Posts Tagged ‘manchester united’

Player Haters – The Rivalry Of Liverpool and Man U

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Rivalries exist throughout the sporting world, sometimes bringing out the best in competitors…and sometimes the worst.

Think about some of the biggest sporting rivalries in history.There was Muhammad Ali going toe-to-toe with Joe Frazier in the boxing ring, Martina Navratilova facing off with Chris Evert on the tennis court and Nick Faldo going head to head with Greg Norman on the golf course.There’s still a healthy rivalry in cricket between India and Pakistan.  There’s even been a classic rivalry in the world of chess with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov battling it out in several matches over 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?This could be the greatest rivalry in football, but it’s time to take a closer look at things to determine why it 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 also are two of the biggest earning 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? What Transfers? – Since 1964, no player has been directly transferred between the two clubs; the few who have played for both sides 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.Some people out there, though, must think the whole concept of these sporting grudges is a waste of time.So, are you still wondering who’s the best club in football?It’s as clear as day, really.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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How to Safely Buy Manchester United Football Tickets Online

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Buying Manchester United Football Tickets online is a recommended way of acquiring them, but you should keep in mind that there are a lot of fake ticket dealers, and you should be careful in finding a trusted dealer. The first thing that you can do to protect yourself if you plan to buy Manchester United football tickets is to only do business with an online ticket vendor with a good reputation. One of the best ways to ascertain whether or not you should make a purchase from somewhere is to go through customer reviews. In addition to worries about getting ripped off by some dishonest site, you also want to avoid vendors that don’t deliver their goods on time. 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.

Customers don’t usually have a reason to post a link to the very product they are reviewing and a  legitimate customer reviewing a product is of that kind. Advertisers have found a new way to advertise since most email spam blockers today block their ads, and so they turn to reviews. Reviews which do not contain links are more likely to be genuine. Although tickets available on eBay are cheaper, buying from a website which specializes only in tickets is always a better idea. Often times tickets purchased on eBay don’t arrive on time and sometimes the seller doesn’t even mail them so you never receive them. While you can assume that the majority of people who sell on eBay are above board, it’s still in your best interest to read feedback about them so get a sense of how they operate.

Another way to avoid being scammed is to make sure the checkout page is encrypted before you type in ANY purchasing information. The importance of it can not be understated, but this is a feature not many people look for when checking out. How do you know if a website utilizes ecryption? You will normally se HTTP at the beginning of all web addresses. If a web page is encrypted the HTTP will change to “HTTPS”. Encryption is at all times the best way to go, and while lack of it doesn’t necessarily imply that you’re dealing with a criminal company, it also doesn’t say much about how  they regard the privacy of your 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.

These guidelines are important to follow in order to avoid being scammed, but it is also important to go with your gut. If something about a vendor does not seem quite right, do not purchase anything from them. If something seems off then there is a good chance something is. When it comes to avoiding a scam artist, a little scrutiny goes a long way. Finally, you need to find the one which costs the least. You will be able to make your next purchase with confidence after reading all the information on this article.

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

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Sir Alex Ferguson To Buy Marek Hamsik

Monday, December 28th, 2009

It appears that Marek Hamsik has lined up a £25m transfer bid to move to Manchester United come January.

The form of veteran former England midfielder Paul Scholes, plus the fact that Ryan Giggs is not getting any younger has convinced Sir Alex Ferguson of the need to bring in a top notch quality replacement to bolster what is perceived by some critics to be United’s biggest weakness, midfield.

Signing the talented Hamsik, who is also a target for Chelsea and was reported to be on Liverpool’s radar earlier in the season, would certainly give United an added attacking threat from the midfield. Snapped up by Brescia after proving his skill with Slovan Bratislava. Managing to score 10 goals at Brescia from the midfield before being lifted from the team for 5.5 m Euros to move to Napoli.

Since 2007, the goal scoring efforts of Hamsik have made him one of the best in Serie A. Many strikers would be proud to boast a similar strikerate as Hamsik with 25 goals from 81 games. 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. Expected to be one of the major stars of the upcoming World Cup his efforts might put him down into soccer history forever.

Interest and a big offer from major teams may not be enough however with sporting director Riccardo Bigon stating:

“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.”

Napoli chairman has supported these comments and stated:

“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. Whether Napoli really plans to keep Hamsik into the future only time will tell, with not a lot of cash in the club it can be hard to see them not be at least tempted to sell the player if the offer is right.

Chelsea’s current situation however might put a stop to any dealings between Napoli and Manchester United. Roman Abramovich has purportedly given manager Carlo Ancelotti the green light to make a £25m move for the player so they might beat Manchester United to the punch

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The Red Army and Old Trafford

Thursday, November 5th, 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.

Fans have been buying Manchester United tickets to their home games at Old Trafford, since 1910 (except for 8 years after it was bombed during World War II).

The stadium was named Field of Dreams by one of its most renown players Bobby Charlton.   

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.

Able to seat over 76,000 Manchester United ticket buying supporters, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadiums in England and it is one of the 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.

It has also played host during the  “1966 FIFA World Cup”  and  “UEFA Euro 1996″ and the  “2003 UEFA Champions League Final”.

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

Three out of the four stands have at least two tiers, except the South stand which has just a single tier.

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 West Stand at Old Trafford is the most famous, and is 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. 

It is practically impossible to get a seat in the Stretford End as the fans that fill this stand resubscribe to their Manchester United season tickets every year.

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.

The Red Army is now nothing like 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 sheer number of Manchester United fans, all of whom would like to get to Old Trafford, 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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The True Cost of Manchester United Season Tickets

Monday, October 26th, 2009

The demand for Manchester United Tickets is almost always greater than the supply.

That means for many supporters, the chance of obtaining a ticket to a single Manchester United game is never easy, and a season ticket to Old Trafford might be seen as the ultimate score.

However, if one looks more closely, the obvious advantages season ticket holders have of being guaranteed a seat for all home games and priority for away games, might be outweighed by the disadvantages.

Some examples:
A season ticket holder is not guaranteed a seat in his choice of stand, and if allocated one in an area he does not like the only way to get it changed is to prove exceptional medial hardship.

Because of this, there are those who choose not to renew their tickets at the end of the season, preferring to take their chances in the search for single tickets that may be in a more choice area of Old Trafford.

There is a Manchester United Club policy called the Automatic Ticket Scheme which ensures that every season ticket holder is guaranteed a ticket for all Champions League and FA cup home games.

Even though this might appear to be a good thing, the season ticket holder is charged for each of these tickets even if he does not want to attend any of those games.

In  the last two seasons, there were 10 of these extra games played at Old Trafford – and with a single game ticket starting at almost 50 pounds, this extra cost on top of the already season ticket makes a significant difference.

Any Manchester United fan who purchases a  season ticket thinking they can offload tickets to games they can’t attend might find that that is more difficult than anticipated.

Manchester United has an official ticket exchange where season ticket holders can post their unwanted tickets for sale at face-value, but tickets cannot be listed for sale there until the club announces that the game in question has been sold out.

However  tickets put up for sale may not get sold, and the prospective seller then not only loses the ticket he is unable to use, he is out the substantial listing and handling fee it cost him to attempt to sell the unwanted seat.

One cannot deny that the price of a season’s 16 single tickets is more expensive than a season ticket, but when the other costs – at least 500 extra pounds for the Cup games; the possibility of getting a seat in an undesirable part of Old Trafford; and the lack of guarantee of being able to sell any unwanted game tickets are added up, investing in season Manchester United tickets might not be worth it to even the most loyal fans.

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