[Dirtycheat]

Fergie's rebuke for 'dead' crowd

Daily Motion

Originally Posted by Manchester Evening News

SIR Alex Ferguson described United's crowd as 'dead' and his team's performance as 'careless' as the Reds started the New Year unimpressively.

Carlos Tevez's winner was pretty much the only bright spot of a 1-0 win over Birmingham.

"The crowd were dead," Fergie said. "It was like a funeral out there.

"It was the quietest I have heard here for some time and the atmosphere did not help us.

"There have been periods like that in the past. Some years ago, when we were dominant, the crowd came to be entertained.

"Sometimes we need them to get behind us. They can help produce the right performance but we did not get that."

Instead, the flat atmosphere only induced more sloppiness from United ranks, which would have proved costly if Mikael Forssell had found the target with two late chances.

Careless

"It only takes a second to score and we made it difficult for ourselves. it was a careless performance," added the United boss.

"Our finishing was shoddy and by being as careless as as we did, we could have been embarrassed."

Ferguson admitted Tevez's strike was the one bright spot on an otherwise disappointing day, although his team do remain two points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

"It marvellous goal and I think Carlos will go on to get 20 now," said Fergie, who celebrated his 66th birthday yesterday.

"Once we are over the New Year period, we can have a look at where we are. But effectively, the season starts now and it could be nip and tuck right to the end."

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its not just recent i heard it has been dead for a while now. Mostly when we under preform.

[funkdoctorspock]

Its a two reasons why this is...

1. United supporters come to expect results. And not 1-0 wins. To this extent, we have been spoiled. Because when United were on that lil stretch of 1-0 victories, there were a couple matches where United played very well and getting the 3 pts were very important.

2. United fans that buy tickets aren't the "real" fans. Its the fans with the deepest wallets... the fans that go to be part of an event socially and not the match itself.

I do believe that one Roy Keane said it best...

"... We're 1-0 up, then there are one or two stray passes and they're getting on players' backs. It's just not on. At the end of the day they need to get behind the team. Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell 'football', never mind understand it."

[.aK122]

Situations like this are bound to happen eventually. All we need is a few decent results at home and the crowd will be at full voice again.

[Dirtycheat]

well when your club are behind, isnt it best to actually stick by them and raise the roof in the hope that things might improve or should you sit back and eat prawn sandwiches?

I understand that its expensive and the premiership is now glamorous so people expect entertainment but when confidence is slow surely fans should be there to back the team 100%.

i have been to a few west ham games aswell as man united games. In all of them the west ham games have been louder even though they have less to shout about. which is what i dont understand really. It might be down to money because west ham tickets are dirt cheap (especially when half your mate's family are season ticket holders).

[macca247]

always the same never really raise the roof untill the champions league games

[Borg]

Maybe it was because we were facing a low-profile team, I'm sure we would have been much louder against Liverpool or Chelsea..

[GocartMozart]

Originally Posted by Borg

Maybe it was because we were facing a low-profile team, I'm sure we would have been much louder against Liverpool or Chelsea..

that's exactly the point. United support isn't about the opponent, it's about the shirt, about the badge and it's about the history. You don't base your volume on how they are doing on the pitch, your volume is based on the fact that they are wearing red!

Interestingly enough, some bloke...brilliant as he is ...wrote an article about it on Terrace Talk: Battling the Litte Red Devil | Terrace Talk : The Official Blog of United Zone

enjoy

[Borg]

Haha nice.

There wasn't much on the line, United fans probably knew we'd win, or were just hungover..

[funkdoctorspock]

Interesting new twist to this story.

Maybe a United fan that has been to a couple of games can confirm/deny this.

Really sucks that you can't stand at all during the duration of the match. Yes, I understand why the measure was passed, but there can be certain instances where fans should be allowed to stand.

Now I'm wondering, if the atmosphere has died because of the can't stand measure or if its because of the type of fan that can afford a ticket.

Sir Alex upsets Manchester United fans

Old Trafford is like a 'police state' which leaves supporters paralysed by fear, a spokesman from the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association claimed on Wednesday.


United boss Sir Alex Ferguson compared the atmosphere at Tuesday's Premier League win over Birmingham to a funeral, urging fans to back the team more vocally.

Those comments have upset the IMUSA's Colin Hendrie, who accused Ferguson of 'a lack of understanding' of the plight supporters face.

'I think he could benefit from sitting in the ground,' said Hendrie, who believes Old Trafford stewards come down too hard on fans who stand at moments of excitement.

'You can't stand up to make a noise. If you try to stand up, you've got stewards who are ejecting you, they're taking your season ticket away from you.

'It's almost like a police state in a football ground now and if you do stand up, people will take your arm, put it behind the back of your neck and throw you out of the ground.

'Under those circumstances, what atmosphere does he (Ferguson) want?

'The only atmosphere we've got is one where we're a little bit frightened of losing £1,000 for the season ticket we've paid for.'

The noise level in the stadium as United laboured to a 1-0 win over Alex McLeish's strugglers yesterday was non-existent at times, a fact gleefully pointed out by the visiting fans.

Sitting in the directors' box as he completed a two-match touchline ban, the lack of atmosphere was even more noticeable to Ferguson.

So, just over seven years after former captain Roy Keane laid into United's 'prawn sandwich brigade', Ferguson had his say.

'The crowd were dead,' complained the Scot. 'It was like a funeral it was so quiet.'

Hendrie revealed Ferguson's comments had not gone down well with his fellow fans.

'A lot of people are pretty upset, because it shows a lack of understanding about what it's like to be a football fan in 2008,' he said on Sky Sports News.

'Fergie's going back to the days 10 years ago where it was absolutely fantastic, you could stand.

'But you can't do that now and the football authorities need to make up their minds whether they want to have fans sitting neatly in a row not being able to do anything or if they want an atmosphere in the football grounds again.'

Hendrie pointed to the example of United's neighbours Manchester City, where he claims stewards are far more tolerant.

'It's actually not against the law to stand up. It's to do with the terms and conditions on the ticket,' he explained.

'The interpretation of that rule is different at different grounds.

'For example, at City, they've actually got a singing area.

'Because you're allowed to stand in moments of excitement, what they say at City is, 'If you're standing up singing, you're obviously excited, so carry on singing'.

'That doesn't happen at Old Trafford.'

Click

[Borg]

I never knew this,.. you're not allowed to stand? That's pretty lame, where's the excitement in sitting?