Senile Dementia in the aged is no laughing matter

[Andy @ Allerton]

Sir Alex flummoxed by fixture list

 

January 2, 2009

 

Sir Alex Ferguson has threatened to send a Manchester United representative to Premier League headquarters this summer to monitor the domestic fixture calendar being drafted.

 

Ferguson has repeatedly claimed the league has been "handicapped'' this season in a bid to stop them sauntering to a third successive title.

 

Although the Premier League have rejected such a notion out of hand, Ferguson can think of no other explanation for his team having to face all last season's top 10 away from home in the first half of the campaign and find themselves on their travels after every Champions League game so far.

 

At least that run comes to an end in February, with both legs of the Inter Milan knock-out round tie being followed by home games against Portsmouth and Liverpool respectively.

 

But Ferguson is still not happy. And he is determined the same scenario will not unfold next summer.

 

"I have been saying for a few months we have been handicapped by the Premier League fixture list,'' said Ferguson.

 

"They tell me it is not planned but I have my doubts.

 

"I am not saying what they do down there but next year we will be sending someone to see how it works I can assure you because I just don't understand how you can get the fixtures like that.''

 

It leaves Ferguson desperately hoping FA Cup replays can be avoided to give United enough breathing space to navigate two outstanding fixtures in their Premier League programme against Wigan and Fulham and put some pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea, who come to Old Trafford on January 11.

 

The Scot would therefore have been relieved that Wigan's FA Cup tie at Tottenham tonight resulted in a positive outcome as it ensures Steve Bruce's team are free to play at Old Trafford on January 14 if United are not held by Southampton on Sunday.

 

"It has been a difficult period for us,'' he said.

 

"I felt if we could get within three or four points of the leading team at this moment in time I would be delighted.

 

"Obviously the games in hand have not allowed that.

 

"You have to win games of football but they are two home matches, which you would expect us to have a good chance of narrowing the gap to get where I wanted us to be.''

 

Other article:

 

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/fer...ls-1591025.html

 

 

 

Sir Alex Ferguson launched an astonishing attack yesterday on the way that the Barclays Premier League fixtures are drawn up and openly questioned whether the system was designed to handicap Manchester United.

 

Ferguson is so aggrieved by what he perceives as prejudice against United that he intends to send a club official to oversee the process in the summer. He says that this may be the only way that he can guarantee the veracity of the 2009-10 league programme. The United manager is concerned that, during the first half of this campaign, his side have had to play away from home against nine of the ten teams who finished directly below them in the league last season, and that the club's three European away games this term were followed by matches away from home in the league.

 

José Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, and Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, have questioned the fixture list in the past, although Ferguson, whose team are seven points adrift of Liverpool, the league leaders, albeit with two games in hand, has taken his objections a step farther.

 

“I've been saying this for a few months, but our fixture programme didn't do us any favours and I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League,” Ferguson, whose team face Southampton in the FA Cup third round at St Mary's Stadium tomorrow, said. “They tell me it's not planned - bloody hell!” Asked if he seriously thought that the Premier League wanted to put United at a disadvantage, the United manager said: “I've got my doubts. I'm not saying what they do down there, but next year we'll be sending somebody to see how it happens, I can assure you. I just don't understand how you can get the fixtures like that.”

 

Despite Ferguson's complaints, United did not raise any objections about their fixture scheduling with the Premier League when they had the chance last summer. Although not part of the Fixtures Working Party that oversaw this season's fixture list, Ken Ramsden, the United secretary, has since joined the group.

 

A statement from the Premier League dismissed Ferguson's claims. It said: “The Premier League fixtures are put together through as random a process as possible. The initial list is created by specialist software before going to the Fixtures Working Party, which is made up of representatives from the Premier League, Football League, FA, clubs and supporters. The police also approve it before it is sent to the clubs, at which point they can raise any objections they may have.

 

“There are various factors that go into the structuring of the fixture list - police requests, club requests, involvement in European or Fifa competitions for example - but the overriding factor is the luck of the draw.”

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle5435406.ece

[Falconhoof]

Its a message aimed at his own players more than anything else. It says 'you are better than the league table shows' 'everyone is against us'

Psychological warfare, he's not too bad at it.

[NWR]

Its a message aimed at his own players more than anything else. It says 'you are better than the league table shows' 'everyone is against us'

Psychological warfare, he's not too bad at it.

 

Lets see if it works, but you are spot on.

[goodrobotusses]

Doubt it'll stop Ronaldo throwing tantrums at his own team mates, though.

[John am Rhein]

Ferguson has repeatedly claimed the league has been "handicapped'' this season in a bid to stop them sauntering to a third successive title.

 

Let's hope he's right.

[sned]

Psychological warfare, he's not too bad at it.

Much as I dislike the person, got to give him credit as a manager. No-one has ever come close to the way he has over the years of managing to manipulate & use the press. Eventually this rubs off on the match officials which is why they get a lot of the 50/50 calls at OT. He's also psychologically very clever and this is just another example.

 

Definately a t*** though.

[ManxRed]

Woah! Mind Games!!

 

They're doing my head in!! Stop it Sir Alex, stop it now!!