Man Utd need swift peace deal

By Alan Hansen BBC Sport football expert

Sir Alex Ferguson's very public dispute with joint leading shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus is a massively serious situation for Manchester United - with no quick fix in sight.

Magnier and McManus did not achieve what they have without a ruthless edge

Some distractions at a football club can be minor irritants, but this is a big issue involving powerful and hugely influential people who hate losing.

It is like a game of poker and unless someone backs down it is difficult to see how the spoils can be shared.

Manchester United have apparently investigated the possibility of drafting in a mediator, but the way things are currently I think you would need Henry Kissinger in there.

It really is an extraordinary situation because if your share price is rising, the brand is getting bigger, and results are excellent on the pitch - as they are at Manchester United - you would expect major shareholders to be passing around cigars.

You would certainly not expect them to be demanding, as some reports have claimed, an investigation into Manchester United's transfer deals and payments to agents.

And when you have the leading shareholders demanding an investigation into transfers, you have a problem.

It has also been claimed they would call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club if Ferguson is given more than a one-year rolling contract. Once again, a problem.

Normally when you are winning on the pitch everything goes away, but this is not a normal case because of course it all started with a dispute between Ferguson and the Irish duo over the horse Rock of Gibraltar.

If the court case involving the horse goes away, many would hope the alleged investigation into the transfers would go away, but there is no sign an amicable conclusion can be reached.

Manchester United's problem is that with Ferguson's contract still unsigned, this debate will rage and rage. And despite the assurances that it is all sorted, it still hasn't been signed after weeks of speculation.

And another major difficulty for Manchester United is that they have two powerful and influential factions, namely Ferguson on one side and Magnier and McManus on the other, with a huge chasm between them.

The two parties both hate losing at anything, so it is very difficult to see how it can be settled.

Magnier wields massive power and influence

Sir Alex has seen off plenty of opponents on the pitch, but when your opponents are leading shareholders in the club you manage, they are a force to be reckoned with.

And it certainly puts Old Trafford chief executive David Gill in a difficult position because while he clearly wants to get Sir Alex's contract signed and sealed, he simply cannot ignore the questions being posed by Magnier and McManus.

They are just too powerful to ignore.

If it was just them on their own without any clout at Manchester United they would be serious opponents, but the double whammy is that they own a 25.49% share of the club and can wield huge influence.

I have met both Magnier and McManus and they are fabulous people, real gentlemen whose kindness is legendary, but the same can be said of Alex when you get him away from the spotlight and in company.

But having said that, Magnier and McManus did not achieve what they have without a ruthless edge and I do not believe they are just going to go away in this dispute.

A swift settlement does not seem at hand and Manchester United have a major problem to deal with Alan Hansen

Equally, Sir Alex has never shied away from a fight, so consequently we have an impasse.

It has been questioned whether it would be in the best interests of Magnier and McManus to oust Ferguson from the job he has done so brilliantly at Manchester United because of a difference that actually started over a racehorse.

The only answer is that we don't actually know. But, as we know, Alex does not walk away.

The most imporant thing for Manchester United as a football club would be for some form of peace deal to be brokered, but this would clearly involve somebody backing down.

And as we have discussed, any sort of examination of the characters involved suggests they do not lend themselves to backing down.

The best case would be for a quick settlement, because the season is approaching its most crucial phase and it is the time when everybody should be pulling in the same direction, concentrating only on what is going on out on the pitch.

Anything that detracts from that can prove costly and serious, even for a club like Manchester United.

But at the moment, that swift settlement does not seem at hand and Manchester United have a major problem to deal with.