Players, like fans, have plenty of pre-match rituals which they believe have the power to make the difference between winning or losing games.
I know someone who looks away for every kick-off, believing that will give their team the luck they need. Others have special pants or socks which apparently provide the players that extra boost on the pitch.
Speaking with the official site, Phil Jones has revealed a bizarre superstition involving his left and right, based on whether the game he is about to play is home or away.
“This sounds really stupid… but it depends on whether we’re home or away,” he said. “The fixtures list United on the left when we’re at home and on the right when we’re away. So this weekend I’ll put my right sock on first because it will be Swansea v United. Next week, if I play against Benfica at Old Trafford, I’ll put my left sock on. I also don’t like stepping on white lines on the pitch. And when I do cross a white line then I’ll take the first step with the foot that corresponds to whether we’re home or away. This will sound proper over-the-top, but you know when you go to a hotel room and there are two towels hanging down? When I was on international duty last week, I picked the towel on the left because we were at home against Spain. I know it’s weird but I can’t help myself. Nobody knows about it so nobody has ever noticed… although I guess the secret’s out now.”
Man Utd News 24/7
i love this player
i believe he should eat pineapples before every match, as the chinese says eat Pineapple for Good luck! Pineapple in Hokkien Chinese is ONG LAI => Prosperity !!!
Which way did he go for the City game? Bloody jinx!
another england hope in euro 2012 am afraid,the next duncard edward,franco baresi,fernando hierro,lol.
Tinge of obsessive compulsive disorder, geddin Jonesy..
nutter!!!!
“I also don’t like stepping on white lines on the pitch. And when I do cross a white line then I’ll take the first step with the foot that corresponds to whether we’re home or away.”
erm Phil lad, please don’t be thinking about your feet touching lines and which foot needs to go first when Messi is bearing down on you in the CL final this year or anyone else in any other game for that matter!
LMAO JONESY IS TOO FUNNY!!! LOVE THIS GUY!!!! must play against swansea from the start.
erm weirdo!, as long as he produces im fine with it
Jones may end up being even more utility man than Oshea
as an ice hockey goalie i know all about superstitions, do the same warmup everytime i play, i have to tap both posts with my stick at least twice, and anytime i let in a goal i tap the ice off my stick by tapping both posts then slapping it against my leg pads
Bring on tha weekend
DeGea
Jones/Smalling/Evans/Fabio
Nani/Anderson/Cleverley/Young
Rooney Hernandez
Bench
Anders/Rafael/Vidic/Welbeck/Pogba/Fryers/Morrison
Whatever works for you boy. Careful not to lose your form even for a run of 4-5 games. Ask Evans what happens then..
Best one is Rio’s. Always jumps up and brings his knees to his chest when he runs on the pitch.
willie – He didnt play against City mate so his ritual went out the window!!
Looking forward to reserve game tonight against Wigan. Hoping Ravel gets a game instead of warming bench.
@King Eric
Hello, welcome back!! Ravel, Rafael, Gibson all are in the starting line up.
Reserve team v Wigan: Amos, R.Silva, Vermijl, Gibson, M. Keane, Fryers, Pogba, Petrucci, W.Keane, Morrison, Lingard.
Nice one Costas
My superstition is that I go to sleep in the afternoon when we play at O.T. and stay awake in the afternoon washing my car and my quad byke when we play away. That’s what I’m going to do this coming Saturday afternoon
COME ON UNITED !!!!!!
Greetings KIng Eric. I’ve noticed Rio jumping up and bringing his knees to his chest as he comes out. Clearly the reason he’s had so many back problems, so that one’s working well !
I’m superstition free, just rational to my bootstraps. That’s why I always use my United bowl for grapefruit or pineapple for breakfast on match days , together with green tea & mint in one of my many United mugs. You think this is irrational? How else do you think we have won 19 titles? Answer me that. See, you can’t.
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1465402_video-sepp-blatter-clashes-with-rio-ferdinand-on-twitter-over-fifa-racism-row
Off topic
Rio clashes with Blatter on twitter. You can read the article but an advert is in the way on the left, on mine anyway, I pressed it and it disappeard ,theres a video and at the bottom is Rio’s and Blatter’s replies.
I have a few !
- I avoid BBC live scores during 3:00 pm kick off.
- On early Lunch time kick offs, I use a different TV to the normal one I use for CL and afternoon kick off
- I whisper very silently during 0-0 scorelines, “C’mon God, one goal, one goal is all I want”, My lips barely move.
In a real match, sunday league;
- I walk to the dressing room from my house in shin pads, then take them off, put long socks on and put them back on again for the match.
- I hug my favourite team mates passionatly before the kick off.
- I play with my balls,shorts, tuck the front of the shirt into the shorts and leave the back out.
.
Thought I’d share…. The last one I always get told off for, apparently touching your balls then Hi-5ing team mates is disgusting and hygenic.
I’ve no time for twitter, but good on our Rio!
I tend to thump my shirt Utd badge 3 times before kick off. Didn’t work against shitty but we havn’t lost many either I’ll keep doing it just incase it helps
I never bet on matchday, the last and only time I did we lost to Chelsea 1-2.
Clint-iamyourpapil
On the other thread. Your Hidious comment about Ashley Youngs girlfriend had me in stitches. Not that I’ve seen her its the way you just randomly put it in there. still laughing, great humour.
@Willie
I don’t do Twitter either but I’ve been told Rio is Brilliant.
Best mate at University said he never chokes the chicken a full 24 hours before the match, roared with laughter when he first told me. Called him up when we lost to city 6-1. i said “fucking hell mate, how much wanking have you up to the past week?”
@Amar You’re right.
James21 – Thanks mate
Thought I’d bring some humour, the race row was a bit too serious and could hav e easily escalated in to stupid offensive comments, things needed cooling down.
Lads on a serious note – who fit and who not? Forgot all about our injury problems. Im expecting a strong line up for our toughie up in swans-pee.
DDG
Fabio Rio Vida Pat Rice
Nani Carrick Cleverley Park
Rooney Welbeck
Slim
I shit you not, I used to be the same but after getting beat one week (think it was Liverpool) I thought fuck it?! Not too many now, but realised after the Sunderland game that ever since we started parking in Trafford park instead of Stretford (easier to get to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand) we’ve started playing shit?! We now try different turnstiles and combinations of who walks in first!! I’ll get back to you after Benfica game to see if our new combos worked!
I wear 1 scarf for a routine match and 2 for more hardcore games. Whatever I’m doing when we score, I have to keep repeating to make us score again
My son and partner always have to take Double Deckers to the game – they can’t stand them but that was the only chocolate available on the day that started the 18 game unbeaten run
Hilarious share by Jones, I have the weirdest pre match ritual, one that I can never share….. works most of the time. Messed it up before the game against the bitters, THAT is why we lost! bugger hahaha
Mikekelly12
haha i was sure someone here would be the same.
Cedars
Mate, you must have messed up BIG!!
Phil Jones, a nutter. But he is our bleeding nutter and make no mistake!
Kind of think it is a cold calculation. Sure it is…….Have the opposition trippin’ over themselves trying to wrong food our Jonesy. After the game you hear em screaming “GET THE F*** OUT OF MY HEAD MR JONES!!!
Off topic: Selection for Swansea away: Thought Danny was injured, sent home early from england.?!
Mike
I DID!
I remember during my OT days I had that old fashioned scarf with just red, white and black stripes, (still have it by the way) whenever I had it tied around my neck we did well, whenever it was loose over my chest we lost! bizarre
***wrong foot***** Ha ha, sometimes the typos make it even funnier!
Barca? Brazil? na fuck that shit, this is our winning goal away in Kuwait last week, before beating the Koreans…. By the way I do not any of our players or their names! hahaha An all of a sudden glory hunter!!! hahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37oiEu6389c
OFF topic: BlatterOut campaign is gaining steam and reports are that it is getting going in France.
Former red Andy Cole has an interesting piece in the National just out. Brings it home with some stories from United which will have a few people having a rethink. Worth the wait for the pop up add while going to page 2.
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/sport-comment/blatter-must-quit-fifa-role
Morrison scores!!
jim – Cheers mate. Gibbo? Bloody hell. Forgot about him. Great news that Ravel and Rafael playing.
Giles – Hello my friend. Hope you are feeling better than the last time you commented. Ha. So you have noticed Rio do that as well!!
Great work by Morrison for the goal, Gibson with the assist i think.
@King Eric
Cheers.
I used to ALWAYS wear my black 94 Sharpviewcam shirt under a jumper . It served me pretty well. That is until the Champions League Final at Wembley. Never wore it since. I try and avoid any superstitions now. They just don’t work!!
FletchTHEMAN – I’ll sign any petition that gets the fat bloated cunt out of football. He’s a disgrace. Shake hands and walk away? Shake this, ya cunt! Sorry for the language lol. I hate that man with a passion.
@James21
Twitter does have it’s advantages. Like team news on match days. Costas, and a few others keep the rest of us up to date lol.
jim – Scored already. That kid is top drawer. Right off home to watch it now.
Fletch – Hi pal. Think Danny was just sent back to United as a precaution. Nowt serious.
King Eric
Hahaha, nice one pal! Course they do not work, just adds to the fun my good friend. Hope the Mrs is coping…. Remember them foot massages buddy
Evening darling
ma
You look stunning today
ma
Any chance we could hook up, you know err
ma
Leeds fan chatting up a sheep just behind Elland Road
FREAK!
Top bloke though
Well done United Reserves, 4-1 to Wigan.
Morrison put in 2 and Petrucci and Fryers finished it off.
Petrucci had a screamer for 3-0. Scholes would have been proud, make no mistake.
Wigan pulled one back late to give the score line an honest look.
Good post match interview with Davide Petrucci. Commenting on how tough its been being out for 2 years with the injury. Well done to him, still young but long time out.
King Eric (the real one) on MUTV right now. Doing the hobo parisian look proud
Wow, some strange things Jonesy!!!
My main superstition is, on the day of the game I never wear anything blue coloured in my outfit, not even slight shade of blue! Works most of the time
I used to have a horseshoe money clip I was convinced brought me luck and being a gambler always been superstitious.I have a George Best legend shirt and used to save it for the big games but after getting knocked out of the CL by Bayern like King Eric realized its all bollocks
Here is a link to the goals from the reserves game
http://thebusbyway.com/2011/11/17/video-morrison-grabs-a-brace-as-reserves-beat-wigan-4-1/
#1 from Ravel and #3 from Davide are the really special ones.
Fryers and co were fantastic tonight. Word of caution though if people are divided about Berba,prepare for more of the same with Pogba. Talented the boy is but still a way to go. No reason him , Fryers , Ravel and the keane brothers can’t feature but with pogba particularly he still on the learning curve and patience and a lot of crossed fingers for the lad is needed. I was hoping he’d be showing more and breathing down heavily on SAF’s neck. As it is he s “whispering into his ear”. All in all good crop of lads we’ve got and i hope at least one of them makes the bench against Swansea, pity we’re playing away, nevertheless, they wouldn’t look out of place. Ravel just doesn’t give a hoot about fuck all, just wants to get the ball and take people on, very Un-English if i may say so. Giggsy was the last player we’ve had who used to do the same over the years. Good to see. Even better seeing Scholes out there with Joyce
slim. were you at the game? Petrucci looked good on the MUTV feed, but not clear how fit he was from my perch. That goal was a beauty eh! Just hope he gets back on track after so long out. Good to see Gibbo controlling the midfield. Amos not called on for much but had a great save late on that could have made it 4-2.
Really interesting in peoples thoughts on Petrucci though. Kid has been through a grinder.
Cheers
slim
Cheers for the insight, have no access to the reserves these days, except for RoM! Thanks buddy
FletchTHEMAN – thanks for the link. Some nice goals there.
Thank fuck Im not the only one. Ive had all sorts of people on here that have called me a looney, nutter, psycho and should be checked out but atleast now I can hold my head up in this bitter world knowing Im not alone with my strange hangups.
I always rub my privates with marmite so I look bigger in the showers after a match with the lads, receiving admiration for my black mans todger and this goes to represent the insecurities I have with my wife, then my girlfriend it seems. I could never work out why my son is black and why everyone was looking at me strange. Theyre doing it now. It was the marmite – whos the daddy, yeah thats right, me, Im the winner. All of yous out there are the loosers. Me a fekkin psycho, maybe you should look in the mirror, thats right, Im behind you with my insulation knife, hairs on the back of your neck stand up, eh! thats right whos undoing your belt buckle thats right – whos your daddy. Now look in the mirror and watch your cum face. Thats it, someones been in here before me,
And then I wake up, if I dont have that dream then United dont win, its only not been true once. I then go down stairs have scrambled egg on toast, listen to my Jethro Tull CD and head to the footy pitch to play with my mates.
Hoo hum!
Really hope Davide Petrucci gets some minutes with the seniors this year. Wonderful kid and such bad luck with the injury. Deserves another chance.
Cricky, the goals are now up on a new thread. See yus lads over there!
CedarsDevil
sure, but i’d probably wait for a more detailed analysis of the match. can be terrible atimes. KE said he was going to see the game as well and his analysis of the reserves is usually spot on
slim
Ya KE always gives a great insight on the reserves… Trust his analysis more than manutd.com to be honest!
I hi 5 the united badge at my block exit ht and ft can’t help it just happens
He’s left, he’s right.
He’s a nutter all right.
Phil Jones. Phil Jones.
de gea
rafael smalling jones fabio
pogba cleverly
nani morrison young
rooney
now thats some team… wish to see this soon..
Michael Jordan used to wear his Tar Heel’s shorts underneath his Bulls’ shorts during every game. Always thought that taking on that extra weight kinda defeated the whole purpose of “flying”!
Most geniuses are obsessively compulsive. You go ahead and be as nutty as you want, Phil! You rock!
oh my, rolling on the floor laughing now. Jones, you have some massive OCD there.
He’s OCD like me!!! Love this guy