Manchester United vs. Reading FC - Sun 12/08/2007 (16:00 BST)

3-1 Rooney, Rooney and Giggs.
 
Seems pretty clear, but I'm hoping the team'll be --

van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, Nani, Ronaldo, Rooney. With the usual flexible attacking and position switching going on.

Subs: Tommy, Silvestre, O'Shea, Hargreaves, Anderson.

Prediction 3-0. Rooney x2, and Ronaldo.
 
3 -1

Ronnie, Roo, Vidic

Scholes with two and Giggs with one assists, while Hargreaves rule the deep midfield
 
Well fergie said it would be unlikely for the new boys to start. Which hints at the community shield line up, but with a central midfield of carrick and scholes. Although he may play fletch out on the right, or as part of a 3 man midfield.
 
--------------VDS-----------
Wes-----Rio------Wolverine-----Evra

Ronaldo----Carrick---Scholes-----Nani

-----------Rooney----Giggs------------

replace Scholes with Hargreaves and Giggs with Anderson if we are 2 - 0 up.
 
Yeah by the sounds of it Nani/Anderson/Der Harg (maybe even Tevez WAHWAHWEEWAH) will be on the bench.

Am I the only one who would prefer to see JOS play instead of Fletcher if this is the case? He has looked better in preseason and he was clearly the better player last season even if Fletcher was injured for much of it.
 
We will play a 3-6-1 formation:

-------------------VDS-------------------

-----------Wes-----Vidic----Rio-----------

---------------Hargreaves----------------

--------Carrick------------Scholes---------

-----Ronaldo------Rooney-----------Evra--

------------------Dong--------------------


Hehe
 
----------VDS
Brown--Rio--Vidic--Evra
-------Jos--Carrick
--------Scholes
Ronaldo--Rooney--Giggs

Subs:
PIG
Alien (or Tevez???)
Der Harg
Nani
Anderson
 
Seems pretty clear, but I'm hoping the team'll be --

van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, Nani, Ronaldo, Rooney. With the usual flexible attacking and position switching going on.

Subs: Tommy, Silvestre, O'Shea, Hargreaves, Anderson.

Prediction 3-0. Rooney x2, and Ronaldo.

don't get your hopes too high
 
Formation :

[¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤] (Vds)
[¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤] (Rio) (Vidic)
[¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤] (Brown) (Pat)
[¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤] (Scholes) (Carrick)
[¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤] (Ronaldo)(Nani)
[¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤X¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤] (Giggs)(Rooney)

Bench : Tom, Hargreaves, Eagles, Silvestre, O'Shea

Prediction : 3-0 (Ronaldo x 2, Rooney)

All rights reserved.
 
Nice stats that!

Anyway, I think the reason that SAF hasn`t strengthened at RB is that Gary Neville is likely to be playing for atleast another couple of seasons. We do also have adequate backup IMO. Brown, O`Shea, Pique, Bardsley and Simpson can all play there. I like Brown best in the center, but I reckon he is more than good enough to cover for Gary Neville when he is injured.

I also think your starting line up might be correct, but I think Nani will play on the wings and Giggsy up front.

All the players that you mentioned to play as right-back are not good enough for the position, G.Nevill will return in almost three weeks, and he was at a long time injury.. so, he won`t be fit soon. also, we play at competitions like the Champions League.. I you don`t have a strong defence, you won`t go far!

Obviously, we have an extra players in some postitions.. like the C-Middfielder.. Scholes, Carrick, Hargreeves.. are almost in the same level, but we don`t even have a replacement for Nevill!!:(

*Daily Mail: Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson will all be in the Red Devils squad to face last season's surprise packets but all three are likely to start on the bench.

Paul Scholes will play after coming through a 90-minute outing at Dunfermline in midweek but Gary Neville (ankle) is out for another three weeks, while Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (both knee) have only just returned to training.

Reading will be without striker Leroy Lita, wingers Glen Little and Bobby Convey and defender Ibrahima Sonko for Sunday's Premier League trip to Manchester United.

Lita has been sidelined by a hip injury, Little is still recovering from an Achilles problem while Convey and Sonko are both still recovering from knee surgery.

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann is expected to play despite not having fully recovered from a broken hand and new signing Kalifa Cisse stands by for a debut. Fellow newcomer Emerse Fae's lack of match-fitness means he will have to wait for his debut, however.
 
------------VDS-------------

--Wes-----Rio-----Vidic-----Evra--

--Ronaldo--Carrick--Scholes--Nani--

---------Giggs-------Rooney--------

2 or 3 - 0 to us will do very nicely. Bring on the season.
 
Scholes had been expected to miss the first month of the season after the 33-year-old came home early from United's Tour of Asia, but a knee arthroscopy cleared him to return and he played in Wednesday's friendly against Dunfermline.


United coach Mike Phelan said: "Paul has worked really hard, he's came through the training and is in contention for the game."

Reading skipper Graeme Murty can't wait for the season to start.

He said: "It's a tough opening game against the champions but the players look forward to playing at Old Trafford as much as the fans.

"We know that with United's array of attacking talent we will have to be full out, but we gave United a real fright in the FA Cup last season and know that we can give them a game."


Reading manager Steve Coppell will be without Leroy Lita, who is on crutches after the striker picked up a freak hip injury in bed doing stretching exercises.

Coppell said: "I think we can probably cope whatever happens. There are very few teams that we will play against and think we can't get any type of result."

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has put himself back in contention for the match after recovering from a serious hand injury in the final game of last season.

Hahnemann completed another 90 minutes in Tuesday's practice match with Queens Park Rangers and has declared himself fit.

Reserve keeper Graham Stack has joined Championship side Wolves on a month's loan.
 
3-1. After going 1-0 down early on. Rooney, Ronaldo, and Nani with the goals.
 
An emphatic victory so....that's the general feeling, is it?

I'd agree, there's just no way Reading are going to stop us putting a few away on Sunday. Full steam ahead I say. Rooney to score two at least....and we'll get four.
 
It's so close now and yet so far...
 
I'd like to see Tevez but it's understandable he won't take part in this match yet.

My preferred formation:

Edwin van der Sar

Wes Brown
Rio Ferdinand
Nemanja Vidic
Patrice Evra

Cristiano Ronaldo
Paul Scholes
Michael Carrick
Nani

Wayne Rooney
Ryan Giggs.
 
Scholes had been expected to miss the first month of the season after the 33-year-old came home early from United's Tour of Asia, but a knee arthroscopy cleared him to return and he played in Wednesday's friendly against Dunfermline.


United coach Mike Phelan said: "Paul has worked really hard, he's came through the training and is in contention for the game."

Reading skipper Graeme Murty can't wait for the season to start.

He said: "It's a tough opening game against the champions but the players look forward to playing at Old Trafford as much as the fans.

"We know that with United's array of attacking talent we will have to be full out, but we gave United a real fright in the FA Cup last season and know that we can give them a game."


Reading manager Steve Coppell will be without Leroy Lita, who is on crutches after the striker picked up a freak hip injury in bed doing stretching exercises.

Coppell said: "I think we can probably cope whatever happens. There are very few teams that we will play against and think we can't get any type of result."

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has put himself back in contention for the match after recovering from a serious hand injury in the final game of last season.

Hahnemann completed another 90 minutes in Tuesday's practice match with Queens Park Rangers and has declared himself fit.

Reserve keeper Graham Stack has joined Championship side Wolves on a month's loan.

Get the feck out of my thread!
 
I'm already nervous and eager to watch the game, how I hate those Sunday games! I hope for a good United start, couple of goals, nice football and most importantly, 3 points! That would be good for the lads and for my nerves!!!
It would surprise me if one from the new boys would start, except Tevez maybe (who'll come from the bench most likely).

Come on United!!!
 
I'm always annoyed by the first Saturday of the season as we never play, 24 hours to go.

They should play all at the same time just as they do on the last day of the season. I assume they don't because of TV/Sky, can't they just feck them off for the first and last game weeks. :mad:
 
They should play all at the same time just as they do on the last day of the season. I assume they don't because of TV/Sky, can't they just feck them off for the first and last game weeks. :mad:

It works both ways. I want too see Utd on t.v, but for that to happen Sky move the game from a Saturday 3.00 KO, which is when i want Utd to kick off.
 
All the players that you mentioned to play as right-back are not good enough for the position, G.Nevill will return in almost three weeks, and he was at a long time injury.. so, he won`t be fit soon. also, we play at competitions like the Champions League.. I you don`t have a strong defence, you won`t go far!

Obviously, we have an extra players in some postitions.. like the C-Middfielder.. Scholes, Carrick, Hargreeves.. are almost in the same level, but we don`t even have a replacement for Nevill!!:(





Though Neville is a class act and there is some difference between him and the likes of Brown and O`Shea, I still feel that they are more than good enough to cover for him. They have done well in both the League and the CL before so don`t worry about that Miss.