Ferguson asks home support for 'more noise'

It is the time of the season that Sir Alex Ferguson traditionally calls "squeaky bum time" and after the FA Cup fifth round replay defeat of Reading he asked for more noise in these tense times. The Manchester United manager said that the away support at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday night was "incredible" and made no secret of his belief that, at Old Trafford, the fans do not get behind the team enough.

"The fans at Reading were fantastic. The support they gave us, both there and at Fulham on Saturday, was absolutely unbelievable," Ferguson said. "They are amazing fans and it makes a difference. There were only 4,000 of them at Reading but the volume was incredible. If only we could get 16 times that amount of noise from 68,000 at Old Trafford. That really would be fantastic. All through the game they never stopped singing, and so loud. They were great for us."

It is the quiet mood of fearful contemplation at Old Trafford rather than the prawn sandwich element in the corporate seats that has affected the atmosphere there in recent years although United approach Saturday's game against Liverpool with few injury concerns. Ferguson said that Nemanja Vidic should be fit after picking up an injury against Fulham and it is expected that Gary Neville will also play in the Liverpool game after being left out for the match on Saturday and the visit to Reading.

The United captain is understood to have been left out following his public altercation with Ferguson during the 1-0 Champions League defeat of Lille, when he intervened against his manager's wishes to try and stop Lille's players from leaving the field in protest at United's goal. He is not expected to be left out for the trip to Anfield, but then that is likely to rely on just how seriously Ferguson took his action in Lens.

Although squad rotation has not been a notable success for Ferguson in recent times, the Carling Cup defeat to Southend stands out, it seemed to work against Reading. "We were as pleased as the fans to go through, the good thing about Reading was that we played a completely fresh team and did not really use the normal side we would play," Ferguson said.

"On that pitch, which was the sandiest one I've seen for a long time, it was a wise decision. The only reason I played Rio at Reading is because he is a centre-half and you don't expect them to have the same endurance test through the season as the other players. Vidic will be OK for Saturday after the knock he got at Fulham. We rested Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra, and only had Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney on the bench. Hopefully they will all be right to come back at Liverpool because we know how big a game that will be for us."

John O'Shea, in centre midfield against Reading, said: "We cannot afford to think the title is won if we win at Anfield. It is an early kick-off so we get the chance to go 12 points ahead but we know the game is going to be tough. We know that from years gone by. It is a great time to be at the club. The manager is loving it and we are loving it. This is where we want to be."