United ‘come to bury Caesar not praise him’

ALEX FERGUSON has built his career on a ruthless competitive streak and the Manchester United manager made it clear that he will not let sentiment get in the way against Rangers, the team he supported as a boy and played for as a young man.

The links between Ferguson and Rangers are many, not least that the Glasgow club's current boss Alex McLeish was one of his favourite players at Aberdeen, but the United manager made it clear the mutual admiration society will not be at Ibrox tonight.

"Alex has done very well and to have won a treble with players he had inherited is a remarkable feat that's never easy," said Ferguson at a press conference at Ibrox last night, just a few hundred yards from his boyhood home in Govan.

"But we have come to bury Caesar not to praise him."

Defeat in United's last Champions League match in Stuttgart has raised the stakes to the point where a loss either tonight or in the return fixture in a fortnight would really threaten the Barclaycard Premiership champions' chances of winning the group.

He added: "We have had a fright with the Stuttgart result but it's early enough to do something about it. We are working on the old maxim of 10 points to do something about it and it doesn't matter where or when it happens.

"Losing to Stuttgart puts a lot of tension on tomorrow's game and maybe the tension will get through to some people.

"But certainly with the experience my team have had I hope that will not be the case, but I think there will be some tension."

"Elland Road was a terrific example of where supporters can get behind their team, we are used to that."

Ferguson, obviously relishing the return to Glasgow, his first competitive match against a Scottish side in all his years at Manchester, cracked jokes and even ribbed Paul Scholes about scoring for England in the Euro 2000 qualifying play-off against Scotland.

The United manager also poked fun at himself when asked about his less-than-glorious playing career with the Glasgow giants. He said: "It will take a long time, so many goals to tell you about I don't want to sound bumptious. I have just seen the hall of fame and my name's not on it!"

Ryan Giggs has recovered from a bout of sickness and is available to play but Quinton Fortune is a doubt. The South African was forced off against Leeds on Saturday and will have a fitness test.

Ferguson added: "We just want to win, I don't care if it comes off somebody's backside tomorrow. It will be a great game, I'm sure of that, I'm looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, Rangers manager Alex McLeish admits past advice from his former mentor will stand him in good stead.

He said: "I don't think I consciously say 'I'm going to do that because Sir Alex did that.'

"I may have done that earlier in my managerial career and manufactured a blasting of the players after the game when I didn't really feel like it.

"After that I thought, 'well, you have to be yourself.'

"His influence has rubbed off and there are many things that are similar and you have to store them and keep them in the bank for when you need them.

"I'm my own man but I think it's crazy if there's a good relationship there that I don't take information from a man with his knowledge.

"There's been the advice over the years that he's given as a manager and he's gathered tremendous experience since he's been at Manchester United," he added.