Location – Old Trafford   Kick Off – 15.00pm   Date – Sunday 1st October 2006
Tickets - On General Sale   Coverage – BBC Radio Newcastle 95.4FM & BBC 5Live 909 & 693AM Referee – Mike Dean (Plastic Scouser)

As 50,000 fools are setting themselves to run halfway across our good city on Sunday we make that bearable jaunt down the A1 to the stadium they call the “Theatre of Dreams” (more like nightmares) and welcoming us with open arms in Mr Ferguson and his band of merry men. This fixture has always brought that twinkle to my eye just wishing that we can pull off a win for the first time in 33 years, Christ I was just a twinge in my old fellas pants the last time we had something to celebrate at Old Trafford. Many so called pundits have said this is the best time to play the Trafford Red Socks due to them fielding a less than on form Rooney, Giggs sitting out the proceedings, Silvestre lame and the guy running the front line for them at the moment is actually a Geordie reject (Ed: Ahem!). Does the future look bright for the Toon well only time can tell. There are a lot of stats around at the moment giving us more chance of winning than my Granny has of beating Paul Ratcliffe across the line at South Shields on Sunday lunch time but I am forever the optimist. We now have another Toon captain playing for England so we need another captain’s performance on Sunday if for the first time in my lifetime I will be able to pull on my Black & White shirt and hold my head aloft in the local surrounded by despondent Red Nosed bastards… Howay the Toon

Last Season

Away (L) 2 - 0 (Rooney)

Home (L) 0 - 2 (Rooney, Van Ladyhorse))

Likely Squads:

Man U - Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, Heinze, Evra, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Richardson, Rooney, Saha, Solskjaer, Jones, Smith.

Man to Watch – Ronaldo – he maybe a one trick pony but we need to watch his every move.

Fitness News – Giggs, Park Ji Sung & Silvestre out

NUFC - Harper, Srnicek, Krul, Carr, Bernard, Bramble, Moore, Taylor, Ramage, Huntington, Parker, Butt, Duff, Emre, N'Zogbia, Milner, Pattison, Ameobi, Martins, Sibierski, Luque.

Man to Watch – Martins – More of the same please.

Fitness News – Given (Stomach) Bramble (Prat) Babayaro (Prat) Solano (Hamstring) Alan O'Brien (Groin) Owen (Leg) Dyer (soon, I promise) Rossi (Ineligible) are all out.

"3 Reason to be Happy”" – Pav the Geordie is back, Scotty Parker has made Mike Baldwins England squad and Bramble cant play… need I say more.

If you have a ticket for Sunday then “God Speed” and until next time Keep On, Keepin’ On…

ES