Fergie gets back to the future

ALEX FERGUSON said he would allow himself 24 hours to savour the magic of Moscow and his achievement in becoming the 14th manager to win two European Cups.

For most coaches, such an attitude would represent the most bizarre form of self-flagellation; for Ferguson, it was simply a case of keeping himself in the old routine.

The Scot is the sort of character who appears allergic to complacency and the need to strain every sinew and synapse in the pursuit of excellence is chronic, even at 66. He is the most extreme type of obsessive compulsive but it is that flinty refusal to bask in his many glories which has transformed Manchester United from irrelevant also-rans to global superpower during his 21-year stewardship.