I do have to admit, I just read the post-match comments and immediately flew onto this board to see if there was a thread about this. I am seriously FUMING.
Look, I don't really believe in all this agenda business, but I just gotta say - this man - Fergie - makes these kind of comments all the time after matches, calling the officiating into question and having a go at the men who called his match. NOTHING ever happens to him. Mancini made a chance remark (which I truly believed he said as a joke and which was misconstrued because of the language difference) about a month ago and we went through 10 days waiting to see if he was going to be charged. You look at Whiskey Nose's quotes today and you ask yourself "what other manager in this fucking league could get away with HAMMERING onto the officials like that and not be charged by the FA. Not a single fucking one. Here are his comments as DIRECTLY QUOTED by ESPN:
"It was a clear penalty,'' he said (referring to the Rooney challenge in Spuds area) . "It was definitely a penalty. He has put his leg right in there. The linesman is facing it, I thought he had a very poor game, the linesman. I thought he was disappointing.
"We have got that history with him. He never gave offside with (Chelsea striker Didier) Drogba at Old Trafford when he was three yards offside. Everyone remembers that, I certainly do.''
The incident with Drogba came in a 2-1 win for Chelsea at Old Trafford in April 2010 and Ferguson felt his side had been let down again, with Rooney seemingly fouled only moments after replacing Shinji Kagawa.
"For me it was a poor performance from him, why he never gave a penalty I don't know,'' Ferguson added. "I think he had a shocking game today, he's had a bad game and we never got anything from that side of the pitch.''
Take all that bolded stuff and read it in one go (like he said it) and tell me who else could say such a thing after giving up a goal in stoppage time to lose two points. Any other manager would be accused of losing his cool after letting a win slip away and taking his frustrations out on the match officials.
We all know I wanted them to lose today, right? I really did, just like all Blues here. As that match went on, I saw them being THEM. Especially being the THEM of this year. They had a single measly shot on goal and still had scored a goal, although fair play to VP as it was a good header. After that, they barely had a sniff in the match and Spuds came at them again and again. They TIME WASTED like crazy. They hoofed the ball out of their area over and over. They ate more clock with their substitutions. Yes, I know that all teams do those things in one way or another, especially with a one goal lead away from their home ground, but United do it with a smugness and an arrogance that really angers me. "We're Manchester United. We scored our goal. Now roll over and lose while we stroll around the pitch like a bunch of poncy hairdressers waiting to be awarded our customary three points."
Rooney comes on and within around three minutes played made that VERY cynical challenge as Spuds were breaking up the wing. Shit sportsmanship. Welbeck goes down at around 80-84 minutes and he is wriggling around like someone had shanked him in the leg. All those cries for Rooney to be granted a penalty after (was it Evra?) pulled down an onrushing Spuds player with nothing acknowledged or awarded earlier in the second half.
Who would you rather have watched this weekend - us or them? Which side showed more spirit? Which side showed more class? Which side showed a better style of attacking football? Which side held its line and its shape better in defense? City, by a mile. Yes, they are still in first place and that's what counts, but give me City's style of play for sure.
It is who they are - ARROGANT to a man.
It also showed what I believe they are becoming - a side losing their edge who can feel it starting to slip away. Let me make very clear that I'm not talking about this season, specifically, as I think they could still very easily win the title. I'm talking about the bigger picture. I really feel that United are spinning their wheels a bit these days, and they sense that the indefinable magic that has allowed them to approach every match, opponent and officials crew with their characteristically smug sense of superiority is SLOWLY EBBING. I think their supporters feel it as well.
OK, rant over. Sorry about that.
It is UNREAL how badly I want to beat them for the title this season. Honestly, I'm even getting greedy and starting to crave a Double with the FA Cup thrown in.
CTID
