Ferguson

Mikel Arteta is making glaring Arsenal error Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot wouldn’t dream of making

MORE than a few eyebrows were raised at the Emirates when Arsenal’s starting line-up was announced.

In particular the midfield three of Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

Declan Rice of Arsenal shouting during a Premier League match.

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Declan Rice started in a three-man midfield against Manchester CityCredit: Getty
Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi reacts during a football match.

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Martin Zubimendi joined Rice in the midfieldCredit: Reuters
Arsenal's Mikel Merino reacts during the Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City.

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Mikel Merino was a more surprising name in the Gunners midfieldCredit: AP

It was a defensive-minded decision by Arteta to put pressure on City’s Rodri and limit his influence from deep while keeping things tight until he found the courage to fling on his attacking game-changers at the right moment.

It backfired massively.

Those who criticised Arteta for playing not to lose instead of going for the win at Liverpool last month – eventually losing 1-0 – have even more fuel to chuck on the now-blazing fire.

He had a fully-fit Eze on the bench, and yet kept the handbrake on with a safety-first approach. The question remains: does Arteta have the bravery to win a league title?

The sort of midfield that would have been Jose Mourinho-approved, but one that Arteta must NEVER start again in a title-defining game again if Arsenal are to compete for the Prem.

Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola or even Arne Slot doing the same? No chance.

That trio had no pace, no drive, no attacking intent – and Arsenal have no hope of glory come May should they combine from the off again.

Pep Guardiola greeting Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011Credit: Getty – Contributor
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gesturing on the sidelines.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot and GuardiolaCredit: Reuters

MARTINELLI MORE THAN JUST A ‘FINISHER’

MIKEL Arteta made it clear after Arsenal’s Champions League opener just how much it pains him to leave Gabriel Martinelli on the bench.

The Brazilian came on away at Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night and after 36 seconds he netted before creating another for Leandro Trossard.

It was not enough for Arteta to reward Martinelli with a first start for nearly a month against Manchester City, revealing that he prefers to call his subs “finishers” to give them more meaning and motivation.

But after yet another late goal to snatch points, there is now a dilemma for Arteta: continue using him as a super-sub – or super-finisher – or recall him to that left-winger spot.

Martinelli would admit himself that he has not been in good form over the last 18 months with just 18 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons.

But he is certainly knocking on the door. Is this the start of his North London renaissance?

Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal.

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Gabriel Martinelli rescued a point for ArsenalCredit: Getty

EZE SHINING IN GOOD COMPANY

WITH England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on, Eberechi Eze proved why he is so special and belongs on the biggest of stages.

Eze would have been more than frustrated to be left on the bench for this one, desperate to build some momentum in an Arsenal shirt with next summer’s World Cup looming.

But boy did he deliver when he was thrown on at half-time with Mikel Arteta desperate for some magic after playing it safe for the first 45 minutes.

His beautifully-crafted long ball over the top to put in Gabriel Martinelli for a late, late equaliser is exactly why Arteta snatched him from Crystal Palace, lured from the grasps of rivals Tottenham at the last minute.

Once again for large parts, the Gunners struggled to break down a low block, just like they did last season, but Eze is the player with the key to unlock the most stubborn of defences – if he is given the chance.

It cannot be clearer now – Arteta must start Eze as much as possible between now and the end of the campaign if Arsenal are going to claw the Prem title away from Liverpool.

Eberechi Eze of Arsenal runs with the ball under pressure from Tijjani Reijnders of Manchester City.

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Eberechi Eze is shining for ArsenalCredit: Getty

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Sir Alex Ferguson: Former Man Utd manager talks about brother living with dementia

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson speaks to BBC Breakfast’s Nina Warhurst about his brother living with dementia, and what he does to keep his own mind active.

He was speaking as part of National Playlist Day, which is used to celebrate the power of personalised music playlists for those living with dementia.

READ MORE: Ferguson on music, memory and dementia projects

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Why Ferguson Enterprises Stock Jumped Nearly 10% Today

Was Ferguson’s Tuesday rally justified? Here’s what happened.

Shares of Ferguson Enterprises (FERG 7.89%) rose as much as 9.8% on Tuesday, following the release of mixed results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, ended July 31. The distributor of plumbing and heating supplies erased negative sentiment from last week’s dividend announcement. All told, Ferguson’s stock is back where it was a month ago.

Earnings, revenue, and dividend support

Ferguson’s Q4 revenue rose 6.9% year over year, landing at $8.5 billion. Adjusted bottom-line earnings jumped from $2.98 to $3.48 per share — a 17% increase. The analyst community had expected earnings near $3.29 per share on sales in the neighborhood of $8.7 billion.

At the same time, management issued mildly bullish guidance for the just-started fiscal year 2026. Adjusted operating margins should widen and Ferguson’s single-digit revenue growth is slated to continue.

The confident presentation also reassured investors who were concerned about Ferguson’s future dividends. Last week’s dividend announcement included warnings about the difficulty of moving money across international borders in this macroeconomic era, potentially slowing down dividend payouts. Today’s earnings release and conference call didn’t give much weight to those cash-moving issues, though. All seems forgiven.

A contractor and a family pose for a group photo on a home construction site.

Image source: Getty Images.

Beyond the Q4 numbers

It should be noted that Ferguson is a multinational company, stemming from the 2024 merger of a British and an American business. Still, essentially all of Ferguson’s sales come from North America. I wouldn’t worry too much about Ferguson supporting its largely American dividend checks with funds from British banks — the whole operation has effectively moved west.

As for the actual business, Ferguson is doing fine. The company benefits from tighter air conditioning standards in the U.S. market, which outweighed milder demand for residential home improvement products in the fourth quarter. Other headwinds included a slowing new construction market and uncertain long-term macroeconomic trends.

At the same time, Ferguson is preparing for better times. The company completed nine acquisitions in this fiscal year and another one after the period closed on July 31. It is also making the most of its human capital, cross-training plumbers and air conditioning contractors to handle both types of work.

The stock isn’t exactly cheap at 25 times trailing earnings, given the single-digit top-line growth. The richer profit margins and ambitious growth-boosting acquisitions could make Ferguson an interesting stock to own in the long run, though.

Anders Bylund has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Rangers: Russell Martin revels in ‘incredible’ support from Sir Alex Ferguson

Russell Martin says the support he has had from Sir Alex Ferguson since taking over as Rangers head coach has been “incredible”.

The former Manchester United manager paid his first visit to the club’s Auchenhowie training centre on Friday, in the company of Rangers great John Greig.

Ferguson, 83, played for two seasons at Rangers from 1967-69, while Greig, 82, spent his entire career at Ibrox before a five-year spell as manager.

“Any team talk or message I give is done when those two speak about this club and what it means to them,” Martin told RangersTV.

“They are both really behind us and what we are doing. They are desperate for this team to do well.

“They feel the same way as the fans. They want to see a team that fights and works for everything and has a way about them on the pitch that exemplifies what they believe this club to be about.”

Martin played under Sir Alex’s son Darren Ferguson at Peterborough United who made him captain when he was just 21.

“He reached out and said his dad wanted to give me a call,” Martin added.

“I said ‘of course’ and since then Sir Alex has been in tough regularly. He’s been great. He’s been so supportive of me personally, which is incredible.

“It’s the first time he’s been here and it was just brilliant for everyone to see him.”

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What next for Ferguson after Coppa Italia heroics?

Ferguson has starred since moving to Italy in 2022, earning the club captaincy a year later, and being named Serie A midfielder of the season for 2023-24.

He has also endured hardship.

Leaving aside the challenges of living and playing overseas, Ferguson missed over 200 days of football after injuring knee ligaments in April 2024, and a hamstring problem threatened to rule him out of Wednesday’s final.

“All those difficult times throughout the last year dealing with the injury, all that hard work was worth it when I lifted the trophy,” he said.

“I’d never played outside of Scotland before so to move to a new country and have the people here welcome you, you want to pay them back with nights like Wednesday.

“To see them turn out in their numbers, we walked out on the pitch before the game just to have a little look around and the Bologna end was already full, they were already singing, the flags were everywhere. It gave me goosebumps.

“To see their faces at the end when the referee blew the final whistle was amazing.

“So many people in tears, people jumping about celebrating, something they’ve not seen in such a long time. The relationship between the players and fans is incredible.”

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Barry Ferguson: Rangers confirm interim boss to leave Ibrox job

Barry Ferguson says he has “loved this experience” after it was confirmed that Saturday’s draw with Hibernian was his last match as interim manager of Rangers.

Ferguson, who took charge when Philippe Clement was sacked in February, had spoken about his desire to continue in the role, but those hopes have been dashed.

The 47-year-old leaves along with coaches Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor.

“I’ve already lived the dream as a player and as captain of Rangers, and to do so as head coach in these last three months has been an enormous honour,” Ferguson said.

“There have been some ups and downs, but I have loved this experience and given it my all throughout. The backing I have received has been phenomenal.

“I said, no matter how this period panned out, I would always remain a committed supporter of the club, and I look forward to remaining a Rangers ambassador.

“I wish whomever becomes the new manager every success in the job.”

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