'when the seagulls...' verdict on Ferguson vs Wiley

Yesterday, as I switched channel to catch some of the latest on Sky Sports News, my sister - who knows nothing about football...well, nothing about much really - thought against harassing me for the remote; instead choosing to sit quietly and patiently, and so was drawn to something on the screen. 'So what did Ferguson say then?', as she saw the story of him 'apologising for comments made to Wiley...' etc scroll up on the news-bar.

'Oh, just that the ref at the game last week was unfit...', and at that moment, the video of Fergie's post-match interview came up.

'...So he had to apologise for that?'

'Yeh'

'For saying that the ref was slow and couldn't keep up with the pace of the game?'

'..Yeh?'

'...Why?'

'Well, that's just the way it is...'

For my sister, an idiot at the best of times, to ask such a simple yet important question says alot about the oppressive footballing world we live in.

As soon as the comments were made, and especially as soon as the papers got hold of them and made them news-worthy, I knew for a fact that they would get him into trouble. Splattered all across the back-pages, I thought one thing only: 'that was silly, Fergie'. But why?? I focussed immediately on the way his words were presented so big and shockingly in the News of the World that I didn't even consider the possibility that this may actually be a pathetic excuse to have another go at the man for something so menial and irrelevant, and further instil the fear factor in the game; proving that NO-ONE is allowed to say anything.

Please, someone tell me, when was it so wrong to express such feelings? If anyone actually saw his post-match comments rather relying on the tabloid dribble placed in front of them, they will hear a rather factual statement: Wiley was constantly panting, spent too much time around the half-way line when play was pushing towards goal (thus potentially missing important elements of the game), and finally, and most amusingly, he even said to Rooney at one point 'I need a rest'. Let's face it, if it wasn't Ferguson saying it, we would all find it hilarious.

We all saw this game, and the rotund Wiley, so what normal person - professional or otherwise - would assume that Wiley's slightly lethargic state was a performance at a normal, top-flight level? Of course he still made ground, as alot of pundits were quick to jump to his defence, but he was clearly not that fit! Ferguson (stupidly!) then gave his opinion on the matter as he felt that Wiley was therefore unable to read a number of decisions properly...where's the crime there?

You have fellow referees saying Ferguson is 'disrespectful', others saying 'it's the most ridiculous thing [they've] ever heard', and Piers Morgan - whom I genuinely respect as a reporter and journalist - talking about Ferguson's apology being a victory for all the referees he has 'bullied'....because he made the shockingly, disgustingly disgraceful observation that the ref was slow to keep up with the pace of the game; an important League match that saw his team drop 2 vital points...on that note, did he blame the result or his teams performance entirely on the ref's performance? Of course not. He merely stated he was unhappy with his form. So. What?

The amount of shit that Brian Clough got away with back in the day has not been called bullying or pathetic; but legendary and bold. As for Wenger? Has there ever been someone who talks so ignorantly about the incidences of a game? Yet, in his defence, I remember when he said that Martin Taylor should be 'banned for life' after his tackle on Eduardo. A shocking statement, perhaps, but he was so clearly upset and angry at the incident and that he'd lost one of his players for - at that moment - an indefinite period of. It was completely obvious that was the reason why he said it, so why did he have to apologise for that? He was emotional, and understandably so. As was Ferguson. Why aren't managers allowed to say a single thing without getting an FA rap!?

Sometimes, we need to ignore the bull sh*t and try and understand that the laws of the game, and the footballing authorities who make them, are killing the passion out of our game; and the pathetic media, who forever kiss their arses, are a disgrace who want nothing more than to stir controversy and make hero's of the game, like Ferguson, look like villains. To hate on an important, legendary figures like Ferguson for something so stupid is just another attempt of many through the years to actively diminish his status because the rest can't hack the greatness he has accrued.

How often do you hear the pundits, reporters, journalists, players and managers talk repertedly about ridiculous 'Fergie time' and that the referees are scared of him and favour United at Old Trafford? Nearly every home game. And how often are they punished, or even given a slap on the wrist for their 'thoughts'...? Yet Ferguson's being reprimanded for this? Hmm somethings not quite right.

So how has this shocker developed? Well now referees are wanting to sue Ferguson for his horrific comments...so I'm off to take a pair of scissors to my season ticket, start following England (who never EVER seem to do anything wrong apparently) and book my ticket for South Africa. To quote the great man himsellf: 'football? Bloody hell!'