Crerand radio rant: cheap shot by BBC journalists trying to blame Rio for hooligan fans

By
John Gubba
-
1998

It is typical of declining standards at the BBC these days that this morning’s 5Live Phone-in deliberately promoted the idea that Rio Ferdinand was to blame for outragous fan behaviour at Sunday’s Manchester derby. It was the latest shameless attempt by the radio station to boost their ratings.

With many callers given airtime, who – like the presenters – had not even seen United’s 3-2 derby win over City, it was yet another hatchet job by lazy journalists trying to fuel public misconception. Anyone with any common sense will be applauding Manchester United legend Pat Crerand for ridiculing the suggestion that Ferdinand was at fault for celebrating the sensational injury time winner.

Ferdinand was hit by a coin as he celebrated the dramatic 94th minute strike by Robin van Persie. Earlier Wayne Rooney, who scored a double to give United a 2-nil lead, was pelted by coins when he lined up to take a corner. And Joe Hart had to intervene when a hooligan wearing City colours ran onto the pitch and tried to get to Ferdinand.

Paddy’S passionate defence
of Rio Ferdinand

The real issue here is that there is an ugly hard core of hooligans once again tarnishing the beautiful game. There can be no excuse under any circumstances for so-called fans to throw coins or any other missiles at players on a football pitch. No matter how much supporters pay for tickets it does not give them the right to act like animals and run onto the pitch and attack the players.

For the BBC to give credence to the suggestion that fans at any Premier league match only react in such a manner because players celebrate scoring a goal is pure insanity – or as Paddy put it: “ludicrous.”

Crerand has built a cult following on MUTV for his opinionated comments and unbridled passion for Manchester United and it has been my great pleasure to get to know the man behind the microphone, who became a legend along with Best, Law and Charlton in Sir Matt Busby’s 1968 European Cup winning team.

For the past three months I have been filming a documentary with Crerand to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of his association with Manchester United. And I can promise you that this will be a football programme you will not want to miss. The documentary gets its first screening on MUTV on Sunday, 3 February 2013

There is no one in football quite like Paddy, who famously rang a radio station to defend Eric Cantona on the night the Frenchman kung-fu kicked a yob in the crowd after he was sent-off in the match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park back in 1995.

– BY JOHN GUBBA

THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF PADDY CRERAND’S RADIO RANT AT PRESENTERS CHRIS WARBURTON AND RACHEL BURDEN

Chris Warburton: We’ve had a lot of people getting in touch saying the players have to take a bit of responsibility, stop celebrating in front of opposing fans and stoking it up. I just wondered what your thoughts are on that?

Paddy Crerand: Who’s said that? Who’s made that statement?

CW: We’ve had various calls and texts from our listeners, Paddy.

PC: What planet do they live on?

CW: Well, you tell me.

PC: Well, I’ve no idea. I was at the game yesterday, do you expect fans not to celebrate when their team scores a goal?

CW: No, no, what they’re suggesting is that players are going up to opposing fans and celebrating in front of them and that that stokes the crowd up.

PC: I was at the game yesterday and that is absolute rubbish. Who suggested that, and where did that come from? Absolute garbage. How many people phoned you up? One? Two? Three?

CW: No, no, we’ve had various texts this morning saying the same thing as well.

PC: Well how many? Tell me how many. If you’re going to make a statement like you’re making a statement now, tell me how many.

CW: Just take it from me that we have had a good number of texts…

PC: I’m not taking it from you, you tell me.

CW: Well, I haven’t got it to hand Paddy.

PC: Well why make a statement then, if you haven’t got it to hand? No I’m not taking it from you, why do you make a statement like that when you haven’t got the evidence?

CW: Well, what do you think of the point?

PC: I think the point is absolutely ludicrous. You go to a football match, or any sporting situation, and you think people shouldn’t celebrate? What planet are your people on at all?

CW: No, no, that’s not what’s being suggested.

PC: That’s what you’re suggesting.

CW: In terms of…

PC: In terms of what? Now you’re making excuses for yourself.

CW: I was going to ask you a different question Paddy.

PC: Yeah, go on then.

CW: In terms of the environment at a derby, how has it changed from when you were playing?

PC: It’s not changed in any way whatsoever. I don’t care that it’s a derby, or any football match, people celebrate when their team scores a goal. What do you expect them to do, be quiet? I don’t know what you’re suggesting, I’m totally amazed. Just a minute please – is this a publicity stunt?

CW: No. I think I’ve been quite clear in what I’m saying to you Paddy. Let me ask you a question about the football.

PC: Yeah, well ask me a sensible question then. Don’t talk stupid and ask me daft questions about whether fans should celebrate or not.

CW: Well we asked Danny Mills the question about an hour ago, Paddy, and he gave us quite a reasonable answer.

PC: Well what did he say to you? I’ve no idea what Danny Mills says to you, what was his reasonable answer?

CW: He told us that you can’t hold players in any way responsible.

PC: Of course you can’t. Why make a thing about a sensible answer that Danny Mills gave you that people should celebrate? Of course they should celebrate.

Rachel Burden: I think there might be a bit of misunderstanding here. A number of people texted the programme and people called Five Live…

PC: How many texts? A million?

RB: If you’d let me finish…

PC: Half a million?

RB: If you’d let me finish…

PC: Hundred thousand?

RB: If you’d let me finish the point…

PC: Yes.

RB: …and the point was about Rio Ferdinand going down to an area where home fans were and celebrating in front of them.

PC: Let me say something to you. Did you watch the game yesterday?

RB: I listened to it.

PC: Well you didn’t watch it then, you don’t know what happened then. Rio Ferdinand was nowhere near where the away fans – where the home fans were. He gets struck by a coin that somebody’s thrown from about 15 or 20 yards, it’s not like he was standing in front of their supporters jumping up and down. He was 15 or 20 yards from their fans.

RB: Do you remember things like that happening when you were playing in these derbies?

PC: I don’t remember anything like that happening, no.

RB: So do you think the atmosphere has got worse over the years?

PC: Why did you change commentators? Why have you come on all of a sudden?

RB: That’s just the way it works on the programme, we both join in together.

CW: Don’t worry, I haven’t run scared Paddy.

PC: Oh, I thought you’d run away there for a minute. No, but let me say, it was a great football match, no question about that. When it went to two each, I thought City were the team that were going to win it. Manchester United finished up winning with a deflected goal and you can’t not accept the fact that fans would celebrate when the third goal went in. And derby matches are a lot different from ordinary matches, obviously, but why somebody would throw something at Rio Ferdinand is totally stupid. Why a fan would run on the pitch…

And to be fair to Manchester City, a United fan ran on to the pitch last year when United beat City 4-3. So the effects of football on people sometimes can go to the extreme, it shouldn’t happen but it does happen unfortunately. And particularly in matches that are local derbies.