Kezman Could Miss United Game

Mateja Kezman may miss Chelsea's mouth-watering season opener against Manchester United after being sent off during a friendly game in the US.



Kezman to miss big kick-off

"But the match erupted moments later when Dacourt hacked down Robben as the Chelsea midfielder surged past him."

"Kezman, who played alongside the Dutchman with PSV, immediately ran over to square up to Dacourt."

"The pair grappled and had to be separated by their team-mates and match officials before both receiving red cards."

Howard's Way

After Tim Howard's superb first season, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has high hopes for the former MetroStars shot-stopper.



"What we expect this year is a better maturity," he said. "The experience of last year without doubt will help him in that respect."

"Also another factor is he has had a rest, whereas last year came he straight from Major League Soccer and played non-stop right through to February."

"Maybe we should have rested him them rather than waiting until he showed signs of fatigue. He should be fantastic next season."

England defender Gary Neville added: "Tim has been excellent."

"No-one had really heard of him when he came over but nothing fazed him. He was brilliant right the way through the season."

"He looks to have everything to become a great goalkeeper."

Gazza's Boston Tea Party

Boston United have signed 37 year old former England international Paul Gascoigne as player-coach.



Boston manager Steve Evans hopes the addition of Gascoigne can take the club forward.

"I'm absolutely delighted. This is possibly the biggest signing ever for the club," Evans said. "Gazza has a fantastic track record, he's a fantastic player."

After playing 75 minutes in Boston's 4-0 friendly win over a Newcastle XI, Gascoigne said: "It's opened my eyes a bit in terms of wanting to play football again."

"It was nice in the dressing room, listening to Steve talk to the lads and seeing cups of tea everywhere, little things like that which I had for 20 years. Little things like that give me a buzz back."

Euro Fate

Manchester United learned earlier today that they will face either Slovakia's Zilina or Romania's Dinamo Bucharest in the third qualifying round of this season's Champion's League.



Rangers meet either Neftchi or Azerbaijan or CSKA Moscow while Liverpool drew Austria's AK Graz. In the pick of the draw, former European champions SL Benefica face RSC Anderlecht.

Manchester United will meet their opponents on August 10 or 11 followed by the return leg on August 24 or 25. Traditionally east European competition are very strong at home, so the Red Devils must be at their sharpest in their opening game.

Rangers will be in for a tough time if, as expected, CSKA Moscow beat Neftchi but Liverpool should have no problem overcoming AK Graz.

Butt Flies to Magpies Nest

It's official. Nicky Butt finally brought the curtain down on his 13 year career at Old Trafford by signing a four-year deal with Newcastle.



Nicky Butt's career profile

"Nicky Butt has officially completed his transfer from Manchester United," said a Newcastle spokesman.

"The player has signed a four-year contract and has been given squad number four for the new season."

It is a sad day for United fans but I wish Nicky Butt all the best for the future.  He was an excellent servant for Manchester United and I respect his wish for first-team football.

Magpies Grab Butt

Reports from the BBC state that Manchester United midfielder, Nicky Butt, is poised to join Newcastle for a fee of £2.5m after a 13-year career at Old Trafford.



Salford born Butt, was the first of Fergie's fledglings to break into Manchester United's first team and went on to play more than 350 times for the Red Devils, winning the Premier league, FA Cup and Champions League.

A host of clubs have been trailing Butt since the combative midfielder handed in a transfer request at Christmas but after Newcastle sold Gary Speed to Bolton, speculation intensified that Nicky Butt would head to Tyneside.

If Butt can agree personal terms with Newcaslte, it will be a sad day for Manchester United but after 13-years of great service, he goes with the blessings of the Old Trafford faithful.

With Nicky Butt joining the expected departure of Michael Stewart, could United be lowering their wage bill in readiness for Wayne Rooney?

End of the Road for Eriksson?

With revelations about Sven Goran Eriksson's personal life causing a media stir, the under-fire England manager's future is in doubt.



The FA initially denied reports that Eriksson had an affair with his secretary but later went back on those words after a Sunday newspaper published emails to the contrary.

To situation has been further complicated by the revelation that Mark Palios, FA chief executive, also had an affair with the same secretary.

It is thought by many that the England manager's days are numbered but after he recently signed a new #4m pound a year, four year deal, any move to sack the Swede could prove extremely expensive.

If the FA decide to sack Eriksson, Mark Palios' future must also be thrown into danger although the unpopular cheif executive would not have the same public support.

In my opinion, the England manager should be judged by the performance of the England team and although England were knocked out at the quarter final stage of Euro 2004, they have only lost two competitive games in the last four years. One to Brazil and one to the beaten finalists of Euro 2004, Portugal.

Nevilles Sign New Deals

The BBC have announced that Manchester United brothers Gary and Phil Neville have agreed new five-year contracts with the club.



Both players emerged from the Old Trafford youth ranks and established themselves for both club and country, winning the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.

Nevilles sign new deals

Gary Neville, who made his debut against Torpedo Moscow in 1992, has made more than 400 apperances for United.

Since the arrival of Carlos Quiroz, Phil Neville has established himself as a holding midfielder after playing much of his earlier days as a full back.

Melting Toffee

From Man City to Leeds, it seems that every season a Premiership club suffers turmoil. With Everton perilously placed amid a world of debt and misfortune will they be next?



With a debt of #30m pounds, the loss of five boardroom members and Wayne Rooney’s reluctance to sign a contract extension, David Moyes is left with little alternative but to sell his prized asset to wipe the club’s debt.

Add to that the signs of player unrest with Tomasz Radzinski publicly criticizing David Moyes and the departure of high profile players such as David Unsworth, Scott Gemmill and Paul Gerrad and the squad is down its bare bones.

The glory days of Gary Lineker and Andy Gray are long gone and Everton's Premiership status could soon follow. The future is very bleak for Everton.

Going for a Song

The Premiership has seen millions of pounds spent on star players this summer but despite that there are still many top players with their futures in limbo.



Here is a list of just some of those players made available by their former clubs during the summer.

Marcel Desailly
Darren Anderton
Mark Overmars
Emmanuel Petit
Gustavo Poyet
Theo Zagorakis
Kanu
Sylvain Wiltord
Dwight Yorke
Sergei Rebrov

Forgon Conclusion?

There is increasing speculation that Diego Forlan's Old Trafford future is drawing to a close with the Uruguayan striker hoping to land a move to Atletico Madrid.



Although a crowd favourite after his single handed demolision of Liverpool two years ago, Forlan has struggled to establish himself as a first choice player at Manchester United.

"Of course I would love to play for Atletico Madrid," he told Marca. "I know they have a loyal support and I have talked to my companions who have played there and they tell me that once you have been there, nobody wants to leave."

"Atletico are one of the big clubs and my agent is negotiating my move there."

I would never question Forlan's effort, commitment or ability to score a wonder goal but it's just sad that he wasn't able to make more of his first team chances.

If the move goes through, there will be some sorry faces at Old Trafford. But, could this be a sign that United are making room for Wayne Rooney?

Ole Gunnar Leave?

Has the time finally come for Manchester United's super sub to hang up his boots? After suffering a recurrence of the knee injury that kept him sidelined for most of last season, the question has to be asked.



Solskjaer, a Stretford End legend after his winning goal in the 1999 European Cup Final, is as optimistic as ever.

"I don't feel any more threatened now than before. But I still have a lot to offer this club and I am determined to prove that," he told the Sun newspaper.

With the addition of Alan Smith to the growing ranks of Old Trafford strikers such as Ruud van Nistlerooy, Louis Saha, Diego Forlan and David Bellion, Solskjaer has a tough task to regain his starting birth. Not least if United win the race for Wayne Rooney.

Solskjaer in fitness pledge

Whever the time finally arrives for the baby faced assasin to hang up his boots, don't be surprised if he becomes coach. Fergusson has often praised Ole's ability to read a game while sitting on the bench. Be it with United or another club, the Norwegian's future is as bright as ever.

Selection Headache

The season begins in three weeks time and United fans are already sweating on their starting line-up. With John O'Shea injured, Rio Ferdinand still suspended and Gabriel Heize playing in the Olympics, Fergusson has to make a difficult choice for the season's opener with Chelsea.



Christiano Ronaldo, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will also miss the begining of the season due to a combination of Olympic duty and injuries.

Premiership Fixtures

At this point I do not expect Chelsea to win the league but it would not surprise me if they beat Manchester United on the opening day of the season.

Alex Fergusson's biggest problem will be that neither he nor his players will not know what to expect from Chelsea's new recruits. If Drogba and Kezman are as good as their reputations, the United defence will be in for a torrid time. 



You could argue the opposite, with the Stamford Bridge players not knowing what to expect from the Old Trafford boys but history tends to suggest otherwise. Man Utd have never been strong starters in the Premiership and have often faltered against their rivals at the season's opener.

Premiership Fixtures

Jose Mourinho's new team will all be out to impress their manager and unfortunately I fear United's defence will succumb. If however, the game were to take place two or three weeks later, I would tip United for the victory as they will have time to better study their opponents. 

I hope I'm wrong but I fancy Chelsea in this game.

Butt America Calls

With the constant speculation linking Nicky Butt with a summer move to Newcastle, what should poor Nicky Butt do? Manchester United have taken him on their pre-season tour of the US so that would seem to suggest he is in the thoughts of Alex Fergusson but can he offer him enough first team football?



A year ago Butt enjoyed one of his best seasons at Old Trafford under the coaching of Carlos Quiroz so maybe Butt is hoping that the return of Carlos will conicide with his return to the first team.

Everton Ponder Rooney Sale

Goodison Park director Paul Gregg recently told BBC Radio Five Live that the club are contemplating the sale of Wayne Rooney.

Although it is sad that such a passionate Evertonian may be allowed to leave, with Everton able to wipe their #30m(pound) debt in one go, it was almost innevitable it would happen sooner or later. 

The big question now is: "Where does go?"



Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all expressed an interest in the Merseyside striker, who scored four goals for England in Euro 2004.

With Alex Fergusson's track record of nurturing young stars such as Giggs, Scholes, Ronaldo and Beckham, Manchester United would surely be the best place for young Wayne to mature into a world class player.

Add to that the fact that Rooney's family is already settled in the North West and the aces lie firmly with Man Utd.

On a sidenote, if Rooney were to sign for United, what now for Alan Smith? He may prove surplus to requirements before he's even played his first game.

As for Chelsea, they recently added Kezman and Drogba to their growing ranks of strikers that include Gudjohnsen and Mutu. Although a great player, Rooney may struggle to secure first team football.  Any move by Chelsea would have to be pushed through in the next couple of days as new coach, Jose Mourinho has stated Wednesday his is cut-off point for new players.
 
And then there is Real Madrid. If Rooney were to move to La Liga he would go from local folk hero to Galatico Superstar overnight and the pressure on the young boy would be astronomical. It could happen one day, but I think everyone would agree that Wayne would be best advised to develop his talents in England for a few more years.

Although Arsene Wenger has denied a move for the teenage protege, I wouldn't rule out a move to Highbury. Granted, the Arsenal coffers are not overflowing following the stadium development at Ashburton Grove but can you imagine Rooney playing alongside Thierry Henry? Now wouldn't that be a scary prospect...?

Whatever happens, Everton are likely to wipe out their #30m debt in one clean sweep and like it or not, that has to be good news for Everton football club.

Manchester United's Prospects

Unfortunately Man Utd were eclipsed by both Arsenal and Chelsea last season, with the FA Cup being the only peice of silverware.

However, things were looking good for United before the Rio Ferdinand affair and once his suspension expires, I think they'll be in an excellent position to mount a title challenge once again.



Alan Smith was an excellent signing as he has the tenacity to really scare defenders. He's not necessarily the best striker in the world but he will certainly offer a different option.

And then there's Wayne Rooney... Will he sign? I think he will but not until a week or two into the season. Will it be a good move for him? Absolutely.

Arsenal's Title Hopes

There has been very limited news on the transfer front for Arsenal in the close season but why should there be? Last year Arsene Wenger's team that went through the entire domestic season unbeaten and with no departures, all bodes well for the future.

 

If Arsenal can keep Patrick Viera away from the clutches of Real Madrid the future is very bright but with speculation once again surrounding him, I can forgive Arsenal fans being a little nervous.

Last season Arsenal were lucky that Thierry Henry managed to stay fit for the whole season. It would be interesting to see what happens to them if he is out for a prolonged period.