'I have never watched the 6-1 defeat... why would I?

ALEX FERGUSON admits he has never watched a replay of last season’s 6-1 Manchester derby humiliation — as he is not into ‘self-flagellation’.

But the United boss is certain there will be no repeat of the collapse which made October 23, 2011 such a nightmare day.
Almost 18 months have passed since City ran riot at Old Trafford and tonight’s clash promises to be a more sombre affair for them.
Fergie’s men have banished the memories of last term in stunning fashion by striding 15 points clear of the champions and it is now a matter of WHEN and NOT if they reclaim the title.
When asked about last season’s fixture he said: “Do you think I’m going to mention that? Jesus Christ. I can talk about our form this season, I think I will concentrate on that.”
But has he ever watched the video back? “No,” he added. “Why would I? I’m not into self-flagellation.
“It happened, we threw it away, committed suicide in the game. We were the better team until they scored just before half-time.
“Then we had a man sent off and kept chasing the game. That’s gone in the history books but it will be different on Monday.”
That was not the only bad City memory which haunted Ferguson during the summer break.
Losing the title with almost the last kick of the season to their neighbours also took some getting over.
Fergie admitted: “The way we lost it resonates with a lot of people in the club. I think any player who was involved would have to feel it.
“It sticks in your mind but the only thing you can do after that kind of thing is do better.
“That’s what the players did — they focused and their team spirit was terrific. There was a definite purpose in getting the title back. They’ve achieved a lot this season.”
Many people have pointed to City’s decline since winning the crown — they are currently eight points worse off than this time last season.

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But Fergie points out his own team - who only missed out on goal difference 11 months ago — have got better and could prove it by setting a Premier League points record.
He said: “We’ve improved. That’s the difficulty for them. Even if their points tally was as good as last season, it wouldn’t have matched ours anyway.
“So you have to give us credit for that. Twenty five wins out of 30 shows the conviction of the players’ performance.”
United need to take 19 points from the last 24 to beat Chelsea’s record haul of 95 — but Ferguson is not even thinking about that.
He said: “I have not spoken about it and I haven’t heard any of the players talking about it “We just approach it in the right way — win the next game and see where that takes us.
“The only focus is on Monday night’s game. That’s the way we’ve approached it all season.
“Yes, I’d love to win the Champions League again but I’d say that we were knocked out in circumstances everyone is still talking about.
“The disappointment at being knocked out of the FA Cup is obvious but the league form has been fantastically consistent.”