Few referees ever escaped the wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson during his time in football.
The former Manchester United manager was known for his fierce hairdryer treatment of his own players – but Fergie was no stranger to giving the match officials a rollicking when decisions didn't go his way. And ex-Premier League ref Jeff Winter has recalled the angry outburst he was subjected to in one of his first matches officiating Fergie's side.
Winter was on the Premier League's roster of officials from 1995-2004 – with his last ever game behind the whistle coming in United's win over Millwall in the '04 FA Cup final. But it was a fixture right at the start of his career which Winter remembers vividly, though not necessarily for the right reasons.
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"I had the ultimate respect for Sir Alex Ferguson as a manager," Winter exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. "He started, restarted, and rebuilt Manchester United on several occasions. But he was very clever. His comments about referees weren't always about the game in question today, they were to try and influence future decisions.
"As a football fan, I want a manager of Sir Alex's capability managing my club, so I fully understood him. Very early in my career, I refereed Manchester United away to Ipswich, right at the beginning of the season.
"I got surrounded by three Man United players, and I issued three yellow cards for dissent. I was a new referee and he castigated me for that decision. Who the hell did I think I was, and all of that kind of thing. But I'll tell you something, three Manchester United players didn't surround me in a game throughout the rest of my career."
What's your favourite Fergie rant? Let us know in the comments below.
United's current crop should have perhaps taken note ahead of Sunday's draw with Liverpool. While the Red Devils were delighted to come away from Anfield with a point after their recent run of form, their afternoon ended on a sour note when Diogo Dalot was sent off in the dying minutes.
A furious Dalot reacted angrily when Michael Oliver awarded Liverpool a throw-in when the United star was convinced it should have gone his way. After voicing his displeasure at the decision and gesturing his disgust, Dalot was booked twice in as many seconds for two shows of dissent and will now serve a one-match suspension against West Ham this Saturday.
Wonder what Fergie would have said about that…
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