Mention great sports rivalries and several could come to mind.There was Muhammad Ali going toe-to-toe with Joe Frazier in the boxing ring, Martina Navratilova facing off with Chris Evert on the tennis court and Nick Faldo going head to head with Greg Norman on the golf course.  India and Pakistan still have a healthy cricket rivalry going on.  There’s even been a classic rivalry in the world of chess with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov battling it out in several matches over the years.

But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds?This could be the greatest rivalry in football, but it’s time to take a closer look at things to determine why it exists, and why it continues

1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.There’s been quite a rivalry between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester ever since industrial times, and that sense of competition is certainly not lacking in the football world.

2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club.  A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.

3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.They are also ranked as two of the richest clubs in the world.

4.  Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes.  With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.Wayne Rooney, United striker, has publicly stated how much he hated Liverpool FC when he was growing up.On another occasion, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard told a TV crew that, although he often exchanges shirts with opposing players, he would never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? What are Transfers? – There have been no direct transfers of players between the two clubs since 1964; the few who have played for both sides have always played for a different city’s club in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.

The way these clubs are so passionate about their long-standing rivalry is inspiring, in a way.Some people out there, though, must think the whole concept of these sporting grudges is a waste of time.So, are you still wondering who’s the best club in football?It’s as clear as day, really.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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A legitimate customer reviewing a product doesn’t usually have a reason to post a link to the very product they are reviewing. Since email spam blockers have come out, advertisers are thinking of new ways to get their product exposure and biased reviews is a fairly popular method. Reviews which do not contain links are more likely to be genuine. Some people prefer to buy tickets on eBay because you can often find cheaper prices, but it is definitely a better idea to do business with a website specializing in tickets. Often times tickets purchased on eBay don’t arrive on time and sometimes the seller doesn’t even mail them so you never receive them. Most people you do business with on eBay are honest but if you decide to purchase this way make sure you read their feedback to get a better idea of how professional they are.

Before you type in ANY purchasing information is the another way to avoid being scammed is to make sure the checkout page is encrypted. The importance of it can not be understated, but this is a feature not many people look for when checking out. How do you know if a website utilizes ecryption? At the beginning of a website address you will usually see “HTTP”. Web pages which are encrypted contain “HTTPS” in their address, not the usual “HTTP”. It is important to make sure the page is encrypted even if the company is completely honest,because sometimes it does not show respect for the customers and the security of their personal information. If you are interested in a ticket vendor, they have good reviews, and their check out page is encrypted, then you can be pretty certain that the vendor is safe to purchase from.

These guidelines are important to follow in order to avoid being scammed, but it is also important to go with your gut. You shouldn’t buy anything if you get a funny feeling about the vendor. If something seems off then there is a good chance something is. Doing some research will prove invaluable in fending off scam artists. Finally, you need to find the one which costs the least. You will be able to make your next purchase with confidence after reading all the information on this article.

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The form of veteran former England midfielder Paul Scholes, plus the fact that Ryan Giggs is not getting any younger has convinced Sir Alex Ferguson of the need to bring in a top notch quality replacement to bolster what is perceived by some critics to be United’s biggest weakness, midfield.

With interest from Liverpool and Chelsea as well, the signing of Hamsik would add attacking ability to Manchester United’s midfield. The Slovakian international started his career with Slovan Bratislava but quickly showed his quality to persuade Brescia to snap him up. Managing to score 10 goals at Brescia from the midfield before being lifted from the team for 5.5 m Euros to move to Napoli.

Since 2007, Hamsik’s efforts in Serie A have established him as one of the best midfielders in the world. Managing to score 25 goals in 81 games Hamsik’s form has been some of the best in the league. Recently Hamsik scored twice as Napoli recorded their first win over Juventus in Turin for 21 years and his performances have impressed many experts in Italy, who have been quick to label the Slovakian international as the best midfielder in Serie A.

Hamsik’s efforts for his national team Slovakia have been extremely impressive. He has been the driving force behind the countries qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa and he is being touted as being one of the major stars to emerge from the tournament in the summer.

Interest and a big offer from major teams may not be enough however with sporting director Riccardo Bigon stating:

“Manchester United are after Hamsik? If we rejected the rumours regarding a friend like [Carlo] Ancelotti and his Chelsea, it is obvious we also reject these rumours.”

These comments have since been substantiated by Napoli chairman Aurielo De Laurentiis who confirmed:

“Many clubs have requested Hamsik, it’s true, but he will stay with us for the long-term”

Whether this stance will soften in the summer, when United hope to make their move, remains to be seen. Napoli’s short budget will defiantly play a factor in their decision to keep Hamsik or to sell him if a good offer is made.

Chelsea’s desperation to buy players may push any deals between the two clubs away. With Carlo Ancelotti given the go ahead to spend £25m on a player by Roman Abramovich in January. However with Chelsea set to be banned from transfers from February, it seems likely that the Blues will only be able to make a move for Hamsik during the transfer window and as such, the Londoners could gazump United’s own plans for the midfielder many pundits feel is cut from the same cloth as Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.

A legitimate customer reviewing a product doesn’t usually have a reason to post a link to the very product they are reviewing. With today’s email spam blockers becoming more powerful, advertisers rethink their ways of getting their product out there and they have turned to reviews which are favorable to get their product in the public eye. There is a bigger chance for a review to be legit if a review is link free. Though buying tickets on eBay can often get you cheaper prices, it is probably a good idea to buy tickets from established websites that specialize in tickets alone. Sometimes ticket sellers on eBay ship the ticket too late, and sometimes not even at all. While you can assume that the majority of people who sell on eBay are above board, it’s still in your best interest to read feedback about them so get a sense of how they operate.

Before you type in ANY purchasing information is the another way to avoid being scammed is to make sure the checkout page is encrypted. The importance of it can not be understated, but this is a feature not many people look for when checking out. What are the signs that will tell you if a web page is encrypted? You will normally se HTTP at the beginning of all web addresses. Web pages which are encrypted contain “HTTPS” in their address, not the usual “HTTP”. It is always a good idea to make sure the page is encrypted because even if a company is completely honest but does not use encryption, it does not show a lot of respect for the customers’ personal information. If you are interested in a ticket vendor, they have good reviews, and their check out page is encrypted, then you can be pretty certain that the vendor is safe to purchase from.

These guidelines are important to follow in order to avoid being scammed, but it is also important to go with your gut. If something about a vendor does not seem quite right, do not purchase anything from them. If something doesn’t sit right with you, then there is most likely something wrong with it. A little scrutiny goes a long way when it comes to avoiding a scam artist. Your job now is to find a price that is the best! You can buy with confidence the next time you shop on the web if you remember the information presented in this article.

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  Apart from 8 years after it was bombed out during WWII, Manchester United tickets for home games at Old Trafford have been bought by fans since 1910.

One of the Club’s most beloved and famous players, Bobby Charlton nicknamed the stadium the Field of Dreams.   

Best known for his midfield attacks Sir Robert “Bobby” Charlton also had a deadly long-range shot which helped him win the World Cup and get names the European Footballer of the Year in 1966.

Able to seat 76,212 Manchester United ticket buying supporters, Old Trafford is the second-largest of any English football stadiums, and it is one of two stadia in  England to have been given a  “UEFA elite stadium” five-star rating by UEFA.

Old Trafford has hosted a fair number of FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue along with a couple of  “English national football team” England international fixtures.

It has also hosted matches during the “1966 FIFA World Cup”  and  “UEFA Euro 1996″  and the “2003 UEFA Champions League Final”.

The Old Trafford playing field is surrounded by stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands.

Each of the stands has a minimum of two tiers, except the South Stand, which, because of construction restrictions has just one.

The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from standing room only terraces in the early 1990s.

The most well-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, more famously, known as the  Stretford End.

Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s.

Stretford End is home to Manchester United’s most die-hard supporters, known as The Red Army.

Most of the noise and atmosphere at Old Trafford comes from this stand, and once the roar from the fans there was measured as louder than that of a jumbo jet lifting off.

There is practically no chance for anyone new to get a set in the Stretford End as the fans that fill this stand resubscribe to their Manchester United season tickets every year.

Manchester United’s fan club, usually called the Red Army was once the largest and most infamous group of followers British football has ever seen.

When the Red Army followed their team to an away game, the town would be in a uproar:  the fans would travel en-mass by train, coach, car or even by foot if necessary to get to the game.   

In  “1974–75 in English football” the mid-seventies when Manchester United had been sent down from the top flight of English football and played a single season in the  “Football League Second Division” Second Division, the Red Army caused so much trouble  at football grounds around the country visiting other team’s stadiums and often outnumbering  home fans, it led to the introduction of home and away fan segregation and fencing at football grounds throughout England.

These days, the Red Army is quite different to what it was in the 1970’s & 80’s.

This Manchester United supporters club, now has a fan base of over 300 million fans across the world.

The sheer number of Manchester United fans, all of whom would like to get to Old Trafford, both to see the game and to experience the atmosphere there, result in it almost always being difficult to buy Manchester United Tickets.

That means for many supporters, the chance of obtaining a ticket to a single Manchester United game is never easy, and a season ticket to Old Trafford might be seen as the ultimate score.

Nothwithstanding the advantage of having a guaranteed seat for home games and priority for away game tickets, there are some issues connected with owning a season ticket that could be seen as negatives.

Including:
If the seat the season ticket holder scores in not in his area of choice, there is no way of getting it changed except by proving extreme medical hardship.

As a result of this policy, there are those who don’t renew their tickets at the end of the season, preferring to take their chances in the search for single tickets that may be in a better part of Old Trafford.

There is a Manchester United Club policy called the Automatic Ticket Scheme which ensures that every season ticket holder is guaranteed a ticket for all Champions League and FA cup home games.

Initially this might appear to be a positive thing, however the season ticket holder is charged for each of these tickets even if he has no cannot go to one or any of the  games.

In the 2006/2007and 2007/2008 seasons, there were 10 of these extra games – and with a ticket to each game starting at almost 50 pounds, this is a significant extra cost on top of the price already paid for season ticket.

Any Manchester United fan who purchases a  season ticket thinking they can offload tickets to games they can’t attend might find that that is more difficult than anticipated.

Manchester United does have an official ticket exchange where season ticket holders can list their unwanted tickets for sale at face-value, but tickets cannot be posted there until the club announces that the game in question has been sold out.

However  tickets put up for sale may not get sold, and the prospective seller then not only loses the ticket he is unable to use, he is out the substantial listing and handling fee it cost him to attempt to sell the unwanted seat.

There is no question that the price of a season’s 16 single tickets is more expensive than a season ticket, but when the other costs – close to 500 extra pounds for the Cup games; the possibility of getting a seat in disliked part of Old Trafford; and there being no guarantee of being able to sell any unwanted game tickets are added up, investing in season Manchester United tickets might not be worth it to even the most fanatical fans.

The best way to buy Manchester United tickets on line is from the team itself. Members of the One United fan club can enter a lottery to apply for tickets for every Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League match. Manchester United will ship tickets to other countries besides the United Kingdom, but you should check that they do offer shipment to your country. Sometimes tickets might have to be picked up at the Old Trafford box office.

If your application for match tickets through the One United lottery is not successful, ticket agencies or brokers might be an option. Tickets to a number of Premier League games, including Manchester United matches can be bought on the Web. A reputable broker will be able to get you tickets to any game, however the prices of these tickets will usually be much higher than their face value, but unfortunately there are quite a few agencies who do not deliver on their promise to deliver tickets.

Who are the brokers who can be trusted to deliver the Manchester United tickets you’ve paid for? Because reselling tickets involving British clubs is not legal in the United Kingdom, there are quite a few unreliable and dubious brokers. To find a good broker, ask for referrals from friends who have had good experiences with a particular agency. If you don’t know anyone who can recommend a broker, check out recommendations on some football discussion boards and it might be worth posting a new question by asking about experience fans have had with a particular broker. Try Googling a broker’s name together with the words ticket scam to see if anyone has posted about a bad experience. to see if any former customer has posted about a bad experience.~Another suggestion is to Google a broker’s name together with the words ticket scam {e.g. “xyzbroker ticket scam”} to see if anyone has posted about a bad experience with that broker.}

Ensure you know exactly when you will receive the tickets before buying Manchester United tickets on line. Paying by credit card rather than bank transfer, personal check or money order will ensure maximum protection if the tickets are not delivered as promised. Ebay can be a good source for tickets, especially from a seller with a good feedback rating.

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