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Punter Puts £1 On Howard Webb To Become Next Man Utd Manager, Paddy Power Pay Out

Punter Puts £1 On Howard Webb To Become Next Man Utd Manager, Paddy Power Pay Out

He's bagged himself a nice earner here.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

Former Premier League referee Howard Webb was arguably one of England's best officials, most notably taking charge of the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland, but the 47-year-old was always slated for his apparent bias towards Manchester United.

Back in 2014, Webb had to publicly dismiss reports that he was a United supporter, saying that there was 'no element of truth' behind the speculation, but his allegiance has always been questioned.

He was even brought up in conversation after Jose Mourinho was sacked by the club on Tuesday morning, with one punter going as far as putting a quid on the former referee to manage the Reds.

Bookies Paddy Power caught wind of the bet and decided to pay the customer out at 425/1.

Now that's a nice little profit.

In his 2016 autobiography, Webb looks to have confirmed that he was not a Manchester United fan by telling a hilarious story of an encounter with Sir Alex Ferguson at Craven Cottage back in 2009.

Manchester United were hit with a number of injuries ahead of the encounter with Fulham, as Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and John O'Shea were all out.

It seems Fergie really wanted this game to be abandoned. Webb recalls the moment a mean looking Alex Ferguson arrived at 9am ahead of the lunchtime kick-off::

"I've already had a look at it," Ferguson snapped, scanning the pitch. "It's horrendous. It's a bloody death trap.

Webb responded: "I'll check it out and let you know what I think."

"After some pacing and prodding I surmised that the pitch was absolutely fine; soft underfoot with no hazardous icy patches. Right, here goes, I thought, as I walked towards the tunnel to break the news.

"See what I mean?" Ferguson, below, barked as I approached him. "So the game's off, then, yes?"

"Nope," I said. "The pitch is fine."'

"You f***in' what?" he yelled. "You're trying to tell me the game's still on? I cannae believe that!"

"I am. The surface is clearly playable," I countered, bracing myself for another tirade. Instead, he just paused and tutted.

"Yeah, I know it is," he smiled, the wily old sod, and headed back up the tunnel.

"Five hours later his makeshift team got battered 3-0."

Ferguson
Ferguson

Classic Fergie.

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Topics: Football News, Football, Manchester United