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SIR ALEX: TIME TO WAKE UP
Only goal difference separates Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the table, but Sir Alex Ferguson insists his team must improve.
The United manager, a stickler for demanding nothing but the best, has called for his players to “wake up” if they want to prise the Barclays Premier League trophy away from the Londoners’ grasp.
“The last two performances in the league haven’t been good enough,” Sir Alex said in Glasgow this week. “We’ve not played well. We should have lost by six goals at Aston Villa but somehow we got a point out of it. And against Wigan we made things difficult for ourselves – we could have won by five or six.
“We’ve been a bit more fortunate than some of the other sides who haven’t played well, though. At least we took something from the games.”
That fighting spirit, the ability to grind out results even when the side isn’t playing well, pleases the boss.
“At least I know I’ve got players who are prepared to do something – and did something – about situations like the one we found ourselves in at Villa Park. That says a lot about the character of the human beings I’ve got, which is satisfying for me.”
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WES: WE'RE READY TO POUNCE
Wes Brown, much like United in general this season, has taken time to get going, but he says he and his team-mates are primed to come good at a crucial stage.
The defender had played just twice by the time the Reds met Stoke City on 24 October, but since then he’s chalked up six appearances, five of those in the league.
“It’s been great to be back playing some games and I’m really enjoying things at the moment,” he says in Saturday’s matchday programme. “I’m focused on training hard and doing my best for the team.”
United go into the Blackburn game on an unbeaten run of 28 matches stretching back to last season, a commendable achievement given the unpredictable nature of the current campaign.
“Getting results is tough nowadays and we’ve seen some surprising results in the league this year,” he adds. “There are so many good players in the league now and anyone can beat anyone.
“We’d maybe have thought we’d be nine or ten points behind the leaders [after the draws we’ve had],” says Wes. “But we’re not, we’re still right in there. We know winning the title isn’t going to be easy, we’re just working hard on trying to play as well as we can so we can keep driving forward and winning games.”
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EVANS: MY CONFIDENCE IS COMING BACK
United defender Jonny Evans reflects on his return to the team after a form-induced spell on the sidelines...
I was happy to get 90 minutes under my belt on Wednesday night, it gives me something to build on. As a defender, you always want to keep clean sheets. It gives you confidence.
Earlier in the season, I wasn't playing well, I don't know why. I made decisions that I wouldn't have made in the past - I gave away a penalty against Liverpool, for example, with a silly challenge. We were conceding a lot of goals and sometimes people like to point a finger and say this and that. I tried not to let it affect me. I just got on with it and hoped that my form would come back.
When you see what has happened to Wayne Rooney, it does remind you how intense the spotlight at Manchester United is. Everyone's eyes are on you, no matter what. That is something that comes with being at a club like this. You can't let it get to you.
I don't think I have let it get to me, and I haven't moaned about not being in the team. I have worked as hard as always, in fact I have probably worked harder. Hopefully I will get the rewards for that. The manager has always had faith in me. It is just a case of getting my own personal confidence back and getting back to doing what I can.
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