Posts Tagged ‘manchester united’

Football’s Longest Standing Rivalry?

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

There’s been a healthy rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool FC for over 100 years…but is that a good thing or a bad thing.

Everyone has heard of at least one famous sporting rivalry in history.  There was Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier in boxing, Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova in tennis and Greg Norman versus Nick Faldo in golf.A healthy cricket rivalry continues between India and Pakistan.Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov have even made competitive chess seem exciting with their ongoing rivalry through the years.

But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds?Let’s have a quick look at why this great football rivalry exists, and why it continues

1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.  Liverpool and Manchester (the cities) have maintained a healthy competition since industrial times, and that sense of one-upmanship has apparently spilled over into the football world.

2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club.  A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.

3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.They are also ranked as two of the richest clubs in the world.

4.  Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes.  With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.  United striker Wayne Rooney has publicly stated how he grew up hating Liverpool.On another occasion, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard told a TV crew that, although he often exchanges shirts with opposing players, he would never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? Are You Kidding Me? – There have been no direct transfers of players between the two clubs since 1964; the few who have played for both sides have always played for a different city’s club in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.

In a way, it’s inspiring the way two rival football clubs can be so passionate about the sense of competition between them.I’m sure some people don’t understand how others can get so worked up about a game, and think the whole rigamarole is just silly.  So, who’s the best team in football?It’s as clear as day, really.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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Alex Ferguson To Sign Serie A Star

Monday, December 28th, 2009

According to reports, Manchester United have lined up a £25m summer transfer bid for Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik.

The fact that Ryan Giggs is beginning to age, and the fact that veteran midfielder Paul Scholes will only have his name on old soccer kits soon has surely brought to Alex Fergusons attention that some expensive midfielders are required to boost the team.

With interest from Liverpool and Chelsea as well, the signing of Hamsik would add attacking ability to Manchester United’s midfield. Starting his career with Slovan Bratislava the Slovakian international quickly proved his ability and was bought by Brescia. Transferring to Napoli for 5.5m Euros after dominating the midfield at Brescia scoring 10 goals from the midfield.

Since joining Napoli in 2007, the goal scoring efforts of Hamsik have made him one of the best in Serie A. Managing to score 25 goals in 81 games Hamsik’s form has been some of the best in the league. Recently Hamsik scored twice as Napoli recorded their first win over Juventus in Turin for 21 years and his performances have impressed many experts in Italy, who have been quick to label the Slovakian international as the best midfielder in Serie A.

Hamsik’s efforts for his national team Slovakia have been extremely impressive. He has been the driving force behind the countries qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa and he is being touted as being one of the major stars to emerge from the tournament in the summer.

Riccardo Bigon however has stated over the last few weeks that they have no intention of selling the player.

“Manchester United are after Hamsik? If we rejected the rumours regarding a friend like [Carlo] Ancelotti and his Chelsea, it is obvious we also reject these rumours.”

These comments have since been substantiated by Napoli chairman Aurielo De Laurentiis who confirmed:

“Many clubs have requested Hamsik, it’s true, but he will stay with us for the long-term”

Manchester United hope to make their move in Summer and if Napoli’s stance will remain the same is still unknow. Napoli are not a particularly wealthy club and despite the chairman’s insistence that Hamsik is not for sale, it remains to be seen that if a firm offer was on the table that matched their valuation, whether they would be tempted into selling.

Chelsea’s current situation however might put a stop to any dealings between Napoli and Manchester United. With Carlo Ancelotti given the go ahead to spend £25m on a player by Roman Abramovich in January they might beat Manchester United to the punch

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The Most Secure Way To Purchase Manchester United Football Tickets Online

Monday, December 28th, 2009

When Purchasing for Manchester United football tickets online you should aware of how they operate because there will be some who are just scamming innocent Man United fans. Should you want genuine Manchester United Football tickets, then you need to find a business selling them online that is tried and trusted. One of the best ways to ascertain whether or not you should make a purchase from somewhere is to go through customer reviews. Not only do you have to worry about an illegitimate site taking your money, you also do not want to purchase from a vendor who has a reputation for being slow on delivery. If your are reading a review on line you need to be able to tell the difference between someone’s genuine report and a virtual plug put there by the company of person. If you see a hyperlink at the bottom of the review, that can help determine whether it is true or paid for.

A legitimate customer reviewing a product doesn’t usually have a reason to post a link to the very product they are reviewing. Advertisers have found a new way to advertise since most email spam blockers today block their ads, and so they turn to reviews. There is a bigger chance for a review to be legit if a review is link free. Though buying tickets on eBay can often get you cheaper prices, it is probably a good idea to buy tickets from established websites that specialize in tickets alone. There can be issues with EBay sellers not sending tickets on time, or perhaps they will neglect to send them all together. But if you decide to purchase this way make sure you read their feedback to get a better idea of how professional they are and most people you do business with on eBay are honest.

Before you type in ANY purchasing information is the another way to avoid being scammed is to make sure the checkout page is encrypted. The importance of it can not be understated, but this is a feature not many people look for when checking out. What are the signs that will tell you if a web page is encrypted? You will see HTTP at the start of a website address Web pages which are encrypted contain “HTTPS” in their address, not the usual “HTTP”. It is important to make sure the page is encrypted even if the company is completely honest,because sometimes it does not show respect for the customers and the security of their personal information. If you are interested in a ticket vendor, they have good reviews, and their check out page is encrypted, then you can be pretty certain that the vendor is safe to purchase from.

It is also important to go with your gut and these guidelines are important to follow in order to avoid being scammed. Should a vendor’s pitch not seem plausible to you, avoid buying anything from that vendor. If something doesn’t sit right with you, then there is most likely something wrong with it. A little scrutiny goes a long way when it comes to avoiding a scam artist. Finally, you need to find the one which costs the least. Keep the information contained within this article in mind and you will be able to make your next purchase with confidence.

The next time you buy sports tickets, buy from your online concierge for global sporting events.. PremiumTicketHub.com.

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The Red Army and The Field of Dreams

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

Acquiring  Manchester United tickets for a home game not only lets you to see one of the most exciting clubs in Europe play live, but also lets you experience the atmosphere at Old Trafford, also known as the Field of Dreams, home ground of the Red Devils, parade ground for the Red Army.

  Apart from 8 years after it was bombed out during WWII, Manchester United tickets for home games at Old Trafford have been bought by fans since 1910.

The name Field of Dreams was bestowed upon the stadium by Bobby Charlton, one of the Club’s best known players.  

In 1966, Sir Robert “Bobby” Charlton, won the World Cup and was also named European Footballer of the year, in part because of his famous midfield attacks and his ferocious long-range shots.

Seating 76,212 Manchester United ticket buying fans Old Trafford is one of the largest of any English football stadiums, and it is one of only two stadia in England to have been given a  “UEFA elite stadium” five-star rating by UEFA.

As a neutral venue, Old Trafford has hosted many FA Cup semi-final matches and a number of  “English national football team” England international fixtures.

During the  “1966 FIFA World Cup”   and  “UEFA Euro 1996″  and the  “2003 UEFA Champions League Final”  matches were also played at Old Trafford.

The Old Trafford playing field is surrounded by stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands.

Each of the stands has a minimum of two tiers, except the South Stand, which, because of construction restrictions has just one.

The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from standing room only terraces in the early 1990s.

The most well-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, more famously, known as the  Stretford End.

Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s.

Stretford End is home to Manchester United’s most die-hard supporters, known as The Red Army.

Much of the noise and atmosphere at Old Trafford emanates from this stand, and the roar from the Red Army there was once measured as louder than the roar of a jumbo jet lifting off. 

Unless you’ve been subscribing to your season Manchester United ticket for many years  it is impossible to get a seat in the Stretford End, even for the most die-hard fan.

Manchester United’s fan’s, better known as the Red Army was once the biggest and most notorious group of followers British football has ever seen.

When the Red Army followed Manchester United to an away game, the town would fall into chaos: large numbers of fhe Red Army would travel en-mass by train, coach, car or even by foot if necessary, doing whatever it took to get to the game.  

During the mid-seventies when Manchester United had been relegated from the top flight of English football and played in the  “Football League Second Division” Second Division for one season, the Red Army caused such chaos at games around the country when visiting stadiums where they would often outnumber the home fans, that it led to the introduction of segregation and fencing between of home and away fans at football grounds throughout England.

These days, the Red Army is quite different to what it was in the 1970’s & 80’s.

This Manchester United supporters club, now has a fan base of over 300 million fans across the world.

The vast numbers of Manchester United fans, all of whom would like to visit the Field of Dreams, both to see the game and to experience the atmosphere there, result in it almost always being difficult to buy Manchester United Tickets.

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When Does Manchester United Start Selling Tickets?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Manchester United tickets are some of the most prized football tickets for Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League matches.

The team gives priority to its One United fan club members for home games by letting them apply for tickets in a lottery. Lottery entries usually have to arrive 4-6 weeks before game-day and winning tickets will be mailed out (fans in other countries might have to pick up their tickets from the box office on game day). For some games, (e.g. Champions League matches), applications might have to be  received closer to game day. The easiest way to know when deadlines to apply for tickets are getting near, is to subscribe to the One United newsletter. Because home games do not usually go on sale to t the general public, so becoming a member of One United and entering the lottery are your best bet to get tickets for a particular game.

Manchester United gives priority to its season ticket holders for away games. The allocation that Manchester United receives from the host team is usually only several thousand tickets and demand is generally much greater so One United members and the general public generally don’t have an chance to buy these tickets. Alternatively tickets can be bought directly from the host team, but that would put your seat in the home team fans section. Tickets for the most popular games at Liverpool. Chelsea, Arsenal or for the local derby at Manchester City are hardest to come by, but your chances of success are much greater when Manchester United plays at some of the less popular Premier League teams. You might have the best chance to see Manchester United play an away game during the Group Stage of the Champions League. Checking the respective team’s website will give you accurate information about ticket sale dates.

Manchester United is one of the most popular teams playing today so getting tickets for most games will be a challenge. Although careful planning is essential, it is still no guarantee that you will be able to get tickets. If all other methods are unsuccessful, there are many brokers who sell Manchester United tickets, but usually at prices that are significantly higher than their face value.

Get your sporting events tickets at your concierge for global sporting events, www.premiumtickethub.com.

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