Take a bow son

BOW WOW WOW ... Alex Ferguson salutes the Stretford End at Old Trafford

ALEX FERGUSON rewarded the Old Trafford faithful with an extravagant bow as they roared out their delight at seeing Manchester United wrap up a record 19th title.

The table will show they still need a point against either Blackburn or Blackpool to make certain of the championship.
But everyone in football knows this was the day the Premier League crown was won.

A lightning fast strike from Javier Hernandez - his 20th of an amazing rookie season - and Nemanja Vidic's header meant Frank Lampard's goal was just a minor inconvenience.

And as Fergie soaked up the acclaim of the home fans, he admitted he had bowed low to show them how much he appreciated their support. The United boss said: "That was for the crowd. We needed them today and they were magnificent.

"There were a lot of poor souls in the stands, biting their fingernails and in danger of having a heart attack. I should know - I was one of them.

"We'll be giving every respect to Blackburn and Blackpool as we always respect the opposition.

"But if you had said to me at the start of the season we'd need one point from our final home game I'd have snapped your hand off."
Ferguson admitted his team had almost allowed Chelsea a way back after pulverising them for most of the game.

He added: "We do it all the time - take it to the very wire.

"When we gave the ball away for their goal, of course there were a few nerves. But the fans helped us.

"And we kept making chances and we could have scored six in the second half. Wayne Rooney could have scored six himself.

"We were brilliant. We made a great start but we expected a tough game and got a tough game."

Ferguson singled out two players at the opposite ends of the football spectrum - Ryan Giggs and Hernandez - for special praise.

Giggs, 37, has shared in all 12 of United's title triumphs under Fergie - if you include this one.

While 22-year-old Mexican striker Hernandez, a £7million buy 10 months ago, has amazed his manager after adjusting to life in England so quickly.

Ferguson said: "Giggs was absolutely marvellous again. We keep saying it, and no doubt we will be saying it next year - and the year after that maybe. He is so fit, who knows?

"Hernandez has exceeded all expectations. He's a real threat.

"The boy is keen to learn the game and perceptive to information. When he came at first we thought 'give him a year' but he has taken all the chances.

"I remember after Paul Scholes had seen him in training, he said the lad would get 25 goals for us as a sub.

"He's not quite achieved that but there are three games to go!" Horse-racing fan Fergie managed a broad grin when he was told it would need a Devon Loch-style collapse for United to lose out on the Premier League now.

The Queen's racehorse blew the 1956 Grand National by attempting to jump a non-existent fence on the run-in.

Ferguson joked: "Don't even mention Devon Loch to me - my dad backed that!"Carlo Ancelotti conceded the title to United - and admitted his future as Chelsea boss was even more precarious.

The Italian, who won the Double last year, said: "I hope I will still be the manager next season but it is not my decision.

"We only have two weeks to find out, so it is not a long time.

"I don't know what the owner thinks about the season. In my opinion, we could do better. To explain the reasons, we need to have more time.

"Last year was fantastic. This year was a little bit different. We will arrange a meeting to talk about the future after the end of the season.

"We have to accept they deserved to win the league and make sure we finish second."
Ancelotti hailed Fergie and added: "He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic man.

"To have these kind of people working in the game is very important. I have a lot of respect for these people."