Alex Ferguson, not known for suffering his critics gladly, yesterday publicly faced Manchester United fans and was left in no doubt about the growing disillusionment over his side's thus far erratic season.

Making a rare appearance at the club's annual general meeting, the manager became embroiled in a heated and deeply embarrassing exchange of words with Manchester United shareholders after having his judgment questioned.

After opening the floor to a question-and-answer session, he was accused of allowing Roy Keane to become "bigger than the club".

The controversy which followed Keane's autobiography, which led to a five-match ban and £150,000 fine, was compounded days ago when it was reported that in a recent video interview Keane allegedly says he wishes he had punched Alan Shearer when the pair clashed at Newcastle last season.

On top of his controversial exit from the Republic of Ireland camp at the World Cup - after which United paid Keane's flight back home - some fans feel the club are being too loyal.

Ferguson accepted that it was "a fair question", but launched a passionate defence of his captain.

"I can understand the references in his book have disturbed a lot of supporters, but you have to understand the person," Ferguson said. "It's very difficult to criticise a person that has committed himself to this club like Roy Keane for nine years.

"Every ounce of his energy for all his whole life has been put in for Manchester United and wanting to win a game of football.

"It's very difficult to get people like that these days, believe me."

Ferguson explained he had sat down with Keane for heart-to-heart talks, but he does not expect the midfielder to have a sea change in the way he approaches his football.

"I have to balance both sides of it. Yes we talked to him a lot and made him aware of his responsibilities. But you can categorise the moments when it happens.

"There are flashes of temper and they will always be there, but that's because he's a winner.

"It's very difficult to say, 'we don't want the winner. We want the perfect gentleman', you don't get the two things. Sorry it's a hard game out there. But I think if you get to know the person, people wouldn't say the things they do, because I see a different Roy Keane.

"Last week a chap died of cancer," he said. "Roy sat for hours with that guy and said any time you want me to come up and see him - just let me know.

"That's a different Roy Keane to the one we see in the papers. There are two sides of it and I have to balance both sides."

A visibly uncomfortable Ferguson was also accused at the a.g.m. of taking the club backwards with his transfer policies and team selections.

The most withering assessment came from the first person to ask a question, who was so incensed when Ferguson refused to respond to his allegations that he stormed out.

"I've got the greatest respect for you and I will forever be indebted for what you have done to this club, but I wish you had retired at the end of last season," he said. "This season you have come out wearing Rock of Gibraltar's blinkers. You need to go back to the stable, have a clear-out and start with the biggest carthorse of them all - Juan Sebastian Veron."

A reddening Ferguson earned a round of applause with his reply: "I'm not even responding to that - he's an idiot."

However, the accusatory tone of many of his questioners - one shareholder stated there was a "very good chance" United would not qualify for the Champions League next season - was still enough for United's board to feel compelled to offer him a vote of support last night.

"Maybe some people are unhappy because we are only fifth in the league," said Peter Kenyon, the chief executive.

"But as far as I'm concerned there isn't a demise of Manchester United."

Ferguson, indeed, earned a standing ovation at the end of the meeting.

However, there will still be consternation within Old Trafford that so many people were willing to question the most successful manager in the club's history.

The one consolation for Ferguson was that his treatment was nothing compared with the hostility towards the club's plc chairman Roy Gardner and his fellow directors.

At one stage Kenyon said he felt some supporters were "living in cloud-cuckoo land".

The directors were then roundly booed when Gardner, having fielded accusations of alienating the club's supporters, tried to stop the shareholders asking any more questions.

Guardian Service