FA Cup: Liverpool vs Manchester United, 18/02/06

Manutd are playing like a team possessed at the moment and putting sides away. The three R's are doing the business and Liverpool are massive underdogs. Just as Manutd were massive underdogs in their league game against us. Hmmm, might be something in that.

I think Alonso needs a rest and Gerrard needs to come back into the middle for a few games. This also gives a chance for our lucky charm, Garcia, to play up front and maybe Cisse on the right to keep Evra on his toes.
 
i can see us drawing 1-1,
team to start

---vds----
g-nevil--rio--brown--sivestre

ronaldo-fletcher-smith-giggs
--------rooney------------
---------rvn-------------

i expect it to be a tight game, with both teams scoring from counter attacks or set peices
 
Dumpstar said:
maybe Cisse on the right to keep Evra on his toes.

:lol:
We are not going to play with LB if Cisse is going to be your right wing.
 
Cisse's best position is right wing, he just doesn't know it or agree.

He has the pace, crossing ability and actually gets involved with the rest of the team from there (as opposed to hands on hips, scowl on face when he's playing as a 'striker').
 
soccerbest said:
you are spamming the thread time and again with your utter nonsense.

feck off you piece of trash.

yorkie3.jpg
 
---------VDS-------
-Gary--Rio--Brown---Evra
Ronaldo-Fletch-Giggs-Park
------Rooney---Ruud

If Gary's still out, play Brown at RB and Vidic in the middle. 2-0 to United
 
Do you know what I would have be loved?

We all Gaz will get the boo-boys at Anfield going from the first second he enters the pitch. I would loved him answering the Kop by give them some "kisses" and cheer in a sarcastic manner as they were Unitedfans. I would be laughing all first half if he did that.

And the best way to beat the "hub caps collectors" had been an overtime goal by Gaz....

Come on, Gaz ;o)
 
FA Cup flashback

_41341884_manutd_liverpool_416.gif


While fashion and sport are familiar bedfellows at Royal Ascot, it is rare that football's end-of-season showpiece finds itself in the shadow of the clothes one team decided to wear on the day.
But the 1996 FA Cup final will always be remembered for the remarkable white suits worn by the Liverpool players.

_41332276_whitesuits203.jpg


Pundits looking back at that episode have since dubbed the players the Spice Boys in line with the hysteria surrounding the future Mrs Beckham and company that followed that same year - and Liverpool did indeed set out to impress off the field as well as on it.

But their efforts did not have the desired effect as Liverpool were unable to replicate their success four years earlier, falling 1-0 to an Eric Cantona after 85 minutes.:devil: :devil:

Here BBC Sport traces those who wore white on that day back in 1996 and those who lifted the trophy.

Manchester United

Manager - Sir Alex Ferguson Still at the helm after more than 19 years in charge, Ferguson is the longest-serving manager in the Premiership. The 1996 victory was the third time United won the FA Cup under Ferguson.

Peter Schmeichel Left Old Trafford for Sporting Lisbon after the Treble-winning season in 1999. Was brought back to English football by Aston Villa before, surprisingly, finishing his career at United's arch rivals, City. His son Kasper is now on the books at City.

Dennis Irwin
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Denis Irwin The steadiest of steady left-backs, Irwin, who started his career at Leeds before moving to Oldham, spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford before leaving for Wolves in 2002. Retired two years later and has gone into media work.

Phil Neville Played in the same Lancashire Schools cricket team as Andrew Flintoff but was a club stalwart at the other Old Trafford before being sold to Everton in the summer.

David May After joining from Blackburn Rovers in 1994, he suffered the double disappointment of finding it hard to displace Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister in the centre of defence while his former team-mates at Ewood Park won the Premiership. May eventually left Old Trafford for Burnley in 2003 and ended up playing in the North West Counties League for Bacup Borough.

Gary Pallister A great bit of business by Sir Alex Ferguson, even if a few eyebrows were raised when he coughed up a British record £2.3m to sign Pallister from Middlesbrough in 1989. Ferguson got nine great years out of the central defender before selling him back to the Teesside club for a £200,000 profit. Now works as a BBC pundit.

Roy Keane One of the outstanding central midfielders of his generation. A dynamic captain at United for more than a decade before eventually leaving late last year to fulfil a childhood dream to play for Celtic.

Eric Cantona
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Eric Cantona Still idolised at Old Trafford, Cantona joined United for £1.2m from Leeds in November 1992. The mercurial and controversial figure surprisingly retired a year after the final and has since been involved in beach football, a bit of acting and a voiceover for Asterix cartoons.

Nicky Butt Another product of the famous youth team of 1992 alongside the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. Moved to Newcastle in July 2004 but found himself out of favour once Graeme Souness replaced Sir Bobby Robson and is currently on a season-long loan at Birmingham City.

Andy Cole Ferguson caused a sensation when he signed Cole from Newcastle in 1995. He went on to score 93 goals in 161 league starts for Man Utd before being sold to Blackburn for £8m in 2001. Is currently at Manchester City and has scored 10 goals so far this season.

David Beckham
_41338782_beckham.jpg

David Beckham Few could have anticipated the effect the lad from Leytonstone would have had on British popular culture, let alone football. It all really took off for him when he scored from the half-way line at Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97. The rest has been relayed in countless biographies on the England and Real Madrid star.

Ryan Giggs Has carved out a glorious Old Trafford career since being compared to George Best after making his debut as a 17-year-old. Has won numerous medals but his greatest night in the FA Cup came when he ran the length of the pitch to score the winner against Arsenal in the 1999 semi-final and then flashed his chest in celebration.

Liverpool

Manager - Roy Evans Evans was a member of the legendary Anfield boot room and took over as manager in January 1994 after the departure of Graeme Souness. Evans left in 1998, just a few months after Gerrard Houllier had been brought in as joint manager. Evans is currently involved with the Wales national team.

David James His idea for the white suits was as wise as his decision to come for the corner that led to Cantona's winner. James carved out a successful career despite being maligned for errors. Has lost his England place to Spurs' Paul Robinson despite some solid displays for Manchester City.

Jason McAteer Epitomised the Spice Boy image by doing a shampoo advert but was sold to Blackburn for £4m in 2001. Highlights of his career include scoring the goal that sent the Republic of Ireland to the 2002 World Cup. Now trying to help Tranmere Rovers out of League One.

Rob Jones
Rob Jones A graduate of the Crewe production line, Jones had his career cut short by injury after once being a bright England prospect. Famed for making more than 200 appearances for Liverpool without scoring a goal, he retired at 27 because of a back injury but now runs coaching courses and a successful nursery business in Cheshire.

John Scales Left Anfield six months after the final but was unable to make much of an impression at Tottenham after his £2.6m move. Scales made three appearances for England and after retiring became player-manager of the national beach football team.

Phil Babb Captured from Coventry after a successful World Cup in 1994 with the Republic of Ireland but never really reached those heights in a red shirt. Eventually left for Sporting Lisbon, finished his career at Sunderland and then helped set up a golfing magazine with McAteer.

Mark Wright
Mark Wright Retired in 1998 after being the captain that lifted the FA Cup for the Reds six years earlier. Moved into management and had spells as boss at Southport, Oxford and Chester and was sacked in January from League Two Peterborough.

Steve McManaman The boyhood Everton fan became a firm favourite at Anfield. Moved to Real Madrid in 1999 on a Bosman and won two European Cups and two Spanish league titles. Returned to England and signed for Kevin Keegan at Manchester City in 2003 but was released last summer. A media career beckons.

Stan Collymore A player who became as notorious for his off-the-field actions as the spectacular goals he netted on it. Played for a whole host of clubs, including Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

Robbie Fowler Came up through the ranks and scored 171 goals in 299 games for Liverpool before he was sold to Leeds for £11m in 2001. Eventually moved to Manchester City, teaming up with best mate McManaman, before making a surprise return to Anfield last month. Is Cup-tied after scoring a hat-trick for City in the third round against Scunthorpe.

Jamie Redknapp Suffered an injury-plagued career that limited his performances both at club and international level. Moved to Spurs on a free transfer in 2002 after 11 years at Anfield and finished up playing for his father Harry at Southampton. Having retired last summer, he is now an analyst for Sky Sports.

John Barnes
John Barnes Barnes, who played 79 times for England, was made the highest-paid player in the country soon after joining the Reds in 1987, rumoured to be on £9,000 a week. Despite capturing winners medals in 1989 and 1992, perhaps his most memorable FA Cup achievement will be his starring role on the number three smash the Anfield Rap. Retired in 1999 and is now a presenter on Channel Five.
 
Sir Alex: Lay Off Neville



Sir Alex Ferguson believes the focus on Gary Neville ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup visit to Old Trafford has been blown out of all proportion.

The Reds boss also urged Howard Webb, the referee for the passionately fought derby, to be mindful of the circumstances in which Neville arrives at a ground where he is unlikely to be welcomed with open arms.

Neville’s ardent celebration of Rio Ferdinand’s late winner against Liverpool in the 1-0 Premiership win at Old Trafford last month landed the defender in trouble with the FA.

His personal hearing for an ‘improper conduct’ charge will be held next week. Neville denies he did anything but display a passion that is being driven from the game.

Sir Alex expects the usual barrage of abuse to be directed at Neville, who will be celebrating his 31st birthday, from the Anfield crowd.

“I hope it’s a good birthday for him,” said Sir Alex at his Friday press briefing. “According to some of the stuff I’ve been reading in the lead up to this game, he’ll be lucky to get out of there [Anfield] alive!

“There has been too much made of it, but in modern day journalism that’s what happens. With the game being so near to the last one, there is focus on Gary’s celebration in that game.

“But, as has been pointed out, Steven Gerrard has done exactly the same thing against Everton, and Robbie Fowler did something similar in our derby with Manchester City. Players celebrate emotionally. That happens a lot.

“Gary Neville will get stick, we know that. Myself and Wayne Rooney are delighted!

“[The abuse] will be incessant against him. He always gets stick from the Liverpool fans anyway. But the important thing is that it doesn’t affect the referee’s performance.”

Howard Webb is a 34-year-old official from Rotherham. He has been a regular in the Premiership this season and has refereed five United games so far this term.

“For a young referee to get this game, it’s a big test,” says Sir Alex. “There is a big hope that he will replace Graham Poll as the best referee in the country. But Graham Poll has been the best referee in the country for some ten years now, as far as I’m concerned.

“In the handling of the Gary Neville situation, he has to be 100% fair. Otherwise the talk about him might not be as hopeful as it should be.”

But the United boss hopes the talking points from the match will be about the quality of football rather than refereeing mistakes or disciplinary incidents.

“We hope we have a game, a true cup tie, that is worthy of two great clubs,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that this game is so close to the last one, it’s United-Liverpool. It’s a guaranteed electric atmosphere with great tension. Any mistake made will be punished.

“The only difference with the game in January is that it is a cup tie. But that probably only adds to it. It’s sudden death.

“The FA Cup is about hard draws and getting a result. You can’t win a cup without hard games, that’s what this competition is all about.

“We’ve had five players sent off at Anfield, but in fairness to both clubs, there has always been a reasonable atmosphere among the two sets of players.

“I can’t remember it boiling it over like it has done in the Arsenal games. It’s never got to anything like that. Both clubs have that respect for one another and they know it’s the biggest derby game in England.

The two clubs have won 17 FA Cups between them, just one statistic in a rich history of winning silverware shared by the two clubs.

“There is a phenomenal success of winning trophies between the two clubs, domestically and in Europe.”

http://www.manutd.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=306278&itype=466&icategoryid=120
 
>>>>>>>>>>

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feels referee Howard Webb will have to be on his mettle in order to ensure Saturday's FA Cup clash with Liverpool does not boil over.

Tensions always run high when the two sides meet, but the recent controversy surrounding Gary Neville and his goal celebration has added spice to the contest.

Webb has been given the game and Ferguson is looking for him to keep a lid on the contest.

"He (Neville) is obviously going to get stick, we expect that, he has always got stick from Liverpool fans," said Ferguson.


"Anyway, I hope it doesn't get to the point where it affects the referee's performance. That sort of thing can happen, as it'll be incessant tomorrow.

"For a young referee to get this big game is a big test.

"I think (Keith) Hackett said he (Webb) can replace (Graham) Poll as the best ref in the country, but Poll has been the best ref in England for the last ten years as far as I'm concerned.

"He's young and they've big hopes for the lad and it is a big test for him handling the Neville situation.

"The one thing is he has to be 100 percent fair.

"It is a big test for Howard Webb, a lot of of people are starting to respect him.

"It is very easy with the stick Gary is going to take, the volume of noise is going to be incessant and aimed at one man.

"Wayne Rooney and myself are delighted!"

Ferguson is confident England defender Neville will be able to handle atmosphere on Saturday.

"Neville's alright, he's trained all week and is fine," declared the Scot.

Ferguson expects a white hot atmosphere at Anfield and is looking forward to the occasion.

"It doesn't matter when United play Liverpool, it's a guaranteed electric atmosphere," said Ferguson. "There will be tension in the game, if a mistake is made it will be punished. In that sense it doesn't matter when it's played, the only difference from a league game is it's a cup game and it could be sudden death tomorrow."

Ferguson claims his players have had a good week to prepare for the game, whereas Liverpool were forced to take on Arsenal in midweek.

"(Edwin) van der Sar started training yesterday and he should be okay, (Ryan) Giggs has trained all week which is good news, Rio (Ferdinand) trained yesterday and worked today.

"Going into these big games you hope everything falls into place in terms of the team you want to pick and no last minute hitches.

"It is a big game and a game that will be a great focus for everyone in the country."

<<<<<<<<<<

Source :: http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=364511&CPID=1&clid=&lid=4161&title=Fergie's+Webb+warning


As for the game itself, if we go out and take it to them from the off, want it more than they do :devil:, i don't think 0-2 is a terribly unrealistic.

We're better off now than we were when we played them in the league, in terms of the team we can put out and the subs so that has to be a boost.
 
Something sensational will no doubt happen

Odds on a Neville goal in front of the Kop in a 1-0 win...175-1 :D

I cant believe we are 13/8 to win, its a great bet, its just the thought of how much help the ref will give the Scousers that worries me.
 
Alonso out probably means Gerrard playing through the middle I reckon.
 
12:30 ليفربول -- : -- مانشستر يونايتد DSF Sport
Sport 1 المجر
TV Sport RO ( رومانيا )
Sky Calcio (سكاي كالشيو)
سكاي سبورت 1
Alfa TV
S.Sport Hellas
3+ الدانمارك
BBC One (England)
C+Sport (France)
ViaSat Sport 1(Sw)
ViaSat Sportt 2
Sport 1 CZ
Diema Extra
Kanalturk
Sport 1 Ukraine
Sport 1 NL
 
Tareq said:
12:30 ليفربول -- : -- مانشستر يونايتد DSF Sport
Sport 1 المجر
TV Sport RO ( رومانيا )
Sky Calcio (سكاي كالشيو)
سكاي سبورت 1
Alfa TV
S.Sport Hellas
3+ الدانمارك
BBC One (England)
C+Sport (France)
ViaSat Sport 1(Sw)
ViaSat Sportt 2
Sport 1 CZ
Diema Extra
Kanalturk
Sport 1 Ukraine
Sport 1 NL


Wrong letters.
 
2-6

2-0 before half time, United will let them have some handicap.

Then the show will be on.
 
Am working but will have the telly on...Am hoping my lesbian boss is getting great sex tonight so will be in a good mood tommorrow and pay me for doing nothing for 2 hours
 
Tareq said:
12:30 ليفربول -- : -- مانشستر يونايتد DSF Sport
Sport 1 المجر
TV Sport RO ( رومانيا )
Sky Calcio (سكاي كالشيو)
سكاي سبورت 1
Alfa TV
S.Sport Hellas
3+ الدانمارك
BBC One (England)
C+Sport (France)
ViaSat Sport 1(Sw)
ViaSat Sportt 2
Sport 1 CZ
Diema Extra
Kanalturk
Sport 1 Ukraine
Sport 1 NL

Is Al-Jazeera going to show it?
 
------------Van der Sar------------
Gaz-----Ferdinand-----Brown-----Evra------
Ronaldo----Smith------Fletcher-----Giggs----
----------Rooney-----Ruud---------------

Its such a pity about the centre mids the rest of the side is cracking on paper.
 
peterstorey said:
Fowler's gonna feck you up the arse.

Yes it's a damn shame that he's cup-tied. It's nice that the Liverpool-Arsenal love pact still is going on.