As the Champions of Europe, United are obligated to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, which we have won before in 1999, meaning we’ll have even more games in hand on the teams above us in the table.
United have played their last Premiership match until Boxing Day, with the lads set for Japan for their first game on December 18th. We will take on Gamba Osaka, the winners of this years Asian Football Club Champions League, before facing Pachuca (Mexican club which were crowned the greatest side in North and Central America) or LDU Quito (club from Ecuador who beat Brazilian Fluminense to win the Copa Libertadores this year).
Paul Scholes is just one of many who aren’t overly won over by this tournament, but is there anything positive about it?
If we make the final, we’ll earn ourselves close to £2.7 million, and if we win, the prize is £3.4 million, which is better than a smack in the gob.
“It’s a big club competition and we want to win,” said Scholes. “But obviously, we’d probably rather be here, playing our league game and not have so many fixtures in January like we’ve got. It’s one of those things. We managed to win the European Cup last year and sometimes afterwards you have to do things maybe you don’t want to do.”
What do you think of this tournament?
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I can see this being a good thing if it goes well, maybe we’ll see the other top 3 drop points while we’re away and it’ll ease the pressure of our players but if they win every game I think the pressure could prove too much. We really are lacking a killer instinct in front of goal and it’s sooo annoying!! As like on the old football manager “where’s the passion lads?”.
haha…more like we should tell scholesy- ” you can make the difference here” . reaction – morale boost , looked delighted , inspired to a better performance .
sigh , if only life was as simple as football manager!
I think the real reason why Scholesy is saying this is purely coz he does not like to be away from his family…
See Scholesy a lot of times in town, as he lives in Oldham, and always got his family with him… its the reason why he quit the Internation stage…
I cant blame him in sense.. what ya gotta think, is that Scholesy is probably gonna get about 20-30 minutes playing time out there in Japan.. and he is thinkin “Is it worth me goin all the way over to Japan, missing the run up to xmas from my kids for half an hours worth of footie”…
Cant blame him can ya ??
@ Failsworth Devil – I’d agree with that mate
I can relate to him because i also get easily homesick.It is true that our fixture list will get congested in January however we should be used to that.Every time we get to the League Cup semi finals we play 8-9 games in January.At least this time we play Derby and not Blackburn or Chelsea.I think that Japan might benefit the team as Brazil did in 2000.Now of course the lads won’t find the beaches they did in Rio,but the team desperately needs a chage in scenery.In the last coupla of games it seems to be running on empty.This will be like a mini pre season.I don’t expecte to see a different United against Stoke,but i believe that when Chelsea get to Old Trafford they will face a rejuvanated United.At least we know Scholesy will love to play that match!
spot on failsworth. I think it’s hard enough for him leaving greater manchester let alone england.
This really should not be a priority for us. Play the youngsters and players returning from injury (like Scholes), collect whatever money comes our way, return fresh and hungry and ready to attack on all fronts domestically and i Europe.
“Obligated”? I can only presume you’re typing the article out in MS Word, Scott!
Yes, it does fall at an awkward time of the year as regards our own season, but most top leagues in Europe function with Winter breaks and we should utilise this trip as our own (Winter break), taking it as an opportunity, as I’ve said in other threads, to let fringe players showcase their talents. Meanwhile, the 1st XI should make use of the journey abroad by building team morale (I’m sure the organisers have a long list of visits planned!). If a ‘strong’ team is sent out, I expect it’ll only be if we’re in the Final.
BTW, how the media laughed and/or criticised our highly publicised match in Saudi Arabia, yet what did we end up walking away with come the end of the season? …
can’t we just leave our best players at home and win it with the carling cup squad
On a different note what s this I here about the deal with the Serbian in Jan may be falling through as they can’t agree wages. is he another mercenary? I am getting sick of these fucking prima donnas trying to dictate to United what they should and shouldn’t be paid. It should be an honour for them to pull on the United shirt. not a case of we are honoured to have them play for us a la Ronaldo!
@ King Eric: This, from Sportbox;
Serbia winger Zoran Tosic has failed to agree terms on a contract with Manchester United.
Tosic, 21, was believed to be on the verge of joining the Red Devils from Partizan Belgrade and was granted a work permit to move to Old Trafford after United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made a personal plea at a hearing in Sheffield last month.
But after spending last week in Manchester, Tosic is reported to have turned down an offer from the Premier League and European champions.
However, the star of Serbia’s Under-23 squad at last summer’s Beijing Olympics is hopeful of reaching agreement with United.
“We agreed to stay in touch and I believe that everything will be fine in the end,” he said.
United are believed to have agree a £3million deal with Partizan Belgrade for the 12-times capped international winger.
maybe we can get into some form over there, give scholes a game and evra to keep him fit…not all bad
East Stand: What do you make of this ?
Would love to get Ashley Young but in view of the fact he has recently signed a 5 year deal can’t see it happening.
There serbian kid has only been offered £2500 a week… and is holding out for more… thats the only stumbling block… apparently we have offered him a salary of 175,00 euros a year.
^^^^£2,500 per week??/ Are you sure its not £25000??? If its really the former, then I can’t blame him for rejecting, thats awful.
@ King Eric: Personal terms are not always as simple as your Scholesies or Giggsies, especially with foreign players, so I expect this to carry on slowly (on the boil, so to speak) until the Transfer Window opens and, if its not resolved by then, we can dedicate our efforts to it and thrash out a deal over say 72 hours.
Can’t leave it too long though, otherwise the Russian Mafia will start with their ‘we saw him first’ lark …
BTW, £2500 is pretty poor, but then, what’s Danny Welbeck on?
Yeah since my last post I have since realised that he is “only” on £135,000 per YEAR so cant blame him really.
Go to Japan win the tourament and we can rightly say we are the best team in the world, Champions of England, Champions of Europe and then Champs of the World. Something that scum from Sh+tpool can’t say.
The team could then claim to be 2nd greatest English club team of all time after the 99 treble winners. F**k the unbeatables or any of the sh1tpool teams of the 70s. Stick their 18 and 5 where the sun don’t shine. I want us to win everything and god I want us to win in Japan. Then we can make a huge deal out of the fact that we are World Champions like we should have done in 99
King ERic LMAO!!!
top draw comment.
However I wont want him to go if we dont win anything REAL at the end of the summer cuz of this trip.
A trophy is a trophy…and to be world champions is smeything we cannot mock. I want us to go outthere not take it lightly and dismiss it ala the super cup…waste our time dent our confidence and come back with zilch having seen another team lift the trophy. Winning breeds that winning mentality. And id love it if we could seal our first trophy come the 21st