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發表於 2007-5-9 02:42:51
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原帖由 rob_van_dam 於 2007-5-8 10:31 PM 發表 
N年前最後一場西咸和左Man Utd令布力般壓到Man Utd成為英超冠軍
費蛇寧願輸俾車仔都唔放西咸一條生路
Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared to risk title winners Manchester United getting beaten by Chelsea tomorrow in order to preserve a sense of fair play in the relegation battle.
Scrapping it out at the bottom is a concept alien to Ferguson apart from one very brief flirtation with danger during his early days as Red Devils boss.
Yet he is acutely aware all eyes will be on Old Trafford this weekend when United entertain a West Ham side looking for the point that will guarantee their safety.
Ferguson's long-time friendship with Alan Curbishley extends to the Scot presenting the Hammers boss with a return air ticket to New Zealand at the end of last season so his Premiership rival could see his sister after announcing he was stepping down as Charlton manager.
But Ferguson is eager to make it clear Curbishley can expect no favours this weekend, with Sheffield United and Wigan also scrapping for their lives.
And the United chief's determination to ensure he has a full strength side available to face the Hammers means he will rest a number of key man at Stamford Bridge as his team head south to meet the side they have just deposed as champions.
'The West Ham game is a very important issue,' said Ferguson. 'We have to respect our reputation.
'Alan Curbishley is a good friend of mine but he understands we have to respect the wishes of other managers.
'I get on very well with Paul Jewell and Alan Pardew as well. They deserve our best attention to the game and I will be picking a team to win on Sunday.
'I don't know what my team will be at Chelsea but there will be a lot of changes, simply because the players are so tired.'
In fact, Ferguson revealed even if Chelsea had beaten Arsenal on Sunday to prolong the title battle, he was considering fielding a less than full-strength side at Stamford Bridge in the belief that a fully fired-up United could have collected the point required to lift the trophy against West Ham four days later.
'I know it would have been controversial but when you consider Chelsea's home record in the last few seasons, I could have played my best team and still lost,' he admitted.
'I could have played all my youth team and kept my first-choice one for Sunday.
'In the event, I am glad we are going there as champions. It would have been some game if we weren't.'
Among those likely to miss out are Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Edwin van der Sar may also get a rest, while Ferguson will assess the fitness of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic very carefully, reluctant to take any risks with two of the men he believes have been key to United's success this season.
Although Ferguson has had some excellent central defenders in his ranks, until now none have threatened to forge a partnership as effective as the one Steve Bruce enjoyed with Gary Pallister at the start of United's title-winning sequence in 1993.
However, in the teak-tough Vidic and stylish Ferdinand, Ferguson now has exactly the right blend again.
'Everyone saw the difference it made to us defensively when Vidic and Ferdinand were back together at Manchester City on Saturday,' said Ferguson.
'They were absolutely peerless. We have been looking for that foundation of strength in central defence for a long time.
'We have had some combinations but they have not lasted as long as Pallister and Bruce but we hope these two do.'
Jose Mourinho has promised his players will applaud United onto the pitch tomorrow, just as Ferguson ordered his team to do in similar circumstances two years ago.
United skipper Gary Neville, who remains sidelined with an ankle injury, described it as one of the worst experiences of his career, although Ferguson thinks it is an appropriate gesture.
'The guard of honour does not concern me too much but I am pleased they are going to honour us,' he said. |
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