Soccer: Fulham fuming at Fergie

ALEX FERGUSON will have to dodge the bullets and set his sights on a new January transfer target after being rebuffed in his attempt to sign Louis Saha.

For the second time in 24 hours the Manchester United manager has come under attack for the methods he uses to lure players to Old Trafford, which will probably not bother the battled-hardened Scot in the slightest.

However, what will cause Ferguson concern is that his efforts to sign Saha have been firmly blocked.

Such is the stinging criticism from Fulham owner Mohamed al Fayed over United's moves to capture their top scorer, the chances of the Cottagers selling to the Old Trafford outfit in the foreseeable future appear remote in the extreme.

"I am fed up with Alex Ferguson trying to disrupt my club and constantly trying to unsettle my players," blasted Al Fayed.

"Obviously he needs a top quality striker urgently but he can't have mine. Ever since Fulham beat Manchester United at Old Trafford so convincingly earlier in the season, he has been showing signs of increasing desperation.

"But I have a clear message to Alex Ferguson and anyone else who is interested Louis Saha is not for sale."

The sentiments were echoed by manager Chris Coleman.

"Nothing's changed. He's not for sale," insisted Coleman.

"We have been saying all along he's not for sale and that hasn't changed. It doesn't matter if there's a third, fourth or fifth bid, he's not moving.

"The chairman's firmly behind me on that, he knows it's not the right time to lose Saha.

"Could Could you see Southampton selling James Beattie in January? Who sells their striker in January just because it suits another club or even if it suits the player? It doesn't suit us and that's that.

"He's under contract so he's not going to just get up and walk out. If it was in the summer it would give you time to plan, but it's half way through the season and it would be so disruptive to lose one of my best players at this stage."

Coleman specifically declined to join his chairman's personal attack on Ferguson, simply rounding on "outside influences".

But he said: "When somebody asks if a player is available and makes a bid and you say "no" and it's in the newspapers and they keep coming back that is disappointing.

"But we just have to get on with it. You just get that feeling that we're being bullied into selling one of our players, but I don't like bullies and I don't like to be bullied so that's why we're so determined to hang on to Louis Saha."

Coleman, far from happy at the way Saha has been targeted, is concerned that the player could be disrupted by the transfer talk with Fulham entering an important phase of their season, beginning at Middlesbrough tonight.

However, the Fulham manager is hopeful his leading marksman will be able to handle it.

"I'm sure there's a lot of outside influences getting at Louis and I don't like the way everything's been handled, but that's out of our hands. We can't do anything about that," he said.

"But he's got two-and-a-half years left and this season he's been outstanding, but he's got a team of players behind him as well.

"We're not a one-man team, although he is important to us. Of course everybody wants to play for the top teams and play in the Champions League and I'm sure that will come to him, but it won't be coming in January."

Ferguson is keen to recruit a striking reinforcement to take some pressure off prolific Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy and £13million-rated Saha was at the top of his shopping list. With that name removed, it seems certain that United will now try to sign Leeds' burly Australian Mark Viduka.

The relegation-haunted Yorkshire outfit will try to resist any approach for Viduka, knowing the calamity which could befall the cash-strapped outfit if his sale were to result in a drop to the Nationwide League.

Ferguson does know Leeds would have to sell if the price was right, although whether he would be willing to stump up the reported £7million asking price is open to question.

Either way, United officials will hope any business can be concluded without more negative publicity for their club.

Meanwhile, £29.3m centre-half Rio Ferdinand, currently deciding whether to appeal against his massive eight-month suspension confirmed by the FA to begin on January 20, will be available for tonight's trip to Bolton after overcoming a flu virus which forced him to miss Sunday's FA Cup win at Aston Villa.

Phil Neville has also recovered from the ankle injury which ruled him out of the midlands trip and with van Nistelrooy and skipper Roy Keane both expected to be recalled to Ferguson's starting line-up, competition for places at the Reebok Stadium is fierce.

For United that is no bad thing as like the rest of the Premiership's big guns, they have encountered problems against Sam Allardyce's men in recent seasons.

Bolton recorded successive victories in league combat at Old Trafford until they were defeated 4-0 on the opening day of the current campaign and it took a last-gasp Ole Gunnar Solskjaer strike to earn United a point when they last journeyed up the M61 almost 12 months ago.

"Bolton are a good side," admitted Ferguson.

"The danger is underestimating them. If we do that we will be in bother."