Ferguson draws on siege mentality for Manchester United

The Wayne Rooney ban will draw the team together, says the embattled manager who may also rest Rio Ferdinand.

The English Football Associaition's decision to uphold Wayne Rooney's two-match ban will have a galvanising effect on the team.

A sense of injustice can often galvanise Manchester United, but it is rarely as pronounced. Thus far, too, it has seldom been as profitable. As twin figureheads nurse a grievance in the stands, the league leaders have already reaped a benefit from Sir Alex Ferguson's suspension. Now they have the chance to prove Wayne Rooney's ban is no impediment.

Rooney's enforced absence for the next two domestic games, the result of swearing at a camera after completing his hat-trick at West Ham United last week, reinforces the siege mentality that was already in evidence.

"It'll bring everyone together," said Ferguson. "That's the great advantage we have now. It's a plus for us. We'll be united about it. We've got a good squad and the players have shown fantastic determination. We're going to be hard to beat."

It should afford an opportunity to Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez if United's two top scorers are paired in Rooney's absence. It could be deemed a shootout to partner the Englishman in Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Chelsea.

Yet as United have the chance to take a 10-point lead at the summit of the Premier League, if only for 24 hours, there is a link between punishment and prospering.

While Ferguson's injudicious words have ensured his banishment from the touchline, United are reaping a dividend.

The familiar images of the manager disputing decisions, barking at the fourth official and pointing melodramatically at his watch are absent. In their place, the Scot is pictured on the phone or wearing a headset in the directors' box, less animated but displaying a clear-headed brilliance. When Old Trafford last staged a game, Bolton Wanderers proved resilient opponents. Yet Ferguson's decision to introduce Berbatov for Hernandez resulted in the late winner.

Last week, it was a radical reshuffle that preceded a remarkable turnaround at West Ham. Enter Hernandez in a change of shape. Ryan Giggs was relocated to left-back with great effect as United proceeded to score four goals, the last strike proof of Hernandez's predatory instincts.

If Ferguson is as inventive today, it is because of choice rather than necessity. Now he is picking from a position of strength. United have weathered their injury crisis; even as right-back Rafael da Silva drops out, John O'Shea and Brown return. With central defenders, midfielders and wingers available again, this is a time of abundant options.

Chasing their second trophy Treble, United play in three competitions in a week. With Chelsea in the Champions League and Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on April 16, their senior citizens' appearances may be rationed.

"It's a question of what team I play as I have to think about Tuesday," Ferguson added. Edwin van der Sar, hampered by a groin problem, and Rio Ferdinand, just back from a calf injury, could be spared for the visit of Chelsea in the return leg.

Ferguson is multi-tasking, setting his sights on three opponents as well as his old adversaries at the English Football Association after Rooney was banned.

"I don't think you can use the word 'fair' any more," he added. "The lad [Rooney] has apologised for swearing but I don't think we expected to get a result."

One should be anticipated today. Much as Fulham enjoy upsetting the league leaders at Craven Cottage, they have lost on 17 of their last 18 visits to Old Trafford. Their manager has a rather better record there during his playing days.

Among short-tempered strikers with Old Trafford connections, Mark Hughes might be closer to the action than Rooney or Ferguson. It may merely enable him to see his former employers move a step nearer to the title.

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