Thursday update: Nothing to do with this incident, of course, but worth noting that Ferguson has been banished to the stands, receiving a two-match ban and a fine of 20,000 quid for the comments he made about Alan Wiley in October.

So, the FA has decided to get tough with the United boss. Are they right to do it? Read the full story here.

You might think Alex Ferguson would have realised, after half a century in the professional game, that the view from the manager’s dug-out is rarely objective or entirely accurate.

And if a referee does happen to make a mistake, which he is bound to do in the high-speed hurly-burly of a Premier League match, the Scot might also have come to the conclusion that venting your spleen at the powerless fourth official is a waste of everybody’s time.

But no, it seems not. Week after week, month after month, season after season, barely a match passes without Ferguson complaining about something that didn’t go United’s way.

On Sunday, when he might have been questioning his decision to play only one striker in a cautious approach to the showdown with Chelsea or berating his walkabout defence for failing to defend the key free kick, he found three reasons why John Terry’s goal should not have stood.

The initial foul on Ashley Cole by Darren Fletcher should not have been given, he said. Wes Brown was impeded in trying to defend the subsequent Frank Lampard free kick and Didier Drogba was offside and obscuring Edwin van der Sar’s view of the ball when it went in.

Of the hat-trick, the initial one appeared to have the most merit but any number of aggressive tackles are deemed fouls these days and Cristiano Ronaldo used to benefit as much if not more than anyone else in that regard.

The marginal contact between Drogba and Brown is also small beer in the current climate where wrestling in the box ahead of free kicks and corners has become an established part of the game. Rest assured that when Steve Bruce was patrolling the centre of United’s defence he would not have allowed himself to so easily be taken out of the game at a vital moment.

TV replays were inconclusive over Drogba’s position and, even if all three moans were justified, people have surely just stopped listening.

“You lose faith in refereeing sometimes, that’s the way the players are talking in there — it was a bad one,” he said, with Wayne Rooney chipping in by apparently mouthing “12 men” at a TV camera as he trudged off at the end.

PHOTO: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson reacts during their English Premier League soccer match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in London November 8, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

A game between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of football’s great fixtures and it has recently been given additional spice by a number of clashes between the managers.

Much has been said and written about the verbal jousting between Rafael Benitez and Alex Ferguson and at the moment the Scot is losing both on and off the field.

Ferguson is by far the most successful manager in the Premier League but Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool suggests he is now helpless and out of ideas when he crosses swords with his Spanish opponent, who was calm and collected before the game.

Ferguson said after the match there was a “wounded animal aspect to the game” given Liverpool’s recent poor run but their victory may also have been the result of a growing confidence among Benitez’s side when it comes to meeting United. 

After losing 4-1 at home to Liverpool last season, United needed a different approach when visiting Anfield on Sunday but their display was a case of déjà vu.

The game was won by Liverpool’s team effort, by the passionate Anfield crowd but also by Benitez’s ability to rediscover United’s weaknesses (Rio Ferdinand?).

PHOTO: Liverpool’s manager Rafa Benitez (L) and his Manchester United counterpart Alex Ferguson gesture during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United have a rich tradition of developing precocious young talents and relying on them to do a job that could be considered beyond their years.

But despite a squad packed to the rafters with players under the age of 25, United fans are hailing the evergreen talents of a 35-year-old left winger and eagerly anticipating the return of a reliable Dutch keeper three years his senior.

The two men could be crucial to their hopes of a fourth consecutive Premier League crown.

Ryan Giggs has arguably been United’s best player this season, while Edwin van der Sar will be welcomed back by many fans who have been less-than impressed by England keeper Ben Foster’s start to the campaign.

Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, a World-Player-of-the-Year-sized hole has been left in the United set-up. The Portuguese wizard made a habit of conjuring goals from nothing and rescuing points that had long-since been given up.

While Wayne Rooney has done his bit to plug the goal-scoring gap, netting seven times in United’s early season skirmishes, it is Giggs who has stepped up to the plate when the Red Devils have found themselves in trouble.

He may not have the scorching pace of his youth - that departed long ago - but he still retains that precious ability to change a game.

Already this season, in matches against Tottenham, Stoke and Wolfsburg, where he grabbed his 150th goal for the club, the Welshman has hauled his side out of danger with crucial goals and important assists.

There were times last season when some United fans were suggesting he was past his best and should step aside, but the dissenting voices have now slipped back into the woodwork and been replaced by near universal admiration.

At the other end of the pitch, United have conceded goals at a rate that will undoubtedly have bothered Sir Alex Ferguson, as demanding a manager as they come.

Foster has been heir apparent to Van der Sar since a successful loan spell at Vicarage Road thrust him into the limelight, but United fans remain unconvinced he will claim the role long-term. One United blogger suggests it is possible he could be shipped out of Old Trafford all together before long.

England fans worried by the lack of an obvious successor to David James will hope Foster’s recent mistakes are little more than a hiccup and a good run of form in the run-up to this summer’s World Cup will see him book a place in the England squad.

Whether or not his place on the plane to South Africa is deserved or just an indictment of England’s current crop of keepers, only time will tell.

And if Giggs and Van der Sar are anything to go by, he will have plenty of time to prove his doubters wrong.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs gestures during a training session at the club’s Carrington training complex in Manchester, September 29, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Arsene Wenger has not collected trophies quite as greedily as his Manchester United counterpart Alex Ferguson but in terms of his impact on English football he has no equal.

Ferguson transformed an under-achieving United into the most succesful club in English football but Wenger has set the benchmark for modern-day club football in terms of style.

Like the great Dutch sides of yesteryear, Arsenal’s players, whichever part of the globe they come from, are schooled in Wenger’s philosophy of pure football, one-touch passing and dazzling counter-attacking.

They have evolved from a side built on the traditional English assets of power, grit and workrate to become among the slickest footballing teams in Europe. On their day they are the best team in the world to watch and are a textbook for how the game should be played.

Wenger became Arsenal’s longest-serving manager on Thursday and his latest squad appears equal to anything that has gone before. Great managers are judged on their ability to rebuild teams when key players either get too old or move on and both Wenger and Ferguson are masters at it.

Despite a good start to the season for United, it still looks like the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo might return to haunt them.

Arsenal, though, have Andrei Arshavin quickly establishing himself as the new darling of the fans following Thierry Henry’s move while ball-playing defender Thomas Vermaelen is making his mark. The Gunners are oozing potential.

Wenger appears to have crafted another great squad and with Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott on the way back from injuries, this could be the season that the Frenchman starts collecting silverware again after four trophy-less years…

PHOTO: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger addresses a news conference in Liege, September 15, 2009. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Manchester United played Stoke City off the park on Saturday yet for 62 minutes they lacked the cutting edge to turn their superiority into goals.

Enter Ryan Giggs.

The veteran Welshman was introduced as a substitute for the often infuriating Nani after 57 minutes and took just five more to provide the pass from which Dimitar Berbatov broke the
deadlock.

He then teed up John O’Shea for United’s second with a pinpoint free kick.

When Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid, the spotlight turned on Nani and new recruit Antonio Valencia to fill his boots.

But Giggs, the club’s record appearance maker, is proving that there is no substitute for class and know-how.

Gone are the days when his twinkle toes would leave defenders swinging at thin air, but the 35-year-old’s value to Alex Ferguson’s squad is still immeasurable.

Giggs appears to have an uncanny ability to read a football match, to unlock a defence with a simple pass. He made three of United’s four goals against Manchester City last week and his two assists against Wigan Athletic helped his side go back to the top of the Premier League.

He could again be United’s trump card this season as they try to win a fourth consecutive title and reclaim the Champions League and its no wonder that Ferguson has always treated him like a favourite son.

Few players in the history of the club have endured as long as Giggs and, treated carefully, there appears no reason why he cannot continue at the top level for another couple of seasons.

In the meantime, Nani and Valencia should look and learn and remember the old adage that football is essentially a simple game too often made complicated.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s John O’Shea celebrates scoring against Stoke City with Ryan Giggs during their English Premier League match, Sept. 26, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Most Manchester United fans will not have been excited when they heard of the club’s plans to sign Michael Owen. The experienced England striker certainly did not fit the usual profile of Alex Ferguson’s signings, at too old and far too injury-prone.

But could Owen prove to be another one of Ferguson’s transfer masterstrokes to rank alongside the likes of Eric Cantona and Henrik Larsson?

The departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez have left United very short of attacking options, leaving Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov as the only experienced forwards at Old Trafford.

Danny Wellbeck and Federico Macheda are promising players but surely not ready to play regularly at the highest level. So why not bring in Owen to help their development, a player with 40 international goals and despite his recent injury problems, a good scoring record throughout his career even in a poor Newcastle side over the last four years?

Ferguson surely has nothing to lose. Owen cost nothing, is on a salary dependent on the number of games he plays and the number of goals he scores. He is desperate to play at next year’s World Cup and, after a few years in the wilderness, has everything to prove at the age of 29. He could barely disguise the grin on his face during interviews on Saturday.

Owen to Manchester United could be a disaster on both sides. But, equally, it could be a match made in heaven.

PHOTO: Michael Owen (L) leaves the Bridgewater hospital in Manchester after undergoing a medical before signing for United, July 3, 2009. REUTERS

Arsenal played poorly at Manchester United on Wednesday but escaped with a 1-0 defeat that leaves them still in with a chance of reaching the Champions League final.

When you consider that they haven’t conceded a goal at home in the competition all season, the situation doesn’t look half bad. After all, they have already beaten United in north London this season and there is no reason why they can’t do it again.

First though, their big performers need to turn up, because they went missing at Old Trafford. Theo Walcott barely got a kick, Emmanuel Adebayor was subdued and Cesc Fabregas was overwhelmed in midfield.

It will also help if Robin van Persie is fit after missing the first leg. Without the Dutchman, and the ineligible Andrey Arshavin, they looked lightweight in attack.

United were not at their best either and will be frustrated at not putting the tie to bed. However, they did not allow Arsenal an away goal and so will start clear favourites to reach Rome and a possible re-match with Chelsea.

Remember, they were in far worse shape after drawing 2-2 at home with Porto in the quarter-final, first leg. And with such a plethora of attacking options, Alex Fergsuon’s side will be confident of breaching Arsenal’s Emirates fortress.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s John O’Shea (C) celebrates with Darren Fletcher (L) and Rio Ferdinand (R) after scoring during their Champions League semi-final, first leg against Arsenal at Old Trafford, April 29, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

4-4 is the sort of scoreline that delights neutrals, TV companies and marketing executives but it’s not one that Liverpool fans will remember with any fondness.

A point from Tuesday night’s draw with Arsenal at Anfield was enough to take Liverpool top of the Premier League table on goal difference from Manchester United, but seeing as Alex Ferguson’s side have two games in hand it’s hard to see the title ending up anywhere but at Old Trafford.

There could still be room for a twist or two, of course, but United seem to have regained their defensive stability, just as Liverpool have lost their poise at the back.

As for Arsenal, the result was not as costly — they’re all but guaranteed fourth spot — and Andrei Arshavin’s four-goal performance was spectacular but their own defensive failings would have made very interesting viewing for United looking ahead to the Champions League semi-finals.

Altogether, a very satisfying night for Ferguson, I should say…

PHOTO: Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun reacts after the final whistle against Arsenal at Anfield, April 21, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

There is not much romantic about Everton’s current lineup, especially now they are operating without injured Spaniard Mikel Arteta, but the unceasingly honest boys in blue certainly injected some desperately-needed colour to this season’s FA Cup with their penalty-shootout win over Manchester United on Sunday.

Yes it was an awful semi-final, with neither team really testing the opposing goalkeeper, but at least Everton, and their fans, took it seriously.

If United’s reserves had gone through to play Chelsea, again, it would have been another nail in the coffin of a competition that used to be the highlight of the season.

Alex Ferguson decided to rest his big names to keep them fresh for Premier and Champions League action. Everton boss David Moyes couldn’t have done the same even if his team had anything else to play for.

So bye bye to Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck, Anderson, Federico Macheda and Fabio and Rafael Da Silva. Their day will come, but, thankfully for lovers of the FA Cup and neutrals alike, it will not be Saturday May 30. (more…)

I’m not sure if Alex Ferguson would approve of a decision taken by one of his old clubs but East Stirlingshire, where he began his managerial career as a 32-year-old in 1974, have just taken a very controversial stand against “sporting behaviour”.

The modest club, whose major objective in the recent past was to avoid
finishing bottom of the Scottish Third Division, but are currently third in the table, have ordered their players NOT to kick the ball out of play if one of their opponents is down injured.

Coach Jim McInally has told his team to only stop playing if the referee orders them to do so. He was furious following an incident during their 2-0 win at Forfar Athletic on Saturday.

After play stopped 10 minutes from time so an East Stirling player could be treated for injury, Forfar goalkeeper Ally Brown tried to restart play with a soft pass back to East Stirling. However, Forfar’s substitute striker Calum Smith had other ideas.

With time running out and his side 2-0 down, he decided to try and pull one back and was only prevented from scoring by a save from East Stirling keeper Mark Peat.

Players from both sides started arguing which led to three of them being booked and McInally banning his side from kicking the ball out for an injury in future.

“It may seem a bit unsporting, but football is a ruthless business at times,” he explained. “If Forfar had scored, they would have had a foothold in the game and the last few minutes might have been tricky for us.”

Most fans accept the sporting convention as part of the game now and remember how Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger offered to replay an FA Cup tie against Sheffield United after his side had scored without giving the ball back after an injury. It made no difference in the end. They won the original game 2-1 and the replayed game by the same score.

Of course, there is no law against being unsporting in this respect — it is just a convention that has grown up with FIFA’s approval to make the game fairer. But is McInally right or wrong?

Is there a place for sportsmanship in the ruthless world of the Scottish Third Division — or anywhere else for that matter?

PHOTO: Arsenal’s Dutch winger Marc Overmars (R) is congratulated by his Nigerian team mate Nwanko Kanu (C) after scoring a controversial goal during their F.A Cup fifth round match. Sheffield United’s captain David Holdsworth reacts angrily, Feb. 13, 1999. REUTERS/Ian Hodgson