Bleacher Report - Articles by Nick Duckworth

Manchester United Held By Toon Army

Nick Duckworth — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:17:44 -0400

In the past few years United have made a habit of getting off to a slow start in the EPL, and this season is no different. Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United had the daunting task of facing the reigning champions in the opening fixture and after two humiliating defeats at the hands of the Red Devils last term, any scoreline other than a complete whitewash would be most welcome by the Toon Army.

With United missing many of their key players for the big kick off through injury and Olympic duties, and with Carlos Tevez headed to Argentina for a family bereavement, Fergie had to choose the best possible side from the players available giving young Fraizer Campbell his Premier League debut.

From the start of the game United enjoyed some good passing moves and on eight minutes almost made a breakthrough when new boy Campbell headed a Rooney cross right at Shay Given who saved with his face. Given would be called into action again a short while later when the ball fell to Rooney in the box. He fired toward the bottom corner only for Given to save at full stretch and immediately get back to his feet to stop Scholes' follow up.

Newcastle then enjoyed a flurry of set-pieces winning three corner's in succession, and it was from the third corner kick that the first goal came, stunning Old Trafford as Obafemi Martins rose highest and unmarked to glance a great header inside the far post—where Scholes failed to clear.

What followed was typical of United's never say die mentality, and straight from the kick off, the ball was worked up field and from a speedy Ryan Giggs cross, Darren Fletcher fired the ball past Shay Given to tie the game literally two minutes after Newcastle took the lead!

United played on with some more great chances but as was evident in pre-season they are lacking the killer instinct in the final third and failed to find the goal. Rooney and Campbell's partnership looked very raw at times and will certainly need some more playing time in order to find a good balance and understanding although if Berbatov signs in the coming days, Campbell's chances in the first team may once again be limited.

Newcastle seemed very lively and definitely gave as good as they got in this game, with Coloccini and Martins especially causing United most of their problems. The Toon Army has taken to Gutierrez very well and a small section of the fans were even dressed as Spiderman in honor of the Argentinian's "mask toting" goal celebrations.

He wouldn't get his name on the score-sheet today but if his play is anything to go by, it wont take long before we'll hear "Spiderman" ringing out at St. James' Park.

Apart from a Vidic header hitting the crossbar in the second half there wasn't any other real chances to get excited about.

With Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all winning their opening games, United fans would have liked a similar outcome at Old Trafford to kick off their season but as we are only in week one, a draw was the next best thing and definitely a welcome result for Kevin Keegan and the travelling fans.

Manchester United Victorious In Moscow

Nick Duckworth — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:05:15 -0400

Wednesday May 21st 2008 has just become another legendary date in the Manchester United history books as they lifted the European Cup for the third time following a thrilling match with Chelsea that went all the way to a penalty shootout.

It was the first time in history that an all English final has been played out and under the Moscow night sky, Manchester United and Chelsea played out the world's best advertisement for the English Premier League. Normally when these two teams play, it is a very cagey affair and can even sometimes be a little boring.

Tonight was WORLDS away from those other ties as this match was in my opinion one of the most exciting finals in recent history.

This wasn't a mighty fightback or a last minute winner, but this game was a nail biting white knuckle ride of emotion.

The first half I would award in favour of United as their play was very exciting, very attacking and Ronaldo capped off a wonderfully flowing move with a superb header to get the English Champions off the mark. United had a couple more very good chances to make it 2-0 with Tevez probably having the best chance as he lunged for a Hargreaves cross only to mis-kick and send it behind for a goal kick.

Chelsea of course had their fair share of play and grabbed an equaliser very late on in the half, when a deflected shot fell into the path of Frank Lampard to calmly chip past Van der Sar and fittingly point to the heavens dedicating the goal to his late mother.

Second half I would have to say was Chelsea's. They deservedly controlled the game and on a few occasions could have put the game beyond any doubt, with their best chance coming from a Didier Drogba shot which rattled the post from around 25 yards out.

1-1 at 90 minutes could only mean we were going to see another half hour of extra time. Basically it was pretty much where they left off with Chelsea really enjoying more of the ball than United and having the best chance in extra time with Frank Lampard firing the ball onto the United crossbar.

The Chelsea players could be forgiven for maybe starting to feel that it may not be their night!

On 115 minutes things took a turn for the worse as Tevez and Ballack clashed and in the following few moments, many other stars from both teams became involved, with Didier Drogba receiving a red card after slapping Nemanja Vidic across the face.

The final few minutes flew by and as the final whistle blew the realisation of a penalty shootout began to sink in.

Tevez took United's first penalty and scored, closely followed by Michael Ballack with the same outcome making the score 1-1.

Second round was Carrick and Belletti....both scored 2-2

Round three saw Cristiano Ronaldo confidently step up to the spot... AND MISS! A great save by Cech!

Frank Lampard put his penalty away and suddenly Chelsea are 3-2 in the lead!

Round 4 saw both Nani and Ashley Cole score taking the score to 4-3 with one more penalty each. If United missed Chelsea would be the European Champions.

Hargreaves Scored for United which left Chelsea only needing to score to win. John Terry stepped up took a short run up, and put the ball off Van der Sar's left hand post!!!! All square again! Lucky because Van der Sar had dived the wrong way!!

Into sudden death penalties and Anderson and Kalou convert to take the score to 5-5.

Giggs scores to make it 6-5 to United and all attention turns this time to Nicolas Anelka. He strikes towards Van der Sar's right... the keeper goes the same way and SAVES!!!!

MANCHESTER UNITED ARE THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS OF 2008!!!

Cristiano Ronaldo collapses onto the field in floods of tears which obviously were a combination of happiness and relief after his miss!

50 years since the flowers of Manchester were taken away in the Munich air disaster and what better a way to remember the fallen heroes than with this trophy!

An amazing night for United fans everywhere. United are the champions of Europe again, Ryan Giggs becomes United's most capped player in history with 759 appearances for the club and Alex Ferguson's team have finished off a magnificent season.

The best news personally for me came as the television crews interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo. Following weeks of speculation and rumours that if United won the Champions League Ronaldo would head for Madrid, the interviewer wanted some answers:

"Cristiano... you've already achieved so much in a short space of time at this club... do you now head for Real Madrid?"

"No no no, I want to stay!" Came the reply. "After I missed the penalty, I thought we were going to lose the match, but the lads believed they could score and they did! This is one of the happiest days of my life, I'm very very proud"

So Ronaldo stays... United win the League and European double and Sir Alex finally has a second Champions League title to his name.

A wonderful finish to the season which leaves all United fans hoping that when next season rolls around, it'll be more of the same from Fergie's Red and White Army!

Los Angeles Galaxy Eye MLS' Top Spot

Nick Duckworth — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:22:18 -0400

At the Home Depot Center on Saturday, the Galaxy are looking for a win over the Kansas City Wizards, making it two in a row following their amazing 5-1 victory over Dallas.

After possibly Edson Buddle's greatest performance ever, surely he will vouch for a starting spot. With David Beckham also enjoying being in fantastic form this season, the Galaxy are certainly feeling a little more confident about things.

I must gloat a little here because last season with Beckham injured and the team languishing near the bottom of the table, many fans were posting depressing messages on the boards of certain social networking sites.

But I can remember reassuring them that they shouldn't get too down because, given a couple of wins and the right coach, the team's confidence level would grow; seeing a different situation in league standings.

After the 5-1 Dallas win, coupled with another win on Saturday against the Wizards, we will see the Galaxy topping the table.

I also firmly believe that Ruud Gullit is the right man for the job. He has stacks of European experience and even coaching experience in the EPL.

Although he didn't last too long at Newcastle United, what this league offers him is a shorter season, and a standard of soccer that isn't as fast-paced as in Europe.

That being said, I do think the standards in the MLS are on the up, and with more and more European stars taking an interest in coming to the States to play, it can only be a good thing in the long run.

And maybe I'm sticking my neck out on the line here, but I'll make another prediction right now. I believe we are going to see the Galaxy lifting the MLS championship trophy this season.

Remember kids, you heard it here first.

Manchester United-Arsenal: And Then There Were Two

Nick Duckworth — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:38:54 -0400

The English Premier League runs into its most important stage in the next couple of weeks. Only five games remain in the EPL season.

With Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool still involved in the Champions League, it seemed as though this afternoon was a perfect opportunity for Arsene Wenger and his young guns to regain ground on the league leaders.

They could show that despite being knocked out of Europe in midweek, they are still good enough to challenge for the Premiership title. The only problem was their destination...Old Trafford!

Before today's game, Arsene Wenger described a "Must Win" situation for his team, a sentiment shared by Sir Alex Ferguson, albeit for different reasons.

Wenger's team had to win to stay in the title race, with anything other than three points surely meaning their challenge was over. For United, those vital three points meant widening the gap on Chelsea to six points as well as the luxury of a game in hand!

Arsenal started as the brighter of the two sides, but despite having some good chances they seemed to lack the killer instinct that has been their trademark this season.

Adebayor had two or three clear-cut chances, none of which he was able to finish off until a misread cross on the part of Ferdinand and Van Der Sar, allowed Adebayor to head it home from 1 yard.

With Arsenal in the lead, it seemed as though the season was about to take another twist, but just as in the Liverpool game last Tuesday their lead was short-lived.

A couple of minutes later, United were awarded a penalty with Gallas handling in the box. Up stepped Golden Boy Ronaldo. He scored the penalty but was made to take it again because of players rushing the area as he paused mid run. He took it again...and scored again!

The story of the game was how even the teams were in this match. Shots on target, shots off target, corners, throw-ins...it seemed like there was no separating them, not least until around the 70th minute.

United were awarded a free kick in Ronaldo territory, and as he was standing over the ball with Owen Hargreaves, commentator Andy Gray spotted something.

"You know it wouldn't surprise me if Hargreaves hit this!" he said. "Normally, when Ronaldo takes a free kick, he likes to place and position the ball to get everything just right...he didn't do it this time?"

Then, as the referee blew the whistle Hargreaves DID take the shot! He curled it straight in to the net past a stranded Lehmann. Arsenal were caught out and United had all but ended their title challenge.

Ronaldo and Co. played the ball around between each other for the final 20 minutes, effectively killing the game and any hope that Arsene Wenger had left.

So now we're down to two: United and Chelsea. The big match at Stamford bridge falls between the Champions league semifinal's first and second legs, and both teams have everything to play for.

Amusingly enough after today's result, Chelsea will now be in that same "must win" category that Arsenal was. So if United comes away from London with 3 points, they may be engraving the trophy yet again when they get home.

Manchester United: One Hand On The Trophy?

Nick Duckworth — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:32:30 -0400

GRAND SLAM SUNDAY began with a 1:30pm kick off at Old Trafford. Manchester United were already 3 points ahead of Arsenal in the title race and looking to double that lead with a win over bitter rivals Liverpool.

To be fair, Liverpool started the game very positively, with some nice movement and showed clear signs that they were not to be intimidated by the might of the Red Devils. However, following the initial 30 minutes, things began to look a little different as Ferguson's United began to find their feet.

On 34 minutes Rooney broke out onto the left wing, crossed to the centre of the Liverpool box, for the unlikely figure of Wes Brown to head home off Pepe Reina's fist. It was only Wes' third league goal of his career but appreciated by the crowd none the less! Some may say it was lucky for United to get the goal, but many in the game will only tell you that no matter how lucky...it is sometimes these goals that make all the difference and for United, this certainly was the case.

They played on with the typical swagger of league champions, looking much more comfortable now they were leading.

Mascherano had been booked for a tackle on Scholes in the 11th minute which meant he would now walk a tightrope for the remainder of the match.

A little while later, Torres was given a yellow card for a taken on Brown and despite Xabi Alonso trying his best to keep Mascherano out of it, he raced over 20 yards to express his opinion to the referee. In no mood to take an ear-bashing any more from the Liverpool midfielder, the referee brandished a second yellow, immediately followed by red. an Incensed Mascherano had to be retrained by almost the entire Liverpool backroom staff as he was led away down the touchline.

Unsurprisingly, the sending off then changed the dynamic of the game, and with a goal and a man to the good, United never really looked like letting the three points slip.

With around ten minutes to go, Cristiano Ronaldo—still yet to score against Liverpool, got United's second from a Ryan Giggs corner followed shortly afterwards by a thumping 20 yard shot from Nani, leaving Reina rooted to the spot and bagging all three points for the reigning champions. Final score 3-0 with United heaping the pressure on Arsenal for their afternoon game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Events unfolded for Arsene Wenger's men with Bacary Sagna putting the Gunners in front with a headed goal from a Fabregas corner but a late smash and grab brace from Didier Drogba means that Chelsea leapfrog Arsenal into second place, five points behind Man Utd.

pundits and fans began to believe that these results could indicate that United are almost there in the race to be crowned champions, but Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to give up until the final day, and as there have been so many twists and turns this season already, I'm sure many people would side with the United manager. But in true United spirit, they will keep fighting until the end and personally I'm hoping that we will see United as champions again in four weeks time.

EPL: Grand Slam Sunday

Nick Duckworth — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:14:53 -0400

The EPL is into its final stretch. Only eight games remain and tension at the top and bottom of the table is immense.

Personally I feel that this period of games is when England’s Premier League will gain its most fans. With a huge global fanbase already, the world’s most famous league becomes bewitching with almost every team giving 110 percent for their relative cause. Whether it’s fighting to survive the relegation battle or fighting to become champions, anyone who tunes in to watch these last eight games will almost instantly become addicted to the EPL.

This weekend is round 31 of a 38 game season, and is shaping up to be one of the most climactic seasons since it’s inception in 1992. At the bottom of the table there are realistically eight teams in a relegation battle. Derby County are pretty much certs for the drop with only ten points. Then above them are Fulham, Bolton and Birmingham within touching distance of each other and then even Sunderland, Reading, Wigan and Newcastle can’t breath easily just yet, and some may even argue that Middlesboro aren’t totally safe either.

Then at the top end of the table, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are battling for the crown, with Liverpool trying desperately to hold onto their fourth spot, with an inspired Everton side snapping at their heels.

This weekend serves up what we like to call “Grand Slam Sunday” where Man U will play Liverpool, and Arsenal play Chelsea. These are for some people the biggest games of the campaign. With all four teams having something to play for, the matches offer up the greatest entertainment levels for our global viewers.

If results go one way, with United beating Liverpool and Chelsea winning at Arsenal, then Man United would find themselves in a very strong position and five points clear of Chelsea who would leapfrog Arsenal into second place. However if the results go the other way with United losing to Liverpool and Arsenal beating Chelsea, then Arsenal would be level on points with United and Liverpool would move to within three points of Chelsea.

Armchair fans would probably prefer the latter scenario as it would give the most excitement, but as an avid Man United fan I can only hope for a Man United and Chelsea win, pushing us one step closer to retaining the premiership title.

Whatever happens....I along with millions of others, will be glued to my TV set from 1:00 pm on Easter Sunday.

Manchester United-Arsenal: Red Devils Romp in FA Cup

Nick Duckworth — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:28:10 -0500

At Old Trafford on Saturday evening, Manchester United hosted league leaders Arsenal in the FA Cup Fifth Round.

As the team sheets were announced, all was clear that both teams were fielding "weakened" sides to give their main stars plenty of rest in preparation of the midweek return of the Champions League.

United started without Hargreaves, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Tevez. Sir Alex opting to give players like Nani, Anderson and Fletcher a run out.

Arsenal left out Adebayor amongst others, which was obviously in preparation for their game against Milan next week, with Arsene Wenger even commenting that he did not even want to use ANY subs if he didn't have to.

Fourteen minutes in and United made the break through courtesy of a returning Wayne Rooney. A corner which Vidic tried to connect with was cleared only as far as Anderson. He flicked the ball back into the mix, for Rooney to head past Lehmann from close range.

This early goal for United would go a long way to settling down some edgy nerves, and to be honest from that moment on the play was completely dominated by the Red Devils. In fact only four short minutes later a cross from Nani found Fletcher's head at the near post, and with a little help from William Gallas, the ball was once again nestled in the Arsenal goal. 2-0 and the crowd was going crazy!

United fans couldn't have wished for a better start to the game.

More chances followed and on 37 minutes. A great pass found Nani, who took one touch to control the ball and volleyed beautifully past Lehmann. 3-0 and the game was now beyond doubt. The attacking play from United was sheer perfection and Arsenal simply had no answers.

Shots of a furious Wenger in the dugout, show that he was clearly not happy with his team, and the United fans were in full voice with chants of "Who Are Ya! Who Are Ya!" ringing around all sides of the Theatre of Dreams, followed by more chants of "That's Why We're Champions!"

The Arsenal players and fans alike must have been very relieved to hear the half time whistle.

Emmanuel Eboue was sent off on 49 minutes as the home side showboated their way through the second period.

Nani, Evra, and even Van Der Sar each took their turn to show off and embarrass Wenger's men even further and on 76 minutes, the Arsenal fans began to leave.

Arsenal's performance went from bad to worse, and even Adebayor (subbed on) was booked for a blatant dive in United's penalty area.

Darren fletcher grabbed a second goal late on to make it 4-0 (another headed goal courtesy of a Nani cross)

This clinical United performance was a clear combination of lingering embarrassment from last Sunday's derby defeat paired with the need to prove a point to the league leaders that United will fight to the end on all fronts.

Wayne Rooney was the eventual man of the match with Nani coming in a close second. It is frightening to think how good United can perform even without some of the big names included in the squad, and we'll have to wait and see if fate will deal yet another Premiership side as opposition in the Quarter final's.

Congratulations to Sir Alex Ferguson's men on probably their most impressive win this season!

Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United's Goal-Den Boy

Nick Duckworth — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:57:01 -0500

Cristiano Ronaldo is about to be made the highest paid player in premier league history as Manchester United pull out all the stops to keep the worlds greatest player at Old Trafford.

Currently, Ronnie sits in third place in the champions’ top-earners club with only Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand earning more. But with constant speculation about a summer move to Madrid, Sir Alex has held talks with the Glazer family to point out why it is so important to break the wage structure and keep Ronaldo in a red shirt.

Chelsea’s John Terry is currently the top earner in the Premiership, earning a whopping £130k per week, but now the Glazer’s have given Fergie the green light to assemble a £44M contract which would tie Ronaldo to the Red Devils until 2014 and pocket him £140k weekly.

According to Sir Alex, Cristiano is happy at the club and has no intention of leaving anyway, but as has been proven in the past when there is a concrete offer on the table, the Galactico’s are often hard to refuse.

With Ronaldo’s scintillating displays so far this season however, United realise he would be nigh on impossible to replace. With 27 goals in as many appearances, he is now within touching distance of George Best’s all time record of 32 goals in one season for a winger.

Surely Ronaldo’s ego would be satisfied at being the league’s top earner though, and hopefully for United fans all over the world, by the summer break we will be glad to see the new golden boy of old Trafford sign on the dotted line.

On Your Marks: Race For the Premier League Title Heats Up

Nick Duckworth — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:39:23 -0500

In recent weeks Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea seem to be the only three clubs remaining in the title race.

Liverpool's dismal showing of late has effectively ruled the Reds out of the running, leaving the last three league champions to do battle for the biggest prize in English football.

Last week Sir Alex Ferguson, commented that Arsenal's brilliant form and Chelsea's unwillingness to give in had been big motivational factors in the Red Devils' recent performance. Ferguson stated that to once again be crowned league champions, United need to go unbeaten in their remaining 14 games—a tall order in anyone's book, but not impossible.

At this stage of the season to go on a 14 game unbeaten streak is certainly not easy. From February till May, the calender is stacked with League, Cup and European matches for the top three clubs, and this will undoubtedly prove to be the most testing time of the season.

United have always had very good squad depth, but untimely injuries have shaken the apple cart over the last couple of seasons, and stopped Man U from picking up trophies which they arguably could have won had all their players been fit.

But with a smidgen of luck—an element of any club's success—United certainly have a great chance to retain the title.

However, with Adebayor breathing down Ronaldo's neck in the goalscorers chart, Arsenal certainly are keeping the pressure on.

After today's football—Arsenal beating Manchester City, and both United and Chelsea drawing their games—the league table looks like this;

1. Arsenal (Pts: 60 GD: 34)
2. Man United (Pts: 58 GD: 37)
3. Chelsea (Pts: 54 GD: 21)

With the top two playing so well in recent weeks, it seems more and more likely that the real deciding factor in this race will materialize on Saturday April 12, when Arsenal visit Old Trafford. It will be a mouth-watering tie—and, of course, I will be rooting for my beloved United.

But if Arsenal beat us to the title this year, I would have to hold my hands up and admit they were the better team.

Personally, I'm not sure whether Chelsea have enough left in the tank to pose a serious threat to the top two—but only time will tell.

One thing is for sure, this has been the most exciting season we've seen for a long time. If Liverpool hadn't faltered, we could have seen the most exciting race ever!

Carling Cup: Tottenham Hotspur on Their Way to Wembley

Nick Duckworth — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:06:13 -0500

"Spurs' are on their way to Wembley!...Tottenham's gonna do it again!"

That famous song from yesteryear will be sung loud and clear by Tottenham fans everywhere tonight as Juande Ramos' men astonishingly dumped Arsenal out of the Carling Cup with the final score of 5-1.

Tottenham led 2-0 at half time, with goals from Jermain Jenas and a Nicklas Bendtner own goal, before extending their lead to 4-0 in the second half with Aaron Lennon and Robbie Keane adding their names to the score sheet.

Arsenal finally scored through Emmanuel Adebayor with a little less than 25 minutes left, but the icing on the cake came courtesy of Steed Malbranque with Tottenham's fifth. The result ended Arsenal's 21 match unbeaten streak against their north London rivals—a run stretching way back to 1999.

Knockout competition seems to indeed be Ramos' forte, after leading Sevilla to two UEFA Cup wins as well as a Spanish Cup. Now Tottenham awaits either Chelsea or Everton in the Final, feeling confident about bringing home their first silverwear since '99 when they finished as winners of this very competition.

Wenger will feel a little embarrassed at his team's performance and only time will tell whether this loss will affect Arsenal's confidence in what has been a magnificent season for the Gunners.

But the spotlight shines brightly tonight on the boys from White Hart Lane. Congratulations Tottenham Hotspurs.

Cristiano Ronaldo: A Legend in the Making

Nick Duckworth — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:39:14 -0500

George Best.

Just the name sends shivers through Manchester United fans everywhere.

Probably THE greatest player to ever grace the Old Trafford pitch, and remembered as one of the greatest players of all time, "Georgie Boy" captivated crowds everywhere.

Fans watched in awe at his sheer brilliance when in command of the ball, dubbing him "The Magician" for the fact he seemed to be able to acheive things no-one else could. Even to this day he holds the league goal scoring record at United with 32 goals in a single season.

However, lately at Old Trafford there is a new "magician" being compared with George Best for the things he is able to do.

His name is Cristiano Ronaldo and he is widely regarded as the greatest player on the planet. Last season his goal tally was 23, This term, he has reached 23 goals already with around three months of the campaign still to go.

At his current turnover of at least 1 goal per game, he is set to break Best's record and cement his name into the annals of United history. His hunger for success spurs him on to bigger and better things each season, and no one can deny how highly talented he is.

United definitely have their fair share of legendary players: the Busby Babes, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Dennis Law, Brian Robson, Mark Hughes, Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs. The list could go on and on, even the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is regarded as the most successfull soccer manager who ever lived.

Manchester United is a club crowded with success stories and great players, all who will never be forgotten and as time moves on, Cristiano Ronaldo's name seems certain to be right up there alongside the big guns as one of United's all time greatest.

RAW 2008: WWE Kicks Off a New Season

Nick Duckworth — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:15:08 -0500

Happy New Year everybody! The first Monday Night Raw of 2008 kicks off with William Regal and Vince McMahon.

Regal is explaining his actions of last week where he smashed Ric Flair with the brass knucks, citing that he thought the boss would be happy that he ruined HHH's Royal Rumble chances as his excuse.

Vince assured Regal that he was pleased that HHH lost his Rumble spot but would also be even more pleased if HHH ended up injured on the first Raw of 2008.

Vince was going to put HHH in a match with none other than the Raw GM himself, but the match stipulation would be decided by the "Raw Roulette wheel." A spin of the giant wheel revealed that Regal's match with HHH would be a "first blood" match.

Looking rather shocked and afraid, Regal proceeded out of the room, only to be ambushed by a waiting Triple H who wasn't going to hang around to get his share of Regal. Both men were eventually restrained, leaving the crowd salivating at the prospect of a bloodbath later on!

HBK & Mr.Kennedy vs Charlie Haas & Trevor Murdoch (Strange Bedfellows match)

HBK and Kennedy make their entrances and figure they will be fighting each other...only when Vince arrives on the titantron to spin the wheel and select the match, they are drawn in a "Strange Bedfellows" match. Vince then explains that this means they will actually be teaming up as a tag team against Charlie Haas and Trevor Murdoch.

In a rather quick and uneventful match, HBK and Kennedy show that they have no intention of working with each other by regularly tagging themselves into the match. After around 10 minutes, HBK delivers a sweet chin music to Haas out of nowhere, only for Kennedy to come into the ring, "Mic Test" HBK and cover haas for the three-count, staying in the ring after the bell sounds to talk trash to an unconcious Shawn Michaels.

Carlito w/Santino Marella vs Hardcore Holly w/Cody Rhodes (Trading Places match)

The object of this match is to wrestle dressed up as your opponent...so Carlito makes his entrance dressed as Hardcore Holly and then, sporting a RIDICULOUSLY large black afro wig, Holly makes his entrance dressed as Carlito. In another pretty quiet match Holly pretty much dominates, finally ending it with the Abdominal stretch.

Cut backstage for a conversation between Maria and Vince about arranging a Diva match. Maria is given the honor of spinning the wheel and it finally comes to rest on the submission match! She is confused and so Vince tells her to close her eyes and think happy thoughts. He shifts the wheel silently around to "Lingerie Pillow Fight" getting a great reaction from the crowd!

Following the decision for the Diva match, the main event of the evening is announced and Jeff Hardy will face Umaga in a steel cage match!!Next comes a spot with Vince talking to Hornswoggle (Raw sound engineer will probably be picking up his p60 after this cockup cause we can't hear a single word that Vince is saying!)

A few VT's later, we get a second chance to see the Vince and Hornswoggle spot, in which Vince is saying how he is going to bestow such a huge match on Hornswoggle...A “Mr. McMahon’s choice” match which basically mean Vince decides what the stipulation will be. He tells his son that he wants Hornswoggle to find himself a partner and compete in a tag match against the Highlanders, with the winners receiving a place in the Royal Rumble!

DIVA’s Lingerie Pillow Fight

Next up is the Pillow fight and we begin to find out which Diva’s will be taking part. Melina is first to the ring followed by Maria, Mickie James and Jillian Hall. Just as the match is about to begin, some familiar music hits: ASHLEY is back!! Sporting a new punk style haircut with bright pink streaks, and looking in great shape, she makes her way to the ring to join the fight. The usual Diva shenanigans ensue with pillows, duvets and diva’s being flung around the ring. After a short while all the Divas gang up on Jillian Hall, holding her down on the bed to allow Ashley to elbow from the corner of the ring and cover for the win! A nice welcome to raw!

HHH vs William Regal – FIRST BLOOD MATCH

The match begins with HHH in control, but it isn’t long before Regal gets himself back into the contest and once he starts to really fight, his experience shows. He goes to work on HHH giving him a beating that doesn’t normally happen when the game is in action. Regal strips down a turnbuckle to use to his advantage in trying to bust HHH open, and when that fails, he heads to the outside in search of his brass knucks. As he re-enters the ring with the brass knucks ready to strike, HHH regains control with a devastating spinebuster, before going to work on Regal with his fists.

The second unplanned mistake happened as HHH was punching Regal in the head. We see the Game pause and cut Regal’s head with something he has in his hand!! I’m pretty sure the viewers were not supposed to see that but it’s clear a day for all to see!! The second sloppy mistake of the night and the first Raw of the year is beginning to look a little sloppy. Regal is bloodied and HHH wins the matchWe are now shown a segment with Hornswoggle trying to convince Santino Marella to be his partner but to no avail. Following this a VT is played of the feud over the last few weeks between Y2J and JBL, before Y2J makes his entrance for his match

HANDICAP MATCH

Y2J discovers he will be competing in a Handicap match against Snitsky and JBL. Now my thoughts on why this match would have been chosen are that JBL hasn’t wrestled for a long time so a handicap match where someone else could take over if JBL gets tired too quickly seems the sensible option, but it soon became apparent that this didn’t even come into the equation! The bell rings and Snitsky starts the assault on Jericho but it isn’t long before JBL gets involved and all of a sudden Snitsky seems to have vanished because that’s pretty much the last we see of him.

Cue the third comical error of the night as JBL uses the ring bell to rap Y2J over the head. The referee deems it a disqualification and calls for the bell! OOPS! JBL just threw the bell over Y2J’s head so no one can ring the bell! Oh, well in that case we’ll pretend he didn’t call for a disqualification and carry on like nothing happened! JBL wraps cable around Y2J’s neck and drags him like a dog up the ramp and attempts to hang him from a seemingly useless structure by the stage. The match is stopped as officials surround JBL and that is the end of that! Probably the worst match of the night so far!

MR.McMAHON’s CHOICE MATCH: Tag Match with winners receiving Rumble placement

Hornswoggle makes his entrance and it becomes apparent that he couldn’t find anyone to be his partner as he is accompanied by a very skinny wrestler by the name of B.J Jordan. The crowd seem to pretty much write off his chances against the highlanders but just as it seems all is lost, Mick Foley’s music hits and he replaces BJ Jordan as Hornswoggle’s partner. Foley is his usual hardcore self bringing out Mr.Socko to dispose of Rory and hitting the DDT on Robby. He tags in Hornswaggle to hit the Tadpole splash and claim the win! Hornswoggle and Foley will be in the Royal Rumble!!!

MAIN EVENT: CAGE MATCH: JEFF HARDY vs UMAGA

Jeff Hardy make their entrances and Randy Orton comes to ringside to watch the match unfold. Throughout the match he’s pacing around the ring barking orders at Umaga to punish Jeff...to destroy him! After some good wrestling Orton begins to get agitated that Umaga can’t finish off Jeff, and so throws chairs over the top of the cage for Umaga to use against Jeff. Umaga smashes Jeff over the back with a chair and pins. 1....2....Jeff kicks out to the horror of Orton.

Then Umaga places Jeff in the corner for the running Bulldozer attack (basically the move when he slams his rear end into his opponents head) but Jeff dodges and assumes control, setting up a chair and slamming Umaga through it with a DDT, heading for the door in the aftermath. As Jeff is climbing out, Orton slams the door shut on Jeff’s head sending him back into the ring and Umaga pins again. 1.....2....Jeff kicks out again!!! Orton can’t believe it!!!

More back and forth between the two before Jeff hits the Twist of Fate and scales the cage wall. As he reaches the top he see’s Orton standing below. Rather than attempt to get out and be stopped by Orton, Jeff turns and Corkscrew heelkicks Umaga from the top of the cage and pins...1....2.....3!

Hardy wins an awesome match and could have just done enough to prevent this first Raw of 2008 from being a total shambles!

FA Cup, Round 3: Aston Villa vs Manchester United

Nick Duckworth — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:56:09 -0500

On a cold Saturday evening in Birmingham, Aston Villa hosted Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.

Opening exchanges looked deceptively promising as both teams had their fair share of attacking plays.

Anderson had the first real breakthrough as he ran almost unchallenged through Villa's midfield, only to shoot the ball straight at Richard Green for a relatively easy save.

Aston Villa's first sight of goal came via a Stilian Petrov 35-yard thunderbolt, only to see his shot fail to hit the target. In the opening half hour, it became apparent that Aston Villa's game plan was to sit tight and try and catch United on the counter attack, as they seemed to stick with trying to play the long ball to John Carew at every opportunity, albeit often failing to reach the powerhouse forward.

Manchester United, however, were back to playing a much slicker passing game, and Anderson seemed to be at the heart of almost every attacking play. The first half panned out with not many chances from either side.

The only real chance for United came just before the break. Cristiano Ronaldo unleashed a powerful shot from the left wing, which Green parried straight to Giggs, but the Welsh veteran's reaction time saw the ball pitifully sliced wide of goal.

Half time arrived with a stalemate, 0-0 scoreline. Even Cristiano Ronaldo had looked very sloppy and clumsy. The players left the field and the fans were left hoping the second half would be at least worth the admission fee.

As the second half began, no changes had been made to the playing staff, and no changes in either teams performance seemed apparent either.

As the game wore on, John Carew began to warm up a little in his attacks but failed to make any of them pay off for the Villains. Add to the fact that Nemanja Vidic was possibly the best player on the park, nullifying everything Villa had to throw at him.

An hour into the game, it seemed as though Aston Villa were happy to set up camp in their own half, and wait for United to make any sort of mistake. A lacklustre Louis Saha seemed to be making all United's mistakes on his own, and it wasn't long before the United fans were making themselves heard with chants of "Rooney!" ringing around the stands. They would have to wait another seven minutes before their wishes were granted, with Rooney coming on to replace Park Ji Sung, sending Ryan Giggs onto the left wing.

A rare chance from Aston Villa came on 71 minutes when Luke Young fired wide from about 25 yards. Aston Villa were starting to build a little confidence and looked dangerous, and it wasn't long before Fergie responded by sending on Owen Hargreaves in place of Louis Saha, switching the formation to 4-3-3, with Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo making up the front line.

Almost immediately, Ronaldo and Rooney linked up for the best play of the game, culminating in a shot from Rooney which should really have found goal.

United took a firm hold of the game for the remaining 10 minutes. Only one minute after Rooney's shot, Giggs played a slide-rule pass right across the goal mouth—which was knocked in by Ronaldo, finally getting United off the mark.

The remaining eight minutes of football were completely United's to play with and it seemed they were queueing up for shots on goal, with Anderson and Carrick both going close.

The icing on the cake came in the 87th minute, as Ronaldo and Rooney again combined, with a Ronaldo shot deflecting off a Villa defender, only for Wayne Rooney to volley the ball perfectly into the far corner. 2-0 United—and safe to say, it would be the champions to progress to round four.

Final score: Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester United

So, another seemingly low key performance from the English Champions, but they still finished as winners.

Some say to win games while not playing particularly well is a true sign of a good team, a point which judging by this performance I'd have to agree. Although United played well below what we're used to seeing, Villa never really threatened to cause any damage.

Author's man of the match: NEMANJA VIDIC: involved in defending every villa attack

John Cena: RAW Talent

Nick Duckworth — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:55:21 -0500

One of the most divided topics in pro wrestling's recent history is whether or not John Cena is a deserving champion. To me it is quite obvious that he could be one of the greatest champions in the history of Raw.

Ever since Cena burst onto the scene in the Kurt Angle invitational, people had to sit up and take notice of just who this "kid" was.

"So kid, why should I give you a shot? What do you have that no one else does?" the arrogant Angle asks.

"RUTHLESS AGRESSION!"

The response prefaced Cena giving Angle one of the most shocking beatings he has ever received. The fans' imaginations had been captured and Cena was an instant hit.

From those early days through to his transformation to "The Doctor of Thuganomics" where Cena the aggressor became Cena the comedic white rapper, people were always interested in what he would say next. Cena would often go for shock value with his rhymes and literally embarrassed numerous superstars in front of packed arenas with one-liners and short raps.

After winning the United States title, he had the belt redesigned to look decidedly more "Bling"—a fitting move for a wannabe rapper. Cena's reputation grew and grew as the company's main face character and it wouldn't be long before he was top dog claiming the illustrious WWE Championship, again redesigning the belt to be more fitting to his image, which is a step normally reserved for the very best.

Only a few champions in the history of the business have had a belt designed for them, which shows how successful Cena was becoming.

Next was his own rap album titled You Can't See Me, which stems from one of his trademark quotes. Although the album didn't sell well, Cena was making waves in the business, beating the top ranking stars and developing his "Never back down, never quit" attitude. He even became added to the list of WWE stars to act in his own movie when he starred in The Marine.

Since being crowned champion, his name has never been far away from that accolade, and his belt design remains to this day. If the WWE is holding the design, then surely it is destined to be around the waist of the Chaingang Soldier again someday.

His reputation was waning with people becoming bored of having the same champion for over a year. Although he tore his pectoral muscle, which has kept him away from the business for a long time, it could also act as a blessing in disguise for one simple reason: You can bet that when Cena's music hits the arena on his return, the roof will come off and his reputation will be restored.

Although he isn't the most technical of wrestlers, in this day and age it isn't all about wrestling. Take a look at the company name: World Wrestling ENTERTAINMENT.

Most of the airtime these days is taken up by side plots, storylines, and backstage segments, so to have a good champion you need someone who looks good when a camera is pointed at them.

Someone who has excellent mic skills.

Someone who will be able to capture the crowd's excitement with just a few words.

Someone like John Cena.

"Beck" to the Future: Betting on David Beckham in Los Angeles

Nick Duckworth — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:39:57 -0500

Some say he's only gone to America for the money.

Some say he'll never change public perception about soccer in the States.

But although David Beckham has his doubters, there's no man on the planet with a keener knack for turning everything he touches to gold.

There are plenty of more skillful players out there, but there are NONE who manage to grab people's attention like Becks. Wherever he goes, he gets a movie-star reception—and his sheer marketability makes him a dream signing for ANY club in the world.

Beckham has an almost hypnotic quality about him. If you're flicking through a magazine at the doctor's office and notice an article about him, chances are you'll pause to read it!

I'm a huge Manchester United fan, and when we lost Beckham it was like losing a member of the family. His move to Real Madrid was so hyped that it was even rumoured his physical would be covered live on television.

Watching Beckham on a football pitch is almost like watching a mythical figure in live action—fairytale endings seem to follow him wherever he goes. If it hadn't been for ONE stroke of bad fortune last season, he could have been hoisting the MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy.

Before I get too many comments about one man's not making a team, and reminders that Beckham hardly played last season, let me be clear about my point:

When "Goldenballs" laces up his boots, magic happens.

England fans will forever remember that night at Old Trafford when the Three Lions needed a draw to qualify for the World Cup Finals. They were down 2-1 heading into stoppage time, and won a free kick.

Beckham had taken upwards of a dozen free kicks in the match and missed them all. As he placed the ball into position for this one, the commentator set the scene:

"If David Beckham scores this, the roof will come off. This has to be the last chance!"

Becks delivered in trademark fashion, sent the fans crazy, and cemented himself as England's saviour.

The announcer's reaction?

"I don't believe it, David Beckham scores the goal to take England to the World Cup Finals....GIVE THAT MAN A KNIGHTHOOD!"

Beckham had a troubled first year with the Galaxy, but you can bet your bottom dollar that when the new season rolls around, all eyes will be once again on one man.

And I for one certainly wouldn't bet against his being a hero in Los Angeles.

Manchester United-Birmingham City: Carlos Tevez Shines in Devils Win

Nick Duckworth — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 05:08:22 -0500

With a loss to West Ham still fresh in fans' minds and Arsenal back on top of the EPL, Manchester United faced a must-win game against Birmingham City on Tuesday.

And with Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes all out, Sir Alex Ferguson sent a clear message by playing Cristiano Ronaldo in an attacking role just behind Carlos Tevez.

Park Ji Sung also made his first start since returning from injury, with Nani and Anderson rounding out the attack—in a testament to United's depth up front.

The Red Devils were in control for most of the game en route to a 1-0 win.

Ronaldo had 10 attempts on net, and came close to adding to his impressive goal tally with a dipping volley from the edge of the area that whistled a foot over the bar.

Birmingham, to their credit, were very effective in their counterattack. If it hadn't been for their lack of conviction in the final third, the match could have been a much trickier one.

Tevez turned in a virtuoso performance, linking up with Ronaldo very well on many occasions, including the goal.

On the scoring play, Tevez lobbed a beautiful pass to his running mate, who sent it back with a delicious back-heel. Tevez promptly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, then celebrated by putting a pink pacifier in his mouth.

The second half saw United dominate without going into overdrive. Tevez was excellent, Nani wowed the crowd with his close-touch skills, and Ronaldo produced a few more shots on goal.

All in all, the game was a welcome reminder of the beautiful football United can play—and didn't ever look to be in danger of ending the way the West Ham match did.