Pressure gets to Ferguson

A volcanic eruption of temper from Alex Ferguson yesterday perhaps summed up best how he feels about the prospect of Manchester United hosting Arsenal's title celebrations tomorrow.

At the end of a turbulent season, with his team on the brink of finishing empty-handed for only the third time in 13 years, Ferguson let out his frustrations with a furious diatribe against critics of the club, and specifically those of Juan Sebastian Veron, before abandoning an extraordinary press conference by ordering the journalists to "get out" of the training ground.

"He is a fucking great player" were his parting words. "And you're all fucking idiots."

Even for Ferguson, that vociferous protector of his own, it was a remarkable outburst. Veron himself has been candid enough to concede that his first season at Old Trafford has been plagued by erratic form, but his manager has been incensed by the swell of criticism against a player who has been suffering from an Achilles injury for the past two months.

It is, according to the manager, a media witch-hunt, instigated deliberately after Argentina were drawn against England in the World Cup and gathering pace when United were eliminated from the European Cup semi-finals by Bayer Leverkusen.

In particular, Ferguson is furious about a Sunday newspaper report that alleged two United players angrily confronted Veron after the second leg in Germany last week, blaming his peripheral displays over the two games for their failure to reach the final. "It's absolute nonsense, total lies," Ferguson said.

If that is the case, Ferguson has every right to be annoyed. However, that does not disguise the fact that his problems accommodating Veron in midfield since the Argentina international's £28.1 million recruitment from Lazio last summer have been recognised as one of the fundamental reasons behind United's shortcomings.

If Ferguson wanted to give the impression all was well at Old Trafford before Arsenal's visit, he failed abjectly. Instead, as Arsene Wenger and his players head north, seeking the single point that will confirm their second Premiership and FA Cup double in four years, they will be encouraged to learn that the man who has tried to unnerve them all season is now so clearly feeling the stress.

They will be further heartened to hear that Ferguson's tirade was peppered with references to "Arsenal's arrogance", as if to say the media should be concentrating on that rather than Veron's form.

Before that point, though, Ferguson had been highly complimentary about Wenger's team, even if he had claimed: "We have shown the best attacking form in the country."

• Cheltenham secured a place in the second division with a 3-1 win over Rushden & Diamonds in the Division Three play-off final at the Millennium Stadium yesterday.

Cheltenham took the lead in the 27th minute through Martin Devaney before Paul Hall put Rushden back on level terms seconds later.

Julian Alsop restored Cheltenham's lead just after the break and John Finnigan sealed promotion with a third 11 minutes from time.

Meanwhile Fulham beat Doncaster Belles 2-1 in the Women's FA Cup final at Selhurst Park.

Don Givens has named the Republic of Ireland side to face Japan in their opening game of the Toulon tournament in Nimes (5 p.m.) this evening.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (U-21 v Japan): Murphy (Tranmere Rovers); Douglas (Blackburn Rovers), Goodwin (Celtic), O'Callaghan (Barnsley), Foy (Nottingham Forest); Byrne (West Ham United), Miller (Celtic), Doyle (Celtic); Barrett (Arsenal), Daly (Stockport County), Reid (Nottingham Forest).