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on Saturday was mildly understandable given it wasn't a great decision, although his reaction was still a bit OTT.

At least he gained a bit of respect back by sitting one row in front of some Stoke fans and shaking them by the hand at the end. Not summat you could ever expect from the absolute master of undermining officialdom - the Glasgow Beetroot himself.

Apparently and see if Sir Alex has said anything untoward. Well he said Keith Hackett told Mark Halsey to rescind the yellow card shown to John Terry - and added that "he would never do that for us".

Great man, Fergie. Knighthood, track record par excellence, three really brilliant teams put together in 19 years...

But sometimes his gob opens and a spew of garbage falls out and you just wish you could slap him round the ears with a bit of rolled-up newspaper.

'He would never do that for us'! It's transparently accusing Hackett of bias. Sir Alex says the bloke pulls strings for Chelsea and Man U get the rough end. I mean it's nonsense.

- although it was so lamely cynical from an ethical standpoint he should've walked without being asked. Vidic's two bookings were entirely justified and no-one at Old Trafford has appealed, so they must realise it themselves. So what's he on about?

Of course Fergie's not a fan of Hackett's so maybe it's as much that as anything. Man Utd have also not made the greatest start to a season so it's inevitable the big bosses are going to start pointing fingers anywhere but in the direction of their under-achieving millionaires out on the pitch.

Wenger's team, which has had him purring in his most pleasantly Strasbourg tones after scoring 11 and conceding none in three games, have 'cos the ref cheated them out of it, not only with the pen but with the lack of injury-time. Never mind that the team was average, eh?

The worst aspect of it all is that that remark - 'He would never do that for us' - is so bloody adolescent. It's straight out of a Harry Enfield sketch.

I can only imagine what it's like on the Man U bus if, for example, Rooney hands out some blackcurrant and there aren't enough left for the gaffer. I guess he just sprawls over his seat yelling|: "It's not fair! You always give sweeties to Cristiano!"

The FA procedure now is that Fergie has to explain his comments, which kind of begs the question: How stupid are the people running the FA? What's to explain?

He basically said that Hackett favours Chelsea. I don't see how anyone can get away with this sort of petty insult without getting a serious fine (I'd say in this case at least a minute's worth of Fergie's salary). He got away with similar digs at Martin Atkinson and Hackett following the - again, a game United would have won had they taken one of their gazillion chances.

Scolari says he's surprised Terry's red card became yellow, 'cos where he comes from the referee is God. Bit of a worry in that case that so many of his Portugal side seemed to be happy to con God into giving them a decision in 2004 - can't see Deco getting to heaven in that case, can you?

But Big Phil is right. Refs aren't God over here. Neither is the FA. No, unless you live in Tyneside, God is Sir Alex Ferguson. Just ask him.

Now before the Man U bandwagon begins to roll tediously all over this blog, let me be dead clear. You cannot knock Ferguson's record as a manager, or the entertainment his teams have provided over the last 20 years and more.

It's just at 67 years of age you'd think he'd have got over spouting off like a schoolgirl every time a decision - especially a fair decision - goes against him. Why can't he just say "Terry wasn't the last defender, it wasn't serious foul play, it only deserved a yellow card, so the decision is right"?

Respect the ref? Let's start at the top, shall we?