United's silent fans blasted by angry Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson described Old Trafford as having the atmosphere of a "funeral" when he spoke after Manchester United's 1-0 win over Birmingham City. Carlos Tevez's goal means the champions have won 10 league games in a row on their own ground but Ferguson was distinctly unimpressed with United's supporters, accusing them of letting down the team.

"The crowd were dead," he complained. "That was the quietest I have heard the crowd and it's disappointing because we needed the crowd today. We have come through a difficult period of game after game and in moments like these we need a lift. But it was like a funeral out there."

This is not the first time Ferguson has felt aggrieved about the lack of noise at Old Trafford and his complaints will bring back memories of Roy Keane's notorious rant about the club's supporters. Keane had questioned whether some United fans "can spell football never mind understand it" and suggested that they were more interested in eating prawn sandwiches than watching the game. Ferguson was more diplomatic but the United manager was clearly angered, drawing a direct link between the poor atmosphere and a laboured performance from his team.

"It was so quiet," he complained. "I don't think that helped us. The players need the crowd sometimes but the atmosphere inside the ground wasn't good. It's all right saying the players have to make the crowd respond but there are some situations, like today, when we need them to get behind us and give us a lift. The players need the crowd to respond and vice versa. But it was dead."

Ferguson has complained in the past about foreign supporters on day trips harming the atmosphere at Old Trafford, saying his team had more backing in away games. "There have been periods like this before," he continued. "It's not just today, it happened a few years ago as well when we were the dominant team in the league. The crowd come to be entertained but sometimes we need them to help us get the right kind of performance."