On the positive side. Some players in the team could do with a break. A short rest in the sun should do them some good. Also there are the obvious marketing reasons for this trip. If it helps to grow the Manchester United fanbase, im all for it.
Al Helal Vs United.......21/1/2008
- Thread starter Tareq
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
This is fecking stupid!
these friendlies are supposed to be played before the season starts
True, but you could say this trip is our own fault. If we had not got knocked out of the Carling Cup (ironic isnt it), we would not have had so much free time this week.
lets hope hey dont get sunburbed.
rooney will burn like a peach.
rooney will burn like a peach.
its going to rain in riyadh on Monday and Tuseday.
Ronaldo's the type of player who dived in the final stages against Derby to get a goal. Sure running 70 yards when knackered is reasonable for him to do if there was a sniff of a goal.
Gary Neville gets a game, possibly.
I think he didn't travel. There's a reserves game on Wednesday though.
Is this game showed anywhere? any stream or something.
We will rotate the whole squad after the first half for sure.
We will rotate the whole squad after the first half for sure.
January 21, 2008
James Ducker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Manchester United have become accustomed to accusations of greed when they embark on money-spinning excursions abroad, but David Gill, the club’s chief executive, has launched an impassioned defence of the decision to travel to Saudi Arabia for a lucrative mid-season break.
Having travelled through the night after flying out from Heathrow in the wake of their 2-0 victory away to Reading in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, United’s bleary-eyed players and staff stepped off their private plane at Riyadh King Khaled international airport shortly before 6am yesterday to be greeted by a frenzied mob of supporters, eager to catch a rare glimpse of their heroes.
United are being paid more than £1 million to play in a testimonial match in honour of Sami Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo, this evening, but Gill has denied that money is the motivating factor behind the four-day visit and emphasised that the club would not have agreed to the 6,000-mile round trip if they believed that it would jeopardise their pursuit of silverware.
“People can level what they want at us, but we are relaxed about that,” Gill said. “People don’t understand how the decisions are taken at Manchester United. We understand, quite rightly, that what happens on the pitch is the main driver of all our success, so we never make any decision that, in our opinion, will harm the push for honours.”
Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, blamed United’s failure to win the title in the 2004-05 season partly on the summer tour to the United States that preceded it. But with an FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Gill was keen to extol the positives, pointing out that the most recent time the club travelled abroad in January — to Dubai in 2004 — they went on to win the Cup.
“We understand that how the team does in all of the competitions we play — the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League — is critical and we are not going to do anything to harm that,” he said.
What is certain is that United are fêted wherever they go. Tickets for Jaber’s testimonial at the King Fahd Stadium, which is expected to be a 65,000 sell-out, went in three days. If that was not evidence enough of United’s appeal, the sight yesterday morning of streams of cars weaving in and out of the police vehicles escorting the team to their five-star hotel as supporters jostled for pictures surely was. Ryan Giggs, the winger, was even bear-hugged by one overzealous fan upon arriving at the hotel.
Ferguson, who is expected to field a strong team against Al Hilal Al Saudi this evening, has denied suggestions that he made an obscene gesture to Reading fans after Ronaldo scored United’s second goal on Saturday.
“All I was doing was expressing my relief at winning what was one of our hardest matches of the season,” the manager said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3221987.ece
I can understand the reaction that some have toward this, however, i think it is an acceptable risk in terms of potential injury to players. And the benefit the team might get from it, could be far greater indeed than the £1 million.
An alternative to what might be dull routine, change of pace, weather, and they'll be kept in the highest of luxury while out there no doubt.
And if some of our players with niggling injuries and who on the way abck can put in some game time, they should prosper from this more than training sessions.
We'll be home in good time for the FA Cup.
G'luck to this guy's testimonial, and hopefully we get a bounce from it.
James Ducker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Manchester United have become accustomed to accusations of greed when they embark on money-spinning excursions abroad, but David Gill, the club’s chief executive, has launched an impassioned defence of the decision to travel to Saudi Arabia for a lucrative mid-season break.
Having travelled through the night after flying out from Heathrow in the wake of their 2-0 victory away to Reading in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, United’s bleary-eyed players and staff stepped off their private plane at Riyadh King Khaled international airport shortly before 6am yesterday to be greeted by a frenzied mob of supporters, eager to catch a rare glimpse of their heroes.
United are being paid more than £1 million to play in a testimonial match in honour of Sami Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo, this evening, but Gill has denied that money is the motivating factor behind the four-day visit and emphasised that the club would not have agreed to the 6,000-mile round trip if they believed that it would jeopardise their pursuit of silverware.
“People can level what they want at us, but we are relaxed about that,” Gill said. “People don’t understand how the decisions are taken at Manchester United. We understand, quite rightly, that what happens on the pitch is the main driver of all our success, so we never make any decision that, in our opinion, will harm the push for honours.”
Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, blamed United’s failure to win the title in the 2004-05 season partly on the summer tour to the United States that preceded it. But with an FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Gill was keen to extol the positives, pointing out that the most recent time the club travelled abroad in January — to Dubai in 2004 — they went on to win the Cup.
“We understand that how the team does in all of the competitions we play — the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League — is critical and we are not going to do anything to harm that,” he said.
What is certain is that United are fêted wherever they go. Tickets for Jaber’s testimonial at the King Fahd Stadium, which is expected to be a 65,000 sell-out, went in three days. If that was not evidence enough of United’s appeal, the sight yesterday morning of streams of cars weaving in and out of the police vehicles escorting the team to their five-star hotel as supporters jostled for pictures surely was. Ryan Giggs, the winger, was even bear-hugged by one overzealous fan upon arriving at the hotel.
Ferguson, who is expected to field a strong team against Al Hilal Al Saudi this evening, has denied suggestions that he made an obscene gesture to Reading fans after Ronaldo scored United’s second goal on Saturday.
“All I was doing was expressing my relief at winning what was one of our hardest matches of the season,” the manager said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3221987.ece
I can understand the reaction that some have toward this, however, i think it is an acceptable risk in terms of potential injury to players. And the benefit the team might get from it, could be far greater indeed than the £1 million.
An alternative to what might be dull routine, change of pace, weather, and they'll be kept in the highest of luxury while out there no doubt.
And if some of our players with niggling injuries and who on the way abck can put in some game time, they should prosper from this more than training sessions.
We'll be home in good time for the FA Cup.
G'luck to this guy's testimonial, and hopefully we get a bounce from it.
Yes, but we lost the league and the first game after Dubai was against Wolves away..
There was a 15 point gap between ourselvexs and Arsenal that year, it was the season they went unbeaten, we lost nine times. And Chelsea eventually proved a greater threat to them.
We are a better side now, a larguer squad, a unit, not one finding its feet again and building for the future.
Not a fair comparison on your part IMO.
If the trip would so obviously harm our campaign, and the risks so unacceptable, Sir Alex wouldn't have gone along with it.
Not so much bothered with the Cup game as I am with the next league games against Portsmouth and Spurs away. Those will be tough.
I'll just be glad to get the 3 points 
Ah, Wayne Bridge. What a muppet.
Anyone have a list of those that traveled?
Everyone except Scholes, Saha, Neville
Does that include any reserves?
Danny Welbeck went but that's all from the reserves
Amateaurs starting matchday threads. What's the world coming to. No flags......and it's AL HILAL....find out about them here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Hilal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Hilal
Ease off the doorbell, will ya. I'm coming.
Ah stop feckin' moaning will ya.
The players get a few days in the sun to relax away from the Manchester rain, our first 11 will likely get yanked off early and squad players like Fletcher and O'Shea will get some much needed playing time in a game that'll be played at about 3mph so won't be any strain at all -- not that it matters, we're not playing until Sunday -- and it's not like they're flying back on Saturday or something, they'll be home by Thursday, so plenty of time to get back into the English climate and prepare. Meanwhile, Spurs will be slogging it out in a difficult cup match in midweek.
The players get a break together and some bonding time, which for my money works out much better than sending away one player (like Ronaldo) for holidays and leaving everyone else at home to play like muppets who don't deserve special treatment.
Just chill the feck out and enjoy the game.
The players get a few days in the sun to relax away from the Manchester rain, our first 11 will likely get yanked off early and squad players like Fletcher and O'Shea will get some much needed playing time in a game that'll be played at about 3mph so won't be any strain at all -- not that it matters, we're not playing until Sunday -- and it's not like they're flying back on Saturday or something, they'll be home by Thursday, so plenty of time to get back into the English climate and prepare. Meanwhile, Spurs will be slogging it out in a difficult cup match in midweek.
The players get a break together and some bonding time, which for my money works out much better than sending away one player (like Ronaldo) for holidays and leaving everyone else at home to play like muppets who don't deserve special treatment.
Just chill the feck out and enjoy the game.
I just want Dong to score some goals
feck Dong, I want Wellbeck to do well and bag a few
I'll be working, if anyone has a link for the game you may kindly send me a PM.
Hopefully 90 min for Fletcher, O'Shea, Park, Nani and at least 45 min for Hargreaves.
Yes and 7 of those 9 we lost after Dubai in january
I just hope we will be ok. It's an important next week for us with the FA-Cup and two league games.----------------O'shea--------------------
Brown ----- Rio ------- Vidic ---------- Evra
Ronaldo --- Anderson --- Hargreaves--- Giggs
-----------Rooney--------Teveth------------
No point messing about, must win game for us. Will probablly decide the rest of our season. Otherwise the Liverpool march probablly won't be stopped.
0 - 1 United, sneaky Park goal in the last minute.
Brown ----- Rio ------- Vidic ---------- Evra
Ronaldo --- Anderson --- Hargreaves--- Giggs
-----------Rooney--------Teveth------------
No point messing about, must win game for us. Will probablly decide the rest of our season. Otherwise the Liverpool march probablly won't be stopped.
0 - 1 United, sneaky Park goal in the last minute.
Potential banana skin this ! Our toughest test yet - could make or break our season !
Went to their official site but couldn't understand about the language overthere, but from Wiki, I've recognized some familiar names from the squad, like Al Deayea the goalie (I thought he had retired), Nawaf Al Temyat and Yasser Al Qahtani.
Qahtani had a trial before with the citeh I think.
Qahtani had a trial before with the citeh I think.
When is the game?
Today, 17:00 GMT, well thats what the threadstarter said
I've checked our official site but it not helps.
I've checked our official site but it not helps.
Looking forward to this. Any chance of seeing United play is great... at least it makes the week it takes until another meaningful game a little shorter.
Stupid game.
If we loose on Sunday, ill blame Gill.
If we loose on Sunday, ill blame Gill.
We're due a bad result.
Should be a laugh, hopefully no injuries and Welbeck gets a decent run out.
Team news?
How much left to the game?