ManU Manager Alex Ferguson fears his club's challenge to take the Premier League title back from Man City in the second half of the season could be undermined by "ridiculous" TV scheduling, according to Steve Tongue of the London INDEPENDENT. Ferguson wants the TV companies to avoid scheduling ManU games for Saturday lunchtime kickoffs after an away game in Europe. Assuming ManU advances past the first knockout stage of the Champions League, it then immediately faces weekend fixtures against Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea in addition to a potential FA Cup semifinal. Ferguson: "If you go back to the year we lost to Chelsea, we played away in Europe in midweek and then played a lunchtime game against Chelsea on the Saturday and they battered us. It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous." Sky Sports and the Premier League declined to comment, but are "understood to dispute the notion that clubs have no say in scheduling." They say the process is that TV companies "make their selection of dates and kick-off times, which are then passed to the clubs, who can argue against them if they feel strongly enough" (INDEPENDENT, 12/9).
