Originally posted by www:
[b]Ferguson questions referees' approach to
Chelsea
Sir Alex Ferguson has waded into the row between Chelsea and Graham
Poll by questioning whether Jose Mourinho's side are receiving
preferential treatment from the football authorities.
The United manager said it was 'absolutely ludicrous' that
referees' chief Keith Hackett is to meet Mourinho because of the
dispute, when he has not met other leading managers.
Ferguson, whose side meet their leading title rivals Chelsea at Old
Trafford at the end of the month, also praised Poll as the best
referee in the Premiership.
He said: 'Now that Keith Hackett is meeting Jose Mourinho, what is
going on in this world? Does he ever go and meet Arsene Wenger or
Rafael Benitez or this old guy here?
'Is the preference going out to Chelsea because they have had a bad
decision against them? I think it's absolutely ludicrous.'
Ferguson also ridiculed suggestions that Poll might have it in for
Chelsea - a claim suggested by Ashley Cole after last Sunday's
defeat at Tottenham in which John Terry was sent off by the
official.
The United boss pointed out Poll was the referee in Chelsea's 1-1
draw with Aston Villa on September 30 and should have had Claude
Makelele sent off for fouling Juan Pablo Angel as he homed in on
goal.
Ferguson said sarcastically: 'He must have [it in for Chelsea]
because he sent Makelele off in that Aston Villa game - or did
he?'
He added: 'No, he should have sent Makelele off in that Aston Villa
game but didn't, they could have lost that game and had been
missing Makelele for three matches. That maybe would have made a
difference.'
Asked whether he would like Poll to be in charge for Chelsea's
visit on November 26, Ferguson said he was concerned the row might
affect the appointment.
He said: 'I would in a way but with all this controversy I don't
know whether it would be a good thing.
'Graham Poll without question is the best referee we have got. Yes
he has got an arrogance and a cockiness about him at time but when
our players have got it we think it's good, when referees have it
we think he's a big-headed so and so.
'We have had terrible decisions from Graham Poll in the past and so
have other clubs but that is because referees can make
mistakes.
'But he is the best at making the big decisions and that's why he
gets the big games.'
Ferguson also backed his former skipper Roy Keane's claims that
many current players are divers and cheats - and revealed United
had made Cristiano Ronaldo change his behaviour after his arrival
from Portugal.
He said: 'There is too much of that. We try our best to curb it,
but there are some who go over the top.
'You have seen how Ronaldo at our club has developed and improved
simply because he is getting older and the club talk to him about
it and that's the only way forward.
'Some are habitual divers that are never going to change no matter
what their manager says to them.'
Ferguson highlighted the incident two seasons ago when Wayne Rooney
was sent off for shoving Bolton's Tal Ben Haim in the face, who
reacted theatrically.
'The referees are the ones who can best sort it all but
unfortunately they find it hard to prove a player has dived
intentionally, that's the biggest problem,' he said.
'If you look at when Wayne Rooney got a three-match ban with Ben
Haim, Ben Haim got off for a ridiculous dive.
'The way they go down and roll about it can put referees off their
first impression of what actually happened.'
do u think fregie has got a case here? so
is chelsea getting preferred or ill treatment?
alex has began his favourite mind game, indirectly telling the ref
assoc not to go soft with chelsea.
[/b]
ya fergie mind games started already before the crunch game on
26 Nov.
If man u wins, it will be 6 pts gap from chelsea.
