What a clever man Sir Alex Ferguson must believe he is. He apparently has a dossier detailing all the decisions Steve Bennett has dared to make against United and maybe the ridiculous pressure Ferguson and other bosses put on officials finally made a strong man crack.

It should have been 1-1 on penalties and United down to 10 men before half-time. Bennett's refusal to send off the idiotic Paul Scholes just gave further ammunition to those of us who believe that there is an inherent bias towards the biggest clubs.

The powers that be should use this example of criminal refereeing negligence to ban managers and players from commenting on officials at all.

Sadly that will never happen because the powers that be all work for the big four, or maybe these days that should be the big two, clubs.



I WAS actually quite glad to be able to find something else to do on Sunday afternoon. Anything but watch the over-hyped, over-rated and predictably over-dull finale to the Premier League.

Sky Sports, who specialise in hyperbole over fact, may have been salivating over the chance to crown live one set of prima donna champions at the expense of a different set, but that was far too nauseating a prospect for me.

My interest in the competition waned as soon as Arsene Wenger's recruitment policy and pretty football proved to be more style than substance for the third year in a row.

Sir Alex Ferguson was either going to be crowing or complaining about the officials (he should perhaps strike a championship winners' medal for Bennett), while Avram Grant was going to be dull whatever the outcome.



THERE was much rejoicing at the survival of Fulham at the other end of the table. I have no idea why.

The Londoners have a perfectly respectable old duffer in charge (a man far more likeable than his awful predecessor Lawrie Sanchez) and they also have old Posh stars Jimmy Bullard and Simon Davies.

But the ugly presence of Mohammed Al Fayed in the directors' box at a dilapidated old stadium surely outweighs any good. He's a cringing embarrassment with more lunatic theories than those who believe in the after-life, religious miracles and that there is any point to Sky Television's resident nut job Andy Gray



THE silly season is what newspapers struggling to find hard news stories call the summer. It's started early on the sports pages.

I assume Alexander Hleb was being very silly when trying to engineer a move from Arsenal to Inter Milan. Apparently scoring four goals in two seasons in the most creative team in the country makes you worthy of big money transfers and huge signing on fees.

Team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor has had a great season, but is he really so good that he is worthy of a 100 per cent wage increase as one newspaper suggested he had demanded?

Of course not, especially as he's a serious contender to join the one-season wonder club, but Arsenal may have to consider paying it just to keep on the shirt-tails of the big two in future seasons.

Amazingly the one glimmer of good sense concerning players and the money they earn eminated from Newcastle United.

One report claimed that the Magpies were only willing to offer Michael Owen an extension to his contract on a reduced salary.

Common sense for a player who doesn't worry the best teams any more and who can't guarantee playing more than half the games in a season.

It's the least likely of the above to happen though.