Ferguson: Fans fancy United flair

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said their attacking style of play this season is winning them fans across the world.

United go into 2013 leading the Premier League table by seven points and having scored 50 goals in just 20 games this season, and Ferguson wants his side to keep up their entertaining standard.

“We’re getting goals, there’s no doubt about that,” Ferguson said.

“The fans are enjoying it and in terms of a worldwide audience they’ll be turning their TVs on, whether they’re in America or Australia, to see another 4-3.

“I think you just get immune to it all as a manager. You only enjoy the high-scoring games when you come back to win them.

“If we stop giving goals away then we’ve got a great chance this season because we’ve got plenty of goals up front.

“We’re a team that goes forward. United are playing big games all the time because most opponents are motivated to play against us.

“It shows how important it is for clubs to get a result against us. So therefore all the games are intense, there’s always a lot of energy spent and when we go forward, there’s a lot of holes left.

“And we’re getting punished for that more than ever. We’ve lost 28 goals in the Premier League already this season.

“There was one season, when Peter Schmeichel was in goal, where we came to the last game of the season and we’d only lost 17 goals.

“He lost a goal in that last game and he was going crazy. It was 18 goals in the whole season. We’ve lost 28 goals now and it’s only New Year.”

Ferguson admitted teams now come to Old Trafford believing they can score goals, and they are now forced to ‘up the ante’ and put in more effort.

“We’ve encouraged (teams to attack),” he added.

“Everyone that comes to Old Trafford thinks, ‘We can get a goal here’. The record tells you that.

“The only clean sheets we’ve had at home in the Premier League are against West Ham, Wigan and West Brom.

“We’ve been forced to up the ante all the time because we’re losing goals. We’re stretching ourselves all the time. In fairness to the players, they want to win.

“And giving the goals away is forcing them to get their fingers out. But in fairness, we’ve been brilliant at it and the attacking play at the weekend against West Brom – as well as against Newcastle on Boxing Day – was fantastic.”