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This is from the BBC sports website ;

Ferguson's Ruud dilemma
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer



Will Ferguson regret Van Nistelrooy's farewell?
Ruud van Nistelrooy is the latest Manchester United star to find a deteriorating relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson always ends at the Old Trafford exit door.

Ferguson has seen off Jaap Stam, David Beckham and even Roy Keane, who were on the one-way route out of Manchester United once they crossed the immovable object that is Sir Alex.

And yet, in this instance, it seems the intransigent attitude of a typically single-minded Dutchman played as big a role in the departure of a striker with the magnificent record of 150 goals in 219 games.

Ferguson insists he is mystified as to why Van Nistelrooy became so unsettled at United that he asked for a move shortly before the 2005 FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal, repeated the request through his representative, then finally put it in writing himself.

It has been a messy end to a union that was once so productive, but it remains to be seen whether United will live to regret allowing Van Nistelrooy to join Real Madrid in a reported £10.2m deal.

The evidence is conflicting.

Van Nistelrooy's appearances were limited last season, especially after Ferguson made it clear he was playing second fiddle to Louis Saha after axing him for the Carling Cup final win against Wigan.


Axed Van Nistelrooy watches the Carling Cup final

And yet he still amassed 21 goals in 35 league games, finishing second top Premiership scorer behind Thierry Henry.

This was over-shadowed by Van Nistelrooy storming away before United's final league game against Charlton - and subsequently being told he was not welcome at Keane's testimonial.

After the Charlton disappearing act, Ferguson explained: "There have been a couple of issues during the week that concerned us in terms of the spirit of the club."

Van Nistelrooy's World Cup was a different story, dropped with some very public and pointed criticism from Holland coach Marco van Basten after scoring one goal and finding himself substituted in all three group games.

Was this merely the result of an unsettled season at Manchester United or has Ferguson pitched it right and the once-great striker is in terminal decline?

If Ferguson has failed to make the right call - or does not have a credible alternative up his sleeve - it could deal a fatal blow to both United's title ambitions and his own managerial longevity.

Wayne Rooney, for all his brilliance, is not a natural marksman and will hover more in 15-20 goals a season territory.

Alan Smith is recovering from a broken leg, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is working his way back from two years of injury - and Saha spends too much time in the sick bay.

Van Nistelrooy's departure does at least remove a brooding presence from United's dressing room, having had public fall-outs with not just Ferguson, but also Cristiano Ronaldo.


Solskjaer has been injured for two years

But for all the baggage attached to Van Nistelrooy in his final months at Old Trafford, he remained one of the most potent marksmen in the Premiership.

United can hardly claim to have done a good deal financially either, because they will not find another Van Nistelrooy for the £10m thought to have been handed over by Real.

This season is crucial for United and Ferguson - he cannot get the big decisions wrong or Chelsea will be even further over the horizon, Arsenal will close again and Liverpool may even pass their great rivals.

Ferguson's recent buying record is sketchy at best, and the Van Nistelrooy affair has put this into even sharper focus.

As Van Nistelrooy prepares to be paraded at the Bernabeu, Ferguson must hope he has got the selling and buying right - his and Manchester United's future may depend on it.

Under 18,

dont worry, you are not alone, i think they just got a lil pissed off by the so many vituperations of Jackal/s, just like me too, but not to worry they would soon be around and posting too

OK,accepted the military don't have the brain but what we need most is Nation of individuals standing up for their rights to entrench what they believe is right but do you know also that the opposition to the 3rd term agenda was also as a result of the coalition of strange bedfellows whom unfortunately are not by a speck better than OBJ himself.let us not forget that the vote of the common man never counts in this country but we keep talking of the IDEALISTIC situation, but do we really look into the[b] REALISTIC [/b] situation ?

I kinda agree with Dearie on this issue, because it makes the misdirection theory so real, but i must confess that the political class is full of killers, looters, thugs-in-power, may God Save Naija

@ akola,

I am surprised that you have forgotten so soon how Arsenal used to thrash you guyz silly, for you now to say in the space of three games Chelsea won does that make you an all time great team ?

I believe Ljunberg is not finished yet and he still has a lot to deliver barring injuries, even at that there are so many players that can adequately fill in the position within the present rank and file of the team, players like Hleb,Van persie etc

Ruud looked to be past his prime and there was no way Fergie would stick to him cos at crucial stages during the last campaign he just could not deliver and it was stated severally in several quarters that he was missing the kind of service he used to get when Posh becks was still at OT, WELL now that he is now with his paddie lets see if truely he could get back to scoring ways.

@ akola,
if he should go to stamford bridge it would even be worse off for him except the style of play adapted would favour deep crossings from the wings

Majority of you guys think its all about having brains or about appearing flawless but the issue we have not been able to really adress is the issue of the one who can successful hold the country together as one compact unit, i hate to think of it but to me i still feel that because of the nascence of our democracy and the fact that we as Nigerians are so indisciplined we still need someone with a military background, at least until the debris of the past corrupt regimes have been cleared.

Do you really think if Olu Falae had been declared winner of the 1999 elections we would not have had a coup ?
So many questions have been left unanswered especially about our polity,God Save Naija

@ tonisafe,

 good to know that our peeps can now decipher what is right from what is wrong

@ akola,

signing Lehmann at 34 could not have been a misnomer to Wenger's policy cos goaltenders' span is sure more lenghtier than other players' and also Rosiscky being 26 can never be said to be old for Wenger's policy

@ LORDI,
am sure you are making a very big mistake by naming those players (except maybe carrick) as prospective replacements for makalele even including roy keane except you want to tell me you are just making jest of them

@  akola,

I noticed you started using big fonts these days,hmm
but as concerns makelele maybe you would remember vieira was regarded as being better than any other as holding midfielder than any other so what justifies your assertion of maka 'stone' being the best in the past 3 yrs in the premiership, @ least Vieira just left before the beginning of last season

hi nunu,

I was invited o! and let me just confess here that i was the one who squealed on you telling them you are a teetotaller and you therefore can't take alcohol so how can you market it ?
thanx for your goodwill msg, as usual u are welcome 

Na wa o, again !!!

ok so u prefer to be so taunted by guys saying man u sucks aight ?

The more reason why these posts are irrelevant because something similar had been posted and another e-mail was later given which i believe is remi.cole@citigroup.com and i am sure it did not bounce, so guys please check previous posts before posting or replying

@ menike,

 WE KNOW MAN U SUCKS BUT THE PICTURE TOO SUCKS BECAUSE IT HAS OVERSTAYED ITS WELCOME ON THIS FORUM, THANK YOU AS YOU REMOVE IT

@ Tonisafe,

                My gratitude goes to you for your post which i pray goes along way in correcting some of these anomalies on NLand which i know has made some very valuable members to cease contributing which i believe is as a result of being pissed with some of the things being posted here and  moreso we call ourselves 'graduates', really its so appaling to see some of these things and i actually wanted to write something similar and please i beg to disagree with Dearie that said tonisafe could have put in a milder way, should she go on her knees for the house just to ensure we do things the right way  hell nooooo and also the NGO thing it would just have been proper for the author to request for mails maybe even blank mails from interested people , in fact she put it too mildly in my own opinion, please guys we need to put a stop to these things and stop being cranky, thanx a million.

@ loyika,

good job done there, that about sums it all up and even expantiates better than what our other folks have been able to say about EPL having substance or not.

@ kuntakinte,
it seems you are a lil new around but why do you have to refer to the past and what is the big deal about what i wrote in yoruba; it was just a prayer for tonisafe and moreso the initial squabbles we had were maturedly settled a long time ago and i tell you all parties concerned have been communicating well even sending mails since that time.so why flog a dead horse ?
the fact that i wrote yoruba does not mean am yoruba and i dont see it as having harmed anybody, however i will take it that you are trying to create some form of comic relief, so no hard feelings, welcome to the family bros eeeh

more worries for u guys as torres has decided to stay back at athletico, sorry o !

i am still waiting to hear also Akola praise Lordimpaq as the most objective gooner on NLand, at least i think he would love to thrive on that or a situation where we will have jackal praise akola as the most objective blue and vice-versa.hmm

@ Akola,

am not going to take part in this quiz cos i believe if you should set a quiz it should be general and not you saying some peeople should not answer first, that is what will make that scallywag called Jackal make the kind of statement that he made including my name in his post, not on his life should he try that with me, who are the seniors here on the sports section ? i believe in equity and you dont come to equity with unfairness, why do you have to single out some peeps,you only make them assume some air of arrogance and that is the kind of thing that promotes abusive language

@ kaylala,
pls o dont misinform peeps on nairaland, cos they started inviting people on friday and immediately i posted it here same day, they probably did not finish sending the ivs on friday and continued after the weekend.

muki dear,
ave always been acting rite or u meant kissing rite

neither will they use a yahoo account for you to send a mail to, moreso all lottery winners are only sent proper letters and not e-mails, am cracking here o

@ fimmy,
         
don't you know that being relegated means your team has gone down and good enough you are showing your loyalty to your club by relegating yourself too 

@ dearie,

i admire ur boldness, thats the spirit o !

@ muki,
why frown at me, i only told jackal that he was just dreaming wildly with the combination he mentioned or se na nightmare sef