Scunthorpe United vs Manchester United 
I am not sure if this match even deserves a preview on two counts.
Firstly, it's Scunthorpe United against Manchester United. Do you seriously think that there will be an upset? Yes granted back in 1984 when we were unceremoniously dumped 0-2 by Bournemouth out of the FA Cup, I doubt this would be the team to pull a scalp. So why even bother to preview it?
Scunthorpe first came to my attention when they were drawn to host Chelsea in the FA Cup tournament back in 2005 The then-League 2 outfit lost 1-3 to Chelsea that day but it was not without a good fight (they took the lead!) that gave me a good impression of them. 5 years later, they made their way into the Championship League and currently hovering in mid-table in the sophomore year in the second-tier. I'd have to say that despite their higher position in the leagues, I still prefer the team that played Chelsea that memorable year. Last season, they got thrashed 2-4 and 1-5 by our neighbours, ManCity in the Carling Cup and FA Cup respectively. Most unfortunate for them to meet the same team in both competitions. But the biggest insult was that they rolled over too easily unlike the audacious fighting spirit that they had back in 2005. So yeah, the big flattering scoreline wasn't because ManCity were that good. *wriggles pinkie*
Secondly, it's the Carling Cup that Fergie doesn't take very seriously. FA Cup is slightly ahead of the present League / Littlewoods / Coca Cola / Rumbelows / Milk / Worthington / Carling / Dunnowhatfucknamenext Cup, in the Fergie Attention Span department, only because the trophy is prettier.
Ok. Enough of the Carling Cup match-up. I will come back to it later.
Let's talk about something more interesting. ManUtd 3-2 Liverpool. Now that's something more newsworthy. We were all over the Reds from the get GO. It was so bad that I lament the lost of a once-worthy rival.
Oh how the mighty has fallen to mediocrity in just a span of two years. Reminds me of Aston Villa who were champions of Europe during their heydays and then a blanket of 18 years in oblivion. Glad to see the Villains back in Europe.
The consolation, for Liverpool, is perhaps that it could have been worse, Liverpool could become the next Newcastle or lagi worse, Leeds United.
I blame Gerard Houllier for Liverpool's downfall although some say it's Graeme Souness who should be held responsible. Benitez actually did a pretty decent job with trophies to show for but it's time for his inevitable exit as he has more or less run out of ideas what to do with this time to keep them motivated.
So. We won 3-2 courtesy of a Bulgarian hat trick. Could this be the turning point for ManUtd after a dismal season last and an equally pathetic start of the season thus far? Would this be the final awakening of Dimitar Lazy-Ass Berbatov? Are we going to be seeing positive ROIs on our Bulgarian like we did Carrick? Mind you, we have yet to win an away match this season. Would this be the account opener?
Coming back, I doubt if it is of anyone's interest to know who is fit or available for the Scunthorpe line-up. All I know, as far as they are concerned, is that they don't have a proper manager in charge yet.
From our end, Owen, Anderson, Scholes, Bebe and maybe even Ferdinand and Hernandez should be featuring today. Hargreaves, whom we heard is close to full recovery, remains unlikely as Fergie is taking his time not to rush him and risking another big injury. Owen Hargreaves has got to be the only player, in ManUtd history, to have spend more time in the sick bay than on the pitch. I heard the insurance companies all don't want to insure him already.
You neighbourhood bookie should be giving you 1.25 ball handicap to take Scunthrope and even throw in a 2.025 decimal odds to sink your money. Still, punters by the margin of 85% : 15% are still the wiser to pick ManUtd.
I say while ManUtd will not be featuring their Best XI, I doubt if there will be an upset. Heck, I'd even doubt if Scunthorpe can score in the Theatre of Dreams.
"Sir Alex Ferguson insists he will continue to use the Carling Cup as an opportunity to give his Manchester United fringe and youth players some match time, and believes that whether they win or lose at Scunthorpe on Wednesday, the experience will still be a valuable one." - Soccernet 22 Sep 2010.
But the key word here "or lose" suggests that it will be a modest 2-0 victory for the visitors, I say.
JayWalk's 2010/2011 Track Record to-date (22 Sep 2010) : P30-W18-L12
- Voxeros
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