Wenger: nothing personal with Fergie

ARSENE WENGER admitted last night that he's a sore loser as he reflected on the missed handshake which may have undermined his relationship with Alex Ferguson.

Wenger was so upset at his side's 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay defeat by United that he forgot to shake hands with Ferguson after the final whistle blew at Villa Park.

It was a moment that the United boss has never forgotten, and added further fuel to their war of words.

Wenger admitted: "I was very disappointed and, frankly, I don't remember whether I shook hands or not. Normally, I always do that.

"He says that I was not gracious in defeat? That could be one of my weaknesses, I have many of them. But I have nothing personal with Ferguson, I just want to win the games."

Arsenal came within a whisker of defeating United that evening, with Peter Schmeichel saving Dennis Bergkamp's late penalty and Ryan Giggs scoring a wonder goal in extra time for his 10-man side.

Wenger warned United that Arsenal are closing in on their Premiership rivals in their bid to become England's biggest club.

"The historyof Man United is bigger and their turn-over and economic potential is bigger. Nobody coulddeny that.

"But that's why we are working very hard to make history here, to catch up on the pitch and that's also why we are building a new stadium to catch up on economic power.

Wenger nevertheless acknowledged there is a new power on the rise in the Premiership Chelsea, who are funded by Roman Abramovich's millions.

"There's a new input in the English game people with no financial limitations like Chelsea," he said.

Meanwhile Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren has tipped Arsenal to win the treble this season.

The former Manchester United assistant feels Arsene Wenger's team are "absolutely unbelievable and untouchable".

"Arsenal blew it last year, but the thing is I think they are stronger this year, mentally," he said. "We had [Arsenal] four times in January and it was a fantastic learning experience for us and our players. We've come out of that pretty well and I know the type of football they play is untouchable at times.

"I think they can win the treble. We watched them very closely, and watched the players and watched the mentality of them and we saw how tough they were. Whereas I thought last year they let teams off the hook when they had them, this year they have not done that."