Noisy neighbours move to Wembley by Phil McNulty
Sir Alex Ferguson will be forced to share a home with his "noisy neighbours" for a day after Manchester City set up an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester United at Wembley.
Ferguson mockingly applied the tag to City after their Abu Dhabi-based owners embarked on a high-profile transfer policy that lured Carlos Tevez from Old Trafford - claiming the answer to such a nuisance was to "put your television on and turn it up a bit louder."
The Scot will need to adopt more conventional measures to keep City under control as they claimed the place they crave alongside Manchester United on the biggest stage with a laboured 1-0 win over Reading at Eastlands.
United reign supreme in Manchester as Premier League pace-setters who are still in pursuit of the Champions League and FA Cup, but the first confrontation between the clubs at Wembley represents a huge opportunity for City and boss Roberto Mancini.
An all-Manchester final may have been an even more enticing prospect for some, but the semi-final will be mouth-watering enough to be going on with as they fight for the right to face either Stoke City or Bolton Wanderers.
Mancini is convinced City are moving closer to United, illustrating the distance between the sides by holding his thumb and finger just an inch apart. Now the Italian and his team have the chace to back up their brave talk with an FA Cup Final place as the prize.
He can produce recent hard-fought Manchester derbies as evidence, but the case for the prosecution will point to United's ability to invariably find a way to beat City, whether it is through last-minute goals from Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes - or simply via Rooney's remarkable overhead kick winner at Old Trafford last month.
Mancini must hope he can alter the pattern. And what better place to find the solution than at Wembley as Manchester decamps to London for the day. When news of the semi-final draw and a potential clash with United swept around Eastlands minutes before kick-off against Reading the reaction was underwhelming.
When referee Lee Probert sounded his final whistle and Micah Richards' 74th minute header had made the tie a reality, the reservations were replaced by defiance as City reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1981 and took a step closer to their first major trophy since the League Cup win against Newcastle United at Wembley in 1976.
The importance of the moment was emphasised by the normally reserved Mancini's impromptu hug for goalscorer Richards, a radical departure for a coach renowned for keeping a carefully calculated distance from his charges.
For all the money spent at Eastlands, City's hierarchy will know silverware must be a return on this lavish investment. If they can claim United's scalp on the way to doing so then any bold talk of a possible future switch in Manchester's balance of footballing power will carry more credibility.
If City win a game of such importance and profile, it will provide the sort of injection of confidence and self-belief that even the Abu Dhabi chequebook would struggle to provide.
If United beat City at Wembley, it will tighten the stranglehold they have exerted for so long and keep those neighbours in what all at Old Trafford regard as their rightful place.
City's performance was scruffy, jaded and hardly the sort to fill United with unease, but it was a fully deserved win against dogged opponents who proved their danger by dispensing of Everton at Goodison Park in the fifth round.
In mitigation, it came after a trip to Dynamo Kiev and Europa League defeat on Thursday. Mancini must hope the sight of United in opposition at Wembley will fill any tired legs with new energy and he clearly feels he is due a win against the old enemy.
The former Inter Milan coach said after the recent loss at Old Trafford: "It is like my first two years in Milan. Every time we played AC Milan we didn't deserve to lose, every time we did. For the same thing to happen again is incredible."
And there may well be plenty riding on the game personally for Mancini as his conservative style means he still struggles to win universal acceptance at Eastlands.
As City struggled to break down Reading, plenty of voices could be heard urging Mancini to take positive action to solve the problem, which he eventually did by introducing the fragile, and occasionally allergic to grass, Mario Balotelli,
And with Sunday bringing fresh speculation linking Jose Mourinho with his job should City's season have an unhappy ending, victory against United will allow him to make a powerful statement of his own. A place in the FA Cup Final is invariably enough to ease discontent.
The Wembley meeting will be full of the twists and sub-plots that make FA Cup semi-finals magical occasions, even without the added spice of local rivalry.
Tevez will captain City, a talismanic figure and the biggest danger to the club he left in contentious circumstances when he switched allegiance from Old Trafford to Eastlands.
Ferguson, for his part, will not want the scar of Wembley defeat to City on his glittering cv - and his regard for the neighbouring regime was graphically illustrated in the aftermath of Tevez's departure.
An icy blast blew in the direction of Eastlands after City paraded Tevez on that infamous "Welcome To Manchester" poster, much to the old master's irritation.
Ferguson said: "It's City isn't it? They are a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can't get away from it. That arrogance will be rewarded. It is a go at us, that's the one thing it is. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."
It is highly unlikely Ferguson's feelings will have thawed by the teams walk out side by side at Wembley, a day for a city to savour.
Man City winger Wright-Phillips expects ferocious Cup semi against Man Utd
Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has welcomed their FA Cup semifinal draw with Manchester United.
Wright-Phillips expects a ferocious clash with Sir Alex Ferguson's charges.
"The way Fergie has his team, they never get in a position where they don't want to win a game, especially one that could take them to a final," said Wright-Phillips.
"If anything, we have to want it as much as them if we want to go all the way.
"It may mean a little bit more to me because I know what our fans have been through.
"I have been through a hell of a lot with them and hopefully as a team, we can realise their dreams as well as achieving one of our own."
Lineker: Tevez Will Be Player of Year, Not Berbatov
Legendary English forward Gary Lineker said he doubts that Bulgarian ManUn striker Dimitar Berbatov has good chances to become Premiership's player of the year.
"Berbatov needs attention, because this season he scored a lot of goals. However he does not have the constancy of Carlos Tevez with his unflinching energy," said Lineker speaking for News of the World.
Lineker said that according to him Argentinian Manchester City forward Tevez has the best outlook to winning the contest for player of the year.
Berbatov hasn't been playing much in Manchester United's recent games, manager Alex Ferguson prefering to keep him on the bench.
Saturday the Bulgarian forward did not take part in the 2:0 win against Arsenal for the FA Cup.
ALEX FERGUSON BAN FEAR
ALEX Ferguson could be banished to the stands for Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City.
Alex Ferguson is facing a touchline ban after being charged with improper conduct by the FA.
The United boss was in hot water for his verbal attack on ref Martin Atkinson after the recent defeat at Chelsea.
But he has pleaded not guilty, risking a longer ban if the hearing goes against him.
He is expected to go before the FA’s disciplinary commission later this week in London.
If he is found guilty, he could be hit with a four or five-game ban which would see him miss United’s Cup semi-final against Roberto Mancini’s men.
Fergie already has a two-match suspension hanging over him from his infamous rant against Alan Wiley in 2009.
A four-game ban would see him miss league games against Bolton, Fulham and West Ham as well as the Wembley clash with City on the weekend of April 16-17.
Fergie is determined to fight on with his case.
A source said: “The prospect of being sat in the stands for the FA Cup semi-final won’t bother him.
“To him it’s no big deal. He thinks the charge is unjustified and is determined to clear his name.”
Fergie said: “I will be defending myself strongly when my FA hearing comes up. In fact, I’m looking forward to the challenge because, to my mind, I have not said anything out of place.
“I don’t think sticking up for my team makes me a villain. Manchester United have one of the best disciplinary records in the country.”
MORE STADIUM NAMING BOLLOX
Manchester City have secured permission to sell the naming rights to Eastlands in a move that could dramatically reduce the club's losses. The ground is owned by the city council and the club's board require its authority to sell the name of the City of Manchester Stadium.
Although the council would not comment officially last night it is understood that this permission has been granted. No talks with any sponsor are yet under way. Arsenal raised £100m by signing a 15-year-deal with Emirates in 2006. It is uncertain whether Manchester City could match that figure but any such funds will have a key part to play in the club's attempts to meet Uefa's financial fairplay rules, which come into effect from this summer.
The search for a sponsor will be conducted in a more uncertain economic climate than when Arsenal secured their deal. And because the stadium already has an unofficial name of "Eastlands", the value of the naming rights will be less. Nevertheless, City, who posted losses of £121m last year, have been generously backed by companies associated with Abu Dhabi, especially the Gulf state's official airline, Etihad.
Under the new Uefa rules, which have been enthusiastically pushed through by its president, Michel Platini, clubs who want to take part in European competition have to break even over a three-year rolling period, starting from the 2012-13 season.
WAG OF THE DAY
Ex-Hollyoaks actress Emma Rigby is Reading's Matthew Mills Mrs.
She needs to eat a few burgers, the blonde bombshell is also more Aaron Lennon than Peter Crouch on height scale, but boasts a British Soap Award Best Actress title for playing Hannah Ashworth in Hollyoaks for five years.
Emma is not just a pretty face, the Merseyside model received nine A*'s in her GCSE's before heading in to acting. The 21-year-old is now flitting between cable channel soap operas and modeling sexy clothes for Liverpudlian fashion brands.
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OTHER BOLLOX
Jens Lehmann has confirmed he's making a sensational comeback at Arsenal. Lehmann has agreed to make a sensational return to Arsenal, answering Arsene Wenger's call to solve the club's goalkeeping crisis. The German, who will go straight into the squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League game at West Bromwich, said: "It never crossed my mind that I might end up solving it (Arsenal's goalkeeping crisis). "But when they asked me, I was more than happy to oblige. It was just over the last few days that they contacted me to see if I could help out for the rest of the season and I agreed straight away."
And Lehmann insists his soured relationship with Manuel Almunia will not be a problem, saying: "That was then, but this is different. I am ready for the challenge, but I know my main job will be helping out and providing cover. I have a lot of experience and I am happy to pass it on to Almunia or whoever else is in goal."
Struggling with form, Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, has confessed that he is finding it hard to settle down following his 50 million pound transfer from Liverpool.
"There are moments when everything seems a mess," The Independent quoted him, as saying.
Torres said: "The first few weeks are not easy. You don't just arrive and everything is waiting for you. You have to get to grips with a new city, there's all the paperwork, looking for an apartment. It takes time to find your feet and there are moments when everything seems a mess." He added: "London, though, is a huge city. If there is not too much traffic, it can take me about forty minutes to get to training. On a bad day it can take ages. Life in Liverpool was very different. I venture out in London, but I'm in awe of the city." Torres goes into Wednesday's second leg of Chelsea's Champions League tie with FC Copenhagen still searching for the first goal following his British transfer record move. He has played five games and amassed 405 minutes on the pitch for Chelsea, but has yet to deliver any goals in return for Roman Abramovich's huge outlay.
Manchester United are facing a battle to keep Nani, with the Portuguese winger telling close fiends he is considering a new challenge after the Red Devils rejected his request to discuss a new contract and wage rise. The 24-year-old is only 12 months into a new four-year contract. the Sun
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce will bid £9m for Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia in the summer. Daily Mirror
Newcastle will rival Blackpool in the race to sign forward Jason Puncheon, who is on loan at Bloomfield Park from Southampton. Daily Mirror
Liverpool will sign Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux on a free transfer on 1 July. Daily Mirror
Blackburn are planning a £15m bid for Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner in the summer. Daily Mail
Leicester are hoping to boost their promotion bid with the loan signing of Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara. Daily Mail
England coach Fabio Capello will travel to Manchester on Tuesday, when he is expected to inform injured captain Rio Ferdinand that he is reinstating John Terry as captain of the national team on a permanent basis. Daily Telegraph
Capello told journalists the news only 24 hours after his assistant Franco Baldini made a personal phone call to Manchester United centre-back Ferdinand, assuring him he would keep the armband if fit and that the Terry reports were a misunderstanding. the Sun
Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic is struggling to be fit for Tuesday's last-16 Champions League second leg against Marseille because of an unspecified injury picked up in Saturday's FA Cup victory over Arsenal. Daily Telegraph
England boss Capello says Jack Wilshere is "the best young midfield player I have ever seen at his age" and believes the Arsenal star will one day captain his country. the Sun
An ankle injury means Arsenal winger Theo Walcott is unlikely to be fit for Saturday's trip to West Brom or England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff on 26 March. Daily Telegraph
Liverpool's owners are yet to open formal discussions with Kenny Dalglish over the full-time manager's position at Anfield, says principal owner John W Henry. Daily Telegraph
However, Dalglish could be installed as permanent boss by the end of March, with Henry close to offering him a two-year deal. Full Daily Mirror
The results of Liverpool's next three games - against Braga, Sunderland and West Brom - may be used to decide whether Dalglish is given the post on a full-time basis or not. Daily Mirror
Fulham's losses rose from £6.9m to £16.9m, despite the club reaching the Europa League final in 2010. Daily Mirror
Stoke winger Matthew Etherington hopes to realise a lifelong dream when his side face Bolton in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. Etherington was part of the West Ham side that led 2-0 and 3-2 against Liverpool in the 2006 final in Cardiff before losing out in a penalty shoot-out. He also featured in two play-off finals for the Hammers at the Millennium Stadium but has never played at Wembley. the Sun
Ray Mathias, the new manager of League Two strugglers Stockport, admits he has taken "the toughest job in football" - and that even the telephone in his office is broken. Daily Star
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