FFC columnist David Mooney responds to Sir Alex Ferguson's criticisms of refereeing standards and feels that maybe the Scot should be pointing the finger at his misfiring team instead. 

"It's absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain it. Managers get sacked because of things like that and he's going to referee a game next week."

 "He [Keith Hackett] not doing his job properly and he needs to be assessed. I'm assessed as a manager, players are assessed, referees should be assessed properly by the right people. That performance today should not be accepted by our game." 

Not my words, but the words of Sir Alex Ferguson after Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth. Just take a moment to re-read that and then see if you're not thinking the word "wow". 

Manchester United lost yesterday because they didn't score enough - or any for that matter - goals. Not because they didn't get a penalty. Not because they had a man sent off. Not because the referee did or did not or may or may not have given all of the decisions against them. 

In all honesty, from what I've seen of the game, the referee got the majority of his decisions correct - the only exception I can think of is that Cristiano Ronaldo should have had a penalty. But, how many times in the past should he have been booked for diving, but instead got a penalty?  

These things even themselves up, apparently, but when it goes against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal, then it's a travesty.  

I'll be honest, I don't like Middlesbrough FC (mainly because they stayed up, when Man City could have done in the 2000/01 season, but they also managed to come to The City of Manchester Stadium a few seasons back a win without having a shot on or off target). As much as I dislike them, I have to say I think that managers in the ilk of Gareth Southgate are a revelation. 

Very rarely does the man appear on Match of the Day and criticise the referee. He might say that one of two decisions were wrong, but he rarely blames them for a defeat. It was the same with Stuart Pearce when he was manager of City. 

And not only does it come across as bitterness in defeat, but it becomes tiresome. Manchester United have benefited from the decisions of referees at Old Trafford for years and when one game comes along and they don't get the rub of the green on a few decisions, Ferguson deems it appropriate to lay into the referee's chief. 

Recently, Neil Warnock got into trouble for complaining about a referee's "bias" and was punished. If Ferguson doesn't get punished to the same or a higher degree, then we can safely say there is a bias towards "the big four". Especially in the week that saw Frank Lampard's red card retrospectively quashed, and Jeremie Aliadière's ban increased. 

It's also the same day in which my Man City could and possibly should have had two penalties at Reading. And what did Sven say after the game?

He said that the referee thought that Michael Johnson was "filming" (I presume he meant acting) and that we have to go with it. 

And he's right - we didn't lose because we didn't have a penalty. We lost because we didn't score the other chances we made. And when the managers of the "big four" learn this, then maybe they won't look like they're sucking on a sour sweetie when they're giving interviews with the press. 

There was no basis for Fergie's comments, except for the penalty decision he didn't get. Tomasz Kuszczak was possibly unfortunate to be sent off, too, but that is still no excuse for laying into the officials. 

At least Wenger had the decency to apologise to Martin Taylor for his post match comments. I can't say I expect the same from the Premier League's supposedly "best manager". Irrespective of the number of trophies he wins with that side, it doesn't automatically make him the best. The best manager should also be able to deal with defeat, and that's something that all of "the big four", at least, have to do.

• Match Previews
• Become an official writer for FFC
• Write a match preview/review
• Join our Facebook Group
• Add Player to Facebook profile
• Join FFC Fantasy Football