Football: Fergie Fired-Up ; He Blasts Wenger in His Most Amazing Rant Ever

Sunday Mirror › October 17, 2004

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Summary

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has fired a blistering broadside at arch rivals Arsenal and accused the Gunners of bringing the whole of sport into disrepute. In an amazing attack on Arsene Wenger's men a week before the champions arrive at Old Trafford to defend their record 49-game unbeaten run, the United boss claimed: That the behaviour of the Arsenal team in last season's Battle of Old Trafford was the catalyst for the worst incident he has ever seen in sport when Martin Keown and several of his team-mates harassed Ruud van Nistelrooy at the final whistle. That Patrick Vieira's red- card challenge on van Nistelrooy and Keown's subsequent hounding of United's Dutch striker after he had missed a last-minute penalty was an even bigger scandal than Eric Cantona's infamous kung-fu attack on a Crystal Palace fan.

That the FA's leniency towards Arsenal over the affair helped the Gunners win the championship. That Arsenal were guilty of a gross dereliction of duty as one of England's great clubs when they failed to take unilateral action against their own players like United did with Cantona back in 1995. That the Gunners are not invincible and have yet to face any of the top teams this season. And Ferguson finished by calling on his men to play the role of judge, jury and executioner when Arsenal return to the scene of last season's mayhem next week. Ferguson was sparked into a response by Robert Pires' claim during the week that last season's controversial clash was pivotal in the Gunners' title triumph. He blasted: "I saw Pires was in the papers saying that the best thing that happened to Arsenal last season was what happened at Old Trafford. "He said the fact that they got off so lightly helped them win the League - and he's bloody well right.

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Football: Fergie Fired-Up ; He Blasts Wenger in His Most Amazing Rant Ever

"Pires mentioned the psychological advantage that those events gave them. He chose to forget what we did to them in the FA Cup semi- final later in the season, ...

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