Goal Scoring Monster Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has by far the best player in Premier League this season. He overcame the abuse from England fans last season and dazzled us with his dribble. This season he has been in equally good form, if not better. This year Ronaldo has not only shown us he can just dribble but can also score.

Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford as an unknown from Sporting Lisbon, he spent the first few games on the bench before getting his debut. Ronaldo was once branded as a one-trick pony, he caused fury among England fans last season. But rose above it and claimed his first English Premier League championship.

Now, the once so called "one-trick pony" has a bag of tricks up his sleeve. He cannot stop scoring. No matter what defenders do, they're left standing in ashtonishment. His mere presence sends shivers to his opponent. It is not whether or not he will score now, it is a matter of when, that sparks fear.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 28 goals so far this season, his latest was his stunning free-kick against Portsmouth. Ronaldo is on his way to beating Gearge Best's record of 32 goal for a midfielder.

His strike rate is one that any striker in the world could wish for at the moment. He has scored 28 goals this season and we're still in Febuary. There is four months of club football left and i'm waiting in excitement to see what his goal tally is at the end of the season.

FA To Crack Down On Dissent

In almost every match that is being played throughout the English Premier League there's is bound to be some controversy surrounding referee's decisions. Players immediately gather around the referee to give him a piece of their mind, some often use abusive language while others try to snatch the card from referee's hand. I'm referring to John Terry during the Manchester United - Chelsea following Mikel's dismissal (2-0 Old Trafford, 23.09.2007).

However that is not the first time John Terry has been involved in similar situations. Referees are under pressure to make correct decisions. When a whole bunch of players come and surround him, it makes his job more difficult.

This takes me back to a story of a referee in Malaysia and could provide the FA with an unconventional, dangerous yet effective, if not a humours solution to the problem.

A local football match became riotous after the sending off of a player. Most referees would take a step back and calm everybody down. But not this bad ass ref, he pulled out a gun and fired warning shots in the air.

Now wouldn't that be something, if all referees carried guns. John Terry would certainly think twice before raging to match officials. I mean the players must have really ticked off that Malaysian referee for him to pull a gun on them.

Although I do not expect the FA to sanction referees with firearms. But what they are suggesting is that only the captains be allowed to approach the referee.

Well why not?? They have the same system in rugby and it works perfectly. On top of that it should be the captain and only the captain to manage affairs on the field. You don't need the whole team ganging up on the referee. It looks as if they're going to mob him or something and why should the captain need the whole team behind him anyway??

I all for this proposal as it makes total sense. But we wouldn't be in this situation if it was not for Chelsea players always critising a decision that goes against them.

Manchester United Face Arsenal

The 5th round of the FA Cup has been drawn and Manchester United are set for a head-to-head encounter with joint league leaders Arsenal.

Now the game is being played at Old Trafford on February 16/17. United are in good form at the moment and I'm eagerly waiting for the game. Partly because I want United to kick Arsenal out of another Cup competition. But the game should prove to be a cracker.

Bristol Rovers in the 5th round

Meanwhile Bristol Rovers face off against Southampton. You may be thinking why I'm taking a mention at Bristol Rovers, well having lived on the out certs of the city I feel some sort of connection.

Bristol Rovers beat Premier League stragglers Fulham to reach the 5th round, they are currently 18th in League One, while Southampton are 13th in the Championship.

I really hope the Pirates overcome the Saints and advance to the quarter finals.

What's great about this years FA Cup is that three teams outside the Premier League will reach the next round.

Sheffield United have already beaten two Premier League teams (Man City, Bolton) to reach this stage and could prove a challenge for Middlesbrough. Hopefully we'll get to see an upset, my preference would be Barnsley beating Liverpool of course.

I want to give a shout out to Havant & Waterlooville, it takes courage to go out and attack Liverpool at Anfield. For them to take the lead twice was truly remarkable and certainly a joy to watch.

Matches played on Feb 16/17

Bristol Rovers (L1) v Southampton (CH)

Cardiff City (CH) v Wolves (CH)

Sheffield United (CH) v Middlesbrough (PRM)

Liverpool (PRM) v Barnsley (CH)

Manchester United (PRM) v Arsenal (PRM)

Preston (CH) v Portsmouth (PRM)

Coventry City (CH) v West Brom (CH)

Chelsea (PRM) v Huddersfield Town (L1)

"Three Horse Race"

It now seems according to Owen Hargreaves that the chase for the title has effectively become a "3 horse race". Liverpool are 14 points of the pace and that is a large gap to close down. Liverpool have been out of contention for the title the last couple of years and this year is no different.

The title will be battled out between Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Neither of these teams' form seem to be fluctuating. Manchester United and Arsenal are both playing attractive football and winning. Even with Jose Mourinho's departure, Chelsea have not fallen to far behind the wagon.

Chelsea are only 4 points behind leaders Manchester United, while Arsenal are level on points with United. With Liverpool's off-pitch trouble and current form they may even sturggle to qualify for the Champions league if this trend continues.

Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester City all on 40 points at the moment seem set to challenge Liverpool for the 4th Champions League spot. I would personally like to see another team than Liverpool in the CL because i'm personally getting sick of them at the moment.

Manchester United are on a run at the moment and hopefuly the training camp in Saudi Arabia will recharge their batteries for the final push to a another title this season and potentially another Treble. That would certainly be the icing on the cake.

Manchester United Beat Reading

Honestly I did not watch Manchester United against Reading. I had other matters to attend to, however I wasn't surprised with the 2-0 away win. It's starting to become a habit now, Manchester United are on a roll and seems as if we'll be at the top come the end of the season. Anyway I tried reading the match report from soccernet but then decided I couldn't be bothered. Match report at soccernet. I'm too lazy to write about it:)

This week has been full of news in the football world mainly due to Kevin Keegan's appointment as Newcastle manger. Way to go Newcastle get rid of your manager in the middle of the season, although I don't blame Mike Ashley for sacking Allardyce. The football Allardyce made Newcastle play was s**t! Newcastle could have least given the poor guy a season. They're 12th in the league, which isn't so bad. Now Keegan faces the task of building the team again and getting them into Europe.

Keegan has 2 weeks of the transfer window left and it isn't likely Newcastle will receive a injection of creativity this month. Players are unlikely to move now and finding a player of quality will prove troublesome.

Keegan's first game in charge finished in 0-0 draw against Bolton, it will be interesting to see how he does and how long he lasts.

Ferguson Chases Treble

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has challenged his squad to prove how good they are by delivering the treble (Premier League, FA cup, UCL).

ManUtd are 2 points behind league leaders Arsenal, face a to Lyon and may face either Tottenham or Reading. A treble is well within their reach as it was last season. In fact last season was the closest they had ever come to winning all three trophies since the remarkable 98/99 season.

However last season proved that United needed more depth in their squad, as tiredness and injury to key players sealed their fate in last season UCL semi-final. The problem has been dealt with, with the acquisitions of Tevez, Nani, Hargreaves and Anderson.

All of them are first team players and have proved their worth so far this season. Anderson's quick adaption to the English game has put a smile on every body's face. Hargreaves has been playing extremely, whereas Nani is looking like a second Cristiano Ronaldo and Tevez has been scoring regularly. Manchester United now have the players with sufficient back-up to go all out for three trophies this season.

It's a realistic goal and Man Utd have the quality to mount a serious challenge on all fronts this season. Everybody was ecstatic after winning the treble back in 1999, lets hope we can relive the excitement that lead up to it.

Aston Villa 0 - 2 ManUtd: One Boring Game!

Wow! What a boring game! Well at least we got to see two goals in the last 10min but still. The game in general was sore on the eyes, I'm sorry but i couldn't believe what i was watching. I actually fell asleep at around the 60th min and I was in a pub!

The atmosphere was dull which kind of reflected what the game was like for us.

It was as if the team had just switched off, Ronaldo didn't even manage to pass any defenders with his usual step-overs and when he tried he managed to give the away to the opposition. The only useful thing he did during the 90min was score and that was a sitter.

And what was wrong with Carrick today, it seemed he didn't know where to the ball at times. However it did show he was short of match practise. Same for Saha, I was glad to see him back in action and I'm sure he'll get on the score sheet as soon as he gets more games under his belt.

Rooney returned to action, and I think his inclusion onto the pitch really had a positive effect on the team. It wasn't until he came that game picked up and he actually managed to get on the score sheet. His presence always seems to help United perform better

All in all the game sucked! I don't know if it was the hangover but I really wanted to get out of there and get some rest. It was unbearable to watch, I wanted to see more action and was left frustrated at the lack of opportunities Man Utd created. The players get paid around £60,000 a week, you would expect them to be more lively during the game.

Arrivals Not Expected! and The FA Cup

Sir Alex Ferguson today has said there is little chance of anybody arriving in the next. Having been linked with a number of players, Ferguson is apparently satisfied with his current crop of players at his disposal.

Rumors of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Real Madrid have resurfaced, but come on. It's always the same rumors coming out during the transfer windows.

According to the Daily Express; Manchester United have placed a whooping £75 million value on the player. That will certainly put anybody off, wouldn't it. £75 million! Can u imagine Real Madrid spending that much on a player, I certainly don't believe this rumor. It just sounds so ridiculous and unrealistic!

FA Cup: Aston Villa - Man Utd

Today's FA Cup 3rd round sees ManUtd face off against Aston Villa.

Villa striker John Carew is an injury doubt, while Shaun Maloney is making a push for the first eleven after Luke Moore's blunders against Spurs.

Van der Saar seems set for a return whereas Rooney is in the squad following his recovery from a virus. Tevez is still a doubt with a bruised ankle.

I believe Man Utd have enough quality to see off Aston Villa today. The last time United were knocked out of 3rd Round was back in 1984 against Bournemouth.

Under Ferguson the team has won the FA Cup five times and in his 21 years at the helm he has not lost a 3rd round tie. United have got history in the cup competition as the most successful team. However they will have to guard against complacency, Villa will want some revenge after the 1-4 home defeat back in October. But certainly cannot see Aston Villa winning today.

United Reject Brown Bid. Hutton Rejects Spurs! Possible ManUtd Move?

Rangers full-back Alan Hutton rejected the oppurtunity to move south yesterday to Tottenham. The two clubs had been in talks over a £8 million move for the Scottish international. However Hutton claimed the move did not suit him.

Hutton's impressive displays for Scotland this season has received praise from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson which were in light of his outstanding performance against France in November.

Ranger's willingness to negotiate a price for Hutton can be viewed as a good sign for Man Utd. Hutton is rated quite highly by Ferguson and a move for the player might be imminent.

Newcastle Utd's Brown Bid Rejected

United have rejected Newcastle's bid for Wes Brown. The fee is reported to be around £2 milllion, however the deal is still open.

Wes Brown turned down a final contract offer from Manchester United last month and could leave for free in the summer. I suspect that Man Utd would want some money for Brown and believe that they are holding out for more, I would.

With Brown likely to move on either now or in the summer, United will be short on defenders. Gary Neville is still getting fit and Danny Simpson is still learning. A move to Man Utd seems more likely for Hutton now. £8 million is a cheap price to pay for a potential long-term replacement for Neville.

And if Brown leaves this month I would anticipate United making a move for Hutton. But the only down side to it is that he's cup-tied for the UCL and we all remember what happened last season when United didn't have enough depth.

Italian Team "Scores"

This is a little off-topic, but I like to keep anything regarding football or funny open to be mentioned on ManUtd Corner.

Back in October I learned of a story about a Serie D (4th division) team signing a sponsorship deal with a brothel based in Innsbruck, Austria. Trentino 1921 have received 10 000 euros (around£7 000) for placing the name of the brothel, Casa Bianca (White house) on their official website, along with a link.

Local officials were angered that the football team had entered in a deal with Casa Bianca. Iva Baresi, a Trento city council member was furious about the deal. She told the local newspaper Trentino, " It's incredible that the (provincial) capital's team would accept a sponsor that would even give the impression that it profited from the sale of a woman's body," she continued by saying, "I believe that my feeling of being offended is the same one felt by the majority of women in Trento. I would hope that the team -- which also receives public funding -- would want to find a remedy for this situation as soon as possible." I must say she makes a valid point, it doesn't really look good for the town's image if their local football team is sponsored by a brothel.

Her conserns have been heard and a compromise has been reached, the logo still remains on the club's list of sponsors, however the link to the Casa Bianca website has been removed. Although it's not a bad marketing move for Casa Bianca, they're out to sell their service to future customers. Now, what kind of people watch football? That's right, mostly guys, and what kind of people visit brothels? Again guys. So sponsoring a football team just across the border is good marketing, Casa Bianca is reaching out to prospective clients well within their market area.

And let's face the truth here, being the chairman of Serie D team isn't that profitable. 10 000 euros is pretty good considering the revenue Trentino 1921 receive from the league and match day profits. There's no TV coverage on Serie D anyway, so where are teams going to find the cash. They need to take what they can get.

Needless to say, I would suspect the team to be enjoying the deal. I mean what's a better a way to celebrate your win than to just go to a brothel and relax. Same applies for losing, it helps ease the wound when you've lost:) It's only a 2h drive to Innsbruck and also it's one hell of a creative source for some cash for Trentino 1921.

Transfer Rumors

The transfer window has already started and Manchester United seem to have been linked with a few players lately. The Berbatov affair is constantly getting on my now, Berbatov wants to leave Spurs for a club that matches his ambition. Give me a break, so Spurs do not match his ambition. I mean they sacked Martin Jol and hired two times UEFA Cup winner Juande Ramos, how much ambitious can you get. Unless they went all out to hire Jose Mourinho.

Personally I don't blame Berbatov for wanting to leave, who wouldn't want to leave Spurs if a club like Manchester United didn't come calling... I would love to see Berbatov in a ManUtd shirt, but I do believe that nothing will happen this month. Sir Alex Ferguson has already said he is not a big fan of the winter transfer window. Also if ManUtd were looking for a striker to play in the Champions League, Berbatov would be cup-tied and he would come with a hefty price tag too.

Nicolas Anelka also seems to be linked to ManUtd, but other clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City seem to be in-line to capture him. However if ManUtd were to sign anybody, I'd prefer Anelka over Berbatov. Sure Anelka is 28 but he's a proven goal scorer and and has experience in the English game. Anelka is not cup-tied for the Champions League and would also be signed for a cheaper transfer fee.

But as I said before; I don't think any transfer activity will happen during the winter. Manchester United don't really need anybody, except in my opinion a striker. ManUtd were fortunate that Carlos Tevez only suffered a bruised ankle. United don't have sufficient depth in the striker department; Louis Saha, who we now is prone to injury would not be a reliable back-up, however when he is fit, he can certainly score goals. ManUtd would be better off investing in a striker during the window.

Bruised Ankle For Tevez

Manchester United have revealed that Tevez has not broken any bones after being carried away during United's 1-0 win over Birmingham. Tevez is not expected to feature in Saturday's FA tie with Aston Villa, however Rooney seems set to return to action after recovering from a virus.

Paul Scholes and Gary Neville are continuing their rehabilitation from long-term injury. Scholes is set for a return in mid-February. While Neville needs to get some games under his belt. Neville has not played since March, although he is training with the team.

Welcome everybody!

ManUtd Corner is the place to come if you are a die hard Manchester United fan or just a fan of football. You will be kept up to date with most of the news, transfer rumors and matches. Manchester United is the main focus here but you will also hear about other footballing topics too, along with my views.

I will try to update ManUtd Corner as often as possible and i will do my best to do so. I hope u enjoy ManUtd Corner, the place for true ManUtd fans! or regular footie fans:)