Fergie signs today
Alex Ferguson will sign his new Manchester United contract today. The deal sees the Old Trafford chief given a £1.5million-a-year pay rise. That puts him on £5m a season — and is designed to keep him at the club until at least the summer of 2006. An announcement will be made to the Stock Exchange by United this morning. But that is likely to trigger a call from horseracing tycoon John Magnier for an Emergency General Meeting.
Neil Custis, The Sun
Show us the Fergie deal, says Magnier
The terms of Sir Alex Ferguson´s proposed new £4million-a-year contract should be made public, say the men locked in dispute with the Manchester United manager. John Magnier not only wants the contract put on hold but has demanded to see the detail of the deal agreed with chief executive David Gill.
Steve Curry, Daily Mail

Euro offers just the job for Fergie
Sir Alex Ferguson has been handed a trump card in his increasingly hostile battle with John Magnier after three foreign clubs asked about his availability this summer. Inter Milan, Juventus and another unnamed European club have expressed an interest in taking on the Manchester United manager if he decides to walk away from Old Trafford. It is something the Scot could use in his favour as negotiations over a new deal continue against a backdrop of turmoil at Old Trafford.
Harry Harris, Daily Express

Fergie: Pick on me not United
Sir Alex Ferguson has launched a fierce attack on arch enemy John Magnier for putting Manchester United´s future at stake over their personal feud. United boss Fergie is incensed at Magnier´s decision to put Old Trafford´s stability at risk for the sake of settling their legal battle over champion racehorse Rock Of Gibraltar. Fergie believes Magnier has overstepped the mark by using his power as Old Trafford´s major shareholder to undermine and discredit the United boss. " They can attack me all they like, but I draw the line at them involving Manchester United," Ferguson told his inner circle.
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Freeze Rio´s cash
Sir Alex Ferguson has defied the latest attempts of the Coolmore Mafia to undermine him by insisting Rio Ferdinand will be paid throughout his eight-month FA suspension. Major United shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus intensified the pressure on their arch enemy by demanding to know why Ferdinand continued to be paid his £70,000-a-week wages while suspended for failing to take a drugs test. When asked whether Ferdinand would continue to be paid, Fergie said: " Of course, that´s never been an issue."
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Rio would go for free
John Magnier and JP McManus were left red-faced after demanding to know why Rio Ferdinand was still being paid by Manchester United. The Irish millionaires are cranking up their attack on Reds boss Alex Ferguson by asking 63 questions about business dealings at Old Trafford. One of the inquiries concerned England defender Ferdinand and why he is still picking up £70,000 a week despite serving an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test. As well as Fergie’s pledge to stand by his player, there is another simple explanation — if Ferdinand’s wages were stopped he would be entitled to a free transfer. Under FA rules, a player is entitled to his basic wage while under suspension.
Shaun Custis, The Sun

Alex is a rock
Arsene Wenger is backing old adversary Alex Ferguson to survive the biggest crisis of his managerial career. Wenger said: “I don’t think he will be forced out. To me he looks to have the support of the club. Look at what he has achieved for them. I think he will stay and the vibes coming out are that stability will prevail.” Then Wenger joked: “Do I feel sorry for him? Why, because he won’t get all his millions? All I can say is he doesn’t look like he is unhappy.”
Shaun Custis, The Sun

Bruce close to Butt deal
Nicky Butt has had a secret meeting with manager Steve Bruce about joining Birmingham City in a £5million deal. Manchester United´s transfer-seeking midfielder and his former team-mate had a lengthy discussion about the move. Birmingham hope Butt will give them an answer before the weekend.
Alan Nixon, Daily Mirror

il commence vraiment a faire chier ses irlandais de merde...

magnier est en train de tout faire pour bloquer le contrat que fergie doit signer aujourd´hui . ..

Trabelsi serait une recrue intéressate, on a pas enormément de defenseurs ^^ En plus il sera gratuit en juin...

oui mais si tous les grand clubs europeens sont dessus il ira ailleurs c´est toujours comme ca . donc ne comptons pas dessus

" Man Utd and Leeds settle on Rio"

Manchester United have agreed to give debt-ridden Leeds United a final payment of £1.5m for Rio Ferdinand.
The England defender, who is serving an eight-month ban, moved from Leeds to Old Trafford in July 2002 for £29.3m.

The majority of the fee was paid up front, but United still owed Leeds £3.25m which they agreed would be paid in instalments.

But Leeds have accepted the reduced amount to put towards the £5m they need to save the club from administration.

The Elland Road club, who are believed to have debts totalling £100m, have until 1700 GMT on Friday to try and find the money which would satisfy their creditors until the end of the season.

The money from Old Trafford will help ease that process as it should reach Leeds chiefs by Thursday.

The deal means Leeds have given up £1.75m on the transfer, which remains a British record fee.

United released a statement to the Stock Exchange to outline the proposed deal.

" Manchester United has agreed to pay to Leeds United FC, via the FAPL ( Premier League), £1.5m on Thursday," the statement read.

" It is a full and final settlement of the deferred conditional sums due on the Rio Ferdinand transfer totalling £3.25m.

" A levy of £75,000 is also payable to the FA Premier League."

=>On a gagné 1.75M£ dans l´histoire ^^

Alex Ferguson a signé une prolongation de contrat le liant avec Manchester United jusqu´au 30 juin 2006, annonce le club anglais était mis en cause par John Magnier et JP McManus, les principaux actionnaires de MU.

Angleterre: Wenger soutient Ferguson Le 28/01/2004 - 13:50
Alors que Sir Alex Ferguson, l´entraîneur-manageur de Manchester United, se retrouve aujourd´hui sur la sellette au sein même de son club, Arsène Wenger, son alter-ego d´Arsenal, avec lequel les relations n´ont pas toujours été au beau fixe par le passé, a apporté mercredi son soutien à Ferguson. Interrogé par la BBC, Wenger déclare: " Je ne pense pas qu´il sera contraint de s´en aller. Il semble avoir le soutien du club. ( ...) Eu égard à tout ce qu´il apporté à Manchester, je pense qu´il restera et il semble que la stabilité doit prévaloir.

Manchester United is delighted to announce the completion of formal negotiations with its manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who has today signed a new contract with the club.

Sir Alex’s current contract with Manchester United would have expired on 30th June 2005 and the new contract he has signed provides that from that date the contract will become an open-ended one-year rolling contract.

Manchester United’s Chief Executive, David Gill, said: “We came up with the idea for a one-year rolling contract when discussions first commenced in Summer 2003, because we believe it reflects our total confidence in the manager and also reduces speculation about his possible retirement date.

" Sir Alex considers this arrangement to offer distinct advantages over a long and fixed-term contract in that he feels it will keep him even more motivated every season and hungry for more success over the future years.

" His fantastic record with Manchester United speaks for itself and his appetite for the game and his desire to build a new generation of world-class players at Old Trafford is undiminished. He has the Board’s 100% support.”

“I´m very happy with the new contractual arrangements. It gives me strong focus on the short-term challenges as well as the long-term freedom to improve our current squad and win trophies. I am enjoying the job more than ever before."
Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex said: “I’m very happy with the new contractual arrangements. It gives me strong focus on the short-term challenges in the new season ahead as well as the long-term freedom to look to improve our current squad and to win trophies both domestically and in Europe. I believe we have a very strong squad with a nucleus of young and talented players as well as excellent prospects in our own Academy and that will give us an excellent foundation for success over future years.

" The Board and, in particular, Chief Executive David Gill have demonstrated their confidence in me and support for my decision making at every level. I am enjoying the job more than ever before and I hope I can reward that confidence on the pitch.”

Manchester United’s Chairman, Sir Roy Gardner, said: “Sir Alex Ferguson is already established as one the greatest football managers of all time. We are very lucky to have had his services for the last 17 years during which time he has been personally responsible for delivering unprecedented and unrivalled success to this club. We have every faith in him to carry on doing a great job for Manchester United. I have never worked with a man with so much energy and conviction and who commands so much respect from both footballers and from those who help run football across the world. I am personally delighted and proud that he has committed himself to our club for the future.”

Manchester United PLC
28 January, 2004

=>Voila il est sous contrat jusqu´en 2006 maitenant, reste à prolonger Ruud.

il etait cense siner pour 4 ans et il signe pour un . ..

triste monde

en tout cas il y en a un qu´on a bien fait de vendre c´est veron....

c´est un beau camouflet a ses irlandais a la con . .

ruud a toi maintenant . .

Van Nistelrooy ´set for deal´

Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is reportedly set to sign a new £90,000-a-week five-year deal.
The Dutch international striker was believed to be waiting for manager Sir Alex Ferguson to put pen to paper over his fresh contract.

And after Ferguson agreed new terms with United´s money men, van Nistelrooy is ready to pledge his future.

The deal is set to earn him up to £23.5m over the next five seasons.

And it makes him the best-paid player at Old Trafford along with captain Roy Keane.

Van Nistelrooy is currently midway through the original five-year deal he signed in 2001 but United´s money men were keen to end any speculation about his long-term future.

The 27-year-old has been an integral part of United´s domestic and European ambitions, scoring 98 goals in 121 games.

Peter Kenyon entre ds ses fonctions à Chelsea dès le 1er fevrier, ils ont versé des indemnités à MU pour pas attendre cet été...

=>Maintenant il y aura une trève en Angleterre...

" Premiership set for winter break"

The break could also avoid some matches being postponed
Premier League chairmen have voted in principle to introduce a winter break starting next season.
They agreed to a two-year experiment for a 13-day break in January provided a balanced fixture schedule and the practicalities can be arranged.

If it goes ahead, the break would start next season and continue in 2005/06 before being reviewed.

il y a eu un gran debat sur la tele anglaise hier pour savoir qui entre reyes et ronaldo etait le plus fort . et finalement il a ete dit que reyes etait bien plus fort que ronaldo . ..

s´il le dise . .

j´espere qu´il est meilleur il a ete payer le double . sinon 2eme triplé de saha en match d´entrainement . .

Van Nistelrooy va prolonger
Le buteur de Manchester United va signer un nouveau contrat de 5 ans. Il gagnera désormais la modique somme de 130 000 euros… par semaine.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy va devenir le joueur le mieux payé de Manchester United avec l’Irlandais Roy Keane. Il devrait signer dans les prochains jours un nouveau contrat en or. Selon la presse anglaise le joueur devrait empocher 130 000 euros par semaine. Rappelons que Van Nistelrooy a marqué sous les couleurs mancuniennes 98 buts en 121 matches.

< <<< 3 bonnes nouvelles en peu de temps ca fait du bien avec ce qu´on avait vecu ses derniers temps . ..

Ouais, d´excellentes nouvelles. Mais j´aimerai bien que MU tente qqch pour avoir Trabelsi en juin maintenant.

Ryan Giggs is confident Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha can form a prolific strike partnership for United.

Saha signed from Fulham last week in a deal worth £12.285m, and is considered a timely capture by Giggs.

" I´ve always rated him very highly and I think he´ll turn out to be a superb signing," Giggs told his Icons.com website. " Louis always seemed to do brilliantly against us and I thought he was sensational at Old Trafford earlier this season, so we are glad that he´s now going to be on our side."

Since Saha´s arrival, the question of where he will fit in to the team has been a prominent one.

The immediate reason for signing another striker is undoubtedly to protect Ruud van Nistelrooy, to give Sir Alex Ferguson the opportunity to rest the Dutchman before key European and Premiership ties.

But, although Giggs acknowledges this was Ferguson´s primary concern, he also believes Saha will be employed as a strike-partner to van Nistelrooy.

" His partnership with Ruud will be a great success because they are both natural goalscorers. I´m sure Louis will love it here."
Ryan Giggs
Video: Watch Saha In Action

" His partnership with Ruud will be a great success," says Giggs confidently. " They are both natural goalscorers but Louis can adapt to different attacking roles too. He can play up front on his own, as part of a pair, or even out wide so I think he´ll be a really versatile asset for the manager.

" Louis´ arrival takes a lot of pressure off Ruud, who plays almost every match for us. It will be good for him to have a rest from time to time if the gaffer wants to try Saha with Forlan, Scholesy, Kleberson or even myself.

" His acquisition has given the manager one more option up front and that can only be a good thing with so many big matches coming up between now and the end of the season."

Saha In Form
Saha joins United in a rich vein of form - he has fifteen goals this season. With van Nistelrooy having already broken the 20-goal barrier, United now possess an abundance of goalscoring ability.

" He is probably in the best form of his life," Giggs says of Saha. " We have certainly signed him at a time when he is very much on top of his game and that should help him settle in quickly at Old Trafford."

And the 25-year-old French striker has already made an impact on the squad, settling in quickly to life as a United player. Giggs said: " Louis travelled down to Northampton on Sunday where he mixed well with the rest of the squad. I don´t think he´ll have any problems adapting to life as a United. He has looked sharp in training and looks like he´s enjoying himself. I´m sure Louis will love it here."

q<<< si giggs le dit . trabelsi je n´y crois pas . quand on est en concurence avec d´autres clubs on perd . ...

en ce moment on est plus proche de kompany que de trabelsy

Ruud signe un nouveau contrat:

Manchester United is delighted to announce that the club has agreed terms with Ruud van Nistelrooy on a new extended contract.

The deal will see Ruud stay at the club until 30th June 2008.

Sir Alex Ferguson said, “We are delighted to get Ruud’s signature on a new contract. It shows the ambition of the club to keep the best. Ruud has broken every record since he has been here.

" His improvement and continual commitment to the club is an asset. Ruud has proved to be a fantastic signing and his contract extension is great news for the club and the fans.”

Ruud van Nistelrooy Factfile
Born: Oss, Holland
Signed: ( From PSV) 1 July 2001
United Debut: 12 August 2001
( vs. Liverpool, Charity Shield
Season 03/04: 26 apps 18 gls
Season 02/03: 52 apps 44 gls
Season 01/02: 48 apps 35 gls

Ruud van Nistelrooy said, “I am delighted to commit my future to the club. I have grown very fond of Manchester United, the fans are amazing.

" I have had some great moments here but I want to continue to give the club my best, and I am looking forward to new challenges on the pitch.”
David Gill, Chief Executive of Manchester United PLC, said, “This is great news for the club and the fans. Ruud has been outstanding, he is an integral part of Manchester United and the success we have achieved on the pitch.”

Manchester United PLC
29 January, 2004

Excellente nouvelle ça.