Moyes ready to make Macheda moveQUOTE
David Moyes is ready to swoop for Manchester United striker Federico Macheda to solve his goalscoring problems.
The Everton boss desperately needs to boost his firepower with top scorer Tim Cahill away for the rest of the month at the Asia Cup and his strikers badly off colour.
Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to loan Macheda out for the rest of the campaign to get him games and the Italian Under-21 striker would be a natural fit for Moyes.
Macheda, 19, would like to move to Serie A and Parma, Fiorentina, Juventus and Lazio are said to be interested.
However United feel it would be more beneficial if the teenager continued is football education in the Premier League and Everton would be an obvious destination.
Moyes is restricted to scouring the loan market because he has no cash to spend this month and Macheda has already proved he can score goals in the Premier League.
He has managed four in 16 appearances, most of which have been from the bench, and he scored at Villa Park to inspire United’s dramatic comeback in November.
Moyes is also interested in Roque Santa Cruz, but the Paraguayan’s wages and Everton’s strained relationship with City make that deal complicated.
There are no such obstacles in the way of a loan move for Macheda and Moyes has the best relationship of any Premier League manager with his fellow Glaswegian Ferguson.
Moyes was non-committal when asked about his January targets and says he is keeping an open mind.
“You could ask me about lots of people and I would say ‘well maybe’,” he said. “But in truth I don’t know at the moment.
“We will try and look around and see what we can get. We’ve got to look to see who’s available on loan. There might be a lot of deals done, but they might not be done in the first week of January.”
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Trans...icle662535.htmlSir Alex Ferguson reveals agents' outrageous demands to UnitedQUOTE
Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed his frustration about the way football agents have "an imagination beyond belief", as he revealed some of the extraordinary demands he had encountered at Manchester United, including one transfer when the club were asked to buy a block of apartments as a condition of the player joining the club.
The agent, according to Ferguson, had asked for "a box of flats" for the deal to happen. He told another story of one middleman who wanted his client, a prolific striker, to be paid for each goal he scored. Ferguson did not name the people involved but made it clear he had informed the club's directors to refuse. "I said: 'Can you please remind him that's why we are buying [the player] in the first place – because he is a goalscorer?' This is what you're dealing with; it's unbelievable."
Ferguson was reflecting on the perceived role of Wayne Rooney's adviser, Paul Stretford, when the striker handed in a transfer request in October. United's suspicion has always been that Rooney, despite his denials, had been tempted by the idea of joining Manchester City, where Stretford is an associate of the football administrator, Brian Marwood, who previously worked as an executive at Nike, the player's sponsors.
Ferguson said: "I think he [Rooney] took bad advice and when he saw the impact of the fans and my response he realised – and I'm sure plenty of people told him – that he was making a big mistake."
Stretford once had a strong working relationship with Ferguson, helping to put in place Rooney's transfer from Everton in 2004 as well as being Andy Cole's representative when he signed from Newcastle United in 1995, but the Scot now regards the former vacuum cleaner salesman as "not the most popular man in the world – certainly at our club".
He has also been angered recently by the influence of the London-based agent Jerome Anderson at Blackburn Rovers, where Sam Allardyce, one of Ferguson's close allies, was sacked last month. "Jerome Anderson couldn't pick his nose," Ferguson said in the days after Allardyce's dismissal.
His latest comments were made in an interview on RTE Radio 1 in which Ferguson reflects on the Rooney dispute by emphasising that "the most important person at Manchester United is the manager", adding that "the minute a player becomes more important than the manager our club is finished, we'll never be the same again".
Addressing the role that agents play in players' wages, Ferguson said: "When I get annoyed is when managers phone me and say such-and-such player – and I'm talking about players who couldn't lace my reserve‑team players' boots – is asking for £1m a year. That's when it becomes disappointing ... the way some agents work a miracle by getting these terms for players who are not stars.
"At United I think most of my first-team players deserve what they're getting. They're playing in front of 75,000 people every week, they're achieving, successful, good footballers, honest professionals. They produce on the field, they bring people into the grounds, and they deserve it. But there are some players at other clubs who get paid enormous amounts of money and I don't know why."
The irony is that one of Ferguson's sons, Jason, once worked as an agent and was the subject of a Panorama documentary in 2004. Ferguson now says he has no contact with agents. "I don't deal with them directly but [the chief executive] David Gill has to, and it's hard job. They have an imagination that is beyond belief."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/ja...ferguson-agentsBaggies target Macheda loanQUOTE
West Brom are hoping to sign Manchester United striker Federico Macheda on loan.
Baggies head coach Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed his interest in signing the 19-year-old on a temporary basis this January.
Di Matteo was initially interested in acquiring the services of Macheda for a spell at the start of last season.
There is much work to be done before any possible switch to the Hawthorns for Macheda goes ahead.
But Di Matteo admitted: "Macheda is someone we looked at right at the start of last season.
"He's a striker, we are after a striker and we have to look at whether Manchester United will let him join us."
Di Matteo has also been linked with Aston Villa's John Carew who has slipped down the pecking order at Villa Park.
Injuries to defenders Pablo Ibanez (hamstring) and Steven Reid (knee) during Saturday's 2-1 defeat against United mean Di Matteo is also considering adding in that department.
Jonas Olsson is still sidelined with an Achilles injury while Gabriel Tamas is only one game into a three-match ban.
But Gonzalo Jara will return after a one-game suspension for the clash at Fulham.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6631535,00.htmlReds braced for battle» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
Darren Fletcher admits United are steeled for an Old Trafford battle against Stoke City on Tuesday evening.
Tony Pulis' side have earned a reputation as unforgiving opponents and, arriving at the end of a hectic, draining festive programme, present an imposing prospect for Sir Alex Ferguson's league leaders.
"We know what to expect from Stoke," Fletcher told ManUtd.com. "They've really consolidated themselves as a Premier League side and Tony Pulis has done a great job. You know you're in for a battle when you play Stoke and you have to win that battle and earn the right to play.
"It's going to be a difficult game. We experienced that at the Britannia and we're expecting more of the same at Old Trafford. They always have a go. They look at home in the Premier League now and they know what it's all about. They have some players who like to attack and Tony Pulis doesn't like his side to sit back. We expect them to come and have a go at us, as most teams have done at Old Trafford this season."
Although Stoke are renowned for their set-piece prowess and featuring several tall, sturdy players in their ranks, Fletcher insists the Potters are by no means one-dimensional.
"Stoke have some good footballers in their side," says the Scot. "Etherington and Pennant in the wide positions like to get at you and dribble. They've definitely got options. They can go direct if they want to but they also have some good footballers up front, players like Ricardo Fuller and Tuncay, who like the ball to their feet and can play some good stuff on the ground.
"You know Stoke will be physical at times because they lump free-kicks and long throw-ins into the box but we can't neglect the other ways they can cause problems. It's important you defend as a team and that starts with the front players. Our defensive performances have been very good and we'll do our homework and prepare for Stoke's threat. We know they'll be a danger from set-pieces – they're a big, strong, physical side, so we'll have to match them and make sure we're on our toes."
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features...for-battle.aspxPhelan wary of the Potters» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
They may lack the glitz and glamour of United's traditional title rivals, but Stoke City provide the Reds' coaching staff with as much food for thought as any of the Premier League's bigger names, according to Mike Phelan.
United have a perfect record from five Premier League encounters with Tony Pulis' side, most recently edging October's meeting at the Britannia Stadium, but the Reds' assistant manager says clashes with the Potters require precise planning.
"Stoke, for us, is as big a game as playing Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool, purely because they demand a high level of attention to detail," Phelan told United Review. "They are a very good team. They’ve sustained their Premier League status for a third successive season now and are a competitive side.
"They certainly give you a run for your money. We respect Stoke a lot for the way the club is run and for what they have achieved. One thing we do know is that we have to be fully focused when we play them."
Stoke's signature prowess at set-pieces - especially the gargantuan throw-ins of Rory Delap - will test United's mettle on Tuesday evening, and Phelan is demanding total commitment from the league leaders.
"There’s more attention to detail in those situations. We analyse Stoke as we do with any other team and we pay them the respect they deserve. They challenge you in all areas of the field, and you have to be committed. If we do that, hopefully then we’ll have the quality to win the game."
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features...of-Potters.aspxThis post has been edited by alien2003: Jan 3 2011, 08:26 PM 
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