ALEX FERGUSON, the Manchester United manager, has started the new year in spiky mood, accusing Double winners and title rivals Arsenal of being "belligerent", writes Joe Lovejoy.
"I'll tell you what they do," he said, "and I've spoken to other managers about this, and they all agree. When Arsenal are not doing well in a game, they turn it into a battle to try to make the opposition lose concentration.
"They do that all the time. The number of fights involving Arsenal is more than Wimbledon had in their heyday." Ferguson was also prepared to name who the main protagonists were. In addition to the French midfield pair, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, he felt that Martin Keown, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn all "liked a scrap", particularly at home. "I believe there's no ground where players are sent off more regularly than they are at Highbury," he said.
The Football Association, whose council are due to meet tomorrow with the future of chairman Keith Wiseman topping the agenda, also received words of condemnation.
Talking of a possible replacement for Wiseman - with Ken Bates of Chelsea and Arsenal's David Dein possible contenders - Ferguson asked: "Who is going to take over? It's so absurd you could laugh. We're not talking about professionals."
While Ferguson remains sceptical regarding a possible revolution at Lancaster Gate, Bates has spoken out against what appears to have been a secret loan from the FA to their former chief executive, Graham Kelly, who resigned last month.
"Why did Graham Kelly, who earned £189,000-a-year get a £10,000 interest-free loan?" Bates asked. "The FA should be acting for the benefit of the game, not for the benefit of people within the FA itself."
Kelly responded by saying: "I have nothing to apologise for. It is a piddling matter. Are we not really talking about people making political capital out of a minor issue?"
