Fergie feels for Bruce
Ferguson’s pain came through a 3-0 triumph achieved at the expense of his faithful old captain Steve Bruce, whose side are moving ever closer to relegation.
It was the second time in eight days United had made one of their illustrious former players suffer, following the defeat of Bryan Robson’s West Brom last weekend.
“It is agony,” said the United chief.
“Bryan and Steve were two great captains of our club in the early years when we were still striving to get there and I really feel for them. Their quality does not deserve them to be in the position they are in. But they will fight on because they are battlers.”
After the seven-goal humiliation against Liverpool on Tuesday, the last thing Birmingham needed was to concede an early goal. But the Blues did just that when Maik Taylor pushed Ryan Giggs’ second minute free-kick onto the post, the ball unluckily bouncing in off the back of his head.
Giggs added a second after 15 minutes before Wayne Rooney wrapped up victory late on, atoning for two earlier misses by ramming home his 16th goal of the campaign.
“My players have been rightly hammered from pillar to post this week but at least they rolled their sleeves up and didn’t collapse after that dreadful start,” said Bruce.
Birmingham were United’s equal for long spells without really looking like dragging themselves back into the contest. Emile Heskey wasted their best chance seconds before Rooney scored, blazing over from eight yards after Jiri Jarosik had teed him up with a precise cutback.
The defeat will not have eased the mood of owner David Sullivan, who bitterly condemned the performance of his side against Liverpool, but was absent from this contest having watched his horse David Junior gallop to victory in the prestigious Dubai Duty Free at yesterday’s World Cup of Racing.
“Maybe there is method in his madness but I did not like my owner’s comments,” said Bruce.
“Where I come from, in situations like that, you baton down the hatches, say nothing and come out fighting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I did not agree with his comments.”
If Bruce could find some reason for optimism, so too could Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was left on the bench for the fifth game in a row. For the first time since he was chosen ahead of the Dutchman for last month’s Carling Cup Final, Louis Saha produced a below par display.
So, with West Ham due at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ahead of a crunch trip to Bolton next weekend and a visit by Arsenal eight days later, Van Nistelrooy can finally spy the opportunity he has been so desperate for.
“It is difficult to change a winning team and I don’t think you should,” said Ferguson, whose side have now won six on the trot in Premiership combat.
“But we have two massive games coming up and I may make one or two changes on Wednesday just to freshen things up a little bit.”
The Scot added: “The great challenge for us now is to win all our games and lay down a marker for what we are going to do next season.
Second spot would be no disgrace this season because Chelsea are very consistent at the moment and they are defending very well.”
OPTA FACT: Manchester United are the only Premiership side this season who have not lost a game in which they have failed to score.
OPTA FACT: No Birmingham player has scored away from home in the last 644 minutes of Premiership football.
MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, Ronaldo, O’Shea, Giggs (Fletcher 77), Richardson (Park 39), Rooney, Saha (van Nistelrooy 73).
BIRMINGHAM: Maik Taylor, Melchiot (Tebily 82), Cunningham, Latka, Lazaridis (Bruce 87), Jarosik, Clemence, Johnson, Pennant, Heskey (Kilkenny 87), Campbell.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
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