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| Vidic Interview; From manutd.com | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 19 2007, 04:12 PM (18 Views) | |
reddwarf
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Nov 19 2007, 04:12 PM Post #1 |
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Better dead than smeg
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PART ONE... So, 13 games in, are you pleased with how things are going? We're happy with the start we've made. I'm particularly pleased with the way we've been defending. We haven't lost many goals – in the first eight league matches we conceded only two goals, one of them a deflection – which is very pleasing. Defensively we are strong and playing really well and I think we can keep doing that, but we also know we have strikers who have the quality to score at the other end. The manager thinks you can get between five and ten goals this season. Do you think that's realistic? Well, he's put pressure on me now! I don't want to disappoint him, so I'll have to say yes. I don't want to be on the bench! You come up against the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Saha every day in training. Does practising against the very best mean you're confident of handling any opposition striker? Absolutely. Training with those players would make anybody better. And it's not just those four you mentioned. United is such a big club and there are so many great players here and people who can beat you one-on-one. That's fantastic from my point of view because it helps me play better and gauge where I am. There's also a lot of competition for places here, and I can do with tough challenges in training. It all helps me to improve and keep my place in the team. Who's the toughest centre-forward you've played against since you arrived in England? Oh, that's too hard. There are so many good players here and they all have different attributes. Some are better technically, some are better physically, some are good in the air, some are strong in the tackle. Every game is a challenge and I need to do my best to stop the forwards from scoring goals. Rio mentioned Emmanuel Adebayor… Yes, he's a good player and he was very good against us here at Old Trafford last season, although I didn't play in that game. Robin van Persie, Didier Drogba… they are also very good. I don't think I can choose just one player. Every time I go out onto the pitch I need to be ready. Against Sunderland, Kenwyne Jones was very strong in the air. Yakubu at Everton and Heskey at Wigan are maybe the strongest forwards in the league. Everyone has different skills and no two strikers play the same way. I haven't played against Fernando Torres yet but he looks like a very good player. Do you ever have any fear going into headers or tackles? I don't think about that during a game. All I want to do is get first to the ball and win the header or win the tackle. I don't think about getting hurt. I do what I have to do and I only want the ball. What about off the pitch? Are you afraid of anything? I'm starting to get more worried each time I fly. My wife isn't very good on planes and the more travelling I do with her the more she makes me nervous. And obviously I travel a lot with Manchester United so sometimes I think the more I get on the plane, the more chance there is of something going wrong… But I think Sir Bobby Charlton is amazing. He was involved in a terrible air crash yet he still flies. He is a very, very courageous man. I cannot imagine doing that, definitely not. You've become a real favourite with the Old Trafford fans. What do you think they like about you? I'm not sure. Every game I give 100 per cent – maybe sometimes I have a bad day but I always try my best. I always want to win the ball and maybe fans recognise those things and like that about me. This is my game and it's how I've always played and how I'll continue to play. I'm not sure why they like me so much… my qualities are average! To be honest, I ask myself all the time, 'What do they see in me?'. The fans have a song they like to sing about you. It must be nice to hear so many people chanting your name… Yeah, it's great. At the end of the day you play for the fans, you play for the people. I like to win and I want the fans to be happy, both with the team and with me. If the fans think highly of you and respect what you do then that's a great honour. When they sing my name I feel really good. PART TWO WILL BE PUBLISHED TOMORROW. |
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reddwarf
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Nov 21 2007, 12:34 PM Post #2 |
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Better dead than smeg
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PART TWO... Who were your favourite players growing up? I didn't really have an idol. There wasn't one player who I wanted to be like. But there were many players who I loved to watch. When I was young, every game I'd pretend I was somebody else, a different player depending on who I had seen play well. I'd watch the match and then go outside and play and say, 'I am Faustino Asprilla' or 'I am Dejan Savicevic'. I really loved the generation of Red Star Belgrade players who won the European Cup in 1991… Prosinecki, Pancev, Belodedic, Jugovic. These are the players who won the trophies for the team I supported as a kid. Maybe that team were my idols, all of them. Did you know Manchester United played against Red Star Belgrade? It was in the European Super Cup in 1991. Red Star played very, very well. I was only 10 years old so I don't remember it but I saw replays when I was growing up. Now I have the DVD because one of the Red Star players asked me for the game, so I asked MUTV for the tape. I've watched it a few times now and I'm very impressed. How important was football in Serbia during the 90s when there was so much political unrest in the region? In the 90s football was everything. It was the best way to show the world who we were. At the time, there were a lot of bad things happening in our country – there were murders, bombings, war – and it was important that Red Star Belgrade and the national team played well to counteract the negative propaganda. It was the best way to show that Serbians also love football and sporting events. Today, football is still the number one sport in Serbia and everybody wants to play for Red Star Belgrade or one of the top clubs in Europe. Football is a big part of life for the country's young people. What role did football play during the war? Well, some people say the match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade in May 1990 escalated the war. There was a big fight at the match – fans tore up seats, some got onto the pitch, even players were involved. I remember watching the match on TV and seeing Zvonimir Boban kick a policeman, which caused a lot of trouble. At that time, there was a very, very cold relationship between what is now Croatia and Serbia… but now I think most of the bad feelings have stopped and people realise going to war was not the right thing to do. I don't have a problem with Croatian people and I don't think they have a problem with Serbians. The 90s was just a very unstable time and politics went very, very wrong. I cannot speak for everyone on this though. These events are bigger than me and they are bigger than football. But football carried on during the war? Yes, it was very important. Even while Serbia was being bombed, people were still playing football. Red Star Belgrade still had football matches and people were still going to watch the games, even though there was a war on. It was amazing! I remember when the bombing started and for the first month we were too scared to go out and play football because we didn't know what was happening. Nobody knew where the bombs would be. But after a month, people relaxed a little more and they realised the targets were military and government buildings, or bridges. So then we thought it was okay to go to the stadiums and play football – we knew they wouldn't bomb there. People still wanted to lead their lives and watch football. You captained Red Star Belgrade. Do you have ambitions to one day captain United? I don't think about that. I just play my game and whether I'm captain or not doesn't change what I do on the pitch. Being captain means a lot to you and it's a great honour, but I've never set out to be the captain of any team. If it happens I'd be delighted, especially at this club, but it's not something I have my sights on. Red Star Belgrade was obviously your number one passion growing up, but what did you know about United? I knew quite a lot. In Serbia they showed a lot of the games from the English league, and Italy and Spain. So of course I knew about Manchester United, I knew they were one of the biggest clubs in the world. So you used to watch Ryan Giggs on the television? Oh yes! I remember seeing him play. I used to watch Giggsy and Scholesy and now I play with them every day. It's a great feeling. But now I realise he is just another person – a very professional player, but also just a person and a friend. Have you found Paul Scholes every bit as good as his reputation? He's a great player, too. He loves football and he loves having the ball at his feet. He takes a lot of enjoyment from playing passes, scoring goals and even making tackles. Do you think you could teach him a thing or two about tackling? [Laughs] Maybe, yes! He goes in very strong though and is always very committed. Players like Scholesy and Giggs are the kind of people young players need to watch and learn from. They've played at the very top level for so many years and won so many trophies. I think that's very admirable and people should learn to be more like those two. It's great for me to come to the club and learn from them. |
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