Fergie agrees with Rafa

Last updated : 15 September 2007 By Al Campbell
The Liverpool manager was again critical of the Premier League's early kick-offs this week and is ready to complain to League bosses about the number of early starts the Reds have after internationals. His Man Utd counterpart agrees with him.

"It's very difficult. We've had to do it so many times. I know Rafa is complaining and he is quite right to complain because if there is an unfairness against teams it should be addressed," said Ferguson.

"We've done the stats and over the last five years we have had more lunchtime kick-offs than anyone.

"Take last season's example. Chelsea had a Sunday game against Tottenham and a Tuesday European tie so the Premier League changed it at Chelsea's behest to a Saturday lunchtime.

"It gave Chelsea three days' rest to prepare for their European game. Fine. But it left Tottenham only a day and half's rest after a European game on the Thursday night. So there was no fairness.

"The Premier League said they had to protect and be fair to the teams in Europe, but their job is to protect and be fair to teams in the Premier League.

"But when we got a lunchtime game after the semi-final of the European Cup in Milan we asked for it to be changed, but they said no because it wasn't fair on Manchester City who had no game at all that week.

"So the Premier League changed the Chelsea fixture - despite what Tottenham said - but when they had an opportunity to change ours, they didn't.

"How you complain about these things I don't know. They probably wouldn't listen anyway. You would think that having the most TV lunchtime kick-offs over the last five years deserves some kind of attention."