His successor will be appointed as soon as possible, according to the DFB.Vogts had been under fire since his side's unexpected World Cup quarter- final defeat by Croatia in France this summer. The "victim" was not England's Glenn Hoddle, but Berti Vogts. 's long-serving coach, who replaced Franz Beckenbauer after West 's 1990 World Cup triumph, made the decision to quit following a telephone conversation with Egidius Braun, the president of the German Football Federation (DFB). Freed from restraints, he is likely to make his pounds 27m spending spree this summer on Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist seem like the unloading of small change. "You can have the best collection of footballers ever," Ferguson said last season, "but if there's no-one driving the bus you'll not get there." He will not want to get off now the transport has turned into a coach of gold..

Germany ONE OF Europe's most high-profile national team coaches resigned yesterday after a campaign of vilification led largely by an intolerant media. Instead, Salas went to the Italian club Lazio for pounds 11.7m (pounds 800,000 less than Yorke).Whether Ferguson, who has anxiously protected the club and the shareholders' interests in the past, would be as circumspect with Murdoch's money is debatable. Only last month he failed to sign the Netherlands' Patrick Kluivert even though Milan had agreed an pounds 8m fee with United, and it is reported that Dwight Yorke took a wage cut to come to Old Trafford from Aston Villa.At last year's annual shareholders' meeting it was also revealed that Manchester United plc had been prepared to fund the purchase of Marcelo Salas, and it had been Ferguson who had baulked at buying the Chilean. The unholy alliance may have a beneficial side-effect, too.A Conservative he might not be, but conservative Ferguson is by nature and, although United are the richest club in Europe, he has been loath to break a salary structure that pays the top players pounds 22,000 a week. It takes a strong soul to turn his back on a dream.BSkyB have intimated that Martin Edwards, who currently owns 14 per cent of the club, will remain as a paid chief executive although he will sell his shareholding for approximately pounds 80m, and it is inconceivable that Murdoch would want to get rid of Ferguson or his assistant, Brian Kidd. After four Premiership titles and two Doubles, that appetite will only be satisfied in Europe.Ferguson, who has been at Old Trafford since November 1986, desires to emulate one of his predecessors, Sir Matt Busby, by making United the best club in Europe.

That means winning the Champions' League, which United qualified for by defeating Poland's LKS Lodz 13 days ago. The closest he has come was two years ago, when they reached the semi-finals and lost to the eventual winners, Borussia Dortmund.Ferguson might have known nothing about BSkyB's negotiations, be concerned at the growing gap between the club and its supporters and have reservations about the likely new owners, but that will be offset by the opportunity to compete properly with clubs like Juventus, Milan and Barcelona, who have consistently paid higher transfer fees and salaries. The headline in the The Times yesterday described the proposed deal as "A Marriage Made in Heaven", but as far as Ferguson's political beliefs are concerned it will be a shotgun marriage.But, if that suggests the most successful manager of recent times is likely to seek a divorce from Old Trafford, the impression is wrong. Ferguson might not see eye to Sky with his prospective employers but he can envisage a golden finale to his time with United.Only last season Ferguson, 57 in December, bridled against suggestions he would be retiring soon, claiming he still had a hunger to succeed.

Rupert Murdoch, in many respects, would be an unacceptable face of capitalism in the eyes of Alex Ferguson. Nothing is more likely to rile the Ferguson than to call him a Conservative. A confirmed socialist, he once rounded on a reporter who likened the team's travails in Europe to Margaret Thatcher's problems with her party over the EU. "Don't ever compare me to that woman," he growled, the look on his face a testament that he was not joking. Yet Murdoch's newspapers in this country were Mrs Thatcher's strongest supporters and the The Sun has only recently converted to backing Tony Blair. As his friend and colleague Paul Merson said to him once: "Have you ever tried stopping diarrhoea?"Adams defended any criticism he made of the England coach in his book and insisted their relationship had not been damaged.

"It was never my intention to hurt Glenn and I think in the book I've given a balanced opinion of the man I've got total respect for him He has great faith and he's true to himself It was positive, constructive criticism. I've listened [to him] and learned, and I'm sure he has done the same with me. It was unfortunate that I didn't have control of when the serialisation [in the Sun] came out. I couldn't have written this before - two years ago I was still drinking - and I had to wait until the World Cup was over to finish off the last chapter. It had to go out sometime and it got to the biggest readership - I had good motives. I knew it would be reviewed negatively but not as negatively as it has been."When the time comes to retire Adams will take a year off from the game and study his options - he was impressed with the way that his Arsenal team-mate David Platt had sorted out his future. "I'm spending a Christmas at home, my family deserve that after all these years and then I might take up skiing - my old knees willing.".