Even if Manchester United scoop the £32m on offer for winning the Champions League, owner Malcolm Glazer will have to tap other revenue streams to service the club's burgeoning debt mountain.
The Red Devils' interest bill swelled to £43m in the 12 months to the end of last June, from around £34m the previous year, according to accounts filed for Glazer's Red Football Limited.

Total debts almost doubled to an eye-watering £612m over the period as Glazer re-financed the loans he took out to fund the £800m takeover. Some of that debt carries an interest rate of close to 11%, the accounts reveal.

The Red Devil Limited numbers though do not include an estimated £150m in 'payment in kind' loans --believed to carry even higher rates of interest.

The figures underline that advancing to the knock-out stage of the Champions League gravy train is becoming increasingly fundamental to Manchester United's financial health.

The club earned nearly £25m for reaching the semi-finals of the tournament last year. The eventual winners, AC Milan, took home £31m.

This Is Money

I never understood why so many people are having a problem with Christian Poulsen. He's a great DM who plays very physical sometimes. Yes he's not a nun, but Rino isn't either. And Tottis victim theory was a joke from the beginning.

btw, Locke, congrats to the Lady Gunners for winning their league. They showed the game on Fox Soccer yesterday.

@Locke: It's funny, 3 of the 'most similar' videos on that YouTube page are: Shevchenko headbutts Materazzi, Zidane headbutts Materazzi and Delvecchio headbutts Materazzi. People often look at one side and not the other, he gives as good as he gets! I don't condone elbows or anything, but the kicks and that he often gives out happen everywhere, nothing wrong with a bit of physical marking.

That doesn't make sense...if he gets headbutted by Shevchenko, why should he take revenge by smashing up Sorin? And Zidane and Delvecchio headbutted him long after Shevchenko did, and it's not like Materazzi has only done this to Sorin and Shevchenko...remember all those times against Pippo? Or when he kicked Rui Costa in the chest while Costa was on the ground?

Oh, and at least 20 identical cases against players from different clubs.

What Poulsen and Matrix do on the football field is normal. If they do something bad they're punished with a free-kick against them, or possibly a yellow or red card. If neither of the 3 is given, then they haven't done anything wrong.

@Locke: It's funny, 3 of the 'most similar' videos on that YouTube page are: Shevchenko headbutts Materazzi, Zidane headbutts Materazzi and Delvecchio headbutts Materazzi. People often look at one side and not the other, he gives as good as he gets! I don't condone elbows or anything, but the kicks and that he often gives out happen everywhere, nothing wrong with a bit of physical marking. Afterall Sheva is probably one of my top 3 all-time favourite players, so it's not like I'm biased towards Matrix or anything.

Like I've said before, if ANY other person on earth did what Materazzi did in the CL at Anfield, none would have got a yellow card, forget being sent off.

What does punishment has to do with the action? Are you telling me that whenever someone is not shown a yellow card it's because what he did was not worthy of one? Then welcome to the football world, I guess it's your first day here...


I've been playing as a defender my whole life and I can tell you (maybe you know it too) that there are many ways to really hurt your opponent without getting red carded. You should be red carded but the ref cannot see the way you hit your opponent nor can he calculate the power you hit someone with.


... don't you think it's weird that he's been headbutted so many times? He must have done something wrong

I believe this is the case most of the time, yes. Maybe not so much with the smaller incidents. But when it comes to bad fouls or red cards, if they're unjust 99% of the time they're overturned. Fouling is a part of football and if Matrix was to do something very bad, the ref will send him off as his punishment, if the ref doesn't send him off, that's his fault, not Materazzi's.

You know ways to not get red carded when you should? Surely this is what Matrix is doing when he gets away with it? So surely he's doing no different to you. But I also started out as a CB, and not roughing up the strikers is a bad thing.

But couldn't it also be said for Kaka'? Alot of players have been a bit overly physical with him, surely he must have done something wrong to deserve it? But this isn't the case.

But couldn't it also be said for Kaka'? Alot of players have been a bit overly physical with him, surely he must have done something wrong to deserve it? But this isn't the case.

For a club with no honour and no honours to be wearing anything close to resembling the famous Ajax is a disgrace. But from what I read of their management, this is no surprise.

I think their rivals, the famous Aston Villa, are correct to be calling them pigs.

It will be a horrible to read that these beautiful design will be getting a severe beating from teams like Plymouth and Barnsley next season.

well if ajax are such a famous side how come the only playa ive eva heard of is hoydonk whos just a rapist anyway and besides we’ve won a lot more than the leyland daf ya know. we also beat the vile to win the league cup and that waz wen it ment something. as for “the famous” aston vile, we’ve got the name of the city not them cuz theyd just bring shame upon it with there twelve toed fans.birmingham are a premier league side too not some shitty mickey mouse foreign league outfit so shut your gob like.

keep right on SOTV

Portsmouth Away 2008/09

I think it's horrible!

Ooooooooookkaaayyyy...

twelve-toed!??  

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has held talks with Portuguese club Benfica about returning there for a third spell as coach.

A Benfica statement confirmed talks had taken place, but said: "No details of the contract, namely salaries and timing, have been discussed."

Eriksson said: "I'm considering the offer and it could be a step forward in my career - let's see what happens."

BBC Sport understands Eriksson has been told by City he will be sacked.

On Wednesday, City owner Thaksin Shinawatra claimed he would not make a decision on the Swede's future until the end of the season.

However, BBC Sport has also learned that Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has already been approached by the club as the Swede's replacement.

Eriksson met Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira and their new director of football, Rui Costa, in Manchester on Wednesday.

BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard said Eriksson's meeting made it clear what he thought of his future chances at Eastlands.

"Eriksson's current boss may have refused to confirm or deny whether he was about to be sacked, but his meeting in Manchester, captured by Portuguese television, clearly shows what he believes is about to happen," he said.

"The move for Scolari, despite the denials by his agent, indicate Eriksson's imminent departure. I understand however, that Eriksson won't be rushed on a decision about a return to Benfica."



Thaksin Shinawatra will wait until the end of the season to make a decision
Eriksson has coached Benfica twice, leading them to two championships and a domestic cup in the early 1980s.

He then went to Italy but returned to Benfica in 1989, taking the club to the 1990 European Cup final, a game they lost to AC Milan, before winning the Portuguese title in 1991.

Benfica risk missing out on a Champions League spot for next season after a disappointing season. They are fourth in the SuperLiga, three points behind rivals Sporting Lisbon.

City, meanwhile, lie ninth in the Premier League ahead of Sunday's final game against Middlesbrough - which looks certain to be Eriksson's last league match in charge.

Scolari and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho have been linked with the job at City but Thaksin would not be drawn on who might be in charge next season, only saying: "They all - Sven, Scolari, Mourinho - they are great coaches, great managers."

However, he did say he had told Eriksson he was unhappy with City's mid-season dip in form which saw them fall out of contention for European football.

"During the season, we may complain for improvement but that's normal for every club," he said.

"But we will discuss at the end of the season what needs to be changed, what needs to be added to the success of the club."

BBC Sport understands contact has already been made between City and Scolari's representatives in a bid to bring the Portugal boss to Eastlands, with a deal worth a reported £3.2m-a-year ready to be rubber-stamped.

606: DEBATE
Is Scolari the right man for Man City?

Scolari, 59, is believed to be interested in succeeding Eriksson - but wants to wait until after Euro 2008 before making a decision.

Scolari has also previously been reluctant to uproot his family from Portugal and cited intrusion into his private life as one of the reasons he rejected the chance to succeed Eriksson as England coach in 2006.

Thaksin, on the other hand, is thought to want a swift answer from Scolari.

City fans have reacted angrily to Eriksson's imminent departure and Thaksin hopes to head off further unrest with a quick announcement that he has captured the man who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002.

Despite his treatment at the hands of Shinawatra, Eriksson is willing to lead City on their post-season tour of Thailand and Hong Kong next week, a source close to the Swede has told BBC Sport.

The source said it was "business as usual" for Eriksson and his coaching team and that no further talks were planned with Shinawatra before the end of the season.

If City fail to land Scolari, they are likely to turn their attention to Slaven Bilic, even though he signed a new contract with Croatia last week.

BBC

Portsmouth Away 2008/09


I think it's horrible!

Oh my .. looks as though Arsenal FC is falling apart. Hleb might buy out his contract (two yrs remaining on it), this would mean a HUGE blow for Wenger's side, as they loose two crucial players for them in a blink of an eye.

Interesting to see how they deal with this in the market.

so wat's your take on the last round guys?
i think Man U will end up winning but Wigan's shitty home ground will surely have an impact on Man U's game!

This is great news to wake up to isn't it?
Still, nothing confirmed, nothing confirmed...

P.S. The EPL has been awarded an extra place in the UEFA Cup next season through the Fair play league.

Is this new?

Furious Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has hit back at Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as the row over Gareth Barry threatens to turn ugly.

On Thursday, Benitez said he was surprised O'Neill was angry that news of Liverpool's £10m bid for Villa captain Barry, 27, had leaked out.

Benitez also said they had discussed the "idea" of a transfer "20 days ago".

Villa boss O'Neill said: "Rafa said he was going to respect my wishes. I am not sure he respects anything."

Complete story on.. BBC Sport

Keep going Rafa, all you're doing is ruining your chances of gatting Barry. Thankyou. 

20M Euro?! isn't that a little too much?...

is it full relible source ??

Good buy from Chelsea, I think it's a good price too. He was also one of the 3 Portugese RBs that Villa were after. Now it's down to Nelson and Miguel, I really hope we don't go for Miguel..