by Patrick » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:42 pm
Ferguson Losing The Plot
Posted by Wallace Poulter 5 minutes ago
A funny thing happened on the way to the semi final second leg of the League Cup. City, the so called noisy neighbour, appear to have got well and truly under Ferguson's skin. And to be honest I'm rather surprised.
Let's step back for a moment and give Ferguson his due. For over 20 years the Scot has built and rebuilt successful United sides. I happen to believe that it is his squad building that has been the most impressive part of United's continued silverware haul.
Part of that squad building has been the blooding of young players in the League Cup and allowing the team to win, and lose, in a Cup atmosphere. Arsenal are reaping the rewards of this policy with their league position this year. That Ferguson abandoned this practice for the first leg against City was a shock. United are on a hiding to nothing with such a decision.
If City win the tie then Ferguson's 'best' team has been beaten by the 'small club' that he dismissed at the start of the season. If City lose then it is just the status quo when it comes to clubs in the Greater Manchester area. Play the kids and a United loss is down to the kids being too young while a victory allows United to say that even their kids are better than City's first team. Even with the Leeds loss in the FA Cup I've never understood the decision to play the first team in the first leg.
Equally impressive over the years, if more odious, has been the continued attacks on referees, the FA, rival Managers and clubs that has frankly intimidated all of the above. It's worked, but in the process United have sold some of their soul to the point that there are more than a few fans who take an 'Anyone But United' approach to the League.
That ludicrous amounts of extra time are now dubbed Fergie Time shows that the public is well aware of the influence wielded by the United boss.
I've never had a problem with Ferguson's boycott of the BBC. The Beeb went after his kid and Ferguson's reaction is that of any reasonable Father given the circumstances. But this week the United Manager threw Sky out of a press conference apparently over comments about City Chief Executive Garry Cook which were misinterpreted as a question about Gary Neville.
To top it off Rio Ferdinand has appealed the FA Violent Conduct charge to be able to play tonight in, of all things, a League Cup semi final. In doing so Duran Duran's inspiration runs the risk of an additional game being added to any suspension. Now it has to be said that it is usually only clubs like Sunderland and Middlesbrough that have games added to suspensions and the Big Four never seem to, but United run the risk of losing one of their top defenders for an extra league match.
United are in no danger of missing Champions League qualification of course but even so is the League Cup really more important than the League where United still have a legitimate chance of winning the whole thing if Arsenal or Chelsea falter?
This game tonight, Manchester United vs. Manchester City is clearly the biggest game of the season. The press coverage is wall to wall, the police heavily involved, the trains and motorways from London are packed with United fans all coming to the game. And again, it is a semi final of the fourth most important competition to any team of significance in the Premier League.
For Ferguson and United to get so worked up over this game is frankly bizarre. Delightfully amusing and the implications for the future are great but still... bizarre.
The chance to beat United, a trip to Wembley and the possibility of some silverware are all excellent reasons to get excited this evening but City have already won. United are taking their noisy neighbours seriously for the first time in 30 years. And that, is a seismic change in English football.
Standing in the Naughty Corner since 1961
