SOCCER/Manchester Utd v Fulham:THE FULHAM manager, Roy Hodgson, last night added to the acclaim for Alex Ferguson before his team's trip to Manchester United in the Premier League this evening. Hodgson declared the Scot the greatest manager of the modern era.
“I don’t think there’s any question he is,” Hodgson said. “Football is about success and, when you look at what he’s achieved, there’s no one who can match it. Giovanni Trapattoni would have been relatively close at one stage but Alex’s record is never likely to be beaten. It will take someone 20 or 30 years even to get close.
“Manchester United was a big, big club when he arrived in 1986 but now it’s a worldwide institution. He’s founded an empire. On top of all the trophies he’s created many different teams and worked with many different players and systems. He’s a person who’s been constantly able to evolve with the times and stay abreast of football. I hope he continues as long as he’s physically capable of doing so.”
Hodgson also praised the United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, previously Fulham’s goalkeeper, who has not conceded in the league since Arsenal’s Samir Nasri struck two past him on November 8th.
United expect to have Wayne Rooney on the bench after seven games out with a hamstring injury. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Carlos Tevez, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov are among the big names who return following the FA Cup win at Derby, while van der Sar looks to complete an incredible 14th consecutive Premier League clean sheet.
Having now claimed English and British league records for the amount of time without conceding a goal, the Dutchman is now moving on to the European list.
It has been widely assumed Atletico Madrid’s Abel Resino holds that mark with 1,275 minutes, 63 ahead of van der Sar.
However, the record actually belongs to former Club Bruges stalwart Dany Verlinden, who reached 1,390 minutes in a 16-match run that spanned two seasons in 1990, meaning van der Sar needs to keep out the Cottagers and Blackburn on Saturday to overhaul him.
Ferguson, meanwhile, believes Ryan Giggs is in the form of his life. The evergreen Manchester United winger turned in another superb performance as they advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, but is likely to be on the bench tonight.
“Yes, I think he is,” Ferguson said last night when asked if Giggs was playing the best football of his career.
“He is playing better than he did two or three years ago because he has added composure, control and authority to his game.
“What you are seeing is someone who has played for a long time and collected all these experiences together. Even at 35, Ryan is at his absolute peak as a footballer.
“Some players reach their peak at 28 or 29 and then fade a little bit, which is why they retire at 33 or 34. But Ryan has been at his peak for a long, long period.”
Fulham, who have not won away in the league this season, could be without their top scorer, Andy Johnson, who has a strained muscle.
Paul Konchesky is a doubt and the midfielder Dickson Etuhu is definitely out.
Tonight’s match is the first of three in seven days for Fulham and Hodgson fears his squad could be afflicted by more injuries. He suggested it was reckless of the FA to have arranged their FA Cup fifth-round replay against Swansea for next Tuesday, two days after they play West Bromwich in the league.
“I can’t say I’m enamoured with the fact we’ve been asked to play the game against Swansea on Tuesday after a game on Sunday,” Hodgson said. “I think that is a serious advantage for an opponent. We are told by sports scientists that two days after a game is more a dangerous time in terms of fatigue than the day after a game.”
