Abou Diaby is almost certain to join our lengthy list of walking wounded for the Champions League game against Braga on Wednesday night…but the good news is that Thomas Vermaelen could be in the frame following his Achilles strain.
AW is awaiting updates on Diaby and the injury. The midfielder was unable to train on Monday because of the ankle injury he picked in a horror tackle from brain-dead dunce Paul Robinson in our 4-1 win against Bolton.
Meanwhile, this morning’s papers contain some very humorous content provided by that comedic double act Levy and Redknapp. In a breath-taking cover-your-arse campaign, the two jokers gush forth to help manage the expectations of their poor misguided supporters.
Yes, after almost half a century, the team that dare not speak its name are back in Europe’s big cup and face Werder Bremen in Germany tonight. Redknapp shows his risible ambition when quizzed about the CL when he said: “The key for me was getting this far. My dread was going out in the qualifier. They (fans) must have bad memories about where we have been for the last 50 years. I must be missing a trick somewhere.
“It’s different if you are Manchester United. They would have expectations. They have been there and won championships. But we haven’t been there at all. I think the people realise where we have come from two years ago to where we are now. They have got to be patient. But there is nothing to say we can’t do well in this competition.
“I don’t go through my life thinking I’ve got to prove anything to anybody,” Redknapp said. “I proved what I could do by getting them into fourth place from where we were. My record has not been too shabby. I never think I’ve got anything to prove. It’s the players who have got prove it. I can only put them out there and pick the team. You haven’t got to be a rocket scientist to pick the team. It’s whether they can go out there and cope under pressure. We’ve got enough international players – we’re full of internationals.”
Levy’s laughable spin included these quotes (these are NOT made up): “We have a huge following around the globe, everyone, in a way, expects us to be in the top four or certainly contending to be in the top four. We have a great player base and a fan base that is the size of a top-four club. Yet we haven’t been here for such a long time, let’s hope we stay there.”
‘Everyone exoects us to be there.’ Did he really say that!
“I think we all want to stay there (top four) but we all have to be realistic. There are only four places in England and there are seven or eight clubs competing. There are probably two clubs you could say are guaranteed to be in that top four. You then have two places for six clubs. The odds are stacked against you. But what we won’t do is jeopardise the club to challenge to be one of those two. You can’t run the club on the basis of being in the Champions League. I like to think it’s important to run the club in the right way. It’s not just about today; it’s about the future generation of fans. You have to protect the club.”
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