Saw Fergie say the other day it would be a strong team and not many changes against Leeds, probably rest Rooney for Owen. The team against Leedds will probably be stronger than the one against City.
Manchester United Vs Leeds United
- Thread starter esmufc07
- Start date
After much deliberation I have decided to go to this one. Looking forward to it, think it should be quite an exciting match.
I like to see Foster, Tosic, De Laet and Macheda playing
Can't see why we'd bring in Foster, as Kuszczak has been steady in goal, and it'd be a poor move to drop him during his best patch yet at the club. Macheda has the CC to shine in, but Leeds is a big game and a fixture with a lot of history, so hopefully we'll play Rooney and Owen, or a similarly effective partnership up front. De Laet might be a good call, as it'd be good for him to feature in a hotly contested game like this, and he's been good at handling the pressure of the games he's featured in so far.
Tosic I'd definitely like to see more of, but I'm not sure drafting him in for this one would be a great idea. Leeds are a fairly hard side, and I could see him just getting muscled out of it, especially as he's out of match practice. Not sure when is a good time to draft players in during the latter half of the season though, as nearly all games are big fixtures, so perhaps you're right there mate.
Sir Alex Ferguson tells Manchester United to 'behave themselves' against Leeds
• Manager to tell players to avoid flashpoints on the pitch
• Ferguson says match will be a 'fantastic, feisty occasion'
The Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson will look for his players to keep a lid on their emotions against Leeds. Photograph by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Sir Alex Ferguson will instruct his Manchester United players to avoid becoming embroiled in flashpoints and "behave themselves" on the pitch when they renew hostilities with Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
The game has a long history of trouble between the rival sets of supporters and Ferguson will remind his team that Greater Manchester police have deemed it a high-risk occasion and that they should not do anything to stoke the feelings unnecessarily.
"I don't have to spell out what Leeds have meant to Manchester United over the years," the United manager said. "It will be a fantastic, feisty occasion, just like every time we have met, but it has always carried a degree of hostility which has meant we have to tell the players to behave themselves on the pitch because there is no need to add to the problems off the pitch. Leeds are bringing 8,000 fans and it is going to be a busy day for the police but it will be a brilliant atmosphere."
Ferguson has vivid memories of the way the rivalry between the two clubs can spill over, and particularly remembers Eric Harrison, a member of his backroom staff, being attacked during a pitch invasion at Elland Road one year, and tea was thrown at members of the Old Trafford board, hitting Sir Bobby Charlton's wife, in the directors' box.
Another time, Ferguson went to watch a match at Leeds and got stuck at traffic lights outside the ground. He tells the story of "this bunch of supporters, skinheads, 20 or 30 of them, see me and go 'Ferguson!' and start running across the road. The lights are still red, I'm almost shitting myself, they're getting nearer, then the light goes to amber and [impersonation of a tyre-squeal] I'm away."
Nonetheless, there is something about the tribal nature of these fixtures that appeals to Ferguson's competitive spirit. "I used to enjoy the games, we had some great games over there. The atmosphere was always electric at Leeds and our record was pretty good there too. We only lost once at Elland Road and you had to perform there."
This is the first time the clubs have come up against one another since Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004. "The first problem with Leeds was financial because they had to sell their best players," Ferguson said.
"That's what happens if you are financially strained and, if you sell your best players, you can bet your life that the results will change, too. But I don't think they will be too far away from the Premier League in the next couple of years. They look to be an absolute certainty for the Championship [Leeds are top of League One] and they have a great chance of being in the Premier League in the next couple of years."
The first leg of United's Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Eastlands is on Wednesday but Ferguson said that would not come prominently into his thinking when naming his side to face Leeds.
Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are both in line to be recalled after recovering from respective injuries, and Ferguson then intends to use the younger members of his squad against City. "I will stick with the principle of picking young players on Wednesday," he said. "That is what we have done in the Carling Cup and we are not changing that."
9000 Leeds supporters at OT......
And so it begins......
• Manager to tell players to avoid flashpoints on the pitch
• Ferguson says match will be a 'fantastic, feisty occasion'
- Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 January 2010 22.30 GMT
The Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson will look for his players to keep a lid on their emotions against Leeds. Photograph by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Sir Alex Ferguson will instruct his Manchester United players to avoid becoming embroiled in flashpoints and "behave themselves" on the pitch when they renew hostilities with Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
The game has a long history of trouble between the rival sets of supporters and Ferguson will remind his team that Greater Manchester police have deemed it a high-risk occasion and that they should not do anything to stoke the feelings unnecessarily.
"I don't have to spell out what Leeds have meant to Manchester United over the years," the United manager said. "It will be a fantastic, feisty occasion, just like every time we have met, but it has always carried a degree of hostility which has meant we have to tell the players to behave themselves on the pitch because there is no need to add to the problems off the pitch. Leeds are bringing 8,000 fans and it is going to be a busy day for the police but it will be a brilliant atmosphere."
Ferguson has vivid memories of the way the rivalry between the two clubs can spill over, and particularly remembers Eric Harrison, a member of his backroom staff, being attacked during a pitch invasion at Elland Road one year, and tea was thrown at members of the Old Trafford board, hitting Sir Bobby Charlton's wife, in the directors' box.
Another time, Ferguson went to watch a match at Leeds and got stuck at traffic lights outside the ground. He tells the story of "this bunch of supporters, skinheads, 20 or 30 of them, see me and go 'Ferguson!' and start running across the road. The lights are still red, I'm almost shitting myself, they're getting nearer, then the light goes to amber and [impersonation of a tyre-squeal] I'm away."
Nonetheless, there is something about the tribal nature of these fixtures that appeals to Ferguson's competitive spirit. "I used to enjoy the games, we had some great games over there. The atmosphere was always electric at Leeds and our record was pretty good there too. We only lost once at Elland Road and you had to perform there."
This is the first time the clubs have come up against one another since Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004. "The first problem with Leeds was financial because they had to sell their best players," Ferguson said.
"That's what happens if you are financially strained and, if you sell your best players, you can bet your life that the results will change, too. But I don't think they will be too far away from the Premier League in the next couple of years. They look to be an absolute certainty for the Championship [Leeds are top of League One] and they have a great chance of being in the Premier League in the next couple of years."
The first leg of United's Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Eastlands is on Wednesday but Ferguson said that would not come prominently into his thinking when naming his side to face Leeds.
Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are both in line to be recalled after recovering from respective injuries, and Ferguson then intends to use the younger members of his squad against City. "I will stick with the principle of picking young players on Wednesday," he said. "That is what we have done in the Carling Cup and we are not changing that."
9000 Leeds supporters at OT......
And so it begins......
It's going to kick off for sure now
Because of Fergie's comments? Doubt the Leeds fans will pay any attention to them; and besides, he's not said anything controversial there. There's trouble when we've been to Elland Road? Yep. There's a mutual rivalry? Yep. Both United and Leeds fans would be happy to tell you both of those facts Fergie's mentioned there.
It will kick off though, definitely in town, probably outside the ground, and pretty likely in the ground itself. There'll be trouble around for sure, but that's part of what makes this United vs. Leeds.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson warns his players against inciting Leeds fans
By Chris Wheeler
Warning: Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson will warn his Manchester United players to behave themselves against Leeds or risk sparking FA Cup chaos at Old Trafford tomorrow.
A potentially explosive third-round tie sees United face their old rivals for the first time in almost six years amid fears that a history of violence between the two sets of fans could lead to more trouble.
And Ferguson will remind his team of their responsibility not to fuel any crowd problems, saying: ‘I don’t have to spell out what Leeds have meant to Manchester United over the years.
‘It’s a fantastic, feisty occasion every time we have met. It always carried a degree of hostility which meant we had to tell the players to behave themselves on the pitch because there was no need to add to the problems off it.
'Leeds are bringing 8,000 fans and it is going to be a busy day for the police.’
The number of away fans heading across the Pennines is four times bigger than the last time Leeds played at Old Trafford in February 2004 when they were limited to just 1,900 tickets after the clubs took joint action to try to curb violence.
The generous allocation for tomorrow’s game has caused widespread surprise and concern but Leeds will follow police advice and make only 2,400 tickets available to United fans if there is a replay.
Greater Manchester Police will mount its biggest operation since 100,000 Rangers fans descended on the city for the UEFA Cup Final in 2008.
Although the match commander, Superintendent John Graves, has spoken ahead of the game to ease safety fears, it has been classed as high-risk Category C, with police expecting known hooligan groups from both clubs to be out in force.
A city centre operation is being launched in addition to the usual match-day policing around Old Trafford, and there will be a heavy presence from the specialist tactical aid squads.
Unsavoury: Police want to avoid scenes like this when Leeds travel to Manchester United
Most bars and pubs in Manchester are expected to close, and police also hope the early 1pm kick-off will help. Ferguson will not underestimate a club he expects to be see back in the Premier League sooner rather than later, and has promised to put out a strong side against the League One leaders.
He added: ‘Simon Grayson has done a fantastic job. He is a Leeds boy himself, former player and some people have targets in life and I think he has reached his managing Leeds.
‘He has instilled great motivation in his team and they’ve not let him down. ‘They look to be an absolute certainty for the Championship next year. The motivation that is coming from the manager means they have a great chance of being in the Premier League in the next couple of years.’
Grayson echoed the feelings among his club’s supporters, saying: ‘Personally, I can’t wait. This just takes us back to where this club was not so long ago, and could be again in the future.
‘Most of my players won’t have been to Old Trafford before, so the incentive for them to do well is huge. It will give them a taste of what playing in front of 70,000 is like, and will hopefully bring out the best in them.’
By Chris Wheeler
Sir Alex Ferguson will warn his Manchester United players to behave themselves against Leeds or risk sparking FA Cup chaos at Old Trafford tomorrow.
A potentially explosive third-round tie sees United face their old rivals for the first time in almost six years amid fears that a history of violence between the two sets of fans could lead to more trouble.
And Ferguson will remind his team of their responsibility not to fuel any crowd problems, saying: ‘I don’t have to spell out what Leeds have meant to Manchester United over the years.
‘It’s a fantastic, feisty occasion every time we have met. It always carried a degree of hostility which meant we had to tell the players to behave themselves on the pitch because there was no need to add to the problems off it.
'Leeds are bringing 8,000 fans and it is going to be a busy day for the police.’
The number of away fans heading across the Pennines is four times bigger than the last time Leeds played at Old Trafford in February 2004 when they were limited to just 1,900 tickets after the clubs took joint action to try to curb violence.
The generous allocation for tomorrow’s game has caused widespread surprise and concern but Leeds will follow police advice and make only 2,400 tickets available to United fans if there is a replay.
Greater Manchester Police will mount its biggest operation since 100,000 Rangers fans descended on the city for the UEFA Cup Final in 2008.
Although the match commander, Superintendent John Graves, has spoken ahead of the game to ease safety fears, it has been classed as high-risk Category C, with police expecting known hooligan groups from both clubs to be out in force.
A city centre operation is being launched in addition to the usual match-day policing around Old Trafford, and there will be a heavy presence from the specialist tactical aid squads.
Most bars and pubs in Manchester are expected to close, and police also hope the early 1pm kick-off will help. Ferguson will not underestimate a club he expects to be see back in the Premier League sooner rather than later, and has promised to put out a strong side against the League One leaders.
He added: ‘Simon Grayson has done a fantastic job. He is a Leeds boy himself, former player and some people have targets in life and I think he has reached his managing Leeds.
‘He has instilled great motivation in his team and they’ve not let him down. ‘They look to be an absolute certainty for the Championship next year. The motivation that is coming from the manager means they have a great chance of being in the Premier League in the next couple of years.’
Grayson echoed the feelings among his club’s supporters, saying: ‘Personally, I can’t wait. This just takes us back to where this club was not so long ago, and could be again in the future.
‘Most of my players won’t have been to Old Trafford before, so the incentive for them to do well is huge. It will give them a taste of what playing in front of 70,000 is like, and will hopefully bring out the best in them.’
How sweet.
If I could edit gifs I'd change the LEEDS to SHEEP and then it would all make sense.
Did they run out of words for the Na na na na na na na bit ?
Foster
Neville-Vidic-De Laet-Fabio(or is it Rafael in Fabio's shirt)
Obertan-Gibson-Anderson-Tosic
Wellbeck-Owen
as i don't know how many defenders will be fit
Neville-Vidic-De Laet-Fabio(or is it Rafael in Fabio's shirt)
Obertan-Gibson-Anderson-Tosic
Wellbeck-Owen
as i don't know how many defenders will be fit
Draw for the 4th round is Saturday at 6pm, on ITV live.
Did they run out of words for the Na na na na na na na bit ?
If a few na na na's were good enough for the Beatles they'll do for us.
A pretty good history lesson here..............
The rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds that turned to hate
As my team prepare to face their fiercest foes once again, memories flood back of a feud that became poisonous
The hostility directed at Eric Cantona on his returns to Elland Road with Manchester United was palpable. Photograph: Malcolm Croft/PA Archive
In 1994, on the death of Sir Matt Busby, a minute's silence was held, and impeccably observed, at almost every ground. But not at Ewood Park. There, hundreds of Leeds United fans disrupted the tribute to the former Manchester United manager by chanting: "There's only one Don Revie."
Only four years had passed since Italia 90, when Paul Gascoigne and Luciano Pavarotti made watching the game respectable again. No one wanted to be reminded of the tribal loathing that had turned the game in the 1980s into a form of social leprosy.
The condemnation was stringent and widespread. The club itself was hugely embarrassed and the manager, Howard Wilkinson, declared himself "numb". The perpetrators, he said, were "out of touch with the rest of football". The chairman, Leslie Silver, vowed to ban them for life and Revie's widow, Elsie, said her husband would have been "horrified" by the fans' behaviour had he still been alive.
Those fans deserved their comeuppance, and not only because of their lack of respect for Busby. Revie's name was dragged through the mud, along with that of Leeds. But much of the criticism was disingenuous. No one who truly understood what it had meant to be a Leeds supporter over the age of 30 should have been remotely surprised by the episode.
For once, however, what was chanted was not about Leeds' then three-decade long poisonous mutual animosity with Manchester United. Not really, anyway. It was a protest about the lack of official recognition afforded Revie at the time of his death on the day Michael Thomas won the title for Arsenal at Anfield in 1989 and the disparity between the universal praise bestowed on Busby and the vilification that dogged the former Leeds and England manager in retirement that had even manifested itself in the liberal employment of snide remarks in his obituaries.
But it was easier to fall back on the old clichés when reporting the incident: Leeds fans were beyond the pale and had displayed the inferiority complex we suffer towards Manchester United with a reprehensible outburst that offended just about everyone. In fact, however notorious it became, it was the one incident notionally directed by supporters of one of the two clubs at the other since the rivalry began in the mid-60s that was not wholly inspired by spite.
Some amateur anthropologists have claimed the antagonism dates back to some visceral remnant of the Wars of the Roses, but a more accurate assessment would locate the origins of this relatively modern football feud to on-field events in the spring of 1965. With both sides going for the Double, they played an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough that turned into a ragged, violent draw. Nobby Stiles's early dreadful tackle on Leeds' left-winger Albert Johanneson set the tone for a game which quickly degenerated into a series of skirmishes on and off the ball between Jack Charlton and Denis Law, and Billy Bremner and Pat Crerand.
The ill feeling spread to the terraces and scuffles, fights and assaults were reported by the city constabularies of Sheffield and Nottingham after that game and the replay four days later at the City Ground, which Leeds won with Billy Bremner's 89th-minute goal. Manchester United, though, had the last laugh, pipping Leeds to the title on goal average while Revie's team, in their first season after promotion, were runners-up in League and Cup.
Up until Manchester United were relegated in 1974, as Leeds enjoyed the upper hand on the pitch with only three defeats in 25 games, trouble between the supporters escalated; it then took a more vicious turn still after the Reds' year of mayhem in the Second Division. It was in their first season back that I went to my first game at Elland Road between the two and the atmosphere was febrile with menace and the most exciting I have ever witnessed.
The transfers from Leeds of Joe Jordan and Gordon McQueen in 1978 made matters worse and the games until we went down in 1982 were defined by violence and "Judas" taunts. Up to 1992 the transfers from Old Trafford to Elland Road – Johnny Giles and Gordon Strachan – had been more effective than the ones going the other way. But then there was Eric Cantona, who had become an adored talisman as his irresistible cameos restored the fans' belief that we could really beat Manchester United to the First Division championship in 1992.
Only months after delighting at the profound misery etched on Alex Ferguson's face as he conceded the title, pretty gracelessly, at Anfield we sold him the Frenchman for next to nothing. They immediately won their first title for 26 years and established a domestic hegemony that endures to this day.
The hostility directed at Cantona on his returns to Elland Road was palpable. A friend's father, who had the season ticket next to me, said during one of those games with dismay: "This isn't rivalry. It's hatred." He was spot-on. A taunting poster erected by Nike on Elland Road during Euro 96 – "1966 was a great year for football. Eric was born" – hardly helped matters.
Some of it is fairly anodyne – they accuse us of enjoying intimate relationships with sheep, we counter by alleging that they come from Godalming. The term "scum" is applied to each other by both and indeed, six years after we were relegated and effectively become irrelevant, a match at Old Trafford rarely goes by without the mass singing of "we all hate Leeds scum".
Battle recommences tomorrow for the first time since Alan Smith scored an equaliser for us there in 2004 – and the first time since the habitual Leeds badge-kisser went back on his pledge "never to sign for them" and high-tailed it over the Pennines.
We haven't won at Old Trafford since 1981, a 28-year gap that has been a weight on Leeds' supporters shoulders. In some ways the game is a twitch on the thread, a memory of what it used to be like and a chance to rekindle the days when we took them on as equals. For once, however, after Simon Grayson's skilful rejuvenation of a moribund club and with everyone focused on promotion from the purgatory of three years in League One, we are rather more preoccupied with getting a bigger monkey off our backs.
The rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds that turned to hate
As my team prepare to face their fiercest foes once again, memories flood back of a feud that became poisonous
The hostility directed at Eric Cantona on his returns to Elland Road with Manchester United was palpable. Photograph: Malcolm Croft/PA Archive
In 1994, on the death of Sir Matt Busby, a minute's silence was held, and impeccably observed, at almost every ground. But not at Ewood Park. There, hundreds of Leeds United fans disrupted the tribute to the former Manchester United manager by chanting: "There's only one Don Revie."
Only four years had passed since Italia 90, when Paul Gascoigne and Luciano Pavarotti made watching the game respectable again. No one wanted to be reminded of the tribal loathing that had turned the game in the 1980s into a form of social leprosy.
The condemnation was stringent and widespread. The club itself was hugely embarrassed and the manager, Howard Wilkinson, declared himself "numb". The perpetrators, he said, were "out of touch with the rest of football". The chairman, Leslie Silver, vowed to ban them for life and Revie's widow, Elsie, said her husband would have been "horrified" by the fans' behaviour had he still been alive.
Those fans deserved their comeuppance, and not only because of their lack of respect for Busby. Revie's name was dragged through the mud, along with that of Leeds. But much of the criticism was disingenuous. No one who truly understood what it had meant to be a Leeds supporter over the age of 30 should have been remotely surprised by the episode.
For once, however, what was chanted was not about Leeds' then three-decade long poisonous mutual animosity with Manchester United. Not really, anyway. It was a protest about the lack of official recognition afforded Revie at the time of his death on the day Michael Thomas won the title for Arsenal at Anfield in 1989 and the disparity between the universal praise bestowed on Busby and the vilification that dogged the former Leeds and England manager in retirement that had even manifested itself in the liberal employment of snide remarks in his obituaries.
But it was easier to fall back on the old clichés when reporting the incident: Leeds fans were beyond the pale and had displayed the inferiority complex we suffer towards Manchester United with a reprehensible outburst that offended just about everyone. In fact, however notorious it became, it was the one incident notionally directed by supporters of one of the two clubs at the other since the rivalry began in the mid-60s that was not wholly inspired by spite.
Some amateur anthropologists have claimed the antagonism dates back to some visceral remnant of the Wars of the Roses, but a more accurate assessment would locate the origins of this relatively modern football feud to on-field events in the spring of 1965. With both sides going for the Double, they played an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough that turned into a ragged, violent draw. Nobby Stiles's early dreadful tackle on Leeds' left-winger Albert Johanneson set the tone for a game which quickly degenerated into a series of skirmishes on and off the ball between Jack Charlton and Denis Law, and Billy Bremner and Pat Crerand.
The ill feeling spread to the terraces and scuffles, fights and assaults were reported by the city constabularies of Sheffield and Nottingham after that game and the replay four days later at the City Ground, which Leeds won with Billy Bremner's 89th-minute goal. Manchester United, though, had the last laugh, pipping Leeds to the title on goal average while Revie's team, in their first season after promotion, were runners-up in League and Cup.
Up until Manchester United were relegated in 1974, as Leeds enjoyed the upper hand on the pitch with only three defeats in 25 games, trouble between the supporters escalated; it then took a more vicious turn still after the Reds' year of mayhem in the Second Division. It was in their first season back that I went to my first game at Elland Road between the two and the atmosphere was febrile with menace and the most exciting I have ever witnessed.
The transfers from Leeds of Joe Jordan and Gordon McQueen in 1978 made matters worse and the games until we went down in 1982 were defined by violence and "Judas" taunts. Up to 1992 the transfers from Old Trafford to Elland Road – Johnny Giles and Gordon Strachan – had been more effective than the ones going the other way. But then there was Eric Cantona, who had become an adored talisman as his irresistible cameos restored the fans' belief that we could really beat Manchester United to the First Division championship in 1992.
Only months after delighting at the profound misery etched on Alex Ferguson's face as he conceded the title, pretty gracelessly, at Anfield we sold him the Frenchman for next to nothing. They immediately won their first title for 26 years and established a domestic hegemony that endures to this day.
The hostility directed at Cantona on his returns to Elland Road was palpable. A friend's father, who had the season ticket next to me, said during one of those games with dismay: "This isn't rivalry. It's hatred." He was spot-on. A taunting poster erected by Nike on Elland Road during Euro 96 – "1966 was a great year for football. Eric was born" – hardly helped matters.
Some of it is fairly anodyne – they accuse us of enjoying intimate relationships with sheep, we counter by alleging that they come from Godalming. The term "scum" is applied to each other by both and indeed, six years after we were relegated and effectively become irrelevant, a match at Old Trafford rarely goes by without the mass singing of "we all hate Leeds scum".
Battle recommences tomorrow for the first time since Alan Smith scored an equaliser for us there in 2004 – and the first time since the habitual Leeds badge-kisser went back on his pledge "never to sign for them" and high-tailed it over the Pennines.
We haven't won at Old Trafford since 1981, a 28-year gap that has been a weight on Leeds' supporters shoulders. In some ways the game is a twitch on the thread, a memory of what it used to be like and a chance to rekindle the days when we took them on as equals. For once, however, after Simon Grayson's skilful rejuvenation of a moribund club and with everyone focused on promotion from the purgatory of three years in League One, we are rather more preoccupied with getting a bigger monkey off our backs.
from that article i disagree with one thing
its quite rare in games when no ex-leeds are against us, or in recent weeks for obvious reasons
its quite rare in games when no ex-leeds are against us, or in recent weeks for obvious reasons
good articles for the build up to the match.
destroy the scum lads.
destroy the scum lads.
As much as I'd like to see us start our strongest XI and just destroy Lids 8-0, we won't. And that's the right call on Fergies part I'd say. Foster should get a match. Maybe start both da Silvas and give Evra a match off. Owen and Welbeck up top would be nice. Is Macheda healthy? Don't think so.
I agree we should not start our first 11...still we should be able to destroy them even with a mix of youth and squad players.
Agreed. I'm expecting almost all back ups and maybe 2 regulars. Scholes and Fletch?
I think that'll be more likely the team next week against Shitty. I reckon tomorrow we'll see a strong side (SAF has already said he'll play his strongest side possible) and he'll still keep to his word of playing the young lads next week in the Carling Cup.
I thought this was today.. suspecting Elvis did a quick edit.
Aye, he's said there'll be a fairly strong side out tomorrow, so even though a few younger lads will probably feature at some point in the game, it's not going to be like the side we've played for CC Games. Fergie played the youngsters in the Semis and Final (bar a couple of senior players) of the CC last year as well, as he feels that it's their competition, so it's likely he'll play the youngsters wednesday, and more big names will feature against Leeds tomorrow.
The team that will face Leeds will almost certainly be a stronger and more experienced one than some of the Predicted XI's in this thread.
What is the Leeds side these days?
Some interesting reading.....hope the day isn't spoilt by the morons that attach themselves to both clubs and only appear on days like this.
Take Bromby and Gradel out of this list and you have our squad...
01 Ankergren
03 Kisnorbo
06 Naylor
26 Bromby
04 Doyle
08 Kilkenny
16 Johnson
22 Hughes
09 Beckford
10 Becchio
23 Snodgrass
Subs
36 Martin, 02 Crowe, 17 Michalik, 14 Howson, 28 Gradel, 13 Grella, 20 Kandol
Wish it had one or two of this lot in it....
Sprake, Reaney, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Madeley, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, E Gray
Thanks Marching. I was just worrying that we might be taking your team too lightly, obviously that isn't possible given that team.
Looking forward to this match and it will be closer than most think.
Looking forward to this match and it will be closer than most think.
At the risk of repeating myself these are the dangermen, Kilkenny, Beckford, Snodgrass & Becchio.
We need to play Fletcher, put him on Kilkenny and cut off their supply through him. Kilkenny is one of the best midfielders outside the premiership imo.
We need to play Fletcher, put him on Kilkenny and cut off their supply through him. Kilkenny is one of the best midfielders outside the premiership imo.
An English-Australian called Kilkenny, very odd.
He's a good footballer though with an eye for a pass.
He's a good footballer though with an eye for a pass.
Number one's a sheep shagger,
and Number two's a sheep shagger,
and Number three's a sheep shagger,
................................................
and Number tweleve's a sheep shagger,
They all live in a sheep shagger world, a sheep shagger world, a sheep shagger world.
and Number two's a sheep shagger,
and Number three's a sheep shagger,
................................................
and Number tweleve's a sheep shagger,
They all live in a sheep shagger world, a sheep shagger world, a sheep shagger world.
It's a tricky fixture this because the onus is on us to win and to do so convincingly.
If they lose by 1-2 they'll still regard it as a good showing against the champions. If they draw or God forbid lose we'll never hear the end of it. We have to hammer the scum by 3 or more goals so there's no doubt as to where they are with respect to us.
Expect Leeds to come out all guns blazing because not much is expected of them and they'll want to show us some character. Biggest game some of their players will play so i do expect lots of goals in this one.
I think we're going to score 6. And they'll score 2.
6-2.
that's my bold prediction. It's going to be a humdinger!
If they lose by 1-2 they'll still regard it as a good showing against the champions. If they draw or God forbid lose we'll never hear the end of it. We have to hammer the scum by 3 or more goals so there's no doubt as to where they are with respect to us.
Expect Leeds to come out all guns blazing because not much is expected of them and they'll want to show us some character. Biggest game some of their players will play so i do expect lots of goals in this one.
I think we're going to score 6. And they'll score 2.
6-2.
that's my bold prediction. It's going to be a humdinger!
Foster
Neville Vida Wes Fabio
Park Anderson Scholes Giggs
Rooney Berbatov
Subs: PIG, Rafael, De Laet, Gibson, Obertan, Owen, Welbeck
Neville Vida Wes Fabio
Park Anderson Scholes Giggs
Rooney Berbatov
Subs: PIG, Rafael, De Laet, Gibson, Obertan, Owen, Welbeck
Draw Please
I'd rather we put out this side against City and throw the kids in tommorow. We won't though unforturnately.
half teams in both for me, cant afford to lose either
beckford seems to disappear In big games, becchio seems to be an argentinian Emile Heskey whenever I see them
definately agree on the other two though
I knew Fergie would go for experience in this game. It's the FA Cup, afterall.
I dont think anyone on here would even consider the possibility that we screw up this tie, or the city tie. Field strong teams, i dont want to live with leeds or city knocking us out of anything.
Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Vidic, Fabio, Park, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Owen, Berbatov.
SUBS: Foster, Rafael, De Laet, Valencia, Obertan, Anderson, Welbeck.
SUBS: Foster, Rafael, De Laet, Valencia, Obertan, Anderson, Welbeck.
The best example of that being the play offs last season but I've also seen him score some very nice goals and his record of 19 goals from 21 appearances this season has to be respected. He scored 34 goals last season.
Becchio is a good player, not unlike Tevez in his dogged industrious play, gets his fair share of goals aswell, 19 goals last season and a screamer against Wycombe not long ago. He's got 5 goals so far but was out for a while with ankle ligament damage, caused Liverpool all kinds of problems in the CC.
I can't see us getting anything out of this game....we are a 3rd division side FFS and you are the mighty Man Utd. The 42 league places that are between us will tell the tale come the 90th minute....maybe we will sneak one goal but I can't see you getting less than 4.
Hopefully we will get through it without any injuries and a shed load of cash to enable us to get back to what's really important....the league.
Hopefully we will get through it without any injuries and a shed load of cash to enable us to get back to what's really important....the league.