Having recently seen Blackburn Rovers pick up a series of unwanted runs – another defeat at Upton Park, our first back to back defeats of the season followed by a third etc. etc. this weekend we are aiming for a VERY MUCH wanted hat trick… a hat trick of consecutive victories over Manchester United!
After winning matches not only at Old Trafford but also at Ewood Park we achieved a League double over United, which I think (although I may be wrong?) makes us the first side in Premiership history to do so?
One thing that is certain, the 2-1 win at Old Trafford thanks to Morten Gamst Pedersen’s double on 24th September 2005 and the memorable 4-3 victory at Ewood Park on 1st February 2006 thanks to David Bentley’s hat trick and a penalty from Lucas Neill meant we achieved the League double over United for the first time in 75-years, having last done so in 1931.
As we know we are capable of picking up wins as even during our disappointing sequence of results in the League we have picked up impressive wins in Europe. Obviously going into this game having not won any of our previous four League matches makes it difficult for us especially with United having only lost one League match all season. Mark Hughes knows it will be a difficult game, and had the following to say:
“We’ll have to be at our best, because they are playing exceptionally well at the moment, as good as I’ve seen them for a couple of seasons. Some of the football they are playing is of the highest order.”
Despite Hughes acknowledging the difficulty of the task at hand he is approaching the game (quite rightly as you’d expect!) with a positive mentality saying we have to approach the game as we did last season:
“We did fine against United last year. I thought we caused them problems, asked questions of them and that is something that we’ll have to do on Saturday.
“We will gain a lot of strength from the way we approached the equivalent games last term and United have great respect for what we do here. They understand that Blackburn Rovers is a difficult game for them.”
Some may view United’s midweek Carling Cup embarrassment at the hands of Southend United as a glimmer of hope that anything is possible in football as they are only human to when all is said and done.
So why not a Rovers hat trick and a third straight win over United and then another win at Old Trafford later in the season to make it a double double which will without question be a Premiership record!
All runs do eventually come to an end, with several at stake here on Saturday, the first being Rovers’ unbeaten run of five games against United, secondly a halt to our run of League defeats, thirdly United’s own run of six League games unbeaten including five straight wins.
One of these runs will end be it a win, lose or draw for either. All will be revealed come Saturday eveni…
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