Posted by John Roache, on May 17th, 2009, in Sports - LFC
Firstly, let me congratulate Manchester United’s manager, players and fans on finally matching our record of 18 top flight league titles. If I didn’t do that then I might sound a little bitter throughout the rest of this article, because what I’d like to do secondly is establish why it is that people hate Man United as a club so much – and no, it isn’t ‘just because they win’, contrary to what you might think.
Obviously, Liverpool fans hate United because they’re our biggest rivals and have been for many years; but the hatred levels shown towards Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal are nothing compared to the animosity we have for the Mancs. Absolutely nothing. There are so many reasons for this that to attempt an exhaustive list would be futile, but taking a few of the most recent and nauseating instances of United’s extreme arrogance and hypocrisy might allow us to explore the hatred just a little bit.
A few weeks ago was the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, and say what you will about Liverpool fans, Heysel, and all of the other historically controversial moments which have shaped this club, there can be no denying that, for those few April days, respect and solidarity were owed to those who lost loved ones on that day. It was a beautiful week in many ways, with a moving ceremony and a lot of very kind, thoughtful words being said by people up and down the country, even those not normally involved in the footballing world.
At the same time, Alex Ferguson was preparing to launch a pre-meditated and public attack on Rafael Benitez’s moral standards. It concerned the infamous ‘gesture’ Rafa made to Xabi Alonso after the midfield playmaker apparently ignored his manager’s instructions to play a free kick short. Was Ferguson there in the dugout, was he even at Anfield? No. Did the incident concern him or his team at all? No. Did he have any evidence that Benitez meant the gesture as an arrogant ‘game over’ signal aimed at Allardyce and Blackburn? No. Did Allardyce say anything about the incident until Ferguson raised the matter? Did he mention it in his post-game drink with Sammy Lee? Did the TV cameras show Benitez to be targeting his opponents in any way?
Did Sam Allardyce once bring a reserve keeper on to play up front in an FA Cup game that he judged his Bolton side to have already comfortably won? Yes, he did.
Allardyce is a disgusting person but by far the worse of the two evils here is Ferguson. He said that Benitez had shown ‘contempt’ for his opponents with the gesture. Well, let’s talk about contempt Mr Ferguson.
Do you think that nobody is watching when you run around like a drunken hooligan, waving your arms and swearing at the 4th official just because a decision didn’t go your way? What about your team’s nasty and well-known habit of surrounding the referee? What about your assistant’s accusation last year that the referee of your FA Cup game against Portsmouth was bent, just because he didn’t give you the decisions that you wanted? What about your deliberate lies to the media about your club’s level of spending compared to Liverpool’s? What about your childish refusal to speak to the BBC on account of the fact that they included your son in a documentary about dodgy agents? Not to be forgotten was your refusal to fulfil your media obligations to Sky Sports – the company responsible for the wealth of your club – because they dared to insist that one of your games be played at 12.45 instead of 3 o clock (this was in accordance with official police recommendations).
And last week, after your side scored a late goal against Wigan, your player Patrice Evra made a gesture which – and this time it was certainly clear – was meant to mock Benitez and imply that the league was ‘all over’. By the way, the league wasn’t over at that point – the Mancs needed Saturday’s bland 0-0 home draw to Arsenal to confirm that. Contempt? Anyone?
Ferguson has been anxious about Liverpool this year. He made remarks earlier this season which ruled us out as serious contenders, despite our strong start. Benitez stepped in soon after and gave his legendary Ferguson lecture, a moment which has wrongly been labelled a rant and which, actually, revealed an awful lot of truths concerning the ‘untouchable’ status that the United manager has deliberately built for himself over his many years in charge. We proceeded to push United to the 37th game of the season, beating them twice, scoring more goals and losing fewer games, leaving them to rely on some excellent defending and some dubious refereeing decisions to win the league.
They won the league because they managed to nick goals in the home games which saw us drawing. They got more points over 9 months and they are therefore rightly champions. But when Benitez beats them to the title next year, it will be every bit as impressive an achievement as Ferguson’s first title win with United – if not more so. Ferguson has a centre back who cost more than our entire defensive squad put together; he has a £30 million striker in Berbatov, a £27 million striker in Rooney and the ability to spend £30 million combined on young lads like Anderson and Nani. Benitez meanwhile has built a team out of dependable players like Alonso, Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Kuyt and Riera without spending small fortunes on each one. His record signing, Torres, was only £20 million and has been much better value than Berbatov. Mascherano, at £18 million, is better than both Carrick (£15 million plus) and Hargreaves (£18 million plus).
Nobody seems to give Rafa the credit he deserves for simply managing to build a title-challenging side at a time when Ferguson is cash-rich and well-established and Chelsea have Russian billions in the bank. Liverpool also manage to play quite nice football – something else that the commentators tend to ignore. We’re no Barcelona but we’re certainly better than Chelsea to look at.
Football in general is not enough to make me angry; it’s the characters and forces involved in the game which get me livid. If Ferguson and United’s behaviour had been different, even for this one season, I’d have accepted them winning the title in a much more gracious fashion. But as it is, their lack of humility and respect for others just drives me on; along with a love of Liverpool FC, it’s what keeps me going, keeps me paying for my season ticket every year. We’ll get that title back from Man United next season, that’s what I believe; and when we do it, it will be as respectable, popular champions, and our manager will show anything but contempt in victory. But – and this is the key - even if we don’t win, all of the respect and honour will still be on our side.
And that’s why I’m proud to be a long-suffering Liverpool fan.
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