Open Heart!

United manager Roy Walker must be astounded at developments over the last few days. First we had the Hanly and Gibson bombshells plus the on-going Michael Smith saga, but now suddenly we find ourselves with four new players on the books and there's still a couple of days to go in the transfer window. Roy said he might look for a couple of players in the transfer window, he was just looking to perform a wee operation, but it has turned into 'open heart surgery' instead. Rumour has it that Paul McAreavey is still short of fitness and won't make his debut tomorrow, while the terms of new striker Aaron Boyd's loan deal from parent club Linfield, means he can take no part tomorrow either. Neil McCafferty though should be available but we expect him to start on the bench.

Walker could do worse than pair Captain Gazza, with George Young in central midfield and continue with the ploy of Murray on the right and Colligan on the left. With Cutch and Andy upfront it'll be interesting to see if Roy selects Michael Smith at rightback or takes Omar's advice and gives the want-away a rest. Sparky of course is the natural replacement, but for all we know Walker may want to convert Ru McClean into another Joe Gray. A couple of things though will need to be worked on before tomorrow's game, who takes the free kicks, the corners and in Gibson's absence any penalties awarded. Not that we expect to get any penalties tomorrow as they're mighty hard, if not impossible, to get when you visit Windsor Park, hopefully though we won't need them.

The sad news that keeper Dwayne Nelson will miss the rest of the season may work in favour of back-up custodian Ryan Brown. Ryan was given the job at the start of the season but lost it after a couple of games and then injured his hand and allowed Dwayne to establish himself. When he did come back he dropped a real 'clanger' against tomorrow's opponents and then another against the Crues back on November 27 and that means he has being playing catch-up ever since. But now the 'football gods' have given him a chance to redeem himself and hopefully he'll grab it with both hands (and the ball as well), when the opportunity arises, anyway we wish him well. Tomorrow's game is going to be tough, we are playing the league champions in their backyard. 95% of all decisions will go against us and we'll have to keep our discipline, but we can do it. So come on Sky Blues, let's show Hanly, Gibson and Smith that though they may be 'rats', we're no sinking ship. In short lads, let's shag those Townie boys!

This Time!

United will attempt to get to the next round of Irish cup when they visit the Oval tomorrow night. When the draw was made for this round we knew it was going to be tough. We also knew our best hope was to win the game at the Showgrounds, even though our Oval record is quite good. Unfortunately we didn't manage to do the business when we had the chance, so tomorrow night we'll have to do it the 'hard' way. Due to suspensions we'll have to manage without transfer listed Nathan Hanly, bad enough, but even worse we'll have to manage without our inspirational Captain, Gazza. The loss of Gazza, who is the 'heartbeat' of our team, will be a huge loss to bear, but somehow we must bear it.

Hanly, may in fact have already played his last game in a Sky Blue jersey, as both Linfield and tomorrow night's opponents Glentoran have asked to speak to the young midfielder. Manager Roy Walker may need to find a permanent replacement for Hanly, while a stop-gap will do for Gazza. Rory Carson is rumoured to be almost a month away from a return to first team action, so Walker will have to dip into his reserves tomorrow night. Lee Colligan, out of favour lately might well get the nod, but he's not noted for his attacking flair, while the obvious choice, Ryan Berry, tends to 'flit in and out' of games, which will not do tomorrow night.

We have a good back four in Sparky if fit, Albert, Denver and Archie. A good front four of Eamon, Cutch, Gibbo and Andy, we just need to find the two in between. You may have noticed that we haven't mentioned Mikey as yet and yes that is deliberate as we don't have a clue if he's going to be giving his all for the Sky Blues or looking to where the grass seems greener. We at 'Sport are of the opinion that Belfast's big two are just trying to undermine us ahead of out two crucial fixtures, the replay with the Glens tomorrow night and the league game away to Linfield on Saturday. If they can bring a bit of unrest to our camp, then we may take our eyes off the big prize.

So for that reason we must be extra vigilant, whatever selection we go with, we'll need everybody fighting for the cause. We have played everybody at least twice this season, except for our dear friends at Coleraine (scum), so therefore, although we respect them all, we believe that on our day, we can beat anybody. Tomorrow night needs to be one of those days or nights to be exact and there's no reason why it can't be be the 1st leg of a big two double. Knock the Glens out of the cup tomorrow night and knock the stuffing out of Linfield on Saturday. Tomorrow night is the time to stand up and be counted, so come on Sky Blues, let's shag those old hens!

Ruari Returns!

With all the talk of players wanting to leave, or at least wanting to talk to other clubs, it's refreshing to see a former player wanting to come back. The former player is Ruari McClean (hereafter referred to as Ru),who spent some time at the Showgrounds during Kenny Shiels tenure as manager. Ru has developed into a tough tackling midfielder and it's a position United are needing to fill as Nathan Hanly seems destined for either Linfield or Glentoran. Mikey, to the best of our knowledge hasn't committed himself to the Sky Blue cause yet and it'll be interesting to see if the United manager selects either player for tomorrows game. Hanly is due to miss next Tuesday's Irish cup replay at the Oval due to suspension anyway and Walker may want to try something different with that game in mind.

Captain Gazza is doubtful for tomorrow with suspected flu, but they make them tough down in Larne and we'll be surprised if he's not available for the game. He of course will miss the Glentoran game through suspension also and Walker may want to experiment with a new midfield combination tomorrow. With Sparky doubtful due to injury he may have no recourse but to select both Mikey and Hanly, as his options are somewhat limited. Lee Colligan could be drafted into a wide left position, releasing Eamon Murray into a central role where he has played before, but we expect Ryan Berry and Ru to get the central roles even though Ru is cup-tied and can't be selected for Tuesday night's replay. United cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal tomorrow, even though the Irish cup is our best hope of a trophy, a high league finish is not out of our reach and we need to try and get a result.

If Mikey decides to take the 'gravy train' to Belfast, United will be in the market for a fullback and no doubt Walker is scanning the country looking for such a player. Only trouble is there aren't many Mark Carlisle's about at the moment and unearthing somebody of that calibre will be no mean feat. Still there must be someone somewhere who's not getting a fair 'crack of the whip' or feels he isn't and it'll be up to the wily Walker to persuade him to sign for United. Once here maybe we can mould him into a decent team member, for that's what we really want, someone who wants to play for the shirt, if they give us their best, they'll get no complaints from us. Whoever's selected for tomorrow needs to be a team player, committed 100% to the cause, even if he is talking to other clubs. So come on Sky Blues, let's shag those tiger cubs!

Double Hatchet!

United face the Crusader's 'Hatchet-men' in the first game of a double header, in the much delayed C.I.S. cup game and the winners will be rewarded with a 'lucrative' semi-final game away to Distillery (okay we're just poking fun here). The Crues will return to the Showgrounds for a league game on Saturday, as the saying goes, it never rains but it pours. The hatchet men are really living up to their name at the moment as they seem to have a player sent off every other game and it'll probably be a no quarter asked or given game tomorrow night and similar on Saturday. United were dealt a body blow with the news that midfield dynamo, Gavin 'Westy' Taggart will be missing for two months with his broken nose. With this in mind United manager Roy Walker has signed former United player Ruari McClean and his battling qualities will maybe cushion the loss of Westy somewhat.

Unfortunately Ruari isn't eligible for tomorrow night or for the Irish cup replay at the Oval next Tuesday, but will help to bolster our numbers as injuries and suspensions start to mount over the coming weeks. Albert Watson is set to make his 300th appearance for United tomorrow night, a ten year veteran and only 26, he is the backbone of our team. Barring injuries it's entirely possible that United will start with the same 11 players who started on Saturday, but manager Walker may want to 'tinker' with his selection a little. It would be fair to say that one or two of our players were below par last week and we can ill afford a repeat tomorrow night. The game will be played to a finish and if it goes to penalties, we just hope we're better prepared than we were in last season's Irish cup semi-final, the body language of our players said it all.

It was nice to see 'big' Denver break his scoring duck on Saturday and now that the pressure's off perhaps we'll get a few more from the Clough crusader at set-pieces. According to press reports, Denver, Gibbo, Sparky,Taggart and Nathan have all shook hands on an extension to their contract and Mikey is expected to follow suit in the next few days. The Cutch, who had already agreed an extension, is still on course to equal Kevin 'King' Kelbie's goal ratio of last season. Cutch has 11 goals from 26 appearances, while Kevin notched 14 from 30 appearances, it would be nice to see him reach the milestone sooner rather than later. Eamon Murray, suffering with breathing problems last week will hopefully be back to his torturing best and his resourceful wing play should bring the Sky Blues closer to a possible trophy so craved by the long suffering United fans. The game is there to be won, we have the players to win it, so let's go out and do it, let's shag those paper tigers!

Blue Riband!

It's that time of the season once more, the time when you put aside most of your worries, it's the magic of the 'cup'. With a minimum of five games facing them United couldn't have drawn a much tougher opening round, at home to Glentoran. Quite a lot of the other Premier league teams are no doubt delighted that at least one top six team is going out at this stage and it'll be a financial disaster for them as well. The Glens have just come back from the 'brink' of oblivion, as the 'Winding up' order taken against them by the Inland revenue was dismissed on Thursday past, thanks to a mystery benefactor who allegedly ploughed £450,000 pounds into their coffers. It's perfectly plausible to think this might give them the edge in tomorrow's encounter, but it is a cup match and anything can happen.

The make-up of United's team is a closely guarded secret, but barring any injuries we expect our strongest possible line-out to be on view. Gavin Taggart,if fit will be vying for a start in centre midfield with Nathan Hanly and if Ryan Berry has recovered from his illness, he may grab the wide right berth against his former team. Another player hoping to start against his former team will be Andy Smith, but it's not known if he'll be partnering top scorer Cutch (who signed an extension to his contract this week), or Gibbo. Cutch limped out of United's last game at home to Portadown with a hamstring injury, but if he's fit he'll definitely get the nod. With Eamon Murray, 7 goals and Gazza automatic selections, the only really tough decisions Roy Walker will have to make will be concerning his defensive formation.

Does he give a vote of confidence to the four guys who performed so well in a hard physical encounter against Portadown or will he tinker with it a little bit, maybe bringing in Colligan, who's long throws could heap pressure on the ageing Glens defence. Our gut feeling is that barring injuries he'll stick with his M.A.D.A. Mikey, Albert, Denver and Archie, ably backed up by keeper Dwayne Nelson. With the infamous 'ham shank' referee Mark Courtenay in charge there could be a few 'thrills and spills', but hopefully no more controversy, we can well do without that. It's going to be tough, it's going to take guts and it's going to take skill, but we can do it, so come on Sky Blues, let's shag those East Belfaster's!

Blast Off!

United go into tomorrow's league game at Ballyskeagh with a 4 point lead over the home team and a good chance to blast them out of the water. Our biggest enemy may be the weather as it's freezing hard outside and a pitch inspection is scheduled for tomorrow morning. If the game gets the go-ahead, United manager Roy walker will have one or two headaches as definitely out is Gavin Taggart with a broken nose, while Ryan Berry has yet another illness. This leaves Roy with a decision to make about who gets the wide right berth, while top scorer Cutch is hopefully available for selection. If Cutch is available one option would be to play Cutch and Gibbo up front, with Andy on the left and Murray on the right.

Of course Rory or even Sparky could be fit enough to resume first team action, we just have no way of knowing. We would expect the back four to be the same as that which did the honours in our victory over Portadown on Tuesday night, but Roy, as he often does, may want to tweak his defence a wee bit. Dwayne looks to have reclaimed the keepers jersey, but with United playing 6 games against the top four teams in the league after tomorrow's game, 2 each at home against the Crues and the Glens and one each away to Linfield and Cliftonville, Ryan Brown make get a chance to re-establish himself somewhere along the line.

As if these fixtures aren't tough enough, we then have back-to-back games against the Coleraine Scum at Warden St. with a possible Irish cup game sandwiched in between. 'Exciting' or given our penchant for not putting teams away when we are in the driving seat, 'nail biting', times, lie ahead of us. The Whites tomorrow will be no push over either but it's a match we need to win to maintain a wee cushion between us and the teams, including tomorrow's opponents, in the bottom six of the league. Hopefully our top scorer Cutch will be fit to resume and with the live-wire Murray raiding down whatever wing or maybe both, the Sky Blues will win through. So let's get behind the team tomorrow, come on Sky Blues (Reds), let's shag those Lambeggars!

Unwanted Double!

United are staring an unwanted double in the face when Portadown visit the Showgrounds tomorrow night. In order to avoid that double they have to make sure they don't lose to Portadown, as they lost to their mid-Ulster rivals Glenavon on Saturday. Of Course if our forwards are still in a benevolent mood similar to Saturday, then defeat is most likely and that would most likely push us out of the top six. Admittedly there is a long way to go before the split, 12 games, but once out of the top six, it'll take a big effort to get back in and that's where the money is. One crumb of comfort for United tomorrow night is the return from suspension of midfield maestro Nathan Hanly. His motivation, probing runs and finishing was badly missed on Saturday and it will be good to have him back in the fold.

On the down side, Sparky, carried off after a bad tackle, unseen by the three brass monkeys, will miss the game with torn ligaments, courtesy of Glenavon's Kyle Neill. This tackle happened within a 10 yard radius of referee, linesman and 4th official, but neither saw anything untoward, they were obviously in 'see no evil' mode. Sparky's absence will entail Mikey dropping back to right-back, which should mean a start for either Ryan Berry or Mo, wide on the right. Gibbo, who was way below par on Saturday, will hopefully be more like himself and get in among the Ports defenders instead of standing around watching, while his strike partner Cutch, will hopefully have sharpened up his shooting boots. He scored a great individual goal on Saturday, but fluffed three easier chances, failing to trouble the keeper at all, a mortal sin.

We wonder if Walker will tweak the United defence for this game as Archie seemed a little out of sorts at the weekend and the Ports, even missing the suspended Braniff will be quite a handful and everybody needs to be on top of their game. Dwayne, who got the nod in goal last Saturday, made a blunder for their first goal and this could mean a recall for Ryan Brown, or maybe Walker will give him another chance, for once we're glad it's Roy who has to decide as it is a crucial decision. Lee Colligan, despite an early caution on Saturday, appears to have rediscovered his form and will surely keep his place as will 'man of the match' Albert. That only leaves the decision of whether to persevere with Archie alongside him, drop Gazza back or recall Denver, decisions, decisions, who'd want to be a manager. With Hanly and Murray, certain starters, it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod if Gazza is in defence. But whoever gets it, lets hope they grab the opportunity with both hands. So come on Sky Blues, let's shag those Porta Downers!