Newcastle manager Alan Pardew believes Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson will be more worried about those wearing black and white stripes off the field rather than on it at St James’ Park on Tuesday. Pardew has made the admission as he prepares to halt the Premier League leaders’ quest for the title. United will be aiming to get their campaign back on track following Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City at Wembley that extinguished their Treble hopes. "It is a fixture I genuinely believe Sir Alex will be very wary of," Pardew said. "Maybe not so much because he fears us as a team, but because he fears the ground and the reaction it can inspire the team to. For example, the Arsenal game. We were 4-0 down and our first goal goes in and suddenly you felt the crowd erupt and impact on the game. That is what he will fear perhaps more than the team, but I honestly believe he will genuinely fear this game.”
There’s plenty of reaction to Saturday’s FA Cup defeat, with the Telegraph claiming both United and Man City will face FA disciplinary action over the on-field row sparked by Mario Balotelli at the final whistle. Meanwhile, City boss Roberto Mancini has again declared his intention to "take off" the Stretford End’s 35 years banner by beating Stoke in the final.
After Liverpool did United’s 19th title chances a huge favour by claiming a dramatic late draw at Arsenal on Sunday, manager Kenny Dalglish claimed his club was "still the best in English football, if not world football".
In transfer speculation, the Daily Mail reckons Diego Forlan could be on his way back to United in the summer, while The Times reports Ashley Young could be available to the Reds for a "bargain" £18million.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.