Ferguson on Newcastle and the Working Class

The best news ahead of tonight’s clash with Newcastle is that Wayne Rooney is back! Winning just one of their past eleven games, on paper, tonight shouldn’t be too tricky. However, as we all know, football isn’t played on paper and the geordies should give us a run for our money tonight, particularly after the two spankings we dished out last season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has today reflected on past experiences with Newcastle, as well as stressing the importance of football to working class communities.

“I remember when they cuffed us 5-0. They are still selling the video,” said Ferguson. “It was an exciting time for Newcastle then. They had some exciting players: Les Ferdinand; Faustino Asprilla; and David Ginola. It is a fantastic football club. Everyone has got that black and white strip on and there is real football passion. I walked through the town with Archie Knox once and a news vendor was shouting ‘Mickey Quinn has an ankle injury’. The world could have been in turmoil, with disasters and financial institutions collapsing. They were talking about Mickey Quinn’s ankle. That sums up the city. Working class communities seem to develop these things. Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow. They are football cities. People have a passion for football as an outlet in life. It proves one thing: the only thing a man can never change is his football team.”