Ben Herd: "Our destiny is in our hands"

English Football League / Ben Herd / 24 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Shrewsbury Town's promotion push is back on track with an away win and our man is dreaming of Wembley once again... Best Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ [2.02] in Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur.

It's nice to be able to write an article with an away win on the table; we beat Rotherham 2-1 at The Don Valley Stadium.

With a home game coming up against Lincoln and then the ultimate game of the season away at Dagenham it would appear that our League Two destiny is in our own hands - at this stage of the season that is all you can ask for. Let's hope we can nick seventh spot and get back to Wembley.

I see the Wembley pitch has come in for some stick for its performance during the two FA cup semis. Considering Wembley is the home of football and has such heritage and history, it is a travesty that the pitch is not the best in the world. Watching the Chelsea and Man utd players slipping over brought back memories of the time I played there in the play-off final a couple of years ago. I remember my very first touch was a Cruyff turn and the turf just gave way from under me...subsequently I didn't do a Cruyff turn again!

For the top teams the pitch wasn't conducive to free-flowing football at its highest level, however you should see some of the cow fields we have to play on in League Two! In all seriousness, I would like to see how someone like Cesc Fabregas would play on something like Dagenham's pitch! The pitch at any football stadium should be paramount; a good example of this in the lower leagues is Peterborough, when Darren Ferguson took over he spent over £100k on developing the pitch to a high standard.

To be fair, even if the hallowed turf at Wembley was like a bowling green it wouldn't have neccessarily meant easy passage to the final for United. In my opinion Sir Alex Ferguson has once again devalued the best cup competition in the world by fielding a weakened team. Take nothing away from David Moyes because I believe his mind games over the referee, Mike Riley, prior to kick-off is something we are all too familiar with when it comes to Fergie.

I could understand if Sunday's game with Everton was a league fixture; by all means rest a few key players, with the view of a tough 10 days coming up. But in the semi-final of the FA cup it's an absolute sin. To be honest it must be frustrating for the players as well because any footballer wants to play in the big games. I know I would play in a semi-final with a broken leg and one eye!

The cup final itself is still a magical showpiece and every year my mates and I get together and have a BBQ, regardless of the weather, watch the game and then play a bit of cricket...I think my brother has already got the wicket prepared and underway already, busy lad!

One of United's main title rivals, Liverpool, have played in probably two of the best matches for neutrals in the past week. It's little wonder Rafa looks as though he's losing his hair, with some of the defending that has been on show.

Don't get me wrong, credit does have to attributed to some of the attacking play that has carved them open but how can any manager compensate for some rank amateurish defending? In my humble opinion, Benitez has been caught out from his usual cautious approach in the last two must-win games.

I cannot see how Liverpool are going to win the league, when Liverpool enter these do or die games,(Chelsea, Arsenal) players like Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso have been forced further up the field and away from their holding positions thus leaving a fagile defense exposed.

Obviously, conceding first means that you are always chasing the game and invaribly players are looking to force the isssue a bit more, but defensive mistakes cost you goals and that is what has happened to Liverpool in the last week. Mind you, I did read in the paper that a Liverpool fan bet on a 4-4 against Chelsea and walked away with nearly 13k - imagine laying that score on Betfair two weeks in a row. Thank god for Any Unquoted!

I wonder if Fergie does feel as though he missed out on signing Wilson Palacios, after much talked-about interest. For years players were labelled the "next Roy Keane" but from what I have seen, the little Honduran befits such acclaim.

How David Gold, chairman at Birmingham City, must curse only getting £1 million for him. Harry Redknapp has pulled one of the signings of the season in my eyes and it won't be long before the likes of Real Madrid and possibly even Fergie come calling. Every team needs a Palacios in their side, someone to really get stuck in and to have the positional discipline just to shield the back four.

Palacios is always going to get 10-15 yellow cards a season but he more than compensates with his infectious enthushiasm and energy. United take on Spurs at Old Trafford on Saturday and my record for tips over the last few weeks has been good so I'm putting myself under pressure this weekend to deliver.

I see a low scoring game. Under 2.5 goals offers good value at [2.02] I reckon. And the Half-time/Full-time market sees me drawn towards backing Draw/Man Utd at [4.6].