Pearson points finger at Ferguson

Manchester United medal-winner Stuart Pearson believes Sir Alex Ferguson must take his share of the blame for the Old Trafford club's present crisis.

United take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League bidding to bounce back from Saturday's stunning 3-1 defeat against local rivals City at Maine Road.

Ferguson was quick to condemn his side after the game but has since kept his counsel as he looks for a positive reaction to the setback.

Although qualification for the second phase of Europe's premier club competition has already been assured, another capacity crowd will demand signs of a revival from a side which has lost three Premiership games and currently lies eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

And while Pearson, a member of the side which ended Liverpool's Treble dream in 1977 with an FA Cup Final win at Wembley, has his own views on the reasons for the City debacle, he also believes Ferguson's tactics, including the controversial decision to play Ruud van Nistelrooy as a lone attacker, is not helping.

"Sir Alex is not getting it right in team selection or tactics," said the former centre-forward, now a presenter on MUTV.

"He has a lot to answer for, as have the players, because in five years of watching Manchester United I don't think I have ever seen a performance as bad as that.

"The City fans will really have been sticking the knife in and I don't think it will hurt the players as much as the supporters."

Pearson indicated the influx of foreign players in the United side was partly to blame for such an abysmal display.

Laurent Blanc and Juan Veron have both been condemned for their performances, although City boss Kevin Keegan did go into the game with a side which didn't contain a single English-born player.

"Maybe the foreigners in the team don't understand the Manchester passion," he said.

"There are some big-game players who are just not performing for one reason or another.

"They will get it right eventually but if they leave it too long they will miss out on the title.

"United have to go on a run of eight, nine or 10 successive wins and that is very difficult. At the moment, they are struggling."