Ahead of this weekend's FA Cup game against Liverpool, Andy Cole has reflected on his time playing for United at Anfield.

Cole scored at Anfield in our 3-1 win in the 1996-1997 season, scored two there the following season, and again in 1999.

"When I was in the team I used to love playing at Anfield," he told the official site.

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes winning the Carling Cup would represent a major step forward for the club and put the Reds "back on the map".
Kenny Dalglish's team takes a 1-0 lead into Wednesday's semi-final second leg at Anfield against Manchester City, another of the ex-Germany international's sides.

Espanyol extended their unbeaten run to five league games and moved into fifth place in La Liga thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win over Granada. The hosts started brightly and took the lead when Raul Baena headed in from Thievy Bifouma's flick-on after 26 minutes.

Espanyol doubled their advantage just before half-time as Allan Nyom was harshly penalised for a trip on Vladimir Weiss and Joan Verdu slotted home the penalty.

Ducky's Note: Starting with this post, and hopefully not dying a premature death, BigFourZa will feature interviews with other football fans from around the world under the 'Fanboyism' section. The topics will range from match previews, reviews, transfer discussions, referee rants and a lot more.

So with Real Madrid and Barcelona scheduled to meet tomorrow at the Bernabeu for their first leg Copa Del Rey quarterfinal fixture, attention is already starting to get centred around the Messi Ronaldo debate.

Truth be said, although the debate is starting to get boring, it will be interesting to see how Ronaldo responds to his critics and the world player of the year.

What's say, since it's TGIF, we make it a treble?After two rejected bids, it appears as though Sochaux have given up on getting Mo Edu. Two sources from different worlds have told me they are about to sign Plan B for that defensive midfield role instead.That out of the way, let's survey what's left. Edu still has interest, but I can confirm there are no other offers at this time.

LFC: Loan star hits treble

Joe Cole fired a hat-trick as Lille beat Chantilly 6-0 to reach the last 32 of the French Cup on Saturday night.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2012-01-08 09:56:15 from: Liverpool FC

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Mail: Joe Cole scores a hat-trick for Lille

A Joe Cole treble helped Lille swat aside sixth division side Chantilly 6-0 to reach the French Cup last 32 as three top flight teams went out to lower league opposition.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2012-01-07 23:37:21 from: The Mail

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Gerard Houllier has managed some exceptional players during his career but in a recent interview, Liverpool's treble-winning boss reserved special praise for former Man United player David Beckham.Speaking to France Football, Houllier had nothing but good things to say about Beckham, who could be on the verge of a move to Paris St.

Premier League Tips: Manchester United and Liverpool to win in a Sunday TV treble

With three live games being broadcast on Sunday afternoon, Jim Knight picks a selection from each to provide a 4/1 treble

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-12-16 12:16:00 from: Goal

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Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are as important to Liverpool FC now as they were when they started out on their sparkling Anfield careers more than a decade ago, according to Gary McAllister.
Injury has restricted Gerrard to just two starts this season, while Carragher has been forced to settle for a place on the subs bench since a calf strain saw him miss two rare games through injury.

Former Manchester United player, Lee Martin, has taken time out to answer a few questions for RoM on his time at the club and what he's been up to since.

STR: You joined United when you were a kid. How confident were you of making it for the first team then?

LM: I was never confident I was ever good enough to play in United's first team.

It's my blog and I can do what I want at any time - and at this time I want to boast, boast, boast! On Saturday, my brother and his wife completed my awesome niece treble in fine fashion, finally giving the world Audrey (who not only sleeps as constantly as her daddy, she has his "promptness").With her joining sisters Sam and Courtney (r-l), I am now equipped with an unstoppable niece army of

The holiday season is upon us, and while some already know what they're receiving or are giving someone else, there are many who are still drawing a blank.

For many a Manchester United fan, the ideal gift outside of getting to meet their United favorites or having a chance to step out onto the pitch at Old Trafford would be primo match tickets.

Ottmar Hitzfeld, the man who guided Bayern Munich to the domestic treble as recently as 2008, believes that the German giants are only a shadow of themselves without key playmaker Bastian Schweinsteiger, thus boosting Manchester City's hopes of Champions League progress.

In order to qualify for the Round of 16, the Citizens must get a result from Bayern's visit to the Eastlands next week while also hoping that Napoli fall to Villarreal.

Kenny taking the League Cup seriously, like Bob did

BOB PAISLEY was Liverpool's manager for nine seasons and in every single one of those seasons he guided the club to a piece of silverware. The only major trophy to elude him was the FA Cup but that wasn't through lack of trying.

Aurelio eyes Chelsea treble

Fabio Aurelio believes a compact team performance and a ruthlessness in front of goal will be key if Liverpool are to beat Chelsea today.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-11-20 09:44:27 from: Liverpool FC

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Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed speculation that Manchester United will entertain a high-profile bid from Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala for Dimitar Berbatov and insists that the Bulgarian's limited playing time is due to the exceptional consistency of Javier Hernandez.

Ferguson has hinted that United will actually offer Berbatov, who was signed from Tottenham Hotspur as United's record signing in 2008, an extension to stay on at Old Trafford for another year.

One of my personal favorite DVDs, is called "The Treble" the Manchester United 1999-2000 season review DVD. I enjoy putting it in and remembering watching much of that season, especially the Champions' League run while I was in high school.
Sporting KC has done a good job of marketing the team and creating a great following for the team.

Treble hero Jonjo sinks Leeds

Jonjo Shelvey netted a hat-trick as Blackpool thrashed Leeds United 5-0 at Elland Road on Wednesday night.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-11-03 09:11:59 from: Liverpool FC

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Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas are both nominated finalists for the FIFA Coach of the Year along with eight other coaches from around the World. Mourinho the 2010 winner, snapped Real Madrid's run of 18 years without a Copa del Ray and took the club to the final four of the Champions League, while Villas-Boas won a treble with Porto taking home the Portuguese League, the Portuguese Cup

Robin van Persie now has nine goals in five matches.

Mindblowingly awesome.

I speak of course of the massive and totally unexpected Arsenal 5-3 away victory over Chelsea on Saturday. Chelsea had not lost a game at home this season. Arsenal found itself racking up its worst string of away results since 500 B.

Lionel Messi bagged a hat-trick within the first 30 minutes as Barcelona cruised to a 5-0 win over Mallorca in La Liga The Argentine got the first of his 30-minute treble from the penalty spot before calmly tapping home the second. Messi then volleyed in Daniel Alves' superb cross for 3-0. Youngster Joan Isaac Cuenca [.

Following Rafael Benitez's bizarre rant about Sir Alex Ferguson in January 2009, our fans got to sing "he's cracking up, he's cracking up, he's cracking, Rafa's cracking up!" from the stands every week. The chant spread to the stands of whoever Liverpool's opponents were, with everyone making fun of the Spaniard who had seemingly lost the plot.

Danny Welbeck set to sign new Manchester United deal What the papers say

Danny Welbeck has been offered a treble-your-money pay rise as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to nail down the key players in his next Old Trafford dynasty.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-10-20 07:43:59 from: The Mail

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Make money money, Make money money moneeeeh So, finally the dull monotony of an international break is over. It has been two weeks since a Premier League match, and yet feels like months. What better way to celebrate its return than with a home treble to warm the cockles of the bank manager. Norwich looked [.

With David Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy coming to an end the midfielder has been linked with a move back to Europe.

Having already played in England, Spain and Italy, French side PSG are the latest team to show an interest.

However, when he has finished playing, he claims he would like to turn to United in some role, just like his former Real Madrid team mate Zidane.

Despiteachieving an unprecedented treble in his first season in charge, Joe Faganremains something of a marginalised figure in Liverpool's history. For many his success was down to the team heinherited from Bob Paisley whereas his work in the backroom staff is oftenoverlooked.
A much moretruthful picture of Fagan's role both as a coach and as a manager is presentedby the recent biography titled Joe Fagan: A Reluctant Champion.

AOC hits trips Alex Oxlade Chamberlain continued the impressive start to his fledgling career by bagging a hat-trick for England Under 21s. The Arsenal youngster single-handedly saw off the challenge of Iceland Under 21s last night. The 18-year-old scored a first-half double and completed his treble after the break.

The word "treble" does not get mentioned very often in U.S. soccer circles. It's a term that gets thrown around a bit in European soccer, especially with Porto (2010-11) and Inter Milan (2009-10) accomplishing the feat in recent seasons, but it's something no MLS team has ever accomplished and is therefore relegated to the fringes.

Thommo's treble heroes

A little over 10 years on from the unprecedented cup treble of 2001, Liverpool are set to mark the occasion with a night not to be missed at Anfield on October 7 and this is your last chance to be a part of it.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-10-03 10:19:02 from: Liverpool FC

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Liverpool are considering allowing young central defender Danny Wilson to leave the club on a short term loan deal in order to gain some vital first team football.
The former Rangers defender was brought to Anfield last summer and has so far struggled to force his way into the Liverpool first team, but is considered a potential star of the future.

At a recent event to celebrate the launch of a new book about treble-winning Liverpool manager Joe Fagan, Roy Evans - who wrote the foreword to the book - paid tribute to the man he saw as his 'mentor' and 'father figure' in football.Former Liverpool manager Evans enthused:"He was a great servant to Liverpool over many, many years, under Bill Shankly, and Bob Paisley.

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid got pulses racing in Spain, thrashing Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano respectively on Saturday night.

David Villa produced a sharp finish to give Barcelona a ninth-minute lead and the game looked to be up for Atlético just six minutes later when Thibaut Courtois saved Lionel Messi's shot, only for the loose ball to cannon into the net off defender Miranda.

Albirex Niigata are in line for a Singapore treble after they squuezed by Hougang United in their Singapore Cup semi final last night.
The game ended 1-1 on 90 minutes meaning the teams had to go into extra time for the right to face Home United in the final in November. Yosuke Saito gave the White Swans the lead after five minutes of extra time but their hearts must have skipped a few beats when prolific scorer Shotaro Ihata was red carded minutes later.

Book Review: Joe Fagan - Reluctant Champion by Andrew Fagan and Mark Platt
There are two iconic images that seem to perfectly sum up Joe Fagan's time as Liverpool manager. The first has him lounging by a pool in front of two Italian carabinieri and the Champions Cup, won the night before, besides him.

Jose Mourinho won the FIFA Ballon d'Or World Coach of the Year award in 2010. Bobby Robson at St. James' Park Jose won the award for leading Inter Milan to a famous treble and the European Champions League in the 2009/2010 season. And Jose has decided to give the award away in support of the Sir Bobby Robson [.

Life of a Punter: Avoid international football like the plague, plus a tasty treble for the weekend

Simon won't be risking his money on Euro 2012 qualifiers anytime soon and prices up his options to get back in profit

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-09-09 09:09:00 from: Goal

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Wesley Sneijder has revealed that former Inter boss Jose Mourinho told him to snub a move to Old Trafford and continue to build his career at Inter Milan.

The Dutch international attracted massive interest from both the Manchester clubs, with United reportedly coming closed to sealing the deal on numerous occasions before it all fell apart at the closing of the summer transfer window.

Transfer are always the talking point during pre-season (and for many, the lack of them). Obviously we're all much more aware of what's been happening here in Albion and the big money transfers, but around Europe teams have been snapping up bargains all over the show, so we have compiled an eleven of players signed up in what may turn out to be inspired deals.