Park determined to prove worth

Ji-sung Park insists he still has "a big future" at Manchester United after the Red Devils' draw with Chelsea.
The South Korean was devastated by Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to leave him out of not just his starting line-up but his entire squad when United beat Chelsea in the Champions League final last May.
With a knee injury following almost immediately, ruling the 27-year-old out of his country's Olympic Games campaign, Park could be forgiven for feeling cursed.
But the bargain buy from PSV Eindhoven is refusing to let his head drop.
And a couple of exceptional performances this week, including a goalscoring contribution to United's battling draw at Chelsea yesterday, have provided a perfect reminder of his ability.
"It has been a hard time for me," said Park.
"I have to show my abilities so I don't suffer that experience again. This was a chance to do that and I need to take them because I still believe I have a big future at Manchester United."
No matter how long Park remains at Old Trafford, he has already proved beyond question he is more than a glorified clothes horse.
While his popularity in Asia does have a beneficial effect on United's commercial department, Park's energy and drive is an equally obvious by-product of his presence.
Ferguson's decision to play the former PSV Eindhoven star yesterday helped nullify the threat of Jose Bosingwa, a tactic that worked equally well on the other side of the field as Owen Hargreaves shut down Ashley Cole.
"I was quite pleased with my performance," Park continued.
"My fitness is coming back now. I have been in the gym a lot and prepared as much as I can, so I am pretty much recovered."
While Ferguson and his senior players have at least played their part in the FA's 'Respect' campaign by not continuing the feud with referee Mike Riley, Park decided to air his frustration at the official's performance.
Riley booked seven United players, ensuring they will receive a US$50,000 fine, but only one from Chelsea.
Yet Park did not see too much difference in the way both sides went about their tasks.
"It was unfair," he said.
"The Chelsea players did the same tackles but the yellow cards went to us. A couple of their men deserved them as well."
While the draw at least allowed Chelsea to cement their place in the top three, United still find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the table, only three places and one point off the relegation zone.
Part of that sorry position is down to the Red Devils' home game with Fulham last month being postponed due to their European Super Cup commitment in Monaco.
The other major factor is a demanding early-season fixture schedule that has seen them visit Portsmouth, Liverpool and now Chelsea in succession, with Arsenal and Manchester City to come before the end of November.
So, taking all things into consideration, Park is not too downhearted - providing United use their latest point as a springboard towards better things.
"I thought we did really well and we were disappointed not to get the three points," he reflected following the Stamford Bridge encounter, which saw Chelsea extend their unbeaten home streak to 85 matches.
"Some of the big decisions were unfair but in the end we got a point away from Old Trafford so it is not that bad, especially against a side like Chelsea, who have not lost (at home) for a such a long time.
"It is a pity we conceded so late because we really wanted to beat the record. We will just have to wait until next time instead."

by espnstar.com

Tags: Ji-sung Park, Manchester United, Football, South+Korean, Chelsea, Old Trafford

Ruud warns of more to come

Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has warned there is plenty more to come from the Spanish league champions.His team moved to within a point of the Primera Liga's leading pack on Sunday night.
Following an indifferent first-half performance, Ruben De La Red put Madrid into the lead eight minutes after the restart at Racing Santander and Van Nistelrooy netted a second with 17 minutes remaining.
But former Holland frontman Van Nistelrooy has promised the capital outfit will only get better.
"The fact that we played well is what I'll take from this match," he said. "This is Real Madrid. We saw it with nine men against Valencia (in the Spanish Supercopa), and then two poor matches. We saw the Madrid we want.
"We know that the score isn't all that counts. We aren't leaving completely satisfied. We know we must improve and where. It is still September."
Bernd Schuster's team headed into Sunday's game under pressure following an indifferent start to the campaign, having lost at Deportivo La Coruna and then been far from convincing in a 4-3 win at home to promoted Numancia.
A 2-0 home success against Belorussian minnows BATE Barisov in the Champions League on Wednesday also failed to silence the critics, but Madrid raised their game against Racing.
"Racing played well, but we did too," Van Nistelrooy added on www.realmadrid.com. "We saw the Madrid we all want to see. It was a difficult match and the victory should boost our confidence. We must stay on track.
"The team was very solid in defence and took advantage of the opportunities it was given. Our strength in the first third and the team's mentality proved crucial. Our chances improve when we play like we did.
"It is true that we played two poor matches, but we are improving. We did our job, but it's time to think about Wednesday (against Sporting Gijon)."
One sour note for Madrid on Sunday was an injury suffered by Guti, which caused the midfielder to be replaced by Rafael van der Vaart just before half-time.
The 31-year-old hurt his left triceps and will undergo further tests on Monday to determine the severity of the problem.

by espnstar.com

Tags: Nistelrooy, Spanish, Football, Real Madrid

Man United fined after yellow peril

Manchester United will receive a US$45,800 (£25,000) fine after picking up seven yellow cards at Chelsea on Sunday.
Sir Alex Ferguson was left biting his lip in frustration following Mike Riley's performance at Stamford Bridge, claiming there had not been a bad tackle in the game.
But the Old Trafford outfit will still be hit by an automatic penalty, even if they are unlikely to be called to account for their conduct as a team.
The FA will wait for Riley's report before deciding whether to look into a clash between Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba on the final whistle which left the Chelsea man needing treatment.
"It was a competitive game but I did not think there was one bad tackle in it," said Ferguson of the 1-1 draw.
"The game is being screened worldwide. Everyone is watching it and something like that happens.
"People are saying what is going on here but it is difficult to say anything about the referee. I do not want to get involved."
Ferguson was clearly unhappy with Riley's performance, as were a number of his senior players as Salomon Kalou levelled 10 minutes from time after Park Ji-sung had put the visitors in front midway through the first-half.
And United's afternoon did not get much less stormy after they had left Stamford Bridge as their team coach was attacked on the short trip to Euston station.
A bottle was hurled from the pavement, cracking the windscreen, although no-one was injured, with United officials eager to play down the incident afterwards.
"Yes. There was an incident but the matter is now in the hands of the police," said a club spokesman.
At least Riley received the backing of Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who noted the FA's recent 'Respect' initiative aimed at greater co-operation between players and officials.
"I am not surprised," said Scolari. "That is what the referee is there for.
"If players do not respect him, it should be yellow and red cards. It doesn't matter who you are - Liverpool or Manchester United, whoever."
However, the Chelsea coach said he was puzzled at the bizarre ending, with Riley blowing for time as Drogba was about to receive treatment.
"It was strange that he finished the game at that time but we need to accept his decision."

by espnstar.com

Manchester United