Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction to Man Utd boos as Old Trafford crowd make feelings clear

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Manchester United were booed off on Tuesday night after an abject display against Wolves - described by Gary Neville as "the baddest of the bad".

It was a noise the home players had to cop as they became only the third team this season to fail to beat Wolves. Ruben Amorim has endured a tough spell as head coach, but even the great Sir Alex Ferguson had to face the music when it came. Safe to say, he wasn't a fan.

Neville is among those to remark on how loyal the United fanbase are. Even if they do have a global pull, the 76,000 seats at Old Trafford are always sold out. Even when the team have been far from the best.

That was the case in 2005 when the home faithful booed the Manchester side off their own turf after Blackburn Rovers left with all three points. At this point Ferguson was two years without a Premier League title. That run would extend to three.

But the faith in him was wavering among some. It was only September and Ferguson's team were 10 points behind leaders Chelsea in the top flight having played just six games. The Scot, never one to shy away from a media confrontation, didn't hold back.

"No, I am not going to explain myself," he said in the days after. Supporters had also grown frustrated by the change of system, which had clearly not had the desired affect. They had chanted "4-4-2" during the defeat to Blackburn - a call for a return to the system that brought previous success.

A founding member of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association (Imusa), said that fans had no other way to voice their frustration other than to boo - but that it was no knee jerk reaction to a loss.

"What happened on Saturday was a build-up of ill feeling that has gone on for a long time," he said. "The supporters have been accustomed to mediocrity for too long and this was the moment when they decided that enough was enough. You can argue whether it was good, bad or indifferent to boo the manager but what other option do supporters have to show their displeasure?"

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He went as far as to suggest Ferguson should've walked away in a blaze of glory following the treble success in 1999. Or in 2002 when he had said he would call it a day.

"Ever since then there have been serious levels of underachievement," was one comment made. Ferguson's eye for a player was also questioned after several arrivals failed to deliver.

The conclusion was: "Over the last four years some of his signings have been so questionable that you have to wonder whether he has even seen these players before buying them."

Ferguson would defend his team in the aftermath of the loss that led to the boos, claiming: "Form has not been that bad. The loss against Blackburn was a travesty of a result because we missed some good chances. There's no point feeling sorry for yourself, you just have to get on with it and we did."

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Despite a recovery mission that season, which saw United put the pressure on Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, they would still fall short. Ending the year with the League Cup, which came about thanks to a win over Wigan in Cardiff , was some solace but not the prize anyone at the club wanted.

Ferguson's second wind would come though. 2006 marked the end of the most challenging period for the Scot as the club set about winning a hat-trick of Premier League titles from 2007 - 2009. Sandwiched in between was a Champions League success that was spearheaded by Wayne Rooney , Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo : a team that Ferguson regards as the greatest of his tenure.

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