“93:20, 13 May 2012,” reads the banner now proudly displayed at Eastlands – the time and date marking Manchester City’s first Premier League title, secured deep into injury time against Queens Park Rangers last spring. Meanwhile, over at the Stadium of Light Sir Alex Ferguson’s players sank in disappointment as the news filtered through of City’s late triumph. In Sunderland, where United had won to no avail, a once proud home support stooped lower still and danced the ‘Poznan’ in mock celebration. Small club, small mentality as Ferguson once noted of another club.
Sunderland supporters’ joy last May adds a minor edge to an otherwise mundane match at Old Trafford this weekend – victory in which could stretch Manchester United’s lead at the head of the Premier League to nine points.
After all, this is a fixture that Ferguson’s side almost always wins, despite a rash of ex-Reds in the Sunderland squad in recent years and a steady stream of loanees. Little wonder Ferguson used his weekly press conference to chide Sunderland fans’ “disappointing reaction.”
No better tie, then, to ;rehabilitate Nemanja Vidić, with the Serbian defender set to return to first team action after three months on the sidelines. Vidić has suffered two serious knee injuries over the past year that have restricted the 30-year-old United captain to less than a dozen hugely rusty appearances. And with Jonny Evans suffering injury during United’s last-gasp victory over City last weekend, the Serbian’s return this weekend comes at an ideal moment.
“Having Vida back in the squad is a big, big one for us,” said Ferguson, who also confirmed that Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa is back in training.
“His experience, his ability to head the ball, his offensive qualities are well renowned now and he’s our captain. Whether I start him or not, that’s another issue. But it’s great to have him back.
“We hope we’ve given him the proper rehabilitation. Coming back from the last injury, we gave him a long rehabilitation and I thought it was a good one. But unfortunately he suffered another injury. In fact, in the last year and four months or so, I think he’s only played about 10 games. That’s not a lot of football for a man who’s 30, 31.”
Tom Cleverley, outstanding against City last weekend, may drop to the bench, with veterans Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in contention.
Injuries and illness aside, the Scot will be keen for his side to build on ;an outstanding victory at Eastlands, with the attending boost in morale matched by the fall-out in the Blue quarter of Manchester. While Roberto Mancini claimed another moral victory, tensions now abound in the Eastlands dressing room.
Indeed, fixtures against Sunderland, Swansea City, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion in December offer the Reds a realistic chance of reaching the New Year with a commanding Premier League lead – an outcome few would have predicted after United’s meek opening day defeat at Everton.
Meanwhile, Sunderland arrive at Old Trafford in wretched form, but having secured a desperately needed victory over Reading on Tuesday. Yet, the Mackems’ lowly Premier League position has placed experience manager Martin O’Neil under pressure to improve results and drag Sunderland out of a relegation fight.
It is a false position, claims Ferguson, who is never slow to offer support to those in the managers’ union.
“Martin O’Neill has won three titles with Celtic and taken them to the Uefa Cup final,” said Ferguson in support of the embattled Irishman.
“He’s been at Aston Villa, he’s been at Leicester City. He was asked a question last week which was absolutely ridiculous, about whether he still had self-belief. It was a silly question, an absolute insult because he is an outstanding manager.”
O’Neil could be without Adam Johnson and Danny Rose through injury, although key striker Steven Fletcher should be available. Former Red Wes Brown is on the sidelines with injury, but John O’Shea is likely to start in central defence. Another ex-United player Phil Bardsley is out with a long-term problem, as is hard-tackling midfielder Lee Cattermole.
Absences will do little to help O’Neil, with Sunderland’s executive management likely to be under pressure to remove the manager should the team suffer heavy defeat at Old Trafford, followed by a challenging Christmas programme.
And the visitors have little to cheer in history: not since 11 May 1968 have the Mackems beaten United at Old Trafford. Goals from Colin Suggett and George Mulhall handed United defeat and – with some prescience – City the title on the final day of the season.
There are no confirmed reports of the ‘Poznan’ making an appearance all those years ago.
Match Details
Manchester United v Sunderland – Premier League, Old Trafford – Saturday 15 December 2012, 3pm
Possible teams
United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Rafael, Vidić, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Scholes; Young, Rooney, Welbeck; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Wootton, Smalling, Buttner, Fletcher, Jones, Cleverley, Powell, Valencia, Giggs, Hernandez.
Sunderland (4-5-1): Mignolet; Gardner, O’Shea, Cuellar, Kilgallon; Johnson, Larsson, Sessegnon, Colback, McClean; Fletcher. Subs from: ;Westwood, Bramble, Vaughan, Campbell, McFadden, Wickham, Saha, Ji
Officials
Referee: C Foy
Assistants: S Child, H Lennard
Fourth official: A Taylor
Form
United: ;LWWWLW
Sunderland: WLDLLW
Head to Head
Last 10: United 8, Sunderland 0, Draw 2
Overall: United 58, Sunderland 39, Draw 36
Stats
- Michael Carrick has again excelled with the ball this season, but the midfielder’s ability is overshadowed by defensive lapses – only Rafael da Silva has conceded more fouls for the Reds this season, with Carrick being pulled up by the officials 15 times;
- Ashley Young’s form has been inconsistent this season, but there are few doubts about the players commitment last weekend, with the winger covering more ground – 6.71 miles – than any other player against City;
- Rafael’s development is continuing apace this season, especially in attacking areas – the defender has provided 17 crosses and four assists before the turn of the year;
- Robin van Persie continues to demonstrate value for money this season – the Dutchman is second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for attempts-to-goals ratio, with a place on the scoresheet once every 4.54 attempts this season;
- Rooney has been challenged by his manager to score more goals, although England’s talisman currently sits third in the Index with seven assists;
- Sunderland beat Reading 3-0 at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, with goals from James McClean, Steven Fletcher and Stephane Sessegnon;
- McClean continues to excite the Stadium of Light – the Irishman has provided 35 crosses this season, and covered 76.44 miles;
- Striker Fletcher continues to prove a smart acquisition by O’Neill, scoring every 3.71 attempts on goal;
- Meanwhile, former City player Johnson has provided a squad-high four assists and 40 crosses;
- Sebastian Larsson was both Sunderland’s quickest player and hardest worker against Reading – the Swede was recorded at 19.86 mph and covered for a solid 6.69 miles in total.
Prediction
3-0
I want a proper reaming here… bend these fuckers over and give it to them in long furious strokes… a frenzy of forced football sodomy…
5-0…
at least…
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
Agree fully here. They deserve nothing less after last season’s disgraceful Poznan! I. WANT. A. MASSACRE.
usual 3-1 home win sunderland first goal, comeback once scholes/giggs come off
Scholes to score.
de Gea
Jones
Ferdinand
Smalling
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Cleverley
Young
Rooney
van Persie
Subs: Lindegaard, Vidic, Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher, Welbeck, Hernandez
Is taht the team sheet? Is Rafa injured?
Rafael injured/rested?
Any links?
Alf my man, any links going good? Cheers!
He farted in Fergies office.
Try this…
http://tykestv.eu/livestream.php
It’s working for me.
If not, look here…
http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links/
Thanks mate!
We’re a bit slow off the boil again….Hope it improves
Of course the moment I type it we score
Get in
1-0 Young looks like hes got his form back
Cleverley!
2-0 what a great build up!!
DESTROY THEM
that goal was a delight. We look good today
haha all the people saying cleverley not good enough can eat their words now…
2-0. We’ve never lost in the league from being 2 up…
“Going down” from United
Sid what site you watching it on mate?
Playing really well
3-0 before half time and I’d worry for O’Neil’s health
Sopcast, Digisport, channel 132348
Fucking hell Rio; he did that a few times against City as well
Saying off line?
Try this one…
http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/158831/1/watch-manchester-united-vs-sunderland.html
Brill, thanks!
Carrick is class in games like this
Carrick/Cleverley – first choice center midfield
Bloody hell… Liverpool… at home… losing… to fuckin Villa… how shit are they?
Valencia slows us down too much!
Villa 2-0 up now, Alf
LOLOL
We are playing well. But I.WANT.A.MASSACRE !!
0-2 now…
no faffage please
Can Rogers survive the season?
Should be 3-0 at least, Rooney wasted golden chances to put the game away.
will valencia do anything in the 2nd half
At a guess, he’ll take the ball…run.stop…stand still move his upper body to faint a movement…then pass to Jones. Or put a crap cross in.
Scholes on? Must be an injury
Scholes on
…
Carrick off. Hopefully rested like Rafael
I think I’m in love with RVP.
Great cross. Bad finish by Rooney…
3-0 villa
we should have been out of sight by now…like Villa
Rooney keeps his scoring run going
What a goal it would have been had Jones volleyed that
That was poor and lazy defending…
That’s a disgusting goal to concede
Ridiculous, we were bossing the game until Scholes came on, now Giggs on for Cleverley?
Lol Knobhead has almost got this spot on
3-1, Scholes & Giggs
O’Shea is chuckling every time he takes Van Persie out
RVP ain’t seeing the funny side
We’ve been lethargic past 10 mins or so…..
Few years ago it’d be 6-0 by now.
This is awful. We cant keep the ball. We keep missing chances. Our defense looks uncertain…
Very poor last 20 mins
Fergies isn’t impressed
Some lovely stuff in the first half, 6 points clear and Liverpool get battered at home. I love christmas time.
The game was won and we dropped down to their level. That, and Giggs and Scholes.
But I’ll take a win. An arse raping will have to wait til the away game.
This is very true.
What worries me, is with Scholes on we should be very good at retaining possession. But we didnt look like we can keep the ball in the last 10 mins.
In the end its comfortable, but disappointing last 20 mins. Great 1st 70 mins though!
pissed off conceding against those low lives
looks like scholes and giggs were playing for them not us this afternoon…ffs
still, i’d have taken that at 3pm today but the bumming fest just didn’t materialise as it should have done after the 1st 30 mins
The manager has set the tone by changing the midfield and bringing on Vidic early.
Carrick out with a hamstring injury
We really need him for Swansea away
Fucks sake. He was having a good game today as well. Looks like giggs and scholes will be getting more game time then.
That first half was probably the best we have played all season.
Swansea will murder us with Giggs and Scholes in the middle
Rafael and Evans hamstrings too. Fergie did the right thing taking Cleverley off. If Carrick’s injured, we need Cleverley (or we’d be left with Giggs, Scholes and Fletcher for Christmas). Good to see Smalling playing so well.
Surely our manager will NOT even risk having those two start against Swansea. He will get Carrick back in or put Jones there alongside Cleverly.
Seriously though, should Giggs and Scholes not do the honourable thing and call it a day. Even in a game like today’s where we were coasting, they come on and absolutely stink out the place. It is really sad this parody of such great servants.
but im anti taggart and hate man utd
we know you love him really
I can understand MotD giving Shearer a job in the first place… but now that they’ve seen what a complete tit he is… why do they keep him?
he just answered a question on how good rooney and persie are with ‘theyll be plenty of twists and turns’
Agree with you guys about Giggsy and Scholes. They should retire now and not even wait until the end of the season. It’s bloody embarrassing and were lucky we held on with them in the middle. I hope they don’t play again.
We were amazing in the first half and seem to score at will but I still worry about our defense. Only 8 teams have conceded more goals than we have and this league could come down to GD again. We’re just ahead of City and there’s a lot of games to be played.
Anyways we’re still top of the league so I guess I shouldn’t bitch and complain.
Reading news that “its not serious”….hopefully he’ll be back soon
he’s cheaper than gazza
Good.
I hate it when Fergie plays games with who’s fit and who isn’t. I know it worked against City keeping Val & Clev a secret, but, fucking hell, we need players who’ll keep the ball, and who’ll press against Swansea otherwise we’ll not get a kick.