Filed under: Football
Sir Alex Ferguson first came across Paul Lambert when the Norwich manager was starting out on his playing career with St Mirren - a career that eventually saw him face Manchester United in a Champions League semi-final while a player at Borussia Dortmund.Today's meeting at Old Trafford may be a lower stakes encounter than a European semi-final but there is no doubt that to supporters of the East Anglian club, and maybe even Lambert himself, it is every bit as significant.
A solid start to the season by the Canaries has caught the eye of many folk in football - Ferguson among them - and any sort of positive result against a United side on the back of two shaky defensive displays and consecutive draws will be cause for further optimism.
"Norwich have had a terrific start," said Ferguson. "You look at Norwich and see full houses every week and there is something happening down there. There is a good vibrancy about the place.
Tweeter Facebook FourSquare iPhone
"I remember Paul Lambert as a young kid playing at St Mirren, then the next time he came around to face me was as a player at Dortmund and the played a semi-final against us. He was one of the few Scots to win a European medal outside a Scottish team which he did at Dortmund. He learnt everything there.
"His career in management has taken off quite well. He's found a nice hole at Norwich where there seems to be a great sense of purpose. You see a full house every week and I think thats been a terrific move for the lad.
Key Match-up: Grant Holt v Rio Ferdinand: Norwich cult hero Holt has scored once this season in his quest to prove he can repeat his prodigious goalscoring feats at the top level of the game although his starting place is far from secure. Ferdinand, back from a customary early-season injury, has looked far from his imperious best as United have leaked goals with alarming abandon over the past two games.
Form Guide: United are still unbeaten in all competitions this season but have displayed defensive vulnerability this week in drawing 1-1 at Stoke and 3-3 at home to FC Basel. The Canaries have made a superb start to the season, a home defeat against West Brom the only serious blip so far. Successive wins, at Bolton and home to Sunderland, see them head north in high spirits.
Odds: Man United 1/6, Norwich 16/1, Draw 6/1
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Gennaro Gattuso Geoff Ogilvy Gianluca Zambrotta Gianluigi Buffon Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
No comments:
Post a Comment