Sir Alex Ferguson has hit back at the media frenzy that followed his rant at Mike Dean on Boxing Day, calling Newcastle a “wee club”.
Fergie was involved in a heated debate with Dean and one of the linesmen shortly before the second half, as he stormed onto the pitch to reiterate his opinion regarding Newcastle’s second goal.
While Fergie might have overstepped the line – quite literally in this case – the media chose to ignore many of Dean’s dubious decisions and his far from illustrious precedents. Dean, born in Wirral, not far from Merseyside, was once appointed to referee the 2006 FA Cup final and subsequently replaced due to doubts over his ability to remain impartial towards Liverpool. He was also in charge when, in 2010, an offside goal by Didier Drogba sealed a 2-1 win for Chelsea at Old Trafford, sending the title to West London.
With Redknapp and Mancini facing actions from the FA for criticising the refs after their respective games and Fergie escaping punishment, the ABU circus has been in full swing since Boxing Day and Alan Pardew suggested that Fergie should have been sent off. This come from a manager that was given a two-match ban earlier in the season for pushing an assistant referee.
Sir Alex, was having none of it: “I was demonstrative but I was not out of order. The press have had a field day. The only person they have not spoken to is Barack Obama because he is busy.
“It is unfortunate but I am the manager of the most famous club in the world. Not Newcastle, a wee club in the north east.
“I was demonstrative. I am always demonstrative. Everyone knows that. I am an emotional guy. But I was not abusive.
“I shouted Mike over. We walked towards each other. I was only on (the pitch) three or four yards. That has been overplayed.
“The problem for me is that the profile of this club is huge.
“Alan Pardew has come out and criticised me. He is the worst at haranguing referees. He shoves them and makes a joke of it. How he can criticise me is unbelievable. He forgets the help I gave him, by the way.”
Fergie’s statement is undoubtedly going to stir up a storm and, while many have already accused him of trying to hide his side’s weaknesses behind this bullish facade, how many times have we seen this in the past? Sir Alex loves nothing more than creating a siege mentality.
Expect to hear more about this, should United win the title this year. After all, we all know the truth. Fergie and Gill control the FA,UEFA and FIFA and possibly even the United Nations. And United get all the decisions.
Dan (@MUFC_dan87)
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