Rarely has a journalist had to back-pedal so rapidly after nailing their colours so firmly to a particular mast but I'm going to be one of those few by publicly withdrawing my support for Rafael Benitez in his attack on Sir Alex Ferguson.
The piece which can be found below this article also featured on ShanklyGates.co.uk on Sunday afternoon where it was held back for 48 hours on a purely editorial basis and coincided with the news that Ferguson had responded to Benitez's comments.
The Liverpool manager's verbal onslaught a week ago was met with great delight by supporters and the media alike. No doubt his Manchester United counterpart will have had a wry smile on his face as he watched the footage in his ivory towers having seen his words about Liverpool 'choking' under the pressure of the title race have the desired effect.
Saturday morning's back pages were full of the news of the Spaniard's assault to the 'stunned' media. Some compared Benitez's speech to the ranting Kevin Keegan in 1996 who told Richard Keys and a national television audience how he would "absolutley love it" if his Newcastle United team pipped Ferguson's side to the league that year. The similarities between the reactions of Benitez and Keegan are few and far between. The only notable ones are that the comments were both aired in front of television cameras and both came on the back of Ferguson questioning the title credentials of the respective clubs in both 1996 and 2009.
However unlike Keegan, Benitez received backing in some quarters and even from retired Premier League official Graham Poll who agreed with the Spaniard's views on Ferguson's castigation of referees.
“Rafa Benitez has articulated what referees have been thinking for years - that Sir Alex Ferguson can say what he wants about them and the FA will allow him to get away with it," he told the Daily Mail.
“The authorities could point to Ferguson's two-match ban imposed earlier this season as proof that he is not out of reach of their disciplinary department. But that was for marching onto the field after the 4-3 win over Hull and for comments made directly to the referee, Mike Dean, who, in reporting the misconduct, forced the FA's hand.”
Poll was forced to clarify his comments 48 hours later when he described Benitez's attitude to referees as "almost ambivalent". He also claimed referees have "no contact" with the Liverpool manager at matches, stating that Ferguson is more personable.
"What I would say about refereeing at Old Trafford is it's the place to go and referee in the Premier League - because it's the biggest one, so that's where referees aspire to," he admitted.
"The first time you go there, of course you're going to be nervous; of course you're going to be tentative and you're well aware of reputations.
"But once you're an experienced referee it doesn't make any difference. You go out and referee completely impartially to the best of your ability.
"It's a slight on the top referees to say they are intimidated by Ferguson, because I don't think they are."
Following Liverpool's goalless draw with Stoke City, Benitez was questioned about the views expressed in his pre-match press conference and insisted that he was very much in control of the verbal conflict.
"If Mr Ferguson would stop talking about Liverpool maybe it would be good. He is clearly nervous about Liverpool," he told reporters at the Britannia Stadium.
"I can tell you that a lot of people have sent a lot of messages - not to me but to my staff and a lot of people at the club - to say, 'At least one person has said something everybody wanted to say.'
"I have a lot of respect for him. He is a great manager but he was talking too much about Liverpool, so clearly he has to stop."
However, Benitez drew a further similarity with former Anfield hero Keegan by seemingly taking leave of his senses following Ferguson's response to his outburst after United's 3-0 demolition of Chelsea at Old Trafford last Sunday.
"I think you have got to cut through the venom of it, and hopefully he will reflect and understand that what he was saying was absolutely ridiculous," said Ferguson.
"I think he was an angry man and I think he was disturbed for some reason. That's all I've got to say about it."
A day later, Benitez turned his attention to United's chief executive by describing David Gill's senior position at the FA as 'powerful' and claimed that it is a conflict of interest with his duties at the club.
"I think you have got to cut through the venom of it, and hopefully he will reflect and understand that what he was saying was absolutely ridiculous," said Ferguson.
"I think he was an angry man and I think he was disturbed for some reason. That's all I've got to say about it."
A day later, Benitez turned his attention to United's chief executive by describing David Gill's senior position at the FA as 'powerful' and claimed that it is a conflict of interest with his duties at the club.
"They were saying we are not a threat," Benitez told the Daily Mirror.
"Now they know we are, they are starting mind games.
"But I don't think it's a mind game when you have control over everything, it's a mind game when you have the same level as the other people, then you can show you are cleverer than the others.
"But when you have control of everything and your chief executive is powerful in the FA and things like this, then that is not mind games.
"Is there a conflict of interest with David Gill at the FA? That is another fact. It is a fact that one person has a lot of power and control, and is on a lot of committees in the FA. To me that is very strange."
"A lot of people think the same as me," he added.
"I need to change my mobile phone because it is blocked with so many messages of support, and I am not surprised by that."
Gill later dismissed the claims and it's clear to see why they were so easily dismissed. In the past seven days Benitez has gone from a generally humble and tight-lipped tactician to coming across as a poor man's Jose Mourinho. This new approach of his was refreshing for supporters and pundits to see and the prospect of future 'mind games' between Ferguson and Benitez could provide a very entertaining finale to the season but it could also detract from Liverpool's title challenge. Manchester United are currently second in the Barclays Premier League on 44 points, two behind the Reds, with a game in hand. As it was for Newcastle in 95/96, the title is Liverpool's to lose.
