Apr 02
Title-Chasing United to Pass Tough Ewood Park Test?
Ewood Park has had a tendency to be an unfriendly place for Manchester United, but a win there tonight against Blackburn will not only significantly aid United’s title charge, but it’ll help make up for the embarrassing 3-2 defeat that Blackburn inflicted on New Year’s Eve.
United have come a long way since the back-to-back defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle, at least in regards to league form, and another fine performance tonight will bring title #20 even closer to being realized.
Tonight’s lineups, without further ado:
Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Jones, Scholes, Rooney; Hernandez
Subs: Amos, Smalling, Giggs, Park, Pogba, Young, Welbeck
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson; Orr, Dann, Hanley, Olsson; Lowe, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Olsson; Hoilett, Yakubu
Subs: Bunn, Dunn, Modeste, Formica, Petrovic, Rochina, Henley
Related items from Red Rants:
The_Philosopher (397)
Redrich (214)
Opti (203)
Moscow (147)
Stephen (144)
8/1 United winning 2-0 at HT…..don’t mind if I do!
come on the Reds
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Substitute Jones already.
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thia ref sucks 0 control over the game totally handball placed outside of the body
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handball and then I foul on evra in the box and give them a corner
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Thank god for De Gea we are not behind. Some top saves by the lad.
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Play Hernandez as lone striker who has 95% lose the ball percentage? Check
Shunt our top goalscorer to the left? Check
We have nothing coming from the centre due to the shit midfield, and thanks to Rooney being played out of position AGAIN, we have nothing from the left. Blackburn figured us out after the first 15 minutes, they are doubling up on Valencia already and intercepting Rooney’s Hollywood cross-field blasts. And to think we can still set a PL record for most points this season, goodness me…
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Pogba 4 jones
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Its really not the refs fault all we have in our arsenal is wing play today, I mean talk about being one dimensional, welbeck needs to come on and hold the ball as hernandez can’t and therefore everything is through the wings
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And what the fuck is Howard Webb doing? Valencia doesn’t even touch Olsson, gets booked, N’Zonzi grabs Jones by the neck and throws him down right in front of him, nothing. That makes perfect sense
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What a drab game with Blackburn desperate to get a point out of it. there is no attacking from the middle unless we are barca and vally is playing too wide in my opinion. Break them down guys. we need to be 8 up before mancity plays Arse.
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Webb is fucking blind
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VALENCIA FUCKING VALENCIA!!!! GET IN!!!
He’s our spark… brilliant today!! KEEP IT UP!
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EPL champions 2012
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Mancini, that is how you win the EPL. Grazi!
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Vally is a fucking machine! Best winger in the world by a mile! Vally redefines consistency…
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Valencia excites me.
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Final third performance was below average for 80 minutes from Chicharito, Welbeck, and Rooney. Not having a left wing did not help.
Valencia is MoM being the man behind EVERY useful United attack. Young is in a rich vein of form.
Valencia will surely be PoY even with Rooney’s goal tally.
I AM BOUNCING ALL OVER THE PLACE>….. in my head
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@Opti: Valencia was outstanding but to me De Gea is MoM. He produced at least 3 top saves. Had Blackburn scored I’m not sure how this game would have ended.
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@Andrei: Good to keep balance. De Gea and Vally were excellent in their own way
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Wish Nani was even half as good as Valencia…
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Mancini had gut feeling United will draw this game
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@Owen: Mancini will NEVER EVER have a gut again… until his gut goes on 5-month vacation to Argentina and plays golf.
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@Opti: Few days back,even Jesus Christ came in Kompany’s dream and said they will win the title
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@Owen: yes, yes, yes, yes, and Tevez saw the light about Man City and was resurrected to win the title.
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From BBC, “Somewhere, there is a fat lady clearing her throat now”
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Now let’s not get carried away lads…
WE’RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE BITCHES
What must Patrick Vieira be thinking?
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Benitez: FACT
Mancini: NEVER EVER
Who’s next?
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Rafael – totally brilliant, what a little fighter, gets stuck in, gets forward, but doesn’t make a mess of it every time he goes forward like a certain Mr Evra. Evra plays like a left winger, but with zero end product, whats all that about game after game after game after game. Oh Ev will you never learn? Think Ashley Young was looking to make a name for himself tonight, or at least a bid to be a starter
Two cracking goals, and worth the wait for them to come. I don’t think Valencia was shooting for goal, he was trying to get the ball across, but anyway who cares, it went in the net.
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@Craig Mc: Too fucking right craigy, cant believe the lack of praise hes got. Has been fantastic for bloody weeks now save the bilbao game.
Really pissed off me actually after that game, some so called expert doing the end game analysis, saying rafael will never be a full back at this club
Yeah, because he hadnt been watching the previous 2 months where he was sodding magnificent, bloody idiot.
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Mancini oh oh, Mancini oh oh,
You didn’t get your draw, you’ll never make a seer.
Mancini oh oh, Mancini oh oh,
Your blue moons going down, Ballotelli is a clown.
Mancini oh NO, Mancini oh NO
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Valencia for No 7 shirt next season? Anyone?
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@Moscow: he’s too old, imo. Give it to Munain
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De Gea, and Rio – IMMENSE!
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Rio was mixed in this game. A couple fantastic tackles but also a couple silly moves and falls.
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7 games to go, 5 pt lead….
If we can keep this lead with 4 games to go, I will call the league. If we can extend lead coupled with City loss at Emirates, I will call it next week… CAN’T WAIT!!!
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Yesssssssss What a strike by Vally to break the deadlock. He needs to come inside more often and be a constant threat. he is all game but he can be an even bigger one working with Rafael. Great pair play those two. Nice wrapup by Young as well. Great passion in the end. Now QPR and 8 points ahead and Mancini will crumble!
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Christ, one things for sure. None of us are gonna live to an old age
united always putting us through the fucking mill like that 
But its all worth it. Were nearly there fellas. Suck on that mankini.
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@tonymontanna4united: Some part of me wishes I could support a club like Aston Villa, little stress, just enjoying the footy. But nothing beats the elation of nights like these, I wish I was in there with the away fans going mental.
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@Moscow: Likewise mate. Blackburn away is always a fantasic game, atmosphere wise. Always make our voices heard and pretty much take the place over
The fans were magnificent tonight thats for sure, done the team proud. If only we were half as loud at OT.
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@tonymontanna4united: exactly… I was soooo angry after first half then boom. Screaming
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Because of lackluster performance in Europe United remarkable run in EPL has gotten little attention. Consider this: in the last 10 games since loosing to Newcastle 3-0 United have won 9 games and drawn only once (Chelsea 3-3).
I think today is the turning point and United will not look back. I expected it to happen next weekend with City losing at Emirates but it is irrelevant now. Plus given Arsenal performance at QPR their much advertised revival is a bit exaggerated. I don’t see them getting more then a point next Sunday. I even fancy Chelsea going on the run and finishing 3rd ahead of Spurs and Arsenal. As far as the EPL title race is concerned I expect United to beat City to formally wrap up the title in mostly irrelevant game.
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Errr am I seeing things, or was the Hernandez shot that Robinson pushed against the post actually over the line. I am sure the ball was behind the line and it should have been a goal. Did anybody else think that, or am I indeed seeing things? I could swear it was a goal
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@Craig Mc: my feed clearly showed it was not over.
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@Opti:
I better go to opticians then for a test and GOD forbid some spectacles 
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@Opti: @Craig Mc: Yes you need to
It wasnt over at all
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if anything this game showed that we cant play anything other 442. Or rather we dont have a squad for it, but I can understand why we did start 433 and as a result Rooney played too deep the whole game and ww were one sided while attacking. Vally and De Gea was immense.
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@RMJ: We can play 4-3-3 if we play the right personnel. Rooney on the left is not the answer.
Back5-Carrick-Jones/Ando-Giggsy/Cleverly-Young-Rooney-Nani/Valencia
A front 3 of Young-Rooney-Nani(Dr.Jekyll version)with all 3 interchanging positions, can, in my opinion, be a good, if somewhat impoverished version of the Rooney-Tevez-Ronaldo troika.
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@RMJ: Fergies line up didnt make sense against blackburn, Unless his plan was to keep it tight until the last 20 minutes of the game then go for it. By playing hernandez up all alone, Playing Jones in MF and pushing Rooney over to the left He gave them no chance to have a impact on the game.
Based off form alone, Young shouldnt have been dropped for this game. He is by far an away our best left sided winger and he wouldhave stretched the defence to give Vally more room. The only reason I saw for giving Jones a run out was because it was against his former club. if thats the case then Rafa should have been dropped to allow JOnes to play at RB, where he has been most effective this season. He is horrible in midfield and should have been hauled off at halftime.
Hernandez cant upfront on his own, and against a defense that was intent on parking the bus he really had no room to work with. With his pace he needs defenses to play a high line that he could exploit. I would have played welbeck from the start because he has the ability to play with his back to goal, then I would have brought on chicha late in the game when blackburn would have been chasing the game.
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@johnsom33: The reason he played Jones and 5 in midfield was that Blackburn battered us physically at OT. Fergie wanted some bodies in there who could essentially compete.
Jones had a stinker and clearly is not ever going to be a central midfield player. He will be a top centre half in a few years and needs solely to be played there. With the emergence of Evans, he seems to be falling down the pecking order, but he is young and will have a long career with us.
Valencia is a beast, he is a player who never goes below 7 out of 10. He is strong and direct and the most underrated player in the league.
Fantastic game last night and a great performance, but please Ferg stick to one formation.
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@Stephen: We got battered at OT cause we had a midfield tandem of Park and Rafael.
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