Nov 05
Celtic v Man Utd: Preview
First of all let me thank the majority of Americans for making a good decision. Hope’s now in the air. So, I suppose, when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll see my taxes halve, and my gas bills cut down a notch.
Oh.
Anyway, good to see a President who sounds intelligent. But enough of the political commentary for now. On to the game…
Ben Foster looks certain to start today, as Ferguson hails him as a future England No. 1. We’ve all seen the much talked about promise — and his performance for Watford could attest to his obvious talent — but we can only judge him when he gets more games for us. Today is one such day. Patience is a virtue for ‘keepers and, with Fergie ruling out any loan moves for Foster and Kuszczak amid talk of EVDS extending his contract by another year, they will need loads of it.
Neville didn’t travel and so didn’t Brown, who’s wretched luck continues this season. Rafael da Silva is the obvious beneficiary as he’ll gladly take up the right back slot. One hopes he’ll continue his education there.
Considering the Arsenal game in the weekend, and our comfortable position in our group, Fergie looks certain to ring in a slew of changes to ensure his key personnel remain fresh. It remains to be see who would be given a rest. Tevez might surely get a look in. Carrick could start as he continues to approach match sharpness, while it is possible Darren Fletcher might get to play considering it’s a Scottish side we’re up against. Although, given his ‘big-game’ credentials, the boss might choose to rest him for the work that lies ahead against the Gooners. He’ll have a fair bit of yardage to cover at the Emirates. This could mean Anderson gets another start today.
Fergie would be tempted to rest Ronaldo too. But expect the Portuguese international to do some last minute convincing to be on the starting XI sheet.
I suppose Fergie won’t tinker too much with his team, but I do expect a very tight game.
Predictions: 2-1 to United. But only just.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Celtic: Preview
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
- Rooney Out For A Month
Tags: UEFA Champions' League
Craig Mc (195)
RedDevilEddy (170)
Opti (135)
Moscow is my heaven (96)
Ian (95)
@JB: Mmmmm ok Bro, didn’t see this post from you. Maybe we might do it then, I’m not terribly optimistic though, but I hope as always
.
Like?
0 
0
@Craig Mc: Well you could cover yourself and just go for the biggest knee jerk reaction competiton
I’ll put mine in early, Rooney is better than Maradona 
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: I will bet 5,000,000 euros that Evra didnt play for us in February 2005 when United won 4-2 at Highbury. I remember the game quite well too, and I can promise you that Evra wasnt in the team. Are you sure you aint talking about the bore 0-0 draw in 2006?
May the Champions win!!! 
Hopefully we will win by 2 goals tomorrow too. Good night everybody, when I wake up tomorrow Im gonna be happy. Its Arsenal vs United time. Its speed vs speed. Its Ronaldo vs Clichy, Berba vs Toure, Rio vs Bendtner and Evra vs some kid. And its Champions vs Losers!
Like?
0 
0
@Gabriel: Benzema’s vision is pretty woeful. He involves himself in the build-up play well but the fact that he makes wrong decisions when he goes for passes every other pass tells you he has pretty poor vision in all honesty. He said just last month that he wants to go to Madrid or Barcelona anyway so he’s not coming here.
About Tevez, he’s never been a clinical player. He scored 57 goals in 88 games in South America, but that’s not overly prolific for the South AMerican league’s. He’s fine as he is and after playing here for I’m sure he’ll continue to improve his finishing with us. He’s also proven he can forge a partnership with Rooney, and the signs looked promising against Celtic for forging a partnership with Berbatov, so we don’t need to buy someone else instead.
Tevez, Berbatov and Rooney are all very different players.
Like?
0 
0
Oh and before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIO!!!
May United(and yourself) give us all a great present tomorrow! CHAMPIONS!!!
Fook Arsenal, fuck W(ank)er, fuck playing-well-sometimes-but-never-winning-any-trophies, and fook all the Arsenal fans that only remind you of when they beat you some 4-5 years ago. Dont remember the 6-1, 4-0 or 3-0? Then wait for tomorrow, that will give you guys a buring memory of how it feels to be dominated!
Just so you guys know, to me beating Arsenal means more than beating City, Chelksi, Pool or even Barcelona. Not because I think they are a great team, but there are about 100 Arsenal fans at my school. And theres only 10-20 United fans so… I have a real fight on my hands if we lose. They have still not stopped saying: “Hey, remember when we beat you 2-1 when you were leading after 85 minutes?” I just answer: “Yeah I do! But do you remember when we beat you 6-1? Nah, youve probably been an Arsenal for about 3 years, havent you? Fooking fake-fan! Well, at least you should remember when we beat you 4-0? That definantely wasnt a long time ago!”
UNITED `TILL I DIE!
Like?
0 
0
@Craig Mc: A great player does not need that kind of support to make his mark. That just speaks volumes of his limited effect if he needs Evra to make his game operate well. Ronaldo doesn’t need anyone else. Nani has a lot of potential but he is not there yet. In fact lets be honest, he has regressed. Fergie’s lack of confidence as well as the Queiroz departure have affected him greatly.
Like?
0 
0
I may be overly confident, but I really give a fuck! I had to run like a fucking scouser after watching the result after a United vs Pool game last night. Those Arsenal fans are not gonna forgive me for what I said. And that punch I gave their so called “leader”? Im gonna feel that on Monday. But fuck it, if we win its worth it! To see his face after bitching about how they went unbeaten in 2006 and 2007(seriously, WTF? Know your history dude!), and then getting humiliated when I and even the other Arse`s were telling him that he was wrong, that they only lost one game last season(again, WHAT THE FUCK!??), and that experience is unecassary!!!! SHIT! I just couldnt stand him. I had to hit him, but with his crew there I couldnt go for it like I should. One hit on his jaw and s threat and I was running like Torres does when he sees Rio(
)! Win tomorrow lads and no-one will even think about talking to me. 
The embarrasment is huge to them, and with the massacre coming up I dont think any of them are brave enough to come to school…. 
Like?
0 
0
@RedDevilEddy: JESUS CHRIST ALREADY! Big deal if he did or he didn’t.
Was I really making an argument over his playing. Brown was on the roster and so was Neville but I never mentioned them. So crucify for crying out loud. Big frakken deal! It’s amazing how some of you will harp on little crap and facts like correcting somebody is vital or the planet will stop rotating around the Sun. Evra was not the issue anyway. the game was and the fact that 9 players who are with us today were on that team. Enough said mate! 
Like?
0 
0
If you wanna have a slight clue about what the Arsenal fans are thinking about tomorrows game, then here is a read. I tell ya, I would loov it if we beat them, loov it! And I would loove it even more if we massacered them…..
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Chill man!
I didnt mean to make it a big deal, I just said he didnt play. Thats all! 
What I care about is him playing tomorrow!
Like?
0 
0
Heres me during my vacation in Toronto earlier this year.
No, seriously! 
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: We cool mate?
Like?
0 
0
Seriously gotta sleep now. Talk to ya guys tomorrow. Before the massacre….
Like?
0 
0
@RedDevilEddy: Yes we are cool. I wasn’t that upset even though I used large case letters to emphasize to show a little frustration that Evra was nothing to concern yourself about. We’re cool mate.
Like?
0 
0
@NicoQB: You see,thing with Giggs is his footballing brain. That’s what separates him from players like Slave,Quaresma and the Robinhos of this world.You look @ players like Del Piero(one of my personal favs),Totti,Deco,Ronaldinho and Zidane and you see players who were or are artists and inventors.They don’t think outside the box,like say ,Wayne Rooney ,they are already out of the box. That is why when shifted to a more central position in 2006,we saw some of the most jaw dropping and inspired through passes and off the ball movement from the Welsh wizard.
People like to give their two cents worth of opinions and they are just that:two cents and worth nothing more. “Giggs is through and is rubbish.” If you look back @ the 06-07 season,Giggs was unbelievable and was rightly voted the 4th best (I think) best player in the league.His playmaking support striker role was breathtaking to witness and he was lauded from all corners. He had already lost his best pace by then but there were no complaints. Now that we have so many midfielders and with the recruitment of Nani,he has become worse than dispensable. SAF was forced to play him on the wings again where pace is a primary strength. He obviously faltered,but due to the about turn that SAF had taken.
However , I think the worst had to be the amount and grade of abuse that came from the unforgiving and ridiculously expectant quarters of our fan base. That in my opinion,is what brings players down. I said it in Rooney’s case and I said when some idiots booed Giggs in a match , i think against, Birmingham City and some rather uninformed fans blamed him for all our problems on MUTV. That is what makes players lose confidence in their abilities,and I think thats was part of the issue with Giggs.
This season SAF says he wants to play Giggs in a more central role,and true to his word he has done that. Looked what happened in the games he played there. Think Aalborg. He was almost flawless. Does anyone else notice that he is dribbling more and taking shots and being quite inventive and industrious. Like Rooney he seems to be getting his confidence back and playing with a certain level of swagger.
Apologies for the lengthy post, but I get agitated when players I like are praised or attacked.
Viva Roovez
Like?
0 
0
@Gabriel: I do understand some of the frustrations with Tevez. But to me it seems he may actually be right when he says the English Premiership demands that a player loses his flair and skill to adapt . Or you can be like the Slave and simply neglect all or most defensive duties that are assigned to the 21st century EPL player. Whilst at Boca Juniors and Corinthians,he was the equivalent of Aguero. He got so many goals for his teams it made the likes of Raul pale in comparison. His skill was top drawer and his shot lethal.
So what happened really? Simple. People always give me a hard time when I say that the EPL is still an undeveloped league lacking in style and technique.Its the only major league where shameless and cowardly defensive football AKA ‘parking the bus’,is termed “disciplined and brave” football by the likes of Tyler. This league puts all emphasis on ‘take no prisoners ‘ tackling and aggression. The terms ‘skillful and inventive’ are rarely applied. Synonymous, with players like Slave and Robinho is “showboating”.
Against this background, were tracking back seems to apply more to centre forwards than midfielders, Carlitos came to England. He obviously had to forgo a significant part of his offensive tools in order to adapt. Tbh I think Arsenal or the Primera Liga in Spain would have suited him better. That’s just my opinion. Let him play the way he is used to and you will see the true Tevez coming up. I think it’s the same with players like Anderson. They have been shackled by the work ethic of the EPL and have to be less adventurous in order to be successful.
Viva Roovez
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: You’ll see how good he is when he moves to Spain, that’s all I’m saying Bro.
Like?
0 
0
@JB:
, Rooney better than Maradona, you mean the presently retired Maradona of course, not the world’s best Maradona of old – right?.
Like?
0 
0
@Jay wire: Yah, I mean look at all the skill and flair Ronaldo and Berbatov have lost. That’s a bunch of BS. He’s just not that great a goal scorer and at the highest level he never has been. Go back to Brazil or Argentina Carlito where you can bag 20 goals but as far as England, Spain or Italy are concerned, you are good for 12 to 15 in each of those domestic leagues as a starter. Not bad but certainly not ground breaking. In England defenders are better and faster and clearly they have caught up with him and now he wants out because he can’t hack it on the bench. BOO FUCKING HOO.
Excuses will get him nowhere.
Like?
0 
0
@Craig Mc: He better be. Spain’s defending is far inferior to that of the EPL. Bottom line is that the EPL is the top league in the World and he isn’t making his mark while playing for the best club in the World. Some players just can’t handle the pressure. Perhaps he would be greater with another team but I would hate to lose him because who the Hell is going to control your temper tantrums, crying and bitching?
Bottom line is that Craig cannot live without his little Nani. Now go to the GF and play with her soother a bit. He’s not gone yet. Hell who knows, he could end up being EPL player of the year in two years. We just don’t really know. 
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: true true… I don’t know where this ‘blue collar’ workmanship mentality for strikers in the prem came from, I mean, the best strikers in the PL do not track back; Torres, Adebayor, Anelka, Drogba, Berbatov etc so why Tevez feels the need to be doing this is beyond me. Rooney gets away with it because for all that marauding, he comes up with killer passes and key assists and I can’t say the same for Tevez. This is no dig at him, but you are right in saying that being a striker in the PL is tougher and so far he hasn’t been able to cut it as he would like.
If Tevez decided to give up the Rooney impersonation, then he might get a few more goals. I know he can dribble and harass players in midfield, but it’s supposed to be the other way around. He should be in the box utilising these skills and terrorizing defenders in and around the penalty area. He complains about losing his sharpness in front of goal, well, if ur not in positions to have attempts on goal, of course you will loose your clinical ability.
Like you said, maybe he’s just making excuses because he hasn’t been able to reach the heights he expected, but if he wanted to, the solution is simple, stay in and around the penalty area.
Like?
0 
0
@Stephen: “I am the biggest Ronaldo sceptic in the World”
Can you please explain how you are a sceptic? 42 goals, won the double,golden boot winner… Im just curious as to what your skeptical about?
Like?
0 
0
Flair players can and do thrive in the premiership. Besides Tevez isn’t a 5 stone weakling and if anyone is equipped to deal with the physical nature of the Premiership it will be him. Continental players are often spoilt because they get given way too much time on the ball, but world class players can make time for themselves and play at any pace.
I think the West Ham experience may have messed up his game and is the cause of his excessive work rate. When I see him play for United he is rarely anywhere he can do any real damage. If he got into scoring range he’d score more as he is as good a finisher as anyone barring Ronaldo in our team (excepting this season of course!)
Basically he has limited pace, is less creative than Rooney and Berbatov, is rubbish in the air.
What he has going for him is the ability to win the ball, dribble and finish. Of course these skills are useless if he never goes near the box.
I think he likes being the main man. He was the star in South America and West Ham. Now he cannot even make the starting line up. That has to be bad for his ego. Especially as Rooney and Berbatov are better than him.
He has two choices:
He can work on his game, try and turn himself into a “fox in the box” and
rediscover his knack of scoring crucial goals for us.
Or he can keep running around like a headless chicken in midfield trying to shoot from long range and generally look mediocre
Like?
0 
0
@Gabriel: I dont know why the English are so obsessed with players tracking back. It is not Berbatovs job to defend. I just hate hearing people say (insert continental player here) is rubbish cause he doesnt track back.
Like?
0 
0
Preview up!
Like?
0 
0
IT`S MASSACRE DAY!!!
Im looking forward to it. Hopefully Ronaldo and Rooney can get their 100th today and Berba score against his “old”, and present, rival club. Rio might also get in the goals today as our corner have been brilliant he last week. Against Cletic it was only bad fortune that we didnt score from one, some was cleared off the line, some shot over and one blocked from Ronny. We scored 2 against Hull(Vidic and Ronny) and we all know how good Arsenal are defending set-pieces. 
Too bad Gallas aint playing though. 
They got Silly, Bendtner and Toure protecting their goals from corners, we got Rio, Vidic, Ronaldo, Berba and Carrick attacking them on our corners. Contest? Not even a close one. I think we will win by 2 or 3 goals. Possibly a clean sheet too! 
Vela and Bendtner vs Rio and Vida. HA-HA! Just as funny as scousers saying its their year! 
Team prediction:
VDS
Neville Rio Vidic Evra
Ronaldo Carrick Anderson Park
Rooney Berbatov
score prediction: 3-0 to united. Yeah really! Ronaldo, Rooney and birthday boy Rio to score. Hey, the three R`s are gonna score against Arse.
COME ON UNITED!!!
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Mmmmm, I am not sure I agree with you. If Spain are inferior at defending to us in England, then how come United could only score ONE goal in 180 PLUS MINUTES against Barca’s defence?. And don’t give me any of your longwinded statistical replies either Bro
. As for bitching and whining, get used to it Grog, because an avalanche is on the way 
. By the way, the GF read your post, and she says it sounds like you need some smooching over yourself 
. Ouch, don’t mess with the GF Grog 
. But she did agree with you that I love the Nani a bit too much 
. I don’t think Nani will be playing today anyway, and I don’t think he has a chance of proving himself if Fergie doesn’t play him regularly. I cannot believe that you said Grog that good players don’t need other players to help their game e.g. Nani/Evra. Course they bloody do Bro, because when Ronnie was out, our play was lifeless. When he returned, Rooney, etc etc etc upped their game. Evra and Nani have great understanding, and to me that’s what it is all about, BUT if you think as you do, THATS JUST fine and dandy too Bro. We agree to differ as we can do without using iron bars on each other, love you Grog 
.
Like?
0 
0
@johnsom33: I couldn’t agree with you MORE Bro
.
Like?
0 
0