Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United - Allardyce has defensive choice
Posted Sunday, April 11, 2010 by PA
Sam Allardyce will have to decide whether to stick with 18-year-old centre-back Phil Jones or recall Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen against Manchester United on Sunday.
Jones has been superb in the last four games but Nelsen is back in the squad on Sunday after returning from a knee injury.
Keith Andrews and Vince Grella, out previously with calf and knee injuries respectively, are also included in a full squad for Allardyce to choose from.
Allardyce is a relieved man that Wayne Rooney will not be fit, but has warned his team to beware of that other prolific goalscorer for United with the initials 'OG'.
United have benefited from 13 own goals this season, 12 of them in the Premier League to match second top scorer Dimitar Berbatov's tally.
Allardyce may be a good friend of Sir Alex Ferguson's but he admitted he felt a twinge of relief at Old Trafford on Wednesday night when he watched Rooney - top scorer in the Premier League with 26 goals so far - limp off after 55 minutes.
Allardyce said: "Of course I did, he's scored so many goals for them this year he would be a massive danger to us if he was fit and able to play.
"Wayne has scored the vast majority of their goals and the second leading goalscorer is called 'OG'.
"They have had 13 own goals in their favour this year. That shows the pressure they put on other teams but it also shows there's a big gap and a big loss with Wayne not playing and hopefully that can only be a help for us to get a result."
Allardyce was the grateful recipient of some largesse from Ferguson on Thursday at Aintree as the United manager's horse 'What A Friend' romped home with the pair doing jigs of delight in the stands, but he will have no compunction about upsetting him on Sunday.
"I'm as fiercely competitive as he is and we want to write the headlines on Monday morning,"added Allardyce, who paid tribute to Ferguson for always being willing to share his wisdom.
"Sir Alex is one of the people in football I'm close to along with Phil Brown, David Moyes and Steve Bruce.
"When we meet up we like to have a drink together and chew the fat and discuss football matters.
"I consider him to be the greatest manager of a team the world has seen over the last two decades, so you would always accept advice from someone like that.
"It's a nice thing to know you have got in your locker the ability, if for whatever reason you're struggling with something, to pick the phone up and discuss it with someone who has the guile, the know-how and the experience he's got."
Ferguson is promising changes at Ewood Park.
Rooney (ankle) is definitely out, so Berbatov is expected to be recalled.
However, after playing almost an entire half with 10 men, Ferguson needs to freshen up his squad, with Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes all set to start.
Ferguson has admitted he would much prefer to be in Chelsea's position rather than waiting for the mistake that will give Manchester United a chance of clinching an unprecedented fourth successive title.
Victory would take the Red Devils back to the top of the table with four games to go.
The dispiriting addition is that Chelsea, who have the weekend off to concentrate on their FA Cup commitments, will have a game in hand, and United know if Carlo Ancelotti's men keep on winning, they cannot be caught.
It is not an ideal position, with Ferguson rejecting the theory it is better to be the hunter than the hunted.
All he can do is cross his fingers and hope.
"We have chased leads many times, but sometimes we have had leads ourselves and that is what I prefer," said Ferguson.
"The only advantage we have got is that it will be too late in the season to recover if Chelsea make a mistake.
"They have difficult games but so have we. Arsenal, as everyone has been saying for weeks, have got the easier run-in.
"I would prefer to be in Chelsea's position. But mistakes do happen. They have been happening all season."
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