Manchester United looks for new direction
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-05 15:24

Two years without a league championship. Not a single trophy last season. A contentious American takeover and a turbulent preseason. The aura surrounding Manchester United isn't what it used to be, reported the Associated Press.

Belgium's RAFC Antwerp player Gunter Verjans, right, chases Britain's Manchester United player Wayne Rooney during a friendly match at the Bosuil stadium in Antwerp, Belgium, Wednesday Aug. 3, 2005. [AP]

Alex Ferguson's team finished in third place last season — 18 points behind Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. With the Blues looking even stronger this season, United — which opens Aug. 13 at Everton — might find it a struggle just to stay in contention.

Two star players — striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and defender Rio Ferdinand — argued heatedly during a game last week in Japan, and the offseason has brought few high-profile signings.

Ferdinand also has angered fans by stalling on a new contract. Acquired three years ago from Leeds in a $51 million deal, the England center back wants a 25-percent pay increase that would put his salary over $170,000 a week.

The fallout continues, meanwhile, over the club's $1.47 billion buyout last spring by American businessman Malcolm Glazer, owner of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many fans opposed the buyout, fearing higher prices, control by a foreigner and the large debt level needed to leverage the deal.

Critics also say Glazer cares little about the sport, and bought the club only for business reasons.

Glazer's sons — Joel, Avi and Bryan Glazer — needed a police escort away from Old Trafford Stadium when they visited in June. On the recent tour of Asia, Bryan Glazer was forced to defend his father when a group of fans broke into a VIP area after a victory over Beijing Hyundai.

All in all, these are challenging times for the club which won the Premier League title eight out of 11 seasons.

There's no disputing the talent. Strikers Wayne Rooney and Van Nistelrooy, wingers Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, midfielders Paul Scholes and Roy Keane and defender Ferdinand are world-class players.

United also has solidified its spotty goalkeeping in the offseason, signing Edwin van der Sar from Fulham to compete with American Tim Howard. And the Reds have added talented South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung.

But something appears to be missing. Playing United used to trigger fear, Ferguson's decisions were unchallenged, and the Reds were the world's most popular club.

In the recent four-game Asia tour, some of the gloss was gone. The tour drew negative headlines, and a match in Beijing was played before only 24,000 in half-full Workers Stadium.

"We can't hide an empty stadium, but we feel there were reasons why it happened and we will work to ensure the same situation doesn't occur again," chief executive David Gill said.

Gill is feuding with former Man United chief executive Peter Kenyon, who's now at Chelsea. Kenyon accused Arsenal and United of "hypocrisy and insecurity" after the heads of both clubs were critical of Chelsea's big spending.

"That's his view," Gill said of Kenyon. "It was amazing when he said that, but if that's his view, that's his view."

Man United won't even be playing in Sunday's Charity Shield match — the traditional kickoff to the English season. The game will pit Chelsea against FA Cup winner Arsenal.

Those two clubs have automatically qualified for the Champions League, while United faces qualifying games next week and later in August.

"We have to get through," defender Gary Neville said. "Not being in the Champions League doesn't bear thinking about for Manchester United. Not to be in would be a disaster."

Man United's most high-profile signing may still be a year away. Several British newspapers have reported the club will sign Bayern Munich's Michael Ballack next summer when his contract expires with the German club.

If there's one thing to be cheerful about, it's probably 19-year-old England international Rooney. He scored both goals in Saitama, Japan, in United's 2-0 victory over the Urawa Reds.

"I feel brilliant," Rooney said. "I've got a solid preseason behind me, that's something I haven't had for two years now. We haven't won the league in two years so that is our main priority this season."

That won't be as easy as it once was.

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