Derby United

[Huntley & Palmer]

They don't have away goals either do they, which seems a bit stupid in a cup competition semi over two legs

[Wax Jacket]

This is where the LC shoots itself in the foot for me.

In any other round that would be a cracking result for Derby but as it's the semi final everyone knows the likelihood is that Man U will stick out a stronger team in the home leg, knock in a couple of goals and coast to the final.

Should either be one game all the way through, if you are drawn at home in the semis then power to your elbow. Or two legs all the way through.

True. On the other hand it guarantees a big payday for any smaller clubs that make it to the semis (cue Spurs jokes).

you got a semi watching spurs?

[Stranded]

They don't have away goals either do they, which seems a bit stupid in a cup competition semi over two legs

I think they do but only after extra time.

[chilipepper91]

They don't have away goals either do they, which seems a bit stupid in a cup competition semi over two legs

I think they do but only after extra time.

Surely that's even more stupid. Away goals should only apply up till full time, because after that, advantages can be perceived through the extra 30 minutes of support.

[Victor Meldrew]

This wasn't the case of a lower division side snatching a goal and hanging on and Fergie (for once) was gracious enough to tell it how it was.
The scoreline could easily have been 3-0 or 4-0 and the introduction of Ronaldo and Rooney made no difference.
The pleasure was seeing Derby and Burnley in the first half outfootballing higher level opposition.
BTW apart from young foreigners it does look as though Man Utd just don't have English youngsters good enough to come through to first team level and in fact haven't had many for the past dozen or so years.
Unfortunately the same can be said of a lot of clubs.

[papereyes]

Jonathon Wilson > you

It's probably fair to say that a League Cup semi-final has never generated so much interest in Serbia. But with the expectation that Zoran Tosic will feature for Manchester United against Derby at Old Trafford tonight, there will be more than a few following the game, desperate for further confirmation that an exciting generation really is as good as they hope it is.

Nemanja Vidic and Dejan Stankovic are already bona fide talents, while the likes of Zdravko Kuzmanovic at Fiorentina and Branko Ivanovic at Chelsea are beginning to establish themselves, but it is those who are emerging who offer such a tantalising prospect.

In three or four years, if Tosic, Adem Ljajic, Ivan Obradovic, Neven Subotic, Filip Djordjevic and Danijel Aleksic develop as hoped, Serbia really could be a serious force.

On a more personal level, for Tosic this represents the fulfilment of a promise he made to himself 10 years ago. "I have been a United fan since I was five years old," he said. "I still have in front of my eyes the Champions League final in 1999 when Manchester United made that brilliant comeback against Bayern Munich. I liked the Red Devils before that, but that was a crucial moment. I said to myself them: 'You will play in Manchester!'"

That may have been his ambition, but it did not come to fruition through any direct efforts on his part. On the contrary, as he revealed in an interview in Sportski Zurnal, when the news broke it came as a shock. "It was on November 20," he said. "I was resting at home when my girlfriend Dijana called and told me to turn on the TV. I saw the news that Manchester wanted me and the first thing I thought was that they couldn't broadcast such things if they weren't true."

Generally, though, the sense is that there is rather more anticipation ahead of Tosic's first game than there was when Ivanovic made his Chelsea debut against Portsmouth at the start of the season – even if there have been suggestions that Tosic was signed as a stalking horse to make sure United got their hands on Ljajic. A passing comment from Sir Alex Ferguson that Tosic was less of a Cristiano Ronaldo-style dribbler than "a box-to-box player like [David] Beckham" prompted a raft of headlines in the Serbian papers likening Tosic to the England midfielder.

The extra level of attention is probably partly attributable to the simple fact that attacking players generate more interest than defenders (and Serbia have a recent history of solidity: the Fantastic

Four defence of Goran Gavrancic, Mladen Krstajic, Vidic and Ivica Dragutinovic conceded only one goal in 10 qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup - it is the addition of creativity that would represent progress), but there is also fascination because Tosic has had no intermediate step.

Vidic joined United via Spartak Moscow; Ivanovic went to Chelsea via Lokomotiv; Kuzmanovic, having been born in Bern, began his career with Young Boys in the Swiss league and has never played in Serbia. Tosic has moved directly; if he succeeds, it would give a level of validity to the troubled domestic championship.

The last player to make such a leap successfully from Serbia was Stankovic, who joined Lazio from Red Star as a 19-year-old in 1998. "I played well in my first season at Lazio because I was euphoric," he said, "but I struggled for the next two seasons. It's very different to Serbia because you have to sort yourself out. Nobody asks you how you are or pushes you to train harder."

Tosic, presumably, will find Ferguson does not stint on the latter point. Much has been made of the slight physique that keeps his Bambi nickname in circulation (although it actually originated from the design of the biscuits his mother used to give him to take to training) and that is a concern, although one that Tosic dismisses. "I'm sure nobody from Manchester thinks I'm a player who is good in physical battles, tackling or jumping," he said. "They saw my other characteristics. The others can be superimposed to make me a real player, but the qualities I already have aren't easy to superimpose on others."

The other factor is how easy he finds it to settle. He is somebody of very simple tastes, his main leisure activities consist of walking the dog and going to the cinema, while most Sunday afternoons until now have been spent beneath the vines at his parents' house in Zrenjanin, grilling meat on the barbecue. That could mean he is simply very grounded, or it could make him a candidate for homesickness.

The presence of his international team-mate Vidic to "play Bambi's father", as the newspapers put it, will surely help – he already has Balkan folk sessions with Dimitar Berbatov – and, perhaps more significantly, Tosic comes across as somebody very aware of his own place in the world.

"Everybody's wondering if I can replace [Ryan] Giggs, if I can play with Ronaldo, if I can adapt to the tempo," he said. "I'm not bothered by that, really. I've never been afraid in my life, and I'm not afraid now because of this. My friends and my family have been euphoric. They've been telling me that I'm better than Ronaldo, but I'm not burdening myself with any of that. When I run onto the pitch in England, then we'll see where I belong and how close I am to the best players."

That first opportunity should come tonight.

[Dirk Gently]

............. I said to myself them: 'You will play in Manchester!'" ...........

Dangerous thing to say - he needs to be more specific.

[soggy biscuit]

for once I feel Montenegro have the upper hand over their Serbian neighbours.

Stevan Jovetić > young up and coming Serbs

[Harry Carry]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

[TheMaraudingDog]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

What about the World Club Championship m8?

[soggy biscuit]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

What about the World Club Championship m8?

Didn't United win the Charity Shield? Not taken seriously by most but didn't Mourinho class it as one of his major trophies when he signalled to the crowd with his digits?

[Shaka's Giant Hands]

What are the odds for Utd win tonight? I no that they will be sh*te but 'lump on' would be like printing some money. (cant get on any sites at work)

[Bill Oddie's Beard]

What are the odds for Utd win tonight? I no that they will be sh*te but 'lump on' would be like printing some money. (cant get on any sites at work)

Utd 1/6
Derby 18/1
Draw 13/2

[Shaka's Giant Hands]

What are the odds for Utd win tonight? I no that they will be sh*te but 'lump on' would be like printing some money. (cant get on any sites at work)

Utd 1/6
Derby 18/1
Draw 13/2

1/6

Guess that's about right but prob not risk my acca winnings to print 15 quid.

[Harry Carry]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

What about the World Club Championship m8?

That follows on from the back end of last season m8.

[TheMaraudingDog]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

What about the World Club Championship m8?

That follows on from the back end of last season m8.

So by your reckoning if you finish top 4 and then win the CL it follows on from the same season as the top 4 finish?

LOL @ Kes

[Alan Partridge]

Could be Uniteds only trophy this season.

Put a fair wedge on that it won't be!!

[Archie's penalty]

Come on Derby!

Great goal by Nani...

[TheMaraudingDog]

How much did Nani cost?

If it's more than £250,000, they were done.

Oh dear, I'd have thought you'd have learnt to keep your gob shut after the crap you posted about the one trick pony 4-5 years ago. Give the lad some time m8. He shows some touches of real class (only a couple last night mind) but his end product and decision making is poor....sound familiar?

Are you watching or are you still trying to rub the Kaka printing from the back of your City shirt?

[Archie's penalty]

One more goal and I switch off.