Latest news with #StickToFootball
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Gary Neville reveals his meagre first Man United contract under Sir Alex Ferguson - and the modest car he drove
Gary Neville has revealed just how small his first Manchester United contract was under Sir Alex Ferguson. The legendary right back joined the Red Devils as an apprentice after leaving school at the age of 16, and went on to make 602 senior appearances - the fifth-most in club history. Neville made his first team debut in September 1992, before his disciplined, gritty professionalism earned him the role of United's starting right back by the 1994-95 season. And the rest was history. But prior to this, Neville, like every academy star earning their call-up to the big leagues, had to pen a humble first professional contract. The pundit explained that he and eight other players were given the same small deal when they first signed. 'At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson gave us all the same [first professional] contract. It was all the same,' Neville said, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. Neville made 602 senior appearances over 19 years for United - the fifth-most in club history 'He gave us a £4000 signing on fee, £210 a week year one, £230 a week year two, £250 a week year three, and £270 a week year four.' Neville added: 'We all got a Honda Prelude, and all got the same contract – there was eight of us.' Neville went on to explain that he wisely used his first contract to get on the property ladder. His first property ran him £160,000, for which he had to cough up a 10 per cent deposit. 'Your own house is the best investment [you could make],' Neville continued. 'When I got money with my first contract at [Manchester] United, I bought a house. That was a massive thing – it was a house which cost £160,000 and I put down £16,000 as a deposit, and at the time I was taking a big risk.' 'So basically, you're saving up for this signing on fee, and then you put it into a house, and you think, "Right, I've got to afford the mortgage for four years".'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Sean Dyche announces he wants to manage Man United - and gives his pitch for Ruben Amorim's job by claiming he would win more and handing out some brutal advice
Sean Dyche has given his pitch for the Man United job, piling more pressure on Ruben Amorim and claims he would have won more games in charge. The 53-year-old, who was sacked as Everton manager in January, named United as the club he'd always wanted to manage and spoke about the disarray at Old Trafford. United still have the Europa League final as a way into the Champions League next season through the back door but the Premier League campaign has been an embarrassment. They are 16th in the table and Amorim's win percentage is a pitiful 24. Sean Dyche was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet and said: 'He's not going to change the way he plays. He [Ruben Amorim] better win some games – pretty quick. 'I reckon if I went there and played my way, we'd win more games. Just 4-4-2 – give them basic rules of principles. 'We're all going, "Fair play" – but, he's been there a while now so you better start bringing some wins soon.' Dyche continued: 'Howard Wilkinson had a great saying, he said, "Win, survive, succeed". Basically, you have to win first, and then you can survive because you're winning, and then success is when you do lay down all your principles and your playing style. 'So, if he can win enough, which is the worry at the minute, and then survive the process, and then succeed – then that's going to be better.' Dyche admitted United is the club he'd love to manage most, saying: 'It was always Manchester United because of the size of the club, not because it's Man U – but due to the sheer grandeur, particularly back then. 'I know they are going through a tough run at the minute, but the whole worldwide feel of it. That's a big superpowered club.' United have accrued 24 points from 25 games under Amorim and trended downwards after sacking Erik ten Hag. If results against the three relegated sides were taken away, United would sit bottom of the table and they've only beaten Ipswich and Leicester since January. Dyche went on to say he expects Amorim's job to be under threat early next term: 'I'd be surprised if Ruben Amorim is not under pressure [early next season],' he added. 'Let's give him the benefit of the doubt this season – he's laying down his platform for success, the future, and educating, let's say. 'Then you get your pre-season, because now you've got that window to actually work on it, day in, day out. Shift a few players out who maybe don't buy in, shift the players in who do buy in. Then, if it's not early next season, how long do you go? 'The easiest answer would be pre-season up until the half-way point, but it's not always designed like that is it? You get the job and it's half-way through the season. 'If it's not early next season, then I'd be saying, it hasn't worked. So, if I'm the Director of Football, I'll go right, "You've either got to change what you're doing and make it work, or we make a change". 'The perfect scenario is at least if you get a pre-season and juggle the transfers, then by Christmas, if you're not having some form of success – most people go, "Things need to start working pretty quickly". You probably get the next window, and then by January/February, they are going, "It's not working".' Amorim described his team as the worst in Manchester United's history earlier in his tenure. Players loaned out from the club such as Antony and Marcus Rashford have seen a vast improvement in their form and the storm clouds will only be partially lifted with a win in the Europa League final. United take on Tottenham next Wednesday in a game said to be worth £100million to the winner. While Dyche is never likely to be in the hotseat at United, he believes Gareth Southgate would have been a more shrewd appointment than Amorim. 'I thought the Manchester United job fitted Gareth [Southgate] really well,' he posited. 'Coming out of the hardship of managing your country – because it is hard managing your country. 'The fans and the media can drive [decisions] but sometimes you've got to be brave enough. Think of all the managers down the years where clubs have been brave.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gary Neville makes honest Trent Alexander-Arnold comparison - 'Freak'
Gary Neville has labeled Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold a "freak" ahead of his imminent move to Real Madrid, insisting that the Reds ace can do things that he could never have dreamt of. While Alexander-Arnold has often been criticized for his perceived lack of defensive abilities, he has always been one of the most creative players in the world from full-back. At Liverpool, he has often been the focal point of the attack from an albeit unusual position on the field. "So basically, if I couldn't feed it in and I was going to cross it, if I couldn't feed it into people's feet and I was going to cross it, it was [a case of just putting it into an area] in case," Neville said on the latest Stick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk already told Liverpool his honest feelings on Kevin De Bruyne transfer READ MORE: Liverpool fans hit back at Mikel Arteta after bizarre Premier League title claims "I'm going to put it into the back post. I'm going to put it into the near post. [But] Trent is an actual freak. That's a freak. That is honestly a freak watching him cross a ball, that is not normal." Earlier this week, Alexander-Arnold confirmed that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. In an emotional video that was released, he explained the decision. "I have never known anything else," he said. "This decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. "I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner, a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time. But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch, should always be about the football. "When we were in a title race and trying to push for trophies, it's about making the right decision for the team and trying not to distract the team and take away from what we're doing on the pitch. "For me, it was always to do it after the season was kind of done. Not so much the final game, but when there was nothing else really to play for. "Now that we've won the league and we've been able to celebrate it and celebrate such an amazing achievement, I felt like now is the right time to get it off my chest and tell the fans the truth, and now is that time." Liverpool tried everything to keep Alexander-Arnold at the club, including offering to make him the best-paid full-back in the Premier League. However, there was one thing it couldn't offer: the chance to try something new, having been with the Reds for two decades. says: Neville is right about Alexander-Arnold's supreme ability, though it would have been nice had that been the biggest focus when the Liverpool number 66 has been analyzed during his senior career to date. Instead, his defensive capabilities have usually been most discussed, or at least always brought into the conversation, which hasn't always been fair. One of the benefits that Alexander-Arnold finds in Spain is that his reputation in England might increase if the main clips that people see are his passes, rather than how he defends one-vs-one. That should be the case now, but hasn't always been.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Roy Keane leaves Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in hysterics over ‘strange' question
When Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit reunited with Roy Keane on the Stick To Football podcast, the Manchester United icon was reminded of a hilarious story from one of their past meetings Roy Keane had podcast co-hosts Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher laughing as he recounted a side-splitting tale about Ruud Gullit. The Dutch football legend - known for his illustrious career with AC Milan, PSV, Feyenoord, and Chelsea - appeared on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast. During the show, Keane didn't hesitate to relive a memorable encounter between the two at the 2022 World Cup. "All the TV companies stay in the same hotel, and I bumped into Ruud at breakfast," the Irishman explained. "I obviously didn't know him. "I remember being dead polite, and he spoke to me about injuries. He asked me what was the worst injury I had. I thought strange question, but he seemed really interested. So I told him, 'Oh, my cruciate - and I had a hip operation, that set me back a bit.' "Then I said, 'What about you?', and he went, 'I used to always get side strains,'" recalled Keane, pointing to the side of his ribcage. "I went, 'Side strains?', and he went, 'Yeah, you know when you're lifting trophies.'" The studio erupted in laughter. "You got me," Keane conceded, while Gullit chuckled knowingly. Now 62, Gullit is celebrated as one of the all-time greats in Dutch and continental football. Famed for his adaptability, he excelled in numerous roles on the pitch and left a lasting mark wherever he played. He earned the Ballon d'Or in 1987, the same year he made a record-setting £6million switch from PSV to AC Milan. There, he enjoyed a trophy-laden run with three Serie A wins and two European Cups, forming a legendary trio with Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard - a partnership that also propelled the Netherlands to Euro 1988 glory. Gullit later joined Chelsea in 1995, paving the way for a wave of international stars like Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli, and Marcel Desailly. Taking over as player-manager in 1996, he led the club to FA Cup glory in 1997 - the Blues' first major trophy in over a quarter of a century. Among Chelsea supporters, Gullit is still seen as a transformative figure from the pre- Roman Abramovich years, lauded for his finesse and vision both as a player and manager. That's why it came as a surprise when club owner Todd Boehly failed to recognise him. "I think football clubs these days are run for business rather than from the heart," Gullit said. "I met Todd Boehly, it was a meeting for all the clubs organised by [ PSG chairman] Nasser [Al-Khelaifi]. "So I thought I'd introduce myself [to Boehly]. He asked me, 'What do you do?' I said, 'I played football, also for Chelsea.' "He said, 'What did you do then for Chelsea? When were you there?' He didn't know! This is what it is. They don't know what the club is all about."
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The 'horrible' side to David Beckham's fame and fortune revealed as star fears people 'only want bad things'
David Beckham remains one of the most famous sports stars of all time, but there has been a significant negative side to his publicity. As disclosed by his former manager at LA Galaxy, Ruud Gullit, Beckham previously spoke about how he was unable to go out in his own car as he was constantly chased by people. Beckham, who turns 50 on Friday, enjoyed an illustrious career which included him winning an array of trophies at Manchester United before signing for Real Madrid. His marriage to Victoria of the Spice Girls in 1999 further increased his global publicity. Although he retired from playing in 2013, Beckham's status as a global icon remains very much intact. However, Gullit stated that Beckham has encountered numerous problems as a result of his fame. Speaking on Stick To Football, Gullit said: 'I've been on that mountain [of fame] and I had to laugh when I was coach at LA Galaxy. ' David Beckham was there, I said 'David, I don't want to trade [lives] with you' - I've been there, done that. I said: 'I can't live like that, how can you do that?' and he just [sighed] and said 'Yeah'. 'I said: 'can't you just go in your own car?' he said: 'No, Ruud I can't. Because people chase me all the time'. People want bad things, they don't want nice things out of you. So he needed to have all these people around him to protect him. 'It's horrible, he can't go anywhere. I really must say, I admired him how he handled it, because he loves football, he was very very fond of going to the training ground, working hard, and still having that other life around it, it was amazing to see.' Beckham remains heavily involved in football - he is the president of co-owner of Inter Miami, while he is also the co-owner of Salford City. During his time at United Beckham won six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League, which included winning the treble in the 1998-99 season. In addition, he won league titles with Real Madrid and PSG. On the international stage Beckham made 115 appearances for England and scored 17 goals. Beckham has signed many brand deals throughout his career, which included a lifetime contract with Adidas in 2003. He has frequently appeared in adverts and also endorsed the successful North America bid (Canada, Mexico and the United States) to host the 2026 World Cup.
