Future looks bleak as Fergie pleads for patience

ALEX FERGUSON has called on his team to be more patient as they attempt to drag themselves out of their crisis – but he might as well direct his advice to the fans too.

For if the evidence of the past eight days is anything to go by, it's going to be a long hard run to the end of the season for Manchester United.

In the build-up to the FA Cup sixth round tie against Fulham, Ferguson billed the forthcoming week as a "massive one" for his team.

By any standards they have emerged a weaker outfit and the sheer number of calls and e-mails irate fans have bombarded any medium that would offer them a platform indicate a depth of anger not felt since Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes were allowed to leave in 1995.

Famously, Ferguson proved his critics wrong by pledging his faith in a group of young players who brought a run of success equal to that achieved by any side in the modern game.

That's why more reasoned United observers will hold fire and give their manager a chance to sort out the mess his team find themselves in.

Ferguson first expressed his frustration at the Red Devils' sloppy defence after they had allowed Juninho to score with two headers in Middlesbrough's 3-2 win at Old Trafford in February.

It was a result that saw United slip five points behind Arsenal in the Premiership title race and nothing that has happened since gives any indication the Scot's observations have been acted upon.

"The first goal was from a long throw that wasn't cleared properly," he said. "The third came as a result of the type of sloppy defending which has been in our play for the past two months.

"It is the simple things like just getting it cleared. Once we went behind we tried to force the pace instead of playing with patience. We could have still got out of it but that is when experience has to show itself.

"We can't look at anyone else now. We have to try and get our form back. The responsibility lies with the players."

Unfortunately for Ferguson, his players are consistently proving to be not up to the task.

While it's easy to highlight the loss of Rio Ferdinand as the pivotal moment in the campaign United have conceded 20 goals in their last 10 games compared with seven in the same number of matches before their £29.3million defender began his eight-month suspension others argue that the downturn in fortunes has been coming for 18 months.

Had it not been for the superior mental strength Ferguson's team showed in the championship run-in last term, they could have been staring at three successive Arsenal titles.

And though the loss of Ferdinand whose appeal against his lengthy suspension begins on Thursday has undoubtedly unsettled a defence that had been the best in the league, Ferguson's side has suffered because of the lack of quality back-up.

In their treble-winning campaign, United could call on Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ronny Johnsen, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Jesper Blomqvist when changes were required. A quick glance down this season's squad list and the names are less familiar.

Darren Fletcher, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Djemba-Djemba are players with a bright future but Diego Forlan, David Bellion and Kleberson are surely trying to operate above their natural level. Throw in the passage of time that has cost Roy Keane some of his old zest and it is clear that the current United side is significantly inferior to the one of five years ago.

The situation, it has to be said, is Ferguson's responsibility even if he was badly let down by the failure to land an experienced playmaker in Ronaldinho last summer.

A little closer to home, the mercurial talents of Jay-Jay Okocha could surely have been prised from Bolton to help take some of the pressure off Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who, in the absence of David Beckham, are now the sole focus of attacking invention.

Usurped by Arsenal on the field, dwarfed by Chelsea's millions off it, Ferguson needs to rediscover the talent for spotting players that saw Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel and Denis Irwin installed as instant successes.

For without an influx of new blood who don't need time to adapt, in major trophy-winning terms, the immediate future looks bleak indeed.