Apr 11
Sunderland Preview
There is little else left to talk about midweek. Most of what I had to say has already been touched upon in the comments section in the last post. So let’s move onto today’s game.
United will be looking to take the positive result against Villa when they play Sunderland, who have been more or less in relegation form lately. However, teams have realised that the best way to play us is to attack us, which, on a better day should actually suit our style. Strangely, this tactic, of attacking us to submission, has actually worked, thanks to a defence wilting under pressure aided by a seemingly punch drunk midfield making life even harder for the back four.
United’s target will be really simple and two fold: get on the scoresheet, and more importantly, get through a game without conceding a goal.
The latter is critical towards our side looking to revert to its more familiar, imperious self ahead of a testing trip to Porto. So the importance of maintaining clean sheets can’t be more emphasised. Making this task tougher, however, is a dearth of defensive personnel; Rio is still out and is likely to be 50:50 for Porto and Jonny Evans is nursing his groin. So the patched up back four will consist of a Patrice Evra, who’s playing like he’s seeing two balls at the moment, a Nemanja Vidic who is a pale version of the peerless centre half at the heart of our clean sheet record earlier, a John O’Shea and a Gary Neville, whose got disaster written all over him at the moment.
On the upside, Rio, Rafael and Brown aren’t too far away from their return, in that order, and that makes for a comforting thought.
Wayne Rooney who was the subject of reports that he may have a niggle, is in fact fit. So that’s one worry Ferguson won’t have to deal with. Berbatov, meanwhile continues to be out and, according to this table, his earliest reported return date is the 19th of April.
Considering it’s Sunderland, one would hope Ferguson would field a 4-4-2 formation despite it being an away fixture. His decision to field a 4-3-3 at home, in midweek, was a rather shocking one that wasn’t touched on by most media outlets that criticised United’s performance. I don’t understand the need for fielding a defensive setup while playing at home even on a European night. That we were jaded and might have still been poor had it been a positive 4-4-2 is besides my point.
On the starting XI, I suppose our back four would comprise of Evra, Vidic, O’Shea and Neville. Carrick and Fletcher might play in the middle, flanked by Ronaldo and Park/Nani. Tevez and Rooney would be up front, assuming Fergie decides to give the Argie some minutes on the pitch from the beginning.
Sunderland have some injury worries of their own, but it seems they’ll get their first choice ‘keeper, Craig Gordon back in contention. So brace yourselves for a stormer from their record signing. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Prediction: I’d hope for a 1-0 win but I suppose it would be 2-1 to us and an ugly one at that.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Evra’s Ban Smacks of Inconsistency | Sunderland Preview
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
- The Academy: United v Sunderland – Preview
- The Manchester United Pledge
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
Stephen (485)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Craig Mc: He needs to rotate now more than ever because the whole squad is tired after a long and grueling season that has also limited players due to many injuries. 1995 is over mate. The game isn’t played like that anymore. I’m mad at the way starting pitchers are used in modern baseball. They used to go 8 or 9 innings and now you are lucky if your starter goes 6 innings because the game has changed and specialization has entered the tactical playbook. Now teams carry specialists on the bench for the purpose of rotation and limiting the damage that wear and tear can cause to starters. Pro sports has become a real pussy convention, don’t you think?
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@Eric the Red: And all I was saying was that if he meant that, he may end up dying before ever achieving it.
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@Red Ranter: I don’t write if for the players. I know they don’t read it. Give me a little more credit than that, I’m not that naive. But I am writing as an irrate but loyal fan voicing his dissatisfaction with the status quo at OT at present. It’s for any eyes that want to read it.
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@Grognard: I was agreeing with you and echoing your thoughts in different words. And adding to some of your points. It was in general response to the cross section of people talking about getting behind the side irrespective of their performances, on this blog. I was trying to address them, in addition to your points, by saying getting behind the side on the terraces, during the game is fine. But on the blog, it’s quite alright to point out deficiencies if any, and have room for debate.
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@Red Ranter: Your so wrong on all counts!
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@Craig Mc: Er, okay.
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@Red Ranter: We’ve debated the fuck all season though, and NOW is the time to just get behind the team, and roar them thru to the trophies.
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@Grognard: They do read it, and that is a FACT, a true fact, and not a Rafa type fact. How many times do I have to tell you, that one of United’s 1st team players wife, is a friend of my friend. That player says they browse this site and one or two others.
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@Grognard: Would, could, should, but we aint. As for Fergie, why should he be such a bastard to Nani because of one red card – please. He should try then to look at Vida, and Rooney, Scholesy etc etc etc – who have MORE reds, and thru far worse behaviour in Roons case, and much handball in Scholesy’s sake. But in all of this I don’t care, Fergie shouldn’t have favourites, while treating others like shit, Wes Brown and Nani etc. I am choosing right now though just to get behind EVERY player on the field wearing United red. I want to bring home the trophies – end of. If we don’t deserve the silverware as some of you seem to infer, then neither do any of the other teams, who have just turned up for the last few games.
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@Craig Mc: im with you my friend, we all would love to see champagne football flowing from our team but at this point in the season its all about the three points first, performance second.
I said the same thing last season after the criticism of our team after the first leg against Barca, yes we played awful that night but at that stage of the season my desire to get behind the team no matter what outweighs my desire to criticise them and thats the way it should be in my opinion.
We are not firing on all cylinders at the minute which is worrying, but we are edging closer to finish line with our noses still in front so first and foremost its important we stay there coz to win whenever your not playing well is a trait that all teams that win the the premiership must display at some point in the season, which is why Liverpool sqandered thier big lead when they failed to convert draws into wins around christmas time, yes they are playing well at the minute and you must give them credit for it, but leagues are won and lost over the course of a full season and not just over golden four week periods coz during our golden period Liverpool dropped a lot of points so after the peaks and troughs of the season so far we are in poll position, so we should be backing our team all the way to the finish line, the post mortems and analylis can wait until after the race is run.
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Anyway, I gotta hit the sack
. Goodnight ye all, and see you soon 
. Off now to my beauty sleep 
.
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@Craig Mc: Roar them we will, and I suppose those on the terraces are doing that. But that’s where it really counts — during games. Morale can be heightened when the players need fan support the most — which is on the pitch, during a game.
Everyone is behind the side, which is why we are United fans. But when we see something is not right we can point it out. I have been mostly positive of the side through the season, and given them the benefit. And when I see they don’t perform I point it out. It strikes me as rather odd that when people like yourself have laid onto some of the players during the course of the season and defend that by saying: “This is a rants blog”, yet suddenly feel the need to tell others to tone it down when they don’t agree with you. This is a rants blog at the beginning of the season, in the middle, and at the tail end of the season. If not hysterical rants, at least a site for debating and sharing opinions.
I am as much as a United supporter and want success for our club as many on here. And mildly pointing out the error of ways of our players isn’t wrong at any time in the season, as long as its balanced and not hysterical. In my case I can say that I have been mostly balanced in my assessment of our sides strengths and frailties. So allow those of us who want to, to debate about our side. There’s no rule that says we have to stop debating at a certain period of time in the season.
Also it’s not that roaring like wild men between now and wednesday is going to help our throats or solve global warming.
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@Red Ranter: Yes, expat. Lived in Northern California since 1977. Originally from Walthamstow E.17.
There, now you all about me!!
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@Grognard: OK maybe I’m just being a dullard here and not explaining myself well.
My point is that that is exactly what he didn’t say. He never said he would continue until he won 2 more European cups (you’re right he might die trying). Rather he said that if he were to win 2 more (maybe in the next few years) then he could easily quit and be happy about it. Hope that clears up any misunderstanding we might be having.
Cheers mate, as always, from a fellow Canadian Red.
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@NicoQB: I think my point is that we are playing poorly as a team. If it was just the MF, the problem would be fairy simply to understand.
But a poorly performing MF does answer why we are making huge mistakes at the back and missing bags of opportunities up front. The issue is that so many players, all across the pitch, are playing well below their capabilities.
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@Craig Mc: Sorry mate but RR agrees with me in general and that makes him very RIGHT.
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@Craig Mc: Yes like they can hear me out here in Canada when I am behind them 100%. RR is right mate, it’s one thing to be completely supportive in the stands where the team can hear your support and rally behind it, but it’s entirely different on a blog they never frequent to voice our honest displeasure and concern over the Punch and Judy act they have been offering up of late. Sorry mate, I hate disagreeing with you but on this one we are at opposite ends of the matt.
Hope you don’t hold that against me.
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@Craig Mc: Well if they do read it they better start taking the words of the Grognard to heart because he loves them all like a strict father and he’s ready to spank their bottoms over their poor play of late. Seriously though, I’ll bet the ones that do read it are in the reserves. They have the time to waste where the first teamers are too busy and to tired to give a damn about blogs. And on the chance Fergie is reading this right now, Fergie, fire the muppet Phelan and hire me the Grognard. You know I am the chosen one. Now make it so.
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@Craig Mc: I’ll be honest with you, when Nani got that red card, I don’t know if I was ever as pissed off with a player as I was that day with him. That red stuck with me for a long time and if you can, go back into the blog’s archives and read the venom that I was spewing out towards the Lil Man. I hated him at that moment with a passion because i felt he might have cost us the EPL title. Well the summer helped mellow my heart towards him as well as him hammering home a penalty against Chelsea in the CL final. All was forgiven just like I forgave Ronaldo. You and I see what he is capable of, but his attitude at practice, in the dressing room or his indifference to defensive duties may be the root cause for him spending the entire season in the dog house. I honestly don’t know and I am only guessing based on what I read and see. I just wish he would give him a decent run out there because on a poor day, this lad offers ten times more than Park does at peak form.
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@Craig Mc: It’s how you finish the race that matters Craig, not how you start it or how you are doing half way through it. Champions are determined at the finish line. Lets see who finishes first after this Hell bent season. Lets put it this way, if United get their shit together and actually win the League and even possibly the other trophies, we will chalk it up to winning ugly. They will have redefined the term winning ugly, because that’s exactly what it will be.
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@Craig Mc: Your beauty sleep? I guess that would require going comatose eh?
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@Red Ranter: “Also it’s not that roaring like wild men between now and wednesday is going to help our throats or solve global warming.”
You are correct. All that hot air being served up will probably do more harm in the area of global warming.
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@Eric the Red: I know what he was trying to say but he never articulated it particularly well and he left it open for many to misinterpret his meaning. He wants to stick around for a couple more years and win a couple more European Trophies. It only took him 20 years to win his first two and he thinks with this present bunch in the form and age they are at he will win two more? Only if he makes some wholesale changes and finds his mojo, which has gone missing all season.
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@Grognard: “Your beauty sleep? I guess that would require going comatose eh?
Thats cold mate…haha
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@Grognard: It’s also possible that Global warming is an easier problem to solve than our current malaise!!
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@Grognard: I think one “wholesale change” could be to bench Tevez and Bertatov. Let them watch from the sidelines, at a 17 year old, coming out of the reserves, and grabbing the hearts and attention of the entire football nation.
Could be that it’ll start a fire in their bellies and make them perform to the heights at which they are paid. Either that or they should be sent packing, and I mean Overnight!!
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@Grognard: I Love the idea of “Wild Men Roaring”, it reminds of Cantona!!
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@Roge9: It was also a joke between buddies.
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@Redrich: It is. The solutions for global warming are very simple. Just stop emitting specific elements into the air and it will stop. United’s problems are a little more psychological I’m afraid and a whole lot more mysterious.
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@Redrich: I agree, but I doubt it would increase Berbatov’s heartbeat because Vampires don’t breath. They are already dead.
As for Tevez, there is nothing wrong with his desire or effort, he just sucks with the ball at his feet. Fergie doesn’t have the guts to start Macheda the rest of the way.
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@Redrich: Nothing about this current team reminds me of the King.
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@Grognard: “Fergie doesn’t have the guts to start Macheda the rest of the way
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He was bold enough to put him in the CL squad and he played him today as well.
SAF sat down Ruud when he didn’t perform and sold Beckham when he didn’t conform. The idea of SAF being chicken shit about issues like that is unfounded. SAF will stall on Berbatov because the whole idea of him (SAF) being so wrong, would be a hard pill for the club (and him) to swallow.
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@Grognard: “Nothing about this current team reminds me of the King”
I know, and aint that a fucking shame!
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@Redrich: There’s talent there but there is no heart or grit. And when there is heart it’s usually misplaced in moments of emotional stupidity. Example, Wayne Rooney.
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@Grognard: Well OK, you know I rate Rooney and dismiss his emotional approach to the game. And, frankly, you seem to want me to get in a pissing contest about it all. But, you know, I’m just not that interested in that kind of contact.
I’m 56 years old and all this sparing doesn’t rock my world any more. I love to talk about United and I’m happy to banter back and forth with you and anyone else that seems to care about all this stuff, but please don’t make it a priority to piss me off.
I do think you have vital perspectives on our team, but I just think you need to keep them all, and us, in perspective!!
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@Redrich: 56 years of age? – wow you deserve respect from some of us youngsters –
. If you have been a Man United fan that long, I salute you mate, you have seen and watched them a lot longer than me 
.
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@Redrich: What the heck are you going on about mate? The last thing I was doing was sparring with you. I was debating things and discussing our points of view. At no point was arguing or getting into a pissing contest. I too like Rooney but his lack of discipline concerns me and for that reason he isn’t a great leader in my eyes. How am I pissing you off? Christ sakes I’m 50 myself so it’s not like you are talking to a frakken kid here. I deal with the same issues as you. My perspectives on the team are my own but on a ranting site filled with Man Utd fans I choose to share them and debate. What exactly did I do to offend you? Did I call you a name, did I insult you? Please explain. I do nothing but show respect to everyone on this site until they call me names or insult me or if they cross the line with somebody else. Then I might get into it with them. I certainly never detected that I was sparring with you.
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Errr ‘d like to apologise this morning, I looked back thru my posts post game yesterday, and I guess I may have offended some, unintentionally! Sorry about the language too! I was what you might call bladdered, because I spent a long time in the pub with Ex Uni friends BEFORE the game, and after at my place. Unusual for me, because I NEVER care to drink BEFORE a game, unless I get into too much verbal confrontation on the terraces. The GF complains about matchday drinking, but I work so bloody hard all week, and Wkends is the only time I get out with the lads for a few bevvies. Well matchdays anyway. So mucho apologies folks. No disrespect meant.
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@Grognard: You cheeky GIT. I am handsome as the sunny day – errr according to my Mum that is
.
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@Grognard: Wild fans roar, while the team rush in, and take it all, in every championship. Nothing like the OT roar in full throttle.
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Terrace banter from yesterday :-
1. Rooney on the left wing AGAIN, where he can do the LEAST harm. What did he do to Fergie, to be exiles to the by-line?
2. Scholesy is so old now, that the jump he did for the headed goal has knackered him, and he has disappeared to his retirement home for the rest of the game. Awwww poor Scholesy.
3. I think we translated Macheda’s name wrong from Italian, I believe the correct translation is Machette, because he can cut thru opposition defences like butter
.
4. None of the other United players know how to play with Kiko, because he is so good it bewilders the rest of our strikers. They are not used to it.
5. Giggsy is so good at passing the ball and NOT getting it to a United player, that consistent betting on him in this respect has won me loads of dosh at the bookies. Yeah, I believe he has been given the PFA award this year, as the BEST man at giving the ball to the opposition.
6. Yeah, I have had a bet every week this season, on how much time Park spends on his arse in a game, and I’ve WON a mint. So much money from the bookies in fact, that they have shut the books to me on “Park on His Arse.”
7. Berbatov is called Count Dracula, because he is still dead in his coffin, even when he is on the pitch.
8. United should have got rid of their Deadwood last bonfires night, not left it to end of season clearance sale.
9. Hey lads, am I drunk or is our MF playing great? Great tackling from those guys in red and white. Yes mate, you are not just drunk but stupified, the MF playing in red/white today are Sunderland. Our lot are playing in blue.
10. One really drunk lad on the terraces (NOT ME)
said, “I hate that Ref Stiles, I want to go down and jump him.” His mate said, “I’d leave the jumping to the handicap race horses, they are much more adept at Jumping stiles, you will just break your neck mate, and I’d be pissed, to miss the rest of the game accompanying you to the hospital, or the local NICK.
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@Grognard: I’m holding too many things against you Bro – so I don’t have any space in the cupboard for any more
.
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@Grognard: No, that makes even RR very wrong
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@Red Ranter: RR I admitted that all season I have ranted and had my say. But this is not the time to continue to re-iterate to the team how shit they are. They are down, and need to be picked up, after the verbal batterings they have gotten most season. There is a TIME and A place for everything.
. This is the time to rally round, but I am not insisting those of you who want to continue to pour scorn shouldn’t do so, if thats your leaning. Free country mate!
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…just had ana amazing thought..
Imagine if we could get Wesley Sneijder as part of the Ronaldo to Mardrid deal…
would solve most, if not all our current midfield problems. theres no denying he is the ready made replacement for Scholsey!! Box to box, goal scoring midfielder
im praying hard for this one
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realred, if i could have anyone in the world to come into our midfield it would be xavi or iniesta. Its a god damn joke that city think they can bring iniesta to their dump for 35 mil. Seriously though iniesta or xavi would just be so great to come in, infact if we sold ronaldo i would be prepared to spend the majority of it on 1 of these 2, them or fabregas anyway. But yes probably after those 3 players wesley would be my next choice. Real really considering they call themselves a top team really do have shit players, apart from the dutch lot (robben, ruud, wesley) and a few spanish and argentines their entire team is just full of garbage players. I swear there are more players i would take from tottenham than madrid.
Anyway changing the subject is anyone else worried about all this debt issue. I know its just media bs and no1 knows the true figures but it really does get you worried when you hear we might be going bust, having to sell players etc. Beforehand i wouldnt believe it too much and always thought to myself some billionaire would come and bail us out in any case. But with all this credit crunch and that going on i just cant see any1 really coming in and paying over a billion quid for us just to release us from our debt, and thats before they give us money for players etc. what do you all think.
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I would like Wes Brown and Rafael treated properly once and for all! Our defense is in titters and tatters.
Park had a very poor game last nite! Scholes’ passing was awful.
Something is seriously wrong with Berbatov.. either his deployment or his game in our setup. He had an amazing tally of 1 shot in over an hour of playing.. that too when set up on a plate for him by Scholes… and even that wasn’t on target!
If he must hold the ball and keep possession and bring others into play and blah blah, I’d stick him in midfield. Carrick had more shots on goal than him for heaven’s sake.
And so much for Ben Foster!
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On to more positive things..
Kiko saved our bacon again. Well done boy! And thanks for the points in fantasy football!
Also kudos to Carrick for shooting at goal more than Berbatov and Tevez..and he did decent enough in midfield duties as well.
Ronaldo tracked back.
Rooney again left his Looney self at home, and was a constant threat. Good assist.
What else.. nothing much I think!
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I would like to say that I am digusted with the way the team is playing these days, and add to that I am ashamed of the players we have on our team and our leader the SIR alex ferguson.
In the game yesterday all I could hear from the fans are United chants but on the field we all saw CRAP, crappy football from a team I thought is worthy of champions.
90 minutes of Manchester United used to be the joy of my week, now I dread the day United are playing because I know it will not be enjoyable, I have not enjoyed Machedas goals whatsoever, against a team that lost 5-0 to liverpool the week before we should have destroyed them, and sunderland 17th in the league, what the hell!!!.
I love United so much, but I am considering not to watch any more games the rest of the season, but because I do love them I know that wont happen and I will cheer them on.
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@Hannoodi: I can understand being “digusted with the way the team is playing these days”.. but you are “ashamed of the players we have on our team and our leader the SIR alex ferguson.”???
You are ashamed of the leader?? Of Fergie?? Is it because he gave us bucket loads of trophies??? Or is it the Scottish accent that knocks you back??
You’re just mixing the temporary stuff with the permanent ones. If we go on to win the title playing this disgusted way, I’d not bet on you being ashamed of our 2008-09 season a couple of years down the line.. let alone being ashamed of the players and Fergie. Cut them a little more slack buddy
!
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