WE BACK FERGIE

"It wasn't the best atmosphere at training after the defeat to City but I spoke with Alex and he's committed to turning things around and having a strong finish to the season,"

"It's been difficult going out of the Champions League, and performances in the Premiership haven't been the best. We've got to get over that. There are still a lot of positives and I'm sure 89 other clubs in this country would like to be in our position."

On Beckham he added;

"That was the decision taken last summer and we realised some capital [from the sale] and invested that back into players. Up until Christmas we were playing fantastically well and no-one was asking at that point whether we were missing David Beckham. It's too easy to pin it on one factor."

Why we did not sign a defender in January.

"There was no point bringing in a player as a stop-gap measure, we would have wanted someone good enough to play in the Champions League and they are few and far between," Gill added. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but at the time we felt it was the right decision."