A costly gamble fails for Fergie

TO MAKE the travelling supporters from Germany feel welcome at Old Trafford, Manchester United opted to print a picture on the front cover of the programme featuring Bayern Munich players celebrating with the European Cup after defeating Saint Etienne in 1976.

There was also a snap of the Bundesliga giants celebrating with the same piece of silverware 25 years later after being crowned champions of Europe for a fourth time following a penalty shoot-out win over Valencia.

That was, for at least 50 minutes, where the pleasantries ceased and where the Wayne Rooney effect kicked in as United teased their supporters with a place in the semi-finals for the fourth successive season before Arjen Robben left Alex Ferguson’s season in tatters.

Rooney is clearly a good talker.

Ferguson had revealed on the eve of the tie that the only way he would feature against Bayern is if he talked his way on to the substitutes bench.

It was viewed by some as a throwaway comment designed to lure opposite number Louis van Gaal into a corridor of uncertainly.

Yet seasoned United hacks have become used to Ferguson springing surprises. Ruling a player out one day and then playing him the next.

That said, no one, absolutely no one, expected the news that began filtering around the ground an hour before kick off that United’s No 10 was back to rescue the season, a mere eight days after being ruled out for “two to three weeks’’ with damaged ankle ligaments following a challenge by Bayern’s Mario Gomez.

Rooney’s absence from an open training session in front of the media at United’s Carrington training ground on Tuesday morning had suggested that the 24 year-old’s audacious attempt to be fit for the quarter-final second leg against Bayern had faltered.

Wrong.

The moment Rooney’s name was announced to the crowd, Old Trafford crackled in anticipation. Van Gaal and his team, as they proved after Rafael da Silva’s 50th-minute dismissal, do not scare easily, however.

Indeed, Bayern president Uli Hoeness insisted they arrived at Old Trafford for the second leg of their quarter-final tie on “a tailwind’’ after Saturday’s victory at title rivals Schalke 04 sent them back top of the Bundesliga.

On a dramatic night of twists and turns, they clearly were taken aback by Rooney’s presence.

One of the biggest gamble of Fergie’s 24-year Old Trafford reign appeared to pay dividends as early as the third minute, Rooney, with virtually his first touch, teeing up Darron Gibson to level the scores on aggregate.

Four minutes later Old Trafford’s foundations were once again shaken to the core when Nani put the hosts ahead on aggregate after a delicious cross by Antonio Valencia, a carbon copy of the goal that Chelsea’s Joe Cole had scored at the venue four days earlier that prompted Ferguson to fast-track Rooney back to action.

With his 26 Premier League goals threatening to go to waste after the defeat in his absence to Chelsea, Rooney played against Bayern as though his life depended on it. Or at least his right ankle.

Even after Daniel van Buyten had tested the ankle with a kick midway through the second half, Rooney was quick to give the thumbs up despite obvious discomfort. Van Buyten’s second kick on the England man minutes later again had his opponent wincing.

Even if Fabio Capello was thinking otherwise, it appeared as though Rooney’s presence was rubbing off on his team-mates, particularly when Nani made it 3-0.

Ferguson has never been afraid to make big and bold decisions. Yet this was one came with a huge price. Rafael’s dismissal, after Bayern had reduced the deficit, left United with 10 men for the final 40 minutes.

Rooney was replaced by John O’Shea while, following Robben’s decisive goal, Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs were thrown into action in a last-ditch attempt. It was a desperate last throw of the dice which did not come off and, as he trooped off out of sight down the tunnel, Ferguson looked like a man who had gambled everything but won nothing.