Darts: Our columnist puts Fergie on the spot

Darts columnist and Denton resident John Gwynne got the chance to get up close and personal with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in front of 300 guests at Old Trafford.

The 63-year-old former schoolteacher – and Manchester City fan to boot – hosted an event at the Premier League champions’ ground which saw a four-course dinner followed by a 45-minute interview with the United manager.

John, whose voice can be heard on Sky Sports’ darts, rugby league and football coverage, had no problem in putting aside his footballing loyalties for one night.

He said: "I have had the pleasure of doing such shows around the country with top sporting personalities – Henry Cooper, Nigel Benn, Peter Shilton, Gordon Banks, Andrew Flintoff, Jack Charlton and Geoff Hurst to name but a few – but to be invited to interview Sir Alex at Old Trafford is especially rewarding.

"You cannot argue with his record or the way his teams always try to play."

Of course, being granted an audience with Ferguson meant some questions came to mind more readily than others.

These included: asking how close did he think he was to being sacked when United struggled so much at the end of 1989; was his ‘hairdryer’ reputation fair; was there really a bad argument with David Beckham; what did he make of Manchester City’s new-found riches and; what transfer fee would he get for Cristiano Ronaldo if Kaka was worth £100m.

Despite knowing the answers to these topics, John has no intention of selling his story.

He said: "It would be wrong of me to divulge the answers Sir Alex gave, since the evening was exclusive to those within the four walls of the Manchester Suite.

"Suffice to say he replied with candour and good humour."

The Tameside Advertiser

http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/sport/s/1096233_our_columnist_puts_fergie_on_the_spot