Fergie, think before you speak

During today's 1-1 draw between Swansea and Manchester United, Swans defender Ashley Williams drilled the ball into the back of Van Persie's head whilst he lay in the box after being brought down on the edge. In light of on-pitch reactions and post-match comments, the event has sparked media debate. I will attempt to pick apart what happened and why what has followed it is not acceptable.

First things first, let's review the incident. In this video, you can see a full speed replay followed by a close up slow-mo, with each telling a slightly different tale.

From the first reply footage, four things are apparent. a) There was very little time between Van Persie falling to ground and Williams smacking the ball into his head. He may not have heard the whistle and was simply playing on and clearing his lines. b) Given the close proximity between the players, it does at first sight look possible that it was intentional on Williams' behalf. c) Van Persie's reactions were worthy of his subsequent yellow card, and he was flirting with red given he leans into Williams' face. Had he not slipped over as he approached Williams, he could well have gone in harder with his head. d) Van Persie was in no way seriously hurt.

It must be noted that referee Michael Oliver witnessed the incident and booked both Williams and Van Persie for his subsequent reaction. Williams has subsequently denied intentionally kicking the ball at Van Persie. So the remaining questions are: is it possible that Williams did it intentionally? Should he have been sent off if so? And if not, should he even have been booked?

If you now look at the slow motion footage (from 28 seconds in), you will see something quite different. Firstly, Williams' eyes are only on the ball from the moment it roles towards him. Secondly and most importantly, given Williams' body position, had he not sliced the ball off the outside of his foot, the ball would have sailed wide of RVP's head. Obviously, the referee does not have the privilege of such footage on the pitch.

My conclusion is therefore that it was either an act of frustration at the foul or a simple clearance that cannoned by chance into Van Persie. For me, there was no intent whatsoever (if intent was obvious, a red card would have to be given in today's game). And if referee Oliver shared this view of no intent, the yellow card offered to Williams seems nothing more than an appeasement of sorts that could be deemed harsh. Williams handled himself very well given Van Persie's aggressive reaction. Had Oliver booked Van Persie and not Williams, the Man Utd players, fans and irascible manager would have reacted even more ferociously than they already had done. And referees don't tend to enjoy getting on the wrong side of such people when possible.

But then Alex Ferguson had to share his views with the world, and this is where the incident has been elevated from nothing more than a fracas to a full blown media storm. This is what Fergie said:

"The whistle has gone, the game is stopped and he's done that right in front of the referee. He could have really killed the lad. It's a disgraceful act. He should be banned for a long, long time. Irrespective of him having a yellow card, he ought to be banned for a long time because that's the most dangerous thing I've seen on a football field for many, many years."

In response, the game had barely stopped. The whistle may have gone a split-second beforehand. Yes, he did it in front of the referee. Oliver saw it and presumably judged there to be no malice involved. Now this is where it gets ludicrous. For a manager to state that a player had committed an 'absolutely deliberate' act that could have killed another player is a very serious accusation. If this were true, a very lengthy ban would of course be appropriate. But it is rubbish - the act was not malicious, and even if it were there are many far more dangerous ways that players can injure one another than by kicking a football into another's head. And to claim that it is the most dangerous thing he has seen on the pitch for years is further idiotic hyperbole. What about Fellaini's headbutt on Shawcross last week? Or Barton studding Aguero in the thigh in the last game of last season? This is just to name a couple.

Yes, these comments were made in the heat of the moment. And yes, Fergie had a right to air his opinion if he believed that Williams did this intentionally. It also offered him a simple method of covering up the fact that Utd put in a below-par performance in a game they should have won whilst their City rivals closed the gap at the top with a last-minute win against Reading yesterday. But to do it in the manner he did is not appropriate nor acceptable. Before coming out with such farcical and grave statements, he should have firstly listened to what Williams' had to say and secondly review the TV footage of the incident. He had clearly done neither of these. He didn't think before he spoke. If you want an example of a calm, restrained, sensible approach to post-match interviews, look no further than Laudrup's response on hearing Fergie's accusation that Williams could have killed Van Persie. He takes a deep breath, a moment to think, and delicately sidesteps saying what we were all thinking, 'What the hell is he on about?'

For a manager, a knight of the Order, with over 25 years in charge of the one of the world's top teams, it beggars belief that he can get away with such severe, ill-mannered statements (and I refer here not only to his attack on Williams but also to his open criticism of referee Oliver). I think Fergie owes them both an apology. And, unfortunately, we all know it is an apology that will never come.