Fergie fury at rise of player power

ALEX FERGUSON claims “player ego and player power” are the biggest problems facing managers today.

The Manchester United boss has not hesitated to act in the past when he feels players have got above themselves — as David Beckham and Roy Keane both discovered.

Ferguson believes that with the pressure of results always on them, managers must maintain rigid discipline with the players.

Asked in an interview with UEFA’s The Technician magazine about the biggest challenges facing coaches, Ferguson said: “There is a player ego you have to deal with. As a coach you must have control. You can’t afford to let players take charge of a training session, there has to be a strong discipline in training and in general. Simple rules must apply such as time-keeping and concentration at training.

“More and more we are dealing with player power. I grew into all of that but a young coach must realise he is walking straight into all of that.

“Another thing of course is the pressure of results. When I came into the game the media demands were less than we have today, and there were no agents or freedom of contract then.

“Also, if you have a good chairman and board you are lucky, if not then you have to handle that situation as well.”

Ferguson called for club owners to have more patience with managers.

He added: “It’s not healthy that a coach can lose four games and then he is out of a job.

“I wish the presidents of clubs and the supporters would have the same patience the coaches have.

“There’s no evidence to suggest that continual changing of coaches brings success. Coaches such as Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, Arsene Wenger and myself suggest the opposite and that longevity can bring success.”