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• Ferguson says playing Carlos Tevez was 'desperation'
• United have 'plenty of ammunition' for war of words
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 March 2012 11.19 GMT
Sir Alex Ferguson has launched an amazing attack on Manchester City
and warned them he has "plenty of ammunition" if they want to engage in mind games.
Earlier this week, the former City midfielder Patrick Vieira said the decision to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement looked like an act of desperation. However, United have won nine Premier League games and drawn one with Scholes in the team, suggesting the move has worked.
It certainly has provided Ferguson, whose team are one point ahead of City at the top of the Premier League, with the opportunity to hit back in a week when Carlos Tevez has made his controversial return to the City fold.
"If it's desperation bringing back the best midfielder in Britain for the last 20 years then I think we can accept that," Ferguson said. "I think he [Vieira] was programmed for that. Roberto had a dig a couple of weeks back. We're all going to play our hand that way. There will be plenty of ammunition for that.
"If you talk about desperation, they played a player the other night who the manager said he'd never play again and he takes a five-month holiday in Argentina. What is that? Could that come under the description of desperation?"
Ferguson also rejected Vieira's assertion that a further sign of United struggling was their inability to keep hold of the midfielder Ravel Morrison sold during the January transfer window to West Ham and their battle to retain Paul Pogba.
"The point he made about Ravel Morrison and losing our young players – we wanted to sell him [Morrison] let's be clear about that. But we want Pogba to stay because we think he's going to be a fantastic Manchester United player."
• United have 'plenty of ammunition' for war of words
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 March 2012 11.19 GMT
Sir Alex Ferguson has launched an amazing attack on Manchester City
and warned them he has "plenty of ammunition" if they want to engage in mind games.
Earlier this week, the former City midfielder Patrick Vieira said the decision to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement looked like an act of desperation. However, United have won nine Premier League games and drawn one with Scholes in the team, suggesting the move has worked.
It certainly has provided Ferguson, whose team are one point ahead of City at the top of the Premier League, with the opportunity to hit back in a week when Carlos Tevez has made his controversial return to the City fold.
"If it's desperation bringing back the best midfielder in Britain for the last 20 years then I think we can accept that," Ferguson said. "I think he [Vieira] was programmed for that. Roberto had a dig a couple of weeks back. We're all going to play our hand that way. There will be plenty of ammunition for that.
"If you talk about desperation, they played a player the other night who the manager said he'd never play again and he takes a five-month holiday in Argentina. What is that? Could that come under the description of desperation?"
Ferguson also rejected Vieira's assertion that a further sign of United struggling was their inability to keep hold of the midfielder Ravel Morrison sold during the January transfer window to West Ham and their battle to retain Paul Pogba.
"The point he made about Ravel Morrison and losing our young players – we wanted to sell him [Morrison] let's be clear about that. But we want Pogba to stay because we think he's going to be a fantastic Manchester United player."
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Replies: 89
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'Mind games' is just a bullsh1t term created by the media.
However, I'd say Vieira has got under Ferguson's skin here and Ferguson has taken a big bite... surprised that he'd be fished so easily  |
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That spitting streak of gooner p*ss does have a bit of form with United.
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Bang on jason-dodd!
Bunch of back page inkslingers bringing themselves off over a big pile of nothing as usual. Word up: it's what the rest of the world calls 'being a bit if a (unt' and generally gets you ignored. |
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Yes I'm sure fergie is new to all this and viera's comments have well and truly rattled his cage...either that or you are a cretin. One of the two.
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Roy
Was there any need to be insulting? Grow up. To the neutral, this looks - imo - like SAF has reacted to Vieira's comments. Why is 'cretinous'? |
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This is typical Ferguson, he is stirring the pot. I think he enjoys the mind-games as much as he enjoys the football.
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Apologies Dodd, may have been a tad harsh...but come on now...after everything fergie's been through I strongly doubt viera has got under his skin. Its a classic fergie response designed to drive his own agenda, winning.
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Only one winner here.
S.A.F. |
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I do think the mind games thing is a load of old pony. The best team will win. Some years it was Arsenal, other years it was Chelsea, most of the time it's been Utd.
Basically, if Fergie says something in the press and an opposition manager reacts angrily and fails to win, then it's mind games. If Fergie says something in the press and the opposition manager reacts angrily but goes on to win anyway, then it's....a load of old b0ll0cks. |
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As I said in the utd thread history has shown its not bullocks.
A winner like Ferguson would not pay so much heed to this sort of thing if it had a negligible impact on either his team or the opposition. This sort of thing might be to send a message to his players more than anything else. Whether you want to call it mind games or not is up to you but the likes of mourinho and Ferguson just would not waste time with it. |
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the press will bigggg up any molehill,at the time it did look a bit odd-scholes coming back
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Thanks Roy.
I'm not trying to wind you up, it just looks to me like he has bitten on a bit of bait. Let's face it, if you de-personalised the comments, I think you'd agree, and I'm not sure SAF's history in the matter should make a difference. |
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I'm not sure SAF's history in the matter should make a difference.
Of course it should. If this was out of character you might be able to suggest with more credibility that viera has got under his skin but realistically its just a nonsense given the man's track record in this area. This appears a fairly well calculated response. |
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fergus in vieiras net before it touched the water
top fishing patrice |
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Strange the media obsess about this sort of thing but depressing so many seem to buy it. Some united fans seem to try to use it to paint ferguson as some sort of genius, which isn't really necessary with the amount of sucess he has had over the past 20 years.
Presumably if city drop points on saturday it will be because silva, toure and co are so distracted by a bitchy comment ferguson made in a press conference today  |
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over the years, Ferguson has let a lot of people get to him. He's not some cool, unflappable character, He has a famously hot temper. But he has usually come back with plenty of his own and won the war
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Loue...engage what grey matter you do have.
Are you telling me the likes of fergie and mourinho just engage in this sort of thing out of boredom? Or do these proven winners see it as another weapon??! |
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Ask Kevin Keegan if it works?
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Engage in what sort of thing? It's not some grand masterplan, he's answered a question at a press conference. He seemed irrated with what vieria said and had a dig back of his own (both had a point imo). I can't see how it affects the performance of man city, though I may be wrong.
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your not wrong imo
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RoyKeane
So in your mind, nothing SAF does or says can ever be construed as him biting. That's basically what you're saying, isn't it? |
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I don't know if Ferguson bites or not, but in any case I think he just loves a good fight. Come on, he is Glaswegian after all
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patrice 1 sir alex 0
the player got played! |
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lets see who has the last laugh as per usual
 the greatest manager of all time |
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The pressure of winning/losing is the only thing that matters. This mind-games stuff is small beer.
Why did Wenger's team win doubles/go unbeaten for a whole season and at other times, fail to win? Is it because some years Wenger couldn't handle Fergie saying things in the press? Or is it simply that some years, Wenger had better players -- with part of being better having a strong mentality able to handle the pressure of winning games in a title run-in? Correlation doesn't equal causation i.e. just because Keegan/Rafa had a meltdown at Fergie and failed to win the title doesn't mean that Fergie's comments were the deciding factor. If they were, then it doesn't explain why Wenger got the better of Utd some seasons, and others he did not. What does explain it is having better players and those who can handle the expectation of winning. |
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If mind games could win things then what happened in europe
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'Mind Games' is a Sky Sports Myth, no one who matters believes it, including Fergie IMO
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'Mind Games' is a Sky Sports Myth, no one who matters believes it, including Fergie IMO
Agreed. |
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Teveth wiped his batty on his citeh shirt but all those desperate bitters love him.
Fergies lauging at ya! |
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Fergie has always used these 'mind games' to try and divert attention away from poor man-u performances.
when newcastle were challenging and Fergies side only scraped a win against a 10 man leeds with Lucas Radabe in goal his post match interview focused on his opinion that leeds only try against man u and would 'lie down' in their upcoming fixture with Newcastle, the comment that famously sent Keegan apoplectic then done the same thing with an attack on Wenger saying he doesnt know anything about english football when Arsenal were the better looking team in 97-98 to take attention away from man u dropping points by getting beat by Derby. I think he may be starting his shenanigans now for similar reasons imo |
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Didn't they just win 5-0?
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sure they won 5-0......
but questions are starting to surface about performances, his players and his own managerial effectiveness so imo a wee diversion tactic for the press to get their teeth into rather than seriously analyzing man-u |
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It's all a lot of hot air but the supporters like to see it as it's akin to the kind of conversation they'd have down the pub with opposition fans (or dare I say it on the Betfair Forum).
Viera was spot on with his assesment, bringing Paul Scholes out of retirement was a desperate move by Fergie and it looks to have been a very good move. Ditto Mancini. |
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but questions are starting to surface about performances, his players and his own managerial effectiveness
After a pretty impressive run of near maximum points from a tough fixture list, it's virtually the opposite to what you claim. Have you been in hibernation by any chance? |
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no hibernation
yeah they've had a great run unbeaten in 9 but you can dig up plenty of headlines where you see the questions being asked (something I dont have the time to do for you) particulary on some of his defenders, having to bring scholes and giggs back from the nineties and whether he should leave man u himself for a new manager to come in all of this will be compounded and be making headlines if they start to falter now and concede the chamionship to city thats why I think mind game stuff has started |
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What you're saying makes no sense whatsoever.
The 'mind games' have supposedly started today, yet you're talking about things that have happened over the course of the season. At this present moment in time, SAF is probably under less pressure than at any other stage in the season. |
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nineties ?? should be 'retirement'
apologies |
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Giggs has never retired, and when was the last time someone suggested Man Utd should bring in a new Manager?
You're just making things up. |
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At this present moment in time, SAF is probably under less pressure than at any other stage in the season.
sorry but that statement makes no sense whatsoever, sitting top by a point with them still to play the chasing team...... yeah OK so he was under more pressure in the opening game with West Brom then??? |