IT'S GETTING TIRESOME

Last updated : 31 October 2004 By Editor

From his column in The Sunday Pink:

"Wenger's whingeing only shows what a poor loser he is and Fergie has done nothing to convince me that he is little more than a control freak. He wants to run the referee, the time keeping, everything until it comes to his own players.

"There are one or two from both clubs with a little bit too much to say and both Sir Alex and Arsene should have made it clear before the game that they should belt up. Talking up a game and being critical of your rivals only motivates the opposition. There is nothing a manager likes more than to take a back page cutting and pin it to the notice board, it saves him from making a team talk.

"I watched the game and it certainly wasn't the dirty affair Wenger made it out to be but if United had played Arsenal at football, they would have been murdered. You have to give them a physical confrontation because they don't like it. They want to get the ball down and knock it about but if you have any sense you don't let them do that and that is why Bolton always do well against Arsenal."

Writing in the MEN Sunday Pink, Docherty added: "Arsenal don't like to have their feathers ruffled, but it is also up to the referee to see that it doesn't get out of hand.

"Wenger is moaning about United getting penalties against them at Old Trafford while they don't, but Fergie has a case when he says they should have had one at Highbury last season and didn't get it. That is a fact of life.

"The penalties you get at home you don't get away.

"Don't ask me why but it could be something to do with the fact that you have 65,000 fans shouting for a United penalty at Old Trafford and 2,000 for Arsenal. It will be the same when Arsenal's new ground is built, they ill have 58,000 shouting for Arsenal and it takes a tough referee to ignore that.

"There is obviously a bit to go before we can forget last weekend and the FA could be ready to slap a few wrists after the alleged pizza throwing incident but I would ask them not to fine the offenders a few thousand quid - they put that on a horse at Chelsea - but ban them for six months.

"There is no better way of getting a footballer to toe the line than by stopping him from playing. It might just hep the managers to grow up as well."


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