Man Utd boss Ferguson loves challenge of facing Stoke

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson loves the challenge of facing Stoke City.

Stoke City’s reputation as a rugged, up-and-at-them outfit still precedes them, even if wingers like Jermaine Pennant, Matthew Etherington and Jonathan Walters can sometimes offer a more cultured variety of attack. Whatever the mix, every player picked by Potters boss Tony Pulis possesses a work ethic that Sir Alex readily admires.

“You know what Tony Pulis' teams are like, they're always the same with one hundred per cent commitment,” said the United manager. “They all get stuck in and you have to cope with that. I quite enjoy that.”

With Stoke now established as a familiar if unfashionable member of English football’s elite division, Sir Alex can draw parallels with Wimbledon – the so-called ‘Crazy Gang’ of the late 1980s and early 1990s who loved nothing more than upsetting the likes of Liverpool and United.

“When we used to play Wimbledon, at the beginning when they first came into our division, nobody looked forward to playing against them,” recalled Sir Alex to manutd.com.

“But then I started and my team started to enjoy it because it was a challenge, a physical challenge in the way they played and a physical challenge in terms of trying to take control of the possession and play your football.

“Stoke are a different team altogether from Wimbledon, obviously, but they still have the same quality of never giving in, they keep going, so it's a good challenge for us.”

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Comments (2)

come on Andy???!!!!!!!!! wat do u mean that nobody complained when players like overmars and anelka, petit and viera were unknowns? quite frankly this was not the case. overmars may not have been expensive but his exploits at ajax showed he had character. henry was a member of the team that went to the finals of the champions league in manaco and was a member of a world cup winning squad! petit and viera, ditto. players that r bought by arsenal today are players of 'so-called potential' who never seem to bloom or blossom- i.e walcott, diaby, eboue, clichy etc... its disheartening to hear that fans are only complaining now for lack of silverware; so let me ask u, wat kind of satisfaction do u think we get when we watch the team we love always messing up when they have the opportunity and resources to prove otherwise!!!!!!!! wenger should go cos he is stubborn. he has betrayed his work ethics that proved so vital in winning the trophies that he won. kanu , for instance was and u-17 world cup winning with a heart condition yet given the chance he became one of the best players for the team. Henry had injury issues in juve wen he came over yet every player of that era contributed to the succes of the team. the players bought now dont have a history of success and lack the thirst thereof.. its a simple case of the land of the blind. wenger can look to his trophy case for comfort while these new boys aren't pushed hard to succeed! the special would never allow that!!!!!!! enuf of this mediocrity! i would rather see arsenal struggle for relagation than live in the present era of half missed opportunities and capital aquisition at the fans expense! i have not nwatched an arsenal match in two yrs save for highlights in the news. imagine how many fans will be joining me by the end of this season!!!!!!!1

i bet stoke will walk away with 3 points..