{"id":298629,"date":"2023-12-07T14:25:35","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T14:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=298629"},"modified":"2023-12-07T14:25:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T14:25:35","slug":"fans-marvel-at-sir-alex-fergusons-incredible-foresight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/fans-marvel-at-sir-alex-fergusons-incredible-foresight\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans marvel at Sir Alex Ferguson's INCREDIBLE foresight"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sir Alex Ferguson\u00a0has silenced detractors who mocked him for his praise of Aston Villa\u00a0following their 5-1 opening day defeat to Newcastle, as the Villans moved into the Premier League top three on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Unai Emery’s side leapfrogged Manchester City in the table after a dominant 1-0 win, courtesy of a deflected goal from Leon Bailey.<\/p>\n
It was the 14th consecutive home victory and one that firmly ensconced the Midland side among the contenders for the top-flight crown this term.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Villa have come along way since their humbling at St James’ Park in August that forced many observers to evaluate their pre-season predictions.<\/p>\n
Not Ferguson. The legendary United boss’s praise of Emery’s side following that defeat was mocked on social media but appears incredibly prescient now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ferguson raised eyebrows when he said Aston Villa had impressed him more than any than any other team on the opening weekend<\/p>\n
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Some viewers took to social media to rip into the 81-year-old following his comments\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘To be honest with you, I watched Aston Villa and I can’t believe the scoreline.’ The 81-year-old told\u00a0NBC Sports ahead of the Red Devils’ first fixture. ‘Honestly Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals.<\/p>\n
‘Newcastle are going to be very difficult to beat, in their own ground in particular, and their manager has done a great job there. It’s a surprising game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score – that’s what Aston Villa did.’<\/p>\n
Fans were quick to pile in on Ferguson and expressed their surprise at the take on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘What game was he watching?’ Wrote one viewer on X, formerly Twitter. Another wrote: ‘Someone needs to tell him he doesn\u2019t need to try and play mind games anymore.’<\/p>\n
A third commented: ‘Bless him! clearly losing his eye sight! Villa were awful but take nothing away from Newcastle!’<\/p>\n
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Leon Bailey’s late strike sealed victory for Aston Villa against Manchester City on Wednesday<\/p>\n
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United fans rallied round their former boss in light of Villa’s position in the table following their win over pep Guardiola’s side<\/p>\n
One viewer noted the reaction of ex-Man United keeper Tim Howard, writing: ‘Look at Howard, he agrees when he thinks he\u2019s talking about us, then when he says villa he looks embarrassed!’<\/p>\n
While a Newcastle fan account accompanied their post on the quotes with the words: ‘Come again??!’<\/p>\n
Not even half way through the campaign, Ferguson can feel confident taking a victory lap as Villa look in good shape to challenge for a Champions League place\u00a0at the very least.<\/p>\n
Ferguson supporters have used that same energy to laud their former boss, with several implying his foresight bolsters his claim to be considered as the greatest manager of all time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Emery’s side welcome Arsenal to Villa Park on Saturday in what will be another test of their credentials.<\/p>\n
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n