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Sir Alex Ferguson guards against Man Utd complacency

By Alistair MagowanBBC Sport at Old Trafford

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments266

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said his side will not suffer from complacency despite opening up a 15-point gap over Manchester City after his side beat Reading 1-0.

After City lost to Everton earlier on Saturday, Wayne Rooney's goal was enough to win in a laboured display.

United need 13 points to win the Premier League with nine games left.

"You don't get points or medals for being complacent and we won't be," Ferguson said.

"Most of the time we have been playing well this season, but the 15 points we are ahead isn't a reflection of the performance today, it's from the previous six months really."

City won the league on the last day of last season after United let slip an eight-point lead.

But Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic said they would not make the same mistakes this season.

"If you look at the 15-point lead, you have to say that it is a big gap and we shouldn't let anything change. We have the title in our hands but we have games still to play and some especially tough away games that are traditionally hard for us. Nothing is finished yet, but we're in a good position.

"Sometimes you can feel the fans in the stands getting nervous because they think about last season. I don't think we should allow that to happen again. We are in a good position now. We should relax and enjoy playing football. It is a good time for us."

Ferguson made eight changes to his side after the FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea last Sunday in order to keep his team fresh and said he was concerned about his players returning from international duty unscathed.

Following the break, United will travel to Sunderland for a Premier League lunchtime game on Saturday, 30 March, followed by an FA Cup replay against Chelsea two days later.

And Ferguson revealed in his programme notes that the club would be chartering private jets for Mexico striker Javier Hernandez and Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa in order to get them back refreshed for a crucial period over Easter.

"Private planes are going to cost the club an awful lot of money," the Scot said in the club programme, "but it is something we feel we have to do."

The United boss added after the game: "The problem we have is a lot of the players are away on international duty and will play two games.

"Then they come back and have a lunchtime game against Sunderland and then a Monday lunchtime game against Chelsea, so why have we got a squad if we don't use it?"

Ferguson also confirmed after the game that Rio Ferdinand would join the England squad and said Ashley Young should also be fit despite coming off after a crunching challenge from Reading's Garath McCleary.

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266 comments

  • Comment posted by U14269704, at 09:37 17 Mar 2013

    It's a shame people feel the need to belittle the league or the achievement because we are so far ahead. We have been excellent this year and are on course for a record points tally. Don't forget we are 22 points ahead of the European champions who beat us to a marquee signing in Hazard and to suggest that a referee decision in October could accound for 22 points is rediculous.

  • Comment posted by U15511489, at 08:34 17 Mar 2013

    De Gea has not conceded a goal in 532 minues in PL...take that haters

  • Comment posted by U15648242, at 15:43 17 Mar 2013

    sir Alex knows how to bring the success for his side!

  • Comment posted by redshirt7, at 09:23 17 Mar 2013

    29.WURZIL ....LOL Must have been a great party last night eh? Still drunk?..Champions earn so much more than Runners Up, get seeded, and of course, get to laugh at the fans of rivals that finished below them, just like City did to us last year..Now the question is: Do YOU get it?

    26.BlueIsTheColour ..and how many teams would your club be sharing it with?

  • Comment posted by ukmadhouse, at 12:02 17 Mar 2013

    Why are so many so obsessed with who sponsors who and who owns what? Its not unknown for a club to have an owner who made some of their money from porn. So what. Football is a business, and businesses aim to make money. Lots of companies borrow against their assets. So what if Utd have a paint company as a sponsor, at least the trophy room should be nicely decorated.

  • Comment posted by Siggy1969, at 11:51 17 Mar 2013

    JP - You are a hammer, but with a broken handle.
    Maksi - You are a screwdriver, but it's all twisted and out of shape.
    Wurzil - You are a chisel, but with a blunt tip
    Nutgone - You are a drill, but with all the bits missing.

    In other words, collectively you are a bunch of worthless tools!!!

    Cry, cry, whinge, cry, yes but, no but.....pathetic!!!

  • Comment posted by U15576863, at 11:12 17 Mar 2013

    man city have signed a new deal with oxo cube .

    its called laughing stock.. -)

  • Comment posted by Involver3, at 08:47 17 Mar 2013

    @twitwithnoname

    Get a grip u bitter, what about Moancini throwing the toys out yesterday and refusing to speak? United number 20!!

  • Comment posted by U15457196, at 17:19 17 Mar 2013

    United have been average but have been consistently winning games. I don't support this idea of the Premier League being poor in quality. If it is so poor why haven't City and Chelsea, who have top squads, put together unbeaten streaks like United?

  • Comment posted by U15549952, at 17:13 17 Mar 2013

    Another average season for United, only winning the league by a country mile. The team I really fear is Liverpool, Rodgers has learnt a lot from being average at Watford and Reading and inheriting a quality team at Swansea. That pedigree is amazing. He'll have no problem turning round the 30 point gap next season, he's done it on FIFA for sure. #gobrendan

  • Comment posted by U15373903, at 17:02 17 Mar 2013

    Goodbye citeh


    :)

  • Comment posted by U2897937, at 16:46 17 Mar 2013

    214 "Second rate spanish team' who are the champions of LaLiga, containing 5 players from the Fifa WTofY (Marcelo and Casillas injured for the match) & Ozil, Benzema, Di Maria, Higuain, Modric etc. Be interested to see what exactly constitutes a first-rate team in your opinion?I didn't agree with the Nani decision but i can see why it was given,you can forgive SAF for feeling slightly hard-done-by

  • Comment posted by briony, at 15:38 17 Mar 2013

    United will top the league - well done. Arsenal to push now to rise up the table.

  • Comment posted by U15120304, at 13:38 17 Mar 2013

    Got to love people who come on here nonchalantly dropping in lines about working in Norwegian oil or driving German cars. Impressive!

    Sitting in a football forum for five hours on a sunday. Slightly less impressive methinks.

  • Comment posted by SportsFan, at 13:09 17 Mar 2013

    United deserve to be on course to win the premier league title this season. They have been excellent and consistent all season even when not at their best.

  • Comment posted by U15650793, at 12:48 17 Mar 2013

    Not one person can have a go at UTD for their spending, because they earned every single penny by being the best team consistently for over 2 decades. People can talk about debt all they like but UTD are not in financial trouble AT ALL, they can pay their players and buy new ones without some arab having to hand over blank checks.. reality check when FFP hits bye bye city hello Npower Champ'

  • Comment posted by ukmadhouse, at 12:29 17 Mar 2013

    Its terrible this new fangled way of spending lots of money on a player to "buy" trophies. It wouldn't have happened years ago. In 1977 no club would have broken the British transfer record to keep winning trophies. Hang on a minute, perhaps I am wrong and someone did. I seem to remember it being 440,000 that someone spent. Not much by todays standards I admit, but a fortune then.

  • Comment posted by U14821909, at 12:18 17 Mar 2013

    Where is Patrick Viera now?

    I am guessing he is out somewhere spending some of his massive earnings whilst you sit here, on this chat forum.

    Ya gotta laugh.

    Incase you haven't noticed, and with regards to silly comments, Patrick Viera is in very good company, starting with you LMAO

  • Comment posted by jake quincaid, at 11:32 17 Mar 2013

    @JP "closely linked to its owners". So is the Etihad, jobs for the boys then. It's called nepotism

  • Comment posted by fletch, at 11:06 17 Mar 2013

    @nutgone
    grow up, and stop being obsessed with utd. I'm sure you're wumming, but in case you really are that stupid, utd aren't making City loose games are they? unless you think SAF has mastered mind control as well? It's got nothing to do with ref decisions, utd have just been less bad than City, Chelsea and the rest this season. Also, the FA don't run the PL, the Premier League do.

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