The following news article was added to www.red11.org/news on Wed Dec 25 @ 11:25:55 GMT
CONFIDENCE STILL HIGH IN REDS CAMP Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists confidence inside Old Trafford has not been dented by Sunday's shock defeat at Blackburn. The Red Devils travel to Middlesbrough on Boxing Day looking to end the Teessiders unbeaten home record this season and avenge their FA Cup exit at the Riverside last term. But top priority is ensuring a maximum three-point haul to keep the pressure on Premiership title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea. After overcoming both London clubs in the eight-match winning run which came to an end at Ewood Park, Ferguson knows his team are capable of matching any of their challengers. And despite falling four points behind Arsenal and two adrift of Chelsea following the Garry Flitcroft-inspired reverse, the Old Trafford chief is convinced his team will be in contention when the Premiership trophy is finally handed out in May. "Confidence is still high," he said. "We showed in the first half on Sunday that we can create chances against the best teams. That will always be the case with this squad of players because they are good enough. "We have done well to recapture our position at the top over the past few weeks and while the Blackburn result was a disappointment, we have still put ourselves in with a chance. "That is important to us because we know we have the resilience and stamina to mount a forceful challenge in the second half of the season." Ferguson is poised to recall David Beckham to his starting line-up after relegating the England skipper to bench duties at the weekend, although the extent of Roy Keane's participation will probably be determined by the fitness of Juan Sebastian Veron and Paul Scholes. Both men will travel to the north-east as Ferguson intends to keep his 21-man party together throughout the Festive programme. However, Veron is rated doubtful after showing only slight signs of improvement in the ankle injury picked up in training last week which ruled him out of the Blackburn encounter. Scholes played the full 90 minutes in that game despite going into the contest with a slight back strain. If both men are ruled out, Keane will probably start for the first time since being dismissed against Sunderland in August, although, after just one reserve team outing and a 30-minute appearance at the weekend, it would be a reluctant move on Ferguson's part. "Roy is a phenomenal player and he inspires people around him," said Ferguson. "The support he received at Blackburn told you everything about what he means to this club. "It is a boost to have him back but he was not 100%. He only had one reserve game after being out for four months and when you miss that amount of time you need plenty of games. "That half hour will help him but now we have to decide what is the best way to use him next." United have already emerged victorious from one hard-fought confrontation with Middlesbrough this term, Ruud van Nistelrooy's first-half penalty giving the Old Trafford outfit a narrow win in September. However, the side managed by Ferguson's former assistant Steve McClaren has established a reputation for defensive durability and are one of only two Premiership outfits yet to taste defeat on home soil during the current campaign. Ferguson's admiration for his protege is well known and he believes the improvement McClaren has brought to the Riverside is immense. "Steve has based everything on defensive organisation," said the United boss. "He has brought in Ugo Ehiogu to partner Gareth Southgate and they know each other's game so well from their time at Aston Villa. "They have also brought in the likes of Massimo Maccarone and Geremi, who have done very well and overall there has been a massive improvement from last season. "It is always difficult going up there and no doubt they will be very hard to break down. "But we need to avoid getting frustrated as we did on Sunday when we had to chase the game after creating so many chances in the first-half. "Their goal really was a killer for us and we must try to ensure it doesn't happen again." www.sportinglife.com http://www.red11.org/news Subscription info WWW http://red11.org/list Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] = subscribe to the list. [EMAIL PROTECTED] = unsubscribe from the list. Post message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
