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by Oliver Holt, dateline 21 March 2021, Daily Mirror
by Oliver Holt, dateline 21 March 2021, Daily Mirror
SIR ALEX FERGUSON broke a 10-year silence last night to launch a furious defence of his decision to appoint former racehorse Rock of Gibraltar as Manchester United’s assistant manager.
Speaking from the throne room of his new purpose-built command cell deep below Old Trafford, the United boss said the one-time wonder horse would defy critics by helping him usher in a new era of success at the once mighty club.
Sir Alex, who appeared to be alone in the room and spoke directly into the camera, did not mention rumours that former assistant Mike Phelan had been fired for ‘making eye contact’ with BBC presenter Gary Lineker after Saturday’s defeat to Northampton Town.
“The Rock knows more about football than anyone I’ve ever met,” said Ferguson, who was wearing military fatigues and a cowboy hat given to him by his hero, John Wayne. “Anyone who says different is a bloody idiot.
“It is typical of Sky television that they should try to undermine the boy by insisting on showing footage of him winning the 2000 Guineas.
“He will not be speaking about his new role because I have told him he will only be misquoted by the b***ards in the press.”
United chief executive David Gill said he backed Ferguson’s decision to replace Phelan with Rock Of Gibraltar “unequivocally”.
“I am comfortable with the move and confident it will help us continue to grow our revenues,” said Gill, who has recently been seen tending the rose bushes and painting the gutters at Ferguson’s new 60-room palace in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Ferguson’s comments were aired by Old Trafford Television (OTT), the station he established in 2011 when MUTV was closed down for trying to snare the United manager in an evil plot to twist his words.
Many have traced United’s current woes back to 10 years ago when Ferguson’s aggressive behaviour became increasingly erratic and irrational after back-to-back league defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool.
He forced the club to impose a media blackout after he was trapped into giving an interview at Stamford Bridge by an obsequious MUTV reporter who put a microphone in front of his mouth and asked him to talk.
Ferguson was later said to be livid that his claim referee Martin Atkinson had been seen dancing naked in the woods with the words ‘Die United Die’ daubed on his chest, in goat’s blood, had been interpreted as a comment on the official’s impartiality.
He was also angry that Atkinson had awarded a penalty against Chris Smalling for what appeared to be a fair tackle on Yuri Zhirkov and said United had never been gifted a dodgy spot-kick in their entire history.
Ferguson denied his comments had in any way harmed the FA’s Respect campaign, or worsened a situation where referees feel as though they are entering war zones when they turn up to officiate at an Under-10s game in Milton Keynes. He said he was happy to go the rest of the season without criticising referees as long as Mark Clattenburg was appointed to every single United game.
And agreed to look the other way again whenever Wayne Rooney ran to the sideline, picked up a shovel and smashed an opponent in the face with it.
He refused to accept that Jamie Carragher might not have been sent off for an appalling tackle on Nani during the 3-1 defeat at Liverpool because Nani goes down like he has a six-inch gash in his shin every time an opponent looks at him.
And he said Sky’s refusal to black out its live coverage for all Liverpool’s goals in their victory at Anfield was a crime against humanity and proof that Rupert Murdoch was in the pay of Roman Abramovich and Arsene Wenger.
The Premier League got tough with Ferguson by sending him on a two-week all-expenses paid trip to stay in Richard Scudamore’s mansion on Cape Cod.
And even though the Glazer family backed Ferguson with cash to sign three asylum seekers they spotted having a kick-about on some waste ground in Eccles, the United boss was powerless to halt the club’s slide away from the top of the table and down the leagues.
But in his broadcast yesterday, Ferguson avoided any comment on United’s mid-table position in League Two and concentrated instead on renewing his attack on the media.
He claimed the BBC had been formulating plans to carpet-bomb Old Trafford during next month’s clash with Shrewsbury Town.
And he said he had complained to the government because he had detected a message hidden in the BBC logo.
“Any normal person can see the words ‘In Istanbul, We Won It Five Times’ as clear as day in that design,” Ferguson thundered.
“It is incontrovertible evidence of that organisation’s malevolent bias against this club.
“I have spoken to Alastair Campbell about it and he says the BBC will not rest until it has wiped out me, my players, my staff and the entire population of Stretford.”
Gill insisted he was still very optimistic about the club’s future.
He revealed that Sir Ryan Giggs and Sir Paul Scholes had both signed new one-year contracts that included funding for Stannah stairlifts to be installed in their homes.
And he said that claims the Glazers were starving the club of investment as they ploughed their cash into rebuilding the Tampa Bay Bucanneers’ pirate ship were “complete rubbish”.
“Sir Alex will have £6billion available to him to strengthen the squad and grow the brand in the next transfer window,” Gill said. “It is up to him whether he spends it or not.”
Ferguson could not be reached for comment.