Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's most infamous feuds

Nobody should have been surprised by this morning's news that Fergie has fallen out with Sky Sports over remarks reportedly made by the channel's pundits about the conduct of Wayne Rooney.

This, after all, is a man who could develop a grudge in an empty dressing room, as this Top 10 of Fergie's most infamous feuds shows:

1) Fergie vs The BBC
Any Sky Sports execs hoping that this row will blow over would be advised not to hold their breath. Fergie's great beef with the Beeb recently celebrated its fourth birthday and shows no sign of abating any time soon.

The boycott stems from a documentary aired back in 2004 that examined business dealings between the Man United manager and his football agent son Jason, and is the reason we have to endure Mike Phelan bumbling his way through post-game interviews on Match of The Day.

2) Fergie vs Sky reporter Geoff Shreeves
This isn't the first time Fegie has fallen out with Sky, of course. Back in March last year, the Man United boss took exception to reporter Geoff Shreeves after he accused Cristiano Ronaldo of diving to win the match-winning penalty in an FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough. This is what happened when Ferg caught up with the man with the mic:

Shreeves: 'I asked him…'
Ferguson: 'F***ing (inaudible) bastard.'
S: 'Don't talk to me like that.'
F: 'F**k off to you.'
S: 'Don't talk to me like that. Don't even think about it.'
F: 'Don't you think about it, you ****. F**k off. Right?'
S: 'Listen, are you going to do the interview in a professional manner or not? Do you want to do it or not?'
F: 'You f*****g be professional. You be professional. You're the one.'
S: 'I'm entitled to ask… Cristiano gave the right answer.'
F: 'F***ing hell with your answers.'
S: 'Don't talk to me like that. Go away. If you want to behave civilly, fine. Don't talk to me like that.'
F: 'F**k off.' (door slams)

3) Fergie vs David Beckham
Goldenballs' glamorous lifestyle was always going to grind the gears of the man from Govan, and years of simmering frustration came to a head in spectacular fashion following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford in February 2003.

Fergie allegedly blamed Becks for one of Arsenal's goals, which lead to an infamous dressing-room altercation during which the gaffer somehow managed to kick a football boot into the midfielder's face.

Beckham responded by 'going for' the gaffer, and later revealed in his autobiography how Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Ruud van Nistelrooy had to restrain him.

Both sides have since played down the significance of the incidence, but it's surely no coincidence that Beckham was shipped out to Real Madrid a matter of months later.

4) Fergie vs Arsene Wenger
Manchester United's fierce - and often furious - rivalry with Arsenal on the pitch was more than matched by the enmity that existed between the club's managers.

Their relationship got off to a bad start when Arsene, freshly arrived at Highbury from J-League side Grampus8, immediately attacked what he perceived to be English football's bias towards Manchester United.

"He's a novice and should keep his opinions to Japanese football," smirked Ferg in response.

Twelve years on, and they're still squabbling like schoolboys, although their feud arguably reached its nadir in October 2004 when, following Man United's 2-0 win at Old Trafford, an unnamed Arsenal player threw a slice of pizza at Fergie.

Here's what then Arsenal player Ashley Cole had to say about the battle of the buffet in his autobiography:

"All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit.

"I thought Ferguson was going to explode but then he stormed off into the dressing room cursing and grunting, brushing the crumbs and stains off his collar.

"We all went back into the dressing room and fell about laughing..."

5) Fergie vs Brian Kidd
Having won four titles at Old Trafford - and even turned down the manager's job at old club Everton on Sir Alex's urging - Brian Kidd might have expected a simple "thanks and good luck" when he finally left to boss Blackburn in late 1998. But with Arsenal having recently completed a double, Fergie seemed to take his departure to heart.

First he eviscerated his old friend in 1999 autobiography Managing My Life, telling how Kidd had demanded United sign John Hartson to general disbelief at Old Trafford and describing him as a complex worrier, wracked with doubts about his coaching ability and his health.

Then, a few months later, United relegated Kidd's Blackburn at Ewood Park. The consequences of the match had been inescapable to anyone interested in football, yet in a post-match interview with Sky Sports Ferguson insisted he hadn't been aware of Rovers' plight.

Pressed on what he thought about sending his old mucker down, Fergie looked serious for a moment, then shrugged philosophically and said, "Oh well."

6) Fergie vs Paul Ince
Ten years ago, during the team talk before a crunch match with Liverpool, Fergie was filmed dismissing his former captain as a 'big-time Charlie'.

Fergie seemingly buried the hatchet before his side's match with Blackburn - now managed by Ince, of course - last month.

Although is it just us, or does this 'apology' suggest that Fergie's biggest regret was actually being caught saying it?

"I regret saying that. That was a mistake. We let a camera into our dressing room, which we had never done before, and it won't happen again."

7) Fergie vs Jaap Stam
A cornerstone of Manchester United's treble-winning defence, Dutch giant Stam nonetheless discovered that no matter who you are, there can only be one winner when you take on Fergie.

Stam made the mistake of portraying Fergie in a less than flattering light in his 2001 autobiography Head To Head, claiming that he'd been tapped up and that the Reds boss encouraged his players to dive.

Fergie responded by shipping Stam out to Lazio forthwith.

"The one thing I learned is you are never sure of your place at United," sniffed Stam later.

Here's a clue, Jaap: your place is some distance below Fergie's.

8) Fergie vs Ruud van Nistelrooy
Like his countryman Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy also learned the hard way that the only thing to be gained by crossing Fergie is a one-way ticket out of Old Trafford.

The pair fell out mid-way through the 2005/06 season, leading to Van Nistelrooy being benched for the League Cup Final against Wigan (and six subsequent league games).

When, following a training ground bust-up between van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo, Fergie repeated the punishment for the season closer against Charlton, the Dutchman reportedly took a taxi to Old Trafford to pick up his car and drove off, never to be seen there in Man United colours again.

"Sometimes in management, you have to take tough decisions," shrugged Fergie. "I have made one I feel was in the best interests of Manchester United.

"There have been a couple of issues during the week which concerned me in terms of the spirit at the club, and on such an important day I just felt Ruud should be left out."

Van Nistelrooy signed for Real Madrid six weeks later.

9) Fergie vs Real Madrid
The will he/won't he saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's public dalliance with Real Madrid last summer really got Fergie's goat.

Naturally the Reds boss couldn't lambaste the player that he so desperately wanted to keep, so he gave both barrels to the Spanish club instead.

After weeks of bluster about tapping up and such like, Fergie really lost it, accusing Real Madrid of having "no morals" and even bringing former Spanish dictator General Franco into the argument:

"[Real president Ramon] Calderon makes that great statement 'Slavery was abolished many years ago'," spluttered Ferg.

"Did they tell Franco that? Give me a break."

10) Fergie vs Gabriel Heinze
The Argentinean left-back left United under a cloud when Fergie blocked his preferred move to Liverpool at the end of the 2006/07 season.

Heinze eventually went to Real Madrid (them again!) in a Fergie-approved deal for a fee reported to be in the region of £8m.

Strange, then, that in a magazine interview this month, the Man United boss claimed that Madrid only signed Heinze in a bid to tempt his close friend Cristiano Ronaldo into following suit the following summer.

An incredulous Heinze responded: "This theory of Ferguson's is a work of absolute science fiction."

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