Managerial peers round on Benitez

Alex Ferguson has accused Rafael Benitez of "arrogance" and "contempt" in his dealings with fellow Premier League managers and has been backed up in his claims by Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce. The Liverpool chief has been in combative mood recently, but today some of his peers angrily hit back.

And ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Everton, Ferguson delievered his withering assessment of Benitez's conduct, criticising the Spaniard for calling Everton a "small club" and for gestures he made after Liverpool scored their second of four goals against Rovers at Anfield last weekend.

"Everton are a big club, not a small one which Benitez arrogantly said," said Ferguson. "But arrogance is one thing. You cannot forgive contempt, which is what he showed (Blackburn manager) Sam Allardyce last weekend.

"When Liverpool scored their second goal he signalled as if the game was finished. I do not think Sam deserved that.

"Sam has worked so hard for the LMA (League Managers' Association) and he's had a weakened team. I just thought it showed contempt.

"In my experience no Liverpool manager has ever done that. It was beyond the pale."

Benitez delivered the "facts" about United, when he claimed the champions and their manager were subject to special treatment from the FA and referees.

Ferguson’s dismissed the Spaniard’s claims but last week said the loser of the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool, which emerged to be the latter, would be his side’s main rival for the title.

Prompted by Ferguson, Allardyce was more scathing. He has reviewed footage of the incident several times after initially witnessing it following Fernando Torres’s second in the 33rd minute last Saturday.

Although Benitez is well-known for his hand signals from the technical area, Allardyce is off the same opinion to Ferguson and believes Benitez’s gesticulations were a slight against him and his team.

He also believes Benitez showed a further lack of respect by not showing up in his own office for a post-match drink, leaving Allardyce seeking an explanation.

"I think if everybody has a look back at his gestures you will see them as pretty dismissive to me and the Blackburn Rovers team as a whole," he said today.

"I was hugely disappointed by those gestures. I think they were disrespectful and quite humiliating.

"Having looked at them again this week, I think I'm right and everybody will see why I'm complaining.

"The feeling was that he had written us off. It was open arms and then a crossover of the arms as if to suggest that was it.

"I admit it was a hard game, a difficult game for us, and we were well beaten by an outstanding Liverpool side, but in terms of respect, you don't expect those sort of things to happen in a game of football. I was very, very upset by it.

"The game is hard enough as it is without a fellow manager doing what seemed to be an undermining gesture.

"I then waited to have a word with him after the game in his room, but as usual and unfortunately, he didn't turn up.

"Not explaining himself by not turning up in his office really shows what he is like.

"The only people I saw were Sammy Lee and a few of the staff, but he never showed his face.

"That was just as disappointing as the gesture, and it typifies the man."

There has never been any love lost between the two men in the past, with Allardyce's outburst merely serving to add fuel to the fire.

Allardyce has made no attempt to contact Benitez this week to try and clarify the matter, insisting: "Why should I?

"If he can't come into his own room and have a drink with his fellow manager, why would I want to pick up the phone and speak to him?

"It's in the past now and I'll move on, but I just want to make everybody aware of what I consider to be a lack of respect for me, the Blackburn Rovers players and the football club as a whole."