English FA Premiership:Alex Ferguson has blamed what he describes as the "mocking culture" created by reality television shows such as Dancing on Ice, The X Factor, Pop Idol and Strictly Coming Dancing for exacerbating Steve McClaren's plight.

Indeed Ferguson fears these popular programmes may have helped inspire a climate of abuse responsible for making the England job near impossible.

"We have a mocking situation in this country now," explained Manchester United's manager, who once employed England's head coach as his assistant. "You see it on all these TV shows where the panellists criticise the contestants.

"There's a mocking industry now and it's even generated by television programmes. Even when they skate, the panel then criticises them.

"It's just a mocking culture we've got so when they (football supporters) see that (on television) they mock the manager, they ridicule him. It's hard to take. It's very wrong and makes it very, very difficult."

The BBC, who put out Strictly Come Dancing, said: "We vehemently refute any allegation that any BBC TV show bullies or humiliates contestants in any way. In Strictly Come Dancing, professional dancers and willing celebrities take part, raising millions for charity. The four expert judges may sometimes criticise and comment on their performances but never in a bullying or demeaning way."

McClaren will not attend a Premiership game today although the FA denied that he was deliberately lying low, insisting he often takes weekends off immediately after Wednesday night internationals.

While McClaren's relationship with journalists is fast unravelling, Ferguson seemed reluctant to accuse his old enemy, the English press, of plotting his former sidekick's downfall. "Where do you apportion blame in this culture we've created? I don't know," he said. "Has the press created that or is it just our culture? I don't have hard answers."

Ferguson does, though, have some insight into McClaren's state of mind. "He'll be feeling it," he said. "But he's a man and he'll get on with it."

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney was one England player singled out for particular criticism and Ferguson believes this, too, has been unfair. "You can't heap responsibility on one player," he insisted. "I don't think the whole team played well."

United supporters are wondering whether their former striker Mark Hughes, whose Blackburn side visit Old Trafford today, will be the man to eventually replace Ferguson, who did not discourage such thoughts yesterday. "Mark's done very well as a manager," he said. "His spell with Wales was a terrific advantage to him."

All the same, Ferguson never envisaged the once ultra-shy Hughes becoming a coach, let alone a manager. "Mark was always a very quiet lad," he recalled. "He never said a word. He was always away early because he valued his family, just like Paul Scholes. You never thought he'd be a coach."

Ferguson, meanwhile, is prepared for the Premiership title race to be decided on goal difference as long as Manchester United eventually emerge triumphant.

United know six wins from their last eight games will be enough to end a four-year wait for the trophy.

Now the potentially pivotal encounter with Chelsea has been shoved back to the last week of the season because of both sides' FA Cup commitments, United could even have the title sewn up before they head to Stamford Bridge.

Yet Ferguson is refusing to take anything for granted. And despite being in such a favourable position, he would happily accept the ultimate prize on the final day even though he knows the trauma that would be experienced along the way as Chelsea eroded their present advantage.

"I don't care when we win it, winning it is the most important thing," he said.

"It doesn't matter when or how. I would take goal difference right at this very moment even though it would create a few heart attacks along the way."

Louis Saha has an outside chance of being involved today, although it is more likely the French striker, who has been missing with a hamstring problem, will feature either in the midweek Champions League encounter with Roma or the Premiership tussle with Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Easter Saturday.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been rocked by the loss of Dutch winger Arjen Robben with a knee injury that looks likely to rule him out for the rest of the season. Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has revealed Robben is to undergo surgery.

The winger returned from international duty with Holland yesterday afternoon and medical staff decided that surgery was the best option to cure the problem.

Mourinho said yesterday: "Robben will be out for a long time. For me it is a bit difficult to accept because he played two matches for his country, 90 minutes last Wednesday, and the next day he came here and he is injured. He needs surgery and we lose an important player maybe for the rest of the season."

Chelsea have also confirmed that Frank Lampard will play against Watford today in a lightweight plaster cast. Lampard sustained a fractured bone in his wrist while on international duty with England for their Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Andorra.

The injury prevented him from playing in the 3-0 win over Andorra but he has trained with Chelsea and assistant manager Steve Clarke said he would play against rock-bottom Hornets at Vicarage Road.

Guardian Service