Man U manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes that the loss to Southend will only make his side more determined to win on bigger stages.
SOUTHEND: In true Glaswegian style, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed his side’s League Cup “smack in the face” from Southend could actually bolster the club’s bid for glory on bigger stages this season.
Ferguson watched in barely disguised fury as Manchester United fan Freddy Eastwood gave the struggling Championship outfit a 1-0 win in Tuesday night’s 4th round encounter with a superbly struck free-kick mid-way through the first half. But the Scot refused to read too much into a result he clearly regarded as a freak for his side, who are currently top of the Premiership and virtually assured of winning their group in the Champions League.
“I bet he doesn’t score another goal like that in his life,” Ferguson said of Eastwood’s winner. “If you are going to lose, it might as well be to something special like that.”
Ferguson, who spent Monday celebrating 20 years in charge at Old Trafford, insisted something good could come out of a frustrating evening on the Essex coast. “It’s a great reminder to everyone at the club that football can smack you in the face,” he said. “I’ve been here 20 years and I am not impervious to it either. In a way, it is great for me because I know tomorrow we can pull our togs on and start working again. There is no harm in defeat providing it improves you and you can learn from it.
“I am sure we will get slaughtered for this defeat but there is no need for any knee-jerk reaction, no need for any mass sackings and there will be no suicides,” Ferguson said. “A few of the players will be a bit embarrassed because it is a disappointing result. But all three of the matches we have lost this season have been 1-0, so there is not too much wrong with us. Our league form has been good and we will be ready to face Blackburn on Saturday.”
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