UCL 2012 /2013 Draw

Which Teams Await Man United

The lineup for the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage is complete and will feature an impressive 12 previous winners of Europe's premier club competition as well as three teams making their debut in this phase.

Eleven of the past champions were among the 22 automatic entrants, a number which was subsequently swelled by the progress of Celtic FC through one of this week's ten play-offs. For the draw, which takes place from 17.45CET on Thursday at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum, the 32 entrants have been split into four seeding pots (based on club coefficients), with each of the groups to contain one team from each tier. http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague

Pot 1	Chelsea, Barcelona, United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Porto, AC Milan
Pot 2	Valencia, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, Schalke, Manchester City, Braga, Dynamo Kyiv
Pot 3	Ajax, Anderlecht, Juventus, PSG, Olympiacos, Lille, Galatasaray, Spartak Moscow
Pot 4	Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, BATE Borisov, Dinamo Zagreb, Malaga, Montpellier, Nordsjælland, CFR Cluj

Looking at the pots Man United already avoided the big guns as all in the same Pot 1. In the second Pot there is Manchester City but UEFA rules stipulate teams from the same association can’t be drawn against each other in the group stages. So Man United will not be the same group with Manchester City. But Man United always been drawn with Valencia and Benfica. Both very good teams especially Benfica who outclassed Man United last season.

In Pot 3 there are two former champions in Ajax and Juventus. Both very experience in the campaign. There is also big-money spenders Paris Saint Germain. They had slow start in domestic league but still a very good team. Pot 3 the team that Man United had to avoid is only the German Champion, Borussia Dortmund. Other team should be easy although do not mean a mere pushover.

 

Man United Fails To Sign Dembele

Last Minute Bid By Manchester United

29 August 2012

http://www.soccersweep.com

Manchester United last night failed in an eleventh hour bid for Fulham’s supremely talented Moussa Dembele. The Belgian, who ripped Manchester United to pieces at times at the weekend, was the subject of a late bid from Sir Alex Ferguson. Alas, Tottenham offered more, and have all but sealed the deal.

The Guardian reports today that while Manchester United came in for the player, Tottenham clearly wanted him that much more and that the deal is now pretty much done.

Anyone who saw Dembele’s performance against Manchester United at the weekend would have wanted to sign the player for their club there and then. On a pitch full of superstars, Dembele probably shone the brightest of all. Time and again he picked the ball up and simply glided through allcomers. His pace, dribbling ability and shooting quality, combined with a superb physique make him one of the rarest creatures in the league.

We at soccersweep believe that, despite having done some excellent business this summer, Manchester United will live to regret not signing Moussa Dembele when they had the chance at £15m. If he keeps performing like this, that price tag will seem like peanuts in a year.

Before The Window Closes

Probable In And Out

OUT

Nani - Made a mistake when asking for more higher deal. The Portuguese said to be regret about it and been asking lower wages as he really loved Man United. However the club said already made their mind to sell. Maybe the club was taken aback by Nani action. But another reason to sell due to Nani inconsistency. Sometimes like to showboating and always went for self glory when he had better option.

Nani made impact on Man United performance. He recorded many assists and scored many crucial goals. Technically gifted and super high confidence. Zenit St Petersburg said very interested had declared publicly they will try to sign the winger that been rated £25 million.

Berbatov - Surely going out. Many clubs interested to sign him. Man United said only interested to talk to bidders that meet £5 million asking price. It was reported that Fiorentina have offered £5 million for the striker. While according to a British paper Berbatov is set to complete a move to Italian club Fiorentina in the next couple of days.

So all the best King Berba. I really this guy. A player at his own class.

Macheda - The forgotten hero. Macheda failed to live up the bill as new Man United superstar. After series of saviour for Man United he somehow had dipped  in form. Man United loaned him to give the opportunities to play more and gain experience but he had disappointing spells at Sampdoria and QPR. Though had lively and impressive pre season tour, the arrival of RVP surely made his live tougher.

Bebe - Unnoticed player. Bebe raise an eyebrown when Sir Alex Ferguson signed him.  Very unknown player in Portugal before joining Man United. Also had impressive pre season tournament but looking the pecking order - RVP, Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez, maybe Macheda infront of him, very impossible for him to have first team call.

IN

Moussa Dembele -After all the big signings, what Man United needed right now is a strong commanding figure in midfield. Like Gerrard for Liverpool and Lampard for Chelski. After the game against Fulham I really hope that Sir Alex will sign Moussa Dembele.In that game Moussa Dembele completed 49 out of 50 passes, as well as completing 9 dribbles (Manchester United completed 8 dribbles collectively). So far this season he has completed the most dribbles in the Premier League (12).  I believed the statistic had proved my case. Yes he is an attacker but I believed he much better as midfielder.

However there was report claiming that Tottenham had already offered £15 million where Fulham said had accepted it. The rumour mills said it was matter of time before Dembele will be played under AVB. Hope this is not true. Man United should act quickly to sign this talented Belgium.

Niolas Gaitan - The saga continues. Another big names that related to Man United transfer but nothing happen. But latest report in Portugal said that 'Manchester United agree a deal to sign Benfica's Nicolas Gaitan for £20m plus Fabio and Federico Macheda'.

After all the hype, the deal suddenly collapsed. Not sure what reignited the story. After all Sir Alex already claimed that no more signing.

BPL Matchday 2 Results

Saturday 25 August 2012
Chelsea	2 - 0	Newcastle
Aston Villa	1 - 3	Everton
Man Utd	3-2	Fulham
Norwich	1 - 1	QPR
Southampton	0 - 2	Wigan
Tottenham	1 - 1	West Brom
Swansea	3 - 0	West Ham
Sunday 26 August 2012
Liverpool	2 - 2	Man City
Stoke	0 - 0	Arsenal

Man United 3-2 Fulham

Not A Response Wanted After Losing Opening Game

Man United went into this game to amend to their sluggish game against Everton. A win was much needed to bring back all the confidence that shattered after losing an opening game.

RVP was named in the starting line up. Just behind him was another new boy, Kagawa. The Japanese star play a link up between RVP and the midfielders. Valencia was back at his favourite place as right winger. Young  was preferred on the left wing. Nani was dropped and not even in the bench. Cleverley and Anderson in the midfield. The backfour were Evra-Vidic-Carrick - Rafael.

However Fulham gave Man United an early shock when they scored in second minute through Damien Duff. But Man United new boy RVP gave Man United a relief with well taken goal. A typical RVP goal that showcase his technical shooting ability. The equalizer gave Man United more control and confident. Then Kagawa also scored his home debut like RVP for Man United second. Then before half time Rafael scored the third.

Fulham then gave a nervy game towards the end when they scored their second courtesy Vidic own goal after miscommunication between Man United skipper with De Gea.

This game should be the game where Man United showed their ruthless with no mercy against the opponent. Many wanted to see the partnership in Man United strike force. Rooney- RVP should strike any fear to any defence. However Rooney was dropped while RVP was given the home debut from the starting line up. To make thing worst Rooney was taken out on stretcher  after suffering a nasty gash on his thigh. Ronney said to be out for four weeks.

This game also showed that Man United missed an enforcer in the midfield. A Keano type of player the run all over pitch that could win the ball. Again Man United was terrorized by a big and powerful Belgium. Moussa Dembele was so impressive in this game. With help from Diarra he won the midfield with ease. Kagawa, Cleverley and Anderson had hard time with this talented Belgium. He skipped Man United players with ease. He could run 50 yards unstoppable. He has showed why big teams interested with him. Man United should sign him if the need the real enforcer in the midfield. He played more attacking role sometimes as a striker but I believed he much better as midfielder. Sir Alex had transformed Scholes who started as striker to be the best midfielder that England ever had. Now a living legend.

Man United had to step up. With RVP started to score Man United had no reason not to regain the title.

BPL Matchday 1

Saturday 18 August 2012
Newcastle	2-1	Tottenham
Arsenal	0-0	Sunderland
Fulham	5-0	Norwich
QPR	0-5	Swansea
Reading	1-1	Stoke
West Brom	3-0	Liverpool
West Ham	1-0	Aston Villa
Sunday 19 August 2012
Man City	3-2	Southampton
Wigan	0-2	Chelsea
Monday 20 August 2012
Everton	1-0	Man Utd

Everton 1-0 Man United

Man United First Game Defeat in Eight Years

After warning other teams by massive signings Man United suffered the shocked defeat at Goodison Park. David Moyes team always proved to be difficult to beat for Man United. For sure Marouane Fellaini is the one man that put Man United in disarray. It was the Belgium header that gave Everton all three points.

Man United started again with crippled team especially in at defence. Micheal Carrick was the central defender together with fit again Nemanja Vidic. While Antonio Valencia was drafted as the rightback. The makeshift back four though not for the first time was not up to the task.

Well RVP made his debut by coming from the bench. It was not a dream debut. Losing a first game was not end of the campaign but surely shattered some confidence. But Man United is big team with long season awaits they sure back at their usual best. 

Confirm! Man United Set To Sign RVP

Man United and Arsenal Agree On RVP Transfer

Man United and also Arsenal  yestarday had announced to their fans via their official website that RVP deal is done. Man United will only had to wait for the formality of medical exam to confirm RVP as their player. Deal said to cost Man United £24million. RVP said will get £200,000 a week at Old Trafford.

Henriquez For Red & Rodwell For Blue

It was reported that Man United will sign Angelo Henriquez, a Chilean striker from Universidad de Chile. The 18 years Chilean was said to pass medical examination two days ago. Reports also revealed that the transfer will cost in the region of £4million.

The youngster is the latest signing by Sir Alex after Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell. He had scored 11 goals in 17 league games in 2012, his breakthrough year, helping Universidad to the title.

However I little bit disillusioned when reports said that Jack Rodwell had signed for Manchester City. The noisy neighbors had paid £12million to Everton for the signature of this 21 years player. I really like Rodwell. He is real midfielder although he could play at defend. He is very energetic, confident and intelligent. He showed that he could be the England midfield powerhouse in the game against Sweden last year.

He was always been touted to be the next big thing in English football.  Another great product of the famous Everton’s academy, he made history when becoming the youngest Everton player to play in European game in December 2007.

I believed he would be very great addition to Man United. If he clique well with Cleverley, both could be the maestro of midfield for Man United and England, like Xavi and Ineasta did.  It was sad the Manchester City managed to prize him away. Sir Alex already made few attempts to bring him to Old Trafford but no avail.

However I believed he will have a hard time to establish himself at the Etihad. He is very top talent but there are few big names he had to dislodge to claim place at starting lineup. Yaya Toure is the automatic choice. It will hard to left Samir Nasri and David Silva. Gareth Barry who also England international is also very good player. So Rodwell almost certain to start from the bench. Only there were injuries than he could play from the start. A player like him had to play regularly. Lack of match practice will jeopardize his England chances.

So he have to prove himself or his talent just a waste.

Man United Shares Lower

Man Utd share value 'could plunge'

13 August 2012

http://bleacherreport.com

Manchester United shares are worth less than a quarter of the amount the Glazers had hoped to raise, according a leading business company.

PrivCo, an independent financial analyst, said United's stock price could plummet further - and gave the shares a value that would mean the club is worth less now than when the Glazers bought it in 2005.

The Glazers floated 10% of shares in the club on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, looking for a maximum price of $20 a share.

United's current share price is $14, but millions of shares have been bought by the seven banks underwriting the IPO, and PrivCo calculated their true value is just $4.97 each - giving United a value of around $800 million rather than the $3.3 billion the American family had wanted.

The Glazers paid just under £800 million to complete their takeover in 2005.

"Manchester United's valuation using several accurate valuation methodologies is a mere $4.97 a share, only about one-third of its $14 a share offering price (which is also the price at which it closed its first trading day, but only because IPO underwriters placed large open-market bids at $14 a share to prevent the stock from closing below the IPO price)," PrivCo said.

The company compared United with other publicly-listed football clubs including Juventus, Roma and Borussia Dortmund, and recent takeovers of other sports clubs or franchises, including Liverpool, LA Dodgers and Boston Celtics, and predicted that the club will emulate Facebook, whose share price also plunged quickly.

"The objective, independent valuation indicates that MANU stock could plunge by nearly two-thirds of its IPO price before it reaches fair value," PrivCo explained.

"Furthermore, PrivCo data shows the implications of other recent IPOs where IPO underwriters were forced to make 'stabilising bids' on the first day's trading correlated with rapid plunge in stock prices as soon as the ephemeral artificial floor propping up price in initial days is removed, and how this augurs poorly for Manchester United's public shareholders."

SAF Fails To Sign Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura Chose PSG

The news already circulated all over that Man United had failed to sign the talented young Brazilian. Lucas Moura had chose PSG that cost the French outfit to fork out £45 million for his signature. The reasons that been stated were Lucas Moura was very interested with PSG project (sound like Eden Hazard as the Belgium like Chelski project), Leonardo – the PSG Sporting Director who also a Brazilian and Paris life is much interesting from Manchester.

I don’t know about how things at Manchester as I never been there. May be it not the same as London. Being the capital city of England and United Kingdom, London must be more happening than Manchester although maybe not by far. As the largest metropolitan area in UK, London could offer almost everything.

I mentioning this as I believed there were few players that Man United tried to sign had rejected the offer and opted Chelski instead had given the reason that London is much interesting place.

The same thing as Paris might be more interesting place than Manchester. However failing to sign Lucas Moura had added to the list of talented players that Sir Alex missed out. Before this he failed to sign Eden Hazard. Another big names that he failed to sign among others were Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Ronaldinho. He even failed to land Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Pep Guardiola in the past. He missed all the big names but that not stop him to build a strong and respectable squad.

He was angry as the deal was off. After losing Hazard to Chelski he had right to be angry. But this is not the end of the world. He is capable to find decent players then turned them to world beater like Ronaldo, Solskjaer, Scholes, Giggs and Vidic.

So we missed out Moura..not big deal.

Man United Debut On NYSE - Today

Manchester United slash share price before debut on New York Exchange

• Price cut to $14 after negative comments from analysts

• United still the world's most valuable club at $2.3bn

10 August 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Manchester United have slashed the price of their shares ahead of their debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday.

The club had been set to sell their shares for between $16-$20 (£10.20-£12.80) a share but cut them to $14 late on Thursday following negative comments from Wall Street analysts and Facebook's disappointing stock market debut in May.

Even after the cut United will be valued at $2.3bn (£1.5bn) making them the most valuable football club in the world. Real Madrid, their closest rivals in financial terms, are valued at $1.88bn, according to an annual ranking by Forbes magazine.

The shares are being sold by the Glazer family, a US-family who made their fortune with shopping malls and trailer parks and also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Glazers bought United in 2005 for about £800m. They are selling 16.7m shares, equal to a 10% stake, and will raise about $330m. The family will net about about £90m from the flotation.

The club claim a global fan base of about 660m and have won a record 19 league titles. Their share sale will be the largest sports listing on record, surpassing World Wrestling Federation's $190m IPO in 1999, according to Thomson Reuters.

It will also be the most high-profile since Facebook's ill-fated debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in May. The social network's much hyped share sale proved a bust and shares initially sold at $38 are now worth $20.

Wall Street analysts have warned they believe United's sale too could be a disappointment. "I'm calling this son of Facebook," said David Menlow, president of the research firm IPOfinancial.com.

He said too little of the money being raised looked like it was going to be invested in the club, the club had too many debts and it was not clear how they intended to grow as a business.

"Sports franchises have this emotional flourish, then everybody wakes up and wonders, 'Do I really want to own this?'" he said.

Sam Hamadeh, founder New York-based analyst PrivCo, called United "a collectible not an investment". "This is one for the rabid fan," he said.

This is the Glazer family's third attempt at a share sale having previously scrapped efforts to sell shares on exchanges in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Those sales failed as investors balked at United's proposed dual class share structure. Under the US listing the family will retain control of the club through class B shares that have 10 times more voting power than the publicly traded class A shares.

The company is also taking advantage of recently introduced US laws that limit the financial disclosures it must make. United is raising capital as an "emerging growth" company under president Barack Obama's recently passed Jumpstart Our Business Startups, or Jobs Act.

The move means United will not be required to file quarterly reports or be subject to the same level of financial scrutiny as other US-listed firms for five years.

Some of the proceeds from the sale are expected to be used to pay down some of the 134-year-old club's debt, which was last reported to be around £423m. But the Glazer family had originally claimed all the proceeds would go towards United's debt, angering some fans.

A leading fans group has called for a boycott of the club's sponsors in protest at the terms of the share sale.

A statement from the Manchester United Supporters Trust (Must) read: "The Manchester United Supporters Trust has today called for a worldwide boycott of Manchester United sponsors' products, with support across the UK, Europe, Asia and the US. The boycott strategy is intended to send a loud and clear message to the Glazer family and club sponsors that, without the support and purchasing power of the fans, the global strength of the Manchester United brand doesn't actually exist."

Avoid To Buy These Cars

5 new cars to avoid: Consumer Reports

8 August 2012

http://www.cbsnews.com

(MoneyWatch) Consumer Reports has picked popular new cars it cautions shoppers to avoid because of poor test drive results or subpar reliability. And the list contains some surprises: The Honda Civic and Prius C small hybrid.

Traditionally, Toyota and Honda vehicles have scored well with CR's test drivers and in reliability and usually have been recommended. But the testers this time found a lot to dislike with the Civic and Prius C. The rest of the top five models to avoid are more typical of past CR lists: The Jeep Liberty, Ford Edge and Dodge Grand Caravan minivan.

Here is a more detailed look at CR's critiques of these five models:

1) Honda Civic 

While conceding that the Civic remains reliable with good gas mileage, CR test drivers criticized Honda's 2012 redesign. "The current model suffers from a choppy ride, noisy cabin, vague steering and mediocre interior quality," they say in the September issue of the magazine, also available on the magazine website to subscribers. The magazine recommends as compact car alternatives the Subaru Impreza, Hyundai Elantra and Mazda3.

2) Toyota Prius C 

Starting at $19,564 and with mileage ratings of 53 MPG in city driving and 46 on the highway, this smaller extension of the Prius family has been a sales success for Toyota after its introduction this year. CR continues to recommend the full-size Prius but says that in the C "all-around quality really drops." The magazine criticizes a stiff ride, noisy cabin and slow acceleration. The Honda Fit is cited as a good alternative.

3) Jeep Liberty 

While acknowledging superior off-road performance typical of Jeeps, CR testers liked the Liberty a lot less when it drove out of the woods and onto the road. "On pavement the its ride is unsettled and handling clumsy," they said. "The interior is cramped and cheap-feeling and the engine is noisy and thirsty." They suggest the Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester as alternatives.

4) Ford Edge 

The unusual boxy styling and grooved sides have their partisans among Edge owners. But CR says the styling doesn't offset the disadvantages of the Edge. They cite a jittery ride, pronounced road noise and distracting controls. The CR testers give another whack here to the MyFordTouch infotainment system, which they have consistently criticized (as have many Ford owners). They suggest as alternatives the Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano and Mazda CX-9.

5) Dodge Grand Caravan 

Chrysler Group, parent of Dodge, invented the minivan and still sells a lot of them. In this case, the test drive is not the problem, with the magazine describing the vehicle as versatile, quiet, comfortable and well-equipped. Instead, it is all about reliability. CR's survey of owners turned up reports of squeaks and rattles, loose interior trim and problems with power equipment and sliding doors. CR suggests the Toyota Sienna as a more reliable minivan alternative.

Consumer Reports (CR) is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. The organization was founded in 1936 when advertising first flooded the mass media. Consumers lacked a reliable source of information they could depend on to help them distinguish hype from fact and good products from bad ones. Since then CR has filled that vacuum with a broad range of consumer information. To maintain its independence and impartiality, CR accepts no outside advertising and no free samples and employs several hundred mystery shoppers and technical experts to buy and test the products it evaluates.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/aboutus/mission/overview/index.htm