Friday, 17 April 2009 14:12 UK

Ferguson turns up heat on Benitez

BBC Sports News

 

Sir Alex Ferguson is showing no sign of letting up in his war of words with Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.

 

The two have been verbally sparring since January and in Ferguson's latest outburst the Scot blasted Benitez for labelling Everton as a "small club".

 

"Everton are a big club, not a small one which Benitez arrogantly said," said the Manchester United boss.

 

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has also criticised Benitez, but the Spaniard has "laughed off" the duo's attacks.

 

Ferguson was unhappy about the way Benitez appeared to dismiss Blackburn once Liverpool scored their second goal in their 4-0 win on Saturday.

 

"Arrogance is one thing. You cannot forgive contempt, which is what he showed Sam Allardyce last weekend," said Ferguson, speaking ahead of United's FA Cup semi-final with Everton at Wembley on Sunday.

"When Liverpool scored their second goal he signalled as if the game was finished. I do not think Sam deserved that.

"Sam has worked so hard for the LMA (League Managers' Association) and he's had a weakened team. I just thought it showed contempt.

"In my experience no Liverpool manager has ever done that. It was beyond the pale."

 

Allardyce, preparing his team for a visit to Stoke this weekend, expressed his displeasure with Benitez, describing his actions as "unfortunate gestures after Liverpool's second goal".

The Blackburn boss saw the incident as "pretty dismissive to me and Blackburn - disrespectful and quite humiliating".

Allardyce added: "The game is hard enough without a fellow manager making an undermining gesture."

 

Following Liverpool's victory over Rovers, the Reds temporarily sat at the summit of the Premier League ahead of United, with Benitez claiming Ferguson was "nervous".

However, the Red Devils bounced back to defeat Sunderland 2-1 thanks to a late Federico Macheda winner, helping them to return to top spot with seven games remaining - one more than Liverpool.

 

After being dumped out of the Champions League by Chelsea in midweek, Liverpool's next league game is against Arsenal on Tuesday, while United play Portsmouth the following day.

 

Any thoughts on Sir Alex Ferguson's 8th (EIGHTH) outburst of the season against Liverpool and Rafa Benitez?

Well as they were discussing this on Radio 5 Live tonight. Sir Alex Ferguson's rant (watching his face go a shade of beetroot whilst raising his voice is far far far worse than Rafa Benitez getting a piece of paper out of his pocket to tell a few factually correct home truths.

 

Whilst seeing the despicable little creep bully Sam Allardyce join in was laughably pathetic; but I guess it is once a toffee always a toffee (unless your name is Wayne Rooney).

 

I hope Sam Allardyce is happy to be associated with SAF's rant that deliberately used the phrase "It was beyond the pale". Because that phrase was used by The Sun Newspaper's Editorial "The Sun says" on a certain Wednesday morning in April 1989 by Kelvin McKenzie to condemn the "drunken; abusive thieves and hooligans who attacked the brave police" at the Hillsborough disaster; which has since been utterly condemned and discredited.

 

For Sir Alex Ferguson to use that hateful phrase just two days after the 20th Anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster is perhaps the most offensive thing a manager of Manchester United could do. And further proves that whilst Sir Alex Ferguson is much admired as a manager he will never be loved as a manager other than by Manchester United supporters.

 

No doubt Murdoch Inc (Sky News & Sports; The Sun; The News Of The World; The Daily Mail & The Times) will spin this to show how Sir Alex Ferguson is still the Master of Wind Up Merchants and Mind Games; but irrespective of whether Manchester United win all three remaining trophies this season (to make the Quintet) or win no further trophies; I think Sir Alex Ferguson has lost it to all neutrals and anyone who has any morals or decency.

He's just being picky now. Benitez didn't say Everton were a "small" club - he said "smaller club" which in comparison to Liverpool is correct.

 

I don't believe the signals were that the game is over either... never have I ever seen Rafa do that. He's probably one of the most cautious managers I know. If Fat Sam was offended think of the poor Newcastle fans when he left them in the $h!tter! Hypocrite. In all honesty its just getting boring now. This will probably be touted as "mind games" but is it bollocks. I can't help but feel that all this slagging off as Liverpool is just gonna propel us towards winning every match left and hopefully winning the league. Its normally the case when poeple go off talking to the media.

I hope Sam Allardyce is happy to be associated with SAF's rant that deliberately used the phrase "It was beyond the pale". Because that phrase was used by The Sun Newspaper's Editorial "The Sun says" on a certain Wednesday morning in April 1989 by Kelvin McKenzie to condemn the "drunken; abusive thieves and hooligans who attacked the brave police" at the Hillsborough disaster; which has since been utterly condemned and discredited.

 

For Sir Alex Ferguson to use that hateful phrase just two days after the 20th Anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster is perhaps the most offensive thing a manager of Manchester United could do. And further proves that whilst Sir Alex Ferguson is much admired as a manager he will never be loved as a manager other than by Manchester United supporters.

"Beyond the pale" is a phrase in common usage. I doubt Ferguson was aware that it was used by the ghastly Kelvin McKenzie in that Sun article. All of us who are old enough remember the front page and have treated that squalid organ with even more contempt than before ever since it was published. But most of us didn't read the whole thing and so can't remember everything that was written.

I don't want to go accusing Fergie of anything without any proof, but to be fair he's been a manager long enough to know about that phrase. Even if he didn't mean it, I have never heard him say it before in interviews and it was a bit out of taste considering how close it was to the Hillsborough memorial.

Just seen the real reason for why Fergie came out with this $h!t - David Moyes called Mike Riley a Man Utd fan! :lol: No wonder the press haven't latched onto it.