War!

Been looking at the previews to today's big game and on the whole they OK. They OK.  Step forward The Mail on Sunday with what can only be described as an inflammatory article on Howard Webb, where they use statistics in the most ridiculous way imaginable, after saying Webb has refereed 12 of our games they continue:

He has awarded United 173 free-kicks to their opponents' 147 and shown Ferguson's players 24 yellow cards while booking opponents 34 times

Which over 12 games seems statistically negligible- 14.14 fouls against per game against 12.25 - given the amount we attack at home that actually sounds like we've probably been hard done by.  And the yellows?  2 per game against 2.83.  Again our attacking play explains that.

You can prove what you like with statistics, or you can just give them and hope no one notices that the big deal you've made about them is bullshit.

Then the next sentence, actually a whole paragraph, the eerie:

Webb is not alone.

Just that.  Implying conspiracy.  It seems designed to get it into people's heads that should we win today we'll have been handed it by Webb, or, if not Webb, the shadowy network of referees who are apparently at our command... or not, as Sir Alex's 5 game ban might seem to suggest