During his heyday as Man Utd manager, Sir Alex Ferguson’s behavior on the touchline was as terrifying as his teams on the field, with even referees wilting under pressure.

Sir Alex Ferguson and referee Phil Dowd [R] clashed on more than one occasion (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images)

Former Premier League referee Phil Dowd once pranked Sir Alex Ferguson over his famous ‘Fergie time’ requests.

The legendary Man Utd manager was a master at bending referees to his will with a mere scowl in their direction. Ferguson, over time, became known for pointing at his watch and demanding additional minutes as his side sought late victories, which invariably led to last minute goals for the Red Devils.

And now Dowd, who officiated over 300 top flight matches before blowing his final whistle, has revealed a feisty encounter with the Scotsman during a match between United and Wigan Athletic.

When asked who was the toughest manager to get on with on Fore Four 2, Dowd said: “It has got to be Ferguson in his time. He should have been a psychologist because he could always get in your head.

“I remember being at Man United once as a fourth official and I think it was Michael Oliver as the referee. They were playing Wigan and I put a minute up [on the board].

“I was standing at the top of the tunnel and I could see Fergie having a rant at Michael, saying ‘we’ve only played a minute’, because they were drawing and he wanted more time to try and get a goal.”

Phil Dowd admitted to playing a prank on the Scotsman

But Dowd decided to get his own back with a cheeky prank that left Ferguson seething.

He continued: “Second-half they were winning quite comfortably, so I thought this is pay-back time. He sent his assistant to ask me how long. I only had two minutes on the card but I said ‘five minutes, that will make his day’.

Sir Alex swore at the ref in jest

“I could see him in the corner of my eye, jumping up and down having a d**** fit. Then I put the actual two minutes on the board, turned around and had a little smile. He gave me some expletives but saw the funny side of it.”

Dowd went on to admit that Ferguson was a professional at getting into referees’ heads. Ferguson and United have been called out in the past for being on the right side of decisions from officials during his 13 league title wins.

source: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/