This injury list is getting serious. In addition to those already mentioned in the article, we have also lost the influential Steve Spencer indefinitely due to a long-standing hip problem. Given that Rhodri Giggs and Alex Mortimer are now at Curzon Ashton, there are just three surviving members of last year's double-winning side available for selection tomorrow - Rory Patterson, Matty Taylor and Jerome Wright. Perhaps us fans should bear that in mind when looking at the league table. In the light of all this, third is a highly respectable position at this stage of the season. And with the likes of Rudd, Howard and others returning in the New Year things can only get better.

Was the transfer free for Danny Jarrett a keg of bitter & a box of crisps?

Soulboy FTR
n reply to your post on the previous story, following the reserves is hardly making a stand against the corporate greed of "global brands" and if attendances at home reserve games suddenly increased how long do you think it would be before the owners decide to cash in and put the prices up? In any case reserve games are mostly meaningless and often used just as fitness exercises for players returning from injury so its no suprise that they are not a mjor attraction.
FC United is about preserving our footballing traditions and enjoying the match day experience, not pouring ever increasing amounts of money intot he corparate furnace and being told what to do. Our Club Our Rules.

We go in as underdogs tomorrow with a point to prove. It isn't the first time this season with the amount of injuries we've been getting. But we're not half way through the season yet so there's still time to make up ground even if we don’t get a result. It will be interesting to see how we cope and how the new players gel. They have a tough act to follow. Viva la revolution, come on FC.

FCUM is the best thing that has happened on the Mancunia football scene since we won the Euro cup in 1999. Tomorrow I will watch the Bolton game in one of the local pubs at Gigg lane as I cannot afford OT these days. I'm not bothered though if the FCUM players giving their all for 90 minutes that will do for me. Two wins would be good though.

Stad-Manchester... thanks for the response, even though you are clearly very selective in your view of the facts!

If I could maybe just pick up on a few of your points... "following the reserves is hardly making a stand against the corporate greed of "global brands". Nice one. So when, exactly, did you decide to make a stand against the corporate greed of global brands? Cos if i remember correctly, Manyoo have been a corporate global brand of the greediest sort for almost 15 years now. Ever since you went public (and brought in all that extra revenue to help buy the best players and win you all those lovely trophies) all i ever heard was Manyoo fans crowing about being the biggest and best. All that doesn't matter now then?

You sound like a bitter, mate. That's their excuse. They're all having a great time, a right laugh... yet we mocked them with the reality that they never win owt! And surely that's what it's all about it, isn't it?

31 years and won **** all... that's the FCUM theme song isn't it? Surely it's a bit hypocritical to mock another team for not winning anything, when your own side has never won anything either, and never will.

"FC United is about preserving our footballing traditions and enjoying the match day experience"... and what traditions are those?

Having the most money in the league? Having the most fans? Having a commercial set-up that would be the envy of many professional clubs? Having a support that halves in the space of two years because they are no longer winning by a cricket score every week?

One Love? Hmmmm... it must be nice to have a big team and a little team to support and switch allegiances depending on the results each week!!!

FC United 3- 4 Bradford PA. Where's the story MEN.

Who is Dave Chadwick?? Never heard of him.

What on Earth? Why are you CiThai fans so bitter of F.C., it's pathetic, you'd think that you'd like the idea of someone taking fans away from United, F.C. would go close to beating a lot of your teams from the past and have comparable crowds too, esp. when you think that in the 80's Maine Road was practically empty.

What a great bunch of hard-core loyal fans you are eh? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are win-nowts and both United and FC supporters will continue to taunt you about it until you get some silverware, which we might be waiting a very long time for.

United fans are being ripped off by Glazer yet they still go, now that's loyalty!

FC have been doing well in this league, so the idea that they're not going to win anything is a big call, esp when you consider they have a bigger support base and more resources than all the other clubs in it.

Go back to your bitter blue world Soulboy.

Free Red, the Chief of FC Propaganda only writes articles after victories.

What on Earth? Why are you CiThai fans so bitter of F.C., it's pathetic, you'd think that you'd like the idea of someone taking fans away from United, F.C. would go close to beating a lot of your teams from the past and have comparable crowds too, esp. when you think that in the 80's Maine Road was practically empty.

What a great bunch of hard-core loyal fans you are eh? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are win-nowts and both United and FC supporters will continue to taunt you about it until you get some silverware, which we might be waiting a very long time for.

United fans are being ripped off by Glazer yet they still go, now that's loyalty!

FC have been doing well in this league, so the idea that they're not going to win anything is a big call, esp when you consider they have a bigger support base and more resources than all the other clubs in it.

Go back to your bitter blue world Soulboy.

Wunderkid... I wonder who you are trying to kid!

I quote... "you'd think that you'd like the idea of someone taking fans away from United" Are you for real? Are you saying that those who support FCum now no longer support Manyoo/ Is that what you're saying? Well, you know even less about them than i thought! You've clearly never been to one of their games have you? Every one of the FCUM's STILL support Manyoo, didn't you even realise that! Ha!

And at least City fans can recognise that Manyoo are our rivals... the FCUM's are nothing to us. So your bizarre view that FCUM is taking fans off Manyoo should embarrass you!

And Maine Road empty in the 80's? Is that the same period when you averaged about 36,000 and had a variety of gates of circa 25,000? Yes? At a time when you were runners-up in the top league and you were getting crowds of a THIRD what you get now! And you accuse City fans of lack of loyalty!!! Priceless.

And, yes, City are win-nowts. But so are the FCUM's. So while we suffer the taunts from the red side it's a bit hypocritical of the Bury Boys to mock us... seeing as they've never won nowt (and never will) either!

Oh, and the comment about the Glazer's ripping the fans off... brilliant! The reds charge less than over half the clubs in the league, and you pay a few quid more than me... and you get a trophy every season! Now THAT'S Loyalty!

And how come you suggest that following FCUM is about winning trophies? Having read a fair bit about their guiding principles (and a few of my mates are avid fans) I know for a fact that "success" is NOT what they're about.

But you obviously didn't know that. In fact i dare say you know absolutely nothing about FCUM and your ignorance on this post bears testimony to your lack of knowledge.

At least come back with some better arguments next time kid.

SoulboyFTR. I reckon we make fun of City as we are United fans (albeit most of us only watch them on TV) and of course because we can. If some Berties don't like it then that's all the better (lol). I agree with you comment about the obsession some have with winning trophies though. I was reading my new book 'Our Club Our Rules' by Pete Crowther last night where he writes about following football for football's sake. That struck a chord with me and I think encapsulate what I think the majority of traditional match-going fan wants; and it's just as well, because as everyone knows the top silverware in this Country has now become the preserve of four club's. Personally I would like to see another team win a top one for football's sake.

You know what, Free Red, that was just about the most sensible post I've ever read on this site. Gulp!

I know a LOT about FCUM, far more than a fair few of supposed supporters on these pages, and I had a bit of involvement with some of the hierarchy a bit ago. I actually have a lot of respect for the GENUINE follower of FCUM, because you are so right, football is NOT just about "success"

It's about having a right laugh, a great time with mates, being able to afford it, and coming away after every match thinking you had got value for money.

So often in Premiership football you don't get that. And that's why I like to give a bit back on these pages as i remember 1999, you won the treble, we won promotion from the 3rd. division! And you know something, that was just about the most enjoyable season I've had watching City in the past 20 years.

But the Manyoos NEVER understood. It seems that you, maybe only a few of you, now DO understand what really matters as a football fan.

I've no problem with Manyoos taking the mike out of City... I just find it hypocritical coming from FCUM seeing as they've won even less than us!

But we'll agree to differ. I have been to a couple of FCUM games, a few mates of mine are avid followers, and trust me, they get as much stick off me for their change of loyalty as any City fan gets from a red!

It's all healthy banter after all...

SoulboyFTR wrote "It's about having a right laugh, a great time with mates, being able to afford it, and coming away after every match thinking you had got value for money." In a nutshell! What a refreshing change that is to read compared to some of the mind numbing drivel that ends up on this board.

So what does the future hold for fans of clubs outside the Premiership and do they have a future?

The new type of McFans that have been seduced by the glossy TV package are unlikely to stand in Mossley's ground on a Tuesday night or anywhere else when they can watch a match from the comfort of their own armchair. Yet out there in the rest of the Country there are matches being played that are no different to the on we played the other night.

So the question I find myself asking is does the rest of the footballing community need the Premiership?

As any City fan will testify what is now the Championship still hands out the same prize for winning that division as the old 1st Division did and the rest of the football divisions below them do the same. There are 92 league clubs in this country and hundreds more in the non league pyramid, but of these the Premiership only accounts for 20.

I believe that if things continue the way they are going and the financial gulf between the Premiership and lower divisions continues to grow, I can see in the not too distant future a breakaway football league system emerging that runs parallel to the existing league system. I think this would be accelerated if a Euro Super league is formed and/or if the Premiership becomes ring fenced without promotion/relegation. Some might think this a fanciful idea but they would do well to remember that the idea of FC United was fanciful two years ago and two promotions later we're still going strong. The FA would also do well to remember that the Rugby League broke away from Rugby Union, albeit for different reasons, but it still happened.

Free Red... you are truly a visionary! There are so few of us left! I was closely involved in a number of campaigns over the years regarding supporters representation, safe standing, and just about every pressure group instigated by fans these past 20 years, so, believe it or not, we may have more in common than you think.

Like you, I fear for the future of modern day football. As one who has travelled the length and breadth of this country, at every ground imaginable, I realise that the "day out" was always the attraction.

I've watched some of the worst players in our history giving it everything they've got, in some backwater, and loved every minute of it. The 3rd. division was a real hoot. And when I've seen the FCUM's it was those memories that came back.

No, following City isn't about "successs"... how could it be! But I have had a connection with my club that has lasted 40 years, and will last till the day i die, no matter what. I always thought Manyoo never had that same level of connection.

In fact, Premiership football is probably the least enjoyable football, and ask any City fan of my generation about the best of times, and few would choose the Premiership times.

Unfortunately, though, the genie is out of the bottle, and the fans are now pretty much powerless to get it back in now. So all you can do is try to enjoy what is put in front of you. Unlike yourself I could never walk away from City no matter what. I love them like I love my children. You accept their foibles and idiosyncracies, and the temptations elsewhere are never that tempting.

I once coined a rather famous phrase that is still used around the club in t-shirt and badges (and has actually been copied!).... Hate Football Love City. And that is the way it will always be.

Next time you play in Clitheroe i might toddle back again...

SoulboyFTR. "Hate Football Love City." Can't say I've seen that. But it's not football I hate. It's the clueless freeloader's who have infiltrated the beautiful game and made it ugly that I hate. The types like 'safe hands' Gill who not only work for the likes of glazer but also the FA who supposed to be the independent custodians of football and represent the best interests of all clubs. This is the same Gill who said grassroots football clubs we're taking all the money out of the game! I don't believe just the FA can be custodians anymore and that's why I think a breakaway English Football Association or 'EFA' is needed. It would be interesting to see how FIFA and UEFA would react to that when the FA could find itself representing only 20 clubs with old safe hands and Co running the show.