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| *Accused:Ferguson |
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| *Dermot |
FORMER English Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher
has revealed how Alex Ferguson once tried to get him to postpone a
Manchester United match because it would give his side a better chance
of winning the title.
Ferguson was renowned for trying to exert
pressure on referees during his long reign as United manager and could
often be seen pointing at his watch, hinting that there should be a long
period of stoppage time towards the end of games when United needed a
goal.
Ferguson's ability to squeeze every last second out of officials when his side were losing has since been highlighted.
With United trailing at Old Trafford under their former boss, an average of 79 seconds extra was played in stoppage-time.
However, this compares to just 40 seconds extra under his successor David Moyes.
The
Scot, who retired at the end of last season, wrote in his autobiography
that the gesture was intended to create tension for the opposition, but
Gallagher has revealed there was more to Ferguson's cheeky tactics than
that.
Gallagher, who refereed in the
English top-flight from 1992 to 2007, recalled a match at Old Trafford
in 1997 when United faced Middlesbrough in a game they desperately
needed to win during a tense battle with Arsenal for the title.
"I remember going to Old Trafford at the end of the season," he said.
Manchester United had three games that week and I was given the game on the bank holiday Monday.
"It was chucking it down with rain and Fergie pulled me aside and said 'do me a favour, call the game off'.
"I
asked why and he said 'There's nowhere else to fit this game in and the
Premier League will have to extend the season. We'll have a better
chance of winning the match and we'll win the league at Old Trafford'.
"At
half time United were losing and the pitch was like a swimming pool. As
we came off he said 'I know we're 3-1 down but please call it off, we
could do with a hand here'.
"They managed
to pull it back to 3-3 and in the last minute Dennis Irwin ran into the
box and went down in front of the Stretford End and I only gave a goal
kick.
At full time Fergie sprinted across the pitch and shouted at
me furiously. My wife said, 'Fergie had a right go at you about that
penalty didn't he'. I told her he hadn't mentioned the penalty."She
asked why he came tearing across the pitch at me then. The truth is he
ran over and asked me if I was going out to dinner that night. I said
'no' and he asked 'why are we leaving so early then?'."
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