Referee Martin Atkinson will find himself under intense
scrutiny at Old Trafford tonight after being handed a
Manchester
United game for the first time since being
described as a 'robber' by the Barclays Premier League champions
more than nine months ago.
Sir Alex Ferguson's United side face Middlesbrough in the League tonight
desperate for three points to keep in touch with leaders Liverpool,
who won 5-1 at Newcastle United yesterday.
The appointment of Atkinson will certainly bring an extra edge
to the game in the wake of events at Old Trafford following
United's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Portsmouth last
March.
After seeing his team crash out of the Cup at home, United's
then assistant manager Carlos Queiroz described the official as 'a
robber' while Ferguson himself suggested 'that performance should
not be accepted'.
Ferguson also suggested that Atkinson was one of referee chief
Keith Hackett's preferred officials, saying: 'His favourites always
get games.'
The joint outburst was perhaps the most memorable refereeing
rant from last season and although both men were subsequently found
not guilty of improper conduct by the FA, it has been noted within
refereeing circles that Atkinson has not been given a United match
since, either home or away.
Tonight's game should be feisty enough as it is, given the bad
blood that has existed between these two clubs for some time.
It will also be their first meeting since September's red-card
tackle by Emanuel Pogatetz on Rodrigo Possebon, which saw the
teenager needing oxygen as he left the field on a stretcher while
both benches were squaring up during United's 3-1 Carling Cup
win.
It is also another crucial test for Middlesbrough manager Gareth
Southgate, whose task will be eased by chairman Steve Gibson's
decision to fend off a £15 million offer from Tottenham for Stewart
Downing.
Southgate has also never forgotten that United objected to his
promotion to manager three years ago because of his lack of
qualifications.
As he goes to Old Trafford aiming to end a dreadful seven-game
winless run, the Riverside boss has defended his record since
taking over from Steve McClaren. He still believes nothing on the
UEFA courses could gear any manager up for the realities of the
job.
Southgate, who will complete his pro-licence in the summer,
said: 'I found the latest course last summer excellent, but I do
think the on-the-job experience is second to none. The theory is
very different to reality.
'Managing in this League has problems like you would get in the
lower divisions, but they're amplified to the nth degree. In terms
of learning the role, being thrown straight into it has been as
good as anything.
'I said at the time that, ideally, you would have wanted to go
down the route of getting qualified first but in hindsight the
first year would still have been madness.'
Southgate may have a strong relationship with Gibson and, like
Bryan Robson and McClaren before him, will find that support
stronger than ever in adversity. But the former Boro skipper has
rubbished suggestions he is safe.
'The chairman will not be afraid to change things if he is
unhappy and I know that,' added Southgate.
As his side struggle to stay out of the bottom three, Southgate
can put the club's troubles into greater perspective but he is
still having sleepless nights, as he has from day one.
He said: 'I still find myself watching a video of the game at
4am on a Sunday because I can't sleep.
'But I was able to take my daughter horse riding last Sunday and
actually watch her and take that in. In the past, I wouldn't have
been able to switch off like that so I'd be watching her and
thinking of the match. I can switch off for a few hours a bit
better now.
'Everybody wakes up and thinks: "There's got to be an easier way
to make a living". But we all do what we do because, deep down, we
enjoy it and we want to achieve in it.'
PROBABLE LINE-UP:
MANCHESTER UNITED:
(4-4-2): Van der Sar; R Da Silva, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea; Ronaldo,
Carrick, Scholes, Park; Rooney, Berbatov.
MIDDLESBROUGH: (4-4-2):
Turnbull; Wheater, Riggott, Huth, Pogatetz; Johnson, Arca, O'Neil,
Downing; Aliadiere, Tuncay.
Referee: Martin
Atkinson.
