Manchester City, greatest in the world? No way

An ill-advised soccer boast was made recently in a New York bar by the chief executive of newly rich club Manchester City. Merrily counting entire farms of chickens before they hatch, Garry Cook didn't even look like he'd been drinking.

"This football club is going to be, without doubt, the biggest and the best football club in the world," Cook declared to a gathering of City fans who seemingly had enough to drink that they cheered as if they actually believed every word.

"I'll make no excuses for saying it."Given how Manchester United put its noisy neighbor back in its place this week, in one of the most dramatic matches this season will deliver, Cook must be feeling sorry now. Ultimately, all Cook proved is that the only cheap thing left in soccer these days is talk.

Dethroning institutions — because that is what they are — such as United, Real Madrid, AC Milan or Barcelona is going to be far, far more expensive than what's been spent to date. Possibly too costly even for the deep wells of Abu Dhabi oil money being drained to refloat City, write off its debts and give the club's long suffering fans something they've dared not harbor for years: hope.The bill so far: nearly $630 million.

What Cook clearly hasn't grasped is that knocking the Reds off their perch, as United's Alex Ferguson himself once famously said of his ambition to humble Liverpool, will take more than a fat book of those outsized cardboard checks that are handed to grinning lottery winners. Buying consistent year-in, year-out success isn't as simple as taking a trip to the supermarket.

City is sixth in the Premier League ahead of this Sunday's game against bottom-dwellers Portsmouth, 13 points behind leader Chelsea but tantalizingly close to a qualifying spot for the Champions League next season. Not bad, but could do better.

It will take years for City to construct anything even close to the legacy and cluttered trophy cabinet that Ferguson has given United in 24 seasons in charge. It may never happen.

It will take time, maybe years, for City to cultivate the winning mentality that Ferguson has built into a habit. Not by chance over the decades have his teams been masters of scoring late winning goals. Under Ferguson, they have learned not to give up as the clock ticks down.

Remember Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's stoppage-time strikes that won the Champions League in 1999? This season, Michael Owen came off the bench to score 6 minutes beyond regulation for a 4-3 triumph in September, and Wayne Rooney put United into the final of the League Cup with a stoppage time header in a fevered Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Both of those wins came against — who else? — Manchester City.

So much for Cook's silly New York talk of beating United "yet again."

"You like to win your derby games," Ferguson said after Wednesday's 3-1 victory. "The fact that we scored so late in the game brought a special type of celebration."

What Ferguson is playing down, however, is that City is a long-term concern. And rightly so.

The financing by Abu Dhabi royal family member Sheikh Mansour gives City spending power that United, deep in debt, is struggling to match. One reason Ferguson says he has not spent heavily this season is because he feels that player prices are too high — inflation City surely didn't help by paying a British-record fee for forward Robinho and handsomely for the likes of Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.

The challenge mounted by the cross-city pretenders also means United has yet another front to fight on. One front too many? Ideally, Ferguson might have liked to rest stars like Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes on Wednesday to keep them fresh for the Premier League match against Arsenal this weekend. Instead, with so much rivalry and pride on the line, they all played for the full 90 minutes.

Although the final result was evidence that Manchester's soccer hierarchy remains intact, Ferguson's team selection showed how seriously he takes the City threat.

Should Arsenal win this Sunday because United is short on juice, and should that defeat help ensure that Chelsea wins the Premier League this season, then at least City will have the modest consolation of knowing that, in its own small way, it contributed to the champions' downfall. But that is a long, long way from City becoming "the biggest and the best football club in the world." So until then, Mr. Cook, a little modesty, please.

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Arsenal v Manchester United to be shown in 3D on Sky

BSkyB is aiming to do for sports broadcasting what James Cameron did for cinema with special effects blockbuster Avatar, with the move to air this weekend's Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United in 3D.

The satellite broadcaster, which is showing the special 3D feed of this Sunday's Premier League clash in a handful of pubs across the country, claims it will be the first transmission of a live 3D TV sports event to a public audience.

Sunday's test broadcast comes ahead of a plan to roll out the 3D TV service to hundreds of the tens of thousands of UK pubs that subscribe to Sky TV from April.

BSkyB then has the ambitious plan to bring 3D to the living room by the end of the year. The 3D channel will initially be made available at no extra cost to the million-plus Sky high definition TV subscribers who also pay for its premium sports and movies services.

This weekend's test, a chance for BSkyB to "kick the tyres" of the service, will see nine pubs kitted out with a number of 3D-ready TV sets.

BSkyB will not name the pubs, for fear of overcrowding, but has said football fans at four London establishments, two in Manchester and one each in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin will find they have the option of watching the game on a 3D screen.

The company estimates that between 450 and 700 viewers will get to see the match in 3D and is confident they will not balk at having to don 3D spectacles to watch the game.

"We have done consumer testing and people forget pretty quickly that they are wearing them and if a large group is doing it people don't really worry about it. I've seen people wear far sillier things in the pub [than 3D specs]," said Brian Lenz, the director of product design at BSkyB.

"People will get a sense that they are looking through a window right into the game, a portal into the Emirates [Arsenal stadium] with the best seats in the house. It is going to become a must-have, a must-want," Lenz added.

He said TV manufacturers such as Sony and Samsung intend to make sure that up to 40% of their ranges will be 3D ready in the next couple of years.

"The programming has to be top quality, we view 3D TV as an 'appointment-to-view' proposition, we don't intend to try and fill the whole schedule with 3D programming," he added.

BSkyB plans to make the Sunday 4pm match it airs every week the special 3D broadcast.

Earlier this month mobile operator O2 said that it intended to screen two of England's rugby matches in this year's Six Nations tournament in 3D in 40 Odeon and Cineworld cinemas.

In 2008 the BBC broadcast one of the world's first live matches in 3D when it beamed back the Six Nations match between Scotland and England to a cinema in London.

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Manchester United Wayne Rooney has better numbers game than Cristiano Ronaldo

He tracks back and tackles, creates and scores. He's even kept goal at the end of England training, just messing about and saved a good few shots (and for all the problems between the posts, don't even think about it, Fabio).

But here are some cheeky little numbers to stir into the Rooney v Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Rooney's spree against Hull City took him to 84 Premier League goals for Manchester United, equalling.

Ronaldo's United total but achieved far more quickly (179 appearances to the Portuguese's 196) and mainly without the boost of penalties and free-kicks.

And here's a treat for lovers of sporting stats and symmetry: a goal for Rooney against Arsenal on Sunday will bring up his Premier League century. This includes his 15 with Everton, the first of which came against Arsenal. And one more amazing figure: 24, his age.

Rooney's best years are yet to come. Injuries permitting. Kia Joorabchian does his friend Carlos Tévez no favours Anyone who has charted Kia Joorabchian’s unwelcome journey through English football will be wearyingly familiar with the number of rancorous headlines he garners.

As a friend of Carlos Tévez, Joorabchian had every right to defend the Manchester City striker from the petty jibes of Gary Neville, Manchester United’s ‘Captain Cantankerous’.

As somebody who should be concerned about Wednesday’s Old Trafford meeting not becoming even more inflamed, Joorabchian should have waited until after the match before pontificating about Neville. But then putting the interests of English football first has rarely been a sentiment readily associated with Kia Joorabchian.

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Manchester United supporters unite in bid to unseat the Glazer family

United's fan base is huge, diverse and well organised through two main supporters' groups, and activists are seeking to use disquiet at the owners' plans to make the most of those contacts in the anti-Glazer cause.

The Manchester United Supporters' Trust is canvassing opinion on the way ahead with a view to eventually securing a change of ownership and a stake in the club. MUST believe that dismay at the Glazers' plans to take as much as £600 million out of the club's profits over seven years, revealed by Telegraph Sport on Tuesday, provides an opportunity to build momentum.

Among those who can expect to be approached is Jim O'Neill, head of global economic research at Goldman Sachs and formerly a member of the United board when the company was a plc, and bookmaker Fred Done, whose sponsorship of the club ended last season when he was outbid by Betfair.

MUST's intention is to try to build a consortium of wealthy, interested individuals so that they can take advantage of any opportunity to take a stake in the club.

There are significant hurdles, not least the Glazers' likely £1 billion-plus price-tag, but MUST spokesman Duncan Drasdo believes all avenues are worth exploring.

"We have been pointing out the problems with the owners for five years but now it is there for all to see in black and white, and already there is some momentum for change," he said.

"We are now exploring whether there are people out there who might want to participate, and we have people who move in that world making contacts.

"It could end with a consortium buy-out, perhaps with supporter involvement, or taking a stake in any public flotation of the company, which the Glazers do say is an option in their bond issue.

"There are enough United supporters out there to buy the club."

In the meantime, supporters opposed to the Glazers will make their feelings known by adopting the yellow-and-green colours of the original Newton Heath club.

United briefly sported the colours on an away shirt in the 1990s and the then owners, the Edwards, were criticised for profiteering from fans.

Now the colours will be reclaimed in protest against something similar from their successors.

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Ferguson backs Diouf debut

The 22-year-old striker came off the bench for the last 16 minutes at Old Trafford and got himself on the scoresheet when he raced on to Antonio Valencia's through ball before heading home.

The Senegal international was signed by the Red Devils last summer but remained on loan at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's former club Molde in order to get acquainted with the European game.

Ferguson drafted Diouf back into his squad after losing Federico Macheda to injury and feels he has a bright future ahead of him. "We are quite excited about him," said Ferguson.

"The boy has great spring. He is quick, good in the air and looked to run behind their defence all the time. "He has a lot of good attributes we can use."

Van der Sar praised Ferguson also reserved special praise for goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who kept a clean sheet on his return to the United side.

The 39-year-old has endured a miserable campaign so far with knee and finger injuries keeping him on the sidelines before wife Annemarie suffered a stroke just before Christmas.

Ferguson however had no hesitation in drafting the Dutchman straight back in for only his eighth appearance of the season.

Edwin was magnificent," he added.

"He was steady, his decision-making was great and so was his use of the ball.

"Tomasz Kuszczak has done really well for us over the last few weeks and it is no slight on him to say that Edwin made a difference.

"He is 39 and has 139 caps, two European Cup winners' medals and been in four European finals.

"You could go on and on about his experience and it shows."

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Manchester United rule out Ben Foster going on loan

The 26-year-old started the season as the club's number one but is now behind Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak. "There is absolutely no chance of loaning Ben out," said Ferguson.

"Let's hope he gets some football that gives him a chance. It's Fabio Capello's choice. Ben's qualities will put him forward as a definite choice." But with United out of the FA Cup, the Carling Cup semi-finals against Manchester City could be the only games Foster plays during the rest of the season.

Capello had been expected to take three keepers to South Africa, with David James, Robert Green and Foster the Italian's preferred stoppers, but Joe Hart's form for Birmingham could upset that status quo. The World Cup is four months ahead," added Ferguson. "England are not endowed with great goalkeepers."

After playing his second consecutive game for England in Qatar in the 1-0 defeat by Brazil, Foster expressed frustration with his predicament, pointing out that while he was playing regularly for his country he had dropped out of the reckoning at Old Trafford.

"I'm third choice for United yet I'm playing for my country," said Foster.

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Manchester United v Burnley

Darren Fletcher will miss Manchester United's Barclays Premier League encounter with Burnley at Old Trafford. The Scotland captain was sent off for two bookable offences at Birmingham last week and serves a one-match suspension.

Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves will not be considered despite edging their way closer to a return after long-term absences but Edwin van der Sar is expected to feature for the first time since 21 November. Manchester United team from: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, Rafael, De Laet, Brown, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Park, Carrick, Scholes, Anderson, Gibson, Giggs, Obertan, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Welbeck, Diouf.

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Chelsea, United can't afford slip-ups

Chelsea and Manchester United will be hoping to keep their heads above Arsenal in the increasingly fraught title race in the English Premier League this weekend. Seven points separate leaders Chelsea from Manchester City in fourth and the top two will be desperate to make the most of home advantage when they take on Sunderland and Burnley respectively.

Chelsea led by 11 points at the end of November but now find themselves just one point ahead of United, with a game in hand, after slipping up a number of times in recent weeks. Chelsea won at Sunderland in August when they began the season so strongly but Chelsea captain John Terry says the team cannot afford to let too many points disappear.

We cannot afford any more slip-ups," he said. "Thankfully the teams in and around us have been slipping up as well, but Arsenal are right back in the frame again. When we beat them 3-0 (in November) I thought they were out of it, to be honest.

"We need to concentrate on ourselves because apart from the Watford game (a 5-0 FA Cup win), when we were brilliant, albeit against a lesser side, we haven't been playing as well.

"Hopefully that game will give us a boost and we can kick on now, and pull away when the other teams are slipping up."

United spent much of the past week in Dubai for some warm weather training and will hope that pays off when they welcome Burnley to Old Trafford.

The Premier League newcomers were responsible for one of the biggest shocks of the season when they beat the champions 1-0 at home in the first month of the season and United will be keen to get their revenge.
Burnley, though, have their own motivation for new manager Brian Laws takes charge of the team for the first time since the departure of Owen Coyle.

"Burnley can't match the finances of a lot of Premier League teams, money will always be tight, but nothing is broken here," Laws said.

"The players are disappointed Owen has left but I like my teams to get the ball down and play good football so nothing will change in that regard.

"Going to Old Trafford, I am like a kid with a new toy."

Third-placed Arsenal, just three points point the leaders after a recent good run, play at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday, giving Manchester City, four points behind them, the chance to get within a point if they can win at Everton.

Outside of the top four, Liverpool will be hoping to quickly overcome their shock FA Cup defeat at home by Reading by winning at Stoke City on Saturday.

Captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres are both doubtful, but new signing Maxi Rodriguez could make his debut for the club after his free transfer move from Atletico Madrid.

At the other end of the table, bottom side Portsmouth face the most in-form side in the league, Birmingham City, while Hull, level on points with Bolton, are away to Tottenham Hotspur. - Sapa-dpa

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Manchester Uniteds debt - six key questions

Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, bought the club in a £790 million debt-financed takeover in May 2005. In addition to around £275 million put up by the Glazers themselves, the rest of the money was borrowed from banks and hedge funds.

Manchester Uniteds debt - six key questions

The first tranche of £275 million was borrowed from investment banks but the rest was borrowed from hedge funds in the form of more punitive PIK loans. The rates for borrowing money in this way is much higher and instead of repaying the interest annually, the money is 'rolled-up', or added to the total value of the debt to be repaid in 2017.

This is the form of borrowing the Glazers are most anxious to repay as each year it increases significantly, placing a burden on the club's finances. In the summer of 2006, the club refinanced its debts with JP Morgan, arranging a new 'senior' debt facility of £500 million. At the same time, the Glazers used some of the money to repay a chunk of the PIK loans. This meant they came down to £175 million.

When are United due to repay their loans? The average repayment term is 5½ years but the vast majority is due between 2013 and 2016, meaning there is great urgency to refinance the club's borrowings. How much does this cost the club each year?

According to accounts for the financial year 2009 made public yesterday for United's holding company, Red Football Ltd, United paid £41.9 million in interest. This greatly reduced United's profitability (£48.2 million before tax in 2009) and meant that without the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80 million, United would have made a significant loss. But this number does not include the 'rolled-up' interest on the PIK loans which was around £25 million last year, taking the total amount which must be repaid at the end of the term of that loan to £200 million.

How will the bond issue work?

Underwritten by leading banks such as JP Morgan, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Royal Bank of Scotland and KKR, the US-based private equity fund, United are planning a roadshow to attract investors to back the bond issue which is seeking to raise £500 million. United have opted for a bond issue because the credit crunch means banks are either refusing to lend the sort of money United are looking to borrow or would only lend it at incredibly expensive rates.

Those who take up the bond offer will do so on the grounds that United will meet certain financial targets to ensure their money is secure over the seven year term of the bond. Like the Stock Exchange, investors will in turn be able to trade the bonds and the price of the bond will go up and down depending on the club's financial performance. Because the bonds are traded, United will have to be much more open about their financial position - which is good news for fans as well as potential investors.

Will the bond help reduce United's annual debt payments? Not necessarily. But the club's owners hope it will give them greater financial security in the long term. At the moment the interest rate on United's senior debt facility is relatively low - about eight per cent. However, the rate they pay each year is directly linked to the Bank of England rate set for banks to lend money to each other, known as LIBOR.

That means that if the Bank of England puts up that rate, United's repayments could become even more costly. With the bond, although it may even cost more in the short term - it is expected to carry a yield (the equivalent of the interest on a loan but a term used when talking about bonds) of 8.5 per cent - United hope it will allow them to plan with greater certainty for their future.

What happens to the expensive PIK loans if the bond issue is a success? By using the bond to wipe out the 'senior' loan facility, it allows United to reorganise the order in which they repays their debts. Under the terms of its current deal, the senior debt arranged through JP Morgan must be paid off first before the PIK loans can be repaid. However, if the £500 million 'senior' debt is wiped out then United can divert their attention towards paying off the expensive PIK loans with any extra profits it generates in future years.

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Manchester United Plans Bond Issue to Refinance Debt

Premier League soccer club Manchester United has launched a £500 million ($801.4 million), seven-year high-yield bond that will be used to refinance existing debt, banks working on the deal said Monday.
J. P. Morgan Chase Co., Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC and KKR Financial are joint-lead managers on the deal.

The senior, secured bond will be issued by the club's subsidiary, MU Finance PLC. The deal is expected to be priced towards the end of next week. Roadshows will be held in Asia Monday and Tuesday, in Europe from Jan. 13 until Jan. 18, and in the U.S. for a week from Jan. 19.

Manchester United has a £700 million debt load, which was incurred in 2005 when U.S. entrepreneur Malcolm Glazer and his family bought the club in a £790 million leveraged buyout. Financial results released by the club Monday showed Manchester United still owes £509.5 million in secured bank loans.

People familiar with the matter have previously told Dow Jones Newswires that the bond issue will pay off senior bank debt first and, depending on the size of the issue, also repay some of the club's £135 million payment-in-kind debt, which carries an interest rate of 14.25%. Payment-in-kind debt is where interest is paid via the issuance of new debt, rather than in cash.

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I should have stayed at Manchester United, says David Beckham

David Beckham admits he should never have left Manchester United as he prepares to return to Old Trafford with AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League in March. "Manchester United is so special to me and I've never been back as a player - it's an experience I want to cherish," Beckham said. "It's going to be such a special and emotional night.

"I'd have loved to have stayed at United for my whole career and never gone anywhere else but it just wasn't meant to be. "I went to Real Madrid and in the last year we were successful so I enjoyed that time, but I would like to have stayed at United."

Beckham is looking forward to taking on former team-mates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. "I am sure they will all try and kick me if they can because we were together for so many years and we were so successful together," he said.

"Off the field we became best friends and that's why we became so successful at a club like United. "But it's testament to themselves and the club and everything that surrounds them as individuals that they wouldn't be at a club like United if they weren't special people and special players."

Beckham is in his second loan spell with Milan and the former England captain is taking nothing for granted despite Fabio Capello's assertion this week that he will almost certainly be a part of his 2010 World Cup squad.

"I've never expected anything," Beckham said. "I know I have to play quite a lot for Milan. I'm prepared to do that. Everybody knows I'm prepared to work hard to be part of the England squad. "I've always been very positive and I've always said I want to be available for England whether I'm in the team or not. I'm passionate about playing for my country."

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Manchester United v Leeds United - Cool it message to fans

Police today issued a plea for calm ahead of Leeds United's high-profile FA Cup clash with arch-rivals Manchester United. Greater Manchester Police are mounting a massive security operation around tomorrow's match, the first meeting between the two clubs since 2004.

Leeds will take around 9,000 supporters to Manchester United's Old Trafford ground for the third round tie, which is being broadcast live on ITV.

Click here for latest Leeds United news. Match commander Supt John Graves is pledging that everything possible will be done to keep the peace at a game his force are treating as "high risk".

Click here to watch the latest edition of The Boot Room. Supt Graves said: "This is a highly-anticipated fixture for both sets of fans. Our aim is to help make the occasion a safe and enjoyable one for everyone involved.

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"We will not hesitate to make arrests of troublemakers."

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Special attention, added Supt Graves, was being paid to the potential for booze-fuelled disorder.

He said: "In recent weeks we have been asking local pubs and off-licences to limit their sales and opening times, and advising coach operators of the dangers of transporting drunken fans."

"Anyone arriving at the stadium drunk will be refused entry and is likely to be arrested."

The rivalry between the two Uniteds is one of the fiercest in English football and has on occasion boiled over into off-the-pitch disturbances.

Dozens of yobs fought running battles outside Leeds's Elland Road stadium for more than 90 minutes after the sides met in the Premiership in September 2002.

Around 50 hooligans had earlier ambushed two buses carrying away fans near the Wheatsheaf pub.

Trouble also flared close to the Burger King fast food restaurant on the Beeston ring road.

The clubs have been kept apart in recent years by Leeds's relegation from the Premiership and their subsequent drop into League One.

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