As a qualified Ref, who jacked it for the lack of respect being offered to officials on the parks, christ I was livid with Mike Phelan this a.m. on MOTD.
So much for the Respect campaign. Ronaldo was disgraceful. Could have been carded 4x but Phil Dowd gave him more than enough slack. The bit where Dowd told Ronaldo to come back to him and Ronaldo gestured ‘no, you come here’ FFS!
Rooney got a mandatory caution for shirt pulling, and no-one could misinterpret his ‘dissent by word or action’. Yet Dowd was instantly surrounded by 3 or 4 ManU players contesting it.
Ferguson even disputed the Scholes sending off, according to this morning’s telegraph.
And what did Phelan say in interview? That the referee had lost control and was basically to blame for ‘taking it out’ (my words) on the ManU spoilt little kids.
Come on the Scousers. I would love it, love it, if ManU’s crumbling grip suddenly develops some proper cracks. I still don’t think it will, but you live in hope.