Ferguson not immune from fans’ fury

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted even he would not be immune from the ire of supporters should things start going wrong for Manchester United.

Ferguson faces another of his former players tomorrow when Alex McLeish brings his injury-hit Aston Villa side to Old Trafford looking for the win that would almost certainly secure their top-flight status after a miserable run of form. Villa’s performances have not done much to soothe relations between McLeish and the club’s fans, who were not impressed at the choice to appoint the former Birmingham manager last summer.

Yet it seems everyone is open to scrutiny, including Ferguson, whose decision to rest Paul Scholes for Wednesday night’s shock defeat at Wigan was condemned by many supporters on United’s own TV channel.

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“I think so, yes,” said Ferguson, when asked whether the abuse McLeish has received could happen anywhere. “It is a change in society. I spoke some time ago about the picture of the melee on the pitch between United and Leeds and in the background the fans were completely passive. You wouldn’t get that today. We did the right thing resting Paul on Wednesday.

“It may not have looked like that to the fans but after playing on Sunday and then having another match three days later, we did the right thing.”

Yet the mild annoyance at one selection issue by a manager who is trying to win his 13th Premier League title is nothing compared to the anger McLeish’s presence has provoked amongst some sections of the club’s support.

And Ferguson insists if Villa show a bit of patience, they will be rewarded. “I do have sympathy for Alex,” said the Scot. “I have known him since he was a little kid. When I brought him into the team at Aberdeen, he was always a very receptive, intelligent young man. He was a great player, has had a good career as a manager and will do a good job at Villa given time, trust and confidence..”

Meanwhile, a leading players’ union official claims Manchester City forward Mario Balotellis needs professional help for his disciplinary problems.

Theo van Seggelen, the secretary general of world players’ union FIFPro, believes 21-year-old Balotelli has to accept he has a problem.

Van Seggelen told BBC Sport: “I think that we have to realise and conclude that, after all these incidents, my personal opinion is that he needs, really, professional help.

“I have looked back over all the incidents that happened in the last couple of years and it seems to me he is apologising all the time, but he has proved he cannot do it by himself and therefore I said he really needs professional help.”