Ghostrider said:
......any rebound come there is Ohh Ahhh Cantona......
Somebody's calling me?
Meanwhile......
FERGUSON ACCEPTS LOSS OF VAN NISTELROOY by Simon Stone, PA Sport
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted the club had little option other than to accept a three-game suspension for Ruud van Nistelrooy following his woeful challenge on Ashley Cole at Old Trafford on Sunday. The prolific Dutch striker admitted his guilt earlier in the day and began his three-game suspension within hours, although he would have certainly missed United's 3-0 Carling Cup victory over Crewe at Gresty Road tonight anyway.
Van Nistelrooy will also sit out Saturday's Premiership trip to Portsmouth, as well as the November 7 encounter with Manchester City. "It was really straightforward,'' said Ferguson. "There was no way of mitigating the three games. The FA obviously had their view and there was not a lot of chance of changing that decision. "Ruud himself felt the tackle was a bit high. It is unfortunate because he's not that type of player.''
At least in Alan Smith Ferguson has a replacement who is in form. The former Leeds striker took his tally for the season to seven with another impressive finish to put United on the road to the last 16.
Smith finished neatly after being set up by Louis Saha and though Crewe battled gamely for much of the game, two goals in as many minutes, the first from Liam Miller after a brilliant David Bellion through ball, the second a Stephen Foster own goal after Bellion had failed to control a Saha cross, finished the home side off.
"The confidence is building now,'' said Ferguson, whose side has still only lost one game this season despite some poor form. "Winning games lifts you. There is no question about that. Nobody is unbreakable and things are going along the right lines.'' Crewe boss Dario Gradi, the longest serving manager in England with 22 years at the helm compared to Ferguson's 18, admitted he felt Smith was man of the match. And, when he surveyed a visitors starting line up containing 35 million pounds worth of talent and nine senior internationals he felt his team might be in trouble.
"I do not think we were disgraced,'' he said. "We made their keeper work as hard as ours. Alan Smith was the outstanding player on the pitch. He caused us all sorts of problems. It appears Sir Alex got his team selection just right.'' Aside from Smith's display and the chance of introducing youngsters Gerrard Pique and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake for their senior debuts in the second half, Ferguson will also have been delighted by the return of Tim Howard after missing six games following his high profile Champions League blunder against Lyon.
The American produced a series of impressive stops to deny Crewe's lively strike-force of Steve Jones and Dean Ashton and though Roy Carroll's stint in the United goal looked set to continue for a while yet, Howard's rehabilitation is clearly almost complete.
Woohoo! Any takers?
