TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Sir Alex Ferguson blasts Manchester City's hasty cull of Mark Hughes • Manager's position is sacrosanct at Old Trafford, says Scot• Manchester United battle through injury crisis for visit to HullAlex Ferguson believes Manchester United would never behave in the way Manchester City did in sacking Mark Hughes halfway through his second season – and has also revealed that he advised his son, Darren, to quit Peterborough in the summer "before things turned nasty"."If I was just coming in today I think United would give me enough time to prove myself," he says. "The manager is always in a strong position at Manchester United; his position is always sacrosanct as far as the directors are concerned. I was given time back in the 80s and I think the same thing would happen now. When I go whoever replaces me will get plenty of time, I'm sure of that. We are just that kind of club."Ferguson is critical of City's short-term view on their rebuilding project, and says of Hughes: "I know he was still suffering when I phoned him the following day." Darren Ferguson was another to suffer. After leading Peterborough to promotion last season he was sacked by the Championship club in November."He had more faith in the players than I had, but these things only come with experience," Ferguson Sr says. "Management at that level hasn't really changed over the years, but the job at United is completely different now to what it was when I arrived. I had to have my hands on everything when I started out but I couldn't possibly manage the club the way I did in 1986. When I came there was just me and my assistant and about five people to help us, and that was it. Now we have five physios, three fitness coaches, two video analysts, a doctor, an optometrist, a podiatrician, a weight trainer, two reserve coaches and all the academy staff. We must have 40 people at least. Delegation is all important now. I rely on good people who have been with me a long time, 20 years in some cases."Having been a graduate of the Ferguson/Old Trafford school, Hughes tried to lay similar foundations at Manchester City though he did not get the time to see the project to fruition. While sympathising with his former player, Ferguson is hopeful that the League Managers Association's outstanding record in winning contractual battles on behalf of dismissed managers will make clubs think twice before using the exit door as an easy option in the future."Managers don't get as much protection as players. If I have a player I don't like I can't just get rid of him, whereas clubs can just pull the plug on managers and not even honour their contracts. You would hope clubs would start realising they are dealing with a different animal now in the LMA. They are a substantial outfit with tremendous legal backing. If we can get to a position where clubs have to pay up contracts immediately on sacking a manager they might start to think a bit longer before doing it."Besides worrying about other managers, Ferguson has his own injury crisis to think about as well as a trip to Hull City made more daunting by United's recent form. Ferguson admits he has never known a time when so many defenders were unavailable. "To have to go into games with just one recognised defender [Patrice Evra] is an unusual situation, to say the least. We have players coming back though, and once we get the regular backline back I'll be pretty confident."I am surprised that we have lost five games already, but once I can pick my regular back four we'll have a better chance. I don't know if we can win the title after losing so many games, but I certainly hope we can. Getting a few defenders back will make a hell of a difference."Sir Alex FergusonManchester UnitedMark HughesManchester CityPremier LeaguePaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Togo attack: oil-rich Cabinda is hotbed for violent and bloody conflict Cabinda is a tiny sliver of land, but it is one of the most valuable pieces of territory on the entire African continent. telegraph.co.uk |
Win the chance to be a flag-bearer at a Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final Four lucky young fans will be official Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final flag-bearers. telegraph.co.uk |
Frings omission hardly a shocker The World Cup in South Africa is five months away, but it is already over for one of Germany's best players in recent years: Werder Bremen captian Torsten Frings. cbc.ca |
Everton v Sunderland: match preview Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between Everton and Sunderland at Goodison on Wedneday Jan 27 2010, kick-off 20.00 GMT. telegraph.co.uk |