Red Faces All Round
‘FEW of us can challenge the assertion that Alex Ferguson is a fine football manager, but even fewer of us would ever want to meet the man.
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| ‘What part of ‘fucking cheat’ did you not understand?’ |
The Scots charmless credentials have a new outlet this morning, as the Mirror reports that he has just been handed a two-match touchline ban by the FA, following his outburst at Manchester Uniteds match in Newcastle.
The Mirror uses a few asterisks to deliver to its readers the full Fergie invective, in which he called referee Uriah Rennie a f*****g cheat and fourth official Jeff Winter a f*****g joke.
Given that level of abuse, it is pretty unbelievable that Fergies first reaction to his punishment, as the paper claims, was to consider an appeal.
But this is football – a place where apologies are rare and admissions of failings are rarer still.
Take the Suns story, another about Manchester United, this time dealing with the Rio Ferdinand scandal.
Apparently, the Football Association are unhappy that Ferdinand has yet to supply his phone records for their perusal. But Maurice Watkins, Uniteds solicitor, says the records have been delivered to the FAs London headquarters.
Looking from the outside in at this story, the one clear thing is that nothing about the matter is, er, clear. Things need to be made transparent and quick.
Meanwhile we ask you to join us in prayer for fans of Leeds United football club.
Dear Professor, please make the Stars story that Glenn Hoddle is to be the teams next manager untrue.
We have already suffered a plague from Venables, and Reid was a poor selection, but Hoddle would be akin to the slaughter of the innocents. Let it not be. Amen.
Sadly, if the Star is to believed, Hoddle might yet be on his way to Elland Road, a replacement for the soon-to-be-ousted Peter Reid.
Yorkshiremen should look out for golden chariots in the sky. Leeds players should look at their contracts.’
Posted: 21st, October 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
