As a fan of Manchester United Football Club, Tunde Folawiyo follows the progress of the league closely. Their recent defeat against Sunderland is likely to have left him, and many of their other supporters, feeling disappointed. It seems that Gus Poyet, who joined Sunderland FC as its manager just three months ago, has had a remarkable impact on the players’ morale, with spectators observing strong performances from Adam Johnson, Fabio Borini, Ki Sung-Yueng. The skill displayed by these team members, coupled with the presence of Marcos Alonso and John O’Shea, certainly provided Sunderland with the upper hand.

Two of United’s best players – Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney – were unable to participate. Many attributed the Red Devil’s decidedly underwhelming performance to these players’ absences, as well as to David’s Moyes’s substitutions. Commentators questioned the manager’s decision to not bring on Wilfried Zaha, and criticised his favouring of Patrice Evra over Alex Buttner. Others demanded to know why Moyes allowed Tom Cleverley to stay on the pitch for so long.

Ryan Giggs, a player greatly admired by Tunde Folawiyo, appeared to be distracted throughout the match. It was he who gave Sunderland their first goal, after accidentally volleying the ball into United’s net as he attempted to block Bardsley’s kick. The shock of this turn of events appeared to temporarily revive the Red Devils, with Nemanja Vidic delivering a successful header into the net just minutes later.

Sunderland’s second goal came about when Cleverley shoved Johnson to the ground as he made his way down the pitch. After careful consideration, Andre Marriner, the referee, decided to award Sunderland a free kick, which was taken by Fabio Borini. He struck a powerful shot, which landed directly into the roof of the net, far beyond the reach of United’s keeper.

Moyes expressed anger at the referee’s decision during the match, but it was his comments afterwards that seemed to have landed him in hot water. He remarked that he and his team now had to play against both the opposition, and the match officials. The FA were made aware of his outburst, and have now released a statement, explaining that they intend to charge Moyes, as his assertions cast doubt on the match officials’ integrity. The manager has not yet responded to the FA’s allegations of misconduct. He has until the 15th of this month to address the issue, and is likely to face a large fine if the FA find him guilty.

Manchester United, nicknamed “The Red Devils”, has long been revered as England’s most successful professional football team with millions of fans including Tunde Folawiyo knowing exactly who they are. Boasting the largest average game attendance in European football, Manchester United has won numerous honours including three European Cups, 20 League titles, 11 FA Cups, four League Cups and a record 20 FA Community Shields, further demonstrating their vast impact on European sports.

Throughout its history as a franchise, Manchester United has held many international sports superstars on its roster, including Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Ryan Giggs overall, has won 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two Champions League titles during his time with the club. Dubbed “The Most Popular Football Team in the World” due to its outstanding wealth and dynamic fan base, Manchester United was founded under the name Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878 before later being renamed in 1902. Among the tales of its history, Manchester United suffered a loss of immense magnitude when a plane carrying the team crashed in Munich in February of 1958. Twenty-three died that day, including eight Manchester United players. Midfielder Sir Bobby Charlton was instrumental in rebuilding the team with 17 years of loyal service.

Manchester United paved the way for many English football teams, including their win of the European Cup while under the management of Matt Busby in 1968. Other respected Manchester United managers include Alex Ferguson, who won 28 major honours during a career spanning over 25 years before announcing his retirement. He remains one of the most respected managers in the history of football while fans will undoubtedly remember Ferguson for his incredible passion and numerous contributions toward the sport.

In 2012, Forbes ranked Manchester United first on the list of the ten most valuable sports team brands in the world. This poll estimated Manchester United’s brand to be worth $2.3 billion. Further cementing this title, Manchester United became the first sports team in the history to be valued at an incredible $3 billion in 2013. This is $1.2 billion higher than the next most valuable sports team in the world.

With their enormous success comes the opportunity to assist their community. The Manchester United Foundation maintains a mission of educating, motivating and inspiring young people by making charitable contributions to disadvantaged areas across Greater Manchester. Manchester United Fans such as Tunde Folawiyo will continue to prove an immeasurable source of support for the team’s success.

Northwest England’s Manchester United football club has long served as one of Europe’s premiere professional football teams, boasting long-time fans such as Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others. Regarded as “The Most Popular Football Team in the World”, Manchester United currently holds the largest average game attendance in Europe, among numerous other distinctions cementing its high-profile status in sports.

Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the football club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902. Now, aptly nicknamed the “The Red Devils”, the dynamic Manchester United’s club crest is derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms. As one of the world’s most widely supported sports franchises, Manchester United is renowned for its vibrant and devoted fan base.

Under the management of Matt Busby in 1968, Manchester United won the European Cup before going on to win an additional 28 major honours under manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose career of over 25 years thrived until his retirement in 2013. Leading his team toward the acquisition of 13 national championships, Ferguson remains one of the most well-known and respected managers in the history of English football.

With a record 20 League titles, four League Cups, 11 FA Cups, and 20 FA Community Shields, Manchester United won the continental treble, a brilliant accomplishment for an English football club.  Further demonstrating their outstanding impact in the world of football, Manchester United ranked first on the Forbes list of the world’s ten most valuable sports franchises in 2012. In the next year, Manchester United became the first sports team in the history to be valued at a staggering $3 billion – $1.2 billion more than the second ranked most valuable sports team in the world at the time. Although the team’s ranking has since slipped to the number two spot in 2013, Manchester United remains one of the world’s most wealthy clubs.

Whilst Manchester United has accomplished many fetes of incredible significance, the team has also experienced devastating loss. On February 6, 1958, a plane carrying the team crashed upon take-off in Munich, West Germany, killing twenty-three passengers, eight Manchester players among them. A shocking blow to the team and the world as a whole, Manchester United went on to rebuild and achieve great success in the following years. Adding to its worldwide fame is Manchester United’s all-time roster of international sports superstars including players Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Bobby Charlton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. Continuous football supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo are aware that the future of Manchester United remains bright as ever.

Following some frustrating losses over the past few months, supporters of Manchester United were thrilled with the team’s recent victory over Swansea. With a final result of 2-0, it certainly seems that Moyes’ unwavering faith in the players over the past few months has been justified. Although this means that United have now won five out of six games in the Premier League, it’s remains uncertain whether or not they will be able to win the title; Tunde Folawiyo, and any other loyal supporters, will know that the Red Devils’ performance since Moyes joined the club has been inconsistent, to say the least.

The first half was described by many as being mediocre, with neither side coming close to scoring. However, Swansea were named as favourites to win by several commentators, as they managed to retain possession of the ball for most of the first 45 minutes. But the Red Devil’s were in top form when they returned after the half-time interval, dominating the match from the moment they stepped out onto the pitch,  right up until the final whistle was blown, with goals being scored by Danny Welbeck and Antonia Valencia.

The run up to Welbeck’s goal was particularly thrilling; after Januzaj gained possession of the ball, he kicked it towards Welbeck, who then headed it in Evra’s direction, at which point Evra attempted to score. Swansea supporters rejoiced as his shot turned out to be miscued; however, their happiness was short-lived, as Welbeck once again took control of the ball and quickly fired it passed Tremmel, into the net. This goal, which doubled United’s advantage, probably came as quite a relief to many supporters, including Tunde Folawiyo.

Whilst both goal-scorers were commended for their contributions, the star of the match was Adnan Januzaj. It was his quick-thinking and skilful footwork that provided Valencia and Welbeck with their respective opportunities, and his persistent attacks on Swansea ensured that the opponents stood no chance of regaining control of the ball.  Whilst some have argued that Moyes should not become too reliant on such a young player (Januzaj is just 18 years of age), others contend that United should simply make the most of the winger’s talents.

Moyes appears to be doing precisely that; his decision to give Januzaj, rather than Kagawa, the number 10 role during the second half is a clear indicator of how much he trusts him, as Kagawa had been brought in specifically for this position, from Borussia Dortmund.

Supporters of the Red Devils, like Tunde Folawiyo, are probably quite curious to find out which players will be joining the team during this month’s transfer windows. David Moyes has confirmed that they will be seeking out a central midfielder and a left-back. It has also been revealed that the club has provided the manager with plenty of funding, in order to secure the very best players. Whilst Moyes has admitted that he feels under pressure to source some talented new people to join the Red Devils, he added that the players he has in mind may not necessarily be available this month, and will most likely have to be approached during the summer transfer window instead.

With this being said, reports have now surfaced that United intend to offer £24 million for Ilkay Gundogan, a 23 year old from Germany, who serves as a midfielder for Borussia Dortmund. This may come as a surprise to fans such as Tunde Folawiyo, as Gundogan hasn’t actually participated in a match with his current team since last summer, due to a serious back injury. But Moyes seems unperturbed by this fact, and is said to be preparing to make an offer sometime during the next two weeks.

Another player whose talents have piqued Moyes interest is Fabio Coentrao. This will be the manager’s second attempt to sign the left-back, after failing to do so during last year’s window. A number of reports claim that Moyes has already had several discussions with Real Madrid. Whilst Coentrao has not made any public statements regarding this matter, several sports commentators believe that he would be open to the idea of a transfer to Old Trafford. This, coupled with the fact that Jorge Mendes, his agent, has close connections with Man United FC, suggests that Coentrao may well be joining the Red Devils for their matches this spring.

The futures of several existing team members have also been called into question; Wilfried Zaha, for instance, will be sealing a loan move to the club Cardiff City in a few weeks’ time. Zaha has had very few opportunities to show off his skills during his time with United, with players like Adnan Januzaj, Shinji Kagawa and Ashley Young blocking his way to a position on the first team. In addition to this, neither Patrice Evra nor Rio Ferdinand have been offered their twelve-month extension clauses, as of yet.

Based in northwest England, the Manchester United soccer club exhibits a long history as one of the continent’s premiere professional football teams. As “The Most Popular Football Team in the World”, Manchester United, nicknamed “The Red Devils”, boasts the largest average game attendance in Europe among millions of worldwide fans, including Nigerian Tunde Folawiyo.

Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the football club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902. The vibrant Manchester United club crest is derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms. Aside from game losses over the years, Manchester United suffered a loss of immense magnitude when a plane carrying the team crashed on take-off in Munich en route home from a European Cup game in February of 1958. Twenty-three people died, including eight Manchester United players. Manchester United has accomplished a great deal since that fateful day, winning many honours including a record 20 League titles, four League Cups, 11 FA Cups, and a record 20 FA Community Shields. With three European Cups also under their belt, Manchester United won a continental treble, a brilliant accomplishment for an English football club.

In 2012, Forbes ranked Manchester United first on the list of the ten most valuable team brands in the world with an estimated value of 2.3 billion. Manchester United became the first sports team in history to be valued at an incredible $3 billion in 2013. Although the club has since dropped to the number two spot in the annual ranking, Manchester United remains one of the most successful franchises in the history of sports. With their outstanding success came the birth of the Manchester United Foundation, a charity whose goal is to educate, motivate and inspire young people. Assisting disadvantage areas within Manchester, the foundation continues to make an impact in the lives of England’s youth.

Manchester United paved the way for many English football teams, including their win of the European Cup while under the management of Matt Busby in 1968. Other respected Manchester United managers include Alex Ferguson, who won 28 major honours during a career spanning over 25 years, before announcing his retirement. He remains one of the most respected managers in the history of football. Manchester United’s many loyal fans such as Tunde Folawiyo, will undoubtedly remember Ferguson for his incredible passion for the sport.

Anyone who, like Tunde Folawiyo, has been a supporter of Man United for many years, will understand just how desperately the team needed its most recent win. Following two dismal defeats at the hands of Everton and Newcastle, the Red Devils finally seem to have gotten back on track after a match against Shakhtar Donetsk, in which they finished with a respectable result of 1-0.

Much to the relief of the team’s supporters, a winning goal was scored in the 67th minute by Phil Jones; this means that Man United have now managed to advance into the final 16 of the Champion’s League, despite their erratic and often subpar performance this season. Moreover, as the winners of Group A, the Red Devils no longer have to worry about facing Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain or Real Madrid.

Whilst United fans were hopeful from the outset, the match itself was one of twists and turns, and it remained unclear, up until the final third, which team would triumph. For a large portion of the match, the Red Devils struggled to keep up with Shakhtar’s skillful footwork, and missed out on a number of scoring opportunities, when Ashley Young shot just wide of the net on two separate occasions.

But, in the end, these floundered goals did not prevent the team from winning the match, as the above-mentioned Phil Jones managed to volley the ball in from the corner, with the help of a pass from Robin Van Persie, who had been brought on as a substitute.

Moyes explained that he intended to put Van Persie on for a maximum of 30 minutes, if necessary, as he didn’t want to hinder the striker’s ability to recover from his groin injury. As the match progressed and it became clear that help was needed, the manager was quick to act, giving Van Persie little time to warm up before he was placed on the field.

The win did not stop the critics from voicing their opinions however, with many noting that the players seemed to be somewhat lethargic, and lacking in creativity. For Tunde Folawiyo, and other veteran supporters who are familiar with the management style of Sir Alex Ferguson, the presence of these characteristics – rarely seen before Moyes’ arrival – may have come as a surprise.

Manchester United, a team that Tunde Folawiyo along with many other football fanatics have supported for years, was defeated once again on its home turf by Newcastle United, with a final score of 1-0. Prior to their losses against Everton and Newcastle, the player’s confidence was at an all-time high, after their outstanding performance in Germany led to a 5-0 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen. Some have speculated that it was in fact this win, and the complacency which followed, that resulted in the players failing to meet expectations.

Critics noted that the team lacked their usual finesse, creativity and cunning in this match, and despite the booming pleas from United fans to ‘attack, attack’, the players did little more than the bare minimum required. Unfortunately, several top members, including Marouane Fellaini, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, were not on the field.

Fellaini was still recovering from a severely bruised back, Rooney remained suspended and Giggs, a favourite player of many fans, including Tunde Folawiyo, was said to have been resting. The players who were present did not, unfortunately, perform as well as they could have, with Javier Hernandez narrowly missing a caution, following his questionable fall to the ground, and Robin Van Persie hitting the ball out of play whilst attempting to pass to the winger Adnan Januzaj.

The general consensus of spectators was that the midfielders were to blame for Man United’s poor performance, with several commentators noting that the team’s static players simply did not create enough viable passing opportunities. Moyes seemed to be aware of this issue, and made a number of substitutions, with Nani and Cleverley being replaced with Zaha and Anderson; however, this had almost no impact on the match. The manager was criticised for choosing Zaha, a man whose total minutes on the field for the Red Devils add up to just 78, and whose skills have been called into question many times by the club’s staff.

Whilst it was suggested that Ashley Young would have been a wiser choice, Moyes defended his decision, claiming that Zaha and Anderson were both ‘worthy of inclusion’. Speaking to the press afterwards, Moyes refused to blame any of the players; quite the opposite, in fact. He praised their commitment, and claimed that they had done their best to win. However, he did acknowledge that they were ‘lacking’ during the final third of the game.

After the Red Devil’s second consecutive loss, demands have been made to replace David Moyes. Critics contend that, after fifteen games in the Premier League, defenders of Moyes can no longer argue that the manager is still in a transitional phase. However, Moyes himself has denied that his career with Man United is nearing its end, and seems unfazed by the scrutiny.

Whilst loyal fans like Tunde Folawiyo continue to support the team, a number of players (both former and current) have openly questioned the decisions made by Moyes; Gary Neville has publically stated that since the manager came on board, some of the team members appear to be taking up deeper defensive positions, which is making the team far more susceptible to set play attacks. In addition to this, Rio Ferdinand criticised the manager for naming the starting 11 just a few hours prior to kick-off; the defender argued that doing so only served to make the players more nervous. Others have admonished Moyes for choosing to replace all of club’s backroom staff.

Some say that United’s lack of signings are to blame for their generally poor performance in recent times; the only significant signing at the club during the summer months was the midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who was transferred at a cost of £27.5 million. As other clubs continue to improve upon their existing squads with new acquisitions, United has missed out on several opportunities to snap up several key players, including Ander Herrera, Thiago Alcantara and Leighton Baines.

The Red Devil’s unpredictable and often inadequate performance on the field can also be explained, at least in part, by the injuries which the top striker Robin Van Persie has been suffering from. Over the course of this year, he has experienced a number of injuries to his hip and groin, which have led to his absence from several matches, including those against Cardiff and Bayer Leverkusen.

Moyes confirmed that the player’s most recent injury to his thigh, which occurred during United’s match against Shaktar Donetsk, is likely to prevent him from training or participating in matches for at least a month. This news may come as a blow to Tunde Folawiyo and other supporters, as Van Persie has historically been a player whom the team and its fans have relied upon to score the goals which no-one else can.

Manchester United, a team which Tunde Folawiyo has supported for decades, has finally begun to recover, after a somewhat disappointing start to the season. Their match against Cardiff led to a draw of 2-2. Although this was not the result that the Red Devils were hoping for, it does mean that the team is now unbeaten in a total of ten games.

In their most recent match at Cardiff City Stadium, Wayne Rooney was the subject of considerable criticism. During the seventh minute, he kicked Jordon Mutch with a surprising amount of force; whilst many argued that he should have been sent off for such behaviour, the referee chose to give him a yellow card. He appeared to have redeemed himself eight minutes later, when he caught a cross from Javier Hernández, and skilfully kicked the ball into the net. However, he was denounced by commentators once again during the second half, after his poorly-timed pass failed to provide Danny Welbeck with the chance to score.

Cardiff defended themselves well throughout the match; they managed to equalise soon after Man United’s first goal, thanks to Fraizer Campbell, and they scored a second time when a substitute named Kim Bo-kyung headed the ball into the net at close range. Ryan Giggs was brought on in the 73rd minute, much to the delight of Man United fans. Giggs is considered by many supporters, including Tunde Folawiyo, to be one of the team’s best players of all time. His presence seemed to rally the others, and although no further goals were scored, Man United held their own until the match came to an end.

Unfortunately, the Red Devils were left without their most popular forward, Robin Van Persie, during this match. In the past 16 Premiere League starts, Van Persie has scored an impressive 14 goals. In addition to this, he netted a total of five goals against Tottenham during the previous six league starts.

Some have speculated that his participation would have given the team the edge they needed to defeat Cardiff. Van Persie was struck down with a groin injury some time ago, which he has been unable to recover from. He was ruled out of the Red Devil’s match against Bayer Leverkusen, after missing a training session at Carrington last week, and it is not clear, as of yet, when he will be returning to the pitch, although many are hoping it will be sooner, rather than later.