The Manchester United thread 2006/2007 - featuring BBB leaving early

[Argel]

Anyway, sebs calls him 'Crondaldo'.

[James M]

feck off west brom \o/

[Scatter]

great. advice from that classless kernt.

and what acou said about defoe and rossi.

[Dayle Wood]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gregg Carter:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dayle Wood:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gregg Carter:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dayle Wood:

Thats it - enough is enough - I'm putting a Jihad on the Glazers! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

what have they done now? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just gutted how they are destroying my favorite club - I bet they don't even LIKE football.

They need to be 9/11ed in my opinion. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you're an idiot and deserve to be banned. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry for having a sense of humor (you have to have one when your club is in decline like this).

[ACou2000]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gonch19:

aw man if we buy mascherano as well i will have gone from total pessimism to cumming in my pants in 5 days </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

5 days?

I could make that transition in 5 minutes given the chance

[Nick OGS20]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jongi:

But Nick does Mascerano's team need to sell him? Is he pushing for a transfer? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doubt it and not as far as I know. Still makes it pointless for them to use the Carrick deal as some kind of precedent.

[Young Jimlad]

Just out of interest where'd you get those from Opta or somewhere else?

And while stats don't tell the whole picture as to a player's performance they are a useful identifier for certain aspects of their game.

I for one would not have had Carrick pegged as having attempted as many tackles as the other players listed with him or that his frequency of success would have been so high.

I'm not saying that it means he's the typical man of steel that we would ideally have with a Gattuso or a Mascherano but if we end up with Scholes/Carrick or Carrick/Fletcher then we might be a tougher prospect defensively than one would assume based on their physical specs.

[alilaw]

Yeah, I'm rapidly getting more and more disillusioned by the Carrick signing.

But he has been awesome for me so far on Pro Ev :/

[Barry Cartman]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scatter:

a scouse mate and i were exchanging emails re: jose and his liverpool "barbs". the article he sent me in response was a bit of a laugh, but one line was priceless:

"van Nistelrooy, Keane, Pires, Campbell and Bergkamp. Of players in that class, only Didi Hamann has left Anfield"

i haven't stopped laughing in hours. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your mate so wise

[Confused Clarity]

Dont blame Taz, blame me.

I was getting giddy talking to Jules and PJ about how i was doign great in the Fantasy league cos of Sorensen and Melberg

Was chuffed they were clinging on towards the end, then, bang

[Terry Cheung]

I haven't seen any pundit predict a finish as low as that!

[Mika]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Taz & The Devil:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mika:

Ooh Ronaldo should have buried that early header. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Trevor Francis was doing the commentry this aft and when Ronaldo missed that header he kept going on about how good in the air Ronaldo was for a little man.

6'2 ffs. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah it's Francis on Sky now

[player_65]

ah what fun.

Anyone think now that Keano has taken over Sunderland we could persuade him to take Liam Miller away, after all he was the one who apparently recommended him.

[James07?]

die transfer window

[theis]

My dad did take me to my first Man Utd games and to the treble parade for which I am eternally grateful though seeing as he doesn't actually support them. Although as he says he didn't mind having to take an interest in Man Utd games as they are generally exciting games of football.

[gonch19]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rcjuk:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gonch19:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rcjuk:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gonch19:

if he had been left out of the champions league final i could understand him getting the hump. but lets face it, he knew and understood we play reserve players and youngsters in the carling cup, so why was it all of a sudden such a big deal that he decided to throw his toys out of the pram? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

wake up?

it was our only cup chance last year and he wasnt involved at all with it? after 150 goals you at least expect to play SOME part in your only cup win in a season </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

well as is proved, there was no harm in persisting with the top scorer in that competition and letting him start (in terms of the result). people are left out of cup finals all the time and they deal with it without becoming an arse for the next few months, i still dont see why ruud felt he should be above being left out especially as he was awful the previous week against liverpool.

anyway lets not go round in circles, you have your opinion i have mine. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

everyone was awful against liverpool

you're point isn't valid </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

if we're talking about validity of one's points maybe we should look at your own view that 150 goals should somehow automatically justify someone a place in the side no matter the circumstances

[theis]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ratinho:

Only really BBB, who I suspect is now disecting a live cat just to take hs mind off things. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

yeah true. I think that is probably cancelled out with Pires777 wanting today to be declared a national holiday.

[James07?]

Look, if you want to paint yourself as a shining beacon of mature common sense, tactical brilliance and level headed logic amongst a rabble of muddled teenage emotion and angst fuelled fantastical whimsy then that’s up to you.

[mark g]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Razor Eddie:

I'm sorted for the Pompey game. \o/

Still to hear from Bedford branch about Liverpool, though. "Give me a couple of days" quoth he. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And the Viagra?

[Nick OGS20]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by deanb291186:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Juni:

Just let nick edit the db and then upload it somewhere, you can have multiple different databases by path now.

Which you could do before, but it's just been made easier for simpletons to understand. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Arnt the DB now 250mb? Bit difficult to upload and dl that, or is there a way to make it smaller?

Nick, me and Blaine are going, might see ya down there </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Grand, I'll keep an eye out for you.

I was talking with Gregg about editing the db and then letting people see which they were happier with, but yeah, that might be tricky if it's that size. I'll do a list of what I think's wrong when I get in anyway.

[BBB]

We did have half a minutes silence for you dude

[Mika]

May as well send Bardsley back.

[Nick OGS20]

Time for a quick United thread fantasy football update. For no real reason ofc

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1 JOS Football Genius Nick Morgan 61 613

2 Ruud FTW Matt Huart 62 603

3 Monzo's FHFC Rejects Terry McGrenra 44 599

4 11 Blind Mice Nobby Steelez 30 596

5 Atletico Theis John Theis 37 585

6 Julesy Giants Julian Reddick 61 573

7 Dynamo Keane-Nev Jon Fadugba 59 569

8 Elevator Road United Simon Whitworth 33 566

9 Rob's legends Robert Powell 65 565

10 RED ARMY master blasta 48 561

11 Insert Clever Name Luke Hudgson 35 559

12 AFC Saha 1978 Josh D 33 556

13 Burrage Blitzers Peter Burrage 41 555

14 Hodgeys Heroes Rich Hodkinson 36 552

15 bristol united james marshall 65 552

16 Mart's Loser 11 Mart Sheehan 40 547

17 Glazer's Final Hurra Blaine Emmett 48 544

18 Good...Wins FC Dan Goodwin 43 538

19 11 Rooneys Antony Cousin 44 534

20 Eastside Philip Rolfe 72 530

21 Z Stars Craig Beaumont 38 528

22 Silvestres Saints Taz Devil 43 527

23 Clueless ****s Gregg Carter 30 514

24 Wimples Dimples J C 39 509

25 Wakey's Rockets GarethWakefield 29 506

26 Jossy's Midgets Richard McKeon 32 502

27 AFC Edgar matt edgar 44 502

28 John O'Shea XI Ali Law 39 499

29 United Strokes LUHG James Beatty 44 495

30 Beloved Aunts Chris Sharvin 57 490

31 VfB Timbo Tim Keward 34 490

32 Barrys Horne NL B 32 488

33 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream James MacGregor 41 487

34 Timsbury Cricketers Michael Gray 58 485

35 King of Kings XI Sam Alabaster 31 436

36 link all stars john garthwaite 26 394</pre>

[Mika]

Say no to optimism.

And giddiness.

And overconfidence.

[Nick OGS20]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by alilaw:

I wouldn't say I'm 'coming round' to the idea of Defoe in a United shirt, but at least he's a pacey striker with movement who'd suit our fluid front line to an extent. And he's arguably a better finisher than Saha. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's his only upside for me, yeah. The improvement in our style of play AND results since Louis replaced Ruud isn't just coincidence - any new addition to our striking options needs to be a near replica of Saha, which should rule out Klose (not a huge fan of him anyway), and arguably Huntelaar too, regardless of how amazy he is (he is quicker than Ruud and his movement is probably better, but it's not comparable to Saha).

[BBB]

Cantona interview in The Times

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> In the court of King Cantona

Eric Cantona’s short reign at Manchester United won him the zealous devotion of many fans, who almost a decade after he left still chant his name. But until now, he has kept his distance. David Walsh tracks him down

The look is full of disdain. “Cantona was a footballer,†he says, “not an actor.†This tall, thin young man is in charge of the sprawling DVD department at the FNAC store near St Lazare station in the centre of Paris and cannot tolerate the suggestion. “Cantona,†you try to explain, “has been in 11 films, some of them well received.†His disdain deepens. “We don’t have any of them in this store.†He says this standing on a warehouse-sized floor, surrounded by Hollywood trash, Bollywood trash, horror trash, every kind of trash. “Could you check on your computer?†He finds Cantona’s second film, Le Bonheur Est dans le Pré (Happiness Is in the Meadow), momentarily wonders if he should own up, then admits: “Yeah, we do have one.â€

At an even bigger store at Les Halles, the assistant is polite. “Nobody in France considers Eric Cantona an actor,†he says. He types “Cantona†into his computer. “See,†he says, “nothing.†The first eight years of Cantona’s life in professional football were spent in France: Auxerre, Martigues, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nimes. Few considered him a good footballer. Unloved, he left for England.

There, among the Red Devils of Manchester United, he played like an angel, seeming to glide through games, seeing the action as if observing it from on high. He made extraordinary passes, scored wonderful goals, but if there was one thing that distinguished him from the rest, it was the theatricality of his play. He saw himself not as a player but as an actor; technically gifted, assiduously prepared, but still a showman Sometimes, after scoring one of his better goals, he would stand motionless, his chest pushed out, his chin tilted towards the heavens, regally soaking up the acclamation. More than any other Manchester United player, Cantona was the reason the club won its first league title for 26 years in 1992. He played 181 matches and left four years after joining United, but in that short time he became an iconic figure.

Imaginative, creative and intelligent, he was a great footballer. As a man he was passionate, intelligent and volatile. And then there was his Gallic hauteur and strange psychological depth. There was only ever one Eric Cantona.

Nothing became his life at Old Trafford as much as his leaving of it. “See you later,†he said to his team-mates as they got off the coach after a testimonial game at Coventry at the end of the 1997 season. They had just won the Premiership, Cantona’s fourth, and a week or so later the club announced his retirement. By then he was already out of the country on his way to another life. He was 30 and in the full flush of his health.

He doesn’t so much walk as spring into the foyer of the Hôtel Westminster on the Rue de la Paix. It is reassuring to see him on his own: no PR person, no accompanying agent, no need for the crutches of celebrity. It is his physical appearance that knocks you over: he is 40 but looks 35, the smile never leaves his eyes and there’s not a hint that professional sport once owned his body.

Of course, it isn’t just good looks. He dresses with immaculate casualness: the ordinary jacket that sits so right, the jeans, the top, everything cool. Back in the old days at Manchester, Lee Sharpe and Roy Keane would torture the centre half Steve Bruce for the way he dressed. Bruce would point at Cantona’s woolly cardigan and cowboy boots: “What about him?†“Brucey,†they’d say, “he carries it off.â€

Cantona has long done that, and not just with his clothes. The clever flicks, the outrageous volleys, even that kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park had a certain style. Today he wants to win me over: it can be seen in the way he smiles, pauses before answering and then looks me in the eye. It is as if he is saying: “I know in your job you are faced with people who speak to you as if you were an object – I see you as a person.â€

You know this is another Eric Cantona performance and, as with many others in the past, you are willingly swept along.

His life, he wants you to know, is good. Actually, it is very good. He is filming in Paris this week, Le Deuxième Souffle (The Second Breath), a remake of the 1966 Jean-Pierre Melville movie, and it’s a good part. He talks animatedly about French cinema and how in this movie he is working with the respected French actor Daniel Auteuil.

His enthusiasm and his openness are unexpected, as is the understated charm. Is this smiling and pleasant man the post-football Cantona? “I was like this when I played,†he says, “but I did some things, like when I went after that fan, and that becomes a strong image. People always have it in their minds. That was just one part of me. Most of the time I was very tranquil. My blood has a good circulation, I feel good about my body, about my thinking, I am not stressed, not contracted. I feel like an elastic.â€

He wants to explain what retirement from football meant to him, and why he chose cinema: “Retirement is like a death. When you are a footballer, you do something very public, you do it because it is a passion and you feel alive when you’re doing it. You feel alive also because people recognise you for the job you do. Then you quit and it’s like a death. A lot of footballers are afraid and that is why they go on TV to speak about the game. They don’t speak to teach the public or to give a point of view, they do it for themselves. It is important because it helps them to feel alive again, to deal with their fears about this death.

“It was easier for me because I chose to quit when I was still young, and I didn’t quit because I was injured or not able to play at a high level. I also knew why fans were interested in me, I wasn’t naive about that and I prepared for a life where I wouldn’t be recognised. But I have done something public, cinema, so maybe I too was afraid of not being recognised.â€

From the beginning, he understood the risks of trying to earn recognition as an actor. He was starting late, without any formal training and with the burden of being “Eric Cantona, the footballerâ€. “It was very difficult at the beginning, for two reasons: I didn’t have experience and I wasn’t very good.â€

He notices the recently acquired copy of Le Bonheur Est dans le Pré sitting on the table and suggests it’s not worth the trouble, as it came too early in his career and his was a minor part. There is one film he is willing to be judged on, a 2003 cult movie called L’Outremangeur (The Over-Eater), in which he plays the lead part, Police Inspector Richard Séléna, who is good at his job but is also a compulsive eater with a dysfunctional personal life. His bulimia stems from a childhood trauma and the plot centres on a pact between Cantona’s character and a female murderer. To remain free, she must dine with him for a year. Cantona put on two stone in weight, wore a fat-suit and delivered the performance of his fledgling career. “He gets inside the skin of a deeply lonely man and manages to make him touching, even profoundly moving,†said Dominique Borde in Le Figaro. “Cantona brings credibility to this obese character… it was a daring challenge but the former sportsman finally earns his stripes as an actor,†said the reviewer in Le Matin. “Cantona is amazingly dignified and repressed as the police inspector,†said the critic Arthur Blose.

“The film is a kind of Beauty and the Beast,†says Cantona. “I am overweight and ugly; she is young and beautiful. I can’t look at myself in the mirror, because I cannot accept my size. But in her company, I begin to fall in love and to accept myself. I look into her eyes and for the first time in my life I have found a mirror, the only one I can look at. I think it is a very nice movie.â€

As he talks about L’Outremangeur, he momentarily becomes Inspector Séléna and his eyes express the joy of the man who, through a beautiful woman, finds himself.

The ease with which Cantona shows emotion came with his DNA, especially from the genes of Albert, his father. They lived at Caillols, one of the less glamorous suburbs of Marseilles, and Eric, the middle son in a family of three boys, grew up with a deep love of his father.

As a psychiatric nurse, Albert couldn’t afford to travel, but the boy could see that in his imagination his father had been everywhere. After returning from school, Eric would go to the studio in their home where Albert worked on his paintings. More than 30 years later, Cantona can still recall the smell of the paint.

Albert watched his son play and learn football. He would tell him what he had to do to improve and Eric practised and practised. “It wasn’t necessary for my father to tell me I was good, I could see it in his eyes. It’s better if it’s not said but shown in other ways.†Albert’s encouragement instilled a work ethic in Cantona that would amaze all those who saw him during the early days at Manchester. His attitude to practice rubbed off on his team-mates and radically improved the quality of training at the club.

According to his son, Albert’s painting was technically very good and creative. What Eric most remembers, though, is his father’s passion. “He was passionate about many things. He was a strong man but he was also sensitive. He explained something to you and sometimes he would start to cry. He gave us this passion and love for life.

That’s very important: when your education is built around that, it is solid. And you can cry, even when you are a strong man. You can find something beautiful and cry simply because it is so beautiful. Is it a problem to cry? Some families think a man who cries is like a woman. I don’t think so. You can find emotion in the beauty of things and, to me, that’s love.â€

The same passion burned inside the son and was expressed in his football, often in the most self-destructive ways. It killed the first, French half of his career. The young Cantona called Henri Michel, then manager of the French team, a “shitbag†in 1988, and a year later he threw his Marseilles jersey on the ground after being substituted in a match against Torpedo Moscow. Just as the kung-fu kick became a defining image of his time in England, the picture of him flinging his jersey into the mud symbolised his eight-year-long frustration in the French league.

Neither did he go quietly when leaving his native country. After receiving a suspension from the French federation, he called each individual on the disciplinary committee an idiot. So he left la belle France for the industrial north of England, and one of sport’s great ironies was about to be played out: French footballer blessed with imagination, skill, creativity and beguiling style feels crushed in his native country and finds a new and welcoming home in England.

He doesn’t believe it’s so surprising: “For many years in France, teams have played 11 sheep. Nobody plays with imagination. The last one was Zidane, and he was the only one. All the players are the same: same personality, same way of playing, same formations. In the time of Platini, there was a lot of imagination. But for a long time now, it is robot station.

“When I came to England they had their game, but they wanted to open it up to something more. I felt that. They wanted to keep the structure they had, the way they passed, but they wanted something different. And what they added, everybody enjoyed. It was not because of me that this change happened. I just arrived exactly when there was this desire for something with more imagination. Since I’ve left, a lot of players are showing this imagination; even the young English players are showing it.â€

He came with his wife, Isabelle, and their young son, Raphael, and for three years the family lived in a modest semidetached house not far from Roundhay Park in Leeds. Isabelle taught French at Leeds University while her husband taught football at grounds all around the country.

When they moved to Manchester, they lived in another small semidetached house at Boothstown. The modest house was a stark reminder of his individual nature: his passion was for the game, not the trappings. Ask him why he chose to live not among those he played with but among those he played for, and he answers matter-of-factly: “It’s boring to be in a big house. When you are four people, why would you buy a house with seven bedrooms? Why would I do that, if not to show people that I am rich? I buy a house that I need not to show people I am rich – they already know that.

“The man who buys the big house with all the bedrooms he doesn’t need shows he’s rich, but maybe he’s not rich inside. For me the atmosphere inside a house is very important: everywhere I have been with my family, it has been cosy. When I was a footballer I never thought I was different to other people, I just had a different job. People who are successful want to show they are different, they live in the big house and try to live in another world. I want to live in the same world. I don’t have the pretension to be somewhere else. If I have 11 children, I will try to get a house with 10 bedrooms.â€

Because of Isabelle’s job at Leeds University, they kept their house in Leeds for two years after he joined Manchester United. There were attacks on the house; fireworks through the letterbox, car tyres slashed, but he felt no resentment towards Leeds fans. “I understood their feelings. If I had been one of them, I might have done the same.â€

He left United in May 1997, 41/2 years after he had arrived. In that period, United won the Premiership four times; the one they lost coincided with the season Cantona missed because of his eight-month ban for kicking the Crystal Palace fan. The end came because the well that once held his passion for the game had run dry. He noticed it in the way he became bothered by the growing commercialism of the game and the pursuit of merchandising revenue at Manchester United. And in that last season, he no longer had the enthusiasm for the unique importance of each match.

“What gives you adrenaline for football is the context of the game, and when you start not to care about that, it is because you’re losing your passion. Then, the only reason for continuing is money. I had always said, since I was 20, this is a passion and if one day I lose this passion, I quit. And I did. I never played for money. If I had never been paid, I would still have played with the same passion.â€

Once the decision was made, he had to move away from football. He couldn’t stay in England, couldn’t return to France, so he went to Barcelona. He’d been there as a 10-year-old visiting his maternal grandparents, and it was such a sweet memory, the place drew him back.

Retirement offered the time to pursue other interests: cinema, photography, painting and, to pleasure body as well as soul, he played beach football. Cantona has returned to Old Trafford for three testimonial games, the last one for Ryan Giggs in 2001, but otherwise he makes a point of not looking back. He has no contact with any of his old team-mates. “I’ve always been paranoid about the telephone,†he says. “When I call, I never know if I disturb them. Face to face, I can see the other person is open to speaking. On the phone, you can lie easily. I prefer the pleasures of [face-to-face] conversation.â€

He has no regret about the lack of contact with his old United comrades. He disagrees with the suggestion that it’s normal for ex-footballers to lose touch. “I don’t think it’s normal. Some footballers are close. It’s just me.â€

And then, almost as an aside, he explains why it is better to have the memories rather than any post-career camaraderie: “In our football years, we are strong because we’re all in the same boat and we are in danger. We work together to survive, then when you quit, you don’t have that goal any more. You’re not on that boat and you are left with only the memory. What you know is that you will never live again like you have lived on that boat. That is a frustration because what you had was so strong.

In life, there is nothing as intense as what you felt as a footballer and I prefer to leave it at that. In real life, what could we do together? We could meet for an evening, have a drink, speak about the past and what then? After that it becomes ordinary.

“It is like you have had an intense love affair with somebody and you separate. Later you can meet for a coffee, but what good does it do? You’re not going to get back together and you’re not going to feel like you did before.â€

As for United, they remain his club but the voice of reason inside his head asks how can he support a team owned by an American investor, which now exists to make sure there is enough profit to justify the investment. He can find no justification for supporting such a club, except that his heart keeps him there.

We are speaking four days after a game against Sheffield United. “Oh yes, I still follow each result. One-nil down to Sheffield United before half-time – they won with two Rooney goals.â€

After four years in Barcelona, the Cantonas moved to Marseilles, and then his marriage to Isabelle ended. “Divorce is not easy, it never is easy. I lived 20 years with my ex-wife; we had two children, Raphael and Joséphine. She is from a family that has not known one divorce; I am from a family where nobody has divorced. For the children and for us, it was difficult.â€

He now lives in Paris with his girlfriend and says if you visited his apartment you would not know he once played football. Acting and photography are now his greatest interests, and when the producers of an impressive 35-kilo book on Manchester United asked if he’d like to show some of his photographs in the soon-to-be-published work, he agreed. Coming up with his own ideas and compositions, he worked with the French photographer Richard Aujard to produce five self-portraits (which appear in the newsprint edition of the Magazine). He says he has an explanation for each one, but to offer them would be to reduce the experience for those who will see the images. “I don’t say they are art – that would be pretentious – but in this world you have the freedom of the people who do it, and the freedom of those who observe it.â€

They are striking images that show the diverse ways in which he sees himself. A football appears in two photographs, reflecting his long-held view that he can never get away from what he did as a footballer. He sees the game as a shadow that follows him everywhere, a sometimes bothersome and always constant shadow.

There are no plans for his future, a privilege that has come from football’s riches. He goes with the flow of his passion; away from football to cinema, photography, painting, whatever excites him. What he is certain about is that there is much more to be done. “My dream was to live in the world of creation. In football I did that; now I have other opportunities to do that. The only thing I fear is death.

“Sometimes when I take a flight I am a little afraid, because we can die in a plane crash very quickly. In cars too, but in cars you have some control. I have things on my memory stick and I never take that with me when I am flying. I say to my partner, the person I am living with, ‘If something happened to me, I want you to read what is on that memory stick and do what is there.’ She says, ‘No, no, no, it’s not mine.’

“I tell her, ‘I want you to do these things if you can, to say to people: it was Eric’s wish that this would happen.’ If I die with the memory stick, I die with everything. I want to go with the possibility that what I haven’t achieved will be achieved by somebody else. I’ve always thought, now more than ever, that it is not how you live your life but how people will remember you.â€

Before him, there is a United jersey I wish him to sign. He smiles, now recognising the shadow as a friend. He asks to whom he should write. “Dan,†I say, “Dan is the boy’s name. He’s a young footballer, sometimes gets into trouble with referees, plays a little like you once did.â€

After writing “To Danâ€, he stops, the marker poised three inches over the jersey. For almost two minutes he thinks about what he will say. The silence fills the room.

Eventually he begins to write: “Ne jamais perdre sa passion! Ou s’en éloigner vite, Eric Cantona†– Never lose your passion, or if you do, get away quickly.

And that was it from Eric Cantona. He offered thanks for the water, pulled up his collar and disappeared into Parisian evenings </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Taz & The Devil]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

Roeder eyes Rossi spark

Manchester United youngster Giuseppe Rossi will have the chance to do his parent club a huge favour when he turns out for Newcastle against Chelsea on Wednesday.

The forward has endured a frustrating spell on loan at Newcastle, as he has hardly figured for The Magpies despite their poor form and injury problems.

Rossi is set to head back to Manchester on New Year's Day, but he will have the chance to secure hero status first.

The mounting injury problems on Tyneside are set to prompt Glenn Roeder into deploying Rossi on the right wing and the Magpies chief is hopeful the youngster will be in the mood to impress.

"Young Rossi has every chance of playing, and I know that nothing would give him more pleasure than helping us get something out of Chelsea," Roeder told the Daily Mirror.

"It goes without saying that it would also give his boss Sir Alex Ferguson a lot of pleasure too. He could do his club a big favour.

"I am sure he will be getting plenty of good luck messages from his mates in the North West."

Chelsea go into Wednesday's clash eight points adrift of Manchester United, but Roeder does not believe The Blues will be feeling the pressure.

"This time last year the title race was as good as over," he added. "But this year there is a race on. It looks like both managers are super-confident they will retain or regain the title.

"Chelsea are not under pressure. If I was in the Chelsea camp I would not be feeling it at all.

"They have won it from the front for the last two years and this time it is different with them in second spot - and the fact there is a battle on is good for the neutral.

"Every year you retain the league title it becomes a bigger test the next year, and that's what Chelsea have now to win it a third time. If they do win it, it will be a bigger deal than the last two titles."

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Another 2 minute sub appearence on the cards then?

[ACou2000]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Weststandred:

tbh I skipped that big paragraph with all the numbers in it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Mika]

Scholes won't retire at the end of next season, and Neville will be gone before him.

[Nick OGS20]

lies, we all know football started in 1992

Giggsy scored 4 in 91/92 and one in 90/91 (christ that makes me feel old), so he needs nine to get 100 in the Prem. be nice if him and Scholesy (ideally Ole as well but that's pushing it a bit) could get to 150 in total as well.

[Mika]

Dreading this, we're going to get horsed.

[ACou2000]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LokedOut420:

Which season featured the epic encounters with Real Madrid in the CL? Was it 2001? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

02/03?

O'Shea's super season inc. nutmegging Figo?

[Mika]

This is <STRIKE>Ronnie is scum</STRIKE> the one.

[Scatter]

i'd be surprised if smudger even makes the bench tbh.

[Nick OGS20]

i missed Smudger out of my initial post - thought he did really well. not back to his best but clearly much nearer than he was in the two carling cup games. clearly no doubts in his mind when it comes to getting stuck in as well. have a feeling he could be really useful over this run-in.

[alilaw]

'with the league gone'

Stop with your damn anti-jinxing Juni

[Saha]

Ruud agrees so much he shunned international football too :*)

What a hero

[Razor Eddie]

Steward near me yesterday was doing his crust.

Every time he got everybody sat down, three lads were up with "Stand up and support your team". Same three, every time.

[mark g]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James07?:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by mark g:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">there was talk on the RN VIP </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I skim read that as the RVN forum. I thought it was an explanation as to why Mika hadn't been around much recently. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

at that forum every thread's a sticky one for mika. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Razor Eddie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Keyser:

FO Razor Eddie

Got a piece of luck today that we haven't deserved. So lets all laugh at Chelsea ok? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am crushing your head.

[Paul Hecker]

Congrats United. So so happy for Ronaldo in particular.

And thank you so much for not being Chelsea, it means a lot to us.

[Blaine]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Thank you for your recent email letter concerning the 2007/08 ticket prices. The Club has set its prices within the overall policy of maintaining top quality football at a fair price. The Board believes new range of £25-£44 is reasonable. Liverpool’s lowest price this season is £32, Chelsea’s £28 and Tottenham’s £30. In addition, the new prices have seen under 16 prices cut from 50% of an adult ticket (£11.50-£19.50 this year) to £10 anywhere in the stadium. This move means that, despite any adult rises, an adult taking two children to a match will pay less next season than this year. Over 65 prices have been capped at £20.

Making the automatic cup scheme compulsory affects around a quarter of the 57,000 Season Ticket holders, since the vast majority are either in the scheme already or buy all the cup games on an individual basis. By not including the Cup games in a higher priced season ticket, the Club has rejected the policy of many other clubs who insist on payment at the start of the season for cup matches that may not happen in favour of a system that allows fans to pay as the games are played. Those who currently buy all cup tickets but are not in the cup scheme will now save the 3% admin fee, which is waived for those in the scheme.

These decisions are also set against a background which sees the Club turn away an average of 5,700 members for every FAPL home game and with more than 14,000 on the Season Ticket waiting list.

The Board knows that the price of tickets is a subject that always arouses strong feelings. But the Club feels that the principle of top football at affordable prices has been maintained, and the settlement has provided an environment which will encourage more young people to see the team.

Yours sincerely

David A Gill

Chief Executive </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Nick OGS20]

i got beer practically poured down my throat tonight. i think my comrades found it amusing that i was getting physically threatened before i had a pint in me (due to my milan shirt ofc) and decided to make things even more fun. was actually at the bar when the second inzaghi goal went in, at that point i feared for my life. great fun tbf

[Red_Comet]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by mark g:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Saha:

Reported. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

This will keep you quiet for a bit. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Reported for posting links with misleading name

[player_65]

The headline on Soccernet about the Glazer denial is 'United: Not For Sale' - which was the slogan for the SU campaign iirc and we know how true that proved to be.

[Taz & The Devil]

Just got my first pay day at the new job. Pulled in more after tax from these two weeks than i used to get before tax at my old place for a whole month.

Anyone i think i'm going to treat myself to some United DVDs, any recommendations?

[Nick OGS20]

Jonny was apparently left out because it's his birthday and as such he was spared. although he'd have probably preferred to be in it i reckon.

[Irish]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by titchuk:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Irish:

I've seen a differant one of Rooney modelling. Its pretty similar to last seasons except for the AIG logo being a mre rounded one instead of the square. Where's the pic of that which was going around last week </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, when I was doing my detective work I saw that one too. With bits of gold down the side?

Thought that one looked nicer than the one posted on here tbh. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeh its the nicest one i've seen. Very similar to last seasons one though.