Southend v Manchester United - Tuesday, 07 November 2006

Sir Alex Ferguson has pledged Manchester United's stunning Carling Cup exit at Southend will not trigger any knee-jerk reaction from inside the Red Devils camp.

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Just 24 hours after he celebrated 20 years as United manager, Ferguson suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats of his entire time at the club.

The competition holders and Premiership leaders were unable to find any way back once lifelong Red Devils fan Freddy Eastwood had put the Championship basement boys in front with a magnificent first-half free-kick.

Shrimpers keeper Darryl Flahavan kept Southend's noses in front with a string of fine saves, including a hat-trick of stops to deny Cristiano Ronaldo, ensuring the Roots Hall faithful were able to celebrate a famous win. :rolleyes:

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"We need to look forward, not back," said Ferguson.

"It was a disappointing night but there is no need for a knee-jerk reaction, no mass sackings and no suicides.

"Maybe there will be a little bit of recrimination and maybe a few of my players will be embarrassed by the result but they have to pick themselves up, that is the name of the game at this football club." :eek:

"We've lost three matches all season and all by 1-0. Cup football can smack you in the face and I'm not impervious to that. We started off slack, which can sometimes happen in a cup tie. But Southend were fantastic and their goalkeeper was magnificent. At the end they closed it down and made it difficult for us.

"In a way, it is great for me because I know tomorrow we can pull our togs on and start working again. There is no harm in defeat providing it improves you and you can learn from it. I am sure we will get slaughtered for this defeat but there is no need for any knee-jerk reaction. Maybe a few of my players will be a little bit embarrassed because it is a disappointing result." :confused:
 
Jubilant Southend manager Steve Tilson admitted he feared a six-goal mauling when he saw the Manchester United team sheet at Roots Hall tonight.

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Instead of getting battered by the Red Devils, Tilson's men emerged victories, dumping the holders out of the Carling Cup thanks to a first-half Freddy Eastwood free-kick which ruined Sir Alex Ferguson's 20th anniversary celebrations.

Southend rode their luck at times against a United side containing Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, with goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan producing a string of outstanding stops.

But in the end, even Tilson was forced to admit he expected more from the visitors, who were unable to find a breakthrough against the Coca-Cola Championship's bottom side despite fielding 10 full internationals.

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"When I first saw the team sheets, my initial thought was 'how many can we keep it down to?'," said Tilson, whose team have not recorded a league win since mid-August.

"I knew it would take a strong performance to keep the score respectable against what was a pretty strong United side.

"The confidence has not been great and I was worried what would happen if they got four, five, or even six.

"Manchester United are the Premiership leaders, they are a top side and they were always going to have some decent spells in the game.

"But in the end I was surprised by them because they didn't really put us under the cosh at any stage.

"They had some chances but we opened them up at times too and once we got to the final 15 minutes, I really felt we could do it."

Twenty-four hours after celebrating 20 years as United boss, Ferguson could only reflect on football's capacity to "smack you in the face".

Although he avoided the word humiliation, the Scot did concede some of his players would be embarrassed by the result.

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Kieran Richardson in particular might reflect on a particularly disappointing night, while David Jones never looked like fulfilling the promise he has been showing on reserve-team duty recently.

And, with Rooney and Ronaldo not able to conjure up any magic, Southend clung on to the brutal 25-yard free-kick of Eastwood, a lifelong United fan, who was playing non-league football for Grays Athletic two years ago.

"I bet he doesn't score another goal like that in his life," reflected Alex Ferguson.

"If you are going to lose, it might as well be to something special like that."

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Ferguson insisted there would be no knee-jerk reactions at a result which saw Southend reach the last eight for the first time in their history.

The Scot insisted it could end up being a positive evening for some of his younger players.

"It is a great reminder to everyone at the club that football can smack you in the face," he said.

"I have been here 20 years and I am not impervious to it either.

"In a way, it is great for me because I know tomorrow we can pull our togs on and start working again. There is no harm in defeat providing it improves you and you can learn from it.

"I am sure we will get slaughtered for this defeat but there is no need for any knee-jerk reaction, no need for any mass sackings and there will be no suicides.

"Maybe a few of my players will be a little bit embarrassed because it is a disappointing result.

"We have lost three times this season now, all 1-0, so there is not much wrong with us.

"Our form in the league has been good and we will be ready to face Blackburn on Saturday."
 
Wes Brown insists Manchester United did not underestimate Southend at Roots Hall in the Carling Cup.


Brown - confident United will bounce back.​

Despite seeing his side establish a three-point lead in the Premiership and naming a team containing 10 full internationals, including Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson still got his 20th anniversary celebrations cut short.

For only the sixth time during his lengthy stint at Old Trafford, Ferguson was beaten by a lower league side, Freddy Eastwood's brilliant free-kick proving enough to put the Championship basement boys into the Carling Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

It was a major shock, particularly as United were defending the trophy, yet Brown claimed his team were properly prepared.

"We didn't underestimate them at all," argued Brown, who stood in as captain in the absence of the Red Devils' senior stars.

"You can never say you will come to any ground and just win, no matter what league your opponents are in.

"We knew it was going to be difficult and we knew the crowd would be right behind them.

"They deserved the win because we didn't penetrate their defence enough, even though we had a few opportunities. It was just a very disappointing night.

"We are all gutted because it was an opportunity for some of the younger lads to play more games and now we are out."

Although he understands the demand for victory every time he turns a team on to the field, Ferguson is unlikely to be too downhearted at the defeat.

While 12 months ago, his side were well off the pace in the Premiership and beginning to crumble in Europe, this time around the Red Devils look like being in contention for both major trophies well into the New Year so the gap in the fixture list will come as a welcome relief.

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Ferguson has insisted there will be no knee-jerk reaction to the defeat, although, once more, the depth of his squad is being called into question.

Even though eight of what would be regarded as United's first choice line-up were left back in Manchester, the inability of some of those who were selected to make any impact on an enthusiastic Southend side must be a concern.

Certainly, at 22, it is difficult to imagine David Jones having much of a future with United beyond this season even though he is clearly capable of having a good career in the game.

The same could also be said of Kieran Richardson, who wasted a gilt-edged chance to level the tie in stoppage time last night and has done little to justify his place in United's squad this term, let alone maintain his position within the England fold.

After the near miss at Crewe last month, Ferguson suggested both Jones and Richardson faced a spell in the reserves, which is just about all they can look forward to now until United's FA Cup quest begins in January.

By then, Ferguson may have decided to take the plunge with a big-money offer for Owen Hargreaves who, while cup-tied in the Champions League, could take the pressure off Paul Scholes, whose continued fitness is crucial to the Red Devils maintaining their present Premiership form.

With Alan Smith still struggling to regain full fitness, the same is also true of Louis Saha, whose appalling injury record understandably creates a sense of nervousness among the United support as they assess the prospects for the season ahead.

Having opened up a small lead on Chelsea, it is vital the gap is not closed before Jose Mourinho's men visit Old Trafford on November 26.

In order to achieve that, Ferguson's men must win at Blackburn on Saturday.

The United camp need no reminding Rovers boss Mark Hughes completed a league double over his old club last term, although Brown is confident his team-mates will come through their next test of character.

"Being a United player is about responding positively to adversity," said the England defender.

"Tomorrow is another day. We need to pick ourselves up for the next league game. I think we will do it, we have always done so in the past."
 
I blame myself for this defeat, we would have won had I not created the match thread.
 
And if you hadn't scored that goal.

Yes, it's quite obvious that you're Freddie Eastwood - United fans since a kid. cnut.
 
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