be sacked. He still insisted that the Dutchman should keep his place even if Paul reiterated that performances throughout the season have quite simply not been good. I wonder: was that a jibe at some of the players themselves? Louis Van Gaal once said that the team were not good enough, and later he stated that they lacked confidence. Guess it is much like a teacher telling a student that he is a failure with the relevant consequences. The veteran coach admitted he was struggling to motivate the players on seeing them struggling with pressure and to pick them up mentally.

Then, he even defended his under-fire squad saying it is acceptable for top players to find a string of losses tough to overcome. It is never easy for anyone.

Yet, the facts stare us in the eyes, and the fans and the club obviously do not like them.

The current Manchester United side is the dullest for almost 25 years. Louis Van Gaal’s side scoring tally is simply very low. Results are despicable. What is the remedy? It simply amounts to the dire reflection. It is much the same every individual faces in life. What is the kind of Iife I am leading? What will the outcome be in the hereafter? Will the future be what I may so earnestly desire? So, that brings us to square one: To be, or not to be, that is the question.

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Manchester

by Stefan Attard

Manchester For us Reds, the city’s name immediately brings to mind the mighty Manchester United, arguably the most popular team in the world.

Despite the obvious impact of United and to a lesser extent City on Manchester, the city is also known for many other aspects like architecture, culture, music, science and engineering.

The City’s History Manchester is the second largest populated city in England and is second only to England’s capital London with a population of around 2.5 million. In the middle ages the city was only a rural area home to peasants who largely earned their living through agriculture.

The turn of the 19th century proved to be a pivotal one for the city as it was the catalyst to the industrialisation era which revolutionised not only the area of Manchester but the whole country. Indeed, the world’s first railway station was built in Manchester and this modern transport mode ensured faster transit of both passengers and cargo. The city is also closely associated with textile manufacturing and thanks to industrialisation, production increased exponentially.

Engineering firms firstly produced machines for the textile industry but soon developed and diversified to producing machines for diverse industries. Machinery also started to be retailed to an ever-increasing demand not only in the UK but also to foreign countries. The chemical industry followed a similar vein starting from producing bleaches and dyes for clothing before expanding into other areas. The thriving economy of Manchester brought greater working opportunities.

People from nearby villages flocked to Manchester attracted by good job opportunities and better working conditions. During this time the population grew rapidly. During the mid 19th century Manchester was perhaps the largest industrial city not just in England but throughout the world.

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Increased transportation demands put further pressure to have more efficient transport. This resulted in an extension of the river canal to allow bigger cargo vessels to enter the port which in turn led to increase in commerce.

During Manchester’s golden ages, many famous buildings were built.

Like most other cities Manchester suffered greatly from the great depression and from the Second World War, with continuous air raids specifically targeting the city. During WWII, many businesses were destroyed and the city’s economy declined. In 1996, a 1,500kg bomb aimed at damaging the city’s infrastructure and economy injured over 200 people. Many buildings were demolished beyond repair. It was only after this event that the city started a process of regeneration following a period of unplanned development. This led Manchester to being the city with the third highest number of visitors in the UK only behind London and Edinburgh.

Landmarks As mentioned earlier, Manchester is synonymous with the textile industry and a large number of cotton mills were either left untouched or converted to apartments. These buildings still retain the original architectural style with the characteristic red bricks which dominate the city. The Town Hall in Albert Square is perhaps the most famous building from the Victorian Age. In spite of the largely urbanised area being characterised by skyscrapers, Manchester is also home to 135 parks, gardens and open spaces, amongst them being Heaton Park.

Museums and other places of Interest The museums in Manchester largely showcase the city’s Roman history, its golden ages during the industrial revolution, its contribution to the textile industry and of course football.

Amongst the most visited museums in Manchester is the Museum of Science and Industry which promotes science and technology and highlights Manchester’s achievements in these fields. The transport theme is extensively showcased through cars, aircrafts, locomotives, as well as steam, gas and electricity engines.

The Imperial War Museum is an iconic museum which portrays how war affects people’s lives.

The museum which is about a 15-minute walk from Old Trafford was built in an area which was heavily bombed during WWII. This museum was designed by the world-famous Daniel Libeskind, who is also the mastermind behind the Jewish Museum in Berlin and Ground Zero in New York. Libeskind used the concept of a shattered globe to portray the effects of war on land, sea and air. To evoke the sense of uncertainty during War, the designer purposefully created a confusing route into the museum. Entry to this museum is free of charge.

The Cathedral of Manchester is the largest of its type in England and contains interesting architecture. Although not as elaborate as other cathedrals, its huge size is breathtaking.

Music and Arts Those with passion for art have plenty of galleries to visit, amongst them being the Manchester and Whitworth art galleries and the Lowry art complex.

Manchester is also home to famous music bands including Oasis, the Smiths, Take That, Herman’s Hermits and The Stone Roses to name a few. With a capacity of 21,000 seats, the Manchester Evening News Arena is amongst the largest music venues in Europe.

This arena hosted sports events like boxing bouts and the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

The venue also welcomed some of the best artists worldwide amongst them being U2, One Direction, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Coldplay.

In Manchester, one finds two symphony

orchestras which are the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic. Brass bands are also popular in this city and form an integral part of the city’s musical heritage.

The Manchester Opera house is a thriving building which hosts dance shows, musicals and concerts. The venue hosts the Manchester International Festival which takes place every two years.

Shopping For those who need some retail therapy, Manchester is certainly a heaven for them.

The Arndale Centre is a huge shopping mall containing hundreds of brands. Arndale also contains a huge food market with plenty of places to eat and drink. The Trafford Centre is a gigantic out of town shopping centre on the outskirts of the city which boasts hundreds of high street shops containing thousands of brands. This luxurious shopping town has fake marble pillars, chandeliers and even an indoor cruise ship complete with a fake starry sky. The shopping centre also has thousands of food and drink outlets. The Northern Quarter and King Street are also home to high end designer brands.

Nightlife Nightlife in Manchester has flourished dramatically since the late 20th century and one is certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to live music entertainment and clubbing hotspots. For those who prefer a more l a i d - b a ck n i g h t out, Manchester’s bars range from cosy and unique through to downright outlandish. For a more cultural outlook, then there is a vast selection of theatres and picture houses to keep everyone entertained. One thing’s for sure, you won’t be stuck for stuff to do when the sun sets on this city.

Sport To many of us, Manchester is perhaps mostly associated with football with the city being home to two Premier League clubs – United and City playing at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium respectively. However, apart from these football programs, Manchester is host to a full calendar of sports events with the promise of keeping even the most ardent sports fan amused.

The Quays waterfront is home to two cricket clubs including Manchester United and Lancashire County Cricket Club. Chill Factore has the largest indoor ski park in the UK where one can enjoy skiing, snowboarding and climbing.

Whatever sporting event you’re here for, a trip to Manchester won’t be complete without a visit to Old Trafford for the museum and stadium tour. Old Trafford won various awards for its behind-the-scenes tours that give visitors the chance to sit in the director’s box, see the players changing rooms, visit the sacred trophy-laden cabinet, and share in every timeless victory - from the European conquests of the Busby Babes to the unforgettable 1999 treble. The stadium tour also guarantees a pulsating experience not only to Manchester United fans. The tour takes the visitors to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the famous Stretford End before experiencing the ultimate honour of emerging from the tunnel following the footsteps of the many famous players that graced and mesmerised millions of United supporters worldwide.

Following an emotional move from Maine Road in the summer of 2003 (having played at Maine Road since 1923), the Etihad Stadium is now home to Manchester City football club. Outside of the football season, the stadium hosts major national and international football events as well as concerts. Stadium tours are available and the club has an excellent museum packed full of football memorabilia.

Equipped with the above you will probably consider packing your bags, ready to experience Manchester and watch the mighty Red Devils playing at the Theatre of Dreams!

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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Eric Cantona - The King

by Alan Abela-Wadge

D

rama, magnificent, the great one, the amazing, the king! Eric Cantona had many adjectives that described him; however one withstood the years and the decades. One defied the odds of time. Many great players came after him, yet Eric Cantona will always be remembered as the King: the King that helped transform a bunch of kids to legends. He was the final piece of Sir Alex Ferguson’s jigsaw, the arrogant primadonna that everyone outside the club hated, yet everyone inside the great Manchester United adored.

It can be a cold night, it can be a boring game and of these we’ve seen a few in the last months; yet from the terraces of Old Trafford or the many stadia around Britain where the Manchester United faithful follow, you could still hear that enigmatic roar of OhhAhhCantona. All you have to do is pop down to the Bishop Blaize down Chester Road on any match day at Old Trafford and you will definitely be asked to drink a drink to Eric The King. The King as he’s the leader of our football team, he’s the greatest French footballer that the world has ever seen; or at least he is to us Mancunians.

It was the inaugural year of the Premier League, where the First Division clubs broke away from the football league in order to form the FA Premier League and be in a position to negotiate their own TV rights with the sole intention of raking in more money to boost the game overall. Manchester United’s first great signing of the Premier League era came in November when Cantona left Leeds for Manchester United for £1.2 million on 26 November 1992. Leeds chairman Bill Fotherby had telephoned Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards to enquire about the availability of Denis Irwin. Edwards was in a meeting with United manager Alex Ferguson at the time, and both men agreed that Irwin was not for sale.

Ferguson had identified that his team was in need of a striker, having recently made unsuccessful bids for David Hirst, Matt Le Tissier and Brian Deane, and instructed his chairman to ask Wilkinson whether Cantona was for sale. Fotherby had to consult with the manager Howard Wilkinson, but within a few days the deal was complete.

over that summer and I’m sure that he felt that going to Old Trafford was the best thing he could do to rejuvenate his career. Cantona’s signing was the signing that completed Sir Alex Ferguson’s team for the next few years.

Ferguson knew that he needed that one player that could steal the show, who could win you a match, one player that was to become a leader and to help the Fergie Fledglings mature into men.

Cantona’s influence on the class of 1992 was so profound that all of a sudden he became the

talisman of Ferguson’s team. In 5 seasons with Manchester United, Eric Cantona won 4 Premier Leagues, 2 FA Cups and 3 Charity Shields. His influence on the team was still felt in the 1998/99 season when Manchester United won an unprecedented treble.

If anything, Cantona was a magnificent, enigmatic person and even some of the things he said are still famous quotes till today. Who can forget his one sentence press conference after he was banned for the kung fu incident?

In the press conference all he said was: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

20 years later we’re still trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

Eric Cantona wasn’t just important for the many goals he scored; Eric Cantona was and is still important because he’s a true personification of what’s amazing about this club.

Eric Cantona’s arrogance is what gave the whole club self belief that they can achieve whatever they set their mind to achieve. I’m sure that the memory of the great Eric Cantona will not be forgotten. What this man did to Manchester United will never be forgotten. Eric Cantona helped to turn lambs into lions, helped with restoring the greatness that is Manchester United and helped in cementing Sir Alex Ferguson’s dream of building a legacy once and for all.

I urge you that tonight during dinner, raise a glass and honour the legend that is Eric Cantona.

No one expected the transfer to go through.

However, Eric Cantona had some issues

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What is a satisfactory achievement for United this season?

by Roderick Psaila

T

he simple, straightforward answer is that Manchester United should always challenge for the major trophies during a season, particularly the Premier League title. A good run in the Champions League and in the domestic cups is also expected.

Anything short of that is generally considered as a failure. Apart from all of the above mentioned, qualification for the following season’s Champions League competition is considered as a minimum achievement for a club like Manchester United and as David Moyes knows very well, failure to achieve this minimum objective is considered a deadly sin.

This minimum feat has been attained by United in Van Gaal’s first season at the club, although not everyone was that content with 4th place in the League, but at least we were back in the Champions League for the subsequent season: a tangible improvement on Moyes’ year in charge. At the same time, Van Gaal was busy preaching how difficult it was to win trophies and that the only way forward was all about adopting his philosophy. Still, during his infamous speech at the Awards Ceremony at the end of the 2014-2015 season, Van Gaal stressed that the aim for the following season was to win the Premiership.

The way this season unfolded, one would probably need to revisit the objective set at the start of season. If I had been asked in July, I would have said that I expected United to win the Premier League, simply because I believed at that time that the Manager would take the team to the next level following the decent finish to the previous season and the generous transfer budget which the club could afford on new players. Van Gaal made good use of that budget when a number of players came in through the doors at Old Trafford, this time specifically chosen by the Manager himself and not by the one before him. Hence, after a season of adaptation, I was convinced that Van Gaal’s philosophy was due to take the Premiership by storm.

As it turned out, it took the fans by storm!

- have put in the team this year have not been repaid by the players and the Manager.

The team’s performances were abysmal at times and when Van Gaal’s philosophy is not working, then even the most faithful United supporters would admit that they are getting tired of watching the team playing. The main reason for this defiance is not triggered by the lack of winning by the team but by the fact that United do not entertain anymore. Undeniably, the time when the United’s play brought fans to the edge of their seats week in week out is just a distant memory. This scenario has put Van Gaal under significant pressure, particularly since, not only the team was not playing exciting football, but they were also losing points against less ambitious teams.

That said, I am writing this article the day after one of United’s best performances of the season, the 5-1 win at Old Trafford against FC Midtjylland of Denmark in the Europa League.

First of all, let’s not forget that the team starting that game included Sergio Romero in goal, Varela and Riley as full backs, Carrick as central defender and a certain Marcus Rashford in the striker position. Apart from Rashford’s two-goal exploit however, one is obliged to mention the world-class show by Memphis Depay. What a performance he had, the boy!

Ronaldo would have been so happy to have such a performance in his first season with United, but also Nani. This is the significant question Memphis has to answer in the next couple of years. Is he United’s re-creation of Ronaldo or of Nani? Big question. Another big question though is whether Van Gaal’s philosophy can still function by putting the right players in the appropriate positions in the team or else if the performance was so good because the opposition was so weak. Arsenal on Sunday provided an indication to the answer to my question.

Nevertheless, to provide a response to the heading of this article and based on the arguments above, I would like to link a satisfactory achievement for United this season with Van Gaal doing enough in this last part of the season to save his job. I really think they are related and I will say why. Considering the current scenario, the possibility that United will finish in the top four positions in the Premiership looks bleak.

Given that qualification for the Champions League next season is the benchmark, United are compelled to seek qualification through the back door by winning the Europa League.

Still, I think that the Europa League is just a consolation for going out so early from the Champions League and does not equate to a ‘satisfactory achievement for the season’ by itself. However, if United also manage to triumph in the FA Cup, which is not out of reach considering that we have every chance of winning the quarter final home tie against West Ham and the following two ties at Wembley, then that would add up to a satisfying feat, at least in my opinion.

And I go one step further. As much as I think that both Mourinho and Giggs would be a step in the right direction for Manchester United as from next season, I firmly believe that by winning the FA Cup and the Europa League, Van Gaal will retain his place as Manchester United manager for the full length of his contract, and hand on heart, he would have earned it.

Indeed, the trust and optimism I – together with the majority of the fans

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When Patience Wears Thin

by Braden Galea

Attack, attack, attack!” The chant has recently “become synonymous during Manchester United matches, both with the home crowds at Old Trafford and the travelling supporters in away matches. Another sound that was unfortunately becoming more prominent as the weeks went by was the booing emanating from the United stands at the end of matches, and we are also witnessing supporters leaving the stadium early, when back in the days, Fergie Time used to stick everyone to the edge of their seats. It is safe to objectively say that the patience for which supporters were praised last season is increasingly wearing thin. Pointing fingers is a futile exercise. The fact which cannot be denied, however, is that performances on the pitch are nowhere close to the expectations of supporters.

Manchester United remains a great football club, one of the world’s best and the most successful in England. This is a pure fact. The team that was built to aspire for world class status and success by the late Sir Matt Busby, and nurtured into a European and domestic superpower by the great Sir Alex Ferguson, can only be thought of as a sleeping giant at the moment. Supporters are eagerly waiting for the

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day when the giant awakens and wreaks havoc to opposition teams, terrorizing defences and challenging to win trophies. It is a matter of when, not if. What frightens supporters to their bones is that such inevitable snooze after the successful managerial career of the legendary Ferguson turns into the type of hibernation which our Merseyside rivals have yet to put behind them. Hope and belief dictate that, barring any cataclysmic event, a team of Manchester United’s stature cannot die.

In the past we used to say that Manchester United stick with their manager no matter what.

Yet, such hypothesis has little evidence in history, due to the lack of testing. Sir Matt and Sir Alex both had long, successful careers with the team that they turned themselves indispensable. It is said that the match that saved Ferguson’s career was an FA Cup Third Round tie against Nottingham Forest, when a Mark Robins late goal gave Sir Alex breathing space on the 7th January 1990. When sections of the Old Trafford crowd had been shouting their lungs out for Ferguson to be given his marching orders, incoming late substitute Robins helped him live another day, and United went on to win the FA Cup against Crystal Palace that

season. What happens in the decades after this is a nostalgic memory that is so sweet but yet seems so distant. There can never be another Busby or Ferguson, but there will certainly be another manager who, with his unique personality and methods, will be just as successful. No less than five managers came and went between the most successful period of Sir Matt and the emergence of Sir Alex. Belief is a much-needed attribute for supporters at the moment. Another manager that will be in the hot seat for the long haul is yet to emerge, but he will.

Supporters are justly disappointed that the team is not playing the way in which we have been accustomed in recent history, the socalled ‘United way’. The present manager believes that it is enough to win by scoring one more than your opponent. For United, that simply does not work. That mentality would not have given us the 8-2 against Arsenal or the 7-1 against AS Roma, among a huge list of other matches where we scored and kept on attacking. Nevertheless, Louis Van Gaal is a successful manager with an impressive CV. His methods clearly worked in Holland, Spain and Germany. Whether a Mark Robins moment

into 2016 on the football calendar, the media was all over the place reporting how Van Gaal was close to being relieved of his duties, with Mourinho reportedly waiting in the wings. After all, anything negative about our football club gets viewership, generating revenue, which in turn oils the system. And many supporters have bought into that. I refuse to lay the blame solely on the manager’s shoulders for the present situation. Also, I find the treatment he received during matches in January both disrespectful and deplorable. A true fan would never purchase and bring a scarf with Mourinho’s face inside Old Trafford nor hold a mocking banner with Van Gaal’s termination notice. There are less impolite means of showing dissatisfaction. The media has been unfair, no doubt about that, but Van Gaal in my opinion could have handled the situation better. Storming out of a press conference or calling a journalist “fat” hardly wins you any fans, not to mention the resigned look clearly displayed on his face during matches and when addressing the media.

will inspire a massive turnaround that will see him stay at Old Trafford for the remainder of his 3-year contract is a huge question mark at present. There is plenty at stake. For starters, the Adidas multi-million sponsorship contract requires UEFA Champions League participation.

As a club, United is associated with success, and if current form continues, probability of maintaining this automatic association gets lower every week.

Apart from the team and its supporters, we cannot forget that Van Gaal is in the twilight of his career and that he stated publicly that United will be his last managerial position in football. History books will either speak glowingly about a successful career that culminated in a Barclays Premier League title, at the end of a journey of winning domestic titles in four different countries, or else brand him a failure for enjoying success elsewhere but failing on the big stage in England. So a lot is at stake for Van Gaal as well.

Like vultures and hyenas on a carcass is the Savannah, the media can smell blood from miles away. Performances on the pitch have only served to fuel the fire. As 2015 turned

One can argue that it is his job to motivate players and to make them play according to his tactics. Mentions of his philosophy evaporated into thin air as the tide turned. The quarter of a billion spent on players in expensive summer shopping sprees looked to be money down the drain when it came to translation into results on the pitch and trophies. Yet, I hold the belief that players are also to be blamed for not working harder to achieve success. If one takes Van Gaal out of the picture, success is far from automatic. It may be the case that his removal would cause more harm than good, unsettling a squad which needs stability when it comes to the final stretch of the season. One may not have confidence in the ship’s captain, but throwing him overboard in the middle of a storm is not always the best idea to safely navigate back into the harbour.

Comparison is made between Moyes and Van Gaal, but many forget that the Scotsman was never up to the task of managing a club of United’s magnitude. Sir Alex himself had stated in his biography ‘Leading’ that when Moyes and Steve McClaren were the two interview contenders for the position of Assistant Manager at United in 1998, he opted for Steve McClaren over Moyes because the latter evidently showed that he was too tense and serious during the interview. Why he would then recommend him for a six-year contract in the managerial seat at United is something that still baffles me. Van Gaal, on the other hand, has been there and done that with Bayern, Ajax and Barcelona. He seems to be coping just fine with the squad, maintaining control of players’ ego. Where he seems to be lacking is with respect to the media, which is gladly fuelling protest against the Dutchman, and with the tactical approach to produce entertaining football.

Looking at it from an outside perspective, some criticism seems to be justified that Van Gaal’s training regime is stifling the players’

creativity, and this is further exacerbated by the tactical strategy to matches. When Manchester United, known for playing attacking and entertaining football, start to be branded as boring, then you know that something is terribly wrong. Whether this is a matter of players not following instructions, or the instructions themselves being erroneous, is a matter to be debated. What is certainly not appreciated when things are not going well on the pitch is an unresponsive manager on the sideline. If the manager is animated and barking out instructions from the pitch side, then it would seem that players are the problem if the results are negative, because they would not be properly translating into play the manager’s tactical approach. A manager sat on his seat for the entire match with a resigned look on his face displays the opposite, and it does not provide supporters or players with a much-needed confidence boost. Yet, it may be a case of a different behaviour in terms of the Dutchman’s character and personality.

There are areas where Van Gaal made a contribution to the betterment of our great club, more than some supporters would care to admit. He has displayed a strong disciplined personality that controlled players’ attitudes and ensured that no player thought that he is bigger than the club. A case in point is keeping expensive signings like Di Maria and Depay on the bench when their performances were not up to standard. At the same time, he promoted youth players from within, which is something ingrained into the fabric of our club. Players like Lingard, Varela and Borthwick-Jackson, among others, owe their future careers to the first team chance provided by Van Gaal.

When it seemed that De Gea would be saying adiós to go play for his hometown club Real Madrid, he ultimately ended up remaining at the club. Whether the dropping of the transfer was truly a genuine error or whether there were underlying currents at play is again something to be speculated upon. Ultimately, it was Van Gaal and his chief goalkeeping coach Frank Hoek that brought back the living legend that is saving us a bucket-load of points with his thrilling goalkeeping saves.

There is also the fact that Louis Van Gaal has won each and every match we have played against our Merseyside archrivals. Irrespective of Klopp, Van Gaal registered the fifth win out of five games against Liverpool. And that is a sweet fact that is under-appreciated beyond belief. What is needed at the moment is a turning point in the season that would see the team climb up the table into the coveted UEFA Champions League qualification spots. Teams above us in the table are dropping points, so it is not as impossible a task as it may seem. This season there were times when our patience was tested. Times where we sat bored watching our team struggle were aplenty. At times when patience may be running too thin and close to breaking point, the solution can be taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture from a positive lens, while believing in the ability of our club to ascend again to glorious success.

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Is Manchester United too tactical?

by Norbert Bugeja

V

an Gaal’s philosophy and tactics have been under scrutiny for a long time since results are not being achieved. Media, social networks and every person has his opinion about this topic. But are Manchester United really too tactical and what does ‘too tactical’ really mean?

When I was given the article to write I ended up asking the question to myself “What is the meaning of too tactical? What makes a team too tactical?”

As supporters, we all want to see our team play attractive, beautiful, attacking football, if possible score 10 goals every game, keeping clean sheets, 100% passing accuracy, 100% shots on target and everything being perfect. But we live in a real life and tactics, like all things, evolved with the times.

but do you hear Inter supporters saying that they didn’t deserve the honours they won because their football was boring?

What does lack of tactics do to a team? In the last World Cup, we witnessed one of the biggest massacres in football when Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final. Brazil reached the semifinal thanks to the brilliance of Neymar, who was the only player to make a difference, but when he got injured and missed the semi-final, manager Scolari, who also failed miserably in the Premier League with Chelsea, didn’t have another plan. For the whole of the World Cup campaign, the team relied on Neymar and there was no other team plan when he got injured.

All the team was lost and had no ideas.

The first international game was played on the 30th November 1872. The teams facing each other were the rivals Scotland and England.

Scotland used a 2-2-6 formation and England, which was the favourite to win, fielded a more offensive 1-2-7 formation.

These formations are a dream for those who love attacking football. The final score was surprisingly England 0 - Scotland 0. It was a great result for the Scottish, but how is it possible to get a goalless draw with such an attacking formation? It was either a case of the goalkeepers being excellent or else a case of the strikers playing badly.

Manchester United has always had a philosophy to promote young players through the academy, having a team based on home grown talent with experienced players helping them in their development. The Class of ‘92 would not have developed the way it did without the likes of Cantona, Schmeichel, Stam around them.

The amount of goals increased when tactics started to develop and the use of midfield and possession play started to emerge. In fact, in the 1930 World Cup, Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 with a formation of 2-3-2-3. The use of skill developed over the use of the long ball physical game (Sam Allardyce never reached this development stage) and results started to favour the teams which adopted change.

Inter had a successful era under coach Helenio Herrera, with most of the games finishing with 1-0 scores and with Inter getting goal defending and back passing the ball to the goalkeeper.

The catenaccio was definitely a boring game,

Nowadays, we have a Manchester United team which is going through a period of change after the end of the Fergie era. Different managers came with different ideas. We had Moyes who changed the coaching staff so the level of continuity was terminated there. Moyes got sacked and Giggs took over as interim manager. Now Van Gaal is in the hot seat and with United not playing the most attractive football, he still managed to lead the team to qualification for the UEFA Champions League in his first season in charge. Van Gaal’s game is based on possessive play, but unlike Guardiola, he didn’t have Messi, Xavi and Iniesta coming up from the youth ranks, so his work

was more difficult. He started to buy players and many started to mention the amount of money he spent as manager, but this has always been the case with United being overcharged for every player, for example when we purchased Forlan for 7.5 million and later sold him for 2.5 million.

We live in a football world in which a player like Andy Carroll cost Liverpool 35 million and Crouch cost 15 million, so the prices have been inflated significantly. Bargains like Schmeichel, Solskjaer and Cantona are nowadays hard to come by.

At the time of writing, Van Gaal reverted from his philosophy to playing “horny” football.

He introduced a number of young players and United currently have the youngest average age in the Premier League. We are competing for a top 4 finish, still in the FA Cup and we have the opportunity to knock the Scousers out of the UEFA Europa League. United have had an incredible number of injuries. At one point, 14 players were out injured and I’m sure that even Barcelona, Bayern Munich and all of the greatest teams in the world would have had problems with so many injuries at one go. This shows that we need patience because when you have a young team, the players must be allowed to develop.

There was a joke that if United would have taken a penalty like the one of Messi and Suarez, the ball would have ended up back to De Gea. The passing, possession game is similar to the Tiki-taka that Barcelona played, but the players used to move more into space, not stay static without moving. In such case, the passing goes sideways and no gain is made by the team.

So basically, tactics are part of the game.

United are going through this rebuilding phase and obviously if we keep comparing to the Fergie era, nothing is good enough. With a young squad coming up and with the hunger shown, especially in these last few games, supporters should focus on supporting the manager and the team and not waste time criticising the team we all love on social media, as there is already enough pressure in managing Manchester United.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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Nostalgia of Roy Keane

by Julian Tabone

for the glory days. Most of them lament our form precisely because enormously high benchmarks had been set in the past decades.

Roy Keane. There you go. I was asked by our hard-working editorial team to write about him.

Roy Keane vs Alan Shearer.

N

ostalgia can have funny effects. You know how it is like when you start speaking about the past. You get lost, perhaps rather conveniently. We tend to delete or put aside the ugly episodes and choose to focus only on the best memories instead. We feel safe going back in time and re-think about the good times we may have had - even if it is just listening to a classic song from the past, watching a movie we used to watch or even catching up with an old friend.

That is what Manchester United fans have been doing in the past months. Living in the past.

We think back about past teams and we compare that with what we have got today.

And we feel worse.

Roy Keane made 480 appearances for United and scored 51 goals. He won 7 Premier League titles, the European Cup, the Inter-Continental Cup and four FA Cup winners medals. A legend. But he did not just help us win titles. He was passionate in his play – at times too much, but we had no problem with that – and he was a warrior on the pitch.

Roy Keane’s qualities were rare and welldocumented and it is not my intention to go into that or into any other statistic.

His legendary status is unquestionable.

I will try to sum up Roy Keane in three main incidents: 1. He was a fighter and because he was like that, he fought. Literally. In September 2001, United lost 4-3 against Newcastle. Keane was shown the red card for pushing Alan Shearer, who had wound up our skipper with his time-wasting tactics. Keane later admitted that he had wished he had actually punched Shearer. A classic.

Keane Challenges Viera February 2005.

February 2005, before Manchester United’s 4-2 win against Arsenal at Highbury, Keane came out to defend his team-mate and confronted the big Frenchman in his own inimitable manner. Today, it gives me exactly the same pleasure every time I watch it. And it is not just me. To date it has clocked up over 3.5 million views on Youtube and still counting. My favourite.

Of course, there have been various other Keano moments to savour. His goal against 10-man Leeds - which had Lucas Radebe standing-ingoal for 80 minutes - for instance in April 1996, capped a sensational title run-in, as was his captain’s goal in that same semi-final against Juventus to make us believe again.

The incidents highlighted above contrast with the qualities our current squad is showing.

Today I miss his leadership and his enthusiasm.

I miss his bullish attitude and his presence on the pitch and inside the dressing room.

But the past has a bright future too, according to Dr. Routledge.

It is quite understandable, though.

Dr. Clay Routledge – a social psychologist at North Dakota State University – in his paper ‘The Rehabilitation of an Old Emotion: A new Science of Nostalgia’ states that it is perfectly normal that people love returning to their past. We all like to re-think about weddings, graduations, family vacations. Nostalgic memories are mainly happy memories.

So what causes people to become nostalgic?

Routledge says that nostalgia may be triggered by feelings that could be described as a psychological threat. Negative moods, loneliness and feelings of helplessness are also potent sparks.

For all of us loyal fans, look no further than Manchester United’s 2015-16 season as one big trigger to become a bit nostalgic.

Just have a look at the articles in this magazine – and ask yourselves what have they all got in common? Most of them yearn for the past,

Keane misses CL Final April 1999.

2. His drive. His never-say-die attitude, his hunger...and the look on his face at every disappointment. Just like when he got that booking in the 1999 semi-final against Juventus, ruling him out of the final. He was dejected when referee Urs Meier took his card out. But he didn’t give in and he kept on battling. And we will be forever grateful for that.

3. He scored goals that mattered but these were rarely spectacular, at least not as spectacular as his infamous dressing-room bust-up with Patrick Vieira – in defence of Gary Neville. In

In fact, nostalgia allows people to use experiences from the past to help them cope with challenges in the present. Sadly for Manchester United fans, coping is just not enough. We need to start winning again. Sure.

But where do you find another Roy Keane, another Beckham, another Cantona, another Ronaldo, another Scholes or another Ferguson for that matter. Those days are gone and there is really no comparison. The quality is not there anymore and there is no quick fix.

Yearning for the past is a normal sentiment.

The game, in the meantime, has changed.

And we find ourselves having to adapt to new standards – poor ones.

But since yearning for the past is a normal sentiment, and since it does no harm, I will now just go back on Google and type Keane vs Vieira. Sit back and smile.

Truly living in the past! But from time to time it does feel comforting.

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by Michael Calleja

WELCOME TO MANCHESTER On derby day in Manchester, the city is cut in two. The Blues and the Reds invade the streets, and if your team wins the city belongs to you.” This is how the United legend Eric Cantona describes the Manchester Derby – a fierce rivalry between two club sides vying to always be the dominant team in Manchester.

It is worth exploring this heated rivalry given that Manchester City’s recent mercurial rise to success has added a different dimension to the yearly fixtures between the sides.

In the early years of the football league, Ardwick City (later to be called Manchester City) and Newton Heath (which would later be known as the famous ‘Manchester United’) became the two most dominant teams in the Manchester area, as it is worth pointing out that the winner of the Manchester Cup (from 18881893) was always either one of the two clubs.

The rivalry began to somewhat intensify in the very early part of the 20th century. Manchester City had just won the 1904 FA Cup and were widely seen as the dominant team in the area.

However, a financial scandal resulted in a number of City players being suspended and eventually banned from playing for the club.

The result was that well-renowned players such as the Welshman Billy Meredith and Sandy Turnbull joined United and the Reds ended up winning their first league title in 1908, followed by an FA Cup win in 1909. Though there was no genuine rivalry at this point in time, Turnbull did become the first ever player to be sent off in the derby - certainly a sign of things to come!

Despite both teams regularly meeting, the rivalry seemed to lessen slightly given that other teams (such as Arsenal in the 1930s) began to dominate the league championship.

City did win the League championship in 1937, but by 1939 war had broken out and the league was suspended. Post-war, Manchester United decided to appoint Matthew Busby as their Manager. Ironically, Busby had played for both Liverpool and Manchester City! The Scotsman began the arduous task of rebuilding a ravaged club with Old Trafford being unavailable for use after the war due to excessive damage from German bombing raids. United’s home in the immediate post-war period was in fact Manchester City’s Maine Road Stadium.

Busby’s work was certainly bearing fruit and throughout the 1950s, the famous Busby Babes began to take Britain by storm. With League championships in 1956 and 1957,

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Manchester United’s popularity began to soar throughout the country and the Munich Air Disaster resulted in the Red Devils gaining worldwide sympathy and appeal. The 1960s would thus result in both Manchester United and Manchester City rebuilding accordingly in order to ensure league championship wins.

Manchester United won the League title in 1967 and City followed suit in 1968, so for two seasons, the Championship stayed in Manchester. It is worth noting that throughout this period, the rivalry was lessened by the somewhat healthy relations between the players and management. Matt Busby was a close friend of Joe Mercer and even attended the event marking Manchester City’s promotion to the first division in 1966. (Imagine Louis Van Gaal attending a Manchester City party in 2016!). Meanwhile, George Best and Mike Summerbee were the best of friends off the pitch, even opening a boutique in Manchester together. Encounters on the pitch were still feisty and aggressive.

United’s decline in the early seventies was met with a City revival. Following their league success in 1968, City won the FA Cup 1969 and the League Cup and Cup Winner’s Cup in 1970.

The Red half of Manchester was displeased and a series of managerial changes ensured that the constant instability at Old Trafford culminated in an awful relegation in 1974. This relegation season has come to be symbolised by Denis Law’s back heeled goal (against United at Old Trafford), although in fairness, other results would have still condemned United to the Second Division.

The late seventies and eighties provided other tumultuous battles between both sides although neither ever realistically went close to winning the league (except in the 197980 season) with United finishing second to Liverpool. Things then began to change with the arrival of Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen.

Sir Alex’s early memories of Manchester City were certainly not pleasant. Upon his arrival, he lamented that City’s Academy was far more successful than United’s and a 5-1 hammering by the Blue half in 1989 resulted in Ferguson experiencing one of his lowest moments of his career. He would come to detest losing to Manchester City.

United’s rise in the 90s was suddenly met with City’s rapid decline. Both sides served

up some tasty encounters including United’s 3-2 win at Maine Road in 1994 and a 5-0 hammering of City later on during that year.

Manchester was truly Red and with City being relegated in 1996, the omens did not look good for the Blue half of Manchester. Indeed, City would continue to play second fiddle to United for such a long time, that United’s main rivals at the time were Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. It was somewhat ironic that at the same time that United were celebrating a momentous treble in 1999, City were playing in Division Two (nowadays League One) becoming the second ever European trophy winners to be relegated to their country’s third tier, after FC Magdeburg of Germany.

Manchester City’s fortunes suddenly took a turn for the better in 2008 when the club was purchased by Abu Dhabi United Group and it was at this point in time that Manchester United fans suddenly began to fear the worst. With new-found financial resources, Manchester City began to splash the cash on big summer signings. Robinho was signed in 2008 and Carlos Tevez was prised away from United in the summer of 2009. The rivalry suddenly manifested itself to new levels of intensity both on and off the pitch, epitomised by United’s amazing 4-3 win in September, 2009.

With the Premiership trophy being high on Manchester City’s agenda, the 2011-12 season came to symbolise the ultimate showdown between both clubs. City, now galvanized by a host of new players and a new manager in Roberto Mancini, fought tooth and nail with Manchester United and on the final day of the season, managed to beat Queen’s Park Rangers in added time to ensure they won the trophy despite finishing level on points with United (89 points). It was a stunning and breathtaking end to a dramatic season (which saw United surrendering an 11 point lead).

With United winning the league again in 2013, City replied in 2014 by winning the league after a tense battle with Liverpool. Even though it might seem that City currently have the upper hand, this rivalry is constantly coming up with momentous occasions and breathtaking moments. Aptly summed up by Luke Shaw: ‘The whole word watches the Manchester derby. It’s one of the biggest occasions in football after the World Cup and Champions League finals!”

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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BOOK REVIEW

Review by Daniel Cuschieri

Building the Dynasty

I

t’s the 1st of February and I am off to Manchester to watch the home match vs Stoke City, I’ve got my seatbelt fasten and awaiting take-off, eagerly awaiting to begin reading this book as I am a bit of a book worm when it comes to autobiographies and anything that is either United related or to a personal success story. The last autobiography I read happened to be of a certain player called Zlatan Ibrahamovic, which was in my opinion a very good read. After reading the front cover of the book, I immediately took interest in the book due to the fact the book is based on Sir Matt Busby and the way he transformed the club.

McCartney goes into detail of how Busby met Jimmy Murphy during a transit camp in Italy after hearing his Welsh voice, whilst giving a

McCartney describes the amounts of money the club made at Maine Road and it was due to such monies made, that then City board decided to terminate the tenancy and the club had to fight to get the stadium repaired through funding from post war disaster repair programmes.

It was upon returning to Old Trafford, the club managed to really grow in stature and fame, due the attractive football Busby instilled in the team and also due to the fact that the club had its only stomping ground again. The emergence of the ‘Busby Babes’ as lauded by the media, was all down to Busby’s perseverance with this ethos of producing rather than buying pushed the club further into the limelight.

We are 20 minutes into the flight and my inflight jitters fade and I begin reading. The book begins to explain a post war Manchester United Football Club and having its stadium bombed and taking a tenancy at arch rivals Manchester City, which such tenure would last close to ten years, together with the appointment of Sir Matt Busby.

The opening chapter describing Busby’s early footballing career with Manchester City, and also touches upon his personal life which includes his visa application to immigrate to the USA, due to shortage of work in Scotland. Busby was a ‘Sergeant Major’ in North Africa which such post helped him develop his coaching and managerial skills. Sir Matt Busby signed for Manchester United on the 19th of February 1945, thanks to his old friend Louis Rocca who got the balling rolling by contacting then Chairman Mr J.W. Gibson.

During the late 1930’s the club began laying the foundation of a junior system for young boy’s to play football as a schoolboy and take part in local Manchester leagues. The team was named Manchester United Junior Athletic Club, whose player trial activities were overseen

by Tom Curry and Jim McClelland, which such values Busby maintained throughout his management at the club, whilst purchasing players to strengthen the squad he would seek to promote youngsters into the team which eventually who turn out cheaper for the club due to the financial constraints the club was under post war.

During the season 1953 – 54, signed a young Duncan Edwards to the senior squad after having made a dashing drive down to Dudley upon the news of him opting to sign for Bolton. United coach Bert Whalley originally drove down to speak to his parents, however his car broke down and Jimmy Murphy hired a car and drove down with him, the same night to get him to sign a contract with the club. The following season Busby trusted his young players with Edwards, Foulkes, Viollet and Blanchflower.

team talk to a group of soldiers. Busby offered Murphy the job as a coaching job at the club upon his return to Britain.

The book contained in depth detail of match results and also the transition of the club under Busby’s running of the club. Upon his appointment, Busby had multiple obstacles to overcome such as dealing with the British government for funding for the repairs to Old Trafford and also due to the lack of money players would opt to go and work rather than play football.

Busby’s first major trophy was the FA Cup 4-2 win against Blackpool and after numerous title charges managed to the win his first League One Trophy in the season 1951 – 1952, which however the following season saw the club finish outside the top 5.

The book has meticulous information of Babes’ domination of English football and preliminary European football adventures which covers their two league title wins and also up the Munich plane crash.

McCartney goes into extreme detail throughout the book, which at times I thought to myself I’m having a MUFC history lesson. I would suggest this book to every United fan especially to new ‘breed’ of United fans whom may a small idea of how Busby came out and how the rebuilt the club and how the introduced methods which today smaller clubs adhere to due to financial difficulties. The books contains a lot of historical facts, events and stories which make this book a very good read.

This is the first book written by Iain McCartney that I have read, which I truly enjoyed reading and in all fairness my review cannot encapsulate the level of information the book has.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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38 VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

Manager on the Brink

by John Calleja

and June 1958, taking over while Busby was recovering from the Munich crash. He returned to the post of assistant manager to the great Busby after his recovery.

Record: P22...W5...D7...L 10 Honours: Cup finalists in 1958

Sir Matt Busby It is widely acknowledged that Matt Busby was the architect who laid down the foundations of Manchester United as we know them now.

When he took over from Walter Crickmer, who was appointed executive secretary, Busby walked into a bombed Old Trafford, a bombed training ground (the Cliff) and a club burdened with huge debts. The way things turned out for his managerial career at Old Trafford are nothing short of a fairytale. Busby became boss in 1945, and his first stint lasted until 1969. Undoubtedly, he would have won many more honours if Munich had not happened.

It was ultimately his decision to retire from the managerial position at United. It is also worth remembering his great help to me to set up our supporters’ club and that he was the first manager to bring over Manchester United to Malta in 1961, only 2 years after he promised me to do so. As an interesting fact, before the Busby era, United had only won 2 championships, in 1908 and 1911, and on both occasions the Manager was Ernest Mangnall.

Record: P 1120...W 565...D 263...L 292 Honours: 5 Championships, 2 FA Cups, 5 Charity Shields, 1 European Cup

Wilf Mc.Guinness Wilf had the difficult task of stepping into Busby’s shoes when he managed United between 1969 and 1970. He also faced the challenge of having to manage players with whom he had played, the same players who one day called him Wilf, and which now had to call him boss. Understandably it was a very uncomfortable situation. Wilf was a United man through and through, but unfortunately he failed to continue in the successful footsteps of Busby and was dismissed in December Record: P87...W 32...D32...L23

1971 and 1972. During his short term, he had just managed an 8th place league finish and getting to the quarter-final stage in the FA Cup. Obviously, this was not up to United’s expectations. O’Farrell lost most of his charm, mainly due to his continuous disputes with the fans’ idol George Best. Matters came to a head when he first left Best out of the team and then placed him on the transfer list with a £300,000 price tag.

Matt Busby intervened, sorted out the problems with George Best and dramatically took him out of the transfer list. O’Farrell became furious at the news and claimed that everything was done behind his back.

On December 16th, United were thrashed 5-0

by Crystal Palace. This defeat added to the confusion and it came as no surprise when, three days later, the directors took drastic action and dismissed Frank O’Farrell.

Record: P81...W30...D24...L27

Sir Matt Busby (2nd stint) Matt accepted to return following dismissal of McGuinness in 1970 retiring again at the end of the season in June 1971.

Record: P21...W11...D3...L7

Jimmy Murphy Jimmy managed United between February 1958

Frank O’Farrell Frank O’Farrell’s term as Manchester United manager lasted just 18 months between

Tommy Docherty The Doc was making good progress with the team, but then he fell for the physiotherapist’s wife and had to be dismissed. Many were of the opinion that honours would have come VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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United’s way under his management, but the physio’s wife affair put an immature end to all aspirations. Never at loss for words, Tommy described his dismissal as unique, saying that he was the only manager to be dismissed for love. When asked which way he was going after United, he replied: “When you leave United, there’s only one way you can go, down.” Tommy was also a great friend of our supporters’ club.

Record: P228...W107...D56...L65 Honours: 1 FA Cup, 1 Second Division Championship

Ron Atkinson Season 1985-86 had seen a good start for United but had ended up in humiliation.

Atkinson knew that 1986-87 would be his last chance. He had already survived more than any other manager since Matt Busby’s retirement, but had failed to win the championship which was Manchester United’s main target. The beginning was a disaster. United lost their first three matches and after 9 games just managed one win and four draws. By the start of November, they were 4th from bottom with 13 points from 13 games. The writing on the wall had already started to appear for Atkinson.

On the 4th November 1986, United lost 4-1 to Southampton in the Littlewoods Cup and United were already out of two competitions.

The outcome was natural: Big Ron Out. In the end, his unethical style with all concerned, from boardroom to fans, was the final nail in his coffin. His penchant for gold bracelets, champagne and steak lunches, and his passion for suntan, won him few admirers, and many were happy to see him go.

Record: P292...W146...D70...L67 Honours: 2 FA Cups, 1 Charity Shield

Record: P51...W27...D8...L15 Honours: 1 Charity Shield

Dave Sexton The sacking of Dave Sexton was something of a surprise. It was true that United had floated most of the time around mid-table, but after winning 7 games in a row, finishing in 8th place, 12 points behind champions Aston Villa, it looked like he would be retained, in spite of previous rumours of his dismissal.

After a secret two-hour meeting between him and six directors, Sexton emerged with a look that told it all. No immediate comments were issued, but it later transpired that he had been dismissed. After four years at the helm, he had failed to win a single major honour despite the reputation and expectation that had come with his arrival. In the four years with Sexton at the helm, United had finished 10th, 9th, 2nd and 8th. Sexton was a reserved person and this accounted for his lack of rapport with the players. His dealing with players’ transfers had left the club with a debt of £2 million, a considerable amount in those days. Failure on the pitch, coupled with financial loss, eventually proved to be his undoing.

Record: P201...W81...D64...L56 Honours: 1 Charity Shield

Ryan Giggs He managed United from April 2014 to May 2014 as Interim Manager after Moyes’ dismissal. He was appointed as assistant manager to the next permanent manager, Louis Van Gaal, to learn and improve his managerial qualities with the view of becoming a Manchester United manager in the future.

Record: P4...W2...D1...L1

Sir Alex Ferguson A glorious career between 1986 and 2013.

Record: P1500...W896...D338...L267 Honours: 13 English Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 10 Charity Shields, 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 FIFA Club World Cup Need I add any further comments? He was a giant of a legend, whose feats may probably never be equalled. Unfortunately for the club and its supporters, he retired of his own free will to spend more time with his wife. Wisely, he retired as a Champion, and his legacy will live in history books for many decades.

David Moyes He managed United between 2013 and 2014, and had the big disadvantage of stepping into Fergie’s shoes. He also hardly had any experience in fighting for major honours, coming from mid-table club Everton. These two factors led to his downfall. He was finally dismissed, when he failed to win a place in the UEFA Champions League. The Chosen One turned out to be the Wrong One.

Louis Van Gaal Rumours continue to persist in the media that the Dutchman is set to be removed from the position of manager. As at time of writing, he is still the current Manchester United manager.

Who will be the next Manchester United manager and how will his career in the top job at our beloved club pan out? Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s believe and hope for better times full of entertaining football and success.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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What’s Next?

by Antoine Dalli

A

n Extraordinary FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Congress held in Zurich on February 26th has elected Gianni Infantino as the President of FIFA for the remainder of the current term of office that runs until 2019.

Infantino, who turns 46 on March 23, was elected as the ninth President of FIFA – the governing body of association football, futsal and beach football. The former general secretary of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) was elected after the second ballot with 115 of 207 total votes (the member associations of Indonesia and Kuwait could not vote due to their respective suspensions). According to the FIFA Statute, Infantino’s mandate started after the conclusion of the Congress.

Infantino, who holds dual nationality (Italian and Swiss), needs to restore to the world governing body its lost reputation following the notorious scandals that took place during Sepp Blatter’s stint.

Ironically, the canny multilingual lawyer familiar to us football fans for his role in conducting

42 VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

the UEFA Champions League draws was born just six miles from his disgraced predecessor.

Originally, Infantino was not meant to be a candidate for the FIFA top post. Infantino, an avid Inter supporter, entered the race only when UEFA President Michel Platini (Infantino’s boss at UEFA) was suspended then banned for six years for accepting a “disloyal payment” from Blatter back in 2011.

Infantino, touted to be the man behind the introduction of the financial fair play regulations, has a daunting task ahead of him and he simply cannot afford to commit any mistakes because, in the wake of the scandals that surfaced in the past months, FIFA has lost much of its reputation and credibility. Only recently, Michel Zen-Ruffinen, who succeeded Blatter as FIFA secretary general from 1998 till 2002 when the latter was elected president, has warned that big sponsors might consider leaving FIFA unless the organization embarks on a major reform to embrace good governance.

Therefore, it came as no surprise that on the day of Infantino’s election to the FIFA top post, the Extraordinary FIFA Congress also approved a set of landmark reforms to enhance the governance structure of world football’s governing body. These reforms included improvements to the governance of global football, a clear separation of commercial and political decision-making, greater scrutiny of senior officials, and commitments to women in football and human rights.

After his victory, Infantino did not mince his

words as he told the delegates: “I want to be the president of all of you. I travelled through the globe and I will continue to do this. I want to work with all of you to restore and rebuild a new era where we can put football in the centre of the stage. FIFA has gone through sad times, moments of crisis. But those times are over.” Later, he told the media: “We enter now a new era. We will restore the image of FIFA and make sure everybody will be happy with what we do.”

In his address, Infantino also boasted that he had vastly increased UEFA’s revenues, whilst promising that he will strive to do the same for FIFA, which is reported to have a staggering $550m financial black hole. More specifically, Infantino told delegates: “It’s your money, not the money of the FIFA president.” But whilst promising to “bring football back to FIFA”, Infantino’s most important statement on the day of his election was: “The money of FIFA has to be used to develop football.”

One of Infantino’s first major decisions will be to appoint a secretary general, who would effectively be the chief executive who runs the day-to-day operations at FIFA. FIFA was founded way back in 1904 and since then it has had 10 secretaries general, all hailing from Europe – the game’s strongest continent. In the run-in to the February 26 election, Infantino was quoted in an event held in London: “I am convinced the general secretary of FIFA should not be a European. Why not an African?” Sources close to Infantino suggested that Moroccan Hicham El Amrani is a palpable candidate.

The Paris-educated El Amrani, 36, became general secretary of the African confederation (CAF) on an interim basis in 2010 and was subsequently confirmed in the role in September 2011. He graduated in 2004 from the FIFA Masters course and remarkably won the Young Leaders of the Year award in 2015 from the ‘Leaders in Sports’ organisation.

Another possible candidate for the post is US Soccer President Sunil Gulati, who is an economics professor at Columbia University and touted to be well connected politically in the United States. Infantino could opt for Gulati in a bid to improve relations with the US Department of Justice, which has charged dozens of soccer officials in the Americas with corruption. Moreover, this Department is also investigating allegations of bribery and corruption at FIFA itself.

According to Acting Director General Markus Kattner, huge legal costs, deserting sponsors, media criticism and low staff morale had led to FIFA being $550m behind its projected $5bn revenue target for the current four-year cycle.

This further accentuates the need for reform.

However, there are some critics who have already pointed to Infantino’s loyalty to the banned Platini and UEFA’s failure to embrace governance reforms as evidence that the newly-

elected FIFA President does not represent the wholesale change required.

FIFA is at cross-roads. Infantino has just become the third FIFA president in 40 years personified by Blatter and his Brazilian predecessor João Havelange. Infantino does not have many alternatives. First and foremost, he must lift it off its knees following

eight months of chaos and crisis. The reform should make FIFA an organization which is more transparent than ever before. As things stand with the damage to the reputation of the organization, the status quo is simply not an option for Infantino because otherwise FIFA would have lost a golden opportunity to reform itself and win back much of its lost credibility.

VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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Dave Jones Interview Interview by Paul Anthony - Transcript by Daniel Cuschieri

• Interviewer: So you joined at ten an apprentice at in 2001, broke into the under 19 side in 2002, start to captain the side in 2012/2013, quite a rise wasn’t it?

• DJ: I look back at my time there in a very fond way I really enjoyed it where I had a great football education there, I learned how to be a footballer really and how to conduct myself both on and off the pitch. Really find memories.

• Interviewer: You mentioned the learning curve at Manchester United football club, it is the place to learn?

• DJ: Yes, definitely at the time it’s to doubt above the other clubs I had been on trial and everyone I spoke to encouraged me to go to Manchester United, really, so yeah they were a cut above the rest and after experiencing it I’ve got to say it fulfilled everything I hoped it would.

• Interviewer: It served you in good stead for where you are now and helped you put you in this position.

• DJ: There are so many coaches at Manchester United that the one that sticks out is Paul Mcguiness who over saw the youth development and a good coach who had a big influence over my career, so there have been many coaches such as Brian Mclair, Neil Bailey…Yes there is a lot. All this stuff that has taken me to here I learned and other things since I left the club, I definitely… you get to see in other players that have been in Manchester United football club, so I definitely say it was the best place to learn how to be a footballer.

• Interviewer: One of the highlights of your time at the club would e dementedly the youth club final. That was something wasn’t it?

• DJ: Yes it was a good thing, there has been a lot of players that had a career since playing in that team, it was very enjoyable, I have some really good mates that I bump into now and it’s still sort of like we’ve never been away from each other. I speak to Kieran Richardson, Phil Barsley doesn’t live too far away from me I speak to him on the phone and bump into him every now and then. He’s a top lad and had a good career and as I mentioned players from that team had a good career.

• Interviewer: Yes you ca put in Luke Steele in there with them.

• DJ: Also Paul Mcshane, Chris Eagles…

in United you’ve got your first team squad number, and you look at that squad and say ‘ooh I’ve got some players to get in front of, to get a place here’. In your position at the time where Roy Keane and Paul Scholes…They weren’t bad players weren’t they?

• DJ: They were great layers to learn from and it was really difficult to get a chance really. I’ve got a few opportunities but there were a lot of players in there that were signed that were not starting, quite a few midfielders DjembaDjemba, Miller and Carrick while I was there.

So there is a lot to do to get opportunities which you understand but still I have great memories and great praise for the club.

• Interviewer: Some top players in that team.

• DJ: Yeah • Interviewer: What about when you were

• Interviewer: When did you decide that it was time to move on? Or was it a decision made for you, as I know Michael Carrick came and that reinforced that midfield position that you

were fighting to get into. Was that what made your mind up?

• DJ: There wasn’t a definite moment but, you kind of think like…well my opportunities are gonna be few and far between, so an opportunity came with Derby, I had played with Preston on loan, with Billy Davie and he came in for me when he was at Derby and the offer was accepted by the club, so I thought that’s a sign of intent and it was an opportunity I wanted to take to play games and I was at that age where I thought I can really ,make an impact in playing games.

• Interviewer: Do players in your position set themselves an age and say ‘Look if I haven’t made it by then I will have to start looking’?

• DJ: It depends on the situation, at Manchester United players give themselves a little bit VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

45

good. Obviously last year was a little bit of disappointment but you’re looking good for this year.

• DJ: Yes we’re competing again I feel the club has moved along way since I first joined the club nearly three years ago now. Obviously it was a disappointment but I still feel as a club we have moved forward and could have been nice to stay in but we’re in a strong position and looking forward to last fifteen or so games with everything to play for.

• Interviewer: So when you get back do you feel you are better equipped to handle it then last year?

longer to make it, there is not many like your Wayne Rooney or your Cristiano Ronaldo who are ready at seventeen to go into the first team. There is slower rate of progression at times and you’ve got to be patient, so I feel at United there is a lot more experience that you might have to get by going out on loan to be a readymade Manchester United player and it takes a lot to do that until the end, you have to have the skills, so I feel you have to be a little more patient at clubs like that. I felt I was, I went out got some valuable experience at Preston and NEC in Holland and then I have appearances in the first team which didn’t quite happen for me to be a regular so I felt it was the right time.

• Interviewer: So I spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson after you left the club on MUTV and he said

‘I left David Jones leave to cheaply’, is that a compliment?

• DJ: Yeah…I think it is a compliment really.

Obviously I wasn’t in the first team for a long period of time so in terms of being around and what experience with the Manager was brilliant really, I’ve seen him a few times since I left, he always give you advice and the back handed compliment.

• Interviewer: I have been speaking to Tommy, the boss comes down every now and then…

• DJ: Yes he has been down, I’ve seen him where I live a few times…

• Interviewer: You can’t get away then (laugh), so now you’re at Burnley and looking

• DJ: I think we would be just naturally with experience, the squad now has a lot more of experience on both getting promotion last year and playing in the premier league.

I feel we are a stronger squad with more competition for places so yeah, the Manger has been here a few years and the wat he has his impact on the whole philosophy on the club you can see it in the way we play and how we carry ourselves around the training grounds. I thing there’s a great feeling around the club, an enjoyable place to come to every day.

• Interviewer: I know that you are well liked well over in Malta, you have been there a few times haven’t you? Cause when I told them I was doing an interview they said ‘great we’ll have it in our magazine’. So thanks for doing this on behalf of the Malta branch and hopefully we will see you back in the premier league next year.

• DJ: Yeah, when I went over to Malta they were very welcoming to me, so thank you to them, the supporters club there was brilliant, top guys.

• Interviewer: Maybe they see you out there again.

• DJ: Yeah, thank you very much.

46 VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

MY MANCHESTER UNITED

An Interview with Joe Catania

by Alex Demarco

A

fter Manchester United’s recent home defeat to Southampton, the final whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the home fans. They showed their displeasure at a lacklustre performance by the Reds, on the back of a series of disappointing results.

However, as Louis van Gaal pointed out after the game, it is important that the fans stick by the team and help them get through a difficult period. I met with the Vice-President of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club (Malta), Joe Catania, a life-long, die-hard Manchester United fan, who explained to me how his love for United began and shows no sign of diminishing. We also spoke about his role within the oldest Manchester United supporters club the world, and looked at what the future holds for Manchester United.

How did you start supporting Manchester United? Was there anything in particular that caught your attention?

As a youngster, you are usually influenced by your family, so you will either support the same team, or rebel against the team that your father or brother supports. My first experience was when Hibernians played against Manchester United at the Gzira Stadium in 1967. My father

took me to that game and, even though I followed United before then, it was impossible to watch their matches, not like nowadays. The match versus Hibs was like my ‘injection’, as it kick-started my support for United. But then, 1968 (the year United won their first European Cup), was when I really cemented myself as a supporter. Manchester United is a special club because, I don’t think you just decide to start supporting United, I think you are born supporting them.

The first trip to Old Trafford is a fantastic experience for every United fan. When was your first trip to the stadium to watch them play?

The first time I watched them was in the 1993-1994 season, when we won the Premier League for the second successive season.

Back then I couldn’t afford to regularly go up to Old Trafford, but in 1994 my wife, unbeknown to me, bought me a ticket to go and watch the final league game of the season, against Coventry. I was so enthusiastic to finally be able to visit Old Trafford that I went outside the ground on Friday at 8am just to get a look, even though the game was on Saturday! It’s an experience that I will never forget. When you’re used to the stadiums locally, and then

Joe Catania (right) during the Istrina 2013 MUSC Malta Donation Presentation.

get the chance to see these huge stadiums and experience the atmosphere abroad, you realize that here in Malta, we are a world apart.

Even for those people that don’t follow football or don’t really understand it, the energy and atmosphere is unique.

Your love for United has seen you get involved with the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta. What does your role of Vice-President consist of?

For a club to be run properly a lot of time and energy must be put into it by the committee and all those involved. My role as vice-president doesn’t mean that I go around giving orders to those around me. I don’t mind saying that, myself, along with my friends, help out with the ‘dirty work’, for example, decorating the club at Christmas time, or cleaning the rooms.

I think, along the years, we’ve managed to have good, dedicated committee members.

The nice thing about these members is that they find it difficult to hide their love for the club, starting from President Joe Tedesco. The work that these people put in is incredible. I am glad to say that I am part of a family, and at the end of the day, our aim is to keep the club running successfully and hopefully for a long time to come.

February sees us remember the victims of the Munich air disaster. Growing up, how did the crash affect and shape Manchester United?

I was born in 1958, so grew up in the aftermath of the Munich air disaster.

At that time, United were already popular thanks to the famous ‘Busby Babes’ as everyone could see the great potential they had. February 6th 1958 is the darkest day in United’s history, but the tragedy also helped increase the popularity that United had. What I mean by this is that, more than a Manchester United tragedy, it was a national tragedy.

People who didn’t support the club were

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return to the top. The structure of the club ensures that those in charge are the right men to take the club forward and even the Under 21s look like they have lots of potential. It might take time to get back to where we were, but the future looks very bright and I will support every decision made by the club.

Seeing as you regularly go to watch United, what are the top 3 matches that you’ve watched?

- Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich (1999 Champions League Final). Incredible, incredible, the atmosphere was unbelievable and the result makes all the travel worthwhile.

- Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (2008 Champions League Final, United win on penalties). Was a horrible trip in terms of flying and accommodation, but again, the result changed the whole mood, an unbelievable game. Since United won, no one mentioned the accommodation or the travelling; all that mattered was that United won the UEFA Champions League.

Joe Catania with the great Sir Alex.

emotional about what happened and, back then, there wasn’t the rivalry that we see today between clubs. Many of them offered support and help to assist United in any way possible to pull through the horrible disaster. So much so that many people didn’t go to work the next day. They wanted to know what happened to the Busby Babes and the only way to do that was to listen to the radio. The disaster affected the entire nation so in that sense, there was a lot of sympathy and support for United.

managed to get through Munich and rebuild the club with little money compared to today, so I have no reason to think that we won’t

- Manchester United 3-2 Bayern Munich (2010 Champions League Quarter Final). We got knocked out of the Champions League after this game, but the atmosphere and the football that we were playing to put us 3-0 up in the first half was incredible. Up until that point, it

These past few seasons, following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, have presented little success on the pitch. How do you see the club developing in the next couple of years to get back to winning ways?

The Sir Alex Ferguson era and the current situation. Any sensible fan would know that periods of transitions are difficult, even more so, when you are taking over from a manager who had been in the job for 27 years. We need to remember that Sir Alex Ferguson’s career also had a turbulent start. Different managers will come in with different ways of doing things, as well as their own coaching staff and ideas. At the beginning of the season, we saw a United team that was struggling to play nice football, with lots of backward passes. However, I think that we are on the up and on the right path. In the past three years since Ferguson’s retirement, the club has learnt important lessons and never lost its sense of identity.

Even though results haven’t gone our way this season, what positives can you take out the current campaign?

There have been a lot of positives this season.

We have the nicest slogan in the world, ‘We never die’, so even if you think that we’re going through bad times, we will recover. We

Joe Catania with Denis Law and the Premier League Trophy.

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was probably the best atmosphere I had ever experienced. Then Rafael got sent off and the tie turned in Bayern’s favour.

Having watched so many talented players at United down the years, who would make your ultimate Man United starting eleven?

It’s impossible to choose just eleven out of all the great players that I’ve seen, but, even though others might not agree with my choice, this is my Dream Team.

Goalkeeper: David de Gea Right-back: Gary Neville Centre-backs: Nemanja Vidic and Gary Pallister Left-back: Patrice Evra Right wing: George Best Central midfielders: Paul Scholes and Roy Keane Left wing: Ryan Giggs Joe Catania with his daughter & Denis Law during the MUSC Malta 55th anniversary.

Strikers: Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy

Members’ corner F

rom the 2nd to the 9th November 2015 my sisterin-law - Carmen Saliba and her daughter, Romina and myself (Salvu Saliba), went to Manchester to follow the homes games vs CSKA Moscow and vs WBA. It was a really exciting experience for us all - especially for my dear niece Romina. It was a dream come true for us especially when she managed to meet Van Gaal, Mata and Herrera.

They were all great and so friendly.

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Thank you VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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MANCHESTER UNITED THE WAR YEARS – 1941/42

by Iain McCartney Part 3

W

ith war-time football being rather unproductive on the financial side of the game and United in the years leading up to the conflict having endured their fair share of money problems, they found themselves facing even more off the field problem before a ball was kicked in earnest at the start of season 1941-42.

At a board meeting held on August 21st 1941, it was reported that “due to enemy action on the nights of March 11th/12th, the grandstand and buildings had been extensively damaged, and that arrangements had been made with the Streford Corporation to salvage the damaged steel from the site and carry out demolishing operations as required.” A debt of £74,000 was already hanging over the club and now without a home, things were looking rather serious.

In war-torn Britain, everyone was more or less in the same boat, willing to help mere strangers as well as family and friends and it was thanks to the generosity of neighbours Manchester City that United were able to continue in the war time leagues. North of the border, many clubs simply shut shop after that initial 193940 season and it would have been easy for United to do likewise, but now, squatting, with the owner’s permission, at Maine Road, at least one of their problems was overcome.

Under the continued guidance of Walter Crickmer, United once again competed in the Football League Northern Section, with the season split into two. The first Championship ran from August 30th through to December 25th, with the second from December 27th until May 23rd. To keep matters complicated, only clubs who played eighteen or more games qualified for the championship, while the first ten games in the second section were also League Cup qualifying ties, with the following four being the knock-out stages of that particular competition.

The season got underway with New Brighton visiting Maine Road, with this and the subsequent fixtures giving United a start like never before (or since for that matter), hammering the Merseyside club 13-1, watched by only 2,000 spectators, before going on to

lose only once in the opening sixteen games, scoring an amazing 76 goals in the process.

In the route of New Brighton, Jack Rowley claimed seven of the goals, Smith a hat-trick, Bryant two goals and Mitten having to be content with one, but seven days later it was Carey, Whalley and Morris who got in on the goal-scoring act, as New Brighton recovered from their Moss Side trouncing to earn a 3-3 draw.

The appearance of Johnny Morris in the lineup was his first at this level since joining the club in 1939, with the player arriving a t O l d Tr a f f o r d purely by chance.

Returning home to Bury by train, United coach Jimmy Porter overheard a handful of football supporters discussing the merits of a young and unknown Johnny Morris who was playi ng fo r the local side. Not wanting to lose out on any promising individuals, enquires were made, Morris was watched and duly signed.

at Goodison Park, and then it was Chester’s turn to meet the United goal-machine, losing 7-0 at home and 8-1 in Manchester on successive Saturdays. Did Rowley score?

I hear you ask. Only in the latter, as he was missing from the line-up in the first game, weighing in with four of the eight, displaying his all-round ability as the first was a flick over the keeper, the second a glancing header, the third sneaked from the keeper’s grasp and the fourth a powerful drive. Smith, trying hard not to be outdone, scored two in each.

Stockpor t County were hit with twelve goals in two midSeptember games (5-1 and 7-1), Rowley claiming eight of those, before Everton inflicted that only defeat in a 3-2 victory at Maine Road. But this was little more than a blip, as the goals continued to flow like wine. Three were put past Everton

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Despite the influx of goals, attendances were varied, ranging from the 2,000 on the opening day to 4,000 who watched the 3-0 defeat of Stoke City on November 1st, although away from home there were 6,000 at Goodison and later in November some 10,000 were at Anfield for the 1-1 draw against Liverpool. It was only the ‘big two’ on Merseyside which attracted the fans as the game at New Brighton pulled in only 1,500 while the game at Tranmere, a week before the Anfield visit saw only 2,000 in attendance.

Liverpool’s visit to Maine road on November 29th should have seen the Anfield side quaking in their boots as the United line-up boasted of not one, but two Rowley’s in the attack, with Jack’s younger brother Arthur lining up alongside him.

It was, however, to be the elder of the pair who claimed the goals in the 2-2 draw.

behind the Seasiders. They were, however, the league’s top scorers.

Tranmere were then to become the latest Although such attendances boosted the coffers victims of ‘Gunner’ Rowley, the robust front of United and even more so City through their man scoring five in the 6-1 victory over the rental agreement, players on the other hand Birkenhead side at Maine Road, but fared were on a match fee of around thirty shillings slightly better than Wrexham who left Manchester on the Johnny Morris back of a 10-3 mauling. Yes, Rowley added another three goals to his impressive tally, but on this particular occasion was outdone by Johnny Carey, who had been drifting between the inside left and the full-back positions, who claimed four.

Reading about such notable victories, you would imagine that United were streaking way ahead of their League rivals in this First Championship, but the 10-3 win over Wrexham still left them two points behind leaders Blackpool.

Morris notched four in the 4-3 win at Wrexham, but a 2-1 defeat ‘away’ at Manchester City and a 1-1 draw five days later in the ‘home’ match, watched by 10,000 and 20,000 respectively, meant that there were no double Christmas and championship celebrations, as it was Blackpool who claimed the title, rather ironically on goal average from Lincoln City, a team United didn’t have to play. United finished fourth with twenty-six points, three

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included in his kitbag. On what was a blank Saturday 7th March for United, he was scoring five for Wolves in their 11-1 hammering of Everton. There was, however, a new goal-scoring terrace favourite, with Harry Catterick (later to manage Everton), scoring four in three games. He was not Rowley standard, but still enough to see United into Round Two following a 5-2 aggregate win over Blackburn Rovers.

In the Second Round, United were up against Wolves at Maine Road on April 11th, but thankfully there was no Jack Rowley, and United ended up winning the first leg 5-4, Catterick weighing in with a double, the others coming from is, Smith and Carey. In the return leg, United drew a blank for only the second time that season and with Wolves 1-0 in front at the end of the ninety minutes, it was into extra time.

The Midland side went on to score a second, then, with the last kick of the game, Carey had the ball in the net only to see his effort disallowed for offside. United were out.

With interest in the cup now over, there were five League fixtures remaining, with the first four, home and away ties against Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, also taking the shape of Lancashire Cup ties. Oldham were beaten 5-1 at Maine Road with goals from Morris (2), Carey (2) and Catterick, and 2-1 on the own ground a week later. 15,000 witnessed a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park, with the Rovers notching a 1-0 win at Maine Road.

In the final match of the 1941-42 season, against landlords City, the ‘Guardian’ told its readers: “…United, who are third, beat City by three goals to one.” However, it now becomes complicated.

(£1.50p). Referees could claim the grand sum of ten shillings and six pence (around 53p), with local based linemen pocketing five shillings (25p) per match.

The last fixture of 1941 saw the Qualifying Cup get underway with a local ‘derby’ against Bolton Wanderers at Maine Road, Jack Rowley picking up more or less where he left off with two goals in the 3-1 win. Two draws, against Bolton in the return and against Oldham at Maine Road, kept qualification to the knockout stages within sight. A defeat at Maine Road against Preston North End rocked the boat slightly, but victories over Stockport County, 3-1(A) and 4-2(H), Preston 3-1(A) and Sheffield

United 2-0(A), coupled with a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United at home were enough to take United through.

Attendances in this second half of the season had improved dramatically, with 5,000 present for the opening match against Bolton, 6,000 at Oldham and 12,000 at Sheffield United. 5,000 were attracted to Ewood Park for the first leg tie against Blackburn Rovers.

As the results show, games were now more closely contested, with the major factor in this being the absence of Rowley due to war time duties, although his football was continuing in the Midlands with Wolves, his shooting boots

Although United did indeed finish third in the overall table, only clubs who had played eighteen or more games qualified for the championship.

These games including League Cup, regional cup ties and ordinary league games, with the average points adjusted to cover twenty-three matches, a total that only one club, Everton, had played. No, I can’t follow it either!

Anyway, United had played nineteen games, winning twelve, drawing four and losing three, scoring forty-four goals and conceding twentyfive. This gave them an average of 33.89.

Although a number of teams had completed more games – Blackpool had played twentytwo games and scored one hundred and eight goals, United had the best average, so topped the table.

Champions! Or were they?

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MixedMANCUNIANPlatter

by Karm Galea

On Peter Schmeichel’s son and his idol Kasper Schmeichel is Peter Schmeichel’s son, now playing for Leicester City. Peter won five league titles and a Champions League with

Cyclist paramedic Catherine Maynard was treating an elderly patient who had fallen over near Endsleigh Street in Central London when she received an unlikely visitor.

Beckham, who spotted Catherine and the pensioner waiting for an ambulance 10 minutes earlier, returned with warm drinks in the bitterly cold winter weather.

Beckham’s gesture went down well with the London Ambulance Service which said that even a gesture as small as buying a cup of coffee makes our crews feel appreciated.

United and is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, but strangely enough he is not his son’s childhood idol.

While United do have a history of putting faith in young players, very few have had the same impact that Martial has had in such a short space of time.

That honour has fallen on the venerable shoulders of one Cantona. Kasper says he worshipped at the feet of The King as a kid.

Of his 29 games for United, Martial started 26. Rooney also started 26 of his first 29, but Ronaldo managed only 17 starts of his 29 games.

On Giggs and his much missed late grandfather Giggs missed his usual place at the bench for the Stoke game as he was in mourning following the death of his grandfather Dennis.

Martial’s goal return is ahead of Ronaldo’s at the same stage of their United careers.

Martial’s goal against Stoke was his ninth while Ronaldo had managed two goals by the time he had played for the 29th time.

On the Academy and the no-go to cost cuts United have denied reports appearing on the internet that the Glazers have ordered behind

Rooney, on the other hand was a class act. He had already amassed 15 in his first 29 games.

Having said all this, it must be remembered that Rooney predominantly played as a striker during his first season at Old Trafford, while Martial and Ronaldo found themselves playing wide.

On Beckham and his kind heart

Dennis was a keen United fan and a member of the Cardiff and Vale Reds supporters club.

He was often abroad on trips arranged by the branch to watch United and his grandson play.

Dennis recognised the role Ferguson played in the upbringing of his grandson as a player. In 2014, he said that Ferguson was hard on him over the years but that it was for his own good as he didn’t want the lad to go the way other people had gone. Dennis had seen Ferguson at Old Trafford and thanked him for what he had done for Ryan. In reply, Ferguson said he (Ferguson) must thank Ryan for what he had done for him.

On Martial and his present track record If we take the first 29 appearances for United as a ‘yardstick’, it can be said that Martial has had a better start to life at Old Trafford than Ronaldo.

the scenes cost cuts of up to 15% and that the club’s famed academy was to be one of the areas to be hit.

But a United source insisted that no such directive had been issued as can be seen from the quarterly published accounts.

On Rooney and his ever climbing goal tally At the time of writing (after the 1-1 score-line against Chelsea), the United skipper is six goals short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s 249 goals

tally. The Charlton record has stood for 43 years but is now poised to be broken (perhaps) in the last remaining matches in the League, FA Cup and Europa League.

Rooney has already broken another Charlton record, that of 49 goals for England.

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The striker revealed that he had consulted Evra before making the move to Old Trafford.

Evra had told him that United is a club of champions. A club that above all else wants to win, something which Martial said he has felt since he arrived.

Martial spoke about the influence that club captain Rooney has on his playing style.

He feels relaxed playing alongside him as someone like Rooney radiates confidence.

On Chris Smalling and what he said Speaking on Soccer AM, Smalling claimed that Romero and Rojo are the hardest players in the squad. He referred to them as being ‘not all there’, meaning they are a bit crazy. They managed to beat skipper Rooney to third place.

Rooney had lost some of his hard man status after being knocked down by Phil Bardsley.

On Old Trafford ticket prices and the reported freeze United will reportedly freeze their ticket prices for the 2016-17 campaign. Match day tickets will remain unchanged, with most expensive seats costing £53. The club previously

Speaking after United’s win over Derby in the FA Cup, LvG said that he would get home and celebrate the victory with his wife and a bottle of wine. And he admitted that it would possibly be the expensive wine bought for him by Woodward on the back of United’s 1-0 win over arch-enemies Liverpool, on their own little patch of grass called Anfield.

I regard this buying of expensive wine for LvG as an utter waste of resources, except when it is purchased following a win over Liverpool.

On Martial and the culinary help he got from Fellaini Martial has revealed that Fellaini has helped him settle in the city. Big money transfer Martial has been a shining light in the squad, including a brilliant goal against arch-enemies Liverpool on his debut (there …. made sure not to forget mentioning this).

announced they would keep the price for season tickets at the same rate for the fifth consecutive season. The cheapest seats for children will remain priced at £13.

On Vidic and his retirement Vidic has announced his retirement from professional football. He won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and three League Cups in his eight-year spell at Old Trafford.

On Rooney and ….. chopsticks?

Sven-Goran Eriksson said that Rooney is the next target for the big-spending Super League clubs. It is being rumoured that Rooney will be offered £500,000 a week to move to China.

Despite the hype and excitement around Martial, he admits to being quite a shy and reserved person away from the pitch. He enjoys a joke and a laugh but is fairly quiet and loves spending time with his family. Martial is in Manchester with his partner and their little girl.

What does he do away from football? He leads a very quiet life. He goes out for walks, and then goes to a restaurant chosen from a list given to him by Fellaini. The weather is different to that he was accustomed to in Monaco and the food is not the same, but Martial said it is up to him to adapt to the country he has chosen to go to and currently all is going well.

On Martial and whom he consulted

Clubs are increasingly confident he can be persuaded away from United when he becomes the club’s all-time record goal scorer. Rooney is contracted to United until 2019, earning £300,000 per week.

Eriksson is at present in charge of the China Super League club Shanghai SIPG. On expensive wine and the deluded Kop Louis Van Gaal has revealed that Woodward buys him expensive bottles of wine whenever United record a win over a top-six opponent.

The Serb joined United from Spartak Moscow in a £7 million transfer in January 2006 (David Gill travelled to Moscow on Christmas Day to sign him) and quickly formed a centre-back pairing with Ferdinand. With him in the side, United secured a hat-trick of Premier League titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as the 2008 UEFA Champions League.

Ferdinand says Vidic initially seemed out of his depth in training sessions but went on to become an unbelievable force in the Manchester United defence. He worked on his strength in the gym, worked out what was needed for him to succeed in the Premier League and then started to establish himself in the team.

He became a defender that was feared.

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The rise and fall of Manchester United…. we will rise again!

by Robert Mizzi

T

he title is a bit pessimistic, some may argue.

Some of my friends do, in fact, accuse me of having a pessimistic attitude concerning our beloved Reds. I classify myself as realistic. And realistically, there have been some worrying signs in the last couple of years that have compelled me to write this article. I just wanted to make it clear that I will remain loyal and follow United through thick and thin. Those my age or older will no doubt recall the days were United were struggling to position themselves as one of the top teams in the then English First Division. The late 70s and 80s were not exactly easy times to be a United supporter, especially because our old foes Liverpool were a force and they always seemed to have that something extra.

Then along came Alex Ferguson, who took a few years to change the club around, instil discipline and make sure that the whole structure of the club was professionally run.

Realistically, the pressures of modern day football would not have given so much time to Alex Ferguson but that was a different era and Ferguson did manage to go on and build his empire. The rest, as they say, is history.

Under Ferguson, finishing second was a bad year, and finishing third was a signal for revamping the team. But Sir Alex had to retire one day, we all knew it. What perhaps most of us did not realise and did not expect is that the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era would be so painful. It was never going to be easy of course but in my opinion, the club made a number of strategic errors that may, or may not, have long-term repercussions. A club of United’s stature should, in my opinion, have had better succession planning in place.

Davis Moyes was picked by Sir Alex himself, it

seems. With hindsight, it was not a very wise decision as Moyes proved to be out of his depth at Old Trafford and soon lost the dressing room.

In my opinion, the one fundamental mistake Moyes made was to bring in his own coaching staff and dismissing a number of very valuable persons who would have surely helped him in the tough first season ahead.

Concurrently with Sir Alex calling it a day, the club also decided that is was time to appoint Ed Woodward as CEO instead of David Gill.

Few would doubt Woodward’s commercial acumen as United have secured very profitable deals under his tenure, but when it comes to footballing matters, I am not so sure it was the right choice given the amount of speculation that has been allowed to accumulate over player’s transfers in and out of Old Trafford.

Paying 27 million for Fellaini on the last day of the market (with an extra 5 million added on to original price) was perhaps symptomatic of how the club was already losing its touch in the transfer market.

The club decided to make two big changes and perhaps some people thought that the club had grown so much that it could take on the forthcoming storm and sail seamlessly into the future. Alas, three years on, it does not seem so. Moyes was relieved of his duties less than a season into his contract and Louis van Gaal (LVG)was appointed after Ryan Giggs had taken over the management of the team till the end of the season.

I must admit that I had high hopes that LVG would steady the ship and re-establish United as a top team to be reckoned with, but sadly it does not seem to be the case. In his first season, LVG managed to get us back into the Champions League. Only just. In reality, with a

bit of consistency and getting a result when it mattered, United could have finished second last season. The first alarm bells could already be seen last season but I still lived in hope. The way the Angel Di Maria saga was handled was not the United way in my opinion. Some may argue that he never really wanted to come to United but the way he was allowed to lose his way completely is certainly not synonymous with the way United managed players in the past. He was soon on his way to PSG, with United losing 16 million along the way.

In his second season as United manager, LVG brought in more reinforcements totalling £258.6 million in spending under his tenure.

We can safely say that this season has been a huge disappointment. Many, including myself, are disappointed with how LVG has failed to make his expensive signings play decent attractive football. Watching United this season has been frustrating even for the most loyal of fans. This is not a case of not being loyal to the club in dire times.

As I said at the start, I will stand by my team no matter what, but fans cannot be expected to be happy if they follow their team religiously every week of the season and they are presented with some of the worst performances I have seen from a United team in the 40 years I have been following them. Having spoken to a number of United supporters during matches over Christmas and the New Year, what irritates them most is not the results per se. It is the fact that there is no confidence going forward and that this United team lacks charisma and, more importantly, the hunger for success.

I was there when United were beaten by Norwich and Stoke this season and many

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MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

64 VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

believed that LVG was on the verge of being sacked. Quite frankly, most United supporters had had enough of LVGs boring tactics and lack of courage in taking on opponents.

Many genuine supporters thought that a new manager at that stage of the season would have possibly saved our season. I was also there for the draw against Chelsea and the laboured win against Swansea and can testify that these results did little to change the perception of supporters at Old Trafford and possibly across the world. LVG would not make it to the end of the season, or so we thought.

The club, however, decided to stick by LVG for various possible reasons. The first possible reason is financial as the club would have had to suffer the financial consequences of ending LVG’s contract prematurely. Another possible reason is that United are not keen to be seen as a sacking club and after ending Moyes’ tenure abruptly, were not so keen on an encore. Significant was the fact that United did not go into the January transfer market seeking reinforcements despite the first team being down to the bare bones in some areas due to an ever-increasing injury list and some weird decisions to let go the likes of Welbeck, Chicharito and RvP all at the same time. Clearly, LVG was not being given more money to spend.

So where do we stand today?

United are not only out of the reckoning for the title but the 4th place is practically gone as well. This means that the only way we can get back to the UEFA Champions League (after this year’s dismal elimination at group stage) is to win the Europa League. Not a simple task at all. Manchester United faces West Ham at Old Trafford in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, and is 90 minutes away from a Wembley semi-final.

So amongst the doom and gloom, LVG still has a remote possibility of saving this season in some way or another. It is his lifeline.

The most worrying fact is that if we again fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, it would be difficult to attract top players to the club, apart from the financial repercussions of not playing in the top European competition.

The media speculation continues to suggest that Mourinho will be appointed as the next United manager at the end of the season. There are those in favour and against, of course, even inside the walls of Old Trafford, but if Mourinho is appointed, I do believe that he has the charisma to turn our fortunes around.

It will not be easy of course. He would need to bring in ‘his’ players to fit in his plans and to rebuild the morale of the dressing room.

Some serious management considerations need to be made as well. Some reports in the media have suggested that Ed Woodward will be relieved of his duties related to

the acquisition of players and be left to concentrate on the financial aspect of the club. That would be a wise decision. Some of the structures of the club would also need to be seen to. The recent departure of Paul McGuiness from his post as youth team coach after 28 years of service to the club did not go down well in certain quarters. We have to ensure that what has been built over the years is not dismantled to the detriment of the club. What this implies is that we need to have the right people taking the decisions for the benefit, first and foremost, of Manchester United the football club and not Manchester United PLC the commercial enterprise.

To conclude, I am sure United will rise again.

It may take longer than some people expect as success cannot be bought but needs to be achieved where it matters the most – on the pitch. If there are any positives to take from this season, it is the fact that we have seen a number of upcoming youngsters given a chance to prove their worth (thanks to the never-ending injury list). In this world of instant gratification, patience does seem to be a virtue. Some of the young generations of United fans will be completely alien to the current scenario but we have to keep the faith.

If it means waiting for a few years so be it, as long as we do things the right way and do not wipe away the ethos of Manchester United.

That would be catastrophic.

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VOL 43 - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2016

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Major League’s Juventus are in the driving seat in Italy whereas Leicester continue to confound the pundits in the Barclays Premier League

by Antoine Dalli

handling pressure. The 2015/16 Serie A has reached a crucial stage. Consequently, every point becomes even more significant, implying that both teams are afforded a low margin of error from now till the end of the season.

T

he 2015/16 Serie A title race has lately taken the shape of a two-horse race. With 11 games to go, Juventus lead the standings with 61 points, three clear of nearest pursuers Napoli.

After a stuttering start to their campaign, the Bianconeri, buoyed by 15 straight wins, made a bold comeback and seem to have all cards in place to retain the Scudetto for the fifth successive season.

In the meantime, Juventus have also reached their 16th Coppa Italia final – their third since season 2011/12 – after ousting Inter in an epic two-legged semi-final. Massimiliano Allegri’s side are also still in with a chance of reaching the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition – the UEFA Champions League – following a remarkable comeback against Bayern Munich in February.

For the interest of perspectives, it is worth remembering that Juve have a big incentive to reach their second successive Champions League final because this year’s showdown will be staged at Milan’s Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.

Apart from the fact that Juventus currently seem to have the momentum to go all the way and complete a domestic double for the second year running, compared to Napoli, Juve are also more experienced when it comes to

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By stark contrast, Napoli, which have won the more recent of their two titles in season 1989/90, have dropped too many points lately. Since going down to a Simone Zaza last-gasp goal in a top-of-the-table encounter with the ‘Old Lady’ at the Juventus Stadium on February 13, the southerners were held by Milan in their own backyard and by Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium. Moreover, in February, Maurizio Sarri’s men were ousted

by Spanish outfit Villareal from the Europa League, leaving them with only the title race to concentrate on.

Further down the table, there are currently four teams – Roma, Fiorentina (53 points each), Inter (48 points) and Milan (47 points) – which are battling it out for the last remaining UEFA Champions League berth. Roma are the favourites to be Italy’s third representatives in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League. The team from the capital has been firing on all cylinders since they replaced Rudi Garcia with Luciano Spalletti after the 19th match-day.

Under the Frenchman, Roma were simply travelling in circles. Spalletti’s headlinegrabbing return to the capital started on the wrong foot as Roma were held by bottom side Verona before going down to Juventus in Turin. But six straight wins have enabled Roma to make a bold statement of intent that they are back in business. At the time of writing this article, Roma were on the verge of being knocked out by Spanish giants Real Madrid from the UEFA Champions League,

thus leaving them with only their remaining 11 Serie A fixtures to focus on.

Fiorentina have been quite erratic lately and seem to be running out of fuel. Their premature exit from the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Tottenham exposed in no small way the Viola’s frailties. Inter have experienced a nosedive since going down to Lazio just before the Christmas recess and are not to be considered genuine contenders for a UEFA Champions League slot. At best, Inter and Coppa Italia finalists Milan will contend for a UEFA Europa League berth.

The Barclays Premier League title race is more interesting in that, with 10 games to go, there are no fewer than six teams – Leicester (57 points), Tottenham (54 points), Arsenal (51 points), Manchester City (47 points), Manchester United (47 points) and West Ham (46 points), which are still with a chance to become English champions come May. On the 28th day, in-form Tottenham were aiming for a seventh successive league victory for the first time in almost 50 years, which would have catapulted them to the top spot. However, Spurs were agonisingly beaten by West Ham in a tight London derby.

Round Up Manchester City, fresh from their Capital One Cup triumph over Liverpool, have been going through a dark patch ever since current Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola made public his intentions of joining them as from next season. To boost their title chances, misfiring Manchester City have no alternative other than to win their tricky game in hand, away against second-from-bottom Newcastle.

Arsenal are so near yet so far and their 1-2 home defeat against unfancied Swansea, now under the charge of Italian mentor Francesco Guidolin, says it all. Manchester United is coming more and more into the picture. But doubts still persist as to how genuine the Red Devils’ quest for the title is.

On paper, it seems that Manchester City have the best run-in albeit current leaders Leicester not having any remaining fixtures against the rest of the top-four. However, Claudio Ranieri’s side have three daunting final fixtures against Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea. But in their next seven fixtures, the Foxes will not meet any opponent who is currently in the top half of the Premier League table, except for their two home fixtures against Southampton and West Ham.

In the German Bundesliga, things are becoming tighter at the top. When everything seemed to

indicate that Bayern Munich’s fourth straight title was a mere formality, Guardiola’s side started losing their composure. Like with Manchester City, Guardiola’s decision to reveal his future midway through this season has had a negative effect on Bayern Munich.

Suffice to say that early in March, Mainz, serious contenders for a UEFA Europa League slot in Germany, added some excitement to the Bundesliga season by becoming the first team to conquer Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena this season.

Bayern’s nearest pursuers – 2012/13 Champions League beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund – profited from the Bavarians’ slipup and, with 10 games to go, have narrowed the gap to five points with a possibility of narrowing it even further should they beat the reigning champions in a top-of-the-table clash at the Westfalenstadion on March 5.

Blanc’s side enjoy a seemingly unassailable 23-point lead over current runners-up Monaco.

In the Spanish La Liga, with 11 games to go, Barcelona has built a healthy eight-point lead over Atletico Madrid. The reigning European champions are also 12 points clear of Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid. Luis Enrique’s side are therefore firm favourites to win their 24th La Liga title, apart from being hot favourites to become the first club to win back-to-back editions of the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) since Arrigo Sacchi’s star-studded Milan in seasons 1988/89 and 1989/90.

The same cannot be said of the Ligue 1 as it is only a matter of time before cash-rich Paris SG are confirmed French champions for the fourth successive year. After 28 match-days, Laurent

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The Season So Far..

by Michael Gatt Approaching mid- March, just following the week where we had four wins and one loss in twelve days, the pressure is still on our massive football club, and due to the unpredictability of all the teams, I believe that there is a lot to play for in all the competitions that we are still in. I think that it is a bit early to judge but come the end of March, we could have a clue as to where our season will be heading. An important point to mention is that there is a lot of uncertainty in the air regarding our great football club as many fans have lost faith in Van Gaal.

The two main headlines which have dominated the season so far related to the youngsters who have stepped in for the injured players and the amount of injuries (in the match against Arsenal, we had fourteen senior players still in the treatment room). To their credit, there have been youngsters who have taken their chance very well but as with most young players, there is an issue with consistency. For example, Marcus Rashford was extremely poor against West Brom, after he won Player of the Month in February.

To touch base on injuries, in their usually fruitless quest to prove they can still compete with the truly elite clubs in world football, Manchester United have apparently decided to challenge Bayern Munich for the title of World’s Most Injured Squad. Just a little while ago, the one bright spot during this season of frustration, Anthony Martial, suffered a hamstring injury before a surprisingly crucial second-leg Europa League match against Midtjylland. Into a line-up already featuring non-household names like Guillermo Varela and Joe Riley - themselves only starting

thanks to United’s ridiculously long injury record - Louis van Gaal turned to the young and brave Marcus Rashford. I really do believe that Rashford has bought Van Gaal some breathing space, especially in the following game against Arsenal, where he scored two well-taken goals, apart from the miraculous rise of players such as Varela, Fosu Mensah, Love and other youngsters who have made their mark on the squad.

Rashford is an 18-year-old, Manchester-born striker/attacking midfielder type who is just now playing his very first minutes for the United senior team. The latest criticism of the

Academy with a string of disappointing results did not go utterly unnoticed. Rashford together with some other youngsters have proven that there is still life in the academy. This is an important topic for Manchester United as the legacy of the club is built on giving youngsters their chance.

At the point of writing this article, United are in fifth place in the Premier League, but ten points behind the leaders. In my opinion, Leicester will not win the league, so I see the gap with the second placed team as a more reasonable metric for comparison. At the moment, Spurs occupy that second place, and there are only

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six points that separate us. With crucial games coming up soon against Manchester City and Spurs, I think we need a minimum of four points from those two games. Realistically, United are completely out of the running for the Premier League race and also potentially for the Champions League qualification position.

With all the injured players out, and players coming slowly back from injuries, I really do think that Van Gaal needs to risk the balance of the team by bringing back some players very early from injury, especially Jones, Smalling, Fellaini and Schweinsteiger. The home games have been much easier to deal with than the away games. This is due to the fact that we lack certain height and are weak physically.

For example, the games that stick out where we lost points are against Sunderland, Newcastle, West Brom and Bournemouth.

We couldn’t defend set pieces. Although there is a big question-mark over Fellaini, I really think that for away games, Schneiderlin and Fellaini give us a good balance in midfield when they play, together with Smalling and Rojo in defence, giving us a better chance of winning.

United also have another important requirement to secure Champions League play next year, with all its money and prestige that they will likely need in order to convince the kind of players they have to buy in order to get

better. The most viable route at the moment is by winning the Europa League. If one looks at the calibre of the teams in the Europa League, I think that there are some excellent teams, and United will have to do fantastically well if they are to win the Europa League. The two fixtures coming up against Liverpool are really mouth-watering and promise to be two big battles. In between, United play an in-form West Ham in the FA Cup in another mouthwatering clash at Old Trafford. This could be another massive game for us, as it may be our only realistic chance for any silverware.

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FIXTURES 2015-2016 Barclays Premier League

07/02/16 Chelsea FC 1 – 1 Manchester United De Gea – Darmian – Borthwick-Jackson – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard- Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Mata Sub(s) – Memphis – Herrera – Schneiderlin Scorer(s) – Lingard

Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Carrick – Darmian – McNair Scorer(s) – Martial – Rooney

12/12/15 Bournemouth 2 – 1 Manchester United De Gea – Varela – Borthwick-Jackson – Carrick – McNair – Blind – Lingard – Mata – Martial – Fellaini – Memphis Sub(s) – Jones – Pereira – Powell Scorer(s) – Fellaini

12/01/16 Newcastle United 3 – 3 Manchester United De Gea – Young – Darmian – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Memphis – Mata Scorer(s) – Rooney (2) – Lingard

19/12/15 Manchester United 1 – 2 Norwich City De Gea – Young – Blind – Carrick – Smalling – Jones – Mata – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Memphis Sub(s) – Herrera Scorer(s) – Martial

13/02/16 Sunderland 2 -1 Manchester United De Gea – Darmian – Borthwick-Jackson – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Schneiderlin – Martial – Rooney – Mata Sub(s) – Memphis – Keane – Love Scorer(s) – Martial

17/01/16 Liverpool 0 – 1 Manchester United De Gea – Young – Darmian – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Borthwick-Jackson – Memphis – Mata Scorer(s) – Rooney

26/12/15 Stoke City 2 – 0 Manchester United De Gea – Young – Blind – Carrick –Smalling – Jones – Mata – Herrera – Martial – Fellaini – Memphis Sub(s) – Pereira – Rooney Scorer(s) –

23/01/16 Manchester United 0 – 1 Southampton FC De Gea – Darmian – Borthwick-Jackson – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Mata – McNair – Januzaj Scorer(s) –

28/12/15 Manchester United 0 – 0 Chelsea FC De Gea – Young – Darmian – Schweinsteiger – Smalling – Blind – Mata – Schneiderlin – Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Borthwick-Jackson – Memphis – Jones

02/02/16 Manchester United 3 – 0 Stoke City De Gea – Darmian – Borthwick-Jackson – Carrick – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Mata Sub(s) – Memphis – Herrera – Pereira Scorer(s) – Lingard – Martial – Rooney

02/01/16 Manchester United 2 – 1 Swansea City De Gea – Young – Blind – Schweinsteiger – Smalling – Jones – Mata – Schneiderlin –

Schweinsteiger – Smalling – Blind – Mata – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Herrera Sub(s) – Memphis – Lingard – Pereira Scorer(s) – Rooney

4th Round Derby County 1 – 3 Manchester United De Gea – Varela – Borthwick-Jackson – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Fellaini – Martial – Rooney – Mata Sub(s) – Carrick – Herrera Scorer(s) – Blind – Mata – Rooney

5th Round Shrewsbury 0 – 3 Manchester United Romero – Varela – Borthwick-Jackson – Schneiderlin – Smalling – Blind – Lingard – Herrera – Martial – Mata – Memphis Sub(s) – Keane – Pereira – Riley Scorer(s) – Lingard – Mata – Smalling

28/02/15 Manchester United 3 – 2 Arsenal FC De Gea – Varela – Rojo – Schneiderlin – Carrick – Blind – Lingard – Herrera – Rashford – Mata – Memphis Sub(s) – Fosu-Mensah – Januzaj – Weir Scorer(s) – Rashford(2) – Herrera

UEFA Europa League

02/03/16 Manchester United 1 – 0 Watford De Gea – Varela – Rojo – Schneiderlin – Fosu-Mensah – Blind – Mata – Herrera – Rashford – Martial – Memphis Sub(s) – Darmian – Lingard – McNair Scorer(s) – Mata

FA Cup

3 Round 09/01/15 Manchester United 1 – 0 Sheffield United De Gea – Darmian – Borthwick-Jackson – rd

Round of 32 1st Leg Midtjylland 2 – 1 Manchester United Romero – Love – Blind – Carrick – Smalling – McNair – Lingard – Herrera – Martial – Mata – Memphis Sub(s) – Pereira – Schneiderlin Scorer(s) – Memphis

Round of 32 2nd Leg Manchester United 5 – 1 Midtjylland Romero – Varela – Riley – Schneiderlin – Carrick – Blind – Lingard – Herrera – Rashford – Mata –Memphis Sub(s) – Pereira – Poole – Rojo Scorer(s) – Rashford(2) – Memphis – Herrera - OG

PLAYER’S APPEARANCES 2015-2016 NAME

PREMIERSHIP

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

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26 25 25 (3) 24 21 (1) 21 (1) 19 (3) 19 (2) 14 (8) 14 (6) 15 (5) 13 (4) 11 (4) 10 (5) 11 (5) 7 (1) 4 5 (3) 5 6 (4) 3 (1) 2 (4) 3 (5) 2 (2) 2 0 (4) 1 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 (1)

FA CUP 3 3 3 2 3 2 1 2 1 (1) 2 (1) 0 (1) 1 2 (1) 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 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 (1) 1 1 0 0 0 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

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

OTHER MATCHES 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 (1) 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 (1) 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 (2) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0

TOTAL APPEARANCES 40 (1) 39 37 (4) 33 31 (3) 30 (2) 27 (3) 26 (3) 24 (12) 22 (8) 21 (7) 21 (6) 20 (5) 15 (10) 14 (9) 11 (3) 10 8 (4) 8 7 (6) 7 (1) 5 (5) 4 (5) 4 (2) 3 2 (9) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1(1) 1(1) 0 (3) 0 (2) 0 (2) 0 (1) 0 (1)

GOALS 2 2 8 0 10 14 0 1 7 5 0 1 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0