Today Alex Ferguson has done what many didn’t think possible - burn the bridges built so spectacularly over decades of success with United even further.

In a new book, he has labelled those who formed FC United as 'self-publicists'. Can anyone see the irony there, just for starters?

Whatever your personal opinions on FC, I doubt any of those forming the club were thinking, 'I’m in this to be famous'.

On the formation of FC United, Ferguson in `The Official Manchester United Diary of the Season,' said: "I'm sorry about that. It is a bit sad that part, but I wonder just how big a United supporter they are'

This the man who stated publicly that the takeover was unwelcome, before it became inevitable that he would be taking Glazer's wages.

He goes on to say;

"They seem to me to be promoting or projecting themselves a wee bit rather than saying `at the end of the day the club have made a decision, we'll stick by them.' It's more about them than us."

Maybe, just maybe, some just didn’t want to be a speculators cash cow, Alex. Maybe, some just can’t afford it any more.

Does that make any of them less of a Manchester United fan?

Having set yourself up as the working class man hewn from the school of hard knocks, the peoples champion, the fans crusader, you've done more to alienate the people who once idolised you in the last 12 months than the previous 20 years can paper over.

The book contains more half witted comments regarding Ferguson’s stance on the takeover;

"The likes of Les Kershaw has been with me 18 years, Dave Bushell, Jim Ryan, Tony Whelan, Paul McGuinness, Mike Phelan, Brian McClair, they have been here with me virtually from the beginning, or at least over 10 or 12 years and I said `What happens to my staff if I go?' I feel that I have a responsibility to them."

When did that dawn on you then Alex? Well after you deemed the takeover as unwelcome we have to assume. It's a fairly huge conclusion to draw that had he resigned, all of his backroom staff would have been sacked. What was Glazer going to do? Hire 20-odd people overnight? Or would he instead have been grateful for continuity to allow him to concentrate on pillaging the supporters in new and fantastic ways?

Are you also saying you couldn’t give a flying one to the 29 people who DID lose their jobs? Were none of them known to you?

Ferguson's insistence that his staying at Old Trafford was an act of altruism to his fellow workers not only contradicts his apathy to the situation of the working man who CANT follow United any more, it also assumes United fans are thick enough to believe him.

But he isn’t finished there. Ferguson also insists the Monopolies and Merger Commission were the sole reason Murdoch didn’t get his hands on United in 1999. The fact that the Commission weren’t in the slightest bit interested in the situation until supporters groups got involved, and based their decision in no small part on a superb presentation by those supporters groups, is neither here nor there according to him.

Still reeling? Then get this - on the fans who fought to retain United outside of BSkyB ownership;

"They carried on to the degree where they actually thought they should have a say in the running of the football club."

How DARE they Alex? How DARE a supporter who shells his money out week in week out, in ever increasing sums, presume to have anything to do with how the club is run? While the likes of Barca go from strength to strength with powerful fan involvement, United killed the fans forum. Who is in a better position today Alex?

We also now know that as and when Glazer goes, should it be to an organisation that seeks fans involvement and input, Ferguson cannot be allowed anywhere near it. Fans have become nothing to him.

Compare his words with these - also by him, and not so long ago;

'As soon as clubs become PLCs things change - some changes might be for the bad and others for the good. I’ve found myself frustrated when it comes to the transfer market, I must say that. But it also means the club is put under scrutiny, including as you say, by supporters who are now shareholders. I remember years ago going along to the AGM and hearing fans say they didn’t want to be given dividends - they wanted the money to be given to the manager to buy players, and I’m sure supporters still feel the same. It’s important for clubs to have close links with their supporters so in my view the establishment of groups like Shareholders United can only be good for the game. Certainly I’d urge United fans to get involved.'

Last, and by no means least, remember Ferguson moaning about 'self publicists' earlier?

Well, not only has he taken a hypocrisy pill by selling another book, but he wants United to have an anthem ' because there isn’t one already apparently - like the scouse YNWA, or Blue Moon.

Therefore he has commissioned 'Dream the Impossible Dream' - that dirge off the Honda TV adverts - to be recorded and played at Old Trafford.

He also thinks it will help the atmosphere - the atmosphere ruined by shunning the historic United fan base.

So, to summarise, he doesn’t know anything about Busby Boys, or United Calypso, doesn’t know that a load of people did actually get made redundant after the takeover, doesn’t know why he isn’t working for Rupert Murdoch, has no problem contradicting himself despite being a self styled man of principle, doesn’t think fans should have anything to do with the running of a football club (despite watching a club run with fans interest at heart win the European Cup), and treats us as simpletons.

The atmosphere might just take another turn for the worse Alex. You may well have heard your last 'every single one of us' too.

 

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