Absolutely no let-up in Fergies’ rule of fear

NO STITCHES, no apology. Absolutely no let-up in the rule of fear and fire which has categorised Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford.

That was the defiant message from football's boot-kicking knight this afternoon as he attempted to draw a line under the "freakish" accident which left David Beckham nursing a graze above an eye.

So the teacup-hurling, table-banging, rants with which Ferguson has occasionally reduced grown men to gibbering wrecks, are likely to continue.

"We move on, that's all there is to say," was Ferguson's verdict. Except that the consequences of the red mist which descended in such spectacular fashion after United's defeat by Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday are still unclear.

We shall find out more when United line up against Juventus for their crucial Champions League encounter tomorrow.

In particular we will discover whether Ferguson's reputation as the most demanding football manager ever to pull on a track suit can still motivate every player who pulls on the red shirt of Manchester United to expend his last drop of sweat.

We will discover if the famed 'fear factor' can once more reignite a faltering season. Or whether it has gone forever.

The boot which an enraged Ferguson sent flying into Beckham's forehead, narrowly missing an eye, was dangerous, ill-considered and has done little to enhance their strained relationship but it was proof that Ferguson at the age of 60 still cares vehemently.

But do his players still listen? And will the millionaires who occupy the Old Trafford changing room view Ferguson's latest outburst as a rallying point or an act of madness which has stripped Britain's most successful manager of all respect?

There is little doubt that while virtually no-one has been spared at least one of Ferguson's eye-bulging tirades down the years his words still count.

It took a typical application of the Ferguson hair-dryer treatment to stir United's season from its stuttering start after the ignominy of their 3-1 defeat to neighbours Manchester City back in November.

After that defeat Ferguson said: "Every now and then comes such a horrendous dip in standards that you just can't forget. We let ourselves down and especially our fans with an unacceptable performance. We underperformed, made stupid errors and it came like a kick in the teeth.

"I don't know what was going through the minds of the players but I left them in no doubt what was going through mine."

He received the required response with a Premiership run which has taken United to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the table with the big two still having to play each other at Highbury in April.

But more than the Premiership, and much more than the FA Cup or the Worthington Cup final which his side will contest with Liverpool next week, Ferguson's dream this season is to lead United out at Old Trafford in the Champions League final in May.

That, more than anything, is at the root of Ferguson's anger for surely it must be sinking in that, when challenged by the best, his United side are simply not good enough.

To have been out-thought and out-manoeuvred as comprehensively as United were at the weekend by Wenger would have been a stiletto-thrust to Ferguson's pride.

Which leaves a dangerously wounded United team to take on Juventus, the side they so famously overcame in a stirring fightback in the Champions League semi-final of 1999.

That night Roy Keane produced perhaps the most inspirational performance of his career, scoring the first goal himself, to haul United back from the abyss of a 2-0 deficit after just 10 minutes in the Stadio Del Alpe.

The signs, however, are that Keane, with a much more conservative role following his hip operation and brush with retirement, is no longer capable of such superman displays.

There is an enduring malaise surrounding the form of Ryan Giggs, which his well-publicised miss-of-the-season on Saturday will have done little to dispel.

Meanwhile, Juan Veron is suspended, and the doubters still struggle to understand Ferguson's strong arm tactics which turned the first quarter-hour of Saturday's cup-tie into a kick-anything-that-moves slug-fest.

Which is why tomorrow is such a defining moment in United's season and a gauge of Ferguson's ability to lift his players once more.

Increasingly, there is little doubt that Arsenal are now the premier footballing side in England and Wenger the most intelligent tactician and intuitive manager.

Fergie's most potent weapon remains his fire. Tomorrow may tell us whether defiance and flying boots are enough to fuel the flames of success at Old Trafford.