14 Oct 2014

'I don't like it': Angry Man Utd legend explains why he gets 'annoyed' at Liverpool FC

Despite being a principal reason for LFC's Premier League decline over the last 25 years, it's hard not to admire the achievements of Ex-Man United manager Alex Ferguson. The Scot is clearly one of the greatest managers in the history of the game, and United have floundered badly without his undisputed managerial genius. During his time at Old Trafford, Fergie's stated goal was to 'knock Liverpool right off their perch', and he (sadly) succeeded in doing that. The tables have turned, though, and Fergie admits he's frustrated that all his hard work - particularly as it pertains to Liverpool - has seemingly gone to waste.

Speaking to The Mirror this week, Ferguson moaned:

"I got annoyed when we lost to Liverpool last year. I didn’t enjoy that. I don’t like losing to Liverpool and Manchester City, because they are your biggest rivals and the ones you always strive to defeat and are always in our way. Particularly Liverpool, of course".

I find it extremely amusing that it took 27 years for Ferguson to consolidate Man United's Premier League dominance over Liverpool, but as soon as he left, it took only one year for the Reds reassert superiority over the club's biggest rivals.

Man United fans may argue that Liverpool currently sit below United in the table, but its early days yet, and there's a very strong possibility that the Reds will finish above Louis Van Gaal's team. Indeed, statistically speaking, it's a near-certainty:

* In 2012-13, Liverpool finished 7th in the table on 61 points, 28 points behind the Man United, who were Champions that year.

* Fast-forward a year, and Liverpool improved by 23 points and 6 places in the table to finish 2nd on 84 points. United, meanwhile, regressed to the tune of 24 points and plunged down to 7th place in the table.

* Liverpool is the only Premier League/Division One team in 50+ years to achieve such an amazing single-season improvement. Jumping from 7th to 2nd in one year is practically unheard-of, and the odds of Man United achieving a similar herculean feat are incredibly slim.

I'd compare it to Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' team of 2003-4 - an astonishing achievement that will probably never be repeated, and the same may apply to Liverpool's amazing one-season jump from Premier League no-hopers to genuine title challengers.

So, United fans can revel in their temporary top-four status, but it won't last long, and Ferguson better get used to being 'annoyed' by Liverpool beating his old team, as - going forward - I suspect that the balance of power will continue to remain in the Reds favour.

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36 comments:

  1. @FDotM @Theycallmeburt - There was a brief disqus glitch, and your comments disappeared for some reason. Sorry about that (!)

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  2. I hope it's a case of 'they talking about you,they fret about you'.

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  3. He gets oppurtunities in front of goal and wastes them, adding another striker won't make him shoot on target all of a sudden...

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  4. 50 years .. are you sure .. Forest won the league in 78, after winning promotion in 77..

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  5. I'm talking about teams already in the league, who finish way down the table then jump up the league.

    You're right about Forest, though. Stunning achievement.

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  6. AndWithSuchSimplicity4:26 pm, October 14, 2014

    I bumped into a United fan last week who couldn't wait to start crowing about "Looking down on you again." and "Normal service has been resumed".
    Funny how £150 million can make them feel smug again....

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  7. Likely we end above Man United? I doubt it. Van Gaal will get his team going. He is a great motivator and man manager as is Rodgers. The difference is that Van Gaal knows how to spend a transfer kitty. He'll address the defense in January and they'll be charging up the table after that.

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  8. I do not care what anybody says, I do not want to succeed the way Man Utd have the potential to. They have just got the biggest mercenaries and are using them. Di Maria could have chosen many teams better than Utd but he chose the team with the most pay. Same with Falcao. I never want our team to be like that. The traditions and youth development. The success of Gerrard and Carragher were some reasons I became a fan of this club. I would hate to see us lose those values others have lost.

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  9. Well in fairness they've seem to have invested their 150 million a hell of a lot better than we have ours.

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  10. AndWithSuchSimplicity4:33 pm, October 14, 2014

    I could counter that and say "At least we remembered the defence".
    Then I saw Lovren play................ :(

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  11. Dude, you spent £117m, so I think you might need another one liner....
    You may also want to look at your spending over the last 5 years, you'll notice you are one of the biggest spenders also.

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  12. are you referring to the team that has Evans, Smalling, Rafael, three under 21's all of which have featured in the first team in the first 5 games :)
    Success has given us the ability to buy and pay these players.
    Stop talking rubbish please!

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  13. UTD bought Shaw Rojo and Blind, I don't think we forgot our defence really!

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  14. Man Utd have had an amazing tradition of youth development and I hugely admire Ferguson for that. Look at players like Welbeck and Cleverley. You shunted promising players out for Falcao and co. Come January, if Van Gaal decides his defence is not upto par, do you really think Evans and Smalling( whom you brought from Fulham) will still be playing.

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  15. Jumping from 7th to 2nd doesn't mean anything and it's becoming obvious to everyone Suarez isn't going to be replaced and this year Liverpool have gone backwards.Did the same as Spurs when they got a ton of money for Bale bought a bunch of ave players with the Suarez money instead of one or two quality.It's ok going after Utd for spending money but it's better spending the big money on a player like Di Maria and giving him a decent wage then buying 2 or 3 ave players and still spending the same amount in transfer fees and wages.

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  16. AndWithSuchSimplicity5:30 pm, October 14, 2014

    Leicester away suggests that you might have. :)

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  17. AndWithSuchSimplicity5:32 pm, October 14, 2014

    I'm not moaning about either team spending money. I'm rather commenting on the "legacy" left by Taggart that is going to cost £200m+ to rectify.
    Why do you think he left?

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  18. AndWithSuchSimplicity5:33 pm, October 14, 2014

    Oh. And you aren't the "real" reds.

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  19. AndWithSuchSimplicity5:39 pm, October 14, 2014

    Suarez was irreplaceable. There is nobody in the world who could do what he did.
    I wouldn't say that LFC have gone backwards - they lost to City last year, lost to Soton at home and only drew with Villa, so the results against those teams are not that much different. And if Jagielka hadn't hit that screamer we would be above United......
    Rodgers has gambled and decided to use the money on squad strength. We now have options in every position which is something we've never had before.
    Only time will tell if he was right.

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  20. colonel cocknocker6:01 pm, October 14, 2014

    My thoughts exactly but i'm shutting up for fear of sounding like a broken record. Instantaneous aggression is the crucial factor imho.

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  21. I'd rather we signed Reus than Cavani personally, I've never been totally sold on Cavani.

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  22. Having a decoy may create space giving him more time to shoot &/or even more chances on goal. Both these reasons have a higher probability of leading to a goal.

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  23. The worrying thing is, even if Man Utd fall short this season they'll continue to spend heavily in the transfer market until they get it right.
    Man City proved if you regularly splash big cash on quality, eventually you'll break into the top four and contend for trophies.
    The money Man United makes is on another level to what we bring in.They recently sealed a 10 year Adidas deal worth 75m a season.Deals like that puts them in a position to compete for the best players and service club debts.
    Having a very high wage bill isn't ideal without CL football, but they can easily adhere to Financial Fair Play regulations as it stands.
    But UEFA are looking to tweak their regulations.FFP punishes over investment not accumulation of debt'.If they make changes it would put a 350m spanner in the works.

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  24. your comment is a contradiction in terms when you start it Suarez was irreplaceable. There is nobody in the world who could do what he did.
    then say Liverpool haven't gone backwards,course they have by losing him.Gerrard looked spent at the World Cup and has started the season slowly.Balotelli has been bad news were ever he's gone that's more to do with Rodgers ego rather than being a good signing,he's poison.The defense is still weak and i just can't agree spending money on warm bodies instead of signing quality is a good policy.
    You're right only time will tell but i'll be shocked if Liverpool make the top 4 again this season

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  25. Beast that's not accurate mate UEFA aren't looking to tweak the rules,City and PSG are trying to get a meeting with UEFA to change the rules so it would favor the oil clubs and not the high revenue clubs which will never happen,it would only favor 2 or 3 clubs.Liverpools debt is over 100mill and doesn't have close to Utd's revenue.With the Adidas and Chevrolet deals starting this year Utds revenue will be well over 400 mill with a debt of around 350 it's very manageable

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  26. Done deal Liverpool have agreed to sign Real Madrids forward line.

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  27. If you post one more pointless, sniping one-liner like this you will receive a 7-day ban.

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  28. Yet we'll come fifth you say?

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  29. I really hope LFC can capture the form of last season as we showed glimpses of that against spurs and even Everton as they never really threatened us. Let's hope Sturridge and Balo can click and fire us up the table. Di Maria is a genuine top quality player one LFC could of used to fill the void that the mercurial Suarez left. I have faith though that we have enough quality to be challenging for top four again but wouldn't mind seeing Origi in January dare I say Cavani?....

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  30. Man U are better than we are at DM, midfield, upfront and in goal. Their defense is even worse than ours but Blind looks better at helping that than Stevie over the length of the season.

    The only way we finish above them is if Sturridge returns to form and really gels with SOMEONE upfront who is willing to work their ass off, pass and shoot like they belong there. Sterling does in spades but Mario can't / hasn't moved, Markovic won't retain possession or shoot even at gunpoint and Lallana is still a big question in my mind. After all the spending there are big quality gaps at DM and in our attacking ranks. Maybe time will help the current group gel but at this moment they are very inconsistent. God, we miss Suarez's tireless work rate!!!!!

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  31. In all honesty I think its going to be a real struggle to finish above them this year and I don't envisage it getting any easier over time either, in fact, it will most likely become harder. They had a temporary slump (one year) and then went out and bought some top players in (Di Maria, Falcao) who I believe will help get them back to the top. The only way I could see us overtaking them in the long term is if they continue to struggle for an extended period (at least 3/4 seasons) but with the manager and players they have I just can't see this happening. Their defence is awful but they will still outscore most teams. Our best hope of overhauling them was with Moyes staying on, now I can only seem them heading back to the top.

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  32. ferguson didn't left man utd in a great shape,since paul scholes retired man utd wasn't the same they coudn't hold the ball.

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  33. We will finish above manu this season, by the way..

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