Soccerphile celebrates the 100th anniversary of one of English football’s most famous venues. When Old Trafford opened its doors for the first time in February 1910, Manchester United were en-route to securing just their second ever league championship that May. Despite the optimism abound at the time, few spectators that were at the Theatre of Dreams ’ inaugural game could have imagined the global phenomenon the Red Devils would one day become. Even fewer could have foreseen that the arena they were watching in would, a century later, be one of the most famous football venues in the world. Manchester United came from humble beginnings, especially in respect to their stadia. The club’s first ground on North Road, Newton Heath can best be described as a ‘rustic’ style home. The ground’s changing rooms were a ten minute walk away at the Three Crowns pub and the pitch has was described as being ‘a bog at one end and rocky as a quarry at the other’ in an early match report. Bank Street, United’s second ground in nearby Clayton had an equally poor reputation. The stadium was near to a smoky chemical factory and had a terrible pitch too with very little grass. Walsall Town Swifts famously refused to play a game there in the 1890’s, such were the conditions. Near bankruptcy in 1902 saw the bailiffs close Bank Street due to the club’s insolvency and it was at this time United were forced into a search for yet another home ground. It was in 1909 that the land Old Trafford stands on today was indentified and purchased, for the seemingly modest sum of £60,000. Chairman John Henry Davies hired the renowned stadium architect Archibald Leitch, who designed other famous grounds such as Ibrox, Goodison Park, Roker Park and White Hart Lane, to build an arena for the club and allocated a budget of £30,000 for its construction. The first stadium was designed to hold a similar capacity to today’s ground – around the 76,000 mark. Of course, much of this capacity was standing room only back then. It was old rivals Liverpool that were United’s first opponents at the Salford-based venue, resulting in a 4-3 win for the visitors on 19 February 1910. The new stadium made an instant impression on the Football Association, who selected the venue as venue for a FA Cup Semi Final within months of it opening. A year later it hosted an FA Cup Final replay between Bradford City and Newcastle and in 1915 staged the famous ‘Khaki Cup Final’ – Sheffield United v Chelsea. John Henry Davies vision for Old Trafford to gain international recognition was achieved in 1926 when England played Scotland at the ground. And in 1939, a record O.T attendance of 76,962 crammed into the Theatre of Dreams to watch an FA Cup Semi Final between Wolves and Grimsby. Old Trafford had cemented its place in the heart of football supporters by the time the Second World War broke out in 1939. But tragedy was about to strike. During the conflict, the ground was to suffer extensive damage which rendered the venue out of action for eight years. German bombs fell on the stadium on two occasions – 22nd December 1940 and 11th March 1941. The second blast saw the main stand completely destroyed. United were awarded a grant of £22,278 from the War Damage Commission which enabled Old Trafford to be rebuilt. While construction work took place the Red Devils played at rivals Manchester City’s old Maine Road ground until they were able to return to their re-built home ground in 1949. Development work continued a pace at the stadium throughout the following decades. Floodlights were erected in 1957, allowing Manchester United to play night time fixtures. The most partisan of the four stands at Old Trafford - the Stretford End - had a roof installed in 1959 and in 1965 a new North Stand opened with the ground’s first executive boxes. By the dawn of the Premier League in 1992, Old Trafford was one of the largest and most modern football stadiums in England. By 1993/94, the stadium had become all-seater, with the last standing area of the ground – the Stretford End – converted into a new £12m stand. Cantilevered roofing now swept the entire length of the stadium, now a perfect bowl arena. Five major expansion projects have since taken place. Firstly, the development of the £18.6m, four tiered, North Stand in 1996. A second tier of seating was added to the East Stand and Stretford End in 2000 and four years ago, the North-East and North-West quadrants of the stadium were filled in. The capacity of Old Trafford is now 75,957. The continued changing appearance of Old Trafford over the decades is just one part of the stadium’s amazing life story. The colour, the noise, the fans and the players are all part of the Theatre of Dreams ’ rich tapestry. As you think of the great ground’s history, names like Edwards, Busby, Charlton, Best, Giggs and Ferguson spring to mind. There’s the thousands of memorable games. Denis Law’s back-heeled goal for Manchester City in 1974, which condemned United to relegation. A Bryan Robson inspired come back from two goals down to victory over Barcelona in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1984. The sight of Sir Alex Ferguson leaping onto the pitch in joy as Steve Bruce headed a stoppage time goal against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 en-route to United’s first title since 1967. And of course the 7-1 drubbing of Roma in 2007. Old Trafford has brought joyous and agonising moments for more than just Manchester United fans too. The most famous international ever to be played there is undoubtedly England’s 2-2 draw with Greece in 2001. A David Beckham free-kick deep into stoppage time secured a World Cup place for England, who had twice trailed. AC Milan fans have fond memories of the great old ground, as it was the scene of their 2003 Champions League triumph over old rivals Juventus. Old Trafford’s worth even extends to non-football fans. Rugby League supporters have viewed the ground as their Mecca, ever since the Super League Grand Final was switched their in 1998. It also hosted the 2000 Rugby League World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand. As 100 years of Old Trafford are celebrated this month, here’s hoping for another great century at the Theatre of Dreams. Tags Manchester United Old Trafford

Asia is accustomed to hosting teams from Europe. Every summer sees big clubs from the west heading east to play exhibition games in attempts to win new fans and conquer new markets.

Soccerphile Exclusive: Manchester United & Serbia's Zoran Tosic M anchester United ’s Serbian u21 star Zoran Tosic has said he will leap at the chance of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford next season if given the opportunity.

So Manchester United and Real Madrid hatched the Ronaldo snatch a year ago, if ex-President Ramon Calderon is to be believed. "Last season, Manchester United decided not to do it because they thought it was too early," Calderon told BBC Radio. "Everyone involved in the operation agreed to do it this season. That is what I can say." Real boss Juande Ramos corroborated this amazing claim: "We already knew that Real Madrid had a pre -contract agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo and that it was only a matter of time," he confirmed. So the transfer was done and dusted a year ago and it was only its timing which had to be mutually decided, it appears. There was no mention of the £80 million fee, which presumably was pencilled in by the two clubs after Euro 2008.

Bleary-eyed and weary, a legion of football fans shuffles through the night in their warmest of slippers and clutching at coffee cups.  Welcome to the Southern Hemisphere, where watching live European football requires the stamina of Paul Scholes and the fancy-footwork of Lionel Messi - if only to avoid tripping over the cat slumbering peacefully on the living room floor. Making sure the volume is turned way down for the start of the broadcast - waking the entire household is a rookie mistake - fans in the southern half of the globe are well accustomed to 4am starts and less than productive morning meetings at work.

UEFA Champions League Final: Barcelona v Manchester United While not quite beauty v the beast, the intriguing contrast of Manchester United's organisation and Barcelona's beautiful game is the power v the glory. More than the billed clash of the two fantasistas - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Stadio Olimpico will host a battle of styles to decide the Emperor of Rome. Since Brazil won the 1994 World Cup with prosaic powerhouse midfielders, the accepted wisdom has been that top-level football is no place for dainty, pretty players and that a good muscular team will top a good technical one. After pocket battleships like Hagi and Diego Maradona in the 1980s, the winning formula had a nuance of percentage over artistry and along came the giants - Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silva, Zinedine Zidane, Steven Gerrard and Michael Ballack, not destroyers but mobile cruisers who rob and repel attacks, tackle, distribute and drive forward with the ball; Goliaths of all trades.

What were UEFA hoping for when they awarded tomorrow's Champions League final to Rome? Alfresco pasta and vino in the Italian sun, no doubt, as Puccini wafts through the ancient walls of the Centro Storico and evening strollers pause beside the Trevi Fountain to contemplate 'La Dolce Vita' over a gelato and espresso. UEFA cannot have forgotten the recent history of soccer violence in the Eternal City, so what excuse is there for brushing it under the carpet? Italy has the worst hooligan problem of any European country but domestic squabbles apart, Rome has been a danger zone in recent years for travelling fans, particularly English ones.

Did you know Josep Guardiola has Mars in Scorpio, conjunct Jupiter?  Up-to-date on the fact that Mars was in Aries when Alex Ferguson was born?  Sir Alex has a lot of Capricorn in his chart, did you know? Ferguson currently has Saturn conjunct the north node of his moon. Both the charts of Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have a lot of Jupiter and Mars activity in them at the moment. What are we on about? Find out the astrological forecast for Manchester United and Barcelona ahead of the Champions League Final this Wednesday in Rome.

World soccer news For week of 04/18 Ferguson labels Benitez as "arrogant" and "contemptuous" War of words has intensified between Sir Alex Ferguson and Don Rafael Benitez in view of the decisive month in the Premier League The master of the psychological warfare, Ferguson has launched a furious attack at Liverpool's coach hoping it will destabilize the Spaniard further after a heroic, but ultimately futile battle at Stamford Bridge in midweek Manchester United manager accused Benitez of arrogance and contempt toward other Premier League managers, illustrating his claims with the way the Spaniard once qualified Everton and his dismissive attitude during a game against Blackburn

As he looks back at 2008, Park Ji-sung could be forgiven for allowing himself a wry smile. It has been an incredible season for the man nicknamed ‘Three Lung Park’ in Manchester and ‘Oxygen Tank’ in Seoul. These monikers sell the player a little short but they are vast improvements on the label quickly pinned to his chest upon his arrival in England three and a half years ago. 'Park Bench’ crowed the English media. Not only has the 27 year-old dispelled notions that he is at the club for his ability to sell shirts rather than his skills on the pitch, he has ended the year with a haul of medals that most players around the world can only dream of. A trip to Park’s home in England’s north-west will reveal an English championship medal, his second in two seasons, a European Champions League medal and a FIFA Club World Cup medal. No Asian player has won even one such prize. Park picked up all three in one season. Despite a number of injuries, Park has played over 100 games for the Red Devils. It can’t be said that he is an automatic starter but he is a valued and important member of the roster. In the modern game, few players start every game and even fewer play for what is now officially the best team in the world. “I'm so happy with the way things are going this season. I enjoy playing and I've been involved a lot in the first team," he told MUTV, the club's television channel. “I need to prove what I can do and I'm going to keep doing my best." United boss Alex Ferguson is not shy of praising his players but his appreciation of Park’s intelligence, movement, his ability to use space on the pitch and create that space for others as well as his obvious determination, stamina and team and work ethic is genuine. ‘A coach’s dream’ is how the Scot refers to the South Korean. Ferguson had a nightmare choice in May in Moscow as United battled Chelsea in the final of the UEFA Champions League. Park played every single minute against Roma in the quarterfinal and Barcelona in the semifinal but the player was not selected in the roster for the final. It was a decision that did not go down to well in the Land of the Morning Calm. Such indignation may or not have reached the ears of Ferguson. Anyway, the boss felt the need to explain what happened. "It was a terrible decision to have to take," he said. "In many ways it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make because Ji-Sung had played such a great part in the previous games against Roma and Barcelona.” That’s football. Few doubted that Park would put the disappointment behind him. In the first half of the current season, the player has enjoyed a sustained run in the team. He also ended the year in fine fashion. As European champions, United travelled to Japan for the Club World Cup Championship. The English giants defeated Asian champions Gamba Osaka 5-3 and then South American winners LDU Quito in the final. Park’s professional career started in Japan and it was a sweet return. It hurt me to miss the Champions League final, so to play in the Club World Cup was great. To be called a world champion is amazing — a dream for me.” That career is now at its zenith. Even if Park never wins anything ever again in Europe and England, he will still have achieved things that others can only dream of. Despite that, the Korean media is concerned about Park’s future. "I only have one more year left on my contract and there has been no contact about a new deal yet,” Park was quoted as saying in the English press. “I want to stay here but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m not letting myself become too worried. I just want to concentrate on playing well for United and, hopefully, we’ll talk. If I play well and show that I’m an asset to the team then maybe I’ll get a new contract.” Ferguson was quick to reassure the player that he will be at Old Trafford for a while to come yet. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting