Controlling The Rules Of Football

A few weeks back, against Arsenal, he was raging against the referee for being too harsh on his players. This past weekend he thought the referee was too lenient on an aggressive Bolton team that surprised his United 1 nil. And today he has been charged by the FA for abuse of an official. Here is what Alex Ferguson has to say for himself: "You can expect a team in Bolton's position to play that way. You expect a team near the bottom to battle, scrap and fight...Obviously they do not have the quality of opponents like ourselves. That is why they we are in different positions in the league...But the key thing is how the referee controls it. He is the arbiter in terms of the application of the rules of football. That is where we feel a bit aggrieved."

But we think the key really is how Ferguson "controls it". Even after getting himself charged he is trying to use the media to influence Premiership referees to in the future see the game in a way that is ideal for his team to win.

And winning is beautiful isn't it? More >

Tevez's Appetite For The Game

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is relishing the completion of Carlos Tevez's sale to the club:

"I want to make this happen. He has impressed everyone with his appetite for the game...He'll get me 15 goals this season and what's more, they'll be important goals." More >

The Inspiration

This blog was inspired by the Great Beauty Debate in the footballing world that emerged with the clash between the vaunted beautiful teams of Arsenal FC and Manchester United during the 2007-08 Premiership season.

The debate has been chronicled by The Beautiful Game Search Engine and its sources can be found throughout the global media.