UEFA CL - Manchester United vs Aalborg - Dec 10
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VS 
Manchester United vs Aalborg
UEFA Champions League Game 6
Wednesday 10 Dec 2008
Channel 23: 03:45 am - (Live) (Thur Morning)
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Manchester United :
Van Der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, R Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Evans, Evra, F Da Silva, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Possebon, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney, Nani, Anderson, Manucho, Welbeck.
With a difficult match away to Spurs this Sat, I think Fergie will rest some players...
Kuszczak
Neville, Evans, Vidic, Evra
Nani, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs
Rooney, Tevez
Foster, R Da Silva, O'Shea, Carrick, Ronaldo, Park, Possebon, Berbatov, Manucho, Welbeck.
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I know I'm not fit enough, says struggling Neville
Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that his captain, Gary Neville, who is still working his way back after almost 18 months out with ankle and knee injuries, will start this evening against Aalborg at Old Trafford, but acknowledges that the defender has been a victim of the fine form of the young Brazilian right-back Rafael da Silva.
"What we're doing with Gary is not rushing him in every game," said the Manchester United manager. "He's 34 in February and he's been out for a year and a half so measuring his comeback as we are doing has definitely benefited him.
Last week [in the 5-3 Carling Cup win over Blackburn] he was outstanding, a great performance, and I think that with Gary, he was a young player here also and he knows what happens when a player like Rafa breaks into the club."
Neville accepts that he has struggled so far this season but is sure that more games will bring him back to his previous levels. He said: "I've not been able to stay fit enough, long enough, or produce consistently good enough performances to stay in the team, simple as that. You've got to be realistic and honest with yourself.
"As I sit here I am fit, but am I fit to the level that I expect or the level that I want to be? No."
Ferguson has said United will consider appealing against the four-match suspension given to Patrice Evra by the Football Association last week. The ban was for improper conduct on Evra's part in an altercation with Stamford Bridge ground staff after the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in April.
The ban is due to begin on December 22, which would keep Evra out of the league games against Stoke City and Middlesbrough after Christmas, the FA Cup third-round tie with Southampton, and the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Derby. But Ferguson maintains the matter is not closed and there could be a further response from the club's chief executive, David Gill, once United receive the full details from the FA.
Ferguson said: "It was a shock, I must admit. Of all the things the FA has done to this club over the years, that was one of the big shocks. The written reasons haven't been delivered to David Gill yet so we can't really comment on what our next step is going to be.
"You can never guess what these people are doing and I couldn't tell you. I wouldn't know what they were thinking if I was sitting at the breakfast table with them."
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to be rested for tonight's Champions League game as United look to cure the hip problem he sustained in the 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the weekend. Michael Carrick is expected to recover from a minor knock to face Tottenham at the weekend.
Ferguson reiterated that he feels no anxiety about the ongoing uncertainty about the future of Carlos Tevez, whose loan deal at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season. "It doesn't frustrate me," Ferguson added. "I have been used to it over the years. It is not as if we have been short of negotiations. But I think we all know they can take a long time, and this one is just going along. David has been talking to his agent, so it is best left to him."
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Draw, 2-2 Tevez and Roon
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(taken from SUN)
WAYNE ROONEY showed the good, the bad and the downright ugly as United battled out an unsatisfactory draw.
The good came with his seventh goal of the season — which at least rescued a draw from this match with the Danish minnows.
The bad came in the form of some wayward shooting. The ugly saw him kick, stamp and even elbow the opposition.
A stricter ref than Frenchman Laurent Duhamel would have seen him walk, as the England striker completely lost his cool.
The worst he got was a talking-to. And if he acts like this later in the competition, it could have serious consequences for United as they need him more than any other player.
Why does he do it, when he possesses such talent and skill?
Has he learnt nothing from the consequences of his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho in the World Cup quarter-finals two years ago which cost England dear?
He claims he has matured and that side has gone. Well not on the evidence of last night. His frustration first spilled over after Aalborg had plundered an equaliser against the run of play.
Rooney tangled with Kasper Risgard then stamped on the visiting player’s chest as he went to ground. Luckily for him the ref did not get a good view of it! He was at it again three minutes into the second half when he clearly wasn’t going to reach a through-ball.
He stretched his right leg out instead to reach Michael Jakobsen and scraped his studs down the back of his leg.
This is Aalborg and United were already through! It went on even after he had grabbed an equaliser. In the 71st minute he left Risgard holding his chin when he shrugged him off with an elbow.
Whether he meant it or not if you fling your arm back like that you are asking for trouble.
Having left Risgard behind, Rooney then kicked at Thomas Augustinussen and pushed him when he had the temerity to try and get the ball off him.
Aalborg were enjoying the occasion so much they did not make a lot of any of the incidents. Up against the Spanish or Italians they will be going down and calling for Rooney to go and the ref might just listen.
Rooney’s frustration was no doubt born from the fact that United should have had the game won in the first half.
The Aalborg players and their fans knew that chances to play at one of the most famous stadiums don’t come along too often and how they revelled in it. According to coach Allan Kuhn after the match, it was the greatest moment in their history.
The 3,000 Danish fans managed to make more noise than their 60,000-plus English rivals.
At one point they even sang ‘Everywhere we go, people want to know, who we are.’ I doubt that but they were enjoying themselves.
No more so than when defender Michael Jakobsen headed in a 32nd-minute equaliser, the first Champions League goal United have conceded here in a year. By that time the Reds, even with a team showing nine changes from the Sunderland win, should have had the game out of sight.
United were ahead after just three minutes. Ryan Giggs sliced the defence open with a ball into the path of Carlos Tevez, who showed great poise in firing into the bottom left-hand corner.
It should have been game over just two minutes later but Tevez shot the wrong side of a post.
At this stage it was unthinkable that Aalborg would enter the break ahead but that’s exactly what happened.
Anders Due’s inswinging free-kick was met with a flick header by Jakobsen — a special moment for a massive United fan who missed the first game due to a ban.
Then in the first minute of injury time they went ahead when Jeppe Curth met Due’s cross with a superb header, although United keeper Tomasz Kuszczack appeared to have cement in his boots.
The Aalborg fans were in dreamland. Even Rooney’s equaliser did not dampen their spirits.
Anderson provided the 52nd-minute through-ball and Rooney took off before firing through the keeper’s legs. Why doesn’t he just stick to doing that?
Aalborg’s sporting director Lynge Jakobsen said he would fly home naked if they got a point. Hopefully he was careful when the fasten seatbelts sign came on
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tevez gt a lot of chances sia...
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And he missed a lot also... A bit of a headless chicken in last night's match...
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Originally posted by zocoss:
And he missed a lot also... A bit of a headless chicken in last night's match...
given his team in first team and with rooney, understandable.
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alrite grp games finally end liao.. hope we meet inter or real!
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I hope we see Inter, kick the shyte out of JM
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Originally posted by sand king:
I hope we see Inter, kick the shyte out of JM
let JM face Chelsea la.. and we face RM...
given RM is now a bit off form..
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SHOT 1: Rooney lands on Risgard's chest
SHOT 2: The United striker's weight bears down on the Aalborg player, who attempts to defend himself
SHOT 3: Rooney picks himself up as Risgard reacts in obvious pain
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Think he's gonna get a 3 or 5 match ban.
