ADVANCE INFORMATION SHEET Title : Champions of Europe Subtitle : The Road to Moscow ISBN: 978-1-84547-213-9 Price : £12.99 Publisher : At Heart Ltd Publication date : July 2008 Author : Stuart Mathieson (MUFC correspondent for the Manchester Evening News) Foreword : Sir Bobby Charlton Specifications : PB, 144 (TBC) pages Size : 246 x 189 mm Full colour throughout. Pre-order : 24hr freephone 0808 180 2008, or www.atheart.co.uk/manu Description : Celebrate United’s double triumph with this fantastic new book chronicling one of the Reds’ most amazing seasons. Packed with over 150 full-colour photos, some of which are previously unseen, this indispensible guide follows United at every step of their sensational journey. Relive glorious victories over Lyon and Dynamo Kiev. Recall heart-stopping matches against Roma and Barcelona as Fergie’s boys battled for glory. Who could forget the night a nation held its breath as the team finally triumphed at the Luzhniki Stadium! Each page of Champions of Europe: The Road to Moscow is packed with match reports, pitch-side accounts, interviews and a collection of incredible full-colour team and action shots of United’s best moments in this most memorable of seasons. Publicity : -Pre- and post-publication within the Manchester Evening News and regional and national newspapers across the United Kingdom and Eire -Reviews and competitions within the major football and sporting press and affiliated websites -Stocking and point-of-sale within bookshops, newsagents, gift shops, libraries, tourist information centers, airports and hospitals throughout the UK -Book-signings with players and ex-players at major bookshops throughout Greater Manchester -Extensive TV and radio coverage -Promotion on MUFC supporters clubs throughout the UK and international markets (eg Australia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, South Africa) Distributor : Vine House, Mullany Business Park. Deanland Road, East Sussex, BN27 3RP. Publisher : At Heart Ltd, 32 Stamford Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1EY

Eurokupovi Polufinalnih 1:0 još jednom presudilo! Planirate osvojiti Ligu prvaka ili Kup UEFA? Preporučujemo da u polufinalu pobijedite s ukupnih 1:0. To je iskusio Manchester United, ali i Barcelona, Liverpool, Sevilla, Porto i Valencia. U zadnjih osam sezona niz je klubova ostvario san dizanja europokala nakon minimalnih pobjeda u prethodnoj rundi. Liverpoolu je to uspjelo čak dvaput: 2001. je s 0:0 i 1:0 izlučio Barcelonu i zatim osvojio Kup UEFA protiv Alavesa s 5:4; četiri godine kasnije istim je skorom u polufinalu nadmašio Chelsea i potom u finalu Lige prvaka svladao Milan jedanaestercima. Portu je jednakih 1:0 bilo sretno 2004. u polufinalu Lige prvaka, a žrtva je bio Deportivo. Naknadno, u finalu, pregazio je Monaco s 3:0. Iste se sezone Valencia domogla pokala u Kupu UEFA, a prethodno je preskočila Villarreal s - 0:0 i 1:0! To nije bio kraj, jer je i 2006. Barci za prodor u pobjedničko finale Lige prvaka bilo dovoljno 1:0 i 0:0 u poluzavršnici s Milanom. Tada je i Arsenal u istoj fazi natjecanja postigao jednak rezultat protiv Villarreala, ali mjesta na vrhu bilo je samo za jednog. Neobično, iste je sezone Sevilla dogurala do završnice Kupa UEFA, potom i do trijumfa, zahvaljujući 0:0 i 1:0 nad Schalkeom, a jedini je gol bio djelo danas pokojnog Antonija Puerte. Čarolija minimalnog ishoda ponovila se 2008., s koliko je Manchester United nadmašio Barcelonu u polufinalu. Naposljetku, baš u svakom finalu palo je više pogodaka nakon 180 minuta "minimalca" u polufinalima, od dva u dvobojima Valencije i Marseillea (2004.) i Manchestera i Chelseaja (2008.) do devet u meču Liverpoola i Alavesa (2001.). Zamislite: Liverpool je s ukupno dva gola došao do dva pobjednička finala, u kojima je potom zabio osam golova, ne računajući jedanaesterce protiv Milana! Minimalac donosi sreću 2001. Kup UEFA - Liverpool - Barcelona 0:0 1:0 2004. Liga prvaka - Porto - Deportivo 0:0 1:0 2004. Kup UEFA - Valencia - Villarreal 0:0 1:0 2005. Liga prvaka - Liverpool - Chelsea 0:0 1:0 2006. Liga prvaka - Barcelona - Milan 1:0 0:0 2006. Kup UEFA - Sevilla - Schalke 0:0 1:0 2008. Liga prvaka - Manchester Utd. - Barcelona 0:0 1:0 Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Two top coaches in the English capital crashed this week and are recovering from their injuries. The first victim was a French national, Monsieur Arsene Wenger, whose vehicle 'Arsenal' (named after him), took the wrong turning from off a successful road to a league and European double, smashing into Liverpool in the Champions League, before being hit again by Manchester United in the Premier League. Arsenal have for my money played the sexiest football around this season, but once more were outwitted by cannier clubs when it counted, teams who exploited the Gunners' perennial inexperience and lack of grit when under pressure. A wonder goal such as that conjured up at Anfield by the irrepressible Theo Walcott and lethal Emmanuel Adebayor deserved to win any game, but only seconds later, Arsenal were outmuscled and shocked by an English-style counter and Liverpool scored via a questionable penalty. United exploited their home advantage and experience to dismiss the Gunners from the title race the following Sunday, sending Wenger into new depths of madness, as he bleated about referees having a conspiracy against his club. The gleaming new Emirates Stadium is thanks largely to that man, who has transformed London's top club into regular European contenders for the first spell in their long history. But Wenger, for all his tactical and inspirational genius, shames himself by his frequently one-sided post-match rants. It ill-behoves a coach of his talent to claim refs are out to get his team, when replays prove the Gunners benefit from at least as many 50-50 calls as anyone else. Equally, can there be anything more ridiculous than the comical 'I didn't see it' defence he trots out whenever the press needles him on such calls in Arsenal's favour? The second victim is Chelsea's Avram Grant, who under withering pressure from success-bloated 'fans', reported player dissatisfaction and above all the tabloids, 'lost it' with the press on Thursday evening. Grant answered in almost monosyllables alone to the press after his team won 1-0 at Goodison Park against Everton. It was terrific entertainment and I say Bravo, Avram! Managers should repay the contempt the press lob at them. Memories are extremely short at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho was too combustible a personality for people to work with for much longer, and was fired because the results were poor at the start of the season. Grant has done a fine job in taking over from such a legend and keeping Chelsea in contention for both the league title and Champions League. Anti-semitism has reared its ugly head this season amid the Chelsea-haters, but the Israeli coach may yet have the last laugh. Another coach trying to keep the wheels on the road is Rafael Benitez at Liverpool. It seems crazy that the two American owners, who have fallen out incidentally, were gunning to replace the Spaniard with the untested Jurgen Klinsmann. Benitez works miracles in the Champions League and like, Wenger, revitalised a big club which seemed to be running out of steam. All three of the above managers, whose clubs are in the top four in the league and all reached the Champions League quarter-finals, have had their names mentioned in the UK press this week as possible summer axings. That any of Benitez, Grant and Wenger should be facing dismissal is ridiculous, but also a telling comment on the insatiable and utterly unrealistic demands of the new breed of soccer investor-operators, who have no feel or real understanding for the game. Only Sir Alex, high in his Old Trafford castle after 22 years of fortification, seems safe. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Champions League review England in extasy as Milan and Real fall It looks like three English teams will make it to the semifinals of the Champions League, just like they did last season. Arsenal or Liverpool are sure to be there while Manchester United and specially Chelsea are favourits against Roma and Fenerbahce, respectively. We may well see a repetition of last year's semifinals setup with Liverpool, United and Chelsea, with Barcelona instead of Milan this time. Well, last year Milan defeated the English competitions, United by a 5-3 aggregate in the semis and Liverpool by 2-1 in the finals, but Milan is out, after being well defeated by Arsenal in the eight-finals. Milan: End of an era The Gunners cut short the magnificent Milan's European run since the 2001/02 season. In the last six campaigns, Red and Blacks made it at least to the quarterfinals, in fact playing five times in the semifinals. Such balance made the Italians the most successful European side in the said period. Since 2002, when they were stopped in the UEFA Cup semis by Borussia Dortmund until last season's grand finale in Athens against Liverpool, Milan failed to make the last four just in 2003/04. On that occasion it took a magnificent performance by Deportivo to kick Silvio Berlusconi's boy out of the competition. Apart from that incident, Milan won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, got narrowly beaten by Liverpool in 2005 and eliminated in the semis of 2006 by eventual winners Barcelona. Arsenal have thus made history as the team that ended the latest era of Milan's continental domination, but making it past Liverpool will take an extra effort. The Champions League is Rafael Benítez's lucky ground and the Reds in Europe regularly look quite a different side, significantly superior to the one seen in the Premiership. Prediction: Liverpool to progress Manchester United last year demolished Roma by 7-1, the heaviest defeat in the club's European history. This season in the group stage the Devils won by a mere 1-0, salvaging a draw in Rome. Francesco Totti and the rest of the ragazzi may be closing on United, but they are not matching them yet. Prediction: Manchester United by a narrower margin this time Of all English sides, Chelsea should have the easiest task against the ferocious Turks from Fenerbahce. The Canaries from Istambul boast a reported army of 20 million fans, but Roman Abramovich's invested millions will count far more on the pitch. Prediction: Chelsea absolutely must go through In the remaining tie, the mighty Barcelona's squad face Schalke, theoretically the weakest side left in the competition. The Germans are struggling even in the Bundesliga, where they have practically surrendered all chances of winning the title (the fans are accustomed to them doing that, by all means). But, this is a spirited, fighting German team which will engage Barca stars in a pitched battle with some, not many, hopes of pulling a stunning upset. Prediction: Barcelona is so much more talented Round of sixteen 1st 2nd Schalke 04 vs Porto 1-0 0-1 (4-1 pen) Arsenal vs Milan 0-0 2-0 Roma vs Real Madrid 2-1 2-1 Liverpool vs Inter 2-0 0-1 Olympiacos vs Chelsea 0-0 0-3 Celtic vs Barcelona 2-3 0-1 Fenerbahce vs Sevilla 3-2 2-3 (3-2 pen) Lyon vs Manchester Utd. 1-1 0-1 Quarterfinals (1/2nd and 8/9th April) Arsenal vs Liverpool Roma vs Manchester Utd. Schalke 04 vs Barcelona Fenerbahce vs Chelsea Copyright: Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

It’s been a long time coming. After almost nine months on the sidelines, Park Ji-sung is set to return to action for Manchester United this week. His absence has been keenly felt - perhaps more in Seoul than in the English city. With compatriots in other Premier League clubs struggling to make an impact on the pitch, the sight of the busy South Korean sporting the famous red shirt is one that everybody has been waiting for. It was a bright early spring when the 26 year-old sustained a knee injury. At the time, it didn’t seem so serious and his expected absence was short – a good thing as, just prior to the injury, Park had been playing his best football since joining the club from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2005. The scenario was similar that of Lee Dong-guk almost exactly one year previously. Lee had been in perhaps the best form of his career in March and April 2006 in the K-League. He was scoring goals for fun for Pohang Steelers and had established himself as Korea’s number one striker just ahead of the 2006 World Cup. On an early April evening against Incheon United, Lee scored a delightful first-half volley and then was carried off the pitch in the second half. The seriousness of his injury wasn’t immediately apparent. Lee, now at Middlesbrough, missed the World Cup while Park was forced to watch his Manchester United team-mates lift the English Premier League trophy in May and exit the Champions League at the semi-final stage at the hands of AC Milan. After it became apparent that his injury was more serious than first thought, Park went under the knife in the US for an operation that was, according to his father, career-saving. The road to recovery has been a long one and the player’s journey has been accompanied by the expected countless number of headlines. His ability to walk without the aid of crutches was well-reported (unfortunately, a headline like "A Walk In The Park" doesn't work in Korean) as was his return to the gym (neither does "Park Bench Press"). Around two weeks ago he resumed full-training with the first team squad and as coach Sir Alex Ferguson told reporters last week, he is looking good. "He played in the practice game on Sunday and was absolutely outstanding. I hadn't registered him for Europe at the start of the season because we didn't think he would be back until January with his injury.” Park could return against Everton on December 23 and for Korean fans it will be a welcome Christmas present. Saturday nights without Park don’t have the same appeal, for viewers or advertisers, in Seoul. It is not only broadcasters who are happy to see the return of the familiar mop-top. Internet sports sites have all recorded greater traffic levels as excitement grows as the time of Park’s return nears. United haven’t done too badly without the former PSV Eindhoven star. After winning the title, the Red Devils went shopping in the summer and bought stars such as Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, big-money players who have all smoothly settled into the set-up. Fighting for an almost automatic place won’t be the first challenge that Park has faced and it won’t be the first time that he has had the whole Korean nation behind him. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Weekly soccer news for week of December 9th Ozren Podnar Drug lords helped Argentina in 1978? Drug cartel from Cali bribed the Peruvian national team in order to help Argentina qualify for the 1978 World Cup, claims Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón, the son of the jailed drug lord Gilberto in his forthcoming book. At that World Cup celebrated in Argentina, the home team had to beat Peru by at least four goals in order to reach the finals on goals' difference ahead of Brazil. The final result of the match in Mendoza was 6-0, for which Mondragón claims the Argentinians should thank his father and his uncle, who had paid off the Peruvians. One of the Argentinian stars, Leopoldo Luque, said he and his mates did not spot anything strange in the Peruvia players' approach, except that they were very bad. "Soccer players are not actors. When they are up to something weird, it becomes obvious very soon. In that game, we noticed nothing of the sort. We were just so much better," remembers Luque, who scored two goals, as well as Mario Kempes. Mondragón also mentioned that his cartel attempted to sign Diego Maradona for América of Cali, but the deal failed to materialize due to superior offers that Maradona had from Europe. "The transfer did not come to fruition, but a lasting friendship remained between both parties," wrote the mafioso's son in the book called "Son of the Chessmaster 2", after his father's nickname. Syomin fourth Dinamo Kiev coach in a season Russian Yuri Syomin has become the fourth Dinamo Kiev's coach in the current season, by replacing the former Ukrainian international Oleg Luzhny. Previously coach to Lokomotiv and Dinamo of Moscow and of the Russian national team, Syomin has been given clear instructions as to what his mission is. "This team must never again embarrass themselves in Europe," said the president Grigory Surkis, referring to Dinamo's dismal campaign in this year's Champions' League. The most popular Ukrainian team started the season under Anatoly Demyanenko, who was soon replaced by Josef Szabo. Eventually, Szabo was succeeded by his assistant Luzhny, who was in turn sacked after five consecutive defeats in the international competition. Policeman injured in fighting with Red Star ultras A plain clothes policeman was severely bruised and burned in a clash with Red Star supporters during a Serb championship match against Hajduk Kula at Belgrade's Marakana stadium. The incident started when the agent attempted to arrest a local fan for lighting a firecracker. Other fans came to their mate's rescue and overpowered the policeman even though he fired two warning shots in the air. One of the hooligans even scorched the fallen man with the firecracker, inflicting him serious burns. The riot police quickly intervened and rescued the agent, who was transported to a hospital in stable condition. Several fans were arrested and will be tried for attempted homicide, but surprisingly three of the Red Star officials were detained as well on suspicion of having failed to provide safety during the match and having enabled the hooligans to smuggle in the pyrotechnical material. Within a separate police investigation, Red Star's secretary general Zoran Damjanovic was also brought in on charges of corruption and embezzlement relative to players' transfers, completing a dismal week for Serb soccer. Giggs makes it a hundred Manchester United's living legend Ryan Giggs scored his 100th Premier League goal in a match against bottom placed Derby County, helping the Red Devils move within a point of leaders Arsenal. United's 4-1 win coupled with a sensational Gunners' defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough means that the race for the Premiership title will be more exciting than thought during the previous weeks. Giggs, the 34-year-old Welsh Wizard, has been a regular feature for Manchester United since 1991 and is the team's most successful player in history as far as the trophies are concerned. Galatasaray want to retire Hakan The best known Turkish international, Hakan Sükür, has been advised to retire at the end of this season in order to cede the place to the players of the new generation. The 36-old forward has been told that he would be undesirable in the future because, as Galatasaray vicepresident Adnan Polat said, of his inability to fit into the new scheme. "We are in the process of creating a new team in which there will be no place for him. I have suggested to him that he should quit at the season's end. Should he fail to do this, we will terminate his contract," announced Polat. Galatasaray and Turkey legend, who scored over 200 goals for the club and 50 for the country, has no intentions of ending his career. "I don't plan to abandon the soccer scene. I wish to play for at least two more seasons," said Sukur, who is still going strong and scores with an astonishing regularity. Drogba undergoes emergency surgery Didier Drogba was surprisingly operated on his knee on Saturday in spite of an agreement with Chelsea directors about postponing the surgery for the forthcoming week. The Iverian forward will be back in action in about five weeks, but the Stamford Bridge faithfuls will not see him before the third week of February! If Drogba recovers in time, he will take part in the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, and if Ivory Coast makes good progress Chelsea will remain deprived of their first-choice striker for over two months. Drogba suffered from a long term problem with his knee, called degeneration of the meniscus, which he aggravated while representing his country. Corinthians like Manchester and Valencia Corinthians of Sao Paulo have become the latest in the string of big clubs to have been relegated in spite of their glamourous traditions. The second most popular Brazilian club, supported by no less a person than the President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, went from winning the title in 2005 to going down at the end of this season. The main reason for Corinthians' downfall is arguably the managerial chaos caused by the trials of the director Alberto Dualib and his associates for money laundering, embezzlement and other financial wrongdoings. While the supporters of their principal enemies, Sao Paulo and Palmeiras, are currently ecstatic over their archrivals' plight, Corinthians' fans believe their beloved team will soon return as most of the soccer greats relegated through results or FA rulings. Relegated giants Manchester Utd. (1974) Tottenham (1977) Milan (1982) Lazio (1985) Valencia (1986) Sevilla (1996) Fluminense (1998) Atletico Madrid (2000) Sampdoria (2000) Botafogo (2002) Leeds (2004) Borussia M. (2007) Forcibly relegated Milan (1980) Lazio (1980) Bordeaux (1991) Olympique Marseille (1994) Fiorentina (2002) Juventus (2006) Note: year of relegation in brackets Copyright Ozren Podnar7Soccerway Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

"There are not many candidates because it looks a bit like a crocodile that opens the mouth and says: 'Jump into that.' Once he's in there, he's eaten. And once you have eaten four, five says: 'No, maybe I don't jump in there.'" So went the words of Arsene Wenger, the best coach working in England at present. In the old days, before the savaging of Bobby Robson and Graham Taylor by the tabloids and the realization that the real money and chances of success were to be found in the Premier League and not the international game, the nation’s best coach would have leapt at the chance of managing England.

World News for week of October 7th ManU's mighty artillery for 0,9 goals per game Do the names of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, Carlos Tévez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nani, Anderson...tell you anything? These are the players with offensive duties in Manchester Utd. Still, with all that artillery United scored a mere 11 goals in their first 12 competitive games. It's fewer than one per game. Luckily for the Red Devils, their defence conceded just six goals in the same period thus keeping United near or on top in the Premiership and the Champions' League.

Manchester United's pre-season tour to Asia kicked off with a 2-2 draw with J-League champions Urawa Reds in Saitama tonight. United last played the Reds in 2005 winning 2-0 with a goal from Wayne Rooney being the highlight of the match. This time it was 2-2 at Saitama Stadium . United twice held the lead with goals from Darren Fletcher and Cristiano Ronaldo, Urawa replying with strikes from Hideki Uchidate and Shinji Ono in front of a passionate crowd. Urawa partially model themselves on Manchester United, with a lot of Bayern Munich thrown in to the mix. The Mancunian Red Devils traditionally include a fixture with the team from the working class suburbs of Tokyo on their pre-season East Asian money-making jaunts. Listen to some quasi-fascist chanting by Urawa Reds fans Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings

Holders Brazil reached the final of the 2007 Copa America by beating Uruguay 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Inter's Maicon opened the scoring for the seleçao in the 13th minute before former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan equalised for Uruguay in the 36th and ex-Arsenal man Julio Baptista sent Brazil into a 2-1 lead with a strike five minutes before the interval. Los Charrúas' Sebastián Abreu levelled matters at 2-2 in the 71st minute and no further goals followed through extra-time, resulting in a penalty shootout.