carlyluvsunited
01-08-2007, 03:01 AM
Neil Warnock has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson phoned him to apologise after Manchester United lost at home to West Ham United with a weakened team on the last day of last season, a result which meant that Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League.
The former Blades manager, in his new book Made in Sheffield, recounts that his secretary asked him to return a call from Ferguson and that he thought about it for an hour before finally phoning his Old Trafford counterpart.
"He [Ferguson] said he was sorry about what had happened at Old Trafford. 'We battered them, Neil,' he said. 'We had 25 shots. And the stats would back me up on that. The team was good enough to win'," Warnock writes.
"'I know, Alex,' I said. 'It's just the psychological boost the other team gets when they see all those names not on your team sheet.' 'I can't tell you how sorry I am,' he said. He was quoted the next day saying everything was all right between us. But it's still difficult for me to digest what happened."
Warnock was bitterly disappointed when he saw the side Ferguson had picked against West Ham as his own team were preparing to play Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane. A draw would have been enough for Sheffield to stay up but they lost 2-1 and had to rely on United beating West Ham, which they failed to do, losing 1-0 to Carlos Tevez's goal. United lost only one other league game at Old Trafford all season, in September against Arsenal.
"I felt really let down," Warnock writes. "I've so much time for Sir Alex but he had said he'd play his best side against West Ham. And this was nowhere near his best side.
"And then Carlos Tevez, football's equivalent of a murderer out on bail, had scored the goal that kept West Ham up and put us down. So much for the integrity of the Premier League. So much for fairness and justice in English football."
The former Blades manager, in his new book Made in Sheffield, recounts that his secretary asked him to return a call from Ferguson and that he thought about it for an hour before finally phoning his Old Trafford counterpart.
"He [Ferguson] said he was sorry about what had happened at Old Trafford. 'We battered them, Neil,' he said. 'We had 25 shots. And the stats would back me up on that. The team was good enough to win'," Warnock writes.
"'I know, Alex,' I said. 'It's just the psychological boost the other team gets when they see all those names not on your team sheet.' 'I can't tell you how sorry I am,' he said. He was quoted the next day saying everything was all right between us. But it's still difficult for me to digest what happened."
Warnock was bitterly disappointed when he saw the side Ferguson had picked against West Ham as his own team were preparing to play Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane. A draw would have been enough for Sheffield to stay up but they lost 2-1 and had to rely on United beating West Ham, which they failed to do, losing 1-0 to Carlos Tevez's goal. United lost only one other league game at Old Trafford all season, in September against Arsenal.
"I felt really let down," Warnock writes. "I've so much time for Sir Alex but he had said he'd play his best side against West Ham. And this was nowhere near his best side.
"And then Carlos Tevez, football's equivalent of a murderer out on bail, had scored the goal that kept West Ham up and put us down. So much for the integrity of the Premier League. So much for fairness and justice in English football."