Who Put the Ball in the Germans' Net?

On the 25th of August, 1996, a 23 year Old Norwegian forward came on as a 64th minute substitute for Manchester United in a league game against Blackburn Rovers. Eight minutes into his debut, the youngster ran onto a ball headed on by Jordi Cryuff and slotted home an equalizer past the Blackburn goal keeper. He had just saved Man United from the brink of defeat, something he would go on to do time and again right through his Manchester United career. The youngster in question is none other than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had just announced his arrival on the Old Trafford stage.

Signed in July 1996 from Molde FK for £1.5 million, Solskjaer made 366 appearances for the club and scored a total of 126 goals in the 11 years that he spent at Old Trafford. Solskjaer went on to score 19 goals in his first season as a Manchester United player and played a major role in helping them win the league title that season. He was very often dubbed as "Super Sub", because of his tendency to come off the bench as a substitute and very often, score crucial match saving goals.

A model professional, Solskjaer did not play for money. He valued playing for the red of Manchester United more than the money. He wanted to be loved and adored by the fans... He was a lethal finisher no doubt, but it was the commitment and the professionalism with which he played that made him a real favorite amongst the Old Trafford faithful.

Ole’s most important contribution on the football field might have been the stoppage time winner in the champions league finals against Bayern Munich at the Nuo Camp but it is unfortunate that it very often overshadows other essential contributions made by him.

What about the fours goals he scored in 12 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a league game against Nottingham Forest in 1999? He helped United win the game 8-1 which till date remains the premiership’s biggest away win. Or the late winner against Liverpool in the treble winning season? Owen had given Liverpool the lead early on in the game and it seemed certain that United were going to get knocked out of the FA Cup in the 5^th round at the hands on their bitter rivals, Liverpool. Fortunately for United, Dwight Yorke leveled the score in the 88th minute and a couple of minutes later, Solskjaer slotted the ball past the Liverpool keeper to win the game for United.

And then the winter of 1999, where Ole repeated what he had done 10 months ago against Nottingham. Only this time, it was Everton at the receiving end. He scored four goals against them ensuring United, after going a goal down won the game 5-1.

And then there was the whole Rob Lee saga. With very few games left for the 1997/98 season to end, it was essential for United to win against Newcastle in order to keep up with table toppers, Arsenal. Ole had come on as a substitute when the score with the score being tied at 1-1. In the closing stages on the game, Ole came very close to scoring the winner only to see his shot cleared off the line by a Newcastle player. The ball fell to Rob Lee who had a free run on goal. Had he scored, United’s season would been over. Sprinting back with phenomenal determination, Ole chased Lee till the edge of the United area and went into a horrible tackle which resulted in a red card being handed out to Ole by the referee. It was completely out of character but it was a sacrifice he made for the team. He was given a standing ovation by the old Trafford crowed as the got off the field.

Half way through the 2003/04 season, Solskjaer began to struggle with a knee injury which would eventually be the cause of his retirement. It was at around this time when the United fans in order to show their support the Solskjaer mounted a banner that read ‘20 LEGEND’ at the Stretford End of Old Trafford.

On the 5^th of December, he played for the Manchester United reserve team against the Liverpool reserve team. The baby faced assassin had finally made his long awaited comeback. 3 weeks later, he made his first team return in a league game against Birmingham City. Ole was slowly but surely returning to full fitness. Just when things started looking up for Ole, he injured his cheek bone in a game against Middlesbrough which kept him out for the game for another five months.

In August 2006, he made another comeback to the first team in an away game against Charlton and also scored his first premiership goal in 2 years. It was a special moment for Ole and everyone associated with the club. After two torrid years of struggling with injuries, Ole was back. He scored 11 goals that season and won the league title with Man United for the sixth time in his career.

On the 5^th of June, 2007 Solskjaer announced his retirement from professional football. The news shocked United fans throughout the world. After 11 long, illustrious years with the club, it was time for him to hang his boots. He was a player who scored many crucial goals for us, a player who loved the fans and was loved even more in return by them. A player who was never involved in any controversies. A player who never complained about being left on the bench for a majority of his Man United career. A legend in every sense of the word. Thank you Ole for all the goals. Thank you Ole for all the memories. You will never be forgotten.

20LEGEND - RESPECT!

-Rohit Ramachandran

MUFCM 2007-08 Season

Unfortunately I wasn't in Mumbai for the first year of MUFCM (2006-07). But I use to follow everything online.

I came back to Mumbai just before the start of the Season 2007-08, my first year at MUFCM. And what a Season it was. Never in my life I would have imagined, United would do the Double.

How many screenings have you attended: I am the only person to attend all the screenings & get togethers, last season.

Best screening moment: Has to be the Champions League Finals, I don't think I will ever be more happy than that moment.

Things which you'd like to be included in the screening: More interaction, I wish everyone would interact more, rather than just sitting there. Also I wish people knew more songs & chants, to sing along.

Overall Experience: Too good. The best part was I made so many friends along the way. I would seriously recommend someone new to come to our Screenings. The atmosphere there is electric, its cheaper than going to any other place in Mumbai, and the overall package of pre-match videos, match on a big screen, fellow United fans, singing chants, Music & Food, etc is just totally worth it.


My MUFCM Journey through the 2007-08 Season:

I made a small video, which has mostly pictures from all screenings & get togethers at Manchester United Fan Club of Mumbai (MUFCM), last season.

Have a look ...

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=xRPXWAYPK-k

Hope you guys like it.

Sunil Thakur

MUFCM Screening (Chelsea - Champions League Finals)

Days Before: Manchester United was in the Champions League Finals, and we all were planning, where to watch the match. Initially Avon Ruby wasn’t available for late night matches, so a screening was out of question. The moderators of the main Manchester United community on Orkut were planning to get together in Goa, people from Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore & even Mumbai were going to meet up in Goa to watch the match together. I was extremely tempted, as I have never been to Goa before. But then out of the blue, Sumit struck some kinda deal with Avon Ruby & we were all set to have a screening for the Champions League Finals.

Night Before: I couldn’t sleep and was online all night, talking to a friend of mine, Vignesh (Chelsea Fan). We were talking about silly reasons why our respective clubs would win the Finals. They too were having a screening somewhere in Mumbai. We wanted to have a joint screening but somehow couldn’t arrange it. Anyways after hours of talks and deliberations, I somehow managed to sleep, dreaming about the most glorious day in my life.

Hours Before: It was time to leave home for the screening, with my laptop & speakers; I left for Dadar, a few hours before the match. It felt like I was going on a war or something. I was never this nervous, not even during exams. On my way I kept talking to Sumit, who told me we were expecting more than 100 people at the screening. We were extremely nervous about how were we going to accommodate so many people. I picked up lots of booze on the way, as it was going to be a long long night.

Minutes Before: We played around one hour of pre match videos, including some emotional videos from the Munich Tragedy, Busby Babes videos & videos of United’s previous European triumphs in 1968 & 1999. Meanwhile the place had filled up, absolutely jam-packed till the end. The excitement & anxiety could be felt in the hall, as everyone waited for the match to start. Myself along with Nandan, Saumil & Gaurant took our customary seats in the front.

Champions League Finals: I guess, I don’t have to say much about the match, as everyone knows what happened. United took the lead through ‘That Boy Ronaldo’, but Chelsea had equalized just before half time, through Lampard. The match went into extra time & then penalties. Many people couldn’t even bare to look at the screen. We decided to hold hands, like the players, through the penalties. When Ronaldo missed, I started visualizing how the whole world was going to blame him, even after the fantastic season he had and how he couldn’t score in big matches & big situations. We had lost all hope, especially when we saw John Terry, Mr Chelsea, stepping up to take the decisive penalty, which could win it for Chelsea. But then out of nowhere Terry slipped & his kick hit the post. I cannot describe the noise we made that time. Suddenly all hope was back, and the word ‘B.E.L.I.E.V.E’ was in everyone’s mind. Anderson & Giggs coolly slotted their respective kicks. All the pressure was on Chelsea, especially on Anelka, as he had just come on before the penalties. As soon as VDS stopped Anelka’s stop, people went mad.

Minutes After: I had tears in my eyes and I couldn’t stop hugging everyone. We were singing & shouting chants and songs, on top our voices. By the time the match ended, I was completely drunk. People told me later that I was standing on this chair, singing & shouting, for about an hour and refused to come down even after the match & presentations ceremony. Anyways, after about 2 hours of post match celebrations, drinking & head banging to Rock Songs, everyone left to head home. On my way home I wished I could die, as I was never going to be happier than this.

Hours After: I reached home at about 5-6 am, absolutely drunk & exhausted. Even then I couldn’t help myself & went online, to read reactions on all forums and read the interviews of players & managers, after the match. After about 1-2 hours of reading & watching pictures of United’s victory, I went to sleep, with the satisfaction of having watched United win the European Trophy.

Night After: Next day I woke up with a bad hang over. Immediately went online, met many of my friends online, spent the whole day, reading about last night, trying to download videos. I thought of calling Vignesh, as I knew he would have been heart broken, but then decided to let him be for few days. Sometime during the day, Sumit called and informed me that we had 111 people during the screening, which was an all time record.

Days After: I always had this regret that I hadn’t watched the 1999 season, especially the dramatic finals. I always wondered, when would United would win the Champions League, in my lifetime. It couldn’t have happened at a better time or year. With this win, they earned their third European Cup title and kept up their record of never having lost a major European final. Coincidentally, this season marked the 100th year since Manchester United won their first League title, 50 years after the Munich air disaster and 40 years after Manchester United became the first ever-English side to win the European Cup.

My life long dream was fulfilled, now I could die happily, knowing that I had watched Manchester United win the biggest trophy possible.

Sunil Thakur

MUFCM Get Together (Wigan - May 11, 2008)

On 11 May 2008, United retained the Premier League title with a win over Wigan Athletic. With title rivals Chelsea only able to draw with Bolton Wanderers, United finished the season two points clear. Here are some pictures from that night, at All Sports Bar, Andheri.

MUFCM Screening: Manchester City – Home (10th February, 2008)

Firstly let me introduce myself, I am Sunil Thakur here, one of the moderators of the community, writing a small review of the screening.

We always wanted to have a screening for a City match, as not everyone here in Mumbai actually understand how big the rivalry between the two clubs is. Just few days back on Feb 6 th, the 50 th year of the Munich Tragedy, a big tribute was paid by everyone associated with the club and also all football fans across the world. We thought we could pay our tribute by having a special screening for the City match.



On match day we got a special cut out of the players who had lost their life in the tragedy, everyone paid their respect & tribute by lighting up a candle. As planned we also played a special video about the players and the tragedy. I think the emotions got to everyone, that explains the somber mood before the start of the match. Just before the match we got a call from one of our members who now works at Old Trafford saying that he had informed the people there about our screening and the guys there at Manchester United were going to call us to thank us for everything. We couldn't believe what we had heard and were quite excited about it. but unfortunately the call never came, perhaps they got busy or something, but at least now they know about us.




By the way credit has to be given to the City fans for behaving themselves so well during the one minute silence, before the match.






Everyone knows what happened in the match, so I am not going to say much. Perhaps all the emotions got to the players as well and clearly we dint play well. City played well and deserved to win.

About the screening, we had few problems at the start with the clarity of the channel, but thankfully it was worked out after 20 minutes. This time instead of we writing about the screening I am going to include few reviews written by our members who had been to the screening.

1. Paras Bhatia:

Me and a couple of friends reached the venue just after 6. The Munich video was already going on and most of the people had arrived. We lit candles near the picture of the Busby babes before settling down to watch the video. We couldn't watch the full video because kick off time arrived and the atmosphere was pretty upbeat since most of us were expecting at least a win if not a thrashing of our city rivals. The match started and neither of the teams looked very dominating . However City soon improved their performance and were rewarded with the 1st goal of the match scored by Darius Vassel.

However all of us were unfazed and we hoped that United would soon equalize. After all OT is our fortress. At 45' the second goal was scored by Benjani and the atmosphere became a bit sombre. Feeble attempts to charge up the atmosphere were made by few people but most of us were too shocked to say anything. Those of us who were eating the appetizers didn't have the will to eat anymore. The second half was also dominated by man city as they completely halted United's attempts to score goals. Carrick provided an injury time goal but it was too late for it to be taken for anything other than a consolation before going into the match against Arsenal at OT on 16th Feb. after the match , pictures were clicked as is the tradition after every screening(many glum faces can be spotted in the pictures). The food was good and the service was also good.

Pre match atmosphere could have been more electric(Glory Glory Man United was sung just once during the entire screening and that too after the pictures were taken ). Yet it was a great experience!! Good Job Organizers.... Hope to attend many more screenings and also hope to see United win this year's league!!!!!!!

Hightlight: The main highlights of the screening were the Munich video,seeing our team walk out in the retro kit and the pre-match ceremony including the minute's silence(Observed without any disturbance.. Good job City fans!).

Suggestions: What I found different from the Liverpool screening was that the atmosphere during the city game was less electric. During the Liverpool game, most of the time we were continuously chanting,but here it was not like that. I expected much more enthusiasm here since
this was a very special match. So ,myself included of course, hopefully everyone will go through most of the chants before we meet up for the home game against Liverpool on 23rd March.

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED !!!




2. Udayan Kotibhaskar:

A fantastic job by the organizers, a was touched by the candle lighting thing. Great job guys, hats off!!! The videos were awesome!

About the screening, well, no offense, I thought we were just not cheering the team. Agreed, that United were already trailing by the time we were getting into the mood, but hey, we could have always started right from the start! This is cliched but it's times like these when we need to get right behind the team. Even OT was silent, guess just affected by the anniversary.

I really think we need to get ourselves acquainted with the chants and start singing them from the first whistle. It's our screening, it's our team and it's our love for them.

I hope we are more loud and frequent in our cheering next time.

COME ON YOU REDS!!! GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!!




In the end on behalf of all the Moderators, I will like to thank everyone who had come for the screening.

Sunil Thakur
MUFCM

No Man U, Only Man Utd

In India, there are a number of amateur football fans who tend to call the club they follow by names which are an utter insult to the same. An avid Manchester United fan and the moderator of Manchester United Fans in Mumbai community on Orkut, Dhruv Tikka voices his concerns as to why the Red Devils mustn’t be referred as ‘Man U’ atleast by their fans.

This term is only used by United rivals as a complete and utter insult to the club. Many United competitors would sing a song about the Munich air disaster which claimed the lives of eight players.

Man U Man U went on a plane Man U Man U never came back again...

If you’re a Man United fan and that doesn’t get your blood boiling, I’m sure nothing will.

Manchester United are nicknamed UNITED, MAN UNITED, MAN UTD and RED DEVILS.

There are no official songs with a ‘Man U’ word nor will one lay his hands on an official merchandise using that term. Manchester City isn’t christened Man C or an Aston Villa as Ast V. Like the song goes ‘There’s Only One United’ so people will know where your loyalty is.

The term Utd is the proper abbreviation for the word United and nothing else. Why can’t some accept this and get over themselves....

The Scousers (Liverpool fans) often tease United about the Munich incident again by chanting ‘Man U Never Intended Coming Home.’ It wasn’t just chants as it was also popular to write this as graffiti.

When did this chant originate? Possibly in the 1960’s.

There was huge competition between clubs to sign Duncan Edwards when he was a schoolboy in the early 50s and there was even a newspaper campaign in the Midlands to pressure him into signing for a Midlands club, as he came from Dudley. His signing for United caused a lot of people in the Midlands to regard him as a traitor and was hate figure for them.

It was West Brom fans who first began this mantra.

Duncan Edwards is manure, rotting in his grave,Man you are manure-rotting in your grave,

The origin of Man U is a song to insult the dead Duncan Edwards. The Liverpool and Leeds fans copied this with their own versions. It is strange to hear from United fans referring them as ‘Man U.’

There was literally a bloodbath up on the old Scoreboard End at Old Trafford in 1964-65 season when the West Bromwich Albion fans sang. A big battle took place with the home fans outnumbering the visiting ones and hammering them to the utmost.Get the picture?

Most clubs did try to ban the chant. After United won the European Cup , it sprang up again but this time there was also ‘Who's that lying in the aircraft.’ The West Brom fans taunted using a United song ‘Who's that team we call United.’

But by the end of the decade it became universal and the term "Man U" became the word used by almost all rival fans to affront United. Everyone knew what it meant. It was laughter at the death of Duncan and the Babes.Fans of Spurs and oddly enough Chelsea never sang Munich songs either.

A place where the word ‘Man U’ could spell doom was Millwall, even if you were a United fan .United played them when they were in the second division and the policemen were asked to work despite having a leave.

The League officials had even tried to stop allocating United fans a ticket to Millwall.The kick off was put forward to 11 am to try and stop all United fans from going down there. It was billed as the ‘fight of the century.’

Not one single punch was thrown inside the ground. There was even a picture in the Sunday Mirror of two United fans with "Harry the Dog" What did happen was after the match a combined force of 20,000 plus United and Millwall fans descended on the Kings Road and smashed the place up, including the football ground.

But a lot of the violence that happened with United fans around that time was usually sparked by the words ‘Man U.’

When Teddy Sheringham signed for United, incidentally he referred the club as ‘Man U’ and received a dressing down from Sir Alex Ferguson.

So, I expect the so-called Unite fans stop chanting ‘Man U’ and as far as rival fans are concerned…..

Dhruv Tikka
MUFCM

MUFCM – the Story Thus Far

The name Manchester United stirs up varying feelings ranging from awe to love and stretches to downright hatred, but seldom fails to evoke any feelings at all. To the millions of Utd fans or Red Devils as they are fondly called the name represents many things. Weekends cannot come fast enough for the Red Devils, so that they can catch their beloved team usually winning and more importantly winning in style. European nights are a wee bit special, with memories of Turin, Camp Nou, Old Trafford and various other stadiums still fresh in the memories like it was yesterday.

Football has always played the bridesmaid in India. Cricket is the undoubted numero uno sport in this country, where Sachin’s name is revered and Ronaldo’s would be greeted with a quizzical look. But things are changing, largely owing to ESPN Star Sports which brings us comprehensive coverage of the Barclay’s English Premier League. Football is fast catching up in the non footballing parts of the country which would be the whole of India barring Goa and Kolkata, where football is a way of life.

Orkut has aided and abetted in the growth of football with numerous communities springing up in support of various clubs. It was on Orkut that MUFCM {Manchester United Fan Club – Mumbai) was born. It was started by a die hard Utd fan Sumit Goenka and his fellow Mancunians with the sole intention of supporting the club they love outside of the virtual world and actually get together and watch Utd in action together. For those of us who are not lucky enough to visit Old Trafford, the Mecca for all Red Devils, watching them in action with fellow supporters is the second best thing.

The description on the Orkut community is very apt. Here is a little excerpt from the MUFCM community page itself.
“Introducing MUFCM, The Manchester United Fan Club of Mumbai!! This is NOT just another community on Orkut.. This is a stepping stone to forming a REAL LIFE Manchester United supporters association in our own city.”
“and maybe one day we'll see Manchester United on a pre-season tour in Mumbai!!”
“dare to dream? dare to act? here is our opportunity!!”
“GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED !!!”

We started off small and faced many hurdles, being the first of such fan clubs to emerge in Mumbai, which is notoriously pro cricket, owing in no small amount to the fact that this is the birth place of demigod Sachin (the writer himself is a huge Sachin fan). Our first few screenings took place at a hotel in far away Chembur and didn’t get the kind of participation we had hoped for. So we decided to screen the big games only, the likes of Arsenal, Chelski and Pool. We book a banquet hall (usually Hotel Avon Ruby, Dadar), where the game is shown on a projector screen and starters are on for the duration of the game.

The atmosphere is amazing, owing to the fact that we also let non-Utd supporters attend the screenings, which is largely appreciated by the large pro-Utd support too. The best moment undoubtedly has come during the screening of the Liverpool game (3rd March 07) during the second half of last season. Utd were leading the race to be the Champions of England with Chelski in hot pursuit. On that day Liverpool was the better team at Anfeild and Utd hung on till the last minute of time added on, when John O’Shea scored the GOAL!!!!!! that sent thousands at Anfeild and the Red Devils present at the screening into nirvana. To describe that moment in words is difficult but I remember my throat was hoarse for a few days as I am sure was the throat of millions more around the globe.

In terms of participation the FA cup final (19th May 07) was the biggest success. In my eyes though the biggest success of MUFCM has been to get Red Devils around Mumbai and rest assured there are plenty of us, to come together to share a common passion for football in general and Manchester United in particular. A year back I didn’t know anybody from the MUFCM community and today I am writing am article for Touchline India about this very community. The long term goal of MUFCM is to gain official recognition and to one day watch Utd play a pre-season friendly in Mumbai. In the short term we wan to increase the participation for the screenings and the various footy events we organize.

Glory Glory Man Utd!!!

Saumil Sethna, (moderator MUFCM) For MUFCM and Touchline India