Soccer Sorcery

When Man City signed Carlos Tevez after his bitter breakup with Man United and put him on a billboard in the city center that read "Welcome to Manchester," it marked a new level of club to club smack talk and prompted numerous responses and retaliations over the last couple years. But now that Tevez is being kicked out at City after two years of taunts, Man United fans have taken the opportunity to unleash the perfect revenge. Friday night, on a digital billboard in Piccadilly Gardens, the Manchester United Supporters Trust paid to have a revised version of the famous Tevez poster beamed out. It depicts a sulking Tevez sitting on the bench and reads "Welcome to Carlos, Manchester." From the Manchester Evening News : Duncan Drasdo, from the MUST, said: "It is just meant to be a bit of fun. The original City banner was quite cheeky. This is our chance to get our own back." The trust includes a number of high-flying ad men, including president Richard Hytn

AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK: 1. MEMORIES -- I HATE MEMORIES!!!!!!!!!!!! WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT CELTIC I CAN'T HELP BUT MISS IT A LITTLE!!!!!!!!! MY TEAMMATES HEADS WERE ALL SO CRUSHABLE!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I STUCK EIGHT PENCILS IN MY EARS AND I'M STILL NOT FORGETTING ANYTHING YET!!!!!!!!!! 2. WALTER PANDIANI'S PROLIFIC SWEATING -- I TOOK THIS AS A CHALLENGE!!!!!!! FIRST I TRIED TO WILL MYSELF TO SWEAT THROUGH MY SHIRT USING ONLY MY MIND BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK AND I JUST GOT DIZZY SO THEN I DECIDED TO STOP WASTING TIME AND SET MY CLOTHES ON FIRE!!!!!!! IT GOT REALLY HOT BUT I THINK THE FIRE BURNED OFF ALL THE SWEAT AND ALL I GOT WERE SECOND DEGREE BURNS IN MY ARM PITS!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH YOU WIN THIS ROUND PANDIANI BUT I WILL SWEAT MORE THAN YOU ONE DAY!!!!!!!!! 3. HOPE SOLO DANCING -- I HAVE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT HOW I WOULD CUSTOMIZE MY GOALKEEPER'S KIT TOO!!!! INSTEAD OF HEELS AND A BE

No, the problem here isn't that Ashley Young is a floppy-haired white dude (that seems to be a Virtual Pro modification by the player), it's the impressive head spin he does after tumbling over the goalkeeper. So while the new impact engine in FIFA 12 seems to be a cleaned up a bit from the game's demo , there is still a bit of wonkiness to enjoy/shake your fist at. One bit of goofiness that thankfully still remains from the demo is the depressed player who misses a penalty getting knocked out by the celebrating goalkeeper's crotch. We saw it happen to Xavi earlier in the week, now it's Clarence Seedorf's turn...

BACK: Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Jonny Evans will all be back from injury for Manchester United when Norwich visit. Chris Smalling (groin), Nemanja Vidic (ankle) and Tom Cleverly (foot) are still missing but could return after the international break. Ahead of the game Park Ji-sung has insisted he will feel the benefit this season of his retirement, at the age of 30, from the South Korea national team. He told the club's official website: "I don't need to travel too far away now during the season. When there is an international break, I can stay and train in Manchester, this makes me fresher for the next game. "It's a long season and the international matches meant I had to travel long distances. Now I can save my health physically. I think it's quite a big thing for me at my age." Click below to here MEN Sport's James Robson talk about the game http://www.

Manchester United will look to bounce back from Tuesday's surprise draw with Basle in the Champions League when Norwich visit Old Trafford. MEN Sport's James Robson reckons the Reds may rein in their attacking style in the wake of the midweek game. Find out what else he had to say by clicking on the box below. http://www.kyte.tv/f/ 18 s 1495627 never true Tweet

Denis Law and Wayne Rooney Denis Law is backing Manchester United strikerWayne Rooney to become the all-time king of Old Trafford. And he believes the England strikers quest to be ranked alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world will see United close the gap on European champions, Barcelona. Legendary striker Law has been nicknamed the king by United supporters ever since his incredible goal-scoring exploits in Sir Matt Busbys all-conquering team of the 60s. He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964. As part of the famous Holy Trinity with Bobby Charlton and George Best he won two league titles, but was injured for the European Cup triumph over Benfica in 68. Law has been immortalised in the form of a bronze statue alongside Charlton and Best, which sits proudly outside Old Trafford, which is a measure of the esteem in which he is held by the club. But he is convinced Rooney i

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle... This needs to be a real movie. [ KCKRS ] Lionel Messi's new adidas adiZero F50 miCoach boots. They have a brain! [ TBG ] This is hilarious: A Man City fan tries and fails to confront Tevez at his home, in pictures. [ Telegraph ] The all Jewish starting XI. [ MiB ] Footballer masks! [ STI ] Gerard Pique basically admits that he lets Shakira dress him. [ Kickette ] Where do you fall on the football-watching moral spectrum? [ Footy Blog ] Brighton disregard Hull City fans for an un! usual re ason. [ WSC ] Carlos Tevez is hard to misunderstand. [ Studs Up ]

As if everyone picking apart his every little mistake since joining Manchester United wasn't bad enough for David De Gea, now he has Tesco CCTV cameras catching him gobble down a measly doughnut without paying for it. From The Sun : The Spaniard, 20, was quizzed by security staff after he scoffed an Original Glazed ring treat from a Krispy Kreme cabinet at a store in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. De Gea was hauled up after being captured on CCTV helping himself to the treat but escaped a penalty. The sticky-fingered stopper thought to be on 70,000 a week wolfed down the doughnut in the magazine aisle. But as he headed for the exit without paying, he was tackled by security staff one of whom spoke fluent Spanish. OK, well, I doubt they tackled him for eating a single doughnut and any exclusive story from The Sun that features quotes from "a source" is always questionable at best. The report does quote a Tesco spokesman as saying, "A customer was spoken to b

Before Carlos Tevez's Manchester City career came to an abrupt end without him even leaving the bench, Edin Dzeko was momentarily the club's biggest troublemaker when he threw a tantrum after being subbed out in the 55th minute of that 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich. And now, perhaps a little frightened by Tevez's suspension and Mancini's threat that the Bosnian striker would spend the next match sitting next to him , Dzeko has decided to apologize. From the Guardian : "I know my reaction [to being substituted] was bad and I have spoken to the guys and to the coach," Dzeko said. "I have apologised for the reaction and Roberto has accepted it and said that everything is OK and that wehave to be positive for the nextgame." "I was unhappy because we were 2-0 down and I wanted to win the game," Dzeko said. "It was something special for me to go back to Germany, where I played for a long time, and I wanted to do well and wanted the team to

Emir Spahic and Fernando Navarro decided to confront Aritz Aduriz during Sevilla's 1-0 win over Valencia last weekend. Aduriz did not appreciate the trash-talking invasion of his personal space, so when Spahic got a little too close, Aduriz stepped on his foot. Spahic then fell over and rolled around like he took a harpoon to the toe while Navarro jumped up and down as if someone just slapped his cage. The two-man show worked, though, because the referee sent Aduriz off with a second booking in 11 minutes. Spahic also earned a yellow for his part. Video via Z czuba

Paul Scholes with his family at Old Trafford for is Testimonial game Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has revealed that his youngest son is autistic. In an serialisation of his autobiography Scholes: My Story, in The Sun newspaper, the retired midfielder speaks about his experience of having a son who suffers from the developmental disorder. The 36-year-old said the benefits from his career would not mean anything to him without his wife Claire and three children - who he calls his "new generation of Red Devils". "Aiden suffers from autism and has quite severe learning difficulties, so he can't take part in most sports at the moment, though he does absolutely love his swimming," Scholes says about his six-year-old son. "He seems in his element when he is in the pool, he's a real water baby and it's wonderful that he's got that to enjoy. Some children with autism are scared of water but Aiden's the opposite. He'

It has certainly been a tale of two strikers this week in Manchester. The eyes of the football world are on the city this season and, for the sport in general, Danny Welbeck has been the perfect antidote to the shoddy Carlos Tevez affair in Munich. On the one hand you have a young local lad enthusiastic and desperate to play and scoring in the Champions League. On the other, you have an extremely well-paid individual who, if all accounts bar his own are true, refused to come off the bench for the Blues in what was their biggest game of the season so far against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The contrast could not be more extreme. I am pleased for Danny Welbeck because scoring goals is the hardest job in football. When you are at a club of Uniteds standing it is even harder because they cannot always wait around for a goalscorer to come through. The pressure to stay at the top is so intense and goals are such a sought-after commodity generally m

Danny Welbeck scores against Basle Danny Welbeck should have been the toast of Old Trafford. The Mancunian should have been revelling in his new European fame. But the Longsight-born hitman admits Uniteds 3-3 draw against Basle in the Champions League left him totally deflated. The 20-year-old had been the first home-produced Manc striker to score in Europe for the Reds since Brian Kidd in the 1960s when he opened Uniteds scoring against the Swiss champions in Group C on Tuesday. His second at Old Trafford meant he was the first Manchester-born centre-forward to come through the Reds ranks and score twice in Europe since Dennis Viollet in 1957. But Basles amazing fight- back, courtesy of Uniteds cavalier defending, meant they needed a last-gasp face-saving goal from Ashley Young to secure a draw. And the astonishing collapse snatched the United headlines that Welbeck had secured for himself. It was a bitter-sweet moment for me. To get two Champions League goals was

MEN Sport editor Peter Spencer MEN Sport editor Peter Spencer will be online at 12pm today for a live webchat to discuss all the latest hot sporting topics. Interest will no doubt centre around Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, but United fans are not too happy at the moment either after their 3-3 draw against Basle. The webchat will take place within our new rolling live sports news service below, but you ask the questions in the normal way. Feel free to submit your questions early and Pete will be online at 12pm. United webchat Tweet

Ronaldinho captained Brazil to a 2-0 Superclassico win over Argentina on Wednesday night. Neymar scored the second goal, but he just couldn't finish this one off after some lovely play from his teammates to set him up right in front of goal. It appears he thought the defender in front of him would deflect it away and when that didn't happen, the ball just skipped right by him. It didn't really matter, though, because he still got to lift the sweet Nicolas Leoz sun god trophy... Video: Bola nas costas; Photo: Getty

A nice little move around the last defender and a goal from Velez's Rijad Demic in a Bosnian Cup match against city rivals Zrinjski led to Demic celebrating a little to close to the hostile home Zrinjski fans. And as a result, a wave of those Zrjinjski fans hopped the fence and chased the entire Velez team off the pitch. After that, the match was abandoned. Reuters explains why this derby runs a little deeper than most: Zrinjski and Velez represent opposite sides in the ethnically-divided town of Mostar, which is split into Croat and Muslim-run sectors. On Saturday, a Premier League match between Borac and Zeljeznicar was halted after violence by Borac fans, who invaded the pitch and threw stones and torches at rival supporters. It's always nice when football can cross borders and bring people together. And it's always not so nice when it gives some of those people an excuse to chase others away under threat of a savage beating just for putting a ball in a net. They probab

A day after his shocking refusal to play in Manchester City's 2-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich, Carlos Tevez has come to admit that he has been fluent in English during his entire Premier League career. The revelation came when a journalist confronted Tevez with the brief written statement from Manchester City announcing that he would be suspended for up to two weeks while the club investigates his conduct during Tuesday's match. Tevez appeared to read the statement, which was written in English, then angrily shouted, "This is bulls***! I mean -- I don't know what this says because I can't read English. And I don't know how I'm speaking English right now, either. This is so weird!" When questioned on how he went from famously knowing no English at all to suddenly sounding fluent in the language, Tevez admitted his ruse. "Look," he sighed. "This has all been a hoax. Before I came to England in 2006, I saw that film about Andy Ka

When Gerard Pique began publicly sucking face with Shakira , many people wondered how former teammate and the other half of the tenderest moment ever captured on film , Zlatan Ibrahimovic felt about it. Meanwhile, Ibra was off in Milan, alone, and venting his frustrations by kicking his teammates on a regular basis. Well, as AS points out , Zlatan has finally found a new teammate who can help him forget about Pique and Shakira and the depravity between Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol's plaid shorts. Like Pique, Ignazio Abate is a 24-year-old defender and he, uh, really seems to be making Ibrahimovic happy. Maybe now he'll stop kicking people. And, yes, there does seem to be a theme developing today. Photos: AS, Getty

Philipp Lahm made it clear in his new book that, despite the rumors, he only loves the ladies (more specifically: his wife). Well, Edin Dzeko apparently didn't read it because during Bayern's 2-0 win over Man City on Tuesday, Dzeko tried what can only be described as an attempt to mount Lahm from behind. And then he gave the German captain a pat on the backside. Dzeko wasn't booked for this, but he did throw a tantrum when he was subbed out of the match before the hour mark. Let's hope Dzeko didn't show up on his doorstep after the game like that lovelorn fan Lahm wrote about. Video: 101gg ; Photo: Getty

The day after what Carlos Tevez claimed was a "misunderstanding" prevented him from playing in Man City's Champions League loss to Bayern Munich and Roberto Mancini declaring him finished at the club, the Argentine striker really needed to unwind. After all, refusing to warm-up more than once and traveling from Germany to England can take a lot out of a professional footballer. So, he headed to Tytherington Golf Club, where his five-year streak of doing whatever he wanted in England finally came to an end. From the Telegraph : The Cheshire club confirmed that Tvez was unable to play today due to a high number of bookings, and insisted the situation had nothing to do with his behaviour in Munich, where he enraged City manager Roberto Mancini by refusing to come on as a substitute. Photographer Eamonn Clarke said [...] "Tvez got to the club and we went to wait for him at the first tee but there was no sign of him. "After about 20 minutes a golfer who

Michael Carrick in action against Basle Shell-shocked Manchester United insist they can storm back from their Basle nightmare. The Reds have turned what should have been an easy passage through Group C into a minefield. After drawing their opening match with Benfica, the Redson Tuesdaynight endured a 3-3 shocker against the Swiss champions at Old Trafford with only a last-gasp equaliser from Ashley Young sparing them from their first home defeat in 17 months. United travel to Bucharest to play Otelul Galati next month before the minnows visit Old Trafford in November. And six points from those two games have become vital after last seasons Champions League finalists amazingly let slip a 2-0 lead. It was a bit of a shock after being 2-0 up, said midfielderMichael Carrick. There are no excuses we threw it away. I am sure it is a one-off and we will bounce back. We expect ourselves to keep going and we always believe we can score if we get a chance and fortu

Back to back Champions League draws should serve as a wake-up call to Fergie's young guns at Manchester United. They may be blowing away all comers on the domestic front but Europe's eliteare a different matter entirely. Fergie admitted himself that his free-scoring side may have got carried away with their goal-scoring exploits in the shock draw with Swiss minnows Basle. So now it may be time to tighten the reins. It may not be in United's nature to win ugly but their success in the Champions League over the past four seasons has been based on a ruthlessness in Europe. It may not always be pretty but at this level it's about effectiveness. Do you agree? Have your say. Tweet

Danny Welbeck celebrates See how we rated the Manchester United players for their performance in the 3-3 draw with Basle at Old Trafford and submit your own scores. Our reporter Stuart Mathieson was impressed with Danny Welbeck, who scored a brace, but the defensive performance was below the usual standard. Click here to see the ratings in full. Tweet

Dimitar Berbatov rues a late chance which went begging as Thorsten Fink Twelve years. Thats how long Thorsten Fink has waited for revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. But just like in 1999, the German became the victim of another late, late show from United. For Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Nou Camp all those years ago read Ashley Young in 2011. The England wingers 90th minute goal saved Sir Alex Fergusons blushes and left Fink cursing his luck once more. Fink entered the pitch on a barmy evening in 99, expecting to be part of a victory parade. Instead he watched on, helpless, as that infamous Champions League final was turned on its head, history made, defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Sheringham and Solskjaer became Old Trafford legends that night. An unprecedented treble secured a knighthood for Sir Alex Ferguson too. History remembers the winners and Fink became just one of the forgotten men for Bayern. Not that United didnt d

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle... Pfft. Rino Gattuso can grow that in a day. [YouTube] Here's Rihanna with a Brazil shirt. [ KCKRS ] The new Nike T90 Laser IV boots are much better than my level of fitness. [ TBG ] Ronaldinho might be invading homes in South Carolina. [ Unprofessional Foul ] Mikel Arteta's impression of...The Continental. [ Kickette ] When Premier League clubs pick on their own fans. [ Yids ] Joey Barton should've had a better career. [ LaP ] Ajax's lessons from Madrid. [ IBWM ] France's most incredible move of the summer? Guillermo Ochoa to Ajaccio. [ 442 ] Carlos Tevez goes on strike; Man City take useful distraction. [ Surreal Football ] Youth football needs more mine related threats. [ Studs Up ]

Danny Welbeck celebrates See how we rated the Manchester United players for their performance in the 3-3 draw with Basle at Old Trafford and submit your own scores. Our reporter Stuart Mathieson was impressed with Danny Welbeck, who scored a brace, but the defensive performance was below the usual standard. Click here to see the ratings in full. Tweet

Antonio Valencia on the attack for United AshleyYoung got his Champions League career underway as Manchester Uniteds new Ryan Giggs with a face-saving equaliser at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson believes the England winger can do the box-to-box job Giggs has provided for almost two decades and the Welshman certainly provided his fair share of Euro goals. But Youngs debut goal was as welcome as any of Giggs efforts as he rescued a point with United on the brink of embarrassingly throwing away a comfortable two-goal lead. On a night when we should have been talking up Danny Welbeck, Uniteds dreadful defending virtually ruined his big Euro night. So much for dead rubbers in November and December the brittle Reds are going to have to fight to the finish now after this awful capitulation. Welbeck had bridged a 17-year gap to confirm United have finally found their elusive home-produced hitman who can command a senior place. The Mancunian Red was no doubt more excited

Right when things seemed to be coming together for Man City's global domination, they lose 2-0 to Bayern Munich, Edin Dzeko throws a fit after getting subbed off and Carlos Tevez refuses to play. All of this must have something to do with Mario Balotelli getting praise recently for maturing , right? Some kind of cosmic balance? Down 2-0 at halftime, Roberto Mancini substituted Dzeko for Nigel De Jong in the 55th minute and Dzeko reacted by throwing a fit, taking off his boots on the bench and throwing them to the ground. Tevez watched this from a couple of seats down and apparently got some ideas. When Mancini tried to sub Tevez into the match, the former captain flat-out refused. From Eurosport : Mancini, looking visibly shocked, told a news conference: "I am really disappointed because it is Carlos. "This can't happen in a top club - to refuse to go in to help his team-mates. What I said to Carlos is between me, him and the team. "But if we want to improve as

Adilson Cabral battles with Danny Welbeck Ashley Young grabbed a late equaliser for Manchester United in adramatic game against Basle at Old Trafford. Having got the selection nod, Danny Welbeck replayed his manager Sir Alex Ferguson with a quick-fire first-half double. But the Swiss side produced an admirable response, Fabian Frei pulling a goal back before and Alexander Frei's brace - the second one from the spot - rocked United. However, Young headed home with just seconds remaining to earn United a point. Basle remain on top of Group C in the Champions League and this performance will provide Ferguson with some head-scratching, with question marks particularly against Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand's compatibility in central defence. The first half was all about Welbeck, however - having been a loan striker last season, the 20-year-old was a lone one against Basle with Ferguson surprising everyone, and not least Berbatov, with his formation.

The BBC wins for best opening sentence of the day: Bath City had five players sent off as an FA Youth Cup tie descended into farce following a row over underpants. Bath manager Billy Clarke was also sent off for dissent after the first of his players was shown a red for the underwear violation 20 minutes into their eventual 6-0 loss to Newport County in the FA Youth Cup qualifying match. The BBC explains : Underwear must be the same colour as the shorts but Bath's white pants were visible below their black shorts. "It was all very surreal. I was angry with the officials," said Bath managing director Paul Williams. "Rules are rules but the officiating wasn't what it should have been for a youth cup tie. "Why didn't the officials check the colours before the start? Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben and his spandex leggings have fallen afoul of this rule in recent years, so it's not unheard of by any means. Still, Bath City have reason to be upset --

Much has been made of Frank Lampard's time sitting on the bench this season. He reportedly reached a breaking point near the end of Chelsea's 4-1 win against Swansea City last weekend and " stormed off " after Andre Villas-Boas used his last sub on Josh McEachran and not him. The following is a transcript of what actually took place in the closing minutes of that match. Lampard: Boss? AVB: Yes? Who are you? Lampard: I'm Frank! I wore a name tag all last week, how do you still not know my name? AVB: What do you want, Dave? Lampard: Since I'm not playing and I just finished reading the complete works of George R.R. Martin, do you mind if I go to the bathroom? And, again, my name is Frank. AVB: I do mind, Jerry. Lampard: Frank! And why do you mind? It's the 80th minute, we're up by two, we've only got one substitution left and Josh is sitting right next to me. AVB: I might want to use you instead, Tim. Just hold it for 10 more minutes. Lampard:

Follow all the latest on amajor Champions League night for Manchester United and Manchester City with our live blog. Our team of reporters will be tweeting from the games as the Reds host Basle at Old Trafford and the Blues take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Stuart Mathieson and James Robson are at United, while Stuart Brennan and Mike Keegan are in Germany. Mike has travelled over on a coach with the Bredbury branch of the MCFC supporters club. Please email your stories andpictures to website@menmedia.co.uk or tweet us @mennewsdesk or simply join in below. United webchat Tweet

You could not meet a more level-headed character than Darren Fletcher. Ask the Scotland skipper about his failure to play in a Champions League final through selection, suspension and sheer bad luck of contracting a virus the after-effects of which he could not shake off, and the 27-year-old just looks rueful. I've had a bit of bad luck with Champions League finals, he said. However, he recalls his debut vividly, and a moment within it that still leaves him shaking his head in disbelief. March 12, 2003. Champions League, second group stage versus Basle. Old Trafford. I had a bit of an inkling that I might play because of the work we'd done in training, he recalled. The build-up was massive - your first game as a professional footballer. I'd been injured for so long in the youth team and hadn't played too many matches or been around the first team that much, so it was all very exciting. Proud I thought about al

The scene of the Munich air crash in 1958 Sir Alex Ferguson today joined Sir Matt Busbys son, Sandy, in thanking City for laying a wreath in Munich to commemorate the 1958 air crash. The tragedy as United returned from a European Cup tie in Belgrade killed 23 people, including eight of Busbys Babes, club officials and Citys former keeper Frank Swift, who has among journalists on the fatal flight. City are in Germany for their first ever Champions League away tie against Bayern Munich tonight in the Allianz Arena. Officials willtoday laying a wreath at the Manchester Platz memorial at the site of the former Riem airport in a Munich suburb where the accident happened. Reaching across the divide: Manchester City officials to lay wreath at Munich disaster memorial The Reds and Blues are scrapping neck-and-neck at the top of the Premier League and the rise of Uniteds close rivals has caused friction in recent seasons. Fergie has had a pop at th

You could not meet a more level-headed character than Darren Fletcher. Ask the Scotland skipper about his failure to play in a Champions League final through selection, suspension and sheer bad luck of contracting a virus the after-effects of which he could not shake off, and the 27-year-old just looks rueful. I've had a bit of bad luck with Champions League finals, he said. However, he recalls his debut vividly, and a moment within it that still leaves him shaking his head in disbelief. March 12, 2003. Champions League, second group stage versus Basle. Old Trafford. I had a bit of an inkling that I might play because of the work we'd done in training, he recalled. The build-up was massive - your first game as a professional footballer. I'd been injured for so long in the youth team and hadn't played too many matches or been around the first team that much, so it was all very exciting. Proud I thought about al

The scene of the Munich air crash in 1958 Sir Alex Ferguson today joined Sir Matt Busbys son, Sandy, in thanking City for laying a wreath in Munich to commemorate the 1958 air crash. The tragedy as United returned from a European Cup tie in Belgrade killed 23 people, including eight of Busbys Babes, club officials and Citys former keeper Frank Swift, who has among journalists on the fatal flight. City are in Germany for their first ever Champions League away tie against Bayern Munich tonight in the Allianz Arena. Officials were later today laying a wreath at the Manchester Platz memorial at the site of the former Riem airport in a Munich suburb where the accident happened. The Reds and Blues are scrapping neck-and-neck at the top of the Premier League and the rise of Uniteds close rivals has caused friction in recent seasons. Fergie has had a pop at the Blues for being noisy neighbours and City have been criticised for their Carlos Tevez Welcome to Manche

"Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. ... They could, for example, have tighter shorts." - Sepp Blatter , FIFA President U.S. women's team goalkeeper Hope Solo is taking part in "Dancing with the Stars" and for her latest routine, she wore a modified and bedazzled version of her purple national team kit that just might be what Sepp Blatter had in mind when he opened his big dumb mouth and called for "a more female aesthetic." Granted, the heels could be more troublesome on the pitch and the shirt could lead to abdominal frostbite in the winter months, but Hope did a very good job of dancing in that getup. And since when has Sepp Blatter ever let fair and rational thinking get in the way of how he runs FIFA?

Most people try to use their Facebook pages to let everyone know how great they are. Iker Casillas, however, has adopted a different approach that spotlights the humanity of professional athletes and the humor in their occasional and inevitable mistakes. In a series of postings on his official Facebook page after making a couple of slip-ups in Real Madrid's 6-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, Casillas shared links to four YouTube videos from as far back as 2007 and said things like: "im [sic] sorry!" and "people make mistakes, nobody's perfect" and "the best thing you can do when you make a mistake is take it with humor. I'm human." and "I am leaving you more [videos]! And know that there are several more but I cannot find them ... or do not want to find them! Hahahaha!" Here are the videos San Iker used to illustrate his holy imperfections... It would be nice if more people took the attitude of "everyone makes mistakes&qu

Didier Drogba and Ivory Coast teammate Steve Gohouri put on their finest lederhosen and attended an Oktoberfest event benefiting the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation in Munich. In an interview with a Bavarian TV station, the German lady with the microphone mixed up her words and said that Didier was there with his boyfriend before quickly correcting herself. The two footballers found her mix-up quite funny and were quick to say that they were unaware of such an arrangement. Didier then modeled his lederhosen just to top things off. He also donated 10,000 to Neuer's foundation. Video via 101gg

Well hello there. I see you've caught me watching two of my lesser teammates do what they call "training." Of course, The Berba's training regiment is more focused on sketching unintentional nude models, sampling the world's finest mayonnaises and starting a trend called "Scarlett Johanssoning." But now that the inferior bodies of those who have been playing instead of The Berba are breaking down and thrusting Manchester United's greatest goal scorer back into the starting XI, I must admit that I have considered sampling these other training methods. But then I spotted you, a Berba-babe more beautiful than any other, and my thoughts focused on just one physical activity. And it involves a hot tub full of dairy products. Ha-HA! Now that The Berba is once again being called upon to be more than just the sensual inspiration for the club and actually play in football matches, I'm quite certain that the ladies will tear off my clothes in the prepared

Before you feel too awful about yourself while watching this video, know that the unconscious footballer dropped on his head by the bumbling stretcher carriers is reportedly going to make a full recovery. That player is 19-year-old 19-year-oldOlhanense strikerSalvador Agra and he probably doesn't remember much of his side's 2-1 win over Uniao Leiria in the Portuguese Liga on Sunday. Just before halftime, Agra took a knee to the head, which knocked him out cold. In the rush to get him into an ambulance, one medic seemed to be a little to eager to keep things moving and roughly plopped Agra onto the stretcher before picking it up too fast and dumping the player back onto the pitch. They eventually did get him in that ambulance, but if this clip teaches you anything it's that you should never let that one guy help you move. Video via 101gg

Ashley Young at the pre-match press conference Ashley Young admits he is living the dream at Manchester United ahead of his Champions League debut. The Reds take on Basle at Old Trafford hoping for their first win of this season's competition after their 1-1 draw in Benfica. Young said: "I'm very excited by it. Coming to a club like Manchester United and playing in these big competitions is any boy's dream. "I'm looking forward to being able to say I have played in the Champions League. "I have been delighted with the performances I have put in so far but the matches are coming thick and fast and you have to be on your toes and ready every time you pull on the shirt." Boss Sir Alex Ferguson has a lengthy injury list to cope. Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans (ankle) and Chris Smalling (groin) are all missing. Antonio Valencia is likely to again be pressed into service as an emergency right

PAIN GAME: Javier Hernandez Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could be without eight senior players forTuesday's Champions League encounter with Basle at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooneywill miss out with the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Saturday's draw with Stoke and he was among a long list of players who did not train at United's Carrington HQon Mondaymorning. Ferguson told a news conference at Old Trafford ahead of the Basle match: "He's not playing tomorrow. It's difficult to assess with hamstrings but we hope we have him back quickly. He did a bit of jogging this morning but that's all." Also absent was Rooney's strike partner Javier Hernandez, who limped off early in the Stoke game with a dead leg and will also miss the Basle game. He should be back for the home match against Norwich on Friday. Ferguson will be choosing between Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov and fit-again Danny Welbeck in his attack. But t