United fan ready to put final nail in LVG’s coffin

IAN BLACK used to spend eight hours on the road just to watch Manchester United. He would travel from his Edinburgh home by car with his dad and brother, leaving at eight in the morning and arriving back at nine at night.

Tomorrow he will take a shorter trip to line up against his boyhood club, dreaming of a famous upset that could bring Louis van Gaal to breaking point.

The Shrewsbury Town midfielder had a trial with United as a star-struck teenager before signing for Blackburn and going on to play for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hearts, and Rangers.

He can chart how much times have changed, from the steady stream of silverware to the mundane football and poor results offered up by Van Gaal.

‘There is a lot of pressure on him,’ says Black. ‘But he is at the biggest club in the world for a reason. He can handle pressure.

‘The money he has had to spend is crazy. You don’t know what the board is thinking — one minute he is all right, the next maybe not. The pressure will definitely be on if we can put steal something. I’ve cheered the team but now I’m looking forward to playing against them.

‘I sit in the Stretford End. I used to get animated as a kid, but now I sit there and pay attention to the game. I try to analyse how they play, it helps my own game.

‘They play good football, it is just at times they have over-played and not penetrated enough around the box.

‘They have been poor this season but everybody has bad spells. They are just having a longer one than other teams. It’s Man U — you can never write them off.’

Dad Ian and brother Jonathan will watch United as usual tomorrow, but for the first time they will be cheering on the opposition.