O’Shea: We know how to respect refs

In an interview, Manchester United defender John O’Shea stated that the Manchester United squad was given special guidelines by manager Sir Alex Ferguson on how to respect referees. John said that the Man Utd players won’t be having the same problems and criticism that players from Chelsea (Ashley Cole) and Liverpool (Mascherano) are currently facing. O’Shea said that Ferguson indicated to the players to respect the match officials, as they do a difficult job, which will only be made more difficult with persistent protestations from players.

“The manager has told us to avoid any incidents that may happen. We have to get on with it and leave the referee alone. That is his experience.” – John O’Shea

“Our discipline record is very good, one of the best in the country. I feel we are a fair team.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

Man Utd go into the match against Aston Villa on Saturday knowing that they have to win the match in order to maintain their strong grip on the Premiership title and increase their advantage in the title race. The referee for the game will be Mark Halsey, known to be a relatively strict manager who doesn’t tolerate disrespect.