Rovers Vs Man Utd. 1st Leg

[Mike Graham]

Philip is right about the JJB tonight. Radio 5 report on an expected sub 11,000 gate at Wigan v Arsenal.

My main concern is how many Mancs we will ahve in the home sections on Weds night. I realise that the Club try hard to stop this but I hope that we do not have a problem.

[Mr Maureen]

I was feeling very low about the likely attendance until seeing that Wigan have not yet sold 10,000 for tonight's game. Expected to be 11,000.

373007[/snapback]

The fact that both games will be telivised must be having a massive impact on the attendances.

I was ready to travel from London to Ewood until I was told it was to be telivised.

[philipl]

Philip is right about the JJB tonight.  Radio 5 report on an expected sub 11,000 gate at Wigan v Arsenal.

My main concern is how many Mancs we will ahve in the home sections on Weds night.  I realise that the Club try hard to stop this but I hope that we do not have a problem.

373013[/snapback]

Very obviously, we are heading for 50/50 Mancs and Rovers at Ewood tomorrow. At the moment 12,000 people are sitting in 23,000 seats so there are bound to be Mancs everywhere if they sold out the Darwen End last week.

Rovers are going to have to win across two away games to get to Cardiff.

Edited January 10, 2006 by philipl

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I can't say that I am overly optimistic about our chances over two legs - especially as United have been able to rest the vast majority of their team over the weekend. However - we have a chance (which is a pleasant change) - lets just hope the referee gives us a chance (unlike previous encounters).

What pleases me must is Hughes positive attitude - gone are the days of "we just want to survive" - back to the days of "we want to win things". I am sure Jack will be looking down with a smile on his face.

[Bobby G]

Cant see us winning tomorrow, let alone with a margin wide enough to hold on during the second leg.

I predict 2-2 or 1-2.

[waggy]

with our home support hovering around 17/18k this year i reckon anything over 20k is a bonus,its sad but thats the level off support we recieve these days.just read on the official site they are hoping for a last minute rush,looks like whoever suggested giving the mancs the jack walker as well was right

[mattym]

with our home support hovering around 17/18k this year i reckon anything over 20k is a bonus,its sad but thats the level off support we recieve these days.just read on the official site they are hoping for a last minute rush,looks like whoever suggested giving the mancs the jack walker as well was right  

373049[/snapback]

Yep and that same report says it will be the biggest crowd of the season !! so deffo 20k +

[Presty On Tour]

i don't understand why some folk are being so down hearted about this game!!!!

i know people have the right to their opinion but we are on a great run at the moment and are looking well good.

bellamy is almost hitting top gear and our teams performances have been well good recently have deffered the bully boys tag slightly

an immense atmo on wed and hughsey preparing the team for a chance to go to a cup final again, i can't see us losing.

Manky's defence is weak, for all those who were with me at o.t. ont he 24/09/05 would of seen wot a pasting their defence had, couldn't handle us, we had threats everywhere and we should of been 4-0 up at half time.

we aint lost to them for a while now, maybe we are their bogey team

they won't be fancying the trip to ewood, we have to make our home advantage count!!!!

even if we don't win tomorrow, i will still be keeping the faith for the 2nd leg

[S15]

Not a personal attack on you JansenPresty but I depsise it when people say things like ''we should have been 4-0 up at half time.''

If from kick off we pass it right instead of left, the ENTIRE game is different to what it would have been.

If we score the first chance, we don't get the following three chances. If we miss the first ad score the second, we don't get the following two.

If we get any chance tommorrow, we need to take it, as it really is David and Golliath stuff. As we know, Ferguson doesn't lose semi finals. I think he has lost ONE in twenty odd years. (Leverkusen in Champions League?)

Edited January 10, 2006 by shillito15

[S15]

This might be mind games, but the following link suggests Utd may not play their strongest team!

Clicky...

[Ozz]

My main concern is how many Mancs we will ahve in the home sections on Weds night.  I realise that the Club try hard to stop this but I hope that we do not have a problem.

373013[/snapback]

Particularly with the ticket office open till 5.00pm on the day of the match.

[1864roverite]

cant see anything other than a full united first team in order to get a positive result in the first leg.

Bank on them having a team worth millions on the pitch as utd try to guarantee a final appearance as they aint gonna win owt else

[Presty On Tour]

Not a personal attack on you JansenPresty but I depsise it when people say things like ''we should have been 4-0 up at half time.''

If from kick off we pass it right instead of left, the ENTIRE game is different to what it would have been.

If we score the first chance, we don't get the following three chances. If we miss the first ad score the second, we don't get the following two.

If we get any chance tommorrow, we need to take it, as it really is David and Golliath stuff. As we know, Ferguson doesn't lose semi finals. I think he has lost ONE in twenty odd years. (Leverkusen in Champions League?)

373059[/snapback]

no problem shillito15 but i think imo people don't like to get excited and get their hopes raised anymore because when it all goes wrong its such a dissapointment and you feel guted!!!!

if you expect to lose and you do the blow is easier to take and then if you expect to lose and then you win the feeling is immense!!!! happy days n all.

yeah the entire game tomorrow can be decided by a chance, a goal and referees decision etc but thats just football and why i and all of us love the game.

the bottom line is we scored more goals than the scum last time and won!!!!

i know fergy has a semi final record but maybe the luck is starting to turn, this season has not been one of his better ones and im hoping the cracks continue.

i think we have a much better chance of winning this tie than people realise but at the end of it, its just my opinion

Edited January 10, 2006 by jansenpresty10@wales

[Hughesy]

2-0 Rovers

Fergie said - "We included some of the first team squad when we went to Birmingham to ensure we got through and hopefully we can do the same again."

Now if he gives us the same team that started that game then I would be very very happy.

Edited January 10, 2006 by Hughesy

[bob fleming]

As we know, Ferguson doesn't lose semi finals. I think he has lost ONE in twenty odd years. (Leverkusen in Champions League?)

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He's due to lose another one then.

[S15]

He's due to lose another one then.

373067[/snapback]

Touche!!

[bob fleming]

Touche!! 

373068[/snapback]

Don't start all that Latin with me shillito - in won't work

[waggy]

i want utd to play there best x1,i do,nt want any excuses from the utd fans at work [who all have tickets in rovers sections] saying such/such abody was missing.on our present form i think we can give most teams in the premier a run for their money at home

[Hughesy]

Id prefer a team of reserves and a thumping win for rovers!

Then in second leg let them play their full side and we will beat them too!!

[Manchester Blue]

United only just sold out their original allocation, they were offered more and declined because they wouldn't sell the amount they were offered, there won't be any mass infiltration.

[bellamy11]

I believe the semi-final was against Chelsea last season in this competition. Duffer putting them out with a free kick at Old Trafford.

'Not a personal attack on you JansenPresty but I depsise it when people say things like ''we should have been 4-0 up at half time.'''

I don't think you should be on JP's case for that comment. JP would have said something more along the lines of "we well should of well been 4-0 up at half time!!!!" Completely different.

If Man Utd play a weakened team then all power to them. I don't care how weak they are or what excuses they have or whether or not people I know can point it out to me, I just care about getting to Cardiff again.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Tomorrow must be the most important match in Rovers recent history.

Make no mistake there will be plenty of "casual" Rovers fans attracted back by the lure of the semi-final. Put in a good performance (and result) - and maybe these fans will be more inclined to come back in the future. Lose (and no matter how unjustified) they will believe that we are still the team that could barely put together a home win for almost two years.

Add to this the huge confidence boost for the rest of the season that a Cup Final appearance would make to the squad - not forgetting the potential extra revenue.

As I said before - over two matches I am not too confident - but then again I wasn't confident we could beat Middlesborough away once - never mind twice. Hughes is the magician - lets hope he can wield some magic for us.

[USABlue]

I heard on SSN that both of fergies new signings are short of Match fitness. THe one that may play is closer than the other. Good for us, let Dickov work him for an hour then bring on Shefki and their new signing may lose his legs, not be able to keep up with Shefki.

Be real nice if Rovers can get to this Final and the FA Cup Final. Last team to play at Cardiff, First to play at Wembley.

Edited January 10, 2006 by USABlue

[sleepyjack]

i want utd to play there best x1,i do,nt want any excuses from the utd fans at work [who all have tickets in rovers sections] saying such/such abody was missing.on our present form i think we can give most teams in the premier a run for their money at home

373079[/snapback]

They can make all the excuses they want as long as we get to the final. Dodgy refereeing, the pitch, the weather, the colour of their shirts, all of their team getting food poisoning on the day of the game and having the runs, Tugay's invisible friend interfering with play. Patrice Evra being a Chelsea double agent and scoring four own goals. Anything that helps Rovers to win suits me, nevermind what gets said afterwards.

Still I agree that on recent evidence we can hopefully match them, if not outplay them in some positions. Savage is putting in his best performances for us since he signed, he and Tugay seem to have gelled much better than Scholes and Smith have for United.

The main worry I have is Shrek and Donkey up front for them, which is so scary I've been trying to block it out for the last two days. Maybe they'll start with Saha though, or Rossi, or Solskjaer - who looked pants against Burton. At the back I think Gray needs to be fit, he has a much better chance than Matteo of both containing Ronaldo and pushing forward to link up with MGP.

I'm more excited and up for this game than I have been for ages, even moreso than the FA Cup semi, which had a slight air of inevitability about it. I really hope the more casual Rovers fans are starting to feel this way too and get down to the ground on Wednesday. Given our league form and the quality in our first team, I feel we definitely have more of a chance of winning than in previous years. And in previous years we've been beating them at Ewood anyway, so we should stuff them! Which isn't a prediction, by the way. I'm not jinxing anything.

[SouthAussieRover]

Rovers 2 Scumchester 1

Attendance 22,349.