Losing Streak Tests Utd's Winning Business Model
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SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014 United player apologizes for ‘insensitive’ costume LONDON: Manchester United defender Chris chest, and cables leading up his body. Also on his home,” Wasserman Media Group said in a statement Smalling has apologized for an “insensitive decision” body were bottles of Jagermeister and cans of Red to The Associated Press. “He dressed in a costume to appear as a suicide bomber at a costume party. A Bull, while he also wore an Arab kaffiyeh head dress. consisting of empty bottles of Jagermeister and cans photograph of Smalling in his costume, which his Smalling’s management group said the outfit was an of Red Bull strapped to his chest in an attempted management company said was taken at a private elaborate pun on the popular “Jagerbomb,” which is comedy play on the popular “Jagerbomb drink.” party in his home, was on the front page of a blend of those two drinks. “Although he fully accepts in hindsight it was an ill- Thursday’s editions of The Sun. It shows the English “Chris and his girlfriend hosted a fancy dress party thought out and insensitive decision, absolutely no national players with items that appeared to include to celebrate Christmas and their belated birthdays harm was intended whatsoever and he apologizes a mock circuit board and mobile phone around his with close friends in the assumed privacy of his own for any offense caused.” — AP Fading United plot swift Swansea payback LONDON: Manchester United will look for immediate revenge against Swansea City today, a week after the Welsh club pulled off a shock victory at Old Trafford in the FA Cup. Having lost to Tottenham Hotspur, in the league, and Sunderland, in the League Cup, either side of last Sunday’s defeat by Swansea, United have lost their first three games of the year for the first time since 1932. The New Year’s Day defeat by Spurs left David Moyes’s side 11 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and striker Danny Welbeck has admitted that the defending champions face a struggle even to finish in the top four. “Being a Manchester lad and being a United fan, there is extra passion inside me and it does hurt me when I see the team losing. It hurts a lot to see United not winning,” Welbeck said. “I can understand why fans are concerned. We are not around the Champions League spots at the moment. We need to get our form back and just win the next matches. “It was very disappoint- ing to go out of the FA Cup against Swansea and we have to recti- fy that at Old Trafford today.” SUNDERLAND: Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs holds his head after being defeated by Sunderland at the end of their English With leaders Arsenal not in action until Monday, when they League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England. — AP visit Aston Villa, third-placed Chelsea can take over at the top of the standings by winning at Hull City in today’s early fixture. Last season’s Europa League winners have yet to capture the imagina- tion in this campaign, but midfielder John Mikel Obi believes that Losing streak tests Utd’s manager Jose Mourinho’s exacting methods are beginning to bear fruit. “He always wants us to play in a certain way and give 110 percent,” Mikel said. “If you don’t, you’re out. “You can see by the way we press up the pitch. That is important for the team and winning business model we’re doing well.” This weekend’s games are the reverse fixtures from the sea- son’s first round of matches. While Arsenal’s 3-1 capitulation at Man United in danger of missing Champions League home to Villa on the opening day seems a long time ago, Manchester City continue to look every bit as impressive as they LONDON: For all Manchester United’s com- That month marked the end of an era for but the lack of investment in the side,” said did in their 4-0 victory over Newcastle United on August 19. mercial clout, a business model built on the United as Alex Ferguson retired as manager Sean Bones, of the Manchester United Manuel Pellegrini’s side continued their astonishing home form English soccer champions’ success on the after winning 13 Premier League titles over Supporters Trust. “If you look at Real Madrid, by destroying West Ham United 6-0 in the League Cup on pitch will be tested severely if the team’s two decades. Then CEO David Gill stepped Barcelona, Bayern Munich, they are support- Wednesday and they will also have designs on leapfrogging slump in form extends beyond this season. down in June, opening the club to accusa- er-owned clubs whose revenues are Arsenal when they visit Newcastle on Sunday. United, owned by the American Glazer family, tions of poor planning. pumped back on to the field to improve the City have now scored 92 goals in all competitions, just one less lie seventh in the English Premier League with team.” than they managed in the entirety of the 2012-13 campaign, but more than half the season gone, leaving the FADING AURA Club insiders say that money is available midfielder Javi Garcia says that they must keep their feet on the club at risk of missing out on the lucrative New manager David Moyes has failed so and transfer targets have been identified, ground. “I think this season we can win a lot of trophies, but we UEFA Champions League for the first time far to produce the aura of invincibility that though rivals across Europe are reluctant to have to keep working like this,” he said. “The most important since 1995. surrounded Ferguson. On Tuesday United trade top players at this stage of the season. thing for us is that the players keep working, because we have so Though it could withstand the one-off loss suffered their third loss in as many games - Failure to finish in the Premier League’s top many games. This is the way we have to keep going.” West Ham of the 35 million euros ($47.6 million) it the first time since 1932 that the club has four and secure a place in next season’s have conceded 11 goals in two games, having previously lost 5-0 received from UEFA for last season’s cam- begun a year with three straight defeats. Champions League could compound the at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, and find themselves second paign in Europe’s top club competition, a pro- “You were always going to have this transi- problem because the appeal of the competi- from bottom in the league table ahead of today’s trip to Cardiff longed absence would have serious knock-on tional period, when it was not clear if United tion is key to buying and retaining the City. effects. Not least of the problems would be would carry on winning,” said Simon world’s best players. That the club generates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be taking charge of his first home the threat to deals such as its retail partner- Chadwick, sports business professor at so much cash gives United a degree of wrig- game as Cardiff manager, after masterminding a 2-1 win at ship with sportswear group Nike, which pays Coventry University. “But this is the night- gle room, says former Chelsea FC chief exec- Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend in his first match at the United a minimum of 25 million pounds ($41 mare scenario, as opposed to the seamless utive Trevor Birch, now a partner at account- helm. Buoyed by the mid-week success over Manchester United million) a year by virtue of the on-pitch suc- transition.” Under Ferguson, United grew ancy firm BDO. in their League Cup semi-final first leg, bottom club Sunderland cess that drives the sale of two million replica into a global brand that claims more than will hope to bridge the four-point gap that separates them from shirts around the globe. 650 million followers. Turnover this season is VICIOUS CIRCLE? safety when they visit fifth-bottom Fulham today. Those sales helped to earn United an addi- forecast to reach between 420 and 430 mil- More than one season out of the Third-bottom Crystal Palace, meanwhile, face Tottenham, who tional 12.8 million pounds from the agree- lion pounds, well ahead of Premier League Champions League, however, could be the have climbed to sixth on the back of a four-game unbeaten run ment last year. And though Nike is expected rivals. Injuries to strikers Wayne Rooney and prelude to a different story. “The worry at the under rookie manager Tim Sherwood. “Tim’s got the potential to to renew its deal in the next few months, the Robin van Persie have not helped United’s moment is that their current form is a por- go on and be a top manager, without a question of a doubt,” said team’s recent decline could weaken the club’s cause, but the ageing squad looks in desper- tent of the potential for longer-term Palace manager Tony Pulis. “He’s very lucky to get a club like bargaining position. United’s poor start to the ate need of an expensive overhaul. decline,” Birch said. Coventry University’s Tottenham as his first job and I’m sure he’ll be determined to season is the talk of offices and bars across The team’s struggles have also reignited Chadwick, meanwhile, pointed to the tra- make a good fist of it.