Football : Season 08/09

The Premiership and Champions League is more important than the FA cup of course...

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Originally Posted by Damien

The Premiership and Champions League is more important than the FA cup of course...

Of which arsenal will win neither

[punky]

The rules, which Ferguson helpfully reminded us of at the time, state that you must field your strongest available side, regardless of whether you think the competition is important or not.

I'd love to hear Ferguson try and argue that a couple of kids are stronger than Berbatov, Ronaldo and Rooney.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by punky

Makes me wonder if it was scrapped because Liverpool's two greatest rivals wouldn't respect it?

Rubbish. If that was the case the teams wouldn't have been wearing black armbands.

---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 ----------

Originally Posted by punky

The rules, which Ferguson helpfully reminded us of at the time, state that you must field your strongest available side, regardless of whether you think the competition is important or not.

SAF has not disrespected the FA Cup in anyway so it's pointless suggesting he doesn't think it's important. The team he fielded matched the other team. He also had major concerns about the state of the pitch, and those concerns were legitimate.

Both teams would respect it, they both have a decent set of fans.

[Shadow Demon UK]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Yes it didn't seem very respectful to Everton or the competition as a whole to make that many changes, I wouldn't have been happy had I payed all that cash and travelled all that way to watch the reserves.

I don't understand how fielding a young side is disrespectful, the team was made up largely of players who had won the carling cup and most would be starting week in week out for clubs outside the top four. It also had five international players with the rest all being under 21 internationals, hardly disrespectful, the club has been built on giving young players a chance and they held their own and were argueably the better side against a near full strength Everton team. People need to remember we have already played 15 games more than Everton have this season and we still have another 10 matches to play if we get to the final in Europe, playing a slightly weakend side was needed because of this and it nearly paid off. It's nowhere near as disrespectful as calling Everton a small club...

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by punky

Another point which hasn't been raised. There wasn't a minute's silence at the United-Everton semi despite saying there will be one in the programme. Makes me wonder if it was scrapped because Liverpool's two greatest rivals wouldn't respect it?

I very much doubt it, an event of that sort of magnitude deserve respect from any walk of life surly?



I see Ferguson blames the pitch, when are they going to get this right!!! The amount of money spent on this stadium the pitch should be dame perfect!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8006546.stm

Well done on Lecister City getting promtion!!

[Russ]

Originally Posted by STONEISLAND

I see Ferguson blames the pitch, when are they going to get this right!!! The amount of money spent on this stadium the pitch should be dame perfect!!!

No, he has not blamed the pitch. He criticises it just like Wenger - there's a big difference.

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by Russ B

No, he has not blamed the pitch. He criticises it just like Wenger - there's a big difference.

"When I saw the pitch what I didn't want was to go into extra time with my strongest squad," added Ferguson after his side were beaten 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw.

"Yesterday it looked spongy and dead and difficult to move the ball quickly around it. So we had to go with the bold decision of playing the younger ones.

I cannot help but think there is a tad bit of blame there.

If the pitch was perfect he would have put his best squad out surely.

[Russ]

He hasn't blamed it at all - he's said it contributed to his decision to put out the side that he did.

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

It was great to see that it was actually the 'experienced' players that missed the spot kicks for Utd.

Jagielaka's (spelling?) penalty was pretty awesome considering he didnt really want to take one (especially after reading about his miss in Europe).

I do think Fergie was mostly right in his selection, like it's been said earlier, the players that played yesterday are pretty good, and most have shown their worth iin the premiership games in which they have played in. Plus its a good incentive/motivator to younger players in the squad to actually get to play 'big' games. I do think he should have gone for Van Dar Sar though in goal (or even bring him on just before end of extra time - i don't know if all the subs had been used up), but with both Vidic and Ferdinand in defence he must have thought there's enough experience at the back already.

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by Russ B

He hasn't blamed it at all - he's said it contributed to his decision to put out the side that he did.

Fergie has a go about Rafa disrespecting Everton as a small team
and then he chooses a 2nd team in a FA CUP SEMI
and then moans when they lose - Classic Fergie

[Russ]

Originally Posted by STONEISLAND

Fergie has a go about Rafa disrespecting Everton as a small team and then he chooses a 2nd team in a FA CUP SEMI and then moans when they lose - Classic Fergie

Any chance you could ease up on the fonts, size and colours in your posts? It makes it difficult to multi-reply you.

The 'second' team matched Everton - which means they were good enough to be in the side. And the moaning wasn't about the loss, it was the state of the pitch, just like Arsene Wenger did yesterday. A stadium like Wembley shouldn't have an awful surface like that. The Millenium Stadium would have been ideal.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Shadow Demon UK

It's nowhere near as disrespectful as calling Everton a small club...

In a back handed way you could say that SAF was saying just that, at least Rafa said it and didn't put the reserves out to try and prove it. As for the rest of your post I think Punky summed it up for me quite well enough earlier, rules are rules but then when did SAF ever think the rules applied to him, it's all right for him to wade into other clubs and managers on issues that have absolutely nothing to do with him but woe betide anyone that should even make a murmur about him/Utd.

Fergie and United always go after their perceived rivals in the way he has been going after Rafael BenÃ*tez. It's mind games. He did it to Arsenal, he did to José Mourinho as well. Whichever club is the biggest danger that year to United incurs his wrath .