Fergie slams 'unstable' Liverpool over Rafa
treatment
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has jumped to the defence
of Liverpool rival Rafa Benitez.
Benitez is fighting to save his job due to the infighting that has
seen the Spaniard challenge owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett
over their failure to provide the funds for new players this
month.
The outspoken Hicks has since driven a further wedge between
himself and Benitez by admitting to talks with Jurgen Klinsmann
over the possibility of the German replacing Benitez.
Ferguson said of the Klinsmann meeting: "That was a bad piece of
business on Liverpool's part. That sort of thing can be very
upsetting for a manager.
"As a manager, there are quite a few moments in every week when
you're on your own and people don't want to knock on your door
because they think you're busy all the time, but you can be sitting
there twiddling your thumbs.
"You can fill your time by phoning other managers and doing other
things, but there's a lot of time spent on your own and, in moments
like that, Rafa must feel very alone.
"How you react depends on what kind of person you are and Rafa
seems a stubborn character who can put aside emotion, whereas
Martin Jol seemed to be more affected by it when a similar thing
happened to him at Spurs.
"I've been very fortunate at United because I have had good
directors, people like Bobby Charlton and Martin Edwards, who
always supported me very well. At big clubs, it is paramount that
the board shows their class.
"Twenty years ago, Liverpool were a closely knit and well-run club
and, when Peter Robinson was the secretary, a tightly run
ship.
"Obviously results matter and they matter to me and they also
matter to the likes of Arsene Wenger. But Wenger had great support
from David Dein at Arsenal and I've had great support, too, ever
since I came here.
"So there is unity there. You should allow a manager to get on with
his job."
The United manager has left Liverpool in the shade during his 22
years in English football and he claims it will be more difficult
for Liverpool to close the gap if Benitez is forced out.
Ferguson said: "The important thing is that big clubs should be
seen to be big clubs. Most players want to play for Manchester
United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool, but when they see a club
that is topsy-turvy, with a divide between the manager and the
directors, they might think twice. They want to join a stable
club.
"One thing is that Rafa has brought in a lot of his players because
of his Spanish connections. Now, if an English manager was to come
into Liverpool, that connection is gone."
Fergie damn smart la...
He defends Benitez coz he know he can beat Liverpool most of the
time while they're under Benitez...
Thumbs up to Fergie 
