Fergie's Keane blunder
By Phil McNulty BBC Sport Online's chief football writer

Sir Alex Ferguson has wasted no time in delivering a reminder of the blind loyalty and occasionally blinding arrogance that can remove the gloss from Manchester United's image.

Old Trafford's overlord has again been breathing hot air in the direction of Arsene Wenger - this time about Patrick Vieira - in an attempt to win the mind games with his Arsenal counterpart.

Keane facing legal action

Ferguson still fails to realise this is a supreme exercise in futility after constantly assuring Wenger his Arsenal team were about to blow up as they sailed serenely to a Premiership and FA Cup Double last season.

And now he has attempted to defend the indefensible by claiming Roy Keane has no case to answer after revealing in his book how he extracted premeditated vengeance on Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland.

Keane's book is controversial

Ferguson is a long-time defender of his captain, and said: "I don't think Roy has anything to worry about. I don't think there's a case to answer. I don't think there's anything wrong with the book whatsoever."

Keane claimed he had "waited long enough" to repay Haaland for his constant crimes against him over the years, hence his horror tackle in the Manchester derby that has helped reduce the Norwegian's career to rubble.

The twist to this vendetta is that the hapless Haaland's crime was apparently his careless failure to get out of the way of a vicious Keane attack at Elland Road in 1997, a tackle that resulted in a serious knee injury for Ferguson's talisman.

It does not take a gymnastic leap of the imagination to guess at Ferguson's reaction if an opponent of Manchester United's came out and revealed he had "waited long enough" to seriously injure one of his players.

Imagine the combustible response of Ferguson if Deportivo La Coruna's Pedro Duscher went into print outlining in graphic detail that he deliberately sorted out David Beckham's metatarsal in the Champions League.

Volcanic would not do it justice.

Keane can do no wrong in Ferguson's eyes, but every fair-minded football follower must accept the FA has to punish him for this outburst.

And a club so careful in constructing its public image as Manchester United can hardly have been impressed by the sort of headlines they have attracted this week in the wake of Keane's latest outburst.

Ferguson puts up the barricade for Keane

The FA must be brave enough not to back down in the face of Ferguson and Keane, and mete out justice for what appears to have been a premeditated act of violence on the field.

It caps a bad week all-round for Ferguson, with injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown exposing his rearguard again.

Could it be that Ferguson himself may be feeling the pressure after ending last season empty-handed, spending �30m on Ferdinand, then watching Manchester United lose a Champions League qualifying tie against Zalaegerszeg?

As for Keane, we should no longer be surprised by anything he says or does.

But he should not be allowed to escape punishment on the basis that he is merely an outspoken maverick who should be indulged because he fights personal demons.

Keane has enough of a fight on his hands trying to prove he has not been overtaken by Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard without indulging in vendettas with one of the game's true journeymen.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane have achieved some of the greatest feats in modern football.

They should be celebrated for this because they have deserved every sliver of success that has come their way.

If only they could add grace to the silverware, Manchester United would be held in even higher regard.