'Anything could happen...'

Last updated : 20 May 2004 By Millwall Mad Editorial
According to the pundits, there will be only one likely outcome on Saturday - a Manchester United win. Gordon Strachan went so far as to say that we'd do well to keep the score below five goals. But is this view of all United fans? We asked Old Trafford season ticket holder Steven Bartram his views ahead of the Final.

Be honest, do you believe that you've already won the FA Cup?
Absolutely not. The underlying theme of United's season has been to lose to underdogs. We've emerged unbeaten from four games with Arsenal, but have lost to Wolves, City, Portsmouth and Blackburn. We also lost to a desperately poor Liverpool team and have dropped points against Leeds, so I'm wary of playing anyone below us at the moment. I would have said yes if you'd asked me after the semi-final, but since then we've been so hit and miss that anything could happen.

Dichiooooooooooooo!
Apart from Dennis Wise, had you ever heard of any of our players before we beat Sunderland in the Semi Final?

Frankly, I only knew Danny Dichio (because of Premiership experience) and Neil Harris (because of the amazing recovery he made from cancer. Aside from that, I hold my hands up and plead ignorance.

How well are United playing at the moment?
It's hard to gauge United's form, because they've come across as disinterested in the league since reaching the Final. There have been some awful showings of late, particularly against Liverpool and at Blackburn, but then we looked great at times against Villa. I would like to think we can just turn on the good form on Saturday, but I'm not naive enough to think it'll be that simple.

How do you think Alex Ferguson should approach the game?
United owe their fans a proper Manchester United performance at the Millennium Stadium. We need to just go all out and attack. It's the way we've always gone about things, it's what the FA Cup is all about and it's what the proper United fans love to see. One of the highlights of the season was our 4-3 win at Everton. We roared into a 3-goal lead, defended poorly to let them back into it and then snatched the win late on. It's that kind of game that has always defined United for me, and plenty of goals (probably at both ends) are the order of the day.

Who should we be worried about?
Ruud van Nistelrooy is starting to find his goalscoring touch again after a difficult spell with injuries, and he's twice the player when Paul Scholes is playing behind him. I'd earmark those two players, as together they can rip anyone to shreds.

Has this been an underachieving season for United or were Arsenal really that good?
A lot has been made of Arsenal's, sigh, 'immortality' by going to whole season unbeaten, and there's no denying that it is an amazing achievement. But the way they've gone about it is very simple - they have a specialist in each position, a great team spirit and they've always played their strongest side when possible. That is one area where United have struggled, as a lot of changes have affected the team's continuity and have seen them slip up regularly. Injuries and suspensions played a part too, while Arsenal had few of them. But I would never complain about that, because there have been years where United have been injury free and sauntered to the title. It's just part of football and it's a condition you have to adapt to. This season, we haven't adapted.

What do you think the score will be?
That depends entirely on which United turn up. I honestly believe that if they come out all guns blazing then we could overwhelm you and win comfortably. I think you'll score, but I'm overjoyed Dichio isn't playing because we're always susceptible in the air. And if you keep it to 0-0 until past the hour then I really wouldn't be surprised if you nicked it, like Wolves did in January.

Finally, are you worried that we might pull off the biggest upset in FA Cup Final history?
I am terrified of being on the wrong end of an upset, as we would never hear the end of it. The FA Cup has taught us to believe that anything could happen, and it's nothing like the formality a lot of United fans think it will be.