Just two weeks after Sir Alex Ferguson gloated after what he described as “probably the greatest derby ever” following Michael Owen’s winner against their city rivals after six inexplicable minutes of injury time, than the Scot was raging when his United team were only given four minutes to equalise at home against Sunderland.

Labelling experienced referee Alan Wiley “ridiculous” after Fergie’s side somewhat fortuitously snatched a 2-2 draw thanks to Anton Ferdinand’s 94th minute own goal, he fumed: “The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit,” before going on to add: “You see referees abroad who are as fit as a butcher’s dog. He was taking 30 seconds to book a player.”

It’s not exactly the first time Fergie has raged at a referee or been seen tapping furiously at his watch when he wants the whistle to blow. After all, it has always seemed to non-United fans that referees have their own Fergie time, usually enough to last as long as it takes for them to score a winner or an equaliser – whatever he wants.

But of course, that’s not really the case, as much as we’d like to believe it. Referees these days have an unenviable task, made all the more difficult by diving, scheming players moaning about every decision, managers on the touchline lambasting every call, and TV commentators enjoying every opportunity to point out mistakes having had the benefit of five slow-motion replays (Andy Gray, change the record mate!).

It’s no wonder refereeing numbers are dwindling by each injury time minute. Who on earth would want to do it? Even though we all know ref’s have their bad days, everyone apart from Fergie acknowledged that Wiley had had a good game on this occasion. Pundits on BBC’s Match of the Day thought Fergie’s rantings were unfounded (have they finally given up on him talking to them now?), and former top ref Dermot Gallagher leapt to Wiley’s defence explaining on national TV just how today’s officials are put through the mill to prove their fitness on a daily basis.

“Every single training session they do, everything is done on a heart monitor and downloaded to scientists and is analysed to see how hard they are working and whether they need to work harder,” Gallagher told the BBC. “The Premier League is well aware of who’s fit and who’s not fit on a week-to-week basis.”

The Football Association, who have been running their own Respect campaigns in recent years, has asked Fergie to explain his comments, but it remains to be seen whether they will actually punish him for what would be deemed highly defamatory comments if they had been made by anyone else.

Only last season, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez pointed out in a bizarre press conference just how much the United manager seems to get away with, and had his own suspicions about what he deemed unfair treatment by the governing body. Fergie just laughed it off and claimed Benitez was suffering with the pressure.

But everyone is tired of Fergie’s ranting and raving when things don’t go his way. It’s about time the F.A. called their own time on Fergie’s outbursts.