Man Utd Thread:

[EC Unique]

I really can see a change in the Liverpool poster's contributations this last week or two, getting very 'ratty' and defensive. I guess they can see the righting is on the wall this year again and are finding it hard to accept after their hopes being raised higher than usual this season. Understandable considering no league title since 89/90.  As Wenger said today, the finishing order of the top 6 or 7 will be very interesting this year and Liverpool would need to get a grip soon or they will not be in the top 4 IMHO..

I see no change in your grasp of the Queens English young lad.

Never was my strong point old lad..

[corn02]

I was at Anfield and heard Munich songs being sung constantly ... if that's not anti-United I d/k what is!

when?

At the FA cup match when Crouch won it 1-0 for Liverpool.  The Munich abuse was constant throughout near the away end.  The away fans were every bit as bad mind you.    Whoever had the bright idea of putting Liverpool fans above the Utd fans should be shot as coins & liquids/p*ss rained down throughout the game.

Gerrard took a corner at the away end and some coins were thrown.  He picked up the coins, went to a steward with them and pointed towards a fan and the stewards & police weighed in and pulled him out, much to the delight of the Liverpool fans.    How Gerrard thought he knew it was him is beyond me as he didnt once look over at the Utd fans.   

Was ath that match myself OTB, some atmosphere due to 6k United fans as well.

Was at the Kop end so couldn't make out Munich/Hillsborough because, I would imagine, it was relatively a small minority from both?

Yeah Pool fans have half bottle of piss thrown at them in OT too, disgusting by both fans.

Pool fans are always abover Inuted fans, just seemed to be a few absolute dogs in the Pool crowd that day.

Kewell absolutely busting Neville was one of the loudest cheers I have heard at Anfield, it was the match after the badge-kissing episode. Only decenet thing he done for the Pool. 

[magpie seanie]

I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League.

I thought the "I think" bit would have given it away, i.e. that it is an opinion.

Ok, I still fail to spot the difference between the two. Rafa lsited the facts he had, then offered an opinion on his fixtures.

You still haven't answered me and told me the difference between Rafa claiming they have an advantage and Ferguson claiming they have a disadvantage.

The difference is that Fergie offered an opinion on something not directly related to Liverpool and Benitez reacted to it by producing a piece of paper in case he'd forget anything he was stewing over! The other difference is clearly that Ferguson has won the league 10 times in England and Benitez hasn't won one.

[corn02]

I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League.

I thought the "I think" bit would have given it away, i.e. that it is an opinion.

Ok, I still fail to spot the difference between the two. Rafa lsited the facts he had, then offered an opinion on his fixtures.

You still haven't answered me and told me the difference between Rafa claiming they have an advantage and Ferguson claiming they have a disadvantage.

The difference is that Fergie offered an opinion on something not directly related to Liverpool and Benitez reacted to it by producing a piece of paper in case he'd forget anything he was stewing over! The other difference is clearly that Ferguson has won the league 10 times in England and Benitez hasn't won one.

Don't be such a child, don't drop down to that petty standard. By the way since you brought it up, did it not take Ferguson seven years to win his first League title?

So basically you are saying there is no difference between Ferguson saying there is a disadvantage and Benitez saying there is an advantage?

Of course Ferguson is talking about something that is relating to Liverpool. One of their rivals and amongst the fixtures he was complaining about.

[Billys Boots]

Interesting, from UEFA.com:

The hero of Manchester United FC's penalty shoot-out victory in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final had more to celebrate on Tuesday when he stretched his run without conceding a goal to an English top-flight record 1,031 minutes during a 5-0 win at West Bromwich Albion FC. "I was watching the minutes tick away towards the end," said Van der Sar, who surpassed the previous mark set Petr Čech by six minutes. "When I saw the clock reach 85 minutes I started to get a good feeling."  uefa.com takes its pick of ten other keepers to have gone over 1,000 minutes without conceding in a top-flight European league.

1,390 minutes, Dany Verlinden, Club Brugge KV
Verlinden won five Belgian titles with the 'Blauw-Zwart' in a 16-year spell between 1988 and 2004, and once held the record – later broken by Alessandro Costacurta – for being the oldest player in the UEFA Champions League. He was 40 years, three months and 24 days old when he featured against AFC Ajax in December 2003. His claim to fame, though, remains this incredible run which spanned 16 matches from 3 March 1990 to 26 September 1990.

1,275, Abel Resino, Club Atlético de Madrid
Resino started his 14-match streak on 25 November 1990 and went on until 17 March of the following year before a young Luis Enrique of Real Sporting de Gijón finally brought it to an end. Atlético finished runners-up to FC Barcelona in the league that season but Resino, whose Liga record still stands, collected the Zamora trophy awarded to the goalkeeper with the best record in the top flight.

1,196, Chris Woods, Rangers FC
Woods set a British record between November 1986 and January 1987 when he played 1,196 minutes without conceding a goal. The England international was one of the first signings made by Graeme Souness when he joined Rangers from Norwich City FC after the 1986 FIFA World Cup and would go on to win four Scottish league titles with the club.

1,192, Vítor Baía, FC Porto
The legendary Porto goalkeeper holds the record in Portugal set during his side's 1991/92 title-winning campaign. Porto would concede just eleven goals in 34 matches that season, with current Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Paulo Bento – then playing for Vitória SC – finally ending Vítor Baía's run from the penalty spot.

1,190, Dimitar Ivankov, PFC CSKA Sofia
Not content to simply make saves, Bulgarian international Dimitar Ivankov also scored four penalties during a run spanning two seasons, kicking off in a 3-2 win against rivals PFC Levski Sofia on 6 March 1998. Ivankov, 33, is still playing, and scoring, for Bursaspor in Turkey.

1,176, Gaëtan Huard, FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Gaëtan Huard's unbeaten run started on 4 December 1992 during a 5-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain FC. He did not play the following game but was unbeaten for eleven full matches after that. The series ended on 10 April 1993 with an own goal from midfielder Éric Guérit 79 minutes into a 2-1 home win over Montpellier Hérault SC. "I wanted to make amends after the game in Paris," Huard said. "The longer the run went on, the more we went on the pitch determined to avoid conceding. The 2-1 win over Montpellier felt like a hammer blow."

1,110, Şenol Güneş, Trabzonspor
A monumental figure during Trabzonspor's glory days, Şenol Güneş holds the record in Turkey, keeping a clean sheet for 1,110 minutes from 17 September 1978 to 18 February 1979. Güneş joined Trabzonspor in 1972 and would spend the next 15 years with the club, playing a key role in all six titles the Black Sea club lifted, including that 1978/79 campaign, the club's third and the first of a hat-trick of titles. 

1,082, Heinz Stuy, AFC Ajax
Stuy holds the Eredivsie record for not having conceded a goal in 1,082 minutes between 7 February and 27 May 1971. Stuy, along with the likes of Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol and Johnny Rep, was a key part of the Ajax side that dominated Dutch and European football in the early Seventies. He played in and did not concede in any of their European Champion Clubs' Cup final victories in 1971, 1972 and 1973.

1,079, Manuel Bento, SL Benfica
Prior to Vítor Baía, Manuel Bento held the Portuguese record, keeping a clean sheet for 1,079 consecutive minutes to help SL Benfica to the title in 1981. Known as the Rubber Man, Manuel Bento spent 20 seasons with Benfica between 1972 and 1992, winning the title eight times. Capped 63 times for Portugal, he died tragically of a stroke aged 58 in March 2007.

1,025, Petr Čech, Chelsea FC
Claudio Ranieri signed Čech for Chelsea but it was José Mourinho who reaped the rewards. Čech did not let in a goal between 18 December and 5 March as Chelsea cantered to the title in 2004/05, the goalkeeper keeping 25 clean sheets en route to the club's first English crown in 50 years.

[corn02]

I was scoffing on here before the season because Ferguson did not buy a new keeper. Admittedly it is mainly down to the defence, but still some achievement for VDS.

[anportmorforjfc]

it is a great achivement. also i dont think in many of the games we kept the same back 4. (Evra out for at least 5/11, fedinand at least 4/11)

[EC Unique]

I was scoffing on here before the season because Ferguson did not buy a new keeper. Admittedly it is mainly down to the defence, but still some achievement for VDS.

Still think you might not be far wrong with the 'scoffing' maybe just a year early as I don't think either of VDS's understudies are good enough for first choice. A purchase is needed this summer..

[magpie seanie]

I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League.

I thought the "I think" bit would have given it away, i.e. that it is an opinion.

Ok, I still fail to spot the difference between the two. Rafa lsited the facts he had, then offered an opinion on his fixtures.

You still haven't answered me and told me the difference between Rafa claiming they have an advantage and Ferguson claiming they have a disadvantage.

The difference is that Fergie offered an opinion on something not directly related to Liverpool and Benitez reacted to it by producing a piece of paper in case he'd forget anything he was stewing over! The other difference is clearly that Ferguson has won the league 10 times in England and Benitez hasn't won one.

Don't be such a child, don't drop down to that petty standard. By the way since you brought it up, did it not take Ferguson seven years to win his first League title?

So basically you are saying there is no difference between Ferguson saying there is a disadvantage and Benitez saying there is an advantage?

Of course Ferguson is talking about something that is relating to Liverpool. One of their rivals and amongst the fixtures he was complaining about.

Corn, you are really agitated today. I nearly hope Liverpool get a result tonight. Well no, not really.

Ferguson outlined why he was suspicious. 6 tough away games after all Champions League games - none of the other top 4 had this. All of the teams in the top half of last years league away in the first half of the season when United had the extra complications of European Super Cup and World Club Championship. Ferguson highlighted this and suggested it was more than a coincidence. At worst he can be blamed for paranoia but probably just the old siege mentality thing. Nothing childish or irrational there then.

Benitez got drawn into something that didn't concern him and although I'm biased, I don't think he made a convincing argument. Talking about zonal marking the referee and having Mr Ferguson decide the fixtures himself and then tell everyone else - well I'll refer you to the part of your post I've put in bold. He should have made sure Liverpool beat Stoke.

As for the 7 years it took Fergie to win a championship I fail to see the relevance. One thing is for certain - Benitez will not win 10 with Liverpool, you can take that to the bank. Fergie is not universally adored by the media, of course he isn't. Benitez does poorly in the media because he comes across as a cranky, dour shite who is always fighting with someone.

[The Real Laoislad]

Oh the irony 

[Carmen Stateside]

you beat me to it LL 

[EC Unique]

Pictures tell stories

[Carmen Stateside]

Pictures tell stories

What story?

[corn02]

I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League.

I thought the "I think" bit would have given it away, i.e. that it is an opinion.

Ok, I still fail to spot the difference between the two. Rafa lsited the facts he had, then offered an opinion on his fixtures.

You still haven't answered me and told me the difference between Rafa claiming they have an advantage and Ferguson claiming they have a disadvantage.

The difference is that Fergie offered an opinion on something not directly related to Liverpool and Benitez reacted to it by producing a piece of paper in case he'd forget anything he was stewing over! The other difference is clearly that Ferguson has won the league 10 times in England and Benitez hasn't won one.

Don't be such a child, don't drop down to that petty standard. By the way since you brought it up, did it not take Ferguson seven years to win his first League title?

So basically you are saying there is no difference between Ferguson saying there is a disadvantage and Benitez saying there is an advantage?

Of course Ferguson is talking about something that is relating to Liverpool. One of their rivals and amongst the fixtures he was complaining about.

As for the 7 years it took Fergie to win a championship I fail to see the relevance. One thing is for certain - Benitez will not win 10 with Liverpool, you can take that to the bank. Fergie is not universally adored by the media, of course he isn't. Benitez does poorly in the media because he comes across as a cranky, dour shite who is always fighting with someone.

Exactly, I failed to see the relevance about your point about Ferguson winning 10 and Rafa winning none. I thought it was just a bit of a sly dig that had no relevance.

[Farrandeelin]

Pictures tell stories

What story?

Eh.. the story that Rafa's name translates to Rafa Beneathus.