Oct 21
Man Utd v Celtic: Preview
Pre-match prattle: The usual media bollocks about the battle of Britain. As if United and Celtic are the English and Scottish first eleven, respectively; get England to actually play Scotland in a friendly in the first place, for fuck’s sake!
Ok, that’s the anger part out of the way… now let’s get a little quotesy.
Ferguson talks about Rafa da Silva and how he’s given him a good selection headache:
“In football, when a guy turns the corner you cannot do anything about it. Rafael is a great talent and his performances are telling me I have another problem at right-back. It is a learning process playing against that power and experience. Premier League football is not easy. I didn’t realise how big Brunt was and what a nice left foot he had, so that presented a challenge for Rafael. For periods in the game he was finding his way and it was only when I was going to take him off that he started to play the way we know he can. He was excellent. The positions he took up and the penetration from deep positions was absolutely superb. It gives me a selection problem that is good for the club.”
The other bit from Fergie was about the prospect of playing Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov in the same starting XI:
“My torment… It is very difficult trying to gauge whether I can play the three of them together. I have been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now. It is possible, with one of them playing in behind. It is a very difficult situation because they are all terrific players.”
There is some more from the boss, but then I am done being quotesy.
In team news, Anderson and Tevez return to the squad while there are reports that say Fergie might rest Ronaldo. This should pave the way for Nani to get a start — something that’s been rare for him this season — and give him a chance to remind the gaffer of his ability.
I think Tevez will start alongside Berbatov although, I suspect, Rooney wouldn’t like to be benched against a team like Celtic. Perhaps, he could play all three in which case someone would have to be shunted wide. Which, to me, isn’t a bright idea. I think it’ll be Nani and Park on the wings, Tevez-Berbatov upfront, Fletcher-Giggs in the middle and Neville-Rio-Vidic-EvraO’Shea at the back with EVDS taking his place between the sticks — in a 4-4-2.
Prediction: 2-0 to United.
I suppose that’s enough preview. This thread’s open folks, as always. Over to you
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
- Rooney Out For A Month
- Porto it is then…
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (542)
Stephen (490)
RedDevilEddy (462)
Craig Mc (349)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@whezzy thanks dude
Like?
0 
0
@colver: I dont believe it, its jsut to make him less unpopular. He shit in his pants and knows he cant fix it. Just admit defeat! Until January at least. If Ronaldo can find his form of last season, Real will be back again…
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: i know you retracted what you said about the fans/terraces and i know you weren’t conversing with me but i feel i have to add my 2 pence worth! I’ve been to a Baseball match(NY Yankees), many years ago, and although it was the closest sporting event to a football match in atmosphere, it still fell a long way short of any Prem fixture, indeed any championship match. The major missing link was any decent amount of away fans and therefore the banter between opposing fans! Ok, the sheer size of america could be the main problem! But i do think its more down to history and cultural differences. I’m not suggesting that north americans are not passionate about their fav clubs/sports btw. I just reckon that some english football fans have had a bad reputation and some of the passion can be misconstrued as aggressive neandrethal behavior.
I just want to point out that it is fans that pay wages and keep football clubs alive and they are entitled to voice their opinion or not when ever they feel like it. This is perhaps our last bastion of freedom/free speech, in the modern era where we have to drink the brand beer, queue for fuckin ages for a pie and a pint of budweiser! and are told what banners are/aren’t appropiate, nevermind ticet prices/ automatic cup scheme ect.My point is these are long suffering, die hard reds who love the club so much, they’re willing to part with an increasing amount of their hard earned cash and support our club through thick and thin. To brandish them as Drunken bastards, even in jest, is an insult. You might not agree with their point of view but to dismiss them like that is bullshit, not common sense. There seems to be alot of people making excuses for the slave, but don’t start pointing the finger of blame at the fans, they are entitled en masse to their views too!
Like?
0 
0
ManUtd.com (yes i do have too much time on my hands today) has an interview with Tevez who seems happy to fight for his place admitting Berbatov is just what we needed and Rooney is one of the best players in the world.
I feel bad for Carlos because he would make the first X1 of virtually any team but ours. But if he wants trophies this is the right club to be at!
Like?
0 
0
@colver: He’ll make the first XI about 20 to 25 times before the season ends so don’t feel too bad for him. The season is long and there will always be a place for Carlito.
Like?
0 
0
@phoenix red: You are talking about baseball mate. I love the sport and their are some classic rivalries but the emotion and behavior of the supporters is nothing like football. In fact, it is nothing like American/Canadian football, or even hockey in certain cities where rivalries are heated.
I remember years where battle royals broke out in the stands over hockey or football games involving heated provincial rivals Edmonton and Calgary in the Battle of Alberta. In fact I inadvertently got involved in a big fight during a Calgary Edmonton playoff hockey game where over 100 fans got arrested. I was lucky to not be one of them but still, footy does not have a monopoly on atmosphere, passion or fan violence. The Canadian hockey fan is extremely passionate and loyal and many of them are usually drunk enough to cause problems if visiting fans antagonize them enough. They are not as loud as footy fans because chanting silly songs in the stands is not a habit in North America. That’s just one thing I will never get. I got to a bloody game to watch it and cheer on my team. Not to join the choir in mindless singing. Sorry if that offends many of you that love to do this but it’s just my own cultural indifference talking. In Canada we cheer, boo shout out obscenities, throw things on the field or ice when enraged, ring out a few chants but we never ever ever get into a sing along. That’s just too gay for our liking. Still, being a footy fan I would love to be part of the atmosphere at OT but I doubt I would be a willing participant in a singalong. I hate having to remember the words to songs. Hell I have a hard enough time remembering jokes the next day after they have been told to me. Song lyrics are a pain in the ass. And I’m sorry but the songs are lame ass too. But to all of you who love to sing and participate in all that, fine and all the power to you blokes.
But to finalize my argument Phoenix Red, footy fans in England or anywhere else for that matter do not have a monopoly on atmosphere and supporter fanaticism at games. They only think they do. Many points of yours are strong and I agree with a lot of it. I just don’t buy into the atmosphere thing as being the be all that many claim it to be. Baseball can get very heated between Red Sox and Yankees fans or even Giants and Dodgers fans but baseball is a family gathering for many where Granny and the kids can go to the ball park and take a nap between innings. Go to a heated rivalry in college football or the NFL like a Chicago vs Green Bay game in ice cold conditions at frozen Lambeau Field and watch and listen to fans show their love and passion as well as stoke their heated rivalries with the visiting fans. Like I said before, footy does not have exclusivity in this arena. You just haven’t tasted enough of this stuff in certain regions where the home team’s existence means more than life to the supporters.
And the term drunken bastards was not really meant as an insult. It may have come out that way but I was joking just because of the reputation of the fans historically back in the days when there were stand only terraces. Back then many fans were drunken bastards. And today there are plenty of drunken bastards at games throughout North America too. Oh sure they love their teams and are loyal but they are also pissed to the gills and can really make an outing very unpleasant for the sober ones who have to possibly sit next to them and tolerate their bullshit and bullying tactics. So I was only crossing historical stereotypes when I made that comment to my buddy Craig. It was intended for him so I can see how others reading it may have taken it more seriously. It was not meant that way.
As for Ronaldo, yes the fans are entitled to their views on Ronaldo and so am I. I will stand up and defend him to the many I feel are being boneheaded and unfair towards him. It’s my right to defend him as it is their right to mistrust him. But it does Ronaldo and the team no good to not cheer him on and support him while he wears the colors of Man Utd. He is part of the Red Devils and the Red Devil Army is obligated to support all Red Devils up and till the day when they are no longer Red Devils. He made a mistake and many fans are still making him pay for that mistake because they cannot figure out the reasons for his moodiness and attitude on the pitch. I have news for all of them, it’s not his obligation to explain to any of them his feelings. He has rights too and his feelings and emotions on the way he’s playing or his feelings towards the fans may be very personal. He has a right to be treated well and respectfully now that he is still with our club and that he has come out an heartfully apologized for his summer behavior. That is all any of us should expect or need. This is not 1968 when you might be caught working with a fellow United player on the docks in the off season or caught having a pint at the local pub with Paddy Crerand. This is 2008 and players are multi-millionaires who are far removed from their fans lives. They do not act or behave the way we plebs would like them to but that’s just too bad isn’t it. Life is not fair but it goes on. Sorry for the rambling rant but fans seem to feel because they pay their tickets they deserve more than what they are getting on the pitch in terms of a player and team effort. For me that is total bollocks mate. Loyalty is double edged sword. It cuts both ways and it’s time the fans tested their loyalty towards Ronaldo rather than constantly questioning his.
Like?
0 
0
@Wheezy: I would love to see Carlos start this weekend at Everton, but I just cant see berba or rooney getting dropped at this moment due to their current goal scoring form. So, maybe that means Carlos will get the start on wed against the Hammers. But, I would imagine that if we drop points tomorrow (as I’m pessimistically predicting) then maybe that means Berba and Wayne will need to start on wed again to get the points…
Like?
0 
0
@Drew Vader: It would be a nice and classy touch for Fergie to start Tevez against West Ham so I really don’t see him starting against Everton. It’s funny that before the season started I made the claim that if we got Berbatov that it would be Tevez who would be the super sub and sit on the bench. I got a lot of flack from a lot of Tevez supporters who just could not see that happening. Not only did I feel that Tevez was not as good as Berbatov or Rooney, but I knew that Ferguson felt the same way. I am not sad for Carlos because frankly, he just doesn’t score enough for my liking. He is good at coming in and adding energy and vigor to a game late which may help us hang on to a win or gain a tie or win in tight games. It’s going to be tough for Tevez to win a starting position again and therefore I will be godsmacked and totally amazed if we see him in a United shirt next season. He’d be an idiot to stay as an overpaid bench warmer when his talent is good enough to start on any other team in Europe.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: I have to agree with you about Tevez. You all know I love him, but he is just too talented to sit on the bench. If he cant start here, he should move on.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Any links to this appology you speak of??? All i saw was that “I was naive to push for a move”. I haven’t seen an “actual appology”. I’m not saying he needs to appologise to me as i never really cared for him(I’m not saying i hate him) even before the Madrid-brouhaha, but i haven’t seen any appologies yet.
Like?
0 
0
bad thing is we dont get anything for him ither. he leaves on a free.
Like?
0 
0
@Rd: God it was last summer and it was published by the main Portuguese newspaper and then translated into English by all the major media in England. I’m shocked you haven’t heard of it before now. Trust me, he sounded very apologetic and sincere and I for one bought despite the fact I was very loudly against him before that moment. I’m not gullible but I did find his apology to come from the heart. He realized he was wrong and later on he admitted to being very naive about the whole thing and also realizing that where he is right now is the best place for him and his career.
Like?
0 
0
@gator: Thats fine. We just spend the money on somebody else.
Like?
0 
0
you realize that all the hype rooney has been getting,he has only three league goals? then a brace against borats Kazakhstan and another country?and now fans are already thinking he is as good as ronaldo?i just love the fans
Like?
0 
0
hasnt that rooey bitch only scored 3 goals for united?are we supposed to care about england playing borats kazakhstan?
Like?
0 
0
@donibrasco: The fact that Rooney’s been scoring goals and finishing and also that he’s less all over the place than he’s been before are encouraging signs. I’d say give him an extended run of games free of injury before judging him. But then your anti-Rooney bias has been well documented here before… so I’ll pass on trying to convince you about Rooney.
Like?
0 
0
@Red Ranter: any chance of a reasoned debate with him was nullified with the ‘rooey bitch’ comment
I don’t understand the need for that 
besides, donibrasco, Rooney has scored 5 goals in his last five games for United 
Anyways, you putting up a preview RR or is work holding you up?
Like?
0 
0
@Gabriel: Preview was up about an hour ago
Like?
0 
0