carlyluvsunited
11-11-2007, 08:16 AM
~~ Pedersen To Take Game To Manchester United ~~
www.telegraph.co.uk
Most teams prepare for a visit to Old Trafford by donning tin hats and fixing
bayonets before unrolling a familiarly depressing game plan that involves
keeping things tight for the first 89 minutes. Unlike Blackburn's Morten Gamst
Pedersen, who is going there today with a twinkle in his eye and spats on his
feet.
He risks being accused of whistling past the graveyard but Pedersen's confidence
is a measure of the evolution, some would say metamorphosis, of Blackburn
Rovers in the past few seasons under manager Mark Hughes. They may still be in
the relegation zone of the Fair Play League but in the table that matters, they
are almost matching strides with the Four Tops, as the perennial top four of
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea should perhaps be known.
What is more, thanks to the cultured feet of Pedersen, as well as those of David
Bentley and Benni McCarthy, they are no longer seen as a team who only wear
boots in order to kick opponents. Having already drawn at Chelsea and at home
to Arsenal this season, they were unfortunate not to gain all three points in an
enterprising display against Liverpool last week.
So despite autumnal conditions in the North West this weekend, why should
Rovers not go to Old Trafford with a spring in their step and a song in their
heart? Pedersen says: "I'm looking forward to it. I am not going there with any
fear. What do they call Old Trafford? The dream theatre? Well if we win there, it
would be a kind of dream, though we played well there last year and even went
1-0 up.
"You can't be crazy when you go there but one of the secrets is to meet them
high up the pitch and maybe shock them a little bit by being aggressive. You can't
do it all the time but after you've had a rest, you have to find the faith to go up
and win the ball again. If you ask one million people in England, 999,999 will say
Man U are going to win. But we believe we can get results against anyone. It's a
big opportunity to show yourself, your team-mates, your fans and the whole of
England that you are a good side and can match yourself against the best
players in the world."
Although Rovers will not need to be winkled out of their shell, Pedersen accepts
that defence is still the bedrock of enterprising football. Even the likes of Wayne
Rooney, sadly missing again, and Carlos Tevez could not weave their magic
spells if they were not reassured that the back door was locked and bolted.
Equally, while there may be 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, few of them pop
up in the Rovers back four now that Chris Samba and Ryan Nelsen have taken up
residency in the centre. Rovers have conceded just nine goals this season, the
same as Arsenal, and have kept a clean sheet on eight occasions.
Pedersen says: "We are creating chances and scoring goals, which is fun, but
everything starts from behind. When you are safe from behind, it is easy to build
up the confidence and the football. United are the same because you see at
times when they are not defending well, they do not play well as a team because
you don't get the confidence up the pitch."
Confidence is oozing through every department of Blackburn's team after their
best start to a Premier League season, with their football for once raising
opposition eyebrows rather than their hackles. They may still not have won over
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger but most fair-minded pundits agree that they
are much easier on the eye these days.
Pedersen says: "I think we have a good reputation now. And we can match most
of the teams all over the pitch, even if it is the forwards getting the credit for the
goals they have scored. United are a good side and they can beat anyone almost
whenever they want. Almost, but we won there in 2005 and last year we did well
up till half-time. Once they score, though, it is hard to stop them getting more
and we lost 4-1."
Hughes believes that Rovers are one of the more likely teams to gatecrash the
top four, if anyone is going to do so, and indeed, two seasons ago, they came
within a few points of a Champions League spot. An early exit from the UEFA Cup
this term may prove a blessing in disguise in the Premier League but in
Pedersen's first season in 2004-2005, it was a grim, unrelenting fight against
relegation. He knows which situation he prefers.
He says: "It's a big difference to playing with a knife on your throat in the
relegation zone, when you feel all the time that you mustn't lose. When you get
the ball near your own box, you say, 'We have to get away because if we
concede, we might lose again'.
''Now you can get the ball out, you can relax a bit and if you make a mistake, you
don't think it is going to get you relegated. So yes, even at Old Trafford, we will
play our football and try to have fun."
The tin hats can be put away for another day.
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all breaking news on all things United !!!
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php
www.telegraph.co.uk
Most teams prepare for a visit to Old Trafford by donning tin hats and fixing
bayonets before unrolling a familiarly depressing game plan that involves
keeping things tight for the first 89 minutes. Unlike Blackburn's Morten Gamst
Pedersen, who is going there today with a twinkle in his eye and spats on his
feet.
He risks being accused of whistling past the graveyard but Pedersen's confidence
is a measure of the evolution, some would say metamorphosis, of Blackburn
Rovers in the past few seasons under manager Mark Hughes. They may still be in
the relegation zone of the Fair Play League but in the table that matters, they
are almost matching strides with the Four Tops, as the perennial top four of
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea should perhaps be known.
What is more, thanks to the cultured feet of Pedersen, as well as those of David
Bentley and Benni McCarthy, they are no longer seen as a team who only wear
boots in order to kick opponents. Having already drawn at Chelsea and at home
to Arsenal this season, they were unfortunate not to gain all three points in an
enterprising display against Liverpool last week.
So despite autumnal conditions in the North West this weekend, why should
Rovers not go to Old Trafford with a spring in their step and a song in their
heart? Pedersen says: "I'm looking forward to it. I am not going there with any
fear. What do they call Old Trafford? The dream theatre? Well if we win there, it
would be a kind of dream, though we played well there last year and even went
1-0 up.
"You can't be crazy when you go there but one of the secrets is to meet them
high up the pitch and maybe shock them a little bit by being aggressive. You can't
do it all the time but after you've had a rest, you have to find the faith to go up
and win the ball again. If you ask one million people in England, 999,999 will say
Man U are going to win. But we believe we can get results against anyone. It's a
big opportunity to show yourself, your team-mates, your fans and the whole of
England that you are a good side and can match yourself against the best
players in the world."
Although Rovers will not need to be winkled out of their shell, Pedersen accepts
that defence is still the bedrock of enterprising football. Even the likes of Wayne
Rooney, sadly missing again, and Carlos Tevez could not weave their magic
spells if they were not reassured that the back door was locked and bolted.
Equally, while there may be 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, few of them pop
up in the Rovers back four now that Chris Samba and Ryan Nelsen have taken up
residency in the centre. Rovers have conceded just nine goals this season, the
same as Arsenal, and have kept a clean sheet on eight occasions.
Pedersen says: "We are creating chances and scoring goals, which is fun, but
everything starts from behind. When you are safe from behind, it is easy to build
up the confidence and the football. United are the same because you see at
times when they are not defending well, they do not play well as a team because
you don't get the confidence up the pitch."
Confidence is oozing through every department of Blackburn's team after their
best start to a Premier League season, with their football for once raising
opposition eyebrows rather than their hackles. They may still not have won over
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger but most fair-minded pundits agree that they
are much easier on the eye these days.
Pedersen says: "I think we have a good reputation now. And we can match most
of the teams all over the pitch, even if it is the forwards getting the credit for the
goals they have scored. United are a good side and they can beat anyone almost
whenever they want. Almost, but we won there in 2005 and last year we did well
up till half-time. Once they score, though, it is hard to stop them getting more
and we lost 4-1."
Hughes believes that Rovers are one of the more likely teams to gatecrash the
top four, if anyone is going to do so, and indeed, two seasons ago, they came
within a few points of a Champions League spot. An early exit from the UEFA Cup
this term may prove a blessing in disguise in the Premier League but in
Pedersen's first season in 2004-2005, it was a grim, unrelenting fight against
relegation. He knows which situation he prefers.
He says: "It's a big difference to playing with a knife on your throat in the
relegation zone, when you feel all the time that you mustn't lose. When you get
the ball near your own box, you say, 'We have to get away because if we
concede, we might lose again'.
''Now you can get the ball out, you can relax a bit and if you make a mistake, you
don't think it is going to get you relegated. So yes, even at Old Trafford, we will
play our football and try to have fun."
The tin hats can be put away for another day.
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all breaking news on all things United !!!
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php