Scottish legend confuses a pot with a black kettle
Those barking hounds from Real Madrid are forever circling Old Trafford, panting and sniffing around, desperately trying to locate the whereabouts of Cristiano Ronaldo. They obviously didn’t bank on Sir Alex Ferguson batting them away with a pooey stick.
“In terms of great clubs, Barcelona have far better morality than Real Madrid will ever have,” honked Fergie this week, “Real use this Marca newspaper as a vehicle to unsettle players.”
Well said, Sir Alex! And you’re totally right, we can’t have these big burly clubs going around trampling on people just to get what they want.
Much like this time last year when West Ham’s chairman, Eggert Magnusson, insisted that West Ham had no interest in selling Carlos Tevez and would do everything possible to keep him.
“I think we have got the player. We think he is our player and are very hopeful,” said Ferguson at the time, concealing a blood stained knuckle duster, covered in Icelandic egg - metaphorically speaking, of course.
Might those villains from Madrid have learned from the best?
15 responses so far
1 thecat // May 28, 2008 at 11:55 am
You forget to point out that Tevez was no longer under contract at West Sham so United were well within their rights to attempt to sign him.
2 Upminster Iron // May 28, 2008 at 12:01 pm
If Real Madrid started declaring their interest in Tevez now, even though he’s not officially contracted to Man United, I think Fergie would still moan about it. Think Paul Ince anyway if you’re under any illusions.
3 Tauren // May 28, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Your article is complete rubbish as the situations are not remotely similar.
Ronaldo is a United player, contracted to Man United, Owned by Man United.
Tevez was ON LOAN at West Ham, and they did not offer the cash required to make the deal permanent. He did not belong to West Ham and was not their player to sell, or not sell - that was for MSI to decide. West Hams protestations were purely to save face with the FA who they had lied to in order not to be relegated, and to save face for the FA too who it is clear screwed up the entire mess.
So basically, you are talking rubbish using two completely different cases.
It would be the same as Hull City saying they have no intention of selling Frazier Campbel… it isn’t their choice.
4 number_7 // May 28, 2008 at 12:09 pm
fuck off you fergie haters, we never had a car waiting with his name on it, we didn’t constantly every single go round and tell the whole world we are signing tevez.
5 Simmo // May 28, 2008 at 12:15 pm
This article is nonsense. At least get a GCSE in English before spouting this rubbish on the net!
6 Kings // May 28, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Well said Tauren, excellent write up in defence of Fergie. Real Madrid are clearly tapping up a player who is under contract to another club, making presumptions that the player is as good as theirs. Tevez was a free agent, and therefore, we was completely within our rights to make a move for him last summer.
7 Avram Magic // May 28, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Hmm, November 2006. Owen Hargreaves was at Bayern Munich, out injured so Bayern were already failing to get value for money from him. Fergie surely wouldn’t stir the pot, unsettling another team’s player when it lacks morality. Nope, instead he said:
“We are still interested in Hargreaves, but there’s no update to give at the moment because we haven’t spoken with Bayern again.”
Haven’t even spoke to them but it’s still alright to declare interest in their players and unsettle them.
“If we had got Owen Hargreaves it would have given us a complete variation of the type of midfield players you need in the modern game.”
Not that he was already counting his chickens at this point of course…hypocrite!
8 JK // May 28, 2008 at 12:52 pm
United Fans are afraid they will loose the pretty boy lol, Ronaldo himself with interviews with sky sports and other media, have clearly spoken out of his dream, he cant assure you he will be there next season, He knows when the biggest club in the world come knocking you dont say no. I agree i rem on numerous occasions recently that Owen hargreaves situation fergie tried to unsettle him, and i rem owen saying he wants to play in England, funny how when the boots on the other foot huh!
9 Tauren // May 28, 2008 at 12:55 pm
@ Avram Magic - How about you read what you write.
“We are still interested in Hargreaves, but there’s no update to give at the moment because we haven’t spoken with Bayern again.”
No UPDATE because we haven’t spoken with Bayern AGAIN.
We got permission to speak to Hargreaves from Bayern Munich, following discussions regarding buying the player, and discussions over the sale of Ruud van Nistlerooy.
So, again, United had permission to speak to Hargreaves about a move. There was no update to give at the time of the quote because there had been no further developments.
“If we HAD got Owen” Speaking in past tense about a deal that didn’t work out. What the hell is the problem there? A deal that was made public by Hargreaves himself, and Munich, as much as Man United.
Again, how about you think first, eh Avram.
10 ManU // May 28, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Real the best club in Spain but a lousy telent scouting. They only interested when the players from any clubs in the world start to make headlines and try their dirty tricks to nab them like pirates.They are realy good at luring telented players to join them and they will do anything they can to achieve it as what they admitted in the Spanish press. I think FIFA should take serious action against them
11 St John the Sponge // May 28, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I’ve got no axe to grind with United, but I think they should button their yap on this one. This is just the football food chain at work, just as it always has.
Big clubs have never hesitated to help themselves to players from smaller clubs, nor have they ever once exhibited the slightest moral concern about treating the assets of clubs with smaller budgets like a tasty buffet laid on for their personal enjoyment.
All supporters of smaller teams know that no good young player will stay with them for more than a couple of seasons until a bigger side comes along and scoffs them. United rarely have to deal with this as they are normally the one doing the scoffing.
Real Madrid may have contravened some rule or other, but the whole player trading industry is one of the murkiest businesses known to modern commerce, so it’s not like they are alone in behaving unreasonably. The Tevez case may not be the closest parallel, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to come up with instances where United have trampled on a few toes to get what they want.
Perhaps they should just see this as a rare and privileged insight into what fans of smaller clubs (pretty much everyone from Everton down) have to put up with when one of the really big sides sees something they fancy.
12 ManU=Lol // May 28, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Manchester tapped up Hargreaves, Stam and Robben, however they cry when their player is tapped up? Disgusting.
A club full of hypocrites, from their American owner to their Scottish Manager. Disgraceful.
Real Madrid should probably fly Cristiano to Madrid or set up a secret meeting in France, to give the “always the victim” SAF a taste of his own medicine.
ManU fans scream about winning 3 CL’s. Well kudos, you’ve managed to match Real Madrid’s total in the past 10 years…. just in your clubs entire history.
13 mustard // May 28, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I seem to remember certain newspapers saying how interested the redfaced taggart lookalike was in michael carrick. And we’ve all read how he’d like a piece of handsome hitman berbatov. So how exactly do these stories get into the newspapers eh? I wonder. No really, I actually do wonder. Anyway chillout united fans. You’ve just won the double. And you can have any player in the world that you like. Unless of course real madrid are interested. Nicer weather over there apparently.
14 Ian // May 28, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Ronaldo is not being “tapped up”. Tapped up means a private meeting between player and buying club.
The point is, Real have NOT made a single formal bid to Man Utd. They have said there is an issue between player and club (Man Utd). They or their newspaper have quoted the salary they would offer, the transfer offer and even shown his club car (even if it was a spoof photo). They are cleary using the newspaper (La Marca) to encourage Ronaldo to put in a transfer request. I have never seen Fergie do that.
15 Poe // May 28, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Oh really? Dwight Yorke anyone?