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Stoke 0-0 Liverpool

Rafa's rant akin to Keegan's.

Watch them fall away now and the title become a two horse race between Chelsea and Man U (FWIW I think Chelsea will win it)

It's tough at the top and it's time for the Scousers to show their true mettle and bottle it once again

 I absolutely pissed my self watching that unprovoked well planned rant of his, truly hope there season blows up in spectacular fashion now,

MUFC FTMFW

Do please explain what Fergie had to do with Liverpool drawing today ?

Your right- probably nothing. Liverpool were always gonna bottle it anyway :D

yup lucky to draw too

Do you actually believe this will have any sort of effect on liverpools league form?! They have been getting results like this at anfield all season, plus I think Stoke is a difficult place for the big teams to go anyway. (if they haven't all already been and already found it tough!)

I like seeing a manager show some passion, even if it was a bit strange with his prompt sheet.

Had nothing to do with mind games and everything to do with Benitez sometimes fecked up view of who should play.

don't think they mind games worked to be honest, i think the lack of Keane/Torres till 60th minute, was the main factor...

....Liverpool weren't Lucky to get a draw when they hit the woodwork twice.

Liverpool will win the league, get it right up you Fergie!

He's still under the delusion that Lucas is a comparable player to Alonso or Gerrard in the middle.  He just isn't.  Too many draws against teams we should/could be beating.  He should have started with two up front yesterday and Gerrard in the middle instead of Lucas.  Simple as.

correct-I dont care if Torres is half fit..................torres half fit>>>>>>>>than any other striker in the EPL!!!!!!

Liverpool about to start there usual fade away and chelsea nowhere near any kind of force they were 3 seasons ago the league is there for united to take at a stroll

and at the moment i'm be backing villa to finish 2nd behind them

If villa finish second I'll wear a Sunderland shirt to the next derby.

think before u post please

kk thanx

What was Ferguson's response all about? Surely his PR guy knew he'd be asked about the rant? He paused for about a minute when asked looking dumbstuck then basically tried to claim that somehow Benitez wasn't talking facts and he was disturbed! lol

Either way it's class - we've always been too far behind to be involved in the mind games, it seems he really is worried about us for once.

Fade away?! Think you'll find weve been one of the strongest teams in the second half of the season under Rafa! For us to be in this position with over half the season gone makes a change. I always said as long as were within striking distance with a few games to go ill be happy.

Pleeaaaasssssseee learn this!

Good shout - I'd be interested to know which team has the most points in the second half of the season out of the big 4 since Rafa came here. No idea where to find this though.

I agree that for Fergie to mention Liverpool and rafa that he is indeed worried about their challenge but why do the opposing manager's always take the bait?

If Rafa had kept his gob shut this weekend woudn't have been great but at least the pressure wouldn't be as intense as it is.

Whatever happens, should be an exciting few months coming up.

[ ] He would have looked better if he'd made notes before hand and read his response from them.

In his defence, English obviously isn't his first language though is it? 

(I'm talking about Fergie)

lol

I agree. But if it makes one ref give a penalty at Old Trafford or make one player get booked (a la Rooney screaming at officials and walking away Vs Chelsea repeatedly) then it will have worked.

Lol,

Obv never watched Dermot Gallagher on "The last word" when he commented that when he was reffing, the call at the time was that you'd never see a penalty given for the away side at the Kop end at Anfiied.

Geo

Penalties awarded against teams in the Premiership, since the start of the 98/99 season up to Feb 2008. Premiership games only:

1. Manchester United: 18 (8 home, 10 away) % at home: 44,4
2. Arsenal: 23 (8 home, 15 away) home %: 34,8
3. Chelsea: 29 (8 home, 21 away) home %: 27,6
4. Liverpool: 32 (11 home, 21 away) home %: 34,4
5. Middlesbrough: 37 (16 home, 21 away) home %: 43,2
6. Everton: 39 (16 home, 23 away) home %: 41
7. Newcastle: 44 (15 home, 29 away) home %: 34,1
8. Tottenham: 48 (18 home, 30 away) home %: 37,5
9. Aston Villa: 49 (16 home, 33 away) home %: 32,7

Fergie pwns other top 4 managers,  I reckon the only one that comes close to him in the battle of the mind stakes is MON but he's not top 4 yet although its not far off.

The problem with the above is it doesn't show how often teams got into opposing penalty areas to have a chance at getting a penalty.

Can you find me one that shows penalty claims against penalties given please Dan.

Geo

from Early Doors

You can't handle the truth
Mon Jan 12 08:24AM

 
When Rafa Benitez began his extraordinary outpouring of Fergie-bashing on Friday, he said he did not want to start any mind games, which is a bit like Hitler saying he didn't want a war as Panzers were rolling into Warsaw.

Benitez said he was interested only in facts. Sadly, even the briefest look at what he actually said reveals that he is to facts what Prince Harry is to race relations.

FICTION 1: "Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs away on Saturdays when United were playing on Sundays. And we didn't say anything."

FACT 1: Rafael Benitez, September 2007: "We will be talking to the Premier League about this because it is not fair. I don't know if it is possible to change these fixtures in the New Year, but I hope so because, in the last few years, we have played more games on a Saturday than anyone and more away games than anyone. There are too many early kick-offs and I am not pleased about the situation at all."

FICTION 2: "You can see every single week how they put (referees) under pressure, we know this. We have seen it before. We have seen players sent off at Old Trafford and we do not see our opponents sent off."

FACT 2: Opposition players sent off at Old Trafford in the league this season - none. Stoke's Andy Wilkinson is the only player to be sent off against United in the Premier League this season. Opposition players sent off against Liverpool this season - five, including Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United.

FICTION 3: "Now he is complaining about everything, that everybody is against United. But the second half of the season will see them playing at home against all the teams at the top of the table, it is a fantastic advantage."

FACT 3: Last time ED checked everyone had to play everyone else twice - surely the order in which you play your games is irrelevant. And it's not like United covered themselves in glory in their away games against the top four - one point out of nine hardly represents a fantastic advantage.

FICTION 4: "At Christmas, United played on the 29th and the rest of the teams played on the 28th. We were away against Newcastle two days after playing Bolton. They were playing about 40 hours later, they were not complaining then."

FACT 4: United played 31 hours later, but their opponents Middlesbrough also had the benefit of an extra day's rest so it wasn't much help. And Liverpool's game against Newcastle was so one-sided they would have exerted themselves more by staying in and watching Wallace and Gromit. Plus, to be really pedantic, Aston Villa - who are level on points with United - played Hull on Tuesday 30.

FICTION 5: "There are two options if we don't want more problems with fixtures. One is the same as in Spain, the draw for the first part of the league is known, everyone knows which weekend. In the second-half everyone plays the opposite, so you all know."

FACT 5: That wouldn't help at all. You all know your fixtures anyway, and a Spanish system wouldn't stop United playing all of the Big Four at home in the second half of the season.

FICTION 6: "During the Respect campaign - and this is a fact - Mr Ferguson was charged by the FA for improper conduct after comments made about Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett. He was not punished. He is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things."

FACT 6: Harry Redknapp can also get away with it, having got off scot-free for this pop at Steve Tanner: "He's a poor referee and I've seen him make a mess of so many games. I couldn't even put into words what I thought of his performance. I walked into the referee's room before the game and saw who was refereeing and I knew what was coming. I expected that sort of performance. I've had him before many times and I know what he's like. He's really not good enough."

FICTION 7: "I will be watching United's game with Chelsea. The result does not matter to us, if we win at Stoke that result does not matter."

FACT 7: Sorry, that one was a fact.

I wasn't saying anything - just providing the facts.  Like you say, stats don't mean anything and can be interpreted any number of ways.  I just wanted to include some evidence amongst all the rhetoric.

There won't be any stats based on 'subjective' matters such as claims v penalties.  If it was the number of players to surround the referee if they don't agree with a decison, I'm sure the Old Trafford crew would lead that table though ;).

Stats like these are thrown up in Scotland all the time to illustrate how refs favour the old firm, all they normally show is that teams who spend more time in the opposition penalty box get more penalties, teams who have to defend more concede more penalties.

[ ] Boro being fifth on this list supports my point