Author: Herzog’s Child

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Given the enormous brouhaha that emanated from the now tedious race-gate, one would be forgiven for thinking the sneering one’s refusal to shake the hand of someone he racially abused was the one and only vile act of February 11th last. Yet the day’s initial ugly act had already occurred when The Greater Manchester Police, those rarefied bastions of all that’s great and good about our society, felt obliged to confiscate and subsequently impound Red Issue fanzine for having the gall to provoke humour through its pages. Concealing a parody Ku Klux Klan cut-out mask embossed with a sympathy message for Luis Suarez, the ‘zine was rounded up from its sellers and carted off to the cop-shop on the grounds that the mask could potentially incite racial hatred and untold disturbance amongst supporters. That the size of the mask rendered it quite impossible to conceal one’s face mattered little. Nor did it seem pertinent that its message was overtly anti-racist. The message from those who felt compelled to drive Red Issue from the streets – an act which could have potentially set the publication’s future into ruination – was clear from their motivations: the satirising of serious situations are prohibited – when it suits those who can divvy out unjustified and criminally insidious authority. On a day blighted by an ever-enlarging grotesqueness permeating the game, the removal from the street of a publication that regularly exposes football’s absurdities was a low that could set a worrying trend. And the most worrying aspect is that most won’t care.

That most purported United supporters will never have heard of Red Issue fanzine says more about the current state of the club’s support than it does the quality of writing found in its pages. One of a trio of long-standing voices of the supporters, flanked by United We Stand and Red News, it is the most vocal and heavily politicised of the three. As a result it receives the most vitriol from those too impassive to open their eyes to what lurks beneath the shininess enfolding the club’s exterior. Stringent and ceaseless in their denouncing of the Glazer-regime, its back-beat section in particular is a diamond-mine where hilarity and horror resides in equal measure. Loaded with a steady collection of regular contributors who possess the right amount of acid in their inkwells, the ‘zine is a cutting and razor-tongued voice in an era where the majority’s hollers have dwindled to ghostly nothings. Many will recoil at the critical-heavy angle it employs, but this too is a reflection not of the wrongness of prodding at shadiness but the ignorance of presuming all is unequivocally fine and dandy. Manchester United is too big a club, with too many questionable dealings, to not have a vocal minority casting light on what appears wrong. From the eyebrow-descending motives behind the Bebe deal, to the harsh and humbling numerals exposing the horrors of Glazernomics, a voice of reason is needed in a time when the club itself is only too happy to drown out any justified noise. Ultimately, the point is: the gagging of those who ultimately care the most is a dangerous and worrying act, for two reasons: it blockades the liberty with which we use to go about our days, and it is something United, as a club, would only be too happy to oversee, for the extolling of criticism and revealing of lies does not fit the criteria of the ‘fan’ they wish to create and ultimately make money off. It is a world of smiling, nodding and not looking back.

The prohibition of satire opens up wider issues, of course. Even if, as logic dictates, many will have found the KKK-Suarez mask in bad-taste, or lacking humour, the delivery of it was and is eternally less important than the right executed to print it. Perhaps the ejection of satire is best summed up in the words of Dario Fo, who asserted: ‘It’s hard for power to enjoy or incorporate humour and satire into its system of control.’ Busy-bodied and unaccustomed to laughs, maybe the authorities, rather than wanting to discard any ridiculous notion of riots, merely wanted to spoil the fun. If so, their motives would have gained some form of credibility had their spoiling efforts been a tad more consistent. As was heartily pointed out to them on the day, a leading tabloid had carried a face off image depicting both faces of race-gate under a desperately unfunny ‘Race for the Title’ heading. Unlike the ‘zine, which had clearly proffered its stance in support of the victim, the newspaper was simply trying to be funny; given its wide distribution around the UK, and message that could only be taken for stoking the hyperbole even further, one could deduce in the name of fairness that it too would be seized. Or not. Fascist actions, we come to find, are as inconsistent as the reasons those who carry them out disgorge when confronted about their vileness. The curbing of humour is a disturbing assault not only on publishing freedom, but on freedom itself – as reflected in the police warning served to a 20 year old red who dared traverse the streets with a ‘Klanfield’ t-shirt he had purchased from a swag-seller outside the ground. This combating of personal liberty is mirrored in Orwell’s totalitarian landscape in his Big Brother immersed 1984. To continue the literary references, one can venture to Bradbury’s masterpiece Fahrenheit 451. Set in a dystopian otherworld, ideas and the progression of intellectualism are banished through the burning of all literature. The Orwellian and Bradbury worlds, in comparison, are dystopian and as a result unearthly, but their defining message should be drummed into those unperturbed by overzealous authoritarianism: an acceptance of dictatorial rule is dangerous.

There will be those of course who believe the satirising of a racism-related incident does nothing but a disservice to the seriousness of the topic – that it ultimately trivialises an incident that has not only sullied those residing in Merseyside, but the game as a whole. But the subjection of the grotesque to satire is not a devaluing of the subject’s content. As anyone in possession of a single brain-cell would have immediately deciphered, the message carried by the inclusion of the mask was not suggesting Luis Suarez was a member of, or in any way associated with, the Ku Klux Klan. The caption it bore, ‘Suarez is Innocent,’ was the image’s true message – something evidently lost on the power-hungry geniuses who declared it potentially offensive. Its intention was to highlight the absurdity of a continued campaign of justice for someone who had admitted to their guilt and had been duly punished as a result. It was to highlight the almost comically sinister wearing of sympathy t-shirts for a man who had subjected another man to abuse solely because the colour of his skin was different. It was to pour petrol on and ignite a debacle that should have burnt out long before the recent ugly scenes it produced had taken place. To satire is to ridicule, and the stance with which those at Liverpool took in the wake of the saga deserved, and still deserves, immense ridicule. Our best approach to the vulgarities of life is not to recoil in horror, as it only justifies the attacks, but to lessen their effect by reducing them to comedy. In doing so, we do not dissolve an issue’s seriousness – to the contrary, it merely shows a strength in not crumbling under the obscene nature of others. When Chris Morris confronted the topic of Islamist fundamentalists he didn’t subscribe to the scare-mongering of those who envision terrorism as something that should provoke constant fear in us all. Instead, with the creation of the wondrously witty Four Lions, Morris invoked the banal and subjected the suicide-bomber to satire. The result wasn’t any less effective and didn’t, as the GMP may suggest, incite racial hatred. Morris’ satirising of such a subject cast light on the ridiculousness of all forms of fundamentalism and the sadness of generalisation. Of course comparing a film on the topic of terrorism to a ‘zine subjecting a player and club to satire may appear odd on the face of it, but the pertinence of satire remains: to prod at the most serious matters, satire is as potent a weapon as any other. The GMP’s rounding up and impounding of Red Issue only served to criminalise our freedom to express ourselves through the medium of humour. It is a sad society that takes it upon itself to decide what is funny or not – and it’s an even sadder one that doesn’t fend off such rulings.

Having being seized on February 11th, Red Issue headquarters finally received the confiscated issues back on Friday, a full week after they were first impounded. The ‘zine took a financial hit, but fortunately for those who believe in the merits of the independent voice over the official one the losses incurred were covered and it will carry on producing as it only knows how: with wit and venom and, crucially, satire – with insight aplenty along the way. It will continue to print offensive content because as an independent fanzine it has a right to. If the reasons for impounding a publication are based on its potential to provoke offence, then the ‘zine, along with many others, would have ceased shortly after its inception 23 years ago. That it hasn’t only throws more light on the selective, and absurd, nature of those obliged to enforce their power at the oddest of moments at the oddest of times. The outrage born out of Liverpool’s choice to openly express their support – with t-shirts and inanity-ridden statements – for someone who admitted to racially abusing was real and justified. Their message was clear: our self-interest trumps the topic of racism and evidence suggesting we’re wrong is a smear-campaign against our unblemished name. Red Issue’s inclusion of a KKK mask was a satirical reply to this deranged stance. Their message was just as clear: the stance is bile-inducing and through satire we will reduce it to the pitiful reality it unquestionably is. We now know the authorities clamped down on the latter and presumably concluded that championing a guilty party is less offensive than ridiculing them through the use of satire. It was a depressing occurrence and one that should not be repeated again. Prohibiting one’s right to express ridicule in the face of hate is as vitriolic as the causes which provoke the need for ridicule in the first place. The GMP have now set a bar for themselves with which they’ll have to adhere to in the future if they’re to appear consistent – a trait any decent authoritative system should be employing….As for Red Issue: 250 or so of its confiscated issues remain in possession of the GMP, unreturned, out of the boxes they were packed in and now unable to be sold. Quite what the GMP, the purported protectors not only of safety but liberty in our democratic society, want with 250 cut-out Ku Klux Klan masks is anyone’s guess, of course.

Authors: Doron, Written Offside, Nik and Rob

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Here arriveth the third installment of the “Things” column, covering random highlights and lowlights from last weekend’s football. Musings this week are brought to you as ever from Nik, Doron and Rob (he’s the funny one); with the added treat of James from Written Offside sharing some thoughts on Aston Villa. Enjoy.

Owen Coyle is being found out

Bolton Wanderers are in a perilous state right now, and nothing sums up their season’s woes more than the 1-2 defeat to Martinez’s side at the weekend. If ever there was a true ’6-pointer’ then this was it, and surely Bolton fans had every reason to expect a performance against a side who have managed just 2 wins in their last 11 games. The bigger question however is subsequently emerging; at the highest level, given the sinking ship at Burnley, and last season’s incredibly poor finish (2 wins in last 9), has Owen Coyle finally been found out?

It’s far from a new concept (see this very good piece here by the Ghost Goal blog) but what is clear from their position right now (2nd from bottom having lost 17) is that it was Coyle’s ability to ‘man manage’ and get the best out of what he had last season that allowed him to ‘thrive’. And Stuart Holden. The football certainly wasn’t ‘attractive’ as his side had some of the least possession and pass completion ratios in the league. But Bolton fans remained optimistic that the gaffer could continue his tactical evolution this term. Coyle has since dispatched with the highly functional Elmander; seemingly adjudged Kevin Davies’ effectiveness to be on the wane (N’Gog clearly isn’t ready to replace Davies just yet); and Bolton’s overall application has been entirely devoid of shape and direction. Additions such as Eagles, Prately and Reo-Coker have all shone in patches but have failed to embed, and were never going to produce instantaneous reward (unsurprising when you consider their previous output). Aside from the attacking quandary it is when you fail to replace a key position such as the goalkeeper (Jääskeläinen is now plainly a liability) that you can’t blame your misfortune on bad luck/ lack of finances alone. A largely unavoidable circumstance for Coyle then (who now has a worse league ‘win ratio’ than Megson) and Bolton join fellow North West teams Wigan and Blackburn in battling for survival alongside likely candidates Wolves and QPR. He must act fast if his side are to turn this turgid mess around and stay in the Barclays Premier League.

Evans versus Holt: an intriguing battle awaits

Grant Holt is having a fabulous time for the Canaries this season, and this despite falling briefly out of favour with manager Paul Lambert. Back in the side, and indeed captaining a Norwich side that is playing some silky football and showing some defensive grit to boot (like a more sophisticated Blackpool from last season then), Holt is in the form of his life. Standing at 6’1” his obvious threat is in the air, but he has also excelled in hold-up play with great upper body strength – and he can finish too, as goals against Chelsea and Everton maintain. Long gone are his more static and one dimensional days of Rochdale and Nottingham Forrest, the striker can be found linking the play and running the channels, allowing the likes of Hoolahan and Jackson to exploit the space in behind. On Saturday he scored two goals in a very impressive 2-3 away win at Swansea, and generally performed the lone striker role with aplomb. Next up is United at Carrow Road, and he will come up against a United defence that has struggled to find cohesion (having used 8 different central defensive partnerships is testament to this). However, Holt will come up against the one constant in this position for United, Ulster-man Jonny Evans, who himself is enjoying a rich vein of form. Turning in a man of the match performance versus their old rivals Liverpool last weekend, Evans was practically bounding around the pitch, tackling, blocking heading and passing anything that came his way superbly. Whilst not as commanding in the air as captain Vidic (as his weak attempt to avert the danger versus Carroll at Anfield in the F.A. Cup highlighted), Evans is however a great reader of the game, and relies on a lucid anticipation and agility in order to win his aerial duels. It all points towards a fascinating battle ahead; one of the league’s form strikers comes up against one of the league’s form defenders – the duel being pivotal to the outcome of the game.

Villa fading as McLeish struggles to re-align club’s ambition

It was not so long ago that a visit to Villa Park was one of those away games to fear with the home side bristling with attacking intent and stout defence. Despite an excellent record there, it was always a fixture where you knew dropped points for United were a possibility. Since the departure of Martin O’Neil, this historic club has become a shadow of its former self. Firstly, the misguided appointment of Gerard Houllier led to deep splits in the dressing room thus eroding what was left of any semblance of team spirit nurtured under O’Neil. Coupled with a tightening of the purse strings by owner Randy Lerner, Villa hobbled their way to mid-table where really a top 6 finish should have been their ultimate aim. The summer led to departures for influential players such as Downing and Young and the dubious appointment of Alex McLeish. Secured from their bitter City rivals, this was unacceptable in the eyes of most supporters but the fact that “Big Eck” had taken them back to the Championship further alarmed the Villa fanbase, leading to pre-season demonstrations.

The final straw may well have come yesterday when the home side were impotent for all but the last few minutes against a Manchester City side expecting a much tougher challenge. It almost seemed as if McLeish set out his side to play for a goalless draw and when their defence was breached there was no ‘plan b’. The defeat leaves them teetering on the brink of a relegation battle and the prospect of a long hard fight for survival. Coming fresh on the heels of the meek surrender at the Emirates in the FA Cup the week before, the natives are getting restless. No team that can boast the talents of N’Zogbia, Keane, Bent, Agbonlahor and Petrov should be in such a predicament, leaving McLeish and his negative tactics in an almost untenable position.

Danny doesn’t need to defer

One of the best things about this season for Manchester United, in keeping with the club’s traditions, has been the emergence of bright young players all over the pitch: Phil Jones has settled in beautifully, Smalling’s improved even more since his breakout last season, Rafael’s been impressive of late, Clever Tom’s been a revelation when in the team, Pogba made a stunning cameo against Stoke, and this little Paul Scholes guy seems like an intriguing signing. But the most impressive of the young players for me has been Danny Welbeck. Strong, fast, positive and blessed with delightful touch, Danny’s quickly becoming one of my favourite United players*. That he wears Dwight Yorke’s old kit number and comes across as genuinely humble and nice only adds to my burgeoning love for the kid.

His performance against Liverpool exemplified all these qualities, with Danny running hard, closing down Agger right up to the final whistle, dropping into good positions, exhibiting some outrageous pieces of skill and control (especially in the first half) and constantly linking up well with Rooney.

One thing he definitely needs to improve on, though, is his confidence in front of goal. A lot of Danny’s goalscoring opportunities go to waste because he often chooses to pass timidly when he’s better placed to shoot. A few times in the first half against Liverpool, and against Arsenal recently, hesitations like this have crept into his game, and have prevented him from adding to his (admittedly decent) goal tally. I’ve noticed this especially when he’s partnered up with Rooney, and it seems to me that he’s eager to defer to the senior players when these situations arise. What he needs to realise is that he’s one of the senior players now! It’s a problem that will no doubt fade as he grows into his first-team place, but at the moment, it’s something to watch out for.

* In fact, if he starts rocking the full-on Kid n’Play hi-top haircut, he might very well become my favourite footballer of all time.

The Lonesome Death of Andy Carrot, and other thoughts

All the excitement, emotion, wildness and sporadic good football of the United-Liverpool match shouldn’t obscure the bigger picture: during ESPN’s coverage, Steve McManaman called him “Luis Carroll” at the start of the match, and Ian Darke called him “Andy Carrot” coming down to the end. McManaman calling him “Luis Carroll” cannot be improved on as a piece of commentary. This is the image it created in my mind: a drunken, racist writer of children’s fiction and nonsense poetry.

In other news, the 5’8” behemoth Rafael da Silva beat Mr. Carrot to not one, but two headers late in the game. Also, look at this picture.

Chelsea are looking and playing like a dishevelled raccoon whose house has just been repossessed.

Swansea-Norwich was by far the Premier League game of the weekend. Brilliant stuff. Our next league game away to the Canaries is going to be very, very tough.

Whatever you think of ‘Arry, he’s helped turn Spurs into a genuinely excellent side. This season they’ve been absolutely thrilling in attack, and far less kamikaze defensively than they’ve been in past seasons. Personally, I think it’d be a shame if he left Spurs for the England job.

Finally, Jay Spearing is/was the Dancing Baby. Those of you who were on the Internet in the mid-1990s would know what I’m talking about. Ooga Chaka.

That boy Ronaldo…

He’s one scary mo-fo. His sixth hat-trick of the season last weekend for Real Madrid saw him equal and then surpass the number of goals he scored for United – 118 in 292 games. Unbelievably, the Portuguese machine now has 120 in 122 games for Real. It sounds even better when you consider 93 of them have come in the league… in erm, just 85 games. Maybe La Liga is too easy for him but he’s still producing moments of magic that are too good for any league.

His transfer was a bargain. £80m just isn’t enough for someone who gets near enough a-goal-a-game for three consecutive seasons; and, at 27, he’s probably still not at his peak. What a footballer!

African Cup of Nations: Zambian uplift, superb spot-kicks, and maybe good news for United

What a thrilling, emotionally perfect ending to the African Cup of Nations that was. While the 90 minutes and extra time on Sunday were by no means classic, and ended 0-0, the game always had an element of intrigue and action at both ends. Zambia looked the more fluent side but Côte d’Ivoire threatened on the break at times, especially during the second half of normal time. Fatigue more than nerves kept things back.

After 120 minutes came a penalty shootout of immense quality, which ended 8-7 to the underdogs. With most of the spot-kicks flying unstoppably into the top corner, it showed again that far from being a “lottery,” a shootout is just as much a test of skill, nerve and cojones as the game that precedes it. If England are to have any hope at the Euros, they would do well to watch and try to learn from this shootout.

Bringing things a bit closer to home, I found it interesting that of the four most high-profile players in the final, all Premier League players, three of them missed penalties for Côte d’Ivoire – Drogba skied one in normal time, Kolo Touré and Gervinho missed in the shootout. I briefly wondered if “bottling it” was a thing that footballers learn only when they come to Europe. The fourth of the Ivorian superstars, Yaya Touré looked shattered, had a poor game and was subbed off around 70 minutes. While a lot of pundits are expecting the younger Touré brother to return to Manchester City and push them over the line, things may be a bit more complicated than that, especially given the typically energetic performances he put in for most of the tournament.

But back to the real highlight. You could not write a better story than Zambia winning this tournament in Gabon, the scene of their nation’s darkest footballing moment 19 years ago. The parallels with United’s triumph 10 years after Munich should be acknowledged, but to compare the two remarkable triumphs would be missing the point. After the immaturity and sheer unpleasantness we witnessed during and after Saturday’s United-Liverpool game, this was a reminder that sometimes, football can be truly uplifting.

Authors: Stretford End, Doron and Nik

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It’s sad really that many will expect to be reading about non-footballing issues on a piece written about a football game. To be honest, the biggest disappointment post-match was that the Guardian have discontinued their chalkboards and therefore here ends analysis via that method. Anyway, United moved temporarily top after a generally comfortable win over Liverpool as Rooney scored a quick-fire double. Scholes came in for Ashley Young in the only change from the Chelsea game. Liverpool surprisingly left out Bellamy and Suarez came in to start for the first time after his ban.

Here we discuss the talking points of the game and invite Liverpool fans to join in the discussion below.

Scholes and Carrick roll back the years – aided by Giggs duel role

In a game where controlling the tempo in midfield was always going to be key, Carrick and Scholes combined perfectly to steer the game in United’s favour as they sought to capitalise on a misfiring Liverpool midfield, a centre without its usual bite and guile. The last two affairs between the sides have largely been drab encounters with little creativity from the centre, but Fergie’s decision to start Giggs alongside Scholes and Carrick worked wonders.

Nominally starting on the left, Giggs applied his duel role to near perfection today, coming inside to assist the once again telepathic Carrick and Scholes duo. When the latter pair weren’t dictating the game, exchanging passes, and generally stamping their authority on the game, they were chasing, harassing and intercepting the ball, aided by the Welshman who sat deep in order to match the Liverpool trio across the centre. (Gerrard found himself doing the work of three as Spearing and Henderson were anonymous – Adam and Bellamy were surely the better options here for Kenny.) It was roughly a year ago that United’s central pairing were due to start against Liverpool (away at Anfield) for the last time, yet here we were again – just weeks after another decent display from the duo at Anfield – being reminded of how important this axis has been to United’s success in the last 5-6 years.

Carrick famously took the shirt that belonged to Roy Keane, and Old Trafford struggled to warm to the lanky England International early on, particularly given his more cerebral approach to controlling the ‘middle of the park’; but when alongside Scholes, his confidence seems to beam, and only a few weeks ago Carrick jokingly pined for the 37 year-old’s return in an interview. On today’s performance, where taking the game to the opposition was more important than usual, we can see why. The metronomic passing from the centre was pivotal to the outcome, and though Giggs’ passing wasn’t as accurate as usual (see Rob’s ‘Pareto Principle’ here), his positional play and his ability from set-pieces caused Liverpool all sorts of problems.

Danny Welbeck – United’s all rounder

Danny Welbeck should now be considered the main partner for Wayne Rooney at Manchester United ahead of Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen. Welbeck was sensational against Liverpool on Saturday and his close control, power and movement demonstrated how much of an all round forward the 21 year old is. His hold up play, diagonal movement and strength helps Wayne Rooney and co play balls in behind the defence or indeed support United’s number 19 as he out muscles a centre half.

Welbeck gave Agger and Skrtel a torrid time all game, whether it was dropping deep, pressing high up when Liverpool had the ball or playing on the shoulder. The following highlights Welbeck dropping deep and having the skill and vision to pick out Rooney with a deft flick.

Scholes plays the ball into Welbeck who has dropped off Skrtel:

Welbeck’s flick is perfect and straight into the path of Rooney who then lays the ball off to Scholes, who movement is still top class:

Scholes lays a superb ball out to the left flank for Giggs, but Welbeck – not content with his excellent build up play – is already on his bike into the box anticipating a pass from Scholes:

In the second half, Giggs intercepts a pass to Glen Johnson and breaks down the left hand side. Welbeck has already picked up a great position in between the two centre halves, with Agger obviously concerned with Rooney‘s movement (The final ball from Giggs was poor and went out of play):

Lastly, this example highlights all his attributes as a forward. The ball starts on the left hand side (as United comfortably played the ball across the back line) with Evra playing a one two with Giggs. Evra then finds Scholes in acres of space, a massive error for Liverpool all afternoon. Notice Welbeck’s starting position is deeper than Wayne Rooney for once, however as soon as Scholes gets the ball – Welbeck has accelerated away:

Instead of Welbeck, Scholes plays a pinpoint pass to Giggs who has moved down the touch line. Notice that Johnson had pushed high up on Evra so he is now out of position. This means that Skrtel now needs to come across, leaving Welbeck free to receive a pass from Giggs:

Giggs plays the ball in behind, but Johnson reads what is happening and sprints back to intercept the through ball from Giggs as Welbeck closes him down. Johnson is the clear favourite to deal with this ball and should put it into touch:

For some reason, Johnson takes the ball into the corner flag and scuffs his clearance, due to the presence and strength of Welbeck. United’s number 19 then proceeds to dribble into the box and setup Giggs, who crosses low into the box, which is then cleared:

Danny Welbeck has become one of England’s brightest young forwards and should now be considered the main man to partner Wayne Rooney. This is an enormous compliment to pay to a player, considering the partnership Hernandez and Rooney struck up last season. Hernandez will definitely have a say, especially in games where the opposition play a high line – but for now, Welbeck is first choice. A class performance from the young man.

Rafael and Evans

It’s becoming a bit repetitive now but yet again, Rafael and Evans were supreme.

Rafael showed further maturity to his game defensively. He’s become strong and powerful when the ball is both in the air and on the ground. His timing and decision making with regards to jumping into tackles is now consistently good and he appears to have been watching Evra closely – he jumps early enough now to ensure he can win most headers (as seen by impressive leaps vs. Carroll). His performance wasn’t flawless, there were signs of rustiness at times and he appeared a little more reserved going forwards but there’s little doubt that he should now be set for a long run at right back.

Evans has not only silenced any doubters but is now getting praise from many quarters. Match Of The Day even dedicated a segment of their ‘analysis’ to his performance against Liverpool. He was supreme, winning header after header and showing incredibly mature defending – not committing too often but reading the game perfectly. Alan Shearer was spot on in highlighting his composure as a top asset. On the ball Jonny was excellent, using it wisely and having the confidence to run it out of defence, often after a top piece of control. Not that Jonny is a “confidence player” but right now he’s clearly buzzing.

Did Kenny get his selection wrong?

Not a lot to say about this but Kenny potentially made a couple of errors. Bellamy, despite playing a lot recently, was a shoe-in to play. His running and pest-like annoyances would have been perfect against United. Suarez was lively early one but despite scoring appeared quite emotionally involved in the game and maybe Carroll would have been a better option, testing United and De Gea in particular aerially. Downing’s form didn’t really deserve a start and Spearing was all over the place. Leaving out Maxi and Adam were mistakes and an attempt at over-complicating a system that’s worked well recently.

Evra and Suarez

Sadly, it would be wrong to overlook the fracas that went on between Evra and Suarez. The tone was set early on when Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand and it seemed to continue throughout the game. Suarez, as mentioned, was emotionally involved in the game – complaining as many decisions didn’t go his way and he foolishly kicked the ball away at half time leading to a scuffle at half time.

Post-match Evra was entitled to celebrate in front of the home fans but should have been more tactful in terms of crossing Suarez’s path (probably purposely) to reach the Stretford End.

Since the game various apologies and statements have been issued yet there is still a lingering discomfort with the situation, best summed up by Ian Ladyman in the Daily Mail.

Summary

Another controlling but entertaining United performance ended with the right result as they outclassed Liverpool all over the pitch (and off it). Two second half goals from Rooney were enough to clinch the win despite a late goal from Suarez. Carrick and Scholes controlled proceedings whilst Welbeck’s work-rate and energy constantly had Liverpool on the back foot. Valencia was nigh on unstoppable at times and really, Rooney should have scored three or four.

United travel to Holland now to face Ajax in the first leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday. With no weekend fixture, expect a strong team to play and potentially minutes for the likes of Cleverley and Fabio.

Authors: Doron and Nik

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United travelled west to Liverpool for a 4th round FA Cup game at rivals Liverpool. With injuries yet again hitting the side hard, they lined up in a 4-5-1 without key creative players Rooney or Nani. Rafael returned at right back whilst Carrick was joined in the middle by the oldies, Giggs and Scholes. Welbeck was asked to lead the line and at the back, De Gea was brought in at a ground he did well at last time out. Liverpool matched United’s formation with Carroll leading their attack and Carragher sitting in front of the back four.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Liverpool fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Carroll and Welbeck isolated

For the most part, Carroll’s selection ahead of Bellamy seemed a strange one. He was isolated, and was only found once from a cross from wide, with Downing playing as an inverted winger on the right hand side. United dealt with his threat superbly, until of course the last minute. Smalling adopted his usual tactic of following the centre forward ‘out’. He kept in close vicinity to Carroll, pressed the space and tried to keep his back to goal. Evans, when called upon, often won the aerial duel with the big Englishman; his height often betrays his aerial ability and has the anticipation and agility required for these types of battles. The Kuyt winner was strange in that it was the first time in the match that Evans lost the duel with Carroll, but given the poor communication between the back four at that point, Carroll was given far too much space to manoeuvre. Perhaps a symptom of poor concentration late on in a frantic game, the defending was of the proverbial ‘schoolboy’ sort. Smalling starts too far right, Evans is pulled towards Carroll, and Evra makes the covering run just a fraction of second too late. De Gea may well have narrowed the angle to a greater extent too for Kuyt’s shot.

For United, it was a frustrating afternoon given their superior possession. Rooney’s industry was hugely missed, and thus the gap between Welbeck and the midfield was far too large, despite Giggs and Park doing their best to link the play. Giggs’ swap with Park on 30 mins seemed to have the desired effect of United keeping width on the left with an already congested middle, and Park able to work in between the lines and get closer to Welbeck. But despite the wonderfully taken goal (and a fantastic assist from Rafael who was superb throughout), the team didn’t create enough in the final third. Valencia was kept reasonably quiet, especially in the second half, especially given Jose Enrique’s instruction to stay deep; and with a similar scenario on the opposite side of the field, where Evra was sitting in and keeping the defensive shape, United’s usual threat from wide areas remained negligible. If just one of Young or Nani had been available, they would surely have been called upon relatively early from the bench.

Carragher struggles, Scholes dictates

Carragher struggled with pace of the game and was second best to every ball. Selected in the ‘Lucas position’ to presumably counter the (pre-empted) deep lying Rooney, the Liverpudlian was finding it hard to track Giggs’ runs from deep and Scholes’ clever movement. Liverpool’s fluid midfield didn’t help however, with Gerrard pushing on and Henderson interchanging positions with Maxi. When attacks broke down, United found it far too easy to spot the gaps on the counter. Carragher looked flustered on the ball, and lacking the energy to play in such a vital position.

Scholes sought to capitalise, and conducted proceedings with aplomb – 97% pass completion in first half, completing 75 (nearly 3 times as many as Gerrard). And he wasn’t just stationed near the centre either, Scholes and Carrick both took turns in getting forward to support the attack. When Scholes was found in deep positions, his tackling and intercepting was good too. United’s midfield controlled possession and took the game to Liverpool once they had gone one goal down. But it is what you do with the possession once you have it, and Welbeck’s isolation, and Valencia’s diminishing influence in the game proved too much for the Manchester side, as both sides seemed to be settling for a draw and a replay at Old Trafford.

Dalglish’s subs make impact

Dalglish must take credit for turning the game in their favour, roughly around the hour-mark. On 62 mins Kuyt replaced the hapless Carragher, and Adam came on for Maxi. This allowed Kuyt to drift in from the right to support the previously isolated Carroll as Liverpool pretty much maintained the 4-3-3 shape. Then on 72 mins, Bellamy came on for Gerrard, and the set up was basically a 4-4-2, with Downing going left and Carroll working more closely with another centre forward. United had coped well until this point, always having an extra man, and both fullbacks remaining largely un-ambitious. But now they had two extra problems: Bellamy moving horizontally across the field and Kuyt playing a slightly more central right midfield position. Liverpool’s backline moved forward (with United’s concomitantly retreating) and they took a greater control of the midfield, with Adam getting on the ball. That said, Ferguson didn’t help matters in replacing Schloles. United lost the momentum, and Carrick, who didn’t have his best game, was left stranded in the centre.

De Gea

When you find that you’re having to regularly defend a player, regardless of what you think, there’s probably a problem. De Gea was on the end of a lot of harsh criticism yesterday – a game where he had little to do and actually was relatively assured on most crosses. Agger’s goal though was the perfect example of David getting nowhere near where he should have been. He seemed pre-occupied with Andy Carroll rather than the ball and ended up neither going to claim the corner nor staying on his line.

The real crime in that goal though was that Agger was easily able to head the ball towards the goal anyway. For all the blue United shirts around him, none of them jumped to challenger his header and the only player whose feet did leave the ground was Agger. An avoidable goal both from the defenders and De Gea.

Oddly the goal that worried me a bit was the Kuyt’s winner. De Gea seems to have a strange habit of going down to make a save with his feet in front of him. It not only means he doesn’t spread himself as wide as possible but it’s not a very flexible position to be in if he has to get up quickly and certainly doesn’t look like a balanced pose. There is a time to use that kind of save and it’s normally when coming off your line to make yourself appear ‘big’, as perfected by Peter Schmeichel. When rooted to your line though, it doesn’t seem to really do much – it’s not as if Kuyt found the corner of the net, it was a savable shot.

League focus

Defeats are never good but this will allow United to focus on the league. Ferguson has already said that if he has a big enough pool of available players then he’ll rotate the team for the upcoming games against Ajax. With so many players out injured, fewer games is probably a good thing. On the subject of injuries, it looks like Young, Anderson and Cleverley are both close to returns whilst Ferdinand, Rooney and Nani’s injuries appear to be less serious than initially feared. Players are slowly returning and lord knows United are due some luck in that department.

Summary

United’s FA Cup campaign is over after something of a dull affair at Anfield. Despite dominating and controlling the game, United (and Liverpool) had few ideas in the final third of the pitch.

Liverpool took the lead through Daniel Agger’s unchallenged header from a corner. Fingers were pointed in De Gea’s direction as he failed to decide whether to come or stay for the ball but the United defenders were equally as culpable for not challenging Agger. United could have actually taken the lead – a surging run in-field by Valencia ended with a powerful dipping shot hitting the post with Reina beaten.

United did go in level at half time, Rafael won the ball inside the Liverpool half and cut the ball back perfectly for Park to clinically fire the ball past Reina. Through Scholes, United had controlled long spells of the game with Gerrard in particular playing a very peripheral role. After an hour, Dalglish brought on Kuyt and Adam and Liverpool started to see more possession.

The winning goal came late on in the tie – a long ball was headed on by Carroll and fell kindly into the path of Kuyt who’d been left totally free by Evra. Kuyt took the ball into the area unchallenged and fired past De Gea. The goal came too late for United to respond and Liverpool face Brighton next in the cup. Stoke are the visitors to Old Trafford on Tuesday as attention shifts back to the league and the title race again.

Author: Doron

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There was a typical Fergie surprise when the teams were announced before kick off – no Rooney, Nani, Hernandez or Anderson were starting. Instead, Jones played in midfield for the first time and Welbeck was asked to play up front alone. Steven Gerrard made his first start in 7 months for Liverpool and his goal saw them take the lead midway through the second half. Hernandez’s equaliser with nine minutes to go meant the sides had to settle for a point each. Here we discuss some of the key talking points from the game and welcome discussion from both United and Liverpool fans.

Understanding Fergie’s XI:

It read: De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Park, Jones, Fletcher, Giggs, Young, Welbeck

The absence of Rooney, Nani, Anderson and Hernandez was intriguing but casting that aside, Fergie got it spot on and appears to be learning from past mistakes at Anfield. For once he matched Liverpool in playing a 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1… whatever people are calling it these days.

To understand why it was the right decision to name a team in possibly a defensive set-up one has to remember that United have been outplayed in the past three years at Anfield and overrun. Today was not like that though – United turned up and showed guts and grit ensuring that the opening 45 minutes were boring. Boring’s good as it meant Liverpool weren’t on top and weren’t finding space easily.

Chalkboard 1. Liverpool’s first half shots

As can be seen, Liverpool were restricted to only a few shots in the first half – only one of which was a good chance which Suarez in the end hit straight at De Gea whilst under pressure from Evans. In previous years, United have been too bold and left too much space particularly between their midfield and defence – something Liverpool have exploited.

The second half though produced a much more open affair as both sides tried to up the tempo. The beauty of Ferguson’s selection was that his bench contained frighteningly good ammunition – Nani, Valencia, Hernandez and Rooney. The aim was surely to keep the game tight until around 70 minutes and then start to take some risks to try and win it. As it happened, a goal from a set piece meant that the subs became enforced changes. Up to the goal though, Liverpool were still restricted to having the majority of their shots from outside the area and only managed one on target from inside the box. Ferguson’s plan had worked – in open play, United had stifled Liverpool and the subs came on to produce a goal – sadly it was an equaliser rather than a winner.

Best defensive showing yet:

For all the wins so far this season, one thing has been grating on fans – the insecure defence. Not helped by injuries, United have been often lethargic at the back, allowing too many shots and opposition players too much space. Today though, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans and Evra were excellent as a unit and as individuals.

Chalkboard 2. United’s clearances and interceptions

Kept busy all afternoon, United’s defence rose to the challenge. Smalling returned from injury to offer a classy option down the right and repelled Enrique and Downing excellently. Ferdinand had a couple of scary moments but ultimately his quality shone through – calm in possession and he handled Suarez superbly. Evans continued his outstanding form, reading the game well and regularly nipping in front of Liverpool players to cut out crosses. Evra’s form had dipped but he was back to his beastly best ensuring Kuyt had an anonymous game. Of the 18 interceptions United made, 10 of them were made by defenders. Liverpool’s team made only 17 clearances all game – United’s defence alone accounted for 39 of the team’s 48 clearances.

A better defensive performance meant a slightly less-busy-than-usual David De Gea which in turn provided a new challenge for him – concentration. He’s been kept busy in previous games and passed the test of having to make regular saves. Today though, he had only five shots to save – one, he couldn’t, the goal however he made fine saves for the other four. All were spread out over the game and he was merely a spectator for long spells as the game was battled out in midfield. David’s all-round game appeared much more fluid as he caught, punched and kicked well. For a change the media were praising him at the end rather than dissecting weaknesses.

Vidic’s return will only further boost United’s back four but he’ll have one hell of a challenge trying to dislodge Evans. It’s interesting to note that a solid back four showing coincided with Jones being removed from the defence. Now, let me make it clear, I think Jones will be a superb footballer and areas of his game are already excellent but he’s been a little bit of a liability at the back and his unpredictable nature has possibly unsettled the defenders around him. Still, his time will come.

The Jones experiment:

At Blackburn, Phil Jones played in midfield in front of the back four quite a lot. It’s something I’ve wanted to see United try with him for a couple of reasons – firstly I think our midfield could do with his balls and secondly his over-enthusiastic runs and lack of positional awareness wouldn’t be as costly as they have been at the back.

However, trialling Jones in midfield is not something I’d have done at Anfield.

It was fairly clear early on that Jones was uncomfortable in midfield. He looked lost as Liverpool players moved between the lines – unsure whether to drop deep or charge up high. In fact, he ended up trying to close down Liverpool defenders for much of the first half – admirable work if it weren’t for the fact it left Fletcher on his own (Giggs never seemed to be there) against three Liverpool central players.

Chalkboard 3. Phil Jones passing

Jones was taken off after 76 minutes having played only 22 passes – not enough of a contribution for a central midfielder (at the same point Fletcher had attempted 52 passes and Giggs, 35). Potentially Jones was tired, he’s played a lot of football already this season at a high intensity; however I think it’s more likely that the game was just too big for him to be playing in midfield.

I think Jones in midfield can be a viable option but this just wasn’t the right game to try it. More testing needed.

Opposition look: Gerrard and diving

As unpopular as it may be, I thought Gerrard had a very good game – not quite man of the match material but a very impressive showing after 7 months without a start. His energy was excellent, chasing down United players until the last minute and he showed himself to be calm and sensible in possession. Maybe the flip side of his return was that Suarez appeared a tad isolated at times but nonetheless, Liverpool are a better team with Gerrard in it. Now, where are my 19 fingers to hold up…

For what it’s worth, I think Liverpool are starting to put together a decent squad but if there’s one thing that I don’t like about it, it’s the diving which put simply is cheating. Rio Ferdinand admitted post-match he got a very slight touch on Charlie Adam for the foul from which Liverpool scored the subsequent free kick, however the faint touch certainly wasn’t enough to make all 25 stone (I’ve made his weight up, it’s probably more than that) of Adam suddenly come crashing down to earth in the way he did.

That incident is the obvious one to pick out but the diving can be extended to Downing (terrible attempt at a dive in the first half) and Suarez who is the worst culprit. I know Nani has been a drama queen in the past but Suarez drops to the ground every time he’s touched, I’ve not seen anyone that bad since Ronaldo’s debut season at United. Ferguson commented on it after the game, telling the BBC, “the boy Suarez dives all over the place” – he’s not half right.

Anything else?

Quick mention for Danny Welbeck. Asked to play up front on his own he put in a really selfless performance. He chased Liverpool defenders down all day and picked his times to drop deep and link up play well. His strength and determination to both keep and win the ball ensured United were able to clear their lines knowing he’d invariably get possession or force Liverpool backwards. To cap it all off he got a really important flick on from Nani’s corner from which Hernandez scored. Another really mature performance from the 20 year old, well done Danny.

In summary…

A certain improvement on recent seasons – defeat was avoided. Whilst some might describe United as toothless in attack at times, they’d be overlooking the fact that the defence were superb at keeping Liverpool at bay. Gerrard’s free kick should never have gotten through the wall but at least Giggs has his testicles in-tact. The response to going behind though was excellent and Hernandez’s excellent finish ensured a hard fought but satisfying point was won. Kudos to De Gea for some good saves, particularly one at full stretch late on to deny Henderson a spectacular winner. United jet off to Romania next to play FC Oțelul Galați on Tuesday (a must-win game) – but most eyes will already be on next weekend when City come to Old Trafford. Top spot has been relinquished for now but United remain unbeaten and are finally looking solid at the back.

Author: Doron

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“Come back when you’ve won 18″ they said. Well we’ve won 18 won 19 and now we’re back and we’re on top again. Hello Anfield, Manchester United are in town.

The opposition:

The rivals. The other industrial superpower of the north-west. The other successful English club side. Tradition, history, fan-base, atmosphere and craving for attacking football – United and Liverpool share so many similarities that this fixture is just the ultimate game of the season.

Liverpool’s last game was Kenny’s 32nd since his return, he’s now lasted longer than Hodgson (31 games). Intriguingly if every competitive game was given points like a league game, Liverpool are only 0.2 points per game better off under Dalglish than they were under Hodgson. However, because it’s Kenny in charge, everything Liverpool achieve under him will be exaggerated. He can do no wrong. Understandable to a point, he is a Liverpool legend and the fans will love him no matter what but results have to match investment – a cool £110m in just 10 months (granted, that’s not a net spend figure).

This summer’s core recruitees have an air of sensibility about them, well sort of. Most have Premier League experience and are good players or have the potential to be good players. Downing’s acquisition seems particularly smart – the winger will always be laden with his early England failings after much promise however he is now a very good crosser of the ball who’s worked hard on his weaker foot to add more of an unpredictability to his game. At £6.3m, Jose Enrique could be one of the bargains of the window. He was excellent at Newcastle and finally gives Newcastle a good left back option.

Personally I’m not a big Charlie Adam fan. I think he’s a luxury player who has to be carried by his team. His start so far has been somewhat unimpressive from my point of view and with the return of Gerrard I wouldn’t be surprised to see Adam eventually relegated to the bench. Henderson is more one for the future but even so, one struggles to see him ever becoming a top-end player – still a good option to have (another one, like Carroll, who is lumbered with a price tag). Are either Adam or Henderson an upgrade on Meireles? For me, no.

Other players also joined including a second spell at the club for Craig Bellamny (two stints at Liverpool and one at City… could he be more dislikeable?). Importantly, plenty of deadwood and sub-averageness left albeit at rock bottom prices. There is something of a rebuilding phase going on at Anfield – talented youth (some not in the first team yet) being merged with experience and big signings. The issue is of course that Champions League football is expected if not this season then next. Do Liverpool have the quality that the other top teams have and do they have good enough squad players? With the exceptions of Suarez, Reina and Gerrard, I’m not sure that they do yet. Progress this year will be the return of European football but let’s face it, no Liverpool fan really wants Europa League stuff.

Form:

As starts to the season go, it’s been uncharacteristically good for United. Before the International break they were joint top of the table and unbeaten – not quite a 100% record, a draw in their last away game at Stoke ensured two points have been dropped so far. With 7 points already gained from three away games, United are already doing infinitely better than last season. Bolton was the only clean sheet kept on their travels but it’s worth noting United have scored in every game so far this season.

Wayne Rooney is the league’s top scorer with 9 goals (Suarez is Liverpool’s top scorer with 4). Assists-wise, Ashley Young is joint second with 5 assists – just behind him are Adam and Kuyt, both on three.

Liverpool are 5th after seven games and have already lost twice – both away from home. Goals haven’t been free-flowing for them as of yet – they’ve failed to score in two of their games and are yet to keep a clean sheet at home. Victories at home over Wolves and Bolton were routine even if they both contained the odd scare however the opening day draw against Sunderland suggests that Anfield isn’t quite a fortress yet this season. They went into the international break in perfect fashion, winning 2-0 away at neighbours Everton.

Team news:

The United squad is as strong as it’s been in some time. Only Rafael, Cleverley (and Gibson) remain sidelined, although Rafael is back in training. Vidic is available but may miss out if he feels he’s not ready for such an intense game yet. International knocks to Fabio, Evra and Young have been brushed off by Ferguson – they are all fit.

Liverpool have no players missing – Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio are all back and available. Steven Gerrard is expected to make his first start in seven months for the side.

United formation and starting XI prediction:

Diabolical recent showings at Anfield have often come back to the initial selection – too bold, too brave. It’s nice to think United can always play a 4-4-2 and take the game to the opposition; but the reality is that sometimes a system has to be changed to prevent defeat first and foremost. Liverpool is one of those cases and this time, we have to match them with a 4-5-1. That’s not to say it has to be negative, on the counter the team I’ve chosen will still have pace and trickery but importantly it should be able to defend against Liverpool well and not be overrun in the middle.

De Gea will no doubt get a hostile reception at Anfield and if the Liverpool fans have any sense of humour, he may even expect the odd doughnut hurled in his direction. In front of him there may at long last be a first choice centre back pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand (only started two games together this season – City and WBA). Evra picks himself at left back whilst right back is a little less clear. Fabio, Jones and Smalling are fit. I’d rule Fabio out simply because the other two have played more this year and I’d pick Smalling ahead of Jones. Jones has been excellent but he is defensively naive and positionally poor – this isn’t a game that he can afford to make mistakes in at the back so Smalling who is more assured defensively at the moment would be my choice to start.

The last thing United want in the midfield area is to be overrun. Playing a five man midfield should ensure that doesn’t happen and doesn’t therefore necessitate a holding midfielder – Carrick. Fletcher and Anderson will have to do most of the work and prove they can play together in a pair, with Giggs providing the link between midfield and attack just ahead of them. Giggs has proven that age isn’t slowing him down and has been thriving in a fairly undefined free central role.

Out wide, Nani and Young provide a really dangerous threat – Liverpool’s right back area is a weakness and both will want turns running at whoever starts there. Valencia and Park offer less dynamic but more hard working options too. Rooney is the obvious choice of striker to lead the line – a bench with Welbeck, Hernandez and Berbatov on it offers scarily good potential if United have to chase the game.

Key battle:

Gerrard vs. Fletcher – Liverpool’s captain is back. Stevie Gee after 7 months without a start is set to return in his familiar midfield role playing behind a striker – probably Suarez. After so long out he may well be off the pace or age may have caught up with him a little bit but there’s no doubting that their talisman is a danger and a crowd-lifter. So often, stopping him can mean stopping Liverpool.

There should be a particular emphasis on stopping Gerrard should he play; more so than usual. United have failed to have any control over the midfield area in recent years and have generally allowed a playmaker to play around them. Stopping Gerrard effectively brings it back to two vs two in the middle – something United thrive on (particularly if Adam also starts).

Tasked with this job you’d have thought would be Darren Fletcher (football genius (FYI, that is from a chant)). He’s back to good form now after a sluggish start following his long virus-induced lay-off. His energy, work rate and calmness in possession are key features that the United midfield has been benefiting from. Importantly he’s an ‘in your face’ kind of player – he’ll get stuck in and attempt to ruffle-up whoever he’s up against. On Gerrard’s return, the last thing he’ll want will be a pumped Darren Fletcher snapping at his heels.

There’s little doubt that Suarez vs. the United defence will be huge as will Nani/Young vs. Liverpool’s right back but previous games against Liverpool have been lost in the middle. This year it’s time to right that wrong and Darren Fletcher may be key to that.

History and last meeting:

182 previous competitive games have been played between these great sides. United are looking for their 61st league win at Anfield and 10th in the Premier League era. It’ll be the 20th Premier League meeting at Anfield and surprisingly United have a winning record, losing on 7 occasions.

Last season this fixture ended 3-1 to Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt’s easy hat-trick was a real low point in such a wonderful season (19 times). A late consolation goal from Javier Hernandez ensured there would be no clean sheet for Reina. Sadly my immediate memory of the game is Carragher’s assault on Nani – well, no assault but it was a bloody awful challenge and he should have been sent off.

Prediction:

This seems like such a hard game to call – United have had a good start to the season and simply cannot be as bad as last year at Anfield; Liverpool have been strong at home but their own recent form has not been convincing. A lot may hinge on whether Ferguson goes with a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 – should it be the former as I hope it will, then I’ll predict a 2-1 United win.

Referee:

Andre Marriner – his second United game of the season – the first one was also an away game, at Bolton. His early season form indicates some first half leniency with his yellow cards but he can get quite card happy late on in the game.

Connections:

There are no real squad connections but Charlie Adam is a United fan and has in the past had (and may still have) season tickets at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, up until last year the two sides were connected on 18 league titles but United are now the top dogs in the land with 19 in case you didn’t know.

Quick facts:

- There have been four red cards in the last four Premier League meetings at Anfield – three for United.
- The last three Anfield visits have all ended in defeat.
- United have scored five goals in the last five minutes of games this season.

They say:

Ferguson on Rio and Vidic: “Rio and Nemanja are well aware they are going to have to play well to keep their places. Rio is back to his best form… the big question mark is whether Vidic is ready.”

Ferguson on Evans: “Jonny Evans’ form has been absolutely brilliant so I don’t have any real concerns about who I play because they’re all playing particularly well.”

Ferguson on the atmosphere at Anfield: “The history both clubs have should be appreciated by both sets of fans. That’s sometimes annoying when I hear silly chants about Munich, about Hillsborough, I don’t think it does either club any good at all because, without each other, there wouldn’t be the English league.”

Rio on Anfield: “Anfield is a hostile place, but there is no better place to win at as a Manchester United player.”

Dalglish on United: “There is no point in being envious. They’ve set a standard for everyone else to follow or surpass and it’s up to us to take up the challenge and we’ll try our best to do that.”

Downing on the International break: “If we beat Manchester United we’ll say the break did us good. If we don’t people will point the finger and say the break killed us a bit.”

Adam on the Liverpool challenge: “It’s not about sending out a message, it’s your own pride and performance being at this club. We have to win every game at this club and that’s our challenge.”

Links:

For all pre-match banter, tactical discussions, team and score predictions click here.

Pre-match blog looking at the midfield battle and how that will be key.

Q&A with a Liverpool fan covering varies aspects of the United-Liverpool rivalry.

Videos:

Author: Stretford_End

Over the years United and Liverpool can boast about some of the most iconic midfielders this country is lucky enough to have ever seen. From Robson to Keane for United and Souness to Gerrard for Liverpool, there have been some epic clashes in the centre of the park. The match at Anfield will mark the 183rd time the two sides have met but United haven’t picked up a victory (at Anfield) since the 1-0 win in the December of 2007 (scored by Carlos Tevez of all people). In the time since that victory United have lost 2-1 in 08/09, 2-0 in 09/10 and 3-1 last season. Last season, United looked extremely pedestrian in the middle of the midfield, with Scholes and Carrick – this time around, I expect Ferguson to look for energy and drive in Fletcher and Anderson.

In 2007, Anderson and Hargreaves were the midfield duo in a 1-0 victory. Benitez would always line up his sides in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which of course means that United midfield duo would be outnumbered against the defensive clog that is Javier Mascherano, the industrious Gerrard and the guile and craft of Yossi Benayoun. Having said that, United had Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup – with Tevez and Rooney often dropping deep to vacate space for Cristiano Ronaldo to run into. If my memory serves me correctly, Ronaldo had a poor match and was eventually moved up top after United sustained heavy Liverpool pressure towards the end of the match and tried to counter attack. Below you can see how Tevez and Rooney worked back to put in tackles deeper when United weren’t in possession of the football, which no doubt helped to bulk up the midfield presence:

Carlos Tevez Tackles versus Liverpool in 2007

Wayne Rooney Tackles versus Liverpool in 2007

If I was to pick my formation for the Liverpool match, I would like to see a lineup of 4-4-1-1, with Rooney operating off Danny Welbeck – who’s physical presence and pace could cause Carragher and Agger problems. Nani wide right to take on the impressive Enrique and hopefully try and nullify his surging attacking runs – something that Antonio Valencia has done very well at down the seasons. Ashley Young should play wide left and will provide that attacking threat from cutting in onto his right foot to either unleash a shot or try and influence play and create space for Patrice Evra to bomb into. That leaves the two key central positions.

Fletcher and Anderson, for me, will provide the legs and energy whilst having the quality to keep the ball and make Liverpool’s quartet work for the ball. Anderson has superb stamina and will be key at tracking runs from midfield and will help to press high up the pitch, which in turn will put pressure on Liverpool’s deeper creative threats – like the direct Charlie Adam who does look to go long at times. The obvious aerial ability of Andy Carroll will be a threat to United, meaning that any outlet that could provide service will need to be dealt with. Fletcher will no doubt still be having nightmares from Wednesday night following another superb Spanish performance – but Scotland’s captain lasted 85 minutes in what was a monumentally hard task. He has always been an extremely fit lad and it was a big blow to lose him towards the end of last season following an illness.

I’ve also spoken previously about the introduction of Chris Smalling at right back in games that of a physical nature and sides that are dangerous from set pieces – which will no doubt be an issue with the delivery of Downing and Adam from corners and free kicks. However, much depends on the fitness of Nemanja Vidic, who played midweek for Serbia and missed a crucial penalty for his country – who will miss Euro 2012. Either Anderson or Fletcher will have to pick up deep Suarez, who will no doubt try and influence play closer to his own goal rather than on the shoulder of the centre half.

So, I would probably have a midfield four as follows, which of course is supported by the roaming Wayne Rooney:

So what do you think? Will United lineup this way or will Ferguson opt for a 4-3-3 with Rooney as a lone forward supported by Nani and Young in wide areas? Will the pressing and stamina of both Fletcher and Anderson help to nullify Liverpool’s attacking threat from deep? Anderson and Fletcher can also initiate counter attacks and run with the ball through midfield before distributing to either of the front four.

Any comments/thoughts are always welcome in the comments box.

Author: Doron

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Ahead of the Liverpool game this weekend we decided to put various Liverpool-United related questions forward to serial tweeter and avid Liverpool fan, Mal Bennett. The topics covered include the biggest diver, the NextGen series and why Liverpool have had the edge at Anfield lately…

1. What do you think makes a Liverpool-United game so special?

It’s mainly the rivalry between the two teams vying to see who can be the best. The football is normally much better than at a derby (vs. Everton) because it seems to be about winning with flair instead of just winning at all costs. The sheer weight of history and success from both sides means whoever wins has a certain aura of superiority and historical self righteousness. You can see that in both the 4-1 Liverpool win at Old Trafford and the hat-trick Berbatov scored against us there too – easily the highest and lowest points of Old Trafford matches in recent years!!

2. Recall your best and worst memory from a United game at Anfield…

Best would be the match last year, a player who had never scored against you went and scored three of the easiest goals I’ve ever seen. Whilst Dirk Kuyt may have scored the goals, Luis Suarez was easily the most mesmeric player I’ve seen in a Liverpool shirt for close on 20 years in that game.

To be honest, every time United visit is the worst as it brings out the absolute animal in many fans of both clubs. The chanting is the worst aspect of this: Munich, Heysel & Hillsborough. I find it all despicable and I’ve been quite vociferous in my opposition to any chanting of this nature. For me, that is the worst aspect of any United visit.

3. Why do you think Liverpool have had the edge in this fixture recently?

I think our regular winning at Anfield is more to do with the fact we’ve been the underdog. We fail to see the end of the match and play until you’re not only beaten but beaten down. There is a killing mentality to Liverpool in these games. Not content with just victory, we seek to deliver the killer blow again and again.

The history that both teams have plays a crucial part as well, neither team wants to be bested. There is a secret respect that both teams and fans have for each other, it’s definitely driven both clubs to try and wrestle wins from each other. The ‘perch’ quote from Fergie was jealousy and the hatred we feel for United is jealousy. But there is plenty of respect in there, (just buried very deep).

4. Give us your thoughts on the summer signings?

Doni is a decent backup keeper, nothing more. Henderson is a future midfield anchor and I’m very happy with his performances and commitment so far. Downing has probably pleased me the most, his wing-play has been a revelation to a team that hasn’t had it really since Barnes. Adam is special, he can deliver superb crosses, decent free kicks, penalties and has a good eye for a pass – he is Gerrard’s immediate replacement. Coates is a fantastic signing and I’m really looking forward to seeing him and Agger form a partnership. Enrique was an essential buy as the left back area has been a problem since Riise was sold. His pace and link up play with Carroll is crucial, as they showed at Newcastle.

There are some decent young lads that have been brought in too, Bijev and Nacho. Look out for these boys, they will shine for our youth team.

5. The Andy Carroll signing will always evoke criticism for the price, is that fair?

Of course it’s fair. Just like the £6 million paid for Bebe and the £32.4 million paid for Berbatov. We rate our players on how much we have invested in them. £35 million is an absurd amount of money for anyone, but then £80 million for Ronaldo is too.

Carroll will always divide opinion. We bought him last minute yet he had clearly been a target for Dalglish & Comolli. If we had the time we could have gotten him for much, much cheaper. I am under no illusions that Suarez & Carroll will soon be a strike partnership like that of Keegan & Toshack.

6. Is it at all worrying when someone like Reina hints more than once that he’s questioning his future at the club?

I am very disturbed about only one aspect of his recent excerpt in the Mail, that of the near move to Valencia. I understand why he wanted to move, as the misery had no end in sight but he came to that conclusion a bit too soon for me. Although, he has stayed and whilst his loyalty is questionable, his passion and belief for the club isn’t. He is Liverpool through and through.

7. Has Kenny really rejuvenated Liverpool? His record vs. Hodgson’s is almost identical.

Dalglish has a win percentage of 56% and Hodgson of 43% – a massive 13% difference. However statistics aside, there is no similarity between the two teams. Hodgson’s Liverpool were cautious, unoriginal, lacked any piercing attacking threat, defensively ancient and his training sessions were bordering on archaeological. Whereas Dalglish has brought in Clarke and Keen and started to rejuvenate the sessions. He has put a much greater responsibility onto the youth; the money invested and the time spent training them needs to start paying off. The belief of winning and of playing proper football is evident in some of the wins we’ve recorded. The last Anfield win against United showed a side that could confound even the Champions, a well worked win. I only expect to qualify for the Champions League this season, nothing more, a piece of silverware would be nice but not essential.

8. Is there an area of the team you think Liverpool are particularly weak in?

We are weak on the right hand side. Johnson is inconsistent, one week defensively brilliant and with great forward runs, the next week he may get caught short and his game is shattered early. Kelly is an injury risk at the moment, his injuries seem to take a length of time, it’s like that for Gerrard too, get him fully fit again before playing him. Playing Kuyt on the right or Henderson isn’t ideal. I would love to see Maxi get more game-time.

9. How do you think United can hurt Liverpool on Saturday and visa versa?

United getting down the right flank of Liverpool and exposing Carraghers tired legs is a very real risk. If Nani and Young play, they will swap sides and keep attacking Johnson.

I think Liverpool can expose Evans again. He really isn’t that much to write home about, if I’m honest. I think if we get the ball into Carroll and Suarez we will cause you massive problems, you just can’t deal with the pace of Suarez who’s also very inventive and incredible with the ball. He is the main problem for United

10. Beneath all the rivalry, is it possible to have respect for United or Ferguson on any level?

I respect Fergie 100%. His record is amazing. His longevity is outstanding. But in the modern game he wouldn’t have lasted past his first season. However, his belief in the young lads and his knack of getting the best out of them is almost without equal. I do like the football that United play though – it’s expressive and relentless. Something I see Liverpool do time after time yet without getting the result. Slowly but surely though, Liverpool are waking up.

11. Liverpool entered a team into the NextGen Series this season – what have you made of it so far?

I covered the NextGen tournament extensively up to the second group game, I had to stop due to illness. I was incredibly excited about Liverpool’s chances, the previous season we had missed out on the Academy league and the FA Youth Cup. There are some fantastic talents in that team and a good European experience will benefit them so much. Players to look out for are, Raheem Sterling, Adam Morgan, Kristian Adorjan, Tyrell Belford, Toni Silva, Michael Ngoo and Andre Wisdom. Big talents for both club and country.

The performances have been a little disappointing. The initial loss to Sporting was deserved, they are a very good team and top the group with three games to go. Liverpool need a win away to Sporting to stay in the competition, anything less will eliminate them.

12. Last year’s FAYC game at Anfield was one of the highlights of last season for me, have you high hopes for a lot players in the Reserves and U18s?

That match was epic. I was in the Kop for that one. The aggression, passion and skill from both sets of players was incredible. Ultimately we lost our focus and that cost us the game but I was more than happy with the performance.

This year I expect the U18′s to keep progressing, I’m not too bothered with winning anything, just as long as we lose playing great football. That might sound odd, but it’s all about development of body and character at that level. I don’t want the young lads to win trophies over developing the mental strength to fight and come back from losses. The reserves are something with which I find myself a little apathetic towards. It feels to me that they seem to just be a team for rehabilitation. I would sooner see them play in the lower leagues just like in Spain and Germany.

13. If you had to pick one player from the United team to play for Liverpool now, who would you pick and why?

I would love Nani to play for Liverpool. I know he is a big baby and an actor but his pace and goal threat from either flank is very impressive. Also impressed with Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck and Valencia.

14. Who’s the biggest diver, Nani or Suarez?!

Nani. Terrible big baby. To be honest though, I’m as exasperated with this aspect of the modern game as I am with the lack of goal line technology. There simply is no place for simulation, acting or cheating. It should be the number one priority for next season for all clubs and referees.

15. Finally, let’s have a score prediction…

Liverpool 3-1 United. I honestly cant see any change from the last match. I’ll even throw in the scorers – Suarez with two, Carroll with the other and Nani for United.

Let’s hope not!

AUTHOR: – The Mancunian Red (Guest Blogger)

The question of who is the greatest manager to have managed in Britain has been a question which has been discussed but never properly analysed. It obviously has countless problems as it isn’t possible to compare many of the factors like for like. The criteria which I use to assess the managers obviously cannot be based purely on the number of trophies won, we also need to assess the resources and problems and longevity of success. I will begin with a brief explanation of the managers career then analyse some of the best and worst aspects of his career!

After much thought I narrowed the list to Clough, Busby, Fergie and Paisley. Leaving out the likes of Shankly, Herbert Chapman (the self proclaimed special one) and Sir Alf Ramsay was not easy and I will be happy to debate the pros and cons of my analysis should anyone desire. The case for Chapman is probably strongest and I should note I do feel at unease by his omission.

Sir Matt Busby

Busby managed just one club his entire career and that was in the top division. He took over United immediately after the 2nd World war had ended, there had been no top class football played in England for 6 years, all clubs struggled to get themselves organised and of course players were a long long way from being fit or having adequate diet. United were not one of the major forces in English football, far from it they weren’t even the major force in Manchester.

Old Trafford had been bombed and had to take their neighbour’s generous approach to use Maine Road. Busby had strong beliefs on how football should be played and was an innovator, he famously played with a five man attack which brought the crowds flocking to watch them play and United managed to finish 2nd three times on the run and win the FA cup in 1948 for only the 2nd time in their history a thirty nine years after the first success.

Busby had arrived and got United noticed, however he wanted more much more and with the help of Jimmy Murphy the assistant manager and coach went looking for the brightest young talents throughout the British Isles. This was ground breaking, teams in the past had never been created with so much emphasis on youth and inexperience.
Duncan Edwards was amazingly snatched out of the hands of his home town club the great Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bobby Charlton from Newcastle, Liam Whelan from Ireland and Mark Jones from Barnsley. These are just a few of many examples. Furthermore Busby went against the tide of football thinking in the day and gave youth en masse its chance and while it would be a mistake to believe all were young and developed talent, a sufficient number was to be recognised as the Busby Babes.

United won the title in 1951/52, 1956/7 and 1957/8 as the babes were introduced to the first team. At this point nearly all football fans loved Manchester United they combined entertainment with winners and looked set to dominate the league for another decade or more. They had come very close to winning the domestic double but for a goalkeeping injury and no substitutes and looked as if they would be fighting it out with Real Madrid for the European Cup.

In but a few short years Busby had transformed United from a mediocre club that couldn’t even use its own ground to one of the most talked about and admired clubs in Europe and this looked to be just the start. Unfortunately Munich was to end much of this. United’s team was devastated; even some of the players who continued were never the same.

Once again Busby was determined to build another great team, his third but was determined as always to do so playing attractive cavalier football, it took many years to rebuild the club and not just the team, the effect of Munich on everyone at the club can never be underestimated, even the new players coming through were obviously on to a loser – “they are no Duncan Edwards” “there will never be another set of lads like the babes” made it all the more difficult for the next crop.

Busby’s last great team started off by winning the FA Cup in 63 followed by 2 titles in 1964/5 and 1966/7 and the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968 after Busby had gone against the wishes of the governing body to enter United in the European Cup in 1956.

The Best, Law and Charlton era excited fans throughout the world, and Busby had once again re-enforced Manchester United as the biggest name in British football and one of the biggest in Europe. His legacy gave United their world-wide fan base and massive support throughout the British isles, London alone in the late 1960s had a 10,000 supporters club. These were also hardened fans and saw United through the bad times, which were to follow and keep the name of United in the headlines.

Other managers may have won more but to understand how great a manager he was we need to understand the point at which he started, the number of great teams he created, and what might have been had it not been for Munich. During his time at United he didn’t spend excessively. There wasn’t a top 4 or even top 10 or 20 any club was capable of winning the title and did. Competition in other words was much stiffer and more difficult to win trophies. He had the ability to spot good players and get the players to want to play for him.

Sir Matt Busby did not buy any players between 1953-57. Moreover he always wanted his sides to entertain. “Go out and enjoy yourselves” was his usual last words before the players left the dressing room. Busby was a top class manager for 20 years, all you need to do is think of all the number of top class decisions he had to make in that time. Moreover he was ahead of his time in developing youth and taking United in to the European Cup against the wishes and recommendations of the governing body.

Criticism of Busby has been made in several ways, because we were 3rd and unlikely to win the title before the Munich crash it has been argued that United would not have dominated either the English or European scene as much as some have predicted. Also it has been said that while he was an excellent judge of players, his coaching and tactics were either weak on nonexistent and one of the reasons he never had a United team which dominated in the way Liverpool or Fergie’s teams did later on. With the likes of Best, Charlton, Law, Crerand and Stiles et al United should have won much more.

More criticism has been labelled at the state in which he left United in, the players had grown old and the youth at the club was in a pretty poor state. From 1964-72 United bought only 3 players, Ian Ure, Alex Stepney and Willie Morgan, and one of those was bought by Wilf McGuinness – Ian Ure in his short stay as manager at the club. Also Busby only managed one club and in one division, his skills would almost certainly have been tested further and knowledge of the game if he would have managed other clubs and in other divisions with players perhaps less reluctant to join the club. Also players were in those days virtually owned by the club and had little power or say and had to toe the line or risk losing money that they just could not afford to lose. Motivating players in those days wasn’t a major issue. And lastly it should be pointed out Jimmy Murphy was by Busby’s side all the time he was a manager, Murphy’s influence is often vastly underestimated by fans and has been seen as an essential part of the Busby legend that should not be over looked. For example Clough never won a trophy without Taylor by his side, to underestimate Murphy’s role would be a mistake!

It should also be pointed out that while United were by no means the only club to do this, it is recognised that the club did offer large inducements to young players and their families to convince the player to sign for United. So while transfer money wasn’t a factor illegal inducements were.

Trophies won :
• First Division (5): 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
• FA Cup (2): 1947–48, 1962–63
• FA Charity Shield (5): 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967
• European Cup (1): 1967–68

Sir Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson has enjoyed his first success as a manager with St Mirren (1974–78), taking the club from the Scottish second division to the Premier Division. He has succeeded at every level of football from the lower leagues of Scottish football to taking on and beating the Scottish giants before he moved South and took United to the title for the first time in 26 years and to dominate English football for a couple of decades. Not only has this meant he has had to get the best out of players at virtually every professional level he has done it over a time in World football where he would have had to change his style and knowledge considerably.

The modern day professional is a multi millionaire before many are out of their teens, when Fergie managed the player daren’t cross the line as he would lose his place in the side and win bonuses meant a lot and not to just the lower level pros. In the 70s and 80s professional players who didn’t find work in the game often struggled to make a decent living, therefore motivation wasn’t as telling a factor as it has become today.

Furthermore the game has changed so much, the top sides for many seasons only had to concern themselves with first team players and a couple of backups, but today great teams aren’t enough squad and squad rotation is critical, managing players who have to be left out is a skill in it’s own right as is buying these players and explaining the situation.

Of course football teams have changed so much in their make up for the majority of his career all he would have needed to know was Scottish footballers. Managers today need to have an understanding of players from all over the world and of course a scouting network to match. How much easier must it have been when all you needed to judge was the best of British available? Then of course there is managing multi national players, rarely have we seen Fergie have problems that other managers have.

The list goes of the training methods, systems, diet etc these have changed radically in Fergie’s years of management and he has had to keep on top of these changes. Managers such as Paisley, Clough, Shankly who are true greats in their own right cannot compare to the numerous variables Fergie has had to contend with. Busby a brilliant manager never had to manage at all the different levels or adapt to the modern game. And we all know how unlucky he was with the great Munich side but still Busby only managed less than half of Fergie’s trophies at United alone.

Moreover, Fergie had to contend with the problems of history and United’s glamour when he came to United. The glamour meant teams lifted their game when they played against us while the combination of history and glamour meant many big time players couldn’t cope with the Old Trafford stage Birtles Davenport Brazil et al. When Fergie has built great teams he has built them to last and not for the odd season or two. He had little money at any of his clubs in Scotland but at United he was given funds, although to understand his position you have to understand that much of Fergie’s money has been created by his success, which created the wealth.

Criticism of Fergie can be labelled in several ways, he has made poor buys at times such as Veron, Taibi, Kleberson, Forlan, Djemba Djemba et al and in his time at United while he has dominated the English scene he has failed to dominate Europe in the same way. Although it should be pointed out he was hampered with the non English players rule for several seasons and no club has managed to win back to back Champions League trophies. Moreover, does the Premiership and its lack of Christmas/New Year break make it more difficult to win the Champions League? The Premiership has always been easier to win compared to division one in the 50s, 60s, 70s and the spending under Fergie has been higher, even in real terms than all the other top managers discussed. Although it can be said Fergie has earned his transfer budged primarily through success.

In his early years he had to buy from the lower divisions and sell as well as make the big transfer, which was very similar to the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle et al. However, unlike Busby’s day the number of clubs capable of winning the Premiership was only a fraction compared to today’s football. However it could again be argued that this was because Busby’s United never dominated football.

Trophies won :

St. Mirren
• Scottish First Division (1): 1976–77
Aberdeen
• Scottish Premier Division (3): 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85
• Scottish Cup (4): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
• Scottish League Cup (1): 1985–86
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1982–83
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1983
Manchester United
• Premier League (11): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• FA Cup (5): 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• League Cup (4): 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• FA Charity/Community Shield (9): 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 (* shared)
• UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1990–91
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Brian Clough

We now turn our attentions to Clough a career in management that began in 1965 to 1993.

To win the league with two different clubs is a remarkable feat, to do it with two teams that were in the second division when he first took over is a remarkable achievement and unsurpassed in English football.
Neither Derby nor Forest were recognised as large clubs. United, Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Leeds, Everton, Spurs, Villa, Newcastle and Sunderland to name but a few were much bigger clubs. Not only did he conquer the English league but managed to also conquer Europe winning the European Cup twice with Forest. Although never winning the FA cup he won the League cup. His teams always played wonderful attractive football and respected referees.
Unfortunately towards the end of his career he like Busby lost the plot to an even greater degree and Forest were relegated. He had fallen out with his great partner and friend a number of years earlier, Peter Taylor, and he never won any major trophy without him by his side (he won the League Cup but never the European Cup FA Cup or League). Clough failed at Leeds and Brighton, although some say he was never given a chance many argued that he should have been given the England job.

Clough’s reign at Derby was ended with a dispute with directors and chairman, which resulted in him being replaced he predicted that Derby could carry on for a few years without him but then it would fall apart. His prediction was true – Derby won the league again under the new management but shortly afterwards fell into a demise which to be truthful they have never fully come out of. It is probably slightly unfair to say that the manager who replaced Clough had no impact; he did after all manage the team when they won it.

Clough’s style although obviously extremely successful at times has to be questioned, he failed to hold down a top job with a big club lasting only 44 days with Leeds and he was never given the England job which brings in to question his style. Clough, although at times extremely successful has not managed it continuously over many years to match some of his compatriots.

Clough did remarkable things with Taylor at Derby and Forest but he could of and should have won a lot more trophies with the money at Forest. He created the wealth but failed to buy well with the results. Fashanu, Hartford, Wallace and Ward are just some of the players that failed to produce the goods for him when he could have won more; he also failed at Brighton and Leeds.

Trophies won :

Derby County
Winner:
• First Division: 1971–72
• Second Division: 1968–69
• Watney Cup: 1970
Leeds United
Runner-up:
• FA Charity Shield: 1974
Nottingham Forest
Winner:
• First Division: 1977–78
• League Cup: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1988–89, 1989–90
• European Cup: 1978–79, 1979–80
• FA Charity Shield: 1978
• European Super Cup: 1979
Runner-up:
• League Championship: 1978–79
• FA Cup: 1990–91
• League Cup: 1979–80, 1991–92
• European Super Cup: 1980
• Intercontinental Cup: 1980

Bob Paisley

We now turn to Bob Paisley, who managed Liverpool from 1974 to 1983

In many ways Paisley is the most successful manager, three European Cups, 6 League championships and 2 league cups. The FA cup always eluded him but in just 9 years of management what an achievement. He has won more European Cups than any manager in Britain; he did so when the only means to qualify was to win either the league or the European cup unlike today when you can finish 4th and still qualify. In 1999 United would not have been able to win the European cup and the treble had those rules still have been in place.

While it is true that Paisley’s efforts have to be put into context of what Bill Shankly had achieved previously, it would be a major mistake to give undue credit to Shanks at the expense of Paisley: Shankly turned Liverpool from an average second division side into the best team in England and one of the best in Europe. He joined in 1959 and got them promoted and won the league in 1964, 1966 and 1973, the FA Cup in 1965, and 1974, and the UEFA Cup in 1973.

He also left the club in the excellent shape, Paisley had been Liverpool coach under Shankly for numerous years and had never been manager before or after he resigned the Liverpool job. He himself left the club in a fantastic condition for Fagan and then Dalglish to carry on both the Liverpool way and their success, which was orchestrated by Shankly such as the world renowned boot room and training and fitness regimes. One of the most interesting ‘tit bits’ I come across researching this article was that Paisley could work out just watching a player training if he was on the verge of being injured.

However, Paisley took Liverpool into unknown territory, his team ruled both British and European football simultaneously under his charge, and unlike the other managers had no dry spells to speak of, only the odd year. However, his limited experience only 9 years at the top level, managing just one club, which was perhaps the richest club in England at the time, being able to break the transfer record and bring in the likes of Dalglish for £440,000, his lack of experience and therefore success at lower level leaves question marks as to whether he could have built clubs up from comparatively poor starting points such as Fergie at Aberdeen, St Mirren and to a lesser degree United, and Busby both after his appointment and again in 1958, and Clough at Derby and Forest.

I leave it up to you to decide but in my opinion Fergie just edges it over Busby! I should say that my only reservation to this list is Herbert Chapman whose career had it been after the 2nd world war would have been in this list and very close to the top at worst. I should also say Sir Alf Ramsey and Shankly deserve special mentions as great managers too.

Trophies Won:

Liverpool
• First Division
• Champions: 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83
• Runners-up: 1974–75, 1977–78
• European Cup
• Winners: 1977, 1978, 1981
• UEFA Cup
• Winners: 1976
• FA Cup
• Runners-up: 1977
• Football League Cup
• Winners: 1981, 1982, 1983
• Runners-up: 1978
• European Super Cup
• Winners: 1977
• Runners-up: 1978
• FA Charity Shield
• Winners: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982
• Shared: 1977

Based on success at different levels, longevity, the changing game, and continued success it is difficult to see beyond Fergie.

AUTHOR: – Doron

I dislike Liverpool FC as much as the next United fan. But that’s normal right? That’s natural when there is an intense rivalry in sport. I’d be hard-pushed to find a Liverpool fan who doesn’t feel similarly about United. However, underneath the layers of rivalry, there are two very similar clubs with much in common.

I write this off the back of attending the FA Youth Cup tie at Anfield yesterday which was won by United 3-2. Reading the media reports of the game and having a quick scour at Twitter there has been a lot of focus on chants by some United fans in attendance about the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters.

It seemed a shame that these press reports were choosing to lead with titles such as “Liverpool v Manchester United youth tie marred by Hillsborough abuse” in the Independent; “Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup victory over Liverpool ends with hostile scenes” in The Telegraph; and “Sick chants, three arrests and four red cards ruin FA Youth Cup clash between Liverpool and Manchester United” in the Daily Mail. Actually, there was a brilliant game of football there yesterday, a match with passion between two rival sides. I’d rather watch games where no players are sent off but in many ways it’s nice to see that the rivalry and intensity of a Liverpool vs. Manchester United fixture doesn’t cool-off at U18 level.

Here’s the truth though about yesterday in terms of the sick chanting…

I decided to go purely for the football. I’m an avid supporter of our Reserve and Academy team and met up with similar like-minded fans at the game. There were between 300 and 400 United fans in attendance and the majority were there for the game – family and friends of the players playing or supporters like myself.

It’s sadly true that chants about the tragic death of Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough were sung about. As far as I could tell, there were no chants about Heysel. I must stress that these chants came from a minority of fans. It was actually quite refreshing to have some kind of atmosphere amongst the away fans at an Academy game; nearly all of us were singing songs about our own club. It’s also true that a few United fans were withdrawn from the stadium (and possibly arrested) for lighting a flare just before half-time.

The Kop, where Liverpool fans were seated (unless there were some above us too) was quiet on the day. I’ve not watched the full match back yet but I’m sure the chants about Hillsborough, even if only by 75 fans, would have been clearly heard on TV. It’s unacceptable from United fans however (and this doesn’t at all make the chants in any way ok) the reports in the media make it seem like this is the first time it’s happened. Indeed, sat in the Stretford End when we hosted Liverpool for the FA Cup tie in January, the chants were sung then too.

At this point, the blog originally contained the paragraph quoted below. Hand on heart, I believe I heard songs about Munich, however many Liverpool fans who were in The Kop have since told me they didn’t hear any. If I am wrong, I apologise and stand corrected. I won’t delete the paragraph as I’ll no doubt have names thrown at me but will leave it in as it’s relevant to some of the comments on the page. Of course Munich chanting happens at other games between the sides and is equally unacceptable.

“What also bothers me, is that none of these reports mention that chants about Munich were sung by a minority of Liverpool too. Consider this, The Kop is full, it holds just under 12,500 fans and I’m pretty certain I can hear Munich chants. There’s bound to be more than the 75 people singing around me about Hillsborough chanting about Munich opposite me, yet not a single one of these reports mentions it. Indeed, John Aldridge, a Liverpool fan, local lad and former player quite rightly expressed his disgust at the chants by some United fans on his Twitter page; however when questioned by myself and a few other Reds why he wasn’t also condemning the Liverpool fans who chanted about Munich he said nothing and ignored the question. I’m not suggesting John advocates Munich chants, even without knowing him I can safely say he’s equally as disgusted by them – any human being would be.”

Upon leaving the stadium I was greeted on the Anfield Road by Liverpool fans shouting “Munich bastard” at me (before any clever so-and-so asks how Liverpool fans could get round from The Kop so quickly, I was one of the last to leave as I’m on crutches and The Kop started to empty before full time).

 

Full Time in the game

 

The United players come and applaud the fans

It felt somewhat disappointing to wake up this morning and read online stories that lead with the behaviour of a minority of United supporters. When Liverpool fans chant about Munich, I’m sure likewise, it’s just that, a minority. Whilst I dislike the club, the fans are fine in general. On this blog we’ve had very pleasant comments from Liverpool supporters last weekend. I spoke with some Liverpool fans there in a pub after the game and didn’t have a single problem. The taxi drivers who took me to and from Anfield were both Liverpool fans and engaged in some light banter about the rivalry between our two clubs.

It’s sad that these chants exist, but they’ll never go away. Only on Saturday did journalist David Stringer say, “On a train up to Manchester, packed with Arsenal fans amusing themselves by singing the Munich song. Despicable.”. At that same game, songs were sung about Arsene Wenger. Unfortunately we’ll never rid the game of these chants, however we can condemn them.

It’s right the papers pointed out that a few United fans sang chants, it’s right to expose them.

Upon reflection, four red cards in the game was a good thing for the rivalry – it runs deep. It’s a good rivalry between two successful and ultimately very similar clubs. Passion was running high yesterday and the game itself was exciting, something that seems lost by the media reportings.

Fans on either side of the Liverpool-United divide won’t rush to admit it but there are many similarities between our clubs: legendary and successful managers; 18 league titles; European successes; traditionally manual labour Cities; a passion for Youth football (as I wrote about last week); and finally tragic disasters that will never be forgotten.

It’s that final similarity that fans should respect more than any other. Munich, Hillsborough and Heysel will never be forgotten in football. It’s an absolute credit to Liverpool fans and says a lot about them that on the recent anniversary of the Munich Disaster many of them tweeted respectful things.

As for our media, poorly researched and inaccurate match reports about yesterday aside (for example the Telegraph suggest Tunnicliffe is our captain when Thorpe is) – it’s good they reported the misdemeanour’s of the fans yet United fans shouldn’t be the only ones made an example out of.

In light of yesterday’s events and with the anniversaries of first Hillsborough and then Heysel coming up in the next two months, United fans should pay their respects to the loss of life. Chanting about them isn’t clever. Chanting about Munich isn’t clever. Sometimes football and rivalries should come second.

Any comments that include derogatory statements about Munich, Hillsborough or Heysel will be deleted