[Jason Holm88]

What The Papers Say

A Dutch of bad news for Ruud
Ruud van Nistelrooy could be out for three months after returning home to Holland for urgent treatment on his Achilles injury. The Manchester United striker has suffered a further setback in his battle to make a full recovery and is expected to undergo treatment for up to a month in Eindhoven. Van Nistelrooy was initially ruled out for eight weeks and was expected to recover in time for the first leg of United's Champions League tie against AC Milan at Old Trafford on February 23. But the 28-year-old is unlikely to be baclalalalail late March. As well as the Milan games, van Nistelrooy will miss Premiership clashes against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Ryan Giggs faces six weeks out after tearing a hamstring against Spurs.
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Fergie is stuck with his crocks
Sir Alex Ferguson has been told he must sell first if he wants to strengthen Manchester United's injury-hit squad. It is understood that the Old Trafford board do not view the injury situation serious enough to break from their agreed policy of not spending until the summer, when a goalkeeper will certainly be Ferguson's priority. The United manager will make a move in the transfer window only if a player unexpectedly becomes available on loan - ior if he sells and can raise money by offloading the likes of Kleberson or John O'Shea.
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail

Drop the red donkey
Roy Carroll is to be axed by Manchester United following his high-profile blunder against Tottenham that has been the talk of football. Despite getting away with the howler, even though the ball clearly crossed the line, Sir Alex Ferguson has decided it's time to give Tim Howard the chance to regain the goalkeeping slot. Although Carroll, 26, has kept clean sheets in his last four games and conceded just 11 goals in his last 21 matches, he has not looked his usual commanding self of late. His calamitous 90th-minute balls-up against Spurs from a 50-yard Pedro Mendes shot was preceded by another blunder just before half-time, when he spilled an easy catch. Given Carroll's contract runs out at the end of this season - and he has yet to agree a new deal - his latest error could not have come at a worse time for the Northern Ireland international.
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Are we supposed to laugh?
Pedro Mendes is furious at being robbed of the chance to become a football god like David Beckham. Mendes fumed: “I have never seen anything like it in my life. What are we supposed to do now — have a laugh about it? It would have been a fantastic goal for me. I know David Beckham once scored with a lob like that and it would have been great. It would have been a superb goal and it would have been something to remember for ever, scoring the winning goal at Old Trafford and in that way.”
Shaun Custis, The Sun

Players must toe the line
Before they turn football grounds into Playstation arcades of beeping balls, flatscreen replays and crossbars that light up in neon whenever a goal is scored, isn't there something else that could be done to help referees? Couldn't players stop cheating? Couldn't Roy Carroll have confessed to the referee that the ball had crossed the line by at least a yard?
John Dillon, Daily Express

Goals on film
The goal that wasn't dominated talk among players, managers, officials and fans yesterday as the world of football accepted it can no longer resist technology. And Sir Alex Ferguson, whose United side profited from the high-profile howler, claimed it would take just 30 seconds to clear up such controversies in future. "At some point in the Premier League they will have video evidence," said Fergie. "I was reading about the coach of Bologna recently, who was suggesting the introduction of videos on the side of the pitch. And if the referee can't make up his mind within 30 seconds, which is the time it takes some clubs to take a throw-in or corner-kick, the game should go on. That isn't a bad idea actually because what you don't want is people sat in the stands freezing while a decision is being made. That's a deterrent to video evidence, and that's why I was against it. But progress is progress and I wouldn't object to it now."
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Now how do you like it Fergie?
Frank Lampard halalalala back at Sir Alex Ferguson's claim that Chelsea get all the luck with a pointed reference to Manchester United's outrageous let-off against Tottenham. Lampard said: "In a way, we were pleased because it just goes to show that these things do happen. People have made a lot of our luck but these things do even themselves out over a season."
David Hytner, Daily Express

Shut up...we will not crack
Frank Lampard believes Arsenal and Manchester United's attempts to unsettle Chelsea prove their title rivals are running scared. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his Gunners counterpart Arsene Wenger insisted the west Londoners would crack under the pressure of trying to maintain their lead. But Tuesday's win against Middlesbrough put Chelsea seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal and 11 ahead of United. "I don't remember Arsenal speaking too much last year because they were the best team and that was it," said Lampard. "Now all of a sudden they are speaking all the time. So are Manchester United. But we won't speak, we'll just keep our heads down. When you're playing well and doing your stuff you don't need to speak. We are winning games so I don't even think we need to react."
Darren Lewis, Daily Mirror

And finally, Pedro Mendes will be hoping Portugal don't get him...

Blundering linesman's off to the World Cup
The official who failed to spot Tottenham’s 'goal' at Manchester United could be linesman at next year’s World Cup final. Rob Lewis was promoted to FIFA’s elite list on January 1. Lewis is deemed competent to officiate at any match on the planet — including the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Yet he did not see Roy Carroll fumble Pedro Mendes’ 45-yard shot over the line.
Shaun Custis, The Sun