Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Strong arm tactics

Thu May 21 09:14AM

Great news for followers of north-east clubs - Manchester United will field a strong side to play Hull City on the final day of the season.

So expect the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney to take to the field at the KC Stadium.

Expect United to put every resource they possibly can into their final game of the season in a bid to give their 3,000 or so travelling fans a glorious send-off ahead of next Wednesday's Champions League final against Barcelona.

Expect Alex Ferguson to throw caution to the wind as he casts aside thoughts of Rome and concentrates solely on the one thing that really matters to him - victory at all costs against Hull.

Er, not quite.

While today's newspapers report that Fergie will field a 'strong side' on Humberside, further inspection reveals that the team he is expected to send out is merely a 'stronger' one than first thought.

So no Ronaldo et al, merely the likes of Tomas Kuszczak, Gary Neville and Park Ji-Sung. And possibly Nani. ED rates just one of that particular quartet, and it doesn't take a genius to work out which one (clue: a popular terrace chant refers to eating habits in his home country).

And while Darren Fletcher will also play, out of the names mentioned only Rio Ferdinand, who needs to prove his fitness ahead of the Barca game, can legitimately claim to be first choice.

It would usually be enough to enrage even the most placid of Middlesbrough, Newcastle or Sunderland fans, but the truth is that even a third-string United side are more than capable of beating Hull.

At least Ricky Sbragia has realised that and has backed Fergie, whatever his team selection, such is the Sunderland boss's supreme confidence in United's reserves. Or, more likely, Hull's incapability to get anything from the game.

Anyway, Fergie is well within his rights to select exactly who he wants. ED has never been a big fan of rule E20, a name more suited to soothing skin cream or even a food additive number than a regulation which states teams must field their strongest side.

Surely the term 'strongest' is relatively subjective anyway. Who is to say what Fergie's strongest side is, other than himself? He has to do what is best for his own club, and if that means upsetting some people, so be it.

Meanwhile, Spanish champions Barca are set to rest every one of their starting XI when they play Osasuna at the weekend.

- - -

ED quite enjoyed last night's UEFA Cup final, and not only for the brief hint it offered that Michel Platini is a deeply unpopular man - an idea ED rather likes.

The brain behind next season's rebranding of the competition was pictured soon after the half-time break cutting a lonely figure in the directors box, a ring of empty seats surrounding him on all sides.

Of course, it could just have had something to do with the quality of the corporate feast laid on by their Turkish hosts - and sure enough by the time the camera panned back onto Platini midway through the second half, rather disappointingly he appeared to have found some mates - albeit a bunch of bloated-looking UEFA suits.

On the pitch, the football was good enough to prevent ED flicking over to Extraordinary People: Electric Human ("A Puerto Rican man demonstrates his ability to transmit high-voltage currents through his body"), or at least the prospect of a penalty shoot-out was too tempting.

Of course, that possibility evaporated with Tim Weiss's gaffe in extra-time, but interest remained, at least to witness confirmation that money can still buy success on the field.

With pretty much the same formula as Shakhtar Donetsk (filthy rich owner willing to spend money on classy Brazilian imports) Manchester City have so far failed in their bid to bring trophies to Eastlands.

So it will have been with great interest that City fans watched Shakhtar's victory last night. If a miners' club from Ukraine can do it, then surely so can self-styled big club City.

- - -

FOREIGN VIEW: Ronaldo, the larger one, has caused a bit of a stir over in Brazil since his return to South America. Not only has the Corinthians striker been banging in the goals (eight in his latest comeback), he has grabbed headlines for his involvement in several escapades, most notably a dangerous encounter with a microphone and a mad goal celebration that nearly ended in disaster.

His latest brush (read on, and you'll get the terrible pun) with infamy came at the weekend, when television cameras caught the Brazil international pulling an opponent's hair during a Brazilian championship clash with Botafogo.

"We've requested the video of the match and on Thursday I am going to analyse it and see if there was an infringement," said Paulo Schmitt, an official with Brazilian football's disciplinary tribunal.

"I've never seen hair pulling in a football match," he added.

ED has. Remember Peter Crouch's tug on Trinidad defender Brent Sancho's dreadlocks to open his England account at the 2006 World Cup? Or how about Deco's less than manly pulling of Athletic Bilbao midfielder Carlos Gurpegi's hair when playing for Barcelona in January of the same year?

Ronaldo should be wary. While Crouch got away with his Hair of God moment, Deco was sent off and was slapped with a two-match ban.

COMING UP: Gossip Shop will be bringing you all the latest transfer tittle-tattle while Paul Parker offers his thoughts on Rafa Benitez's snub to Ferguson.

Comments1 - 30 of 334
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Had a lie in today ED?
Or just been checking out all the papers for something to write about?
From stephenaanderton on Thu May 21 09:15AM
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1st
From eddie.mcilroy on Thu May 21 09:15AM
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1st
From eddie.mcilroy on Thu May 21 09:15AM
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G'morning
From ranrooneh on Thu May 21 09:19AM
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oh no 4th, right under my nose?
From aopeepeepee on Thu May 21 09:20AM
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Yes, same stuff second time!
I'm a United fan but i think the attitudes of Ronaldo and Tevez have actually flipped. Ronaldo must by now realise that Real Madrid are a spent force and are unlikely to win anything soon. Thus, as the good mercenary-player he is, staying at United would be his best bet at the moment. Tevez on the other hand has said his goodbye (Yes, that was his goodbye at OT), and by not attending the award ceremony has shown that he is ready to move on.
I'd love it though if Benitez bought Tevez for £50m thinking he was securing a coup over SAF - but then Tevez didn't perform, although, i wouldn't like Tevez's career to stall.
I mean, he is right to feel aggrieved at his treatment - UNITED DID PAY £32M FOR BERBATOV!
From aquapond1 on Thu May 21 09:20AM
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I have to admit, had it been United playing a mid-table team at the weekend there would be no fuss as to what team SAF plays... Although its an important game to Hull and the rest of the s.hit relegation teams, Man Utd have a bigger important game yet to play, therefore they are within their rights to play a weakend team and rest their stars.
You don't see Sunderland, Newcastle or Middlesboro complain during the season when the title challenging teams rest their players against them.
You had 37 other oppertunities to get wins... DEAL WITH IT!
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu May 21 09:24AM
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Whoowhoo congrats to Stephenaaaaaaaaanderton Whoowhoo,Can the day get any better?LMAO,
LMAO,Whoowhoo
From jamikhunt on Thu May 21 09:26AM
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What for Jami - I didn't claim it!
From stephenaanderton on Thu May 21 09:29AM
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sleepy...
Still sleepy..
Finally asleep...
From rock.bratt on Thu May 21 09:30AM
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Did you get that thing completed last night rocky?
From stephenaanderton on Thu May 21 09:31AM
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Rule E20 sucks! how on earth can you decide that the team a manager fielded was not the strongest side. wat if a manager claims all his starters got injured in training?
From kaggwa2000 on Thu May 21 09:38AM
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Give the fellas a break, there has been no proper football for 3 days (assuming Sunderland v Portsmouth counts as proper obv.), and theres always PPs deep and thoughtful offering to come!!
From andy_lycett on Thu May 21 09:38AM
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nahh..
was up late nite..
den couldn't sleep while in bed..
Twas pretty bad...
I feel quite sleepy now..
more so after reading ED today..
I think lately ED is gone pally with PP.
Its boring and downright obvious...
From rock.bratt on Thu May 21 09:39AM
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19th
From iudoka2000 on Thu May 21 09:40AM
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haha what happened to my post
From aopeepeepee on Thu May 21 09:40AM
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u're absolutely right who_are_ya
From kaggwa2000 on Thu May 21 09:41AM
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bugger off @#$% pots.
what a @#$% doors article. Man City wish they were Shaktar in there dreams. Messi , what a joke , not even 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 dollars would bring Messi to that @#$% hole.
From csinclair366 on Thu May 21 09:41AM
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It really is a slow news week when half the article is about Man U not fielding our best 11 against Hull. Like you said there is still enough quality to beat most premiership teams and Barca's doing the same. Never question Fergie. He's the man!!
From ethan.cooper on Thu May 21 09:41AM
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So PP is going to be up to his usual foolishness a few minutes from now.LOL
From stephdominique on Thu May 21 09:43AM
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#16 The dog ate it
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu May 21 09:43AM
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So PP is going to be up to his usual foolishness a few minutes from now.LOL
From stephdominique on Thu May 21 09:43AM
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#14 I agree with you I used to enjoy arriving at work, grabbing my brew and starting my "work" day reading Early Doors but these days I check my work e-mails first.
From ethan.cooper on Thu May 21 09:45AM
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Well said who_are_ya_85
From ethan.cooper on Thu May 21 09:46AM
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Man U wins the tile again , how boring . The premiership was only interesting when Blackburn won it.
From csinclair366 on Thu May 21 09:47AM
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west ham once did it why can't hull, have they given up hope even b4 the game is played? they will stay up if they are good enough regardless of which team man utd fields, methink hull stands a better chance with a full utd team bcos they will be playing for absolutely nothing a younger weakened team will be more ambitious to make an impact
From aopeepeepee on Thu May 21 09:47AM
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aopeepeepee spot on - those young players will have a (faint) hope that they might make the bench against Barca of they perform well and there are a few training ground injuries.
From ethan.cooper on Thu May 21 09:51AM
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who are you? sounds like kgr. is mourinho heading for the bernabeu
From aopeepeepee on Thu May 21 09:52AM
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Have any of you read today's PP??
Its downright retarded.. Don't read it...
Btw last week's PP and this week's Jim White blog are total opposites..
here's how..
Jim says keep Ronaldo ditch Tevez
PP says keep Tevez ditch Ronaldo
Jim's article is articulate..
PP's article is rubbish..
Jim writes an unbiased note.
PP's article is biased to his career that even as a Utd fan, u feel like vomiting..
Most importantly, Jim's post is gracious enough to accept my criticism.
PP's is downright retarded to eat up my comment (Inspite of callin Rafa ungracious, PP's no different)
From rock.bratt on Thu May 21 09:53AM
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if he is then know that no man utd player except a disgruntled tevez will play for him. remember SAF said he would not sell even a virus to real madrid
From aopeepeepee on Thu May 21 09:54AM
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