ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:ALEX FERGUSON has admitted Manchester United will deserve to be censured should they field a weakened side against Blackpool – but only if they lose.
The United manager, who was yesterday named manager of the year, said he would be resting the bulk of his first team as they prepare for next Saturday’s Champions League final with Barcelona.
However, asked whether sending out an understrength side was fair to the other four clubs who could be relegated tomorrow, Ferguson replied: “The only thing you should be criticised for is if you lose a game and it affects other teams. Then you should be put under scrutiny.”
The most telling parallel is two years ago, when Manchester United were preparing for a Champions League final against Barcelona, having already won the Premier League. With Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland competing to avoid the final relegation berth, Ferguson sent a virtual reserve side to Hull’s KC Stadium.
Not a single member of the starting line-up that faced Barcelona in Rome began that game and the United official yearbook confessed “his left-back, Ritchie de Laet, will have been unfamiliar even to many United fans”. Manchester United won 1-0.
Ferguson said it was “important to remember” he had fielded a weakened side in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Schalke and had won at a canter. Tomorrow Edwin van der Sar will captain United on his final appearance at Old Trafford and Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov will all start.
Ferguson became testier when reminded on the final day of the 2006-07 season he had fielded an understrength side against West Ham, who won through a goal from Carlos Tevez. That result ensured Sheffield United’s relegation, prompting their then manager, Neil Warnock, to accuse Ferguson of “selling me a dummy when he indicated he would play a strong team”.
“For some reason Neil Warnock found it easy to criticise us,” Ferguson said. “But . . . we battered West Ham and brought on Ryan Giggs, Scholes and (Cristiano) Ronaldo at half-time or just after. It was a bit unfair of Neil Warnock to accuse us of that. All Sheffield United needed was a draw in their stadium and they still went down.”
Along with Ferguson’s award yesterday, United centre back Nemanja Vidic was also named player of the year.
Guardian Service
