Fergie targets four in a row: Man United 0, Arsenal 0

AS Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated his 11th Premier League title for Manchester United, the most chilling words for the rest of football from the Reds’ manager were the declaration he has no intention of retiring.

The drive and desire still burn as brightly as ever for the 67-year-old Ferguson, the most decorated manager in British football, after Saturday’s goalless draw against Arsenal clinched yet another championship.

And when you look at the latest exciting team Ferguson has created at Old Trafford - it could prove to be the most successful - is it any wonder that he is loathe to leave after equalling Liverpool’s record of 18 championships?

Ferguson said: “This is great, but the challenge now is to win it again next year.

“I’m not contemplating retirement. I’m going to carry on. My health will decide when I quit. I am already thinking about next year. You have to do that - you just drive on.

“I do take a lot of pride from equalling Liverpool. When I came here they were the top guns and my job was to try and change that. But I never thought we could get 11 titles, never in a million years.”

Not even legends like his Manchester United predecessor Sir Matt Busby or Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Jock Stein, Don Revie and Brian Clough, can remotely match the managerial exploits of Ferguson who has won 35 major honours in as many years as a manager.

Ferguson believes there is still more to come from the class of 2009 which completed a hat-trick of titles to match the record they equalled in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

No English team has ever won four championships in a row which is something to aim for, though Ferguson reckons success in Europe is also key.

This is an area in which he believes United have fallen short, winning the Champions League only twice - so yet to be referred to alongside the great Real Madrid, Liverpool, Ajax and Bayern Munich sides of previous generations.

Of the 11 Premier League titles Ferguson has won since 1993, this was only the second achieved at Old Trafford with the trophy presentation taking place at the end of the game.

Sadly, it was not a game which will live long in the memory as, to be truthful, it was an awful spectacle on a showery afternoon.

The perfect finale would have been to have clinched the title with another scintillating display of attacking football. And the scene was set with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in the starting line-up.

Incredibly, United failed to force Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski into making a single save in the 90 minutes.

It was as though United were struck by stage fright as it was a strangely subdued performance.

Arsenal were allowed to have the lion’s share of possession but, as Arsene Wenger conceded, they offered little threat in the final third.

The opening half was a non-event as Robin van Persie and Rooney both headed well wide from inviting positions while van Persie might have won a penalty as television replays suggested he was shoved in the back by Nemanja Vidic.

The second half mirrored the opening period and the substitution of Tevez at the three-quarter stage produced what appeared an emotional farewell for the Argentinean, though Ferguson again insisted he wants him to stay.

Tevez was replaced by Park who, within five minutes of making his entrance, had a goal wrongly chalked out for offside.

Late on the United defence survived one scare when Cesc Fabregas was released on the left of the box and his goalbound shot was turned on to a post by keeper Edwin van der Sar.

It was the Dutchman’s only serious save as he made it a 21st clean sheet in the Premier League.