SIR ALEX Ferguson has dismissed any suggestions that the hunger to win more European cups has been dented by the defeat against Barcelona.
The Manchester United manager was visibly angry and dismayed by his side's inability to cope with the possession football of the Spanish champions in the 2-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.
But the famous 'hairdryer' was just as much in danger
of being trained on one brave journalist who asked Ferguson to give an assurance that the determination to win more prizes still burns within him.
Ferguson responded with a steely glare before saying: "I don't understand that question on a night like this. I don't know why you're asking me that question. It's a bloody stupid question."
So, take it as read, the Ferguson hunger even at 67 is as sharp as ever, despite his first taste of defeat in a European final. If anything, it could be even sharper.
There is nothing like a dose of humiliation to churn the Glaswegian desire for revenge.
Ferguson was embarrassed at the way his side, especially his defence, played against a Barcelona team who had reached the final courtesy of Andres Iniesta's injury-time strike against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Embarrassed, too, perhaps, by the way he was outfoxed by a young managerial pup in Josep Guardiola, cutting his teeth in his first coaching year by winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, the first time such a treble has been achieved in Spanish football.
Guardiola's decision to withdraw Lionel Messi from his wide front role to a midfield berth wrenched the early initiative from United every bit as much as the first goal from Samuel Eto'o when he stepped inside a flat-footed Nemanja Vidic.
Ferguson reflected: "The first goal in particular gave them a great boost. And I think thereafter with Messi dropping into midfield it made it difficult to get the ball back off them.
"The disappointment was the use of the ball when we got possession. You have to wait for minutes to get the ball back from them and when we did we didn't use it well enough.
"Normally we are better than that. Maybe it was an off night. Maybe the mountain was too big to climb after being a goal down. Who knows?"
Maybe it had more to do with the fact that the need for a midfield creative player is even more urgent than Ferguson has anticipated.
Bayern Munich manager Uli Hoeness has confessed that a "non-concrete" enquiry has been made by United regarding French winger Franck Ribery. Last night's defeat might just have added a little more ballast to the mixture.
Here is the deal. Carlos Tevez seemingly has played his last match for the club. Paul Scholes has another year's contract, but his legs have clearly gone, while Ryan Giggs at 35 is a long way from the player he once was, despite winning the PFA Player of the Year prize.
On top of that Nani has not trained on, Anderson looked like a man out of his depth against the sharp midfield minds of Barcelona and Park Ji-Sung failed to repay Ferguson's faith in handing him a final berth having missed out last year.
It leaves in midfield Michael Carrick and the suspended Darren Fletcher, the latter whose energy and protection United missed more than most of their fans could have imagined against the Spaniards.
The point is that Ferguson's best-ever squad, by his own admission, let him down when he needed them most.
That goes for the exasperating Cristiano Ronaldo and the strangely subdued Wayne Rooney and most of all for the defenders, such a cornerstone of United's success this past season, but who Ferguson described with some justification as "shoddy."
Yet for all that the fact remains that when Ferguson was asked where the sublime Barcelona stood in the pantheon of great sides he has grappled with in his 23 years at Old Trafford he admitted "Pretty near the top" just about summed it up.
The prospect of more such battles obviously feeds the hunger which burns within. Just don't ask him about it.
Ferguson's desire obviously rubs off on his players. Rio Ferdinand, who lost Messi at Barcelona's second goal, is eager for the Old Trafford club to bounce back from Wednesday's disappointment. "We are grown men," said the defender. "We can handle it. We just have to brush ourselves down and come back stronger."
Giggs urges team-mates to be proud of a momentous seasonRYAN Giggs has told his devastated Manchester United team-mates not to forget it has been a season to remember.
Instead of a victory parade around Manchester, United flew home to the inevitable inquest about what went wrong in Rome on Wednesday night after their 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.
To a man, United have held up their hands to admit Barca were the better side at the Stadio Olimpico, with a clear edge in all areas.
It is not the way Giggs intended to begin his summer holidays and presents a marked contrast to the jubilation they experienced 12 months ago after beating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out.
But, while the veteran Welshman is as crushed as anyone by the chronic failure to perform, he insists there are moments to cherish from the campaign as well.
"Great teams bounce back after big disappointments," he said. It has been a fantastic season and we must not forget that. We have achieved so much. All we have done is fall just short at the final hurdle.
"We are still a great team and we have great players in that dressing room. Next year we will come back stronger and look forward to the challenge."
And the challenge is not an insignificant one. Whereas this season history beckoned in Europe with the ultimately doomed attempt to become the first team to retain the Champions League since its inception in 1992, next year it will be at home.
Having drawn level with Liverpool on 18 league titles this term, Giggs knows one more – which would be his 12th personally – would not only allow the Old Trafford outfit to overtake their north-west rivals, it would also see them become the first side in English football to win four titles in a row.
"To win three Premier League titles on the trot is an unbelievable thing to do," said Giggs. "Now we must look to make it four."
Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated there will not be much movement this summer, with most of the replacements already in place for Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar, who by this time next year will already have, or be very close to, calling it a day.
Owen Hargreaves' return is eagerly-awaited after his tendinitis trouble but clearly, beyond even that significant event, are the futures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The body language of Ronaldo last night did not suggest a man at ease with the world, although looks can be somewhat deceptive with the Portugal superstar, who has hinted at a desire to remain at Old Trafford, at least for another year. Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has also claimed a deal has been done for Ronaldo to move, which promises to make for some intriguing tittle-tattle over the next few weeks.
If the permanent signing of Tevez is not pursued Ferguson might shuffle his squad around, possibly bringing in Franck Ribery in addition to Ronaldo, whose future surely lies as an out-and-out forward.
Ferguson's players however might spend a little more time reflecting on the past rather than pondering the future.
"You work so hard to get to a Champions League final," reflected Giggs.
"I guess this result proves why it has not been done before."
Simon Stone The full article contains 1335 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
