by The Beast » Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:51 pm
Thanks for finding that spoon. Interesting article. I have copy and pasted so that more will read.
FOOTBALL BETTING HEADLINES
Picture Ferguson - wasn't happy Wiley's performance.
FERGUSON REDRESSES THE BALANCE
By Mike Holden
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Circulating the internet a couple of weeks ago was a short video clip of Sir Alex Ferguson joking around with Alan Wiley.
Taken from Sky TV's coverage of the Manchester derby and slowed down for its sinister effect, it shows the elated United boss indulging in a spot of horse play with the fourth official moments after his team had regained the lead for the final time in their dramatic 4-3 win against neighbours City.
In the foreground, Mark Hughes looks on ruefully at the actions of his former boss and mentor. Moments earlier, Hughes had been berating Wiley with the scores at 3-3 as the clock ticked beyond the four minutes of injury time that had originally been indicated.
In the moment, it was hard to avoid jumping to the conclusion that Ferguson was goading his former striker, sending out a message to his newest rival that, for all City's money, he still has control over most things in the Premier League.
In the week that followed, conspiracy theories raged about the preferential treatment received by United whenever they require additional time to find a winning goal at Old Trafford, and timekeeping became the hot topic in pubs and clubs up and down the country.
Even out here in Spain - where they love a good conspiracy theory - it was difficult to avoid the subject, with television commentators passing jovial remarks about Ferguson and Old Trafford whenever an electronic board was held aloft to indicate added time in subsequent Primera Liga matches.
For Ferguson, this wasn't good news. The level of focus was such that it threatened to undermine his influence over match officials in the future and the balance had to be redressed pretty quickly. Anybody who has followed his career with eager scrutiny knew what was coming.
On Saturday, Ferguson launched a scathing attack on Wiley's refereeing performance after United dropped two points against Sunderland, his remarks preceded by an astonishing tirade on the touchline towards the fourth official Mike Dean over a penalty claim that was ignored.
The contrast in his behaviour from United's previous home fixture couldn't have been more striking.
As it turned out, the subject of Ferguson's fury was Wiley's fitness, but really it could have been anything.
For Ferguson, it was simply imperative to generate a debate around a fresh subject whereby United would be perceived as the victims.
And neither could it do any harm to send out a not-so-subtle reminder to match officials about the dire consequences that await a referee who delivers what Ferguson considers to be a sub-standard performance.
Needless to say, the next few weeks promise to be pretty tough for Mr Wiley but this was another master class in media management from Ferguson.
It's also a classic example of what has made him the greatest manager in the history of the British game because it touches upon an aspect of his personality that is unrivalled by anyone else I can think of, an aspect that psychologists would refer to as his belief system.
You see, for all of the so-called 'mind games' employed by the United manager, it is also true that Ferguson genuinely believes everything he says.
Anybody who has read his autobiography will confirm it is probably the most overtly biased and one-sided account of any story you could ever wish to find, although that doesn't detract from its quality and the value of its insight into the mind of a legendary figure.
Anyway, from what I could make out, the over-riding conclusion is that Ferguson has never lost a game fairly and squarely in his entire managerial career, except perhaps when it served a greater purpose by decorating a tale that ultimately proved him to be correct with an earlier assumption.
The key point to all of this is that is that Ferguson chooses what he wants to believe and he always chooses to believe whatever will serve the greatest purpose for him and his team in the future.
In this respect, he is dealing in an area of Neuro-Linguistic Programming known as empowering beliefs and, most importantly, he has the capacity to make other people buy into those beliefs as well.
The closer you are to Ferguson, the more influenced you become by his framing of any given situation and the more you take on board his beliefs, adopting them as your own.
So primarily, those beliefs are most powerful within the confines of his own dressing room, while at a secondary level, they spread their influence to the behaviour of match officials, opposing teams and the media, while the rest of us are mostly distant onlookers who don't quite get it.
So when Ferguson says that United should have beaten City by six or seven goals in the recent derby, he genuinely believes it.
It serves Ferguson and his players no purpose to offer City any credit. They need to keep that psychological gap between the two clubs as wide as possible, for as long as possible.
And when he insinuates that Wiley's supposed lack of fitness cost United three points against Sunderland, he genuinely believes that too.
Because it serves Ferguson and his players no purpose to entertain ideas of dipping form and a goalkeeper lacking in confidence. Instead, it's much better to turn recent accusations of United's preferential treatment on their head with an example that can be portrayed as quite the opposite.
However, at this point, it is vital to remember that there is a world of difference between thinking something and believing something.
Beliefs combine our thoughts with genuine feelings. They are the principles of action, not empty theories. They are self-fulfilling prophecies.
For example, if you believe yourself to be a likeable person, then you will act that way. You will approach people with open body language, be gregarious and enjoy other people's company. They will warm to you and so confirm your belief.
Likewise, if you believe that you have the best team in the country, a team six or seven goals better than the emerging force from the other side of town, a team that only ever drops points when the referee isn't up to scratch, then your players - presuming they also buy into that set of beliefs - will also act accordingly.
This perhaps explains why United often prove to be so strong when minds begin to tire in the second half of a long, hard season.
By refusing to accept most of their shortcomings over the previous six months, they still have the belief in their ability to get the job done and claim another league title when it gets down to the business end of the campaign.
