The FA are to ban all Wembley corporate seat supporters of Manchester United and Crystal Palace from wearing their club colours at the FA Cup final on Saturday.
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Terms were agreed in principle with Pardew as long ago as February over extending his stay at Selhurst Park beyond the expiry of his current deal, which runs through to the summer of 2018.
“I think the interest of the club and the interest of the fans is more important than the manager”, Van Gaal said Thursday when asked about the significance of the game to his future.
“We used to play football there because there was not much else to do in 1971”.
“I haven’t had those discussions with Ade [about his future], and I’ll still sit down with him at the end of the year, shake his hand and see where we want to go”. When that’s not possible I try and use my experience. While he has stated that he felt he had the backing of the board at the time, there is little doubt the FA Cup win over Palace bought Ferguson valuable time.
United began their FA Cup campaign with an unsatisfying and unconvincing third-round victory over Sheffield United, 1-0.
Van Gaal’s job is under threat following two seasons of underachievement and the United manager was booed by fans as he addressed them after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Palace will be hoping to capitalise on any exhausted legs in the opposition squad, who have missed out on Champion’s League football for a second consecutive season.
They got to the FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals and finished fourth-bottom in the Premier League.
“I think the pressure is on them all the time, because it’s Manchester United and it’s a historical club with a historical history, that we haven’t got”, Pardew said. They will be ready for us. But Van Gaal insisted the club’s trophy drought is not something that has been concerning him in the build-up to the game. I am fitter and stronger than a lot of people, so why people say that – I don’t understand it. They didn’t give David Moyes a chance and there is talk of Van Gaal getting sacked.
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“I never counted the games, it kind of just happened”. “I have tried to explain that”.
