[Dirtycheat]

Now Sky feel the force of Ferguson

Sky Sports have become the latest in a long line of media victims to be banned from a press conference by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson — so all powerful at Old Trafford that he even takes on the TV network who bankroll the Barclays Premier League.

Fergie barred Sky cameras from his preview yesterday for today's game against Newcastle because of the way the TV station had reacted to his comments about the lack of home support in the Birmingham match on New Year's Day.

The United overlord was especially annoyed that Sky had included in their coverage the critical views of the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association, who described Old Trafford as a 'police state'. The comment was also picked up by national newspapers.

Sky Sports shrugged off their Fergie ban as being only a temporary measure, unlike the manager's BBC silence, which has been on-going since a May 2004 documentary about his football links with former agent son Jason.

But the lack of managerial co-operation with TV is such an issue with fans that there were questions on a Newcastle website yesterday about the sense of appointing Harry Redknapp when he, like sacked Sam Allardyce, has followed Fergie's example and doesn't speak to the BBC.

The Premier League say the subject has been softly broached with him but they received 'a flinty response'. A United spokesman said that the Friday conferences were a courtesy extended by Ferguson to the media. And on occasions, there were good reasons for taking it away.

linkage

Upsetting the long-term manager of the most widely supported club in the world is probably not in their best interest. Virgin media had a better package anyway /