Fergie shows ‘nice’ side to his greatest adversary

ALEX FERGUSON has tried every psychological trick in the book during a decade of fiercely-contested matches against Arsenal but he really dug deep to pull out his trump card ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi-final – by being ‘nice’.

It’s not a word you normally associate with the irascible Scot, especially coming after the terse and sarcastic exchanges with Rafael Benitez that have punctuated this season’s Premier League campaign.

But there really is no other way to describe his comments about Arsene Wenger as they prepare for a game that has supporters wallowing in nostalgia about the days when Arsenal and United rather than United and Chelsea or United and Liverpool were the big rivals.