Ferguson takes a potshot at Southgate's credentials

English FA Premiership:  The most experienced manager in the Premiership comes up against the most inexperienced today, and Alex Ferguson might receive a frosty reception from Gareth Southgate after claiming last night that the former England defender should not even be in the Middlesbrough dugout.

Ferguson, a committee member of the League Managers' Association (LMA), revealed he was opposed to Southgate's appointment because it went against English Premier League stipulations that managers should have Uefa pro-licence coaching badges.

The association had campaigned against Southgate's appointment and Ferguson said the organisation was "absolutely correct". Glenn Roeder, the Newcastle manager, had received the same dispensation in similar circumstances and Ferguson said he was unhappy with both appointments.

"Managers and coaches should be completely qualified if we want to raise the standards of our game," the Manchester United manager said before the leaders' visit to the Riverside Stadium. "To improve the quality of the game, you have to do it through the coaches. But now the door has been opened, I don't know how we can close it again."

Ferguson said he was particularly disappointed the Premier League had allowed Roeder to remain in charge at St James' Park. Southgate, he said, may not have had time to take his coaching badges, having been Middlesbrough's captain until May, but that was not the case with Roeder.

"The regulations were set out to improve the standards of coaching, but that was changed when (the Newcastle chairman) Freddie Shepherd rounded on the other chairmen to get in Glenn Roeder," said Ferguson.

"We (the LMA) thought that was wrong. It's nothing personal, it's the regulations. They were put in place and they should have remained so. But once the door was opened - by Freddie Shepherd - Middlesbrough were completely correct giving the job to Gareth Southgate under the same principle that Glenn Roeder got his."

Southgate said last night: "I'm not bothered. Everybody keeps telling me it's not personal, but everybody keeps having their say."

Ferguson has another issue with Newcastle over their reluctance to use Giuseppe Rossi, the striker they signed on loan in August. Ferguson believed the 19-year-old Italian was going to St James' Park to play regularly.

Teenage prodigy Freddy Adu must wait until next June to learn whether Manchester United will try to sign him. The young US international has just completed a two-week trial, during which time he trained with United's academy team.

British detectives are hunting an attacker who targeted a footballer in a nightclub, leaving him with serious knife injuries to his back, stomach and hand.Ronnie Wallwork, a 28-year-old defender with WBA and a former Manchester United youth team player, was attacked on Thursday night at the Sugar Lounge in central Manchester. Police said: "Detectives believe this was not a random attack."

Alan Pardew has insisted that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano will remain at West Ham for the foreseeable future. The Argentina internationals signed four-year contracts at Upton Park in August, but when Kia Joorabchian, the former head of Media Sports Investment and manager of the two players, saw his takeover bid rejected by the West Ham board, it was suggested that they might be leaving in January.

"I think they are both likely to stay," said Pardew, the West Ham manager. "My meeting with Kia was constructive and I feel he showed that he has a motivation for Tevez and Mascherano to be a success here, as I do, and we hope that is the case."

Paul Aldridge, West Ham's managing director, is leaving after 10 years following the takeover of the club last week by Eggert Magnusson's Icelandic consortium.

The agent Jonathan Barnett has lost his appeal against a ban and fine imposed for his part in the Ashley Cole tapping-up affair.

But Barnett, Cole's agent, did have his ban reduced from 18 months to 12 months, allowing him to operate again from February 15th. An FA appeal board hearing upheld the £100,000 fine imposed on him by a disciplinary commission on September 26th

Guardian Service