Ferguson Not Fazed By Sulky Stars As United Close on Title
Shows of dissent by Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez failed to upset Sir Alex Ferguson as United cruised towards the title with a 2-0 derby dismissal of City
Sir Alex Ferguson insisted he had "no problem" with Cristiano Ronaldo's show of dissent and, for entirely different reasons, Carlos Tevez's own protests during the course of a comfortable derby win that has left Manchester United on the brink of their 18th league title.
Ronaldo had a fit of pique after being substituted an hour into the 2-0 defeat of Manchester City, whereas Tevez went into the match on the back of an interview with the News of the World in which he reiterated his feelings that he had no future at the club. Tevez pointedly celebrated scoring the second goal by running in front of the dugout and cupping his ears, looking up towards the club's directors.
Ronaldo was even more animated, repeatedly shaking his head and throwing his arms around as he took his seat in the dugout, and left the ground within 15 minutes of the game ending. "You know what he's like," Ferguson said afterwards. "He wanted to stay on. It's a simple reason. He's such a great athlete but don't forget he's run his socks off on Tuesday [against Arsenal]. I've got Wednesday's game against Wigan and Saturday against Arsenal to think about. I've got to look at how we can get through these games and keep the players as fresh as I can. He's in great form but I've got to look at the bigger picture."
Tevez's own frustration stems from a growing sense of resignation that United have no plans to pay the £22m necessary to turn his two-year loan arrangement into a permanent deal. The Argentinian's adviser, Kia Joorabchian, intends to accelerate the search for a new club this week, with City among the early candidates. Mark Hughes, the City manager, described Tevez's performance as "exceptional".
As well as a host of top European clubs, including Real Madrid and Internazionale, Liverpool are also said to be monitoring Tevez's position, although the striker has decided not to entertain the idea of a switch to Anfield out of respect to the Old Trafford supporters who again implored Ferguson to "sign him up".
The chances of that happening appear to be receding, however, with Ferguson conceding that "nothing has changed" as well as making a pointed remark about the crowd's affections for Tevez. "The fans love a trier," he said. "That's the great thing about football. A lad who tries a lot can be forgiven for a lot of things."
Ferguson employs strict rules to stop his players from giving unauthorized interviews but, publicly anyway, the United manager came away from what he described as a "bad game" insisting he had no issue with Tevez going public with his grievances. "Not at all. If he keeps scoring I've got absolutely no problem."
United need four points from their remaining three games to sew up the championship and they could have it won by the time Liverpool next play. Liverpool had briefly gone to the top of the league after beating West Ham on Saturday but Ferguson said his side did not mind the pressure of playing second. "They [Liverpool] have played first a lot of times. But what does it matter? If we do our job, that's all we need to worry about. These players have been in this position many times; it's not as if we are going into the unknown. We're in this position almost every season."
Rio Ferdinand, who suffered a calf injury in training on Saturday, should be available for the trip to Wigan and United are now waiting to hear whether Uefa will allow Darren Fletcher to play in the European Cup final. "I'm always hopeful but we'll have to wait and see," Fletcher said of the appeal against his red card. "I don't want to get my hopes up too much because I don't want to be disappointed."
Ferguson has already said he is "not optimistic" and Fletcher also seemed to be prepared for bad news. "I've just got to accept it. I'm staying focused on the Premier League and the other lads can take care of the final. I can't let it affect my performances. I can't let it affect anything."
Ronaldo had a fit of pique after being substituted an hour into the 2-0 defeat of Manchester City, whereas Tevez went into the match on the back of an interview with the News of the World in which he reiterated his feelings that he had no future at the club. Tevez pointedly celebrated scoring the second goal by running in front of the dugout and cupping his ears, looking up towards the club's directors.
Ronaldo was even more animated, repeatedly shaking his head and throwing his arms around as he took his seat in the dugout, and left the ground within 15 minutes of the game ending. "You know what he's like," Ferguson said afterwards. "He wanted to stay on. It's a simple reason. He's such a great athlete but don't forget he's run his socks off on Tuesday [against Arsenal]. I've got Wednesday's game against Wigan and Saturday against Arsenal to think about. I've got to look at how we can get through these games and keep the players as fresh as I can. He's in great form but I've got to look at the bigger picture."
Tevez's own frustration stems from a growing sense of resignation that United have no plans to pay the £22m necessary to turn his two-year loan arrangement into a permanent deal. The Argentinian's adviser, Kia Joorabchian, intends to accelerate the search for a new club this week, with City among the early candidates. Mark Hughes, the City manager, described Tevez's performance as "exceptional".
As well as a host of top European clubs, including Real Madrid and Internazionale, Liverpool are also said to be monitoring Tevez's position, although the striker has decided not to entertain the idea of a switch to Anfield out of respect to the Old Trafford supporters who again implored Ferguson to "sign him up".
The chances of that happening appear to be receding, however, with Ferguson conceding that "nothing has changed" as well as making a pointed remark about the crowd's affections for Tevez. "The fans love a trier," he said. "That's the great thing about football. A lad who tries a lot can be forgiven for a lot of things."
Ferguson employs strict rules to stop his players from giving unauthorized interviews but, publicly anyway, the United manager came away from what he described as a "bad game" insisting he had no issue with Tevez going public with his grievances. "Not at all. If he keeps scoring I've got absolutely no problem."
United need four points from their remaining three games to sew up the championship and they could have it won by the time Liverpool next play. Liverpool had briefly gone to the top of the league after beating West Ham on Saturday but Ferguson said his side did not mind the pressure of playing second. "They [Liverpool] have played first a lot of times. But what does it matter? If we do our job, that's all we need to worry about. These players have been in this position many times; it's not as if we are going into the unknown. We're in this position almost every season."
Rio Ferdinand, who suffered a calf injury in training on Saturday, should be available for the trip to Wigan and United are now waiting to hear whether Uefa will allow Darren Fletcher to play in the European Cup final. "I'm always hopeful but we'll have to wait and see," Fletcher said of the appeal against his red card. "I don't want to get my hopes up too much because I don't want to be disappointed."
Ferguson has already said he is "not optimistic" and Fletcher also seemed to be prepared for bad news. "I've just got to accept it. I'm staying focused on the Premier League and the other lads can take care of the final. I can't let it affect my performances. I can't let it affect anything."
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