EPL ~ Fulham vs Manchester United - Aug 22

last SG · 2010-08-22T23:30:05+00:00

haha u relax la bro....fans like me have reason to be angry. They are not playing well when it matters. When Chelsea has a tempo like that, it is hard for th...

zocoss SG

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Mio Channel 110: 11:00 pm - (Live)

Channel 102 in HD

EPL Game 02

Manchester United :

Van der Sar, Brown, Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Fabio, Evra, Nani, Fletcher, Park, Scholes, Giggs, Carrick, Rooney, Berbatov, Park, Hernandez, Valencia, Owen, Obertan, Macheda.

zocoss SG

Wah... This is a cool picture from last week's match... Berba celebrating the goal he scored at the same time the lightning overhead...

The first time I came across this I just thought wow... Really good photography skills here... The main subject smack right in the middle, the sponsors name and logo, the badge and the player's number clearly visible for all to see... And the lightning added a special touch to it...

Picture of the week for me... lol.

Rooney9 SG

Sir Alex didn’t go so far as to use the word revenge, but he definitely intimated that United have a score to settle with Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Fulham have recorded consecutive Barclays Premier League victories over the Reds on home turf, and it’s about time that changed. Prior to the last two meetings, United hadn’t lost to Fulham at the Cottage in the Premier League era, but the last two visits to that part of West London have been very bitter experiences indeed.

In March 2009, just days after the ignominy of losing 4-1 to Liverpool at Old Trafford, Fulham inflicted further frustration with a 2-0 win. Paul Scholes was sent off after 18 minutes for handling the ball on the line, conceding a penalty which, of all people, Danny Murphy converted. United threw absolutely everything at Fulham, who stubbornly resisted and added a second on the break after 87 minutes, before Wayne Rooney was sent off for throwing the ball away after a free-kick was given to the home side.

Then, last season, in the midst of an unprecedented defensive injury crisis – with United fielding an unlikely back three of Ritchie De Laet, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher – the Reds succumbed again to Fulham’s determined approach, going down 3-0 on a freezing cold December afternoon.

“We’ve had a bit of a topsy-turvy time at Craven Cottage the last couple of years,” Sir Alex concedes. “We ended up with nine men two years ago, and then last season we’d gone too far with the players we were using at the back. We’d had a great result over in Wolfsburg with a makeshift back four. We had a back three of Ritchie De Laet, [Michael] Carrick and [Darren] Fletcher and we were doing OK until we conceded the first goal.

“That’s the key to it when you put out

fragile teams in terms of players playing out of position. It makes it very difficult. That’s what happened at Fulham last season, we became fragmented. But up till the point we conceded the first goal, we had good control of the game, had a couple of half chances, then lost a goal midway through the half. It became very difficult after that.”

United are in far better shape this time, while new boss Mark Hughes has a tough task emulating the work done by Roy Hodgson, who left to manage Liverpool this summer. However, while this latest job for the former Reds striker might contrast starkly with his last job at Manchester City, his time at Blackburn Rovers is seemingly an ideal grounding for what to expect in his new post.

“Mark had a small squad at Blackburn,” Sir Alex said. “The experience he had there will be ideal for him at Fulham. You could say they’re similar clubs, similar sizes anyway. With a small squad, they almost created a miracle last season. They played 63 matches starting in July and ending up in Hamburg in the Europa League final. The thing that helped them was the games came so thick and fast that they didn’t have to think about it too much. They couldn’t have done much training. That small squad meant they needed to keep their freshness. It was a fantastic season for them, but I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

Sir Alex is also buoyed by the timing of United’s trip to Craven Cottage, with a new pitch not ravaged by the winter months. “Another good point for us is going there at the start of the season,” he reasons. “We normally go there in March and the pitch is starting to go a bit. We’re pleased about that. I saw the pitch when I went to see Fulham play Werder Bremen recently and it looked good.”

zocoss SG

Out of sorts: Wayne Rooney

Out of sorts: Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney will be a shock absentee from Manchester United's clash with Fulham after being struck down by stomach bug.

It could not have come at a worse time for the England striker, who has gone 13 games without a goal for club and country.

Rooney was expected to travel to London with the squad yesterday for the game at Craven Cottage but was ruled out.

Rooney was desperate for the opportunity to end his 18-hour goal drought and even turned up for training yesterday, but he was withdrawn from the match by the club doctor, ordered home and told not to have any contact with any of the players or staff because of the risk of him passing on the gastro viral infection.

The news will come as a setback to England manager Fabio Capello as his star striker needs to hit form before England's crucial European Championship qualifier with Bulgaria at Wembley a week on Friday.

Capello will have to wait for Saturday evening's home game against West Ham to assess Rooney's well-being.

Sir Alex Ferguson had intended naming the same starting line-up which beat Newcastle 3-0, but Rooney's absence will mean a first start for Javier Hernandez.

Chance to shine: Javier Hernandez

omgukilledkenny SG

Hopefully the stream's good tonight!

Was watching the arsenal game flawlessly then it got banned at the 27th minute.

TIB657M SG

Man U must get an ultimate avenge!!!

Samuel Lee SG

A draw happening?

zocoss SG

THORN ... Danny Murphy

Manchester United travel to Craven Cottage, with Fulham's 33-year-old skipper boasting an impressive record against them.

His penalty set up a 2-0 home success in March 2009 and he again hit the opener in last December's 3-0 Cottage win.

Murphy has also helped Liverpool to glory at Old Trafford, grabbing the decider in three 1-0 triumphs in four seasons.

He joked: "I'm sure that Alex Ferguson is getting a bit sick of me now. He'd probably like to see me injured this weekend.

"My record against them is strange. Obviously, you have these teams you just do well against.

"Maybe it's something ingrained in me, being brought up to love Liverpool and hate Manchester United. I can't fathom it out but long may it continue.

"My mates back in Liverpool are always happy if I do them a favour. Old Trafford was a good place for me. I made my England debut there and have scored goals there.

"Do United fans hate me? I hope so! But it's all light-hearted banter really."

Chester-born Murphy, who spent seven years at Anfield and joined Fulham in 2007, added: "You pick the teams where you might win but United are never among them.

"Yet we know if we play well and they have an off day, we can beat them. We've done it two years on the spin.

"It will be difficult but the Cottage is a good place for us. We have a great record against them over the past two years and we will give it a go again."

United old boy Mark Hughes will also be aiming to make his mark as the new Fulham boss.

Murphy added: "We're on a new adventure under Mark Hughes and I'm hoping it will be positive, because he has a good track record."

jgho83 SG

I think the background in that Berbatov picture is not a lightning but a cloud. Silver lining cloud...

United to thrash fulham 3-0

zocoss SG

Mark Hughes may find that Roy Hodgson is a very hard act to follow and never more so than on a day when Manchester United visit. Under him, Fulham defeated these opponents 3-0 and 2-0 on their last two trips to Craven Cottage. United, all the same, have looked fresh and incisive so far in this campaign while beating Chelsea, in the Community Shield, and then Newcastle United in the Premier League, with half-a-dozen goals scored in total and veterans such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes looking in fine form.

Venue Craven Cottage, Sunday 4pm

Tickets Sold out

Last season Fulham 3 Manchester United 0

Referee P Walton

This season's matches n/a

Odds Fulham 11-2 Manchester United 8-13 Draw 3-1

Subs from Stockdale, Zuberbühler, Baird, Kelly, Stoor, Riise, Dempsey, Milsom, Greening, Dikgacoi, E Johnson, Elm, Dembélé

Doubtful Konchesky (ankle), Schwarzer (back)

Injured A Johnson (knee, Oct), Kamara (foot, Oct), Senderos (achilles, Feb)

Suspended None

Form guide D

Disciplinary record Y3 R0

Leading scorer n/a

Subs from Kuszczak, Brown, Rafael, Gibson, Obertan, Park, Neville, Fábio, Hernández, Smalling, De Laet, Carrick, Owen, Berbatov, C Evans, Cleverley

Doubtful Evra (knee), Fábio (leg)

Injured Anderson (knee, 26 Sep), Ferdinand (knee, 26 Sep), Hargreaves (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide W

Disciplinary record Y2 R0

Leading scorers Berbatov, Fletcher, Giggs 1

• None of the last 11 league games between these sides has ended in a draw

• If Manchester United win they will become the first side to have collected 1,500 points in the Premier League era

• A win for Fulham would make them one of only three sides to have recorded three consecutive Premier League home victories against United

• During United's first match Paul Scholes made 104 passes – more than any other player

• Fulham have played United in August on three previous occasions and have lost all of those games

zocoss SG

Why that Schwarzer still haven't go to Arsenal leh? Damn... Hope he won't be a party spoiler...

omgukilledkenny SG

Fulham: Stockdale, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Davies, Dempsey, Zamora.

Subs: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Baird, Gera, Riise, Greening, Dembele.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Jonathan Evans, Evra, Valencia, Fletcher, Scholes, Park, Hernandez, Berbatov.

Subs: Kuszczak, Owen, Giggs, Smalling, Carrick, Nani, Rafael Da Silva.

Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

omgukilledkenny SG

Why that Schwarzer still haven't go to Arsenal leh? Damn... Hope he won't be a party spoiler...

ha, he's not in the team at all

zocoss SG

Scholes must be more aware of Murphy hanging around him this time... Cos that guy like to get very near to him and steal his ball... Don't give him much time to pick out passes...

McVay SG

bros, where to watch it online ah?

Junyang700 SG

My prediction - Manutd wins Fulham 3-0

omgukilledkenny SG

bros, where to watch it online ah?

http://www.firstrow.net/watch/24549/1/watch-fulham-fc-vs-manchester-united.html

omgukilledkenny SG

double post.

tripsky SG

nice goal!

omgukilledkenny SG

goal :p