Manchester United Fans Club

With parts of Old Trafford populated by people who could testify to the ferocity of Sir Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer treatment, it was indicative of the importance of more modern management methods that Blackburn were beaten by a player he had sweet-talked.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace was the latest evidence of his brilliance but Brian McClair, alongside Ferguson in the home dug-out, Mark Hughes, in the opposing technical area, and Alex McLeish, in the directors’ box, have all experienced the United manager’s temper.
Yet while Ferguson’s fury has become famous, his expertise in diplomacy has proved invaluable, not least in persuading his disturbed maverick talents not to take their leave. A conversation with Eric Cantona in 1995 had a profound effect on United and, by extension, the rest of the Premier League. A chat with a disgruntled Cristiano Ronaldo after he had morphed into a tabloid hate figure during the 2006 World Cup, may yet prove still more significant.
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Cristiano Ronaldo pole-axed 10-man Blackburn as Manchester United made light of Wayne Rooney’s absence and surged to the Barclays Premier League summit with a 2-0 win.

Red Devils old-boy Mark Hughes, a candidate to replace Sir Alex Ferguson one day, could have been proud of Rovers’ battling efforts for all but two minutes of the contest, even after the dismissal of David Dunn.

But it was in those 120 seconds that Ronaldo destroyed them, powering home Ryan Giggs’ corner before finishing off Carlos Tevez’s magnificent square pass.

Although Ronaldo failed to complete his first United hat-trick, the double strike took him to 10 for the season and provided his team with their ninth win in 10 matches.
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