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IPSWICH TOWN NEWS
Picture Holland (grounded) - Manchester United fan. (Allsport)

HOLLAND HOPES UNITED SLIP UP

By Richard Gibson, PA Sport

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Matt Holland hopes to be sleeping a little easier on Saturday night - after ending his boyhood heroes Manchester United's Premiership title dream.

In a match with massive implications both at the top and the bottom of the table, Ipswich are in dire need of putting United's aspirations of an unprecedented four championships in a row to bed.

Such is the desperate position of the Suffolk club, in fact, going into the final two league matches, that captain Holland has been suffering from insomnia.

The Republic of Ireland international has been given more than just the waking hours to ponder the nightmare run-in that has cast Ipswich as favourites to finish in their current position of third bottom.

After United's evening visit to Portman Road - nearest rivals Sunderland, two points above them, will have already finished their match at Charlton - Ipswich go to Anfield on the final day to face Liverpool, the other side hoping to pip Arsenal to the English crown.

Even so, by the time Ipswich kick-off on Saturday the equation for survival will be a little clearer at least; a Sunderland win, for example, would leave their fate sealed by defeat to United while even a point for George Burley's team would keep them alive for the weekend no matter what happened elsewhere.

"I am a massive Manchester United fan but it makes no odds to me who we have to beat to stay up," countered Holland.

"I always look for their results and I hope they win the Champions League but if we are the team that stops them winning the league so be it, I will have no qualms.

"If it gives us a chance in the last game, it suits me."

Holland, who began the season leading Town into their first European campaign for two decades, is closing it with painful contemplation of what lies ahead.

"To be quite honest the whole situation has been playing on my mind for a few weeks now," he said.

"It's not that I am doing it consciously; it's something out of my control.

"Your mind is going round and round and you can't stop thinking about things. So I haven't had much sleep."

The midweek win over Middlesbrough, Ipswich's first for 11 Premier League matches, kept hopes of catching any one of four clubs above them mathematically if not realistically alive.

At the same time, just up the road from Holland's hometown of Bury, German side Bayer Leverkusen were doing Ipswich a possible favour.

Their draw at Old Trafford is bound to make Sir Alex Ferguson apprehensive of fielding all his big-name players ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final return despite public utterances to the contrary.

"Of course, we had a look straight away after the game at what the Manchester United result was and Arsenal for that matter as well," said Holland.

"We have a good idea of what sort of team they will put out. But whatever they do their side will be full of internationals so it makes no difference.

"They have got such a great squad that we will have to be at our best. United will come here to win the match. That's all they can do."

There will be no room for sentiment in East Anglia on Saturday but Holland has wished former schoolmate Gary Neville well after the broken bone in the England defender's foot all but ruled him out of the World Cup.

Their parents have long been friends, the families used to go and watch Bury together and Holland's mum used to play rounders with Neville's mother.

Of his time at Chantlers Primary School, Holland recalled: "I left the area when I was nine years old, I had just broken into the school team and Gary was one year below me and training with us.

"Although I don't remember a great deal about that time, I probably gave him a few grazed knees in the playground!"

On a serious note, he added: "I hope he gets fit again soon and I wish him all the best."

Meanwhile, if Ipswich do slip out of the top-flight after just two years, Holland claims they have the players to ensure an immediate return.

"The mood is as good here as it possibly could be in our situation," he said.

"It is no secret that players will have to be sold if we do go down. But there would be a collective responsibility on the nucleus of the team to get us straight back up.

"It's not over yet, though, so we have not tried to think about it too much.

"We have had other big games like the play-off final and Inter Milan and they can often bring the best out of us."

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