HOW FERGIE ALWAYS GETS HIS MAN Transfer of the summer: Leeds losing the battle to keep Rio
By Martin Lipton
SIR ALEX Ferguson's love of horses has never quite seen him wearing a Canadian Mountie's uniform.
But when it comes to getting his man, the Manchester United boss is a better tracker than the best-trained law enforcement officer in the Rockies.
The reality of Rio Ferdinand's record-breaking £35million move to Old Trafford came a step closer last night for all the official determination of the Leeds board to keep the England defender.
Yet Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale, assailed by financial pressures on one side and the anger of fans on the other, will know the end-game appears almost inevitable.
Just like Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy before him, Ferdinand was unable to resist the bait dangled in front of him by United, with Ferguson using all the tricks at his disposal to reel in his target.
For Ridsdale, as it was for PSV Eindhoven counterpart Harry van Raaij, the feeling would not have been comfortable.
The tactics employed have been all-too-familiar: first, identify your target; second, make him aware; third, get your players to tell him how good life is at Old Trafford; fourth, wait for him to say yes.
Some may question the ethics involved, arguing United and Ferguson have skated around the edge of what is acceptable, perhaps going over the line.
But Leeds will know the game is played by all clubs, as proven with their own drip-drip-drip pursuit of Ferdinand from West Ham two years ago. The difference is United are the best at it.
Ferdinand's imminent arrival is a near-replica of the Van Nistelrooy signing, with Ferguson identifying the missing piece in his jigsaw and being resolute about securing his services.
First contact, in both cases, came from United chief executive Peter Kenyon, phoning to ask his opposite number to name his price after backing his manager's judgement.
United - and Ferguson - know the news will always come out, from one end or the other.
It was not illegal tapping - the initial approach was above board with Kenyon ringing Ridsdale before the World Cup - but after that Ferguson knows his targets will start to think about their future, and the prospect of what they could achieve wearing a United shirt.
Then comes the hard sell, but not by the manager himself. After all, the Scot knows players trust fellow players more than anybody else.
So it was that Jaap Stam, himself tapped up as he admitted, was encouraged to persuade van Nistelrooy he should leave Holland, using international get-togethers to talk up the club.
Van Nistelrooy may have been under contract with PSV, but that did not bother United, although the irony that Stam was to leave Old Trafford after a bitter fall-out with Ferguson within weeks of the striker's debut will not have been lost on the defender.
Seven weeks away on England duty in the World Cup meant that Ferdinand came across the United players in Sven Goran Eriksson's squad constantly.
Even if Ferguson did not prompt them, they would have been asked by Ferdinand, and told the Leeds man just what he could gain by moving across the Pennines.
That message will doubtless have been reinforced when Ferdinand and Wes Brown spent a holiday in Las Vegas. Maybe not all the gambles being discussed centred around the roulette wheel.
The personal touch always helps, though, and when the vibes are right, Ferguson comes calling. For van Nistelrooy, the clinching argument came when he opened his front door as he recovered from the knee ligament injury that put off his £18m arrival by 12 months to see Ferguson standing there.
The striker recalled: "When the deal broke down he was in Spain, I phoned him to tell him what had happened. He was surprised, he told me not to worry and said whatever is wrong will be fine.
"He assured me I would still become a Manchester United player and gave me a real good feeling. He kept contact every four or five weeks and phoned me at home.
"When he came to see me that was the thing that did it for me. Imagine such a big club, such a big manager, who has had so much success to show real warmth."
Appreciated by the players, and Ferdinand will only have been human to be excited at Ferguson's interest in him.
Less so by the chairmen watching their star assets enticed away, although it will be interesting to see if Ridsdale reacts as van Raaij did when he saw Ferguson in Monaco at the Champions League draw in August 2000.
Van Raaij was furious at Ferguson for making a public offer to continue his recovery from the injury by joining in some of United's training sessions, and harangued the Scot in front of hundreds of European football notables.
Of course, even the Fergie touch does not always work.
He failed to entice Alan Shearer aboard in the wake of Euro 96.
Three years later, Sol Campbell also resisted the blandishments, rejecting an £18m move from Spurs.
But they are rare examples, and as United's wealth, power and success has increased, the appeal has grown stronger.
Ferdinand appears to have weakened under United's relentless approach.
When the deal is done, Ferguson's smile will be a mixture of contentment and satisfaction. Another one snared. Another "wanted" man captured - by the best in the business.
<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
By Martin Lipton
SIR ALEX Ferguson's love of horses has never quite seen him wearing a Canadian Mountie's uniform.
But when it comes to getting his man, the Manchester United boss is a better tracker than the best-trained law enforcement officer in the Rockies.
The reality of Rio Ferdinand's record-breaking £35million move to Old Trafford came a step closer last night for all the official determination of the Leeds board to keep the England defender.
Yet Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale, assailed by financial pressures on one side and the anger of fans on the other, will know the end-game appears almost inevitable.
Just like Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy before him, Ferdinand was unable to resist the bait dangled in front of him by United, with Ferguson using all the tricks at his disposal to reel in his target.
For Ridsdale, as it was for PSV Eindhoven counterpart Harry van Raaij, the feeling would not have been comfortable.
The tactics employed have been all-too-familiar: first, identify your target; second, make him aware; third, get your players to tell him how good life is at Old Trafford; fourth, wait for him to say yes.
Some may question the ethics involved, arguing United and Ferguson have skated around the edge of what is acceptable, perhaps going over the line.
But Leeds will know the game is played by all clubs, as proven with their own drip-drip-drip pursuit of Ferdinand from West Ham two years ago. The difference is United are the best at it.
Ferdinand's imminent arrival is a near-replica of the Van Nistelrooy signing, with Ferguson identifying the missing piece in his jigsaw and being resolute about securing his services.
First contact, in both cases, came from United chief executive Peter Kenyon, phoning to ask his opposite number to name his price after backing his manager's judgement.
United - and Ferguson - know the news will always come out, from one end or the other.
It was not illegal tapping - the initial approach was above board with Kenyon ringing Ridsdale before the World Cup - but after that Ferguson knows his targets will start to think about their future, and the prospect of what they could achieve wearing a United shirt.
Then comes the hard sell, but not by the manager himself. After all, the Scot knows players trust fellow players more than anybody else.
So it was that Jaap Stam, himself tapped up as he admitted, was encouraged to persuade van Nistelrooy he should leave Holland, using international get-togethers to talk up the club.
Van Nistelrooy may have been under contract with PSV, but that did not bother United, although the irony that Stam was to leave Old Trafford after a bitter fall-out with Ferguson within weeks of the striker's debut will not have been lost on the defender.
Seven weeks away on England duty in the World Cup meant that Ferdinand came across the United players in Sven Goran Eriksson's squad constantly.
Even if Ferguson did not prompt them, they would have been asked by Ferdinand, and told the Leeds man just what he could gain by moving across the Pennines.
That message will doubtless have been reinforced when Ferdinand and Wes Brown spent a holiday in Las Vegas. Maybe not all the gambles being discussed centred around the roulette wheel.
The personal touch always helps, though, and when the vibes are right, Ferguson comes calling. For van Nistelrooy, the clinching argument came when he opened his front door as he recovered from the knee ligament injury that put off his £18m arrival by 12 months to see Ferguson standing there.
The striker recalled: "When the deal broke down he was in Spain, I phoned him to tell him what had happened. He was surprised, he told me not to worry and said whatever is wrong will be fine.
"He assured me I would still become a Manchester United player and gave me a real good feeling. He kept contact every four or five weeks and phoned me at home.
"When he came to see me that was the thing that did it for me. Imagine such a big club, such a big manager, who has had so much success to show real warmth."
Appreciated by the players, and Ferdinand will only have been human to be excited at Ferguson's interest in him.
Less so by the chairmen watching their star assets enticed away, although it will be interesting to see if Ridsdale reacts as van Raaij did when he saw Ferguson in Monaco at the Champions League draw in August 2000.
Van Raaij was furious at Ferguson for making a public offer to continue his recovery from the injury by joining in some of United's training sessions, and harangued the Scot in front of hundreds of European football notables.
Of course, even the Fergie touch does not always work.
He failed to entice Alan Shearer aboard in the wake of Euro 96.
Three years later, Sol Campbell also resisted the blandishments, rejecting an £18m move from Spurs.
But they are rare examples, and as United's wealth, power and success has increased, the appeal has grown stronger.
Ferdinand appears to have weakened under United's relentless approach.
When the deal is done, Ferguson's smile will be a mixture of contentment and satisfaction. Another one snared. Another "wanted" man captured - by the best in the business.
<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />