Pompey vs United Full Match Highlights!

UNITED 4-1 POMPEY

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Rooney's Hat-trick ruins Avram Grant's reception to the new club and slaughters the Pompeys!

MANCHESTER UNITED 4-1 POMPEY

Fratton Park, Portsmouth

3 PM GMT K.O.

Wayne Rooney wins a penalty at Pompey! Thanks to a lightening run from Valencia.

Today's game seemed to be a contrast, where United boss wasn't allowed to be on the touch line, the newly assigned Pompey boss couldn't make much of the opportunity to level off the UEFA Champions league final's bad memories.

Pompey enjoyed excellent spells of possession in the midfield and the last third in the beginning. They stole the ball from United many times. The possession till half time was United 46% and Pompey 54%.

Scholes did an amazing job with two lovely strikes on goal; both deflected and won corners which United didnt have seem to take control of that effectively. Valencia looked electric with his lovely passes and vigourous runs, he helped Rooney win a penalty for United which Rooney took responsibly. United 1 up at 25 minutes.

Then came a strong reply from the Minnows. They took charge of the game until they won the disastrous penalty. It was apparently because Tomasz Kuszack probably charged one Pompey player. However, TV replays showed a completely different story. The United goalie didnt even touch any Pompey player! So it was definitely a bad decision. Paul Scholes had a very heated conversation with the referee (who was the 4th referee when S. Alex Ferguson fired got the 2-match ban.) on the decision of the penalty. The decision didnt alter though!

The ugliness wasn't over yet. Fletcher got involved in a very non-footballic incident with Pompey mid-fielder Boateng who initially pushed Fletcher. In response. Fletcher pulled his shirt and made him fall on the ground as well. This action certainly obeyed "Newton's 3rd law of Motion" if nothing else.!. It was really disastrous to watch, nonetheless.

Vidic got a yellow card for sliding off Pompey striker Dindane and and holding Piquionee's shirt.

Neville accompanied the referees after the First half to half a word.

6th minute into the Second Half saw a lovely diagonal pass by Valencia which was cleared by the defender.

Things got lot worse as it started raining and made the setting very soggy. The weather reminded me of the Chelsea - United UEFA final penalties; however United here were in total control.

Soone came the 3rd goal for United. This time Giggs was tripped over by Piquionne at the edge of the box which was clearly seen and responded by the Ref. United were all smiles as Rooney completes his deserving Hat-trick taking his goal tally to 11 so far this season (not very far away from Defoe)

On the other hand, Valencia was absolutely stunning today. His runs were full of confidence and he just lacked perfect crossing or was met by some excellent defending. In my opinion, he deserved a goal in the 77th minute when Rooney passed a wonderful pass to the Equidarian who crossed nearly perfectly untl the ball was sent for a Corner in the Pompey's final third.

7 vs 1.. But the Ref. has the VETO power!

Every decision from Ref is criticised by players.. not good. But this penalty against United was pointless and controversial!

The Polish goalie stopped a great strike which was impossible for Vidic to tackle on.. This was the 2nd great save from him.

United made a 76th min substitute when anderson replaced carrick. Anderson responded quickly to this opportunity as he fired a ball from the edge of box, and nearly missed the goal..

Giggs made it four for United as he sent a perfect free-kick into the goal!! He celebrated his 100th Premier League goal. Boy! what a win for United... It was a nice curl into the bottom left corner of the goal. Goalie had no chance... Do we need Ronaldo?

Fergie was still enjoying sitting in the executive box! with Gill. He also got an opportunity to talk on phone.

Fergie enjoying the game from the Business executive box.

Tomasz Kuszcak made a wonderful 3rd save by responding quickly to Boateng's brilliant volley which failed to compensate for the 4 goals as scored remained 4-1. The ball hit Kuszcak's hand and then rebound from the cross bar.!.

The dirty game ended superbly, United reigned over the second half, scoring 3 goals (2 of which coming from Wayne Rooney - the Hat-trick hero!) For a record, United had 6 shots on target, 4 of which found the target. The overall possession was 50-50.

Avram Grant's entry did make United struggle for the 1st half but the 2nd half performance was typical United!

Glory Glory Man United... See you before the Spurs Carling cup build up!

Pompey vs United 3.00 GMT KO!

It's Pompeys against the Red Devils in today's Barclay's 14th Premier League Week.

United havent done exceedingly well at the Pompey's in the last 3 years. They've lost thrice in the last 6 games against the Minnows who are always facing the risk of being relegated but are still hanging on in the Premier League list somehow.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be in the fans today as he resumes his 1st touch-line ban today. If he creates any more nuisance he will face more fines and another 2-match ban... So he better stay mum :|

Whereas on the other hand, Pompeys have promised to make Fergie's efforts to communicate with his assistants "unheard" ! They promise to make as much noise as possible in order to frustrate the Scot even more..

Berbatov and Rooney will start for United as the Bulgarian has fully recovered from his ankle injury. Fergie will be having his strongest squad in today's game and wants to avoid a dissapointing defeat after a miraculous 3-0 win against Everton. United need to carry on with their brilliant and take all the positives from the heart-breaking Besiktas defeat.

Portsmouth have their new boss "Avram Grant" who is managing the side for the first time. He was kicked out of Chelsea after the dramatic UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE final penalties which Chelsea lost :) Pompey players have responded brilliantly and have promised to give Avram nothing but a Win.

Certainly, United is under Pressure at Pompey. A defeat here could lead to some serious issues.

On the other hand, this could be one of the biggest weekends for United as Chelsea faces Arsenal tomorrow.If Arsenal is able to defeat the Blues and the Red Devils rattle of the Pompey's then United will only be 2 points away from the TOP SPOT.

I hope Red Devils and the Gunners won't let us down.

Teams:

UNITED: Van Der Sar; Rafael, Brown, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Fletcher, Giggs; Rooney, Berbatov

POMPEYS: Ashdown; Hreidarssoh, Ben Haim, Wilson, Kaboul; Mullins, Mokoena, O Hara, Boateng, Brown; Dindane.

Team News:

Portsmouth have lost their last two Premier League games and won the games against Stoke City and Wigan (4-0 each)

United have lost 2 of their last 5 games (both 1-0 against Chelsea and Besiktas)

They are about to lay the foundation stone to a massive up-hill which only includes wins and nothing else. They'e done it before, so shouldn't be a problem

THEREDEVILSPOT Prediction - UNITED 4-0 POMPEYS

Besiktas win at Old Trafford, ending United's 23 match winning (or drawing) streak in UCL at home.

MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 BESIKTAS

That's the summary of the game. Besiktas kept on holding United for the whole of 90 minutes. United dominated but couldn't convert into goals.

Micahel Owen reacting after missing a strike on goal

Vidic reacting after losing shockingly to Besiktas!

Besiktas have done it! The loudest fans in the world must be roaring and raving.

It was a bad night for United. Bad decisions, bad times, goal-keeper wasting time, bad that Besiktas got it all right! I must credit their goalie for 1) being intelligent and wasting time... He got a yellow card for it but I think he would rather prefer getting yellow than not playing in the knockout stages at all! 2) because he made 2 excellent saves (first one from Macheda - a header and a second one came from Wes Brown). Both were brilliant and on-target headers and Goalie did no mistakes there!

Besiktas ended United's 23 match streak at Old Trafford by denying them two wonderful headers (and wasting some time in the extra minutes of the game). United have lost a game after EIGHT LONG years since their last defeat in 2001 in UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

The Final Score was United 0-1 Besiktas which could have easily been 2-1 or 3-1 as we had predicted earlier. Besiktas have come back with a strong reply having the same final score as United had in Turkey. Paul Scholes was the one to score at that time.

Can You believe it? United had the possesion for the 66% of the game and yet they were unable to score...

Match Review (followed by Player Review)

United started off brilliantly. They were passing the ball around rather magnificently and in full-force attack mode. Thanks to some lovely display from Park Ji Sung who moved the ball efficiently in the midfield. United fully dominated the game until Tello scored a lovely 30 meter goal which was deflected off Rafael. It fell to the right of Foster who was rather unlucky to concede such an avoidable goal. United carried on their vigorous attack on Besiktas and had some solid plans to demolish the side. Park did a good job by shooting the ball on target many times but it was frustrating to see him and Obertan not finding the net. Obertan was very sharp and athletic in the field tonight. His dribbling skills were remarkable and commendable.

All United lacked in the first half was accuracy. They were fully trampling the Besiktas defence but unable to convert the amazing runs and tackles into a goal. This is something the youngsters must be living up too. There was a great display from Darren Gibson, who took the midfield very responsibly.

United half repeated the same old story for United. They had some good chances but failed to convert into a goal unfortunately. Park, who ran like a bullet and passed like a charm today, was replaced by Michael Owen. No. 7 replaced No. 13, so everyone thought Owen must have brought some luck in his 4th UCL appearance but sadly, he hardly got the ball.. Hold on a minute, I can remember once he passed to Neville and Obertan and that is really about it!

Neville gave some amazing passes today. Amongst the list included the one to Gabriel Obertan which was perfect in pace and location but unfortunately the Frenchman failed to convert it.

Blunt Gibson was replaced my Carrick who tried his luck with a few long range shots as well as medium-ish shots but they were right in the gloves of the excellent goalie.

There was an injury in the 65th minute when Obertan unpurposefully hit his elbow on Toraman's eye region. He was bleeding badly and had to be substituted.

There were two more substitutions from Evra replaced Rafael.

In the dying minutes of the game, Bobo was replaced by Batahum who (according to me) created a new world record by getting booked within 14 SECONDS of his arrival at the pitch by purposefully shooting the ball at Foster after he was judged off-side by the linesman.

The real talking point of the match would be Evra being denied the penalty. It was a clear-cut penalty! The defender was no where around the ball and clearly had his arm in front of Evra to stop him in his tracks. The referee couldn't have been more annoying that that.

It was a good game though. United should have got 2 if not 3 goals and proved us right here at theredevilspot.blogspot.com

However, the kids certainly rocked... GLORY GLORY till the Pompey's game.

Keep rocking!

Player reviews

1) Foster- 5.5

2) Rafael/ Evra - 5/6

3) Brown- 7

4) Vidic - 7

5) Neville - 6.5

6) Park/ Owen- 7/5.5

7) Anderson - 7

8) Gibson/ Carrick- 6/6

9) Obertan - 7

10) Welbeck- 7

11) Macheda- 7

PREVIEW: United vs Besiktas at Old Trafford Tonight, 7.45 PM GMT Kick off

Kids wanna rock today against Besiktas!

Sir Alex Ferguson is targeting the top spot in Group B of Champions League by challenging his young players to prove they are worthy of wearing the Manchester United shirt.

"In the situation we're in, we could have a non-event of a game against Besiktas if we wanted. But that's not the way we want it to be. We want an exciting game and we'll do our best to challenge the youngsters who play."

"I'll be making changes. Not a lot, but enough to freshen things up. It's a problem keeping players happy, but everyone has that when you have a big squad. We used the League Cup for that and, if we can qualify early enough from the Champions League group stage, in Europe."

"Darron Gibson will definitely play and young Rafa as well. We can use the likes of Welbeck. He will will definitely play and Macheda probably. They are the ones who need to challenge."

"We're also thinking of starting Gabriel Obertan to see how he does. And we're looking at Park Ji-Sung's fitness because he's back and has trained very well. We've put him on a programme that has brought him to his best level. He played for South Korea last week so he's ready for a game."

"Darron has not had the amount of football that he'd wish for. I wish I'd been able to give him more games, but he has a lot of competition from Carrick, Anderson, Scholes, Fletcher, and Giggs if I choose to play him there."

"But, credit to Darron, he's never let it unsettle him. His training performances have been excellent. Every session he comes in knowing that it's worthwhile. He has a purpose about his training. For quite a few weeks we've been saying, you can't hold a young one back. They tell you that themselves. And I think Darron is approaching that. He has

become a very good, powerful midfield player."

"The youngsters have reached a point and it happens in football, when a footballer has the ability to be a top player and you recognise that. You have to give them the challenge. If you don't, they lose the scent. But this club has been good at recognising that over the years."

"Sometimes it happens and you get good runs free of injury, and other times you don't. That's the value of having a good squad. It'll probably be the same back four as Saturday against Everton.

"When Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes came through, we thought they were certainties. We had to give them a chance, and we did. That's the nature of football. A young player turns the corner and then ends up taking someone's job."

So to conclude, Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck have really gotta attack from the word GO! and have a good partnership between them. I am excited to see Obertan and Park (if he plays) working together in the mid-field. I wouldn't mind if Michael Owen warms the bench till the half time and maybe he can have a shot at a goal or two. United although need to be careful, they must be fully aware of what happened against Tottenham Hotspurs in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton when they lost and eventually lost the precious trophy!

I hope the youngsters dont let the Seniors down... GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!!

United Probable 11s: Foster; Evra, Vidic, Brown, Rafael; Park, Anderson, Gibson, Obertan; Berbatov/Macheda, Welbeck.

Besiktas Probable 11s: Rustu; Uzulmez, Koybasi, Ferrari, Toraman; Ozkan, Ernst, Fink, Ekrem; Yusuf; Bobo.

theRedDevilSpot prediction: United win 3-1

New development over David Villa deal

David Villa tells Chelsea, United and City he's ready to consider £35m Valencia exit.

David Villa has put Chelsea and United on alert by admitting he is no longer resistant to a move to the Barclays Premier League.

Chelsea skipper John Terry called on his club to sign the £35million-rated Valencia striker in the summer, but all of Villa's English admirers were told he had no intention of leaving Spain.

However, the 27-year-old has since been talking to Premier League-based compatriots about life across the Bay of Biscay and admits he could be interested in a move.

"Honestly? There can be a thousand scenarios," said Villa. 'I'm not saying that I am opening the doors to anywhere, but I'm not closing them.

'Neither Europe nor Africa, nor to America, nor Korea. I don't shut the door to anywhere because I have a short career and I want to enjoy it.' Villa may have been ever diplomatic, but the Spain star has previously been reluctant to fuel talk of leaving the Mestalla.

Valencia's crippling debts mean they will have to consider serious offers for their prized asset, who was also wanted by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and ManCity in the summer.

Villa has once again been in hot form, topping the La Liga scoring chart with nine goals in 10 starts to help Valencia to fourth in the table.

And the former Real Zaragoza and Sporting Gijon hopes for a successful season ahead of a likely exit next summer. 'There are no titles won in November, but we'll fight to win them to the end, we are sure of that. People are happy about our performance and hopefully we continue playing this for a long time.

'We want to be candidates when we get to the final two months, but not only in the league, also in the Cup and Europa League.'

Hope he comes to United, fingers crossed!

Defoe's brilliant performance nearly shatters Michael Owen's 2010 WC hopes

Is it game over for Owen?

It is only November, and Jermain Defoe is already only two goals off his record English Premier League tally of 13 strikes with Portsmouth a couple of seasons back.

The pint-sized striker was simply on fire as Tottenham Hotspur struck nine past Wigan Athletic at the weekend, bagging five for himself—but will it have impressed England boss Fabio Capello?

A simple answer would be—I’d blooming well hope so.

What Capello wants up front for England

It is exactly what England needs—one of their best strikers in the form of his life in a World Cup year, and it must now be pretty certain that barring injury, the 27-year-old Defoe will board the plane for South Africa in June.

Sadly for some English die-hards, the form of Defoe has simply snuffed out any chance Manchester United’s Michael Owen has of making the trip.

England’s other classy diminutive striker has zero chance of playing the best football of his career over the next six months and competing for a place with the Spurs star, as those days are definitely behind him.

However, had plenty of England’s strikers been misfiring this season, I’d have definitely stuck him on the plane, but there is only room for one poacher in a World Cup squad and the finishing (the best England has, according to Spurs boss Harry Redknapp) of 38 times capped Defoe has already sealed his place alongside Wayne Rooney, although he is still unlikely to be next to him on the pitch in SA next year.

Despite his form, Capello has shown he is no fan of small strikers since taking over as England boss, and Defoe, with 11 international goals already to his name, will likely have to make do with a role off the bench behind Rooney and a bigger striker, possibly Emile Heskey, at the World Cup.

But nothing in football is ever set in stone. Only Defoe can keep Capello’s mind ticking over.

Now only injuries can HELP Michael Owen.. Of course not his own, but other strikers like Defoe, Crouch, Heskey. But I earnestly hope that he earns his well-deserving place on merit!

Glory Glory Man United!!!!!!!!

"Darren Fletcher Is On Fire" - Michael Carrick

"IM ON FIREEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Michael Carrick has spoken out in praise of team-mate Darren Fletcher, whose superb strike helped his team to a 3-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.

Fletcher has matured into one of the Premier League's finest midfielders and has missed seven out of United's last nine defeats. This includes the defeat against Barcelona in the Champions League final when Fletcher was wrongly red carded in the previous game (Semi Final) against the Gunners.

Carrick feels the Scotsman's influence on the side should not be underestimated.

"Darren is one of the best midfielders around at the moment," he said, according to Press Association Sport.

"His performances are at the highest level and it is great to play alongside him. He really is on top of his game."

Carrick also found the net yesterday, as did right winger Antonio Valencia (well, luckily!). The former West Ham United man feels it is important that the midfield contribute goals now that there is no Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.

"The goals Ronaldo scored were extraordinary for a wide man," he added.

"It's obvious that we cannot rely on the strikers every week.

"We have all chipped in and we need to do it more often. As long as someone is scoring it is not an issue. It is winning games that matter."

Fergie not willing to spend "too much" at the Winter transfer Window

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has reiterated that he does not plan to spend massive amounts of cash on new players in the January transfer window.

The Scot maintains value for money is difficult to find in the winter market, when the short time available to deal means clubs demand ridiculous prices for players.

United have been linked with a swoop for versatile Everton youngster Jack Rodwell, with prices as high as £20 million being quoted in some reports.

But Ferguson insists that he has no intention to spend big.

"I'm in the same position as I was in the summer," said Ferguson, according to skysports.com.

"There are a lot of players out there, all valued by their current clubs at £50million. Given the prices being asked, I just do not see the value."

Goal of the Week: Darren Fletcher's goal against Everton

Manchester United comfortably defeated Everton by Scoring 3 goals and conceding none!

The first strike came from Darren Fletcher which was an awesome volley. The guy is turning out to be a crucial player for United this season. He put United in front with two spectacular goals in the Manchester derby back in September, 2009
Check out Fletcher's goal against Everton

Manchester United v Everton

United must win every Premier League game to stay in the contest!

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes his side must win every game if they are to dethrone Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.

The Red Devils' gaffer also had a kind word for Darren Fletcher, who put in a good performance that was capped with a spectacular goal in a 3-0 win against Everton on Saturday.

"We have to look at all the games as must-win now," Ferguson is quoted in The Sun as saying.

"We need to get on a run and be somewhere near the top of the league by New Year's Day. Then, in the second half of the season we can have a real go and give ourselves a chance."

Fletcher has been gaining plaudits for his stellar performances in recent weeks, and the Scot echoed a similar sentiment.

He added, "Darren is an improving player.

"Each year we have seen his performance level go up and up and it is still doing so.

"But I have to admit I did not expect that goal [against Everton]. It was really well taken."

Wayne Rooney To Become Highest Paid Player In Premier League History

Highest paid player!

According to a report in the News of the World, the Red Devils will offer the striker a whopping £170,000-a-week when the negotiations for a new contract take place in February. The prospective contract is also said to include an image rights deal worth £45,000-a-week.

The tabloid claims there has been an increasing amount of interest from Barcelona to sign the England international, but the 24-year-old has remained fiercely loyal to the club.

Old Trafford bosses are said to be keen on repaying this loyalty with the aforementioned contract, which would see the Liverpool-born player secure the most lucrative contract in the history of the club, as well as the English top-flight.

Negotiations are expected to begin when the player's agent, Paul Stretford, returns following a nine-month ban. The Old Trafford bosses are said to be keen to wrap up an agreement before the World Cup, as Rooney could evoke some serious interest from clubs abroad through his performances on the biggest stage in world football.

Rio not available for the rest of the year due to INJURIES!

Rio Ferdinand is not expected to play for Manchester United again in 2009 and has been told to take at least another six weeks rest.

The 31-year-old central defender had been playing with a back problem since last season and picked up a calf injury as a result in 2009/2010.

Manchester United medical staff have struggled to get to grips with the injury and there has even been talk that Ferdinand could need his hip realigned.

Ferdinand has played seven games in the Premier League and Champions League this season and the former West Ham and Leeds defender had hoped to be back in action by December.

The Premier League champions have been boosted by the news that Nemanja Vidic played an hour of Serbia’s friendly win over South Korea yesterday and is ready to start against Everton on Saturday.

Fergie allowed to be in the dugout for the United-Everton game this Saturday at Old Trafford

He will surely be cautious on Saturday!

Sir Alex Ferguson will be in the Old Trafford dugout on Saturday when his Manchester United side host Everton in the Premier League, as his two-game touchline ban will not start until 14 days after the disciplinary hearing which handed him the suspension.

That hearing took place last week, and, as such, the Scotsman is free to take up his usual position on the sidelines.

He will be in the stands for the game against Portsmouth on November 28 and the League Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur, according to BBC Sport.

Ferguson was handed a four-match ban (two of which were suspended until the end of the 2010-11 season) and a £20,000 fine for remarks he made in the wake of Sunderland's 2-2 draw at United last month.

The Red Devils manager publicly questioned the physical fitness of referee Alan Wiley after the game, comments which were deemed to be inappropriate and offensive by the game's authorities.

United determined to sign Connor Wickham - the next Wayne Rooney!

CONNOR WIKHAM: The Next Wayne Rooney?

Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will be involved in an unprecedented scramble to sign 16-year-old striker Connor Wickham from Ipswich in January.


Wickham, the youngest first-team player in Ipswich's history, is regarded in the game as the most exciting young Englishman to emerge since Wayne Rooney.

He added to his fast-growing reputation with a hat-trick for England Under-17s a fortnight ago and Roy Keane's club fear he may be lured away before he can sign a professional contract in March.


The Premier League's Big Four are all chasing him - the first time that has happened with a teenager in England - with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger both taking a keen interest, while Aston Villa and Tottenham are also trying to get him.


A club source said: 'Whenever Wickham is down to play for the first team or reserves, two dozen scouts emerge out of nowhere to watch him. The consensus is he's as good as Rooney was at that age but is a lot bigger.'


Colchester-born Wickham is already 6ft 3in and has still to agree a contract at Ipswich, leaving them vulnerable to approaches from the big clubs. Although Ipswich would be in line for compensation, a fee would have to be decided by tribunal should all parties be unable to agree a figure.


In 2008 Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan said he felt 'mugged and brutalised' after being awarded just £700,000 when John Bostock left the Championship club to join Spurs. Bostock yesterday scored twice for Brentford, where he is on loan from Spurs, in the 2-2 draw against Millwall in their League One match at Griffin Park.


Wickham became Ipswich's youngest player when he made his debut against Doncaster Rovers last season aged just 16 years and 11 days.


He scored his first senior goals in the Carling Cup against Shrewsbury this season and, although manager Keane has used him mainly as a substitute, he is likely to start at home to Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday as Ipswich chase only their second win of the season.


Wickham, who can officially turn professional only on his 17th birthday on March 31, scored a hat-trick in 21 minutes for England in the UEFA Under 17s Championship in a 4-0 win against Azerbaijan in Baku, helping to book his country's place in next year's elite round.


Keane has been trying to shield the player against high expectations, but the Irishman did say: 'Connor is a great talent, there's no doubt about that.'

Have a look at other possible transfer rumours HERE.

Jose Mourinho will come back for Manchester United job

JOSE MOURINHO: The next United manager?

JOSE MOURINHO has targeted Manchester United as the ideal venue for a return to English football, and is optimistic that Sir Alex Ferguson will recommend him as his successor when he retires. Mourinho is in his second season at Internazionale, but does not see his long-term future in Italy, where the sport’s hierarchy has proved unreceptive to methods that have brought him five league titles in the past seven seasons.

Mourinho recently signalled his intention to return to English football given the right opportunity, stating that the Premier League is the place best suited to his style. “I am thinking about the future in terms of youth development and the age structure of my first team,” he said of his work with Inter, “but Italy is not the country for this. England is the country. And my football is English football.”

His prime target is the United job. Mourinho developed a strong personal relationship with Ferguson and has been given reason to believe the Scot will play a significant role in appointing his successor. While Ferguson, 67, has set no firm date for his departure, there have been indications that he will go after winning one more European Cup. He has said he will not be doing the job after the age of 70.

The only thing stopping from joining United for Jose is that his contract runs until 2012.

Mourinho’s interest in taking over United has affected his thinking on managing Manchester’s other club. He was asked twice last season if he would be prepared to replace Mark Hughes as the Manchester City manager, but declined both times!

The other strong contenders of the post are

1) Roy Keane- A strong push for promotion in his first year as manager with Sunderland the respect he commands in the Manchester United dressing room gives Roy Keane a good chance.

He lacks the experience though – should that count against such a distinguished and capable individual?

2) Carlos Queiroz- He is Ferguson’s right-hand man at Manchester United and the closest in terms to the players. He has the necessary experience (the Real Madrid experience shouldn’t count against him) but do the fans trust him, and does the board want stability instead of the chance to bring in a manager who will improve as time goes by at Manchester United?

Do make your opionion heard via the Poll created on the right gadgets panel and post your lovely comments as always :)

Ronaldo wants Rooney at Real Madrid!

Cristiano Ronaldo says he would love to see his former Manchester United team-mate Rooney follow him to Real Madrid, and that the England star has all the qualities to be a raging success in Spain.

Ronaldo left Old Trafford in the summer for a record £80 million fee to complete a dream move to the Spanish giants, following in the footsteps of former United stars Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham in recent times. Now Ronaldo thinks Rooney should walk the same path.

The Portuguese winger immediately impressed with Madrid scoring nine goals in seven games before suffering an ankle injury which has kept him on the sidelines for the past month. And while he admits Rooney is unlikely to leave England any time soon, Ronaldo believes the 24-year-old would fit in at the Bernabeu.

"Wayne would be a sensation out here. I think we could do with Rooney to help us out,'' Ronaldo told The Sun. "He would be brilliant if he came. This is the ideal place for the world's best players and there's little doubt he is one of them.

"Wayne has all the skill and deetermination you need to make a fine career her. He has shown just how good he is over the last few years in England. And there's no doubt he would be the same sort of player in Spain. It would be lovely to see him here one day at Real Madrid.

"I realise it would take a lot for him to move from England. He loves the country, he loves Manchester and he is a Liverpool boy. And United is a good club for him. But you never know what could happen in the future.''

I have a few words here for Ronaldo...... KEEP DREAMING!

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED