Fergie hopes for some good news

Alex Ferguson is desperately hoping for a rare piece of good news amid one of the most dismal periods of his Manchester United career to spark the Red Devils’ season back into life.

Not since the early, trophyless days of his Old Trafford tenure has Ferguson been under as much pressure to deliver as he is now.

If a miserable exit from Europe was not bad enough, to see any semblance of a title chance ripped away in such emphatic style by Manchester City has proved too much for some fans, who have besieged phone-ins with their complaints and condemnation of a side who have now won just five times in the last 13 matches, with three of those wins in the FA Cup.

And with the ugly defensive displays of January and February reappearing in yesterday’s stunning 4-1 reverse at Eastlands, all United eyes now turn to Thursday, when the outcome of Rio Ferdinand’s appeal into his eight-month ban for a missed drugs test could determine whether the alarming slide will be halted before the season’s end.

Even if Ferdinand was cleared to play immediately, he would not be fit enough to tackle Tottenham on Saturday, but beyond that, the £29.3m (€43.1m) England man would be an automatic selection in a team which has now conceded 20 goals in its last 10 games.

“Rio is in front of the appeals panel on Thursday and we are looking for a far fairer outcome than we got last time,” said Ferguson, who went on to outline his disgust at the basic blunders his team are making at the back.