why got codes 1
my favourite writer -> Holt
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/05/13/sir-alex-ferguson-is-bullet-proof-he-will-not-worry-about-ronaldo-s-histrionics-115875-21354556/
One interpretation of Cristiano Ronaldo’s absurd posturing on the Old Trafford touchline on Sunday was that it was a threat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s authority.
Well, let’s put that one right straight away.
Ronaldo may be a very fine footballer indeed but there’s nothing he can do, nothing he can say, no tantrum he can throw, no strop he can perform, that could affect the aura surrounding the Manchester United manager.
Standing on the touchline pouting like a diva isn’t going to do it and snatching a tracksuit top from an assistant and flinging it on the floor isn’t going to work either. He may be World Footballer of the Year but he hasn’t the power to destabilise Ferguson and never will have.
A win at Wigan tonight and a draw with Arsenal on Saturday will add yet another league title – his 11th – to Ferguson’s collection. To paraphrase the late BBC presenter Robin Day, why should United fans prefer a here-today-gone-tomorrow prima donna like Ronaldo over a man like Ferguson?
The time for challenging Ferguson’s authority passed a long, long time ago. Trust me, I should know. A few years back, in the midst of Fergie’s Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, Rock of Gibraltar period, I suggested in a book he’d gone on too long.
Whoops-a-daisy. That ship has sailed. Ferguson could buy a couple of ring-tailed lemurs this summer and stick them up front with Wayne Rooney and I’d still back his judgment.
When he had won one Champions League trophy in 21 years at one of the world’s richest clubs, he was vulnerable to criticism. Now, he’s on the brink of winning his third and ending the argument about who is Britain’s most successful manager of all time, the man is bullet-proof. So when Ronaldo stands with his back to him on the touchline like a two-year-old, he just makes himself look like an utter fool.
The match against Manchester City was already won and Ferguson was paying Ronaldo a compliment by bringing him off to save his legs for the rest of the run-in.
Everyone else could see that, just like everyone else can see that even though Ronaldo deserves to be hailed the best player in the world, the biggest loser if he leaves this summer will not be Ferguson or United. Of course, they’ll miss him if he picks up his teddies and jets off to Real Madrid. But not as much as Ronaldo will miss them.
Ferguson has built a squad at United that could withstand the departure of any single player.
Ronaldo has been a massive contributor to the success but I’d still back United to win the title again next season, with or without him.
With Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov up front and strength in depth all over the pitch, they’re too strong simply to wither away.
And if Ronaldo goes, Ferguson will buy big to add another attacking option. It might be Franck Ribery or Karim Benzema. Whoever it is, it will ensure United remain a formidable force at home and in Europe.
The same might not quite be true of the man last seen stamping his foot on the Old Trafford touchline. Real Madrid may hold a sentimental attachment for him but that will soon wear off when Barcelona are sticking six past them.
Ronaldo will make them a better team but won’t be a remedy for their core weaknesses in defence and organisation. If he goes to Madrid, it may be a while before he sees a Champions League Final again.
So the next time Ferguson calls him to the touchline, Ronaldo might be better served behaving like a man rather than a child. And realising he needs Ferguson more than Ferguson needs him.