Aug 22
Fulham vs Manchester United: Preview
After a comfortable win over Newcastle on the opening day of the season, Manchester United face a much tougher task in West-London as they visit Craven Cottage to play Fulham side under the tutelage of United legend Mark Hughes.
Going into the match Sir Alex Ferguson will be well aware of his dismal recent record at Craven Cottage as United have lost their last two matches at the venue – 2-0 and 3-0 respectively. Something Sir Alex is all to aware of,
“We’ve had a bit of a topsy-turvy time at Craven Cottage the last couple of years,” Sir Alex concedes. “We ended up with nine men two years ago, and then last season we’d gone too far with the players we were using at the back.”
United are still without long-term knee victims Rio Ferdinand, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves, while Patrice Evra should be fit after a clash with the advertising boards in the dying stages of the Newcastle win.
The back five should remain unchanged but it will be interesting to see if Ferguson starts will Paul Scholes, who is clearly in top form but age has caught up with the ginger ninja, so he may be used sparingly by the manager. Nani and Antonio Valencia both impressed last week, but Ji-Sung Park may get his first league start of the season.
Wayne Rooney is likely to miss the match with a stomach bug thus leaving a starting place up front alongside Dimitar Berbatov. Will Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez get the not, or will Sir Alex go win an older head in Michael Owen?
One point to note is that Fergie has never lost a game to a club managed by one of his former protégés, adding weight to Sunderland boss Steve Bruce’s suggestion that Ferguson tries even harder in such fixtures. Something Fulham boss Mark Hughes agrees with,
“Invariably he seems to pick his strongest team against me, but I take that as a sign of the respect he has for the teams I’m involved with, because he knows I set up my teams to give his a hard time,” agreed Hughes.
“He likes to make sure we know our place, and rightly so! He’s always competitive, and, obviously, going up against guys he’s previously worked with, he’s always supportive of us, but he always likes to beat you. That doesn’t change.” Hughes concluded.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and defender Paul Konchesky, who both missed the match against Bolton last week, are rated doubtful for the game. Though Konchesky will have a late fitness test. Diomansy Kamara, Andrew Johnson and new signing Philippe Senderos are long-term absentees, but Belgium international Moussa Dembele could be thrown straight into action after only signing this week.
United though will have to keep striker Bobby Zamora quiet, he was Fulham’s top scorer last year with 19 goals and scored in the 3-0 victory over United last December. Clint Dempsey is another who can get amongst the goals especially when arriving late into the box from midfield.
Comfort though can be taken from the fact that United have won 10 of their last 12 games against Fulham in all competitions.
Prediction: 2-0 United
Probable Line Up: van der Sar, O’Shea, Evans, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Scholes, Nani; Berbatov, Hernandez
***
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).
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Rooney and Evans celebrate winner v Fulham – Wallpaper
- Fulham v Man Utd: Preview
- Fulham Preview
- Porto it is then…
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Stephen (454)
Craig Mc (344)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
SO FAR
United
Valencia
Like?
0 
0
@Don: He never hid anything Don. He had a physical and the questions came up but Fergie and his staff felt he was worth the risk and so they signed him.
Like?
0 
0
@Jay wire: Totally agree with that. Great points Jay.
Like?
0 
0
Well Valencia is not a bad side to draw. They are good team and replaced Silva and Villa with intelligent signings. But nothing we can’t handle.
Shame Real Madrid would have been an awesome group tie and might have scared Fergie into actually signing someone!
Like?
0 
0
Utd, Valencia is the 4th hardest group so far…
Like?
0 
0
Fc København to group C, puh-puh-please!
Like?
0 
0
United
Valencia
Rangers!!!
Well short trips but Rangers will up their game for us.
Like?
0 
0
Rangerskååå!
Like?
0 
0
Rangers. Poop! That is such a BOORRRING GAME. At least short travel distance…
Like?
0 
0
I see quite a lot in common between Owen and Hernandez. Both players are only as good as the service they are getting. Players like Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez have other facets to their game which mean they are not reliant on other players creating chances for them.
Rangers will be a fun tie for us! An easy journey and will be quite exciting for Fergie!
Like?
0 
0
Inter
Bremen
Spurs
is a tasty group so far!
Like?
0 
0
Inter to White Hart Lane!
Go get em Bale
Like?
0 
0
Milan
Real
Ajax
DAMN THAT IS ONE TIGHT GROUP!
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Can you not make your points without the little insults? The world doesn’t revolve around me but at least I try to keep pace with it. You agree with my views yet you are sick and tired of them or anyone else who talks about them. You say you are interested in the big picture but the fact is you aren’t because if you were, the subject I am so passionate about would concern you more. The fact is you are one of those millions out there who are only concerned about this week’s game, the daily fix. For you United is a form of entertainment and I seriously doubt (I could be wrong) if it’s in your blood or in your soul like it is with me.
It’s all about you showing a lot more tolerance and respect for fellow posters regardless of whether their rants interest you or not. #586 does not create a new topic of discussion, it just complains about the topic I was involved in. Like I said earlier, if you want me to take you seriously, then you need to offer up more topics, not more whining about my topics. I don’t live for getting into arguments with anyone on here as it truly angers me, frustrates me and exhausts me. I would love nothing more than to get along with everyone, regardless of whether they agree with me or not. But as RR about what the number one thing is you don’t do with Grognard? You don’t repress his freedom of expression. He goes nuts when that happens because he hates thought police and offer nothing control freaks who offer very little to this blog other than bitching about the members they disagree with. Respect the forum for being a rant forum and so you must allow people the freedom to rant. The subject doesn’t interest you? Well that’s just tough because like me, the world doesn’t revolve around me but it it doesn’t revolve around you either. Especially when you aren’t doing much of anything to stimulate discussion on here. And I read everybody’s comments on here, not just ones addressed to me. I’m not asking you to like me, just respect my rights to rant as I please. For ages on here, the people who offer the most hate and disgust towards me are the ones that hardly offer anything to this blog. They hardly contribute but they see it as their mission in life to suppress my rights. Well sorry mate but Homey don’t play dat.
Like?
0 
0
Solskjaer is at the draw!
Like?
0 
0
With Utd, Valencia, Rangers, I think we have the 3rd hardest group now.
Inter, Bremen, Tottenham and Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax are toughest, imo
Like?
0 
0
Milan, RM, Ajax!
Like?
0 
0
OLE!
Like?
0 
0
Official club suit and tie there from Ole. Class act.
Like?
0 
0
I want Auxerre or Twente, so we barely have to do any travelling.
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Typical response from those who are good at only bitching about others or hitching their trailer on to other leaders who can start and create a debate. You are a follower mate, that’s fine, not all of us can be leaders. But next time, if you don’t like another’s viewpoints, just ignore them because unless you are able to create another thread of conversation, you should just shut it. I don’t answer to those who have nothing to offer other than hate and intolerance.
Like?
0 
0
Bayern Munich and Roma are sure to go on from their groups. Basel and Cluj is warm up game.
Ahhhhhhh… Bursaspor… Turkey.
Our group is top 3 hardest for sure now. Going to Turkey impacts our league as well.
Like?
0 
0
That should be an easy group!
Like?
0 
0
Just looking to Round of 16… We must win our group, as group D has Barcelona in it! The runners up there will be one of Panathaniokos, Copenhagen or Kazan..
United
Valencia
Rangers
Bursaspor
Like?
0 
0
Fuck Turkey…
Other than Rangers, our group is shit
Like?
0 
0
@[OPTI]Madschester United: Didn’t consider the going to turkey during the league part…
Like?
0 
0
It is not a bad group for us. I would expect us to qualify but can anticipate us messing it up and finishing second.
Like?
0 
0
Barca look like having the easiest run!
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: You see I think you are intelligent to start a new thread of discussion. And I am more than fore anyone starting a new thread of discussion. You may find it hard to believe but i am sick and bloody tired talking about Glazer and Fergie but the fact is they do and say things every week that pisses all of us off and the conversations about this club’s future come up again and again.
My biggest pet peeve on this blog is those who call the anti Glazer and anti Ferguson rants boring and terrible and then we go out and lose or draw a game and all they can do is bitch about Fergie, our transfer policies and his lack of honesty towards us. That just gets me so frustrated and pissed off because it tells me that we can only talk about this subject when it best suits them and not me. These people are hypocrites and are fickle. Fact is I don’t turn it on and off like many on here. My hatred for Glazer and my disgust for Fergie is 24/7, not just when we lose or draw a game and look like the pathetic overrated team we are.
Like?
0 
0
Surely the knock out stages is a random draw? So even though Barca would be a potential opponent if we mess up our group and finish second it is not a certainty?
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Rubin Kazan defeated Barca last year if you remember.
Like?
0 
0
Militos gal is one ugly fuck!
Our group aint easy at all, fuck me that will be tough. Group G is still mint though, can’t wait!
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Even with Rooney we lack the experience and edge in midfield to win anything. Our team has no grit and we need that grit against the elite teams, especially Barca and the Italian sides that play the game with a style that needs to be contained in the middle of the park. There is no way we are good enough to win the CL and so for me what teams we end up with and who we play means nothing because i know in my heart and soul we lack the quality to win it.
Like?
0 
0
Chelsea
Marseille
Spartak Moscow
MSK Zilina
Ha Chelsea have to go to Russia and Slovakia
Arsenal
Shaktar
Braga
Partizan
Some good travelling there too
Inter
Bremen
Spurs
Twente
Not a bad draw for Spurs. Almost no travelling, and Bremen and Twente are teams they can definitely beat.
Like?
0 
0
Wow! Two groups of death
Groups (from hardest to easiest):
AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre
Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, TOTTENHAM, FC Twente
MANCHESTER UNITED, Valencia, RANGERS, Bursaspor
Bayern Munich, AS Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj
CHELSEA, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina
Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv
ARSENAL, Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga, FK Partisan
FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: You have turned bitching into an art form! Big mouths and repeated ranting don’t count for leadership! There have been people trying to get other topics going but the “long term arguments” never stop! I am not offering hate or intolerance, you are the one who spews both, don’t pretend otherwise, either talking about people’s short sighted stupidity, rear ventricles and asking people to buzz off! Just because you have the time and the inclination to get verbose in your arguments and replies does not make you intellectually superior! Like I said, I may not have had something else to discuss, I was just hoping someone else would! Can’t really ignore someone shouting in your face! What’s with hitching trailers? Jeez, talk about chips and shoulders!
Like?
0 
0
@Don: well the first part of your post the asset that the bank would take if you dont pay your mortgage is the property in question(the shopping malls) they wont come after your other assets as they lent you the money to purchase the property based on the worth of that property alone. so no danger of them coming after united assets, they would just take over the shopping mall.
and as a tampa bay fan(not so much these days) i can say that tampa fans blame Manchester United for all the lack of funding of the team as they won the super bowl just before the glazers bid for united. When the deal went threw, there was a fire sale of top players from tampa and they now spend less money on players salaries than any other team in the league.
Like?
0 
0
@Don: That’s the problem, he wouldn’t do anything about it. But he would sit back put us all down and praise the Glazer’s as always giving him what he wants. So apparently a great team is not what he wants.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: I have never ever called your arguments boring, at the cost of repeating myself, i wanted a change in the topic for a brief time frame, how is that offensive to anyone? i agree, the sarcasm was a little OTT, but hey, i got up from the wrong side of the bed!
Like?
0 
0
@Traverse: When will group matches start?
Like?
0 
0
@EduardoDaVinci4: Why is the group shit? It’s a cakewalk. It’s easy as hell and it guarantees United the Round of 16 and even first. I would have loved Real Madrid but then again, if it’s all about getting the easiest ride into the second round, United got that. There are no gimme’s here but trust me, these clubs are not going to be a problem Valencia is a shadow of the team they were and Rangers are joke. As for the Spor, what the fuck are they?
Like?
0 
0
@[OPTI]Madschester United: I’d call our group the second easiest of all. I have no worries as all three clubs are muppets.
Like?
0 
0
I said at the start of the season we don’t have a hope in hell in the Champions League. Our best chance this season is in the Premier League but even then I think we will be pipped by Chelsea.
I mean face facts guys. How has our squad improved since last season? No way is Rooney going to be as prolific as he was last season. Scholes and Giggs and Rio are a year older. Hernandez and Smalling and Cleverley are unlikely to make much of an impact this year. And players like Berbatov, Carrick, Fletcher are unlikely to get much better.
Meanwhile teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich are a lot stronger and Inter aren’t slouches either.
Like?
0 
0
Where is Liverpool?
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Actually, I am intellectually superior and that’s what’s bothering you. You feel threatened because you can’t raise your game high enough to have an intelligent meaningful debate with me. So instead you lower yourself to the whining little bitch who is threatened when he gets into a battle of wills with the likes of me. Fact is you bring an knife to a gunfight and then bitch about things not being fair. At least you are being honest now and showing your true colours and feelings for me. I’m touched. Leadership always bothers those who are incapable of anything but following and being led by a leash. You might surprise yourself by actually trying to show some leadership instead of putting mine down. And when I get nasty with people and start referring to their rear ventricles and telling the fuck off, it’s always in a retaliatory manner. Point being I never ever start it mate, but I always finish it. So if you want to win a battle of wits, play with somebody your own size because from where I am sitting, you don’t even come close to intimidating me. I explained myself fully and challenged you to show me if you could come up with a thread of conversation that would enlighten all of us. So what did you do? You bitched and whined like a bitchy whiny thing about me again. How sad and pathetic is that?
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Fine then stop bitching about me and change the topic. Start a new topic. It’s really not that hard. Find something that interests you, write a paragraph about it and your feelings and invite others to respond. Pretty easy actually. Give it a go. I promise to be more civil and respectful of you if you can show me that you’ve got game and are not just a whiner. Show me the money mate.
Like?
0 
0
@Owen: Now that was funny. I liked that one.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: I am not trying to intimidate you, trust me! I am not interested in pissing contests, if feeling superior works, good for you. Oneupmanship is not my thing, in the bigger picture none of this matters anyways! Leadership, or whatever emotion that gets you off is not something that works for me. I am not threatened and why should I be? Because of your obviously superior rhetoric? Even if that were true, what difference will it make to my existence? I am not looking to be judged, either on my writing abilities or my knowledge of football. And what’s so intellectual about calling me a whining little bitch? Your overbearing personality that you misconstrue as leadership does not bother me, again, no difference to my existence. I don’t want to “Play” with you or anyone else. And don’t mistake verbosity for clarity.
Like?
0 
0
As a regular watcher of the Turkish league I have to say that Bursaspor is certainly better than the traditional big three teams at the moment. That being said, they should not be much of a problem, except perhaps in Bursa as the fans are capable of a great atmosphere.
Their defense wasn’t very good at all against Trabzonspor in the super cup game I saw in person two weeks ago. They lost 3-0 in that match.
Like?
0 
0
@elvido: Then by all means, take your ball and go home if you can’t handle the heat I give off. I’m in no way interested in dealing with people who’s reason for being is to get into arguments with me. It’s not about being superior or about me trying to flex my muscles. It’s the fact that people get threatened and feel disjointed when they can’t match me or if they are bored by my style. Those who don’t feel like that have no problem with me and I in turn tone it down considerably and show them the same respect they show me. Hint!!!! You like a kindlier and gentler Grognard? Don’t set him off by insulting him or his ways of thinking. It’s fine to disagree with me, honest it is. But don’t disagree with my right to voice my opinions or to go on my mini crusades.
I’m not trying to get you to accept me or to even like me, I just need you to know that I am not the miserable asshole you and some others think I am, even if at times I may sound like a miserable asshole. I’m actually a very easy going guy and get along with people. But where I go ballistic and where I turn into the Terminator is when people step on my right to express myself and my opinions.
If we are talking about Manchester United and any personalities who are linked to this team, nothing is forbidden. If I want to praise them, insult them or just shit all over them, that is my right and my prerogative. If I show concern or contempt to some of them and the future of the club is of great concern to me and others, then you should just accept it, respect the rights of those who want to debate that, or do one of two things. Move to another blog or create your own topic of interest. By doing this you avoid any kind of argument with me or anybody else who might take offence by your intolerance. Like I said earlier, I am intolerant of the intolerant. I fight for my right to party and if you cannot handle strong personalities like mine who are super opinionated and who hold nothing back when it comes to their views, then may I suggest the official Manchester United blog where everybody tows the company line and not a discouraging word is heard.
Truthfully, I am so sick and tired of people trying to bully me into submission. They will never succeed because I don’t get intimidated and I am relentless. So give it up mate, accept who I am and lets move on. If you keep from insulting me, I’ll do the same to you. At the end of the day it’s not just about lack of tolerance for my views, it’s about getting personal and telling people like me to stop debating about something because it doesn’t interest you. Well here’s a newsflash for you, I don’t care if it doesn’t interest you. If it interests me and it concerns me, I will talk about it. You say you aren’t interested in pissing contests? Fine then stop trying to piss me off and learn to accept those who don’t think like you and who want to talk about something that might not interest or concern you. SO PUT THAT IN YOUR REGISTER AND CASH IT..
Like?
0 
0