Sir Alex Ferguson's protests following Sunday's defeat to Liverpool has seen the veteran Manchester United manager come under attack from referees.
Ferguson was incensed that Jamie Carragher received only a yellow card following the defender's challenge on United striker Michael Owen, and questioned referee Andre Marriner's experience at handling big games.
"It's so frustrating when a manager as experienced and respected as Sir Alex Ferguson makes a statement about the laws of the game which is completely inaccurate," former Premier League referee Jeff Winter told The Guardian.
Another senior refereeing source, still officiating in the Premier League, agreed with Winter: "Ferguson clearly doesn't understand the law about the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The fouled player has to have full control of the ball and has to be moving towards the goal but Michael Owen did not fulfil either condition.
"Andre Marriner was absolutely right to award a yellow card and a direct free-kick.
"It would have been totally wrong for him to have sent Jamie Carragher off."
The anonymous source further lambasted Ferguson, and offered support for Marriner: "Sir Alex should never have said that Andre Marriner was not an experienced referee when he is on the FIFA list and got all the important decisions right on Sunday."
In recent times Ferguson has invoked the wrath of the FA for questioning the fitness of referee Alan Wiley, an offence that forced an apology from the United manager.
However, it is understood that Sunday's outburst will not incur any FA investigation or punishment, despite referees' union chief Alan Leighton describing Ferguson's apology to Wiley as "half-hearted".
Winter, who himself had plenty of run-ins with the United boss, went on to suggest that Ferguson seeks to deflect attention away from poor results by making a scapegoat out of referees.
"I don't know if Sir Alex Ferguson has got a problem with referees but he has got a problem when Manchester United don't win and blaming the referee is the easy option," he said.
"His statement about Carragher shows that either he doesn't know the laws of the game or he's resorting to mind games again."
But Winter went on to reject assertions that Ferguson is mellowing as he winds towards the end of an illustrious career.
He said: "Some of his touchline antics, when you see the veins standing out on his neck and see him swearing and shouting, are not too good for his own health let alone anyone else's.
"I don't know whether it's age or what but he seems to be getting less tolerant of everybody and everything – especially when Manchester United don't manage to win.
"This sort of thing seems to be happening every other week with him now."
Winter suggested that the FA "impose a FIFA-style stadium ban on Sir Alex", as a "harsh punishment to teach him and everyone else a lesson".
He went on to suggest that the Respect campaign would be "dead in the water" if Ferguson was not punished, stating that "a fine or, in this case, even a touchline ban won't be enough".
Ferguson's seeming indifference to the authorities could be rectified, according to Winter, by expediating FA disciplinary procedures:
"It's three and a half weeks since his comments about Alan Wiley and still nothing has happened."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/26/alex-ferguson-referees-manchester-unitedjust saw this now sorry if its been posted I think he might be deluded clearly he dragged Carragher down