Manchester United Football Club

• Nickname:Red Devils
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson

• Ground:Old Trafford
• Capacity:68174

Fergie fumes at soft red card

10 Jan 2010 - 12:26:45

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought Darren Fletcher was unlucky to be sent off in the closing stages of Saturday evening's 1-1 draw at Birmingham City.

The Scotland international had been booked for a crunching challenge on Lee Bowyer before clipping the heels of Cameron Jerome after the Blues striker had run past him on the halfway line.

Ferguson fumed: "Darren's not that type of player. I thought it was a terribly soft sending-off, he's barely clipped him. The boy was already falling. I don't think you'll see a softer sending off."

However, Ferguson was happier with Mark Clattenburg's decision to let United's equaliser stand after the linesman had initially flagged to suggest a United player was offside.

Clattenburg rightly ruled that Scott Dann had turned the ball into his own net.

Ferguson added: "It's an obvious own goal and the referee had to allow it. I don't know what the linesman thought.

"It was clearly an own goal and the linesman flags for offside. I don't know what to say about that."