THE moment Roy Keane sat down in front of a television camera and agreed to sell his thoughts to ITV for a big wedge, it was inevitable that, one day, he would have to take a mallet to his old club.

Last night presented such a moment, and with scant regard for the feelings of Alex Ferguson or anyone else he worked with at Old Trafford back in the day, he took a couple of practice swings first and then connected right on the sweet spot.

"They got what they deserved," was the comment which no doubt rankled most with Fergie when he walked into a question from a television man about his former captain's remarks simply because it was true.

The Corkman zoned in instinctively on faulty body language and foolish comments made by young lads such as Phil Jones before the Champions League group showdown with Basel.

Jones spoke about being "relaxed" about the game ahead in the pre-match build-up and this, for Keane, was a mortal sin.

"I'd be getting hold of these players saying, 'You'd better buck your ideas up'," Keane said.

"I don't know why you are bringing this up," replied a fuming Fergie after experiencing only his third group-stage elimination.

"Roy has had an opportunity to prove himself as a manager and it's a hard job," he barked. While it may well be true that Keane's forays into management so far have been singularly unsuccessful after his initial surge at the Stadium of Light when he won promotion from a standing start, it was hardly relevant on a night when Manchester United were as poor as they have been at any time in Ferguson's long tenure.

" We have enough good young players to see us through. That is the part of football you have to deal with. These young players will have to cope with it and get on with it in their careers," claimed Ferguson, but does anyone believe him?

Bad enough that United should flop in the Champions League but worse still that they will have Manchester City as fellow travellers and could line up for the next Europa League draw alongside the likes of Shamrock Rovers' conquerors, Rubin Kazan.

Agony piled on insult for Ferguson in Basel when Nemanja Vidic dropped to the turf clutching his knee and could be ruled out for three months with medial ligament damage.

That will put even more pressure on his struggling squad but one of the few veterans in Ferguson's ranks, Patrice Evra, feels that United do not deserve anything better.

"It is embarrassing to be in the Europa League," the Frenchman said. "It is a sad day. It is not just about tonight, it is about the whole competition. We threw away the chance to qualify, and from the beginning of the season we have not played well in the Champions League."

"Being in the Europa League will make it more difficult for us to win the Premier League, but we deserve it. We need to play with heart and determination. We have to be honest and say we haven't been professional from the beginning of this competition."

"Maybe one or two of us have to look in the mirror and say we can do a lot better than we have done.

"I'll be honest; it is a strange feeling," Evra added. "It feels like a dream. But it is reality and we should have woken up earlier in this competition. We deserve to be out."

- Paul Hyland