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This weekend may well have heralded the awakening of a sleeping footballing colossus who has lain dormant, stumbling with its eyes half closed for much of the season so far, only to open its eyes to realise it is top of the table and right in form. I am of course talking about 11 time Premier League winners, Manchester United. But I am not exclusively talking about their 7-1 demolition of Blackburn at Old Trafford.

It was of course, excellent to seal such an emphatic win in front of their home fans, and see two strikers come back into a bit of form, with Dimitar Berbatov hitting 5, and Wayne Rooney regaining at least some of his touch. But away from Old Trafford things were also looking up for the Red Devils, as two of their players put in stellar performances for their respective loan sides, once again.

Danny Welbeck found the back of the net once more for Sunderland, albeit in a galling 3-2 defeat for the Black Cats at Wolves, taking his tally to 4 goals in his last 3 games. Tom Cleverley also impressed in a 3-1 defeat for Wigan against West Ham, and given his performance was unlucky to come out on the losing side, especially after he grabbed a late conciliation goal as well as earning a penalty earlier in the game which Mauro Boselli squandered.

Welbeck and Cleverley, 20 and 21 respectively, are bright young prospects and are proving that they can compete at the highest level, and this can be nothing but good news for Manchester United, because either way, these young stars will save them money.

Having brought both of them through their famed youth academies, it is now other clubs who are giving them their invaluable Premier League educations, and whether Manchester United decided to utilise their undoubted talents is irrelevant for the clubs finances. The Old Trafford club will either use them, thus meaning that they will not have to spend vast amounts of money on new players, or, given their impressive form, they can sell them on for what would be, for Welbeck especially, a tidy sum of money.

So while this weekend ushered in a dominant Manchester United performance at Old Trafford, away from Manchester, the club’s future is also showing signs of great promise.

If you liked this and would like to read more, then why not check out my blogs, or follow me on Twitter, where you can also keep up to date with the latest Manchester United news!

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Click on Giorgia Palmas below to see her in all her glory

An uncomfortable truth has been creeping up on Manchester United over the last two games, and on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, it finally hit them full in the face. The champions are not yet settled defensively, and it’s time to do something about it.

Sir Alex Ferguson put last night’s dropped points – for a home draw with Basel is, unquestionably, two points dropped for a squad of this ability – down to defensive “carelessness”. He pointed out that while the team’s forward options guarantee United goals, they need more time to get everyone fit at the back and figure out their best starting back four. David de Gea has already played behind so many different defenders he must be starting to wonder how many more are hiding around Carrington.

United can score, there is no doubt about that. Powered up front by Wayne Rooney, and last night by the emerging Danny Welbeck, the Red Devils have fired 32 goals in their opening ten competitive fixtures of the 2011/12 season, including the Community Shield. That end of the pitch, then, appears sorted. But the other end is where Ferguson has problems to address: despite a far-from-disastrous 11 goals conceded in the same ten games, United know it could have been worse. Chelsea, for instance, created almost 20 shots at goal at Old Trafford last weekend. On Saturday, Stoke had the better of the game and de Gea was forced into a couple of spectacular saves to earn his side a point.

Ferguson has already deployed ten players in his defensive line this season, though admittedly two of those were Ezekiel Fryers and Michael Carrick in the League Cup win over Leeds. Every senior defender in the squad, apart from the injured Rafael, has had at least one start. Injuries to the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, coupled with the summer sales of stalwart duo Wes Brown and John O’Shea, have forced Ferguson to throw Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans into starring roles earlier than he might have liked.

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All three have impressed, but of those three, Jones has drawn the most praise. His swashbuckling forays upfield have drawn rave reviews from all quarters, and provided another goal on Tuesday night, this time for Welbeck. (Surely Jones will eventually start shooting himself?) United hero Paddy Crerand, now a regular pundit on MUTV, recently went so far as to compare Jones to the legendary Duncan Edwards, who is widely considered to have been one of the best players England has ever produced.

High praise indeed, then. But one wonders how necessary it really is, just a few games into Jones’ debut season at Old Trafford. The centre-back is, after all, just 20 years old, and if there is one nation who know exactly how to ruin a footballer’s career with unreserved hyperbole in the infancy of their career, it’s the English. Besides, one key area of Jones’ game could still do with polishing, and that, unfortunately, is his defending.

The youngster showed some of his lack of experience against Chelsea, particularly when he was left for dead by Fernando Torres late on as the Spaniard raced clear only to round de Gea and miss an open goal. Tuesday night’s second-half collapse again displayed frailties in Jones’ play – he was caught out of position for Alexander Frei’s equaliser and his poor pass to stand-in right-back Antonio Valencia led to the penalty from which Basel briefly took a shock lead.

This is not to say that Jones will not be the player that everyone expects him to develop into, or that United made a mistake. The biggest strength a defensive unit can have is steady playing time as a five (including the goalkeeper), and United are in no position to achieve that. Ferdinand and Patrice Evra were also poor on Tuesday, and after Fabio went off (yes, another injury) Valencia demonstrated again that he is a willing but suspect full-back.

Jones cannot be held responsible for United’s current defensive frailties, and certainly should not be. But too much expectation, too soon, has overwhelmed too many players in this country in the past decade or so. Perhaps laying off the hype would help Jones’ career more than the endless praise he has received in the past few weeks – but I don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

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Owen Coyle will confirm his reputation as the best young manager in Britain if Bolton Wanderers reach the FA Cup final at Stoke’s expense.Coyle, 44, made his name in Scotland with St Johnstone, where he reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and Scottish Cup.

He took over at Burnley in November 2007, guiding the team to English Premier League promotion via the Championship playoffs in his first full season in charge.

Coyle moved to Bolton in January 2010 and secured the club’s top-flight status by finishing 14th.

Their transformation under Coyle this season has been impressive.

Stalwart Kevin Davies has formed an effective partnership with Sweden international Johan Elmander in attack, supplemented by the signing of Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea.

South Korean Lee Chung-Yong and USA international Stuart Holden have impressed in midfield, although the latter has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

Gary Cahill’s performances in defence have earned him full international honours with England and made him one of the standout centre-backs in the Premier League this season.

Bolton are eighth in the table, just behind traditional heavyweights Everton and Liverpool.

After beginning their Cup campaign with a third-round victory over lowly York City, Bolton have beaten the likes of Wigan, Fulham and League Cup winners Birmingham to reach the last four of the FA Cup.

They must overcome more Premier League opposition in the shape of Stoke City if they are to reach the final, where one of Manchester United or Manchester City will await.

While not yet mathematically safe from relegation, Stoke are 12th in the table and appear set for a fourth consecutive campaign in the Premier League next season.

They have beaten Championship and League One high-flyers in the form of Cardiff and Brighton respectively, as well as Premier League opponents Wolves and West Ham to reach the semi-finals.

The two teams have one victory apiece from their league meetings this season, with Bolton winning 2-1 at home in October and Stoke coming out on top 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium in January.

As well as Holden, Bolton will be missing fullback Samuel Ricketts from the regular line-up for Sunday’s match at Wembley Stadium.

Stoke are without defenders Danny Higginbotham and Abdoulaye Faye, together with season-long absentee Mamady Sidibe.

On-loan striker John Carew is in doubt with a back problem.

Bolton won their last match 3-0 at home to West Ham United, while Stoke went down 3-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

It is the fourth time Stoke have reached the semi-final stage of the FA Cup, but they are yet to reach a final.

Bolton meanwhile have lifted the trophy four times in their history, but the last triumph was back in 1958.

If Coyle can take Bolton all the way and emulate that feat, it will not be long before one of the country’s biggest clubs come calling.

I certainly don’t want to over simplify our role, but for me PR has always been about;

1. Understanding the story

2. Understanding the media

3. The relationship that you have with the journalist

From a personal perspective, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some fantastic journalists (many of whom I still deal with) and some great brands and clients. While this doesn’t automatically make me the next Matthew Freud, it has allowed me to gain an important understanding of the media beast, what components need to be present to make a good story and the angles that the media will be interested in.

Like any good agency, Lineup Media has to be fully aware of the daily news topics and what the media are covering (club news, player speculation and match incidents). We get our daily news intake from the national newspapers, online sites, Twitter and the radio.

Having a news overview allows us to make a decision on what relevant PR opportunities we have at our disposal and how we can turn these into coverage opportunities.

In the case of clients like FFC, we work closely with them to create PR-able stories, which follow the current news agenda and focus around stories we think are of interest. A good example of this are the Fan Polls created on the FFC site. These not only reflect topical footballing issues but also give us a true indication of what real fans are thinking.

So how do we work with the media?

As you’d expect from the World’s favourite sport, football is covered in all of the UK’s main national media – print, broadcast, online, social – and thanks to the likes of David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, the sport has migrated from being purely back page news, to a more favourable position within the national news agenda.

The ‘celebrity’ footballer has also allowed PR’s an even greater opportunity, being able to target entertainment pages, fashion sections and gossip columns.

Targeting the online media, some stories can now go live within 20 minutes of being first sold in!

Our ‘pitch’ technique is all about understanding the media you are speaking to, ideally knowing the journalist you are about to call and knowing what the key points of the story are – meaning you grab the journalists interest from the start. There is nothing worse than having to ask if a journalist is still on the other end of the phone (which of course has never happened to me).

Knowing the above will allow the journalist to make a quick decision on whether it’s something that would be of interest. Just because one media isn’t interested, it doesn’t mean that another one won’t be!

With all of that said, we are only human and sometimes don’t always hit the sweet spot. It’s at these times we are happy to discuss with the journalist what it is they are looking for and what would work best for them – let’s not forget, a bit of give and take is how all good relationships work.

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Whether we’re working with online journalists, national newspapers sports desks or men’s magazines, it is all about offering them content that their readers will enjoy reading and engage with.

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Ali Sheik is the founder of Lineup Media, a national PR agency specialising in sports, consumer, food, digital and travel clients. A calm and logical Arsenal fan, he is happy with Arsene Wenger and knows that success is only a season away.

Amsterdam, 16 February 2011 – Heineken today launched its fifth consecutive UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, giving football fans in Asia the memorable opportunity to experience the unique UEFA Champions League Trophy first hand. The Trophy Tour, launched by double UEFA Champions League winner Marcel Desailly at UEFA Headquarters in Switzerland, marks the start of an exciting lineup of Heineken events for fans ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in May.

Heineken will give its Asian consumers a second chance to see the famous UEFA Champions League Trophy this year by taking it back to Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong four years after its first tour of the continent in 2007, when more than 50,000 fans turned up to see the prestigious trophy up close. Fans in South Korea will also get their first glimpse of the prize on this year’s Tour.

The Trophy Tour was launched with an official handover of the cup by UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour Ambassador, and former England international, Graeme Le Saux to Heineken Ambassador Marcel Desailly. From Switzerland, the trophy will travel to Kuala Lumpur in February, then pass through the cities of Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kon Kaen and Seoul in March, before ending in Hong Kong in mid-April.

During the tour, UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour Ambassadors including internationally renowned legends such as Christian Karembeu, Steve McManaman, Gianfranco Zola, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Jay-Jay Okocha will be present at events and meet with the media and fans.

Accompanying the Trophy as it tours Asia will be three lucky Heineken consumers, who have won the opportunity to travel with the cup through a global digital competition. To win their exclusive place on the tour, they used an innovative mobile phone application to find a number of virtual trophies scattered in a number of physical global locations.

Football fans in each country will have the opportunity to take photos with the famous trophy, see UEFA Champions League historical memorabilia and win tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final 2011 in London.

Hans Erik Tuijt, Heineken’s Brand Activation Manager commented: “This is the sixth consecutive year that Heineken, the world’s most international beer brand, has sponsored the prestigious UEFA Champions League. For Heineken to be able to bring the excitement and inspiration of the UEFA Champions League Trophy directly to the fingertips of fans in Asia is extremely rewarding. Heineken provides football fans with extraordinary experiences, which will continue to entertain and amaze as we get closer to the UEFA Champions League Final in London.”

Commenting on the rationale behind the Trophy Tour, David Taylor, UEFA Events S.A. CEO, said: “The UEFA Champions League has a long and distinguished heritage and is the pinnacle of European club football. The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken really demonstrates the true global reach and appeal of the UEFA Champions League. We are delighted that together with Heineken we can reward the passion and dedication of football fans in Asia by taking the trophy to them once again.”

The Trophy Tour

The schedule of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken is:

February 22 – 27: Kuala Lumpur

March 5 – 6: Penang

March 11 – 12: Kuala Lumpur

March 16 – 17: Bangkok

March 19 – 20: Chiang Mai

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March 25 – 27: Kon Kaen

April 6 – 9: Seoul

April 15 – 17: Hong Kong

The Trophy Tour presented by Heineken visited North America in 2010, Africa in 2009, South America in 2008 and Asia in 2007.

There will me more to follow about the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken…

Last weekend was a family affair at Wembley as Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool went up against his cousin Anthony Gerrard’s Cardiff City in the League Cup final. While one family member was going to be pleased and one disappointed, it turned out that Anthony would be absolutely distraught.

The match itself was an enthralling one as both sides held a lead at one point (Cardiff in the first half and Liverpool in the second half of extra time). But the sides couldn’t be separated and so a penalty shootout would decide the winner as both Gerrards stepped up to the spot.

Steven Gerrard took the very first penalty, which was brilliantly saved by Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton, but by the time Anthony stepped up as the 10th penalty taker, he needed to score to keep the Bluebirds in it.

In what was heartbreak for Anthony, he missed and handed the victory to Liverpool. Here’s Steven Gerrard consoling his cousin after the match, but what is Stevie G saying to Anthony?

Leave your suggestions below…

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This week you can win a Signed Liverpool Football!

This football has been signed by the 2011/12 Liverpool squad, a perfect gift for any Red.

For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

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Last week’s winner: Geoff Hards – click here to see all entries

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Wayne Rooney has admitted that he was devastated by the three match ban handed down by Uefa after his red card against Montenegro, and would understand if Fabio Capello left him out of England’s Euro 2012 squad.

The Manchester United striker kicked out at Miodrag Dzudovic in The Three Lions final qualifying fixture in Podgorica, and the governing body punished the attacker with the maximum possible suspension.

With Rooney set to miss the entire group stage of the tournament in Ukraine and Poland next year, the FA has not yet decided whether to appeal Uefa’s decision, and Capello is tossing up whether to bring him to the competition.

“I am disappointed with it,” Rooney told The Guardian.

“I’ve got no excuse but I still feel the punishment is a bit harsh. All the details we have been waiting for came through so we will be making a decision as to whether we will be appealing.

“Obviously that is my own fault so I can’t really complain. It will be a bonus if it is cut by one game. And I thank the Montenegro player [Dzudovic] who has sent an email to Uefa saying that he felt the punishment was too harsh. He didn’t have to do that.

“It was stupid. I regretted it as soon as I did it. I honestly don’t know why I did it. It was one of those moments which I live to regret now. There was no tackle on me beforehand, so it wasn’t retaliation.

“I didn’t set out to ‘beat’ him; it just happened. I just can’t explain it but, obviously, it’s devastating for me,” he stated.

A national debate has ensued whether or not Rooney should be included in the European Championships squad, with opinion split down the middle. If he was omitted from the travelling party, Rooney would understand due to his three match ineligibility.

“I will understand if I am not in the squad because I’ll be missing out on those first three games at the minute and he has to look at other players – it is as simple as that. I want to play but I understand if I don’t,” he concluded.

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Fabio Capello is set to leave Rooney out of the international friendlies against Spain and Sweden, as the striker’s selection for Euro 2012 hangs in the balance.

By Gareth McKnight

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On Tuesday night in the serene surroundings of Canada Water, 12 bloggers (myself included), one Sunday League team and decorated former England international Ray Wilkins descended upon Bacon’s College as part of Nivea’s enterprising ‘The Great Football Experiment’ campaign.

The event itself comprised a host of engaging activities, including FA coach-led skill sessions, fervently-contested seven-a-side contests, a mock press conference and the opportunity to quiz Wilkins himself.

Wilkins admitted that he would relish the prospect of working with former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti again.

The pair worked together at Stamford Bridge for 17 months before Wilkins was sacked in November 2010.

Ancelotti has recently been linked with a return to management in London, with Arsenal and Tottenham mooted as potential destinations.

“If he wanted me to back with him yes I would. He’s an excellent coach and a good human being – a nice fellow to work with,” he said.

“He’s already living in England so he hasn’t had to come back too far! He wants to work in England – he’s desperate to, but I wouldn’t know where.”

Wilkins also feels that his former side can challenge the two Manchester clubs for the Premier League title this season.

“Absolutely. They’re just coming up on the rails aren’t they?

“It’s vitally important that they beat Manchester United once, Manchester City once and Tottenham once.”

The former Blues coach believes that Frank Lampard, whose role at club and country level has come under scrutiny, provided the perfect riposte to those who had doubted him. Speaking after Lampard scored a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 5-1 defeat of Bolton, Wilkins said:

“I think he’s just being what he is, and that’s a top professional. He hasn’t got anything to prove, it was a kneejerk reaction to give him grief, saying he was finished.

“It was his way at the weekend of telling everybody, ‘I am still about, alive and kicking.’”

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul

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Manchester City are getting tough with Carlos Tevez and have informed the Argentine that he will only be leaving the Etihad Stadium on their terms and not his. Tevez has two and half years left on his contract and City have suggested they will not budge on their asking price and will continue to discipline the striker if he fails to fulfil his contractual obligations. It is reported that his dispute with City has cost in the region of £9.3m to date; fines that Carlos Tevez is looking to appeal.

Carlos Tevez’s standoff with Manchester City has reportedly cost him a staggering £9.3m in the past few months. The Argentine apparently has until the end of the month to appeal against the fining with the Premier League – Guardian

Chelsea and QPR will issue statements ahead of their cup clash at the weekend in an attempt to defuse a potential volatile situation – Guardian

Fabio Capello is set to call-up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into his next England squad. The Italian was in the crowd at the Emirates on Sunday and was impressed with what he saw in the Arsenal winger – Guardian

Steven Gerrard believes there needs to be a change in attitude within the Liverpool squad. The Reds captain feels those underperforming need to take a long hard look at themselves to ensure that Liverpool can turn their fortunes around – Daily Telegraph

Mario Balotelli will be driven out of English football by referees, according to his agent. Mino Raiola has suggested that while his client is content in England, he may look to move to another country if referees continue to victimise him – Independent

Paul Lambert believes that Jonny Howson has all the ingredients to be a ‘great’ for Norwich City. The Canaries boss feels his latest signing from Leeds United has all the attributes to be a top class Premier League performer – Independent

Arsene Wenger is reportedly part of a two man shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The Portuguese manager told a press conference that he is unsure whether he will still be at the Bernabeu at the end of the season, which may see Madrid renew their interest in the Arsenal boss – Daily Mail

Liverpool are reportedly keen on Udinese’s Chilean international Mauricio Isla, as Kenny Dalglish looks to freshen up the Reds squad in the January window – Daily Star

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Chelsea have opened talks to sign Genk winger Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgium youngster is one of the country’s hot young prospects and the Blues are keen to tie him down to a deal that will initially see the player be loaned back to Genk for the rest of the season – Sun

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To get half way through a season unbeaten is a fantastic achievement, but could Manchester United really go a whole season unbeaten. Manchester United haven’t been on top form this season, and this record has slipped through the net – mainly because to most fans the draws at home to West Brom and away to Everton and Fulham felt like defeats. Arsenal’s achievement was something to admire, and there is nothing wrong with aspiring to that level of superiority. Could this Manchester United side go the whole season unbeaten?

Andy Gray, and his friends at Sky Sports maintain that Manchester United have only gone the first half of the season unbeaten because they haven’t played the top teams. That is not only ridiculous, but completely untrue. Manchester United have played everyone in the top half apart from Chelsea. They have gone away to Everton and Fulham, two places where Manchester United lost last season, and have hosted Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. Maybe the strength of the league should be called into question not who Manchester United have or haven’t played.

As I was discussing earlier, Manchester United’s achievements have gone under the radar somewhat because of the way the team threw games away at the start of the season. As well as this Manchester United haven’t been the best team this season, the most consistent maybe, but not the best. As teams become more aware of this unbeaten record – which actually stretches back to when Manchester United lost to Chelsea in April, they will become a target. Everyone wants to beat Manchester United, but everyone will want to end the record – its natural. Do Manchester United have the characters of Patrick Viera, Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell to maintain the standards, to stop the squad closing in on itself as they get closer and closer to any record.

Manchester United themselves are not getting carried away with what could happen. New boy, Chris Smalling, recently spoke to The Sun about the new invincible tag.

”I am not sure we will ever see a team go through a whole season unbeaten again.”

“So many sides are losing matches unexpectedly now you would have to applaud any team who did do it.

“For us at the moment, it is just about continuing the momentum.”

It is good to hear that the Manchester United players have their feet on the ground, and are taking the achievement for what it is. United haven’t won anything yet and haven’t achieved any records. The best thing they can do is continue to push clear in the fight for the Premier League crown.

This Manchester United team is not as good as the Arsenal squad that went a whole season unbeaten, but that doesn’t mean they can’t emulate them. On the flip side, Manchester United will scare Premier League sides the longer they go unbeaten. As they continue, the players will start to believe they are unbeatable and the confidence will flow. Manchester United can only get better this season. They have remained unbeaten playing average, imagine what they could do when Wayne Rooney hits form and Antonio Valencia returns.

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In every season there are turning points. For Arsenal’s unbeaten season it was Robert Pires’ dive at Highbury against Portsmouth. Had a penalty not been given that day, the record may never have existed. For Manchester United could it be the come back against Aston Villa. Seasons and records hinge on these defining moments.

Manchester United may not have the quality of the Arsenal invincible team but they do have the spirit and character to get close to them. However, the difference between the two teams is Manchester United are unbeaten where as Arsenal looked unbeatable.

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