Sir Alex Ferguson refuses to discuss Manchester United's 'worst ever day' ahead of Manchester City clash
As United prepare for neighbours' visit, manager confident Van Persie will end drought
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Your support makes all the difference.Sir Alex Ferguson has refused to discuss Manchester Unitedâs 6-1 Old Trafford defeat to Manchester City last season as he prepares for the same fixture, declaring only that he is determined not to let Roberto Manciniâs side âderailâ the Premier League leadersâ title campaign when they meet on Monday.
Ferguson poured scorn on his questioner when he was asked yesterday whether the memory of last seasonâs result â which he described at the time as âour worst ever day, the worst result in my history. Ever.â â might be a source of motivation.
âDo you think Iâm going to mention that?â Ferguson said, having paused and fixed his questioner with a stare when the subject came up midway through his weekly press conference. âDo you think..? Jesus Christ.â
Asked if extracting motivation from such a defeat was something he was used to trying, he continued: âI can talk about our form this season. I will concentrate on that.â He shook his head and the subject was closed.
The landscape of that October 2011 fixture â Unitedâs heaviest home defeat in 84 years which sent City five points clear at the top of the Premier League â and the current 15-point lead Fergusonâs side enjoy over their neighbours at the top could hardly be more pronounced, and the Scot declared that Unitedâs consistency was âthere for all to see. I expect us to perform really well on Monday.â
Ferguson, who expressed hope that Wayne Rooney and Rafael da Silva would be fit as they put groin strains behind them to train yesterday, also said he wanted Robin van Persie to take heed of his own example as a striker, in attempting to emerge from a dry spell of nine games without a goal.
âI didnât have any dry spells!â Ferguson initially joked when the barren period, which included a good opportunity spurned against Rafael Benitezâs Chelsea on Sunday, cropped up. He continued: âI had a spell at the start of the season, one year. I was bothered by a knee injury, sure enough, but I didnât score until October. I still ended up with 30 goals, you know. So you go through that period where you donât lose faith in yourself and your belief. My dad used to say: âMake sure you batter that ball when you get near it. Donât tap it.â
âThatâs what I always say to strikers: make sure you hit it. Robin doesnât need a rest, thatâs for sure. Heâs a strong lad with a great physique. The goals will come. All strikers have little dry spells â you always hope it ends quickly. Itâs just part of being a striker.â
Ferguson dismissed the notion that Unitedâs season is considered by some to be flat, despite their probable title, or that the club had received insufficient credit for their record number of 25 wins from 30.
âWeâve got eight games left so itâs a bit late to get the credit now. I donât think it bothers me too much,â the manager said.
The manager hoped Nemanja Vidic, the captain, and Jonny Evans would begin training today or on Saturday morning. Though both look less likely to face Manciniâs side, Ferguson said they had time on their side.
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