Sir Alex Ferguson - a peerless manager but the master of double standards
Sir Alex Ferguson's churlish refusal to talk about the Manchester derby, after relentlessly slagging off City in the build-up to it, was typical of a man for whom hypocrisy is second nature.
This is the man who branded City "cocky and arrogant" and "a small club with a small mentality" ahead of the derby, then tried to crank up the pressure on Mark Hughes by telling him he had to win a trophy this season having spent such vast sums on players.
Fergie, who thrives on such verbal jousting, even delivered a patronising put-down of City in the immediate aftermath of United's dramatic 4-3 win, branding them "nosiy neighbours" who had talked themselves up without justification and needed to be put in their place.
But at last Friday's weekly Press briefing, Fergie's relentless animosity towards City suddenly ceased as he came over all paternal, defending Hughes amid perceived attempts by reporters to lead him into controversy over the extra stoppage time allowed for United's last-gasp winner. What utter rubbish.
The fact Hughes was seething at the seven minutes of added time played and as such needed no cajoling or prompting to vent his anger on the situation or fuel the controversy, was conveniently airbrushed from Fergie's memory as he rewrote history to suit his own agenda.
Hughes will not be fooled by Fergie's sudden change of heart in leaping to his defence. The City boss is one of the few managers in the game with the courage to stand up to Fergie and take him on, rather than fawning in his presence like so many of his contemporaries.
Having taunted City so willingly in the build-up to the derby, trying to then claim the moral high ground by siding with Hughes over perceived leading questions was as outrageous as it was laughable. But typical of Fergie, peerless manager but the master of double standards.
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