Home > Football > No-go for Ronaldo and Fergie at Manchester United - but Avram's a dead man at Chelsea

No-go for Ronaldo and Fergie at Manchester United - but Avram's a dead man at Chelsea

The dust has settled on a dramatic night in Moscow and now the talk is about who is going where. Will the Chelsea boss be looking at Tel Aviv flight schedules? And more poignantly, will the Portuguese superstar be typing 'luxury apartments, Madrid' into Google?

by Steve Bott on 22 May 2008

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"'Roman Abramovich won't have taken kindly to missing out on two major trophies in the space of a couple of weeks'"

Two slip-ups - one quite literally - led to Manchester United completing another momentous double and taking Sir Alex Ferguson past a historic milestone in eclipsing Sir Matt Busby's European record in some style.

Fifty years after Munich - although that should not be cited as a reason for spurring Manchester United to their current achievements - Fergie collected his second European Champions League trophy, overtaking Busby, who was the first manager to do it for the club in 1968.

The way the Reds did it this time wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. They should have been 3-0 up by half-time. Then Chelsea came back and hit the woodwork twice. Extra time failed to produce a clear winner, surprise, surprise - then penalties and Cristiano Ronaldo's hesitating run-up rebounded on him in the worst way possible when he blew it from the spot for the second time in a major game in the space of a few weeks.

Fortunately, the soaked Moscow pitch caught up with Chelsea skipper John Terry too as he slipped on hitting the ball as he took his penalty kick. Van der Saar saved from Nicolas Anelka and the rest is, as they say, history - or in the record books, as I prefer to look at it as a rabid Manchester United fan.

Now all the talk is whether Fergie will retire. No chance. Will Ronaldo leave? No chance. As for Avram Grant - he's gone! You could tell by the way the Chelsea boss walked down the steps after the post-match presentations that he was on his way - and not just out of the Russian capital and back to London.

Roman Abramovich won't have taken kindly to missing out on two major trophies in the space of a couple of weeks - and losing out in front of their home folk in this latest one will have really rubbed it in.

So who will he go for this time? There are a few available. Luiz Felipe Scolari - the Inter Milan boss has also put himself up for the job after tiring of winning the Serie A crown. And don't rule out the likes of former player Mark Hughes, who is treading water at Blackburn and his next move will be to a big club. Sparky has impressed at Ewood, but can go no further without a massive cash injection. Even Jack Walker's trust fund ain't enough to hoist Rovers into the top four.

Fergie won't go until they carry him out in a box. Football - and winning in recent times - is all he has known in his life. He likes it and won't give it up without a fight. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he did. It's not all about money and being able to do what he likes in retirement. He is a football man, simple as that - and that's all he wants to be.

Ronaldo may move on in time, but not just yet.

The big question for me is what is the matter with Wayne Rooney. Apart from that dynamic performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford and the odd goal here and there, he has been decidely out of sorts this season.

Maybe the nerves are setting in ahead of the wedding. He is probably hankering after a bit of old leather - or PVC - instead of what his fiancee has planned for the lounge suite!

Comments (4)

on May 22, 2008 on May 22, 2008

Mancini is the manager of Inter, Scolari isn't. Classic Man Utd fan, doesn't know anything about actual football

on May 22, 2008 on May 22, 2008

Scolari, manager of Inter??? Manure scum, don't know **** about football

by craig on May 23, 2008

ronaldo says twice yesterday he is staying. first time just before match he says that he is unsure of his long term future but will be at united next season, then after the game infront of the world, says no no no i will not leave the club i stay and want to win nex t year. but the blood hounds in england and spain are determined to get there story. real madrid should look else where try knocking on another world beeters door like kaka or messis, (you know a players who has had a bad season trophy wise and who has not got 4 years left on a five year contract)

on May 23, 2008 on May 23, 2008

Page last updated at 09:26 GMT, Thursday, 22 May 2008 10:26 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Ronaldo future remains uncertain Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the European final The future of Cristiano Ronaldo was still unclear after Manchester United's Champions League triumph over Chelsea. in Moscow. Winger Ronaldo, 23, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Real Madrid but United have insisted he is staying put. Asked after the match where his future lay, Ronaldo told BBC TV: "I stay." However, the Portuguese star then told Radio 5 Live: "I don't promise nothing. I don't promise nothing to my mum, I don't promise nothing to supporters." He added: "I want to stay but the future - no-one knows. I want to stay. We are going to see in the next two weeks, I don't say I make a decision."

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