Rising standard makes treble quest trickier, says Ferguson

No one is more inclined to promote their club than Sir Alex Ferguson and yet the Manchester United manager cast doubt on the prospect of a second treble himself yesterday when he claimed that standards had risen markedly since the historic days of 1999.

With a six-point lead in the Premiership, Roma awaiting in the Champions League quarter-finals and an FA Cup semi-final to come against Watford, United are well placed to repeat the feat that brought Ferguson his knighthood eight years ago. The United manager, however, takes a more pessimistic view, and while many believe a lack of strength in depth could cost his squad over the remaining nine weeks of the season the Scot cites improvement at the peak of English and European football for the assessment that a League, Champions League and FA Cup hat-trick may never be repeated.

Ferguson said: "No one talks about that [the treble]. It is a possibility but more of an impossibility given the number of games we have. I think the competition in the Premier division has got harder in the last few years and the standard is better in Europe. The quality we have in the Premier League is the highest. I think we have the best division in Europe. I think for a while the Spanish league of eight or nine years ago was in front, but I think we have overtaken them. The excitement and entertainment you get in the Premier League is second to none."

United continue the pursuit of a first Premiership title for four years with a potential FA Cup final dress rehearsal against Blackburn on Saturday, the start of a two-week period that will examine their treble credentials and concludes with a domestic semi-final at Villa Park that has already caused consternation among the Old Trafford support. The Football Association has allocated United 17,600 tickets for the 14 April game - below a quarter of the average attendance at Old Trafford - but has granted Watford 17,800, a total that exceeds the average home attendance in all competitions at Vicarage Road this season.

"It is ridiculous," said Mark Longden, the chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association. "Watford have an allocation which virtually reflects their average home gate, while ours is a fraction of our attendance. I think the real issue here is why the supporters were not consulted. If Chelsea fans can go up to Old Trafford for their semi-final, there is no reason why United fans could not have gone down to Ashburton Grove, with a 60,000 capacity. It seems that every year we have these issues over venue and allocation, but no one ever asks the supporters what they think."

The FA has responded by blaming United supporters for failing to heed repeated warnings not to stand in the away section at Villa Park. A spokesman said: "If you incorporate the hospitality areas, there will actually be more Manchester United fans inside the ground. The United allocation was also reduced on the basis of advice from Aston Villa's safety officer, due to the fact that they persistently stand when they go to Villa Park."

The Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon, meanwhile, has reiterated his desire to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu this summer despite recent declarations from the Portugal international that he is willing to commit to a new contract at Old Trafford.

"Ronaldo is a magnificent player but at present he belongs to Manchester United. However, if the English decide to sell him we would be the first in the queue," Calderon said.

The Real president also expressed an interest in the Milan midfielder Kaka and Borussia Dortmund's German international defender, Christoph Metzelder, who is expected to leave the German club at the end of the season. "I'm not aware that any deal has been done yet, but the club's technical staff like Christoph Metzelder and he will be out of contract at the end of the season," he said. "If he does decide to come he will sign a three-year deal."

Calderon also hinted that the Real coach, the Italian Fabio Capello, may not remain at the Bernabeu beyond the end of the season, saying: "We will make an evaluation of what has been achieved at the end of the season."