Fergie: Calderon full of hot air

omgukilledkenny SG

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has offered the perfect riposte to Ramon Calderon's senility jibe - We've got Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid president has been angered by Ferguson's reference to Spanish dictator General Franco in a magazine interview in which the Scot claimed the Bernabeu giants liked to get everything their own way.

Calderon responded by claiming the Manchester United manager's ramblings were those of an old man.

"I won't waste time answering him. I admire his history but recently he has gone a bit senile," Calderon said.

However, Ferguson feels he had the last laugh on Calderon this summer when he persuaded Cristiano Ronaldo to remain with Manchester United rather than join Real.

And while he insisted there was no need to continue the war of words, Ferguson could not resist reminding Calderon of his summer success.

"Calderon has a few strange things to say every week," smiled the United boss.

"There is a lot of hot air comes out of that man.

"I am not getting involved but the nub of it is he is very disappointed he did not get Ronaldo.

I am delighted to say he is still here and I will keep repeating that."

jonchao72 SG

nice one fergie!

zocoss SG

The Yellow Submarine's president was asked how his club had fended off the interest of los Merengues in an interview with AS and caused a surprise by revealing another side to the story.

Calderón told reporters that Madrid had chosen not to push ahead with the deal because they did not want to upset Villarreal, but Roig has stated that it was down to him that the move did not happen.

"It appears that Cazorla did not join Real Madrid because Calderón behaved like a gentleman and chose not to sign him so as not to cause problems with Villarreal or try and force through a move," he told AS.

"But the reality is that he did not behave like a gentleman.

"This all started at the warm-up for the Valencian Grand Prix when my son, Fernando, said to me that Cazorla's representatives were going to speak to Madrid because they wanted to sign him.

"He told me to say nothing, but I am not one to stay quiet and I met Calderón and Boluda, his Valencian vice-president, and told them what I felt.

"They told me that they did not want to do that aand with only a week to go before the league started they did not want to sign any player.

"Calderón asked me what player I was talking about because he knew nothing. I told him it was Cazorla and he said I was mad and that Madrid to think that Madrid wanted him.

"The next day Ramón came and told me that I was right and they were interested in Cazorla and the should negotiate what was best for the two clubs and that is what he had told his people.

"I told him there and then that there was nothing to talk about or negotiate. He clearly told me the day before that Cazorla was not a player that Madrid would think about."

The saga continued the following week when Roig put his idea into action to try and tempt Cazorla to stay at El Madrigal rather than joining Madrid.

"On Monday I spoke again with Calderón and he told me that he knew things were a mess, but that they were ready to pay the player's buy-out clause and that they were going to push ahead with it," he continued.

"I told him not to count on me and reminded him that the price was €16.5 million for the player and with tax that would go up to €28 million.

"He told me that is how football can be and we finished the conversation. That night I started a plan of my own and made an offer to the player and the coach spoke to him and he chose to stay.

"Villarreal had to make an effort and it cost us money.

"But it is not true what Calderón has said about him not wanting to cause any arguments. The transfer did not go through because I made an offer to Cazorla myself."

"I think clubs have to show more respect to each other. Last March I reached an agreement with Madrid vice-president Boluda to sign Rubén De la Red for €6 million.

"We shook hands on it, but at the end of the season they did not want to sell him."

SexyChin SG

FERGIE: Franco FC' Didn't Real-ly Want Heinze!

CALDERON: I'm not going to waste any time answering him, I admire his record, but he is getting old.

FERGIE: I am not getting involved but the nub of it is he is very disappointed he did not get Ronaldo. I am delighted to say he is still here and I will keep repeating that.

Nice one by fergie? Hell NO! I was rather surprised to see SAF replying calderon's message in this manner. Fergie reply is like a child losing an agument (BOO HOO, I don't care what you said, but I still got Ronaldo that you wanted! Nani nani poo poo).

I really expected more from Fergie.

Chris88110 SG

Well, in the end we still do have ronaldo. And its by that fact SAF can claim he's won