5/8/2013 2:30:35 PM

Quote :

"I hate Sir Alex, for one good reason ... CREATED: 13:21 EST, 9 August 2008 Share Let me start this column how I mean to continue: I hate Sir Alex Ferguson. I don't just mean I mildly dislike the man; I mean I completely and utterly detest him. And I say that with all the calm, dispassionate authority of an Arsenal season-ticket holder. There are numerous reasons for my pathological enmity towards the Manchester United manager. He's petty to the point of puerility; witness the pathetic on-going ban he has imposed on the entire BBC, after Panorama investigated his son's transfer dealings. He's a hypocrite of breathtaking proportions; whining all summer about Real Madrid tapping up Cristiano Ronaldo, while conveniently forgetting his club's relentless tapping up of everyone from Eric Cantona to Wayne Rooney. He is utterly humourless, unless he is cracking the joke. When he once escaped a charge of driving on a motorway hard shoulder because he had acute diarrhoea, I sent him a box of Imodium with a note saying: 'We Gooners knew you were always full of c**p, and now we've got the proof.' All right, it wasn't big, and it wasn't clever, but it was, transparently, a joke. Unfortunately Sir Alex didn't think so, reacting in the same calm, amused way that Saddam Hussein must have done when those US marines found him in that hole. Sir Alex is absurdly thin-skinned. When I was Mirror editor, we bought Jaap Stam's autobiography for a paltry sum (nobody else was interested in a rather boring Dutch centrehalf's memoirs), only to discover it was a veritable treasure trove of claims likely to upset The Boss. Stam claimed Sir Alex had illegally tapped him up and ordered United players to dive in European games, called the Neville brothers a 'pair of busy little ****s', and branded David Beckham so thick he'd never go on Mastermind. Scroll down for more Winning mentality: Sir Alex Ferguson's success is very annoying to a lot of us Within a week Stam had been sold to Lazio, despite being the best defender in the world at the time, a decision that probably cost United the league that season. He is shockingly obstinate. When he pulled United out of the FA Cup in 1999- 2000 to play in that ludicrous World Club Championships, I ran a febrile - and almost universally well-supported - campaign in the Mirror to get them to change their minds. But Sir Alex refused to back down even when the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton implored him to. 'Tell your editor, Morgan, to **** off back to Highbury and stagnate,' he spat to one of my reporters at one stage. I also, while I'm at it, actively dislike his puce-faced, foul-mouthed, gum-chewing, watch-checking, referee-ranting, hairdrying touchline shenanigans, his dodgy raincoats, rain-encrusted spectacles, and that horrible lop-sided smirk and cackhanded fist-pump he always does when he's just nicked another 93rd-minute 1-0 victory from the jaws of a certain 0-0 draw. But the main reason I loathe Sir Alex Ferguson is because he's a winner. If he were a loser, I wouldn't expend another nanojoule of energy hating the man. But he loses about as often as I think of Cherie Blair in a sexual way. And that is the real reason, if I'm honest, why I hate him. As the celebrated Indian philosopher Sri Chinmoy observed: 'You hate someone who you really wish to love, but whom you cannot love.' If Sir Alex were Arsenal manager, I would love him with a passion and ardour not seen since Tarzan first clocked Jane in her loincloths. But he's not. He manages the enemy, and thus I must hate him with a different kind of passion - the kind Roy Keane displayed when he stood over Alf-Inge Haaland, seconds after damaging his knee ligaments, snarling various gynaecological epithets; a blind, mouth-foaming, utterly irrational malevolence. Sir Alex has broken my heart more than any woman, and done it with an aggression, determination, arrogance, and defiant never-say-die zealousness that commands one word above all others: respect. This summer, I have chortled long and hard at Ronaldo's seemingly inevitable transfer to Madrid, texting my United friends with endless taunting 'Bye Bye Ronnie' messages, and loving the thought of United struggling without their 42-goal-a-season superstar. Then, of course, he stayed. And everything you need to know about Sir Alex is summed up by Ronaldo's explanation: 'I wanted to leave, but the boss heard my arguments, I heard his, and, in fact, it was settled that the best for both parties would be for me to stay.' That's why I hate Sir Alex Ferguson. He wins. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1043193/Piers-Morgan-I-hate-Sir-Alex-good-reason-.html#ixzz2SjC6WAqu Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1043193/Piers-Morgan-I-hate-Sir-Alex-good-reason-.html

5/8/2013 2:41:13 PM

Spurs gotta Spur

5/8/2013 2:57:43 PM

5/8/2013 2:59:25 PM

SpursLOL

5/8/2013 3:13:02 PM

What a goal, Ade!

5/8/2013 3:14:28 PM

Quote :

"I can only describe the reaction here as one of widespread disbelief. I thought he was trying to get rid of it so he could have a rest."

lol

5/8/2013 3:16:04 PM

Ramires!

5/8/2013 3:25:56 PM

5/8/2013 3:32:16 PM

elduderino is a smug little shit. Unsurprising really.

On the plus side, at least all the bandwagoners will join the city or chelsea train if we struggle.

5/8/2013 3:33:15 PM

^

Haha. Word.

5/8/2013 3:36:15 PM

Ramirez, please.......

5/8/2013 4:06:11 PM

It's funny to me to see people who are so attached to clubs in other countries. It seems entirely arbitrary. I make no bones about the fact that I pull for clubs based on the players they have from the United States. Like, when Clint Dempsey was on Fulham, I watched and pulled for them, and now that he is on Spurs, I just transferred my feelings.

5/8/2013 4:15:27 PM

I can't speak for anyone else, but it certainly started out arbitrarily enough for me, but over the years it has developed into something far beyond that.

5/8/2013 4:19:45 PM

Woot

5/8/2013 4:24:43 PM

Tie would be best case, but makes for nervy finish

5/8/2013 4:24:45 PM

Adebayor is amazing! That was phenomenal. He's looked dangerous every time he touches it, and he creates the goal on that beautiful pass.

5/8/2013 4:25:01 PM

LOL at you getting excited about some goal scored across the pond.

5/8/2013 4:25:35 PM

When I saw Ade on the starting line up I was like "wtf? Why no Defoe?" but Ade has been doing great this game. I wish he played like this all season.

5/8/2013 4:25:56 PM

Well it's like I said, I pull for Americans. So Tottenham is the club I've been the most invested in this year, because it would be nice to watch a high profile American in the CL next year.

5/8/2013 4:27:47 PM

For me, Arsenal has become in a strange way almost my home team. There isn't exactly a mass of Carolina Hurricanes or NC State fans in NYC, but there are thousands of Arsenal fans and numerous bars that pack to capacity on match day.

5/8/2013 4:35:23 PM

Arsenal still in it for third. Chelsea with a nervy game at Villa Sat.

5/8/2013 4:39:26 PM

At least we are in control of our own destiny now.

5/8/2013 4:41:14 PM

Like I said a couple weeks ago... this is worse than being an NC State fan.

5/8/2013 4:43:36 PM

Still in it for 5th too

[Edited on May 8, 2013 at 4:45 PM. Reason : Wigan will be desperate]

5/8/2013 4:43:36 PM

^^



[Edited on May 8, 2013 at 4:44 PM. Reason : ...]

5/8/2013 4:44:47 PM

I just want to talk about the philosophy, guys.

[Edited on May 8, 2013 at 6:11 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2013 6:10:57 PM

^

5/8/2013 6:14:16 PM

^

5/8/2013 6:20:54 PM

^

You've surpassed me as the most annoying user on ST.

5/8/2013 6:22:07 PM

Quote :

"You've surpassed me as the most annoying user on ST."

Not even close.

5/8/2013 6:44:00 PM

Woww, everyday I learn something new about Sir Alex. Fascinating!

Quote :

"You know how it is on football trips. We see the inside of a hotel, a training ground and a stadium, then home. I would especially like to visit the southern United States, to get a feel of the history, especially the Civil War. I’ve long been fascinated by that."

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/english/glenn-gibbons-old-trafford-king-steps-off-throne-1-2924241

5/8/2013 9:23:18 PM

^ My house is open. Won't be the ritz but it will be home.

Also to address the supporting a team thousands of miles away. I find it a bit odd but I can understand it. I was lucky enough to grow up with United (no I am not from Manchester but was lucky enough to go to Old Trafford). Others will give an arm to be able to do that. The global appeal of clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Pool, and United has clearly led to more international support. You may have started supporting us because John Terry slipped and VDS saved during sudden death but if you stuck by us when Aguero scored that daft goal last year you are good to go. Some people like certain players (Ronaldo) and some people like the football that the team plays. Honestly if I didn't support a team, I would probably be a Dortmund fan. If someone had taken 11 year old me to Highbury to watch my first game and I had seen Henry and Pires carve the defense I most likely would have been an Arsenal fan (the closest stadium to my house). If someone had taken 11 year old me to White Hart Lane and I saw Robbie Keane score a beauty, I probably would have been a spurs fan. As chance would have it, my first match was a 6-1 drubbing of Southampton where Ruud opened the scoring in 40 seconds and would go on to score a hattrick. I was in love ever since.

5/9/2013 1:32:44 AM

You were in love with Ruud?

5/9/2013 7:06:29 AM

^^ u gay

also

Quote :

"Honestly if I didn't support a team, I would probably be a Dortmund fan"

I couldn't decide who to pull for in the CL Final until now. Bayern it is.

5/9/2013 7:29:44 AM

I pull for Tottenham for a couple reasons. 1) Clint Dempsey (I used to pull for Fulham) a team has to have an American for me to pull for them 2) my coworker is an Arsenal fan so even though I don't invest too much into soccer its fun to fuck with him, I've learned Arsenal fans are a lot like UNC fans they are easy to piss off and if Tottenham beats them it must have been some kind of miracle 3) Tottenham shits the bed just like State...they'll beat a team like Man City and then lose to Fulham

5/9/2013 8:49:15 AM

Haha lots of truth in that post.

5/9/2013 9:02:32 AM

Haha spot on

5/9/2013 9:05:58 AM

I pull for Liverpool because they're irrelevant in the Champions League hunt now which frees me up to talk shit on every top team and not have any important games to worry about of my own team.

Also, I fell in love with Gerrard's dreamy eyes when I was a wee lad.



[Edited on May 9, 2013 at 9:17 AM. Reason : fell, not feel]

5/9/2013 9:14:38 AM

Moyes?

5/9/2013 9:27:14 AM

Ronaldo?

Viva Ronaldo Viva Ronaldo Viva Ronaldo
Put him on a plane bring him back from Spain
Viva Ronaldo

5/9/2013 9:44:51 AM

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2013/05/09/moyes-to-depart

5/9/2013 9:48:17 AM

So Moyes it is

Busby's Babes
Fergie's Fledglings
Moyes' Boys?

5/9/2013 9:51:37 AM

I became a Tottenham fan because I watched BPL since I was like 13 or 14 and I felt like I needed a team to follow. I didn't want to be a bandwagoner with Chelsea or Man United. I kind of liked Liverpool because I love Gerrard's game but it just never felt right. I absolutely hated Arsenal back then because of Veira and when all the monkeys started hooping and hollering at RvN when he missed a penalty against them and them just generally being a dirty team full of divers. And I really liked Berbatov, Robbie Keane, Edgar Davids, and I was an Aaron Lennon fan from the first time I saw him step on the field for Leeds at the age of 15 or 16. I thought that was awesome. So it was kind of a natural choice. I didn't follow them very closely though until Bale scored this goal against Stoke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25A1HyZyg0

From that moment I was absolutely hooked.

5/9/2013 10:13:44 AM

#ThankYouSirAlex
mentioned 1.4m times within an hour on
Twitter. More than Obama's re election (850k)

5/9/2013 10:39:28 AM

David Moyes' away PL record v Man U, LFC, Chelsea and Arsenal: P45 W0 D18 L27.

I think it's an average hire, to be honest. His Everton teams get the job done but it's not very fun to watch. He's extremely conservative in big games. He has limited experience in Europe.

What are his positives? Commitment to youth and loyalty to the club is very commendable in this age but why is it so important? Big clubs hire big time managers in short stints and just re-load with another all the time. Trying to replace Ferguson with another Ferguson-esque manager seems like they're forcing it too much.

I wonder how much Ferguson's desire to remain involved kept out choices like Mourinho.

5/9/2013 10:40:26 AM

Spot on! I couldn't have put it much better. Very apprehensive about the hire. But the fans will be behind him nonetheless

5/9/2013 10:49:35 AM

i'll back him 100% but i definitely preferred mourinho. just an underwhelming appointment.

*his away record definitely can't be overlooked, that was my main apprehension with hiring him to be honest. but i think with a bigger and better squad he can play an attacking style. everton were looking pretty good early in the season but they have a thin squad so he had to play more conservative.

also, i read rooney broke up with us on twitter, took 'Manchester United Player' off his profile. hope we sell him, he plays like total shit just as often as he plays like a world class footballer.



[Edited on May 9, 2013 at 11:06 AM. Reason : .]

5/9/2013 11:01:39 AM

O- fucking - fficial

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/May/manchester-united-appoints-new-manager-david-moyes.aspx

5/9/2013 11:05:13 AM

^^ I read that Cleverley had the same thing on his twitter profile already so I don't think it means anything.


SIX year contract for Moyes.

[Edited on May 9, 2013 at 11:06 AM. Reason : ^]

5/9/2013 11:06:21 AM