Nick Westby: Here’s hoping for a level playing field as Fergie finally bows out

In a way, it was a backhanded compliment. Ferguson had built United into the biggest football club in the world, the most marketable brand in sport and the most successful team in English history.

All the back-slapping that came the Scot’s way in the wake of last Wednesday’s announcement was merited and enjoyed.

Some may have thought of it as overkill, but even those with the greatest of dispositions towards Manchester United surely have to acknowledge that Ferguson is right up there with the greatest of British footballing careers.

The timing of his decision, according to those toeing the party line, was perfect for a 71-year-old who had fought off all-comers to keep reinventing United as the best team in England for two decades.

The timing of his decision, for those of us on this side of the Pennines with allegiances elsewhere, was perfect because United were on the brink of another era of domination.

With Robin van Persie the man considered most responsible for wresting the title across Manchester from City already on their books, and the club linked to a return for the brilliant Ronaldo and fearless Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, United were only going to get stronger.

This season they have cantered to the Premier League title without so much as a raised voice from their noisy neighbours or any other pursuers.

For me, though, their procession to a 20th top-flight title has rendered the English Premier League about as interesting as the Scottish Premier League.

Talking up fourth place and the final Champions League berth is about as good as it has got for pundits.

Looking further afield and a trend develops throughout Europe. Barcelona, whose golden generation are seemingly on the wane, have still been able to race to the La Liga title against a Real Madrid team that did not have the consistency to uphold the usual duopoly.

The two powerhouses of the Champions League this season are German, yet Bayern Munich are 20 points clear of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

In France, Ligue 1 is coming to terms with the bottomless pit of money being thrown at Paris St Germain, who are on the verge of a first title since 1994.

After the dominance of Lyon, the likes of Bordeaux and Montpellier had reigned supreme in France, but now such equality at the top of the pile is set to be blown apart.

Switching sports, and English rugby union’s Premiership play-offs began this weekend with the same four teams contesting the semi-finals as in the last two seasons – Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Harlequins and Northampton Saints.

Same old, same old.

For the best drama in English team sport this season, football’s Championship has had no equal.

And that is because everyone is pretty much on an equal footing. Budgets may be miles apart between the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley, but the talent pool they are picking from – save for the likes of Jordan Rhodes – is much of a muchness.

There is little to choose between the left-back at Peterborough and the left-back at Cardiff.

That unpredictability in the Championship has made it compelling viewing this season.

I am a big fan of American sports, particularly American football’s NFL and ice hockey’s NHL, where salary caps and a college draft system ensure a level playing field for all teams.

From year to year across the four major team sports in the United States, there is frequent change at the top and bottom.

The team that finishes last in the standings gets to pick first in the annual draft of the best college players, which, by and large, ensures dominance is rare.

There are the great names in American sports, the storied franchises who manage to replace players and rebuild more studiosly than others. But they cannot establish a stranglehold.

I am not saying for a minute that selecting players through a draft would be possible in British or European football or rugby.

Nor am I trying to decry the great sporting names of European sport, like Manchester United, Barcelona and Leicester Tigers.

But for football, in particular, to retain any interest at the top level, there needs to be a levelling of the playing field with the introduction of a salary cap.

If Manchester City can promise the world to the best players on the planet, but Wigan can only offer a three-bedroomed detached in a leafy suburb of a working-class town, then the Sky Blues will always compete at the top, and Wigan will always be battling to survive at the bottom, Saturday’s shock FA Cup final triumph notwithstanding.

Financial fair play kicks in across Europe next season, the UEFA proposal brought in to prevent professional football clubs spending more than they earn. That, in theory, should curb the likes of City and PSG from throwing money they have not generated at chasing success.

But there is little sign that such regulations will be abided by, or tightly policed. Loopholes aplenty will be discovered by the clubs.

It is to be hoped that it is monitored closely and that clubs are punished.

If not, then the top clubs will continue to ride roughshod over the minnows of European football, with the knock-on effect trickling down to the English game.

In a way, and this is another compliment to Fergie – albeit not as backhanded – his longevity, through changing eras in the game, from the muddy pitches of the Football League to the cash rich Premier League, is an accomplishment that arguably outweighs the number of trophies he won.

So, farewell Sir Alex, I shall miss you and revel in your retirement in equal measure.

and another thing...

The second weekend in May has passed without a premier golfing tournament on the European Tour schedule.

Spring is in the air in Britain and the sun is already blazing across Europe, yet despite this prime golfing weather, there is no play either on the home continent or across the globe where the Tour is becoming increasingly dependent.

It is all down to sponsorship. Tournaments, even national opens, are reliant on major financial backers, yet they are dropping off the schedule at an alarming rate.

Two years ago, there were seven tournaments in Spain. This year, just one.

Events in Britain had already dwindled to one per country, prior to renewed interest from Scotland, which hosts four this year, including the Open. But, generally, the traditional heartland has been abandoned in favour of more lucrative events in South Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.

Principal, long-standing sponsors like Volvo and BMW still support multiple events, but if they were ever to pull the plug, the Tour would find itself in a right old pickle.

European golf should be riding high after a decade of dominance in the Ryder Cup. Yet with money tight across the continent, there has been no opportunity to grow. If anything, it has shrunk.