Manchester United vs Newcastle United

When you get too experienced and too good at what you do, this is what happens. The Red Devils destroyed Newcastle United (5-1) in the Premier League and at the same time they close the gap to three points from the leader Arsenal.

The Champions

The UEFA Champions League is considered the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in a group stage. Eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout rounds, which end with the final match in May. Previously only the champions of their respective national league could participate in the competition, however this was changed in 1992 to allow the runners-up to compete as well.

The current holders of the UEFA Champions League trophy are AC Milan . Moscow will host its first European Cup final for the 2007-2008season.

Currently Manchester United came first in their group and tied in the first leg versus Lyon, in the first knockout round. The next match will be the fourth of March 2008. Manchester United played like warriors but unluckily that was not enough.

Cups Red Devils play durign the entire year

The Football Association Challenge Cup also known as the FA Cup is run by and named after the Football Association. This competition is a knock out (single elimination) basis. The FA Cup began in 1871-1872 and is one of the oldest football competitions in the world. Any club in Great Britain can compete in the FA Cup; when teams play there is the possibility for the ¨underdog¨ a low division club become a ¨giant killers¨ by eliminating top clubs from the tournament, although lower division teams rarely reach the finals.

In 2007-2008 the FA Cup 731 teams where accepted to compete in the cup. The current holder of the FA CUP is Chelsea who beat Manchester United 1-0 in extra time in 2007 final, on 19 May 2007. As well as being presented with the cup the winning team also qualifies by right for the first round of the UEFA Cup, unless they have already qualified for Europe when the spot goes to the runners-up or to the highest placed Premier League side without European qualification

The League Cup is less prestigious than the FA Cup, which also is a knock out (single elimination) basis. The League Cup is seen by some big Clubs as a lower priority compared to other competitions. Clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal in particular, have used the competition to give players valuable game experience.

Since 1982, the League Cup has been named after its sponsor, giving it the
following names:
• Milk Cup (1981–82 to 1985–86), sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board
• Littlewoods Challenge Cup (1986–87 to 1989–90), sponsored by Littlewoods
• Rumbelows Cup (1990–91 and 1991–92), sponsored by Rumbelows
• Coca-Cola Cup (1992–93 to 1997–98), sponsored by Coca-Cola
• Worthington Cup (1998–99 to 2002–03) , sponsored by Worthington Draught bitter
• Carling Cup (2003–04 to present), sponsored by Carling

The Premier League( Officially known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons, also known as the Premier League) is an English professional league for football clubs. The Premier League is the country’s (Great Britain) primary football competition. There are 20 teams that compete in the league and operate the system of promotion and relegation with the football league. The Premier League was found the 20 February 1992 and the first games were played the 15 August that year. From that game a decision was made by the clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from the Football League to take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal; the league had served as England and Wales' primary football competition since 1888. Since then, the Premier League has become the world's most watched sporting league and the most lucrative football league, with cumulative club revenues of around £1.4 billion. The league is a corporation with the 20 clubs acting as shareholders.

A total of 40 clubs have competed in the Premier League, but only four have won the title: Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The current Premier League champions are Manchester United, who won their ninth title in the 2006–07 season, the most of any Premier League team.

Manchester United

If you have no idea why Manchester United is one of the best football teams in the world. Here is your answer.

OLD TRAFFORD.

The Old Trafford located in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England and the home of Manchester United FC.

"The most handsomest, the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed"

Sporting Chronicle: Saturday 19th February 1910

The above words were written on Old Trafford's opening day in 1910. Archibald Leitch is the architect who designed the Old Trafford in 1909. This stadium has the ability of seating 76,212 and is the only UEFA five-star rated facility in England.

The original plan Archibald Leitch had for the stadium was for it to hold 100,000 fans; eventually it narrowed to 77,000. The construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester.

The inaugural game was played on 19 February 1910 against Liverpool F.C. 4-3 was the score of that game, Manchester United lost. That day 76,962 fans went to support the red devils. Unluckily a few days after the game, the main stand was blown down by a storm.

For ten straight years Manchester united could not play in the old Trafford. Bombing during Second World War, on March 1941, destroyed half of the stadium, notably the main stand. It was rebuilt in 1949 and it cost 22,278 pounds the reconstruction of the ground. It could hold up to 67,000 people.

Most of the stadium was rebuilt as it was before the bombing. A roof was later added to the Streford End in the 1950s, however all the stands suffered from obscured views because of old fashioned roof-post design.The West side will always be the legendary Streford End for the veteran’s fans of the red devils. Crammed behind the goal was a heaving mass of 20,000 standing Man Ud fans, which were the loudest of Britain at that time.

From 1960s to 1980s, over 58,000 fans could pack into old Trafford. However after the Hillsbrough disaster, the Taylor Report required all the stadiums of England to be all seaters. In 1960s the old Trafford was redesign to be a perfect bowl and could help up to 44,000 fans.

The demand increased every day to go watch the red devils play, an expansion was made in 1955-1956; the North Stand was now 200 feet tall and the largest single cantilever roof in Europe. The South Stand is rarely seen on TV because it is where the managers bech area,the directors/ television/ police control boxes and luxury restaurants and executive suites.The East Side was home to the diehard K-Stand United fans, as well as the away fans enclosure in the South-East corner and disabled section. It was formerly known as the Scoreboard End.

In January 2000, 30 million pounds where invested in the redevelopment of the East Stand. The East Side was opened crating a 61,000 capacity. The outside has an image of a modern office block, below it is the location of the huge Manchester United Megastore where every conceivable type of club merchandise is available. On top of the Megastore entrance is the Sir Matt Busby statue. Unveiled in May 1996 he gazes proudly over the forecourt adjacent to the road that bears his name, Sir Matt Busby Way. Off to the left side is the Munich Memorial plaque and the famous Munich clock commemorating the air crash on 6th February 1958 is at the South-East corner.

In August 2000 the second tier of seating was added to the Stretford End / West Side bringing a total capacity of 68,217. A statue of 60's striker Denis Law in the upper concourse was placed there in 2002 - Law was known as "The King of The Stretford End".

A total of £114 million has been spent by the club in the last 14 years on stadium redevelopment but the total cost for a new South Stand would almost equal that sum again with estimates in the region of £90-100 million.