Manchester United's Darron Gibson shuts Twitter account after fans’ abuse

Northern Ireland-born Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson was forced to delete his Twitter account less than two hours after joining the site after being subjected to a tidal wave of sectarian and personal abuse.

The latest display of bigotry from so-called football fans comes days after it was revealed Lurgan man and Celtic boss Neil Lennon was targeted by parcel bombers. Darron Gibson, set up the account dgibbo28 shortly after midday yesterday but instead of affection and sporting chat, he was inundated with abuse.

In 2007 Gibson was at the centre of a dispute over his international allegiance. He was involved in a tug of war between the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland. His decision to play for the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland infuriated some football fans. At the time of his decision Gibson told the Belfast Telegraph: “I don’t see why there is a problem, or why people have to make such a big deal of it.”

Last night chief executive of the IFA, Patrick Nelson, told the Belfast Telegraph the abusive Twitter comments were “unacceptable” and said it was completely “inappropriate behaviour.”“I do not condone any negative comments. There is no place for this sort of abuse,” he said. Gibson has had limited success since his Old Trafford debut in a League Cup match in 2005.

He is currently in Gelsen-kirchen, Germany, as part of the Manchester United squad for |the Champions’ League semi-final first leg against Schalke tonight. A number of Manchester United players use Twitter to communicate with their fans.

Wayne Rooney joined the site at around the same time on Saturday and now has more than 207,000 followers on his Wazzaroon08 account. Piers Morgan jumped on Rooney's repeated grammatical errors and text slang.

After Rooney sent a mangled message to United teammate Michael Owen, Morgan wrote, "It's 'You're', 'have' and 'you'" before adding, "Amazed Wazzaroon08 hasn't been suspended from Twitter yet - for repeated fouling of basic grammar & spelling."

Rooney took the jibe in good spirit, though, replying, "piersmorgan yes sir thank YOU for correcting me."Some of the messages posted on Gibson’s Twitter page included:

dgibbo28 the biggest compliment i can give you is that you are better than Carrick dgibbo28 is on Twitter, a traitor to his country and a s**** footballer #gawa #mufc dgibbo28 You are a (sic) abysmal excuse for a footballer. You're a one trick pony - a s*** one at that. What Fergie sees in you I do not know...”

dgibbo28 Nothing would make me happier than if we sold you this summer. Other Manchester United fans were dismayed by the abuse directed at Gibson and created a page in an effort to encourage the midfielder to return to the site.

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Manchester United To End Everton’s Run

Manchester United have the opportunity to temporarily extend their lead over Chelsea and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League to 9 points when they face Everton in the early kick off at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The hosts take a 6 point lead into the weekend with just 5 league games remaining. However, the title race isn’t quite over yet as they have an away game at Arsenal in between their Champions League semi final clash with Schalke 04, and then play Chelsea the weekend following the second leg.

Sir Alex Ferguson will know his team can settle for nothing less than 3 points on Saturday. Everton come into this game with one of the best records in the league over the past 7 games; winning 5 and drawing 2. However, all of these opponents are outside of the top 8 and include out-of-form sides Sunderland and Blackburn as well as bottom of the league Wolves. Manchester United will be a different test and a tougher challenge for David Moyes’ side.

Everton have the players in position to deal with crosses from Antonio Valencia, Nani or whoever plays down the wing for Manchester United; Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin can deal with crosses. However, Nani running at them and the nifty Javier Hernandez are capable of causing them great difficulties.

Wayne Rooney is set to face his former side, but it will be interesting to see Ferguson’s selection with half an eye on the away trip to Schalke 04 on Tuesday night in the Champions League; looking to reach his 4th Champions League final as Manchester United manager.

Everton’s last two away games have been victories over Newcastle (2-1) and Wolves (3-0) respectively. The creativity of both Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini remain absent for this game, while Tim Cahill is listed as a doubt for this weekend’s game. Jermaine Beckford is now only 2 goals behind Everton’s leading scorer Cahill, but has still only completed 90 minutes once as a Premier League player.

Manchester United have kept 14 clean sheets in the league this season; 9 of those have come at Old Trafford in the 16 games they’ve hosted. West Brom remain the only side to have taken a point on their travels to United this season and it will be a tough ask for Everton to repeat that feat. I don’t see it happening.

After last week’s successful tip, I am going to suggest Manchester United to to beat Everton at 1.48 with Betfair this weekend. If you’re feeling confident in Manchester United’s defence, they are 2.38 to win to nil. Stay tuned for more football betting tips.

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Chelsea can run United to the finish line, but only if they save the Fernando Torres project until next season

Despite the obvious improvement in performance from his Chelsea team since reverting to a 4-3-3, Carlo Ancelotti refused to commit to deploying a three-pronged attack for the rest of the season after his side's convincing win over Birmingham.

Nor did the Italian confirm that £50 million man Fernando Torres, left out of the starting line-up for a second consecutive game, may have to get used to life on the bench. Chelsea's dominant attacking display in the first half at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday seemed a world away from the uncoordinated and disjointed performances that have undermined the champions' season.

Yet remarkably for a team that had seemed out of the title picture for months, the Blues now find themselves just six points off table-topping Manchester United with five games left to play.

With the front-runners facing a gruelling run of games in weeks to come, there is still every chance that United can be overhauled – a fact Ancelotti acknowledged with a wry smile last night.

But if Chelsea are to realise their burgeoning title ambitions, one thing has become abundantly clear: the Torres problem will have to be put to one side until summer.

The change of formation to a 4-4-2 to accommodate the misfiring Spaniard has taken Chelsea out of a tactical comfort zone that fits key personnel at the club and has been the basis of success in recent years. And the proof was in the pudding last night as the more familiar shape was adopted, once again leading to a convincing win.

Florent Malouda’s brace, sandwiching Salomon Kalou’s excellent strike from range, saw a return to the blistering form for the duo that characterised the side that romped to the title last year and flew out of the blocks last August.

However, the main star against Birmingham was talisman Didier Drogba; a bustling and intimidating performance showed exactly why the Ivorian is still the main man for this team. The triumvirate of Kalou, Malouda and Drogba all put in excellent individual performances, but it was the fluid interchange between the three that won the game so convincingly for the Blues.

The fact that Chelsea were so dominant despite Frank Lampard and Michael Essien underperforming once more underlined the effectiveness of the front three. After the game, Ancelotti remained coy over the sustained use of this more familial tactical approach – stating that different shapes and personnel are required for different challenges ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Ham. Yet, despite his seeming ambivalence towards a P45 being thrust his way at the end of the season, the Italian is no fool.

Torres started on the bench again after the side impressed in a 3-1 win at West Brom on Saturday without him, and Ancelotti’s team selection at the weekend will likely determine the extent to which he is prepared to sacrifice the Spaniard for the sake of success.

With a genuine chance of snatching the title from the clutches of Manchester United, this surely is no time to be experimenting with square pegs and round holes. Few doubt that Torres will become a central figure at Stamford Bridge for years to come – with Ancelotti himself calling the striker the "present and the future of the club" – but 725 minutes without a goal is a problem that needs addressing later with the Blues having just 450 Premier League minutes of their season left.

£50m was a considerable amount to spend on one man, but it does not mean that he should be played at the expense of the club's newfound title hopes.

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United expected to foot bill over damage to Wembley dressing room

The Football Association will consider today whether to bill Manchester United for damage to their Wembley dressing room which took place in the aftermath of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.

The dressing room was used by Stoke City the following day but not before staff at Wembley had to fix a wall that had been damaged on Saturday evening. United have made it clear that they will pay for the damage and have indicated that none of their players were involved in the incident.

The FA carries out minor repairs to the dressing room as a matter of course over FA Cup semi-final weekend after they are cleaned. However, if the damage is assessed to have been sufficiently bad – it is understood that a hole was kicked in the wall – they may decide that United should foot the bill.

The incident caps a bad four days for Manchester United, who play Newcastle United at St James' Park tonight in what will prove a pivotal game in the title race. If they win, United will go nine points ahead of second place Arsenal who play Tottenham at White Hart Lane tomorrow.

Sir Alex Ferguson said yesterday that he would not shy away from the tough decisions needed this summer to maintain the club's dominance.

The preparations for next season have already begun. Ferguson dispatched his brother, Martin, to Spain to scout the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea, who is a prime candidate to replace Edwin van der Sar when the Dutchman retires next month. The close season at Manchester United is expected to be a busy one with the future of players such as Owen Hargreaves, Wes Brown, Michael Owen, Tomasz Kuszczak and even Dimitar Berbatov uncertain. Ferguson told The Manager, the magazine of the League Managers Association, that he was not afraid to bring a player's career to an end.

"It is a horrible thing to say but you cannot be sentimental in this job," the 69-year-old said. "I love the players that I've had and I've been very, very fortunate to have had great players who have come through my career with me.

"All of the players I have had here have played a part in my success so when I see something happening – as in the cases of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville – I have had to release them to other opportunities.

"It was getting to the stage where I was terrified of talking to them and telling them they weren't playing. It wasn't fair to them because they had played a big part in the resurrection of Manchester United. When the time came for me to let them go, I knew I was cutting really important, loyal strings and I didn't enjoy it.

"My job is to manage United and to produce results and I am no different to any other manager. I will not be regarded in the same way if I am not successful. Everything to do with me is black and white. If it's on the football field and I see something that I feel is a retrograde step for the club, I have to act and make decisions.

"I can make quick decisions and I am lucky that way. In management, you have to be able to make decisions and sometimes you are not right, but that doesn't concern me too much because the important thing is being able to do it."

That Manchester United are perhaps three games away from recapturing a championship lost to a resurgent Chelsea 11 months ago is one of Ferguson's many great achievements. United's football may have lacked the magic of previous campaigns but they have forged a consistency that in a wildly unpredictable Premier League should prove decisive. Nevertheless, Manchester City's victory in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final was, said City defender Joleon Lescott, a shape of things to come. "I know United are top of the league and will probably go on to win the league but I think they are looking over their shoulders now and thinking about the way we are progressing," he said.

"In the next couple of years we are going to be getting to semi-finals and finals a lot more. We'll meet them more and more. Manchester City winning a trophy would be huge. I don't think there is a deadline or a need to win by a certain date. It would be great to win any silverware but the FA Cup is a bit different."

Berbatov, who on Sunday night was named in the Team of the Year voted for by the Professional Footballers' Association and is still the Premier League's leading goalscorer, is likely to begin tonight's game at Newcastle on the bench, just as he did when United and Chelsea locked horns for a place in the semi-finals of the European Cup.

Berbatov, given an opportunity on the grand stage, squandered two early chances in the Wembley semi-final against City, moments that in a bland post-match interview Ferguson singled out as decisive.

As Ferguson proved when getting rid of Dwight Yorke and Ruud van Nistelrooy, the manager has a keen sense of when a striker is past his peak. Berbatov's contract expires in 14 months' time and Manchester United have a unilateral option to extend it an extra year – another of the big decisions Ferguson will have to take in the summer.

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Manchester United football signed by all first team players in Coventry raffle

IT COST Manchester United nearly £90 million to secure the signatures of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov. But they could be yours for just £1. This Manchester United football has been signed by every member of the current first team squad. With the club standing on the brink of the treble it could soon become a genuine piece of footballing history.

And a group of committed Coventry fundraisers are offering you the chance to own it – or a one in 2,000 chance to be precise. Retired police sergeant Steve Mayor convinced the world-famous club to part with the ball so they could raffle it in aid of two great causes. He said: “Manchester United have been marvellous to give us the ball.”“We want to raise a fair sum, but give someone local a great opportunity to win the ball and a one in two thousand chance is just that.

The group is selling 2,000 tickets and will donate £1,000 to Parkinsons UK, with the other half going to the Neurofibromatosis Foundation. Steve was diagnosed with the nerve disorder Parkinsons five years ago and it has steadily grown worse. “It has progressed quicker than I expected,” he said. “Now I can’t smile and my left hand and leg shake. I need help with simple little tasks.”

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Manchester United v Chelsea: Carlo Ancelotti left on the brink after team fail yet again

He got his tactics right; he got his formation right; he coaxed a better performance from his squad. But he made one grave error. He went against his instincts and selected Fernando Torres ahead of Didier Drogba.

It didn’t work. Torres departed at half-time — a new low in his sorry time at Chelsea so far — looking every bit the Andrei Shevchenko of Jose Mourinho. He is the owner’s man, not the manager’s. The tension is there and Ancelotti has been caught in the worst position. He started Torres; he failed and he had to take him off.

It made a fool of Ancelotti, it made a fool of Torres, who remains a very good player, and it also made a fool of Roman Abramovich who sat in the directors’ box before departing just before the end.

Abramovich would now be an even greater fool if he sacked Ancelotti but that appears to be what is in danger of happening. It is very hard to see the manager surviving this. Sir Alex Ferguson talked of the “pressure” being placed on him coming from the media but that is not right. “It is stupid,” Ferguson said of the likelihood that Ancelotti will now go but that stupidity is not driven by the press. It is from within. Chelsea are owned by one man and that one man decides.

And he has a history of acting brutally. He will look at Torres and the £50million he has committed, to win this trophy this season, and he will look at his hundreds of millions of investment and then he will look at Ancelotti – when all that is weighed up it is the manager whose position is under the greatest threat. Such is Roman’s way.

Ancelotti’s instinct, despite his protestations last night, was to drop Torres and start with Drogba. He thought about it, he toyed with but, in the end, he did not do it. The fact that Chelsea were far more threatening once Torres was pulled off at half-time; the fact that Drogba carried the menace and drove in the equalising goal that gave that flicker of hope only compounded the crisis. It did not make Ancelotti look what he is which is a very, very good manager.

He is a coach from the highest tier; he is in the same peer group as Ferguson who paid his own tribute to a “shrewd” rival. He has achieved so much in his career and has executed everything that has been asked of him by Abramovich at Chelsea.

One well-placed club source indicated last night that there would be no sense in sacking him. Who can do a better job, was the gist of that argument and it is right. The problem does not lie with him. He deserves time. Not relentless scrutiny. Ancelotti has said he thrives on that pressure but it is irrational and counter-productive.

He deserved better than having to go into the Champions League quarter-final fearing that defeat would lead to his departure. And this from a manager who has won this competition four times, twice as a player, twice as a coach, and who won a Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea last season.

He won the European Cup on this ground back in 2003 with Andrei Shevchenko scoring the decisive penalty in the shoot-out; two years later he became the last coach to beat Manchester United at home in the knockout stages of the Champions League, with goals from Hernan Crespo, on loan from Chelsea, and then last season he beat United here.

Agents, advisers, figures of influence already scent blood and not least because Chelsea have previous. Ferguson had hit the point by stating that winning the European Cup has become Abramovich’s “obsession”. It has effectively become the Holy Grail. But here was compelling evidence — if any were needed — that Ancelotti deserves another chance. Chelsea played well but paid the price for missed opportunities. Not least by Torres who, twice, fluffed chances.

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Ghosts of Manchester United's European past keep Sir Alex Ferguson’s warrior spirit alive

Nobody mines the misery of the past more productively than Sir Alex Ferguson. Sifting through memories of wrecked campaigns, Manchester United’s driven manager finds even more fuel to stoke his burning “obsession” with the European Cup.

Much is made of how Ferguson uses censure of him and his players as a motivational tool. The longer the editorials, the shorter the required team-talks runs the legitimate thesis on Ferguson’s reaction to criticism. Painful episodes of history similarly stir Ferguson. Defeats stay with him.

Ferguson largely leaves the celebrating of his triumphs to others, famously once observing that the glow of victory swiftly evaporates, even by the time he’s left a jubilant dressing room. He has new trophies to chase and old scorelines to settle. If United protect or embellish their first-leg advantage over Chelsea tonight, Ferguson will immediately be plotting for the semi-finals, probably against Schalke.

This evening marks a century of European games for the Scot at Old Trafford and praise flows freely. United’s programme pays its own sepia-tinted salute, lauding “the best of the Boss’s Continental clashes” at the self-styled Theatre of Dreams. Reminiscences abound of the Ryan Giggs-inspired 3-2 win over Juventus in 1997, the 7-1 thrashing of Roma in 2007 and the edgy 1-0 defeat of Barcelona secured late on by Paul Scholes that allowed United to squeeze through to the 2008 final against John Terry and company.

Reminded on Monday of that nervy night against Catalonia’s finest, Ferguson could recall only on the distress it stirred. Typical. “I always remember that last 10 minutes was absolute agony,” he said. “You don’t deserve to be put through that.”

Even a win bequeaths a grievance, a source of motivation. It’s the memory of adversity that makes such men as Ferguson even stronger. It’s the easy games and flattering headlines that blunt a warrior’s edge.

Listening to Ferguson holding court in the Europa Suite at Old Trafford on Monday, his audience was left in no doubt that this was an individual who never forgets. He still had an issue with the year 1997. “When we lost the first Champions League semi-final to Borussia Dortmund it was devastating because we missed 15 one-v-ones that night,” he reminisced. “I always remember that.”

Always. He often mentions that night. He can’t escape it. Trailing 1-0 from the Westfalenstadion, Ferguson picked a very attacking team for the home leg, starting with Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andy Cole, yet could still not break through the German defence.

United’s task was rendered hopeless when Lars Ricken scored. A frustrated Ferguson stayed up late reviewing the game, almost punishing himself but also ensuring the hurt stayed, driving him on. In the morning, Ferguson was informed by a devastated Cantona that he wanted to retire. Ferguson, though, kept fighting. It’s in his DNA.

It’s because of the disappointments stored in his mind that need tackling. “Losing the semi-final against Dortmund, I thought we were never going to do it,” he reflected of his obsession with the Champions League. “So when we won in Barcelona in 1999 it was the greatest feeling of all time and it took the monkey off my back a bit.” A bit.

The restlessness remained. As he looked forward to tonight’s game, ghosts continued to invade his thoughts. The year 2002 needed addressing.

“There was that semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen ... I don’t know how we didn’t get to that final.” Battling oblivion on the away-goals rule in the BayArena, United finished with an attack of Solskjaer, Diego Forlan, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Giggs. With the clock running down, and the life ebbing from another excursion in Europe, Forlan unleashed a shot that seemed destined for the back of the Germans’ net. Then Diego Placente headed off the line. Soon after came the whistle.

United were out. These are the moments that underpin Ferguson’s obsession. Only two of his seasons in the Champions League have brought glory and Ferguson knows this is the stage on which he will be judged by history.

His is a glorious obsession, frequently scarred. Other near-misses must filter through his mind, the David Trezeguet away goal for Monaco ending United’s European dream at the quarter-final stage in 1998.

Last year’s exit to Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena still exercises Ferguson. “It looked as if it was going to be an absolute slaughter job,” he said, “we were 3-0 up and it could have been four or five.

“They got a goal just before half-time and then we had Rafa [Rafael] sent off, a really harsh decision, I felt, and the game swung their way. We looked as if we were going to hang on until Arjen Robben hit that absolutely fantastic goal.”

Ferguson recounted the details with a clarity as if the match had only just concluded. The final whistle goes but the memory remains.

So it was little surprise when Ferguson slightly bridled at the suggestion that Chelsea had an “obsession” with the competition. “You can understand the obsession but it doesn’t make Chelsea any more desperate [to win tonight] than Manchester United, believe me,” he emphasised. “We will be desperate to win. It’s all or nothing for us as well by the way. Make no mistake. You are all running away with sympathy for Chelsea at the moment. We need to win, believe me!”

He needs to win to fight the memory of the bad times. Typically, when talk turned to the Premier League this season, it was the poor away displays at “Sunderland and Anfield” that drew a mention.

Even last season’s disappointments chipped away at him. “Look at the Blackburn game last season when we had lost Wayne Rooney a couple of weeks before. We knew if we could win that game we could win the League. But we didn’t do it. We had one chance.” One chance. He forgets neither the stats nor the pain. No wonder, Ferguson’s so fired up for the business end of the season. The past demands it.

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United favourites but Chelsea not dead yet

Fortress Old Trafford, Chelsea's flat form and a welter of statistics point to Manchester United advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday -- yet one goal changes the whole tie. United hold the whip hand following Wayne Rooney's goal in their 1-0 quarter-final first-leg win at Stamford Bridge and in most circumstances in the Champions League and for United, that would be that.

Alex Ferguson's team have lost one of their last 30 matches in the competition at Old Trafford and none in the last six years. They have progressed in all 16 European ties where they won the first leg away from home. This season they have conceded only two goals in nine Champions League games while in the Premier League they have won 15 and drawn one of their home games.

Since the Champions league began only two sides have recovered from a first-leg home defeat to win a knockout tie -- Ajax Amsterdam against Panathinaikos in 1996 and Inter Milan, who recovered from a 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich with a 3-2 win in Germany last month. Yet the particular nature of this all-English tie means that such statistics are undermined in a game between two teams who know each other so well.

Although Chelsea have won only one of five away games in all-English Champions League ties, they won at Old Trafford in the Premier League a year ago and know that they need only one goal on Tuesday to swing the advantage their way. Only two of the teams' last 12 competitive games have been decided by more than one goal so both sides know the Londoners are still very much in the tie.

"Of course Chelsea can do to us at Old Trafford what we've done there," said Ferguson. "We've only got a one-goal lead and we have to be very careful and give a top performance. "It will be a tough game. The tie is not done."

Ferguson had the luxury of making eight changes from the first leg for Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham and those on duty came through unscathed -- and barely out of breath -- after a straightforward 2-0 win.

Antonio Valencia was on the scoresheet as he continues his rapid rehabilitation from a broken ankle to offer the manager plenty of attacking options after he decided to start with Nani on the bench at Stamford Bridge.

United looked sharper all over the pitch in that game but Chelsea could still easily have come away with a draw.

The Londoners looked off the pace again on Saturday as they stumbled past bottom club Wigan Athletic 1-0 -- a team they hammered 8-0 last May to clinch the title -- but have enough talent in the squad to score against anyone, anywhere. "Obviously we know it will be difficult to win there but we have the confidence to do it, we did it last year," said manager Carlo Ancelotti.

"We are at a disadvantage now but we played well (in the first leg), we should have had a penalty, we hit the post."Ancelotti's biggest headache is how to best use his trio of front men -- Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Fernando Torres, who took his goal drought to 10 matches after coming off the bench against Wigan.

The Italian started with Drogba and Torres in the first leg in a 4-4-2 formation that seemed to squeeze the space from his midfield and could well turn to Anelka this time and revert to 4-3-3. Florent Malouda, the scorer against Wigan, could also start while centre back Alex and midfielder Yossi Benayoun offer further options after returning from injury.

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Manchester United's Michael Owen: We can overturn our poor record and beat Chelsea

Manchester United striker Michael Owen believes his side can beat Chelsea in the upcoming Champions League quarter-final, despite not having the best of records against the Blues. United have not been able to defeat their Premier League rivals in the last 10 attempts but Owen believes they have been unlucky in their last two clashes at Stamford Bridge. “Since I’ve been at the club the games at Stamford Bridge have been odd,” he told the club’s official website.

“We don’t get outplayed there, that’s for sure. Unfortunately we haven’t had many good results, though. I’m sure our luck will change at some point. “I can’t quite believe we lost the last two league games at Stamford Bridge – we played well on both occasions.

“In the league last month we were 1-0 up and put on one of the finest displays of football Stamford Bridge has probably seen from a visiting team. I don’t think many teams go to Chelsea and play like that. “Maybe we were a little guilty of contributing to our own downfall but we won’t let that happen again.”

Both sides know each other well from their Premier League battles but this will be the first Champions League clash since United won the trophy against the Blues in Moscow in 2008. And Owen insists that they won’t change the preparation just because they are playing an old adversary in the tie.

“We prepare for every game in the exact same way – we don’t take any game more seriously or less seriously than any other,” he continued. “The way we train, the way we travel, the way we recover, it’s all the same. I don’t think it will feel much different.

The former Real Madrid striker is back in contention after two months out with a groin injury and he believes that having the second leg of the quarter-final at Old Trafford is a huge boost for the Reds. “We hope playing the second leg at Old Trafford will prove decisive,” he added.

“We also know that whoever progresses to the semi-final will get the same advantage there, so that’s an added incentive. “From that point of view, the draw’s been kind to us. But Chelsea won’t be easy. It’s going to be difficult to get past Chelsea over two legs.”

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Injuries could damage Manchester United's chances of winning the treble - Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes winning the treble this season will be much harder than 1999 because of all the injuries his squad are attempting to cope with. United have seven players out injured, as well as Paul Scholes and Jonny Evans suspended, going into today’s Premier League clash with West Ham at Upton Park.

Fergie reckons this handicap could ultimately prevent a repeat of their 1999 Treble, when they won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in stunning fashion. “It’s bad luck, with all the injuries we’ve got,” said Fergie. “It’s more difficult now than it was in 1999 because we didn’t have an injury back then.

"We went through the last three months of the season without one injury. It was amazing. “That kind of luck has deserted us at the moment because we have so many injuries, particularly to defenders, which makes it more difficult.

“But there’s a great desire to do it [the Treble]. Anyone given the opportunity to achieve that type of target will always try to take it. “You see the character of our players and I’m happy with that. We never give in. We have a chance but it’s more difficult than ever. “The next couple of weeks are crucial because if we can get players back then that enhances our chances.

“The kind of games we’re playing today are far more competitive than they were in 1999. The speed of the game has increased, there’s more sports science involved and the standard of training and pitches has improved.

“The main difference from 1999 is our pitch. It was shocking at times back then, particularly around January and February. But now it’s fantastic. “The games are fast because you can pass the ball with accuracy, you can have more penetration, the game is quicker and you run the risk of injury because of that.”

Ferguson has talked of the importance of the game at West Ham, and although winning the treble would be a great feat with all the injuries at hand, he also insists United have not won anything this season thus far.

“But there’s no achievement yet, I’m sorry to say," he admitted. "I wish I could say there has been, but we’re still involved in three competitions and that’s as much as I can say about it. “It would be a great achievement to get through this spell with the injury situation we’ve had. We’ve got the ability, attitude and character to do that, so we’ll just carry on.”

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