Cold Trafford: Fergie blasts quiet supporters Then Attack Th
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Cold Trafford: Fergie blasts quiet supporters
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson condemned the `funereal' atmosphere at Old Trafford which almost resulted in Manchester United dropping valuable Premier League points against Birmingham.
At times, the noise level in the stadium as United laboured to a 1-0 win over Alex McLeish's strugglers was non-existent, a fact gleefully pointed out by the visiting fans.
Sitting in the directors' box as he completed a two-match touchline ban, the lack of atmosphere was even more noticeable to Ferguson.
So, just over seven years after former captain Roy Keane laid into United's 'prawn sandwich brigade', Ferguson decided it was time to cut loose.
'The crowd were dead,' said the Scot. 'It was like a funeral it was so quiet.
'You need the crowd to create a good atmosphere. It is all right saying the players can make the crowd respond but in some situations, like this one, the crowd have to get behind the players.
'I think there have been days like this in the past. It happened some years ago, when we were dominant. The crowd have come to be entertained. It doesn't help us.' -
Sir Alex upsets Manchester United fans
Old Trafford is like a 'police state' which leaves supporters paralysed by fear, a spokesman from the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association claimed on Wednesday.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson compared the atmosphere at Tuesday's Premier League win over Birmingham to a funeral, urging fans to back the team more vocally.
Those comments have upset the IMUSA's Colin Hendrie, who accused Ferguson of 'a lack of understanding' of the plight supporters face.
'I think he could benefit from sitting in the ground,' said Hendrie, who believes Old Trafford stewards come down too hard on fans who stand at moments of excitement.
'You can't stand up to make a noise. If you try to stand up, you've got stewards who are ejecting you, they're taking your season ticket away from you.
'It's almost like a police state in a football ground now and if you do stand up, people will take your arm, put it behind the back of your neck and throw you out of the ground.
'Under those circumstances, what atmosphere does he (Ferguson) want?
'The only atmosphere we've got is one where we're a little bit frightened of losing £1,000 for the season ticket we've paid for.'
The noise level in the stadium as United laboured to a 1-0 win over Alex McLeish's strugglers yesterday was non-existent at times, a fact gleefully pointed out by the visiting fans.
Sitting in the directors' box as he completed a two-match touchline ban, the lack of atmosphere was even more noticeable to Ferguson.
So, just over seven years after former captain Roy Keane laid into United's 'prawn sandwich brigade', Ferguson had his say.
'The crowd were dead,' complained the Scot. 'It was like a funeral it was so quiet.'
Hendrie revealed Ferguson's comments had not gone down well with his fellow fans.
'A lot of people are pretty upset, because it shows a lack of understanding about what it's like to be a football fan in 2008,' he said on Sky Sports News.
'Fergie's going back to the days 10 years ago where it was absolutely fantastic, you could stand.
'But you can't do that now and the football authorities need to make up their minds whether they want to have fans sitting neatly in a row not being able to do anything or if they want an atmosphere in the football grounds again.'
Hendrie pointed to the example of United's neighbours Manchester City, where he claims stewards are far more tolerant.
'It's actually not against the law to stand up. It's to do with the terms and conditions on the ticket,' he explained.
'The interpretation of that rule is different at different grounds.
'For example, at City, they've actually got a singing area.
'Because you're allowed to stand in moments of excitement, what they say at City is, 'If you're standing up singing, you're obviously excited, so carry on singing'.
'That doesn't happen at Old Trafford.'
The club have, however, rejected any notion that stewards have been asked to adopt a heavy-handed approach.
In the four games prior to Christmas - against Everton, Derby, Fulham and Sporting Lisbon - it is claimed that just three fans were ejected from Old Trafford in total.
A United spokesman said: 'Any suggestion of an ejection policy for persistent standing is simply not borne out by the facts.'
The club have also denied that the atmosphere at the 'Theatre of Dreams' is being muted by a high proportion of corporate fans - the assumed target of Keane's prawn sandwich jibe.
Of the 76,000 fans who can pack into the stadium, 86%, United claim, are fans paying the normal ticket price. -
Glazer treatment has been unfair - Fergie
Sir Alex Ferguson has branded criticism of the Glazer family by Manchester United supporters as 'unfair'.
The Glazers' £790million takeover was greeted with outright hostility by some sections of United's massive fanbase.
Brothers Joel, Avram and Bryan needed to be smuggled out of Old Trafford under police supervision when they completed their buyout in 2005.
Although the viciousness of the opposition to their involvement has reduced, family members can still be the subject of isolated attacks on their visits to Manchester and rebel club FC United, set up as a direct result of the Glazer takeover, continues to attract huge numbers for their position in the English football pyramid.
Chief among the current complaints are rising ticket prices, a refusal to speak to the media on any meaningful basis since Joel Glazer conducted an interview with in-house station MUTV in the aftermath of the takeover and a failure to outline the true scale of the repayments on the mammoth debt that has been lodged against the Old Trafford club.
The latter concern may be addressed later this month, when United are expected to smash the world record profit figure for a football club, which the Glazer family will no doubt use to back up their belief the Red Devils legacy is in safe hands.
And Ferguson would not disagree, claiming the family have always been firmly supportive and pointing out the stability at United compared to the problems which have existed at other clubs recently, notably Liverpool.
'At a number of clubs there have been problems with friction between managers and owners but you can see how smoothly the United ship is running as far as that is concerned, despite early hostility over the Glazer family's ownership,' he said.
'Those protests were unfair because they weren't given a chance but the Glazers kept their cool and our owners have been nothing but supportive.
'Good teamwork starts at the top and I am happy to say, that is what we have at Old Trafford.' -
His actions certainly look silly to me blasting the supporters twice in a row with no understanding of the suitation
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GP, why you so concerned??
certain things to look at ->
Is Chelsea finally lay the ghost of Jose and started playing attractive football that you are so impressed?
or is it your new captain who managed to qualify for the China Olympics 50m springboard dive with his latest dives? -
he got ban from the touchline hence can clearly hear the level of noise made by the fans.. not much differences from the way it had been since a couple of years ago when i was in England but when you're at the dugout pushing the players you'll not be able to hear just abt anything..
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i seriously dun understand why ferguson is tryin to control fans' mood?
manu players not playing to standard of thrashing weak team, of course it will bore the fans to sleep. they nvr boo the players fergie should be in joy.
the fans r the one paying the tickets to watch the match. managers should not really bother if the fans or rival fans abused their players wif foul words. moreover these footballers r paying high salaries to play their best out. if the footballers r not playing well, do u think the fans will get sick of it?
look at this article:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=495210&cc=3888
i dun think the problem is the police. there is also another article dat stated manu fans r worst crowd (beside chelsea n newcastle) who stand throughout their match. dat's the reason dat authorities r taking measure to control the crowd.
standing once in a while when ur team is scoring is ok but not to the extend to stand the whole match n block the view of others. -
i know why that old man so fierce to the fans lah.. "OIE DON'T DIVE LEH!" shouted the fans
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i rmb jose once said this about the chelsea fans too.
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tis kinda blasting ur own fans is really pathetic, the fans made u of what u r today.Originally posted by stellazio:i rmb jose once said this about the chelsea fans too.
n i believe this is the 1st time ferguson sitting wif the crowd watching the match, the quick judgement remarks making on "funeral" crowd is really unfair since this match is playing wif a team who will guarantee to lose. -
its like the egg and chick story.. so we can't says for sure who makes who they are...Originally posted by 798:tis kinda blasting ur own fans is really pathetic, the fans made u of what u r today.
n i believe this is the 1st time ferguson sitting wif the crowd watching the match, the quick judgement remarks making on "funeral" crowd is really unfair since this match is playing wif a team who will guarantee to lose.
again, there is no such thing as confirm, guarantee, chop kinda thing in football.. if things are so simple then they might as well don't turn up for the match -
they r seanson ticket holder.Originally posted by Saltiga:its like the egg and chick story.. so we can't says for sure who makes who they are...
again, there is no such thing as confirm, guarantee, chop kinda thing in football.. if things are so simple then they might as well don't turn up for the match
turn up for the match doesnt necessary mean the fans need to cheer loudly for their club.
maybe the fans r sad of ferguson's absence on the field dat the atmosphere look like a funeral. -
Fergie And The Fans: He Can't Have It Both Ways
Sir Alex Ferguson should think about what he really wants before lashing out at Manchester United supporters
Many of Wednesday morningÂ’s newspapers featured back-page splashes of Sir Alex FergusonÂ’s attack on Manchester United fans.
Speaking after his side’s 1-0 win over Birmingham City, Fergie likened the atmosphere at Old Trafford to a “funeral.”
The Scot wasnÂ’t the first to criticise home supporters either, after Roy KeaneÂ’s much-publicised assault on the prawn sandwich brigade eight years ago.
Both Ferguson and Keane are right: the atmosphere is not what it once was. This isnÂ’t to say that crowds cannot lift themselves anymore for crunch big four clashes or those all-important Champions League semi-final nights, and many clubsÂ’ (including UnitedÂ’s) away supporters remain superb.
But week-to-week the atmosphere at many Premiership grounds is far from spectacular. Some clubs are better than others, and given the vast number of fans in attendance you could argue that Old Trafford is the worst of the lot.
But what does Fergie expect? Whatever your take on the money-making machine that is todayÂ’s Premier League, it is indisputable that English football is more popular now, to a global audience, than it ever has been. Few teams have embraced the revolution more than Manchester United.
In days past the noise at Old Trafford (or any ground) emanated from the large swathes of ordinary, working class folk, fans who paid just a couple of pounds to stand on decrepit terraces and scream their lungs out. The passionate, long-standing, regular supporters have slowly but surely been eliminated from Premier League grounds.
All seater stadiums have gone some way to killing the atmosphere at many grounds – it’s harder to be so loud when you’re hunched over in your seat than when you’re jumping around on a terrace – but it is ticket prices that have really crippled the traditional supporter.
The father of a friend of mine was an Old Trafford season ticket holder ever since the club introduced the concept. Increasingly frustrated by the rapid rise in annual prices, United’s latest policy of forcing fans to buy additional tickets to all cup games – regardless of whether or not the matches actually take place – proved the final straw. He handed in his ticket.
The club donÂ’t care, and why should they? Football has become a money game. If he wonÂ’t pay the outlandish sums demanded then someone else will. Over 75,000 pack into Old Trafford every week and itÂ’s rare to see a seat empty. United have alienated the true core of their support to bring in money from richer, albeit less committed supporters. ThatÂ’s their choice; Ronaldo wonÂ’t play for free, after all.
But United cannot have it both ways. Keane was rumoured to be earning £55,000 a week at the time of his attack on the Old Trafford crowd. That money has to come from somewhere. Fans in modern football have been accused of sitting still and waiting to be entertained, but is that not their right when they’ve forked out £33 for a cold plastic seat for a game against Birmingham?
Before criticising the fans, Ferguson needs to consider what it is he would prefer: a positively swaying Old Trafford crammed with vocal supporters who are United born-and-bred or a world-class football team featuring talents like Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, who incidentally each cost the club in the region of £30m.
Clubs in Germany regularly subsidise ticket prices so that for €7 or €8 (yep, about £5) noisy but less affluent fans can watch top-flight games in designated (standing) areas behind the goal. Sure, there are no mega-money signings, but it does improve the atmosphere – I’ve watched many games in both countries and can attest. It’s also a tremendous way of introducing young fans, who are any club’s future, to the match-going experience.
If any club has the ability to afford ticket price subsidies for poorer fans, it is Manchester United. But the club has chosen not to, so Fergie should sit in his Old Trafford dugout, watch his superstar team and enjoy the funeral-like silence.
Chris Williams -
they brought their season ticket for a simple fact of supporting their club, if they are supposed to be supporting their club then they should be getting behind the club when the players need some kinda cheering, shouldn;t they?Originally posted by 798:they r seanson ticket holder.
turn up for the match doesnt necessary mean the fans need to cheer loudly for their club.
maybe the fans r sad of ferguson's absence on the field dat the atmosphere look like a funeral.
well.. i might be wrong but i bet you wouldn't go to a concert reading a book, would you? -
wah so funny siaOriginally posted by youyayu:i know why that old man so fierce to the fans lah.. "OIE DON'T DIVE LEH!" shouted the fans
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suppose if i go for my idol mariah carey's concert, if she is not singing "Hero" or sing some boring songs, i dun think i can find any mood to cheer her rite?Originally posted by Saltiga:they brought their season ticket for a simple fact of supporting their club, if they are supposed to be supporting their club then they should be getting behind the club when the players need some kinda cheering, shouldn;t they?
well.. i might be wrong but i bet you wouldn't go to a concert reading a book, would you?
same applies to the fans. ferguson should look the problem wif the players. even we can see he is not jumping up and down all the time throughout the match but chewing gum instead. wat is he being pot calling kettle black? -
good example.. now, base on your example what if she is singing Hero but ran alittle off key would you stop your cheering right away and take out your beloved harry potter book and read? or would you rather give her some kinda cheers to boast her confidence?Originally posted by 798:suppose if i go for my idol mariah carey's concert, if she is not singing "Hero" or sing some boring songs, i dun think i can find any mood to cheer her rite?
same applies to the fans. ferguson should look the problem wif the players. even we can see he is not jumping up and down all the time throughout the match but chewing gum instead. wat is he being pot calling kettle black?
you expect a 66 years old man to jump up and down on the touchline?? tell me you're not trying to kid me!!! -
well if dat is the case, she will really need to reflect on herself n do something to impress the fans out of their boredom.Originally posted by Saltiga:good example.. now, base on your example what if she is singing Hero but ran alittle off key would you stop your cheering right away and take out your beloved harry potter book and read? or would you rather give her some kinda cheers to boast her confidence?
you expect a 66 years old man to jump up and down on the touchline?? tell me you're not trying to kid me!!!
the fans made the players wat they r today, mind u they r paying more than 50 pounds since ticket price increase after glazer took over. they can cheer, jeer or read harry potter book they like. who r the owner or manager tell the fans on how they should behave. -
Fans fill Old Trafford for every match, the team is consistently successful and yet the atmosphere is more akin to a library, says Colin Shindler
The Guardian
January 3, 2008 12:18 AM
Oh no, Fergie's upset again! Weirdly, this time it is not the fault of the referee or the Football Association or an Arsenal player throwing a cheese and tomato pizza at him. The culprit appears to be those terrible people, the Manchester United supporters - not the good citizens of Kuala Lumpur but the very ones who go to Old Trafford.
It cannot be much fun being a United supporter. The poor dears are heartily despised by the rest of the football world, commercially exploited by the most rapacious of all clubs, famously abused by their former captain and now roundly condemned by the manager.
I would be tempted to dismiss Sir Alex Ferguson's description of the Old Trafford atmosphere as "like a funeral" by easy reference to the majority of the crowd being tired, having travelled for 24 hours from their homes to get to Manchester, were it not that other grounds are experiencing this phenomenon with increasing frequency.
It is in the interest of the media to tell us that we are watching football in the best stadiums in the world, that the Premier League has the best players and that we should regard it as a privilege to fork out up to £50 to watch. It is not difficult to "enhance" the crowd effect on the soundtrack or to cut a highlights package that emphasises the end-to-end excitement of the football so beloved of marketing men. Mix that with the hysteria of the commentators and it is hard to escape the conclusion we live in the best of all possible football worlds.
In the days when the only football on television was to be seen on Match of the Day or The Big Match we watched our teams in rotting steel hulks but we packed together in cosy familiarity and relative discomfort. We did not yearn for more boxes or better toilet facilities. We just wanted to beat United.
Besides, who needed toilets when at the back of the Kippax Stand at Maine Road there was a large brick wall on which was painted in large white letters the warning "COMMIT NO NUISANCE". What better exhortation could there be to men and boys who had been trapped on the terraces with full bladders and no sense of public shame? "You wouldn't do that at home would you, son?" inquired the policeman foolishly. "Course not," came the scornful reply of the urinating child. "What d'you think the grid outside our 'ouse is for?"
And that is the point really. Maine Road was like "our 'ouse" to all us City fans. As was Burnden Park and the Baseball Ground and Highbury and The Dell to others less fortunate who had not witnessed Bert Trautmann in his pomp. We had been going there all our lives and its history was our history. "Can I mind yer car, mister?" was a familiar extortion racket perpetrated by tiny mafiosi - a tradition as comforting as meatless steak-and-kidney pies and "Sack the Board" demonstrations.
Eastlands is a beautifully designed stadium but you cannot design a soul. Maine Road had few toilets but a wonderful soul. On big nights as you hurried along the streets of Moss Side the noise would suck you into its embrace and surrendering to it was like wrapping yourself up in an enormous aural duvet. The Emirates and the Reebok and the rest are all so beautifully designed but it will be decades before they are "home".
It is not impossible to fill Eastlands with noise. United have lost there three times in the five matches they have played and each time the City of Manchester Stadium has rocked with the pleasure. However, on a regular basis, whatever the size of the crowds, the new stadiums seem incapable of sustaining that desirable wall of noise. They prize health and safety above all else and, after Hillsborough and Valley Parade and Heisel, who could argue?
But Old Trafford is not a new stadium. It has been greatly remodelled but it still stands a hundred yards from Lou Macari's Fish & Chip Shop. The supporters fill the ground for every match, the team is consistently successful and yet the atmosphere is more akin to a library.
So does Manchester United's OAP manager need a hearing aid to go with his pacemaker? Are the crowd anxiously scanning departure times for Kuala Lumpur? Or could it be that the fault, dear Fergie, lies not in the crowd but in the team? Mancunians have always paid their money and said: "Right, entertain me then."
So I applaud all you Reds. You have paid your money and have a perfect right to sit on your hands. Next time you go to Old Trafford, lads, keep your traps shut. There is a funeral going on there.
· Colin Shindler is the author of 'Manchester United Ruined My Life' -
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based on yr theory liverpool's fans will be damn sian in matchesOriginally posted by 798:well if dat is the case, she will really need to reflect on herself n do something to impress the fans out of their boredom.
the fans made the players wat they r today, mind u they r paying more than 50 pounds since ticket price increase after glazer took over. they can cheer, jeer or read harry potter book they like. who r the owner or manager tell the fans on how they should behave. -
teams do perform badly sometimes also
but he certainly have no right in blasting fans
his head is getting bigger -
u cant compare the fans among other clubs. maybe in turn of supporters, liverpool n newcastle supporters r bunch of faithful ones even if their team r not performing.Originally posted by lpx88:based on yr theory liverpool's fans will be damn sian in matches
maybe tis kinda affection might drain down the players n dat the players play to fans'disappointment?
how do u feel if u r watching in old trafford, paying for high price ticket. n the manager said u r attending a funeral?
we know dat fergie is well-known for playing mind game wif his opponents, media, referee or his players. but playing mind game wif the loyal crowd? dat is really crossing the line. -
if the fans just going to stop the cheering right away and pull out their harry potter books i bet she wouldn't wanna sing too..Originally posted by 798:well if dat is the case, she will really need to reflect on herself n do something to impress the fans out of their boredom.
the fans made the players wat they r today, mind u they r paying more than 50 pounds since ticket price increase after glazer took over. they can cheer, jeer or read harry potter book they like. who r the owner or manager tell the fans on how they should behave.
i said before and i'll say it again.. its all egg and chick story kinda r/s..
fans play money to support team but good players attract fans to come pay money so which is which? it takes two hand to clap.. -
two ways of looking at it.. either its a half fill cup or a half empty cup.. if the fans is to react to such a comments positively then they can be the 12th players and cheer their team forward.. but anyway i doubt you'll agreed with me just like how we'll have different ways of looking at the half filled or half empty cup thingy..Originally posted by 798:u cant compare the fans among other clubs. maybe in turn of supporters, liverpool n newcastle supporters r bunch of faithful ones even if their team r not performing.
maybe tis kinda affection might drain down the players n dat the players play to fans'disappointment?
how do u feel if u r watching in old trafford, paying for high price ticket. n the manager said u r attending a funeral?
we know dat fergie is well-known for playing mind game wif his opponents, media, referee or his players. but playing mind game wif the loyal crowd? dat is really crossing the line.