Benitez not happy with Fergie

mayordenis

UnitedIrishman wrote: »

Hold on a second now, am I the first today to say it?

nah mate - but like you can do better than that - you make a lot of good points but then I can't give your views any merit cause you pepper it with nonsense here and there - anyway it's cool I'll stop critisizing you not my place.
Expect rafa to have a full report on you ahead of our next game though.

UnitedIrishman

mayordenis wrote: »

nah mate - but like you can do better than that - you make a lot of good points but then I can't give your views any merit cause you pepper it with nonsense here and there - anyway it's cool I'll stop critisizing you not my place.
Expect rafa to have a full report on you ahead of our next game though.

Ok fair enough, it wasn't intended to take the piss out of his accent as such but the fact he said the word over and over again. I'll try and stick to the point instead of baiting!

mayordenis

UnitedIrishman wrote: »

Ok fair enough, it wasn't intended to take the piss out of his accent as such but the fact he said the word over and over again. I'll try and stick to the point instead of baiting!

/lick

fish fingers

mayordenis wrote: »

nah mate - but like you can do better than that - you make a lot of good points but then I can't give your views any merit cause you pepper it with nonsense here and there - anyway it's cool I'll stop critisizing you not my place.
Expect rafa to have a full report on you ahead of our next game though.

LOL

redout

mayordenis wrote: »

Another stupid comment mate - you're mocking him for his prounounciation of words in his non-native tongue.

If you are going to come here and debate don't sit around using play school insults - talk like an adult or take a hike.

I will just add that I live in Madrid and obviously here Spaniards speaking English on a regular bases and there was nothing unusual about Rafa.

UnitedIrishman

mayordenis wrote: »

/lick

Hey I've already been banned from this forum previously!

Highsider

UnitedIrishman wrote: »

Ok fair enough, it wasn't intended to take the piss out of his accent as such but the fact he said the word over and over again. I'll try and stick to the point instead of baiting!

Fair play mate.

redout

mayordenis wrote: »

again The Pool side and the nuetrals seem to all think he was bang on, It's only really the United Fans who think otherwise.

This is a quote from the times.

"Benítez was accused by some journalists of rising to Ferguson’s bait and falling for the “mind games” that famously drew an overemotional response from Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle United manager at the time, in the heat of the title race in the 1995-96 campaign."


Here is a Pool fans comments on the rant from the Independent.


"I am very worried by our Manager. Has he gone mad? No one has said anything about liverpool except for those who accuarately sight our somewhat dismal record under Rafa. Why doesn't he let sleeping dogs lie while we continue to mount our challenge to the EPL title? What this madman has done is to unleash the fury of a man who has no equals when it comes to getting the best out of his team at crunch time and at the same engineering the choking by his opponents. Rafa is so dumb that he is trying tobe a player in a game at which he has no experience.
We might as well go ahead and crown ManU.
We all we see the master hit back at a time of his choosing and Rafa will suffer immensely."

Complain about this comment
Posted by Liverpool forever | 09.01.09, 23:44 GMT

mayordenis

redout wrote: »

This is a quote from the times.

"Benítez was accused by some journalists of rising to Ferguson’s bait and falling for the “mind games” that famously drew an overemotional response from Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle United manager at the time, in the heat of the title race in the 1995-96 campaign."

awfully vague - I'm mostly going by the reaction on soccer forums, sites, and like phone in's by actual football fans as opposed the media reaction which is obliged to take this in the most sensationalist direction.

bUILDERtHEbOB

Just watched it there finally, Rafa man, I love you, fahct.

Seperate

"But I have seen some facts. On 1st November, they played Hull and Mr Ferguson had a two-match touchline ban and a £10,000 fine after confronting Mike Dean, the referee, for improper conduct."

This is True.

"We started the Respect campaign, and that was when (Javier) Mascherano was sent off (last season) at Old Trafford."

If you're such an avid follower of the campagn (and even if you're not) he deserved to be sent off.

"The referee (Steve Bennett) was the referee when they played against Wigan - he could not see the handball against Wigan by Rio Ferdinand, he did not give a penalty. They won the game and they won the title in this game."

Because thats never happened before? Liverpool vs Athletico Madrid comes to mind... Agger and Carragher handball it - not given... and liverpool get a penalty that clearly shouldn't have been given.

United won the title because they had more points then Chelsea, not because of that decision.

"I think it will be the same referee who will be in charge of their game in hand this season (against Wigan)."

If SAF had a choice of who would ref the game, Bennett wouldn't be anywhere near the top of it. He has sent off Ronnie twice and is known to let him take a beating. He is a mediocre referee in my opinion, that likes to be in the spot light.

"During the Respect campaign - and this is a fact - Mr Ferguson was charged by the FA for improper conduct after comments made about Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett.

"He was not punished. He is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things."

In Rafa's train of thought, should he not get some punishment for this rant about referees and how the board let people off? It's swings and roundabouts... but if he doesn't get punished, then this whole argument is flawed - as SAF isn't the only person to get away with it.

But hold on, the first quote says Ferguson got punished? Make up your mind Rafa.

"I was surprised but I have to talk about facts," added Benitez. "I think that is important. I think they (United) are nervous because we are at the top of the table.

"I want to be clear. I don't want to play mind games too early and I think that they want to start."

You're not playing the mind games Rafa, you're being played.

"Then he was talking about the fixtures," continued the former Valencia chief. "Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs away on Saturdays when United were playing on Sundays. And we didn't say anything."

This suggests otherwise.

"Now he is complaining about everything, that everybody is against United. But the second half of the season will see them playing at home against all the teams at the top of the table, it is a fantastic advantage."

Bit of a hypocrite here - as in the link above he said;

"I would like to ask the Premier League why is it that Liverpool always play the most fixtures away from home in an early kick-off, following an international break?"

Close enough to what SAF has been saying. How come in 2007 Rafa feels compelled to think the world is against LFC, but for SAF to suggest something similar in an even worse situation, is so outrageous?

"But at Christmas, United played on the 29th and the rest of the teams played on the 28th. We were away against Newcastle two days after playing Bolton. They were playing about 40 hours later, they were not complaining then."

Well you just enjoy your mid-week breaks while we play midweek for 4 weeks in a row.

"If he wants to talk about fixtures, and have a level playing field as you say in England. There are two options if we don't want more problems with fixtures.

"One is the same as in Spain, the draw for the first part of the league is known, everyone knows which weekend. In the second half everyone plays the opposite, so you all know."

"Sky have the right to choose their games and it will be the same for everyone. So Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about fixtures and a campaign against United.

I actually like this idea if i'm honest.

"Or there is another option. That Mr Ferguson organises the fixtures in his office and sends it to us and everyone will know and cannot complain. That is simple."

To me, that's a schoolboy response and it shows how much he has let it get to him - that he would take time out of his mind to think that.

For all the pool fans who think this is some kind of battle cry - maybe that is what you need at the moment - but this isn't anything of the sort. It's a flawed argument, that contradicts itself - and where are the facts that he started off talking about?

The whole thing about ferguson organising the fixture list? To me, that means he's thinking about it too much and fergie is definitely getting to him.

Iang87

Benitez is gettin grief for making a few fair well organised points i'm a liverpool fan and what i got was that simply he's got a bigger pair of balls than any other manager in the league who are afraid of poxy fines, he was right in everything he said.

As far as fergie and his mind games bull**** goes is it not a fair point to also state that the european champions if they are apparently this good, shouldn't need mind games to make other sides slip up shouldn't they just play every side off the park and win everything as i've been kindly reminded by united fans everytime they score a last minute goal, get a dodgy penalty, escape red cards, Sorry i seem to be goin on a bit of a rant about the glory that is Man Utds glorious world conquering side

zing

On the whole he's cracked under the pressure thing - what pressure is he under now ? Seriously though - think about it - right now on the eve of a game against a club in the relegation zone followed by your two closest rivals playing each other how much pressure is he really under ? Next week things start to heat up a bit for us with two derbys inside a week but this weekend - what pressure ?

Or maybe Fergie's mindgames have gotten to him - iirc Fergie has only made one comment recently which in itself wasn't particularly negative about us or anything like that. If that's all it takes for Fergie to crack him then I'm amazed he's managed to hold it together for 4.5 years :rolleyes:

Mr.Nice Guy

I had to laugh upon hearing Rafa's comments. The guy is clearly rattled and cracking under the pressure. I bet it brought a smile to the legend's face when he heard the remarks.

zing wrote: »

On the whole he's cracked under the pressure thing - what pressure is he under now ? Seriously though - think about it - right now on the eve of a game against a club in the relegation zone followed by your two closest rivals playing each other how much pressure is he really under ? Next week things start to heat up a bit for us with two derbys inside a week but this weekend - what pressure ?

The pressure of being in a situation that he has never been in before? There's nothing Pool fans want more than the title.

Iang87

why is it benitez cracking under pressure and any time ferguson opens his mouth its mind games. i guess double standards reached media and people just lik the FA

dfx-

About right I'd say about his intentions...

Sam Wallace in the Independent

In April 1988, a 46-year-old Alex Ferguson, not yet knighted and virtually the same age as Jose Mourinho is now, gave his take on how Liverpool benefited from refereeing decisions. "I can understand why clubs come away from Anfield choking on their own vomit and biting their tongues knowing they have been done by the referee," he said. "It would be a miracle to win here. I am not getting at this referee. It is the whole intimidating atmosphere and the monopoly they [Liverpool] have enjoyed here for years that gets to the referees eventually."

More than 20 years on, despite all that Ferguson has said since, that quotation is one of his most memorable. In fact you can still buy T-shirts in Manchester bearing those words. Coming after a 3-3 draw it became the defining take on the perceived bias of referees towards Liverpool at Anfield. It was argued over for months. The point is not whether Ferguson was right or wrong. The point is that people remembered. The point is that referees remembered.

If Rafael Benitez's invective yesterday against United was designed to do anything then it was designed to stick in people's minds, especially the part about United players haranguing referees and getting decisions at Old Trafford. Liverpool fans, spare me the pious emails telling me he is right. This is not about right or wrong – and who on earth could ever judge which team gets the most decisions at home? It is about having a calculated effect on referees in a title run-in that is heating up nicely.

Ferguson is a bully. In fact he's brilliant at it. After the FA Cup third round tie against Southampton, the manager Jan Poortvliet said, as respectfully as possible, that Ferguson stood up once in the whole game and after that every decision went for him. He may well be right, but does anyone seriously expect Ferguson not to use his 23 years of unprecedented success, his fame, his forceful personality to give himself an advantage? There is no manager who would not do the same.

Benitez has taken Ferguson on at his own game and for that he deserves admiration. It is testament to his own understated way of going about things that he had every argument typed out in bullet points on a sheet of paper. Ferguson prefers the molten-eruption, phlegm-flecked, finger-jabbing approach. Benitez delivered in the manner of a geologist giving a lecture on soil erosion.

The desired effect for the Liverpool manager is that every referee in charge of a United game from tomorrow to the end of the season is eager not to be the man fingered for caving into Ferguson. It will be the issue that grips us from now on: is Benitez right? And that is just the way the Liverpool manager wants it. If one referee has a moment of doubt because of what Benitez has said and denies United accordingly then, for Liverpool, it will have been worth it.

Ferguson will have to come back at Benitez, he will have to do so in order to defend his team. He has been here before, to a lesser degree, when Arsène Wenger accused the Neville brothers of targeting Jose Antonio Reyes in the famous 49-game unbeaten run-ending match in October 2004. Never mind the "Battle of the Buffet" that ensued, Ferguson was most concerned to address a public perception that his team were dirty because he realised how damaging that could be.

If you have any sympathy, save it for the referees who find themselves in a no-win situation. No one can actually remember whether that decision to send off Colin Gibson that sparked Ferguson's rant almost 21 years ago was right or not. They do not recall whether Steve McMahon should have been sent off too, which he also believed. They just recall the impression that Liverpool got decisions at home. Which is exactly the same legacy – albeit with referees at Old Trafford – that Benitez wishes to create.

zing

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

The pressure of being in a situation that he has never been in before? There's nothing Pool fans want more than the title.

He has been there with Valencia though - remember ? My point was that he's under relatively little pressure this weekend - hell he's been under far more pressure during some of the CL games over the last few years than he'll be under all this weekend regardless of the outcome of the games. His team are top and the worst that can happen is Chelsea join us at the top - would that really be the season over for him ? Yes he's under pressure to try stay on top but our game this weekend should (fingers, etc.. crossed) be relatively straight forward - 1st v 18th or wherever Stoke are. If he's cracking this weekend he'll probably need to be in restraints for his pres conferences for the derbys.

NaiveMelodies

Trying to be as balanced as possible about this, and obviously I'll say Fergie is 1 up in the mind games as I am biased.

However, the thing that really shocked me that the question Benitez was asked had nothing to do with the "rant" that ensued.

The fact that he had it prepared would also worry me, surely he should be 110 percent focused on his sides tactics and selection?

redout

only1stevo wrote: »

Trying to be as balanced as possible about this, and obviously I'll say Fergie is 1 up in the mind games as I am biased.

However, the thing that really shocked me that the question Benitez was asked had nothing to do with the "rant" that ensued.

The fact that he had it prepared would also worry me, surely he should be 110 percent focused on his sides tactics and selection?

I would say Benitez is under huge pressure to be honest. He manages the most succesful team in British football who are expected to challenge for the league and who have not won it in 18 years. This year being in such a good position only adds to the pressure on his shoulders in my opinion.

ntlbell

lol he was like a spanish bertie ahern

how embarassing..

NaiveMelodies

redout wrote: »

I would say Benitez is under huge pressure to be honest. He manages the most succesful team in British football who are expected to challenge for the league and who have not won it in 18 years. This year being in such a good position only adds to the pressure on his shoulders in my opinion.

And hes after adding the pressure of having to overcome the challenge of united, because if he doesnt, I, along with many united fans will most certainly refer back to this rant and laugh, alot, at rafa!
This is the facts, no?:D

mayordenis

ntlbell wrote: »

lol he was like a spanish bertie ahern

how embarassing..

only1stevo wrote: »

And hes after adding the pressure of having to overcome the challenge of united, because if he doesnt, I, along with many united fans will most certainly refer back to this rant and laugh, alot, at rafa!
This is the facts, no?:D

awesome guys

Mr.Nice Guy

zing wrote: »

He has been there with Valencia though - remember ? My point was that he's under relatively little pressure this weekend - hell he's been under far more pressure during some of the CL games over the last few years than he'll be under all this weekend regardless of the outcome of the games. His team are top and the worst that can happen is Chelsea join us at the top - would that really be the season over for him ? Yes he's under pressure to try stay on top but our game this weekend should (fingers, etc.. crossed) be relatively straight forward - 1st v 18th or wherever Stoke are. If he's cracking this weekend he'll probably need to be in restraints for his pres conferences for the derbys.

He's been there with Valencia but that hasn't counted for a lot in previous title races. To be honest I don't see the logic in it. As you say he's not under pressure this weekend but from now until the end of the season this is going to be on people's minds and will certainly be mentioned frequently. Why do it? I mean deciding to engage in mind games with Fergie is a bit like challenging Phil Taylor to a game of darts. I can only imagine he saw it as a pre-emptive strike and a way to rally Liverpool fans but I believe this could add extra pressure to a Liverpool team that still has a good bit of the season to get through. A mistake on his part in my view.

Chardee MacDennis

if anyone thinks rafa needs to concentrate on his team selection for tomorrow then it shows how little people know of Rafa! he would have had his tactics and formation set for this game weeks ago...

Chucky the tree

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

He's been there with Valencia but that hasn't counted for a lot in previous title races. To be honest I don't see the logic in it. As you say he's not under pressure this weekend but from now until the end of the season this is going to be on people's minds and will certainly be mentioned frequently. Why do it? I mean deciding to engage in mind games with Fergie is a bit like challenging Phil Taylor to a game of darts. I can only imagine he saw it as a pre-emptive strike and a way to rally Liverpool fans but I believe this could add extra pressure to a Liverpool team that still has a good bit of the season to get through. A mistake on his part in my view.

You honestly dont know why he picked to say this two days before the United chelsea match at Old Trafford to make remakrs about how Fergie treats referee's to influnece their decisions in games?

mormank

Villain wrote: »

Well Sir Alex imo as someone who doesn't like Utd has deserved the title of Sir and it doesn't do Rafa any favours to disrespect him by calling him Mr

oh give me a break!!! the title of sir is just something given out by the queen every now and then so she doesnt seem so obselete!! british empire indeed...

what a joke that sports personalities can become knights anyway!! lol

~Rebel~

lost it? Just watched it on cnn - most composed, planned thing ever! Its not like he's said anything particularly 'out there'. I don't see any adverse affects from this tbh. Added pressure? I think challenging for the league is pretty much the peak of pressure anyway..what it mite do is take alex's eye off the ball in some small way before the massive game on sunday.

That he decided to pick now, makes me think rafa isn't as worried about chelsea as he is about manu (which id agree with).

As for this going to haunt him for the season? Managers make these rants every few weeks! Id be surprised if this gets more the the very occasional mention after a week, because its simply No Big Deal. Its a bit of a non story. Now, if pool went on to not win any of their next 3 or 4 games, people would point at the timing, but i just don't see that happening.

zing

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

He's been there with Valencia but that hasn't counted for a lot in previous title races. To be honest I don't see the logic in it. As you say he's not under pressure this weekend but from now until the end of the season this is going to be on people's minds and will certainly be mentioned frequently. Why do it?

Why do it ? For the very reason you mention - to get this on peoples minds from now until the end of the season. But not Joe Punter - Joe Punter doesn't matter here - it's about having this stick in the referees minds between now and the end of the season and if it has an influence on just one or two of them then it'll have been successful (but of course Joe Punter may not see that). That Sam Wallace article is largely on the money for me

walshki

zing wrote: »

Why do it ? For the very reason you mention - to get this on peoples minds from now until the end of the season. But not Joe Punter - Joe Punter doesn't matter here - it's about having this stick in the referees minds between now and the end of the season and if it has an influence on just one or two of them then it'll have been successful (but of course Joe Punter may not see that). That Sam Wallace article is largely on the money for me

Exactly - Rafa does nothing that he doesn't think might give some tactical advantage - rants aren't in his nature. He sees this might influence referees in games involving United and one this Sunday involving Chelsea and United. He wasn't overly emotional. Any nervousness there was I would attribute to him being concerned about not being clear in his second language. He wasn't near tears or cracking under pressure - just hopping a ball. All the better if its gets a response from Mr. Sir Alex.

mormank

i personally cant wait for gift grub´s take on this!! should be good. be gutted if they dont pick up on this.

im delighted to see rafa making this statement. nobody is talking aboue stevie´s troubles anymore are they....

ciaran76

I think SKY are going over the top on suggesting its a Keegan-esque type of rant !!!

~Rebel~

grahem poll is throwing himself back into the limelight again, agreeing with Rafa's comments, which is great, keeps the focus on the issue he raised rather then this silly 'rafa rant' angle. Can't post a link as am posting from mobile.

rosboy

~Rebel~ wrote: »

grahem poll is throwing himself back into the limelight again, agreeing with Rafa's comments, which is great, keeps the focus on the issue he raised rather then this silly 'rafa rant' angle. Can't post a link as am posting from mobile.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_4773786,00.html

p.pete

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Can't post a link as am posting from mobile.

get you!
Yeah, the initial impression I'm getting is one of glee from united fans, speculating AF will be smiling to himself. I really don't see the Keegan link - I always associate sky sports with fox news, and fox news with the republican party, anyway...

zing

Doubt if we'll hear anything from Fergie until after tomorrows game and then I guess what he has to say may well depend on the outcome of the 2 games.

Interesting to see Poll throwing his weight behind Rafa on this - I wonder will any others follow suit ? No current Ref will for obvious reasons and I doubt if many other prem managers will but the likes of Jose has never shirked away from this sort of thing.

Trizo

Rafa's body language tells it's own story

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-his-skin.html

Dr Karl Morris, a leading sports psychologist who has worked with Andrew Flintoff, examines the five key areas of Rafael Benitez’s broadside.

THE NOTES

The fact that Benitez has got chapter and verse written down shows that he is so wound up that he is determined to get everything off his chest. Sir Alex’s remarks have been festering and he is determined not to forget to say anything in the heat of the moment.

THE VOICE

Benitez starts off speaking very calmly, quite measured, but it’s almost too calm. The effort of it makes the delivery a little forced, and he can’t keep the façade up.

RISING TO THE BAIT

Many of the claims Sir Alex makes are for the benefit of his own team, but he’s so good at getting his rivals to the stage where they just can’t keep their feelings bottled up. He will be delighted Benitez has reacted.

MIND GAMES

Sir Alex knows what he’s doing when he makes these comments, but Benitez’s reaction is not one of a man confident his side can win the title. He is trying to control what is outside his sphere of influence.

It’s a cliché in psychology but you should only worry about what you can control, not what you can’t. That Benitez is trying to influence things beyond his control suggests Sir Alex has rattled him.

p.pete

Trizo wrote: »

It’s a cliché in psychology but you should only worry about what you can control, not what you can’t.

Is it?
Karl Morris seems to specialise in improving peoples golf game - while he may be good for improving peoples focus and mental preparation this hardly makes him an expert on behavior.

Highsider

Just being down Easons and had a good look over the papers (not the redtops,would'nt wipe my arse with them) and the general opinion seems to be Benitez has had the honesty to come out and say what every manager in the league has wanted to say for years now but has'nt had the balls. Master stroke from Rafa IMO as there will be intense pressure on referees now to be fair and balanced when utd are playing. Interesting times ahead.

Highsider

zing wrote: »

Doubt if we'll hear anything from Fergie until after tomorrows game and then I guess what he has to say may well depend on the outcome of the 2 games.

Interesting to see Poll throwing his weight behind Rafa on this - I wonder will any others follow suit ? No current Ref will for obvious reasons and I doubt if many other prem managers will but the likes of Jose has never shirked away from this sort of thing.

Not a chance any other current managers will come out on Rafa's side on this one. People who would usually stand up and give an opinion ( O,Neill..Moyes..) wont because they are waiting in the wings for when ferguson retires.

Highsider

rosboy wrote: »

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_4773786,00.html

No surprises on what he has said. It's been common knowledge for years now. Good to see him coming out and saying it but would be nice if a referee who was still in the game came out with this.

Trizo

Highsider wrote: »

Not a chance any other current managers will come out on Rafa's side on this one. People who would usually stand up and give an opinion ( O,Neill..Moyes..) wont because they are waiting in the wings for when ferguson retires.

That and the fact that barring the top few other managers Ferguson is well liked and respected by managers who have played/worked or called him up looking for help on numerous occasions. There are a lot of managers out there who have learned alot from Ferguson and wouldnt hesitate to pick up the phone to ask advice.Some referees obviously are not that happy with Ferguson but after 22 years in the same job how many toes would you have stepped on?

podge018

Bringing in the notes prove it was a completely spontaneous Keeganesque-type rant, lucky he didn't top himself at the end of it.

mike65

Writing down points on a note pad does not incidate spontaneous in my world...

ntlbell

BastardPrince wrote: »

if anyone thinks rafa needs to concentrate on his team selection for tomorrow then it shows how little people know of Rafa! he would have had his tactics and formation set for this game weeks ago...

how can someone who prepares so long in advance get it so magiclaly wrong so often?

what does he do for the rest of the week?

wirte scripts on fergie?

maybe he should try learning them so he doesn't look like a dribbling bafoon on tv

podge018

mike65 wrote: »

Writing down points on a note pad does not incidate spontaneous in my world...

does sarcasm register in your world either?

mike65

It does but I need a smilie to help cos there are so many bellends on this thread its hard to be sure who'd being clever and who's just stupid.

ntlbell

mike65 wrote: »

It does but I need a smilie to help cos there are so many bellends on this thread its hard to be sure who'd being clever and who's just stupid.

i see what you did there

copacetic

heh heh, all the panel on sky sports are talking about how much fergie gets away with and that he shouldn't. How he targets certain refs to try and avoid getting them for their games etc. They also all seem to think that the outburst from Rafa was very fergie like if a bit more controlled and has really put the focus on Fergies behaviour which most managers are too scared to do.

micks

podge018 wrote: »

Bringing in the notes prove it was a completely spontaneous Keeganesque-type rant, lucky he didn't top himself at the end of it.

He couldn't top himself - it wasn't in the notes!

eddiehead

The following statement has just been released to SSN on behalf of Sir Alex Ferguson..........

What you lookin' at? You all a bunch of ****in' assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be? You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your ****in' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." So... what that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!

Seriously though, I just seen it on Sky Sports1 and thought in all fairness what he said needed to be said but saying it when he did could certainly be seen as "rising to the bait" considering Ferguson's comments earlier in the week.

My 2c