Fergie fixture fury!
ALEX FERGUSON is furious with the Premier
League after being handed a stinker of a fixture schedule. The
Manchester United boss was critical of the list last season with
away games planned after some key Champions League trips. But now
he has away games after all SIX of
the club’s Champions League first group matches, while
nearest rivals Chelsea and Liverpool have four at
home.
Arsene Wenger will be almost as unhappy as Fergie as
his Arsenal side have five away dates. Reds legend Paddy Crerand
branded the Premier league a disgrace last night and accused them
of denying United help in defending their Champions League crown.
He rapped: “Every other country seems to do everything to help
their teams in Europe when it comes to domestic fixtures.
''But not here — and it is a disgrace. “United are
representing this country abroad in the biggest club tournament in
the world, yet the fixture list works against them.” United’s first
Champions League game will come between visits to Chelsea and Liverpool.
Ferguson will be desperate now for the Euro draw to be kind with a
home clash.
Trips to Blackburn,
Everton, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham follow their next
five group games. United’s profile as league champions could
see some of these matches brought forward to 12.45pm kick-offs on
the Saturday for television. So they could be faced with the
prospect of travelling back from an away European trip in the early
hours of Thursday, only to have to set off for a domestic away trip
the following lunchtime.
Crerand, a European Cup winner with United in 1968,
still travels with the team in the Champions League as a respected
media pundit. He added: “The draw can have you in some far-flung
part of Eastern Europe, not getting home until 4am on Thursday
morning. Then you have to prepare for an away trip in the Premier
League. It’s all wrong.”
Last season United had to play away games in the
Premier League after four midweek away trips in the Champions
League. They came following the group game with AS Roma and the
second round, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
After visiting Lyon in February, they were fortunate to
go to a struggling Newcastle and beat them 5-1. But after a tough
trip to Roma in the quarters, they went to Middlesbrough and only
drew. Their semi-final trip to the Nou Camp on April 23 was
followed by a crunch showdown at Stamford Bridge at 12.45pm the
following Saturday. United lost 2-1.
Crerand said: “Alex Ferguson got criticised after that
game at Chelsea for not playing his strongest side. “But he had to
juggle the team, because the trip to Stamford Bridge came in
between what were two big semi-final games against
Barcelona.”
Crerand believes teams like United have to become
totally reliant on their players staying fit if they are to compete
on domestic and European fronts with the fixtures the way they are.
He declared: “Two seasons ago it really affected the club. “We lost
away to Milan because of injuries and then were faced with a derby
against Manchester City on the Saturday. It took a lot of juggling
to get through that game and eventually win the title.”
United are already facing fixture congestion due to
their success in winning the Champions League. Their match against
Fulham on August 30 will have to be switched, as they will be
playing Zenit St Petersburg the day before in Monaco in the
European Super Cup.
The meeting with Wigan on December 20 must be postponed
as United will be in Tokyo to play in the World Club Championship.
Arsenal finish their league campaign by facing Manchester United,
Chelsea, Liverpool and Portsmouth during their last six games. Fan
Benjie Guy from Islington said: “It’s about as bad a run-in as we
could have got. Fixtures involving the top clubs should be spread
out over the season.”