Madam, - In the 18th and 19th centuries, gentlemen had a very simple way of settling matters when a "gentleman's agreement", such as that between Alex Ferguson and John Magnier, went awry.
They would meet at dawn in the Phoenix Park with a pair of duelling pistols and settle the matter there and then.
Phoenix Park is still there and pistols, alas, can still be easily acquired; so why not give it a go? It would be a sure-fire way to save the courts time and trouble, keep both reputations intact and, in the current parlance, draw a line under the whole affair. - Yours etc.,
AIDAN DOWLING, Beechwood Park, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.