This is a piece which quite frankly is not for everyone. Its very length may mean that it will need to be read over a couple of sittings but if you want to know what makes Sir Alex Ferguson tick through the eyes of a man who spent two years writing the newly released biography Football – Bloody Hell, it’s one that simply cannot be missed. Ferguson was a fresh faced 18 year old playing for St Johnstone when author Patrick Barclay first laid eyes on him fifty years ago and has followed his career ever since. Barclay is The Times’ chief football correspondent and his revealing interview with Sport.co.uk’s Sam Rider makes compulsive reading.

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To say that there has not been any love lost between Manchester United and Liverpool fans for many years is stating the bleeding obvious. But to say that it has always been that way is a gross exaggeration because history shows that it’s far from being the case. Legendary godfathers at both clubs like Bill Shankly and Matt Busby shared a long standing, close friendship, so to feel a degree of empathy is not at all unnatural. The two most decorated football clubs in England are currently going through a crisis not of their own making and for one to derogatory sneer at the other is well beyond the dignity of each. Quite frankly, the humiliation that Liverpool Football Club is going through at the moment could turn out to be the same that Manchester United will be forced to endure in the not too distant future – thanks to greedy carpetbaggers who saw football in general, and two great clubs in particular, as easy pickings to try and make a fortune.

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Ask any Manchester United or Liverpool fan what the first game they look for when a new season’s fixture list is released and you can bet with absolute certainty that it will be the home and away clashes between the two clubs. The intense rivalry between them even overshadows the local derbies against Everton and Manchester City which makes this Sunday’s meeting at Old Trafford one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the season.

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