MRS Ferguson obviously doesn't want Sir Alex getting under her feet. How else do we interpret her suggestion that he should carry on managing for three years?

She knows he'd be like a bear with a sore head hanging round the house instead of organising the troops at Old Trafford every day, and in any case, given recent events, she might have reasoned that the game needs him more than ever.

Not Sir Alex specifically, but experienced disciplinarians who command total respect from their players and leave them fully aware of the serious consequences of stepping out of line.

The conduct of Manchester United's players might not be impeccable, but relative to other top clubs it is good enough to reflect well on a boss who ought to have a few good years left in him.

After all, he's just a bairn compared with Bobby Robson, who will be 69 on Sunday and ought to command the total respect of any young footballer.

Consider what he has done for Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer, and the patience he has shown with Carl Cort. Yet these three names keep cropping up for reasons unconnected with football, and the lesser-known Jamie McClen also managed to make headlines for the wrong reasons this week.

Robson is probably a more forgiving person than Ferguson, but it must hurt him deeply when these players betray his trust.

How he must envy the depth of squad which allows Ferguson to leave a miscreant out of the team without unduly weakening it.

The problem is that even if the fine slapped on Bellamy for his alleged assault on a female student does reach £100,000 it will be a mere slap on the wrist in an era when David Beckham expects to earn that much in a week.

That's with his image rights thrown in, of course, and perhaps Bellamy will now realise that image rights are something he can't count on if he is perceived as someone who goes around battering the fairer sex.

At Old Trafford he would probably be banished to the bench for six weeks. But Robson doesn't have that luxury - not at 69 and with the Premiership title tantalisingly within sight for himself and thousands of success-starved fanatical supporters.

Hopefully, all the players will now be in no doubt what this opportunity means to their manager, the fans and even themselves. It might not come along again, and if they have to observe a curfew to maximise their chances of realising a dream then it's a very small price to pay.

SO, what of the England rugby captain? We are repeatedly told that it's because Martin Johnson plays "on the edge" that he's such an intimidating presence for opponents.

Whether we want rugby to involve intimidation is a matter of personal taste. There are, after all, plenty of people who want Lennox Lewis to climb into the ring with someone who sees Leg of Lewis as a tasty dish.

But it can't help rugby to stay within the bounds of decency if youngsters see the England captain getting away with a yellow card for a punch which leaves the victim requiring six stitches.

He wasn't even seriously provoked and with his lamentable track record it's time for the England hierarchy to find him guilty of tarnishing the game.

They won't boot him out at the moment, of course, because there's a titanic tussle coming up tomorrow against Ireland, and with frightening people like Peter "The Claw" Clohessy in their pack we need a few enforcers on hand.

If England beat Ireland by 16 points they will go the top of the Zurich world rankings, which has prompted Aussie stirrer David Campese to claim that it's typical of England to peak between World Cups.

THIS reminds me of an old cricketing colleague of mine who always declined to attend winter nets becuase he didn't want to peak in March.

The last few weeks have seen cricket clubs advertising their winter nets in the Sport Briefs column and there seems to be more accent than ever on "new members welcome."

Village cricket is on the slide, especially after foot-and-mouth, and I can't believe that after a few years of playing at the Blue Circle ground Weardale is going to be without a team again.

The whole dale that is. Surely there must be enough cricket lovers in Stanhope, Wolsingham and the smaller villages to form at least one team.

DID you watch the snowboarding the other night? No, neither did I because it has as much right to be an Olympic sport as the Sedgefield ball game or tossing the pancake.

I keep reading that Britain's disappointing start to the Winter Olympics has continued with another flop such as Glynn the Glider following predictably in the ski tracks of Eddie the Eagle.

But how can it be disappointing if you have no expectations in the first place other than that Alex Coomber will win the women's skeleton bob? I might just tune in for that.

Published: 15/02/02