My second paragraph should read:

I can see your point but I am not sure HOW MUCH the FA react to the disdain regarding United in the papers.

*Yawn* ZZZzzzz.

I’ll get back to talking about football tomorrow! Work on the brain.

I can see your point but I am not sure the FA react to how much disdain there is regarding United in the papers. They are a backwards-thinking, corrupt and useless organisation but I don’t think they bow in deference to newspapers.

I also think there hasn’t been as much on the Riley case as people may think. Yes, the aftermath was sickeningly boring and tossers from unknown refereeing organisations were getting far too much airtime.

But then it subsided. All we see now is ‘Fergie brushes off Wiley talk’ and the like. There isn’t really a campaign to get Ferguson banned. Read the Daily Telegraph; Henry Winter has been fighting his corner.

But obviously one swallow doesn’t make a summer, as the saying goes. Sky and Football365 (both Murdoch owned) love to drum up even the most mundane talk on his comments about Wiley.

There are **hundreds** of reasons why I dislike the culture of the job I have found myself in, but like I said, we ain’t all bad! . Not sure if the media can be blamed for raping football, after all, if it wasn’t for the media, most of us wouldn’t even know what happened at Old Trafford – not for a very long time at least. But the wideranging discussion about media/United/Sir Alex is tiresome and not for R.O.M. (or perhaps not for 00.19 in the morning!)

For what it is worth, I think Sir Alex will get a hefty ban. If, as has been the case in previous years (Rio missing drugs test), the FA come down hard on him, I think/hope it would only be a 2 game ban.

The FA will ban SAF 100%, and to be honest (and Alex^, you have to admit!) if there was NOTHING said about this in the press/radio! apart from a 4-inch column in the sun, SAF’s letterbox would not be contaminated by bullshit from Soho!
Alex, I have respect for your opinion & from a united POV I am with you 100% but in this ‘new world order’ I am affraid your industry, quite like Marketing, Client Representation & politics is indefencible for the ongoing rape of the beautiful game! Rant over

I will precede this post by admitting that I am indeed a working journalist (and incredibly diehard Manchester United fan), but I shall put my bias aside and try to present both sides of the argument.

While the footballing press have an unhealthy fascination with Ferguson, let’s not all tar them with the same brush. It is predominantly trashy tabloids that stir things up and that’s only because the journalists are told to do so by their demonic editors, who, on the whole, dislike Ferguson (although not United).

I think the idea that the sporting press is dull, boring, unoriginal and lazy is slightly harsh. But this is a United blog and I am not really up for wholeheartedly defending them.

There is no media vendetta against Sir Alex or United. The media do not have any influence on any type of ban given, nor do they influence any penalty decision given or not given.

We should all do what Sir Alex has done for his 23 glorious years in charge of our beloved club. Ignore the press and concentrate on our team.

Concentrate on Liverpool. On we’ve won it three times. On Solskjaer and Yorke at the Stretford End in ’99. Sheasy in front of the Kop in 2007. On Wayne Rooney, coming back and scoring a goal to celebrate the birth of his first child (PLEASE – I can imagine his cradling the arms celebration now – PLEASE!). On Michael Owen, kissing the badge. On Gary Neville, and another crazed celebration. On beachballs.

On 18 league titles, knocking them off their fucking perch.

Interesting that the FA have never given a touchline ban for comments made to the media before. Will they stick with precdent (yeah right) or once again use united as a big team to make an example of.

Unless Jose takes up his post, at which point the journalists will just about wet themselves.

Seriously though, the international break is over, no need for them to keep revisiting this crap.