A new football season - time for Ferguson, Allardyce and Redknapp to grow up ?

When people criticise professional footballers in ability to speak to the media they ought to look at who these footballers learn from and be more critical of the terrible attitude that some senior managers have towards the press, and in particular, the BBC.

Alex Ferguson, a great manager, but totally unable to take criticism from some BBC reporters or commentators, has refused to do BBC interviews for a number of years as a punishment to the BBC. Instead he sends out his number two, Carlos Queiroz, to speak to the press.

With Sam Allardyce, a regular on Match of the Day 2 on a Sunday night until a year ago, he fell out with the BBC because their news and current affairs team did an investigation in to bungs and dodgy deals in football, with allegations being made in the programme against his son Craig, who has acted as a football agent. So what happens next ? One week he is a regular on the couch and part of the team, the next week he refuses to speak to his old work colleagues in the BBC Sports department (not news, but sport), who had nothing to do with the documentary.

Harry Redknapp, who similarly had good relations with the BBC before the Panorama documentary refuses to speak to them now.

These managers believe they are punishing the BBC. The truth is that it is the fans who miss out, not the BBC. As an Everton fan I was always gutted that Duncan Ferguson, a hero of mine, refused all offers to do press interviews because he said the press always misrepresented him. Did the press miss out ? No. but I felt I did as an Everton fan as I wanted to hear his views. In the same way I think Manchester United, Portsmouth and Bolton fans (now Newcastle in Allardyce's case) missed out and will miss out by not hearing their managers say honestly what they think.

So it's time for these men to grow up. It's a new season and time to turn over a new leaf.