Source: Man_City
Go for it City, say goalkeepers
FINE FORM: Carlos TevezManchester City's goalkeepers' union wants the Blues to go on strike on Saturday. But stalwarts Joe Corrigan and Alex Williams aren't advising Roberto Mancini's men to down tools - but to hit the Reds hard and fast. The two men have widely differing derby experiences, though both are steeped in its history, both Manchester born and bred. Corrigan is the veteran of 26 clashes between the old Manchester rivals, more than any other City player in history, between 1969 and 1983. And his tenure between the sticks coincided with one of City's most successful spells against United. Given his history, it is not surprising that he is optimistic about this generation of City stars' chances. Boyhood United fan Corrigan is backing Mancini to get the balance right between guarding against United's danger, and getting at the Reds. Respect "In the first of the two League Cup games at home, the manager took a bit of criticism, with people saying he should have gone out and attacked them a bit more, and that he had shown them too much respect," said the 61-year-old veteran. "But you are talking about Manchester United, who are the English champions and were recently champions of Europe and of the world. "They are a hell of an outfit and you have to give them respect. "But there is no reason why, on Saturday, given the way the lads performed against Burnley and Birmingham, why we can't go out and really have a go. "It's at home in front of a full house, and the fans will be really, really up for it, so we should just go for it. "We have fourth to aim at, and United need the win, and won't want to be hit on the counter-attack. "The worst thing we could do is sit back and end up losing 1-0, and the manager is wise enough to know what his players are capable of doing. "There should be no fear in the club at all." Williams played in only one derby, a 3-0 defeat at Maine Road in 1986 - and it proved to be his last game for the Blues, as he suffered injury problems after playing in 112 consecutive games. But he has managed City's community programme for the last 20 years, and is confident that Saturday will be a milestone match along the route to a power shift in Manchester. "It could be the start of a new era for City and the end of one for the lads across the road," he said. Williams hope "Fingers crossed we can get a result against United and secure that fourth spot, and once we get in the Champions League, it's the next rung up the ladder. "We could then get even better players than the ones we have already got, and go from strength to strength. "At the moment we are playing well and going forward with strength, and I don't see a need to change anything. "But Roberto is the manager and gets paid to make the big decisions and I'm sure he will make the right one. "There is no pressure on us. We are playing much better than United, and I will be surprised if it's anything other than a good City win. "It's all on them. They have fallen away at the top behind Chelsea and they have to win this game. Anything for us is a bonus and I feel we will do well." Corrigan says this is the biggest derby since the one in 1974, when both clubs were battling relegation. "The infamous derby when Denis Law scored with a backheel is the last one I can remember with this much at stake," he said. "Everyone said it put United down to the second division, and the crowd invaded the pitch. "It had tremendous consequences for United because they went down, and we were in danger of going down in the same season. "That win gave us a huge boost, because we had a couple of games left after it. "But sometimes you need something like that to get things in perspective and to be honest United bounced straight back - and have never looked back. "You could even say we did them a favour that day! "Sometimes you need adversity before everything blossoms." What do you think? Have your say.| Submit Comments| Comments (2)| PrintWhat's this? Emaildel.icio.usDiggredditFacebookStumbleUponNewsvineGoogle BookmarksNetscapeTechnoratiWindows LiveYahoo! MyWebMa.gnolia
