Why English fans deserve to see the charming Fergie from United's US tour - but never will

By David McDonnell

Published 09:00 30/07/10

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Will the real Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson please stand up?

The people of America have been falling over themselves to lavish praise on Fergie and his players during their two-week pre-season jaunt through the land of the free, lauding them for their openness with the media and accessibility towards their fans.

The cantankerous, combative and uncooperative image that Fergie has cultivated back home in England could not be more different in the US, where he has been charm personified as he and his players have done everything they can to promote the United brand.

Fergie put aside his famed mistrust of the media to make himself freely available for interviews with, among others, CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports and the Houston Chronicle, while the players posed for numerous photo opportunities and signed hundreds of autographs during their tour.

The perception of United, as one US commentator put it, as a "bloated sports franchise that was too big for its own good" was dispelled as the charm offensive went into overdrive, the club displaying a benevolence and openness never witnessed back home.

The 70,000 sell-out crowd attending United's final game in the US, against an MLS All-Star XI, were treated to an interactive fan zone which featured live entertainment, autograph sessions by players, sponsor booths and free giveaways in a carnival-type atmosphere.

But America needs to wise up and realise the transparency of what it has witnessed over the last two weeks. When United return to England this weekend after completing the final engagement of their tour in Mexico, the shutters will come down for the media and fans, and normal service will be resumed.

Fans waiting, sometimes for hours, outside United's Carrington training complex for a glimpse of their heroes and the chance of a coveted autograph will be snubbed, while Fergie will revert to type with the media, being as obstructive as possible until it suits him and he wants to get a message out.

There will be no open training sessions for United fans, as there were in the US, as fans are kept an arm's length. Players will be reminded to stick to club policy and not to stop their flash cars for autograph-hunters outside Carrington, because of the perception that too many of them are using the signed mementos to make a profit on ebay, rather than for personal reasons.

Yet the fans will not be alone in being disadvantaged by the club they support. The culture of suspicion and mistrust will also spread to the media once United have pressed enough flesh on tour and can return to their bad old ways once back home on familiar territory.

Fergie will maintain his churlish stance by only speaking to MUTV after Premier League games, no players will be available for interview and the slick marketing policy of the US which, it should be noted, excluded the English media but embraced its American counterparts, will seem like a trick of the mind. 

It is a state of affairs to which those of us who follow United all around the world for a living have grown wearily accustomed, yet there will no doubt be many who will side with Fergie in his treatment of the English media, who have become an easy target. But that would be to miss the point.

Because the people who ultimately miss out are the fans. What would you rather have, a sycophantic interview from MUTV after the game, where the questions nauseatingly fawning, or a proper grilling where Fergie is called to account. For me, it's a no-brainer.

And with open access for the media, as United have witnessed in the US over the past fortnight, comes a mutual respect. But mistreatment and a lack of access, traits at which United excel back home, breeds resentment and mistrust on both sides.

The culture at United will not change until Fergie steps down, for he is all-powerful at Old Trafford and sets the tone for way the club conduct themselves and the way they are perceived. And with the 68-year-old in good health and still presiding over a successful team, that day appears a long way off yet.

But if United learn one thing from their American experience it's that if you open up and let people in 52 weeks of the year, rather than two, you earn their respect and can ultimately change negative perceptions of you. But don't hold your breath. It may be a new season, but it will no doubt be the same old story at United.

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