BEHAVE OR ELSE

Last updated : 16 February 2006 By Ed

The Sun:

Gary Neville will be ordered not to inflame the Liverpool hate mob on Saturday.

Referee Howard Webb will issue an unprecedented personal warning to the Manchester United captain before the FA Cup fifth-round crunch at Anfield.


The Guardian:

Manchester United and Liverpool will be warned against provocative goal celebrations ahead of Saturday's potentially explosive FA Cup fifth-round tie at Anfield in a bid to avoid a repeat of Gary Neville's inflammatory reaction to his side's last minute winner in the Premiership fixture between the sides last month.

The referee Howard Webb, who will officiate Saturday's game, talks to both sides before kick-off as a matter of course, but he will make a point of warning players against inappropriate goal celebrations in front of opposing fans. The game has been classified category C+, on a par with an England international, with 6,200 visiting fans expected to make the trip. They will be greeted by a greater police presence than usual outside Anfield with memories still fresh from last year's match which saw a mobile telephone flung at Wayne Rooney from the Kop.

The locals' vitriol is sure to rain down on Neville more than most following his antics at Old Trafford. The United captain will celebrate his 31st birthday on Saturday with his former team-mate Denis Irwin convinced he will come through the ordeal of a trip to Anfield unscathed. "He's been in extremely hostile stadiums before both in Europe and at home and it doesn't faze him," said Irwin.

"Gary has been to Anfield plenty of times and had to put up with verbals from the fans. I don't ever recall it bothering him in the past."


Eric:

"Gary will come through the Liverpool test, no problem.

"Gary’s been passionate about United since he was kid and he’ll continue to be until the day he dies. That's the kind of passion that the United fans want to see."