Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson hit back at the club’s critics with an angry tirade after seeing Darren Fletcher’s first-half header seal a 1-0 win that ended Chelsea’s 40-game unbeaten run in the Premiership.
Ferguson had endured talk of a club in crisis and rumours about the security of his job following humiliating away defeats at Middlesbrough and Lille and club captain Roy Keane’s scathing criticism of his team-mates on the club’s own television channel.
However, Ferguson — who celebrated his nineteenth anniversary as United manager with the visit of the champions — responded in fiery fashion by dismissing out of hand the suggestions that he had been under pressure prior to this hard-fought victory.
”The talk about pressure was absolute bollocks. Did you know that we actually went 13 games without winning once? People forget these things.
”I don’t care about it at all and winning is all that’s important here and how you handle the criticism. The players have got on with the job. Everybody goes through bad spells and when you have bad spells, you fall points behind the leaders.
”For an hour against Chelsea we were terrific, but we were under the cosh for the last ten minutes because they went for everything, but that’s what champions do.
”My young players have to get consistency, but the bones of my team are sitting in the stand at the moment and are no use to us, so the young players have been carrying the mantle for weeks now, but they showed cool heads and lot of composure.
”It is not easy to perform in that situation. These lads have not cried off and they have not deserted their posts when all the experienced lads were unfit.
”They have wanted to play every game and they have carried us through this bad spell. They will be terrific players for the future of this club.”
United midfielder Alan Smith claimed that Keane’s televised criticisms had helped fuel the home side’s desire to claim victory against Mourinho’s team.
”That kind of performance has always been there, but sometimes you need a reminder that you are performing at a big club and that you are no longer at your previous club.
”Manchester United should not be getting beaten like we did at Middlesbrough last week.
”I think everyone knows where the reminder has come from and we accept criticism when it comes. Roy is a proud person and he told us exactly what he said, but we went out there today and put on a performance.”
Like Fletcher, Smith was on the end of a personalised Keane tongue-lashing, although, having had chance to sit down and watch the interview with his captain and the rest of United’s squad, the former Leeds man has a different take on the interview.
”The stuff which has been reported is rubbish really,” he told Sky Sports. – Sapa-AFP