PASSES, MAGPIES AND BAD HAIR

Last updated : 14 November 2002 By Editor

Fergie on Veron and beating the Germans

'Juan seems to be inspired by European football, he seems to revel in it,' said the United chief.

'That was his fourth goal in the Champions League and it wasn't an easy chance to take. His timing of the shot was terrific.'

'It was a really good pass to Paul and then a wonderful touch to Ruud,'

Inspector Fergie

'Every now and then comes such a horrendous dip in standards that you can't just say forget it and let's concentrate on the next game,'

'Our effort at the weekend was one of those disasters that simply can't be blanked out. It has to be remembered as a lesson in what happens when the concentration and application levels are not right.

'I don't honestly know what was going through the minds of the players but I left them in no doubt what was going through mine. I shall be looking for signs that the message has been taken on board.'

Quinton is the new Phil Neville

'Leverkusen's set-piece play was very good but the main thrust of the game came from our attack. We created a lot of good chances and I am pleased with the result,'

'With Nicky Butt and Roy Keane missing, central midfield has been a bit of a problem for us and I felt it was worth experimenting with Quinton in that position.

'He closed the German players down very quickly and didn't give them a lot of time on the ball. He did the simple things very well.'

Rio's injury

'We don't know the extent of the problem at the moment, we will assess the situation in the morning,' said Ferguson

Klaus Toppmullet has no complaints.

'United deserved their 2-0 scoreline but I would have liked to have seen how they would have reacted if we had taken our chances at the start,' he said.

'We were unfortunate to lose that goal just before half-time and I thought we created more chances than we did in the semi-final here last April.'

We're not alone

'I am really pleased for Bobby Robson,'

'It is a bit of a surprise because it is not the easiest place to get a result but from the little bit I saw on television after the game it looked like they could have won by a few more.

'When they heard Juventus were only playing half a team they must have been worried but the Italians have done their job.'