Source: Daily_Mail
PATRICK COLLINS: Is it time for Ferguson to ride into the sunset?
A couple of days ago, Sir Alex Ferguson was asked about rumours that his club captain Gary Neville would retire at the end of the season. His reply was predictably brusque: 'Why would we make a decision about his future when we don't need to? You don't make decisions like that in the middle of the season. It's a load of nonsense.'[LNB] When it comes to retirement, the Manchester United manager shares the view of the late Bill Shankly. 'A terrible, terrible word,' said Shankly. [LNB] [LNB]Whistling in the wind: Sir Alex Ferguson[LNB]'They should remove it from the dictionary.' And yet, it would be surprising if that terrible word had not crossed Ferguson's mind these past few weeks.[LNB] More from Patrick Collins... PATRICK COLLINS: Shame on the men who have made a basket case out of poor old Pompey02/01/10 PATRICK COLLINS: Why sixth is no good to the man from Nike19/12/09 PATRICK COLLINS: At least Jessica won't lose out to an Angel12/12/09 Patrick Collins: Can football really afford to wave goodbye to £70m?05/12/09 PATRICK COLLINS: Portsmouth remains a famous old club but it needs football men to halt the sad decline28/11/09 Patrick Collins: These clowns have turned our World Cup dream into a circus28/11/09 Patrick Collins: Thierry, you cheated and cost the Irish their dream21/11/09 PATRICK COLLINS: Why saving The Ashes is vital for the future of our nation's sport14/11/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Ferguson was 68 on New Year's Eve. He is sharp of wit and fit of body, with a mind which accommodates the experiences of more than 35 years in football management yet remains open to every development in the modern game.[LNB] He also retains his low cunning and high ideals, his crude aggression, serpentine subtlety and all those qualities which set him apart from every other manager in the English game. But that formidable cocktail is now seasoned by a curious whiff of uncertainty.[LNB] This is a man who constructed fine football teams; from the era of Robson, Hughes and Pallister, to Cantona, Keane and Schmeichel, to the glittering generation of Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and the Nevilles, through to Ferdinand, Rooney, Ronaldo and the players who landed the latest of Ferguson's 11 League titles.[LNB] His appetite appeared insatiable, his resourcefulness unlimited. He seemed to thrive on the recurring confrontations, and if fines and bans came his way, then he viewed them as prices to be paid. Even in the most difficult times, he never looked especially baffled by events. Until now. It would be foolish to seize upon a single result - even the wretched FA Cup defeat by Leeds - as evidence of decline.[LNB] But United's entire season had been threatening to yield something similarly disturbing. Wayne Rooney has been working slavishly to uphold essential standards but even his selfless running has not concealed the inadequacy of too many of his colleagues.[LNB] Ferguson must look at Dimitar Berbatov and wonder what it takes to persuade that vapid under-achiever to deliver his God-given talent. He must wince at the continuing irrelevance of Michael Owen, the ineffectiveness of Anderson, Nani and Luis Valencia and the lack of impact of the young ones: Rafael and Fabio, Danny Welbeck and Gabriel Obertan. Of course, it is far too early to judge, but few resemble authentic United players. And a manager who is a full half-century older than some of them may find it desperately difficult to communicate his own demands and expectations.[LNB] In different days, Ferguson would have spent a slice of the money which he and his footballers had generated; indeed, he insists transfer resources are still available. But you sense he is whistling in the wind; that the Glazer family, that confederation of geeks who have hobbled a prudently run club with £700million of debt, are both unwilling and unable to sanction the kind of stunning coup which might turn the tide. Instead, he lives with the sobering consequences of the loss of Ronaldo, unwillingly sold and savagely missed.[LNB] And all this time, the competition are spending money without care of consequence. Roman Abramovich shrugs off Chelsea's mountainous annual debts and invests £710m, while Sheik Mansour at Manchester City casually accepts last year's loss of £92.6m while lifting his investment to £395m. It is the kind of spending which Michel Platini and Arsene Wenger have correctly categorised as 'financial doping', yet it is entirely acceptable in the free-market casino of the Premier League.[LNB] Despite managing the biggest football club in the world, Ferguson is unable to compete with such extravagance. So he carries on doing what he does best - identifying, enhancing and deploying talent - knowing the financial realities have changed utterly. His most distinctive achievement has been the way in which he has come to terms with the developing demands of his job. Recently, he spoke of how he now delegated many of the tasks he used to carry out personally.[LNB] 'There must be about 40 people who report to me now, quite separate from the players,' he smiled. 'It's a big staff, more than Marks and Spencer.' And he admitted: 'It would be impossible to work in the same way I did in 1986.'[LNB]I suspect that he retains a secret yearning for those less complicated days, when his players shared his banter, feared his wrath and believed that Old Trafford was the only place to play their football. And nobody yearned for the Bernabeu or Nou Camp, and certainly nobody was tempted by that place down the road, where they worshipped false gods and wore light blue shirts.[LNB] Ferguson has moved through the generations with style and flair. For all his flaws, he has left an enduring mark upon the game he loves. And if he were asked about his retirement plans, his answer would be a colourful version of 'It's a load of nonsense'.[LNB] But one day, he will go. The most gifted manager we have known will decide that his reputation is secure, his legacy is assured and that the time has come to pass the torch. Alex Ferguson has earned the right to name that day. I suspect it will arrive sooner than later.[LNB]Broad and England are bang to rights 'Frankly,' says Stuart Broad, 'I have taken great offence at insinuations of ball-tampering in the third Test.' [LNB]Frankly, young Stuart, we don't give a damn. For these were not 'insinuations' but direct charges of malpractice by people of authority.[LNB] Michael Vaughan, who played in 82 Test matches and was one of England's finest captains, could scarcely have put it more plainly. Said Vaughan: 'Stuart Broad stood on the ball and then Jimmy Anderson collected the ball ...and started playing around the area where Broad had created the scuff marks. They were just trying to get the ball to reverse-swing.' Vaughan added: 'England have been caught and we have to hold our hands up.'[LNB] Other former Test players, such as Nasser Hussain and Jonathan Agnew, were a touch less blunt but equally damning. In their view, England were bang to rights.[LNB] Like one or two others who ought to know better, Broad accuses the South Africans of 'very poor behaviour' in declining to make a formal complaint. It is a pompous defence of some distinctly dubious conduct.[LNB] As a relative novice of largely unproven ability, Broad has already figured in too many incidents in the Test arena. The depressing tone of his latest outburst does not suggest that his attitude is about to change.[LNB] Still, as he peddles a string of fatuous excuses - 'If I was guilty of anything, it was just laziness in not bending down to pick up the ball' - he clearly expects to be given the benefit of any doubt.[LNB] If his name were not Broad but Ahmed, Khan or Singh, he might be rather less confident.[LNB]Coyle sells his game to the highest bidderBarry Kilby is chairman of Burnley. He wants to see football played properly, resourcefully, on the floor. [LNB]Owen Coyle is his kind of manager. Phil Gartside is chairman of Bolton. [LNB]Clearly, he doesn't much care how the game is played, as he selects dreary pragmatists like Sam Allardyce and Gary Megson to manage his club. [LNB]Coyle is patently not his kind of manager. But a week is a long time in football. In the course of that week, Gartside was persuaded that Coyle might just be the answer to his problems. [LNB]And Coyle decided to seize his cheque. Burnley are said to be deeply disappointed in him. They are not alone.[LNB]PSA week ago, Shane Geraghty kicked the late conversion which gave Northampton victory over his former club, London Irish. He celebrated extravagantly and received a chastising thump from his old team-mate, Delon Armitage.[LNB] Three days later, Armitage contacted Geraghty to apologise. 'I was very disappointed by my own reaction,' he said. 'I threw my toys out of the pram and it was childish. I was just frustrated at letting the game slip.' No doubt there are footballers who would behave just as well in similar circumstances. Sadly, they do not spring to mind. [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
