United are 3.5 shots to gain their revenge on City in this weekend’s derby clash at the Etihad and claim a place in the fourth fourth round of the FA Cup.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will be keen to banish the memory of their meeting in the league earlier in the season at Old Trafford which saw City register a 6-1 victory.
The problem is that they have struggled with injuries in recent weeks, and come into the game on the back of losses to Blackburn and Newcastle.
They conceded three times in both those games and that is simply not good enough.
The gaffer knows the task facing United against their arch in-form rivals, and it would be no surprise to see him start with a five-man midfield in a bid to try and stop the Citizens playing free-flowing football.
If that’s the case then Rooney could well play as a lone striker, where he will go head-to-head with Kompany in what good be an enthralling battle.
On things is for sure, and that is that the United players will have to be at their best and be up for the fight if they are to progress into the next round.
There is certainly some encouragement to be taken from the stats as far as this game is concerned, and bookmakers the likes of bet65, Betfred and Paddy Power could well have underestimated their chances by offering 3.5.
This is will be the eighth FA Cup meeting between the two sides, and the Red Devils have won four compared to City’s three so far.
United have also only been eliminated at this stage once in 26 attempts since 1984 – that defeat coming in 2009/10 against Leeds.
There has also not been much between the two sides in their last seven clashes at the Etihad, with five of those games ending 1-0 – twice to City and three times to United.
I’m hoping that the real United turn up on Sunday, and if they do then this could be a very close fought affair that could be settled by a single goal.
Nani, who has a good record against City, has not been at his best of late but if bouncing back to the form that saw him tear their defence to shreds in the Community Shield when netting twice would have to be of interest in the first goalscorer market at 12 with Paddy Power.
United to win 1-0 is my idea of the outcome, and that can be backed at 11 with bet365.
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Let’s keep this thread on topic where possible – on the upcoming match.
Let’s try to keep transfer-talk on the transfer threads Sneijder: 90% Sure or Diouf thread.
It will be a closely fought affair. Hope SAF deploys a 3 man midield to counter theirs. My lineup for Sunday would be as follows:
DDG
Evra Rio Jones Rafael
Carrick Ando
Nani Giggs Valencia
Rooney
The result is all that matters, couldn’t care less about the FA cup, its worthless.
we’re gonna fucking pummel the bitters on sunday
Red Nation.. I would not say it’s worthless but it would be nice to win considering it’s been a while since we won it. Sick and tired of seeing Chelsea winning it 2 years in a row and worst of all was City winning it last year.
no way mufc loses three on the trot. its derby. throw all form book (and injuries) out the window. that fruit mancini is right for once…there will be 11 seething red devils taking the field at wastelands for fa cup derby. vamos united
Isn’t it a sad state of affairs if United are having to think about stifling free-flowing football?
Amen smartalex, read your response 2 threads back and on the last, will ignore bleachers and also hope FA do something more on Suarez.
Unfortunately I’m going to miss the match so if anyone can give me links to a highlights/rerun site without it spoiling the score would be grateful. Hard to say what the outcome will be but we need to put more effort/concentration in than we have the last 2 games and the game at OT.
Utd4life
Correct it isn’t entirely worthless I take it back, historically its a prestigious glorious tournament and over the last few years has been overshadowed by the Carling Cup and its higher pay out for winners.
I’d like the FA cup on the side, its not much of a main dish anymore and is probably a decent desert only if served with the main dish. Carling Cup is the best starter therefore more important imo than the FA Cup.
Utd4life
I totally agree with your line up, it’s really good but sir Alex said that smalling might be back for the game and am hoping cleverley will too. Do you think smalling will fit in your line up?
Cleverley won’t be back. Not even in training atm.
they think smalling will be back in training on monday, so don’t think he’ll play any part against Man Sheikhy.
I think it will be the same team for the most positions.
I can see us getting something, but we’ll have to be lucky. With the injuries we’ve got, the main one being to Vidic, we’re underdogs. It’s entirely possible for us to win, any team can win any game, it’s what football is all about, but I can see us getting stomped again.
NotoriousRedDevil – Chances are that the first decent extended highlights available on the net will be on dailymotion. About 30 minutes after Match of the Day has finished airing. Otherwise sportyhub .com may beat them to it. If you spend the afternoon searching for videos, you’ll probably be disappointed repeatedly.
It’s very tricky to avoid knowing the result, while searching for videos on the game.
You need a mate to do it, and might wait all day for anything over 6 minutes.
20 minutes is the maximum length of a medium video (affects hosting) so the first highlights that are from 14 to 19 minutes long should be chosen.
Good luck!
Lindegaard
Rafael Rio Jones Evra
Carrick Ando
Nani Rooney Park
Welbeck
Red Nation. No Valencia?!
Red nation
Where is giggs??
Red Nation.. For me, the entire season is about PL and then CL. Anything else is a bonus. I like the Carling cup because I like seeing our youngsters play. As for the FA cup, the only reason why we should seriously go for it this season is because as I said it’s been as awful long time since won the damn thing and I hate seeing teams like Chelsea and Man City win it.
Lebomanc.. If Smalling is fit then I would play him along side Rio and push Jones into Midfield and place Giggsy on bench and push Ando further up the field so that he can support Rooney.
Utd4life
Ya that might be possible but Zelh said that smalling might start training on monday
@Lebomanc
As I pointed out on a previous thread, Giggs played 90 minutes only a few days ago, and spent the whole match being given the runaround. I’d be very surprised if he’s in the frame for a start.
What does rafael have to do to play. Thought agnst bburn he and tony v were our better players. The kid has everything, guts, skill and above all confidence. I hope saf starts him this game. I think its time to go back to 451.
Lebomanc.. Yea, Smalling still isn’t fit but if SAF is bluffing then I would definitely play him along side Rio. And get the midfield combo of Carrick-Jones back together.
is smalling fit? Johny Evans? If one of them are would be nice to see carrick ando jones nani rooney in mind and berba as lone striker. Prolly best to have valencia at right back and smalling or evans with rio at CB
Kanchelskis
Well ya but most of the team didn’t play well at that match, And he might not be at his top form at this time considering his age but he has always been my fave
Does anybody think City are giving two hoots about this game.They are in the happy position that used to be ours where they will play a number of pool players as they have a league title taking preference.Shows how far we have slipped imo.
@ smartalex Cheers mate.
akanemo says:
is smalling fit? Johny Evans?
Nope neither
@Lebomanc
I’m not talking about him being dropped for playing well. More that he hasn’t got the legs for two starts in 5 days.
*for not playing well
i reckon we have to go 4-5-1 its been a good formation for us in the big euro games in the past and we will deploy it again on Sunday i feel that maybe Welbeck might play on the wing ahead of park for his aerial presence and ability to hold the ball up but the boss loves Ji in big games.
Lindy
Rafa Rio Jones Evra
Carrick
Nani Ando Park Valencia
Rooney
Like Utds chances,coming off 2 bad results City finally beginning to miss key players,i’m expecting a big performance and win.If the above odds are true haven’t seen 3/12 to one on Utd ever,take the odds and have a flutter
Lind
Val Rio Small Evra
Carr Jones/Clev
Nani Ron Park/young
Berva ….
de gea
rafeal…smallng…evans(if fit if not rio)…evra
valencia…..carrick…jones….giggs….park..
….rooney….
evans being fit is the main issue here…..id even look at replacing evra with evans if he is back by then and stick rio pairing with smalling……jones for me decides he wants to be superman a bit too much and go for everyball that comes in even if its 15-20 hards ahead of him. do not want him to start at center back
I understand the logic in going 4-5-1 but how depressing is it when one of my favourite songs is Attack! Attack! Attack!
Fuck it, attack ‘em, see if they can take it, but don’t commit the entire fucking team to their box and we can win it.
I think a freshening up of personnel must be in order because in years gone by players not performing would be dropped.
What is the real harm, as someone said earlier, of putting a youngster in with two experienced heads?
I mean, for fucks sake, might be a catalyst to controlled Cavalier football. (Cavalier, as in the big hat/ long hair sprauncey beard and sword sense. Not a Vauxhall Astra with a horse-box)
you can play attacking football with 4-5-1…when going foward the formation turns into a 4-3-3….
I wish ppl would get up-to-speed before trying to predict lineups.
SMALLING AND EVANS ARE INJURED, OK?
if man utd want to win then they have to play 4-2-3-1 which actually at d end of the game they are playing and de gea shud be keeping only because if he dusnt play how will he shine as for nani he seems to be out of form this is what i feel the team should look like from left to right evra jones evans(because rio has lost his pace and isnt as versatile as he used to be) valencia(rb) -rafael(cdm) carrick(cdm)id rather have fletcher but hes injured then id have young(since young is injured nani is d only option) on left rooney (cam) and park on right and hernandes as (st) but since hernandes isnt fit id have welbeck as (cam )and rooney as (st) and subs anderson fabio rio giggs berbatov lindengaard
smalling was supposed to be back ?!
christ peeps Smalling/Cleverly and Evans are all still injured they wont be playing Sunday!
Ferguson added: “He had glandular fever as a kid, but that’s not the case now. He should be ready for the Newcastle game, if not the City game in the FA Cup.
just seen on united site they are both out
Don’t think Utd will play a defensive line up,it’s the FA Cup not the CL last thing we need is a replay.So some of you lads figure Utd will absorb pressure and try for the 1-0 steal ?
Can someone please remind me the last time Utd played well as Rooney lone striker?can anyone tell me last time Rooney played well as lone striker? anyone
Hear ye! Hear ye!
Michael Carrick says: “The reaction outside is as though the whole world has caved in. But since I have been here we have had worse times than this. It hurts. One defeat is bad enough. Two in a row is not really what we are about.”
“We are disappointed and we are feeling it. But we are not feeling sorry for ourselves. We tend to overcome setbacks pretty well here. Hopefully we can do the same again this time. We don’t like losing, and losing 3-0 is not something that should happen. But we have to take it on the chin. There is no way round it. We have to look ahead. We can’t change what has happened in the last week.”
“Before the Blackburn game, we were playing ever so well and things were looking really good. We have had a few injuries, conceded a couple of bad goals and everything changes. But it can soon turn the other way. We are still in the mix and still have as good a chance as anyone.”
united must have one shit medical team….every year they seem to have more injuries then they should have
Shame RoM’s resident gambling expert didn’t advise us to put our money on back-to-back defeats against Blackburn and Newcastle.
I think it was just before the Rinderpest, wayne. Or even earlier.
The medical team doesn’t create injuries and i’m sure the staff and facilities are among the best in football.All this talk of having a shit medical staff is pretty silly.
@wayne
09/10, the season where he scored all those goals, mostly off Valencia’s service. He played lone striker more often than not in those games.
It.s kiddies that get bloody tonsilitus what next an outbreak of mumps or chickenpox
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We need a 5 man midfield,i really believe we do. We need to make the game as compact as possible and break down their attacks. Lets face it,we’re definitely going into the game as underdogs. Pains me to say it though.
I am expecting a performance full of fight,vigour,mental fortitude, and an up and at em attitude if i get that i will be very happy,
we need also need to curtail Silva in the middle of the park it will Carricks job to do this i feel we need to limit his impact on the game because the last day at OT he fucked us up and down the pitch i was very disappointed at the room we afforded him it was the same as Messi in the CL final we stood off them which was very naive and we got punished this will be a key element of the game Sunday.
We need Nani back to form and quick he is our key link for counter attacking football he murderd shitty at Wembley they couldnt handle him so a repeat performance please Nani.
Rooney needs to be up for it he still owes us big time and he is our talisman he needs to step up on Sunday. To be fair to him he usually does in big games gone by.
Rio needs to command that back 4 especially Phil Vida was king at that Rio needs to step up and do it Sunday,
These are my taughts a big if all this clicks we can win im gonna go for 0-1 United!
I am expecting a performance full of fight,vigour,mental fortitude, and an up and at em attitude if i get that i will be very happy,
we need also need to curtail Silva in the middle of the park it will Carricks job to do this i feel we need to limit his impact on the game because the last day at OT he fucked us up and down the pitch i was very disappointed at the room we afforded him it was the same as Messi in the CL final we stood off them which was very naive and we got punished this will be a key element of the game Sunday.
We need Nani back to form and quick he is our key link for counter attacking football he murderd shitty at Wembley they couldnt handle him so a repeat performance please Nani.
Rooney needs to be up for it he still owes us big time and he is our talisman he needs to step up on Sunday. To be fair to him he usually does in big games gone by.
Rio needs to command that back 4 especially Phil Vida was king at that Rio needs to step up and do it Sunday,
These are my taughts a big if all this clicks we can win im gonna go for 0-1 United!
every player goes through a medical before they come to the club , now im not saying they are responsible for all the injuries, but the amount of little niggles the united players get is ridiculous . letting the likes of saha and hargreaves sign. both fantastic players, but lets face it they should have checked up on their medical injury history.
We’ve not won the FA Cup for a while. If I’m not wrong, we’re the best performing club in the FA Cup history? Followed closely by Tottenham and then Arsenal or something like that? No reason why we shouldn’t put in a decent shift and try to win it. We broke Arsenal’s momentum through the FA Cup before, and who’s to say beating City won’t land them a blow heavier than they thought?
Can’t wait already.
CLEVERLEY UPDATE
A tweet from the wee man himself:
Finally some good news. Plan to b outside running in 2 weeks and training the week after that. Cnt wait to b back!
So, looks like we’ve got a month to hold out basically. Frustrating, but at least we know what to expect now. A shame his first real season has been so blighted by injury, but hopefully he’ll boost us in the run-in.
@dasilvatwins,the staff can’t control the niggles either mate.In Hargo’s case the club knew he has knee problems but took the gamble anyway.What really fucked him was playing with those injections.Both the club and player made a calculated risk and i’ve read a few articles from knee specialists that barring a operation Utd used the correct procedures.
@kanchelskis thanks mate knew it was ages ago,i’m not a fan of Rooney lone striker
Kanchelskis.. Thanks for the Cleverley update mate.
A 4-5-1 formation is not exactly a defensive line up considering the kind of players we have got- Nani, Valencia, Rooney and Giggs. If I am not mistaken, the last time we won at Etihad thanks to Scholesy’s last minute winner, we deployed a 5 man midfield and contained them very well. As much as I’d want revenge for the OT debacle, we need a guarded, tactical approach to the game. Any kind of win will do as long as we dump them out of FA cup. And hopefully, this could create a domino effect and disrupt their purple patch.
The FA cup is not a worthless competition. That was our bread and butter in the 70′s and 80′s. Might not have the prestige of years gone by, but a trophy worth winning imho.
@wayne
Depends on the situation I suppose. During 09/10 he was there almost out of necessity, as his partnership with Berbatov seemed to have stalled. It worked out well, with a huge number of league goals.
But then he got crocked and our CL and PL went down the shitter, obviously because we were too reliant on him for goals.
The great thing about his partnership with Hernandez last year was that it let others get in on the act. They shared the goals, and others chipped in. Plus Berbatov was on fire whenever he played.
The problem with sticking with 4-5-1 over a course of the season is that the ’1′ becomes indespensable.
If this was United of three or four years back then I would fancy United to take revenge against the new boys with all the money but the team has been in steady decline ever since it was common knowledge that Ronaldo wanted to leave. The team was built around him and quite simply the money hasnt been there in such a short ammount of time to do a complete rebuild around another player or group of players. Even though its been wonderful to see the Cleverly Wellbeck combo in action this year as a real taster of things to come.
I think we will be beaten by City because we dont have that back to basics player in the squad anymore. Scholes was always one you could rely on in the past and even Fletcher would come good after a couple of loses to add energy to the center of the pitch but Carrick and Anderson have never really been that player. Giggs wont be able to play a full match again, second in two weeks, Park may not have the legs for his style of play either not for a full 90mins anyway.
I feel the biggest problem with us isnt a lack of personel in the center of the pitch rather the fact Rooney and Nanis quick 1 – 2′s near the opposing penalty area have been sloppy. Often the pass not thought out properly, rushed or poor control or immediate turn or lay off not ready. We all say we need a playmaker in the center but more often than not we are in those possitions with Rooney and Nani but the passing isnt good enough. We can also blame the other players as I feel when Rooney or Nani approach the penalty area cutting in, the other players look up to watch something spectacular rather than keeping moving and make room for themselves for an easier pass. The old midfield runs from Robson, Keane or Scholes would be nice.
The difference between City and us is the fact Yaya Toure makes those runs and Silvas passes in and around the box are heads and shoulders better than either Rooneys or Nanis. Agueros jinking runs are also a factor as they make up a ray of different opertunities for them to get into the box. We do have that option but only if Giggs and Park are fit tommorow.
dasilvatwins – those are good examples of oft-injured players.
Do you seriously think that United didn’t check up on their medical injury history?
I suppose it’s just a manner of speech.
I get your point that we shouldn’t sign players that will be injury prone, but that’s easier said than done. I don’t know if we have a bad record for signing ‘glass’ players, but I do know that we specifically search for players needing medical treatment. That may seem strange on the surface, but as always, there is more than initially meets the eye.
Obertan is a good example of this accepted method of unearthing stars at a reasonable cost. We identified that he required corrective surgery in order to progress. His club did not have the resources to realize that he needed surgery. We bought him, performed the surgery, and he has progressed reasonably well from there. I’m not sure, but I think that Hernandez also came with a minor pre-condition that only we were aware of.
Perhaps Hargreaves and Saha fell into the same net. Unlikely with Saha, but Hargreaves?
The Twins were also possibly recruited with similar design.
Roms resident betting guru can’t even read odds,Utd are +250 so 2 1/2 to one.He must be including the stake back as part of the winnings
Really hoping the lads can turn the recent form around and put in a great performance against the wastelanders. They are definitely a good team and we’ll have our work cut out for us stopping Silva and the others.
-DDG
Rafael – Rio – Jones – Evra
Valencia – Carrick – Ando – Nani
– Rooney
– Welbeck
Thats what I’d like to see, but I reckon Park will play. I wouldnt mind seeing a few of the kids. I don’t know whats going on with Pogba/Morrison and their contracts, but it would be a shame to loose them thats for sure.
Sum 1 shud teech Clev how 2 rite
Da eyes of da world r on him n he’s ritein like sum kid
____________________________
Love the lad to bits though and he can’t come back soon enough for me.
Clev’s return will hopefully be simultaneous with the rest of the team hitting form and some novelty injuries for Tetley One Cup Team.
To be honest, I couldn’t be less fussed about the result on Sunday. I mean, of course it’s the bitters and a win over them is always fantastic. But, I’d rather us concentrate on the league and leave them to worry about the extra fixtures with their threadbare 17 overpaid multimillionaire mercenaries.
@Utd4life hi mate both you and kanchelskis are having to go way back to try and remember the last time Utd played well with a 5 man midfield,which is my point normally the performances are unmemorable
To be honest, 4-5-1 is outdated terminology. What you see these days, almost everywhere, is 4-2-3-1, which is a 4-4-2/4-5-1 hybrid.
When Rooney plays in a ‘front 2′, he’s actually flat with the two wingers (Nani and Young at the start of the season), with the ‘actual’ forward in front of them and two ‘actual’ midfielders behind them.
is Evans back??
would be great to see a midfield trio of
carrick, jones and rooney/ando against citeh
need to keep the ball against them
Wayne.. Yeah, some of the performances were awful when we went 4-5-1 but I did not see us getting cut open in the middle with that formation as often as it has happened this season. I personally, would not risk a 4 man midfield unless the midfield pairing is Carrick and Jones. Put 5 in the midfield and stuff them. It will be a very cagey affair but I do not want to see us getting bombarded in the midfield. And the fact that we are so vulnerable at the back makes it even more sensible to deploy a 5 man midfield.
442 is the most predictable formation in football. Not only have the best teams worked it out, but the likes of Newcastle have figured it out also. We played a 451 against city last season at OT. We won that game. Due to a fantastic strike by Rooney, I will add. If you take a player like Anderson, he performs better in a 3 man midfield imo. We should be playing formations, that get the best out of our better players. Whether it’s a 433, 4231, or a 451. Why make it easy for the opposition to work us out? Of course, you need the personal for specific formations. We’ll see what the boss comes up with for this big game.
Goat i’d take Utd at 5/2 than City at evs everyday of the week.You do know Toure has gone to the African Cup and Barry is suspened,Balotelli injured and Silva has gone off the boil lately.
Think it’s really unfair to say the team is in decline when Utd have has half the squad missing most of the year.
For everyone who wants to slam Utd’s play the team has been playing with half a squad most of the year,fuck me Bobby Manc is whinning already missing 4 or 5 players.
Trust me, if we had everyone fit then we would have overtaken City by now. If Silva and Yaya Toure get injured for the rest of the season then there is absolutely no chance of them winning the title. Their entire play revolves around them. Does anyone honestly expect the likes of Barry, balotelli, Milner, Johnson, Nasri, etc etc?? to carry them through. I don’t think so.
Nigel De Jong will be playing though. Leg breaker!
wayne
with you there mate Ill be putting money on that, thats silly odd. You never know.
Silvas still Silva, hes probably gone a little off the boil because the squads been rotated alot during christmas, hes still quality. Balotelli injured, how injured? Or is it just a bit of clouding the team sheet.
Wayne injuries may be an issue, but when the youngsters come in and show enthusiasm to play its the regulars that have failed to impress and lead the way. Thats my issue. The team is in decline mate and has been for years you must see that?
wayne
Ive always been glad of Uniteds youth policy but when Rooney and Nani are the go to guys and the most scenior of the playing staff then I worry. Because I for one dont see them as the finnished article yet. They are struggling, in the past theyve relied on Scholes and Giggs too much to bail them out and this year Giggs is alone to prop up the ship and he cant do it anymore. Certainly not twice in one week.
In decline goat? I don’t think so. Lets put it this way? When everyones fit for United, I truly believe we’re one, or two top players away from having a great squad. A top class midfielder is a must this summer. Fergie knows this imo. Then someone to eventually replace Evra. Alba and Baines would be my choices. Not many top leftbacks around Europe atm. I don’t think it’s as drastic as you’re making out. A bit of money spent for certain positions and we’ll be ok.
Goat.. I’m sorry mate but I don’t see how Utd are in decline? We have won the league 4 times out of the past 5 years and reached the CL finals 2 times in 3 years where we got outdone by a brilliant barca team. Surely, we can’t be that bad right?? I agree that we are not at our rampaging best like in 06/07 or 07/08 but we are getting there. Maybe if, like Arsenal, we hadn’t won a trophy in 6-7 years then I could agree with you but otherwise I have to disagree.
Goat think Sir Alex is in a dilemma,has alot of talented young lads who are not quite ready yet and also has a problem with signing rent boys,think he hates them to be honest.
This year though injuries have been a huge issue imo
If Fergie is holding off buying someone this window, then I think he has a target in mind for the summer. You can’t keep asking Giggsy to play in that role. One, or 2 performances aside, he’s struggled. The guys 38! still got the quality, but not the ability to get about the pitch. Injuries as Wayne said, have fucked us up too.
WillieRedNut – beside the injuries our midfield is lacking quality. Dunno if Ando will ever step up and if he’s the right player for us. And Imo we are lacking steel. I’d love to see Tunni getting through but that’s still some years away.
WillieRedNut – we do not have the personal to play 3 in midfield because none of them are fit enough, heck we can barely play 2 in midfield. Since aug 2009 this transfer era has seen the playing side suffer dramatically, and for me united’s spine is ageing, or a better word a bunch of injury prone players who can not stay fit no more than 3 months.
GoatinaUnitedShirt – I like nani and rooney can turn it on, but for me when the going gets real tough which I have noticed since the 2010/11 season it is hot and cold. For me the rebuilding process should have gone through an aggressive process after rome 09, not pick up a couple of bargain’s, but get a few bargains and sign some real top class players to prepare for the older players to wind down the years. Yes I like the boss for giving the Brazilian players a chance, but none of them are ever fit over a season. Carrick and giggs are not getting any younger, and fletcher really is fucked now. Cleverly is a huge shame, but when we look the backbone of the side that keeps the side ticking, the boss as made a huge mistake not aggressively tackling these flaws.
My line up is abit hopeful…
Ddg
valencia rio smalling evra
Carrick
Pogba morrison
Utd4life – unfortunately since the 2009/10 season the side has declined, that’s what happens in cycles era’s come to an end new one’s begin. The big concern is and major difference from 2003/06, to 2009/12, the 2003/06 side built their squad around some outstanding players once vidic and evra were signed. Go through the players, VDS ferdinand vidic evra carrick scholes giggs ronaldo rooney, that was a real strong pool of experienced players, who were technically brilliant and had the know how on how to handle the rough and tough, and they made united one of the biggest players in Europe.
We look at the current squad, look at the experienced players. ferdinand and vidic are injured 60% of the time, and they are not as battery powered until 40 has scholes and giggs were. carrick and giggs I do think will give you about 30 good games a season not a whole season, while nani is a very good player he cannot be relied upon to carry the side, and rooney really needs to wake up. Berbatov while experienced is not totally trusted by the boss.
So there is your problem, it is hard to rebuild the side when fergie is limited on what he has got working for him. Yea we have some good players, but its desperately need an injection of fresh faces
Awww. Add nani welbeck rooney
The line up should be:
Lindegaard (De gea has conceded many errors with City and will be very nervy)
Rafael(we need the Brazilian spark), Jones, Rio, Evra
Valenica , Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Nani
Rooney(I bet you, he is gonna fire)
Nani has been good against City and I get the feeling that he is gonna hit good form
We need Giggs’ experience and Valencia’s speed!
With this line up, the away team will win yet again in the Manchester Derby!
I’m sure that most Reds at the time would have preferred United to defend the FA Cup, rather than play in the World-Club-Championship. Most of us have dreamed of scoring the winner in the FA Cup Final, and there are millions of people world-wide who only watch football once a year. You guessed it, it’s the FA Cup Final. If you’re over 30 and have heard of English football, the FA Cup excites you.
Am I wrong?
Most Romantic (and widely loved for ever-and-a-day) – FA Cup
Most important Club Competition in Football – Champions League
Most important to United, and therefore us – English Premier League.
Any and all are great to win, so is the Carling Cup.
The League is the Grail.
FITB – We can’t atm, because of the injuries we’ve sustained. If Smalling, or Evans had been fit, then I would’ve played Jones, Carrick and Anderson in center mid. We could see Gibson play on Sunday. The haters will love that idea!
If we play 4-4-2 we’re gonna get done over once again….we need to play 4-5-1 with ando or someone supporting Rooney from midfield. If our scouser can’t get himself up for this kind of game, then I’m afraid that will be the final straw for Sir Alex. And for God’s sake at least keep Ravel on the bench, its better than bringing on 3 more strikers with no one to fucking supply them….
He’ll be an unknown quantity for City and I have a gut feel the lad is a bit moody and fancies the big stage and will thrive on the atmosphere. Many of the coaches at United and his reserve team-mates have said that Ravel is the best player “when he fancies it” He doesn’t get arsed about every sundry game, but I do think he will be itching to announce himself on the big stage in spectacular fashion ala Rooney…
Willie
Hey mate…I just replied to you on the other thread…. And as you say the FA cup is a competition well worth winning. United havent won it for a long long time and for many of the younger players it could be their first trophy, which is very important. Also with the squad in transition, it might be our best chance to win some silver this season
Sorry if some of the points have already been made above
WillieRedNut and Utd4life
Decline, in the sense since Ronaldo left. Scholes and Giggs bailed us out on numerous occasions last year we were all saying it because the misfield and the general play lacked any real purpose. It was with those players taking alot of pressure off of Rooney and Nani that allowed them to relax and enjoy football. Now the enjoyment for the youngsters is gone as it is they that have to step up and be the ones the new youngsters (Wellbeck Cleverly Jones, Smalling) can rely on to have their careers start out in the best possible fasion in a winnig team. Unfortunately we have all been talking about When Cleverly comes back like he’s our saviour. What kind of pressure is that for a kid of his age and lack of experience. Jones is much the same, the pressure of being the new midfield man as alot on here want him to be and when we are down 1-0 with 10 mins to go the pressure on Wellbeck. Now I realise they have to handle the pressure when at a team of United stature but ALL THE TIME. When are they going to get the chance to have the education like Rooney and Nani did. Thats what I mean by in decline.
A few weeks ago I had this game as a nailed on draw,now I think we could even win it because City are in the position to treat United with the contempt we have shown others this season.Mancini will have looked at our last two games and came to the same conclusion I have they’re gone.And to compound it we apparently aren’t buying anybody in this window talk about complacency.
United often surprise me and I hope they do because tbh City should beat us. The past has taught us a lesson that when you lose your best player for a long spell: Cantona (ban) Ferdinand (ban) Keane (injury) that we dont tend to win the title in those seasons so I think VIdic’s injury is critical. But I suppose the cup is the cup.
Smalling is not expected to play because of his tonsilitis.
I worry about playing Valencia at RB against City. He’ll get turned inside out by a decent wide player. Rafa has to get back and make that position his own, hopefully with a lot more maturity.
I disagree that we should play 4-5-1. It should still be 4-4-2 with Berba and Rooney.
Is it Sunday yet?
I honestly don’t care who plays, or where, as long as we get properly stuck in.
My prediction is a 5-4 win to United, Hernandez pulls a Higuita-style scorpion kick in the 5th minute of injury time (which is mostly attributed to Valencia crushing David Silva between his fingers and Wazza taking out Joe Hart on a 50/50)
BELIEVE!
Red Devil – hello mate.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Pogba and/or Morrison on the bench, but perhaps a different shock is in store. In fact I’m confident that there will be a number of surprises in the line-up. There will be at least 1 player back unexpectedly early. Sounds good, right?
Sir Alex ( + Tech. team) have been very aware of this opportunity, and would have selected the last 2 line-ups with this game in mind. A return from the sick-bay could catch City on the hop. Here’s hoping!
Just read Kanchelskis’ post about TC’s tweets. It wouldn’t surprise me if we found out one day that they fucked up his comeback so bad back in October that he had to have surgery on his ankle right after the Everton game. I don’t get how someone can be out for 3 months just doing therapy on their ankle.
Anyway, I find it hillarious how these betting articles have gone from “Another 5-0?” to “Where will you put your money”.
WillieRedNut – does it matter at the minute if gibson is playing? I do not think so LOL
And…
Decline my fat hairy arse. We’ve just lost 2 games, with a whole host of injuries. And THAT was off the back of a remarkable 16 goals in 4 games. Get a grip peoples, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride
@brett1985
That would be true if we didn’t have credible back-ups unlike those seasons that you mentioned. But we do have such back-ups in Jones, Smalling and Evans. If Chris was fit, we wouldn’t be feeling Vida’s absence. We just gotta ride out this period of really lousy fortune that we’ve been experiencing. It’s frickin’ 2009 all over again and I’ll be glad when it blows over.
Is Cleverley alive. I thought he was due back at Christmas. I FUCKING hate Kevin Davis more than ever!!!
smartalex i still love the FA Cup and for the smaller clubs it’s a big deal it can be a financial saviour with a good run.Snobbery has taken over with some of the fans with bigger clubs,just think that’s a reflection on how the fanbase has changed from working class to the prawn sandwich brigade,who are plastic in most aspects of life.
can i post?
Medical teams aside, and with the Bolton game just around the corner, can one of our lads please put Davies on the shelf?
ex BBC
Sportsweek on Sunday features former Manchester United midfielder Paddy Crerard and ex-Manchester City winger Mike Summerbee ahead of the derby in the FA Cup third round plus culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and executive director of European football’s anti-discrimination body – Football Against Racism in Europe Piara Power.
Take him down, Paddy!
ps – Suarez/Liverpool’s vulnerability to further prosecution will be discussed by Piara Power.
sorry lads trying to post longer posts of more than a line but it wont let me see you later. Cant have a convo like this not if you want to include reasoning.
As long as you can type Goat.
parryheid
I dont think Mancini is like that. The guy manages Shitey so he deserves every red-blooded Devil’s contempt but that should not cloud the fact that he is a classy individual and probably won’t make that mistake. United would have to transform into the 1974 team for anyone in this country to underestimate United.
Rather, I hope City try and take the game to us as it is on their turf and that way we can hit them on the counter. I also believe we should play 4-4-2 so that Nani and Valencia can bomb the wings and that’ll keep Richards and their LB less enthusiastic about going forward.
I am most worried about Micah Richards. I have a bad feeling he’s going to give Evra a nightmare.
Cleverly out for atleast a month according to his twitter account, he will start running outside after 2 weeks and then start training the week after.
i am hoping that at least we play well. regardlrss of the result it always feels good when i see thr lads play well. obviously i want us to win the game but hopefully we at least show signs of the real manchester united.
Bobby Manc a classy individual,he’s a whinny,slimly little cunt.I’d like to hang him up by that fucking scarf
Goat and fitb.. I get the point both of you are trying to make. Too much reliance on the youngsters to pull us through since the experienced players are either injured or nearing retirement. Guess, thats the main reason why SAF has held onto Giggsy to bring in experience into that midfield. However, Ando had 5 years to learn his trade from possibly the greatest midfielder ever to play for Utd- Scholes and he still hasn’t stepped up. Now, that’s not SAF’s fault. We also had Hargreaves who was supposed to be our midfield marshal but injuries ravaged him. Guess, SAF should have invested in the midfield in 09/10 but he held onto the belief that Hargo, Ando and Fletcher would be Utd’s midfield generals but it hasn’t worked out quite like he expected. I have no idea as to why SAF didn’t sign a midfielder this season or maybe he did (Nasri and Sneijder) but they didn’t come off. So, I do expect him to invest in the midfield this summer because as you said Cleverley and Jones can’t be burdened with the midfield responsibilities.
Utd are certainly not in decline. None of the top sides in the league would have coped with the injuries we have sustained. I fully believe we can beat Shitty on Sunday, not really looking for revenge just a win. I love the FA Cup and its great for the minnows to play a top club. Personally think SAF will go all out to win it this season and who knows. If we can get a steady uninjured team together we’ll be good for the League as well.
Got you Goat. Rooney and Nani were lucky in that sense.
@Saad
Disagree there mate. The Rooney and Berba combo didn’t work all that well at Newcastle. Don’t believe we’ll see it on Sunday.
wayne
He said to the sheik ‘Give me the money to spend and I’ll end Utds title challenge’ As if he hasn’t spent enough. I might apply for his job when he gets sacked. Bring em down from within.
@smartalex
here’s hoping to have at least smalling back…. i dont like Rio and jones at the back…Jones is too naive at CB atm, smaling has more experience there…
4-4-2 against city? looks like some of us haven’t learnt of the lessons ditched out to us in the past few years. That’s exactly the set up city will thrive in, the likes of silva and aguero will expose every space left unguarded, could be a drubbing of a defeat if united went out with that naive tactic, especially with a defence that’s looked incredibly shaky lately. Yeah, why don’t we go out gung ho and get absolutely battered!!!
As for mancini, he just gives that cool and well mannered impression at the moment because his team are flourishing, when shit happens you’ll see the true colour.
James
Spot on! NOBODY could have coped like we have. Shitty lose a a couple of players (baring in mind Kolo wasn’t really a starter) and mankini comes out saying we need more players!! What a twat! Basically admitting he’s a fucking average manager who can only put together a competitive team if he can buy instead of adapt. Sorry fucking twat!! Imagine if he was at the Helm at OT?? We’d be fucked right now, not 3 points adrift from the best club in the world™
wayne – I couldn’t agree more. I was also going to show how ‘plastic’ fans can be when they ignore the Club’s traditional values. I deleted my intro before submitting it, because the plastics that read it would start melting. You know how acrid that can be!
I know plenty of older folk that always mention the FA Cup when I occasionally see them. I’m mid forties, and the first game i watched United on TV was the “Five-minute Final” we lost against Arsenal in ’79. I was 13, but I can still remember where I was, who was around me, what we spoke about, the agony, the ecstasy, the agony returned. Every detail indelibly etched on my mind forever. I remember my Grandfather saying that Arsenal were playing against 14 men (11 + ref + lino’s), and me losing it!
I’m a million miles away and I love the FA Cup.
Wouldn’t mind seeing our next Final live. Maybe.
James21 he’s the luckiest manager in football and with all the money City have spent,still not that good he’s made alot of bad signings and got lucky with a few.Some players still around from Mark Hughes,i don’t rate Bobby Manc any higher than Hughes and anything doesn’t go his way starts making excuses i hate that in a manager.Already blaming the TV schedule now whinning about injuries,i detest the man
Red Devil – Spot on pal. The FA cup is still a big trophy. We’re still the record holders and we haven’t won it since 2004! Knock these bitter bastards out on Sunday, and we’ll go and win it.
As much as I would love to go adopt a 4-4-2 against City, it is better to deploy a 5 man midfield. Stifle and frustrate them and then hit them on the counter. I’m not saying we will get battered if we play 4-4-2 but the back 4 at the moment does not fill me with confidence.
Willie – the odds are stacked against united for this one. However if we pull out a victory, in whatever way we potentially do it then it could bring a resurgence in confidence.
Willie
Why dont you ask Megan to offer to run naked around Carrington if United beat City this Sunday or maybe if they win the FA cup outright
Maybe that would get Rooney and Co. to really UP THEIR GAME for this one
Wayne/M19ke
‘He’s just a shit Richard Madeley’
It’s really remarkable we are still the side with the most FA cups when you consider we’ve won it once in 12 years.
I’d love to win it again this season obviously, but if you asked me if I prefered the FA cup or the Europa League, I’d go with the latter.
Samuel – If we can’t get ourselves up for a derby cup game, then I give up mate. The players owe Fergie a performance. I can us winning this late on. Need Rooney on top form. Time to awaken from his slumber.
Red Devil
Royal Antwerp have agreed a deal to take United duo Michael Keane and John Cofie on loan.
The Belgian club have a long-standing co-operation agreement with United, dating back to 1998, and have signed over 30 players during their collaboration.
“It is fantastic that we have in this way the collaboration with Manchester United, these guys are a gain for us and we are very happy with it,” Antwerp’s sporting director Gunther Hofmans confirmed. “This gesture of United reflects renewed confidence and goodwill for the future. They must also earn their places in the team. The trainer has a core of 25 or so players available, and the best will play.”
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11667/7415499/United-duo-heading-to-Belgium
Willie forgot to add drunken before slumber…..just kidding
Barnsley have extended the loan of midfielder Danny Drinkwater until the end of the season.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16442236.stm
Sorry Costas! For me it’s…. FA cup>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Europa league
John Cofie. Wasn’t he on the Green Mile?
Willie – i’m sure they’ll be pumped up for it and united need a good start, can’t afford sluggishness and more importantly we have to defend resolutely and hit on the counter. i would like to say we could go there and waltz into a 5-0 lead but that doubt that will happen, however fergie is always capable of pulling something out of the bag, i think one of his inspirational pre-match speechess will be needed.
Europa league is just a long drawn out process,Thursday night games is the killer for me,impossible to put out a decent side when involved in the league
Saad.
Maybe but it must be hard not to be over confident when you watch your one serious rival disintegrate in front of you.Noticed no dispute about treating teams with contempt,I also wonder if United are going to have 11 or 10 fully commited players turning out.
doubt that* i’m always having typos due to fast typing arghhhh!
Costas – Not after he smelt the coffee, and vamoosed!
@willie
One thing’s for sure. The FA cup is jinxed. We’ve lost it in every possible way over the last decade (Barthez acting like a traffic officer, losing at an empty stadium against Boro, hammering Arsenal but still losing on penalties, scoring against Chelsea at Wembley but the goal not counting, the Portsmouth travesty in 08, Riley not giving us a clear penalty against Everton, Leeds scum beating us at OT and last year Berba missing a chance even Heskey would have scored from).
You still want to go after it?
Costas – How big is/was the FA cup in Greece?
Cofie is a truly talented powerful striker, he hasn’t made much hype lately but the loan spell will do him good and michael who is another potentially superb fullback. If they work hard and prove their worth then they’ll come back stronger players hoping to stake a first team place and i have no doubt that they will.
If morrison had any maturity, fergie would have sent him on loan to gain that valuable experience he needs to push for the first team but hey…
@smartalex
City to win 2-0. Sorry, but i am just being realistic. But then again.. as a united fan.. we should always BELIEVE~~
Costas – That’s the thing about bad luck, it has to end sometime! Apart from our extensive injury list, of course.
Goat just noticed a post way back,unless your posts are going to moderation has nothing to do with limiting the amount you can write,from time to time it happens to me i’ll post but it doesn’t show up some glitch in the ROM setup.
Wash your tongue out izzy!
We’re gonna win. 
@willie
You mean the Greek cup? It always comes 3rd after the league and progress in Europe. Any Greek side would prefer to win the Europa League over the Greek cup. But that’s also because no Greek club side has ever won a European competition.
I will say this about the FA cup though. Especially during the 90s and mid 00s, it was considered one of the most popular cup competitions in Europe. Due to its longevity. I just feel that it hasn’t been the same ever since they tore down the old Wembley. Cardiff wasn’t as glamorous as a venue and the new Wembley feels like a generic modern stadium and apparently you can get there simply by reaching the semis.
What stimm makes the FA cup special is some exhilarating ties that go all the way. But how many of those have we been a part of in the last 10 years? Only the Arsenal game at Villa Park in 04 comes to mind.
*still*
Oh and willie, I thought our bad luck (that began when we didn’t take part in 00) came to an end in 04, but then it resurfaced.
orf topic. Celebrity Big brother returns tonight. full of non entities, failures and people who have done nothing for at least two years. Which makes me suprised Fernando Torres aint in there.
Anyway Barry and Toure have played well for City this year so a big loss and any team that plays Donkey Dzeko isn’t very fucking good,Utd have a big chance on Sunday
Costas i agree mate playing the semis at Wembley has taken something out of the competition no doubt.
Mancini insisted on buying in January, which baffled me since they have lots of players that can fill the places of those going for African Cup. Just shows you his lack of confidence in his squad, at the same time making the squad believe the same thing. what a shame. He knows nothing about his own players… others than those who play week in and out….. Very embarassing…
Which is why i am very impressed with SAF insistent that our squad can cope with the injuries and dip in form.. Yes of course he knows what he’s talking about. He knows eveyone in the club down to the canteen ladies…. Master of motivation.
Based on this, United MUST win this Sunday. Because Mancini and City CANNOT recover a dip in form. If they lose to united, then motivationally speaking, they’re out of the title race……
But i still want Sneijder at OT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Costas – No mate, the English version?
Having the semi final at Wembley takes something away from it. It cost the FA a fortune to build the new Wembley. Hence, we play the semi’s there.
james21
Hi, had a fault on my cable/ broadband since Tues eve and seem to have missed some unsavoury trolls making a comeback of sorts.
Whats with the sudden lovefest with the previous – thought he’d gone – resident racist?
Unbelievable.
It would be nice to see Scot / ROM taking a stance on racism in posts on the blog, especially ones that have expressed such views consistently over long periods.
In view of ROM’s rightful onslaught of the scousers re the Evra affair, i’m a little surprised something hasn’t been done regarding the comments.
ROM seems to have a huge following with fellow Reds from Africa and the Indian sub-continent and making a stand now would surely be the right thing to do?
Lets hope STR is working on it!
@willie
The FA cup used to be pretty popular over here. Not as much as the Champions League obviously, but for a non Greek competition, it has a lot of followers. Like I said, its longevity has made it popular. Also, there are tons of United and Liverpool fans over here.
James
“fernando torres aint in it”
Ha. top quality mate…brilliant
Cheers lads…its getting late and I’m off for today…
Been fun after a long time
Its in my blood
Thanks for your support mate. Yes I objected to our resident racist last night and have noticed the said person acting all normal today. I don’t like to argue or fall out with anyone but he has gone too far and some just don’t give a damn. I suggest in future, posters should maybe E-mail STR if said resident racist carrys on his unacceptable behaviour.
judging by comments on this thread, it seems we have already conceded the tie to shitty, where is our never die attitude, we do know that we tend not to do things the easy way, right?. here is to us stuffing those blue fans from stockport. we will never die
Arch rivals?. If the definition of arch rivals is in the context of winning the 20th title yes. if it in the context of a club with history of achievements to match -or nearly match our own- , earned through good management and a successful team who earned their success then its got to still be the scouse for me.
If we had not had such an horrendous injury list, we would have been top for sure.
To give city the title of arch rivals is to grant City respect that is not due. Have not read any comments on this thread yet so if I am repeating others comments my apologies.
Zehl 14:44. man sheikhy. Love it hahahaha
Berbatunday.
The reason is United only ever are underdogs in the betting to somebody like Barcelona.Never in your puff would you get odds of 3.5 against any EPL team and that gives you the consensus of across the board opinion.Most United supporters are shaking their heads at the state of our team though it’s unlikely they will bet against United.
wayne 16:12 I think Harbo had Patrick Steadman , apparently the best knee specialist in the world overviewing his recovery. If so he had the best.
i think we need to start with a 4-4-2 as it is positive and will counter their free flowing style. ddg
rafael – rio- jones – evra tony v – anderson -carrick -nani rooney – chicharito.