Ferguson 'sackable' - United chief
 |  Ferguson's position is under scrutiny with United trailing Chelsea in the English Premier League. |
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LONDON, England -- Manchester United chief executive David Gill turned up the heat on legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the day the Premiership giants announced a big fall in half year profits.
"He is sackable," Gill admitted on BBC Radio Four.
"We live in a very pressurised sport. The pressure will be on next season and we wouldn't want that pressure not to be there."
Pre-tax profits for the six months to January 31 were down from £26.8 million to £12.4 million.
Falling media revenues and the cost of buying new players Wayne Rooney, Alan Smith and Gabriel Heinze are blamed for the losses.
The Old Trafford club has also been hit by continued speculation as to its future with American business tycoon Malcolm Glazer, owner of NFL club the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, still examining their books having reportedly offered up to 800 million pounds in a takeover bid.
United's board has indicated its reluctance to accept Glazer's bid, saying it includes too much debt, and United chief executive, David Gill, admitted that the club had been unsettled by the speculation.
"A challenging first half to the year was made even more difficult by the continued speculation surrounding a possible offer for the company," he said.
On the field, United fortunes have been mixed as Ferguson rebuilds his squad.
Unless Chelsea suffer a dramatic slump in fortunes over the next eight games, United will fail to win the Premier League title in successive seasons for the first time since the competition was formed in 1992.
Having also been dumped out of the Champions League at the first knock-out stage for the second campaign running, the Scot's position is under more scrutiny than it has been since the dark days of the late 1980s.
He is due to move onto a new rolling one-year contract, which can be terminated at 12 months' notice by either party, in the summer.
With eight league titles, five FA Cups and a European Cup on his Old Trafford CV, it was widely assumed the 63-year-old would be the one who decided when his United career would be terminated.
But while Gill stressed there has never been any suggesting that Ferguson could be shown the door, his remarks illustrate that no-one is beyond dismissal.
"But (removing the manager) is not something that has entered our discussions at boardroom level. It would be detrimental to the club to make a knee-jerk reaction for not winning the league for a second season in a row.
"The manager's record is second to none, we still have a chance of winning a major trophy this season in the FA Cup, and we are very positive about the future," Gill added.
The fall in half-year profits means the United board need to generate greater revenue, placing extra emphasis on the need to finish runners-up this term and secure 30% of the central Champions League pot for English clubs as opposed to the 15% on offer to the side which ends up in third place.
"That could be worth around .2-3million for each stage of the competition," confirmed finance director Nick Humby. "We have not given up hope of catching Chelsea yet but if we don't, finishing second is very important."
Certainly, cash to bring in new players this summer will be strictly limited, with Gill confirming that the hunt for a top class goalkeeper was the priority.
Parma's Sebastien Frey and top Premiership keepers Carlo Cudicini, Jussi Jaaskelainen and Mark Schwarzer have all been mentioned as potential targets and Gill confirmed money would be found to bring in a new face should Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll quit.
"We made Roy an offer, he has not accepted it, so it looks as though he will be leaving," said Gill, who confirmed further discussions with Ryan Giggs, whose contract talks have also hit an impasse, may begin again in the summer. "If Roy does leave, we will find funds for a replacement."
