Post by QPR Report on Apr 19, 2009 21:49:29 GMT
The Times
FA Cup semi-final defeat sparks Sir Alex Ferguson's furyMatt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
Sir Alex Ferguson attributed Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Everton yesterday to the “ridiculous nonsense” of rumours that Mike Riley, the referee, is a United fan.
Phil Jagielka scored to give Everton a 4-2 victory in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless 120 minutes and send his side through to next month’s final against Chelsea. But the United manager claimed that the tie should not even have entered extra time.
Ferguson insisted that United should have been awarded a second-half penalty when Danny Welbeck went down under a challenge from Jagielka, but claimed that Riley may have avoided pointing to the spot for fear of being accused of a pro-United bias. David Moyes, the Everton manager, had raised the subject in the build-up to the game, saying that he was unhappy with Riley’s appointment because of rumours that the Yorkshire official is a United fan. Moyes’s unhappiness with Riley goes back to a penalty he awarded to United in Everton’s final match of the 2002-03 season.
Ferguson was the one complaining yesterday, however, after his gamble of selecting a severely weakened side backfired to end United’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quintuple. Tim Howard saved two penalties against his former club, from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand, to inflict Ferguson’s first FA Cup semi-final defeat after a run of eight victories, which left him questioning whether Riley had been subconsciously influenced.
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“It might have,” he said. “I’m not saying that for certain, but it could have had. All that nonsense about him being a United fan was really ridiculous. Somebody filled David Moyes’s head full of nonsense about it and it was used in the press conference. It can play on a referee’s mind, but I’m hoping it was because the referee wasn’t dead sure. If you’re giving a penalty kick in such an important game you have to be dead sure.
“When he sees it he’ll realise he’s made a mistake. I’ve seen the video and it looked a penalty kick. Why would the player go down with the goalkeeper stranded? It was a major decision and it went against us.”
Ferguson put his controversial decision to make eight changes from the side that beat Porto last week down to the poor state of the Wembley pitch, which he feared would tire his players before Wednesday’s Barclays Premier League match against Portsmouth. Wayne Rooney, who has a foot injury, and Darren Fletcher, who has a knee problem, should be available, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Edwin van der Sar will return after being rested.
“We had a team picked after Wednesday’s game, but when I saw the pitch yesterday I didn’t want to go into extra time with our strongest squad,” Ferguson said. “We had to take the bold decision of going with the younger ones with energy, confidence and a good temperament. This club is built on giving younger players opportunities, they got that today and didn’t disappoint.
“Berbatov and [Paul] Scholes would have started, possibly [Patrice] Evra. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was the right thing to do. The only disappointment is they were in a losing team.”
Moyes conceded that United could have had a penalty, but preferred to praise his players for taking Everton to their first Cup Final since 1995. “My first thought was it was a penalty and after seeing it again I haven’t changed my mind,” Moyes said. “For everyone at Everton it’s fantastic and the effort the players put in was tremendous. We’re working towards success at Everton and if we keep doing what we’re doing we won’t be too far away.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article6129084.ece
FA Cup semi-final defeat sparks Sir Alex Ferguson's furyMatt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
Sir Alex Ferguson attributed Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Everton yesterday to the “ridiculous nonsense” of rumours that Mike Riley, the referee, is a United fan.
Phil Jagielka scored to give Everton a 4-2 victory in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless 120 minutes and send his side through to next month’s final against Chelsea. But the United manager claimed that the tie should not even have entered extra time.
Ferguson insisted that United should have been awarded a second-half penalty when Danny Welbeck went down under a challenge from Jagielka, but claimed that Riley may have avoided pointing to the spot for fear of being accused of a pro-United bias. David Moyes, the Everton manager, had raised the subject in the build-up to the game, saying that he was unhappy with Riley’s appointment because of rumours that the Yorkshire official is a United fan. Moyes’s unhappiness with Riley goes back to a penalty he awarded to United in Everton’s final match of the 2002-03 season.
Ferguson was the one complaining yesterday, however, after his gamble of selecting a severely weakened side backfired to end United’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quintuple. Tim Howard saved two penalties against his former club, from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand, to inflict Ferguson’s first FA Cup semi-final defeat after a run of eight victories, which left him questioning whether Riley had been subconsciously influenced.
Related Links
Ferguson pitches in excuses over defeat
United's kids are put out to grass
Howard sees justice done
“It might have,” he said. “I’m not saying that for certain, but it could have had. All that nonsense about him being a United fan was really ridiculous. Somebody filled David Moyes’s head full of nonsense about it and it was used in the press conference. It can play on a referee’s mind, but I’m hoping it was because the referee wasn’t dead sure. If you’re giving a penalty kick in such an important game you have to be dead sure.
“When he sees it he’ll realise he’s made a mistake. I’ve seen the video and it looked a penalty kick. Why would the player go down with the goalkeeper stranded? It was a major decision and it went against us.”
Ferguson put his controversial decision to make eight changes from the side that beat Porto last week down to the poor state of the Wembley pitch, which he feared would tire his players before Wednesday’s Barclays Premier League match against Portsmouth. Wayne Rooney, who has a foot injury, and Darren Fletcher, who has a knee problem, should be available, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Edwin van der Sar will return after being rested.
“We had a team picked after Wednesday’s game, but when I saw the pitch yesterday I didn’t want to go into extra time with our strongest squad,” Ferguson said. “We had to take the bold decision of going with the younger ones with energy, confidence and a good temperament. This club is built on giving younger players opportunities, they got that today and didn’t disappoint.
“Berbatov and [Paul] Scholes would have started, possibly [Patrice] Evra. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was the right thing to do. The only disappointment is they were in a losing team.”
Moyes conceded that United could have had a penalty, but preferred to praise his players for taking Everton to their first Cup Final since 1995. “My first thought was it was a penalty and after seeing it again I haven’t changed my mind,” Moyes said. “For everyone at Everton it’s fantastic and the effort the players put in was tremendous. We’re working towards success at Everton and if we keep doing what we’re doing we won’t be too far away.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article6129084.ece