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--------------------------------- [39] More from Bayer chief --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Klaus Toppmoller "We were unlucky with the goal that was deflected because it would have gone past the post . We were also unlucky with the second goal as Michael Ballack was impeded in midfield. People have talked about Yildiray Basturk diving at Arsenal and Liverpool but, if you like, for United’s penalty there was no need for the player to fall over. That penalty decision can be challenged. I think it is important to be fair in such important games, and I put my opinion openly and frankly. I know my lads very well and after the result at the weekend, I knew what I could look forward to. We played in a very compact fashion and early in the game caused problems for Manchester United. The players were very unhappy to go a goal down but didn’t want to throw themselves forward as it would open us up to counter-attacks by excellent players like van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs. Of course we are pleased with the result but I give a warning that Manchester United are a top team capable of gaining a re! sult in Leverkusen. And of course next Tuesday Roy Keane will be fit to take a more positive role in their team." --------------------------------- [38] Bitter? --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: City chief operating officer Chris Bird "We can confirm that we have held discussions with Stefan Effenberg over the last few days, but he will not be joining us." 'Cos the german found out, you didn't play in Red' --------------------------------- [37] Keane hopes to be fit --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: “I will get some hard training done over the next couple of days and it will be the manager’s decision. Hopefully I will make it” --------------------------------- [36] Keano rallies troops --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: “We need to produce a performance like we did in Turin against Juventus in ’99 now. A must-win situation suits us. That’s the way we play. It’s the same kind of scenario to Turin. We were fairly outplayed against Juve three years ago at Old Trafford but we got a draw in the end and then won in Italy. Fingers crossed we can do it again." --------------------------------- [35] Toiletgate - the fall out --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: A friend of Robbie Savage said: "Robbie can't believe what's happened. He needed to go to the toilet because of a stomach upset and the nearest one was in the referee's room. He said he used the loo and flushed. He told me that, as he came out of the cubicle, Graham Poll said to him 'now wash your hands'. But he didn't think he had time because he was due out on the pitch. As he was going out he pretended to put his hands on the assessor's jacket and everyone laughed. In fact, Poll was in the boot room joking about it to the other Leicester players. Robbie had no idea he'd be reporting him for that. Now it's as if Robbie has disgraced the name of Leicester when all he has done wrong is used a toilet he shouldn't have and not washed his hands. He realises now he was pretty daft to put his hand near the jacket but it was just a spur-of-the-moment joke." His agent "He's on a course of tablets which only made him more desperate to use the toilet. All the loos in the Leicester dressing room were engaged and there was nowhere else for him to go. Even when the fourth official went in they were all laughing and joking about it. Never once was Robbie told to leave or that he shouldn't be in there. If someone knocks on your door and asks if they can use your toilet, who would say no? The referee even carried on the joke during the game. When Robbie made a poor pass he turned to him and said: 'That's as bad as what you left in my room'. Robbie laughed and replied 'That's c***'. --------------------------------- [34] bayer chief wants the league --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "We can become German champions and I really believe we will. Anything else will be a bonus." --------------------------------- [33] Piece of the day --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Excerpts from Alan Smith piece in Telegraph 'Doubtless Veron will learn. His critics have ignored the complications involved with moving to a foreign land and, most importantly, adjusting to the frenetic demands of English footall. Look no further than the example of Arsenal's Robert Pires, voted Player of the Year this season, for the rewards on offer once the player settles in. Ferguson knows that better than anybody so will surely ignore the constant rumours linking Veron with a summer move back to Lazio. With United pushing for the third, Veron latched on to Ryan Giggs's clever back-heel to unleash a thumping shot that Jorg Butt did very well to parry. Unfortunately for Veron and United, Leverkusen went straight up the other end and grabbed an equaliser. With the match finely poised, United's No 4, looking increasingly jaded, moved inside almost permanently to try and make a difference. Socks rolled down and shinpads showing, his gutsy contributions had little effect. Ferguson has discovered that finding a suitable role for Veron difficult. As an intelligent, world class talent he can play next to Keane. Good players adjust and Veron, without doubt, is a very fine player indeed - just not on the right side of midfield.' --------------------------------- [32] keegan no scientist --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "I would like to get at least two more players in before the World Cup but it is not vital. If we come back to pre-season training and we only have Peter Schmeichel come in it would not be a disaster for us, as long as we know people are coming. We do need to strengthen but to put a time on it is very difficult. This transfer business is not an exact science." --------------------------------- [31] Ulrika-ka-ka statement --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Don't get ahead of yourself Ulrika, it's not the Magna Carta. Does anyone really care? "In the hope of dispelling any further rumours about my relationship with Sven-Goran Eriksson, I would like to make it clear that I have never issued him with any ultimatums. Like everybody else, I wish Sven the very best for the World Cup. But I also have a job to do, both as a mother and as a professional, and would like to be allowed to continue to do my job without any further speculation involving me and this relationship. I am no longer a part of this relationship." --------------------------------- [30] The s**t hits the fan --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: or the refs toilet to be precise. More on Robbie Savage incident his agent George Urquhart "There was absolutely no malice or intent in what happened and to be fined two weeks' wages is totally out of order. I think Leicester are just trying to save money. He doesn't deserve this after giving the club five years of good service." Dave Bassett "It is a well-known rule that players should not go into the referee's room and, while we are sympathetic to the situation, Robbie has to put his hand up and admit he's been a bit naive. It's not something that can be disregarded. The player is entitled to appeal but the board of directors feel it does not leave Leicester in the best light." --------------------------------- [29] Red Perspective --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Totally agree with the Don't panic sentiments. We played averagely while Leverkusen I think it's fair to say played to their limits. With that fact in mind I think we can be fairly confident of winning in Germany. More to the point is it me or does Roy Keane with every passing season speak more and more like a manager (see quotes below)? It's like he's already detached himself from the team. Ferguson should make him player/ number 2 because I don't see anyone touching him for motivational skill. "It might suit us a little more out there. I think it'll be quite an open match but, as long as we win by the odd goal, it doesn't really matter. It's a big test for the players but I've every confidence in them and that we'll get the right result." Jason --------------------------------- [28] Aberdeen get another Fergie --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne "Ebbe Skovdahl has been just as important to this club as Alex was in his time During the last three years, Ebbe has played a major part in turning the club around and I'm convinced he wants to take that to the next stage" --------------------------------- [27] Bayer feedback --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Jens Nowotny "I should be fit to face Nuremberg at the weekend. "I had some muscular problems, but it was only a protective measure to stop the injury getting worse" Michael Ballack "People tried to write us off, but I stressed before the game that it's up to us to show that we are settled and, if you earn a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, you are a settled side. We still dream about the final in Glasgow, but there is a lot of hard work to do first. Manchester are as good away as they are at home, maybe even better. I think they have won eight or nine out of their last ten away games. We got a good result, but nothing more" Leverkusen managing director Reiner Calmund "We came here to play, not to defend, and I believe we showed tthat with a fine performance. We used a great chance to improve our image throughout the world and made the club better known to a world-wide audience. Before this match, I rated our chances at 30 per cent. Now I'd say we are in with an even chance. We shouldn't be carried away as Manchester can always get a result, no matter where they play. But nobody should be mistaken. Physically we are up for the challenge, we'll fight well and we have already shown that we know how to play the game." --------------------------------- [26] Quote of the day --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: from PA, despite this they obviously thought they had a chance 'city statement "Reports that German midfielder Stefan Effenberg has agreed to join City on a two-year contract are, at this stage, premature." It claimed a deal "has not been finalised" and that no pre-contract deal has been agreed with the midfielder.' Instead the man from Germany, he say no. --------------------------------- [25] Mark Lynch happy with his loan time --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "I've no regrets about coming to St Johnstone. I had some incredible experiences, because so far I've never been on the pitch at OId Trafford. I've had a taste of first-team football and I played in front of packed houses at Ibrox and Parkhead. It was a big disappointment to be relegated, but hopefully the lads can bounce straight back up again next season. Billy Stark is under pressure to play youngsters who will be here next season, so the timing of my departure makes sense." --------------------------------- [24] Over confidence from Bayer? --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Ulf Kirsten "It's the best team the club has ever had and, for me, it is just great to be involved. We have come a long way in all three competitions and I have to admit that I can't help dreaming about winning the treble. I know that we have not won anything yet and things can change quickly in football, but we have a good chance. We have a team that is hard to beat and we have some outstanding quality going forward. Playing at Highbury, then at Anfield and now at Old Trafford has been wonderful. We got past Arsenal and Liverpool, now we have to beat Manchester United to seal a place in the final in Glasgow." --------------------------------- [23] Transfer gossip --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: SUN reckons both us and Arsenal are chasing Turkish international keeper Rustu Recber --------------------------------- [22] Notice that Gary Nev --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: doesn't get the front pages and 'prey for Nev's foot headlines - instead news that Sven is staying with Nancy and Ulrika-ka-ka is out of the picture. Professor Tom Reilly, director of research at the Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at John Moores University "It is hard to be precise without knowing where exactly the break is on the fifth metatarsal and whether or not it is a clean break. However six to eight weeks is generally quoted and that's how long it takes for the metatarsal bone to knit. That timescale would take us up to the early stages of the World Cup. The first game is on 2 June and he certainly looks borderline for that one." --------------------------------- [21] Fergie on Keano --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "He will train tomorrow and Friday. He will then play on Saturday at Ipswich and on Tuesday in Leverkusen. At 2-2 you are hoping he does inspire something and that's why I brought him on. There were only 10 minutes to go and I think it was worth it." --------------------------------- [20] A Red perspective --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Typical Utd fans view..... Ok... awful performance but got away with a draw, all we have to do is win a football match. If we can beat Depor in their own back yard we sure as hell can do Leverkusen as well. Bottom Line...Dont panic Jon --------------------------------- [19] More from Fergie --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "We're very much still in this cup tie. There will be goals over there, that's for sure. We've got the spirit here and hopefully that will help us. It's 2-2 and there are 90 minutes to play over there, while we have done very well away from home this season." --------------------------------- [18] Massive rejection --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Stefan Effenberg "I will definitely not play for Manchester. I phoned the club on Monday and turned them down. I will announce later, at the right time, where the trip takes me" --------------------------------- [17] Trivia --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Amazing anoraky facts Manchester United are the only Champiosn League semi finalists without a Brazilian. Barcelona's Francesco Coco is the only Italian. Luis Figo of Real Madrid the only Portuguese survivor. Bayer Leverkusen are the only ones without Frenchmen. Players from 24 different countries - 16 within Europe - are still involved in the Champions League. And not a lot of people know that... --------------------------------- [16] More from Bayer chief --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "I'm really exhausted because I lived the whole match with my team. But I have to say that I'm really proud of them, because they showed great courage, especially after people were writing us off following the 2-1 home defeat to Bremen. I believe we took a much-deserved point as we dominated for large parts of the game and even had several other chances to win the match. We used loads of energy, but from now on we have to put all our concentration into Saturday's match at Nuremberg. I believe our spirit will have to win over our tiredness as we will take lots of confidence from this match" --------------------------------- [15] Bayer have pop at Ruud for penalty --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Klaus Toppmoller "Here in England, they always accuse us of diving, especially at Anfield and Highbury, but I wasn't sure about his penalty" --------------------------------- [14] Posh on Becks --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "He's doing well. Nobody knows what will happen because it's early days and we'll just have to see how he gets on." --------------------------------- [13] Posh might not travel to World Cup if Becks is fit --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "Obviously it's going to be quite close to my due date, so I'll have to wait and see what my doctor says. I'd love to go and support him, but when you're six months pregnant you have to do what's best, and David wants what's best for me and our new baby." --------------------------------- [12] The match in Germany --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: After UEFA agreed will now be shown on normal ITV instead of their digital channel. --------------------------------- [11] Deadline day --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Today is the deadline for the last issue of the season. If you have any season memories/letters/thoughts/articles send them to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks. --------------------------------- [10] Team from last night --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Barthez, GNeville (PNeville, Irwin), Blanc, Brown, Silvestre, Veron, Butt , Scholes (Keane), Solskjaer, Van Nistelrooy, Giggs. Subs not used: Carroll, Forlan, Stewart, O'Shea. Booked: Phil Neville. --------------------------------- [9] Bayer expect us to come at them --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Klaus Toppmoll "I am pleased. The eyes of the world were on us and it was a chance to make a name for ourselves. I thought we were unlucky for their first goal because it was deflected and Van Nistelrooy fell over for their penalty when there was no need. We know United are capable of getting a result in Leverkusen. They are strong and will have Keane back so we know we still have a task on our hands." --------------------------------- [8] Fergie on Keane --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "Roy will be available on Saturday and next week and that is a big boost. I brought him on because I thought he would inspire something and I think it was worth doing." --------------------------------- [7] If we can do it in Turin, we can do it for Bayer --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: One win away from the European Cup Final. We'd have stolen the arm of anyone who'd offered that to us in December Fergie, below on Turin "Juventus had the advantage three years ago and we went over there and won. We can do it again because the same spirit is in the side. It is not going to be easy because their home record is very good. But if we do score there, and I'm sure we will, it will change the complexion of the game. I know we can play better than we did tonight. I thought there was a nervousness in our defending. The key point for me came when we were 2-1 up and Juan Veron had a chance to score and the goalkeeper saved. They went up the other end and made it 2-2. That's the luck you get sometimes. It was a fair result - they were better in the second half." --------------------------------- [6] Fergie sounds battle cry --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "It is only halfway. I know they were celebrating at the end of the game but there is a second leg to come and one thing is for sure - we will score over there." --------------------------------- [5] Fergie on Gary Nev --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: "It's incredible. I just can't believe it. Gary has got the same injury as David Beckham. I think they must be rooming too much! I expect him to be out for a similar length of time." --------------------------------- [4] Believe --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Fergie "We're very much still in this cup tie. There will be goals over there, that's for sure. We've got the spirit here and hopefully that will help us on Tuesday." --------------------------------- [3] Unbelievable --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Gary Nev also breaks a metatarsal bone in his foot - the exact same as Becks Fergie: "Unfortunately he's got a broken metatarsal believe it or not, the same as David (Beckham). It's unbelievable, absolutely incredible." --------------------------------- [2] Wenger doesn't see things again --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: >From Ananova 'Arsene Wenger said he was unable to see if Frederic Kanoute's shot had crossed the line in Arsenal's 2-0 win over West Ham. Television replays showed the 'goal' should have stood despite Ashley Cole's clearance. Two goals from Fredrik Ljungberg and Kanu eventually sealed a crucial win for the Gunners. And Wenger said: "I did not see it - from the bench it's impossible to see what happened. Was the ball in or not? I don't know. It was a difficult decision to make because Ashley came in quickly and made a great save. "All season the luck is balanced - we've had some bad luck with decisions and overall I think you get what you deserve." Wenger admitted his team are in a strong position to bring the Premiership title back to London. He continued: "Now it's even more in our hands. "We're in a great position and it's just down to us how well we play the next game. "We have a big game on Monday at Bolton which will be tough but we have time to recover and prepare for that game." Hammers boss Glenn Roeder said: "You can clearly see the ball was over the line. The linesman was adamant it wasn't at half-time. It's an honest mistake I hope he owns up to - and we've got to live with it. "Decisions like that win championships. Had we taken the lead and gone in at half-time in front they might have become a bit nervous - but it wasn't to be." --------------------------------- [1] Wenger still digs at us --------------------------------- Posted Thursday, April 25, 2002 by bar-knee: Have you ever come across a manager so obsessed with United? The guys unbelievably. This from on the Terrace: - In his first season in the country after twelve months out through an injury that has in recent years been enough to finish many a fine footballer off, Ruud has managed to find the back of the net thirty-three times. He scored in ten games on the bounce of which eight were in the league - a new record, and has also become the first United player since Brian McClair to score more than twenty league goals. Yet incredibly, Wenger 'couldn't understand' why he was chosen by his fellow professionals as the best player in the country this season. "Managers had told me their midfield players had voted for Robert (Pires)", Wenger moaned, "and their strikers had voted for Thierry (Henry). But then van Nistelrooy won. It was like magic." To be honest how Keane didn't pick up an award is beyond me...Jason ---------------------------------------------------------- This email has been filtered for swear words which cause some email systems to block messages. ----------------------------------------------------------
