Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he has beaten Manchester's infamously grim weather by installing at tanning booth for his players. Fergie opened up to Harvard Business School to share some of the secrets of his management success during his time at Old Trafford. And one of the things he cited was the steps [.
Wayne Rooney has revealed how he battles against his weight to keep himself in shape for football.
The England and Manchester United striker says he always puts on weight when he's not staying.
Several pundits had suggested that Rooney didn't look fit in the opening matches of this season and
was carrying a few extra [.
Nearly a month into the transfer market, and things have been fairly quiet in England. Chelsea
have spent big, but maybe it just doesn't seem so mad as Man City have been so inactive. Perhaps
PSG now have all the money. But anyway, Utd, let's do a quick summary of ins and outs thus far:
Ins: Kagawa, Powell
Outs: Owen, Kuszczak, Park
Kagawa looks good value for money, or at least as good as one can get nowadays.
Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville believes that it has been a frustrating summer
for Manchester United, who he thinks will be approaching the pre-season as the beginning of their
redemption.
The Red Devils were knocked out of the Champions League group stage last season and were
subsequently dominated by Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.
Manchester United signing Shinji Kagawa has returned to Tokyo after finalizing his transfer from
German champions Borussia Dortmund but the youngster cannot stop reminiscing about his first day at
the club.
Kagawa, 23, arrived in Manchester for an unveiling that required the completion of extensive
paperwork, a thorough tour of the stadium and the training facility, and discussion regarding his
jersey number next season.
It has been reported that Michael Carrick hasn't trained for the past few days due to illness,
meaning United could be playing Sunderland with a squad down to the bare bones, again.
Carrick has been our most important player this season so his absence could be costly. Tom
Cleverley has barely played this season because of injury but after a few substitute appearances
recently may get called back in to the starting XI.
With charity the theme of the day here on Pies, here's another little yarn to
pluck your cockles and warm your heartstrings.
What you are about to see is Manchester United's Nani, Park Ji-Sung, Jonny Evans and Chris
Smalling humping 200 footballs into the back of the DHL van (with a little help from the tricksy
driver) at Carrington.
TweetCristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he misses life at Manchester United and moreover he misses
the apple crumble and custard served at the clubs' Carrington training ground! The Portuguese
superstar spent six seasons at Old Trafford before making a world record £80million switch to Real
Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored a ridiculous 140 goals in 139 games since leaving Manchester
United, has claimed that he still misses the club, the manager and his former team mates.
"I speak with Sir Alex sometimes and of course I miss Manchester," Ronaldo told Zoo
magazine. "It felt like I left a family back there because I spent six years with all those
guys and I still have a very good relationship with Ferguson and the rest of the lads.
As we continue to draw closer to the conclusion of the 2011-12 English Premier League season, there
are a number of lessons that we can draw from the defending champions.
TEAM UNITY
"There is no I in TEAM" is a phrase beloved of managers who decorate the dressing room with
inspirational slogans.
The Pincer Movement. We may try this one ourselves.
We managed to find a theme to our post this week and stick to it all the way through. Boom.
EPL
The "Bloody hell. That's heavy." Image: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth.
Although he had the concept of 'squeaky bum time' explained to him by Sky's Geoff Shreeves a few
weeks ago, it's only now that Yaya Toure will be feeling the physical consequences.
Just a few photos of both Manchesters' United and City going through their paces at their
respective Carrington training HQs ahead of their respective Europa League last 16 ties with
Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Lisbon respectively tomorrow at the respective times of 20:05 and
18:00 BST.
Paul McGuiness and Manchester United's Academy boys go in search of their first win of 2012 in the
Academy League today as Wolves make the journey to Carrington to face a team they easily beat 5-2
the last time the two sides met at Wolves' Academy Centre back in October. United were out played
that [.
A truly horrendous injury list is finally starting to clear up at Carrington's treatment room. Long
term absentees such as Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young and Phil Jones are back, Michael Owen is
due...
Following Paul Scholes' return from retirement and Manchester United's issues settling in a new
number one goalkeeper, Edwin Van der Sar has revealed people have been asking whether he has any
plans on doing the same.
"I got a few text messages from friends saying, 'What about you?'," Van der Sar
said.
Understated and refined as per, here's Mario Balotelli opting for the hooded option but refusing
to surrender that mohawked look -Â going about his business in the Carrington carpark lookingÂ
distinctly similar to the mad homeless woman round our way who steals all her clothes from binbags
left outside charity shops at night.
Seems like a good day for fans of photos of young men with new work clothes. Here's a few stills
of L'il Jacky Rodwell being unveiled by a grizzled, weather-beaten Roberto Mancini at Carrington
after completing his £15 million move from Everton earlier in the week.
Paul Scholes remarkably came out of retirement last season to face Manchester City in our FA Cup
victory at the Etihad. Having played in a testimonial in the summer before, saying goodbye to the
club, Scholes found it difficult coming to Carrington to work with the youth players when really he
just wanted to play himself.
Manchester City and England number one goalkeeper Joe Hart, once of Shrewsbury Town, shows off
his outfield skills with spectacular, acrobatic goal-scoring overhead kick at Man City's Carrington
training ground scoring past Faroe Islands international goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen watched by
Italian coach Massimo Battara.
Manchester City have been limbering up at Carrington ahead of their Europa League 'round of
16′ second-leg tie against Sporting Lisbon tomorrow and, as ever with City training sessions
between October and May, it was a festival of questionable winter knitwear.
After spending the last four months sulking on Argentinian golf courses, shedding £9 million
pounds and gaining several dozen lbs, Carlos Tevez made his return to Manchester City on Monday
afternoon, playing in a behind-closed-doors reserve match.
Carrington was transformed into a nigh-on impenetrable fortress for Tevez's return, with the
media barred from entering though a crack specialist taskforce consisting of a Norwegian camera
crew from 2Sporten and a portly City fan named Gary managed to evade City's formidable green
sheets and get a shufty at the game.
A crafty Scandinavian TV crew took ladders to Manchester City's Carrington training ground to get a
glimpse of Carlos Tevez's return to action. The Argentine prodigal son made his City comeback in a
behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston North End yesterday. But Norway's 2 Sporten were not
going to let some closed doors getting in their [.
Here we see Carlos Tevez, with his bemused and frankly knackered-looking daughters in tow,
touching down on Manchester soil once again ahead of him undergoing a raft of fitness tests (he
claims he'll be back in two week's time) at City's Carrington training HQ tomorrow.
Sir Alex Ferguson has today confirmed that Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling will be fit for the
start of the season, although Jonny Evans is likely to be missing for the first few weeks as he
recovers from an operation.
"Evans has had an operation," he said. "I'm not sure he'll start the season but he
won't be far away.
All characters and events in this piece – even those based on
real people – are entirely fictional. Obviously.
"Nelson Terry here for Sir Alex Ferguson." I said into the intercom outside Carrington training
ground. A big, burly man comes out of the security hut.
All characters and events in this piece – even those based on
real people – are entirely fictional. Obviously.
"Nelson Terry here for Sir Alex Ferguson." I said into the intercom outside Carrington training
ground. A big, burly man comes out of the security hut.
So, this happened at Carrington this morning: with Batman now obviously patrolling the Premier League, Patrice Evra unveiled his new supervillain persona, 'Bibface'...
Definitely needs a bit of work, Paddy. If you ain't putting the willies up Fletch, then you ain't putting the willies up Batman.
Manchester United have unveiled new signings Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell. Kagawa has been
linked with United for a while and has been playing with German side Borussia Dortmund. Powell is a
rising star who had been playing for Crewe Alexandria (League One side) and played for England
Youth Squads.
