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SIR ALEX: VILLA BOSS HAS BIG TASK Sir Alex Ferguson harbours both empathy and respect for Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert, a young Scot instilling his own philosophy at a new club. But the United boss will nevertheless seek to exploit a still-evolving set-up when his team heads there for Saturday's late kick-off. The Reds moved top of the league with a 2-1 win over Arsenal last weekend, while Manchester City and Chelsea both dropped points. Villa, meanwhile, recorded back-to-back victories for the first time this season when they followed a 3-2 League Cup win over Swindon Town with a narrow 1-0 league triumph over Sunderland. They remain one place above the relegation zone. Lambert is the eighth different man to take charge of team affairs at Villa Park in the last decade, and although most clubs pale into comparison with the United manager's longevity, Sir Alex feels that kind of instability is difficult to regulate. "Paul Lambert is a new manager there," Sir Alex said at his pre-match press conference. "It's a big task and a daunting one as Villa are not where everyone expects them to be. If you look at the team, it's a completely new team: a new back four, a new midfield and a new striker from the Belgian league [Christian Benteke]. It does take time to change teams. When you've got that many new players, it's hard but Paul has done well as a manager and is still young. "Villa have a great history of course, winning the European Cup in 1982 by beating Bayern Munich, having won the league the year before. I think it's probably correct to say they haven't matched their expectations over the years. When we pipped them to the title [in 1992/93], that was a good team, but you wonder if the managers changing has a big effect on the playing standards of the team. They've had quite a few managers over the years, including Brian Little, John Gregory, David O'Leary, Martin O'Neill and Alex McLeish. It's quite a collection." More: Ferdinand won't get carried away | Nani out, Evans doubtful | Red Voices podcast |
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CHICHARITO THANKS UNITED FANS Javier Hernandez has thanked Manchester United supporters for voting him October's Player of the Month. In an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com, the six-goal striker reflected on a fabulous month that saw him score winning goals against Braga and Chelsea. When asked if it was extra special to win an accolade decided by the supporters, he replied: "Of course, I always say that I always have thanks for all the fans for their support. Not only for myself but for all the players and all the team, we thank all the fans who go to the stadium and all the fans who watch on TV. I always have words of thanks to them. "It was a very good month. The only bad result was in the Capital One Cup when we lost a goal with 30 seconds to go. But we're really happy we went there and won against Chelsea in the league. It was a very tough game and we know Stamford Bridge is obviously a very difficult place to go - we hadn't won there [in the league] for the last 10 years. "We're very happy we've won all our games in the Champions League and [Barclays] Premier League as well as we got some results that went in our favour so we're very pleased with that." Chicharito was asked about Sir Alex Ferguson setting a 20-goal target for the campaign for his Mexican marksman. "I never have a target," he asserted. "I never do that. The only target here is to play a lot of games to help my team and with my professional aims to do my business on and off the pitch." More: Sir Alex sets target for strike duo | Rooney wins Braga poll | Giggs salutes van Persie |
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FOCUS ON MARNICK VERMIJL MUTV's regular feature puts United's younger players under the spotlight.. First team played for? Peer. It's my home town, just a little one. First competitive game? I was four years old for my first competitive game. It was in my home town for a little club. Normally, I wasn't supposed to play until five because of regulations but they said, "Yeah, go on and just do it." Signed for United... I was playing for two years at Standard Liege and then Warren Joyce and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came to watch me at a tournament in Holland. From there, I needed to come here and do some tests and I was alright. First player you idolised... It's always been Paul Scholes, to be fair. Scholes and Ryan Giggs, when I was young. What are your strengths? My pace going forward. I just enjoy myself when I can go forward. Biggest achievement... It's a difficult question. Just like it was a dream for me as a young kid to play for great club and now I have achieved it at Manchester United. What is your career highlight so far? Playing in the Capital One Cup. First, it was going on tour with the first team but now, playing a game [against Newcastle], I think that's the one. Why do you love football? I see it as a hobby. I like going out every day onto the pitch, just enjoying myself. What don't you like about football? I wouldn't say hate but I don't think anybody likes to run, run and run until he's so tired that he can't move. But that's part of the game. You can't become a footballer without running! What are your career ambitions? Just take it step by step trying to get in the first team. Then we'll see. |
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MOUSTACHE UNITED To mark the month of 'Movember' - when moustaches are grown in the name of men's health charities - we decided to compile a team of mustachioed Manchester United players from over the years. We're sure you could come up with more options but here is the squad we cobbled together: Alex Stepney; Gary Neville, Paul McGrath, Viv Anderson, Mike Phelan; Nani, Paul Ince, Sammy McIlroy, Billy Meredith; Dion Dublin, Terry Gibson. Substitutes: Remi Moses, Gordon Hill, Alan Davies, Danny Wallace, Laurie Cunningham. Gallery: View the Moustache United squad on ManUtd.com |
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