REGARDING Neil Bramwell's comments on Sir Alex Ferguson (LET, October 14), firstly, he accuses him of pulling Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

I wasn't best pleased when that decision was made. However, the blame cannot be put on Sir Alex alone - the decision was made at board level along with the FA and government intervention.

Secondly, if he watched the testimonial for Sir Alex on Monday, he would have heard that the monies raised would be donated to charities of Sir Alex's choice.

As for risking his top players in his testimonial, well, let's face it - there was very little risk. The players probably work harder in training than they did last Monday night.

Thirdly, the Worthington Cup. Yes, I partially agree - a stronger squad should have been fielded.

But suppose United had gone all the way in the competition and ended up with a fixture list as long as your arm, and because of its length, lost out on far greater rewards - the league title or Champions' league title.

Would Neil Bramwell be criticising Sir Alex for taking on more than the team could chew?

Then again, suppose United entered all competitions and went on to win them all. Would he then be accusing United of being greedy, or would he praise them?

Finally, Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most successful managers of all time.

It is obvious that some decisions he makes aren't popular, but, at the end of the day, success is built on the right decisions, and I feel Sir Alex has proven himself to be in a far better position to manage Manchester United than Neil Bramwell is, or ever will be.

DEREK STEELE (Mr), Eshton Road, Gargrave, near Skipton.

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