Levein reveals text support for ref rant

Levein is still seething about McCurry's performance in the Tannadice side's 3-1 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox, despite the referee admitting on the SFA's Whistleblower website that he had called the game's two crucial decisions wrongly in favour of the home side.

United have complained to SFA chief Gordon Smith after McCurry turned down what looked a strong penalty claim when Rangers defender David Weir clashed with Noel Hunt while a goal from Danny Swanson was, according to TV pictures, incorrectly disallowed for offside.

Levein said: "I have received loads of text messages of support from people in the game over the weekend.

"You can ask any other team if they get the breaks in crucial matches in Glasgow and the answer is no.

"It's the most annoyed I have been in all the time I've been in the game.

"These are not innocuous things like corners or throw-ins, these are goals and penalties. This is my livelihood."

Levein also claimed McCurry congratulated Nacho Novo after the Spaniard scored to put Rangers 2-0 up.

He said: "I watched the game on television and you could see Mike McCurry saying, good goal Nacho'.

"Why didn't he say that to Mark de Vries when he scored for us? His was a good goal as well."

Smith hit back following the United complaint, saying: "Everyone at the SFA is hugely disappointed in the accusations that have been levelled at one of our match officials following the match at Ibrox on Saturday.

"To impinge on a man's integrity in this way is extremely unfair and does nothing to encourage more people to take up refereeing.

"To suggest that there was any kind of agenda behind the decisions made on the day does a massive disservice to the game and, quite frankly, is completely unfair."

But a still angry Levein countered: "I expected McCurry to say what he said and I expected Smith to back his referees and stick his head in the sand."