Plea to away fans

Sir Alex Ferguson has written to Manchester United fans pleading for calm ahead of this weekend’s explosive FA Cup showdown with Liverpool. Manchester United travel to Anfield on Saturday to face their bitter rivals for the first time since the Luis Suarez race row erupted in October. The atmosphere at Anfield promises to be more hostile than ever and now Fergie has sent a letter to more than 5,300 fans travelling to Merseyside to be on their best behaviour. “I wrote to fans attending the away match in October urging them to co-operate with stewards and officials at Liverpool so we can make a strong case for restoring our allocation for future United games at Anfield. The fans did almost everything asked of them that day and, as a result, we have a much-improved allocation for this important FA Cup tie. Please do everything you can to continue that good work and protecting next season’s allocation by going to the seat that you’ve bought, not blocking aisles and gangways, respecting the stewards and following the ground regulations." The Sun report that Championship side Brighton are preparing to launch an audacious bid for Michael Owen. Although Owen has always maintained he would not be prepared to play outside the top flight, the paper claims the chance of regular football with Gus Poyet's ambitious side might appeal. There's also plenty of backing for Danny Welbeck in the papers, with The Independent pushing for the young striker to start for England at Euro 2012. The Sun also report Welbeck is expected to sign a new deal in the coming weeks, keeping him at Old Trafford for a further five years.