Avram Grant is probably on his way to another brothel to take his mind off the thought of the impending visit to Old Trafford. As United showed their superiority against Arsenal, a signal that the traditional New Year title push is underway, Portsmouth have on the other hand picked up one point in their last five games, are without a win since late October and have not beaten United in the League since 1957.

United on the other hand go into the match in fine form, one defeat since Christmas and that was the Carling Cup Semi-final 1st Leg, but the last three matches have seen a United raise the level performance greatly.

Therefore expect a number of changes given the visitors’ predicament.

In goal will be Edwin van der Sar, since his return he has only conceded 3 goals in 5 games since his return from compassionate leave. Tomasz Kuszczak will be on the bench after receiving some deserved praise from the United number one, “I thought he really played well in a difficult situation,” added Edwin, whilst talking about the defensive injury crisis.

With Rio Ferdinand serving the second match of a four-match suspension and Nemanja Vidic only rated as doubtful though he should make the bench, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans will continue as the centre-back pairing. Gary Neville should replace Rafael at right-back while the ever present Patrice Evra deserves a breather, so Fabio should step in at left-back given his impressive showing for the reserves last week.

It could be taken as blasphemy is Nani is not on the team sheet given his rousing performance on Sunday, only a few weeks ago his Old Trafford career seemed over, funny how things work out.

Sir Alex was full of praise this week, “In the case of Nani, like Rooney, I think we are seeing a player who is maturing. He’s a young lad who has come in from a different country and he has taken more time than some of the others to settle. But that sometimes happens. Sometimes you bring a player in from another country and they settle straight away, but with Nani you can see his progression over the last few games because he has been outstanding.” Said Ferguson

Nani should be joined by evergreen Ryan Giggs, given a something of a breather against Arsenal; he will be raring to go this weekend. In the middle of the park will be Anderson, given another chance to prove his worth to Sir Alex Ferguson and alongside him will be either Darron Gibson or Michael Carrick. Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia will be looking to make an impact, if needed, from the subs bench.

Newly crowned January player of the month, Wayne Rooney is normally a certain starter, but with fears of burn out and some big matches coming up, he may well get a little time out. Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen will be desperate for some game time, and given the level of opposition they should be awarded an opportunity against Portsmouth.

For the away side, new signings Ricardo Rocha and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie will be pushing for their first starts for Pompey since joining in the transfer window. Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda and Aruna Dindane all returned from the African Cup of Nations and played in the midweek game against Fulham. However Nwankwo Kanu has yet to arrive since being out on duty with Nigeria. Also out are Papa Bouba Diop and Michael Brown.

Looking to avoid defeat, a 4-5-1 formation will likely be employed by Pompey with Aruna Dindane playing as a lone striker. Four owners later and only four wins this season could be an inkling into the number of goals United will put past David James.

Avram Grant was in optimistic mood ahead of the clash, “I have no doubt the players will give everything again against Manchester United. When you see the fact that they keep coming onto the pitch, again and again, giving everything that is good. I always believe – and I do not want to see anyone in my team who does not believe. This is football – anything can happen. I saw Manchester United in their last game against Arsenal, okay they played a bit quick for us but you always have to face up to the challenge in a positive way.”

Pompey have won just one of their last 25 Premier League matches away from home, so do not expect this stat to change much after the game, it will likely read – Pompey have won just one of their last 26 Premier League matches away from home.

Prediction: 4-0 United

Probable Line Up: van der Sar, Fabio, Evans, Brown, Neville; Nani, Anderson, Gibson, Giggs; Berbatov, Owen

***

Betfair is the official Manchester United betting partner and we here at Red Rants have partnered with them to offer a free £25 bet when you register.

Unlike other betting sites, Betfair allows you to place bets when the game is running and choose the odds at which you want to play. What allows you to do these things is you’re betting against other fans, not the bookie, so if you want better odds than are currently available, for example, you can place an order for a better price (but bear in mind that if your price is unrealistic your bet is unlikely to be accepted).

Odds of just 1.14 (1-7) are for the big bettors or multiple backers only, but it’s hard to argue that United are almost as close to a certainty as you’ll find in the Premier League.

And if you’re just getting started on betting, backing United to win in this game is the easiest ‘win’ you’ll get all year.

Portsmouth to get relegated this season?

Bottom of the league and five points adrift of Burnley in 19th, debt-ridden Pompey are just 1.23 (2-9) with Betfair punters to go down this year. Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has been unable to turn the ship around and their last league win came before Christmas when Liverpool, in a crisis all of their own, were beaten 2-0 at Fratton Park. Truly, these are dark times for Portsmouth fans.

In contrast, United are flying. Wayne Rooney is smashing goals in left, right and centre, while recent wins over Arsenal and Manchester City have got the league challenge firmly on track and the champions back in the Carling Cup final.

So, if we are to assume that the game is as good as won, what are the best bets?

When dominance is expected, goals usually are too. With the Reds hitting three past Arsenal and City, and four past Hull this game looks like following that same pattern. Losing Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic at the end of the transfer window can only hurt a defence that has actually been fairly tight (just four goals conceded in the last three games).

But while the ingredients are all there for a hammering, the value probably lies away from bets based on very heavy wins.

Pompey may not be the sharpest in front of goal but they have the tools to break through United’s defence at least once. Back ‘no’ in the Manchester United clean sheet market at 2.5 (6-4).

If we take a Portsmouth goal as a given, it may pay to back some correct scores. Two-one and 3-1 are both available at 13 (12-1) and that offers the chance of a big win.

And who’s going to put the ball in the back of the net? Well, Nani has impressed in recent weeks and can continue his good form with another goal at 3.5 (5-2).

Betfair is offering Red Rants readers £25 free for just opening an account and placing a bet. Use the tips above to get started, and if you don’t win, Betfair will put up to £25 back into your account to give you another chance to make some money backing United.

But more distressing was David Gill’s comments, earlier this week, calling United fans’ protests ‘ridiculous’.

Here’s a sample:

“I would appeal to the fans to be sensible and get behind the team,” he said. “We are a very well-run club and given what’s happening at other clubs, people should be proud of what’s happening at Manchester United. It [a protest] serves no purpose and it won’t change a thing. [Milan] will be a tough game and we can’t afford for the fans not to be there. Let’s not have ridiculous protests of that nature.”

Now for a person who gets paid over a million pounds a year it’s only expected that he would toe the party line. However, to show utter disdain, treating a decision that was taken with much deliberation like it never really mattered, shows a complete lack of understanding of the situation. And it makes this all the more shocking considering he was opposed to the takeover in 2005.

Gill hasn’t been alone in this. Ferguson expressed similar sentiments a week back.

This, however, brings up a wider concern for United fans (and football fans in general): how does one really succeed in overthrowing a regime bent upon sucking the life blood out of the club first, and then bother about success later? The official line trotted out will obviously point to the dependence of profits on on-field success. It will also point to the period of sustained success ever since the Glazer takeover. But supporters were opposed to the takeover when it happened and now. Where other fans embraced foreign ownership from day one, United fans — the vast majority — have vehemently opposed the takeover. Once the hostile takeover happened, it gave most of us little choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt, or just sit grumbling along as we swept all that was before us on the pitch.

Success can do that.

Things have changed now, and I wouldn’t want to go into how this happened, because that part has been done to death over the course of this season. The protests — the green and gold campaign — have grown out organically and caught every United fan’s fancy and this is a wonderful thing that must be celebrated. The protest planned ahead of the Milan game is obviously a stand against the Glazers, not the team. Even a half-wit, who chances upon back pages of broadsheets in England, would get that much. How hard is it for someone supposedly astute as David Gill to grasp this?

But setting aside David Gill’s comments, where do these protests leave us — the fans — now? Nowhere really. We as fans can voice our displeasure, scream at the top of our voices, unfurl LUHG banners at the risk of getting frisked away but the status quo will remain the same for a while at least. Fans under single ownership like the Glazer regime have little leverage until they decide to vote with their feet. But that would go against the grain of being a supporter. The principle is to support the team regardless of the goings on in the board room. Everyone giving up season tickets [hypothetically assuming it would create the first series of semi-populated Old Trafford matches in the league next season] would be counter-productive to the team we so love.

Voting with our feet is a cliched and idealistic solution simply because football is an addiction. The owners know fully well that fans put up with a lot of shit to support their club. No one in their right minds would put up with so much exploitation in any other sphere of life. It’s what make this a unique situation. Indeed, every fan has a tipping point, when he realizes he’s had enough of this. I know a lot of United fans who have already given up their season tickets after being OT regulars for over 20 years. But would a league title at the end of this season, wash over this new-found enthusiasm among fans to protest against the ownership? We’ll need to wait till May for that.

But what of a supporter-backed buyout of the club? This is once again tricky because, regardless of the money supporters raise to buy out the club, [which, by the way, is a tall ask considering its value] how much more does one have to put into the running of the club? How well can one trust the new representatives [presumably elected by supporters] to efficiently run the club? Ok, don’t answer that: supporters love the club, surely they’ll run it well, no? Well refer Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia — all victims of fiscal mismanagement throughout their history; all supporter-run. I don’t mean to pour cold water over this endeavour, mind. My personal opinion: supporter-run football clubs would work if the club is not in debt after a buyout. And I honestly hope this solution somehow works out for us [magically, I would presume].

Finally we come to the idea of the ‘Red Knights’ mooted lately, which is really a mysterious consortium of ‘United fans’ who want to buy out our club from the Glazers. One of them is the owner of Bet Fred, a betting company, and he is supposedly a United fan.

Now I won’t have a problem with this kind of a takeover if I am convinced they will run United as well a business as (or better than) the Glazers, without sucking the amount of money the Glazers did. But these people are investors at the end of the day. I am not prepared to believe they won’t look for a sizeable return on investment.

In our efforts to drive the Glazers away we should be really careful to whom we handover the ownership. Which is why a proper understanding of the plans of future investors need to be calmly heard out. New owners — who are not the Glazers — don’t automatically translate into brilliant owners; refer Portsmouth. Which is why I would ask all supporter associations [if you are all reading this] to investigate the background of any other potential investors to ensure they have the best interests of the club at heart to the extent that:

1. yes, they might have a profit motive, but they won’t saddle the club with unmanageably large debts;
2. they would reinvest a bulk of the profits (if not all) back into the squad.

But despite all this, it’s ridiculously hard to judge intent of ownership. And it’s even more difficult to dislodge an existing ownership.

Supporters of most Premier League clubs these days, sadly, are stuck between a ditch and a dirty puddle where owners continue to spray muck on their faces [in the form of annually increased ticket prices] without a semblance of accountability. And despite media and public sentiment more sympathetic to these paying supporters, there’s very little one can ultimately do in the face of privately owned establishments other than hope they get sold to someone more understanding. Small mercies…

Some good reads:

United Rant: 10 Point Plan to Oust Glazers and Lies, Damn Lies, and David Gill

United reserves ran out comfortable winners — 3-0 the final score — with Mame Biram Diouf netting two of them.

Here are brief highlights of the match as well as goals (towards the end of the video)

Video and match info via @DoronSalomon and @ManUnitedYouth on twitter.

This was our lineup: United reserve side for game vs Stabaek: Amos, Gray, Brown, Dudgeon, Gill, Obertan, Evans, Norwood, James, Brandy, Diouf. [via @bauck on twitter]

United, prior to the 4-0 win against Hull, were a stuttering side — huffing their way one game, blowing away teams in another, and getting thoroughly outplayed a few times too. There were solid reasons to think the side were disjointed and seemingly going nowhere. We had to see something that made us believe we were the real deal. And to Ferguson’s credit, considering the lack of reinforcements we got following our sale of Ronaldo, and the myriad injury worries in defence, he still held the side, keeping it in touching distance of Chelsea.

I was vocally critical of some of the decisions he made prior to this run. Even after Hull I was only guarded in optimism because — let’s face it — Hull are a rubbish team. The two-legged tie against City changed it somewhat. There was a sense of new-found urgency. But more than just urgency, there was cohesion that actually produced something tangible. Be it Tevez’s now ill-advised hand gestures, Garry Cook making a colossal tool out of himself, yet again, or the return of Ferdinand — albeit briefly — there was something that changed.

Significantly, the form of some of the lads over the past week are worthy of discussion. And that segues nicely to Sunday, and the Emirates Stadium.

The weird thing about the past few weeks has been the success of the 4-5-1/4-3-3. I think it’s weird because, other than the Carlos Quieroz days, when we could have a rotating forward four, this formation has always been our plan B. But here it was, employed by Ferguson with renewed success. It’s actually become a potent force. We destroyed City over two legs [sadly, I only got to watch them recorded] and gave Arsenal a nice, shall we say, rogering. But this has worked chiefly because Nani has suddenly emerged like a new signing, and a midfield trio of Scholes, Carrick and Fletcher have gelled superbly well. But — and wait for this — Rooney has played the role of a lone striker flawlessly.

Often we’ve seen him bogged down doing fruitless defensive duties, running around at the cost of being there when a chance presented itself up front, or just missing the percentage shots whenever he is there.

There are still those percentage misses — and he is no Ruud or Gerd Muller. What he has become is a potent mix of the old 18 year old marauding fearless kid and the understated maturity and intelligence age has brought upon him. And while we’ve groaned in frustration over the earlier half of this season at his ‘lack of form’ or mused if he’s actually regressed, here he was, silently mutating into a masterful performer on the big stage — causing pundits to scurry away, taking refuge in platitudes about United becoming a one man team now. Right; and, as was rightly mentioned in the Soccerlens Facebook page, that one man has been changing every few games.

Oh, and what about Arsenal? Well, they had a brief 10-15 minutes of dominance earlier in the first half. That was it.

I don’t want to gloat here. But here was a United side with a fair few things to prove, and throw right back at Wenger. The thinly veiled barbs at Fletcher [that somehow he was a proponent of anti-football, when his disciplinary record is comparable to, er, Fabregas], the myth that Arsenal are somehow above long-ball football [observe Arsenal carefully during their run to the Champions League final in 2006, and Arsenal yesterday when they pinged balls to Bendtner's head when things weren't rosy.] They play long balls like every other team in England. They do it less than others, and they certainly have no right to those self-righteous horses that Wenger thinks he deserves to mount. A little bit of focus on defending, a defensive midfielder who does not become the invisible man, are just some of the things he needs to work on to give his side that formidable look.

I wouldn’t go to the extent of calling this men vs boys. It was just a fine footballing lesson from a side that had its head firmly on the football, and minimal whining [another accusation made earlier]

This was also Nani’s best performance since that FA Cup 4-0 hiding of — you guessed it — Arsenal. [Surely you remember this outrageous bit of show boating that got the likes of Gallas all riled up?] Over the past few weeks his biggest weakness [his head] seems to be showing signs of being ironed out; be it maturity, as Ferguson pointed out, or a renewed run of games, long may it last.

Hopefully Arsenal can rebound from this and, as the manager said post-match, give Chelsea a battering next week.

Here’s his post match that I’ll leave you with. Watch it before it gets taken down:

PS: There is of course the strange comments from David Gill that I touched on in the preview yesterday. I hope to do a more detailed piece on it later today and possibly post it tomorrow. But till then, soak it up. Have a great Monday.

In the interview he talks Rooney, Ferguson, the ownership, the transfer funds, among other things, and it’s unlikely we’re bound to know something earth-shatteringly new. Such it goes.

“Unless Alex agreed to it, we would not accept an offer, regardless of the value, for a player we want to keep,” is what he said about Rooney and the rumours swirling around about his sale.

Rooney himself was on record saying he won’t be leaving United. And I, for one, believe him. I’ve seen past interviews of the lad, and he’s said stuff to the effect of, “can you really see me play anywhere outside England?” And the only way I can every see Rooney leave is if the board forced Ferguson’s hand.

He spoke about how the £500m debts are a misconception and stressed that the Glazers were in this for the long run. However the example he cited was a bad one:

“They will only get value back by ensuring the team continues to be successful, continues to attract exciting players and continues to produce results off the pitch. The Glazer family bought (American football team) the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 and 15 years later, they still own that – they are in it for the long-term.”

Just google Tampa Bay Buccaneers finances or something to that effect, and you’ll see what kind of hell their fans are going through.

Anyway, moving on to more pressing matters, there’s a match today against Arsenal and the most significant result last week was Arsenal’s draw at Villa Park. This gives us the chance to go four points over the gunners, and close our gap on league leaders, Chelsea. Chelsea, who went top thanks to a header from “his mate’s” wife-shagger and England’s Brave, John Terry. I am not wasting inches going into the wheres and whys he shouldn’t carry on as England captain, but you’d have thought the book of reasons to hate John Terry was already full by now when, all of a sudden, you now have enough scope for a sequel.

A reasonable article to lead this off should be the one by Amy Lawrence of the Guardian — a well known Arsenal fan — who highlights the main stars of this clash: Fabregas (who’s still only 22!) and Rooney (who’s 24, although I’d have thought he was younger) Of course, it does resort a bit towards cliches we’ve become all too familiar with; Fabregas and Fergie — ‘pizzagate’, Rooney and Wenger — the number of times he’s dominated Arsenal.

Still, read it as you attempt to whet your appetite ahead of the match.

A quickie — read this piece where Keith Harris, a takeover-broker and a United fan, says he’s been approached by several rich United fan investors. I’ll try to write up something detailed on this later on, but do read it if you have the time.

Regarding the starting XI, I’m convinced Ferguson will opt for a 4-5-1 formation — one that he has employed with much success recently. But it will no doubt, isolate Rooney up front. Nani should undoubtedly start, but he’ll be on the left while Valencia will start on the right. Fletcher, Carrick and one of either Anderson or Scholes will be the third mid fielder.

Vidic is reported to replace Ferdinand, who’ll begin the first of a ridiculous four-match suspension.

Arsenal have their share of injuries. Vermaelen was the latest casualty, in mid week. Which means, Sol Campbell could make a start, and hopefully Rooney will take full advantage of that.

Cesc Fabregas was on record as saying this is the biggest game of the season for him, and fair play to him. It’s a pretty important match for both sides in a statement-of-intent sort of way, although not necessarily a deal breaker as far as the title race goes.

Anyway, onto the predictions: 2-1 to United, I guess. Hopefully this proves to be yet another cracking game of football.

[Off I go to watch Federer play Murray and hopefully win yet another grand slam.]

That’s a great price on a Reds victory, regardless of the opposition or venue.

Look at it this way: we’ve scored seven goals in our last two fixtures and have already defeated the Gunners this season. And while we’re tearing it up against Hull and City, Arsenal lost 3-1 to Stoke and drew 0-0 to Aston Villa.

But perhaps the main argument for a Reds victory is the fact that we have the in-form player in Europe leading the line for us. With five goals in a week, any team that boasts Wayne Rooney has a good chance of winning.

Arsenal will be without Thomas Vermaelen who has been one of their stars this season. Sol Campbell is likely to come in and it’s a safe bet that the Gunners’ ageing defenders will not relish the prospect of Rooney running at them. All but one of the four league fixtures between these two at the Emirates have produced three goals or more. Back Over 2.5 goals at 2.0 (evens).

United’s finest performance of last season came at the Emirates – in the 3-1 Champions League semi-final win – but our League record there is not good. We lost 2-1 last year and are yet to experience a Premier League victory there. Still, we know what it is to shock the Gunners new home into silence based on that glorious European night, and the players will have that in mind on Sunday. United can score early so we’ll be backing Man Utd/Man Utd in the Half-time/Full-time market at 5.4 (9/2).

Wayne Rooney wants to reach 30 goals for the season and few would bet against him. He’s delivered in the To Score market 13 times in 23 starts so back Wazza to score on Sunday. Have a wager on Dimitar Berbatov, raring to go after sitting out Wednesday’s win, to be the first goal scorer and perhaps Paul Scholes, as he seems to have found his touch of late.
These fixtures might not produce the fireworks they used to but, with both sides in title contention, we expect a feisty game. Back Yes in the Sending Off market.

In Arsenal’s last home fixture, Bolton scored two early goals. Fabregas and co. came back to win 4-2 and Sir Alex will not underestimate Arsenal’s determination. They will fancy their chances of breaching the Reds defence so back 2-1 at 11.0 (10/1) in the Correct Score market.

Sunday’s match is a prime opportunity for the Reds to dismiss Arsenal’s title bid so that they can get on with over-taking Chelsea. Latest title odds have Arsenal at 6.2 (5/1), Chelsea at 1.69 (5/7) and United at 4.7 (7/2). A United win would make those odds very appealing.

City have won the League Cup on two previous occasions and coincidently the Final comes exactly 34 years after the last won the trophy, their last trophy. So the fans, players and management will be well aware of what this game means, especially as it is against bitter rivals United.

In the first leg United dominated for long spells and will not look to let a lead slip at Old Trafford this time around and as we are out of the F.A. Cup, Fergie will make retaining the Carling Cup a priority, so a full strength line-up is expected.

Edwin van der Sar will continue in goal with Tomasz Kuszczak an able deputy.

Rio Ferdinand will continue his comeback from injury and partner Jonny Evans in central defence, Patrice Evra will also take up his usual spot at left-back and Rafael should keep his place at right-back. Nemanja Vidic is out with a calf strain along with long term absentee John O’Shea.

With Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia rested at the weekend, expect both to start on the left and right side of midfield respectively against City. Paul Scholes should drop to the bench with Michael Carrick returning to the starting line-up to partner Darren Fletcher.

It is inevitable Wayne Rooney will start against City after a four goal haul against Hull, but his strike partner is a different story. Dimitar Berbatov replaced Michael Owen against Hull and it is highly unlikely the former Liverpool striker will start two games in a row.

Sir Alex has called for discipline from his side after the spat between Gary Neville and Carlos Tevez threatens to boil over in the 2^nd Leg.

“We have enough experience of playing in big games to know it is important to keep your head. It is always a key factor. We have had feisty games against the likes of Leeds and Liverpool since I have been here. Player behaviour has always been good. It has never been an issue.” Said the United manager.

Manchester City want to establish themselves as the best team in the world, and since the arrival of Roberto Mancini the Blues have won five wins with one defeat since his arrival just before Christmas.

Carlos Tevez is in imperious form netting 13 times in his last 11 games, so he will be a key member of the City arsenal. Emmanuel Adebayor could have a part to play after returning from compassionate leave. Kolo Toure is also available upon his arrival back form the African Cup of Nations. Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott are both out with knee injuries and United nemesis Patrick Vieira is sidelined with a calf strain along with Roque Santa Cruz. Robinho could also play a part as his move to Brazilian side Santos has not been completed as yet.

Roberto Mancini has set his stall out well in advance, he will attack United.

“We don’t want to go to Old Trafford only to defend,” said the Italian tactician.

“It is possible we will have to defend if United attack. Then we will need to defend very well because they have so many good players. But we want to win, not just the tie, but at Old Trafford. To do that we must attack.” He added.

United have only conceded nine goals in 15 domestic games at home so far this season. While Ferguson’s semi-final record is exemplary, he’s been at the helm for 42 last-four matches and, of those, United have lost just six, including last week’s first leg. Let’s hope Sir Alex and the Red Army can silence Carlos Tevez once and for all.

Prediction: 2-1 United

Probable Line Up: van der Sar, Evra, Evans, Ferdinand, Rafael; Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs; Berbatov, Rooney.

* * *

Betfair is the official Manchester United betting partner and we here at Red Rants have partnered with them to offer a free £25 bet when you register.

Unlike other betting sites, Betfair allows you to place bets when the game is running and choose the odds at which you want to play. What allows you to do these things is you’re betting against other fans, not the bookie, so if you want better odds than are currently available, for example, you can place an order for a better price (but bear in mind that if your price is unrealistic your bet is unlikely to be accepted).

As for this Wednesday: it’s only half-time, we’re one down with 90 minutes to play in front of 75,000 screaming Reds and we’re famous for being the comeback kings of European football. Back United at 1.75 (8/11) to win the match and 1.98 (evens) to reach the final. The Carling Cup, like the Premier League, is our trophy.

Saturday’s 4-0 win over Hull got the defeat out of the players’ systems. Wayne’s four and Rio’s return are the feel good stories which set the Reds up nicely for Wednesday.

They’re calling the last 10 minutes of the first leg the Alamo across town. No wonder; under sustained late bombardment, City looked flimsy, United’s wide men had the beating of their full backs and Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards were lost when Owen and Rooney worked the ball between them. If it wasn’t for Shay Given, United would have won.

If United pick up where they left off, they will get an early break-through. Nobody would bet against Wayne scoring the first goal so have a punt on him but put a small stakes wager on Darren Fletcher too. This is what you might call a “hunch bet” but, although the Scottish dynamo has been quiet of late, he’s a big game player and will drive the Reds on Wednesday.

The Reds will go in ahead at the break before adding more in the second half. It might not be a deluge though as, with one eye on next Sunday’s crucial trip to Arsenal, the manager might withdraw players and get men behind the ball. Back 2-0 at 9.4 (17/2) in the Correct Score market and ManUtd/ManUtd at 2.84 (15/8) for a Half-time/Full-time bet.

Rio was commanding against Hull. He has a score to settle after Craig Bellamy beat him to score for in the league match back in September so you can expect Rio to be up for this one. Gary Neville would relish the chance to put Carlos Tevez in his place and the manager may opt for his experience to nullify Bellamy out wide. It goes against the form, which means you might get a decent price, so back the United clean sheet and Under 2.5 goals at 2.06 (21/20).

We should be going to Wembley with money in our pockets so, with the final against Aston Villa – a team United always beat in Cup competitions – in mind, back the Reds to win the Carling Cup at 3.0 (2/1). That price should be snapped up now as it will narrow after we win on Wednesday.

Wayne Rooney was majestic, and not just his four goals, as he looks well on course to comfortably exceed his past season scoring records.

More importantly Nani, who was played on the right, preferred over Valencia, impressed. Given a rare start on the right, he showed yet again why a lot of United fans feel frustrated: a fantastic talent but wasted due to moments of indecision or lack of a prolonged run in the side.

He didn’t show much indecision on Saturday, as a dominant performance showed how much he is capable if given a longer run, and when he sorts out his head. I haven’t been convinced of Nani despite his obvious talent, but I will be glad if he proves me wrong. We really need a good creative winger on both sides, and if Nani can turn it on, then it will be a welcome turn of fortune for us as this season winds down.

But the biggest addition to the side was Rio Ferdinand — who ensured we were reasonably solid in defence; something that was patently lacking over the past month and a half.

Rooney’s four goals was a first for him, professionally. He later said the last time he scored four goals was when he was 12.

All we need from Rooney now, is to get him to stay injury free, and continue to stay in his purple patch — easier said than done, I know. [More importantly, he shouldn't be played up front on his own.]

But the big talking point of the day was the protests, in the form of anti-Glazer chants. Ferguson attempted to win over fans by devoting significant space space to that in his programme notes:

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to express disapproval if they don’t like what they see around them,” said Ferguson. “I am not slow to express disapproval myself if there is something I don’t agree with – even in the boardroom with the directors. But once I walk out of that meeting I get on with my job as manager of the team. Some of our fans are clearly unhappy with the financial position but we mustn’t allow the situation to become divisive. We must remain loyal to the cause of Manchester United.”

However he seems to be missing the point entirely, if he followed what the fans were on about over the last couple of weeks. Most, if not all, fans are 100% behind the club, the manager and the players. What we have been protesting about is the direction the ownership has taken. If Ferguson says he’s disagreed with members of the boardroom, it matters not a jot to us, because the disagreement is contained within the boardroom.

He must let the fans do what they need to do to get the owners’ attention. However futile it may seem, given the Glazers’ record, peaceful demonstrations against the ownership is certainly welcome. If Fergie would have noticed, the fans sang the names of the players through the game yet chanted LUHG during the match. Why is this hard for players and the manager to grasp, I guess I will never understand. [I hope he does and he's just getting on with his job.]

Anyway, let’s get behind our side ahead of City, because the lads will need all the support they need to over turn a deficit.

LUHG!

Speaking of which, in case you want to win tickets for the City game, try this.

Also, United Rant parses Ferguson’s comments quite well