Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to be charged after his rant about the fitness of referees at the weekend. Speaking after the 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Ferguson said that the fitness of referee, Alan Wiley, was appalling.

Ferguson is not shy of making a few comments about referees, especially when his side have just come off the back of a bad performance. Ferguson makes a good point that the fitness of referees in the rest of Europe is a lot higher than those in England but the Football Association will still invite him into the office to explain his comments.

He said: “He didn’t add any time on for the goal we scored. There were only four minutes and two seconds’ injury time. There should have been another 30 seconds, but he was actually walking up the pitch after the goal, needing a rest. He just wasn’t fit enough for a game of that stature.”

“The fitness of both sets of players, the pace of the game, demanded a referee who was fit. He’s not fit. It’s an indictment of our game that we see referees from abroad are fit as butchers’ dogs. We’ve got some good referees in our country who are fit, but he wasn’t. He was taking 30 seconds to book a player as he was taking a rest.”

The FA are unlikely to take the comments with a pinch of salt because they are very good at protecting referees in the Premier League. Ferguson was probably a little annoyed that his side had played badly and could not get another three points on their title hunt this season.

Had they won the game then the obvious thing to say would be that the Scotsman would not have said a thing about the referee. However, when you draw a game you want to win or lose a game you need to draw then it is very easy to start looking for excuses.

The FA have said: “The fitness of select group match officials is continually assessed throughout the season to ensure it is of the highest possible standard.”

The point is that in recent years officials in other high profile European games have been a lot fitter and have been able to get a lot of decisions right. Maybe the situation in England needs to be reviewed but for now the FA seem happy with things the way they are.

Manchester United are slowly starting to show that there is life in them long after Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club. United cantered to a 3-1 at Spurs over the weekend and played much of the game with ten men after Paul Scholes was booked twice and subsequently sent off.

The point is that even with ten men United completely dominated the game, leading many to perhaps be a little surprised or shocked at the way they are coping in the post-Ronaldo era. Many have already said that Sir Alex Ferguson is already being proved correct as his side are breathing down the neck of Chelsea at the top of the table.

Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, said: “They always have three or four options when they get the ball, there’s always movement. Every time they get the ball there is movement around them, someone’s popping off. \ Berbatov is coming short, \ Rooney’s pulling into a position, the wide man is coming off the line into holes. It’s fantastic.”

“Rooney has taken it on. He was the big star until Ronaldo came along and took over from him really, but now he’s back. Fletcher has made himself into a top player, wherever he plays. He has improved by working hard at his game. Look at his workrate, he never stops.”

“And when Rio \ plays, it makes such a massive difference. Without him they’re not the same. When he’s with \ Vidic it gives them so much at the back. I went in at half-time thinking, ‘Maybe that’s as good as they can play.’”

Some people are even saying that Manchester United look a more complete side now that Ronaldo has left. Wayne Rooney has now been released to play in the position that suits him the best and the talent of attacking players the club still has is tremendous.

United are now prearing for a Manchester derby against Manchester City that looks set to be the most intense of recent years. City will take with them to Old Trafford a betetr squad than ever before but what spices up the conforntation is the recent actions of many City players as well as the fact that any thing they now achieve is tainted by the virtue that were it not for an oil businessman, they would be lingering at the bottom of the table.

If United carry on playing how they did against Spurs then there will be no stopping them this season.