Ferguson waves his own card

Aston Villa v ManchesterAlex Ferguson has urged referees to sanction players and managers who attempt to have opponents booked by brandishing imaginary cards, an issue which has re-emerged after Jose Mourinho's reaction to incidents on the touchline in the last week.

The Chelsea manager had signalled his desire for Everton's Andrew Johnson and Newcastle's Nicky Butt to be booked in recent games. The League Managers' Association intend to meet Mourinho in the next fortnight to discuss his behaviour, though Ferguson considers such reactions to be a trait of the continental game.

"That's definitely a European thing, no question, and it's wrong," said the Manchester United manager, whose side will attempt to retain their lead at the top of the Premiership by winning at Aston Villa today. "We all know it's wrong. If they're doing it right in front of the referee, I don't think there's any option other than for the officials to do something about it. Sometimes the referee may not be in a position to see that. For some players, it's a natural thing if they or one of their team-mates is fouled. You see it a lot in Europe."

United will attempt to recover from their defeat at West Ham last Sunday, a loss which saw their lead at the top of the table cut to two points, with Ferguson insistent his squad boasts the staying power to reclaim the Premiership title. "We missed some good chances and that cost us the result, but like every good team you have to recover," he said. "You've got to accept that, in any championship race, there'll be disappointments along the way. That's the making of your team, recovering from these things.

"We're here for the long haul, and we've got youth and strength in our side and, historically, we do okay in the second half of the season," he said. "We should be pleased that we find ourselves where we do at this stage. You could be over-critical and say we threw three points away at West Ham, but that doesn't get you anywhere. We need to say: 'What's our target now?' The main one is winning the league. We are capable of that."

Ferguson also rejected claims that Alan Smith may be sold to Everton next month, and is hoping to add to his squad during the winter window, with the Bayern Munich and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves his principal target, though he insisted United's transfer policy remained unchanged under the Glazer family compared with the previous regimes.

"There's no specific figure from the Glazer family for transfers," he added. "There's absolutely no figure put out any time. They're operating the same way United always operated. If we're after a player we present the case, as I would have with Martin Edwards, the plc board or David Gill and the Glazers, and we see."

Ferguson is set to name an unchanged side for the Villa Park clash, which pits him into confrontation with Martin O'Neill for the first time since the Irishman returned to the game.

Often touted as a possible successor to Ferguson, O'Neill has proved himself to be a top-class manager in both Scotland and England, and the United manager feels his attributes are easily identifiable.

"He is a good man-manager," said Ferguson. "He is strong and intelligent and he is not afraid of making decisions, which is important. Villa have done exceptionally well since he joined them. He has made a big impact on the club, and where I really applaud him is for the way he has utilised young players.

"He has given them their opportunity and they have not let him down."