The two sides of Ferguson: Great manager, but his reputation as a man has been tainted...

There's no doubt about Ferguson's standing among the list of great British managers' - he's right up there with the very best - in the eyes of many he is the best. However, many United fans have a different view of Fergie, the man. Many supporters are disappointed with the United manager because of his loyal, but misguided support for the Glazer family, at least that is how the supporters see it.

Since 2005 and following the Glazer family takeover of the club, Ferguson has had a difficult job, not least because of a lack of transfer funds; in this respect and according to supporters group MUST, the family haven't put a single penny of their own money into the club following their debt laden acquisition.

The summer transfer window is open for business and Fergie needs to strengthen his squad with the addition of three proven signings who can perform at the very highest level. At the season end, Fergie hinted there would be additions to the squad, but since then the manager has played down the prospect of wholesale changes. On Friday, the club announced losses of £67m for the first nine months of the financial year; in response, analysts say the existing business model does not work unless players are sold 'United must sell players to pay debt'.

Given the financial plight of the club under the current regime, it is easy to understand why the fans question Ferguson's public support for the Glazer family. The thing is this, Ferguson doesn't need to say anything about the owners - in the eyes of the fans this would be more acceptable than supporting his paymasters so publicly.

Some supporters believe if Fergie had spoken out in 2005 against the takeover, the city institutions who enabled the Glazers' massively leveraged acquisition to go ahead might not have done so. We will never know how much validity there is behind that claim, what we do know is Fergie has been an avid supporter of the Glazers', but will he live to regret this stance if United's fortunes on and off the pitch nose-dive?

In the eyes of many unhappy match-going supporters, no matter what Fergie does in the remainder of his time as manager of United, his reputation as a man has been tainted and not just because of his support for the Glazer family.

Let us remember Ferguson had a good relationship with Irish horse-racing tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier. The pair went on to become major shareholders in the club via their investment vehicle Cubic Expression. However, Ferguson famously fell out with John Magnier, reportedly over stud rights to a jointly owned horse Rock of Gibraltor.

The Glazer family started buying shares in United in 2003 and following the reported fall-out with Magnier, the Irish duo eventually sold their United shareholding to the Glazer family. In fairness, McManus and Magnier always maintained that their interest in United was purely from an investment perspective - they were always going to sell at some point. Nonetheless, it was hugely disappointing that Cubic Expression chose to sell to the Glazer family...the decision to sell to the Americans came about after the much publicised spat with Ferguson, who at one time was said to be a friend. It is therefore fair to ask if Magnier was punishing Ferguson following the Rock of Gibraltor bust-up. Magnier and McManus are not fools, they must have known how potentially damaging the Glazer takeover could turn out to be, given the levels debt they were taking on, and if you accept this scenario, again it is fair to ask was this Cubic Expression's way of punishing Ferguson?

It was a win, win situation for the Irish duo; Magnier has never stepped foot inside Old Trafford and the McManus family reportedly support Arsenal; neither of them are United supporters - they had no real interest in the club. Inevitably, the net result of the Glazers' pursuit of taking the club private pushed up the club's share price and they ended up paying over £3 per share; the same shares that no long before could be purchased for just 99p. Cubic Expression made a killing on their United shares (as did many other investors) and when they eventually sold out, they effectively screwed United and Fergie into the bargain.

Since 2005, the cost of United season tickets has risen by 42% - which is another reason why Ferguson should not be supporting the owners so publicly.

Ferguson also blotted his copybook when he questioned the character of United legend Brian Kidd in his autobiography Managing My Life. In 1998 Kidd had taken charge of Blackburn Rovers, but he was sacked in 1999 not long after Ferguson's book was published.

Other controversies include the departure of club doctor .Mike Stone, who was by all accounts a very popular figure within Old Trafford during his time with the club