Sir Alex Ferguson is determined not to allow little Crawley Town any chance of causing an upset against Manchester United in the fifth round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford on Saturday. Together with his assistant Mike Phelan, the wily manager was at Wrexham on Tuesday to check on the non league side ahead of the game. Top of their list of things to see was 28 goal hotshot Matt Tubbs, with Fergie confessing that “A lot of people are talking about these boys – I thought I’d take a look for myself.”

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Sir Alex Ferguson is determined not to allow little Crawley Town any chance of causing an upset against Manchester United in the fifth round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford on Saturday. Together with his assistant Mike Phelan, the wily manager was at Wrexham on Tuesday to check on the non league side ahead of the game. Top of their list of things to see was 28 goal hotshot Matt Tubbs, with Fergie confessing that “A lot of people are talking about these boys – I thought I’d take a look for myself.”

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Veteran journalist David Miller has been writing football for over half a century, became sports editor of the Times of London and a columnist for the Daily Express. He has also been awarded the famous Jules Rimet Centenary Award in 2004 given to journalists who have covered 11 or more World Cups. Miller has now revealed just how close Manchester United came to replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the winter of 1989 but that sensational story which could have changed football history was never published. Miller goes on to explain what happened in this Daily Express story twenty years later.

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Veteran journalist David Miller has been writing football for over half a century, became sports editor of the Times of London and a columnist for the Daily Express. He has also been awarded the famous Jules Rimet Centenary Award in 2004 given to journalists who have covered 11 or more World Cups. Miller has now revealed just how close Manchester United came to replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the winter of 1989 but that sensational story which could have changed football history was never published. Miller goes on to explain what happened in this Daily Express story twenty years later.

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While Manchester United were cruising to a 5-2 defeat of  Scunthorpe with an entirely different starting line up to that used against Liverpool on Sunday, ten other Premier League clubs were dropping out of the Carling Cup. Manchester  City were knocked out by West Brom to miss out on their best chance of winning some sort of desperately desired silverware, Liverpool were determined to get to a Wembley final but could not even make it into the fourth round after going out to League Two Northampton at a half empty Anfield while Chelsea, Tottenham, Blackburn, Everton, Bolton, Fulham, Sunderland and Blackpool have  all been eliminated.

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As one who sees the Carling Cup as little more than a mere distraction for clubs like Manchester United, I have to confess that there are also some worthwhile attractions in the much derided competition. Take United’s meeting with Scunthorpe as an example. A combined existence of nearly 220 years has thus far failed to ever match the two Uniteds together so a little bit of history will be made at Glenford Park on Wednesday night. But there will be far more than a spot in the fourth round at stake for a special Scunthorpe lad.

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