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March 03, 2009
SIR Alex Ferguson has assured United fans his players do not intend to "fall into any traps" on the Premier League run-in.
Most pundits are already certain United will draw level with old rivals Liverpool by recording their 18th league title this season.
With a seven-point advantage over Chelsea and Liverpool, plus a game in hand, it is difficult to imagine the Reds being overhauled.
They head to Newcastle having lost just twice all season, the last of which came at Arsenal on November 8, and knowing eight wins from their final 11 games will be enough to complete a championship hat-trick.
Little wonder most bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the title.
Yet Ferguson has been around long enough to know what perils still lie in wait.
His belief that leagues are won and lost in March and April remains and the message has been filtered through to his players to make sure they do not ease off just yet.
"We will not be falling into any traps," said Ferguson.
"March and April are the key months that will decide the league.
"I keep saying it, but no one listens. We have lost leads because of bad form in March and April; we have won them by going on fantastic runs. How can we possibly take anything lightly?"
Guus Hiddink has not been at Chelsea long but already he has started a mind game with his Keegan-esque 'I would love it' if the Blues could overhaul United before the end if May.
Trophy
Ferguson has noted the comments, although he is ignoring them, just as he is refusing to enter any debate over an unprecedented quintuple.
"What people say doesn't bother me," he said. "I have tried it myself a few times. You hope it disturbs your opponents and they get nervous.
"But I can assure everyone, we will drop points on the run-in and so will the others.
"I won't get over-excited about things. As I have always said, if we win a major trophy - and to me that means the Premier League or the Champions League - I would be delighted."
The problem for Hiddink and Rafael Benitez is that as they tinker with their teams, trying to get a little bit extra from the men at their disposal, Ferguson can go on making wholesale changes without it affecting form or results.
Under normal circumstances, extra time on a very heavy Wembley pitch would make them vulnerable at St James' Park.
Yet Ferguson can call on Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick, Edwin van der Sar, Darren Fletcher, Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-sung, none of whom played a minute at the weekend.
Such strength in depth is why United's advantage is likely to get bigger rather than reduce over the remaining weeks of the campaign.
Ferguson will not take any challenge lightly, including that of Newcastle, yet again in crisis after another season of turmoil, and fearing they might get dragged back into the relegation scrap.
It seems a long time ago since they were the runaway leaders being successfully hunted down by United. It is in fact 12 years, part of a 40-year long run of underachievement in a soccer hotbed desperate for any kind of success.
"I remember when they cuffed us 5-0. They are still selling the video," said Ferguson.
"It was an exciting time for Newcastle then. They had some exciting players - Les Ferdinand, Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola.
"It is a fantastic football club. Everyone has got that black and white strip on and there is real football passion.
"I walked through the town with (former assistant) Archie Knox once and a news vendor was shouting 'Mickey Quinn has an ankle injury'.
"The world could have been in turmoil, with disasters and financial institutions collapsing. They were talking about Mickey Quinn's ankle. That sums up the city."
The passion in Ferguson's voice as he recounts the story contains an empathy from someone who shares the same work ethic, his from the shipyards, theirs from the mines.
"Working class communities seem to develop these things," he said.
"Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow. They are football cities.
"People have a passion for football as an outlet in life. It proves one thing: the only thing a man can never change is his football team."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....ont_lose_focus
SIR Alex Ferguson has assured United fans his players do not intend to "fall into any traps" on the Premier League run-in.
Most pundits are already certain United will draw level with old rivals Liverpool by recording their 18th league title this season.
With a seven-point advantage over Chelsea and Liverpool, plus a game in hand, it is difficult to imagine the Reds being overhauled.
They head to Newcastle having lost just twice all season, the last of which came at Arsenal on November 8, and knowing eight wins from their final 11 games will be enough to complete a championship hat-trick.
Little wonder most bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the title.
Yet Ferguson has been around long enough to know what perils still lie in wait.
His belief that leagues are won and lost in March and April remains and the message has been filtered through to his players to make sure they do not ease off just yet.
"We will not be falling into any traps," said Ferguson.
"March and April are the key months that will decide the league.
"I keep saying it, but no one listens. We have lost leads because of bad form in March and April; we have won them by going on fantastic runs. How can we possibly take anything lightly?"
Guus Hiddink has not been at Chelsea long but already he has started a mind game with his Keegan-esque 'I would love it' if the Blues could overhaul United before the end if May.
Trophy
Ferguson has noted the comments, although he is ignoring them, just as he is refusing to enter any debate over an unprecedented quintuple.
"What people say doesn't bother me," he said. "I have tried it myself a few times. You hope it disturbs your opponents and they get nervous.
"But I can assure everyone, we will drop points on the run-in and so will the others.
"I won't get over-excited about things. As I have always said, if we win a major trophy - and to me that means the Premier League or the Champions League - I would be delighted."
The problem for Hiddink and Rafael Benitez is that as they tinker with their teams, trying to get a little bit extra from the men at their disposal, Ferguson can go on making wholesale changes without it affecting form or results.
Under normal circumstances, extra time on a very heavy Wembley pitch would make them vulnerable at St James' Park.
Yet Ferguson can call on Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick, Edwin van der Sar, Darren Fletcher, Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-sung, none of whom played a minute at the weekend.
Such strength in depth is why United's advantage is likely to get bigger rather than reduce over the remaining weeks of the campaign.
Ferguson will not take any challenge lightly, including that of Newcastle, yet again in crisis after another season of turmoil, and fearing they might get dragged back into the relegation scrap.
It seems a long time ago since they were the runaway leaders being successfully hunted down by United. It is in fact 12 years, part of a 40-year long run of underachievement in a soccer hotbed desperate for any kind of success.
"I remember when they cuffed us 5-0. They are still selling the video," said Ferguson.
"It was an exciting time for Newcastle then. They had some exciting players - Les Ferdinand, Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola.
"It is a fantastic football club. Everyone has got that black and white strip on and there is real football passion.
"I walked through the town with (former assistant) Archie Knox once and a news vendor was shouting 'Mickey Quinn has an ankle injury'.
"The world could have been in turmoil, with disasters and financial institutions collapsing. They were talking about Mickey Quinn's ankle. That sums up the city."
The passion in Ferguson's voice as he recounts the story contains an empathy from someone who shares the same work ethic, his from the shipyards, theirs from the mines.
"Working class communities seem to develop these things," he said.
"Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow. They are football cities.
"People have a passion for football as an outlet in life. It proves one thing: the only thing a man can never change is his football team."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....ont_lose_focus