Jan 03
Manchester United vs Leeds United: Preview
Happy New Year! With a change in year comes a change in competition, The FA Cup begins in earnest and Manchester United begin the competition with a mouth-watering third round tie against arch rivals Leeds United;
a fixture that has been off the regular calendar since 2004
However, Leeds are a side on the up and sit six points clear at the top of League One with a game in hand. Two divisions separate the teams, but come 1 PM, a proper cup-tie will ensue.
Leeds are unbeaten in 15 games in all competitions stretching back to October and boss Simon Grayson is confident in what they can achieve at Old Trafford,
“We’re in a decent run of form and we’re very confident in what we can try and achieve,” he said. “I feel we have got some talented players that can perform, certainly in the next level and hopefully the next level after that, but the proof will be in the pudding on Sunday. Hopefully we will be able to handle it. We’re going into the game with a huge amount of confidence and belief. “They will believe by the time the kick-off comes around that’s for sure. The last thing I will tell them is good luck, and make sure you win the game.”
Going into the match Leeds Defender Leigh Bromby is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Stockport, but other than that the visitors have no new injury worries and are missing only long-term absentee Ben Parker and defender Rui Marques, who is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Angola. Jermaine Beckford is the obvious choice as danger man, the tall striker has bagged 19 goals in all competitions this season leading to speculation over his future as he is out of contract in the summer, he will most likely be looking to impress on the biggest stage.
United on the other hand will be joyful of each passing day as more and more defenders are passed fit. Sir Alex Ferguson will look to use some more of his squad giving club captain Gary Neville a starting berth as he has recovered from a groin injury. Fabio may get in ahead of Patrice Evra, giving the French left-back a well earned break, but expect Wes Brown and Nemanja Vidic to continue in the centre of defence. The game comes too soon for Rio Ferdinand, who has been doing some light jogging, but Jonny Evans could feature following a return to fitness. John O’Shea is still out.
With Edwin van der Sar on compassionate leave, Ben Foster may be given another chance to stake a claim for the number one spot, leaving Tomasz Kuszczak to watch from the bench.
The United midfield could see the return of Paul Scholes who has recovered from a hip complaint. Along side him will be Darren Fletcher or Anderson — more likely the Scot could be selected to give the midfield some added bite. Expect Gabriel Obertan and Ji-Sung Park to be given the wing berths, while Nani and Owen Hargreaves are still sidelined. Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia should be on the bench.
As for the strike force, the big question is will Michael Owen make his 400th appearance for an English club? If so then Dimitar Berbatov will partner him, with Wayne Rooney dropped to the bench giving the United talisman a well-earned breather.
Sir Alex underlined the importance of the game during his press conference, stating,
“I don’t need to spell out to Manchester United fans and players what Leeds games have meant over the years,” said Sir Alex, “They were fantastic, feisty occasions every time we met, there was always a tinge of hostility hovering around the game and we always told the players to behave themselves on the pitch. I used to enjoy the games – they made us perform. We had some great games at Leeds because the atmosphere was always electric and our record was good, I think we only lost once there. They were two competitive teams then, but it’s a different United team now, and we just have to make sure we play our normal game. They’re bringing 9,000 fans, so it will be a brilliant atmosphere and a fantastic cup tie.”
Let the War of the Roses commence.
Prediction: 3-1 United
Probable Line Up: Foster, Neville, Brown, Vidic, Fabio, Park, Fletcher, Scholes, Obertan, Berbatov, Owen.
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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). So, give this a run if you’re up for it.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
- The Manchester United Pledge
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Derby County v Man Utd: Preview
Tags: Manchester United News
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@Red Ranter: Yes this true, I d remember that one as well. Anything can happen in a football match and that’s why they play the game. Still, it’s embarrassing and inexcusable not because they lost, but because of the lack of desire and effort for 85 minutes of the game. If we played like we do in the last five minutes of a match we are losing, then we would be untouchable.
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It has been a long time since I last wrote here. It’s nice to see this blog is still up and running. Thumbs up for redrant.
Any news about Vidic? I am worried. He looks like the next Stam/Heinze in the making..
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@Redrich: “Disingenuous”
I love that word. Spot on. The buck ultimately stops with him because he has not only failed with the team on the field, but off the field too. He has failed his legacy and his millions of beloved and loyal supporters who dare not question a thing he says. Fergie has drawn from his well of deceit and lies for too long and no longer is anyone buying his song and dance and cheap magicians misdirection tricks.
People may be wondering what Fergie should be doing if he supposedly loves the club as much as he does, and if he respects the supporters.
1. Stand up to the owners and demand an accounting for why they are stripping him of the necessary funds he needs to properly run a football team.
2. Stop lying to the public. He must think very little of us as a collective intelligence because he thinks he’s fooling us with his constant and irritating bullshit. Stop lying and stop making lame assed excuses or pointing the finger at anyone other than himself and the glazer’s.
3. Settling for a muppet like Mike Phelan to run they day in day out training sessions and drills for the squad when this man hasn’t got the ability to manage Stockport County or Torquay United. This club lost the likes of Queiroz and we replace him with a grease mechanic like Phelan? Please!
4. His stubbornness to admit he has made mistakes and then correct them as well as his sheer stupidity to admit tactical mistakes in the use of Rooney and Bernatov yet continue to make those very same mistakes this year.
5. I am sick and tired of his us against them attitude that has cause him to basically put a PR fence around OT and has turned the place into a cold unwilling and uncompromising fortress. Just what the Hell does he think he’s doing and who the Hell does he think he is? He’s the fucking manager of a fucking football team, not the Queen of England or MI-5 OR MI-6.
6. I am sure I speak for you in this also Red by I for one am sick and tired of his sadistic satisfaction of always coming out to the media at transfer time and telling us he sees the club making no moves and then lying to us by telling us how incredibly happy he is with the club and his players. Yet he wanted to have them all beheaded yesterday. His unwillingness to change his position and admit a wrong is a form of hubris even an arrogant opinionated bastard like myself cannot stomach.
7. He comes across as a brown nosing SOB with his support of the Glazer’s when all the evidence shows that not only are skint, but we are headed into the sewers. Why not stand up to them and demand they be more accountable. Why not threaten to quit or actually quit and make a statement that under the present regime, he can no longer take the team where he would like to see it go because he has been handed a long boat with no oars? Why doesn’t he go to the media and basically spill the beans on the Glazer’s? What is he worried about, getting the sack at 68 or not being able to then get another managing job because he turned Judas against this Anti-Christ employers?
8. Why does he consistently mess with his squad and why does he have so much faith in Park, Anderson, Neville and Scholes when for different reasons, none of them can play worth shite. And why did he torture us for so long with Ben Foster when anyone with an IQ above that of an eggplant could see just how useless he truly was?
9. Why constantly rotate the lineups so much so that the team cannot find any chemistry or form and players have no chance to find consistency. And in the opposite measure, why he never gives Rooney a rest and faces the possibility of injuring him or burning him out?
10. I would like to put him down for his negative Italian tactics but this is the one area where I actually sympathize with him. The reason he is using defensive formations and defensive slow ball control tactics is because they make his team better than they really are. It is high percentage football, not champagne football and it allows an average team to compensate for what it is missing. In this case he has done a good job but still, shame on him for forcing himself to implement it, and shame for us that we are forced to have to tolerate it. Wenger was 100% right, we are playing ANTI FOOTBALL, Not “Total Football”, or “Samba Football” or even champagne football, we are destroying the great game. Why?
11. Why why why would a man who will go down as the greatest manager ever want to spoil and poison his legacy by selling out at the end and developing the cowardice and shameful disingenuous attitude that he has developed in the last 18 months? It smells of something south of cheese and it leaves me very little hope that any immediate and satisfactory solution can be made. The man has just basically sold out to the Glazer’s and hasn’t got the bollocks to stand up to them. Forget this crap that by sticking around and doing what he can he is preventing a complete meltdown by the team. If he was 50 then I would say good for him, hopefully he will outlive the owners, but he is 68 for crying out loud. We all love him and respect him and thousands and thousands of fans would riot in front of Old Trafford in order to force a sale of the team if he told us to do so. Instead, he stabs all of us in the back and turns a blind eye to our pain and frustration.
Why would he care really. We are all spoilt rotten thanks to twenty years that he has given to the club and he figures, this is the thanks he gets. How dare us question him and doubt him? Well sorry their Sir Alex, but first off you are not God, you are not my relative or even a close friend. Fergie is a complete stranger who I respect but I also look at as part of a commodity that i have bought into. And as a consumer, I have the right to be a spoilt as my dollars will allow me and frankly, I don’t like the sour taste of the product that is presently coming out of Old Trafford. Smells like rotting fish it does. Time for the old man to wake up and realize that as fans we all love him and respect him but we can easily learn to dislike his last days at OT as a time when he took everything he built, and flushed it down the toilet. And my final question is FOR WHAT? The bloody Glazer’s? It’s a tragedy mate.
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@devilinho: And certainly no to the likes of Burnley, Besiktas and Leeds United. Seven losses and three at home. My God, we really do suck. Nobody on this blog has any right to tease Liverpool after what we are doing.
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I couldn’t care less who the writer is or how biased he may be or disliked by the Manc community. What he says in this article is true and right on the money. Let Fergie have it. I love it, he called Fergie BORING.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6975882.ece?
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@Grognard: Just because he called Fergie a bully for his rant and the fact that we are all on Fergie’s case does not make that article right. Our rants at Fergie and the Glazers are much more nuanced than that. So just because someone has picked someother bone with Fergie that has nothing to do with the real problems we have doesn’t mean we have to “love it” and jump on that bandwagon.
Of course Ferguson whines, when things don’t go his way. Of course he is very stubborn. But after the Leeds defeat he also gave a public lashing of our players. He made only a minor point about the lack of time in the heat of the moment. Something we’re all capable of doing. There is no defending Fergie for some of the things he has done this season. But that particular whine about time is a very, very minuscule quibble.
Your (and most of our) problem is with Ferguson’s squad building, his stubbornness, and the over-arching presence of the Glazers. I hope you don’t let some random criticism that has nothing to do with these reasons detract you. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of criticising people for whole new host of reasons when things go wrong, that have nothing to do with your primary issues. Let’s not lose sight of that.
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@Grognard: I wouldnt wear a united jersey with ING on it ether bc united kits have aig on them and i would look like and idiot with ing on my kit
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@Grognard: recycled quotes weeks old
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@Aditya: I dont think the club is going down mate, the season so far has confirmad my pre season views, we are a decent side that is competing fairly well, but we are not the force we once were and I doubt that this current crop of players can get us back there without the addition of 2 to 3 quality signings that will bring with them a creative edge. We have become functional, not inspirational, and for many United fans brought up on a diet of great footballers its hard to digest.
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@Red Ranter: daaaaaaaaaaamn
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@Fred The Red: I can buy that.
This season is about rebuilding after the pointy end of our spear broke off.
We are seeing who amongst our lot have what it takes and who doesnt. It isn’t a painless process to be sure…
but I for one would have taken our current position(bar the loss to leeds) at the beginning of the season.
2 pts off the league and top of our group in cl. Is nothing to scoff at even if we are used to winning.
I am reserving my fury for the beginning of next season if we haven’t come close to winning any silver and we STILL havn’t spent in the transfer windows…
SAF is an old magician with his hand in the hat…
Im not going to boo him off stage before i see what he pulls out…
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@Red Ranter: The reason I liked the article mate is because it was TRUE. Fergie’s biggest problem is that he’s never wrong, he never makes mistakes. Lashing out at players when he got the squad selection and tactics all wrong and when his man management never achieved the desired effect and motivation is just wrong. You cannot sack the whole team RR. That is why it’s always the manager who gets the chop.
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@gator:
Sorry I met AIG but I was thinking ING which of course is the Dutch bank. Just momentary mental lapse on my part.
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@gator: Too many are obsessed with position. For me it’s not about position. It’s about our future potential and maintaining the entertaining attacking form of football that has been a fifty year tradition and staple with this team. I’d accept 5th or 6th place as long as I knew it was only because we were lacking the quality players and that this would soon be rectified. That isn’t the case. The reality is the cavalry is not coming to save our asses and second place is fortuitous mirage that is blinding many of the impending doom and destruction of one of the greatest sports franchises in world sports. OTT? Perhaps but I am willing to stand by comment and wait and when the the structure we know as Man Utd FC starts to crack and crumble and the whole thing topples over because of the mismanagement both on and off the field and the Glazer’s extortion.
The problem with my theories other than they are pretty extreme and hard core is that they take time to show themselves. But a warning to the wise. I have proven in the past that I am often quite right with what I say. I hope to God I’m wrong but I have surrendered to the fact that unfortunately I am not as full of shit as I wish I were. Many may think I am, but like I said, time will vindicate me, of that I am sure. It sucks to be a United fan during the Glazer age. But until last year, I always felt things would still be good until Fergie left. Well I guess I was wrong. Be afraid……BE VERY AFRAID.
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@Grognard: He didn’t get the squad selection wrong. If we can’t beat a division 3 side with that team then no squad selection can help. It was a useless performance because it was plain obvious the players weren’t up for it at all.
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@Grognard: Despite my dissatisfaction at certain elements of the club, I think it’s foolish to sack Fergie right now, all things considered.
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@Red Ranter: If he had to recycle both the starting wingers because of their total ineffectiveness, I would call that getting the team selection wrong.
You would have thought that picking 11 names out of the hat against a team of Leeds’ stature, would do the trick, but of course our entire current squad is a little lacking in stature dept themselves. The selection needed more thought, the players needed more passion. End of.
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@Redrich: I think it was plain lack of passion. End of. One doesn’t need too much motivation for a match of this stature. Regardless of the position of Leeds, you’d have thought the players would show a bit more desire and passion. The occasion has been built up by fans and managers alike prior to the match. In the stature department, players like Neville, Brown Evans don’t need to be told how important the game was. Even Gibson didn’t need to be told for that matter.
At every point of the match you saw Leeds players first to the ball. They wanted it more than our lot.
The side sent out weren’t chockfull of spring chickens either. There was Berbatov and Rooney up top and Brown-Evans at the heart of our defence. Anderson has played at much bigger games and done reasonably well. Whatever our opinions on the individual players, the side was still good enough to beat Leeds. I will concede playing Welbeck on the wings was a terrible decision. But other than that, that side should have beaten Leeds.
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@Red Ranter: You felt that Anderson and Gibson was a good choice in CMF and Obertan on the other flank was better than other options??
Starting Berbatov in what was always going to be a hard fought game, was also another dubious choice IMO
Come on mate, SAF took the game lightly and hence so did his players.
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@Redrich: I felt it was a good enough choice to win us the game.
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@gator: agreed, I stated at the start of the season that we would be in a better place to judge at the start of next season, unfortunately in my eyes it has only taken half a season to become obvious that we are lacking quality in key areas that I doubt are going to be filled from within, unless some of the kids in the youth ranks ,who are are being highly lauded I must say, fill the breach.
Either way next summer will bring with it high transfer expectations, especially if our current trend in functional one dimensional football continues until the end of the season, but I am afraid that in this department SAF is not filling me with confidence.
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@Red Ranter: So do we say it was just (another) off day, or do we say that it’s surprising that the bulk of that starting eleven couldn’t hold a candle to that Leeds team??
I don’t jump at the throat of SAF very easily or very often, but I see no good reason to give him a free pass on this or any other issue. The longer we absolve him of his misdoings the longer he will continue his autonomous ways – taking only his past legacy as reason to defy the logic of player re-investment.
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@Redrich: No I’m not saying it’s another off day. I’m saying this is a trend this season. We have consistently blown hot and cold, and it’s not always because of Ferguson’s team selection. If we played Leeds 10 times with this same side, we will win maybe 6 and lose 4. In other seasons we’ll win 10/10. I think we’ve become that inconsistent.
We have a squad that on a day can plumb depths of mediocrity or demolish a crap side. Or just win in a boring fashion. Ferguson has become a dual edged sword this season he has done alright given the side he has, and he’s lost matches he should have won. In addition, he’s also chosen to stick with this side without earmarking adequate replacements.
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@Red Ranter: I agree on much of that, mate. Lets hope Ferguson is reaching his un-comfort zone and starts to demand the new players that this team needs.
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@Grognard: The biggest problem with the Glazers as owners is that any other team with our success (however undeserved) over the past two years would be able posture with real financial muscle, and as you said, ensure our future and perserve our attacking identity. United is our heart, and for whatever reason now, she chooses to be blind to her faults. Unfortunately some life lessons require repeated failure and relaspe to emerge through a fog of denial.
There is little we can do, at this point, save wait around to pick up the pieces of what will be left. But it is important that we geniune fans remain around, even if watching silently from the sideline.
To point out the obvious, the Glazers (as scummy and sleezy as they are) intially tried to respect our history bar purchasing us in the most risky and irresponsible manner possible. But the club was a sexy minx, and they had to have her. Personally, I have more issue with the FA and financial constitutions that permitted such a takeover, but The reality is no one had amply predicted or prepared for the anvil weight of a global economic collapse. So we got doubled fucked. The choice, as they see it, is between investing in a quality team, with no guareentee of succes or sqeeuzing every bit of juice out of the present squad…. with no guarantee of failure. A bird (or in this case 80 million pounds) in the hand, eh? American business habit and emphasis is always on bottom line, where Randy is rare american synergy of common sense, patience and entrepeneurship.
So lets be around when the glazers go packing. Otherwise, let’s revolt!
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@Roge9: Well voicing your dissatisfaction as loud as you can is something you can do.
The momentum of a dissenting voice, when the chips are down, can make a difference, and often does make a difference. But to remain silent, or even worse, spin the bad into the good, will only allow the wound to fester.
Lets throw some salt on it now and take the sting, rather than endure an amputation later.
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@devilinho: Doesn’t matter. They are 2 points behind Barca, we are 2 points behind Chelsea. For all their spending they are in the exact same league position as us, and we out qualified them in the Champions League. They are all shit and should be sold for for 50p if they are lucky.
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@Traverse: So on that reckoning, how many points, exactly, are we behind Barca??
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@Red Ranter: Deep inside my heart I am not asking for Fergie’s head. He has a lot to answer for but sacking him is not what I really want. Despite all this crap over the past 18 months, I do sincerely love and respect the man even though he doesn’t even know of my existence.
What I want is the Glazer’s to go but I do want a reckoning to happen. I want Fergie to answer for his mistakes and his loyalty to the owners. I want him to turn on the Glazer’s and start showing us poor dupes (aka supporters) that he is our ally, not Big Malcolm’s. I want to like the man again. I want to respect the man again, and I want to stop feeling angry, disgusted and betrayed by the man who up until the 2008/09, never got a thing wrong in my eyes other than turning his back on those loyal supporters who formed FC United out of frustration and disgust with the Glazer takeover. I should have smelled something there, but I never. Fergie has to come home and find his family. He has lost a lot of us who looked up to him like a God. It’s not to late for redemption. I just hope he cares enough and is smart enough to realize that his great career and all his accomplishments will be tarnished if he is part of the demise of Manchester United. Not after he was responsible for building and lifting it out of a previous demise. I hope I have made myself clear.
Temper and the occasional knee jerk reaction brought about by embarrassing losses should not cloud my true intentions.
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@Red Ranter: It’s incredibly naive and overly optimistic to expect passion and dedication for an early round FA Cup or early round Carling Cup match when the manager isn’t showing the competition any respect whatsoever. For years now Fergie has disrespected both cup tournaments by playing mostly reserves up until the semi final round. He obviously is concerned about burnin g out his starters who he wants fresh for EPL and Cl matches. Fine and intelligent strategy but certainly disrespectful to the tournament and certainly not a motivator for his troops. Why start Berba and Rooney in a game like this knowing you have a big semi final derby match on Wednesday. It was incredibly dumb. Regardless of the loss, I would have played all kids and Owen for the Leeds game because at least I could count on motivating kids who are dying for a chance to show their stuff and impress. Instead he starts the likes of Neville and others who had no business on the pitch against such a minnow. I’m not asking him to take the early rounds seriously but if he is worrying about desire and motivation, he shouldn’t be starting so many of his tired and overpaid veterans to play a game against such a team. What the Hell did he expect? I’d rather have lost with all kids out there.
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@Redrich: Exactly. When he himself starts respecting the tournament, perhaps then his starters will to. Until then, he might as well play nothing but kids because at least they will be hungry to impress.
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@Red Ranter: You are missing the point. Why start so many first team players against Leeds when you have Man City in a semi final three days later? Very very dumb from a man who generally knows his business. Tough to motivate veterans when they are playing bottom feeders from League 1. Tougher even to get desire and effort when they are thinking City in a few days.
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@Redrich: The man is a stubborn old bastard who never learns and is unwilling to change his ways. So you are right, the more we give him a free pass, the less chance of him actually beginning to get the message or question his own moves. He just doesn’t get it. It’s amazing really.
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@Red Ranter: And what does that tell you? It tells me that we are not very good but does Fergie ever say that? No. Instead he keeps driving it through our brains that he loves his squad and isn’t planning any transfer window purchases. So please tell me, what is wrong with this picture?
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@Roge9: The Glazer’s were better before they lost their shirts in the market crash and the failed ponzi scheme that Madoff tried to pull off that fleeced them of what I have read is 1/3 of their wealth. After that all bets were off and the Glazer’s rolled up their sleeves and looked at United in a much more aggressive manner as a manner for them to replenish their wealth. In order for them to do that, they had to put the shackles on Fergie and the compromise was probably we will not replace you as long as you don’t question us or ask for money. Fergie was and is concerned with his legacy and so he sut up and has tried to pull it off without new players.
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@owen:
“Are you in dream?”. Dude, if you cannot read my comments and reply objectively then do not bother at all. Chelsea’s back up keeper is Hilario and he is no better than Foster. Arsenal’s first choice keeper is Almunia, that says all about them.
Anderson and Park are good squad players. They really are. You ave the temerity to label them non football players, yeah right. Park did a right job for us all these years, he is a defensive pest. Anderson can take control over a game. If your view of this side is so twisted why bother supporting and then you come out to tell me that my view is useless and that we are absolute shit. Does it take one positive comment for you to come out with that vitriolic reply?
We got knocked out of the FA cup and we lost to Besiktas at home when it really did not matter. We are in transition this season and a loss to Besiktas at home when we played the kids does not bother me much.
Did you ever read my comments? I never asked us to go after Bent or Agbonlohor, I was the one who was not very keen on either of them. It was Abhinav who came out and started talking about going after Adebayor and Bent and Agbonlohor. Get your facts right before you accuse me of anything the next time.
I do not see a massive downfall because there will not be a massive downfall. I have been following United for 9 years now and I am willing to back them even if they are relegated, would you?
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@Aditya: Transition means getting beaten by 3rd division side…Great transition period…Is n’t it???
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@Redrich: I agree, and clearly we have been, but we are now a marketshare, never again to be viewed as “fans.” In purely economic terms, we’re replaceable. And that was my point, to fight and remain after, even as no results will manifest in the interim.
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@Grognard: Do you have some links? I’d like to read up on it more.
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@Grognard: Simple reason: The FA Cup has a higher priority in his eyes over the Carling Cup. Say what you want, but the Leeds game assumed importance because of the history and because the occasion had already been built up by fans and managers alike. With such a public eye trained he made sure he had the seniors who he thought were more in touch with the occasion to play in the game. They failed which is an entirely different thing.
The Carling Cup regardless of the opposition has always been considered by him and Wenger as training ground for his youngsters. He has it on record that he WILL play his kids against Man City. He spelled this out even before the Leeds game. So there is no debate on this.
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@Aditya: I suggest you go to Sir Alex Ferguson and apply for the job of company brown noser or his PR man. Frankly, you are so full of the company line, it’s sickening to read. Park and Anderson are fucking embarrassments to the game of football. Foster is fucking pillock and he is just as good as Hilarious and Aluminum Foil Man and just as easy to beat. Seriously though, you are sounding like an official MU.com plant sent to RedRants to scare us straight.
Now this is harsh but I will say it anyway. I suggest you shut your pie hole because it’s not your disagreeing with me or Owen or others that bothers me. It’s the audacity and stupidity of your statements and the fact you are writing them with what I perceive to be a straight face.
Owen is not a “in a dream”, but thanks to your statements, you have just walked into the Grognard’s 3D House of Horrors.
We got beaten by Besiktas and it didn’t matter? Since when does any CL game not matter? There is pride on the line and we had an extremely proud and prestigious home winning streak on the line before we decided to tank the game. Why play the game if it means nothing? Frakken excuses! Remember, we are Manchester United, not some lazy second raters out for a casual stroll.
You have been following United for a whole nine Years? Whoopie fucking ding
. HOO FUCKING RAH! Try following them for over three decades or for longer like me and some of my compatriots on this blog. Did you live through the Busby years and the disgrace of 74 and the fall in the mid 80′s and then tell us how we should feel because you are willing to enter the cesspool with the club should it choose to fall that low?
Am I or Owen for that matter willing to back them if they get relegated? You have the nerve and temerity to ask anyone that question while you have been a fan for less than a decade and probably just getting used to walking without diapers? I have been a fan since 1976. I have already gone down to the second division with them mate. I have endured Ron Atkinson and Tommy Docherty and all the muppets who came after Sir Matt and before Sir Alex. I have seen this team reach all kinds of lows but I forgave them. Why? Because despite the fact that for about ten years they were shite, they were our shite. At least they still tried to entertain, they still tried to win and play attacking football and they never turned on their fans as they always respected us and appreciated us.
Then we were salvaged by Fergie the Messiah and the rest is history. He resurrected our pride and we reached unheard of heights. Hell, you weren’t even around for Cantona and you tell us that we are fickle in your roundabout way? Frankly mate, you are out of line and you know jack shit about being a hard core fan. I live in Canada and have supported the team for almost 40 years and I cannot speak like a a true Stretford lad who who has been going to OT for their entire lives and who have experienced the agony and the ecstasy. Try convincing a Salford bred and born lad like CraigMc that your voice is that of reason. Compared to what he has witnessed live, you know nothing mate. You need to know your damned role and shut up with the accusations and insults because although this blog may not have a pecking order, it has people who know a Hell of a lot more than you and who have the years and the games as experience. Don’t ever call yourself a better fan than someone like Owen on here. I hav eno problem you voicing your views, but not in aback handed manner by belittling someone else who I personally respect and who I know understand the team and the game better than I perceive you to.
You are way out of line and you know very little when it comes to this team and it’s history. You must be a teenager because you write like one but even Footy4Eddy is a teen but writes with a Hell of a lot more wisdom and respect for the team, the game and it’s supporters. Above all, he respects those who are on this blog, especially the older crowd who don’t appreciate a smug little horses twat telling them how to be fans and what it means to be a real Manchester United supporter. Yes I may not own official Man Utd reusable diapers like you, but I know what a real fan looks and sounds like. Sorry for the hostility, but mate, you touched a real nerve with your attack on Owen. As far as I am concerned, it was an attack on a lot of us who do not share your viewpoint. I’d like to say I respect your views on players and on the team but frankly your viewpoint has so many holes in it and it smells so bad that I mistook it for moldy Swiss cheese.
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@Roge9: Not off the top of my head mate but I am sure you can easily Google them by typing words like Glazer’s, ponzi scheme, debt, market crash, Tampa Bay Bucs and Glazer’s etc. That’s how I found a lot of the stuff I read. I must also say that a lot of what I say is based on 25 years of business sense and being able to piece several news articles and actually combine the facts to get a clearer picture of what is going on. But a lot of my info and my accusations can be found on them very easily by just Googling a combination of lead in words.
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@Red Ranter: I don’t disagree but not at the 3rd round stage against a muppet minnow like Leeds. Fergie should have put faith in his youngsters to be able to handle Leeds because Fergie needs to take the Carling Cup more seriously right now because he is one game from reaching the final. If the semi final opponent was a team like Leeds, then I think they could reverse the situation but it is not. Instead it’s derby vs a very hot Man City. Considering how inconsistent and overly useless that we are, we need to take that game far more seriously because trying to win any trophy this season is priority. Reaching for the one near to you makes more sense than the one that is 6 or 7 matches away, don’t you think? There is no debate on this? Well damn it RR, yes there is.
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@Grognard: Completely way out of line and uncalled for. Owen made a back handed remark on Aditya, and he responded in a back handed way. It’s between them and for you to step in and tell people to shut their pie hole is way out of line.
Now you’ll tell me I am slapping you on the wrists, but anyone who’s told to shut his pie hole will only feel antagonised. Completely uncalled from you.
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@Grognard: If it makes you feel better to win a Carling Cup, good for you. I couldn’t care less about the Carling Cup.
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New post up by the way.
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Craig gonna love this….
Scott from ROM….
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@Red Ranter: Sorry but he annoyed me to the nth degree. Considering all the times i have been over sensitive about being insulted I know this comes as a bit of shock to you that I would cross the line but I honestly cannot handle the diaper rash crowd lecturing guys on how to be true fans or about their naive and delusional player assessments. So shoot me for being an elitist. I deserve the slap on the wrist but in this situation, I felt it a little tough love was needed, even if it was going to get me into shit with you. Call it a judgment call on my part. No excuse but I am in a piss poor mood today and I took it out on somebody who crossed my tolerance line. Sometimes people need a backhand slap to make them see some sense and to properly respect others who’ve been around longer and no a bit more. When I consider how many times I have been attacked and antagonized, well lets just say I am owed a few even though I was wrong mate.
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@Red Ranter: I don’t give a rats ass about the Carling Cup and you should know this because I have said for many years now. But the fact is Fergie should be weighing competitions the way you would weigh multiple hands in poker. You go with the hand that will give you the best chance of winning a trophy or money. In the case of Fergie, a semi final which is one game away from a final is a better bet for silverware, than the 3rd round of the FA Cup. It’s got nothing to do with which competition is greater, it’s all about playing the odds and the chance United winning the Carling Cup were much better than the FA Cup.
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@Aditya: You keep on mentioning that “…we are in a transition period…”.
What exactly are we transitioning from? More importantly, what are we transitioning to?
We lost ONE player (the other player we aparently never wanted anyway – because apparently he is too clueless when it comes to using a cellphone for sms messages). What amases me is the fact that ‘cashing in’ on ONE player can bring about a team “transition”. I always thought United were more than one player? Besides, it is my belief that Fergie (and the entire dressing room) knew at the beginning of last season already that slave would be moving on to pastures new. Last season was supposed to be a preparation for that. Therefore the patience with a disinterested Berbatov that took a while to adapt. What’s with transitioning of the old vets are getting contract extensions?
For the record, I can see some sort of “transitiong” effect, but I fail to see why? Also, I find it difficult to see whereto we are transitioning (or maybe I just don’t like the direction we are seeming to transition to).
We should not be transitioning, we should be evolving. The rebuilding is already a few seasons in the making. It should have been time now to capitalise. My belief was always that the transitioning will come once SAF retires. To me this smacks of bad planning and lack of vision.
My point is not to focus on technicalities of terms, but rather that we cannot hide behind the excuse of “we are in transition”. We are Manchester United. We set standards. Transition excuses are for teams like Arsenal (who’ve been stuck in transition for the past 10 years or so), and Liverpool (20).
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