The Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, has claimed that a run of seven successive victories in all competitions has galvanised Rafael Benítez's team for Sunday's Old Trafford encounter. "We are in a good moment, playing well and scoring goals, and we are really looking forward to Old Trafford," he said.
In an article, until this point, entirely about our game with Bolton, we have a Liverpool player commenting on their game with us on Sunday. What use does this have? This isn't some political piece in which the words of one party's spokesman needs to be weighted by the inclusion of reaction from the other major parties, it's a piece on our game tonight. The inclusion of this paragraph seems to be designed to a) trivialise the Bolton game in the sense that "this is a game they really should win, a formality if you will, the important game lies in wait on Sunday"; b) make Liverpool more important than they actually are - they lie fourth, are having an indifferent season and recent history suggests it is this game that will be the formality (The Daily Star tells us, "Benitez has still to see his side score a goal or gain a victory in seven Premier League meetings with Sir Alex Ferguson since arriving in England in 2004. Liverpool have drawn one and lost six with a John O’Shea own goal in their first meeting the only time United have conceded against their bitter rivals"); c) prepare the ground for tomorrow in the unlikely event that we lose - cue articles about our "crisis" before the mighty liverpool come to town.
To quote Sir Alex: "Sure, there are big weekends ahead, but the other matches are just as important."
In The Times there's this which I don't have much to complain about except perhaps again the feeling that they are hoping for us to get beat lots of "and yet", "although", "but", trying to build up to something on the off chance that Bolton get a result (and here that Chelsea also get a result - at Spurs, a harder fixture I would say, not that you'd know it from the article).
Another article in The Times, coming from a Bolton perspective, with the headline "Gary Megson plans to get physical with Bolton in perilous position", has Gary Megson hoping "that his team can reproduce the physical approach that unsettled United in the reverse fixture". Here I imagine a similar article involving, say, Arsenal, in which this is questioned, given the injury to Eduardo and the soul searching in the papers after that incident. Here it goes unquestioned, despite the treatment meted out to Ronaldo in recent weeks.
This article by Ian Winrow in The Telegraph isn't too bad except for this, "United fans have long viewed this game in hand as a guaranteed three-pointer", while I agree that it should be a cast iron 3 points I'm not sure this is "long viewed" since it was only March 9, when Arsenal played Wigan and we didn't play in the league because of the FA Cup, that we've had a game in hand. A simple fact check, a bit of basic knowledge about us - too much to ask?
Another article in The Telegraph, "FA's Lord Triesman wants respect for referees", includes a completely bizarre piece of linking bias, "Triesman will also travel around to meet individual managers. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and other leading managers have been critical of referees this season while the problem of players surrounding officials continues to scar football." Two managers mentioned, an unspecified number of players mentioned and only one link to a story about Sir Alex (rightfully) criticising a referee. I need say no more.
To finish I give you the best bit of reporting of the day from The Sun:
Fergie faces Bolton tonight, saying: “Davies will do anything he possibly can to unsettle us.
“He’s a physical lad and we have to deal with that but I think Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have the height and ability to do that.”
Davies has committed more fouls than any other Prem player for the last FOUR SEASONS — and tops the current dirty league, with 78 offences.
United defender Patrice Evra got a kicking from him when the sides met last November — and is expecting more of the same in this evening’s clash at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman recalled: “I had more bad tackles in that game than I have in my ENTIRE career.
“His first tackle on me should have been a red card.
“It was the same last year. When Davies kicked me, I said to him ‘Why do you tackle like that?’ And he said ‘It’s because I don’t like you!’
Trotters boss Gary Megson has called on hardman Davies to get stuck in again.
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