United legend Keane bracing himself for the hairdryer treatment once again as Sir Alex's memoirs are published next month

Roy Keane, the former Manchester United great who fell out spectacularly with Sir Alex Ferguson, is known to be waiting with great interest for the publication of his former manager’s memoirs.
Keane, expected to be one of the major targets in the book to be published next month, will have to take any personal criticism from Fergie on the chin.
But the ITV pundit has told associates he will be looking closely at the content to ensure that any differences he has had with  Ferguson are accurately reported.

Hairdryer treatment: Roy Keane is expected to be one of the main topics in Sir Alex Ferguson's new book

All smiles: Ferguson can't say too much in his new book as he is still a club director at Manchester United

United threatened legal action against Keane in 2008 when he spoke about his abrupt departure from Old Trafford in 2005.
The fact that Ferguson remains a United club director, as well as a super ambassador being paid £2m-a-year for 20 corporate appearances at £100,000-a-time, complicates what he can say in his second autobiography.
That especially applies to writing about current United players like Wayne Rooney, who is back on side with new manager David Moyes after last season’s war with Ferguson. As a result any negativity Fergie has felt over Rooney might be directed towards his agent Paul Stretford.
However Keane - like former United players Gordon Strachan and Brian Kidd in Ferguson’s first official life story in 1999 - will be seen as fair game to attack with the Irishman reckoning he will never be reconciled with Sir Alex.
No QPR special agents
Championship club QPR may have had a reckless money-no-object attitude towards football agents during their brief period in the Premier League.
However the middle men no longer receive the red carpet treatment at Loftus Road having been barred from the high end C Club corporate hospitality facility first set up by Flavio Briatore - despite football agents being one of the few professions that can afford the £5,000-per-season membership.
A QPR spokesman said: ‘We have taken the decision to move football agents as we felt C-Club - which also doubles up as our boardroom - should be specifically for paying members and opposition club dignitaries.’

High end: The C Club corporate hospitality facility at Loftus Road was set up by former QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore

 

Broadcasting queen Clare Balding’s  support for women’s sport was such that when working for BBC Five Live she wanted one item involving it to be included in every hourly radio sports bulletin on the station. But now she calls the shots on her own BT Sport show, Clare can insist on women’s sport featuring in some way on every weekly programme she hosts from the Olympic Park studio. Balding says the key to harnessing the power of women’s sport is more ‘information’ about it.

 

A grand six-a-side match with rolling substitutes took place in Dubrovnik between UEFA delegate chief executives and presidents whose group included overlord Michel Platini and head of the Croatia federation Davor Suker. Platini, naturally, opened the scoring. Then with the score at 6-5 to the CEOs, the game was extended way past its scheduled finish until Platini equalised.

Kickabout: UEFA President Michel Platini scored a late equaliser against a team of CEO's in Dubrovnik recently

 

The return of England players Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad to the Nottinghamshire side for the Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord’s on Friday doesn’t seem to have gone down well with seamer Ajmal Shahzad who tweeted: ‘Can’t help but think I’ve been shafted.’ Notts ordered Shahzad to delete the posting inferring it related to a cricket matter although he’s included in the squad.

 

The fire alarm was being tested at the BT headquarters just as head of sport Simon Green was about to talk at a sports marketing conference about the very mixed reaction to the network’s football pundits and fans having their own ‘prejudices’ about Michael Owen and Co. However when the din had subsided Green had adroitly moved on to BT’s rugby specialists being ‘universally accepted’ from the start.

 

The Premier League, outraged at former referee Mark Halsey writing a book about his life as an elite official, will be doing their utmost to ensure that top-flight referees do not copy  Halsey in the future. The plan is to weed out any star-struck referee demonstrating Halsey-like tendencies to talk about friendships with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Outrage: The Premier League are unhappy that Mark Halsey has written a book about his experiences as a referee