Ahead of TheGame: Ferguson Fearful of Aalborg Trap

News in 60 seconds

FERGUSON FEARFUL OF DANISH TRAP
The Manchester United manager is determined to avoid a repeat of the 1-0 defeat his side suffered in Denmark two years ago and will field his strongest XI against Aalborg in tonight's Champions League tie. That means Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov will start but, with Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick absent, Darren Fletcher is set to play in midfield.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article4849431.ece

WENGER SLAMS YOUNG GUNS
Arsene Wenger has warned his young players that they need to improve quickly but he will resist making wholesale changes against Porto tonight. "When you are young, you think things are going to be easy," he said. Samir Nasri returns to the squad after a month out, while Nicklas Bendtner could step up from the bench.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article4849653.ece

LIVE: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Follow all the action from tonight's games with our rolling text commentaries.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/live_match_tracker/

MASCHERANO RETURNS
The midfielder has recovered from a calf injury and will be included in Liverpool's squad for tomorrow's European tie at home to PSV Eindhoven. He missed the Merseyside derby at the weekend.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article4846346.ece

TOTTENHAM BANK ON KING
The Spurs captain has returned to their squad for the Uefa Cup tie away to Wisla Krakow on Thursday. The London club carry a 2-1 lead into the second leg.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/tottenham/article4854179.ece

QUINN: KEANE SET TO SIGN
The Sunderland chairman is confident that the club's manager will agree to extend his contract, which runs out in the summer. "We have just opened up negotiations with Roy's solicitor and that will move along nicely, I hope," he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/sunderland/article4854176.ece

POMPEY COOL ON CAMPBELL 'ABUSE'
Portsmouth will not press the authorities to take action against Spurs for the homophobic chants their fans reportedly directed at Sol Campbell. "We feel it is a matter for the police and the FA," a club official said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article4853563.ece

CAHILL LOSES RED CARD APPEAL
The Everton midfielder has lost an appeal against his sending off against Liverpool. He will serve a three-match suspension, beginning with the match against Newcastle on Sunday.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/everton/article4853873.ece

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If you've got another couple of minutes

A GREAT DAY FOR THE DANES
What angle have the Danish newspapers taken on this evening's big match? The history between the sides involved? The best approach to take against the champions of Europe? The key individual clashes?

Hardly. Politiken, the paper known for its controversial Muhammed cartoon, has splashed online with the revelation that fans are painting Aalborg red and white, startling news given that the Danish champions and United wear, well, red and white.

The broadsheet has also given much coverage to confirmation from the Danish police that they aren't afraid of United supporters. So much for the improved reputation of our supporters abroad.

A reporter for Jyllands-Posten, meanwhile, seems a little put out by the casual manner of Sir Alex Ferguson, writing that "the greatest moment" in the history of the Danish champions seems a "parenthesis" in the life of the United manager. (Which sounds about right.)

In Portugal, Correio da Manha takes the more orthodox approach of leading on the comments from Jesualdo Ferreira, the Porto manager, in which he insists Arsenal's defeat by Hull will have no bearing on the match.

Ferreira adds that his side will play to win, while the reporter - or perhaps the translator - claims the kick-off time has been brought forward by an hour due to bad light in North London. AOTG checked online and looked out its window, but found no evidence that this was true.

On the same story, Expresso adds that Ferreira has called on his players to demonstrate "concentration, confidence and humility" this evening, while Jornal de Noticias noted that Arsenal made more money from their Champions League ties last season than Porto did over the entire campaign (about €31 million). Shame Wenger spent hardly any of it.

VAN PERSIE IN FIRING LINE
The Arsenal forward should beware. Wesley Sneijder plans to confront Van Persie over a decision to disobey instructions and take a free kick himself during Euro 2008, not least because his effort was unsuccessful.

"I don't want to say that I would have scored, but it's simply a matter of agreements," the Dutch midfielder said. "As soon as we see each other again, I will speak with Robin about it."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article4853588.ece

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>>>>>THE TABLOID TALE<<<<<
I'm Gunner punch his lights out - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Samir Nasri had an affair with an aspiring rugby star's girlfriend over the summer. 2) The Arsenal midfielder squired Aymee Davison on holiday in Cuba. 3) Phil McGaw, a member of Doncaster RFC's academy, became suspicious after his missus learnt a string of French phrases. 4) "I would consider punching his lights out," McGaw said.

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In TheGame

Merseyside vitriol: Oliver Kay responds
Our North West football correspondent triggered a flood of emails yesterday by criticising Liverpool fans for co-opting a "murderers" tag in a terrace chant.

He returns to the debate today: "Some considered the chant genius because it silenced the Everton taunts and because it meant that Liverpool fans have 'reclaimed' - or at least taken ownership of - the 'murderers' tag, much like the gay community has with the word 'queer' or the black community has with the word 'nigger'.

"The difference here is that we are talking about a disaster in which 39 people died."
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/09/merseyside-vitr.html

Champions League: Analysis
We examine the important encounters in this evening's games. (Danish reporters, take note.)
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/championsleague.pdf

FA should treat football like art
Jon Keen, deputy chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, is concerned by the ease with which foreign investors can buy English football clubs. He says they should be subject to the same restrictions imposed on art-buyers from abroad. "A football team is as much a part of our cultural heritage as any work of art," he writes.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/09/art-might-be-im.html

Trivia: Which club played both matches of a two-legged Uefa Cup final in their own country but neither took place in their home city? Bill Edgar has also revealed the answer to the head-scratcher he set yesterday.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/09/bill-edgars-t-7.html

Tottenham Fanzone: We need a plan B
Our beleaguered White Hart Lane stalwart picks apart a crisis at his club. "It is not rocket science," he writes. "The players need to be played in the positions where they will do most damage."
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/09/in-their-pomp.html

Exeter Fanzone: Thank heavens for Harley
Our man at the other St James' Park celebrates his club's signing of Ryan Harley, Times' League Two player of the week. "Knowing our luck," he writes. "Harley will be snapped up by another club come January."
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/09/thank-heavens-f.html

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3
Number of goals Arsenal have conceded from corners this season. They've let in four in total.

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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<

Everton's Indian Takeaway - Daily Mirror
Anil Ambani, the sixth richest man in the world, is in talks about a possible takeover at Goodison Park.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/09/29/exclusive-everton-targetted-for-take-over-by-indian-tycoon-worth-20billion-115875-20760882/

Venables: Blame Berbatov - The Sun
The former Spurs manager says the protracted transfer of the Bulgarian forward triggered the club's downturn.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/sunsport_columnists/article1748614.ece

Kinnear tells lazy gang to stay at home - Daily Express
The interim Newcastle manager gave his players the day off yesterday despite the defeat by Blackburn.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/63805/Say-it-ain%27t-so%2C-Joe%3A-First-day-in-job-and-lazy-gang-stay-at-home/

Wigan and Fulham may claim £1m in Tevez affair - The Daily Telegraph
The two clubs could sue West Ham for compensation because they finished below the London club in 2006/07.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/wigan/3104830/Wigan-and-Fulham-have-claims-in-Carlos-Tevez-affair-Football.html

Ferguson won't help media again - The Guardian
The United manager is furious with the press coverage of comments he made about Chelsea in pre-season. Apparently, they're not a team of old-timers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/30/manchesterunited.championsleague

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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox

Jon was among the Liverpool fans who co-opted the "murderers" insult. He explains his motivation:
"Maybe it's different in the comfort of the press box but, having had it chanted at us constantly from the Everton and United fans, I for one understand why the Liverpool fans chanted it. The look of confusion on their faces was a joy to see as we took their favourite chant and threw it back at them and most telling was they never sang it again."

Mick, an Aston Villa fan, gives an outsider's view on the debate:
"I have never known a club's fans to come up with such blatant myth-making about themselves than those of Liverpool F.C. It's as though they have a committee to come up with ways to create a 'unique' identity.

They are also beginning to claim that they are 'Scouse not English' in an attempt to give their club a Barcelona-esque political gravitas. Since when have Scousers defined themselves in this way? Explain all of the Union Jacks that followed LFC around Europe in the 70s and 80s.

It's mind-boggling and smacks of insecurity somewhere down the line. (Do Everton fans and Tranmere fans feel they are Scouse not English?) When fans constantly feel the need to revise how they are seen, it suggests that they are more media-savvy than Max Clifford, and more shallow and neurotic than a C-List celeb.

I am not surprised Everton fans are feeling frustrated at their neighbours' antics. It must be like living next door to that lass off the Iceland ads."

AOTG understands that he means Kerry Katona, which seems a bit harsh. On Liverpool fans.

Chris makes a sound contribution to Martin Samuel's debate asking what should be done about bad challenges:

"It'd be good if managers were held more accountable for their players' behaviour on the pitch. A player would rather be told off by the FA for endangering another player's career than be told off by his manager for lacking commitment in a tackle.

Adding stronger incentives for managers to crack down on bad tackles from their team might have as much of an effect as increased punishments for the players.

Two or three red cards for bad tackles or violent conduct? Fine, but add multi-game touchline bans for managers and extra fines for the clubs on top of whatever the player incurs for the offending challenge."

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And expect...

Arsenal's faltering young guns to see the light, find their form and humble Porto.

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